Thursday, July 27, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Yipee!!!
The pediatrician just called and Katrina's lab results for this month are in ... her iron levels are rising and the celiac tests came back negative!!
Monday, July 17, 2006
A Love of Bananas
This is what happens when I leave our daughter alone for a few moments.
I was back in the computer room looking up an address and Katrina was playing in the living room, or so I thought. I came back to find her with a pair of bananas in her hands. Upon closer inspection, I found that she had already eaten half of one of the bananas ... peel and all! She loves bananas and most fruit, especially nectarines and mangoes. (More about the mangoes later.) Yesterday morning she ate two whole nectarines by herself, yet she doesn't like peaches. I love peaches! I don't get how she can like nectarines but not peaches.
I posted some other recent pictures of Katrina here: http://xar.us/gallery/Katrina-14-months-July-2006
We got some couches at Costco this weekend! Er, well, a couch and a loveseat. They are dark brown leather - for the basement. Now I just have to convince Ryan that the walls would look good if painted orange. :) And we also got a Love Sac! It's a funny name for a huge bean bag. We got it in a medium brown suede cover so that it will coordinate with the basement couches and the living room furniture (which are a sage-y green color).
After I took the bananas away from Katrina and looked for something else for her to eat, she reached in the grocery sack on the floor and found a mango. And proceeded to eat it, flesh and all, too. She loves to eat the lemon wedges that come as garnish at restaurants and will often eat the whole thing - fruit and rind. I guess it's time we teach her to peel her fruit first. :)
I was back in the computer room looking up an address and Katrina was playing in the living room, or so I thought. I came back to find her with a pair of bananas in her hands. Upon closer inspection, I found that she had already eaten half of one of the bananas ... peel and all! She loves bananas and most fruit, especially nectarines and mangoes. (More about the mangoes later.) Yesterday morning she ate two whole nectarines by herself, yet she doesn't like peaches. I love peaches! I don't get how she can like nectarines but not peaches.
I posted some other recent pictures of Katrina here: http://xar.us/gallery/Katrina-14-months-July-2006
We got some couches at Costco this weekend! Er, well, a couch and a loveseat. They are dark brown leather - for the basement. Now I just have to convince Ryan that the walls would look good if painted orange. :) And we also got a Love Sac! It's a funny name for a huge bean bag. We got it in a medium brown suede cover so that it will coordinate with the basement couches and the living room furniture (which are a sage-y green color).
After I took the bananas away from Katrina and looked for something else for her to eat, she reached in the grocery sack on the floor and found a mango. And proceeded to eat it, flesh and all, too. She loves to eat the lemon wedges that come as garnish at restaurants and will often eat the whole thing - fruit and rind. I guess it's time we teach her to peel her fruit first. :)
Friday, July 14, 2006
A trip to LabCorp
I took Katrina to the pediatrician for a weight check on Wednesday, as well as a follow-up iron test. Katrina's complete blood count (CBC) last month showed her iron levels were low, and the lead test came back with elevated levels (she scored an 8.5; at 10 the EPA investigates your house ... in comparison, a coworker's son scored 2.0). So she was due for an iron recheck and the nurse said they could do it in office. I had plenty of hours from last week and took Wednesday afternoon off. What a day.
Katrina now weighs 19 lbs 6 oz, meaning she has gained just about a pound in two months. The pediatrician ordered a couple of other tests, in addition to the CBC. LabCorp (the lab covered by our insurance) drew four vials of blood from our poor baby ... tests include determining if Katrina's body makes the protein needed to carry iron in her bloodstream, as well as a couple of antibody tests to determine if she has celiac or another type of autoimmune disease. I'm hoping we'll hear the results today so we don't have to wait over the weekend.
The visit to LabCorp was almost humorous. Katrina did fine during the draw. She fussed only a little and sighed, but that was it. All heck broke loose, though, when the technician removed the needle. Katrina freaked out and jerked her arm away. The tech placed a piece of gauze on the draw site with a band-aid and Katrina ripped it off and threw it to the ground! At this point blood was going every where (from the baby jerking her arm around). I couldn't hold her still, she was jerking and flailing so much! The worst part was when the technician gave Katrina a sticker that said, "I'm a brave patient!" ... and Katrina threw it in the technician face. I was so embarrassed!!
Oh, yeah ... and Katrina is 14 months old (as of yesterday!) and can still wear size 3 - 6 months clothing. We have friends whose babies were born wearing size 3 - 6 month and went to 6 - 9 month clothing at 8 weeks. Today Katrina is wearing a top I bought for her last summer (size 3 - 6 months) that was too big for her all last summer. It finally fits her now, although it's still a little big around the straps (it's a tank top/sleeveless blouse).
Katrina now weighs 19 lbs 6 oz, meaning she has gained just about a pound in two months. The pediatrician ordered a couple of other tests, in addition to the CBC. LabCorp (the lab covered by our insurance) drew four vials of blood from our poor baby ... tests include determining if Katrina's body makes the protein needed to carry iron in her bloodstream, as well as a couple of antibody tests to determine if she has celiac or another type of autoimmune disease. I'm hoping we'll hear the results today so we don't have to wait over the weekend.
The visit to LabCorp was almost humorous. Katrina did fine during the draw. She fussed only a little and sighed, but that was it. All heck broke loose, though, when the technician removed the needle. Katrina freaked out and jerked her arm away. The tech placed a piece of gauze on the draw site with a band-aid and Katrina ripped it off and threw it to the ground! At this point blood was going every where (from the baby jerking her arm around). I couldn't hold her still, she was jerking and flailing so much! The worst part was when the technician gave Katrina a sticker that said, "I'm a brave patient!" ... and Katrina threw it in the technician face. I was so embarrassed!!
Oh, yeah ... and Katrina is 14 months old (as of yesterday!) and can still wear size 3 - 6 months clothing. We have friends whose babies were born wearing size 3 - 6 month and went to 6 - 9 month clothing at 8 weeks. Today Katrina is wearing a top I bought for her last summer (size 3 - 6 months) that was too big for her all last summer. It finally fits her now, although it's still a little big around the straps (it's a tank top/sleeveless blouse).
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
There was an EARWIG on my toothbrush tonight. I. Hate. Earwigs. Intensely. Extremely. Pure hatred. They would appear out of nowhere in the big piles of laundry we had to do my first summer of Conferences. Sooooooo groooooooooosssssssssss.
Earwigs and other things I hate (but not JB - I don't hate her!)
Earwigs and other things I hate (but not JB - I don't hate her!)
Monday, July 03, 2006
Welcome home, Daddy!
Yay!!! Ryan just called to say he's in the car on his way home from the airport. I'm SO happy! I've missed him like crazy, and I think Katrina has, too. He's been gone basically since June 11, save a 12-hour stretch one Thursday night to Friday morning. Three weeks is a long time to be gone, darn it!!
We made a banner to greet Ryan when he gets home. It says "Welcome Home, Daddy!" and has handprints of Katrina and the two cats. Surprisingly, Avery was a lot more cooperative than Davis! Davis dashed off as soon as I let go, so I'm finding pink cat paw prints all over the house. And Avery's pawprint is one big hairy blob. :)
EDIT: Argh. I'm trying to add some photos and our upload speed is bottom slow.
I gave up on trying to get the pictures in here and posted them to our picture gallery instead. You can see them here.
We made a banner to greet Ryan when he gets home. It says "Welcome Home, Daddy!" and has handprints of Katrina and the two cats. Surprisingly, Avery was a lot more cooperative than Davis! Davis dashed off as soon as I let go, so I'm finding pink cat paw prints all over the house. And Avery's pawprint is one big hairy blob. :)
EDIT: Argh. I'm trying to add some photos and our upload speed is bottom slow.
I gave up on trying to get the pictures in here and posted them to our picture gallery instead. You can see them here.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Famous Last Words
Mine:
I made a few guesses and this is what it said Ryan's famous last words will be:
Too funny. :)
Hee hee. Sorry, Marte!! :) (Davis gets around a lot more than I realized she did! She must lead a secret life while I'm at work.)
| Your Famous Last Words Will Be: |
 "Nice doggy." |
I made a few guesses and this is what it said Ryan's famous last words will be:
| Your Famous Last Words Will Be: |
 "I dunno, press the button and find out." |
Too funny. :)
Hee hee. Sorry, Marte!! :) (Davis gets around a lot more than I realized she did! She must lead a secret life while I'm at work.)
| What You Really Think Of Your Friends |
| Shawna Rushing is your soulmate. |
| You truly love Laura Yanchick. |
| You consider Bobby Rushing your true friend. |
| You know that Sara Taylor is always thinking of you. |
| You'll remember Cayden Reynolds for the rest of your life. |
| You secretly think Ryan Herbert is creative, charming, and a bit too dramatic at times. |
| You secretly think that Me is colorful, impulsive, and a total risk taker. |
| You secretly think that Sidra Schkerke is loyal and trustworthy to you. And that Sidra Schkerke changes lovers faster than underwear. |
| You secretly think Davis is shy and nonconfrontational. And that Davis has a hidden internet romance. |
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Try this... it's fun (and interesting)!!
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
5th sentence: "I know."
2nd sentence is much more interesting out of context: I nodded and told Sue what Malachi had said about the chicken being the sacrifice and the eggs being only an offering.
Monday, June 26, 2006
This crazy life.
Life is a wee bit crazy right now. Ryan is out of town (in Colorado Springs, for work) until July 3rd. I have a huge-must-win-or-the-future-of-the-company-is-at-stake proposal due July 10th. Ryan wasn't actually supposed to come home until later, but he worked it out with someone so that he can be home the week before the proposal is due. Ryan's mom and sisters are familiar with what the week before a proposal is like for me. They were out here to visit last summer right before the State Department prop was due ... I think I saw them once. Many long days and late nights at the office.
I thought I would be fine this week working at the office during the day and working some at home in the evenings (on my new work laptop!), but it's tougher than I thought it would be. So the niece of a friend from church is going to watch Katrina for me tomorrow night while I work late at the office, and Thursday night for a bit while I work from home.
(Did I mention that Ryan is gone until next Monday? And that he's working 12-hour shifts out in Colorado Springs? And that he's working midnights ... 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.? Yeah. It stinks, big time.)
Not much else is new. I totally forgot about a children's ministry meeting Saturday morning. And when I got there, Pastor Paul was finishing going over his list of twelve things he'd like to see happen. I'm sure he didn't mean it this way, but I kind of took it as a performance review ... as in, these are the things that I should be doing and I'm not. The fact that he told them to everybody else at the meeting before me tells me he didn't intend it as a list of what I'm doing wrong. I think I just took it wrong because a) I'm tired; b) I had Katrina with me and was distracted; and c) I was super embarrassed about being late to the meeting.
July 7, 8, and 9th is Holy Land Adventure, this year's VBS at our church. And I feel totally underprepared, as usual. I don't know what it is about me lately. I feel like I'm not able to do what I need to do well because I'm pulled in so many directions (work, church, home), yet I struggle to let go of anything and let someone else do it. Am I that much of a control freak? Am I that worried about looking like a failure because I can't do it all?
Now that I'm rambling on and on, I'll leave you with a few pictures of our cutie. :) I had to laugh and slightly grimmace earlier this evening. I was reading a friend's website about their daughter born right before Christmas. She just turned six months old ... and she weighs more than Katrina! She weighs 19 lbs 5 oz. Katrina (yes, at 13.5 months as of tomorrow) has weighed 19 lbs even for about a month now. She randomly weighs 19.5 or even 20.0 lbs on our bathroom scale, but that always after eating and with a full/wet diaper. *sigh* One of these days she'll catch up. Or maybe she'll be a tall skinny volleyball player model person who loves Jesus.
Here are some recent pictures from playing in the yard.
**edit** Stupid pictures not posting the first time. Let's try it again.
This was actually the Friday after we got back from vacation a few weeks ago.
I worked from home that day ... I guess I wore the baby out! (Hey! THIS is that outfit I posted about earlier ... she's obviously a girl, don't you think?!)
Simon and Laura got Katrina a baby swing for her birthday, and she LOVES it!
Daddy took this picture - her first ride in her new swing.
Here she is playing in the back yard last week. Note the insanse about of ivy we have instead of grass. It's good for crawling around in, though. Look, Ma!, Katrina says. No Army crawl for me! :) Maybe, just maybe, she's getting closer to walking?
And finally, yes, Auntie Shawna, your niece ate another stick. :)
I thought I would be fine this week working at the office during the day and working some at home in the evenings (on my new work laptop!), but it's tougher than I thought it would be. So the niece of a friend from church is going to watch Katrina for me tomorrow night while I work late at the office, and Thursday night for a bit while I work from home.
(Did I mention that Ryan is gone until next Monday? And that he's working 12-hour shifts out in Colorado Springs? And that he's working midnights ... 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.? Yeah. It stinks, big time.)
Not much else is new. I totally forgot about a children's ministry meeting Saturday morning. And when I got there, Pastor Paul was finishing going over his list of twelve things he'd like to see happen. I'm sure he didn't mean it this way, but I kind of took it as a performance review ... as in, these are the things that I should be doing and I'm not. The fact that he told them to everybody else at the meeting before me tells me he didn't intend it as a list of what I'm doing wrong. I think I just took it wrong because a) I'm tired; b) I had Katrina with me and was distracted; and c) I was super embarrassed about being late to the meeting.
July 7, 8, and 9th is Holy Land Adventure, this year's VBS at our church. And I feel totally underprepared, as usual. I don't know what it is about me lately. I feel like I'm not able to do what I need to do well because I'm pulled in so many directions (work, church, home), yet I struggle to let go of anything and let someone else do it. Am I that much of a control freak? Am I that worried about looking like a failure because I can't do it all?
Now that I'm rambling on and on, I'll leave you with a few pictures of our cutie. :) I had to laugh and slightly grimmace earlier this evening. I was reading a friend's website about their daughter born right before Christmas. She just turned six months old ... and she weighs more than Katrina! She weighs 19 lbs 5 oz. Katrina (yes, at 13.5 months as of tomorrow) has weighed 19 lbs even for about a month now. She randomly weighs 19.5 or even 20.0 lbs on our bathroom scale, but that always after eating and with a full/wet diaper. *sigh* One of these days she'll catch up. Or maybe she'll be a tall skinny volleyball player model person who loves Jesus.
Here are some recent pictures from playing in the yard.
**edit** Stupid pictures not posting the first time. Let's try it again.
This was actually the Friday after we got back from vacation a few weeks ago.I worked from home that day ... I guess I wore the baby out! (Hey! THIS is that outfit I posted about earlier ... she's obviously a girl, don't you think?!)
Simon and Laura got Katrina a baby swing for her birthday, and she LOVES it!Daddy took this picture - her first ride in her new swing.
Here she is playing in the back yard last week. Note the insanse about of ivy we have instead of grass. It's good for crawling around in, though. Look, Ma!, Katrina says. No Army crawl for me! :) Maybe, just maybe, she's getting closer to walking?
And finally, yes, Auntie Shawna, your niece ate another stick. :)Sunday, June 11, 2006
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
I knew it wouldn't last
Katrina went to bed so easy last night. We read a book, rocked a little bit, then I laid her down in her crib. Last night she looked at me, smiled, and closed her eyes. Not a peep from her!
Tonight, however, is a different story. Katrina is standing in her crib, wailing and sobbing. Note to self: teaching her to stand in her crib was a bad idea. It's cute and all in the mornings to go in and see her standing up, waiting for us to get her, but it's not so cute when she stands and wails at night when she's supposed to be sleeping.
... 20 minutes later ...
Ahh, sweet peace. I went in and rocked with her. I guess she needed a little more cuddle-time or something.
Tonight, however, is a different story. Katrina is standing in her crib, wailing and sobbing. Note to self: teaching her to stand in her crib was a bad idea. It's cute and all in the mornings to go in and see her standing up, waiting for us to get her, but it's not so cute when she stands and wails at night when she's supposed to be sleeping.
... 20 minutes later ...
Ahh, sweet peace. I went in and rocked with her. I guess she needed a little more cuddle-time or something.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Kim!!!
So I'm working on stuff for the Children's Day Service (this Sunday ... nothing like last minute, eh?) and one of the things the website suggests is emphasizing NAZJAM in Pennsylvania next month. I'm scrolling down the page when I see ... Kim Koneecheewacchee! Okay, so that's not really her last name, but I can't remember how to spell it. And it was her maiden name, anyway. Now she's Kim Bobb (Ryan's gonna have a ball with that one). She lived on my floor in Nesbitt. And she's the speaker at NAZJAM this year! Too funny. Here's the page where you can see her picture ... just scroll down.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Stupid nosy people
We went to a birthday party for a friend's 2 year-old tonight, and while there, somebody asked me if I'm pregnant. Stupid person.
(It didn't help that I had a huge temper tantrum just before we left because none of my clothes fit me and I hate my body and blah blah blah.)
Grr.
*Edit*
Okay, now I can see why she asked. I was wearing this same shirt. I look so fat in this picture! Ugh.
(It didn't help that I had a huge temper tantrum just before we left because none of my clothes fit me and I hate my body and blah blah blah.)
Grr.
*Edit*
Okay, now I can see why she asked. I was wearing this same shirt. I look so fat in this picture! Ugh.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Enlarging our family
I talked to Ryan's cousin Greg's wife Karalin tonight. Er, let's simplify - my friend Karalin. :) Their little boy Davy just turned three and their youngest Nathan is just a few days older than Katrina. Time flies way too fast. That means Bree (Michael and Becky's little girl) is just about to turn three, also. It seems like it was just yesterday that Davy and Bree joined the family ... and now Nathan and Katrina are one!
Karalin said that pre-haircut, Nathan was often mistaken for a girl. I had to laugh, because Katrina is mistaken for a boy nine-times-out-of-ten, even when wearing obviously girl clothing (probably due to lack of hair). In fact, it happened twice tonight at the grocery store. The first time was pretty quick - just a passing stranger saying 'Hi there, little guy!" to Katrina. The second instance happened something like this (I kid you not) ...
Stranger Man walks by and says - "Hello, son!"
Katrina (dressed in denim overalls, yes, but with a white t-shirt with pink and purple flowers all over) - sitting in the cart - "Hi! Hi! Hi hi hi hi!" (she's been saying 'hi' a lot since we got back from vacation)
Stranger Man - "You sure do have blue eyes, little boy."
Stranger Man's wife, as they walk away - "I think that was a little girl."
Stranger Man (looking back at us, not noticing the dirty looks I'm shooting him) - "What? Nah. That's a boy. She just dresses him funny."
HELLO! Do I need to drop Katrina's diaper to show you we have a DAUGHTER?! Bah.
Whoa, it's almost midnight! Time for bed.
Karalin said that pre-haircut, Nathan was often mistaken for a girl. I had to laugh, because Katrina is mistaken for a boy nine-times-out-of-ten, even when wearing obviously girl clothing (probably due to lack of hair). In fact, it happened twice tonight at the grocery store. The first time was pretty quick - just a passing stranger saying 'Hi there, little guy!" to Katrina. The second instance happened something like this (I kid you not) ...
Stranger Man walks by and says - "Hello, son!"
Katrina (dressed in denim overalls, yes, but with a white t-shirt with pink and purple flowers all over) - sitting in the cart - "Hi! Hi! Hi hi hi hi!" (she's been saying 'hi' a lot since we got back from vacation)
Stranger Man - "You sure do have blue eyes, little boy."
Stranger Man's wife, as they walk away - "I think that was a little girl."
Stranger Man (looking back at us, not noticing the dirty looks I'm shooting him) - "What? Nah. That's a boy. She just dresses him funny."
HELLO! Do I need to drop Katrina's diaper to show you we have a DAUGHTER?! Bah.
Whoa, it's almost midnight! Time for bed.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
First of the pictures
The first day or so of our vacation pictures are up! Ryan will be adding the rest to the gallery soon. Check them out here.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Vacationing
Man, I'm terrible at posting lately. We're on vacation now. I'm sitting on the patio at a bed and breakfast, Ryan is pushing Katrina is a hammock, and Trish and Chris are talking on the other side of the pool. Vacation is good. :)
Today has not been uneventful, though. Below is an e-mail Ryan sent to his folks. We found out by accident today that Katrina is allergic to egg whites. Here's what he said...
Okay, time for me to go. Katrina is signing 'more' like crazy ... she loves swinging! I'm going to take some pictures of Daddy and baby. Hope you all are doing well!
Today has not been uneventful, though. Below is an e-mail Ryan sent to his folks. We found out by accident today that Katrina is allergic to egg whites. Here's what he said...
We're in Canada now. Trish and Chris' flight was delayed, but we went to
the hotel and checked in, and then I drove back to the airport to pick
them up. We're in a bed and breakfast now, and it's really nice.
This morning, we had breakfast in a restaurant near our hotel, and we got
Katrina some wheat toast and some scrambled eggs. When we were finishing
up eating, we noticed some red spots around her mouth. As time went on,
the redness was spreading across her face up to her eyes, and some of the
spots on her mouth were turning white like hives. We got directions to
the nearest immediate care place and took her there right away - if it
kept getting worse, I was afraid that it might make her throat swell and
make it hard for her to breathe. But by the time we got to the office
(about a half hour after we first noticed it), it was getting better, and
by the time we saw the doctor, there was only a little redness around her
eyes remaining. He said to get some children's Benedryl to have just in
case and to not give her anything else that might have eggs in it while
we're in Canada, since the reaction may escalate. She's better now, and
has been drinking a lot of water and has been pretty happy for not getting
her regular naps, so we're trying to get her to take a nap now and she
isn't happy about that.
We'll try to keep you posted - we should have Internet access at the rest
of the hotels while we're out here. I took about 120 pictures at the
Butterfly Conservatory today, so I'm going to have to buy another memory
card to store all of the pictures (and the one that I have is a 1GB card).
Talk to you later!
Okay, time for me to go. Katrina is signing 'more' like crazy ... she loves swinging! I'm going to take some pictures of Daddy and baby. Hope you all are doing well!
Friday, May 05, 2006
A Great Article
I have a dear friend going through a tough time in her marriage. I've continually struggled with the thought of separation/divorce/remarriage. Er, the idea of other people doing it and the spiritual ramifications - not me thinking about leaving Ryan!! Anyway, we were talking today and my friend shared this article with me.
A Woman in Pain
If you have a moment, hit 'comment' and post a reply - I'd love to know your thoughts on this.
A Woman in Pain
If you have a moment, hit 'comment' and post a reply - I'd love to know your thoughts on this.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Our baby said "butt" today.
Yes, it's true. She said her first Lexpletive today. (A Lexpletive is a word that I hate ... and there is a list of them.) We were shopping in Wal-Mart and Katrina reached for the buttons on my dress. I said, rather distracted by searching for an item, "You're playing with Mommy's buttons." And she very plainly said, "Butt. Buuuutttt."
What is this world coming to?!!
What is this world coming to?!!
Friday, March 17, 2006
A neighbor's house is on fire. :( Not our neighbors like next-door or across the road. It's a house that we can see when we look out our front window, up the hill toward Braddock Heights and Middletown. We heard several sirens and then one very close, so we walked outside and saw it. It's huge. :( I pray no one is injured.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
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