We're back and better - well not yet!

Welcome back bloggers or should I welcome myself back?!

After weeks away for rest and recuperation, I'm back home with Isabella, Kevin, Kalli and Molly! And with you!

A lot has happened since I've last posted, and I'm going to try to catch everyone up on our lives at the Kramer house. While I'm STILL recovering from mono, I'm slowly regaining my energy with hopes of a clean blood test by the end of the year. Then we can go forward with the surgery to remove the cyst in my neck - if necessary. According to my ENT, I may be able to hold off on the surgery if the cyst has decreased in size. No pain in my neck lately so I'm hoping this is the case. A CT scan on Dec. 18 will confirm the diagnosis.

Isabella is growing so fast as you will see in future posts on lots of pictures. She's running all over the house, climbing EVERYTHING (including the baby gate and crib rails), says new words every day (diaper, stop, thank you, doctor, doggy, kitty, stop, hot, to name a few) and loves playing with her puppies. Her favorite shows are Dora the Explorer and the Backyardigans. She has a ton of Backyardigans toys and adores her stuffed Tyrone and Pablo characters.
She had her first real illness late October when she caught Rotavirus, a horrible stomach virus that causes constant diarrhea and vomiting. She only has the vomiting for one day but suffered from diarrhea and stomach cramps for two weeks before the Rotavirus turned to viral diarrhea which lasted another two weeks. Her bottom was so raw we even called Children's Hospital to ask how we could make her more comfortable. After two doctor's visits and a few prescriptions, she's feeling better - but then the teeth popped through. She's cutting eight new teeth all at once so her guns are red and swollen. Needless to say, nighttime sleeping has been a challenge and most naptimes are a fight because she's so fussy. Orajel and Motrin only work so well.

Kevin has been a trooper through all this, working 40+ hours a week, taking care of the house and dogs, and traveling back and forth to my parent's house every day to visit. Now that Isabella and I are home, I think he has had a lot of stress lifted from his shoulders.

Check out the newest posts that will cover the past eight weeks complete with photos in the next few days.