Multimedia and the New York Times

I spend a lot of time these days reading the New York Times. I have it as an app on my iPhone and since I spend countless hours in doctor's waiting rooms or waiting for my leg to be iced at PT, I read almost every article in the NYT that is on my iPhone.

I've simultaneously been thinking a lot about how my children and children of my peers will remember their parents in this technological generation. They will grow up with the idea of a blog, facebook, cell phones, gps, text messaging and more. I can't imagine my parents ever doing any of these things growing up. My mom talked on the phone sometimes, but not excessively. We were one of the first families to have a computer and early internet (prodigy!) but it wasn't like it is now.

Noah has his own apps on my iphone for letters, spelling, and puzzles. He doesn't use them often, but they are there. Paul rigged up an old computer for him and he can type and use a mouse.

I just wonder what his memory will be of us and how he will perceive our usage of these new phenomena. I have answer to my ramblings, just curiosity for the future.

So, in the article I read today, it talks about how kids Noah's age will far surpass kids who are only three or four years ahead of him.

Read it and consider!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10stone.html?em

Maevey Gravy

Here's my little smile-box. She is still sick. Christmas Eve she started getting cranky and snotty. As the days went on she developed a rattle in her lungs and we could hear her struggling with mucus. She had a fever the Sunday after Christmas and her respirations were about 80 per minute (normal for an infant is 40-60). We called the doctor and they told us to take her to the ER. After going through RSV with Noah I wasn't going to take a chance. They said she was struggling but there was no infection. Two days later the doctor said that something was brewing. It could be RSV but it was unconfirmed. She has been on an albuterol nebulizer three times a day ever since. The sad part is that Maeve never woke up at night until she got sick. Now poor Paul has to get up with her several times a night because she simply cannot breathe. I feel so awful because I just have to watch and I can't help or make it easier for either of them.

She is definitely on the mend, but has a constant stream of yuck coming out of her poor little nose. Through all of it, she is still a crazy little smile monster. We are all inspired by her spirit!

A few of my favorite things

I've heard a colloquialism that with children the "days are long, but the years are short" and of course you ALWAYS hear that it all goes by too fast. Certainly these things are true, but now more than ever I cherish each and every moment with my children. When Noah was a little guy, I counted the minutes until he outgrew his reflux. Everyone gave me a different timeline -- people said "my child stopped screaming from reflux and colic at 4 months, 6 months, 1 year...." Noah stopped at 14 months. I wished a lot of days away.

But now... not so much.

We have so many wonderful little routines that melt my heart.

Noah wakes up in the morning and from his naps cheerfully saying "I had a GREAT nap!" and comes and snuggles with us for at least a half hour after each.

Before nap and bedtime he always sways "mommy, please sleep with me for a little while" and both Paul and I gladly snuggle up for 5 minutes (or more if we fall asleep!)

We have read the book "I'll love you forever" so many times that we all walk around the house reciting the lines to the song over and over again. Noah will often walk up to us and say "I'll love you forever! As long as you're living my baby you'll be!"

Today I said to him "You're the best little boy in the WHOLE world" and he responded "No, Mommy, YOU'RE the best little boy in the whole world."

Often when Noah has a grumpy face all I have to say to him is "I bet you can't keep from smiling" and he breaks out into giggles.

He is constantly walking around the house saying "Guess What?" and we always answer "what?" and his response is "I love you!!!!"

After he woke up from his nap today we were sitting on the couch and he was drinking from a cup shaped like a hippo. He had a stuffed reindeer in his lap. We made the two fly across the couch and talk to each other and do a little dance. Then he did Itsy Bitsy Spider on my face. It all brings tears to my eyes over and over again. I am so aware that we won't make our cups fly forever. We won't do Itsy Bitsy spider forever. We won't snuggle on the couch together forever. There will be days when he wants nothing to do with me. But for now, I am the center of his world. I know how to make him laugh or smile every single time.

Noah is my right hand man. He helps me clean. He makes me smile. Last night he dusted the Entertainment Center for me. He sorts my laundry and puts all the dishes in the dishwasher. He wipes off the table after dinner. He will clean up the playroom when he's asked. When Sarah was here one day last week I told him he had to shut off his computer game as soon as his Daddy got home. Sarah told me he was smack dab in the middle of the game when Paul walked in the door. He looked right at her and said "My daddy's home, I need to turn this off."

We have been very strict with him from the beginning and I really feel that it has paid off enormously. Sure, he is still three and has his bumbles, but I am so proud of who he is right now.

And my sweet little girl. She has a much easier plight than her brother and is not in as much pain as he was. She is a smiley creature and is such a joy to be around. It is amazing to see her observe our life and soak it all in. She watches every single movement of her brother and idolizes his every smile. When she cries, Noah is the first to run to her and smile to help her and cheer her up.

These special little every day moments are my favorite things right now. I don't want to ever forget them. I know that tomorrow they will be different and I'll miss them tremendously. For now, I'll take all the snuggles and wide mouth grins I can get.

There will be time

{thanks leslie..this should have made the book!}

by the inspiring Peggy O'mara

There will be time

There is time still
for sitting in cafes
in paris
sipping wine.
Time still
for going to meet the guru.
There is time still.
Now I am caring for eternity.
Carry bodies soft with sleep
to beds of flowered quilts and pillows.
Answering cries deep out of nighttime fears.
Buckling shoes.
Opening doors.
Pretending.
My soul now is dwelling in the house of tomorrow.
Tomorrow there will be time for long leisurely conversations,
for poems to write,
and dances to perform.
Time still.
So i surrender now to them to this,
knowing it is they who will teach me how to do it all.

Watch out Aspen!

This is Maeve's Christmas outfit from Amma and Afi. She looks like she just got off the slopes!!!

Knee Drama, Continued

Thursday I had my follow up appointment with the doctor. He said that I had two meniscal tears. One was clean and easy to be stitched and repaired. The other was rougher and he had to trim it off. He repaired the ACL with a cadaver and inserted bio-absorbable screws into my knees. He also drilled the old screws out of my bones.

Overall I feel that my recovery has been very very good. I don't reel a lot of pain, I have good range of motion and I don't feel bad at all. I stopped the pain meds 2 days after I got home and I've been fine. I need to take aspirin for blood clots and I simply cannot do it. I even tried the coated kind and it just rips my stomach apart.

As I waited in the office for a good report, the doc (who is worthy of soap opera dreaminess) told me that their was fluid building on my knee and it had to be drained. I was less than thrilled and remnants of a grumpy, pouty 10 year old girl emerged. I even asked for a lollipop.

I was sent home with a new brace that could be locked open or locked straight, pictures of the surgery, and another hole in my leg where they drained fluid. In addition, I was told I should stay off of it for another 4 weeks. I am allowed to start some basic PT and start to touch it to the ground. The PT instructions say no running for 4-6 months.

Last night I sat upright on the couch with my leg in the brace at 90 degrees. We had friends over so I wanted to look sort of normal. At the end of the night when I put on pajamas, my foot was HUGE and swollen with fluid. After not having it elevated for a few hours, I was really suffering. This reinforced the fact that remaining on the couch is in my best interest.

Stay tuned for the next segment in the current drama!!!!

Another year, Another decade

I've been accused of having long posts, but hey, they are for ME! So, I can write whatever I want! Heee hee.

Part 1.
10 years ago was 1999. I was living in Germany and for New Year's Eve we took a bus trip from Germany to Paris. When we got on the bus each person was handed a bottle of champagne and a plastic cup, plus some party gear. By the time the bus got the Paris everyone was supposed to have finished their bottle!!! We got off the bus with a group of new German friends. We made our way to the Eiffel Tower and proceeded to form a huge congo line up the Champs Elyesee. It was one of most exciting and thrilling times of my life. We rang in the new millenium under the Eiffel Tower. It seems unreal to even talk about.

Since then I graduated college, graduated seminary, was ordained, have served in three churches, met my husband, fell in love, got married, bought a home, had two children, made tons of friends, and gone through some of the most incredible highs and terrible lows. Through it all and to this day I feel so blessed, so loved, and so inspired. God has always been so good to me.

Part 2. 2009
In the past year we have gone through so incredibly much!!!
I spent over a month on bedrest preparing for the birth of Maeve. After her early birth (June 20, 6 lbs 10 oz, 19 in, 5:57 AM) she was in the NICU for a week with wet lung. We finally welcomed her home at a tiny little 5 lbs after all the weight she lost in the NICU. We have gone through endless bouts with thrush, acid reflux, and now a respiratory virus. 6 months later, Maeve is the smiley-est little girl ever. She has the happiest personality and is just sweet as can be. We all love having a little girl around the house.

I started a new job, switching from the role as solo pastor to a job focused on children and youth. This also caused a change for Noah from our beloved Friends Preschool to the Presbyterian preschool at the new church. Now I am 10 seconds from work. We also welcomed a nanny into our home, Sarah, who helps with the kids a few afternoons a week while Mommy works. Having a caretaker who can walk in the house and basically take over with no instruction or transition for the kids is amazing. There is no separation anxiety, tears, long routine reminders, it's great!

Paul is still working at CSC in Delaware. He continues to manage lots of people and projects. He is well respected and doing an amazing job.

I had the unfortunate luck of falling on December 2nd and have been off of my feet ever since. That's a month now. I had surgery on December 21st and will be on the couch for at least another month or two. This means that I will have spent almost 4 months time on the couch in the course of 12 months. If you know me at all you know this is not my style.

We took two vacations in 09. One to a retreat center in Virginia. We told Noah we were going to explore the forest. It downpoured the entire trip. The second vacation was a quick trip to Ocean City. It rained there as well or was so windy we couldn't stand up. Ahh... remember where I was vacationing 10 years ago? Where are THOSE days?

Part 3: 2010

We have many hopes for 2010. Paul and I have spent a lot of serious time talking lately about why we aren't spending our time doing the amazing things we've always wanted to do. 2010 is going to be the year for us to change that! We have great plans that we hope to put in place by the end of the month that will allow us to get back to our "old selves" again.

We also both are toying around with the idea of running a half marathon together. When I met Paul I was following a training schedule for running a half marathon and never finished it. I will be allowed to run again in April and we hope to complete something within a year.

This year will also mark our 5th wedding anniversary and we hope to head to Vegas in May/June to get remarried by Elvis. This is something we always said we would do.

We really toyed around with the idea of having three kids, but after going through another infancy we are pretty darn sure we are done. Maeve is a good baby, but we miss the freedom to travel without worrying about naptimes and diapers. We are more eager to get on a plane and take the kids abroad in a few years than spend a few more years at home going through the infancy stages. Plus Paul's sister has three kids and they always tell us that everywhere they go (hotels, rental cars, etc) they get slapped with a "large family" fee.

So, in dramatic contrast to where I was 10 years ago we spent last night with a bunch of toddlers and preschoolers. They played and fought and tantrum-ed through the night. At 9PM we gathered them all together and had them count to 5, yell Happy New Year, blow their noise makers and toast their Apple Juice.

2010 is going to be a fantastic year for us and we can hardly wait to take the first steps in this new decade!!





May you find blessings and peace and unfathomable joy in the coming year!!!