Please Pray for My Mimi

My family would really appreciate it if you would pray for my Mimi today.  Saturday night, Mimi had to make a little trip to the ER for an irregular heartbeat.

Mimi was born with a hole in her heart. When she was 17, her hole was repaired through surgery...but she's had tachycardia (rapid heart rate) issues ever since.  Normally her tachycardia episodes don't last too long, but there have been a few cases that required outside intervention to get her heart rate back to normal.  Those cases involved being defibrillated a couple of times (in her late twenties) and undergoing a cardiac ablation (just one day before I was due to be born).

Up until two weeks ago, Mimi hadn't had any tachycardia issues since the ablation.  That year and a half was the longest she has ever gone without an irregular heartbeart.  She will see her cardiologist today, so hopefully he'll know what Mimi's next step should be.

Please pray that Mimi's doctor will have wisdom and that she will have peace.  Stress seems to be the biggest factor in these hard-to-stop tachycardia episodes...so peace is definitely necessary!

Sunday Best

Wowie, wow, wow!  What a day we had at church today.

Since it's the fifth Sunday of the month, Mommy was teaching in preschool children's church.  Our worship service is generally over at 11:30ish, so the preschool teachers like to have their kiddos ready to go at that time.  When 11:30 rolled around, Mommy and the other workers had all 23 preschoolers seated in rows with their completed crafts in hand and Goldfish snacks in mouth.

Five minutes later there were still 23 preschoolers in the room and not a parent in sight.  Another ten minutes passed before one lone mommy approached the door to pick up her daughter.  Mommy asked her if the service had just let out and she said, "Oh, no.  The Holy Spirit is so thick in there... I think it's going to be a while yet.  My work shift starts soon, though, so we've got to leave."  Every five minutes or so, another parent would come pick up their child and repeat a similar message. 

"The Lord is really working today.  It's probably going to be a while." 

"People are very responsive to the Word right now.  You may be in here for some time yet."

The  preschoolers were in an especially calm and cooperative mood today, so Mommy was able to smile at each parent and say, "No problem.  I'm glad that the Holy Spirit is working. We'll be just fine in here."

And guess what?  She was right!  By the time 12:30 had come and gone Mommy still had a big group of preschoolers.  The Holy Spirit must have been working among them, too, because they were still in great moods even though they were getting hungry.

How was I doing, you ask?  I was great, too.  Gramma knew that I was probably getting a little antsy, so she joined me in the nursery around 12:00.  She kept me occupied in the nursery for a while, then brought me into Mommy's preschool class where I enjoyed watching the "biii kids".

I know I've said this before, but I sure do love our church! 

Fall Fashion Preview

Been on the lookout for the hottest fall trends? 

Well, my friend, there is no need for you to look any further.

All the cool toddlers will be sporting this look come September.

You can thank me for the tip later.

1 Down, 35 to Go

I'm a little late on this one, but I thought some of you would like to know that our family made it through the first week of school with smiles on our faces! 

Here is a progress report detailing the week for each of us.

Katelyn:
Shed fewer and fewer tears each day at Miss Toni's.  By Friday, the waterworks were completely dried up.
Loved playing with Miss Toni, her toys, and the other girls and boy at her house.
Asked about Toni every night at home.
Is now taking only one nap a day.
Has been sleeping a little later in the mornings to make up for the lost daytime sleep.

Mommy:
Is in love with the students in her class! 
Has learned that it is possible to walk out the school door shortly after four o'clock each day.
Is the proud owner of two very sore feet and one very tired body.
Thanks God every day for empowering her to do what she thought she was incapable of doing.

Daddy:
Has, once again, proven himself to be a rockstar.
Gets up much earlier than he would like so that Mommy can make it to school on time.
Is now the family grocery shopper.
Made dinner on Thursday night so that Mommy could spend more time playing with me.

And, since I know many of you consider pictureless posts to be imcomplete, here's a pic of Daddy and I chilling on the couch after school last week. 

 I sure do get excited every time that guy gets out his guitar (or "brum brum", as I call it).

Sunday Best

Happy Sunday, guys!

See that water spot on my dress?  That's what you get when you cross a toddler and a Dora the Explorer battery operated tooth brush. 

I became a huge fan of teeth brushing as soon as I was introduced to this brush...and sometimes my fanaticism shows on my clothes! 

Thankfully, the other toddlers in the nursery don't judge me and my water spots. 

Our church is accepting like that.

Seriously, though, Mommy, Daddy, and I are very thankful to be able to call the other members of theLighthouse our church family.  It really is an accepting congregation...and (petty as it may be) Mommy loves that she never has to worry about whether or not her toenails are freshly painted.

A text story

Last Thursday, Daddy and I hung out together while Mommy was at work.  Please enjoy this text transcript Mommy reveived from Daddy that afternoon.

J[eremy]: K, did you poopy?

K[atelyn]: no

J: Come here. Let me take your shoes off.

K: OK

J: Ohhh, you did poopy!  Let's go change your diaper.

K: Nnnoooo! (with an arched-back slide out of my lap)

J: Do you just want to sit in your poopy?

K: Yeah (as she walks away to play with the big blue [swim] "noonle")

That's right, folks.  I'm still content to sit in a poopy diaper!

Red and Splotchy

A few Saturdays ago, Mommy noticed a bug bit on my face.  Wanting to prevent another swollen-bite-disaster, she quickly gave me a dose of Benadryl.  The bite disappeared after a couple of minutes...leaving Mommy more than relieved.

Only minutes later, though, another bite surfaced on the other side of my face.  It lingered for a while, then disappeared.  It took several more repetitions of this cycle for Mommy to figure out the the "bites" were actually hives.  I'd never broken out in hives before and Mommy new I hadn't eaten or worn anything new, so she couldn't pinpoint the catalyst for my breakout. 

Four days later, the hives still weren't any better.  They were dormant as long as I had Benadryl in my system, but once the medicine wore off they'd rear their ugly heads.  My pedi told us that this was a normal length of time for hives to persist and to keep administering the Benadryl every 6 hours.

Things were looking up when a few days later I was able to go about 8 hours between Benadryl doses.

Then I hugged Daddy as soon as he came in the house from mowing the lawn. 

Within minutes my face and arms were red all over. 

As soon as the pedi's office was open Monday morning, Mommy put in another call and set up an appointment.  She was already into her fourth day of work at that point, though, so Mimi had to accompany me on this little visit.

After a quick strep test came back negative (my throat was a little red and the pedi said hives are sometimes a result of strep), the Dr. Hull decided that she needed to draw blood to rule out any strange viruses.  If you've ever watched Mommy "brush" my teeth, you know that drawing blood from my veins is no small feat!  I was strapped to a papoose, pricked in the arm (where my veins rolled), and pricked again in the hand (where blood was successfully drawn)...all the while crying and asking Mimi to let me "out, out, out".

Mimi has told Mommy several times that she should consider herself fortunate to have not been at this particular doctor's visit!

Even though I was a screaming tot for the actual blood draw, a yummy sucker and some cuddlin' was all it took to calm me down.

 

Thankfully, my blood work came back clean.  Per the pedi's instructions, Mommy and Daddy have been giving me 1 tsp of children's Zyrtec each day.  We'll try this route for two weeks.  If the hives come back after two weeks, I'll be referred to an allergist...which means more bloodwork.

 
Obviously, we're praying that those hives are never to be seen again! 
I'll get my last Zyrtec dose on Sunday night...so stay tuned for more details.

Sunday Best

Happy Sunday! 

I gave Mommy a nice Day-Before-the-First-Day-of-School present this morning when I slept until 7:45!  The last time I slept that late I was only six weeks old.  I could have slept even later, but Mommy started to get a little worried and tried to sneak in my room to check on me.

It was Mommy's turn to serve in the nursery today, and we had a great time!  I played, danced, ate snacks, and read books with the three other toddlers (all boys) who were with us.  Then, I "sweet talked" Mrs. Mercedes into letting me join her for a bit in the baby nursery.

I sat in the baby swing

and sprawled in the baby crib...

you know, just to make sure they were both still in working order.

Watching me have such a great time in the nursery makes Mommy very thankful and proud.  It was just a little over a month ago that she stopped expecting to receive a call or text during the service requesting her to retrieve her screaming child (yes, it was worded a bit less harshly).  I've become so much more independent during the last month...and that makes going back to work so much easier on Mommy!

Thanks be to God!

How Mommy Pumps Herself Up For Work Each Morning

Just kidding!  Mommy has really been suprised at how smooth the transition back to work has been...she hasn't even needed a daily pep talk!

The real test, however, will come on Monday morning when 25 first graders file into her classroom. 
No worries, though.  I know that Mommy "can do anything good"!

My friend, Kar-Kar

If you read this week's Sunday Best post, I'm sure you saw the adorable baby with the huge flower on her dress and thought, "Who is this vision of cuteness?".  It's my friend, Karsyn, of course!

Karysn (or Kar-Kar as I call her) and her mommy, Brandi, were in town for the weekend.  I had a blast spending a little bit of time with her on Saturday and Sunday.

Kar-Kar is the smiliest baby I've ever met.  She may be the strongest, too.  She just turned 6 months old this week and she's already sitting unsupported like a pro!

Karsyn's daddy, Adam, is a golf pro at one of the country clubs in Lubbock.  He also recently joined the PGA tour...so you know he takes golf seriously.  A few weeks ago Adam was taking care of Karsyn while Brandi was at work.  He decided that it was the perfect time to introduce his baby girl to the game of golf...and this is the sight that met Brandi when she met up with them in the afternoon.

I'd say that's one daddy who knows how to multitask! 

(If you'd like to soak in more Karsyn cuteness, check out this sneak peek of her 6 month pics.  They were taken by Brandi's cousin, Denae.  If you happen to live in the Lubbock area, I highly recommend using her photography services.)

Big Shoes to Fill

Recently, I have discovered the joy of walking in Mommy and Daddy's shoes.

They're a little big for me,

and I'm a bit awkward in them,

but they sure are fun!

Sunday Best

Happy Sunday, all!  

Mommy was so excited when I practically jumped out of her arms as soon as we stepped into the church nursery this morning.  She has been praying that the transition from having a "Stay at Home Mom" to a "Working Mom" would be easy for me...but she didn't expect me to do nearly as well as I have this past week.  I guess she forgot that God is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine"!

She won't be forgetting that again anytime soon, though, because the Holy Spirit was speaking to Mommy all morning long about His sustaining power.  Through both the song selection and the message spoken, she was reminded that "the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in" her.  Mommy has been very anxious about juggling the roles of teacher, wife, mommy, and friend...so this was exactly what she needed to hear!

What a Mess

One of the concerns Mommy and Daddy were eager to discuss with the pediatrician last week was my sudden predisposition to carsickness.  Up until July 14, I'd had exactly zero episodes of carsickness.  In the two weeks following that date, though, I ran that number up to four.  Let me tell you...four episodes of carsickness is no fun for anyone involved!

My pedi suggested a dose of Benadryl twenty minutes before a long car ride.  She said the drowsiness that comes with the allergy blocking medicine should put me to sleep quickly, thereby reducing the risk of an unwanted hurl. 

My family just might try that trick the next time we take a long trip.  Unfortunately, 3 of my 4 dates with carsickness have occurred on rather short rides...and my really parents really don't want to dope me up every single time we hop in the car.  So, here's the plan of attack we're sticking with for now:

Mimi helped us devise this little Carsick Kit, and we think it's pretty clever.  

• The gallon sized Ziploc bags are for containing clothing and any other item that may become soiled. 
• The towel is for draping over my body (if we're lucky enough to see the sickness coming) and/or cleaning up post-puke messes. 
• The HUGE bib is now worn by me on just about every car ride.  Since Mommy and Daddy put it on after I've been buckled into my seat, it should prevent my straps from getting soiled (which my family now knows is the most difficult part of a carseat to clean). 
•  The dress is an extra change of clothes...just in case I've already had to use the change of clothes we keep in the diaper bag.

Fortunately, I haven't had a chance to test this kit out yet. And I'm hoping it stays that way! 

Just in case it doesn't, though, I'd love to hear any tips you may have for helping a toddler fight carsickness.

Happy 18th Monthday to Me!

Can you believe that I turned 18 months yesterday?!

Here are some things you should know about me at 18 months:

Weight: 20 lbs, 10.5 oz (6th percentile)

Height: 32.75 in (80th percentile)

Clothing size: 12-18 months

Shoe size: 5

My last 4 or 5 visits to the church nursery have been quite successful...I hardly even shed a tear!

I love a good panini.

I ask to wear my Dollar Tree ladybug costume just about every day.

I am now the proud owner (borrower, really) of a Fisher Price kitchen.  This thing is fabulous!

My expressive vocabulary is right around 100 words. 

This face always pumps me up.  And I can spot it hidden in any retail store!

I recently discovered the Leapfrog Alphabet Magnets Mommy used when she taught kindergarten.  They are super fun.

I can identify capital K, E, and Y about 70% of the time.

Potty training?  Please.  I don't even think so.