Julie's 4 Year Old Picture

And here's one of my Two Peas in a Pod.

For the Curious

I know that some of you have been wanting to see a picture of me for a while now. The reason I haven't posted is because there's not a lot to see! I'm 16 weeks now, so in the 4th month. I had an OB appointment today and all is well. The baby's heart rate was 140, so even lower than last time. I scheduled my 20 week appointment for July 25th, which includes an ultrasound and the option to find out if it's a girl or a boy. Stay tuned! Okay, pictures. These were taken earlier this week. I have to say that how I look depends a lot on what I'm wearing and how bloated I am due to various gastrointestinal issues (fun!). I basically just look a bit chunkier at this point, not yet really pregnant. I do feel like things are changing faster now though, so we'll see what happens!

Happy Birthday Julie!

Amazingly, my little girl is 4 today. We had a lovely day celebrating and playing outside. I tried to take some formal-ish pictures of her but it didn't work out so well, so I'm going to try again tomorrow. Right now I'm about ready to drop off to sleep though.

Happy Birthday sweet Julie!

Lots of Good News!

First, Julie is finally healthy! She's still finishing off two prescriptions, but she is her happy self again. I can't tell you what a relief and joy it is to have my healthy girl back.

Second, I am now in my second trimester of pregnancy. It's a very exciting landmark for me!

Finally, some of you may remember me posting about a mom whose new child passed away while we were all in China last summer. Well, I just got word that she recently returned from China with her second child, a little girl who is almost 3. What exciting news!

I think all this good news calls for some pictures :-)

Heat and Heartache

Heat: Our air conditioner is broken. It needs to be completely replaced. We are scheduled for that a week from Friday. It is only 8AM and it is 75 degrees with 77% humidity inside. It is only going to go up from there, with outside temps predicted to reach 90. I've closed up the house to try to keep it from getting too terrible as the day goes on. It's odd to have sticky floors though...

Heartache: Julie had a very hard night. She woke up crying four times between 11:45 and 4:25, at which point Larry switched beds with her and I tried to help her sleep through the morning. The heartache involved is twofold. First, she was inconsolable. One of the worst, most helpless feelings for me as a parent is being unable to help or comfort one of my children. Second, she was totally unable to tell us what was wrong, even in basic terms. There are many challenges to raising a child with developmental challenges, but this is one of the hardest. We are left guessing and grasping at straws much of the time. One day I hope she can say "I'm scared" or "My tummy hurts" or anything that would give us a clue about what is going on inside her at any given time. She also doesn't yet understand many questions put to her, like "what's wrong?" or "why are you crying?" She has definitely made a ton of progress in the right direction, but sometimes it feels like communication fails us most when it is most needed. So, we forge on, doing everything we know how to do for her, praying that it is enough.

Let me end on an up note. Today, for the second time this week, Julie woke up with a dry diaper!! We are so proud of her! It's hard to believe she'll be 4 in just a few weeks. Wow.

A Real Pair

One of the greatest joys of parenting for me has been to watch our girls develop a relationship that is so special and unique. They love to play together and always ask for each other when one is absent. Julie always wants to do things "with Meddy." Here are some pictures of good sister time. I know there are a lot, but I just couldn't decide!