Photo Problems

So, I'm not sure why I'm having issues trying to upload photos, but of course I couldn't upload any for the last post (Viva Mexico!). As soon as we figure out the problem, I'll be on the case of uploading the photos. More blog updates to follow...Sophia's 2nd Birthday, Easter, etc!

Viva Mexico!

Yes, it's been about a month since the last post, but life has been hectic for us lately....pretty sure we haven't slowed down since the end of February. This is a long post, so hurry up & make a bathroom break now, grab a snack & get your 'read' on!

March brought us our much anticipated family vacation to Cancun Mexico. We flew down & relished in paradise for a good week, but of course that just wasn't long enough (is a vacation EVER long enough?)! Lucky for us, we only had to splurge by buying our airfare for the trip - the rest was paid for by the in-laws. As members of Palace Resorts, my in-laws booked a fabulous trip for themselves, our little family and my sister-in-law, Gabby & her boyfriend, Devon. It was Gabby & Devon's spring break from Alabama, & we all had a great time with each other. Since our flight took off early Sunday, March 15, Rod, Sophia & I opted to stay the night in Atlanta. It started off rainy & cold....I could've cared less as I knew the warm rays of Meh-hee-co were only hours away. Or so we thought. Upon arriving at the Atlanta airport, we were searching for AeroMexico's check-in counter....nowhere to be found. After a few mis-guided directions from airport staff, we found the tiny, tucked-away counter. Then the misery set in. Apparently, AeroMexico is a Delta SkyTeam member, so the two companies coordinate flights, planes, staff, etc. Except the Mexican-based staff must've over-siesta-ed after too many cervezas the night before. The Atlanta AeroMexico check-in staff couldn't locate any of the passengers in the system...are you kidding me? This was NOT happening on my glorious vacay...or was it? It was still b'fast time & I thought I could hold on until I got some coffee until the problem was fixed. You know it's bad news when everyone in line begins to set-up camp right there in line. Laptops, DVD players, iPods, games, etc slowly all came out & began entertaining their miffed owners. The airline staff wasn't telling us anything for a long time. Finally a supervisor showed up & only then did we get any sort of report on the status of our flight. By this point, Sophia was ancy, our emergency reservoir of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish was dwindling (& fast!), we had become good friends with the couple in line behind us and everyone in line was contemplating their SECOND meal already...this had the beginnings of the trip from hell. Finally, after THREE hours of waiting in line - AeroMexico got their act together, secured the list of passengers & began getting everyone checked in. By this point we should've been making our final descent into Cancun! Ugh. Happy to get the 'worst' over, we safely & without further incident made it to our gate. Luckily for Sophia, she had made a little friend in the line earlier & they then got to 'play' before boarding. Sophia especially loved this little Mexican girls piggy-tails...they were sweet to watch playing!

The flight went great...however, I'm pretty sure it was only great because almost every passenger on board depleted the crew of every possible Tecate, Dos Equis & Corona on board! Rod & I decided that it was the only way to start our Mexican vacay out right...so we had our delicious Corona's en route over the Gulf of Mexico. Sophia loved the plane (as usual) & was quite entertaining to those around us. She & a little boy, Charlie, played peek-a-boo over the seats & even swapped toys (Sophia received a motorcycle action toy while poor Charlie got stuck with a plush baby-doll!) for awhile. Towards the end of the flight, Sophia decided that her 'baby' needed a diaper change....she's such an intuitive mother!


Finally we arrived & it was HOT! I giggled to myself at all the poor saps back in Atlanta dealing with cold, rainy weather. Life all of the sudden seemed perfect. We were whisked away to our all-inclusive resort where the pampering began immediately upon our arrival. We were driven to our suite & it was amazing!! It was very coastal/contemporary/chic....and perfect to set-up shop for the week. In our suite was complimentary bottles of wine, beer, liquor, fruit, etc. We even had a private hot tub (never used it as it took too long to fill up...but it was nice to know we had it...ha!). Our patio area boasted a double chaise lounger that Sophia immediately sprawled out on...and who wouldn't love the fact we got unlimited FREE calls to the US? It was heaven. The 3 of us quickly changed into our warm-weather duds & went out to explore. Just a short walk from our suite was a pool/bar/food area called "Los Tacos"...pretty un-original name, but whatever. It was picturesque & perfect! We sat down to enjoy the sun dancing on the water, the deliciously fresh guacamole/pico de gallo and of course...our decadent drinks! Rod treated himself to a frosty cerveza, while I opted to toast the beginning of my vacation right...champagne! Well, it was a mimosa, but whatever. Sophia happily sipped on her Sprite and dined on her 'papas fritas', aka, her french fries. She was the happiest little clam I'd ever seen. Well, second to her happiest-clam-mommy! We soon met up with Patricia, Rafa, Gabby & Devon, who all arrived on a later flight. They didn't arrive without incident either...their luggage was missing! However, it arrived the next morning and everything was fine. The resort offered 14 different restaurants, several swim-up bars, discoteca's, pools & more. We tried as many different restaurants as possible during our week there & I didn't even feel guilty for packing on a good 7-8lbs! Now that's a good vacation! Sophia loved the kiddie pool as she could float in her floatie & still feel her toes touch the bottom...ahh, life's simple pleasures!


One afternoon Rod even volunteered to stay behind on 'nap duty' with Sophia so I could go relax & bask in the sun. I happily trotted off to Los Tacos with my iPod, tanning lotion & floppy hat to catch some rays & a few drinks. I was able to completely relax (& maybe even snooze) in one of the private cabanas...I was pretty sure I'd died and gone to heaven!

Throughout the week, the family all went on excursions - the first being to Isla de Mujeres, or Island of the Women. It was incredible here...I'd never seen water so clear or flourescent in my life. Even parts of the famous 'Blue Lagoon' movie (Brooke Shields) were filmed here!

Rafa & Patricia opted to scuba dive, while Gabby, Devon & me all went to swim with the dolphins. I'd always thought 'swimming with dolphins' was cheesy & overrated, but it was a pretty awesome experience. We got to perform tricks with them & swam with them too...pretty surreal. They are beautiful, miraculous & smart animals - glad I decided to go. Rod had been to Cancun & done the excursions before, so he was sweet & told me to go on the excursion. I'm pretty sure he & Sophia had a perfectly good time relaxing on the beach, eating at the buffet & even doing some crafty things in the Kids area.

Everyone had a great time that day. We had quite the boat ride back that afternoon...let's just say Mexican Tequila Punch / Beer + Rafa + music + sequins = priceless entertainment! Rafa was feelin' the vibe as he jumped up to sing & dance with our tour guides...he slipped on a sequin jacket, grabbed a ukelele & sang along to La Cucaracha! Poor Gabby & Rod wanted to slide underneath their seats in embarrassment, but Devon, Sophia & I were LOVING it! Poor Patricia was speechless....I think that's when she opted for a second drink!

One of our other excursions was to Xcaret (Ish-kuh-ret). It's like a zoo, aquarium, water park & history museum wrapped into one place. Rod, Gabby, Devon & I went on a a snorkeling river adventure - a slight rip-off as we didn't see jack until the end. Still a neat experience. We dried off, had lunch & then walked thru the zoo & aquarium portions. Sophia loved seeing all the animals! By the end of the day they have a big show - it was pretty spectacular. However, both Sophia & I were a bit too tired to really enjoy it. Poor Sophia fell asleep & I about did too. After the bus ride back to the resort, it was already past 9pm. I felt dirty & exhausted.

Our last two days there were pretty relaxing...we got our complimentary mani/pedi's plus our massages. Lord knows I needed that! It was a such a treat. Friday was spent doing nothing but lounging by the pool...it was fun to catch up on college gossip via Gabby & here all about Devon, aka Dirty D & his "DJ" parties/gigs. He'd kill me for calling it "DJ-ing" as he explicity said it is NOT DJ-ing...I just don't recall the proper 'term' for it. Sorry Dirty D.


Sadly, the week came to a fast end & pretty soon it was Saturday morning & we were having to pack & return home. Poor Sophia started the day off all wrong - vomiting. Poor thing up-chucked her dinner from the night before & couldn't keep any liquids down over the next few hours. Unfortunately, Rafa, Patricia, Gabby & Devon's flight left earlier than ours, so that meant Rafa could only give Sophia a quick exam, but boy was I glad he was there. There is nothing scarier than being in a foreign country & your child falling ill. After his instructions of trying to push fluids & bland food, if vomiting persisted he ordered us to go see the Resort Doc. The on-site doc examined her & ordered some anti-nausea meds to help Sophia endure her trip home. No fever, which was a good sign, but still puzzling as to why Sophia kept vomiting. Finally we had to make a game-time decision of whether or not we would go with the meds or the anti-nausea vaccine. Rafa favored the vaccine, so we went with his advice. It seemed to help right away, but Sophia just looked so sad. It was sad to have to leave the resort, but now all I wanted was to snap my fingers or click my heels and be at home taking care of her.

She slept on the bus ride to the airport & I thought we were in the clear for the long afternoon-evening of traveling ahead. The vaccine was to help subside the nausea & make her a bit sleepy. Unfortunately, it worked against us in a MAJOR way. As we were waiting in the sweltering airport check-in line, Sophia lay asleep in her umbrella stroller. Then I heard gasps from a few moms in line behind us...I looked behind & down into Sophia's stroller to find that she had completely (& i mean COMPLETELY) bombed herself with vomit. Her little body & muscles had been so relaxed that the vomit pulled a sneak attack on her. I was beside myself. All I could do was to pull her out, strip her down to the diaper & throw the ruined clothes in the trash. Of course we were next in line & all I had to clean up were the wipes in my bag. Poor Sophia was crying her little eyes out, I was stressed to the max, & the family shirpa (aka pack mule), Rod, was left to haul all our luggage up to the counter & get us checked in. Luckily the moms behind who had witnessed the shock & awe stroller campaign lent a hand where they could. Like any good mom, I had packed a few extra clothes for Sophia just for this very instance. We had to clean out the stroller best we could, but there wasn't much hope for that thing. Gross. By the time we boarded the hotter-than-hell airplane, I said a few quick Hail Mary's & prayed that we could at least make it to Atlanta in peace. No sooner did I finish the sign of the cross, Sophia threw up. Again. On me. Now I was so concerned for her that I didn't think to pack a change of clothes for me. Great. However, as soon as we had gotten seated on the plane, we whipped open the doggy bag just in case...& boy did we have a 'just in case' on our hands! My blood pressure had to have shot thru the roof at this point as I stripped Sophia down again to her diaper. This time I left her in her diaper to keep her cool & to avoid any future bombings. She finally settled down & slept the entire way back to the states. Unfortunately, in order to keep her sleeping meant foregoing my own comfort. My back was cramped & my arm was asleep, but i had a peaceful sleeping toddler. I'm pretty sure for the first hour, I sat miserable in my seat, just letting tears stream down my cheeks...just begging God to be present with us on the flight and to lay his hands on my our baby girl. He did just that. The rest of the flight fine and our arrival to the Atlanta airport was the same. So with the 3rd outfit change, my puke scented clothes (it's uber-appealing, isn't it?) all our luggage in tow, we headed to find our car to head home to Montgomery. We got Sophia all snuggled into her seat, blankie & puppy tucked in too & headed home. Poor thing was exhausted, but managed to keep a bit of sprite & saltines down. Whew. A few hours later, we arrived home, beyond tired, but HOME. Sophia fared fine thru the night until Sunday morning, when vomiting reoccured. After several attempts of clear liquids & crackers not staying down, Rafa had her admitted to the ER. I'm beyond grateful that my father-in-law is a doctor! Poor Sophia got all hooked up to machines to keep up with her vitals, & even donned a sweet toddler's pink elephant hospital gown. However, her biggest concern was the 'owie' on her glowing toe! You know the monitor that is usually hooked up to adults fingers that make their finger look like ET, well, for kids, it's adhered to their toe. After 2 attempts at getting blood for bloodwork, out of both arms, they finally struck gold. Thank God, because that was awful to be a part of. No adult likes bloodwork, but at least you know what's going on & for the most part you are a willing participant & patient. In a kids' case, you have to hold them down because they are totally unsure of what's going on. Moreover, they're terrified because their Mommy is the one holding them captive. Because dehydration was the main concern, they had to call in a pediactric specialist to start an IV. She was a sweet doctor, who brought in a papoose to wrap Sophia up in so that the IV could be inserted safely. Poor Sophia almost looked relieved to be put in that contraption...as she was completely worn out from all the fighting before. They administered an IV in her foot, again, terrible to watch, but at least now she would get the fluids she needed. With both sets of grandparents standing vigil, Sophia then shut her little eyes and caught some rest. We were even able to capture some photos of her first 'official' stay in the hospital besides when she was born.




But have no fear, with all the recent hoop-la over this pandemic of Swine Flu, I assure you she did not have it, nor did any of us carry it back with us from Mexico. Her symptoms were merely that of a stomach bug & not the flu (fever, chills, etc.). We're just glad to be home & back into our usual routine! However, every now & then I daydream of a mimosa while basking in the sun at Los Tacos....ahh, Viva Mexico!

We'll Miss you Tony!

Our beloved "Uncle Tony" lost his very short battle with cancer last Friday. It all happened so quickly. Tony was so many things to all of us - he was my mother-in-law's youngest brother. He was Rod's Godfather when Rod was baptized in the Catholic church as a baby. He was an unfailing & caring son who selflessly moved in with his parents (just about 3 blocks from us) to help care for them on a daily basis. He was a fantastic graphic designer who would often give me impromptu 'lessons' over dinners at my in-laws house...almost weekly. He cared & loved me like I have always been a niece. He played & giggled with Sophia. He was LIFE in every sense of the word. He loved chocolate. He loved Sprite out of a 20oz bottle. He loved his dogs - they were his 4-legged pride & joys. He gave the best hugs. He had a mustache & beard - which meant he gave the BEST scratchy kisses on the cheek when he saw you. He also had the funniest facial expressions - especially when he didn't know you were watching him! He was all of these things until he was gone. However, we rejoice in the sense that he now sits joyfully next to God in Heaven without pain or suffering any longer. And you know what? I feel just a little bit safer knowing that Tony is watching out for us all & will guide us out of harms way until we meet again. The cancer may have gotten the better of Tony, but we got the BEST of him.

It's always a hard lesson to be reminded of - love passionately & deeply, for you never know when the time will come to say goodbye. Make sure you hug a bit tighter, kiss a bit longer, smile often & laugh much together. And ALWAYS say "I love you" or perhaps "Te Amo" each time you see someone you love. Don't stop at family. Let cherished friends know too - for we will all have our last day...someday.

PATINO, Anthony "Tony", 43, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2009. Born in San Salvador, El Salvador Central America on May 7, 1965, where he spent his youth until the age of 13. Tony moved with his parents to College Station, Texas where he attended A&M Consolidated H.S. and then went on to attend Texas A&M University until he moved to Miami, FL where he finished his Art degree at the Miami International University of Art and Design. In 2000, Tony moved to Montgomery, AL to be near his parents and family and there he founded Patino-Burch Designs, and went on to become an award winning graphic designer receiving several awards from the American Advertising Federation. Tony enjoyed his ability to be artistic and creative with his hands, donating his artistic work to his family and friends. What Tony will best be remembered for by his family and friends is his unconditional love and devotion for his parents. One of Tony's greatest regrets would be his inability to be able to say goodbye to each of his family members and his many friends. The youngest of eight children, Anthony is survived by his parents, Doris and Reynaldo Patino; his brothers, Benjamin Wallace Young, Reynaldo Patino, Jesse Patino, Enrique Patino & Eduardo Patino and his sisters, Patricia Lopez and Elizabeth Patino, who says that Anthony was her best friend. Also, he is survived by his many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews all of whom loved him dearly. Tony's love for animals has prompted the family to ask that in lieu of flowers you make a donation, in his memory, to the Montgomery Humane Society. His Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 4th at 11am at Church of the Holy Spirit.

My funny Valentines!

Last night was a big night for two very little girls - the big Father/Daughter Valentine's Dance! Our church has hosted the fun event for fathers & daughters for the past few years & this year we, or should I say Rod, jumped at the chance to take little Sophia on a "big girl" date. He wanted to take her last year when she was just 11mos old, but his buddy Brendan wasn't quite up for taking his daughter, Ava, who was only a mere 5mos old at the time! Ha! However, they agreed that this year they would escort the girls to the dance. So, with the careful planning of us mommies (Monica & I), we coordinated a fun father/daughter dinner here at our house prior to everyone getting dressed for the dance! The whole way from bringing Sophia from Rod's mom's house to our house, she kept giggling & asking for her 'baby' - aka Ava! Sophia knew that Ava & her Daddy were going out with her & her Daddy to go dancing. Sophia was totally keyed up when we pulled in the driveway, because Ava was just arriving too. The two squealed with delight at one another & once inside the house were so excited to be playing! The girls gobbled up a sure-fire bet dinner of homemade mac & cheese (thanks Monica! it was dee-lish!) hot dogs & fruit.

Afterwards, the daddies got all dressed up in their tuxedos (fancy!) while us mommies dressed the girls up. We even invited the grandparents over to snap photos! With a near-2-year old & a 17mo old we had to be quick with the photos...we were able to get a few prize snapshots though. The dance was 7-9pm & time was ticking, so off they went to go dance their socks off! It was too cute watching the girls walk (really, get carried due to rain) out to the car with their daddies!



Monica & I had planned on opening a yummy bottle of wine & kicking back to enjoy a rare opportunity to watch a movie un-interrupted! Monica had picked up some great movies earlier that day (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, The House Bunny, & some others). We have been wanting to see The House Bunny for several months - we knew it would be really stupid, but this was our cheap "girls night in" so we opted for the comedy. It was of course a ridiculously dumb movie, but we were loving it! It was such a treat to get to relax with a great friend over wine & a movie...oh, & Monica brought cappuccino cheesecake from Publix - YUM! By the way Monica, you left that in our fridge - I'm refusing to eat another slice before mandating it be returned to your house - ha! It's too tempting!! Before we knew it, we hear 2 car doors in the driveway....& in the front door came two tired tiny dancers & 2 daddies that had stopped by to pick up beer to share at the house. Only those two would do that. Ha! Monica laughed as we looked at the time....it was only 8pm! The four of them only lasted an hour at the dance...Brendan & Rod said it was a packed house at the dance & everyone loved seeing the four of them arrive. They said the girls started jiving as soon as they heard the DJ's music...hilarious. Ava & Sophia had the best time holding hands & dancing...Brendan was able to snap about a 10-second snippet of video on his camera...I'll see if I can acquire it & post it here...it's really precious. Once at our house, we changed the girls into their jammies & let them play...the rest of us sat back had another glass of wine & watched the girls have a ball! All in all, the night went perfectly & it was a very sweet memory for all of us. I'm sure when the girls are 16 they will giggle about their very first double-date....with their daddies!

This is how we roll...

So the past week or so has really cracked me up in regards to little things Sophia will do. She's a total copy-cat these days, so anything you do, she'll do too. She's always had a soft-spot in her heart for cell phones (as any girl does!) & so I caught this photo of her one day last weekend eating lunch...while pretend-gabbing to Ava on my old cell phone...we are in big trouble in the future. Oh, disregard the ridiculous mess on the kitchen table...I simply didn't wear my 'cleaning' pearls that day...ha!



Also, she's been a real stitch during tub-time...she has a plethora of Crayola tub markers & crayons...check out the tub walls...just know that no matter how much they stress it's 'washable'...that junk sticks to grout like white on rice! I just cringe thinking about having to re-do this bathroom whenever we sell the house down the road. In the meantime, I let the art-eest scribble her heart out!



It just cracks me up to think how many hilarious things she must do/say throughout the course of the day that I miss out because I'm a full-time working mom...although, she does save some real gems for me on the weekend!

Sophia's Big Night In

Last night Rod & I joined his parents at the quarterly Wynlakes Wine tasting dinner...it was so yummy! Luckily, we have some great friends who were up for coming over & babysitting Sophia. Aunt Margaret & Uncle Darren (Crimi), teamed up with Aunt Katy (Ryan)and had a blast entertaining Sophia! Early yesterday morning, I put the bug in Sophia's ear about each of them coming to play that night & she giggled with excitement while eating breakfast. As 6pm neared, we pulled up the blinds in the dining room, as we normally do, if we are anticipating someone's arrival. This is Sophia's special little spot to be the 'look-out'...and boy is she good at it! Crimi's arrived first & even came bearing gifts! Upon opening the door, Sophia ran right up & into Margaret's arms...it was so cute! So Margaret & Darren gave her the little gifts - one being a little 'chef' outfit which is totally appropriate for her & all the cooking she does at Elmo's restaurant...and the other would've made her Abuelito (Rod's dad) proud...it was a little Doctor kit! It was super thoughtful of them, but they sure didn't have to do that...they are just sweet people! Because of Darren being a new firefighter, he often works a crazy schedule & even had the night off, but came with Margaret to babysit Sophia...I know that was a big deal for him to spend one of his only nights 'off' at our house...thanks Darren! However, when we left, we felt 'extra' good knowing that we had a trained professional in CPR & firefighting at our house! Katy arrived right behind Crimi's & Sophia ran up into her arms too...I think she has a 'thing', perhaps a comfort thing, with brunettes. Guess b/c almost all of her family has dark hair, she must feel 'at home' with others with dark hair too? It was fun to see her dive right into showing them everything & playing. As Rod, Darren, Katy & myself were all talking in the kitchen, Sophia came parading into the room donning her new chef duds! I was able to snap a photo, but unfortunately she didn't keep the hat on...nor would she put on the oven mit! It was a hoot, & then both Margaret & Darren put on Rod & I' aprons...I wasn't quick enough to snap a photo of all 3. As Rod & I left, I was able to peer back through the dining room window to the inside of my house that was filled with lots of laughter & smiles of 1 little girl who had 3 wonderful people doting on her...it was a warm little moment for me!

Rod & I were then off to the wine-tasting dinner...it was very good. The wine choices were excellent as the majority were reds (pinot noirs, & cabernet sauvignons)...the only downside was that the 4 of us (Rod, Patricia, Rafa & myself) all agreed that some of the dishes we could've all done better (lobster thermador, lamb & filet of ribeye). Patricia is a great cook & often cooks something daring/exotic & it's so yummy! She also is a nutritionist, so everything she makes is healthy! I'm not even a huge lobster fan, but the lobster course was pretty good. However, this particular style, lobster thermador, Rod cooked for his parents anniversary about 2yrs ago...it was DEE-LISH! He had cheeses, bread crumbs & better spices in his than the chef's last night. The dessert course was the chef's take on a banana split...yum! Fried banana slices, with some sort of creme filled crepe, with strawberry, pineapple & chocolate drizzled over it. Let's just say I felt totally fat after leaving that dinner....I was fat & happy...who cared!? Ha!

Upon returning home, the 3 babysitters were all visiting in the living room & said everything went well. However, they were initiated into the club of "Elmo's World" dvd's...I'm so sorry guys! If you've ever heard the 'Elmo's World' song, it'll stick with you like none other...as in you kinda feel like jabbing your eardrums out if you hear it one too many times!

We look forward to more evenings with the 3 Musketeer Babysitters...they were fabulous!

TGIF!

Whew...we made it to the weekend, but some of us fared better than others here at the Lopez house. Poor little Sophia has felt out of sorts this past week, was increasingly cranky (we chalked it up to the terrible two's...although it was definitely some of that!) & had a case of the runny nose/sniffles in addition to a nasty little congestive cough. Ugh. Yesterday she had a low grade fever, but that didn't keep her down for long. However, this morning she a terribly high fever of 100.3. She was 'burnin' up' just like the Jonas Brothers song says (yes, I'm a fan. Probably the oldest one there is...whatever!). So I stripped her down to her diaper, pushed fluids into her & gave her a dose of grape tylenol. She was out within 20mins...poor baby. Slept another hour & then seemed to perk up as the fever subsided/lessened. As the tylenol's 4hr dose wore off, the fever cranked back up even higher to 101.6...I've never seen her little face the way it looked before...it was tragically pitiful. Luckily, Nana stopped by & brought me some lunch & most importantly a little 'happy' for the sick patient...a bright & happy 'get well soon' balloon! Sophia loved it & giggled at the smiley face or when she punched the balloon...almost immediately after, she went back to wanting to snuggle down in our bed. So I made the call to her pediatrician & set up the only appt they had available at 4:15. That doc office's parking lot was crammed! For the first time ever, we had to meander & sit in the 'sick' waiting room...I wanted to cringe. Luckily, also a first, we were in & out of the pediatrician's in ONE hour! Usually, we're literally stranded there for 2hrs or more...ugh. Dr. Simon is wonderful & looked Sophia over good & discovered a double ear infection. A sigh of relief as I knew that the treatment was an antibiotic (free at Publix!). The only other time she's ever had high fever, also resulted in an ear infection. So at least we knew what we were up against...& this explained so much. So, after picking up the meds & some juice at Publix, we came home to attempt to feed her a little something as a base for the meds...Mac & cheese. As I prepared it, she actually happily sat in her booster seat coloring! It's 8:15 & she's been konked out ever since 6:45! I had to wake her up from dozing to give her the last dose of Tylenol to help the fever! Fingers crossed she'll rest well tonight & with a 2nd dose of the antibiotic in the morning, hope that the infection & fever will begin to subside. It broke my heart all day to see her feel so ill...as mommies do, I catered to her every whim...& enjoyed for the first time since she was only a few weeks old...the chance to cuddle her while she napped! However, at 28 lbs, that was one heavy blanket of a baby on me!