Feeling Better....

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and concerns for Ivy's well being. With that said, she is feeling much much better! We went back to the doctor on Friday afternoon because they were concerned that she still had no cough. The pneumonia has to break up and without a productive cough this can't happen. Anyways, after listening to her breathing, Dr. Hood said she could hear it breaking up!! YAY~ and I will say today the cough has arrived. She is back to her normal, testy yet very LOVING :) self. Even though she is feeling better.... I am dreading tomorrow. I have to go back to work and it is a 3 day week for me. It will be hard to be away from Ivy as we have been attached at the hip.... or maybe heart for the past 7 days. It is also going to be hard to get in the groove of things~ I missed some last week and it is just getting to that part of the year- where there is a lot to be done.

So you are asking? What is the 30 for???
I ONLY HAVE 30 DAYS LEFT OF WORK!!!

AND FOR THIS REASON I PROMISE TO CHOOSE JOY FOR THOSE 30 DAYS :)

This is so exciting for Greg, Ivy, and I. God has been so faithful to give me the opportunity to work part time and allowing me to be home more often. God has been so faithful for providing excellent internships and a job for Greg. God has been ever so faithful to bless us with excellent care-takers for Ivy. I am so excited to see what God has planned for us in this next year with Greg graduating. I am so ready to put my career on hold and be a mommy and wife for the upcoming years.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Sick with Side Dish of Spoiled :)

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers with our sick girl. Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty terrible. Ivy was pretty lifeless and ran a temperature between 102 and at it's highest was 104.8. We are talking scary high! Today seemed to turn around a little bit- our fever steadily got down to 99 by 10am and stayed there for the majority of the day. We were able to take a walk/ride in the stroller to enjoy the spring weather. This evening it spiked again to 102 but the Tylenol seems to be controlling it pretty well. Grandma and Grandpa (Ivy has officially named them Meemaw and Pawpaw) came and brought dinner. It was great to visit with them and they were quite entertaining for Ivy. Of course, this helped her to feel better!

One thing a bit different today was that Ivy had enough energy to test me and actually cry when she didn't get her way..... so her way it was!! They said at the doctor not to make her upset because it takes too much oxygen to cry. That is pretty difficult with a 19 month old- but it explains the 2 suckers we had in a 1 hour trip to doctor, the fact that she had pizza and ice cream for breakfast this morning, and that her request to stand on the kitchen table was granted!!!

She is mainly sick and a little bit spoiled but we sure do love her! :)

We are hoping for no fever tomorrow... if it goes above 100 I think we will have to pay another visit to Dr. Hood.

Sick Girl- UPDATE

Ivy girl has pneumonia!!! We are all a little shocked since she barely has a cough. I went to pick her up from Kendra's where she had been pretty lifeless all day long. She just wanted to sleep. She ran a fever all day~ and Kendra helped keep her comfortable with Tylenol and the paci. (Thank you, Kendra!!! That is exactly what I would have done~) Then when I got home her fever was up to 103.2. It still wasn't time for more meds and the dr. appt was not until 5:20. I was assuming it was something simple- like an ear infection, this it the only ailment we really know about!! We saw Dr. Hood- ears looked great, throat looked great, so what was the trouble? It was obvious Ivy was not herself. (She had yet to even talk to me since picking her up.) So after blood work and 3 chest x-rays later.... yes, I was freaking out a little... they diagnosed our girl with pneumonia. She got an antibiotic in the form of a big, horrible shot and they sent us on our way. However, the didn't forget to tell me all the dangers that could take place. So I came home, was nervous all night, but we survived!! We are just resting today and going back for more x-rays and blood work this afternoon. Please say a little prayer for Ivy Girl. We want her to feel better soon!

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We went back to the doctor this afternoon. I didn't think anything could be more traumatic that yesterday.... I was wrong. Dr. Hood was not impressed with her improvement or lack thereof. She was concerned that Ivy was panting. Dr's orders- more blood work, checking oxygen levels, and then a breathing treatment. Sticking her poor finger was worse than yesterday because she knew it was coming, her oxygen levels were good- YAY, and the breathing treatment was treacherous. Seriously! I had to hold her still for 12 minutes with a mask on her face. She was scared and I felt terrible for her. I sang my heart out to comfort her... I am pretty sure it brought pain to the ears of the poor receptionist. haha! :) Her white blood count was getting closer to normal so they decided to do the same antibiotic shot that they had done yesterday. Horrible- again. We start oral meds tomorrow and hopefully will start to improve. If not, we have to go back on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. This is what we are praying for~ we want the meds to work, we want her temperature to be normal without Tylenol around the clock, and we don't want to go back to the doctor. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Family Dinner Date

Ivy and I spend a lot of time during the week with Diana, Vada, and Stella. We love to go to storytime at the library, have lunch dates, and play with lots of toys. However, the daddy's are usually pretty busy and don't get to join the fun! This weekend we decided it was long overdue to get everyone together. I believe the last time we got the families together was this summer (we enjoyed yummy Kona!). So the Bower's came over, we ate lasagna, and played until Ivy crashed for bed time. It was so much fun! Tom and Greg got to catch up and the mommies got to talk while Ivy was entertained by Stella and Vada. These girls are going to have a great time growing up together! (Diana, our hypothetical sons will be best friends too!!) I am so thankful for this friendship. We always enjoy time spent with the Bower clan!

The girls being silly with lots of hair bows!! Vada definitely knows how to do the all natural "cheese".... Stella and Ivy still overdue it just a bit! haha

We were exhausted and decided to take a "nap" in Ivy's bed!

Overall, it was a great time and Diana and I are promising to plan these Family Dates more often!

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On a side note, Ivy wanted to say "thank you" to Emily for this pretty red dress. Since Mommy can't post pictures on facebook, Emily has to visit the blog to see this pretty picture!

What A Baby Needs!

Seriously~ who really needs clothes or toys? Ivy would rather be running around in a diaper and playing with "trash" (i.e. toilet paper and paper towel tunnels, empty boxes, napkins, wipes... any thing she can bang on/with or shred).... Easy to please, what more could we ask for!

Sweet Ivy

After a really hard Friday~ we are glad that our cuddly, sweet Ivy is back! Hopefully the rotten, 2 year oldish Ivy will only come in spurts. Thanks to my blogging friends for some really great advice and words of encouragement. I really needed it! :)

Mommy Is Embarrassed

So many times Ivy makes me proud~ when she uses new words, uses the potty, or plays well with a friend. This morning was not one of those moments. To be honest, I was down right, wanting to crawl in a hole and never come out embarrassed. Ivy has not been perfect- by any means- but she has been pretty easy. Sleeps good, eats good, and is overall easy... However, I would say as of the past 2 weeks (really since hitting 18 months) we are day in and day out into the terrible 2's. (A little early, I know....) I can handle tantrums, we isolate her, she calms down in time out, and then she is ready to go again but I don't quite know what to do with her aggression. That is where this morning comes in!
So we go to the library for story time and take a seat behind a mom, her little boy (9-ish months) and her daughter (4 yrs). Ivy likes to be in the front so after a few minutes she starts weasling her way between the mom and baby and the big sister. The mom says it is fine and Ivy is dancing and singing. She is happy! Ivy then is in full focus on the little boy's paci. Her "ba-ha-ba" is on day 6 of being in the crib.... not the car, not the church/gym nursery, no where but the crib. I hold her on my lap and talk about how babies have ba-ha-ba's and big girls only use them in the bed. She was back to singing about monkeys jumping on the bed when

STRIKE 1- She grabs the boys paci rears her arm back throwing it at him and hitting him in the head.

Mommy immediately apologizes and takes Ivy in the hall for time out. The whole way out she is saying "hit the baby, hit the baby." She sits in time out while I stand around the corner. Then I talk to her, say we are going to say sorry, we don't hit, it hurts.... blah blah... the whole deal. We go back in. Ivy signs "sorry" which is monumental- she usually refuses to apologize in any sense of the word. We are listening to a story about a moose and everyone is happy and then

STRIKE 2- Ivy decides to smack the older sister square in the head... hard smack... like makes a noise kind of smack.

I was about to die- literally. I apologized to the mom and child and wanted to cuss the other 45 sets of eyes who were staring daggers through me as if I put Ivy up to abusing this family on their trip to the libray. I packed us up and the whole way out she continued yelling "books, books." I didn't talk to Ivy the whole way home, instead I cried about what in the world I have done or failed to do in creating these aggressive behaviors. We came home, ate lunch, and I put her down for an early nap.

Now I sit here- reflecting on this embarrassing moment- and trying to figure out what my next steps as a parent are. I have went back and forth about how to discipline this behavior and what would be good for Ivy. What will help her control this aggression? What will help teach her social skills? I have been so sad and in the end I know I will have many more of these moments throughout Ivy's life. (Pay back is hell~ I am pretty sure I have embarrassed and saddened my mom many a times..... sorry, mom!)

Do you have strong willed child? Or know one? haha :) Any suggestions are welcome!