Three Men and Their Ladies: March 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Paisley~the way I roll.

Hi. My name is Paisley and I'm 11 months old today.
Next month I'll be ONE,
(but don't tell my Mom because she'll probably cry).
This is the way I roll.

HAVE A HAPPY DAY!
peas out.

Monday, March 29, 2010

our new plates and cups

As mentioned in a previous post,
I bought these new plates and cups and napkins.
i am in love.
they match.
everything goes together so perfectly.
aren't they darling??

they have a vintage red bicycle on them.
just like i had as my first bike.
they have three circles for food/cup holder.
they rock.

the cups have silver sparklies and water stuck in the side
you can watch a cool glitter show while you drink your orange juice.

they have been sealed with the smile of approval.
Mom award.

"Everything tastes better
when eaten off of a pretty plate."
~Naomi Beiler, (my Mom)~

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Dear Baby Girl, you are coming to LIFE in a whole new way!! You are crawling like a champ and going down the little steps in our kitchen on your belly. You just started going up the big flight of steps. Gate time....oh wait, I don't use gates. Just chairs turned on their sides. Okay, chair time! You pull yourself onto anything and pull down everything you can reach! You love the Tupperware drawer and holding onto my leg while I'm standing at the sink.

You are so freakin' loud when you cry. You hurt my ears if you're crying while up on my shoulder!! Your hair is getting long and I don't know what to do with it. I'm new at this "girl hair" thing. It's hanging in your eyes half the time and I think you would look like Audrey Hepburn if I gave you bangs. Ooooh, maybe I will!

When it's time to go to sleep I put you up on my shoulder and hold you close. You grab my hair and rub it until you get sleepy. I love that. It's one of my favorite times of the day. I usually take a really deep breath and thank God for your nearness.

Your brothers are rough with you and you could care less. Although sometimes I hear a shriek and that usually means someone, (Luke) is on top of you! You love to tackle someone if they are lying on the floor. You are so quick to smile....if you're in Mommy's arms. You just started putting your head down in shyness and I want to bottle those moments up because they are soooo precious!

When I'm holding you and you want my attention, you take my face and turn it toward you. My heart warms up and swells to almost bursting.

Oh, baby girl. we love you SO MUCH! Do you know how much fun we're going to have together this Spring and Summer? And did you know you haven't even touched the grass yet!?
Oh, I can hardly wait to introduce you!

"The day the Lord created
hope
was probably the same day
he created Spring."
~Bern Williams~

**Photo credits to my niece Tessa. She kept Luke and Paisley one of the days we were in the hospital and took these shots! So lovely! Come back soon 'cause I have some more ADORABLE shots from a recent photo shoot with Paisley.....by my friend Adrienne. She's been photographing Paisley since she was in my womb!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Update on Tyler

breakfast and a bucket by the fire.
that nasty stomach bug passed thru our house right before Tyler got sick.

We are SO GRATEFUL TO BE HOME AGAIN. I know I've said that so many times before, but it remains true. I look back on the past 2 weeks and realize I didn't know the strength that was lying dormant in me all this time. I am continually amazed at how, when called, a person can rise to current need/demand. I thought I was so busy/tired before all this happened; the hospital stay, the emotional roller coaster, the questions, the 24 hour medicine routine, etc. I realize now that those were "easy" days, relatively speaking. Oddly, I feel like I have more energy now then ever before. I guess because my focus is more singular. I am here to see that Tyler gets better, (as best I can). Motivation, no. Energy, yes. Two very separate things. Only today have I finally finished putting a weeks worth of laundry away. Tomorrow I will start deep cleaning my home. I love to deep clean. I went away last night for the first time in what felt like forever. Just me, to Target, for toilet paper and a couple other things.

Tyler's nurse, Amy, lives here in Strasburg so that is special to us. She comes by once a week to change his picc line dressing. NOT a fun thing and painful for him and for me to watch. But she was soooo kind and did a wonderful job. It seemed 80 times worse in the hospital when they did it. I guess because everything was so heightened at that time.

His medicine routine is just that....a routine. We feel like we have it down pretty well so far. It's melting into the rest of my day/night, but I do feel myself thinking, "don't forget to do it, don't forget to do it."

Tyler is still limping. The Doctors said it will be some time before the antibiotics do their work and bring complete healing to his muscles. They said that oftentimes children his age will favor their leg because they remember previous pain, (even after it is actually better). Tonight though he started talking about his OTHER hip hurting...what the heck? I'm calling the Doctor tomorrow morning.

The antibiotics are very strong, causing diarrhea in him. I feel so badly for him. He had three accidents yesterday and was very upset about it, understandably so. The nurse said to give him more yogurt which will cause the good bacteria to help form more regular stool. (Thank you for taking the time to read about my sons bowels)!!!!!

He said to me yesterday, "my body hurts Mom." Oh, my heart broke for him. I had to fight back the tears right then and there.

His coloring is still way off too, just a pale, transparent look to him. Again, the nurse said this morning that this is "normal" when on these strong meds. Oh, I'm so ready to have my healthy boy back! I see the end in sight and recognize that there are MANY who do not. Many, many parents are dealing with terminal illnesses in their babies, their precious toddlers or their school-aged children. My heart has been filled with compassion like NEVER before.

Tyler wakes up at least once a night crying of pain in his hip/leg area. But we have learned that if we give him some Motrin right before bed, this usually curtails that happening. He's not as hungry as I'm use too, but that also is a side effect of the meds.

Tonight when we were saying our good-night prayers I told him how excited I am when he will feel all better and we will run all around the yard together and jump high and climb trees. He just smiled. He has amazed us with his bravery, strength, patience and optimism throughout this whole journey.

We thank our God for healing him COMPLETELY and giving us the STRENGTH WE NEED FOR TODAY.....to encourage him and help him toward wholeness!

"We hold that man is never so near grace
as when he begins to feel he can do nothing at all."

~C.H. Spurgeon~
High Doctrine, June 3, 1860.

DANGER ZONE!!!

DEAR FRIENDS, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR WALLET....STAY AWAY FROM TARGET RIGHT NOW. THEY HAVE A NEW LINE OF THINGS CALLED "LIBERTY FROM LONDON" AND IT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD DARLING, VINTAGE, CUTE, PRECIOUS, BEAUTIFUL, UNIQUE, CREATIVE AND WONDERFUL!!!! STAY AWAY, I TELL YOU!!!! YOU CAN'T EVEN TURN ONE CORNER WITHOUT ANOTHER AMAZING THING CALLING OUT TO YOU. FINALLY LAST NIGHT, AFTER ROUNDING ANOTHER BEND, I HAD TO START TALKING OUT LOUD AND THERE WERE SOME MEN WITH RED SHIRTS STANDING RIGHT THERE, LOOKING AT ME LIKE I ESCAPED THE MENTAL WARD, but i didn't care. I needed Target intervention. THIS IS WHAT I SAID while shaking my head back and forth, "KNOCK IT OFF TARGET, THIS IS TOO MUCH, I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE, JUST STOP IT, STOP IT. YOU'RE KILLING ME HERE, KILLING ME!!!" i think they were concerned for me.

i left with a pack of napkins. the most darling red old-school bicycle on a backdrop of robin egg blue and white polka dots.

i want the plates that match.

and the cups.

but Paisley needed formula. Guess a babies gotta eat, right?

SO, NOW YOU KNOW AND YOU CAN'T SAY SOMEONE DIDN'T WARN YOU.
See you later, I'm going to donate my plasma for $$.

**3/24/2010 @ 11:19 pm. update and confession: i went back.
i bought the plates that matched.
and the cups.
and another pack of napkins.
charged it on my target card, (that i had to dig out of the drawer because i'm not responsible enough to keep it in my wallet like a normal 31 year old woman).
i need help.

2010 Census form

Dear Mrs. Duggar, it's times like these,
when I'm filling out the Census form,
that I am thankful I don't have 19 children.
I hope you have an entire day
to fill out this dear form
because goodness knows you will need it.

All the best,
Janelle

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

HaPpY 3rd BiRtHdAy SwEeT LuKe!!!

(Luke, Winter, 2009, sitting on his hero's lap).

(Luke @ 10 months)

It's my little boys 3rd birthday today!! Man, I love this kid! He has a tenacity that I rarely see, even in adults. If he has to do something he would rather do it himself, then to ask for help. Very similar to the way he was born. "Here I am Mom, I don't care if the midwife is here or not, I'm ready NOW!!" Luke has something I like to call "the soul stare." It seems you can see right into his little soul when you look into his eyes. He has so much to share, if you'll just take the time to search for it. The above pictures show a glimpse of it. It started a very young age.

He likes goals and thrives best when he has a purpose!! Here he is helping make homemade, freshly churned ice cream a few months ago. He stayed out on the front porch the entire time, from start to finish and loved every minute. He is very hands-on. This was the perfect thing for him.

He isn't very expressive unless he is alone with you or knows you well. Normally, you'll get a little glance from him or maybe, if you're lucky, a high five. But if he allows you into his world, you will feel so loved. He likes everything JUST the way it's "suppose" to be done. He adores his Daddy and plays "Daddy" at least once a day, dressing up with all his "gear": phone, hat, boots, lunch box, measuring tape, sunglasses, pack of gum and the lid of my kitchen pan for his truck steering wheel.

He has a silly side that is endearing. He can be crazy with Tyler or just content by himself. He likes when people laugh at him, but only if he initiates it. If someone is laughing at him when he wasn't meaning to be funny, he'll hide his face and say something like, "no body looking at me."

Most everything he puts his hands to he has a purpose for. I have to be careful not to pick up after him without getting the go-ahead because he is usually in the middle of creating, building, inventing something. He plays well by himself and is normally a follower, going along with the flow is just fine by him.

Pretty sure he's about to do something mischievous....don't you think?

Yep, he just threw all that rubber mulchey stuff into the air!!

He is very sensitive to outwardly:

sun in his eyes~he loves to wear his "eggo glasses", (Diego) and
makes sure he has them everywhere we go.
his favorite type of gum is "spicy" gum, (big red or peppermint).
He likes hummus and anything spicy he will eat.
He loves to play the guitar and sing loud.
he doesn't like when the music is too loud in the car, but when he's in control, the louder the better. And when he plays the guitar he loves the music to be LOUD!!
his socks have to be on his feet just perfectly, "all jack up Mom" if it's slightly off.
one of his favorite things to do is to put lotion on his face and chapstick
on his lips, (normally done in stealth mode) after which I will ask what he's
doing. "Look me handsome" he'll matter-of-factly say.
Each night he prays for the same group of people:
"Aunt Chris, Tom, Vonnie, Sophie, Bennett."

Dear Luke,
I love you so much.
You adapt so well to whatever comes your way.
You have taught me a lot about being sensitive to others needs before my own.
You take life with a grace that is beyond your years. You go with the flow like no one I've ever met before.....oh wait, I married someone like that and he Fathered you, never mind!

Like this song says, "My wish for you is that this life becomes ALL that you want it to,
Your dreams stay BIG, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold. And while you're out there gettin'
where you're gettin' to, I hope you know somebody loves you."

Jesus has a GREAT plan for your life and I am honored to call you SON!

Love,
Mom

Monday, March 22, 2010

Tyler's Medicine Routine

Okay, here's the thing, if I'm going to do something on a regular basis I would like for it to be:

a.) fun

b.) cute

c. ) fun and cute at the same time.

So, since these meds will be in our home IN ABUNDANCE for the next 6 weeks and they will be used 3 TIMES each day, I will make them easily accessible and fun to look at it:

we have here, from left to right: pink bucket=saline syringes, blue flashlight for 4 am meds, orange bowl full of alcohol swabs, fresh red tulips, green bucket=heparin syringes.

wash hands thoroughly.
15 seconds of alcohol on entrance site.

adequate distraction for 4 year old
administer first syringe filled with saline to clear picc line.

repeat alcohol swab for another 15 seconds.

make sure other children are accounted for.
preferably in place with food/entertainment/both.Administer antibiotics for 5 minutes. Squirt. Wait one minute. Squirt. Wait one minute, etc. Yet another alcohol swab for 15 seconds.