Lately, it seems that when I'm struggling with things, I just don't post.
When I was dealing with my raw grief for Grady, I posted A LOT. This was my safe place to come and share my thoughts and feelings. I'm not sure why it has become hard for me to "go deep" lately.
Maybe I don't have the mental or emotional energy. Maybe I feel selfish. Maybe I think people don't really care what I have to say. Maybe I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Maybe I don't want to sound like the "Debbie Downer" that I feel like I am.
You see, I'm struggling with some selfish thoughts that have to do with a few people in my life who I love very much. They all stem from expectations that I have or had at one point. (Speaking of which, I have a post that I started on December 19, 2010 still sitting in my inbox. I'm not sure if I will ever finish it and post it.)
I feel terrible that I expected anything from anyone in the first place, but it's hard for me to dismiss my feelings and brush them under the rug. Expectations only set you up to be disappointed. People will let you down, no doubt about it. Which is precisely why my eyes need to be turned more toward Jesus than people. That's a whole different post!
Anyway, in addition to that, my heart has been so burdened lately.
I'm heartbroken for the family of beautiful Kate McRae that her cancer has returned.
I'm heartbroken for the orphans in the world who desperately need a home. I found this blog recently and spent hours reading the story of the adoptions of their special needs children, one of who was five years old and weighed only 15 pounds when they brought her home. Her most recent post included a few children whose time is running out to be adopted before they are institutionalized forever. Oh, my aching heart. If I could save them all, I would.
I'm worried about my own little Emma Grace and her headaches. She is having them very frequently. They are not all severe, but they are all on the right side of her head and in and around her right eye. I've tried to pinpoint a trigger and can't seem to find one. I am going to have her eyes checked first, although I don't think that's her problem. She has some other concerning symptoms that precede her headaches, and to be honest, I'm scared to know what's going on.
Scared. To. Death.
Of course, my mind immediately races to the worst. I can't seem to help myself. I can't turn on a happy button and pretend that something might not be wrong.
My heart is heavy for my friend, Rachael, as her Baby David's first birthday is tomorrow and he is spending it in heaven. They came up with an awesome idea to celebrate his L.I.F.E. Visit her blog if you want to read more. I wish that I had thought of it myself to honor Grady. I need to figure out what I'm going to do to honor that precious boy and his family. I've been thinking about it but nothing has blown me away yet.
I'm anxious for my friend, Sara, as she is so close to having Baby Levi, praying every day for his safe arrival. I want him to be born now!
Oh, the list could go on. My heart is heavy. That's all I've got for now.
Love,
Tonya
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
The Park
I absolutely LOVE the small town where we live. I have to admit that it was a HUGE adjustment when we first moved here, and the only thing I liked was the school. But, I have since met so many amazing, awesome friends, and my girls have awesome friends, too. We have settled into a church that we love, which isn't too far from here, and honestly, I would love to stay here until all of our kids graduate from high school.
But one thing that I don't love about this area is the park. My apologies to all of you native "---------ians" (I've never disclosed where we live on my blog, but if you live here, you know what that word is!). I mean absolutely NO disrespect to you or this amazing town we live in. But, coming from Gwinnett County, where the parks are new or newly updated, the park here was quite a shocker.
In fact, Jessica was 6 when we moved here. We were driving around and passed the park. I called it to her attention and her words were, "That's the park?!" Don't get me wrong...it has swings and slides and the essentials needed to have a good time. But we were very spoiled from our Mountain Park park that we frequented often.
All of that said, when I have the opportunity, I still enjoy taking the girls to the Gwinnett County parks to play. We have only been back to "our" park a couple of times since moving, but there is a great one near Gib's work that the girls enjoy.
Last Saturday, I volunteered at a consignment sale, and Gib had administrative duty at his high school. He took all three kids with him, and I picked them up when I was done. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, so we headed to the park.
I kept Matthew in the Baby B'jorn because he was absolutely exhausted from all the ladies oohing and aahing over him. He was interested in the noise for a bit, but then relaxed very sweetly on my chest. He didn't sleep until we got in the car to come home, but he sure was comfy!
My girls absolutely LOVE these spinning things. I would be sick as a dog, but they hold on for dear life and have me spin them FAST!
They see-sawed.
And went down the slides.
And ran around and just had a blast. Surprisingly, neither one of them got on the swings this trip.
Someone was MOST unhappy when it was time to go. I couldn't help but chuckle when I took this picture. It is SO Emma Grace!
I'M READY FOR SPRING TO COME AND STAY!!!
And maybe the next time we go, Matthew can try out the swings.
Maybe.
Love,
Tonya
But one thing that I don't love about this area is the park. My apologies to all of you native "---------ians" (I've never disclosed where we live on my blog, but if you live here, you know what that word is!). I mean absolutely NO disrespect to you or this amazing town we live in. But, coming from Gwinnett County, where the parks are new or newly updated, the park here was quite a shocker.
In fact, Jessica was 6 when we moved here. We were driving around and passed the park. I called it to her attention and her words were, "That's the park?!" Don't get me wrong...it has swings and slides and the essentials needed to have a good time. But we were very spoiled from our Mountain Park park that we frequented often.
All of that said, when I have the opportunity, I still enjoy taking the girls to the Gwinnett County parks to play. We have only been back to "our" park a couple of times since moving, but there is a great one near Gib's work that the girls enjoy.
Last Saturday, I volunteered at a consignment sale, and Gib had administrative duty at his high school. He took all three kids with him, and I picked them up when I was done. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, so we headed to the park.
I kept Matthew in the Baby B'jorn because he was absolutely exhausted from all the ladies oohing and aahing over him. He was interested in the noise for a bit, but then relaxed very sweetly on my chest. He didn't sleep until we got in the car to come home, but he sure was comfy!
My girls absolutely LOVE these spinning things. I would be sick as a dog, but they hold on for dear life and have me spin them FAST!
They see-sawed.
And went down the slides.
And ran around and just had a blast. Surprisingly, neither one of them got on the swings this trip.Someone was MOST unhappy when it was time to go. I couldn't help but chuckle when I took this picture. It is SO Emma Grace!
I'M READY FOR SPRING TO COME AND STAY!!!
And maybe the next time we go, Matthew can try out the swings.
Maybe.
Love,
Tonya
Friday, February 25, 2011
Busted
He was supposed to be sleeping. Instead I found him doing this...
Having fun with his paci...using that right arm!
GO MATTHEW!
Having fun with his paci...using that right arm!GO MATTHEW!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Rolling...
So I don't forget and so I can document the date, our big boy Matthew rolled from his tummy to his back last night! I got it on video, so I guess I need to enlist my tech-savvy husband to make it into something I can put here.
I was getting Matthew ready for a bath last night, and I put him in his crib with just his onesie and a diaper. He was really trying to reach and turn himself to get his paci. I ran to get the video camera. I just felt like he was going to do something big. He was so active and determined.
After trying multiple times and not being able to, Jessica helped him turn from his back to his tummy. Once on his tummy, he started kicking his legs and working hard. Before we knew it, he had worked his way from his tummy to his back! Jessica, Emma Grace and I were all there, so he had lots of cheering to help him celebrate. He was clueless, but we were PROUD! I hope this is a sign of more great things to come!
Maybe I'll get the video up, but I wanted to share for our family memories.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Love,
Tonya
I was getting Matthew ready for a bath last night, and I put him in his crib with just his onesie and a diaper. He was really trying to reach and turn himself to get his paci. I ran to get the video camera. I just felt like he was going to do something big. He was so active and determined.
After trying multiple times and not being able to, Jessica helped him turn from his back to his tummy. Once on his tummy, he started kicking his legs and working hard. Before we knew it, he had worked his way from his tummy to his back! Jessica, Emma Grace and I were all there, so he had lots of cheering to help him celebrate. He was clueless, but we were PROUD! I hope this is a sign of more great things to come!
Maybe I'll get the video up, but I wanted to share for our family memories.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Love,
Tonya
Friday, February 18, 2011
Matthew, 7 Months Old, 2-16-11
Sweet Matthew. I cannot believe you are 7 months old already!
You are growing too quickly for my liking. You are one of the cutest babies I've ever laid my eyes on. For sure! I don't think your cheeks can get any bigger. They are one of the things I love the most about you. I love, love, love to kiss them, which I must do about 100 times a day. My lips get lost in them when I love on you. Sweet love!
Last week when we took Emma Grace to the doctor, I put you on the scale. I made sure you had on a dry diaper and light weight clothes. The scale said you weighed 18 lbs, 6 oz! WOW! You have the sweetest rolls on your legs, chubby fingers and feet and a big pot belly. You are simply delicious! You are definitely getting longer because your onesies are getting too tight to button at the diaper. We made the jump to size 3 diapers, and you're mostly wearing 6-9 month clothes.
You are mainly still eating mommy milk. Some days you don't get any formula; others 2-6 oz. You are eating one meal of solids a day, mainly because that's all I can fit in with your sleep schedule. (More on that in a minute.) I don't give you much rice cereal because it really constipates you. You have one frozen cube of avocado and sweet potato in the evening when we eat dinner. Squash is next on the list for you to try. You still drink 6 1/2 oz of milk every three hours with a little deviation for your last two feedings. I forgot what a challenge it was to introduce solids into the daily schedule. I'm looking to get you a sippy cup soon so you can start practicing.
You are working super hard on your motor skills and development. You have improved even more with your right arm/hand. You move it almost equally as much as your left. You are spontaneously reaching with it to grab toys, and you are able to bring them to your mouth. I checked on you the other day at nap time and caught you holding your paci in both hands over your head talking to it...too cute! You are also learning to transfer an object from one hand to the other (usually from right to left).
You can now reach your toes by yourself on the right side. That leg isn't as flexible as your left, so you don't get it up as far, but baby steps are proving very successful for you. It wasn't long ago that you could only touch your knee on the right side, so you've come a long way baby!
You have such a desire to sit up, but your muscles just aren't strong enough yet. Because the cerebral palsy affects your right side, you tend to lean to the left. We are working hard on helping to activate your muscles on the right and keep you sitting straight when you do. We lean you to the left and wave toys on your right to get you to move toward them. We also prop you on your right elbow for a few seconds to try to build some strength in your neck and shoulder.
Each time you finish a bottle, you waste no time using your core muscles to try to sit yourself up. I had to put you in the bouncy seat the other day while I was in the kitchen. I looked down and you were working HARD to get out of that seat!!! Too cute!
I really have a hard time knowing what to do with you for play and stimulation. You and I spend a lot of time together on the floor or you in my lap. You love your exercauser, but you're not supposed to be in it much because you can't sit on your own yet. It has the potential to encourage your poor posture which we don't want. You love to be on your back under the activity gym or just on your back with toys to the side of you. But the back of your head is just a little flat, and I'm trying to keep you off of it as much as I can.
You want to turn over, but you don't want to do the work needed to accomplish that. You are SO resistant to being on your left side at all! Your physical therapist said that is because if you want to play, you have to use your right arm and those muscles on that side, and it's much harder for you. I make you do it, but you are one strong little bear! You give me a good fight for sure! Even the therapist said you were one of the strongest she has ever had. You tolerate your left side better, but it's not your favorite either.
Tummy time has gotten better, especially since a special someone bought you one of those bees off eBay! (Thank you so much! He loves it!)
They really stress this for you, and you are able to tolerate it longer than before, especially if I time it right. I hate it, though, because you only stay awake for a short time and you usually spit up a lot on your tummy. Oh well. You are finally able to push up for a short time on your hands and you even wiggle your legs like you're trying to crawl. This week, the therapist showed me how to try to get your right hand open when you're pushing up.
You have to be the best sleeper in the world. Seriously! I try to rock you for a few minutes to snuggle with you, but when you're tired, you just want to be in your bed. I give you your lovey lamb and paci, kiss you and tell you, "Night, night, I love you". And I walk out. You "talk" to yourself for a few minutes, and go to sleep. But as of right now, you don't cry. The only time you cry is when you're overtired and have lost your paci. Sometimes at bedtime, you will fall asleep with your bottle or on my shoulder while I'm burping you. I treasure those moments when you're asleep and snuggled in my arms. Truth be told, I could sit there and hold you all night! Well, maybe half the night 'cuz I love my bed, too!
I've actually been keeping a sleep journal for you because I think you sleep too much. Yep, too much! You go to bed anywhere from 6:30 - 8:00pm. I know that's a big range, but it all depends on if you get your late afternoon nap. If not, you're in bed very early. If so, you're up till about 8pm. You wake up from 6:00 - 7:00am. I usually have to wake you up on school mornings to feed you before we take Emma Grace to school, but I let you sleep as long as you can on the weekends. :) Once you're up, you only stay awake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours at a time and you're ready to go back to sleep. Sometimes you just need a little catnap, but most of the time you will sleep for at least an hour, sometimes two. I mentioned this to Dr. E and he didn't seem too concerned. He said the fact that you are happy and seem fine when you're awake is "worth its weight in gold". He mentioned that your brain could be repairing those neurons/cells that were damaged from your brain bleed and porencephaly, and your brain can't do that when you're awake. I think you're doing lots of growing, too!
You have found a crazy way to soothe yourself to sleep. It's very hard to describe, but basically you shake your head back and forth, from midline to the side, rubbing the back of your head on the bed. (I'm convinced you're going to have a permanent bald spot on the back of your head!) I first noticed it when you were sleeping with me when you had RSV. It concerned me at first because I thought you were having a seizure. You also do it sometimes when Jessica and Emma Grace talk to you in your highchair. And you have a huge grin on your face the whole time!
You are learning your name and will turn to me when I say it. You have also become very interested in our dog, Buddy. You love to watch him, and just the other night, you broke into a full-on grin just looking at him while he was sitting next to you. After dinner one night, you grabbed a handful of the fur on his head. You loved it, but he didn't think it was so great. In typical Buddy fashion, he tolerated it until I could get your hand free.
You have learned to blow air out of your mouth without producing bubbles. You love to "talk". You do great riding in the car (you only cry when you're overtired). You love to play on your back. You like to put your blanket/burp cloth/bib/lovey over your face to play peek-a-boo. But you don't know how to get it back off, so you end up getting frustrated. You still love to just lay in your crib and watch your mobile. We occasionally lift you up so you can see it up close and personal.
Your sisters absolutely adore you. Emma Grace has a hard time holding you because you are so big and squirmy. Jessica can hold you for a bit longer but not by much! You love to just watch them and you smile at them all the time!
You have stolen our hearts, precious boy! We are SO proud of you and SO thankful that you are part of our family!
We love you more than words can say!
Hugs and kisses,
Mommy
You are growing too quickly for my liking. You are one of the cutest babies I've ever laid my eyes on. For sure! I don't think your cheeks can get any bigger. They are one of the things I love the most about you. I love, love, love to kiss them, which I must do about 100 times a day. My lips get lost in them when I love on you. Sweet love! Last week when we took Emma Grace to the doctor, I put you on the scale. I made sure you had on a dry diaper and light weight clothes. The scale said you weighed 18 lbs, 6 oz! WOW! You have the sweetest rolls on your legs, chubby fingers and feet and a big pot belly. You are simply delicious! You are definitely getting longer because your onesies are getting too tight to button at the diaper. We made the jump to size 3 diapers, and you're mostly wearing 6-9 month clothes.
You are mainly still eating mommy milk. Some days you don't get any formula; others 2-6 oz. You are eating one meal of solids a day, mainly because that's all I can fit in with your sleep schedule. (More on that in a minute.) I don't give you much rice cereal because it really constipates you. You have one frozen cube of avocado and sweet potato in the evening when we eat dinner. Squash is next on the list for you to try. You still drink 6 1/2 oz of milk every three hours with a little deviation for your last two feedings. I forgot what a challenge it was to introduce solids into the daily schedule. I'm looking to get you a sippy cup soon so you can start practicing.
You are working super hard on your motor skills and development. You have improved even more with your right arm/hand. You move it almost equally as much as your left. You are spontaneously reaching with it to grab toys, and you are able to bring them to your mouth. I checked on you the other day at nap time and caught you holding your paci in both hands over your head talking to it...too cute! You are also learning to transfer an object from one hand to the other (usually from right to left).
You can now reach your toes by yourself on the right side. That leg isn't as flexible as your left, so you don't get it up as far, but baby steps are proving very successful for you. It wasn't long ago that you could only touch your knee on the right side, so you've come a long way baby!
You have such a desire to sit up, but your muscles just aren't strong enough yet. Because the cerebral palsy affects your right side, you tend to lean to the left. We are working hard on helping to activate your muscles on the right and keep you sitting straight when you do. We lean you to the left and wave toys on your right to get you to move toward them. We also prop you on your right elbow for a few seconds to try to build some strength in your neck and shoulder.
Each time you finish a bottle, you waste no time using your core muscles to try to sit yourself up. I had to put you in the bouncy seat the other day while I was in the kitchen. I looked down and you were working HARD to get out of that seat!!! Too cute!
I really have a hard time knowing what to do with you for play and stimulation. You and I spend a lot of time together on the floor or you in my lap. You love your exercauser, but you're not supposed to be in it much because you can't sit on your own yet. It has the potential to encourage your poor posture which we don't want. You love to be on your back under the activity gym or just on your back with toys to the side of you. But the back of your head is just a little flat, and I'm trying to keep you off of it as much as I can.
You want to turn over, but you don't want to do the work needed to accomplish that. You are SO resistant to being on your left side at all! Your physical therapist said that is because if you want to play, you have to use your right arm and those muscles on that side, and it's much harder for you. I make you do it, but you are one strong little bear! You give me a good fight for sure! Even the therapist said you were one of the strongest she has ever had. You tolerate your left side better, but it's not your favorite either.
Tummy time has gotten better, especially since a special someone bought you one of those bees off eBay! (Thank you so much! He loves it!)
They really stress this for you, and you are able to tolerate it longer than before, especially if I time it right. I hate it, though, because you only stay awake for a short time and you usually spit up a lot on your tummy. Oh well. You are finally able to push up for a short time on your hands and you even wiggle your legs like you're trying to crawl. This week, the therapist showed me how to try to get your right hand open when you're pushing up.You have to be the best sleeper in the world. Seriously! I try to rock you for a few minutes to snuggle with you, but when you're tired, you just want to be in your bed. I give you your lovey lamb and paci, kiss you and tell you, "Night, night, I love you". And I walk out. You "talk" to yourself for a few minutes, and go to sleep. But as of right now, you don't cry. The only time you cry is when you're overtired and have lost your paci. Sometimes at bedtime, you will fall asleep with your bottle or on my shoulder while I'm burping you. I treasure those moments when you're asleep and snuggled in my arms. Truth be told, I could sit there and hold you all night! Well, maybe half the night 'cuz I love my bed, too!
I've actually been keeping a sleep journal for you because I think you sleep too much. Yep, too much! You go to bed anywhere from 6:30 - 8:00pm. I know that's a big range, but it all depends on if you get your late afternoon nap. If not, you're in bed very early. If so, you're up till about 8pm. You wake up from 6:00 - 7:00am. I usually have to wake you up on school mornings to feed you before we take Emma Grace to school, but I let you sleep as long as you can on the weekends. :) Once you're up, you only stay awake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours at a time and you're ready to go back to sleep. Sometimes you just need a little catnap, but most of the time you will sleep for at least an hour, sometimes two. I mentioned this to Dr. E and he didn't seem too concerned. He said the fact that you are happy and seem fine when you're awake is "worth its weight in gold". He mentioned that your brain could be repairing those neurons/cells that were damaged from your brain bleed and porencephaly, and your brain can't do that when you're awake. I think you're doing lots of growing, too!You have found a crazy way to soothe yourself to sleep. It's very hard to describe, but basically you shake your head back and forth, from midline to the side, rubbing the back of your head on the bed. (I'm convinced you're going to have a permanent bald spot on the back of your head!) I first noticed it when you were sleeping with me when you had RSV. It concerned me at first because I thought you were having a seizure. You also do it sometimes when Jessica and Emma Grace talk to you in your highchair. And you have a huge grin on your face the whole time!
You are learning your name and will turn to me when I say it. You have also become very interested in our dog, Buddy. You love to watch him, and just the other night, you broke into a full-on grin just looking at him while he was sitting next to you. After dinner one night, you grabbed a handful of the fur on his head. You loved it, but he didn't think it was so great. In typical Buddy fashion, he tolerated it until I could get your hand free.
You have learned to blow air out of your mouth without producing bubbles. You love to "talk". You do great riding in the car (you only cry when you're overtired). You love to play on your back. You like to put your blanket/burp cloth/bib/lovey over your face to play peek-a-boo. But you don't know how to get it back off, so you end up getting frustrated. You still love to just lay in your crib and watch your mobile. We occasionally lift you up so you can see it up close and personal.
Your sisters absolutely adore you. Emma Grace has a hard time holding you because you are so big and squirmy. Jessica can hold you for a bit longer but not by much! You love to just watch them and you smile at them all the time!You have stolen our hearts, precious boy! We are SO proud of you and SO thankful that you are part of our family!
We love you more than words can say!Hugs and kisses,
Mommy
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day! (and 15th anniversary)
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! And a special wish to my sweet, wonderful, amazing husband. This is our 21st Valentine's Day together, even though we've only been married 15 years. In years past, we always celebrated this day by going to our favorite Chinese restaurant. In the early 90's, we had a couple of years when we were officially "broken up". But I would hold my breath waiting for the phone to ring to be asked out to dinner. And low and behold, he always came through. Off to Chinese we would go...as "friends". Yeah right...
Since I never got our 15th wedding anniversary pictures up, I decided I would share those today, in honor of my husband and the love we share. (A certain little someone decided to come into the world *early*, not long after our anniversary, which created a bit of chaos in our house, and I honestly forgot!)
In trying to decide where to celebrate, Gib suggested we go back to the place where we spent our wedding night, Chateau Elan. I thought it was a wonderful idea. We happened to mention to our waitress that we were celebrating our anniversary, and she brought us this beautiful plate of chocolate covered strawberries. It was hard to eat them, considering we had already enjoyed a huge dinner buffet and some sweets from the dessert table, butwe I managed to put them away. I never turn down chocolate!
Our waitress took our picture in front of the fountain.
Then Gib and I went on a little stroll. We found a garden area with a bench and sat out as long as we could in the heat. This was on July 10th (anniversary July 8th). I was very pregnant with Matthew (actually I was only 32 weeks, but you know I get BIG! And for the record, this was the day that I had the excruciating pain in my uterus that led to me being hospitalized just days later). Hot summer night. Didn't last long!
I attempted to take our picture.
We saw another couple, who was also expecting a baby, and they very kindly took a picture of us.
I am holding in my hands the sweetest love letter EVER! I would love to share it, but it is too special, and I don't want to embarrass him. In it, he listed his top 15 memories/reflections of what he loves most about me. He then went on to say that we need to be married longer "because a list of 15 is nowhere near enough to list the things I love about you". Awww, how sweet! I'm hoping his list will be VERY long one day!!!
So, my sweet Gib, Happy Valentine's Day to you! I love you SO MUCH!
XOXO,
T
Since I never got our 15th wedding anniversary pictures up, I decided I would share those today, in honor of my husband and the love we share. (A certain little someone decided to come into the world *early*, not long after our anniversary, which created a bit of chaos in our house, and I honestly forgot!)
In trying to decide where to celebrate, Gib suggested we go back to the place where we spent our wedding night, Chateau Elan. I thought it was a wonderful idea. We happened to mention to our waitress that we were celebrating our anniversary, and she brought us this beautiful plate of chocolate covered strawberries. It was hard to eat them, considering we had already enjoyed a huge dinner buffet and some sweets from the dessert table, but
Our waitress took our picture in front of the fountain.
Then Gib and I went on a little stroll. We found a garden area with a bench and sat out as long as we could in the heat. This was on July 10th (anniversary July 8th). I was very pregnant with Matthew (actually I was only 32 weeks, but you know I get BIG! And for the record, this was the day that I had the excruciating pain in my uterus that led to me being hospitalized just days later). Hot summer night. Didn't last long!
I attempted to take our picture.
We saw another couple, who was also expecting a baby, and they very kindly took a picture of us.
I am holding in my hands the sweetest love letter EVER! I would love to share it, but it is too special, and I don't want to embarrass him. In it, he listed his top 15 memories/reflections of what he loves most about me. He then went on to say that we need to be married longer "because a list of 15 is nowhere near enough to list the things I love about you". Awww, how sweet! I'm hoping his list will be VERY long one day!!!So, my sweet Gib, Happy Valentine's Day to you! I love you SO MUCH!
XOXO,
T
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tidbits from T
**Emma Grace is home sick today. I had to pick her up early from school on Tuesday because she had such a bad headache. I truly think she gets migraines. They always start in her right temple and end up "in" her right eye, and I can't pinpoint a trigger. She didn't have a fever and nothing else hurt. After some medicine and a three hour nap, she woke up feeling much better. However, when she went to bed that night, the headache was back. I kept her home until 10:00 yesterday morning so I could monitor her and make sure she felt well. She was bouncing off the walls, playing with Buddy and seemed fine. But when she got off the bus yesterday, she said her throat hurt and she had another headache. Last night her fever spiked to 101 and again at 5am. She is still sleeping and we are heading to the doctor. Strep is running rampant through her class at school.
Sigh.
Can it be summer yet! PLEASE?!
**Snow is on the ground again here but fortunately everything is moving as normal.
**Jessica is running track and is absolutely worn out after practice every day. Poor thing came home, had dinner, showered and immediately started on her homework. We were still up at 10:15 last night working on a paper for Social Studies. Normally it wouldn't have been a big deal for her, but for some reason, the teacher decided that each paragraph had to have a compound sentence AND a compound complex sentence. REALLY?! For a Social Studies essay. Whatever. I was NOT happy! She just got the assignment yesterday and the rough draft was due today. Poor girl was so tired that she could hardly write. She will be in bed extra early tonight.
**Matthew continues to melt my heart every day. Jessica pointed out that he smiles with his eyes before his mouth actually forms a smile. Yes, he does. He is absolutely the best baby I've ever seen! I do worry that he sleeps too much, though. I am keeping a sleep journal before I contact the doctor about it, but on Monday he was only awake about 5 hours. He is perfectly happy and seems fine when he is awake, but he can't stay up longer than 1 - 1 1/2 hours at a time. When I lay him down, he goes right to sleep with no fussing. He sleeps 12 hours at night. I'm really not complaining. I just want him to be okay.
He has two white shining teeth on the bottom. He has learned to blow out of his mouth with no bubbles. And, of course, he's still a little chunk. I can't wait to plop him on the scale at the doctor today when I take Emma Grace.
**I'm very frustrated with Kroger. I understand that it's all about marketing, but I hate that they increase the price of items and then stick a yellow "LOW PRICE" sticker next to it. One week an item will be $2.99, the next $3.19, the next $3.55. It really makes me mad!
**I was hoping to take Buddy to the groomer to get all spruced up, but I've had too many extra things hit my budget this month. Gib and I are going to have to suck it up and do it ourselves. I hate to bathe him, but he's overdue for sure.
**I'm trying hard not to be bitter and hurt by a few people in my life. I hate when people don't keep their word. If you say you're going to do something, then do it. I understand that life is busy and things come up. But when it happens over and over again, enough is enough. Don't make promises that you can't keep.
**I'm excited about an upcoming consignment sale in our town. I'm volunteering for a three hour shift so I can shop early. I'm looking for some toys for Matthew and some clothes for that growing boy! We made the official jump to size 3 diapers yesterday. I couldn't squeeze him into size 1-2 any longer. Poor boy. We gave the extras to his girlfriend across the street.
**I went to Sam's yesterday and treated myself to a piece of pizza and a diet coke (mixed with just a taste of cherry coke) all for $3.00. It was a BIG piece of pizza and it was yummy! Truth be told, I could have eaten two! Yes, I am still a pig these days!
**And last but not least, my sweet friend Sara is having a hard time. She is in the hospital on bed rest with a miracle baby who was conceived through embryo adoption. AMAZING! Her fifth baby, Samuel, was stillborn just a few days before our Baby Grady. She is traveling down that scary road of pregnancy after loss, and she had quite a scare with the baby last night. If you feel led, please pray for her peace of mind and the safety of Baby Levi. And pop over and give her some blog-love right here if you want.
That's all for now. Gotta shower and get ready for our trip to the doctor. I am NOT excited about taking Matthew in the sick waiting room. I will find an alternative if at all possible!
Toodles!
Sigh.
Can it be summer yet! PLEASE?!
**Snow is on the ground again here but fortunately everything is moving as normal.
**Jessica is running track and is absolutely worn out after practice every day. Poor thing came home, had dinner, showered and immediately started on her homework. We were still up at 10:15 last night working on a paper for Social Studies. Normally it wouldn't have been a big deal for her, but for some reason, the teacher decided that each paragraph had to have a compound sentence AND a compound complex sentence. REALLY?! For a Social Studies essay. Whatever. I was NOT happy! She just got the assignment yesterday and the rough draft was due today. Poor girl was so tired that she could hardly write. She will be in bed extra early tonight.
**Matthew continues to melt my heart every day. Jessica pointed out that he smiles with his eyes before his mouth actually forms a smile. Yes, he does. He is absolutely the best baby I've ever seen! I do worry that he sleeps too much, though. I am keeping a sleep journal before I contact the doctor about it, but on Monday he was only awake about 5 hours. He is perfectly happy and seems fine when he is awake, but he can't stay up longer than 1 - 1 1/2 hours at a time. When I lay him down, he goes right to sleep with no fussing. He sleeps 12 hours at night. I'm really not complaining. I just want him to be okay.
He has two white shining teeth on the bottom. He has learned to blow out of his mouth with no bubbles. And, of course, he's still a little chunk. I can't wait to plop him on the scale at the doctor today when I take Emma Grace.
**I'm very frustrated with Kroger. I understand that it's all about marketing, but I hate that they increase the price of items and then stick a yellow "LOW PRICE" sticker next to it. One week an item will be $2.99, the next $3.19, the next $3.55. It really makes me mad!
**I was hoping to take Buddy to the groomer to get all spruced up, but I've had too many extra things hit my budget this month. Gib and I are going to have to suck it up and do it ourselves. I hate to bathe him, but he's overdue for sure.
**I'm trying hard not to be bitter and hurt by a few people in my life. I hate when people don't keep their word. If you say you're going to do something, then do it. I understand that life is busy and things come up. But when it happens over and over again, enough is enough. Don't make promises that you can't keep.
**I'm excited about an upcoming consignment sale in our town. I'm volunteering for a three hour shift so I can shop early. I'm looking for some toys for Matthew and some clothes for that growing boy! We made the official jump to size 3 diapers yesterday. I couldn't squeeze him into size 1-2 any longer. Poor boy. We gave the extras to his girlfriend across the street.
**I went to Sam's yesterday and treated myself to a piece of pizza and a diet coke (mixed with just a taste of cherry coke) all for $3.00. It was a BIG piece of pizza and it was yummy! Truth be told, I could have eaten two! Yes, I am still a pig these days!
**And last but not least, my sweet friend Sara is having a hard time. She is in the hospital on bed rest with a miracle baby who was conceived through embryo adoption. AMAZING! Her fifth baby, Samuel, was stillborn just a few days before our Baby Grady. She is traveling down that scary road of pregnancy after loss, and she had quite a scare with the baby last night. If you feel led, please pray for her peace of mind and the safety of Baby Levi. And pop over and give her some blog-love right here if you want.
That's all for now. Gotta shower and get ready for our trip to the doctor. I am NOT excited about taking Matthew in the sick waiting room. I will find an alternative if at all possible!
Toodles!
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