Holly Hives!

Yesterday was like anyother. I did laundry, played games with the kids, did some crafts with them and figured out what to make for dinner. Lily has had a runny nose. Her cheeks were looking a little rosy but she didn't have a fever. She fell asleep so I laid her down in her crib and folded more laundry. My neighbor came over and Sadie started to bark at the door bell which woke Lily up. When I went in to get Lily, she had hives on her face. I looked at them and thought it was strange but I finished with my neighbor and put Lily in her highchair. I was giving her puffs and noticed she had hives on her hands and arms. I undressed her and this is what I found...

She had gigantic hives everywhere (and the pictures don't even do them justice). I called her pediatrician and he told me to give her Benadryl and call him in the morning. So we ran to Target and bought Benadryl. A little later when I changed her diaper, the hives on her legs were worse and seeping. Lily wasn't uncomfortable and they didn't seem to be bothering her at all but I decided to take her to the hospital just in case.

The doctor's there told me they were really large hives and it could be viral or an allergic reaction. Lily had food with cranberries in it for the first time earlier in the day so that could potentially be the culprit. The doctor gave her more Benadryl and told me to keep an eye on them. She said it would probably take a few days for them to go away completely. The doctor recommended after all the hives clear, to give her that same food (since Lily was in no pain) and if she gets hives again then we will know what they were from. If she doesn't get hives then we know it was viral.

I will say that Lily was charming everyone. All the doctor's and nurses were making such a fuss over her. I heard a nurse say "Did you see the doll-baby in 16?", which was our room number. Lily is such a happy girl! It's infectious! We love her!!!

Until Next Time!

Lots of Love,

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Chris had off the Friday before Christmas. Raymond had his anesthesia consultation at Hershey in the morning (for his procedure on the 6th). Since Daddy was home, we decided to find something fun to do. I remembered that I picked up free bowling passes at the library so we decided to try it. It turned out to be a lot of fun for everyone!

Raymond even got in on the fun! The only problem was after we said, "One, Two, Three, Roll!" he wanted to run down the lane after the ball. He got the hang of it and made it through five frames. Then he got tired and sat in the stroller and played with his radio.

Lily watched and thought Isabella was funny when she did her "happy-bowling" dances.

STRIKE!!!

(Isabella's, not mine)

Daddy got a strike too!

On Saturday we waited for Grammy. Isabella was excited to tell her it was Christmas Eve. She was also excited to give Grammy her Christmas presents. So we exchanged a day early.

Raymond loves his new Elmo.

Later in the evening Pappy came with Winston. We put cookies and carrots out and went to bed so Santa would come : )

(Sadie looks like an alien in this picture)

Isabella was up first so we let her open her gifts alone. First, she had to put on a fancy dress.

Santa brought Isabella two American Girl Cookbooks. I bought them at Borders almost two years ago. Isabella has always enjoyed helping me cook and bake, so I knew she would like these. I was saving them until she was a little older and would appreciate them more (plus they were on clearance for $3 each).

Isabella also got Sugar, an American Girl dog. She loves her. Sugar has been keeping Isabella's other American Girl dogs company that she got from Aunt Mary.

Next, Raymond woke up. It was his turn to see what Santa brought.

Sadie tried to stay out of the way.
Winston did not : )

Pappy was on trash duty. Lots of wrapping paper!

Then Miss Lily woke up and was ready to go!

Lily really liked her Minnie Mouse pillow.

It actually worked out nice having the kids open their presents as they woke up. It wasn't so chaotic since everyone wasn't ripping everything apart at the same time. After gifts we ate breakfast and Pappy left. I started dinner and the kids enjoyed playing with their new gifts. Later in the evening, we tested out one of Daddy gifts from Isabella. A cotton-candy maker.

Lily watched with Grammy and wanted to know why she wasn't helping.

Yum!

On Monday we went to Aunt Theresa and Uncle Roy's house. One of Isabella's favorite places! Chris' cousin Mike was home and we haven't seen him in awhile. The kids were excited!

There are lots of neat things to get into at their house!

Lots of neat things to look at!

And lots of time to be silly!

When we got home everyone was ready to snuggle.

Well, everyone except Lily. She wanted to play!

That's what we've been doing ever since Christmas. Lots of playing!

Until Next Time!

Lots of Love,