Worst Night of My Life!

Cole had been sick for a few days but nothing alarming. He had a clear runny nose, low grade fever, and a little cranky. On Thursday night his temp started to get high so Brian and I had Cole sleep with us. On Friday he woke up feeling better and I thought the worst was behind us. Then Friday night came and his fever returned. Brian and I decided to take shifts so I slept with Cole in the guest room. At 11pm his temp was pretty high, 102.4, so we took a luke warm bath. We laid back down and both of us slept off and on. Then at 2am Cole leaned over on my chest and was just staring at me. I noticed he was shaking so I picked him up and felt he was ON FIRE. I laid him down to take his temp but I noticed something was off. He wasn't responding to anything; touch, movement and worst of all his eyes didn't move. I did the finger test and he couldn't follow me. I then tried to stand him up and he couldn't stand on his own. I put him in my lap and did a few basic commands and still nothing. My son was a shell. I grabbed him and ran upstairs to get Brian. I yelled to Brian that we needed to go to the ER that something was wrong with Cole. At that time, I turned on the light and realized Cole wasn't breathing. I started screaming that Cole wasn't breathing and we needed to call 911 Brian flew out of bed. Just as he went to take him from me Cole threw up all over me, Brian and the carpet. I left Cole with Brian and ran to call 911. When I returned Cole was breathing heavily. He was alert but lethargic. Brian was holding him and trying to keep him calm. I was beside myself with worry. I have the best husband who knows I need to fix things and since I couldn't fix Cole he had me running minor errands to keep me from collapsing and going into preterm labor. I fetched his shoes, some gum, the dogs leash, turned on the porch light and then the fire department showed up. They evaluated Cole and said they felt he had a a febrile seizure. Cole and I were transported to the ER and Brian followed right behind. When we arrived his temp was 104.2. They are predicting his temp reached between 105 to 106. After 3 hours in the ER his temp was under control (99.8) and they ruled out phenomena through chest x-rays since his chest was retracting when we were brought in.

We spent the rest of the weekend with a close eye on Cole to ensure his temp did not get to high.
On Monday morning when I went to change Cole's diaper I noticed a rash on his belly and back. We were going into see Cole's doctor this morning so we figured we discuss the seizure and now the rash. We meet with Cole's doctor and it was confirmed that Cole had been suffering from Rosella. I was happy to have a diagnoses but I was still saddened that my son had to endure such a horrific moment. The doctor ensured Cole doesn't even remember the seizure but it is a moment that will forever be etched into my brain.

I am so thankful Cole has returned to his energetic, happy, get into everything self.

For the definition of a febrile seizure go to the Mayo Clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/febrile-seizure/ds00346

Visit with Grandpa

My father-in-law spent a few days with us in early April. J greeted Cole with a stuffed puppy dog that Cole loved and still plays with. We enjoyed a nice dinner out and called it an early evening. The next day was Easter so we went to church and after church enjoyed a nice brunch. Cole's favorite part of brunch was grandpa giving him endless chocolate chips. I sat back and watched the two of them bond over chocolate chips. Afterwards we went home for Cole to find his Easter basket and all the goodies the Easter Bunny left for him.

For Cole's 1st b-day, J and A sent Cole a 4x4 wagon. Brian and I have been so busy with life that we hadn't put the wagon together yet. Grandpa couldn't believe that his grandson had gone almost 4 months without this wagon so he pulled out the wagon box, some tools and daddy, grandpa and Cole started to put the wagon together. It was fun for me to watch the 3 generations work together. Brian was handy with the hammer, grandpa put the wheels and base together while Cole sat in the in the wagon the whole time instructing (by saying more) where to put everything. After the wagon was put all together grandpa took Cole for many rides around the living room then the backyard the next day. Cole has enjoyed his new wagon and we are still taking daily rides. Thank you grandpa and A for a great gift!!

On our last day with grandpa we took Cole to Pretend Play. Cole and grandpa spent hours walking around playing at the pretend beach, building a fort, planting vegetables. However, I think Cole enjoyed being pushed in the car the most.
It was a wonderful long weekend and we were sad to see J go. Our next visit with J & A can't come soon enough! And grandpa, we will be working on expanding Cole's vocabulary beyond mama and more. There are no guarantee's but we'll try :)

We're having a Boy!

On April 6th, I had my first ultrasound appointment. By my calculations I was 17w 5d on the day of the ultrasound. We got into the tech's room and she turned the lights down, put the wand on my belly and quickly lifted it. She stated, "I already know what you're having. Would you like to know?" I replied, "YES!" She placed the wand back on my belly, I looked up to the screen and there was no need to say a word our son was doing a full head stand with his legs wide apart. He is not a shy boy AT ALL! I heard her say, "It's a BOY. Congratulations." All his measurements were either right on my anticipated due date or measuring a little larger (18w 2d). His heart, kidneys and brain looked fantastic but the shot that always amazes me is the spine. It is amazing how perfect his spine looks. We were even able to count his fingers and toes :)

I have to share a little secret: I have to admit I was beyond thrilled to be having another little boy for two reasons; 1) I know how to be a mom to a boy 2) Brian and I will be trying for baby # 3 (when the time is right). You see if this baby had been a girl Brian was ready to stop. He wanted a 4 family household. I on the other hand have always wanted more than 2 children so 3 was my compromise.

This little boy is already so loved and wanted. I am happy to say this pregnancy has been going rather smoothly and we are very excited to meet our little boy in 21 weeks!

First Hair Cut

I couldn't ignore the fact that Cole's hair was an inch below his collar, hanging over his ears and starting to curl out. It was time, okay maybe a month or two late, for his first official haircut! I found a local kids hair cutting salon and Brian and I took Cole in. Unfortunately, on the way to the salon Cole fell asleep so being woken up to be put in the a car chair with a perfect stranger was a little more than he wanted to handle.


Daddy did a great job at getting him to laugh, at times, and I found a sucker to let him indulge in. After 15-20 minutes our baby boy had turned into a handsome toddler. He did cry most of the time but HE DID SURVIVE :)











His first haircut looks great and I couldn't be more proud of my little boy!









After Cole's hair was cut we decided to take him to the local petting zoo. It took Cole a little while to get used to all the animals running around him but with a little coaxing from daddy he was was to become "best" friends with anything that would sit still.








The petting zoo also had a train that daddy took Cole on. I think Cole liked being able to sit in his own car. He was all smiles as the train went round and round. After the petting zoo we had lunch at a great little Italian restaurant where Cole I shared many Eskimo kisses. Once we were home everyone took at nap. All and all it was a perfect day :)

My first lemon...

and yes, he went back for 2nd's and 3rd's

Mountain Lion

Cole, Zabdack and I were just finishing our evening walk on Thursday when I noticed Animal Control and Fish and Game in front of my next door neighbors house. He happened to be outside and I jokingly asked if he spotted a mountain lion. He started laughing and said well kind of. WHAT?!?!? So he went on to tell me what happened. Every day he takes his dogs out for a walk on the trail behind our homes. For two days his Golden Retriever kept running up a hill acting curious. So on the third day he decided to go check it out. He saw a dead deer. He didn't think much of it but decided to call Animal Control. They went and checked it out and Animal Control had confirmed a mountain lion kill and the said he needed to notify Fish and Game. When Animal Control and Fish and Game went back out to check the deer it had been buried. Meaning the mountain lion had intended on finishing his meal! Fish and Game commented that the lion would probably within in 100ft of them at that moment watching what they were doing. They decided it was best to remove the deer in hope the mountain lion will continue on his way and since it is a heavily used trail they didn't want anyone to come up on the lion while he was feasting.

I am a trail runner. I am not naive. I know there are mountain lions out there. My backyard is in the woods, I know that there is a possibility of a mountain lion roaming my yard. Even though I know this I don't really expect it to happen! So when a fresh kill was located less than a quarter mile from my backyard and on a trail Zabdack and I use every weekend and in a spot Zabdack and I walk past every weekend it hit close to home. I am not going to stop using the trails around me but I will stop using them alone.

Here are a few pictures of our backyard

Busy Week

For almost two weeks Cole and I had been confined to the house because one or both of us were sick. This past week we were feeling better and the weather was gorgeous (high 70's) so I wanted to send as much time outside as possible.

Mommy hurry and take me to see some animals!

On 3/17, Cole and I drove to the LA Zoo to meet a friend and her son (Cole's age). We walked all over the zoo and the boys enjoyed playing with each other, running up and down the stroller ramps and watching the animals sleep. Since it was a hot day we didn't see much movement out of most the animals. However, Cole did have a favorite animal, the squirrel. The squirrel exhibit allowed me to push the stroller right up to the glass. There was one squirrel, how do I say this nicely, acted like he was on crack! He would run up to the glass (right where Cole was sitting), run away up the branch, jump on his fellow sleeping squirrel friends, then back down to the glass, chase his tail and up the branch again. Cole was watching him like a hawk clapping the entire time saying, "mo, mo, mo, mo". We sat there for at least 30 minutes and this squirrel never slowed down. I enjoyed my day with V her son J and Cole. We have been talking on a baby website for almost two years so it was really nice to meet her in person and talk. We had a great time and I look forward to spending another day with V and her son.

Cole and his friend J

On 03/18, Cole and I meet our friends E, E and T at the local water fountain. The kids spent nearly two hours playing the fountain while E and I sat back and enjoyed the sun. It was a wonderful afternoon. I can always gage the success of a day based on how fast Cole falls asleep. Let's just say I wasn't even out of the parking lot and he was snoring!

On 03/19, Cole and I went and visited my grandma and aunt. This has become a weekly tradition for us that I look forward to and treasure. I have always been close to my grandma and want Cole to grow up knowing his great grandma her smell, laugh, voice and endless amounts of love!

Lastly, this week Cole worked on cutting two new molars. I say worked on cutting because I believe cutting molars is HARD WORK! Poor kid was in so much pain this week. However, I see the end near. Two of the four points have broken through on each side and the other two points are so close. I think the hard part is behind us (for now). Cole is 14 months old and he has 12 teeth!