I think she's a girl :)

I always tell Nora what the plan is so she'll know. Like, "I'm going to lay you down now so I can throw away your diaper and wash my hands. Then, I'll come back and you will eat, okay?" Or, "We're going to go swing on the porch now. It seems nice outside." And, so on. This morning I really wanted to go shopping to look for clothes to fit me. I told Nora that we were going shopping and I was going to push her in her stroller. Her face lit up and she got very excited. I took her to my room while I changed clothes and asked her if I looked okay. I once again said the word "shopping" and her eyes got excited. I grabbed the camera, turned it to video (I only had 11 seconds of memory left), and then I told her again that we were going shopping and for a stroller ride. She seemed happy about it. Actually, she did pretty good until I tried to try on some clothes. She was awake the whole time... I think having her in our home will be lots of fun. :)

Eventful Return to Work

Monday the 24th was to be my first day back to work and Andy's first day of caring for Nora. Sunday night Andy and I were at church for an Awana meeting. I pulled Nora out of her carseat and thought she felt warm. I checked her temperature and it was 100.3...I waited 30 minutes or so and it was 99.3. I thought that maybe she was just really warm with the carseat and the weather outside. So, I waited. It didn't seem too high and there was no dose for her age of tylenol on the bottle, so I didn't call the on-call doctor. Nora's two month appointment was Monday, and since she had a fever the night before I added that to the list of things for Andy to ask the doctor. I woke up at 6am, fed Nora -she seemed lethargic, but I woke her up instead of letting her wake me. I went to work and struggled to remember everything after my 8 weeks off. I called Andy as he was driving to the appointment to let him know that I couldn't get the breast pump to work and I wanted to feed Nora at lunch and have him check the pump. I was a little frustrated with just adjusting. A little before noon I walked out of a patient's room and someone said, "Nora's here." I thought, "oh, good. They came to see me!" I was feeling happy. I rounded the corner to see Andy and Nora. Andy's face was full of sadness and he blurted out, "They want to hospitalize her." My brain went crazy, and I asked why. Her temperature was 103.0 at the doctor's office. She looked really sick, too. Her eyes were open but she was just sitting there very lethargic. I was thinking they would run a few tests to find the problem and send us home on antibiotics. So, I told Andy to go ahead and I'd meet him there. The manager and nurses were insistant that I leave with him. I walked out with him and finally asked if he wanted to ride together. He said he did, and he still looked very afraid. I think I must have been in logical, nurse mode because I put Nora in the car and then drove the three of us to the hospital. We found where we needed to be and then I tried to process everything. I was talking to Nora's nurse with my back to her, listening to her scream as they attempted to start an IV. They got one and all the blood they needed to run some tests and then took her off to try and catheterize her. They couldn't get any urine at all - one drop, but not enough to test. We took her back to her room and I finally got to feed her. She calmed some, but she was really hot still. Some people from church started to show up - the word surely spread fast. Her blood work came back with her whiteblood cell count being really high. They got IV fluids from the pharmacy and started those, gave her some tylenol and informed us that the doctor wanted to do a spinal tap because her WBC count was so high. I was really upset about that - I hate needles and spines. They don't mix. The doctor actually called the phone in Nora's room to speak with me about how it was necessary and said he would be in soon. We waited and held her. A little after 5:30 the doctor came and explained things. My friend Kim was there and was holding Nora while he explained everything. I signed the paper, and they took her away. When they brought her back she was sleeping and they laid her in the "cage". Andy went up to her and grabbed her feet -she started to cry and I asked him what he did. He said he just wanted to make sure she could still feel her feet and move her legs. They catheterized her a second time right before the spinal tap. The results came back positive. Oh, good. A urinary tract infection. That was easily fixable, I thought. They continued to give her IV antibiotics - one that both Andy and I are allergic to, so I was a little apprehensive about it. She didn't have a reaction, though. Finally, I left to go home and get some things and prepare to sleep at the hospital. We spent the night - a very long night. I got up at 5:30 with Nora, washed my hair in the sink, and left for my 11 hour day at work. I was able to come back over lunch break. Andy was able to stay with Nora Tuesday and then Wednesday, too. We were finally discharged from the hospital Wednesday. On Tuesday they did a renal ultrasound that showed abnormalities - possible ureter reflux. We have another test scheduled Monday morning and a doctor's appointment Monday afternoon. Hopefully, it will be good news. It's possible that surgery may be required. I have mixed feelings about it all - I don't want her to have surgery, but I want the problem to be fixed. I don't want to go through a lot of these hospitalizations. I was informed Thursday afternoon that I (amazingly) have some benefit time left, so I'll be able to go to the test on Monday and I still have 3 weeks of FMLA left if needed. I was thinking this morning that perhaps this is the reason the teaching job wasn't available - I wouldn't have FMLA if I had switched jobs and I wouldn't have accumulated any benefit time. I'm not sure if that was God protecting us financially or not, but I feel this calm assurance that He is in control. So, my first week back to work was nothing like I expected, and I'm glad that it's over.

p.s. Nora went to the babysitter Thursday and seemed to do really well. I'm again grateful to God that the childcare thing worked out so wonderfully. And, I have Fridays off. All in all, I feel pretty happy about things.

A Bit Disappointed...

I randomly for no reason at all visit the local school district's employment page to read what jobs are available. I usually read them and imagine what it would be to have one of those jobs...like, the 2nd grade teacher at the school down the road. How much fun I would have thinking of new ways to teach things, projects to do, decorating the room and bulletin boards, etc. It's what I always really wanted to do. Earlier this week I looked at the postings again to find there was a teaching job available at the vocational school - and they wanted a nurse with bachelor's degree. My heart skipped a beat. The posting said you have to teach anatomy/physiology (okay, I'm thinking), medical terminology (alright), plan field trips (great!), calculate grades (love it!), create tests (woohoo!), etc. All the things that I would love to do... but, I felt torn. As if I have a loyalty to my current employer. Like, it would be wrong to find another job while on maternity leave, especially knowing that they are working short and anxiously anticipating my return. I even called them yesterday to see if things were good or bad or if anyone was quitting. So, Andy said I should at least apply...and I wish I would have hit that button quicker. I completed my application and updated my resumé yesterday afternoon, and I should have sent it right away. Today I logged on to send in my information only to find that the job is no longer listed. My heart kind of sank. Yesterday night I prayed that God would help me know what to do. And, I'm grateful I have the answer. But, I'm a little disappointed that God's desire for me isn't what I've always wanted to do. It must be something better, and I can hardly wait to find out what it might be.

Bathtime

I am excited that Nora likes to take baths. She especially likes having the water splashed on her. For several weeks we had been bathing her in the bathroom sink, but last week we bought her a whale. I love the whale because it has a little seat for her so she can really be in the water and play without us having to hold on to her so much. I tried to capture a bit of video to show you all the fun, but of course the funniest moments weren't captured. It's these fun times that make me smile and feel so blessed that God has granted me the priviledge of parenting.

Gwyn is a Fodder :)

So Gwyn, my very best friend for the last 12 years, finally got hitched. I only just met the man this weekend... at the rehearsal. He seems nice, and surely after waiting for so long to find "Mr. Right" she picked a good one. It seems that as soon as Gwyn and I became good friends she has been moving away or I've been going somewhere - Anderson, Bloomington, Evansville, China, and now Arizona. I'm sure her marriage will take her many other places as well since the couple doesn't plan to stay in Arizona after school is over. I'm happy for her, and yet at the wedding I felt a little sadness over just missing girl time. But, stuff happens when you find that amazing boy that you love more than you could have dreamed when you were in high school dreaming along with your girl friends of finding that wonderful guy that would love you. So, some pictures of the day. I came home more exhausted than I could have imagined. With Nora along I ended up waking up at 4:30AM CST (did not go back to sleep) and arrived home around 9:40PM CST. I guess that's not so many hours, but with little sleep the night before it created pure exhaustion and fatigue. I admit I felt a little disappointed that I couldn't be more focused on Gwyn and instead was having to tend to Nora, but again stuff happens when you find that amazing boy who loves you...and you have a family together. I love my family, but having my little baby girl makes things different and some occassions much more difficult to participate in (especially when her Dad has to stay behind and work...how do single moms do it?)




Thanks to parents who made the trip to watch/care for Nora while I was getting ready and during the ceremony. I think it would have been impossible without someone to take over that responsiblity. I hear it was a nice bonding time :)

A Wedding to Attend

My best friend Gwyn is getting married this Saturday, and I'm the maid (or matron, as it is) of Honor. It's going to be interesting toting Nora around everywhere I have to be since Andy has to work the whole weekend. The wedding is in Bloomington which makes it all the more tricky. Anyway, I had my dress altered by a lady in town who did a terrific job and was fairly inexpensive in my opinion. I asked for the scraps (or large yardage) of material that she had to cut off to hem the length. Tonight, I took it and attempted to construct a formal-ish looking gown for Nora... I literally man-handled her into it...and it fits for now but not for long. (Next time perhaps I should actually purchase a pattern instead of looking online and making something up.) Luckily it's only 4 days until the wedding, so hopefully she won't grow too much between now and then. (Last weight check 8/6/09 revealed that she had gained a lot, now weighing in at 8lbs, 15.7oz.) So, here's a picture of her in it just in case it doesn't make it on her body this weekend. The dress is done except the straps need to have snaps put on them. I think she's adorable :)

Nora and the Family...

So, if you get our annual letter and are surprised to have only a picture of Andy & Amanda...well, we did take one with Nora. But, we decided to just send one of the two of us for our anniversary and will send a family photo at Christmas. Here's the photo of the three of us. And, then also a video of this morning. Nora is usually pretty happy, and lots of fun to watch :)

4 years

We celebrated 4 years of marriage with a little progressive meal date around town. We had a babysitter - it felt quite strange and adult-like to have a babysitter... Kim and her daughter Elsie came over to watch and play with Nora. Elsie just turned 3, and she is so excited to play with Nora. I guess Nora was excited to play with Elsie too because she stayed awake the whole time we were gone and then slept for 7 hours straight through the night. How happy.

Oh, and I loved our strawberry bouquet :)

The traditional anniversary gift of 4 years is fruit or flowers. So, we had a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries to combine the two. I love it. :)

So, I think life will soon fall into routine again. I'll return to work soon, Nora will be going to a babysitter, and life will become more routine. I cherish all my very own alone moments now, but I think I will miss Nora terribly when I go back to work. So much love in our little household of three.