Strep Throat

Just let me say it... I LOVE our pediatrician! I called yesterday morning about 7:40 and within 10 minutes they called back saying that our doctor had an opening at 12:30, so we grabbed it. Emma really likes Dr. Kathy and doesn't get too upset about the idea of going to see her. I like the fact that there are other doctors in the practice just in case, but we really do try to just see Dr. Kathy.
We were a few minutes early and they had us in the room right on time. We didn't even have to wait that long for the doctor! A couple of things I like best about Dr. Kathy: she talks to both Emma and I, she really sees Emma as a person, and she's efficient about the appointments without making it feel like the next thing is more important.
It turns out that Emma's fever was caused by strep. Once the test results were in, Dr. Kathy gave us a prescription for antibiotics and instructions regarding Emma being a little germ factory until the medicine kicks in and the fever is gone.
After at stop at the pharmacy, we got Emma her first dose of antibiotic, some chocolate milk, and a much needed nap. A quiet evening at home and a decent night's sleep seem to be working well with the medicine to have Emma starting on the road to recovery. She still had a low grade fever this morning, but it is much improved from yesterday. She still looks a little tired, but is more interested in playing and is actually asking for snacks. All good signs!

Random thoughts and updates

On Saturday, we went to our cousin, Celine's, first communion. Emma struggled a little bit with the church service, she's used to being able to go to the nursery. But, she had a blast at the luncheon afterwards. She absolutely loved getting to play with all of the older kids. The downside was that she missed her nap, so by the time the party was over, she was exhausted! She slept on the way home and wasn't interested in sleeping after we got home, so we vegged out on the couch until she felt better.
Sunday and Monday were pretty quiet, but we did have a fun trip to the grocery store on Monday. We were in the produce section and when I asked Emma is she wanted to get strawberries (a favorite) she was clear in saying no. Then she asked for oranges even though she was pointing to the grapefruit. I was really neat moving through the produce section and getting to talk to Emma about what she wanted and seeing her honest opinions.
I thought we were on track for a quiet week until midnight last night when Emma woke up whimpering. Poor baby was burning up! She had a fever of 102! By the time we got her medicine and went potty, she didn't want to sleep in her crib. That meant that none of us got much sleep until the Tylenol and wet wash cloth kicked in to bring the fever down about 2 AM. We are going to be visiting the pediatrician just after lunch, so hopefully we'll have more direction on what's wrong.

Projects and Road Trips

Well, we know it's spring because the projects around the house have started again :) We did have one project that got tackled over the winter, the freshening up of our laundry room. The yucky green vinyl flooring was replaced and Dave installed a set of wire shelves to add some much needed storage space.
Saturday saw several smaller projects get tackled and completed. Our lawn mower and Emma's wagon came out of storage and moved into the garage. Emma's tricycle also moved into the garage (from the living room), so this led to some garage rearranging. The lawn mower got a new blade, the grass got mowed, and Emma's slide & sandbox got a new home in the yard when Dave edged out a very nice space. A bunch of boring inside chores got done too, but I won't bore you with all those details.
On Sunday, we decided to do something fun and took a last minute trip to Normal, IL and Illinois State University. ISU is Dave's Alma mater (along with his Dad and sister) and he seemed to enjoy showing Emma and I around. Emma had a blast running around checking everything out and chasing squirrels. Because we were there on a Sunday morning (it was 11 AM) the campus didn't really seem to be awake yet and Emma was able to explore without being confined to the stroller. We all really had fun and ended our trip with a stop at Avanti's for gondolas and their YUMMY bread.
Today, it was back to the routine and Susie had a vet visit for a dental cleaning... but that's a story for another post.

Liking where we live

On days like today, I really like where we live. I know that seems like a silly thing to say, but let me explain.

Today is an almost perfect spring day. The sun is out and while it was a little chilly this morning, it wasn't windy - in other words, a great day for a walk. I had a few errands to run and didn't feel like getting Emma in and out of her car seat multiple times, so we headed into our village's downtown area. We could have walked into town, but I didn't feel like being gone all morning, so we drove and found a good parking spot.

At 9:30 on a Friday morning, downtown isn't real busy, at least not during the school year. So after picking up a cup of coffee, Emma and I ran our errands and headed to the park. The playground in the park isn't real big, but we had it to ourselves when we first got there. Emma had a blast sliding and swinging and got VERY unhappy with me when I told her we had to leave. (We only left because a kindergarten class from the church school by the park came over for recess and it got a little crowded with all of the bigger kids). Our next stop was the library because the promise of new books to read helped make Emma a little happier with me. A stop at the bakery and barkery (the dog bakery) rounded out our trip.

Two hours after we left we were back home. Errands were run, fun was had, and it doesn't get any better than that! Days like today really do make me appreciate where we live.....

First and Third

When kids are babies, the milestones are big and noticeable. They have tons of firsts, rolling over, sitting up, a tooth, a word, a step. All of these mean that they are growing up. I've noticed as Emma has turned 2 that the signals she is growing up are smaller and harder to notice, but no less important.

Emma is becoming more and more independent and wants to do more things for herself. Sometimes she isn't terribly successful and she still lets us help after she tries, but she has to try first. One thing I noticed over the last few days is how Emma refers to herself. The norm used to be that she would refer to herself in the third person, things like "Emma do it." Now, we are hearing more first person references like "I tired" or "I hungry." The grammar may not be perfect, but the small change from "Emma" to "I" means that she is learning and her little brain is making all kinds of new connections.

There are times when I am in awe of our little miracle named Emma. I'm so glad that I get to be here everyday to see what new things she comes up with!