Late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I was meaning to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year but just couldn't find the time. I even started to write this on the 5th but just finally finished it.

We had a great Christmas. Richie's mom came and spent it with us and we put up our 1st Christmas tree. Charlotte looked cute in her many outfits.

Charlotte somehow got salmonella. We are thinking from the grocery store. Richie and I treat poultry and raw eggs like toxic waste and constantly wash our hands so it's really strange she got it. She is also breastfed. Both of our hands are cracked and bleeding because now we are even more obsessive about washing our hands than we were before. The Friday night after Christmas Charlotte had mucus and blood in her green poop. Saturday morning she hadn't urinated in over 6 hours so I took her to the ER. Poor Charlotte got a lot of blood taken, a catheter for a urine test, and a shot of medicine. She was very good through it all. We were in the ER for the whole day and sent home with a follow up appointment the next day with a doctor from her pediatrician group. That night her fever shot up to 103.6 and I was able to bring it down to 101 with some Tylenol and a sponge bath. The doctor the next day had us admitted to the hospital to get her fluids up and in case her fever shot up again. Poor girl ended up having lots more blood taken and an iv for fluids. We were there for two nights and able to go home on that Tuesday. The medicine we had to give her was really upsetting her stomach. She had to end up taking it for 15 days. She still isn't right and the doctor said she could still have this for another month. I can't wait for this to be over and her feeling great.

This month she is trying to talk, laughing, holding her head up, sitting in her Bumbo seat , following movement with her eyes, splashing in her bath, and grabbing everything she can (including my hair and jewelry).