Health Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that "Rash Watch 2008" has been canceled. I think we're in the clear.

Tori's fever broke on Saturday (finally!), and she seems to be back to her cheerful self today.
We have her 12-month Well Baby check-up tomorrow morning-- her 1st birthday!!!
(so kind of her to indeed be *WELL* for it)

I really cannot fathom that she is already one.
Time flies.

Irresistably Raspberry= IRRESISTABLE!

I am so not a product endorser, but I just wanted to share this delicious find with you all....
I only bought it because I had a super coupon which made it practically free ....

It is DE-LISH.
A nice little treat after a long, hot day.

Err, correction....

Tori woke up with a high fever AGAIN this morning, so I started to get a little worried.

I called her pediatrician, and after explaining the whole scenario to the triage nurse, she suggested we come in to be seen.

We've just arrived home from the doctor, and guess what????

SHE DOESN'T HAVE AN EAR INFECTION.

Dr. Kim said it's next to impossible for her to have had one on Wednesday night that cleared by Friday morning, so he thinks she probably NEVER DID have an ear infection. Lovely.
And I've been shoving antibiotics down her throat for 48 hours.

(And for those of you with superb memories, yes, this is the SECOND TIME the local Urgent Care has misdiagnosed her ear infections.)

So, we are now on "Rash Watch", as Dr. Kim thinks she might have Roseola.

I hope that she just miraculously gets better and we never know what it was that caused the fever... :)

#8

I've tallied the number of Tori's ear infections at 8. (give or take)

She woke up yesterday afternoon from her nap with a 102.7 temp. No other symptoms whatsoever-- nothing. So, I knew she had another ear infection.

An evening trip to Urgent Care confirmed it.
And the doctor went so far as to say "the left side looks bad."
Poor thing.

As I sat at the local pharmacy waiting for her prescription to be filled, I struck up a conversation with another gentleman also playing the waiting game. Tori was making googley eyes at him, so he couldn't resist. Turns out, he was waiting for ear drops for his 16-month old son who was having tubes put in his ears on Friday. We chatted and shared our chronic ear infection war stories. Our poor kids probably don't know what it feels like to have "normal" pain- and pressure-less ears.

Tori has an appointment with an ENT in August, and although initially the idea of surgery freaked me out, now I'm kind of hoping the doctor will recommend tubes for her. *I* am getting tired of her having ear infections, and I can't begin to imagine how tired of them she must be.

Her fever continued most of the day today, but here's hoping she'll be back in the normal range tomorrow....

Lexy Swimming

Thank goodness for Grandma's camera that likes our laptop.

The LONG-AWAITED video of Lexy Swimming:



I'll post more videos in The Hughes Family Photo Album.

And a few still shots from our fun time at Barb's house this afternoon...

Jumping off the diving board

First time using goggles--- she loved it!

And here they both are on the ride home....

One. One. Three.

I guess I just feel better venting (pun intended) about the heat, so please excuse this weather update.

Currently, it is ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN degrees outside. Yes, 113.

These triple-digit doozies don't usually grace us with their presence until late July....

Looks like it's gonna be a long, HOT summer.

Ravioli Aftermath

New Pictures

The Hughes Family Photo Album
now has pictures of our adventures in the months of April, May & June.
Check it out!

Beating the heat

We've been spending a lot of time at the pool this week....
And thanks to the broken ankle, Mommy is more than happy to play photographer on the sidelines!

Just Hangin' out

Our little swimmer picking up sticks
(If we could only make our video camera be friends with the laptop, you'd get to see live action of Lexy swimming. For now, you'll have make do with a still shot.)

Look at me standing up all by myself!

Lexy swimming to Daddy, and Tori THRILLED to have her join them

Flying Tori

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

We love you!

The Falls

We took our annual family vacation to Yosemite this week and had a blast.
We hiked to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls the first afternoon-- a very easy hike-- and began to wonder if Lexy would be up for anything more difficult the following day. Granted, it had been a long day of travel, but she was a bit of a drama-queen on the maybe half-mile walk on a PAVED path that was relatively flat. This did not bode well.

But, we decided to stick with our plan and hike to the top of Vernal Falls the next morning.

The family.... at the beginning of the hike

Ryan (my bro) & Christy

But Lexy surprised us. And everyone we encountered along the way.

She hiked the ENTIRE thing by herself!!!! Without complaining!!!!




Preparing to head up the Mist Trail....
(apparently Poor Tori couldn't see a thing!)

She and I walked the Mist Trail portion together, hand in hand. It was WET.
I'm talking every-thread-on-your-body-soaked WET, water-drops-running-down-your-arms-as-you-walk WET.
See all that mist blowing around? It was assailing us as we climbed.

And very slippery... and yet she seemed undaunted. In fact, when we reached a point where there was a break in the torrential mist, all of the adults stopped to rest and catch our breath and enjoy the rainbows.


Not Lexy. She charged ahead, climbing the VERY steep steps. She actually had to use her knee to scale some of the stairs that were 2+ feet high. (sidenote: Bill requests that next time trailblazers use dynamite to create a rock staircase, could you please make the stairs more uniform? They are very hard to climb when they are all at different height increments. Thank you kindly.)


Enjoying her Gatorade-- her hiking Juice-- during a quick break.


The last few steps to the top!

So, we made it to the top of the falls, enjoyed some lunch as we shooed squirrels away, and then headed back down the mountain. Hiking journey= success!

At the Vernal Falls foot bridge on the descent

And then came the second fall....

We were a mere 20 yards from the bus stop, getting ready to head back to camp. Lexy had finally pooped out and asked me to carry her, and I had obliged, until my back started spasming. As I set her down, Bill decided to race Lexy to the bus stop (in an attempt to get her to go the distance on her own). However, Lexy, in her naive 3-yr-old-ness, took off WEAVING through throngs of weary hikers tired from their day's trek. I, ignoring the advice I'd given her ALL MORNING LONG of "watch where you are putting your feet", began craning my neck, trying to watch her as she darted in and out of the crowd, hoping she wouldn't trip anyone. And then.... BOOM.

I fell.

My ankle rolled right off the edge of the paved road and I landed in a big heap on the dirt. I immediately knew it wasn't good. Surges of pain running into my foot. As I sat there pondering my options, I realized there weren't many and decided to "walk it off" as my brother, standing overhead, was urging.

Fast forward three days... Thursday afternoon, when my foot began resembling a club due to CRAZY swelling, I decided it might be time to visit the local Urgent Care. I mean, why not? We're practically on a first name basis with these guys!

So, $15 and 3 X-rays later, my fears were confirmed.
I have a small fracture.
A BROKEN ANKLE.
The doctor wanted to give me crutches. HA!
I told him to keep 'em-- there'd be no way I'd use them with two kids to take care of.

So as I type, I'm sitting in an Gel Ankle Brace, icing my ankle.
And I'm supposed to go to an Orthopedic specialist next week.
I know you're jealous.
What a fun way to start off the summer!!! :)
Thankfully, aside from the initial CRAZY pain, it doesn't hurt. I CAN walk on it, although I'm not supposed to. And I think the intense swelling experienced on Thursday might have had something to do with the fact that the girls and I went shopping at Target that morning for more than an hour. Oops. Don't tell anyone. How was I supposed to know that keeping my foot in an non-elevated position was going to make it swell up like a balloon?!? Lesson learned.