Saturday, June 23, 2007
I've finally figured it out...
I took me 5 months, but I've just recently learned that the trick to getting Emily to smile for a picture is to play peek-a-boo with her by peeking out from behind the camera... it's the only way to really get that scrunched up face smile that she does so well. I'm still trying to master the timing of the shots so we can get a pict of the truly scrunched up nose and squinty eyes that she gives us at the peek of her smiles.
For Tom... Happy Father's Day!
Here's a fun blast from the past... two of my favorite guys..
This was posted previously in our blog just a few days after we first met Emily. The two of them continue to have a wonderful bond and they never cease to make me smile when I watch them playing together.
This was posted previously in our blog just a few days after we first met Emily. The two of them continue to have a wonderful bond and they never cease to make me smile when I watch them playing together.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Video to Share
I ran across this Mark Schultz video today and really enjoyed it. I am so thankful to Emily's birth mom for the gift that she gave to her daughter and our family. We don't know much about Emily's birth mom and what we do know we will share in a loving manner when Emily is ready to hear about her. Emily will know that she has been adopted and that her birth mom loved her so much that she went to a maternity hospital to make sure that Emily got the proper care she needed when it was time for her to be born (10 weeks early). I can't imagine how scared she might have been or how difficult it might have been for her to leave Emily in the care of the doctors and nurses in the hospital. We are forever grateful.
Lyrics - "Everything to Me" by Mark Schultz
I must have felt your tears
When they took me from your arms
I’m sure I must have heard you say goodbye
Lonely and afraid had you made a big mistake
Could an ocean even hold the tears you cried
But you had dreams for me
You wanted the best for me
And you made the only choice you could that night
(Chorus)
You gave life to me
A brand new world to see
Like playing baseball in the yard with dad at night
Mom reading Goodnight Moon
And praying in my room
So if you worry if your choice was right
You gave me up but you gave everything to me
And if I saw you on the street
Would you know that it was me
And would your eyes be blue or green like mine
Would we share a warm embrace
Would you know me in your heart
Or would you smile and let me walk on by
Knowing you had dreams for me
You wanted the best for me
And I hope that you’d be proud of who I am
(Chorus)
You gave life to me
A chance to find my dreams
And a chance to fall in love
You should have seen her shining face
On our wedding day
Oh is this the dream you had in mind
When you gave me up
You gave everything to me
And when I see you there
Watching from heaven’s gates
Into your arms
I’m gonna run
And when you look in my eyes
You can see my whole life
See who I was
And who I’ve become
(Chorus)
[www.lyricsmania.com]
Lyrics - "Everything to Me" by Mark Schultz
I must have felt your tears
When they took me from your arms
I’m sure I must have heard you say goodbye
Lonely and afraid had you made a big mistake
Could an ocean even hold the tears you cried
But you had dreams for me
You wanted the best for me
And you made the only choice you could that night
(Chorus)
You gave life to me
A brand new world to see
Like playing baseball in the yard with dad at night
Mom reading Goodnight Moon
And praying in my room
So if you worry if your choice was right
You gave me up but you gave everything to me
And if I saw you on the street
Would you know that it was me
And would your eyes be blue or green like mine
Would we share a warm embrace
Would you know me in your heart
Or would you smile and let me walk on by
Knowing you had dreams for me
You wanted the best for me
And I hope that you’d be proud of who I am
(Chorus)
You gave life to me
A chance to find my dreams
And a chance to fall in love
You should have seen her shining face
On our wedding day
Oh is this the dream you had in mind
When you gave me up
You gave everything to me
And when I see you there
Watching from heaven’s gates
Into your arms
I’m gonna run
And when you look in my eyes
You can see my whole life
See who I was
And who I’ve become
(Chorus)
[www.lyricsmania.com]
Friday, June 08, 2007
Another update...
I'm beginning to realize there is a direct correlation with the mobility of a child and the number of blog entries posted. Now, I've never been a math major (thank goodness!) but it seems the faster my kid moves the slower I become at keeping my blog updated. Emily has been crawling with a furry and has become quite proficient at it. We have gated off our living room so she is typically confined to this area while we're hanging out at home. In other news, you have my deepest apologies for that and I hope to beg your forgiveness by posting pictures today of a few things you've missed over the past couple of weeks!
Two weeks ago, Emily was pulling herself up on my pant legs and my pant legs only in order to get up into a standing position. Last week, she started pulling up on the couch, toys, gates, crib and anything else she could get her tiny little hands on. This girl loves to be standing tall! A couple of weeks ago we had to work with her in PT to learn to shift her weight from one leg to the other in order to start "walking" forward. After a few tries at that she learned it on her own. Now, she loves to hold onto our fingers and walk everywhere. It won't be much longer and she'll be doing this on her own. Look out world! She's coming to get you!
- - - - - -
Emily has several different ways she soothes herself to sleep. When we first brought her home from Kazakhstan she would put 2 or 3 fingers in her mouth with her hand turned upside down. We haven't seen that move in a while and now she mostly puts the back of her hand, her wrist or her forearm up to her lips. Sometimes she sucks on her arm or hand but mostly she just barely touch her lips and that seems to do the trick.
Once she has worked her magic she falls off into a sweet slumber bliss.
Speaking of sleeping... Emily still greets me with a smile each morning when I go in to get her from her crib. The other day she was really zonked out from the night before. Welcome to Emily's new sleeping position!
We usually start our days by playing while I work on getting our breakfast ready. She's getting much more flexible and is able to not only sit up on her own now but she's also sitting on her knees to play.
Ryan and Emily have been becoming best buds. She loves to watch him and they frequently make faces at each other and have staring contests. I spend some time on Sunday mornings getting coffee ready for the worship café and Ryan is quick to help with keeping his sister occupied.
Emily's teeth are coming in more and more each day. She's in the process switching from formula to whole milk and we are eating more and more big people food each day as well. Here's a big toothie grin for y'all!
We have a new swing in the backyard that Em got for her birthday from Grandma and Grandpa. She likes to hold on while she's swinging and we're glad that she does!
Our church had a cookout this week and here are some snaps of the fun!
Until next time... Be Blessed!
Tom and Jenni
Two weeks ago, Emily was pulling herself up on my pant legs and my pant legs only in order to get up into a standing position. Last week, she started pulling up on the couch, toys, gates, crib and anything else she could get her tiny little hands on. This girl loves to be standing tall! A couple of weeks ago we had to work with her in PT to learn to shift her weight from one leg to the other in order to start "walking" forward. After a few tries at that she learned it on her own. Now, she loves to hold onto our fingers and walk everywhere. It won't be much longer and she'll be doing this on her own. Look out world! She's coming to get you!
- - - - - -
Emily has several different ways she soothes herself to sleep. When we first brought her home from Kazakhstan she would put 2 or 3 fingers in her mouth with her hand turned upside down. We haven't seen that move in a while and now she mostly puts the back of her hand, her wrist or her forearm up to her lips. Sometimes she sucks on her arm or hand but mostly she just barely touch her lips and that seems to do the trick.
Once she has worked her magic she falls off into a sweet slumber bliss.
Speaking of sleeping... Emily still greets me with a smile each morning when I go in to get her from her crib. The other day she was really zonked out from the night before. Welcome to Emily's new sleeping position!
We usually start our days by playing while I work on getting our breakfast ready. She's getting much more flexible and is able to not only sit up on her own now but she's also sitting on her knees to play.
Ryan and Emily have been becoming best buds. She loves to watch him and they frequently make faces at each other and have staring contests. I spend some time on Sunday mornings getting coffee ready for the worship café and Ryan is quick to help with keeping his sister occupied.
Emily's teeth are coming in more and more each day. She's in the process switching from formula to whole milk and we are eating more and more big people food each day as well. Here's a big toothie grin for y'all!
We have a new swing in the backyard that Em got for her birthday from Grandma and Grandpa. She likes to hold on while she's swinging and we're glad that she does!
Our church had a cookout this week and here are some snaps of the fun!
Until next time... Be Blessed!
Tom and Jenni
Thursday, May 24, 2007
More Teeth!
I forgot to post this earlier but baby girl now has her 4th tooth and is starting to look more and more like a little person as opposed to a gummy old lady! Her 2nd top front tooth came in around Tuesday this week!
Tom also caught her up on her knees in the crib the other day playing with her crib toy. She is sitting up on her very well now and it takes almost no effort for her to do so. She gets around very well and very quickly!
Emily and Ryan are the highlights of our lives and they bring so much joy. Ryan has been such a great big brother and he's so helpful and thoughtful in making sure everything gets carried out to the car and back into the house for all of our weekend adventures. And, Emily loves her big brother. Even though she's lost most of their staring contests so far, she LOVES staring at him! (I'm not quite sure she understands the rules yet and with an attention span as long as mine she finds something else to look at to distract her from the game.)
Tom also caught her up on her knees in the crib the other day playing with her crib toy. She is sitting up on her very well now and it takes almost no effort for her to do so. She gets around very well and very quickly!
Emily and Ryan are the highlights of our lives and they bring so much joy. Ryan has been such a great big brother and he's so helpful and thoughtful in making sure everything gets carried out to the car and back into the house for all of our weekend adventures. And, Emily loves her big brother. Even though she's lost most of their staring contests so far, she LOVES staring at him! (I'm not quite sure she understands the rules yet and with an attention span as long as mine she finds something else to look at to distract her from the game.)
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Emily's Mom
Emily took a trip with Tom and I to Children's Hospital's Northwest Office this afternoon. Since there was so little recorded about her birth history in Kazakhstan, our pediatrician asked that we do a little investigating to learn a little more.
This is old news to some of you, but Emily was born 10 weeks premature... that's about 2 1/2 months early. Her records indicated a cerebral hemorrhage at birth but stated nothing about the severity of it. It could be very minor and cause no problems for her in the future or it could cause complications later on. The big buzz word that keeps getting thrown around by the doctors is cerebral palsy. Because of this, our pediatrician just wants to get a peek inside that noggin of Em's and map out what we might be dealing with this.
In order to "map out" Emily's brain, our pediatrician has requested that we get an MRI done. Again, this is just so we know what we're dealing with -- not because we suspect any problems. We are still working with the kind people at Marion's Help Me Grow and they have been phenomenal at plugging us into the proper channels to get things done. It's not always the most streamlined, but in the long run it's probably best for Emily. Help Me Grow has referred us to the Marion County Health Center for Emily's Occupational Therapy (which she was done with after 2 visits) and for Physical Therapy (which we still go to once a week). They have also referred us to the Marion County Health Department in order to complete an application for BCMH (Bureau for Children's Medical Handicaps). In my very basic understanding of BCMH, this is state funding that will kick in on the MRI after our insurance picks up their part. We were encouraged to go this route so we wouldn't have to pay as much out of pocket on the MRI (on whatever insurance didn't cover). At least I think that's right!
One thing about having a kid is that I now have to learn all that insurance stuff that I never had to bother with or cared about before. Tom and I very rarely had to use our insurance until our little blessing came along. Now, it's baptism by fire... or something like that! ;-)
Anywho... back to the regularly scheduled program!
As part of the BCMH red tape we had to see a neurologist prior to getting the MRI done. That was what our trip to Children's was for. In the course of 3 1/2 months (since we came home), I have lost my identity as Jenni Hypes. I am now the lady formerly known as Jenni Hypes -- otherwise known as "Emily's mom". The nurses at the doctor's office referred to me as such. After I checked in, when it was time to fill out some paperwork I heard "Emily's mom!". When they had a question for me it was the same... "Emily's mom!". It's not such a bad thing and made me giggle each time they said it.
I can see it now... instead of answering my phone with my typical "Hi. This is Jenni." schpeal I just might have to start saying "Hi. This is Emily's mom." All you moms know it's true. When you walk into a room with young children and their parents, the parents in the room quickly become simply the puppet handlers... invisible to the naked eye. I do it too! I frequently say hello and goodbye to the little tikes and forget that mom and dad are in the room too. Heheh... oh, well. Such is life.
Well, now that you know that highly important part of the visit, I can share that all went well. Dr. Khuhro did seem to notice some stiffness in Emily's legs but other than that said her skull was forming well and he didn't see any signs of her brain not developing correctly. (Yes, I know her brain is not in her legs! But stiffness can be a sign of CP so they check for it! Hehehe) He ask for an MRI to be scheduled as our pediatrician has requested and also said that from what he's seen so far he probably won't need to see us again.
This is good news and basically what we expected to hear! At times, I feel like we are almost being encouraged to look for problems but I keep reminding myself that we truly don't know much about Emily's birth and the circumstances around it. All we have to go by are some really scary medical terms on a sheet of paper and on top of that we've been told that "sometimes" the doctors that are trained in the Russian-based medical schools put lots of labels on things that aren't necessarily as serious as they sound. In other words, nearly all children coming out of the Baby Houses in Kazakhstan are labeled with a lot of the same diagnoses and many of the terms are nothing to be concerned about. They view childbirth has a tramatic experience that is basically a miracle if you survive. It's something that all children must "overcome". They have a much more pessimistic view when compared with childbirth in the U.S.
With all that being said, we continue to be amazed at Emily's rapid progress and the new things she's learning each day. She's a tough kid and is still very content and adaptable. We get frequent comments on what a good baby she is and how happy she seems. We've been told by an older lady at our previous church that she has "a peaches and cream complexion" and I think that's about the best way to put it. She always has rosie cheeks and a happy glow about her. She loves to laugh at her daddy and he loves to make her laugh. Seeing them play together melts my heart.
We were in the waiting room for a while this afternoon after our appointment as we waited to get the MRI scheduled with Children's main campus. Tom likes to sit Emily on his head and play with her on the couch but this time he fully put her on his shoulders while we were waiting and she let out the biggest belly laughs. Here's a snippet for your enjoyment!
This is old news to some of you, but Emily was born 10 weeks premature... that's about 2 1/2 months early. Her records indicated a cerebral hemorrhage at birth but stated nothing about the severity of it. It could be very minor and cause no problems for her in the future or it could cause complications later on. The big buzz word that keeps getting thrown around by the doctors is cerebral palsy. Because of this, our pediatrician just wants to get a peek inside that noggin of Em's and map out what we might be dealing with this.
In order to "map out" Emily's brain, our pediatrician has requested that we get an MRI done. Again, this is just so we know what we're dealing with -- not because we suspect any problems. We are still working with the kind people at Marion's Help Me Grow and they have been phenomenal at plugging us into the proper channels to get things done. It's not always the most streamlined, but in the long run it's probably best for Emily. Help Me Grow has referred us to the Marion County Health Center for Emily's Occupational Therapy (which she was done with after 2 visits) and for Physical Therapy (which we still go to once a week). They have also referred us to the Marion County Health Department in order to complete an application for BCMH (Bureau for Children's Medical Handicaps). In my very basic understanding of BCMH, this is state funding that will kick in on the MRI after our insurance picks up their part. We were encouraged to go this route so we wouldn't have to pay as much out of pocket on the MRI (on whatever insurance didn't cover). At least I think that's right!
One thing about having a kid is that I now have to learn all that insurance stuff that I never had to bother with or cared about before. Tom and I very rarely had to use our insurance until our little blessing came along. Now, it's baptism by fire... or something like that! ;-)
Anywho... back to the regularly scheduled program!
As part of the BCMH red tape we had to see a neurologist prior to getting the MRI done. That was what our trip to Children's was for. In the course of 3 1/2 months (since we came home), I have lost my identity as Jenni Hypes. I am now the lady formerly known as Jenni Hypes -- otherwise known as "Emily's mom". The nurses at the doctor's office referred to me as such. After I checked in, when it was time to fill out some paperwork I heard "Emily's mom!". When they had a question for me it was the same... "Emily's mom!". It's not such a bad thing and made me giggle each time they said it.
I can see it now... instead of answering my phone with my typical "Hi. This is Jenni." schpeal I just might have to start saying "Hi. This is Emily's mom." All you moms know it's true. When you walk into a room with young children and their parents, the parents in the room quickly become simply the puppet handlers... invisible to the naked eye. I do it too! I frequently say hello and goodbye to the little tikes and forget that mom and dad are in the room too. Heheh... oh, well. Such is life.
Well, now that you know that highly important part of the visit, I can share that all went well. Dr. Khuhro did seem to notice some stiffness in Emily's legs but other than that said her skull was forming well and he didn't see any signs of her brain not developing correctly. (Yes, I know her brain is not in her legs! But stiffness can be a sign of CP so they check for it! Hehehe) He ask for an MRI to be scheduled as our pediatrician has requested and also said that from what he's seen so far he probably won't need to see us again.
This is good news and basically what we expected to hear! At times, I feel like we are almost being encouraged to look for problems but I keep reminding myself that we truly don't know much about Emily's birth and the circumstances around it. All we have to go by are some really scary medical terms on a sheet of paper and on top of that we've been told that "sometimes" the doctors that are trained in the Russian-based medical schools put lots of labels on things that aren't necessarily as serious as they sound. In other words, nearly all children coming out of the Baby Houses in Kazakhstan are labeled with a lot of the same diagnoses and many of the terms are nothing to be concerned about. They view childbirth has a tramatic experience that is basically a miracle if you survive. It's something that all children must "overcome". They have a much more pessimistic view when compared with childbirth in the U.S.
With all that being said, we continue to be amazed at Emily's rapid progress and the new things she's learning each day. She's a tough kid and is still very content and adaptable. We get frequent comments on what a good baby she is and how happy she seems. We've been told by an older lady at our previous church that she has "a peaches and cream complexion" and I think that's about the best way to put it. She always has rosie cheeks and a happy glow about her. She loves to laugh at her daddy and he loves to make her laugh. Seeing them play together melts my heart.
We were in the waiting room for a while this afternoon after our appointment as we waited to get the MRI scheduled with Children's main campus. Tom likes to sit Emily on his head and play with her on the couch but this time he fully put her on his shoulders while we were waiting and she let out the biggest belly laughs. Here's a snippet for your enjoyment!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Teeth, Crawling and BIRTHDAYS!
Since my last "real" post on the 8th we've been quite busy.
THURSDAY, May 10
We had Aunt Michelle and Aunt Laura over for supper and to celebrate Em's birthday a little early. She ate "real" table food for the first time (all by herself too!)... cooked, diced carrots and did really well! She got some really cool birthday presents and especially loves to play with her new singing pots and pans.
FRIDAY, MAY 11
Emily had physical therapy again. She's definitely getting better at crawling. I learned some more tricks to get her to sit up on her own, some more stretching techniques and some other things to get her crawling a little better. I expressed some concern that over the weekend she regressed for a few days and started standing on her tiptoes again, arching her back more and tighting/straightening up again when I was trying to change her diapers. It was all a bit scary but I was reassured that this was normal after kids have been sick and especially after they've had a big growth spurt (which I'm certain Em has just experienced)! This is caused by bones growing faster than muscle and we had to stretch all those muscles all over again to get them caught up. It took us a few more days of stretching and she seems to be getting back to normal again. It sounds like we might run into this problem each time she has a major growth spurt for a while but at least we'll know what's going on next time so it's not quite so scary.
SATURDAY, May 12
I volunteered at a local food pantry this morning while Emily stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. She went with them to the Ladies Spring Banquet at their church and I joined them as soon as I could after my work was done. After that, we went home and napped for a couple of hours before heading off to Johnstown to celebrate Mother's Day and Em's birthday with Tom's parents. It was a great evening and Em had lots of smiles to share even and hour and a half after her bed time. She loves spending time with family and friends and holds off on sleep because she doesn't want to miss a thing. The good part though is that she hasn't gotten cranky when she does that (so far)... but she definitely fell asleep as soon as the car started rolling home!
SUNDAY, MAY 13
Emily and I had nursery duty at church and then we went to Grandma Isler's house after lunch to celebrate Mother's Day with that side of the family. Emily received a few 1st birthday cards and again loved spending time with her family.
Some time over the weekend Em's 3rd tooth broke through. She now has 2 bottom teeth and 1 top one. The 2nd top tooth isn't too far behind...we can see it on it's way!
MONDAY, MAY 14 (OUR FAVORITE DAY!)
Emily turned 1 year old! She spent the day at "daycare" -- otherwise known as Grandma and Grandpa's. She even had her own mini party and birthday cake with them. In the evening we played with Emily and let her stay up late playing with her new toys.
TUESDAY, MAY 15
Today brought all kinds of new things with it. Grandma happened to have a video camera out when Emily decided it was a good time to sit up (on her own!) for the first time! And then, she let me witness that skill 2 more times later that night. She's also become very adept at crawling. I sat her down in the living room in front of her toys while I walked around the corner to get supper ready in the kitchen. To my surprise, a couple of minutes later I heard a little shuffle in the doorway and had "followed" me about 20 feet away to the kitchen. She's a sneaky little thing!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16
Tonight we celebrated Em's birthday AGAIN with another cake. This one was sent home over the weekend by the Hypes' and I had promised to take some pictures of Em sinking her teeth (gums) into it. It's a good thing I had a digital camera... I took over 20 pictures of just her making a mess of her piece of cake and then another handful of the post-cake clean-up.
Never fear.... she's still squeaky clean!!!
Now, in retrospect, I probably ought to update this blog a little more often... I can't believe this entry is already over 8 paragraphs long! Sorry about that!
THURSDAY, May 10
We had Aunt Michelle and Aunt Laura over for supper and to celebrate Em's birthday a little early. She ate "real" table food for the first time (all by herself too!)... cooked, diced carrots and did really well! She got some really cool birthday presents and especially loves to play with her new singing pots and pans.
FRIDAY, MAY 11
Emily had physical therapy again. She's definitely getting better at crawling. I learned some more tricks to get her to sit up on her own, some more stretching techniques and some other things to get her crawling a little better. I expressed some concern that over the weekend she regressed for a few days and started standing on her tiptoes again, arching her back more and tighting/straightening up again when I was trying to change her diapers. It was all a bit scary but I was reassured that this was normal after kids have been sick and especially after they've had a big growth spurt (which I'm certain Em has just experienced)! This is caused by bones growing faster than muscle and we had to stretch all those muscles all over again to get them caught up. It took us a few more days of stretching and she seems to be getting back to normal again. It sounds like we might run into this problem each time she has a major growth spurt for a while but at least we'll know what's going on next time so it's not quite so scary.
SATURDAY, May 12
I volunteered at a local food pantry this morning while Emily stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. She went with them to the Ladies Spring Banquet at their church and I joined them as soon as I could after my work was done. After that, we went home and napped for a couple of hours before heading off to Johnstown to celebrate Mother's Day and Em's birthday with Tom's parents. It was a great evening and Em had lots of smiles to share even and hour and a half after her bed time. She loves spending time with family and friends and holds off on sleep because she doesn't want to miss a thing. The good part though is that she hasn't gotten cranky when she does that (so far)... but she definitely fell asleep as soon as the car started rolling home!
SUNDAY, MAY 13
Emily and I had nursery duty at church and then we went to Grandma Isler's house after lunch to celebrate Mother's Day with that side of the family. Emily received a few 1st birthday cards and again loved spending time with her family.
Some time over the weekend Em's 3rd tooth broke through. She now has 2 bottom teeth and 1 top one. The 2nd top tooth isn't too far behind...we can see it on it's way!
MONDAY, MAY 14 (OUR FAVORITE DAY!)
Emily turned 1 year old! She spent the day at "daycare" -- otherwise known as Grandma and Grandpa's. She even had her own mini party and birthday cake with them. In the evening we played with Emily and let her stay up late playing with her new toys.
TUESDAY, MAY 15
Today brought all kinds of new things with it. Grandma happened to have a video camera out when Emily decided it was a good time to sit up (on her own!) for the first time! And then, she let me witness that skill 2 more times later that night. She's also become very adept at crawling. I sat her down in the living room in front of her toys while I walked around the corner to get supper ready in the kitchen. To my surprise, a couple of minutes later I heard a little shuffle in the doorway and had "followed" me about 20 feet away to the kitchen. She's a sneaky little thing!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16
Tonight we celebrated Em's birthday AGAIN with another cake. This one was sent home over the weekend by the Hypes' and I had promised to take some pictures of Em sinking her teeth (gums) into it. It's a good thing I had a digital camera... I took over 20 pictures of just her making a mess of her piece of cake and then another handful of the post-cake clean-up.
Never fear.... she's still squeaky clean!!!
Now, in retrospect, I probably ought to update this blog a little more often... I can't believe this entry is already over 8 paragraphs long! Sorry about that!
Friday, May 11, 2007
My job description...
Another email I just couldn't resist passing along to all of Emily's reader's.
POSITION:
Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy, Momma, Ma
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT &PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.
HAPPY MOTHER'D DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS OUT THERE! And... to those of you who might be mom's but just don't know it yet... my daughter was born on Mother's Day last year. I didn't feel like celebrating at the time but in retrospect it was a pretty good day... we just didn't know that until 8 mos. later!
Take care and be blessed! We still appreciate your comments on the blog!
POSITION:
Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy, Momma, Ma
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT &PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.
HAPPY MOTHER'D DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS OUT THERE! And... to those of you who might be mom's but just don't know it yet... my daughter was born on Mother's Day last year. I didn't feel like celebrating at the time but in retrospect it was a pretty good day... we just didn't know that until 8 mos. later!
Take care and be blessed! We still appreciate your comments on the blog!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Look Out World Here I Come!
Today is the first day that Emily has truly shown her commitment to crawling!
I also noticed I still owe you some pictures from the past couple of weeks...
A few of the teachers at the middle school threw a baby shower for Emily at the end of April... Once again, we have been so blessed with such caring co-workers and friends.
After the party was over, the girls continued their conversation while the grown-ups cleaned up.
I know it doesn't look like it, but Spencer was actually leaning into this "petting". He usually admires Emily from a distance but was under the impression that someone was going to pet him if he got brave.
Emily is still fascinated by the camera but at least now I can sometimes con her into smiling for a photo op.
Here's a little carry-over from our Karen Kingsbury event at the store. This is the staff at The Shepherd's Nook.
I also noticed I still owe you some pictures from the past couple of weeks...
A few of the teachers at the middle school threw a baby shower for Emily at the end of April... Once again, we have been so blessed with such caring co-workers and friends.
After the party was over, the girls continued their conversation while the grown-ups cleaned up.
I know it doesn't look like it, but Spencer was actually leaning into this "petting". He usually admires Emily from a distance but was under the impression that someone was going to pet him if he got brave.
Emily is still fascinated by the camera but at least now I can sometimes con her into smiling for a photo op.
Here's a little carry-over from our Karen Kingsbury event at the store. This is the staff at The Shepherd's Nook.
Monday, May 07, 2007
The Price of Children
I got this in an email this morning and thought it was worth sharing...
- - - - - - - - - - -
The Price of Children
This is too good not to pass on to all. Something positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* Wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay or Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren!!!!!!!
- - - - - - - - - - -
The Price of Children
This is too good not to pass on to all. Something positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* Wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay or Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren!!!!!!!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Getting Better...
... at least we hope when gravity is working to her advantage and she's sitting on Daddy's head... ;-)
Emily's ickiness had another bad day or two before it started getting better. We (Emily and I) decided to stay home from church on Sunday to give her another day to rest up and to give me another day to see how she was doing... it was a long, fussy day. She usually only naps for about 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Sunday morning she napped for 3 hours!
I took Emily to the doctor on Monday to see if there was something we could give her to help her feel better. Cold medicine definitely wasn't doing a thing for her. According to the doctor, Emily's been fighting bronchiolitis... a lower respiratory infection that seems to only cause problems for kids under about 12 mos. old. At that age, their lungs aren't developed enough to fight it off. The doctor also seemed to think this might be what they were talking about when the babyhouse doctors were saying she was quite susceptible to respiratory infections. We've taken her off the cold medicine and have only given baby tylenol if she's really uncomfortable.
It's now about a week since she started showing symptoms and she's on the upswing. Our baby girl is now smiling again and although not back to 100% she's definitely getting there. She still sounds like she's got a "smoker's cough" and she's come to dislike anything that looks like a tissue coming towards her schnozola.
In other news related to "Getting Better", I got to spend my 35th birthday yesterday with best-selling Christian fiction author, Karen Kingsbury and her family... and our family and friends through our store. Our store's name was pulled in a drawing at a Christian bookseller's conference earlier this year to have Karen Kingsbury come to our store for a booksigning, dinner with the staff and a speaking engagement.
On a personal note, I was anxious about this event because I had met Karen about a year ago and she struck me as one of the very few "famous" authors, musicians, etc. that we've met at these things over the years that seemed truly genuine. Yes, unfortunately, Tom and I have become a bit jaded over the years from some of the things we've seen behind the scenes at these gatherings. I was worried my impression would be ruined. No worries friends! Karen and her family (husband, Don and 6 children came too!) are the real deal and strive to be humble and follow Christ in everything they do. They treated her (Karen's) readers and retailers as friends not as business partners. Karen had people lining up for her booksigning 2 1/2 hours early and she spoke with each and every person and took pictures of each of them for her website. She stayed at the school where the speaking engagement was until 10:30pm when every last person had been spoken to and had their books signed. And... she was even happy to eat my salad and finish off my sweet potato at supper! ;-) It did my heart good to enjoy this birthday with our new friends and our friends from the store.
Emily's ickiness had another bad day or two before it started getting better. We (Emily and I) decided to stay home from church on Sunday to give her another day to rest up and to give me another day to see how she was doing... it was a long, fussy day. She usually only naps for about 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Sunday morning she napped for 3 hours!
I took Emily to the doctor on Monday to see if there was something we could give her to help her feel better. Cold medicine definitely wasn't doing a thing for her. According to the doctor, Emily's been fighting bronchiolitis... a lower respiratory infection that seems to only cause problems for kids under about 12 mos. old. At that age, their lungs aren't developed enough to fight it off. The doctor also seemed to think this might be what they were talking about when the babyhouse doctors were saying she was quite susceptible to respiratory infections. We've taken her off the cold medicine and have only given baby tylenol if she's really uncomfortable.
It's now about a week since she started showing symptoms and she's on the upswing. Our baby girl is now smiling again and although not back to 100% she's definitely getting there. She still sounds like she's got a "smoker's cough" and she's come to dislike anything that looks like a tissue coming towards her schnozola.
In other news related to "Getting Better", I got to spend my 35th birthday yesterday with best-selling Christian fiction author, Karen Kingsbury and her family... and our family and friends through our store. Our store's name was pulled in a drawing at a Christian bookseller's conference earlier this year to have Karen Kingsbury come to our store for a booksigning, dinner with the staff and a speaking engagement.
On a personal note, I was anxious about this event because I had met Karen about a year ago and she struck me as one of the very few "famous" authors, musicians, etc. that we've met at these things over the years that seemed truly genuine. Yes, unfortunately, Tom and I have become a bit jaded over the years from some of the things we've seen behind the scenes at these gatherings. I was worried my impression would be ruined. No worries friends! Karen and her family (husband, Don and 6 children came too!) are the real deal and strive to be humble and follow Christ in everything they do. They treated her (Karen's) readers and retailers as friends not as business partners. Karen had people lining up for her booksigning 2 1/2 hours early and she spoke with each and every person and took pictures of each of them for her website. She stayed at the school where the speaking engagement was until 10:30pm when every last person had been spoken to and had their books signed. And... she was even happy to eat my salad and finish off my sweet potato at supper! ;-) It did my heart good to enjoy this birthday with our new friends and our friends from the store.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Big Day.. and, um, Grossness.
Hmmm, where do I start today's post...
Yesterday, after work and all day today, I went with 4 others from our church to the Women of Faith Conference in Columbus. It was a first for all of us and we had a really good time. It not only brought our group of women closer together but gave us a temporary break from life so we could regain perspective and come back to life refreshed and ready to face the challenges ahead... and then I came home... ready... to face... the challenges...
Tom did a great job caring for Emily while I was gone. I left a post-it note with schedules and instructions. The twist in the story comes when I tell you that Emily has another cold. She had just recooperated from the one she had right after Easter and within 4-5 days of that she acquired a new one. On Wednesday night she started coughing again and woke up several times in the night to cough and immediately went right back to sleep. Thursday was similar. She didn't have the runny nose this time around, just a scary, rattly cough in her chest. I put her back on cold medicine and it didn't seem to do much until Friday night. This morning, she woke up still coughing, but had a runny nose.
Tom did an excellent job taking care of Emily and had to take her to my parents' house today so he could go to work. There was a note in the diaper bag tonight from Mom that Emily had a somewhat fussy day and was tired but kept waking up from coughing so she didn't sleep much either. After work, Tom picked her up again and they headed to Columbus to get Ryan. He said she slept most of the way to Columbus and at least halfway home. I'm guessing that was probably because she was sitting upright in her carseat and not laying down where her sinuses were draining and making her cough.
Now, the fun part! Emily actually had her first semblance of a crawl today! We're going to have to start being on our toes. She wasn't in the best of moods but was doing her best to make it over to me while I was laying on the floor in front of her. It was more of a combat crawl (not really up on her knees) but it was still a forward movement! She's been rolling all over the place and recently pushing herself backwards while on her back and tummy. She did it (combat crawled) at least 3 different times tonight that I witnessed. Now... we'll have to see if she remembers this trick tomorrow.
Ok, now you're wondering about the "grossness" part of today's title... at this point you can also really start wondering why I share every little detail of our lives with you. The part that makes me chuckle is that for a guy, Tom is really pretty easy to gross out and he will be grossed out that I'm putting this in writing... hehehe... oh well, I take weird pleasure in making his stomach turn. Emily was at her finest in "class lady etiquette" tonight. Remember the runny nose? We had plenty of nose bubbles tonight! The more I wiped her nose, the more upset she got and the more bubbles we seemed to achieve. (No, I didn't take pictures and if I did... posting them might pass the gross stage for even me!)
Emily also surprised me toward the end of the evening by not downing her bedtime bottle as fast as she normally does. She just acted like she was tired and started to lose interest in it. She had downed about 1/2 of it and pulled it out of her mouth and gave it a dirty look. A few seconds later it was back in her mouth. When she had finished all but the last couple of ounces she decided she was done with her bottle. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, this is new" and sat her up to see if she needed burped. After just a minute or two she decided she didn't wanted to retain the fluid in her belly and "swallowed in reverse". My sweet, little, adorable, precious, darling girl turned into a formula sprinkler head and adorned our living room floor with the former contents of her bottle. ;-) It didn't seem to phase her a bit but mother and child needed a change of clothes afterwards. How's that for creative wording? (We'll see what Tom says after he reads this!)
We're praying for a better tomorrow and I think I just might stay home from church tomorrow with Miss Em to see if we can get her to start feeling better without sharing with the rest of the folks at church. Who knows... maybe she got it out of her system tonight!
Enough for tonight... you can thank me later for NOT posting pictures with today's entry. ;-)
Take care and be blessed!
-jenni
Yesterday, after work and all day today, I went with 4 others from our church to the Women of Faith Conference in Columbus. It was a first for all of us and we had a really good time. It not only brought our group of women closer together but gave us a temporary break from life so we could regain perspective and come back to life refreshed and ready to face the challenges ahead... and then I came home... ready... to face... the challenges...
Tom did a great job caring for Emily while I was gone. I left a post-it note with schedules and instructions. The twist in the story comes when I tell you that Emily has another cold. She had just recooperated from the one she had right after Easter and within 4-5 days of that she acquired a new one. On Wednesday night she started coughing again and woke up several times in the night to cough and immediately went right back to sleep. Thursday was similar. She didn't have the runny nose this time around, just a scary, rattly cough in her chest. I put her back on cold medicine and it didn't seem to do much until Friday night. This morning, she woke up still coughing, but had a runny nose.
Tom did an excellent job taking care of Emily and had to take her to my parents' house today so he could go to work. There was a note in the diaper bag tonight from Mom that Emily had a somewhat fussy day and was tired but kept waking up from coughing so she didn't sleep much either. After work, Tom picked her up again and they headed to Columbus to get Ryan. He said she slept most of the way to Columbus and at least halfway home. I'm guessing that was probably because she was sitting upright in her carseat and not laying down where her sinuses were draining and making her cough.
Now, the fun part! Emily actually had her first semblance of a crawl today! We're going to have to start being on our toes. She wasn't in the best of moods but was doing her best to make it over to me while I was laying on the floor in front of her. It was more of a combat crawl (not really up on her knees) but it was still a forward movement! She's been rolling all over the place and recently pushing herself backwards while on her back and tummy. She did it (combat crawled) at least 3 different times tonight that I witnessed. Now... we'll have to see if she remembers this trick tomorrow.
Ok, now you're wondering about the "grossness" part of today's title... at this point you can also really start wondering why I share every little detail of our lives with you. The part that makes me chuckle is that for a guy, Tom is really pretty easy to gross out and he will be grossed out that I'm putting this in writing... hehehe... oh well, I take weird pleasure in making his stomach turn. Emily was at her finest in "class lady etiquette" tonight. Remember the runny nose? We had plenty of nose bubbles tonight! The more I wiped her nose, the more upset she got and the more bubbles we seemed to achieve. (No, I didn't take pictures and if I did... posting them might pass the gross stage for even me!)
Emily also surprised me toward the end of the evening by not downing her bedtime bottle as fast as she normally does. She just acted like she was tired and started to lose interest in it. She had downed about 1/2 of it and pulled it out of her mouth and gave it a dirty look. A few seconds later it was back in her mouth. When she had finished all but the last couple of ounces she decided she was done with her bottle. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, this is new" and sat her up to see if she needed burped. After just a minute or two she decided she didn't wanted to retain the fluid in her belly and "swallowed in reverse". My sweet, little, adorable, precious, darling girl turned into a formula sprinkler head and adorned our living room floor with the former contents of her bottle. ;-) It didn't seem to phase her a bit but mother and child needed a change of clothes afterwards. How's that for creative wording? (We'll see what Tom says after he reads this!)
We're praying for a better tomorrow and I think I just might stay home from church tomorrow with Miss Em to see if we can get her to start feeling better without sharing with the rest of the folks at church. Who knows... maybe she got it out of her system tonight!
Enough for tonight... you can thank me later for NOT posting pictures with today's entry. ;-)
Take care and be blessed!
-jenni
Monday, April 23, 2007
Not for the Queasy!
I am rejoicing today for the weirdest reason... our 11 month old daughter can finally grab her toes and put them in her mouth!
Speaking of toes... she was fascinated with Daddy's big screen TV this afternoon. First it was Judge Judy, then it was the Simpson's! This pose didn't last long.. as soon as Daddy saw what I was taking a picture of he rushed over to "hug" his daughter and rescue his TV from scary, slobbery, slimy toes! Hehehehe.
Speaking of toes... she was fascinated with Daddy's big screen TV this afternoon. First it was Judge Judy, then it was the Simpson's! This pose didn't last long.. as soon as Daddy saw what I was taking a picture of he rushed over to "hug" his daughter and rescue his TV from scary, slobbery, slimy toes! Hehehehe.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Emily Update and Pix!
Things in the Land of Em are going well. According to Mom's official "scientific" methods of measurement, she's now 18 lbs. and 27 inches long. (I believe she's gained 4 lbs. in 2 months and has grown about 2 inches!) Even though it really didn't get her down, her cold seems to have run it's course and has left the building. Thankfully, she really didn't pass it along to either of us which is surprising -- especially since she's taken great joy in wiping her nose on my face as soon as I pick her up from her crib or exersaucer. Now that the cold is gone, she's continued this trick and it has turned into a cute snuggle which is usually followed by her blowing raspberries/zerberts on my cheek or jaw. ...It's cute until her 2 little chompers decide to get in on the act. Dad's face must be a little too prickly with all those whiskers because she hasn't tried this trick on him yet.
Today is Sunday, and just since Friday afternoon's PT appointment Emily seems much more flexible. Have you ever tried changing a diaper on a straight-legged baby? It ain't easy folks! But, something must have triggered at the PT appointment and some of those muscles must be starting to relax a little. She has been much easier to change this weekend and it feels like there is less resistence.
Now that the weather has started to warm up and we're feeling the bug to take Emily out and about we decided it was time to invest in a good stroller. We have a glorified umbrella stroller that I've used a couple of times to walk down and get the mail but even my little short legs kept hitting the back axle with every step. And, if you're much taller than my ginormous 5'2" stature, you have to bend over a bit while pushing it. The next time we get out and about I'll be sure to snap a picture of Emily in her new ride for your viewing pleasure.
Speaking of your viewing pleasure, I promised some pictures in my last post. I don't have anything quite as nice as the pictures of Switzerland and France that my sister has been posting in her blog but the kiddo will have to suffice until someone wants to splurge and send me on a another trip around the world!
I've been very impressed with our kidlet over the past couple of weeks. Even with a cold, she still made amazing progress. She went from sitting up for about 10 minutes one week to sitting up for over an hour at a time. We'll spare you the nasty nose by showing you a picture from a distance... ;-)
Remember the pictures of Emily's "office" and how she was crunching numbers on her first day on the job? She's settling in nicely and her "office" now has that lived in look...
Speaking of memories -- remember how very little hair she had in the early days of our blog? Check this out!
To wrap up today's blog... here's a lovely smiling portrait of Miss Em. Enjoy and Be Blessed!
Today is Sunday, and just since Friday afternoon's PT appointment Emily seems much more flexible. Have you ever tried changing a diaper on a straight-legged baby? It ain't easy folks! But, something must have triggered at the PT appointment and some of those muscles must be starting to relax a little. She has been much easier to change this weekend and it feels like there is less resistence.
Now that the weather has started to warm up and we're feeling the bug to take Emily out and about we decided it was time to invest in a good stroller. We have a glorified umbrella stroller that I've used a couple of times to walk down and get the mail but even my little short legs kept hitting the back axle with every step. And, if you're much taller than my ginormous 5'2" stature, you have to bend over a bit while pushing it. The next time we get out and about I'll be sure to snap a picture of Emily in her new ride for your viewing pleasure.
Speaking of your viewing pleasure, I promised some pictures in my last post. I don't have anything quite as nice as the pictures of Switzerland and France that my sister has been posting in her blog but the kiddo will have to suffice until someone wants to splurge and send me on a another trip around the world!
I've been very impressed with our kidlet over the past couple of weeks. Even with a cold, she still made amazing progress. She went from sitting up for about 10 minutes one week to sitting up for over an hour at a time. We'll spare you the nasty nose by showing you a picture from a distance... ;-)
Remember the pictures of Emily's "office" and how she was crunching numbers on her first day on the job? She's settling in nicely and her "office" now has that lived in look...
Speaking of memories -- remember how very little hair she had in the early days of our blog? Check this out!
To wrap up today's blog... here's a lovely smiling portrait of Miss Em. Enjoy and Be Blessed!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Oops!
Has it really been over a week since I last posted? Oi vey! Hmmm, since my last post we've had lots of fun. Emily turned 11 months old on Saturday. She has gained 4 lbs since the middle of February and is now up to 18 lbs. She's still small though and wears mostly size 6-9 mos. (But most of her pants have to be smaller than 9 mos or they fall off!) I can't believe how fast time has flown. Each day she learns more and more and makes us grin from ear to ear.
AT THE OFFICE: Emily continues to enjoy "staff meetings at the office". (See my Office post from the 7th.) She likes to stand up in her cubicle... ahem... exersaucer. And, the last few days she's really enjoyed bouncing in it.
AT CHURCH: She's always done really well during church. I've been trying to keep her with me during church because she hasn't been so good at sitting up by herself yet and didn't feel that was fair to the people helping in the nursery. Since Tom is the pastor of our church, Ryan and I get Emily duty on Sunday mornings. We get there about 2 hours before church starts to get everything ready. Since it's hard to make coffee (and unsafe) and hold Emily and since she likes her portable high chair so well, I decided it might be worth taking with us so she can entertain herself while I take on my morning tasks. After the preparations were made we get her out and play with her and she gets to visit with everyone at church. When church started back up, I put the portable high chair on the seat beside mine and she sat and played and "read" her book and ate Cheerios in total bliss while Daddy preached.
PHYSICAL THERAPY: Em has had 2 physical therapy appointments so far. Our insurance covers 20 visits and we're expected to need more than that unless she makes some rapid progress. We go once a week for a half hour at a time. Our physical therapist, Laurie, gives Emily a good workout and stretches out her muscles and teaches us what to do during the week to keep her limbered up. Our first visit was a little frustrating because Emily had more "high-toned" muscles than I suspected. I think I posted this already, but her spine had limited mobility and her legs were not very flexible. Her feet were in a "tippy-toe" position most of the time and it took some effort to get her to stand flat-footed. At our second visit, Laurie was impressed with the progress Emily had made and gave me some more things to work on with her. We are still working on the same stretches that I posted in our initial PT post but we are also working on what I call her butterfly stretch... while sitting or laying down, we bend her knees and rock her from side to side to stretch inner leg muscles. (I'm hoping this makes diaper changes easier in the long run... it's hard to change diapers on a straight-legged baby.)
EATING: Emily is still eating very well. As far as I can tell, she still hasn't quite figured out when she's full but I feel we're not too far away from that. We have more and more days now when she's interested in looking around while she's eating instead of waiting for the next spoonful to make it to her mouth. She still eating just about anything I offer. She's had a cold for the past week and a half and I think a couple of the things I offered her were irritating her throat. She turned her nose up at oatmeal cereal with apples & cinnamon but ate it a couple of days later. She did the same thing with a jar of chicken noodle dinner. She hasn't found anything that she doesn't like a couple of days later.... totally the opposite from how I was a kid -- or least so I'm told! ;-)
SICKIES: Speaking of her cold... she still has it, but it's not so bad except she's a little congested when she's waking up. But, shhhhh... she doesn't know she has a cold yet or that she's supposed to feel bad... and we're not going to tell her!
SLEEPING: She's still sleeping through the night and has ever since we first got custody. She woke up for an hour during the night earlier this week from coughing but decided after a little cuddling that she could go back to sleep for a few more hours until it was time for breakfast. We usually put her to bed around 8pm and she's awake and playing in her crib around 7-7:30am.
CHEERIOS vs FRUIT PUFFS: Emily has become a champion Cherrios eater. She's able to pick them up with either hand (although she tends to prefer her left hand right now). Now that she's got the skill mastered, I've been switching back and forth between Cheerios and Fruit Puffs.
Hmmmm... did I miss anything? I know, I know... pictures will be coming soon!
AT THE OFFICE: Emily continues to enjoy "staff meetings at the office". (See my Office post from the 7th.) She likes to stand up in her cubicle... ahem... exersaucer. And, the last few days she's really enjoyed bouncing in it.
AT CHURCH: She's always done really well during church. I've been trying to keep her with me during church because she hasn't been so good at sitting up by herself yet and didn't feel that was fair to the people helping in the nursery. Since Tom is the pastor of our church, Ryan and I get Emily duty on Sunday mornings. We get there about 2 hours before church starts to get everything ready. Since it's hard to make coffee (and unsafe) and hold Emily and since she likes her portable high chair so well, I decided it might be worth taking with us so she can entertain herself while I take on my morning tasks. After the preparations were made we get her out and play with her and she gets to visit with everyone at church. When church started back up, I put the portable high chair on the seat beside mine and she sat and played and "read" her book and ate Cheerios in total bliss while Daddy preached.
PHYSICAL THERAPY: Em has had 2 physical therapy appointments so far. Our insurance covers 20 visits and we're expected to need more than that unless she makes some rapid progress. We go once a week for a half hour at a time. Our physical therapist, Laurie, gives Emily a good workout and stretches out her muscles and teaches us what to do during the week to keep her limbered up. Our first visit was a little frustrating because Emily had more "high-toned" muscles than I suspected. I think I posted this already, but her spine had limited mobility and her legs were not very flexible. Her feet were in a "tippy-toe" position most of the time and it took some effort to get her to stand flat-footed. At our second visit, Laurie was impressed with the progress Emily had made and gave me some more things to work on with her. We are still working on the same stretches that I posted in our initial PT post but we are also working on what I call her butterfly stretch... while sitting or laying down, we bend her knees and rock her from side to side to stretch inner leg muscles. (I'm hoping this makes diaper changes easier in the long run... it's hard to change diapers on a straight-legged baby.)
EATING: Emily is still eating very well. As far as I can tell, she still hasn't quite figured out when she's full but I feel we're not too far away from that. We have more and more days now when she's interested in looking around while she's eating instead of waiting for the next spoonful to make it to her mouth. She still eating just about anything I offer. She's had a cold for the past week and a half and I think a couple of the things I offered her were irritating her throat. She turned her nose up at oatmeal cereal with apples & cinnamon but ate it a couple of days later. She did the same thing with a jar of chicken noodle dinner. She hasn't found anything that she doesn't like a couple of days later.... totally the opposite from how I was a kid -- or least so I'm told! ;-)
SICKIES: Speaking of her cold... she still has it, but it's not so bad except she's a little congested when she's waking up. But, shhhhh... she doesn't know she has a cold yet or that she's supposed to feel bad... and we're not going to tell her!
SLEEPING: She's still sleeping through the night and has ever since we first got custody. She woke up for an hour during the night earlier this week from coughing but decided after a little cuddling that she could go back to sleep for a few more hours until it was time for breakfast. We usually put her to bed around 8pm and she's awake and playing in her crib around 7-7:30am.
CHEERIOS vs FRUIT PUFFS: Emily has become a champion Cherrios eater. She's able to pick them up with either hand (although she tends to prefer her left hand right now). Now that she's got the skill mastered, I've been switching back and forth between Cheerios and Fruit Puffs.
Hmmmm... did I miss anything? I know, I know... pictures will be coming soon!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Sensitivity
I didn't write the summary below. It appeared on a Yahoo Group that I'm on. If you've followed my blog from the get-go you'll remember that I discussed some of my feelings as we were going through the adoption process and the things that were difficult for me. I've heard from several people that followed my blog that they appreciated my honesty online because it helped them know better how to handle situations with family and friends going through similar things. Today's post is along a similar line, but describes what a person dealing with infertility issues might be going through. Yes, some of these things also describe what I went through as we were trying to adopt. I had no real overwelming desire to become pregnant and we did not have a desire to go through infertility treatments. Please read with an open heart and tuck some of these thoughts away for the next time you offer helpful advice to someone dealing with infertility/adoption issues. ;-)
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"SOME FACTS ABOUT INFERTILITY
It may surprise you to know that one out of six women who wants to have a baby cannot conceive. There are many possible reasons for this dismal statistic: blocked fallopian tubes, ovarian failure, hormonal imbalances, husband's low sperm count, to name just a few. Moreover, after a woman turns thirty-five, it becomes difficult to have a baby primarily because many of the eggs she has left are defective and old. All these barriers to pregnancy are physical or physiological, not psychological. Tubes don't become blocked because a woman is "trying too hard" to get pregnant. Antibodies that kill sperm will not disappear if a woman simply relaxes. And a man cannot make his sperm swim faster by developing a more optimistic outlook.
Medical Intervention:
After every medical attempt at making her pregnant, she must play a waiting game that is peppered with spurts of optimism and pessimism. It is an emotional roller coaster. She doesn't know if her swollen breasts are a sign of pregnancy or a side effect of the fertility drugs. If she sees a spot of blood on her underwear, she doesn't know if an embryo is trying to implant or her period is about to begin. If she is not pregnant after an IVF procedure, she may feel as though her baby died.
How can a person grieve for a life that existed only in her mind? While trying to cope with this emotional turmoil, she gets invited to a baby shower or christening, learns that a friend or colleague is pregnant, or she reads about a one-day-old infant found abandoned in a dumpster. Can you try to imagine her envy, her rage over the inequities in life? Given that infertility permeates practically every facet of her existence, is it any wonder why she is obsessed with her quest? Every month, she wonders whether this will finally be her month. If it isn't, she wonders if she can muster the energy to try again. Will she be able to afford another procedure? How much longer will her husband continue to be supportive? Will she be forced to give up her dream? So when you speak with her, try to empathize with the burdens on her mind and on her heart. She knows you care about her, and she may need to talk with you about her ordeal. But she knows that there is
nothing you can say or do to make her pregnant. And she fears that you will offer a suggestion that will trigger even more despair.
PROBLEM SITUATIONS
Just as an ordinary room can be an obstacle course to a blind person, so can the everyday world be full of hazards for an infertile woman --- hazards that do not exist for women with children. She goes to her sister-in-law' s house for Thanksgiving. Her cousin is breast-feeding. The men are watching the football game while the women talk about problems with their kids. She feels left out, to say the least. Thanksgiving is an example of the many holidays that are particularly
difficult for her. They mark the passage of time. She remembers what came to mind last Thanksgiving --- that the next year, she would have a new son or daughter to show off to her family. Each holiday presents its own unique burden to the infertile woman. Valentine's Day reminds her of her romance, love, marriage - and the family she may never be able to create. Mother's Day and Father's Day? Their difficulties are obvious. Mundane activities like a walk down the street or going to the
shopping mall are packed with land mines. Seeing women pushing baby carriages and strollers strikes a raw nerve. While watching TV, she is bombarded by commercials for diapers, baby food, and early pregnancy tests. At a party, someone asks how long she's been married and whether she has any kids. She feels like running out of the room, but she can't. If she talks about being infertile, she's likely to get well-intentioned advice -- just the thing she doesn't need: "Just relax. Don't worry. It will happen soon." Or, "You're lucky. I've had it with my kids. I wish I had your freedom." These are the kinds of comments
that make her want to crawl under the nearest sofa and die.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Because she is infertile, life is extremely stressful for her. She's doing her best to cope. Please be understanding. Sometimes she will be depressed. Sometimes she will be angry. Sometimes she will be physically and emotionally exhausted. She's not going to be the "same old" girl she used to be. She won't want to do many of the things she used to do. She has no idea when, or if, her problem will be solved. She's engaged in an emotionally and financially taxing venture with a low probability of success. The longer she perseveres, however, the greater her chances of pregnancy become. Maybe someday she will be
successful. Maybe someday she will give up and turn to adoption, or come to terms with living a childfree life. At present, though, she has no idea what will happen. It's all she can do to keep going from one day to the next. She does not know why this is her lot. Nobody does. All she knows is the horrible anguish that she lives with every day. Please care about her. Please be sensitive to her situation. Give her your support -- she needs and wants it. "
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"SOME FACTS ABOUT INFERTILITY
It may surprise you to know that one out of six women who wants to have a baby cannot conceive. There are many possible reasons for this dismal statistic: blocked fallopian tubes, ovarian failure, hormonal imbalances, husband's low sperm count, to name just a few. Moreover, after a woman turns thirty-five, it becomes difficult to have a baby primarily because many of the eggs she has left are defective and old. All these barriers to pregnancy are physical or physiological, not psychological. Tubes don't become blocked because a woman is "trying too hard" to get pregnant. Antibodies that kill sperm will not disappear if a woman simply relaxes. And a man cannot make his sperm swim faster by developing a more optimistic outlook.
Medical Intervention:
After every medical attempt at making her pregnant, she must play a waiting game that is peppered with spurts of optimism and pessimism. It is an emotional roller coaster. She doesn't know if her swollen breasts are a sign of pregnancy or a side effect of the fertility drugs. If she sees a spot of blood on her underwear, she doesn't know if an embryo is trying to implant or her period is about to begin. If she is not pregnant after an IVF procedure, she may feel as though her baby died.
How can a person grieve for a life that existed only in her mind? While trying to cope with this emotional turmoil, she gets invited to a baby shower or christening, learns that a friend or colleague is pregnant, or she reads about a one-day-old infant found abandoned in a dumpster. Can you try to imagine her envy, her rage over the inequities in life? Given that infertility permeates practically every facet of her existence, is it any wonder why she is obsessed with her quest? Every month, she wonders whether this will finally be her month. If it isn't, she wonders if she can muster the energy to try again. Will she be able to afford another procedure? How much longer will her husband continue to be supportive? Will she be forced to give up her dream? So when you speak with her, try to empathize with the burdens on her mind and on her heart. She knows you care about her, and she may need to talk with you about her ordeal. But she knows that there is
nothing you can say or do to make her pregnant. And she fears that you will offer a suggestion that will trigger even more despair.
PROBLEM SITUATIONS
Just as an ordinary room can be an obstacle course to a blind person, so can the everyday world be full of hazards for an infertile woman --- hazards that do not exist for women with children. She goes to her sister-in-law' s house for Thanksgiving. Her cousin is breast-feeding. The men are watching the football game while the women talk about problems with their kids. She feels left out, to say the least. Thanksgiving is an example of the many holidays that are particularly
difficult for her. They mark the passage of time. She remembers what came to mind last Thanksgiving --- that the next year, she would have a new son or daughter to show off to her family. Each holiday presents its own unique burden to the infertile woman. Valentine's Day reminds her of her romance, love, marriage - and the family she may never be able to create. Mother's Day and Father's Day? Their difficulties are obvious. Mundane activities like a walk down the street or going to the
shopping mall are packed with land mines. Seeing women pushing baby carriages and strollers strikes a raw nerve. While watching TV, she is bombarded by commercials for diapers, baby food, and early pregnancy tests. At a party, someone asks how long she's been married and whether she has any kids. She feels like running out of the room, but she can't. If she talks about being infertile, she's likely to get well-intentioned advice -- just the thing she doesn't need: "Just relax. Don't worry. It will happen soon." Or, "You're lucky. I've had it with my kids. I wish I had your freedom." These are the kinds of comments
that make her want to crawl under the nearest sofa and die.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Because she is infertile, life is extremely stressful for her. She's doing her best to cope. Please be understanding. Sometimes she will be depressed. Sometimes she will be angry. Sometimes she will be physically and emotionally exhausted. She's not going to be the "same old" girl she used to be. She won't want to do many of the things she used to do. She has no idea when, or if, her problem will be solved. She's engaged in an emotionally and financially taxing venture with a low probability of success. The longer she perseveres, however, the greater her chances of pregnancy become. Maybe someday she will be
successful. Maybe someday she will give up and turn to adoption, or come to terms with living a childfree life. At present, though, she has no idea what will happen. It's all she can do to keep going from one day to the next. She does not know why this is her lot. Nobody does. All she knows is the horrible anguish that she lives with every day. Please care about her. Please be sensitive to her situation. Give her your support -- she needs and wants it. "
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
A Day at the "Office"
Our physical therapist recommended last week that we get an exersaucer for Emily to play in so she can stand up flat-footed and stretch those feet and leg muscles. I shopped around earlier in the week for a used one and decided that most of ones in the 2nd hand stores were pretty dirty looking. We had recently received some money from the baby shower at our previous church and decided that a new exersaucer would be a good investment for the little munchkin.
I also went shopping at the stores at Lewis Center thinking they would have a bigger selection than Marion. I'm proud to say that Marion's Meijer store leaves little to be desired at the Wal-Mart and Meijer in Polaris/Lewis Center. They really didn't have much to offer in the way of baby periphenalia. Believe it or not, Marion's Meijer has the best selection of baby equipment (strollers, high chairs, exersaucers, rockers, etc.) BY FAR!
After work, Emily and I sat down in the living room to assemble her new work space. I had read product reviews on the internet that people had spent hours fumbling through the instructions in an attempt to assemble these things and I was prepared to leave my schedule open for the night.
After a mere 65 minutes, Emily was taking her new space out for a test drive! Look, she's even standing flat-footed in it during her first trial run!
Another happy customer... that's what I'm talking about!
We then had a staff meeting to discuss the upcoming years figures. I told Emily we were going to have to make some budget cuts in the diaper department and she'd need to start potty training next week. She thought that was pretty funny.
So, we did some more number crunching and we finally came up with a solid budget that she could really sink her teeth into!
I also went shopping at the stores at Lewis Center thinking they would have a bigger selection than Marion. I'm proud to say that Marion's Meijer store leaves little to be desired at the Wal-Mart and Meijer in Polaris/Lewis Center. They really didn't have much to offer in the way of baby periphenalia. Believe it or not, Marion's Meijer has the best selection of baby equipment (strollers, high chairs, exersaucers, rockers, etc.) BY FAR!
After work, Emily and I sat down in the living room to assemble her new work space. I had read product reviews on the internet that people had spent hours fumbling through the instructions in an attempt to assemble these things and I was prepared to leave my schedule open for the night.
After a mere 65 minutes, Emily was taking her new space out for a test drive! Look, she's even standing flat-footed in it during her first trial run!
Another happy customer... that's what I'm talking about!
We then had a staff meeting to discuss the upcoming years figures. I told Emily we were going to have to make some budget cuts in the diaper department and she'd need to start potty training next week. She thought that was pretty funny.
So, we did some more number crunching and we finally came up with a solid budget that she could really sink her teeth into!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Occupational Therapy
What kind of occupation can a 10 1/2 month old have and why would they need therapy? I know, I know, it sounds kinda funny. Emily is a very hard worker and earns every penny she makes. (I'm just kidding! She earns every dollar she makes!)
We had our last Occupational Therapy (OT) appointment this morning and Noelle gave us some handouts on things we can continue to do to help loosen Emily up and work on her fine motor skills. Noelle was very impressed with how much progress Emily had made since our previous visit. In 5 days Emily was sitting up much better on her own and was rolling on her own to play on her side instead of simply playing on her back or tummy. She can feed herself much better now and probably 8 out of 10 Cheerios are making it into her mouth now.
It was nice to hear that Noelle was impressed with her progress. We get to see improvements every day and get to witness Emily's new tricks but it's nice to hear a professional get excited about mastering those tasks as well.
Here's Emily with her OT friend, Noelle.
We had our last Occupational Therapy (OT) appointment this morning and Noelle gave us some handouts on things we can continue to do to help loosen Emily up and work on her fine motor skills. Noelle was very impressed with how much progress Emily had made since our previous visit. In 5 days Emily was sitting up much better on her own and was rolling on her own to play on her side instead of simply playing on her back or tummy. She can feed herself much better now and probably 8 out of 10 Cheerios are making it into her mouth now.
It was nice to hear that Noelle was impressed with her progress. We get to see improvements every day and get to witness Emily's new tricks but it's nice to hear a professional get excited about mastering those tasks as well.
Here's Emily with her OT friend, Noelle.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Post Dedication
After church we had Mama and Papa over to visit. Here are just a few pictures from the "photo shoot".
Emily's Baby Dedication
This morning was Emily's baby dedication. No, she's not wearing a fancy white Christening gown... she's dressed the way people in our church dress for church.
Although we had "a wardrobe malfunction" and had to run Emily home to change clothes just 20 minutes before church started, it was a very good day. Okay, it wasn't really a wardrobe malfunction of Janet Jackson quality but let's just say a onesie and a pair pants were at the opposite end of the spectrum from clean and fresh.
We (Jenni, Ryan and Emily) made it back to church 10 minutes late and found a seat in the midst of our family. Emily had lots of special visitors for the day. Along with our regularly attending church family Great Grandma Isler, Grandma and Grandpa Gaston, Aunt Michelle and Aunt Laura, Mama Hypes and Papa Hypes, Briana and Steven, Uncle Jim and Aunt Kris, Uncle Fred and Aunt Reda, Uncle Chuck and Aunt Connie and our friends Barb and Norm also came along to celebrate her special day.
Tom did a great job doing the dedication ceremony and surprisingly only teared up a little bit!
Here are some pictures from the morning.
The happy family...
Jenni, Emily, Grandpa Gaston, Grandma Gaston, Great Grandma Isler
Emily and Barb... after Emily tried eating Barb's cheek!
Uncle Fred and Cousin Abby
Ryan, Todd and Aunt Laura
Although we had "a wardrobe malfunction" and had to run Emily home to change clothes just 20 minutes before church started, it was a very good day. Okay, it wasn't really a wardrobe malfunction of Janet Jackson quality but let's just say a onesie and a pair pants were at the opposite end of the spectrum from clean and fresh.
We (Jenni, Ryan and Emily) made it back to church 10 minutes late and found a seat in the midst of our family. Emily had lots of special visitors for the day. Along with our regularly attending church family Great Grandma Isler, Grandma and Grandpa Gaston, Aunt Michelle and Aunt Laura, Mama Hypes and Papa Hypes, Briana and Steven, Uncle Jim and Aunt Kris, Uncle Fred and Aunt Reda, Uncle Chuck and Aunt Connie and our friends Barb and Norm also came along to celebrate her special day.
Tom did a great job doing the dedication ceremony and surprisingly only teared up a little bit!
Here are some pictures from the morning.
The happy family...
Jenni, Emily, Grandpa Gaston, Grandma Gaston, Great Grandma Isler
Emily and Barb... after Emily tried eating Barb's cheek!
Uncle Fred and Cousin Abby
Ryan, Todd and Aunt Laura
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