We've been pretty boring here at the Bernhardt-Peterson household, but I'm sure we'll start getting some comments soon about how an update is needed! Mom has been very busy at school, serving on a very time-consuming committee that also leaves her a bit drained and depressed when she returns home. Dad still hates his job and wishes the economy would take a turn for the better so he can get the job he would have been offered a month ago. Finley doesn't have a clue as to the state of the world today and continues to grow and learn despite all the stress! Lucky for both Mom and Dad, she has been loving the kisses and hugs. Miss Trish at daycare told me that Finley has grown so much in the last week. She's been talking up a storm, signing (yes, signing, not singing) with every song, participating in circle time, and playing with her friends. Last night, I asked her where a variety of things in the house were, like the couch, the fridge, the high chair, the piano, the guitar, her book, her baby, etc., and she would point out everything. She also continues to count. Her favorite number is still two. In the bath tonight, I would hold up the letters that stick to the side of the tub and she would say, "B" for everything, but once I would tell her the real sound, she would try her hardest to make that sound. She's getting very good! Her favorite song right now is "Itsy Bitsy Spider". She's also proving to be quite a stereotypical girl, despite my efforts to be gender-neutral. After school, I was practicing my Halloween hair, which required pigtails, and Finley was tickled pink. She made me put her hair in barrettes and then when Daddy drove up, she stood in the window, pointing to her head. She also loves her fancy furry coat that Grandma Brenda bought for her - it's silky like her blanky on the inside and furry on the outside. That helps in the mornings when she's not always the happiest to be awake, poked and prodded.
Well, Ms. Bernhardt's winter break started a couple of days early due to Finley coming down with a mystery bacterial infection. Daycare called on Thursday morning during 1st hour and said Finners had a fever of 101 and had been crying since I dropped her off. I picked her up and took her to Urgent Care because all the doctors at our clinic were booked. When we got to the doctor, Finley's fever was at 103.5 and she was very sleepy. They swabbed her throat for strep, took a nasal swab for flu, took chest x-rays for pneumonia, tried to take a urine sample for a bladder infection, and took blood for whatever else it could be. Everything was negative, but her white cells were high which meant a bacterial infection. I took her home where she slept the rest of the day. I had to take her back to the doctor the next day for a follow-up, so I missed the day before winter break...I was really bummed ;) Anyway, Cam made Finners a little nest by the tree and she read and slept there until she felt better. Over the next couple of days, she donned some very interesting outfits. She truly loves hats, especially her baseball cap, and she will not go anywhere without her ladybug boots. She even sleeps in them because she won't let us take them off of her! She even had to have them on with her adorable hand-me-down skater outfit at Christmas in Waseca. Finley got lots of awesome stuff for Christmas, including a new table and chairs just her size, puzzles, books, shoes, a doctor kit, an aquadoodle, blocks, and her very fist map! She was a little jealous of Sadie's easel, though, since she simply adores drawing and the white board markers were lots of fun. Of all her gifts, her favorite might be the tiny Elmo doll she almost didn't open in her stocking. She won't go anywhere without it. She loves all her gifts, though, and has been playing her little heart out the last couple days. It's been fun for both Mommy and Finley to have new things to explore and do.
where she made an even bigger one. Mom and Dad are going to be enjoying her hard work for quite some time, I think. Yum!
