You got some ’splainin’ to do

Whew…a whirlwind of celebrations.  A birthday, a Thanksgiving, family time, loads of fun…we had a lot to be thankful for this year.  C had a joyous birthday party at church the day before her birthday, complete with 16 friends aged 9 months to nearly-5 years old.  We have a marvelous picture of all the kids, though I’ll not post it as I don’t have permission from their parents.  The fact that we got them all to sit still for that long was a miracle in and of itself!  The party was perfectly simple and wonderful.

The next night, we had Birthday Extravaganza, Part Deux at Mimi & Pop’s house.  More cupcakes, more presents.  C was starting to get the hang of birthdays by then!  (And, by the way, her present-opening skills are top-notch at this point – she’s got Christmas covered).  And to complete the trifecta, another cupcake-and-presents moment when Grammy & Mike arrived on Tuesday night.
Our Thanksgiving was full of, well, filling.  Mimi’s famous filling made an appearance.  What’s more, I got my own dish of filling, that we just polished off tonight.  Only 360 more days to wait for more.  It was great to celebrate…

-health

-safety – especially after my brother spent half of 2007 deployed

-contentedness- I think it’s safe to say that most of us are in jobs that leave us satisfied and fulfilled.  In my case, I’m flat out passionately in love with my job, and I think there are a lot of people in this world who can’t even come close.  I think my sweet sister-in-law might be almost there, though.

-spiritual growth – Three friends (my “BS GIRLS”) and I knocked out a 10-week Beth Moore Bible study in just under 9 months during the fall of ‘06 through the summer of ‘07.  During that time, amongst the 4 of us, we welcomed 4 new children, navigated 3 job changes, muddled through mountains of dirty dishes and laundry, and came closer to Jesus through it all.  Then in June, July & August, we took on “Read the Bible in 90 days”.  We did it in 88, and it was amazing.  I’m still seeking.

So that’s all the catching up I can do for now.  I’ll try my very hardest to be a better blogger from now on!

By the numbers…

C had her 3-year old check-up today.  To be frank, I’m not thrilled with our pediatrician, but we don’t have much choice here.  There are only 2 other pediatrics practices in town.  The 1 of the 2 that I’d consider switching to isn’t accepting new patients right now.  I know what’s included in a ‘well-child check’.  It just so happens that I’ve done a few in my day.  They consist of reviewing developmental milestones, discussing home safety appropriate to the age of the child, anticipatory guidance about the stage the child is at, checking the child’s growth and progress, updating vaccinations. For the child over 2, this could be the only chance to get them to a healthcare provider all year (it would be an exceptional child that wouldn’t need a single sick visit, but for the sake of my point, let’s assume)…

Our visit consisted of a carelessly-done height and weight, a 35-minute wait in the exam room, and an approximately 4-minute encounter with the pediatrician.  “Everything ok?,” he asked.  Well, I suppose so.  But what if it weren’t? What if I didn’t have the knowledge base that I do?  I certainly wouldn’t have gotten any direction from him!  C was proclaimed to be very smart and looking great.  Continued phenomenally slow growth, but, well, I think we’ve pretty firmly established that this apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.  She is about 33 1/2 inches tall (they said 34″ but in watching the way she was measured, I don’t buy it) and weighed 30 1/2 pounds.  Her height remains un-chartable, her intelligence immeasurable…we’ll keep her!

What happened to the blog?

you ask…oh, you know – busy here, busy there.  Probably no busier than any other soul on the planet.  My practice is having an open house on Thursday and I’ve been rushing around trying to get things ready for that.  I hope it is a success!  It seems that there is nothing else exciting going on here.  Strangely, the trees have their leaves for the most part, which is so rare in mid-November. 

C has her 3-year check up tomorrow and a birthday on Monday!  My party-so-small-it’s-barely-going-to-count-as-a-party now has 29 people coming, give or take.  Thankfully, to a fellowship area at our church, not my house.  My sanity would not survive.

The only things she has been consistent about are that she wants a Diego cake, and she wants cupcakes, and she’s going to “eat it all!”  It seems that she doesn’t ‘get’ the whole present thing, or making requests for things – which I’m thankful for.  I have been asking her for several weeks if there is anything special she’d like to have for her birthday.  The only request has been a Shrek battery-operated toothbrush that she saw at the store last week.  Now she’s been asking for new shoes in the past few days (those of you who know me well are thinking, “So far I’ve found out she likes cake and shoes – wonder where she got that?!?”)

That being said, she continues to delight and amaze us day by day.  I am really trying to focus on the joys and wonders of having this miraculous being here, instead of the frustrations and habits that wear so thin.  We went to Steak & Shake for dinner tonight.  One thing is certain – the joy that comes from a grilled cheese and a chocolate milkshake is unparalleled.  It’s a good thing.

I’ve been outed.

See if you can figure out what she’s wearing.  A lovely gift for the first correct guess.  Well, ok, maybe not a lovely gift, but at least the deep satisfaction of knowing my deep, dark secret – and a laugh at seeing my cute girl!