My Little Sicko

Well, it's day 6 of Livy being sick with what we think is strep throat. Which means I haven't left the house all week. It seems that her new hobby is following me around all day making this nasally whining sound approximately every 12 seconds, probably to remind me that she's sick. Ya know, in case I've somehow forgotten.

I'm so ready for her to feel better because my patience is wearing thin. I hate when she's sick. It really does break my heart. Thankfully she's not running fever anymore, she just can't get over that sore throat! I've tried giving her some lozenges to help soothe the pain, but she insists on chewing them up immediately instead of sucking on them. She hasn't eaten much. Grits, applesauce, macaroni, and lots of ice cream have been the main menu.

"Livy, what do you want for supper tonight?"
"I don't know. Just get whatever you want to get."
"Applesauce?"
"No."
"Ice cream?"
"Umm, yes... I suspect I will."

She suspects she will? What is she? 85? Anyway, we are looking forward to this weekend, a chance to get out of the house! Drew's team is playing a tournament in Hot Springs. I see sunshine, a tan, and maybe a little Hobby Lobby in my near future.

A New Kind of Thermometer

Late Friday morning, Livy told me she was tired so I told her she could lay down in my bed and take a nap. She never naps anymore, so when she actually fell asleep I started thinking something might be wrong. Then she woke up from her nap crying.

"Why are you crying?"
"I... just... don't... know..."
"Do you feel ok?"
"No, I feel sick."

I picked her up and she was burning up. I checked her temperature, and sure enough, she was running a fever of 101.1. I took a picture of the thermometer and sent it to Drew so he would know what's going on, and this is what I got...

 

 I just don't know what to do with him sometimes! Ha!

Strep Throat

Livy Lou started running fever Friday night. She had no other symptoms and didn't act like it bothered her, so I gave her some Tylenol and put her to bed. 

Saturday morning she seemed fine so we went over to Nana's to visit with the gals. Livy ended up falling asleep in Aunt Lori's lap... Not normal for her. 

So I took her home. She acted sick for about an hour and then was back to playing and laughing but was still running fever. 

I kept her home Sunday morning from church because that fever just would not go away. Then she started saying her teeth hurt. She would randomly cry out in pain. So I thought maybe she had some molars coming in? I couldn't remember exactly when that happened... And she always ran fever when her teeth came in as a baby, so it made sense. Drew brought home some teething tablets to help ease the pain but they weren't working. At all. In fact, it seemed worse.

I finally convinced her to let me check inside her mouth with a flashlight to see if I could see some teeth coming in and I caught a glimpse of the back of her throat. Super red and swollen with spots. I figured it was probably strep throat. 

I made her an appointment for 9:15 this morning. She's 36 inches tall and 26 lbs. The nurse was finally able to get a swab of her throat, but not without a fight! Goodness! She did not want that done and I can't really blame her. When your throat feels like shards of glass, the last thing you want is a giant stick drug across it. 

JoAnn took one look in her mouth and said it was definitely strep. We picked up her prescription along with some jello, pudding, and a Sonic slush and headed home. We spent the day in bed. I wasn't allowed to leave her side, she barely slept any, cried out all day long, and has hardly had anything to eat or drink. She cries every time she tries to talk. Bless her heart. Strep throat is for the birds!!!

Sea Bands

Let me start off by saying how excited I am to be pregnant again. Everything about my pregnancy with Liv was wonderful (except for the occasional gagging during my morning showers). But seriously, I'm pretty sure I had an easy pregnancy with her. I basically felt great throughout the whole 9 months. We even joked the night I was going in to be induced, I still felt like I could walk a marathon and be completely fine.

August 4, 2010

So I sort of figured all of my pregnancies would be the same way...

Wrongo!!!

This one has been drastically different. I had some very strong symptoms before I even knew I was pregnant, and I found out really early... At 3.5 weeks! I should've known right away!

So let's discuss this whole "morning" sickness thing... Big fat lie! Some people say it strikes them at different times, but mine doesn't strike. It just never goes away. Thankfully, I just felt like I was going to be sick all the time, and I wasn't one of those who actually had to run to the toilet around the clock...

Until last weekend. I finally hit the 2nd trimester, the "safe zone", so I thought surely I'll begin to feel better, but it just got worse. On Saturday, literally all I did was sleep and throw up. I was miserable and not much better on Sunday. Then Monday came and I still felt terrible! 

I thought to myself, We have waited so long for this, and now I'm so sick I can't even enjoy it! What if it doesn't go away? What if I'm this sick until February? Poor Livy, she doesn't even understand why Mommy hasn't felt like playing with her in days! I'll just say its really difficult to be thankful for your own misery... even when you know how sweet and precious the instigator is! Ha!

By Monday evening I was willing to try anything! I had heard of Sea Bands from Michelle Duggar, of all people!? But I thought surely after 19 kids, those things must work so I went on the hunt! Our Walmart doesn't sell them, Walgreens does but they were out. Drew was sweet enough to bring some home from the El Dorado Walgreens. I put them on right away and I could immediately tell a difference. 

I wasn't sure if they were actually working or if it was all in my head. But I'm on day #3 now and I feel so much better! Don't get me wrong, there's still times when I don't feel exactly wonderful but that's to be expected. These bands have made my pregnancy so much more enjoyable.

They're not the most fashionable. I sort of feel like I'm geared up for my next game in the WNBA. But as long as I can go all day without getting sick, I'll wear them 'til the cows come home... Or until the baby comes. I'm sure we'll have the baby before we have any cows. :)

 

No More Shrimp!!!

Wednesday, July 10th, was a girls' day at the lake. Gran had come up to stay a few nights with Livy and I in our camper, and Annie had a couple ladies come stay with her too. The thunder and lightning had kept us from swimming that afternoon, so we spent the day in the camper playing cards, laughing, and watching Livy dance.

That night we went to Fisherman's Wharf for supper. I ordered popcorn shrimp and shared my plate with Livy. She ate almost everything I gave her. She was hungry that night and the food was so good! Before we even left the restaurant, she had started itching but I figured it was just dry skin from being in the sun or maybe it was from having a couple days worth of sunscreen on. Either way, I didn't think much about it.

Then on our way home she started complaining that her stomach hurt. We got caught in a downpour with thunder and lightning, and it took us almost an hour to get back to the campsites. About 11pm, she vomited. Then I started getting a little worried because the only other time she had eaten shrimp was at the beach and she got sick then too! At the time, I had just thought it was the combination of greasy food and too much sun. But what are the odds of her throwing up both times she's eaten shrimp??

She vomited 2 more times and by about 2am, Gran and I were considering going back into town to get her some medicine. I had looked up allergic reaction symptoms on my phone, and Livy had several in common. I wasn't too concerned until I started listening to the way she was talking. She just didn't sound like herself... like she had cotton in her mouth or something? So when I peeked at her throat with a flashlight, I panicked a little. It was super swollen. After calling Drew (who was still at home and really hating that he was so far away while she was sick) and talking it over with Gran, we all decided we'd rather be safe than sorry, so we took her to the ER.

We were the only people there, so they took us back right away. The doctor said she did have an allergic reaction and that the reactions will continue to get worse. No more shrimp or shellfish. They gave her some medicine and some steroids and sent us on our way. Livy was a doll! She was the perfect little patient!

We got back to our camper at 4:30am, I slept a total of 2 hours, then got up and drove 3 hours to my prenatal appointment with Dr. Watson in El Dorado. Looking back, I'm not sure how I made it?! I probably should've called them and asked to reschedule due to the circumstances, but I had waited for that appointment for so long, I wasn't going to let anything stop me! We had also been waiting on that appointment so that we could finally share the good news with everyone!

As soon as Dr. Watson placed the Doppler on my stomach, we heard the sweet little ...thump, thump, thump... of our baby. Drew says it sounds like a car going down the interstate. Haha!

Midnight Ramblings

Livy had an exciting day yesterday. Drew and I had to be in Shreveport early that morning so Annie had volunteered to come watch Livy while we were gone. 

Livy had gotten sick the day before, had a bad cough, and was breathing really short shallow breaths so I called first thing yesterday morning and made her a doctors appointment for 1:15. While we were in Shreveport, Pappy and Annie called and said they were taking Livy to the ER because she was having such a hard time breathing. Her little chest was pumping so hard. So of course, a little panic set in for Drew and me. We were an hour and a half away!!! We raced back home as soon as we could, met them at the hospital, and then took her to her doctors appointment to follow up with what medicines she needed to start on. Her doctor looked at the chest X-ray and thought that Livy's right side looked a little questionable... like possible pneumonia. So she prescribed medications to treat it as if it was pneumonia. While we were there, they gave Livy another breathing treatment, and she did so wonderful! She sat up on that exam table all by herself! Livy has never been a "sick child" but lately she's had this same problem of difficult breathing. Her doctor said if this problem continues, we may have to get her tested for allergies/asthma. Hopefully all this will clear up soon and that won't be necessary! 

She had her hands in her "pockets"... the girl loves pretending she has pockets like Daddy!

 

Goofy! Can you tell she was running fever? No? Me either... She's wild!

She said she looked like an elephant.

Poor Drew has been working such long hours this past week. Between going to bed super late, waking up super early, and getting up and down with Livy during the night he hasn't gotten much sleep lately. So when he woke me up last night and asked if I would switch out with him and go lay down with Livy, I felt terrible. I didn't even know he had been up with her! When I walked in, this is what she said:

"No, I want daddy!"

"Baby, daddy is sleepy. I'm gonna lay down with you for a little while."

"But daddy's helping me look for my mother."

"I'm right here, baby."

"No, I can't find my mother!"

"Livy, I'm your mother. You know that."

"No, you're mama."

"Well then who is your mother?"

"Punzel's mama."

"Rapunzel's mama? Mother Gothel??"

"Yea! I can't find her!?"

And then a little later she rubbed my back and said,

"Aww, you're doing a good job, mama!"

I guess she thinks I'm a good sleeper? 

Even when she's sick, she is just the funniest little thing! I can't even put into words how much Drew and I love her. There's lots of times that we just sit around staring at her and laughing. Everything she does is just precious!

Reunited...

...and it feels so good!

 

We are so thankful to be back at home with our Livy Lou. I don't think Drew was quite as thrilled, just because he had to get up early, head back to work, and get back in the swing of things this morning. Luckily, I'm already retired, so I slept in. LOL

We did have an awesome time on our mini vacation! Last year, we had a terrible time with our flights due to stormy weather causing delayed flights, causing us to miss connecting flights, causing us to make it all the way to the Virgin Islands without our luggage... but it was nothing like that this year! We were prepared. We crammed everything we needed into our carry-on bags, so we never had to worry about checking our bags or dealing with baggage claim. It was wonderful. If you can, that's definitely the way to go!

I know this is super blurry, but we saw Anthony Bourdain at the Atlanta airport. He was on the same flight with us to Jacksonville!

Thursday:
We got to the resort Thursday afternoon around 1 I think. We changed into our swim suits and headed toward the beach. Our resort wasn't on the beach, but it ran a shuttle back and forth to The Cabana Beach Club, which is a private beach connected with the resort... just a 5 minute ride. We ate a late lunch at the restaurant there that overlooks the beach, and then we spent the afternoon playing in the ocean like some little kids. It was freezing, but it was so much fun! That evening we had to be back at the resort for a "Meet & Greet." When we got back to our rooms that night, it was late, so we ordered room service, watched Full House, and cried a little because Michelle reminded us so much of Livy. (Drew is adamant that he did not cry, but I know he wanted to...) :)

This really doesn't do the beach much justice, but somehow it's the only picture we took of the beach?!

Friday:
We slept in a little, but then headed straight for the beach again. We didn't have to be back at the resort until about 5:30 to get cleaned up for dinner, so we wanted to soak up all the sun we could that day... and boy, did we! We went back and forth between laying out on the sand to beside the pool, and occasionally getting in the water, but mostly laying out, relaxing. At one point, I even dozed off while I was laying on my stomach. Biggest mistake ever!

Normally, all the funny comments and conversations are reserved for Livy... but this one is all about Drew. We were each given a gift card to spend at the resort. We could either use it for a round of golf or use it at the spa, so we had been considering our options. While we were hanging out in the pool, Drew said:

Drew- "You need to take your feet and go get one of those... what are they called?"
Me- "Pedicure?"
Drew- "Amputation."

Hahaha! I laughed and laughed and laughed when he said that. My heels are in bad shape from always walking around barefoot, but I was not expecting him to say that! It was hilarious! He has a way of making me feel so special ;)

That night we got all dressed up for the Central Region dinner at the 619 Ocean View restaurant at the Cabana Beach Club. The food was wonderful! Scallops, cold cucumber soup, filet mignon, asparagus, golden Yukon potatoes puree, cinnamon bread pudding... sounds fancy right? Some of it, I have never cared much for, but at this restaurant, it was amazing!

When we got back to our room that night, we were both pretty sunburned. I think I was in a little more pain than Drew since I had fallen asleep while laying out. That night was pure misery. I was freezing because of the sunburn, but under the covers, it felt like I was literally on fire. I couldn't even touch my legs together because they were so hot. I tossed and turned until about 3am. I got up to go to the bathroom, but I could barely even stand up. The back of my legs were so burned I guess my skin had tightened up, and I couldn't even straighten my legs out to stand. It felt like the entire back of my legs would cramp every time I stood or tried to walk. I eventually made it to the bathroom and put a cold wet wash cloth on the back of my legs... anything to ease the pain! I was just about to shuffle my way back to bed when this overwhelming sick feeling washed over me. And sure enough, I got sick. Oh, I was miserable! A few other wives got sick that night too, so I'm not sure if it was the food or too much sun?! Drew was sweet enough to put some more aloe vera on the back of my legs for me, then I stayed in bed until 11:30 the next morning!

Saturday:
When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt so much better, but I still could hardly walk! It was like a baby giraffe walking for the first time... miserable for me, but I'm sure hilarious to watch!

Drew went fishing early that morning with some other guys and fell overboard! Ok, it wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, but he did fall off the boat! Lol! The boat was pretty small and there were no sides. They just stood right on the edge and fished. He said he had gotten his pole caught on some other poles that were stored above his head, and as he was trying to shake it loose, he lost his balance and fell right in. Haha!! I'm laughing as I type this. I so wish I could've been there to witness it! Some of the guys got his picture, but none of him actually in the water... they were probably too busy laughing. Poor Drew ruined his phone and soaked his wallet, but he did catch some fish; and it's a great story, so all in all, I count it a success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the great fall...

RIP iPhone

Needless to say I did not lay out at all for the rest of the trip! Saturday afternoon, we took a shuttle over to The Players Clubhouse and explored the place. Since The Players Championship was only 2 weeks away, we weren't supposed to walk around the golf course, but no one ever stopped us! Drew was determined to see the famous 17th hole... so we snuck down there. It was beautiful!

We made it to the 17th hole!

This is the view from the back of the Clubhouse.

That night, we had the awards dinner there. We actually ate in the very room where Tiger Woods made his famous confession about all his infidelities. Before the awards were given out, they had a cocktail hour... so Drew and I, having an hour to kill, decided to go explore the clubhouse a little more. A super sweet volunteer lady asked if we had any questions, we told her we were just looking around, so she said, "Well, come on, I'll give you a tour!" She took us to places that the public isn't allowed to see! The entire place was just gorgeous! She said they just remodeled the clubhouse back in 2007 for a mere $66 million! Shucks!

 

Since the 1970's, the champion of the TPC has donated a golf club.

The President's Cup

 

Inside the locker room at the Clubhouse

After our tour, we made our way back upstairs to the dinner and it was time for the awards. In order to earn this vacation, the salesmen's rental revenue must be at least $2 million. Drew brought in $4.5 million last year... just in rentals! That's not even counting the equipment he sold! I could not be more proud of him. Watching him walk up to the front of the room to accept his award while everyone was clapping (and guys were hollering "Splash!" because of his fishing excursion)... I was just beaming with pride. I love him so much. He does work hard for us. Long hours. Little sleep. Very little free time. Unhappy customers. The sales world is a tough one, but he always handles himself like a champ, and I'm so glad he loves me even when I don't deserve it.

In front of the Clubhouse

 

Awards dinner

 

The same place where the awards were announced Saturday night, is where Tiger Woods made his "announcement"

Dinner Saturday night

 

Have I mentioned I love this man?

The proud wives... I had such a great time hanging out with these sweet ladies!

Sunday:

I started off my last day in Florida with a facial at the spa. It was so relaxing. Then we packed up, headed for the airport, and made our way back to good ole Magnolia to see our girl! It feels so good to be back home with her.

I took a few million pictures from the plane to show Livy...

Easter Pajamas with Mama

How did our Easter go? Well, I could tell you all about how we woke up Sunday morning, ate our weekly batch of cinnamon rolls, got all dolled up in our new clothes, listened to a wonderful sermon, took the perfect Easter family portrait, and then spent the afternoon eating a delicious home cooked meal and hunting eggs with family in the beautiful sunshine... but that would be a lie.

Here's real life:

Livy went to bed Saturday night with 101.3 fever, so we knew one of us would need to stay home with her Sunday morning. Drew had to teach Sunday school and do power point for the sermon, so I stayed home. We did actually get our cinnamon rolls, but that's about the only thing that went as planned. Livy and I stayed in our pajamas all day, which was just weird. Now, I won't lie... most weekdays, if we're at home, we're in our comfy pajama pants. But pajamas all day on Easter Sunday?! Or any Sunday for that matter... it was strange. It never really felt like Easter to me. Anyway, we spent all morning in bed watching Disney Jr., then shared a frozen pizza for lunch.

Sunday night, Livy ran a super high fever and felt awful. So Monday morning, it was off to the doctor! By this time, her fever had worn off and you could hardly tell she was sick.

Who says you can't be a fashionista at the doctor's office?

She did have a nasty cough though. We were whisked over to the hospital so Livy could have a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. I think I was more nervous than she was because I knew what was coming. I just kept picturing her being held down by a couple of nurses on a cold metal table with the x-ray machine hovering over her, all while she's screaming for me and I'm forced to stand outside the room and watch. But, it was nothing like that! All she had to do was stand up against the x-ray backdrop thingy (have no idea what that thing is called!) and the machine was several feet away from her. In fact, when the nurse told her to get ready, Livy said,
"Cheeeese!"
With the biggest smile on her face. I was so relieved!

Results came back a few hours later... it was not pneumonia, only bronchitis! Praise the Lord!

Our Easter weekend definitely didn't go how we thought it would, but guess what? Jesus is still alive! Hallelujah! And hopefully our Livy Lou is on the mend!