Spring Has Sprung

Our little girl has been feeling a bit under the weather the last couple of weeks. She came down with a yucky cold. She was running pretty high temperature (she topped out around 103 deg) and just felt awful. Kara wouldn't sleep unless it was with Mommy and Daddy in a recliner, so nobody really got much sleep. She also didn't eat or drink much and was starting to get pretty dehydrated until Mommy discovered the power of Popsicles (yes, we know they're pure sugar, but we were getting pretty desperate). We also started clapping for Kara every time she took a sip, so now she claps for herself whenever she drinks water. It's pretty funny. We were planning on going down to Alabama to visit Grandma and Grandpa H. and GiGi B, but we decided to reschedule. We figured it was better to suffer by ourselves than to involve a plane full of innocent people. She still has a nasty cough, but she's feeling much, much better.

The weather here has been warming up steadily for the last couple of weeks. It's supposed to be sunny and warm all next week. This was a fairly mild winter, but it's still good to see spring.

Kara has started to talk more in the last few weeks. She can kinda say 5-6 words (like ball and balloon sound the same) in addition to Mom and Dada. It's great to hear our little girl talk.

Link to pictures

The Miserable Patient

Kara does not like being sick. I mean, nobody likes being sick, but Kara particularly dislikes being sick. She has been absolutely miserable for the last week, though it didn't help that she's getting 3 molars at the same time!

Kara starting coughing and sounding pretty rough last Friday. She didn't nap too well that day and just cried when we tried to put her down to sleep that night. We hoped that she would eventually calm down and go to sleep, but after about 15 minutes, Mommy and Daddy went back into Kara's room to try and soothe her. Kara greeted each of us with a hug (and a couple more each for good measure), which was great; however, the unpleasantness was just about to begin. Mommy had talked to a nurse earlier in the day, and the nurse recommended that we put saline solution in Kara's nostrils to help with drainage. It seemed like a good idea, but Kara didn't agree. She started screaming and crying uncontrollably. The nurse had also mentioned that Kara might be able to sleep better in an inclined position (as in sleeping on someone sitting in a chair), so Mommy ended up "sleeping" with Kara in a recliner for half the night and Daddy took the other half.

Kara didn't sleep very well all weekend and just got crankier and crankier.  She refused to sleep without Mommy or Daddy holding her, which means they took shifts rocking her in a recliner for the whole night and naptimes. It was pretty miserable for everyone.

We took Kara to the doctor's office on Monday, thinking that she might have something more serious than just a cold (like croup or maybe an ear infection). There much be something going around because there were several kids at the doctor's office with the same cough as Kara. Fortunately, the doctor didn't see anything wrong with her ears or lungs and said it was just a nasty cold. Unfortunately, Kara didn't get any better in the next couple of days. In fact, she woke up on Tuesday and Wednesday with a temperature over 103! She also wasn't eating or drinking much and got pretty dehydrated.

We were supposed to go to Alabama to visit Grandma and Grandpa H. and Great Grandma B. (GiGi) on Wednesday, but we decided to reschedule for April. We figured it was much better to suffer at home than to share our misery with a plane full of innocent travelers. Hopefully Kara feels better by April!

Kara finally started to feel better on Wednesday.  She took two two-hour naps and slept by herself in her crib that night, but she was still pretty dehydrated. Mommy and Daddy started clapping and cheering (Yay Kara!) every time Kara took a sip of water to encourage her to drink more.  So now whenever Kara drinks, she claps for herself.  It's pretty funny.  Also, Mommy found that Kara likes popsicles. Yes, we know they're full of sugar, but we figured it was better than nothing.

Our little girl's fever was much lower this morning, so we think she's getting better. She's still super-cranky, but she's napping, sleeping through the night (more or less), and drinking lots of fluids. I think the worst is behind us.

No pictures this week. Hopefully we can get some good pictures of our healthy girl for the next post! Since we don't have any pictures of Kara, here's a link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scu9zzC5U3g&feature=feedf) to one of Mommy and Daddy's favorite clips from Sesame Street. This kid is hilarious!

Visit from Casey and Yuri!

Casey, one of Mommy's friends from college, and her litte boy, Yuri (who is 3 weeks and one day younger than Kara), came to visit us this past weekend from Portland.

On Saturday, we got up early and headed straight into Boulder to have breakfast at Lucile's. Casey and Lee Ann used to eat at the one in Fort Collins frequently during their college days. As always, the food was delicious! After a short nap back at the townhouse, we were back out on the town, this time visiting the Children's Museum in Lafayette. For the afternoon, we just played around the townhouse and the kids took turns riding around in Kara's sled (who needs snow?).

We took things much easier on Sunday. Yuri came down with a cold and didn't sleep very well Saturday night. We went into Boulder for lunch at Big City Burrito. While we were in Boulder, we stopped at a great toy store, which was a lot of fun for the kids. Other than that, we just stayed around the townhouse.

All in all, Kara had a great time playing with Yuri and Mommy was happy to spend some time with her friend. Sorry there are so many pictures. We just had so much fun!

Link to pictures

Playing in the Snow

We just got in from our second playtime in the snow this week. Kara seems to enjoy being dragged around in the sled, and she actually went down a hill for the first time this week. She also enjoys eating the fresh powder and is getting good at walking in her snow suit and boots!

On Monday, Mommy and Kara went to stock up on groceries before the second snowstorm. When we got back, it was already past Kara's lunch time. She watched a show while I brought in groceries. To move faster, I put the bags on the floor. I got a surprise when I came in with the last load. Kara had retrieved a box of crackers, opened them up, and was eating them while watching her show (hand in box and all). Guess I shouldn't underestimate Kara!

Kara has started to practice walking backwards. It's pretty funny.

During one of her bib "organizing" sessions, the Phil Collins song "That's All" came on the radio. She stopped what she was doing and started bopping up and down in time to the music. It was hilarious. She'd continue on, bee-bop, get another bib, bee-bop, etc. Then Mommy started clapping, and Kara clapped! Mommy jumped to the music. Kara thought that was great, but as she doesn't know how to jump yet, she decided to do a headstand instead. She put her head on the floor and shook her rump in the air to the music. This made Mommy's day.

Link to pictures

Colorado Weather

Colorado has some crazy weather.  On Friday and Saturday, the weather was beautiful.  It was close to 70 degrees and sunny.  By Monday, it was cold and snowy.  The high on Tuesday was somewhere around 2 below zero, and the high today was a balmy 7 degrees.  Let me tell you, it was cold. Kara and Mommy are starting to go a little stir crazy in our little townhouse.

Kara had her first "official" playdate yesterday. There are a couple of kids that live in the neighboring townhouses that are about the same age as Kara. Kara and Mommy had a great time, and it was good to get out of the townhouse for a little while since it was too cold to go anywhere else.

Kara enjoys reorganizing the townhouse (see the videos). She likes putting her puzzle pieces on the shelf (one by one) and then putting them all down on the floor (one by one). She also takes all of her bibs out of the drawer and puts them on the floor. If we're lucky, she'll sometimes put them back (*sometimes*).

Kara's latest things:
- Kara's newest favorite food is blueberries. Mommy swears that Kara could eat an entire pint of blueberries in one sitting, if we let her!
- Kara's getting more affectionate these days. Sometimes, if she feels like it, she'll give Mommy and Daddy hugs and kisses. She gave Daddy a really big hug when he was putting her down for bedtime tonight.
- Kara enjoys reading books. She'll grab a book and then plop down in Mommy or Daddy's lap while they read the books to her.
- Kara's talking a bit more these days. She says things that sound like "doggie", "ball", "balloon", and "all done". She's also getting really good at following simple requests (like bring Daddy the book); however, only when she feels like it. :)

Link to pictures