Going out with a bang

So I am in this vicious anxious-avoid cycle. I have too many new photos, videos, events, and thoughts to post so I get overwhelmed and just don't do it. Negative reinforcement at its best. So I'm just going to flood this blog post. This doesn't even include all the stuff I missed in November...but it will be long.

Earlier this month we had a lab brunch at my house. A was excited to have people come see her in her pretty dress (thanks, Grace). :) We had yummy food, exchanged white elephant gifts, and watched A play with the gift bags and dance to the "Hot Dog" song. My students are all so grateful that I put that song in their heads...

Here is a random photo of A not sleeping.




We also had to take Miss A in for a follow-up regarding her lung functioning with the new inhaler (Qvar). Her pediatrician wasn't happy with the continued coughing. We discussed several options. She agrees that the cough seems to be allergies but also believes it might be a cough-variant of asthma. One option we discussed was upping her inhaler dosage. However, I really didn't think that would make much of a difference. Steroids are another, less appealing option. Ultimately, we decided to add Singulair in the hopes that it could better control her allergies and asthma. I admit that I was a little nervous because I had read that it has side effects of anxiety and problems sleeping. I took Singulair briefly in graduate school and remembered having really weird dreams while on it and it wasn't very effective for me. However, I talked to several other parents who said it did help (though it didn't help universally) so I felt good about trying it. It's a weird medicine because it comes in granule packets that is most easily taken mixed in applesauce. It has to be consumed within 15 minutes of opening the packet. That isn't always easy when you are dealing with a toddler who has very specific whims of what and when she wants to eat...

Otherwise, she looked good for her visit. Her growth continues to be on track. She had actually grown a little taller even! After the doctor's appointment, we went out to eat. A loves acting silly.







Random pictures hanging out with Daddy.





A got a little bit wind burned at school.



She also had a school party on Friday. Her sweet teacher, Miss Ashley, got all of the kids a cute book about Santa's Reindeer and she got A a cute baby doll with a pacifier. We also got adorable handmade ornaments for the tree/keepsakes.

We got her teachers a little basket with nail polish, hand lotion, chap stick, and gloves. I let A help me pick out the gifts and which item went in which basket. She thought that was a lot of fun. We also made tiger butter bark for all the additional staff and teachers who help at her school. I think Chad was disappointed I didn't make extra for us.

Unfortunately it hasn't all been fun and parties the last few weeks. A also has been sick with what we assume is a virus. She was sent home from school on Thursday because she threw up. Once Chad got her home, she was pretty good.

Friday morning, she was in a great mood. Even with crazy bed head.

Such a good mood that we really didn't even discuss whether she should stay home from school/miss their Christmas party. It had been over 24 hours since she had thrown up and she hadn't had a fever. However, Friday night she developed a fever and started throwing up again. I felt so horrible that we sent a contagious baby to school (she really was acting perfectly fine!). On Saturday, she became even sicker and more lethargic. For the last 3 days, it truly has just been Chad and I taking turns holding her and trying to make her feel better. She hasn't been eating or drinking much either so we are on constant watch for signs of dehydration (she is not dehydrated) and are taking extreme measures like using a syringe to give small amounts of pedialyte and applesauce.

She keeps having these moments where she seems totally better (running through the hallway, smiling, laughing) but then within an hour she is back to seeming pitiful.

And although her fever hasn't broken yet, we are already seeing our good friend, skin spots. This makes me think she had roseola again but that doesn't typically involve vomiting (if anyone ever has questions about bumps or spots, seriously, you should call me, I could make an entire blog post about A's skin sensitivity and rashes). Maybe she was just doubly lucky and had two viral infections back to back...if she still has a fever or isn't eating/drinking tomorrow, we will call her pediatrician.

Wow, so if you stuck with that whole post, congratulations! I will reward you with two of the many adorable videos I have not been posting recently. 

I couldn't get the second one to upload so here is a link. 

Still here

We are still alive. Life is just crazy! This semester has to go down as our busiest yet. I'm hopeful I can tell you all more about it when I get a free moment. Those moments are typically occurring between 3:30-7:30 am and so right now I'm choosing sleep instead.

A is practicing to be a super hero. ;)

Snow day

Today was A's first true experience with snow. We had a couple of threats of snow last year but nothing really accumulated.

I was worried we were going to have to give away her awesome snowsuit without her ever having worn it!!

Baby gap is awesome. I didn't think it would fit but it did...sort of. So this is a 6-12 month snowsuit. The mittens and boots didn't work but everything else did. 

A was a little unsure of the snow at first. 

But she was walking like a pro in no time. 

She was really sad she had to come inside. 

My research lab is having an end of semester brunch here on Sunday so I was working on cleaning and trying to finish decorating the tree (which I started last weekend but never had the opportunity to get back to). However, that meme is right. Trying to clean with a toddler (and a husband, ahem), is like raking leaves during a tornado. A was undoing pretty much everything...and then some. 

She also just wanted to go outside. 

Pwease...

I'll go get my coat.

We did get it decorated though. 

Happy thanksgiving!

We love our friends and family!! Thanks so much for being part of our journey!

Best friends (unrequited love?)

I will try to catch up more tomorrow but the next few weeks will be quite busy for me! I had to share these photos and video. As I mentioned before, A is so crazy about Madeline (I haven't met anyone who isn't. I mean, she is one of the sweetest, most laid back puppies ever. If we could get her to stop licking--makes.me.crazy.-- and waking us up at night, I would say she is pretty much perfect). We are constantly having to move A so that Madeline can have a little space. Thank goodness she is patient. 

We got her a new bed because Chad thought A wouldn't get in it as much as she tried laying on the comforter. I knew he was mistaken but Madeline does love her new digs!

18 month stats

A had her 18-month Well Child Check today. She is 31.25 inches long (25th percentile) and weighed 24 pounds and 1 ounce (67th percentile). Her head was 18.5 inches (68th percentile). So she's growing well. It made me laugh because in the last couple of weeks we've had several people ask if A is tall for her age. I didn't think that she was and that was verified today. But she is perfect.

I was very happy to see that our pediatrician's office includes the M-CHAT as part of their 18 month screening. I wish more pediatric clinics did autism and developmental delay screenings. If you have a toddler and yours doesn't, encourage them to; early intervention is really important! Shoot me an email if you want more information on this. A is doing great developmentally. Her doctor was happily surprised to hear that she is still rear facing in her car seat (that doesn't seem to be very common here) and was happy with her verbal and social skills. She has about 40 words she consistently says and her reciprocal language is great.

This is the first appointment where A didn't fuss at all during the exam. She was very laid back. We discussed her coughing/breathing and are going to start using a maintenance anti-inflammatory steroid inhaler (Qvar) along with Zyrtec. This should also decrease the reliance on Albuterol and night-time coughing. Also, her ears were pretty waxy which meant that the doctor couldn't see her tubes. This happened when we brought her in for the virus recently as well. So we need to contact her ENT for his recommended method for clearing the wax. The only shot she needed was a flu shot. Yay. We also talked a little about ways to get through this picky eating phase we've hit.

Here's a video I took this morning of her with her best friend, Madeline. Such sweet girls.