Samantha at 13 Months, Week 1

Samantha continued to not feel well into this week.  We met Daddy on campus on Wednesday for a picnic lunch of Jimmy John's for a mini-Father's Day celebration.  Her fever seemed to be mostly gone, but she was still not acting like herself, and she wasn't interested in eating much at all.  We were trying to figure out what was going on, wondering if she was teething again, because she started drooling a lot again.  Needless to say, we decided that if she still didn't feel well on Thursday, that we would take her into the doctor.  Thursday morning she still had a fever, so I called and got an afternoon appointment at the doctor.  That morning, Samantha helped me do laundry and get things ready for going out of town on Friday.  She really likes riding around in the laundry basket.  You can even tell from this picture that Samantha doesn't feel well.

Later that afernoon we took her to the doctor and saw a nurse practitioner.  Samantha was showing such uncharacteristic behavior.  She was crying uncontrollably while they checked her temperature, tried to get her weight, listened to her lungs, and checked her ears and mouth.  I described to the nurse how I also had noticed small red spots that started on Samantha's feet and now seem to be on her chest and diaper area.  As soon as the nurse looked in Samantha's mouth with the tongue depressor, she said Samantha has Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.  It is a virus that is spread through bodily fluids like saliva, and it causes red bumps on the hands and feet as well as ulcers in the mouth, a fever, and an overall feeling of malaise.  The nurse said she had four or five ulcers in the back of her mouth, which would explain a lot about why she wasn't interested in eating and even why she was drooling so much.  Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do since it's a virus.  You just have to let it run its course, which for this disease is usually seven to ten days.  We felt so bad for the little girl, and my guess is that she picked it up at the library on Tuesday from some of the toys in the play area.  It's a pretty common disease apparently, even though I've never heard of it before.  It's always nice to at least have an answer of what's wrong with your child, and we were glad we took her to the doctor before we left for Upland.

Friday morning, after breakfast and getting last minute things together, we left for Upland for the weekend.  We got up there in time for lunch and some playtime, then laid Samantha down for a nap.  She ended up taking a really good nap, and we had to wake her up so that we could go to Muncie to go out to eat at Olive Garden.  Samantha seemed to be feeling a bit better today, and she even ate some of our breadsticks and pasta.  It's nice to go out to eat with other people so that there are more hands to hold Samantha when she gets tired of being contained in her high chair.  It's almost impossible for Ben and I to go out to eat at a nice restaurant with just the two of us and Samantha now.  It's just not relaxing because we have to be constantly entertaining Samantha and making sure she doesn't get too old and disturb the people eating around us.  We even got a free dessert because the waitress accidentally spilled a little bit of a drink on Ben.  We'll take it!

Since this was our last weekend together as a family before Ben went off to ICPSR in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we took advantage of our time together.  Saturday morning we went to a farm in Upland that was doing a kind of open house/tour and when Samantha went down for a nap, Ben and I played Dominion together.  (We played this game at our last game night with the Brashers and liked it so much we had to get it for ourselves.  Ben found a good price for it on Amazon, so we ordered it as a present for Ben for Father's Day.)  On Sunday, Ben's mom stayed home from church with Samantha since she was potentially still contagious.  In the afternoon, after naptime but before dinnertime, we went on a bike ride all together.  Samantha enjoyed it, but we think she was getting too hungry so she was a little fussier than normal.  I think Grandma and Grandpa Toll enjoyed seeing her ride in her little bike seat.

The other interesting event of the weekend was that I seemed to catch the disease from Samantha even though it is very uncommon for adults to get it since they were potentially previously exposed to it as children.  I started getting a sore throat, had chills on Saturday night and developed a fever on Sunday.  The only time I felt somewhat okay was when I took ibuprofen.  So, I got a taste of what it must have been like for Samantha.  Poor thing, I understand why she felt to miserable.

Ben left for Michigan on Monday morning, and I officially started my time as a "single mom."  It's a lot harder than you would think, especially because we have a dog as well.  It seems like everyone needs something at the same time.  It is a test of my patience and my ability to plan ahead and be prepared for situations that may arise. 

Samantha and I stayed in Upland to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Toll and to minimize the amount of time I would be by myself in Bloomington.  Unfortunately, it was so hot outside, that it kind of thwarted my plans to do a lot of outdoor activities and bike rides with Samantha.  We played on Taylor's campus in the shade on Monday and ran errands in Marion and played in the baby pool on Tuesday.

Samantha seemed to be feeling a lot better by Tuesday and was more back to her usual self.  Her appetite came back in full force, and she was eating way more than she ever normally does!  I was glad it had run its course for her, and we had our happy little girl back again. 

Samantha: 12 Months, Week 4

It's hard to believe another week has already gone by.  I had my last day of teacher training and started staying at home with Samantha during the day while Ben went to school to work on studying for his exams.  It's great to have this time with Samantha, and I can already tell it's going to be really hard to go back to work in the fall and leave her behind.


On Friday night, we had another game night with the Brashers.  The kids played for a little while and then we put them all to bed so the adults could play games.  We had a great time learning a new game and talking.  It reminded me of being back in college, staying up late, and laughing hysterically.  Samantha did a great job again and went right back to sleep once we got back home.


We continued to try transitioning her to only one afternoon nap a day.  It's going fairly well, but sometimes it's hard to keep her up all morning and she hasn't been sleeping quite as long as she needs to, but I think she will get used to the new schedule soon.  On Saturday when we went up to get her after her nap, we just had to take pictures and a video because she was so incredibly cute!  This is what a happy, well-rested girl looks like!

It is always great fun just to watch Samantha play.  She seems to really investigate things and want to figure them out.  Her favorite things are still her books.  She often goes to those first, any chance she gets.  I got an Aladdin pop up book from the school give away pile, and Samantha loved it!  However, the pop up pictures are too tempting, and she would pull on them and sometimes pull the picture of the page.  Oh well, it was free so it doesn't matter!  I really enjoyed pop up books when I was a kid as well.  Books and reading was always my favorite activity as a kid.  I specifically remember being at the library, looking around, and having the lofty goal to read every book in the entire library.  What normal kid would have that kind of a goal in life?  But, to be serious, we love Samantha's infatuation with books and hope that continues well into her childhood and adulthood.  As an educator, I know how important reading is, and how it leads to success in so many other areas.

Over the weekend, we busted out the baby pool again and let Samantha splash around.  She enjoyed herself, but it wasn't quite as much fun as swimming with Alaina in the pool on their double birthday party.  I also want you to notice her adorable pigtails!

On Sunday, Ben and I volunteered in the nursery at church for the first time, and we ended up being in Samantha's room.  Well, apparently that isn't going to work out too well in the future.  She was confused about why we were staying in the room rather than taking her out and going home like we normally do.  She got very fussy and clinging, which is very unlike her.  Next time we may have to volunteer in a different room!

On Tuesday, Samantha and I went to the library to meet some friends and check out some new library books.  She really enjoyed herself playing with the toys and trains, walking and crawling around, and playing with the other kids.  However, later in the day after her afternoon nap, she was burning hot and had a pretty high fever.  She did not sleep for very long, and when she was sleeping she kept waking up and crying every fifteen minutes or so.  Even that evening she wasn't acting like herself and her fever went up to 102.  I called the doctor since I was surprised that her fever went up after I had already given her medicine.  They said just to continue giving her ibuprofen and put a cool compress on the back of her neck, under her arms, or between her legs, and to call back if any other symptoms come up or if her fever doesn't go away within 72 hours.  Our poor little girl was definitely not feeling well, and we felt so bad for her.  She even had trouble going to sleep that night, and we both had to go up to her room a couple of times to comfort her, calm her down from crying, and get her back to sleep.


I was telling Ben you always hear moms say they have this natural instinct to tell when their kids are really sick or when they have a fever, and I never thought I'd have that instinct.  Well now, I think I do.  Samantha's fever always comes through in her temples and back.  Like after her nap, I could tell she had a fever by just feeling those parts of her body.  Also, you can really tell when Samantha isn't feeling well because she acts so different.  She is much more somber, doesn't move around or talk as much, and likes to cuddle and snuggle a lot more (we don't mind that part of her not feeling well).  It breaks my heart to see her in pain and this is when my protective mother's instinct comes in, wanting to protect my baby from anything that may hurt her.


Samantha has started walking a lot more now.  She will pull herself up to standing in the middle of the floor and start walking.  She can probably take eight or nine steps before falling down or having to reach out to something for balance.  Here is the best video I could get of her taking some steps.  When we get the camera out, she is always more interested in the camera and doesn't carry on like she normally does.  It's great to see her experimenting with walking more and getting more sure on her feet!

Samantha: 12 Months, Week 3

Samantha's third week started with my last day of school with children.  It was great to finally reach the end of the year.  I have been looking forward to this day for awhile because now I get to spend the whole summer home with Samantha.  That night we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants in Bloomington, Sweet Grass, since I received a gift card from one of my students.  Samantha did a pretty good job, but toward the end she was getting tired of being cooped up in the high chair and started becoming more vocal.  Samantha has definitely discovered her voice lately.  Particularly when she is tired or when she is tired of being confined, she can get pretty noisy.  Ben and I have now decided that if we want to go out for a nice, relaxing dinner where we can actually have a conversation with each other, we are going to have to leave Samantha at home with a babysitter.  Hopefully it's just a phase, but we don't want to be "those people" in a restaurant that have the noisy baby that is disrupting everyone else's dinner.  Any volunteers on babysitting Samantha?


On Friday, we decided to go to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game with Grandpa and Grandma Toll.  We were going to go on Memorial Day, but it was just too hot.  We debated whether or not to go this day as well because it was actually going to be rather cool (around 60 degrees).  However, we didn't know when the next best time would be, and we figured Samantha would rather be on the cool side, rather than too hot.  Everyone really enjoyed themselves at the game, especially Samantha.  She crawled around on the blanket, made the college girls behind us laugh, and went on several walks around the stadium once she started to get a bit antsy.

Then, after the game there were fireworks, and Samantha was mesmerized.  Normally Ben and I can't take our eyes off the fireworks, but this time, we couldn't take our eyes off Samantha.  Her expression was so precious.  She seemed to think it was the coolest thing she'd ever seen, and she kept glancing at us and smiling, almost like she was thinking, "Are you guys seeing this?  This is so cool!"  Even though we were out pretty late, Samantha did really well, fell asleep in the car on the way home, and then fell right asleep once we got home.  We love that we have such a flexible little girl.  She seems to be up for all the adventures we take her on, and she seems to love being out and about experiencing new things.

On Saturday, since the weather was so wonderful, we took another family bike ride.  Samantha really enjoys it and people love watching her smile, laugh, and talk as they walk or bike by us.  We look forward to going on many more bike rides this summer with her.


On Sunday evening, we watched Thomas and Elijah so that their parents could go out for a nice dinner together.  It was fun to have the boys over.  They are very well-behaved, and Samantha loves having her friends come over to the house.  We gave them a dinner of spaghetti, garden peas, and garden strawberries.  We even gave Samantha some spaghetti.  We preemptively took off her shirt and good thing too, because boy was she a mess!  We thought Grandma Toll would enjoy these pictures of Samantha enjoying her spaghetti sauce.  She seems to be quite a fan of tomatoes, just like you!

After dinner, we went to the little playground area in our apartment complex.  Elijah and Samantha went on the swings, and Thomas climbed on the jungle gym.  The kids had a great time playing together.

Samantha is really enjoying more "big people" food.  She especially likes anything that has noodles.  We made a skillet lasagna recipe this past week, and gave her some of that, as well as some fresh strawberries and cottage cheese.  Once again, she got pretty messy, but this time we stripped her down to her diaper.  She loves feeding herself and getting to taste all these new flavors, although with her face, body, and hair getting covered by food, she needs baths a lot more often now.

On Monday several interesting things took place.  First, it was my first official day staying at home with Samantha for the summer.  It's amazing how much more relaxed I feel, how much more I can get accomplished around the house, and how much precious Samantha time I get now that summer is here.  In the evening we went to a church member dinner, and Samantha got the opportunity to play with some older children.  She had herself a good ole time and was completely exhausted by the time we got home, especially because it was past her bedtime.


We also noticed today that Samantha's lower first molars on both sides are officially through the gums.  So now Samantha has ten teeth!  These teeth have been a long time coming so we are glad to have that problem over with.


Also, over the weekend, we bought some whole milk and attempted to make a transition from breast milk at lunch time.  Needless to say, she was not too big of a fan of the milk.  She would spit some of it out of her mouth and then just refuse to drink the rest of it.  We'll see if she warms up to it a little more as we continue trying it in the future.

I will end my post with a cute little tidbit about Samantha.  At night, when I am nursing her before bed, she will always lay with her legs crossed, either at the ankle or one leg completely crossed over the other, or her leg crossed over my arm.  It's pretty cute.

Samantha: 12 Months, Week 2

Once people find out that Samantha is a year old, the next question they always seem to ask is if she is walking or not yet.  She has taken a few steps around the house and is getting sturdier on her feet every day, but she still isn't "walking" on her own yet.  She pulls up on everything and can transfer between one object and another.  She even does some things that look like yoga moves!

She loves to point at objects to show what she wants, and she is very expressive now.  It's a good thing and a bad thing, because now she gets upset if we don't give her what she wants.

Over Memorial Day weekend we went to Ben's parents' house in Upland for a double birthday party for Alaina and Samantha.  We had been looking forward to this for quite some time now.  My parents came down on Saturday and stayed the night to Sunday, so they could join in the festivities.

The girls just really enjoyed playing together.  They are beginning to notice each other more and more.  Especially since Alaina is walking and Samantha isn't yet, Samantha would follow Alaina around house.

After lunch, we gave the girls their birthday cake.  They weren't so sure about it at first, but once they realized it was food and it was sugary, they dug right in.  Samantha started by picking off the yellow icing stars on top and eating them one by one, but it was no time at all before she dug both hands into the icing and cake, getting it all over her face and also on Alaina.  There was even one point in time when Samantha ate some of the icing off Alaina's arm!  Ben took an almost ten minute video of them eating their cake, here is just a snippet of the best part.

Here are some close up shots of the birthday girls and one of the both families.

Later in the afternoon, after cake, we let the girls play in the pool for awhile.  It was a warm weekend, so I'm sure the cool water felt good.  (Plus it helped wash the cake out out Samantha's hair.)  Samantha was a little unsure about the water at first, but adjusted to it quickly, enjoying splashing around in the water and, in particular, playing with the cup.  She seems to really love being in water and would have been satisfied staying in longer if we would have let her. We are looking forward to letting her experience more time in pools this summer, both in Bloomington and on vacation.

Then at night, before bed, the girls also got to take their first bath together.  It was pretty cute.  They just kind of looked at each other like, "Hey, what are you doing in my bath with me?"  It's going to be so fun seeing them grow up together.

After bath time, the girls had time to play more together and to open birthday presents.  They mostly got clothes (which wasn't too exciting for the girls), but we also got Samantha a Taggies caterpillar (covered in little tags) and a touch and feel book.  (Tags and touch and feel books are two of her favorites things right now.)

At Grandma and Grandpa Toll's house, Samantha sleeps really well now.  Even if we are in the same room with her, she will sleep all through the night like normal, without a problem.  She normally naps pretty well too, but for some reason she had really good, long naps on Saturday, but on Sunday and Monday, she hardly napped at all.  She would just be up in her pack n' play playing and talking to herself, until we finally just went and got her out.  Not napping made Samantha a rather crabby, overtired girl for our trip home on Monday, making it not the most pleasant two hour car trip.


Despite this small napping issue, we had a great Memorial Day celebrating the birthdays of these two sweet, beautiful, fun-loving girls.  Happy Birthday Alaina and Samantha!