k r i s t i n a k a y e: Augusta

Whoa, girl. I cannot believe it has already been nine months. We keep asking you when you’re going to grow up. Your baby days are taking their sweet time and let me tell you, I love that! I wouldn’t want to wish these days away. I’m constantly taking in the way it feels to hold you and nurse you. I’m constantly reminding myself that you are my last baby (unless we could talk your daddy into adopting one more, ha, just kidding, sorta). You are starting to want me more in public and it’s a little sweet since at home, most of the time, you could care less who is around since you’re an independent little player. You know to find me when you’re hungry or sleepy. You are in absolute awe when you see your siblings laughing and playing. The look on your face staring open-mouthed just watching and wondering what it would be like to be a part of it all is so precious. You are so precious. You’re so patient and quiet in the car, you’re happy to be left at daycare, you’re so happy to see any smiling face.

You like to push boxes around or your walker, or you hold our hands and walk around. You also can crawl very fast! Speedy! Especially when you just stuck something (like dirt) in your mouth. You love the cat, especially Mango, Nana and Papa’s cat. They’ve watched you several times, usually with Farrah too but once just yourself when we went to a basketball game of Kaden’s over an hour away. I hope your sweet happy spirit always remains. Daddy thinks you’re going to be the orneriest of them all and quiet about it. He says you have ears like your Grandpa August, hehe.

Farrah likes to carry you around but only short distances with me right there. She wants to be a “big” sister to you like Kylie is to her so very badly.

You love food. We are still feeding you baby food and baby snacks and very small more soft foods like breads and things. You’re 15 lbs 16 oz and 27.25” long.

You threw up at daycare the other day so I had to come pick you up. When we got home I noticed you rubbing your right ear. It was Friday so I wanted to get you to a doctor. Your pediatrician, Dr. Bunge, was out so we went to another facility and saw a nurse practitioner, Dr. Robin Allen. She said your ear was very red and almost “enraged” so she prescribed an antibiotic, Amox-Clav. We started it right away. Six days later, on Valentine’s Day (the day you turned 9 months old), I went to the Valentine's Day party at daycare. While I was there, Mrs. Kirsten noticed you having a rash so until she knew it wasn’t contagious, I had to take you with me. I brought you to work with me and with lots of loving ladies’ help, we made it several hours. By that time, your rash had worsened and I spoke with Dr. Bunge, and we decided to stop your antibiotics and for her to see you tomorrow. Your rash worsened over the next 24 hours and I took you bright and early to see her. She was surprised by the extent of it and said it’s definition an allergic reaction to the penicillin. She prescribed a steroid to help the reaction run its course a little quicker but said you would be this way for the next 7-10 days. We kept you on Benadryl and give you Tylenol as needed. You had a fever of around 100 degrees so I kept you home that day and hoped you would be okay to go to daycare the following Tuesday, which you were. Your rash got so much worse before it got better, though. It moved up to your face and throughout your entire body and you were miserable! I had to hold you constantly but you itched and wanted to be rubbed. You slept a lot and refused to nurse for a day or so. An oatmeal bath really helped on the fourth day when I was actually able to put you down for a brief period of time. You experienced swelling in your joints so your hands and feet and knees were so swollen and brusied. You had dark slimy poop and Dr. Bunge said you likely had swelling in your GI track too. It took a week until your smile returned and we couldn't be happier!!