Big Girl Bathtime

Both girls in the same tub! My evenings just got a bit easier! Sophie adores Madeline and seemed so proud to have graduated to the big tub.



Madeline took her old duck for a swim around the tub when her sister was done, of course.

Here We Go!

This week was our first official "back to work" and "back to daycare" week. So far, so good. It is a race against time to get myself ready, both girls fed and ready, and in the car by 7:00 am. Kent gets up to help, but it is a busy time! Here is Sophie in the car and ready for her first day with Betty. She is doing great. No crying at all, and Betty says she smiles all day. Betty greets me at the car to help off load in the morning, and helps me get everyone back into the car in the afternoon. She writes down everything the girls do during the day, so I am always in the know. We are so grateful for her!!!! Madeline hasn't mentioned missing preschool which is such a relief.

More Drama!

Here are some pictures I took of the girls yesterday, when things were looking good. They look healthy and happy. Sophie had been home for 24 hours and was doing well. Then this morning she coughed for about 90 minutes and seemed to be having a difficult time breathing. I took her back to her doctor this morning, the 5th time in two weeks. She prescribed more steroids and arranged for us to get a machine so we can give Sophie breathing treatments at home. I have to take her back tomorrow morning for yet another visit. So far, she has been to urgent care 2 times, the ER 2 times, her doctor's office 6 times (tomorrow), and in the hospital for 6 days all in the last two weeks. I am a bit stressed and so tired of doctors and worries!



What a trooper Maddie has been. Since we pulled her out of preschool (the germ factory) in an attempt to keep her and Sophie healthy, she had accompanied us on most of these doctors trips, not to mention trips to the pharmacy. She has been awesome despite being put second so many times while being sick herself. Since I stayed with Sophie in the hospital, I really haven't even seen much of her. It's unbelievable that she doesn't resent Sophie or me. She hasn't shown any signs of jealousy and tells us how much she loves us all the time. I have such great kids. I can't wait until they are healthy, and we can spend some time doing things that are a bit more fun. Although it is hard to imagine such a day will ever be here!

We're Home!!!!!!!!!

It feels good to be home! What a nice change; I actually slept in a bed last night. Sophie is just about back to her usual self: happy, smiley, and talkative. We have antibiotics for her UTI (one more thing wrong with her) and albuterol for her wheezing.


Here are a couple of pics of Sophie playing with a stuffed animal and balloon Grandma Connie sent her. The balloon turned out to be a life savor since Sophie could only be in her crib or about 12 inches from it when I held her due to all of her tubes.

Back to the Hospital

I took Sophie to Urgent Care Saturday morning for an eye infection, something she must have picked up at the hospital. They listened to her lungs and checked her oxygen after I told them she had RSV, and they sent us back to the ER where we were admitted again. She gets oxygen through little tubes in her nose, has breathing treatments every four hours, gets her nose suctioned frequently and steroid medication. I just found out today she also has some kind of bacterial infection she's starting antibiotics for. She is miserable. I am home for a quick shower, then back to the hospital. The dr didn't know when we'd come home, she guessed three to four more days. It depends on when Sophie can get enough oxygen on her own which she can't do right now. Please pray for a speedy recovery. I just want to see her smile, laugh, and talk again.

Sick Baby Sophie

Sophie was admitted to the hospital Tuesday evening for dehydration. She got an IV for fluids and the diarrhea seemed to clear up quickly. However on her first night there, she began to have cold/cough symptoms and she tested positive for RSV Thursday.



We're home now trying to observe her closely for any trouble breathing or wheezing. She coughs a lot, is really congested, and is pretty miserable. I can't wait to have my healthy, happy baby back. Please send lots of well wishes and prayers her way.

Grandma, what big ears you have . . .

Madeline and I had a good laugh at Leroy's expense this morning.

What do ya mean I'm sick?

Me, sick? You must be kidding. I am way too happy . . .



Sophie seems on the road to recovery. Although she still has too many yucky diapers, her appetite is increasing.



Her mood, on the other hand, was never under the weather.

Sophie Update

Well, yesterday evening, Sophie's diarrhea took a turn for the worst. After her 9th dirty diaper, I decided to take her to the urgent care where she blew out 2 more additional diapers while we talked to the doctor there. I was told to take her to the ER for fear of dehydration. The doctor said they would likely run some labs and possibly an IV. She called the hospital ahead for us, and we were on our way. I got to the ER at 7:40 pm. At about 9:00, we were sent to "Express Care" to wait some more. At, 10:30, they finally called Sophie's name only to say that since the Express Care would be closing, and we would be needing some lab work, we were being sent back to the ER to wait some more. At about 11:00 pm, we were sent to one of the rooms in the ER, where we waited until 2:00 am to finally be seen by a doctor. By this time, Sophie had gone through all of the additional diapers I'd packed, and I was sqeezing her into the hospital's swaddlers, which she continued to tear through. I think she had a total of 15 diarrhea episodes in all. The doctor, the first to see her since 7:00, looked at her smiling face, her eyes and mouth and sent us home, no labs, no IV. He said," she doesn't appear dehydrated yet, just keep doing what you're doing." What a waste of time. I finally got home at 2:30 am after exposing her to 8 hours of germs for nothing. We're continueing to give her fluids, but other than that, I guess we'll just let this virus run its course and try to stop worrying so much. Yeah, right.

Poor Sick Sophie!

Poor sick Sophie! I noticed she seemed to be eating less and less over the last few days. Then she began having diarrhea, exploding on to me and wrecking several of her outfits. Last night she projectile vomited all over her crib and woke this morning with a completely dry diaper. So, it was back to the doctor today where we discovered she had lost 9 ounces in the past 48 hours. It seems she has contracted a stomach virus. We've been instructed to give her pedialyte and watch her for signs of dehydration. If she goes more than 6 hours without a wet diaper (she went almost 10 last night), we'll need to take to the ER for some IV fluids. I doubt it will come to that as she just downed 2 ounces of pedialyte and has gone several hours without any diarrea episodes. Bless her heart, she hasn't been complaining much at all!

Solids

We gave Sophie some rice cereal the other night and let Madeline do the honors. The cereal came right back out, and the same thing happened when we tried today. She's not like Maddie was as a baby. Madeline gobbled the cereal up like we'd been starving her for her first four months.



Sophie woke up with a fever today; from the shots I'm sure. She's not too hungry and only drinks about 3 ounces at each feeding. She is still sleeping beautifully through the night, which is a good thing since I have one last week of leave. The transition will be difficult, but at least I won't be getting up in the night in addition to rising at 5:00 am! Way too early!!!!!!

Sophie's Check-Up

Sophie had her 4 month well baby exam today, and as usual, is doing great. She weighs 14 pounds, 9 ounces (50-75th percentile), and is 24 3/4 inches long (75-90th percentile). She got four shots, but she really didn't cry that much. She smiled and laughed at the doctor and had a grand time making the exam table's paper crinkle. We're going to feed her some rice cereal tonight, so I'll post some pictures of that tomorrow.

Sophie is such a happy and easy baby; I feel so lucky. When I check on her in the morning or after naps, I usually find her with eyes open and a smile on her face. She falls asleep before 8 now, usually while I am reading to Maddie in the same room with the light on. Two nights ago, Maddie was sent to her room before bedtime, and Sophie slept right through her sister's 15 minute tantrum. So now I worry a whole lot less about them waking eachother up at night!

Superbowl Sunday

We spent Sunday in Riverside with Jessie and Adam. The boys went golfing in the morning, then spent the afternoon glued to the game. What did Madeline do? She went swimming. Since it was 82 degrees outside, we pulled out the pool and filled it up.Yep, that's Aunt Jessie in the background. Looking quite svelt exactly one month from her due date.

February

As Sophie approaches her 4 month birthday, she is spending a lot of time on her back and tummy while we try to coax her to roll over. She can get up on her side, but is not rolling over yet. She has a well baby check-up Wednesday, so we'll see what her weight and length are up to . . .




It is a beautiful day in LA today. Madeline and I went to the library, then to Home Depot for paint swatches. I am going to attempt to repaint the living room before returning to work. We love our gold walls, but after 5 years, we are ready for a change.

In other news, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of Emmet. Jessie, at 35 weeks, has already begun the process of effacing and dialating. We're all hoping for a February birthday!