Happy Easter!!!!

When I got home last night from work, Emery looked much better. Although not anywhere near being rash free. Her face looked much better. The right side was the worst. But the blotchy patches of rash moved to her cheeks and all else was clear. However the rash on the rest of her body looks worse (to me) and extended down to her feet. But I suspect that will begin to clear today. It came on head to toe and will go away head to toe (I'm guessing). But through all of this she seemed pretty unaffected. I think the Benadryl every 6 hours has helped and has also helped to dry her runny nose up as well. In fact, she slept ALL through the night last night, not waking up once, for the first time in a week!!!! This is one happy mommy!

We had a wonderful time with her uncle Brett and auntie Mattie and her cousins, Owen and McKenna saturday night. Despite looking really bad and having a constant cough (to the point of gagging), she played hard with her cousins. She even pushed 3 year old McKenna around the room on her pirate ship car!!! It was hilarious! None of us could believe she could push her all by herself. lol She was putting her whole body into it! (I'll try to upload the video) We had a good time celebrating her uncle's birthday. I've missed these times of hanging out with them. Mattie texted me with the same sentiment after we left. Been having some great times with them lately. These are long overdue. :)

I have to admit, the rash threw me for a loop. I don't know rashes and they make me nervous (even at work). But it is Sean that I worried about as we went into his 2 day run taking care of her all alone. But I think these times make us stronger and better parents.... not afraid of anything. Sean is an amazing daddy. We have our complaints of each other's differences in parenting, but at the end of the day, I think we balance each other beautifully and are a great team! (I love you babe!!! You're awesome!!)

I had to work Easter this year. So Sean took Emery to his brother's again for breakfast. Unfortunately the kids naps were opposite each other, so they didn't get to hunt Easter eggs together. But Sean gave Emery an egg hunt when they got home. He said she "Rocked it!". I thought she wouldn't really get it this year, so I was kind of sad that I missed it. But I know its part of my job that I will miss holidays and these moments. Its okay. He told me I should do it with her tomorrow. I will!!! :)

Sean's Easter Egg Hunt!!

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! Although I missed church, I did walk the Way of the Cross at church on Friday. I will have to blog about that next, because it really was awesome! Had a good hour and a half with my Lord Jesus. I believe there was a work and healing done in me. Thank you Lord for always being faithful and near to us. I am so grateful for your work on the Cross for little ol' me! There IS power in the Cross and in your blood that was spilled out for me!!! Hallelujah!

Rash?? eek!

Emery woke up this morning with a huge rash on her face, neck and chest.  EEK!!!  Her first official rash.  :(  I immediately called a doctor friend of mine and gave him the run down.  Here's the course of events over the past 6 weeks.

Week 1 - Really bad cold with horrible wet, productive cough

Week 2-4 - better but cough turned dry and consistent, clear runny nose

Week 5 - mild cold again! cough still dry... finally took her to doctor who found the start of a mild ear infection in the left ear.  Started Amoxicillin. Bought a hepa air filter and cough finally stopped!!  yippee!!  still runny nose

Week 6 - still constant runny nose.  In the middle of the week, she had a fever of 100.8 ax but was cutting a tooth.  Tylenol and it was better the next day.  After the air filter, she finally slept through the night for 4 nights, but has been up every night, multiple times the last 3 nights.  Been giving teething tablets, Tylenol, honey elixir and finally Benadryl, along with cold mist humidifier and now hepa filter.

Today (end of week 6) - She wakes up with a rash :(

So after I talked with my friend, I gave her benadryl and she went down for a nap.  When she woke up 3 hours later, the rash was worse!  Its slowly working its way down her back, abdomen, arms and hands.  I finally decided to take her to urgent care and have someone look at her... her ears, throat, lymph nodes....  Luckily we got right in and the NP confirmed everything my friend told me.  There are two possibilities... 1) she is having an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin.  Apparently, an anaphylactic rxn would happen within hours.  But a mild rxn, such as a rash, occurs 6-10 days after start of med.  Well its day 7!  However, itchiness is a sign of allergic rxn which I haven't noticed her scratching more than usual with the mild excema.  So... 2) its a viral rxn to the cold.  Basically he said the rash is the by-product of the virus and the body colliding.  So, we treat the symptoms.  Benadryl around the clock until it clears up.  And for the first time, this NP said she has allergies.  Every other doctor tells you children this age don't get allergies.  Yah right!  Not in this central valley!  So after the benadryl is done, I can use Zyrtec or Claritan for the allergies.  After 6 days of finally no cough, she started coughing again yesterday.  She coughs herself into gagging!  I slept on the floor of her room last night simply because it was easier than getting all comfy in bed only to have to get up again.  She was coughing and then gagging half the night!  Poor baby. :(   But all in all, doctor said its not contagious.  Not any more than a typical cold already is.  (so for all my playdate girls yesterday.... no worries :)

 This was first thing this morning.

 This was after her nap :(

Well she is back to nap again after another dose of benadryl.  Although this freaked me out a little, I learned a lot.  And I feel fine now.  I just feel for her.  She looks so much worse than she really is.  She was smiling real big at a woman in the urgent care... right through that face of horrible rash! lol   This is why I love being a pediatric nurse.  They are super duper little troopers!!!!

A relaxing Sunday with Emery....

Emery and I have had a great 3 days together.  From playdate on Friday to a doctor's appt (she has a mild left ear infection) to a baby shower on saturday with my OR friends to church, family and the park today!  We've been busy.  With all the busi-ness, I have to say that, thanks to our wonderful friend Heidi, Sean and I managed to get out a on real, live date saturday night!!!  Yep!  He took me to see The Hunger Games and then we went to Vino and Friends for food and drink.  We had a fabulous time!  You see, Sean long ago stopped going to "night" movies.  Not even for a date night.  The last movie he took me to was in the afternoon, matinee.  He hates spending the money.  I can't blame him.  But I am a hopeless romantic.  So when he said he was taking me out for dinner AND a movie!!  .... well, I could have cried.  :)  ... but I didn't.  I was overjoyed though!  We even had popcorn and soda!! lol  And of course, I snuck in licorice and junior mints (a movie must!!).

Well today, I have to give kudos to little Miss Emery!  Sundays are a bit of a challenge because at the time she would normally be going down for her morning nap, we are packing her up to go to church.  She is never sad about this once she is there and playing with her friends.  But after church, it is lunch and then immediately off to bed.  Except today, I needed to get her out of the house so Sean could run our open house.  So we had lunch then I packed her back up and headed for my brother's house.  She was out the minute the car started rolling.  But did she sleep once I got her into her pack-n-play?  Nooooo.....  So I finally got her up and let her play awhile.  Then I put her back down about an hour and a half later.  But did she sleep then?  Noooooooo.......  Did she sleep after an hour of trying to get her to sleep?  NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!  So finally I got her up and let her play more.  It was hopeless at this point.  My niece Jenna finally suggested going to the park.  So the three of us headed off on foot (well, Emery in the stroller) to the park.  It was a beautiful day although VERY windy which made it a bit chilly.  My sister-in-law met us there.  We had a fun time.  The girls swung in the swings (ok... I just said schwung in the schwings as I typed that... lol... silly side note).  I took Emery down the slide for the first time and walked her across the hanging bridge.  We finally headed home around 4:30.  I fed her at 5, bath at 6, bottle at 6:30 and to bed at 7!  I'm just praying she's not too exhausted that she can't sleep tonight. I mean, logic would say she'll sleep like a log, right?  Well....

We'll see.

All in all, she was awesome despite the fact that she literally slept about 25 min for the entire day!  She IS a super trooper!  Never fussed.  She was just too excited to be at her Uncle T and Auntie Nae Nae's and with her cousins!  I'm always sad after a few days with her, to have to go to work tomorrow.  But it is only one day.  I'm so grateful for each and every day! :)

The outfit she is wearing below is from my cousin Lisa.  I have been anxiously waiting for her to fit into it.  I keep taking it out thinking it is still too big.  Today I finally got to have her wear it!  And it was a perfect day for it.  The top and pants are thin cotton, but the vest is very warm (and furry, as you can see).  So a cool spring day was the perfect day!  She was the fashionista of the day!!!  She turned everyone's head at church today.  hehe

 struttin' my stuff!

 I LOVE to walk!!!  Cousin Jenna says I'm walking the runway!

 Look how confident she looks walking!  I'm so proud!

 Spring chick!

 Hangin' with Auntie Nae nae and stealing her hat

 We made it across the hanging bridge... laughing all the way!

 She loved her cousin Jenna swinging her!

 Happy girl!!

 Jenna got in the other baby swing... lol

*These are from the other day.  I just had to share them too!*

 Check out my 60's doo!

Emery taking part in Maddie's lunch!