Dan and Jen’s Blog

I have reading glasses. After Dinah was born, I noticed that my vision wasn’t as superb as it once was. This could have had nothing to do with Dinah’s birth and everything to do with me getting older. Dunno. Nonetheless, I went to see Dr. Kelli who gave me a rockin’ prescription and since then, I pretty faithfully wear them for all sight-intensive activities (computer work, reading, knitting, etc).

Fast forward to this week and my lovely sinus infection. Since I haven’t been wearing glasses that long, I’m really unused to blowing my nose with them on my face (I tend to wear my glasses a little lower on my nose). It feels really awkward and like there’s a battle going on on my face. Plus, I can’t stand ANY smudges on my glasses and we buy Puffs with Lotion because we’re spoiled nose-blowers (the only thing better than those tissues are the ones with menthol–delicious!). And I’m blowing my nose constantly. I usually will take off my glasses prior to blowing my nose, but with all of this nose-blowing activity, I think I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t have to anymore, mostly out of necessity and laziness.

This might be the silliest and least useful post ever.

From a conversation last week:

Me: Are you going to help Dinah make me a present [for Mother's Day]?

Dan: I’ll help her make you a present in her diaper.

Ha! (Note: He did get me a present, so don’t send him any nasty-grams.)

I just wanted to post some pictures of Jen and Dinah together so that everyone can see what I get to see each and every day – that my wife is a wonderful mother. Her love for her daughter(s) and her family continually challenges me. She’s sweet and playful with Dinah yet also willing to give her the discipline she needs. She hurts when she hurts and she laughs when she laughs. I hope and pray that my daughter will learn from the example of my wife and that she will one day (a long, long, long, long, time from time) be a mommy like Jen.

Do not buy liquid detergent whose packaging is smashed/smooshed on the bottom and do not treat liquid detergent as if it were indestructible by banging it around during the transition from shelf to cart, cart to car, and car to laundry room floor (who am I kidding? It sat by the front door for at least a day or two). You will end up with a sticky blue puddle on your laundry room (ours is more of an exaggerated closet) floor that you will notice but will have to wait a week to clean up because you just don’t really have the time/motivation. It will get all over the laundry basket and ironing board foot that you have next to it. It will take you 1/2 a roll of paper towels and 1/4 cup of vinegar to clean up. But your precious baby girl will be a peach and stay playing out of the way the entire time.

Dinah has it. Again. And it’s so bad that she starts crying the moment we mention changing her. When we go anywhere close to the changing table, she starts clinging to us and screaming. Changing her has become an extreme sport, like wrestling a wildebeest. She’s red and raw and bleeding. We took her to the pediatrician this afternoon, so I’m confident we’re at least on the right track with treatment now. Please pray for her. She’s hurting, doesn’t even want to sit in her high chair, and has trouble sleeping. Poor little girl!

Kohl’s is having a big sale. They have a great selection of baby stuff, with some seriously decent prices.

Dan cooked twice two weeks ago: tacos and enchiladas. Both of these recipes were from the Food Network, so we expected greatness. Both of them also called for corn tortillas rather than flour tortillas. So we used the corn tortillas. I’m not a fan. I know some of you, dear friends, always use corn tortillas, and I don’t see how you do it. They’re mealy, have an odd texture and taste, tear really easily (they don’t stretch at all like their flour sisters) and throw off the meal. I’m sure I’ll eat them again sometime in my lifetime, but it won’t be anytime soon. Who’s with me and against me?

Friday was Dinah’s 16-month birthday!  It snuck up on us, again!  What a blessing you are to us, little girl

We went to the park to have some fun family outside time.  You loved swinging by yourself in the bucket swing, swinging with daddy in the big swing, and sliding down the slide with daddy.  You loved daddy blowing bubbles and would watch them fly in the wind until they popped.  The wind blew your hair and you thought it was great!  We laid on a blanket and looked at the sky.  You crawled all around and played with mommy’s sunglasses, your water cup, and mommy and daddy’s water bottles.  It was a beautiful and perfect afternoon and we loved sharing it with you (and mommy took TONS of pictures, 29 are below in the slide show — the whole thing can be viewed here)!

• You’ve taken a few steps here and there, but you only walk when you really want to (like when mommy has food and you want her to share).  You’re entirely content crawling or cruising.
• You do NOT enjoy having your teeth (you now have 8!) brushed.  You DO, however, like playing with your toothbrush while we put on your lotion and your pajamas.
• Your favorite foods are green beans, corn, and bananas, but you eat pretty much anything
• You talk all the time.  Your favorite thing to say is “shoes,” but you have quite a bit that you say.  Sometimes, you get REALLY loud and it makes mommy and daddy laugh.
• You’ve started having fits a little more when you don’t get your way, which we’re definitely curbing, but you are a VERY good little girl and we feel blessed that you’re ours.
• You read constantly and we often find you sitting with a pile of books around you.  By this among other things, we know that you’re definitely ours .
• You still love your Baby Einstein videos and will sit, mesmerized, during the entire video.
• You love to have freedom to roam around our small apartment and will sit and play with the blinds in the kitchen for a long time.  You like to open and close cabinets and thankfully, have not hurt yourself yet.
• You are hilarious playing on the couch and recliner and love sitting/rocking by yourself like a big girl (with someone always right there to make sure you don’t fall).  You always want to look over the edge to see what treasures lie below.
• You are a funny, smart, and sweet girl and we think you’re the best!

We’ve known for many weeks that Baby Dos was a she. And we knew pretty much from when the Ultrasound Technician said that she was a she what her first name would be. But it wasn’t until about a month ago that Dan and I finally settled on her middle name. Some of you already know because we’re behind on our blogging. Her name will be Sophia Grace. And she’ll be Sophie. Wisdom and Grace. And our highest prayer for her above even that of her being safe and healthy is that she’ll know Jesus Christ as her Savior. We’d love it if you’d pray for Sophie with us.

Here are some ways:

I almost named this post “Puke. Puke. and then I Puked Some More.” but I thought it might be in bad taste (pun not intended). It was a couple of weeks ago, but Dan and I are still exhausted from it.

Right after Dinah’s dinner and bath on that Monday, she was in the living room and suddenly turned red and puked up all of her dinner. Then Dan picked her up and she puked all over him. And me being pregnant and having the inability to deal with anything that makes me gag meant that I was completely useless. The next morning I was greeted by puked green beans ALL OVER her crib (so apparently she hadn’t puked up all of her dinner the night before).

On Wednesday afternoon at about 4:30 I started feeling really, really not good. Next thing I know I’m hovering over the toilet and my insides are no longer my insides and I’m desperately trying to hold my hair back and yelling for Dan because I’m pretty sure that I’m dying. Thus began the “Jen lays on the couch and tries to stop puking” debacle of 2010. Six hours later as I’m trying to sleep in the recliner without much success, I hear my poor husband puking in the bathroom. Wanting to be supportive, I stumble to the bathroom to see if I can be of help and I get the “I’ve already cleaned up Dinah’s puke and your puke once this week so go away and don’t make any more messes” wave-off. As soon as he stumbles out to the living room to check on me and recount the horrors of his recent experience, I’m like “call your mother, we’re dying!”

The next morning, he calls his mother in St. Louis. But since teleportation isn’t yet a reality (we should spend $2 trillion on that instead), we are tasked with meeting Dinah’s needs until the cavalry arrives. Three things must happen that are suddenly a momentous challenge: 1) one of us has to get Dinah out of the crib without falling down or dropping her 2) her diaper has to be changed and 3) she has to be fed breakfast. Let me tell you, it was ridiculous. I hadn’t kept ANYTHING down since 4:30 the previous day and this only included water and saltines. Dan was very much regretting the pizza he ordered (I told him just to make a sandwich being the tightwad that I am). He could barely get out of bed and I couldn’t stand more than a few seconds without puking. It was a tag team effort. We praised God that there were cartoons on and we trusted that letting her watch TV until Grandma’s flight arrived wouldn’t stunt her growth too badly. Dan somehow managed to drive to the airport (in the “bad car” and with his bucket to boot) where he then handed the keys to his mother before collapsing in the passenger seat.

At home, it was time for Dinah’s lunch and I was still home alone. I managed to get her strapped into her high chair and get her lunch on her tray, then I laid down on the carpet in the hall outside the kitchen. Sitting upright in a chair was just out of the question. I don’t think Dinah has ever heard me say “Dinah, eat your lunch, baby” so many times. Getting her out of her highchair when she was done was apparently a No-No because I felt more puking coming over me. I was able to get her on the other side of the gate before losing it in my bucket. Sick parents freak out their kids. Dan and I had been trying to hide our sickness from her but every time I would stumble from the room, she’d start crying. I’d come back, force a smile onto my face and wipe the tears from my eyes saying reassuringly “Mommy’s OK, she just doesn’t feel good.”

I have to tell you, I’ve never been so thrilled to see my mother-in-law! She took care of everything while Dan and I were worthless. Mostly, she gave Dinah some much needed attention. Grandma quickly became her favorite. Dan recovered much quicker than I and was actually able to load the dishwasher that afternoon. His stomach virus only lasted the typical 24 hours. Mine was more like 48 with debilitating fatigue continuing in the days and weeks after.

Thankfully we didn’t pass it back to Dinah!