Quick Picture Fix

I love reading blogs with lots of pictures but I know I fail miserably at putting pictures on mine, so here are a few.

Abigail in her Easter dress!

Abigail's summery outfit from yesterday. Isn't she cute?!

Ok, that's all. I'm about to attend a health webinar on the benefits of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Probiotics.

I cannot believe I'm actually posting about this but . . .

Here are my thoughts/questions about the "Piglet Flew":

This year there have been 8 confirmed (yes! look it up) deaths from the swine flu. In 2008 over 800,000 people died from malaria and over 400,000 people in the U.S. alone died from smoking. 34,000 Americans died from the actual influenza last year. Hmm, where is the public panic about that?

They say 64 people have been infected (as I am writing this). Why is this causing such a panic? 64 people (although it would be tight) could probably fit into my house. Is 64 a lot?

The question has been asked, why are the cases not as severe in the U.S.? How about a better health system, access to doctors medicine, hospitals. Or perhaps it could be better sanitation? Just some thoughts.

I truly believe a lot of the problem from this flu comes from the overuse of antibiotics and antiviral medications. There is a time and place to use them (life-threatening or life-altering illnesses) but overuse causes viruses like this to mutate and for humans to not have the ability to build up immunity.

I'm not trying to diminish the fact that people are dying. That's horrible and I hope they can all get medical care but does this seems like it is a bit overblown to anyone else? Perhaps I just don't understand.

www.homefirst.com is a great resource of information.

Dinner

Our dinner out went fine. Abigail was entertained by eating for most of the time. She was quite a ham. Scrunching her nose and laughing out-loud to show off. She's such her father's daughter! :) We had a nice dinner and it was fun to catch up. They are such generous people and gave us our Christmas gift! :) It was grocery gift cards. Yeah, I can't wait to use them. Maybe we can stay under our grocery budget now. Abigail did get a little squirmy at the end but for not having an afternoon nap (she had a 2 1/2 hour morning nap) she did pretty well! She was out about 30 seconds after I put her in the crib last night.

I did take a picture of Abigail's outfit but I didn't take it off the camera yet. So it will be coming.

Abigail's still holding on to her health. She just seems touchy to me but maybe it is just my imagination and worry taking over. Her temp was 99 when we got to the sitters this morning but we all agreed that she'd stay and see if it came down. I just called there and it was down to 98.1 before her nap. Yeah!

Still going...

Well, we're still going strong. When I got to the babsitters at lunch today (we still nurse at lunch) Abigail was still down for her morning nap. I was worried that this meant a return of the fever but when I took it when she woke up it was 97.9! Her cough and nose seemed better too. I am really hoping for her to get better and stay better throughout this week and weekend because we are going to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Chicago.

I don't think I have mentioned this before but I think Abigail is allergic to peanuts. We tried giving her some peanut butter a few weeks ago and she got terrible hives on her face and chest. They cleared up within hours of the eating but still. I can't think of what else it would be. Also, I think there was some peanut butter that got smeared in her high chair. Whenever she would sit in there without pants on, the back of her legs would get welts. After I saw that happening, I washed the seat of the high chair and it hasn't happened since. I certainly hope she doesn't have this allergy and if she does, that it isn't very bad!

That's all for now. Abigail is wearing the cutest outfit today. A green onesie with short overalls on top. I am planning to get a picture when we get home for the evening, and hopefully get it posted on here. All three of us are going out to supper tonight with a former boss of Andrew's, so that will be an adventure with me and my allergies, Andrew's cold, and Abigail's 15-month-old-ness.

*Updated: Warm weather has suddenly hit us! Abigail was wearing warm fleece PJ's last week and now she needs summer ones! I'm SO not prepared! She's been sleeping in onesies until I find some summer PJ's. Can anyone help me out? I'm having a hard time finding some. Where should I look? We had one pair last year that we used from Walmart. It was light-weight but it was still footed. I want to find a 5-pack (like onesies) so I don't have to shop all over or spend too much! *

We're Back!

We had a normal day today! I spent the whole day at work and Abigail was at her grandparents and the sitters today. I just hope that now she can stay healthy and not pick up any more bugs!

In other news: I'm sick of the news. I'm sick of hearing all the doom and gloom so I'm taking a break. As much as I like to watch the early morning news, I'm going to turn it off for a week. I think I'll live.

We have an AC repair guy coming out to the house this evening. Let's hope he can fix it. Leaving the windows open at night and all this wind is KILLING my allergies.

I don't want to speak too soon!

I don't want to speak too soon but we may have avoided the use of antibiotics, at least this time around. I decided to go ahead and fill the prescription that the doctor called in yesterday but wait until today to see if Abigail needed it. Her temp was 100 yesterday morning but it fell throughout the day. This morning it was 99 when she woke up and I just took it and it said 98.1! I think she may have conquered this thing on her own.

In any case, I feel better having the antibiotics on hand. If she starts to run a fever again, I will start her on them but I certainly would like to save the use of antibiotics for something more serious, such as strep throat. Antibiotics aren't bad in and of themselves but the overuse of them causes serious health problems, including a weakened immune system (it kills good and bad bacteria) and the fact that the antibiotic may not be effective again when really needed.

We'll see what the day holds!

I'm still here!

After dealing with a week of sick kid, and now a sick husband, I guess I have taken an unplanned blogging break. Our efforts to get Abigail healthy without using antibiotics are failing. She still woke up with a 100 degree temp. It's her 11th day in a row of running a fever. She hasn't had a fever all day on those days but at some point it has registered above a 98.6. Now my husband has a cold. It is weird that he got it so late in the game, since Abigail's been sick a week, so I don't think he caught it from her. I'm doing my best to preach hand-washing, and sanitation between the two of them. We'll see if they listen.

I have a call into our doctor and I fully expect to be picking up Abigail's first antibiotic today. My heart is heavy and sad. I wanted to not give her one unless absolutely necessary but with our lifestyle (as two working parents) it's just not feasible to keep this up. My sick-time off is almost gone, and it's only April!

:(

It's in the Ear

We went to the doctor today after Abigail's morning temp was 100.

Well, Abigail has her first (I think) ear infection. The first diagnosed one anyway. The doctor said it was very mild, so that's good. Perhaps she's even recovering from it already (without help). Due to the fact that the doctor thinks this cold and ear infection is viral in nature and not bacterial, we are going to try treating it with pulsitilla.

Here is an article that explains more, if you are interested:

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/faqs/faq010.asp

*Update: I just reread this and see how it can be confusing. Yes, Abigail DOES have an infection. I think it is her first one ever. At least the first one to be diagnosed.*

A bit of laughter for your day

This video left me laughing until I cried. So funny!



Enjoy!

*Abigail's temp was normal this morning (after she slept from 7 pm til 7:10 am) but it returned during the day yesterday, so we'll just have to wait and see. *

Abigail Update

**Update**

It's 4:05 pm right now and she's been asleep since 1:15! I guess she was tired, poor girl. I'm sure all this rest is helping her fight her bug.

****************



Well, her fever is back this afternoon. She acts like she doesn't feel good at all, poor baby. On our way home, she threw up in her carseat. It was actually a bit funny, since she had some cheerios in her hand. Right when she finished throwing up, she stuck the cheerio in her mouth and continued to eat. She munched on them all the way home but proceeded to lose them all over the kitchen floor when we got into the house. I wasn't sure about feeding her anything else, so she just got some milk (from me). My main thought during this is that I am SO thankful we are still breastfeeding. Not only is it a comfort to her, it is healthy and is sometimes all she can keep down. I think she just has an upset stomach from too much drainage. I certainly hope that is the case.

I took her right upstairs and put her down for nap. She was out in 2 minutes.

For the love of Ice Cream

I have to post this video on here. My husband spent a lot of time this weekend working on it. We had a lovely family dinner on Saturday night (at Aunt Carol's house) and then walked to a local ice cream place. Andrew made this video for his cousin who loves ice cream and was missing out on being there! :)

You'll see Abigail having her first bite (or 20) of ice cream. That was probably a big mistake on my part since she woke up pretty sick the next day. I've read so much about dairy being the cause of 80 to 90% of all ear infections in children. Sugar can also really depress the immune system. She was already struggling to get over something so I should have been more careful. Poor girl! I've been slacking lately on having her eat really really healthy foods and so I'm going to have to get back to that. More fruits, veggies, and meats!!!

Enjoy!

I'm ready for summer!!

Our little girl is sick, again! That is twice for this month. She was hardly sick all winter long and now April brings two rounds of colds with fever. She has had a runny nose all weekend but only a low-grade or no fever. Today she woke up very warm to the touch so we took her temp and it was 101.5. I had to teach Sunday school (my last Sunday! - for a while anyway) and so Andrew stayed home with her. She slept the whole time I was gone. We put her down for the afternoon nap at 2:45 and she's still asleep and it is almost 5. Her little body is just fighting whatever she has. Poor girl. I hate it when my baby doesn't feel good.

I am ready for summer to get here. I'm ready for corn on the cob, watermelon, swimming, being outside a lot, flipflops, and cute little summer dresses for Abigail!

Mommyhood!

I love being a mommy! There are just some days that I don't realize it! :) Abigail has come down with something again, a cold, or whatever, I'm not sure. She is also getting her eye teeth. I've heard those are the worst, as far as pain goes. She is acting miserable at times. One has come through, one is close, and two more to go. Then we'll have a teething break for a while, until the two-year molars decide to come in.

It is supposed to be so nice and warm tomorrow. I hope she is well enough (she probably will be) for us to do something fun. I was thinking about taking her to the zoo or aquarium but I may try something a little less expensive (and far away) and just take her a park. I think she'd like that. Her sitter has been recommending a climbing structure for her, since she climbs on everything!!

One of the things that Abigail has been doing lately that is pretty cute is trying to "talk" loud enough to get our attention. She is not really screaming (although she does that sometimes) but she just says "da, da, da, da, da" over and over again, VERY loudly, until you look at what she wants you to look at. I told her last night that she related to the Harps, since she is so loud (family joke - for those of you reading that are NOT in my family - which probably aren't very many)! I seriously can't talk over her little voice.

Here is our Easter picture:


Another lesson I learned on Easter Sunday is that mommy's of active little girls have to wear sensible shoes. I have these fabulous shoes that I don't wear often. They are pretty tall and have a tight strap but are as comfortable as 3-inch heels can be. Well Sunday they just didn't work. I was chasing my kid all over creation in those things and I simply could not keep up. She loves chasing and petting the cats now!

Break!

Wow, I didn't mean to take a blogging break. I guess that's what happens when I'm home with the husband. He is always on the computer! :) It's okay, though, since he is usually working. We had a fabulous Easter weekend. Andrew was off work on Friday so we got to do some things together as a family and as a couple, including a nice lunch out (just the two of us).

Easter Sunday was great. The weather was beautiful. Abigail took a wonderful nap in perfect time to be refreshed for church. The service at our church was beautiful, wonderful, powerful, and just a great way to celebrate our risen Savior. We had lunch with Andrew's family and had a beautiful day for an Easter egg hunt, some golf, swinging for Abigail, and pictures outside.

Today, we both had the day off, so Abigail and I tagged along with Andrew. He needed to visit a computer store to buy some things for a job he is doing in the area. While we were there, we shopped for a video camera. We've been looking for one for a long time (since ours quit) and we found a GREAT deal. We got a little tiny handheld one, that will fit in my purse, that records in HD for only $90. So we bought that! I've been enjoying it already today. After a quick stop at the Library, we came home to have lunch. Abigail has been a little off on her naps today and I'm trying to get her to sleep right now. She's playing nicely in her crib, so I won't disturb her for a while. Andrew has been off working at this job we bought the equipment for.

No plans for tonight but it is back to work for all of us tomorrow.

Hopefully there will be more opportunities for video and pictures on here, since my new camera does both! :)

This makes me happy and sad all at the same time.

Ok, I was listening to music for work today and I can across this video. Not the best quality but still, wow, what harmony!!!!!!!!!

I'm happy because this is so beautiful. I have felt, lately, like I really miss singing in a good choir or singing anywhere really. Abigail now cries when I sing to her so my only audience is gone! :)

I'm sad because Point of Grace no longer has all 4 members. How in the world can it ever sound this good again? Don't they need someone else to sing with them!? Please?!

Not good at this!

Ok, so I am slowly but surely becoming addicted to twitter. I am finding more friends, and reading some interesting stuff. I want to add a side bar thingy to my blog that has the "follow me on twitter" link. Lots of people have them but I can't figure it out! This is crazy since web design and computers are what my husband does for a living. He is so busy doing it, though, that he usually doesn't have time to help me with something so insignificant as my blog! :) Any tips, suggestions? Is anyone else who reads this on twitter? If so, let me know your screen name and I'll follow you.

It's my very favorite time of the year . . . Easter! I love Easter!

Have a good Holy Week!

The man has issues!

I just want to get a good night's sleep without getting woken up . . . by my husband! Seriously, the man has some sleeping issues. He usually tosses and turns a lot but last night I was woken up at 11:30 pm by him getting out of bed (again). I asked what was wrong and he told me he couldn't sleep. I was so tired I could hardly lift my arm but he wanted his back scratched, so I obliged.

I'm beginning to think that separate beds (or maybe rooms) are in order to get a proper night's sleep!

My theory is that he does not get enough opportunity to express his emotions (or know how to express them). Therefore he lays there and thinks things over instead of being able to relax and fall asleep. He isn't an uptight person, but maybe he is inside. Maybe I'm reading WAY too much into this in my tired frame of mind.

Abigail's Phobias

Abigail has had several new phobias lately. I have mentioned a few before. One is the black flippers we have laying around here. She will cry if she gets near them. The newest one, however, is her bath. I'm not sure why. She did slip the other day but I was sitting right by her and just sat her right back up. She didn't even get water in her eyes or mouth. I don't think that's it. She has been screaming when I give her a bath, so tonight I got in with her. She clung to me for dear life. I finally got her to sit down in the bath water. I know this will eventually pass but I don't want my daughter to be so frightened of something she used to love so much. We'll get it figured out, I guess. Anyway, my daughter is NOT, and I do mean NOT afraid of heights!

She is such a little monkey, climbing on anything and everything she can get up on! Most of it shouldn't be climbed on!

Rocking Chair

Diaper boxes!

She's just like her daddy, this one!

Senior Moments

I thought this news article was funny and wanted to share. Enjoy! (You might have to click on it to be able to read the print).

No, it's not snowing outside!

Actually, it is snowing outside but I'm in denial. I want summer weather, walking weather. At least it is supposed to be 61 on Easter.

I don't have much to post about today. Just random stuff.

Random point #1: I need my hair cut . . . again. I'm trying to figure out when to do that and what to do. I'm generally unhappy with the cut. Too long. I want something that makes it look like I spent time on it (which we all know doesn't happen with a 14 month old) but that allows me to do my hair in 5-minutes. Hmm, maybe that isn't possible.

Random point #2: I painted my toenails for the first time in probably six months last night. It felt good!

Random point #3: The baby girl has a severe phobia of some black flippers (scuba flippers) in our house. I put them in the spare bedroom but I need to move them out to the garage where they are invisible to her. I'm not sure why she is scared.

Ok, that's it. My brain isn't totally functioning today.

Grateful Friday

Today I am grateful for:

• a healthy girl. These are pictures from last Friday. Yes, she has her mouth full of food and a runny nose!

• this rainy weather. I don't like it for too long, but spring rains are so refreshing.
• my loving, hardworking, level-headed husband. He puts up with so much from me and I appreciate it.
• our lovely small group from church. Thursdays are a big highlight in my week.

Thermometer Saga

While Abigail was sick (she's back at daycare today), I decided it was time to buy one of those ear thermometers to take her temperature. I have been taking it rectally since she was born and let's just say she's starting to protest a little bit. So, I stopped off and bought one on Sunday. I took her temp and it was under normal. I took my own and it said 101! What?! I had just gotten home from church and felt fine. I went to find my adult thermometer and took it by mouth: normal. Anyway, this ear thermometer is crazy! It never gave me a very accurate reading for Abigail, Andrew's was always normal, and mine was always over 100. Maybe I just have hot ears, I don't know.

So, we're back to the old way for now. We also have a thermometer that is a pacifier but I'm just not sure how accurate that is. I'm sure that something would show up if she had a significant fever. Anyone else have trouble with those ear ones? I just wasted $20!