The blues

We have always joked that LJ’s name sounds like she is gonna be a blues singer. Her new toy, a harmonica.

Snow, pictures, and a cactus

I have a new header… for those of you on a feed…I know I am partial but it is worth checking out. I’m snowed in so I get to blog on the computer since the kiddo is sleeping.  Its been soooo long since I have had these few moments. My town is pretending to be a new england town…  3-5 inches of snow today after 2 giant snow storms in the last 30 or so days.  Another coming Tuesday and one coming this weekend…  I like snow and all but i have a toddler that doesn’t wear gloves…  so yeah, I’m kinda ready for it to stop snowing.  Not to mention, they don’t know how to plow roads so the driving is treacherous.

Newest words: cactus (??), butterfly, thank you
Newest sounds – an elephant (soooo cute)
Newest toy love – harmonica and the old stand by tea pot

More BlissinRichmond photos.  We are going to do another one in the spring.  Its amazing how fast the kid grows… these were from November – shes so much bigger now.

Too too much to catch up on

Has it really been a month.  It feels like so much longer.  So much is going on and I have like five posts brewing..  I might have to do some bullets to get it all out.

Yummy things

• Amber made LJ a kitchen for Christmas and she plays with it every single day.
• LJs hair is long enough for pigtails?!?!?
• We did a photo shoot and got the pics back and they are amazing…  go to blissinrichmond and click on clients and enter amber in the password box…  wow…  they are amazing.
• The kid is crazy big..  she is 16 months, talks up a storm (today’s word is butterfly)
• We started an 8 week early education class at the local waldorf school – it is scrumptious
• Toddlers are fun.
• Toddlers are hard.

Weird Things

So many of you bloggers are TTC #2 I am overwhelmed.  We have talked about number 2 – but we want more space and since Amber is carrying the next one – it feels like number 1 all over again. I don’t know what to do with these emotions.  I’m putting them in my pocket. Our BFFs still have not gotten an BFP.  Try number six is underway.  I’m living the TTC journey with them day to day.  I dread starting again myself.  It wasn’t even that bad but now a little removed from it I realize how crazy I got.  I’ve just now lost all my baby weight (30lbs!) and the weight I gained while TTC (20 lbs!)

Blissinrichmond photoshoot

Beyond Yucky things

So LJ has to have surgery.  I am freaking out and if I talk to someone I don’t know too well I cry…. a lot.  For those reading, you will remember her 6 UTI’s.  We have been monitoring the condition for 12 months and after 4 tests and 2 doctors and 2 opinions this is what we must do.  But it is a serious big surgery.  She will be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then will take at least another week to recover.  The incision is the same they do for a c-section.  I am horrified.  We like our second opinion doctor – he said, “LJs body is saying, Mom, Ama – I know you have tried but what you are doing is not working. My condition is not getting better so it is time to try something new.”   I am thankful I am still nursing, but I have yet to figure out how to deal with this.

Up and down

Christmas morning was really really pleasant. we made all of LJs toys. She got a kitchen that Amber made, felt food I made and I picked up bowls and such at thrift stores over the last month. It was a nice balance to the craziness that took over after that. I love love my family and Amber’s but Jesus the toys.

Too much plastic. Too much pink. Too many noisy toys. I yearn to be home again. I miss my parents so much today. It’s silly really, they have been gone 13 years and 3 years and they were dysfunctional and crappy . Somehow i am always suprised by the tidal wave of holiday grief that hits in the days after Christmas.

Bah humbug. and oh what a joy to hear my daughter says wow and whoah and happy to all of her toys. here’s some kitchen pics. I am beyond happy with how it turned out.

I have to say though, the joy is tempered by the BFN our BFFs got Christmas morning, another friend’s new little baby in the nicu, and the handful of you that I yearn and wish for good news. 2010 it is.

Happy Thanksgiving #2

So we are here at amber’s parents house in the Virginia mountains its chilly and snuggly and LJ is the only kid around 8 adults so we are getting some rest.

When we say what we are thankful for in an hour or so, I’ll say I’m thankful for exactly what I have. There are people and things I miss and wish for, but I love my wife and daughter so much, if I never got anymore than what I have today I’ll be happy.

I’m thinking of the ivp-ers who are still battling up this hill. I wish for you energy and hope to keep going.

Happy thanksgiving. #1

We start in a few hours at my grandparents house. Here is our cutie ready to go. (those tights are in the wash now – note to self, white tights go on at the last minute. )

I picked this outfit out. I’ll post tomorrows outfit that her granny picked out. I did add the bow for the picture- it’s gone now!

Number five

Pretty sure LJ is working on UTI number five. It’s 3am and she is up playing. She’s been running a fever over 103 since about 2pm. Rather than putting her to sleep the Ty.lenol is making her hyper.

I don’t know that I have blogged about any of her infections past the first two. We are still on preventitive antibiotics everyday. In three weeks they will redo the testing for her kidneys and see if anything has changed. If it has not, I think they will likely push us toward surgery.

So in a few hours we will head to the docs office for yucky testing. Maybe it’s the flu, one can hope.

The pic is LJ saying eat. Kid, it’s 3???

Apples and polkadots

LJ’s new favorite food? She likes a whole apple. She pulls it out of my lunch bag, thankfully she will let me peel it first.

She also likes walking and perhaps new shoes.

Nummies

Evidently there is something magical about 12 months where everyone assumes you will stop nursing.  When we got into this I was committed to six months. After I got past the first month, I committed to 12 months mainly because it had been such a hassle to get there.  At nine months we almost stopped when she was cutting 4 teeth at once. 

Now here we are at 13 months and neither of us is interested in stopping.  And yet, I’m getting tired of people asking when we will.  The answer is, I don’t know.  At some point either LJ or myself won’t be enjoying it anymore and so we will stop.  I do not totally subscribe to child led weaning because I admit that occassionally I will see a mom and tot nursing and feel weird about it (the kindergardener?) But really who am I to judge if it works for them.  

This week she named it…  she calls it nummies.  She comes over and signs more and then says nummies.  Seriously.  She also responds to “wait” if I am busy or don’t want to nurse in public.  After we are done she sighs very hard and then gives me a kiss on my hand or cheek.  

I love the increase in communication it just reminds me that there are reasons why the two of us are still nursing.  I know it doesn’t work for everyone – but LJ and I are doing just fine.

Halloween

Happy Halloween. The good news, the kiddo enjoyed herself. The bad news, the wife has had the swine since Thursday and couldn’t go. I took an insane number of pictures of our butterfly. Here are my favorites.