tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90567742725497497392024-03-13T07:38:29.836-04:00The Art of LivingJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.comBlogger256125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-55953893408566275952019-01-01T23:57:00.000-05:002019-01-01T23:57:30.026-05:00Best Books of 2018<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3uvll" data-offset-key="booqm-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="booqm-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Best books I read in 2018:</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="fkuv6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">// Non-fiction //</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9i7pk-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (The author is a genocide survivor who hid in a tiny bathroom with 7 other people for 91 days.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bkkv3-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Stories of wrongful imprisonment and unjust sentences, written by an absolute hero of an attorney. Incredible book.) </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ff942-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (Subject lives in the woods in Maine for 30 years without human contact. So fascinating. You will want to talk to everyone about this book.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ddmeh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Where the Wind Leads: A Refugee Family's Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption (A family escapes Vietnam by boat and through a series of true miracles, survive and make it to America, which is a whole new challenge.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="db9el-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (Bill Bryson's memoir. I cried laughing. Maybe the funniest book I have ever read.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="96n98-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be (An unashamedly awesome self-help book. Spoiler: you are in charge of your own happiness.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9ain6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality: A Field Guide to Curiosity, Creativity, and Tomfoolery (It's just everything I hoped it would be.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5ilvf-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">// Fiction //</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="c4cpa-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-The War I Finally Won (WWII Juvenile Fiction; sequel to The War That Saved My Life - read that one first.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3pakn-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (Quirky and laugh-out-loud funny, but surprisingly touching, too. The story and the characters were just so perfectly done.)</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8gkkr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">-Pippi Longstocking (I missed out by not reading this as a kid. So utterly charming.)</span></div>
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-90988661929955816752017-10-05T12:28:00.000-04:002017-10-05T12:28:15.305-04:00Kid Speak - 2017<i><span style="font-size: large;">Piper</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AQ1f7rptCtI/WdZcQ44eR0I/AAAAAAABX2U/E7ts-LGPy1A3JJlVwQNrcAM5ViIFR1WGwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170907_162310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AQ1f7rptCtI/WdZcQ44eR0I/AAAAAAABX2U/E7ts-LGPy1A3JJlVwQNrcAM5ViIFR1WGwCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20170907_162310.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Looking into her binoculars, "I could probably see India."<br />
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We were mystery shoppers at a restaurant and had to get the name of our server. Piper leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I think his name is Hufflepuff."<br />
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In mock exasperation, "for good sake."<br />
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"If there is a lot of snow, why don't I see Jesus?"<br />
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To me, "You're getting old! You have white hair. ... But you're not dead."<br />
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Pointing at an rough looking older man 10 yards away from us, "Is he homeless?" "Shh, I don't know. Probably not." "But he's old. He'll probably die soon."<br />
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Piper is extremely chatty. We were on a 6 hour drive and she chattered NONSTOP at the least the entire last hour. It was late when we got home and we put the kids right to bed. Piper seemed surprised and said "aren't we going to talk?"<br />
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Piper and Libby were laying in bed chatting at night about whom they want to marry. Libby: "8 people are in love with you." Piper: "Because I'm so shiny and powerful?"<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Birdie</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2MDA1nTiSBQ/WdZchpD7mAI/AAAAAAABX2Y/EkjBva7mopIosL9DtdQRwEdatZwaDFn5gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170909_145126990_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2MDA1nTiSBQ/WdZchpD7mAI/AAAAAAABX2Y/EkjBva7mopIosL9DtdQRwEdatZwaDFn5gCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_20170909_145126990_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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On a road trip, while still in Iowa, "Ooooh, mountains! I love it!"<br />
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"Shake your booty," as she wiggles rapidly back and forth.<br />
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"Hi Mom." This is what she says anytime she is feeling nervous or embarrassed, or a stranger speaks to her. Also, just 100 times a day for no apparent reason.<br />
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Rocking in her infant car seat inside the house, "Mommy sit? I rock you!"<br />
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Observing me use the bathroom, "Pee Mommy? Good dob. Try again!"<br />
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When she wakes up from her nap, she yells from her room, "Mommy! My wake!" or "Mommy! Where are you?"<br />
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At lunch time, Birdie had been asking for someone to pass the salt and no one was listening. Finally, she yelled louder than I've ever heard her, "Please pass the saaaaaaaalt!"<br />
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For weeks or maybe months after watching E.T., she'd randomly say "E.T. phone home!"<br />
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While watching a Disney nature movie, during a scene with the monkey, "Hurry, monkey! Hide! Monster coming!"<br />
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Phrases from songs she regularly sings:<br />
"<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjpu5T369nWAhVL6IMKHZbvCkAQyCkIKzAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIKzX5zRdsq0&usg=AOvVaw13b2gYLqOh79myLydDJ7Pc">Come my lady</a>."<br />
"Na na na na, hey, hey, goodbye."<br />
"Mary lamb, mary lamb."<br />
"<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwixqt3v7NnWAhXj1IMKHSjGAS0QyCkIKzAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIFuFm0m2wj0&usg=AOvVaw1gSJGy0FdABH2rq7UOM7ln">I will get back up again.</a>" (She refers to this as the Poppy song.)<br />
"<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwigoYf67NnWAhUk5oMKHcJaBqQQyCkIKzAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdNNUk8oOg4I&usg=AOvVaw20sYT32dT5Wvg6qGKIalS_">I say, you're welcome.</a>" (The Maui song. When Birdie wants to watch the video, she says "watch welcome!")<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Libby</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tu6pYNABUHI/WdZdBC6sckI/AAAAAAABX2c/BVzFPRCbnEYvcD6dH7RLeur5J-vaN9PzgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_8255.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tu6pYNABUHI/WdZdBC6sckI/AAAAAAABX2c/BVzFPRCbnEYvcD6dH7RLeur5J-vaN9PzgCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_8255.CR2" width="640" /></a></div>
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Passing by one of many crop fields we see on a daily basis, "Is that corn or tobacco?"<br />
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"Why should you never tell a secret in a corn field? There are too many ears!"<br />
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I had done my hair differently than usual. "You look so pretty, you don't even look like our mom. Because our real mom is not that pretty, but you look so pretty."<br />
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During the 4th inning of a baseball game we were at, "When is it going to start?"<br />
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Piper said the word "buttcrack" and Libby replied, "That's not a good word! You should say 'the ditch of my bottom.'"<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-76514707349239052822017-10-03T15:46:00.000-04:002017-10-03T15:46:00.257-04:00Parotid Tumor<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>When I was preparing for surgery, I really appreciated reading about other people's experiences with parotid tumors, so I'm putting this story out there in case it can help someone else! </i></div>
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Sometime in 2014, I noticed a lump behind my left ear. I figured it was a swollen lymph node, and since I was sick at the time with bronchitis, I wasn't concerned about it. I had gone to the doctor about my illness and she had felt my lymph nodes and didn't mention it. Several months went by and the lump was still palpable. It started to worry me a little, so I made an appointment to get it checked out. My doctor said it was indeed a lymph node and that sometimes swollen nodes don't go down right away after an illness. She looked in my ears and said I had some fluid in my ears, so that could be the cause. She assured me that as long as it didn't remain swollen for years, it was nothing to worry about. </div>
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Well, it remained swollen for years. I tried to get Jared to feel it over the years and he always said there was nothing there. I could very clearly feel it, but he couldn't. Then, one day in early 2017, I realized with a start that I could SEE it in the mirror. It had been growing slowly and I had a habit of touching it constantly, so it was difficult for me to notice the gradual growth. But once I realized I could see the lump on my face, I realized it had definitely gotten bigger. The location even seemed to change. Originally, I had only noticed a small lump in the little divot behind my earlobe. But as the lump grew, it wrapped around both sides of my earlobe and was visible from the front. At this point, I had Jared feel it again and he finally could feel it. He was sure it was just a cyst or something and offered to pop it with a needle for me. Not at all interested in his offer, I made another appointment, this time with my new family doctor.<br />
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My new doctor felt the lump and confirmed that it was indeed a lymph node and it was "huge." She ordered bloodwork and asked me several questions ("have you been fatigued lately?" "have you lost weight unintentionally?" "do you wake up with night sweats?"). I knew what she was getting at: she was ruling out lymphoma. This had been my lingering fear for years, and it would come into my mind every time I habitually felt behind my ear, but I'd always push the silly thought away. But to be sitting in the doctor's office and answering questions related to cancer was very scary. I remember the doctor listening to my heartbeat and asking me if I was feeling nervous and I lied and said no.<br />
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I got a call later that week that my bloodwork was all normal. As far as my doctor was concerned, there was nothing to worry about. But I did not feel at all assured by that. It was not normal to have a giant lymph node for 3 years. My doctor said she could order a CT scan if I'd like. I agreed and scheduled it as soon as possible, but it was a week away. I had the CT scan, which was a quick and easy procedure. The contrast injected in my veins was very strange - it gave me a metallic taste in my mouth and (luckily, the tech warned me about this) made me feel like I was peeing my pants.<br />
<br />
When my doctor got the results, she called to tell me that the CT showed that my lymph node was indeed swollen and that my sinuses were filled with fluid, so I ought to see an ENT about my sinus problems, as the lymph node was likely related. I told her this made no sense. I did have a sinus infection at the time, but it was not a chronic problem and the swollen lymph node predated the infection by over 3 years. It is so frustrating when doctors don't listen!<br />
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I knew I wasn't getting anywhere with my current doctor, so I did make an appointment with an ENT...a month away. The waiting was driving me crazy. I called around and finally found another ENT with a shorter wait. When my appointment day arrived, she reviewed my scan, felt the lump, and told me it could be a swollen lymph node, but it could also be a tumor in my parotid gland. Just a day or two before this appointment, I had come across parotid tumors in one of my lump-behind-ear google searches. I had watched a video about a woman who had a parotid tumor that grew to the size of a softball and was so complicated, she could not find a doctor willing to perform surgery.<br />
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The ENT scheduled me for a CT guided biopsy. Another CT, another $1500. I wish I had gone straight to the ENT and skipped that first CT!<br />
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The procedure was supposed to be a fine needle biopsy and was not supposed to hurt, after the local anesthetic. The radiologist performing the procedure did give me the choice to have more anesthesia (conscious sedation), but he and I both agreed it was probably not necessary. The CT was performed and then the doctor used ultrasound to guide the needle into the tumor.<br />
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But he wasn't able to aspirate anything. I didn't know this at the time, but I discovered later that he then switched to a core needle, which is a much thicker needle. Basically, a large, hollow needle is inserted into the mass, and when the doctor pulls the trigger on the spring loaded gun, a serrated needle inside the core of the larger needle shoots down into the mass and pulls out tissue. It was exactly as painful as it sounds. The worst was the shock of it...it was so sudden, it made me jerk. And it just kept coming. I think the doctor took 6 or 7 samples and I never knew when the jolt was coming! It felt like the local anesthetic wasn't doing anything to numb the pain, but apparently it was, because as it wore off on the drive home, the pain became worse and worse. (I was told to bring a driver, so Jared was there, thank goodness!) That was first time since Birdie's birth that I cried from pain. It was a deep pain, like the pain of a really bad earache. I couldn't eat anything solid for 2 days because it was excruciating to clench my jaw.<br />
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The results came back. Though it was impossible to say conclusively based on a biopsy, the mass was likely a pleomorphic adenoma - a benign tumor. The ENT told me that surgery is the only treatment, but the timing was up to me. These tumors never shrink. They only continue to grow, though usually slowly. There is a chance that, left to grow long enough, these types of tumors can transform to a malignant tumor. All of this information was not new to me. I had been learning all I could about parotid tumors prior to the biopsy and I already knew that I wanted to have the surgery sooner rather than later. The surgery is somewhat complicated due to the location of the parotid gland. The facial nerve runs right through it. So if the nerve is disturbed during surgery, facial paralysis will result. This means being unable to close your eye, smile, or move your face at all on the side of the surgery. This paralysis is usually temporary (lasts a few months), but sometimes permanent. (Permanent paralysis also results if the nerve is cut, either accidentally, or out of necessity to reach all the tumor tissue.)<br />
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Because salivary gland tumors are pretty rare, most ENTs only perform a few of these surgeries a year. I knew that there were a handful of surgeons around the country that specialize in salivary gland tumors and discovered that one of the top surgeons in the country was only a few hours away from me at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. It would have been more convenient to have surgery in my hometown, but I felt like it was worth it to have the surgery performed by a doctor who does hundreds of these a year.<br />
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I made an appointment to see Dr. Eric Moore at the Mayo Clinic. When I met him, I knew I had made the right choice. First of all, the Mayo Clinic is an incredibly professional and efficient hospital. Jared and I were impressed with every person we met. I met with the PA first and I appreciated that he said "if you've made the decision to come to Mayo, you've obviously done your research." He treated me as an informed patient and spoke frankly. Most people with these tumors are much older. Because I'm young and hopefully have another 60 years to live (and for the tumor to grow), he said I'd eventually have a "second head" coming out of my neck if I didn't remove it. I then met Dr. Moore, who was confident he could extract the entire tumor with minimal side effects. And he could do the surgery next week. I balked at first, because we had a vacation coming up and I was afraid I'd be exhausted after surgery. But I also just wanted to get it over with. So I scheduled the surgery for the following Tuesday. We then went all over the hospital getting pictures taken of the tumor, bloodwork taken, an EKG, and registering with admissions. Each place we went, it seemed like there were tons of people, but they are so seriously so efficient. There must have been 250 people waiting to get blood drawn, but we only waited about 15-20 minutes. They called my name and I went back. I was back out in the waiting room less than 90 seconds later and Jared asked, "what happened? why didn't they draw your blood?" I showed him my bandage and said "they already did."<br />
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We went home and immediately booked a ticked for my mom to fly out and watch the kids during my surgery and while I recovered. My surgery was scheduled for sometime Tuesday morning, but the exact time wouldn't be given until Monday night. We didn't want to get surprised by a 6 am surgery since we had a 3+ hour drive. So we drove up Monday night and stayed in a hotel right across the street from the hospital. It was the first time since having kids that Jared and I took a trip by ourselves. We got to the hotel about 9 PM and I went straight to bed (after calling my mom to check on the kids...I missed them already!)<br />
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The day of surgery involved a lot of waiting. Even for such an efficient hospital, you can't rush the OR, so it was a matter of waiting until the doctor was done with his other surgeries that morning. I hadn't had anything to eat since dinner the night before, so I was starving. I met with the anesthesiologist and told him I really didn't want to wake up nauseous. He told me he was already planning on "throwing everything I've got at you" because I had 3 risk factors for nausea: female, young, and having head and neck surgery. (His cocktail worked! I was never nauseous at all!) I think it was about 2 PM when I was finally taken to the OR. There was a nurse anesthetist and an anesthesiologist. The NA was very sweet and reassuring and started hooking me up to IVs. She stroked my hair and said they wouldn't start the drugs without telling me. Just then, the anesthesiologist walked in, clapped his hands and said something like "alright, let's do this!" Someone put a mask on me and I was out.<br />
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Because we were at the Mayo Clinic where pathologists are always available, my doctor removed the tumor and sent it to pathology to have a frozen section analysis done before sewing me up. This way, if the section appeared to be cancerous, he could more aggressively remove the margins around the tumor without having to do a second surgery at a later date. Fortunately, it was determined to be benign.<br />
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I woke up in the recovery room just before 6 PM with a throbbing earache. It was so hard to wake up. I kept trying to open my eyes, but I couldn't keep them open for more than a second. I finally was able to speak and said to the nurse beside me "my ear hurts." He brought me some pills, and it was difficult to open my mouth to put them in.<br />
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I was taken to my room where I'd stay that night and Jared was in there waiting for me. I still wanted to wake up so bad and was so frustrated that I couldn't keep my eyes open. But my ear hurt too much to sleep, either. One of the residents came in and asked me to smile, frown, scrunch my nose, raise my eyebrows, etc. He said I only had a little bit of facial weakness in my mouth, which he said was great, because during the surgery, they thought I'd end up with more, based on where the tumor was.<br />
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I also learned that they decided not to do a fat graft (take fat from my stomach and place it in the depression made my removing my gland), and I was surprised to see the large divot in my face. The doctor said that as the surrounding swelling went down, the divot would be less noticeable. <br />
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That night was long because I couldn't sleep. I had an IV in my right arm that poked me anytime I bent my arm, and a drain tube coming out of my scalp (to remove blood and fluid from the surgery site and prevent swelling) on my left side. They had my legs in inflatable sleeves that compressed every minute or so. It actually felt really nice, but it was noisy and the movement kept me awake all night. Finally, around 4 AM, I told the nurse I couldn't sleep and she said she could turn them off. I got a few hours of sleep and felt a lot better when I woke up. But I still hadn't had anything to eat since the night before surgery and was feeling weak. My jaw was clamped shut and scraping a tiny pain pill between my teeth was hard enough. There was no way I could take a bite of anything. I slurped a bit of applesauce and drank Ensure.<br />
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At 9 AM, another resident came in to check on me and remove my drain. She cut one small stitch that had been holding the drain to my head, then started to pull the tube out. I had no idea how long the tube was, but she just kept pulling and pulling. Jared was shocked. He said it looked about 10-12 inches long. I can't believe a tube that long was coiled up inside my head. As she was pulling, it was extremely uncomfortable and just a very strange sensation. I suddenly felt faint and said "I think I'm going to pass out." I was sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed, so I intentionally slumped down and leaned my head back, but I still went out. When I woke up a couple minutes later, I was dripping with sweat. The doctor called in a nurse and they put me back in bed, but it took a long time to recover from that terrible faint feeling. Several hours later, I still felt weak and woozy. I still couldn't eat, but I was drinking tons. I was also shaking involuntarily. (I have had the same shaking after giving birth. The worst was after Libby was born. I couldn't stop shaking for 2 days, until my doctor prescribed me Xanax. That finally calmed my body down and I could sleep. After that, I was completely fine.) I explained all this to the nurse and she brought me some Xanax. Sure enough, it relaxed me and I was able to be discharged that afternoon. <br />
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The next week at home, I was exhausted, but was able to keep the pain under control with regular Tylenol and Tramadol as needed. My cheek and ear were hard and swollen. My outer ear was completely numb. I couldn't chew at all. It was terribly painful to clench my teeth together, but I also couldn't open my mouth. So I drank lots of Ensure. I finally called the hospital to ask about my jaw problems and the doctor recommended doing stretches exercises. I had to try to open my mouth as wide as I could 7 times, hold for 7 seconds, and repeat 7 times a day. At first, opening as wide as I could, I couldn't fit even my pink finger between my teeth. But I wanted to eat so bad, so I kept stretching.<br />
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(A week after my surgery, I was able to meet with a refugee family I had previously signed up to mentor. She had prepared lots of food and wanted me to eat. It was hard to explain the situation with her limited understanding of English, and I did really want to try her food, so I took a little bit of rice and stuffed it between my teeth a couple grains at a time.)<br />
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By 3 weeks after surgery, I could eat a wide variety of foods, though I definitely wasn't having jerky, crusty bread, gum, or anything tough to chew or that required me to open my mouth wide.<br />
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I felt confident that the tumor was benign based on the frozen section testing done during the operation, but it was still good to receive the FINAL result after the tumor was analyzed after surgery. The biopsy and the frozen section had been correct in the most important way: the tumor was indeed benign. But it was a basal cell adenoma rather than a pleomorphic adenoma. The two types of tumors are very similar, but made of different types of cells. I did read a journal article that said basal cell tumors in young adults are more likely to be malignant, so I guess I'm glad the biopsy did not say "basal cell" to begin with. I would have been even more worried for those months before surgery.<br />
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For several months after my surgery, I had what is referred to as a "wooden ear." My ear, being numb, felt like a block of wood. As in, if I laid on my left side, it felt like I was lying on a foreign object, or a block of wood. Now, at 5 months post-op, I can sleep on my left side as long as I get positioned just right and sleep on a soft enough pillow. It's not painful, but it is a little bothersome, so I sleep on my right side 95% of the time.<br />
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My cheek just in front of my ear still feels numb, like I've been sleeping on it wrong and have lost feeling, but I only notice it when I touch it. It's not something that bothers me. My earlobe has regained most feeling, but still has some dead spots. It's hard to describe. Things that should hurt, like pinching, don't. And things that shouldn't hurt, like touching my ear with my hairbrush, do.<br />
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As expected, I have developed Frey's Syndrome. The nerves that used to be attached to my salivary gland and told the gland to produce saliva had nowhere to go when the gland was removed. So they attached themselves to the next closest thing: my sweat glands. Now, every time I eat, my cheek sweats and my ear gets red and hot. It happens every time, no matter what I eat, but if I eat something salty or spicy, it's much more pronounced. Sweat will drip down my neck. So that's fun.<br />
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Other than the weird sweating that will last the rest of my life, life is back to normal and I hardly give my parotid gland a thought anymore. I'm just so grateful my tumor was benign and I feel so much compassion for those dealing with malignant tumors or serious illness of any kind.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-79547352486657815952017-02-15T22:28:00.000-05:002017-02-15T22:28:04.854-05:00Piper - 4<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Slh8VIHiYlo/WKUVQxd0WfI/AAAAAAABH7U/v1xwsdufik0lhXWQG41pC7pZswdEV8rRgCLcB/s1600/piperincar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Slh8VIHiYlo/WKUVQxd0WfI/AAAAAAABH7U/v1xwsdufik0lhXWQG41pC7pZswdEV8rRgCLcB/s640/piperincar.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Piper turned 4 in October. She's such an awesome little girl. I just love her. She learned to ride a two-wheeler at the end of the summer. She's OBSESSED with bugs. For her birthday, she got her own copy of the insect identification guide we'd been repeatedly checking out from the library. She loves to help me cook, and I often find her in the kitchen coming up with her own recipes. She loves makeup, dress up clothes, and Mommy's high heels.<br />
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She's funny. She loves to sing and dance. She is constantly turning on the radio in my room and dancing in front of the mirror. She hates to be alone. She is Libby's best friend, but she is also still completely infatuated with Birdie. She is a wonderful big sister and is so playful. She plays hike and seek and peekaboo with Birdie.<br />
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Piper is an excellent artist and draws detailed pictures. She likes to write, too. She knows how to form many letters and she can spell her own name as well as Libby's name. She is left-handed and she always writes her letters (and even whole words) in mirror image. She is learning to read. She has picked up lots of what I've been teaching Libby and has several poems memorized, as well as state capitals and random history facts. (When I asked Libby if the Israelites were monotheists or polytheists, Piper interrupted with the correct answer: "monotheists!")<br />
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As I tell her every day, she's my favorite Piper!<br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-3808213666844038632017-02-15T21:49:00.001-05:002017-02-16T12:06:11.125-05:00Birdie - 18 monthsBirdie doesn't have a half-birthday this year (it would be February 29), so we will celebrate it on March 1, which happens to be Libby's half-birthday. I am a dork because I find this ridiculously cool and I'm going to be using this as a riddle for many years to come. (Two sisters celebrate their half-birthday on the same day, but their birthdays are in different months. How?)<br />
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Little miss Birdie is such a stinker. She throws her food at every single meal. She still wakes up once or twice a night and WILL NOT go back to sleep without nursing. She's the fussiest baby I've had. She's had a runny nose since October, so I can never drop her off at childwatch at the Y.<br />
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But she gives the best hugs. She tries to tackle me. She cocks her head sideways and gets in my face to get my attention. She kisses with her mouth wide open. She holds my hand when she walks. She cuddles with her sisters. She screams "daddy!" when he comes home.<br />
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She loves shoes. She likes to color, play with whatever toy Piper has, walk on the treadmill, play the piano, and make really loud noises with the recorder.<br />
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Her favorite book is "Go, Dog, Go." She signs "milk," "more," "again," and "eat." She can say: mommy, daddy, Piper, milk, more, eat, I try, mine, baby, draw, apple, cracker, hello, hi, bye, goodnight, please, and several more that I can't think of. <br />
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She adds so much joy to our family. Love my pretty bird!<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-69284615411092973602016-09-19T15:58:00.001-04:002016-09-19T16:08:04.755-04:00Kid Speak, 2016<span style="font-family: inherit;">A running list of funny things my kids have said since February. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ahem...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby: "My hands are so dry they feel like a dead leaf."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby, praying: "Dear Heavenly Father, please help us not be robbers."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, talking about Leighana's husband, Stefan, getting his appendix out: "Leighana's Stefan went to the hospital to get his apostle out."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, playing with stuffed animals: "Attention, ladies and peppermint, we are going to have a wedding."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, playing with Birdie: "Birdie is a pinchy little girl."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper was upset because we put a password on the TV so they couldn't watch cartoons anytime they wanted. Emphatically, "Dad made a wrong choice by locking the TV."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, getting ready to leave the house, singing: "I am a princess, yes I am. And I can't find my left shoe. No I can't. It looks like this. Grandma gave me these for my birthday."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whenever Piper gets dressed and the clothes she wants to wear are inside out, she throws them at me and says, "Mom, can you figure out this?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: "Wanna watch Hotel Transylvania 2?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby: "Transylvania? I though it was Pennsylvania." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: "I thought it was trash-can-vania."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: "I have something to tell you from my scriptures." (Reading from scriptures) "If you listen to your mom, you will get My Little Pony and get to watch it every night."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, while we're out on a walk: "I smell honey rays!" (Honey Rays is a character from My Little Pony, but she really meant honey suckle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper comes downstairs dressed in leggings with a tucked in t-shirt: "This is my running outfit."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper had a nightmare about giant spiders in the house. She got in bed with Libby. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby: "What's wrong?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: "You don't want to know."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, while we're eating: "Birdie, you're so uh-barassing! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: "Why is she embarrassing?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: "She drops everything off her tray!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby just lost a tooth and was feeling the hole. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: "Libby, stop talking with your hand in your mouth. You're so uh-barassing!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby: "This morning Piper stuck her finger in her butt and then made me smell her finger." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: "Did you do it?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby: "She made me!" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: "Piper! Did you wash your hands?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: Looks around, "I think so." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper, after I read a long book to </span>Libby:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> "Wow, that was long. That was 80 miles."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw Piper putting a spoon in the silverware drawer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: "Piper, is that the spoon you just used?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: "Yes." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Me: "It goes in the sink." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Piper: Stares/smiles. "Sometimes I just lick spoons and put them back in the drawer."</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl7mAIBb9Ew/V-BAfbyzv_I/AAAAAAABBmM/w_D3F9Iz8HQSsCgEaLYhIfeMNyun_0jPQCPcB/s1600/IMG_20160906_124225668-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl7mAIBb9Ew/V-BAfbyzv_I/AAAAAAABBmM/w_D3F9Iz8HQSsCgEaLYhIfeMNyun_0jPQCPcB/s640/IMG_20160906_124225668-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a>Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-53515990990009672922016-09-08T20:29:00.003-04:002016-09-08T20:29:51.967-04:00Libby - 6<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEDjwcvXu94/V9ICCcCPPaI/AAAAAAABBU4/nw2J-w_5yyYsQhvZFkmlS41MzZXFfkfBACPcB/s1600/IMG_7137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEDjwcvXu94/V9ICCcCPPaI/AAAAAAABBU4/nw2J-w_5yyYsQhvZFkmlS41MzZXFfkfBACPcB/s640/IMG_7137.JPG" width="640" /></a>Libby is such a big girl now. She turned 6 and we had a birthday party for her at Union Park, where the kids got to ride the carousel, play on the huge rocket slide, and splash in the last little bit of the wading pool as it was draining for the day.<br />
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We could not have asked for better weather. It was such a nice day. I loved being able to do the party at a park - no cleaning my house before or after the party and plenty of room for as many kids and families as we wanted.<br />
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Libby is an awesome big sister. She's so generous. Anytime she gets a special treat (at church, etc), she saves half of it for Piper. She is watchful of Birdie and has pulled lots of little pieces of paper out of her mouth.<br />
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I love Libby's creativity. She loves to draw and write stories and I'm always finding papers around the house with her artwork.<br />
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I just love this girl!<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-16849978323007926542016-09-08T20:13:00.003-04:002017-02-15T21:14:05.465-05:00Birdie - ONEMy baby is one! She crawls and pulls herself to standing. She can stand for a second or two on her own. She says wow, mama, hi, and uh-oh. Yesterday, she started copying Libby and Piper when they answered "I do" to a question I asked.<br />
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She does what we call "head dancing" where she shakes her head around and stick her tongue out repeatedly. It's absolutely hilarious.<br />
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She goes to bed about 8 and sleeps till 7 or 8, but she still wakes up at least twice a night. She sometimes takes 2 naps, but often only 1. I'm sure that's my fault for not being more consistent with naptime, but it's hard when I want or need to be out and about with the other kids. So she gets a lot of cat naps in the car or while I'm carrying her in the Ergo or in the bike trailer on bike rides or walks.<br />
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Birdie smiles easily, but is wary of strangers. Even a long enough look from a stranger can break her down into tears. She's a sweetie pie, though. I love that she knows how to hug and kiss me now. Her little arms around my neck are the best.<br />
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On Birdie's first birthday, we were in Janesville, WI, tagging along with Jared on a business trip. I had planned on taking the kids out to dinner and ordering a dessert to celebrate Birdie's birthday, but we ended up just swimming in the hotel pool instead and running out to the grocery store for a few snacks.<br />
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Anyway, the next week, we went to an apple orchard near us and picked apples so I used those to make an apple cake and we sang happy birthday to Birdie a week late. I realized afterward that it was Birdie's due date (Sept 5), so I guess it was appropriate. It was my dad's bday, too.<br />
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Birdie is just so ridiculously loved in our family.<br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-2848101267742720912016-09-08T19:54:00.002-04:002016-09-08T19:54:37.220-04:00OBX Family ReunionWe met Jared's parents and siblings and their families in Nags Head, NC for a week at the beach. We all stayed in one big house and I feel like I hardly saw Libby all week because she was glued to her cousins the whole time. Most of the cousins are much older than our kids but they were so sweet to play with Libby and Piper and both kids said the best part of the vacation was playing with cousins. Can't wait to do it again!<br />
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A few memories:<br />
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We flew to NC and on our way through security in Des Moines, Piper went bouncing through the metal detector (because she's 3! and excited!). The TSA agent said "can you go through again just walking?" She obediently went through again, a bit more subdued because I think she got a little scared.<br />
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We flew into Raleigh on Saturday, stayed overnight, and then drove to OBX the next day (after visiting our old ward for Sacrament meeting). The rental car we got on Saturday was literally the ugliest vehicle that Enterprise owns. It was a boxy Ford Transit. We had reserved a full-size sedan, but when we got to the lot and the Enterprise employee showed us the options, I said we'd take whichever one would be easiest to fit 3 carseats side by side. He said, "well, you could take that van over there." I thought it was surely in a different price category, but apparently, it was not at risk of possibly being rented, so he let us have it for no extra charge. We felt like that was a good deal, so we took it. Unfortunately, when we were 30 minutes into our 3.5 hour drive on Sunday, the van died. Just completely lost power while we were travelling at highway speed. We coasted to the shoulder, got out and opened the hood (because that's what you do, right? even if you have no idea what the problem is?) and called Enterprise's roadside assistance. As soon as we told the rep what happened, he said "I know what the problem is - this happens all the time with Fords." Apparently it was an electrical failure and he gave us a series of steps to complete to reset the computer and sure enough, the car started up. But not for long. We broke down a total of 3 times on our way to exchange the car. Finally, we made it to the Greenville airport and exchanged it for a minivan. Whew.<br />
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We went to the beach our first night there just to take a walk. But we couldn't resist putting our feet in and that turned into the kids getting completely soaked from head to toe. At one point, Libby didn't listen when I told her to come back closer (the tide was coming in and I could see she was going to get hit by a wave). Sure enough, she got buried by the wave, but I was able to grab her and she was fine. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to bother her too much, and this is the girl who hates getting her face wet even in the bathtub. When I got her out of the water, I gave her a stern reprimand to listen to me immediately because I don't want her to get washed away by a wave. Piper must have heard this and although it didn't scare her at the time, I think she must have been thinking about it all night because the next morning when we went to the beach, she got in the water for a few minutes and then suddenly remembered what I said about getting washed away. She had a huge, once-in-a-lifetime, earth-shattering meltdown. She didn't want to go anywhere near the water and she wanted everyone ("the whole family!") to GET OUT. I wasn't able to console her at the beach, so I finally carried her, kicking and screaming (with Birdie on by back, too!) 1/2 mile back to the house. She didn't want to leave the beach without Jared and Libby, hence the kicking and screaming.<br />
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I finally got her to calm down after sitting with her in the hot tub for a while. Then, as we got out of the hot tub and I was placing the cover back on, Piper ran over and jumped in the pool by herself. She loves jumping in the pool, but she must have forgotten she didn't have her puddle jumper on. She couldn't touch and she can't swim, so it was pretty terrifying. I heard the splash, so I was able to turn around and see her and jump right in after her to save her. She swallowed some water, and when I got her out, she was crying and said, "that was scary!" Poor girl.<br />
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This fear of the ocean continued the whole week, so we never got to enjoy a day at the beach with the whole family - we had to take turns staying back at the house with Piper. I just felt so bad for her because I've never seen her so scared or upset about anything. I mean, she really thought that Libby was going to die. It was just breaking my heart. But she had tons of fun swimming in the pool and hot tub at the house. And Libby loved the beach. She didn't play in the water much (it was windy and stormy much of the time and the waves were pretty big the whole week) but she loved building sandcastles, and especially finding shells.<br />
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The teens and adults played on boogie boards and skim boards (my favorite!). One day, we rented stand up paddle boards and a kayak and played with those on the sound. We saw tons of sand crabs on the beach. We ate crab legs, played games (things, international rummy, charades), and had a glow stick pool party for my niece Paige's 18th birthday. And we found Hershey's cotton candy ice cream at one of the ice cream parlors. We had that flavor earlier this summer in Dubuque, IA and it is my favorite now!<br />
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Oh, and when we transferred all of our luggage from the Ford to the new minivan, we somehow missed my camera. I had even packed my tripod so we could take some family pictures, so I was so bummed to realize on Monday that it was way back in Greenville, NC. Luckily, Enterprise found it when we asked them to look for it and we were able to stop by and pick it up on our way back to Raleigh a week later, but I all I have to document the trip are some crappy cell phone pictures. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just say no </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainy drive out to the Outer Banks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sand monster</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanette's Pier</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Libby with her cousin, Bethany</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the deck of our house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Libby and Bethany</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cream!</td></tr>
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-18237414072119973292016-06-14T11:27:00.000-04:002016-06-14T11:27:18.210-04:00Birdie - 8/9 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At 8 months, Birdie was making high-pitched squeals, biting me constantly with her 6 teeth, learning to clear her throat. and eating paper whenever possible. She also began sitting more confidently on her own.<br />
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At 9 months now, she is leaning forward trying to get on all fours, though she's almost always stalled at all threes - she ends up with one leg bent under her in crawling position and the other leg still sticking out straight to the side, like she's doing a cheerleader's herkey. She now has 8 teeth and still bites like crazy. The worst is when I'm carrying her on my back and she clenches down on my back and I can't reach her mouth to disarm her!<br />
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She sort of babbles and one thing she was saying for a while was "hi da." I'm 100% sure she wasn't meaning anything by that, but it sounded like "hi dad" so it was really cute. <br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-78105098924844480602016-03-09T15:52:00.000-05:002016-03-09T15:52:36.934-05:00Birdie - 6 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh my, this baby of mine is half a year old. I still can't get enough of her snuggles. She loves to watch her sisters. She's starting to be interested in toys. She likes swatting at the Little People zoo, especially the swing. Speaking of swings, she tried out the swing in our backyard for the first time this past week.<br />
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She is trying tastes of foods: cream of wheat, avocado, banana, carrots, and apples. Mostly she loves chewing on spoons. <br />
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Her two bottom teeth popped in the day I wrote her 5 month post. Funny thing is she and Piper both got their 2 bottom teeth on exactly 5 months and 1 day. Libby was also 5 months, but I can't say I remember the day.<br />
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She is not quite sitting up on her own yet, nor is she rolling. She's just happy to be held or be stationary!<br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-38188497540828164502016-02-21T00:39:00.001-05:002016-02-21T00:39:30.966-05:00High Trestle TrailOne of Iowa's iconic landmarks is the High Trestle Trail bridge. Since we just celebrated 2 years in this part of Iowa, it's about time we finally got around to visiting the bridge! It is a very busy trail. It was in the 50s today, but windy in exposed areas. Still a great day to be outside, but I felt bad that I didn't have gloves for the kids. They biked 2 miles and were champs about it.<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-53071198910863402016-01-30T12:53:00.000-05:002016-01-30T12:53:31.572-05:00Birdie - 5 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Wasn't I just writing Birdie's 4 month post yesterday? January flew by and my baby is 5 months old now. And those teeth still haven't popped through! Her gums are swollen and bulging and I can see 2 little teeth just ready to make their entrance. Hopefully then she'll start sleeping better again. </div>
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Despite not feeling so well this past month, Birdie is still super smiley and generally pretty content. She sucks on her hands like crazy and I've had to put bibs on her to keep her clothes from getting soaked. I've had to change her clothes multiple times in one day because she was soaking wet from drool! </div>
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Happy 5 months, pretty bird!</div>
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-77020275038973656572016-01-27T00:18:00.000-05:002016-01-27T00:18:17.805-05:00Bedtime Rewards and Ice SkatingFor a few months, we've been doing a reward system with Libby and Piper for bedtime. Every night that they go to bed and STAY THERE, they get to draw a smiley face on their chart. After 7 smiley faces, they earn a reward. The first time we tried this, Jared was feeling pretty desperate and he told them prior to beginning the chart that they could choose ANY toy they wanted! So they were getting all these ideas about dolls that walk and talk. I had to squash that and tell them we would have a price limit.<br />
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The next reward was a night eating out at Chick-Fil-A. The most recent one was ice skating. This was Libby's idea and they were both really looking forward to it. They actually completed their charts right before Christmas, but we had a heck of a time finding a day when 1) Jared was off work, 2) we didn't have other obligations and 3) the weather wasn't miserable. As it turns out, it was only in the 20s the day we went, but it wasn't too windy, so we survived.<br />
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Jared decided to just sit this one out with Birdie rather than lace up and take turns with me. Birdie slept the whole time (she must have hibernated because it was so cold!) all bundled up in her carseat. I took Libby and Piper out on the ice and it probably took 20 minutes to make our first lap, with them hanging onto the rail for dear life! I was so glad they weren't getting too frustrated, so I didn't mind how slow-going it was! Eventually, Piper wanted to give up, so I asked Jared to go rent one of the "skate-aids" - the walker that kids can hold onto and push in front of them. It was still hard for both girls, but eventually they figured out how to push it. They each had meltdowns at one point or another and had to go take a break with Jared. They did much better when I could be one-on-one with them. Some teenage girls ran into Libby when she was using the skate-aid. She didn't fall, but I think she was startled and embarassed. She turned to me and said "Mommy, I was going so fast!" and then broke down in tears.<br />
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Those teenage girls were dangerous; later, I got hit from behind. I had no idea it was coming, and fell hard on my wrist and bottom. My wrist is still bruised and my whole back still hurts. But better me than one of my kids. <br />
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I know Piper looks so sad and pathetic in this picture, but she was actually quite happy at this point. Falling didn't really bother her.<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-91611958947168971042016-01-27T00:09:00.000-05:002016-01-27T00:09:18.868-05:00Tae Kwon DoLibby started Tae Kwon Do in October. The YMCA offers a really inexpensive class for kids from 4-7 and I thought it would be a good way to build Libby's confidence. She took a free tumbling class at the Y last year for a few months and it was a good growing experience. It was so hard for her at first - she was really, really nervous. But she got slightly more comfortable as the weeks went by.<br />
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Anyway, we decided to try Tae Kwon Do this year. The first day was very hard again. She had tears in her eyes the whole time. But thankfully, one of the teachers took her aside and worked with her one-on-one and that made all the difference. The second week was still difficult, but she's loved it ever since. Now, she looks forward to Tae Kwon Do all week.<br />
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She had her first test this week and earned red and blue stripes on her white belt. She also got to break her first board! Libby was toward the end of the line, which I was glad of, because I was hoping she'd see the other kids do it and not be afraid to try. Most kids had to try a few times and some needed the teacher's help (he would put his hands on their foot to give their kick some power). I was shocked when she broke it on her first try, without any help! She kicked it with just the right part of her foot. Jared took a quick 2 second video and we've probably watched it 50 times - we're so proud! I'd be proud no matter what, but it was so wonderful to see Libby succeed because she is still the most timid one in the class. The teachers and other parents were pretty shocked, too. <br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-59626337862523083302016-01-01T20:48:00.001-05:002016-01-01T20:48:55.809-05:00Christmas and New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had a low-key Christmas at home. Libby had been asking for a "stuffed animal robot that is electric and has a remote control" for months. The exact particulars of her wish did not get fulfilled, but she did get a remote-control robot as well as a small robot toy and she was pretty happy. The first time Piper saw Santa this season, it was at our church Christmas party. She knew that I had brought candy canes for Santa to hand out, so when she sat on Santa's lap, she simply asked for a candy cane. Santa laughed and said that was pretty easy. She saw Santa again when we went to an Iowa Energy basketball game and this time she asked for a monkey. So she got a little monkey that shoots balls from its mouth. The kids also got new dresses, stockings, several drawing books and art supplies, hairbows. They also wrapped lots of random objects from around the house and gifted them to each other. By far the biggest hit for Piper was the pack of gum she got in her stocking. She is always asking for gum, so it was the best day of her life to get her very own pack and chew piece after piece. The pack of gum seriously did not leave her hands for hours.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birdie didn't get anything in her stocking except a big pile of love and hugs and kisses</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a tradition of giving the kids a box of sugared cereal for Christmas, since we try not to eat it year round</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Libby has been doing tae kwon do since October and has really loved it, so she got a uniform for Christmas</td></tr>
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We spent New Year's Eve at a friend's house with a few other families and had a great time. We didn't stay late enough to ring in the new year, but the kids still stayed up waaay past their bedtime (I think we left at 10:30) and on the way home, Libby was finishing a little bag of popcorn. She told me she was "sleep-eating." "I'm so tired, I'm sleeping, but I'm still eating."<br />
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On New Year's Day, we went sledding. The kids were much braver than I expected. Libby screamed every time she went down the hill, but she loved it. They play on the sleds in our yard and driveway, but this was the first time they've really been sledding. Birdie was asleep, so we kept her in the carseat with lots of blankets and brought her to the hill with us. She woke up while we were still playing, so Jared and I took turns sitting in the car with her. Piper fell off the sled once and scraped her face, so was done after that, but everyone had a great time. <br />
Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-80876657739279445032016-01-01T13:38:00.000-05:002016-01-01T13:38:24.895-05:00Birdie - 4 monthsBirdie feels so huge to me at 4 months old. According to my bathroom scale, she weighs 15 pounds already. And I'm pretty sure she's about to pop a couple teeth. She's been fussier than normal the past week and a half. In fact, she was so upset on Christmas Day, I considered calling the doctor, thinking maybe she had an ear infection or something. But I decided to just comfort her the best I could and wait it out. She got a lot better that evening (I started putting on some homeopathic teething gel...maybe that helped?). And then I decided to check her mouth, and bingo...2 rough white ridges on their way in.<br />
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I just love this baby so much. She is so quick to smile lately. And her laughs are adorable. She was cracking up last night at Libby, who was having a solo dance party in the living room.<br />
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She has grabbed her toes a couple of times and rolled over twice (from front to back).<br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-52287103231009434082015-12-09T16:36:00.002-05:002015-12-09T16:36:58.417-05:00Birdie - 3 months<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OkmHuwwuK-M/VmiZeTdVgvI/AAAAAAAACRs/gLzGnfOl_XQ/s1600/IMG_4627_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OkmHuwwuK-M/VmiZeTdVgvI/AAAAAAAACRs/gLzGnfOl_XQ/s640/IMG_4627_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><span id="goog_335745959"></span><span id="goog_335745960"></span><br />
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Birdie is so completely loved in our family. At 3 months old, she has gorgeous blue eyes and is getting squishier every day. She seems huge to me now. She is smiling more often and is starting to laugh. Her cousin Sarah got her first real belly laugh out of her while they were visiting for Thanksgiving. Since then, she's given us a few more good laughs and it is thrilling every time.<br />
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She sucks on her hands all the time, far more than my other babies did. She'll suck on a pacifier for a few seconds if Piper happens to shove one in her mouth, but she doesn't hold it in on her own and I don't really want to be tethered to one anyway, so I haven't encouraged her to take it.<br />
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Piper is as obsessed as ever with Birdie. She is constantly in her face, kissing her hands, hugging her head, reading to her, waking her up, and talking to her. Libby loves her too, of course, and is quick to tell me "mom, Birdie wants you!" whenever she cries. If I need to put Birdie down for any reason, I'll say to the girls "who wants to keep Birdie happy?" and they'll both run over and entertain Birdie.<br />
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Birdie has become MUCH more content in the past month. I wouldn't classify her has a fussy baby at all anymore. I can now usually put her in a bouncy seat while I eat or wash the dishes and she doesn't complain. It's wonderful. She doesn't like to nap alone, though, so unless she falls asleep in the carseat, she takes most naps while I'm holding/wearing her. Soon enough, she will start napping on her own and I will miss holding her so much, so I'm grateful for the chance to hold her now.<br />
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I just can't imagine loving her any more. I am so thankful she's in our family!<br />
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And, I have startlingly few pictures of Birdie this last month, so here are a few we took the day of her blessing with Grandma and Grandpa Benson and Aunt Rachel and family.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oElcYjjZIk0/Vmicwv-XrZI/AAAAAAAACR4/phuHiFQ6tUk/s1600/IMG_4639_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oElcYjjZIk0/Vmicwv-XrZI/AAAAAAAACR4/phuHiFQ6tUk/s640/IMG_4639_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a>Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-13727963590610432282015-11-11T19:48:00.000-05:002015-11-11T19:50:02.766-05:00Birdie - 2 months<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbmff8MWyt8/VkPOPDR5INI/AAAAAAAACRE/s2pI3vfy1Mc/s1600/IMG_4580_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbmff8MWyt8/VkPOPDR5INI/AAAAAAAACRE/s2pI3vfy1Mc/s640/IMG_4580_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I'm already 2 weeks late on this post, but better late than never.<br />
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At 7.5 weeks, Birdie weighed 10 lbs 11 oz and was 22.75 inches long and today (10.5 weeks) she is 11 lbs 4 oz. And she is outgrowing her fussiness...hallelujah! It really was never <i>that</i> bad. She slept a lot, so it's not like she was screaming for 12 hours a day; it was just that anytime she <i>was</i> awake, she was fussing. She still wants to be held and bounced like most babies, but she is having longer stretches of content wakefulness. And she's smiling! Some days my cheeks hurt from smiling at her so much. I can't get enough of those baby smiles!<br />
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She likes being in the water, so she gets a bath almost every night. That usually buys me 10-20 minutes of fuss-free time. And I love seeing her experience the freedom of the water. She kicks like crazy, sometimes splashing herself in the face. She never moves as much as she does when she's in the bath.<br />
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Birdie is settling into a bit of a routine. She goes to bed whenever I do (she sleeps with me), between 9 and 11 and wakes around 3 to eat, then again at 6. As long as the older kids don't come in and wake her up, she will go back to sleep until about 8. In the daytime, she naps whenever I can bounce her to sleep and sleeps until the kids wake her up. Which is to say, there's not much of a routine there. I love how much Libby and Piper love her, but I feel bad for Birdie that she gets woken up so much! Some days I can tell she is just exhausted and I resort to locking the older kids out of the room, but since my room is not sound-proof, it doesn't always help. Oh well. I'm grateful for the love they all have for each other.<br />
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I love this baby so much!<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-46913818645130719302015-10-05T16:47:00.000-04:002015-10-05T17:02:39.873-04:00Birdie - 1 monthWell, it's happened again. I birthed a baby in the heat of the summer and then, I emerge from my den and we're in the thick of fall. After I woke up from the disorienting exhaustion of Libby's first 2 months, I remember having the strange feeling that the world had somehow gone on without me and I was left behind. Anyway.....<br />
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I love having a newborn. I love the sweet sounds they make, their jerky reflexes, their cuddles. Birdie is such a welcome addition to our family. I am so glad she's here and I can't imagine our family without her!<br />
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Birdie is named after my great grandmother Alpha Birdie Cotten, whom we always refer to as Mimma. I have fond memories of Easter egg hunts in Mimma's backyard in Sweetwater, TX and later, when she moved to an assisted living home in Dallas, going out to eat with her at Luby's. I still have a thank-you card that Mimma wrote to me one year after I had given her a birthday card. That was probably the first time I ever received a thank-you card and it made me feel so grown up! She died when I was 11 and I look forward to our reunion someday! In the meantime, I get to think of her whenever someone asks about Birdie's name.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJS-ZeXm1oU/VhLdjTG4a4I/AAAAAAAACP0/XuRLO61mwQg/s1600/mimma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJS-ZeXm1oU/VhLdjTG4a4I/AAAAAAAACP0/XuRLO61mwQg/s640/mimma.jpg" width="616" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpha Birdie Cotten - "Mimma"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love this picture of Mimma - classic 20s fashion! Doesn't she look just like Sarah Bunting from Downton Abbey?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTd16ai2-xU/VhLeo_82nYI/AAAAAAAACQA/SwRIc3iqxik/s1600/sarah%2Bbunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTd16ai2-xU/VhLeo_82nYI/AAAAAAAACQA/SwRIc3iqxik/s640/sarah%2Bbunting.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
But back to this cutie...<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Us2zDwdYWM/VhLc597NTjI/AAAAAAAACPs/orM7j_S7S1I/s1600/IMG_4422_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Us2zDwdYWM/VhLc597NTjI/AAAAAAAACPs/orM7j_S7S1I/s640/IMG_4422_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
My parents were here for the first 3 weeks of Birdie's life, which was so nice. (They had planned to arrive on a Saturday afternoon and it just so happened that she was born early that Saturday morning, so the timing was quite perfect.) They were so helpful taking care of Libby and Piper and giving them lots of needed attention. I got to just worry about me and the baby for the first 3 weeks.<br />
<br />
Libby and Piper both really love Birdie. Libby wants to hold Birdie all the time. But since Birdie spends most of her time either eating or sleeping (and is crying if she's not eating or sleeping), there's never enough time for Libby to get her fill.<br />
<br />
Piper is obsessed with Birdie. She isn't concerned with holding Birdie, but she cannot keep her hands off her. She is constantly rubbing Birdie's head, giving her kisses, and talking sweetly to her. Multiple times this past month, Piper has been in the middle of a tantrum and then cried, "I want to kiss Birdie!" And with a kiss, Piper is all better.<br />
<br />
Birdie is a bit of a fussy baby - if she's not nursing or sleeping, she's crying. She's taken a few naps in the carseat and a couple in the crib, but all others are in my arms or on my chest in a baby carrier. If I put her down in the crib or bouncy seat or swing, I have about 5 minutes before she starts crying. I've actually timed her a few times. If I'm really fast, I can take a shower or load the dishwasher in this time, but not much else. I'm embracing a messy house right now. My kitchen floor is sticky and there are piles of laundry everywhere, but I love the cuddles and I really don't mind.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nuo355dJi10/VhLcNpYc4KI/AAAAAAAACPU/hL9jYRwbGbY/s1600/IMG_4382_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nuo355dJi10/VhLcNpYc4KI/AAAAAAAACPU/hL9jYRwbGbY/s640/IMG_4382_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She looks so tiny in her carseat!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cN1cztD4zvE/VhLcoHh1-XI/AAAAAAAACPc/_2_vHtLz6Po/s1600/IMG_4386_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cN1cztD4zvE/VhLcoHh1-XI/AAAAAAAACPc/_2_vHtLz6Po/s640/IMG_4386_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love those spit bubbles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-73970162089883329802015-09-25T21:57:00.000-04:002015-09-25T21:57:34.189-04:00Birdie's Birth Story<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4DuZn9wBrQM/VgX5MEodfmI/AAAAAAAACOw/w37Z8Bo46B4/s1600/IMG_4244_edited-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4DuZn9wBrQM/VgX5MEodfmI/AAAAAAAACOw/w37Z8Bo46B4/s640/IMG_4244_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span data-reactid=".2.1.0.0.2.1.2:$comment-1072122364245884295.2"><span data-reactid=".2.1.0.0.2.1.2:$comment-1072122364245884295.2.$text0:0:$end:0">"It is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us."- Charles Dickens</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
At about 10:15 on Friday night I was sitting on the couch in the
basement watching a movie with Jared. I felt a sharp punch to my cervix
and then a pop like a water balloon popping. I felt a little trickle so I
got up and ran to the bathroom as water poured down my leg. As soon as I
got to the bathroom and realized that my water had broken my body
started shaking involuntarily. It must have been either hormones or
nerves although I didn't really feel nervous at the time - just kind of
surprised that I was actually going to have a baby that night. I had
thought for a while that the baby might come early but it was still a
bit surprising to be a full week early. I went upstairs to be in my own room and started to get
things ready for the birth. Jared said he would take care of it all and
told me to just rest. But I was shaking so much I couldn't rest even when
I was lying down, so I said I'd rather be up and moving around. Jared
called the midwife to tell her to my water broken and she said to call
back when I started having contractions, probably in a couple of hours. Jared and I sort of scoffed at that - I was hoping and expecting I'd be done in a couple of hours! (I had such a fast labor with Piper - 4 hours total, with the first 2 hours being no more than mild cramping.) I started having some
contractions within about 30 minutes. They were really mild at first, but by 11:30 were coming more
consistently, so Jared texted the midwife to let her know we were ready for her. <br />
<br />
I've heard that some women
like to labor sitting on the toilet but I never thought I would do
that. It just sounded kind of gross to me. But because my water had
broken, every time I had a contraction amniotic fluid would leak out so
it was easiest to just stay seated on the toilet. This was also convenient because
I had to pee every 5 minutes. The contractions hurt much more if my bladder
was not completely empty. Eventually I turned around backwards
on the toilet so I could rest my arms on the tank and lean over. I was
so tired because I was still shaking constantly. I couldn't rest even between
my contractions. I was listening to Hypnobabies, which helped my mental state, but I just couldn't control my body. I asked Jared to rub my lower back. I've never had much
back pain in my labors before but this time I felt a lot of pressure in my lower back. At one point Jared left the room to let the midwife in.
I was still leaning over the back of the toilet with my earbuds in and my eyes closed. I sensed someone returned to the room and put their hands on my
back; I noticed right away they weren't Jared's hands, but I didn't care whose they were. For about 5 minutes, I didn't bother to turn around and
see who it was (it was Rebecca). I knew Rebecca was the midwife on call, but because she isn't licensed yet (she just graduated from midwifery school) one of the other 2 midwives was going to come, too, and I didn't know who would get there first. Kari, the other midwife, arrived a few minutes later.<br />
<br />
My legs started
to fall asleep from being seated for so long so I stood up to try
different positions. I paced the bathroom, leaned over on the birth
ball, leaned against the door frame of the bathroom with a fan in my
face. I started to wonder why my labor was taking so long. I was still expecting it to go faster than Piper's. I could tell the baby was posterior because I could feel limbs towards the front of my belly. I wondered if the baby's position might
be prolonging labor, so I asked the midwife what I should do. She gave
me a few ideas of positions to try. I got on my hands and knees and
Jared stood over me, holding a long sheet under my belly and gently swaying my belly back and
forth. Next, I tried a really awkward position in the pool with my knees
on the ground and the tops of my feet resting on one edge of the pool
and my arms leaning on
the opposite edge. Basically, my body made a v-shape. Rebecca came over
and felt the water and said it would need to be warmer for the
actual birth so Jared started adding more hot water. But I was too hot
so I had to get out. I tried a few more position changes like leaning on
the ball and pacing the room. I also did the lift-and-tuck through about 10 contractions. While standing, I put my hands under my belly and lifted up while tucking my tailbone through each contraction. This is supposed to encourage baby to rotate, but it also puts a LOT more pressure on the cervix - good for moving things along, but also pretty painful. At one point, Rebecca asked me where I was feeling my contractions and I said "my cervix!" That's such a unique and curious feeling - really unlike anything else. Kari suggested I try the shower, so I did that until I got too hot again. As much
as I wanted to just lie down, I also wanted to speed things along so I did a lot of upright positions.<br />
<br />
Finally, I was so exhausted I decided to lay on the bed for just a few
minutes. I laid there for a few contractions and noticed that the
contractions were starting to feel pushy. So I decided to get in the
tub. It was 3:05 AM. I started on my hands and knees but soon got into more of a
squat. Rebecca knew I wanted to catch the baby myself so she showed me
what kind of position would make that the easiest - squatting with one of my
legs out to the side (like a deep sideways lunge). I put a couple fingers in my birth canal to feel how close the head was - it was right there! I knew I was ready to start pushing. With my fingers, I could feel the head
descend during each push and then recede a bit. On one of the
contractions I felt the head almost crown and then go back. Rebecca said
"don't fear it." That was helpful, because I think I was a little afraid
of what was coming. I remembered the"ring of fire" sensation with Piper's
birth and how much it stung. But I decided to give it my all on the next
contraction and get it over with. With the next contraction, I pushed the
head to crowning. This time it didn't recede. That is a strange feeling
to have the head almost sticking out for a 3 minutes while
waiting for the next contraction. But it didn't sting this time! At this point I needed to lean back
so that I would be able to pull the baby up out of the water. I didn't
feel like I could sit down though (there was a head down there!), so I sort of leaned back on my hands. On the next contraction, at 3:25 AM, I pushed the baby all the way out - head and body came all at once - and then sat back
and quickly grabbed baby out of the water and pulled it to my chest. It
was such a relief to get the head out!!! The best pain relief for labor is birth - it's complete and instantaneous.<br />
<br />The first thing I
did was look to see what we had - it was a girl! I was so exhausted I
was still breathing hard, panting really. For the next 10 minutes, I held the baby, rubbing her back and admiring the very thick coat of vernix. Rebecca asked if we wanted to cut
the cord yet. I waited a couple more minutes and then said "okay let's
cut it. I want to get this placenta out." It was starting to descend and I
was feeling the fullness of it in my birth canal. Jared cut the cord and took the baby skin to
skin. I sat back up to squatting and pushed one time and got the
placenta out. I remember grunting through that push because of the
pressure and fullness and the midwife said "this one doesn't have bones." I
moved to the bed and Jared brought the baby to me. I was still shaking
hard at this point and was exhausted but I was just so so relieved that
it was over. And so excited that I finally had my baby in my arms! And thrilled it was a girl!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UrjuW1tVZM/VgX5Mr90dxI/AAAAAAAACO0/ntZGjdWd0U8/s1600/IMG_4213_edited-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5UrjuW1tVZM/VgX5Mr90dxI/AAAAAAAACO0/ntZGjdWd0U8/s640/IMG_4213_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
<br />
There's definitely some pain associated with childbirth, but the overarching feeling I experienced with this labor was fatigue. I've never been so tired. My legs and butt muscles hurt for days afterwards because of the hours of shaking. Of course it was all worth it, though. Those afterpains on the other hand...I could do without. If anything scares me away from having more kids, it's knowing that afterpains get worse with each baby. They nearly brought me to tears this time.<br />
<br />
A couple other things I want to remember:<br />
<br />
Around 2:30 AM, Rebecca asked if she could check my cervix. I thought about it for a few minutes and then said I would let her, but I didn't want to be told how far I was dilated because I was worried I'd be discouraged if I wasn't as far along as I'd hoped. She did the exam and told me I was progressing nicely and that baby was positioned well and was not posterior anymore. After the birth was over, I asked her how far I had been dilated and she said 4 cm, though I quickly stretched to 6 cm as she was doing the exam. With all the contractions I had in the weeks prior to the birth, I figured I'd be already be 4 cm when labor began. I was so glad I hadn't heard those numbers in the moment! But little did I know I'd have a baby in my arms in less than an hour. <br />
<br />
My coping strategies for this labor were different than my previous labors. I was so antsy this time. I changed positions a lot and was upright as much as possible. One of the cues that really helped from Hypnobabies was the phrase "every pressure wave is like a strong, warm hug." It really did help to imagine the contractions (pressure waves) as hugs. There was also another cue about welcoming each pressure wave. I latched onto that one as well. I was so anxious for labor to be over that I really did welcome each contraction. Rather than being afraid of the next one, I'd psych myself up for another one to come on, because each contraction got me closer to the end.<br />
<br />
Pushing was such a relief. With my first birth, I got an epidural right before I started pushing, so I had to be directed when and how long to push, but I had no sense of how much progress I was making. With my second birth, I never once consciously pushed (other than when birthing the placenta). My body just...expelled the baby on its own and I never had the urge to help it along. This time, as soon as I felt the contractions change to expulsive contractions (what my former childbirth class teacher referred to as "reverse dry heaves") I had the urge to push...hard. And when I pushed, the contraction hurt much less. It's interesting how each labor and birth can be so different. <br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I2Cgc31lJ2c/VgX5Wf5SNmI/AAAAAAAACPA/Jd15mxEsUC0/s1600/IMG_4255_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I2Cgc31lJ2c/VgX5Wf5SNmI/AAAAAAAACPA/Jd15mxEsUC0/s640/IMG_4255_edited-1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-87734758305000287002015-08-09T17:53:00.000-04:002015-08-09T17:53:30.576-04:00Summer stories<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YM-PMlOh5wc/VcfJrQla01I/AAAAAAAACLQ/Wqm6DBDgnCM/s1600/IMG_4101_edited-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YM-PMlOh5wc/VcfJrQla01I/AAAAAAAACLQ/Wqm6DBDgnCM/s640/IMG_4101_edited-1.jpg" width="430" /></a> </div>
<br />
I used to be better about keeping track of the funny things my kids said, but I haven't done very well at that lately. Here are just a few cute things I can remember that they have done or said in the past few months.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Piper</h3>
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<br />
Piper is almost 3 and is becoming more able to tell stories, explain herself, etc. But I kind of love that she still has a few words or sentences that she mixes up. For instance, she asked one day "Can we watch toon cars?" She also calls an umbrella a "barella."<br />
<br />
She surprised me one night at bedtime by imitating me and saying in her most grown-up sounding voice "you go to bed," emphasizing each word with a meaningful pointing of her finger at me.<br />
<br />
She and Libby are such rascals and anytime I'm upstairs and occupied, especially if I'm trying to rest, they like to go to the kitchen and "be sneaky" by getting into the chocolate chips and marshmallows and cinnamon sugar.<br />
<br />
Piper has started taking this one step further and sneaking inside the house when the rest of us are outside. Twice in one day, she locked me out of the house so she could get into my gum in my purse. Luckily the back door was unlocked. Looks like installing a keyless entry lock is on our immediate to-do list.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Libby </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZscF8NOhdiU/VcfKeYNKmFI/AAAAAAAACLc/JjEceo9gI3U/s1600/IMG_3968_edited-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZscF8NOhdiU/VcfKeYNKmFI/AAAAAAAACLc/JjEceo9gI3U/s640/IMG_3968_edited-1.jpg" width="462" /></a> </div>
<br />
Libby is really enjoying playing with neighbors. She especially loves the 8-year-old girl across the street. One day, Libby kept asking me how to spell the names of different neighbors. I knew she was writing them down, but didn't know why. A while later, she told me she needed to go put some notes in the neigbors' mailboxes. I let her deliver the notes, but didn't realize until afterward that she had invited every kid she knows to come to her house on Tuesday the 15th for a playdate. I don't know if she looked at a calendar or just guessed, but Tuesday was actually the 14th so it was close enough to being right that it was confusing for some people. One neighbor asked me if this was actually a real event, but nobody else mentioned it. A few weeks later, Libby asked me when it would be Tuesday and when I told her it already passed, she started crying "nobody came to my playdate!" I LOVE her initiative, so I need to help her plan an actual event sometime.<br />
<br />
Speaking of mailboxes, Libby can just barely reach the mailbox now, so checking the mail every afternoon is a highlight of her day. She loves having something she can do all by herself. <br />
<br />
One thing Libby and the neighbor kids like to do is tell "spooky stories." One day, I set up a makeshift tent in the front yard with a tarp and the kids all gathered inside and told stories. It was hilarious to overhear. Libby's story was about a ghost that went in a boy's eye and then in his mouth and finally, the boy pooped it out. Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-17362271333233105562015-04-06T10:54:00.001-04:002015-04-06T10:54:55.433-04:00The first quarter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Apparently, it's been so long since I've written that I missed an entire quarter of a year. Here are a few random pictures from my phone to document the last 3 months.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZAFoUGVlYs/VSKaSb1WNwI/AAAAAAAACIE/ZAIHE2hNtvc/s1600/IMG_20150401_151312360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZAFoUGVlYs/VSKaSb1WNwI/AAAAAAAACIE/ZAIHE2hNtvc/s1600/IMG_20150401_151312360.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
We went for a walk and found this great bent over tree. This was the first day this year I actually felt hot outside and that was a good feeling.<br />
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We went to an Easter egg scavenger hunt at Scheels and met the Easter Bunny.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2jdhbhGcKA/VSKae4DyMRI/AAAAAAAACIM/UQs2RwTmK0c/s1600/IMG_20150327_200846857_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2jdhbhGcKA/VSKae4DyMRI/AAAAAAAACIM/UQs2RwTmK0c/s1600/IMG_20150327_200846857_HDR.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Jared and I are so lucky to be in area with and active BYU Alumni group. For our most recent activity, we toured the Salisbury House in Des Moines, a historic house whose library happens to have a broad collection of early Mormon materials including this first edition Book of Mormon.<br />
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We made an impromptu trip to Kansas City one weekend and I was super impressed with their science museum. It was so fun for the whole family.<br />
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In Kansas City, we stood on a bridge over the train tracks and waved at the engineer. The kids were thrilled that he waved back and have talked about it ever since.<br />
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I'm pregnant.<br />
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Piper was sleepy at the store, I guess. I just love how her toes are curled around the bars of the cart.<br />
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Piper basically potty trained herself. She got through the first week of potty training with only 1 or 2 accidents and very very little prompting from me. It was awesome. However, she is still terrified of public toilets and has had a good number of accidents in public because she refuses to use the toilet. This day was a bad day to have to go without pants. It was freezing!<br />
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Piper is awesome on the balance bike!Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-28041496172316213752015-01-02T23:07:00.002-05:002015-01-02T23:07:43.888-05:00Favorite books of 2014I absolutely love reading friends' book recommendations (goodreads is awesome! add me as a friend!), so I can't help recommending a few myself.<br />
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I used to think I didn't enjoy non-fiction, but I think I had just been reading the wrong stuff! I am allll about the non-fiction now, as you'll see in my list below.<br />
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Here are the best books I read in 2014:<br />
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<b>Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel</b><br />
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This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. It is so emotional, powerful, important, and eye-opening. It follows the post-war lives of several wounded (physically, emotionally, or both) veterans.<br />
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<b>The Good Soldiers by David Finkel </b><br />
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By the same author as Thank You For Your Service, this book was equally as amazing. So well-written. How is it possible to write a non-fiction book about war in such beautiful prose? David Finkel's writing astounds me. Be warned, though - the f word is used at least a hundred times.<br />
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<b>The Fault in Our Stars by John Green</b><br />
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Probably the best YA novel I've read in years, if not in my lifetime. I'm sure everyone has heard of this by now. The movie was great, too, but I loved Augustus so much more in the book. Hazel, too.<br />
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<b>The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd</b><br />
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This was wonderful historical fiction about 2 of the first female abolitionists (the Grimke sisters) and their family's slaves. I just adore Sue Monk Kidd's writing. (If you haven't read The Secret Life of Bees, check that one out, too. That was one of my favorites in 2013.)<br />
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<b>Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor</b><br />
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I loved that this trilogy felt so different from any other I've read! It was so fun!<br />
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<b>A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout</b><br />
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An incredible account of a young journalist who was kidnapped and held hostage for 15 months by Islamic extremists in Somalia. There is certainly a heavy dose of brutality, but people who are squeamish will appreciate that most of it is not described in detail. You learn more about the author's emotional reaction to her torture than you do the torture itself. Sure sounds like a downer, but it's actually kind of amazing. And she lives to tell the tale and even does charity work in Somalia now.<br />
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[I almost left these next 2 off, but I think that's only because I read them early in 2014 and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed them.]<br />
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<b>Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan</b><br />
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This book wasn't perfect (the last third dragged for me) but it was just so darn interesting I have to include it. This young journalist seemed fine one day, then woke up in the hospital completely psychotic. She had hallucinations, couldn't move or speak and didn't remember anything from the prior month. When doctors can't figure out the cause of her sudden demise, they chalk it up to mental illness. Eventually a doctor discovers the cause and she recovers enough to write the book.<br />
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<b>Breaking Night by Liz Murray</b><br />
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Similar to The Glass Castle (one of my all-time favorites!) but without all the swearing, this is a great memoir. The tagline is something like "From Homeless to Harvard." Girl grows up with drug-addicted parents, ends up homeless at 13 in NYC. Pretty incredible stories.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9056774272549749739.post-35103607258965858122014-12-11T22:13:00.001-05:002014-12-11T22:13:38.016-05:00In Which Libby Dresses as an OvenStarting sometime this summer, Libby began requesting to be an oven for Halloween. When I'd tell people this, they'd universally say, "a what?" Yes, an oven. I don't know where she got the idea, but I kind of loved it because a) I could make it out of a cardboard box and wouldn't have to buy anything and b) she could wear a jacket underneath it. I've had all sorts of great ideas for Halloween costumes for my kids (like last year I reeeeally wanted Piper to be a Treasure Troll) but it's just too cold here on Halloween. Jackets are a must.<br />
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We decided to stick with the baking theme and dress Piper as a chocolate chip cookie because again, I could make it out of cardboard and she could wear a jacket. Both of them had a little trouble putting candy in their buckets. People were nice enough to hold out their bowl and let the kids choose what they wanted, but then they couldn't reach their hand across their bulky costumes to drop it in their bucket. Piper wised up and realized she could reach her hand <i>under</i> her cookie, so that worked for her. Libby was just out of luck with her short arms, so we had to help. <br />
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We went to a church Halloween party on Wednesday and then trick-or-treated on Thursday, which wasn't really Halloween and wasn't really called trick-or-treating. Des Moines is weird. Back in the 50s or something, some mom decided that there was too much vandalism going on on Halloween night, so she got her neighborhood to do their candy collecting the night before. Eventually it spread to the entire metro area and it's still going strong. They call it Beggar's Night and kids are supposed to tell a joke or riddle to get their candy. I could go on and on about how little sense this all makes. First of all, Des Moines is pretty tame and most of the "vandalism" involves toilet papering trees and smashing pumpkins. And having Beggar's Night on the 30th and Halloween on the 31st now leaves two nights open to pranksters. My neighbor who is a cop said they get more calls about vandalism on the 30th than the 31st. So...what did that accomplish? But I digress...<br />
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Maybe when my kids are older, they will think it's fun to come up with jokes to tell. But this year, it was an accomplishment for them to remember (and be brave enough) to say "trick or treat" and "thank you."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, she's trick-or-treating with an Easter basket. So what?</td></tr>
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17337939211349242608noreply@blogger.com2