Swim Lessons Done

Tonight was our last swim lesson! It was actually supposed to be done last Monday but a snow day delayed everything. The kids did pretty good. They won't be swimming by themselves anytime soon, but it was a great baseline to begin with. We will take swim lessons this summer from a friend here in Gunter and probably add Rebecca to the roster. All in all, this was very therapeutic for both me and Zachary. It gave him more confidence in the water and it helped push the rest of my nightmares out. Praise God on both accounts!

Ark Encounter: Help Build the Ark!

Ark Encounter: Help Build the Ark!

We are going to donate at the Peg level. Will you consider joining us?

New Milestone

I have been blogging about Rebecca a lot lately, haven't I? Well, I guess it's because so many milestones happen in such a short period of time when they are this age.

The latest milestone? She gained enough height to finally turn round doorknobs. She came bounding in my room after nap time yesterday and early this morning. I have been watching and waiting for this dreaded day to come. It means that no doorknob is safe. No room is off limits. No room can contain her. No unlocked external door can be relied upon.

This may all sound outrageous and over the top, but some of you may share my memories of me "losing" Zach inside my house and us finding him walking down the long driveway with Sylvester.

My remedy with Zach became childproof doorknob covers - everywhere. When he learned to pop those open, it lead to duct tape around some of the covers. Yes, I trapped my son in his room during rest time so I could get a much needed break.

Today at nap time, I pulled those covers back out, sans the duct tape. I am hoping that Rebecca does not learn to pop the covers off for some time. Otherwise, mean 'ole mama is gonna come back out . . .

She has a bed . . . I promise

Before the passy disappeared, back when naptime actually happened, this is what I found in Rebecca's room two days in a row during afternoon nap.



Isn't this just too cute for words??

Passy Free Zone

We have survived one week in the Passy Free Zone. Rebecca chewed through her last one last Thursday and we had to sadly inform her that her passy was "broken" and that it was gone. She still daily looks at the empty spot where the passy used to reside and tells me solemnly, "Passy broken."

It was a tough go at first, especially at night, but we are finally only getting a little wimper or sometimes nothing at all. Naptime is not so great. She pretty much isn't taking naps now and instead wanders about her room causing destruction or banging on her door to be released. I continue to be hopeful that the naps will return, but I fear they are gone for good.

So this milestone did not happen as soon as I had hoped, but at least it is passed now. What's next? Potty training. Ugh. I'm going to try to wait a little longer but she may not let me. "Potty? Potty?" is what she likes to say as she smiles and points to the toilet. Nothing actually happens when she reaches her destination, but I should probably jump on this bandwagon as it passes by. I'm gonna pull a Scarlett and think about that tomorrow.

Rhythm Gene

Rebecca has inherited the rhythm gene. Two times in the last few days I have observed her keeping time with her foot while a toy plays music. I've never witnessed a child so young finding and keeping the beat. Looking forward to seeing how that gift unfolds. :)

Proud of My Heritage

It has been more than 24 years since my maternal grandfather, Papa, went home to be with my Lord Jesus. The older I get, the more poignant my memories of him become. I am so proud that he was a Baptist pastor and that he faithfully served the Lord until his death at age 70.

A few years ago, my grandma lovingly gave Chad some of Papa's books and materials he used for the decades he taught and preached. Chad refers to them as needed for his Sunday school lessons and discipleship classes.

I received my Christianbook midweek markdowns email this morning and a book caught my interest. I ran it by Chad to get his opinion and he paused. "I think I have that book," he said and then went straight to it on his bookshelves. "Oh, that's the 7th edition," I said. "This one is the 13th edition." Then after looking at it for a moment, I recognized it and opened the cover. "Austin Rissmiller, Shelbyville, MO - 3/84" was written in Papa's distinctive handwriting. I don't know if he received it as a gift or if he picked it up out of interest. If my memory serves me, he had already been diagnosed with colon cancer and I am sure knew his tasks were nearing completion. A newspaper clipping had been tucked into the inside cover with underlined passages.

For some reason, that has stayed with me this entire day. It brings a smile to my face to know that I was drawn to a book that my Papa owned. I don't think he ever had a chance to read it. The binding has not yet been broken. I plan on reading it as my time permits. What was the book, you might ask? The Handbook of Denominations in the United States.

Healthy, but still quarantined

Just a quick update to praise God that my entire family is no longer sick. Thursday morning, Hannah and Zach both showed great improvement and began eating normally without throwing up. We dealt with this virus and all it's horrible side effects for 15 days.

Now the downside. This was a Norovirus which, according to the CDC, is still contagious up to 1-2 weeks after the victim stops having symptoms. Because I don't want to knowingly share this virus with anyone and because I do not want the kids to contract anything else, the kids and I will stay home from church tomorrow.

I don't think it's oversimplifying to say that I am going stir crazy. I have not left this house since last Saturday. I have not really had contact with anyone other than my family for more than a few moments for 8 days. If I were by myself, I think I would be fine. Since I have been with 3 sick, cranky siblings, it's been kind of like Chinese torture. I look forward to going to Brookshires this weekend just to see other people.

Today, I am very thankful for a healthy family and am exceedingly thankful for the phone and Internet so I can at least stay in contact with the world!

Rebecca's 2 Year Appt

I'm about a month behind on this, but I wanted to share Rebecca's stats from her 2 year appointment at the end of October.

Weight: 28.4 lbs (69%)
Height: 35.25 in (83%)
Head Cir: 19" (70%)

My growing girl has 19 teeth now, passed her vision and hearing screens, and got two shots, including her flu shot. She got a new eczema cream for her face. Hoping that clears up the red blotches on her cheeks. That brings her up to 3 prescribed creams plus over the counter creams to treat her eczema which appears in patches on her face, arms, legs, and behind. Praying she outgrows this. If she doesn't, we may consider allergy testing down the road. :(

Other than the eczema, she is doing great. She promoted to her toddler bed two nights ago and is so proud of it! We will purchase the mattress and box springs for her twin bed frame as soon as time and funds allow. For now, she is quite content and hasn't rolled out of the bed even once!

Stomach Flu Go Away

If you haven't heard, our family has been battling an evil little virus called Viral Gastroenteritis. The common name is stomach flu even though it is no relation to the influenza virus. The most common ailments are vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Did I mention it's evil? So here is the timeline of how it's been going:

Thursday, 11/11: I wake up with serious intestinal issues, but contribute my troubles to my IBS and go about my business. Rebecca fusses during naptime for 2 hours, never sleeps, then vomits all over her crib and floor next to her crib. She then has the worst diarrhea I've ever seen in my life for the next three days. I experience the stomach cramping for about two days.

Wednesday, 11/17: Zach complains of a brief tummy ache just before dinner then decides he's fine, eats supper, and we go to Awana. That night, he spikes a fever and vomits all over his bed.

Thursday, 11/18: Zach has all the side effects and low and behold, I get a second round of the virus.

Friday, 11/19: By evening, Chad is the next victim.

So today we are all watching Hannah to see if she is going to get it. Zach is still very bad and has little to no energy. So sad that we may miss all the Thanksgiving festivities at church and with our family. We're taking it one day at a time and will determine on Tuesday who is able to travel and how far we can go. We may just have to have ourselves a little celebration here under quarantine.