We've been bitten

The flu bug has bitten the Golden household. Hard. It started with Annabeth last Tuesday. Poor pitiful baby. She was miserable. Savannah was the next to fall on Thursday (while at school for her Valentine's Party). She has not been that sick in over a year (last Thanksgiving - what is it with her and holidays?). I was not there to comfort her. By the time I got to her she had been sick two more times and was covered in vomit.

Of course the first thing she wanted was a hug (which she got). Before I was a mother I never thought I would want to hug a vomit covered child. I suppose that is just one of the many surprises about motherhood.

The poor baby could not keep anything down. Not even a teaspoon of Emetrol (for those who don't know Emetrol, it is a fantastic OTC nausea med that typically stops a tummy flu in its tracks). She had to go to the doctor. So, I was getting the nasty car seat out of the car and putting in the one that will be Annabeth's in a couple of months (thank God for that extra seat) and I felt the rumble. I put the car seat in well enough and ran out of the car. I realized then that I had been felled by the bug as well. Fantastic. So, Sean stepped up and took Savannah to the doctor and got her some prescription nausea med that worked well.

Cut to Sunday. We think we are all on the mend. Annabeth is still fussy, but it seems to be teething, not flu. Savannah wants to go outside and ride her tricycle. All seems well. Then there is a cry in the night. I run in to check on Savannah just in time for her to toss her cookies all over again. So, here we are. At square one again. It seems as if this bug will not go away. I'm just hoping we can get through this in the next couple of days. We are also grateful for Sean's seemingly impeccable immune system that protects him from all these bugs the girls bring home.

Needless to say, there was not much of a Valentine's Day around here. I took a couple of pictures of Savannah all decked out for her party. That is when Valentine's Day began and ended.

I could not resist those tights. So cute.

Is this the face of a child who is going to loose her lunch in three short hours? I was shocked when they called and told me she was sick.

Cute Playground Pics

We had a family outing to Hermann Park today. They have a great playground that the girls love. Here are some pictures of the fun.

Annabeth chillin' in the double stroller.
Savannah having fun in the swing.

Savannah playing on a balance beam.

More balance beam smiles.

A breather from the running and swinging.

Sweet baby Annabeth crawling on the playground.

Annabeth crawling up the slide.

Annabeth having fun swinging...

Playful Park Playgroup

Savannah, Annabeth and I packed ourselves up and headed north to Fall Creek to go see Ashley, Jackson and Ella Rubli. Jackson is the same age as Savannah and Ella is a couple months younger than Annabeth. We had a great time. The little girls played and ate. The big kids ran around and ate cookies (lunch was just not that interesting). The video is so funny. It shows my, ahem, dainty daughter playing in the dirt with Jackson and a neighbor friend, Alex. They were having so much fun they could not stop squealing.

Sweet Savannah

Savannah also had a well child checkup this week. She was 28 lbs and 38 inches tall. She is not as lopsided in the percentages this time. I wonder if this means we are due for a growth spurt? Anyway she was in the 27th percent for weight and 64th percent for height. I was very surprised when they rolled in the blood pressure monitor to take her blood pressure. It was fine, and she was a good sport about it, but it was still strange.

Otherwise Savannah is doing well. She is as energetic as ever. Her favorite game right now is "Get you Mama/Daddy". Essentially this game entails her running around the living room chasing whomever has agreed to be pursued this time. She loves it. We are hoping this too will pass. She still loves her sister most of the time, and gets endlessly frustrated by her the rest of the time. She loves the Little Einsteins. For anyone who knows the show, she particularly identifies with Annie. I asked her why she likes Annie so much and she says it is because they both have "yellow hair". All right enough talking, moving on to some cute pictures.

All About Annabeth

Annabeth had her 9 month checkup yesterday. She is 17 lbs, 3 oz and 27.25 inches long. That puts her in the 18th percentile for weight and 31st percentile for height. Savannah was 16lbs, 7 oz and 28.5 inches long. Annabeth is definitely shorter and rounder than her big sister.

She crawls like crazy. She has a quiet determination that astounds me. She will patiently keep trying to do whatever it is she wants to do until she accomplishes her little goal. She does not get upset at all. She has rhythm and loves to dance. She is such a smiley baby. She just seems to always be happy. Obviously I have a lot to learn from her about patience and contentment. We are waiting for the day she realizes she has the strength to walk and takes off. Until then, we are enjoying the phase she is in now. She is so vocal (I know, big shock a child of mine would be chatty). Her favorite word is Mama. She is learning sign language very quickly. She knows all done and she knows to wave bye-bye.

We feel so blessed to have her in our lives. She is a true delight.

Finally an answer to the age old question..

Men and women have been arguing for years, "Who is the better driver, men or women?" I imagine this question even came up during horse and carriage days, but maybe not. Anyway, Savannah finally provided us with the answer.

Scene: We just had dinner on Savannah'sbirthday. Sean was on the driver's side of our van, our only car, putting Savannah in her car seat. I was on the passenger's side depositing baby sister in her infant seat. So, Sean got in the driver's seat and I proceeded to enter the passenger's side. A little background may be needed here. Since we have only one car, I almost always drive when Savannah is in the car. Sean has never fully gotten used to the van and I drive it constantly. So, it was a little unusual for Sean to drive. Anyway, I digress. Savannah proceeds to tell Sean, "Daddy get out. You are in Mama's seat."
Sean reassures Savannah, "Daddy knows how to drive, Savannah."
Savannah says: "No, Mama drives."

We continue to drive home. Upon arrival, Sean asks Savannah the following:
"See, Daddy can drive. Don't you think Daddy is a good driver?"
Savannah replies, "No."
Sean then thinks for a minute and asks "Is Mama a good driver?"
In response Savannah says "Yes, Mama is a good driver."

In claification, he asked each question again and received the same response.
Such a bright girl, that Savannah...

Party Pandamonium

Savannah had such a wonderful time at her birthday party that we could barely convince her to leave. She was all smiles while playing on the playland, seeing the Chick-fil-A cow, and eating her birthday cupcakes. She was very excited to see her friends too. All in all it was lots of fun for her. Of course to all the adults, it was pure craziness. Like all birthday parties at this age there was laughing, crying and vomiting. It's enough to make parents wonder, why did we do this? Then you look at the grinning birthday girl and you have your answer. Thanks to all who came to make this day special for our big girl.