Ellie's first date

We said she had to be 16 before she can dates, but sometimes the right guy comes along earlier. 

The night started with some tea...

And then he moved in for the kiss...

 Caught red handed...

 Had the munchies, bed time snack...

Don't worry, they slept in separate cribs...

Why Scott didn't want a girl

Ellie is feeling way better after her antibiotic shots. She is officially an eating machine and I can't keep her tummy full.  She goes to bed asking for more food and wakes up asking for nom noms.  She even says "hungry."  After being fed a 10 course meal, she is so happy she just squeals away. When we found out we were having a girl, Scott said his ears were not looking forward to this part.

Sick Kiddo

Last week was a bad week.  Ellie started off very cranky with a 103 degree fever.  Scott stayed home with her and took her to the doctor.  Dr said "oh, its probably a virus" but being the great doctor that he is, tested her for flu and gave her a urine puck.  She didn't have the flu and she also didn't pee for the rest of the afternoon so we were unable to get the urine tested.  That evening, the fever spiked to 105.  We called the after hours nurse, dosed her up with ibuprofen, and waited for the call back.  After a series of questions, we were sent to the children's ER. 

It wasn't the most pleasant experience.  Ellie cried when anyone touched her and we had to wait for awhile.  After many times asking, they tested her urine and she did have a UTI.  They gave us a liquid antibiotic, which she immediately spit out but they just said to "keep trying."  The next day I got her to take a couple doses by mixing with ice cream, but by the evening she stopped eating and drinking and still had the fever.  The next morning, I took her back to the doctors as soon as they'd let me in the building.  The doctor was very concerned and gave her the first round of antibiotic shots. He said she had to start eating that day and the fever had to get below 101, or we needed to call back the next day but plan on going to the hospital.  That evening, the fever was still 103 so we all went to bed early and braced for the next day of being at the hospital.  Thankfully she slept 14 hours and woke up with a 99.5 fever and a slight appetite.  Throughout the day she ate and drank more, so we were out of the danger zone.  She's gone back for 2 more shots and she is a whole new baby!  In two more weeks we need to get her blood tested to make sure everything is working ok and she might have to see a kidney specialist because a majority of kids who get UTIs at this age have an underlying issue.  We're sooo happy she is feeling better for now!

Snowed in

Ah, the blizzard of 2011... Also known as ground hog dump day, snowpocalypse, snowmageddon... Whatever you want to call it, it dumped around 12-30 inches into our driveway, depending on where we measured.

 On the eve of the storm, they already cancelled work for the the next day.  We celebrated with some good ol blizzard comfort food - homemade pot pie.

Overnight, the house was pounded with snow, ice and wind.  We had a brief period of snow lightening/thunder.  I was so happy our power didn't go out.

In the morning, I made apple cheesecake stuffed french toast.  I also splurged on some decaf coffee!

 I spent most of the day snuggling with Ellie.  Scott stayed home, but he worked way too hard.

Then we ventured outside...

Think we're crazy for going outside?  No way.  My Dad tops this.  He tried to drive to work in the morning but couldn't get out of the driveway. You would think that would stop most people, but not him. He decided to show shoe to work instead.  Local media caught wind of it and he ended up in the paper.

http://www.mlive.com/southwestadvance/index.ssf/2011/02/blizzard_cant_keep_wyoming_bui.html

Robert Bailey hates it when people have to cancel appointments after they’ve made them. So when a major snowstorm struck on a day the Wyoming building inspector had set up a meeting with homeowners, he didn’t call to cancel.
He strapped on a pair of snowshoes and stepped out into the swirling snow.

At 7 a.m. last Wednesday, snowshoeing along side streets, Burlingame Avenue and 28th Street, Bailey made a 1.8-mile trek from his house to City Hall.

From there, he was able to get into a city truck and drive to see the Wyoming homeowners about a residential building project. Luckily, he said, they lived on a major thoroughfare.

“They appeared a little bit surprised” when he showed up, he said.

On his walk to work, Bailey saw many cars stranded at intersections, and lots of people with four-wheel-drive vehicles trying to help the stuck drivers. It took him about 40 minutes to get to City Hall, he said.

When he got to work, his co-workers who had made it in seemed surprised to see him in snowshoes. He was a little puzzled by their reaction, since he didn’t think there was anything unusual about it.

“I assumed there would be a lot of people out with snowshoes,” he said.

And while he hadn’t wanted to cancel his appointment, his reason for snowshoeing to work was also partly financial.

“If you don’t show up, you don’t get paid, so my motivation was somewhat monetary,” he said.

Bailey worked for the City of Wyoming in the same job from 1975 to 1980, and last week wasn’t the first time he braved the elements to get to work. During the 1978 blizzard that brought West Michigan to a standstill, he walked all the way to work only to find out he could have stayed home.

“I didn’t have snowshoes then,” he said. “When I got to City Hall, they told me ‘We’re closed, you can go home.’”

Bailey said he and his wife, Bobbi, enjoy recreational snowshoeing and often take part in the sport on pleasant winter days.

But they don’t often go out in the middle of a blizzard, he said.