Birthday Bummer

Caroline turned one on Saturday.  We had all kinds of fun things planned, but, as we all know, things do not always go as planned.  This will probably be long, more for me to remember, so don't feel like you have to read everything.

On Friday night at around 6 Eli was changing Caroline's diaper and he noticed a couple small red dots on her stomach and legs.  We thought it was weird but we would just keep an eye on it.  By six forty-five I was getting her undressed for her bath and the dots had gotten bigger and spread all over!  We gave her a quick bath and then went to the nearby urgent care.  The said it was probably the amoxycillin she was on from the previous weeks sickness and to stop giving it to her and it would go away.  We thought, "ok, Eli and his brothers and father are allergic to it too, so that makes sense."  So, we came home, put the baby to bed, I made two cakes and a birthday banner for her party, and then Eli and I went to bed too, excited for our baby's first birthday. 

At 2:30 she woke up screaming her head off.  We went in and the rash was worse, all over her body and face.  Her eyes were swollen and her hands.  We called our pediatricians after hours line and they told us to take her to the childrens hospital emergency room.  We went there and got in immediately.  They diagnosed it as Erythema Mulitformi, which can be caused by a reaction to antibiotics, but in her case they said it was from a virus.  We could give her benadryll, and that was about it.  It usually lasts for about 2 weeks, with a nasty red rash, swelling, fevers, itchiness, and sleeplessness.  So, we went home and she slept from 4 to 9:30. 

When we all woke up we called and texted everyone and cancelled her birthday party.  She was okay in the morning, but by dinnertime was much worse.  She was fussy, itchy, hot, and tired.  She wouldn't nap at all on Saturday.  And, she wouldn't go to sleep at night for more than 20 minutes.  When I was holding her from 12-1, I noticed that her face started swelling very rapidly.  I called the afterhours line again, and they told us to take her back in because if her face was swelling that fast it could block off her airway.  So, we went to the ER two nights in a row.  Once again, there wasn't really anything they could do for her.  They did prescribe a suped up benadryll, and sent us home.  She slept until 9:30 again, was up for an hour and then took a three hour nap.  She took another hour nap before dinner and then slept better that night, Sunday.  She only woke up a couple times but altogether slept 16 hours, until 10:30 in the morning!  When she woke up Monday morning the swelling in her face was gone.  Yesterday she took good naps and then she slept all night last night, from 7:30 to 9:30.  She is much happier now, and more like herself.  The rash is mostly gone, its just on her legs and feet now and her feet are very swollen.  I don't think they'll even fit in her shoes.

It was hard on all of us.  Poor Caroline was so miserable.  She just wanted to sleep but couldn't stop scratching at her face and was so hot!  I was so tired and emotional.  I was so upset about her birthday.  I know Caroline didn't care, but I did.  We were so excited for her birthday.  Also, I had to cancel our trip with my parents to my sisters house to see her new baby and then onto Florida to see my aunt.  I was really bummed about that.  I was looking forward to a vacation for about a month, but now it's not happening.  The worst part was our plan was for my parents to drive out Saturday, spend the night a couple nights and then leave on Monday morning.  But, because it was a contagious virus we couldn't risk them picking it up and taking it to the new little one at my sisters, so they still stopped by but didn't come inside.  We just stood on the porch in the cold for a few minutes and then they left.  It was so sad that I couldn't even spend any time with them. 

I think it was hardest on Eli though.  Eli's been pretty busy lately.  Two weeks ago he had big block tests and was studying about 16 hours a day.  The Sunday after that, he got called to be the second  counselor in the bishopric in our ward.  That was very unexpected.  So, that whole week when he needed to be sleeping and recovering from the stress of the previous week he was really busy trying to learn his new calling.   The nice thing was Eli's dad was able to fly out in order to ordain him to a high priest.  That was very special and we had a lot of fun with him.  Caroline really loves her grandpa, and his iPad.  His dad left on Friday morning and then Caroline got sick Friday night.  Eli was up almost all night on Friday, then all night on Saturday, then he was at church on Sunday from 6 a.m- 4 p.m.  He crashed on the couch by 6 and was able to sleep until 8 the next morning.  But he is sick with a cough and sore throat.  Poor Eli.  He works so hard, and always makes sure to put me and Caroline first.  He will surely be blessed for all that he does. 

This was on Friday before it started.  She just looks so cute.

Saturday morning.

It was actually worse than it looks.

Birthday girl!  Although she was itching and tired, she still managed to smile sometimes.

That's the birthday banner I made her out of scrapbook paper.

Birthday cake

She really liked the cake.

Grandma and Grandpa Rhoads gave her the stroller and we gave her the baby doll.  She loves both.

Oatmeal bath Saturday night, this was before she went to the ER for the second time. 

Poor baby.  It got worse than this if you can believe it, but I didn't take pictures.  Eli has some on his phone but they make me too depressed.

So, that was our crazy weekend.  I am grateful it did happen over a weekend when Eli was home and it wasn't as bad for him to miss sleep.  She is our sweetheart.  I must admit it was pretty terrifying though.  I was so scared.  Eli was calm and kept me from freaking out too much.  I can't wait until he's a doctor and can diagnose things for us and know exactly what we should do.  He is such a good dad.  Well, happy birthday Caroline.  Sorry it sucked.

Just Some Pictures

 Caroline looked particularly cute yesterday.  I loved her hair.  It wasn't long after I took the pictures that she ripped out one ponytail about 75% of the way and looked like a lopsided puppy for the rest of the day.  Oh well.

 Here is some happy news.  Caroline now has three cousins within a year of her age.  My sister Annie had little Felicity in November, Eli's sister Kim had baby Quincy a couple of weeks ago, and now my sister Alaina had baby Sullivan this morning!  She'll always have a cousin to play with.  Lucky kid!

 This is after taking the pony tails off.  I took pictures of her right before bath time and I couldn't believe how long her limbs are.  This kid is going to be tall and lanky, just like Eli.  I mean look at that arm and the leg in the next picture!  She always outgrows her clothes early, but only because they get to short.  She can't wear a lot of the 6-12 month clothes anymore, they still fit her around the waist but the pants look like capris.

Silly baby!  I think she looks like Phoebe in this one.

Dance and Birthday

We had a very fun weekend.   On Saturday night we went to our stakes Valentine's Dance.  It was a lot of fun!  It was 50's themed, and I am proud to report that Eli and I won the Hokey Pokey contest.  We had fun with our friends there.  It made me laugh because this was my first time going to an adult church dance.  It was the opposite from a youth dance.  At a youth dance everyone comes out for the fast songs, and they clear the floor and head for the snack table during the slow songs.  At this dance, a lot of the people there were older, so they a lot left during the fast songs and crowded the floor for the slow songs.  It was really fun to have a night out with Eli.  He is actually a good dancer, a lot better than me. 

  

Yesterday was my birthday.  I am 26 now.  I don't know if its from being a mom or just being closer to thirty than twenty, but I just wasn't as excited about it as I usually am.  Well, it's not that I wasn't excited, but it didn't seem to matter as much.  Either way it was still a great day!  We went to church, came home and I got to take a long nap!  For my present Eli is going to watch Caroline so I can go shopping by myself!  Also, part of my present from him, and the best part for me, was some empathy.  Let me explain:  Caroline didn't sleep well Saturday night.  She wouldn't go to sleep for the sitter so she was up really late.  She has also been teething.  I brought her home after the first hour of church so she could take a nap, but she only slept for an hour.  So, in the afternoon, while I was napping, she would not take a nap for Eli.  She was whining, and crying.  She just wanted to be held.  But at the same time Eli was trying to do laundry, clean, and help me start dinner.  She was really a stinker for him, but I'm secretly glad she was like that for him, but now he knows what it's like sometimes.  She's usually very well behaved, but sometimes when she's not feeling well she can make things difficult.  And Eli is very nice, and appreciative of how I try to take care to take the house and have dinner ready, but now he knows and understands exactly what it can be like sometimes.  I wish I could go to his school so I can completely understand what he is doing too.

I made my own birthday dinner, not because Eli wouldn't make me a dinner but because there was something special I wanted that just isn't in Eli's repertoire.  I made Grandma's fried chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, creamed corn, and honey carrots.  It was the best!  I am proud to say I can make mashed potatoes that taste exactly like grandmas.  If anyone in my family wants to have some, just come see me and I'll make it for you.  They are the best!  I really felt like I was having a birthday dinner at Grandma's house again.  It was a great birthday!

Thanks family and friends, it was a great birthday!

Valentine's Day

We had a lovely Valentine's Day around here. Caroline even got a present on her first Valentine's Day!

I woke up to Eli already gone, which is usual around here.  He catches an early bus and I wake up with Caroline.  But as I was waking up I heard the front door open, which kind of scared me because I thought Eli was gone and who was coming into our house?  But it was Eli, he had a bouquet of flowers for me, my favorite chocolates, and a beautiful letter he wrote for me.  Eli might be embarrassed, but people should know that he writes the most lovely letters to me!  Not all the time, but when he does they really warm my heart!  That was wonderful to wake up to.  Then he was able to stay around until 10!  He got Caroline up and gave her a single flower and a little puppy toy, which she wouldn't stop hugging!  While I nursed her, Eli read her a letter he wrote to her.  It was so sweet and went straight into her baby book.  I know I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but Eli really is the best!

I hope Valentine's day was good for Eli as well.  Because I was planning on giving him his present that evening, I didn't have it wrapped up for him yet.  But I quickly wrapped it and gave him a Landon Donnovan jersey.  He plays for the US mens soccer team.  I think Eli liked it.  Then Caroline and I brought him lunch at school.  Caroline walked all the way down a very long hall pushing the stroller.  You'd think it would have tired her out, but she didn't take too long of a nap.  I made strawberry stuffed French toast for dinner that night.  Then, how is this for romance, I went into our room to rest a bit while Eli studied and fell asleep at 8 and slept until 8 the next morning.  It sure felt good to sleep that much though.

Thanks, Eli, for making your girls feel loved.  We sure love you!

Of Hair, Poop, and other Randomness

That's right, I chopped off my hair, and I love it!  I was just getting so sick of it, it was so tangly, it wouldn't hold any curl or anything I did to it, and if I didn't bush it twenty times a day I would get a huge rats nest of tangles underneath.  So, yesterday, I found a picture of a haircut I liked, ran over to Great Clips (I never have gone to a place like that for a haircut before, but I don't have as much money to spend on hair anymore.  It was only $17 and they did a good job), and cut off almost 9 inches!

So, I asked Eli to take a picture of me, and he did but he said my smile was too fake.  So I told him to tell me something funny.  He told me to smile as if I just heard that John Travolta was coming to the KFC Yum! center in Louisville to present a special showing of Grease.  It was just so absurd it made me laugh so hard.  He kept talking about John Travolta and wouldn't stop.  It's probably not that funny, but it made me laugh.  And now I know what I look like when I laugh with my new haircut.

I just love it.  It feels so light and so much healthier.  It holds curl better, still goes up in a pony tail, and does not get tangled! 

Grandma Rhoads got Caroline this dress.  We call it her peacock dress and it is adorable!

 So, this next part is about poop.  If you're squeamish, don't read it. 
Caroline has a green smoothie every morning and is very very regular.  Pooping 3-4 times a day is normal for her.  Well, on Friday we had a very busy day and I didn't have time to make one, so we just had some toast and bananas.  She didn't eat much lunch because we went to have lunch with Eli at his school and she was too distracted by all the people and things going on to eat.  We were at costco at dinner time and she ate about 1/3 of a slice of the costco pizza.  So it wasn't her healthiest day.  And she only pooped once, and it was a weird consistency (pardon the details).  The next day was normal, she had her smoothie and regular healthy meals. And she pooped 3 times.  I just think that is amazing and definite proof of the power of green smoothies.  I know I am not as regular when I don't have one everyday. 

Well, that's about all.  We had a nice weekend and a lovely Sunday.  Church was great, we had a relaxing afternoon, and then had a delicious and fun dinner at a friends house.  Caroline now weighs 18 lbs, and is a happy girl.  She is getting close to walking too.  She makes everyday fun!

Crafts

I just thought this was so cute.  Caroline loves to look out the window in our room.  It's the perfect height for her right now.

Well, I think Caroline's room is done, for now, until we add another kid into it.  Don't worry, I'm not pregnant, nor do I plan on it anytime soon, I'm just thinking long-term here.  I think we could fit three kids in that room.  That would be great to not have to move again.  I hate moving.

Inspired by pinterest, and assisted by my mother-in-law, I made a paste out of cornstarch and water and pasted fabric to her dark, ugly, faux-wood closet doors in her room.  It turned out great!  It really brightened up her room and looks so much better! The paste doesn't leave a residue, so it's perfect for if you are renting.  You can also use it to stick fabric to walls.  I've heard you can do the same with liquid starch, but this was so cheap!  Just water and cornstarch!

Here's a close up of the fabric.  I got it at Hobby Lobby and I love it!  I am so glad Karen was there to help.  I tried it on my own before, but I really needed another pair of hands.   When I did it on my own I could not get all the bubbles and wrinkles out because it was too big of a piece to hold by myself.  Now I have to constrain myself from doing it to all the ugly doors in our apartment.  I don't want to go too crazy and make it too much.  But I am really considering doing it to the laundry room doors. 

I also made a butterfly garland to go above it.  It was really easy to do, I did it all out of scrapbook paper while we watched a movie, then we just strung them on twine and hung it up.  I like it with the door because it's girly without being too girly.

Thanks for all your help Karen.  I couldn't have done it without you!

Close up of the butterflies.  You just cut a square and a circle out of scrapbook paper, accordion fold both, hold them together and tie the middle.  I really like it. 

Today was Great!

Today was a great day!  Lots of really good things happened!  Here is why today was so much fun!

Grandma Rhoads bought her a new swimsuit when she was here.  Yes, those are hearts on it. 

I'm sorry, but this has got to be the cutest picture I have ever seen.  Her little leg and smile.  She is so beautiful!  And that really is the cutest swimsuit I've ever seen.

pig tails.

She was making the funniest faces at dinner tonight.

She's starting to perfect the art of making weird faces.

She loves to stick her tongue out. 

She kept making this silly/creepy face. 

• Caroline started nursing again!  Yay!  She nursed in the morning and before bed.  Also, there was no biting!  That was the best.  It just made me so happy!  She was in a good mood today too.
• The other fun things is that Caroline got to play with two friends today.  First this morning, we had our friend Lydia come over so her mom  could run some errands.  She had so much fun.  Lydia is almost two and they like to play together.  Then in the afternoon Lily came over while her mom went to the doctors office.  Lily and Caroline really love to play together.  Lily took every toy out of the toy box and handed them one by one to Caroline, which Caroline loved.  Lily just turned two on Sunday, and had a great birthday party.  
• I guess those are the two main points.  We had a good dinner, Eli gave Caroline a bath while I took a nap on the couch, and I learned how to do a French twist to my hair off of pinterest. I also got all of the laundry and ironing done.  I think now I am going to paint my nails now and wait for Eli to finish studying so we can go to bed.  I still have a hard time sleeping without him.  

 Good Night!