While I was on the Computer Last Night . . .

. . . Andrea got into Mommy's overhead trasparency markers!

Thank goodness that's the only place it ended up. Mommy caught her red-handed; or, should that be, green-tongued? ;P

Macaroni and Cheese

Andrea's new food adventures continue. Today she ate raisins, and peas, at J.'s house; but she also tried rice, and the result was disastrous--multiple vomiting episodes, requiring two clothing changes. I guess Andrea doesn't like rice! (Poor J.--first day, Andrea pees all over; second day, she vomits!)

Andrea's having a rough day, too. She's come down with her second cold in 3 weeks. She's also cutting two more teeth in her upper left side, for a grand total of twelve!

But anyway, here's a little photo journal of Andrea's adventures with feeding herself macaroni and cheese (white cheddar kind) for the first time yesterday:

***

Forget the spoon--just dump it and dig in!

Hmm . . . the specimen has a squishy, yet solid texture . . .

Perhaps if I put it on my belly, I can ingest it by osmosis!

Is there any extra cheese sauce in here?

***

First Day Back

I won't go into too much detail about my first day back to work, because this blog is about ANDREA, and not work. (But believe me, an Occasional Teacher's adventures would make a great blog, if only I had the time!) I just wanted to clarify that I'm still what they call a "Casual" OT (Who comes up with this terminology?!), which means I'm on call, day-to-day, etc. And after my first day back, I am so happy that is the case!

After last night's boo-hoo fest, I wasn't too bad this morning. Daddy dropped me off at work first, before bringing Andrea to the babysitter's, so I only had to say a quick good-bye. I didn't have time to dwell on the parting, so that was good.

I did, however, cave into the temptation to call J. (the Monday thru Wednesday babysitter) during my lunch break, and see how things were going. Of course, Andrea was just fine; she was happy, had napped well, and they were just getting their lunch, too.

The day flew by, with a whirlwind group of grade 7's who were nice kids, but drove me nuts; so, it wasn't until after school was done, and I was waiting for Daddy and Andrea to pick me up, that I got the weepies again. When the car pulled up, I threw open the back door and grabbed Andrea, and gave her a great big hug and kiss! It was so cute, even as I was opening the door I could see Andrea through the window saying, "Hi! Hi!" and grinning away. When we got home, I scooped her into my arms and hugged her so tight, and she hugged me, but I kept hugging her, until she whined to get down! :)) I think she was saying, "Enough, Mommy! Why are you acting so weird?!"

Through second-hand reports (BIG sigh), I hear that Andrea had a very good day with J. and her two-year-old son (also J.). She had two good naps, and went down with little or no fuss; she and J. played nicely together in his playroom; she ate her food well, and even had some cucumbers; and she was an easy, happy baby. The only incident was during one diaper change, I guess Andrea peed all over! That surprised me--she hasn't done that since she was a few months old! Hmm, maybe she was marking her new territory?!

***

Going a bit backwards here, I know, but I'm worn out.

This morning, it was like she knew something was up when I got her out of bed--probably because she went right from bed into an outfit, a bottle, and a snack (we usually stay in our PJ's most of the morning). She probably sensed my preoccupation, and wondered why I was all dressed up and bustling about so early in the morning, too. She kept giving me the oddest looks, and seemed more like a lost puppy dog than ever--but she wasn't too upset or anything--just kind of confused.

We had a few minutes before we had to leave, and we were all set, so we relaxed in the living room. Daddy tried to get Andrea to say "I love you" for the camera; she wouldn't do that, but she did do the other cute "I love you"-related thing she does now: lean in and give a hug when you say it. :))

http://media.putfile.com/I-Luv-You-Hugs

Then, she went about her usual business, including playing with Mommy's slippers (see Slipper Obsession)--so here's some pictures for those of you who have had trouble with the earlier videos .

(Sorry, Blogger's being really annoying lately: lots of problems with pictures, so here's a link to them on Putfile.)

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3500177

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3500178

Allergy Update #2

Daddy found a message on the answering machine tonight, from Dr. A's office. It gave us the results for Andrea's RAST test.

It said all her tests came back normal.

Hunh?!

Oh, but the nurse also said in her message that Andrea might have an allergy to cat dander.

Hunh?!

So, what the heck was it that set off that allergic reaction she had, in Montana? We tested all of those suspected things, plus all the things Mommy and Daddy have allergies to--about 10 things total. And the only thing that has shown up is cats? Grama Marty and Grampa Rick don't even have cats!

They said to call the office if we have questions. Now we definitely have questions!

Hormones?

I finally got my first call for work, tomorrow morning, at a grade school. I was just chatting to my dad a few hours ago, complaining how I haven't gotten any calls yet, and my schedule with Andrea is finally all settled, so what are they waiting for?! Want to know how I reacted after I got the call?

I cried.

Geez! And I am still all weepy. What's wrong with me? I thought I wanted to go back to work. I know Andrea will be in excellent hands.

I even snapped at Daddy when he got home from playing hockey, and he started asking me questions about location, times, etc. pertaining to work.

I know this sounds silly, but really, I guess I didn't realize how attached I am to my baby girl. Wait--that doesn't sound right--I don't know how to say what I'm feeling. I mean, I've been away from her overnight once before, but I think this is harder because I knew that night was a one-time thing, whereas this is officially going back to work--not seeing her all day long--on a regular basis. We've spent the first 14 months of her life together, pretty much 24/7, Andrea and Mommy: Mommy keeping tabs on everything, not missing a moment; driving each other crazy, and loving each other unconditionally.

Why is this hitting me so hard? It must be hormones or something. :p

Slipper Obsession :))

You may have read about how Andrea likes to play with Mommy's slippers. She plays with Daddy's slippers, too.

With the weather suddenly becoming fall-ish this week, I think Andrea's poor little hands have become quite cold from crawling around on the floor; either that, or, seeing as we put slippers on our feet for walking, she puts them on her hands for crawling? I don't know. I won't pretend to understand what goes on in her mind. But it's fun to watch!

http://media.putfile.com/Slipper-Circuit

***

By the way, Brig slept over last night. Andrea was so happy to see her again! Here's a pic of Brig and Andrea relaxing and playing video games this morning.

A Foot in the Door

Don't worry--the title is figurative, not literal. No one's foot got caught in the door!

The title refers to us "getting a foot in the door" of our daycare centre. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from T.L.C. saying they had a space available on Thursdays and Fridays for Andrea, if we wanted it. Also, taking this spot would give us priority for any other days of the week that open up, thus overriding the waiting list. Of course I said YES!

So, this morning, Daddy (he took an hour off work), Andrea and I went to have a tour of the daycare centre, and get our registration package. The space doesn't actually become available until the first week of October, but that's okay, because we had someone willing to watch her those days, if necessary.

The people there seem very nice. Our guide took us through the whole centre, and it was clean and bright. Andrea was excited, and seemed to enjoy everything she saw, and everyone she met. She was chattering away the whole time we were there! I think this daycare will be great for her, because they do so much with them: reading, crafts, playing, morning song and prayer, going for walks, etc.

Andrea and I will be going back to visit again, probably at the end of the month, just to get her acclimated to her new surroundings, with Mommy in sight. But I really don't foresee any problems, judging by how much she liked it today. :))

But then again, she always cries a bit when Daddy leaves for work, and he'll likely be the one dropping her off--but she'll probably get over it in thirty seconds, like she does at home. :))

First Blood Test AND First Hair Cut

Andrea's pretty mad at me right now, and I suppose she has a right to be. I took her out this morning, for what she thought was going to be fun and adventure; instead, in her opinion, Mommy took her to see bad people, who tortured her!

The RAST Test
Let's just say, this had to be one of my hardest moments as a Mom. They were trying to find a vein in Andrea's arm, and couldn't; I know how awful that is, because it always happens to me. Then, we ended up with three nurses in the room--two (plus Mommy) trying to hold Andrea still, and comfort her; and one drawing the blood. They only had to take one vial, but Andrea shrieked hysterically the whole time; and once, she even tried to roll off the table! But as soon as we were done, and I got her back in my arms, she calmed down right away. Poor baby! Mommy hates blood tests, and it looks like Andrea does, too. I completely understand her reaction! But the nurses were really nice, and they even gave her a sticker after, to cheer her up.

Here's a photo of her sticker: http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3441483 .

The First Hair Cut
Since we were already out, Andrea had calmed down, and it needed to be done, I took Andrea to get her first haircut. I thought she'd like it: seeing all the new stuff, sitting like a princess on Mommy's lap, and being told how beautiful she is.

Hah!

It was like a repeat of the blood test. Even with a mirror to admire herself in, she sat in my lap and shrieked the whole time. She turned bright red, yelled at the top of her lungs, and tried to grab the stylist's hands every time she tried to comb or cut Andrea's hair. The lady was very sweet and patient, but I was ready to have a nervous breakdown. I felt so bad, because here I'd put my daughter through something stressful twice in one morning!

Anyway, we just managed to neaten up her hair a bit (it doesn't look any different besides being a bit more even-ended). But they gave her a certificate for her First Hair Cut, and took her picture with a Polaroid (gotta love the expression on her face), which I thought was pretty cute.

Here's a photo of her completed certificate: http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3441482 .

They also gave her a yellow lollipop, which definitely sweetened her temperament on the trip home. I let her have it, because we had to make one more stop, to pick up our prescriptions. A lady in line said to me, with a smile, "My goodness, she is wearing that sucker!"

I replied: "That's okay, I'm letting her enjoy it all she wants. She's had a tough morning!"

The Sweetest Words

This afternoon, I was playing with Andrea in her room, giving her kisses and hugs, and saying,

"I love you! I love you!"

She started saying, "I! I! I!"

So, I coached her: "I ... LOVE ... YOU!"

She responded: "I voo. I voo!"

Nobody else would have recognized those words, but Mommy knew it right away.

Andrea told me I love you, for the first time today. :))

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

Football Season is back. ;p

Andrea, ever the Daddy's Girl, had to sit on his lap and watch the Lions vs. the Bears yesterday.

Daddy had two of his friends over, because they are planning a football game trip for December. It just so happens that one of his friends, Kev, is a devoted Bears fan; Daddy is a Lions fan; so the two together, watching the game, made for a lively afternoon. Poor Andrea jumped a few times, when the guys suddenly leapt from their seats in wild fits of celebration! But I think she liked watching the game, because she got to sit with Daddy, and she liked cheering and clapping her hands!

***

Speaking of "Foot," (Ooh, bad segue!) Andrea had to get new shoes this weekend, because her feet have been growing so much. She's already in a toddler size 5! I caved and bought her the ones with the cute little flashing lights, and a pair of pink boots lined with soft pink fluff for the cooler weather. But you know what? She preferred these, instead!:

It's Baby Big Foot! (Those are Daddy's new shoes.)

Andrea's Allergy Update #1

We went to see Dr. A. today. He is Andrea's new pediatrician. He, his office, and his staff, were very nice.

Before we saw Dr. A., I undressed Andrea, and the nurse weighed her. Andrea is about 26 and a half pounds now!

When the doctor came in, Andrea wasn't too sure about him. She has begun to show some signs of shyness around strangers, especially men. This was a very dark-skinned man, and Andrea's never met anyone like that before, so I think she was kind of uncertain about that, too. But she didn't really cry until he layed her down on the examining table. I was really surprised! She usually only cries when she gets her immunizations. But then he started to play peek-a-boo with her, and that got her to smile. :))

He read the doctor's report that we received by fax from Montana, and his first response was, "Wow, that must have been scary for you, Mom!" But then I had to laugh because the next thing he said was, "Gee, those American clinics, one thing on their mind--Billings Clinic--how much did they charge you?" You see, he didn't know that Billings was the city, and not a reference to the cost of the clinic visit! I didn't bother to correct him; but I had a hard time stifling the giggles!

Anyway, here's the summary of our plan for Andrea:

1. He gave her a prescription for a junior Epi-pen. It's basically a shot of adrenaline that will go into her thigh if she has another severe reaction to something. Its purpose is to give us time to get her to a hospital.
2. We are going to do a RAST on her, at H.-D. Hospital. It's a kind of allergy test, done by taking some blood, rather than the skin tests. We can do it any week-day, no appointment necessary, so I'm going to take Andrea the next day that I'm not called into work.
3. After Dr. A.'s office calls us with the results of the RAST, he said we should get her a Medic-Alert bracelet, and have her list of allergies on it.

***

I'll post another update after we've done the test, and we've learned what items Andrea needs to avoid!

Something New Every Day!

It seems like Andrea is learning something (or several things!) new every day. I can barely keep the blog updated!

Today she has been doing and saying all kinds of things. Most of it is just silly, but it's so much fun, I want to share it with you all. :))

***

Andrea's Reflection Friend: I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but Andrea has a new best friend. Guess who it is? Her own reflection! But it's a specific reflection, in a specific place--in the glass doors of our new entertainment unit! She lays on the floor, and talks to it; she smiles and waves; she bangs her toys against it (trying to share?); and so on. It's hard to catch in a photo, because the reflection doesn't turn out in the glass. I managed to get a bit of it on video, before Andrea noticed me. If you look really closely, you can see her reflection in the glass. I think this baby has inherited Mommy's imagination!

http://media.putfile.com/Andreas-Reflection-Friend

***

Sequins (sounds like "see-kin"): Mommy has a pyjama top that has a pink butterfly with sequins on it. Andrea has been fascinated by this butterfly for months! This morning she was fingering the sequins on it, and when I reminded her, "Sequins," she responded, "See-kin!" She said it for me two times; she also said it later for Daddy.

***

Acting Like a Puppy Dog?:

I don't think she has really been trying to act like a puppy dog--she just reminds me of one! Especially now, because as you can see in the picture above, she likes to crawl around the house with toys in her mouth. When she follows us around with this blue, bowl-shaped one in her mouth, it makes me think of a puppy begging for food!

She likes this bowl so much that she keeps it in her mouth, no matter what's going on, even when she tries to talk! And sometimes when she flips it up so it's over her nose, it sounds like a dog panting, or as I like to say, a Darth Vader mask! I got a video of that, but it doesn't do justice to the heavy-breathing noise.

http://media.putfile.com/Heavy-Breather

***

Hello ("Allo!") and Using the Telephone: I forgot to mention, the other day, when I took that picture of Andrea holding the phone, I told her to say, "Hello!" and right away she said, "Allo!" Then, today, we gave her the phone to play with, and we said, "Say hello!" Andrea said, "Hi! Hi!" and proceeded to chatter up a storm on the phone, for about twenty minutes. Here are two videos of her chattering on the phone. The imagination is showing again!

http://media.putfile.com/Talking-on-the-Phone-1

http://media.putfile.com/Talking-on-the-Phone-2

***

Fun with Daddy: Well, she's always been Daddy's Little Girl (no contest), but they've had some cute moments together over the past two days, that I want to share.

Last night Daddy got her ready for bed, after her bath (Mommy was soaked--long story), and this is how her hair tuned out!

Today, when Daddy was playing with her, I got a video of him asking Andrea, "How big are you?" and her putting her arms up over her head to indicate, "Sooooooo big!" That's one she learned just recently. :))

http://media.putfile.com/How-Big-are-You

And finally, Daddy took over the camera work for a bit. Well, you can see how much Andrea loves her Daddy, by the delight in her face, as she crawls toward him. But you can also see her confusion about why Daddy, and not Mommy, is behind the camera! The looks she gave him were so weird--and then she pulled the camera away from him!

http://media.putfile.com/Crawling-and-Silly-Face

***

Well, I think that's about it for now. Sometimes Andrea drives me crazy, but she's so darn CUTE!

More Words, and Getting Stronger

New words in past 24 hours:

• Good: She copied me as I praised her for eating nicely.
• Chair (sounds like "share"): Refers to her yellow chair she got for her birthday, which she likes to play with now.
• Wow! (sometimes comes out as "Bow"!): She copied me as I admired how long she stood up for.
• Whoa!: She copied me as I commented on her tumbling down/about to tumble over.

Also forgot to mention, this past week:

• Stand up (sounds more like "Sa-da", but I know what she means)
• Yum! (sounds more like "Um!", and is said with a wide open mouth--especially when she wants your food!)

Wish I could get them on video for you. But you know how it is.

***

Andrea's legs are getting stronger, too. This is linked to the "Sa-da!" because Mommy always says "Stand up!" and helps her up to her feet, then gets her to cling to something for balance.

She'll now come up and ask me, or tell me, every now and then, "Sa-da!" So, I put her up steady on her feet, and let her hang onto something (usually me, or the furniture). Then she'll stand there until her legs get tired, or she gets mad, because she doesn't know how to sit back down yet!

re: Pointless Outing

I called Dr. A's (pediatrician) office this afternoon, to find out when Andrea's appointment is supposed to be.

The receptionist looks all through her files, comes back to the phone and says, "You missed it. It was at 10:15 a.m. yesterday."

"Um . . . I was at your office at 10:15 yesterday, and no one was there," I replied.

"Did you go to the Pediatric Clinic at Met?" she asks.

"My doctor didn't say anything about Met," I said irritably (suddenly understanding whose fault all this was), "She specifically told me to go to [this address] and [this room number]."

The receptionist sighs, clearly annoyed, and says, "I have it right here, in black and white, that you were supposed to go to the Clinic. I specifically squeezed you in for that date. Now we'll have to find something else!"

I could tell that her irritation was directed at my family doctor's office, and rightly so!

After that, she was quite nice to me, and "squeezed us in" again for Monday, at 10:15 again. I had to chuckle, and so did she a bit, because she told me to come to their office this time.

"YOUR office?" I asked, to clarify.

"Yes, it's at--oh, well, I guess you already know where it is!" she says.

"Yes, but just to be sure--you said YOUR OFFICE, the one at [address], right?"

"Yes."

"On Monday, at 10:15 a.m., right?"

"Yes."

"At YOUR OFFICE?"

"Yes!" Now she's laughing.

"Okay, thank you, bye."

***

Pointless Outing

I have a headache. It bugs me when things don't go as they should, and then I get all stressed out, and I have to get everything sorted out again.

Guess what? Andrea and I went to meet her new pediatrician today. Guess what else? He wasn't there. No one was there!

Those of you with little ones, you know how hard it is to pack everything up and get them ready to go out--especially to a doctor's office, where you'll likely have to wait awhile, so you have to bring toys, snacks, etc., along with all the other basics. Well, add to that the fact that I have to take two city buses to get there, and it complicates things ten fold. Not only do you have to be on time for your appointment, you have to be on time for the buses! And you have to carry all the baby stuff in the stroller, and heave the stroller on and off of the bus! You have to work baby's feeding and sleeping schedule into the doctor's and the buses' schedules!

So, I barely manage to get myself and Andrea out the door on time, but we get to the doctor's office at exactly 10:15 a.m. (the time of her appointment). The door is closed. I try to open it. Nope. I knock. No answer. I check for signs that he moved or something. Nothing. So we go back downstairs, to a pay-phone, and I call my family doctor (who gave the referral) to see what's going on. I get the message, "We are on vacation until Monday." What?! And there is no phone book available, so I can't try the new pediatrician's office.

So, back on the bus we go, all the way home. Andrea missed her morning nap, and is cranky; Mommy has a ferocious headache, because this has been a headache! I called the new doctor's office, and they were not open today! They are open tomorrow, and I am calling as soon as they open to find out where the communication broke down, and why I was told Andrea had an appointment today, when no one was even in the office!

GEEZ!

You know what? I'll probably get my first work call for tomorrow, just to add to my stress!

***

I just got Andrea to lay down. I think Mommy needs to go lay down, too. ;p

Some Good News

We have daycare providers for every day of the week now. From Monday to Wednesday, Andrea will go to Daddy's cousin's house; on Thursday and Friday, Daddy's friend's mom will watch her.

Now Mommy is available to work five days a week! The calls should start coming in soon--especially since my availability has improved.

I am anxious to get those first few days over and done with, and get back into a work routine.

I wonder what Andrea will think of it all? Hmm.

It's Been Pretty Quiet

It's been pretty quiet around here lately--except for the sneezing and snuffling. But here's a few little tidbits to keep you updated.

Allergies?
I took Andrea to the family doctor on Friday, September 1st, and told her about Andrea's allergic reaction in Montana. She got us a referral to one of the top pediatricians in our city, and we are going to see him tomorrow morning. We hope he'll be able to recommend some testing we can do to find out what exactly she is allergic to, and how severe the reactions may get.

Back to Work?
School started a week ago, but I haven't gotten any calls yet. It usually takes a couple weeks before teachers start using their personal/sick days, so I'm not too worried about it. Plus, being available only Monday through Wednesday (due to daycare issues) narrows my opportunity for work, as well. C'est la vie!

What's Andrea been up to?

Andrea is now using her sippy cup by herself. We got her to hold her own bottle while we were in Montana, and now we've got her using her own sippy cup, too. Finally! And she is showing a preference for doing-it-herself in all areas of food and drink now, which, although messy and time-consuming, actually makes Mommy very happy. :))

Andrea is also pulling herself up on her knees all the time now. We're hoping that's a precursor to standing. She really likes being able to reach higher, and see up higher, so we're hoping that will motivate her to want to go further: to stand.

Andrea is also a little explorer now. She crawls everywhere, and wants to get into everything. We're well baby-proofed, but still, she manages to squeeze herself into the tightest spaces, just so she can take a peek at what might be there. In the picture above, she is in one of her favorite spots--in between the big-screen TV and the wall!

And speaking of the TV, Andrea's got a new "skill": using the buttons on the TV to turn it off, and on, and off, and on, with no particular purpose except to press the button and see if it still does the same thing each time; which, of course, it does!

http://media.putfile.com/TV-On-TV-Off

New Word

You've likely read, in a previous entry, how Andrea is now fascinated by slippers. Yesterday, I put hers on her feet. She was playing with them. I said, "Slippers?" and she said, "Sliboors!" She actually said it twice, but then wouldn't say it again. You know how it goes.

Playing Pretend

It's interesting . . . I'm starting to see the beginnings of pretend-play when Andrea is amusing herself. She copies things that Daddy and I do, but in a play-like fashion, and without us prompting her. I know it's a sign that she's watching us and learning, but it is so funny to watch. You already know about the slippers; she also babbles to herself and her toys all the time. She recently began a new pretend-play, something we kind of showed her, but she ran with it. Remember how the guys taught her to sip and say "Ahhhhhh!" afterwards? Well, now she uses anything that might resemble a cup (eg., stacking toys) and brings it to her lips, pretends to drink, then says, "Ahhhh!" She's so silly. :))

http://media.putfile.com/Pretend-Sips

***

Well, I think that's about it for now.

It's a Family Affair

Quick update--Daddy, too, has fallen victim to our ugly cold virus. The guy who never gets sick (well, maybe once every 3-5 years) actually had to come home from poker early last night, and take a day off from work today, because he feels so yucky! He is coughing, snorting, and sneezing away with Andrea and I. We are a pretty pathetic bunch today. ;p

Making Our Own Fun

It's kind of hard to stay upbeat when both Mommy and Baby are sick, but we still managed to have some lighter moments today, in between the whining and sniffling. :p

Andrea Feeding Herself

Andrea is getting a lot more independent when it comes to her eating and drinking. In fact, she often gets frustrated when we are feeding her, because she wants to do it herself! I'm happy to see this change, but, it only lasts for a short while during each meal. I can give her the spoon, and she will carefully take up a neat scoop of food, just as carefully move it towards her mouth, and take amazingly neat bites for a 13-month-old; but, that only lasts for about 5 minutes. Then she wants to fling the spoon, stick her hands in the bowl, and spit her food out at me! Anyway, today she was doing great, so I thought, let's get this on camera! Yeah, right. The instant she saw the camera, she started acting goofy: spoon all over the place, hands in the oatmeal, etc.

http://media.putfile.com/Feeding-Herself

The Cheek Popper

Now that the camera was out, she started pulling out all her tricks, so meal time was over. I can thank Grama in Montana for this one--cheek popping. It's when you put your finger in the corner of your mouth, and when you pull it out the right way, it makes a popping sound. Grama was doing that in Montana, and Andrea caught on; now she does it at home all the time! She does it more quietly than Grama or Mama (she hasn't quite got the technique perfected yet), but you can hear a few good ones now and then.

http://media.putfile.com/Cheek-Popper

"Rude" Noises Make Andrea Laugh

Well, Andrea was suddenly went into a cranky spell, so Mommy had to pull out all the stops to make her laugh. I don't know what you would call this noise: the tongue-stick-out noise, the spitting noise, the fart noise, whatever. Anyway, lately, Andrea laughs like crazy every time Mommy does it! It's not exactly a polite noise, but hey, when Baby is sick and unhappy, whatever works . . . :))

http://media.putfile.com/Being-Silly--Laughing

Mommy's Slippers

Andrea follows Mommy and Daddy around the house like a little lost puppy dog, now that she can crawl all over the place. Today she joined me in our bedroom while I got dressed, and amused herself by playing with my slippers. I looked down, and noticed that she had put one on, all by herself, and she was chatting away and admiring it! Too cute!

http://media.putfile.com/Mommys-Slippers

***

Andrea looked and sounded a bit better today, but she still had some rather congested and grouchy moments. I think her throat may be bothering her a bit (mine is bothering me, too), because she wanted cold drinks all day long. It's also pretty boring being sick, and staying at home. I also think she misses Brig, who has gone back to school now. But Daddy has been doing his part, taking her out for short wagon rides the past few evenings, to get some fresh air and see some new sights. Not much else we can do but ride it out.

Mucus Fest :-(

Well, it was inevitable that Andrea would get a cold some time. Sigh.

We've been incredibly lucky up until now--she's only had a minor sore throat once (back in March), and besides that, no illnesses.

Yesterday, we were at Aunt Steph's to celebrate Grandpa G.'s birthday, and Andrea suddenly started to have some explosive sneezes! I was worried that it might be another manifestation of allergies (because they have 2 cats there). But even after we got her home, bathed her, and gave her the Zyrtec liquid, she still sneezed and snorted all night long.

Poor baby, she is having a hard time drinking her bottles because she can't breathe through her nose very well, so she has to stop and take breaths through her mouth. She was also whimpering and fussing in her sleep all night, so I got up several times to check on her, and just pat her back a bit and comfort her. She didn't really wake up, but she sounded so pathetic. :((

On top of it all, Andrea HATES to have her face wiped. Well, I'm sorry, but now Mommy has to have a wrestling match with her every time she sneezes, because it is a mess! I won't go into details, but, no exaggeration, each sneeze requires at least two tissues!

She doesn't have a fever (which is good) and she seems to be eating and drinking okay (apart from the difficulty of breathing and eating at the same time!). So, I don't think there's any reason to go to the doctor's at this point. It's just a cold, but it's a doozie!

Does anybody have any suggestions on what I can do for Andrea to make her more comfortable? That's basically all I can do at this point.

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Oh, and just to improve the situation, guess who else is sick? Mommy, of course! Ack! It's the usual, monthly, nasty, throat/sinus infection I get, but still, it's ten times worse when Baby is sick, too. Sigh again.

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Anyhow, thanks to this Mucus Fest, we are currently running low on tissues, and fear to run out soon! We have already wiped out two boxes, between us, today!

"Mama . . . we need more tissues!"

Labor Day Weekend Party

Our friends (S.C. and M.C.) came down from Kitchener for the weekend, and his parents kindly hosted an open-house party so we could all get together and visit. We're a much more busy (and widely scattered) group now, especially since a lot of us have babies/toddlers. Our friends from Kitchener have a 9-month-old girl (M.); our friends here have a 2-year-old son (A.), and are expecting a second son in early November; then, of course, we have Andrea (13 months).

It's funny how much more noisy and active the gathering was, with just the three little ones running/crawling/scooting around. At this age, they don't really interact too much, but it's so much fun to watch them each go about their business, and observe them at their respective stages. It's amazing when you realize how much they have/had in common at certain stages, but also to see their different personalities developing.

Due to rain, the hosts had to move the party indoors, but I still managed to get some cute pictures of our young families. :))

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Cell phone, car keys, make-up . . . They're starting early!

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S.C. is used to her daughter, M., digging into her plate . . . but Andrea helped herself, too!

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Proud Daddies :))

(Let's see you try to get three babies to smile for the camera, all at once!)

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A true mom--S.C. knows that M.'s socks will provide great entertainment for the wee ones!