Archive for March 2012
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We are heading back to the hospital today for the second time this week. And again it’s for Hannah. However, this visit has been planned for over a month.
Hannah’s having her tonsils removed today.
Last fall, we noticed that Hannah was exhibiting similar sleep apnea issues that Julia also had. We thought at first that she may just have allergies, and decided to wait to pursue things medically. By January, when things had not cleared up, we took her to the pediatrician. From there, we were referred to pediatric ENT.
The ENT visit took all of 10 minutes. The doctor asked us a few questions, did a quick exam on Hannah, but once he found out we’ve been through a tonsillectomy with Julia, he signed up right up for surgery. It all happened faster than I expected {given that it took months before surgery became an option for Julia}, but I knew it was for the best.
Our fridge is stocked with juice and pudding, and our freezer is stocked with popsicles and ice cream. Hannah’s surgery is scheduled for 11am. She’s been drinking juice all morning, since she’s not allowed any solid foods.
Because Hannah wasn’t allowed solid foods after 2am, Jonathan got her up around 1 and had a midnight snack with her. Apparently, she ate TWO tuna fish sandwiches and a bowl of goldfish. I’m pretty grateful she had such a big appetite, because it’s made not having breakfast a lot more bearable.
The weekend will be spent lounging around, watching lots of Super Why! episodes and keeping Hannah nice and comfy as she recovers. Perhaps not quite the adventure I’d want for her, but an adventure all the same.
Do you have your tonsils? Jonathan and I both do, but now the kids are 2-1.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
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Last Saturday morning started off with a nice peaceful feel. It was oddly productively lazy. The house was clean, the kids were playing nicely and there was a calm that hovered over. A calm before the storm.
Around 11 am, as we are all getting ready to leave for a friend’s birthday party, Hannah asked to have a vitamin. As I got the bottle, she asked to take out the vitamin herself. I obliged. Then she asked if she could give one to Julia. I obliged. And then, in the busyness of getting ready, I lost track of the bottle.
After some time, Hannah came up to me, vitamin bottle in hand, and said “Mama, there’s only two left!”
We immediately start questioning Hannah as to where the vitamins were. Turns out she ate them. We aren’t completely certain, but our closest estimate is that Hannah consumed about 30 iron fortified chewable vitamins.
I immediately called my mom {who’s a nurse}, while Jonathan started searching on Google for overdose risk. My mom calmly advised that we take her to urgent care, just to make sure that nothing serious happens. And then Jonathan read this ::
Iron overdose is considered a leading cause of poisoning-related death in young children.
Let me just say – that one sentence can evoke a fear I didn’t know existed. Before I knew what happened, Jonathan grabbed Hannah and rushed her to the ER. Over the next 3 hours, they ran tests and X-rays on Hannah to determine her toxicity level.
Being the parent that stays behind is painful. For the first hour and a half, I only got information as Jonathan was able to text it. Once the X-ray was complete and the radiologist was consulted, the doctor said that Hannah was on the lower end of being in danger {quote “a 3 out of 10”}. She and Jonathan were sent home where we were to monitor her for vomiting, diarrhea and lethargic behavior.
With in 30 minutes of being home, Hannah began exhibiting all the signs the doctor described. We went on a “watch and wait” system to determine if we needed to have her re-admitted. We prayed and decided to keep her home and let her nap {by this time it was a good two hours past her normal naptime}. She curled up in our bed with Jonathan, were they both slept off the eventful morning.
By that evening, Hannah said she felt much better. She was still having a few GI issues, but was holding down her food and drink. We had her sleep in our room overnight so we could be nearby in case any issues arose. Thankfully they didn’t, and by Sunday morning, the vitamin fiasco was like a bad dream.
Funny enough, when I was Hannah’s age, I overdosed on some children’s medicine. Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Did you ever overdose as a child? If you have kids, have you ever had an overdose scare?
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This weekend, like most, was done before I knew it even started. My birthday was Sunday, but we began our celebration festivities Friday night with tacos from Torchy’s Tacos ::
Saturday morning was a laid back but productive. I managed to get some cleaning done, laundry put away and relaxing with the girls while Jonathan and Joseph slept in.
Around 11, things took a turn for the crazy, when we discovered that Hannah ate an entire bottle of children’s chewable vitamins. Like, rushing to the ER crazy. {I have a whole post about it for you tomorrow.} But despite all the drama from the morning and afternoon, we went ahead with my birthday dinner party {which, thankfully, was only a mile from our house since I was slightly paranoid to leave Hannah}. It ended up being a good way to close out a rather emotional day.
Sunday was my actual birthday. We woke up early and headed downtown so I could run in the Capital 10K race with my friend, Adriane.
It was a really fun race, but I was surprised at how packed it was. Since it’s a “fun run” there were a lot more casual walkers than I expected, which was challenging for the first 2-3 miles as we weaved around the crowds. I initially wanted to finish in under an hour, but with all the masses came in at just over an hour {1:03:17}. Given the 20K+ people participating, and being stuck right in the middle of the crowd, we still made really great time.
Thanks to the back of my shirt, I got quite a very “happy birthday!”s while running. 🙂
The weekend ended quietly, spending time with good friends and our missional community.
How was your weekend?
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Remember how I painted our front door blue?
There was some discussion in our house about how the door didn’t seem complete. That it needed color to help round it out. While it’s hard to tell from the picture, we do actually have flowers planted around the front {some have yet to bloom for the season}, which will help with adding color to the area. But Jonathan and I agreed we needed something more.
So I made a fabric wreath.
I used felt to make the flowers {via a tutorial from Alicia!} and cream colored yarn to wrap around the wreath. I used a lot of spring colors, just to give it some more pop.
We had some friends, Matt and Kristen, visit us from Iowa last week. They both said they liked the color, but Matt suggested that it was probably only a good color for the spring and that we might not like it as much come late summer/fall. Very true. Thanks to the color choice of the wreath it does seem to have an Easter egg look to it. *sigh*
I still like it. And it was pretty fun making the wreath – something I’ve wanted to try for a long time, but just have never made time for. Made I can pick some other colors for the fall and winter, but I’m at a lost for what colors to choose. Any suggestions?
What fun adventures have you had lately?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
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Last June, just before Hannah’s second birthday, we started potty training. For about 2 months, she did fabulously.
Then her little big personality kicked in.
You can't stop this dancing queen
Hannah doesn’t like to be made to do anything. She started to refuse going to the bathroom, despite all our tricks and treats. She’d intentionally wait until we put on her pull-up before she’d pee. If we tried to initiate going to the potty, she’d dig her heels in and fight us every step of the way.
So we stopped.
Hannah was thrilled. She’d laugh and say that she’d pee in her pull-up and that “it’s ok, I don’t mind”.
Two weeks ago, when I was on solo-parent night-duty, she pooped in her pull-up {something she hasn’t done in for-ev-er} because she “didn’t want to sit on the potty”. After that incident, I told her she’d need to start wearing a diaper. As soon as I put it one on her, she laughed and said “I’m a baby like Joseph!” *face palm*
Too cool for {potty} school
The next morning, I told Hannah she was going to wear a diaper again. She did her whole “YAY!” act and grabbed a disposable diaper. That’s when I threw her a curve ball. Disposables are night time diapers. Cloth diapers are day time diapers. Her bubble got slightly deflated, but she pushed through and put on the cloth. Within five minutes she was complaining, asking to take it off. I explained that she would need to keep it on, since she was refusing to go on the potty.
Then the begging happened.
Hannah promised she’d start going in the potty again, if I would please let her take off the diaper and let her wear underwear.
So I did.
That was a week ago last Sunday. She hasn’t had an accident since.
Hannah – 0
Mom – 1
Bring it, little girl. Mama’s still got a few tricks up my sleeve.
And Then I Turn 30…
Posted on: March 19, 2012
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I’m turning 30 this weekend. Thirty. The big 3-0. And frankly, I’m freaking out a bit.
Typically, I don’t think much about age, but this birthday is throwing me. A little over two years ago, I set up 30 goals I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. I’ve gotten about halfway through the list. It’s not looking like I’ll complete it before Sunday. And with that looming over me, I’ve been wondering, “what have I done for the last two years of my life?“. I figured, I’d do what I do best – make a list of the highlights from the last two years.
2. Ran a half marathon {3 times}
3. Had my first ever girls weekend in New York City
5. Attended my first ever blogging conference
6. Bought my husband’s dream home
7. Saw my best friend get married
8. Found out we were bringing a boy into our very girly home
9. Celebrated not just five, but six years of marriage to an amazing guy
10. Had sweet little Joseph Judea
So, I might not be reaching my 30 before 30 goal by the weekend. But I’d say the last two years {plus the 28 before that} have been down right amazing. Here’s to making the next 30 just as kicking.
Visit Angie at Many Little Blessings for more Top Ten Tuesday.
Spring Break and SXSW
Posted on: March 14, 2012
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The last two weeks have been one long blur. Jonathan’s been prepping for South by Southwest {SXSW} and the launch for HP Cloud. That has translated into long nights and working all weekend. We are now half way through Spring Break week and I am throughly confused as to what day it actually is {yesterday felt like a Friday, though it was Tuesday}.
Monday Night at the Belmont, show hosted by HP Cloud
At FrogDesign Party
Even with the crazy schedule lately, this is the first Spring Break {post-college} that has actually felt like Spring Break. It probably helps that the girls are usually in school, so to be home all week feels like a vacation/break in some way. Thanks to beautiful weather, we’ve been outdoors a lot and spending ample amounts of time with friends.
Hannah diving right in at Barton Springs
Julia was a little more timid of the cold water
Today we are making a trip to the Austin Zoo and Sanctuary with some friends. I made the mistake of telling Julia last week that we were planning to go, and she hasn’t stopped asking me about it since. Note to self : Don’t tell your kids a week before an event takes place… Lesson learned.
Hopefully by this weekend, Jonathan’s work will have slowed down enough for him to be home and we can enjoy the last few days of break together as a family.
How is your Spring Break? Do you have the week off?
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Since moving into our house, we’ve been talking about painting our front door. The biggest struggle was figuring out what color we wanted to use. Then about two weeks ago, I saw this ::
I knew, just knew, that we needed to paint our door blue. After narrowing down our choices from 15+ paint options to 6, we finally went with this ::
I sanded and washed down the door. Then I spent Tuesday afternoon/evening painting and putting on new hardware. All. By. Myself. I am woman, hear my roar. I’ve never painted a door and I’ve never used exterior paint. I was pretty surprised at how quickly the paint dried, which made the process go much faster than I expected. Putting together the hardware proved to be the most time consuming. But with drill in hand, I got the dead bolt and lever installed with only a few hiccups along with way.
In person the color pops and is beautiful. Beautiful. And I love it.
But Jonathan isn’t a fan. He thinks it’s too bright and pops too much and doesn’t go with all the green around the outside. He wants to go with a darker blue {think navy blue}. Sorry to throw you under the blog bus babe, but, dear readers, here’s where you can help…
Do you think the color is too bright?
We’ve agreed to leave the color for at least a month until I can add in some accents to make the colors flow together more. Until then, give me your honest opinion…
Should we stay with this color?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Disclaimer :: I want to clarify that Jonathan and I aren’t fighting about the door color. Any arguing points {which I wouldn’t even call it an arguing, but rather differing opinions} are all in good fun. It’s a door, after all.
Joseph Judea – 4 Months Old
Posted on: March 4, 2012
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Joseph turned 4 months old today! It is his “golden” month – turning four months on the fourth!
This little man loves him some bath time. Without fail, he almost always pees while getting a bath. And without fail, I crack up every time. I’m not sure if that makes me as juvenile as a junior high kid, but I can’t help it. Perhaps it doesn’t help having two giggling girls either.
This weekend was absolutely gorgeous. Sorry to all my non-Texan friends who are still in the throws of winter. Spring time has fully arrived here in our fair state. And while you might be hating me now, trust me, you will not envy the summer that we are sure to have.
Joseph celebrated his “golden” month by taking a trip to the Austin Kite Festival, followed by an evening spent swinging. We discovered that Joseph is quite the escape artist already, as he managed to get his arms out from under the swing’s safety straps every time we put them on. Tricky little boy…
Over the last couple of weeks, Joseph has “discovered” Jack. One afternoon, Jack got right up in his face; Joseph’s eyes got super big, he shook his head, and I am most certain the thought “holy smokes, what IS that thing?!?” crossed his mind. Since then, both of been pretty smitten. Joseph likes to have stare downs with Jack during tummy time. Jack is always obliging, especially if he can get a face lick in {which is what he was just about to do when I snapped that picture}. All you non-dog folk can go ahead and “ewww” all you like. Face licks in this house are a dime a dozen. Builds the immune system, or so I tell myself.
Joseph is by far our most laid back child. He’s content most of the time, giving us far more giggles and smiles then cries. He sleeps just like I’d expect any of my children to sleep, and I’m cherishing the nights we have together. He still gets into bed with us after his first nighttime feeding, and I love snuggling with him through the rest of the night. He’s had a little cold – runny nose, slight cough – and I think sleeping next to me has really helped keep him feeling safe and relaxed while his body is fighting the yuckies.
Other Joseph-isms ::
– he started rolling over right before he turned 3 months
– oddly enough, after showing us his new trick for several days {even letting us film it}, he’s completely boycotted rolling over
– after several mama-friends confirmed my belief, it does look like Joseph has a little tooth bud on his bottom right side
Am I Pretty?
Posted on: March 2, 2012
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“Am I pretty?”
Julia asks me this question on a near daily basis. She is figuring out the world around her, figuring out what she considers pretty {or beautiful} and wants to know how she compares. “Am I pretty like this flower, mama? Am I pretty like this dress, mama? Am I truly pretty?”
Each time she asks, I answer with a resounding “YES! You are beautiful!”. But I don’t stop there. I tell her why she’s beautiful.
She’s kind. She’s thoughtful. She’s smart. She’s great at encouragement. She’s obedient. She’s funny.
These are the things that make her pretty.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Proverbs 31:30
“Am I pretty?”
I realize how often I ask this question, it just comes in different forms. “Am I thin enough? Am I attractive enough? Am I good enough? Am I truly pretty?”
While running the half marathon, I spent the whole time listening to a series our church did on idols. Every person has an idol in the life; something they value more than God; something that they desire above all else. I realized one of my idols is my body {or imagine}. I’ve listened to what the world says about women and bought their lies. I’ve ignored the truth.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.
The problem with idols is that they leave you hollow. Empty and longing for more. Even if you achieve what you desire, it will not give you what you want. A runner’s body will not make me happy, it will not take away self doubt, it will not make me feel confident, it will not make me feel loved.
I’ve been taking time this week to really lay my imagine idol before the Lord. It’s hard. There is nearly 30 years of wrong thinking I am trying to undo. Lies I am having to let go. But finally, I don’t want my body to come first. I don’t want that idea of who I should be, to take precedence over who I am meant to be.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.
When I am old and grey, I want my kids to say “Our mom was a woman who feared the Lord.” I don’t want there to be something in my life, something so fleeting, so empty, that it takes away my joy, my contentment, my identity in Christ.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.
I won’t always remember that fearing God is greater than worldly beauty. But daily I will challenge myself to cling to God’s truth and promises. This world is deceptive and does not last, but fear of the Lord will bring me praise.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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