Last week was a rough week, and I'm happy to feel like we are back in the grove. People often joke that they need a vacation when the are just back from one. After that re-entry, that's just how I was feeling!
The night before our flight to Florida, I snuck into the doctors office at the last minute to get M checked out. She had a little fever and her appetite wasn't great. Sure enough, double ear infection. The poor girl has the best temperament, it's not until she spikes a fever that we know something is up! Anyway, amoxicillin again for 10 days (she took it a month ago for strep), and... we were off to Florida.
The last night in Florida we were celebrating Gramma's birthday. Before dinner we took her temp and it was 101.5. Hmm Teething? She was acting fine and with 5 days of meds in her, we didn't think too much about it. We gave her some Tylenol and put her to bed. The next morning, she had a couple little bumps on her wrist and one on her belly. As we were getting ready to leave, I joked with Brian, she can't possibly have chicken pox, right? By the time we got off the plane in NY, she had red bumps and blotches on her face, arms and legs. We essentially went right from the airport to the doctors office.
Turns out, our little one was having an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin. Well, thats better than the chicken pox! I think 5-10% kids have the problem, and the doctor was pretty nonchalant about it. We were to give her Benadryl as needed to help with itching. We went to my parents for dinner and M was her normal self running around chatting and playing.
The 4 following days were insane. The reaction intensified tenfold and we either called or saw a doctor each day. Monday she was cranky and not eating, and Tuesday she was so swollen and lethargic, I was sure a trip to the emergency room was in order. She had a fever of 104 that just wouldn't subside and she was so swollen she couldn't move her wrists or ankles. The poor munchkin was so uncomfortable, her clothes hurt her and she couldn't sleep. Needless to say we were barely sleeping too!
Thankfully, we didn't have to go to the hospital and it did clear up. Little by little the swelling went down, she was drinking and eating little bites and acting more herself. The doctors called it a very impressive reaction. I'd call it a very scary few days. Tylenol, Advil and Benadryl didn't help, we just had to cuddle and love her and pray that it would pass soon.
Brian and I couldn't take time off of work, so Madelyn spent the days with Mimi and Auntie. Thank God for their support. There is nothing worse than when your baby is sick, especially the way Madelyn was feeling last week and feeling helpless. All day long i thought about her and checked in on her. But she was in the best hands with nurse 1 and 2. We can't thank them enough for all they do!
So, we had a great weekend and spent time getting ready for our move. finally, since being back from vacation, we are back in the grove :) We're more than halfway to this weekend too. Yippe! Happy Hump Day!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
disconnected
Lately, things have been catching up with me and I've been feeling disconnected. A lot has changed since I took my new job in October. One of the biggest challenges is not having access to phone, email or internet during the day. In a society that is obsessed with social media, the internet and quick and easy communication, I'm no different than the next in my dependence on it. At my last job, I was in a position where I had freedom, and in an environment where I got to see my hubby all day long. It was a pretty sweet deal. Communicating and keeping up, was so easy. I emailed my mom maybe 2 - 3 times a day, and often checked in with friends via emails during the day. I could check the weather, the news, blogs, pinterest, facebook... I was up on everything.
Imagine if you didn't have your cell phone, email OR any internet access all (work)day long? Would your day be any different? My days fly by because I am busy working non-stop., sometimes I don't notice it. Other times, like when Madelyn is sick, or we are trying to sell and buy a house at the same time, I am completely helpless as everything goes on without me. If I'm feeling daring, I'll sneak my cell phone into my pocket when I go to the bathroom. I'll then proceed to hide in there for a few minutes longer than normal to peak at emails and see if I have a text from Brian or my mom.
Madelyn and I usually get home around 6:30 or 7:00pm. By the time she eats and goes down, then I make dinner and we eat, it's suddenly 8:30. Most nights I could crawl in bed then, but with a full tummy, I resist. Instead, this is my time to zone out for a bit. Maybe a little tv, but more often then not, this is when I do my best to catch up. I try to catch up on news, blogs, emails, bills, or chats with my mom and Brian. Unfortunately, an hour or so just isn't enough time. So, I'm behind. I feel like a hampster on a wheel, running and trying to catch up.
So, to my friends who I haven't been very good at keeping up with - I'm sorry! I'm trying, and once the house chaos quiets down a little bit, it'll be even easier.
Hope you are all doing well! TGIT :)
Imagine if you didn't have your cell phone, email OR any internet access all (work)day long? Would your day be any different? My days fly by because I am busy working non-stop., sometimes I don't notice it. Other times, like when Madelyn is sick, or we are trying to sell and buy a house at the same time, I am completely helpless as everything goes on without me. If I'm feeling daring, I'll sneak my cell phone into my pocket when I go to the bathroom. I'll then proceed to hide in there for a few minutes longer than normal to peak at emails and see if I have a text from Brian or my mom.
Madelyn and I usually get home around 6:30 or 7:00pm. By the time she eats and goes down, then I make dinner and we eat, it's suddenly 8:30. Most nights I could crawl in bed then, but with a full tummy, I resist. Instead, this is my time to zone out for a bit. Maybe a little tv, but more often then not, this is when I do my best to catch up. I try to catch up on news, blogs, emails, bills, or chats with my mom and Brian. Unfortunately, an hour or so just isn't enough time. So, I'm behind. I feel like a hampster on a wheel, running and trying to catch up.
So, to my friends who I haven't been very good at keeping up with - I'm sorry! I'm trying, and once the house chaos quiets down a little bit, it'll be even easier.
Hope you are all doing well! TGIT :)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Ahhh.... vacation!
With the craziness in our lives these days, our trip to Florida last week came at the perfect time! Well, maybe not perfect, since we had to do house "stuff" while we were there, but you know what I mean. We were so caught up in house stuff, that we didn't pack until the night before our 6 day trip. Thankfully, we're quick and efficient packers because we had everything we needed and we traveled pretty lightly - success!
We got to Florida last Tuesday afternoon and it was cloudy and rainy. The gloomy weather had followed us from NY. By late afternoon, it was cool, breezy and gorgeous. I sat by the pool for 5 minutes alone, about 2 hours after we got there, and I was honestly so relaxed. That's impressive.
Not only were we visiting with Gramma and Grandpa Gerges, but Tim and Farrell were there too! We had so.much.fun. 2 days at the beach, dinner and a National Tour show of Les Miserables with Tim and Farrell, date night to the movies (Zero Dark Thirty - SO good!), and on our last night, a birthday celebration for Gramma!
I was very proud/happy that by day 3, Madelyn was saying Gramma and Grandpa. These are totally new words for her and they brought BIG smiles to Gramma and Grandpa's faces :) She also got better at saying Uncle "T"(-im). Miss M LOVED the beach, and the pool but wasn't as big of a fan of the ocean. The water approached so quickly, it took her by surprise and the cold temp sent her into a tizzy. Our little cutie sat on towel for nearly an hour, totally focused on playing with her sand toys. It was the cutest thing ever. She barely knew what was going on around her she was having so much fun. I actually got to lay down, shut my eyes, and enjoy the sun. Same with the pool, once she got started playing, it was really hard to drag her out after an hour when it was time for bed. There were tears... what a mean mommy!
We are so lucky that visiting with family brings us to such a beautiful places as Florida and the Vineyard! We are looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad Gerges again in just a few short months. In the meantime, we've learned to use (and love) facetime. Gotta love modern technology!
Some pic's from our trip:
We got to Florida last Tuesday afternoon and it was cloudy and rainy. The gloomy weather had followed us from NY. By late afternoon, it was cool, breezy and gorgeous. I sat by the pool for 5 minutes alone, about 2 hours after we got there, and I was honestly so relaxed. That's impressive.
Not only were we visiting with Gramma and Grandpa Gerges, but Tim and Farrell were there too! We had so.much.fun. 2 days at the beach, dinner and a National Tour show of Les Miserables with Tim and Farrell, date night to the movies (Zero Dark Thirty - SO good!), and on our last night, a birthday celebration for Gramma!
I was very proud/happy that by day 3, Madelyn was saying Gramma and Grandpa. These are totally new words for her and they brought BIG smiles to Gramma and Grandpa's faces :) She also got better at saying Uncle "T"(-im). Miss M LOVED the beach, and the pool but wasn't as big of a fan of the ocean. The water approached so quickly, it took her by surprise and the cold temp sent her into a tizzy. Our little cutie sat on towel for nearly an hour, totally focused on playing with her sand toys. It was the cutest thing ever. She barely knew what was going on around her she was having so much fun. I actually got to lay down, shut my eyes, and enjoy the sun. Same with the pool, once she got started playing, it was really hard to drag her out after an hour when it was time for bed. There were tears... what a mean mommy!
We are so lucky that visiting with family brings us to such a beautiful places as Florida and the Vineyard! We are looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad Gerges again in just a few short months. In the meantime, we've learned to use (and love) facetime. Gotta love modern technology!
Some pic's from our trip:
Monday, March 18, 2013
House Hunters
It's no secret I love houses. I talk about it often, look at houses online all the time and I've probably watched every House Hunters episode. I was so excited to be house hunting ourselves, but only a few weeks in, and I was completely exhausted. Whose idea was it to sell our house and move anyway? ;-)
I actually started this post 2 weeks ago, but then was afraid to jinx anything (and too tired to even finish!) Now, after a few stressful weeks, an inspection, signed contracts, and finally today, the confirmation that our house is officially sold, we are feeling much better about everything. It seems like a good time for an update :) The house I talked about here, well... she waited, for us :) I'm happy to report, she's ours! (Hopefully) if everything else goes as we plan (mortgage, etc), we'll be living in the beautiful home in New Canaan, come summertime!
Just a few days after our sneak peak at the house (the first week of Feb), the house had a brokers open and then it went on the market. I literally thought about the house every day. Who had been too see it? Did anyone love it as much as us? Well priced homes have been flying off the market in just 5 - 7 days and I was sure that this one would too, the price tag was almost too good to be true, for the town. So, time was of the essence and we had a few things that had to fall into place before we could move forward with a new house. Luckily, we got to work quickly on that stuff and by day 12, we were able to put in a offer. We low-balled and after a few counters and then our "final and best", the owner came back with an honest no. It wasn't enough. The owner was planning a public open house a few days later and he was confident he'd get a better offer... UGH. So, that Sunday was the Open House, and we drove by more times than I should admit, literally stalking the house to see the traffic. By this point, I convinced myself no one was going to love it as much as us - I wanted this house, bad.
There was one underlying thing that I think was on our side the whole time. The home-owner knew my grandfather (Dad's Dad) well because they played in the New Canaan Marching Band together. I never met my grandfather unfortunately, because he died when my Dad was 10 years old. Just 2 years ago, during a big town event, they did a big tribute to my grandfather for all the good he did in the town, and honored him for writing the town song - New Canaan March. The man who gathered all the information and gave the presentation at that event, was the very man who owns this home! Coincidence? Luck? work of God, whatever...throughout this process, knowing all of this has just made it feel more right.
The night of the open house, after dinner with my family, we decided to write the homeowner a note. We wrote an old school, handwritten, very honest note. At the end, we said, please keep us in mind.... We figured we had nothing to lose and we wanted to let him know how much we liked his house. All the while though, we kept telling ourselves we have to move on because he already told us, no! I got a call on Monday afteroon that there was another offer as a result of the open house, but he wanted us to come back with the very best we could. A second chance!
And... he picked us!!! I kept telling myself that if it was meant to be, it would be. But then when we finally got the news, everyone cried. Our realtor, me, my mom, my sister... poor Brian, could barely talk! To say we are excited is the understatement of the century. I have whined and complained about our commute and being so far removed from all of our friends for at least the last 16 months. Ever since, little Miss M came along, my perspective on everything changed and time together as a family is more important than ever. What this move will do for our family is priceless. I cannot wait to live in such a beautiful home, in a wonderful town and be so close to our family and friends!
Just in case you are curious, here are some pictures of the house :)
I actually started this post 2 weeks ago, but then was afraid to jinx anything (and too tired to even finish!) Now, after a few stressful weeks, an inspection, signed contracts, and finally today, the confirmation that our house is officially sold, we are feeling much better about everything. It seems like a good time for an update :) The house I talked about here, well... she waited, for us :) I'm happy to report, she's ours! (Hopefully) if everything else goes as we plan (mortgage, etc), we'll be living in the beautiful home in New Canaan, come summertime!
Just a few days after our sneak peak at the house (the first week of Feb), the house had a brokers open and then it went on the market. I literally thought about the house every day. Who had been too see it? Did anyone love it as much as us? Well priced homes have been flying off the market in just 5 - 7 days and I was sure that this one would too, the price tag was almost too good to be true, for the town. So, time was of the essence and we had a few things that had to fall into place before we could move forward with a new house. Luckily, we got to work quickly on that stuff and by day 12, we were able to put in a offer. We low-balled and after a few counters and then our "final and best", the owner came back with an honest no. It wasn't enough. The owner was planning a public open house a few days later and he was confident he'd get a better offer... UGH. So, that Sunday was the Open House, and we drove by more times than I should admit, literally stalking the house to see the traffic. By this point, I convinced myself no one was going to love it as much as us - I wanted this house, bad.
There was one underlying thing that I think was on our side the whole time. The home-owner knew my grandfather (Dad's Dad) well because they played in the New Canaan Marching Band together. I never met my grandfather unfortunately, because he died when my Dad was 10 years old. Just 2 years ago, during a big town event, they did a big tribute to my grandfather for all the good he did in the town, and honored him for writing the town song - New Canaan March. The man who gathered all the information and gave the presentation at that event, was the very man who owns this home! Coincidence? Luck? work of God, whatever...throughout this process, knowing all of this has just made it feel more right.
The night of the open house, after dinner with my family, we decided to write the homeowner a note. We wrote an old school, handwritten, very honest note. At the end, we said, please keep us in mind.... We figured we had nothing to lose and we wanted to let him know how much we liked his house. All the while though, we kept telling ourselves we have to move on because he already told us, no! I got a call on Monday afteroon that there was another offer as a result of the open house, but he wanted us to come back with the very best we could. A second chance!
And... he picked us!!! I kept telling myself that if it was meant to be, it would be. But then when we finally got the news, everyone cried. Our realtor, me, my mom, my sister... poor Brian, could barely talk! To say we are excited is the understatement of the century. I have whined and complained about our commute and being so far removed from all of our friends for at least the last 16 months. Ever since, little Miss M came along, my perspective on everything changed and time together as a family is more important than ever. What this move will do for our family is priceless. I cannot wait to live in such a beautiful home, in a wonderful town and be so close to our family and friends!
Just in case you are curious, here are some pictures of the house :)
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