ice chips and ear drums...

so, my ear drum ruptured yesterday.  and yes, it is as painful as it sounds!  i think, from what i remember, it was as bad as labor!  except, labor produces this wonderful child... and the ear drum just hurts!!  i was sitting on the couch, sobbing, and nora and sadie just stared at me.  nora was so sweet, snuggling and hugging me.  we were laying on the couch watching a "bean show" and she just laid next to me.  what a sweet baby. 

david and i had our tour of the birth center and hospital last night.  instead, we spent 4 hours having my ear looked at....  not near as much fun.  or nearly as informative.  i saw three ent's (ear, nose and throat doctors), and several other nurses and midwives!  however, the plus side is that i got to have ICE CHIPS!!!  there is something about the hospital ice chips that is like heaven.  it was SOOO good.  i might have to find a reason to go back, just to get more ice chips!  

all that to say, i am feeling SO MUCH better now.  they say the pain should be gone, now that my ear drum is ruptured.  

okay, picture of sadie... i don't usually put them on here, but she looked so funny with her tongue hanging out!  

i take it all back!!!

so, nora was kind enough to share her cold with me.  i understand the 45 minute tantrum.  i told david last night that was how i felt!  it just HURTS... EVERYWHERE...  and i CAN'T SLEEP!!  and there is no one to rock me.  that's my whining.  but i understand where nora was coming from now!  (although i do think i was pretty sympathetic!!)

however, we have watched SO MUCH tv this week i do feel guilty!  she was so good this morning when i laid on the couch, half asleep.  i was concerned at one point that my keys might make it into the trash, but i was able to rescue them!  i am just glad that she is feeling better! 

i also feel bad for david.  i haven't seen him before 8:30 pm this week (dinner with friends, Bible study after work, class after work), and he walks in to a messy house, dishes in the sink and a miserable wife!  not the way i WANTED to greet him each night his first week at a new job!  i am not a fan!!  thankfully, i am married to the MOST understanding husband who doesn't complain about the state of affairs in the house, and seems to understand how i feel!  i just want to give nora her mom back, and david his wife back!!

the end of my whining... off to the doctor!  and thankfully, i have fabulous friends who will watch nora!  and several have offered to come bring or do stuff...  i love them!!  

reading the Bible...

you can see in the purple jammies why nora now has bangs cut.  i felt bad, cause she couldn't see through all her hair!  she had three purses and a cloth noah's ark that she carried around all day saturday.  she wanted all of them at the same time!  a woman after my own heart!  a girl can't have too many purses!  

she has a newfound fascination with pictures, especially sticking them in places where mommy and daddy laugh!  

we met some friends, the hassons, et al, at seaport village the other day.  the hassons are the ones who introduced david and me.  (THANKS, by the way!!!)  they were in town visiting.  on the way there, i realized i had forgotten a pacifier.  but, since nora only gets them at bedtime, i figured we would be okay.  and we so weren't!  but mr. hasson and new dad-to-be ran to the grocery store down the street and saved the day!!! (i should mention that she had it in her mouth as we were getting ready to go.... and lost it on the way out the door!) we got to ride the carousel, but again nora wasn't too pleased to go on it with me!  growing up, i was pretty sure those things went WAY TOO SLOW!  now, i am pretty sure they go WAY TOO FAST!!  or maybe it's just california carousels.  or my motion sickness setting in... or me getting old!!!  oh well...

then, we had dinner at a favorite restaurant!  and here's a picture, so you all know i am NOT the size of a whale, contrary to the remarks i have posted recently!  

nora found a bag of trader joe's chips on the floor.  somehow, sadie managed to get them off the kitchen table, from inside of a bowl, but not eat them!!  so, nora found them and decided that she needed a snack!!!  at least it's healthier (flaxseed and veggie tortilla chips- super good if you haven't had them!!!)

and she read the Bible yesterday!  she has a toddler Bible, and just flipped through it all day!  can't say i can complain about her choice in books!

a cute pic

if you want me to...

so, there are a lot of words i didn't mention!!  sorry about that...  grammie and grandpa are two that top that list!!!  i thought i had all the family members in there.  she also learned a new one yesterday...  orange!  she was sick and miserable yesterday.  she threw a 45 minute temper tantrum.  you may wonder what kind of parent lets their child throw a tantrum that long, but i could tell it wasn't anger.  she was hurting and couldn't tell me what was wrong.  (i woke up with a sore throat, and realized that if she felt like i did, or worse, that could be the cause...)  i did give her some motrin, and i think that's what finally ended the tantrum.  you could tell when it kicked in!!  poor girl...  it's no fun to watch your baby be sick.  and, she ONLY wanted mommy.  she pushed daddy away and gave him dirty looks.  his normal charms had no effect on her!  (and she usually LOVES her daddy...)  i felt bad for him.  but, he did let me go get coffee with a friend...  

 

the only thing she would eat yesterday was clementines.  (hence the orange)  she went to town on them!!  i figured the vitamin c was a good thing!

okay, so an aside.  in my Bible study, i was reminded of a song i loved in college.  it's called "If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens.  it fit where i have been in my life recently.  i know that as a Christian, i am not guaranteed a life of health, wealth and prosperity.  but, God is going to work all things for HIS good...  and that might not look like good to me at the time.  i continue to learn that i like His plans so much better than mine.  they do work out better.  so, here are the lyrics.  maybe you'll enjoy them like i have!!

the pathway is broken

the signs are unclear

and i don't know the reasons why you brought me here

but just because you love me the way that you do

i'm gonna walk through the valley if you want me to

cause i'm not who i was when i took my first step

and i'm clinging to the promise you're not through with me yet

so if all of these trials bring me closer to you

i'm gonna walk through the fire if you want me to

it may not be the way i would have chosen

when you lead me through a world that's not my home

but you never said it would be easy

you only said i'd never go alone

so when the world turns against me and i'm all by myself

and i can't hear you answer my cries for help

i'll remember the suffering your love put me through

and i will go through the valley if you want me to 

there are so many things in life i wouldn't have chosen, but in those moments, i get so much closer to God.  i have seen and felt my faith grow so much in the small trials we have had recently.  and i have seen Him do miracles and really grow me.  and He gets the glory...  i am just trying to remember that this should be my first response... not worry and anxiety for a long time, before turning to God in desperation. 

there's my sermon for the day!  thankfully, we are all feeling better today!!

a haircut

so, i finally broke down and cut nora's bangs yesterday.  they are straight when they lay one way... and slanted if her hair falls another way.  not sure what to do, without giving her those too short bangs cause i keep trying to make them even!!!  (or take her somewhere professionally to get them done!!)

her little bangs were just constantly in her eyes, and i felt bad.  but, i don't want an all over haircut, because it's getting long and cute!!  but, eventually, i will have to stop putting her hair up in that cute ponytail and she will have to look like a toddler.  so, she has bangs!  

i also justify that if i cut david and nora's hair, then i can spend money to get mine done!  

yesterday, we had a lazy day.  just hung out.  but, in the afternoon, david took a nap.  i had really been wanting a pedicure, but since it requires a LOT to reach my toes for an extended period of time (and they were getting bad), i decided to treat myself to one.  so, nora and i walked up to our little plaza and she was SUCH a good girl while i got my toes done!  she was fascinated by the "bath" my feet took.  she even sat on my lap for part of it.  everyone else was so impressed by how good she was!!!  

then, we baby-sat for our friends' 4 week old.  he is so cute!!  and nora does pretty well having him around (except for being a little more clingy than usual!)  

18 months.. ish

so, i forgot that nora was supposed to get an 18 month check-up.  i finally remember last week (really not too late), and we had her appointment yesterday.  she is still in the 50% for everything, weighing in at 23 lbs, 14 oz.  she's about 31 1/2 inches.  i don't may much attention to what she's "supposed" to be doing...  i just know that she does what her friends do, and seems to be growing and doing more all the time.  but, it's still fun to hear what they say and compare.  like, they asked me how many words she knows.  i was like, "umm...".  i think the doctor got concerned.  she asked, "more than 10?".  oh my goodness, definitely. 

dog

chair

airplane

choo-choo (train)

hat

banana

oatmeal

juice

mama

dada

byssa

david

mom-mom

pop-pop

coco

sarah

toast

elmo

ball

balloon

more

please

shoes

walk

hold you

i love you

TONS of animal sounds

house

jeffrey

away

hurt

baby

pluggy (pacifier)

car

hop

good

girl

purse

bye-bye

hi

pooh (as in winnie the)

mickey

snack

zoom

no

up

down

okay, so that's off the top of my head.  and, the doctor gave nora a book!  she was quite excited.  today, her friend jeffrey is over again, and she couldn't be happier.  she just loves playing with him.  she kind of follows him around and just watches him...  then, she'll play with him, doing whatever he's doing.  (currently, they are putting the letter magnets on and off the fridge.  jeffrey doesn't have a fridge that can do magnets, so he loves to play with them here!!)  

she also puts sentences together... about two weeks ago, she asked me, "where dada go?".  now, she'll also tell me, "cock-a-doodle jeff-jeff house" (meaning we saw roosters on the way to jeffrey's house).  she was very fascinated by that.  alright.... more later!!!