Monday, October 17, 2022

Fall Weekend + RSV

Well, my week is not starting off on the best note. I came down with Will's bug. I took him in on Friday and he tested positive for RSV. The doctor told me adults can get it, too, but that it's not as severe - just a really bad cold with ridiculous amounts of mucus. The crappy thing is that I was supposed to go to NYC tomorrow for work. But I cancelled the trip so I can keep my germs to myself. Will is feeling better so went back to school today. We kept him home this weekend so he missed out on the fall fun. But Paul and I had a blast at the fall activities on Saturday. Here's what we got up to this weekend!

On Saturday morning Phil got up with Will and let me sleep in. After several rough nights of sleep it was so nice to sleep in a bit. After I was up, the boys and I all bundled up and walked/scooted up to the library to return books and pick up holds. The weather changed so quickly here. It was 80F on Tuesday and then we woke to a dusting of snow on Friday! It melted right away but it was depressing to see white stuff. It was in the low 40s on Saturday morning so not terrible but it was also windy all weekend so felt cooler. After our walk, Paul and I headed to gymnastics and Phil stayed home with Will. After gymnastics, we went to our daycare's fall festival.

Paul had a blast getting his face painted by one of his teachers, painting pumpkins, and jumping on the 4 bouncy houses they had set up. He used to be terrified of bouncy houses but in the last year he has gotten into them so he had the time of his life! 


We got home around 1, had nap/quiet time. Then I took the boys for a walk in the neighborhood to look at Halloween decorations. This is our go-to way to entertain the boys these days! While we went for a walk Phil grocery shopped.

Then after dinner that night, Paul and I headed to the zoo for the pumpkin event. It was AMAZING! 10/10 would recommend to anyone local although it might be hard to get tickets. We bought ours back in early September. 
Howling like a wolf!

The carvings were out-of-this-world amazing. Some were basic faces but many were so intricate. 




The theme was "A Night at the Library" so they had different sections like classic novels, fairy tales, romance, science fiction, etc. 


This is definitely something we'll do every year. We were both wiped when we got home. I had logged 24k steps that day, so Paul probably walked a similar amount!

On Sunday morning I got up with Paul - he was up at 5:45 despite his later bedtime. Usually we go to the farmer's market on Sunday morning but it was too cold and windy. After Phil was up, I went for a short run with my neighbor. The morning felt sooooo long to be honest. We are going to have to come up with a solid game plan for the winter when it's too cold to be outside for hours... But we had limited options to entertain the boys as I didn't want Will out in the cold too much and I didn't want to take him to something like an indoor playground.

A brief moment of calmness when both were looking at books.


After lunch and quiet/nap time we headed outside since it wasn't as cold as it had been. The boys played in the leaves while Phil and I raked up a couple of yard bags of leaves. 


Then Phil grilled steaks and asparagus for dinner and the boys had some leftover pasta for dinner followed by baths. After the boys were in bed, Phil and I watched an episode of Only Murders in the Building and then I headed to bed. Around 1:30 I was starting to feel awful so moved to the downstairs guestroom so Phil wouldn't have to hear me blow my noise, etc. 

When I woke this morning, it was obvious I needed to cancel my trip. I am so bummed because I was going to be traveling with a coworker which is something that rarely happens! She knows everyone in the NYC office so was going to walk me around and introduce me to everyone. That is something I am NOT great at as an introvert... But it's irresponsible to travel when you are under the weather. My NYC colleagues will be glad I didn't bring my germs to them. Plus I would have had to be up at 4:30 tomorrow to catch my 7am flight and an early morning plus a long day of travel socializing is exhausting when I am in tip top health so doing that while under the weather would be rough. I'll rebook my trip for November. Hopefully this bug doesn't last too long, but my immune system is suppressed to treat my RA so chances are it's going to linger for a while. Such is life with a chronic illness!

How was your weekend? Are you and your family staying healthy? The doctor we saw said Will was his 6th case of RSV in 2 weeks so he said it appears to be a nasty season for that virus and others. 

12 comments:

NGS said...

We went to a wedding this weekend and it felt a little bit like our coming out party. We didn't wear masks and just went to the ceremony and reception like it was pre-COVID. If we don't end up sick after it, it will be a miracle, but it was SO MUCH FUN. It was in Des Moines and we had some time in the morning to go to their downtown Farmers' Market (which is GINORMOUS and a MUST SEE if you ever find yourself with extra time on a Saturday morning) and it was very cold and windy and we definitely had not brought enough layers with us, so I feel you on skipping the Market. It was too cold by far.

Nicole said...

Oh no, I'm sorry you're sick and especially sorry you had to cancel your trip. It sounds like it would have been great. What a bummer. Our weekend was fine, fairly noneventful except for a memorial service we attended yesterday. We are currently all healthy BUT we did have a sniffly virus recently. I'm planning for us to get flu shots soon.

Grateful Kae said...

Bummer!!!! I mean, I know you have a bit of a complicated relationship with work/ travel, so maybe in a way it's nice to not have to go again so soon after your Chicago trip. But, NYC! In the fall! Plus the coworker part... bummer. I hope you feel better soon!

That Halloween event looks awesome! We went I think twice to a big Halloween event at the Milwaukee County Zoo when the boys were maybe 6 and 8 or so and it was also amazing. I have some super cool pictures and the leaves were beautiful and the whole thing was just such a blast. I'm glad you and Paul got to go! That will be a really fun family tradition if you keep going each year.

dailycandy said...

I seem to have the same thoughts as you regarding winter and staying busy. I think back and wonder how we do it every year. I think your family will be fine! You have such great structure and routine and seems your family makes it a point to get outside regardless :) Last year we spent many hours at the Community Center pool on long winter Sundays.

Ugh, this cold/flu season is going to be icky I think. So bummed about your trip to NYC!

Stephany said...

Oh man, I'm sorry that you caught Will's RSV bug! I had a feeling you might get it when you said he was sick. Moms always do - and Moms with suppressed immune systems probably even more so!

I hope you can figure out a good plan for surviving through the winter. Luckily, the boys are a bit older and Covid is not at a crisis level that it used to be, so hopefully you can find ways to keep everyone busy!

Jeanie said...

It sounds like a great weekend -- till the RSV. I've started hearing things about it on the national news, supposedly pretty miserable and you're bearing that out. I think it was wise you didn't travel on a number of levels -- concern for others but also just taking care of yourself.

I can get my new Covid shot and flu shot in another week. I cannot wait.

Jenny said...

Ugh. I know I always say I miss the toddler years, but I don't miss those illnesses. What a bummer you had to cancel your trip! I hope you're feeling better by now. Up until Sunday night it sounds like a fun weekend. I wish I could have gone to that pumpkin event- I've been watching pumpkin carving competitions on TV and i love it.
I hope your week is going well and everyone is feeling good!

coco said...

sorry to hear about you getting the bug and having to cancel the trip, i think that was a good decision. work trips are usually tiring which won't help with your recovery. I also don't like traveling when sick because i feel like if anything happens, symptoms get worse, I wouldn't know where to go nor who to call for help.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad that the zoo was all that and more!!!! I had to cancel a trip in May due to being sick. Prior to 2020 I probably would have still pushed myself to go bc of the prevailing culture mindset of show up anyways. It’s a change that I’m thankful for! I’m glad you were able to stay home and hopefully you are feeling better!!! It got cold here fast!!! I’m so glad I changed out our comforter and my clothes in Sunday!
Lori

San said...

I am so sorry you tested positive for RSV. I just learned about it and that it's one more thing to watch out for this fall/winter. I hope you're on the mend.

The pumpkin event sounds like so much fun. Great event for kids and adults alike!

Anne said...

I'm sorry, it just stinks that you got sick. I am glad, though, that despite the nastiness of RSV (it's awful, seriously), you were able to enjoy a fall weekend at home with your family, and that Paul was so engaged and enthusiastic in the adventures! Things seem to be moving towards "lots of fun" with him recently, and I hope that makes you smile.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

We have so far avoided RSV this season. We were sick for about the entire month of September. At least one of us. Then Isla got another head cold for a couple days in October. Adeline had a quick fever/bug a few weeks ago but it was also a couple days after her flu shot and I'm not sure if it was related but it was just a few hours of fever/blah.