Saturday Fun

10 Weeks Already...

Ella is a big girl! She's strong and holding herself up while on her belly. And she's very very happy all the time.

Hanging out on Lilly's chair while Lilly and I clean her room. It was a total mess. Ella thought it was funny. She has about a year until she has to start helping!

Good Friends

Today we had plans to go visit our friends Christine, Sophia, and Francesca an hour north of Cherry Hill. Lilly picked out her own outfit...
She decided she didn't need a coat.
The reunion...
I had a great time catching up with Christine and refereeing the big girls. Here are the baby girls hanging out in Chessa's crib.
Lilly and Sophia had a great time together. They played in every room in the house including Sophia's room upstairs. Ella and Chessa hung out in Sophia's big girl bed while their sisters played.
We had a nice visit. On the way home I always get Lilly McDonald's. Well this time I apparently chose the wrong exit (my mother's words playing over and over in my head "Only get off an exit if you can see the golden arches from the highway") because the sign said "McDonald's 3.0 miles" which totally ticked me off. I was on borrowed time as it was because Ella was sleeping but really needed to eat. I knew if she woke up I was in trouble.

I decided to drive the 3 miles to get to the McDonald's only to find out it was on the opposite side of the road (big road - 6 lane highway) and in the grand state of New Jersey you cannot make left-hand turns. So I had to search and search for a jug-handle (NJ's way of allowing you to turn left) and finally found one but now I'd driven about 4 miles. Why there was no jug handle near the flippin' McDonald's is beyond me. All the while the big cold coke full of ice that I know I'm going to have in my nice little cup holder in just a few minutes is keeping me sane. I finally placed our order and pulled around. It was $7.24. I pulled up to the second window and the cashier said, "You gave me $27.24!" and handed me back the twenty. Wow, kindness - so very appreciated on my end. I thanked her and she handed me the food/drinks. I could immediately tell that the coke had NO ice in it. Andy can vouch that I need the coke to be full of ice. I often ask him to order a cup of ice for me because McDonald's is very selfish with their ice. Well this coke had NO ICE, none, zilch, nada... This is not acceptable. I said, "Could I also have a cup of ice please?" and the lady said, "Oh honey we don't got no ice - we're using ice from the lobby." Well the word "lobby" used in context with McDonald's totally flustered me and I said, "ok" and drove away confused. It was only when I pulled out onto the highway that I realized she meant the main eating area.

I was totally twisted. This ruined my day. I can't explain it. I know it's juvenile. I wanted my coke and I wanted it chocked full of ice. I had passed up a Panera Bread cinnamon crunch bagel for this coke! Add insult to injury because now I was even more angry about having to drive the 3 miles back to the highway. About this time I saw a Burger King sign in the distance. I decided to pull in and get a coke and a cup of ice (I don't think Burger King coke meets my coke standards but I was willing to try it and have the ice for back up to put into the McDonald's coke) and be on my merry way. I turned where the sign said "Burger King" with a right arrow only to find I could not get into the shopping center that way. I end up illegally entering the parking lot and drive a mile weaving through a shopping center in search of the alleged Burger King.

I found it, got in line, and ordered a small coke and a cup of ice. I got the coke and the ice and was pleased to find I actually liked the coke! I don't recall Burger King being on my list of places with good coke but I'm thrilled. I then tried to exit the shopping center but again ran into a maze of no left turns but I had my coke so all was right in the world and eh, what's a few more crazy jug handles?

Made it home safely and just in time to feed Ella and put Lilly to bed.

Snowman

This morning Andy went down to my friend Kristen's house to let Lilly play with her four girls. Kristen knows I'm a picture-taker (is that a word?) and I was home with Ella so she snapped some shots and sent them to me! Yay! Here is Lilly and Lindsay sledding. As you can see this was a joke of a "snowstorm."
Working on the snowman!
Making it just right.
It was a team effort.
Lilly and Lindsay... Lindsay has the snowman's nose.
Lilly putting on his hat with the help of Kristen's oldest daughter Madison.
Ta-da! The first snowman of the year! And in the process Kristen's driveway was shoveled since they used that snow to make him.

Snow Day!!!

It snowed! We only got about 2 inches but it sleeted on top so Andy's school was canceled. Snow days are fun!!! Lilly got all bundled up to go make a snowman with Daddy and the neighbors.


Ella and I stayed home and made "sticky bums" and watched The Today Show. This was a real treat for me! It's usually only kiddie shows for me and never time with Ella alone. She was very happy!

Sweet Ella Bell

My sweet Ella. She has been sick for half of her life. I feel so bad for her! But she's a trooper and smiles and coos and remains happy even though she can hardly get air through her nose. I have had her checked at the pediatrician 3 times for this cold. Each time they tell me it's not in her chest. Sunday on our way home from church she started coughing. It sounded nasty and wet. I called the doctor and he called in Xopenex (hey, we have some of that in our drug closet!) for Ella via nebulizer. Now I have 2 kids on a nebulizer... Guilt... I passed on my respiratory issues... More guilt...

Sunday night Ella slept 7 straight hours and I slept ZERO. I was glued to the monitor all night worried about her breathing. She was coughing and making all sorts of strange and alarming sounds. 8 a.m. couldn't come fast enough. I called the pediatrician and they had me bring her right over. Here she is waiting for her name to be called.
Thankfully I got all good news. This doctor said that yes, she has Bronchiolitis caused by the RSV virus. She said it's very common and I had a November baby and have a toddler - double whammy. She also said that it's very rare for a child to end up in the hospital almost 5 weeks into the illness. She said kids usually worsen to the point of needing emergent care in the first 72 hours. And she told me it was most likely due to breast feeding that Ella was beating this on her own! Yay! Because I was sitting here thinking I might as well not be a prisoner to the boob if my newborn has been sick her whole life. She told me the cough is GOOD (wow, I was shocked) and showed me some techniques to get the mucous up (involves beating on her back and chest...). She feels Ella is over the hump and on her way to recovery. I don't even have to continue the nebulizer! All good news!

Today I noticed Ella seemed better already. She was awake and alert most of the day and I hardly heard her cough. Praise God.

Tuesday. Bring on the Snow!

This morning Lilly had dance. We had a rough morning at home regarding listening to Mommy so when we arrived she started crying and didn't want to go in. Thank goodness Miss Tiffany is awesome and picked her up and got her laughing and excited for class.

I slipped out and Ella and I headed next door to Wawa for a hot chocolate. I had a new outlook today. You see, these witches that hang out in the dingy-ass hallway at the dance studio ignore me. And I'm over it. So I planned to get myself a nice hot cocoa and a magazine and beat them at their own game. However, Wawa doesn't sell magazines apparently. Back to square one. I didn't have a backup plan. So instead I decided to let them think I'm even more of a freak and take pictures of the hallway we get to sit in (on the floor) while we wait for the class to end.

I'm sure I pick up many nasty germs sitting on this stained, nasty-ass floor. I can't believe the desirable dance studio that it supposedly is looks like this and provides zero seating for waiting parents (and yes, I have to wait because Lilly is 2 and wears a diaper - dance studio rules).

So here you see the 3 moms that sit to the left of me each week. They talk and talk and talk... but not to me.
And here are the 2 neighbor moms (I get to listen to all the conversations while staring at the beautiful wallpaper) that sit to the right of me. The one in the white shirt smiles at me and occassionaly says "hi."
When we got home from dancing class Lilly painted. I sat on the couch and nursed Ella and thought Lilly looked so angelic. The way the light was hitting her and how intensely she was focusing...

She's one tough cookie but she's my sweet Lilly and while I know I'm biased I think she's just cute as a button.

Ghosts

When we were ice skating at the park last weekend we took lots of pictures. As I was leaving to walk Lilly and Lindsay back to Lindsay's house Andy was snapping pictures of our departure. He took a series of 6 pictures as we left. They all looked similar. Here is the 5th picture in the series...

When we got home Andy asked me if I'd uploaded the photos yet. I told him I was in the process and he said he had a really weird feeling when he took the final picture. I said, "What are you talking about?" and he said, "It just felt really strange around me when I took it and I want to see it."

Here is the final picture.
People have seen a sad face in this picture...

My neighbor did some research and there's been 2 drownings in our neighborhood in the past. Also a farmhouse sits right next to the pond... I'm just saying...

Prayer Request

Please keep my friend Krissy, and her daughter Savannah, in your prayers. Savannah is very sick with a stomach virus and has been in the hospital. Krissy is dealing with this all alone while her husband is in London for business. She does not have any family nearby. Savannah is very sick and they're not sure they are to the bottom of the problem yet. Any prayers would help. Thanks.

Glorious Day!

What a treat! A beautiful, sunny, warm day smack dab in between freezing cold days. Today I had the car started and both kids ready to run errands when I stepped outside and felt how warm it was. I turned the car off, bundled up both kids (it's still January even though it's 55 degrees), and headed to the park. I'm so glad I did because we all needed some fresh air!

Ella was enjoying watching Lilly play on the playground.

I think we were all happy to just be out of the house!

The sky is so blue and you don't even need a jacket (unless you're 2 years old).

The fresh air and nice breeze put Ella right to sleep.

I'm so glad I decided to ditch my errands. There's always tomorrow.

As for last night... Ella loved her new room! I did have to swaddle her because she flails way too much and was keeping herself awake. I just put the swaddle over the sleep sack and then she passed out. She slept from 11 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. in her crib. I fed her and then she woke again at 6:45 a.m. Not bad! And I was able to cough freely and watch TV (bonus). I even put her in her crib for a nap this morning. I've really come a long way! It took me months to be able to do this with Lilly! Yay!

Thursday

Today we stayed home, indoors, and in our pajamas! I feel like I'm coming down with something similar to what Lilly's battling (which I'm prone to of course). I am having trouble breathing and am coughing. Tonight I had body aches and a killer headache.

Ella is much better. She only threw up one time today and I had trouble deciding if it was even from the virus or just a regular spit-up. It was somewhere in between. And Lilly was herself today!! We took her off Albuterol and swapped it with Xopenex which is less likely to cause insane hyperactivity. It is also supposed to make her feel less jittery. I can completely tell a difference. Her cough is a tad better and she'll be rechecked tomorrow.

Tonight I'm a nervous wreck!! I put Ella to bed in her own room and in her big girl crib! I also did not swaddle her. Talk about change... and I'm not one that takes easily to change so this is killing me! I had to do it because last night I had to cough all night. I would bury my face in a pillow with another pillow on top just to cough. And it still would wake Ella up each time so I ended up getting up and going into the bathroom and burying my face in a towel. So I figure she's better off sleeping away from me tonight. If it works out I'll leave her in there. I hope I can sleep - I have the video camera (to my monitor) right in front of her face! I can even hear her breathing over the monitor. I am struggling with guilt because I didn't move Lilly into her own room until she was almost 6 months. But Ella went down just fine. We'll see how long she sleeps. She is not swaddled because the last two nights she spent from 3a.m. to 6 a.m. working on breaking out of the swaddle. I heard constant struggling, grunting, etc. and then I would look and she'd have her hand up near her neck but still trapped in the swaddle. It was like she was on a mission. She was asleep (sort of) but still working to get that arm out. So tonight she's in a sleep sack - a fleece sack that has sleeves and then just a sack for her feet. It zips up and seems very very cozy. But "they" say newborns sleep best swaddled since they have so many involuntary jerky muscle movements that wake them... Stay tuned...

I'll try to get a picture of Ella in her sleep sack and Lilly in her neon yellow Sponge Bob pajamas (thank you "Meemaw!") in the morning.

Sick Update

Ella has stopped throwing up and is now just resting with her daddy...

Lilly wasn't too out of control this afternoon though we had to stay on top of her every minute. Filled her full of meds (per doctors orders) this evening and put her to bed. Praying she'll sleep through the night. I told her if she wakes up and it's dark she has to go back to sleep. We'll see how that works out. The drug that keeps her up is administered right before bed but she seems to be settling up there now.

Sick

I made the mistake the other day of telling TWO people that Lilly had never thrown up before...

...silly me. Not only did Lilly then throw up the very next day (due to mucous in her lungs) but now Ella is very sick with the stomach virus and threw up all night.

Both kids are sick. This is not fun. It all started in early January. On New Year's Day Lilly showed symptoms of a cold. It wasn't full blown and she, like me, is prone to respiratory illness so we have a whole system to do when she gets cold symptoms. We started her on a nebulizer and nasal spray nightly. Four days later Ella got a cold (same cold I presume). I began using saline and suctioning her nose daily. All was well and in control.

At some point I took Ella to the doctor to have them check her cold and make sure it wasn't in her chest (I get nervous with my and Lilly's history) and they said she was fine; just a common cold.

Lilly's cold was doing pretty well until she went outside skating. The cold air seems to have triggered her asthma (she has respiratory illness induced asthma, aka asthma) and she got the all-too-familiar cough. Before you think I'm a horrible mother I called the allergist before she went skating to see if I could take her skating and she said yes as long as I did a particular nebulizer before we went... and I did... The cough quickly worsened and I took her in right away to be seen by the allergist. It was indeed in her chest but Dr. Coo felt it was not yet an infection so she put her on a long list of meds (Albuterol, Pulmicourt, Nasonex, Singulair, and Predinsolone) to try to stop the illness before it becomes Pneumonia. The downfall? Lilly + Albuterol + Predinsolone = insanity. Really, I don't even recognize one bit of her personality - she is completely, 100% a maniac - running, bouncing, yelling, banging her head, spinning, etc. It's really sad to watch. We feel so sorry for her but at the same time it's maddening.

I got home from the doctor with Lilly last night, Andy went to the pharmacy and got the sleu of drugs, and then we all went to bed... During the night Lilly was up coughing, talking, etc. and Ella started vomiting. Every time I fed her she threw up buckets. Soaked me, herself, the blankets, my bed, her bed... I didn't have a dry blanket to even swaddle her with so I wrapped her in something I found (old hospital blanket?) and put her back to bed. She then threw up in her bed, etc. the rest of the night. By 5 a.m. Ella was up because I couldn't find dry clothing/bedding and Lilly woke up crying and saying she couldn't sleep anymore and that her legs hurt. Andy ended up taking the day off (thank goodness) as I guess he could foresee it wasn't going to be easy for me by myself (and operating on about 1.5 hrs of sleep).

Today, I took Ella to the doctor at 10a.m. which I had scheduled yesterday to check her cold again. Dr. Weber said she has the stomach virus that's going around and Bronchiolitis.

"Bronchiolitis is a common illness of the respiratory tract caused by an infection that affects the tiny airways, called the bronchioles, that lead to the lungs. As these airways become inflamed, they swell and fill with mucus, making breathing difficult."

Great, our poor newborn has the flu and respiratory issues... He told me to pump and then only give her a tiny syringe full of breast milk until she can hold down a full feeding. Good thing Andy stayed home. Lilly was bouncing off the walls and I was able to take Ella to the doctor alone and then drop Ella off and go grocery shopping since we didn't even have a slice of bread to eat.

I am hoping that both girls are well sooner than later and we can resume our normal life! For now we are homebound so that we don't infect anyone else and I am praying that the rest of us don't catch the stomach flu.

Here are our girls watching TV last weekend. Lilly loves her sister so very much!

Andy's 41st Birthday

Amidst all the ice skating excitement, Andy had his 41st birthday (Saturday)! It was a very relaxing day. We stayed in our pajamas most of the day! Andy made a big breakfast...

We hung out all day then headed to Chili's with the DiNunzio family. They ended up treating us to dinner which was really unnecessary but very sweet.

We had to have them sing "Happy Birthday" to Andy!

Lilly and Andy watching the waiters sing. Lilly didn't know what to think.

When we got home the DiNunzio's came back to our house for hot chocolate and cake! Lilly loves singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out the candles.

Happy birthday Andy! We love you very much and can't wait to celebrate another year with you!

Ice Skating!!!!!!!

Ok how cool is this? When the pond at our park freezes over everyone meets there and ice skates or plays hockey! I don't know why I find this so very very cool. The only word I can think of to describe it. So on Sunday my neighbor called and told me everyone was there and we headed over. Ella was all bundled up in the Baby Bjorn fast asleep.

From the minute Lilly stepped on the ice she took off running. She was in shoes and did not fear the ice at all. She ran, twirled, slid, spun, and so on. She even went up on the ground and jumped down onto the ice (I quickly put an end to that). She had a blast.

Andy did all the work on the ice with Lilly. I stood and chatted with friends with Ella strapped to me. I thought he looked so handsome out there on the ice and love this picture.
Eventually Andy threw out his back. I was unaware of this until we started walking home and he couldn't even carry Lilly. This was the culprit...
*I was telling him to "do it again" without knowing how hurt he was! Now, looking at the video I can see he's limping! Poor guy!

There was a fallen tree that froze in the middle of the pond. It made the perfect resting spot for weary skaters (and daddy's with aching backs).

Our family on the ice.

Lilly had such a blast shoe skating that I ran out last night and bought her her very own skates! They have a double blade but the blades are very close together and they are hard to stand on. Lilly went with me to buy them and was very excited. She walked around the house all night in them (on the carpet) and occasionally would turn her ankle. This made me very nervous. I worried that she would get on the ice and break her ankle. I don't know why I doubted our very coordinated child.

When she woke up from her nap today we went back to the pond with the ice skates. She stepped foot on the ice and never turned back. She only fell once or twice in the hour that she skated. Here are her first steps on the ice. I was more worried than she was!

She held our hands for a few minutes then took off on her own. She did a lot of walking on the skates but it was so adorable. I couldn't believe it! Her little friend Lindsay tried the same skates and had difficulty. Neither Andy nor I are good ice skaters but my mom was good.

Here is Lilly skating on her own for the first time.

By the end of the hour she had it down pat and was even doing twirls (I kid you not; I only wish I caught it on video - we were all too surprised).

Skating with a friend...

Lilly and Lindsay in their new skates!

We really had a great time this weekend! I am not really a cold weather girl but this was worth the cold temperatures! Nothing a little hot chocolate wouldn't cure.

*I had to add this... found it when looking through my pictures one more time. This is Lilly once she was getting comfortable on the skates.