Tuesday, June 26, 2012

June Photo a Day Challenge -- Week 3

I'm posting this in a little more timely manner than week 2's post.  Here are my photos for Days 15-21:

Day 15 -- Yellow (fabric for the dress I am making)

Day 16 -- Out and About (Connor was still sick, so our only "outing" was to move to the living room and give Jason his Father's Day gift.)

Day 17 -- In My Bag

Day 18 -- Something You Don't Know About Me (I am obsessed with hummus and eat it every chance I get.)

Day 19 -- Imperfect (me...especially without makeup)

Day 20 -- Favorite Photo I've Ever Taken (Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah)

Day 21 -- Where I Slept (hotel in Chicago)

One more week to go for June, which is so hard to believe.  Here are my prompts for the last few days:


Sunday, June 24, 2012

June Photo a Day Challenge -- Week 2

I have been faithfully taking my photos each day, but with Connor's illness (which I wrote about here) and our trip to Chicago (which deserves its own post soon) I have gotten behind on actually posting them in a weekly format, so I'll post weeks 2 & 3 both this week.

Just as a reminder, here are the prompts for the month:



Here are my photos for week 2:

Day 8 -- Six o'clock (cooking supper)

Day 9 -- My View Today (at the doctor with a sick boy...little did we know it would be our first trip of five in a week)

Day 10 -- Best Bit of my Weekend (getting fro-yo for a sick boy)

Day 11 -- door

Day 12 -- From a Low Angle (my super sick boy)

Day 13 -- Art 

Day 14 -- Time

Friday, June 15, 2012

Painful Reminders

I believe that in general, I try to be a positive, optimistic person (Maybe we should ask Jason to see if he agrees, though.).  However, this week has been nothing less than horrific, and if this blog space for Connor to read in the future, and for anyone else to read today is going to be anything, it needs to be honest.


It all started last Friday with a very whiny, feverish boy.  By Saturday morning we took him to be seen, and it was determined that he had strep.  He was given a shot of penicillin and another antibiotic (azithromycin), and we were sent home.

By this time, he had developed canker-type sores all over the inside and outside of his mouth and lips.  From Saturday on, he ate no more than 2-3 bites per day.



By Monday, he was no better; in fact, his fever was 102 by then (with Tylenol), so we took him back to the doctor, where he was given another shot of penicillin and sent home.

By Wednesday when he was still no better, the Children's Clinic called (They couldn't see him either of the first two visits.) and said that when his info. was faxed over from the other clinic, his dosage of azithromycin was much too low (2.5 mL).  They upped it to 7 mL and Jason picked it up.

Late Wed. afternoon, we gave Connor the bigger dose of azithromycin, and within a short time, his eyes were swollen nearly shut, he was red in splotches on his face, and he started to cough. Obviously, we knew it was an allergic reaction, so we gave him Benadryl and rushed to the ER to be safe.

In the ER, he was given an IV with fluids (He had only peed once all that day.), and we were told that this had turned into a viral infection called herpetic stomatitis and we would just have to wait it out until the sores went away (possibly 10 days). We were then sent home.

By today (Friday), when he had still not eaten, we called Children's Clinic, and they advised us to head back to ER.  We did so, and were met with a fabulous doctor and nurse, who were so thorough, kind, and understanding.  The doctor called the pediatrician multiple times to consult during our visit, and we ended up with a stronger dosage of Tylenol (to give through a suppository so we wouldn't further hurt Connor's mouth) and an appointment in the morning to see the pediatrician to follow up.

I left feeling still sad for my boy, but relieved that we were maybe getting somewhere.

Once we got home and administered the medicine, Connor was the same for a bit: lethargic, whiny, and just pitiful overall.  But then we saw a change:  he perked up, asked for cereal (and ended up eating about 10 bites of banana and several of cereal), and even wanted to draw and paint.  He played in the bath with his cars and shark, and even let us put some swabs of "magic mouthwash") on his sores without a fight.



This may seem ridiculous to some, but going from seeing him doing nothing but lay and cry for a week to this was a miracle to me.

I am so thankful for everyone who prayed for him, and especially for Jason.  He has been my rock this week.  He cooked dinner and breakfast several times when all Connor wanted me to do was hold him, and he has prayed for Connor for both of us when I didn't have the words.  I can honestly say that even though this year's anniversary was under the worst circumstances we've ever had, there is no one else I'd rather spend good or bad times with than him.

However, during all this time with Connor, another tragedy struck, actually on our anniversary.  One of best friends in the world, a bridesmaid in my wedding, and a girl I've known since before either of us can really remember, lost her sister in a most horrendous way.  I am still waiting to wake up or for someone to jump out and say that it was all just a joke, but it isn't, and I am at a loss for what to do or say.



My heart is broken for my friend Elizabeth and her family, and I know only God's peace will get them through, but I feel helpless as a friend.  It never even crossed my mind that this would be a chapter she or anyone I knew would ever have to endure.

This week has been filled with painful reminders of the depravity of the world in which we live and the God who is there to help us navigate it.

I do not believe in any way that God wanted Connor to be sick, and even more so I do not believe that God wanted what happened to sweet Sarah, and it hearts my heart when I hear such statements, even well-intentioned ones.  However, I do believe that we can choose to allow these days to be (albeit painful) reminders of the preciousness of life.

I am remembering today to hug Connor even tighter, to play cars with him more often than I tell him to wait while I finish the laundry, to tell the people I love how much they mean, to make more time for my friends, to worry less about what other people think, and especially to remember that this world is not our home.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Nine Years

Nine years ago today, I married the most handsome man in the world and my very best friend.



Despite a ring bearer I couldn't get to stop crying (He is such a sweetie that he was crying because he saw me crying;my tears were from happiness, though.), there were no major mishaps, and it was truly one of the happiest days of my life.



We were so young and naive about the true work that would go into marriage (and now parenthood), but I couldn't have chosen a better partner.  Every ounce of energy we put into our marriage and our family is completely worth it.  I have learned so much about true love, not just romance and butterflies, over the past nine years, through some of the happiest, saddest, most triumphant, and most difficult days of our lives. Watching Jason become a father only solidified that God knew what he was doing when He put us in each other's path.  I can't imagine doing this thing called life with anyone else.



Thank you, Jason Scott, for being my best friend and half of this team for the last nine years.  Thank you for listening and remembering the little things that are important to me.  Thank you for being romantic; I know it takes work, but it does not go unnoticed.  Thank you for being the spiritual leader in our home.  Thank you for being the best dad; I love the way you interact with our sweet boy.




Happy anniversary; I love you.

from the night we got engaged...I was so young and skinny...and I needed a hair makeover.  :)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Pottying and the Zoo

Since I've been missing from posting for the last couple of weeks, I didn't get a chance to write about one of the most exciting events of our summer: Connor is (pretty much) potty trained!  Sorry in advance to those who think it's TMI or who aren't interested in the bathroom habits of my two and a half year-old, but in our house, this is a BIG deal.

One day I just decided to put Connor in training pants (I love these...our babysitter gave us a few pair--Thanks, Miss Steph!--and then I bought some more at Walmart.) and let him understand what it felt like to be wet, since the diaper wicks away all the moisture.

The first two days were a DISASTER.  He would come up to me immediately after wetting himself to tell me what he'd done, and I washed SO many clothes.

By the third day, I realized that he wasn't just going to tell me when he had to go, so I set the oven timer every 45 minutes, and I would make him go "try."  After two more days of this, he was pretty much good to go.  He still has one or two accidents per day (He doesn't love going #2 in the potty for whatever reason.), and I do still put him in a diaper at night (However, he has woken up dry the last couple of mornings...yay!), but overall he is doing well.

I still have to remind him to go, and I am looking forward to the day that he will tell me instead, but this is a big step, and while I am so excited, it's also bittersweet to see one more element of babyness that my boy no longer possesses.

rockin' his big boy undies

All that potty stuff to say that when we were in Louisville to celebrate Veronica's birthday (Jason's mom), we decided to take Connor to the zoo as a reward for his excellent potty training endeavors.

Here are a few photos from our day:





The elephants and their trainers put on quite a show while we watched.  Their tricks were adorable.








We were not aware that the Louisville Zoo has a small water park area for the kids, but we let Connor get wet anyway (He visited the rest of the zoo in just his tshirt and undies afterward.)  :)  This was one of his favorite parts; he loved the water, the other kids, and bawled when we made him leave.





Lions and bears didn't scare Connor, but guess what made him make this face?



If you guessed dinosaurs at the zoo, you would be correct.  Connor is obsessed with dinos, but he truly believed the creatures in this exhibit were real (and dangerous), and right after I snapped this photo he yelled at Jason, "Run, Daddy!"





However, by the end of the exhibit, he was ready to ride a T-Rex.




Connor genuinely loved his day at the zoo.



The weather held out until right after we left the zoo, and then it began to pour.  On our way back to Jason's parents' house, we stopped by Cake Flour, where I had a $10 Groupon (which I got for free!), and we got some yummy treats to share.  Connor wasn't the only one who got a treat on our zoo trip.  :)




Our day at the zoo has been one of my favorites of the summer so far, and I am so proud of Connor and what a big boy he has become.

Monday, June 11, 2012

June Photo a Day Challenge -- Week 1

I regretfully got behind in May, and although I participated for most of the month, I never posted them here.  However, I am determined to do better in June, so here are my prompts for the month:



And here are my photos for the first seven days:


Day 1 -- Morning

Day 2 -- Empty

Day 3 -- On my Plate (bacon and egg sandwich from Toast before church)

Day 4 -- Close-up

Day 5 -- Sign

Day 6 -- Hat

Day 7 -- Drink (delicious strawberry-banana smoothie Jason made me for breakfast)

This week has been a fun one, and the prompts were easy to fulfill.  I love seeing everyone else's photos, especially some of you I follow on Instagram (Erin and Victoria, I'm talking to you!).