Yummy!

After rejecting almost all fruits, I finally found a fruit I can really dig my teeth into. Pineapple! It is so tasty and feels so good on my gums as my top 2 teeth are preparing to bust on through. Thanks Mark and Mijin for getting my parents to introduce this amazing food to me. I loved it. Thanks for letting my try to nap in Babyboy Brown's crib too. That was very sweet of you all. I can't wait to meet him! Here's to more summertime fruit enjoyment. I will come barbecue at your house any day.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Me and dad sneakily ran around during the day on your birthday. Dad wanted to pickup some fresh fruit for your Birthday at the farmers market, but I told him he was crazy. While mommy was  watching the "Hills" on MTV I overheard them talking about this magical cupcake place in Beverly Hills, called Sprinkles. I said "it's Sprinkles or nothing". When we came home from Sprinkles I was still in my PJs. I told dad that this is a big day and that he better get me out of these peasant rags and make me look like a million dollars. As you can see he delivered... Here's looking at you mom, I hope you had a wonderful birthday enjoying your cupcakes and your million dollar view...  

9 months!!!

Little Miss Avery Mae is nine months old. Crazy how time flies. She is doing so much lately. She started crawling 2 weeks ago, she waves goodbye (video to follow soon) to herself, she has started clapping, which is really fun, and pulling herself up to stand. She is feeling much better, just tired and coughing still but definitely on the mend. She lost at least 2 pounds so I am on a mission to fatten her back up. That started with her first trial of avocado today. She loved it, devoured it. Unlike pears and bananas which she still hasn't taken to. She is our little love. As we prepare to celebrate our 4th anniversary later this month, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have such a supportive, involved and loving partner in this journey of parenthood.

Our Sunday adventure....

So after 4 days of a fever and worsening cough, Avery had the great pleasure of checking out the ER at the hospital where she was born almost 9 months ago! The nurses were really great, RN John drew her labs on the 1st try and the xray tech was very sweet and the doctor was helpful. Basically she has viral bronchiolitis and we have to ride it out. We are reassured that her xray did not show anything serious beyond that and that her body is mounting an appropriate response to the infection. So we are going to keep on keeping on with Tylenol, humidity and TLC. Here's hoping now that we went to the ER, tomorrow morning she will wake up feeling much better.

Look out world, here I come...

Meeting Great Grandma Jenny

Doo Hickey & ALEM

Happy 90th Birthday Libby!

One Of The Best Sounds Ever...

Really?!?!

Did I really have the nerve to say on Monday "you know we have really been lucky that overall Avery has been so healthy these last 9 months. Despite a few colds, she hasn't had any ear infections or been really sick." To which Jon responds, "uh, knock on wood!" and I say "oh, of course, knock on wood."

So it should have come as no surprise Tuesday when daycare called me and said, you know she's not fussy or feverish but Avery isn't eating or sleeping. Or Wednesday when she didn't eat so heartily and her cough worsened. Or Wednesday at 11 pm when uncharacteristically Avery was crying and we went to check on her and she was on fire, fever of 103.7. Yikes!
Even for a neonatal nurse practitioner, there is something about seeing my own child listless and in despair that just tore my heart out. Since having Avery, it has become clear to me that I would be one of "those" parents if my child were ever hospitalized. And in turn I find that I have much more empathy for my patients' parents than I did before Avery entered our lives.

So I totally jinxed us. And I am not really a believer in jinxes, but maybe now I am. Her temperature then dropped to 96.5 after Tylenol, yikes again. Then this morning I took her to the Dr as her temp was still 101-102 and she is having times of moaning and her cough is preventing her (and us) from sleeping well. Anyway, she'll be fine, but in the moment I have been on official 24hr mother/nurse duty. Thankfully, I have had Jon as my right-hand man. Being up all night, practically, has brought back into focus how awesome it is to have a child who regularly sleeps 12hr a night uninterrupted (knock on wood x10).

Jon has been quite impressed with me because he was worried that my nursing treatment toward him (something along the line of "you aren't dying, you don't need IV fluids, suck it up") might translate into improper care of our beloved Avery. But alas, I managed to treat her right. Our normally too busy to cuddle baby has desired non-stop cuddles, and I have gladly complied. We called her little Lucia today because my sister's baby Lucia is a total lover and Avery is just like that when she feels terrible.

The dr said her chest is rattling, mentioned pneumonitis, placed her on antibiotics, keep up the Tylenol and give plenty of fluids.
Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.