Ear Infection

We made it 18 months without an ear infection, sort of. We'll start from the beginning:

Around 13-14 months old we took Kenzie to her pediatrician because she wasn't feeling well. Breathing was fine, just a little congested...turned out her right ear was a bit red with a little fluid. She was prescribed penicillin but we ended on day 7 due to a rash breakout over her entire little body. Not fun!! We went in to see a doctor (not her usual pediatrician) but didn't really feel her ear was cause for concern so didn't prescribe her to anything new.

We won't be seeing this doctor again...why?

Fast forward to April 4th, we take her in for her 18 month well child visit. Her pediatrician says her ear is still red and there is still some fluid in there. Thanks previous Doctor for misdiagnosing my perfect little child! So Kenzie's pediatrician prescribed her to a different antibiotic which she fulfilled the full 10 days. Alright, she's healthy!!

Oh dang it, never mind!

Fast forward to April 24th, Easter Sunday. Kenzie is fine and fun all morning! We decided to skip nap so we could go over and play with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Well, that was a bad idea! I knew she would be tired, but typically when she's around other kids and family she runs around wreaking havoc and playing until she drops. I knew something was wrong when she wouldn't eat, let me put her down, and would cry when I would leave the room. I took her to a quiet room to try and rock her to sleep but she was so hot, sweaty, and restless. I felt so guilty for "skipping nap".

We went back to the chaos and fun, she even ate a bowl of cheerios! After a little while longer she started acting up again (not bad, just tired). Her grandpa took her with him and they were watching a movie together. I checked on her and she lost it, and again was burning up. She had a temperature of 102.5! Oh my gosh!!

She had a doctors appointment Tuesday morning, not her pediatrician, and she said her right ear (the SAME ear) is infected. Aww, bummer! Poor kid can't catch a break!! She is now on a NEW antibiotic so we're hoping third times a charm.

*SIGH* We are really hoping this works. Her fever is gone, and she's eating much much better! We also bought a lot of yummy fruits and vegetables to make smoothies. We learned she's a big fan!! She has been feeling so crummy lately and John and I feel so horrible, we wish there was more we could do for her! Parenting is hard!

She did enjoy her Easter, a lot. She loved her goodies from her baskets and she really loved going to the park to play and hunt for eggs! She was a trooper, she hid her sicky feeling from everyone for a long time!!

As for her 18 month appointment, she's growing and perfect! But we knew that already, right? She's 26.4 lbs and stands 35" tall!! She is our little runway star ;) Her pediatrician just loves her and she's developing beautifully.

Sending our love to you!!

xoxox

Time Really Does Fly

Did you know it's almost May?! Yeah, we can't believe it either! "Time flies when you're having fun" is probably the truest statement I've ever heard.

John and I have endured some tribulations over the last couple years but we've been each others support group and we each made it through... and are still madly in love!! ;)

We have both found jobs we thoroughly enjoy and we can't wait for the Mineer's future!

It hit me just a few weeks ago, however, that I'm an adult. I know, another "duh!" moment... I'm still a newlywed with a "first child" and a new career. How in the world am I supposed to balance all this!? I need HELP! I've had full time jobs before but I have NEVER been married and I definitely haven't had a child before. So this is all new territory for me. How can I be in 3 places at once?! I guess this is a question that is to be left unanswered. *Sigh*

For all you "super moms", how do you do it!? My mom is my hero, she really is. She did this 4 times for crying out loud!! She always tells me to have patience (ha!) and that of course it's going to be tough but I'm strong and can do anything. I know that's true but I always have days of doubt. It's a good thing I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful little red head to keep me going. Then again...it's because of them I'm feeling stressed! ;)

Life is fun, it's beautiful! All these challenges are only making things better, you'll see...

A Look Back on Kenzie's First Year

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at Kenzie's first year, did you know she'll be 2 in just 6 months! We cannot believe how quick the first year and a half went, but we are so ready for the next million!!

I think we've done a good job so far ;) Don't you think? I mean, parenting is no piece of cake....

Here is the photo book we made for her first birthday, a tradition we hope to carry out until her 18th birthday.

Enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Have You Met.... The Mineers?

I guess blogging is pretty popular, and I guess there are friends and family of ours who actually enjoy visiting with us here. Who knew! I was going about this all wrong, I didn't know what I wanted to accomplish through blogger and I couldn't focus on anything! I was absent and unfocused. I thought I would clean my slate and start new, with a crash course on the Mineer members. Do you think you can handle this?! :)

John is amazing. He is a wonderful husband and father, and a great brother, son and friend. He is full of passion and love. John works hard to make people happy and proud, and Kenzie and I are his biggest fans. He works for Casino Arizona as a tech/maintenance in the third position, just below the supervisor! He loves his job and he's made great friends working there. His schedule is wonky but we've adjusted and enjoy every minute we get to spend with him.
John's latest passion in life is motorcycles, and he will soon be an owner of one. No, I'm not ok with it but my fear of bikes can't overpower his love and happiness for them. He'll be careful ;)
He still skateboards from time to time, and we hope to get Kenzie into it. It's great exercise!! He has a plethora of tools, so he's a handyman even when nothing needs fixing. Golfing seems to be another little hobby he enjoys, (boorring!!). He's your typical guy!! Video games, dirt bikes, fixing cars, grilling, and sleeping...

I'm just your average girl. I work part-time but am a full time mom and wife. I absolutely adore my Kenzie and John, I feel like my life is perfect and complete! I love baking, cookies especially! I've been testing out new recipes and enjoy it so much! Kenzie's my little helper :) I work for Maggiore Consulting and Marketing as Office Manager and Social Media Marketing Executive. I LOVE my job and I LOVE the girls I work with (one is my sister!).

Kenzie is the greatest little girl, ever! She is so smart and perfect. Yes, I said perfect ;) She amazes us each and every day, learning new things and getting into new things. She's learning songs and tries so hard to sing along with us. She plays dress up and gets dirty outside. She's a big help with baking and cleaning. Kenzie also has a big obsession with shoes, such a smart girl! She'll prance around all day in my high heals, when she falls she gets back up and continues. Nothing stops her!! She is full of energy and has a huge love for life.

Kenzie isn't your shy girl either, it takes just a minute or two for her to become your best friend. She loves spending time with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandpa and Grandma. I think she prefers to be with them sometimes, she gets away with everything when she isn't at home!

She's finally starting to eat like a normal child, in fact she is eating so much it's getting hard to keep up with groceries sometimes! Her 18 month (yes, 18 months) appointment was on the 4th of April and she weighed in at 25 lbs and stands 35 inches tall! She is OFF THE CHARTS tall, she'll be our little runway model. The doctor adores her and says she is developing beautifully, and we should keep up the good work!

That's about it for now, I hope I didn't leave anything out. Then again, things change around here week by week! Stay tuned for more, the Mineer's have a lot of plans for our future and we can't wait to slowly start leaking that information!!

Lots of love,
John, Hillary, and Kenzie