is an ear infection too much to ask for?

So, I was mistaken when I posted Monday that the Stomach bug had struck our house again.  I assumed it was the stomach bug since Becca threw up, but come to find out, I was wrong.  Tuesday she was fine and even went back to Nat’s, but early Wednesday morning she woke up screaming and was running a temperature of 103.  I called the doctor, and we went in for our appointment at 11:15.  Dr. G came in and did her examination, but couldn’t ‘see’ anything wrong, so she wanted to run some tests.  First, we did a strep test and that came back negative.  The next test was to see if Becca had a UTI, and just in case you don’t know, the only way to test for this is by getting a sterile urine sample.  What does that mean for an 11 month old?  Being catheterized!!!

This was horrible.  I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for this, and my sweet girl certainly didn’t enjoy it either.  The nurse was wonderful and it was over in less than a minute, but Becca was so upset.  I got her calmed down and fed her a snack while we waited on the results. 

When Dr. G came back in, I could tell immediately that something was wrong.  She started by telling me that Becca did in fact have a UTI.  She then went on to explain what ALL we have to do now.

First, we had to get a rocephin shot – two actually because they had to break the dosage into two shots.  One in each thigh:(  Then, as long as her fever went away (which it did) we could start on oral antibiotics today.

That didn’t seem so bad, but I wasn’t prepared for what she had to say next. Because of her age and the fact that she has a UTI, we now have to have tests run at Children’s Hospital to make sure she doesn’t have VUR - vesicoureteral reflux.  In layman’s terms, this is when your urine backs up into your ureter and/or kidneys. 

What tests are required to diagnose this?  An ultrasound of the kidneys and a VCUG - voiding cystourethrogram.  The first test is pretty self explanatory, but the second one, not so much.  The VCUG is where they catheterize the baby and then insert dye into their bladder.  Once they have done this, they take x-rays to see if the urine is going backwards – back into the kidneys.  Just the sound of this horrified me!  Dr. G told me not to worry about this yet, but I can’t help it.  I’ve been home with Becca the past two days, so I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.  I can’t read about it online anymore because the stories are horrific!

Please pray for us and the decisions we’re going to have to make soon.  Pray that Becca will be healed by the antibiotics, and that we will make the decisions that are right for her.  Pray that I can be strong for her.  Just pray!

the stomach bug strikes again

So, for those of you who don’t know, Becca had the stomach bug for the first time.  It was last Friday night, and other than being a little fussy at Elaine’s birthday dinner, she seemed fine.  Well, that and she didn’t want to eat any cake – alarm bells should have been going off.

Anyways, we were literally 30 seconds from the house when she started coughing.  I turned around to check on her (JP was driving) and she had thrown up EVERYWHERE!  Ahhhhh!

We got her home, and I took the car seat apart while she got a bath.  She seemed to be feeling better, so we thought maybe something just didn’t settle in her tummy, until she threw up again ALL OVER JP.  Obviously this was the stomach bug!

After another bath, throwing up some more, and then another bath, I got into bed with her to try and get some sleep.  She slept ok – only waking to throw up a few times.  I, of course, was up most of the night because she wouldn’t wake up when she got sick, and I was terrified that she was going to choke.

The next morning, other than a fever, she seemed to be feeling fine.  She didn’t really want much to eat, and she slept a lot, but played the rest of the day! 

I was glad it was short lived because there is not much more pitiful than watching your baby throw up!

And everything was fine, until we got home from church last night!  We eat dinner after church with our Sunday School class, and again, Becca was a little fussy and not wanting to eat, but we attributed that to her being overly tired.  She fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we tried to move her inside without waking her up.  As soon as we got to the kitchen, she sat up and again, threw up all over JP. 

Are you noticing a pattern here?

I put her in the bathtub while JP cleaned up the kitchen.  I then tried to lay down with her, but she wanted to play, so I ended up putting her in her bed.  She went right to sleep, so I was hopeful that we might get a good nights sleep. Ha!  Wishful thinking!

She was up around midnight, and while she never threw up again, she was very restless.  I’m assuming her tummy was hurting because it was like she couldn’t get comfortable.  I ended up putting her in the bed with us and she went back to sleep.  She tossed and turned most of the night, and by 3:00 AM she was running a fever.  I ended up holding her a lot of the time – which was fine by me!

I’m staying home with her today, and so far, so good.  I’m pretty sure she’s still running a little fever, but right now she’s playing, so I’m hoping we’re on the mend.

Here are some pictures I’ve taken over the past few weeks just in case you’ve forgotten what she looks like!

Here she is showing off one her new skills – standing and clapping!

Don’t you wish you were this talented?

My happy, happy girl!

want out?

yesterday, i was going through the mail, and i found one of those val-pak envelopes.
you know the one - they're blue and filled with a bunch of worthless coupons and ads.
anyways, i always go through them in hopes of finding an 'out of this world' coupon that is going to save me a million dollars on something i don't need!
as i was quickly flipping through, one of them in particular caught my eye. at the top it said:
Want Out?
i, like i'm sure you just did, thought 'want out of what?'
the answer as i found by reading the next line: your marriage.
yes, you heard read me right!
it was a company advertising their services to help you get out of your marriage.
WHAT?

disclaimer: i am a christian who has very strong beliefs about marriage. if you don't, please don't read any further as i am likely to offend you.

i was shocked!
i was speechless!
i was immediately talking out loud to myself because i was simply appalled.
maybe this is what is wrong with our society - offers to help you get divorced are now being delivered right to your mailbox.

does anyone take their marriage vows seriously anymore?
you promised to love, honor, and cherish your spouse (not love, live with, and divorce them) - IN FRONT OF GOD AND ALL OF THOSE WITNESSES!
how can you break a promise you made before God?
how would you feel if God broke His promises to you?

marriage is serious stuff. it's not a decision to be made lightly.
if you find yourself miserable in your marriage, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

the more and more i look around, the more and more i find people who just get tired of it all.
well, duh! of coarse you are tired. marriage is extremely hard work. i would be concerned if you weren't tired. when you get tired of work or your family or your dog, you don't just get rid of them - you work it out. you find a way to be happy again!

for those of you who don't know, i am married to quite possibly the most wonderful man on the face of this earth (seriously), but do you think that there aren't days where i ask myself 'why did we get married?'
YES - I DO THAT AND I'M MARRIED TO MR. PERFECT!
even mr. perfect gets on my nerves sometimes, but it doesn't mean we give up.
we talk, argue, yell, whatever we need to do to get our point across, and then we get over it.
if i'm not living up to his expectations then he tells me, and providing it's a reasonable expectation, i make the necessary changes, as does he.

and since i'm very clearly not the authority on marriage, let's see what the authority - the Bible - has to say about divorce!
IT very clearly says that when two people are married, they become one flesh and they are not to be separated by man.
IT also says that other than adultery, two people are not to divorce. if they do and remarry, then they are committing adultery.
And, if you'd like to read it for yourself, here are some of the scriptures:
Matthew 19:3-9
Mark 10:2-12
Luke 16:18

i am not perfect.
i am not without sin.
i am guilty, just like the rest of the world, however, i do my best to live my life by the word of God and in His word, are commands for how WE are all to live.
and they are just that, commands.
not suggestions.
not opinions.

it saddens me that so many people water down the Bible in order to make it fit their lifestyle.
that's not how it works, folks!
remember that our time here on earth is short compared to the time we will spend in eternity - our decisions we make now determine heaven or hell.

i really don't want to leave this post on a bad note.
i'm not judging people who are divorced, or who are getting divorced, i am just sharing my knowledge, my beliefs, my Father!

Dancing Queen

you can dance, you can jive,
having the time of your life.
see that girl, watch that scene,
diggin' the dancing queen.

ha, i LOVE that song, and when i watch this video, that is exactly what i want to sing.



just in case you needed to learn some new moves!

oh, she makes me smile:)

11 months

Another month has passed, leaving us with only a month until we hit 1!  Where has the time gone?  I truly can’t believe that I’m planning my baby’s first birthday party!

We’ve been busy – as usual – but having so much fun!  Taking pictures has gotten much more challenging.  Oh how I miss the days when I could lay her somewhere and she would still be there when I got back:)

After trying to take several 11 month pictures, we decided to wait and try again after church.

Needless to say, that didn’t work!  This little girl is way too busy to sit still & take pictures!

At 11 months, here is what Becca has been up to:

• she weighs 22lbs 7 oz
• she started on Similac Advanced formula a few weeks ago – she is still breastfeeding, we are just supplementing with formula
• she takes 6-8 oz. bottles at a time
• she nurses in the morning and at night
• she started whole milk this past weekend – only a cup a day (we will gradually increase the amount)
• we took paci away – she’s done great.  You would never know she had one.
• she eats everything we give her STILL!
• her favorite meat is ham or turkey & chicken nuggets
• peas & sweet potatoes are her favorite vegetables
• she only eats oatmeal cereal at breakfast now
• we just moved up to a size 4 diaper
• she is wearing 12 month clothes
• she takes all of her bows out of her hair & that drives this mommy crazy
• she has 3 new words:  bye, Hanna, & ball
• she only takes 1 afternoon nap when she’s home, but still takes a little 45 minute cat nap in the morning at Nat’s
• she can stand without holding on to anything
• she blows kisses – in her own way:)
• she is currently cutting 4, yes FOUR, new teeth!  She already has her upper & lower central incisors, her upper lateral incisors, her left lower incisor, and her left upper first molar.  She is currently cutting her right lower incisor and her other three first molars.  WOW!  She has a mouth full of teeth:)

• she still goes to bed around 7:30
• she is back to sleeping through the night!!!
• she is very happy, but full of attitude!  I’m hoping this is a phase because I’m pretty sure I was told I wouldn't have to deal with this until she was 13?!

She LOVES her books (and the occasional pack of markers she finds because Mommy forgets to put them up, out of her reach!)

Bath time is so much fun – even though I end up totally soaked!

These sweet babies love playing together! 

We’re going to have so many blackmail pictures of them:)

 

A few weeks ago, we went to Jefferson, Georgia to celebrate JP’s Uncle Denny’s birthday!  Becca had so much fun playing with all of her second cousins!

Kennedy & Brock (2 year old twins) and Kenzie (10 years old) are Genna’s sweet children.

Juliana (the redhead) is also 2 and will be a big sister in just a few short months to baby brother Eric!  She is Rachel’s daughter.

I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, but we all had a great time.  We stayed with Genna & her family which was so nice because she had everything we needed (ie. pack n play, high chair, food) AND her house was clean & baby proof!

Sweet Brock!

‘Big’ cousins Juliana & Kennedy feeding Becca her bottle!  They were so sweet!

We can’t wait to go back & play!

These last 2 pictures are random pictures I ‘ve taken in the past week.  I thought I would add them for your viewing pleasure!

Becca may follow in her Lala’s footsteps!

And this, well, this is what you call bedhead!  She had literally JUST woken up, but was so happy!

Until next month!  Please pray that I can keep it together when I have to say that my baby is 1!

it's the most wonderful time...

of the day!

We L.O.V.E. bath time!
Can you tell?

Answered Prayers

So, for anybody reading this for a 'Becca update,' you'll have to check in another night.
Tonight I want to talk about my experience with prayer.

I've always said my prayers - from the time I was little and recited the:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
You know the one.

But as I've gotten older, and more importantly as my relationship with God has grown, my prayers have changed.
These days I find myself praying for more specific things, and I also find myself praying more often.

Before I understood how prayer worked, I always wondered why God didn't answer every ones prayers. I mean there have been plenty of times I've prayed for things that I didn't get while others around me got everything they wanted - and then some. I think we've all done that.
But it wasn't until a few years ago when I heard a sermon about how prayers are answered that I truly understood prayer.
God ALWAYS answers our prayers - it's just not always the answer we want.
We are never alone.
We are never without HIM.
And we must always remember that HE is in control of our lives.

With all of this being said, I had a bit of an 'Aha' moment tonight.
The past 24 hours have been very trying for me.
Nothing major - it's just more of the 'how many more things can go wrong?' type thing.
For instance I seem to be surrounded by every person in the Irmo/Columbia who CANNOT drive.
Or I find out that people I have considered friends are really anything but that.
I also deal with 22 ten and eleven year olds on a daily basis. That in itself, while rewarding, is extremely challenging some days:)

Anyways, back to my 'moment.'
Due to all of these situations, I've prayed for patience A LOT in the past week or so.
(It seems that I run out of them faster and faster each day - sometimes not even making it past 8:00 AM.)
Well, while driving home tonight from an event that isn't actually until tomorrow night, I found myself having a bit of a pity party. I mean, why me?
I'm good.
I go to church 3 times a week.
I say my prayers.
I tithe.
I participate in extra curricular activities at church.
I teach a children's bible study.
Pretty good resume, right?
So why isn't God rewarding me for all of this? (or at least making things a little easier)

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks!
I've been praying for patience, so how does God help me learn patience?
Well, he puts me in situations where I need patience.
It's so simple, so why did it take me so long to see this?
He IS answering my prayers.
He's giving me exactly what HE sees that I need.

Then after coming to that realization, I had another realization that just because I'm doing all of these 'great' things at church, that doesn't make me any better than anyone else walking the face of this earth. God loves me just as much as He loves everyone else. We are all His children, and He doesn't show favoritism.

Wow! Sometimes it's all so simple, but we have a tendency to make it so hard.
Everything we need to know is written down for us, in the Bible.
Romans 12:9-12 is on behaving like a Christian.
It says:
'Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.

So tomorrow when one of my fellow Columbians (is that a word?) cuts me off at malfunction junction, I am going to take that opportunity to thank God for answering my prayers.

One year ago..

A year ago today, we were getting ready to go to Wee See for another ultrasound. I was 33 weeks pregnant, and we were beyond excited to see what our little girl looked like.
This is what we saw:


Sweet chubby cheeks with delicious lips:)


A silly baby!



A thumb sucker?

A little bit of attitude?

A happy, happy girl!

A angel sent to us from God!

We love our sweet girl.

It's hard to believe we've had her with us for almost a year now!

Where has the time gone?

confession of a new mom - #3

It's been a while since I've done one of these, but don't think that it's been a while since I've learned something new about being a mom. Those lessons are daily, and sometimes hourly.

Tonight as I was giving Becca a bath, she began splashing water.
Now, this isn't the first time she's done this. She has been splashing for a while, but nothing like this. This was like a tsunami in the bathtub. You know the kind where you end up just as wet as she is?
My first instinct was to stop her. Correct her and tell her no.
But as I watched her, I couldn't help but smile.
She was having so much fun!
The look on her face was priceless.
Then I began questioning myself - why would I stop her?
The only answer I could come up with is because you're just not supposed to splash in the bathtub.
I started weighing the pros and cons. She was playing, having fun, and not hurting anything or anyone. The only con, if you can call it that, is that she was getting some water on the floor.
I decided at that moment that while some people may think this behavior is totally inappropriate, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.
It took me an extra 5 seconds (literally) to dry up the water on the floor.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in constantly telling our children no, that we forget to let them be children.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't want Becca to grow up and be some unruly child that no one can stand to be around, but I highly doubt that by allowing her to splash and play in the tub, she is headed down the road to prison.

So my lesson for myself is to really think about discipline. Don't enforce rules just because it's the thing to do. Think and make decisions for my family - ones that allow us to be safe, respectful, and happy!