Happy Birthday Roo!!!!!

I could not let Ella's birthday pass without a small celebration! Carson and I took some time this morning to bake Ella cupcakes for her little party. When Brian got off work, we invited Grammy and Papa over for cupcakes. This was Ella's first experience with SWEETS! I wasn't thinking about Ella only having TWO teeth when I sprinkled hard sprinkles all over her cupcake. Despite the AWFUL look she gave in one of the pictures, she actually did enjoy her few little bites of the icing. She did not seem to enjoy the messiness (if that is even a word) of the icing. She decided to play her "THANK YOU" game with the icing when she would get it on her hands. Grammy also decided to go ahead and give Roo her BIG gift. She is now the owner of her own house at Age 1. She received a Fisher Price learning house. I think Carson was just as excited about the house as Ella.

We decided to postpone her official birthday party celebration until next Sunday. We pray that she will be a healthy one-year-old girl by then!

Shadows, On an Otherwise "Gloomy" Day!

After an official diagnosis of the FLU for Ella on Thursday night, I felt quite depressed-SAD that I had a sick baby AGAIN, SAD that we had to cancel her birthday party, SAD that she would be SICK on her actual birthday, just SAD! Well, when I got to work I didn't feel so SAD for at least a short while because I had three of my FAVORITE students "shadow" me for the day! Trish, Sarabeth, and Averee spent the entire day with me. It was AMAZING! They read with my students, participated in our Reader's Theater (except TRISH!), walked in a straight line to bathroom break, graded papers for me, highlighted Reader's Theater scripts, and even ate lunch at the "teacher's table"! For some reason, I could not convince them to "shadow" me until I left work on Friday evening at about 5:15!!! Someone had to go see a movie!

It was so GREAT to get to spend an entire day with the girls! I guess the only sad thing about the day was it made me realize how OLD I am becoming. Trish and Sarabeth are both graduating this year. It is sooooo hard to believe that my very first class will be beginning college soon!

Thanks girls for making me SMILE on an otherwise "gloomy" day!!!!!! You're the BEST!!!!!!

Ella's First Valentine's Day Gift!!!!

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
There will be Tamiflu
For our little Roo


Well, today really marked the last of Ella's "FIRSTS" when it comes to holidays. She had her First Saint Patrick's Day, First Easter, First Halloween, First Thanksgiving, and First Christmas in 2007. Sadly, I would have to say this day brought heartache instead of LOVE for all of our family! Ella began running a fever yesterday afternoon and by this morning it was 102. We topped out at 104 this afternoon. Ella was a sick baby girl. She was very lethargic, wouldn't eat, didn't mind me placing a cool washcloth on her little head, and was BURNING up! Finally, at the 104 temperature I decided that a doctor's visit tonight was necessary. I didn't want to take a chance of waiting until tomorrow. We finally saw a doctor at about 7:40. After an examination and a quick swab in the nose, Ella was officially diagnosed as having the FLU!!!!!! Since she is only three days away from turning one, the doctor did prescribe Tamiflu for Ella. She did also have her flu shots, so hopefully this won't be too bad. I don't think a fever of 104 is too mild though, so we'll see. To help protect Carson, the doctor prescribed the same medicine for seven days. Brian and I both have to call the doctor tomorrow morning for our share!

As her Mommy, my heart breaks for our little girl. She has had to endure so much since the beginning of December. I hate to see her so sick and weak.

The doctor, Brian, and I feel that it is best to postpone for BIG BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION until all is well in our household. This saddens me also. We were so excited to celebrate her first year with our family and closest friends!

Thursday Thirteen #?

Thirteen Things I Just LOVE About Carson and Ella Right Now...
1. I LOVE the look on Ella's face when Carson picks her up and tries to carry her around.
2. I LOVE to hear Carson use words with multiple meanings and define for you which meaning he is using at the time.
3. I LOVE to hear Carson read to Ella.
4. I LOVE the way Carson says Ella's name. He stretches out the ELL-AH.
5. I LOVE dropping off and picking up a happy baby everyday!
6. I LOVE watching Ella clap her hands when I sing "Pat-a-Cake".
7. I LOVE to hear Ella try to call after Carson when he leaves the room or walks away from her.
8. I LOVE to hear Carson sing about Jesus.
9. I LOVE to see Carson pick up a pencil, get a piece of paper, and write just for fun!
10. I LOVE to cuddle with Ella every single night! (Carson doesn't want to be my Cuddle Bug anymore!)
11. I LOVE that Ella can feed herself a bottle.
12. I LOVE to hear Carson say, "Look Mommy! Ella's all grown up now!" whenever she does something BIG like pull-up or take a few steps.
13. I LOVE that Carson and Ella LOVE each other so much!!!!!!!!

The Countdown to One...

With only one week until our little Roo turns one, I decided to take a few minutes while things are still relatively calm to let Roo know just how much joy she has brought into our lives over the past year...

Little Roo,
On this day, you are exactly one week away from turning ONE! I can't believe how quickly this year has passed. The sleepless nights, discomforts of nursing, and new baby anxieties are all a blur. Believe it or not, they passed much too quickly for your mommy! Before you were born I questioned if I would be able to love another baby the way that I love your BIG BROTHER! From the instant you made your grand entrance into this world, God opened my heart even wider and poured an unmeasurable amount of love into it just for you. I will never be able to tell you in words the feeling I felt when I held you in my arms for the very first time, but I pray that God will bless you with the same "feeling" on the day when you are to become a mommy.

When your doctor came in to speak with Mommy and Daddy after examining you in the hospital, he told us that you received three angel kisses before birth. You had one each eye and one right in the middle of your forehead. An angel kissed each of your eyes so that you may SEE the "good" in the world and your head so that you THINK of others and KNOW how much God and your family love you!

After our brief stay in the hospital, we brought you home and our family felt "complete". Carson was a terrific BIG BROTHER despite the fact that he was a little jealous for a few days. I can remember singing "You are My Sunshine" to you one day while we were rocking in your room. A very confused four-year-old boy soon walked into the room and said, "Mommy, I thought I was your sunshine!" So, for awhile you became my Moonbeam! You grew physically and developed your sweet little personality with each new day. I will be forever grateful for the nine weeks I was able to spend at home with you. We would enjoy "girl" time while brother was away at school. Don't tell Daddy, but we spent lots of time napping and cuddling when Mommy should have been cleaning, doing laundry, or cooking. It was so hard for Mommy to leave you and return to work. I knew you were in great hands each day with either Bobbie, Aunt Karen, Daddy, Aunt Lizzie, or Grammy, but I missed you terribly!

Summer vacation arrived about six weeks after I had to return to work. I was so excited to be a stay-at-home Mommy again. We had a BLAST. Carson, you, and I would sleep in, stay in our pajamas until noon, play outside, have photo sessions, visit the library, nap, etc. with no other cares in the world! You visited the beach for the very first time, but did NOT like it at all. You and Mommy spent most of our time in the condo! I think you had your bathing suit on a total of ten minutes during our five day stay at the beach!

In the fall Mommy had to return to work, but you were blessed with the presence each day of Mommy #2- Rose Marie. You developed a special bond with Rose Marie during the several months that she cared for you while Mommy and Daddy worked. Unfortunately, Rose Marie wasn't able to stay with us as long as Mommy would have liked. I pray that throughout the years, Rose Marie will still be apart of your life. She is such an amazing person.

Toward the end of your first year was very difficult for our family. You began going to daycare at the very beginning of December. You never really adjusted to the new environment. Mommy's heart broke into a million pieces each day when I had to leave you crying and when I had to pick you up still crying! You also became a very SICK little girl. We made many trips to the pediatrician and even ended up spending a few days in the hospital. After much prayer, God opened a new door for you. Amy Wilson, a friend of Mommy's, offered to take care of you while Mommy worked. It was such a blessing for you and your mommy. You loved going to Amy's to play with Clara. I never dropped you off crying, nor did I pick you up crying.

Well, that's it...your first year condensed in just a few words. No words could begin to express how my heart melts when I think of your Cabbage Patch Baby resemblances, your big Cassidy ears, the way Mommy's terrible singing can soothe you instantly, the way you say "MaaaMaaaMaaa" when you are hungry, the LOVE that you have for Carson, your crazy looking toes, the way we cuddle, the lightning speed crawling that you do, the way you clap your sweet hands, the faces you make when you eat something that you don't like, and the way you wave Bye Bye!

Next week, your family and closest friends will gather to celebrate your first year of life and you will FINALLY get the taste of something sweet. That is if Brother hasn't already been sneaky and let you try one of his snacks!

Ella, I love you all the way to the moon...and back!

Two Weeks From Today...

We will be reflecting on Roo's first year gone by and looking forward to life with a TODDLER again!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Ella has turned into a very busy little girl! Over the past several weeks our little BABY has disappeared and in her place we have somewhat of a toddler! I found her the other night trying to help out with the laundry! It was precious! She pulled everything out of the dryer and threw it on the floor. Now, we just have to work on the folding skills. Ella crawls fast, fast, fast all around the house. She is speedy quick especially when she is after something. When she isn't helping out with laundry or speed crawling, she is pulling up on something. She has had several little injuries trying to pull-up, so now when she gets into the standing position, she will stay there until someone helps her down. She hasn't mastered the sitting down part yet. I love to see all of these little changes, but I am already missing my BABY GIRL!

Monster Jam 2008

Last year Carson enjoyed his very first Monster Jam! He loved it! The best part of the show was that Carson and his daddy caught a T-shirt that was thrown into the crowd. Wrapped up in the t-shirt were TWO tickets for this year's show!!!! Carson and his daddy placed the tickets in a very safe place for this year's BIG EVENT!

An Answered Prayer!

Our family received two special blessings this week. Our first blessing was the news that our daycare would let us have a leave of absence with Ella. We can keep her out for an extended period of time without losing her spot. We hope the spring will bring better possibilities for her there.

Our second blessing is my friend Amy's willingness to take care of Ella for us! Amy has a precious baby girl named Clara. Ella will be able to have ONE friend and enjoy the comfort of Amy's home. Today was Ella's first day. I was very nervous that she would cry all day because that seems to be her typical behavior in a new setting as a result of all of the recent doctor and hospital visits. Amy sent me a few pictures and updates throughout the day to ease my mind. It was such a blessing to drop Ella off and pick her up without hearing her scream from the doorway! We could NEVER thank Amy enough for her willingness to help us out!!!!!!!

Junie B. Jones and Sick Ollie...Cont.

Carson and I worked really hard yesterday on another chapter for his "chapter book". This writing session was a little more stressful than the last. My true-hard-to-focus five-year-old-sweet-precious-boy had any extremely hard time staying on task! He would say a sentence or part of a sentence, then begin playing, then change what he wanted to say, then forget what he wanted to say,... Finally, after what seemed like hours, he completed Chapter Three. We had to buy paper at Target to print the first three chapters, so Miss Alaina would have her copy on Tuesday when he went back to school. Carson helped me print the manuscript and design a cover for the book. Then I decided as his mommy to add a special letter to Miss Alaina to let her know how much we appreciate the influence she has had on him both as a reader and now a writer! Carson placed the "book" in a special place where it waited patiently all night ready to jump in the hands of its new owner!

When I picked Carson up today I found him sitting in Miss Alaina's lap. I think the book made her day! She said she even almost cried. She said that she couldn't wait to take it home and show her mom (who is also a teacher) and then take it to school tomorrow to show one of her professors.

So for all of Carson's fans, here is Chapter Three!!!!!

Chapter 3
That Big Fat Jim

Early the next morning I was getting dressed and I heard that stupid, smelly bus coming. That Jim that I hate got on and did a cuckoo sign at me. When we got to kindergarten we went out to recess, and we played. Then we went to do some work when we got back in from recess. Then we had pads of paper out. We had to color a picture of our family. I decided to draw a picture of my family, and Ollie was better. Then that stupid, smelly bus came after we did work. I got on it and Jim didn’t do any cuckoo signs at me. Then I got off and said, “Mother, Jim did a cuckoo sign at me this morning, but didn’t do one this afternoon!”


Dad came home, and Ollie crawled to him. Dad picked him up and hugged him.

Then it was nighttime, and I had to go to bed. Ollie fighted to get into his crib. He screamed. Then he pushed away and went to his dad. He went to his swing and didn’t cry.

The next morning that stupid, smelly bus came again. I got on it and Jim didn’t do any cuckoo signs at me.

When I got to school, that Jim did a BIG cuckoo sign at me. We went to play. Then we came in and did some work. We had pads of paper, and they had dotted circles in them. We had to write our name. I writed my Junie too big, and I didn’t have room to make a B. I speedy quick ran to Mrs. I said, “I writed my Junie too big and I didn’t have room to make my B, so I had to write a tiny B squished in. And then I couldn’t see my B.”

My friend Lucille did her name perfectly, and she showed it to me when I got back to my seat. And then the bell rang. And Mrs. said, “It’s recess!” I ran speedy quick to the front of the line. Then we went outside, and I got on the swings.

Then the bus came. And then I got on it and chocolate milk got poured on my head AGAIN! I wonder who could have been the one who poured that chocolate milk…



I am not sure when our little author will produce Chapter 4. He asked to take a break tonight!

Junie B. Jones and Sick Ollie

I would have to say Carson definitely melted my heart tonight, not only as his mother, but as a teacher! He has really taking a liking to the Junie B. Jones series of books thanks to Miss Alaina at his school. We have recently purchased the audio recordings, so that we can listen to them in the car as well. He came into my room tonight and told me he wanted to write a new Junie B. Jones book for Miss Alaina to read. So, for about an hour, we sat down together at the computer and began the manuscript. I have scripted the book in his own words. As hard as it was for the teacher in me to stand back and not offer advice, I did quite well! I sit in awe at the revision skills that he has as a five year old. He constantly wanted to make changes as I read aloud, even if it involved just changing numbers. For anyone who knows our family well, this book is somewhat a reflection of our lives lately. You will notice that he has woven true-to-his-life facts and circumstances into the life of Junie B. Jones. I hope you enjoy...


Junie B. Jones and Sick Ollie
Chapter One
Ollie’s Problem

My name is Junie B. Jones, and I am in 5 year old kindergarten. I have a new brother. He is not the spit-up smelly kind. He is the clean kind. My mother is the one that takes care of him. My dad works all the time. Then he comes home and helps Mother with the baby brother.

One day while I was at kindergarten I saw my favorite thing of all. We were going to play with chalk. Then that stupid, smelly bus came, and then I got chocolate milk poured on my head and all the kids laughed.

And then the greatest thing happened! I was at home, and I was off the stupid, smelly bus.

But then my mama called me, “Junie B. Jones, your brother lost his pacifier.” And then he screamed and screamed. But he couldn’t hold his breath. I got a flashlight and I shined it all over the place. And then I shined it under the rocking chair! I found the pacifier! I called Mother. I said, “Mother, I found the pacifier! It was under the rocking chair!” I put the pacifier in his mouth, and he stopped crying.

The next day I went back on the stupid, smelly bus, and Jim did a cuckoo sign at me. And then my bestest friend Grace did a cuckoo face at Jim. Jim made a fist at her. Then Lucille said, “Mr. Woo, they’re fighting.”

Then Mr. Woo said, “Stop fighting and get a seat!”

(So that’s chapter one.)

Chapter Two
Sick Ollie

One day Ollie got sick. Ollie threw up, and he couldn’t crawl all the way to the bathroom. And then I had to go to the bathroom, and I stepped in it. “Oooo!!!! Mother, Ollie threw up!” I shouted.

Then they took him to the doctor. And the doctor said, “He must have a stomach virus!” Then he had to take antibiotics.

And then when he got through, he started throwing up again. And then they had to take him to the hospital instead of the doctor. Dr. Blake said that he had to take on about three antibiotics and an IV. An IV is a big machine like a breathing treatment, but you have to put it in your stomach. It is medicine.

Ollie took all the medicine, but he still threw up. And now he had to take about five antibiotics and ten IVs. And then Ollie had to be better. He got to come home from Mary Blacks Hospital. But then, he didn’t throw up, he spitted up.

And then the greatest thing happened! Dad came home. And then Ollie went to Dad, and Dad hugged him. And then he put him down. They went crawling for a race, and Dad didn’t win! Ollie winned!

And then I went racing with them. When I was crawling, I had a loose tooth. I crunched it, and it came out.

And then I put it in my girl Captain Tooth. Then I got five dollars. Then I went to the grocery store, and I bought a girl Mutant Ninja Turtle, and I got a little toy for Ollie. I gave it to Ollie when we got back. I gave Ollie a toy ‘cause he was sick. And he hugged me.

(That’s Chapter Two. Do you want to take a break?)

Frosty Fun!

I am proud to announce that I believe I completed my very first "snowboy" and "snowgirl" without another adult's help! Until now, I haven't been one to really get into the art of building snowmen. I would get excited about the idea, but would lose interest rather quickly once my hands got cold. This afternoon while Ella was napping, Carson and I decided we would create a snowman together. I was impressed with his ability to stay focused and continue helping throughout the process. He generally has my same tendencies to become excited with an "idea", but is quick to give-up once beginning the process. I have to admit that the actual construction of a snowman is rather difficult once you get the snow rolled into a large ball. I had a very difficult time picking up the balls of snow! I am so glad Carson was my only witness! We had to be extremely creative with our accessories. We used Nilla Wafers colored with black permanent marker for the eyes and mouth, the carrot was constructed from a pencil and a piece of construction paper, and of course we used Carson's baseball accessories for the final touches. We were so proud of our baseball snowman that we decided to try to create an Ella snowbaby. We dried our gloves in the dryer while we once again colored Nilla Wafers and created a carrot from construction paper. We decided to use a pink hat and scarf for Ella's accessories. Carson enjoyed playing around with the snow creations once we were all done! It was a little sad at the end when he began thinking about the realization that our creations would soon melt away. He began hugging his snowman. As we walked away, he turned back and said, "Mommy, they will be playing tonight!" Oh, the magic of books...

A Five Year Old's Dream!

Ella's 11th Month Birthday...Winter Style

Ella's 11 month birthday surprise was the gift of SNOW! Ella's reaction to snow is a equalivent to how I feel about how quickly her first year of life has passed! Unfortunately Ella's past month has not been as pleasant as previous months! This month brought SICKNESS, three pediatrician visits, one Urgent Care visit, one lab visit at the hospital, one Emergency Room visit, and one three-day stay in the hospital! Each of these visits added to Ella's anxiety level. Our once easy-going, not afraid of too many people baby girl, has now developed into a clingy baby who is terrified of ANY STRANGER (esp. men) and ANY NEW CHANGE that occurs outside of her home. Ella continues to crawl everywhere. Her speed has really increased this month. She can now climb up a step at Grammy and Papa's house, which is a pretty big milestone. I remember when Carson accomplished that task. Ella had been only able to pull up on her knees, but today she had a surprise for me! She pulled all the way up into a standing position as she tried to escape from her crib. She can stand by herself holding on to something for a few minutes. I am not so sure that she will be walking by her first birthday like Carson though, but that is okay with me! I want to hold on to our baby as long as we can. Ella has continued developing as a little talker. She can now say bye-bye, bro, something that resembles thank-you, mamamamama (what she says when she's hungry), and dada.

As we move into our last official month of babyhood, I pray that Ella remains healthy and strong. I also pray that we, as parents, will find time to stop and enjoy the remaining month of babyhood!!!

Let the birthday planning begin...

Toothless No More!

Papa sent Carson several set of teeth for him to choose from until his BIG BOY teeth finally come in. Carson was so funny trying on his new not-so-pearly whites! We are truly thankful for the laugh that this brought during an otherwise gloomy sick day!

The Bug with Many Lives!!!!!!

I was finally beginning to feel like a normal human being and mother again. I was in my classroom just beginning a read aloud with my students when I looked up and saw a dear friend of mine standing in my classroom doorway. She motioned for me to come to the door, and I heard words that were painful for my ears. Carson's school had called to say that he was at school throwing up! YES, we just haven't had enough of that!!!!!!!!!! I went in panic mode. After making several phone calls, it was decided that Ella would go to Grammy and Papa's house, Brian would pick up Carson and call his boss to let him know that he wouldn't be into work once again, and I would complete my day at work and prepare to be out tomorrow!!!! Carson was a sick little boy. Each time I would call and check on him, Brian would tell me that he had gotten sick one more time. I think he got sick a total of seven times! I called the pediatrician just to check in because I did NOT want to end up in the hospital again, and we sure did not want an emergency room visit to be in our future. When the nurse finally called me back around 4:45, she said that he did need to be seen by a doctor. Super Dad made sure Carson made it to the doctor by six o'clock while I took care of Ella. Carson was fortunate enough to be able to see one of the doctors who took care of Roo in the hospital, so she was well aware of our recent history. She wanted to test him for several things including strep throat. All tests came back negative, so I guess a stomach virus it was!!!! The doctor did say that he had mild dehydration, but nothing to warrant a trip to the hospital. You can easily convince a five year old to drink sips of water and definitely to have a popsicle! Carson had a good night. He slept through the night with no more episodes. He appears to be feeling better today as he is playing and eating just a little. Ella and I continue to keep ourselves barricaded in my bedroom and I continue to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!!!!!!!!! We have definitely had enough of the wrath of the stomach bug!!!

"Guess What Mommy? I'm Toothless!!"

When things seemed gloomy during our stay in the hospital, I received the sweetest phone call from Carson. The first thing he said was, "Guess what Mommy?" and without pausing for me to even take a guess he said, "I'm toothless!" He proceeded to tell me that he pulled his own front tooth out on the way home from school. He was so excited, but I was a little sad. I was sad that I missed out on the BIG EVENT of course, but also that he is growing up much too quickly! He is only five, and that makes the third tooth he has lost. He had to get Grammy to take him home to get Captain Tooth! The tooth fairy was very generous to Car. He received three dollars because it was a special tooth and because he was at Grammy and Papa's house!! :) He couldn't wait to spend his three dollars. He tried to convince Grammy to take him to Walmart before school the next day, but had to settle for a promised trip as soon as he got out of school.

On Saturday I was greeted in bed by a precious little boy who smiled a grin that held one less tooth than Friday night's grin. Yes, Carson lost another tooth just four days after the BIG one on Tuesday! This was one of his bottom teeth. His Grammy told him that it wouldn't be long until he had to begin eating Jello! He didn't quite understand that! :)

What a Difference One Week Makes

We are so thankful that Ella's health has improved SO much over the past week despite the fact that she has not recovered completely. She still is extremely tired. It seems that she sleeps more than she is awake. She isn't eating nearly as much as she probably should be. Hopefully with time, all of this will get better! :)

Thursday Thirteen: Pictures No Mother Should Ever Have to Have

This week has been an extremely difficult and heart-breaking week for our entire family. On Sunday night we had to to take Ella to the Emergency Room per the request of the on-call nurse. That is one place I have never had to visit and never want to visit again. We spent several hours at the ER just to be sent home with a still-very-sick baby girl. On Monday morning I called Ella's pediatrician at the request of my wonderful clearly-thinking mother. I explained everything that had taken place the night before at the Emergency Room, and the nurse was very quick to tell me that they did need to see Ella right away. I was very thankful to hear that Ella's doctor was the one who would be seeing her. After waiting in the waiting room for one hour with a sick and not-so-happy little girl, we were called back. When the nurse weighed Ella my heart sank. Her weight was down to fifteen pounds. Dr. Glenn came in and examined Ella. He was very thorough to which I was very grateful. He began recording notes on Ella's chart without saying very much to me, so I knew what that meant - - - HOSPITAL! Dr. Glenn began telling me that he doesn't think Ella's condition is life-threatening, but it is definitely one that will require hospitalization. He left the room to write his orders for Ella. Then we began a journey I never wish to travel on again. Brian met Ella and I at the hospital just as they were admitting her. We made our way to the sixth floor of the hospital and entered what would be our "closet" of a home for the next several days. The nurse came in to ask a lot of questions while the nurse tech suited Ella up in her way-too-big hospital gown. They then carried Ella away to a room where they would do all of the painful procedures like getting a urine sample via a catheter, inserting the piece in her hand for the IV, and getting a blood sample. I had to leave the room at about the point when they began strapping Ella down. Brian was very strong and remained with her the entire time. He's SUPER DADDY! :) Ella made her way back to the room, and they soon began her fluids. She was pretty lethargic all day, so she slept in our arms quite a bit. We finally saw a doctor around 9:oo that night. Dr. Beavers let me know that her blood work was great, except for her hydration levels. They were so low that he said she could have never recovered from this on her own. I explained to him about our trip to the ER and how the doctor there gave Ella a suppository to stop the vomiting. He was very alarmed at this news just as Dr. Glenn. He made it clear to me that she should have NEVER received any sort of suppository. He explained the dangers associated with that procedure and medicine for babies, but told me not to worry about that at this point because she didn't have any of the adverse reactions. He said that we needed to focus on her health and issues at this point and getting her better. He changed the formula in her IV hoping that if we increased the number of CCs that she received per hour we may be able to return home the next day. Ella slept well during the night despite the fact that we DID NOT.

On Tuesday morning, we received another visit from the pediatrician. Dr. Contreras was pleased with the progress Ella had made, but was very hesitant on discharging her that day due to the severity of her condition on Monday when she entered. She did say that we could begin transitioning Ella back to formula a little mid-day. She said she would return in the evening to make the final call. Ella did well on formula. Dr. Contreras returned, but decided that it would be best to have Ella stay one more night. We respected that decision and prepared ourselves for another sleepless night.

Ella slept well during the night, and was discharged the very next morning.

We are truly thankful for all of the love, support, prayers, food, visits, telephone calls, etc. that we received during this journey. There is absolutely NO way we could have maintained our sanity as parents without it!!!!

Ella is still a very weak little girl who doesn't want to eat very much. We are keeping her home the rest of the week hoping that she will recover with no set backs.

Whew...What a Ride!

Just a quick post, to say "WE'RE HOME!!" Thank you to everyone who has prayed for our little Roo over the last several days. Being in a hospital with an almost-ten month old connected to a machine with a cord is NO FUN! I have lots to share... Maybe tonight when things calm down I will be able to post our thoughts and pics! :) Thank you again!

Update!

Ella had a pretty good beginning to her day. She slept all night, and even drank a pretty good amount of Pedialyte this morning. She was so hungry she drank the entire bottle and wanted more. I even got her to eat a little apple sauce and cereal. She played in the floor awhile. I was thinking it was all over. She then slept for about three hours, which is totally unlike her. When she woke up, we fed her and she ate pretty good. She played awhile, but then was ready for another nap. She went down without a fuss, which is TOTALLY unlike her as well. I began thinking that things were not as good as I thought. As soon as she woke up, she had a fever of 101. She began throwing up again and has several more times. Her fever is still pretty high. We are beginning to think she may be getting dehydrated with fever and throwing up. We tried to give her a little Pedialyte in a medicine dropper, but as soon as we sat her up, the vomiting began again! So, we still need lots of prayers. I plan to have her at the doctor first thing in the morning!!!!

AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ella has been back at "school" for two days and is SICK again!!!!!!!! This time, she has the stomach virus! I found out from a parent yesterday (NOT the school) that three children in Ella's class had been throwing up yesterday!!!!!! We HAD a well baby for almost a week, but I knew in the back of my mind that would change as soon as we placed her back in the setting where it all began. Ella has gotten sick many times tonight, and we are trying to keep her hydrated. Please pray that Roo will get well soon, and her little body will grow strong enough to fight future sicknesses away! Please pray for our family, as we will all probably be SICK soon! We also need prayer concerning childcare! I don't know if we can continue to place Ella in the situation that she has been in. I would love for her to have an at-home caregiver!!!!!!!!!!!!!