Wagon Ride

Last Sunday, Matt and I took MR on her first wagon ride. We got the wagon from our sweet neighbor (for only $15!) whose daughters had outgrown it. Score!

Getting ready to ride...

And we're off!

She really loved it...she kept saying "Rine rine!" (Ride ride)

Pulling MR around in the wagon really made me antsy for fall to get here...I can't wait to be outside more! I already have plans to decorate the wagon and pull MR around the neighborhood to go trick or treating.

I also should mention that MR was not as well as I thought when I wrote the last post. That same day she spiked another fever over 103 and was very moody and irritable. Then, she developed an awful rash all over her body. It was pitiful. The good news is that it didn't hurt her or seem to itch at all, which was a major blessing.

Her pediatrician thinks that it was an allergic reaction to amoxicillin so we stopped giving it to her immediately. However, it still took a couple of days for the rash to get better and completely disappear. I am so happy to report that she is now completely rash free and fever free.

And, she has 2 (possibly 3) new teeth that have broken through in the recent weeks which makes me think they may have been the reason for the fevers. Either way, my baby is feeling better and I am getting adequate sleep again. Praise the Lord! ;)

Sick Baby

Well, the inevitable happened. At almost 17 months of age, Molly Ruth got sick for the first time ever. I knew this day would eventually come and I'm thankful we managed to avoid it for such a long time. However, my tactics to keep MR in a bubble were defeated by the germ farm that is the church nursery. Of course, I don't have proof that church was the culprit, but I have a very strong hunch.

On Wednesday of last week I put MR to bed and noticed she felt a little warm, but nothing too concerning. She has been cutting some teeth so I chalked it up to that. She then woke up at 4:30am, crying, and very hot. Temp was 101.5. I gave her some Tylenol and rocked her for a while. Her fever came down and she proceeded to play and eat normally for the rest of the day.

However, she threw up her snack and all of her dinner. I was definitely starting to get worried. At this point, I still thought it may have been due to teething until her temp reached 103.6 that night. It was then that I knew it was more than teething so I called the after hours number for her pediatrician and got some advice/ coaching on what to do. An hour after taking a fever reducer, her temp was back down to 102 so I felt like it was safe to avoid the ER and take her in to the pediatrician first thing the next morning.

So, we did. Of course the diagnosis was "something viral" and we were instructed to keep drinking lots of fluids and alternating fever reducers. Over the weekend, she seemed to be on the mend and her temperature had disappeared. And then a cough developed. And sneezing. And a runny nose. And irritability and sleeplessness.

So, on Tuesday we trotted back to the pediatrician. This time, she had fluid in her right ear and an ear infection. I was relieved to have a diagnosis and start some antibiotics. Ever since then, she's been improving.

She's still not 100%, but she's getting there. She was a trooper and I am glad to have that scary first bout of sickness over and done! Plus, I feel like I've gotten some important mom skills under my belt.

Cousins, cousins everywhere!

We recently celebrated our soon-to-be great nephew (which will actually be our second great nephew) with our nephew, Zach, and his wife, Courtney at their baby shower. Baby Jaxon is due to arrive in the next few weeks and we are so happy for Zach and Courtney to soon experience that sweet bundle of love that will forever change their lives.

Below is the happy couple in their post present opening haze (who knew such a small person required so much stuff?!)...

Molly Ruth was a busy little girl during the entire shower. She must have walked no less than a hundred laps around the church's fellowship hall.

She also refused to wear her glasses most of that particular afternoon...

Toward the end of the shower, MR discovered some hula hoops hiding in a corner and decided to slow down long enough to play with them...

MR trying to escape Uncle Greg's kisses...

and getting some hugs from Zach...

Congratulations Zach and Courtney! We can't wait to meet the next baby Scott ;)

Bad, bad blogger

It's pretty obvious my blogging has been lagging lately. It just takes me so long to complete a post. Once I go through pictures and choose the best ones, decide on a subject matter, and proofread (no less than 20 times- NERD ALERT!), it almost always takes me a whole day to get to the final product. So, I have been talking myself out of blogging a lot lately. I also blame my absence on the fact that several of the keys on our laptop are sticking and must be pressed 2 or 3 times before they work, which makes typing not so enjoyable. But, I'll quit talking about not writing and actually write!

Let's see...since my last post about Mother's Day (yikes! has it really been that long?), we've mostly been sticking close to home, indoors, far far away from the sweltering heat of this dry, hot summer.

As I mentioned in a previous post, MR took her first steps at 13 months. She offically started walking in her 15th month. She built up her confidence one night in her room while Matt, mom, and I were all in there with her. Up until that night, she'd take a few steps and then intentionally drop to her knees. But, on the soft, pink flowered safety net that is the rug in her room, she decided to take a few steps, pivot, turn, and then take a few more! She is so active now and is slimming up every day because of it. I miss my butterball baby but am so thankful for a healthy, active toddler.

Pictured above is MR with her baby. I cannot stress enough how much she loves this baby. Baby goes everywhere she goes. She has even recently started sharing her food and "wa wa" (what she calls all liquids) with her baby. She must say "baybeee baybeee" a million times a day. It's so sweet. We even recently bought a back-up baby identical to this one just in case, God forbid, this one ever goes missing.

Molly Ruth loves books and often picks one out, brings it to me, and says "book!" That's her way of letting me know she's ready to read a story. Her current favorites are Madeline loves animals, Where is baby's belly button?, Elmo and Friends, Ten Little Ladybugs, and Dora goes to the Beach. She likes to point to different animals in the books and make the sound that they make. She also likes to "count" things in the books and will point to different objects and say "baa doo deeeee!" (One, two, three)

Yep, my baby girl is a toddler and I am loving this stage. She learns so much so quickly and each day is different than the last. I love looking at things through her eyes for the first time. It's refreshing (and funny) to see things through the eyes of a toddler. Her little imagination is already running wild and I love to dream about what her passions and hopes and dreams will be. Maybe she will be a writer or a nurse or a musician or an athlete. Or maybe she will want to save animals or be an activist or a missionary. Whatever her destiny, I pray that God gives me the right words and actions to encourage her and uplift her to reach her full potential in whatever journey she is meant to complete.

Mother's Day Beach Trip

This year, we celebrated Mother's Day in a very special way by taking a last minute trip to the beach. On Mother's Day, Grandma Marsh, mom, Matt, Molly and I drove all the way through Alabama (which included a mandatory stop at Peach Park in Clanton- can you say fried peach pies !?) and ended up in Watersound, Florida (the 30A area, in between Panama City and Destin), where we spent the following week relaxing, eating too much, and soaking up some sun. It was fantastic! The condo where we stayed had an amazing view to watch the Florida sunsets...

The weather was perfect the entire time we were there. We even got to watch a small storm (complete with purple and pink lightening bolts) roll in over the ocean on our last night.

Warning: below you will find exceedingly cute photos of a baby in swimsuits...

After swimming in the pool on the first morning, we napped (well, Molly napped), ate, and took a moment to get a few photos on the balcony. I was insistent on getting a good picture of all four generations and I am so glad that we did!

Pictured above: Fredda Ruth, age 87. Rebecca Ruth, age 60. Jillian Ruth, age 29. Molly Ruth, age 14 months.



Molly had lots of fun practicing her new walking skills!

On the second day, we packed up the (massive amount of) gear needeed to play at the beach with an infant/ toddler. I guess MR is a toddler, but referring to her as an infant/ toddler is somehow less shocking. (This mama isn't ready for her baby to be a little girl yet!)

Initially, I was afraid we lugged the 3 tons of gear down to the beach for nothing because MR was not happy...



But, Matt pitched the tent (insert Butthead's laugh here) that we brought and the much needed shade bought us a little more time.



Molly apprehensively played with the sand...



...and laughed as daddy buried her legs.





Note: MR had the most amazing hair days while we were at the beach. The Florida humidty is her best friend, I tell you!







After our beach adventure, Molly took a much needed nap. Then, daddy dressed her and snapped a few shots out on the balcony...



I think this next picture looks a lot like me when I was a child:











And, I couldn't resist putting her in a dress and taking some pictures on the beach ;)
















On the last day, we took a late afternoon swim...















It's safe to say that we had a great time. Honestly, I have a great time being a mother every day, no matter where we are or what we're doing. I am forever grateful to God for giving me the gift of motherhood.