A Sleepy Little Girl

I tried to keep Ella awake on the way home from the zoo on Saturday, knowing from past experience that if she conks out in the car all chances of a nap are ruined. But, as you can see, my efforts failed. She was too pooped!

A Jam-Packed Weekend

What a whirlwind weekend! Even without travel or guests, we managed to fill our Memorial Day weekend with plenty of plans. On Saturday morning we made our first trip to the Brookfield Zoo. Ella may be a little young yet, as she seemed more excited about exploring the shrubbery than taking in the nearby lions, but we still had a great time. That evening we visited some friends for a BBQ with their young daughter. And after Aquababies and some rooftop flower planting on Sunday, we enjoyed another BBQ with friends. Needless to say, Ella will be headed to bed early tonight after her late-night partying this weekend!

Chilling on the roof.

Ella loves the water!

Filthy from a hard day of play.

Ready for the Brookfield Zoo. And thanks for the sassy sandals, Aunt Erin!

Looking at the lemurs.

Enjoying a view of the giraffes.

Another day at Aquababies.

Out and About

The beautiful weather this past week allowed us plenty of time outdoors, including trips to the park, a BBQ with friends on Friday night, and a trip to the Green City Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. We also bought a new, bigger wading pool for the roof, and Ella had a blast today, splashing in the water. The weekend also brought guests, as two different friends, Sara and Zach, came to visit. What a great time we had getting to spend time with them, and hopefully this warm weather sticks around!

Ella found this unoccupied stroller at the park and took it for a spin.

Hanging out with her buddy, Bennett, at the farmer's market.

Ella loved the apple cider doughnuts!

She loves her new shades.

Swimming around at Aquababies.

She's Back!

On Tuesday, Ella's fever remained, and it was time to get to the bottom of it. A virus will typically disappear after five days, so the first thing the pediatrician checked for was a urinary tract infection. It involved a pretty horrible procedure in which they had to insert a catheter, but it quickly determined that the UTI was causing her fever. Fortunately, the antibiotics started working quickly, and by Tuesday afternoon Ella was making a comeback. Her appetite returned within the next few days, and she was finally smiling, happy, and ready to move again! I think she felt like she had a lot of play time to catch up on, because she hasn't stopped yet. The weather also improved this weekend, and today we enjoyed a beautiful Mother's Day. Ella  (and her dad) were very good to me, treating me to a morning of sleeping in, a solo run, coffee and breakfast, and a picnic at the park with friends. And this morning we finally made our return to Aquababies, where Ella showed off for her onlookers (thanks for coming to watch, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kristin!). We had a wonderful day, and are so thankful that Ella is on the mend and back to being busy.

Everything gets a spin in the stroller, including the rolling pin.

Ella refused to get dressed this morning. I got as far as pants.

Happy Mother's Day!

Playing at the park.

Just taking a stroll.

After a nap and a bunch of berries.

We finally made it to Aquababies!

Field Trips and Fevers

Ella's stomach flu seemed to subside on Monday, which allowed us a few days of fun outside the house before the second wave hit (more on that later). The weather also improved, and we took two field trips to take advantage. On Wednesday we visited the Lincoln Park Zoo, and on Thursday we checked out the nearby nature museum. Both trips involved taking the bus, and meeting up with fellow moms and toddlers for some quality time. Ella seemed to enjoy the zoo, and was especially fond of the museum, where there were plenty of interactive exhibits. However, both the weather and Ella's short-lived return to normalcy took a turn toward the end of the week. She has been running a fever that has ranged from 101 to 103 since Thursday afternoon, and simply hasn't felt well. After she seemed worse today, we decided we couldn't wait until the pediatrician's office opened on Monday. So we took our first trip to the ER. The experience was less scary and time-consuming than we anticipated, but we left with few answers to her constant fever. Her ears, lungs, and throat are clear, so at this point they think it's just a virus that she caught after her immune system took a hit from the flu. However, they advised us to check in with our pediatrician tomorrow to see if they want to look into it further. We'll all sleep better tonight knowing that it's nothing serious, but after more than a week of sickness, we're really hoping to see our happy and healthy little girl racing her cart around the house again soon.

Watching the giraffes at the zoo.

Playing in the 'Rivers' exhibit at the nature museum. 

The butterfly exhibit at the nature museum. 

Our crew at the nature museum; we had so much fun!

Helping me clean the floor.

Ella and her best pal, Violet.

The face we've seen most of the week... we need her smiles back!