Carina's Tia Molly says it would be wonderful to hear the thoughts going through Carina's head because according to her facial expressions, everything is "This is the most amazing, hilarious and wonderful thing I have seen!" then the next thing she sees kicks it off again. If you haven't met her or if you haven't seen her in awhile, this video will give you an idea of what Molly is talking about. (I just got a flip video camera and although I just figured out how to edit, I learned after this video was posted so it's on the long side).
The Bumps
About six or seven months ago we noticed a few little bumps on Samantha's chest that looked like tiny pimples. When I took her to the doctor back in March when she was so sick with RSV, the doctor told me that these bumps were caused by a virus called molluscum. He told me that I could carefully squeeze these but to be very careful because they can easily spread if I or Samantha touched an infected spot and then touched anywhere else on her body.
He also told me that with time they would go away and they are fairly common for kids under the age of 10 with weaker immune system. Obviously holding down a three year old to squeeze these bumps was not a real option, we tried it a few times but it was overall very disturbing for everyone involved. Unfortunately after a few months these bumps had gotten out of control. There were more than 20 of them all over her chest. When I talked to the doctor again, he prescribed an ointment to put on every other night.
This whole ordeal keeps me up at night. The ointment that we put on the bumps literally burns off the bump and instead of a tiny little pimple that we started with, now poor Samantha has scabs all over her chest. In high school, I knew a few stupid people who would burn themselves with a cigarette...every time I look at my sweet girl, that is what it looks like to me, like cigarette burns all over her chest.
As my mom says, it make you much more compassionate for people with true body defects. It is difficult for me to look at them. Luckily Samantha is not very self conscious but I definitely am for her. She is beginning to be more self aware and the other night she woke up with a nightmare and when I went in her bedroom, she told me she was just "very sad about her bumps".
The most horrible part is just when I think we have most of them under control, there are more that pop up. We are done with the ointment and I don't want to use it anymore. We have an appointment with the dermatologist in a few weeks to hopefully come up with a new solution or remedy.
He also told me that with time they would go away and they are fairly common for kids under the age of 10 with weaker immune system. Obviously holding down a three year old to squeeze these bumps was not a real option, we tried it a few times but it was overall very disturbing for everyone involved. Unfortunately after a few months these bumps had gotten out of control. There were more than 20 of them all over her chest. When I talked to the doctor again, he prescribed an ointment to put on every other night.
This whole ordeal keeps me up at night. The ointment that we put on the bumps literally burns off the bump and instead of a tiny little pimple that we started with, now poor Samantha has scabs all over her chest. In high school, I knew a few stupid people who would burn themselves with a cigarette...every time I look at my sweet girl, that is what it looks like to me, like cigarette burns all over her chest.
As my mom says, it make you much more compassionate for people with true body defects. It is difficult for me to look at them. Luckily Samantha is not very self conscious but I definitely am for her. She is beginning to be more self aware and the other night she woke up with a nightmare and when I went in her bedroom, she told me she was just "very sad about her bumps".
The most horrible part is just when I think we have most of them under control, there are more that pop up. We are done with the ointment and I don't want to use it anymore. We have an appointment with the dermatologist in a few weeks to hopefully come up with a new solution or remedy.
Taking After Mom
Carina:
Height 25 inches - 30-35th percentile
Weight 14 lbs, 8 ounces - 30th percentile
Head: 17 1/4 inches - 85th percentile
Samantha:
Height 36 inches - 20th percentile
Weight 31 lbs - 50th percentile
First Time for Everything
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| Her first eating experience - 8/7/11 |
First she was rolling over, from her back to her stomach and then a few weeks ago both ways. Then, she was sitting up on her own, starting out fairly wobbly but now sitting steady on her own.
Just when she had her six month birthday (on our 7 year wedding anniversary) we started her on solid food. She approached it as she does most things in her life, with a big smile. She loves food and we have been working on fattening her up. Samantha is an exceptional big sister and loves feeding Carina her new "real" food.
Pure Joy
This seems to be a particularly rough year for a lot of the people I love. Man, lately I feel like people can't catch a break, it is just one thing after another. My poor friend Sara has two broken arms after just recovering from a broken knee....My friend Deirdre is on bed rest after her husband lost vision in his eye in a freak accident....I have a friend who can't get pregnant, family turmoil and fighting, people going through horrible break ups, lost jobs, car accidents, the list goes on and on.
This baby though is incredible, it is hard not to find comfort in her smiles. She melts the hearts of everyone she meets. Her message is clear, all is well with the world. And, as hokie as it sounds, I felt that from her from the moment I was first pregnant. She truly has brought a calmness to my life and a sense of peace that I was not expecting. I know when I see those big blue eyes that everything is going to be just fine. You can see some of the latest photos of her big grin here.
New Brantz Baby
Well, technically it is not a Brantz baby but rather an Auld baby but we are very excited about the upcoming arrival of a new baby in our family and Samantha and Carina's first cousin! Molly and Brian are expecting a sweet, baby girl who is due on November 30th.
Samantha suggested the baby be named Daisy and is quite relieved that we will be having a baby girl cousin. I love thinking of the three girls in a little pack running around creating memories together for years to come.
Last weekend I went through all of our clothes to find the best of the best for hand-me-downs. We are all planning to be in Florida for a week in December to meet this little star. I figure as long as I can get some good quality time with her on a regular basis, we can fight off my urge to have a third baby in our house!
Samantha suggested the baby be named Daisy and is quite relieved that we will be having a baby girl cousin. I love thinking of the three girls in a little pack running around creating memories together for years to come.
Last weekend I went through all of our clothes to find the best of the best for hand-me-downs. We are all planning to be in Florida for a week in December to meet this little star. I figure as long as I can get some good quality time with her on a regular basis, we can fight off my urge to have a third baby in our house!
Preschool
Samantha loves going to preschool. She now goes three mornings a week and each day she goes she is excited to see her friends and teachers. I can really tell a difference in her now when she meets and interacts with new kids and I believe she is more confident and happy with the social and educational stimuli.
One of the great things about her school is that each day they send a brief email with a document, video, slide show, etc. about what they did that day. This is usually great fodder to get Samantha talking and remembering what she did that day. It is also a treat for us while we are at work to see what she is up to. This week as I was gone on my work trip, the update was especially hilarious for me and very focused on Samantha.
I couldn't post the full document with photos but it read:
Last week, Savannah, Sammy, Drew and Elise went to the materials room to build houses for our classroom bugs.They used a variety of materials to create intricate structures. Today, Sammy and Savannah returned to the materials room to continue this work.
After this experience, they decided to share what they had learned with the class. They helped create a slideshow of all their previous work to show their friends what they had been doing, they introduced the class to the best materials for building bug houses and then worked with their classmates to find a space in our classroom to store these new materials so we could all continue this work together in the future.
One of the great things about her school is that each day they send a brief email with a document, video, slide show, etc. about what they did that day. This is usually great fodder to get Samantha talking and remembering what she did that day. It is also a treat for us while we are at work to see what she is up to. This week as I was gone on my work trip, the update was especially hilarious for me and very focused on Samantha.
I couldn't post the full document with photos but it read:
Last week, Savannah, Sammy, Drew and Elise went to the materials room to build houses for our classroom bugs.They used a variety of materials to create intricate structures. Today, Sammy and Savannah returned to the materials room to continue this work.
After this experience, they decided to share what they had learned with the class. They helped create a slideshow of all their previous work to show their friends what they had been doing, they introduced the class to the best materials for building bug houses and then worked with their classmates to find a space in our classroom to store these new materials so we could all continue this work together in the future.
Super Dad
I just got back from my first work trip. I was only gone for 36 hours but I was nervous to leave both girls and especially to be away from Carina for the first overnight. Actually, to be honest, I was nervous for about 15 minutes until I realized I was going to sleep through a full night for the first time in months. The trip also coincided with Dave's first few days of work.
I of course woke up in the night even on my night away and I missed Dave, Samantha and Carina terribly but we all survived. The trip was successful for me professionally and I got some quality time bonding with new coworkers. Just as I expected, Dave was Super Dad. He managed bed time with both girls for two nights and middle of the night feedings. And, aside from finding Carina's outfit on backwards when I got a good look at her this morning, the girls seemed unphased by my absence.
I of course woke up in the night even on my night away and I missed Dave, Samantha and Carina terribly but we all survived. The trip was successful for me professionally and I got some quality time bonding with new coworkers. Just as I expected, Dave was Super Dad. He managed bed time with both girls for two nights and middle of the night feedings. And, aside from finding Carina's outfit on backwards when I got a good look at her this morning, the girls seemed unphased by my absence.
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