Presley entered into her 10th month with a double ear infection, something the nurse kept telling me was just a cold. Call it mother's intuition, but I knew my baby had more than a cold. We began our rounds with bubble gum flavored amoxicillin which Presley enjoyed very much and within ten days she was feeling much better. Fast forward 48 hours later and the kick off to my Spring Break and we had a sick baby again! The ear infection had not healed and I was a sad momma. That would make two of my extended vacations from work with a sick baby. With a new medicine in hand we healed over the weekend and began our week of mommy and baby dates. We bolted out the door the first day of Spring Break to enjoy our newly purchased members of the zoo pass. Presley loved it! The zoo was packed with kids enjoying the nice weather and besides people watching, Presley enjoyed looking at all the animals too. Some of her favorites included the giraffe (Sophie in real life), brightly color frogs of the rain forest, and the hip-hip hop-hip-pop-anonymous (hippopotamus). At first she didn't know what the large-mud covered animal was, then I recited a line from one of her favorite books When You're Not Looking:
Hippos like to calmly wallow,
Knee-deep in a muddy hollow.
But when they want to feel divine,
they climb the tress to swing from vines.
...when you're not looking!
Right after I said that she looked at me, the hippos, and then pointed! I said, "Yes Hippos!"
We made our way around the zoo and because she had behaved so well I took her for a ride on the train. The breeze blowing in through her hair and the tooting of the horn was the best part. I like to think to myself that she told all of her babies that night about the fun day we had at the zoo.
The rest of Spring Break we continued to get over the ear infection and attempted several play dates and outings that were later canceled because of either a fever or bad weather. That was okay with us because Presley could find better things to do like hang out in a drawer or the dog crate. I do not encourage either, she just like small spaces right now.
It was time for me to go back to work and I was sad to leave my baby, we had had such a great week together (though I felt I needed a vacation from my vacation since we dealt with late nights, early mornings and lots of crying from ear pain). I knew it wouldn't be much longer until I would be home with her for the summer and we would be able to spend several afternoons at the zoo and exploring her new world.
Presley Ann has grown so much over these past few months. From babbling to actually saying new words (momma, dog, duck, ut-o, dada), playing funny games (in and out), cruising all around the house, sliding to get out of a chair, and even experiencing the cutting of even MORE teeth. I want to freeze her, keep her just this way forever.
