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And baby makes THREE

So Danielle called a couple weeks back and told us the exciting news ... They are expecting! It didn't take them as long as they thought. She is due October 25th. I can't wait to find out what it is.

If it isn't one thing, its another

Poor Isabelle can't seem to catch a break lately. The other day when I went to get Isabelle from her nap, I noticed that she was really hot. I took her temp and it was a whopping 103.4. She was hot to the touch even. So I gave her some Tylenol and prayed that would help. After an hour I checked it again and it dropped some but not much. I called the family nurse, Laura and she said to give it some more time and just watch her. I did and by 10 that evening it was back up to 103.7 so we called the night nurse and she had us up the dose of Tylenol and that really helped.

It so just happened that we had a doctor appt scheduled for the next day. It was her 18 month check up. She was doing much better so we went on our merry way. The next day Isabelle was still acting completely normal (when she had the fever it was like it never fazed her) so I didn't think anything was wrong. She had actually eaten breakfast, oatmeal to be exact and it was all over her. So I opted to just take off her pajama top and that is when I noticed the rash that was all over her body. So I called the doctors office and they had us come back in. The doctor did some tests and then called and said it was strep throat. Poor Isabelle had strep throat for almost 4 days before we even knew it. The kid did fantastic, she was a little clingy but all in all she was a trooper. She is back to her old self ... running, playing, making a mess and peeing on the floor. I literally just cleaned up pee because Josh let her run free after taking a bath. Good one dad!

We got really lucky. Isabelle is such a good toddler. We couldn't have asked for anything more! Strep throat and all!

Gymnastics

I took Isabelle to her first gymnastics class a couple of weeks back. She had a good time but her lack of attention was something to be desired. What can you expect from an 18 month old, right? She liked the little course they had set up but she didn't much care for the stretching or running in line. She did however LOVE the balance beam. At one point she took off running for it and before I could get to her, she had climbed up on it, stood up and taken a couple of steps. The girl has no fear. I want to try the other gym here in town before I make a decision but at this point it looks like we might want to wait another couple of months before we sign her up. Who knows, maybe we will be at the 2024 Summer Olympics ... then again maybe not :)

Climbing High

The weather has been pretty nice lately so the other weekend Josh took Isabelle outside to play. Josh was working in the yard and Isabelle had her little gardening aparon on while she collected berries off our tree. It was so cute to see her running around. Carol came over from across the street and gave her a basket to help carry all her stuff. She loved it.

I ended up going in the house to get some cleaning done and they stayed outside. Josh had set up the laddar and was trimming the top of a tree next to our house. I was in the office and as I looked out the window I saw Josh standing on the laddar (almost on the top step) and Isabelle was right behind him. She had climbed up after him and he didn't even notice. I banged on the window to get his attention. Once I got it I pointed down to her and he jumped strait down onto the ground and grabbed her. She was pissed! She had climbed all the way up there and didn't want to get down. Thankfully, I saw it in time and no one got hurt but that just goes to show you how fast kids are. Maybe next time we should put a bell on her. :)

Catch Up

I know, I know, I am such a slacker. I got way behind on this thing and ever since I have dreaded logging on to try and play catch up. I am going to bite the bullet and just do it. I will do my best to remember all the fun events that have happened so it will take some time. For those loyal readers, just stay tuned ... updates are on the way. :)

Isabelle's Surgery

I had to take my little girl to have tubes put in her ears. It is so hard to leave your child with doctors, even for something this small, and it killed me. She, on the other hand did great. We had to be there at 6 am, once we got there the called us back and had me undress her. They gave her some "juice" to calm her down so that she would take to the anesthesia better and it made her loopy. It was hilarious! She started to laugh and laugh at nothing at all, then her whole body went limp. A few minutes later the nurse came and took her from me and then told me to go back to the regular waiting room.

While sitting there a man came up to me and started talking up a storm. He had just gotten back from a trip to LA and he got to sit on some TV Judge show and he was all excited about his 15 minutes of fame. Luckily, about 15 minutes later the doctor called me name and reported that everything went fine with Isabelle. I just had to wait another couple of minutes for the nurse to get her to wake up. It didn't take long before I heard her crying. They called me in and poor Isabelle was sobbing. The hardest part for these kids is going in and out of anesthesia. It took about 20 minutes before she calmed down enough to let me get her dressed. One of the nurses gave her animal stickers and she did the sign for each one, the nurse was impressed that under such circumstances she was still able to show off. Thats my girl!

Before I even pulled in the drive way, Carol, our neighbor, was walking across the street to check on her. Isabelle was in a great mood. We all went in the house and Isabelle played kitchen and babbled up a storm. Carol mentioned that that was the first time she had heard her say so much. Isabelle talked alllll day long. We think it was because her voice sounded different to her. She had so much fluid in her ears that it probably sounded like she was underwater. I am so thankful I had this done, she is doing so much better already.

Christmas recap

The holiday season is over and a part of me is sad. There is no reason to not keep the Christmas season in your heart all year long and I am going to try hard to do that.

This year we drove up to Michigan to be with Josh's family. Laura still isn't feeling well so it was extra important for us to make the trip. We left in the evening so that Isabelle could sleep through the 12 hour drive but that didn't really happen. Luckily for us though, she just sat there and watched the lights go by. Once we got there, we got right to work. There was lots of cooking, cleaning and shopping to be done.

Christmas day was nice. Ben and Danielle got there safe and sound after an awful drive from Nokomis. Isabelle made out like a bandit; she got a new baby, a crib (that used to be Laura's as a kid), a stroller, blocks, barbies and even more toys that I can't remember. Josh got me a 2 ct. diamond heart locket necklace, the first half of Good Eats Collection and another topaz necklace that I had admired. I also came home with the pancake griddle I wanted, a wood cutting board and some new baking dishes. I too made out like a bandit. I gave Josh his present early since it was to big to travel and he was excited to see that it was a 4 gallon air compressor.

We were in Tecumseh for two weeks and even though there were times it felt like longer, it was a great trip. There were some frustrating moments when not everyone was pulling their weight but all in all I had a good time. We spent one day bowling, another day swimming (in an indoor pool obviously) and a few nights we welcomed friends and family over for dinner. Isabelle got to spend some quality time with the family and that is always good.

The 31st was our 4Th year anniversary. We left Isabelle with the family and got to out out this year. There isn't much to do in Tecumseh so even though we had all this freedom, we couldn't do much with it. We went to lunch, did some shopping, walked around an antique shop, saw a movie, had dinner and then went home. It wasn't a lot but it was so much fun to be able to be a couple again ... and not run after a toddler.

I am happy to be back home and back on our schedule. This week is filled with doctor appts and cleaning. It might be a new year but its the same ole' routine and I don't mind one bit.

New Years Resolutions

It is a new year and I am once again setting resolutions for myself. I shall finish losing the baby weight that is still clinging to my middle section, remember to make my husband his lunch each work night, be on time mailing birthday cards to friends and family and last but not least; stay updated on this darn thing. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy journaling like this but for some reason the time just gets away from me.

I want this year to be filled with promise and hope. Yeah, I know that a new year or a new day even, is filled with those things but I want to hold on to that thought all year through. Josh and I are hoping to add to our family soon and I want to welcome a new baby into a home that is warm, happy and loving. I want to remember that I am just a small part in Heavenly Fathers plan ... and I am content with that.