Fireworks on the 4th

Nikko seemed rather sullen and withdrawn most of the day. I wonder if it's because he still had a leftover temperature from yesterday. Denis took the boys to see the Mount Prospect 4th of July parade while I stayed home with Audrey. The cold that the kiddos had this week finally caught up to me and I suffered with a headache, runny nose and coughing. I got a chance to nap before lunch because Denis took the boys to play outside while Audrey napped. During the parade, Audrey was awake but fussy, and when I finally put her down I didn't get much time to rest before the boys came home, but I survived. Nikko must have gotten bitten by a big bug at the parade because I noticed a big, round, red bruise on his right arm above his elbow. When I put my hand on it, the bruise felt hot. That was so weird because the rest of his body was cool. It also looked a little swollen. Ice didn't help, nor did it stay on his arm for long. I'll just keep an eye on it, since Nikko seems prone to getting bit by bugs and eventually it seems to go away. The bruise/bites just look really scary at first. I didn't see a glimmer of my regular Nikko until after dinner, when we sat in the living room with the boys playing with Denis. I saw Nikko smile for the first time today and wondered where he had went. Before 10pm we took a chance with the boys and brought them outside to look at fireworks waaaaaaaay off in the distance, behind rooftops and through tree branches. Nikko watched them and didn't get bored, although he did look away from time to time. Luckily he didn't squirm while I held him, but I felt my back starting to hurt from his weight. The smiles I saw on Nikko's face while he watched the big showers of colored lights and the BOOMs that followed made it all worthwhile. In the semi-darkness I saw Nikko point with his right hand toward the fireworks, and that thrilled me even more than the smiles. It was a late bedtime, but worth it for me. Tomorrow is Rex's bday party so I'll get myself mentally geared up to get us all packed and out the door. I hope my cold is better by then.