The Last Day of August

If there's anything you wanted to get done by August 2007, today's your day! Joshua & I have had a pretty lazy morning. He woke up with Daddy getting up, and I fed him some of his bottle, some rice cereal and some fruit. He ate like a champ! From then on, we've played until he just started getting a little fussy, signaling to me that it's time for his morning nap - 10 a.m. sharp! I've been working on getting him into more of a routine, along with Daddy's help for bedtime. We've been giving him a bath, putting him into PJ's, giving him a bottle, brushing his teeth and then putting him in bed at the same time every night. I think we should add a song or story in there, but we've seen improvements in Joshua's willingness to go to bed. He woke up for a couple of seconds last night, but not long so I didn't go in.

This morning his little mind was amazing me. For example, he wasn't taking much of his bottle so I laid it on the froggy chair thinking that maybe he wanted to play and then we'd come back to it in a few minutes after he explored the playroom. (He loves to play with the bottle and dump milk on the floor, so I have to put it up.) Well, this morning, he went to the froggy chair where he couldn't quite reach the bottle and simply tipped the chair over so the bottle would come crashing down into his hands. While I wasn't thrilled that he got his bottle to make a mess (I'd be okay with him grabbing it to eat, but that was not his goal), I found it amusing that he figured out how to get it.

Later on, he was playing with a toy that he can pull apart, but he was never able to get it back together. This morning he went to put it together and was going to pinch his fingers. He put it down for a minute, looked at it, then placed his hands differently on it so he could put it together without pinching any of his fingers. Hooray! Another thing that amused me was that I put a frog stuffed animal on top of his head, acting like it hopped up there. It of course fell, but Joshua thought it was so funny that he grabbed it and tried to balance it on his head. Now, these are things we all know how to do, but it's interesting to see his wheels spinning as he learns new things. He can play with his dinosaur toy and other toys we've bought for him that he couldn't figure out before. I see him growing not only physically but mentally.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Georgia!

Hope it's a super duper special day! Love ya!

Peekaboo

On Tuesday, Joshua just started the cutest thing I've ever seen...he loves to play peekaboo now where he holds up a little blanket over his head and pops out from behind it when you say peekaboo. It was sooo adorable, and he was absolutely cheesing from how thrilled I was that he had learned something new. So, when Daddy got home, he showed him his latest accomplishment. Shawn agreed it was super cute.

Last night Shawn & Joshua were playing "roll the ball back and forth" when I got home from class. Joshua's getting better and better at it. Last night I said something about Joshua being a tooter and he looked at me and said "No tooter." I looked at Shawn and he said, did Joshua just say "No tooter?" That's what I heard, too. So funny and so cute! Here's a picture of him after he stole the telephone. He also loves playing with the computer mouse...ugh!

Tuesday night at worship practice, we were singing about God's amazing love for us and then how we have nothing to fear. I thought of my new fear of stairs and thought how ridiculous it is. I know the Lord will protect us. I thought of the following verses: Psalm 91:11-12 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone as well as Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Last night classes went well, but I think I spoke too fast. I have to remember what's "old hat" to me is completely new for the students. Even though no one asked me to slow down even though I gave them opportunities, I still think it's something I need to work on. So, now it's two down, a bazillion left to go. But, I'm finished for the month of August at least! I forgot to wish Nonie a Happy Birthday on our blog yesterday. Hope it was great!

Waving, Rolling and Smiling

Last night we met Grandma Good for dinner, and I completely forgot to take my camera along. Dangit! We highly enjoyed seeing her. Class also went well. One down, too many left. Tomorrow will be my second first day of classes since one class is only Wednesday nights. One nice thing is that I felt like I looked nice in my new suit that I bought with the gift card Shawn had given me for my birthday (thanks, Babe!). Last night Joshua waved bye to Grandma Good after she said goodbye and waved...it wasn't immediate, but he definitely caught on after half a minute. Then, when Daddy was bringing him in from the car, he waved bye to our neighbors. Hooray! So, now he waves hi and bye with some prodding. When we were playing last night, I rolled the ball to him and asked him to roll it back to me, which I've done for awhile. Only this time, he rolled it back. Hooray! We played that game for a little while until we were both bored. I think my attention span is about as long as his, or less.

I can't get over how big the Bean is getting. He truly doesn't seem like a baby any more but more like a little boy. We are enjoying every minute that goes by, but it seems to go by so quickly! Shawn came home for lunch today, and I made chicken cordon bleu, noodles & corn. The noodles weren't so hot, but everything else was good. He had to eat quick and get back to work, but it was a nice treat to see him today. I also made him breakfast - peanut butter toast was all, but I made it with love, so I think he enjoyed it. Saturday he had made me a big breakfast of pancakes (which the Bean also enjoyed), eggs & bacon. Yummm!!!! He is the bomb!

Well, Joshua is looking up at me with his big blue eyes like, "Let's play" so I should run!

The First Day of School

Today is a sad day, my friends. It marks the first day of going back to school for students & teachers alike. Joshua is very sad, but mostly because he managed to pinch his finger in the filing cabinet. He's climbed up there before, but he never managed to get it open until last night when Daddy was hanging out with friends picking his fantasy football team. I didn't realize the filing cabinet was unlocked at that moment. Poor Bean! His little pointer finger is red & the skin is ripped off in the back. I tried putting a band-aid on it, but he chewed it right off. So, instead of waving his middle finger around, now he's waving his pointer finger. This is not really the way I wanted him to learn how to point... It did give me the idea to sing to him "This little light of mine, I'm gonna' let it shine" and he laughed everytime I sang "Don't let Satan (blshbh) it out, I'm gonna' let it shine." He is soooo cute! He keeps trying to tell me something forcefully, but I can't tell what it is. The more I say that I can't understand him, the more he repeats it only louder. I still have no clue. It begins with a "d" sound and then he waves his finger around like mad. Poor little one! Today he said "all done" again after lunch. It's the first time I'd heard him say it since he said it the first time.

Shawn sent me a little card to wish me luck my first day of school. He's so sweet! I don't know why I get nervous for the first day. I have a pretty good idea what to expect. But, such is life. Nonie is coming to watch Joshua while I head to Millersville, and then we're going out to eat with Grandma Good after class is over. We haven't seen her in awhile, and we're looking forward to it! We went to Uncle Jim's birthday party on Saturday, but she wasn't there. It was nice to see everyone, but Joshua was a little fussy. I think he didn't want to be held so much - he's now on the go and wants to explore. However, we were afraid that he would spit up on their carpet, etc. so we were trying to keep him somewhat confined. Meanwhile, he did great the whole night and I slopped a little of his food on my pants and Shawn knocked over a soda. We giggled at worrying about him and then us being the messy ones.

Saturday morning I went shopping with Mom while Shawn & Joshua spent time with Jamie. Mom definitely needed to get out of the house, and I needed a few things to feel comfortable at school. We went back Sunday afternoon to help out where we could and took Jamie & Joshua for a walk in their neighborhood. We also got a letter this weekend telling us our house appraised for the exact amount it had to, so we qualify for the program to get our house renovated. I can't wait! Praise God!

People have wondered how I was doing after my fall down the stairs - I'm truly okay. I'm bumped and bruised but no serious damage, other than this overwhelming fear now when I get close to steps. I'll have to keep turning that over to God. We're also still praying that Joshua gets over his reflux. Since he wasn't eating, we decided to hold off on giving him Prevacid for a few days. His appetite is a little better, but he still is throwing up (on or off of it). So, we figure it's probably worth holding off on giving him the medicine until we consult with the doctor. I called Dr. Devenyi's office today only to find that he's on vacation this week. So, we'll wait to hear from him. I'm not anxious to have Joshua sedated for them to look at his esophagus through a microscope. He was doing better on Zantac, and they haven't even tested him for food allergies. I don't want to keep putting him through all this unless I feel that we've exhausted other possibilities that are less invasive. I want whats best for him, but I also want to be his advocate in asking what are other options to help him. Lord, please heal him so he doesn't have to go through any more of this!

Well, I need to finish getting ready and heading to Millersville. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Missy!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Missy. We hope it's a great one with a special year ahead!

Friday Before School Starts

Monday I got to go out with a few of my former co-workers from Masterpiece, including Kelley, Kristen & her son Elliott and Julie & Jude. I decided not to take the Bean along because he was still a little sniffly, and I didn't want him to be fussy or their boys to catch his sickness. I had a great time being with grown-ups, and Joshua seemed to enjoy himself at my sister's house. Tuesday night at El Serrano, I thought Joshua was well-behaved all-in-all. We were there late, so by the end of the night he was starting to get fussy, but thankfully that place is loud enough that I don't think anyone else really heard him.

He seems to be feeling better for the most part, but he's still not eating, which had me up in the middle of the night worrying. I calmed down thinking about the verse Phillipians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." The ironic part is that I could remember the whole verse except for the phrase "with thanksgiving." I'm upset that Joshua keeps throwing up and isn't healed and has to be on medicine and the medicine isn't even working. I'm upset that he's now not eating and getting thinner by the day. But, I must remember to be thankful, too. He's come this far, and God knows our needs and our bodies better than we even do. I must remember to lay it at His throne and stop picking it back up to think that I need to be the one solving Joshua's problems. If you think of it, please pray for the Bean - that he outgrows this reflux, that he eats what he needs to, and that's he's healthy overall.

Wednesday night I went out with the "Good girls" - Shawn's Aunt Shari organized a gathering for the ladies on his side of the family. Only eight of us were able to make it, but we had a great time at Zia Maria's. I got to catch up with Shawn's Aunt Stacy & Aunt Gayle since I sat nearest to them, which was nice. I thought about the fact that I wouldn't have known anyone there had it not been for falling in love with Shawn - how different life becomes after you get married!

That afternoon I went and made copies of my syllabi for my classes that start this coming Monday. My key doesn't unlock my new office door (ugh!) and I still haven't received my contracts to sign. I guess I should realize that they are poor in planning and completely disorganized by now, but it drives me crazy! I'm still reading this relatively boring marketing book, which is sad since Marketing is so interesting to me. I must think of creative ways to interest the class...

This morning I went with Shawn's sister-in-law Gayle to get a manicure & pedicure at Visage a Visage while Nonie watched Joshua & my nephew Grant. (Mike & Bonnie had gotten us gift certificates for Christmas, and I thought going back to school was about the most "special" occasion I'll have to give me an excuse to use it.) Hilary came with Bonnie, which was very sweet and Joshua adores her. They said that boys were both really good while we were gone, which I was glad to hear. My feet feel incredible, but I've already managed to screw up a nail. Such is life! It was still a nice treat.

Well, I should get back to my school work while Joshua naps, even though this has been a nice diversion. I'll end this post with a cute Joshua story. Yesterday he banged his head into mine, and I looked at him and said "ouch" trying to get him to realize that doing that hurts Mommy. He looked at me and grinned and repeated, "ouch." It's hard to be hurt or upset when he's so darn cute!

Fall

The weather today is rainy and chilly and in the 60's (for those of you reading this who aren't from around here). We have our windows open to get some fresh air, and I actually prefer it to be a little cooler than so stinkin' hot. Autum is my favorite time of year. The beauty of leaves beginning to change colors and the excitement of going back to school (for everyone other than teachers, I'm finding out), and the promise of holiday memories just around the corner...

While all those things made me title this post fall, I actually did fall today, taking a spill down our stairs. Thank God I wasn't holding the Bean at the time! I was planning on heading to Millersville today so I dressed up in nicer pants that have wider legs at the bottom and dress shoes with heels. I was running behind, so I was gathering my stuff and rushing to go downstairs and one of these heels caught my pant leg and I tumbled from the top stair to the bottom within seconds, hearing an awful sound from my left ankle. I'm also surprised that my muscles feel bad in my arms and I somehow managed to rip skin from my hand. Why, Lord, do I have to be so clumsy? Thankfully I don't think there was any permanent damage, but I don't think I'll be running at the gym over the next few days until everything feels completely normal again. Dangit! Praise God it wasn't worse, though, and that Joshua was not near to get hurt. Needless to say, I skipped going to Millersville until another day and Joshua didn't get to see his Aunt Missy & Uncle Kevin and their adorable puppies.

It made me think once again that I really must slow down, in general. I've been writing and studying and trying to be a good mom & wife and sometimes it gets to be overwhelming. I was listening to a song by Jenn Johnson called "A little longer" that talks about spending quality time with God, and how that's what he requires from us and not all the "extras" that we fill up our time with. Great song, which you can download from their website.

In other news, we made a "handshake-over-the-phone" agreement to purchase the little house on Old Philadelphia Pike in Bird-in-Hand. I hate to get too excited because I always know that something can fall through until it's concrete in writing, but it sounds like we're going to have a favorable outcome to buying this little investment property.

Tonight we're heading out to celebrate August birthdays with Nonie & Poppy & family at El Serrano. I pray that Joshua is well-behaved! Here are some pictures of him yawning & waking up after his nap. Sooo cute when he's sleepy.

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Psalm 104:33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 98:4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music!

1 Chronicles 16:9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Psalm 59:17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

A Busy Weekend

This weekend, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder and Aunt Erica came down for Great Uncle Vernon's viewing. "Nanny Jo" stayed here and played with Joshua most of the weekend and was a big help so I could get some work done. I finished one of my larger projects yesterday after working on it all weekend. Now, I MUST finish my schoolwork since classes are less than a week away!

When they were down, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder bought a soothing vaporizer for Joshua, and I think it reallly helped break up some of his cold symptoms. He's still a little schnarky, but not like he was. We all went out to dinner Saturday night and had a good time. Shawn & I were impressed with how well Joshua did. He ate almost everything we gave him - from cut cooked carrots & green beans to pieces of macaroni & cheese to mashed potatoes & bread to small bites of ham & cheerios. He didn't fuss at all, and I barely had to clean up any food under or on his high chair. Hooray! He also waved at any one who waved hi to him this weekend. Soooo cute!

We went to church on Sunday, and Joshua did pretty well throughout the service until he head-butted Daddy. Then he cried, and since it was almost the end of the sermon, we decided to leave rather than give a cranky Bean to a nursery worker. We dropped him off at Mom's before heading to the viewing, where we saw many family members that we only see camping at the family reunion. They all clean up nicely! It was still sad, though.

I've been feeling convicted of working on Sundays to finish up writing projects and what not, so this Sunday I didn't clean the house or write but just spent time relaxing (including a much-needed nap so I wasn't so cranky!) and playing with Joshua & Shawn. It was a nice weekend...

Happy Birthday, Aunt Becky!

Here's a picture of my sisters and me on my birthday. My sister Becky - pictured right - turns a whopping 32 years old today. Hope it's a special day!

Happy 11-month Birthday, Bean!

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A Trip to the Doctor

This morning I decided to take Joshua to the pediatrician - what can it hurt? He now weighs 21.6 lbs - so even as he's getting taller, he's maintaining his weight. Dr. Gross (yes, an awful name) said that his ears look fine; however, he has puss & blisters on his tonsils. She said there's been a wicked virus rapidly spreading around children that takes about a week to get over completly, so he should start feeling better in a couple days. She also said that it is accompanied by a headache, older children tell her, so to give him tylenol when he's pulling on his face because that's a good sign that he has one, too. Poor Bean! When we went to leave, he blew snot all over his shirt and mine. Now that's GROSS!!!

Great Uncle Vernon has gone to be with Jesus

We got a call from Shawn's Grandma Kennel this morning - who referred to herself as "Aunt Anne" - saying that Uncle Vernon passed from this life to the next last night. She was quite upset and trying to reach Shawn's parents with no success since she forgot to dial a one and the area code. I think in her grief she's a little more flustered than usual. Uncle Vernon is Grandpa Kennel's brother. Here is a picture of him and Aunt Mildred, lovingly referred to as Shawn's "twin" since they were born on the same day. Aunt Mildred stitched us a beautiful quilt for our wedding, and we love both of them. This is a sad day on earth and a glorious day for heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

The Bean is Schnarky

Please pray for Joshua. He's got a cold and seems completely congested while at the same time having a runny nose. He's barely eating, but it's hard to eat when you can't breath. Please pray that he feels better. It's so sad to hear a little guy snoring and snorting when he's awake. :( Tonight he clutched his ear for a second. He hasn't done it since but if he does it again, I'm calling the pediatrician in the morning. Poor Bean!

One Small Step for Joshua, One Giant Leap for Our Household

Last night after dinner, Shawn put Joshua down on the floor. He immediately crawled over to the dishwasher and gazed at his new friend he saw. Aren't these pictures adorable? He is soooo cute!

Hey, mom - who needs a puppy when I have a reflection friend?

Dada, do you see him, too? Isn't he handsome like me?

After the novelty of his "friend" wore off, he started opening all the cabinets. Ummmm...how 'bout no to getting out my breakable & expensive stoneware? So, I put him in his pack 'n play while I finished cleaning up until I could play more with him. I no more than sat him down and he immediately stood up on his own. Good job, Bean! After I was done, I took him out and put him in the good living room while we discussed our plans for the rest of the evening. He went right to the coffee table and pulled himself up. His feet weren't in the best position, but before I could move them, he took a step to get himself situated. Now, he was holding on, so it doesn't qualify as a "real step" Shawn told me, but this is the first time he even tried to step that I saw. The baby book calls this cruising. He didn't really cruise anywhere, but he's getting more and more courageous.
This morning after we got back from the gym, we were playing in the office and he pulled up onto his feet with the toy bin - another first! He used to just look through the bin while on his knees. Now he's anxious to stand any chance he gets. In fact, during his bath this afternon, he kept trying to stand in our tub. Thankfully it's a deep bath tub so he had a hard time reaching my shampoo, etc. Silly Bean! Sit down to play & splash like normal! His toys were okay, but anything Mommy touched was way cooler.
Doesn't the picture below look like Joshua is waving at someone or something? Well, I should go. My textbook for the second class I'm teaching at Millersville, Principles of Marketing, just came in the mail. That gives me less than two weeks to read over 700 pages, outline them on powerpoint, decide what to do to make it interesting, and write exams. Please pray that I stay motivated! Today I was bored just reading the first 10 pages. Ugh! It's hard to read when there's a handsome little guy beckoning me to play. I'm also writing, writing, writing. And, there's the house to clean, bills to pay, etc. I need to focus!

8-Tooth Tooter

Joshua got his 8th tooth yesterday! So, he now has four on top and four on the bottom. Yeah! Yesterday my mom's sister Loretta was in town - she's 81 and looks great for her age! She wanted to see the Bean, so we went over and so did Jen & her kiddos. Aunt Loretta said she'd take Joshua home with her, and I told her she'd bring him right back when he didn't sleep through the night. Last night he was up ALL night, making me miss church because I couldn't get myself out of bed after only an hour of actual sleep. I was bummed to miss it. I think the following picture of Joshua & Daniel is so cute - sure to be buddies when they get older!The rest of the pictures are from Saturday as well. We went back over to Mom's today since our turn to be with Mom & Jamie is Sunday afternoons. I'm not sure how much we helped - we got Jamie into a chair to be outside (like yesterday) and then back in bed, Shawn jumped his car that had been sitting awhile and drove it for a small bit, and I helped clean up our lunch dishes. Other than that, we just hung out like we normally would have. Mom made meatloaf (yum!) and we ate together and she spent time with Joshua while Jamie watched, Daddy read the paper and I addressed cards.

The Boys of Summer

Yesterday, Julie & Jude met me at Mom's house to swim since we missed them at Kristen's house. While Joshua was unsure of the floating raft last time Julie brought it along, he couldn't get enough of it this time! Jude does really well in his floating swimsuit and loves the slide that my nieces also adore. We splish splashed until noonish when the Bean started noticing his missed morning nap. So we got out, Grandma fed him and kept him while he napped, and Julie, the Judester and I went to the Upper Crust to have a tasty lunch. Jamie's Mom & Aunt Sylvia were there to be with him, so Mom didn't mind some Bean-time. Julie reminds me of myself in a lot of ways, and it's always fun to see her and Jude.

Julie also hooked me up with a new client, Shear Miracles. I went to get my hair colored Thursday night, and Robyn (the owner & hairdresser) also invited a few other people to discuss her business and what she needs marketing-wise. It was a little awkward to have my hair being colored during a business meeting (she must like to multi-task), but I have a few projects that I'll be working on. Plus, my gray hair is covered. So, all's well that ends well I guess. Since I was there until almost 10, I decided to wait to get my hair cut until another day.

This morning Shawn, Joshua & I were playing in the office and Shawn decided to go get a shower. Since Joshua was contented with his toys and I have a lot of projects to work on with tight deadlines, I went to the computer to start to write. All the sudden, I realized I no longer heard Joshua. I flew out of my chair and went looking for him. Guess where I found him (luckily!)...in the bathroom looking for "Dada." He had crawled the length of the upstairs of our house, pushed open the bathroom door and said "Da!" Shawn looked out with soapy hair at the same time I got there (so Bean must have just arrived) and said, "Tooter? What are you doing in here?" Time to get the baby gate up! I'm so glad he didn't tumble down the stairs! So, no more multi-tasking until the house is ready for a crawling baby. We started putting in the outlet covers, put on the door knob handles and covered all the coffee table edges and fireplace with the safety corners. We also dug out the one baby gate (we need another for our second set of stairs) to put up by the upstairs. We have the kitchen cabinet latches, but we need to charge the cordless screwdriver before doing those. Joshua loves to chew on cords (another thing we need to somehow hide), and his new favorite button to push is the lit-up on/off button of the computer. BEAN!

I guess Grandma Ginder is looking for ways to cool off, too, these days. She's getting ready for her move to Florida, evidently!