Well, actually I am always grateful for Heaven. But today is infant and pregnancy loss awareness day. Last Tuesday (Oct 12) Samuel would have been 7 months old. We also wouldn't have Piper. I find myself thinking that alot, I love that little girl so much and life would be so different with out her, but we'd have Samuel. I'll never know what life would've been like with Samuel. But I'll get to spend eternity getting to know him and seeing who he is.
I know a lot of people think, "Oh, it's just a miscarriage, you didn't feel the baby move, you didn't see his face." blah blah blah.
It wasn't just a miscarriage. It was a baby. A baby that John and I prayed for, loved before he was made, looked forward to, thought about, grieved for and still miss. So it wasn't "just a miscarriage", SAMUEL was and is our child. It wasn't "just" a miscarriage.
I remember the joy the day (June 30th at 10:15am) that I found out we were pregnant. I was at my parents house and "snuck" my preg test in and took it, it shocked me when it showed positive. I couldn't wait to tell John so I drove to his work to tell him. He was busy so I left the preg test and a note in his seat in the car. We were thrilled. At my first ultrasound we saw his heart beat. A few weeks later I had some spotting and went in for an ultrasound. I went alone b/c I really didn't think anything was wrong. The tech looked around then started looking at my ovaries. I knew since she didn't comment on the baby being fine that he must be gone. When I said to her "you don't see a heart beat do you?" She said, "no" and handed me a box of tissues when she went to get the doc. I remember thinking, "how am I going to tell John this news." After talking with the doc and deciding to have a DNC later that day, I left the office in tears, called John and said, "there is no heart beat." all he said was, "not even a little one." He came home from work and we just cried, I had the DNC and that was that. We cried on and off for days. It was the biggest sucker punch I'd ever had. We prayed a lot, played with Tris a ton and cried.
After a few days, we were fulling believing what we'd been saying from the beginning: we trust God, we love God and we will serve God...no matter what." We began to really rely on Him, knowing that was the only place from which our healing could come. He delivered, like he always does. He began healing in our lives. We moved forward but will never forget. Samuel's box that Megan made us sits on our mantel, with little mementos of him in it. I love that box and will forever treasure it.
On Sunday, we were driving home from Hillsboro and Tristan had a red balloon from Red Robin in the car he asked (out of no where) if we could pull over so he could let the balloon go out the window and up to Heaven to his brother Samuel. He never knew his face but he loves him and he remembers. God uses special moments like that to remind us of his love for us and that our little one is safe in His arms.
Even now, 14 months after losing Samuel, I get teary writing about the day we found out we were pregnant, the day we lost him and all the days following. I don't think you ever "get over" the loss of a child, you just learn how to move forward into a new kind of normal. All of you who share this common bond with me understand what I am saying. A loss is a loss, whether it be a miscarriage or a loss later in pregnancy, it was a loss. My little one had a heart beat, he was ALIVE. He was wanted and loved. His death was a loss. His God is real. His God is strong and his God is holding him until we get there.
Today I am grateful for Heaven.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Fun Fall Photos with A Jay's Photography
A couple of years ago I met a wonderful photographer named Angie Oxenrider. She is beyond talented in her field, detail oriented and super fun. When we closed Full of Grace, we began referring all of our business to her. She did Piper's newborn photos and now Tristan's 5 year/Fall Photos. It can be incredibly difficult to get good photos of Tristan, he either makes ridiculous faces or he makes great faces but isn't looking at the camera. Professional photos with his is the bane of my existance. However, Angie is a miracle worker and managed to get a ton of great shots of Tristan, some precious shots of the kids together and even a few where I don't look like an elephant (seriously, she is THAT good!). If you need a great family, wedding, maternity, senior photographer let me know and I'll get you her contact info! Enjoy the pics!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Oh The Family Fun We Have...& Linzee's Vanilla Chai is Like Crack
A few weeks ago Tris said he wanted to be a pirate for halloween so my Mom in Law and I set out to make him a costume! We're not done yet. But a few days ago, a letter got sent home from school saying that Thursday the 14th the kids are going to the pumpkin patch and they are asked to dress up as their favorite farm animal. Well, since a pirate is not a farm animal we had to make a costume. Tris said he wanted to be a horse that was brown with white spots. I thought it would be simple enough to find a brown sweat suite...I was incorrect. I bought a pair of brown cargo pants, a white turtle neck (who knew they even made those beauties anymore) and died it brown. Then I cut out white "spots" with felt and hot glued them on. John used an old brown beanie and some brown felt and made ears on the beanie then glued yarn on for hair! I was pretty impressed by John's creativity and ability to properly use a glue gun!
Here is the final result!
My sweet friend Linzee knows my love of all things chai and made me homemade vanilla chai! It's like crack. I think I had 3 cups of it today. Did I say it's like crack. It's like crack.
Seriously, did I mention it's like crack????
John brought in all our halloween stuff tonight, Tris was pretty excited to get out all of the pumpkins and fun stuff out!
Here is the final result!
Tristan earned enough "Larry Bucks" at school and bought a "cup and ball game" tonight we played "Cup and Ball" and John and I tied. Tristan just flung the ball around!
My sweet friend Linzee knows my love of all things chai and made me homemade vanilla chai! It's like crack. I think I had 3 cups of it today. Did I say it's like crack. It's like crack.
Seriously, did I mention it's like crack????John brought in all our halloween stuff tonight, Tris was pretty excited to get out all of the pumpkins and fun stuff out!
Pumpkin Pie? Yes please!
So today I decided to make pumpkin pie from a pumpkin. I've never done this before so I went to www.allrecipes.com and looked for a pumpkin pie recipe that sounded good and went to town!
First you gut the pumpkin and carve all the stringy stuff out and throw it away.
Then you chop the pumpkin up into chunks and put it into an inch of water and boil it, then turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until you can poke it with a fork and it feels soft (kind of like a potato). Drain it, let it cool & cut all the skin off of each chunk, mash with a fork (just like a potato).
Then you drain the water (I had to do this a few times) and put 2 cups of the mashed, drained pumpkin in the mixer with 12oz of evaporated milk, 2 eggs, 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar (packed), 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 ginger & 1/2 tsp of salt. Blend it all together. It will be wet looking and will have pulp.
Then you make the crust. You mix 2 & 2/3 cups of flour with a tsp of salt. Cut 1 cup of shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together (usually about 1/2 a cup of water).
Then with lightly floured hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside down 8-9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
Then you pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie pan till it's just below the top and bake for 40 minutes on 400*. I had to cook mine for more like 55 minutes.
and Voila!
First you gut the pumpkin and carve all the stringy stuff out and throw it away.
Then you chop the pumpkin up into chunks and put it into an inch of water and boil it, then turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until you can poke it with a fork and it feels soft (kind of like a potato). Drain it, let it cool & cut all the skin off of each chunk, mash with a fork (just like a potato).
Then you drain the water (I had to do this a few times) and put 2 cups of the mashed, drained pumpkin in the mixer with 12oz of evaporated milk, 2 eggs, 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar (packed), 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 ginger & 1/2 tsp of salt. Blend it all together. It will be wet looking and will have pulp.
Then you make the crust. You mix 2 & 2/3 cups of flour with a tsp of salt. Cut 1 cup of shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together (usually about 1/2 a cup of water).
Then with lightly floured hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside down 8-9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
Then you pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie pan till it's just below the top and bake for 40 minutes on 400*. I had to cook mine for more like 55 minutes.
and Voila!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Oh A Day In The Life!
Well life is nothing but eventful here at the Hardesty House. We've been making some big changes.
Tristan will be 5 (ACK!) in 4 weeks. I can't believe this beautiful little boy is getting so not little. :) He is 42 inches tall, 41 pounds. He is hilarious, he lights up every aspect of my life, even if I want to whip him sometimes. He is by far the most interactive, friendly, loving, sweet, hilarious, Jesus loving little boy on the planet. I think sometimes we are too hard on him. He is so good and so smart that we forget he is only 5. We expect more from him. I'm working on that. Not on lowering my standards but giving more grace when he acts like a 5 year old. Giving him grace like he gives me when I am unfair with him. For instance the other day, I was trying to get Piper to sleep and he for the 8 millionth time ran a truck into the wall and startled her awake, I swatted his arm and made him go sit in his room. After about 20 seconds I went in there and told him I was sorry for over reacting that I shouldn't have swatted his arm and he said, "it's ok mommy, nobody's perfect." I mean seriously. How stinking precious is he. Recently he earned a new belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Miss Piper, is somewhere around 11 pounds and 22 inches long. She is so sweet, still sleeps a TON, nurses like a champion and screams like a girl. She has a sad cry that comes with a protruding lip, a needy cry that is just sweet sounding and a pissed of girly scream that is just entertaining...unless you're in the car. She loves her swing, and loves her changing table! She is even starting to enjoy her baths! She smiles the most when she is in her room on her changing table. She melts my heart daily!
Tris is in love with her, he kisses her when he thinks I am not watching, calms her down when she is "screaming like a rooster" (as he says), gives her her binky when he thinks it will help (or when it is interrupting his TV time) and always kisses her goodnight. Such an amazing big brother!
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I'm excited that the kids are having their Fall Photos done on Monday by Angie Oxenrider of AJ's Photography. I can't wait to post photos!
We've started using cloth diapers with Piper. I'm becoming quite natural....strange, yet I love it. I decided to do it initially for the cost and now we only use disposables at night, and to see how much less waste we create is really cool. We use 1-3 'sposies a day in comparison to 10 or 12 a day. We now use 30-90 diapers a month instead of 300-360 a month. I made my own cloth wipes and got an awesome recipe for cloth wipe solution from my friend Amanda Fowler. It has baby wash, water and tea tree oil in it! It smells awesome! I started making my own laundry detergent thanks to my stellar cousin Tina Weeks, and it cleans awesome, smells good and ends up being like a penny a load! ROCK ON! We're making changes, b/c it is good for our family and it is good for the environment.
Above are the diapers we normally use. They are prefolded cloth diapers with diaper covers, we end up changing them 10-12 times a day. We still use 'sposies at night, mainly b/c I'm not confident enough in my cloth diapering abilities yet. My goal is in the next few weeks to not be using any disposables at all.
Above is the homemade cloth wipes (http://www.turtlesrus.etsy.com/) and homemade wipe spray. I just keep the spray in her room on her changing table and spray a couple of sprays on a wipe before I use it and we're good to go. You can also put the wipes in an old wipe container and put the wipe solution in there, but you have to change it and wash the unused (and used!) wipes every couple of days. It just seems easier to keep the spray bottle in there. Here's how you make them:
•2 TBSP Baby Wash
•2 TBSP Olive Oil or 1 TBSP Calendula Oil
•2 Drops Tea Tree Oil
•2 Cups Water
It smells amazing!
Above is some bottom balm by Earth Mama. I found it at New Seasons and had a $3.00 off coupon! Cloth diapered babies aren't supposed to get diaper rash, but if they do, this is a great bottom balm (and it smells awesome).
Above are the ingredients I use to make my own laundry detergent (Thanks Tina!) It's super simple and is great at cleaning. In fact the other night my hubby got a bloody nose at midnight (gross) and I washed the sheets (all white sheets) in the wash in the morning and it came out spotless! It's not real fragrant, but the thing is, I think we've convinced ourselves that if something smells fragrant then it must be clean. I don't think that is necessarily true. Here is how you make your own detergent!
2 cups finely grated soap (your fave soap)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
**Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.**
Above is the final product! Just 2tbsp per full load and it ends up being just about a penny a load! You can get all the ingredients for under $10 at Fred Meyers!
Health wise, Piper seems to be in the clear. I'm no longer panicking on a daily basis, well not about her health anyway.
John, oh sweet John, was put on a job in McMinnville. Poor, sweet, hardworking hubby. He gets up at 4:30am and normally isn't home until 5:45pm. Which means he misses Tae-Kwon-Do on Tues & Thurs and barely gets home in time for worship practice on Thursdays, which means on Thursdays he is gone from 4:30am-9pm. He rarely gets time with the kids. Not cool. We are so grateful for his job, but he may be asking for a change of venue, which realistically could mean unemployment. Kind of a bummer, but at least he'd be home for a bit. Hopefully in Jan he'll be taking the lead on a job at MHCC, which is just a few miles from home. Maybe that will make sticking it out in McMinnville worth it. Who knows!
Take a peak at all the new photos! The kids are getting big and life is so full and wonderful!
(this is life at our house!!!)
Tristan will be 5 (ACK!) in 4 weeks. I can't believe this beautiful little boy is getting so not little. :) He is 42 inches tall, 41 pounds. He is hilarious, he lights up every aspect of my life, even if I want to whip him sometimes. He is by far the most interactive, friendly, loving, sweet, hilarious, Jesus loving little boy on the planet. I think sometimes we are too hard on him. He is so good and so smart that we forget he is only 5. We expect more from him. I'm working on that. Not on lowering my standards but giving more grace when he acts like a 5 year old. Giving him grace like he gives me when I am unfair with him. For instance the other day, I was trying to get Piper to sleep and he for the 8 millionth time ran a truck into the wall and startled her awake, I swatted his arm and made him go sit in his room. After about 20 seconds I went in there and told him I was sorry for over reacting that I shouldn't have swatted his arm and he said, "it's ok mommy, nobody's perfect." I mean seriously. How stinking precious is he. Recently he earned a new belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Miss Piper, is somewhere around 11 pounds and 22 inches long. She is so sweet, still sleeps a TON, nurses like a champion and screams like a girl. She has a sad cry that comes with a protruding lip, a needy cry that is just sweet sounding and a pissed of girly scream that is just entertaining...unless you're in the car. She loves her swing, and loves her changing table! She is even starting to enjoy her baths! She smiles the most when she is in her room on her changing table. She melts my heart daily!
Tris is in love with her, he kisses her when he thinks I am not watching, calms her down when she is "screaming like a rooster" (as he says), gives her her binky when he thinks it will help (or when it is interrupting his TV time) and always kisses her goodnight. Such an amazing big brother!
.JPG)
.JPG)
I'm excited that the kids are having their Fall Photos done on Monday by Angie Oxenrider of AJ's Photography. I can't wait to post photos!
We've started using cloth diapers with Piper. I'm becoming quite natural....strange, yet I love it. I decided to do it initially for the cost and now we only use disposables at night, and to see how much less waste we create is really cool. We use 1-3 'sposies a day in comparison to 10 or 12 a day. We now use 30-90 diapers a month instead of 300-360 a month. I made my own cloth wipes and got an awesome recipe for cloth wipe solution from my friend Amanda Fowler. It has baby wash, water and tea tree oil in it! It smells awesome! I started making my own laundry detergent thanks to my stellar cousin Tina Weeks, and it cleans awesome, smells good and ends up being like a penny a load! ROCK ON! We're making changes, b/c it is good for our family and it is good for the environment.
Above are the diapers we normally use. They are prefolded cloth diapers with diaper covers, we end up changing them 10-12 times a day. We still use 'sposies at night, mainly b/c I'm not confident enough in my cloth diapering abilities yet. My goal is in the next few weeks to not be using any disposables at all.
Above is the homemade cloth wipes (http://www.turtlesrus.etsy.com/) and homemade wipe spray. I just keep the spray in her room on her changing table and spray a couple of sprays on a wipe before I use it and we're good to go. You can also put the wipes in an old wipe container and put the wipe solution in there, but you have to change it and wash the unused (and used!) wipes every couple of days. It just seems easier to keep the spray bottle in there. Here's how you make them:
•2 TBSP Baby Wash
•2 TBSP Olive Oil or 1 TBSP Calendula Oil
•2 Drops Tea Tree Oil
•2 Cups Water
It smells amazing!
Above is some bottom balm by Earth Mama. I found it at New Seasons and had a $3.00 off coupon! Cloth diapered babies aren't supposed to get diaper rash, but if they do, this is a great bottom balm (and it smells awesome).
Above are the ingredients I use to make my own laundry detergent (Thanks Tina!) It's super simple and is great at cleaning. In fact the other night my hubby got a bloody nose at midnight (gross) and I washed the sheets (all white sheets) in the wash in the morning and it came out spotless! It's not real fragrant, but the thing is, I think we've convinced ourselves that if something smells fragrant then it must be clean. I don't think that is necessarily true. Here is how you make your own detergent!
2 cups finely grated soap (your fave soap)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
**Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.**
Above is the final product! Just 2tbsp per full load and it ends up being just about a penny a load! You can get all the ingredients for under $10 at Fred Meyers!
Health wise, Piper seems to be in the clear. I'm no longer panicking on a daily basis, well not about her health anyway.
John, oh sweet John, was put on a job in McMinnville. Poor, sweet, hardworking hubby. He gets up at 4:30am and normally isn't home until 5:45pm. Which means he misses Tae-Kwon-Do on Tues & Thurs and barely gets home in time for worship practice on Thursdays, which means on Thursdays he is gone from 4:30am-9pm. He rarely gets time with the kids. Not cool. We are so grateful for his job, but he may be asking for a change of venue, which realistically could mean unemployment. Kind of a bummer, but at least he'd be home for a bit. Hopefully in Jan he'll be taking the lead on a job at MHCC, which is just a few miles from home. Maybe that will make sticking it out in McMinnville worth it. Who knows!
Take a peak at all the new photos! The kids are getting big and life is so full and wonderful!
(this is life at our house!!!)
A Clean Bill of Health
Now we play defense until, well forever. But mainly until flu season is over.
Piper saw a doc at Emanuel and her pediatrician who both said all 4 infections are cleared up, we finished our last dose of Amoxicillan just a couple of days ago and Piper's temp has stayed under 100 for 4 days in a row. It looks as though things are looking up!
Piper will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and she is a whopping 9 pounds 15 ounces, she'd probably weigh more if she hadn't been sick for the last 4 weeks. She smiles (not intentionally all the time) and at about 4 weeks old she started to coo, she moves her mouth for like 10 seconds without any noise and then squeaks out this little happy sound and then proceeds to look around like, "where'd that come from". She is still a power house nurser and last night she blessed me with 6 straight hours of sleep! She brings so much joy to our lives!
Tristan is preparing for his 5th birthday in just 6 weeks. I can't believe he'll be 5. He loves his Martial Arts Classes he goes to 2 times a week and he will be starting swimming lessons again in 9 days, the only difference is, this time he will be in the 25 yard pool where he can't touch the ground. He will be learning how to really swim!
John got his new 1994 Jeep Wrangler up and running and we've been driving it with the top off every chance we get. He has only been able to take it up wheeling once, but I'm sure there will be many snow covered adventures at Wild Cat coming soon.
I've just been staying busy with laundry, pre-school, Take Shape for Life and figuring out what our life will now look like as a family of 4. You'd think by now I'd have some idea of what that'd be like, but we've been working so hard on getting Piper healthy that I haven't paid attention to much else.
Our church is starting a new campus in Sandy at the Mt. Hood Athletic Club and John and I are on the launch team there so that will be keeping us very busy through the month of October and beyond.
All in all, life is good, it's calming down and gearing up. We love every second with our little family!
Piper saw a doc at Emanuel and her pediatrician who both said all 4 infections are cleared up, we finished our last dose of Amoxicillan just a couple of days ago and Piper's temp has stayed under 100 for 4 days in a row. It looks as though things are looking up!
Piper will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and she is a whopping 9 pounds 15 ounces, she'd probably weigh more if she hadn't been sick for the last 4 weeks. She smiles (not intentionally all the time) and at about 4 weeks old she started to coo, she moves her mouth for like 10 seconds without any noise and then squeaks out this little happy sound and then proceeds to look around like, "where'd that come from". She is still a power house nurser and last night she blessed me with 6 straight hours of sleep! She brings so much joy to our lives!
Tristan is preparing for his 5th birthday in just 6 weeks. I can't believe he'll be 5. He loves his Martial Arts Classes he goes to 2 times a week and he will be starting swimming lessons again in 9 days, the only difference is, this time he will be in the 25 yard pool where he can't touch the ground. He will be learning how to really swim!
John got his new 1994 Jeep Wrangler up and running and we've been driving it with the top off every chance we get. He has only been able to take it up wheeling once, but I'm sure there will be many snow covered adventures at Wild Cat coming soon.
I've just been staying busy with laundry, pre-school, Take Shape for Life and figuring out what our life will now look like as a family of 4. You'd think by now I'd have some idea of what that'd be like, but we've been working so hard on getting Piper healthy that I haven't paid attention to much else.
Our church is starting a new campus in Sandy at the Mt. Hood Athletic Club and John and I are on the launch team there so that will be keeping us very busy through the month of October and beyond.
All in all, life is good, it's calming down and gearing up. We love every second with our little family!
My Name is Pride
Pastor Josh shared this Beth Moore poem at church one day and I really liked it. A good reminder! I struggle with asking for help, especially when it comes to weight loss. I feel like as a health coach I should know how to do this inside and out, I struggle with being to prideful to ask my fellow coaches and clients what works best for them, I am realizing that I am robbing myself of valuable information. This poem hit the nail on the head for me. Check it out, where do you struggle with pride?
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny…
because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment…
because you “deserve better than this.”
I cheat you of knowledge…
because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing…
because you are too full of you to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness…
because you refuse to admit when you are wrong.
I cheat you of vision…
because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship…
because nobody’s going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love…
because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven…
because you refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.
I cheat you of God’s glory…
because I convinced you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…
If you stick with me you’ll never know.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny…
because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment…
because you “deserve better than this.”
I cheat you of knowledge…
because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing…
because you are too full of you to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness…
because you refuse to admit when you are wrong.
I cheat you of vision…
because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship…
because nobody’s going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love…
because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven…
because you refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.
I cheat you of God’s glory…
because I convinced you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…
If you stick with me you’ll never know.
Sweet Little Fighter
Piper seems to be doing better. Today when I was looking at this antibiotic that we give her 3 times a day, I realized in small print it says "May Cause Headache". Bummer. That is a pathetic dumb jerk of a side effect for a newborn.
She also has a respiratory infection, it's viral so no medicine will fix it! But the doc gave us albuterol that we use with a nebulizer and hopefully that will get rid of the rattle in her chest. We go see the doc again on Wednesday, we are praying for a full and total healing. We are so in love with her, it is so hard to see her fighting. We are ready to have a healthy little girl. God is totally in control. I am forever reminded of that by 2 of my tattoos. 1 says, "Rev 2:10" which ready, "Be thou faithful, unto death and I will give thee a crown of life". the other says "Todah" it means "to extend your hands in praise and thanksgiving" in hebrew. We are extending our hands thanking God for his provisions so far and are doing everything we can to be faithful to The Healer. Check out the new pics!
There is a pic in the photo album of Tris sitting at the computer with his guitar. It was so sweet, we couldn't go to church b/c of both kids being sick, but we watched worship online, I left the room to change Piper and when I came back Tris was sitting on the couch with his guitar playing music and singing along, the best part was he knew the words to the worship music.
The other photo is from later in the day when the boys were gone. I laid Pipe down on the couch to let her nap and Sami, our black lab, decided she needed to hug her the entire 2 hours she was napping. So sweet!
She also has a respiratory infection, it's viral so no medicine will fix it! But the doc gave us albuterol that we use with a nebulizer and hopefully that will get rid of the rattle in her chest. We go see the doc again on Wednesday, we are praying for a full and total healing. We are so in love with her, it is so hard to see her fighting. We are ready to have a healthy little girl. God is totally in control. I am forever reminded of that by 2 of my tattoos. 1 says, "Rev 2:10" which ready, "Be thou faithful, unto death and I will give thee a crown of life". the other says "Todah" it means "to extend your hands in praise and thanksgiving" in hebrew. We are extending our hands thanking God for his provisions so far and are doing everything we can to be faithful to The Healer. Check out the new pics!
There is a pic in the photo album of Tris sitting at the computer with his guitar. It was so sweet, we couldn't go to church b/c of both kids being sick, but we watched worship online, I left the room to change Piper and when I came back Tris was sitting on the couch with his guitar playing music and singing along, the best part was he knew the words to the worship music.
The other photo is from later in the day when the boys were gone. I laid Pipe down on the couch to let her nap and Sami, our black lab, decided she needed to hug her the entire 2 hours she was napping. So sweet!
RIP Boopa The Beta
For about 3 weeks we've noticed Tristan's beloved fish, Boopa the Beta, doing some funny things, like ONLY swimming at the top of the fish tank (John explained to me that when fish are dying their "air bladders" fail and they float...lovely). So for literally 3 weeks we've though Boopa the Beta was dying. Tuesday right before we left for karate, I noticed Boopa was swimming nose down in the rocks at the bottom of the tank...but he was still breathing...When we came home 45 minutes later, Boopa the Beta was very very dead. I mean super dead. So John and I took Tris in his room and explained to him that Boopa was dead. With the exception of my folks dog (who died 2 years ago when Tris was really little) Tris has never known anything or anybody to die. So this was a tough concept. He cried and was sad and then asked if he could touch him before we properly flushed him down the toilet.
Then I told Tris we could get another fish. To which he replied "does it have to be a fish?" Before I could respond, my husband did. Below is how the conversation played out:
John: "We can go to the pet store on Saturday and see what kind of pets they have, you don't have to get a fish."
Tris: "Can I get a snake." (Now he is less sad.)
Mommy: gasping and attempting to run in the room before daddy answers
Daddy: "Maybe, we'll go see on Saturday."
I love my sweet husband for wanting to get Tris a new pet, but I may kill him...I guess we'll see on Saturday.
At any rate. Rest in Peace Boopa the Beta, thanks for 18 months of making my little man smile.
Then I told Tris we could get another fish. To which he replied "does it have to be a fish?" Before I could respond, my husband did. Below is how the conversation played out:
John: "We can go to the pet store on Saturday and see what kind of pets they have, you don't have to get a fish."
Tris: "Can I get a snake." (Now he is less sad.)
Mommy: gasping and attempting to run in the room before daddy answers
Daddy: "Maybe, we'll go see on Saturday."
I love my sweet husband for wanting to get Tris a new pet, but I may kill him...I guess we'll see on Saturday.
At any rate. Rest in Peace Boopa the Beta, thanks for 18 months of making my little man smile.
OH Karate How I Love Thee
Tristan started karate 2 days a week at the Martial Arts Fitness Center. It is hysterical to watch him. He totally loves it and we love watching him. He is so proud of himself!
He is such a sweet & loving big brother. When Piper cries he tells her in a sweet voice "it's ok Pipey Pipe Pipe" (thanks for the nick name Belissa). Today he asked if we could put her carseat right next to him so he could talk to her while we drive. OF COURSE!!!
Last week, however, he attempted to be a big brother when mommy wasn't in the room. I laid Pipe down on the couch so I could take the laundry into our room, when I came back, she was on a different couch. I asked Tristan if he'd picked her up and moved her, he said yes, when I explained to him that I needed to show him how to move her before he did that again, because her neck wasn't strong. Then I asked him a question I really didn't want to know the answer to. I said, "when you picked her up did her head hang back real far?" (I was going to explain to him how her nexk muscles weren't strong enough to support her head so when he holds her or carries her, he has to support her head.) and in true Tristan fashion, he said, "not too much, just a little." Oh Lord, I am so glad I didn't walk in while he was moving her!!!
On the Piper front, I started taking Pro-biotics and it seems to be helping with her digestive system. Hopefully it will help on the sleeping front also.
All is well in our little world. Tonight I am home with just Pipe, John and Tris are at the Circus having man time, tomorrow we will hang with our fab cousin Aunt Jessica and John will finally get to take his baby (the jeep) to Superior to get the steering fixed so we can finally drive the beast! Check out the new pics in the photo album to see Tris at karate!
He is such a sweet & loving big brother. When Piper cries he tells her in a sweet voice "it's ok Pipey Pipe Pipe" (thanks for the nick name Belissa). Today he asked if we could put her carseat right next to him so he could talk to her while we drive. OF COURSE!!!
Last week, however, he attempted to be a big brother when mommy wasn't in the room. I laid Pipe down on the couch so I could take the laundry into our room, when I came back, she was on a different couch. I asked Tristan if he'd picked her up and moved her, he said yes, when I explained to him that I needed to show him how to move her before he did that again, because her neck wasn't strong. Then I asked him a question I really didn't want to know the answer to. I said, "when you picked her up did her head hang back real far?" (I was going to explain to him how her nexk muscles weren't strong enough to support her head so when he holds her or carries her, he has to support her head.) and in true Tristan fashion, he said, "not too much, just a little." Oh Lord, I am so glad I didn't walk in while he was moving her!!!
On the Piper front, I started taking Pro-biotics and it seems to be helping with her digestive system. Hopefully it will help on the sleeping front also.
All is well in our little world. Tonight I am home with just Pipe, John and Tris are at the Circus having man time, tomorrow we will hang with our fab cousin Aunt Jessica and John will finally get to take his baby (the jeep) to Superior to get the steering fixed so we can finally drive the beast! Check out the new pics in the photo album to see Tris at karate!
Hopefully Healthy
As most of you know, Piper was born on Aug 10, 2010, she had a high temp, a high whie blood cell count and high respirations. The staff thought it was probaby just a traumatic birth for her, she was, afterall, born in 5 contractions! Her Ped (Dr. John & Frank Calcagno) ran a variety of tests that all came back negative. So on Aug 12 we took her home.
She continued to breath quickly and on Monday, Aug 23rd John and I started to feel concerned so we took her to Emanuel Children's Hospital. Her temp was 102 degrees, her white blood cell count was 31,000 (should be about 15,000). After multiple tests and pokes they determined that she has a kidney infection/UTI. We have continued to monitor her, keep tabs on her temp and give her an antibiotic.
What an experience. I though Tristan having jaundice was rough. That paled in comparison.
We are all home and on the road to healthy now. Tris loves his little sister and is always loving on her. I will try and update this page a few times a week so all can keep up on our little family.
Thanks to all who prayed! You are appreciated!
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She continued to breath quickly and on Monday, Aug 23rd John and I started to feel concerned so we took her to Emanuel Children's Hospital. Her temp was 102 degrees, her white blood cell count was 31,000 (should be about 15,000). After multiple tests and pokes they determined that she has a kidney infection/UTI. We have continued to monitor her, keep tabs on her temp and give her an antibiotic.
What an experience. I though Tristan having jaundice was rough. That paled in comparison.
We are all home and on the road to healthy now. Tris loves his little sister and is always loving on her. I will try and update this page a few times a week so all can keep up on our little family.
Thanks to all who prayed! You are appreciated!
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