Photos from Gemma Eliana's second birthday

You will have to bear with me and my way-too-many photos, but this is the last time I will have a two year-old's birthday to celebrate.  It is a bittersweet feeling.

The party was meant to be an after-nap-time affair, but Bret took longer getting back from a job than he thought he would, and we ended up having birthday cake for dinner and snacking around in the evening.

A three-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.  I reduced the sugar by a quarter and it was still too sweet for my taste, but the majority found it quite good.

A special gift from a special friend--a St. Gemma Galgani pendant and chain.

We celebrated in the school room because my camera takes lousy indoor shots when the lighting is poor.  The schoolroom and adjoining workroom are the only rooms with plenty of windows.

We had Gemma open her birthday crown first.  She wore it until bedtime.  I think I will make her a crown for play, and put this one away for special celebrations.

A bracelet made by Adrian.

Some new board books.

A wonderful gift from her aunt, wooden lacing beads.  She played with these while we prayed the rosary in the evening, at least when she and Dominic weren't fighting over them.

Her favorite gift:  Una's old doll, Abbie Rose (named for a little--well, she's big now--girl we knew when we lived in Charlotte).  Gemma really didn't like the baby's matching crown until she saw herself with the baby in the mirror.  I think I'll be making some doll clothes for Christmas...

Her main gift was this high chair 

Bret made of pine.  

It's really nice.  

These are two more books she received, because she really loves her books.  When Dominic was two, he was still chewing the corners off the books, like a puppy.  Dominic.  Domini Canus.  God's dog.

It was a good birthday.

And just in case you haven't seen enough of this girl, here are posts about her home-birth and about her first birthday.

{this moment} she's two, she's beautiful, and she's mine

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Hosted by SouleMama.

{this moment}:mending baby

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Hosted by SouleMama.

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty|

{happy}

{funny}

{real}

Join Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter for more (click on the post header above).

{this moment}: gratitude

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Hosted by SouleMama.

[Those of you who have followed my blog this week know how very ill Gemma was.  We still have a few things to clear up, but she is so much improved--Deo Gratias!

The news is good!

Gemma is getting better!  As of yesterday she showed signs of finally responding to the shots of antibiotic in the rear end she received for four days in a row.  Her breathing is much improved, and her temperature is staying down.  She is sleeping much better at night.  But it wasn't easy getting her to this point.

Not shown are the shots of antibiotics and steroids she has had to endure, not to mention all the testing, listed in the post below.

She still has congestion, diarrhea, diaper rash, thrush and fluid in her ears, and is still refusing to eat and drink (there may still be some infection on her tonsils).  She has lost 3 lbs. and we have to sort of distract her to get a mouthful of cottage cheese into her.  But she is no longer dangerously ill.  The last five days have been the longest month of my life...

She has several more days of antibiotics to do, although no more shots.  And she will need a checkup with Dominic's ENT to look at her tonsils and ears and adenoids.  The good doctor thinks that Dominic may have been the bug-carrier, but he got only an ear infection.  His responded to the amoxicillin.  I suppose somewhere along the line it could have mutated.  I don't really know.

I feel so grateful to the doctors and nurses at our little clinic.  They were all so kind and concerned about Gemma, and so happy to see her getting better.  Life is good...God is good...

Many, many thanks to all those who prayed for Gemma and for me.  Your prayers and your emails were a comfort and meant so much to me.

Really sick baby

The last few days haven't been fun.  Gemma has a constant temperature, a hideously infected pair of tonsils, congestion, loads of mucous, an ear infection and diarrhea.  She has gone to see a doctor four times (and must go again tomorrow).  She has had a rectal temperature taken twice, a swab stuck up her nose twice, a plastic tube put up her nose once, blood taken, x-rays taken, given five injections and force-fed everything from Motrin to Hydrocodone to various antibiotics to just plain water, as she is becoming dehydrated.

Seems she has a resistant form of strep and we are hoping that this third antibiotic will do the trick, as the next thing would cause diarrhea, which might require her to go to the hospital for IV fluids.  Everything is on hold around here.  Just hoping that everything will pull together for Easter.

I appreciate your prayers.  May God reward you...

Monday Musings--the Sunday Night Edition and Prayer Request

Right now...it is 10:30 p.m., Sunday night and I can't sleep.  I need to request some prayers yet again.

This weekend...was awful.  On Thursday Gemma had a stuffy nose, which I thought might be allergies.  On Friday it became obvious that it was not allergies, and I thought she had a cold.  She did not want to eat, and her nose was runny, but she seemed happy enough for me not to worry.  Friday night she woke many times, due I thought to congestion (makes it hard to take her pacifier).  On Saturday I realized something more was going on.  She awoke with a low fever and refused food and drink, was listless and her breath was foul.  So off to the ER in Gallatin.  Swollen, pus-covered tonsils.  They gave her a steroid for the inflammation, amoxicillin, and hydrocodone/acetaminophen for pain and fever.  Based on the few experiences I have had with antibiotics in my kids, I expected that after a couple of doses and a good sleep she would be somewhat improved in the morning.  She awoke after a fair night's sleep at 6:30 with a fever, still refusing food, although she did drink a bit, and looking even worse than the day before.  I gave her Tylenol, but after an hour it hadn't done much.  I called the doctor and he said he thought it might be a resistant form of strep, and to bring her back to the ER.

Bret got home from Mass with the kids and we went back to the ER.  She cried as soon as we went in, and with good reason.  They did two rectal temperature readings, put a tube up her nose to suction mucous for a flu test and then gave her a shot of a potent antibiotic.  Now I am forcing her meds down her throat (which must hurt like crazy, since she won't even take much water), and listening to her labored, rattling breathing.  I have never had a child this sick.  I don't handle it well, although I am keeping it together outwardly for the sake of my family.  I was so sure she would be better this morning that now I am fearful of tomorrow--afraid that once again I will find her worse instead of better.

I put her to bed at 8, went to bed myself at 9:30, and she awoke at 10 and 10:30.  I am wondering if she will do this through the night, and what I am to do about it.

Some plans for this week:  Tomorrow is the feast of St. Gemma Galgani.  I am praying that the good saint will intercede for her namesake, who has a follow-up tomorrow with her doctor; we need to go shopping for groceries and some items for Una's birthday, which we are celebrating a week early on Saturday.  Dominic has his follow-up for his surgery on Friday, and I will have to bake Una's cake then as well.  I can't think of anything else.  I have a feeling it will not be a very heavy school week.

If I find some time for myself I want to: I had a dozen plans and I can't focus on any of them now.

Special prayer intentions for this week:  Gemma to get well!  I can't concentrate on anything and I feel restless and anxious, not to mention the fact that she wants to be carried and held every waking moment.  I would gladly oblige her in this, and do so to the best of my abilities, but I have other children who require me as well.  I also pray that all goes well with Dominic's follow up and that I can get my act together for Una's birthday.

Something that makes me smile:  This little face when it is happy and healthy as in this photo.  I want to smile again...

{this moment}: first time at the lake

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Hosted by SouleMama.

Gemma's Happy Hippy Vest.

[Ravelry notes here]  The colors remind me of the wildly embroidered afghan jackets and vests of the late 60's (my mom had one...)

And for once, she actually seems to like it!

{this moment}: Gemma Eliana

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Hosted by SouleMama.

Gemma Eliana at 20 months

She turned twenty months on Monday.  She is becoming more willful, sometimes refusing food unless she can feed herself.  When she doesn't want a diaper change, she is so strong that I practically have to sit on her to change her.  She loves to play with Dominic, but likes to be on her own, looking at her board books, too.  She likes to sing and dance, and she loves her baby doll.

A breath of fresh air...

We are having a mild spell, and thank God for that.  My kids are outside, romping around, leaving me time to do my work in peace and quiet.

Poor Gemma--because of the cold and then the mud, she hasn't been out in ages.  She has absolutely no right to look as healthy as she does.

The older kids are getting a bit muddy out there, but do I care?  After weeks of having them indoors 24/7?  Not a chance.

It is amazing how silence and a glass of wine can make even washing dishes and folding laundry seem like a holiday in Waikiki.  Off to cook dinner now, only I will pretend I am at a spa in the Swiss Alps...

Waldorf doll cleaning tips, anyone...?

"Baby" is looking decidedly grungy, which isn't surprising in the least, seeing as "Baby" is carried around and cherished by a 19 month-old throughout much of each day.

Aside from the monumental difficulty in prying "Baby" away from Gemma long enough to clean her, I am at a loss for the best method of doing so.  She is stuffed with wool, so that pretty much limits me to a surface cleaning I think.  Has anyone out there had much success with the cleaning of these babies?

{this moment}:first pigtails

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Hosted by SoulMama.

{this moment}: pixie in stripes

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Hosted by SouleMama.

My favorite baby hat knitting pattern

Here it is, the fifth Aviatrix I've made.  I love how quickly these hats knit up, and on two needles.  (Um, by the way, Gemma doesn't really have a lumpy head, just hair done up into a little top-knot!)

Justine Turner has actually improved her original pattern, creating options for sizes newborn to 4+ and instructions for using sportweight, DK or worsted weight yarns.

I knit this one from Knit Picks' Andean Silk, in Cranberry.  It is very soft, and cozy.  It fits her rather large head just right now, which means it will likely be outgrown before winter is through.

Which gives me an excuse to go ahead and knit another one...

I'm installing rubber floors...

...or clothing her in bubble-wrap!

Inside looking out