Feeling Better

The past couple of mornings, Sara has hardly eaten any breakfast, so I knew it was a good sign today when she polished off her whole waffle.  When I picked her up from school this afternoon, Ms. Rekha said that Sara had a much better day today than she did yesterday (when she demanded to be held all day long), and was back to playing with her friends like usual.  I'm so relieved that this has been a short-lived RSV battle for us.  There's still some coughing and a little wheezing, but she's definitely on the mend.

Steve and I, on the other hand, are both feeling like crud.  A couple days ago I was attributing my scratchy throat to allergies because the weather had warmed up a bit and the pollen count was on the rise.  Today we're both blaming Sara (we've been trying to teach her to cover her mouth when coughing, but we haven't been very successful).  By Friday, though, we'll be able to blame the winter cold because freezing temps and snow are in our forecast yet again.  We've had more winter weather this year than we've had since moving to DFW, and I don't mind a bit!

Ugh.

Sara has RSV.  After attributing some coughing a few days ago to a common winter cold, her wheezing put us over the edge and today we went to a nearby urgent care clinic.  The RSV test involves a nose-swab, the contents of which are read by a computer for fifteen minutes.  Approximately two minutes into the fifteen minute read, the results of Sara's swab clearly diagnosed RSV.  The doctor prescribed some cough suppressant, steroids, and lots of rest.  Luckily, Sara hasn't been fighting sleep, so I hope that her little body will begin to heal itself quickly: she's had two 12+ hour nights, and multiple naps in between.  I'm so thankful that we didn't deal with RSV last winter when Sara was just a newborn, but I still hate that she has to fight it now.  Say a little prayer that our sweet girl is back to her playful, carefree self soon!  

Check Engine

 

Sara and I left the house around 9:45 this morning and headed to Kwik Kar to have a little tune-up done on my car. I knew it needed an oil change, and I had a hunch that it would need something else, too, just because that usually seems to be the case. When the mechanic had me peek under the hood with him while he explained my car's needs, I simply nodded, told him to go ahead with his plans, and agreed to the hour-and-a-half wait time. I'd packed plenty of snacks for that length of time, and Kwik Kar's kid's area was full of fun toys. Sara enjoyed the novelty of the new play spot for quite some time, but about two hours into our hour-and-a-half wait (yes, you read that correctly), she was about as antsy as they come.

Lacking anything better to do, Sara spotted my purse and started digging. I was thrilled by the amount of time that passed as Sara happily hunted through my belongings. She found a variety of things, including a shopping list (which we didn't get to today because we left Kwik Kar 3+ hours after we'd arrived, and by then we were WAY overdue for lunch and nap), some gum, my phone, and a bottle of Excedrin, which proved to be the biggest treasure of them all. She shook that bottle for a good long time. Child-proof caps were created for a reason.

By the time we got home around 1:45, we were both practically in hysterics.  I had a killer headache, and Sara had sleepy eyes and an empty belly.  To make matters worse, I noticed as we were pulling into the driveway that my "check engine" light is still bright orange on the dash (I should've noticed it right away, but it's been on for so long that it blends in with the gadgets that are supposed there).  Had I thought we could manage, I would've turned around right then to go back to Kwik Kar and have the mechanic fix the glitch, but there was just no way.  It'll have to wait until my next day off.  By then, I'll probably need another three hours worth of repairs!

Pants Party

While Sara was playing in her room tonight, she wandered to the dresser and opened the treasure chest that is her pants drawer.

Pair by colorful pair, she emptied the drawer.

Then she sat and played with all of her pants.  She even carried a couple pairs around the house for a bit.

After a while, Sara started rubbing her eyes with her pants, indicating bath and bed time.

But while it lasted, it was a good, old fashioned Pants Party!

Vikings and Cowboys and the Dome ... Oh, My!

That's right: the Cowboys are headed north to face the Vikings at the Metrodome next weekend.  I'm sure this big event will be the main only topic of conversation in my home this week.  Don't you just love play-off football?  By 3:00 CST next Sunday, the victor will be revealed.  It's all so exciting!

This baby has been coughing a lot today.  It started yesterday, but overnight became worse, and today has sounded very painful.  Luckily, we have an appointment with her pediatrician scheduled for tomorrow to check on the fluid in her ears.  Hopefully he'll have an answer for her cough, too.  I hate hearing it because I know how it feels when it's me ... I just feel so bad for her because I know it hurts but there is so little I can do.  I did give her a pretty good rub-down tonight with some Vick's.  As kids, my sister and I called it "chesty", and I remember such sweet relief when my mom would coat my tight chest in it.  Hopefully it will at least help Sara sleep tonight.  Still, trooper that she is, Sara didn't let a little cough keep her from enjoying some time at Target this afternoon.  She munched happily on Apple Jack's during her cart ride, and behaved beautifully.  I stand by the notion that Target fixes almost anything. (P.S. I have to brag on the fact that I save almost $14.00 with coupons today on our Target trip.  And did you know that Target now takes $0.05 off your bill for each reusable bag you bring to carry your goods?  Hey, every nickle counts, so I used my bags, thankyouverymuch.)

The $14.00 I saved today at Target helped justify my rather large order of cookies from one adorable Girl Scout who rang our doorbell earlier this evening.  I'll be dreaming of Thin Mints and Tagalongs until they arrive.

My mom texted today and said that Sara's chair is ready.  The one she's sitting in in this post is the same one that my mom had as a child, and my sister and I enjoyed it for many, many years, too.  For Christmas, my parents surprised us with Sara's very own Red Rocking Chair, which was made from hand by an old neighbor friend who enjoys wood-working as a hobby.  Here's a picture of the chair Sara will be receiving shortly (a replica of the one I loved growing up).  I'm so, so thrilled.  The gift itself nearly brought me to tears on Christmas Day, and I can't wait for Sara to rock away here in a chair that she'll someday pass to her own children. 

That's all for tonight.  Time for another week.  But first, a glass of wine and Desperate Housewives.  If Mondays didn't have to follow, Sunday nights would be my favorite!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Love You!

Holiday Highlights

My camera finally made it back to TX, so although this is belated, I'd like to share some highlights from our White MN Christmas.  Wonderful memories ...

Family

Grandma, Aunt Melissa, and Sara

Playing the Piano

Climbing the Stairs

Seriously Decorating Cookies

Seriously Doing Puzzles

Wrapping Paper (only consumed in small quantities)

Chores Shoveling

Sledding

Grandpa's Rockin' Gig

A Red Rocking Chair of Her Very Own

chit-chat

It's a beautiful day in North Texas. Steve is out with his brother and a friend - and maybe some others, but I'm not sure (plus it really doesn't matter) - shooting skeet (?) on someone's land. Good, old fashioned guy stuff. Not my cup of tea.

Sara and I, on the other hand, set out to bargain hunt at Kohl's and Hobby Lobby. Kohl's gift card in hand (thanks, Gma B.), I was looking primarily for a new kitchen rug. Not the most exciting of things, but I've been wanting a new one for a while and just hadn't found the right one (or the right price). As luck would have it, rugs were on sale (I know you are thinking, isn't everything always on sale at Kohl's?, and I used to think that, too, until I stopped in a couple of weeks ago and rugs were not on sale), and I couldn't contain my excitement when I realized I had enough gift card to purchase not only a new kitchen rug but also a new outdoor welcome mat! As we were walking to the register, I spotted a cute pair of black yoga pants on clearance for $6.99, so I picked those up, too. I don't actually do yoga, but we all know the pants make for great lounge wear. When all was said and done, I only paid $2.77 out of pocket.

We then headed from Kohl's to Hobby Lobby just to browse. I found a super cute frame on the clearance aisle for $3. 74, and as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly which Sara picture would call it home. Now Sara is napping, and I've had ample time to put out my new rugs and rework some of my picture frames. Sometimes it just feels so good to replace some of those types of items; in my home, they are often overlooked and ignored, but not today! I'd love to show you pictures of my new found treasures, but if you read my last post, you know that I left my camera in MN (though it's currently en route to TX).

Switching gears, I'd like to discuss this article and its possible implications for someone like me (although I'd like to lose weight and get back into better shape in the new year, I didn't actually make a resolution to do so ... perhaps so I won't be as disappointed if it doesn't happen), but my girl is waking up so that conversation will have to wait. In the meantime, tell me what you've resolved to do in 2010, and how you plan to do it!