Not so Happy Birthday :(

I can't believe it. It's Jill's birthday today! Late last week I was giving Jill her morning bottle, this is the only time of the day that Jill actually sits still and is cuddly while drinking. I looked at her resting against my torso and I thought, this time last year we were in the hospital waiting for our big day!

While today was a lot easier than last year for me, Jill wasn't feeling so hot today. Well, a pair of forceps didn't grab her on the head and pull her through a narrow channel, so I guess today was better for her, too.

Jill has been running a little temperature for the last two days. Actually on Monday night her temperture went from normal to 102.7 degrees in the span of an hour. She was shivering and crying and Bryan and I took her to the after hours clinic at Lawrence General.

We arrived at the hospital around 7:30PM and it was a while before we got into a room. By the time we did Jill was exhausted, just junk! Bryan had walked the halls with her in the stroller for about an hour and even the constant motion wasn't doing the trick anymore. Some parents have the problem that their child won't go to sleep without them holding her or without them in the room. Not Jill. She's so used to sleeping in her room alone that she just wouldn't calm down with us. Finally I wrapped a blanket around her legs like her sleep sack and we placed her between us on the hospital bed. We each had one leg on the bed creating a little barrier for her and we were as silent as possible while watching Ohio State play for the national championship. But that's another story. Groan.

Finally, Jill started comforting herself. She waved her arms and babbled and talked for about 30 minutes while we waited for lab results. She was so sweet and cute. Bryan and I kept exchanging glances and smiles in the dark room. It was the perfect family scene except for the occasional whispered curse from Bryan. Again, Ohio State was playing for the championship. Again, groan.

The lab tests and medical exam came back fine. We actually had been concerned that Jill had had a seizure at home and that's why we had raced to the hospital. It was worth the trip for the peace of mind and the doctors gave Jill much more Tylenol and Motrin than I would have been comfortable giving her at home. That helped break the fever. She was down to about 100 when we left at 10:30PM but she was miserably tired.

I hope she'll feel better soon. It was her birthday today and I took her in to see her pediatrician for a follow up visit. She cried from the moment he walked in the room until the moment he left. He gently put the stethoscope on her chest and she looked at me through tears like, "How can you let him DO that?!" I'm sure that after today there's an entry on her chart that says, "Jill's a crier." Poor baby.

We're planning to really celebrate Jill's birthday this weekend. Bryan's parents are coming in for the weekend and my family is coming over for Easter dinner. We'll have a cake and presents for Jill then though today didn't go without fanfare. Nana brought a new fleece poncho/jacket for Jill and Grammie and Grandpa sent a balloon bouquet and a teddy bear. Jill totally dug the mylar balloon. Also, we got a message from Auntie Becky wishing Jill a Happy Birthday, as she hung up I could hear the girls saying, "Oh, she's not there?" disappointed that the didn't get the chance to talk to her. So sweet. Here is Jill's official one year old photo.

Also, we had our small group meeting tonight. Keith brought Jill a couple of very cute outfits from Jean and he picked her up and sat her on his lap. I was surprised that he was so comfortable with her and she was with him, too. She just sat there staring at him. He is a snappy dresser though, who could resist. :) Everyone sang Jill "Happy Birthday" before she went to bed.

Other than the last couple of days, Jill has been great. She's very fast now crawling and she is into everything. And everything she finds goes right into her mouth. My mom even saw her try to put a dust bunny in her mouth last week. That makes me gag. We really do clean the house, A LOT!

Hmm, what else, what else. Jill now stands in her crib and she is starting to get the hang of cruising. I have found a new trick for amusing her in her gated play pen. I put ALL of her toys in a diaper bag instead on leaving them scattered around. Then she spends about 20 minutes pulling them out and inspecting them one by one. She loves to pull things apart. Pulling folded clothes out of the hamper is her favorite.