Kite Flying and Other Adventures...

Hi all. We've had a nice weekend! Even though it was pretty chilly outside today, we took Mark to fly kites. We did this last year, but we're sure he didn't remember it. It was so much fun to watch Isaac flying his "candy corn" kite with a super long tail. He gave the kite to Mark a couple times and let him fly it. Too bad we weren't quick enough with the iPhone to get a picture. (Isaac got an iPhone for his birthday on March 8... his company pays the bill but we had to buy the phone.) At one point, the wind gusted and Mark dropped the kite line. The kite went flying away, string and all, and Isaac went chasing after it. It would up tangled in a tree, but Isaac got it out. It was so much fun... even with the lost kite adventure!

My mom came up to see Mark yesterday. It was great to have her and to see her playing with Mark. Grandma obliged Mark's request to draw the letter "M" in almost every crayon color. It was pretty cute.

We went to my sister's house last night to watch the UNC-Duke game and have dinner. At some point, sweet Mark fell down a couple stairs... but I don't even know how many! I thought my sister had him, and I should have brought him with me when I went upstairs to see my nephew's Lego structure. He was okay after a bit, and ended up having a second wind just as the Tar Heels won the game! Go Heels ACC regular season champions. The ACC tournament starts on Thursday. March madness is here!

Well, I need to go for now. We're trying to get our little guy to sleep, but he's having a rough time. Have a good week all!

Slacker!

So this is my first post in almost 2 months. I am so sorry! It's been crazy around our house. Isaac had his oral surgery on Dec 27 and has been on a liquid/pureed diet since then. I've been fighting off the "all day" sickness and stealing every chance I have for sleep since I've been so tired. Fortunately, the nausea is mostly gone, and I have a tad bit more energy (proof: I'm blogging instead of napping along with Mark).

Isaac gets his splint off at UNC on Monday and will be able to eat solid food again. He has been such a trooper through this whole ordeal. He hasn't complained that his diet mostly consists of cream of wheat, scrambled eggs, pudding, smoothies, and soup and chili. His bruising from the surgery is finally gone! We affectionately called it his "bruise necklace" since it went down from his neck in the shape of a necklace. He is so excited to get back to normal though... and I am very happy for him. We are planning fondue for supper on Valentine's Day, so that should be yummy.

My pregnancy is going well. It''s been very different from my pregnancy with Mark. I was sick almost constantly from 5 weeks till about 16. I'm almost 19 weeks now, and I feel MUCH better. But even more problematic was the tiredness. I literally could not stay up past about 8:30. I put Mark to bed and then went to bed right after. So, I haven't gotten much of anything done around the house. Isaac has been amazing through it all picking up the slack and working on finishing up our bathroom remodel projects (stripping wall paper, sanding, painting, and installing medicine cabinets and light fixtures).

We had our "BIG" ultrasound yesterday and found out we are having another BOY! We are ecstatic! I was a little surprised since I had been so sick and thought that might mean a girl. But, it was clear Mark is going to be a big brother. Isaac and I figured it out before the ultrasound tech even told us. : ) The baby looks really healthy, and is the second most precious thing I've ever seen in my life (next to Mark). He was a little sleepy during the ultrasound so it took time to get all the measurements. But, we got a couple nice waves, and we saw him rubbing the top of his head. He is such a cutie already!

I have something called marginal placenta previa (where the placenta covers part of the opening of the cervix), so I'll have another ultrasound in 10 weeks to see how that's doing. The doctors told me not to be concerned and said it would probably resolve in the next couple months. If not, it means delivering early via c-section since I can't go into labor if I have it. But, I fully expect that it will be fine.

Mark is the joy of our lives and is talking up a storm. It's so neat to hear the new words he's learning each day. He's probably up to 50-60 words by now. He loves to sing, and loves to dance. The kiddos sing a song in chapel each week, and he sings it over and over again. It is the sweetest thing! Ha-lle Ha-lle Ha-lle, lu--oo--yah! His favorite word is probably "mine." We have a lot to work on in the sharing area, but I know that's completely normal at this age. And honestly, it's pretty darned cute. : )

So, that's my update for now. I'll try to be a bit more regular in writing. Hope you are all well!

Cat's out of the bag!

So, I've been dying to post this... but held off for a couple reasons. But no longer!

I'm pregnant!

Mark is going to have a sibling in early July--I'm actually due on his 2nd birthday, July 9! I've been sicker than a dog, so the last couple weeks have been even more horrendous given Mark's illnesses, working over a weekend, etc. I am praying, praying, praying that it goes away at the end of the 1st trimester, which should be around New Year's. The holidays this year are definitely more sedate just because I'm mostly focusing on surviving each day. But honestly, I don't think that's a bad thing at all.

The baby was looking good at my 7 week appt a couple weeks ago. The baby was measuring a couple days smaller than I thought, but he/she had a good heartbeat, and the doctors think the baby looks good. My next appt is at the end of the month, so I am really anxiously awaiting that. I think I'll feel better once I can hear the baby's heartbeat again and know that things are STILL going well.

We're in the midst of switching to an OB in Raleigh. I delivered Mark in Chapel Hill, and as awesome as that was... it will be nicer to be closer to home and Mark. The hospital where we plan on having this baby is only a couple minutes from our house... and that will be so great for Isaac when I'm still in the hospital. He'll be able to get to Mark quickly and maybe even go home and get a good night's rest at home!

So, that's the latest. Keep us in your prayers, and I'll update you on the next appt as soon as I can. Merry Christmas!

Sick baby

Our poor baby Mark is sick again for the second time in a week. Last week, he had a high fever which turned into a rash... which probably meant roseola. Too bad we made him endure another catherization to rule out another UTI b/c we didn't know why he had a fever so long.... Then he got well, only to get sick on Sunday with a horrible cough and another fever. We took him to the pediatrician yesterday and he has an ear infection, although his lungs are clear. So, we've been nursing a sick baby, trying to juggle work and house stuff... and we are essentially WORN OUT!

I had to work all weekend for an upgrade at work. Getting home at midnight on Friday and working on Saturday... and then sick baby on Sun, Mon, and today is NOT a recipe for success. Isaac and Mark got our Christmas tree, but it's undecorated. We're trying to wait till Mark feels better... perhaps in a couple days?

I have no idea if I'll get Christmas cards out this year. But fortunately, we are really simplifying gifts this year. We are doing a gift exchange with my nieces and nephews, and only buying for our nephew on Isaac's side. Our bank account has been bleeding since we moved into the new house in July, and we have to stop it somehow. Hopefully it will help us all reflect upon the real reason for the season?

I'm feeling a little down and depressed. I am ready for a new year... and hopefully an extended well time for our family's health. Thanks for any encouragement and prayers you can offer.

Bullets

I'm scatter-brained so I'll do some bullets! : )

• I have loved the beautiful fall weather we've been having. Our grass (what grass we have) is nice a green. I mowed it for the first time on Sunday and it looks much more even. We still have a couple big patches of NOTHING, but I guess it's still a work in progress. No trees or shrubs yet. Not sure when we'll get to that!
  
• We had a great first Halloween with Mark. He was a trooper even in the rain. We only went to a couple neighbor's houses, but it was a great night of memories. Here is a picture of Isaac and Mark trick or treating.

• We cheered my sister Carolyn on at the Raleigh marathon this past Sunday. She came in 6th place overall!, 3rd in her age group, and 3rd in the Master's category (over 40). She is COMPLETELY AMAZING! She even won $$$ for her performance. Seriously, I wish I had the running jeans Carolyn and my brother Chris have. It was also a gorgeous day so we really enjoyed being on the course and cheering her on.
• Isaac and I are signed up for the Turkey Trot 8k on Thanksgiving day. The race goes right past our house! We ran the course on Saturday and it went pretty well. It's a super-hilly course, but it will be a good way to work up an appetite.
• I have tomorrow off for Veteran's Day. It's a joke in our house that the veteran in our household (Isaac) is the one who works, while I (the non-veteran) get a day off! Pretty neat that tomorrow is 11/11/11.
• I guess that's all for now. Happy weekend everyone!
  

Heart broken

I've been putting off writing this, but I need to get it out.

We found out what's going on with my mom. She has a disease called Pulmonary Fibrosis. She also had pneumonia, but this is the much more serious issue. Pulmonary Fibrosis is terminal, meaning it will not go away. The damage to her lungs can't be reversed or halted. It's a progressive disease that causes scarring on healthy lung tissue. The result is difficulty breathing, and over time, it gets worse and worse.

We are still trying to figure out how rapidly this disease is progressing. It could be that we have several more good years with her. She will have CT scans every 3 months to see what's happening. There is a chance they will do an open lung biopsy to do a definitive diagnosis. But I don't want her to go through that unless it is absolutely necessary. She had some complications during her broncosopy last month, and that was scary enough.

There isn't much we can do right now except wait. I'm grateful mom is going to meet the new baby in DC this week. I think it will do her a lot of good to get out of the house and meet her new grandson. I almost wish I had gone with her... but there will be more time.

She goes back to the dr in early December for a follow up appointment and to receive the results of the CT scan (that's in late November). Please pray that we'll all get through the waiting as best we can, and that we can lean on one another and God to walk this path.

I have to say, this is not what I wanted. I need my mom.

Back from Iowa

We had a great trip to Iowa City for Homecoming. Iowa beat Indiana on a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon. Mark was SUCH A TROOPER flying to Chicago then riding with us on the 4 hour drive to Iowa City. He didn't really nap more than 20 minutes each day, but he slept like a champ at night, and did so, so well.

Things that entertained Mark on our journey:

• The moving walkways and escalators at the airport. We must have circled and ridden them back and forth and up and down a million times over the weekend. He LOVED it and he got a lot of smiles from other air travelers. It truly helped us pass time in the airport while we were waiting for our flight and luggage.



• Yogurt raisin boxes. You'd think he'd want to EAT the raisins, but he mostly wanted to take all the raisins out of the box, and then put them back in the box one at a time. Same with the airline pretzels. SCORE!



• Airline drink with lid and straw. Our sweet flight attendant brought Mark his own drink with a lid and straw. Mark loved taking the straw out of the lid and putting it back in. Then he loved trying to fish out the ice of the cup and even put some in his mouth.



• Flirting with other people. I swear my child is a little Romeo. He was referred to as "Smiley" no less than a million times on our trip. How can you resist the sweet smile of a cute 1 year old? I sure can't! At one point, we were at the homecoming parade. Mark had gotten an Iowa flag and was running up and down the sidewalk with his flag. People were smiling, laughing, and giving him high-5's. It was priceless!

We had perfect weather for our trip (although it will start snowing there soon!). We enjoyed catching up with old friends, attending the open house at the Engineering school, and cheering on the Hawkeye's at the football game. Isaac has some wonderful friends, and they were so generous with their time and resources. We are truly blessed.

Mark decided he had enough on the way home. We didn't fly into Raleigh until about midnight on Sunday night, so technically I consider that boarderline child abuse. He didn't start melting down till we landed, so luckily our fellow passengers only had a couple minute to endure our very tired child's crying.

I'll post pics as soon as I find the USB cord to our camera.