Good morning, Love.

Today is Friday, November 21, 2008.  This is the day you were "supposed" to be born.  Instead, you decided to grace us with your arrival two months ago.  Today, as I held you and cuddled you during feeding time this morning, I realized that your early arrival, while somewhat stressful, was such a true blessing.  I have been given two full extra months of my life to live as your mommy.  Seeing as how you already seem to enjoy shaving days off my life (from shock and surprise), this is a good thing.  :)

Today you are two months old.  You weigh seven pounds, and I'm guessing that you're about 20 inches long.  You're the size of a normal newborn!  In fact, this past Monday, you finally graduated from preemie-sized diapers to newborn-sized diapers.  I like the NB diapers, because they have the Sesame Street characters on them.  My favorites are the diapers with Elmo.  You can call me crazy, but I like the look of his fuzzy redness against the yellow background.  :)

You're eating about three ounces every three hours, and we just started using glass bottles yesterday.  I love them.  You're a great eater, but you are LOUD.  You snort and sniffle like a little baby piglet.  Recently, you've been staying awake a little longer after you eat.  You open your big blue eyes and look right at Daddy and me.  We love it.

Your "last" meal of the day is usually our special time.  Daddy or I will give you your bottle and then we'll both talk to you and help you practice your eye coordination.  Lately, I've been smiling at you *a lot* to show you how it's done.  :)  We probably won't see a smile from you for about six to eight weeks, but I'm anxiously awaiting that day.

You've already brought so much joy to our lives.  I can't thank God enough for giving you to me.

I love you, Little Man.  Happy Due Date!

Grab a cup of hot chocolate and settle in...this one could be a doozy!

On the subject of toddlers:
Will someone please explain to me how the Doodlebops can capture the affection of a 21 month old little girl in a mere two episodes??  Their show is on at 11:00 a.m., and, in our market, "Ellen" is on at that time.  That means, if the television is on in our home at 11:00 a.m., then the television is tuned to "Ellen."  Unless a certain mommy happens to be doing dishes at 11:00 a.m.  In that case, there's a very good chance that the t.v. will stay tuned to the Disney Channel.

That has happened exactly two times in our home.  And now?  Now?  My daughter randomly asks to watch "Doodoobops" at all times of the day.  This morning, she woke up saying, "Doodoobops?"  After nap?  She pointed to the t.v. and said, "Doodoobops on teebee? Peas?"

How did that happen?  Have any of you seen this show?  It's kind of weird.  I mean, the three main characters have blue, purple, or orange skin.  And I'm not talking George Hamilton:

I'm talking ORANGE.

At least they're supposed to be a band...  I can get down with my daughter enjoying music.  But seriously, there's no way that Rooney can really play the guitar...his fingers are not the size of sausages...they are the size of Bratwurst.  And DeeDee?  Same Bratwurst fingers...no way she's playing the piano without a ton of mistakes.  I just don't get it.  I don't get it at all.

Something else I don't get?  Toddler Eating Habits.  Tonight, I heated up some wonderful Burritos that were made by my good friend, Amy.  They were really good, and I made Knorr Spanish Rice (suggested by my good friend, Angela) to go along with our Burritos.  Since my husband still prefers tortilla chips and salsa with any sort of Mexican meal, we had those as well. 

I tried offering Ruby some burrito.  No go.  I tried offering her some rice.  She ate five bites of it before she decided that, really, she'd just prefer chips.  At this point, I was actually pretty proud of her for the five bites of spanish rice.  That was near-miracle status.  However, I felt conflicted about sending my child to bed on a dinner of spanish rice and tortilla chips.  In a spit of brilliance, I took the stuffing out of the burrito and put it on the chip.  I thought Ruby might like doing something "silly."  She at the meat and beans off the chip and handed me the chip, saying, "More, peas?"  Wahoo!!  She ate quite a bit of good protein, just because she got to eat it off a chip instead of a fork.

In conclusion...if any of you have an "silly" ways to eat good nutritious food, send them along!  I think my kid will probably eat anything I put in front of her, as long as she can legitimately believe that it's a "silly" way to eat.  :)

Okay, last toddler thing:

We got our sponsorship package from Compassion.  I haven't scanned in our little girl's picture yet, but we have an information sheet with a picture of her face, and we have an information booklet with a full-length picture.  As I mentioned before, her name is Pracidia, and she is four years old.  Ruby loves to look at her picture.  We've talked about Pracidia quite a bit already.  Pracidia's picture hangs on our refrigerator, and Ruby takes it down several times each day to carry it around with her.  My heart melts into a big pile of goo when I hear Ruby say, "Preeyee guhr, Peeceeyah."  (Pretty Girl Pracidia.)  I hope that Ruby's understanding of our sponsorship grows along with her. 

Now, onto baby things:

Do you know what I purchased today?  On a whim?  Old Fashioned Glass Bottles.

No, I'm not kidding.  They are readily available these days, because of the BPA scare.  I have been using them all afternoon, and I'm in love.  :)  There's no super special function or anything like that.  (In fact, Burke gets a lot more air with these bottles, but he burps it up easily.)  It's just the nostalgia.  There's something really cool about holding a glass bottle and feeding your newborn baby.

*Shrugs shoulders*  I don't know...  I love them.  :)  (Oh, and they were three for five dollars.  Can't beat that!)

Sort of a baby thing, but more of a mommy thing?

I *SO* need to get motivated to lose all my extra weight.  I tried to shop for jeans today, since we're heading into the holidays, and I'll need to wear something nicer than yoga pants for our family get togethers.  Well, it was *not* a good experience.  One size fits my waist.  Another size fits my butt.  Yet another size fits my hips.  None of the sizes fit ME.

Let's face it:  Right now, I'm just fat.  I'm not a nicely-proportioned big girl.  I'm just fat.  I've got a ton of belly fat just waiting to be lost.  My hips and butt (or lack thereof) are a relatively small size.  This is thanks to my mother's genes.  I have her backside for sure.  It's just this darn belly.  No one makes jeans for skinny hips and a fat belly.

Urg...  Very frustrated with my wardrobe right now.

Lastly?  I wanna write a book.  Seriously.  I don't care if anyone reads it or not, I just want to write a book.  However, I'll be honest and say that it would be nice if one or two people read it.  In that case, I'd like to write about something that people are actually interested in.  So, leave me a comment and tell me what I should write about.  Fiction?  Non-fiction?  Family?  Love?  Humor? Children?  You tell me.  :)  (Oh, and just because you give me a suggestion doesn't mean you're committing to reading my book, if I should ever actually get one written.)  :)

Oh, and best line from 30 Rock tonight?

"I know we pay you a living wage...  I fought against it."  LOL!

Oh, and this post is really cool...and enlightening...

Hey everyone,

I've debated on whether to put this on the blog or not, but I figure you can never get too much prayer.  With that said, I'm going to ask you all to pray for more healing for Burke.

I got a call from Dr. Miller's office this morning, and it seems that she is suspicious that Burke may have a partial cleft palate.  That gurgling noise I hear when he eats?  And the spit up and milk that comes up through his nose when he eats?  Apparently those are indicators that the passage way is not closed between his throat and nose.  It also explains some of the trouble we've been having with breastfeeding.

Anyway, she isn't sure, and she has specifically asked me not to worry.  She scheduled an appointment for Burke with the Riley Ear, Nose, and Throat specialists.  We'll be going down to Indy on January 20 to find out exactly what we're dealing with.

Thankfully it seems that the worst we'll be facing is one or two surgeries.  It may not even come to that.  Obviously, if he does have a cleft, it's not a complete cleft.  Those are the most severe types, so we're very blessed that, if he has a problem, it is on the minor end of the scale.

Anyway, I was definitely taken back this morning when I got the call.  I thought that maybe he just had an immature valve or sphincter (like with his reflux.)  I didn't realize that she was suspicious of something more serious.

I'm not worried...I'm just adjusting to this news.  I'm very thankful that I have great doctors and that I live so close to wonderful specialists, like the doctors at Riley.

Just pray that we would handle this situation in the way that pleases God the most.  If complete healing is in His plan, that will be wonderful!  If not, we'll roll with it...just like always!  :)  He's got a plan for this little guy, and it's taking more shape each day.  I still stare in awe at my little boy who was never supposed to able to take a breath of life.

I can't thank God enough for Burke.  And I can't thank you all enough for your prayers.  :)

I'll keep you updated as soon as we know more!

There's a problem with planning to write a post on priorities:  It all of a sudden causes you to *really* focus on your priorities.  LOL!  All of a sudden, blogging gets pushed way down the list!  The laundry sits in a crumpled pile, patiently waiting to be folded.  The dishes stay quietly stacked, waiting to be put away.  The children play (or sleep) contentedly, reminding you of the importance of quality time with them.  The husband helps around the house without any prompting, unintentionally encouraging you to stay more on top of the household chores.  Friends pop into your mind, in need of an encouraging e-mail or phone call.

Like I said...all of a sudden, blogging gets pushed way down the list.

Except that, the whole time I'm accomplishing my higher priorities, my mind is screaming, "I wanna blog!  I wanna write!"  :)  Which seems to indicate that, perhaps, blogging is a priority for me.  So here are the thoughts (regarding priorities) that have been rolling around in my head:

It started on Sunday morning with Pastor Randy's sermon.  It continued on Sunday evening in small group.  And now it's stuck in my head.  Remember the last time something got stuck in my head?  I was thinking about faith: having faith, being faithful, speaking faith, acting in faith.  Well, the next day, my son was born eight weeks early after finding a fatal heart rhythm during an ultrasound.  And four hours after he was born?  My pastor asked me to step into the lead member position of our church's women's ministry.  God put faith in my heart, because He was getting ready to ask me to step out in faith and rely on faith in a way I had never experienced before.

Now, priorities are stuck in my head.  It is no surprise whatsoever.  Why?  Because my life is full of potential distractions right now...and the holidays are *right* around the corner.  We talked about distractions during small group on Sunday night, and that's what brought all my thoughts into focus.

Distraction (n.) : that which distracts, divides the attention, or prevents concentration.

How's that for broad and unspecific? :)  The truth is that anything can become a distraction.  Even good, beneficial, healthy things can become distractions.  Your family, while being a *very* good and beneficial thing, can be a distraction, especially if things are a little chaotic or disorganized.  Like us right now!  We just added a new member, and he's got some special needs.  Ruby just got diagnosed with a condition that requires a breathing treatment four times a day.  Mike's finally starting to settle into his new career, and I'm realizing that it is about darn time for me to get our family on a schedule!  :) 

Getting married, buying a new house, or having a new child are exciting and momentous occasions.  Those events also have huge potential for becoming a distraction.  Starting a new job or accepting a new position can be exhilirating and promising.  Once again, however, the potential for distraction is immense. 

Those are major life events.  The little things have just as much (if not more) potential to become distractions: television, video games, internet, books, crossword puzzles, laundry, dishes, magazines, and on and on...

Or how about this one?  A lack of motivation.  Do you know how distracting a lack of motivation can be?  I am constantly amazed at how much time I can waste, when I'm just not interested in doing anything productive.

Or take the opposite alternative...too much motivation!  Do you constantly add another event, responsibility, hobby, activity, or pass time to your plate or schedule?  Overloading yourself obviously becomes a distraction.

It's nice to be distracted sometimes.  Distraction is a tool I use with Ruby when she's misbehaving.  However, distractions can be harmful, and that's what I want to avoid in my life.

Distractions divide my attention between things that add to my life and things that detract from my life.  Distractions prevent me from concentrating on how I can use my time most wisely.  Worst of all, distractions divert my focus from the important things in life.

So how do we fight distractions?  I'm sure that all kinds of people have all kinds of different theories.  For me, however, I think I simply need to explicitly remind myself of my priorities. 

So...this post was obviously more about distractions than priorities.  Priorities are coming tomorrow.  (I promise.  Blogging is one of my highest priorities for tomorrow.)  :)

For now, however, I have promised my husband some quality time, and that is a higher priority than blogging.  :)

Love to all!

You go, Campbell Brown.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/17/campbell.brown.lobbyists/index.html

Ruby has developed a new fondness for her lovies: Duckie and Blankie.  They even eat snack with her:



By the way, we're still working on "smiling" for the camera:







Ruby also loves swinging in Burke's swing.  It has slowed down noticeably in the past week.  I don't know if it's her weight or the batteries...





Lastly, remember when Ruby got RSV and we had to do the albuterol treatments for the first time?



Well, what a difference now that we're doing albuterol treatments for asthma.  Daddy bought her a new face mask that looks like a dragon.  We always start the treatment with a few nice "RRRROOOOAAAAARRRRs"  :)  It takes about five minutes for the treatment to finish, so we read a few books, and then the last minute is usually a bit of a fight...  :(





Burke has also been busy...busy growing that is!  Remember the first time he wore his "uniform"?



Now look at how it fits him!!



And look how adorable he is when he's fast asleep...



Burke has also decided that, whatever sports he decides to play (or not play), he wants to be on "Dad's Team":



"You talking to ME?"



Last night, I was snuggling with my little man, and I asked Daddy to take some pictures.  I was rather pleased with how they turned out.  (Forgive the dark circles...Burke prefers to sleep his long stretches, which are still only three hours, during the day.  During the night, he prefers to eat every two hours...)







I'll be back later with a real blog post (about priorities!)...after I do the dishes and put away the laundry.  :)  (There isn't too much, it shouldn't take long.)

1. Thank you for the e-mails alerting me that the comment CAPTCHA function is broken. I've got Mike on the case, but he probably won't be able to get around to it until this evening.

2. I really want to write a blog post, but it's about priorities. Why is that a problem? Well... I've got a pile of laundry staring me in the face. It needs to be folded, and I can't (in good conscience) sit here and write a blog post about priorities while neglecting my household duties. :)

3. Burke woke up at 9:00 a.m. this morning, and he didn't go back to sleep until 2:45. That made for one very cranky, tired, and needy baby. Add the cranky toddler into the mix, and you've got one fried momma. Please pray that I can get recharged quickly while Ruby's napping. Thank you!!

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. Our weekend was a little odd.

First off, we have two missing guitars. :( Ruby's little Fisher Price rock guitar is gone. I cannot find it. I have no idea where it could have gone. (It's not like my house is all that big...) Second, my Martin D-15 is missing.

Pastor Randy asked Mike and I to sing "Sweetly Broken" at church on Sunday, so we were going to practice Saturday night. Mike went outside to the van to get my guitar, since his was at church. When he opened the case, the guitar was gone. We've searched our house, Zach and Sarah's house, and the church. We have no idea where else it could be. We were a little worried that someone might have stolen it out of the van, but who takes a guitar without the case??

Anyway, I'm really hoping that we get our guitars back soon. If you have any information regarding these guitars, please 1-800-We-Miss-Music. :)

On a different note, Ruby had to have a glycerin suppository this weekend. (OUCH!! YUCK!!) She is going through a very rough phase where she refuses to poop in her nappy, because she doesn't like how it feels. On the other hand, she's scared to go on the potty. This is extremely common in young toddlers.

Unfortunately, despite pumping Ruby full of juice, raisins, and other natural laxatives, she still hadn't gone poop. Sunday morning, when I tried to get her dressed, I put on her cute jean skirt, and she started crying and tugging at the waistband saying, "Ouch! Too tight!" The waistband wasn't tight at all, but I tried a different pair of pants. She still complained that they were "too tight." Finally, I put her in a pair of yoga pants, and that was better.

She was still cranky all day and kept saying, "Uh oh, Mommy! Poo poo!" I figured she must be backed up. So...I gave her a suppository. :( It worked in five minutes, and oh my goodness... No wonder that poor girl was cranky yesterday. After she was finished, we noticed a distinct difference in her demeanor.

Needless to say, I'll be doing some research on all sorts of different potty training methods today. I think it's time.

Alright, I'm off to do more laundry. However, I wanted to let you all know that Mike is doing some different stuff on the website right now. I know a few of you have commented that the comments are working for you, and I've noticed that my WYSIWYG editor is gone. :( Hopefully he'll be done fiddlin' soon!

Have a great day!

Burke had a check-up today to make sure he's gaining weight and doing well. At his last check-up, Burke weighed 5 lbs. 5 ounces. That was sixteen days ago. Guess how much he weighs now!?!?

SEVEN POUNDS!!!

Oh my goodness!! I don't think Ruby weighed seven pounds until she was three or four months old. I just can't believe what a difference it makes to have Burke's acid reflux under control from the beginning.

Speaking of acid reflux...he's grown out of his medicine dosage again. :) That explains the extra spit-up and the fussiness between 11:00p and 3:00a. It also explains the weird gurgling noise that I hear in his nose. Thankfully, it happened during the appointment today. Dr. Miller said that it's the acid coming back up into his esophagus and trachea. Ouch! We'll be starting his new medicine dosage today, and if those symptoms aren't any better in five days, then we're going to discontinue the Reglan and start Prevacid. (Prevacid is the med that finally worked for Ruby.)

Anyway, it was just a great appointment for him all in all. I was hoping to get permission to take him off the monitor today. Unfortunately, Dr. Miller has to review the download of his heart/breathing activity first, and she's going to be out of town for a week. We went to Apria and got the information downloaded, though. So it'll be ready for her as soon as she gets back in town. We've got at least another week on the monitor. Pray that his download will be great and he can come off the monitor soon. It'll be so nice to have a wireless baby! :)

On the Ruby front, we have an explanation for the high fever. She broke out in a full-body rash yesterday, and I was pretty sure that signaled that she had been battling Roseola (http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/roseola-topic-overv...). Dr. Miller confirmed today. On the other hand, you know that cough Ruby has had for several weeks? Apparently it's an "asthma cough." Ruby coughed in front of Dr. Miller, and Dr. Miller's eyes got really big. She looked at me and asked how long Ruby had been coughing. I told her it had been at least two weeks...maybe as many as six. She said that I need to put Ruby back on her albuterol treatments asap. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing, and that it doesn't mean that Ruby has true asthma.

We've known that Ruby is at high risk for asthma for a long time, but I had been holding really high hopes that we'd be spared. Prematurity, RSV, anaphylactic allergies, and eczema are all high risk factors for asthma. Well, for Ruby that translates into: check! check! check! check! Since Ruby's got all four of those risk factors, it would be pretty rare to avoid asthma.

In happier news: Ruby decided to randomly count to ten for Dr. Miller. I kid you not, Dr. Miller blew bubbles (like she always does), and Ruby looked at the bubbles and started counting, "One Two Fee Sive Six Beven Eight Nine Ten!!" She skipped four, which is the number that Anja skipped, as well. I thought that was interesting. Anyway, Dr. Miller started laughing and asked, "How old is she again?" I just smiled and told her that Ruby likes to show off for her. I swear everytime I take that girl to the doctor's office, she reveals a new trick. Then, I always look like a completely oblivious mother, because I'm always just as shocked as the doctor...

We had lunch with KyKy, and we went to the Apria office to get Burke's machine downloaded. Ruby was a very good and obedient girl at both places. I was so very proud of her.

Then, to top off Ruby's excellent day, I was singing to her before naptime, and she lifted her head up off my shoulder and looked straight in my eyes to say:

"Wuv oo, Mommy."

My first unsoliticed, "I love you", from my beautiful sweet baby girl!!! Thank you, God, for these blessings!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day, as well! Be blessed!

This video is Ruby showing off her smarts.  Of course by now she's learned quite a bit more, but it was impressive at the time.