Hospitals and Squirrels

It seems like squirrel just can't catch a break. Every time she starts feeling better, wham! something else happens and she's right back to square one. She never fully recouped from her pneumonia and then early last week she started wheezing and coughing. At first it was no big deal but by friday night she was coughing all the time and working way too hard to breathe so I took her to a walk in clinic saturday morning. She got a nebulizer treatment and a prescription for another round of antibiotics and more importantly it looked like she was starting to feel a bit better. But she went downhill fast later that morning. She started huffing and puffing at about 60+ times a minute and was looking weak. Then she puked up all of her first dose of antibiotics and her dinner. So off to children's hospital we went. She got an iv in the er and a few more breathing treatments, but she looked so tired and weak. When they admitted her and brought her to the floor she was like a limp noodle. They got more aggressive with her treatments and suctioning overnight. Her mom and I got no sleep that night. I probably aged 5 years watching her struggle to breathe. I can't reminder being more scared at any other time in my life.

By morning there were signs of life. Her breathing started to slow and she started opening her eyes and looking around. Then she started talking. Not much at first, but little by little she was babbling. Then she gave me a smile. I almost died I was so happy. By late afternoon she was playing a bit with her toys and keeping her sats up. By nightfall she was down to 0.5 lpm of O2 and they stopped having to suction her. Last night melissa watched over her and I went home and she improved again. They took off her O2 and she did well with that. When I came to the hospital after working a few hours this morning she was bright eyed and ready to go home. The doctors say she's not quite ready for that, but don't tell that to Sophia. She's ready to get back to her crib (bad joke, I'm sorry).

Everything looks like we'll go home tomorrow and I can't wait.  That way we can put this whole experience behind us and get back to doing more important things, like planning her birthday party. I can't believe my little baby squirrel is about to turn one!

My deepest and most sincere thank you to all the staff at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Thank you for helping my little Squirrel when she needed it the most.  I am so thankful for all you did, not just for her, but for her mom and I too. We needed your help and support as much as she did and you all made a scary situation as painless as possible.

If you give a squirrel a pancake

One of my favorite things are my Saturday and Sunday mornings with Sophia. Since her mom works until 5a every other Friday and Saturday night, we have to get out of the house on weekend mornings so we don't wake her up.  Even on the weekends when her mom doesn't work Sophia and I find ourselves up at the crack of dawn and while mommy sleeps (we're early birds and mommy is a night owl). I've found that my favorite thing to do with her is to go out for breakfast. Its not always to the same places because we like to mix it up. Sometimes we drive, sometimes we walk, but either way I talk to her along the way and she entertains me with her silly noises. I've found that she absolutely loves pancakes. Whatever I order I need to make sure that pancakes are included. She can't eat an entire one (not yet) but she sure does try. I make a production of breaking her off pieces and she makes a production of testing to see how hot they are before the piece gets stuffed into her squirrel cheeks.  Pretty soon mommy is going to day shift so she'll be joining us on our breakfast adventures more often, but for now I love having squirrel all to myself on those mornings.  Just me, her, and a pancake.

Sophia is sick

Its as straightforward as that. She's sick. Pneumonia in her right lower lobe. She's had her normal sniffles and snots the last few weeks along with a cough, but she had been acting normal until we got back from yesterday's Brewers game. She felt a little warm, but not hot, and wasn't acting like herself. We figured she was tired after a long day and let her take a nap. When she woke up she was burning up with fever: 101.9  We tried Tylenol but she threw it up, then puked up two more times. She was also listless and moaning. That was it, off to the ER we went. She got a chest x-ray that told the doctors all they needed to know. RLL pneumonia. Over the next few hours she got an iv, antibiotics, fluids, and her fever broke. It was so sad to see her getting poked prodded and handled but we knew it was for the best. We got home in the middle of the night and she slept with us so we could keep a close eye on her. She's feeling a lot better today, but she's still not herself. So it's a few days of antibiotics and fluids until she gets back to full Squirrel strength. Poor sick squirrel

Good Days and Bad Days

Everyone has them. I do. She does. We all do. Today was a good one for me, her, and her mom. Yesterday, not so much. Instead of rehashing the down from yesterday, I'll focus on today's up. Up early, smiling and playing. Talking to herself in her crib. Ate a big breakfast. Mostly oatmeal.  I tried to feed her peaches and she reminded me that Squirrel don't do peaches. I had to leave for work but left her in very good hands. Her and her mom went shopping in the morning then for a walk past the high school just as school was letting out. She loved the attention she got from all the kids as they walked past her. Then I get home and she greets me with her three toothed smile and begs me to make her fly. Of course I oblige. I help her mom assemble her new toy, a car she can ride and push and we take her for a ride. Then we watch yesterday's episode of PTI on the dvr, then its time for dinner, a bath, a bedtime story, and finally a bottle as she falls asleep. I of course get to stay up, so her mom and I watched Black Swan (pretty freaky but awesome), then I checked on her and now its my bedtime.  Overall nothing too special happened today, but it was a special day nonetheless.

I cherish these days and sometimes take for granted how many of them she blesses us with.  I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't know what I ever did to deserve the life I live, but I am thankful for it each and every day.

What time is it?

5am on a Tuesday morning and Sophia wants to play. Wha? Huh? Its one thing if she was quiet I would just let her play quietly in her crib, but she's not. She is VERY VERY LOUD. So I'm wide awake with her and trying to get her to go back to sleep. Problem is that she doesn't want to go to bed. She wants to play.  What's the right thing to do here? If I just let her stay awake then her schedule is off all day and she'll be miserable. If I give her a bottle she might go back to bed, but she's not going to want to eat her breakfast. If I talk too loud she's not going back to sleep any time soon. I try to  soothe and rock her back to sleep and after 30 minutes I finally get her to close her eyes when my alarm clock goes off.  Dammit.  So I sit on the carpet and play with her. 20 minutes later she's rubbing her eyes and looking groggy. Sure enough, I rock her for 2 minutes and she is out like a light.  Problem is that it's now 630, I have to get ready for work and I've been up an hour and a half. Now I'm going to be tired all day.

Great.

The brewer's assistant

Last night I took little Miss Sophia to Flowbee's place to brew some beer. This was the second time in the last three weeks that she and I have helped someone out with their homebrewing. The last time was with our friend Eric. While Eric's beer came or a lot stronger than he anticipated, Flowbee's came out at damn near the same abv as water. Judging from how much she "helped" I don't think any of America's brewmaster's need to worry about her taking their jobs. She basically crawled around, tried to knock things over, and wet her diaper.

Today was another saturday morning after Melissa's night shift which means we have to get out of the house as much as possible so mommy can sleep. We made an early morning trip to Cranky Al's for donuts and coffee. Ms Sophia just had oatmeal and her puffs, but that was fine by her. She finished off the whole baggie of puffs and passed out on the way home. After a good long nap we took the jogging stroller out for a 4 mile walk before dinner, a bath, then a bedtime story.

She's doing a lot better about staying in her crib through the night. Anymore if she winds up on bed with us it's because she's taking a nap or because we want to snuggle with her for a few minutes before she gets up for the day. Don't know if we did anything specifically to break her of the habit, but I'm not complaining.

Please Sophie don't go

My sweet little squirrel is heading to pennsylvania on the morning with her mom and I don't want them to go. I know that they have to visit grandma, but I wish I didn't have to stay behind. I know melissa will send lots if pictures, but I'll miss both then anyway.

The littlest samurai

Sophia has started doing this thing when she thinks that people aren't paying enough attention to her. She starts shouting in this deep voice and gesturing wildly.  The first time I heard it I told her that she sounds like an angry Japanese man or a belligerent samurai. Yesterday morning at breakfast she started it again and I called her the cranky samurai at Cranky Al's (which is the name of the donut/coffee shop we were at).  It just so happened that the lady sitting next to us spoke japanese and she started laughing then asked Sophia a few questions in Japanese. As usual the crabby samurai didn't cooperate, but she did start shouting in her version of Japanese which delighted the woman.
Breakfast was a hectic time since I was there with her, Brian, Adi, and Leo. Sophia played with her teething toy or sippy cup and Leo was content to nibble on his donut while Brian and I talked. Adi on the other hand was a bundle of energy. She was like a pinball bouncing off things. Always wanting to "help" either me, or Sophia, or Leo, or anyone. It's sweet but she is a handful. Getting that many kids together in one place is always a bit of a production and yesterday was no different. After breakfast everyone fell asleep in the car and Brian and I took advantage and went car shopping. We're not in the market right now, but he is so we drove around the lots looking at a bit of everything. Got me thinking about replacing the station wagon with something a little roomier.

Yesterday was also a milestone for Sophia. She officially outgrew her infant car seat. It is rated for 22lbs and she us right there. More importantly her feet were hanging off the end of it. We had to go with a convertible style car seat that is currently set up to be rear facing. This thing is huge and we had to crank the passenger seat all the way forward to accommodate it. In three months we can turn it around to be forward facing which will give us our leg room back. 

Finished the night with a trip to Chris & Melissa's to visit Bella and to drop off some gear for them to borrow. No action in the baby thunderdome, maybe next time, but Sophia did have fun getting slobbered on by Bubba the dog. She was initially freaked out by Bubba, but she warmed up to him quick enough.

Until next time, sayonara

Hooray for Aunt Kay

Visited Aunt Kay tonight who's recuperating from her surgery. She didn't have much strength, but she did have enough to give Sophia a squeeze. One thing is certain, Sophia is definitely awesome at cheering people up. We also did the rounds in the ED to say hi to mommy's coworkers. They all rushed to squeeze her cheeks and give her all the attention she craved. She was in heaven. She fell asleep on the way home and was so out of it she didn't wake up when we slipped her out of her car seat and into her crib. Luckily we had enough foresight to feed her and put her in her jammies before we left the house. I hope she has a good nights sleep, and will be on standby if she needs me.

By the way, I updated the post from two nights ago with a picture of her first piece of refrigerator art.

It breaks my heart to hear her cry

She's been sleeping in our bed for long enough. If I don't stop it now she'll be three before we know it and still sleeping with mom and dad. So I laid her in her crib, gave her a bottle, and waited. She was so sleepy, but she kept looking at me. I could tell she didn't want me to leave. When the bottle was empty she tried getting up but I softly kept her down and rubbed her back. She started to whimper and look up at me. She knew I was going to leave her alone in that room. No one to snuggle with. No one to keep her safe. She finally closed her eyes and I retreated. Two minutes later she started to cry. I went in and there she was standing and crying calling out for "dada". I calmed her and got her to go back to sleep, but I wasn't out of the room for two minutes and she started again. This time I held my ground. I stayed out and listened to her cry. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. She was bawling and crying out for dada, but this was for her own good. Finally after 25 minutes she stopped crying and fell asleep. I snuck in 10 minutes later and she was out, but her face was still wet from her tears. It broke my heart.

I hope it goes easier tomorrow night.

You couldn't get me out of a bed that big

So Sophia decides that 530A is a good time to wake up. Now mind you she's on our bed that is like 5000 times bigger than she is and incredibly comfy.  Now if I was laying on a bed that much bigger than me, surrounded by pillows and soft sheets, you couldn't drag me out of there. But she decides that she's had enough of that bed and wakes me up. She's cute and so far she seems pretty smart, but she's got a thing or two to learn about recognizing a good thing when you see it and taking full advantage.

Daycare today which means I get to walk over there at lunch and play with her. She was in a crabby mood when I arrived, but perked up quickly after I started playing with her. We crawled on the floor and she  put her hands in mine and I  helped her walk around the room. Had just enough time to watch her play with the other babies before I had to leave and go back to work.

We also got our first piece if refrigerator art today that she made using a cow shaped sponge and some finger paints.  unfortunately it got left behind at the daycare but I'll post a picture of it when I get it home on thursday.

Right now it's a little past 8p and she just finished her bath, is getting her last bottle of the night, and is slowly drifting off to sleep. Good night my princess, and remember to sleep in when you eventually find your way into the big bed.

A baby in a track suit

Got home today to find Sophia rocking her track suit. Not quite sure why she needs a track suit, since she's not heading out for a jog anytime soon. It's probably for the same reason she has 10 pairs of shoes but can't walk. Regardless she looks cute in it.

Melissa works tonight which means it's just Sophia and I at home. We'll do our usual routine of dinner, followed by a little tv, then a story, then bedtime. Wasn't too long ago that I was nervous and scared whenever Melissa left me at home with her alone. Now I look forward to it. Just a little daddy and Squirrel time.

Dinner at the Comet

Sophia made her first visit to the Comet Cafe this year. She almost forgot what she was missing. Bacon...check, compact turkey dinner...check, awesome taplist...check (that last one was more for me than her). Met up with flowbee and his lady friend and had a good time. Melissa and I enjoyed our dinners while Sophia had a ton of cheesy poofs and a couple of Mum Mums. Rocking her to bed right now then hopefully a good nights sleep.

Here's a picture from earlier today of Ms Squirrel in her kittens with mittens jammies

The day after the party

Had a nice day with Sophia while her mom was off at her woman's retreat. After a late night with a house full of guests I wasn't quite at 100%. Squirrel accommodated me by playing quietly all morning and she was especially good when we went to Denny's for breakfast with Tim.  She ate a pancake while Tim and I chatted about things. After she and I took a morning nap I was feeling better and we played all afternoon including a quick trip outside to see the falling snow. I keep saying it, but it is very true. I don't know what I did to deserve such an awesome little girl, but I am incredibly grateful for her each and every day.

Night of the party

Having some beer geek friends over tonight for a tasting, which means a lot of strangers and loud noises for Sophia to deal with. Things went well the last time we did this, but she was sleeping better back then. To make sure she gets a good nights sleep, and because Melissa has plans for the morning, Sophia is going to stay in a hotel tonight with her mom. Those plans sort of snuck up on us. Wasn't planned this way, but it was too late to cancel the party. They're heading to the Sheraton at about 830 tonight (btw priceline rocks). Should be a fun adventure for those two, but will suck for me to not have them to wake up to in the morning.

Dinner with Aunt Kay

Sophia and I met Kay for dinner tonight at Sobelmans. We had to leave a little sooner than I would've liked since Sophia wasn't having a great day. While we were there she kept interrupting whenever the conversation moved away from all things Squirrel or when she wasn't getting her fair share of the food. A little rude, but I guess that's how it goes when you're living in a squirrel-centric world.

PS Kay: good luck on Tuesday, you'll be in our thoughts

Meet you at home base

Melissa had dinner with Jen tonight and I met Flowbee our for a few beers after work, but we both got home in time for me to rock Sophia to bed while holding her bottle and singing her a lullaby. Nothing special happened, but it was still a great night

Like a bump on a squirrel

Not only is Sophia crawling but she's also standing herself up on things. Today she got her first, and certainly not her last, bump on the head when she fell. She was under the kitchen table trying to stand using one of the chairs and tumbled strait into the table leg. Not much of a bump, but a little scary, especially when she let out the waterworks. Mom kissed her booboo and made it all better. That was hours ago and right now she's in my arms as I rock her to sleep. I hate to see my little girl with this tiny lump on her forehead and hope there aren't too many more of these kind of moments, but I know better.

Sophia wins...this time

Caved in and brought Sophia into the bed with us again last night. I was just too tired to fight with her, especially when I have to work in the morning. She slept through most of the night, only getting up once for a diaper change at 3A. We'll try again, but she's won this round.

How can I get her to sleep

Second night on a row that Sophia refuses to sleep in her own bed. I rock her to sleep then when I go to put her in her crib its like the thing is filled with broken glass. She throws herself all over the place and cries until I pick her up and we start all over again.  We made the mistake a few weeks back when she was sick of putting her in the bed with us, but now we can't get her to go back to sleeping through the night in her crib.

I wish I knew what to do.

Bath time

Saturday night with my little squirrel girl

The night of no sleep

Trying to get Sophia out of the habit of sleeping with mom and dad. So far no good. Been trying to get her to sleep in her crib for the past two hours. Works for 20 minutes then she's awake again crying. My conviction is strong, but damn am I tired.