1st Day of School!

Taking a Saturday drive...thinking about Monday

This past Monday was a big day for the three of us as Mallory started a new chapter in her daycare. We decided to enroll her at North Country Academy for three days out of the week. Michol is now in the office full time and the other two days are at the Merrimans. We did have her in daycare on Fridays only but unfortunately we were unable to get her into more days of the week as we had hoped for and had to look at other options. Luckily NCA had openings and we were really impressed by the facility and program they offer. It's not a real structured school environment, after all she is not even 2 yet, but this will allow her to get more exposure to other kids and learn necessary skills that she needs at her age.

Once we determined the new schedule, we decided to use last week as a dry run in the mornings. Since the school does not offer breakfast (2 snacks and a lunch only), we had to get Mallory used to getting up a little earlier so we could feed her before taking her in. Overall she did well and it took a few days for her to adjust. Michol and I came up with a pretty good routine that would allow us to get ourselves ready in the morning before we wake her up.



Laila and Oscar soaking in some weekend sun!

The weekend before her first day at school could not have been any more perfect. The weather was great and it allowed us to be outside most of the time. We took Mallory to the Crossings on Saturday and she only wanted to be on the swing. We tried to steer her towards the slides but she kept walking back to the swing sets. We somehow avoided a meltdown when it was time to leave...

On Sunday morning we had another 5K at the Crossings so we were glad the weather was sunny and warm. Mallory stayed in the stroller most of the time but we let her loose and she had a good time checking everything out. Afterwards we went to breakfast with cousin Megan & Connor and added the calories back on that we took off at the race. When we got home, we put Mallory down for a nice 2 hour nap. During that time we were able to do some necessary yard work and get the deck furniture out of the shed. The pups had a great time as well...chasing each other all over the yard and catching some Zs on the warm deck.

Off to School!

Monday morning arrived and I'm sure Mallory sensed our anxieties as we were getting her dressed and ready to go. Michol took her in and Mallory did cry a little bit as she walked away but she composed herself shortly after. Michol checked in during the day and they said all was well. Mallory was adjusting well to her new environment and classmates. She didn't eat a whole lot for lunch and had to be fed her "back-up" food (ham/cheese sandwich) since the lunch of the day was Meatloaf and Peas :) I guess she tried a little bit of the peas according to the progress report they gave us at the end of the day. During the day they kept the kids occupied with games, story time, and outdoor play. She only napped for about 45 minutes but I'm sure once she gets settled this will get better. When I picked her up at the end of the day, she looked really tired but was in good spirits overall. She grabbed my hand as we walked out and was ready to go home and see Mommy. Her grade for the day was "Excellent" according to the progress report!

When it was time for bed, Mallory was completely exhausted and ready to hit the sack. Recently we started telling Mallory "it is time for bed" and letting her lead the way. She was more than willing to head upstairs this time as you can see by the video above. She didn't waste any time falling asleep either (see below)....One day down!

 

Got Coffee?



Me and Grandpa!

 This past Sunday, I had a 5k race at the Colonie Crossings. It was really chilly out so Michol and Mallory spent the morning with Grandma/Grandpa Astriab. Mallory had a great time eating breakfast and playing in the living room. She seemed to be really fascinated with Grandpa's cup of coffee that he was holding on to. She walked over and climbed right up on his lap to see what he was enjoying so much. Of course this led to a great photo opportunity...

Taking a quick cat nap!

Back in the saddle!

After a rough couple of weeks, it was refreshing to get back into the normal routine of things over the weekend. The weather on Saturday wasn't as warm as we hoped, so we took Mallory over to the Tiny Tots Tea Room for a little playtime and socialization. It wasn't as busy as the last time so it was nice to have some more room for Mallory to roam around and play. She definitely had two favorite things to play with...the kitchen set (along with all the pots, pans, etc.) and one of the slides that was attached to a big ship. Leaving the place was not as bad as the last time when Mallory had a super meltdown. This time she displayed some discontent with leaving but we managed only a few tears.

Playing with my kitchen toys on the race track :)

All pooped out!

On Sunday we did our normal morning routine of grocery shopping, house cleaning (Michol did a little outdoor work while Mallory took her nap), and some quality play time with Mallory in the afternoon. We had a couple "firsts" (at least with us) that we were able to catch on camera. First, at dinner Michol was feeding Mallory some yogurt and up until that point she had been grabbing the spoon and pulling it toward her mouth while Michol still held on. This time, Michol placed the spoon on the tray and Mallory picked it up and put it right in her mouth. It wasn't perfect every time but it's a start and she didn't launch over the side on to the pups.

After dinner we stripped Mallory down and brought her up for a bath. She doesn't mind bath time but for some reason she refuses to sit down in the tub. We tried many times to get her to sit but she would immediately get up. This time, I got her to sit and she didn't immediately stand up but started playing with toys that were floating around her. We extended the bath by about 10 minutes while she enjoyed a little play time.

It's so nice to see our little M back to her happy self...We'll be sure to keep the video camera close by!

When it rains, it pours...

We had quite the scare last week when Mallory came down with a cold on Easter Morning. We're beginning to think that this is becoming a "holiday thing" (she was sick this past Christmas). So we woke up on Easter morning and could hear the sneezing and a little bit of coughing from Mallory's room. When we walked in to get her out of bed, it was apparent that she had come down with something. Aside from the runny nose, she seemed well enough to handle the busy day.

The first stop of the day was meeting my parents and brother for Easter service in Loudonville. We didn't know what to expect since Mallory is now at an age where she doesn't want to stay still and coupled with being sick, we were not sure how long she would last on our laps. Luckily the Church has a great nursery area for the little ones, but we weren't sure if they would even allow a sick child to be there. We walked in to the sanctuary and let Mallory lead the way. The minute we arrived at the pew my parents were sitting at, Mallory immediately wanted to get on Michol's lap. After a few twists and turns, she unexpectedly reached over to me and I pulled her up on to my lap where she proceeded to get comfortable and eventually fell asleep. She managed to sleep for about 40-45 minutes of the hour long service which was more than we would have imagined. Once she woke, she wanted Mommy and we somehow kept her occupied for the rest of the service. Success!! After the service, we went to Pizzeria Uno for lunch before heading over to our next stop of the day.

After lunch, we went to Michol's parents house for dinner. So far Mallory was holding her own and seemed pretty content hanging out with the family. All she wanted was her St. Patrick's Day beads that she loves to play with when she is there. It was great to see everyone and as always, there was plenty of delicious food to go around. Unfortunately, as the afternoon went on, Mallory was getting really tired and her cold was sinking its claws into her as each hour passed. We decided to leave early just so we could get her home and into bed as early as possible.

Mallory slept like a champ all night as always and when Monday morning arrived she seemed a little better. Her nose wasn't as runny but she definitely was still feeling under the weather. She did well all day at my parents, not wanting to eat too much but still holding her own.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning...Mallory woke up a little cranky but definitely had some wheezing. The cold obviously moved quickly from her head to her chest. We called the doctor in the morning and got her over there for a check-up. They didn't detect any signs of infection or bronchitis, so they advised us to give her nebulizer treatments every four hours until the wheezing went away. By afternoon, Mallory's breathing was very labored and the nebulizer treatments weren't making any progress. We called the doctor again and they advised to take her to the emergency room.



Oscar watching over his sick sister

Laila close by as well...

When we arrived at the hospital, they checked her out and found that the oxygen level in her blood was only at about 80% (normal is 93% or higher). They admitted her right away and made preparations to run tests and get her oxygen levels back up to normal. It was an extremely difficult process, as you can imagine, to keep Mallory calm and at ease. She did not want the oxygen tube in her nose and kept trying to pull it out...the staff eventually had to tape the tubes to her head so everything would stay in place. Since she hadn't eaten all day and barely drank anything, they had to give her an IV for fluids and medication. During the insertion of the IV, Mallory clenched up so much that her airways became completely constricted and she couldn't breathe for a few seconds. After being immediately repositioned on her back by the staff, she began breathing again. This was by far THE scariest moment we have ever experienced since our little one entered our lives and you are really never prepared to deal with a situation like this until it actually happens.

Finally falling asleep...with security cup nearby

As the night progressed, some chest x-rays were taken and blood drawn for testing. The results showed no signs of infection and the blood checked out negative. Once Mallory was stabilized, they moved her up to the intensive care unit for the night so the staff could watch her round the clock. Michol stayed the night while I left to go home to make sure things were OK at the house and pick up a few things for the next day. Mallory got about 2 hours of sleep the whole night because they had to wake her up to give her treatments and do routine checks. As morning arrived, her condition improved dramatically and they decided to remove the oxygen in order to see how well she was breathing on her own. When I arrived in the morning, I could hear a familiar cry as I walked up to the room and saw her sitting up in her crib. She looked 100% better from the night before.

Feeling much better!

We spent most of the day just waiting to see how well Mallory responded to the treatments. She was breathing so much better and the oxygen levels were staying normal. She even ate some breakfast in between the gallons of juice/water she was chugging down.


Treatment time...

Watching TV :)

Catching a quick nap...

Ready to leave this place!  

By mid-afternoon, the doctors did a final check and gave us the green light to go home. As far as the diagnosis, the doctors believe the symptoms (wheezing and breathing difficulty) Mallory experienced were consistent with RAD (Reactive Airway Disease) which is a scary term for conditions involving wheezing and allergic reactions. Since Mallory is still very young, there is no way to determine what causes it but hopefully she will outgrow it as her system gets stronger with age. We were just so relieved that she was well enough to leave because at one point they had talked about possibly keeping her one more night. The thought of trying to keep her in one place and from climbing out of the crib with all her "attachments" was making us even more anxious to go home sooner than later. We packed everything up and on the way home, Mallory was already up to her usual laughing and smiling. We got home, put her down for a nap (she slept for a few hours), ate a quick lunch, and crashed on the couch.

As of today, Mallory is looking and sounding so much better than last week. She still has a little bit of the cough left but is back into the routine of things. Unfortunately there is no way to predict if this will flare up again the next time she gets a cold, but we are at least better prepared to look out for the symptons that could develop into a more serious condition.

Let's hope she doesn't have to go through this again!