Forgot the Best Picture!

Oops forgot that this one was on the camera!

An Unpleasant Happening!

So, Wednesday I get a call from Gran about Berk's cough sounding worse. (She has had a cough her recently but it is Winter and we live in West Texas where one day it is 70 and the next it is ice, so we had contributed it to the weather!) Well on Wednesday she was wheezing and her cough sounded more "chesty" so I took off from work at 2:45 to get her to the doctor by 4:30. Well my hope was that it was something like bronchitis or a bad cold but our worse fears were confirmed when she tested postitive for RSV. For those of you who do not know what RSV is, here is the CDC's definition:

*Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, or RSV, is a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages. Most otherwise healthy people recover from RSV infection in 1 to 2 weeks. However, infection can be severe in some people, such as certain infants, young children, and older adults. In fact, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia in children under 1 year of age in the United States. In addition, RSV is more often being recognized as an important cause of respiratory illness in older adults.

Now, thankfully I think we caught it fast so we don't have to worry about pneumonia at this point but she is doing breathing treatments with Xopenex every 4 hours and Budesonide twice daily and Amoxicillin for an ear infection for ten days!! So that is how my Wednesday went: got to Lubbock about 4, out of the doctor's by 5, to Walgreens to check on the perscription, to Care Source for the nebulizer, call the guy because they were closed, to Sam's for diapers and formula and then back to Walgreens for meds and then to another Walgreens for the medicine that the first one didn't have! All in all we got home about 9 Wednesday night and then I stayed home with her on Thursday. The child must have a high pain tolerance because she NEVER screamed like babies typically do when they have ear infections and she has acted like her normal self. The thing that threw us for a loop was that she NEVER ran fever, her snot never changed and she never stopped eating like they say most do! So I don't know what we are going to do if she gets sick and continues to show no typical signs! But we go back on Thursday for a check up and hopefully she will be all clear or at least the doctor will be pleased with the progress! And kudos to whoever invented the pacifier for babies to suck on for the nebulizer; it has made our life pretty easy! Well I am posting pictures of her nebulizer and her first go at it on Wednesday night! Keep us in your prayers that her little body heals and this doesn't turn into anything worse! Have a great weekend!

Meadows

1/28/09...The cutest nebulizer EVER! And the coolest tool for her to take her breathing treatments!

1/28/09...A little help from Mom.

1/28/09...This isn't so bad!

1/28/09...And of course I have to put my hands wehre the cold mist comes out!

Big Girl Bed!

Well our transition to the "big girl bed" went very smooth and she slept her normal 8 hours! Dad, on the other hand, did not have it as easy and the first thing he said was "I feel like we are kicking her out of our room!" But she did really well and I know she loves the colors in her bed and of course her velour sheet! I think she knows that she is a "big girl" now and just sinks right into her bed when we put her down at night! The pack 'n play is now officially at Gran's for naps and a place of her own! This weekend we also had some tummy problems, but have fixed them with mineral oil in her bottles and just doing cereal one time a day instead of THREE! We also switched over to barley cereal instead of rice which seems to be better. She also got her first taste of white-grape juice and drank 2 ounces and then was really mad when she finished it, so I went ahead and gave her anouther 2 ounces. (You can only give them 4 ounces a day so she drank it all then!) She also got to taste squash over the weekend and LOVED it! This was the first time that she has actually opened her mouth before you got the spoon to her mouth and if you aren't fast enough, she starts making noises like "HURRY UP!" But she is still growing and changing! I can't believe that almost 5 months have passed and yet all the little things she does still surprise us! Today it was FREEZING cold this morning and I had her all bundled up to go to Gran's and then dad decided to wait the weather out and so we all went back to sleep for a little bit and she was in bed with me until I got up to get ready and then dad came in and laid with her! It was such a cute picture that I just had to capture it! Well hope everyone is keeping warm and enjoy the pictures!

Meadows

1/23/09...First night in "big girl bed!" She went to bed at 10:15 and woke up at 6:30; a normal night for us!

1/23/09...Sound asleep! I think she loved the feel of the soft blanket! We didn't hear a peep out of her all night!

1/26/09...Last night in her ducky pajamas! She was in a great mood before bed and was quick to fall asleep!

1/26/09...With her paci! She doesn't suck on it for very long and usually spits it out right after she falls asleep!

1/27/09...Early this morning when dad replaced mom in bed. She was sound asleep and so was dad until mom snapped the picture!

Growing and changing!

Well, Berkley is growing before our very eyes and I have to say that it makes me kind of sad, yet really excited for what the future holds for our little girl! She is so full of personality and it is really starting to show more and more. There is not one moment spent with her that me and Thad are not laughing at something she is doing whether it be making a funny face or cackling! (Cackling is the best description of her laugh now days!) She is eating "foods" now which have included up to this point cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes and applesauce! She was a little thrown off by the taste of the applesauce after eating those "sweets" first but she likes it all the same now! We are making the transition to her "big girl bed" tonight and hopefully it will go well! Up to this point she has been sleeping in her pack n' play in our room still but we know that it is best to transition her now before we move to the new house and there just be too much newness for her to handle! I will post how that went on Monday and I am sure I will have to get some pictures of this momentous occasion! Enjoy the pictures and have a wonderful weekend!

Meadows

1/22/09...Daddy feeding her applesauce and cereal!

1/22/09...She was so pooped after eating and she is getting to the point where she doesn't nap much during the day!

1/22/09...After her nap and before bathtime; I was a little "camera happy" last night!

1/22/09...Camera happy!

1/22/09...Ready for bathtime with dad! I think you can really see how much she resembles Thad in this picture!1/22/09...Ready for bed and ready to get that kitty! I love this picture and while they were sitting there she was trying to figure out how to get to him! We both know it won't be long until she is crawling and chasing him EVERYWHERE!

1/23/09...Bright-eyed at 5:30 AM ready to go to Gran's! She is in her "big girl shoes" that Nana got her and she actually likes them because she is able to get traction when she is in her jumperoo!

Christmas pictures through recent.

Well here are some pictures of Berk around Christmas time. It is amazing to even look at these that were not taken even a month ago and see how much she has changed! She got a jumperoo from "Santa" and she loves getting her legs under her and going to town! She continues to amaze us with her abilities and most of all her personality! Last night we were sitting there and I snorted and she just started cracking up! It was the funniest thing ever and luckily the video camera was charged enough to capture it! It was the most beautiful and thrilling thing we had ever heard! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Meadows

12/21/08...Christmas at the Meadows house. She actually stayed in her dress, tights and shoes most of the day, which was surprising!

12/22/08....Trying to figure her jumperoo out. We didn't wrap it and she got to use it before Christmas!

12/24/08...Her first Christmas Eve!

12/25/08....Our little ham on Christmas Day! She LOVES the camera and is quite a poser!

12/28/08...She got a bath and her hair decided to do its own thing! It stayed this way through the next day also!
12/30/08...Wreck 'em Tech!
1/9/09...After her 4-month check up and shots! Starting cereal; she wasn't too excited about it as you can see on her face!
1/10/09...First stock show! Our favorite "stock shower" was holding his number one fan!
1/11/09...She is quite flexible and loves grabbing her chubby feet!
1/11/09...Second try at cereal! She is obviously more interested in the funny face Rance is making!

Way too long without blogging...

Ok, so this is a going to be a BIG post because there have been BIG CHANGES in our lives since May. Of course we had our beautiful daughter, Berkley Tate, on September 5, 2008 at 12:35 AM, just one day shy of her actual due date! It was very simple labor and delivery and she weighed in at 5 lbs. 8 oz. and 19 inches long. (Much smaller and shorter than we thought she would be, but perfect all the same!) Since she was born, she has experienced many firsts in her four short months of life. She has gone to numerous six-man high school football games, Thanksgiving, 4 1/2 hour road trips to my hometown, Dallas Cowboys football game, Christmas and her first stock show! (And that's just the tip of the ice berg!) She went to the doctor last Friday for her 4 month check and she weighed in at 14 lbs. 2 oz and is 24 1/4 inches long. She is now eating formula and enjoying cereal along with fruits and vegetables. She is a growing girl and it kind of makes me sad how fast time has flown by. We love spending time with her and she is such a personable baby that there is not anyone she WON'T go to! I am going to post pictures from when she was born through recently in this post just so everyone can see how much she has changed and of course to get me back in the groove of blogging. So, hope everyone enjoys and hope to hear from ya!
Meadows Family

Right after she was born; around 12:45 AM- 9/5/08

This was after all the tests had been done!


First family photo before leaving on 9/6/08


9/7/08...First full day at home


9/9/08...After visiting doctor for weight check; 5 lbs. 9oz., beat birth weight in only 4 days! YAY!


9/11/08...The cat wasn't too fond of her at first but he seemed to warm up and long as dad would give him attention too!


A good burp from dad...10/9/08


10/11/08...First 4 1/2 hour road trip for "Welcoming Shower"


Happy Halloween!


11/4/08...Going to Gran's in the morning.


11/5/08...Two months old, after doctor's visit, first shots and weighing in at 10 lbs. 2 oz. and 23 inches long


11/14/08...Going to Uncle Rance's play-off game; it was CHILLY!


11/27/08...First Thanksgiving, with a little slobber of course!


12/11/08...Holiday cheer!


12/13/08...First night in hotel!


12/14/08...First picture with Santa! She didn't enjoy it too much!


12/14/08...Before the Cowboys game; she wasn't too interested as you can see!


12/18/08...After dad's work Christmas party