...SEW!!!
I was so excited when I was given her name for this round of prayer buddies. It has been a joy to get to know her - both on the blogs and in real life. Her posts crack me up more than any others and I have loved following along with her journey to motherhood. She has been a warrior for so many other infertile women and she's one of the most passionate (hormonal!) and determined women I know. :)
I have been having a hard time lately getting into a steady, regular prayer routine - so participating in prayer buddies always helps me get back on track. I always love novenas because I can commit to short goals - like one prayer for nine days. Over the past couple of months these were my prayers for Sew:
*Novena to the Holy Spirit - that she would be blessed with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
*Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - that Divine Mercy would flood her soul
*Novena to St. Raphael - I thought this was appropriate since we were finishing on the Feast of the Archangels; I chose St. Raphael because he is the patron saint of healing
*Novena to St. Therese - this one ends tomorrow; I prayed especially for Sew's sweet little Hannah
*Evening Rosary - my hubby and I try to pray the Rosary every evening and I offered them up especially for Sew and her intentions - specifically I prayed for her marriage, her vocation as wife and mother, for her health and hormones, for Hannah and that she would be blessed with more children
Love you Sew! I will keep praying for you... :)
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Buckets of Fun
My hubby needed a large bucket as part of his new project - brewing beer. Pink was the only color in the store and he wasn't too pleased about it! Tommy of course thought it was the coolest thing ever and played in it all evening.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Pasta Face
It never fails that Tommy insists on rubbing his face when we're having pasta for dinner. :)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Quick Takes
(1) I'm happy to report that Tommy's blood draw yesterday went well. It was a bit of a drive to Children's Hospital but I still think it was worth the effort. As I've mentioned, Tommy is not a fan of doctors and nurses. Just taking his temperature or listening to his heartbeat gets him upset. Thankfully the phlebotomist was quick and efficient. She found his vein on the first try, which couldn't have been easy because he was screaming, crying and flailing around. Even with me holding him tightly, it took some effort for her to pin down his arm - which left only one arm/hand for her to do the rest. Tommy usually has such a sweet disposition and it pains me to see him so upset. I'm always amazed at how strong he is when he's trying to get away from something. Thankfully he got over it pretty quickly.
(2) Since we were in downtown DC we decided to stop by my hubby's work to say hello and join him for lunch. It was a nice treat after getting Tommy's blood drawn. My husband has great co-workers and they love seeing Tommy, so it was fun to stop by. I am so proud of my husband and the work he does (he develops affordable housing.) He recently won an award at work and also had the grand opening of a new building. I know that I don't tell him often enough, but I am so proud of him! And I am grateful that he works hard to provide for our family.
(3) When I woke up this morning the temperatures were in the mid-40s and I loved it! I absolutely love fall and I can't decide which to make first - chili, chicken-tortilla soup, cornbread, pumpkin muffins, etc. Ahhh, of course it's all about food. :)
(4) I'm wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt for the first time in a looong time. I had to dig deep in my closet to find them. I guess this means I have to find my non-flip-flop shoes.
(5) Thankfully this weekend should be a little more relaxing than last weekend. I'm planning to attend a talk/reflection at church tomorrow morning and then of course there's college football on the rest of the day! Thankfully Nebraska and USC play at different times. The past two weekends the games have been at the same time, which is not good for my marriage. :) I'm singing for two Masses Sunday morning and then our regular youth group night in the evening.
(6) Does anyone else have trouble with their toddler throwing food? I'm sure Tommy isn't the only one, but it's gotten worse lately. Every meal it's like a game to him. I know he understands what "no" means, but I don't think he's old enough to be "disobeying" me on purpose. Does that make sense? I'm tired of all the back-and-forth, not to mention the complete mess that he leaves behind.
(7) Overall, I am really enjoying toddler-hood with Tommy. It's so much fun to watch him explore the world around him and play with him in a new way. He absolutely LOVES being outside and we spend a lot of time picking up acorns, leaves, sticks and anything he can find. Although I'm a little worried about when winter comes. Hopefully we can find some indoor gyms and play-places to explore when it's too cold to play outside.
(2) Since we were in downtown DC we decided to stop by my hubby's work to say hello and join him for lunch. It was a nice treat after getting Tommy's blood drawn. My husband has great co-workers and they love seeing Tommy, so it was fun to stop by. I am so proud of my husband and the work he does (he develops affordable housing.) He recently won an award at work and also had the grand opening of a new building. I know that I don't tell him often enough, but I am so proud of him! And I am grateful that he works hard to provide for our family.
(3) When I woke up this morning the temperatures were in the mid-40s and I loved it! I absolutely love fall and I can't decide which to make first - chili, chicken-tortilla soup, cornbread, pumpkin muffins, etc. Ahhh, of course it's all about food. :)
(4) I'm wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt for the first time in a looong time. I had to dig deep in my closet to find them. I guess this means I have to find my non-flip-flop shoes.
(5) Thankfully this weekend should be a little more relaxing than last weekend. I'm planning to attend a talk/reflection at church tomorrow morning and then of course there's college football on the rest of the day! Thankfully Nebraska and USC play at different times. The past two weekends the games have been at the same time, which is not good for my marriage. :) I'm singing for two Masses Sunday morning and then our regular youth group night in the evening.
(6) Does anyone else have trouble with their toddler throwing food? I'm sure Tommy isn't the only one, but it's gotten worse lately. Every meal it's like a game to him. I know he understands what "no" means, but I don't think he's old enough to be "disobeying" me on purpose. Does that make sense? I'm tired of all the back-and-forth, not to mention the complete mess that he leaves behind.
(7) Overall, I am really enjoying toddler-hood with Tommy. It's so much fun to watch him explore the world around him and play with him in a new way. He absolutely LOVES being outside and we spend a lot of time picking up acorns, leaves, sticks and anything he can find. Although I'm a little worried about when winter comes. Hopefully we can find some indoor gyms and play-places to explore when it's too cold to play outside.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Some Updates
It's been busy around here - what else is new? So here are a few updates on what we've been up to.
I'm happy to report that my first week of teaching went really well! I'm so happy with my new schedule - I teach Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8:30 - 10:15am. It's the same amount of time as last year, except that I only have to go in two days instead of three days - so that makes a big difference. I will teach a drama class during the first half of the year and direct the musical during the second half.
I am so blessed to have a lovely mom who watches Tommy for me. (Her nephews call her Dot Dot, so that is what Tommy calls her.) She is the kindest woman, a former nurse and a great mom. She spoils Tommy more than I do and she watches him just "for fun." :) Her older daughter just started college and her younger daughter is in seventh grade at my school. It's so perfect because we meet at school in the morning and she either takes Tommy to the park or to run errands with her. Tommy is very comfortable around her and close to her since she also watched him last year. I am so blessed to have her in my life, especially since our family is so far away.
Last weekend was the kickoff party for the high school youth group. We had our monthly Youth Mass at 5pm (which I sang for) and the party from 6-8pm. I rented a dunk tank and our priest agreed to go in. It was so much fun! We had a pretty good turnout, so I was happy with that. I'm always trying hard to recruit more teens, but it's so hard to get them to commit to coming regularly. I spent the whole day getting everything ready and I'm so grateful for my sweet husband's help. He took Tommy to the park when I needed to get things done and he handled the food for the party.
It was a crazy weekend because I also sang for three Masses on Sunday. We had a special choir with beautiful music to commemorate 9/11. Our director chose some gorgeous pieces and I know the congregation was touched. Music is such a gift in my life, and I love seeing how deeply it touches others. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of the weekend.
Last Friday we had our final visit by our Social Worker for Homestudy #2. I am SO READY to be finished with it and get on the waiting list. We still have a few paperwork details to sort out (mostly regarding our medical forms since our TB and HIV tests recently expired -ugh, such a pain!) After the SW writes her report, and we review it, we should be officially approved.
Today I'm taking Tommy to get his blood drawn for the allergy tests. I hope and pray it goes well!
I'm happy to report that my first week of teaching went really well! I'm so happy with my new schedule - I teach Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8:30 - 10:15am. It's the same amount of time as last year, except that I only have to go in two days instead of three days - so that makes a big difference. I will teach a drama class during the first half of the year and direct the musical during the second half.
I am so blessed to have a lovely mom who watches Tommy for me. (Her nephews call her Dot Dot, so that is what Tommy calls her.) She is the kindest woman, a former nurse and a great mom. She spoils Tommy more than I do and she watches him just "for fun." :) Her older daughter just started college and her younger daughter is in seventh grade at my school. It's so perfect because we meet at school in the morning and she either takes Tommy to the park or to run errands with her. Tommy is very comfortable around her and close to her since she also watched him last year. I am so blessed to have her in my life, especially since our family is so far away.
Last weekend was the kickoff party for the high school youth group. We had our monthly Youth Mass at 5pm (which I sang for) and the party from 6-8pm. I rented a dunk tank and our priest agreed to go in. It was so much fun! We had a pretty good turnout, so I was happy with that. I'm always trying hard to recruit more teens, but it's so hard to get them to commit to coming regularly. I spent the whole day getting everything ready and I'm so grateful for my sweet husband's help. He took Tommy to the park when I needed to get things done and he handled the food for the party.
It was a crazy weekend because I also sang for three Masses on Sunday. We had a special choir with beautiful music to commemorate 9/11. Our director chose some gorgeous pieces and I know the congregation was touched. Music is such a gift in my life, and I love seeing how deeply it touches others. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end of the weekend.
Last Friday we had our final visit by our Social Worker for Homestudy #2. I am SO READY to be finished with it and get on the waiting list. We still have a few paperwork details to sort out (mostly regarding our medical forms since our TB and HIV tests recently expired -ugh, such a pain!) After the SW writes her report, and we review it, we should be officially approved.
Today I'm taking Tommy to get his blood drawn for the allergy tests. I hope and pray it goes well!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Allergy Update
Tommy's allergist appointment was this morning and I was so glad to finally learn a little more about his allergy. I would LOVE advice or suggestions from anyone who has experience with food allergies.
Overall Tommy did well at the appointment - although he is so squirmy (hello, he's a toddler!) and lately hates doctors/nurses, so that made it hard. We arrived at 11:45 for a 12:00 appointment and didn't leave until close to 1:30pm - so that was a long time to be stuck in a (non-baby-proofed!) room with an amazing number of outlets for such a little space. :) He screamed bloody-murder when she checked his ears, nose and took his temperature. He seriously hates being poked/prodded lately.
Based on the skin test, he tested positive for a peanut allergy but not the other nuts. She did a scratch test on his back which tested for 6-7 different nuts and only the peanut reacted. She still wants him to get blood work done to confirm the allergy - plus the results will let us know how severe it is. Their protocol is to have blood work done once a year to check the numbers - there is a chance his allergy could decrease and/or go away, but the odds are not in his favor since it's peanut. (Apparently this happens more often with other foods.)
The doctor gave me a prescription for numbing cream (hopefully this will help the blood-draw) and one for more epi-pens. She said that we should always carry two with us at all times.
Does anyone have experience with kids/babies getting bloodwork done? I'm not excited about bringing him to my local lab - but the doctor couldn't suggest any place that specialized in pediatrics.
I asked if I should give up peanut butter and if we should be a peanut free house: her answer was that we don't have to, but it's probably best and safest. She said I could eat Almond Butter, Soy Nut Butter or Sunflower Butter if I wanted... and hopefully Tommy can eat those later too as long as they aren't processed with peanuts. But for now, no reason to push it with him.
I asked if Tommy should avoid all nuts: again she said that he doesn't have to, but it's probably best and safest - not because he could react, but because the chance of cross-contamination is very high. (Places that produce other nuts mostly like also produce peanuts.)
Tommy had eczema when he was a newborn and she said that it's related to the peanut allergy. She noticed that his back and tummy are still slightly affected and said to continue what we are doing: nightly baths and lots of cream as soon as he gets out and he's still a little damp. If he seems to have a flare-up that is worse, we can use hydrocortizone cream.
She said that research shows that avoiding peanuts before age 1 or 2 doesn't really matter (as opposed to what they used to think.) There is no evidence that early exposure will cause the allergy or worsen it. Random fact: she mentioned that parents in Israel give kids peanuts at a young age and they have a low percentage of allergies there. There might be a very slight connection between high amounts of peanuts during pregnancy and allergies in babies, but that's it.
Whew! I feel much better now that we are more informed. Hopefully everything goes ok with getting his blood drawn and we can learn more from those results.
Overall Tommy did well at the appointment - although he is so squirmy (hello, he's a toddler!) and lately hates doctors/nurses, so that made it hard. We arrived at 11:45 for a 12:00 appointment and didn't leave until close to 1:30pm - so that was a long time to be stuck in a (non-baby-proofed!) room with an amazing number of outlets for such a little space. :) He screamed bloody-murder when she checked his ears, nose and took his temperature. He seriously hates being poked/prodded lately.
Based on the skin test, he tested positive for a peanut allergy but not the other nuts. She did a scratch test on his back which tested for 6-7 different nuts and only the peanut reacted. She still wants him to get blood work done to confirm the allergy - plus the results will let us know how severe it is. Their protocol is to have blood work done once a year to check the numbers - there is a chance his allergy could decrease and/or go away, but the odds are not in his favor since it's peanut. (Apparently this happens more often with other foods.)
The doctor gave me a prescription for numbing cream (hopefully this will help the blood-draw) and one for more epi-pens. She said that we should always carry two with us at all times.
Does anyone have experience with kids/babies getting bloodwork done? I'm not excited about bringing him to my local lab - but the doctor couldn't suggest any place that specialized in pediatrics.
I asked if I should give up peanut butter and if we should be a peanut free house: her answer was that we don't have to, but it's probably best and safest. She said I could eat Almond Butter, Soy Nut Butter or Sunflower Butter if I wanted... and hopefully Tommy can eat those later too as long as they aren't processed with peanuts. But for now, no reason to push it with him.
I asked if Tommy should avoid all nuts: again she said that he doesn't have to, but it's probably best and safest - not because he could react, but because the chance of cross-contamination is very high. (Places that produce other nuts mostly like also produce peanuts.)
Tommy had eczema when he was a newborn and she said that it's related to the peanut allergy. She noticed that his back and tummy are still slightly affected and said to continue what we are doing: nightly baths and lots of cream as soon as he gets out and he's still a little damp. If he seems to have a flare-up that is worse, we can use hydrocortizone cream.
She said that research shows that avoiding peanuts before age 1 or 2 doesn't really matter (as opposed to what they used to think.) There is no evidence that early exposure will cause the allergy or worsen it. Random fact: she mentioned that parents in Israel give kids peanuts at a young age and they have a low percentage of allergies there. There might be a very slight connection between high amounts of peanuts during pregnancy and allergies in babies, but that's it.
Whew! I feel much better now that we are more informed. Hopefully everything goes ok with getting his blood drawn and we can learn more from those results.
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