Chicken Pops?

Just as I thought we were all back to normal. As she was eating her breakfast this morning, I noticed a few little red dots appear on her arms and trunk. And they spread quickly. I figured it was probably something she ate, but it still made me cringe. By the time we got to kindermusik class, the dots were all over her body and one of the other moms even said "look, she has a rash!" DUH! I can only hope that it is nothing contagious now that it has been pointed out to everyone in the class. They are much smaller than chicken pox, but every time she gets a rash at all, I worry. And I remember the chicken pox I had as a child. Actually I don't remember anything about it at all...except that my sister had a much worse case and kept calling them chicken pops. In any case, it turns out that babies often have an eruption of red bumps at the end of a viral illness like the kind that caused Kira to get her first ear infection. So, that is the most likely cause behind the "pops" that she has. Still, a mom has to worry!

Dancing Queen

I first noticed it the day before our friends' wedding. A little head bob, a little wiggle in her step, a bounce at the knee. It was so obvious at the reception. Kira has learned to dance! She spent HOURS dancing at the wedding. The kids danced with her and the adults cheered her on. It was (and is) so funny to watch! If only we could all dance with that much abandon.

Hurting No More

I have learned that one of the sweetest sights is a once sick and pained baby finally able to lay her head down and fall asleep.
She had an ear infection in both ears...that led to the high fever from the weekend as well as an unusually cranky baby. She either wanted to be held or she would scream. She would try to lay down to sleep but would thrash about or scream. She couldn't eat. She couldn't play. She was M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E!
Even without any of the usual signs of an ear infection, I called our friend "Uncle Ric" and told him I was worried. The history of her daddy and I was full of childhood ear infections. He told me to meet him at the clinic at 8am this morning. I was there at 7:45. After hearing her scream since 2am I was ready to find a cause that could hopefully be cured.
After just one dose of antibiotics and getting her on a more regular schedule of motrin and tylenol, she started to feel better. She layed her head on my chest to watch "wink wink" this afternoon and by 3pm was finally asleep for her first long nap in days. She slept for 3 hours and woke up normal again!
We are so thankful for Uncle Ric and for the antibiotics that will make our baby well again. What a trying experience this has been!

Hot baby

I knew it would happen eventually. Kira's first hot fever. Her little playmate had had a fever a few days before, so I was expecting her to get one, but not one like we got last night! She had a fever of about 100.6 the day before, but was in a good mood playing like usual. I gave her plenty of milk to drink and a shot of tylenol before bed. She was unusually clingy, so I let her stay in bed with me and she fell asleep with her head propped up on my chest. All seemed ok until about 4:30 in the morning when she woke up crying, thrashing, and making little jerky motions. She was incosolable and felt burning hot. So hot that I jumped out of bed and flipped on the light. She was pale and sweaty and twitching slightly. I stripped her down to her diaper and stuck the thermometer and watched as the numbers climbed...and climbed...and climbed. She had a fever of 104.4. Knowing that high fevers that are climbing fast can cause seizures, and since she was already twitching, I got nervous. I grabbed another shot of tylenol and filled up the tub with cool water. She wasn't very thrilled with this bath, but it did bring her fever down to 102. I left her in her diaper and climbed back in bed with her as she drifted off to sleep...the rest of the night was restless intervals of sleep mixed with clingy wakeful fits every 20-30 minutes.
This morning (which actually turned into afternoon before we got up) she still has a fever of 100.5 and is clingy. Doesn't want to eat or play. Just wants to climb into mama's lap and nurse or sit still and watch her "wink, wink" (as we call her baby einstein videos). Poor thing. Makes me sad to think how she must feel.

Put it in the tub...

Kira loves bathtime, so maybe that is why she wants to share it with all her toys. I knew she was making lots of trips to the tub yesterday, but I thought it was just so she could peer in or hide behind the shower curtain like she likes to do. Last night, when I was getting her ready for her bath I discovered it. Toys in the tub. Lots of them. And a couple books. And an empty water bottle. I guess she was preparing for later in the evening when she would get in, too? In any case, it was still better than the day she plunked her favorite toy (the demo phone from Jeremy's store) into the toilet and watched it drift to the bottom.