Croup

It has been a rough week at our house. Poor little Ava has been so sick. Sunday night it started with a fever which continued most of the week. Monday she threw up 4x. I would ask her where she hurt and she would point in her mouth, so as I assumed she had a sore throat and maybe strep I took her to the dr. They tested and she didn't have strep or an ear infection. So I took her home and kept treating her fever with Ibuprofen. Tuesday night it hit. She lost her voice completely, she couldn't talk or cry, she just lay on the couch miserable. She wouldn't eat anything and would only drink apple juice. She had this horrible cough that sounded like a baby seal barking. I figured she just had bad cold and the sound was normal since she had lost her voice.
Wednesday it took a turn much worse. She was not herself her temp stayed around 101 to 104 depending on time of day and even meds only took in down a couple of degrees. She could say one minute she was really cold and the next pull at her clothes and tell me she was "so Hot". Wednesday night her breathing was so raspy and shallow. Between the barking coughs and raspy breathing it sounded horrible. She would wake up every little while trying to cry but couldn't since she had no voice. It was so bad around 1am we almost took her to the ER. Russell was afraid she was dying from lack of oxygen. I didn't understand why her cold was so bad and I frantically searched the Internet looking for answers. And I found exactly what I was looking for.

Little Miss Ava had Croup Cough. Every symptom plus the stridor breathing which is the risky part. We found some home remedies to help and we able to rock her back to sleep. The next morning I called her dr. They were very worried based on what I had told them. So I took her in to see them and they recommended Steroid injections to take the swelling and inflammation down in her throat. There are different ways to administer the steroids and I heard lots of horror stories about the pros and cons of each. Her pediatrician recommend the oral method. Which is medicine I give her in a dropper 2x a day for 4 days. They said she would be feeling much better after the first dose and even better after the 2nd.

So last night we gave her the first dose and hoped for the best. At this point she still had a fever which she had had for 5 days straight, she had eaten nothing and only drank apple juice during that time. I was told the 3rd night of croup was the most dangerous. And last night was the 3rd night. She went to sleep very sick and coughing but I noticed around midnight that her fever finally broke and her breathing steadied, she didn't cough or cry and slept very peacefully. This morning when she woke up her voice had mostly returned, she no longer has a fever and even ate a little breakfast, not much but more than she had. She was playing with her toys and being herself again. She is still sick but she is a thousand time better than she was. That medicine is a miracle in a bottle.

It was so hard to see my sweet little girl so sick all week. She was so so sweet, soo sick but still so calm and would say please and try to smile at me as I would pull her blanket over her. I would look at her and just cry.. cry because I couldn't fix her.. I couldn't help her, it broke my heart. The worst pain a parent feels it the pain they feel for their children. Ava would give me a weak smile not understanding why I was upset. I love her so much more than I can explain or describe. She has become the world to Russell and I and there is nothing we wouldn't do for her. Russell has been amazing this week. He would rock her to sleep every night, just like he did when she was a baby. Ava loves to be comforted by her daddy and that was very calming for her while she was at her worst this week. She is such a sweet little angel and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. She shows us everyday what this life is truely all about and that family and love is above all what really matters. During this Christmas season I have so much to be grateful for and the greatest gift that we were given is our sweet baby girl. I can't wait to have more little babies and for our little family to grow in size and love :)

Thanksgiving

What a perfect holiday we had. 2 of my older sister sand their families were able to come and it was my first time meeting Madeline- my sister's first baby. Ava was obsessed with the baby. When is good news when we finally get baby number 2at least I know she will love it. After a fantastic dinner all stuffed miss Ava took a nap and Russ and I were able to sneak away for a date to see Breaking Dawn. Russ and I had SO much fun. He is so amazing to me. As we walked in the dark theater he put his arms around my waist and pulled me in for the most romantic kiss ever! Seriously he is so hott! The whole night we were acting like a couple of teenagers and I loved every second. I fall more and more in love with this man every day. He knows just how to make me smile and make me feel beautiful and loved. We have always had such a special relationship. I a,nso glad I met him so young and that'll the memories we have together and now our own little family. Being with Russell was my teenage dream that came true and I couldn't be happier with my life with him.

Day at the Farm

A few weeks ago we decided it was a perfect fall afternoon to take Ava to Thanksgiving point Farm to see the animals. The Barnyard was decorated for Halloween with witches all over the place.
Ava was in heaven petting the goats, lambs, horses and ponies.
They even had rabbits. We got some dried corn and Miss A would hold out her hand flat with some on top and the goats would eat right off it. She loved it and would giggle saying it was tickling.

She got to go on a pony ride.. but the one she picked was huge and not a pony at all. I was nervous the whole time since she would slide back and forth on the saddle as the horse walked.

We went on a wagon ride. Love the pic below of her and Russ :)

Happy as can be!

The sun was setting and a gorgeous Fall afternoon together!

Little Dancer

Little Miss A has been taking her little ballet dance class for a couple months now and LOVES it. After the first couple classes she had melt downs when we would leave to go home. Now she know big kids don't do that so she stopped but still loves her class and her teacher Mrs. Bobi. Its so adorable how Ava says her teachers name. She goes every Tuesday to Dance and every Wednesday to her Kindermusik class.

Here is Ava on her first day of dance before we left home.
Her class is for 2 yr olds and her teacher makes it fun with lots of clever activities to teach them the basics of dance and tumbling. Here they are being "bunny's" learning to hop and pick up the eggs.

Then they dance to Teddy Bear Picnic with their bears and use Dolly's in their dancing.

This was day 1 and Ava couldn't wait to use the mat to do some tumbling. The other kids weren't ready but Ava ran up she wasn't scared.

They dance with Princess costumes on.

Ava is so obedient to her teacher and is will always do the steps that Mrs. Bobi asks. Some of the kids struggle being there without their Mommy's and won't listen but Ava is so independent. She doesn't care if I am there she loves to dance. Each week it gets harder and and they learn more steps. These were all simple things to get them use to structure during the first month.

Then the last 5 minutes of every class they do a tea party with snacks. Learning manners. She LOVES that of course. I am so happy I found this class for her. Its perfect for her age.

Cute Ava in her leotard.

I love this one.

We got a ballet DVD, mat and bar for home so she can practice. Its called Bella Ballerina. She is learning all the ballet positions and her teacher says she is at the head of the class with her turnout and grasping of the new dance technique. I am such a proud mama. I love my little dancer :)

Princess Pageant

So last Friday I was randoming looking up info on Cornbelly's to find some fun fall activites to do as a fam. Well I came across the Pumpkin Princess Pageant which was the next day. I have always wanted to put Miss A in one just to try it out and see how she did and if she would like it. I am NOT one of those crazy pageant moms nor do I want to be. But I thought why not try her out to see. So VERY last minute I found her a costume (all of which we already had) and told her about it and she seemed excited. Russ had to work the next day so it was just me and Ava to go do this thing.

Ava did AMAZING! She was so brave. They had all the kids stand in line and I had to write a bio before hand and email it in to the contest. So as she was led on stage by one of the charachters there they read out her bio to the croud and did a Q & A session with her. It was SO funny and so adorable. She would answer their questions in her sweet little voice and was hamming it up for the croud. SO adorable. I am so glad I filmed it. Russ loved it.

Ava loved parading her cute dress on the stage and was loving all the attention. I must say this child of mine has NO fear. She has so much confidance and poise. I feel so lucky to be her mom. She was the youngest one in the pageant and the judges favorite. They had Miss Utah, Miss Lehi and the Pumpkin Queen in charge. They all were fussing over her and she got the Judges Favorite Pick award.

Here she is waiting in line. She was so patient. She was more mature than the 4 and 5 year olds. Ava is seriously perfect at stuff like this.

I did her hair since it was to last minute to have it done. I got alot of compliments on it. Ava wore the crown so well too.

Me and my little Pumpkin Princess.

Here is everyone in the pageant.

At the end Ava wouldn't look forward for the pics. She was way to interested in everyone else around her and all the girly dresses.

After it was over I changed her close and we had fun playing at Cornbelly's and all their events. I was so impressed with how Ava did at the pageant. I had no idea if she would be shy and refuse to go on stage to how she would react. But she did awesome. Ava is a natural in front of a crowd. I plan on putting her in more things for sure!

Utah State Fair

A couple weeks ago we decide to enjoy our Saturday afternoon petting the animals, riding rides and enjoying yummy food at the State Fair. Ava loved it and so did we. We are making quite a tradition out of it now.

Here is Ava riding the pony. She loved it!

Looking at the ponies.

He loved all the animals

Haha :)

She loved all the lambs, my parents have a bunch of sheep and new lambs every spring so she already loves and trusts these animals.

The guy in the stables let Ava go inside the cage to feed the lamb one-on-one.

With the goats, I told Ava to smile and then had camera issues. This is her faded, "hurry and just take the picture" smile.

The "little Hands on the farm" event. Ava always loves this part. They get a basket and apron and get to plant the veggies, and pick what they grow.. all things real farmers do. Grandpa Wadley would be so proud of her :)

Checking her basket.

Apples.

Planting her seeds.

Picking the veggies she planted.

Pure happiness :)

Driving the tractor. She can ride a tricycle but turning it in the sharp circle was a bit harder.

Brushing the sheep.

We had a great time at the fair! A perfect family afternoon!

California Vacation

So I am FINALLY getting around to blogging about our amazing trip. Wow the past couple weeks have been out of control busy.. but that being said I have loved every second. And with all the craziness it was SO nice to be able to take off 8 days and have my little family all together with no distractions. We went with my in-laws on this trip. Ava loved being able to play with her little cousins all day long. I feel so much closer to everyone that went after this trip and am so amazing grateful for such amazing family members in my life. Russ has a great family.


We got to the beach on Sunday and started setting up camp. We were right on the beach and the back of our tent overlooking the ocean, it was absolutely amazing sleeping to the sounds of the crashing waves. We LOVED it. Ava was super excited about it, all the kiddos were in heaven getting SO dirty playing in the sand and dirt.

Here is Ava seeing the ocean for the first time, oh and showing "dolly" the ocean too.
Big smiles for mom :)

And THIS is her actually first time up close. She loved it here.

I love how Russ documented her first experience with pics of us. I love them!

We we looking for sea shells and found a rubber ducky in the sand.. haha how random.

SO, day 2- apparently she changed her mind about liking it. The tide was high and so there wasn't much beach to play on and every so often the water would come up to our beach towels and under our chairs it scared her I think. The pic below is to true to how she felt about it.

We relaxed and enjoyed our days playing in the sand with the piles of sand toys my mother-in-law bought for everyone. Russell was just one of the kids, and made this huge amazing sand castle. Here he is standing by his work of art. Love my man :)

Along with sandcastle building, all the kids would find hundreds of these sand crabs and put them in buckets. Ava surprisingly loved the crabs and would hold them. Here she is making friends.

This was yet another attempt to get Ava in the ocean, but failed.

Here she is snuggling with her daddy... he makes it safe.

Day 3- We bought a kite to fly. It was my first time and Ava's too. It was pretty cool. It only crashed once so Russ had to head up the steep hill behind us to rescue it.

Me and my little Tinkerbell girl.

Here is little Ava with her auntie Kim. I love how great Ava is with my in-laws. She really bonded with everyone which I love. It was really sweet how she loved Kim so much.

And it wouldn't be a trip to Cali without heading to In-N-Out at least once. Ava was ALL smiles here :)

Here I am showing our camping area and our fantastic views!

Day 4- We left the beach and went to Seaworld. My first time there. It was a crazy morning having to get everything packed up and getting ready for our outing.

Here we are at the Pets Rule show. It was a great way to start our day there. Ava was mesmorized by all the tricks the pets did.

My cute family :)

After the show we got to go meet some of the "stars" of the show. Ava with no fear headed straight for the big dog.

At the penguin area.

Here we are at the Shamu show. It was really impressive. Ava was excited as you can see.

At the end of the show we went below and were right next to the tank he lived in. Shamu would swim right next to the glass and it really showed how HUGE he was. But those pics I took you can't even tell what it is it just makes the pic all black. Ava loved being that close, again no fear from my child.

Watching the whale with daddy.

Next we headed to Sesame Street world, within the park. I had no idea that was there. But THAT made it all worth it for Ava. She LOVES all the characters. And these were her first rides. This ride was kinds like the teacup ride at Disneyland.

This was taken mid spin, notice Ava's little tongue out. hahaThen we went and got to actually meet "Ehmo" and "bebe" (Elmo and Abby)

I wasn't sure how Ava would react to the characters up close. She didn't like Santa Clause and was freaked out by the Easter bunny. But she LOVED these guys. She gave them hugs and kisses. I was kinda surprised that she loved Abby more then Elmo. But at home she LOVES Elmo the most.

Elmo was interesting... he keep pointing to how we were matching, wearing the same color.. he kept putting his arm around me. And the camera guy was like, "Elmo she's married." haha he was hitting on me. Should I be flattered? haha Russ wasn't too worried about it. He knows big furry Sesame Street characters aren't really my type. lol

Ava playing on the bouncing thing.

End of the day... tired little girl. Everywhere we went everyone would fuss over her. She is cute I will say. Sure glad she is mine :)

Day 4- DISNEYLAND! Where all our dreams come true, and our wallets drain empty. But worth every cent. Here we are waiting in line.

Here we are one the first ride of the day. The look on Miss A's face says it all. She LOVED it!!The day was perfect. We took Ava on the kiddie rides and then my parents-in-law would take her and then Russ and I got to go with his siblings on the big rides. What a perfect combo, we got to have fun just the two of us and fun with Ava.Here is Ava in line with her grandma, she was so good waiting in lines. I was super proud. Disneyland wasn't as busy as I expected so we didn't ever have to wait more than 20 or 30 minutes. Most of the time is was about 15 mins.

From far away to called to her and told her to smile. I love how she will smile for the camera now, her big cheesy grin! SOO cute!

I took her to meet some princesses. She was excited as we waited in line but as soon as we got close she was all shy and wouldn't hug the her.And again with Sleeping Beauty she was shy.

Next we went on the carousel. She loved and and we went on it a couple times.

We took her on the Nemo ride. It was so much better than before. It was a boring sub ride and now has Nemo in the theme. I thought it was great.

Next up we took her on the car ride. I was the driver... haha I will just leave it at that. We had so much fun that day. We ended the night watching the fireworks and Ava fell asleep in her stroller after all the excitment. I got to go on Splash Mountain for my first time and we went on Indiana Jones a couple times since it is probably my favorite one. We stayed until midnight. It was a long fun day! Can't wait to go back!He is Ava with her cousins at the pool.

Here we are day 7- in Primm, NV at Whisky Pete hotel. They had a great pool and waterside. we all had a blast playing here. And a perfect end to our trip.

Me and my hunny.

Me and little miss.

All around a great trip and a million memories to take away from it. I feel so much more connected with everyone who went. So grateful for the amazing family I married into and so happy Ava has so much fun with all her cousins.