What I've learned while sitting on my bum!

I’m on day 7 of bedrest and I’ve been told that I can do a bit more walking around. So naturally I got out of the house lickety-split and headed to the gym. I know what you’re thinking. And no, I haven’t gone insane after a few days of cabin fever…well, at least not totally. We went to the little gym, of course! Did you think I’m that crazy that I’d actually be *that* anxious to return to my 6am routine on the treadmill?? (ok, ok I admit! I miss the treadmill *tear*)
Well for an hour my kids ran around like chickens with their heads cut off and I sat and moved nothing but my mouth. The energizer bunnies weren’t even phased. It was official. We needed chic-fil-a. They could jump and climb and run and scream for another 2 hours while I sat in the AC. Now that we’re home and Leo’s asleep and Emily’s having quiet time, I’m exhausted. SO exhausted. And I got to thinking.

What have I learned lately??

1. Resting makes you tired. Really. Really. Tired. I seriously did nothing but load kids in the car a couple times and sit without my legs propped, and I felt like I got hit by a truck. Resting to me is like making a wheelchair bound person run a marathon. How did I miss this memo?

2. My children are trying to kill each other. Is this normal? Every 30 seconds we have a mini-crisis because Leo pulled out a handful of Emily’s hair, or Emily pushed Leo off the couch and he nearly cracked open his head on the tile, or someone is hitting someone over the head with a skillet. All while I sit, and cringe, and feel desperately unhelpful. Let’s just say we’re still “adjusting.”

3. Half chewed spaghetti and moldy strawberries and dried up scrambled eggs remain under your child’s high chair until you clean it up. Someone forgot to queue the vortex which opens in the filthy floor and sucks away all the remains. Maybe we should get a dog.

4. I have ankles. I honestly darn near forgot that under all that swollen fleshy flesh is a pair of skinny bones which are called ankles. And I got to see mine today. Highlight of my week!

5. I had a heavenly idea of resting while watching my mild-mannered-sitdownski-children read, play puzzles, and have round the clock tea parties. I gloriously would catch up on my book club reading (Called to Loveàhighly recommend!), blogging, watching movies, etc. Basically go on vacation in order to keep this unborn child content with staying in the womb. Clearly I was on a different planet. Our household at the moment is most similar to that movie Animal House. I have yet to scratch one thing off that glorious list. But I did, more importantly, watch a tv show called Pregnant in Heels. Just when my self esteem and wallowing misery was at a high, this ridiculous show sent my ego soaring through the rafters. If you’re pregnant, do yourself a favor. Watch the show. You’ll feel a lot better about your life.

6. I have amazing friends. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to you all have prayed for us, cheered me on, made us meals, or let Leo hit your little girl a million times without passing judgment or killing him. And thank you Eli. You’re my boy, blue!

Say Say Oh Playmate

Say say oh playmates, come out and play with me

And bring your swimsuits three, Splash in my pool with glee.

Slide down my slide,

Eat yummy snacks galore,

And we'll be jolly friends, Forever more - more - more!

October Happenings

Here are some random pictures from October. I'm sorry the format is weird...I don't have the patience to fix it!

Emily has been very busy exploring the house and trying to imitate everything Eli and I do daily. She loves to sit out on the patio and watch the cars go by, and really gets a kick out of popping bubbles. She gets so excited when she sees birds and squirrels!

Recently she has learned to stand up in the tub and rushes to feel the running water. She's still fond on the rubber ducky that Eli got her, and gives him lots of kisses.

Emily is very good at throwing all the toys on the ground to make room to climb the bookshelf. Did I mention that she's a monkey?

Yummy Danze spaghetti sauce...not so yummy in the eyes.




Still lots of sniffing when she gets really excited.

Helping unload the dishwasher (no matter where she is in the apartment, as soon as she hears me start, she races over and looks for the sharp knives)

Play dates have become very different now that Emily is old enough to actually "play." I love these cute pictures of her and Caroline looking out the window. Right after I took this, Emily pushed Caroline down to the floor. Poor Caroline! Emily did feel bad though...her eyes say it all.

We have gone to the cap bar at UD a lot lately with Sophia. It's perfect because mommys get their coffee and babies have lots of grass to roll around in. These pictures are of Sophia running away from Emily trying to chase her.

In the beginning of October, Emily and I went to San Antonio to be with my sisters Annie and Teresa while my parents went to New York to visit my brother Paul. Nona (great-grandmother) took us to see the newest addition to my first cousins (#31 i think), Natalie who was born in the summer. I love her fluffy hair!! Caroline at 3 years old is a great big sister, and really enjoyed playing with Emily too. Sean is so sweet and gentle with the girls, much like his 3 older brothers. Emily was so funny--she just wanted to look at Natalie the whole time...she adores those girls!

Of course Emily feels right at home at Nana and Grandaddy's house. Sweetie the dog wasn't as happy, constantly running away from a baby's curious hands. Teresa helped me out so much, from playing dressup, to giving her baths. What a great auntie!

Birthday Weekend

Last week was super busy and went by super fast! Eli has been enjoying the Cowboys games on his new TV and had company over to watch the Monday night football game. On Tuesday I had a baby play date over here with Teresa and Aidan, and Katy and Caroline. Caroline cracks me up...she loves to carry her toys in her mouth so she can cruise around. She and Emily pretty much fought over every toy the whole time. Aidan is growing so much too, as he can hold his head up and has really good trunk support. What a sweetie!

On Wednesday night we hosted (a very lonely without the Kanes and Alexanders) supper club. I made my mom's King Ranch Casserole and Rebecca brought some fantastic peach cobbler. Sophia is very mature and officially is a toddler!

Friday evening we made our way to San Antonio to spend the night with my parents. I just realized that somewhere down the line I stopped referring to my previous house as "home". Eli had a meeting for his capstone class in San Antonio the following morning, so it worked out great to spend a few hours hanging out with my sisters. Teresa scored some points at her volleyball game and afterwards we had a birthday steaks for Eli on the balcony. Of course no visit is complete without a dip in the pool! Emily loves to swim!

From there we jetted off to Austin to meet the Danzes for the birthday party of Wilma, Felix, and Eli. The whole family got together to watch the UT game and hang out. Lots of fun! Emily loved playing with her cousins and all of their toys. She was very content the entire time--it always surprises me how much Emily thrives outside the home. I guess she takes after her parents because she's definitely not a homebody! Grandma and Grandpa have a fun setup for the grandkids in the backyard--I can't wait to see Emily playing with her cousins in the future!

Yesterday we celebrated Eli's birthday with dinner for our Dallas family. Of course I made Eli's favorite--steak and potatoes!

One Sick Little Girl

Last week started out great with a trip to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth with Katy and Caroline. The Impressionist exhibit was spectacular--you could see the same Monet, Van Gough or Renoir everyday hanging in your house, but when you see the original, it's almost magical. Each brush stroke stands out, and the color is as vibrant as the day it was painted. Katy and I strolled our babies through the bits of history hoping the girls would sit still long enough for us to hear the explanation coming from our audio-tours. The only thing predictable about Emily--not when she's tired, not when she's hungry, not which toy is her favorite--is that she will not sit still...ever. I felt bad for her and for the others in the exhibit giving me stink eye when she couldn't be pacified with puffs (no food in the exhibit) or toys (she may apparently throw them at the paintings...too bad she couldn't throw them at the man's face...). Just God reminding me to be flexible and pay attention to my child. 24 hours a day.

With Ike on its way we began to pray hard for those in the Houston/Galveston area. Meanwhile Emily began a crisis of her own. It began with the blood in the urine on Wednesday night. Thursday morning at the doctor they took samples and prescribed a high level antibiotic and cream. When we got home she started to run a fever. For the next 4 days she had a temperature of 104. Monday morning the fever went down to 102 and by the night she was back down to 97. Whew! I was beginning to think that the Motrin and Tylenol were fake. Today, a week later, she still has blood in her urine, and the samples showed there was no urinary tract infection, so another door has opened. After medicating her for 3 weeks she will be referred to a nephrologist and will begin another battery of tests, including a ultrasound of her kidneys. Please pray for Emily...she has gone through so much already. On a happy note, Emily is enjoying her new talents of pulling herself to stand up and sit down. She also loves to open drawers and pull everything out...life is so fun when there are things to get into!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Eli's mom visited this week to help Teresa unpack who recently moved to Dallas. Aidan is such a cutie and getting huge at 3 months old! Babies really do grow up fast; he's already swatting at toys and rolling over. Emily played well with him and of course stole all this toys (thank goodness he's sweet and doesn't mind). We helped to put up shelves and organize stuff, and by the time we left we had made a pretty big dent in the process.

Sheri spent that night and the next day with us at our place. We excitedly watched Sarah Palin's speech (what a woman, huh) and then next day we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. Emily wasn't as enthralled as I anticipated, but Sheri and I sure were! I wish I had pictures, but that morning I put our camera through the washer. OOPS! Surprisingly I took some pieces apart and got it back up and running again. The Zoo was almost completely shaded, which made for a pleasant day. The coolest exhibit to me was the apes--they had indoor caves with windows that we could stand up against. Not only are they huge with scary eyes, but their hands and feet are gigantic. Emily was her usual observant self, never missing a beat, but wasn't scared! For those of you who don't know Emily, let me tell you, this is progress for her! There were months when I couldn't turn on the blender, garbage disposal, even washing machine without a fit. Not to mention she was/is a "stage 5 clinger" and now will let grandma hold her!!! This is so exciting to me...not only that she recognizes grandma, but that her severe stranger anxiety is weakening (hopefully!).

We went the Hartman/Kern wedding on Saturday night at the Dallas Arboretum and it was so beautiful with the sun setting over White Rock Lake. The venue was almost like a scene out of the Great Gatsby--white tents and romantic music. Afterwards we ran to Rachel's going away party (she's moving to Brussels for Grad school) and shot over to Greenville for the wedding after party. Sweet Aunt Mary babysat Emily for us!

Emily has been busy lately sprouting new teeth and cruising. So far that makes one and a half teeth, but she uses them to her advantage (i.e. biting mom ferociously when she is not allowed to eat her cell phone or computer). We can already tell she will be very determined and motivated in life. Another new trick this week is pulling herself up to stand in the crib. Yes, it's so cute to see her standing up after waking up from a nap. Not so cute when she decides not to nap in 2 days because she loves to stand up, but doesn't know how to sit down. We're still trying to get her to sleep through the night, but are slowly accepting that she's just not one of those kiddos. Click here to understand why not.

Oh and other news!! I am thrilled to announce that Olivia and Marty are having a girl!! Just when I was worried about Emily getting outnumbered by her 3 boy cousins...

Also my Uncle Will and Aunt Jacquie are having another baby!! They too have 2 boys, so we cant wait to find out what they're having next!