Tuesday, September 23, 2008

How did she get so big?











Sunday, September 14, 2008

It's Been a LOOONG Week!

I don't think I have it in me to spin a good story, so I'll give you the bare bones facts-- also known as an outline. [I would like to note that I meticulously formatted this outline with all of the proper indentations and such --twice-- but it only comes out in one straight line once published. What a shame.]

Thesis Statement: This week was super lame.
I. Last Friday Amelia got very sick with hand, foot and mouth disease (for the 2nd time in 3 months)
A. High fever
B. Sores in mouth, on hands and on feet
C. Misery
1. terrible sleep for everyone
2. serious and constant neediness and whining for days
D. Very contagious
1. my sister couldn't baby sit her, as offered and which I had perceived as a desperate need
2. we couldn't see anyone all week, there were many canceled plans
II. Jeff got sick on Thursday
A. Fever
B. Misery
1. general family downer
2. more canceled plans
C. Crazy, unusual swelling over a series of days
1. way more misery than before
2. more canceled plans and resultant cabin fever
3. serious impairment of the legs
4. disturbing distortion of face due to swelling
5. concerns about swelling moving to airway
D. Trip to the ER
1. who wouldn't want to spend their Sunday at the ER? Especially with this gorgeous weather?
2. Amelia was there, too!
a. five trips to the bathroom in two hours
b. two incidences of pee all over the floor
c. one busted lip from falling out of a chair
E. Steroids and benadryl
1. Jeff was out of commission for most of the day
2. we were forced to watch dumb shows online like "High School Musical-- Get in the Picture"
3. a week full of meds and their side effects ahead of us

Ugh! I'm not sure where this fits in, but our washing machine is also broken so we spent the better part of our most functional day doing laundry at the "mat." So, we're glad the week is over and are hoping for better luck next time. It wasn't all bad, though. On Saturday night we got out and went the movies. For $13.50, we got two tickets and two hours of babysitting-- exactly what we needed. We watched Get Smart, which was even funnier than we were hoping-- I love Steve Carell. We also spent a good amount of time this evening laughing about our super lame week and coming up with nicknames for Jeff's distorted visage-- "Dog Face" seemed to win the most laughs. We took pictures as soon as we got home from the hospital, which we will share for your sympathy and amusement.
As a point of reference, this is what my handsome husband USUALLY looks like.
I think this is the best one!

Where would we be if we had no sense of humor?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up and join the party! Go on over and give him a warm welcome to the blogging world.

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Almost there...

So, potty training is almost officially over! I am so thrilled to be done with cloth diapers, and can't wait to not have to buy pullups for bedtime anymore either. So far, apart from pooping her pants at extremely inopportune moments, Amelia has done really well in public. Sure, I had to take her to the bathroom three times at breakfast this week, but no accidents on long drives or in the stroller... anywhere but home (and my sister's house, when she saw the tap running into the sink.) I am really looking forward to not having those moments where I'm thinking, "Am I really having a conversation about potty training with another adult? This is SO not what I'd like to be talking about in this rare moment of peer interaction...."

Friday, September 05, 2008

This one's mostly for the ladies...

I found an article that I really want to pass on. I hope you ladies will read it through. It talks about the current healthcare system and how to navigate through areas of corruption (and, I think, intimidation) to really receive quality care. I especially appreciated the section entitled "Good medicine requires patience" that addressed the widespread use of the HPV vaccine. I really like the website Women to Women. They are "Western" doctors that are very holistic and practical, and also address social/cultural issues related to our health. I could say SO much more on this topic, but it's written much more eloquently there already, so I'll hold off for now.