Diagnosis

Today Lizzy got worse so I took her to an insta-care. She was diagnosed with a Staph Infection! The doctor said it is possible that it got into her system through a spider bite. She is being treated with antibiotics 4x a day, zyrtec 1x a day for 7 days, and I put calmine lotion on the spots because they itch her.

I can't even describe how it breaks my heart. I really am so sad. Appearantly Staphylococcus is a bacteria that grows on everyones skins. It doesn't matter how much you bathe. Anyone can get it. I do keep my baby clean. But it's times like these you just wonder what you did wrong. You wonder, "how could I have done a better job to prevent this?"

Here are some pics of her spots and a video of her "itchy back dance".

This is the one we think is the spider bite that started it all. It really got so much worse today.

These weren't there last night.

This is another one that I thought was a spider bite.

She has 4 more spots/bumps on her forehead that didn't turn out in the pictures.

Freaking Out!

Something is eating Lizzy alive! And I don't know what or where it is! Last week, when I was getting her out of bed in the morning, she had a pimple like bit on her leg and 1 on her back, I just thought they were mosquito bites since we had been outside the evening before. They aren't! The one on her leg has since gotten so much bigger, possibly because she scratches at it, and now she complains that it hurts. I think it has to be a spider bite! And they have multiplied! She has 3 on her back, 1 on her leg, 1 on her neck and now a strange bump on her head that also hurts! (She was babysat tonight, so she may have hit her head.) The ones on her leg and neck are the only big ones, the others look like pimples.

Today, I went into "Mama Bear Mode"(protecting my baby), I tore her room apart, literally. I flipped her bed upside down, moved everything stored under it, I moved the rug, dressers, guest bed, curtains, toys, EVERYTHING! I can't find anything. Not even a simple spider web, cob web, web string! NOTHING! Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch!

I keep my house clean. I really do! I change our bedding, especially Lizzy's ('cause she's sweaty when she sleeps), generally every week/week and 1/2. I pick it up the house everyday and I vacuum at least 2x a week. (Usually more than that.) Since I have lived in my house, I don't *think I have ever seen a spider. They had just put new carpet in and had it painted right before I moved in. It was very clean.

• *I am terribly arachnophobic. It's awful. So, I'm not sure if I actually saw these spiders of if I imagined them. I have been known to do that...

• Spider#1 Rachel (sis in law) "dreamed" (she didn't know if she was awake or sleeping) that she saw a white spider on my wall when she was spending the night. I later woke up and thought I saw it on my wall in my room. I was still a bit drowsy and when I looked the 2ND time, it was gone!

• Spider#2 I went in to check on Lizzy and I thought I saw a black spider next to her head on her pillow! When I looked again, it was gone! (I had only blinked)

Now, it is possible that I brought the spiders in myself when I moved the stuff from our storage unit. But you'd think that I would have seen them while I was unpacking and rearranging everything. I don't know what to think. If it gets any worse though, I think I am going to take her to the Dr. on Monday, or to an Insta-care tomorrow if I have to. It is really freaking me out! I feel so bad for my baby. Why won't this thing come after me? She is so little and sweet. It breaks my heart to see her like that. She kept pointing/grabbing at her leg saying "ouchy, ouchy!" So sad.

Powerful Stuff

Bon fire smoke is some powerful stuff! I did all of my laundry today! I was getting down to my really old, less desirable clothes, like my Junior class (circa 1998) t-shirt. (It's awesome! Pac-Man on the front and on the back it says "CHOMP ON THIS!" It's sweet! but, old and ratty.) I finally washed all of my campfire stuff, including blankets and coats and the rest of Lizzy and my attire from that evening. Here's the amazing part, it still stinks! Can you believe it? Really, it does! I washed it in hot water, dried on a medium temp. with a scented fabric softener and my stuff still stinks! Not as bad as before, but there is some lingering stench.
What else can I do? Please, I want answers! That is not a rhetorical question.

Fall has Arrived in Full Force

This morning I woke up early to my house shaking! I thought we were having an earthquake! It was that loud! I immediately went to check on Lizzy making sure that no pictures would fall on her or anything. She was fine. It was much quieter in her room though, odd. I opened the window in the bathroom to see what was going on out side.

WIND!

And so much of it!

Out the window I saw the trees swaying alot. And very hard.
I love big storms! I find them exciting. Reminds me of Michigan I guess, they get big thunderstorms in TC far more frequently than I do out here. :(

I went back to my room and the noise was so much louder in there! Really very loud! It took me a while to realize that it was the siding coming off the house! At least the wind was prying it up and slapping it back down so hard that it shook my wall to the point I thought my, overloaded with books, shelves would fall down. I dreaded cleaning up that whole mess...

Now, the wind has died down a little bit, it's still a chilly, I LOVE IT! I love fall and all of the unexpected weather changes! I love that it's getting cool enough to wear sweaters and jackets. I love how the air seems fresher out side. I love opening my windows to let the freshess in (and the stink out). I love camping in the fall because it gets "cuddly cold" at night and still plenty warm in the day to enjoy fishing, hiking or whatever you want to do while camping! I gladly and whole heartedly welcome in the first day of fall 2008.

Cubicle Wars 2006

Lizzy and the shoe...

My baby trying on her baby's shoe.

Beautiful eyes

Lizzy found my mascara. She came up to me and said "Eyes! Eyebrow too! I get my face!" Very cute.

Ugh, I smell

Last night Michelle, Steve, Jenni, Joe, Melissa, Chrissy, Lizzy and I had a bonfire in the canyon. It was so much fun! We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and had good conversations with friends we haven't seen in a while. The weather was perfect. Just cool enough to require a light jacket. There was a cute kitten that hung out around the camp. He was so cute! He was a little orange stripey kitty. Lizzy loved him and was afraid of him at the same time.

BUGS!!!

The Kitty's eyes

Michelle, Melissa and I (my first roomies)

Saltzgiver Family

Lizzy and I roastings some mallows

Chrissy and Lizzy cuddling, it got a bit chilly near the end of the night.

Since I still don't have my luggage, I am wearing the same pair of pants that I wore last night to the fire and I don't have a washer/dryer yet, I REAK! It's actually nauseating. I'm hoping that I'll get the stink blown off of me while we are at the fair today. Just to clarify, I did take a bath last night and a shower this morning. So I am clean, just my pants stink.

Flip Flops and Passports

Here is a close look at our travel day. It's really quite funny when you think about it. It certainly was NOT at the time, but I can laugh about it now.

Thursday, September 11Th 2008

My itinerary:

SLC-DFW Departs 6:00am

DFW-YYC Departs 10:45am

12:45am Go to bed after cleaning and packing

3:30am Get up and ready to go to the airport

4:00am Grant arrives, packs the car. I get Lizzy up and ready.

4:07am Leave the house for the airport

4:42am Arrive at the airport. Stand in a long line full of new missionaries to get checked in and check my bag.

5:02am Gate agent #1 offers to check me in while I'm still in line. (agent #1 knows I am travelling to Canada with a toddler)

5:13am Finally reach the check-in counter and check my bag (now, agent #2 knows I am travelling to Canada with a toddler) asks for my passport and nothing else.

5:16am Get to security, everything goes smoothly during my strip search. (J/K! it just feels that way sometimes.

5:22am Go to a shop and get some breakfast for Lizzy.

5:28am Arrive at the gate, now we're just waiting to board.

5:30am They start boarding. First class first. I was in group 4 to board, so I went to the store and got Lizzy some juice, I wanted milk for her, but they didn't sell it.

5:45am They announce that anyone with a stroller needs to check it at the counter. I go to do that.

5:48-5:51am Agent #3 notices that I am wearing flip flops and asks if I have any other shoes. I say "yes, in my checked bag." She says "You can't fly stand-by and wear sandals." (Something I remembered from my frequent flier days, but thought that was only if I was going first class. Since I had Lizzy, I knew 1st class wasn't an option.) That's not the case. I reply to her "Are you SERIOUS!?!?" Her reply "yes." Then she asks me to go buy some from another passenger! I looked around, all I saw were old women with small feet. (Like Carny-folk small :) I run down stairs to the only clothing store in the airport to find shoes. They only sell SLIPPERS! With pigs, frogs and some blue animal on them! Really? Are they for real? PIG SLIPPERS!!! I run back up the stairs.

*NOTE*

All this time I am towing a back pack, a stroller, Lizzy and my purse. All full, all heavy.

5:52am I return to the gate and ask if slippers are acceptable. She said "YES!" Can you believe it? Pig slippers over black flip flops?(I thought I understood the company policy until then. I thought we were to wear shoes to represent the company nicely. Eh?)

5:53-5:55am She asks for my passport and Lizzy's. "Lizzy doesn't need one," I tell agent #3. "Not until June 1 2009." agent #3's response, "Yes, she does." "But I read the travel requirements a thousand times before I left! Just to be sure I was reading it right! She only needs proof that she is a US citizen, like a birth certificate or something like that!" I say. Agent #2 pulls agent #2 over to discuss. They decide that I cannot travel without a passport for Lizzy.

I ask what they are going to do about my checked bag. Agent #3 says she'll call Canada and have them send it back. CANADA? It has to stop in Dallas first, maybe we should catch it there. Eish...

5:56am I call Grant to have him come back up and get us. He had just gotten to his apt. in Provo. So, I called Michelle know that she would be getting off of work in American Fork at 6:00. We made arrangements and she was at the airport to pick me up at 7:00. Thank you Michelle.

9:27am Finally arrive back home after taking Jenny to school. I put Lizzy and myself back in bed.

I still don't have my luggage back. I wonder what things my bag saw on its journey. I bet it saw some great things. Great things.

USS NEW YORK

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center. It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists.

It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down to cast the ship's bow section.

When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there.

"It was a spiritual moment for everybody there." Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up."

"It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

For every moment of peace, liberty and greatness our country enjoys, we have someone who has worn a uniform to thank.

O Canada...

Lizzy and I are off to Canada in the morning! This is going to my first stamp on my new passport! WOO HOO!

Cora is having her baby sometime in the next week or so, Lizzy and I are going up to help her out. It will be so fun! Lizzy loves her Canadian relatives. It's so cute! She remembers all their names and can hardly wait to see them. I'm not to thrilled about leaving for the airport at 4am and traveling for hours with a toddler. (We all know how hard it is to get them to sit still for a bit of church! Let alone hours in a cramped airplane seat!) We will get into Calgary at 1:30p which is awesome! Just in time to get Lizzy down for a nap. And since Calgary is in the same time zone as Utah there won't be any changes to our regular bed/nap times. YAY!

Well, I have to get back to packing. OH! The reason for the post...I'm likely going to be out of the whole blogging loop for the next 2 weeks while we are away. See you when we get back!

Lizzy's Mornings

Every morning when I go in to get Lizzy, the first thing she does is whisper "hi" to me in the cutest little soft voice. Then she grabs EVERYTHING in her bed to bring it out with her! It's so funny! She lists them off as she grabs them, like a check list or something.

Blanket......................check
Turtle........................check
Dog...........................check
Puppy.......................check

If she sleeps with more stuffed animals, she grabs them too! We walk out to the living room and she cuddles with me for a minute then she scoots off of me and says "pillow?" I get her one. She asks for another one and another one! Lizzy creates a little nest where she is happy as a lark! Here is a picture of her "Lizzy nest" from this morning. It doesn't really do it justice. She had all of her stuff piled on top of her! All you could see was her head peeking out behind her pile. Then she moved, destroying her stack of stuff and she thought it was so funny.

Dress up

My sweet pea loves dressing up.
Isn't she so myterious?

Finally updated!

Ok, family and friends. My mom finally updated their blog! She is testing to see who still reads it, so leave a comment.