Our ER Ordeal

Nobody likes getting sick and going to the hospital. Unfortunately at some point in our lives we will experience it, if not for ourselves, for a close family member.

Last Thursday Sofia came home with a 102.2 fever, she was so weak and sleepy and only ate a few pieces of grapes. We did the usual fever reducing home remedies, a cold wash rag, Motrin/Tylenol to control her temp and keeping her comfortable as possible. It went down to 98 but went back up to 101 at 3am. By 7am, she was fine and off we went to work. She skipped school and stayed with her Yoyi Bee who kept me updated through text.

By 10am she had another high temp reading and only ate a banana for lunch. A few more hours later, the diarrhea started, then the chills and then the vomiting. We were still at work and my Mom is getting worried, I clocked out with the consent of my supervisor and hubby and I told her to just call 911 because her chills were getting worse.

The ambulance picked her up at the same time hubby came home, thank God! Later on, she told us that the ambulance ride was "so much fun!" LOL! I came home, grabbed some supplies (fresh clothes because she vomited on her shirt and had a diarrhea accident on the way to the hospital, her Pikachu plushie and her iPad to help her pass the time or to keep her distracted)

Long story short, we stayed in the ER for a grand total of 9 hours! It was tiring yes, but I'm also glad she got the care and attention she needed, and the peace of mind we wanted. She got a complete blood work, 2 rounds of IV (for dehydration), urine test and a slew of hospital memories tucked under her belt!

But hopefully no more trips to the ER in the near future! Arrrrghhhh the stress is REAL!!!! :)

Thank you PIH Whittier for taking care of my baby. Especially to her awesome nurse Meghan!

My brave child after her IV insertion.

Exhausted after her second round of IV.

Saturday Slime

I have a daughter who loves to craft. It's my fault really. We've probably been making mother-daughter projects since she was a wee 2 year old. I always leave paper, pencils, crayons, colored markers, colored pencils, glue, tape, construction paper, glitter, fuzzy balls, googly eyes, stickers and a whole gaggle of arts and crafts supplies in a basket where she can access it all the time any time inspiration strikes. 

Two weeks ago we attended a birthday party and one of the items in the goody bag was a container of slime. That was the only thing she played with and she was obsessed! LOL! Then, I saw a friend of mine post a video on Instagram of her son making slime! So I searched on youtube and found a pretty easy recipe. Today, we made her first batch of blue slime and her imagination just ran wild. It was fun making it and so easy for a 5 year old (with adult supervision)!

Blue slime!

She made dinosaur fossil molds using the slime. She loves her dinos!

Here is the video of the DIY slime that we followed. Have a fun, slimy day! 

 

Happy Birthday Parties!

(#1 of a 6 part series on birthdays)

One of the absolute joys in my life is making my daughter's special day even more special. Every year we throw her a birthday party, something that I start planning for in December until her birth month, April. LOL!

We've had a couple of themes through the years depending on her current interests. Except on her first year, I picked the panda theme which is cute and can be an Asian theme as well.

Centerpiece was a small lantern, mini panda plush and a bamboo plant that guests can take home.

Yummy cupcake tower, cupcakes were a gift from one of her Ninangs.

Panda pound cake made by her Lola and the chocolate ganache cake made by another Lola! So yummy!

Lollipops in theme colors of black, white and hot pink!

She slept and missed a lot of things during the party, but she enjoyed it a lot when she woke up. We did the usual cake smash (cupcake smash in our case), blowing of the candle and opening her presents. Time really flew by, she is turning 6 soon! :)

Bow Tie Pasta in White Parmesan Sauce with Asparagus and Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cups bowtie pasta cooked al dente
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into small strips
1 cup chopped asparagus
Italian dressing enough to cover chicken in a Ziploc bag
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp EVOO
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Marinate chicken in a Ziploc bag with Italian dressing for at least an hour in the fridge.

Cook pasta with salt to taste for 11 minutes or according to what the box says. Add the cut up asparagus in the last 4 minutes of cooking and drain together. Set aside.

On medium heat, brown chicken in butter and EVOO. Remove chicken. Add garlic and cook until tender, add chicken broth. Let it reduce for 2 minutes then add half and half, heavy cream, salt and pepper.

Let it boil a little then add Parmesan cheese while whisking constantly to thicken. Remove from heat then add chicken, asparagus and pasta. Toss and add salt and pepper if you want.

Serve immediately and top with more Parmesan cheese.

My 5 year old absolutely loved it!