harrison's first shiner

last sunday harrison fell out of one of the living room chairs.  unfortunately, his face broke the fall.  it wasn't long before a nice bruise developed above and below his eye.  i love the "mug shot" of him above.

have you ever tried to hold an ice pack on a toddler???  it's a fun experience.

nothing a little apple juice and a few kisses & hugs can't fix.  he became a happy boy again. 

the funny thing was that we had his 15-month check-up the next morning.  i seriously debated canceling for fear that child protective services would be called!  : )  thankfully, margaret (our favorite p.a.) wasn't phased at all.  she knows how loved and nurtured our sweet boy is! 

breakfast

nothing better than peanut butter & blackberry jam toast...and blueberry yogurt...and bananas...all over the face of a sweet little boy!  

it has been toooooo long since i've uploaded photos of harrison.  (did that "toooooo" bother you, dalene?)  my poor mother (in china) has been pestering me for months about needing to see her grandchild.  being the bad daughter that i am, i have not yet obliged her.  so, just prepare yourself for image-overload.

lessons learned

so, what is a girl supposed to learn when...

1) she buys a bag of m&m's (not the individual bag, mind you...i'm talking the 14 ouncer)

2) cuts a tiny hole in the top so she can pour some into her hand and eat them

3) stores the opened bag in the fridge

4) then, the next night, because the m&m's are not pouring fast enough, she cuts a BIGGER hole...making sure to be careful not to pour them into her hand as before...rather, she puts her hand in the bag and pulls out a few

5) then, the next night, she forgets that she cut the BIGGER hole, and begins to pour as usual

6) and m&m's go ALL OVER the kitchen floor???

hmmm...i guess the moral of the story is: DO NOT EAT M&M'S WHEN YOU ARE STRESSED OUT!!!!  

i'm going back to the snicker's ice cream bars.  : )  

and, by the way, i have not gained any weight in the last two months.  so, things are obviously working themselves out!  take that, you mean church lady!  

***on a serious note*** we are doing much better today than we were monday.  we absolutely feel your prayers!  thank you!  now that we have stepped around the panic and worry, we can see things with a much more hopeful and encouraged perspective.  and, thanks to many friends who are willing to help out and offer advice, we feel so very supported.  so, again, thanks!!  we will keep you posted.  

harrison can hear!

well, of course, i knew this all along.  what we were checking was to make sure he can distinctly hear the consonants we say to him.  apparently, his hearing is a-okay.  we are so thankful.

the exam, on the other hand, was not a-okay.  the boy cried so hard he gave himself petechial hemorrhages under both eyes.  

picture this:  pregnant me, lying on an exam table; harrison, lying on his back, on TOP of me; my legs are crossed over his legs to keep him from kicking; i'm bear-hugging him to keep his arms from moving; a nurse holding his head still; the audiologist attempting to make silly faces and reassure him; and a doctor digging in harrison's ears with a small metal instrument to remove ear wax.  

yes, it was the start of a very good day.  sigh.  

one exam down...many more to go...

please pray

harrison had a 15-month check-up yesterday.  after seeing him, and talking with me, the doctor thought it prudent to schedule a few evaluations to make sure harrison is developing properly. we have audiology, speech pathology, early childhood development, and autism evaluations on the horizon.  obviously, this is a bit unsettling...and jer & i are having a difficult time not allowing worry to overcome us. 

please be praying...for peace. for wisdom. and, really, for all the things that i simply don't have words to describe at the moment.  

to my beloved on our anniversary

it has been four years since i kissed you on that beautiful porch in oklahoma.  and, yet, it seems like yesterday.  i've only known you five years.  but, yet, i feel as though i have known you my entire life.  

i recently read this quote: "you can only be loved to the extent that you are known".  

i must say, you know me oh so well.  and you love me even better.  i will spend the rest of my days striving to love you as much as humanly possible.

i praise God for the ways in which He has richly blessed us.  and i pray that our marriage will continue to glorify Him.  

i love you with all my heart.

it's a BOY!

we had our 20-week ultrasound yesterday.  all is well.  

the little mister was not at all shy about showing us his "goods".  we could not be more excited!

he did stay true to form, however...becoming quite uncooperative about his positioning.  the technician wasn't able to get all the pictures she needed.  

this child has caused his mother more tears and panic attacks in his short 20 weeks than harrison has in his 14 months.  at our 8-week ultrasound, he didn't want to be found.  i actually told the doctor, "well, the pregnancy test was positive".  eventually, he made his grand appearance.  at 16 weeks, he didn't want us to hear his heartbeat.  i laid on the table crying while the doctor ran out to get the ultrasound machine.  and there he was, with his perfect heartbeat, just choosing to hide from us.  at that point i told the doctor, "i think this one is going to be a trouble-maker", to which he agreed.  

we were convinced that our little trouble-maker was a girl because of the insane migraines i've been getting.  (seriously, insane).  but we are so pleasantly surprised to find out it's a BOY! 

thanks be to God for a healthy baby boy!