Wow This month is flying by!

Well it seems we just stay busy and have absolutely no time to do anything... including blog. Last week (May 12-16) JB was in Texas for work. And if you know me at all... you know I do not stay by myself.... dogs and 15mth olds do not constitute people in that scenario. So... Alli J saves the Day! :) or i guess week.

Allison came and stayed with Ryleigh, Brinkley, Chloe and me for the week. She lived in the extra bedroom. (and her Mommy made me(us) breakfast every morning for our diet) We had lots of fun and I slept every night -- as opposed to if she wouldn’t have been here. Then we left on Friday and went to Covington to go pick JB up from the airport. We stayed in Covington for the weekend because we had Blake's Great Strides Walk for cystic fibrosis at Georgia Tech on Saturday. They said there were about 900 walkers there. Our team did a fantastic job and raised between 15,000-16,000 dollars (I think this number is right, someone correct me if I am wrong!) GO BLAKES BUDDIES! We had a lot of fun seeing some old friends, who we do not see enough of. Sunday we decided when we woke up to come on home since JB had been gone for a whole week and was ready to sit in his own couch!

Monday I started my first online classes for my graduate degree at Georgia Southern. So far... So good... Do I sound smarter already... yea right.... I am taking 3 classes right now (Education Research, Children’s Literature and Instructional Design). I am planning on being finished with the degree in December of 2009. :)

We have also gone swimming several times this week. Ryleigh enjoyed playing outside in the water hose on Sunday also as JB was bathing the dogs. She also loves her picnic table outside and wants to eat every time we go out. This is a very good situation in contrast to our problem of not eating just a few weeks ago.

Ryleigh is almost finished with our antibiotic. But we think she is starting to pull on her ear again. (No not due to swimming, we don’t get water in our ears.... I know someone is thinking it....) So we may make a trip to the doctor again before long. More on that when/if it happens.

I only have 2 more 'real' days of school left with students, then 3 work days next week. We have been counting down the days for months and can’t wait for them to be up! My plans for the summer include schoolwork, playing with Ryleigh, sleeping late and lying out. (not necessarily in that order). haha.


Well hope you enjoy the few pics I am going to post. I will try to update more soon!

LIFE IS SHORT, BUY THE CAR SEAT!

Okay so I decided to bless you with another post tonight. So be sure to read the one below (about Ryleigh). This one is about YOU and YOUR CHILD. Did you know that your child can ride facing backwards after they are one year old? Do you know when it is safest for your child to be in a booster seat? Well there are very few things in life that I am anal (for lack of a better word) about concerning Ryleigh and children in general.

Car seats do it for me.

The world in general has so many resources out there, and so many people do not know what the safest thing is for children today. Just because a pamphlet or department says its okay to turn your child around forward facing at 20 pounds AND one year. DON’T DO IT! Extended rear facing is becoming more and more popular in today’s society. I’ve heard all the excuses, especially with Ryleigh – she has long legs, you need to turn her so she can see better, you can reach her better if she forward faces. Uhh, no is the answer to all of the above. Ryleigh will be ERF (extended Rear Facing) until she is 34 lbs, the maximum on her car seat. This is one of the reasons we went for this car seat, it is one of the higher weight limits on the market with RF. Ryleigh sits ‘Indian style’ so her legs are not cramped (and studies show that children who are forward facing and legs dangle that their legs fall asleep), She doesn’t know what ‘see better’ is because she has always looked out the back window with no arguments!, If I can not reach her RF I will stop the car, I rather have a safe child than one who can see or reach better!

I’ve attached some links, go listen, and watch the videos, read the reports!

Booster seats are also something people do not understand. They think that just because their child can sit up its time for a booster seat. What people do not realize is that “graduating” from the smaller seat to a bigger one actually decreases the safely of that child. Using a five point harness until a child is 4’9 and 80 lbs should be standard. Please watch the videos. Read on kyledavidmiller.org it’s a foundation started by a family who had two young children in identical booster seats, one survived a crash, the other did not. The only difference is Kyle's seat beat did not stay fastened, his sisters did. A five-point car seat could have saved his life. Yes, Ryleigh's car seats (the one in my car and the one in JB's) were expensive, (HOWEVER there are cheaper versions and foudnations that help you purchase better car seats) but we get in the car each time we put her in knowing she is going to be as safe as she possibly can be -- and that the money we spent on car seats, may one day safe her life, and that is not something we can put a price on. BRITAX Marathon (goes up to 65 lbs) BRITAX Regent (goes up to 80lbs).

Rear Facing Info

Kyle David Miller Foundation

Kyles Video I wanted to post the video here, but i have to have it on my computer. Here it is on youtube.

Hospitals are not fun!

WOW ! Who knew that me starting a blog would make my life so exciting and eventful – almost so much so I want to cancel it if this keeps happening!

We started the weekend last week with Prom and a sick baby! L Ryleigh got to go visit Patricia and Robert for a few hours and we were hoping she would come home better, no such luck! We got home Sat night with a 103.8 fever. Having grown up with Cody having his feveral seizers I knew what the doctor was going to say to try so we did that before calling. After she slept through the night we thought we were out of the water. … That’s what we get for thinking!

She didn’t have a wet diaper that morning – and it’s normally so wet you can barely lift her. So we called the doctor, they said take her to Macon Ped Emergency Care just for fluids. We did that, what a horrible experience – no one should have to go through. It took 1 ½ hours, six sticks, and in the end 6 nurses to get an IV in the poor child. JB and I told the first set of nurses to leave and go get some ped nurses from the Children’s Hospital who would deal better with a little one. THANK GOD FOR THOSE NURSES. Yes they too had a hard time because Ryleigh was dehydrated but they were so much gentler. After having such a hard time getting the IV we were determined to keep it in. Ryleigh on the other hand was just as determined to get this foreign object out of her. When I had her tricked by keeping both hands occupied she resorted to trying to tear it out with her mouth. Good news is she was not successful! Ryleigh’s on call doctor ended up coming by after sending a resident down from the Children’s Hospital. She gave us the option to admit her overnight to continue fluids, or if we could get her to drink she could go home but may be back. We chose to stay the night to hopefully shorten the unconfortableness. The people in the Children’s Hospital were excellent. Her nurses and doctors were the best we could ask for.

I ended up getting sick and having to go to the ER for fluids Sunday night after throwing up 11 times in 4-5 hours. Poor momma was going from ER to Children’s Hospital to ER and back. JB was staying with Ryleigh. I checked my self out of the ER at 7 because I knew Dr. Molly (Ryleigh’s regular ped) would be by shortly and was not missing that trip. We got good news from her; she removed the fluids (not the IV) and let Ryleigh play in the playroom and to see if she could drink. Around 9 am JB and momma decided that I was getting worse and just sleeping so I needed to go home, I did not like leaving Ryleigh but knew I wasn’t helping anything and keeping their attention not on her at all times. Momma drove me home and Pat went to meet JB at the hospital to stay with them. Ryleigh ate a grill cheese and some juice and they let her go home Monday around 4pm. We had a follow up appt on Thurs but ended up back at the doctor on Wed just because Ryleigh didn’t seem to be getting better. Good news was, Viral infection gone, bad news we now have bronchitis and an ear infection but both can be treated with antibiotics. I went back to school Thursday per the doctor I had to stay out until then. I had a sinus infection and now have antibiotics for that. My mom was here Thurs and Fri. Ryleigh just laid around all day today. We had her congestion meds changed again due to them not working. She is also running a fever again, so we may be back at doctor in the morning. Which by the way Dr. Molly now has Sat hours…. YEA MOLLY!!!!

Daddy and me in the chair in my room
Here you can see her IV, and the protective cover thingie (technical term)
Ryleighs hospital bed, it kinda cute!