One of Those Days..... (In A Good Way!)

Today was one of those days.  One of those days where I truly step back and take in just how thankful I am that I stay home with Isabelle.  Today she was especially smiley, full of laughs, and gave me more kisses and hugs then ever!  I never want to take a single moment with her for granted.  And today made me even more appreciative of how I am there for each and every moment with her.  Hugs, kisses, and everything in between.

Isabelle after Praise and Play playing with her baby and the bathroom it came with!  (According to Kevin....Isabelle went through a lot with the hives so she deserved to get some new toys!  :)  Plus she is quickly outgrowing her other "baby" toys)

After her nap today we enjoyed the great weather outside until dinner!  Isabelle wanted to take Mickey on her wagon ride.  So sweet.

When I ask Isabelle if she wants to go play in the backyard with her toys she always runs to the gate and reaches up almost in a panic until I open it.  She cannot get back there quick enough!  Apparently mommy needs to open the gate faster!

Having fun......

And doing some yard work!

Time to rest after all the work!

Isabelle loves going in her little house

We were blowing bubbles today and she was chasing them around the yard trying to catch them!

She has so much fun outside!

I love you Isabelle!

Does it get any sweeter then this?  She was giving me so many kisses and "nose rubs" today that I got a picture of one. 

Words cannot express how much I love you Isabelle.  You are everything to your daddy and I and we truly treasure each and every moment with you.

180 Days!!!

If you are a fan of Walt Disney World and have a vacation booked, then you know what it means to be 180 days away from your vacation!! Time to book your dining reservations!!!  When booking our trip we purchased the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining which includes one sit down meal, one quick service meal, and one snack, per person, per day.  (The best way to dine in Disney World in my opinion!)  Anyways....when your trip is 180 days out you need to book your sit down meals.  Depending on where you choose, some literally get booked in a matter of minutes at midnight that day.  So as soon as I was able to early this morning, I booked our sit down dining reservations! 

We will be eating at the following delicious places among others:

Dinner at Cap'n Jack's Restaurant at Downtown Disney. 

Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House Restaurant at the Animal Kingdom,  This is character dining with Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy!  Isabelle will love it!

Dinner at Tony's Town Square at the Magic Kingdom.  Italian = Yummo!

Lunch at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot.  This is again character dining with Princess Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and Mary Poppins! 

Lunch at The Crystal Palace.  Character dining with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.  This is a must do.  I don't remember ever not eating here while at Disney World!

When I was making the reservations for two of these places this morning, there were already only two open time slots in a 4 hour time frame! I am glad I got everything booked and ready, cause we are definitely ready to go!

All Gone!!!! (almost)

This morning when Isabelle woke up we were happily surprised to see that all of her hives were gone!!! There was not one spot of rash left on her!!! Yeah for Isabelle!!! So much for the two week time period the doctor's told us about!  We are being cautiously optimistic and know that it may return, but at least this is very promising!!

Feeling great with no hives meant we could go to Toddler Time at the Library!!!  Isabelle wanted to hold so many things on the short drive there!  And check out her adorable shoes!! I LOVE these!

The library director gave Isabelle a white and dark chocolate chip cookie to eat on the way home.....lucky her!

Playtime before lunch!

Isabelle was so fixated on the movie "Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol."  She would not stop watching the TV no matter where she was.

Finally got distracted enough from the movie to actually play!

Looks like she is very happy the rash is gone too!

Isabelle LOVES puzzles!

Thankfully the rash seems to be staying away for the most part.  After lunch I noticed a couple small spots on her ankles and neck but overall she is about 99% better then yesterday!  What a tough little cookie we have!

Nothing Slows Isabelle Down

Although we had a little of a rocky start to our week, Isabelle was eager to get outside after her nap today and enjoy some fresh air.  We took advantage of the mid 40's and sunshine for an hour or so of playing outdoors before dinner. 

Coloring with chalk on the patio in the backyard

Lounging around the backyard.....

Nothing, not even hives, slows our little girl down!  She is full of energy and loves to play.  She is a constant reminder to me to enjoy all the little things in life, and with Isabelle it's impossible not to!  LOVE YOU ISABELLE!

Back to the Doctor We Go.....

This morning after breakfast we went to Isabelle's pediatrician to have her look at the rash and get another opinion.  We are so thankful that we love her doctor.  She has always been so informative, kind, reassuring, and someone who you can just tell knows what they are talking about! 

Anyways....it turns out she does have Erythema Multiforme.  To sum it up, Isabelle basically has a bad case of the hives.  There are so many different forms of hives and she unfortunately has one that is associated with a virus.  (Although the only virus symptoms she has is a slight runny nose).  Her doctor said they will last a couple of weeks but if they are not getting any better after a week to come back in.  We are also suppose to closely watch to make sure the rash doesn't spread or swell around her eyes or mouth, in which case we come right in again. 

Unfortunately this morning it had spread once again and her poor little, adorable feet are covered and swelling. (As is the back of her neck and into her scalp!) The socks that I had put on her this morning were leaving little lines from being too tight, so she is done with socks until these darn hives go away.  We are trying 1/4 teaspoon of Children's Benadryl, at the doctor's recommendation, to see if that helps with some of the swelling.  Thankfully, they are the non-itching, non-contagious kind and still don't seem to be bothering her.  It's just very sad to see our little munchkin covered with the hives!!! 

Here are some pictures of Isabelle playing this morning before heading to the doctor.

LOVE YOU ISABELLE ANN!!!

A Trip to the Emergency Room

Our Sunday did not start out like we had hoped.  Isabelle unfortunately ended up in the emergency room right after breakfast!  Yesterday we noticed she started getting a couple red "dots" on her body.  As the day went on yesterday there were more and more, but nothing too alarming.  We talked to her doctor yesterday evening and they said to keep an eye on things and call back if it got worse overnight or if it seemed to be bothering her.  It did not seem too concerning since she was acting fine, with the exception of a runny nose.  She was not itching or even noticing the rash.  I checked on her last night around 10:30 when she was sound asleep and I did not see anything on her face or hands so I went to bed. 

When Isabelle woke up this morning she was literally covered in this rash.  Some spots are the size of peas, others the size of baseballs, literally.  And it had spread all over her legs, feet, stomach, back, arms, hand, part of her neck, one of her ears, and one by her eye.  But she was still acting as if nothing was wrong!!!  I called her doctor back this morning and they said to take her to the emergency room.  So in we went after breakfast.  I am very glad that Des Moines has a "children's emergency room".  It is part of Blank Children's Hospital and it is very reassuring to be seen by ER doctors who are for pediatrics.  Anyways......the results came back that she has "Erythema Muliforme".  Basically a viral infection.  The doctor stressed several times that the rash will be much worse before it gets better and then turn colors so it looks like she is bruised all over her body!!!! He said this will last about a week.  We are suppose to go in immediately if she has any swelling in her face, especially her mouth, neck or eyes.  Or if her joints get swollen (which could happen up to two week after the rash goes away!)

Needless to say we are keeping a very close eye on her and will be spending the next week or so playing at home.  I am going to take her in to her regular pediatrician tomorrow morning for a second opinion just to be safe.  But until this goes away there is nothing we can give her to help it.  I feel so bad for her and pray that she stays in good spirits and does not get the excessive swelling and joint pain.  My poor little munchkin.

Isabelle napping after her long morning.....

 Please keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery!!!

A Simple Mommy AND Daddy Day

Isabelle had a very fun day inside (it is so cold here) with Mommy (and later Daddy).  She started out going to Praise and Play after breakfast (it was her day to bring snacks for everyone). 

Here she is on the way home with half of her fruity pebbles treat left.....she LOVES these!

Once back at home we enjoyed lots of playtime before lunch.  Isabelle also really, really likes looking out the back windows at all the birds.  It's a good thing our bird feeder attracts so many birds for her to watch!

Playing downstairs and again feeding her baby vegetables!

I had set this up on Tuesday night when the tornado sirens were going off and we headed downstairs.  Luckily we got the all clear to go back up just in time for bed.  I haven't taken it down yet and Isabelle keeps trying to climb into it!  I guess it should come down asap!

Lately, when I try to take pictures of her she likes to run towards the camera, so several of these are extreme close-ups :)

Pushing Eeyore in her shopping cart.

When Isabelle woke up from her nap, daddy came home shortly after.  I have not been feeling well for the past week with swollen glands, a sore throat, and my infamous migraines.  Today I had a low-grade fever with it so I called Kevin and luckily he was able to leave work early to come home and play with Isabelle, eat dinner with her, and give her a bath.  Thank you Kevin!!!

Kevin took this....Isabelle sure looks happy to have her daddy home!  Normally she doesn't see him in the afternoon or evenings! :(  What a great surprise for Isabelle!

That was our simple, fun Thursday we had.  Hopefully after I get Isabelle to bed I can get to bed myself and get better so my little munchkin doesn't catch anything!  I love you Isabelle Ann!