Bryce's RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

We had some bad news today that Bryce has RSV and now he's in the hospital. Apparently it's a lot like the common cold but hits little babies a little harder. Sydney has been sick since last Thursday with a running nose, cough, and occasional fever but hasn't really acted sick. She gave it to Melissa who had headaches, sore throat and fevers for a few days. Bryce started getting sick on Sunday or Monday with coughing and sneezing. He's also been burping up his breast milk a lot lately. Tuesday night he really scared us because he was about to puke up his milk and then stopped breathing. Melissa laid him down and gave him a quick breath and he puked up his milk and started breathing again. So we took him into the doctor Wednesday and his blood oxygen level was only 85% when you're supposed to be in the upper 90s. Melissa asked about the breathing thing and the doctor said he probably would have puked it up on his own and in the future to tip him over and slap his back. He sent us home and said to come back tomorrow if he was any worse. Wednesday was bad again with lots of coughing and spitting up so Thursday (today) he was admitted to Avista Hospital. They suctioned his nose which helped and now have put him on oxygen to help him breath better. The doctor said we'll probably be there through the weekend. It's not how we were hoping to spend our weekend, especially since it's supposed to be mid 60s here and sunny. Please keep Bryce in your prayers for a quick recovery.

Bryce's Birth Announcement

Bryce's Birth Announcement, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This is the picture we used for Bryce's birth announcement. So if you didn't get an actual announcement letter from us this is what you missed!

Oma & Opa & their Grandchildren

Oma & Opa & their Grandchildren, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This picture was taken when Oma and Opa came out to see Bryce for the first time. If you look close enough you can see that Sydney is wearing her Iowa State dress. Go Cyclones! They were out here the first weekend in March and I'm just now getting pictures out. It was fun to see them as always. Sydney enjoyed the undivided attention from them and Melissa when Bryce was being held by the other. Whenever the grandparents are here it's always "Grandma take me to the bathroom!" or "Oma change my clothes!" Of course that's fine with Melissa and I. We even managed to sneak out and have dinner together while Oma and Opa were here although Bryce did get to come. We'll see them again in early June before they leave for Kenya to visit Brian and Katie.

Grandpa Hummel

Denise, Grandpa Hummel, Sydney & Bryce, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Melissa's dad Sandy came to visit us and see baby Bryce. He drove out from Pittsburgh and arrived March 1st. We immediately went out to Old Chicago for a great meal. Friday Denise flew out and saw our house for the first time. I went skiing Saturday with Nathan and Shelby Fuerst as they were out here on vacation.

I came back just in time to get ready for dinner at the Boulder Flagstaff House in the foothills above Boulder. Melissa's dad took us and another couple out and it is probably the nicest restaurant I have ever eaten at. First of all they have complimentary valet parking and our Expedition was parked amongst the Mercedes and BMWs. We had to take Bryce along since he feeds so often but Sydney definitely stayed home with a baby sitter. Luckily Bryce behaved because it was not the place to take a crabby baby. I could pronounce most things on the menu and really didn't have a clue what my meal was going to look like. The menu was all al-la-cart of course and ran from the $250 caviar appetiser to the $108 Kobe beef meal. It wasn't all that bad because I had a seafood dish for $30 and Melissa had prime rib for $44. Every time they brought out a course it was 3 people setting the plates down all at once, and then they would come back and pick them up all at once. They would also bring out various things complements of the chef which were also good. Melissa and I joked that next time we're just going to split a salad and bank on the chef's compliments. I don't even want to know what the bill was considering we all had wine and most had salad and dessert. It's definitely a great place to eat and the views are awesome overlooking all of Boulder.

Bryce and Sydney

Bryce and Sydney, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Sydney is getting along well with her little brother. She always wants to pick him up and hold him but she doesn't really know how yet. We prop her up with pillows under her arms so he can basically sit in her lap. She's slapped him on the chest once and then stared at us to see what we'd do. Melissa had her in a timeout so fast her head spun! So far it seems to have worked because she hasn't done anything like that again.

I just posted a dozen pictures to Flickr so click on this picture to check them all out.