Gracie is back at daycare today for the first time in a week and a half. Her virus lasted way too long, as did her all over bodies hives, add to that a second ear infection (opposite ear) and a new antibiotic that we think she might also be allergic too. She still has a cough and a bit of a runny nose, but all in all she is finally feeling good and is starting to eat and drink again. Over the last couple of weeks she has lost 3-1/2 lbs., yet every time I put an item of clothing on her, she seems to have outgrown it. Hmmmm.
Gracie was almost giddy with excitement to be back among her friend. She still tires a little more easily, so I'm hoping all goes well today. Everyone at daycare was happy to see her. Teachers from many different classes stopped to welcome her back and tell her how much she was missed.
On a fun note, Gracie had an appointment with her Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician earlier this week. We see her every 6 months and love her. She was so impressed with all of Gracie's skills. She told me how proud I must be as this is not the same little girl she saw 6 months ago. Her attention span has increased, her skills have increased. She was able to accomplish ALL of the 2 year old skills and was doing quite a few 3 year old skills as well. She even commented on how her speech is so much clearer than it had been just 6 months ago. Gracie was a little Rock Star at that appointment!!!
Gracie is just cracking me up lately. She is constantly asking me "Momma, what ya doing?" And if I ask her what she is doing, she gets a big smile on her face and says "Just Hanging Around!"
We are thrilled to welcome a new baby second cousin to our family for Grace to play with -- and she LOVES babies. Gracie saw a picture of Nora Elizabeth and is very anxious to see her in person. Congratulations Crystal and Will.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sick Again and Daddy Too!
On Tuesday afternoon, just as Jeff and I arrived at Gracie's preschool, we received a call from Gracie's daycare. Gracie had hives all over her body and was itchy. Jeff went to get her, while I met with a number of individuals from school. Gracie has struggled this year at school, just isn't as happy there as she was last year. Her room seems a bit more chaotic, add to that her teacher has been out on a leave of absence and there wasn't a consistent sub until recently. Gracie just didn't do well with this scenario. She spent much of her time crying, refusing to participate, and laying on the floor refusing to move. The team I am working with at school has been fantastic in brainstorming ideas that will work with Gracie and alternate programs. On Monday, Gracie will begin a new program. Two days a week will be in a small group setting with all children who have special needs and at the same school she currently is at, but with a new teacher. A teacher both Jeff and I think will be fantastic with her. The other two days a week she will attend a nursery school across town, but will have her school teacher and two para-professionals there for support in this setting. This will give her the mainstreaming and socialization element to her learning. Both Jeff and I are excited for this transition and I think it will be great for Gracie as well.
When I got home on Tuesday night, Gracie's torso was covered in hives, but she seemed fine otherwise. Well that night she started running a temp and the hives exploded all over her body. She has hives from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. And they are itchy. Her nose is running big time and she has a cough. So we definitely know a virus has hit, but her pediatrician thinks the hives could be from the virus, but we can't rule out that she is allergic to penicillin. We just finished a course for her ear infection. Gracie has had hives previously with viruses, but never quite this bad.
Gracie continues to be sick. She's not eating much and she really doesn't want to drink much either, so we've been creative in trying to get fluids in her. Her fever tends to be very low grade during the day, but it kicks in with a vengeance in the night. I spend most of the night holding her, rocking her, and bouncing her. Jeff also has been running a 103 degree F fever and feeling miseable. I stayed home from work yesterday (Thursday) to take care of both of them. Today Jeff's fever is low grade so he is at home taking care of our sweet little girl. I'm trying very hard to stay healthy as Jeff has to work all weekend and I'm hoping we can get Gracie healthy too!
Her hives aren't as firey red today, but they are still itchy and the Benadryl and Claritin are probably helping, but it's hard to see her miserable. The higher the fever, the more she itches.
So my mission for the weekend is to get my family healthy. I love Clorox Wipes...I think we'll scrub down the house with them this weekend. :)
Stay healthy.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
When I got home on Tuesday night, Gracie's torso was covered in hives, but she seemed fine otherwise. Well that night she started running a temp and the hives exploded all over her body. She has hives from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. And they are itchy. Her nose is running big time and she has a cough. So we definitely know a virus has hit, but her pediatrician thinks the hives could be from the virus, but we can't rule out that she is allergic to penicillin. We just finished a course for her ear infection. Gracie has had hives previously with viruses, but never quite this bad.
Gracie continues to be sick. She's not eating much and she really doesn't want to drink much either, so we've been creative in trying to get fluids in her. Her fever tends to be very low grade during the day, but it kicks in with a vengeance in the night. I spend most of the night holding her, rocking her, and bouncing her. Jeff also has been running a 103 degree F fever and feeling miseable. I stayed home from work yesterday (Thursday) to take care of both of them. Today Jeff's fever is low grade so he is at home taking care of our sweet little girl. I'm trying very hard to stay healthy as Jeff has to work all weekend and I'm hoping we can get Gracie healthy too!
Her hives aren't as firey red today, but they are still itchy and the Benadryl and Claritin are probably helping, but it's hard to see her miserable. The higher the fever, the more she itches.
So my mission for the weekend is to get my family healthy. I love Clorox Wipes...I think we'll scrub down the house with them this weekend. :)
Stay healthy.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Antibiotics are Working
Gracie is finally starting to feel better. The antibiotics are finally starting to kick in. Her nose continues to run and she ran a slight fever on Saturday night again. She had a very lazy Sunday morning. She was happy, but didn't really want to do anything other than lay on her bed and read books or look at magazines. She absolutely hates taking the antibiotics and I think they make her tummy not feel great too.
By Sunday afternoon, Gracie had had enough of staying home. She wanted to go "bye-bye". I'm still not ready to take her anywhere that she can pick up more germs and the wind was just too cold to take her outside, so we all got in the van, cranked up the tunes, and went for a drive. She LOVED it!!! Because she hasn't had much of an appetite at all, I suggested we stop at McDonalds for an ice cream cone. That was met with a HUGE smile. She ate every morsel of that ice cream cone and asked for more. She didn't get more, but seemed okay with that answer. Of course, that filled her up enough that she wanted no part of supper. I really didn't care. It seemed to do wonders for her mood.
Gracie was so tired last night, that I was surprised when she awoke at 3:00 a.m. and was wide awake. She finally fell back to sleep at 4:00 a.m. and then didn't want to wake up when it was time to get ready for school. It took her a while to get moving, but was happy when she did.
Speaking of school, we're currently working on transitioning Gracie to a different pre-school class that has a few differences than what she is in now. We have a meeting with her new teacher and the lead teacher for Early Childhood Special Education tomorrow. Our plan is to have her start on Monday of next week. More details on that soon. Jeff and I are very excited about this change.
And in closing, Gracie said to something to me this weekend that I have been waiting to hear for a couple of years and it just made me smile. She took a spoon out of my hand that was stirring some of her food and she said "Gracie do it!" She's becoming quite independent and I love it!!!!
The other event from the weekend was I cleaned out our refrigerator. It needed it badly, but the reason it was done this weekend is that Gracie wanted to help take out a pitcher of orange Koolaid out of the fridge, but it wasn't shut tight and half of the pitcher went all over the refrigerator. I think I got my floor's scrubbed a couple months back with a similar scenario.
Have a great week!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
By Sunday afternoon, Gracie had had enough of staying home. She wanted to go "bye-bye". I'm still not ready to take her anywhere that she can pick up more germs and the wind was just too cold to take her outside, so we all got in the van, cranked up the tunes, and went for a drive. She LOVED it!!! Because she hasn't had much of an appetite at all, I suggested we stop at McDonalds for an ice cream cone. That was met with a HUGE smile. She ate every morsel of that ice cream cone and asked for more. She didn't get more, but seemed okay with that answer. Of course, that filled her up enough that she wanted no part of supper. I really didn't care. It seemed to do wonders for her mood.
Gracie was so tired last night, that I was surprised when she awoke at 3:00 a.m. and was wide awake. She finally fell back to sleep at 4:00 a.m. and then didn't want to wake up when it was time to get ready for school. It took her a while to get moving, but was happy when she did.
Speaking of school, we're currently working on transitioning Gracie to a different pre-school class that has a few differences than what she is in now. We have a meeting with her new teacher and the lead teacher for Early Childhood Special Education tomorrow. Our plan is to have her start on Monday of next week. More details on that soon. Jeff and I are very excited about this change.
And in closing, Gracie said to something to me this weekend that I have been waiting to hear for a couple of years and it just made me smile. She took a spoon out of my hand that was stirring some of her food and she said "Gracie do it!" She's becoming quite independent and I love it!!!!
The other event from the weekend was I cleaned out our refrigerator. It needed it badly, but the reason it was done this weekend is that Gracie wanted to help take out a pitcher of orange Koolaid out of the fridge, but it wasn't shut tight and half of the pitcher went all over the refrigerator. I think I got my floor's scrubbed a couple months back with a similar scenario.
Have a great week!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, February 23, 2012
An Ear Infection
On Tuesday, Gracie had a very rough day at school. She did good in the afternoon at daycare and was happy for Jeff on the way home. The minute she walked in the door at home, I knew her day had not gone well. She cried and screamed for just about two hours straight. We just walked and held her, but that wasn't enough to console her. I even put her in the bathtub, the great equalizer for Gracie, and that did not help. After the crying and screaming, she was so tired and worn out, but was still incredibly restless and couldn't fall asleep. Her only request was to be "bounced". This means we hold her and just that bounce her up and down. This would have been fine, but she was so restless, that she would push against me as if to reposition herself, but she would do it constantly and well at 57 lbs., I can't hold her with the extra weight of her pushing back and constantly moving. I believe it was an act of God that we finally got her to take her seizure meds as she wouldn't eat or drink anything. She even refused her beloved bubble gum flavored ibuprofen.
Gracie finally agreed to let Jeff "bounce" her for a while and she did fall asleep on him, but she continued to be restless and would constantly wake up. She slept like this from 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m., when she awoke and was still incredibly restless and upset. She again wanted to be "bounced". I can't tell you how close I was to taking her to the "ER". Something was wrong, but I had no clue what. We checked her body over for tenderness or problems and all seemed to be fine, no tenderness anywhere. We had just been to the clinic for her ears two days prior and they checked out fine, so I didn't think it was an infection. I finally got her to take some ibuprofen at 2:45 a.m. and she fell asleep at 3:00 a.m. as she sat upright on me as we rocked in the rocking chair downstairs. I think the coolness of downstairs, the change of scenery, and the ibuprofen all helped to calm her. I rocked her as she slept until 4:00 a.m. and then I carried her to bed where she slept until 7:00 a.m. She awoke and to my relief was doing much better.
As soon as the clinic opened, I made an appointment with her pediatrician. When I told her we were going to see Dr. Deb, she told me she wanted to "see nurses". What a little goofball. Well she got to see nurses and Dr. Deb. She indeed has an ear infection and more than likely a sinus infection. So we started her on antibiotics yesterday evening and she had a much better night last night. Although she still woke up grumpy and you can tell she isn't feeling perfect. I did send her to daycare and she wanted to go. I chose not to have her go to school. Under the circumstances, I just didn't feel it was worth it for anyone involved to send her to school where it would be overwhelming for her not feeling well and for those who had to deal with an overwhelmed, not feeling well Gracie.
I did talk with the Early Childhood Special Education coordinator yesterday and shared my concerns about school and how it really is overwhelming for Gracie right now. We're going to meet tomorrow and discuss some options. One of which might be to move Gracie to a different program with a smaller student count. We'll also talk through plans for next year, as we've chosen not to send Gracie to kindergarten, but keep her in preschool for another year.
On a fun note, Jeff and I are hearing alot of "I love you, mommy" and "I love you, daddy" from Gracie these days. We're getting lots of spontaneous hugs and kisses too. All are heart melters for sure. She's been very talkative lately too and is singing songs or parts of songs on her own. Yesterday at the clinic I went to throw a kleenex away in an outdoor trash can and she began singing the Oscar the Grouch rendition of "I love trash!" That cracked me up.
Oh and Auntie Sheila....Gracie hates her antibiotics and last night spit them out. This morning I used the trick you used to use with your kiddos...marshmallows. It worked!!!! A little squirt of antibiotics, a marshmallow, a little squirt of antibiotics, a marshmallow. :)
Oh and on an unrelated note...remember how I mentioned in a past blog that Gracie is out growing all her clothes...well she lost 2-1/2 lbs....how does that work? She must be getting taller. She wouldn't cooperate for getting her height checked yesterday, so I'm anxious to see how tall she is. I keep telling Jeff that her legs look longer.
Stay healthy!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie finally agreed to let Jeff "bounce" her for a while and she did fall asleep on him, but she continued to be restless and would constantly wake up. She slept like this from 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m., when she awoke and was still incredibly restless and upset. She again wanted to be "bounced". I can't tell you how close I was to taking her to the "ER". Something was wrong, but I had no clue what. We checked her body over for tenderness or problems and all seemed to be fine, no tenderness anywhere. We had just been to the clinic for her ears two days prior and they checked out fine, so I didn't think it was an infection. I finally got her to take some ibuprofen at 2:45 a.m. and she fell asleep at 3:00 a.m. as she sat upright on me as we rocked in the rocking chair downstairs. I think the coolness of downstairs, the change of scenery, and the ibuprofen all helped to calm her. I rocked her as she slept until 4:00 a.m. and then I carried her to bed where she slept until 7:00 a.m. She awoke and to my relief was doing much better.
As soon as the clinic opened, I made an appointment with her pediatrician. When I told her we were going to see Dr. Deb, she told me she wanted to "see nurses". What a little goofball. Well she got to see nurses and Dr. Deb. She indeed has an ear infection and more than likely a sinus infection. So we started her on antibiotics yesterday evening and she had a much better night last night. Although she still woke up grumpy and you can tell she isn't feeling perfect. I did send her to daycare and she wanted to go. I chose not to have her go to school. Under the circumstances, I just didn't feel it was worth it for anyone involved to send her to school where it would be overwhelming for her not feeling well and for those who had to deal with an overwhelmed, not feeling well Gracie.
I did talk with the Early Childhood Special Education coordinator yesterday and shared my concerns about school and how it really is overwhelming for Gracie right now. We're going to meet tomorrow and discuss some options. One of which might be to move Gracie to a different program with a smaller student count. We'll also talk through plans for next year, as we've chosen not to send Gracie to kindergarten, but keep her in preschool for another year.
On a fun note, Jeff and I are hearing alot of "I love you, mommy" and "I love you, daddy" from Gracie these days. We're getting lots of spontaneous hugs and kisses too. All are heart melters for sure. She's been very talkative lately too and is singing songs or parts of songs on her own. Yesterday at the clinic I went to throw a kleenex away in an outdoor trash can and she began singing the Oscar the Grouch rendition of "I love trash!" That cracked me up.
Oh and Auntie Sheila....Gracie hates her antibiotics and last night spit them out. This morning I used the trick you used to use with your kiddos...marshmallows. It worked!!!! A little squirt of antibiotics, a marshmallow, a little squirt of antibiotics, a marshmallow. :)
Oh and on an unrelated note...remember how I mentioned in a past blog that Gracie is out growing all her clothes...well she lost 2-1/2 lbs....how does that work? She must be getting taller. She wouldn't cooperate for getting her height checked yesterday, so I'm anxious to see how tall she is. I keep telling Jeff that her legs look longer.
Stay healthy!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Fever is Gone, Cough Continues
Gracie's fever remained through Friday and on Saturday she was finally fever free. That's about the time her nose started draining and it hasn't stopped. She has quite the cough too. On Sunday, she kept pulling at her ears and when I asked she said they hurt and that she wanted medicine. Of course, she loves medicine! We ended up taking her in to Express Care to see if she had an ear infection. She did not, but they indicated her ears were very red and irritated.
Gracie was so excited to get out of the house after being cooped up for a week. When we put her in the van, she had the biggest smile and kept clapping her hands. She was Miss Social when she visited with the doctor. When it was time to leave, she didn't want to. To make the outing fun and since she hasn't had a very big appetite, we stopped at McDonalds and got her an ice cream cone. She ate every little morsel. Then when we drove the van into the garage at home, she got very upset as she wanted to "drive" more. So Jeff and Gracie drove around the city listening to tunes while I went grocery shopping. I didn't want to take her in the store with so many viruses going around right now, she has a tendency to pick them all up.
On Monday, Gracie went back to daycare and she was happy to see all of her friends. She was in such a good mood. She still has a lot of nasal drainage, but it's good it's coming out. She came home with a big bag of Valentine's cards and gifts. Gracie was in a very good mood last night, although she was tired. It took her about two seconds to fall asleep and she slept the whole night through without waking up. It's been a long, long, long time since that has happened. I even had to wake her up this morning. She was in a great mood this morning and had hugs for everybody at daycare. She is back to school today, so I hope that went well.
Gracie had a reduced appetite last week, but that didn't stop her from growing. I tried 3 pairs of pants on her yesterday morning before we found some that fit. It's really hard to find pants that fit her right now. She's so long waisted, add to that she is still wearing a pull-up, and she is into big girls sizes now (7/8) and they cut them low. Time to shop!
Have a great week!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie was so excited to get out of the house after being cooped up for a week. When we put her in the van, she had the biggest smile and kept clapping her hands. She was Miss Social when she visited with the doctor. When it was time to leave, she didn't want to. To make the outing fun and since she hasn't had a very big appetite, we stopped at McDonalds and got her an ice cream cone. She ate every little morsel. Then when we drove the van into the garage at home, she got very upset as she wanted to "drive" more. So Jeff and Gracie drove around the city listening to tunes while I went grocery shopping. I didn't want to take her in the store with so many viruses going around right now, she has a tendency to pick them all up.
On Monday, Gracie went back to daycare and she was happy to see all of her friends. She was in such a good mood. She still has a lot of nasal drainage, but it's good it's coming out. She came home with a big bag of Valentine's cards and gifts. Gracie was in a very good mood last night, although she was tired. It took her about two seconds to fall asleep and she slept the whole night through without waking up. It's been a long, long, long time since that has happened. I even had to wake her up this morning. She was in a great mood this morning and had hugs for everybody at daycare. She is back to school today, so I hope that went well.
Gracie had a reduced appetite last week, but that didn't stop her from growing. I tried 3 pairs of pants on her yesterday morning before we found some that fit. It's really hard to find pants that fit her right now. She's so long waisted, add to that she is still wearing a pull-up, and she is into big girls sizes now (7/8) and they cut them low. Time to shop!
Have a great week!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A Nasty Little Virus
Gracie has been sick all week. She has a nasty little virus with fever, chills, and a pretty nasty, yet productive cough. She gave us quite a scare yesterday morning. She had done well through the night, but when I got up in the morning to take a shower, Jeff layed in bed with her. Pretty soon there was a knock at the bathroom door and there was definitely something wrong with her, she was visibly shaking (her teeth were even chattering), her breathing was terribly labored, and she was burning up. So we gave her some ibuprofen, I wrapped her in a big fleece blanket and held her for over an hour before she finally stopped shaking. Her breathing continued to be labored for a while after that. It was a little reminiscent of when she had pneumonia a couple of years ago. We were contemplating taking her to the E.R. when she finally stabilized. The rest of her day was pretty good.
Jeff and I have been taking turns staying home with her and he is with her today. Her temp was up to 100 again this morning and she was feeling pretty funky, but the magical ibuprofen has now brought it down again. I'll be home with her tomorrow and I'm hoping we can get her healthy.
On a fun note we have some mini-valentines cupcakes at home and whenever I give her one or two she tells me it's a party! :) She hasn't had a very big appetite...but that's not a surprise. We're just forcing the fluids.
Stay healthy.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Jeff and I have been taking turns staying home with her and he is with her today. Her temp was up to 100 again this morning and she was feeling pretty funky, but the magical ibuprofen has now brought it down again. I'll be home with her tomorrow and I'm hoping we can get her healthy.
On a fun note we have some mini-valentines cupcakes at home and whenever I give her one or two she tells me it's a party! :) She hasn't had a very big appetite...but that's not a surprise. We're just forcing the fluids.
Stay healthy.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Rought Times at School
Gracie, Jeff, and I had a great weekend together just hanging out and having fun. Gracie loves family time when we are all three together.
On Monday, Jeff and I took the day off of work to install a ceiling fan in Gracie's room (Jeff to do the work and me for moral support). This gave me the luxury to take Gracie to school and pick her up. She has been having a really rough time at school, so I wanted to see what me dropping off and picking up would add to the equation, as well as it would give me the opportunity to talk to her team at school. Gracie was in a great mood until it was time to leave me and then she had a mini meltdown. We were able to get her to go with the rest of her class, but she had a rough time and most of her morning was spent in tears. When I went to pick her up, I found her sitting on one of the para's lap in tears. She didn't want her coat on, she didn't want anything. I got down on the floor to talk to her and after a few minutes she cheered up. Then as we headed to the car, she saw the bus and thought she had to ride it and immediately fell to the floor in a meltdown. I talked her up from that and we headed to the car. That afternoon after nap time, we did some role playing with her playhouse and family figurines. Suzy "the little girl" told Gracie how she sometimes gets sad at school and we had a great time role playing. That night Gracie had a horribly restless night. She awoke at least 20 times and just tossed and turned all night long.
On Tuesday morning, I asked Gracie if she could try to be "a little bit happy" at school. She thought she could. She was in a great mood otherwise. Well she had a much better day at school. Not perfect, but better than she has had in a while. When she got to daycare, her friend Ana brought cupcakes in for her birthday and her mom found some that were made in a nut free facility. THANK YOU!!!!! They are nearly impossible to find and cupcakes are Gracie's most favorite food in the world (besides chicken). She had a great day at daycare and was in a very good mood last night.
Last night we increased Gracie's evening dose of seizure meds. She had the best night sleep she has had in weeks!!! Usually up at 5:00 a.m., I had a hard time waking her at 6:30 a.m. She was in a great mood upon waking and told me she wanted to go see Miss Alyssa (her teacher at daycare). On the way to daycare I asked her if she could be a "little bit happy" at school again today and she thought she could. I then said, "you know Gracie, you can be alot a bit happy at school too, how about trying that?" She wouldn't commit to that. I just heard from school and she had a great day!!!! I am so thankful for the school team I am working with through all of Gracie's transition difficulties. They have her best interests at heart.
I'm hoping for a great rest of the week.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
On Monday, Jeff and I took the day off of work to install a ceiling fan in Gracie's room (Jeff to do the work and me for moral support). This gave me the luxury to take Gracie to school and pick her up. She has been having a really rough time at school, so I wanted to see what me dropping off and picking up would add to the equation, as well as it would give me the opportunity to talk to her team at school. Gracie was in a great mood until it was time to leave me and then she had a mini meltdown. We were able to get her to go with the rest of her class, but she had a rough time and most of her morning was spent in tears. When I went to pick her up, I found her sitting on one of the para's lap in tears. She didn't want her coat on, she didn't want anything. I got down on the floor to talk to her and after a few minutes she cheered up. Then as we headed to the car, she saw the bus and thought she had to ride it and immediately fell to the floor in a meltdown. I talked her up from that and we headed to the car. That afternoon after nap time, we did some role playing with her playhouse and family figurines. Suzy "the little girl" told Gracie how she sometimes gets sad at school and we had a great time role playing. That night Gracie had a horribly restless night. She awoke at least 20 times and just tossed and turned all night long.
On Tuesday morning, I asked Gracie if she could try to be "a little bit happy" at school. She thought she could. She was in a great mood otherwise. Well she had a much better day at school. Not perfect, but better than she has had in a while. When she got to daycare, her friend Ana brought cupcakes in for her birthday and her mom found some that were made in a nut free facility. THANK YOU!!!!! They are nearly impossible to find and cupcakes are Gracie's most favorite food in the world (besides chicken). She had a great day at daycare and was in a very good mood last night.
Last night we increased Gracie's evening dose of seizure meds. She had the best night sleep she has had in weeks!!! Usually up at 5:00 a.m., I had a hard time waking her at 6:30 a.m. She was in a great mood upon waking and told me she wanted to go see Miss Alyssa (her teacher at daycare). On the way to daycare I asked her if she could be a "little bit happy" at school again today and she thought she could. I then said, "you know Gracie, you can be alot a bit happy at school too, how about trying that?" She wouldn't commit to that. I just heard from school and she had a great day!!!! I am so thankful for the school team I am working with through all of Gracie's transition difficulties. They have her best interests at heart.
I'm hoping for a great rest of the week.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, February 3, 2012
A Crazy Week
It's been a crazy week at our house:
Monday: I received a call from school mid-morning that Gracie had thrown up, was in the office, and needed to be picked up. When I went to pick her up, she seemed a little too happy for a girl with the flu. The first thing she asked me for was juice. When we got home she went to the freezer and pulled out chicken nuggets and told me she wanted them. While they were cooking she proceeded to eat anything she could get her hands on. She was more mellow all day and had a little more gas than usual, but seemed happy enough and with an appetite. I'm not sure what caused the vomiting. I do know she had been outside at recess and had gone sledding down a hill, but would only do it once. Perhaps that was too much for her tummy. Who knows!
Tuesday & Wednesday: Gracie had some very rough days at school and was just not herself. She was outright refusing to do things, very unhappy, and on Wednesday she screamed and cried for mommy and daddy and it took school staff 20 minutes to calm her. Her teacher is on an extended leave of absence and I think it was just too much for our little one who loves her routine to handle. I am so thankful to school staff who reached out to me so we could talk through the behaviors and perhaps try some different techniques. One of which is using a Mickey Mouse figurine (Gracie's most favorite toy) for her to move from one activity to another. They also now have a substitute teacher in place, so I think a new routine will be made. Once she would get to daycare, she would go off in a corner by herself for awhile before she would eat lunch and engage with the other children. Daycare is a good place for her that she is enjoying immensely. On Wednesday she got to listen to the ocean in a big seashell and she LOVED that. She also got to hold a shark's tooth which she thought was great.
On Thursday morning at 3:25 a.m., Gracie had a seizure. It was fairly short, but she did struggle for breath and she did stop breathing for a short time. She came out of it fine, but I do contribute it to the stress of her previous days. She's not quite at the weight where we would give her next med increase (we're a 1-1/2 pounds away), so I have a message into her neurologist to see what we want to do. Gracie seemed to have a better day on Thursday and she did great at daycare in the afternoon. She even ate soup using a spoon all by herself!!!!! Her teacher at daycare videotaped it and Jeff has gotten to see it, but I haven't yet. I'm told she was very proud and all smiles. She was in an absolutely great mood last night and it didn't hurt that we stopped and got food from McDonalds for supper. She ate and ate and ate. I'm convinced she is growing again. Many of her pants are starting to get short.
Friday (today): Gracie woke up at 4:20 a.m. and told me she was awake...and she was! As much as I tried to help her go back to sleep, she was truly awake. So we got up and played. She was in a great mood at daycare and as I was talking to her teacher this morning, I got to watch her interact with another little girl that was there. It was so much fun. The both were holding stuffed animals and the other little girl was singing and talking and Gracie was following her around with a big smile on her face. All seemed right with the world.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Monday: I received a call from school mid-morning that Gracie had thrown up, was in the office, and needed to be picked up. When I went to pick her up, she seemed a little too happy for a girl with the flu. The first thing she asked me for was juice. When we got home she went to the freezer and pulled out chicken nuggets and told me she wanted them. While they were cooking she proceeded to eat anything she could get her hands on. She was more mellow all day and had a little more gas than usual, but seemed happy enough and with an appetite. I'm not sure what caused the vomiting. I do know she had been outside at recess and had gone sledding down a hill, but would only do it once. Perhaps that was too much for her tummy. Who knows!
Tuesday & Wednesday: Gracie had some very rough days at school and was just not herself. She was outright refusing to do things, very unhappy, and on Wednesday she screamed and cried for mommy and daddy and it took school staff 20 minutes to calm her. Her teacher is on an extended leave of absence and I think it was just too much for our little one who loves her routine to handle. I am so thankful to school staff who reached out to me so we could talk through the behaviors and perhaps try some different techniques. One of which is using a Mickey Mouse figurine (Gracie's most favorite toy) for her to move from one activity to another. They also now have a substitute teacher in place, so I think a new routine will be made. Once she would get to daycare, she would go off in a corner by herself for awhile before she would eat lunch and engage with the other children. Daycare is a good place for her that she is enjoying immensely. On Wednesday she got to listen to the ocean in a big seashell and she LOVED that. She also got to hold a shark's tooth which she thought was great.
On Thursday morning at 3:25 a.m., Gracie had a seizure. It was fairly short, but she did struggle for breath and she did stop breathing for a short time. She came out of it fine, but I do contribute it to the stress of her previous days. She's not quite at the weight where we would give her next med increase (we're a 1-1/2 pounds away), so I have a message into her neurologist to see what we want to do. Gracie seemed to have a better day on Thursday and she did great at daycare in the afternoon. She even ate soup using a spoon all by herself!!!!! Her teacher at daycare videotaped it and Jeff has gotten to see it, but I haven't yet. I'm told she was very proud and all smiles. She was in an absolutely great mood last night and it didn't hurt that we stopped and got food from McDonalds for supper. She ate and ate and ate. I'm convinced she is growing again. Many of her pants are starting to get short.
Friday (today): Gracie woke up at 4:20 a.m. and told me she was awake...and she was! As much as I tried to help her go back to sleep, she was truly awake. So we got up and played. She was in a great mood at daycare and as I was talking to her teacher this morning, I got to watch her interact with another little girl that was there. It was so much fun. The both were holding stuffed animals and the other little girl was singing and talking and Gracie was following her around with a big smile on her face. All seemed right with the world.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, January 27, 2012
Good Week
Gracie has had a good week at daycare and school. I've been working on getting her to bed earlier at night. That seems to help her moods greatly and she has been tired enough that she falls asleep early, but it sometimes backfires with her waking up in the night or too early in the morning.
At school Gracie got to be the special helper at school one day this week and I'm told she LOVED that. They said she was very happy and very talkative that day. At daycare they are learning about the ocean and made an octopus out of toilet tissue rolls. They also made jelly fish out of upside down paper bowls and yarn. I just love hers. It has just two tentacles, but you can tell she really worked hard on it and it is hanging from the ceiling and well I'm just a proud mommy!
On Tuesday night Gracie got to talk with Grandma and Grandpa D. via Skype. She played shy as she always does, but did talk a little bit. On Wednesday night she came home and was really cold, she just shivered and shivered and when we asked her if she wanted a blanket she agreed she did. Jeff (the warm body of the house) had her sit on his lap and he wrapped a blanket around her and just held her close to try and get her warm. Once she had stopped shivering, I put her jammies on and added a big fuzzy sweatshirt over the top. I was just sure she was coming down with something, because Gracie is rarely cold and never shivers unless she is sick, but she has remained healthy. So I'm not sure if she just caught a chill that day or what.
Last night Gracie ate and ate again, although she did not like the chicken tacos they had for lunch at daycare, so I think she was just a hungry girl from not eating much lunch. Although when she woke up this morning I was just sure she looked taller.
Yesterday I had a dental implant put in and had a very sore cheek and mouth. When Jeff picked Gracie up, he informed Gracie that mommy had an owie and that she had to be very gentle with mommy. She was very concerned about this and when she saw me she kept insisting she wanted to "see" the owie and she kept wanting to touch my cheek. Oops...maybe we shouldn't have told her.
This morning Gracie was in a great mood! She was singing and dancing and smiley. I dressed her in this adorable pastel sweatshirt and added blue leggings, but soon realized the leggings were a little too form fitting to be worn without having something over them so I added a pink tutu. That was a huge lit, she danced around the house saying "tutu" and telling us that she was a "ballerina". She looked adorable.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
At school Gracie got to be the special helper at school one day this week and I'm told she LOVED that. They said she was very happy and very talkative that day. At daycare they are learning about the ocean and made an octopus out of toilet tissue rolls. They also made jelly fish out of upside down paper bowls and yarn. I just love hers. It has just two tentacles, but you can tell she really worked hard on it and it is hanging from the ceiling and well I'm just a proud mommy!
On Tuesday night Gracie got to talk with Grandma and Grandpa D. via Skype. She played shy as she always does, but did talk a little bit. On Wednesday night she came home and was really cold, she just shivered and shivered and when we asked her if she wanted a blanket she agreed she did. Jeff (the warm body of the house) had her sit on his lap and he wrapped a blanket around her and just held her close to try and get her warm. Once she had stopped shivering, I put her jammies on and added a big fuzzy sweatshirt over the top. I was just sure she was coming down with something, because Gracie is rarely cold and never shivers unless she is sick, but she has remained healthy. So I'm not sure if she just caught a chill that day or what.
Last night Gracie ate and ate again, although she did not like the chicken tacos they had for lunch at daycare, so I think she was just a hungry girl from not eating much lunch. Although when she woke up this morning I was just sure she looked taller.
Yesterday I had a dental implant put in and had a very sore cheek and mouth. When Jeff picked Gracie up, he informed Gracie that mommy had an owie and that she had to be very gentle with mommy. She was very concerned about this and when she saw me she kept insisting she wanted to "see" the owie and she kept wanting to touch my cheek. Oops...maybe we shouldn't have told her.
This morning Gracie was in a great mood! She was singing and dancing and smiley. I dressed her in this adorable pastel sweatshirt and added blue leggings, but soon realized the leggings were a little too form fitting to be worn without having something over them so I added a pink tutu. That was a huge lit, she danced around the house saying "tutu" and telling us that she was a "ballerina". She looked adorable.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday/Tuesday - Back to the Real World
Gracie had a good day at daycare yesterday. I'm told she had a lot of fun playing ring around the rosie with two of her daycare buddies. A new family came for a tour of the facility and Gracie took them by the hand and gave them a tour of all the hot spots in the room. She must have sold them on the place, their little boy starts today. She did have one time where she became completely overwhelmed when the room got a little crazy.
Last night at home was not a happy place. Her getting up at 4:00 a.m. and no nap took it's toll. If she wasn't crying, kicking, hitting, or screaming hysterically, she was walking around the house and grabbing anything she could get her hands on and throwing it to the floor. I feel so bad for her when she is in one of these moods, I can't imagine what must be going on in her little head. I know for fact there is no ability to reason and control her actions. We got home at 6:00 p.m. and I had her in bed fast asleep by 7:00 p.m. She was just plain OVER tired. She slept until 4:00 a.m. this morning, then woke up and told me she was "awake". I told her she wasn't and that she needed to go back to sleep. It actually worked this time and she went back to sleep until about 5:30 a.m. My sweet girl was back this morning. Amazing what a good night's sleep can do for a person.
She did have two fun moments last night:
1. She helped set the table for supper and was having just a blast doing it. Needless to say, we'll have her do that again. She loves to be helpful and if we happen to mention how helpful she is, she just beams.
2. I had some Andes Mints left from Christmas time, the bigger ones that have pictures molded into the top. I opened one up for her and it had a snowman on it. She saw it and all by herself sang "Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul." It was so cute. Unfortunately it was sung so softly that Jeff didn't hear it.
Gracie is back to daycare and school today. I think she was ready to get back into her routine.
Have a great week and stay warm.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Last night at home was not a happy place. Her getting up at 4:00 a.m. and no nap took it's toll. If she wasn't crying, kicking, hitting, or screaming hysterically, she was walking around the house and grabbing anything she could get her hands on and throwing it to the floor. I feel so bad for her when she is in one of these moods, I can't imagine what must be going on in her little head. I know for fact there is no ability to reason and control her actions. We got home at 6:00 p.m. and I had her in bed fast asleep by 7:00 p.m. She was just plain OVER tired. She slept until 4:00 a.m. this morning, then woke up and told me she was "awake". I told her she wasn't and that she needed to go back to sleep. It actually worked this time and she went back to sleep until about 5:30 a.m. My sweet girl was back this morning. Amazing what a good night's sleep can do for a person.
She did have two fun moments last night:
1. She helped set the table for supper and was having just a blast doing it. Needless to say, we'll have her do that again. She loves to be helpful and if we happen to mention how helpful she is, she just beams.
2. I had some Andes Mints left from Christmas time, the bigger ones that have pictures molded into the top. I opened one up for her and it had a snowman on it. She saw it and all by herself sang "Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul." It was so cute. Unfortunately it was sung so softly that Jeff didn't hear it.
Gracie is back to daycare and school today. I think she was ready to get back into her routine.
Have a great week and stay warm.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Monday, January 23, 2012
Healthy Again!
Okay, so I didn't quite make my promise of posting last week. Gracie had a G.I. bug that hit on Monday night and lasted the full week. Thankfully no vomiting, but she had lots of stomach cramps and diarrhea. I really felt sorry for the little pumpkin. Her appetite was gone as well, although she was still wonderful about taking her seizure meds with applesauce. I was thankful for that.
On Monday before the "bug" hit, Gracie and I met Jeff where he was working...doing audio for a Robert Robinson concert. Robert is a phenomenal gospel singer and tours a lot with Lori Line. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to hear him again and Gracie loved it as well. Gracie was just sure that when he sang "Amazing Grace" it was just for her. She is pretty amazing, you know. She got to meet Mr. Robinson and his piano player afterward. She was thrilled and held both of their hands.
The G.I. bug hit that evening and was in full force the rest of the week. Jeff and I took turns staying home with her. We practiced good hand hygiene and I disinfected everything I could think of, including door knobs and light switches. I think it worked. Both Jeff and I remain healthy.
This weekend Gracie was feeling much better and making up for her lost appetite. Jeff and I marveled as she inhaled food. I do not know where she puts all that food! She was a good girl all week and all weekend as well. On Sunday, I made a quick trip to the mall, while Jeff and Gracie decided to go outside for a bit. She had been asking to go outside all week and I think not leaving the house for a full week was getting to her. It was just cold and raw enough outside, they didn't stay out long and Gracie made no fuss when it was time to come in.
Gracie is back at daycare today. Schools were two hours late here, which means her preschool was canceled. That's okay with me, I think it was for the best. This way she can get back in the swing of things without too many transitions.
Our biggest fun while sick was running around the kitchen island 2000 times (this was in the evenings when she was starting to feel better), playing with her Fisher Price Little People Zoo, and playing with her Mickey and Minnie Mouse figurines and driving them around in their "toon cars". We have one each for mommy and daddy to play too!!!!
Have a great week and stay healthy!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and the very healthy Gracie
On Monday before the "bug" hit, Gracie and I met Jeff where he was working...doing audio for a Robert Robinson concert. Robert is a phenomenal gospel singer and tours a lot with Lori Line. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to hear him again and Gracie loved it as well. Gracie was just sure that when he sang "Amazing Grace" it was just for her. She is pretty amazing, you know. She got to meet Mr. Robinson and his piano player afterward. She was thrilled and held both of their hands.
The G.I. bug hit that evening and was in full force the rest of the week. Jeff and I took turns staying home with her. We practiced good hand hygiene and I disinfected everything I could think of, including door knobs and light switches. I think it worked. Both Jeff and I remain healthy.
This weekend Gracie was feeling much better and making up for her lost appetite. Jeff and I marveled as she inhaled food. I do not know where she puts all that food! She was a good girl all week and all weekend as well. On Sunday, I made a quick trip to the mall, while Jeff and Gracie decided to go outside for a bit. She had been asking to go outside all week and I think not leaving the house for a full week was getting to her. It was just cold and raw enough outside, they didn't stay out long and Gracie made no fuss when it was time to come in.
Gracie is back at daycare today. Schools were two hours late here, which means her preschool was canceled. That's okay with me, I think it was for the best. This way she can get back in the swing of things without too many transitions.
Our biggest fun while sick was running around the kitchen island 2000 times (this was in the evenings when she was starting to feel better), playing with her Fisher Price Little People Zoo, and playing with her Mickey and Minnie Mouse figurines and driving them around in their "toon cars". We have one each for mommy and daddy to play too!!!!
Have a great week and stay healthy!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and the very healthy Gracie
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
G.I. Bug has Hit!
Gracie has a g.i. bug of some sort...so no time to write. Will have a post later this week.
Stay well!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Stay well!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, January 13, 2012
"I said"!
Gracie had another good day on Thursday. Her daycare teacher reads the group many books and uses alot of books in her teaching and activities. This is right up Gracie's alley! Not to mention Ms. Alyssa is so good about writing down some of Gracie's favorites for me so I know which ones she really seems drawn too. They are working on opposites right now!
Last night after bath Gracie started getting hives again. We gave her some Claritin right away and by this morning they were gone. I've changed no products that we use with her, so I'm just not sure what is causing these outbreaks on occasion.
I think I've mentioned that I start out giving Gracie her baths - I get her hair washed and combed out and I get her all clean and then she asks for daddy to come in and play and splash her. So when my work was done, Jeff came in and I was in the laundry room next door. I hear her tell him that he can't do something, but I wasn't quite sure what. Then I hear Jeff ask her why he can't do whatever it was he wasn't supposed to do...and the reply was "I said". I couldn't believe my ears - I doubled over in laughter. We have never told her to do anything because "I said to"....I am guilty of saying "Just do it!" once in awhile. So I'm guessing she probably hears it at daycare from the other kids. I do know the little boy in her room got in trouble for swearing quite colorfully the other day (twice I might add).
I'm looking forward to the weekend. I do believe we will need to go to the shoe store. I noticed Gracie's toes are at the end of her shoes again.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Last night after bath Gracie started getting hives again. We gave her some Claritin right away and by this morning they were gone. I've changed no products that we use with her, so I'm just not sure what is causing these outbreaks on occasion.
I think I've mentioned that I start out giving Gracie her baths - I get her hair washed and combed out and I get her all clean and then she asks for daddy to come in and play and splash her. So when my work was done, Jeff came in and I was in the laundry room next door. I hear her tell him that he can't do something, but I wasn't quite sure what. Then I hear Jeff ask her why he can't do whatever it was he wasn't supposed to do...and the reply was "I said". I couldn't believe my ears - I doubled over in laughter. We have never told her to do anything because "I said to"....I am guilty of saying "Just do it!" once in awhile. So I'm guessing she probably hears it at daycare from the other kids. I do know the little boy in her room got in trouble for swearing quite colorfully the other day (twice I might add).
I'm looking forward to the weekend. I do believe we will need to go to the shoe store. I noticed Gracie's toes are at the end of her shoes again.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, January 12, 2012
A Great Week Continues...
Gracie has had a great week at daycare and at school. She's getting on the bus without much hesitancy and just seems to be taking things in stride. On Tuesday, there was a sub at school, a young gentleman named Mr. Jake. I'm told that he was great with all of the kiddos, but Gracie seemed to be especially taken by him and he was able to get her to participate in group time as no others before him have. She was in such a good mood coming off the bus and all the kids in her room at daycare started chanting her name as she started running toward her room. I'm told she got all excited and loved all of the attention. I'm told they get quite concerned if Gracie's bus is running late and they all wonder where she is. I love that! :)
It was also reconfirmed for me this week that Gracie does a much better job with the transition from our house to the car to go to daycare if daddy isn't there. If daddy's there, we are sure to see a fall to the floor resistance to go. If it's just mom, we stall a bit as we figure out what toys to take in the car with us, but we aren't into the drama of making a big scene.
Gracie has been quite brave on the slides at school and daycare lately and is even mastering the crawl through tunnels without assistance. Yay - big girl!
Last night Gracie was so tired and moody that she fell asleep on my lap as I was talking to mom on the phone. When Gracie falls asleep she has these jerky movements that appear somewhat seizure-like (they aren't - we've had it checked out). She is sitting on my lap and she starts jerking and I'm thinking "uh-oh" and then I see her little eyes are closed and she is fast asleep. Sweet, sweet!
Here's hoping for continued good health for her.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
It was also reconfirmed for me this week that Gracie does a much better job with the transition from our house to the car to go to daycare if daddy isn't there. If daddy's there, we are sure to see a fall to the floor resistance to go. If it's just mom, we stall a bit as we figure out what toys to take in the car with us, but we aren't into the drama of making a big scene.
Gracie has been quite brave on the slides at school and daycare lately and is even mastering the crawl through tunnels without assistance. Yay - big girl!
Last night Gracie was so tired and moody that she fell asleep on my lap as I was talking to mom on the phone. When Gracie falls asleep she has these jerky movements that appear somewhat seizure-like (they aren't - we've had it checked out). She is sitting on my lap and she starts jerking and I'm thinking "uh-oh" and then I see her little eyes are closed and she is fast asleep. Sweet, sweet!
Here's hoping for continued good health for her.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Great Weekend...Great Week
Gracie had a GREAT weekend. We just hung out at home all weekend and played. She was such a good girl and you can tell she is feeling so much better. She still has a nasty cough at night, but other than that is healthy!!!! We went to the playground on Saturday to swing and slide and run and she had so much fun. Gracie was very verbal all weekend too and could tell us so much. I just love that!
On Sunday we went outside for a while too, but Gracie's tummy didn't feel well that morning and she wasn't quite as active. She didn't want to walk, but she wanted to be outside, so we put her in her wagon and wrapped her in a big blanket and pulled her around the neighborhood.
Yesterday (Monday) Gracie didn't have school, so she spent the full day at daycare and I was told she had the best day EVER!!!!! Her teacher told us that Gracie didn't have any problems with transitions at all, she even came indoors after outside play with no fussing. All was great until daddy came to pick her up. That transition was difficult for her, but we all no she fusses more for mom and dad and she was tired. After Jeff got her calmed down a bit they called me on my cell and I told her how much I missed her and that she needed to come home. That helped and soon they were on the way. Gracie had a great night, but was extremely hungry and couldn't wait for our homemade beef soup to heat up, so she filled up on applesauce, oranges, peanut butter toast, and chocolate chip cookies. When it was time to eat her soup, it was fun to stir, but we really weren't in to eating it.
Gracie slept good around her coughing attacks and was in a GREAT mood this morning. I'm hoping for another great day!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
On Sunday we went outside for a while too, but Gracie's tummy didn't feel well that morning and she wasn't quite as active. She didn't want to walk, but she wanted to be outside, so we put her in her wagon and wrapped her in a big blanket and pulled her around the neighborhood.
Yesterday (Monday) Gracie didn't have school, so she spent the full day at daycare and I was told she had the best day EVER!!!!! Her teacher told us that Gracie didn't have any problems with transitions at all, she even came indoors after outside play with no fussing. All was great until daddy came to pick her up. That transition was difficult for her, but we all no she fusses more for mom and dad and she was tired. After Jeff got her calmed down a bit they called me on my cell and I told her how much I missed her and that she needed to come home. That helped and soon they were on the way. Gracie had a great night, but was extremely hungry and couldn't wait for our homemade beef soup to heat up, so she filled up on applesauce, oranges, peanut butter toast, and chocolate chip cookies. When it was time to eat her soup, it was fun to stir, but we really weren't in to eating it.
Gracie slept good around her coughing attacks and was in a GREAT mood this morning. I'm hoping for another great day!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Week in Review
Tuesday was a little rough for Gracie being back to daycare and back to school. It took her a bit to get on the bus to go to school. She finally went to the bus with the parent of another little boy in her daycare class. Gracie's teacher at school said she cried more than she has ever seen her cry at school and she would not participate in anything until about 11:00 a.m. Her school day ends at 11:30 a.m. She did have a good afternoon at daycare though, so I felt better about that.
On Wednesday, I accompanied Gracie to daycare for a Hibernation Party. All the parents of her daycare class were invited to join them to drink hot chocolate, listen to a story about a bear who was hibernating, and then they could bring a favorite stuffed animal and put it in the cave they had made. Doesn't this sound like fun? Well for all the other kids in her class it was great fun. For Gracie who gets overwhelmed easily it was NOT fun. I could tell from the moment the other parents started arriving that Gracie's routine was being messed with and she was very unsettled. She didn't want to join in the fun, yet she did. When everyone else was drinking hot chocolate she insisted she didn't want any, then realized she really did, but didn't want to sit at the table with everyone, but then did want to, but on the way decided maybe it wasn't a good idea and got upset and threw her hot chocolate everywhere on herself, me, and the floor. Let me say that through all of this the other mothers and kids were simply wonderful, as was her teacher.
Gracie had school this day, so knowing this would probably be a bit much for her, I chose to drive her to school rather than adding the bus to her day. On the way out of the room she decided she didn't want to go and layed on the floor face down having a small tantrum. I finally talked her up and we got to the car under her own power, with mommy encouraging her all the way. Once in the car, the switch flipped and she was happy, delightful, no longer overwhelmed, and happy to be going to school. Once she got to school she was excited about it. While we waited for her teacher a little girl named Miriam came off the bus and gave her a great big hug. Miriam told me that she and Gracie sometimes sit together on the bus. Then I found out that both of Gracie's teachers were gone for the day, as was her speech pathologist, and one of the two para's from her room. I was very relieved to see the para that we know and love and Gracie was too happy to go with her. She also got a big hug from another little boy that rides her bus that is in her class, I suspect he is the one that has a few behavioral issues, but Gracie seemed to be fine with him as well.
I was pretty sure we were going to have a difficult evening....not so! Gracie was happy and delightful all night. I was shocked. Yesterday (Thursday) night was the same. She was in a great mood and had a great day at both daycare and school. My assessment from all of this is Gracie really likes daycare, she really likes school, I even think the bus is okay. I think Gracie's biggest challenge is the transitions between each.
Gracie had a pretty restless night, she seemed stuffed up again. I hope she's not coming down with another cold. She still has a cough from the previous one. She has a different teacher at daycare on Fridays and she was a little tentative at first this morning, but did fine once she warmed up.
I'm hoping our beautifully warm temps will stay through the weekend so we can do some playing outside.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
On Wednesday, I accompanied Gracie to daycare for a Hibernation Party. All the parents of her daycare class were invited to join them to drink hot chocolate, listen to a story about a bear who was hibernating, and then they could bring a favorite stuffed animal and put it in the cave they had made. Doesn't this sound like fun? Well for all the other kids in her class it was great fun. For Gracie who gets overwhelmed easily it was NOT fun. I could tell from the moment the other parents started arriving that Gracie's routine was being messed with and she was very unsettled. She didn't want to join in the fun, yet she did. When everyone else was drinking hot chocolate she insisted she didn't want any, then realized she really did, but didn't want to sit at the table with everyone, but then did want to, but on the way decided maybe it wasn't a good idea and got upset and threw her hot chocolate everywhere on herself, me, and the floor. Let me say that through all of this the other mothers and kids were simply wonderful, as was her teacher.
Gracie had school this day, so knowing this would probably be a bit much for her, I chose to drive her to school rather than adding the bus to her day. On the way out of the room she decided she didn't want to go and layed on the floor face down having a small tantrum. I finally talked her up and we got to the car under her own power, with mommy encouraging her all the way. Once in the car, the switch flipped and she was happy, delightful, no longer overwhelmed, and happy to be going to school. Once she got to school she was excited about it. While we waited for her teacher a little girl named Miriam came off the bus and gave her a great big hug. Miriam told me that she and Gracie sometimes sit together on the bus. Then I found out that both of Gracie's teachers were gone for the day, as was her speech pathologist, and one of the two para's from her room. I was very relieved to see the para that we know and love and Gracie was too happy to go with her. She also got a big hug from another little boy that rides her bus that is in her class, I suspect he is the one that has a few behavioral issues, but Gracie seemed to be fine with him as well.
I was pretty sure we were going to have a difficult evening....not so! Gracie was happy and delightful all night. I was shocked. Yesterday (Thursday) night was the same. She was in a great mood and had a great day at both daycare and school. My assessment from all of this is Gracie really likes daycare, she really likes school, I even think the bus is okay. I think Gracie's biggest challenge is the transitions between each.
Gracie had a pretty restless night, she seemed stuffed up again. I hope she's not coming down with another cold. She still has a cough from the previous one. She has a different teacher at daycare on Fridays and she was a little tentative at first this morning, but did fine once she warmed up.
I'm hoping our beautifully warm temps will stay through the weekend so we can do some playing outside.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Back to the Real World
Happy New Year! We spent New Year's Eve celebrating Jeff's birthday quietly at home. We did make a trip to the clinic to have Gracie's skin checked out. Her hives turned into a weird rash of bumps. We wanted to make sure it wasn't strep or some other contagious disease. Seems her body reacted weirdly to her cold virus...first with hives and then with Papular Acrodermatitis of Childhood. She wasn't contagious, just itchy. I'm happy to say they are finally healing and she isn't itching anymore.
Gracie loved helping Jeff blow out the birthday candles on his cake. He left two candles burning on his cake and told Gracie they were for his girlfriends. Then he asked her if she knew who they were and she replied "Gracie and Momma". Good girl!!!!
We were all in bed before midnight!
On New Years Day we went to hang out with Aunt Sheila, Uncle Chris, and cousins Kayla and Jason. Gracie was in a great mood and we all had a good time. Sheila baked a cake for Jeff and when the candles were blown out, once again there were two left. I'm pretty sure I heard Gracie say they were for "girlfriends"!
Yesterday we just hung out at home and had a lazy day. I think we all were happy to just be inside and out of the cold. Gracie was daddy's girl big time. She was pretty much attached to his hip. Every once in a while she would come sit on my lap. She's so funny because mealtime and bedtime she is mamma's girl...otherwise it is pretty much daddy's girl.
This morning Gracie did not want to wake up. She's been used to sleeping in. I was afraid I was going to have to take her to daycare in a sound slumber. She finally woke up and was in a very good mood. I'm not sure she was ready for daycare or school to start back up, but she did have a big hug for Ms. Alyssa!
Wishing you (and us) a healthy, happy 2012.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie loved helping Jeff blow out the birthday candles on his cake. He left two candles burning on his cake and told Gracie they were for his girlfriends. Then he asked her if she knew who they were and she replied "Gracie and Momma". Good girl!!!!
We were all in bed before midnight!
On New Years Day we went to hang out with Aunt Sheila, Uncle Chris, and cousins Kayla and Jason. Gracie was in a great mood and we all had a good time. Sheila baked a cake for Jeff and when the candles were blown out, once again there were two left. I'm pretty sure I heard Gracie say they were for "girlfriends"!
Yesterday we just hung out at home and had a lazy day. I think we all were happy to just be inside and out of the cold. Gracie was daddy's girl big time. She was pretty much attached to his hip. Every once in a while she would come sit on my lap. She's so funny because mealtime and bedtime she is mamma's girl...otherwise it is pretty much daddy's girl.
This morning Gracie did not want to wake up. She's been used to sleeping in. I was afraid I was going to have to take her to daycare in a sound slumber. She finally woke up and was in a very good mood. I'm not sure she was ready for daycare or school to start back up, but she did have a big hug for Ms. Alyssa!
Wishing you (and us) a healthy, happy 2012.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Claritin is a Beautiful Thing
We gave Gracie a 24 hour Claritin yesterday and it did the trick, it kept the hives away for 24 hours. She had the best night sleep (and so did I) that she's had in days. She did have a few hives starting on her neck again this morning. Jeff was going to keep an eye on it and give her more Claritin if needed.
Jeff and Gracie had a good day yesterday. They did some visiting and some errands and Jeff said she was very verbal all day and had come up with some new fun words which he couldn't remember (do you think dementia is setting in with his birthday just a few days away, hmmmm).
When I arrived home Gracie jumped in my arms and we sat on the couch for awhile and just snuggled. I could tell she was tired and she hadn't napped but was in mostly a good mood. We ate supper, took a bath, played a little while, and she was ready for bed. I really need to be better about putting her pajamas on before she gets too tired. If I do it right before she goes to bed and is already too tired, it's a huge ordeal. Last night she decided it would be much better to scream and forcefully hit her closet door over and over again rather than put on her pj's. Of course with every few hits, she would say "owww" cause of course it hurt her hand. I suggested she hit her pillow pal instead. For some reason she found this funny and although she was still mad, every time I would direct her to her pillow pal there were a few giggles.
Gracie and Jeff are hanging out again today and tomorrow I will join them. We have an appointment at the clinic in the morning, but after that it's just errands and playtime. I'm looking forward to some good family time.
Have a safe New Years Eve and weekend!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Jeff and Gracie had a good day yesterday. They did some visiting and some errands and Jeff said she was very verbal all day and had come up with some new fun words which he couldn't remember (do you think dementia is setting in with his birthday just a few days away, hmmmm).
When I arrived home Gracie jumped in my arms and we sat on the couch for awhile and just snuggled. I could tell she was tired and she hadn't napped but was in mostly a good mood. We ate supper, took a bath, played a little while, and she was ready for bed. I really need to be better about putting her pajamas on before she gets too tired. If I do it right before she goes to bed and is already too tired, it's a huge ordeal. Last night she decided it would be much better to scream and forcefully hit her closet door over and over again rather than put on her pj's. Of course with every few hits, she would say "owww" cause of course it hurt her hand. I suggested she hit her pillow pal instead. For some reason she found this funny and although she was still mad, every time I would direct her to her pillow pal there were a few giggles.
Gracie and Jeff are hanging out again today and tomorrow I will join them. We have an appointment at the clinic in the morning, but after that it's just errands and playtime. I'm looking forward to some good family time.
Have a safe New Years Eve and weekend!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday - The Hives Return Again
Gracie and Jeff had a great day together yesterday. Gracie was in a great mood, they did a few errands, and Gracie insisted she did not need a nap. Her hives seemed to be under control through the day and by the time I arrived home last night she was in a great mood. I got lots of hugs and snuggles and we had fun playing all night. By the time we put Gracie to bed, I couldn't see much for hives, but they came back through the night and she had a very restless night. When I took a look in the morning light they were definitely back - her neck and stomach seemed to be the worst. This morning we gave her some Claritin and we'll see how that effects her. I would love to thank the manufacturer of this product....you put it on your tongue and it dissolves. It apparently must taste good too, because when I gave it to Gracie she asked for more.
I think Jeff and Gracie plan to do a little visiting today. As long as they have field trips they are both happy.
Hope you're enjoying your day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
I think Jeff and Gracie plan to do a little visiting today. As long as they have field trips they are both happy.
Hope you're enjoying your day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas!!!
On Christmas Eve day Gracie awoke bright and early to see that Santa had left presents under the tree. She was so excited! She was a bit spoiled and especially liked her princess castle tent! She also got a power drill that is very fun to use, some Sesame Street figurines were a big hit too, as well as some other things. We had a lazy day and enjoyed the Duncan traditional spaghetti and garlic rolls for our meal together. We went to Christmas eve service at 4:00 p.m. and Gracie really enjoyed the music. She also enjoyed when all the candles were lit. We let her hold a candle too but hers wasn't lit. She still found joy in holding it.
On Christmas morning Gracie awoke and was covered in hives. I had no clue what the cause was...a food that she was allergic too? Was it a new toy? Something else in the environment? We gave her Benadryl to help with the itching and she spent Christmas with my family in a bit of a tired stupor. She still made the best of hanging with her cousins, but I did feel for her as she was so groggy looking. We even had to forego her beautiful Christmas dress for something cotton and soft to make her as comfortable as possible. By the end of the day Gracie's hives had pretty much disappeared. She really didn't have much interest in her presents, it was all about being with her cousins and family. That is until we got into the car...then it was like she was seeing her toys for the very first time. She slept for about 30 minutes on the way home. Just enough time to re-energize a bit so she could play with her new toys when we got home.
At 1:00 a.m., the itching began again and Gracie had huge welts of hives everywhere again. I gave her some Benadryl and she ended up sleeping in til 8:00 a.m. - that was a treat for me, but I felt bad for her. She was grumpy most of the day, but I couldn't blame her. You just knew she wasn't feeling well and the Benadryl just made her tired and more grumpy. I spent the day washing her bedding, new toys, and everything else that I thought might be causing the problem. We did play outside for about 90 minutes and that was very fun for Gracie. Her hives looked under control when she went to bed and she again awoke with them...but not quite as bad today.
When I got to work this morning, I contacted her allergist and he indicated the hives were probably not environmental or food related, he said they mostly see these with colds or G.I. infections. Well Gracie has had a nasty old cold. He also gave us some recommendations for some allergy meds to use that wouldn't interact with her seizure meds and that would not make her drowsy, so we'll try those today. I talked with a colleague whose nephew had the same thing this weekend.
Today Gracie and daddy are hanging out together. They did come visit me for a little bit and Gracie was in a great mood. She was running around and dancing. I think she was happy to be out of the house.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
On Christmas morning Gracie awoke and was covered in hives. I had no clue what the cause was...a food that she was allergic too? Was it a new toy? Something else in the environment? We gave her Benadryl to help with the itching and she spent Christmas with my family in a bit of a tired stupor. She still made the best of hanging with her cousins, but I did feel for her as she was so groggy looking. We even had to forego her beautiful Christmas dress for something cotton and soft to make her as comfortable as possible. By the end of the day Gracie's hives had pretty much disappeared. She really didn't have much interest in her presents, it was all about being with her cousins and family. That is until we got into the car...then it was like she was seeing her toys for the very first time. She slept for about 30 minutes on the way home. Just enough time to re-energize a bit so she could play with her new toys when we got home.
At 1:00 a.m., the itching began again and Gracie had huge welts of hives everywhere again. I gave her some Benadryl and she ended up sleeping in til 8:00 a.m. - that was a treat for me, but I felt bad for her. She was grumpy most of the day, but I couldn't blame her. You just knew she wasn't feeling well and the Benadryl just made her tired and more grumpy. I spent the day washing her bedding, new toys, and everything else that I thought might be causing the problem. We did play outside for about 90 minutes and that was very fun for Gracie. Her hives looked under control when she went to bed and she again awoke with them...but not quite as bad today.
When I got to work this morning, I contacted her allergist and he indicated the hives were probably not environmental or food related, he said they mostly see these with colds or G.I. infections. Well Gracie has had a nasty old cold. He also gave us some recommendations for some allergy meds to use that wouldn't interact with her seizure meds and that would not make her drowsy, so we'll try those today. I talked with a colleague whose nephew had the same thing this weekend.
Today Gracie and daddy are hanging out together. They did come visit me for a little bit and Gracie was in a great mood. She was running around and dancing. I think she was happy to be out of the house.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
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