I think you have Roseola

The past few days Genevieve you had a fever but nothing else was wrong, then it went away and today you have a light rash on your skin. I think you may have a mild case of Roseola! Good news is that the worst is over...


WHAT IS ROSEOLA?
It is a usually harmless illness caused by a virus. It occurs almost only in children age 3 months to 3 years, most often between 9-12 months. It is probably the most common cause of fever in this age group.
 
WHAT DOES ROSEOLA LOOK LIKE?
This virus generally causes 3 days of high fever (often over 103). The fever then subsides, and the child breaks out in a flat or bumpy red rash, usually starting around the neck, back and chest, then spreading out. The rash lasts a few days to a couple weeks.

Dr. Sears Clue: Roseola is about the only virus in which the rash appears after the fever breaks.
 Sometimes this virus will cause 3 to 7 days of high fever, with no other symptoms and no rash. Some children will have swelling of the glands in the front and back of the neck, runny nose, cough, ear pain, vomiting or diarrhea with this illness. Children can have one or all of these symptoms.

Dr. Sears Clue: The characteristic of Roseola is that infants don't seem very sick and act almost well when the high fever comes down.

Babies Don't Keep

Mother, O' Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth.

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek - peekaboo.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew,

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo.

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

~ Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Pizza and Football

Tonight your godfather Dave came over to enjoy some pizza and football. You still weren't feeling 100% so we decided to stay in. Dallias Pizza didn't disappoint and we had a great dinner. You were cranky but didn't want to go to bed so that was lots of fun. Finally we got you to settle down and then it was time for Mommy to go to bed to!

Huntington Beach, Day 2

Day 2 started off with a wonderful breakfast at Ruby's on the pier. You weren't very hungry even though Daddy gave you all of his eggs to eat. We enjoyed a nice walk on the pier before heading back to our room to check out. We then brought you to the place that you like to call "No No No No No" (AKA the beach) for just a bit more before heading out. You warmed up to the sand a little bit, I would say tolerate would be the right word for it. I tried putting your hat and glasses on but you weren't much interested in that either.

We loaded all of our beach supplies in the car and headed to Aunt Teresa and Uncle Scott's house to meet Grandma and Grandpa Di Donato. There were celebrating their wedding anniversary (37 years) and we were all going out to lunch at Hero's in Fullerton. We had a fun time visiting before heading back home to unload the car. The beach requires a lot of equipment!

Huntington Beach, Day 1

It was HOT this weekend, good thing back in June we had planned a trip to Huntington Beach for this weekend! At a silent auction at work I had won a nights stay at the Shorebreak Hotel, right across from the beach in Huntington. Because it was so hot we had lots of people join us at the beach! Grandma and Grandpa Hernandez, Aunt Teresa and Uncle Scott, mommy's friend Lauren was there (but at a different part of the beach), and Maria (but didn't know she was there till later).

As usual you DID NOT LIKE THE BEACH. You didn't like the sand, the water, the waves, the whole thing. Lucky for you Mommy had your pop tent ready and you enjoyed sitting in your tent and playing with your sand toys (minus the sand). You probably keep wondering why these mean old people keep taking you to that awful place! After the sun set we went back to our room and Mommy headed out to shop before dinner. We had a nice (but loud) at Huntington Beach Beer Company before going to bed.

Ballet for Genevieve

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Grandpa Gil installed a "ballet bar" and mirror for you in his garage from the leftovers from Aunt Teresa's bathroom project. You love going into his garage and now you have you very own little play area. AUnt Teresa will have to teach you a few moves to do!

Using a fork like a pro!

I thought it was maybe time for you to get use to trying to use a fork. I picked up a couple from Target, washed them and figured it would take you a while to get the hang of it. Within seconds of me handing you the fork you were using it to pick up pieces of meat and putting them in your mouth. Ms. Nancy said she just gives you a spoon up there, you must have learned from watching us! You are one smart little girl Genevieve.

Tray Train

You love playing a new game with us Genevieve. We or you pull out a wooden tray and you will sit on it until one of us comes over. Once we are over you like us to push you around on the tray all over the living room floor. Back, forward, up, down, side to side, turns and diagonals, you love it all! We will have to move to a bigger basket of some sort when you get bigger.

Grandma's Sweater

I have been meaning to take photos of you in this little sweater that Great Grandma Theresa made for Grandma Terri. Tonight I thought it would be perfect, well you had other plans. You DID NOT want it on and tried to take it off immediately! I will have to try another time, you were tired so maybe next time I will try earlier in the day.

Last Week of the 4/10's

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but I am happy to say that is just about over! All summer we have been on a 4/10 schedule at work and we have been having to get up at 6am to get ready. As of next Monday we will be back to waking up at 7am, a much more civilized hour! Ms. Nancy and Grandma Terri will be happy to, no more early morning Genevieve to watch!

Ontario History Musuem

Crystal Cove Beach

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Rubell's Castle Tour and Photos

Today was a busy day for mommy! I dropped you off at Ms. Nancy's house, you were so happy to be there and see your buddies Nicholas and Zack. As soon as you saw Ms. Nancy you wanted out of my arms, and as soon as you saw your friends you wanted down. It was so cute, when Nancy put you down you stood face to face with Zack, both screamed/laughed and took off running. Nicholas joined you as you all three took off down the kitchen. Who needs mommy??

I went to a tour of a place called Rubell's castle in Glendora. Huell Howser did an episode on it and it must of reaired recently because it was packed! There was probably 40 people there for the tour. We split into two groups, the property is huge. They do a great job managing the place and have some neat things happening. After I was done I met my friend Lauren from work at Cal Poly. She wanted me to do some photos of her and her friends for her 30th birthday. We had a good time getting lots of shots.

Return of the sleep monster!

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"Everybody sleeps. And eventually, everybody grows up.". -James Mollison

You must be having a growing spurt because you were so sleepy again! Not to bad for Mommy, I can pick up the house, get things done and you get to rest. 

Five things I am glad I did when I was pregnant…

Five things I am glad I did when I was pregnant…

1. Care with a Midwife- No other decision I made will ever come close to the importance of this decision for me. My prenatal appointments lasted 45 minutes, I didn’t have to wait in a waiting room, when my appointment was at 1pm, I was seen at 1pm. The nutrition counseling, holistic health approach and personal care I received made me feel connected with my birthing team. They were always there for me from the beginning and are still there for me now. How many Ob’s host family get together parties for their birthing families, will answer questions via text message at midnight and greet you with a hug when you see them?

2. Chiropractic care- Using a chiropractor recommended to me from my midwife who is trained in working with pregnant woman I was able to free myself from any back, hip and leg pain in pregnancy. Going every 3 weeks or so she was able to keep my back, hips and ligaments in the proper place, even though the growing weight of my belly worked hard to undo it all!

3. Hiring a newborn photographer- It is true what they say, they grow so fast! One of my favorite decisions was to hire a newborn photographer to come to the house to do her photos. It takes planning, commitment and a bit of an investment but the photos are irreplaceable. Babies only have that “curly” stage for a week or so and capturing it through a professional eye is a moment that cannot be replicated. It was so easy to have the photographer come to the house, because when your baby is that little you sure don’t want to venture out into the world just yet! She brought all the props and took photos right in our living room.

4. Putting me first- Some people suck, bottom line. Life stresses come your way if you are pregnant or not. It is how you choose to deal with those stresses that make the difference. I use to be a bit high strung, but once I was become pregnant I made a conscious decision that my baby came first, I came second and everyone else came third. This helped me put things into perspective on the importance of those daily stresses and choices. Without I don’t think I could have forced myself to eat a cup of cottage cheese and 2 cups a milk every day (48 grams of protein!).

5. Semantics- Changing the words we use is a powerful tool in accomplishing what we set out to do. Have you ever heard a marathon runner say they are going to “try” to run a marathon? Why do pregnant woman say they are going to “try” for a natural birth, or “try” to breastfeed? It is true that not everyone who starts the marathon finishes but the runners set them up for the best possible outcome by changing their language to reflect their desires. Hypnobabies encourages woman to use the word “birthing time” instead of labor, “pressure waves” instead of contractions and many other less fear inducing words. Terms like “guess date” instead of “due date” help ease the anxiety of when baby will arrive. Changing these words in my head helped me reduce anxiety and manage my emotions through the intense birthing process.

**I wrote this before I presented in a recent Bradley class about Genevieve's birth. So happy I was able to share the most important aspects of my journey with new soon to be parents!

A Night with your Cousins

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Tonight you got to spend time with your cousins Sarah and Lina. They love watching you, holding you and playing with you. You got to play outside, inside, with bouncy balls, ate soup and even got your outfit changed (they wanted to change your clothes!). What a good time you had!

Letter of Support for Aquanatal

This letter is to express my support and enthusiasm for Aquanatal Birth Center and their birth team. I researched many birth providers in the Inland Empire area and choose Aquanatal for their caring, competent and family oriented staff and facilities. I made my choice before conceiving and once I began care I was immediately affirmed I had made the right decision. 

When many of my pregnant friends were sharing their pregnancy journeys they often talked about long waits, feeling ill prepared for childbirth and often left things up to “fate”. My experience was unlike any of theirs, even those who sought care with midwives. It seems like a simple fact that when growing another human the things you put into your mouth DIRECTLY affect the little person growing inside. Despite this somewhat “duh” statement many OB/GYN’s and even other midwives often have only slight or no mention of proper nutrition, protein intake and water intake. For instance, I have a friend who made it through an entire pregnancy without drinking water! A large chunk of my prenatal appointments were spent talking about proper nutrition, hydration and activity level. Each appointment was extensive and lasted anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. The food journal I was asked to complete made sure I was on track with my eating and hence the growing of my beautiful baby girl. 

When it became closer to the end of my pregnancy appointments increased from every 2-3 weeks to every week. To be honest once everything was over I missed going back! Careful monitoring of any swelling, blood pressure, temperature changes etc, as well as recommendations for keeping me healthy for the reminder of the pregnancy was abundant. At 41 weeks I went to labor, on my own, no intervention needed. I was able to move freely, eat and drink, stand, squat, kneel, walk, do anything that I needed to do to feel comfortable and empowered by my birth. On July 31, 2010 at 6:16am my 10 lb 2 oz baby girl was born, without drugs, without intervention, without a c section and all along giving me the high of my life. 

Things could have ended a lot different for me. At my annual exam a few months later the OB/GYN was asking about my history and I told him about my birth. In response to her weight he told me, and I promise you this is true, “we section for a lot less then that”. I thought to myself, I know that is why I went with Aquanatal. He would have been willing to take away one of the most empowering moments in my life so he wouldn’t have to wait around for a “trial” of labor. Did I know my baby was going to be over 10 lbs? Not a clue but isn’t it amazing what your body can do when you have don’t know that you are not supposed to be able to do it? 

I am an enthusiastic supporter of Aquanatal Birth Center. I recommend to any woman who wishes to have the pregnancy journey and experience of a lifetime to look into Aquanatal. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND choosing Aquanatal Birth Center for those seeking to experience and understand the fierce spirit and power our mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers and other foremothers felt. Safe and empowering birthing fuels the fire of woman around the world, with it I now know that I CAN DO ANYTHING. 

**I wrote this letter in support Aquanatal and all the wonderful work that do for families in Southern California. 

The Mitchell's House

Daddy went down to Uncle Scott's parents house to talk to them about their landscape. He invited us to come along and we had a good time. You loved playing in their backyard, taking the toys out of the bin, walking all around the yard and playing with the dog. You got mad at me when I wouldn't let you play by the rose bushes, sorry Genevieve... Afterwards Daddy treated us to a nice lunch at a two story Olive Garden! On the way home you went to sleep and took a nice little nap for Mommy. Thank you, gave me time to catch up on the blog.

Rileys Farm and The Park

This morning I took you in your wagon over to the park. You had a wonderful time playing in the grass and of course finding all the little bits of trash people left behind. Lucky for us you don't try to eat them, although you did run away a bit when you saw that I was coming for it. I thought I tired you out, turns out I didn't! You didn't want to take a nap, despite playing all morning. You finnally went to sleep in the afternoon for about an hour and it was time to go to up to Riley's Farm.

Aunt Teresa's friend Robin was getting married and we were lucky enough to be invited to celebrate. We got a little turned around getting there but we didn't miss anything and came just in time for the ceremony to get started. We enjoyed walking around the property and taking photos in all of the pretty places. It wasn't crowded so we got the best shots! It is hard to get you to smile on commend, if I had a few more smiles out of you I would have been a bit happier. We will have to go back and go apple picking in the fall.