It is no fun having a sick baby. She had been doing so well, too. I think almost six months without anything major. Then it hit.
Around 10:30 the other night Baby woke up vomiting. Massively. Tons of liquid, chunks, chunks of cheese she had eaten earlier in the day as a snack. It was gross, to say the least, and it was all over her. And the bed. And when I picked her up, me.
Together we jumped in the shower. As I cleaned us off, Husband cleaned the bedding. I hoped it was maybe a one time thing, but oh no. I held her and rocked her in the living room for the next hour and a half and she ended up throwing up a few more times. After each time I kept thinking it was over, that we could relax. But no.
I didn't want to stay up all night in the rocking chair, so I brought Baby to bed with me. I covered where we were sleeping with towels and kept a stack right by the bed. Baby was very consistent in throwing up every half hour to twenty minutes or so. Then she would go back to sleep. Just when I got comfortable enough to start to drift off to sleep, she would begin again and I would hold her and pat her back and try to make sure she got it in a towel. Around five in the morning she started asking for juice, so I gave her a little liquid in hopes that she would keep it down.
Husband stayed home with her the next day and she threw up again in the morning, didn't eat all day, had some fluids when I got home, but then threw them all up again. I tried to get her to drink pedialyte, but she would take a sip then turn away. I even got the apple juice flavor, and I know she likes apple juice. She did drink a little bit of water, though. Since Husband said she hadn't thrown up all day, I hoped she was getting over it and it was just a twelve hour thing. Nope, not for my baby girl.
Baby threw up again all over the couch and me and herself. She went to bed with me again and she only threw up once during the night. And again the next morning. Then she slept. And slept and slept. I was hoping it was a healing sleep.
During the day I guess she moved past the vomiting stage and decided to push things through her system instead. Later in the afternoon she had diarrhea. At one point, she started leaking through her diaper and it ran down her legs and onto the floor. I grabbed her and stuck her on a towel until she was done, then threw her in the bathtub to rinse her off. She was not happy about that.
She was able to eat a little dinner (applesauce and avocado), and she didn't throw up before bed. I take that as a good sign. She is sleeping as I type. Hopefully tomorrow she will return to normal and I can rid my house of the lovely smells of vomit and poop. Yuck!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Swim Lessons 6-8
Lesson 6:
It rained. I know, in the middle of June when we'd been having hundred degree weather! It was cold and rainy, and I really debated going out or not. But I didn't. Baby had been up all night coughing the night before, so she ended up taking a nap in the morning. She woke up and we still could have made it in time, but I really didn't want to be cold. When Baby is old enough to understand that she makes a commitment to something, I will probably make her go. Until then, Mommy can be a bad example (C'mon, I hate being cold!).
Lesson 7:
Today was a little colder out, so the water felt warm getting in, which was really nice. I bobbed Baby up and down, she fell into her Superman pose, and away we went. We found the kickboard and paraded up and down the lane. The instructor (who had looked familiar this whole time and actually went to school with my little brother and lives on the same street as me!), came up behind Baby and kicked her little legs for her. Baby loved it. She said, "Wheee, whee!" the whole time. (I think I started that because I tend to put sound effects to everything. I love that she copies me!)
Lesson 8:
Our last lesson. Where did the time go? The instructor had a basket of toys the babies could play with in the water, so Baby chose to play with a floating boat. Then she also chose to play with a diving ring. We paraded up and down the lane, her in her Superman pose, one hand grasping the ring, the other the boat, and her legs trailing behind (she still refuses to kick, so the instructor came up behind her again and moved her legs for her).
At the end of class, a little water park was opened for every kid in the place. It had shooting water, falling water, a lake of water, all around slides, stairs, etc. I held Baby and walked into it, but no way would she let me put her down. We even watched another little girl from her class laughing and splashing in the water, but Baby shook her head no, that she didn't want to join in. That was okay with me. That water was colder than the pool.
Another couple was there with their son (who happens to be two days older than Baby), and they were taking pictures. I was mentally kicking myself for not remembering to at least take a picture of her with her swimsuit on, or one of her and me. Remember, I'm not too good at the whole memory book thing.
One thing we did get was a report card. Baby's first report card! I was so excited! It had all the different techniques we had focused on for the past two weeks, then a rating for each one. The best rating was Got it. Then there was Almost. The last rating was Not Yet. Husband did the math and was disappointed to see that Baby had about a C average. He told me I should enroll her in the next class so she can improve. This brought up the issue of school report cards, what we think about grades, consequences, rewards, etc. I can tell you that her school years are going to be interesting. Let's just hope school comes naturally to her because Husband and I have some very differing ideas on grades.
Anyway, swim lessons were fun and I'm glad we did them. It was neat to see Baby come in shy, then start to open up (like knowing to get into the Superman pose). The instructor said Baby was one of the happiest, most compliant babies she had worked with (really, my child?), which I thought was nice of her to say. I think she was that way because I didn't force her into anything, so therefore we didn't have any screaming fits.
Next year we'll try again.
It rained. I know, in the middle of June when we'd been having hundred degree weather! It was cold and rainy, and I really debated going out or not. But I didn't. Baby had been up all night coughing the night before, so she ended up taking a nap in the morning. She woke up and we still could have made it in time, but I really didn't want to be cold. When Baby is old enough to understand that she makes a commitment to something, I will probably make her go. Until then, Mommy can be a bad example (C'mon, I hate being cold!).
Lesson 7:
Today was a little colder out, so the water felt warm getting in, which was really nice. I bobbed Baby up and down, she fell into her Superman pose, and away we went. We found the kickboard and paraded up and down the lane. The instructor (who had looked familiar this whole time and actually went to school with my little brother and lives on the same street as me!), came up behind Baby and kicked her little legs for her. Baby loved it. She said, "Wheee, whee!" the whole time. (I think I started that because I tend to put sound effects to everything. I love that she copies me!)
Lesson 8:
Our last lesson. Where did the time go? The instructor had a basket of toys the babies could play with in the water, so Baby chose to play with a floating boat. Then she also chose to play with a diving ring. We paraded up and down the lane, her in her Superman pose, one hand grasping the ring, the other the boat, and her legs trailing behind (she still refuses to kick, so the instructor came up behind her again and moved her legs for her).
At the end of class, a little water park was opened for every kid in the place. It had shooting water, falling water, a lake of water, all around slides, stairs, etc. I held Baby and walked into it, but no way would she let me put her down. We even watched another little girl from her class laughing and splashing in the water, but Baby shook her head no, that she didn't want to join in. That was okay with me. That water was colder than the pool.
Another couple was there with their son (who happens to be two days older than Baby), and they were taking pictures. I was mentally kicking myself for not remembering to at least take a picture of her with her swimsuit on, or one of her and me. Remember, I'm not too good at the whole memory book thing.
One thing we did get was a report card. Baby's first report card! I was so excited! It had all the different techniques we had focused on for the past two weeks, then a rating for each one. The best rating was Got it. Then there was Almost. The last rating was Not Yet. Husband did the math and was disappointed to see that Baby had about a C average. He told me I should enroll her in the next class so she can improve. This brought up the issue of school report cards, what we think about grades, consequences, rewards, etc. I can tell you that her school years are going to be interesting. Let's just hope school comes naturally to her because Husband and I have some very differing ideas on grades.
Anyway, swim lessons were fun and I'm glad we did them. It was neat to see Baby come in shy, then start to open up (like knowing to get into the Superman pose). The instructor said Baby was one of the happiest, most compliant babies she had worked with (really, my child?), which I thought was nice of her to say. I think she was that way because I didn't force her into anything, so therefore we didn't have any screaming fits.
Next year we'll try again.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Swim Lessons Numbers 3-5
Lesson 3:
Today all Baby wanted to do was jump from the ledge into my arms. We were supposed to work on making arm circles in the water, but no way did she want to do that. I tried to distract her from the ledge by moving away, bobbing her up and down, and encouraging her to do bubbles. She did try drinking the water, which was at least a step in the right direction. She would dip her head in the water and take a big gulp, then look at me and beam, thinking she was doing the correct thing. I told her good job.
Lesson 4:
Our last lesson of the week. Baby finally got the swim position down; legs stretched out behind her, arms stretched in front. I called it her Superman pose. The instructor remarked that Baby was starting to feel comfortable in the water. Yup. She wasn't stuck to me like glue anymore.
I think today we were supposed to work on floating, as well as putting together the bubbles, kicking, and arm circles. Baby got the posing part right. She attempted to kick a couple of times, but I think she scared herself when the water bobbed around her. Therefore, we did more ledge jumping. I'd let her jump into my arms, then wait until she did her Superman pose before I would let her jump again.
Lesson 5:
There were multiple swim lessons going on at the same time, and each group was separated by the lane lines of the pool. In the lane next to us were elementary age kids who were learning to swim. Baby had been watching them closely for the past few days.
Today a kickboard had somehow come loose and was floating innocently in our lane. Baby reached out for it, so I gave it to her. She knew she was supposed to hang on, so she did. It was really cool to see that she had been watching the other kids. I felt so proud parading her up and down the lane as she held onto her little kickboard.
Today all Baby wanted to do was jump from the ledge into my arms. We were supposed to work on making arm circles in the water, but no way did she want to do that. I tried to distract her from the ledge by moving away, bobbing her up and down, and encouraging her to do bubbles. She did try drinking the water, which was at least a step in the right direction. She would dip her head in the water and take a big gulp, then look at me and beam, thinking she was doing the correct thing. I told her good job.
Lesson 4:
Our last lesson of the week. Baby finally got the swim position down; legs stretched out behind her, arms stretched in front. I called it her Superman pose. The instructor remarked that Baby was starting to feel comfortable in the water. Yup. She wasn't stuck to me like glue anymore.
I think today we were supposed to work on floating, as well as putting together the bubbles, kicking, and arm circles. Baby got the posing part right. She attempted to kick a couple of times, but I think she scared herself when the water bobbed around her. Therefore, we did more ledge jumping. I'd let her jump into my arms, then wait until she did her Superman pose before I would let her jump again.
Lesson 5:
There were multiple swim lessons going on at the same time, and each group was separated by the lane lines of the pool. In the lane next to us were elementary age kids who were learning to swim. Baby had been watching them closely for the past few days.
Today a kickboard had somehow come loose and was floating innocently in our lane. Baby reached out for it, so I gave it to her. She knew she was supposed to hang on, so she did. It was really cool to see that she had been watching the other kids. I felt so proud parading her up and down the lane as she held onto her little kickboard.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Swim Lesson Number 2
Baby had a much better day today. She wasn't as scared of the water, although she still refused to blow bubbles. Today's focus was on kicking. Baby did not want me to let go of her and she screamed and shook her head no if I tried to hold her out at arms length. The instructor said that was fine, and the point was to just let the babies get used to the water, not force them to do anything they don't want to do.
Toward the end of the class the instructor said we could sit the babies up on the side of the pool and let them jump into our arms. Baby LOVED this. I would sit her up there, count to three, and she would lean forward and fall into my arms. We did that for the rest of the lesson, but I was at least excited that she was laughing and squealing.
Toward the end of the class the instructor said we could sit the babies up on the side of the pool and let them jump into our arms. Baby LOVED this. I would sit her up there, count to three, and she would lean forward and fall into my arms. We did that for the rest of the lesson, but I was at least excited that she was laughing and squealing.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Swim Lesson Number 1
(I know, for those of you who know me in real life, this blog post is a few weeks behind. Oh well, use your imagination and time travel into the past.)
I signed Baby up for swim lessons to give us something to do over the summer and help her get used to water. It's also an excuse for me to get into a pool since we don't know people whose pool we can frequent.
I was really nervous about starting the lessons. I'm always self-conscious about what to wear and what to bring. I ended up buying Baby two new bathing suits and returning one because I wasn't sure what type she should wear. I had a few cute, girly ones, but I wanted one of those rashguard ones to help protect her skin (it's a water T-shirt with SPF 50). The cutest one I found didn't have a bottom piece to go with it, so I matched one of her bottoms from another suit with it. So now her "swimsuit" is a bright pink rashguard with little Hawaiian flowers in the corner and a pair of bright blue bathing suit shorts with large multicolored spots.
Then there was the problem of what I would wear. I had a cute tank suit that a friend had given me last year. The only problem was that I tried it on and it was way too big. Like, I couldn't even attempt to wear it because it was literally falling off of me (yay for shrinking!). I pulled out a suit from a couple years ago that had been too tight before I had Baby, and besides a little extra cleavage (thank you, breastfeeding), it fit.
We showed up a little early to the lesson and I had no idea where to go. I walked in through the entrance and there was no greeter or lifeguards there to tell me where to go. I was rather annoyed at the lack of instruction. I saw quite a few parents waiting around and chanced to overhear a mom tell her son that we were waiting for the lifeguards to come out and call the names of their pupils. I thanked her for explaining that.
The Parent/Child class was called and they didn't call Baby's name. I went up and talked to the lady in charge and apparently I had signed up so late I wasn't yet on the list. However, we still were able to go.
We got in the water and Baby clung to me the whole time. The lifeguard told us that each day we would work on a new skill. Today was going to be bobbing (holding the baby at arm's length and bobbing them up and down in the water) and blowing bubbles. She said that most babies knew how to blow bubbles at this age.
Wait a second, I was supposed to have taught Baby how to blow bubbles by now? When? Oh, in the bathtub, of course. In between the part where she was screaming and when she was climbing out of the tub. Gotcha.
I signed Baby up for swim lessons to give us something to do over the summer and help her get used to water. It's also an excuse for me to get into a pool since we don't know people whose pool we can frequent.
I was really nervous about starting the lessons. I'm always self-conscious about what to wear and what to bring. I ended up buying Baby two new bathing suits and returning one because I wasn't sure what type she should wear. I had a few cute, girly ones, but I wanted one of those rashguard ones to help protect her skin (it's a water T-shirt with SPF 50). The cutest one I found didn't have a bottom piece to go with it, so I matched one of her bottoms from another suit with it. So now her "swimsuit" is a bright pink rashguard with little Hawaiian flowers in the corner and a pair of bright blue bathing suit shorts with large multicolored spots.
Then there was the problem of what I would wear. I had a cute tank suit that a friend had given me last year. The only problem was that I tried it on and it was way too big. Like, I couldn't even attempt to wear it because it was literally falling off of me (yay for shrinking!). I pulled out a suit from a couple years ago that had been too tight before I had Baby, and besides a little extra cleavage (thank you, breastfeeding), it fit.
We showed up a little early to the lesson and I had no idea where to go. I walked in through the entrance and there was no greeter or lifeguards there to tell me where to go. I was rather annoyed at the lack of instruction. I saw quite a few parents waiting around and chanced to overhear a mom tell her son that we were waiting for the lifeguards to come out and call the names of their pupils. I thanked her for explaining that.
The Parent/Child class was called and they didn't call Baby's name. I went up and talked to the lady in charge and apparently I had signed up so late I wasn't yet on the list. However, we still were able to go.
We got in the water and Baby clung to me the whole time. The lifeguard told us that each day we would work on a new skill. Today was going to be bobbing (holding the baby at arm's length and bobbing them up and down in the water) and blowing bubbles. She said that most babies knew how to blow bubbles at this age.
Wait a second, I was supposed to have taught Baby how to blow bubbles by now? When? Oh, in the bathtub, of course. In between the part where she was screaming and when she was climbing out of the tub. Gotcha.
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