Thursday, June 30

Who's That Pretty Baby?


Who's That Pretty Baby 6-26
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
Ashleigh has really gotten into looking in mirrors the past couple of weeks! This is a normal part of baby development, we know, but it's just so darned cute!!! She's had the mirror she's looking at in the photo for a very long time, but was always just interested on chewing on various parts of it.

The first time she noticed her reflection in the little mirror on the toy in the foreground, it was priceless. You could tell that she was trying to figure out who that baby was and why the baby wouldn't come out and play!

She is catching on now, though. When the mirror is standing up in front of her and I come up behind her and she sees me in the mirror, she reaches up and touches my face-all the while looking at us in the mirror.

This is from Sunday. Kenneth and I had so much fun just playing with her!

Happiness

Because of Kelley's post yesterday about happiness I started thinking about how I could be a happier person.

Many years ago, I became such a tightly wound person, it's a wonder I didn't snap. But through the wonders of modern medicine : ) and a very determined effort, I became a much more laid back, go with the flow kind of person. Over the years, I've yo-yo'ed between the "Type A" and "Don't Worry-Be Happy" extremes. Now for those of you who don't know me that well, I'm not psychotic (isn't that what they all say?). This whole thing is much more internal than external.

During my pregnancy last year, I achieved a level of calm and inner peace I'd never achieved before, and it's been slipping the past few months. I want to get it back.

I think the key to that was pretty simple: 1. I was SO thrilled to be pregnant; we didn't know if we'd be able to have children because of infertility issues; and 2. I firmly believe that a pregnant woman's emotional well-being effects the overall well-being of her unborn child. I was NOT going to let anything stupid negatively affect my baby. Having an easy, complication-free pregnancy helped, of course.

So I'm "fixin' to" ; ) make another determined effort to recall some of the things that helped me remain so peaceful.

1. I am truly blessed. I have a husband who is my best friend. We love eachother dearly and trust eachother completely. I don't think enough people can say that these days.
2. I have a healthy, happy daughter. Enough said on that.
3. I have a wonderful family and wonderful friends. Close friends I can depend on and trust.
4. All the things above are what matters most.
5. Work is just a job and a paycheck. I enjoy many aspects of it and that's just a bonus. This might seem like a bad attitude to some, but this allows me to keep all the pettiness and politics in its proper place.
6. People only have the amount of control over me that I allow them to have. Stupid, insensitve, mean, rude, etc. people can only tick me off as much as I let them.
7. Relax and enjoy my blessings.This means not constantly rushing to keep the house spic & span "just in case someone drops by."
8. Take time to do things I enjoy like reading, scrapbooking, just hanging out with Kenneth.
9. EXERCISE REGULARLY & EAT HEALTHY.
10. Know that when things go wrong and there seems to be no relief in sight, things will get better!

Monday, June 27

Southernosity

OK, I got this in an e-mail and since most of it applies to me, I thought I'd post it on my blog!

-Only a Southerner knows the difference between a Hissy fit and a Conniption fit, and that while you can "have" them, you usually "pitch" them or "throw" them.

-Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."

-Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."

-Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is -- as in "Going to town, be back directly."

-Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table. (Sometimes I tell Ashleigh to give me all her sugar, to give everyone else Splenda!)

-Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad (I prefer mac & cheese). If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin! (or any cake or pie, really)

-Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.

-Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

-No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.

-A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb. (No matter how hard I try, I can NOT stop saying fixin')

-Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines We don't do "queues," we do "lines"; and when we're "in line," we talk to everybody!

-Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.

-Southerners never refer to one person as "y'all." (When someone refers to one person as y'all, it's a dead giveaway that they're an imposter!!!)

-Every Southerner knows that fried green tomatoes are absolutely wonderful.

-When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!

-Only true Southerners say "sweet tea." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened.

-And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say, "Bless her heart" and go your own way.

Kelley started a list of Southern sayings when she lived here-with definitions. You don't still have that, do you?

Something I say about my husband really blew her mind, and I'm sure I've heard it before, but maybe it's just me. Whenever he's in a bad mood, etc. I'll say he has his a** on his shoulders.

Here's another one my Grandma used to always say: "Drunk as Cooter Brown." I have no idea who Cooter was, but he obviously stayed extremely drunk all the time!

Friday, June 24

Little Ray of Sunshine


Sweet Baby
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
I just love this sweet little face!!! She's so happy in the mornings. I took this about 6:15 Thursday morning.

And excuse the dirty high chair - I can't wash it every day!

Little Stinker!


Under the Chair 2
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.

Look Out!!!


Under the Chair 1
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
The days of leaving Ashleigh in a spot and her being there a few minutes later are OVER! Last night in less than 2 minutes she had gotten under this chair! And she isn't even crawling yet, God help us!

And I missed the entire thing and my sweet hubby got the camera and snapped a few shots. I just had to share a couple!

Thursday, June 23

Why is Healthy so Hard?

Why oh why? Why don't I love healthy stuff like broccoli and carrots? Why don't I dislike things that are "too sweet"? Why don't I feel incomplete unless I work out at least an hour a day?

Because let me tell you, my life would be SOOOO much easier if all that were true. But, the reality is that I have to make myself eat the healthy vegetables. (I LOVE potatoes, corn, peas...all the starchy stuff). I think I could live off sweets. Really I do. And when people say something is too sweet, I wonder how that could even be possible. TOO sweet? I think not...

I do like water. That's a plus. I also love sweet tea and Dr. Pepper. (I will drink diet Dr. Pepper, but you CAN tell the difference.)

I know all the things a person is SUPPOSED to do to lose weight and keep it off. I don't really believe in gimmicks. I know that healthy eating and exercise are the only way to go. So why can't I DO it?

I think I even have good, solid reasons to lose weight. Maybe if I list them, I'll be a little more motivated.

1. I want to be healthy. Being overweight puts me at higher risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and who knows what else! I'd like to avoid all that.

2. I want to be comfortable in my own skin, and I'm not. Being comfortable in my clothes would be a plus too! Getting too small for all my clothes and having to buy new ones would be awesome.

3. I want to set a good example for my daughter. I really don't want her to struggle with her weight her entire life as I have. And the odds are stacked against her, ESPECIALLY if I don't set a healthy example for her.

4. When my daughter gets older, I want to feel like (and be comfortable) going with her on class field trips, to the water park, etc. I also don't want to be the "fat mom." I know I won't be the "hot mom" but average is fine with me!

5. I just want to feel good and improve my self image. I know that having a child means you'll be chronically tired for oh, about 18 years at least, BUT I want to have all the energy in the world to play with my child. And my image of myself right now is pretty low. I feel all fat and ugly and uncomfortable and just don't understand how my husband could be attracted to me. (Miraculously, he is.)

Hmmm.....now that I've listed them, I might actually print a list to put up at home on the fridge or something like that. Maybe that will remind me that getting to a healthy body weight is better than that [insert yummy but unhealthy food choice here] will ever be.

Any motivational suggestions would be appreciated.

Wednesday, June 22

Great CD

Since we're listening to it here at work, I thought I'd mention that I just LOVE the new Black Eyed Peas CD, Monkey Business.

That's pretty funny considering I don't like monkeys. I was attacked by one in our company's business office once. (Kelley were you still here then?) This crazy woman and her pet (evil) monkey were here. She had it dressed in a pink frilly dress and a diaper. Well, it wanted my money (I was getting change for a dollar for the drink machine) and I told it no so it bit my finger! I refrain from flinging it across the room and get my change. As I was about to leave, it leapt about 3-4 feet, landed on my chest, grabbed by bottom lip and pulled, and reached in my mouth AND GRABBED MY TONGUE. Oh my God, I thought I would just die. Little money hands do NOT taste good. I hate to think of where those little paws had been. Ugh. What makes it even funnier was I'd recently finished a Dean Koontz book that involved killer monkeys.

Just thought I'd share about the CD, then had to add my funny monkey story.

Another First

OK, I know I should probably call this blog "A Mommy's Life" or "Updates on Ashleigh" but...oh well....

Yesterday evening I stopped by in in-law's house because Kenneth and Ashleigh were still there. Ashleigh got so excited when she saw me, started grinning and laughing. And then, for the first time ever, she held her arms out to be picked up!!!! My heart just melted, to say the least. Then she grabbed my face with both hands and started giving me "kisses" (as much as a 6 month old can!).

Kenneth started calling her a traitor. : ) She's usually all excited to see him, but yesterday all that was saved for me. He decided she must have gotten sick of him those days he kept her. I told him just to get over it, she's been saying Dada for WEEKS and he rubs that in at every opportunity.

Subject Change:
Does anyone watch Reno 911? My friend from work that watched it moved away and now I don't have anyone to discuss it with. : ( I mean, Kenneth watches it, but I miss talking about which parts were funniest the next day...

Tuesday, June 21

FUNNY!!!

Although not many of you who read this will know the people involved, you'll still find it funny, I think.

A woman who used to work in my office, Brenda was seen by Rachel approaching our building. She let Linda know, and Linda didn't want to see her. Well, Linda's desk is behind a counter that faces the door, and she hid behind her desk and told Rachel to tell Brenda she wasn't here. So poor Rachel does as she's asked and then the unthinkable happens...Brenda decides to leave Linda a note and walks around to Linda's desk only to discover Linda in hiding!!!!!! Linda lamely said she had a leg cramp, but COME ON! Brenda and Rachel were maybe 7 feet away discussing Linda's whereabouts.

Nobody can possibly imagine the kick we have all gotten out of this. Well except maybe for Kelley and few others who know the people involved. Rachel is totally mortified to be caught in a lie.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL.................

Way To Go Kenneth!

I wanted to write a separate post just to brag on my husband and his great Daddy abilities.

As I've mentioned, my mother-in-law (who is also our babysitter) was out of town from last Wednesday until yesterday. I took off Wednesday & Thursday to keep Ashleigh and Kenneth stayed home with her Friday & Monday. Let me start by saying I didn't "make" him do that. He asked me how we would work it, then because of some things going on at his office, he could only take off Friday & Monday, which pretty much made the decision for us.

Thursday evening, I just went over a few quick things with him, nothing major. Just what to feed her for breakfast & lunch because he's never done those meals. And just like I knew it would, Friday went just fine. Even the TWO poopy diapers! I called to check on them, but I always call his Mom during the day too. I just need that little connection with my baby for a minute. It's not because I really think my call is needed.

Yesterday he called to double check the dosage on her Zantac (for her acid reflux that I hope she outgrows SOON) and he had it right anyway. And the rest of the day was smooth sailing.

I didn't expect him to have any problems, because if I doubted his abilities to take care of our daughter, I'd never have left her with him. But as my co-workers found out he kept her 2 days all by himself, their amazement (strong word, but don't know what else to use) made me realize how lucky I am. I just sort of took it for granted we'd split the days we'd be without a baby sitter. I mean, I'm not a single parent, why should I carry the load like I am? He's a Daddy and that comes with responsibility. But a friend of mine with two children said her husband has NEVER kept either of their children all day long, and their son will be 7 in July. Several other co-workers told me of Fathers they know who would never do that; they can't even keep the kids for a few hours without constant phone calls to the Mommy.

Even though I knew Kenneth was a great Daddy, the past few days have made me appreciate him even more. I just wanted to share it with everyone!

Father's Day, etc.

Sorry for not posting yesterday, things were crazy at work!

What a busy weekend! Mostly housework, getting ready for a houseful of family Sunday. And let me just say, I LOVED IT! Until almost 2 years ago, Kenneth I lived in such a small, cramped space, that more than 2 visitors was quite crowded. Not that we live in a mansion now, but I'm thrilled just the same. Our large open kitchen/dining/living room makes it perfect for entertaining. Too bad that pretty much all of our friends live so far away that get-togethers at our house are rare. ANYWAY, I'm getting off the subject a bit... My sister and her fiance arrived Saturday evening, just in time to give Ashleigh another toy before she was off to bed. My parents arrived Sunday morning and by 1 my father-in-law, Phillip, Kristi and Elana were there and we had a HUGE lunch. (My mother-in-law was in Illinois, visiting family.) Kenneth's other brother and his girlfriend didn't make it, but we had a good time just the same.

By about 4pm, everyone had gone home and we just relaxed, which was SO nice. Then Allen (the other brother) came by to make his apologies for not coming to lunch. He then insisted we come see his new place (he needed Kenneth to help him move some things). Since I've only met his girlfriend once (Friday night in the midst of scrubbing bathrooms-what a great first impression I made!) I didn't want to "snub" them. Even though going meant missing "The 4400" AND getting Ashleigh to bed late. Both things I was loathe to do. Oh well, life goes on, right?

I chatted with Cindy (the girlfriend) quite a bit and she seems really nice. She's a down-to-earth kind of person, just what Kenneth's brother needs, I think. (His brother is very recently divorced, a very nasty divorce, I might add.) Ashleigh was an hour and a half late for bed, but she seems OK. Actually, she wasn't even fussy until I started to put her PJ pants on after her bath and that initiated complete meltdown. Who knew babies hated pants so much? ; )

Friday, June 17

Finally Friday

Maybe not a fitting title for someone who's been home more than at work this week, but I'm still happy the weekend is almost here!

Ashleigh got a good report from her eye doctor. He said to bring her back in 2 months for another evaluation. He said the doctor we saw on our "emergency" visit a couple of weeks ago must not know he does the procedure to correct blocked tear ducts, when I asked him about the other doctor talking of sending her to Memphis for surgery. I told him as politely as I could that he might want to let him know! Honestly, they are in a practice together. He agreed with us that it might be clearing up on its own. Unfortunately, when she woke up this morning, it was matted shut and I got gunk out of it. : (

Wednesday we had loads of fun. We went to Columbus and went by to see the receptionist at the ob-gyn clinic. (It's a satellite office, the main one is in Amory.) The doctor who assisted with my C-section came out and held her for a bit. She started grabbing his chest (where his booby would be if her were a she) and embarrassed me just a little. Oh well.... Then we went by my office and picked up my friend Rachel and went to lunch. It was my first time feeding her baby food in public, but it went really well. And I had a veteran Mom with me, just in case!

Thursday morning, I cleaned house, then it was off to the 6 month check up and the dreaded shots. My darling daughter now weighs 19 lbs. 14 oz. and is 27 1/2 in. tall. Her doctor said not to worry about her not wanting to put weight on her feet yet. He agrees with us that she CAN, she just doesn't want to. And she is on or ahead of schedule in all her other development. He answered my tons of questions about feeding and also assured me that I was doing the right thing by not giving her cold medicine for her runny nose. It doesn't bother her or interfere with her eating, so I just keep her cleaned out, so to speak, and put Baby Vics Vapor Rub on her chest at night. Think I'll start with the vaporizer tonight. The thing is, with babies, cold medicine keeps them up all night. NOT a good thing. Then they end up feeling worse. I think my mother-in-law may disapprove of this "no medicine" approach, even though she hasn't said anything. The shots made Ashleigh scream like she was dying and she cried most of the way home, but after I cuddled her awhile, she was just fine.

Today, I'm back to work, things are very slow and boring. Kenneth is home with Ashleigh and at 11 am things seemed to be going well, in spite of TWO poopy diapers. Ha Ha. ; )

This weekend will be relatively busy for us. My sister and soon to be brother-in-law are coming in sometime tomorrow afternoon and will stay overnight. My parents are coming down Sunday morning and Kenneth's family is coming over for lunch. My sister-in-law is helping with all the cooking, and I KNOW my Mom will bring food too.

Monday, June 13

Sweet Cousins


Ashleigh & Elana
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
I took this photo of Ashleigh and her first cousin, Elana, on Friday night. This is the one I "doctored" so there were two smiling faces! Ashleigh really is that much bigger than Elana, even though she's 6 weeks younger. They're together almost every day at their Mamaw's house, so I hope they grow up to be the best of friends!

Monday...again

Well, it's another typical Monday, but it won't be a typical week! I'll be off from about 11:30 Tuesday until Friday morning. Ashleigh has another eye doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon and I'm not sure what will happen there. Her eye (clogged tear duct since birth) was completely better for a few days, not even watery. Then Friday night it started watering again. : ( We thought it might have cleared up entirely, but now it seems not to be the case. So now the decision to be made is this: do we wait on the procedure, or go ahead and get it over with? And Kenneth can't go with us! This isn't a decision I want to make on my own, we might be conferencing via cell phone!

My mother-in-law (and babysitter) is going on vacation June 15-20, so I'll be home Wednesday & Thursday. I'll be busy getting the house in tip-top shape for a houseful of family Sunday for Father's Day. AND unfortunately, my sweet girl gets her 6 month immunizations Thursday afternoon.

This weekend was nice. Friday was pretty basic, then I did laundry/cleaned most of the day Saturday. I went to the girl's party Saturday night, in a MONSOON, but it was loads of fun and I was home about 10:15. I know, you think I just couldnt't stay away from home any longer, but truth be told, I'd been going non-stop since 7am and was exhaused! Ashleigh must have been too, the little stinker went to sleep about 6:45. Kenneth said he could barely keep her awake for her bath! I was worried I'd have a wide awake, raring to go girl about 3am, but luckily, she slept until almost 8am. With one 3am bottle. I can handle that! Not to mention we took a nap from 10-11:30!!

Yesterday I didn't do much, just didn't feel like it. We just spent some time together as a family & visited my in-laws for a bit. I did do some work in Photoshop, retouching some photos to be printed today at Wal-Greens. I took photos of the babies for Diane to take on vacation with her. But did you know it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get a 6 & 7.5 month old to both smile at the same time? So with a little magic, we now have two grinning babies side-by side on the sofa!

Friday, June 10

Taylor Girls


Taylor Girls
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
OK, I know I look like plop in this photo, but I love it anyway! Even with smudged mascara and bags under my eyes (hopefully those sleepless nights are over!), spit up on my shirt and slobber all over Ashleigh's chin... :0)

We might try this pose again later, when we're both fresh & clean, instead of right before bath time.

Daddy's Girl


In Your Eyes
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
You can't tell she loves her Daddy at all, can you? : )

I think I might do some work on this one, get rid of the distracting background, etc. I made it B&W because Kenneth's shirt is bright red and her outfit is green & hot pink. NOT a good color combo.

Finally Friday : )

I don't know about you guys, but I'm incredibly glad it's Friday! Thrilled would be a better description.

The weekend will involve lots of housework (and hopefully sleep) but it will have to be better than the office! And Saturday night I will be leaving Ashleigh with Kenneth while I have a little "Girls Night Out." A friend is having a little get-together at her house and it's going to be so much fun! It starts at 6 and she lives almost an hour away, so that means I'll be leaving around 5. This significance of this is that Kenneth gets to feed Ashleigh her dinner, give her a bath and put her to bed all by himself. And while he's witnessed these events frequently, he's never actually DONE them. I think he's capable, I'm just interested to see how he does.

Today is the third day Ashleigh has been fever free! She was her usual happy little self last night. I have some cute pics of me and Kenneth with her will try to post them later. And the best news of all: she stayed in her baby bed all night long, just like the "good old days." : ) So I'm not sure why I'm so tired today. Hope it doesn't have anything to do with this almost-sore throat I have. If I get sick over the weekend I'll be so upset. I don't ever want to be sick, but on the weekend? Come on! And besides, when I'm sick I have to limit my contact with Ashleigh and that just plain sucks.

Thursday, June 9

Ahoy Mateys!


Little Sailor Dress
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
I think this will be her "Official 6 Month" photo, LOL. I bought her this little sailor dress while I was still pregnant. I like it so much because she has one eye squinted, kinda like Popeye! : )

Special Dress


Happy Baby
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
My aunt made this dress for Ashleigh and sent it to us last week. It fits just right, meaning she has a little room to grow. The way she's growing, it will be too small by fall! It has a matching jacket, but I didn't want to push my luck last night!

Bath Time


Bath Time
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
Kenneth and I thought she looked so cute with her hair all suds up, we took a few pics. This is the cutest one, even if she has her eyes closed!

Wednesday, June 8

Half Birthday


Ashleigh 6 Months
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
Poor Ashleigh, being photographed at 6 a.m. We had a rough night, but I wanted to go ahead and start documenting this big day--her half birthday! And I know that I'll eventually stop "celebrating" each month on the 8th, but I'm thinking of always celebrating her half birthday. Nothing as grand as her birthday, of course, but since her birthday is so close to Christmas, I think a nice summer celebration would be nice.

She wasn't in a smiling mood, so maybe I'll get better pics tonight. Of course, I'll be posting them!

Big Foot, Little Foot


Big Foot, Little Foot
Originally uploaded by Sunshyn93.
Ashleigh was sitting in the recliner with Kenneth Saturday afternoon and we noticed how tiny her foot is compared to his. It's about the size of his big toe! : )

Monday, June 6

The True Meaning of Fear

About 3:30 Sunday morning, Kenneth and I got our first real dose of fear. I thought I'd been afraid before, but I was wrong!

Ashleigh woke up and seemed a bit warm. She's so hot natured, Kenneth just set the thermostat a little lower. Well, she drank about 1.5 oz. (she usually takes about 8) and went to sleep. I laid her down and went to bed, but was immediately back up because I KNEW something was wrong. I started undressing her and she didn't wake up. She was absolutely burning up, so I got her out of bed to take her temp. You're supposed to leave the thermometer in for 60 seconds for an accurate reading. I glanced down after about 20 seconds and saw it hit 104 and keep going. Can you say "FREAK OUT"? I just started calling Kenneth and didn't even finish with the temp. We put cool wet cloths on her and gave her Tylenol, then she started throwing up, but only what she'd just eaten, so it wasn't that bad. When she finished, we got more Tylenol in her. What was really scary was that she was so lethargic. It was like she wanted to be awake and crying, but just didn't have it in her.

I forgot EVERYTHING I've read about fevers, etc. so I told Kenneth that I was going to look up really quick what it said in "What to Expect the First Year." Well, that crazy book said if your baby's fever was over 105 and you couldn't get it down, then call the doctor. MmmmHmmm.....WHATEVER, CRAZY PEOPLE!!! I called the pediatrician's office to get the emergency number, which was of course, the hospital. I had to tell the operator Ashleigh's name, age, bday, symptoms and regular doctor. Luckily, her doctor was on call and even better, he called back in 2 minutes. (I timed it.) He asked a couple of questions and then asked if I was Jackie and I told him yes. He said that he thought it was me, and that he would tell any parent to come to the ER, but that he knew me and if I was worried enough to call, to definitely bring her in. He assured me the doctor in the ER was very good and he'd call if he had any questions or thought he couldn't handle it.

OK.

We throw on our clothes and Kenneth drove like a MANIAC to the hospital. Well, maybe not a maniac, but really, really fast. We got there at 4:17 and when we walked into the ER waiting room, I was all excited because it was empty. THEN the receptionist told us to take a number and be seated. EXCUSE ME??? I decided to give them 3 minutes, but luckily (for them, LOL) the nurse came out to get us before I sat down. She asked some questions and weighed Ashleigh, but I soon realized that Dr. Odom had already called in and spoken with the staff because they had medicine ready for her and SHE WAS ALREADY IN THE COMPUTER, so I didn't have to deal with any of that! People can be snide about small towns all they like, but how many places will you get that level of care? Her temp was down to 102 soon. They did chest X-rays that came back fine, but her white count was 16,800 and it should be 10,(something). So the good news: it appears not to be serious. The bad news: they have no idea WHAT caused it. He said there was some infection somewhere in her and he didn't know if it was viral or bacterial, so they'd give her antibiotics anyway. A shot, then Zithromax for 5 days. My poor baby. The temp was down to 101 by the time we left at 6am.

In addition to the antibiotic, she has to take Tylenol/Motrin, alternating every 2-3 hours. I found out the hard way yesterday, she has to have it every 2 hours. Then overnight, she only got Tylenol once, and at 5:45, her temp was 103.3. I can't describe to you how bad THAT made me feel. But she had so much trouble sleeping that I didn't want to wake her up every 2 hours, because when you're sick, sleep helps lots. My mother-in-law called at 8 to say her temp was back to normal, thank goodness.

And through it all, she's been so SWEET!! She gets a little fussy occasionally, but she spend most of yesterday playing and laughing. Then she'd tire herself out and sleep awhile, then was ready to go again.

The rest of our weekend was alright, I suppose. We had a yummy dinner with my in-laws, then watched National Treasure, which we both enjoyed. Saturday I did some housework while Kenneth cleaned out his shop. Then we just hung out and played with Ashleigh.

Any tips on how NOT to age 10 years every time your child is sick would be greatly appreciated. : )

Friday, June 3

Series of Unfortunate Events

I haven't posted in about a week, so I figured I'd fill you all in on what's been going on with me. I didn't want to taint my "warm and fuzzy" anniversary post, so you get two in one day, LOL.

My holiday weekend started out with the tragic death of my printer Friday night. Kenneth explained to me that it had a very long and productive life and I should let it go in peace. Soon my sadness was replaced with anger. The darn thing could have died BEFORE I bought a new color ink cartridge that has barely been used!

The overnight trip to my parent's house with Ashleigh went quite well. She didn't do great with the sleeping in a strange place, but it could have been SOOOO much worse! And it was worth it to not be in such a hurry.

Monday was nice, we "flop-assed around" (a term my mother-in-law uses to indicate goofing off, basically). Of course by this point, by neat and clean home is not so neat and clean. Oh well, it's a holiday and I'm not working!!!

Tuesday: Rip fingernail off while opening car door. Scream in pain and make Ashleigh cry. Great. Get to work at 10:20 because I have to run errands, etc. in a town different than the one I work in. That evening, blood comes out of Ashleigh's eye. She has a clogged tear duct and all the goopy yuckyness that comes with it. But blood had never been involved.

Wednesday: Walk out to the carport to discover a COMPLETELY flat tire. A neighbor comes & changes it, and I go get it fixed. While neighbor is changing flat, I call eye doctor's office. After I get tired fixed and am on way to work, doctor's office calls back. I need to have her there, can we be there in an hour? Absolutely NO WAY, but I say sure. I mean, we'll be sitting in the waiting room forever anyway. See a different doctor, hers does surgeries on Wednesdays. This other doctor is really nice and knowledgeable, gives her different eye drops and helpful tips on keeping it clean. Tells me to bring her back in 2 weeks and he'll refer her to a surgeon in Memphis. WHAT?!?! Her eye doctor gave us the distinct impression that he would do the surgery in Tupelo. I'm freaked out now.

Thursday: Cut finger open while slicing a tomato to go on my healthy sandwich for lunch. Hmph. Not healthy so far. Ashleigh wakes up having a hissy fit at 6:45. This makes me 20 minutes late for work, but hey, at least I made it! Have to get a repeat pap in the afternoon because the one at my 6 week check-up came back abnormal. Lovely. But my doctor and his staff and awesome and I kinda miss them. Plus, they made such a fit over Ashleigh's photos it made it almost worth the indignity. Almost. Get home early and spend time with Kenneth and Ashleigh. Then my brain starts working! (Amazing, I know) I realize I don't have to take Ashleigh back to see that other eye doctor who wants to send her to Memphis. I can call and change her appointment to the doctor we've been seeing the whole time.

Today: So far, so good. Ashleigh now has an appointment with her "regular" eye doctor who hopefully still plans on keeping her here to do her surgery. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Eleven Years and Counting

That's right! Kenneth and I have been living in wedded bliss for 11 years today. You know that saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same"? Well that's true for us. When I think back to when we first got married, it just amazes me. I was still in college and had a part-time job, but made only about $150 every 2 weeks. He didn't make much money either, but somehow we got by. Now we both have careers (I use that term loosely), a much nicer home and vehicles AND the biggest change of all, a daughter. We still seem to have no money, but we certainly have alot more to show for our work!

On the other hand, I'm still totally in love with him and he's still my best friend. Don't get me wrong, I have female friends that I don't think I could live without....but they've never seen me naked!! ; )

So not only do I count this as a day to celebrate my love for my husband, I also use it as a day to reflect on how far we've come, and to count our blessings.