It's February 10th and it's been exactly two weeks since your tonsillectomy and it's been quite the roller coaster ride. For starters, today is your first day back to school and your first day that you are finally allowed to eat your beloved crunchy snacks. For the about the first week, you were quite the non complaining champ about it all...and then days 5-9 happened to you. You really didn't complain still, but your pain level sky rocketed and it was really tough to watch you go through that. You trembled and shivered in pain, you had a low grade fever during that time, you wouldn't eat, and you were so weak that you would weep in misery from it all. It was all we could do to just get calories in you in any way we could because you didn't want popsicles or ice cream at all during your recovery. Can you believe that? It wasn't until day 9 that you started having any interest in the ice-cream that I had made for you and it was on that day that you 'turned a corner' because you weren't weeping in pain with every bite of food you tried to eat. And by day 10 it was as though you were almost brand new again in the sense that you would eat without a tear, not that you would eat much though. It wasn't until day 12 that you would finally sleep through the night. This surgery was more tough on you that I had thought it would be. You were in a LOT of pain and we hated seeing you that way.
It's also been tough on your disposition and temperament. It seemed to bring you to a place that pushed you backward. Last month's blog I wrote about how 'stellar' and 'award winning' you were being, but it looks like the combination of the anesthesia wearing off and the pain/recovery from this surgery has your mood and disposition in a bit of a rut. You have been saying, "NO!" to us a lot so far this month and you have been having the most nonsense temper tantrums ever. Honestly, they are almost odd because it's just the silliest stuff that wouldn't usually upset you to the level that it's upsetting you so I truly believe it is as the Doctor and Nurse said; which is, the anesthesia will take time to completely rid itself in your system. Aaannnnddd...you know why else? Because you had two weeks of being 'babied' and 'spoiled' during your tonsillectomy recovery and well, good habits die easy.
You are riding the train of Daddy doting and I told him yesterday that he is going to have to scale back with the giving you your way, bargaining, and bribing you for good behavior now that you have been given Doctor's permission to resume 'normal' activity. You and Daddy were at odds quite a bit this past weekend because of your behavior. I don't know any other way to describe this so don't take this literally when I use the expression you have a love-hate relationship. I use that expression because you two are very similar so when you're good, it's good. When you're bad, it's bad. Daddy likes to make demands out of you but fails to remember that you both are very smilier personalities and he HATES having demands made of him. So, since you both are alike, you HATE it too so imagine what happens when he demands stuff out of you? You snap at him with upset. He also likes to ask you stuff like, "Briella, do you want to take a nap?" I stand there and just about laugh because you are 3 and of course you don't want to take a nap! Instead of making it into a statement, he will ask you if you want to do something that any 3 year old would say no to doing and then guess what happens? He gets frustrated. And then guess what you do? You go against what he was hoping you would've said yes to do and then the similar personality war begins. This happens every.single.time.
I can't help but wonder if it will still be like this when you are reading this blog? Is it still this way? Are you secretly laughing to yourself right now or did you just have an epiphany to the relationship you have with him thinking, 'Oh my goodness, I AM just like my dad." Yes, sweetie, yes you are. You are so differently behaved for him than with me and you know why? Because you know that you will eventually wear him down and you will get your way. There's never a time you run to me crying. You run to him crying. You cry out his name, not my name, when you want your way. Does he want to admit that you wear him down and he just gives in to stop your whining? No, never. But that's what happens. You are very smart like that. You get it from him. He's very smart too. My true hope is by the time you are reading this that he will no longer be getting worn down from you and you will have learned that we are your parents, we give you respect and expect it in return, and we will always win. (wink, wink).
Nevertheless, hopefully we can begin scaling you back to the behavior you were having before your surgery, before the pain, and before all the screen time because you've naturally gotten into some bad habits due to the necessity of keeping you 'resting', 'happy', and 'comfortable' during your recovery.
You also had a very red, scaly, dry, cracked rash all around your face since after your surgery. It is just finally starting to heal as of today so I can't help but wonder what that was all about as well?
It's been a long recovery for you, but I know you are already reaping the rewards. Now that you are starting to sleep through the night again, you don't thrash around in your bed like you used to do, you sleep so quietly, you eat so quietly, you sit still with your mouth closed instead of your mouth hanging open gasping for air like you used to do, and I think all of those things are really going to help you in the long run. Today was your first day back to preschool since your surgery so we'll quickly find out just how well this surgery helps with fighting off the constant, revolving door of sickness you were experiencing and bringing home to all of us.
I also keep forgetting to write in these blogs about your 'bag lady' personality trait. If you find a bag, you fill it. If you don't have a bag, you want a bag just so you can fill it. You take random puzzle pieces. coasters from the end tables, tissues, paper towels, and/or just about anything you can get your hands on to put into that bag. Then, here comes the even more annoying part: when you either hide your bag or it ends up in your bed all under your covers. I'm pretty sure by the time you read this you will already know that I do not like clutter, disorganization, and that everything has it's place and well, when you do the bag lady thing...it makes my blood pressure elevate just a bit. (wink, wink).
All of a sudden, just this month, at almost 3.5 years old, you have discovered that you can sneak out of bed at night. Daddy and I will be downstairs watching TV and we will hear banister noises on the stairs and there you are, sitting on the stairs watching us in the living room. Something about the darkness of night must make you think that watching TV or sitting on the couch seems different to you. You are so intrigued. I've had to implement the "There are rules at bedtime and you get one warning. If you get out of bed again, there will be a consequence." Then you ask, "What will be my consequence?" I always tell you, "You don't want to find out so I wouldn't break the rule." So far, you've cooperated every time with a warning, but your curiosity to most anything in life is really peaking.
After you attended your full first week back to school, you had a fever by midnight on Friday morning, February 13th. By evening, it was 103.2 and you had ALL the symptoms of the flu. You would go on to have a very high fever of 102-104 for four days. Your teacher told another adult, "All the kids have been coughing this week." and 'lo and behold, two days later you were sick. It's extremely upsetting and, I'm not going to lie, it makes me want to pull you out of school because of the irresponsible parents sending their children to school when they are contagious. Drainage=contagious, coughing=contagious, but it feel like parents don't seem to care. Needless to say, it is Thursday, February 26th and your nose is just finally starting to dry up, your cough is finally lessening, and you've had two nights of sleeping through the night (by yourself) and guess what? You've got another fever today. What a rough, rough two weeks. You were so sick. I sure hope this new fever is a quick cold. You had such a very high fever for almost 4 days during your flu. It was quite scary watching you in so much pain. And I know you were in pain because my fever was only 100-101 and I felt crummy and weak so I can't imagine what you were feeling with such a high fever. Like the Doctor said, you (and Gianna) were very fortunate that it didn't turn into bronchitis and pneumonia and for that I am grateful.
And on February 28th, a day after taking Gianna to the Doctor for her flu check up, you got a new sickness with fever, headache, you say your throat hurts, stomach ache, and general 'not feeling well' symptoms. I am also feeling the same way today. I hardly ever take medicine and I had to take a Ibuprofen/Acetaminophen blend just to dull the throbbing headache and body aches. I can hardly believe you are sick AGAIN. Oh, Briella, when will you stop getting sick? It is never ending. An entire month of sickness between you, me, and your sister. It's been maddening.
But, as an update from the beginning of the month to the end of the month, your behavior, attitude, obedience, and respect levels have been back to being amazing again. You + pain = not the nicest child. Take the pain away or give you medicine during your pain and you are in this verbally loving, amazing, helpful, agreeable, pleasing, eager to learn, eager to initiate phase of life. I LOVE it! You have a love for helping me clean the bathroom, excitedly making your bed, and I am so proud of me and you for this: I helped you learn how to spell your name. You can spell it and you can identify the letters to spell it. Wow, you are amazing.
You also think that helping me clean the house is a reward. It's absolutely adorable. You excitedly ask to clean the bathrooms, basement, dishes, and oh yeah, you began setting the table all on your own this month. One night I was making dinner and the next thing I knew, you were getting silverware and napkins and making place settings for us all. You are really growing up and you impress me so much with your abilities and your love for life.
It's February 10th and you are currently in a very bad sleep training set back. You've been cutting teeth like crazy (you are cutting your 3rd top tooth). It seems you have lost all memory of how to fall asleep and put yourself back to sleep by yourself between the teething and a 18 hour fever last week because of us comforting you through the pain of those things and you getting used to being held and/or picked up from the crib. We used to lay you down when you were drowsy and you would put yourself to sleep. If you would wake in the night before your 'hungry hour', you'd whimper for a moment or so and then you'd be right back to sleep, but that skill seems so easily lost when you've either been sick or experience pain from teething. Now, we lay you down and you immediately stand up and if we don't appease your whims, you begin to cry. If we make eye contact with you, you begin to smile and get playful. When you wake through the night, you sit up or stand up practically demanding to be held right then and there. It's amazing how quickly you little ones learn to change the routines! I'm encouraged as today you pulled this typical charade and with a few times of 'reminding' you of what to do by laying you down after you would stand up, you stood up and less than 5 minutes later, your tired eyes had you laying down to sleep all by yourself. Let's hope we are back on our way to you remembering how to sleep again.
I can't even make this stuff up if I try. So, you've put yourself to sleep for a couple naps this week which is amazing. We're back on our way to good sleeping habits, right? Then...you slept throughout the night from 7:30pm-5:30am last night; which would have been my first night of sleep in Lord only knows been in months, but guess what? Your sister came down with a fever and cough and was up from midnight until 5:00am with your Dad and I both tending off and on to her.
You officially have your own toothbrush and you are getting your teeth brushed every night. You give your Daddy the sweetest kisses upon request. You have graduated to a forward facing seat in the car and you totally love it. You absolutely despise diaper changes and it's like wrestling an alligator to get you to lay still during them. You are pulling yourself up and "playing kitchen" in your own little way with the kitchen play set. You LOVE steak and most any green vegetable; especially green beans. You had your 9 month check up and the Doctor's words were, "Her growth chart is perfect. She has a perfect growth curve." She's always so pleased with your development when you go for your check ups. The downside of that appointment was that you got a fever 24 hours after the appointment, most certainly from touching the examination table and the Doctor and nurses touching your hands. Not to mention the fact that you always have your thumb in your mouth.
I also didn't write this last month because it wasn't a constant thing, but it seems as though you may have graduated completely from wearing the constant all day bib for spit ups, vomits, etc. Going from a baby who soiled almost every single bib, burp cloth, blanket, sheets, and our clothes on a daily basis to not needing one single bib a day is a HUGE achievement for you. You don't even understand how HUGE that is for you with your throwing up history. You only throw up when I eat something 'offensive' to your system which is: chocolate, commercial dairy (i.e. cheeses), avocado, corn containing foods, and coconut. If I thoughtfully avoid those foods, you hardly, if at all, will spit up or throw up. It's been great for all of us involved; especially you. I'm so happy for you! You still don't like to eat plain bananas, but did enjoy a gluten free/sugar free banana bread that I made and best part, it didn't seem to upset your system. No throw ups. No rashes. Yay.
You also allowed me to achieve something that I've been really wanting, needing, and hoping to do for the past few months. You entertained yourself in the pack and play while I worked out. I was (am) so proud of you for letting me do that. Your sister never, ever, ever let me do anything while she was in the pack and play. The moment she was put into it, she would cry and carry on with fits so I put you in there assuming the same result and 30 minutes later, not one single whine or cry to get out. You happily watched me and smiled at me. I felt like you were my personal cheerleader. But all good things fitness related seem to not last long for me because after a full week of working out, your sister, you, and me all came down with the flu and here I am, two weeks later, a weak, sleep deprived zombie (because you still aren't sleeping well at all because of your congestion and cough) who could care less about working out again. So sad, too, because I was feeling motivated again.
So, yes, you got the flu. It was awful, scary, and miserable. You poor, poor little thing. You are going on two weeks of getting it and you are still draining a lot; which means you are coughing too. Your sleep has been insanely BAAAAAADDD because of not being able to breathe from congestion, coughing disrupting you, and just the miserable yuckies of being sick. I absolutely hated this for you. I've had you to the Doctor a few times because I just needed confirmation that you are doing okay and healing appropriately. I'm so glad the worst is behind you, but there's a reason why they say that the flu is serious for babies because there were definitely a few worrisome days, but I tell you what, you are a tough little girl.
Here it is the last day of February and you are the happiest today that you've been in weeks, but now I am pleading to God that you don't get the fever that struck Briella last night and has subsequently left me feeling quite cruddy today too. I am begging the Lord to PLEASE keep you from getting sick, yet again. Did I mention that you cut two bottom teeth all during your flu and Mommy was accidentally eating cookies with coconut oil in them causing you to have your bright red cheeks and even more sleeplessness? You were seriously getting hit from every angle that past few weeks. I was so sad for you. It just seemed like too much for a little baby to have to endure.
Superbowl get together fun with Uncle Nick
Playing with their tablets during Briella's "light activity" restriction during tonsil recovery.
Gianna's random fever (notice the rosy cheeks) after her 9 month check up.
Looking up to Mommy. What a sweetie.
TEETHING!
You looked so happy in this picture and one would think you probably ate up all of those french fries, but that was the one and only bite you took of those fries. You hardly ate during your tonsillectomy recovery.
Briella, here you are during your tonsillectomy recovery time and you can see how exhausted you look. Poor thing.
Shopping trip to Costco with you cuties. You both LOVE your snacks.
Briella, you were so exhausted after our shopping trip and you stayed asleep even after I got Gianna and the groceries out of the car. You NEVER do that. You were still recovering from your tonsillectomy so I didn't want to disturb you so I put the window down and kept the kitchen door open. You slept for an hour.
You love your 'clippy clop" shoes. That's what you call them.
Tonsillectomy post-op appointment.
Always got that thumb in your mouth.
Gianna, you love playing in your kitchen.
You're such a good eater.
You are officially forward facing in the car now. I think you can see that you really enjoy it.
This is your eyes during one of your food sensitivity induced insomnia. So sad when you can't sleep because of food. Look at how swollen and tired they look.
You may be sisters; however, you are both are so unique in your personality and appearance. I love the individuality.
A lovely Sunday to play outside after taking Gianna's 9 month pictures.
Gianna looks like Daddy's baby picture!
Getting ready for school all by yourself.
Gianna playing on Briella's bed while trying to wake her up.
Valentine's Cuties. This picture was taken four days before Valentine's Day for Briella's V-day party at school and good thing I took these pictures early because Briella was VERY sick with a high fever and the flu on the 14th.
This smile. So contagious.
More Valentine's Day party pictures.
I love Gianna's look of adoration for Briella.
Our beautiful darlings.
First Valentine's Day compare pictures.
The one and only week I've worked out since before pregnancy with Gianna...and then got the flu a few days later. Never fails.
This is the face of the flu on Valentine's Day, no less. Briella, you got Valentines from your friends Addalee and Abigail while you were dealing with your flu and it really made you happy and cheered you up.
Flirting with Mommy during snack time.
Briella, look how you've grown!
Only Gianna would play with her bulb suction ("snot sucker") as a toy.
I didn't take any pictures of you girls during the first few 'worst' days of the flu, but here you both are about a week into it: red, snotty noses and all.
Flu and more flu mornings.
Jamming out with Uncle Nick.
Yes, Briella, you have Gianna push you around.
Briella: your new chore at dinner time. Cleaning the pots and pans. You think it's the best thing.
Look at the silly faces!
It's always fun letting Briella dress herself. She said she was wearing her "seat belt".
Playing tea party with her animals.
Bedtime cuddles when Daddy was traveling. Briella, you call this "Tickle time!"
Here I am, Mommy.
Uh oh, look at how proud Gianna is to touch the TV receiver. She knows it's a "No" too.
Personal Reflections:
I truly believe God gives will, strength, and persistence to those willing to believe in it and grab onto it. This month has been nothing short of trying, for lack of a better word. Here I am writing this on the eve of February 28th when I should be sleeping because, well, I haven't slept all month. I count myself LUCKY if I get 5-6 hours of 'glued together' sleep each night between one or both of you girls not sleeping this month from fevers, flu, food issues, or tonsillectomy recovery. This last week of this month has been particularly more difficult than the others because my body is just so worn down from having the flu myself, not being able to get any kind of rest and recovery during it because Daddy had to work, you girls weren't sleeping at all through the night, and I just had to keep mustering up the strength to take care of you both. I'm going to be completely honest, there were many nights these past two weeks that I have held Gianna in her rocking chair in the middle of the night just crying from sheer exhaustion and physical pain. In those moments just wishing I could sleep while prayerfully being thankful that neither of your flu conditions were so severe that you were hospitalized. We were very fortunate for that and I remember to count my blessings.
