Smarty Pants Dance

I normally don't open forwarded emails, but today, due to the bulk of them that my Aunt Karen :) forwards, I decided to open one. This one was definitely worth opening.

I can't get enough of the smartypants dance! Kristen and I are going to get a map placemat and start working with Natalie!!!

Natalie....our 1 in 200.

Sorry we've been absent for a week! Good grief...it isn't as if we don't have material!

Many of you know that our Natalie has broken ALL the rules since birth. You know the books you read that say, "This works in 98% of cases." ? Or "Approximately 98% respond positively to this."? Well, Natalie IS the other 2%.

"Colic ends at about 4 months"...not for Natalie, hers lasted at least 6 months.

"Rarely do babies give up nursing; it tends to be mom that gives up"...not Natalie, she turned her head and screamed at 7 months, never to nurse again.

"In 99.5% of babies, tear ducts open naturally, within the first year of life."...you got it, not Natalie. She is 1 out of 200 that will require artificial help.

So, in less than two weeks, our precocious little spitfire will be put under general anesthesia and a pediatric ophthalmologist will do his thing and give those little tear ducts the boost they need. We've known this was coming. Her eyes are ALWAYS teary. People comment ALL THE TIME. "Oh, she's been crying!" or "Look at those alligator tears." But, you see, when your tear ducts are blocked, the natural liquid that forms in your eyes has nowhere to go. In adults (and most children), our tears drain back into the tear ducts and into our nasal passages. So unless there is an excess of fluid, like when you're actually crying, your eyes really shouldn't drip onto your face. Poor Natalie. We have countless pictures of our big-smiled girl with drippy eyes. It really does look pathetic, but it has never seemed to bother her. So, like I said, we knew this was coming.

BUT...it became very real yesterday when we visited the pediatric ophthalmologist and he did the tests necessary to prove the problem, then escorted us into the office to make the appointment for SURGERY! Surgery? Seriously? Could we NOT use that word? Apparently there are no knives or scalpels needed in Nat's "procedure;" they enter through the tear ducts and clear out the duct using a balloon-kind-of-thing. You know, it goes in uninflated, then they inflate it to open up the duct passage. The doctor actually said, "We usually don't even need to give pain meds in these surgeries." Okay dude, I'm hearing you, just please don't use the word "surgery" when referring to my 13-month-old ever again. I-think-I-might-be-hyperventilating.

Of course, there are possible "complications." Of course! When are there NOT possible complications? And, please refer to the beginning of my post, remember our Natalie IS the other 2%. PLEASE do not tell me that you see "complications" in about 2% of cases, because I'm pretty sure I'll start screaming right here in your fancy office.

He wisely did not share any stats, but calmly informed me that the ducts can "re-collapse," but if that happens, it would happen during the "procedure" and they would then insert stints (kind of like ear tubes) to keep the ducts open. The tubes would then be removed (in the office - no surgery necessary) a few months later. That's complication #1. No big deal...it makes a 15 minute "procedure" into a 30-40 minute "procedure" and doesn't carry any additional risks. The other complication that can occur is if the child contracts a sinus infection or bad cold within 2-3 months AFTER the procedure. Sometimes (I'm sure it's something like 2%) the ducts will re-collapse if the cold occurs too close to the "procedure." In this case, we would have to start from scratch and do the thing all over again.

My nerves just can't take this. Seriously. What if one of our amazingly healthy children wasn't so amazingly healthy? Yesterday made me even more grateful that this is the biggest "procedure" we've had to face.

So, you need to pray for us. The nurse was trying to calm my nerves, so she started telling me that Natalie will not be upset when they TAKE HER FROM ME, because they will give her meds that make her loopy and happy. Okay, so thanks for putting that image in my head. My thought processes had not even gone to the here's-my-child-for-you-to-cut-into stage. THANKS. A. LOT. Now it's the only image that keeps coming back...she may not be crying, but I still have to watch them take her away! Are you kidding me?

Oh and get this! Her procedure is not until 1:00 PM in the afternoon because this doc only operates in our hospital on Tuesday afternoons. That's all fine and dandy until they tell you that your 13-month-old cannot eat after midnight the night before! That, my friends, is going to be one-heck-of-a-long-day. You see, Natalie has discovered the pantry. And she simply loves it. How are we going to distract her from eating? And did I mention that she usually still has a mini-bottle in the middle of the night? Good grief.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. And please, please, please, don't write in the comments, "We'll be praying for Natalie's SURGERY." Because, I swear, if I hear that word again I'm going to puke. Or scream. Or cry. Yep, definitely one of those.

As I See It...giving gifts.

Allyson and Natalie go to our youth pastor's home on Thursday mornings while I'm at work. They have two little ones: Malayna is 2 and Mariana is 6 months. I'm not sure how it started, but almost every time Ally goes to her home, she brings Malayna a little gift. A picture, a hastily beaded necklace, a sucker...you get the idea.

So the other night we went there for dinner. It was a bit chaotic with all of the children, (they have two older foster kids, too) but we really enjoy their company. Allyson, in typical form, picked out a necklace from her arsenal and declared that it would be Malayna's gift for the evening. After she presented it to Malayna, Meranda (the mom) praised Ally for being so thoughtful.

Allyson turned to me and said, "I bring things to her because I'm making love to her."

I'll give you a moment to gulp.

Yes, she actually said that. The adults in the room nervously looked at eachother and tried (unsuccessfully) NOT to laugh.

She's just so FULL of love.

The Waiting is Over!

As most of you know, our third pregnancy was a massive surprise to us. We were happily done with procreating. Seriously.

Of course, God had already written our story. And His version of our story, the better version of the Fox story, has three Fox cubs. After a few days (maybe weeks), we accepted the truth and made new plans.

This week has been harrowing. The details are not necessary here, but what you do need to know is that we needed to see our healthy baby this morning. We needed to see that sweet face and start dreaming about his/her future. It was an amazingly bright spot in a dark week.

Without further ado, let me show you what we just couldn't resist buying at Target tonight.

So can you guess the gender of Fox cub #3? I know, I love to ask tricky questions. Our third baby is, most definitely, a boy. We have a fabulous ultrasound picture to prove it, but I'm pretty sure it would be cruel to our unborn son to show off his goods this early in life.

Most of you did very well on the poll! Boy was the clear-cut winner. (I do have to take issue with the two of you who voted "One of each.")

My son's daddy will post a few ultrasound pictures in the coming days. I'll warn you that the pictures didn't turn out as good as those I've seen before. Our boy was looking straight out at us and wouldn't show off his handsome profile. That's usually the best shot! I guess we'll just have to enjoy the boy-part picture.

Have a sweet Valentine's Day.

Natalie's unique favorites...

Just in case you were wondering, Natalie still loves the dishwasher. See?

She also loves the vacuum. We have pictures, but we'll save them for another day.

For the original post, "Natalie's Love of the Dishwasher," click here.

Our New Playroom!

I'm going to go ahead and take credit for this idea right now. I thought of it. It was totally me. And then Dave embellished it and made it realistic...and, well, he made most of it actually happen. So it was my idea and Dave...well...he's my DIY hunk.

We knew something would happen at Christmastime and we were not disappointed. (Or maybe we were, depending on how you look at it.) Our home, like many others, is slowly being taken over by all of the goodies that come along with the fine craft of child-rearing. (Yes, that was a fancy way of saying that our entire home is beginning to feel like a toy aisle at Target.) And Christmas just added to the problem.

About three-quarters of our basement is unfinished. We would love to fully finish a big family room down there, but it would cost substantially more than we have in our savings account (or in our retirement account, or in the girls' college savings account, or, well, you get the idea). So we got busy with our frugal selves and started planning to "partially-finish" about half of the basement into a large playroom/family hang-out area/treadmill spot. And our precious girlies received a few gift cards for Christmas that we, um, stole...but truly it was to build THEIR playroom, so it was totally justified. (Right?)

First, here is a picture of our basement BEFORE any of our (that is, Dave's) hard work. Brace yourself, it's ugly.


Our first step was acquiring appropriate (cheap and safe) flooring. After scouring the internet, we drove to good ol' Sam's Club and found this flooring for less than 70 cents per square foot. (What a deal!) AND it's colorful and funky to boot!

Next, we knew we'd need to paint. We decided against real drywall walls and opted for painting the existing concrete. Again, we were going for cheap and "partially finished." We used a concrete paint that seals out moisture, which was ideal for the purpose, but a touch fumy (is that a word?). That would be the primary reason why David was responsible for so much of the actual work involved in this project. For future reference, painting concrete isn't a joy.

Third we added real lights to take away that basement vibe of bare hanging bulbs. (Note: we did not finish the ceiling because we are waiting on a HVAC pro to move some vents.)

Next I used my mad seamstress skills (that's supposed to be funny) to create black curtains to cover the inevitable basement storage areas. I also sewed a padded cover for the pole that dissects the room. (This was intended to be a head-protector for our wild and crazy Natalie, but so far has been used as a tackle dummy for Allyson. The chiropractor is a good thing, but those bills are going to add up.)

We also purchased a wall mount for the TV, so that we would not need a TV stand. There are fabulous families out there that spend little or no time bonding with the television. I really do think that's pretty cool...I guess I just haven't achieved that level of coolness (nor do I plan to).

Last, we added toys and a few decor items to make the girls feel like it's THEIR space. The baking pan art gallery cost less than $15 total (Pans, buttons, magnet clips, and hot glue - all from Wal-Mart). The mirror and name display cost less than $10 (plastic mirror at K-Mart, wall letter stickers at the Dollar Tree).

So, drum-roll please, here are the pictures of the finished-for-now playroom. The futon was moved from Dave's office, but we're not loving it, so we are in the market for some big bean bag chairs. (Unless anyone has any better ideas?!) Also, around the entry door, a wall was partially finished when we moved in, with studs and drywall on the opposite side. At some point, Dave will finish off the playroom side with drywall and paint to complete that area. In the end, our playroom makeover cost about $350. That, my friends, was a fabulously frugal makeover.

And it was worth EVERY PENNY.

My new favorite bloggy tool....a Poll!

Okay, I realize we're not exactly "cutting edge". Hundreds before us have discovered the joy in a bloggy poll. But I finally have something deep and important to ask you, so here it is! On the right (look over there!) you will find the first Fox blog poll! We truly do care what you think, but really I'm just curious how many of you will be brave enough to hit the button. (I know we have a few lurkers out there...but this one is painless. You don't have to sign your name or anything!)

The poll will close on Friday, the 13th. Our ultrasound takes place at 9:30 that morning, so we will have the poll results and the actual results ready to post on Friday evening!

I know...the anticipation is killing you...

Allyson Singing

Earlier this week, we posted about Allyson's spontaneous composition abilities. The other night we captured this gem for you to enjoy.

Here is Allyson singing, "God is Better Than My Microphone."

The Trouble with "The End"

Natalie has developed a love for books over the last few months. She has several that she loves way more than others. One of those is the one you will see in this video. She cannot stand it when "Dear Zoo" ends. Every time we read this particular book, she gets extremely upset. The video below went on for three readings of the book, but I have spared you the lengthy video in favor of this shorter clip!

Have a great weekend.

Allyson...the composer

As I was getting ready for the day this morning, Ally and Natalie were amusing themselves with toys and books. At some point, Allyson started singing. She quite rarely wanders around singing a song that we all know. Instead, she spontaneously composes songs. Sometimes they make perfect sense, with real words and everything! Other times they contain some murmurs and "scatting" and don't make much sense at all.

Before I release today's lyrics, let me just say that I'm not sure where this exact wording came from. "Come into my heart" isn't our preferred wording for a salvation experience, but that's for another post. She certainly did not hear this at church, seeing as the main lesson in last week's class was a story about a disobedient mouse. (Don't even get me started on this...yes, I know I will have to have a heart-to-heart with this teacher.) Anyway, here is the song. It was quite melodic and sweet, even resembling a song I've heard before.

"Oh God, come into my heart. Come into my heart. (Repeat)
Please come; come into my STINKIN' heart."

That's right, folks. At 4 3/4 years old, she has mastered all of the English language, especially her mom's slang. (Guilty as charged.)

I rather like this song and found myself humming it later...then I stopped to get a bit philosophical. Isn't that line so true? Our hearts are just STINKIN' dirty until Christ washes us clean. So, for once, I'm kind of proud of my child picking up my slang. In this case, it works!

Stay tuned...I'm working on the pictures of our latest DIY project and I can't wait to show off our new playroom.