It Could Be Worse

Yesterday Emelia got sick -- runny nose, watery eyes, and very fussy. She went to sleep around 6pm, and other than a brief time up around 1am, slept until about 6:30 this morning. There's no fever, and she was able to be with the nanny for the day (our approach with the other family is that unless they're really sick, no problem). Truth is, we're starting to think that it's strictly allergies. So it could be worse.

Like with Nora, who started having diarrhea on Saturday night and really hasn't stopped since -- very messy (and stinky), lots of cleaning up, and a sad little dog. We started her on a rice and turkey diet last night, and there was no mess when I got home tonight. So it could be worse.

Like with Junebug. We came home from being at the playground with Emelia yesterday to find that the dogs had gotten into Kathy's purse and opened up a plastic container of raisins – about one cup was consumed. My sister having sent us one of those "Warning" e-mails on this very subject last week, we called the vet, who said to bring them both in immediately. They had their stomachs emptied, and it turned out that Junebug had eaten them all. Because of their toxicity, however, even the limited time they were being digested in her stomach could be fatal, so she's staying at the vet hospital for observation, tests, and IV fluids for 48 hours. She gave us quite a scare, but she'll probably be ok (so far the tests have been fine). And it's certainly better that Nora didn't eat any, and so doesn't have to stay for observation as well (for Nora as well as our bank account). So it could be worse.

Besides, this is a great excuse to offer up appropriate musical accompaniment (and a belated wish of a Happy Easter to those out there who observed it):

Noted Without Comment

Battery Recharge

We, along with our friends Tom and Anna, went to the Outer Banks last week, and while no, the water wasn't warm enough to go swimming (not that we expected it to be), we greatly enjoyed the pleasant weather and peace. Our house was on the ocean, was dog friendly, and had a hot tub. Emelia had a great time, enjoying filling her bucket with sand and collecting shells, as well as bike rides and a whole lot of running around.

This is the first of three weeks we'll be spending at the Atlantic Ocean this year -- my family's vacation is in Hilton Head in June, and then we return to Maine for Tom and Anna's wedding in July.


So she's shoveling sand with the sifter -- she's only 16 months old, what do you want?!


Sunrise (View from the Deck)


Parenthood


The VA-NC Border
The beaches have a fence between them, presumably because the Virginia side is a state park. Still getting used to the camera, and I overexposed this one. All the same, I like the effect.


Running Crazy


Currituck Lighthouse

Feeding Frenzies & Fast Footsteps

I think these two photos, taken about a week apart, speak for themselves.

In other Emelia news, this past weekend the weather was great and she walked with us to the nearest park/playground, ~2.5 blocks away -- we carried her when we crossed the streets, but otherwise she did all the walking herself. At one point she lost focus (something shiny on the ground perhaps), and I was ahead of her, gesturing and calling to her to come on, facing her and walking backwards as I did it. Damned if she didn't turn around and start walking backwards herself without so much as stumbling. This kid has fun (and hanging out with her, so do we)!