The hardest 29 hours of Monk's life thus far

The Hospital just so happened to have a wagon. I am not sure how we would have gotten through it without this little blessing. We spent a lot of our time roaming the second floor with Monk in the wagon. It was a little tricky to get the hang of pulling the wagon and pushing the IV pole, but with a little practice I was a pro in no time.
The not so happy boy. There were times when we didn't know what to do with him. He was just beside himself and sick of it!
The nasty bed that he had to sleep in. He did some time in here and on mom's chest as well. I didn't have the heart to leave him in there the whole night. It was a good thing that he had his blankie along.

Feeling better on Thursday after being on an IV for over 24 hours.

Rough Week

Most of the time Monk just wanted to be held which was fun at first, but after a whole week of holding unto a 20 lbs. baby it got the best of us.

This was one of the only things that Monk wanted to do while he was sick. I am so glad that we had his big red car or else we would have had to carry him around 24 hours a day. ( A little side note to persons with kids. The big red car is the best thing that ever happened to us. If you are interested in getting one they are at Walmart right now.)

This past week has been quite a week over at the Tripp Tent. It has been one of the hardest for me as a mom so far. I am sure that there will be harder times to come, but this one sure tops the list as of now. Monk got sick at his Nana's birthday party on Saturday night the 13th. We brought him into prime care where they told us that it was just a bug. They told me that the bug would last about 48 hours and that I should see recovery after that. Well Monday came and went and still no signs of improvement. On Wednesday he was still not keeping anything down so we took him to the doctor who told us to go to the emergency room to hook him up to IV. Most kids after they have an IV perk up right after, but Monk did not and was still not taking anything to eat or drink so they admitted him into the hospital for an over night stay. On Monday Fisherman and I were both sick as well so we were still recovering ourselves. Being run down myself made it extra hard in the hospital. Monk doesn't sleep at home much let alone at a new place with lots of noise and interruptions. So I was left alone in a room with a tired crabby baby. After 24 hours of IV he seemed to be doing much better so we went home. The night that we got home he was still having problems with keeping things down. It has been over a week now and he is still not 100% although things are getting better. While he was in the hospital he developed a cold as well so that might have something to do with why he is not feeling totally himself. I know that the flu is something that is minor and that there are things out there that are much worse, but my heart ached for my little bean. I don't know how moms that have to be in the hospital all the time do it, seriously. When they were drawing blood from Monk and putting in the IV his screams pierced my heart and made me cry. I would have given anything at that point to make the person being poked me instead of him. The hardest times for me throughout this whole week were the times that Monk was crying and there was nothing that I could do for him. I felt helpless and it just ate my insides. Hopefully we will be seeing more and more improvement each day that passes and he will be back to his old self very soon. I miss the kid that made me laugh constantly. I can't wait for him to enjoy life again. I can't wait for him to start eating more and for his chubby cheeks to be back in their full glory.

P.S. I will post some hospital pictures in the next couple of days as well.

4 out of 5 dentist's choose Baby Einstein Tooth Brushes

With six teeth now and no dental insurance we need to make sure to keep those babies cavity free. Monk loves to have his teeth brushed as well as brushing his own teeth. I am sure that this won't last because I have yet to meet a kid that enjoys brushing their teeth and that hasn't lied about it at least once.

Eleven Months Old 1/8/06 - Monk

Eleven months old oh my word! This past month has been a fun one with all the holiday's crammed in there. Monk made things a little harder, but oh so much more fun too. At Christmas time you loved to play with other cousins and relatives and loved taking off all the bows from the unwrapped presents under the Christmas tree. Being around people is your thing. You thrive when there are about 100 things going on around you. I am not sure if that is something that goes along with your age or if that is your personality. To the left you are pictured with a balloon. You could have spent all your time playing with that balloon rather than playing with your new Christmas presents. When the life was finally sucked out of it you were so sad. I had to distract you with something else so that you would forget about it. After your beloved balloon passed away you became more interested in your Christmas presents. Here you are in the big red car. You love to ride in it so much. Your Dad and I need to prepare ourselves for when we want to put you in it because once we do we are chained to it until we are ready to pull you off and hear you cry. The same goes for your new pop and ride. We are wondering when you are

going to take your first step. We thought that you might be an early walker because you crawled so early and were pulling yourself up, but still nothing. You let go and stand on your own until you realize that oh my word you are standing on your own. Then your body begins to flail about and you reach for the nearest thing to clinch unto. You have five teeth and your sixth one is making it's way through. Not only does the big gap between your two front teeth crack me up , but also the crunching sound that you make when you bite into a cracker. Things you hate include having to lay on your changing table for more than 1.5 seconds, having your face wiped after you are done eating, and going down for a nap. Oh I almost forget to put your absolute favorite thing to do lately. That is putting something inside of something else. You constantly do this whether it be putting the tennis ball in the dog water bowl or putting basketballs through the hoop when you are in the tub. When we had the Christmas tree up you would go around with the dogs muzzle and collect ornament hooks and such in there.
This little task could keep you busy for hours.

Along with all the holidays came New Years. You fell asleep at your normal bedtime so you didn't get to fully experience the New Year holiday in it's full glory. I wanted to wake you up right before the ball dropped just so that I could say that you saw it, but your Dad slapped me into reality and told me that you wouldn't know any different and all we would have was a crabby baby. So while you were nestled all snugly in your bed, I was going through the past year in my mind. All the memories brought me to tears because I thought about how blessed your dad and I have been in the past year. Not only do we

have each other, but now we have you. Last year on new years eve I thought about what you would be like and whether you were going to be boy or a girl and now you are hear and 11 months old. Where does the time go? Your dad and I decided that this has been one of the best years of our lives because we have you. You make us kid. We love you with every part of our being.

-Dad and Mom