Getting Better!

The fever finally broke Monday night and is back to normal...she is herself again, just a little more excited than usual to be feeling better. Just so you don't have to keep looking at sad Heidi, here are a few pictures of the ABQ Airport Santa, who scared Heidi but still gave her a free present. We thought we were crashing an airport employee party, but New Mexico is all about using taxpayer money to give out free presents....

Epic

Last night was our first hospital trip with Heidi since her birth. She had been fighting a croup-ish thing since Wednesday night and symptoms included a fever, which I was medicating, but last night continued to rise even with Tylenol dosage. When she reached 104.3 we called our Dr. who advised we go to the hospital.

Thankfully UNM has a separate Pediatric ER wing, so we were not subjected to the 10-hour wait, but I think since her fever was so high they put us on the top of the list, because we didn't have to wait long before they started all the stuff: asking us lots of questions with clipboards and tying things to her toes. They also gave her a big dose of Ibuprofen which broke the fever almost immediately--I should have just done that sooner since another nurse I had spoken to on the phone advised it earlier that evening. Hindsight...

Since she had been sick for more than two days and had agitated breathing, the Dr. on call ordered a check for a super-infection that included all the usual samples, which were very hard to acquire from a tired and scared toddler at what was now 2:30 in the morning. She fought those nurses like a wildcat, which unfortunately meant more IV punctures for her since they were very surprised at her strength and there seemed to be a lot of fumbling and flailing on everyone's part. At first they were telling us not to hold her, but after a few minutes of that they were grateful for some extra hands. We could have told them that ours is a superbaby.

Her tour also included a chest x-ray which I could only watch through a window, being pregnant and all. It was like some kind of wild child documentary: husband trying to hold her down while the techs tried to come up with a way to cover her with the smock thing, which she kicked off repeatedly with a vengeance and howled like Mowgli.

All that excitement though helped her to go to sleep, which she did, thankfully until we were discharged at 5:30 a.m. with an RSV diagnosis. Mercifully, she slept today until about 11 and went back to bed after some oatmeal brunch.

We are tired and glad that it's Saturday. I am so thankful that husband took her temperature at the right time so we could respond quickly. That so far in the life of our family, this has been the exception and not the rule. It was a terrible, terrible feeling seeing our baby so sick and I'm thankful that it didn't last long. I truly can't imagine the deep suffering of families whose children are fighting long-term illnesses and who spend days and days in hospitals. I am thankful for good medical staff who did what was needed. And I was so thankful to go into her room this morning and see her rolling around in her crib, still fighting a temp, but alive, well, tube-free, and happy to see her mama. Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow, especially this Blessing.

Nana is on the Move

One of the many, many reasons we are looking forward to Nana's visit next week.

Though we just did enjoy an amazing time with Heidi's Opa and Uncle Markus, who stopped by on their cross-country transit. I'm sad I didn't get pictures (we are transitioning cameras right now) but hopefully Opa will send me his when he gets a chance.

Other than that, things are good, though I can't shake this constant "finals week" feeling that I think goes along with being married to a near Ph.D. hopeful in addition to having a baby due the same week of his defense. That is a lot for any man to deal with, even my amazing one. Keep us in your prayers.

Heidi is shaking something that involved a dog cough and a temperature, but in spite of that is very active and busy tearing up the house. Yup, peace out.

Thank you, Mr. President

I have been grieving all year about the changes we are facing. I hope, hope, hope, I am wrong about my positions and fears. I hope for miracles and magic. But this is about saluting a truly magnanimous man and his gracious wife.

Thank you, Mr. President, for keeping us safe and for those wonderful tax cuts. In 2010 we will remember why we voted for you when the tax cuts you gave us expire. Thank you for not falling in the face of criticism during the most dangerous time of our generation--for persevering through an ugly war to prevent the war from coming here again. Thank you for protecting the babies and for caring about Africa. You are the most compassionate President I ever saw in action.

Most of all, thank you for the profound example you have set of turning the other cheek. I hope the mob changes its tune during your lifetime and you receive a measure of the respect you deserve at the very least, as one of our former Presidents. But what has astounded me the most has been your gentle, patriotic, faithful response to the vile and venom that has been raining on you, ironically, since both your elections. You and Laura have taught me a lot about grace, and I am most thankful for that.

Shelter from the Storm

From our archives.

A Good Friend is Just There When you Need Her

Heidi and Abigail. Sorry, Bob, I had to cc that one!

Finally!

We have been searching for a cloth Bible for a few months now. Heidi sits much better in church if there is something for her to do and I feel kind of funny bringing Madeline books to worship. We have been collecting as many Christian-themed toys as we can and bringing them out only during church to make Sunday a special day for her already.

I really liked the idea of felt Bible toys (like the ones they had when we were kids). I did find some garish Noah felt cut-outs but they didn't come with a board. I think bringing an easel and felt board into corporate worship would be a little much anyways.

So it was exciting to find this little activity Bible at Veritas Press and I do have to say it felt very "right of passagy" to make our first homeschoolish book order ever. We'll see how it goes.

Project Baby Book

Is it just me, or is this year more "new yearsy?" I keep hearing more about resolutions and detox, and even Starbucks is featuring tea instead of coffee (don't worry, they're still selling coffee, just not talking about it as much).

And we are dusting off projects and trying to actually finish them--like Heidi's baby book and Husband's dissertation. It's fun to mention those two things in the same sentence. I am so not the scrapping type, but I do want her to have something to show for herself on graduation day. So here are a few pix from her 1-12 month baby book cover.


Birth (Month 1)(2 months)

3 months4 months
5 months6 months
7 months8months
9months10 months

11 monthsOne year!

Elsa Joy

We had our gender-definitive ultrasound 2 days before we left town for Christmas, so Elsa didn't get an adrenaline-hyped post announcing her gender and name. We were also fairly sure beforehand of both things, so it wasn't a huge surprise.

The name came to us pretty quickly. We like short names; Elsa is a German derivative of Elisabeth and means "chosen by God." Elisabeth is also Kendall-Bethy's middle name and we like names that carry on. Joy is the first name and middle name of my father's mother, "Nanny Joy" and my younger sister "Rebecca Joy." Watch out, if you get too close to us, we're naming em after you.

This photo is actually from Heidi's ultrasound (again, so second child), but Elsa was facing my spine and wouldn't turn around for us, so her pictures just couldn't do her justice.

I am loving the idea of two little girls, of how much fun they will have, and hoping that they will be as close as my friendships with my own sisters have been. And the nesting part of me is looking forward to using Heidi's cute stuff again and amping up her room to hold two. If you want to hear my "deep" thoughts on this, go back to Heidi's prenatal posts. It is all the same, I just don't have time to write it down again. We love you, Elsa Joy.

3 Years!

One night in Santa Fe I came home from waitressing at the Hilton--it was late at night and my apartment was dark and cold. My feet were heavy and tired. As I walked up the stairs to my little home I noticed something on the front porch: a bouquet of handpicked wildflowers and a brand new Nalgene filled with truffles. So my style. Just one of the many things telling me it was you.

You still surprise me every day, make me laugh, love me like I've never known, and best of all, push me toward Jesus. Happy Anniversary, Husband!

The Pain and the Joy

If this picture grosses you out, you can imagine how I felt this morning when Heidi snagged Una's special "homemade" dog treat (from the dog's mouth) and took a big bite. At least it wasn't Purina. And Una gets a medal for not making a peep--that's how Heidi had enough time to sample the goods.
She was happy to see her own puppy again.
And spent about an hour putting on her lip stuff from Aunt Kendall.
And miraculously ran into Nana at Chicago Midway during a 20 minute layover (thank you, Lord!)




On the road again: Giving Southwest another chance.
The below shot isn't really from this trip, but going with the travel theme, here is Husband getting into a car.

When I watched Shadowlands (finally without falling asleep!) this fall, I was particularly impressed by a quote from Joy--they know she is going to die soon, that her time is short, and they travel to a place that "Jack" has long imagined to be Heaven: a sunfilled, pastoral valley that seems to live up to his expectations. They are looking at the scene, a light rain starts to fall, and both thinking about the end and the Eternity when Joy says to him, "The Pain then is part of the Joy now."

I think about this a lot--so much of our life now is about distance. The distance between us and our parents--not to mention our siblings, who are spread even further across the 50 states and will probably be across the globe before too long. But now, even more, I think about the distance between us and our Departed, the distance between earth and Heaven.

We had a wonderful, beautiful Christmas with each side of our families. But there is pain too. It hurts to look around the table and feel a great absence. It hurts when not every single moment is picture-postcard perfect, because our time together is so limited. And most of all, it hurts to get back into a car and know that it will be a distance of time before we see each other again. And it hurts when your flight gets cancelled and they lose your luggage and you leave at least one thing at every place you visit.

But the pain is part of the Joy, and it makes the Joy deeper and more real and more prophetic. I miss everyone so much already, and I'm so thankful for you all, you, yes, and even you. Thanks to everyone for a beautiful Christmas (hopefully some videos will follow).

Happy New Year!

We're in print. That's one resolution completed.