Merlin

We walked to 'Old McDonald's' this evening so that Elise could play at the playground there. On our way, she saw a Merlin Muffler sign. This was our conversation:

Me: Elise, do you see the man with the bubble beard?
Elise: Wow. He's strong.
Paul: Why is that?
Elise: Because he's wearing a birthday hat. It has one, two, three, four stars on it.

Hmmm. I didn't realize that birthday hats make people strong. Good observation.

The Greats

Elise and Julia's great aunts...."Rhonda the Great" and "Gail the Great" stopped by for a visit on Tuesday evening. What a treat, especially considering that Rhonda just happened to be in the Chicago area for a conference! Thanks for coming to see us!

Visit to Michigan

Last week, my sister Errin arrived by bus from St. Paul for a week's stay. She was brave enough to drive home to Michigan with me, Elise and Julia. If I remember correctly, it may have actually been her idea. After the whole hospital fiasco, I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea, but it was one of the few weekends where we'd be able to visit with lots of family so we took a chance. We left on Thursday afternoon and stayed until Sunday morning. Here are some pictures from our visit:


Julia met her Grandpa K for the first time. As you can tell, Grandpa loves his grandbabies. The two of them got along beautifully.




Elise had a fabulous time playing in Grandma and Grandpa's gravel path, watering Grandma's flowers, playing in the frigid baby pool water and walking around in Grandma's hot pink pumps. Very stylish, especially with only swim bottoms on.


Julia met 2 of 3 great-grandmothers. They were both so excited to see the girls....and Elise was happy to see them too. It amazes me that Elise remembers so much, like the fact that Great Grandma has cookies in the bottom drawer in her kitchen and that she keeps the toys in the basement (though I think Errin had more fun playing with them than Elise did).


We went to my cousin Elizabeth's high school graduation open house too. I didn't realize that my Uncle Paul had kept our coming a secret, so my Aunt Kathy and cousins Liz and Lauren were very surprised.


During the open house festivities, Elise had a 'ball' playing with Grandpa....and I was able to catch it on camera. It'll be a good reminder for her when we visit next time that he's not as scary as she thinks ;>)

Happy to Be Home

Well, we made it home. Julia was released from the hospital around 5:00 this afternoon. After blood tests, urine tests, a spinal tap, 2 EKGs, an EEG, a CT, and an echocardiogram, doctors were unable to determine the cause of her apparent seizure. This is a good news/bad news situation....good news in that every test she was given turned out normal but bad in that we have no idea why the seizure occured.

At the advice of the pediatrician at the hospital, now we have to try to get back to 'normal', though I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that completely. It'll be hard not to constantly look over my shoulder to make sure that Julia is okay. What a wake up call this experience has been!

We are thrilled to be home. Thank you for all of your phone calls, thoughts and prayers.

Connected

Julia's been hooked up to every possible machine to check her heart, brain waves and breathing. Her right arm is in a split to keep the IV and monitors in place and left foot glows red like Rudolph's nose along with having her baby LoJack.

Her hair is sticking up (more than normal) because of the glue they had to use for the EEG.


If that isn't enough, the hospital is afraid that she's going to try to escape, which would make sense based on what she's going through, so they use cages for cribs.

She's handled everything well, but will be happy to go home.

On the lighter side, Aunt Ernie and Elise have been staying entertained and having fun at the hospital...

'ists

Julia saw the neurologist a couple of hours ago and everything looks normal. We were relieved because this indicates she'll remain a White Sox fan. He wants to see her in 4-6 weeks to confirm that this is the case.

Since just about the only type of doctor Julia hasn't seen is an ophthalmologist, the neurologist decided that s/he shouldn't be left out, so Julia's eyes will be checked out tomorrow. They're also throwing in a cardiologist for good measure because one of the other 'ists thought she heard a heart murmur. (I guess this isn't something to worry about unless it persists for another few weeks.) We hope that the hospital is having its buy a doctor get one free summer sale.

Ambulance Ride

To celebrate Julia's six week birthday, she decided to take an ambulance ride. Around 4:30 pm yesterday, she woke up from a nap with what appears to have been a seizure. Laura called 911 and they took her to the hospital. She's had every test possible and then some (CT scan, EEG, blood work, spinal tap and a XYZ ASAP) and done really well despite being hooked up to lots of cords. We're still waiting to get the results of the EEG, but the others have not indicated any issues. The doctors are planning to watch her one more night and she should return home sometime tomorrow.

Week 6 in Review

Another quick week has passed, though I've thought some days would never end. Julia continues to eat, sleep and poop....and cry. We seem to have a really good day, followed by a more challenging one. I'm so grateful for the good days! Her eating pattern is stretching out some, usually every 3-4 hours, rather than every 2-3. This is particularly nice during the early nighttime hours when she'll sleep from 9 (give or take an hour) until 1ish. We're still trying to figure out how to help her sleep peacefully past 4:45-5:00 a. She'll wake up really fussy then and sleeps on and off fitfully after that. If anyone has any ideas, I'm happy to take them!

Happy Father's Day

For Father's Day, we headed for Lake Michigan for a morning of swimming and digging in the sand. Because of the hot, hot weather, we left early in the morning (9ish) and arrived at the Lake Ave. beach around 9:30. Perfect timing before it got too crowded.

We had a great time! Elise loved the sand and by the end, she was up to her neck in the water. Julia took a relaxing nap in her car seat in the shade. Paul took a ton of pictures, splashed around in the water with Elise and even managed to get a slight sunburn (even though I reminded him to put on sunscreen). Elise and I built a sandcastle and dug some holes to fill with water, all the while trying to avoid the thousands of cicadas lining the shore. Yuck!

Briscoe's Tail

Elise has been getting more and more into make-believe play lately. She's taking good care of her baby doll, feeding her and putting her to bed. But what's funniest is that for the last 2 weeks, she's been walking around with her left fist closed. If you ask her what's in her hand, she'll tell you that she has Briscoe's tail.

Elise 'stole' Briscoe's tail a couple of weeks ago when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa S (they are graciously keeping Briscoe for us until we figure out life with 2 kids). She often talks about how Briscoe is sad because she has her tail, but washes it, takes it to the playground and gives it to Mama or Daddy to hold in their pocket when she needs to use both hands. It gives us lots of giggles, but also causes some conflict (like when Elise won't put it down when it's time to wash her hands). Funny girl.

Julia's Song

Elise loves to sing and some of her favorite music comes off of her VeggieTales CDs. Julia gave Elise 'Junior's Bedtime Songs' for being such a good big sister. One of the songs on the CD has become one of our favorites and one that we like to sing to Julia....

A Bushel and a Peck

I love you
A bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I'm talking in my sleep about you
About who?
About you!

'Cause I love you
A bushel and a peck
You bet your pretty neck I do...

It is so cute to listen to Elise...ask her sometime to sing it to you!

Update on our Condo

Our condo has been on the market now for a year (as of June 1). We've seen more showings over the last few weeks, partially due to the nicer weather and partially due to the decrease in price. Everyone who goes through gives really great feedback, but then chooses to go with the new condos which are also in abundance in the area. Who can blame them, right?

Last week, we received an offer. And while the offer wasn't great and we stand to lose money, we came to an agreement and hope to close by July 1st. If you think of it, please pray that this buyer doesn't back out like the previous buyers did. It would be so great to have some closure!

Ironically (or maybe not), Paul and I have been reading the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon talks about how he tried to find happiness with his wealth, wisdom, and by working hard (among other things). None resulted in true fulfillment. It's a good reminder about where our priorities should lie. We should be good stewards of our money, but should not find fulfillment and joy in the amount we have or don't have.

Week 5 in Review

Julia is 5 weeks old today. She had her 1 month appointment last week and got a good report. She is following in her sister's footsteps, measuring in at 10lbs., 12 oz. (90th percentile) and is 22 inches long (75-90th percentile). It's amazing how quickly she is growing....2 inches since birth and 2 lbs since her 2 week appointment. She has developed a clogged tear duct, which makes her right eye kinda goopy at times, but all else looks good. She's gaining lots of neck strength, enjoys tummy time and is beginning to smile (big cheesy smiles....no dimples).

Julia does 3 things really well: 1) eat (no big surprise given her weight), 2) sleep (particularly during the day, though this is starting to change now that she's awake more often) and 3) cry and cry and cry! I wish we could figure out what to do about this. She'll take a pacifier for a little while, but there's very little else that makes her happy unless it involves eating. Most experts say that crying peaks at 6 weeks....lets all hope that it doesn't get any worse than it is.

Here are some new pictures (not too many this week....sorry!):

Funny Things out of Elise's Mouth

"Can you say hi to the baby like this, "Hi Baby!?" " (using the highest pitched voice you can)

"Take your time. Go slowly." (to Mama while driving home from Indiana)

"I'm brushing my hair right now so that I can be pretty." (when asked by Paul to get her diaper changed)

"Can I listen now?" (to Mama when trying to get out of a time-out)

"No, I don't want to." and "I want to do it all by myself." (these aren't so much funny as they are common....the joys of having a 2 year old!)

Meet my New Niece

Reagan Violet was born at 12:28 p.m. She weighs 6 lbs 12 oz and is 19 in long. Maybe the picture is deceiving, but boy does she have long feet! What a cutie! We can't wait to meet her!

Week 4 in Review

It's been a good week I think (though I can't say I can fully remember...my brain is a bit fuzzy). I can't believe 4 weeks has already gone by. Julia has had more alert time and thankfully, more quiet time (not quite so much screaming). We've learned that most of the screaming can be attributed to being tired, but sometimes she has a hard time settling down. The pacifier seems to help, when we can get her to take it.

We're beginning to see a pattern to her day and are learning her likes and dislikes. She loves to be held and can only tolerate sleeping on her own until about 4 or 5 in the morning...that's when Daddy takes over and snuggles with her for the remainder of the night (poor girl). Julia tried her first bottle on Sunday. She's not wild about it yet, but I bet if she's hungry enough, it'll go down just fine. We'll keep trying.

Elise loves her sister. She gets excited when Julia opens her eyes, likes to do tummy time with her and also likes to play with Julia's toes (somehow Julia's socks can't seem to stay on her feet....I wonder why).

Julia and Elise will have a new cousin this week and we're so excited. More on that Friday....

That's all for now. I'm off to bed!

"Snuggle Bump"

Proud and Loving Sister

Ready to roll (notice the cute hair clip....)

There's never enough pictures of Daddy....he's usually the one taking them!

Sleeping peacefully out on the back deck (and happy to have Daddy home).

Look at those cheeks!

Hidden Message

I was trying desperately to wake Julia up on Saturday and after attempting to do so for about 45 minutes, this is the message that I received from her....not too kind for the person who is the sole source of nutrition for the child. She must have learned that from one of her uncles.

Missed Kodak Moment

Yesterday while playing in the basement, Elise was playing with her babydoll, Christy. At one point, she called for my attention. She was sitting in her little rocking chair with Baby Christy (holding her by the neck), had her shirt up to her chin and was attempting to breastfeed. The camera is never in the right place when you need it!

Home Alone

Last night was the first night that we were home alone....without Paul, that is. He left for a 2 day business trip out west. Sadly, this included him being gone all day Saturday too.

Yesterday went fairly smoothly. We ventured out to the playground in the morning, took a long walk around the neighborhood, took naps in the afternoon, and played in the basement in between. I even managed to give Elise a bath and got her into bed without too much of a struggle. Not too shabby. Too bad she refused to use the potty all day...that would have been icing on the cake!

Julia, on the otherhand, has not been as cooperative. She didn't want to go to sleep last night. For the past several nights, she's gotten up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After changing her diaper, feeding her and getting her back to sleep, usually about 30 minutes or more has elapsed. That means I'm up every hour. And by 5:30, she's ready to be up for a while (and it doesn't help that our room is as bright as a midsummer day).

Today, Elise managed to get into her stamp ink pad without my knowledge. She had ink everywhere (including on the walls, chair and all over the sink....she was attempting to clean-up her own mess). She also drew lines on our ottoman with her whiteboard marker. During lunch, she dug American cheese into the burbur carpet. That was all before 11:30a. Thankfully, this afternoon includes a date with the sandman (naptime). Then I think we'll attempt to go to church. I'm guessing I'll be a little slow to get out of bed in the morning.

Boy, will we be glad when Paul comes home!