After hemming and hawing all day about whether or not to take the kids to the doctor, I finally made the call. The nice thing about my doctor's office is that they will get you in even if you call at 2:30 and they close at 4:00. I am always reluctant to go to the doctor for fear the diagnosis will be "something viral" and the prescription will be "liquids and rest". Maybe if we didn't have a $3000 deductible and not a happy little copay, I might not be so irritated.
Today we were in luck, Ava is rocking her second ear infection at just 5 months old. She was given a yummy antibiotic. Of course there is still the coughing and green ooze coming from her nose which the nurse practitioner thinks is probably viral. Rrrrr . . . viral. Grant, on the other hand, has clear ears, nose, and chest. I think to pacify me the nurse gave him a steroid (I could make so many jokes here but won't) for the croup and told us to come back Monday if the fever doesn't break. It was 103.5 when we got home. Looks like we are in for a weekend of movies and snuggling on the couch. :)
Why does it feel so right to indulge our children when they are sick? Grant is currently sitting in front of his computer with a plate of cookies and cheetos. (Yes, he is four and has a computer in his room. Just one of the many things I said I would never do when I was a parent.) Perhaps it is not so much that he is running a 102.3 fever, but more the fact that I just realized it after two days of Micah saying, "Grant sure does feel warm." In my defense, Ava has been congested, running a fever, and uncharacteristically whiny. Grant, on the other hand, has been his usual upbeat self. I just figured if he felt bad he would let us know. Of course, I should know better. This is the child who was running around the doctor's office with a 104 fever. The doctor said, "He's not acting sick," and abruptly sent us home with the advice to pick up some OTC pain reliever. Two days later Grant was taken by ambulance to the ER in respiratory distress. Four days in ICU and a pretty penny taught me that even when Grant doesn't "act sick" he very well might be sick. You live and learn.
A lot can happen in
a year's time. Micah and I have a new baby girl, Ava Grace. I am still amazed that she is really here. Micah and I discussed the name Ava when we began dating over 10 years ago. We agreed that if we ever had a daughter we would name her Ava Grace, Grace after my great-grandmother. There were many discussions about this little girl (mostly between my mother and I) long before her conception. There were many outfits and toys purchased (again before her conception and mostly by my mother). :)
I often wondered if I would have to mourn this life that would never come to pass, but God saw fit to bless us with this precious little girl. Some days I can not believe Micah and I are parents to these two darling children. I pray that God gives us the wisdom to raise them up in a way that glorifies him.
If you've spent any time in Texas you know the weather can be very unpredictable. Last weekend we were barbequing in shorts and t-shirts. Seven days later we are bundled up in winter coats and Grant's ski toboggan has been unearthed from the bottom of a drawer. The cold front forced us inside for the day. (Okay, maybe it was 50 degrees out today, but the wind was ferocious! ) For fifteen whole minutes, Grant was entertained with watercolors and a Dora coloring book.
My 
friend Jamie took pictures of the fun!
Grant and I had such a good time at my parents house today and yesterday. Last night, I cooked dinner for everyone (whole wheat pasta with lemon, fresh basil, and capers; Parmesan crusted chicken and salmon). Dad did help by grilling the salmon. I'll never hear the end of it if he doesn't get credit for this. After Grant went to bed, Mom and I watched Peggy Sue Got Married. She has been trying to get me to watch ever since I was pregnant with Grant! Nicholas Cage is really terrible in this movie. Today I spent some time outside taking pictures of Grant.
It was such a wonderful way to kick off Spring!
I must confess. I have been guilty of coveting the digital SLR cameras of others. Thank the Lord . . . I can stop coveting! I now have my own Canon 40D! Through obvious divine intervention I was able to buy a friend of a friend's camera. I am now on a mission to figure out what the heck I am doing. This picture of Grant on the slide is my first attempt to convert a picture to black and white in Photoshop.
Leave it to my son to create a "There's Something About Mary" moment with his own snot. If you have a moment please click on the picture and see this close up. It's priceless.
While we were in Alabama, my dad took us on a tour of Ft. Rucker where he learned to fly 30+ years ago. We also got to see where he and my mom were married, as well as their first apartment. As a lover of all things sentimental, I adored the experience!
Grant didn't care so much for the tour, but loved the trip to the airplane
museum.
Over Thanksgiving we went to Alabama to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday. It was so nice to be away from my own house, obligations, etc.
Here are some pics from the birthday party:
My Grandpa (on the right)
Kimberly (cousin), Grandmother, Me, & Micah
My mom and her brother, David.
Grant, cutting a rug at the party! 
I can hardly believe Thanksgiving has come and gone. We spent the day with Micah's family and it could not have been a more lovely time!
A picture of the whole family. Grant jumped out of my arms at the last minute . . .
My brother, Jeff, and his beautiful wife, Sarah.
Grant & Micah
Jen & Micah
I had the privilege of watching my adorable and precious nephew, Kieran, recently. These are the pics of Kieran and Grant at McDonald's (or Donald's according to Grant). Kieran, who is all of 3, recently told my mother that he shouldn't go to McDonald's for lunch because and I quote, "It is bad for me". Too bad that didn't hit home for me until I was about 22!
Today began Mission: Get Grant Potty Trained. He has on occasion "put his pee pee in the potty", but nothing consistent is going on. So, with Grant out of school for the next two weeks for Thanksgiving, I have decided to really give it a go with this potty training thing.
First thing this morning I put Grant in his Diego underwear, which he is quite fond of (but not enough to prevent urinating in them).
After several unsuccessful "sits" on the potty I decided to ask him one last time if he had to go. Of course he replied with a long drawn out, "Noooooooo . . ." but the hint of a smile suggested otherwise.
This is where I should have listened to my maternal instinct . . . but instead I returned to my bedroom to make the bed.
Next thing I know Grant runs in shouting, "Mommy, I made a mess! Mommy, I pee peed!" No surprise here . . . he pee peed all over the leather couch.
Fast forward an hour later. Grant (now in a new pair of Diego underwear) announces, "Mommy, gotta pee pee!" The outstanding mother I am, I rush him to his potty and yank down his underwear. . . and a pile of poop lands on the bathroom floor. Excellent. Pee pee on the couch. Poop on the floor. Diapers are looking real good right now.
I was about to give up and slap on a diaper when I thought about the strategies I use with the students I work with. Twenty minutes and one large glass of milk later, I took Grant back to the potty with my camera in hand. This was the result:
And of course . . . he LOVES it! Because who doesn't like to look at pictures of themself peeing while they are peeing.
After numerous phone calls, a hundred miles, and $25, it looks as though I may graduate on time after all!
Today was a whirlwind of hits and misses. I was redirected to about ten different people before a nice, young girl in the Graduate Advising office suggested that if I were to book it to Denton (an hour away) and submit a "good" letter explaining why I missed the graduation application deadline, I might be considered for the December graduation.
Of course, this call happened at 2:00 p.m. and the office closed at 5:00 p.m.
So, after quickly penning a letter describing my naiveté, Micah's sacrifices, and the current economic crisis facing our nation, my mom, Grant, and I piled in the car and headed to Denton. God definitely blessed us with few lights, little traffic, and a front-row-Joe parking spot.
It took visits to four different offices and conversations with six different people to finally get my application on file.
Before leaving the Graduate Advising office I asked the fresh-faced college student behind the counter, "When will I know whether or not I have been accepted for graduation?"
His less than thrilling response was, "Actually, we only contact you if there is a problem processing your application. So basically, no news is good news."
Really? No news is good news. This must be one of those rare occasions where this is true.
Needless to say, I am planning to do the "adult" thing (as Micah would say) and follow up on my graduation status in a week or so.
For the past 18 months I have working on my Masters of Education degree. I am currently in my last semester taking my final two courses. Today I learned that I missed the deadline to apply for December graduation by ONE DAY. So, while I will be finished with all of my classes in December, I will not receive my diploma until May. Needless to say, I am beyond irritated. My husband pointed out that I am an adult and should have inquired about graduation deadlines, but it honestly did not occur to me as I am not planning on walking.
Now, if I decide to apply to districts in December I will have to explain how I missed the graduation deadline. Oh sure, let's hire her - she can't even keep up with her own graduation deadline.
It appears as though I am going to try my hand at blogging. My hope is that my track record with myspace will not be predictive of my blogging behavior. Thus far, this feels quite a bit like journaling- another area I have failed miserably.
I have always had trouble committing my words to paper. It feels so permanent, like a tribal art tatoo in the middle of the back. I find myself concerned that I will be utterly embarrassed later by some trivial thought I felt like sharing in the moment.
That being said- I am going to attend to my son who just got beat up by the cat. More about that later . . .
