COVID Update: Six months later

Beautiful milestone: It's been six months since I was discharged from the COVID ICU. For many friends and family, I've been the token "this is real and happened to someone I know" person. I'm happy to have shared my experience, and think it's equally important to share what's happened since I returned home. 

My provider has said multiple times, "I'm glad you are doing so well, most of my COVID patients are not..." I've been so focused on getting back to normal life, that I hadn't even thought of any other outcome. It's sobering.

I'll start with the good news: I have a broader life perspective. The experience showed my driven, type A personality what really matters and what's worth getting worked up about. We are given a certain number of heartbeats. It's important to spend them on things that bring and provide joy to yourself and those you love. 

And, a quick soapbox moment: I understand that COVID has a low mortality rate for young and healthy people. But if you choose to decline the vaccine, unless you are staying at home 24/7, you are risking your family and other folks who aren't so young and healthy. And importantly, even if those folks don't die, COVID creates long-term physical changes. Believe me, it's not worth the risk!

My COVID update - six months later

• My lungs now limit me from certain activities. Sure, I had no plans to run a marathon, but I am sad that it's no longer an option. I'll just have to plan to walk the marathon. 
  
  
• I've had two spring/summertime colds and both ended up as a mild case of walking pneumonia, with one turning into ear infections and an eye infection. Changes to my immune system and lung function mean every cold now can cause pneumonia. I have no associated lung/chest pain, so other than a fever, I don't know when this is happening and seems to surprise me every time. I now *must* slow down when I have a cold and rest. 
  
  
• Clinicians find my case fascinating. I saw an urgent care doc for my last chest infection in June who couldn't believe I wasn't intubated as soon as I got to the ICU. He asked me questions for 5 minutes straight and all I could tell him was, "I didn't feel sick, I was walking around, asking questions and making jokes, so I guess they were waiting to see what would happen." I'm grateful I was an anomaly. Maybe my super power is resilience.
  
  
• I'm still building back endurance. Having less than half lung capacity for a 2-3 months took a significant toll on my body. When I first got home, Richard helped me walk through the house. I had a cozy chair brought into the bedroom and stayed there for a week, as prescribed. I started by walking to the kitchen once a day, then around the house, then up the stairs. I'm now walking 2-3 miles per day, and this took a good bit of work!
  
  
• In the last few weeks, I've found that I no longer have to remind myself to breathe deeply. My pulse ox is now around 94 when I'm not active and breathing normally. (When I focus on breathing, I can get it higher, but that's no longer the normal state.)
  
  
• My heart rate spikes with any significant activity. Not fun and doesn't seem to be burning any additional calories. :)
  
  
• I've cried. A LOT. Part of this was because I was on powered-up steroids and they didn't taper them down. Hello, cold turkey. 

• Candidly, I have significant PTSD from waiting on/watching for my vitals to crash in the hospital. I am still sorting through the emotional aspects of that and still have nightmares. A lovely lady I look up to at work, who also happens to be a nurse executive who spent her adult life caring for all types of folks, told me, "people do what they have to do to get through trauma while in the hospital, the real effects start to show up when they get home." So true.
  
  
• Interestingly, my care team didn't tell me all the details of my admission. Maybe they thought I knew? Perhaps they were trying to focus on the positive? I pieced all of this together late into my stay, and then when the care summaries and bills arrived, and I saw ICD10 codes, care provided, etc. This triggered PTSD and survivor's guilt in a big way.

• I didn't know I was in the ICU until 4 days in. I truly thought I was on a normal COVID floor for "observation" in case things turned south. I should have asked, but it didn't feel like a possibility. 
• No one ever told me my diagnosis was late-stage acute respiratory failure. Yes, I should have known, but I didn't.
• I didn't Google any tests or symptoms in the hospital. I think this was out of self-preservation. I did research everything once I got home. It was a painful realization of how close I was to bad outcomes. 

Best,

Allison

Living with COVID-19: before, during and after

I joke that I am just clinical enough to be dangerous. I know the the "holy moly - get to the hospital!" signs of COVID-19. Between being raised by a MD, MPH who taught us every clinical lesson imaginable to working in healthcare for 15+ years,  I should have known when it was my turn to go. I was almost too late and will be forever thankful for a care team who shook sense into me.

But to be clear, nothing makes sense when you don't have enough oxygenated blood in your brain. And in hindsight, this was one of God's greatest provisions during my time in the ICU. 

I began documenting my symptoms at onset, because I couldn't find a listing of what to expect and I find how it affects every person differently fascinating. I continued documenting at my family's encouragement, and then because so much was happening quickly that I needed to keep it straight in my own mind. Highlighted dates represent time spent in the COVID ER/ICU.

General takeaways:

• I never felt sick enough to be in an ICU. I scoffed both times physicians told me to go to the ER.
• I never had pain and I didn't fully grasp how sick I was at the time. The only pain reliver I took was Tylenol for body aches/fever. I focused on what I could see and tangibly see and feel: telemetry/EKG/neuro monitors, vitals, walking to the bathroom, watching snow.
• Even though my care team actively prepared me for negative outcomes (vent... or death) it didn't fully click in my brain. While I was scared, and spent many nights terrified that the crash team would end up in my room, I was oddly at peace.
• The outpouring of love of our friends and neighbors still makes me weepy. 
• Richard and I had some symptoms that are similar, but thankfully he started feeling better the same time I started experiencing breathing issues.
• Neither Ella Kate nor Caroline experienced any symptoms, but both have the COVID antibodies that shows they had the virus more than 14 days ago. 
• I've learned that COVID teams get worried when patients present on days 9-11 with new symptoms. This tends to skew toward poor outcomes. I'm glad I didn't know this initially!

Timeline of symptoms, care plans and discussions:

Sunday, 11/15 –

•         General achiness, but pronounced muscle pain along back of neck/head and through shoulder blades
•          Tired and cranky
•          Mild headache
•          Thick, hard-to-swallow feeling overnight

Monday, 11/16 –

•         Low-grade fever/felt warm from the inside (maybe this is what hot flashes feel like?)
•         More achy – including legs and back
•          More pronounced headache, but can still function
•          Upset stomach early afternoon - continued for a week
•          Watery eyes and wanted to lay down and keep eyes closed
•          Tested for strep/COVID in late afternoon
•          Worked all day from home

Tuesday, 11/17 –

•          Strep negative – no COVID result
•          Continued achiness – especially in lower back and shoulder blades
•          Continued low-grade fever
•          Very slight cough began early morning
•          Uncomfortable/fitful sleep (Monday night/Tuesday morning
•         Skin hurting – including prickling sensation on legs when clothes touch them
•          Not as cranky, but kids are really testing my graciousness
•          Worked several hours from home, but not all day 

Wednesday, 11/18 –

•          Friend with similar exposure tested positive
•          Took night-time medicine to ensure I slept well
•          Low-grade fever/still like I have an internal heater from inside my body
•          Woozy when standing (Richard seems to have an extreme case of this – mine is manageable because someone must walk dogs)
•          Headache/face pain
•          Skin tenderness has improved, but constant sweating/chills/chill bumps
•          Lost appetite, but can still smell/taste
•          Worked several hours from home, but not all day 

Thursday 11/19 –

•         Fever, but a bit lower
•         General malaise and wanting to sleep
•         Started getting tired when walking from one room to another; chalked this up to having a fever for so long
•         Worked several hours from home, but not all day

Friday, 11/20

• Worked a good bit of the day – joining meetings where possible to feel normal. Tired, but thought I was on the mend! Definitely could function more like myself.

Saturday, 11/21

•          Coughing when talking begins in earnest. Was difficult to have a conversation through the coughing. This alarmed my mother and dear friend, who both urged me to go to urgent care.
•          Chest started feeling tight, but not painful
•          No pain, other than from fever, which spiked again
•          With the coughing, started watching pulse ox closer, but levels were consistently around 95% 

Sunday, 11/22 –

•      Richard's COVID test from 11/16 came back positive        
•         Fever continues – climbed a bit higher at 101. This did make me nervous.
•          Pulse ox dropped a bit and I started to realize I needed to go to the doctor the next morning to have them listen to my chest
•          In a quiet room, could hear “crackling” when I breathed deeply
•          Breathing deeply caused a coughing spell. This should have been a clue, but at least I knew it was important to have someone listen to my lungs.

Monday, 11/23 –

•  Shortness of breath, chest “tightness” and sharp pinch when breathing deeply.  Pinch wasn’t painful – just a reminder that something isn’t quite right.
•  Coughing when talking continues – not all the time – but it did limit my ability to have an actual conversation
•  Pulse ox unsteady and heart rate was elevated. In the morning, I saw a few 87-89% readings and realized I needed medical attention.
• Went to walk-in clinic and shared pulse ox fears.
•  Had chest x-ray, which showed early signs of pneumonia
•  Had an albuterol breathing treatment in the hopes I responded well to opening my lungs. There was no improvement.
•  Care team recommended I go to the ER for further testing. Was not emergent, but they were clear I needed to be there for observation because cases not better in a week can deteriorate quickly. 

At the Vanderbilt COVID ER:

•     Walked from parking garage to ER check-in. Presented tachy at 134 BPM with a 94% pulse ox.
•     Stressful check-in with nurse yelling that I couldn’t have visitors and that I needed a room STAT. (This proved to be overly dramatic at this point.)
•  Taken to COVID-specific triage for vitals, which were unsteady, but not critical. Since my COVID test from 11/16 never came in – they did a rapid swab.
•  Moved to COVID ER area – received IV Lactated Ringers for hydration and Tylenol for continued fever.
•  Hourly ambulatory tests to see how my body reacted to fluids
•  When sitting and focused on breathing deeply, I was still able to move oxygen at around 93%. The team was comfortable with this and I was sent home with strict instructions to sit, rest, drink and breathe deeply. Gave me warning signs for hypoxia. Recommended a telehealth visit if I felt any worsening symptoms. (The ER doc told me "I'd know" if I were getting in trouble with hypoxia. Apparently I didn't realize what this meant!)
•         While in the ER, my first COVID swab came back positive. My rapid swab taken 11/23 at the ER came back negative 20 minutes later.
•          I left Monday evening with an albuterol inhaler + spacer and an Rx for a Z-pack. They said that my chest x-rays presented more like a bacterial infection (which we were all excited about – since it can be treated with antibiotics). I celebrated like I had won the lottery, because COVID pneumonia has no cure!

Tuesday, 11/24 –

•    Slept most all day. Exhausted and started to feel more tightness in my chest.
•    Fever spiked again Tuesday evening to 101. Pulse ox dropped to high 80s and I started feeling groggy. This was when I knew something was wrong and I was taking a not-so-great turn. In hindsight – should have gone to the ER at this point. I was still holding out hope that the Z-pack would kick in before Thanksgiving.
•   Scheduled telehealth appointment for early Monday morning.
• Intuitively, I knew I was going back to the hospital. I cried a lot on Tuesday night. 

Wednesday, 11/25 –

•   Pulse ox was lower around 86-88%. Felt foggy and slow.
•   No pain, but I did start to feel extreme tightness/pinching when breathing deeply. And I felt the need to gasp for air, which pinched and created anxiety. This was a not-great cycle.
•   Telehealth physician was excellent. I shared I didn’t want to go to the ER again and “get in the way of sicker patients.” She looked at me and made sure I understood that there wouldn’t be any sicker patient there than I was at that moment. Was advised to go to the ER immediately.
•  I needed stop use the restroom on the way to the ER and ended up stopping at the McDonald’s in Green Hills. I realized I was too weak to walk in and open the restaurant door and had the understanding that my situation was escalating.

At the Vanderbilt COVID ER/ICU:

•  I presented at the ER tachy at 139 and 87% pulse ox - hypoxic. Sitting in the triage area, the stats didn’t stabilize.
•  I was transported back to the COVID ER, in a wheelchair this time because I couldn't walk on my own without gasping. I received fluids and immediate O2 to stabilize.
•  Chest x-ray via portable machine showed pneumonia had spread really quickly – and obviously wasn’t bacterial. 
• Was assigned a room (7746) on a newly expanded COVID ICU floor. No roommate and I had a window!
•  Had a CT scan to check for pulmonary embolism (none found) – the results did show that I had only 40-50% of lung capacity and I was in “late/end stage respiratory failure.” Nothing could have prepared me for that diagnosis. (Except maybe the fact that I couldn't hold my breath in the CT without coughing like a maniac.)
•  Began daily Lovenox, 6mg dexamethasone and supplemental oxygen
• Around sundown, I began hearing codes on the floor, followed by running footsteps. I had to leave some ambient sound in my room to cover this noise. From this point on, every twinge I felt sparked fear that they were rushing into my room.

 

Thursday, 11/26 –

•  As my lungs struggled my heart was working overtime to compensate with high pulse and HARD beats.
• Began Remdesirvir (5-day course)
•  Continued O2 supplement – anywhere from 2-10 liters depending on need
•  At morning rounds, physician shared CT results, diminished morning lung sounds and tried to impress the severity of my prognosis. I still had no “pain” and didn’t realize I was entering a dire situation. He told me that my condition was “touch and go” and that he’d seen more cases turn toward poor outcomes than good outcomes. He tried hard not to scare me, but looking back I now realize he wanted me to understand that I was in real trouble.
• Dr. said that we would talk about the day and the next 8 hours whenever he saw me. We’d focus on what we could do *now* versus anything more in the future. I’m thankful I didn’t recognize what that meant. 
• I completed living directives for them to ensure they’d take measures to run a code if I crashed.
• My care team offered clergy visits and encouraged me to make phone calls to get affairs in order.

Friday, 11/27 -

•  Fever remained at 101.x
•  Seizures/syncope began during 4am vitals checks/blood draws. The care team explained my body was “borrowing” energy from other systems to continue fighting. Pulmonary borrowed from cardiac, which then began borrowing from neuro.
• Lung sounds continued diminishing, but at a slower rate than was expected.
• Continued O2 supplement – more liters following seizures/syncope. The most I was on was 11 liters at one point.

Saturday, 11/28 –

• Seizures/syncope continued during the 4am vitals checks. I was never out for more than a minute, but had several episodes. Care team worried this was a signal that my other systems were beginning to shut down. I knew what this meant, but have to admit that I liked how "relaxed" I felt after an episode. 
• HARD heart palpitations through Saturday with a resting heart rate continuing in the 130s.
• My body seemingly forgot *how to swallow.* I could chew, but couldn’t seem to get food ready to swallow. Care team decided this was part of the neuro symptoms and did not change care plan or medications.
• Started proning to encourage lung clearing

Sunday, 11/29 –

•    Turning point! At morning assessment, physician heard clearer breath sounds and said it was “encouraging.”
•    Fever broke – temperature fell back into the 98 and 97.x range
•   Still had trouble swallowing, but focused on eating, drinking and sleeping. I started asking for jello, fruits and vegetables I could swallow more easily.

Monday, 11/30 –

•          No fever and my pulse dropped to a more appropriate level
•           Pulse ox began to stabilize – began practicing breathing room oxygen
•           Breath sounds clearer
•           Last dose of IV Remdesivir
•      Could eat again! 

Tuesday, 12/1 –

•           Discharge to home health!
•           Continued isolation through Friday night (for my family’s protection, but also for mine)

Wednesday, 12/2 – Tuesday, 12/8

• Begin slow and steady progress. Focus on resting, eating and staying hydrated to give my body a chance to heal as much as possible. 
• My recovery timeline is fluid. We're assessing damage and will take steps to continue healing my systems in both the mid and long-term. 
• My chest x-ray one week after discharge didn't show much improvement, but we are hoping that it will continue improving with rest and fluids.

Welcome Sweet Caroline!

Our new little bundle of joy arrived June 16 - and we're tired! She is an amazingly sweet little girl and we're all completely in love.

So far, she looks like her Daddy!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Pullen All Nighters... Again.

Just as we get one little girl sleeping through the night, we'll be welcoming another one and starting the process all over again.

Say hello to Caroline Elizabeth!


She will join our little family on or before June 27. Ella Kate was convinced we were having a boy, so after the initial shock and denial wore off, she decided that she's excited about being a big sister. She tells us that she's most excited about teaching Caroline to brush her teeth and that she'll have someone to ride in the back seat with her!

So... Life Got in the Way of Blogging...

I'm terribly ashamed that I haven't added a single entry since November, and even that post was a recap of Halloween. Much has happened in the past 6 months and I will eventually get it all on the World Wide Web. I can't promise it'll be in sequential order, because my mind is currently operating in "Stream of Conciousness" mode.

Stay tuned!

Halloween

Snow White ruled her kingdom of Cavalcade Circle! Poppi and Gigi came up to help pass out candy and serve in Snow White's prestigious entourage.

2010 Blessing of the Animals

Ponies, turtles, and chickens, OH MY!

Blessing of the Animals is one of my favorite parts of being an Episcopalian family. EK adores visiting all of God's creatures and amazingly enough, is usually well behaved during the service since there's so much to look at.

EK and Daddy reviewing the words to the opening hymn.


Her favorite animal: PONY!


Giving her own two animals a little love.


Not sure what this puppy's name is, but EK loved him!


Chickens, birds, kittens, hedgehogs, bunnies and SO MUCH more! Too cold for fish, though.

Full Time Academia

Here are a few pictures from the past two months. She really is only 2 and a half, even though she's the size of an average 4 year old!



Now that Ella Kate is going to school every day, we don't have nearly as much time to take photos of her escapades. And believe me, they are plentiful. I understand that she keeps her class entertained.

Miracle Baby

Many things about Ella Kate making it into the world are miraculous. (Including the fact that Richard and I haven't taken her out of this world in one of her strong-willed moments.)

Over the last two years, I've posted about the loss of our first baby, Carson. I learned a lot about myself during those months and started to understand that I have very little control over what happens in life.

What I haven't mentioned is that we now have four angels. After losing the fourth baby in late May, I knew that something wasn't right. So, I sat through countless needlesticks and endless vials of blood for genetics testing.

What we learned explains quite a bit about me as a person, in addition to me as a baby incubator. I have a mutated gene. This mutation is a clotting disorder and, when coupled with other genetic markers, causes fetile demise and an increased risk for birth defects. Nourishment clots in my veins and never makes it to the baby. Anyone who has seen how I bruise extra easily can grasp the concept.

The good news is that we know. We have a plan/medication/shots regimen that should give me a running start at carrying another baby - if we choose to go down that road.

Now, the miracle? Ella Kate survived. Ella Kate lived in my overly inhospitable uterus, without the proper medication, without shots, without me even knowing anything was wrong. The only explanation is that my hormones were so strong when we lost Carson that there were enough in my system to somehow sustain EK.

Eventually, we might try to have another baby. I say might, but we probably will try. Whether it'll work, isn't up to us. So, please, don't ask me why we haven't had more children. We've tried. It just hasn't happened. I'm still trying to make peace with that. At the end of the day, all I can pray for is God's will to be done.

And the love of ponies begins...

After battling a terrible tummy bug for a week, we almost didn't take EK to a pony-riding birthday party. She is now in love with ponies! She hasn't stopped talking about ponies since her first ride. Every day she asks to go for a ride. Richard is looking into area petting zoos.

Her first date. This young man jumped in the car with her. We didn't catch his name.


Ma'am, are you absolutely certain this steed is safe?


And she's off!


Again, please! Again!


Less than climactic, but here is a video of EK looking like a professional rider!

Pics from Easter

The Pullen family had a string of bad news, so I wasn't exactly looking forward to celebrating Easter this year. But, our wonderful family, including aunts, uncles and cousins, pulled us out of our funk for a great day!

I'm Not Sure When It Happened,

But EK suddenly became a big girl!

Cheesing with Titi Coco and Daddy


Learning to dress herself has had a few bumps in the road...


Singing her ABCs with GUSTO!

Going Once...Going Twice... Going Three Times...

SOLD!

We finally sold our house in Atlanta. The deal was marred by realtor laziness, inefficiencies and tremendous mess-ups of epic proportions.

But, it's done. Finally. And we can finally, officially, move on to Tennessee. :)

The family that bought our house is great. They have a little boy, named Carson, who is the same age our little Carson would have been. I took that as a sign that everything worked out as it was meant to.

Recent Pictures and Goings On...

Our household has been living up to our blog title recently. My sweet baby is cutting her last set of molars and you'd think there is a scene from Alien playing out in her mouth. True, I don't personally remember teething, but EK is milking it for all it's worth. Suddenly "Kate teeth hurt owww" when it's time to eat something other than chicken and french fries. :)

Needless to say, we really have been Pullen All Nighters lately. As evident by this 1:41 am blog post!

Here are pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Very happy to be eating her cereal.


How big is Ella Kate? "Kate BIG!"


Imagination Movers was particularly captivating in this rare still moment.


"Mommy, I'm ready to go ride!"


A scene from pretty much every morning.


Waiting on Poppi & Gigi to come visit.


She is very comfortable with that football. And she loves to give us a big Roll Tide. I'm just sayin'.


I adore her pink Ralph Lauren Polo velour track suit! It was a hand-me-down from a friend in Atlanta and EK totally rocks it. It just SCREAMS Puerto Rican Princess. And, yes, she has the booty to pull it off.


Reading a book to Penelope. Can't you tell she's riveted?


Procrastinating before bed. She's become a master of stall techniques.

Motherhood

I've been thinking about motherhood lately. Something magical happens the second women hear their first born cry. We become protectors. We do everything possible to coax smiles. We live for our children.

Lately, I've been following the blog of a mother in Texas. Her little girl, Layla Grace, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. She's chronicled her family's struggles through chemo, radiation, bone marrow transfusions and all the highs and lows in between. She dedicated every last second she had with her baby to fighting for her, comforting her and loving her.

Their story touched me deeply. Ella Kate is only two weeks younger than Layla Grace, so I saw so much of her in their blog. They have the same big blue eyes, use the same sippy cups and look adorable in their homemade tutus.

Layla Grace lost her battle with cancer yesterday.

While I know that God has a plan and a purpose for everything, I can't help but question why He would allow a innocent child to suffer. And, I don't know how a mother's heart can handle it.

Rest in peace, sweet angel.

Awww... NUTS!

In December, we found out that Ella Kate is allergic to peanuts. Driving down I-65 at night, I looked back to find her eyes swollen shut and one side of her lip swollen to kingdom come. That was our first real parenting panic. We stopped at a gas station at Exit 22, crushed an adult Benadryl and forced it down her. I've never sang The Wheels On The Bus so loudly and so energetically in my life. We were doing everything we could to keep her awake.

Fast forward two weeks: we get her blood tests back from the allergist. Most people with peanut allergies will react to them when their blood test results are .35. Ella Kate's result was 50. Yes, that 5-0. And tied for the highest our doctor has ever seen - in 20+ years.

I didn't realize how extremely lucky we were that night on the Interstate. She could have easily drifted off to sleep and stopped breathing. She was very quiet, but something made me look back at her. I'm terrified to think about what wouldn't happened if I didn't. If that's not proof that we have angels watching out for us, I don't know what is. We definitely had divine assistance that night.

The good news is that we know. It'll be a daily battle outside of our peanut-free house, but we at least know what we're battling.

Sure Sign That EK's No Longer A Baby

As soon as she walked in her classroom this morning, she looked at Richard and told him she wanted to draw with her friends. She walked over to the table, pulled her chair out, sat down, and said hello to two other girls.

One of the girls handed her a green crayon, EK signed thank you, smiled, and started drawing.

Only a big girl would so easily interact with her peers. She definitely becoming a little person.

A Very Important Milestone That I Forgot To Blog About...

Richard's offically an MBA! He finished classes last summer, but went through his graduation ceremony in December. We're all ridiculously proud of him - going to school full time while working full time, too. It wasn't easy (for any of us), but it's a huge accomplishment!

So, now, if anyone in or around the Nashville area is looking for a new MBA in International Business and Organizational Management with a BA in Communications and Information Sciences, you know how to reach me. :)

Awaiting the graduate luncheon. Yes, all the graduates really ate in their regalia.


In the graduation line. That's Richard calling his shot.


Two and a half years, $20,000, and lots of hard work lead up this exact moment...


The good news is that as of next month, OUR MBA will be officially paid for. Now we just need to tackle his undergraduate loan...

What Will You Do At School Tomorrow?

25 months is an interesting age. Ella Kate understands so much and wants to communicate ideas more sophisticated than her vocabulary will let her. But, she always manages to get her point across somehow.

Tonight, while reading a book, I asked her what she planned to do at school tomorrow. She quickly rattled off a timeline of her day:
1. Friends - they sing a welcome song in the morning and say hi to their friends
2. Play - they have either indoor or outdoor play time, depending on the weater
3. Eat - snacks and lunch
4. Night Night - nap time
5. Walk - they take a walk throughout the building and "explore" what the other classes are doing. I think this is a GREAT idea so they get to meet all of the teachers.
6. Babies - during their walks, they go and "read" books to the baby class. Easily EK's favorite part of the day
7. Daddy! - When Daddy comes to pick her up.

I was especially impressed that she got them all in that order. What can I say? She's a creature of habit like her Mommy!

Two Months?!?!

I'm quite embarassed that I haven't had time to post anything new since November 2. I've tried handing over blogging responsibilities to Richard, but that obviously hasn't gone well. :)

Ordinarily, I'd try to catch you all up on the latest Lowery-Pullen goings on. But, being a mom to a toddler, I fully realize you all just want pictures of her. So, here they are!

We can't believe it, but sweet EK turned 2 on 12/10. I don't know where the time has gone!


Who knew that one of Christmas' biggest hits would be a plastic spoon to feed her dolls. This is EK loving on her spoon.


Where are the rest of my gifts to open, Gigi?


All tuckered out after many busy Christmas celebrations.


Visiting Poppi's farm. He always has animals around to play with. This is a baby fainting goat. He also trained the adult goats to come up and eat out of EK's hands. She loved it!


She decided that the dog on that stocking was always thirsty. He often got the first sips of her juice or milk.


Her usual stance - glued to Elmo on Gigi's television.


She loved all of Gigi's Santa ornaments. She's giving Santa her best CHEESE face.


Playing with her table and chairs from Poppi and Gigi. She also loves her new play kitchen from Santa. She loves dumping all of the food and utensils in the floor for Mommy and Daddy to clean up.


An UNusual moment of stillness. We don't often get portrait style pictures of her - she moves way too fast.


Coloring with one of her best friends - Pedro the Bear.