A Successful Trip to the Lake

After our tragic trip to the Lake over Memorial weekend, we made a second attempt at a typical Lake weekend.  Luckily it was a successful trip.  Jeremy, Avery and I went down on Wednesday evening to extend the fun.  It gave us a chance to get settled in before Jackie and Jason joined us on Friday.  This is a picture of Avery in her "bed", the nest, on Wednesday night.  Sometimes we have a little trouble finding a good place for her to sleep when we're away from home (probably more my problem than hers), but this thing worked perfectly.  We just laid the little papasan chair flat and the curved sides made it impossible for her to roll out...it worked great!

Avery left Grandpa Vance and G.G. little messages on the shed with her sidewalk chalk.

Thank you to Cassi for buying the largest floatie known to man and letting us use it.  I know what you're thinking...she said floatie, yet I don't see any water.  Yes, that's correct, we used the floatie on the land.  Avery was convinced that it was a trampoline (aka. "a jumping bean") and argued with us when we tried to tell her that it actually floats in the water.  So, we left it on the grass the entire time and just enjoyed Avery jumping on it.

 I spent a lot of the space on my camera trying to capture that iconic "action shot" of Avery jumping in the air on her jumping bean.  I'm not sure that I got exactly what I was looking for, but I got a couple of cool shots I think.

We also took a couple of boat rides.  Those of you that have spent any time with me around the water know that I'm totally freaked out by water and especially boats.  With that said, I work very hard to not make my issues be Avery's issues as well.  So, it was important to me that we have the chance to go out on the boat on a weekend that wasn't really busy and just have a nice leisurely ride.  This gave us a chance to get Avery used to boats and the water and gave me the chance to allow her this opportunity without losing my mind.  In the end, it worked out well...we had a nice easy ride at a pace dictated by Avery and were done when Avery wanted to be done.

Avery really enjoyed the boat ride, and I love watching her experience new things (even if those things terrify me).

Jackie and Jason joined us for some fun time on the "jumping bean."  I sure hope that they are able to enjoy these times we spend together even though they seem to mostly be mundane activities.  We love spending time with them and really appreciate the fact that the time can be low key.

It looks like they are in deep conversation about the bubbles that Avery is blowing.  Avery really loves Jackie (and Jason too) and we appreciate how much they care for her as well.

Happy Father's Day

For Father's Day, we made the usual trip to Clinton.  We had lunch with Grandpa and Grandma Cover...it's amazing to me how well Avery has taken to her grandpa.  There are some people that you can just tell kids will love being around (ie Chelsea) and others that you think kids will have a harder time connecting with (ie Grandpa Cover).  However, I was completely wrong about Avery and her grandpa.  Perhaps part of the reason that she's able to connect so well with him is that he and Jeremy are so much alike...big, loud and very lively.

We also visited Nana and Papa's house for Father's Day, but for some reason I didn't manage to get a picture of Avery and Papa.  I did, however, get a couple of pictures of Avery and Jeremy (which has managed to slip my mind in years past).

I really like this picture of Avery and Jeremy.  If you look at their smiles, they're so much alike...a little crooked and one-sided!  Cute!

That's One Way to Do It!

Coloring is a very common pastime around this house.  Avery never seems to tire of drawing all over Jeremy's scrap paper from work.  This morning she wanted to color on the dining room floor, which is fine by me, but this is how I found her when I cam in to check on her...

Quite an interesting way to approach it, but it seemed to be working for her.

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

We've had some really nice days lately, so Avery and I have been spending some time outside.  It's so great to be able to be outside and enjoy the weather.  We have a swing set in the backyard, but I can only push that swing so many hours a day before I start to go a little crazy.  So, we've been trying to come up with other activities to enjoy in the yard.  Our latest endeavor was flying a kite.  We happen to live in a neighborhood where all of the power lines are buried under ground, making our own yard perfect for flying a kite.  I had to help her get it into the air of course, but after that point, Avery had a great time taking over flying duties.

It took her a few minutes to realize that the kite we had on the ground only minutes before was now in the sky looking so small that we could barely see it.  Once we reeled it in and put it back out a few times, you could just see her little brain making the connection that it was the same kite but up in the sky.  I just love seeing that look on her face when she makes the connection with something I've been trying to teach her...it's priceless!

Home Depot Workshops

We have started taking Avery to the Home Depot Kids Workshops on the first Saturday of each month, and she absolutely loves it.  Each month there's a little project for all the kids to build...little toolboxes, valets, pencil holders.  We have so much fun just watching her interact with the other kids there and making the projects.

 Avery and Dada making valets for Father's Day gifts.  I know that many of you have never seen Jeremy with a hammer, but here it is.  Look closely though, because you probably won't ever see it again!

Avery, Dada and Paci Baby showing off the finished product.  Paci Baby is wearing Avery's cute little apron to protect her from all the dirt.  Good job guys!

Memorial Weekend at the Lake...Not Exactly

The family tradition in the Cover family is to take a trip to the Lake for Memorial Weekend to welcome in summer.  We've done this for years, and it was done for many years before Jeremy and I were together.  This year, we were looking forward to Avery being older and really enjoying the activities, but, alas, things don't always go as planned (and with a 2-year old, they rarely go as planned).  

We left for the Lake on Saturday morning, headed to Grandpa and Grandma Cover's house.  We planned to stay the weekend, have a little family time, and enjoy the nice weather.  However, once Avery woke up from her nap Saturday afternoon, it was clear that she wasn't feeling well.  She has struggled through several minor lung infections throughout the winter as well as a minor episode of pneumonia, so we assumed that we were headed down that same path.  This time was a little different though.  As the evening and night progressed, Avery began to wheeze.  Luckily I had been conditioned to bring her nebulizer anywhere we go, so I was able to give her several breathing treatments throughout the night.  By morning, though, she had only gotten worse and was struggling to breathe.  Jeremy and I took her to an Urgent Care center at the Lake, who immediately sent us the ER.  Once we got to the ER, Avery's oxygen levels in her blood were tested and found to be much too low.  We immediately were placed in an ER cubicle and she was put on oxygen and given several breathing treatments in a row with new medications, totally bypassing all of the waiting associated with an ER visit.  We knew at this time, that we were dealing something a little more serious than her previous episodes. 

After several breathing treatments and a fairly high level of oxygen, Avery's oxygen levels began to improve.  It was only at this point, that the doctors began to investigate a cause for her problems, finally determining that she had pneumonia in both lungs making her dependent on oxygen.  We were later transported back to Columbia by ambulance because the hospital at the Lake is ill-equipped to deal with pediatric cases.  Avery then had a three day stay in the hospital.

Our time in the hospital made us even more grateful for the health and happiness that we are able to experience daily.  There were families there that weren't able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, a day when their child would be well and be able to go home, but luckily we were.  While I wouldn't wish a stent in the hospital on anyone, I hope that everyone gets a chance to truly see how lucky that most of us are to have a healthy child and how easily the tables could be turned.

In the ER at the Lake.  Luckily we don't go anywhere without Avery's blankie, so he was able to help comfort her when Jeremy and I wouldn't do.

Once we realized we'd be there a while, we sent Jeremy after a few of the staple items that we don't leave town without bringing..."Little Mickey" (Avery's portable DVD player on which she will watch nothing but Mickey Mouse), "Paci Baby/Baby Jack" (Avery's Cabbage Patch doll that has a pacifier-recently renamed Baby Jack in honor of her cousin), "Baby Elmo" (an Elmo doll that has a diaper and loves to be tickled), and snacks, of course (a staple for any Cover).

Once we were in Columbia, Avery had been on the oxygen for a while and was starting to feel a little better.  She was up for a few "hospital games"...letter recognition with some flash cards, a set of paper dolls that were actually magnetic so Avery could easily dress them, and an abundance of stickers that littered the tray table by the time we left the hospital.  Thank you Grandma for bringing these great toys over; they made the stay a little more bearable.

Fortunately, Avery was able to get some much needed sleep.  I'm pretty sure that I didn't sleep for the entire three days though, constantly worried that she needed something or that her oxygen level were dropping off as they often do during sleep.  Just when I had convinced myself that all of these things had been taken care of, a nurse or respiratory therapist would come in to check on us, do a breathing treatment, or adjust oxygen levels.

One good thing about being out of town at the beginning of this illness is that we were already packed for the hospital.  Avery and I pretty much had anything we would need for the duration in the back of our car.  I'm not sure how many times we sent Jeremy to the car.  These pajamas (soft Mickey as Avery calls them) were at the top of the list.

You can just tell by the look in her eyes that she was one sick little girl...makes me sad again just looking at it.

During a hospital stay, you have to be very creative in order to entertain an exceptionally active 2 year old, especially when she's tethered to so many monitors that the vast majority of her time has to be spent in a bed. So, we decided to feed Cocoa Puffs to Baby Elmo.  This is not a cereal that we stock at home, so Avery was enamored by the cereal itself, but then we fed it to Elmo, and that took it to an entirely new level.  After Elmo would eat a piece of cereal, fully chewing it mind you, he would then spit out the "uckies" into the little emesis basin.  

 Here he is getting another bite of the oh, so, popular cereal. 

Chew your food well, Elmo!

When we were able to leave, it seemed like it had been an eternity since we'd seen the outside world (Jeremy went home, but I stayed with Avery for the duration).  We were thrilled to bid adieu to all things hospital-related, including TJ the tiger in front of the hospital.

One last kiss for the tiger!

A follow-up appointment with Avery's pediatrician garnered us with an official asthma diagnosis.  We're hopeful that with this diagnosis will come the insight needed to prevent this type of thing from happening again.  Avery now has an inhaler to use twice daily as well as the close(er) watchful eye of her ever-paranoid mother to aid in the prevention of further episodes.  

We're so grateful to everyone who called, texted, visited and sent gifts...we would've had a much more difficult stay if it weren't for you!  Thank you!