Friends at the Table

Yeah me!

I finally figured out how to add a visitor counter to the site. You can find it under, "Friends at the Table" on the left side of the page.

Patience and "trial and error" does pay off.

Now...if I could just learn to perfect my chocolate chip cookie recipe, the day could be declared a success!

The Wrinkle Test

We got a new Whirlpool "Duet Steam" front loading washer & dryer. First of all, I couldn't figure out what to do with it so I waited until Dan got home to read the directions to me. Call me lazy if you will, I will tell you that I have a one year old.

To begin, we had to run the washer with no clothes in it to make sure it was clean, I guess. No lie, Dan and I stood mesmerized, staring into the glass dome. We weren't sure it was even on because it made very little noise...compared to our old clunker anyway.

While I have been on the computer typing away, Dan has been reading out interesting facts from the booklet. It is 9:30 and we are putting in our first official load. Then, Dan decides to bust out the big guns and give it the "Wrinkle Test." He had me thoroughly examine his dress shirt & pants he intends to wear tomorrow to work - every wrinkle on the bottom, sleeves, and also, it was necessary to give it a smell test. It was strange. He is pumped. You would think he does the laundry or something. He walks out to inspect the load every so often, popping his head in to proudly announce, "There is a light in the dryer!"

Results of the Wrinkle Test: Pretty Good!
Not iron quality, but a lot less wrinkled. It beats throwing it into the dryer with a wet bath towel. As an added plus, it got all of the stray dog hair off of the blue dress pants.

Independence Day

We started this Fourth of July with a parade. We came late so I think we missed the good floats. Dan made the remark that all we saw were contractor trucks and trailers pulling sweaty, candy throwing people. But, Riley was a good little parade watcher as she twirled her flags and waved at the people passing by.

After we stopped at Riley's favorite eatery, Chik-Fil-A for the usual, nuggets and milk (Mommy & Daddy love the sweet tea), we headed home. Our little firecracker took a long nap and awoke a few hours later to help Daddy plan the dinner menu. Dan has decided that the weekends will be his chance to cook for the family since I am the chef throughout the week. I am more than happy to oblige, and I must admit, I get a kick of making him put on my cupcake apron.

So, as I enjoyed my own little Independence Day from cooking, Riley and I played and snacked on Daddy's homemade gingerbread cookies. That's right ladies, homemade. They smelled and tasted delicious. For the main meal, Dan tried out a new Rachel Ray recipe, Tex-Mex Fried Chicken with Corn on the Cob. Very southern, we thought. Riley had her first encounter with corn on the cob. She loved her some butter and corn. She sucked and ate her way all the way around the cob. It was precious.

After dinner, we gathered all of our supplies and headed to our little city's Fourth of July bonanza. This year, they were doing a laser light show instead of fireworks, a good alternative to the loud blasts that we knew Riley would be afraid of.

She had a great time running around, looking at the red, white, and blue balloons that hung overhead, and dancing to the music. Sometimes, I think she got confused, and she would walk up to a group of people and sit down with them. It was funny and strange all at the same time.

We met a nice family of three who were seated next to our blanket. Their daughter was 20 months and Riley was slightly enamoured with her, her stroller, and her chair. Then, they got ice cream and all hell broke loose as Riley's taste buds went into overdrive. After standing in line for a good 2o minutes, Dan also returned with ice cream for his two favorite girls.

After 9:00 (over an hour past regular bedtime) the laser light show finally started. We were a little disappointed because it was not what we imagined. There was a large inflatable screen in which they projected images on while a green laser fanned across the crowd. I guess we were expecting more of a light show that resembled fireworks.

Finally, at 10:00, we returned home with a very cranky and sweaty baby. She drifted off to sleep as soon as we put on her pajamas, cradling her blankie as we sang our bedtime songs.

All in all, it was a busy, fun day...definitely one to remember.

Exercise

I don't like exercising. I hate sweating in particular and my face gets flushed the moment I start to heat up. Dan thinks he is getting fat. (Insert eye roll). He points to his belly where his 6-pack once resided. So, in effort to battle the "bulge" he is taking up an exercise routine. I say routine, but we will see as this was his first day back on the bandwagon.

Before Riley and I even rose from our slumber, Dan retreated to the garage for some push-ups and curls with the weights. Then, if that wasn't enough, he came in and told me he and Murphy were going for a run.

....Some time passes....

I hear Riley rustling in her crib and make my way over to the other side of the house, blinking back the sleep from my eyes. That's when I see it. Dan is sprawled out on his back near the front door. Without stopping, I ask if he is OK. His reply, "I think I'm having a heart attack." To which I say, "Alright, well, when you are done, can you take out the garbage?"

Dan has always been an active guy, playing rugby and other sports. But, as he is aging, his body is having a tough time making it around the lake twice. I can say all this from the comfort of my home...in the air conditioning. See, this is why I don't exercise.

Check Yourself before you Wreck Yourself

I am tired, so tired.
I need a reality check.


Breakfast

Riley: Waffle, milk, strawberries and banana

Me: Coffee


Lunch:

Riley: Cheese Quessadilla, spinach nuggets, milk, and fruit

Me: Brownie

Sleep:

Riley: 12 hours + a night

Me: Maybe 7

Activities:

Riley: Running, climbing, exploring, chasing, and laughing

Me: School work, dinner, cleaning, chasing around running, climbing, exploring, chasing, and laughing toddler

Clothes:

Riley: Yesterday, I actually IRONED her top. I couldn't believe it!

Me: Two-day old $2 tank-top and over sized shorts. Who has time to find clean clothes that fit?

Hair:

Riley: A perfect pony, complete with matching bow.

Me: New hair-do is (semi-dirty) slicked back with a bobby-pin.

Thankful

In the rush of day to day life, I am guilty of not stopping and realizing how lucky I am. I have been so busy working on papers for grad school, cooking dinner, cleaning, laundry, reality TV, errands, and all of the other crazy stuff that goes along with life that it's hard to take a step back sometimes and just be thankful.


On a break from school work on Sunday, our trio went to my parents for a little break. Here are a few of my things on my Thankful List for the day.

A Hubby Who Cleans My Car

A New Haircut

Fajitas on the Grill

Helmets & Bike Rides

Dirty

Daddy, I Love You

Daddy, I love you
For all that you do.

I'll kiss you and hug you

'Cause you love me, too.

You feed me and need me

To teach you to play,

So smile 'cause I love you

On this Father's Day.

~ Author Unknown

A New Puppy!

Not really....

My mom gave Riley one of those old school Fisher Price puppies. You know the kind, with a string attached around it's neck and he moves his tail and legs and "barks" when you pull him along.

Well, Riley is obsessed. So much so, that she refuses to go anywhere without it. We went on a play date today and we had to "walk" the puppy to the neighbor's house --- so slowly, it was painful. He falls down quite a lot, Riley says, "uh oh," situates him again and we are on our way once more.

The first night we had "Puppy," Riley couldn't bear to go to bed without him. Mr. & Mrs. Safety (Mommy and Daddy) refused to let her take Puppy to bed because we were afraid she might strangle herself with the string. She then had, what we call a sit-in. She crouched in the corner, hovering over Puppy, grunting, with a death grip on him. It was all we could do to stifle our laughter. We (and by we, I mean Dan), finally wrangled Puppy out of her hands telling him he had to go night-night too.

We finally got her calmed down and ready for bed. In the morning, she woke up and went straight for Puppy's resting place on the chair. She will not let him take a rest. Sometimes, though, she is mean to Puppy because he keeps falling down and throws him and stomps away. That's when Mommy has to have an intervention about being nice to Puppy.

Here is a picture of Riley kissing Puppy. She really gets into it.

A Summer Day

This weekend was a chance for us to breathe a big sigh of relief after Riley's bout with the menacing virus. On Saturday, we spent the day with my parents swimming and eating yummy barbecue ribs. To finish up the weekend, on Sunday we enjoyed the day together as our little family of three.

Did I mention I hate summers in Florida? It has been so ungodly hot for June that it is just miserable outside. But, Riley insists on going "side" so we venture out for a few minutes at a time. We walked around in the yard for a bit and then convinced her to play on the back porch. Her little face turns beat red after a few minutes out in the heat. She is also very good about drinking water from her favorite cup to stay hydrated.

In other news, Riley's vocabulary is really expanding. It amazes us how we can say a word, and she repeats it with ease. Tonight while eating dinner, she kept saying "chicken" as she devoured it.

Two others things on the radar as of late: shoes and nudity

Riley has become obsessed with shoes. Mine, hers, Dan's, Mimi & Papa's...she doesn't care. She says, "shoes" and tries with all her might to get them on her feet, even when she already has a pair on.

When Riley had her fever, I let her just walk around in her diaper for the better part of the day. Since then, she has developed an aversion to clothes. She throws a royal fit when you try to put a shirt on her. Dan is worried :)

Answered Prayers

After a week's worth of worrying and protecting her from every bump and cut, we went back in to the doc today to get Riley's platelet count checked again.

Her numbers are on the rise!

She is still in the low "normal" range, but great strides up from 67!

Other than that, Riley has been fever and roseola free for a few days now. She has also came off the Brat diet as her tummy is finally starting to feel better. Doc said that her irritability is probably due to some leftover achy feelings from the virus and the molars that are irritating her gums.

Let the good times continue.

The Drama continues...

We saw the doc today. He suspects Riley has a stomach virus (put on BRAT diet), she is developing Roseola from the days of the high fever (red bumps all over) and her platelet count is very low.

We will work on keeping her fever down, giving her bland foods, and then we have to return to the doc on Fri to get her blood tested again to make sure her platelet count is going back up and it is hopefully just related to the virus. There is nothing he can do about the Roseola.

He also commented that if she could tell us, Riley would explain that she is miserably achy. Poor Baby! This will hopefully run it's course in about 7-10 days, so until then, we are quarantining ourselves as she is highly contagious!

Say a little prayer for our "baby doll" tonight as you fall asleep.

Riley's First ER Visit

Riley had another milestone this week...her first ER visit.

She had been battling a fever all day on Friday and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to come down. Rounds of Tylenol, Motrin, and tepid baths did nothing to relieve our little sweetie.

My mom even came over to give me a hand. She was amazed by how blazing hot Riley was and that she wasn't eating, drinking, or trying to run around like usual.

Around 4pm, I put her down for a nap and decided to get rest myself. When she work up moaning at 6, her face was beat red, she was shaking and her body was on fire. I frantically took her temperature and it read 104.1. I quickly called the pediatrician's office and reached the answering service. Within two minutes, I received a call back from someone.

After explaining to the nurse that her fever was not dropping despite my efforts, she advised me to take Riley to the ER. With my fingers shaking (and holding a shaking baby) I dialed Dan's number. He was home within a few minutes and we were headed to Healthpark. I debated on taking her to the closer hospital, but I know that Healthpark is known for it's children's unit.

After about an hour and a half, we saw a doctor. I was surprised how fast we were able to see one. He explained that even if she had an ear infection or strep, he would not give her antibiotics because he didn't believe babies needed it. Um, okay. He also added that the times she did receive antibiotics for ear infections and strep, she probably didn't even have the infections. Sure she didn't.

He had the nurses insert a catheter to withdraw some urine because he was worried about a Urinary Tract Infection. This, he said, would be the only way she would receive an antibiotic. Thank you, kind sir.

While waiting for the test results, Riley showed some interest in the few snacks that I did remember to pack for her (but still not the drink). She inhaled the zucchini/carrot muffin and Gerber veggie sticks so fast she almost choked. At least she is hungry, we thought.

Finally, the test came back negative, relieved, but still wondering what was wrong with our baby? He explained at length about seizures associated with fevers, possible vomiting, and bloody stool...all which, "should not alarm us." Awesome.

Close to 10pm, our little family of three finally left the ER with very little questions answered. Riley held her blankie and sucked on her paci and fell asleep quickly after her little butt hit her car seat. We drove through the Chik-Fil-A drive thru and continued home.

We gave Riley another dose of Motrin and she quickly fell back asleep. Her sleep was erratic and was up often, and actually right on cue, to receive her additional doses.

Saturday we went to my parent's house and let her swim three different times to get her temperature down. She was still burning up all day despite our efforts....another bad night of sleep followed.

It is now Sunday night and her fever has finally subsided. I have to call the doc's office tomorrow morning to schedule a follow-up visit from our first ER trip.

It was an eventful weekend, none of which we are interested in repeating any time soon.

Riley's First Art Project

Riley was bored. I'm not sure if one year olds are supposed to get bored, but I really had the feeling she was...because I was too.

I busted out the construction paper and crayons ready for the artist's debut. After I carefully taped down the paper to her high chair tray, I strapped her in (because that is absolutely necessary because she is a wild woman) and we were ready to get the creative juices flowing.

Well, it didn't exactly work out like that.

I guess I was picturing a mini Picasso but Riley was more interested in laughing at her crayons and calling them "Dadda" than she was in actual coloring.

After I wrote her name and "13 months" on the paper and illustrated how to draw blocks of blue, red, green, and orange, I realized she really could have cared less. I had hoped that this little activity would have taken 15-30 minutes, but no chance with my little monkey. After a few minutes, Riley was ready to get down and move on to bigger and better things.

I am going to continue our afternoon crafting sessions. I'm thinking about play-doh tomorrow...