Today we had our follow up with Kylie’s normal doctor to check on the status of her strep and to find out if they think it might be time to potentially have a tonsillectomy. After they reviewed what the urgent care doctors had seen and done (the urgent care had faxed over their records to Kylie’s primary care’s office) they decided to run a check to see where Kylie’s strep was at. This time the test came back negative, Kylie has been on antibiotics for two days now they think that this might be the reason; she is still to finish the rest of the dose just to be sure. We asked if they thought it might be time for her to have a tonsillectomy and after they reviewed her history they said it is not time yet, however, if Kylie gets another case of strep before November it would then be a serious possibility that we may need to see a specialist and have them removed. At this point we are just keeping our fingers crossed that she doesn’t get strep again before then, but with her starting kindergarten in September (WOW! that came a lot faster than we anticipated!) there is a high probability that she will come down with strep again. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed.

Yesterday Kylie was running a slight fever all day and was complaining that her throat and her ear were bothering her, which is unusual as Kylie rarely complains about anything. So Mommy kept an eye on her and gave her some children’s Tylenol to help reduce the fever and provide some relief to her pain. For the most part for the rest of the day Kylie seemed to be fine considering how she was feeling; she was cuddly and laid back for the day which is normal when she is not feeling well. What was not normal, however, was that Kylie did not want to eat anything for dinner and said she wanted to go to bed at 7pm! So this morning when Mommy got up she called to see if the doctor’s office was open, but due to the holiday they weren’t, so off to the emergent care they went. The doctor at the emergent care examined Kylie and said she has a bad case of strep and suggested that we take her to a ear nose and throat specialist to see about having her tonsils and adenoids removed. Mommy and Daddy have both had their tonsils removed so we are not surprised that it might be recommended for Kylie as well, however we will speak with Kylie’s normal doctor in the next day or so and see what they recommend. They did provide her with some antibiotics to start her along the path to feeling better though.

I can not believe how fast time goes by! Today, Kylie, you are 5 years old! I look at you and see how big you are getting and it just amazes me. I still remember the day you were born, giving you your very first sponge bath right after with the nurse, holding you and looking into your beautiful eyes. I never knew how happy I could be until you were born. And now, five years have passed. Everyone told me it would go by quickly, but I just didn’t realize how fast it would truly be. I wish I had a way to slow down time and spend even more of it with you, building memories and having fun. I hope as you continue to grow you realize just how much everyone loves you and cares for you. Ever since your first day you have been a very happy and loving little girl, and I hope you continue to be happy, upbeat, and positive as you grow. The empathy and sympathy you display for others at such a young age always amazes me and makes me proud. I hope we can continue to provide you with all the opportunities and chances to explore all your hearts desires, either to continue with something you already know (like ballet) or to learn something completely new. Though I can’t wait to see what the next five years brings for you, and I greatly look forward to watching you grow, learn, and explore the world around you, I hope it doesn’t go by as fast the first five have.

Speaking of new things, today is the day you embark on learning something new. For the past few months you have shown increasing interest in Mommy’s violin, so Daddy got you your very first violin! A 1/8th Suzuki Violin complete with bow and hard case. You were very excited when you opened your eyes and saw the case in front of you. Soon you will be starting private lessons once a week which Mommy will help enforce during the week as you and her play together. I know Mommy is very excited to share in this experience with you, both to see you grow and play the very same instrument that she plays and to help her get back into playing as well. I hope that over the years this will be something the two of you can share and bond with. And, of course, I am very much looking forward to hear you play such a beautiful instrument!

On top of all this, today is an extra special birthday (for me at least) because it is also Father’s Day! A day that without you I would not have been able to celebrate for the last five years! This is something that only happens every few years and for me it is a very special treat! Today, like every Father’s Day, we went out to breakfast together, just as I used to do with my father. Today, though, instead of going to McDonald’s we went to Ihop and had some very yummy pancakes and eggs. On top of that you even got a free ice cream Sunday because you told the waitress it was your birthday! You thought it was very silly that you were having ice cream with breakfast, but you enjoyed it immensely.

This morning, with you, was such a blast! Happy Birthday Little Bit, We love you, whole bunches forever!

Today was the last day of soccer for the girls, and I can’t believe how fast it went by. The girls seemed to really have a lot of fun and they definitely got some good exercise running around. Kylie thinks she would like to play again given the opportunity, and I am very happy that she is interested in participating in sports. Hopefully she will continue to be active with sports and extracurricular activities as she continues to grow. The only downside to all this soccer though, is that it has been really hot and sunny, but plenty of water and sunblock takes care of that!

“SPF Daddy…The Sun never stood a chance.”

Another fun night at the Crossroads Music festival! We wanted to make sure we went tonight because the band Just Jill was playing again and we really enjoyed them last year, and this year was no exception! This band puts on a really good show and the music they perform is great. Additionally, for the second year in a row, the lead singer gave Kylie her tambourine again! Not only that but she even jumped down off stage and was dancing with Kylie too! A video of Kylie playing the tambourine can be found on the videos page or via this direct link, and a few pictures from the music can be found in Kylie’s Year 5 June album.