My Birthday Blessings

Birthdays are precarious things, particularly if they are laden with expectations. I am surrounded by people who love me and show it. Even so, I found all the "Have a fabulous day!" comments reinforced my perception that it felt a little less than fabulous. Which is totally ridiculous, because it was full of blessings. So, I'm going to count some of them here, for my own mental health. I may be leaving out a few potholes, but that is rather the point...

When I got up, the house was quiet (1), so I woke the boys and started preparing breakfast. Then Josh -- who I assumed to be on his way to work -- walked back in the door (2) with a cafe mocha (3) and scones (4). Good man. (5) The point is not that the barista forgot the mocha pumps, the point is that he went and got me a treat!

After I scuttled the boys off to school (6, 7) and stopped back at Starbucks for an exchange (which they did for free 8), I left Isaac with an awesome babysitter (9) and went to a committee meeting of women I enjoy and respect (10). They even provided scones in honor of my birthday (Yes, that was scone #2. Score. 11).

Then, I had the rare chance to visit Trader Joe's (12). Alone (13). It's my favorite grocery store anyway, and it looks like pumpkin exploded all over every item they sell. Yum.

I got home to find a gift from a dear friend (14) and read a card from my Bible study small group (15). Serious warm fuzzies doing battle with my pms hormones. (Did I just say that?)

Then, there was Meal Swap delivered to my door (16). Really, enough said right there. I'm not makin' dinner.

A couple weeks ago, I told my boys to ask me what I wanted for my birthday (I've learned about subtlety with males, and not under any circumstance to ever use it). Then I told them I wanted them to learn Psalm 139:1-10 for my birthday. Ever since I found out that Jewish boys 2,000 years ago memorized The Torah, and Noah came home from preschool knowing The Lord's Prayer, I've upped the ante on our Scripture memory. We worked on it a little over dinner most nights, and by Oct 2nd, they were able to mostly pull it off (17, 18). And were adorable to boot (19, 20).

7. After dinner, Josh got home (21) in time to put the boys to bed (22) and free me to run off to a Girls' Night Out (23) at a neighbor's...

I think I ought to stop right there. If I talk about how I got to pick when to have lunch out with my Mom (23) and a date night with Josh (24)...how it was my choice that they both occurred the next day and were fabulous the next day, I'll sound like a total idiot.

See, counting your blessings works! It makes you feel like a spoiled brat instead of a loser...

Happy birthday to me. ;)

Christmas Flu By

It feels like just yesterday that I was telling the boys Daddy would be home for the next TEN DAYS -- days filled with church services, movies, cooking, meals, cousins, presents, and visits from out-of-town family and friends. We were all eager.

And it began beautifully. A quiet family weekend. Grandparents arrived for Christmas Eve. A candlelit service. Friends joined us for dinner in the dining room.

I didn't notice anything amiss until Christmas morning, when I woke with a soar throat I
couldn't shake. Still, it faded into the background as our little elves collected candy, ate french toast and sausage for breakfast, opened presents, and played with each new toy in turn.
 

I slept through lunch, but it wasn't till evening that my temperature started to climb. Patient 0 was falling fast.

Thursday, Noah followed with a fever and cough.

Friday, it was Isaac's turn.

Saturday, Josh.

Makes it all sound simple. Ha. But in the spirit of the season (and because we can practically recite "White Christmas" with the boys), we're going to count our blessings... 

1. Several of my relatives came to visit, but they all had other places to hang out while we were in quarantine. So far, none of them have gotten sick from us. We hope.

2. Our flu shots and tamiflu helped protect us from a more severe course. Fevers around 102 for 3-5 days could've been 104 for 5-10 days. It all could've been much worse.

3. Even little Isaac, who was too young for the shot or medicine, got both through me. His congestion made it difficult to nurse, but my pump made it possible for him to still get the good stuff -- and return to nursing after his case cleared up. I take back all the nasty things I've ever said about my pump. 

4. Aaron, miraculously, is the only one who never got sick (thank God). Noah, on the other hand, got flu and strep on top of each other but seemed impressively un-phased.

5. I am married to a doctor. While he doesn't keep a full clinic in our home, he brings knowledge and a sense of calm. He's seen it all before, and he knows when/how to react -- including when to head over to the Vandy Walk-in Clinic or our pediatrician's weekend hours, for which we are also thankful.

6. Josh and I were both home and took turns getting sick. I'm usually good at planning my illnesses when Josh is unavailable. This time, God was merciful. Josh took care of all 3 boys while I was sick (Wed-Sat) and then I took over while he camped out in the bedroom (Sat-Tues). This alone saved us.

7. Facebook helped us figure out that it was the flu and communicate with others in the same boat. As a result, a few different neighbors brought Gatorade, oatmeal, chicken noodle soup, and salad right to our front door. The food definitely tasted sweeter knowing the hearts behind it.

8. Josh was supposed to work 12/31-1/1 in the hospital, but one of his mentors took the holiday for him. What a relief that he could stay in bed and sleep it off rather than sharing his shot-resistant flu with his already-sick geriatric patients.

9. We're all on the mend. I still haven't made it out of the house much, but another day of rest has us ready to jump back into the routine...soon.

10. We should NOT get the flu next week, when we head south for The Denny Disney Adventure of 2013. But of course, prayers are appreciated. ;)

A Kentucky Thanksgiving

(Some of the pics may look familiar - I tried uploading them on the blogger app, but it didn't work quite as I'd hoped, so I've redone with commentary and additional photos here.)

When Noah and Aaron were each 6-8 weeks old, they started sleeping longer stretches at night. We got excited. Then we packed everyone up and left town for one reason or another, and the sleep schedules went to the dogs. They weren't comfortable sleeping somewhere else, and I wasn't comfortable letting them cry somewhere else, so we lost naps and slid back into frequent nighttime wakings. It took me months to get us back on track (partially because this usually happened just before the holidays and flu season).

This time around, I'd vowed not to let this happen. We were STAYING HOME.

Well. Mostly.

A couple weeks before Thanksgiving, we realized that ALL of Josh's relatives would be gathering 3 hours away for the big dinner, and it would be a perfect time to see them and introduce Isaac. Thus begins the slippery slope...

But, I'm proud to say we found a happy compromise. We left Thursday morning and returned Friday night. I figured we could endure anything for 24hrs and correct any regression once we got home. This proved true. It was really wonderful to see all the family...

We all had a fabulous time and it was great to come home Friday night to our own beds. Now we're going to give Isaac a couple more months to solidify his sleep schedule before we haul off to points south for a crazy caper with Mickey... More on that lunacy later.

Pardners

Getting ready for the big night with my best buds...

Our handsome "real cowboy" (i.e. not Woody)

The talented Mr. Lightyear (the toy and the boy)

Guess who?? Yep, Tigger 2007 and Tigger 2012. I think they're brothers... ;)

Did you know Tigger's favorite food is black-eyed peas? Well, at least this Tigger, and this black-eyed P.

We're surrounded! By princesses! (at the neighborhood pre-party)

And finally out on the trail...of chocolate!

Hot and Happy 4th

It was 103 degrees, so we didn't stray far from water. After a morning at the pool with neighbors, we spent the evening at a neighbor's house watching the boys run down a slip-and-slide (none of the preschoolers could quite figure out the "slide" technique). Then we all sat on their back porch for the Franklin fireworks. The boys loved the bright displays and even the noise, which made it sound "like a battle!" A 3-yr-old next to us must have thought so too, as she asked, "Are they trying to break the sky?"