On the road again

We've put some miles on the car lately.  We've been to Columbia for soccer, Asheville to visit a friend, Charleston for soccer (notice a trend!).  We we leave tomorrow for Charleston again.

I can't be happier with how well Abby does in the car.  She mostly sleeps.  She'll usually fall asleep right away.  Sometimes it takes a little coaxing.  Even though we are trying to limit the pacifier, sometimes in the car we allow it, if its helping her to fall asleep.  She usually sleeps the entire time, no matter the distance.  She then wakes up perky and ready to go.  (Usually hungry!)

I had been worried that the extended napping would make bed time a problem.  But she goes to bed with no problems after a day of travel.  Even travelling in the evenings.  She slept the entire way to Charleston last weekend, was up for a little bit to eat dinner and socialize, but then went to bed and slept through the night. 

I don't know any different, but I have to say this is pretty enjoyable.  It makes travelling so much less stressful.  I hope she continues to travel like this.  We've got some miles to go this spring (yeah soccer!)

Knock on Wood

I was thinking back the other day, and I realized we made it the entire first year without any ear infections!  (For Abby of course, I am a different story!)

Being pregnant, I was prepared for the worst when it came to the ears. Both Gene and I had terrible ears as child.  (I apparently still do).  Anytime she would get a fever and be fussy, everyone would tell me it must be her ears, even though it wasn't.

I think we survived the first year without any major illnesses.  We had our share of sniffles, but she's handled those like a champ.  She still happily plays and eats and sleeps well when she's not 100%.  We've had several colds, but nothing that's turned major. 

I'm hoping this winter is similar.  I'm hoping Abby inherited Gene's amazing immune system.  I seem to catch anything, even at the thought. His is much stronger and doesn't seemed to be phased by the common germ. 

Let's hope for the best!

Did that really just happen?

Last night started out like any other night.  We got home a little later, so we went straight to dinner time.  Abby enjoyed eating some avocado, ham, and Swiss cheese pieces.  She made a mess of herself and needed to go to the bath. (She had syrup in her hair from lunch, so it was bath time regardless of the avocado mess).

She enjoyed bath time with Daddy.  I folded her laundry in her room and listened in on bath time.  It as really cute to hear them together in there. 

Once bath time was over, we let her play for a while.  It was still early, so not quite bedtime yet. 

She wondered around the living room, moving from toy to toy.  She stopped for a while to finish her sippy cup of milk.  I could tell she was getting tired because she put her head down on the towel we used to wipe up her milk spills.  But, it was still a little early, so I let her play some more.

Then, all of a sudden, she tottered off to her room.  I went to get her some Tylenol for her teeth before we settled into bed.  While I was in the kitchen I heard her whimper.  Gene went to see about her.  When I came around to her room, he was empty handed.  I asked where she was and he said she was in the bed.  That when he got to her, she was at the crib, raising her hands up, and crying.  So he put her in the bed!

I gave her the Tylenol, tucked Meme the monkey close to her, and pulled the blanket up and that was it.  Night Night Abby.

I looked at Gene afterward with serious concern.  Did our child just ask to go to bed? Do children even do that?

I wonder if she will do that again? 

Her teeth have been hurting, and I know there is not much you can do except to wait it out.  She woke up several times in the night crying.  She found a paci and went right back to sleep.  But you could tell from the cry she was in pain.  I hate seeing her like that.  I try to do what I can to soothe the pain.  We've tried to be more lenient on the pacifier use because we think its helping her.  She knows how to go to the crib and if she can reach it, she will pull it out.  It makes her quiet, and happy.  The only other thing that seems to do that is food.  And I'm not teaching my child to pacify her pains with food. 

We are only on teeth three and four.  I can't imagine the pain with the rest.  I can only hope that she's getting several right now and that's the reason.  Or maybe this is just her, and its not teeth.  I don't know.

I guess we just have to wait and see.

Not a morning person

Abby is not a morning person.  Not at all.  I guess that's genetic too, since neither Gene and I are.

She's in no rush in the mornings to eat breakfast.  She likes to take her time. Which is hard for me, because I want to sleep as long as I can. But I need to give her time to eat, and not be rushed. 

We've just never found the breakfast grove.  With dinner, I know if she sits there long enough, she will eventually eat all that's on her tray.  It might take a while, but it will go in her mouth. 

We've always struggled with time, and getting her a bottle, or solids, and dressed and out the door.  Its not a big deal.

I'm never late to work, or at least not late enough to get caught, or reprimanded for it.

I know they say they will eat when they are hungry, and I worry about dropping her off at daycare hungry.  I know they have a morning snack, so she doesn't have to wait long to get something to eat. I just wish I had all the time in the world for her in the mornings.

1 new voicemail

I knew the call was coming, and I knew it would be soon.  Its been a week.  I had been away from my desk and when I came back I saw the missed call, with a voicemail.

Then I listened to the voicemail and it said to call in.  So I hesitated, and I ready for this, is now a good time. 

I took a deep breath and dialed.  My breathing started to get faster as my heart raced. I followed the commands to speak to the right person.

She nicely told me my results were in and it was just an atypical mole.  It wasn't cancer!  I just needed to keep an eye on the spot and make sure non of the pigmentation came back.  They were able to get it all, so there should be nothing to worry about.

I finally took a breath.

I don't ever want to feel that way again.  I will be more diligent about sunscreen on myself, and my family. 

I'm going to go home tonight and hug my family a little tighter. 

How long has this one been here?

I went to the dermatologist last week.  Its something I've been putting off for a long time, a really long time.  But I decided that enough is enough and I made an appointment. (That's the first step right?)

I went with a few curious moles in mind.  They had appeared at some point, and I wanted piece of mind.

I met with the PA. She was a nice woman.  Slightly older than me, tall, and had great skin (go figure!).

I explained to her why I was there and she told me she would look me over from head to toe. 

We talked while she looked.

She got to my abdomen, and stopped.  She asked, "What about this one, how long has it been there?"

That was not one of  my curious ones.  I didn't know about that one.  It didn't look much different than some of the others.  It was black, round, about the size of  pen tip. 

She said she didn't like the looks of it.  She wouldn't say what it was or if it was anything.  I know they don't want to tell you something and then it be different.  I tell patients that all day long.  I know its a fine line of trying not to freak someone out, but making sure they are well informed of the potential possibilities.

But I can't help but freak out.  It will be a week tomorrow.  They said the biopsy could take 2 weeks or more.

She hinted that she didn't think it was much of anything, but you NEVER know.  And right now I don't know and I'm worried.  It doesn't help that I'm no longer on the anxiety meds.  I haven't reached pinnacle points like I have in the past.  I'm still eating, I haven't broken out in a sweat thinking about it, but it is on my mind, a lot.

Its my own fault.  I've delayed this for a long time.  I've been careless in the sun, more than once.  I lived in the pool as a child, and I hardly ever remember putting on sunscreen.  I worked as a lifeguard and I don't think I used sunscreen the entire summer.  (I told myself that once I tan, I don't burn).

Who knows if I've done any damage.  We will have to continue to wait and see.  This is certainly a scare enough to make sure that I'm protected in the sun, as well as everyone else that I love.  Its not that hard to apply sunscreen.  Especially with the spray on kind.

I just need to take deep breathes.

Smarty pants

Maybe I'm biased, maybe its just that she's the same as everyone else, but she's my only so I don't know.

But Abby is pretty damn smart.

She knows things, she remembers things, she can initiate things without asking.

Examples:
In the morning, when we are getting dressed, she gets antsy so I give her things to play with to distract her while I try to wrangle her into some clothing.  There isn't much by, but I've given her both the brush and the comb to play with.  Immediately, she takes them to her head and starts moving them over her hair.  Of course, she doesn't have it quite right, but she knows those implements go in her hair. 

She knows where the snacks are.  And she will ask for them.  And if you move them, she will know, and she will tell you.  I put a can of cheese puffs on the counter the other day.  She saw me and she demanded (hahaha) that she have some.  So I gave her a few and sent her on her way.  A few minutes later she was pulling at the cabinets.  I thought she was just playing, but I moved her away so she wouldn't get hurt.  But she went right back and started to fuss.  Then I realized that she wanted more puffs.  So I gave her some and she toddled away happily. 

I caught her the other day trying to climb up the side of the crib.  She was grunting at something.  She wanted the paci that was in it.  She couldn't see it, but she knew it was in there.  We are weaning from day time use of the paci, so that was a no go, but a good try.

She asks everyday when we get home for dog and dada.  They usually aren't home yet, but its the first thing she says when we get out of the car.

She loves to play peek a boo.  And if you say "peek a boo" she will hold her hands up to her face and then pull them away and laugh.  Sometimes she will just do it on her own without you saying it.  And if you don't say it when she does it, you better watch it.  She will grunt at you until you do.  Doing it again and again till you say something.

I've tried a little sign language, but the only one that's caught on is more.  At dinner time, I usually only put a few things on her tray at a time, to reduce what Woody gets to eat.  When she's ready, she will grunt and kick and point at the stuff on the bar.  I will sign for more, and she will sign back.  I'm looking for the moment when she signs instead of grunts, or at least while grunting.

I think Gene and I are fairly intelligent, so it wouldn't surprise me that she would be smart.  I think we are both also very intuitive.  Which is a great life skill to have.  I would rather have street smarts over book smarts any day, but a good balance is optimal.

I can't wait to see what else she learns.  I eager to teach her new things, but I'm not sure what!  I know repetition is key.  Her language skills are coming along, although they are still minimal.  She's back to more of the dada sounds and less of the mama sounds.  She can say them if you ask her to.  I'm waiting for her to learn the e sound and that should open the door of her vocabulary.