Playdate with Nate

Christmas 2008

Christmas Picture

Santa 2008

The three of us went shopping in Greenville today and decided to stop by to see Santa. Caitlin was amazed by his beard, but knew better than to pull it. She just touched it and looked at him. The elves didn't allow much time for smiling, but at least she's not crying! There were other children around that had that part under control! Anyway, here's our precious gift....

Update on Caitlin

We just got in from our follow up visit with Dr. Hughes. Yesterday, we got some Pedialyte in her and tried to keep her hydrated. She did play around on the floor and seemed to be feeling somewhat better until her temp would go up. She went to sleep about 8pm when I was doing her breathing treatment. She woke up a few times during the night, but went back to sleep on her own. This morning she was not in a good mood. She screamed and screamed. I think she was hungry so I gave her two ounces of formula to see if she could tolerate it. She seemed a little more content and didn't get sick so I gave her two more ounces. We laid in the bed to watch Playhouse Disney and she fell right asleep. I ended up having to wake her up for her appt.
Dr Hughes said her ears still looked pretty bad and she was still wheezing. We got another shot of Rocephin - and this time she screamed the whole time. We also did another breathing treatment in the office and she let everyone in the building know that she was not enjoying herself! The antibiotic shot has given her diarrhea and thrush in her mouth. So, today we are starting the Nystatin to try to get rid of the thrush. The doctor also put her on oral antibiotics beginning tomorrow and she said that would probably make the diarrhea worse. We will be beginning Culturelle and yogurt for that. She also put her on a steroid and I'm praying that she will keep being her precious self and not turn into a demon! We go back in four days for a recheck and hope to be on the mend. We will discuss asthma at that point if the dr feels this is the case. She wheezes quite often and we might put her on a daily medicine for that. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. Lee and I are sticking together and hanging in there. There has been a tear or two shed, but all in all we're good.
We're preparing for some young people to come over and watch the Clemson/Carolina game shortly. I'm glad Caitlin is feeling some better for this. I'll keep you all posted as to how this next week goes.

This was Caitlin this morning before we took her back for her recheck. She looks bad, but nothing compared to yesterday morning!

Sick Baby

As you might have read yesterday, Caitlin hasn't been feeling too well. We didn't take her to the ER yesterday, but just watched her carefully here at home. Thanks to LaLa who gave me some pointers with her breathing effort.
Carmen and I headed out early this morning for the yearly black friday shopping. We shopped from 4-8am. Yes, it's crazy...I know! But we did find a few good deals. As soon as 8:00 came, I called the doctor's office and they said Caitlin could be seen at 9:20.
When I came home and got her up, she had a fever of 103.8 and was lethargic. I took her straight in and we saw the doc. We had another breathing treatment, but she still was wheezing and was just sitting in my lap. She would hold her head up, but only to turn it the other way. Definately no smiles for anyone. We were sent over to the hospital for a CBC, blood cultures, and a chest x-ray. She did great with those. The x-ray tech asked if she was always so calm - she just laid on the table and didn't even budge. I explained that she was quite active when she felt well, but it just let me know that she was indeed a sick little girl. We went back to the dr office after the tests to get the results. Turns out she has bilateral ear infections and bilateral pneumonia! Poor thing...no wonder she felt so bad. They gave her an antibiotic shot and said to come back tomorrow. Caitlin is usually squirmy with shots, as are most kids, so two nurses came in to give it. One held her legs while I held her arms and the other administered the shot. This medicine is thick and usually burns badly so it's not a pleasant experience for anyone. Today Caitlin hardly budged. She was asleep when I laid her on the table and she only opened her eyes when they gave her the shot. No crying, no squirming or anything - that's when I start to get nervous. I'd much rather have her crying and trying to get away! While waiting the required twenty minutes after the shot (to make sure she didn't have a reaction), I once again tried to give her a bottle. Imagine my delight when she drank half of it. That was better than she had been doing. Only then about thirty seconds later she threw up all over me and her. I was there by myself so I called to the nurse to help. She gave us some towels and I wiped off Caitlin, then proceeded to hand her to the dr who walked in! She held Caitlin while I wiped what I could off of my face, shirt, pants, shoes, chair, table, and floor!!! We changed her into a gown before heading home. They graciously offered me a gown, but I declined. Daddy sure would have a fit if both of us came home in gowns! As soon as we got home, he went to get some Pedialyte. Her fever had broke and she was beginning to feel some better. She has since taken another 2 1/2 hour nap and has kept down all of the pedialyte we've given her. Fever is going back up so she's taken her medicine again. Hopefully she will get some rest tonight and we'll go back tomorrow for another visit and probably another shot of Rocephin. I was scheduled to work this weekend, but you know how that goes. I've already called in for tomorrow and might not work Sunday - depends on how she's feeling. Please keep her in your prayers....



This was when we got home from the doctor. Caitlin's in her little gown that we put on after she got sick.

Caitlin drinking her Pedialyte. She does much better with a straw than with a sippy cup.

Thanksgiving 2008

We were blessed this year to be able to host Thanksgiving in our own home. We have great families and it meant so much to me and Lee to be able to share this special day with them. Lee's parents, grandmother, uncle, brother and family all came over along with my parents. For my sake and for those that ate today, we all shared in the cooking! I did have the fire department on standby and, while they were not called, I did have some smoke and burnt marshmallows! No actual fire though :)
Caitlin was feeling under the weather most of the day. She has had a runny nose, coughing, and wheezing for a few days now. We are back to doing breathing treatments at least every four hours. Today she woke up with a fever and it went up to 102.8. Her heart was racing and she was breathing so fast. She got pretty tired and was working to breathe there for a while. I called the triage nurse on call and she told me that she should probably be seen in the ER. Lee and I talked it over and decided to watch her for a bit. Finally tonight she had a wet diaper after not having one since I got her up this morning! And we managed to get a couple of bottles in her too. Fever is up again, but I put some Tylenol and cough med in her night time bottle so hopefully she will get some sleep tonight. We are hoping to make a early morning trip to see Dr. Hughes tomorrow.

I am planning on getting some shopping done before our dr visit. Carmen is coming to the house at 3:50am and we are on a hunt for some steals and deals. It has become a tradition for the two of us. She probably won't sleep for being so excited. I, on the other hand, will have to drag myself out of bed at the last possible second! We have a great time though and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Before my work schedule was posted, I told her I might have to work Friday because I would be off Thanksgiving day. She replied with "Well, you don't have to leave for work until 6:30am....stores open at 4:00am!"

Lee and I are doing great. We have such a great time together. We are best friends and love spending time as a family - laughing, playing games, talking, and watching football! I am so grateful to God for allowing us to serve Him together as we travel down the path called life. I'm so blessed!

Caitlin watching TV with Daddy this morning. You can see she wasn't feeling well.

Mama Rhetta, Mary Brian, Caitlin, and Molly hanging around while the fellas were watching some football.

Lee and his grandmother. She is a wonderful woman of God and we love her dearly!

The four grandchildren - Timothy, Caitlin, Molly, and Mary Brian. There's quite an age gap there! Caitlin lights up when she sees one of them come in. The girls have been teaching her how to dance and Caitlin now dances when she hears music! After the blessing at lunch time today, Timothy walked up to Caitlin who promptly said "Hey"

Terri, Mary Brian, and Molly. The first set of Collins girls!

Getting ready for some lunch.

Mama Rhetta just sitting back watching the action.

Lee enjoying his turkey leg!
MawMaw playing patty cake with Caitlin. Didn't get a picture of GaGa in here. He was probably busy doing something around the house. But GaGa was there of course. He was holding Caitlin while I was getting the smoking marshmallows out of the house :)

Caitlin playing patty cake with Mama Rhetta. I think this is priceless!

Daddy getting ready to take the older grandchildren to the movies. Caitlin sure has tired eyes here. Poor thing!

Mama Rhetta, Caitlin, and CC.

Me and Papa. We have once again been blessed with another year with Papa. It's been almost three years since he was paralyzed and he could have easily been taken away from us. Hold tight to your children and loved ones. Don't let a visit pass where you don't tell them you love them. We never know which breath will be our last. We love you Papa - Lee, Crystal, and Caitlin

November 2008

Here are some pictures from November. Caitlin is nine months old now and is such a joy. Hope you enjoy the pics!
Being cheezy for the camera....showing off her eight teeth.

Sitting with GaGa and being spoiled I'm sure!

I went to pick her up from MawMaw and GaGa's one night after work and she was all comfy in her pj's leaned up on the ottoman watching her favorite baby video.

Being cheezy once again for the camera. Hmmm....wonder how she knows what to do???

Mommy and Caitlin (who is once again cheezing for the camera!)

Halloween

Carey, Caitlin, and Alexis getting ready to go trick or treating in their neighborhood. We had a blast!

A visit with MawMaw and GaGa before the evening began.

Caitlin doesn't quite know what to think every time we sit her on the ground. Should I just sit here or cry seems to be her thoughts.

Here is our precious little flower. As we were trick or treating, Caitlin was smiling and laughing at everyone that passed by. She also was moving around quite a bit in my arms. One lady called her a "wild" flower and that name stuck. So, here is our little wildflower.

Caitlin's fall pictures

New and improved Caitlin....

Caitlin is now feeling much better, thankfully. She's still getting breathing treatments about twice a day. One way I can tell she is better is she is so much more active. She's been keeping me on my toes the last couple days. Let me give you the scenario of this very morning. Caitlin and I were sitting on the floor in the den watching Mickey Mouse, which is her favorite. I was thirsty so I decided to go get something to drink. I was in the kitchen maybe twenty seconds and when I came back, she was gone. And I mean gone! My heart immediately skipped a beat. I looked in her normal hiding places - under the swing, under the dining room table, next to the trashcan, behind the recliner. Nothing! I went in the bedroom and looked around. Still nothing so I came back and looked in the first places again. I was getting a little more nervous. I called her name, but didn't hear anything. I went back into the bedroom and our bathroom. There was our sweet little girl sitting on the floor in the bathroom playing with her bath toys. No problem with her! I scooped her up and headed back to Mickey Mouse! Thankfully I am not one to have meltdowns as this would have been the time for one. :) Needless to say, we have now barricaded the way to the stairs and bedroom. You will see how we turned the pack-n-play into an obstacle in her path!

Caitlin playing in her pack-n-play, the unconventional way! It works though! We put it between the recliner and the fireplace and she can't get around it....yet!
Loving on Daddy before he left for an Abbeville football game today. Go Panthers!
Laughing at Daddy and being a sweet girl! She loves giving a goofy grin these days.

Gnawing on a carrot. This was a few days ago when she wasn't feeling well. You can see it in her eyes. She was grumpy and I discovered this would make her content for a few minutes.
Look mom, I can do a split. Caitlin is very flexible. Just ask anyone who's seen her crawl around and then sit up with one leg under her and one straight out. She got this from her MawMaw!
The more mobile Caitlin! She is exploring something new all the time and can get to things faster than I can most of the time. Except Daddy did get to his drink before she managed to scramble to get it off the floor - he now knows that putting your stuff on the floor is not safe!
Being cheezy and showing off her six teeth!
Our precious gift from God! We are truly blessed!

Change of weather blues....

I took Caitlin to the doctor yesterday. She started out last week with sneezing. Then she added a cough and runny nose. Then I noticed yesterday morning that she was wheezing when she got up from her nap. I made her an appt to see Dr. Hughes, which we love. She was still wheezing when we got to the office - you never know with kids...they can be deathly ill at home, but take them to the doctor and they seem to miraculously be fine! Anyway, they tested her for RSV, a respiratory virus common this time of year, and thankfully it was negative. She ordered a breathing treatment there in the office. Caitlin was not thrilled with this process at all! She screamed during the entire time. I just had to hold her and try to keep her from wiggling out of my arms. Needless to say, when the doctor came back in, Caitlin and Mommy were both sweating! The wheezing cleared with the treatment which is good. The doctor sent us home with a nebulizer machine to do our own treatments here at home. She also gave us some cough medicine. Because of all of the congestion, Caitlin didn't want to drink her bottle. I did everything I could think of to get fluids in her - gave her a popsicle in the bathtub, fed her small ice chips, fed her jell-o, tried to give her juice. I gave her a breathing treatment before bed, but she still wouldn't take her bottle and was so sleepy. I just put her to bed and said I'd feed her in the middle of the night if she woke up. She slept until 7 this morning and I finally got her to take a bottle around 8. By this time it had been 18 hours since her last bottle! Today, she has take three bottles. She wouldn't take juice out of a sippy cup so I spoon fed it to her. She also had more ice chips and jello. She's had more wheezing today and some that didn't clear with a treatment. I ended up giving her another half of a treatment and got some advice from my dear friend Lawrie who has been a respiratory therapist for, uh, let's just say a long, long time! My parents came over tonight and she was playing with them. They even brought dinner! She's continued to play through most of this. I had to keep her from crawling up the steps today, climbing on the fireplace, unplugging the TV, and eating the heater cord! I've managed to keep us all in one piece. Lee was great with her and even offered to watch her so I could go out. While that was a sweet gesture, I was too tired to get in the shower and get dressed! Anyway, here area couple pictures of her getting her treatment and the little panda bear nebulizer machine. They sure have come a long way with these! Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we recover from these change of weather blues.

Play date

Caitlin had her first play date today. Leah and Nate Wilson came over. They come to our church and Nate is only two days younger than Caitlin, although he was due a month before her. He's a handsome fella as you can see and has the most adorable face. Caitlin was excited to see him from the time they arrived. They played and played. You should have heard them both laughing as Leah held Nate and I held Caitlin while they both jumped up and down, over and over. It was adorable. Nate is infatuated wtih electrical cords at this time so he was quick to try to find some. He is crawling everywhere and pulling up. He has two bottom teeth too. We had such a good time together. They were both tired by the end of the play time. Caitlin was sound asleep not even ten minutes after they left. The two mommies had fun too! We will surely do it again, right Leah? Next time at your house! We have joked since they were born that they could be girlfriend and boyfriend, even though Nate would be dating an older girl. We are enjoying this time as they will be gone before we can blink. Take some time to hug your children and tell them you love them - no matter what their age is. We never know what tomorrow holds!