Yesterday was the first field trip for Emily's pre-school. They were supposed to go to an apple orchard and pick apples, then have their snack, picnic style, on blankets on the grass.
Yesterday's weather...absolutely lousy. It was windy, barely 50 degrees and drizzling very steadily. I had Ethan with me and really, really didn't want to have to take him out in that kind of weather, but didn't really have much choice until Emily's teacher stepped up and offered to take Emily with her so that Ethan didn't have to get wet and cold. Bless her heart. She has a young grandson and said that she wouldn't take him out in that, so she understood. Thankfully, Emily really likes her new teacher, so she went willingly.
Since the weather was so bad, the apple picking didn't last long at all. What took well over an hour last year took barely 20 minutes this year, with no picnic snack. All in all, they should have rescheduled. When Em got back to the van, her jeans were absolutely soaked up to the knee, as were her socks and tennis shoes. I stripped her down to her sweatshirt and underwear, covered her in one of Ethan's blankets and we headed home.
Since the filed trip was so lousy (and she had so been looking forward to it), I offered to take her home to get dry clothes and then to let her go play at the mall. She thought that sounded good and so off we went.
Things went fine until we headed back home. As we were standing at the van in the Sear's parking lot, trying to load the stroller/car seat and Emily in the van, I heard someone yelling and then saw a large black woman running (and I use the term very loosely) in an erratic fashion not too far from where we were. She was being pursued by a mall security guard. It would have been funny if it had just been me there, because it was like watching everything in slow motion, the woman was running so slowly. She was zig-zagging all around, trying to get away, but anyone could see that there was no way she was going to out-run the security guard. There was also a plainclothes female officer trying to catch her. I assume that the woman was trying to shoplift, but I guess I'm not 100% sure.
Anyhow, the yelling, aside from the guards telling her to stop, was the woman yelling to whomever was supposed to be manning the "getaway" vehicle. She kept yelling to "Jamal" or something like that, who apparently was supposed to be picking her up, but by this time, the guards had caught up to the woman and a patrolling security vehicle had cornered the getaway car.
Meanwhile, I'm desperately trying to get Emily buckled in her carseat and trying to get the heck out of there because it's all happening way to close for comfort (especially since you just never know what a desperate criminal will try in order to get away). In retrospect, I should have broken my "always buckle up" rule and just driven somewhere else in the parking lot, but it all happened so fast.
As we finally start driving away, about three spaces down from our car, Emily is able to look out her window and see the woman, lying face down on the ground, being handcuffed. The woman's pants were, quite literally hanging down below her naked rear end (I think they were falling off as she was running) and so this is the image left in my poor barely 5 year old's mind.
I spent the entire ride home (about 15 minutes) trying to explain what was happening because Emily was full of questions, and as usual, the simplest explanations weren't cutting it. She was curious and is inquisitive, but is also sometimes too sensitive and smart for her own good. It can make for a bad combination...and at bedtime, it proved to be just that. She spent the better part of an hour last night, crying and being upset because she was afraid to go back to the mall and afraid of what she had seen.
So thanks a lot, stupid selfish shoplifting criminal. Thanks for causing prices to go up for all of us. Thanks for making the world a lot less safe, but most of all, thanks for scaring my sweet, sensitive little girl and taking away a bit more of her childish innocence. I hope you spend a nice long time in a miserable jail cell. You deserve it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Day in the Life....
It's 4:15 pm. So far I've:
~taken a shower
~fed Ethan and made breakfast for Emily
~tried to dry my hair while Ethan screamed, only to have my hairdryer quit half-way through
~attempted to finish drying my hair in front of the fan, while Ethan continues screaming
~finished getting myself ready (this includes actually remembering to put on all my make-up this time)
~gotten Emily dressed
~gotten Ethan changed and dressed
~gotten both kids into their respective car seats and in the van
~taken Emily to pre-K
~chatted with my mother-in-law, who has been dealing with health issues
~gone to Meijer to replace my hairdryer and make a few pictures
~screwed up several pictures due to a too-complex computer program, but since Ethan was screaming (again) and I was running out of time, will have to fix later
~checked myself out at Meijer because I didn't have time to walk to the other end of the store where two of the 24 lanes were open
~picked up Emily from pre-K (which of course involves carrying Ethan in his car seat down a long sidewalk and waiting for her class to be the last one to let out, then walking back up the very long sidewalk to the van
~ran through the Wendy's drive-through for lunch for Emily and me
It's now 12:00pm, by the way.
~got home, unloaded both kids from the van
~ate lunch while feeding Ethan
~changed shirt after Ethan spit up his lunch on me
~turned on the computer and checked a few websites while Ethan played for about ten minutes on his play mat
~picked up Ethan from playmat when he started crying
~changed his poopy diaper
~sat down on the couch
~changed shirt #2 after Ethan spit up on me...left on shorts because they weren't too wet..yet
~tried to feed Ethan again because he was still fussy
~changed into shirt #3 and a new pair of pants because Ethan PROJECTILE vomited several meal's worth onto me (shirt #3 may or may not have a little (dried) pee on it from last night when he showered me during a diaper change, but I didn't have another available clean shirt )
~packed both kids up in the van to quickly go grocery shopping
~said "Come on Emily" at least 30 times while in Walmart
~got back home, unloaded kids and groceries from van, put cold stuff in fridge, left the rest for later
~fed Ethan
~played with Ethan
~got Ethan to sleep and put him in the swing
~read a book to Emily and helped her dress her dolls
~folded Ethan's clean laundry and put it away upstairs; collected adult dirty laundry
~went downstairs and into basement to start new laundry (thank you to Maytag and their Bravos high capacity washer!!)
~went back upstairs to put away clean kids' laundry that I took out of the dryer
~sat down to write this post
How can it only be 4:15?
~taken a shower
~fed Ethan and made breakfast for Emily
~tried to dry my hair while Ethan screamed, only to have my hairdryer quit half-way through
~attempted to finish drying my hair in front of the fan, while Ethan continues screaming
~finished getting myself ready (this includes actually remembering to put on all my make-up this time)
~gotten Emily dressed
~gotten Ethan changed and dressed
~gotten both kids into their respective car seats and in the van
~taken Emily to pre-K
~chatted with my mother-in-law, who has been dealing with health issues
~gone to Meijer to replace my hairdryer and make a few pictures
~screwed up several pictures due to a too-complex computer program, but since Ethan was screaming (again) and I was running out of time, will have to fix later
~checked myself out at Meijer because I didn't have time to walk to the other end of the store where two of the 24 lanes were open
~picked up Emily from pre-K (which of course involves carrying Ethan in his car seat down a long sidewalk and waiting for her class to be the last one to let out, then walking back up the very long sidewalk to the van
~ran through the Wendy's drive-through for lunch for Emily and me
It's now 12:00pm, by the way.
~got home, unloaded both kids from the van
~ate lunch while feeding Ethan
~changed shirt after Ethan spit up his lunch on me
~turned on the computer and checked a few websites while Ethan played for about ten minutes on his play mat
~picked up Ethan from playmat when he started crying
~changed his poopy diaper
~sat down on the couch
~changed shirt #2 after Ethan spit up on me...left on shorts because they weren't too wet..yet
~tried to feed Ethan again because he was still fussy
~changed into shirt #3 and a new pair of pants because Ethan PROJECTILE vomited several meal's worth onto me (shirt #3 may or may not have a little (dried) pee on it from last night when he showered me during a diaper change, but I didn't have another available clean shirt )
~packed both kids up in the van to quickly go grocery shopping
~said "Come on Emily" at least 30 times while in Walmart
~got back home, unloaded kids and groceries from van, put cold stuff in fridge, left the rest for later
~fed Ethan
~played with Ethan
~got Ethan to sleep and put him in the swing
~read a book to Emily and helped her dress her dolls
~folded Ethan's clean laundry and put it away upstairs; collected adult dirty laundry
~went downstairs and into basement to start new laundry (thank you to Maytag and their Bravos high capacity washer!!)
~went back upstairs to put away clean kids' laundry that I took out of the dryer
~sat down to write this post
How can it only be 4:15?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Doctor Time
Well, with Ethan reaching the two-month milestone, came the two-month doctor's visit and the rotten shots.
The good news...he's healthy, developing perfectly (much faster than big sister, which I find interesting) and growing beautifully.
Ethan is now 11 lbs. 9 oz. (50th%) and is 23 1/4 " (50th%) He has gained 3 lbs and 11 oz. since birth and 3 1/4 in. It's interesting to compare his growth to Emily's because if I recall, at her two month appt. she was at least 12 lbs. and off the charts in terms of height.
We discussed Mr. E's continuing battle with reflux and are upping the dose of his medicine (we're on a second one of those, from Zantac to Axid) to see if it helps. If his all day fussiness and fussiness while eating doesn't get better, then we'll try a different type of medicine (Prevacid) to see if there is any difference.
The bad news today is that Ethan had some adhesions in a place where a little boy wouldn't want those (oops, momma didn't know to be on the lookout for those) and so the doctor fixed that, but Mr. E did NOT enjoy the process....OUCH! Poor little guy did not know what he was in for this morning. That, of course, made him cry and then 3 shots plus an oral medicine for Rotovirus (this was a new one for me, Em never had it) made Ethan one very mad little guy. I can't say that I blame him though.
All in all, we survived and now we just have to get through Emily's 5 year check-up on Friday. I'm dreading that one much more. After just one day of school, Emily came home with a sore throat, and ended up with a fever from Thursday afternoon through Saturday. When her fever spiked to 102+, we took her to the doctor. It wasn't her regular doctor, as the appt. was after hours, but they tested her for strep and the flu. Both were negative, but oh, the drama of those two tests was something to behold! We stayed home from church yesterday, just to try to get some extra rest and recover, yet when we woke up this morning, Andrew and I both had sore throats and my head feels achy (is that spelled right?). Emily is due to get at least 3 booster shots and either the flu shot or mist, whichever one we can get her to take (and by this I mean, whichever one requires less physically holding her down, which at her size, is a big job for me.)
You might start praying now...because a still sort of sick, highly dramatic 5 year old who is more the size of a 6-7 year old plus a probably fully sick momma with a 2 month old who may or may not be in the mood to cooperate should be fun.
The good news...he's healthy, developing perfectly (much faster than big sister, which I find interesting) and growing beautifully.
Ethan is now 11 lbs. 9 oz. (50th%) and is 23 1/4 " (50th%) He has gained 3 lbs and 11 oz. since birth and 3 1/4 in. It's interesting to compare his growth to Emily's because if I recall, at her two month appt. she was at least 12 lbs. and off the charts in terms of height.
We discussed Mr. E's continuing battle with reflux and are upping the dose of his medicine (we're on a second one of those, from Zantac to Axid) to see if it helps. If his all day fussiness and fussiness while eating doesn't get better, then we'll try a different type of medicine (Prevacid) to see if there is any difference.
The bad news today is that Ethan had some adhesions in a place where a little boy wouldn't want those (oops, momma didn't know to be on the lookout for those) and so the doctor fixed that, but Mr. E did NOT enjoy the process....OUCH! Poor little guy did not know what he was in for this morning. That, of course, made him cry and then 3 shots plus an oral medicine for Rotovirus (this was a new one for me, Em never had it) made Ethan one very mad little guy. I can't say that I blame him though.
All in all, we survived and now we just have to get through Emily's 5 year check-up on Friday. I'm dreading that one much more. After just one day of school, Emily came home with a sore throat, and ended up with a fever from Thursday afternoon through Saturday. When her fever spiked to 102+, we took her to the doctor. It wasn't her regular doctor, as the appt. was after hours, but they tested her for strep and the flu. Both were negative, but oh, the drama of those two tests was something to behold! We stayed home from church yesterday, just to try to get some extra rest and recover, yet when we woke up this morning, Andrew and I both had sore throats and my head feels achy (is that spelled right?). Emily is due to get at least 3 booster shots and either the flu shot or mist, whichever one we can get her to take (and by this I mean, whichever one requires less physically holding her down, which at her size, is a big job for me.)
You might start praying now...because a still sort of sick, highly dramatic 5 year old who is more the size of a 6-7 year old plus a probably fully sick momma with a 2 month old who may or may not be in the mood to cooperate should be fun.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ethan at 2 Months
Ethan:
Today you are 2 months old.
I'm guessing that you weigh about 12 lbs, but we'll know for sure on Monday.
You are holding your head up pretty well, even though we still call you our little "bobble head" from time to time.
You love to smile, even if these pictures don't show it! You love hearing us sing "I'm a Little Teapot" or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
You are really enjoying playing with your activity mat and you're starting to figure out how to move your arms to hit the different toys. You kick your legs and wave your arms all over, while smiling and cooing at the toys. You hate tummy time, however. We keep trying, but it really makes you mad. So mad, in fact, that you actually rolled yourself over twice, from tummy to back, just to be done with it. I don't know if it was a fluke, but I suspect you'll be rolling pretty soon either way.
You are generally laid back, but when you get mad, you get really mad. Currently, you get mad whenever I have to hand you off to Dad. He's thrilled...or maybe not.
You still love your swing and will nap in it for hours each day. It is still worth it's weight in gold. You like looking up at the mirrored globe and the mobile and cooing and smiling at yourself.
Your sleeping habits are all over the place at the moment.
You have slept through the night one time (after a very long, fussy day). You were sleeping about 5-6 hours at a stretch pretty regularly, then you switched to being up every 3 hours, or less. That wasn't so fun. But the last two nights you've slept around 7 hours at a time, so maybe we're headed back in the right direction. Either way, you sleep WAY better than your big sister ever did! For that, we are thankful.
You are generally laid back, but when you get mad, you get really mad. Currently, you get mad whenever I have to hand you off to Dad. He's thrilled...or maybe not.
You still love your swing and will nap in it for hours each day. It is still worth it's weight in gold. You like looking up at the mirrored globe and the mobile and cooing and smiling at yourself.
Your sleeping habits are all over the place at the moment. You have slept through the night one time (after a very long, fussy day). You were sleeping about 5-6 hours at a stretch pretty regularly, then you switched to being up every 3 hours, or less. That wasn't so fun. But the last two nights you've slept around 7 hours at a time, so maybe we're headed back in the right direction. Either way, you sleep WAY better than your big sister ever did! For that, we are thankful.
All in all, I think we'll keep you!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Emily Turns Five!
The Five Year Old Birthday Girl
Emily opened lots of presents from us and from Grammy and Pop-pop and Aunt Kathy and Mom-mom. This weekend, we'll celebrate with Grandma and "Crapaw" and the gang.
She enjoyed opening each gift very slowly.
And little brother looked on...
She got books and videos and games...
Even a classic Etch-a-sketch
And little brother looked on....
Did you know they now make the Lite Brite in a flat screen version...very high tech!
Look at this little guy, not yet 2 months old and actually sitting up on dad's lap, holding his head and back steady for a few moments. He'll also be rolling soon. Something tells me he won't be content to "look on" for long.
Happy 5th Birthday, our sweet big girl! You're growing so fast and becoming a beautiful little girl with each passing day. We love you!
First Day of School and Five Years Old!
Today is a big, big day at our house. It's the first day of school...and Emily's fifth birthday!
Above and below, the official first day of school photos. Ethan and I dropped her off without a hitch this morning. Of course, it always helps to know that you're going to have sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles for snack. Having your b-day on the first day of school is a great way to win friends and influence people...not that Miss Socialite needs any extra help!
Below: this was last year's first day photo, just for comparison. She was just a few days shy of four and standing on her tip-toes.
Below, the five-year old and her b-day balloons. (sorry for the blur on her face, something was on my camera lens!)
More birthday pics to come later!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Progression of a Baby Smile
Hmmm, mom's making a sort of silly face...sillier than normal.
Okay mom, really, that joke's pretty good.
What's this? A song...oh goodie! I'm getting excited now! My whole body's getting into this!
This song speaks to me...it begs me to smile...
I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! I LOVE MY MOM!!!!! If I could figure out how to actually laugh, I'd be giving you a great big belly laugh.
This is Ethan's reaction when I sing "I'm a Little Teapot" to him. Given his fetal nickname, it seems appropriate. At least he's got a good sense of humor. He even laughs in his sleep, but he hasn't figured it out when he's awake. He's been smiling since he was about 4 weeks old, but man, is it hard to actually catch a quick toothless baby grin!
Humor
Some humorous pics of the E-man
Look at me flexmy manly muscles!
Power to the little people, man!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Emily and Ethan - Best Buds - So Far
The first professional pictures (by JCPenney) of Emily and Ethan - taken when Ethan was one week old.
Ahh...sibling love. Let's hope it lasts.
Isn't she such a ham? Ethan, on the other hand, doesn't seem all that interested.
Little Brother holding onto Big Sister's finger.
I like this one...plus, you can still see the hair on Mr. E's back. (It's gone now, but it sure was funny while it lasted!)
More sibling love...and little brother disinterest!
Holding "bwuddah".
One of my favorites.
Mr. E and Miss Em...the dynamic duo!Going Back In Time...and Pictures
One thing that I always regretted was not taking Emily to have professional photos taken when she was a tiny brand new baby. (Trust me, we've made up for lost time and then some with pictures since then!) I didn't want to make the same mistake this time, so we took Ethan in for some pictures when he was one week old. All of the following photos were taken by JCPenney. (We own the copyright now.)
Above: My absolute favorite...cradled in Dad's hands. I always wondered how people got pictures like this with newborns. Turns out, you have to have a laid-back baby. (No wonder I couldn't figure out how that worked when we had Miss Em!)
This one (Above)just cracks us up. If you've ever seen "Seinfeld", Ethan's pose is reminiscent of George's pose in the "Timeless art of seduction" episode!
I wonder what he's thinking?
Tiny feet in momma's hands.
Just hangin' out, relaxing with his little self.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Developments
Well, it's been an eventful week. As I look around my house, it looks like absolutely nothing got done and a particularly destructive tornado hit most of the rooms. The laundry has piled up again. This is mostly due to the fact that I spend any laundry time trying to keep up with Ethan's spit up...
Which brings me to the newest development: Mr. E is no longer just spitting up, he's moved on to bigger and better (?) things...projectile vomitting.
The first time it happened, I believe it was after he had been crying pretty hard while I was trying to get ready after my shower. He was fed, changed and otherwise clean and healthy, but just angry that I had to put him down for a few minutes. He cried and cried and then projectile vomitted all over his (just bathed, I believe) self. Not just a little spit up this time, but very mobile puking. Oh what fun.
Over the next 3-4 days, he continued to have at least one or two episodes of projectile vomitting in addition to his already copious spit-up. Since he is already on Zantac for acid reflux and the vomitting was getting worse, I made yet another trip in to the pediatrician, with both kids in tow.
Of course our usual pedi. wasn't in (we almost never hit a day when she's in despite the fact that she's in the office 4 days a week), so we saw another doctor. He examined Mr. E and talked with me (all while Emily never stopped talking and Ethan was crying). The doctor finally said that he thought we should do an upper GI for Ethan and that, if he hadn't eaten in two hours, we could probably do it right away. Well, as luck would have it, it had just been two hours since I last fed Mr. E and the hospital could fit us in, so off we went.
After walking nearly a mile through the hospital while carrying a 10 lb. baby in a 10 lb. or so carrier, and trying to keep Emily moving with me, we finally made it to radiology....where no one could find the order that was supposed to be faxed to them. We waited (with a hungry baby who wasn't allowed to eat) and a hungry nearly 5 year old who had no food to eat (it was lunch time) and me, who was hungry as well and trying to keep both kids from totally losing it.
The doctor's orders were finally found (about an hour later) and we proceded back to the radiology room where the techs immediately informed me that Emily could not be in the room with us. This is where the hungry Miss Em and the angry Mr. E both lost it. I had to literally choose which kid to stay with, and since both were in tears and I wanted to know what the test would show, I needed to stay with Ethan. So, I did my best to reassure Emily that the nurse would take good care of her and that I would not leave her and she left, with a quivering chin and tears in her eyes. Mr. E kept crying.
In short, the more serious condition that the Doctor wanted to rule out was indeed, ruled out and no structural abnormalities were found after the barium swallow (yuck!). However the doctor seems to think that significant acid reflux (GERD) is the cause of Mr. E's troubles. His solutions, however, leave me feeling rather uncomfortable.
Basically the options were to A.) thicken his milk with rice cereal, which is pretty darn near impossible to do unless I pump every feeding, and which I have since read, is no longer an accepted treatment for reflux as it only seems to reduce spit-up but not the acid, and may actual make it more likely that Mr. E would aspirate his spit-up, or B.) give him a medicine called Reglan, which helps empty the stomach faster, leaving less to spit up, but again, not really fixing the underlying problem of too much acid. Along with not really fixing the problem, Reglan has some pretty serious potential side effects, in particular neurological ones such as uncontrollable twitching, which I am highly uncomfortable with, since anyone who has ever spent much time around an infant can tell you, they already twitch a lot, so I'm not sure how I would distinguish a problem in time.
So, all in all, I think I'm not going to use the Reglan and will probably try to talk with my regular doctor and ask about something a lot less controversial to try first, like Prevacid or Prilosec...or even formula.
This parenting thing is hard. It's hard to try to make the right decisions when you just want your child to not be in pain. I can only begin to imagine the decisions that parents of very ill children face every day.
It reminds me that I am very, very blessed...and yes, the house is still a mess and may stay that way for the forseeable future, but our kids are healthy and generally happy and that's what really matters in the end.
Which brings me to the newest development: Mr. E is no longer just spitting up, he's moved on to bigger and better (?) things...projectile vomitting.
The first time it happened, I believe it was after he had been crying pretty hard while I was trying to get ready after my shower. He was fed, changed and otherwise clean and healthy, but just angry that I had to put him down for a few minutes. He cried and cried and then projectile vomitted all over his (just bathed, I believe) self. Not just a little spit up this time, but very mobile puking. Oh what fun.
Over the next 3-4 days, he continued to have at least one or two episodes of projectile vomitting in addition to his already copious spit-up. Since he is already on Zantac for acid reflux and the vomitting was getting worse, I made yet another trip in to the pediatrician, with both kids in tow.
Of course our usual pedi. wasn't in (we almost never hit a day when she's in despite the fact that she's in the office 4 days a week), so we saw another doctor. He examined Mr. E and talked with me (all while Emily never stopped talking and Ethan was crying). The doctor finally said that he thought we should do an upper GI for Ethan and that, if he hadn't eaten in two hours, we could probably do it right away. Well, as luck would have it, it had just been two hours since I last fed Mr. E and the hospital could fit us in, so off we went.
After walking nearly a mile through the hospital while carrying a 10 lb. baby in a 10 lb. or so carrier, and trying to keep Emily moving with me, we finally made it to radiology....where no one could find the order that was supposed to be faxed to them. We waited (with a hungry baby who wasn't allowed to eat) and a hungry nearly 5 year old who had no food to eat (it was lunch time) and me, who was hungry as well and trying to keep both kids from totally losing it.
The doctor's orders were finally found (about an hour later) and we proceded back to the radiology room where the techs immediately informed me that Emily could not be in the room with us. This is where the hungry Miss Em and the angry Mr. E both lost it. I had to literally choose which kid to stay with, and since both were in tears and I wanted to know what the test would show, I needed to stay with Ethan. So, I did my best to reassure Emily that the nurse would take good care of her and that I would not leave her and she left, with a quivering chin and tears in her eyes. Mr. E kept crying.
In short, the more serious condition that the Doctor wanted to rule out was indeed, ruled out and no structural abnormalities were found after the barium swallow (yuck!). However the doctor seems to think that significant acid reflux (GERD) is the cause of Mr. E's troubles. His solutions, however, leave me feeling rather uncomfortable.
Basically the options were to A.) thicken his milk with rice cereal, which is pretty darn near impossible to do unless I pump every feeding, and which I have since read, is no longer an accepted treatment for reflux as it only seems to reduce spit-up but not the acid, and may actual make it more likely that Mr. E would aspirate his spit-up, or B.) give him a medicine called Reglan, which helps empty the stomach faster, leaving less to spit up, but again, not really fixing the underlying problem of too much acid. Along with not really fixing the problem, Reglan has some pretty serious potential side effects, in particular neurological ones such as uncontrollable twitching, which I am highly uncomfortable with, since anyone who has ever spent much time around an infant can tell you, they already twitch a lot, so I'm not sure how I would distinguish a problem in time.
So, all in all, I think I'm not going to use the Reglan and will probably try to talk with my regular doctor and ask about something a lot less controversial to try first, like Prevacid or Prilosec...or even formula.
This parenting thing is hard. It's hard to try to make the right decisions when you just want your child to not be in pain. I can only begin to imagine the decisions that parents of very ill children face every day.
It reminds me that I am very, very blessed...and yes, the house is still a mess and may stay that way for the forseeable future, but our kids are healthy and generally happy and that's what really matters in the end.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
One Month Old (a Day Late!)
Ethan:
You are one month old today. (8-17-09)
Hopefully we will take pictures just like this in your crib each month and watch you as you grow.
You weren't too sure about this photo session and were a bit less than thrilled, so this is the best picture we got.
You seem to enjoy bath time and hardly fuss at all. We keep a nice warm wet washcloth on you and spray you with the shower to keep you comfy. You are pretty laid-back.
After bathtime, we wrap you up in your puppy towel and make you all warm and cozy and cuddly.
I'm pretty sure you like being cuddled in your towel! You even have a bit of a smile in this picture.
Did I mention that you're easy-going? Here you are asleep on mommy's lap, in your "thinker" pose. You like to sleep...and that makes us all very happy.
This month, you have:
Did I mention that you're easy-going? Here you are asleep on mommy's lap, in your "thinker" pose. You like to sleep...and that makes us all very happy.
This month, you have:
* Grown from 7 lbs. 14 oz. to just about 10 lbs.
* Started to sleep up to 5 hours at a time at night (not often, but once in a while)
* Started smiling at us (not just in your dreams)
* Sometimes you actually laugh out loud when you sleep
* Nearly outgrown the newborn size diapers
* Worn almost all of what we thought was an extensive wardrobe, multiple times, due to extensive spit-up from reflux (yikes!)
* Caused daddy and mommy to change their clothes multiple times, due to the same spit-up issues. Mommy is very greatful for the new, huge-capacity washer and dryer
* Found your hands and you love to suck on them. I think you really prefer them to the pacifier
* Love to swing, but still aren't sold on riding in the car. Sorry buddy, but you're going to have to get used to that one!
* Officially made us a family of four
My favorite thing about this month? Definitely the on-purpose smiles. They make all the late nights and crying worth it. Very worth it.
*
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Just For Laughs
I've seen church bulletin bloopers before but these are new and pretty good...so enjoy!!
Those Wonderful Church Bulletins Thank God for volunteer church ladies. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services (Summer, 2008 Release). ----------------------------------------------------------
1. The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
2. The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.' ----------------------------------------------------------
3.Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King. ----------------------------------------------------------
4.Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. ----------------------------------------------------------
5.The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict. ----------------------------------------------------------
6.Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you. ---------------------------------------------------------
7.Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help. ---------------------------------------------------------
8.Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. ----------------------------------------------------------
9.For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.. ----------------------------------------------------------
10.Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get. ----------------------------------------------------------
11.The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy.' ---------------------------------------------------------
12. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. ------------------------------------------------
---------
13.A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow. --------------------------------------------------
14.At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.---------------------------------------------------------
15.Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones. ---------------------------------------------------------
16.Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. ---------------------------------------------------------
17.Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered. ---------------------------------------------------------
18.The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility. -------------------------------------------------
19.Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.. -----------------------------------------------
20.The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. ----------------------------------------------------------
21.This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. ---------------------------------------------------------
22. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done. ----------------------------------------------------------
23.The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. --------------------------------------------
24.Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door. ---------------------------------------------------------
25. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy. ----------------------------------------------------------
26.Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance. ----------------------------------------------------------
27.The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan:Last Sunday: ''I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours'
Those Wonderful Church Bulletins Thank God for volunteer church ladies. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services (Summer, 2008 Release). ----------------------------------------------------------
1. The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
2. The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.' ----------------------------------------------------------
3.Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King. ----------------------------------------------------------
4.Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. ----------------------------------------------------------
5.The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict. ----------------------------------------------------------
6.Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you. ---------------------------------------------------------
7.Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help. ---------------------------------------------------------
8.Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. ----------------------------------------------------------
9.For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.. ----------------------------------------------------------
10.Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get. ----------------------------------------------------------
11.The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy.' ---------------------------------------------------------
12. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. ------------------------------------------------
---------
13.A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow. --------------------------------------------------
14.At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.---------------------------------------------------------
15.Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones. ---------------------------------------------------------
16.Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. ---------------------------------------------------------
17.Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered. ---------------------------------------------------------
18.The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility. -------------------------------------------------
19.Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.. -----------------------------------------------
20.The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. ----------------------------------------------------------
21.This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. ---------------------------------------------------------
22. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done. ----------------------------------------------------------
23.The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. --------------------------------------------
24.Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door. ---------------------------------------------------------
25. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy. ----------------------------------------------------------
26.Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance. ----------------------------------------------------------
27.The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan:Last Sunday: ''I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours'
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
New Normal
Adjusting to life with two kids is going fairly well, but it's still an adjustment. Some days, Ethan is so quiet that I can almost forget he's here for a few minutes. Other days, there's definitely no forgetting.
We are quite seriously considering the possibility that little brother has a milk/dairy intolerance. Every time I have something with obvious dairy (ice cream/cheese for example) he spends hours with his little legs drawn up, screaming in what seems like pain. I got suspicious after I had ice cream one day and he spent the next 7 hours or so screaming. It was such a change in behavior that I knew something was hurting him. I tried cutting out dairy (which is much much harder than I would have expected) and then a few days ago, I had one slice of cheese on a sandwich and just like before, he spent the evening screaming. It was the same kind of experience that we had with Emily when she had colic; hours of uncontrollable screaming, a completely inconsolable baby in pain and two very frazzled parents. I was in tears just praying that this wasn't the start of another 3 month round of colic.
Thankfully, it seems like we're dealing with more of a dairy issue, which while challenging and frustrating, at least can be fixed. It's a new normal for me, as almost every single thing that I cook involves some sort of cheese, milk or butter (or all three) and nearly every convenience/pre-packaged food has milk ingredients. It's a bit overwhelming during an already overwhelming change to have to spend so much time and effort reading labels and trying to figure out what I can and can't eat. I have to admit that I'm rather afraid of accidentally eating something that will hurt Ethan, not to mention the fact that I feel sort of guilty thinking that Em probably had a similar problem (although she also definitely had colic) and I didn't realize it.
So, that's our update for now. If anyone has any good milk/cheese free recipes that they want to share, feel free...I'm going to need them, as well as any prayers you can spare. Nothing sounds quite so good as that which is totally off-limits!
We are quite seriously considering the possibility that little brother has a milk/dairy intolerance. Every time I have something with obvious dairy (ice cream/cheese for example) he spends hours with his little legs drawn up, screaming in what seems like pain. I got suspicious after I had ice cream one day and he spent the next 7 hours or so screaming. It was such a change in behavior that I knew something was hurting him. I tried cutting out dairy (which is much much harder than I would have expected) and then a few days ago, I had one slice of cheese on a sandwich and just like before, he spent the evening screaming. It was the same kind of experience that we had with Emily when she had colic; hours of uncontrollable screaming, a completely inconsolable baby in pain and two very frazzled parents. I was in tears just praying that this wasn't the start of another 3 month round of colic.
Thankfully, it seems like we're dealing with more of a dairy issue, which while challenging and frustrating, at least can be fixed. It's a new normal for me, as almost every single thing that I cook involves some sort of cheese, milk or butter (or all three) and nearly every convenience/pre-packaged food has milk ingredients. It's a bit overwhelming during an already overwhelming change to have to spend so much time and effort reading labels and trying to figure out what I can and can't eat. I have to admit that I'm rather afraid of accidentally eating something that will hurt Ethan, not to mention the fact that I feel sort of guilty thinking that Em probably had a similar problem (although she also definitely had colic) and I didn't realize it.
So, that's our update for now. If anyone has any good milk/cheese free recipes that they want to share, feel free...I'm going to need them, as well as any prayers you can spare. Nothing sounds quite so good as that which is totally off-limits!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
While Brother Sleeps...
While little brother sleeps soundly in his swing (great investment this time around)...
Big Sister plays with his play mat...Silly girl!
Bob the cat sleeps on the lower level of the play pen (under the changing table portion)....
And Puma sleeps above on the changing table. (Usually it's the other way around.)
Very helpful, cats, very helpful.
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