Am I Naive?

This Halloween, I decided to take Ellie trick or treating in my sister's nicer (better candy) neighborhood. But this left a dilemma...should I leave out the candy for the trick or treaters in my neighborhood or just close house?...imagine 3 little kids in their cute costumes and tiny plastic bags walking towards my house...the kids and I make eye contact...the kids and Ellie make eye contact...Ellie gives them her classic "what do you want?" dirty look...I hurry and buckle Ellie into the car...the kids are now making a mad dash to the house, hoping to catch me in time to beg for candy...I hurry into the car, turn the engine...the kids run even faster towards the driveway now. But if they think I'm not going to execute my "I never saw you drive of shame" out of the driveway and down the street because of their presence, boy! are they naive!

But I could do no such thing. Actually, I put tea lights in all three of our pumpkins, left our porch light on, placed a gigantic bowl of candy on a table, brought out a 3 foot teddy bear and sat him next to the table, and left a sign out on our door that read, "please help yourself". In the past, our neighborhood got 15-20 trick or treaters at most and considering that almost half of them had already come before dark, I didn't feel uneasy leaving them out so I headed for my sister's place.

I guess I am naive as well. When I came back home, I found Mr.Bear sitting next to an empty bowl. Did one group of kids wipe out the entire bowl of candy or did Mr. Bear eat them all?

Hmmm...next year...candy corn and raisin boxes as punishment!

(Ellie refused to dress up as Funshine Bear, so we did not go trick or treating, but she got a huge goody bag and a blue lollipop from Emoh). Visit hyungboo's site for pics of Ellie refusing to put on her costume..."no bear! no bear! no bear!"

Roseola (Sixth Disease)

This week has been so very tiring and long. I don't think I've ever gotton so little and so much sleep at one time! Ellie was so miserable all week long. I felt horrible for her.

Turns out Ellie had something called Roseola or Sixth Disease...a human herpes virus 6 spread through respitory secretions. It somehow managed to wiggle it's way to my daughter's tiny little body (Jae and I assume she caught it from our Starved Rock trip...incubation period is about 9 days, it could also have been from Sunday school, but we will never know...those grimy kids!)

I was relieved to discover this herpes virus is not the same virus associated with cold sores or STD's. Ellie had high fevers starting Monday morning and lasting thru Wednesday evening. By Thursday, her fever went down and she was feeling much better...eating well. On Friday she had no fevers, but developed red spots all over her face, body, and arms. They were spreading to her legs as well, so I had Jae call the doctor's office. They told us not to worry as long as the spots didn't get bigger or start to blister and Ellie didn't present a fever. The red spots were merely a sign that her illness was coming to an end. Hopefully, they will only last a few days and she doesn't seem to be bothered by them, so we are glad.

Ellie spent most of yesterday recouperating and slept at 4:30 til 10:30pm. She stayed up a bit, watched mommy paint her pumpkin, watched a little tv, then went to bed around 11:30. As we laid in bed together, I raised up a quick prayer to God...asking He would heal Ellie quickly, thanking Him that Ellie's illness wasn't more severe, and thanking Him for giving Jae and me just enough patience and strength to help Ellie through it all.

Ellie fell asleep almost instantly, woke up around 7:30am and played with her blocks until I got up a few minutes later. Although Ellie developed a few more red spots, most of her old spots are either almost gone or turned pink. She was in better spirits and we enjoyed a lazy morning on mommy and daddy's bed watching Winnie the Pooh as a family ( including Chloe, of course). Later Jae took Ellie downstairs for some breakfast while I was able to sleep til 10:30am. God is Good All the Time...especially through our difficult times...if only we could say this not in hindsight.

At' Guttin'

Men are disgusting.
I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out.

I've been bombarded with fruit flies all day long! They've got the nerve to come right up to my face and pass a breeze. Where did they come from? I thought it was from the pumpkins, but no. Lo and behold, I find a half-eaten banana on the kitchen table with about 8 fruit flies on it. Gross! It must have been left there after a feeble attempt to get our daughter to eat it. Then I come upstairs to my husband's computer room to blog since my computer is in repair and I find an open bag of half-eaten, stale Shrimp Chips. There are also two, half-empty, strawberry soy milk boxes...one of which is stuck to the desk and has some sort of clear liquid dripping out of the straw! I'm also curious as to why an empty tissue box is sitting at the table. Is this the man's method of decor? And I think it was just a few weeks ago when I found my beloved travel mugs in this room, still filled with old coffee. I've been searching for them at least a couple of months!

But don't get me wrong...I have disgusting habits of my own that my husband puts up with which I am grateful for.

Props to Smokers!

What I really mean is that I give props to all those smokers out there who are trying to quit. It ain't easy! Not that I'm a smoker, but I am trying to cut down on caffeine and it's killing me. How sad, isn't it? I thought cutting down on McDonald's was tough...wait, it's a close tie. Ok, so what I really mean is that I give props to anyone who is trying to quit any behavior that's turned them into a slave for it.

It's day 3 and I'm already halucinating. Seriously, every hour is a battle and it doesn't help that when I walk by the kitchen (hundreds of times a day) the coffee pot is always half full...just tempting me...smirking at me...sending wisps of aromatic bliss...it's calling me..."Aw you poor thing. Ellie keep you up all night again? You look like you could use some coffee. Take a cup. I'm fresh!"

Speaking of sleepless nights, Ellie still has a fever, but it's curious cuz she's not presenting any cold/flu symptoms. But if she has another day with a fever, I'm calling her doctor. In the past, if Ellie didn't come down with minor cold symptoms like a runny nose, it was usually an unusual illnes like a UTI at 4 months and then it was Croup when she was just under 1. I'm worried.

When the Bellie is Sick...

Nothing good can come out of a sick child. If Ellie suffers, we all suffer.
She came down with a fever today. I said, "enough." and went to my sister's place to retreat to her nice, warm home.
Ellie did not want to eat or play...she just laid on the couch or on my tummy and enjoyed watching Hello Kitty dvd. And get this, she wanted to be covered with a blanket! This is a girl who would spent an hour in the freezing cold last winter, just to walk around the block! This is not my child. So, when she asked to be covered, I knew this was a serious fever and reached for her medicine in hopes her fever would come down so she'd be in better spirits so she'd be willing to eat, but no. I thought I'd be sneaky by mixing the medicine with some hot chocolate to tempt her, but no. She was in too bad of a mood. It's an awful cycle.
So in the midst of trying to get her to eat, my sister asks if I've eaten anything today...I don't remember eating. Then she feels my head. "You feel hot and your cheeks are red." Great! Ellie and I can be sick together.

Peer Pressure

Alright! I'll have the darn baby! But someone else will have to breastfeed. Tee hee hee.


This was Ellie's first day. Even in her sleep she looks like she's scheming an evil plan.

Last Blood

I went to my doctor's office last Friday to get my blood drawn for the very last time, I hope. Only the nurse couldn't find a vein in my arm, so she went for the hand. I have to say it was worse than getting an IV. Now, my hand is bruised. Why are my veins so small? I tried to drink as much fluids as possible the night before, but my veins hate needles too, I guess.

As soon as I get the results back from the blood work (in a week), my doctor said it was safe to start trying for a baby again and wrote a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Under normal conditions, I would have jumped for joy at the news, but because I've been held captive in the mornings by Ellie, the thought of getting up 3 or 4 times a night to feed a baby just seems rediculous! Yet the foolish side of my thoughts can't wait to add another addition to the family.

It's strange...I finally have the green light, yet I can't release the brakes.

On a childish note, I am so pumped to get Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

Forbidden Word

Here's a great shot of Newt (my sister's cat) and his butt. Ellie likes to try and pick him up.

OH MY GOSH! THIS DAUGHTER WILL NOT LET ME SLEEP!
I thought I'd get a break yesterday, but no. She did not want to be put to sleep by daddy, surprisingly. Since when did I become her transitional object?

"No sleep! No sleep! No sleep! Downstairs!" I don't know how she managed to get these words out of her mouth as she wailed and screamed and hiccupped with tears last night. It was sad to hear...I couldn't bear it much longer so I went upstairs to see if I could help.

I picked her up and told her she didn't have to sleep, but she had to stay upstairs. I coaxed her into reading Rainbow Fish with me. She cooperated and even went further to ask to be read on the bed! Oh...thank the Lord!

I started reading and she instantly fell into sleep position on my lap. By the third time around the book, she was lying down and falling asleep. It was 10pm. Now I know not to say "sleep".

Why I decided to wait til 1 in the morning to go to sleep is beyond me. I was butt-tired by 10:30, but there was no way I was going to sleep. Ha ha! I guess Ellie gets it from me...sigh...
I slept in my bed until I heard a cry. The clock read 4:30. From then on, it is all blurry. I think she went back to sleep. I know she tossed and turned a lot...made me sit up and rock her til she got sleepy, then when I put her down, she rolled here and there.

Finally fell asleep around 5:30. Woke up at 7:30.

SDPDTC

Ellie got up at 4:30 in the morning. She wanted some milk. So I dragged myself downstairs with her...bumping into walls, tripping over rugs, and knocking some toys on the floor in the process. I poured the milk and brought it upstairs. Ellie took 2 little sips and then was done. Then she asked to watch Snow White. I said, "No Snow White. It's still sleeping time." Ellie gave me a look followed by a whine and went back to sleep.

Nap time was horrific. It took an hour and a half to get her to sleep...most of the time she protested and cried. To put it on the bright side, yesterday's nap protest was two hours long. She's also napping longer than 45 minutes.

But I find the situation to be getting worse than better. I have no clue what I'm doing anymore...have no clue why Ellie's refusing to sleep all of a sudden...have no clue what to do.

Wish there was a weekly support group for Sleep Deprived Parents Due to Their Children.

Full night's sleep

Ellie finally slept through the night yesterday! Yeah!
She's starting to feel better, while I'm starting to feel sick. It always happens, doesn't it?

And I'm starting to panic when I visit other people's blog who requires me to type in those silly letters before I can post a comment. It's the vision screening test for me all over again! Why I get so nervous, I will never know.

Confusion Arising

Just when I think I know enough, I'm reminded that I really don't know anything.

Ellie is still not sleeping through the night. She loves her bedtime routine, even gets into the crib and under her covers. The lights are out, I pat her back, and then.........she wants to come out.

Jae and I lay her back down and cover her....she cries and gets back up. I thought sleeping next to her may calm her when she wakes in the middle of the night, but she just gets back up and cries. I've tried having her sleep in our bed, but she refuses (which is good, I guess).

She's not getting good sleep and it's catching up on us.