First (overreacted) Mommy Meltdown

I've always been a very laid back, go with the flow, don't panic when Avery bumps her head kind of a mom, but over the weekend I had my first bad scare. It wasn't a swallowing of a button, or falling off the bed or an unidentifiable rash all over her body. No, it was a viral respiratory illness...AKA...a common cold. Here's the story:

Avery started getting a runny nose Saturday afternoon. I didn't think much of it but it was causing her to have trouble eating. She couldn't breathe and suck at the same time. So come Sunday, she wasn't eating a whole lot and naps had no meaning to her. My mom suggested taking her to an Immediate Care Clinic just to get her checked out to make sure everything was fine. After dragging Avery to 4 clinics and each one being booked solid, I decided to take her home and keep a close eye on her.

Everything was fine until 11:30 that night. She woke up crying so I picked her up out of her carseat where she had been sleeping (it's the only thing that will prop her up well enough). I walked her into the kitchen with me and by this time she wasn't acting like herself. Her eyes wouldn't focus and she was bobbing around in my arms. At this time I began to panic; "what is wrong with my baby!?" She also developed a congested wheezing cough, something I had never heard before and "whooping cough" automatically entered my mind causing me to panic even more. Jesse was at work so I got on the phone with her pediatrician hysterically crying so much he couldn't understand what I was saying. After I finally composed myself enough to explain to him what was going on, he recommended I take her to the ER. Panic even more! So we go to the ER and as I was registering her at the front desk they asked me what was wrong with her and again, the hysterical crying came. After I got my words out, we waited 2 hours, finally saw the doctor and everything was fine. She just has a viral respiratory illness (common cold) and her "not acting quite right" was because of her being exhausted.

Looking back I feel embarrassed that I overreacted to a common illness and acted like a total psycho infront of the entire ER as well as her pediatrician (which Im hoping he won't remember me come April when we see him again) but I know that if I hadn't taken her to the doctor, I'd still be wonding if something more serious was wrong.

As of now she's doing just fine. She has gotten over the runny nose but still has chest congestion so I've been using Vicks baby rub on her as well as a humidifier. Im hoping it will pass soon. She still isn't eating as much as I'd like for her too but I bought Poly-Vi-Sol to boost her appetite. She doesn't seem to care that much about being sick, I think she's actually happier.

All You Need Is Love

Whether or not I had someone to share it with, I've never liked Valentines Day. However, in an attempt to not be such a Valentines Day grinch, I thought I would make Saint Valentine proud and get into the holiday that would otherwise be mocked. We exchanged cards a few days ago but I still wanted to do something special so I baked Jesse a giant cupcake with his favorite toppings; chocolate frosting and sprinkles. I definitely put all my love into it. After he went to work last night at midnight, I stayed up till 1:30am baking it, letting it cool and taking it out of the cake mold. This morning, after Avery woke me up promptly at 6:30, I frosted it and added the sprinkles. It actually turned out pretty good.

Little did I know, he had a similar idea and came home with flowers for me and an "I Love You" teddy bear for baby Aves.

Superbowl Fun!

If there's one sport Avery loves to watch, it's football! I don't know what it is about football but she's glued to the TV when it's on. So naturally, the Superbowl was a big hit in her book!  She doesn't seem to favor any specific team but I'm hoping she'll lean toward the Rams and not so much daddys stinky Raiders ;o) 

She's mastering the art of crawling and now is teaching herself how to pull herself up on things. She's working on it but still can't get to her feet. I never realized how fast kids grow until you have one of your own but she's giving in to the idea of cuddling which helps me cope with her growing into an independent toddler. Every now and again I'll look through her photo albums and reminisce on her first couple months of life; the 2am feedings, sleeping on the couch, baths in the sink, falling asleep on my chest. Soon we'll be planning her 1st birthday party and it all seemed to pass by so quick but I'm looking forward to her first steps and first words. After that, I could stand for her to slow down a little. 



7 Months Old & On The Move!

Yes, it's true. Avery is officially on the move...and getting into EVERYTHING! I was so excited for this day to come but I definitely took her immobility for granted. Consequently, she's gradually learning the word "no." She hasn't quite wandered outside the living room but I think now would be a good time to invest in baby gates...and outlet plugs...and latches...and corner covers. Here's a look at her first crawling "steps"

We've also started her on more solid foods. Instead of the plain rice and oatmeal cereals, she's been eating Gerber Graduate snacks. She loves the mixed berry yogurt melts and the peach flavored fruit puffs. She's getting used to the mild cheddar flavored lil' crunchies. She also loves peach flavored Gerber yogurt blends. It's fun watching her discover new tastes and textures.

She's defintely growing up too fast but it's been so much fun watching her discover new things. Can't wait to see what the next few months bring!