Easter Festival

Happy 3rd Week of Easter!  

Last weekend, we attended our neighborhood Easter Festival, which was postponed from Palm Sunday because of rain. It was a beautiful, warm day. And, it was great to celebrate Easter during Easter instead of during Lent! Fatima participated in the Easter Egg Hunt, played with friends, rode a pony, and enjoyed lemonade & popcorn. 

Dave did a half-hour shift supervising one of the moon bounces. 

Dollbaby got her picture taken with the Easter Bunny!  She's the only one of the three girls to ever do that :-)

A couple more photos from the day:

Dollbaby was sick two days this week. Both nights, she woke up crying, nursed, and then threw up 4-5 times - all over herself, me, Dave... In the mornings, she just wanted to be held. She nursed and slept, nursed and slept... Then she seemed fine in the afternoon and evening. It was weird, but over by day three. While I sat and held her those two days, I watched season one of HOUSE....thanks for the loan, Kathy! Oh, and my E-Bay watching is over. My Aunt Mary is sending me all six seasons of NCIS!! When I finish that series, she'll lend me JAG. So, I'm set for quite awhile!!  

Some Dollbaby highlights this week: She now often sleeps on her stomach with her knees pulled up underneath her and her bottom up in the air -- it is SO cute! She sits up more for longer times, but only when we start her. She can't yet move into a sitting position by herself. I'm glad she's not independent with it yet, as I'll have to move the mattresses lower when she can and I'm not sure if I'm strong enough yet to lift her in and out from that setting. Fatima loves to make Dollbaby laugh. Once this week, Fatima came bounding and jumping into my room, where I'd just finished nursing Dollbaby. Dollbaby burst into laughter. So, Fatima kept jumping and jumping, making Dollbaby laugh and laugh. It was so funny. Of course, by the time Dave got the camera and we tried to capture the moment, Dollbaby was over it. Fatima kept jumping until she was tired, but no more laughs. Another time, Fatima made a wierd noise and Dollbaby laughed. So, she kept doing it until Dollbaby stopped. We did get a little video that time:  

This is "tech hell week" for Kitty, preparing for her school's production of "Clue the Musical," which opened last night. Since Sunday night, I think I've seen her for less than an hour altogether! Her director let me attend the dress rehearsal on Wednesday, since I couldn't go this weekend. It was great! They are SO talented. It was very enjoyable. I'm glad I was able to go. 

I couldn't attend the scheduled performances because Dave got his wish for boating & waterskiing in a big way! A long-time friend from Ohio bought a boat online and asked Dave to go with him to Tampa to pick it up. Dave left yesterday. They met in Atlanta today to drive down. He gets to spend two days skiing and having fun before returning on Monday. I'm happy he'll have a great time and get an early jump on the season. 

GBS update...this week, I carried Julia up & down stairs (harder going up), graduated to riding the recumbent bike at physical therapy (I was dying at 1 minute, but did the assigned 10), opened a chip clip, and put on my compression stockings myself.  A friend who was visiting today commented on how much more easily I'm moving around, getting up and down from the floor, etc. since she last saw me two months ago. I thank God for my continuing recovery. 

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God Bless!

Celebrating Laundry

Guillen-Barre update: About two months ago, I was able to lift a garment and fold it. A month or so ago, I could lift the detergent bottle. A few weeks ago, I was able to start dragging a full laundry basket down the stairs. This week, I was able to carry it down the normal way! I was also able to open a jar lid and water bottle top. I have never before thanked God for the ability to do laundry or open containers! I guess that's the kind of stuff people mean when they say that God allows suffering because it turns us to Him. Through GBS, I have certainly learned to recognize and appreciate His gifts in the simple things that I previously took for granted. I'm sure that as time goes on and these functions return to normal, I'll take them for granted again...just like it's no longer a marvel and moment of praise when I lift a washcloth, shampoo my hair, brush my teeth, zip a zipper, change a diaper, etc. I just do them all again without any thought. I give Him praise and glory as my recovery continues. And, I hope when new trials come my way, I'll be able to see each as an opportunity to thank God for His work in my life.

E-bay watching... NCIS is one of the shows I've started watching for the first time while I sit nursing Dollbaby so much. (My other main one was West Wing. My sister-in-law lent me all seven seasons, which I went through in about 4-6 weeks!) Kitty says I'm going to become E-bay obsessed. But, really, I'm just looking for this one thing (NCIS Seasons 1-6)! I noticed though as I watched auctions, that the same sellers seemed to be posting this item every day. Since that's one of the red flags for bootleg copies, I'll just keep "watching" until I find a decent legitimate deal, or until I get tired of looking!

I watched a foreign movie with English subtitles for the first time yesterday. It's an Italian movie just released in America - St Giuseppe Moscati. It was not as difficult to watch as I had anticipated. In fact, since I only sit to watch while nursing Dollbaby, subtitles were a benefit - whenever she cried, I could still read what they were saying! The movie wasn't really the biography I was looking for, as they took great artistic license with his life. (You can read my review -- my first one -- at Amazon, if you search "Giuseppe Moscati dvd;" I'm "zammaz." But, it was an interesting fictionalized story. And, at least now I know I don't mind subtitles.

Dollbaby sat up unassisted! Earlier in the week, she started staying a few seconds in the "tripod" position the Dr. showed us -- legs out and forward, arms on the floor in between. She can go about a minute sometimes. Once she held it long enough for me to capture on camera.

She's growing up too fast already! It's the first of all the steps to come toward independence and therefore is bittersweet for me to watch. Oh, how I wish I were at least a decade younger and could look forward to more babies! But, I'm going to choose not to focus on wishes, but to cherish and embrace today, seeing each moment of her growth and life as a bonus blessing, having not expected to receive this little bundle of joy.

Happy 2nd Week of Easter! ... Recently, while I was again lamenting the health care debacle, my mom commented to me that I'm usually news-free. She said when she visits she's in withdraw at first, but more at peace as the visit progresses. That was all the reminder I needed. The most anxious I've felt in the past few years was when I allowed myself to get caught up in the news surrounding the election and then the health care debate. So, in celebration of Easter, I am once again fasting from news. The other thing I'm doing is starting at EWTN (Eternal Word Television) each time I turn on the TV. Sometimes I switch on to something else, but many times I find great gems. I've especially enjoyed Fr. Pacwa, Fr. Pavone (homilist all week!), Marcus Grodi, and Alice Von Hildebrand. One of the priests this week said, "You are what you contemplate." It was a good confirmation for setting my mind on better things. I choose to remain at peace. While I may be blissfully ignorant of events, I pray daily for our leaders and for whatever is going on "out there." God knows what is needed; I'll leave it to Him. I think of it sort of like those in a cloister. They go about the tasks for their state in life, unaware of the happenings outside the cloister. Yet, they are a vital part of the world by the prayers they lift up. I'm thanking Him for the return of my peace.

Fatima is taking an art class once a week now until school ends. Yesterday was the first day. She enjoyed it and made a new friend. Her friend Annie has been over a few times this week. She’s spent time playing her current favorite computer game, Zoo Tycoon.

And, she enjoys lots of time with Dollbaby. She wants to hold her in the morning before school (like in the photo below), after school, ...anytime! She's also a super great helper, often playing with Dollbaby while I get something done. She even offered to watch her with her friend Annie the other day, suggesting that I take a nap!

Fatima was so happy we caught Dollbaby's smile! 

Kitty is busy with "tech" every day from now until the play, which is next weekend.

Yes, her tetanus booster is up-to-date, lol! Actually, I only know of one minor injury with the power tools. That reminds me, I need to add band-aids to the grocery list!

Yesterday, I saw Kitty for a grand total of about five minutes! … A poigant reminder to enjoy this time with Fatima and Dollbaby before they too reach the age where their lives are lived away from home more than at home...a day that will come much too soon.

We recently replaced our cracked electric cooktop with an induction cooktop. Dave discovered this option while browsing online after we learned that you can’t buy a gas cooktop to install above a wall oven. We are LOVING it!! It has the clean look of an electric cooktop with all the advantages of gas. It heats up SO fast. I can now boil water for my morning oatmeal in about 1.5 minutes! This week I made tacos and rice and was so happy to be able to go from a roaring boil to simmer instantly for the first time in three years! It’s also super easy to clean, as the surface doesn’t get hot. So, spill-overs don’t burn.

Speaking of cooking, I don't know about you, but I'm in need of new recipes! I tend to make the same things over and over again. Perhaps we can share our favorites – especially easy ones! I’ll start… My new favorite is a Chicken Pot Pie recipe that my neighbor made for us the week we brought Dollbaby home. It's delicious -- and tastier and easier to make than my old recipe was. It’s especially easy when I make yummy crockpot turkey a few days before and use left-over turkey. (Just cook a 5-7 # turkey breast with a stick of butter and some pepper in the crockpot for about 6-7 hours).

Chicken Pot Pie

1.5-2 cups cooked chicken pieces
1 can mixed vegetables, drained (I just fill one of the empty soup cans with frozen mixed vegetables)
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. thyme (I leave out since Dave doesn’t like it.)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 frozen pie shells

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix together all ingredients and pour into pie shell
3. Remove second pie shell from tin and place on top of pot pie, cut slits in top
4. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

It is SO good! If you’d like to share a recipe, just type it into a comment below -- along with anything else you’d like to say!

And now, what you're really interested in...more pictures!

Dollbaby loves her babydoll - thanks for the great gift Laury!

A new use for Kitty's super long nails :-)

Big sis Fatima took this photo

I'm having fun with the noise & lights toys - thanks Aunt Mary B. N!

Did y'all know that I have 4 Aunt Mary's?!

Plus, a cousin Mary, too :-)

Dollbaby shares the blog spotlight with her sisters:

And, now for a few videos. Thanks Christina for the instructions!

It was a great week for capturing Dollbaby's firsts on camera! She has never reacted to the usual peek-a-boo - hiding and showing our faces. This time, I put a blanket over her. Boy, did she laugh!! Alas, she hasn't done it since. So, Daddy and Fatima only saw it on video, which Kitty took.


A final treat for you this week...sweet smiles.

Thanks for reading! Please comment or send an email - it's great to know you're reading :-)
Oh, when you comment below, please use the girls' blog names for privacy...thanks!
Have a great week and may God bless you and your families!

Jumping In!

First, I'll say Happy Easter & a Blessed Divine Mercy Sunday to you and your families!

I'm really jumping into technology now!  First, I started on Facebook about a month ago and now I'm starting a blog!  In order to let you all access my blog without having to join Google, anyone can read it, IF they can find it.  (It won't show up in search engines or blog searches. You have to know my URL address.)  As an extra security measure, I won't be writing anything easily identifiable and the girls have chosen pseudonyms for the blog.  From oldest to youngest, I'll call them Kitty, Fatima, and Dollbaby.  (The girls know that my Mom called me Dollbaby until I was three.  They thought that'd be a great name for our little baby-doll. 

While I have been inspired by my friend Frank, who has sent me his monthly newsletter for the past 16 years (which I always look forward to and read with interest, although he wouldn't know it given the rare reply from me - sorry Frank), and also by my friend Joyce, who has sent me her usually monthly email for the past three years, you can thank my niece Christina for my long overdue foray into increased communication.  Her baby girl was born about six weeks after Dollbaby and I've so enjoyed reading her blog and following her Facebook entries that I decided to follow suit.  Thanks Christina for your help in setting up the blog!  I might write more often if I choose, but my target is Fridays.  Since Christina has been so faithful in posting every week and I've actually remembered to go and read her blog each week, I should be able to remember to write a post myself after reading hers!  If you'd like to receive an email notification when I write a new post, just enter your email in the "subscribe" box at the top of the blog home page.

                                          Fatima, Me, Dollbaby, Dave, Kitty
We traveled to Atlanta for Easter weekend and had a wonderful visit with Dave's sisters' families.  Kitty and Fatima went to the 6:30am outdoor sunrise Mass (chilly!) with everyone else, while Dave, Dollbaby and I went to the 7:30am indoor Mass.  By the time we arrived back at the house, breakfast was being served (thanks Kathy & Eileen!) and the girls had changed out of their Easter finery, which is why they are so casual in the picture!  Oh, well.  So much for my vision of what our first family-of-five Easter picture would look like!

As those of you who are on Facebook have heard already, we discovered that Dollbaby does not like long car rides.  I felt so bad as she cried hard and looked at me longingly because she desperately wanted out of the carseat.  The Easter trip was our test since we had been toying with the idea of going north this summer to visit family in Indiana and Ohio.  We won't be doing that now!  Fortunately, we'll see Dave's family at Christina's wedding in August.  And, hopefully, some of my family might come see us this summer (hint, hint).


Dollbaby did have some sweet and happy moments on the drive.

                                A very happy moment with Daddy at a rest stop.

The girls had lots of fun with their cousins.  And, everyone wanted a turn holding Dollbaby.  Once Facebook's multi-picture uploader is working again, I'll post photos of our visit.  For those not on Facebook, if I get some extra time, I'll look into an online photo sharing site.  In the meantime, here are a few highlights.

Fatima stayed behind for the week, enjoying her Spring Break with the cousins.  Among the things they did:  zumba, a park, Faith Defenders meeting, two movies (Alvin & the Chipmunks The Squeakquel and The Toothfairy-- which she came home & told me I HAVE to see with her and we HAVE to get on DVD), bounce-a-rama, and the zoo.  She had a blast!

Kitty spent her Spring Break hanging out with friends at the mall, playing video games and watching movies.  When at home, she was mostly on the computer and chatting with friends on Facebook.  To her frustration, she left her cell phone charger behind in Atlanta, so she couldn't use it to text all week.  :-(   She had a step back to school yesterday for "tech" day for the upcoming "Clue the Musical."  She's the Props Mistress, Assistant to the Director, and I don't know what all else.  She also got a really cute new hair style this week!  She looks older and even more beautiful!

                                                            Before

                                                             After


Dave is very busy at work these days.  He has been working from home one day a week since the beginning of February in order to help me.  Those are the days that I go to physical therapy and acupuncture.  During lunch one day this week, he went to the lake to help a guy from work with his boat.  That really started the spring fever.  He's very eager to go boating now!  They were supposed to go out this past Thursday, but it turned cold and rainy.

As for me, my days are still spent at home since I can't get out yet without help.  But, it's a wonderful, relaxing, fun time with Dollbaby.  And, I'm working on a big project right now, creating a VBS (Vacation Bible School) program that our parish will use this summer.  It started out as tinkering with a published program, but morphed into writing a new one.  My recovery from Guillen-Barre Syndrome is coming along.  The neurologist was very pleased when I saw him two weeks ago.  He said that my maximum recovery will be by December 2011.  Basically that means, if I still have any weaknesses then, he would expect them to be permanent.  But, I am improving.  So, I'm hopeful that I'll have a full recovery.  I don't have full strength yet by any means, but most functions have returned (I just can't do things as well or have the endurance I used to).  The one major thing I can't do yet is lift the carseat and work the straps/clip on the stroller.  But, I can now work the clips on the carseat itself, and that is a HUGE improvement.  And, I can lift and carry Dollbaby and take care of her on my own.  I can sometimes carry her down (and a few times up) the stairs.  I now have the go-ahead to start strengthening exercises.  But, because of how weak I've become with GBS, that means 1# weights, 10 reps, 3x a week.  But, I praise God that it is GBS and not CIDP (chronic), for the improvements I've had already, and for the recovery he will bring about.  I thank you all again for your prayers and support through all this over the past five months.  I appreciate your continued prayers.

And now, for Dollbaby's latest feats!  She is just so adorably sweet and cute.  We all love her bunches and bunches.  We give God glory for the gift He has given us in her.  She is such a happy baby!  She smiles and laughs all the time.  She gives the sweetest - wet - kisses now!  She opens her mouth wide and plants it on my cheek.  Sometimes she licks, too.  She made the mistake of giving Dave such a kiss one day before he had shaved.  She did not like that, as her immediate crying showed!  She reaches for everything now and grasps things with both hands.  She can play with her toys more now.  But, it also means we have to watch what she might get a hold of.  She is also rolling EVERYWHERE!  Just in the past few days she scoots her knees up so her bottom is in the air and kind of rocks a little, as if she were getting ready to crawl.  We're going to have to install baby gates soon.  She is now 25.5" (75th percentile) and 13# (25th percentile) - very "lean," as the Dr. said.  Her sisters were never over 50th percentile in height (Kitty was usually less than 5th) and Dave and I certainly aren't tall...  It'll be interesting to see what pattern develops.  Maybe it's just a temporary fluke.

Well, I guess that catches you up on what's been happening in our family.  Thanks for reading.  Please feel free to write comments (just click "comment" below).  It'd be nice to know someone's reading my posts & it'd be fun to dialogue with you through this new medium.