A New Year and etc......

Okay, I AM a few weeks late, but I had a good excuse(reason), for not blogging. I was actually trying to rest and recuperate from my last surgery. The second was a lot harder than the first and I feel like a sluggard some days, but people keep telling me that once you get up in age, your body dosen't recover as fast as it used to. I must have aged a bunch in between the first and second surgeries because I'm dragging a lot more now.
The offending mass was sitting in my chest right on my aorta. It was a biggie- the size of a small melon is what the Dr described it as.
I am alive and thank God for it all!
Meanwhile, I look forward to a new year of enjoying the challenges and riches that God has in front of me.

P.S. We started Baby Dear on solids and this look says how she truly feels about new foods.

6 months old already?

Here's a "Happy Cheer" for Baby Dear who is 6 months old today!!!
I caught her scooting backwards in our bed, heading for mattress' end!
She is also cutting her two top teeth right now which means we have been in a lot of drool lately. She chews everything and soon her precious gummy smile will be changed by the appearance of teeth. She has been and is a beautiful blessing and healing from God.

Baby wipes, Turtlenecks and the Banana of Doom?

It's Sunday evening and we had a loverly British dinner. Roast Pork with sage stuffing and some garlicky green beans. No dessert since I had made a giant-sized fabulous coffee cake for breakfast this morning and I left it on the counter all afternoon only to find 3 SMALL pieces left when I went in the kitchen to start dinner.
This morning we made it to church late again. This has been an ongoing problem for my family and we have come so far lately but today we dragged our feet again. Pray for us. I really dislike being late and disruptive. The church family is so graceful about it and try to encourage us, but oh, we fail. Nevertheless, we shall pick ourselves up and start over again. Thank God for new beginnings!
So our Sunday afternoon moved along with a quick trip to the bazaar to look for Christmas gifts.
This evening was a bit of a ruckus with the oldest and youngest hosting a sing along for the other children while Mr decided to clean out a kitchen cabinet that was driving him crazy. Every time HE opened it, there was an avalanche of cereal, marshmallows and cake mixes. Every time WE opened it, there wasn't. Seeing this as a conspiracy which should go no further, Mr took it into his own hands to tame this beast. And tame it, he did.
After all this excitement died down, Baby Dear decided that it was bedtime and if it's HER bedtime then Chloe needed to go too. We moseyed upstairs and since it was "that" time of the night, Chloe wanted to take a bath. I didn't feel like bathing her so she decided to lose her mind a nd have a fit. She moaned and groaned, whining all the way until April came upstairs to see what was the deal. I gave her a quick splanation and she did what she does best- calm little people down. Well, this time, she grabbed a plastic toy banana and shoved it in the back of Chloes turtleneck which sent her into a fit of laughter! Baby dear is on the floor watching the proceedings with great joy since her sister is such a source of happiness to her.With Chloe wrestling this banana out of her shirt, all the while twirling and whirling in circles, she manages to get her hand on the banana. She sends it flying through the air at a rapid speed and aimed at an innocent victim, Baby Dear! And do you know what? It hit her right in her plump tummy looking like the stem off the top of a cherry!She had this look on her face as if she was saying, "What was that for?". After calming her down, Chloe decided to get her pajamas on. Her shirt was the first thing to come off of her and since it was a turtleneck there was a bit of wrestling involved. Most of it was nearly off except for her head and when that part snapped off, it went flying through the air. Who was the victim of this clothes whacking? Baby Dear, who was just starting to fall asleep in my lap on the floor! My, my, this was not her night, but she calmed down quickly and fell asleep on the floor where this insane picture was taken.
Baby wipes? Hmmm, now I've forgotten what they had to do with this!

I QUIT!

No-not blogging, I mean. Trying to get some rest at night. You know that "S" word. Sleeping. It's approximately 4:17am and I am awake. I tried so hard to go back to sleep several times but there was no hope for me. Too much action in my room.(And no-not THAT kind! This is a clean blog if I can say so myself!)

It all started with a reeally sleepy baby who didn't want to stay asleep for long. I put her to bed in my bed, surrounded by a barrier of pillows for her "not rolling around yet" safety. She is a very "scentsitive" baby, meaning she really likes the smell of mommy right next to her. So my mistake was........ drum roll please.........that I put a DADDY pillow in front of her!! Well that was the unjust punishment for an innocent child. You know, to wake up and smell, gasp, A-MAN! And not just any man, I say. That MAN who lets me cry when I want my mommy, MAN. OH NO! So, after I made this grave mistake, I moseyed downstairs to partake of the bowl of spaghetti that was waiting for me which I was so looking forward to enjoying. Five bites into this perfectly wonderful bowl of pasta, I heard the call. "WAAAAAAHHHHHHH, WAHHHHHHH, WAHHHHHHHHHHH!" She was cranking up the Gatling gun of a cry because she was missing the love of he life and smelled, "The Man" instead of me. Okay then- give up the food mama and go save your child!
I hesitantly bounded up the stairs to a face full of tears and some red, juicy eyes looking around for her mama. At this point, I pat her bunny,(her bottom) and whisper "Hush, hush, shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhhhhh, calm down sweetie", while going through what I call "The Mental Checklist for Mothers"(that's another subject all together).
It was about this time that I realized she wasn't going back to sleep without a sip, so I began to nurse her and "The Man" appears offering to bring up my dinner so I can finish it while it's warm. "Of course", I answer and he whisks away to bring up my beloved late dinner accompanied by a precious glass of Ginger Ale. I quickly finish my din, lay down the dinner offender and run to get in the shower while I still have a chance. I'm just a-showering away when I hear it. No- I'm not hearing this. Oh yes I AM! She is at it again. WHAAAAAAA! Alrighty then. Now I am losing patience and do you know what I did???? I kept on showering and finished my relaxing moment because I knew that she was safe in bed. I'm not sure what the neighbors thought, or if they even heard her, but I didn't care because I was having "A Zen Moment". (Alright, I did feel guilty, but I had to take a shower before I got in the bed.) By the time I got out and dressed, "HE" was there. She still wasn't Kosher with him, so I grabbed her up and lay down with her to see what her need was. Okay then- fresh diaper you need? You got it! She was freshly changed and lying on the bed with those big, red eyes that make you want to bawl with her. Mr was giggling and sitting on the recliner across the room when I decided to ask him, "What is so funny?" He says, "I gave her a new nickname-Baldylocks!" I give him a mean frown, all while laughing at the same time. Hey, shhhhhhh! She's falling asleep! Oh my goodness! Her eyes are closed! It's a miracle that I didn't even have to pray about!

Fast forward to an hour ago. I'm asleep and dreaming about my friend Charmaine owning an international grocery store where each aisle contains food from a different country and each day they have different bakery items from all over the world. I was just about to lay down on some "Senorita Bread" from this Filipino bakery called "Starbread", when I hear laughter. Then I hear laughter again and the bed starts to move in unison with this laughter. When I begin to open my eyes from my fantasy of Senorita bread, I feel the squirming of baby, indicating that her tummy was empty and needed to be filled again. So on my left is contender #1- "Mr. Laughing In My Sleep while shaking the bed." In corner #2- is the, "I Need A Drink Or I WILL Wake Up And Let The Whole House Know That YOU Didn't Feed Me!", person.

I quickly laid my hand down in the vicinity of his head to rub it and am prickled by his freshly barbered locks or scalp or whatever you want to call it.
Ouch! He mumbles something about being funny and "I'm sorry", then quickly dozes off again. I roll over to feed wiggly and she dozes off also. I begin to float again into La La land when I hear the roaring sound of a Harley engine in my bedroom. It's HIM again! Blah, blah, blah! Good grief! Well, I'll be! I get up and go to the bathroom where I step on something oily on the floor. HE must have dripped some muscle rub and didn't wipe it up! Grumpily, I lay a bathroom rug down over the spot because someone could possibly slip on it and fall and hit their head on the toilet bowl. (Safety first!) Wiping off my feet with a washcloth, and climbing back into bed for another try, I wiggle in between the two offenders. Ahhh, this isn't too bad and it's still warm right here. La La land, here I come! Three minutes later, that Harley was back again with a vengeance. It was coming after me with all of the glory of a man on a safari hunting for lions! I poked the offender and he mumbled something again. Oh silence, you are my friend! Ahhhhhhhhh. Sweet rest, come quickly.(Can you hear the harp playing in the background?) I did, but only for a split second and then that darn blasted Harley came back and I jumped out of bed and stared at them. The Wiggler and the Harley. Both sleeping peacefully and looking so comfortable together.
And then I said, "I QUIT!"

A new beginning.......

Nope I am not talking about Star Wars either!
Since Mothers Day was my last post, I thought it was waay past time to update you. Hmmm, my condition worsened and my arms from the shoulder down to the tips of my fingers were effected. My arms were heavy, joints stiffened and it was extremely painful on most days to prepare foo or even use the mouse on my laptop. Tylenol was the drug of choice and I was beginning to have appointments weekly. The Docs here on base made me another appt with the rheumatologist who couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Bless her heart, I'm probably one of the last people she wanted to see and we have an appt on the 24 at high noon!
I didn't make it. A little person made their arrival Sunday evening at 5:37 pm. 6 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches
My family is not the quiet type and this little girl came in this world with a bang, er an emergency c-section. From what I was told by the distressed Dr (he was really good- we just stressed him out!), little Miss was firmly held in place by the cord which was wrapped around her neck and then back around under her arms. There was also a muscular band that was keeping her from descending out!
It was meant to be like that and THANK THE LORD that she didn't descend because tragedy could have ensued for the both of us.
Prayers of friends and church members and mercy from the Lord above gave us a healthy outcome.
Thank you all!