Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was, as always, a blessed event that was made even brighter by Elizabeth.  She understood this year that the presents under the tree were not only for her, but that they held fun surprises.  She wanted to open them every day, but aside from a few gifts from Mama and Daddy (that we were too excited to keep under wraps), she opened everything on Christmas Eve.  That is the tradition in my family, and it worked well, especially since she still gets so easily overwhelmed and exhausted.  We let her open a few gifts before dinner and the rest of them after.  She received so many nice things.  Lots of books and puzzles, which she adores, some pretty new clothes, lots of toys, and enough money to buy whatever else she liked!  She chose a TMX Elmo, since she loves everything Elmo.  He giggles when you tickle him, then falls to the floor and stands back up again.  Bethie was a little afraid of him at first, but that didn't last long.  She also chose a few movies, and since she got a Bethie-sized upholstered rocking chair, they went well together.  She likes to sit in her chair with a snack and watch a movie, or at least a few minutes of one.  Then it's off to play, and then back again for a few more minutes of movie time. 

Christmas morning was a great deal of fun.  Bethie got another puzzle (you can hear her say, "Yay!" when she opens it in the video), some books, a stuffed animal from one of her favorite shows, a collection of plastic jungle animals, and a small kitchen to play in.  She has spent the last few days making the animals roar at each other and cooking food for her dolls.  She is such a bright, inquisitive little thing, and it doesn't take long for her to catch on to anything! 

The video is from Christmas morning and it's a little long, but we love it.  I couldn't say anything for the first few moments because I was trying not to cry, watching my little girl get excited over her first Santa gifts.  I hope you all had as bright and merry a Christmas as we had!

Christmas Card

In a bit of Christmas frivolity, I "elfed" us.  I thought this was so cute, I had to share!

Ssssssssssssssssssss . . .

Here is a video of Bethie doing her animal sounds.  She speaks in half-words so "hat" comes out "haaaaaa", for example, but if you listen carefully you can make out what she is saying.  Her favorite thing to do is make the snake sound!



Such a Smart Girl!

Bethie will be 2 in just a few months, and Jeff and I can't get over how much she is learning.  She doesn't string words together yet, but she does say "please" and "thank you" both in words and sign language.  She is pretty good at letting us know what she wants, and she can understand nearly everything we tell her.  It is nice to be able to tell her to pick up her toys and then watch her comply.  She loves to be helpful, and she loves puzzles and books.  A new favorite of hers is online games, like this one from the Fisher-Price website.  She wants to play it all the time, and it is easy to see that she is going to be needing her own computer before too long!

Halloween!

We had so much fun with Halloween this year! Bethie picked out her own Cinderella costume, and she is old enough now to really have fun with all the decorations and festivities. We were invited to a church festival that had bounce houses and games for the kids, as well as a 75-car “Trunk or Treat”. The kids and their parents went to each of 75 designated cars that were decorated and got candy, so they got to trick-or-treat without worries.

Bethie loved the bounce houses, but she only made it through about 10 cars before she was done. That was fine with us, as she didn’t need a whole bucketful of candy! She ate her first Butterfinger last night, and thought that was quite a treat. It was a terrific weekend and an awesome Halloween!

This was during our lunch at Panera. Bethie is getting very vocal, and it is fun to see!

This was in one of the bounce houses:

Catching Up

I can't believe how long it has been since I updated, and I apologize! The summer went by so quickly, although now that I think of it, I can't really remember anything major that we did since the trips to Chicago and Fargo. The video is from the other day, and it showcases Bethie's fake laugh. It is so funny, and I have no idea where she picked it up. My favorite part is where she puts her hand over her mouth. I know I do that, so she must have picked that up from watching me.

One thing we did enjoy this year was the weekend before my birthday. My mom, her fiance Jerry, and my niece Alivia came to visit us to celebrate. Livy and Bethie are 5 months apart, and they get along so well. I keep waiting for them to argue or get angry with one another, and it just doesn't happen. They play and make messes and follow each other around, and we just had the best time! This definitely makes me want to move closer to home. Bethie needs to be with her cousins! She has 7 cousins on my side and 5 on Jeff's side, and she just doesn't get to see them often enough. One of her cousins is only 12 days older than Bethie, too, and she's only seen him once, when they were both babies. Until we move closer, though, we are thankful for airlines, email, and Facebook! Here are a few pictures of Bethie and Livy:

Bethie's Fargo Trip 2010

I apologize for the delay in posting videos of our trip to Fargo, but I just realized that I hadn't posted for awhile. Bethie and I flew to Fargo to see my family the week of July 24 - 31. We had so much fun and got to see almost everyone. My brother Chris and his family couldn't make it and we missed them! Bethie got to play with Cousin Livy, though, who is only 5 months older than she is. The two had met once before, when Bethie was just 4 months old. This time, however, the girls were able to play together. A little shy at first, they quickly became inseparable. It was so nice to see, but it made it that much harder to come back to Texas. It's a little lonely at home after a week full of family and friends!

Newest Accomplishment

Our baby is such a big girl!!

Peek-A-Boo

Just because she is so darned cute, here's Bethie's latest game of Peek-a-Boo:

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

Bethie and Jeff just got home on Saturday from a week-long trip to see Grandma and Grandpa and all of Jeff's relatives. She had a great time, although it took her a couple of days to warm up to people. She also got to go to the beach and play miniature golf, and then when she got home she got to buy some new toys! Jeff's family gave her a gift certificate, so we shopped on Sunday after she had a chance to rest a bit. I missed them terribly while they were gone, but this Saturday it is my turn! Bethie and I are going to fly to Fargo to see my family, and we can't wait!

Bethie's New Trick

Bethie is getting to be really good at mimicry, and we do a lot of animal noises. Her first words other than "mama" and "dada" were "quack, quack", and today this is what she said:

She is just such a smart little girl, and so much fun to be around. She giggles at everything, and has a very sunny disposition. Jeff and I were talking today, and neither one of us realized how much fun we would have being parents. There are definitely some tough days and some days when we're worn out and tired, but even then, you can't help but look at Bethie and smile. We are so blessed, and so thankful for Bethie and for each other.

Happy Father's Day!

Despite our plans to the contrary, Jeff didn't have the best Father's Day. Bethie and I had been sick for the week prior, and then Jeff started getting sick on Saturday. We didn't get to go do all the fun things we had planned, but we did manage to have a little fun between feeling poorly. Here, Jeff is tickling Bethie, and I caught her mid-giggle. :-) Happy Father's Day to Jeff anyway. We are so lucky to have him!

Musically Inclined

We're going through another bout of cold with fever here, so Bethie has been under the weather for a few days. We spent last weekend in the pool, and I think it may have just been too much for her. So, we've had a few sleepless nights sitting in the rocker or on the couch, but I think we're on the mend today. Bethie has been serenading me!

Playing Ball With Daddy

Bethie is already taking after her Daddy in sports. I was amazed to se that she could catch a ball already! Of course, it was only from a foot away, but I still have trouble doing that. :-) She learns something new every day, and it is truly amazing to watch her. Along with that comes learning what not to do, and she has that down, too. She will go to something she is not supposed to have - the dog food or a picture frame, for example - and look at me as she picks it up. We're working on "no", but I suspect we have a long road ahead of us!

Mountain Dew

Bethie is now at the stage where she won't eat unless she can eat what we have. The only exceptions seem to be strawberries and the Gerber dried fruit toddler snacks. Unfortunately, Jeff and I don't always eat the best things, so we've had to change some bad habits! We are both still caffeine addicts, but we don't give any of that to Bethie. Or, so I thought. Last night, Jeff decided to give our Little Bird "just a sip" of Mountain Dew when I wasn't in the room. She was up two hours past bedtime last night, and then she was up at 4:30 this morning. Never again!!

Back to Good

We're finally feeling better around here! Before when I have tried to get videos of Bethie babbling, she would see the camera and then stop talking, but it must have been my lucky day!

Sickness, Part Two

Although the whiny part of me wants to say that no one is getting any better, the truth is that we are. It has just been a very long and very slow road. Bethie still wakes up twice a night from the coughing, although the duration and violence of the spells have been greatly reduced. Her fever has finally gone away entirely (we hope), and she doesn't cough much during the day. She has discovered an affinity for Popsicles which help soothe her throat, and every now and then I hear a fake cough, followed by a pointed glance at the freezer. Little imp!

I had another setback over the weekend. Although I was finally, finally able to keep small amounts of food down, I started having terrible coughing spells that nearly always ended in vomiting. So, even though the gastroenteritis had nearly gone, I was still vomiting. All the coughing triggered my asthma, and by midnight on Monday morning, I was in the ER. I had to have two breathing treatments (even though I had already had two at home) and a shot before I could breathe easily again. After several tests and a chest x-ray it was determined that my upper respiratory infection had turned to bronchitis and the doctor was very concerned that I might have pertussis (whooping cough) as well. He looked in my throat and found the beginnings of strep, too. I didn't even think that was possible, to have so many things wrong at once! He gave me a Zpack which he said would knock out all three things, some prednisone (steroids) for the wheezing, and told me to take my home breathing treatments every 4 hours til I can breathe normally again.

We're on day three of that regimen, and although there are some definite improvements - I haven't thrown up in 24 hours and I slept on one pillow last night instead of being propped up - it is a slow process. I can't keep Bethie home with me because I get so shaky and dizzy after the treatments that I don't feel like she is safe, and then after that passes, I fall asleep pretty hard. So, poor Jeff has dealt with all this for weeks and is acclimating to a new office, and he has to go 20 minutes out of his way each way to take Bethie to the sitter so that I can rest and heal. I think that after this weekend, though, I will see major improvements. All this from 3 days in a daycare!!

Poor Baby . . .

It has been a very rough couple of weeks here, and it's a bit of a long story, so bear with me. We were very excited to find that I got a job at a daycare center, and that I would be able to take Bethie with me. She would be right down the hall, and since the center has one-way glass in all the rooms, I'd be able to check on her throughout the day without disturbing her. The teachers in the 12 - 18 month room were incredible, and I was going to teach pre-K. It seemed to good to be true, and it was. I knew going in that Bethie would get sick being around other kids, but I really was not prepared for how quickly, or how sick she got.

We started on Monday, March 22, and on Wednesday the 24, we were sent home because she had a fever. It shot up to 102.6 that night, and over the next 4 days, wouldn't stay below 101. We went to the doctor on Friday the 26 and got some amoxil for her, but then she started vomiting and having diarrhea. She had an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection, and they were just wreaking havoc on her system. She is better now, but even today, she still has a terrible cough. The doctor says it just has to work itself out at this point, and Bethie is up and running around again, but she wakes up at least twice every night with a terrible coughing fit that can last up to 5 minutes or more. We are all exhausted. We're giving her Benadryl for the congestion and Delsym for the cough, and we tried a humidifier last night. Nothing seems to work. It is heartbreaking!

In the meantime, that Friday that we went to the doctor, I started to get sick, and couldn't keep anything down for 4 days. I went to Urgent Care that Sunday night to find that I had an upper respiratory infection and gastroenteritis. In our not-quite-three days at the daycare, Bethie and I both got two different infections. I am just now starting to be able to eat, and I am very weak from all we've been through. The fact that no one can sleep through the night is not helping, either.

With everything that happened, and the fact that I absolutely could not return to work, it really seemed like God was trying to tell us something. After a long talk, some long prayers, and a list of pros and cons, Jeff and I decided that going back to the daycare would only result in more illnesses for Bethie and I, and that it was not worth the risk. I resigned last Friday - after having missed several more days than I worked - and even though I feel guilty for letting them down, it just wasn't working for us.

Today, Bethie went to her former sitter so that I can rest and sleep, and starting tomorrow, I will be a stay-home Mom until a teaching job comes along. The money will be tight, but we will be healthy, and I will have lots of time with my Bethie.

Easter was very low-key since no one had any energy, but Bethie did play with her new toys, and I managed to keep down dinner. All in all, a success!

The Party!

Bethie did not have the best time at her party, unfortunately. She wouldn't nap during the morning, and so by the time 2:00 rolled around, she was worn out and cranky. The people, the gifts, and the excitement were too much for her, and even the cake quickly lost its charm. I am trying not to be too disappointed, but it wasn't the party for which I had hoped. Still, my baby is a year old, and we did have a party! Happy birthday, Sweetheart! Mama and Daddy love you so, so much!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth Aurora Rose!

Today is my baby's birthday, and she is officially a toddler. I am armed with waterproof makeup and plenty of tissues, but we're going to have a great day. Her party is in a couple of hours, and we are lucky enough to be having my sister and brother-in-law coming in for the week. I will post pictures and videos as soon as I can, and in the meantime, I will try not to dwell on the fact that my baby has grown up so quickly. She is such a fun, cheerful little girl, and each day is a brilliant new adventure for which I am grateful. Happy birthday, my sweet angel!

Missing My Birdie!

I've been sick all week with a raging sinus infection that affected my asthma, so Bethie has had to go to daycare while I recuperate. I haven't had the breath or the energy to keep up with her, and I have missed her so much! What did I do with myself before we had her? I know I read a lot and played computer games, and it is amazing how those things do not hold my attention anymore.

I am hoping to be back to normal by Monday, if I can get the asthma under control. Until then, Daddy does all the leg work, and Mama gets all the cuddling! We did have a bath last night - something Bethie and I both love - so here are a couple of pictures of my little mermaid.

Naked Baby Dance!

This is Bethie's favorite getting-dressed-and-undressed game! Normally she dances a lot more, but this time she was sidetracked by the camera. Now, whenever I say "Uh-oh . . ." she starts smiling and clapping. Such a sweetheart!

A Moment to Reflect

Bethie will be a year old one month and one day from today. This has been the most challenging, rewarding, and wonderful year of our lives, and one for which I am utterly grateful. Bethie is a cheerful, social little girl who smiles and talks to everyone who will look at her. She is easy to take care of, easy to handle, and easy to love. Jeff and I have been so blessed, but sometimes I get so caught up in schedules and routines and wondering whether she's eating enough or sleeping enough or if she's on target with other kids her age, and I forget to be grateful. I forget to stop and really look at this precious little angel, and I forget how difficult it was to get her, and how I was sure Jeff and I would be childless forever.

Our condo is small and she sleeps in the dining room, but because she is so curious about everything around her, she can no longer sleep in her crib if Jeff and I are awake, no matter how quiet we are. So, she and I lay in our bed til she falls asleep, then I surround her with pillows, make sure I can see her on the monitor, and go on about my day. We do this the same way every day, at every nap time. After all, I can tell you first hand what happens to my happy, cheerful little imp when she gets overly tired, and it isn't a whole lot of fun. We were taking our nap today, and as usual, I was laying next to Bethie pretending to sleep so that she would follow suit. Instead of sleeping, she wanted to poke my eyes. I moved her hands away a few times, and then I happened to look at her. She was smiling as she poked me, and it hit me all at once just how blessed we are, and what a miracle she is. Instead of napping, I pretended to eat her fingers and kissed her neck til she giggled so hard she couldn't breathe. I traced her cheeks and her nose, and looked into those big, blue eyes. I kissed every inch of her face til she giggled some more, and then we got up to play. I thank God so much for that small reminder of how blessed I am, and even when we are awake at some late hour with a cranky, tired, almost-one-year-old, I will thank God for every second I have with her.

Bethie, Playing

Bethie is so funny when she plays by herself, which she so often does! I am glad she's such an independent little thing, but I didn't expect to be expendable so soon. The videos on this site have been working intermittently, so if you can't see this one, try again later. Hopefully, they will all work again before too long.

Playing

Bethie got a ball popper for Christmas, and it is one of her favorite toys:

Water, Water, We Like Water

Bethie never liked her sippy cup and she couldn't get the hang of a regular straw. We bought her a sippy cup with an attached rubber straw, though, and suddenly it all came together for her. It's probably a little hard to tell, but she is an old pro at drinking through a straw now!

Crawling!!

As usual, Bethie has kept her talents to herself until she is good and ready to show them off. She wasn't crawling for the longest time, and just when I started to worry, she crawled a tiny step or two. The next day, this is what she did. She never does learn so that we can watch her - it's all or nothing with this girl! She did the same thing with sitting and standing, so that it seems like she becomes a pro over night. Who knows - maybe she does!

Such a Big Girl!

Bethie has decided that she is done with baby food. She likes applesauce and the Gerber yogurt blends, but other than that, no thank you! We've started giving her whatever we're eating, and some finger foods like Cheerios. It is so much fun to watch her eat like a big girl!