Annabelle 19/20 Month Update

{Nineteen/Twenty Month Stats}

1. You were sick one night and I went and grabbed you from your crib and took you to our bed. I was rocking you back to sleep in my arms and started to sing primary songs to you and I sang the word "Jesus" and you opened your little eyes and looked at me and said, "Gee  Zus" then closed them again and fell back asleep. Your tender spirit makes my heart want to explode. In the baby blessing your Dad gave you he blessed you that you would always remember the relationship you had with your Heavenly Father. You have such a sweet and obedient spirit.

2. We went to go and visit your Papa and Grammy in Sierra Vista and you started to call for the dogs Rocky and Zoey, it was so adorable in your little voice. You have awesome pronunciation for your age and can even say your "R" sound properly.

3. When you say I love you, you say it "lubbies."

4. We just got back from a trip to Mesa and you started calling Grandma and Grandpa "Grammy" and "Papa"

5. This last week (March 18, 2013) you really have started putting your words together and comprehending what they mean. Now when you say "Mommy" you actually say it because you need something.

6. You have love spending time with your cousin Karlie and will go around the house asking for her. You girls play well together too.

7. You love your stickers and will put them on anything and we always find them everywhere. When we were out of town Dad was at work and found one at the bottom of his sock, I told him it was your way of saying you missed him.

8. I love that whenever I go out somewhere and Dad is home babysitting you, you guys are always out front with garage open just waiting for me to come home. Melts my heart.

9. You like to say that you are always "stuck, stuck" in something.

10. You drop everything that you are doing when you hear the words Heavenly Father or when we ask you to pray you immediately fold your arms. You are so obedient.

11.  We went to go play with your friend Oliva Davis down the street and she had this toy car that you loved and you got so sad when we had to leave. Well, we came home and you were crying and just kept saying, "I car, I car...I sit" and so since you have Daddy wrapped around all your little fingers he went to Walmart and bought you your own pink car with a princess license plate.  We both agree it was a good purchase though because you absolutely love playing in it and wake up saying, "car, car, car!" We love to see you so happy.

12. Dad and I always ask you, "Annabelle are you cute??" Then you look at us and start giggling and say, "no, noooooooo!" Then we say, "Yes you are silly girl, you are beautiful!"

13. I love to watch you run bc your little hips turn side to side  really fast as you go!! So cute!!

14. Dad loves to take you on daddy daughter dates to Cracker Barrel bc you love their Mac and cheese! You are so well behaved at restaurants.

15. You always tell me and dad to, "sit...sit!" You like when we are both sitting on the couches and one of us is holding you.

16. You inherited one of Daddy's old button up  pj shirts from when he was a toddler that Grammy Schaub found and you love to wear it. It has airplanes on it and you call them, "airpits!"

17. One of your fav things to do with mommy now is to eat popcorn! You love it.

18. Lately you have been saying, "Thank you Mom!"

19. I'd been making myself go crazy for a couple of days looking for these one black sandals you have. I had looked everywhere and could not find them, so I gave up and figured they would show up eventually.  One day we were about to go somewhere and I asked you to put your shoes on and you ran into our room to the closet and pulled out your black sandals. I thought it was so cute that you wanted to put your shoes with ours in the closet.

20. Annabelle, you are so diligent about reminding us to say our family prayers at night. I get your sippie of milk ready and then you come and grab my hand and then find Daddy and tell him to "come" and then you say, "pray, pray!"  We've made it a habit just to go into the office and kneel down by the red couch to say our prayers and you've been really reverent through them and always say "Ahhh-meee" (amen) at the end.

21. I know we always say it Annabelle, but you really are such a smart little girl and understand so much for your age. I was in the garage doing your laundry and was folding your clothes and needed a basket to put it all in. I didn't want to go back in the house and grab yours so I figured I might as well attempt to ask you to go and get it. I said, "Annabelle please go and get your little white basket for your clothes. It's in your room!" So you went back inside and sure enough came back out with your basket! I was so blown away that even though you still can't talk in complete sentences you really do understand me. Thanks for being Mommy's little helper!

22. You love to give us lots of opened mouth sweet kisses, so lately dad has been calling you our little "floosy!"

23. Today I decided to give you a little boost in the back section of your hair so I round brushed the top layer and you rocked the baby volume!

Top Left:

1. Went on a lunch date with dad to The Lodge, as always it was yummy!
2. You and Char Char having a good ol' time in her crib.
3. Your famous "scowl eye" look!
4. Dad and you posing for a pic at this Mexican Restaurant Oysters in Kingman.
5. When we were in Sierra Vista we met up with Ashley Wheeler (Miner) at her Mom's house and they have so many fun things to do there, I thought you would enjoy a brisk bike ride but you didn't like wearing the helmet.  You are only a little bit older than her daughter Grace, happy we are still BMF's!

One Saturday afternoon Kali had asked us to go to Oatman with her and Swayde.  It's this weird tiny ho-dunk town about 40 mins from Kingman in the mountains.  They are known for having donkey's all over the place just roaming around begging for food.  It was super hot that day so your cheeks were flushed.  We got some ice cream and watched a theatre shoot out on the street, it was fun but I don't think we would go back again.

This little skirt and sailor shirt became one of my most favorite outfits to dress you up in.

There was a horrific mass shooting at the Boston Marathon and so a runner in Kingman put together this walk for anyone to participate in to show our support.

Thankfully Rachael's in-laws have a pool and hot tub that we could go and take you girls swimming in, you loved being a little fish in the water.

One day we went to this train museum they have here in Kingman.  It was really neat to see all the trains and tracks that had been put together by this train club.  At the back door window you could could see the actual train passing by too.

After we went to the Train Museum we went to the Route 66 Museum which had some really cool things for you girls to look at and an old train outside for you guys to climb in.
{Tenley Rowden & Swayde Marzley}

You love your cousin Karlie and Aunt Kiki.  While we were in the valley one day we met up with them for lunch at Cafe Rio, yum, yum, yum!

Amber came down to Phx for a visit so we went there to pick her up and then headed down to Sierra Vista to see our parents.

1. We made a pit stop in Phx and had lunch at Pita Jungle with Peter, Tara and Joc.
2. At the mall with Grammy trying to get you to ride in the toy car. 
3. Walking with Grammy and Papa in the Texas Road House parking lot after a delicious dinner.
4. Pic with Amb and Tx Road House.
5. I'm so glad that you like to be around animals, you always have a good time playing catch with Rocky, he is more playful with you than Zoey. 
6. You and Auntie Tbop at Pita Jungle, she loves taking you on hummus dates when she babysits you!

1. Story time with girls is always fun, Mrs. Kelly is so good at remembering your names and entertaining you guys with good books, dances and crafts. 
2.  You look like a doll in this picture, good thing you act like one too! 
3. Swinging at Grammy's house in the backyard.
4. Decorating eggs with Nicki Lees at her house. 
5. Grammy found some pi's and they were actually your Dad's when he was little, she made them for him.  I would always ask you what was on the shirt and you said, "Airpits!"
6. Your new fav place to hang out at Grammy Shaver's house was in the fridge, you fit perfectly in there!

1. Daddy was on his way back to Kingman on his bike, you love to sit on there and push all the buttons.
2. One of my YW took a picture of us outside the chapel for an activity we were doing. 
3. Selfie! 
4. Caught this moment of you and Charly being sweet to each other, you both have the most darling onion top hair do's! 
5. Bubble bath=bubble bath hair
6. While we were in the valley one weekend Aunt Kelly was having a luncheon at her house for her son's mission farewell.  She makes the most delicious food ever.

Amber's Visit to K-town

There was no better way to celebrate Annabelle getting out of the hospital than to have a visit from my little sister Amber! She flew into Vegas a couple days after AnnaB got out of the hospital.  Jeff and I had been worried that Annabelle was going to have to stay in the hospital longer, but thankfully she got out right in time.  Ammery was so sweet and told me she had wanted to spend her birthday with us.

Our first stop after picking her up at the airport was Cafe Rio, she had never been before but liked it!

We still wanted to keep AnnaB home from church for a bit so Amb kindly volunteered to 

watch you while we went. Of course you made her play in your pink tent and read books! 

The morning of her birthday I had also heart attacked the bathroom mirrors for her with some balloons. Definitely wanted her to feel loved while she was here in Kingman.

For her birthday lunch we took her up to The Lodge Restaurant in the Hualapai's, 

it was so pretty at that time of year because there was so much snow everywhere! 

So fun to eat at a cabin like place and to see the deer all around.  

The waitress brought her out the most delicious apple cobbler pie! We couldn't get enough of it.

Of course the only birthday wish that had to come true was that she have a POUND CAKE for her birthday, her wish was granted and we called my Mom for her yummy recipe and baked one! I surprised Amb and sent her home with some and snuck it in her purse, I couldn't resist!

Amb has always been so thoughtful and generous and while she was here she needed to 

get some shoes and also bought me a matching pair at Payless. 

I'm thankful that she came down to visit us and to spend time with Annabelle.  Nothing lifts my spirits more than getting to have quality sister bear time.  I feel so very blessed to be surrounded by so many brothers and sisters who I can most definitely count on for laughter and to bring happiness in my life.  LOVE MY FAM! 

Your Royal Princess: RSV

At the beginning of February I could tell you were getting very sick because you had all the symptoms of a cold and had completely lost your appetite and wouldn't even drink milk.  I knew that when you wouldn't drink your milk something had to be wrong because you never ever refuse your mimi. We had tried to feed you ice cream as well which is one of your favorites and you also would push that away.  Of course I started to worry because I knew soon that if you did not drink anything you would get dehydrated quick.

I went to a Super Saturday at the church and offered you all the different types of food they had there and you said no to all of them too, even the cake! Afterward I took you home to take your nap in the afternoon like you always did and after you had been sleeping awhile I checked on you and you were breathing very quick.  I could tell from your stomach going up and down so quick that it was taking a lot of work to catch a couple of breathes. My heart started to panic and my mommy intuition was telling me something was definitely wrong.  Needless to say your nap was very short.

When Dad came home later that day he noticed your quick breathing too.  You were also starting to feel hot and so we took your temp and it was 105*, you had never had a fever before so we were getting concerned and didn't know what to do. All you wanted was for me to hold you and it broke my heart because you would just lay in my arms so lifeless and had no energy.

Dad was a bit irritated that I hadn't taken you to the Dr. sooner but I thought it was just a mild cold that would go away and you had only started to develop certain symptoms that day.  We made the decision to take you to Urgent Care to get the treatment that you needed and to get a better idea of what you had. Thankfully there was just an Urgent Care down the street from us.

It was cold season so they were busy and there was literally a line out the door of people waiting to see the Dr.  Jeff went inside to speak to the receptionist and to get her advice on what to do, she advised Jeff that since your temperature was that high it would be best to take you to the ER. Jeff came back to the car and told me this and I started to get so scared that something permanent would be wrong with you and they wouldn't be able to help us.  At the time I was letting anxiety and nerves get the best of me and was thinking the worst scenario.

Living in a small town has its perks because we were only down the street from the hospital as well.  When we got there they were busy too and we were getting stressed that it would take awhile for them to see you.  It's not like we could hop to the front of the line either, we had to be patient and wait our turn. My tummy was just in knots though because as I was holding you I could feel your body temperature just rising.

Finally they called us back and started to ask a lot of questions to get a better idea of what you had. Once we had let them know you really hadn't been drinking they advised us it would be best to hook you up to an IV. I wanted them to poke me instead of you because I knew it would hurt and be hard for them to find a vein since you were kind of dehydrated.  Once they had the IV in your arm you quickly went through 2 bags of fluid within an hour.  They also drew some blood from your foot to get some testing done. When the results came back they were all negative for the flu and everything else which was a relief.

One of the Dr's we had that was checking on us periodically was really friendly and nice so we asked him if he knew Scott Adams. We told him that Scott was our good friend who also worked on the other side of the ER. We stayed at the ER for about 2 hours and then Scott came to visit us. He's always been so thoughtful and nice.  As soon as I saw him I just started to bawl because it was just so comforting to see a familiar face.  He had asked what had happened and you could tell he was concerned and wanted us to get the best care we could while there. We let him know what had been going on the last couple of days and he agreed that it was the best decision for us to bring you in.  He was so sweet and even went to the cafeteria and brought us back some snacks and drinks.  You know you have a true friend when they don't hesitate to help you out or ask for anything in return.

This is how you would just lay on the couch from being so sick, our poor little bear! 

Laying with you at the ER when you first got admitted. 

You were doing quite well until they poked you for the IV.

Daddy was trying to get your mind off the pain and was making you laugh, 

he even let you pull his nose!

We had a little break and watched some TV and waited to see what the Dr's would tell us next.

After awhile of just hanging out in the ER the real Dr. came in to see us and told us he was worried about your condition, but that it looked like you were doing much better.  He said we could stay as long as we needed, but we felt comfortable taking you home and just keeping a good eye on you and watching out for other red flags.

When we got home Dad and I were both still very, very worried about you and let you sleep in our bed and Dad went on the couch. We knew it was going to be a long night. We decided on Sunday that we would stay home from church and I would just go to YW's. 

When I had gotten back from YW's Jeff said that you still hadn't drank very much and you were coming down with another fever and plus your breathing was getting bad again.  I once again got really emotional and started crying and called Rachael to get some advice from her since she was also a nurse.   I was getting frantic because I felt we had made the wrong decision and should have stayed in the hospital longer and admitted you.  She reassured me everything would be ok and that Scott was out on visits but she would have him stop by when he got home to check on Annabelle. It's so comforting having good friends in the medical field you can depend on. We knew Scott would be over right away. 

Scott did stop by with his Elder's Quorum President and when they walked in I was just sitting on the couch holding you and crying. I longed just to hear you little laugh or for you to babble. He checked your breathing and said that you definitely sounded kind of wheezy and took your temp and it was at 104*.  They offered to give you a blessing and we happily accepted.  Dad blessed you that you would have the energy you needed to heal and that as parents we needed to have the faith that you would get better.  Scott had to run home and get some other things to take a look at you but told us to put you in a cool bath to take your temp down.  At this point you were getting very fussy and did not want to be touched anymore. 

Scott came back with Rach this time and proposed the idea that he could call Dr. Lafredo and get us a room at the hospital without going through the ER again.  He said with how you were looking it would be best to admit you. The first time he called he had left a message but she called him right back. Scott left to the hospital to get all of our paperwork done and told us to pack our stuff and meet him there. We were in a hurry so I didn't pack much, but knew we lived so close we could always come home.  

They have a small pediatric floor at the hospital but it was still very nice and clean. Thankfully the room they gave us had an extra bed that Jeff or I could sleep on. It was funny because right when we got there you started to be yourself again and would just laugh at things, I think you were happy just to be in a new place an explore. We knew the first night there was going to be rough. The nurses were in and out of the room every hour to check your IV and so it made it hard for me to get any sleep too. Dad and I decided to take turns and he would go home and sleep at night and come back to the hospital around 4:00 a.m. to send me home to get some rest.

They continued to monitor you and did more bloodwork and other tests to rule out any other sicknesses that you might have. They wanted to diagnose what you had so they would know how to treat it.  They did a cotton swab on your throat to test for strep, but that came back negative. At this point you weren't drinking much on your own and going through a lot of fluids with the IV.  They were making us keep track of all your wet diapers too, and it wasn't many.  We still were trying to offer you milk, but you didn't want anything to do with it, not even chocolate or strawberry milk.  It was great because at the hospital they were stocked up with plenty of snacks and a variety of drinks.

Finally the test results came back and they confirmed that you had RSV.  I had never heard of it. 

RSV: Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, is a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages. Most otherwise healthy people recover from RSV infection in 1 to 2 weeks. However, infection can be severe in some people, such as certain infants, young children, and older adults. In fact, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age in the United States. 

On our 3rd day in the hospital you finally started to drink and eat more on your own.  You started to drink apple juice and even took some bites of some cream of wheat and ice cream.  We were excited because we could tell that you were on the mend.  Before they would send us home you had to drink more fluids on your own the Dr said.  There wasn't a specific medication that would treat your RSV, but it was most important that you were getting enough fluids.

We were so proud of you because for being a toddler and having to be stuck in a hospital bed most of the day you did so well. All the nurses just fell in love with you and liked to come in and check on you. At the time I think there were only 2 other kids on the floor so you did get a lot of love and extra attention! They did let you walk the hallways with your IV stand as long as you wore your little yellow mask, you were so cute with it and actually kept it on. Dad and I tried to set up your room like your own at home so that you would feel comfortable. We brought some of your toys and stuffed animals that you like to sleep with and your lady bug night light so you could see the stars on the ceiling, this really helped.  

My friend Melissa Davis had let the RS know that we had been in the hospital. I was hesitant to tell them because I didn't want people to feel that they had to bring us dinner or send things.  The word got out and everyone in our ward was so sweet and offered their help and dinners when we got home.  I'm thankful for a ward who is so willing to serve, we appreciated all of the kindness. 

Melissa Davis stopped by and brought you a cute book. Rach also came with 2 activity books that you loved. Megan Campos stopped buy with some cupcakes and lunch for Jeff. Desiree Johns also dropped off lots of toys from the dollar store that kept you distracted and busy. Melissa Brown actually works at the hospital and stopped in with a stuffed animal giraffe. My heart was full of gratitude from having such thoughtful genuine friends.

After the 4th day of being at the hospital the Dr. finally said you made enough progress and we could go home. I was so appreciative of all the nurses and the care they gave you that I made them a little card out of construction paper and left them some chocolate to go with it, they loved it.  The staff at KRMC made our stay easier.  

We brought you home and you still had a little cough, but all in all your were getting your energy back and wanted to play. We started giving you breathing treatments and that helped a lot. Dr. Lafredo was really nice and set appointments for us to follow up with her to check on you.

Having gone through this challenging period definitely made us appreciate the time we had with you more.  Just seeing the risk you were at of becoming more ill made me dig out more patience for you. We never wanted to see you in that condition again. Dad and I are both so very thankful that you were able to heal quickly.  We are so lucky to be parents to such a sweet and obedient child of God.  We are truly blessed from the hands that helped us out, to the hands that were placed upon your head, and for the hands that healed you. 

A lot of the times I would just sit with you in your bed, it was easier that way because then I could make sure you weren't trying to play with your IV.

It was so hard to do anything with your arm because they had to tape your IV to this board so that it wouldn't move around.  You learned to adjust to it though.

Hooray…finally drinking something!  

The hospital had also provided a little gift bag and these sunglasses were in there 

and you just loved to wear them! 

Princess RSV of Ktown!

Playing with your IV cord, it would always get wrapped around everything.

We would take you to the toy room down the hall for a break during the day. 

Pushing your IV stand around and wearing your mask!

This was a picture from your first day home. 

You wanted to go outside and of course wear your new shades!