Easter Bunny

Other than our hospital trip Friday night, we didn't even leave the house all weekend until late Sunday afternoon when we decided to go see the Easter bunny! Even though I didn't feel good, Olivia was better and I just really wanted to get out of the house!

If you remember our visit with Santa (click here), you'll immediately be able to tell that this visit went MUCH better! She definitely wasn't going to be BFF with the Easter Bunny, but she wasn't totally freaked. She reached out a few times for me to get her, but she never shed a tear! Yea Olivia!!!!

(I wasn't thrilled with this bunny set-up...I mean, what's up with the lattice? They can't set up something better than that?! Geez! We'll try another mall next year!)

Her facial expressions crack me up! She was NOT happy with us!


Pout, Pout!

We never got a pic of her smiling (as there were NO smiles)!

MEDICAL UPDATE: We went to Olivia's pediatrician today for a follow-up. The blood and urine cultures both came back negative. They think she just had a virus on top of the strep. She seems to be on the mend! Maybe we can all manage to be well by Easter!

April can't come soon enough!

The month of March has not been a friend to our family. The past 3 weekends have been pretty rough. Olivia had pink eye. Then the next week she had strep. Then I got her strep at the end of this past week and have gotten worse every day. And to top it off, I picked her up from daycare on Friday and they said she sounded like she was getting croupe. I pretty much just wanted to cry right then and there! Ha!

So Friday night we put Olivia to bed around 7:00 as usual. While she had a cough that evening, she was acting totally fine. She began to get a little fussy before bed, but I just figured she was tired. Around 9:00pm, Jason and I were watching TV and could hear her breathing funny thru the monitor. We got up to go check on her, and she appeared to be breathing pretty fast and was making a funny noise. It's hard to explain. So I called the answering service and a nurse called us back within a couple of minutes. She listened to Olivia's breathing thru the phone and suggested we go ahead and take her to the ER. Yes, the ER...on a Friday night. Oh, and did I ever mention that we had to go LAST weekend because of a high fever and strange rash??? *sigh*

Back to Friday....So I picked her up to get her ready to go and noticed that she was burning up. Temp check: 104.6. So now I was pretty worried. Not only was she breathing funny, but she had a pretty high fever to go along with it.

Her fever broke during the hours we were at the hospital. They drew blood, which revealed that her white blood count was elevated. So they took urine and did a chest x-ray. Both came back ok. The doctor seemed concerned about her white blood count since she had been on antibiotics for 8 days already (for the strep). They gave her a 24-hour antibiotic shot, which seemed to help as she was doing much better today!!! They were going to do cultures on the blood and urine, so hopefully we'll know more by the end of the week.

We got home at 6am Saturday morning, so needless to say, we were all exhausted! Poor Jason had to go to work at 8:30, so he didn't even get to sleep until after he got home after noon.

Livi and her sweet Daddy

Olivia definitely gave the doctors and nurses a fight! She kicked and slapped and hit everytime they came near her! She was NOT a fan! She had blood drawn, a catheter, an x-ray, a huge shot....can't say that I blame her!!

Being back at the Children's Hospital brought back all kinds of memories from when Olivia was admitted at 15 weeks old (you can read about that awful experience HERE). It was definitely much more terrifying when she was so little, but the doctor's concern regarding the white blood cell count definitely concerned me. I just continued to pray (as I did then) that nothing was terribly wrong. I know that everything is in God's hands and that he will take care of my little girl!

14 Months Old & Strep

Two days before Olivia was 14 months old, daycare called me to come get her, as her fever was 103. I took her to the doctor thinking she probably had another ear infection, but instead she tested positive for strep. My mom came to town this weekend as planned, although she wasn't feeling well either; and I think I have had a sinus infection, so none of us felt like doing much this weekend! Olivia was pretty pitiful. It took 2-3 days to get the fever to come down and she DID NOT feel good AT ALL. She would just sit on the couch with me or mom and just hang out and watch TV. She watched more TV this weekend than she probably ever has, but I guess that's ok! Whatever the sick princess wants!

Yes, I understand it's not summer, but her fever was so high (up to 104.5), so I had her dressed very light! She has recently decided that she LOVES her chair, so we've officially moved it to the living room. She sits in it all the time. So sweet!

Sitting way too close to the TV, but I loved her eyebrows! Apparently she was slightly confused by something.

So, here's a few things Olivia is doing at 14 months old.

• Still not walking, but she does have a "crab" walk. I'll have to get this one on video for sure. Everyone that sees her do it says they've never seen another baby do it.

• She wears 12-18 month clothes, size 4 diapers, and size 3 shoes.

• At her doctor's appointment Thursday, she weighed 23 pounds with shoes/clothes, so I am assuming she's probably 22 1/2 or so.

• She says momma, dadda, daddy, hi, hey, thank you, ball, book, uh-oh, my (also known as mine....mommy doesn't like this one!), Gracie, bzzzzz (what the bee says)....there may be a few others, but it's hard to think of them at once!

• She still loves daycare and her teachers.

• She loves her puppies

• She HATES the church nursery

• She definitely has strong opinions and is quite strong-willed.

• She will throw a mini tantrum in a heartbeat if she doesn't get her way. She is becoming the queen of kicking her legs. Lucky for us, she gets over it quickly and doesn't do it TOO often! Most of the time she's an angel!

• She is becoming a better eater and trying new things often. She loves thin deli meat, canned apples & pears, pancakes, toast, eggs, waffles. I think she's going to be a good breakfast eater.

• She still gets a bottle a few times/day as she refuses to drink milk out of a cup. Daycare has really been working on this, so maybe we can eliminate the bottle in the next few weeks.....like I said, maybe!

• She thinks her daddy looks like Bobby Flay. Too bad he doesn't cook like him! (Last night we watched Iron Chef, and when they introduced Bobby Flay, she got super excited and started yelling "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" at the TV. She cracks me up!

Olivia, we love you more and more each day!

Baby has her bluejeans on!

I really like traditional clothes and "baby" clothes. On the weekends, you'll typically see Olivia in smocked outfits/dresses (which I LOVE), and our daycare wardrobe consists mainly of shirts with leggings. While I'm not a huge fan of babies in bluejeans, I broke down and bought Olivia her first pair of jeans a couple of weeks ago. I put them on her for the first time this weekend (yes, at nearly 14 months old!). She looked so grown up...I couldn't hardly stand it! Where's my little baby girl?????

It just keeps getting harder and harder to get her to sit still for a picture!

Here she is being silly and going "night night" before we headed out for an afternoon of errands.

Ziploc Bags - who knew?

We discovered yet another wonderful use for the ziploc bag about 2-3 weeks ago. When Olivia is being "tempermental" and not wanting to eat her food, all I have to do is put it in a baggie, and VOILA.....the food suddenly becomes extremely appealing and she often demands even more! Such an easy solution to those fussy evenings after daycare when she really doesn't care to eat and just wants to go to bed!

(This was taken this weekend, when she was still trying to get over pink eye)

Our Little Beethoven

I think we might just have a natural on our hands! She doesn't even really bang on it THAT hard....just "gently plays"! Maybe her Auntie Em will decide she no longer wants the piano and will allow Olivia to have it...haha! Better yet...I hear my mom may have a small piano we could have (haha).

Personalized Easter "Baskets" (and useful too!)

I promise not to bombard you with advertising all the time, but I'm trying to get my business off to a good start, so I'm going to utilize whoever may read my blog!!

I need 10-15 people to order a large embroidered lunch tote (or any other bag that could double as an Easter basket)! Not only can you use them to keep your items cool (or warm), they will also be super cute stuffed and used as Easter baskets!!! Large totes are only $14.00! Be sure and submit your order by Wednesday, March 17 to ensure delivery by Easter Sunday! (see online catalog, pages 12-13 LINK TO CATALOG PAGE: http://thirtyone.dirxion.com/springsummer10/WebProject.asp#).

The thermal totes are perfect for pre-schoolers, school-agers, teacher gifts, summer sporting events, zoo trips, pool trips, road trips and more! Also makes a great baby gift (I love chocolate brown with baby's name in powder pink or blue) filled with feeding supplies! Once you try this thermal-lined tote, you'll love it!

IMPORTANT: When you place your order, be sure and go to "My Events" under my picture, then click on "Shop Now" next to Easter!

If you need any help placing your order, please contact me! I'll be happy to place it for you!

www.mythirtyone.com/tdominy

This month's special: Purchase the Shoulder Bag for HALF PRICE when you purchase $31.00!

DON'T FORGET MOTHER'S DAY COMING UP SOON TOO!

Bags, Gifts & More!

I recently decided to start my own Thirty-One business. These are items I really believe in, so I figured I shouldn't have any trouble trying to sell them too! I've ordered items in the past, and I LOVE them! In addition to the super cute items, most of which can be personalized, the price tags are really reasonable as well!

Thirty-One is a faith-based company devoted to supporting and encouraging women. The company was founded in 2003 and based upon Proverbs 31.

Here's a peek at some of the items we sell. I should have all my start-up kit items in next week, and I'll share those when I get them!

Please contact me if you have any questions or if you are ready to book your own party!

You can browse/shop my website www.mythirtyone.com/tdominy

Skirt Purse: You buy the black or brown purse, which comes with one skirt (outside). Then you can purchase additional skirts for only $15.00. It's like getting a whole new purse for only $15!

Love these bags.

We also have Stationary!


There is a teen line, as well as a mom & baby line.

Lots of storage solutions

Diaper bags

Ball

Olivia's new favorite word is "ball". She points out every ball she sees (and even some she doesn't)! I love the way she says it. I'm thinking she may have a little southern accent. Ha!

- Please pay no attention to her hair or cleanliness...this was right after daycare yesterday!

A Little of This and That

I've been slacking lately as a blogger. Things have been pretty busy, and I've just been too tired in the evenings to mess with it! So, here's a little of what we've done over the past couple of weeks.

Olivia drinking a morning bottle and watching a movie

Trying to figure out her puzzles.

Olivia and I made a QUICK trip to my mom's house this weekend. We were there less than 24 hours, but we enjoyed the little time we had together. Olivia found the doggie door (which I hope we have one soon) and she would put her shoes and toys thru it. There were a few times she was pretty close to putting herself thru it too!

She also enjoyed playing in the dogs' crate at Nana's house. She'd climb in and close the door, then open, then close, then open, then climb back out, then back in.....well, you get the point! This was apparently great fun.

Nana had some baby doll accessories at her house that Olivia really liked playing with, so I bought her some at Target. She's played with them constantly the last couple of days.

Does she look scared here? Daddy was telling her "no" (regarding the remote in her hand). I don't think she cared much, especially considering she told him "No" back! What a little mess!

"Drinking" the baby doll's bottle. Silly girl.

Olivia is learning new things daily. She continues to entertain, and started doing her "mean face" again this weekend (in response to Mom telling her "NO")! In the past week, she has learned to say ball, bubble, bye (instead of just waving), bottle (baba). I guess she finally figured out the "B" sound!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Encouraging Words

Sometimes we need to be reminded that no matter what is happening to us on this Earth, we will get thru it and that God is with us always.

This is one of my favorites songs..."You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman. If you don't already sing this in your church, you should google it and take a listen.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life

I won’t turn back, I know You are near

And I will fear no evil

For my God is with me

And if my God is with me

Whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:

Oh no, You never let go

Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go

In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go

Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on

A glorious light beyond all compare

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

We’ll live to know You here on the earth

(Chorus)

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

Still I will praise You

Still I will praise You

(Chorus)