It does nothing but raise my blood pressure (which truly isn't something I can afford at the moment even though I'm only partially joking about the political effect). I was way too attached in the last election and I swore I wasn't going to do it again. And I haven't. But it's getting impossible to ignore as the election on Tuesday draws near.
I truly believe that whatever happens on November 4th, it's all part of God's plan. So there is comfort in that even if Obama wins, it's not the end of the world. We've survived presidencies in the past. And this one wouldn't be any different.
One thing has been bothering me lately, though, and it's how this man has been raised up on such a high pedestal, you'd swear he was the second coming of Christ. He's even been likened to the Messiah in certain circles, so it's been somewhat troubling to me that his supporters (who I may disagree with on policy but whom I don't hold in contempt for the mere fact that they're Democrats) can't see this man for what he really is: a politician. He's a well manicured machine that's been years in the making. He's no different than the rest of them, including McCain, despite what promises he's making.
I suppose on one hand it's uplifting to see the eternal pessimists we've seen over the past eight years so inspired. But it's just as troubling, perhaps more, that these relatively intelligent people either can't see, or are just refusing to see, Barack Obama for what he really is.
That being said, my family's hopeful as the polls begin to tighten up. I think there are many voters like me out there who have been watching this political season from the sidelines waiting to simply cast their ballot for the "uncool" choice. We'll see soon enough ... this year it's more about turnout than ever before. Is it possible that the quiet crowd will pull out another win?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My dearest Eleanor, (9w0d)
I am absolutely, positively, 100% in love with you. I'm unsure if a more adorable baby has ever existed and if I could freeze time, I'd keep you in this moment forever.
I love the way I know how to hold you best. You settle into my arms nearly immediately and my heart physically oozes love each time you fall asleep in my arms. I love the way you look at me when our eyes meet. It's as if you've never seen something more amusing. I love the way your whole body tightens up when you need to burp ... and how it immediately relaxes as soon as we've gotten it up. I love the way your eyes roll back in your head when you're falling asleep. And how when I'm swaying you to sleep you fall off into dreamland quicker if you're gripping my finger. And how you love to dance with me.
You are one of the five biggest blessings in my life and I'm a better mom for having you. Thank you for choosing us as your family. I thank God every day for the gift that you are.
You're an unbelievably simple child. You have simple wants and it makes loving you just as simple. You are grounding us during this transition and I will remember that of you always: what a blessing you were while we were preparing for the move to Houston ... a constant reminder to stay in the present and not allow ourselves to go crazy with the "what ifs" (even though I sometimes do get frazzled).
We love you deeply, "Pootie",
Mommy
P.S. I hope for your sake this nickname doesn't stick; but we're having too much fun with it at the moment. "Pootie Pootie Pumpkin Patch" and "Pootie Pootie Polka Dot" are our current favorites.
I love the way I know how to hold you best. You settle into my arms nearly immediately and my heart physically oozes love each time you fall asleep in my arms. I love the way you look at me when our eyes meet. It's as if you've never seen something more amusing. I love the way your whole body tightens up when you need to burp ... and how it immediately relaxes as soon as we've gotten it up. I love the way your eyes roll back in your head when you're falling asleep. And how when I'm swaying you to sleep you fall off into dreamland quicker if you're gripping my finger. And how you love to dance with me.
You are one of the five biggest blessings in my life and I'm a better mom for having you. Thank you for choosing us as your family. I thank God every day for the gift that you are.
You're an unbelievably simple child. You have simple wants and it makes loving you just as simple. You are grounding us during this transition and I will remember that of you always: what a blessing you were while we were preparing for the move to Houston ... a constant reminder to stay in the present and not allow ourselves to go crazy with the "what ifs" (even though I sometimes do get frazzled).
We love you deeply, "Pootie",
Mommy
P.S. I hope for your sake this nickname doesn't stick; but we're having too much fun with it at the moment. "Pootie Pootie Pumpkin Patch" and "Pootie Pootie Polka Dot" are our current favorites.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
He's at school and I miss him.
I know, it's crazy. But I do.
I'm 99% certain we're doing the right thing. The other 1% of me wants to get in my car right now and pluck him from his classroom and bring him back home.
He was so excited last night and this morning. It was too cute.
He got overwhelmed in the front office when they were giving me the paperwork to fill out. And cried a little while we were sitting in the cafeteria while I was filling out said paperwork. He was scared, he said. I assured him that everything was fine and that I wasn't going to leave him until he was okay. He wanted to come home with me for today but I knew once we got into his classroom he'd be fine. And he was.
His teacher seems sweet despite her name: Mrs. Nails. Hmmm.
I'm worried about him and can't wait to see him when I pick him up to get the full report on his day. 3:00 can't come soon enough.
ETA: He's fine! He survived and even loved it. And best of all, he caught on quickly to subtraction (and I mean, full on subtraction problems) and we'd just started learning about it. Whew.
I'm 99% certain we're doing the right thing. The other 1% of me wants to get in my car right now and pluck him from his classroom and bring him back home.
He was so excited last night and this morning. It was too cute.
He got overwhelmed in the front office when they were giving me the paperwork to fill out. And cried a little while we were sitting in the cafeteria while I was filling out said paperwork. He was scared, he said. I assured him that everything was fine and that I wasn't going to leave him until he was okay. He wanted to come home with me for today but I knew once we got into his classroom he'd be fine. And he was.
His teacher seems sweet despite her name: Mrs. Nails. Hmmm.
I'm worried about him and can't wait to see him when I pick him up to get the full report on his day. 3:00 can't come soon enough.
ETA: He's fine! He survived and even loved it. And best of all, he caught on quickly to subtraction (and I mean, full on subtraction problems) and we'd just started learning about it. Whew.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Exhausted and Overwhelmed.
Or how exhausted and overwhelmed are not a good combination.
Jason leaves for Houston in three weeks. And it hit us today that we're just not going with him. We knew it was a possibility but I guess I couldn't let my head even go there until necessary. And it became necessary today.
He ordered me down for a nap around 2:30 and even though I was emotionally and physically spent (I'd spent the majority of the morning crying over the overwhelmed-ness that is my life at the moment), I couldn't sleep. Too much traveling through my brain to even begin the shutdown process.
Unfortunately, it's been like this at night as well and if I'm kept up for too long at one of Eleanor's mid-night feedings, my mind starts processing again and I have a hard time falling asleep. I had one of those nights last night. And it's nights like that that can make me irrationally angry with Jason for possessing the ability to just shut his brain off and nod off to sleep at a moment's notice. I always feel a pang of envy regarding this ability of his, but it downright pisses me off when I'm on the three-hour time clock of a newborn. Because sleeping for less than three hours at a time is tough enough. Add in an extra long feeding or a fussy baby who's not quite ready to head back to dreamland and every minute starts to become precious.
It's a frustrating cycle and one I'm not coping well with at the moment. Under normal circumstances, I'd be able to fall back asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Or take a nap in the afternoon for God's sake. But not now. There's too much to think about. It might go like this ...
Who's going to buy this house? Are we overpriced? (We lowered the price by 10K today) Should we hire a realtor? (If we do this, we might not have quite enough to put 20% down on the new house, thus suffering from PMI.) Are we crazy for moving to Katy? (Where the property taxes are 3+% as opposed to 2+% but the schools are better and we have family already living there) How am I going to keep up with the house when Jason's gone? (It's tough enough keeping it immaculate for a potential showing when we're both here) Crap, what about homeschooling? We're caught up with this school year, but how am I going to do this and sell a house and nurse a newborn and cook dinner and and and ...
So it hit me. Hayes has to get back into school. He's going to be doing it anyway in Katy (or wherever we land); we've already decided as much. And right now, I'm not doing him any justice. We're rushing through math and spelling just so I can mentally cross it off my list. And frankly, the idea of having one less kid in the house for a few hours a day, thus alleviating enough mess to make it worth it, is too appealing. It's a selfish reason, I suppose. But one that's valid enough in my book. (And Jason's too.) So Hayes and I set off this afternoon in search of a couple of uniforms to get him through ... and we report tomorrow morning at 7:45 am sharp to get him ready for his first day at Broadmoor. (We toyed with the idea of calling Fatima to see if there was a spot, but felt it would be too traumatic for him to leave it again.)
Sigh. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. One less stress factor at the moment. Of course it comes with its own additional stresses, but they're stresses (homework, etc) we'll be facing once we move anyway. And the only reason we're starting so soon is because we felt like he needed one transition at a time. Jason moving and him starting in the same week would have been way too much. This, at least, we'll have some time to adjust to before we make another adjustment.
Next step is getting the twins back into Grace for Mother's Day Out ...
Jason leaves for Houston in three weeks. And it hit us today that we're just not going with him. We knew it was a possibility but I guess I couldn't let my head even go there until necessary. And it became necessary today.
He ordered me down for a nap around 2:30 and even though I was emotionally and physically spent (I'd spent the majority of the morning crying over the overwhelmed-ness that is my life at the moment), I couldn't sleep. Too much traveling through my brain to even begin the shutdown process.
Unfortunately, it's been like this at night as well and if I'm kept up for too long at one of Eleanor's mid-night feedings, my mind starts processing again and I have a hard time falling asleep. I had one of those nights last night. And it's nights like that that can make me irrationally angry with Jason for possessing the ability to just shut his brain off and nod off to sleep at a moment's notice. I always feel a pang of envy regarding this ability of his, but it downright pisses me off when I'm on the three-hour time clock of a newborn. Because sleeping for less than three hours at a time is tough enough. Add in an extra long feeding or a fussy baby who's not quite ready to head back to dreamland and every minute starts to become precious.
It's a frustrating cycle and one I'm not coping well with at the moment. Under normal circumstances, I'd be able to fall back asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Or take a nap in the afternoon for God's sake. But not now. There's too much to think about. It might go like this ...
Who's going to buy this house? Are we overpriced? (We lowered the price by 10K today) Should we hire a realtor? (If we do this, we might not have quite enough to put 20% down on the new house, thus suffering from PMI.) Are we crazy for moving to Katy? (Where the property taxes are 3+% as opposed to 2+% but the schools are better and we have family already living there) How am I going to keep up with the house when Jason's gone? (It's tough enough keeping it immaculate for a potential showing when we're both here) Crap, what about homeschooling? We're caught up with this school year, but how am I going to do this and sell a house and nurse a newborn and cook dinner and and and ...
So it hit me. Hayes has to get back into school. He's going to be doing it anyway in Katy (or wherever we land); we've already decided as much. And right now, I'm not doing him any justice. We're rushing through math and spelling just so I can mentally cross it off my list. And frankly, the idea of having one less kid in the house for a few hours a day, thus alleviating enough mess to make it worth it, is too appealing. It's a selfish reason, I suppose. But one that's valid enough in my book. (And Jason's too.) So Hayes and I set off this afternoon in search of a couple of uniforms to get him through ... and we report tomorrow morning at 7:45 am sharp to get him ready for his first day at Broadmoor. (We toyed with the idea of calling Fatima to see if there was a spot, but felt it would be too traumatic for him to leave it again.)
Sigh. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. One less stress factor at the moment. Of course it comes with its own additional stresses, but they're stresses (homework, etc) we'll be facing once we move anyway. And the only reason we're starting so soon is because we felt like he needed one transition at a time. Jason moving and him starting in the same week would have been way too much. This, at least, we'll have some time to adjust to before we make another adjustment.
Next step is getting the twins back into Grace for Mother's Day Out ...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Eleanor found her voice today. (8w3d)
It's so cute. She's been working her tongue lately and we could tell that she was on the brink of "talking", especially when she started cooing.
But this morning she was in her bouncer while Jason and I were making taco soup and she started the "ahhhh-eeee" sounds ... almost squealing.
She's generous with her smiles, too. Especially with me.
I can't believe we ever thought we didn't want any more children. What a doll this child is. And so easy! If we were guaranteed more like her, I'd have a dozen.
But this morning she was in her bouncer while Jason and I were making taco soup and she started the "ahhhh-eeee" sounds ... almost squealing.
She's generous with her smiles, too. Especially with me.
I can't believe we ever thought we didn't want any more children. What a doll this child is. And so easy! If we were guaranteed more like her, I'd have a dozen.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Oh, and we found a house. (8w0d)
The trip to Houston was a success and we've found the house we're planning to purchase. Now we just need a purchaser for this house. And preferably one who doesn't call and ask if we're offering 100% financing. (No, sir, we're selling the house, not offering mortgages.)
Mommy? Do you like the name Madeline? (8w0d)
Mary Beth asks me with all sincerity.
Sure, baby, Madeline is a pretty name.
And with a look of serious seriousness and the most precious emphasis on the word think, she says, "I think we should change my name to Madeline."
I burst into hysterical laughter and have told just about everyone I can think of the story.
A pic of the kids just because:
Sure, baby, Madeline is a pretty name.
And with a look of serious seriousness and the most precious emphasis on the word think, she says, "I think we should change my name to Madeline."
I burst into hysterical laughter and have told just about everyone I can think of the story.
A pic of the kids just because:
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The house is officially for sale!
The ad in the paper starts on Sunday and we've already got a sign in the yard. Flyers are being taken from the info tube we've got next to the "for sale by owner" sign. Hopefully it'll sell quickly.
My Theresian sisters came and helped us get the house ready. Here are the pictures:
Front of the house:
Breakfast Nook in Kitchen:
Kitchen:
Livingroom:
Formal Dining (Playroom):
Master Bedroom:
Master Bathroom:
Bedroom #2:
Bedroom #3:
Secondary Bathroom:
Covered Patio:
Picket Fence with Arbor:
My Theresian sisters came and helped us get the house ready. Here are the pictures:
Front of the house:
Breakfast Nook in Kitchen:
Kitchen:
Livingroom:
Formal Dining (Playroom):
Master Bedroom:
Master Bathroom:
Bedroom #2:
Bedroom #3:
Secondary Bathroom:
Covered Patio:
Picket Fence with Arbor:
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Good news abounds! (6w)
Today marks Eleanor's 6-week mark. It also marks two years to the day that Jason has been employed with Ruth's Chris.
And lastly, it marks the day that we made the decision to move our little family to Houston, Texas.
Jason was offered a promotion with Ruth's as General Manager of their Houston store and after much prayer and discernment (this has been in the works, though we weren't certain it was going to happen until today, for three weeks) this Cajun, small-town family is officially moving to a big city.
I'm still in shock. And probably will be for some time. Stay tuned as the move unfolds ...
The other good news is that Uncle Harry's lymphatic system is a-okay. His PET scan revealed that there is no cancer in any organs or additional lymph nodes. He had a bone marrow biopsy performed today, and depending on the results of that, he may or may not have to do radiation. But there's NO CHEMO to be done at all. Thank you God for answered prayers!
And lastly, it marks the day that we made the decision to move our little family to Houston, Texas.
Jason was offered a promotion with Ruth's as General Manager of their Houston store and after much prayer and discernment (this has been in the works, though we weren't certain it was going to happen until today, for three weeks) this Cajun, small-town family is officially moving to a big city.
I'm still in shock. And probably will be for some time. Stay tuned as the move unfolds ...
The other good news is that Uncle Harry's lymphatic system is a-okay. His PET scan revealed that there is no cancer in any organs or additional lymph nodes. He had a bone marrow biopsy performed today, and depending on the results of that, he may or may not have to do radiation. But there's NO CHEMO to be done at all. Thank you God for answered prayers!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Happy Birthday to Uncle H.
It's his birthday today and right this minute he's in a PET scan so they can figure out exactly where the cancer is and what stage it's in.
God, please be with Uncle Harry today as we celebrate 51 wonderful years of his life. Let us always remember to appreciate our lives and those we hold dear to our hearts. Amen.
God, please be with Uncle Harry today as we celebrate 51 wonderful years of his life. Let us always remember to appreciate our lives and those we hold dear to our hearts. Amen.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
It's Stage II Grade II Follicular Lymphoma
Treatable, but not curable. It'll go into remission, but he'll live with cancer for the rest of his life.
It's not the best news possible, but certainly not the worst.
He goes in for a PET scan and a CAT scan later this week. Meets with the oncologist next week. We'll know more then, I suppose.
It's not the best news possible, but certainly not the worst.
He goes in for a PET scan and a CAT scan later this week. Meets with the oncologist next week. We'll know more then, I suppose.
"4 week" check-up (4w6d)
She's absolutely perfect.
Has a touch of infant acne paired with a bit of heat rash.
10 pounds, 10 ounces.
22 inches. (birth length of 18.5 was totally wrong, ped confirmed this today)
Talked about delaying/eliminating vaccines.
Will stay on the Axid for her reflux until she's two months and then we'll run a trial of no meds.
Go back on November 5th for our two month check-up and first rounds of vaccinations. (Hib and Prevnar for meningitis; DTaP given a month later; skipping Polio for now; skipping Hep B and Rotavirus altogether).
I adore my pediatrician.
Has a touch of infant acne paired with a bit of heat rash.
10 pounds, 10 ounces.
22 inches. (birth length of 18.5 was totally wrong, ped confirmed this today)
Talked about delaying/eliminating vaccines.
Will stay on the Axid for her reflux until she's two months and then we'll run a trial of no meds.
Go back on November 5th for our two month check-up and first rounds of vaccinations. (Hib and Prevnar for meningitis; DTaP given a month later; skipping Polio for now; skipping Hep B and Rotavirus altogether).
I adore my pediatrician.
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