Looking at this picture makes us realize just how much she's changed in the two months since we've returned home. In China she was such a serious, cautious, unhappy little girl. Now her personality is really coming out and she's outgoing, bubbly, fun, silly and smiles all the time. We never thought she would change so much and so quickly, it's just amazing. Life is good.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Certificate of Citizenship
It finally arrived and look at Maisie waving, just like in her referral photo!
Looking at this picture makes us realize just how much she's changed in the two months since we've returned home. In China she was such a serious, cautious, unhappy little girl. Now her personality is really coming out and she's outgoing, bubbly, fun, silly and smiles all the time. We never thought she would change so much and so quickly, it's just amazing. Life is good.
Looking at this picture makes us realize just how much she's changed in the two months since we've returned home. In China she was such a serious, cautious, unhappy little girl. Now her personality is really coming out and she's outgoing, bubbly, fun, silly and smiles all the time. We never thought she would change so much and so quickly, it's just amazing. Life is good.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Meeting new friends.
Friday, February 23, 2007
A girl on the go!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Here ducky ducky
Maisie has a new word that she's saying and it's duck, oh so cute!!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Playtime
We've slowly been introducing new toys to Maisie. The newest one which 
Of course we can't forget her all time favorite toy, plastic water bottles, a favorite from the first day we met her. The best thing about the water bottle, it doesn't play the ABC song!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Happy lunar New Year
Gong xi fa cai!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Our little Valentine
Two years ago today we were accepted by our agency to adopt from China and now here we are with little Maisie. For our first Valentine's Day together we had a pretty quiet day. We attend our Music Together class in the morning but then spent the afternoon playing at home because as you can see from the piccies, Maisie is still a little snotty mess, getting over her cold. 
Our big accomplishment of the week is that on her own, Maisie decided that she was done with the bottle and is now on a sippy cup. It's funny to see her with the sippy cup though as I swear, the cup is bigger than her head. 
Maisie continues to practice her walking and gets more confident each day. When she's in the walker she actually runs and has a ball racing through the house. 
She's still not eating much and what she likes one day doesn't necessarily mean she'll like it or eat it ever again. This week she did eat some lasagna and has added fruit flavored yogurt to her mainstays of chocolate yogurt, pudding, tapioca and of course her beloved goldfish. Speaking of goldfish, Maisie has started signing fish in addition to her other signs of more, thank you, Mama, finished/all gone, bottle and water. She's becoming very vocal and probably soon will be talking our ears off. Sleep is still a huge issue with her spending part of the night in the p-n-p and the remainder in bed with me. Naps are still a rare treat for me and her favorite place to sleep is still the car seat but only when the car is in motion which does me little good in my attempt to get some rest.
That about sums up our first Valentine's Day together. It will be interesting next year to look back and see just how much out little Valentine has changed.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone.
Love,
Eammon, Lisa and Maisie Miao Miao
Friday, February 09, 2007
It's snot fun
Man is it ever a snot fest here at the Shanahan house. The morning after our visit to the ER I awoke with a horrible head cold. Can you believe it, we're only 40 days into 2007 and I've already had pneumonia, the flu and now a major snot fest of a cold. I swear there must have been a day or two in there when I wasn't sick, just wish I could remember and repeat it!!
Maisie's stomach flu is much better and though still not great, she's eating better and drinking lots of fluids so that's good. The girl seems to survive on Cheerio's, fruit puffs, goldfish and tapioca. Because of the teething and not feeling well, she's been miserable when it comes to sleep and her favorite place, once again, is my chest. So no surprise this morning she woke with a runny nose, cough and cold. On top of that, it's a cold gray day so we can't even warm ourselves in the sunbeams. Oh well, hopefully our colds will pass quickly and we'll all be on the mend soon.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
ER
Maisie has been out of sorts for the past few days, most of which I attributed to major teething. Her bottom first molars are almost fully erupted. Her upper canines, upper first molars and final two lower incisors are all pushing their way through. Well Sunday night she was a complete misery, beyond exhausted and wouldn't go down to bed until almost 8PM (usually she's in bed and asleep somewhere between 6:30-7:30PM), only to wake at 9:45 at which time there was no getting her to go back to sleep in the p-n-p. She wanted to either be sleeping on my chest or kicking me in the chest. On top of that, she spent a good three hours in the middle of the night jumping, playing and just generally keeping me awake. Well, come Monday morning we were both quite exhausted but she was so unhappy being in the house, being held, not being held, I put her in the car to take her to story time at the library only to find out it was cancelled. Oh, what to do?? It was a really cold day so we couldn't go to the park so I packed her back into the car and we headed to the mall so that we could walk around and see some different sites. I took her to the mall's play area only to have her scream and hate everything. Oh joy!
We were home by 1PM but I could have sworn it was at least 6PM as I was so exhausted and all Maisie wanted to do was to be picked up so that she could push away and get off so that she could cry to be picked up, over and over and over again. Luckily when I called Eammon, he said he could do some work from the house so he came home early to help me out a little. Once Eammon was home, I took the opportunity for a quick run to the store sans Maisie. As soon as I pulled back into the driveway I saw Eammon holding Maisie, frantically waving me into the house. Seems that the only time Maisie stopped screaming was when she was throwing up all over Eammon. He had her stripped down to her diaper and wrapped in a blanket but needed me to take her so he could clean up the mess. While Eammon cleaned himself up as well as a few spots around the house, I got Maisie cleaned up and into her pj's. She settled down to bed around 7PM only to wake, screaming at 8:30, 10:15, 10:50 and midnight at which point I brought her into bed with me where she settled down quickly sleeping most of the night on my chest. She had fitful sleep, waking screaming like something was biting her, only to settle back down quickly usually after head butting me. Around 3am she was quite fretful so I gave her a light bottle of rice cereal and water which she quickly drank down.
Tuesday morning she seemed better but only wanted a couple of cheerio's and just a few ounces of another rice cereal bottle. I figured that her teeth were still bothering her and decided to follow through with our plans for the day. We were going to the Atlanta China Town Mall with Kathy and Lisa and up until 10:15am, 15 minutes before they were due to arrive at the house, Maisie was doing well. Then once again she threw up, this time all over me!! I had just changed and was leaving a message at the pediatrician's office asking for some advice when the girls arrived and since Maisie seemed to feel better after emptying her tummy we headed out.
The mall is tiny, tiny but they have a good grocery store and food court. Just as we were sitting down to lunch Maisie spit up and seconds later the doctor's office called. Their advice was to just get some pedialyte into her slowly and see if she would tolerate it. I had thought that would be their advice and luckily before leaving the house I tossed a few packets of the dry mix into my bag. Maisie would have none of it though she was not going to allow anything past her lips. Well, I would try once we got home as we weren't going to be out too long. After lunch the girls did a little shopping at the grocery but Maisie was quite chilled so we walked around the bakery, Maisie of course looking adorable as you can see from the piccie Lisa snapped.
On the drive home Maisie was quite miserable but then fell asleep for about 20 minutes. Once back at the house I attempted to give her some of the pedialyte from the bottle but no go, tried to use the medicine syringe, nope on that one too. Put her in the hip hammock as that usually calms her but she proceeded to do her Linda Blair Exorcist routine. After the girls left Maisie went into complete meltdown and no matter what I tried she would not take any fluids yet she managed to throw up again, all over me. All she would do was scream and there was no comforting her. Since throwing up 24 hours earlier, she had taken in less than 8 oz. of fluid, at the most 6 cheerio's and had thrown up 4, nope just as I changed my shirt again, make that 5 times. It was close to 4 PM when I called the doc's office again only to be told that she probably was dehydrated and may need an IV and to take her to the ER. Not anywhere near what I was looking to do, but little M would not settle down and was screaming uncontrollably.
I packed her back into the car and we were off. I can't even tell you how much I hate having to go the ER and the people there. First there was the family that arrived just before us, Mother and Grandmother with seven children all of whom had to be seen by a doctor as they were all extremely ill according to the Mother...Yeah, so ill that the Grandmother had to keep yelling at them to settle down and stop running up and down the halls...Thank you very much!! Then there was the staff...I heard them call for Marissa Shannon to come register, after hearing them call three times and knowing that I should be after the "sick" seven, I asked if they meant Maisie Shanahan and oh yeah, that's how you say her name...Are you kidding me??? Then when the doctor came into the room she sweetly said "Hi there Shannon sweetie." I said it's Maisie Shanahan so she had to leave the room to see if she had the correct patient. Sure enough they had her listed on the board as Shannon Shannon!! Give me a break, to top it off, Shanahan is phonetic, sound it out!!! OY!!
While we were waiting for the doc to come in, I kept trying to get Maisie to drink some of her bottle and wouldn't you know it was after all the waiting that she decided to drink. Well, the doctor was really quite nice and said that Maisie was not yet in need of an IV and now that she was drinking some we could avoid it. Maisie does have a stomach flu and some major gas so it was probably the gas pains that were waking her, making her scream in pain. I called Eammon from the hospital so that he could go out and get some gas relief meds and we headed home. By the time we got home it was after 9PM and Maisie was quite subdued. I gave her the gas meds, some ibuprophen for her teething pain and some more pedialyte and she settled down to sleep quite easily. At 1am she woke screaming so I gave her more meds and pedialyte and she was back to sleep by 1:38, I of course was awake until after 3am but hey, why do I need sleep!
For most of today, Maisie has either been sleeping on me or miserable and screaming. She was up early, around 6:30am but at 8:15, fell asleep on me. She awoke at 10 and seemed OK so we went off to a Music Together class, which was quite wonderful. She participated and did well during the class but by the end just had had enough. Once in the car she was asleep for the 20 minute drive home and then I gave her a little lunch of dry toast (no go), Cheerio's (ate lots) and more pedialyte. After lunch she was wanting up, down, up, down until she finally settled on me for a long nap. All afternoon was a scream fest and nothing I did calmed her down. When Eammon arrived home she was all happy to see him and wanted to be hugged but even that only lasted 5 minutes. I'm ready for another rough night and I can't wait for the teething to be over with. I think her tummy is doing better as she has tolerated everything she ate and drank today so tomorrow I'll add a little more into her diet again.
Well, I'd better get to sleep while I can and before she wakes me up. Nighty night.
We were home by 1PM but I could have sworn it was at least 6PM as I was so exhausted and all Maisie wanted to do was to be picked up so that she could push away and get off so that she could cry to be picked up, over and over and over again. Luckily when I called Eammon, he said he could do some work from the house so he came home early to help me out a little. Once Eammon was home, I took the opportunity for a quick run to the store sans Maisie. As soon as I pulled back into the driveway I saw Eammon holding Maisie, frantically waving me into the house. Seems that the only time Maisie stopped screaming was when she was throwing up all over Eammon. He had her stripped down to her diaper and wrapped in a blanket but needed me to take her so he could clean up the mess. While Eammon cleaned himself up as well as a few spots around the house, I got Maisie cleaned up and into her pj's. She settled down to bed around 7PM only to wake, screaming at 8:30, 10:15, 10:50 and midnight at which point I brought her into bed with me where she settled down quickly sleeping most of the night on my chest. She had fitful sleep, waking screaming like something was biting her, only to settle back down quickly usually after head butting me. Around 3am she was quite fretful so I gave her a light bottle of rice cereal and water which she quickly drank down.
Tuesday morning she seemed better but only wanted a couple of cheerio's and just a few ounces of another rice cereal bottle. I figured that her teeth were still bothering her and decided to follow through with our plans for the day. We were going to the Atlanta China Town Mall with Kathy and Lisa and up until 10:15am, 15 minutes before they were due to arrive at the house, Maisie was doing well. Then once again she threw up, this time all over me!! I had just changed and was leaving a message at the pediatrician's office asking for some advice when the girls arrived and since Maisie seemed to feel better after emptying her tummy we headed out.
The mall is tiny, tiny but they have a good grocery store and food court. Just as we were sitting down to lunch Maisie spit up and seconds later the doctor's office called. Their advice was to just get some pedialyte into her slowly and see if she would tolerate it. I had thought that would be their advice and luckily before leaving the house I tossed a few packets of the dry mix into my bag. Maisie would have none of it though she was not going to allow anything past her lips. Well, I would try once we got home as we weren't going to be out too long. After lunch the girls did a little shopping at the grocery but Maisie was quite chilled so we walked around the bakery, Maisie of course looking adorable as you can see from the piccie Lisa snapped. On the drive home Maisie was quite miserable but then fell asleep for about 20 minutes. Once back at the house I attempted to give her some of the pedialyte from the bottle but no go, tried to use the medicine syringe, nope on that one too. Put her in the hip hammock as that usually calms her but she proceeded to do her Linda Blair Exorcist routine. After the girls left Maisie went into complete meltdown and no matter what I tried she would not take any fluids yet she managed to throw up again, all over me. All she would do was scream and there was no comforting her. Since throwing up 24 hours earlier, she had taken in less than 8 oz. of fluid, at the most 6 cheerio's and had thrown up 4, nope just as I changed my shirt again, make that 5 times. It was close to 4 PM when I called the doc's office again only to be told that she probably was dehydrated and may need an IV and to take her to the ER. Not anywhere near what I was looking to do, but little M would not settle down and was screaming uncontrollably.
I packed her back into the car and we were off. I can't even tell you how much I hate having to go the ER and the people there. First there was the family that arrived just before us, Mother and Grandmother with seven children all of whom had to be seen by a doctor as they were all extremely ill according to the Mother...Yeah, so ill that the Grandmother had to keep yelling at them to settle down and stop running up and down the halls...Thank you very much!! Then there was the staff...I heard them call for Marissa Shannon to come register, after hearing them call three times and knowing that I should be after the "sick" seven, I asked if they meant Maisie Shanahan and oh yeah, that's how you say her name...Are you kidding me??? Then when the doctor came into the room she sweetly said "Hi there Shannon sweetie." I said it's Maisie Shanahan so she had to leave the room to see if she had the correct patient. Sure enough they had her listed on the board as Shannon Shannon!! Give me a break, to top it off, Shanahan is phonetic, sound it out!!! OY!!
While we were waiting for the doc to come in, I kept trying to get Maisie to drink some of her bottle and wouldn't you know it was after all the waiting that she decided to drink. Well, the doctor was really quite nice and said that Maisie was not yet in need of an IV and now that she was drinking some we could avoid it. Maisie does have a stomach flu and some major gas so it was probably the gas pains that were waking her, making her scream in pain. I called Eammon from the hospital so that he could go out and get some gas relief meds and we headed home. By the time we got home it was after 9PM and Maisie was quite subdued. I gave her the gas meds, some ibuprophen for her teething pain and some more pedialyte and she settled down to sleep quite easily. At 1am she woke screaming so I gave her more meds and pedialyte and she was back to sleep by 1:38, I of course was awake until after 3am but hey, why do I need sleep!
For most of today, Maisie has either been sleeping on me or miserable and screaming. She was up early, around 6:30am but at 8:15, fell asleep on me. She awoke at 10 and seemed OK so we went off to a Music Together class, which was quite wonderful. She participated and did well during the class but by the end just had had enough. Once in the car she was asleep for the 20 minute drive home and then I gave her a little lunch of dry toast (no go), Cheerio's (ate lots) and more pedialyte. After lunch she was wanting up, down, up, down until she finally settled on me for a long nap. All afternoon was a scream fest and nothing I did calmed her down. When Eammon arrived home she was all happy to see him and wanted to be hugged but even that only lasted 5 minutes. I'm ready for another rough night and I can't wait for the teething to be over with. I think her tummy is doing better as she has tolerated everything she ate and drank today so tomorrow I'll add a little more into her diet again.
Well, I'd better get to sleep while I can and before she wakes me up. Nighty night.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Meet the Grandparents
Friday morning Eammon and I had to take Maisie along with her 1/4 pound container of frozen poo to lab so that they could run who knows what tests on the poo and also attempt to remove all the blood from her body. Well with all the blood tests that her doctor ordered, they probably need more blood than the poor child has and seeing that she was so unwilling to give up any, it may take weeks of visiting the lab before they have enough to run all the tests. The time at the lab was horrible, two techs, Eammon and myself all trying to hold Maisie still while the vampire attempted to get some blood. We went to this particular lab because the doctor's office suggested it as they specialize in pediatric blood draws. But after half a dozen sticks, they're not sure if they have enough blood to do any of the tests. Even if they had been able to get what they were looking for that day, it wouldn't be enough to run all the tests and the thought of having to go back again just makes me sick. Poor thing has major black and blue marks on the insides of both arms. On top of that, I can't take Maisie there without Eammon and the lab is only open during business hours...OY!!
Needless to say after such a stressful morning, Maisie was exhausted and fell asleep on the short ride home. I attempted to move her into the p-n-p so that she could maybe, possibly take a nap, but that was not to happen. Instead she decided that she was beyond hungry and ate more in one sitting than we've seen her eat in two full days. She had chicken and dumpling soup with cous cous, at least half cup of cheerios, a container of applesauce AND a full container of yogurt. I don't know where she put it all, but boy was she hungry! I then left Eammon and Maisie home and did a quick trip to the grocery. When I returned home, Eammon told me that my parents would be at our house in about an hour and not to worry, the tornado hit a few miles from them. We hadn't turned on the t.v. or the radio so we knew nothing about a tornado. Funny thing was, my parents didn't know anything about it either until they received a call during their drive up here as people were checking on them. They had left their home in The Villages around 6am and though the tornado hit within The Villages, they didn't happen to pass by that area and knew nothing about it.
Maisie did well meeting her Grandparents for the first time and actually allowed both my Mother and Father to hold her...albeit for short periods of time. It's amazing to see how each week Maisie becomes more comfortable with other people and warms up quicker and quicker. She had fun though during their visit and of course charmed them so that they now know she's the most wonderful, fabulous little girl ever!!
This morning my parents were off early heading home and Maisie and I went off to play with seven of her little playmates. We had a really fun time playing and hopefully one of the smart Moms who remembered their camera will send me some pics which I'll be able to post. And yes Julie, I gave Kacey a big hug and kiss from you. She was doing great with Nana Susan and your trip is much more difficult on you than on her...though I know she misses you. Also, the new haircut is adorable.
On a final note, my last blood test came back normal so all the elevated liver counts were most likely due to the massive amounts of antibiotics I had been taking. I know that my doc was just being cautious, (and cruel subjecting me to all those blood tests) but hmmm, didn't I say from the beginning that the count was high because of the antibiotics!?!?!?
Needless to say after such a stressful morning, Maisie was exhausted and fell asleep on the short ride home. I attempted to move her into the p-n-p so that she could maybe, possibly take a nap, but that was not to happen. Instead she decided that she was beyond hungry and ate more in one sitting than we've seen her eat in two full days. She had chicken and dumpling soup with cous cous, at least half cup of cheerios, a container of applesauce AND a full container of yogurt. I don't know where she put it all, but boy was she hungry! I then left Eammon and Maisie home and did a quick trip to the grocery. When I returned home, Eammon told me that my parents would be at our house in about an hour and not to worry, the tornado hit a few miles from them. We hadn't turned on the t.v. or the radio so we knew nothing about a tornado. Funny thing was, my parents didn't know anything about it either until they received a call during their drive up here as people were checking on them. They had left their home in The Villages around 6am and though the tornado hit within The Villages, they didn't happen to pass by that area and knew nothing about it.
Maisie did well meeting her Grandparents for the first time and actually allowed both my Mother and Father to hold her...albeit for short periods of time. It's amazing to see how each week Maisie becomes more comfortable with other people and warms up quicker and quicker. She had fun though during their visit and of course charmed them so that they now know she's the most wonderful, fabulous little girl ever!! This morning my parents were off early heading home and Maisie and I went off to play with seven of her little playmates. We had a really fun time playing and hopefully one of the smart Moms who remembered their camera will send me some pics which I'll be able to post. And yes Julie, I gave Kacey a big hug and kiss from you. She was doing great with Nana Susan and your trip is much more difficult on you than on her...though I know she misses you. Also, the new haircut is adorable.
On a final note, my last blood test came back normal so all the elevated liver counts were most likely due to the massive amounts of antibiotics I had been taking. I know that my doc was just being cautious, (and cruel subjecting me to all those blood tests) but hmmm, didn't I say from the beginning that the count was high because of the antibiotics!?!?!?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Maisie Miao Miao's most excellent day
And what does a good day start with? A good night's sleep! Last night both Maisie and Mum were fast asleep by 7:30 PM and other than a few wake-ups which required just a few moments of comforting, she slept in the p-n-p until 7:30 am. After a breakfast of yogurt and rice cereal we were off to the library for story time where we did clapping rhymes, sang little songs, played with a parachute and listened to two books followed by lots of toys and books being spread out so we could play with the other children.
Such a busy morning tired out little Maisie enough that when we returned home, she actually allowed me to put her in the p-n-p where she took a short 20 nap. Then the girl who thus far would only eat cheerios, goldfish, pudding, chocolate yogurt and chocolate mint candy, actually ate some chicken pot pie and apple/pear sauce, will wonders never cease! We were just having such a good day that I decided to take her over to The Playroom for their drop-in playtime. Maisie made friends with two little girls and though scared at first ended up loving the trampoline. I think that we'll be visiting The Playroom often as we had fun and there's so much more there to explore.
We were still going strong so a shopping trip to Tar*jay was our next stop where we found lots of tights on sale so she's set for the rest of this winter as well as next winter. It was getting late and cooking dinner was the last thing I wanted to do once returning home so a quick stop at the new Trader Joe's and a dinner of lobster ravioli in vodka sauce was just a quick boil away. Maisie really loved the chicken pot pie at lunch so a repeat meal was her dinner. Today was the most food and the most nutritious meals that she's ever had. Overall a perfect day all around.
The picture above is Maisie when we returned from our day out and she was still a happy girl. Now she's sleeping soundly in the p-n-p and hopefully it will be another good night followed by another good day tomorrow.
Just a few piccies from the weekend.
Monday, January 22, 2007
And then there were seven...
For our little Ladies-who-Lunch (LwL) group, Maisie was the final little girly-girl to come home from China. So on Saturday the seven LwL gathered with our little sweeties for the first time all together and did a little photo shoot. All I could do was laugh as all the girlies were so cute and it was great to finally have them all home and together.Front row (L-R):
Maisie (home Dec'06 - 15mos old);
Liza (home Sept '06 - 15mos old);
Amelia (home June'06 - 17mos old).
Back row (L-R):
Chloe (home Sept '06 - 16mos old);
Kacey (home Sept '06 - 27mos old);
Emily (home Mar'06 - 19mos old);
Kailee (home June'06 - 19mos old).
On Wednesday, Maisie turned 15 months old and we had a nice little day together. We did a little shopping in the morning and then Maisie spent lots of time pressing all the little buttons on her princess car. She can spend a good amount of time concentrating on the dashboard and has even started picking the buttons she wants as opposed to just hitting them all randomly.
Everytime I try to take a picture of Maisie, she comes towards me, trying to touch the camera. No wonder I have so few pictures as she still spends a lot of time on my lap or reaching for the camera. I do love her little fish face though.
To top off her 15 month birthday, little Miss M settled in for a rare afternoon nap in the p-n-p, sweet!!!Friday we had our first visit to the pediatrician, OY!! Maisie was quite good but she did end up getting five different injections which made her scream and made her needle phobic Mother sick. At 15 months and two days, little Miss Maisie weighed in at 19 lbs - 2 oz and is 29.75" tall putting her in the 5th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height. Overall the doctor says that she's doing well and seems well attached to me. I have to do a bit of poo collecting and then I'll have to take Maisie to have a major blood draw, checking on all her past immunizations as well as testing for a myriad of who knows what. Eammon probably will have to go with us as I'm likely to pass out as she screams, plus Eammon doesn't mind needles so I think major blood draws should be a blue job in our home, don't you agree???
After visiting the doctor, Maisie and I headed down to the airport to pick up my girlfriend Karen, who flew down from Connecticut to spend the weekend with us. Saturday started with breakfast, followed by the photoshoot and lunch. 
Maisie looked so cute all dressed and ready for the camera! Then later in the afternoon Karen, Maisie and I headed to the local adopter's gathering at Lisa & Doug's home. Maisie did so well meeting so many new people and everyone was so good about giving her time to warm up to them before swooping in and attempting to get a picture. Lisa even had out some of Brianna's great little toys so Maisie got to test them all out for her.
Sunday was an exciting day as not only did Maisie get all dressed up in a party dress and go to her friend LiLi's 2nd birthday but she also took her first steps!
First steps!!
First steps are tiring.Today Karen had to fly back to Connecticut and her family and of course it was the day that Maisie decided that Karen was pretty cool and was OK to hold her...Figures!!! Hopefully we'll see Karen again soon and Maisie will warm up faster so that Karen can get her baby fix!
Maisie has decided that tapioca is good and though she's still not too sure about most foods, at least for now, tapioca is a keeper.
Oh no, I have tapioca face!!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Are you kidding me??
Everyday brings something new here in the Shanahan home. Some of what happens is good, some of it not so good and there are always some surprises, so here's a little re-cap.
Before I get into all of what's happening, I've received numerous emails regarding the comment I made in my previous post about my doctor wanting to test me for Hep A, B & C exposure. My blood tests came back showing no exposure so I'm fine on that front but again my liver function came back high. So lucky needle phobic me gets to go next week to have another blood draw to see if there's any change. I still say my level is high due to all the antibiotics so hopefully I'm right and my new numbers will be normal or at least close to it.
Friday morning Maisie was just adorable and in a surprisingly good mood even though she (and I) had a rough night. It was the first day where my voice was finally sounding just about normal but I was dragging more than normal but I blamed it on being up most of the previous night and just figured we'd make the best of the day. It was a warm day here in Georgia so Maisie was dressed in the cute red outfit you see in the pictures. We had planned to go to a play group but because of a little miscommunication on location we never hooked up so instead we went out and did a little shopping before coming home and playing with her plastic. While shopping I picked up a sample of a Pop-tart and Maisie loved it, ate it and hey even though it's sugar at least she's eating something, so our pantry now contains Pop-tarts.
While we were out I started to really drag and was feeling queasy, weak and achy. Once home, we spent quiet time in the play area but as the afternoon progressed I started getting chills anda bad headache so by the time Eammon got home from work I was so achy I could barely move and had a fever of 102. Are you kidding me, after being so sick for so long, I now had the flu!! By 5:30 I was in bed for the night, well except for all the numerous trips to the bathroom. When it was time for Maisie to go to bed, Eammon brought her in to me where she quickly fell asleep on me but I guess she was uncomfortable with me being so hot as she quickly moved to the bed where she spent the night next to me.
Saturday my day consisted on laying on the sofa watching Maisie play. I couldn't get my fever down, I had a wicked headache and was so sore that I couldn't even lift her up. Late in the morning though she decided that she wanted to lay on top of me and within two minutes was fast asleep for a 45 minute nap! Then later in the day while I was napping in the bedroom she had a bit of a meltdown just before she decided to put her head on Eammon's chest where she took a second 40 minute nap!! This is the girl who doesn't nap and she did two in one day!! Come bedtime I just couldn't have her on top of me with my fever, chills and endless trips to the bathroom so I thought I'd give the pack-n-play (p-n-p), which is next to our bed, another go. Well what would you know, she whinged a few minutes but I kept stroking her back, she stayed down and actually fell asleep, will miracles never cease! She woke a couple of times during the night and all I had to do was put my hand on her back for a few minutes and she was back asleep.
Sunday wasn't all too different from Saturday just a lazy day with me still sick. Because of her naps on Saturday, I decided to try and put her down for an afternoon nap to see if she'd take one and sure enough, after about 30 minutes of complaining she slept in the p-n-p for about an hour. Then that night again she slept the entire night in the p-n-p again only waking a few times and needing a few pats on the back to settle her back down. At some point though I must have picked her up out of the p-n-p as I awoke Monday just after 6am with her sleeping on my chest. I'm guessing that she wouldn't settle back down and so that I could get back to sleep, just unconsciously picked her up and put her where I knew she'd settle and sleep.
Even with all the sleep over the weekend, Monday was not going to be a good day. She's cutting four teeth, it looks like her upper canines and her lower first molars. I fought with her to get Ora-gel on her teeth and medicine in to her, trying to make her feel more comfortable and better but with little success. We did go out for a quick lunch, meeting my friend Judy but Maisie didn't have the patience to be social. Once home all she'd do was cry. When I wasn't holding her she cried to be picked up, when I was holding her, she cried and wiggled away, there was no consoling her.
I tried putting her down for a nap but she was having none of it. I even tried to have her sleep for a while on my chest, that too was a no-go. Finally I decided that I'd heard enough crying and the crunch of Cheerios under my feet had to be dealt with so I strapped the Maisie monster into the high chair and started cleaning up and vacuuming. Well would you believe it, while I'm vacuuming and banging toys around, Miss M falls asleep in the high chair!! Are you kidding me, all I had to do was strap her in and turn on the vacuum and she'd fall asleep, shoot I should have done it earlier and she wouldn't have had to do all that screaming!
Monday night I tried to get her to sleep in the p-n-p but Eammon distracted her just as she was falling asleep and with her being so miserable all day, it took three hours to fall asleep and she was up every three hours taking a long time each time to settle back down. At 6am I made her a bottle and after sucking it down she did fall back asleep next to me in the bed for about an hour, but then she was up. We went out for an early shopping trip where I decided to try a few new foods out for her. She doesn't like the feel of fruit in her mouth but she likes the various fruit flavored Gerber fruit puffs so I decided to buy some dehydrated fruit and as she started to whinge in the store I began feeding it to her and she loves it. Also I know that the girl likes chocolate so I bought a couple of chocolate yogurts and she ate a full one, it was a hit!! Now that I know she doesn't mind the texture of at least the whipped yogurt, I'll try her on some flavors other than chocolate. Then to top the day off, she decides that the medicine I've been forcing on her to help with the teething pain actually tastes good and now when she sees the syringe she starts smacking her lips, whew, that's one less battle I have to fight.
Now she sleeps in the p-n-p, I've actually cleaned up the kitchen and play area, folded some laundry and have had the time to write an entire post in one go, life is definitely improving here at the Shanahan home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new sleeping arrangement continues and maybe even gets better so that she's sleeping in her own crib, in her own room but how nice it is to finally have a few hours at night to myself!! Now that I've done all this fun stuff, it's time to go to bed. Until my next post, night...
Before I get into all of what's happening, I've received numerous emails regarding the comment I made in my previous post about my doctor wanting to test me for Hep A, B & C exposure. My blood tests came back showing no exposure so I'm fine on that front but again my liver function came back high. So lucky needle phobic me gets to go next week to have another blood draw to see if there's any change. I still say my level is high due to all the antibiotics so hopefully I'm right and my new numbers will be normal or at least close to it.
Friday morning Maisie was just adorable and in a surprisingly good mood even though she (and I) had a rough night. It was the first day where my voice was finally sounding just about normal but I was dragging more than normal but I blamed it on being up most of the previous night and just figured we'd make the best of the day. It was a warm day here in Georgia so Maisie was dressed in the cute red outfit you see in the pictures. We had planned to go to a play group but because of a little miscommunication on location we never hooked up so instead we went out and did a little shopping before coming home and playing with her plastic. While shopping I picked up a sample of a Pop-tart and Maisie loved it, ate it and hey even though it's sugar at least she's eating something, so our pantry now contains Pop-tarts.
While we were out I started to really drag and was feeling queasy, weak and achy. Once home, we spent quiet time in the play area but as the afternoon progressed I started getting chills anda bad headache so by the time Eammon got home from work I was so achy I could barely move and had a fever of 102. Are you kidding me, after being so sick for so long, I now had the flu!! By 5:30 I was in bed for the night, well except for all the numerous trips to the bathroom. When it was time for Maisie to go to bed, Eammon brought her in to me where she quickly fell asleep on me but I guess she was uncomfortable with me being so hot as she quickly moved to the bed where she spent the night next to me.Saturday my day consisted on laying on the sofa watching Maisie play. I couldn't get my fever down, I had a wicked headache and was so sore that I couldn't even lift her up. Late in the morning though she decided that she wanted to lay on top of me and within two minutes was fast asleep for a 45 minute nap! Then later in the day while I was napping in the bedroom she had a bit of a meltdown just before she decided to put her head on Eammon's chest where she took a second 40 minute nap!! This is the girl who doesn't nap and she did two in one day!! Come bedtime I just couldn't have her on top of me with my fever, chills and endless trips to the bathroom so I thought I'd give the pack-n-play (p-n-p), which is next to our bed, another go. Well what would you know, she whinged a few minutes but I kept stroking her back, she stayed down and actually fell asleep, will miracles never cease! She woke a couple of times during the night and all I had to do was put my hand on her back for a few minutes and she was back asleep.
Sunday wasn't all too different from Saturday just a lazy day with me still sick. Because of her naps on Saturday, I decided to try and put her down for an afternoon nap to see if she'd take one and sure enough, after about 30 minutes of complaining she slept in the p-n-p for about an hour. Then that night again she slept the entire night in the p-n-p again only waking a few times and needing a few pats on the back to settle her back down. At some point though I must have picked her up out of the p-n-p as I awoke Monday just after 6am with her sleeping on my chest. I'm guessing that she wouldn't settle back down and so that I could get back to sleep, just unconsciously picked her up and put her where I knew she'd settle and sleep.
Even with all the sleep over the weekend, Monday was not going to be a good day. She's cutting four teeth, it looks like her upper canines and her lower first molars. I fought with her to get Ora-gel on her teeth and medicine in to her, trying to make her feel more comfortable and better but with little success. We did go out for a quick lunch, meeting my friend Judy but Maisie didn't have the patience to be social. Once home all she'd do was cry. When I wasn't holding her she cried to be picked up, when I was holding her, she cried and wiggled away, there was no consoling her.
I tried putting her down for a nap but she was having none of it. I even tried to have her sleep for a while on my chest, that too was a no-go. Finally I decided that I'd heard enough crying and the crunch of Cheerios under my feet had to be dealt with so I strapped the Maisie monster into the high chair and started cleaning up and vacuuming. Well would you believe it, while I'm vacuuming and banging toys around, Miss M falls asleep in the high chair!! Are you kidding me, all I had to do was strap her in and turn on the vacuum and she'd fall asleep, shoot I should have done it earlier and she wouldn't have had to do all that screaming!Monday night I tried to get her to sleep in the p-n-p but Eammon distracted her just as she was falling asleep and with her being so miserable all day, it took three hours to fall asleep and she was up every three hours taking a long time each time to settle back down. At 6am I made her a bottle and after sucking it down she did fall back asleep next to me in the bed for about an hour, but then she was up. We went out for an early shopping trip where I decided to try a few new foods out for her. She doesn't like the feel of fruit in her mouth but she likes the various fruit flavored Gerber fruit puffs so I decided to buy some dehydrated fruit and as she started to whinge in the store I began feeding it to her and she loves it. Also I know that the girl likes chocolate so I bought a couple of chocolate yogurts and she ate a full one, it was a hit!! Now that I know she doesn't mind the texture of at least the whipped yogurt, I'll try her on some flavors other than chocolate. Then to top the day off, she decides that the medicine I've been forcing on her to help with the teething pain actually tastes good and now when she sees the syringe she starts smacking her lips, whew, that's one less battle I have to fight.
Now she sleeps in the p-n-p, I've actually cleaned up the kitchen and play area, folded some laundry and have had the time to write an entire post in one go, life is definitely improving here at the Shanahan home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new sleeping arrangement continues and maybe even gets better so that she's sleeping in her own crib, in her own room but how nice it is to finally have a few hours at night to myself!! Now that I've done all this fun stuff, it's time to go to bed. Until my next post, night...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
One month a family!
Today marks the one month anniversary of Maisie joining our family. Though no outright celebrating took place, we did have a good day. Maisie did scream bloody murder as Will the vampire phlebotomist drew blood from me this morning but after that, the day got much better. For lunch we met Kathy, Deb and LiLi which was a lot of fun and though Maisie didn't allow anyone other than me to hold her, she did allow Kathy to feed her some fruit puffs. We then went on a shopping trip to Costco followed by some play time at home. So as I said, overall a good day.
Since I did a big update yesterday, I'm just going to post some pictures of our little sweetie girl today. Also, I'm still planning on going back and posting pictures and more about our trip but it's daunting trying to figure out where to start. So if anyone has questions about our trip, please ask them in either an email or a comment as it may help me get going on some posts...Thanks!
Hmmm, what colorful plastic toy should I play with next?? (Check out her dimpled right cheek as well as her new leopard print tennies which actually stay on her feet!)
I love driving my Princess Car and playing all the songs over and over and over!
Hey Mama, pay attention to me, no blogging for Mama!!
Since I did a big update yesterday, I'm just going to post some pictures of our little sweetie girl today. Also, I'm still planning on going back and posting pictures and more about our trip but it's daunting trying to figure out where to start. So if anyone has questions about our trip, please ask them in either an email or a comment as it may help me get going on some posts...Thanks!
Hmmm, what colorful plastic toy should I play with next?? (Check out her dimpled right cheek as well as her new leopard print tennies which actually stay on her feet!)
I love driving my Princess Car and playing all the songs over and over and over!
Hey Mama, pay attention to me, no blogging for Mama!!
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