I'm Still Here... I Promise!

Whewww....what a month! This entire month could probably be summed up in one word: Stress. And that really stinks because it's my BIRTHDAY MONTH! So I have many different excuses for why I haven't blogged in over a week and yes, I am prepared to list every single one of them!

• We're selling our house! Well, at least we think so. After 1 1/2 years on the market we got our first offer. Then we got a low appraisal (boo!) and an even worse inspection (like you have holes in your roof kind of inspection - BOO!). Now can you see why this month has become Stress-tober! We're not ready to buy again so quick, so currently, I'm frantically searching for a rent house or apartment that will meet our needs. The more I look, the more stressed out I become and the more I realize that I just don't really like where we live. Period. Enough about that!
• This has been a month of bumps, scrapes and bruises. First a scraped knee, then a carpet burn on her nose (ouch!) and a bump on the head! After this week, I really think it should be socially acceptable to allow your child to wear a helmet 24/7 until they're 15, or so...!
• Avery had yet another trip to the pedi. She has an ear infection, red throat, runny nose, she is wheezing and coughing. Dr. K was out Friday afternoon so we saw Dr. Y. She said that she could test her for RSV, but that she was almost certain it was RSV and she was treating her the same way regardless. So I opted not to do the test, since the treatment would be the same. She is on amoxicillin for the ear and throat, Zyrtec for the runny nose, and Xopenex for the wheezing/congestion. She was worse yesterday but seems a little better today. It looks like I'll be staying home with her tomorrow and I'm praying she'll be good to go on Tuesday. So far, no fever! YAY!
• Oh, did I mention in the midst of all of this I hosted a baby shower? And we missed the Natchez Hot Air Balloon Races! (BOO!) I was so looking forward to watching Avery watch the giant balloons. There's always next year though!
• And this is especially for Niki, my coworker, who stalks my blog (and probably yours too) and continually reminds me that I haven't updated since I got my iPhone. So yes, part of the blame is to the magnificently-wonderful-amazingly-fun-iPhone. Can ya tell I love it? But, as soon as I find a free app that allows me to blog, you will know it and you will be sick of my updates! Just ask my Facebook friends : )

I did manage to take a few pictures and those posts are to follow. While Avery is napping, I'll schedule two or three posts so Niki can't gripe at me this week. Hope you have a wonderful stress-free week. I'm determined to!

First Scraped Knee! : (

I just love this picture! It was taken the last time Avery was sick. Charlie was at home with her trying to get her fever down so he put a cold rag on her head. He took this pic with his cell phone...too cute!

Avery seems okay today. I called Charlie from work earlier and he said "for a sick baby she sure does have a lot of energy!" She is crawling faster than ever and not tired at all tonight. Last night went well - thanks for the prayers. She did end up sleeping with me but we still got a good nights sleep. Charlie admitted today he sleeps a lot better in the guest bed, lol, the mattress is a lot firmer I guess? Anyway...please pray for McMama's baby, Stellan. He is a lot smaller than Avery and has RSV. It is a very serious case. He is in the PICU and not doing very well. If you don't read her blog, I would recommend it. She keeps me entertained!

In other news, we (okay, more me than he, lol) have made a decision. I cancelled the cruise. I don't know what I was thinking when I booked it. I mean, I don't keep Avery all day by myself so how can I expect her great grandmother to? (My mom and dad were going with us and my mamaw was going to keep Avery). And yes, I agree, I'm sure if we went when we got back everything would be fine. But I think that week away would not be relaxing - more like torture! If you know me, I'm a big worrier as it is and I just know it would not be a pleasant week. Also, it was scheduled the beginning of April and although RSV season is winding down, they still see cases of it into May. I can't imagine her coming down with it in Vidalia, with my grandparents there, away from Dr. K. It would be TERRIBLE. I would NEVER forgive myself. I just can't leave her for a whole week like that. We are going to have some sort of long weekend getaway, but not for a week, and she will stay with nonna and poppa. So that is that. We can't wait until we can ALL go sailing to the Bahamas! :o)

RSV : (

Despite my greatest efforts, Avery has RSV. I got pretty sick, it is going around at work but I thought I was doing a good job at washing my hands and not kissing her, etc. Apparently it was not good enough. I had been sick since about Tuesday and I noticed she seemed sick on Thursday. Charlie said he heard a rattling noise when she was eating. On Friday she was running a temp so I gave her Motrin before she went to bed and Tylenol in the middle of the night but she still had a temp Saturday morning and a cough. I called the doctors office to see if I should continue the Motrin but they said I should bring her in. It was the last thing I felt like doing, but I knew I had to go. And thank God I did! The doctor saw her and did a blood count. She said her numbers weren't too bad and that it was probably a virus. The nurse had mentioned they may do a nasal swab for an RSV check. The doctor wrote the rx and seemed to be wrapping things up so I asked about the RSV. She (it wasn't Dr. Khanfar b/c he swaps Saturday's with the other doctor in his clinic) said that she really didn't think it was RSV, because her lungs sounded clear. I told her I would feel better if we went ahead and tested for it. They did the nasal swab and we were packing up. I just wanted to hear "Its negative!" so we could go home worry-free. Unfortunately, the doctor walked back in and said, "The RSV test is positive." Even though I insisted on the test, we were both shocked. Avery very rarely goes anywhere, and hasn't been around anyone but me or Charlie for weeks now. We're very careful about where we bring her. Anyway, sometimes life just happens. RSV is common in adults, just not deadly. I probably picked it up at work and b/c it can be airborne, Avery picked it up from me. I believe it is the number one reason for infant death or possibly 2nd to SIDs, but it is very serious. Thankfully, she did not want to admit her to the hospital b/c it was not a bad case. We had to pick up a breathing machine, a humidifier and some medicine. She didn't run a fever (or if so, very low grade) yesterday. She does well with the breathing treatments, she just sits and closes her eyes. It is so sad to watch her get them though. I guess this is one of those things I'm not used to, since we didn't have them when I was little. It just makes me feel like she is so sick.

We go back to the doctor tomorrow at 3:30 and since it just happens to be her 9 month birthday, they are going to do her well baby visit in the same appointment. She weighed 15 lbs 12 oz, which is far from the 17 lbs I was shooting for. Once again, the doctor assured me that she is doing great - since she is almost 8 times her birth weight. Please pray that she recovers quickly and we don't have another RSV scare. We are officially on lockdown though. No church, no Target, no large groups, no small children...I hope this winter flies by! I'm counting down the days til' April!