Something new for the new year

Wow, I've done a great job of keeping up here, huh? I am probably being a bit over-ambitious, but I am making it a personal goal this year to take at least one photo every single day. For now, my computer is not working and I can't load my memory cards onto Shane's laptop because it has horrible Windows Vista on it, which doesn't like my SD cards, but when things are up and running again I will be posting the photos each day. Sometimes I will just post the photos and sometimes I will blog along with it, but I am going to try to meet my goal of one photo a day. I'm 2 for 2 so far!

Baby Giggles

Baby giggles are the sweetest. I know the quality of this is terrible (cell phone video), but it's too cute not to share!

My Big Boy

Levi went to his first day of preschool today. How did he get to be so big??? Here are some pics of the not-so-little guy before we left:


The white balance was all off on these because of the crazy combination of light sources, so it isn't that great, but it looks okay-ish with the editing I did.


I'm a bad fauxtographer - I gave up on the crappy lighting and just shot in auto mode with the flash so I'd at least have a few pics that weren't horrible, even if they were just snapshots.


I think he was done and ready to go at this point!


He picked out a Thomas backpack. I'm sure he would have picked Cars if they had any left, but we bought it the Saturday before school started, so selection was pretty limited. We did manage to find a Cars lunchbox on clearance, though, so of course he had to have that!

Levi did great on his first day! He had a blast and was disappointed when I told him he wasn't going back tomorrow (he goes Tuesday and Thursday). I didn't get as much done as I had hoped/planned, since it was POURING 90% of the time he was at school, but having a quiet house was a nice change. I need to talk to the preschool director about some issues after I drop him off on Thursday. Apparently their policy about non-potty-trained kids has changed since I signed Levi up, and I am not happy about it. I'm hoping the meeting goes well, because if it doesn't, I'll have to find a new school for Levi.

Labor Day BBQ

We went to a Labor Day BBQ on Saturday and I just wanted to share some of the photos I shot. Jonas was a good boy and took a nice long nap, so there aren't any good ones of him. His 6 month portraits and chair pics are coming soon, though. :)

Benjamin


Hannah


Lucy


The grass is always greener...


This boy sweats like there's no tomorrow. It wasn't even hot! (~78 degrees)


I think he got more on his shirt than he actually used to blow bubbles...


The closest thing I got to a smile.

Baby Blue Eyes

He kept leaning out of his seat to try and reach the cup of punch, so my friend's mom held it up for him to see what he wanted with it. He chewed on the bottom of the cup for a while! I guess he liked the cold.

The Artist

Levi is starting to actually draw shapes and objects now, as opposed to scribbles and squiggles and an occasional circle. One of his very favorite toys is his Doodle Pro. He brought it upstairs while I changed Jonas' diaper one day last week, so I snapped some photos.

He said these were "two eyes and two mouths"


This kid has some wild hair. He has Shane's hairline, color, and straight texture, but the thickness of my hair. So it sticks out all over the place, even when it's just been cut or brushed, but especially when it's neither, like in this pic.




Deep in concentration...


"CHEESE, Mommy!"

Not Me! Monday - 8/17/09

Are you feeling guilty for eating all the cereal you said was for the kids? Laden with remorse because you took a nap at your desk when your boss wasn't looking? Overcome with embarrassment when your child sticks their hand down their pants at the mall? We'll don't be! Not Me! Monday was born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!

I did not answer the door in my pajamas, even though I knew somebody was dropping by. I'm always showered and dressed at 5 pm!

I have not been through drive thrus more times in the past few weeks than I have in, well, ever. I would never be that lazy!

I did not accidentally super glue my skin (and then have to leave it there because it was in a place that you would NOT want to put acetone...).

I was not that mom in the post office. You know, the one with the bratty child that everybody is staring at while said child screams at the top of his lungs so loud that you can feel your ears vibrating. Nope, my children are perfect angels that are only seen and not heard.

I did not have so much clean laundry on the kitchen table that there was no place left to sit down and eat. I always put the laundry away right away!

I did not feel like the worst car seat tech ever when Jonas' infant seat made that unmistakable *click* while I UNbuckled him, after arriving somewhere. Nope, I never make mistakes like that!

I did not offer to take photos for a friend's daughter's first birthday party and then have half of the photos be of my own kid. What kind of friend would do that?

Linda Update

Linda has been fighting hard and hanging in there. She was finally stable enough to have a CT scan, and it showed a pretty bad infection on her lung that the IV antibiotics she's on won't get rid of. She had a procedure to flush out the infected area with saline and antibiotics. They are hoping that will take care of the infection, but they won't know if it worked for a few days. If it doesn't work, the options after that are not good (this could include removing her entire lung). She is still sedated and resting peacefully. Her older son was able to visit her again. She still has a long way to go, so keep praying!

Jonas at 5 months

How sad is it that I was so late with my last post like this that this one is only two after it? Oh well... Here's little JP in the chair this month:

Pray for Linda

This is Linda and her husband Evan. I used to post with Linda on a message board when her first son was a toddler. He is now 7 and has a little brother that is a few weeks younger than Jonas.

Last month Linda came down with what she thought was the flu. She felt dehydrated, so she went to the ER, and it was discovered that she was in much worse condition than anyone expected. She had developed pneumonia, and then sepsis, an infection in her bloodstream. Her organs were failing and she was very, very sick. She was admitted to the ICU and spent a few weeks in a drug induced coma, on a ventilator. During this time it was determined that she had gotten so sick from toxic shock syndrome, caused by staph bacteria.

The doctors were able to culture her blood and get her on the right antibiotics, but the infection and TSS was so bad that her extremeties were deprived of oxygen and were badly damaged. Her fingers all turned black and died, and her feet are not in great shape either, although they thought she should be able to keep them.

Linda had started to improve and was even able to be taken off the sedation medications and wake up. Then this week she took another turn for the worse. She has sepsis and TSS once again, this time caused by c. diff. She is in another medically induced coma and her lungs are failing again. The medical staff is unable to do a CT scan and see how much damage the latest infection has caused because Linda is too unstable. She needs to be unhooked from most of the machines for the scan and they just don't think she can make it long enough.

Linda's older son, Ethan, has been kept at home because the doctors have said it would be too traumatic for him to see his mom so sick and unrecognizeable with all the machinery hooked up to her, the swelling, etc. The situation has become so dire that Ethan was allowed to visit this week. Now, not even Evan is able to visit because the risk of infection is too high, and he doesn't want to put the kids in danger.

These next few days will pretty much determine Linda's fate. She is very critically ill and they don't know if she will get better this time. Evan has asked that everyone pray for her. Not just for her to be healed, but for her to let God take control and for her salvation. Please pray for Linda, Evan, Ethan, and Oliver.

Jonas at 4 months

Here's the little man in the chair at 4 months old (a little late, but eh, whatever).


He has the best expressions!




Yep, they're still there!






Poor froggy...


The chair was next.


This didn't last very long, but I got a shot of it!

My Trip to Ocean City

After getting home from northern VA, I was home for a week and then packed up again to go to Ocean City, MD, where my family has a condo. The boys and I went up on Wednesday afternoon, and spent a few days with my sister, brother in law, and nephew. Shane got home from his underway on Friday and spent Friday night with us, then my sister's family went home Saturday morning. Shane spent that day (4th of July) with us and then went home just before the fireworks started in the evening because he had duty the next day. My dad and his fiancee came up the next day, and then Shane came back on Monday and we all drove home Tuesday night. Shane had to work Wednesday, but he wanted to spend some time with the family while he had the chance.

We've been to the beach before, but this is the first time Levi really enjoyed it. He had a blast digging in the sand, and he loved the water. I tried to get him to get his feet wet and he was NOT interested in it at all, but then Darren, my brother in law, asked him if he wanted to go in and he said ok. So Darren helped him jump over the waves as they came in, and he loved it. He would have dove right in if we let him! Crazy, fearless kid! Jonas just relaxed and napped on the beach. I only went out to the beach twice while we were there, because it was just so much work to drag all the stuff for everybody down there, and then all I did was sit under an umbrella with the baby. But my dad and Jackie took Levi to a playground on the beach both mornings we were there with them, and they took him out to the beach one afternoon too. Thank goodness he's not a huge mama's boy like he used to be - he was happy to go with anyone that was doing something fun! We took several walks with both boys in the stroller, and they loved that.

Monday was Shane's birthday, so we went to a somewhat fancy seafood restaurant for dinner. I managed to pump a full feeding's worth of milk the morning before, so after dinner we dropped the boys off at the condo with Dad and Jackie and got to go out on a date by ourselves for the first time in 11 months. We played putt-putt (and I won) and then drove around a bit looking for somewhere to get dessert, then realized that most places were closed because it was after 10 on a Monday, so we just parked at the condo and went to the boardwalk and got ice cream. It was a nice couple of hours together alone, and a much needed break. Oh, and I got Shane a new laptop for his birthday. He wanted a small netbook to take on the boat but I found such a great deal on a full size laptop that I couldn't pass it up and got that instead. I don't think he is the least bit disappointed!

The 4th of July was fun, but a bit different than usual. We try to go up to the condo for the 4th of July each summer, but this summer my dad wasn't able to be there, so it was just us, and then Shane had to leave before the fireworks. So we just hung around all day, then went to the picnic thrown by the condo complex for dinner, then the boys and I watched the fireworks from the condo, because there was NO way I was taking both of them in the crowds by myself, especially when it was Levi's bedtime and I wasn't sure how he was going to do with the noise, etc. He ended up LOVING the fireworks, and has asked where the fireworks are every time we've gone outside at night since then.

Overall, it was a fun trip, but it's definitely nicer when our whole family can be together instead of people coming and going the entire time!

Here are a few videos (hopefully they work on here...they are from my cell phone, so not very good quality, but you get the general idea):


Daddy comes "home" and Levi sees him for the first time in nearly a month



Levi enjoyed the fireworks!


Levi playing at the beach (cell phone pic)


"Whitest gangsta eva" (as dubbed by Aunt Amy)


All tuckered out on the beach (and going bald!)


Having some "Daddy time"


Cute little face


Yep, the boys look like him (and that's me in the mirror, taking the picture)


Wish I could do that sometimes!


My boys! (Levi's face isn't dirty - that's a bruise. He fought the coffee table, and the coffee table won. That was his lovely parting gift.)


Ugh, ignore the fact that I have 8 chins and need to lose 25 pounds...


Cutie pie with a big ol' shiner (you can see Jonas' cute Target dollar section socks in the background)


Levi spent a good 20 minutes jumping off the dock onto the grass and climbing back up, over and over and over


More jumping (he played with the little boy in the red shirt, named Jack, for a while too)