Happy Holidays

This is what happens when you try to get two kids to sit still for a family photo...

And we fondly call this one: "Gabe's Parasitic Twin"

brothers

this is why we have two kids - i just didn't think we would get to experience it so soon. the two of them, interacting, cracking each other up. Scrappy was actually trying to imitate his older brother; we grabbed the camera and actually were able to capture a smidgeon of the moment. it was precious and priceless, and really the reward for all the sleepless nights.

someday, maybe this photo will be shown at their rehearsal dinner, when one of them is the best man for the other.

the monkey and the banana...

it's all about perspective...

So, FOL has come and gone - a good time was had by all 1,000 participants, including my two boys. At least Scooby had a great time - Scrappy pretty much snoozed through the entire event. It was hot, so we only have photos of the costumes half on. Scrappy was turning bright red and Scoob was sweating through his hood.

And, as per usual, one of the kids got sick the same weekend - happens every year! Scooby started throwing up at 1am the following morning - we hoped it was just an excess of sugar intake, but when it kept on until 4am we realized we have been hit with yet another round of Pre-School Tummy Flu. I got it the next day.

Yesterday I was feeling quite sorry for myself and burdened with the weight of illness and parenthood. Today, I left my chaotic, messy house and noisy family with a smile on my face as I rushed out of the house to a stressful job. Why, you ask?

The earthquake that hit last night about 8pm did more than shake and rattle my house, my children and my sense of well-being. Only a 5.6, it was centered just 18 miles from us so it felt more like the 7's and 8's I experienced in high school and college. When we heard crashes and what sounded like breaking glass, we made the decision to grab the kids and get out to the cul-de-sac where nothing could fall on us. As I sat in the driveway in the dark, huddled under a blanket, trying to explain what was going on to a very sleepy and terrified 4 year old and a very sleepy and cranky 4 month old (who would much rather be in his own bed thankyouverymuch), I realized how quickly we could lose it all. We're really doing fine. We've still got it pretty good. Thank you Lord for these reminders that we can handle the little ups and downs that come our way!

So, what's a little 24-hour flu when your house is still standing? Not a whole heck of a lot.

p.s. When an antique metal Red Flyer sled falls flat on a wood floor it sounds just like breaking glass.

p.p.s. a monkey and a banana, can't you tell??

hmmmm...see any similarities?

I don't know why it's important to me, but I really hoped that my boys would resemble one another. I think it's a source of familial pride when you see siblings, and know that they "belong" together, simply by their resemblance. I know a delightful family of three sisters who all are unique, but still clearly belong together. They are all good friends as well! I hope that as my two boys grow older, they will be similar in interests, passions and pursuits and will support and love one another deeply. I hope and pray that they will not just be brothers, but best friends.

Ok, enough of the sentimental mommy...here's a fun one for all of you. Check out that six-pack! And, in contrast, check out the newly skinny Big Gabe! 25 lbs lighter and still counting...

getting by...

going back to work has not been easy. it's been an adjustment for everyone, but we are getting by. here's some recent photos and you can see how quickly these boys are changing, and growing, and EATING!

just a quickie...

Scooby is smokin' in Pre-K class, as he is far ahead of the curriculum in that he already knows his letters, their sounds, and is beginning to sound out words. We're very proud! Scrappy is doing better - some nights we'll see a five hour stretch between feedings and for about a week now, he has a few moments during the day that he is content to flap around by himself in the bouncy seat or on the floor. We took him of Zantac this week to see if it was actually making a difference...and today, we have determined, it was! He cried off and on all day; hasn't done that in the two weeks he's been on the meds. So, we're back on again, and grateful for it. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

lessons learned.

so, Gabe had surgery yesterday. we only found out it was happening the day before. we knew this was coming (just didn't know when), and that it was necessary, but it didn't give us time to prepare. imagine my reaction - i'm barely scraping enough (cumulative - never mind consecutive) sleep at night to survive. i have a colicky baby. and i was just informed my husband and greatest help would be wearing a sling for three weeks and unable to help me. at all. can't pick up the baby. can't empty the dishwasher. can't take out the trash. can't lift the carseat. can't fold laundry.

i spent the rest of the day in a bit of a rage. i know he needs the procedure. it just feels very unfair that it's happening at such a chaotic time in our lives. but when would be better? after i return to work and have even less time, and no vacation saved up? there is no easy answer.

you also should know - i don't like asking for help. i feel like i should be able to do this on my own - i mean, tons of women do, right? lots of people have two kids, and not only survive, but thrive, right? they deal with the colic and keep their houses clean. they do it with a smile on their face - don't they? so why should i deserve assistance? in picking up and dropping off, feeding my family, and playing on the floor with Scooby. i don't deserve that kind of special treatment. i can't repay it. when it's offered, i usually turn it down.

and as i stood in my grubby kitchen in tears, wearing a fussing baby in a sling on my chest, feeling very angry at God and the entire situation...i had a God-moment. i swear. He whispered to me just then.

"it's a lot like My love, isn't it? you don't deserve it. you can't pay it back. you just have to take it - and be grateful. it's ok. just do it. "

so, i stood there in shock for a moment, then i picked up the phone. and within minutes, angels of mercy literally swooped in and had care arranged for the wee, colicky one, rides and dinner for the bigger one, and the time needed to be with my biggest boy when he woke up.

one truly blessed friend even thought to bring us coffee yesterday morning as we rushed out of the house early to get to the hospital. that coffee was a life-line.

just after we when we returned home later that day, dinner arrived on our doorstep.

"I sustain myself with the love of friends." Maya Angelou

humbled and grateful, i realize the wisdom of these words and will try to remember that when our friends are loving me (us) it's coming straight from the greatest Friend of all.

and i will accept it. gratefully.

hubba bubba chubba

well, we are currently surviving fever and temper after getting four vaccinations this morning - cried all evening (him, not me...but it was close) but what else is new? we have managed to snap a few good 'uns when he was in a better humor. also had to pull another one from 2003 - can you tell who is who?

Scrappy now is taller and heavier than his brother at the same age...amazing. it's like nobody told him he was born early and small...he sailed right by Scooby's weight and height and is now residing in the 75th percentile for his age. maybe he'll sleep through the night soon. oh please, oh please!

Scrappy and Scooby

Scrappy has smiled for EVERONE but me in the last week...DH tells me every morning when I get up how many times Scrappy has smiled at him while I slept in. It's quite cruel, really. I took him into the office, and he went and smiled at my boss, a coworker. But, has he ever smiled for Momma? No way.

I beg. I plead. I give raspberries, tickle toes, make silly faces. I sing, give kissies on round tummies, and generally make an idiot of myself over the changing table begging for the slightest sign of the dimples I know to exist. This morning, finally, it paid off, and I was able to grab the camera in time. Just like another morning I still remember very clearly, almost exactly four years ago. Funny, isn't it, that they are wearing the exact same nighty? If I didn't tell you, would you even realize that it's two different boys? Poor Scrappy has the short end at the moment, what with his baby acne and wacky eyes (it's all very common in newborns, but ole Scooby managed to escape them both) but otherwise, they look an awful lot alike, don't they?

I also find it interesting that the one that was born early, with low birth weight, has a much bigger double chin...

more photos

here's our little Scrappy with a Aunt Patty and his Papa.

he's smiled at everybody BUT his momma. it's just not fair. i'm just the milk lady.

"hey.

you.

lady with the milk.

get over here.

i'm hungry.

again."

Captain Crabby

also known as "the stinky cheese man" given that he seems to like to hide milk in the copious folds of his neck until it turns to cheese...amazing how much he has GROWN in five weeks!

definitely has a more sensitive temperment than Little Dude...at the moment he is hollering at me from his deluxe swing because, well, he's just not happy. why, you ask? um. wish I knew. evidentally having a full tummy, clean diaper, clean jammies, a rolls royce of a swing to snooze in, a pacifier and a swaddle just ain't good enough.

oh dear. i just got the silent scream. must run.

a pound per week!

time flies, doesn't it? here we've been home for three weeks already and it really does seem like yesterday that we brought little one-eyed jack home from the hospital. he's a clockwork, punctual baby and is up every night at 10pm, 1am and and 4am. tiring, but doable! i snapped some pictures this morning during tummy time as he chewed on his fist enjoying a sunbeam. we've spotted the first signs of a double-chin - he's putting on almost a pound a week and is rapidly approaching 8 lbs. we're so proud!

more birth day photos...

this was the scary part...ok, the next 45 minutes were the scary part. this was just the spinal anesthesia going in...that's my OB talking me through the procedure in front of me.



this is just after the surgery. they are rapidly pumping me full of morphine - this was the only one of two times during the last week that i was in actual pain...it was bad, but somehow after they brought baby over to me, i didn't care so much. i love the expression on Little Dude's face as he tries to sort this whole new situation out.


the rest sort speak for themselves. praise God from whom all blessings flow...

Surprise! three plus one makes six...

introducing the newest Gabe, born Monday, June 25th at 4:14pm. 5lbs., 14 oz., 18" long. you'll have to check your email for the name, since we leave those off this blog for privacy reasons. but i'll tell you that he was named after two great and wonderful men. one i could never live without, and thank God for daily - most certainly for the way he has handled the ups and downs and surprises of the last week, the second has shaped and loved and led my side of the family for the last 82 years.






he wasn't scheduled to be here till July 3rd, but mom's sudden high blood pressure and a failing placenta made the Monday morning decision to bring him into the world another week earlier quite easy. we had five hours to get over the shock since surgery was scheduled late in the day, at least. we're home as of friday, getting used to each other, and all are doing just fine.

his nicknames, to date - i'll leave it to your imagination how each of them originated.

Barracuda Boy
One-Eyed Jack
Mighty Mike
Munchkin
Pipsqueak

gotta go. barracuda boy is hungry. again.



better pictures to come - this is all i had handy from my camera...

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Little Dude celebrated his 4th birthday yesterday along with Father's Day. It was a good day - having all my men together (almost - we missed Uncle and Grandpa, but got to talk to them both on the phone).

We started the day with a family birthday breakfast and some presents from Mom, Dad and Grammie Jan. Then church and out to lunch for Father's Day, and back home again for more presents - this time from Uncle and Auntie - a new bike! It was a good day all around. Monday there will be cupcakes and party hats for 24 pre-schoolers...chocolate chip with yellow cake and a choice of vanilla or chocolate frosting, with sprinkles of course. Yum!

And yes, we're two weeks from Delivery Day - feeling good except for the swollen hands and feet. It's been very warm here, and my blood pressure is nice and low, so not much I can do to mitigate it except beg for foot rubs and stay off my feet. Frustrating, but at least we are down to the end! Yesterday at church the older ladies kept coming up to me and patting me on the cheek with this incredibly sympathetic look and saying things like: It'll be over soon, honey! I must look pitiful. My feet certainly do.

quote of the week...

Little Dude crawled into bed with me the other morning, stark naked from the waist down.

What gives? I asked. Where's your pj bottoms?

He says, his eyes wide with emphasis....

"The air conditioner came on and blew them right off!"

do bad things REALLY happen in threes?

i sure hope not.

but let's start first with our fabulous anniversary getaway weekend. he surprised me on thursday with the information that we would be leaving in the morning for Mendocino, to stay in a little B&B we visited several times BK (before kids). we haven't been back in five years, so it was a delightful reunion with innkeepers we know very well, as well as sun, ocean and wonderful food to boot. practically perfect in every way.

monday i was off to work and ended up in a car accident on the freeway. did you know that 911 will actually put you on hold while calling in an emergency? one is also unable, for whatever reason, to make any other cellular calls from that particular location. every attempt resulted in an insultingly loud BEEP and a "call failed" message. screaming in rage at your phone does no good - just so you know. it does however, scare other drivers. i gave up after three tries and over 10 minutes of being on hold, exchanged info with the other driver, and carefully steered my wounded honda to our local hospital.

much to my terror, immediately after the impact baby went very, very still (which is very, very unusual for this little guy) for a good half an hour. i was not taking my normal route to work, having just dropped husband off at the auto-body shop (such irony! we sure are good customers...).

trying to exit the freeway, i got lost in east scary-land. through tears and prayers, ended up on a familiar road, was able to get husband on phone, and he met me at my OB's office. just before we arrived, baby started to move a little, and i started breathing again. however, she sent us promptly over to Labor & Delivery because the heart rate was low. i then had the joy of a tech who wanted to "practice" hooking me up to the monitors, but kept exclaiming loudly "i just can't find the heartbeat!" had i not heard it 10 minutes beforehand at the doctor's office, i would have stood up on the bed and strangled her then and there.

shortly thereafter we were able to discern that baby was fine, but mom was having very regular contractions. two hours on the monitors determined they weren't going anywhere, just my uterus being "irritable" (you're telling me), and we were discharged with strict instructions to lay low and take it easy for at least a week. i guess i am at a higher risk for the placenta separating (= v. v. bad) due to the stress of the accident/seat belt + my former c-section. i pretty much slept for the rest of the day.

we won't be visiting my brother this weekend as planned - flying is forbidden for the next week - but we are very, very grateful it wasn't worse.

i would just like to state for the record that i very much hope that is the last time i rush to the hospital this week. twice in six days is a bit much, dontcha think?

inevitable...

so, i knew that this day would come eventually. every little boy under the age of five eventually ends up with a head wound. experiencing it, however, is nothing like trying to prepare for it.

last night Little Dude got smacked in the forehead with a door at preschool. i didn't have to witness it, nor see the blood (his teacher was pretty shaken up) but i was the lucky one who then got to take him to the ER. in their defence, they were lovely and took us straight back - we were in and out in an hour - and Little Dude thought the whole thing was really interesting, especially all the equipment and the beds that go up and down.

he even was amused by the full-body straight jacket they strapped him in to. and didn't mind when they draped a cloth over his face. he was still merrily reciting his numbers and ABC's to the Physician's Assistant while all this was going on. at that point, he couldn't see the giant syringe in the doctors hand until she whipped off the band-aid holding his cut together and injected two shots into the wound.

then the screaming started. and all i could do is pat the small portion of his knee that was exposed. the PA, trying to distract him, asked him if he could cound to 10 again for him. and the really pitiful thing was, he did.

sobbing "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10!!!!" more sobbing.

so the PA says - "can you count from 1 to 20?"

Little Dude, still sobbing, "one to twenty!!!"

the whole room busted up, and I even had to giggle through my own tears. smart kid!
as soon as the straight jacket came off, he needed about 30 seconds of hugs before he wanted off the table so he could look underneath and see what made it go up and down.

other than the two grisly black stitches in his forehead, he's fine. mommy was shaking until about 8pm...then fell asleep.

a friend suggested that they not only give out lollipops at the ER, but the mommies should get stickers to the effect of: Be nice to me today! I took my son to the ER last night!

an excellent idea!

progress!

the sheetrock started to go in on thursday. thought they would be done by saturday...but they decided to skip friday. saturday the last of it went in and we're hoping they'll deign to return this week to tape and texture. the joys of working with subs! but, at least progress is being made. i've got the paint picked out, friends have already promised to come by and help when the time comes. it's hard not to be impatient at this point! i love the views into the backyard, and in the morning, this room is flooded with light and is absolutely gorgeous. my new white desk will be such a pleasant place!

God Bless Blacksburg...

it's my hometown. i spent my first 7 years running around in the woods behind our house. it's the kind of town where little kids can do that, safely, and just be home for dinner. i took the school bus to school. we sledded down the center of our street in the winter. on the fourth of july, the entire town gathered on quilts and blankets and layed on our backs on the Virginia Tech drill field to watch fireworks. i learned to ice skate on the duck pond (see photo).

my dad worked in Norris Hall...first taking classes, later teaching. mom would pull up outside and I would trot in all by myself to fetch him at the end of the day.

to those of us with a connection to B'burg, this has all been a horror. i didn't realize, though, until yesterday when i saw all of the local flags at half mast, including those at my office, that the entire nation has been just as shaken. it's not just happening to me, but to all of us.

God bless the people Blacksburg, the students and the professors, and those that are left behind to figure out how to move onward. God bless those of us who are far away and feel helpless. God forbid that this evil overshadow the bucolic, happy memories we have of that wonderful town.

happy Easter!

just a few fun photos from our Easter with good friends. Little Dude definitely got the egg hunting/Easter bunny bit better this year and looked quite handsome in his suave linen shirt and khakis in honor of the day! although mommy would have been much happier had he been willing to wear the hip leather sandals grammie had bought rather than his beat-up Elmo sneakers, but what can you do?

holy belly, what is that in the corner??

how good we've got it

what do you do when you feel that tell-tale scratchy throat or burning nose? if you are like me, you run for the zinc lozenges and the airborne and more often than not, it clears up after a few days.

i haven't had a real out-and-out head cold in at least two years.

until last week.

i spent my fifth night on the couch last night, trying to "sleep" upright, coughing every few minutes. i ended up pulling a muscle in my side, so now every cough comes with a stab in the ribs.

i'm not very good with suffering. i'm not very good with pain. i want to go run and pop some pills or take some potion and make it go away. tolerating is not my forte. but, being that this body is currently housing other residents, i am not free to pollute it as i would normally and am reduced to meagre, ineffective remedies to cope with these symptoms.

i spent last week feeling angry and resentful. i was mad. i wasn't a very nice wife, and i wasn't a very nice mommy.

this week i'm trying to spend those wakeful hours in prayer asking for a quiet heart and courage amidst the suffering, and praying for others as well as myself. it's not even REAL suffering! there are so many who have faced true chronic pain, true illness, untreatable suffering and all i have is a silly little head cold and a cough. it's bound to be gone in a week or so.

what have i really got to complain about? not much.

i do know that when the day comes that i am able to sleep lying down, and actually sleep, without the punctuation of coughing every few seconds, for several hours at a stretch (i know that "through the night" is a long-distance dream!) i will recognize it as the gift it truly is!

simple things. gratitude. good.

then and now...

two years of cutie pie school photos to share with ya! happy friday!

the photo speaks for itself...

the gabes' labor camp continues...

remember that covered porch we had on the back of the house? it is no more, instead it has become an extension of the family room, almost doubling the usable space inside. i finally snapped a photo right of the project, as we finished up painting the new stucco. windows went in a few days later, so i'll post again soon. amazing how it just seems like it was always there, doesn't it? if you are wondering what else is missing - all the old concrete was removed late last summer, and the pergola and wisteria are also no more. i got voted off the island when it came to keeping the vine, and since it was what was holding up the pergola...you get the idea. the ladder is sitting just in front of the dining room slider. the plans are to install a 4-6' wide pergola across the entire back of the house running all the way to our bedroom on the opposite end, and a small breakfast porch off the dining room, with the main gathering area under the lemon trees outside the family room. lots of work to go, but progress is being made! we hope to move into the newly expanded room by the middle of april.

the very happy copilot...

God is great. i just love that Little Dude is getting some amazing experiences at such an early age, knowing that we are watching the fabric of his life and memory upon the loom. he had a great day with Papa on Sunday on a quick jaunt to the coast and back. the kid is going to know how to fly before he can drive at this rate...

as wild and crazy as he can be, seemingly unfocused and unpredictable, he takes his copilot role very seriously. he now helps tie and untie the plane, looping the ropes through the eyes, and holds the take off and landing checklist on his lap for Papa. he also knows that you "Never, never kick the yoke!"

Little Dude Quote of the Day

Little Dude was getting into my toiletries this morning and to keep him away from stuff that could spill, I gave him a black headband to play with. He walked around for a while with it on his head, and then brought it forward over his eyes and solemnly looked up at me and said (I swear, I did not prompt this at all!)

"Captain, there's no one here!"