December 2012

Here are some things we have been up to lately:

We've been going to the zoo often, trying to make the most of our membership before it expires next year.

We've been spending lots and lots of time outside.  We love our backyard and the beautiful weather we enjoy now!

Look what the UPS man delivered!

Lily ate bacon for the first time and loved it (this is not surprising, of course).

Our kids are cute in their brown footie pj's.

Lily got tubes in her ears a couple of weeks ago. She hasn't had any ear infections, but she apparently couldn't hear well out of her left ear. She has failed her hearing tests in that ear since birth, so we finally did tubes and it seems to have done the trick! I was surprised how easy the actual surgery was. It was nothing like what she went through in September (thank goodness). We got to the hospital at about 6:30 am. We waited around until about 7:30. They did all the normal prep work and changed Lily into a peach colored gown that made her look so angelic. She started to get restless and fussy because she hadn't eaten for over 12 hours, but she really was a trooper. Around 8:00 they took her to surgery. I waited for about 10 minutes before the doctor came to tell me they were all done. It was very fast. I heard her crying as soon as I stepped back into the recovery area. They told me, "That's normal, she's coming out of the anesthesia." Really, I think she was just hungry. I nursed her for about 15 minutes and then she was totally fine. Like eerily happy. She sat up and smiled and clapped her hands as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I changed her into a onesie and realized that it was too cold outside to take her home like that, so I wrapped her in my jacket and pushed her out of the hospital like that. This was just a regular medical center and they must not see babies very often because I felt like a total celebrity as I paraded Lily through the halls on my way out. Nurses literally swooned and fell to the floor to get a better look at the adorable baby wrapped in a jacket. Now, I think she's pretty dang cute, but even I thought that was a bit overboard. She took a great nap that afternoon and has been fine ever since. Thank goodness for the miracles of modern medicine! Speaking of modern medicine, I have been looking for awhile now for alternatives to it so we don't have to go to the doctor so often! I recently discovered Essential Oil Love where they host free online classes about using essential oils to relieve common ailments like stress, headaches, and tummy issues. It has been great for our family so far. We've all had the flu this week so we have been using those oils like nobody's business and they really work! I use oils like lavender and wintergreen right before bed and I've been sleeping better than I have since Lily was born last year. Check it out if you have a minute:)

As far as our employment situation goes, things are looking pretty good. Ben has been able to carve out a decent career as a full-time freelance writer. We have been very blessed. He is still open to other career opportunities that present themselves and he has also applied for a PhD program that could be awesome. We'll see where we end up. For now we are just so grateful that we can pay our bills. We've been so grateful for all the help we have received from friends and family. Thank you so much to those who have helped in any capacity, whether it be prayers in our behalf, meals, notes of support, or financial aid, we really appreciate it. I feel so humbled and grateful to be the recipient of so much love and support.