The bride at the mall

Grace is our little princess. She is a girly-girl who loves to wear skirts and dresses. She plays dress-up with her princess dresses any chance she gets. Yesterday, she spent most of the morning/early afternoon wearing her Cinderella wedding dress, complete with veil. John came home from a meeting and decided to join me on my errands. I told Grace to go get dressed so we could go to the mall. She ran into her room and came out with a shirt and skirt. I told her, "Grace, those don't really match." She looked at them and responded, "But Mommy, they both have flowers on them. They go together." I laughed and said, "Well, put them on." She got dressed, and to my surprise, put her veil back on! I said, "Grace, you really need to leave that at home." She said, "But I want to wear it!" I relented, thinking she'd take it off in the car.

We got to the mall after making a couple of other stops where she didn't get out. She had been wearing the veil for probably 30 minutes in the car, but she still wasn't ready to take it off! She was determined to wear it in the mall. (I told her I'd let her wear it if she let me take a picture, and she had to smile for it.)

People everywhere just smiled at her. She looked adorable! I don't know that she even noticed all the attention she was getting! She was just having fun with her family and enjoying being a princess.

Just a quick update

I didn't intend for this blog to just be about Annabelle lately, but that is what it has become. Sorry! One more quick update to her- she is no longer nursing! She weaned about a month ago, right at 14 months. I was prepared to nurse her longer because of her allergy, but when she was able to drink milk, I asked the nutritionist when I could wean. She said once Annabelle was drinking 24 ounces of whole milk in a day, it was fine to wean. She doesn't seem to miss it, and I don't either!

Life is good for us. We found a rental house, so we are really looking forward to no more apartment living! It has been a really long year for us, with extremely loud neighbors who share the wall of the girls' room. Our new house is about 5 houses down from one of my closest friends here, and she has 2 girls that Grace is good friends with. We are all very excited about the move. I'm not looking forward to packing up and then unpacking, but we hope to stay in this house until we are ready to buy our own.

Grace has really enjoyed her daddy being home this summer. She's had some great daddy-daughter time with him. Annabelle is finally getting closer to him too, and just this week, she cried when he gave her to me. She only wanted him! That was a first! Normally it is the other way around when I give her to anyone else. I'm glad she is becoming a daddy's girl too.

Another great allergy update!

Annabelle can now have milk!! I started giving her whole milk almost 2 weeks ago. We started with 1 ounce and slowly worked our way up to 4 ounces in a day. She's a very messy drinker with a straw, spitting it out about every other time she drinks. So it took a while to make sure she got enough swallowed to count it as a full trial. She didn't have any reactions! I've given her cheese and yogurt, and still no reaction! I'm so excited!! She has really enjoyed every time I introduce a new food. I think she just gets tired of the few foods she can eat, so a new taste is fun for her. I'm glad there are so many flavors of cheese! I think she'll enjoy all of those too. I'll work on eggs later this week. If she passes eggs, I see homemade ice cream in her future!!!

Roses from Susie

When I lived in Bellville, every time Susie got flowers, she'd give me some. She often received roses from friends for her birthday and for mother's day. (Despite not having any biological children, she was still honored as a mom by many of her friends!) She always said that she just needed a few to enjoy and wanted me to enjoy the rest of them. She'd split up her dozen roses and give me several.

At her funeral, the casket flower display was roses. After the graveside service, her nephew began pulling roses out to pass out to the women. I was handed several (one for each of the girls in my family). I took a picture (and just transferred the pictures to my computer). Here are my last roses from Susie. As usual, I was able to brighten up my house for over a week because of roses from her.

Catch up post

Life has been crazy and stressful lately. Texas is undergoing severe budget cuts in the education department, and it is affecting the local schools. Our district cut hundreds of jobs, mainly probationary contracts. John is under a probationary contract for his first 3 years, so we were really scared that he would be let go. We heard rumors of other coaches being laid off, so we didn't have any security at all. Luckily, his job was safe due to other teachers in his department voluntarily resigning. Other people weren't so lucky, but we are thankful for John's job for at least another year. I hope Texas gets its act together so we don't have to face this stress next year!

Annabelle has passed her chicken trial! It is so nice to have a good protein she can eat! So now she can eat pears, peas, bananas and chicken! We started a milk trial last Wednesday. So far, she's up to about 3 ounces a day. She's been extra fussy lately, but I don't know if it is because of the milk or if she is teething. I'll keep increasing the amount until we get to a full serving or until she has a reaction.

I've really been missing Susie lately. She passed away almost 4 weeks ago, and it is so hard. The school stress was when I really felt her absence. Last year, when I was so stressed about where John would get a job, she was a calming presence in my life. I really missed having her wisdom as we waited to hear if John would have a job again. And when I found out John would have his job still, I missed picking up the phone to rejoice with her. Grace found the program from the funeral, and I saw her hugging it. We sat down and talked about missing Susie. She said, "You miss Susie and I miss Susie, but Annabelle doesn't miss her." I guess she's heard me say before that Annabelle won't remember her. (I don't know how much Grace will remember her in a few years, but I know for the next few at least, she'll remember her.) Grace does seem to understand everything that happened, so I'm glad it hasn't been difficult for her.

Update on Annabelle's Allergies

We've been steadily moving along with Annabelle's food allergies. She's currently able to eat pears, peas, and bananas!! It has been fun adding the new foods. She was sick a few months ago and couldn't seem to get over it, so our food trials slowed down. She started refusing purees, so I started giving her chunks. She LOVED that! No more purees for her now! She feeds herself, and she's so proud of herself!

The allergist gave us the go-ahead to try a meat, so we're trying chicken, starting Monday!! I'm more nervous about that one than any of the fruits or veggies, but I'm hoping it'll all go well.

This week is her birthday, so we're having a family party on Wednesday to celebrate. I just finished making her cake, and I'm bummed she can't eat any of it. Hopefully by her 2nd birthday, she'll have enough safe foods that will allow me to make a cake out of it. This year, she'll have to settle for bananas in a cup, with a candle.

Susie

When most people think of Hurricane Ike, they have bad memories. For me, I remember that it was the beginning of my friendship with Susie. We had just moved from Germany into our apartment about a month before the hurricane. When we realized it was going to hit us, we decided to make sure our neighbors were ok. I don't remember if we had met Susie before that day, but that was the day we started talking to her. The day after the hurricane, when my family was trying to figure out what to do while they had no power, Susie graciously offered her spare bedroom and her couch to my family. My mom, sister, and brother-in-law stayed in her apartment for a week. That was the beginning. Even just a few months ago, Susie mentioned that it was the hurricane that brought us together.

Over the next few months, Grace and I started going over a few days a week, just to hang out. That gradually increased to almost daily. For the rest of the time we lived there, our days just didn't feel complete if we didn't see Susie. I could talk to her about anything. When I was happy, she rejoiced with me. When I was frustrated, she just listened to me vent. When I was worried, she reminded me that life had its good moments and its hard moments. She always said that life wasn't easy but it would be ok. She would know; she lived through the Great Depression. The stories she would tell me were incredible.

Life there was lonely. It was hard for me to make friends in such a small town. It seemed like not many moms were stay-at-home, which made it hard to connect. But I had Susie. She became my best friend. It sounds strange to say it, since I was in my 30s and she was in her 90s. What an unusual pair we made! She would often take me out to lunch, just to treat me to something special. She introduced me to all her friends, including me in several special events.

Susie spoiled me. She would come over while I needed to do housework and sit and read with Grace. Or fold my laundry while I did dishes or cooked. After Annabelle was born, she'd come over and just hold her for me. My girls LOVE Susie. If you asked Grace to name her grandparents, Susie was in the list. She would often ask to go to Susie's by herself. (Our backdoors were only 20 feet apart.) I'd walk her over there, and she'd sit next to Susie and just hang out.

Even after we moved away, we talked on the phone at least twice a week. Most of the time, when one of us would call the other, the one on the receiving end was going to make the phone call the same day. We were so in sync. I tried to go back every 2-3 weeks for a visit. I always enjoyed my visits with her. She always told me how much she appreciated our friendship, that she was so thankful that God gave us to her. She said, "I have my 2 girls... well, now I have my 3 girls. You are my angels." We often at the same conversation, just in awe of our special relationship.

Last week, I got the call I dreaded. Susie had a stroke. They rushed her to the local hospital and then life-flighted her to a Houston hospital. We went to see her Sunday. Unfortunately, she wasn't awake when we went. She briefly woke up to ask for water, but she wasn't very responsive other than that. Early reports were that she was responding well and things looked promising. But now, the swelling is getting worse, and there is talk hospice care.

I knew when I started getting closer to her that eventually she would pass away, leaving me broken-hearted. But I'm grateful that I didn't let that stop me from one of the best friends I've ever had. I'm praying for her, that she isn't in pain. I want to pray for a miracle, for her to recover, because I'm not ready to say goodbye, but I know the reality is that she is 92 and has lived a long, blessed life. She had her rough spots, but overall, she'd say she had a great life. I know she's ready to go whenever it is her time. So instead, I'm praying for a peaceful, painless end, and for comfort for me and my family as we say goodbye to our friend.

Lucy

The first Lucy was a small doll with blond yarn hair and a Santa dress. When Grace "opened" the gift bag from John's aunt and uncle, we had never seen such excitement. She loved that doll from the moment she laid eyes on her. It was amazing. If Grace had Lucy, she was as happy as could be. She slept well, she calmed easily, she was attached to that doll. Then one day, Grace dropped her out of the stroller, and we never found her, in spite of retracing steps and making phone calls to all the places we had been.

A couple of months later, John's dad found another "Lucy." This one was in a pink, springtime dress. Same hair, same size, identical to the first Lucy except for the dress.. All was right with Grace's world again. Everyone who saw Grace knew who Lucy was. She was a part of Grace. Eventually, after we moved back to Texas, Grace drifted towards other dolls, and Lucy was relegated to the toy bin.

Now Annabelle is at an age where we would like to introduce a "lovey" so she can have the calming influence that Lucy gave. Grace decided that Annabelle shouldn't just have a doll like Lucy; Annabelle needs LUCY. After a few nights, Annabelle is now attached. It is so sweet to see Annabelle snuggling the same baby Grace had.

One food down, too many to go

Finally! Annabelle is able to eat something other than breastmilk! We have been trying pears for a couple of weeks, and she hasn't had a reaction! I'm so glad. It has been a long process. She spit up twice, and I was so worried it was a reaction. But luckily, it wasn't. It was just normal baby spit-up.

I was going to try peas or another vegetable this week, but Annabelle has had a cold, so I'm waiting until it clears up to try something else. I don't want to wonder if a reaction was from food or from illness. Hopefully she'll get well quickly, and we can start a new food every 2 weeks. I'm really hoping and praying she has a short list of reaction-inducing foods.

I love us

There's a Valetine's commercial out that says, "Valentine's Day isn't about saying I love you. It's about saying I love US." That perfectly describes what I want today to be about. I read in a parenting magazine that one family had turned Valentine's into a family thing instead of a couple thing, focusing on loving each other. I decided I wanted to try that. So today, we're celebrating US, all 4 of us. I'm not quite sure what we'll do, but Grace will be a part of it. She's excited about Valentine's already. She knows it's about love and hearts and red and pink. We'll try to focus those thoughts a little more. :)

I still remember when the "US" part started, 7 years ago. John asked me out on my first real date. I had never had a boyfriend, never been on a real date, and he knew that. (Of course, by that point, we had already had our "big talk" and knew we were going to get married, but we hadn't been on a date yet.) When he picked me up, he handed me a single long-stemmed red rose. We went out to the bay of Naples for a long walk, so he could show me more of the city, since I had just moved there. Then we went to a restaurant up on a cliff. The food was incredible! I never got tired of true Italian food! After dinner, we went back to his apartment. He sat me on the couch and brought out a vase FILLED with roses. (Not sure the exact number, but over a dozen!) As he handed me each rose, he told me what each rose meant and how it would be significant in our relationship (red for love, yellow for friendship, white for purity, etc.) Some were in pairs, some were single roses. It was so romantic! After he gave me all the roses, he sang me a song he had written. (It wasn't a romantic song, but it was still beautiful!) What a great night! I knew that God was going to bless me with an incredible guy that would be worth the wait, but He blew me out of the water when He gave John to me! I'm so thankful for my husband.

Now the story of "us" includes 2 beautiful daughters that fill our lives with joy (and struggles, but mostly joy!) I love our life together! I love us!

Allergies

It's official- Annabelle has food allergies. She has a very rare one called Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome. Here's a summary (copied from http://community.babycenter.com/post/a23131809/fpies_faq-_start_here?cpg=1&csi=2242518307&pd=-1)

FPIES is a severe delayed food allergy of the gut, it is understood to be a T-cell mediated response in which food is considered a foreign invader and the body “fights” it until it can violently expel it; although the exact mechanisms are still not well understood.
Symptoms include: profound vomiting (often to bile), diarrhea and/or constipation. These can lead to: lethargy, low body temp or fever, hypotension, and in severe cases, sepsis and shock. And still yet, many children also experience many discomforting symptoms while the body "fights" this reaction and these can include: extreme stomach pains, gas, runny stools with or without mucous or blood, persistant hiccups, acid reflux, rashes, sleep disturbance, and agitation.
FPIES is a clinical diagnosis (based on symptoms), there is currently no test for it.

FPIES common trigger foods include, but are not limited to: Dairy, Soy, Rice, Oats, Barley, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Chicken, Turkey, Corn, Eggs.

Annabelle has reacted so far to rice cereal, oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Her first reaction was extremely severe. She vomited and dry-heaved for an hour and was very lethargic. (This was after 2 weeks of having rice cereal almost daily, mixed with breastmilk.) We tried oatmeal a month later and she vomited that day. It took about 2 weeks for sweet potatoes to have a reaction as well. We have been trying pears for about a week. Today was the 6th time she's had it, so we're waiting to see if she handles it.

Right now, we just have to try new foods and see how she reacts. If she doesn't have a reaction after 2 weeks of a new food, we can introduce another one. There is not a very accurate test to see what she will react to; it is just trial and error. Fortunately, most kids outgrow it around age 3.

I've done some research online, and it gets scary, but I'm not going to look at that stuff anymore. We're going to take it one day at a time and see what happens. She's healthy and gaining weight on breastmilk, so I'll continue to nurse her as long as possible while we search for foods she can eat. The allergist said this is the easy time of the diagnosis, when she's still nursing, but once she is weaned, it may get difficult to keep her thriving.

We've been referred to a GI specialist. I hope it doesn't get so bad that we have to do invasive testing, but at least we have a good doctor in case it does. We would appreciate your prayers as we start this journey with Annabelle.

A new year

Happy New Year! I've been writing this post in my head for a few days, but I just now have a chance to sit down to write it! It's been a crazy year already, and we're only 10 days in!!

As the new year approached, I did what I always do... I asked myself, "Should I make resolutions?" I never do them officially. This year, I'm not necessarily making resolutions, but they are more like goals. I have 3 main areas this year I'd like to work on, all "fitness" related. Spiritual fitness, physical fitness, and financial fitness.

1. At the risk of sounding like a "Sunday school answer", I want to be more spiritually fit. I want to stay more focused on God. I don't want to wait until the night before Bible study to work on my lesson. I want to pray more, read more scripture, and LISTEN to God.

2. One of my friends once said, "It takes 9 months to gain pregnancy weight, and it may take 9 months to lose it." Well, I'm a few months behind. I have about 12-15 lbs still hanging on that I'd like to get rid of. I worked hard in Germany to lose weight, and I'd love to be back to that size. My goal is to lose the weight before Annabelle turns 1. I think it is doable because I've done it before. Actually, I lost about 25 lbs in 3-4 months. So 12 should be nothing! I've done 2 days of working out, and I try to think about everything I put in my mouth. I should start a food diary, but I just haven't yet. I need the accountablity, though, so I'll start that soon.

3. Tomorrow night is our final class for Financial Peace University. This class has been eye opening!! Everyone needs to take this class! We are doing pretty good with following the program. We're working on baby-step 2 of paying off debt. We are down to only John's student loans. It'll still take us a while to get those paid off, until I have some income coming in. But we're slowing chipping away at it! But we are staying focused, talking about all of our spending and watching where every penny goes. Actually, we are spending everything on paper before we spend it. Some months are easier than others, but overall, it is getting easier.

So there it is, in writing! My goals for the year! I'm excited to see where this year takes us!