Cardboard Boxes and a Trash Can

 

Only 9 1/2 months old and the bathroom is already his favorite room.  Such a man.

Turkey Day for us was low key.  Well, with the exception of the rumblings of the trash can in the bathroom and major teething screaming marathons.  I cleaned up enough to feel like we had all of our family over courtesy of Butters crawling all over the house and tearing up everything in his path.  

The weekend before Thanksgiving was a bit scary as we made a trip to the ER.  We discovered that Butters had croup.  It happened so fast, which is how these things usually run.  That Sunday morning he was a little congested and sneezing.  No big thing.  Suddenly, that afternoon during his nap, it sounded as if someone had slipped a circus seal in his room.  I really wasn't sure if it was him or the neighbor's dog at first.  I ran into his room and he was sitting up in his crib, terrified.  So, he ended up making his cough worse by getting very upset and not being able to breathe well as a result.  He repeatedly drew in sharp breaths and gasped and his ribs would show with each effort.  His eyes grew huge and he looked at me as if to scream, "Mom, please do something!"  And I didn't know what to do.  THAT WAS THE WORST FEELING I HAVE HAD IN THE WORLD!  

We rushed him to the ER and of course, he stopped coughing, sneezing and all that as soon as he got to the nurse.  Then it was all smiles and giggles.  He got an oral steroid to open his airway and he was only "down" for one day.  

Butters 2 days after the croup, kicking down his clothes hamper

 
By Friday, he was ready to help put Christmas decorations up.  Okay, actually, I put up the stuff while he was taking his nap.  I am not that crazy and adventurous.

As you can see, I have attempted to make our tree "Butters Proof" by constructing an elaborate cardboard wall all the way around it.  This took me at least two hours to do with breaking down old boxes, taping them together, and I mean taping them like I was building Alcatraz, taping gift wrap all around the outside.

Nothing says, "Happy Holidays" quite like cardboard boxes.  Can you say, 'Classy?'

This should be an interesting holiday season, to say the least.