(this post was started 3 weeks ago but blogger didn't want to load the pics and i got apathetic- sorry! i'm back!)
(i tried to think of a clever title but didn't have the brain power)
At the beginning of December we had some family pictures taken by our dear friend Jessica at the City Museum.
Of course, Emory was very very crabby due to teething (which is the only time in her life that has happened) and Leland thought everything was so cool he just wanted to run and play.
Emory was either crying, yelling or squirming about 80% of the time we were shooting.
I had lots of faith in Jessica but wasn't sure how things would turn out with our crazy family on its craziest day.....
i was sooooooooooo pleasantly surprised!
here are a few of my favorites:
just kidding.
i've tried a BUNCH of times to load them but they are apparently just so awesome it won't work.
If you are my facebook friend go here: family pics although you've probably already seen them in that case.
If you would like to be my facebook friend so you can see them just send me a request and say hey! you know me from blog land! :O)
okay. this post is done. i'm over it!
not the pictures, just the post.
there will be a new, non-3-week-old post soon to come.
pinky promise
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
have i mentioned i love my doctor?!
whew!
thank you so much for all of the sweet words of encouragement and how reassuring you all were- my doctor was as well.
He told me to absolutely not put another thought into it because there would be no complications from the low dose scan. (Praise the Lord!)
He also gave me suggestions for if the pain comes back and gave me his *cell number* if i have a hard time getting in contact with him again. Then he made my next appointment for 6 weeks so that i don't have to drive the whole way again in 4 weeks. At that appointment we get our next ultrasound and can find out if its a boy or a girl!!!!
So! i'm thinking we should make it through the rest of the month with no drama- who's in?
:O)
We had a great time getting our Christmas tree the saturday after Thanksgiving. Eckert's is our go to tree/pumpkin/apple orchard.
They have a grocery store, a restaurant and Santa/craft area, on top of the beautiful trees that you can go pick out and cut down yourself. Emory fell asleep on the way so Leland and i did a little grocery shopping while she a daddy snoozed in the van.
then we got to work picking out the perfect tree. We usually get a tall (to our ceiling), fat, fluffy tree, but this year it wasn't as tall but it was definitely the one. The kids love it and its certainly gargantuan in their eyes.
Usually getting the tree into our split level, getting it straight in the stand and getting the lights on is a bit of an... exercise in self control for Joel, haha, but this year he did really well! No anger or frustration just smiles and teamwork :O)
Here are more pictures of the process than you really want to see :O) (They are just from Joel's phone)
Emory is not a huge fan of Santa this year!
That's the 3rd one she has seen this year and was STILL not buying it :O)
you may remember the ones from last year...
um, where did my babies go?!
it's a good thing we're having another!
You may have noticed the new picture at the top of the page!
We got some of our family pictures back from our friend Jessica and they turned out SO GREAT!
i was reeeeeeeeally nervous because Emory was crabbier than i have *ever experienced thanks to teething and Leland just wanted to run and play so he was sprinting out of half the shots.
But somehow she captured some great moments and they are just beautiful!
Of course i dislike the ones of myself but that's normal :O) i love the one i chose for my blog though, every thing about it!
Tomorrow i will show a few of my other favorites!
If you are in the STL area or want to come here for the setting of your pictures, I would definitely recommend Jessica, she's such a sweetheart and very talented.
peace out! (hahahaha)
thank you so much for all of the sweet words of encouragement and how reassuring you all were- my doctor was as well.
He told me to absolutely not put another thought into it because there would be no complications from the low dose scan. (Praise the Lord!)
He also gave me suggestions for if the pain comes back and gave me his *cell number* if i have a hard time getting in contact with him again. Then he made my next appointment for 6 weeks so that i don't have to drive the whole way again in 4 weeks. At that appointment we get our next ultrasound and can find out if its a boy or a girl!!!!
So! i'm thinking we should make it through the rest of the month with no drama- who's in?
:O)
We had a great time getting our Christmas tree the saturday after Thanksgiving. Eckert's is our go to tree/pumpkin/apple orchard.
They have a grocery store, a restaurant and Santa/craft area, on top of the beautiful trees that you can go pick out and cut down yourself. Emory fell asleep on the way so Leland and i did a little grocery shopping while she a daddy snoozed in the van.
then we got to work picking out the perfect tree. We usually get a tall (to our ceiling), fat, fluffy tree, but this year it wasn't as tall but it was definitely the one. The kids love it and its certainly gargantuan in their eyes.
Usually getting the tree into our split level, getting it straight in the stand and getting the lights on is a bit of an... exercise in self control for Joel, haha, but this year he did really well! No anger or frustration just smiles and teamwork :O)
Here are more pictures of the process than you really want to see :O) (They are just from Joel's phone)
Emory is not a huge fan of Santa this year!
That's the 3rd one she has seen this year and was STILL not buying it :O)
you may remember the ones from last year...
um, where did my babies go?!
it's a good thing we're having another!
You may have noticed the new picture at the top of the page!
We got some of our family pictures back from our friend Jessica and they turned out SO GREAT!
i was reeeeeeeeally nervous because Emory was crabbier than i have *ever experienced thanks to teething and Leland just wanted to run and play so he was sprinting out of half the shots.
But somehow she captured some great moments and they are just beautiful!
Of course i dislike the ones of myself but that's normal :O) i love the one i chose for my blog though, every thing about it!
Tomorrow i will show a few of my other favorites!
If you are in the STL area or want to come here for the setting of your pictures, I would definitely recommend Jessica, she's such a sweetheart and very talented.
peace out! (hahahaha)
Monday, December 6, 2010
again with the ER, for Pete's sake.
and this time, it was actually me!
So sorry to be missing from blog land friends,
especially after a few rather blah posts.
Unfortunately i have been under the weather a bit and the blog took one for the team, yet again.
i've been having a pretty boring pregnancy this time, other than my usual hip pain and usual first trimester symptoms of tired & queasy. recently i'd been having some digestion (or lack there of) issues (sorry, i know it's more than you want to know) and some general discomfort which then morphed into intense abdominal pain on my lower right side.
i've also had about 2% of my normal appetite for about 2 weeks.
none of that was super alarming until the bad pain that started early morning Tuesday of last week.
It got so bad and was in such an isolated place that i began to think that it might be appendicitis.
After googling the results of *not seeking treatment immediately with the condition during pregnancy i decided it was better safe than sorry and headed to the ER at Anderson, which is right by our house.
(remember my Dr is in Mt. Vernon)
at the time of my arrival i wasn't able to walk, sit up, or really move with out pain.
to make a long story short(er) the pain increased, they ruled out lots of things and were of the opinion that it very well could be the appendix but didn't want to jump the gun and risk surgery with out knowing more for sure, but didn't want to do a CT scan.
they talked about keeping me over night to watch me and operating if the pain didn't get better, or doing a lapriscopic scope to check the appendix if necessary. when they talked about possible surgery there i wasn't comfortable with that possibility, after meeting the 75 year old, MEAN surgeon who was on call and the experiences that i had with the staff so far and also the experiences our friends & family have had with their surgeries at Anderson. If there was any chance of surgery i didn't want it to be there, mostly for my baby's sake.
So i was transfered to St. Mary's in STL (first trip in an ambulance) which has a great OB/high risk pregnancy reputation and would have much more experience with the operation in this situation.
St. Mary's was like a breath of fresh air. They ended up doing a CT scan but at a much lower Rad level so it would be safer, and were able to tell that the appendix was okay. They said it was probably broad ligament pain and sent me home.
Joel and i got home about 4 am Wednesday night and just passed out in bed.
the pain had subsided LOTS by this time and even though i was uncomfortable and exhausted i was just glad that we didn't have surgery. The pain was so intense and in the exact place you would have pain if you had appendicitis that i was almost positive that's what it was... surgery of any kind is one of my worst nightmares so i was trying not to think about it.
I'm very grateful for the help from our families watching the kids and staying with me, and for all the prayers, concern & encouragement from our friends.
I have an appointment at my OB office this week so hopefully i will get some more info/answers then.
my main concern at this point is the effect of the radiation from the CT scan on our sweet baby.
I'm really fretting about it because of a mistake on my part.
since the beginning of finding out we were pregnant our dates gave us one due date and then the measurements from our first ultrasound gave us a later one. So in my head i've been keeping track of both and saying "8-9 weeks" or "13-14 weeks".
Well when we went to St. Mary's i was thinking i was in the "13-14 weeks" range and told them that, i gave them my due date but also my last start date (again, SORRY!) and they proceeded with the CT scan saying that since were out of the first trimester the dramatic development was completed as far as brain, heart etc. This made it safer to do the radiation. Radiation changes cell structure which is not good for developing babies, of course. Because i was out of the first trimester and the level of radiation would be significantly less it was decided that we really needed to go ahead to make sure that even if i felt better there wasn't the chance of me going home, my appendix then rupturing later and losing the baby & me too. so we went ahead and did it and i felt like that was a valid decision.
after coming home i looked at my calendar and saw that i was really in the 12-13 week range, really 12 1/2 weeks by the due date given from my ultrasound, on the day i did the CT scan.
SO! i've been having a really hard time not being consumed with the "what ifs" of the effects of the CT scan on the baby.
I've felt like a bad mom, stupid, scared and then REALLY scared.
i know that God is in control but i'm still loosing sleep and sanity over it.
If you have a moment please pray for baby's healthy development and my peace of mind. I know there are so many with more pressing and frightening situations with their babies/pregnancies but would still love your prayers.
sorry for the downer post! i really am so thankful that we didn't have surgery or expose baby to the risk of infection or complications in that way.
one last bit on my experience at Anderson. I'm not a super high maintenance patient, especially in the ER where i know that there are critical cases coming in all the time and you don't always get priority. This ER experience started out okay and went down hill pretty quick.
the nurse who came in once i was in my room had an attitude of superiority from the get go. She lectured me about my Dr choice, she belittled me and she obviously thought she knew everything.
Don't get me wrong, i know that nurses have a VERY hard job, that is VERY demanding and often have VERY long days. this lady was just mean. i let her know when she was getting ready to put my i.v. port/thingy to draw blood that i have very small, difficult veins, that unless you put in on the left arm, in this one particular spot you will probably end up blowing my veins and spending lots of time searching. she said, "mmhmm. right." and continued to look on my right arm and then proceed to stick me, dig around and blow my vein. then she decided to give the spot i showed her a try.
this is the result of her not giving a hoot:
the left arm left zero bruising and went in the first time with out digging, imagine that.
anyway. i'm home, i'm feeling okay and i'm trusting that things will work out.
We had an AMAZING Thanksgiving weekend break, have our Christmas tree up and can't get enough of Christmas songs around the house:O)
hopefully this week i will share a bit about getting our tree and getting our family pictures taken- that should be a bit more enjoyable for us all!
So sorry to be missing from blog land friends,
especially after a few rather blah posts.
Unfortunately i have been under the weather a bit and the blog took one for the team, yet again.
i've been having a pretty boring pregnancy this time, other than my usual hip pain and usual first trimester symptoms of tired & queasy. recently i'd been having some digestion (or lack there of) issues (sorry, i know it's more than you want to know) and some general discomfort which then morphed into intense abdominal pain on my lower right side.
i've also had about 2% of my normal appetite for about 2 weeks.
none of that was super alarming until the bad pain that started early morning Tuesday of last week.
It got so bad and was in such an isolated place that i began to think that it might be appendicitis.
After googling the results of *not seeking treatment immediately with the condition during pregnancy i decided it was better safe than sorry and headed to the ER at Anderson, which is right by our house.
(remember my Dr is in Mt. Vernon)
at the time of my arrival i wasn't able to walk, sit up, or really move with out pain.
to make a long story short(er) the pain increased, they ruled out lots of things and were of the opinion that it very well could be the appendix but didn't want to jump the gun and risk surgery with out knowing more for sure, but didn't want to do a CT scan.
they talked about keeping me over night to watch me and operating if the pain didn't get better, or doing a lapriscopic scope to check the appendix if necessary. when they talked about possible surgery there i wasn't comfortable with that possibility, after meeting the 75 year old, MEAN surgeon who was on call and the experiences that i had with the staff so far and also the experiences our friends & family have had with their surgeries at Anderson. If there was any chance of surgery i didn't want it to be there, mostly for my baby's sake.
So i was transfered to St. Mary's in STL (first trip in an ambulance) which has a great OB/high risk pregnancy reputation and would have much more experience with the operation in this situation.
St. Mary's was like a breath of fresh air. They ended up doing a CT scan but at a much lower Rad level so it would be safer, and were able to tell that the appendix was okay. They said it was probably broad ligament pain and sent me home.
Joel and i got home about 4 am Wednesday night and just passed out in bed.
the pain had subsided LOTS by this time and even though i was uncomfortable and exhausted i was just glad that we didn't have surgery. The pain was so intense and in the exact place you would have pain if you had appendicitis that i was almost positive that's what it was... surgery of any kind is one of my worst nightmares so i was trying not to think about it.
I'm very grateful for the help from our families watching the kids and staying with me, and for all the prayers, concern & encouragement from our friends.
I have an appointment at my OB office this week so hopefully i will get some more info/answers then.
my main concern at this point is the effect of the radiation from the CT scan on our sweet baby.
I'm really fretting about it because of a mistake on my part.
since the beginning of finding out we were pregnant our dates gave us one due date and then the measurements from our first ultrasound gave us a later one. So in my head i've been keeping track of both and saying "8-9 weeks" or "13-14 weeks".
Well when we went to St. Mary's i was thinking i was in the "13-14 weeks" range and told them that, i gave them my due date but also my last start date (again, SORRY!) and they proceeded with the CT scan saying that since were out of the first trimester the dramatic development was completed as far as brain, heart etc. This made it safer to do the radiation. Radiation changes cell structure which is not good for developing babies, of course. Because i was out of the first trimester and the level of radiation would be significantly less it was decided that we really needed to go ahead to make sure that even if i felt better there wasn't the chance of me going home, my appendix then rupturing later and losing the baby & me too. so we went ahead and did it and i felt like that was a valid decision.
after coming home i looked at my calendar and saw that i was really in the 12-13 week range, really 12 1/2 weeks by the due date given from my ultrasound, on the day i did the CT scan.
SO! i've been having a really hard time not being consumed with the "what ifs" of the effects of the CT scan on the baby.
I've felt like a bad mom, stupid, scared and then REALLY scared.
i know that God is in control but i'm still loosing sleep and sanity over it.
If you have a moment please pray for baby's healthy development and my peace of mind. I know there are so many with more pressing and frightening situations with their babies/pregnancies but would still love your prayers.
sorry for the downer post! i really am so thankful that we didn't have surgery or expose baby to the risk of infection or complications in that way.
one last bit on my experience at Anderson. I'm not a super high maintenance patient, especially in the ER where i know that there are critical cases coming in all the time and you don't always get priority. This ER experience started out okay and went down hill pretty quick.
the nurse who came in once i was in my room had an attitude of superiority from the get go. She lectured me about my Dr choice, she belittled me and she obviously thought she knew everything.
Don't get me wrong, i know that nurses have a VERY hard job, that is VERY demanding and often have VERY long days. this lady was just mean. i let her know when she was getting ready to put my i.v. port/thingy to draw blood that i have very small, difficult veins, that unless you put in on the left arm, in this one particular spot you will probably end up blowing my veins and spending lots of time searching. she said, "mmhmm. right." and continued to look on my right arm and then proceed to stick me, dig around and blow my vein. then she decided to give the spot i showed her a try.
this is the result of her not giving a hoot:
the left arm left zero bruising and went in the first time with out digging, imagine that.
anyway. i'm home, i'm feeling okay and i'm trusting that things will work out.
We had an AMAZING Thanksgiving weekend break, have our Christmas tree up and can't get enough of Christmas songs around the house:O)
hopefully this week i will share a bit about getting our tree and getting our family pictures taken- that should be a bit more enjoyable for us all!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving (& Christmas) from Leland & Emory
these faces crack me up.
i've been wanting to try out Picnik for a while so i used it to try to camoflage the totes and laundry behind emory, and the the fact that leland's pictures was one of both of them where Emory was bawling and the computer was on leland leg.
worked pretty well for a free program & 2 minutes of work.
hope you have a great holiday weekend with your family!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow-
elise
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
a Shutterfly Christmas
hey friends.
I do not do lots of product or brand reviews but this was too good to pass up!
Have you ever used Shutterfly?
Earlier this year i purchased a book/album from them and its gorgeous.
Leather, beautifully printed pages and a good price- especially when you get to personalize and customize every single page!
Really, they would be great as a Grandparent gift for Christmas! you can look at options here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books/simple-path
This year we are getting Christmas cards from them and there are so many cute choices. you can go here to look at them: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards
it's kind of funny that my favorite is the first choice that popped up. it's just classy and perfect!
Check it out:
we'll see if i change my mind after looking through them again!
now i just have to get everyone groomed and dressed up and ready for pictures.
I'm borrowing our friend's camera and trying to get some good ones myself- wish me luck!
Of course, now that i'm getting in the baby swing of things again i couldn't help peeking at the baby announcements and they are adorable! I was considering doing them myself this time, but now i'm not so sure!
you can find them here if you are interested in announcing your new baby by photo- http://www.Shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/baby-cards-stationery
Shutterfly has so many great promos and deals that they will email you about, and when i took the kids to see Santa on the spur of the moment at the mall i got a $10 Shutterfly giftcard there too!
lots of ways to save this holiday season.
followers with blogs go here to find out about how to get 50 free Christmas cards
I do not do lots of product or brand reviews but this was too good to pass up!
Have you ever used Shutterfly?
Earlier this year i purchased a book/album from them and its gorgeous.
Leather, beautifully printed pages and a good price- especially when you get to personalize and customize every single page!
Really, they would be great as a Grandparent gift for Christmas! you can look at options here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books/simple-path
This year we are getting Christmas cards from them and there are so many cute choices. you can go here to look at them: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards
it's kind of funny that my favorite is the first choice that popped up. it's just classy and perfect!
Check it out:
we'll see if i change my mind after looking through them again!
now i just have to get everyone groomed and dressed up and ready for pictures.
I'm borrowing our friend's camera and trying to get some good ones myself- wish me luck!
Of course, now that i'm getting in the baby swing of things again i couldn't help peeking at the baby announcements and they are adorable! I was considering doing them myself this time, but now i'm not so sure!
you can find them here if you are interested in announcing your new baby by photo- http://www.Shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/baby-cards-stationery
Shutterfly has so many great promos and deals that they will email you about, and when i took the kids to see Santa on the spur of the moment at the mall i got a $10 Shutterfly giftcard there too!
lots of ways to save this holiday season.
followers with blogs go here to find out about how to get 50 free Christmas cards
Thursday, November 18, 2010
hip hip hooray, it's my birthday...
or it was anyway:O)
last week i turned 25.
wow.
how did that happen?
since i've always been kind of an old soul, hung out with the older kids, got married young, started a family young... etc etc... i've always felt like i was still kind of a kid, that people still look at me as a kid.
but 25 seems... well, old.
not in an i'm dying way... in a good but strange way.
anyhow.
it was lovely.
i was treated to dinner, cupcakes, sweet cards, favorite cookies, a special cake, generous presents and time with my family.
We went to Giant City on friday & saturday to go camping with friends and had a great time.
we stayed in a cabin because of the rain in the forecast and the kids loved it!
Leland went into caves, climbed up rocks and lead the way.
Emory LOVED being outside and wanted to eat everything in sight. seriously, when is this stage going to be over?
i look like a goober with my head all tilted but i love the picture because we had such a great trip.
so much fun to experience everything again through your kids' eyes.
we recently got a great deal on craig's list that was super exciting!
check it:
and NOW, i found this:
which is just what we've been wanting.
we've not had the funds to make a trip chicago to shop at Ikea, so i've been obsessively watching craigslist for anything similar.
so i found it, we just have to figure out a way to pick it up and get it here:O)
i'm REALLY hoping that we can make it work because our house stuffed full of people and people's stuff desperately needs some organization and storage help.
and now, to finish this post off like a complete dork:
i CANNOT WAIT to see HARRY POTTER this weekend!
we are seeing it on Saturday morning, the early show for $4 a ticket which ain't too shabby. pretty much all the other showings at every theater in the area are sold out.
we are going to see it with the family(minus the littles, duh) and it should be quite exciting.
you know you want to see it, don't hate.
last week i turned 25.
wow.
how did that happen?
since i've always been kind of an old soul, hung out with the older kids, got married young, started a family young... etc etc... i've always felt like i was still kind of a kid, that people still look at me as a kid.
but 25 seems... well, old.
not in an i'm dying way... in a good but strange way.
anyhow.
it was lovely.
i was treated to dinner, cupcakes, sweet cards, favorite cookies, a special cake, generous presents and time with my family.
We went to Giant City on friday & saturday to go camping with friends and had a great time.
we stayed in a cabin because of the rain in the forecast and the kids loved it!
Leland went into caves, climbed up rocks and lead the way.
Emory LOVED being outside and wanted to eat everything in sight. seriously, when is this stage going to be over?
i look like a goober with my head all tilted but i love the picture because we had such a great trip.
so much fun to experience everything again through your kids' eyes.
we recently got a great deal on craig's list that was super exciting!
check it:
and NOW, i found this:
which is just what we've been wanting.
we've not had the funds to make a trip chicago to shop at Ikea, so i've been obsessively watching craigslist for anything similar.
so i found it, we just have to figure out a way to pick it up and get it here:O)
i'm REALLY hoping that we can make it work because our house stuffed full of people and people's stuff desperately needs some organization and storage help.
and now, to finish this post off like a complete dork:
i CANNOT WAIT to see HARRY POTTER this weekend!
we are seeing it on Saturday morning, the early show for $4 a ticket which ain't too shabby. pretty much all the other showings at every theater in the area are sold out.
we are going to see it with the family(minus the littles, duh) and it should be quite exciting.
you know you want to see it, don't hate.
Monday, November 8, 2010
roller coaster.
sorry i've been MIA.
thanks for the PR feedback.
I've been meaning to tell you about my first DR appointment for baby #3.
I had the best DR and best experiences with my first 2 kids.
best meaning, no pain and no complications and thoroughly enjoyable.
i love the concept of natural birth... but when it comes down to it i'm too scared. i'm not great with pain.
i like smiling and laughing through the whole thing! my epidural's have been perfect and i've still been able to push effectively-- so effectively that both Leland & Emory each took about 5 minutes of actual pushing.
My doctor is funny and nice, totally laid back and looks like a hobbit. doesn't get much better than that.
He delivered both my babies and actually let joel be the one to 'catch' them and lay them on my chest.
AMAZING.
he ran a red light(at an empty small town intersection), after having just gone to bed, to race into the room to deliver Leland.
My in laws ran into him eagle watching on the river and he knew who they were and took a picture with them.
so.... he moved offices. from Belleville to Mt. Vernon. Belleville is about 30 minutes away.... Mt. Vernon is about an hour and 20 minutes away. I looked into other Dr's in the area.... had great recommendations from friends..... we live right next to a hospital for pete's sake, there no reason to drive forever to have a baby......
but i just felt sad. I asked Joel if i should just buck up and make a local appointment.
his response...
"it's not like he moved to Chicago. Call Dr. Covlin and make an appointment. driving isn't a big deal- he's the best."
THANK YOU HUSBAND!
so that's what i did.
driving there by myself with both kids, when i would usually be taking a little afternoon siesta i was thinking... am i really doing this?
but as soon as i went into the office it was perfect.
the nurses were super nice. Dr. Covlin was his usual friendly, awesome self. They rolled a bunch of stuff into one appointment so i wouldn't have to make extra trips. it wasn't a big deal to decided to get my blood work and ultrasound done right then- i always end up with bruises and a mental breakdown after having blood drawn. this was the most painless experience i've ever had and didn't even leave a spot. the ultrasound tech was super nice and quick. there's a huge flat screen that you get to watch on and she gave me 4 pics instead of 1.
oh, and they do a free 2 minute 4D ultrasound after 30 weeks for you to keep on dvd.
seriously?!
it was awesome.
we had been figuring my due date to be about June 5th from the dates, which i was sure were accurate.
i anticipated them pushing the due date back after measuring because my babies always measure small.
so after she did the ultra sound she said.... okay we are going to go ahead and put you and 7 weeks 5 days. (this is when i thought i was about 8 weeks and 5 days)
which makes my due date June 11th, 2011.
which you might remember is Emory's second birthday.
AH!
two years apart exactly. holy moly.
so that was my great appointment.
in less exciting news we've all been sick and miserable.
in very sad and terrible news, we've lost a great man this past week.
Friends of our family for a very long time, the Martin's have been a part of our lives consistently in many ways.
We grew up together when they were stationed here in the grade school/jr high years, they were gone and then came back. Daniel, the oldest son lived in our spare room for a while, Ben is one of our best friends and the bass player in ekkardia/OP & the SSB (bands Joel was in). He's like a little brother to us both. Their daughter Hillarie is good friends with my youngest sister Nicole.
Ken & Louanne are a welcoming, hysterical couple who shows great teamwork.
and this week Ken had a massive heart attack and was gone in a blink.
after voting he had pain and knew something wasn't right so he called an ambulance. then he called Louanne and collapsed.
Mr. Ken announced our wedding party as we came into the reception hall. He was so funny and endearing and kind.
He was great with little kids and i don't think there was one time he was around ours that he didn't do his Kermit the Frog impression. He was a very accomplished military man, a super involved father and a loving husband.
there's aren't just empty words- he touched so many people everyday!
it was a very rough week. the funeral was yesterday and though it was hard it was one of the most inspiring & uplifting sundays i've had in a while. Because Ken pointed to Christ. He lived his life in a way that you wanted to know him and know why he was who he was. Christ was the answer! Rick Hodshire- who no matter what church i attend will always be my minister- read an email that Ken had sent to Ben on his birthday. it was full of Godly and fatherly advice and mentioned more than once that no one knows the time that they have and we need to be present and live for people, not things- for Christ, not self.
The boys did music and worship for the funeral and it was perfect and amazing.
so good to hear them play again and i could just see Ken smiling and clapping and oozing with pride.
when Daniel spoke i don't think there was a dry eye in the building. i'd guess at least 500 people were laughing and crying and missing Ken.
please pray for the Martin family- Ken's presence and person will be missed so much, in so many ways.
we were blessed to have him, even for only 51 years. what a difference he made!
i've just finished a quilt for a baby that is supposed to be born on my birthday, this wednesday!
if i find my camera cord i'll show you some pictures.
i'm taking a quilting break because i'm starting to hate it, and baby brain is helping me to make so many mistakes i can't stand it.
so... there have been ups and downs these past days. I'm pretty certain that this week must be better than last. But even in the pain and sorrow there is hope.
thanks for the PR feedback.
I've been meaning to tell you about my first DR appointment for baby #3.
I had the best DR and best experiences with my first 2 kids.
best meaning, no pain and no complications and thoroughly enjoyable.
i love the concept of natural birth... but when it comes down to it i'm too scared. i'm not great with pain.
i like smiling and laughing through the whole thing! my epidural's have been perfect and i've still been able to push effectively-- so effectively that both Leland & Emory each took about 5 minutes of actual pushing.
My doctor is funny and nice, totally laid back and looks like a hobbit. doesn't get much better than that.
He delivered both my babies and actually let joel be the one to 'catch' them and lay them on my chest.
AMAZING.
he ran a red light(at an empty small town intersection), after having just gone to bed, to race into the room to deliver Leland.
My in laws ran into him eagle watching on the river and he knew who they were and took a picture with them.
so.... he moved offices. from Belleville to Mt. Vernon. Belleville is about 30 minutes away.... Mt. Vernon is about an hour and 20 minutes away. I looked into other Dr's in the area.... had great recommendations from friends..... we live right next to a hospital for pete's sake, there no reason to drive forever to have a baby......
but i just felt sad. I asked Joel if i should just buck up and make a local appointment.
his response...
"it's not like he moved to Chicago. Call Dr. Covlin and make an appointment. driving isn't a big deal- he's the best."
THANK YOU HUSBAND!
so that's what i did.
driving there by myself with both kids, when i would usually be taking a little afternoon siesta i was thinking... am i really doing this?
but as soon as i went into the office it was perfect.
the nurses were super nice. Dr. Covlin was his usual friendly, awesome self. They rolled a bunch of stuff into one appointment so i wouldn't have to make extra trips. it wasn't a big deal to decided to get my blood work and ultrasound done right then- i always end up with bruises and a mental breakdown after having blood drawn. this was the most painless experience i've ever had and didn't even leave a spot. the ultrasound tech was super nice and quick. there's a huge flat screen that you get to watch on and she gave me 4 pics instead of 1.
oh, and they do a free 2 minute 4D ultrasound after 30 weeks for you to keep on dvd.
seriously?!
it was awesome.
we had been figuring my due date to be about June 5th from the dates, which i was sure were accurate.
i anticipated them pushing the due date back after measuring because my babies always measure small.
so after she did the ultra sound she said.... okay we are going to go ahead and put you and 7 weeks 5 days. (this is when i thought i was about 8 weeks and 5 days)
which makes my due date June 11th, 2011.
which you might remember is Emory's second birthday.
AH!
two years apart exactly. holy moly.
so that was my great appointment.
in less exciting news we've all been sick and miserable.
in very sad and terrible news, we've lost a great man this past week.
Friends of our family for a very long time, the Martin's have been a part of our lives consistently in many ways.
We grew up together when they were stationed here in the grade school/jr high years, they were gone and then came back. Daniel, the oldest son lived in our spare room for a while, Ben is one of our best friends and the bass player in ekkardia/OP & the SSB (bands Joel was in). He's like a little brother to us both. Their daughter Hillarie is good friends with my youngest sister Nicole.
Ken & Louanne are a welcoming, hysterical couple who shows great teamwork.
and this week Ken had a massive heart attack and was gone in a blink.
after voting he had pain and knew something wasn't right so he called an ambulance. then he called Louanne and collapsed.
Mr. Ken announced our wedding party as we came into the reception hall. He was so funny and endearing and kind.
He was great with little kids and i don't think there was one time he was around ours that he didn't do his Kermit the Frog impression. He was a very accomplished military man, a super involved father and a loving husband.
there's aren't just empty words- he touched so many people everyday!
it was a very rough week. the funeral was yesterday and though it was hard it was one of the most inspiring & uplifting sundays i've had in a while. Because Ken pointed to Christ. He lived his life in a way that you wanted to know him and know why he was who he was. Christ was the answer! Rick Hodshire- who no matter what church i attend will always be my minister- read an email that Ken had sent to Ben on his birthday. it was full of Godly and fatherly advice and mentioned more than once that no one knows the time that they have and we need to be present and live for people, not things- for Christ, not self.
The boys did music and worship for the funeral and it was perfect and amazing.
so good to hear them play again and i could just see Ken smiling and clapping and oozing with pride.
when Daniel spoke i don't think there was a dry eye in the building. i'd guess at least 500 people were laughing and crying and missing Ken.
please pray for the Martin family- Ken's presence and person will be missed so much, in so many ways.
we were blessed to have him, even for only 51 years. what a difference he made!
i've just finished a quilt for a baby that is supposed to be born on my birthday, this wednesday!
if i find my camera cord i'll show you some pictures.
i'm taking a quilting break because i'm starting to hate it, and baby brain is helping me to make so many mistakes i can't stand it.
so... there have been ups and downs these past days. I'm pretty certain that this week must be better than last. But even in the pain and sorrow there is hope.
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