The Stomach Bug

Lacey finished her antibiotic for the ear infection on Saturday night. We had THE BEST day on Sunday. She was so happy and played well on her own. Wasn't really clingy at all. It was awesome! Then on Monday morning when I went to get her from the crib, she was making a gagging/vomit noise. I hoped it was just phlegm. I decided to keep her home for an hour or so to make sure she was okay. She took her bottle, then ate some yogurt for breakfast, and on the way out the door for daycare, she threw it all up! Lovely. It happened again about 30 minutes later. Thankfully, it didn't happen again. There were some nasty diapers, but at least that is somewhat contained. She refused Pedialyte, Liquilite, etc. I even tried mixing it with juice, but since she's never really had juice, that didn't help either. I just gave her 1-2 ounce bottles through the day. By early afternoon, she was HAPPY and playing well. And, she slept through the night. Butch stayed home with her today so that if she's still contagious, she won't give it to the other kids, or to Miss Kim. He said she's playing happily.

Of course, Butch & I got it a little, too. Neither of us ate much of anything yesterday. I had 2 peanut butter crackers for breakfast and 1/2 a Lean Cuisine for dinner. I was 2.5 pounds lighter on the scale this morning. The only benefit to being sick. Luckily, we both feel like we are back in the land of the living again today.

On Saturday, we went to a friend's daughter's 1st birthday party. (I'm sure that's where the bug came from.) There were several other little ones there, but Lacey had no interest. She was very clingy at first - I think just overwhelmed from so many people that she didn't know. But, then she started playing in this "ball pit" and had a blast. I might have to find one for her birthday.

Sorry for such a short post, but I've really got to get some work done! I promise to check in again later - hopefully the next several posts will be about things other than illness.

More antibiotics...and other updates

Lacey has an ear infection again (still). She finished her last antibiotic last Wed., and had a fever yesterday. So, back to the docs. At least this time it is only 1 ear and the antibiotic is only for 5 days - and it seems to taste good. She eats it right off the spoon. Cold & Flu season BE GONE!

Last Saturday night, we met Agnes & Trampas for dinner and expected to hear all about their wedding in Las Vegas. Imagine our surprise when we learned they had actually been married a whole year! They eloped in Vermont on 12/17/04 after about 5-6 months of dating. They weren't ready to share that with anyone yet, and other matters caused it to sort of snowball. So, they decided to wait until their anniversary and renew their vows in front of everyone. Which, didn't work out since Trampas was sent on a 30 day assignment during December. Anyway, I suppose they aren't "newlyweds", huh?

We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - Bonefish Grill. I really miss the restaurant selections in VA! Fabulous "Bang Bang Shrimp" for an appetizer. Then, I had Mahi with spinach & crab on top. Mmmmmm....

We watched the Steelers game at our neighbors' house. He is a Steelers fan and she is a Skins fan. Their basement is decorated with both teams throughout. Burgundy carpet, a black wall, a burgundy wall, some yellow/gold walls. A Steelers shower curtain in the bathroom, Skins wallpaper border. You get the picture. It's hysterical.

Butch is quite happy about the outcome. Oh - our neighbor was physically feeling sick leading up to the game. He had dry heaves and was shaking. RELAX!

Lacey was in heaven when she found their toy room. Of course, I couldn't see the game from there, but I could hear it.

Don't know if any of you watch 24, but Butch & I are hooked! What an adreniline rush. I love it. I hate that it's only on for 1 hour a week. I've watched some previous seasons on DVD and love being able to do a "24 night" and watch 4 episodes. When I was pregnant, I did that & Dee was concerned about my blood pressure!

Well, I have nothing else interesting to share. Not that any of the above was interesting, but....

Tricia

Nothing Much

I guess I don't have a lot to report on, but I'm afraid if I don't put something out here, Dee will give me crap about not posting! ;-)

Yesterday was such a crappy drive to work. It was raining, so I knew it would be bad. But, when I got behind a slow-poke in my neighborhood, I knew I was in for trouble. I was hoping they'd turn left...but no....they turned right. And, they drove 35 in a 50. Yes, it was raining & yes, it's a dark road, but give me a freakin' break. I finally managed to pass him/her several miles later. Then, there was an accident on Branch Ave. and it didn't make sense to for me to try another way because every way was bad. So....2 hours and 15 minutes after leaving my house, I was at work. Finally. You'd better bet I treated myself to a Chai Latte. Of course, I do that most mornings, but felt I truly deserved it yesterday.

Lacey had her last dose of the antibiotic this morning THANK GOD! I was so tired of holding her head while Butch shoved it in her mouth.

Butch & I are going to VA to meet our friends, Agnes & Trampas....the newlyweds....for dinner on Saturday. I know nothing about their wedding yet. They want to tell us everything together. All I know is that it was planned to be in Vegas over New Year's. Who knows if that's what happened!? And - on top of that, he has gotten information on his transfer. They won't tell us anything about that until Sat. either. I'm so bummed that she's leaving again. Not that we get to see her often, but it's nice to know that I can.

I'm listening to Harry Potter #6 again. Hoping that Dee will FINALLY read the book. It's been so long since I first listened to it, that I need to refresh my memory so that Dee & I can discuss it.

I've got to get back to my guilty pleasure....watching Days of Our Lives.

Tricia

The flu...and other things about the weekend

For anyone that doesn't believe in the power of a flu shot....believe it. I have gotten one every year over the last 10 years....except 2. Including this year. Both times I got the flu. This one was bad. It tried to get me during the week (Tuesday night into Wednesday), but didn't get bad. Then, Saturday morning, I woke at 4:30 -- miserable. I had a 102* fever most of the day. Did I already say miserable? So, Butch had parent duty most of the day while I laid in bed. Yesterday was better, but I still hardly ate anything and felt weak. Finally... last night I improved. And, today, while I have a cough that hurts, I feel much better.

Anyone a fan of 24? Yea on the new season! Finally....at long last! Butch & I stayed up to watch that last night. (I say "stayed up" b/c I am normally an early to bed gal.)

Lacey went to the doc last Monday -- b/c of pink-eye -- and we found out that she had a double ear infection. Not surprising with the runny nose that she has had non-stop for weeks. So, she was put on a different antibiotic than the last time - one that helps with pink-eye, too. I hate it. It's thick and nasty. The last one could be mixed in her bottle & she didn't have a clue. This one doesn't mix well. So, it takes both of us to force it. I hold her head while Butch squirts it in her mouth. Butch said that either we are getting better at it, or she's getting better. I corrected him & said "we are getting less sensitive with it".

Anyway, she's still a little "off". The pink-eye seems to be gone. (BTW, she could go to daycare after 24 hours of being on the meds, so we didn't have to worry about taking much time off work.) She's just cranky. She normally wakes up happy & plays by herself a good portion of the time happy, etc. So, I don't know if this new antibiotic isn't working as well on her ears, or if it's hurting her tummy.....or if she's working on new teeth....or if she's just being a stinker. It's all guess work, huh?

It's always something.....

Lacey seems to have pink-eye!!! I noticed her eyes having more discharge yesterday & Butch said "it's just eye boogies". Nope. There is a lot more today. And, she looks like she has black eyes b/c they are so puffy. She cries when we wipe the eyes (I've read it can hurt). So, back to the doctor tomorrow. At least we made it a few weeks since the last visit.

Oh, her diaper rash is all cleared up, thanks to lots of "air time" yesterday and gobs of goop slathered on.

So.....pink-eye is contagious and she can't go to daycare until it's cleared up. Hmmm. What to do. I supposed I'll see if I can work from home....1/2 days....since I know I won't get much done when she's awake. Butch will take a day off every few days so I can go to the office. Hopefully it will clear up within a week. I've read 7-10 days...sometimes longer. And, did you know there are 3 types of pink-eye? Viral, Bacterial and Allergin. Since she's had a cold for so long (well, really just a runny nose), I'm betting they tell me it's "viral", which means they won't give us an eye cream. I hope we get a Rx to help it. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Our week has been fairly quiet, so I haven't posted. This will probably be quite boring to you all!

I've been listening to the latest book in the "Mitford" series. Audiobooks really help me to handle my commute better! I'm also reading a book (The Christmas Train), which I am determined to finish next week. I didn't even start it until AFTER Christmas - even though it's a Christmas book!

Lacey has had a pretty good week. She is so much fun! I love listening to her "talk" and watcher her play. We started mixing whole milk into her formula this morning. I'm just starting with a 25%/75% mix at this point. Whole milk is "supposed" to be started at a year, but I'm anxious to get done with formula. I don't want to switch her very quickly, though, in case it causes her stomach issues. So, we'll go slowly.

Last night, she came home from daycare with a horrible diaper rash. She struggles with that all the time. Drives me nuts. So, we had diaper free time in the Pack N Play this morning to air her out. Will probably do it again this afternoon, too. I hope it doesn't result in another trip to the doc. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to go back until her 1 year well visit??

I made a really yummy dinner last night - "Mexican Casserole" - I got it from one of my online friends. Butch & I chowed on it. Hmmmm....the rest of the week was more "normal" food - nothing really "new" - Chicken Divan, pizza, etc.

Oh - daycare is closed Mon. & Tues. Mr. Bernie's uncle was hit and killed by a car on Friday. So horrible. Butch is staying home with her on Monday & I'll work during her naps on Tuesday -- and I guess take a 1/2 day vacation. It's the downside of home daycare -- but I would much rather deal with this than deal with a daycare center at this point. All my friends that have had their kids in daycare centers complain about the lack of naps - b/c the babies don't have somewhere quiet to sleep.

Better finish this up & get some things done before LJ wakes from her nap.

Tricia

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve! I couldn't even make it until midnight! Ahh...the life of a mom of a 10 month old. ;-) After we put her to bed, Butch & I cooked a nice dinner, ate at the table without either (1) chasing LJ; or (2)continually feeding her snacks. Then we watched a movie -- Sideways. I was not impressed with the movie. Butch wasn't really either. Too much hype, maybe?

We took Lacey to church yesterday - I'm trying to make a better effort in 2006. It's just hard with her schedule. Sometimes she is still napping when we should be leaving. And, I refuse to wake her up. I think God is probably okay with that. Anyway, this is the last time we'll try church without putting her in the nursury! Wow, she was a handful. Quite chatty, quite squirmy and, of course, quite cute.

Then, we watched the Steelers play at a neighbor's house (with Lacey in her Steeler's outfit). It's always fun chasing a baby in someone else's house (not). Lacey was quite funny when she found their toy room! She crawled in & just kept screaming! So much to pick from.

After that, we went home & put her in the Redskin's outfit to help them out, and TRIED to watch the game. I say "tried"b/c our directv isn't working in the family room. So, we had it on in the bedroom for a while. Then had to come downstairs to feed LJ and eat dinner ourselves. So, we put a small TV with rabbit ears in the kitchen. Not much of a picture, but we could keep up with the game.

It seems that separation anxiety may be an issue these days. Lacey has gone to sleep easily for months - she doesn't always sleep through the night, but she always "just goes to sleep" in her crib. The last week or so has been hit or miss. Last night she screamed & cried. If I went in, she'd grab my shirt. She'd settle a little if I rocked her, but even if she fell asleep, she scream when I put her back in the crib. :-( It was heartbreaking. And, we let her cry. It was awful. I feel so horrible doing that, but she has to sleep. My poor baby. So...we didn't hear anything more from her from 9:30 to 6:30, but I worried about her all night.

Believe it or not, our office is open today. They are giving us 2 days at 4th of July instead of today off. At least it is quiet & was a very easy drive in.

Oh - I almost hit a deer this morning. Had to slam on my brakes so hard that my car slid. Thank God it was a "noncommute" day and I didn't have anyone behind me.

Tricia

So tired.....

I'm back at work today and so sleepy. Not just because the alarm went off at 5:30, either! Lacey has contributed to this exhaustion. She was crying at about 1:30 last night & this went on until about 3:00....when we finally gave her a bottle. We'd tried rocking, rubbing her back, etc., etc., but she was apparently just hungry. She hasn't needed a bottle in the middle of the night for several weeks (6 maybe?), so it didn't occur to me. I just hope we aren't jumping into that habit again.

To make my day even better, I was about 15 minutes into my commute this morning when I realized that I'd left my laptop at home. Great. Turned around, drove back home to get it. So, even on a day when there is no traffic, I can't get here on time. I usually have the problem of a 45 mile commute with accidents and idiot drivers that make it take 2 hours to get here. Today I could only blame myself. And, my daughter since I wasn't quite awake when I was packing my bag.

I remember a time when the holidays were slow here at my office - this doesn't seem to be the case anymore. It's been a couple of years like this....it doesn't stop. You'd think it would since so many places close down for the holidays, but huh-uh.

Alright, need to hunker down with some more work so I can head home soon.

Christmas!

It was wonderful! Of course, Lacey slept great for several weeks and then came Christmas Eve....she "woke" a couple of times. Really, she just cried out for her pacifier/binky and we gave that back to settle her. Then, she woke at 5:45 and I rocked her from then until 6:30. She fell back to sleep, I couldn't since I was holding her!

Anyway, we'd gone to the children's service at Mt. Zion on Christmas Eve. It was only about 30 minutes and Lacey loved all the kids! I'm sure she was thinking "wow, this is daycare x 10"! She'll be right in the mix of things next year. I was quite emotional. Much more so than I ever thought. Silent Night always gets to me, but it was more this year. Just watching her and thinking about how lucky we are was too much.

We didn't open gifts until after her 1st nap since she is only up for an hour or 2 in the morning before it. She didn't have any interest in opening gifts! I thought she'd love the wrapping paper since she loves to tear apart magazines, but no. So, we all took turns trying to keep her from getting into things she shouldn't, while we opened gifts - including those for her.

She did love her Santa gifts, though. She got the incrediblock, the Stride to Ride walker, a teddy bear chair and a few other smaller things.

My family came over that afternoon and she got MORE! The laugh & learn puppy, the fisher price pots & pans, and many other things.

When she went to bed that night, she was beat.

Butch's parents are still visiting. They are planning to leave tomorrow.

I have to go back to work tomorrow....I'd much rather stay home and play, but we can't have everything we want.

Lacey has been napping for nearly 2 hours now, so I'd better finish this up...I'm sure I'll hear her shortly.

More later!

Inspiration

My cousin, Bink (aka Brenda, aka Raechelle) has inspired me to start a blog! I love reading hers! And, because I think it's a great way to keep people up-to-date on things, I'm giving it a shot. I'll try to update at least once a week.

Butch's folks are visiting from Pittsburgh. They got here on Wednesday. Of course, they wanted to be around to see Lacey on her first Christmas.

Speaking of....we are so looking forward to the big day. I tried hard not to go overboard, but boy was that tough. I know she won't really "get it" this year, but I still think she'll be excited to see the new toys...and of course, to tear apart the paper and drag around bags. She is a born shopper. Now that there are shopping bags and gift bags all over the place, she is always dragging one behind. Cracks me up.

We're hosting dinner here this year. Luckily we do a potluck for holidays, so it won't require as much as if we were doing the entire thing.

Well, we are watching Elf right now, so I'm going to go & pay attention! Merry Christmas!

Tricia