Roseola and the 30 Day Photo Challenge

My poor baby apparently has roseola. On Sunday, I noticed her forehead and neck felt really warm to me, and when I checked her temperature, she was running a fever of over 102 degrees Fahrenheit. She had a fever all day Sunday and all day Monday, but was otherwise acting pretty normal. On Tuesday, her fever was gone. But then when I got her up yesterday morning, I noticed that she had a pink rash on her face, neck, chest, and back. I checked her temperature to make sure she wasn't running a fever again (she didn't feel hot to me, but I wanted to check to be sure), but it was normal. I called the answering service number for her pediatrician, and Dr. Trumbull called me back. I told him how she had been running a fever, and I described the rash and her symptoms (or I guess I should say lack of symptoms, since she was still acting pretty normal), and he said it sounds like she has roseola. I had never heard of it before, but I looked it up on Google, and that's certainly what it sounds like to me. Overall, she's doing pretty good. She hasn't had any fever since Tuesday, but she has been a bit on the fussy side. I'm just thankful it's nothing more serious. Rylee has never been sick before (we've been very blessed with her health thus far), so I was kinda nervous when she first started running the fever, and even more-so when I saw her poor little face covered in a rash. Hopefully the rash will clear up soon (I read that it can last anywhere from just a few hours to several days), because she's supposed to get her 9-month pictures taken next week. Below are a few pictures that I took of Rylee today. It's kinda hard to see the rash in the pictures, but if you look closely, you can see it on her face and neck. She's still the most beautiful little girl you've ever seen, though, huh?

not very happy

In other news, I have finally decided to jump on the bandwagon with everyone else and do the "30 Day Photo Challenge" that has taken over Facebook. However, I'm not going to do it on Facebook; I'm going to do the challenge here on my blog, beginning tomorrow. Sometimes I get "blogger's block" and have a hard time thinking of things to write about, so I figured this would be something fun to do, and it will give me a guaranteed something to blog about every day for the entire month of April. Here are the daily photo challenges:

Day 1: A picture of me as a baby
Day 2: A picture of my very first home
Day 3: A picture of me and someone I grew up with
Day 4: A picture of me and my best friend(s)
Day 5: A picture of the school I graduated from
Day 6: A picture of someone I find attractive
Day 7: A picture from one of the best nights of my life
Day 8: A picture of me and the person I've been the closest with for the longest
Day 9: A picture that can always make me smile
Day 10: A picture of me and my family
Day 11: A picture from one of my favorite vacations
Day 12: A picture of one of my favorite foods
Day 13: A picture of myself from sometime last year
Day 14: A picture of me and someone I miss
Day 15: A picture of someone I can't imagine my life without
Day 16: A picture of my current home
Day 17: A picture of my dream home
Day 18: A picture of my vehicle(s)
Day 19: A picture of my dream vehicle
Day 20: A picture of one of my favorite books
Day 21: A picture of one of my favorite movies
Day 22: A picture of someone who can always make me laugh
Day 23: A picture of something I'm afraid of
Day 24: A picture of something I enjoy doing
Day 25: A picture of something I want to do before I die
Day 26: A picture of somewhere I'd love to travel to
Day 27: A picture of the cast from one of my favorite TV shows
Day 28: A picture of my favorite band
Day 29: A picture of my pet(s) or a pet I would like to have
Day 30: A picture of me taken within the past month

(Confession: I didn't like some of the daily challenges (for example: "A picture of a person I'd love to trade places with for a day." Well... I don't really want to trade places with anyone. I'm thankful for the life God blessed me with, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.), so I may or may not have made up my own daily challenges for a handful of them. Hey... this is supposed to be for fun. Who cares if I bend the rules just a bit?)

Why God Made Mothers

My daddy forwarded the following to me in an email, and I thought it was just too cute not to share/blog.


Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers? 

She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
Mostly to clean the house.
To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

God made my mom just the same like He made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
We're related.
God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
They say she used to be nice.

What did your mom need to know about your dad before she married him?
His last name.
She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
She got too old to do anything else with him.
My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.
Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work.
Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's house.
Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
Mothers don't do spare time.
To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it - not me.
I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head. 

I got a good laugh from those. Kids really do say the darnedest things! It'll be interesting to hear what crazy things come out of Rylee's mouth over the years as she gets older and starts talking! 

A Crawler, a New Book, and a Thank You

Well... Rylee is crawling. Really crawling. For the longest time, she had been doing a type of army crawl and rolling all over the place, but she just would not take off on her hands and knees. Then, this past Sunday morning (the 20th), I was in the shower getting ready for church, and Jordan yelled in to me, "Babe, she is crawling! Get out here!" Like I said, I was a little busy, but I jumped out of the shower, grabbed my towel, and ran to the door just in time to see her crawling down the hallway toward Jordan. I couldn't believe it. I guess it finally just clicked for her. It's very exciting to see her developing and learning new things, but each milestone she hits is bittersweet for me. I just can't believe how big she is and how fast time is going by. I know I say that all the time, but it's just how I feel. My baby is quickly turning into a toddler, and I have a hard time with it sometimes.
Today, Rylee got her newest book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in the mail. I love Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. If you've never heard of it, it's a free program that you can register your children in if they are under the age of five. Every month, your child will receive one age-appropriate book in the mail, absolutely free. I registered Rylee in the program shortly after she was born, so she has already received seven books (she didn't get her first book until August 2010, because it takes a few weeks for your information to be processed; she also didn't receive a book in October 2010 because we moved and, once again, it takes a few weeks for your (change of) information to be processed). Here are the books she has gotten so far:

Rylee's very first book from the program; received in August 2010

Rylee's book from September 2010

Rylee's book from November 2010

Rylee's book from December 2010

Rylee's book from January 2011

Rylee's book from February 2011

the book Rylee got in the mail today for March 2011

In case you're wondering, no, you don't get to pick which books your child receives. I have never heard of any of these books before except the first one, but they have all turned out to be pretty cute/sweet books so far. And like I said, they're FREE - it doesn't get any better than that.
On a different note, I wanted to mention a quick "experience" I had earlier this afternoon. Rylee and I made our weekly Wednesday trip to Publix, and when I got to the dairy section, I noticed there was a U.S. solider shopping in front of me. I didn't know him, but I called out to him. He turned around, and I thanked him for his service. And he smiled. And he thanked me. And it was all I could do not to cry. The brave men and women in our armed forces make so many sacrifices to protect our freedom. It is so important to take the time to let our troops know they are appreciated. It really does mean a lot to them.

In Honor of Maddie

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I have been following the blog of a young woman, Kellie Staats, who tragically lost her beautiful baby girl, Maddie, to SIDS exactly one month ago today. I have never met Kellie (and most likely never will, considering she lives in another state), but I can't even begin to explain how much her story has impacted my life. I'm sure anyone who hears of what she's been through would be touched, but being a mom of a baby girl myself, her story touches me on a whole different level. I didn't really know it was possible to feel so much heartache for people I don't even know, but I'll tell you what - I have shed many tears for this family. Every day, I check Kellie's blog to see how she and her husband are doing. Today, she posted a blog asking those who would to honor Maddie by taking our little ones to the park, and to love on them, and take lots of pictures. Well, I didn't have time to take Rylee to the park today, but I did spend the day with her (as I am blessed to do every day, being a stay-at-home mom) and I took lots of pictures, just like Kellie asked.
That is just one of the many valuable lessons I have learned from Kellie and Maddie - you can NEVER take enough pictures. And even if some of the pictures don't turn out the way you wanted, that is okay. You never know when it might be the last picture you get to take. They also taught me just how important it is to really savor my time with Rylee. I have always loved my little girl with everything in me, but since learning of Kellie's story, I appreciate having Rylee in my life in a whole new way. I no longer complain inside if she's fussy all day, or wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. I treasure every second I get to hold her and kiss her and love on her. She is such a blessing, and I thank God every day for allowing me to be her mommy.
So today, I spent the day loving on my little girl. In honor of Maddie Staats. A beautiful baby girl I never knew, but who has touched my heart and impacted my life forever.

getting ready to go to Walmart with Mommy. Doesn't she look thrilled?

at Walmart with Mommy. her first time sitting in the buggy seat like a big girl!

playing in her walker while Mommy puts away groceries

funny face

first time sitting in our backyard

she kept flapping her arms up and down

smiling at Daddy

This picture made us think of the talking dog in the movie UP that suddenly gets distracted by a "SQUIRREL!".

smiling at Daddy again

still smiling at her daddy

she wanted the camera

Daddy took this one

Daddy took this one too. She smiled her biggest for him.

I Have a Nine-Month-Old

Yesterday, Rylee turned nine months old. That means that in just three short months, I will have a one-year-old. I don't even want to think about that right now. It never ceases to amaze me how fast time has flown by since she was born. I am really doing my best to truly treasure every second I get to spend with her (even the seconds when she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night...). I am learning more and more every day to never take my time with her for granted. She is such a blessing, and I am so thankful God chose me to be her mommy.
Yesterday was Rylee's nine-month check-up with her pediatrician. As always, it went very well, which makes this mommy happy. When the nurse first called us back, she led us into one of the lab rooms to prick Rylee's finger for some blood. I fully expected Rylee to scream once she realized what happened, but she didn't even flinch. She just looked at the nurse as if to say "What did you just do to my finger?" I was so proud of her. When the nurse finished getting the blood she needed from Rylee's finger, she put a tiny band-aid on it to stop the bleeding. Then another nurse took us to another room to get Rylee's measurements and wait on Dr. Trumbull. She weighed 18 pounds, 11 ounces, and she was 28 inches long. While we were waiting for the doctor, Rylee played on the table (she loves the sound the paper they cover the table with makes when she crinkles it up). She also kept sticking her finger with the band-aid on it in her mouth. (After we left the doctor, I made a quick trip to Publix for some diapers, and when we got there, I noticed her band-aid was no longer on her finger. I couldn't find it anywhere, and considering the fact that I couldn't keep her fingers out of her mouth, I'd be willing to bet money that she swallowed it. I called the doctor to make sure there was nothing I should do or be concerned about, and thankfully the nurse said it shouldn't bother her at all.) Anyway, Dr. Trumbull finally came in and looked Rylee over, and as usual, he was very pleased with how she's doing. He challenged us to work with her more on learning to drink from a sippy cup (she has one, but I haven't given it to her much yet; she likes to chew on it more than drink from it) and eating more solid foods (ground beef, lunch meats, crackers, mashed potatoes, soft fruits and vegetables, etc.). She needs to get used to more food textures. It's so crazy to me that she can eat "real people food" now. Where did my baby go?
I intended to take some pictures of Rylee at the doctor yesterday, but I accidentally left my camera in the car. I did take some pictures of her using my cell phone, but I can't figure out how to upload them from my phone (it apparently requires a software I don't have... or something like that). If I figure out how to get them, I'll add them later, but for now, here are some pictures I took of her after we got home from the doctor:

"No, Mommy... I'm not chewing on the fireplace AGAIN..."

Let The Baby-Proofing Begin!... and Other Updates

Rylee is quickly coming into her toddler stage, and I can already tell I am REALLY going to have my hands full with her. She's still not full-out crawling yet (she's doing more of an army crawl on her belly... it sometimes looks like she's trying to swim across the floor), but she can roll to whatever she wants to get to quicker than I can run to catch her sometimes. She is also beginning to pull up on things and, subsequently, pull things down. The other day, I finally broke down and started the house baby-proofing process (technically all I did was put some plugs in a few of the wall outlets she can get to now, but still... the process has begun). Unfortunately, one of the biggest things in our house that we can't really "baby-proof" is our fireplace hearth. Rylee LOVES rolling over to the fireplace, pulling up on the edge of the hearth, and gnawing on it. I can't keep her away from it (the second I move her away from it, she starts rolling and "swimming" over to it again), and I'm concerned that she's going to pull up on it, lose her leverage, and slam her head/face on the edge of it. She has already bumped her head on it a couple of times, but just hard enough to make her fuss a little. I just don't want her to really get hurt, so I try to keep a close eye on her when she's near it. Here are a few pictures I snapped of her on Thursday playing by the fireplace. See how happy she is?

(The dark spot on the fireplace by her hand is where she was gnawing on it.)

I just LOVE that big smile of hers!

In other news, I've been sick for over a week now. I think it all started last Thursday or so, when I woke up and noticed I had a sore throat. By that night, I had drainage in my throat, and therefore had a terrible night of sleep, and it has just carried on since then. I went through a sore throat, drainage and congestion, and a stuffy/runny nose. About three days into it, I developed a cough, and although I was taking some over-the-counter children's Sudafed (hey... I have a hard time swallowing pills, people. AND there are only certain medications I can take since I'm still breastfeeding. Sorry if that's TMI, but I'm just saying...), the cough wouldn't go away and more or less got worse. Yesterday morning, I called my mom, and she came over and pretty much pushed me out the door to Pri-Med. I might be an adult now, but I guess sometimes I still need my mommy to make me go to the doctor. (Thanks, Mom! I love you!) Anyway, I called ahead to schedule an "appointment" (supposedly it helps you get seen quicker... I think NOT), and after waiting for like an hour and a half, I finally got called back. The doctors swabbed my throat (GAG!) to check for strep and stuck two different sticks WAY up my nose (VERY uncomfortable!) to check for flu and RSV. Thankfully, all of those tests came back negative. Then they wanted to do a chest X-ray to check my lungs and such, but first they made me take a pregnancy test. It, of course, was negative (NO surprise there, but a relief nevertheless), and I guess everything looked good on the X-ray as well. They ended up diagnosing me with an upper-respiratory infection and a sinus infection. They said it was a good thing I did finally come in, because I was right on the verge of developing bronchitis if I didn't get some prescription medication in me quick. They prescribed me Amoxicillin to take three times a day for ten days, so hopefully after that, I'll finally be all better. (By the way, I got my prescription for free from Publix! They have a free prescription program, and Amoxicillin is one of the qualifying medications. Thank you, Publix!)
Anyway, I reckon that's about all I've got for now, but I did want to share one more picture from March 5. Jordan's older brother, Aaron, lives in North Carolina, but he and his fiancee, Carrie, came down to visit for a couple of days last weekend, so Rylee finally got to meet him. (It was actually only the second time I'd even seen him... he hasn't been "home" since before Jordan and I got married. It was the first time any of us met Carrie.) Rylee actually responded well to him, letting him hold her for a while without fussing or anything. She also liked Carrie, who let her play with her keys. Here are a couple of pictures from our visit with them:

Jordan, Rylee, and her uncle Aaron

Rylee playing with Carrie's keys