I took E to the wooden park today. She had a great time climbing, swinging, going down the slides and picking up little rocks from the ground. She found a round, smooth one that she really liked.
After her nap she was a total brat. I need indoor activities. Desperately! Please leave a comment if you have any ideas.
I skipped her bath tonight. I think it's going to rain tomorrow so I'm saving it to have some fun splash time tomorrow. The only thing on the schedule for tomorrow are my allergy shots.
We talked to C on Skype today. She was so excited to see her daddy!
- found out that the pipes are still leaking. putty and a bucket will hopefully work this week.
- E woke up at 8:40 am
- we went to a park with lots of our friends
- E watched praise baby in the car
- we met C at work then we went to an early dinner
- we said goodbye to daddy and will miss him A LOT (friday can't come soon enough)
- E took a nap in the car on the way home
- we came home and had fun with a spray bottle
- E wanted to go outside so we went for a long walk
- E cut a hole in her shirt. I'm thankful she didn't get hurt. (I also must admit I want to go back to the store to buy a new one b/c I really liked it.)
- Nightly routines and E is asleep
- took the garbage out to the curb
- watched one tree hill
- waiting for C's flight to land so I can talk to him
- and as usual I will most likely go to bed way to late since I have a hard time going to sleep without C
If you are one of my friends who like to email me forwards please read this...- Do not put my email address in the regular address box. If you have to send it to me put it in the BCC box instead. I don't want my email spread all over the place. That's how you get all the spam. I've asked you before. Please respect my wish.
- Don't expect me to reply to chain mail.
- And last... what is up with the cell phone fwd's? Please stop them!
I don't mean to offend anybody. I'm just not big on forwards and definitely not on chain mail or spam.
- Oh, it's whatever plant they had at the store.
- It was a mixed candle that my kids made. The wick was really long and caught on fire.
We came home from an evening at the mall with the M's where we had a really good time. We stayed a little too long so E didn't get her bath like she was supposed to. Her hair will be somewhat stinky tomorrow at church, but so what. She got to have tons of fun tonight.Here's our not so pleasant surprise: The upstairs shower and bathroom sink is leaking down into our apartment. We discovered that when we walked through our door when we got home and our shoe shelf was wet. C is working on it right now. I feel so bad. It's late and he could really use some rest. The problem won't be fixed tonight though. He will patch it up the best he can for right now. Then we just have to pray that it will be good enough for a week since he leaves for a business trip Monday. Please pray for us that nothing happens while he's away. So when he comes back from an exhausting 12 hour a day week long business trip he's going to have to deal with this problem. Time consuming and expensive. Is it ever going to stop? Or at least calm down?The Bible tells us in everything give thanks. Wow is that hard sometimes. But I am thankful. Thankful that the leak is dripping, not gushing. Thankful that I have a wonderful and handy husband. Thankful that E is too young to understand what's going on. Thankful that we have a place to call home, that our problems are, how do I describe them, western world problems. Thankful that I have a God who always takes care of us and carries us through the hard times.
I love peanut butter. But ever time I eat it my face breaks out. So I try to stay away from it. And I have been doing really good, up until just a couple of minutes ago when I finished my third spoonful of PB. It was delicious!!! But I know I will regret it in a couple of days. Oh, well.
The other day we went looking at minivans. When we first got married we agreed that we were not minivan people. But things change. If we get a minivan we would no longer have to rent one when we go to pick up family at the airport, go to IKEA, go on trips with another family... We rented so many larger vehicles this summer that we could have payed 5 payments on one already. Our OLDer car is up for inspection soon and it needs a lot of work to pass. That's why we went looking the other day.We found one we like and had to make up our minds by tonight. But it was just too expensive so we decided to put some money into our Lumina and deal with it for another few months. Then we would have to get something else. The car dealership have been stalking C today and are now willing to do the "impossible" - going down to the price we said we could afford. So it looks like we will be picking up a minivan by the end of the day.Never say never!
Yes! We have a light fixture in our front room and grandpa's old liqueur cabinet has been moved to it's place. All thanks to C and T who have been working hard. Thanks guys! And thanks D for letting T come over and help us - AGAIN! E had fun with some of her friends today at LRF. We went on a trolley ride, played in the bunny town, petted a llama, and took some cute pictures. Once we get the other computer set up I will post them on FB and MS.Ok, so here's my confession... I watch the new 90210. It's not as good as the old one, but me and my friends back in, what - 8th grade =), were all so obsessed with the old show that I can't stop watching the new one. It's not too bad.
Today we went to a memorial service for Uncle G. E wanted to chat the entire time so I had to take her for a walk, which means I missed most of it. C told me though that when dad went up to say something he asked the priest if he could borrow his Bible and the priest said no. What's up with that? After the service we went to Aunt L's house. E was great. Even though it was past her naptime she was happy, not shy, went to anybody who wanted to hold her even though she had never met some of them before. Next we stopped to get ice-cream at ... since they close in 6 days. They alternate their special dips and today they had my favorite - toasted coconut, mmmmmmmm. E fell asleep just before we reached our next destination, the car dealership. We looked at a minivan, but we haven't decided if we're going to get it. We have until Wednesday at 6 o'clock.Well, that was my day. Now to the 2 updates...- My mom went back to the hospital for a check up. She's doing well and was sent back home again. Great news!
- My friend... well the miracle we prayed for didn't happen. It says in the Bible that God works in mysterious ways and this is one of them. I don't understand how something that seemed to be so clearly His will had this outcome. Hmmm... I think this might end up on my list of things I want to ask Him about one day...
Before I start complaining I just want to say that I have a wonderful husband who worked hard all day on our heating system, the weather was great today, E and I got to take a nice walk and dinner was really good.OK, time to vent...- E woke up waaayyyy to early from her nap, just crying. She definitely needed more sleep, but that wasn't happening. So needless to say she was a pain all night long. (Wiggles helped though. And she is pretty cute when she's dancing along to the songs.)
- I was really looking forward to finishing the book of Jeremiah, but because of the short nap that didn't happen.
- I used our oven for the first time today. I cleaned out the top part first, but forgot the bottom part so I burned a spider and his web. That didn't smell to good.
- Continuing on the oven subject... Dinner was supposed to take 45 minutes to cook. It took twice as long! (Still turned out great though. And we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.)
- E refused to lay still when I changed her very dirty diaper. She put her foot in it. Gross! Then she peed on the floor.
- E woke up a little while ago with major reflux problems. (She's elevated and asleep now.)
This is just part of what happened today. I know that most of it is no big deal. It's just one of those bad days that we all have from time to time. Well, I should go take a shower and go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Hopefully a great one!
So we hired a babysitter last night for the first time. When we picked her up E would not even look at her. But by the time we got home she emptied out a whole drawer in the kitchen and handed all the items to her one at a time. (And then, being such a good girl she put it all back.)She didn't cry at all when we left. The only time she cried was when she went to bed. She cried for 5-10 minutes and the she was fine. So she had a pretty good night I would say. Thank again, S! (She was clingier than usual this morning, but that's understandable.)So how did I do? Did I call every 5 minutes to make sure she was ok? Well, I meant to call after her bedtime to see how things went, but I had so much fun that I forgot all about that. My first time and I didn't make a single phone call.
I have a prayer request. I can't tell you what it's about b/c it's not for me, it's for a friend. But I need you to pray for a miracle!
The only one that has ever babysat E is my mom. (Well, my father-in-law has watched her a few times in various waiting rooms, but I'm in the same building so that doesn't really count.) But we actually hired a babysitter for tonight. I'm so excited. And a little nervous, I have to admit. I have total confidence in S, but E doesn't know her so I might have to leave my house hearing a crying toddler. I'm sure she will calm down shortly after we leave if that is the case. I guess I'm just nervous b/c this is as new to me as it is to E. I'll let you know how we both do.
Oh, I just got Clicky. It's at the bottom of this page. They told me to let you all know. So now you do.
E gets into my makeup box EVERY day. She brushes her hair with my makeup brushes, tries to unscrew the lids on the eye shadow, "sponges" her face etc. All in front of a mirror that happens to stand on the floor. This morning, as I was trying to get ready, she climbed up on the toilet seat to get to the makeup again (I have to get a shelf for it soon) and I decided that I had enough. So I moved the box to the kitchen table. Like that would stop her! She climbs up on a chair and continues up on the table. So I move the box again, to our bed. And I walk back into the bathroom to brush my hair. But something isn't right. It is way to quiet. I run in to the bedroom and E is sitting on the bed with lipstick all over her face, the pj's, the comforter... you name it. (Pictures to come soon on FB and MS)
Chewing gum yesterday, makeup today... Girl, you have to wait until you're a little bit older.
I'm in the livingroom and E is in the kitchen. I hear her say "mmmmm" so I check out what's going on. She is standing on a kitchen chair. Her diaper bag is on the table so I figure she's got hold of her snack. And I sit back down. Big mistake. She wasn't eating cheerios or craisins. My purse was behind her diaper bag and she found the gum. By the time I realized that, I found three empty wrappers and only part of a piece of gum. She had some in her mouth that I got out. But it was only big enough to match the missing part of the gum I actually found. So where are the other two whole pieces of gum? Probably in her belly.
- I want to start with commenting back. B commented on my last blog and I was going to send a comment back, but I might as well do it here since I have a few things on my mind. So here's my comment back... No, I'm not dieting! I don't have that kind of self control. I'm just trying to get away from the daily chips diet. As far as my shape, well, thanks, but I'm not in great shape. I can really feel how out of shape I am. I have not worked out (routinely) since... well, I can't even remember.
- The next thing I want to do is sum up a conversation C and A had earlier today. It's funny how some (many) Hollywood celebrities tell us that we shouldn't vote for McCain b/c of the whole gun thing. If they are so against guns they shouldn't use them in their movies! I would definitely vote for McCain if I could vote. If you can vote you should!
- Last but not least I have some prayer requests...
- Pray for E's friend M who has 2nd degree burn on his hand.
- Pray for E's friend A who lost a tooth after falling down some stairs (you can read more on her mom's blog - bootcampchallengebrook - see link to the right).
- Continue to pray for my mom's recovery. Thanks for all your prayers. I told her about all the people praying for her and she was moved and said she could feel it.
- My brother D is moving to Norway. Pray for him and for my mom b/c this is 2 of 3 kids that leave the country.
- We still have a lot to do at our house and winter is getting closer. We just need prayers about staying calm, not freaking out and continue to trust in God.
We went grocery shopping today so now we have food. Lots of fruit and veggies. And I didn't buy a lot of unhealthy snacks... if it's not here I can't eat it. (If you really know me you know that if I have it at home I will eat it!) E is sleeping and hopefully it will be a good nap. It's the first day without the A/C on and she's used to the buzzing sound of it. I'm listening to the sound of the washer shaking around in the basement while I'm trying to figure out what to eat for lunch. I think I'm in the mood for some yogurt and granola. Or maybe a sandwich. Hmmm...Well, as you probably realized by now I have nothing interesting to write about, so I should stop and go downstairs and take care of the laundry and then go eat.
I talked to my mom today again. She sounded way more awake than the last time. She said that the doctor switched her to a new painkiller that doesn't knock her out. She's wearing an eye patch b/c she's got double vision, so my mom's a pirate!
My youngest brother is moving to Norway in a few days. I guess you can make more money there than you can at home.
E and I went to W. mall today. I bought her the cutest hat and mittens at H&M. I was looking for a winter coat too, but they only had two so far. I have to go back in a couple of weeks.
I was scrubbing the tub. When I was done I walked into the livingroom just as my phone beeped to let me know I had a new voicemail. It was from my mom. She's been transferred from the hospital in L to the one in V. That's great news! She gave me her new number, but she's not picking up. She sounded a lot more awake and aware on the voicemail than the last time I talked to her. I'm so excited!
E had her prick test yesterday. She's allergic to tree nuts. Yet another thing to put on the (stupid) list of things she got from us. Enough already. Give her a break!
I talked to A today and got an update on my mom's surgery and her condition. Like I wrote before they did go in through the groin area and all the way up to her head. But they also had to open up her head, so they shaved off part of her hair, above her left eye. When I was told all I could think of was that now she could get some real use out of all her scarves, and I almost started laughing. But I controlled myself. Not the best place to laugh... "they opened up her head too" - ha ha ha! I was told that the aneurysm was located on a pulsating blood vessel, but it has been taken care of. She's still under observation at the hospital in L, but they might be able to transfer her back to V in about a week. She will probably have to stay there for at least two weeks. The blood that leaked out is still in her head, causing a bad headache and the doctors can't give an answer as to how long it takes for the body to filter it out.She's out of the ICU and has her own phone now so I got to talk to her today. I don't know if it was a bad connection or if it was just her being groggy, but it was a little hard to have a conversation with her, but it was still great to hear her voice. I put her on speaker phone so E got to talk to her too. Krya på dig mamma!
Today we celebrated our second 6 years anniversary. Not many people can say that, ha ha! I didn't have to cook at all today. After church we had lunch with the M's at Red Robin. I had a chicken tortilla soup with a matching salad. Yummy! For dinner dad took us to Outback where I had salmon and steamed veggies, and lots of bread! And ice-cream with toasted coconut and homemade chocolate sauce. Delicious! But I have one question... How come steamed veggies always come well buttered? It defeats the purpose. This wasn't really what I was suppose to write about, although it was wonderful. I was giving E her bath when I thought of something worth sharing. If you know me you know that I have very sensitive skin and eczema. And if you know E you know that she gets all those things from us that we didn't want her to get (like eczema and asthma). So we've tried our fair share of skin products and here's my top 3... (not in any particular order and not including the prescribed ointment we need when things get really bad)
- Eucerin - of course. I should get paid by them since I recommend them so much. I actually import some of their products that are not sold here (shampoo and shower oil). We use the "plus intensive repair"-lotion. It takes a little while to soak into the skin, but it works wonders. Their hand lotion is another great thing. Aquaphor has to be mentioned here too since it's a Eucerin product.
- Mustela - sold at Babies R Us, a pretty pricey product, but it lasts a long time. Their newborn foam shampoo is great. E never had cradle cap! She now uses their regular baby shampoo - also great. Since we have eczema we use their Stelatopia line. It's for eczema-prone skin. Awesome! I actually use E's body wash and lotion for my face. Great stuff!
- Tripple paste. E had the worst diaper rash when she was little. Nothing worked. I had to take her to the doctors twice. It was awful. But doctor G recommended tripple paste and it took care of it right away. Also a little pricey, but I'm willing to pay for products that actually works.
Well, that was it. My 3 wonderful products. Time to pay attention to the movie - 27 dresses. It's cute. And my wonderful hubby bought it for me. Love him!
Today was the city wide garage sale here in M. It was a rainy day so I don't know if I would call the 5 or so places we found city wide. But we still managed to find a couple of things for E. One of them was a sit and spin for $2. I didn't know exactly how it worked and when I asked I got this question for an answer: "Don't you remember sitting and spinning on one of these when you grew up?" Hmmm... I didn't know that the sit and spin have been around for that long. I saw my first one about a year ago and thought, hm pretty cool, new toy. So I explained to the lady that I didn't grow up in this country. I guess my accent wasn't too obvious today. (Eller så var hon bara så typiskt amerikansk att hon tog för givet att resten av världen fungerar precis som den gör här - en ganska vanlig amerikansk föreställning, vanligare än du kan tänka dig.) Sorry, if you didn't understand that. I didn't want to offend you b/c I didn't mean anything bad, but the written word lacks a tone of voice that makes it very easy to misinterpret.My husband worked around the house today and got alot accomplished. He did a great job, especially with the roman shades. They came out great! Now it's movie, pop corn and snuggle time...
They found the source of the bleeding in my mom's head yesterday and she had surgery this morning. And when she's stable she will be transported back to the hospital closer to home where she can recover. This is great news. Jag hoppas du mår bättre snart, mamma!I must say I am so excited that it is September. Summer is great, but the NY fall is the best. It's still hot and the A/C is on, but soon we will be picking apples, eating cider doughnuts, drinking apple cider, carving pumpkins, wearing hoodies and using the oven again (I can't wait to bake with E). The only thing I'm not really looking forward to is putting the flipflops away and putting on socks.
So here's what I think is the true story...You got an invitation to aunt R's birthday party. (We didn't and we're truly fine with that.) Aunt R likes to go to S and gamble a little with her sisters so her daughter decides to have her party there. Where they can't have kids. You want to show off E so you call me to tell me (lie to me) that me and E are invited too. (If we were C would also be invited, we would have gotten our own invitation and it wouldn't have been in the middle of the day when most people work.) You (and I don't think you're the only one, sad but true) decide that your grandchild should be there so D just have to try to get a room where you can bring kids.This party should be about aunt R and not about you guys showing off your grandchildren. You should respect what is on the invitation. I might not have all the details straight here, but I know I'm pretty close. You have tried to pull this stunt one time to many and guess what... There is no way I'll intrude on this party. We'll stay home!!!PS. Happy Birthday aunt R! I hope you have a great day.
