LOL...

On the lighter side, Banner's ear infection DID shed light on one of the greatest mysteries of the summer.  Namely, what Trevor's mother meant when she texted LOL. 

It had all started when Trevor's mom nearly got in a head on collision with a car going the wrong way late one evening the month before:

Wait.  What?  Head on collision?  LOL?

And then there was stuff like this:

But the final straw was when his mother LOL'ed Banner's ear infection while we were in Wyoming:

Because, obviously.  

But at least she wasn't laughing AT us.  

Plus, the whole thing definitely gave Trevor and I a much needed giggle in the mist of a very trying situation far, far from home.

And, well, LOL now means multiple things in our family, which is oddly fabulous.

My mother-in-law is awesome.  Just sayin'.

LOL

Sick...

I've alluded to this many times since returning from Wyoming, but Banner woke up in the wee hours of August 3rd with a high fever.  I don't know exactly how high, though, because we didn't think to pack a thermometer.  There was little we could do except give him a dose of baby Motrin and Google "pediatricians with Saturday office hours in Jackson, Wyoming" on the iPad at 3 AM. 

Luckily, there was an Urgent Care with pediatricians on staff in town that opened at 10 AM.  Despite arriving early (there was already a line!), we didn't get seen by a doctor for several hours.  By then, the Motrin had worn off and Banner's fever was just shy of 103. 

Poor baby.

The diagnosis?  A very badly infected right ear.  Antibiotics were prescribed as well as a rotating regimen of Tylenol and Motrin every three hours to control his pain and fever.  Banner was also dehydrated, and we were told to get fluids of any sort into him.  Even if that mean coke or mountain dew.  Anything.

Except you can't reason with a toddler, or make them drink.  Because, believe me, we tried.  We even gave him fluids in new and interesting ways:  in straws!  in Dixie cups!  in cans!  out of bottles!  And...nothing.  Every now and again we'd get him to take a sip of something, and we'd clap and cheer like he'd just won gold at the Olympics.  Except, in reality, every little mouthful seemed to reinforce in Banner's mind that it hurt to drink.  So, one tiny shuffle forward and two giant leaps backwards.  By Sunday evening we were getting desperate.  I even thought, while changing his diaper, that he had developed some sort of hernia in his man parts and screamed, somewhat hysterically, for Trevor.  Except Trev took one look and assured me that's just what happens to guys when they get...ahem...extremely dehydrated.

Oh.

(Sue me.  I don't have those parts.)

Things were further complicated by Banner's refusal to eat or, more importantly, nap or sleep.  Actually, "refusal" is the wrong word because you could tell he was exhausted and wanted to rest.  Lying down just hurt really bad.  So, the little guy never stayed asleep for long before waking up screaming in agony.  There was one particularly awful 24 hour period when he slept less than 5 hours.  The three of us were in hell, but at least hell had a deck, wine and a fabulous view of the Teton Mountains. 

See:

Finally, more out of desperation than anything else, I offered the little guy a coconut popsicle.  I don't know if the cold felt good in his mouth (he was also getting ALL FOUR of his canine teeth, because why the eff not?) or what, but he devoured it.  I was glad because there was technically WATER frozen in there somewhere, and because it put something in his tummy so all the antibiotics and pain meds didn't reek havoc on his poor, little, empty stomach.

I don't know how we did it, but we managed to get just enough in him to produce a wet diaper at least once every eight hours.  Anything less than that and we had been instructed to go to the ER.  It was close, but - thanks in no small part to coconut popsicles, red Gatorade and chocolate milk shakes from Moo's - we were somehow successful. 

SUSHI!

  

The real turning point was Monday afternoon when we FINALLY got him to eat something.  Knowing how much that boy loves his Japanese food, we took him for sushi.  Thank God it is trendy...even in Wyoming.  He gorged himself on ginger, edamame, tofu and avocado rolls.  The waitress was shocked at how much he ate.  I tried to explain to her that this was the first time he had really eaten since early Friday afternoon, but I'm not sure she grasped the level of my relief.  It was the most expensive meal we had the entire trip, but worth every penny.

Unfortunately, Banner continued to not sleep for more than an hour or two (max) until Tuesday night when he FINALLY slept 12 hours straight.  Wednesday morning he seemed more like his usual self, but we still had to be cleared by a pediatric ENT in Jackson in order to fly home the following morning (August 8th). 

The good news is that the ENT not only cleared Banner to fly, but also saw no signs of scarring on Banner's ear drum (or wherever the look for scarring that can permanently effect his hearing).  Even better, the doctor in Jackson agreed with my pediatrician's decision to wait to consider tubes until the fall.  This was wonderful to hear because, as you might remember, I wasn't 100% confident in my Dallas pediatrician's choice to wait a few months ago.

I mean, I know my pediatrician isn't a crackpot, but it is still nice to have confirmation.

Plus, what a relief!  It felt like a weight was lifted and Trevor and I were able to enjoy the last few hours of our Wyoming vacation before heading back to hot and humid Dallas.

Which is probably why we now own matching sweatshirts with buffalo on them.  Because nothing says "happy dance" like a hoodie.  Obviously.

Nature (sort of)...

I got an email asking if we saw any wildlife while in Wyoming.  While the area is home to everything from wolves to bears to elk to moose, we saw surprisingly few animals during our ten days in the Tetons.  And by "few" I really mean "next to nothing".  In fact, the only animal we DID see with any certainty were bison.

 

Here let me show you a picture:

 

 

See them on the little rise in the ground in the middle of the image?  Just to the left of the three trees?  No?  Well, let me zoom in a bit for you:

 

 

How about now?

 

Trevor assured me at the time that all those tiny brown specks were, indeed, buffalo.  I wasn't convinced until we finally passed one that had wondered a little closer to highway 191 on our way to Moose. 

 

Oh, myopia.  You fickle b*tch.

 

Ironically, our lack of animal sightings meant that we actually saw more last year in Durango than we did after 10 days driving around Jackson Hole, Teton National Park and Yellowstone.  I still can't believe my first moose sighting was in southwestern Colorado near the Ice Lakes trailhead last summer.  Because, what?

 

Also, I can't seem to find it in any of my blog postings from last year, but we saw a black bear run across the road while driving through Hermosa (right where the railroad tracks cross 550) at dusk.  And by "we" I mean "Trevor" because I notice nothing.  Even when it is right in front of me.  I like to think of it as my very own completely useless superpower.  Just call me Captain Oblivious.

 

But back to animal sightings (or the lack thereof) in Wyoming...

 

Technically, we heard coyotes one night (and the death screams of whatever prey they took down), but I'm choosing not to count them since I also hear them periodically yipping about while sleeping in my bed at home in the middle of urban Dallas.

 

Which leaves the bat I spotted outside the ladies room in Teton Village and the few chipmunks I saw dart across the road while driving.  Not necessarily the wildlife safari I always expected from that part of the country, but I'm not complaining.  Why?  Because 19 month olds seem a lot like bait.  And nothing says "trolling for grizzlies" like a toddler covered in honey and peanut butter.

DAY SIX: Jenny Lake...

For those of you who are annoyed that my blog is nothing but a recap of a vacation I came back from two and a half weeks ago:  Rest assured.  I'm almost done, and plan to be completely finished by September. 

Maybe.  Because I just looked at my calendar and realized September is Sunday. 

If I don't meet my own self imposed goal, I promise to back post and start anew in September.  Because, let's face it, football season starts soon.  Which means I'll have more time to write when the TVs in my house have been monopolized by all things pigskin, Game Day and Tony Romo.

Sigh.  It is just that time of the year.

In the meantime, back to Wyoming.  Where it wasn't a million degrees like it was today in Dallas, Texas.

(Sigh.  Why do I live here again?)

In many ways, our trip to Jenny Lake was the last day of the vacation.  Less than twenty four hours later, we would be in an Urgent Care waiting room with a very sick toddler.  But at the time, Trevor and I were blissfully unaware that our trip was about to take a turn for the sleepless and incredibly cranky.

But I digress...

...Jenny Lake is not far from Moose, and is located just inside the Grand Teton National Park.  It is also incredibly crowded during the summer.  So much so that we couldn't even find a parking spot after multiple orbits of the main lots down near the campground.

So, not knowing what else to do, we headed up the road a bit.  There is another junction for Jenny Lake where the road makes a large loop along the water's eastern edge.  There are several places where cars can pull off the main road to enjoy scenic overlooks of the area, and it was in one of these that we managed to find a parking space, leave the car and explore a bit.

At first, though, I thought a pretty view was all we'd get.  The parking lot was crowded with tourists - many bused in on large charters.  Granted, the view of the Jenny was gorgeous (see photo above), but the lake we wanted to enjoy was a steep 30-50 feet below the overlook with all the human congestion.  Most of the trails to the water's edge were roped off in the immediate vicinity of the parking lot, and I didn't see an easy way down (at least not with a toddler in tow).

As a last stitch effort, however, we walked along the trail (that I later learned goes all the way around Jenny Lake) for a about a quarter mile, and found a path down to the water's edge.  It was steep, but completely doable (even in birks while carrying a toddler!).  But the best surprise was at the bottom:  THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO ONE THERE.  We had that particular stretch of shoreline to ourselves for most of the visit.

The shoreline was rocky, but Trevor seized the opportunity to teach his son about the importance of throwing rocks into the water.  Which is a really, really BIG DEAL for 36 year old men and boys of (almost) 19 months alike.  Banner took the lesson to heart, and is now very excited about the combination of "woks" (rocks) and "wa-wa" (water).  As in "all woks needed go back in the wa-wa" like yesterday. I'm pretty sure Banner could have happily tossed rocks into the water for several hours without complaint or distraction.  Just like his daddy.

Boys.  I swear.

All in all, we spent about an hour and a half by the water's edge.  Trevor made everyone peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and we ate them under a cloudless sky while watching a family of four from Minnesota swim fully dressed in the lake like a$$hats.  The water was freezing, though, so they didn't stay long, and we soon had the beach to ourselves again.

It was - quite possibly - the most relaxing day of the entire trip:  warm sunshine, an amazing view of the Tetons, a few rocks, a mountain lake and my boys.  It really doesn't get much better than that.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the afternoon:

DAY FIVE: Jackson Lake...

 

During the drive to Yellowstone the day before, Trevor spotted a lake with a sandy shore and unbelievable mountain views.  Since Banner has never been to a beach or played in the sand, returning to this spot jumped right to the top of the list of "what to do tomorrow".  Especially since "tomorrow" was technically August 1st.  Nothing says August like having your feet in the sand.

So, the very next morning, we woke up, packed some snacks and headed back into the Grand Teton National Park.  The lake ended up being on the northern end Jackson Lake, which meant we drove almost all the way back to gates of Yellowstone.  At first, I was annoyed by this and took it out on Trevor with a few snippy comments about the length of the drive.  But, to be fair, the sound of my child SCREAMING in the back seat for an hour made me mite anxious and sharp.  Unfortunately, Trevor thought the lake he glimpsed through the trees with sandy shores was relatively close to the cabin.  But, in reality, it wasn't at all.  Had we realized that we'd be driving fifty some odd miles, we would have planned better for the little guy with the seven minute "ka-ka" (car) ride limit. 

Luckily, it ended up being totally worth it.  Because have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life:

Banner was immediately drawn to the "wa-wa" (water), and made a beeline for lake.  I don't know why we thought he would stop before reaching the water's edge, but he didn't.  The next thing we knew, Banner was knee deep in mossy, deep sand.  His jeans, socks and shoes were completely soaked, and the little guy was utterly distraught (and surprised!) by the situation.

(It probably didn't help that both his parents were doubled over laughing at him, either.)

(We are terrible parents.)

I wish I had video of it, because:  HYSTERICAL.  He actually cried AT the water like it had somehow betrayed him.  Here are three stills of the event as it unfolded:

LOVE.  IT.

Of course, he didn't suffer long.  I fished him out, took his pants and shoes off and tried to introduce him to the glory of being barefoot on the beach.  Except after getting stuck in the muck, he had trust issues regarding sand.  Every time I would try to put him down, he'd cry and try to keep his feet from touching the ground.  Finally, I had to take my shoes off to show him how great it really was.  And, well, it didn't take long after that for him to get the idea:

YIPPEE!

And soon after that he found a stick, and...well, sticks and sand just seem to go together if you are a little boy (along with pebbles, rocks and any kind of ball).  We even found several frogs to chase.  It was a little boy's paradise.

(Except when mama went too close to the wa-wa.  Banner didn't like that at all.)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the morning:

The littlest ninja warrior.

Hidden entrance to the sandy shore.

After spending about and hour and a half playing on the beach, we headed to this little pizzeria, called Leek's, a couple of miles down the road.  It was also nestled on the shores of Lake Jackson, and they had a little marina and mountain lodge set up overlooking the water.  The view was amazing:

So was the food (jalapeno and olive pizza!) and joy of watching my boys:

After lunch, we headed back to the cabin for an afternoon of relaxing on the deck, playing in the grass and eating dinner alfresco in the warm late afternoon sunshine. 

It was a beautiful day.