Gerbera Daisies

I took these pictures to hang up in Abby's room. I think they fit her personality really well. Big, bright and happy. There are times when my camera frustrates me, but this time it did exactly what I wanted. :) I'll post the finished project once I get them on the wall.

Goldilocks

I love Abby's hair, although she still doesn't have much of it!

Reality Check

We went to Children's Hospital again today for another hearing test for Carter. This one was to see if his hearing had stayed the same or gotten worse. My mommy instincts told me everything was the same, and I was right. phew! The audiologist thinks his hearing is not degenerative, but we need a MRI to confirm that, which Carter will get in November.

We've spent a lot of time with doctors the past two weeks. Carter has had the croup, a bacterial infection, a 4 month checkup, another hearing test, and now a junky cold along with lingering diahrea and diaper rash from his antibiotics. It's been a very challenging time for us.

But as I walked down the halls of the hospital I passed a waiting room full of children with autism. In the elevator I chatted with the mother of a down syndrome baby. I passed the common area and saw a mother patiently trying to feed her child, who was crippled with cerebral palsy. And with tears welling up in my eyes I looked down at my healthy gurgling baby and said a prayer of thanks. Suddenly everything that I have gone through with my children seemed so minutely insignificant compared to these parents' struggles. My heart went out to them and my heart aches for them and the trials they go through on a daily basis. I am so grateful for healthy children, and will never take that for granted.

Abby's Walls

We've still got a lot of touch ups to do on the walls but this is the somewhat finished product. As far as the decor, that's gonna take some time (and $$$) to achieve the vision I have for it.

And I know I need to show you pics of Carter's room, but I still have pictures to put in the frames and a dresser to paint. But I'll post something soon.

Painting Abby's Room

Mandie and I have been trying to finish Abby's room for the last month, now and It continues to be delayed because either I don't have the tools or I'm heading out of town. Well, this weekend we were determined to get the wanescoating and chair rail painted. This after three attempts to buy the right paint because oil-based paint cannot be matched until it is dry. Anyhow, Mandie tracked down the paint the builder used, so we were sure to match the floor molding.

So I garnished a few lessons learned from painting with an oil-based paint.

Tip #1 - Open all windows, turn on all fans, and vacate the house for the next 4 hours. Even after doing all this, you're house will immediately be permeated with the most noxious fumes and you will inevitably become loopy. Poor Carter wouldn't eat with the fumes in the air. In fact, at 4 am he woke up this morning and he wouldn't eat until I resorted to the passenger seat of the car in the garage (Mandie's suggestion). Not exactly my idea of an ideal midnight feeding (but then again, does an ideal midnight feeding exist?).

Tip #2 - Use rubber gloves at all times. Of course, you'll end up with paint everywhere. I have paint in places I can't figure out how. All that being said, it was a beast to get my hands clean. Paint Thinner does wonders, but it irritates your skin so bad, it makes you question whether it was worth it.

Tip #3 - When you start, commit to finishing. Interruptions are inevitable, but when you stop, the brushes and rollers dry and you have to clean up to start over. That was a nightmare! So, don't stop until you're finished.

After all that, we were looking at it today and we may have to put a second coat. AAARRGH! Maybe I'll hire it out next time. Any volunteers?

The Travelling Husband/Dad

I know I don't put very many entries in this blog and if you haven't checked, this is Brian posting. I also understand most of the readers of this blog are Mandie's friends and family, so you'll have to forgive me if this entry seems way out from what you're used to.

I usually don't mind travelling and Mandie seems to have gotten used to it (or so she tells me). This week was a little difficult and I'll try to explain without getting too personal.

While Mandie may be used to me being out of town, I know she doesn't like it. I hate saying goodbye because I know how much I'm going to miss being home, seeing the children, and giving Mandie hugs everyday.

I left for the office Monday morning a little later than usual because I wanted to say goodbye to the kids after they woke up. Abby is still trying to figure how to let people leave the house without getting offended, so when I left, I could hear her cry after I closed the door. I know it's only temporary, but it still breaks my heart a little. So that's one reason I don't like travel.

Then I left the office in the afternoon to get to the airport a little early because I was planning on grabbing a very late lunch on the way and doing some additional work in the airport terminal. Instead of an hour of waiting for departure, I ended up waiting for three hours (!) because our pilot was delayed in another town due to weather. So instead of getting into town at a decent time so I could call Mandie before she went to bed, I didn't get in until almost eleven. My flight home was very similar. We boarded the plane on time, but ended up getting stuck in the rain on the runway for 2 hours! If I could count on my flights being on time, I really wouldn't mind the travel.

Lately my projects have been pretty demanding of my time because of tight deadlines and additional administrative work. As I gain more experience, my responsibilities increase, but I still have to deliver. So, even when I'm local, I don't get home until late. At least when I travel, I'm more predictable. This allows Mandie to not worry about when I'll be home for dinner or if I can help put the kids to bed. When I travel, she actually manages quite well on her own. So, when my time demands are crunched, I can put as many hours in as I need to, without putting any extra burden on Mandie. Although, I know Mandie appreciates the help at home. I get full-diaper and late-night duty on the weekends, though.

Every night after the kids are in bed and I've finished my work, I call Mandie and we discuss our day. We probably talk more than we do when I'm home. I can't count how many times our talks extend over an hour. We always have nightly family prayer and cover very important topics. I really enjoy our talks because it helps me release any stress from the day and forget that I'm in a hotel room alone. Maybe Mandie and I could have these kinds of conversations at home, and we've tried, but the travel forces the habit. I've been thinking of getting webcams so we can see each other, and so I can see the kids. We'll see.

Of course, there are the known perks to travel. My airline miles and hotel points are through the roof. Hopefully I can save enough to take Mandie to New York or Hawaii for little to nothing. I get to drive some pretty cool rental cars (sometimes) and I get to see all parts of the country (some pretty, some not so).

Probably the overarching reason why I tolerate travel is because the projects are really cool. I get to do work I really enjoy, meet new people almost every day, and my company really likes my work, so I can't complain too much.

I know Mandie hasn't been posting that I've been out of town because of security concerns and I appreciate that. I'd ask her to make a similar posting, but I'm afraid it would require a 5 post series and many more cons than pros.

Anyways, if your husband travels, consider my lessons learned.

104

Have you ever had a baby with a temperature of 104? I never have until now. Carter peaked at 103.9 last night and although I know a baby can't die from a fever, it was still a little scary.

I took Carter to the doctor yesterday afternoon (and Abby too. She had a fever of 102) and they did everything under the sun to the both of them. Bloodwork, strep tests, a urine sample from Carter and came up with two different diagnoses. Abby has a virus and Carter has a bacterial infection. So they gave Carter an antibiotic shot and a sucker for Abby and we went home to wait out the fever.

It was a long night, especially since Brian was out of town, but finally around 4am his fever went down a little and he slept until 8:30. Because of his high fever they wanted to see Carter again this morning so I hauled both kids to the doc again. Doctor says Carter is doing much better and once he has a couple of days of antibiotics he should be back to normal. Carter seems happier and he's eating and sleeping good. Best thing is that Brian is back in town and we're all so glad, and relieved!

What do you do...

when the diaper won't stay on?

She's starting to take it off ALL the time. Right now she's walking around the house with no bottoms on and lovin' every minute of it.

Do I go to pullups? (expensive) Do I try to potty train her? (she's not even two yet!) Do I glue the diapers on?

Advice, mothers!

Ten Things

1. Carter has a fever and the poor thing is miserable. I'm taking him to the doctor this afternoon.
2. He had the croup last week. Ugh.
3. It seems like the healthy kid is never cooperative when the other kid is sick.
4. It's past noon and I haven't even taken a shower yet.
5. I'm going to start teaching voice lessons at Wylie HS next week. Yay!
6. I'm super excited about wearing teacher clothes again. Mommy clothes are boring.
7. I'm not excited about is leaving my kids 4 hrs a day 2 days a week. I mean it's only 8 hours a week, but I still have the guilty working mom syndrome right now.
8. Abby hid my camera memory card somewhere and I can't find it. I hate missing out on photo opportunities.
9. BIG changes to our blog coming soon. More on that later.
10. I've sat here for five minutes trying to think of a number ten and my mind is mush.

Evidence

I was dusting the dining table the other day and discovered a set of footprints smack dab in the middle of the table. Abby's climbing drives me crazy and it's quite a challenge to keep her on the ground, but I couldn't help but smile this time.

Quick Frames of Carter

Yeah, so I know I probably take too many pictures of my kids, but I can't help it! My camera has a setting where I can take up to like 10 frames in 5 seconds, so I did a little experimenting with Carter. These were all taken within seconds of eachother. I love this feature cause I can capture every priceless expression.

So Kissable!

His cheeks are irresistable.
Those eyes are irresistable.
That lip is irresistable.

And don't get me started on those ears!