Gabriella Playing at School

I think I may have jinxed us by proudly bragging how we had not seen the pediatrician for an entire week! Gabriella spent the weekend with another mild case of diarrhea; nothing severe enough to send us to the doctor or to be concerned about dehydration from, but nonetheless, not extremely pleasant. I then got the same bug on Monday and spent the evening over a trashcan after having spent the afternoon at the veterinarian's office with Bailey, one of our cats who apparently is in chronic renal failure. I obviously am very sad contemplating the fact that we only have a short time left with Bailey.

On a happier note, Gabriella is learning animal (and Santa) sounds! She says "meow" for a kitty cat, "woof woof" for a doggy, and "ho ho ho" for Santa Claus. Her personality is developing so wonderfully. She is happy, curious, and absolutely hysterical. She is a blast to spend time with and it is so fun to see her changing and growing. I am such a proud mommy! Even when she does things that I should correct her for, I usually beam with pride! I am certainly not setting a good example, but I can't help it!

My mother said that Gabriella was having fun playing with the other children today at school. These are photos that my cousin took today at school:

Riding Her Toy Mustang!

Due to the series of unplanned events around Christmas, we are still opening Christmas presents! Ken has a 1985 Mustang GT that he restores and races. He, of course, had to make sure Gabby got her own Mustang for Christmas. She opened her Mustang this evening and was bound and determined to ride it like she does all of her other ride-on toys! She had absolutely no concept that she was a bit too big for it!

This was Gabriella riding in a normal-sized car yesterday! I turned around and this is what I saw!:

New Year's Resolutions

Our Resolutions for 2009 are:

To get in better shape!:

And to travel more!:

No Pediatrician Visits This Week!

I am pleased to announce that this is the first week in a VERY LONG time that we did not have to visit Gabriella's pediatrician! This is certainly a milestone for us! No fevers, no discomfort...nothing. We are hoping this is indicative of an upward, consistent trend!

Gabriella at 4 Months Old!

Daniel share this photo with me yesterday of Gabriella. This was photo was taken around the time that I first met her in December 2007 when she was four months old. Precious.

Praying for Abby

As you know, we have battled with Gabriella being sick often, but I thank God every day that her illnesses are not major, just regular wintertime illnesses that her body is able to fight-off. This is not the case for precious four year old Abby. Abby was also adopted from Guatemala and came home when she was six months old. In July 2008, at three years old, Abby was diagnosed with a high-risk, aggressive form of Leukemia. Over the months, her prognosis has worsened as other complications and conditions became know. Certain genetic complications have put her chance of surviving the treatment at about 20%. Her story has deeply touched my heart and I am praying for her and her family. Would you pray for them too?

You can find more about Abby here, on her family blog: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/about-abby.html

Abby:

Research Participant

Gabriella had her first college assignment on Saturday! She participated in a research study with certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists at Worcester State College in Massachusetts. They are studying English language development in internationally adopted child between the ages of one and five years who have been adopted within the last six months. The study is examining predictors of success/difficulty in learning English in internationally adopted children. If you are interested in participating and meet the above criteria, contact Dr. Emily Soltano at emily.soltano@worcester.edu or 508-929-8764.

Feeling Better

Gabriella was still fevery and her eyes were so heavy on Friday, so I brought her back in to see her pediatrician. Upon exam the doctor determined that she still had not developed an ear infection but the fluid in her right ear appeared more stagnant. She did not have a fever all weekend and appeared a better. She has been more fussy than usual though, but I am wondering if the fussing is just a "stage" she is going through. She wants what she wants and that is it. If she doesn't get what she wants she arches her back, flings her head back, and cries. Hopefully a short lived stage!

I am praying for an uneventful, healthy week!

Update on Being Sick

Gabriella and I went to see her pediatrician yesterday. The week wouldn't have been complete without seeing him! We have to see him at least once a week! He saw fluid behind her ears but no pus. Pus is indicative of an ear infection. He said that the fluid could be from the end of the RSV or it could be from the beginning stages of an ear infection. He said that the fever, though, was indicative of something brewing and this ear issue could quickly turn into an ear infection if that is what was beginning. He told us to give her Motrin and he prescribed a numbing ear drop to lessen her ear discomfort. She slept great last night.

Sick AGAIN

This has become the most offensive four letter word to me... S-I-C-K. I hate it!

On Monday, when I picked Gabriella up from my mother after work, Gabriella seemed warm to me. By the time I got her home, though, she had cooled down so I just thought I was being paranoid and did not feel the need to take her temperature. Yesterday, during the early evening, her cheeks appeared rosy which is how she looks when she is fevery. She did not feel warm, though, so I did not take her temperature. Last night we had a miserable night; she was up off and on all night fussing. She is currently with my mother. My mother just took her temperature and it is 101.5. My mother said she thought Gabriella was tugging at her ear. There are only three other children in the classroom with her at day care and none of them are currently sick. We have an appointment with her pediatrician at 5:00 PM today.

Gabriella's First Day in the Toddler Classroom

Gabriella officially transitioned into the toddler classroom today from the infant room. It was a very scary day for mommy but Gabriella apparently loved it! I couldn't sleep the entire night because the wheels in my head were spinning and I ended up laying awake all night! I had three main concerns. She is not walking 100% of the time and I was concerned that the other children would step on her little hands while she was crawling. She can self-feed but has never eaten out of a high chair or without assistance. She has always either slept in a bed with an adult next to her, in her Pack-and-Play, or in a crib at school; she has never slept on a nap mat and I was worried about how she would do at nap time. Even though it is my mom's daycare, I sent a detailed letter to her teacher with all of my concerns and instructions.

Ken dropped her off this morning and said that she seemed very happy in the new room. He said she was smiling and laughing. My mother also said she did well. She did a project at school and they hung it from the ceiling. My mother said that Gabriella pointed to it to show her! As expected, she would not stay on the nap mat and she did not nap. She had fun playing in the "housekeeping area" and my cousin Stephanie took these photos of her playing.