Toddler Baby Had 104.7 Temperature - 1st Flu

Our 21 month old has been sick for 7 days total :(

The nurses said it was the flu, but it seemed like something else because he only vomited when he had a bottle of milk and it was just little bits. I was scared that it was West Nile Virus (we're in Florida) or Meningitis. Aside of running to the store and getting what he needed, we all stayed in bed with him for 72 hours.

His temperature was up and down the first 48 hours; his fevers ranged from 102 to 104.7 degrees in between doses of medicine.

As per the nurses advice, were switching between Advil and Tylenol every couple of hours; putting his overheated and weak body in a tepid bathtub each time his temperature increased and while waiting for the fever medicine to kick in. We did this for 48 hours until his temperature went down to "normal" fever levels and then for 2 more days.

I had to force our poor baby to drink. He would not drink out of a cup, but would take a bottle, so I would squirt a little in his mouth when he cried and that would prompt him to drink a bit each time.

Our baby had diarrhea for days. He did not have a solid bowel movement or meal until today; 7 days later. This may seems normal to you, but our baby went through 2 packs of diapers on the 3rd day. His bottom is still red and sore :(

We had just moved him to size 6 diapers and had to go back to size 5 because of the weight that he lost. His belly was completely flat; his little body swam in the size 6 diapers by the 3rd day.

Although he is my third child and I should understand that children get sick, this was his first real sickness in 21 months and nothing like my other 2 children experienced.

This was his first flu ... In fact, this was his first real sickness in general.

It was a frightening experience and we are so grateful that he is ok.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Our New Baby Dougie | 14 Weeks Old

(Picture of Dougie at 12 weeks old when we adopted him)

We welcomed a new baby to the family :)

Our summer ended in a whirl that lead right into the 2012-2013 school year. We had so much going on towards the end of the summer that it is no wonder that it felt like that. The most exciting change is that we now have 2 babies in the house (yes, I did say two babies). We are all very excited about this :) In addition to the two babies stirring things up, my middle son has also started a new homeschool season and I am still working from home. With all of this going on, it just did not feel like summer ended at all. On the other hand, I have started to feel like I am getting too old for all of activity ... C'est la via!

Dougie when he was a baby pup. 

Dougie is our 14 week old Goldendoodle puppy. 

Anyways, back to the topic at hand ... Baby #2. We adopted the sweetest goldendoodle puppy a few weeks ago. He was just turning 12 weeks when we got him. We named the puppy Dougie and the boys gave him their love right from the start. My husband and I are are becoming rather attached to Dougie, too. Although it is a challenge to have a puppy instead of an older dog (he is our first pup), he really settling in well and is such a good puppy. Dougie  rarely has accidents in the house (almost 100% potty trained). He  has a very sweet temperment which makes him the perfect dog for both the boys. Dougie plays more actively with my teen and plays lightly with the baby. In fact, this puppy lets our toddler do whatever he wants to do to him and rarely challenges who is the pack leader between the two of them. We are very grateful that it is this way and pray that it remains this way. On the other hand, it has been quite an adjustment for us because we are the ones that are training and taking care of the dog right now.

What's It Like To Have A Puppy & Toddler Together? 

Our toddler is more of a handful than our puppy. This really surprises us! Our toddler tries to eat the dog food and throws toys in the puppy's water. He is the one that plays roughly, so we have been trying to teach our toddler to pet nicely and not provoke rough play. On the other hand, our puppy tries to steal the baby's toys and chew on them. He is starting to get stubborn outside; he gets these little bursts of energy and them will not "come" as he should. He is really good about not going to the bathroom in the house, but there were a few occassions where he did not bark or go to the door. He just stood up, looked at us and took a pee on the floor. I am very happy that we have tile flours :) It is literally 2 babies for us right now. We did not think of that. Our mind was set on giving my teen a dog to love and finish growing up with because we had to get rid of our other dog a little after having the baby. He has been asking us to get a new one for quite a while. We also wanted our toddler to enjoy the dog experience. He hugs this dog all day. It warms our hearts.

What is a Goldendoodle?

Goldendoodle dogs are a mix between a poodle and a labrador retriever. They come in different sizes and colors depending on whether one of the parents are a minature or tall poodle, as well as what color the poodle. This also affects what type of hair the goldendoodle has: shabby, curly, course or soft. They are typically hypoallergenic dogs In our case, Dougie's parents are both AKC/CKC show dogs. Most people choose the same because they raise their goldendoodles to become show dogs. Our goldendoodle is hypoallergenic (no or little shed) which is amazing for the amount of hair they have on their bodies. We wondered if our goldendoodle would be more verbal like a poodle (they bark a lot), but we actually wish the Dougie would bark more. We want him to bark to let us know that he has to use the bathroom, but he really does bark. Goldendoodles are sweet and beautiful dogs! They also come as labradoodles which are a mixure of black labrador and poodles. The labradoodles are characteristically black haired dogs. Goldendoodles come as golden haired and black haired. Both have the same type of hair texture variations and sweet personalities. One last thing, goldendoodles are awesome with children; especially toddlers and are attentive to all members of the family opposed to just following behind one.

The funny thing is that our veterinarian teased us for wanting and owning a designer show mutt :) Meanwhile, we DID NOT even know they were until we saw a classified listing. We just wanted a dog that was great with toddlers. Dougie is that for sure.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Older Mom | Younger Grandmother

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet because that is how I feel about it. My son will be a father by the time he is 19 years old. This is not what I worked hard for nor could have imagined for his life. Yet, he has always made it clear that this is his life and he will do what he wants to do. I feel sadness and joy about this situation.

I am going to be a Grandmother :)

My 20 month old Toddler will be an uncle at 2 years old.

My 13 year old son will be an uncle at almost 14 years old.

I will be a grandmother at 40 years old.

My son will be 37 by the time this child is 18 years old.

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall." ~ Psalm 55:22

Throughout my life, I wondered how on earth something like this was possible. I did not understand until I was old enough to figure out that my Grandfather grew up with his uncles. They were just a few years apart. My aunt and I are less than a year apart. I am sure that there are similarities in other families ... I just never imagined that it would occur in my generation, especially with my son, as I worked so hard to try to make his life better than all of ours and to explain to him why he should learn from areas where I should have been more discerning in my life.

"Each new generation is supposed to surpass the old", my grandfather's words haunt me. We have all done a miserable job in comparison to him.

In fact, before I got married and pregnant with our baby, one of my good friends was pregnant with her 3rd child. She was over 35 when pregnant and had two mid-teen daughters that have since graduated high school and started college. The irony is that when my friend announced that she was a few months pregnant, so did her oldest daughter. She was going to be a grandmother and mother around the same due date. Her grandson is older than her son.

I was so happy to have boys and not have to worry about teen pregnancy. I did not think that it would feel the same when he got someone pregnant. UGG!!! Why don't they listen?

I thought that I had trained him to go to not consider marriage and having children until he was, at least, 30 years old, educated and with a career. He witnessed first hand what a struggle it was for me to have a baby and no education or career, and I had him at 21 years old.

Thank God they have both graduated High School.

Again, this is a situation that is out of my control. God has reminded me of this A LOT in my life.

I look to my right and see my toddlers smiling face and think ...

"How sweet! Another baby in this world is definitely another blessing."



In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Happy Labor Day 2012

Happy Labor Day! Relax & Have Fun

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalms 4:8

I hope that you have a safe, relaxing and Happy Labor Day.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child