Small Successes

So Faith and Family challenged more gals to link to the Thursday Small Successes post, so here I go. Don't mind me...I just haven't blogged in two months. I swear I will get back in the game. We only moved to a new house in those two months...no big deal. :-)

1. I have nearly finished my application for FertilityCare Practitioner training. I put together the cost analysis of different training locations, completed the app, and wrote an essay.

2. I finished all the laundry - as in the basket was empty. That never happens!

3. I made several meals out of stuff we had around rather than going shopping for easier things to make. This is more than a small success when you consider how much I HATE cooking.

New House!

We bought a house today! After much drama, we closed on a beautiful little house today. Then we moved a bunch of boxes in and realized how much work we have ahead of us. So at least I have an excuse for why I haven't been blogging. I need to add some new pics of the kiddo - she is so blessedly adorable that I can hardly stand it.

While I'm here at the computer, here are two precious children who need your prayers:

Baby Joaquin was born last week and coded immediately after being born. He was rushed to a children's hospital where he has been in critical condition. Please pray for him and his parents, Dan and Amy.

Sweet, 3-year-old Gianna (nicknamed Gigi), was diagnosed with leukemia last week - acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This has a really great survival rate, but she's looking at a minimum of 2.5 years of chemo ahead of her. Please pray for her complete healing. Her mom and dad are Laura and Cal.

Both of these couples - Laura and Cal and Amy and Dan - are relying on the strength of the Lord to sustain them. They are such a reminder to me of how precious life is and how I need to turn to God more in my everyday life. I had a priest really challenge me last week when I was in Confession, and so I've been working harder on my relationship with God lately. May He be glorified in all things, in every way.

Pray for this Sweet Boy

I need to be a better blogger. Really, I do.

Please, please, please pray for this little boy. I've been following his story for a long time, and I can't imagine how hard it is for his parents.

Please, Heavenly Father, bless this little boy with health!

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Baby Got Back

....a bad back, that is.

On Tuesday night, I was bending down to pick up some laundry, when pain exploded in my lower back. I ended up laying on the floor while I whimpered like my almost-2-year-old. Bill finally lifted me to my feet and I laid down in bed. I called my doctor who called in a rx for muscle relaxants.

And here I am, Sunday afternoon, and it still hurts so darn bad. Sometimes it feels okay, but only when I am laying down, which is kinda hard to do with Bridget. I wish I knew what to do to make it better. It is driving me nuts asking for help and not able to do anything.

Sitting and typing on a computer sure doesn't feel good, so this is going to be short...I'm headed back to the couch.

Post-Convention Blues

It happens every year - State FFA Convention is over and that makes me kind of sad. I never realize how much I enjoy helping with convention until it is over. We had a great time, and it never gets old. I love working with such fun people and seeing students accomplish great things. I really struggle when I see kids disappointed, but I know there's nothing I can do about that but pray that God gives them peace. But seeing the faces of the students who were elected to state office just makes me smile. Their faces just light up. I love it.

So we're back to the daily grind. I have a dissertation to edit (not mine! I'm DONE with school forever!), and Bridget has discovered a love for swimming, so we're doing that a lot. I'll start watching a little baby girl in July, so we're gearing up for that. Next weekend I'm visiting some friends in KC, then two weeks after that we'll be in Pittsburg to visit Bill's sister and bro-in-law. It will be a busy month! (And somewhere in there I'll turn 27. Oh, I feel old!)

A little better

So my little sweet pea has some sort of mouth infection. We don't know the cause, but now she's on antibiotics and she seems to feel better. The doc assured me it wasn't because of something we did, but I still feel bad, and I pray she didn't infect anyone when she thought she was feeling better.

I got to go to Confession today! Hooray for the Sacrament! Praise Jesus for His everlasting mercy and love. I love the way I feel after Confession, and I pray that God will grant me the grace to keep away from the sins that I struggle with.

Let's see - this weekend - I'm thinking of going home for the day because Bill needs a good day to work on stuff without the beautiful distraction that Bridget often provides. I asked my mom what she was doing on Saturday, and when I said we were thinking of coming down, she used this really sad little voice to say, "Come and spend the day with me." Okay.

Bill just started using a sleep apnea mask. It is a CPAP machine to keep his airway open while he sleeps. We'll see if it helps his energy level. Poor guy was waking up 40 to 80 times an HOUR because of apnea. No wonder he always feels tired. The CPAP machine is going to cost a pretty penny, but I'm just deciding not to worry about it. We've had so many unexpected bills lately - car problems, medical problems, unexpected expenses - and at first I freaked out, but what's the use of freaking out? Everything will work out. We will work hard and do what we can, and God will take care of the rest.

And now I must go. Bridget is taking everything off the desk and throwing it on the floor. Fabulous.

Sign Me Up

...For the worst mom in the universe award.

1. I think Bridget got hand, foot, and mouth disease. Which sounds worse than it is - it isn't really a big deal, but it can sure make kids really uncomfortable, and it is really contagious. Poor kid was just not a happy camper over Easter. She didn't even get to wear her pretty Easter dress to Mass on Easter morning - I went to Mass by myself because Bill went to Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. It was nice to go to Mass and focus, but I missed my family.

2. Yesterday, Bridget fell off some playground equipment and hit her head. :-( It was awful. I was standing right next to her. We were pretending to drive using the steering wheels mounted on the side of the jungle gym. She went to spin the wheel, and she lost her balance and fell off the side of the platform, then onto the platform below us, then off onto the ground. I reached for her as she fell, and she went right through my hands. It was terrible watching her little body fall like that - praise God that the playground is covered in the black rubber stuff and it wasn't far that she fell. She is typically so sure on her feet - she can climb anything. She just tripped right off the side. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The little monkey cried for about 15 seconds, and ran off to climb back on the jungle gym. I was feeling all over her head and body for cuts, scrapes, or broken bones, but that annoyed her more than falling. I ended up calling the doctor just to be safe, and she slept okay and has acted completely normal, so all is well. It was so scary...I will be more careful from now on, although I don't know what I would have done differently.

3. This morning, we noticed that Bridget's gums were bleeding. She brushes her teeth everyday - we thought her gums were swollen because of hand, foot, and mouth, but then when they started bleeding, we called the doctor. I feel so awful. I don't know what the problem is, but I get the feeling it is going to involve holding her down and a thorough gum examination. Poor kid.

Anyway, I'm feeling not so great as a parent.

Twitchy

Anyone else feeling a little twitchy today? I just feel on edge. I've had a lovely day so far - I went to story hour with Bridget, then we went to visit everyone at St. Isidore's, then we walked to campus and ate lunch with Bill and Emily. I even got to watch LOST while Bridget was napping.

Oh, wait...come to think of it, I think I know why I'm a little edgy - I drank an obscene amount of Dr. Pepper with lunch. Riiiiiight.

We are all in recovery mode here - we all had Influenza A over the last two weeks. Not fun. Because of our strangely infectious life of the last couple of weeks, I haven't watched Ellie at all for two weeks. That silly kid is growing so fast that I won't recognize her! I have had fun with Bridget - we have spent some quality time together.

I am traveling to Melvern this weekend (again) to go to the baby shower of a best friend from high school. I'm so excited for her. I am also looking forward to seeing some old friends, although Bridget still HATES the car sometimes. She screams like I'm ripping off her limbs when I buckle her in. Oh, the fun of it all.

Life is just so unexciting lately. I guess that's good, eh? Bridget has come a long way on sleep, but the last few nights have been a regression. I'm hoping it is a fluke!

Okay, I've gotta go be productive. I hope you enjoyed this random post! :-) Twitchy twitchy twitchy.

Baseketball season is almost over!

On Wednesday night, we went to the last home women's basketball game. Sad. But Bridget had a good time as always. I had the stomach flu on Tuesday, and I still felt awfully tired on Wednesday, but I just couldn't bear to miss the last game. I'm glad we went.

Big Bird is My Hero

Have you ever seen this clip from Sesame Street? It is of a mom breastfeeding her baby and Big Bird asking about it. I think it is so sweet.

I get some raised eyebrows about the fact that Bridget is still nursing at 19 months. But it works for us. She loves to nurse, and while sometimes it is inconvenient for me, I do enjoy providing for her in this way. With our infertility issues, then having a rough birthing experience, breastfeeding has been very healing for me. It gave me a little more faith in my body - that my body could actually function the way it was intended to!

Even though I do look forward to weaning Bridget someday (she will wean, right?!), I am thankful everyday that I have been able to breastfeed.

Mardi Gras

What did you do to celebrate? I went to Dairy Queen and got a Dr. Pepper float. Mmmmmmm. Tomorrow, my sensible eating plan will start anew. It isn't called "Fat Tuesday" for no reason, after all. :-)

What are you doing to observe Lent? I think I'm going to follow a couple of daily devotionals. I guess I have an hour and a half to decide for sure.

Bridget's sleeping is going so much better. She is such a trooper. She is typically falling asleep by herself (7 out of the last 8 days), and she is sleeping a lot longer at night, too. Not every night, but most nights. I had some realizations about how blessed I am to have such a healthy kid, and I am going to do my best to never complain about her sleeping habits again. I am really tired - I really am - but I am so blessed to have Bridget. She is just the best.

Small Successes

1. So I already mentioned this before, but now we are on night three of Bridget falling asleep on her own! Hoooooooooooray!

2. I didn't lose my cool with Cox Communications when our Internet was down, even when they sent over a tech to fix it at the worst possible time of day, and then it went down two hours later. All seems to be well now, and I don't even need to go to Confession after the ordeal.

3. My mom came to visit on Sunday and stayed until Tuesday afternoon, and while I didn't diet while she was here, I'm still down 9 lbs from my starting weight, which is impressive to me. I need to get back on my full-scale, calorie-counting bandwagon, but I think I'm learning to make healthy food choices sloooooowly.

What did you do this week? Celebrate it!

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Good: Bridget fell asleep by HERSELF last night! I nursed her, held her for a few minutes, then laid her down. I was going to sit on the bed near the door like I have been for the last two weeks, but she seemed really chatty, so I just slipped out and planned to go back in when she wound down. But she fell asleep! Tonight she cried a little when I left, so I went back in a couple of times to calm her, but she fell asleep in the crib again. ROCK ON. She is still waking up frequently through the night, but I'll take what I can get.

Bad: Our Internet keeps going down. Cox Communications is gonna get a piece of my mind at some point this week. I can feel it. I have spent a significant portion of my life on the phone with Cox. They make me crazy.

Ugly: Me wearing my grandmother's clothes for a skit at St. Isidore's at Sunday night. It was a ton of fun, but I was horridly embarrassed to walk into a room of 100 people with baby powder in my hair to make it look white, and wearing old lady clothes. Everyone laughed, and I nearly did, too.

Small Successes

1. I have lost 11 lbs so far! Bill and I have both been eating really healthy and controlling our calories. Today, I even looked in a heart-healthy cookbook before I went shopping. Yay us!

2. I cleaned out the car. I will not reveal the contents that I extracted from the depths of the car, but let's just say the cleaning was long overdue.

3. I didn't lose my patience with Bridget last night while trying to put her to sleep. I sat on the bed calmly and even prayed. It took nearly an hour for her to drift off to slumberland, but I didn't lose my cool!

Cold and Flu Season, Thou Art Mine Enemy

This stinks. Bridget was sick, then Bill, and now me. The good news is that it is relatively mild at this point. I am not grumbling about being sick because I don't physically feel good - I'm grumbling because it is such an inconvenience! I want to be able to watch Ellie for Ben and Mandy, and darnit, I can't do that when I'm sick! I'm grateful that minor colds are our only health issues right now. We really are blessed in that way. I just hope we get to feeling better so we can help with Ellie! (And for anyone who doesn't know Ellie, her blog is one of my links. I watch her while her Mommy and Daddy are working/at class.)

On a side note, I have lost 9 lbs.! Bill and I are counting calories with Fit Day, and it is going okay. I hope we can keep this motivation going!

Tears for Cora

I have never met this family (although they look strangely familiar to me), but my heart breaks for them today. Their sweet little 10-month-old daughter, Cora, died of cancer on Sunday. It is tough to look at the pictures of that adorable baby girl and know that her mom and dad will have to endure life without her. Please pray for them.

When I read their story this morning, I cried. I cried hard.

There is something about knowing that a mother is sorrowing over her child that pulls at any mother's heart. I knelt down to the floor and called for Bridget. I said, "Can you give Mama a hug? Mama needs a hug." And my sweet girl ran to me and laid her head on my shoulder. That made me cry even harder. I think of Cora's mom and dad who won't get to see her run to them and wrap her arms around them. I think of how they'll never see her blow them a kiss. My heart breaks. I wonder why God allows such pain. I wonder how I would survive without my baby.

Then I remember that Bridget isn't really MY baby. I can no more possess her than I could possess the stars or the sky. Bridget belongs to God - He is just loaning her to me to love. And someday He will call His child home.

Please pray with me today for all parents who have had to say goodbye to their children, especially for Jess and Joel McClenahan.

A really cool prayer

I read this last night, and it was such a beautiful prayer that I wanted to share it:

O Lord, I do not know what to ask You. You alone know my real needs, and You love me more than I even know how to love. Enable me to discern my true needs which are hidden from me. I ask for neither a cross nor a consolation, but simply wait in patience for You. My heart is open to You.

For Your great mercy's sake, come to me and help me. Put Your marr on me and heal me, cast me down and raise me up. I silently adore Your hold will and Your inscrutable ways. I offer myself in sacrifice to You and put all my trust in You. I desire only to do Your will. Teach me to pray.

Isn't that nice?

This One's For Sandy

Sandy says that I don't post enough. So here is a post.

But I don't have anything to say. That's a problem.

But I love Sandy, so here's my post. :-)