Adam, Tonya, & Rachel: 6 1/2 Months

We have had an incredibly busy couple of weeks! From weddings to hayrides to baby dedications...and then there was the day I wish would have never happened...but I am reminded that God is good in all things.

This week (well, last week now that I get a chance to write this) we had quite a scare with Rachel on Tuesday afternoon. She had been fussy all morning and nearly impossible to deal with. Nothing seemed to please her from swinging, to her Exersaucer, to me playing with her on the floor. When it came time for her nap, she didn't want to take one even though she was incredibly sleepy and rubbing her eyes. This was pretty consistent with the rest of my day so I wasn't too surprised. She was just crying and screaming at me regardless of whether I was holding her or laying her in her bed. So, I decided to put her in her bed and let her "cry it out". My plan was to wait 5 minutes then go back to check on her. As any mom knows, 5 minutes can be an eternity when your baby is crying, so I only made it about 3 or 4 minutes before going back in to try to console her. When I picked her up, she was completely out of breath from screaming so loud and so much. She seemed to be breathing a bit weird with several seconds between each breath...almost like she was kind of gasping with each breath. I finally got her calmed down and she went to sleep briefly before the biggest clap of thunder from the thunderstorm outside woke her abruptly and the screaming started again....and the irregular breathing. When I finally got her calmed a little, she seemed to go to sleep instantly but was completely limp. I thought that was a bit strange and I couldn't tell that she was breathing properly. So, I tried to wake her up and that's when I realized she would not wake up. Needless to say, I was hysterical and called Adam (instead of 911 out of madness)...so he called 911 and the operator quickly called me on my home phone. Rachel was completely lifeless for about 5 minutes, although it seemed much longer than that. I honestly thought she had passed away...what an indescribable feeling! While I was on the phone with the operator, Rachel was just limp and did not appear to be breathing, although she never turned blue or anything like that. Her cheeks were actually rosy red from where she had been so upset. After talking with me a couple of minutes to calm me down and find out what was going on, the operator had me lay her on the floor and lift her head up like I was going to start CPR (needless to say, I will definitely be signing up for an infant CPR class soon!). When I did that, Rachel started to cry and I was so relieved and happy! But when I picked her up she quickly closed her eyes again so I layed her back on the floor with her head tilted back and she cried again. I left her like that for a minute or two, then picked her up and she seemed to be ok. By the time the ambulance got here, she seemed to be breathing normal again. The paramedic thought she might have had a seizure or something so we called and took her in to see Dr. Mehrotra as soon as they left. After a blood test, the doctor determined she had a viral infection which had caused the increased fussiness. He also said she had simply passed out due to getting so upset. There was a medical term he used that I can't remember. Anyways, he didn't think it was a seizure and it should be a one time event...thank goodness! I don't think I could handle it again! God was surely with us in those moments and we are so thankful that our precious baby is ok. He was watching over Adam as well as he drove home in a record pace from work in Hendersonville in the middle of a huge thunderstorm! We have definitely learned to appreciate every minute with Rachel even when she's fussy or wakes us up in the middle of the night. Hopefully, we won't need any more "reminders" to keep this in mind in the future. She is a precious gift from God and we are so thankful that He's letting us take care of her.

Pics from Michelle & Matt's wedding...It was an outdoor wedding and was absolutely gorgeous! It was the most beautiful day they could have asked for (especially in the middle of what seems to be monsoon season in TN!)

The happy couple...

Rachel has been trying to make friends with Nimbus. She's more eager about it than he is:o)

Her first attempts at the sippy cup...how cute!

Just loungin'...

Sleeping in our bed after a LONG night. We've had a rough few nights since Rachel has been sick. I've been getting up with her several times a night to put in the paci and console her before she nods back off to sleep. Needless to say, by the time Adam leaves for work in the morning about 6:30, I am usually beat before my day even starts. So, we made an exception for a couple of mornings and I just brought her to bed with me so we could both get at least an hour of restful sleep. She's a little snuggler and will sleep all day if you'll hold her or cuddle her up next to you!