Spending Your Half Birthday in the Hospital is NO FUN!!!

It all started with some coughing, sneezing and a fever of 100.7 on Tuesday morning (03/22/2010). I took Lilly the pediatrician and he gave her a strep throat test which came back positive. She got put on antibiotics for that. Then on Thursday, she woke up with a nasty cough, sneeze and at this point was now wheezing... but with no fever. I called back up to the pediatrician and they said to get her up there that day. I almost didn't take her, because her wheezing stopped for a few hours, but my mom convinced me that it would be best to be safe than sorry...what a great mommy lesson I learned that day!!! So Lilly's pediatrician checked her out and diagnosed her with bronciolitis which is caused by RSV. It's like RSV, but worse, although it get's treated the same way...idk how that works.

Anyway, her pediatrician put her on breathing treatments ever 8 hrs and we scheduled a follow up on Monday. Least to say we didn't make it till Monday. On Friday, we woke up and she was smiling ear to ear! I gave her a breathing treatment and the crinkle taggie blanket I made her...everything started off great. Although, Lilly was having her typical RSV symptoms of wheezing, coughing, and sneezing...nothing new. My mom came over to help me take care of Lilly while I pack to go to Jordan's parent's house for the weekend. Jordan was in Florida on a business trip while all of this was happening. His dad and I were planning on going to pick Jordan up from the airport. I was so excited to see him and have his support with Lilly. We hadn't seen each other in a week...our first time being away from each other since having Lilly.

As we were getting ready to leave, Lilly starts projectile vomiting all over me. She must have thrown up at least 15 times. She became very lethargic and kept zoning out. At this point, I am terrified because this came out of no where. I mean I know she was sick but she was happy seconds before all of this started happening. My mom keeps me calm and makes me call the nurse on call.

So, I called the nurse on call and she told me to go straight to Children's hospital in Plano. The doctor at Children's gave Lilly  some meds to stop throwing up. If she threw up the meds, they were going to have to suction her stomach with a tub. Thank God that never happened! She didn't throw up and we got to go home 4 hours later! They diagnosed her with gastrolinteritus (some kinda stomach bug) and said that she could throw up for another 7-10 days and to only bring her back if she was getting dehydrated. We were told that there was nothing that they would give a baby for the stomach bug she caught and that it would just have to work it's course. 

Let me tell you, my daughter is such a strong person! Even though she caught NOT 1 BUT 3 viruses...she still found a way to smile, laugh, play and enjoy her day as best as she could. At times, she would be wheezing so bad that I thought she was going to stop breathing, yet she would be smiling, playing and finding the nearest thing she could to stick in her mouth! She's my little trooper! 

This day was supposed to be a fun filled day of going to spend the day with our besties, Mica and Harlen. We had this whole day planned out where we were going to celebrate our girls turning a half a year old. We had a whole list of fun places we were going to go to. Spending the day in the ER was definitely NOT on the list! 

Can you even tell this girls sick? NOPE!

Still playful. At this point we only knew she had strep throat...

She loves Pedialyte pops...cherry and orange are her favorites!

Ice pops are good remedies for a sore throat...especially when Gigi give them to you! ;)

Thursday...we found out Lilly now has RSV on top of having strep throat.

Distracting my girl during her breathing treatment. 

It's Friday, and my baby girl is spending her half birthday at Children's Hospital.

So little in such a big scary room....

She maybe sick, but she's not going to let it bring down her happy spirits!

Her tiny toes hooked up to a heart rate monitor.

Daddy flew back home just in time!

Vitals are good and we get to go home.

My Girl Is 6 Months Old!

Happy half birthday, Lillian Grace! You're dad and I could be any happier with you in our lives. You are an amazing person. My days just get better and better with you in them. You're such a little clown. You love to be the center of every party. If you're not you will do something cute or scream (not so cute) to get SOME-ONES attention. One of the funniest things you do right now is kick your legs and arms like a frog. Whenever someone holds you "faced out" you love to kick your legs and flap your arms like you are just so excited to see the world. 

You're finally getting into a daily schedule and I think you like having the predictably of whats going to happen each day. You are still breast fed, but now you are eating rice cereal in the mornings and a veggie in the evenings. You don't really care for the rice cereal and I don't force you to eat it...I promise! You've tried squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. You're favorite is sweet potatoes. You wear size 6 to 9 month clothes, size 3 diapers and size 2 shoes.

You typically take a nap exactly one hour after you wake up in the mornings. You wake up anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30. We play with your Around We Go exersauser (which you can now play with all of the toys on the table and even "walk" half way around the table) and any toys that light up and play music. You'll typically still go to bed around 8:30-10pm. I just try to watch your body language and if I see you rubbing your eyes or tucking your head in my arm then I know it's time for bed. You'll sleep till about 6:30am and then you'll want to nurse and go back to bed until 8:30 or 9am.

Sometimes we'll watch a little tv...mostly Strawberry Shortcake or any other animated cartoon we can find. You're all time favorite show right now is American Idol! Such a grown up show for such a little girl! You're a natural musician. You stop crying, playing, and even talking when I turn on this show. You watch it like you're hypnotized. It's like you are studying every pitch and rhythm so you'll know how to sing when you start talking. You amaze me with how observant you are!

You love to laugh. You are such a happy baby in the mornings. I'm not a morning person, but you sure do make me one with your big smile and cute dimples. You're daddy and granddaddy always tell you "I'm...gunna...get...you" and I swear you know what they are saying, because you start smiling and will even push their faces with your hands as you laugh...so adorable! 

You reach for everything. You are my little explorer! You have to touch everything and then put everything into your mouth. You can sit up sooooo well! I love this stage in your life because you are still a baby, but you are starting to interact and explore. You love your bath time. You kick and slash in the water till your hands and feet look like raisins.

You're personality is starting to shine. Everyone thinks you will be outgoing like me...which makes me proud. I think I would have to agree, although I think you are very observant like your daddy. You love to talk and make "ahhhhhhhhhhhhh" sounds just for the fun of it. You love to see what all is going on around you. You love to be in the middle of a crowd and have people make you laugh.

I believe that this stage in your life is going to be so much fun! You will be using a sippy cup more, eating more veggies AND fruit, playing with 6 month + toys, as well as upgrading to 6 month + pacifiers.  I'm sure there are more new and fun things that you can do now that you are 6 months old and I can't wait to see what all you can do.


Love,
Mommy

Waking up on her half birthday to find a special surprise. I made her a taggie blanket that makes a crinkle sound. P.S. She has a bow to match almost all of the ribbon on her taggie blanket! ;)

It was love at first sight!

Happy 6 months, Lillian Grace!

Me and my girl all dressed up for her special day.

Now it's time to celebrate Mommy's birthday!

This is what a Life Full of Love looks like! :)

LOVES to stand up...you can even take a few steps when we lean you forward!

Bath Time Evolution

I remember the first time I gave Lilly a bath when she came home from the hospital. She was so tiny and fragile. I felt like I was going to brake her or rub her too hard when Jordan and I were giving her a bath. I remember her sucking on her little fist for a couple of minutes, and then she started screaming. Jordan and I were so scared and anxious since we had no clue what we were doing. By the grace of God, we managed to wash her precious 8 lb 2 oz body and got her all cleaned up.

Her first bath tub was a precious pink infant tub that had a newborn hammock that kept her snug and safe. Well, that only lasted 4 weeks before she started kicking her legs off the sides and wanting to splash everywhere. After a few attempts to keep her still in that thing we decided to take the hammock off, but the plastic bathtub was just to hard for my princess. I know this only because she slipped as soon as I put her in without the hammock and bumped her head. The hammock went back on and that bathtub went into retirement the following week! haha can you tell I'm a first time mom???

Lilly's first bath at home. She was 4 days old.

Thank goodness Nay Nay (Jordan's mom) was there to help Jordan and I through our first adventure home with our baby girl!

The next week Gigi (my mom) and I went straight to the store and bought her a bath lounge that was SOFT! We Lilly thought it was the coolest thing ever! It was just like the hammock but much bigger so she had plenty or room to get comfy with no hard bathtubs to bump into. ;) She loves being so close to the water! I could never get her to sit up in that thing without her wiggling her body as close to the water as she could. As soon as she learned she could make bigger slashes she did! She would always find a way to hang her toes off the edge and splash her toes. As she got older, it became harder and harder to give her a bath in her lounge. She wanted to twist and turn to get into the water as much as possible! When she learned how to sit up, she never wanted to lay in her lounger, she wanted to SIT UP and splash with her hands instead of her feet. After I washed her, I would put her on her tummy on the lounge and let her kick her legs and hit the water with her arms...she turned into a fish that night! One time I attempted to lay her back on the lounge and she threw the biggest fit. I swear this was the FIRST time my daughter threw a fit because she wanted to do something I wouldn't let her. Gosh, she's growing up so fast! I think I had a glimpse into the future and saw her at 16! haha I saw how much it meant to her to be able to sit up and enjoy her bath time and toys, so Jordan and I broke down, yet again and knew it was time for another upgrade.

4 weeks old and trying out her bath lounger for the first time.

She loves playing with her toys when she's taking a bath.

This is the point when we knew Lilly needed an bath seat.

Today, Lilly's new bath seat came in the mail. Jordan and I were sooooo excited because we knew how much joy this little seat would bring Lilly. We let her try it out on the kitchen floor first just to see how she would like it...and it was a SUCCESS! She was so interested in the toys on the front and she was in hog heaven being about to sit up like a big girl. So, of course we had to try out our her new toy. I swear Lilly and I played in the bathtub for a good 30 minutes! She would kick and splash like there was no tomorrow! Her toes and my hands were soooo wrinkled...but it was soooo worth being able to share my time with my daughter. I would never give up my time with her during her bath nights. I think Jordan wants to help sometimes, but I'm just not ready to share one of my favorite times with Lilly!  She had a blast tonight  and I would totally recommend everyone getting their baby one if they are sitting up well. Here's the link to the bath seat if anyone is interested: Baby Bath Seat. Read the reviews first because there are some things about it that I'm not crazy about, but all in all I think it was the perfect investment for our bath time adventures!

"Mom, what's this cool new toy all about?"

She loved it!

So happy!

Random Lilly picture, but she just looks to precious in this one not to post it! ;)

"Mom, I LOVE my new bath seat! You and dad are the best!" haha

So many fun things she can now reach to see and play with.

So, this is our bath time evolution. I know there will be many many more bath time upgrades, but right now we are enjoying our special moments with our latest upgrade!

5 Months Old = 5 BIG Changes

I know I say this every time I blog, but my daughter is growing up sooooo fast! She amazes me everyday with the new things she learns. I thought I would share five new things Lilly can do now that she's 5 months old. :)

1. Lilly can stand on her own...with lots of help. She doesn't do it often because she'll only last a few seconds before falling down, but I was able to catch her standing up for the first time on her own...with the help of her butterfly toy on her Around We Go excersaucer.  Her little legs are getting stronger and stronger every day!

2.) Everything and anything must be touch or tasted! We can no long have her sit in our laps without her trying to grab everything that is in front of her. She loves to hold new things and even find out what they taste like!

Lilly's helping her granddady pick out something good to eat on the dinner menu.

We can't talk on the phone or text anymore without her wanting to help us!

Her Nay Nay's gadget girl in the making.

3.) Lilly LOVES to sit up during her bath time. This is how I usually have to give her a bath because she throws a fit when I lay her down on the bath lounger to wash her body.

She's discovered she loves to splash and play with her toys during bath time. After mommy and daddy saw how much she loved sitting up we went straight to Amazon.com and ordered her a bath seat.  Yup, we're suckers for this cuteness!

4.) Lilly's eating baby food now and not just rice cereal. This was the first time she tasted squash...I think it was a hit!

I love this messy food face girl!

5.) Baby Smash! If you haven't heard of it and you have a baby then you should try it out! http://www.hanselman.com/babysmash/  It's part of our nightly routine to get on Baby Smash and learn about shapes and letters. I swear it wears this girl out...just in time for bed! 

She's out little genius! She loves to "smash" and play on the computer! I love watching her learn and grow!

Sip Sip...Chomp Chomp

Well it's time for sippy cups and rice cereal. I can't believe my little Lilly is old enough to drink out of a "big girl cup" and start solid foods. It was just yesterday that I brought this baby into the world...why is it already time for her to make this HUGE milestone???

On Friday, Jordan and I introduced Lilly to the wonderful sippy cup. She hadn't been nursing well (GiGi thinks it's because she's teething) so we thought it would be the perfect time to try a sippy cup...something new.  We thought we would put cherry flavored pedialyte in her sippy cup to keep her a little more hydrated (she had never tasted flavored pedialyte before). Lilly thought her sippy cup was a fabulous chew toy. She loved chewing on the handles and banging it on her high chair. Once she finally got the idea of putting it up to her mouth she took a sip and made the grossest face ever! Least to say, she may now think all sippy cups have gross red stuff in them! All in all, the sippy cup was somewhat a success...we'll stick to putting breast milk in it next time! It's still a learning progress, but she'll get the hang of it soon...she's such a fast learner!

I thought that her 5 month birthday would be the big day where we let her try rice cereal, but this mommy got cold feet and we decided to push it back a week. Then we decided we would give it a try yesterday (Saturday) but we had such a busy day that it got pushed back another day. I of course was totally okay with this. I guess it meant that I got one more day with my baby who only needed me to get a full tummy.

So today was the big day. We are now on a journey of rice cereal, sweet potatoes and apple sauce. This morning we gave her 1 tablespoon of rice cereal and 2 tablespoons of breast milk....looked gross delicious! At first it looked like Lilly was ready to gobble down the yellow mush that was on her Bumbo tray...WRONG! I gave her one spoon full and she spit it out! She wanted nothing to do with her rice cereal. Jordan and I took turns trying to feed her. We would put some in her mouth and she would look at us like "What in the world did you just put in my mouth?" After a few tries, she kinda got the hang of it and she even swallowed a few bites. She didn't come close to finishing the bowl and we didn't force her to either...she'll come around on her own time. I think she had more fun playing with the box of cereal, her bowl and her spoon.

P.S. We went to Papa and GiGi's house tonight for dinner and GiGi gave Lilly her first bite of mashed potatoes. Lilly gave her GiGi the same face she gave daddy and I when we tried to give her rice cereal. I thought for sure she would love the mashed potatoes...who wouldn't??? Maybe next time, GiGi!

Ok, what's this fun thing???

Thanks, mom and dad for the fun chew toy!

Ok, I guess I'll give this sippy cup thing a try...

EEEWWW...this stuff is gross!

Well, that was fun!

Getting ready for the big event!

Mommy's not ready, but I think she might be...

She pulled away from me...not sure if she's going to like this cereal stuff!

Whatcha think, Lilly???

...She just wanted to play with the spoon.

haha this was the face we got every time we gave her a spoon full of cereal.

Not a fan of this yellow mush at all!!!

Daddy's turn!

...Maybe a couple of bites won't hurt!

Mommy and daddy are more interesting than this mush stuff!

I'm DONE!!!!

Next time, I can forget about the cereal as long as I bring the bowl and spoon for entertainment!