Archive for July, 2006
You there! Shhh! Heck, I’m probably typing too loudly as it is. And I’m honestly concerned that the crickets chirping away outside might wake the baby.
This realization hit me recently: It seems like we spend a lot of time tiptoeing around our own house these days.
I guess that’s just part of life with a new baby around. Especially when she’s been sick for so long. We try to do everything we can to make sure that when she’s sleepy she can actually go to sleep, and stay asleep for as long as she can. So we throw each other dirty looks as we’re putting away the dishes (that clink might wake Anna!) or get a drink (the ice maker is too loud!), and hope that the kid stays asleep.
Fortunately, the whole family had a good night last night. Tara slept. I slept. Max didn’t wake us up with his usual antics at three o’clock in the morning. And most importantly, Anna slept from about 9:00pm through to 4:30am — without coughing! I don’t think she’s entirely over her cold, but the antibiotics do appear to have helped a bit, and she’s seem to be on the upswing at this point.
I’m going to go and try to sneak off to the gym now. Very, very quietly…
July 26th, 2006
Our poor Honda Civic is cursed. Like a magnet, our car seems to attract accidents! About 8 months ago I was rear-ended while driving to work in Boulder. This caused about $4000 worth of damage and many weeks to get it repaired. Just when we thought that this vehicle had its share of body work, it was involved in yet another accident.
This weekend we were driving up to visit Neal’s parents in Fort Collins. Neal’s dad had just returned from a 3-week trip to Germany and we were going up to have dinner and hear about his adventures. We were minding our own business in the right-hand lane when a car came up from behind in the left lane and side-swiped us going at least 60 mph. Turns out it was a couple of teenagers from Greeley. The kid driving was 16 and this was probably his first car – it still had temporary plates! I’d seen this same car earlier going about 45 mph (we passed him) – the driver looked like he was dialing or texting on his cell phone. We figure he just wasn’t paying attention and drifted over the line into our lane. Neal tried to swerve, but it wasn’t quite enough. The car took off our driver’s side mirror and scratched/dented our front wheel well and all along the side of our car.
The kid was cited for careless driving – so in theory his insurance should pay for the damages. However, instead of a big insurance company like State Farm or Allstate, he has a private insurance company out of Greeley. This means estimates (multiple) and potentially fighting for our choice of body shop. Let’s hope I’m wrong. In the meantime, I get to drive around in a car without a side mirror and some alignment issues. Major annoyance – you just don’t realize how much you use the side mirror until it’s gone! Grrr…
Incidentally, we’re all fine. No injuries aside from a little too much sun while waiting for the highway patrol to show up.
July 23rd, 2006
Anna and I made another trip to the doctor due to this never-ending cold. The doctor gave her some nice pink antibiotics. We haven’t tried them yet, but I’m looking forward to it (not). I guess it is standard practice for them to give you a bit extra due to the fact that it frequently comes right back out of baby’s mouth! At least it is only administered once a day.
Just to be on the safe side, the doctor recommended a chest x-ray. Now that is an interesting process. How does one give a squirmy 4-month old an x-ray? Well, having experienced it today – I can tell you firsthand. They sit her in a little seat (kind of like what you’d have in a walker), which is attached to a verticle plastic tube that can be adjusted to the size of her mid-section. Her arms are kept over her head (also contained within the tube) and her head is strapped in place. Boy, she did NOT like it. The imaging techs said that this was a good thing because the screaming opened up her lungs allowing them to get a good picture. Easy for them to say…they didn’t have to deal with the aftermath!
We don’t know anything yet about the x-rays. I’m assuming the doctor will get back to us ASAP if there is a problem. In the meantime, we’re thankful that babies of 4-months of age do not have good memories. ‘Cause like the shots, she looked at me like I was a horrible mother – “How can you let them do this to me?”
July 21st, 2006
Last Friday we took Anna in for her four-month check-up. We went through all the questions about sleep patterns, feeding schedules and developmental milestones. The doctor thinks she’s doing great! We are supposed to keep an eye on her “Bob Dole” hand, but the doctor doesn’t think it is really a big deal. In fact, Anna’s started to use her left hand more and more lately, so it is probably just a matter of time. She’s accidentally rolled over a couple of times unaided, but never more than once during a tummy-time session. Soon those accidents will turn into intentional movement, I’m sure.
Anna is still big for her age; she’s in the 90th percentile for both height and weight this time. She now weighs in at 15 lbs. 5 1/2 ounces and is 25 inches long! She’s wearing larger 3-month clothing and is starting to wear her 6-month stuff (and even some 6-9 month clothing). Neal swears that she’s finally growing into her cheeks, but I think they are just as chunky as ever!
Anna STILL has a cold, so the doctor thought it best to delay giving her her vaccinations until she is feeling better. She had a somewhat nasty reaction to her first round of shots and we would like to avoid a repeat of that horrible night! The doctor is considering whether or not to hold off on the pertussis (whooping cough) immunization until Anna’s a bit older because she believes it to be the cause of her reaction. I’m torn…there’s an increase in cases of whooping cough in the general population and whooping cough is most dangerous to infants under the age of one. It seems like a no-win situation.
Of course, if she doesn’t get over this damned cold this may all be moot! We’re currently going into the 4th week of sick-Anna. Help! The doctor checked her out last Friday and said that there was no fluid in her lungs. She said it would just take time for the cold to run its course. Last night, between bouts of coughing, she sounded like she had a rattle in her chest when she breathed. I’ve got another call into the doctor today. Let’s hope they can do something for her. I think she’s growing tired of coughing and of me sticking the bulb syringe up her nose; I know I am.
We have some new pictures to post – we just need to find time to do it! We’ll try to make time this week.
July 19th, 2006
