Sunday, March 28 was a rainy afternoon. Bran went fishing with Drew that morning, and then had to go to the boathouse at 4pm to help unload and rig some boats from the regatta they had in Atlanta (which he did not go to). Monday, the 29th, we had our carpets steam cleaned and had to move all the furniture out of the living room. While they were drying we headed to Bass Pro to exchange our sun tent we bought for the beach, as it has a slight tear in it. While there we bought a cute float for her in the pool with a canopy, and I ran into my coworker, Dawn! Too funny! That night Avalyn started to have a slight cough and had a hard time going to sleep because she was really congested. She did sleep fine, but woke up on Tuesday just congested a bit - still fine temperament wise.. so I just started her on some A.I.R. tea from the Doctor and actually introduced plums that day too. She actually doesn't mind them! Meanwhile this week, Brandon was on his Spring Break from teaching, but had morning practice all week for crew. I had to work Tuesday and Thursday of this week, so Nana came over in the morning until Brandon got back from practice.
Wednesday, the 31st, Ava was slightly more congested than before, so I decided to take her into the doctor to check things out since we were leaving the next day to go to the beach. I would have hated for her to be in worse shape than I thought if we were going out of town, so figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Of course all was fine and she recommended we continue the A.I.R. tea and keep doing what we were doing (nasal aspirator, saline, humidifier). We started her on Oatmeal cereal that night too- she loved it. We tried to get things packed up for our trip since our goal was to leave right when I got off work on Thursday, so I definitely needed to be all packed. Diana came over to pick up the dogs (so it was one less thing to do on Thursday) and brought Avalyn her Easter basket.
Thursday I went to work, had a crazy day of course, and then came home to pack up last minute stuff and get on the road. We ended up leaving around 4:30 and set out for 2.5 hrs to St. Pete Beach! Of course we hit a little bit of Tampa traffic on the way, but it wasn't bad. Avalyn did well in the car the whole way (didn't sleep at all..) and we checked in by 6:45pm. We stayed at the Alden Beach Resort right on the beach and had a suite - one bedroom with 2 queen beds, bathroom, and a separate living room/dining/kitchen. With Avalyn, it was nice to have the separate rooms so that she could sleep at night and nap during the day and we didn't have to sit in the dark! The only thing I didn't like about the room was the layout - the bedrooms were at the front of the layout - to the outside door -, and the living area was in the back, so you could step out on the balcony from the living room/kitchen area. So, if you wanted to step out or run to the car, it was difficult because you had to go through the bedroom to get out. We did, however, really enjoy having the full kitchen in the room and we brought groceries with us so we didn't have to go out to eat. We at least needed a fridge to store Ava's milk and solid food, but the stove and dishwasher were great to have to cook our meals!
Friday morning we woke up and actually went out to breakfast that morning (I know, we brought food...)... but oh my goodness, this girl is such a flirt! She had everyone in the restaurant smiling and waving at her, and she was smiling and waving back! It was so cute to watch, but man.. we're in trouble if it's starting already :)
We got home in time to put Avalyn down to bed and she slept great that night, as well as the night before! We were surprised at this, as she was still congested a little bit, but she was sleeping in her pack-n-play instead of her crib, which she has never done before for a whole night! So, that was very nice for us (we brought the monitor with us so we could keep an eye on her!) We actually slept on the pull-out couch in the living room, with the extra bed mattress on top! It was SOOO not comfortable and we both woke up with backaches every morning :(
Saturday morning was another beautiful morning, but we stayed in for breakfast this time :) We stayed in the room until her nap and then headed down to the beach after she woke up. We did the same setup, but it was slightly more overcast that day so it wasn't as hot and sunny as the day before.
Uncle Ryan met us on the beach, just before we went to the pool actually, since he got stuck in some major traffic. But same thing; we headed to the pool (it was very crowded today) and let her swim around... loving it again. Here's a quick video of her 'swimming': 
We headed back up around the same time (it was kinda getting chilly with the overcast) and fed her and let her nap. Once she woke up we took a walk down the beach, where it was VERY windy, but still really nice out. She loves hanging with Daddy in the Bjorn :) We cooked burgers, ahi tuna, and crab legs for dinner tonight - what a feast!! It was soo good!!Sunday morning was EASTER! We didn't get her anything, as our trip was a gift in itself, but she had visits from the Easter bunny earlier that week anyways :) We did go out to breakfast again, all of us dressed nicely in Easter attire. I didn't get a pic of us all, and then Avalyn spit up all over her outfit, so, sorry. We came back from breakfast and let her nap while we got packed up to check out. We got out of the hotel about 11:30 and headed to the FL Aquarium in Tampa, at Channelside right next to the cruise ports. Since we get in FREE as teachers (and Ava's obviously free), we figured it was an easy stop on the way home! It wasn't anything fantastic, as in, I wouldn't have paid for me and Bran to get in if we weren't free, but it wasn't bad to walk around in since we were all free :)
They did seem to have some interesting animals, so that was cool to see. After the aquarium we headed back home, having to stop at Diana's on the way home to pick up the dogs. That. was. interesting. Our car was PACKED to the brim, complete with cooler, baby, luggage, toys, and 2 big dogs!! I had to wait to pick up Belle from my mom's, as it was getting later, we were tired, and we simply had NO ROOM! Let's just say we got home and unpacked the car and just chilled that night!To see some more of the pics from our beach trip, visit this link or sign on to shutterfly if you are a member of our share site. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057466&id=32901041&l=fe5e69c81a
Monday, Bran had to go back to work, but I was on Spring Break (not like I would have worked anyways, since it was a Monday). BUT, to add to our long weekend, it was time to go to Leu Gardens! And since SCPS was on Spring Break, our Mommy Group met their for group this month!! The storyteller wasn't that great, but it was a beautiful day and always nice to hang out with other mommies/babies :)
Avalyn being the little diva that she is
The kiddos - Avalyn, Camden, Holli, Lydia, and Nathan (8-9.5 months)I stopped by Bran's work after Leu Gardens and then to my mom's to pick up Belle.. then back home! Poor Avalyn just had to wait another day before getting back to her routine.. but she was a trooper this whole time - still with a little congestion.
Tuesday, April6th, was Avalyn's 8 month birthday!! I cannot believe she is already 8 months old!!! She learned how to clap today and bang things in the midline, which was so cute! Here's a video!
Nana came over for a couple of hours to help me out, so I could run out to the store and get some cleaning done (in her room!!). That was so helpful! That night, however, Avalyn started to get a worse cough and had trouble sleeping from 7-10, and then woke up around 2:30 to cough a bit, then up again at 5:30 to cough.. and then I got her up at 7 like normal. She seemed very wheezy and gaspy for air,so I started to get a bit concerned since this was now going on day 9 of her being sick. So, I called the doctor again and the earliest I could get her in was 2:30. So, we wait all day, and she is very clingy and sleepy - wouldn't let me put her down, so I had to hold her all morning to nap and everything. It was very exhausting for me, as I honestly, couldn't put her down without throwing a fit and then getting so snotty in the process. She was a little happier on the way to the doctor, so that was good that she wasn't screaming the whole way... she was actually just sitting there fine. Bran left work a bit early and met us there and she was running a fever of 100.4 when we checked in. It crept up to 101.3 and then we gave her some Motrin. She also had lost a pound in a week(from 18 lbs, 11oz to 17 lbs, 12 oz) which was interesting, because I thought she was eating fine until that day. But after an examination and 2 hrs later, he said she had bronchiolitis and sent us home with a script for ammoxicillin and an inhaler to help her breathe. She slept fine that night; restless from 7-10, but good sleep from 10-7am..
Thursday was not a fun day for me. She woke up fine, still somewhat lethargic and wanted to go to sleep at 8am (instead of usual 9:15) and of course, had to have me holding her... by 10:30 she had a mild fever again so I gave her some motrin and went up to Walgreens to fill her prescriptions (we waited because the doctor said to fill them only if fever came back, because bronchiolitis is a viral infection and won't respond to antiobiotics, but if fever came back then it was bacterial, so meds were needed). Her cough was very deep so I got the inhaler too. And oh boy, amoxicillin is not my friend. If you remember from childhood, it's that bubble gum pink stuff that really isn't that good. Well, Avalyn is DEFINITELY NOT a fan of that stuff and I swear, it was like TORTURE trying to get it down her throat!! I had to give her 5ml, or 1 tsp of the stuff through a little syringe, and it SHOULD be as easy as squirting it into her cheek and she swallows it. HA! They don't know the personality on my child, as every drop I put in her mouth came out two-fold with more spit. Seriously... it was awful. My entire burp cloth was pink, and I don't think she got a drop of it! By this time, her fever was up to 101 again, I had given her more motrin (it was now around 4pm), and I was freaking out! I called the doctor to help me out, tell me what to do, and I just needed Brandon home! I gave her a tepid bath (which she didn't really like) to help bring her fever down and just waited while she layed there, looking absolutely pathetic. She also started oozing yellow mucus from her eyes, which was not pretty. It looked like she was dying, which of course, she wasn't, but it was soo hard to see her like that because she is always so happy and lively! I felt so bad! So Brandon came home as soon as he could and tried to help me get some of that amoxicillin in her for her second dose. FAIL for the second time. We tried mixing it with milk, cereal, her fave veggies... no success. We had wasted so much of it trying new ways to get it in her, plus squirting it down her throat over and over... we knew we didn't have enough to even last her the whole 10 days! Frustrating!!! On top of that, she was really starting to lose her appetite/thirst, so I was feeding every hour to get any type of fluid in her so she wouldn't get dehydrated. We put her to bed and she slept restlessly till 10, I fed her, gave her motrin/inhaler, and back to bed till the morning. She actually slept very quietly all night - we woke at 2am to check on her to see if she was still breathing she was so quiet!
Friday morning went a little better. Brandon was leaving to go to Sarasota for States so he was home in the morning for a little bit and helped me to get that medicine down her... still no real success, but we feel she got a little bit of it. He left, and I called Diana to come over to help out since she had the day off. Avalyn was actually doing a lot better today - not as tired, better spirits, but still low appetite. I was able to get her to nap in her crib and out of my arms and she was asleep when Diana got there. Yay! I got some stuff done around the house while Diana played with Avalyn, who was overall, doing very well. I developed a slight cough, but was feeling fine. Diana left around 4pm, and Emme came over around 6pm to stay the night while Bran was away. The doctor ended up calling in a new prescription for us, so we picked that up with some Jeremiah's and headed home.We put Avalyn to bed and started to catch up, when I started to feel really yucky! I got a lot of achy pain all down my neck and my glands started to get really swollen... I had been taking the herbal tea from the doctor since Thursday, so I stuck with that and headed to bed at 10 to get some sleep. Of course, Avalyn woke up around 10 and I fed her some more (again, still low appetite), and back to bed. I tried to sleep, but didn't sleep too well since my neck was really sore and the dogs woke up early that morning... grrr..
Saturday was a good day for Avalyn. She seemed almost back to her normal self (besides the eating), and I was feeling kinda woozy, with a deep, scratchy voice. Emme and I hung out in the morning, Avalyn took her nap, and then my friend Kaytee came over for a visit and to meet Avalyn for the first time! It was nice to catch up with her and she brought Ava a cute little Disney cheerleader outfit (since she's an engineer at Disney). After Ava's second nap Emme and I headed down to Park Ave to get out of the house and get some fresh air. We stopped at Costco on the way home to grab diapers and milk, and then Emme headed out around 6pm. Ava ate a little bit of some solid food - it seemed her appetite was starting to come around, and then I put her to bed around 7pm. Bran got home around 8:15pm, feeling yucky and tired. Ava woke up around 9:30 - I fed her a little bit, and put her back to bed and we all slept very soundly till 7:00am. We got Ava up around 7:30 today, as she was sleeping so well, and she is in good spirits today!! I am feeling MUCH better, but I have NO voice! It comes and goes - it just seems whatever I have is just sitting in my throat!! Bran is really tired and not feeling well, but Avalyn is doing well and that's all that really matters right now!!
PHewww!!! That was a lot to write!!! Here are some Milestones:
She is clapping and banging things in the midline. She seems to have no motivation to crawl, or attempt to really do much on her tummy anymore. She enjoys sitting and standing, especially standing against furniture. We're working on her pulling to a stand against the ottoman from sitting on my leg, and she's able to do that well. She is really starting to experiment more with causal behavior -she was throwing a nesting cup on the floor while sitting on Kaytee's lap yesterday, over and over to see that when she threw the cup, Kaytee picked it up and gave it back. It was cool to watch her. She also is reaching more for me when standing, and experimenting with her balance. I really think she is forming a strong attachment to me, as I am unable to put her down and walk away (safely of course, such as in her playpen for independent play or in her jumper to feed the dogs, or whatever!), so it's nice in a way, but obviously annoying since she hollers when I step out of sight. I didn't think it would come to be that bad, as she was able to play independently for a long time, and then all of a sudden it changed... hmm..we have been together a lot with all these breaks and such... otherwise that's about it. We're still waiting for that other tooth to come in - it appear to be right there... but we've been saying that for weeks now!
Sorry for the long post - hope you're still awake!! Wish us well that we all get better soon!
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