Frederick on CNN.com again

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/01/anthrax.death/index.html

and

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/01/anthrax.suspect/index.html

My To Do List

July is almost over, and I haven't posted. Sheesh.

My to do list for this week, in case you are interested:

- Convince Ryan to attend picnic that's part of the missions council meeting this Sunday [I didn't convince him. I just said, "We're going."]
- RSVP for the missions council meeting this Sunday
- Convince Ryan we need to enroll Katrina in preschool for the fall [I think I accomplished this one.]
- Enroll Katrina in preschool
- E-mail church secretary with who is teaching this Sunday.
- Reply to gazillion e-mails that arrived while I was on vacation [If I missed you, I'm sorry!]
- Create August teaching schedule
- Create agenda for Children's Ministry meeting Monday night [The meeting was great!]
- Convince Ryan to attend the Frederick Keys game on Friday with the church - it's a fireworks night [It was too late to RSVP, and he has to work late tonight, anyway.]
- RSVP about Keys' game (if there is still time) [See above.]
- Work expense report (way overdue)
- FSA expense report (way overdue)
- Church expense report (the most overdue)
- unpack van from vacation [accomplished this evening, including vacuuming with my handy-dandy new vacuum purchased for $32 on clearance at Wal-Mart]
- lesson plan for Sunday [Although now it's time to work on the lesson plan for this Sunday]
- post remaining pictures from Illinois to the gallery
- Set up consultation with endodontist
- Call insurance to see how much my next dentist appointment will cost.
- Cry.
- Finish cleaning the computer room. (Ryan cleaned it while I was gone and it looks awesome! I need to go through the boxes of stuff that remain.)
- Volunteer for Community Fun Day at our church.
- Purchase supplies to donate for school bags for Community Fun Day at our church. Staples has some super-good sales for school supplies right now.
- Hire a housekeeper, because a housekeeper is cheaper than a divorce. :)

Added this evening:
- Clean up the kitchen from all the junk I unloaded from the van. Must be done by morning, before Clemence arrives. [11:00 p.m. edit: Mostly done. I can finish the last few things in the morning. I would have been done sooner, but I've spent most of the evening reading http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com and weeping.]

What Ponies Say

The follow are snippets of a 'conversation' I overhead tonight. Katrina's beloved Purple Pony* was found tonight, and of course it had to go to bed with her tonight. As I sat on Katrina's bed for a few minutes, I listened to what Katrina pretended the ponies were saying, and gained some insight into what our three-year-old thinks.

The Characters
Purple Pony - the Mommy Pony
an ugly, stuffed, teal zebra** - the Daddy Pony
a miniature pony from Katrina's Easter basket - the Baby Pony

The Setting
A grassy field (also known as Katrina's bed, on top of her green blanket)


Baby Pony: "I hungry! I juicy [thirsty]!"
Mommy Pony: "Here you cup! No spill! You drink milk, Baby Pony. It yummy."
Baby Pony, to Daddy Pony: "I go sou-side [outside], okay?" (Katrina has been adding 'okay?' to the end of most of her sentences lately)
Daddy Pony: "Okay, we go sou-side."
Mommy Pony: "Wait minute! No you have shoes on! Where you shoes?"
(mumble, mumble)
Baby Pony, to Mommy Pony: "I love you, Mommy Pony!"
Baby Pony, to Daddy Pony: "I love you, Daddy Pony!"
(pause)
Katrina, to me: "Where 'Kayla Pony?? Her MISSING!"

*Purple Pony was "hiding" in a basket with Katrina's nativity set. I spent hours one day looking for the pony in every basket, play area, and hiding place I could think of, but I didn't check the nativity set. Why would a pony be there? Katrina's friend Reagan told me that Purple Pony was "with all the Jesus toys."

**I say the zebra is ugly not because I think Daddy is ugly or because Katrina thinks that, but because I hate (h-a-t-e) the color teal. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law sent Katrina the zebra just to spite me! They also gave Mikayla a onesie that says, "Does this make my b*tt look big?" because I hate that word.

Product of Society

Our child is definitely a product of society. We borrowed Cars from the Reynoldses and Katrina loves it! Except for the character-building parts. Every time it's the scene where Lightning and Sally look over Radiator Springs and talk about when the Interstate was built, Katrina says, "Movie over! More Cars, Mama, movie over!" I've tried to explain to her that just because the action/storyline has slowed down, it doesn't mean the show is over. She does the same thing with other shows she watches: when Dora asks, "What was your favorite part?" or when JoJo talks about what she learned or when it's curtain call time on The Little Einsteins.

Maybe this confirms what I've been trying to tell Ryan - Katrina watches too much television.

Domestic Goddess

Martha Stewart, I am not. For anyone who really knows me, you know that I am a messy, messy person. In high school, friends would come over and help me clean my room. (Thanks, Gipp girls!) My dad had a rule that I couldn't get my drivers license until I could keep my room clean ... well, it took me more than a year. It got worse in college. One night during open dorms, some guy friends found Sidra and me in another friend's room and said, "Come quick! Your room has been trashed!!" We explained that no one had attacked us ... that's how our room usually looked. I probably should have failed myself at room check (as an RA) more often, too.

I'm still a messy person. I just cleaned my computer desk two weekends ago. Right now it's piled with a Target bag (containing unmailed Fathers' Day and wedding cards), dirty dishes, baby wipe refills, and lightbulbs to replace ones that burned out approximately three months ago. The only reason our house is ever semi-presentable is because of our amazing nanny. Have I mentioned how much I love Clemence? Having her in our house every day holds us accountable to keep the house picked up AND she does light housework, too - vacuums the living room, loads and unloads the dishwasher, does the girls' laundry. It's great!

I've digressed. All of this background about me being messy supports a recent Katrina-ism. Saturday I pulled out the ironing board to press new curtains for the living room (we've been curtain-less for nearly 2 months, since some friends helped us paint). As I set up the ironing board and plugged in the iron, Katrina asked, "What's THAT?!"

*sigh*

I've probably ironed fewer than ten times in the last three years - her entire existence. Actually, I rarely saw my mom iron, either. She would press my dad's shirts every once in awhile, before going out to eat. But that was only in the spring and summer, if I remember correctly; he almost always wore a sweater over his dress shirts in the fall and winter. And since he wore t-shirts and jeans to work, there wasn't much else to iron. Ma would throw her wrinkly clothes in the dryer to dewrinkle (still does today - so do I).

I did make kumla on Sunday, though! I think it was my best batch yet. I only peeled 10 lbs of potatoes this time, instead of the usual 20 - 25 lbs. It made a smaller batch, of coure, but it also went faster. Even better, the kumla pans (12- and 16-quart stock pots) fit in our new dishwasher and they came out SPOTLESS.

I managed to burn my left index finger and thumb tonight. I grabbed a hot pan thoughtlessly. Ouch.

Mikayla turns six months old tomorrow and has a well-visit in the morning. I'll post her stats soon!

A quiet evening

Today is the 13th of the month, so it's Katrina and Ryan's 'date night.' At least once a month Ryan takes Katrina out for a date ... to the playground, out to eat ... whatever she decides is fun. The last few months have been crazy with work and such, so this is the first date in awhile. Katrina loves the time with her daddy. I can't wait to hear all about it!

I'm in the midst of yet another crazy proposal. A coworker commented the other day that I measure my children's ages in proposals, and he's right. I had just said how Mikayla is nearly six months old, and how the time has passed quickly - first it was the [NASA] proposal in February and March, then it was the [MPO] proposal in April, May, and now June. It's entirely possible this proposal will be extended again, into July. I'm thinking of taking two (2!) weeks off when work slows down, and maybe even taking the girls on a leisurely trip to Illinois. We'll see.

Funny things Katrina has said lately:

When asked what she wants to be when she grows up: "Dora"

When asked another time what she wants to be when she grows up: "I grow up and be 'Kayla! And I run! I get shoes and a purple shirt and I run! I get SWEATY!" (Ryan has recently taken up running again and she always wants to go with him when he runs. I think the purple shirt reference is from Wii Fit - her Mii wears a purple shirt.)

Upon seeing these:

"I want monkey food!"

Oops, they are home! Gotta go!!

To our little girl

Dearest one, these last three years have passed so quickly. It seems it was just the other day that you were a baby in our arms ... now you are no longer a baby or a toddler, but a little girl who's full of energy, excitement and love. I don't think we can say it enough ... we love you!

Just moments after birth - you were so tiny!

Even then, you had your Daddy's heart in your hand. I love to watch the two of you play together, and to see the excitement on your face when Daddy gets home from work each day.

You have been a funny girl from the very beginning. People comment on your big blue eyes and white-blonde hair, but I will always remember your funny faces, even as a baby.

You share a love of football with your Daddy. "Touchdown" was one of your first words! (Well, at least the arms-in-the-air motion.) When you saw jelly beans for the first time at Grandma and Uncle Bud's house, you called them 'football candies.'

Suddenly you were two, full of questions ("What dat? What dat?" and "Where my Daddy go?"). It was around your second birthday that you developed a love for JoJo's Circus, Rocket (The Little Einsteins), playing "souside" ... and waking up at five a.m. You also had your first crush ... Michael, the intern who lived with us the summer you turned two.

The summer passed quickly and soon it was fall. We traveled to Illinois to see family one last time before a big change in our family, and you were such a big girl! You and Daddy stayed in Illinois while Mommy traveled away. I missed you so much.

You became a big sister just before Christmas, when you were 2 1/2. You are such a good big sister! Mikayla (or Baby 'Kayla, as you call her) is blessed to have you as her sibling. You love her and are gentle and kind and make sure Mommy helps her as soon as she starts to cry.

Little Katrina, we delight in you more each day. I thank God for the wonderful little girl He has entrusted to us for the time we have together. I pray that we are the best parents we can be, and that you know you are loved.

Happy 3rd birthday, Peanut Butter!

A conversation this morning ...

Katrina: Mommy, Mommy! Where ARE you?
Me: Here I am, Katrina. I'm getting dressed.
Katrina: Come here, Mommy. I have something show you!
Me (with clothes in hand, following her to the living room): You have something to show me? Okay, here I come.
Katrina: Mommy, put clothes down. Watch me. I (mumble)!
Me: You're a dragon? [She had been talking about dragons earlier this morning.]
Katrina: Nooooo, Mommy! I a PEN-GUH-IN! (walks with stiff legs and arms out) Pen-guh-in waddle waddle waddle.

Toy Giveaway

Not much time left to enter ... tomorrow's the deadline, but give it a shot and enter 5 Minutes for Mom's Toy Giveaway.

A little parrot

The intern who lived with us last summer left some stuff here, and we never mailed it to him. Last night when I mentioned to Ryan that Michael (intern) would be moving to Frederick soon, he said, "We'd better find his crap." He was carrying Katrina down the hall at that moment, and I heard a little voice parrot, "I no find no crap!"

Anybody know ...

... where I can get just the insides of green beans? I guess that would be the bean part. The insides of green beans happens to be Katrina's food of choice and she goes nuts for them whenever we have green beans (like tonight). I spent most of dinner opening green beans and giving her the insides to eat. Yes, yes, I know, we should make her eat them whole. But do tell, how do you MAKE a strong-willed-almost-three-year-old eat green beans?

I'd also appreciate any potty training tips. We were doing great, then we went to Illinois. Katrina had one really bad day with several accidents while we were there. And for some reason, she's had four (4!!) accidents since I've been home from work ... approximately one accident every 37.5 minutes. Meh.

Today started off cute, though. Katrina saw this CD down in the basement and said, "O'topus grumpy, Mommy! O'topus WAY grumpy!"

When Mommy is Away ...

I was down in Greenbelt the last two days managing changes to the technical volume of a proposal due Monday. Clemence watched the girls Tuesday and Ryan was home with them yesterday. Apparently Daddy was a little too busy playing with his new toys (he's building a MythTV and borrowed a friend's PSP) to notice what Katrina was doing. Amazingly, I didn't find out until I got to work today and a coworker told me! I got home very late (3:00 a.m.), so Katrina was in bed of course, but even this morning I didn't notice anything awry. Ryan did a good job cleaning up and getting rid of the evidence.

More pictures

A Conversation to Remember

Katrina and I had a conversation tonight that I want to remember forever. We were in the van on the way home from taking dinner to a friend when it happened.

Katrina: Mama, Mama, what you sinking? [She was asking, "What are you thinking?" Sometimes when she is being quiet/thoughtful I ask her what she is thinking about.]

Me: What am I thinking? I'm thinking I love you.

Katrina: Yeah. I love you, too, Mommy!

*sigh* I love that kid more and more every day.

A few nights ago I asked Katrina if she loved Jesus. She said yes, so I asked her where He is. She said, "He in my class at church!" (Sunday School) I told her that Jesus loves her and wants to live in her heart, and she said, "No! He stay my class at church!!"

Last week on the way to church (Palm Sunday), she was counting pretzels she had for a snack and counted, "Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ... eight ... Simon!" I suspect she has a crush on Simon Reynolds, although I don't know how that would work since she also thinks Cayden (Simon's son) is her brother .... :)

One last Katrina story - Saturday we tried to teach her to say, "He is risen!" for Easter Sunday. Instead she protested, "He no medicine!"

I Want It!

2 Months

Hard to believe, but our peanut is 2 months old! Stats from her well-visit this morning:

Weight: 10 lbs 1.6 oz ~ 25th percentile
Length: 23" ~ 75th percentile
Head circumference: 39.25 cm ~ 50th percentile

Quwock-wet

I was on the phone with another children's pastor friend tonight when I heard, "Quwock-wet! Quwock-wet, Mama! Your quwock-wet!! Mmmm--ugh. No likey your quwock-wet, Mama. Yucky. Yucky quwock-wet."

Katrina had discovered my stash of this:

Just a picture

Six weeks

It's hard to believe, but Mikayla will be six weeks old tomorrow! She is growing so fast. Stats from her checkup today ...

Length: 21 3/4"
Weight: 9 lbs, 4 oz.
Head circumference: 38 cm

This picture is from Saturday morning. We were cleaning the living room when Katrina came to us and said, "Baby 'Kayla safe!" We took a look at Mikayla on the couch, and Katrina had very carefully placed two boxes around the baby to keep her 'safe.'

This picture is from tonight, her six-week-birthday-eve. I'd like to say that she was gazing deep into my eyes with love for her mama, but really, she was staring at the black bolt cover on the inside of her swing. She loves to look at that, as well as the warning label on the side of her Pack-n-Play.

Following in Uncle Bobby's Footsteps

Katrina was playing with the belt to my robe while I changed Mikayla's diaper this morning. She put it over her shoulders and said she was a doctor (or "gock-er," as she says it) - pretending the belt was a stethoscope. I asked her if she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, and she said yes. Then I asked her if she wants to be a people doctor or an animal doctor. She said, "Ummm. Puppy gock-er!" and proceeded to 'listen' to the 'heart' of the blue ball pit puppy she got for Christmas. She went around her room and listened to several of her stuffed animals, saying, "Gock-er, gock-er, gock-er. Gock-er you all better!"

Insanity, or, How My Life Has Changed With Two Children

Note: I started this post approximately six (6) hours ago and am just now getting around to finishing it.

So, it's been a crazy five weeks. Some friends warned us that going from one child to two would be harder than going from no children to one, and they were right. I'm mostly loving this time. There have been a few days where I wanted to change my name and run away. :)

Mikayla is five weeks and two days old. Her one-month checkup is this Tuesday. (Yes, I know she is already past one month, but that was the first available appointment with the pediatrician we prefer.) She is growing like a weed! The poor child is definitely a second child ... three weeks passed without any pictures taken of her. In contrast, it seems we took daily pictures of Katrina her first few months. Of course, I'm the third child in my family; I think there are three or four pictures of my childhood, total. Her days consist of eating, pooping and sleeping. She's smiling some, and making a few cooing sounds. I am excited to find out her stats (weight, length) at her checkup next week.

Katrina is a riot, of course. She is talking more and more these days. We took a trip to Illinois this past weekend (more on that later) and she said some of the most hilarious things. A sample conversation between Katrina and Auntie Leea (my sister) ...
Leea: Katrina, I love you.
Katrina: No you love me! My mama love me. No you.

Another fun Katrina-ism: we were eating at Chick-Fil-A and Katrina was playing in the play area with Cayden and Reagan Reynolds (Simon and Laura's kids) when she exclaimed several times, "I can't find my brother!" Then, when Cayden came down the slide, she said, "There's my brother!" I was highly amused. Not only does Katrina not have a brother (duh), that was the first time I know of that she has even used the word "brother."

Ahhh, to be two years old. :)

My mom took a turn for the worse health-wise last week. She ended up in ICU for several days, then transitioned to a regular hospital room before coming home on Monday. Her primary care physician was out of town, of course, so the doctor who cared for her at the hospital wasn't completely familiar with her medical history. The doctors think Ma has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and possibly congestive heart failure (CHF). Talking to my sister last week was heart-breaking. Leea is doing an amazing job caring for Mom, but it is definitely taking a toll on her. She was stretched to the point of breaking when Ma went into the hospital at the end of last week. I took the girls and went out there Saturday and returned home Wednesday. Mom sounds much better today; while the level of oxygen in her blood is still low, she is losing weight, meaning the edema is going away, and her energy level is getting better. (I'm really proud of my sister for all that she is doing. We love our mom, but she's not the easiest person to deal with, especially when she's sick. I'm proud of and thankful for the care Leea provides Mom, as well as the hurdles she's overcoming personally in dealing with mother dearest.)

It was good to see my sister Lalena, too. We rarely talk, except an occasional e-mail now and then, so spending time with her was good. Emily (who just turned 10 on Wednesday!) had a basketball game Tuesday night. She's a very good basketball player! We went to Subway after the game then to Lane's house. I love my big sister, and my heart aches for her. She is searching for love in all the wrong places, it seems. (Actually, both of my sisters are searching in the wrong places.)

I have one more week of maternity leave. It has passed so quickly!! I'm ready to go back. I was ready to go back several weeks ago. Thanks to insight from a good friend, I realize I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything unless I'm super-busy. Having two little girls is super-busy, for sure, but I miss working. Does that make sense?

Okay, Mikayla is fussing for her eleven-o'clock-feeding. Time for me to go.