Baby Scalf 3.0 Update

We would have a picture of the baby's face or something else but as with his or her siblings, this child is stubborn. Thad and I have no idea where that trait comes from. (Insert the appropriate amount of sarcasm here.) Baby Scalf 3.0, whom we have dubbed "Punkin", was laying facing my back with absolutely no intention of turning to show us his or her face. We tried pushing on my belly, rolling on my side, wiggling the ultrasound transducer but no dice. All we got in return were kicks and punches and further curling into a ball.

We weren't even able to see all of the preferred angles of the heart and abdomen. So far everything that should be there is and there aren't any extras. I will have to go back in for a follow-up ultrasound with the hope that we can get a better angle on those things we couldn't see. We are hoping for a nice 3D picture for the next time. Check back often.

Still with all that curling and obstinance we did get a nice shot of one foot and the placenta. Its amazing to see these beautifully formed little people.

Way to go, God!

On a side note, the placenta is not as innocent as it looks. When I delivered Thomas the nurse asked me if I wanted to see the placenta. Not knowing what I was in for, I said yes. BIG MISTAKE! It looks like one of those punch balloons decorated with red, pink, and purple splatter paint that has been half-filled with water. Almost like a giant beef liver or something. NASTY! They told me it looked great. Yeah, uh-huh.

So, if you are ever asked, JUST SAY NO! I put it in my birth plan with Lily that they shouldn't even ask because I had no desire to experience that again.

Kid Comedy

Since Thomas was born I have been in the habit of smelling his precious hair. You know, baby smell then kid shampoo. Anyway, last week he was sitting on my lap and I sniffed the back of his head which he thinks is very funny. He asked me, "what do I smell like?"

"You smell like a five year old boy."

Then he turned around and sniffed my hair obliging me to ask, "so, what do I smell like?"

"You smell like a one hundred year old girl!"

I couldn't stop laughing. He didn't quite understand why.
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Monday morning I am in the kitchen making Thomas' lunch and getting everything ready to make the rounds to take Thad to work and Thomas to school. Lily usually takes this time to wander around the house babbling and just enjoying herself. She is very much like a clockwork mouse in that respect.

She stopped for a minute, walked over to me and began to back up to my legs. The next thing I know I hear a rumble coming from her diaper that would make any grown man proud. I look down with my mouth hanging open and say, "Lil, what was that?"

"Butt. Out." She pats her little hinder and walks away.

For the Love of My Electric Skillet

For the longest time I didn't understand the logic behind having a separate appliance like an electric skillet. It seemed redundant.

Now I have seen the light!
Can you hear the choir singing the Hallelujah chorus?
Do you see the brilliant light emanating from my kitchen?
Thank God for the inventor of the electric skillet!
Thanks, Dad and Mom, for my skillet!

Last night I browned some turkey kielbasa and red potatoes and wilted some spinach in red wine vinegar all in the same skillet. Its non-stick surface means I can do these old-fashioned dishes like "fried taters" in very little oil or fat and still achieve that perfect crispy, soft potato combination. The even heat and ability to control temperature are awesome. That's much harder with a regular skillet on a burner. Now I don't have splatter on the stove top and only one thing to clean.

I'm looking forward to trying out some other dishes. If you have any suggestions please leave them in a comment!

If you don't have an electric skillet get on or put it on your gift wish list.

SNOW DAY!!!

This morning we were greeted with about an inch of snow. In Thomas' world this is the only acceptable reason to not have school!

Soccer socks make great mittens in a pinch!

Mom, stop trying to take my picture. I want to play.

"Lick, my hand Jasper! Go ahead, lick my hand."

Its hard to take pictures with sock mittens on.

"Meshy, Meshy!" Translation: "Messy! Messy!"

Examining the fire pit.

"I'm cleaning the firewood so it will burn good when we want a fire."

Warming up with popcorn and a Bibleman Movie.

Conversations with an 18 Month Old

Lilianna is 18 months old today. She is even more entertaining than ever! Last week someone turned on the talking switch. Here are some examples:

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"Lily, do you want a bite?"
"No."
"Lily, are you hungry?"
"No."
"Lily, do you want to eat?"
"EAT!"


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"Lily, you're stinky. Did you poop in your pants?"
"No." She then pats her butt and heads for the diaper bag.
"Lily, do you need a clean diaper?"
"No." The diaper bag is being dragged across the floor.


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"Give mommy a hug." A sweet baby squeeze around my neck.
"Can mommy have a kiss?"
She purses her lips, turns her head and says, "No."
She's pretty stingy with the kisses.


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"Its time to go get BaBa from school."
"BaBa BaBa BaBa! Go, go, go!"


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"Bead! Bead! Bead! Bead! Bead!" She says as she races across the room, book in hand!
Beading is her favorite activity.


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"Daddy's home!" He is greeted with a tiny high-pitched screech and a munchkin doing laps around his legs until he picks her up.
She is a Daddy's Girl. She already has his number!


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At Rivergate Mall Food Court:
"Bide! Bide!" Her little finger pointing at the shiny carousel. "Bide!"
"You'll have to talk to Daddy about that."
She looks across the table, cocks her head to one side, literally bats her eyes at him, and says in her sweetest voice, "Aww, bide!"
Daddy actually blushed and the whole table laughed hysterically.


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The Lily to English Dictionary:


"puh puh" = puppy
"cooowww" = cow
"manya manya" = banana
"ca" = cat
"peasssss" = please
"joosh" = juice
"aig" = egg
"bap" = lap
"guck" = duck
"chain" = train

Having Your Nose Re-Plumbed

**WARNING: You are about to read some gross stuff! There are even pictures.**


Last summer Thad began having headaches off and on. It wasn't long before they didn't stop. Some days he had blurred vision and dizziness because of these headaches. As is his way, he rarely complained. About 3 months went by before I finally said, "Sweetie, you always have a headache!" It dawned on him that he did always have a headache and that he had just grown accustomed to it.

We went to our GP who ordered an MRI thinking it might neurological. Then we went to a neurologist. Nothing there but he did mentioned, almost as an after-thought, that the MRI showed "diffuse sinusitis" which meant nothing to us.

Back to the GP we go.....Yep, diffuse sinusitis! Still no in depth explanation but now it was off to the ENT. Dr. Travis, who did Thomas' adenoids and tubes, ordered a CT Scan which is apparently better for seeing the sinuses. What he saw was pretty impressive and more common than we thought. The radiologist's notes indicated a "complete white-out of the sinuses."

Doctor's orders: "we need to go in and clean that out!" So what if Thad didn't want the surgery? All that lovely bacteria would eventually eat through the sinus and bone and into the brain. So, surgery here we come!

Thad had some interesting comments and observations along the way:

- "Well, now I've had my head examined twice, and I have proof that my brain is not the problem!"

- "Now I have to shave off my mustache because there is now way I'm letting them rip off the gauze tape! Great, I'll look like I'm 15 again!"

- "How do they get that much packing in there?" The packings after surgery were in 2 sets, one in the back and one in the front. They measured 2 inches long by 1 inch in diameter and 4 inches long by 1inch in diameter, respectively.

- "Hey, I can breathe again!"

When all was said and done, one of the biggest issues was, as Dr. Travis said, "he had a little bit of weird anatomy." An extra wall in the sinus that prevented drainage and aided in the build-up, some of which was even calcified.

Borrowing from Jeff Foxworthy, they went in and rooted around with a stick and got that "dad-blamed clot."

Before

After

Baby Scalf 3.0

I just wanted to give another update of Baby Scalf progress. All is going well. Everyone is healthy and growing on pace.

Here is the latest ultrasound picture. It was taken at about 12 1/2 weeks. I am now at 18 weeks with a due date of July 19th.

We still don't know the gender, and we still don't want to know!

As for names, Thad and I have had the first six of our children named for several years.

If its a girl, her name will be Sydney-Ellen Meredith.
If its a boy, his name will be Elisha Lewis Xavier.