(Almost) Wordless Wednesday.

Even when she's not feeling well, you can still catch a smile on Gracie's face. :)

This was taken on Monday evening. Sean was grilling hamburgers and she wanted to be outside with him. I finally decided the fresh air probably wouldn't hurt, after almost two days of being stuck in the house! I bundled her up and let her sit outside for a few minutes with her daddy.

Gracie seemed to be feeling better yesterday. She woke up without a fever, so we did get out for lunch with my mom, then ice cream with Ashley and Austin. Unfortunately, the fever crept back up last night! She has seemed more "normal" so far today...no fever to speak of yet, but we're taking it easy just in case. I don't know what she picked up, but it has been a tough virus for her to get rid of! If the fever creeps up again this evening, we'll be back at the doctor tomorrow. I'm praying that isn't the case, but I am surprised she's been feeling poorly for this many days (since early afternoon on Sunday, and of course we took her to church not knowing she may pass this on to the kids in her class! Ugh.).

My girl is sick.

Gracie is sick, and it's been frustrating for me because she's had no other symptoms on top of a fever (averaging around 102.5). Last night was a long one. I couldn't sleep knowing she had this fever that was likely to creep up as she slept, with no known explanation. I checked in on her multiple times, even waking her up to take more Motrin at 3am. I ended up just laying with her in her bed until 5am, and while she seemed to sleep peacefully, I could just feel the heat from her little body through her pajamas, even after a full dose of medicine.

She came into our bedroom this morning with a pleasant "it's rise and shine!" greeting (she says this to make sure I know it is morning and she can be up and out of her bed, but doesn't say "it's time to rise and shine", just "it's rise and shine!"), but she was still so hot and looked absolutely pitiful. I immediately got us both ready and took her to the doctor. After running through a list of questions, the doctor described her as a "diagnostic dilemna" and started making his way through a check-list of possibilities:

Her ears looked great. No ear infection.

Her throat looked a little red, so he did a quick Strep test. Negative.

Maybe a UTI? I was able to get Gracie to provide a urine sample. No UTI.

The next step was checking her white blood cell count. After a pricked finger and a sparkly band-aid, the doctor came back to tell us her white blood cell count was normal.
Gracie insisted that her blood is not white, it's red...duh, Dr. W. ;)

In the end, I was advised to keep giving her Motrin and more fluids. He suspects she has some sort of viral infection that needs to run it's course, but if she's not better by Wednesday, he's asked me to let him know.

He gave her three coins for three prizes, since she handled everything so well and was such a cooperative patient. When I took her to the prize machine, she asked for an orange ball...I tried to explain that it's kind of the luck of the turn when it comes to these machines, but that I would do my best. Nevertheless, out came an orange ball! For her next prize she requested a pink ball. I gave a hopeful glance to a father and son who'd been watching. Again, I told her I would do my best...and out came a pink ball! She chose a squishy pencil cover thingy as her third prize, but left satisfied with her choices. I told the father and son that "someone" (pointing upward) knew what my girl needed, and it was not to be dissapointed with bouncy balls in the wrong color. :)

She's trying to rest now. It's not easy, even with medicine that should make her drowsy, because she just feels that bad. When I checked on her a few minutes ago, I found her laying at the end of her bed, awake. I'm praying that we can break this fever and that she'll feel much better soon...

The Little Ones' Rooms.

Ethan's bed is ready and waiting for him. :) His room is coming along nicely and since it was once our storage room, I never realized that it's also the room that gets the best light during the day. I sat in the glider this week during Gracie's nap to read. It was so nice and relaxing, just what I needed.

I love his sailboat bedding! It was actually the only boy bedding I found that I just loved. I'm looking forward to finding frames for the matching wall art. I think it will all come together perfectly for him.

Miss Priss has also been enjoying her new bed. She's become very comfortable with getting out of it when she shouldn't...but she's been doing well for the most part, so I can't complain! One evening last week, Sean and I were watching TV upstairs when the light over the stairs went off...then back on...then off again. It was honestly a little freaky, since we hadn't heard anything over the baby monitor, but Sean discovered an escapee at the bottom of the steps, trying to get our attention at 10:30pm!

There is still lots that needs to be done in Gracie's room, but the most important changes have already been made, so we'll tackle the rest as we can. I am loving her underbed storage drawers! They eliminate the need for a dresser, which is great since she needs the space to play. The closets are under construction as well. There seems to be so much to do, but I'm really comfortable with where we are at this point!

Happy Weekend!

Heavy.

The word feels heavy in my mind before I ever even type it out, and my fingers hesitate... suicide. It's difficult for me to understand how a person can make a decision so final, so irreversible. What's done is done, there aren't any more chances to get it right or give life another try. What's left is the aftermath, a ripple effect of confusion and pain.

I like to keep things light and fluffy on my blog, and respect those involved, so I chose not to discuss my feelings here, but there was a tragic incident a week ago. It was last Friday that I found out someone I knew, someone so young, had died. Unfortunately, my sister stands in the aftermath and this is on my mind daily as I struggle for the right words to say. It was a friend of hers that chose to end his life. It was one of her best friends, his fiance, who stood as witness to this heavy, heartbreaking decision. There is a family hurting, friends in shock, family and friends of those loved ones trying to give support during an unimaginable time... here is the ripple effect. What hurts my sister hurts me and I'm having a difficult time knowing how to help her deal with this loss, while she also stands firm, as a rock, for her girlfriend.

I simply ask for thoughts and prayers for those hurting right now. It's going to be an insanely long road from here. I ask for prayers for my sister. I swear she is an angel... she's stepped in during some moments she could probably never describe, ones I would never ask her to. She's been a shoulder for her girlfriend to cry on, but also an anchor for her to cling to as everything around her has crumbled and lies forever changed.

I wish with all my heart that this could be reversed, that we could tell him life is worth fighting for. I wish that my sister never had to get that phone call or watch her own life change as she sets out to do what she can to help pick up the pieces. But, I am proud of her. She amazes me with her strength and I am proud of her.

It's raining...

I welcome the rain. It's chilly, there's an overcast sky, and we have no reason to do anything but open the blinds, get as comfortable as a hardwood floor will allow, and craft about it.

The light pitter-patter of the morning confirmed it, we have no plans today. We will likely stay in our pajamas, watch a little too much TV, and I'll snuggle up with my girl because there is really nothing more important anyway, not on a rainy day, not on any day.

Princess Parties, Pizza, and other random thoughts...

Princess Party...

We attended a Princess party this past weekend to celebrate a sweet baby girl's first birthday! Gracie had lots of fun, she's all about tutus, crowns, and magic wands. There was also the most beautiful display of candy set up on Princess P's Candy Bar. Guests were invited to fill a favor bag with their choice of candies, and there was quite the variety! Gracie's favorites were Sweet Tarts and Twizzlers and she came home completely sugared up. :) It was seriously a candy lover's dream come true!

In addition to the very clever "candy bar" (such a hit with both children and adults!), was this gorgeous cake! This castle cake is a tasty replica of the castle on Miss P's invitations. Her mommy did such an amazing job bringing all the details together!

All eyes were on Princess P as she was presented with her own cake, often called a "smash cake". It was precious watching how she tasted the icing of her cake with one little finger, so delicately! Gracie approached her cake in the same way at her first birthday party, until a family member stepped in to show her what damage could really be done! Baby P seemed to thouroughly enjoy having that little cake all to herself and eventually did end up with pink icing cheeks and covered hands!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! We are so thankful we were able to celebrate with you!

Pizza...

There are times when cooking in the evenings can be a challenge. Gracie loves doing whatever she can to help and is always right by my side, watching my every move and asking questions. Most of the time, this works wonderfully. The mixing and measuring is turned into a hands on learning experience, and since it grabs her full attention, it also turns into a special mommy/Gracie activity that I love. There are other times, however, that it becomes more difficult...like when there is raw meat involved or multiple burners going at the same time on the stove... With my little cook-in-training in mind, I planned to bake a homemade pizza one evening last week. This was perfect for those little helping hands! Sean and I supervised while she took over and prepared one awesome pepperoni pizza.

I had to laugh when I turned around at one point to find the pepperonis on the pizza dissapearing...and a happy dog waiting patiently by Gracie's side. :)

Other thoughts...

I am 25 weeks pregnant today and my son is totally wild. He seems to never stop moving! Does he sleep? Is he going to be a little wiggle worm when he's born? I can't even imagine what he is up to in there...it feels like he's kicking off one end of my stomach, gaining the momentum needed to perform backflips and forward rolls, while simultaneously waving his arms above his head. The amount of movement that I feel throughout the day and at night is much different from what I experienced with Gracie. I remember laying very still, hands on my tummy, waiting to feel her dainty kicks. Ethan is ready to run!

Gracie has already started playing with her little brother. :) She likes to sit with me and talk to him (when she says his name I just melt) and she'll often lay her head on my belly in hopes of getting a little kick in the cheek. She also has fun putting different stuffed animals on my stomach to see if he will find them. He usually does! We are so ready to meet this little guy. He is already such a blessing to our family.

Happy Tuesday!

24 Weeks. :)

We were blessed with another beautiful afternoon yesterday. Gracie and I spent some time playing outside. This child loves her flowers! She's been checking on them daily ever since the tiniest bit of green broke through the mulch around the trees and mailbox. Now, the flowers are blooming and I love watching her crouch down next to them to inspect their progress. :) We are so ready for spring!

The weeks continue to zip by and I reached the 24 week mark on Tuesday. Ethan is weighing in at a little over a pound and is about as long as an ear of corn! There is no doubt that this boy is growing! I feel like my belly has just popped on out there over the past couple of weeks. I can't even imagine how it will look 16 weeks from now!

Things have been going well since my appointment last week. I've been staying active during the day, but have also made a point to take it easy while Gracie is resting. I carry a water bottle everywhere I go now to make sure I'm getting plenty of water throughout the day. I'm also sleeping well for the most part. I'm so tired by the time I go to bed that I don't have any trouble falling asleep.

I've been saying it for weeks, but this little guy is active! I love it! I feel him throughout the entire day, as opposed to only feeling him at certain times. My next appointment will be my glucose screening test on St. Patrick's Day!