I thought about doing separate posts for everything over the past week but instead I'm just going to do one really long one.
This has been one crazy week for our family. Doug's parents got in from Utah a week ago Monday ( the day I took Abi to the hospital and she had an ear infection). They came over from their hotel around 7 or so and stayed for a couple of hours just talking. It was great. Unfortunately for them, being grandparents coming to see their granddaughters, both girls slept the entire time they were here.
This first picture was from last Tuesday when I had to put Maddy in her crib for a few minutes while doing something else. I put on her new mobile and loved how into it she was.
Meanwhile, Abi was downstairs on the couch the entire day like this...
Tuesday is when Maddy started really acting like she was getting the sickness too. We were all getting worried. Doug and his parents went shopping pretty much all day while I hung out here with the kids. We started some projects around here that evening. Doug and his dad began taping the upstairs hallway (hallway and library) ceiling and the ceiling and walls of the stairs area to paint them a warmer white (all our unpainted walls are only primer). Doug's mom began re-organizing and de-junking my kitchen.
Wednesday was much of the same.I took Maddy to her doctor in the morning and was basically told it is a cold but so far her lungs are clear and ears look good so just watch her to make sure it doesn't get worse and use steam, saline drops, a humidifier, and suction. Doug and his dad had to go into work so we worked on the kitchen all day and then they finished painting that night. I wanted to help more with the kitchen but the baby really wanted to be held all day.
That night we had the girls finally open their presents from Grammy and Grandfather..
Abi was thrilled with her new Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls and book. She also loved this new tea set they gave her.
Madeline got some new CD's and a really cute Christmas book. I used one of the lullaby CD's that night as I rocked Maddy in her room next to a humidifier trying to clear out her passages so she could breathe better. It was a terrible night to begin with. She began really coughing and was so congested and miserable and looked so sad.
I brought her downstairs while the guys were painting upstairs. Doug's mom was at work in the kitchen. She began crying and that was making her congestion and coughing worse. It got so she was having a hard time breathing and just wouldn't calm down. I knew that if she calmed down she would be able to breathe better. But nothing was helping. I was a wreck. She had a terrified little look to her eyes. I was about to take her back to the hospital. First, I asked Doug if he and his dad could give her a blessing.
I won't go into all the details here but within moments of Doug and his father placing their hands on her head and praying she stopped crying, fell asleep, and could breathe through her nose.
During the night the suctioning resumed but it has never got to that point again and she was able to have a few hours of rest that she desperately needed. It was amazing and I couldn't stop crying for a while after witnessing that. I had never seen something like that before. I had heard many stories but it something else entirely to see it with your own baby.
Thursday Doug and his dad had to work again and so we (mostly)finished the kitchen.. it was still kind of messy. So, we got Chinese for dinner but Maddy was really tired and fussy so Doug's mom finished hers and took Maddy up to her room to rock her while Doug's dad started painting again and Doug, Abi, and I finished our dinner together and did a little celebration. It was strange not being able to really go all out but with the kids being sick, not leaving the house with them, and coming down with the cold myself- not to mention the house being all out of order- this was as good as it was going to get this year...
Abi was feeling much better although still not 100% . We were wearing polka dots for good luck hoping it would bring some good health this year!
We did Christmas crackers.
then donned our new crowns and toasted with cider..
then put Abi to bed. I think this was about 8.
After the painting was done and the kids were both in bed (around 10/10:30) the four of us grown ups sat down and toasted again and played two rounds of Scattergories and then Doug's parents went home. I was absolutely exhausted and went to bed to read. I fell asleep around 11:30. That was a first. Doug stayed up playing computer games and came up to wake me up (per my request) at midnight. We said happy new year and I fell back asleep. I felt so pathetic!
(Especially when I found out my mom and dad beat me by a few hours!) Well, we always have next year.
On Friday (New Years Day) Doug left to pick up his mom and they went grocery shopping for most of the day. I was blessed here at home with Maddy sleeping in the swing most of the morning and Abi playing nicely so I was able to re-arrange the living room, clean up the kitchen area, and put away all the Christmas decor.
Saturday Doug and his Dad painted the ceiling in the living room area and then touched up the brown paint while Doug's mom and I cooked all day. Again, we were blessed with Maddy getting much needed sleep all day so we could work together. We cooked a ton of meals (around 25 I think) and froze them all. The recipes were from this book she brought me about cooking 15 meals in one day and splitting them up into 30 bags and dishes to freeze so you have 30 dinners in one day of cooking. I am all over that! It was great.
Sunday both girls were doing better although both still have a cough.
We blessed little Maddy in Sacrament meeting. That was wonderful. It was so sad though to not have all of our family there. We were so grateful to at least have Doug's parents here. Maddy wore a dress that Doug's mom made many years ago before she had any grandchildren with the idea that someday she would have a grand daughter that could wear it. That made it very special. The girls and I left after Sacrament meeting while Doug and his parents stayed for all of church.
We came home and I got some pictures of Maddy before changing her back into jammies. This was when the difference between her blessing and Abi's was so apparent. I kept thinking about how on Abi's day we had so much family and so many friends there and a big luncheon afterward and tons of pictures of everyone including ones of the family and the guys in the circle, etc.. and this time I have two of Maddy that I took at home alone after. Those are the moments when you really miss living near family.
BUT doesn't she look beautiful for a sick little baby!?
Abi was on the stairs frustrated about something so right after this picture she was sent to her room for a nap (and actually took one!) and then she was much better.
That night Doug's mom had her open her belated birthday presents. There was a cute bear puzzle toy, some little white gloves, and the Fancy Nancy Perfect Parfait game. She was thrilled with all of them.
Doug and his parents read the first few chapters of his book to get their input on it and we all visited for awhile before they had to leave. Their flight was early Monday so this was our last night with them.
Monday (yesterday) Doug had the day off.. he had thought the flight was later.. which worked out great because he needed to go pay our property taxes and some other things. We pretty much hung around home. The girls played and were both quite happy all day.
In the afternoon, however, I sent Abi upstairs to get a pull up and kept hearing bangs. She was taking a long time. Finally she says she's coming and for me not to come up there. Uh-oh. She comes down the stairs and luckily I was in the middle of reading my friend Heather's blog post about her word of the year which just happened to be 'Patience' when Abi came around the corner and I saw this...
We then went upstairs and saw this...
It doesn't look as bad in the pictures either. Instead of getting mad I got the camera took some pictures, cleaned it up with her, cleaned her up, told her that she was really going to wish she hadn't done that when we washed her hair and combed out the snarls the lotion left behind (boy the look on her face let me know that this was punishment enough!) and had her go in her room to play for awhile.
Later last night we got a package in the mail from my parents. They had felt bad being so far away while our girls were so sick and wanted to send them some prizes.
Abi was so thrilled to get a new Polly Pocket set
and a Hello Kitty puzzle
This was all the loot..
Abi also got some animal crackers and Maddy got that adorable outfit. They also threw in some kool aid and some Stephens Hot Chocolate for us. I just noticed that I put her new Strawberry Shortcake puzzle that I had bought her in the picture instead of the Hello Kitty. Oops.
Anyway, that's been our week. The house is in somewhat disarray from all the projects going on but we're hanging in over here. The girls still are holding on to this nasty cold as am I. But, we're going to be laying low and taking it easy until this passes and then, like I said, we're hibernating for the rest of the month.
