Meltdowns

These have been occurring around here quite often lately.

From Me and the Little One.

PS. I am really good at having meltdowns. Especially after said, Little One, slaps me in the face during tumbling class during a massive breakdown. Then, I yank her out of class and have an Oscar-Worthy meltdown the whole car ride home. Saying things I am ashamed to admit, but did indeed include Poor Husband at work on the car-phone so he could witness the awful event.

Riley is two. I get that. But why does she have to be so bad sometimes? Other times, she is the sweetest, most delicious little girl, full of smiles and good humor. Other times, I need a shot of tequila. This, coming from a girl who has never had tequila and who is at the moment, quite pregnant.

I feel better after a meltdown. A good cry will do that sometimes. In an effort to be Super-Mom, I forget that everything doesn't have to be perfect. I also forget (and I don't think Riley got this memo either --- pregnancy makes your hormones whacked out.)

So as we are nearing another work week where Daddy will embark towards his location of retreat - work. Please pray for my sanity and patience.

Let's go fly a kite...

A spring day

at Mimi & Papa's house

with a Snow White kite,

a warm breeze,

a patient Daddy,

and an excited daughter.

What a great day.

Operation Paci

I would like to travel back in time and beat myself in the face for pushing the paci. I thought it would alleviate my "human pacifier"experience and help her fall asleep.

Fast forward to a little over a month now to Riley's 2nd birthday.

Seriously, I could slap my old self.

On Tuesday evening, we began Operation: Cutting the Paci. I read it was a gentle way to ease the child into letting go of their fixation, cutting more of the nipple little by little, The paci will no longer give the soothing, sucking sensation so the child will grow tired of it and give it up on their own. This seemed to be working until last night until all hell broke loose.

She screamed and screamed for hours. I thought for sure we were going to get Child Protective Services called on us. Finally at midnight, we gave in and brought her into our bed.

Today, it took her one hour and 20 minutes to calm down and fall asleep.

Riley likes to tell me, "Paci broken," or "Paci has a boo-boo." She tells Dan, "Mommy cut Paci."

She is on to me. She's too smart for her own good.

I will persevere - I will beat the devil-paci at its own game.

More updates to come, God willing.

Mental Note from St. Patty's

What is it about pregnancy that makes you forget things? You know, words like "park" and "allergy," and important things like appointments and what not.

In effort to keep some mental capacity, I need to remember all of the crazy things from today - St. Patty's Day.

Like the way Riley looked like a leprechaun - in her too short, too tight 18 month outfit that I squeezed her in because it was green.

How Riley likes everything at tumbling class, except for the tumbling part. But man, she can shake her groove thing.

Or, the way she started yelling "Daddy" at some random stranger at Chik-Fil-A. To her credit, he was dressed like Dan's usual work attire - dress shirt and khakis.

Even better, in the play area, she preferred to sit and observe the other kids.

How at nap time, after many attempts to get her to fall asleep I laid down with her on the floor. I know this is my daughter because she couldn't stop talking to me. Her mind must have been going wild with all the things she wanted say. Then, quite appropriately she would stop every so often and say, "I love Mommy," with her hands cupped around my face, followed by, "Boo-boos" as she pointed to my baby acne. Lovely.

That damn plague....

....strikes again.

I spoke too soon. I jinxed it.

Friday was looking like a good day. WAS - is the key word here. The next thing I know, she is waking up from her nap at 4:00pm with full blown projectile vomiting. It was everywhere. I rushed in to the room to find my sweet baby shaking as she looked down at her self, covered in it.

After some coaxing I got her into the bathtub and afterwards, she continued puking. It wouldn't stop. I first called Dan and he agreed we call the doctor's office. The nurses' exact words were, "Take her straight to the ER." After our dehydration scare the day before, this lady wasn't messing around. And neither was I. Sobbing, I called Dan at work, our neighbor to take out the dog, my parents, and of course, Melissa. All the while, throwing random items of clothing and personal effects into a small overnight bag just in case.

We arrived at the local children's hospital after a car ride filled with more vomiting. Even after managing to get a few sips down of water, she couldn't keep it down.

The nurse took the basics - vomiting since Sunday night, no wet diapers that day, dehydration check at pediatrician's office the day before, and diarrhea.

After setting us up into the ER, we met with a kid-friendly PA, Wendy. She listened intently as I'm sure I rambled on and without hesitation ordered IVs for Riley. She would receive fluids for the dehydration and Zofran for the vomiting and nausea. She explained hat Riley had gotten involved into this horrible cycle - vomiting, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, dehydration - one that she could no longer get out of on her own without some intervention. Wendy also explained that she would draw some blood when they did the IVs.

A while later, and many distractions later, including Dan's sanitizing efforts with her, glove puppets, and lizard gymnastics, the ladies of the hour arrived.

(These photos were taken on my phone)

Dan took the position on the small hospital bed, placing her between his legs while the nurses examined her veins. They placed the IV in her right arm all the while Riley was yelling things such as, "Riley boo-boo, GO, All done, No Mommy..." Even after the IV was in, she was still pretty ticked off. Then, they rolled in THE CART. Thank God for THE CART. On it, was a TV and DVD player which we dutifully watched Dora while Riley sank into defeat.

Once the drugs and fluids were administered, they wanted Riley to eat and drink a little. After a Popsicle (they even asked what color she liked) and two ounces of water at a time (I asked how much is two ounces?? Like two sips?) we waited some more. Waiting, for the puking to start. But it didn't, thankfully.

We were discharged with a prescription for Zofran and instructions to return if the vomiting persisted despite three doses of Zofran. Around 10:00 pm we returned home. Riley was a new woman. She chatted it up on the way home and happily slept through the night.

We wait to see what each day brings but hope that each one gets better.

After all of this, I realized three very important things.

1. My daughter is strong. She is a stubborn, take no prisoners kind of girl. She knows what she wants and doesn't take no for an answer. And she is funny. As we were preparing to leave, Riley held out her bandaged hand out of her room towards the direction of the nurse who inserted the IV and yelled to her, "Riley all done. Riley go." You can't help but laugh.

2. My husband is a rock star. On the car ride to the hospital, I would intermittently start crying. Dan reminded me, "Jamie, this isn't cancer. It's just some IVs - we have to do this to make her feel better." Sometimes you just need to hear that. He held our baby, rocked her, and whispered in her ear. Holding her hand, their feet intertwined, I looked at them and couldn't help but feel lucky.

3. I have some awesome parents and friends. Mind you, this occurred on my Mom's birthday. She was ready to jump on a plane (to which my Dad and Dan told her to hold off). Because -- that's what's parents do - that's what I would do. I am also thankful for some forever friends. Friends (you know who you are), who listen to my sobbing and instruct me to pull it together or text me throughout the night to keep them informed. Friends - who leave kind messages on my Facebook or who simply say, "Keep me in the loop."

Thanks to everyone - we are forever grateful for your support, calls, and offers to jump on a plane.

Puttin' on the Ritz

Dan and I attended a fundraising event for a local Catholic University in town at the Ritz Carlton for his company. We had a fabulous table of people full of personality and stories. You know I love me some talking to strangers. I told Dan I should open a business where I go to galas with awkward business men and teach them how to make conversations. Then, I decided against it because it sounds like an escort service and that's pretty illegal.

I HATE doing my make-up and hair. I had my neighborhood hair lady color, cut, and blow dry my hair and I actually had to go out and buy eye make up. This was followed up with a phone call to Melissa. It went a little something like this:

Me: Do I put the eye liner on before or after the eye shadow?

Her: Are you kidding me?

Here we are in our Gala attire. Dan is sporting his tux and me, well I am in the ONLY formal dress that Melissa and I could find in our town that would fit me. No kidding, I wish I was.

The Plague

Our household has just survived what I like the call the Plague. While others may call it a "bug" or the stomach flu, I think those names are a bit mild for what we experienced this past week. Here is a breakdown:

• Dan's parents visited us over the past weekend.
• Sunday night/Monday morning, we work up in the middle of he night to Riley's vomiting. It covered her bed, pajamas, and she sat upright saying sadly, "Mommy, dirty." We stayed up all night with her as she puked every 15 minutes.
• Monday, we stayed around the house and stayed on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples, toast). It looked like we dodged a bullet and that Riley was going to make a recovery. She was drinking enough liquids but only ate two pieces of bread that day. She was tired, to say the least.
• Tuesday - I woke up and knew that I was in trouble. I tried to ward it off by taking some Tylenol and Zofran (nausea medicine safe for preggo ladies) but couldn't keep it down. By 2:00 - I was throwing u every ten minutes and sobbing to Dan that he had to come home from work. He came to check on me and saw that while Riley was OK, I was in really bad shape. By 6:00pm, I was dehydrated - I wasn't peeing, I couldn't keep down sips of Gatorade, my lips were chapped and bleeding, I had stomach pains in my lower abdomen and had a low grade temperature. I called OBGYN extraordinaire and he drew up orders for m to go to the Labor and Delivery triage for fluids and meds. Because Riley was just recovering, I didn't want her to sit in the hospital so thankfully, my best friend came to the rescue! Careful not to step foot in our house, she drove me to the hospital and sat with me while they tried to get IVs in my arms. I was so dehydrated that my veins kept blowing so they brought in another nurse (who happened to be the nurse that was in the delivery room when I had Riley). She was a pro and soon I had two bags of fluids and a full bottle of anti-nausea meds that also made you sleepy and a little loopy. While I don't remember this, Melissa said that I was rambling and slurring a few choice words, including my disdain that I didn't have DVR and I was missing American Idol. Here is a picture that Melissa took of me in the hospital. What would I do without you Melissa? She also skillfully updated my Facebook status to let everyone know I was laid up in the hospital and that she was indeed the best of the best.

• Tuesday night - Riley and Dan were both vomiting this time. We were like a cess pool of germs at our house. There was no escaping the plague. I have known Dan for seven years and I have NEVER seen him this sick. This was no joke. Riley was vomiting again throughout the night so I took over watching her once Dan was sick. Luckily, had enough energy from the fluids a few hours before.
• Wednesday, all three of us literally laid around the house. Taking turns washing in ho water whatever we touched, running the dishwasher, bleaching everything in sight, I was determined to rid the plague from our house. Dan had cleaned the bathrooms in between naps and taking care of Riley and I. Riley didn't eat or hardly drink anything on Wednesday and neither did Dan or I.
• Thursday, Riley woke up lethargic so we took her to the doctor's who reported that she was on the brink of dehydration. If she didn't have a wet diaper by 3:00pm, we were instructed to take her to the ER for IV fluids. Luckily, we didn't have to as she weakly began drinking and eating after sleeping in our bed that early afternoon. By this time, Dan and I still hadn't eaten anything but were feeling much better, weak, but better.

Now, it is Friday morning and I can say that we are all feeling much better. The analogy that I kept using was that we got hit by a bus. Well, this bus driver actually backed up and hit us a few times. I have NEVER been this sick, let alone, this sick, pregnant, and taking care of a sick toddler. Riley is eager to eat some food and I have been having a hankering for a Big Mac and a large coke. Hopefully, we will spend this weekend soaking up warmer weather, and even sneaking in a trip to the beach....while our house is airing out!