I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday of the year. I love that there is a day dedicated to being thankful for all the blessing in our lives. We get to see family, we eat delicious food, and we don't have to worry about gifts. It's a great day.
This Thanksgiving was wonderful. Lily actually sat in my lap for most of the Macy's Day Parade and watched it with me; Mia was content to walk around and play or nap in her room so we could do this. I have always loved the parade, and I hope it will become a family tradition to watch it together each year. Lily loved seeing the big balloons, the singers, the dancers and the horses. Of course, one of the highlights of the parade is Santa Claus riding in at the end to ring in the Christmas season. It still makes me excited to see this! Lily kept waiting on him to arrive, and then she squealed when she saw him. All four of us were on our bed, and she actually fell over onto the bed, laughing with delight.
You know how Lily freezes up around people she doesn't know, so we're pretty sure a visit with Santa won't go very well this year, but we'll do it anyways. When we saw her excitement over Santa though, we took the opportunity to tell her how she will get to meet him soon, sit on his lap and tell him what gifts she and Mia would like for Christmas. She seemed okay with this, so we asked what she wanted to tell him she would like. This was her response: "A new sweater, a new knife and a new sandwich! All sorts of new things!" Ryan and I just kind of laughed, and then we started thinking "a new knife?! Where did that come from?" There's no telling what runs through her heads sometimes!
After a wonderful morning together, we got our pineapple casserole ready and headed over to Sid and Elaine's house for a big family get-together. It was a beautiful day, and all the kids had a great time playing together outside. Mia had a fantastic time exploring her new surroundings. I was so grateful that Mom and Dad were there to help chase her around! Mia also loved trying all sorts of new foods. I think she ate more than the other three of us! Both girls missed their afternoon nap because we were at the gathering, but they did great. However, about 5:30, they both hit their limit, and we knew it was time to go. Both of them were asleep within a couple of minutes in the car. I got really cute pictures of them sleeping in the car, but I don't have the cable handy to upload the pictures; I'll get those to you soon.
Ryan and I are looking forward to a weekend at Mom and Dad's lake house on Lake Oconee. It's so nice to have some quiet time to watch football, work on scrapbooks, read and relax.
Ryan and I are very thankful for so much in our lives. We are so blessed to know Christ as our Savior, to have each other as a spouse, to have two healthy and precious girls, a large family who we love to be around, lots of friends who we admire, and our health. Of course, we have many material things to be thankful for too, but those are just bonuses. We have been blessed many times over and saying "thank you" just doesn't seem like enough. However, for those of you reading this, please know that we love you, and you are special to us. We are very thankful for you.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Mia at One
I still can't believe that I can say I have a one-year-old...wow, Mia's one! She amazes us daily. She is so different from Lily and that makes it so much fun to see how she is learning and experiencing life. I tried to think of three words that describe Mia, and I came up with Adventurous, Curious and Lovable. There are so many more, but those are my current three; I may change them tomorrow! Here's some more info on Mia at this stage of life:
Her one-year check-up with Dr. White went very well on Friday. She weighs 20 pounds, 13 ounces (40th percentile), is 29 inches tall (50th percentile) and has a head circumference of 17.75 inches (50th percentile). Dr. White said her lungs sounded clear, so the RSV is gone which was great news. She also noted that her top teeth appear to be coming in soon. She of course looked in her ears, and noticed the fluid level is still high which is a problem Mia has had for awhile. We are going to go back at the beginning of January to see if the antibiotics given last week for her ear infection helps the fluid level go back down. If not, Dr. White will refer us to an ENT who I assume will talk to us about having tubes put in. One funny little story from our visit is that Mia did really great through the whole visit (she even didn't cry long after her three shots). However, she did not like having Dr. White look in her ears. She started crying while she looked, and by the time I picked her up, she was quite upset. She started waving her little hands back and forth which is the sign we have taught her for "all done" when she's eating. I thought it was cute (and smart of her!) to say she was "all done" with her visit!
Mia is enjoying eating all big people food now; no more baby food for her. She still gets a bottle of formula just before bed time each night, but that will only last a few more days; once this container of formula is gone, that's the end of the bottles for her. We'll see how that transition goes. She has really started to like her whole milk though. She wasn't sure at first, but now she loves it which I am very thankful for. As for food, she will eat just about anything and seems to enjoy trying new things. She really loves peaches, bananas, carrots and Cheerios which are really easy to take around with us. For breakfast, she loves her YoBaby yogurt, and I think she would eat a grilled cheese sandwich at every meal if she could. We went to Steak and Shake for dinner last night, and the girls were going to share a grilled cheese; Mia ate 3/4th of the sandwich while Lily ate about 3 bites (she was enjoying her milkshake way too much to worry about eating). I hope Mia will stay such a good eater.
Her favorite toy is her Glow Worm which stays in her crib with her. As soon as you put her down for her nap or bed time, she grabs hold of Glow's ponytail with the same hand she sucks her thumb with, so Glow is right up by her face. I have watched her on the monitor a few times when she occasionally cries out at night; even while sleeping, you can see her crying and patting around her crib until she grabs hold of Glow. Then she immediately calms down. There have been a few mornings over the last couple of weeks where Mia is crying pretty hard in the morning. When we went in, we realized she had thrown Glow out of her crib, and she was upset that she couldn't reach her. She doesn't have to have Glow during the day to play with her or take with her, but she is very attached to her when in her crib.
Speaking of her crib, she is a great sleeper. She goes to sleep about 7:30 each night and sleeps until 7:30 or 8:00 the next morning; she might cry out for a few seconds (until she finds Glow), but it's been many months since she has actually woken up at night (she started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks). She still takes two naps a day. She sleeps for about an hour around 9:30, and then she goes down at 2 for a couple of hours. This good sleep helps her to be her happy self during the day. Mia laughs and smiles all the time which is such a joy to see. Of course, she also knows that crying will get our attention, and she is usually quick to stick her bottom lip out if she doesn't like what you're doing!
She is really start to enjoy books now which thrills me. She likes reading Sandra Boynton's rhyming books (Moo, Baa, La La La is a favorite) and the Touch and Feel books where they have different textures on the pages. At night, we look through her "100 First Words" book, and she seems fascinated by it; she babbles about the pictures she sees which is fun to hear.
Mia loves music and dancing. She absolutely adores the Cedermont Kids DVD's that we have. I think she likes watching the kids dance around and hearing the upbeat tunes. One of these videos is the only thing she will sit still for. She recognizes the intro to the DVD's, and she gets so excited when one comes on. She will start bouncing up and down, clapping her hands and laughing. Her music toys have always been favorites, so I am interested to see if she will always have a love of music; I wouldn't be surprised at all knowing how much Ryan loves all kinds of music. Singing to her usually calms her down pretty quickly too. Lily loves singing "Wheels on the Bus" to her because it makes Mia smile and clap. Last week, I was home with her one morning while Ryan had taken Lily out. We were reading in the playroom, and Mia stood up to go look out the window. While she looked out, I started singing "Wheels on the Bus." She immediately turned around, and looked at me with a hard stare. Then without moving her body, she strained her head to look around the couch to see if one of the DVD's was on (this song starts out one of them). When she saw the tv wasn't on, she looked back at me with a puzzled look, thought for a moment and then smiled and came back over to my lap.
One of the most interesting things to me about Mia is how differently she seems to be learning things than Lily did. I realize how all kids have different styles, and I don't think one is better than the other. It just means we're going to figure out two different ways of helping our girls along the way. Lily has always been content to look at things in books; she has something that many people say is like a photographic memory. Mia however much prefers to watch you and imitate you. Here are a few recent examples: Dr. White washed her hands once she came into the exam room; Mia watched her for a second and then started rubbing her hands together (Dr. White thought that was great by the way). Bama was cleaning off the little kid-size table by wiping the crumbs into her hand. When she finished, Mia walked over and started scraping her hand across the table too. She tries to "talk" on her cell phone and brush her hair just like she sees us do. I know I have already said this several times, and I'm sure I will say it many more times in the future, but I'm fascinated by watching how different the girls are; it's really interesting to me, and I can't help but wonder how this will play out in their futures.
I can't tell you enough how blessed Ryan and I feel to have our two girls. They both bring us so much joy and happiness. They have only been with us for a few years, but it feels like they have always been a part of us. I cannot imagine having two sweeter or more precious girls, and we thank God daily for these little angels.
Her one-year check-up with Dr. White went very well on Friday. She weighs 20 pounds, 13 ounces (40th percentile), is 29 inches tall (50th percentile) and has a head circumference of 17.75 inches (50th percentile). Dr. White said her lungs sounded clear, so the RSV is gone which was great news. She also noted that her top teeth appear to be coming in soon. She of course looked in her ears, and noticed the fluid level is still high which is a problem Mia has had for awhile. We are going to go back at the beginning of January to see if the antibiotics given last week for her ear infection helps the fluid level go back down. If not, Dr. White will refer us to an ENT who I assume will talk to us about having tubes put in. One funny little story from our visit is that Mia did really great through the whole visit (she even didn't cry long after her three shots). However, she did not like having Dr. White look in her ears. She started crying while she looked, and by the time I picked her up, she was quite upset. She started waving her little hands back and forth which is the sign we have taught her for "all done" when she's eating. I thought it was cute (and smart of her!) to say she was "all done" with her visit!
Mia is enjoying eating all big people food now; no more baby food for her. She still gets a bottle of formula just before bed time each night, but that will only last a few more days; once this container of formula is gone, that's the end of the bottles for her. We'll see how that transition goes. She has really started to like her whole milk though. She wasn't sure at first, but now she loves it which I am very thankful for. As for food, she will eat just about anything and seems to enjoy trying new things. She really loves peaches, bananas, carrots and Cheerios which are really easy to take around with us. For breakfast, she loves her YoBaby yogurt, and I think she would eat a grilled cheese sandwich at every meal if she could. We went to Steak and Shake for dinner last night, and the girls were going to share a grilled cheese; Mia ate 3/4th of the sandwich while Lily ate about 3 bites (she was enjoying her milkshake way too much to worry about eating). I hope Mia will stay such a good eater.
Her favorite toy is her Glow Worm which stays in her crib with her. As soon as you put her down for her nap or bed time, she grabs hold of Glow's ponytail with the same hand she sucks her thumb with, so Glow is right up by her face. I have watched her on the monitor a few times when she occasionally cries out at night; even while sleeping, you can see her crying and patting around her crib until she grabs hold of Glow. Then she immediately calms down. There have been a few mornings over the last couple of weeks where Mia is crying pretty hard in the morning. When we went in, we realized she had thrown Glow out of her crib, and she was upset that she couldn't reach her. She doesn't have to have Glow during the day to play with her or take with her, but she is very attached to her when in her crib.
Speaking of her crib, she is a great sleeper. She goes to sleep about 7:30 each night and sleeps until 7:30 or 8:00 the next morning; she might cry out for a few seconds (until she finds Glow), but it's been many months since she has actually woken up at night (she started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks). She still takes two naps a day. She sleeps for about an hour around 9:30, and then she goes down at 2 for a couple of hours. This good sleep helps her to be her happy self during the day. Mia laughs and smiles all the time which is such a joy to see. Of course, she also knows that crying will get our attention, and she is usually quick to stick her bottom lip out if she doesn't like what you're doing!
She is really start to enjoy books now which thrills me. She likes reading Sandra Boynton's rhyming books (Moo, Baa, La La La is a favorite) and the Touch and Feel books where they have different textures on the pages. At night, we look through her "100 First Words" book, and she seems fascinated by it; she babbles about the pictures she sees which is fun to hear.
Mia loves music and dancing. She absolutely adores the Cedermont Kids DVD's that we have. I think she likes watching the kids dance around and hearing the upbeat tunes. One of these videos is the only thing she will sit still for. She recognizes the intro to the DVD's, and she gets so excited when one comes on. She will start bouncing up and down, clapping her hands and laughing. Her music toys have always been favorites, so I am interested to see if she will always have a love of music; I wouldn't be surprised at all knowing how much Ryan loves all kinds of music. Singing to her usually calms her down pretty quickly too. Lily loves singing "Wheels on the Bus" to her because it makes Mia smile and clap. Last week, I was home with her one morning while Ryan had taken Lily out. We were reading in the playroom, and Mia stood up to go look out the window. While she looked out, I started singing "Wheels on the Bus." She immediately turned around, and looked at me with a hard stare. Then without moving her body, she strained her head to look around the couch to see if one of the DVD's was on (this song starts out one of them). When she saw the tv wasn't on, she looked back at me with a puzzled look, thought for a moment and then smiled and came back over to my lap.
One of the most interesting things to me about Mia is how differently she seems to be learning things than Lily did. I realize how all kids have different styles, and I don't think one is better than the other. It just means we're going to figure out two different ways of helping our girls along the way. Lily has always been content to look at things in books; she has something that many people say is like a photographic memory. Mia however much prefers to watch you and imitate you. Here are a few recent examples: Dr. White washed her hands once she came into the exam room; Mia watched her for a second and then started rubbing her hands together (Dr. White thought that was great by the way). Bama was cleaning off the little kid-size table by wiping the crumbs into her hand. When she finished, Mia walked over and started scraping her hand across the table too. She tries to "talk" on her cell phone and brush her hair just like she sees us do. I know I have already said this several times, and I'm sure I will say it many more times in the future, but I'm fascinated by watching how different the girls are; it's really interesting to me, and I can't help but wonder how this will play out in their futures.
I can't tell you enough how blessed Ryan and I feel to have our two girls. They both bring us so much joy and happiness. They have only been with us for a few years, but it feels like they have always been a part of us. I cannot imagine having two sweeter or more precious girls, and we thank God daily for these little angels.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Mia's Birthday Party
We were able to reschedule Mia's first birthday party to last night since she and Lily were feeling better. I have to say that Mia looked absolutely adorable in her special birthday outfit. Our friend, Robyn Herring, has a sewing business, and she made the shirt for us. I loved the little cupcake on it since we were using a cupcake theme. She looked precious!
We ordered Jim and Nick's for dinner: BBQ Chicken, macaroni and cheese, cinnamon apples and cheese biscuits. It was delicious! Mia loved it too. She cracks me up when she eats because she opens her mouth so wide and will shovel it in; it's like she's afraid we're going to take it away from her or something. We have to be careful to only give her a little at a time because otherwise she will over stuff her mouth. Anyway, she really seemed to enjoy this meal, and I can say that she did because she actually kept a party hat on through the entire meal which amazed us all.
After dinner, we had homemade cupcakes with cream cheese icing. She dug right in! Her little face and hands were covered in purple icing. So adorable! I love watching little ones cover themselves in cake and icing! She ate some of the cupcake too, and enjoyed it, but really, I think she loved the icing. She was a mess to clean up!
Once dessert was finished, we moved into the living room to open presents. Mia still doesn't get the idea of opening presents for her birthday, but she tried. Thankfully, Lily, Molly and Zac were right there by her to help! All the kids loved the presents: a singing blender from Aunt Kendall, a zebra bouncer/spinner from Granna and Papa, a ball popper from Wayne, Dianne and the kids (plus a sweet homemade card from Molly) and a Little People Mayflower set from Mommy, Daddy and Lily (other presents from other family members had been opened earlier in the week). After they were open, we put all the toys together, and the kids had so much fun playing together with them. It was lots of fun for the adults to watch. We really appreciate how thoughtful our family is, and how generous they are to help us mark Mia's first birthday.
Mia's Birthday Pictures
Following are a lot of pictures from Mia's first birthday week. It starts with Mia opening and playing with her new cool circus train that she received the weekend before her birthday from our Birmingham family who came over for her (cancelled) party. After those pictures are Mia's pictures from her actual birthday...the aquarium, opening presents from Grandpops, Grandma Jan, Mommy, Daddy and Lily and eating a petit for as her birthday cake. There are several pictures of her enjoying the petit for, and let me just say, I had a hard time narrowing it down. I love pictures of kids digging into cake and getting it all over their faces! She and Lily both love all these fun new toys Mia is receiving!
Miscellaneous Pictures
Daddy with his two girls.
Mommy and Mia
Check out Mia's sad face. Can you see how far out she sticks that bottom lip?! And those big tears...it breaks a mom's heart!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
One Year Old
I can't believe it, but yesterday was Mia's first birthday. This year has absolutely flown by. She has been such a blessing to us, and a wonderful addition to our family. We can't help but love this little girl!
While Ryan took Lily to school yesterday, Mia and I played and read books together. She is really starting to enjoy books which makes me so happy! She is such a happy girl. She laughs often, smiles a ton and is just generally happy. She went back down for her nap and slept well for about an hour. We got her up as soon as she started making noise and got her dressed. Then Ryan and I took her out to have some time, just the three of us; talk about a special treat for Mia!
First we went to J. Christopher's for brunch. Mia enjoyed eating some of her cheese toast and my breakfast potatoes. She had a great time watching the other customers too. Then we took her down to the Georgia Aquarium. She loved it! When you first walk in, you walk through a hallway that has fish tanks on both sides of it. Her eyes got so big; she just stared at it. Then we visited the other exhibits, and she seemed to enjoy all of them. Ryan and I really liked watching the scuba divers in the biggest tank, and listening to them talk about the fish and sharks around them. However, I think Mia enjoyed watching the people and walking around more than watching the fish! She had a great time wandering around. She would walk right up to someone, pat their knee and smile. Of course, she's adorable so it didn't seem like the strangers minded. We stayed for about an hour and a half, and I think Mia loved all of it. As we were leaving, we decided to buy her a little stuffed penguin because she really had fun watching the live ones jump around. We named it "Eins" which is German for "one" (Lily had received on her first birthday at the Aquarium a whale shark named "Uno" which is Spanish for one).
When we got home, Mia drank her bottle and then went down for nap. My mom had picked Lily up from school, so she was there to stay with the girls for the afternoon. When Ryan and I got home from work, we made Mia's birthday dinner: sauteed chicken, brown rice, green beans and peaches. She wasn't much of a fan of the chicken, but she loved the sides. She's enjoying getting to try lots of new foods these days. We also let her have whole milk for the first time. She took one sip of it, and immediately spit it out. I think she was expecting water in her sippy cup, and it threw her off. However, she tried it some more and seemed to enjoy it. I hope she will quickly grow to love it.
After dinner, we let her open a couple of birthday presents. I say "let her open" but she didn't want to pay too close of attention. She liked the bow from Grandma Jan and Grandpops' present, and she liked pulling the paper off a little, but she didn't quiet seem to get it yet; she did like walking around with the cards. Anyway, Grandma Jan and Grandpops gave her a beautiful sterling silver Christmas ornament (we collect Christmas ornaments) which will always commemorate her first birthday. We also gave her one of the presents from us. It's the Cedermont Kids Christmas Carols DVD. Both girls love these DVD sets, so we thought this would be a good one with the upcoming Christmas season. Bama had given her a present last weekend while she was in town (for her cancelled party); she is having so much fun with the Little People Circus Train push and ride-on toy they gave. We have a few more presents that we're saving for her to open at her rescheduled birthday party which is supposed to be tomorrow evening. I don't think she understands why she is getting these things, but I think she likes having them!
After the presents, we watched the new DVD for a couple of songs and then had birthday cake. Actually, we had Publix petit fors. Mia immediately started playing with the icing and loved it! She scooped up and ate every ounce of icing and got lots of it on her face which was adorable. I then cut up the cake part of the petit for to give her and she loved it too. She was quite upset when it was all gone! I think she'll be happy to get her cupcakes which are bigger than the petit fors at her birthday party!
We took lots of great pictures during the day's adventures, but unfortunately, our computer is having some problems uploading pictures right now. I hope to be able to resolve this issue this weekend so I can get them uploaded soon. I want you to see how adorable she is these days!
While Ryan took Lily to school yesterday, Mia and I played and read books together. She is really starting to enjoy books which makes me so happy! She is such a happy girl. She laughs often, smiles a ton and is just generally happy. She went back down for her nap and slept well for about an hour. We got her up as soon as she started making noise and got her dressed. Then Ryan and I took her out to have some time, just the three of us; talk about a special treat for Mia!
First we went to J. Christopher's for brunch. Mia enjoyed eating some of her cheese toast and my breakfast potatoes. She had a great time watching the other customers too. Then we took her down to the Georgia Aquarium. She loved it! When you first walk in, you walk through a hallway that has fish tanks on both sides of it. Her eyes got so big; she just stared at it. Then we visited the other exhibits, and she seemed to enjoy all of them. Ryan and I really liked watching the scuba divers in the biggest tank, and listening to them talk about the fish and sharks around them. However, I think Mia enjoyed watching the people and walking around more than watching the fish! She had a great time wandering around. She would walk right up to someone, pat their knee and smile. Of course, she's adorable so it didn't seem like the strangers minded. We stayed for about an hour and a half, and I think Mia loved all of it. As we were leaving, we decided to buy her a little stuffed penguin because she really had fun watching the live ones jump around. We named it "Eins" which is German for "one" (Lily had received on her first birthday at the Aquarium a whale shark named "Uno" which is Spanish for one).
When we got home, Mia drank her bottle and then went down for nap. My mom had picked Lily up from school, so she was there to stay with the girls for the afternoon. When Ryan and I got home from work, we made Mia's birthday dinner: sauteed chicken, brown rice, green beans and peaches. She wasn't much of a fan of the chicken, but she loved the sides. She's enjoying getting to try lots of new foods these days. We also let her have whole milk for the first time. She took one sip of it, and immediately spit it out. I think she was expecting water in her sippy cup, and it threw her off. However, she tried it some more and seemed to enjoy it. I hope she will quickly grow to love it.
After dinner, we let her open a couple of birthday presents. I say "let her open" but she didn't want to pay too close of attention. She liked the bow from Grandma Jan and Grandpops' present, and she liked pulling the paper off a little, but she didn't quiet seem to get it yet; she did like walking around with the cards. Anyway, Grandma Jan and Grandpops gave her a beautiful sterling silver Christmas ornament (we collect Christmas ornaments) which will always commemorate her first birthday. We also gave her one of the presents from us. It's the Cedermont Kids Christmas Carols DVD. Both girls love these DVD sets, so we thought this would be a good one with the upcoming Christmas season. Bama had given her a present last weekend while she was in town (for her cancelled party); she is having so much fun with the Little People Circus Train push and ride-on toy they gave. We have a few more presents that we're saving for her to open at her rescheduled birthday party which is supposed to be tomorrow evening. I don't think she understands why she is getting these things, but I think she likes having them!
After the presents, we watched the new DVD for a couple of songs and then had birthday cake. Actually, we had Publix petit fors. Mia immediately started playing with the icing and loved it! She scooped up and ate every ounce of icing and got lots of it on her face which was adorable. I then cut up the cake part of the petit for to give her and she loved it too. She was quite upset when it was all gone! I think she'll be happy to get her cupcakes which are bigger than the petit fors at her birthday party!
We took lots of great pictures during the day's adventures, but unfortunately, our computer is having some problems uploading pictures right now. I hope to be able to resolve this issue this weekend so I can get them uploaded soon. I want you to see how adorable she is these days!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Lily Cleans
On Sunday, Lily ran out of the living room while we were playing. I assumed she was going to her room to get some toys or maybe to use the bathroom. She came back several minutes later and handed me something: a huge wad of very wet paper. I looked at it and asked Lily "what is this?" She sweetly replied "I cleaned the potty Mommy." I really wasn't sure what to do...thank her for her efforts at keeping her potty clean or describe to her just how disgusting the potty is and she should let me clean it. I think I said "Oh!" We walked back to her bathroom, and I asked her to show me what she had done. Apparently, she took out about a dozen wipes, dunked them in potty water (which I am just hoping was not used), wiped the seat, wiped the lid, took down the basket on top of the potty, wiped the top, replaced the basket and then brought the used wipes to me. She was so proud of herself, especially because she put the basket on the floor, wiped the top and then replaced the basket. I decided to thank her for helping me keep things clean, and I reminded her that I will happily help her clean the potty in the future; just let me know. Then we washed our hands REALLY well and went about our day.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Not the Party We Imagined
We were supposed to have our family birthday party for Mia today. We had the food ordered, cupcakes made, presents wrapped, house cleaned...it was going to be fun. Unfortunately, Mia had other plans.
She started running a low fever and coughing yesterday. We decided to keep an eye on her. However, she didn't sleep well last night and this morning, she just didn't look or act like herself. While Ryan took Lily to her friend Peyton's birthday party, I called our pediatrician's after-hours line. They connected me with a nurse from Children's Hospital who walked me through lots of questions. She concluded that we didn't need to go to the ER, but it would be a good idea to go to an immediate care facility. Her fever is slightly higher today than yesterday, she has a runny nose and sounds like a little old smoker man when she coughs. Liz and I took her up to the Childrens Immediate Care on Barrett Parkway. Ryan and I decided to cancel the party once we realized we needed her to be seen by a doctor.
We only had to wait about 25 minutes to be seen first by a nurse and then a doctor immediately afterwards. The nurse took her temperature (100.8), weighed her (21 lb, 3 oz) and took her oxygen level (99 - fyi, 93-100 is normal). Her heart rate was a little high, but she said that was normal with a fever. Oh, we had given her Tylenol before leaving, and I am certain that brought her temperature down to the 100.8; she was burning up before we left (we couldn't get a good read with our thermometer).
The doctor then examined her and decided she is in the beginning stages of RSV, and she has an ear infection. He prescribed an antibiotic for the infection and an inhaler for the RSV; we'll see how giving her an inhaler goes. He also said to alternate between Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever under control. Thankfully we caught this early because RSV can lead to hospitalization. She is resting now, and we hope she will get better very quickly. The party will go on another day!
She started running a low fever and coughing yesterday. We decided to keep an eye on her. However, she didn't sleep well last night and this morning, she just didn't look or act like herself. While Ryan took Lily to her friend Peyton's birthday party, I called our pediatrician's after-hours line. They connected me with a nurse from Children's Hospital who walked me through lots of questions. She concluded that we didn't need to go to the ER, but it would be a good idea to go to an immediate care facility. Her fever is slightly higher today than yesterday, she has a runny nose and sounds like a little old smoker man when she coughs. Liz and I took her up to the Childrens Immediate Care on Barrett Parkway. Ryan and I decided to cancel the party once we realized we needed her to be seen by a doctor.
We only had to wait about 25 minutes to be seen first by a nurse and then a doctor immediately afterwards. The nurse took her temperature (100.8), weighed her (21 lb, 3 oz) and took her oxygen level (99 - fyi, 93-100 is normal). Her heart rate was a little high, but she said that was normal with a fever. Oh, we had given her Tylenol before leaving, and I am certain that brought her temperature down to the 100.8; she was burning up before we left (we couldn't get a good read with our thermometer).
The doctor then examined her and decided she is in the beginning stages of RSV, and she has an ear infection. He prescribed an antibiotic for the infection and an inhaler for the RSV; we'll see how giving her an inhaler goes. He also said to alternate between Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever under control. Thankfully we caught this early because RSV can lead to hospitalization. She is resting now, and we hope she will get better very quickly. The party will go on another day!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Gulf Shores Trip
What a great long weekend! Our family went to Beach Club in Gulf Shores with the Henderson family. We always have so much fun together, and a weekend getaway is always nice. The Hendersons left at bedtime Wednesday night, and we left about 2 AM Thursday morning. We had a pretty good ride down; both girls slept well until we exited the interstate around 6 AM (CST so 7 AM "our" time). We got to the condo about an hour later, and Parker and Jill were awake and ready to greet us. Lily was so excited to see them! We unpacked our stuff and then Brian and Macey came out. Ryan went to lay down and rest for awhile since he had been up driving for awhile, and Mia took a nap too. We really just took it easy the rest of the day. After the kids went to bed we watched Jim Gaffigan's new stand-up act; he's hilarious!
On Friday, I stayed in the condo while Mia napped and everyone else went to the pool which you know Lily loves. After lunch, it was nap time and then Ryan, Lily, Brian, Jill and Parker went to the beach for awhile. They had a great time playing, finding seashells and building sand castles. Mia and Macey napped which meant I had the chance to relax and read magazines - yea! Once they came back up, we all got ready and went to The Hangout for dinner. One of the coolest things about this restaurant is they have a HUGE sand pit for the kids to play in while we wait for dinner. Lily and Parker had a great time playing in this while Ryan and Brian watched. Jill and I enjoyed getting to talk with one another while Mia and Macey enjoyed hearing the band play. It was a pretty good cover band playing; Mia sat in her seat clapping, laughing and watching them. An older lady at the table next to us came over at one point and told me how much she as enjoying watching Mia watch the band; her son was the lead singer/guitarist, and it made her happy to see how much she liked the music. We then enjoyed a delicious and fun dinner together.
Saturday was another beautiful day. Lily, Jill, Parker, Brian and I played out on the beach most of the morning while Ryan stayed in with the napping girls. It was so fun watching Parker and Lily have fun together. They played soccer together, helped Brian fly our Nemo kite, ran around and just had fun. Lily also enjoyed burying my feet in the sand, collecting more shells and helping me build sand castles for all her princess friends. While the kids napped that afternoon, Brian and I relaxed on the beach, and then Ryan joined us a little while later. Once the kids woke up from their naps, we all got ready and went to Tacky Jack's for dinner and to watch the AL/LSU game. One of the nicest things about going to Gulf Shores this time of year is how uncrowded everything is; we were the only people in the restaurant for quiet awhile! It was another nice dinner and then it was time for bed.
The Hendersons pretty much got up and headed out Sunday morning, but we hung around a little longer; we wanted to time part of our trip with the girls' afternoon nap time. We actually left just before lunch, so we could stop at Milo's; this was definitely a treat for Ryan. After lunch we walked around the outlet mall for a couple of hours. I find it very hard to resist Carter's! We hit the road, and both girls slept well until Montgomery which is about half-way home. We stopped there for dinner and let the girls run around a bit. Mia was pretty unhappy the rest of the ride home, and we think she was just unhappy to be back in the car seat. She would go in and out of sleep, but cry when she was awake. Lily did great though. We got home about 8:30, so Mia immediately went to bed. We unpacked the rest of our stuff and then put Lily down about 9:30. We put our stuff up and then went to bed too; it's amazing how riding in a car can be so tiring!
This was a wonderful trip, and I am so thankful we had the opportunity to go. It was great to get away from the house, and just relax with our friends and kids at the beach. I hope we can make this an annual trip!
On Friday, I stayed in the condo while Mia napped and everyone else went to the pool which you know Lily loves. After lunch, it was nap time and then Ryan, Lily, Brian, Jill and Parker went to the beach for awhile. They had a great time playing, finding seashells and building sand castles. Mia and Macey napped which meant I had the chance to relax and read magazines - yea! Once they came back up, we all got ready and went to The Hangout for dinner. One of the coolest things about this restaurant is they have a HUGE sand pit for the kids to play in while we wait for dinner. Lily and Parker had a great time playing in this while Ryan and Brian watched. Jill and I enjoyed getting to talk with one another while Mia and Macey enjoyed hearing the band play. It was a pretty good cover band playing; Mia sat in her seat clapping, laughing and watching them. An older lady at the table next to us came over at one point and told me how much she as enjoying watching Mia watch the band; her son was the lead singer/guitarist, and it made her happy to see how much she liked the music. We then enjoyed a delicious and fun dinner together.
Saturday was another beautiful day. Lily, Jill, Parker, Brian and I played out on the beach most of the morning while Ryan stayed in with the napping girls. It was so fun watching Parker and Lily have fun together. They played soccer together, helped Brian fly our Nemo kite, ran around and just had fun. Lily also enjoyed burying my feet in the sand, collecting more shells and helping me build sand castles for all her princess friends. While the kids napped that afternoon, Brian and I relaxed on the beach, and then Ryan joined us a little while later. Once the kids woke up from their naps, we all got ready and went to Tacky Jack's for dinner and to watch the AL/LSU game. One of the nicest things about going to Gulf Shores this time of year is how uncrowded everything is; we were the only people in the restaurant for quiet awhile! It was another nice dinner and then it was time for bed.
The Hendersons pretty much got up and headed out Sunday morning, but we hung around a little longer; we wanted to time part of our trip with the girls' afternoon nap time. We actually left just before lunch, so we could stop at Milo's; this was definitely a treat for Ryan. After lunch we walked around the outlet mall for a couple of hours. I find it very hard to resist Carter's! We hit the road, and both girls slept well until Montgomery which is about half-way home. We stopped there for dinner and let the girls run around a bit. Mia was pretty unhappy the rest of the ride home, and we think she was just unhappy to be back in the car seat. She would go in and out of sleep, but cry when she was awake. Lily did great though. We got home about 8:30, so Mia immediately went to bed. We unpacked the rest of our stuff and then put Lily down about 9:30. We put our stuff up and then went to bed too; it's amazing how riding in a car can be so tiring!
This was a wonderful trip, and I am so thankful we had the opportunity to go. It was great to get away from the house, and just relax with our friends and kids at the beach. I hope we can make this an annual trip!
Ready with her tools
Lily and Macey...beach beauties!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Lily's Class
Last week, the directors at the Mommy Morning Out program asked us if we minded if they moved Lily up a classroom level. Because her birthday falls in October, she misses the date cut-off by just a few weeks so she was in the "older 2's" classroom which had kids who turn 3 before December 31 in it. The directors said they thought Lily would do well in the class with other 3-year-olds, so we agreed to let her move up. This past Monday was her first day in the new room, and she did great. She was so excited telling me about her new class. She probably asked me 5 times that night "Do you know what classroom I go to today?" I would respond "which one?" and she would excitedly say "Ms Jodi's classroom!" One time I even said "Ms Jodi's class!" and she said "No Mommy, not Ms Jodi's class. It's Ms Jodi's classroom." Sorry, my mistake. They made a scarecrow that she told Ryan all about, and she is simply having a blast there. She can't wait to go back tomorrow. She even told both of us this morning "I get to go to school tomorrow." I love seeing her this excited!
On a related note, we discovered that some of her friends from last year are in this class. She specifically mentioned she was glad to see a little boy named Caleb. I will never forget last year Lily telling us about her classmates; she got a serious look on her face and said Caleb "is very, very, very nice." He better still be nice to her!
On a related note, we discovered that some of her friends from last year are in this class. She specifically mentioned she was glad to see a little boy named Caleb. I will never forget last year Lily telling us about her classmates; she got a serious look on her face and said Caleb "is very, very, very nice." He better still be nice to her!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Generous Lily
Lily, Mia and I were eating breakfast together this morning while Ryan was at Bible study. I decided to get Lily's help with a decision. I love the organization Samaritans Purse. Every Fall they send their gift catalog which shows some of their major projects that help people around the world. As Mia munched happily away on Cheerios, Lily sat down next to me. I told her how we are so fortunate to have so many nice things like our house, our toys and our food, but not everyone has these nice things. We were going to pick some things in this catalog to send to kids around the world to help them. She looked through the whole catalog, noticed what all the pictures were and picked two projects to give to: milk for children and little chicks for a family. I wasn't surprised by these items knowing how much Lily loves milk and animals though I was a little surprised she didn't pick the books for children. Of course, she has no idea the cost of these items or their value to others. For only $4, milk can be given to a child for a week, and for $14, a dozen chicks are given to a family that will produce hundreds of eggs for them to eat, share or sell. It's truly amazing to me how something so small can help so much. Lily was so excited about picking gifts to give to others. I hope this generous spirit will continue to grow.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Halloween Fun
We had a wonderful Halloween and hope you did too! Saturday morning Ryan and Lily went with Chris and Peyton to Chuck E Cheese for a few hours. They had a blast playing together and collecting tickets. Lily was able to buy a necklace, ring, twirly straw and lollipop with the tickets she won; talk about exciting! I stayed home while Mia took her nap then she and I went to Toys R Us to get a little Christmas shopping done. She was very content to look around at everything and eat her Cheerios. She didn't grab for toys, and she smiled at everyone; it was an enjoyable trip. We both got home for the girls' naps, and we took naps too; I love it when that happens. We had planned on going to a local church's Trunk or Treating Festival, but it was rainy when nap time was over. Since the girls had already worn their costumes several times and don't really understand trick or treating yet, we decided to just go out for a little family dinner instead. We went to Little Azio's which everyone loves. When we got home, we just enjoyed playing together and having fun as a family. It was a pretty low-key day, but it was wonderful!
Lily and Mia in the adorable Halloween outfits Grandma Jan and Grandpops bought for them. It was a perfect day to wear them since it was too rainy for trick or treating in their costumes.
Boo Mia!
Lily's shirt is right; she is definitely "Too Cute To Spook."
Sweet kisses!
The pumpkins the girls decorated at school.
Lily and Mia in the adorable Halloween outfits Grandma Jan and Grandpops bought for them. It was a perfect day to wear them since it was too rainy for trick or treating in their costumes.
Boo Mia!
Lily's shirt is right; she is definitely "Too Cute To Spook."
Sweet kisses!
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