Still Here, Sort Of

Wednesday night, we were amazed that the grumbling sky outside actually produced rain. (I cannot count the number of times in the past few weeks we have anticipated a shower from those dark gray clouds, only to be disappointed.) We could tell that the storm was pretty close, and the thunder was actually loud enough to scare me -- and I don't get all that scared about thunder and lightning (only tornado-type stuff).

Anyway, I was showing Michael and Phoebs the cleanest master bathroom we've had in months (thank you, Caroylnn for the heads up on the cleaner -- it worked a MIRACLE in there!) when a really scary, wall-shaking thunder clapped overhead. By the time we stepped outside of the bathroom to see what was going on, we heard a horrific screech. The power in the living room went off. Nervous much?

Since all of our "important appliances" (save for the refrigerator) are in the living room, we were a little nervous. As it turns out, Michael was able to get the power back on with a few flips of the circuit breaker. However, there were a few casualties of the storm.

• Michael's laptop power cord (replaced under warranty at the Mac store Thursday)
  
• cable (television and Internet)
• one of the cable inputs on our television
• our a/c functioned a little wonky for 24 hours after the storm

We have a repair person supposedly coming out tomorrow; we'll see if he/she is able to get things fixed. Since Wednesday, we've been living without "outside access" to the world -- no television or Internet -- and really, it's been kind of nice. I'm at Panera right now checking email and just taking a "Mommy break" while Michael stays home with the napping child.

I'm not sure when we'll be back on-line... soon, I'm sure! But it's been a good week, and I'll post about it when we return to the land of high speed technology. :)

Hope everyone's having a great week!

Quick Update

I just realized that I left everyone hanging with the results of my diabetes test...

...it was NEGATIVE!

I celebrated by enjoying a plethora of carbohydrate-ridden foods throughout the weekend, a treat I thought I would for sure have to forgo until after Miss Nora made her debut. What a blessing from above!

I could absolutely tell that the whole "test process" was prayed up. My specific prayers -- that it would be over in two hours instead of three, and that I would experience limited nausea and hunger pains -- were specifically answered. My fasting number and my first two hours were all clear "pass" numbers, without being borderline. I also experienced very little nausea, and the hunger didn't hit until I passed an Arby's drive-thru on the way home (I resisted the temptation). Praise the Lord!

It was a very busy, fun-filled weekend... and now I'm paying the price with a busy week! Translation? I have no time to be sitting here updating this! But I did want to thank you for praying for my test!

Little Swimmers

Last week, when we thought the illness had subsided, Carolynn and I had planned on getting the girls together to go swimming. Unfortunately, we had to bail out at the last minute with the reemergence of Phoebe's fever. But since we're not girls that are easily dissuaded from a good time in the pool, we rescheduled for today.

It has been unseasonably mild, so it was really pleasant outside as we got in. The little girls loved being able to splash and float about, and the big girls enjoyed a little catching up. Michael even took an hour for lunch and came to join us for sandwiches on the pool deck. What a fun Thursday!

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Carolynn...who was brave enough to bring her camera to the pool!

Trying out "Floties", which, evidently, do not work for itty-bitties.

Drying off on the deck

Michael, with double the love...from two very tired little girls!

I think we're all worn out now! Phoebe hardly made it out of the neighborhood before she crashed, and I'm about to lay down until she wakes up. Swimming is hard work!

And speaking of hard work, I go tomorrow for my three hour sugar test, where I have the unspeakable joy of downing twice the Glucola in the same amount of time. Please pray that I don't puke! All that sugar really makes a girl feel gross, and this is with nothing else in my stomach to offset the effects. (I will fast after midnight tonight, and won't be able to eat anything until about noon tomorrow, after the test.) I'll keep you posted!

Sweet Tooth

I went to the doctor today for my 24-week checkup, which involved the dreaded glucose tolerance test. I was fine with having my finger pricked, but had completely forgotten that this test included the chugging (literally) of Glucola.

If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing Glucola, please. Let me describe it for you. It is a sugary, sugary drink intended to spike your blood sugar. I mean, while drinking it you begin to feel the sugar high, and you have to drink at least 8 ounces in less than five minutes. Nora was bouncing around within the first few sips. The fruit punch variety, which I had the pleasure of enjoying today, tastes like they let a first grader mix Kool-Aid... as in, they didn't add enough water to the solution.

Delish.

Anyway, the verdict is that I don't tolerate glucose. In other words, I'm fairly positive I have gestational diabetes (again)...but to be sure, I'll go back for the three-hour glucose tolerance test in the next week. (This, by the way, means that I get to enjoy double the Glucola in the same amount of time. Whee!)

Let's just say I have extra-sweet little girls! (The littlest one is growing beautifully; I got to see her "drinking" on the ultrasound today! Perhaps she was drinking in a little extra sugar?)

And speaking of my sweet bigger girl...


That's all for now!

Addendum

I thought of a few more things I should share about Phoebe at 15 months...

• When she eats grapes, they are (of course) sliced in half so they are not choking hazards. Although grapes are one of her absolute favorite things to eat, Phoebe is incapable of eating an "upside down" grape. Before eating each and every one, she flips it over so that it is cut-side-down. I still laugh every time I see her do it!
• Our high chair manners have also greatly improved. When she is finished with something, she (most of the time) will give it to us or put it back on her plate, rather than chuck it on the floor, presumably for Jake. (Unfortunately, Jake does not leave the house with us as a clean-up crew.) Jake is sad. We are not. We are also in the very early stages of teaching Phoebe to use utensils, so if anyone has some advice about that... let me know. [We do not want to permit "free experimentation" with these utensils, by the way...at least not in the high chair.]
• She now weighs a whopping 18 pounds, 11 ounces -- a 10 ounce gain in three months. I swear we feed her! This puts her in the 5th percentile. We are going to begin supplementing her diet with a little PediaSure at night. (Her weight is not of great concern to either us or her doctor, by the way.)
• She is 30 1/4 inches tall -- 50th percentile.
  

I should also add that at the doctor today, Phoebe was a very brave little girl. She was perfectly still and submissive for the doctor and the nurse, who delivered two very painful shots. This is all after two not-so-fun visits last week. God is so good; He answered our prayers exactly!

I'm hoping to add more, with some pictures, later on. For now, though, I need to take advantage of naptime!

15 Months

How on earth did I end up with a 15-month-old?! A friend of mine told me that, with young children, the days are long but the years are short... so true! There are some days that it seems like bedtime will never, ever come. And yet, I feel like the last month especially has flown by.

Phoebe was 15 months old on Saturday, but with all the illness going on I've just been able to update. (By the way, everyone is better now! Michael is still getting over some sore throat yuck, but he's back in the saddle, too.) Phoebe changes so much on a day to day basis, it's hard to even quantify what it is she's up to... but I'll try!

Phoebe is...

• saying: Jake, dog, treat, drink, done, banana, mama, dada -- she does not use these words consistently, but she has at least used these words clearly on a couple of occasions. I also think she's trying to say Lamby, but I can't get a consistent "word" from her, yet.
• praying, by either bowing her head or folding her hands...and usually raising her hands or clapping to say "amen"
• reading often, and better. Her favorite books right now are animal books; Clifford's Animal Sounds, Lucy Cousins Noah's Ark, Baby Animals, and A Tale of Tails. We will usually read that particular rotation two or three times a day! She has become much more patient with reading in a lap, and is "reading" on her own as a favorite pasttime.
  
• pointing at pictures of things and identifying them with words. Her favorite thing to identify? Dogs, of course. (I am amazed that she can identify even a Daddy-made drawing of a dog!) She also especially likes to look at pictures of Daddy when he is at work and give him kisses.
  
• pointing/grabbing more of her body parts. She loves to show us her nose, our nose, etc...but she can also show us her head, mouth, and feet. Phoebe is a huge fan of her feet and shoes, and loves to try and put on her own shoes (or Mommy's shoes).
  
• playing with blocks (duplo-type), purses, and balls. She takes great delight in tossing balls around, and trying to catch them. Her favorite "unauthorized" toy (other than the phone) is Daddy's wallet -- which she empties a couple of times a week.
  
• talking on the phone, sort of. Anytime she hears a phone ring, she pretends to talk on the phone into her hand. She usually will try to get the real phone, too!
• loving the water -- hoses, sprinklers, pools, you name it!
• walking bigger and better. Just tonight, Phoebe took a walk down the street, holding Daddy's hand, like a big girl.
  
• the owner of nine teeth. She got in two of her molars last month, and it was a relatively painless process. We are still waiting on that bottom front tooth!

Phoebe is, of course, a great delight to Michael and me. It's just about impossible to put into words all of the little things that she does, even in just one day. We love watching her grow up!

We go for her 15-month checkup tomorrow, so I'll update with the important stats then! Also, with all the sickness going on we haven't taken many pictures. I hope to remedy that soon!

Guest Blogger, Phoebe Kate

Dear Daddy,

Today is Father's Day, which means we get to celebrate you today! You know how special I think you are. (Don't tell Mommy, but I'm pretty sure that you're my favorite -- except for Jake, of course.) I thought that I would tell you some of the things I love about you.

We have SO much fun together! You really know how to play, and I'm always so tired after playing with you. You know all of my tickle spots, and you have no problem making me laugh! I especially love it when you hoist me onto your shoulders, or when you scoop me into the "Daddy swing". You also taught me how to splash in the bath, which is fun any night of the week. I'm even getting good at showing you my food, just like you do to me! It is really wonderful when Daddy is home.

You also teach me so much! You were the one who taught me how to kiss my toys "bye-bye" and put them away. You are also teaching me everything you know about dogs -- my favorite subject! (I imagine you might have to learn more, fast, though!) When I crawl up into your lap, you tell me all kinds of interesting things. I can tell you are really interested in me, too! Most importantly, you're teaching me about Jesus. Just this month, I'm really learning how to pray -- thank you for teaching me how to bow my head and fold my hands!

I never have to wonder if you love me, Daddy. You tell me all the time. You kiss me and hug me and squeeze me every single chance you get. Mommy also says that when you discipline me, you're showing me your love, too. Everything you do with me shows me that you love me!

I think you are the best Daddy in the whole world. I can't wait for Nora to meet you, too! She will have as much fun loving you as I do.

I love you so much!

Your Phoebs

Sadly, No Picture

Phoebe was less than enthusiastic about taking a nap this morning. She thinks she's invincible when she's sick, and especially invincible if she's had a little Tylenol to lower her fever a bit. Rest? Nah. She'd rather be playing!

Because Michael is home recovering (he's feeling better today, but not great), he informed me that we would be allowing Miss Sick to cry herself to sleep -- she needed a nap, whether she liked it or not. But after an hour and a half of playing the nap game, we got a little frustrated.

I thought Michael was going in to bring her out, so we could just feed her lunch and put her down a little bit later. But things got quiet for a while.

So I peeked in the room, expecting to see Phoebe in arms, in the chair -- both of them asleep. Instead, I saw Michael's flip flops on the floor and no sign of either of them.

Until I looked in the crib, where they were cuddled up.

Edited to Add:
Michael felt like I needed to clarify. The "Daddy-in-the-crib" did NOT result in a napping baby; just cuddles. And then giggles. There is no picture, because our camera battery is dead. I did, however, snap one on the phone of them STUCK in the crib, needing Mommy to rescue them. If Michael feels up to showing me how to transfer it later, I will put it up.
Also, yes. Michael really was in the crib. For like, twenty minutes.

Again?

Well, just when we thought we were out of the woods... the mystery illness strikes again. Last night, Michael said his throat was starting to feel a little scratchy; I tossed him a miracle Mucinex, since we had plenty left over. He was feeling better by the time we went to bed. Success!

Or not, since at 2am he woke up with a fever. He is now battling said fever with the Tylenol/Advil cycle, chicken and rice soup, and Gatorade. From the bed.

Since Phoebe doesn't like to see one of her parents suffering alone, she decided to join Daddy in the ranks of the sick. She was running a low grade temp last night that I (wrongly) attributed to teething. Her fever was 101 when she got up this morning, and by 10:00 it was 102.5. Even with Tylenol, it's hovering around the 101 range.

She seems to be worse off this time, actually. This weekend, she would still have spurts of playtime; today, she just wants to sleep or be held. She actually signed "please" to get into the crib...and I'm sure that will never happen again! We did go back to the doctor this morning since they had some inconclusive results on one of her tests from Monday. We're not sure if this is the same bug back with a vengeance, or just a new bug that is cropping up.

Fortunately, I am well for this round of sickness! Please pray that I stay that way, and that everyone heals quickly!

Hair

I get so many comments from people about how amazed they are at the amount of hair Phoebe has when they see her in person. Now, to be fair -- Phoebe really didn't start growing hair until last fall, and stayed very fuzzy for a very long time. But just like her mommy and daddy, she has very blond hair right now...and most of it is in the back.

I can, if I'm feeling adventurous, get a teeny tiny bow into her hair in the front. Unfortunately, they're very easy to lose and it's just not worth it to me to risk it yet! In the back, however... I can almost make pigtails! Just like her daddy when he was little, Phoebe has a mass of sweet, tangled curls at the back of her neck. Some may even consider her look a mullet? I think not!


In other news, we're all starting to feel better. Phoebe's appetite is back, and she's been fever-free for 24 hours. I woke up today feeling a good bit better, too; can I just say that Mucinex D is a miracle drug? (And it's safe for expectant Mommies!) It's wonderful not to feel like I need to just lay on the couch all day!

And the Name is...

Since Michael has already tagged photos of her on Facebook, I figured I'd better make the announcement here, and fast!

We have not been intentionally keeping our newest little girl's name a secret, but we have been keeping it between the three of us for a few days to make sure that this was indeed her name.

So without further adieu...

Our newest little girl's name is Eleanor Mae; we will be calling her Nora. The meaning of both Eleanor and Nora is honor and mercy. It is our prayer that she will be an honorable, merciful little girl.

Sorry to have kept you in suspense for so long!

(In other news, Phoebe seems to be getting better...and Michael worked from home today so that I could really rest during Phoebe's down time. I'm hoping that with some new medicine and a whole lot of prayer I'll be back on my feet in no time!)

Yes, Still Sick

Hero Daddy to the rescue!


Phoebs is currently being comforted by her sweet, sweet Daddy so that I can continue to have a little Food Network zone-out time. Neither of us girls is feeling much better today... I'm beginning to think I'm battling a really nasty seasonal allergy attack (the self-diagnosis is always so accurate, right?); Phoebe, on the other hand, has some kind of mystery infection. Wouldn't it be great if she could talk!

Fortunately, in spite of her fever, Phoebe is somewhat unflappable. She's still collecting items in her bucket, loving on Jake, and parading through the house in her diaper. She did, however, spend more time in arms today than she has since the last time she was sick. Her tummy also seems to be a little sensitive, so we're taking all kinds of necessary precautions. (We already learned the hard way that milk+fever=disaster.)

I have been so blessed to have my sweet, sweet "hero husband" home for the weekend to steer our ship; pray that he doesn't get this "yuck" from either of his girls. Right now, we're just trying to "consider it all joy", since sick days can certainly be a trial for all that are involved!

Sick Rerun

Weren't we just sick?

I woke up feeling less than lovely...but I think it's just a bit of a cold. Some oj, green blanket, and help from my husband with the Phoebs has made for a day that has worked out just fine. There was even a great deal of fun involved with today; we dined at Chik-fil-A for lunch (a treat), and Phoebe helped Daddy in the yard by literally running through the sprinkler while fully clothed.

But it was after the sprinkler adventure that we realized Phoebe was a little warmer than she should be.

I've been dosing her with Tylenol and Hyland's all day, since she is working on her second molar of the month. But the Tylenol must have worn off and it was that time of night when fevers make their appearances... and sure enough, her temp was over the legal limit. She quickly went from delighted, sprinkler-running-through baby to pitiful, "hold-me-Daddy-and-give-me-Lamby" baby.

Do pray that our little one can, in spite of all the yuck, get some sleep tonight and is healed in the morning! Michael will still be teaching our Sunday School class, and I'm pretty run down as it is... I think we all could use a good night's rest!

(Scroll down for pictures of a happy baby; I posted beach pictures earlier today!)

The Beach

We had SUCH a wonderful time at the beach celebrating the marriage of Andy and Elizabeth. It was our first time to be "just us with Phoebe" at the beach, and we had a lot of fun. Phoebe was a little unsure of both the pool and the sand at first, but true to her adventurous spirit, she had a blast in no time. We took almost a thousand pictures while we were there, but here are a few favorites. I'm ready to go back right now!

My two favorites had a blast in the poolIce cream is a great way to cool off after a long day outside

Still loving our float!

Shall we dig to China?
The girls, waiting for the wedding to start


Just the three of us...for now!

Daddy's girl

We sure did love our trip!

Proof of Life

It takes me FOREVER to start showing noticeably when I'm pregnant. But really, I'm only... 22? 23 weeks? Anyway, Michael snapped this picture at the wedding last weekend. If you look really closely you can see that our little girl is in there.

And this, my friends, is the closest thing you'll get to a "belly shot" until I'm at least 30 weeks. Sorry!

(You'll also notice that beach pictures are now available, so once I start hitting items on the to do list I'll come back and post more pictures!)

Binge

I mentioned my addiction to mango salsa in the last post, briefly. (For a vat, it is something like $4.99 at Costco, by the way.)

Anyway, I was eating my lunch and didn't want the salsa to spread all over everything, so I put it into a 7 ounce ramekin. And I filled the ramekin, because I didn't want to have to get up to get more salsa.

Y'all. I just ate seven ounces of salsa. That is almost a cup!

Serving size? Two tablespoons.

I definitely just ate almost eight servings of salsa. EIGHT.

Seriously Sweating

I made the comment recently that we were getting off to a mild start with our summer.

Yeah right.

It is officially hot, humid, and summer...even if the calendar doesn't agree until a few weeks from now. I'm attempting to chugalug the water in hopes of avoiding the dreaded "swell"... we'll see how well it goes. (I am convinced, however, that this effort would go much better if I could get myself to stop eating chips and mango salsa.)

The heat is also making me officially lazy. I could, in theory, post pictures from our beach trip. But that would involve opening the laptop, where all of our pictures are located. And although the laptop is within reach... that's truly too much effort. Also, the only thing I've done this afternoon is eat lunch, wash a few dishes, and read a magazine. And eat a few snacks. I am so a bum! I think my body is just convinced that I'm still at the beach.

In other news, we are in the middle of a thrilling week at VBS, which means I have to be out of the house by 8. I have such a newfound respect for moms who do this every single day. It really takes some effort to look like a human and feed/dress your child and pack lunches and be kind to your husband...all before 8. Seriously. I am so ready for Friday already!

And now... back to my perch on the couch.