Croup.

So last night the girls were over watching The Bachelor (it was Monday night after all) and Emma woke up coughing and crying. I went in to get her and she was wheezing pretty bad. Since I have taken Brian to the hospital with the same thing before only to find out he had very little oxygen (he has pretty bad asthma) I was super freaked out. SO thankful to have 2 professional moms over to help me out! Julie found a place called Acute Kids (kind of like a Care Now for kids) in Plano that was open until 11:00 pm. I threw Emma in the car (it was about 10:00 pm at this time) and raced over there. All of the nurses were very sweet and the doctor was great too. They tested Emma's oxygen and luckily she was at 99% and her lungs were clear. Whew! The verdict? Croup. They gave Emma a steroid and a prescription and we were on our way home in about 15 minutes (much faster than Care Now!) Emma slept in our room last night with the humidifier on and thankfully she seems to already be feeling better this morning. It's so sad when your baby is sick! Now we just wait for the huge bill that will be sure to arrive in the mail in a few days... Oh well, no cost is too much for peace of mind!

Speaking of the Bachelor... what is everyone's guess? NO spoilers please! I don't read RealitySteve! I think my official guess is Lindsay. Sort of sad for AshLee to leave, but she was beginning to be a bit much for me especially when she told Sean what kind of ring she wanted and the size?! I mean, seriously? Pretty sure they have that on some form they fill out to go on the show... eek!

Oh! Remember the teething necklace I talked about in my last post? Emma LOVES it! I highly recommend it as a sneaky way to get your 6 month old to sit still... perfect for church! I just might need another in a different style...

Here is an EG pic for the day. Her first time in a restaurant high chair!

XOXO,
Lexi

I have an addiction...

The verdict is in, Emma loves apples! She didn't really have much of a reaction to apples either, except in between bites she gets very anxious for the next one and gobbled down the whole serving very quickly! This morning I mixed apples in with her cereal and she loved that! Next up... peas! I'm making all of her food and last night I made tons of apples and peas to freeze. The peas looked absolutely delicious all pureed... haha, just kidding! Gross! I'm curious to see if we get a reaction (good or bad?) from peas!

I think I have an addiction... online shopping. I'm pretty sure Brian is going to take away my credit card very soon. ;) My online purchase today was from Baby Steals. If you have a baby and you haven't checked out this site, go now! (Or don't, because you might get hooked.) Today, I purchased some "teething bling."

I liked this one because it wasn't those large beaded necklaces I see all over the place. Also, it's BPA free AND if Miss Emma breaks it, I won't be upset! (She LOVES chewing on all of my necklaces and I just know one of these days she is going to break one!)

Does Folic Acid reduce the risk of autism??  I just read an article that suggests that it could reduce the risk up to 39%.... Click here to read the article. (Source: Autism Speaks)

AND, for all my fellow runners (or athletes)... Here is something fun I just discovered! On March 2, there will be a Badass Dash in Dallas benefitting Autism Speaks! If you enter AUTISMSPEAKS at checkout you get $10 off! Here is the description: 

Each race consists of a 5-7 k course that will boast unconventional, but achievable obstacles that are truly BADASS. And although each race will have a minimum of 15-20+ obstacles, not every race will have the same obstacles and you won’t know every obstacle that is on the course as the element of surprise is BADASS itself.

Each racer has the opportunity to register for one of 2 Divisions:
ELITE TRAINED - Need we say more... you know who you are 
RECREATION – Run, Jog, Walk or Crawl – It’s your personal Challenge.

For those who didn't know... Brian and I are training for the Rock 'n Roll half marathon on March 24th in Dallas, so we just may sign up for this! :)  (I'll leave you with a happy Emma pic...)

Big girl, wearing 6-9 months clothes! Yes, the jeans are a little long... She is petite like her mama!

XOXO,
Lexi

I have been meaning to start a blog for some time now... here goes nothing!

Let's get caught up...

Emma is now 6 months old! I cannot believe how fast time is flying! She is the love of my life and brings a smile to my face every single day. She is now rolling all over the place and grabbing everything! She has started eating oatmeal and she had her first veggie this past week: carrots! It was the most uneventful "baby's first food" moment ever. She literally acted like she has been eating carrots her entire life. No funny faces. Nothing. Up next... apples! I'm hoping to get a reaction, I'll keep you posted.

Autism...
This last week, I went to a Social Thinking Conference with Michelle Garcia Winner which focused on teaching executive functioning, and social skills to individuals primarily diagnosed with high functioning autism, aspergers, and ADHD. I'm going to be honest, the conference was not as great as I thought it would be, however the first morning there was a speaker named Sara Ward, an SLP who was AMAZING. I tried to find a link on the Social Thinking website and couldn't find one. I'm wondering if she stepped in last minute to cover for someone else?? Anyway, I learned a ton of great tools from her lecture. I did however discover a new curriculum coming out in March called The Incredible Flexible You. (The first volume in March and the second volume in the fall.) I am DYING to buy it! It looks really fun for the kiddos.

Another autism related note...
I just jumped on the Parenthood bandwagon and it is a wonderful show. As my friend Erin put it, I am emotionally involved with the characters. For those who haven't seen it, it is about a couple who have 4 grown children who are now raising their own children. One of the children has a diagnosis of aspergers so it is really neat to see a show portray the ins and outs of the world that many of the families that I work with struggle with on a daily basis. (As well as my own parents.) The child, Max, even has a behavioral therapist come into his home and work with him! (That's what I do for those of you who have always wondered what the heck a behavior analyst is.) Obviously, it's a little skewed, but it's awesome, go watch it!

I have to wrap this up for today. I need to go wash bottles before Emma Grace wakes up from her nap! (OK, and I'm going to have one of the delicious chocolate chip cookies that my hubby brought me last night from Tiff's Treats.)

XOXO,
Lexi