Stomach Virus, 2009

We have been sick at our house... real sick. After Mark and I were fully ready for church on Sunday we went to wake Belle up to get her ready. Unfortunately we discovered she had thrown up in her sleep. We then dealt with the stomach yuckies with Miss Belle all Sunday night, Monday night and into Tuesday. I came down with the virus on Tuesday. My doctor called in some Phenergan for me. Unfortunately it knocked me out and Belle was up yet again sick that night -- poor Mark. He kept asking me to come help and I tried but I could barely walk a straight line. I had completely forgotten that Phenergan has a really strong effect on me.

Since Belle was still up sick as can be Tuesday night (and we had been on the phone with our doctor's office and the on-call nurse at the hospital Monday night) we took her into the doctor. Her weight was already down to 17 lbs. 15 oz. from 18lbs 8 oz at 12 months. They put her on some Zofran and basically gave us a few hours to get a wet diaper out of her before they admitted her to Children's. At this point, Mark and I were so sick that we didn't know if we had the fight left in us to get Belle to take fluids. Luckily she had her wet diaper and the Zofran allowed her to keep fluids down. We definitely spent the whole day feeding her liquids out of a syringe.

As of today we are all on the mend (knock on wood). Belle is still pretty reluctant to take liquids but we are working very hard on it. She is eating a little bit of solid foods like toast and applesauce to get her tummy back to normal. I have loved having a cuddly little girl, but I miss her sweet, funny disposition.

If all else fails, I guess the stomach virus is one way to lose that last 5 pounds of pregnancy weight I have been keeping around. Thank you for all your prayers this week. They were definitely appreciated.

And then there were four!

I am excited to announce that Belle's fourth cousin has arrived!

Hudson James Reiboldt

made his debut at 3:23 am on February 18

he weighs 7 pounds even and is 21 inches long.

He is absolutely precious and a mini version of my father in law. We are so thankful for a safe arrival and that mom and baby are doing well.

Our Valentine's Weekend

What a great weekend! It started with getting to come home early from work on Friday (thanks Bonnelle)! It was so sweet coming up the stares and see Belle so surprised to see me. She was absolutely ecstatic, and that was worth taking four hours off of my shift. Normally I get home around midnight when Belle has already been asleep for a good while. It was nice to be able to be home with the family and get her all ready for bed.

On Saturday, we woke up and Mark got us Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits for breakfast. I gave Belle part of my biscuit and as a true Southern girl it was love a first...bite. We then played for a good bit and got ready for the day.

Belle looked precious in her Valentine's sweater and red patent mary janes.

Belle and her daddy.

Mark watched Belle that afternoon so that my mom and I could go see Confessions of a Shopaholic. We had read each of the four books and were anticipating this movie. Usually movies based on a book aren't nearly as good as the book, but this movie did not disappoint. We laughed and laughed. After the movie, we took in a little shopping at the Avenue Forsyth. I discovered a favorite store: Francesca's Collection. I have always looked at their website and loved there clothes and affordable prices. The store was even better, and I picked up a cute outfit for this spring (just need some shoes to match)!

Belle got a new talking tea set for her Valentine's present.

The picture says it all.... she LOVED it!

We usually play it low key on Valentine's Day. We ordered pizza and I made salads with homemade Caesar dressing. We kicked back and watched a movie after Belle went to sleep, and just enjoyed a nice relaxing evening. Last night, Mark and I went to a nice dinner at Killer Creek. We like to celebrate Valentine's Day a few days before or after because all the restaurant hustle bustle is not my style. It was nice to dress up and eat a nice filet with Bearnaise sauce. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend with my two loves!

I just had to share this picture of Belle and Mark a few weeks ago before church. I loved her outfit that day, and she truly looked like a toddler.

Say Hello to My Little Friend

I would like to introduce you all to a wonderful discovery. A blog that I love to read told me all about Relish!. It is a menu-planning service that is inexpensive and incredibly helpful. Every week you get to pick 5 out of 10 meals and one dessert. You also choose how many servings you need, and then it prints out the recipes and grocery list. I am in love with it and plan on doing a weekly/monthly review of the foods I have made.

There are even freezer menus for foods you can make ahead of time and have on hand for meals on hectic nights. Please go check out www.relishrelish.com .

Look Who's Walking Now

Belle has been taking a few steps here and there since right before her birthday. The other night we were hanging out in the kitchen, and while I was waiting on dinner to cook we practiced walking. She did AWESOME! She took ten steps in a row about 8-10 times. She was so proud of herself. We grabbed the camera and taped little bits. Sorry for the quality, I was much more excited about her walking than film quality!

Please don't worry. She did not hit the camera at the end of that video. She loves to dive into our laps.

On a side note, Belle is a bit under the weather. I won't get into details but her poor bottom is in bad shape. It is sort of a viscous circle around here as the runs cause the diaper rash and the runs make the diaper rash hurt worse. She sobs for diaper changes because her bottom hurts so bad. At one point I was sobbing too. I just feel so bad for her. We are on a diet of all bland foods and pedialyte. We slathered that sweet bottom up before bed, and I am praying for her to not be hurting so bad tomorrow.