River pics and other bits

First, a p.s. on yesterday's post: The bus driver said Elijah had two big tears roll down his cheek on the way to school, but no crying. (This somehow makes me more sad than if he had cried.) The ride home was great, though, and he actually cried when the bus pulled away from our house. "Elijah riiiiide yellow buuuuussss!!" I was NOT an adaptable child, so it makes me very happy to see him, especially with all that he has been through, so adaptable. I'm so proud of my big bus-riding boy!

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I found a series of fun photos I took a while back that I forgot to post. We went down to the river to see just how flooded things had gotten.



I took this picture seconds before Elijah decided to walk straight into the river with zero hesitation. Dan didn't let him get very far.



I'm so happy I caught this expression on camera. It's one of my new favorite things Elijah does when he is excited about being outside. He puts his hands in front of his face and screams like a wild man.



I sometimes still can't get over the fact that Elijah is walking. He has been able to explore more of the world than ever before and it is SO MUCH FUN for us to see this. In the past few days he has even started trying to RUN! Amazing!



I feel like we are making strides with some of the new un-fun behavior Elijah has been showing us. Dan and I are being consistent with time-outs, which are truly awful for all of us (we have to make sure our doors and windows are all closed so people don't hear the terrible screaming and make wrong assumptions), but necessary and actually quite helpful in the end. I think a lot of what is going on with him has to do with 1) him sensing winds of change, and 2) preschool being wonderful for him but simultaneously being very overly stimulating and tiring and completely wearing him down emotionally and physically.



We have had such amazing weather so far this spring, so sometimes it feels like it is the middle of July instead of the middle of April. It is wonderful! We don't get that feeling too often in Minnesota. The sunshine and the fresh air have been wonderful for Elijah, and for our spirits, too.



I had a kind of scary, sleepless night last night, with lots of contractions and worrying. Thankfully I have an appointment today so we can see what, if anything, is going on.



I'll end with a funny Elijah story. One of the behaviors we have been trying to get under control is his hitting (he hits Dan and me only; he never does it to anyone else, which I guess is a good thing). The other day I walked by Dan and tapped him on his back side. Elijah saw me do it and said, "Mommy time-out! Noooo hitting!"

Elijah ride yellow bus?

This is the question Elijah has been asking us for weeks. So today it finally happened. He is now officially a big boy bus rider!





He was so cute getting on the bus. The bus driver helped buckle him into his seat and then he pointed out the window to our house and said, "Home! Bye home!" He looked a little bit scared for a moment and then they were off! I'm sure he did great.



As the bus pulled away, I cried my eyes out. My baby is riding the bus!

Patience

I already knew that we had the best friends in the world and then we received a package in the mail from Kathy and her boys that confirmed this. She made, BY HAND, this adorable little Zooter piggy for Elijah. It could not be more perfect! "Zooter" has such a fun, special meaning for us, so it is a very meaningful little gift.



I'm pretty sure I will always think of 2010 as the Year of Patience. Bed rest has required a lot of patience (and will continue to do so, I'm sure), Elijah is in a phase where he is constantly searching inside himself for patience, which requires even more patience from Dan and me. We literally pray for patience at each meal and before bed each night and all three of us repeat "patiencepatiencepatience" as we walk around the house or eat dinner or lay on the couch or do whatever.

Today I realized that it's not really that Elijah is overall behaving worse than he normally does. It's just that his highs have become higher and his lows have become lower. When he is a good boy, he is really really good and when he's not, well.. No matter what, though, I love every minute I get to spend with him. I'm so grateful for him and for his health. We love our little (sometimes very impatient) boy to pieces! He's the best.

I reached the 32-week mark in my pregnancy yesterday, which is a huge milestone. My contractions have maybe gotten just a little bit worse, but nothing too alarming yet. I am so happy to have made it to this point and I'm still hoping for a 39-week delivery. Stranger things have happened!

I'll end with my favorite recent Elijah translation:
"bundled up" (as in, wearing layers of clothes) = "buckled up"

Heart Day!

Today is Tax Day, yes, but more importantly (for us), it is the second anniversary of Elijah's second open heart surgery! This surgery made such a significant difference in his quality of life that I think we will forever celebrate the day it happened.

We obviously can't do too much celebrating with an invalid mama in the house, but I think I'll have Dan get some heart balloons and maybe we will make some fun cupcakes or something.

Happy Heart Day, my boy! We are so proud of how far you have come!

New pediatric cardiovascular center + lots of sobbing

I haven't mentioned the trip we made to Children's Hospital a while ago out of fear of sobbing like a child. Again. But with Elijah's surgery anniversary approaching and already being an emotional pregnant lady, I figure it is impossible to avoid sobbing, so..

Children's Hospital in Minneapolis recently completed construction on an incredible addition dedicated SOLELY to its pediatric cardiovascular patients. They hosted a grand opening reception, so the three of us drove into the city to check it out. Everything a heart patient could possibly need is now within one unit. Pre-op, catheterizations, surgery, recovery and short stay recovery are all in the same little spot. And patient rooms have been built with parents in mind, too, so no more begging for a sleep room at night. It is an amazing addition and we are really excited about it.

The first stop on the tour was the new Short Stay unit and I got particularly excited about this area. The "regular" Short Stay unit down on first floor is where Elijah has always gone after his heart caths and we haven't always had the best experiences there (not all bad, just not all good). It will be wonderful to have cardiac-only nurses and nice new private rooms, too, after his heart caths. I was practically skipping around the unit like a giddy little kid, and I wasn't AT ALL expecting the emotions that were about to sweep over me.

Our next stop was at a big room next door to short stay. At first all I was focusing on was Elijah because he recognized the things inside of that big room and he immediately started to panic. Dan picked him up and reassured him that nobody was going to hurt him, as I stepped into the big room to check it out by myself. I took one step in and...oh my, this is an OPERATING ROOM. Yes, I knew that before walking in, but the heaviness of it didn't hit me until I had stepped inside. This is the room where IT happens. And then I completely lost it. It wasn't just a few little tears sliding down my cheeks. It was a full-fledged sobbing that instantly shook me to the core. It was one of those sobs that you cannot control no matter how hard you try. A very nice nurse was in the room giving tours and she was immediately at my side, hugging and comforting me.

Standing in an operating room is extremely overwhelming, with all of the super high-tech equipment and monitors and lights and machines and instruments. And that table right in the middle. The table that my little boy has been on twice and will be on again soon. Past anxieties and current anxieties and everything in between shook my body and heart and soul without warning. Eventually I told myself that I had to stop the crying, after all, we were at a very public event, so I looked at the nurse square in the eyes and tried my hardest to carry on a conversation with her. At that moment, out of the corner of my eye I saw our beloved Dr. Gremmels walk into the room. I thought it was pretty cool that the one person in this world who knows EXACTLY what our son has been through (heart-wise), every little bit of it, showed up at that very significant moment. I kept it mostly together, but almost lost it again when I saw him. He came over and gave me a hug and reassured me that what I was feeling was normal. (Really? Because I don't see anyone else here freaking out!)

I pulled myself together and we toured the rest of the unit and we even ran into Elijah's heart surgeon, Dr. Moga. He told Elijah he was "lookin' good" and gave us his trademark smile and wink. Every time I see Dr. Moga I get emotional, but I was able to hold back the tears this time (probably because there were none left).

Not only is this new unit going to be a lot more convenient for patients and parents (and doctors), but it is a huge step toward keeping little heart patients healthier, as well. Patients will not need to enter the hospital's regular PICU after surgery, which will keep them protected from sicknesses that might be floating around down there. This will also free up bed space in the PICU for other children. Check out the virtual tour of the new cardiac patient rooms, which include private bathrooms, refrigerators, sofa sleepers, tvs and xbox 360s.

This new unit is a really big deal and we are really proud of it. We are grateful we were able to see the new area and we feel so blessed to live in a city with such amazing facilities, nurses, surgeons and doctors.

Nononooooo-urghhhhhh-aggghhhh-WAAHHHH

I don't know if it's his cold or a phase or an alien invasion or all of the above, but Elijah has been quite the defiant little boy this week. A lot of hitting, kicking, screaming, noooooo-ing and time-outing has been going on in our house. Weeeeee!!!



We are thankful that croup has not visited us yet this round of sickness. I pray about this constantly throughout each day.

Not much else to report. I mainly just wanted to get some cute pics posted.

Our weekend

I cannot get over the beautiful weather we have had so far this spring. The winter tends to put a lot of Minnesotans in a funk (especially those who might be bed-resting), so it feels beyond amazing to be able to open our windows and let some fresh air inside. Dan bought me an outside bed-restable chair this weekend, so I have spent some time outside reading and lounging in the sunshine.

Elijah spends a lot of time running around outside. He loves to play with his toys in the garage and play with Dan's golf clubs in the grass (when he's not feeling it is too bumpy) and draw on the driveway with chalk. We are working on "driveway and sidewalk ok, street NO-NO." This weekend he started getting upset about every single thing or person he saw pass in front of our house because he wanted to be doing it, too. "ELIJAH RI-I-I-IDE BI-I-I-IKE!!" "ELIJAH DWI-I-I-IVE CA-A-ARRrr!" "ELIJAH RU-U-U-UNNn!" "ELIJAH WA-A-A-A-LK!"

Our munchkin caught a little cold this weekend, so we are sending up some anti-croup prayers. We do have an appointment with his pulmonologist this week, so I have a list of things I want to talk to him about.

Other than that, everything is going just fine for us. My contractions are about the same and staying very manageable. We received some WONDERFUL visits from friends this weekend that we are extremely thankful for. We have the best friends in the world.

Have a good week, everyone!

I gotcha

Lately when I put Elijah to bed at night, he has been especially clingy and huggy. For the first time ever, he doesn't want me to leave him. He has never had any trouble parting with us at bedtime, so it has been really hard for me to deny my snuggly 3-year-old of bedtime cuddles. Each night as I sit in his chair with him, I think, Someday I will be ACHING for this again. So I usually let some time pass before I put an end to the snuggling and put him into his bed.

He wraps his arms around my neck after we say prayers and he burrows his little body into mine and says, "HUG! HUG! HUG!" until I am squeezing him just firmly enough. When he says, "HUG!" I usually say back to him, "I gotcha, my man." Ever since he was a tiny baby in the NICU, this is something Dan and I have always said to him. I remember whispering "Mama's gotcha!" into his ear when he was a day old and when things were so new and scary. It was my way of telling him that we would never let go of him. We would never stop loving him and we would always be there for him.

So after I say that to him at bedtime, he has started to say back to me, "I gotcha, Mom!" Through tears, I say, "Thank you, Elijah, I'm so glad you've got me, too."

30 weeks, 5 days

As you can see in my Easter photos, Elijah adores being outside. It is the new love of his life. And it is a good match because sunshine does wonders for him. Vitamin D works some sort of magic, especially after a long winter. When he is able to spend time outside, he is a much happier little person and he sleeps better and is just overall more enjoyable to be around (not that he is ever not enjoyable to be around).



My pregnancy and bed rest are going fine. Not much has changed, which is a good thing. Every once in a while I will have a scary day of contractions, but a restful night of sleep always gets things back under control. One thing that has been annoying is that I have become clumsy. In the past two weeks I have had two refrigerator catastrophes. The first time I knocked a jar of jelly out of the fridge and the shattered glass flew EVERYWHERE. Ugh. The second time I knocked an entire shelf off of the door of the fridge. The only thing that broke was a jar of vinegar, which we could smell for days. Both times after my disasters, Dan walked around the corner and said, "ELIJAH!" Nope, not Elijah, just clumsy, pregnant ME! :)

As my delivery date gets closer, the more anxious I find myself getting. There is a lot to think about even though I can't do anything about any of it. It's a little bit strange to be having "normal" pregnancy worries/anxieties this time. We had such heavy heavy things to mull over last time, so these normal worries are pretty new and different for me.

Our wonderful friends, the Rollers, sent such a sweet sweet care package in the mail for us. I cannot wait to show you what Kathy made for Elijah!! Photo to come soon!

Easter

Today has an overall feeling of sadness. A new friend of ours (who I have asked for prayers for before) had a baby who went to Heaven on Friday. My heart aches..

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On a different note, we had a nice weekend. My contractions have been staying in a comfortable zone (usually no more than 1-2/hour still) and that makes me very happy. I was able to tag along with Dan and Elijah to Dan's parents' house for a bit yesterday for Easter dinner. I snapped a bunch of photos of Elijah from the deck (you will be seeing lots of these this week) but otherwise didn't move around a whole lot and when we got home I felt like I had just finished running a marathon. My body definitely is not used to anything but being glued to the couch!

Elijah had a fun time playing in the dog kennel (that no dog lives in). He opened and shut the door to the kennel about 4,367 times. Opening and closing doors is a favorite activity.



Of course I had to get a few pics of my gorgeous hubby, too.



This is his fake mad face:



Elijah is still really hesitant about walking on bumpy surfaces. He will walk on grass if the surface is fairly smooth, but he will not walk on grass if the surface is uneven. This is what happens when we encourage him to try it:





I have spent two of the past three Easters at home, so I was worried that I would be spending this Easter at home, as well. I am extremely thankful that I have a little bit of freedom these days so I don't have to be cooped up 100% of the time.



I loved being able to spend a little bit of time with Dan's family yesterday. As always, Elijah got a ton of love from Grandma and Grandpa and his cousins. And his new word of the day was "resurrection," which sounded more like "wezzuweshin." :)



Many more Easter pics to come this week! Have a good week, everyone.

29-week tummy and 30-week tidbits

My tummy last weekend, at 29 weeks..



Today marks 30 weeks of pregnancy! Somehow that seems like a huge milestone and I am so happy to have gotten to this point. I have nine weeks of bed rest under my belt and I am praying hard for nine more weeks! My c-section is scheduled for June 4th, which is exactly the 39-week mark, so let's hope that is our day to welcome Not-Zooter into the world.

My contractions have gradually over time become more frequent, but they still are nothing compared to what I was experiencing at this point in my pregnancy with Elijah. I usually get no more than one per hour, sometimes two per hour depending on the time of day. I have been able to move around MUCH more during this bed rest (compared to Bed Rest of 2007) and I am so thankful for that. I usually take it easy for most of the day and if I have had a good day I get up to play with Elijah a little bit in the evenings and even sit at the table with my boys for dinner. I have even been making one or two small trips out of the house every week if my body is cooperating (and with my doctor's blessing). This little bit of freedom I have helps immensely!

Nine weeks ago I was a pretty huge emotional wreck, so I feel really good about how things have panned out so far. Bed rest is limiting and frustrating at times, but I'm incredibly thankful that my body seems to be responding well to the progesterone shots (and that I haven't needed any medication aside from the progesterone).

Here's to nine more weeks!!


p.s. Last weekend I got out of the house for a photoshoot we had been planning for Elijah. It went great! We strolled around the sculpture gardens in Minneapolis while the talented Gwen snapped photos of our munchkin. Anyway, please check out her blog post and leave a comment (if you haven't already) so we can get a free print!

Daytime croup plan

I had been dreading talking to Elijah's daycare provider about the fact that he recently had a croup episode during an afternoon nap. I didn't want to scare her and I also didn't see a way to ensure he would be 100% safe if he had a croup episode away from home. I finally talked to her about it and within 24 hours she had gotten a used nebulizer from a friend and Dan and I had scrounged up some extra tubing/masks so she could have a second set of "croup supplies" at her house. Dan brought her a vial of our magic croup medication along with detailed instructions about how to handle an episode.

I feel a million times better! I am thankful that this didn't scare her, even when I told her how frightening and life-threatening his episodes can be. I am thankful that she IMMEDIATELY helped us to find a solution and that now she has what she needs at her home to help our little boy if he has an episode. I am thankful that MY peace was important to her and that I can breathe a little easier now. I am thankful that Elijah is such a loved, blessed little man!



It seems like I can't keep up with writing about all of the funny things Elijah has been doing lately. Yesterday I found some of the new baby's clothes (Elijah's old stuff) stuffed into the front of Elijah's shirt drawer in his bedroom. I guess he is trying to reclaim some of his old clothes??

Lately when Dan and I are chatting and Elijah wants to be a part of the conversation, he will say, "MAMA TALK!" In other words, I'M PATIENTLY WAITING FOR YOU TO STOP TALKING!

Last night we had cake and ice cream with a few family members to celebrate Dan's dad's birthday. Elijah was more eager than I've ever seen to get his hands on some cake and ice cream. He totally devoured it and asked for more ice cream FOUR times (he takes after his mommy!). Everyone thought the way he ate his ice cream was really funny. He picked it up like it was a cookie and took big bites out of it. :)

This week is really busy for me with work, so I have been working like crazy on my computer from the couch. Elijah doesn't have preschool this week (spring break) so he has been going to daycare and Dan is doing work for a friend. The weather has been BEAUTIFUL! Ahhh, this is what living in Minnesota is all about!

Good days

I know it's not exactly reindeer season (thank goodness), but I had to capture our silly kid a few mornings ago as he ran around the house with his antlers and diaper on.



Oh how I love spring-like weather ("spring-like" = above 40 degrees)! Even if I am just enjoying the air as it floats through the open window by my couch, it is sooo wonderful. I was, luckily, able to get outside a little bit this weekend and truly enjoy the nice weather a tiny bit. Yesterday we did a photoshoot with a new friend and today I was able to join Elijah and Dan at the park. My contractions have behaved very well over the weekend, after a very scary and contraction-filled Friday. Again, there appears to be no pattern, ever, with these things. I just take each day as it comes and listen very closely to my unpredictable body.



Elijah is acting much more like his normal self these days. That does still involve a lot of unnecessary screaming, but we are in a much better place than we were a week ago when his little body was filled with those nasty steroids. He has been completely smitten with being able to go outside for the past week or so. Every time he comes inside, he starts yelling, "OUT OF HOME! OUT OF HOME!" It didn't seem to bother him one bit that it was 36 degrees this morning while we were at the park. This is what Minnesota winters do to people!



We have been so blessed with visits from friends and family lately and so many people have been generous with bringing over food (and books and flowers and nail polish and ice cream!) and we are just really thankful. We feel very cared for and that has such a huge impact on ALL of us. Thank you thank you!!

I'll end with my favorite Elijah saying from the weekend. As Dan was clipping his fingernails, Elijah said, "Click nails!" I thought that one was funnier than when he said, "Mommy tummy bigger!"

Ice cream and book reviews: from the couch, Part II

To see my original ice cream/book post, click here.


ICE CREAM

Since my last ice cream post I haven't tried too many new flavors because I have been trying to eat fruit every other night (boring, I know).

(These flavors are all Ben & Jerry's.)

Half Baked - I listed this one last time, but I have to list it again because it has become my official favorite ice cream of all time. YUM, YUM, EXTRA YUM (as Elijah says).
Oatmeal Cookie Chunk - I still haven't been able to find this flavor anywhere, but I continue to salivate over the idea of it.
Cinnamon Buns - Really yummy and sugary. Even for me, the Queen of Sugar, it was really really sugary, but I'm not complaining.
Smores - This was good. I love the marshmallow swirls, but I'm not huge on lots of chocolate ice cream, which this definitely has.
Karamel Sutra - This was good, too. It's a little on the simple side, though. It's just vanilla and chocolate ice creams with a huge glob of caramel in the middle. I do love that caramel glob.
Phish Food - This was just ok for me. Again, too much chocolate ice cream for my taste.

There were a few other flavors that people recommended that I haven't been able to find anywhere. I'll have Dan keep looking! :)


BOOKS

Heaven by Randy Alcorn - I mentioned this book a few times already, but it is worth mentioning again. It is honestly a life-altering book and I think everyone should read it. Heaven is a topic that is not commonly talked about or researched, so it is really interesting to get insight about what will happen when we die. Getting into Heaven is NOT easy, as many people believe it is, so this book really made me think twice about how I live my life.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - My stepmom brought this book with her when she came to visit and I absolutely loved it! It is so full of laugh-out-loud humor and wit, yet revolves around a pretty heavy topic. I highly recommend it.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - A really quick read with a really heavy story. In a nutshell, it is the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of a naive 9-year-old German boy. There is some humor thrown in there, too. He refers to Hitler as "The Fury." :)

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - I actually read this before I started bed rest, but it is worth mentioning because it is a great love story. Lots of happiness and sadness, told in a unique way.

Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls - This was an amazing book! One of the best I have read in a while. It is a true story about the author's very interesting life. That description doesn't do it justice. You just have to trust me when I say it is amazing.

Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion - Fun, light book about a couple who travels around the country in a bus for an entire year. It made me want to break out of this prison and go on a road trip, but alas..


Thanks for all of the recommendations! I have a stack of books here that are mostly recommendations from people who commented on my last post that I am excited to read. Please keep adding to the list if you have anything new and fun that you come across!

Aaaalmost at 29 weeks!

Yes, these are big boy underpants, but don't let that fool you into thinking progress is being made because it's not. Sometimes a boy just isn't ready to be potty trained! And that is ok.



Now that some of those evil steroids have worked their way out of Elijah's body, he is acting much more like the sweet, calm Elijah that we know. We certainly still have our 3-year-old moments, but Dan and I have stopped pulling the hair out of our heads.

I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday and everything went well. The baby has dropped in his percentile for size a bit (he is up to 2 lb, 9 oz!), which isn't a huge surprise since I can't see myself ever having a huge baby. He went from being in the 50th percentile four weeks ago to the 40th percentile. The doctor likes to keep a close eye on any baby lower than the 50th percentile, so I will continue to get ultrasounds every few weeks. The 40th percentile still sounds HUGE to Dan and me. I don't think Elijah was ever once above the 10th percentile for size.

Everything else looks great with me and with the baby. My cervix is still long (3.9 cm) and my fetal fiber-nectin test came back negative. I am currently at the same point in my pregnancy with Elijah where I tested positive for the fetal fiber-nectin test. When a person tests positive for that, it means there is a very good chance labor will start within 2-3 weeks. That is why I still thank God for the miracle that allowed Elijah to stay in my belly for SEVEN weeks beyond that positive test. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I heard that I still haven't tested positive for FFN in this pregnancy. This is a very, very good sign.

My contractions continue to bewilder me. I have great days and bad days and there still appears to be no pattern. They are nowhere near as bad as they were when I was this far along with Elijah. I am at the same point that I was when I went to the hospital for the first time with him because I was having contractions every three to six minutes. Yikes! Thank goodness I haven't experienced anything close to that yet. I'm still holding out hope for a 39-week baby!

Soap opera auditions

I am convinced that Elijah is gearing up for an audition on the set of One Life to Live. Every. little. thing. has been exceedingly dramatic for the past week or so. There has been a lot of crying, throwing of objects, yelling, kicking, hitting (himself and others), screaming, screaming and more screaming in our house (and car and yard and garage).

All or any of the above take place when: we don't get his pajamas off fast enough, he wants his pajamas back on once they're off, he cannot get onto a random bus we see driving down the road, he has to come inside (as a Minnesotan, this one I can understand), I try to take off his medical ID bracelet, Dan and I try to have a conversation, he doesn't get his food fast enough (within two seconds of asking for it), we don't fill his milk cup quickly enough, and my, oh my, the list goes on..

He took oral steroids for three days last weekend for his croup, so we attributed some of his behavior to that as it usually makes him pretty crazy. His last dose was on Sunday, so now we are wondering if we are just in a fun phase. Weeee!!



With that said, he of course has his sweet moments that keep us smiling. He willingly hands out hugs and kisses and the best snuggles on the planet. We even experienced a very welcome miracle this morning: We all got up for the day at 7:04!!!

Elijah goodies

I am constantly storing things that Elijah says and does in the back of my brain so I don't forget about them. Here are some cute things from the past few weeks:

With his speech constantly improving, he says so many things that make us laugh:
- I think my new favorite word of his that he says is "delicious," which sounds like "dee-wish-us."
- He adores preschool, so if he meets someone new he will say, "Fee-gool!" like he wants to talk about it.
- He will walk into whatever room Dan is in and say, "E doin', Dad?" It's his way of saying, "Whatcha doin'?"
- He will point to something and say, "E cool!" Translation: "Pretty cool!"
- He has started saying, "I huggy!" when it's dinner time.
- He asks for hugs a lot, especially when he is scared or when he knows he is about to get tickled or when he doesn't want to do something that we're asking him to do. He draws out the H sound, like he is speaking a throaty German word: "HHhhhhhug!"
- Yesterday he was doing his impatient screaming that he is so good at lately when Dan said, "Elijah, that screaming is unacceptable." Elijah stopped screaming and said, "Unsuseptamole!"



One of Elijah's favorite things to do when we are at home is to sit at the computer and look through our old photos. For the past two months, his favorite pics to look at have been of he and his friend Olivia, from when we went to the Children's Museum with her and her mom and brother. DAILY, he walks around the house and says, "EEEvaaaa!" (His version of "Olivia!") It sounds exactly like Wall-E calling out for his girl, if you have seen that movie.



He definitely has the little boy wrestle gene. There is nothing better in the world than wrestling with Daddy, and now he loves pillow fights, too. "Peee-ohhhh fiiiiiight!"

Last night Elijah's speech therapist of almost two years had a graduation party for him. He got to have a cookie and juice and we said goodbye to speech therapy for good!

He is still such a little snuggle man. I am so thankful for this! (And he has me wrap my arms around him extra tight during scary parts of a movie/tv show.)



He says, "HI!" to absolutely everyone he sees. I think he actually startles some people when we are out in public. He is such a friendly, outgoing little person.

Singing is very much a favorite thing of his lately. I have never sang so many songs out loud in my life as I have during the last few weeks. Elijah has a renewed interest in Veggie Tales, so "God is Bigger Than the Boogeyman" and "The Bunny" are sung about four thousand times each day in our house. The cutest is when we hear him singing songs on his own.

He has started shutting his eyes super tight whenever he knows he has done something wrong. I think he is hoping we will be gone when he opens his eyes back up.

On my good contraction days I have been sitting at the table with Elijah and Dan for meals, so we always say a prayer before we eat. Elijah is so sweet with his prayers. He folds his hands nice and tight and starts off, "Dear Jesus," which actually sounds like, "Daddy sauce," and then he repeats Dan's key words: "Good day, good food, Mommy tummy, Elijah sleep, AMEN!"

He is in a stage right now where he wants everything INSTANTLY. When that doesn't happen, the yelling and/or whining fills our ears. Patience is something we are constantly working on (all of us).

Elijah is still calling his little brother "Zooter." We are getting excited to bring Not-Zooter into our family and to watch Elijah become a big brother. I know that once the baby is born things will never be the way they are now again, so I am trying to savor every moment of this chapter of our lives.

Post-croup crabbies

Our prayers were answered and Elijah did not have another croup episode last night, thank goodness. Before we went to bed I would have bet a lot of money that he was going to have one, so I was very pleasantly surprised (and tired from all of the sleepless anticipation) this morning.

Now we just have a sick and grumpy little boy. I spent an hour with him this morning and he cried the whole time because he missed Action Chugger, the flying train from Chuggington (Disney cartoon). Tonight the tears have flowed over every tiny little thing. We are trying to keep in mind that he is on oral steroids, as they usually make him a little crazed (and hungry and tired).

I talked to a nurse at his pulmonologist's office today and she said that it has been a really bad winter for kids with airway and respiratory issues. She said to keep him on the steroids for three full days so his lungs have a chance to fully heal.

Tonight Elijah got to go to the movie store to pick out a movie (his favorite thing in the world) and we are settling down to watch "chicken movie." Hopefully he doesn't become so attached to anyone in the movie that he cries for them when it's over. :)

Croup: Season 2, Round 6

I was so happy to see these beautiful flowers sitting outside our door today! I was sad to not have been able to see the deliverer, though (thanks, Ronda!!), because we were dealing with Elijah's croup episode. I didn't even know daytime croup was possible, but now I do!



With no cold, night-time air it was a bit challenging (and scary) this time. We had to rely solely on the epi neb, which requires time and patience. Thank goodness everything turned out ok, but of course now I'm on edge and ready for another round tonight. I'm extremely thankful that today was an unusual day and that Elijah was not at daycare this afternoon. I have never thought about an emergency daytime croup plan, but now I guess I will need to.

Please keep our munchkin in your prayers!

Seven

Today marks seven weeks of bed rest for me. I really cannot believe it has gone so fast. The seven-week mark is significant because that is exactly how long I was on bed rest when I was pregnant with Elijah. Last night I laid in bed and tried to remember the details about my bed rest three years ago. Some things are similar, but things are also much different this time.



My body continues to perplex me. I had three of my worst contraction days yet last weekend (more than 15/day), but the past three days have been much better. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to these silly things, so I think I will stop trying to figure them out. I have been trying to get up and move around a bit more on my good days because I don't know when the good days might come to an end. If/when they do, I will literally be stuck to my bed like I was for the entire seven weeks during Bed Rest #1.

I have so many funny Elijah things I want to write out, and I will do that soon. Thanks for checking in!

27 weeks, 3 days

Isn't this happy face the best?



Well, my contractions have officially stepped things up a notch. Over the weekend they went from Mildly Worrisome to Moderately Worrisome (my own classifications). I am having a lot more of them, so I am hanging out on the couch as much as possible. I'm hoping I can stay out of the Seriously Worrisome stage for quite a few more weeks.



The time change did wonders for Elijah's sleep. He is now sleeping from 8:00-6:30, which seriously feels like HEAVEN. Speaking of Heaven, I'm still reading my Heaven book (by Randy Alcorn) and I love it to pieces. It is, as you said, Jesse, a life-changing book and and I think everyone should read it at some point. It has gotten me thinking about a lot of important things and it sure makes me think twice about some bad habits I have in my life. It is startling, yet GOOD, to be reminded that the road to Heaven is narrow and challenging, while the road to Hell is wide and easy.



Dan and I made a lot of progress with our house organization project this weekend. It's mostly all Dan. He does 99% of the work around here these days. We are almost ready for Not-Zooter to arrive, although we are still praying he stays where he is at for another 10-12 weeks. We have our cluttered garage and cluttered storage space yet to deal with and then we will be done with the big stuff!

Thanks for checking in on us! Have a great week, everyone!

Our munk-is man

Elijah has been LOVING his little computer that Dan's mom gave him for his birthday. He can sit with this thing and go through each letter and each day of the week and each little game. He has such a great attention span and I love that he is learning while playing.



I had the chance to go with Dan to pick Elijah up from preschool this week. There is not anything cuter than seeing my little boy walk around the corner with a giant smile on his face and as the leader of the line. As soon as he saw us he yelled, "MOMMY-DAD! MOMMY-DAD! MOMMY-DAD!" We had a chance to talk with his teacher briefly and she said that he is doing wonderfully in class. He already knows the routine to a T, so after each activity he will exclaim what's coming next: "Circle time!" "Play time!" "Snack time!" She also said that during gym time he has a favorite little car that he likes to drive around the gym. If someone else is using it, Elijah will follow the car around until the other child gets out. :)

Dan and I just played a little bit of Wii (archery is fun from the couch!) and while we were doing that, Elijah took the nunchuck controller and draped it around his neck and said, "DR. GREMMELS!" He is right! Dr. G does always have a stethoscope around his neck. :) I just can't believe that he remembers things like that.

I'll end with some funny new Elijah translations:
backpack = "bock-bock"
tummy ache = "tummy-cake"
picnic = "pick-pick"
knife = "wife"
munchkin = "munk-is"

26 weeks, 6 days

Our little sticker face got some good news yesterday: He has tested out of speech therapy! This is wonderful news!! A year ago he was not talking even a little bit and I never imagined we would be at this point today. I'm so proud of our amazing little boy.

My contractions in the past week have been super unpredictable. One day (like yesterday) I will have only four contractions all day and another day I will have 12+. The doctor told me yesterday to just keep doing what I'm doing. Everything checked out great at the appointment, minus the fact that I have already gained almost all of the weight I gained in my entire pregnancy with Elijah. Ugh. Oh well.

Elijah is loving preschool! He usually comes home utterly exhausted, but he has not cried once about going there. It is so cute to listen to him sing the songs he learns during circle time. Again, so so proud of my little preschooler.

That's all for now!

Bye bye, Gammie

Check out the tickle gloves ("glubs") and tickle monster book that our friend Cara dropped off for Elijah! There is not a better kid to receive tickling paraphernalia.



We said goodbye to "Gammie" this afternoon. Elijah is going to need some adjustment time. He has enjoyed every single moment he has gotten to spend with her. Paula, thank you for everything you did for us while you were here!



I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and the rest of our week we will be getting back into the groove of our normal routine.

I forgot to say THANK YOU to everyone for the great reading recommendations and for the ice cream recommendations, too! I will update both lists again in a few weeks!



My awesome cousin Trevor stopped by last night to drop off three of my favorite Ben & Jerry's flavors (could not possibly have been more thoughtful and perfect..thank you so much, Trev!), so I'm going to go dig into those now while Elijah finishes his dinner.

26 weeks, 2 days

My stepmom has been here since Thursday and we are enjoying spending time with her. Elijah is absolutely in love with "Gammie." I think he says her name about 4,000 times per day.



Dan and I have gotten spoiled. Meals are being made for us, our walls have been cleaned and we have been able to sleep in and take naps. The help has been wonderful!



My contractions have been inconsistent, which is slightly worrisome. Friday was a record day (not in a good way), but yesterday and today have been a bit better.



We have been spoiled by other family members and friends in the past couple weeks, as well. Last night I cried after opening a thoughtful card from my cousin and aunt (thanks, Jayne, Duke and Cathy) because it was just too perfect (ha, no pun intended!). We have had people stop by with meals and gifts and it all has meant so much to us.

We are going to eat dinner now and watch the movie Up for the second time this weekend. Have a great week, everyone!

Ice cream and book reviews

Dan's mom got these flowers for me to perk up my daytime area.



Here is a cute photo of Dan and Elijah playing with E's new keyboard that our sweet friend Cecilia sent him for his birthday!



Two of the things I have done a lot of in the past five weeks are eating ice cream and reading books. So, I thought I would share my new knowledge with you on both topics! :)


ICE CREAM

I am partial to Ben & Jerry's. I have tried a few other brands, but I always go back to good old B&J.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - A good basic, simple favorite.
Magic Brownies - A favorite! Raspberry ice cream swirls, with brownie chunks, yum! I love any ice cream with brownie chunks, but the raspberry makes this stand out.
Cake Batter - Pretty good.
Cherry Garcia - A trusted favorite.
Chubby Hubby - Not a huge fan of pretzels and ice cream combined. I wouldn't buy this flavor again.
Chunky Monkey - I looove banana ice cream, and this is such a simple, yummy flavor.
Cinnamon Buns - It's in my freezer. I haven't tried it yet, but am eager to (maybe tonight!).
Everything But The.. - Too much going on for me with this ice cream. I think simpler is always better.
Half Baked - A definite favorite! I don't normally like chocolate ice cream, but it is swirled together with vanilla and again, I LOVE brownie chunks!
Mint Chocolate Chunk - Another trusted favorite.
Oatmeal Cookie Chunk - I haven't tried this, but I saw it on the B&J website and started salivating.
Cheesecake Brownie - Yum!
Imagine Whirled Peace - Just ok for me.
Americone Dream - This is another favorite. There are little bits of chocolate-covered ice cream cone chunks mixed with caramel swirls.
Triple Caramel Chunk - I love caramel, so another favorite!
Strawberry Cheesecake - Thanks for the recommendation on this one, Jen! I probably never would have picked it up otherwise. The graham cracker crumbles in this one make it sooo yummy!

I think it's pretty obvious why I've gained 22 lbs (or more)!


BOOKS

Modoc by Ralph Helfer - I mentioned this book before. It is just a wonderful little book! It is a true story about an amazing elephant's life. I highly recommend it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - I finished this in two days. It is extremely well-written and powerful. When I finished it, I felt extremely thankful for my life.

The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern - A classic that I had always wanted to read. I have to say that the movie is much better for me, but maybe that is because the movie is such a popular favorite.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I decided to re-read this classic and enjoyed it just as much the second time.

Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian - Eh. It was ok. Wouldn't highly recommend it to anyone.

Heaven by Randy Alcorn - I just started this book. It is an in-depth study/depiction of what Heaven will be like. Dan read it a while ago and really liked it, so I am excited to read it, as well.


Do any of you have ice cream and/or book favorites? Please share!!

25 weeks, 3 days

Elijah and I both caught little colds this weekend, but they were nothing compared to the sicknesses we had a few weeks ago. Although, he was tired enough from all of the coughing to sleep until 6:08 this morning! He hasn't slept that late in many many months!



We are really starting to outgrow our little 2-bedroom home, especially with a baby on the way. This weekend we started rearranging the puzzle pieces of our house in order to fit everything inside. Dan and I cleaned out our closet, which is where the baby is going to sleep for a while. This isn't exactly ideal, but we don't have any other options until the baby is old enough to not disturb Elijah's sleep. Next weekend we will be cleaning out Elijah's bedroom and closet and perhaps even our storage space, which is a gigantic mess. It will feel so good to have it all organized and ready for the baby!



We put in our first 100% effort on potty-training this weekend and we made zero progress. Elijah just doesn't seem to be able to make the connection yet, which is fine. We have never been big on pushing him to do things. We will keep trying on the weekends and hopefully eventually make some progress with it.

My contractions behaved very well over the weekend. Again, the 48 hours following my shot gave me a nice reprieve (a handful per day compared to 12 per day) so I was able to move around a little bit more.

We are getting excited for my stepmom to visit this coming weekend. Every time I ask Elijah if he is excited to see Grammie P, he says, "Gammie pway toys? Gammie wead books? Gammie wash cah-toons?" :)

More funny Elijah translations:
popcorn = "cup-corn"
breakfast = "feck-is"
sweet dreams = "sweet dweebs"