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I know Samantha is feeling better after only 3 days of antibiotic. She seems to be back to her old crackin up self.

So, Samantha has been sick since the end of September. She’s had a runny nose and a cough that has not gone away. This led to an ear infection shortly before her birthday, which of course, may have led to the allergic reaction on her birthday from the penicillin. But, the runny nose and cough never went away.

This past week, she’s had a rash that mysteriously appears and disappears on all parts of her body randomly. It’s strange. She’s been sleeping A LOT and is pretty irritable when she’s awake. Brian finally decided enough was enough and decided to take her to the doctor. She has another ear infection and something called Fifth’s Disease. Fifth’s disease is a viral infection that caused the mottled rash. The doctor immediately recognized it and said that it was going around. We just have to let it take its course and it will eventually go away. We got a non-penicillin antibiotic for her ear. Brian made the theory that she gets an ear infection anytime a new tooth comes in (#7 is on its way and I think some back molars are coming in too). I’ve heard a friend of mine say that her son got an ear infection anytime a tooth came through, so I think his theory is certainly possible. Maybe one of these days, she’ll begin to feel better. You can tell that she just doesn’t feel well.

In other news, we hope to see you all soon. If not, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Belated Birthday, Lauren!

I think we can officially say that Samantha is walking now. It’s still not much, but it’s on her own, so I think it counts.

She has lately taken a great interest in hide and seek. She especially loves to play around the ottoman. She can crawl behind it, through the tunnel (between the couch and the ottoman), surf around it and play hide and seek. It’s a great place to play.

I’m not sure if this qualifies, but Samantha took about 3-4 steps in between Brian and me on Friday night. They were forced, but they were on her own. Today, at Ms. Paula’s house, she took 3 on her own (again, forced). But, I think we are getting much closer.

This post is a bit of a hyperlink fest. Apologies.

We went to Gatlinburg last weekend. It was beautiful! You can see a view from the deck here. Alex (flickr and blog) did a great job picking out the cabin and the weekend. We were glad to be a part of it. We went on a few short hikes, but mostly hung around the house and played with the kiddos. We can’t wait to go again in a few years when hiking with children will get easier.

In looking back through past trips, we’ve been on Grotto Falls each trip. I think we can check that hike off the list now.