1/31/09 - Chitter Chatter

Amanda is starting to talk up a storm.  She says  “Uh-Oh”, “Up”, “Ha” (hot), “Ah-too” (sneeze), “Oo-oo, Ah-ah” (monkey), “too!” (shoes), “hep!” (help), “ka!”(cat), and a few other words she tries to copy whenever she hears them.  She’s tenacious and often aggressive when she wants something, and won’t let any obstacle get in her way.  Lately she’s been climbing on everything, and pushing chairs around to reach things she’s not supposed to touch.  She gets into any drawer, cabinet or closet that isn’t locked and roots through the contents.  Her curiosity is insatiable.

 

I’ve been trying to cut back on nursing her, but she’s resisting me every chance she gets.  The other day I nursed her to sleep and then laid her down in her crib, at which point she woke up and wanted to nurse some more.  Since Eva was asleep in the next bed, I lifted her out of the crib and took her to rock her in the living room, but she was furious once she realized I wouldn’t nurse her again.  Though she can fall asleep without nursing when I’m away, she needs to learn to do it when I’m home, too.  She’d push me away and then want me to pick her up, then push me away when I would just rock instead of nurse her.  She fought me, screaming and crying, for over an hour before Eva finally woke up.  Then I put Amanda in her crib and let her scream it out there, hoping she’d finally go to sleep.  Instead she screamed for another hour.  I finally picked her up and rocked her, and she fell asleep in exhaustion.  I can see this is going to be tough for both of us. 

Adjusting

I had an ultrasound this week.  They measured the baby and determined that I am 7 weeks along, and am due September 17^th.  This pregnancy has been interesting so far.  I’m still trying to get used to the idea of another baby, but I’m surprised to find that so far, the nausea hasn’t been as bad as last time.  My main fear with this pregnancy was that I would be as sick as I was with Amanda: unable to drive without getting carsick, unable to go grocery shopping or cook, needing medication just to keep food down.  I really can’t afford to get that sick right now, with two little ones depending on me, especially one with a broken leg! 

 

But God is gracious.  I’ve had friends offer to bring meals over or watch the girls, but I’m happy to say that so far, that hasn’t been necessary.  I’ve been able to shop, cook, drive, and do everything I need to without getting sick.  I have the usual “bottomless pit” feeling of needing to eat constantly (even though nothing sounds good) and I get easily exhausted.  But as long as I keep something in my stomach at all times and am not dealing with something especially revolting (like a poppy diaper), I actually have very little queasiness.  This is unusual for me, and I’ve been finding myself waiting for the other shoe to drop; expecting to get violently ill any moment.  However, I’d be happy if it stayed this way throughout my pregnancy!

1/20/09 - Shock and Awe

The last three days I’ve been feeling under the weather.  I’ve been crashing around 10pm, which is earlier than normal for me.  I’ve been feeling queasy, especially in the mornings, which I attributed to my nose running constantly all night.  It’s been painful to nurse, but I blamed that on Amanda possibly teething again.  But the clincher today was that my mouth started watering constantly, which to me is a dead giveaway. 

 

On a suspicion, I decided to go out and get a pregnancy test this afternoon, and am shocked to discover that we’re expecting baby #3!   I have such a jumble of emotions right now, mostly somewhere between excitement and terror!   We thought we were being careful, so this is quite a surprise.   Still, I know God has a plan for this little one, and He knew that after my last pregnancy, it would take a long while for me to muster up the courage to try again.  I’m kind of glad He caught me off guard instead. 

 

This is going to be a challenge. Eva will still be in a cast for at least three more weeks. She still won’t go #2 on the potty, so I have double the dirty diapers to change with an overly sensitive tummy and sense of smell.  Amanda is resisting any attempts to eliminate nighttime feedings.  If I could make it through this pregnancy with nausea no worse than what I’ve already experienced, I’d be eternally grateful!  But just to be safe, I’m calling my doctor and asking for a Zofran prescription, just in case.  With two little ones, I can’t afford to be incapacitated with nausea like I was frequently during my last pregnancy. 

 

In The News

This has been an incredible day, in more ways than one.  I took Amanda to another dentist for a second opinion this morning, and everyone watched in the waiting room as Barak Obama was sworn in as the 44^th president of the United States.  For me it was bittersweet.  I appreciate the amazing historical achievement of having sworn in our first African-American president.  Only a few short decades ago, no one would have thought it possible.  What a wonderful country we live in!  But I also believe in judging a man based on the “content of his character”, not the color of his skin.   I have many concerns about his policies, but I was disappointed that so much of the media coverage seemed to focus on his color, as if nothing else mattered.  How shallow can they be? 

 

We got called in soon afterwards, and it was time to focus on Amanda’s teeth.  I already like this dentist better.  She took the time and trouble to get an x-ray before making a recommendation, with Amanda sitting on my lap.  She determined that Amanda’s roots aren’t fully developed yet, so we need to wait about 6 months before treatment.  She says the damage is too severe for a simple filling, and it will probably be a root canal.  But if we wait another 6 months for Amanda to mature a bit and gain some more weight, she’ll probably be able to do it with sedation instead of general anesthesia in the hospital.  She doesn’t want to traumatize Amanda by holding her down for temporary fillings that won’t last, and said I just need to be careful to keep her teeth clean until the next appointment, and watch for any signs of pain (refusing to eat or drink). 

 

Remembering the Unborn

On Sunday I went with my friend Rocio and her parents to the Roe v. Wade Memorial Rally in downtown Portland, called “50 Million Lost”.   It’s staggering to think how many babies have died in just 36 years – nearly a third of my generation!   Every three days, more babies die from abortion than the number of Americans killed in Iraq in five years!   Every THREE DAYS!  It was bitterly cold and we stood for an hour and a half, but it was totally worth it!  Over 7 thousand people showed up!  Eight different speakers shared their stories, including a woman who had worked through the trauma of her abortion and was helping others heal, and those who worked in crisis pregnancy centers, loving and caring for frightened women with unplanned pregnancies, offering hope and support.  A few pro-choice protesters gathered along the fringes to chant and shout, but the pro-life crowd was respectful, and there were no shouting matches or ugly exchanges.   I was impressed that for such a hot-button issue, there was nothing but compassion and respect at this rally, especially for women who have had or were currently considering abortion.   

 

Windblown

We had quite a windstorm this week, with gusts up to 60mph or more.  Trees, signs, and power lines were blown down all over town.  Five trees were blown down at Dave’s building, completely uprooted.   We lost our power several times, and other times just our cable (including phone and internet).  Our street is littered with fallen branches and roof tiles from some unfortunate neighbors’ homes.   Our neighbor’s fence is blown down, so their chocolate lab is free to roam our backyard.  Our tool shed is a pile of plastic pieces, and Dave doesn’t think it’s salvageable.  

1/10/09 - On The Bench

This has been a tough week of forced inactivity for Eva, and it’s starting to get to her.  Lately she’s been extremely sensitive and will burst into tears over the littlest things, like having to get dressed when she’d rather still wear her “Lightning McQueen” pajamas.  She gets around by herself somewhat by crawling or scooting on her rear.  With the latter she tends to dig the heel of her sore foot into the carpet to gain traction, which makes it sore later in the day.  She can’t get on and off the couch, chair or toilet by herself, so I have to keep lifting her up and down to play, eat, and use the bathroom.  She’s had several opportunities to play with her little friends this week, but it frustrates her to not be able to run around with them. 

 

We’re finding ways to keep Eva occupied, though.   I’ve been teaching her how to play “Memory”, and she’s getting really good at it, able to do up to six pairs without help.  Amanda loves hearing the same books over and over, especially those with textures to feel or peek-a-boo flaps to lift, so Eva has memorized a couple of them and likes to “read” them to sister.  Lately she has shown an interest in pretending to write, so I decided to print out some preschool worksheets for her to practice writing straight lines.  They’re designed to teach her to draw horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines from one dot to the other.  Once she masters that, we can move on to curved or squiggly lines.   I keep it short and sweet so as not to burn out her interest.  She is so proud to “write for grandma!” 

 

Little Raptor

Every day in a myriad of ways, Amanda is showing that she is no longer a baby.  She’s a little person with her own agenda, and she’s extremely inquisitive and observant.   Lately she’s started “hamming” it up for the camera, breaking into a big grin that’s almost a grimace, every time she sees the camera pointed in her direction.  Dave has nicknamed her “little raptor”, because when she wants something, she’s determined to get it, and too bad if your jugular happens to be in the way.  She can be pretty aggressive with Eva sometimes, pulling her hair band out, swiping a toy or harassing her to get attention.  Whenever Amanda sees Eva on the computer (drawing with MS Paint), she’ll climb into the chair behind her and push against Eva with her feet until she falls of the chair.   

 

Amanda is trying to be a big helper, too.  After dinner yesterday she picked up her cup and tried to put it into the sink.  When it tipped and spilled, she went to the drawer where the kitchen towels are kept, pulled out a washcloth, and tried to wipe it up. When Eva was stranded on the couch and started asking for her “car toy”, Amanda walked over to the toy bin, fished out “Lightning McQueen”, and handed it to her big sister.  What a smart girl! 

 

1/6/09 - Tooth Troubles

A week ago I noticed a what looked like a chip off the front of one of Amanda’s front teeth (lateral incisor).  Her molars still haven’t broken through, so she does all her chewing with her eight tiny front teeth, and I figured she must have bitten on something really hard.  Just before her first dentist appointment this morning, I noticed what looked like a squiggly gash in the front of the same tooth on the opposite side. 

After a quick inspection, the dentist said they weren’t chips – they were cavities.  One of the teeth was clearly defective, he said, meaning that the enamel never fully formed around the tooth before it sprouted.  That’s why food was able to carve a bigger cavity.  And the first tooth, with a large piece of enamel missing, probably got as bad as it did for the same reason.   He said nobody knows why the teeth don’t form properly, but it likely wasn’t a mineral deficiency or anything I could have prevented, but rather genetic. 

 

Now comes the tough part.  He said there were only two ways to fix it: take her to the hospital and put her under general anesthesia in order to fill the cavities, or bring her into the office and hold her down quickly so he could put temporary fillings on.  He couldn’t guarantee how long the temporary fillings would last, but said, “I wouldn’t put my daughter through the hospital route unless absolutely necessary."  I’m really torn now.  I don’t want to pin Amanda down and traumatize her for something that won’t last more than a couple of months, and have to do it all over again.  I’m worried that her teeth are already temperature and touch sensitive because of how much enamel they’ve lost already, and it’s only going to get worse unless they’re filled.  I’m also concerned about the “drastic” general anesthesia route.  I was hoping he’d be able to sedate her or put her in twilight sleep right there in the office.  Now I don’t know what to do. 

 

To make matters even worse, he says that weak teeth like hers should be kept as clean as possible, so he wants me to wean her from night nursing completely.  She’s never had a bottle in her life, and I only put water in their sippy cups, so the kids don’t get sugary drinks.  I normally don’t talk about extended nursing because it’s so “socially incorrect” in our culture, even though she’s barely a year and a half.  But we’ve been trying to night wean her for some time, and so far have only managed to have her sleep in her crib until 4 or 6am, at which time she wakes up wanting to nurse.  I’m so tired that I usually just let her nurse in bed with me, and she’ll often nurse every hour or so until she wakes for good at 8am.   Afternoon naps are just as tough.  I’ll nurse her before her nap, and then try to lay her down in her crib, but she wakes and cries and wakes up Eva.  I’ve tried other methods like rocking or slow dancing, but she’s a hopeless nursing addict.  I had planned to gradually wean her, stopping completely before her 2^nd birthday, but I know doing it more quickly would be a tough road.  She’s stubborn, fiercely clingy to mommy, and doesn’t do well with major changes.  With this on top of Eva’s broken foot, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now! 

1/5/09 - Welcome, 2009!

On New Year’s Eve we invited several families over for a party.   For the kids, I had glow-in-the-dark bracelets, shiny bead necklaces, partly blowers, and little tiaras that said “Happy New Year”.  They got a kick out of it all, blowing their little party horns well before midnight, and constantly running into the “glow room” (the guest room, where it was dark) to see their pretty bracelets glow brightly.  The adults played a rousing game of Cranium, guys against girls.  It was downright hilarious, and many of us came to the conclusion that we should have group game nights more often.  Everyone was gone by 11 (for the little ones’ sake), but at midnight our neighborhood rang out with dozens of fireworks set off by the neighbors. 

 

Eva's First Broken Bone

About halfway through our party, Eva was turning the corner around our couch when she suddenly crumpled to the ground and started crying.  There was nothing to trip on and she wasn’t even running, so I thought maybe she bumped her shin.  It was hard to tell because she kept pointing to different spots whenever I’d ask “where does it hurt?”   We finally figured she had sprained her ankle, so we put an ice pack on it, gave her some Tylenol, and propped her on the couch to watch a movie with her little friends.  That night she woke a few times, but seemed fine in the morning.  She wouldn’t put weight on it, and there was a slight bruise and faint swelling, but otherwise she didn’t seem to be in pain.  The next night we gave her Motrin to help her sleep better (the weight of a blanket on her foot seemed to bother her), which she did.  

 

We decided to go ahead and drive down to visit the grandparents as planned, but after 3 days of her refusing to walk, Grandma suggested we take her to a local urgent care for an x-ray, just in case.  Grandma entertained Amanda in the waiting room while I carried Eva in to see the doctor.  I showed Eva the big camera that would “take pictures” of her foot, and she was such a trooper!  She cooperated with the technician, holding her foot exactly where he told her to, and when I’d tell her, “smile for the camera!”, she’d beam a big grin at us behind the little window.  It was so cute!

 

Thankfully the images were digital, so we could see them immediately on the computer monitor, and the doctor confirmed that Eva had a “greenstick fracture” on her lower Tibia. Apparently children’s bones are so pliable that they can easily bend without much pressure.  Her bone had buckled a bit on the side, but not broken all the way through.  I still can’t believe she got such a big injury just from walking around the corner!

 

They made a custom splint out of cast material that I can put on with a bandage and remove when needed (like baths).  It completely immobilizes her foot, just like a traditional cast.  She’s already feeling confident enough to crawl across the floor or scoot around on her bottom, but mostly she wants us to carry her, calling “hold me!” every time she wants to be moved.   She won’t be able to walk for at least a month, so I’m going to have to get creative at keeping a very active 3-year-old occupied while she’s laid up. Yikes!

 

Down At The Farm

As soon as the snows melted enough, we decided to take our belated trip to visit the Grandparents.  The portable DVD player really helped to make the drive a lot less stressful this time.    Grandma had her entire Christmas village out for the girls to enjoy.   We had a belated Christmas gift exchange (loving my new bread maker!), and Grandma made the girls an adorable matching set of pajamas.  

 

A few weeks ago, my parents had come home from church to find a surprise in their field: a new baby calf!  They didn’t even know their cow was pregnant, and neither did the people who sold her to them.  Eva enjoyed watching them graze through the window. 

 

We tried carrying her outside to see them, but they went to the far side of the property, so Dave took her to see the new turkeys instead.  It’s tough for an active 3-year-old to have to wait for someone to carry her around, but her 33lbs can get hard on the old back, too.  Looks like we’ll be using the double stroller quite a bit in the next month.