Holiday Woes

Christmas has come and gone (and I'm so glad it's over!), and we are finally back home in our own warm and cozy beds. It was a very trying and tiring couple of days because Corbin contracted a virus and was very sick.

We realized something was up last Tuesday when she woke up completely whiny and refusing to eat much of anything. We thought that perhaps she was teething or maybe just a bit constipated. Ryan ventured out that evening and got some apple juice, which we gave to her Wednesday morning.

I guess the juice worked?! Trying not to be too graphic, but Corbin had stomach issues from Wednesday up until this morning, and they are finally tapering off. She screamed and cried every time she went to the bathroom, she refused to touch any sort of food, and she had a fever every few hours. When I woke up on Christmas Eve with her before 8am (very unusual for her to be up that early), and she was running a fever, I called her pediatrician and took her in.

She went through five containers of Pedialyte over the last few days. She also ate a few crackers here and there, too. It wasn't until Sunday that she really started eating any sort of food, and only a little of that. She had some chicken nuggets and fries. And how many diapers did she go through? Let's just say that I packed enough to last our entire five day trip and then some and I was completely out by Friday (we left Thursday afternoon). I also had to change her pajamas almost every single time she went to the bathroom, and she didn't get to wear her Christmas dresses at all.

As for her sleeping habits, they were nonexistent while she was sick. She was up every few hours screaming and crying, almost inconsolable. Add to this that on Saturday she chewed the end off of her pacifier and refused any of the others that we tried to give her (I ordered her some Pacifiers from Pacimals the Friday before, but they didn't arrive before we left on Thursday). I ended up driving to Americus at 1am (which was over half an hour away) to find a Walmart to buy those Soothie pacifiers that look like the Pacimals one, but she still refused it. It was utterly exhausting and I am surprised by my patience in the whole matter. I guess I wanted more than anything for my baby to feel better.

The best and most relieving moments were when she finally gave in and just let herself sleep:

Corbi-lou on Christmas Eve after we got back from the doctor. She was not happy. She curled herself up in her daddy's chair while we got ready for our long drive to Macon.




Christmas morning, playing with Christmas bows:



Checking out her Olivia book (it's so cute):




And then the crying commenced! Mood swings!



After lots of hard work, I finally managed to get her down for a nap. Doesn't she look so peaceful?




Small victory! She was eating crackers! (Although I'm not sure if those are the same crackers she ended up sleeping with?)




And after a particularly rough Saturday night without her pacifier, on Sunday afternoon she finally conked out in Grandmother's arms.




So definitely not the Christmas I envisioned, full of smiling babies in overly adorable Christmas dresses, but my baby girl still had a good time. She got lots of books which she is thrilled with, and Santa was very good to her.

And yes, she's feeling much better today. She's had fish sticks, sweet peas, and macaroni and cheese, and she's been happy and singing all day long. :)

Ego Boost!

Today (or yesterday since I'm writing this at 1 AM, lol) my sister Franki called and said she wanted us to get a picture of Corbin for some picture frames that she was going to be giving our Nanna as a gift. I thought this was a wonderful idea and a good excuse to finally get prints made of the Christmas photos (see last post) that I spent forever editing and Photoshopping several weeks ago.

I uploaded my pictures to CVS.com and got ten prints made (five of each picture) and had them printed in the store so that I could pick them up in an hour.

I arrive at the store, pick up some Pedialyte (my baby girl is sick, sadly), and head on over to check out at the Photo Center. I get to the counter and tell the girl I'm picking up photos and give her my name. She walks over, picks up my packet, and the pulls a folded piece of paper off of them.

"You have to sign a release," she said. I'm sort of staring, dumbfounded, not sure what she's talking about. "Because these are professional photos."

I lean over the counter. "Those aren't professional pictures."

"They're not?"

"No, I took them myself on my digital camera."

She kinda looks at me like I'm crazy and then opens up the packet and pulls one out. It's the purple one. "But look at the background..."

"That's Photoshop!" I said. My heart was pounding and I was actually sort of nervous.

"Do you have the originals?"

"Yeah, on my computer back home!" And of course my mind is racing and I'm sort of pissed that I'm probably going to have to drive all the way back home and get proof of my pictures.

"Hold on, let me go talk to my manager."

She leaves me standing there, fuming, worried, my heart still beating way too hard over the whole thing. The manager is checking someone out, and the line behind this lady has gotten pretty long (she was ringing up the lady that was originally in front of me that went to that counter when it opened), and I can sort of hear the manager and the girl helping me talk. She's saying something along the lines of "they're not professional" and the manager sort of mumbles something that I can't make out. And apparently the girl in line behind me works at this CVS because she comments on how the manager is super mean and rude.

Finally, the lady comes back and rings me up, asking if I have a CVS card. I breathe a sigh of relief and thanked her for the huge compliment, explaining to her that photography is kind of my hobby and that I have had older photos mistaken for professional pictures before. I paid for my pictures and my Pedialyte and was happily on my way.

BUT WOW. Thanks for the compliment, lol. Here's my picture packet and receipt:



And thankfully, the prints came out great, so I'm pleased. And they didn't cost a thing, since I was a new customer and I got 50 free prints! :D

As for Corbi-lou being sick, it seems as though she has some sort of stomach bug. She wouldn't eat anything yesterday and was running a slight fever, and then today the same thing but without the fever. Then the diarrhea kicked in. It's not really poop but just water (so sorry, TMI I know...) so that's why I got the Pedialyte. She didn't eat anything at all today and then FINALLY around 10pm she ate a cookie and seemed to be feeling better. Here's to hoping for a healthy, happy holiday weekend!

Merry Christmas, everyone! :)

Pink Christmas & Baby Reindeer

A few weeks ago I took some pictures of Corbin for our "Pink Christmas" themed photoshoot. I never posted the end product, so I thought I'd put up some pictures finally! This is going to be a post of pictures, so enjoy!

Here are some out-takes:











And after much Photoshopping, the final two pictures:





I love my beautiful girl. :) She was fun to photograph, but she did at one point get really upset with the whole thing.

And a few days ago, I got some pictures of her being my "baby reindeer." She was wearing these antlers that I've had in my trunk since Christmas 2006 (when I was in the Christmas parade with the CCRG) and Ryan pulled out recently.





So it's officially the last few days until Christmas and we're still trying to finalize our family and travel plans. From what I've heard, Corbin's going to have a great Christmas and I'm really excited for her. Not to mention I can't wait to dress her up in her adorable Christmas dress for this year! It definitely rivals the adorableness that was last year's dress!

Merry Christmas, everyone! :)

Baby Surgery

Corbin had her upper lip frenulum cut this past Wednesday, and everything went fine. The frenulum in question was the fold of skin that connects your upper lip to your gums, scientifically called the frenulum labii superioris and hers was really far down and between her two front teeth, causing a big gap to form there. (You can feel your frenulum with your tongue pretty easily).

We first noticed the gap in her upper front teeth when they started coming in, but upon closer inspection we realized the gap was caused by something. We asked her pediatrician about the skin between her teeth at her 18 month check-up, and they referred us to an ENT. They took a look at it when we went to see them, and said that it wasn't too bad but they'd still like to clip it.

The procedure was incredibly fast. We showed up to the hospital, she had to put on a hospital gown, they took her vitals, and we waited a bit. Then they came back to get her and took her back for the "operation." They used gas to put her under and the tissue between her teeth and the frenulum itself was cauterized. She was back there for about ten minutes.

I was absolutely terrified for my baby, especially when the nurse who was working assured us that it was very normal for the babies to cry when they are removed from the gas. She told me it was because they were confused and not because they were in pain. I was like, "Do all the babies cry, or just some of them?" and she was like, "They ALL cry." All you could hear in the background were crying babies while she was saying this.

MY BABY, however, is a champ. She did not cry. She whined a bit when we put her clothes back on her, but she did not cry. No, sir. Those tears came much later, lol. She woke up from her nap that afternoon absolutely bawling. A little bit of baby Motrin and some Kai-lan, and she was herself again. Then she woke up in the middle of the night pitching a fit. Some more baby Motrin and Yo Gabba Gabba did the trick that time.

Corbin HATES for you to get anywhere near her face, so I haven't really got to take a look at her mouth. The glimpse I did get, I could see where the gums and tissue were gray looking, which they told me was normal because of the cauterization.

So yes, not even two years old baby has official had surgery! Even I've never had surgery in my entire life!

Go, Corbi-lou! :)

Tumblr

As though this blog wasn't enough, I've started a Tumblr for Corbin.

Corbin Olivia

As far as I can tell, you post a photo, thought, video, or something similar every day. I think it'll be fun and perhaps a bit more simple to keep up with than her blog. Don't worry, I'll still update here. Just know that you can follow the Tumblr as well. :)

I'm getting ready to post the Christmas portraits that I took of Corbin. They are way too cute. Our theme was "Pink Christmas!" :D

Gearing up for Christmas

I heart Christmas, I really do. Although I haven't put up my tree yet (you can't do that until after Thanksgiving, all you crazy rule-breakers!!), I did get a bit of Christmas shopping out of the way.

Money is really tight this year, but I did manage to get Corbin her gift from mama. Let me just say I really love Barnes and Noble and my educator discount. :)

She will be getting her very own "Aye-yah" plush and Christmas book:


The plush was $35 plus shipping on Amazon.com, but they had it our "local" (I had to drive all the way to Savannah, haha) B&N and I got it for $10! :D Yay savings!


And then the Olivia Christmas book. I thought it was fitting. :)

It's a relief to have that out of the way because apparently the mall around here gets REALLY crazy around Christmas since it's the only one for MILES AND MILES. We still have to ger her present from daddy, but I hope we can get that over with soon, too! :)

So yay for Olivia! :) She was really excited when she saw the plush and book, so I can't wait for her to open them on Christmas morning!

ALSO, I'm embarking on a quest to knit Corbin a Christmas stocking. Wish me luck, har har har. Reading this pattern is like trying to interpret Japanese kanji!!!

Reading Olivia

Corbin loves Olivia, which is cute because that is her middle name. She has the book and now there is a show that comes in Nick Jr. that she watches almost every day.

She sits and reads her Olivia book all the time, and today I was able to catch her in the act.

She also tries to say "Olivia," but it comes out sounding more like "Aye-yah." Ryan and I have gone back and forth about what she's really saying when she says "Aye-yah," but I know she is saying Olivia because she says it when she's looking at the book and when the show comes on! See for yourself!



Glad there's something she's into besides Yo Gabba Gabba!

Also, right this minute she's running around saying "Aye-yah" and pulling her diaper down so I can see her little butt. Better get her into some pajamas so she doesn't pull it off!

Can't wait until Thanksgiving this week! :D

OH HAI!

I promise I haven't forgotten about Corbi-lou's blog, nor the fact that I have tons of adorable pictures to share, like when we visited the pumpkin patch or went trick-or-treating, or just some cute "Everyday Silliness" Corbin photos!

In the meantime, I suppose the few I have on my flash drive at the moment will have to do while I have a free moment to update! :)

My baby Snow White. :)



The best part of Halloween!



Corbi's crazy cousins!


[Noah was G.I. Joe and Tristan was a Ninja Turtle. :) I'm not sure who the grim reaper is, but he kinda makes this photo a tad bit creepy, don't you think?!]

Pooped from all the Halloween goodness! Even her pigtails are falling out!



We've been walking around our neighborhood everyday for the past week. It's so nice to get out of the house, especially while the temperature is so perfect. A few days ago it was a bit chilly and by the time we made our way outside it was dark, so my baby donned her 2009 winter gear (she's outgrown the stuff from last year, sadly!) and was reading to roll! :)



In other news, Corbin's vocabulary constantly grows and she says and does things that have us laughing all the time. She's so smart and thinks she's so sneaky. We're on to you, Corbi-lou! She also requests to watch her favorite television show by name, saying "Gabba" over and over when she wants to see it. And she sings along to the Wonder Pets! It's been fun times all around.

Until next time! :D

Crafty Mama & Boo

I wish I was more crafty so I could make this Halloween costume for Corbin:



It's Boo from Monsters Inc! I think it would be perfect because when she's got her little pigtails, she looks just like her!

Boo


Corbi-lou


See the resemblance?!

BUT since I'm not crafty, she's going to be Snow White, which is what I wanted last year, so I'm really excited! I can't wait for Halloween!

Repeat After Me

Anyone who has kids these days more than likely has Nick Jr (or until about two weeks ago, Noggin). This channel plays some of the best and cutest shows for kids on television, along with some of the most annoying. Corbin is a huge fan, naturally, especially since they play Yo Gabba Gabba and Olivia several times a day!

Between segments they have Moose and Zee doing different games or activities, and there is always a matching activity. They flip the cards over and try to find two of a kind.

Today they were trying to find the yellow birds.

First card flips over.
Moose: Is this a yellow bird?
Kids: Yeeeeeeah!
Corbin: Yeeeeeeeeeah!

A second card is flipped over that is not a yellow bird.
Moose: Is this a yellow bird?
Kids: Nooooooo!
Corbin: Noooooooo!

I seriously almost fell over laughing! She has never mocked the television before! I thought she was doing it the other night during Wonder Pets, but I chalked it up to good timing with her babbling and their singing, but now I'm not so sure!

IN OTHER NEWS...

Tonight we went to Oktoberfest! It was going on in downtown Hinesville and it was free, so we figured it might be fun to get out of the house and check it out. Of course it was not very much fun at all, but Corbin still looked as adorable as ever! Here we are in front of the town fountain!



More pictures from tonight to come eventually! I finally got my Photoshop working again, and I can get out all of the pesky red-eye!

Also, tomorrow we're going to go try and find a cute pumpkin patch to visit! I'm excited!

First Haircut!

This drives me bonkers. Corbin's hair is growing very quickly and getting long, and it will NOT stay out of her face unless I force it with clips and rubber bands, which always mysteriously disappear as soon as my back is turned!

I've been toying with the idea of getting Corbin's bangs trimmed or just doing it myself, and finally today I decided I'd had enough! Her hair is always in her face and gets in the way she she's eating or doing anything else, so it had to go!

To the salon we went!

Here's my baby getting all happy and excited in the hair cutting chair. Honestly, I didn't expect her to be so cheerful!


She was also REALLY excited about the ginormous mirror, and she was all giggles! She's such a vain baby! (She tried to climb into the mirror in our bathroom today. She's really interested in that adorable baby she sees in there!)

Look at those crazy bangs! Time to snip them off!


So I told the lady I didn't want her bangs to be blunt straight across. I just don't think it's cute. I wanted the side-sweeping thing, and that's what we went for.

There was a lot of action involved, as is proven in these shots, because if there's one thing Corbin is not good at, it's holding still!


Every time she'd get her bangs in place and ready to start snipping, Corbin would toss her head to the side. Ryan was trying to hold her. I don't know how we managed, lol.


Bangs, yay!


And yeah, they look kinda wonky in the picture, but they actually look really nice. I'm very pleased. It was especially nice because after all of that, the lady didn't charge us a thing! She just gave me her card and said for me to remember her when I needed hair services! She was super sweet! And she carried Corbin away and gave her candy. And of course my baby loves her some candy. :)

Mmmm, candy!


Look at that happy baby! I'd say she's pleased to be able to see clearly for the first time in months without an annoying ponytail! :)


The first of many haircuts, I'm sure! I saved the snippings to put in her baby book. Maybe that makes me weird, but she's my baby and I want to remember all of these ridiculous little milestones someday. :)

Speaking of Pacifiers...

I cannot endorse Pacimals enough. A friend of mine from Transit bought one of those for Corbin when I was pregnant. For a marketing class (hope I'm remembering this right), she had to pitch this new item. The lady who created Pacimals is from Atlanta, and you can read all about her creation on her website here.

Of course Corbin ended up with Pepper the Pig, because she is pink, and my friend knew how much of a fan I am of anything of that color.



If you're not sure what a Pacimal is, it's a stuffed animal with a very soft pacifier attached to the back of it's head. It's supposed to serve as a positioner, a comfort to your baby, and an easy way to keep up with the actual pacifier itself! We loved ours, but found that sometimes Pepper would just get in the way and so it was easier to just keep the pacifier separate from the piggy.

The pacifier that comes with the Pacimal is CLEAR. Which means if you drop it, it's almost impossible to find (especially if you're one of those people like me who can't find things, especially if they are right in front of me). Last year at Christmas, we had a family gathering at my aunt and uncle's. The clear pacifier disappeared. We tore their house to pieces looking for it, but it was gone. It was the only one we had, and the only pacifier that Corbin would take.



She will NOT take any other paci. We even bought some of those ones that are the same shape, that come in green and pink, you can get at Walmart. I believe they are called Soothies.



As you can see, they are the same shape, but they are different in a very significant way. The Paci from Pacimals is very soft and smooth. These Soothies are hard and not gentle at all. Corbin hated them. We had to endure her fits while we waited for our new Pacis, which at the time could only be ordered from the Pacimals website, as they were still very new and not really out on the market yet.



We have ordered from them a few times. Her original purple one ended up being stolen by the dogs, a pink one was lost in the nursery at the gym (we know the girl working threw it away), and her blue one is floating somewhere in the Atlantic ocean after it escaped from Ryan's swim shorts. Last time we ordered from the website, we were overcharged for shipping at the lady sent us TWO FREE ONES, and we ended up with three new pacis! She is really sweet and always responds to any feedback you leave her.



Lately we'd been down to one paci, which we called "the spare" because it was in horrible shape and we only used it in emergencies when one of the others had disappeared. I was getting ready to order some new ones, when on a whim, I checked their website to see if any stores around our area might nowadays carry them (Rattles n Rhymes in Athens started carrying the clear ones just before we left). I was in luck! A baby boutique called Just for Baby and More had them, and in color! They closed at 6pm, though, which is tough, because it's a bit of a drive from here to there, especially factoring in 5pm traffic.

The lady at the boutique held two of them for me, and Thursday when I got off work, we were off! I got to the store about 5:56pm. I was so glad I made it! We now have a new purple and orange paci. And of course, as soon as we get home with the new ones, the missing pink one turns up. So now we have four pacifiers, including "the spare."





Not complaining, though! My baby loves them. She will not even THINK about sleeping or going anywhere in public without them. We try not to let her have them otherwise unless she's being supremely cranky, but she is very attached to them, as she is this pink fleece blanket she always carries around.

We plan to break her eventually (I vow she can't have them past her second birthday!), but right now I don't see a point in messing up a good thing! She's happy, and that's all that matters, right? :)





PS. Another tidbit concerning "the spare" - it's the original clear pacifier that came with Pepper! My aunt found it one day while cleaning and returned it to us! How neato is that?