Doctors Visits and Dinner Dates

I feel like I have been spending a lot of time at the doctor's office lately. Yesterday, I went for the third time in just 7 days! After Emmy's 15-month appointment last Monday and then my strep appointment on Wednesday, I was hoping to avoid the doctor for awhile. But Emmy had a cough all weekend and then started to run a fever on Sunday, so Monday meant another trip back to the doctor. We found out that Emmy has an ear infection and a nasty cold (not the flu... whew!) She was very good at the doctor's office and was very entertained by the crinkly plastic paper on the exam table. She is on an antibiotic for the next few days, and luckily she loves taking her medicine. Anytime we get the syringe out, she starts opening her mouth like a little baby bird! Boomer says he wasn't always the best about taking medicine as a kid, so I'm glad she didn't get that from him. I was able to take the day off work to be with her; it reminded me a bit of my maternity leave again. After going to the doctor, we stayed in our pajamas, and Emmy slept a good amount of the day. Here are a few pictures from our sick day. Emmy didn't have too much of an appetite, but I was able to get her to eat a few pouches. After finishing her pouch, she held it up to her ear just like a phone. She likes 'talking' to lot of different objects these days -- shoes, books, the toothpaste. She has picked up on mimicking things that she sees Mommy and Daddy doing.

Emmy can now get on and off her little car toy by herself. She is pretty good at moving backward and is still working on the whole moving forward thing. As you can see above, she gets a little upset whenever she runs into something. She is getting better at problem-solving, but her first instinct right now is to cry out to Mommy. 

Grammy watched Emmy today so that she could have an extra day of rest before returning to daycare. I was so happy to get this photo in the morning, seeing my little girl all smiles. 

Aside from the sickness, we had a very fun weekend. On Friday night, Boomer and I enjoyed a Valentine's date at one of our favorite restaurants, 4th Street Filling Station. Grammy picked up Emmy from daycare that afternoon so I fit in a work-out and a shower beforehand. It was nice to have a little bit of mommy-time. In typical Lindsey-fashion though, I tried to do too much, and it looked like we were going to be late for our reservation. Without even asking him, Boomer called to push back our reservation but then called again when I was able to get myself ready in time. I'm sure the hostess thought he had a crazy wife! We Facetimed with Emmy on the way to the restaurant, and then Grammy put her to bed before we got home. Dinner was so nice. We are still using gift cards from Boomer's generous staff at Nancy Reynolds Elementary, and we splurged with drinks and appetizers. We really enjoyed the quality time together. 

On Sunday, we met PawPaw Bret and Granny Cathy in Charlotte for a Charlotte Checkers game. Carlin has been working for the Checkers since the fall, and it was so fun to see her in her element! We got to see her big-girl apartment beforehand and also have lunch at a yummy burger joint called Moo & Brew. Unfortunately the Checkers lost 3-1 after leading for almost the entire game, but it was such a fun atmosphere. Emmy got a special button from Aunt Carlin that said "My 1st Checkers game!", and she wore the shirt that Aunt Carlin got her for Christmas. Emmy was pretty sleepy towards the end of the afternoon and quickly fell asleep on the drive home. She also had some redness around her eyes and the constant coughing. I see now that those were signs that she wasn't feeling well. I am trying to get better at reading her, since she can't tell me yet how she is feeling. Emmy was a good sport, and she enjoyed being passed around and standing up in the seats. We can now add hockey to the list of sports that Emmy enjoys!

Sharing my Valentine

Boomer has had to be caretaker to both of his girls over the last few days. I was fighting a sore throat earlier in the week and finally went to the doctor on Wednesday. I found out that I have strep! I've been taking a prescription and already feel much better. With the pain of the sore throat subsiding, I've mostly just felt tired... but I suppose that is a common side effect of just being a mom :) Emmy has had some congestion and a cough, and I have been wearing a mask at home just to make sure she doesn't catch anything from me (or vice versa!) We went to her 15-month appointment on Monday, and we got a great report from the doctor. Ears, nose, and throat all looked clear, and he said that her heart and lungs sound good. This winter season has been particularly bad for germs and the flu, so I was very glad to have this appointment to check up on everything. Emmy weighed 21 lbs, 4 oz (51st percentile) and measured 31 inches long (66th percentile). We bribed her with Cheerios to keep her happy before and after shots! In the last photo, she is patting her belly, which is one of her newest tricks. She can identify her belly and her nose...we are working on other body parts too. 

For Valentine's Day, since Emmy and I both were under the weather, we enjoyed a quiet evening at home. I made my homemade stromboli (one of Boomer's favorites), and then Boomer brought me a bowl of ice cream in bed while I rested. Boomer and I will be getting a date night on Friday night. (Thank you, Grammy!) I have been looking forward to it, so hopefully I am back to 100% by then. Even though I'm getting the date night, I am otherwise sharing my Valentine again this year. There is no doubt that Daddy has two ladies in his life now, and he is so good to both of us! 

Emmy's Valentines from her classmates

Flowers delivered to my school :)

We survived!

Boomer had his annual conference at Pinehurst this week, and that meant Mommy was on solo parent duty! When Boomer went to this same conference last year, Emmy was still very little and didn't seem to require too much. I was nursing at that time, so that was a lot of hard work, but she was otherwise pretty easy: immobile, two-naps-a-day, and generally stayed in one place. Emmy is a bit harder to keep up with now, and there are several extra steps in the process of getting ready, eating a meal, and going to bed. In preparing for Boomer's absence, I was particularly nervous about pulling off the morning routine. On a typical morning, I usually get Emmy dressed and fed, and then Boomer gets her into her car seat and off to daycare. Boomer also offers relief when she's having a fussy morning, and he'll also carry her downstairs for breakfast, which is a big help when there is always an armload of other things to be carried down. After Boomer and Emmy leave, I'm just a few minutes behind them, after I have cleaned up the kitchen and gathered my things. One thing I discovered this week: it isn't so easy getting the car loaded while carrying a squirming toddler and trying not to ruin your make-up, hair, and clothing. Luckily we didn't have too many mishaps while Daddy was gone. Now that I know I can do it solo, I feel like Superwoman, but I'm so glad to not have to! Emmy and I had some fun girl time with lots of selfies, but we sure missed Daddy! Now that he is back home, we are looking forward to time together this weekend.