February 2018 in Pictures

"During the season of love, focus on loving more than just those closest to you.  Love everyone." -Unknown

I'm going to start out this blog post with a disclaimer...as I was going through pictures for this month, I realized something...I took a ton of pictures of Lizzie in February, and hardly any of Joseph.  I honestly don't know how this happened.  I certainly have no favorite child, and I typically take roughly the same amount of pictures of both of them (not on purpose, just naturally).  But this month something apparently went askew.  SO, please don't take the lack of photos of Joseph from February as anything other than a weird, unexplainable occurrence!  

The first couple of days of the month started off with a continuation of the flu.  David and Joseph slowly recovered right about the time that Lizzie came down with it.  Much like her brother was when he had it, she was so hot, lethargic, and pitiful.  I miraculously avoided the entire thing, possibly due  to the preventative Tamiflu.  In any event, Lizzie spent several days just laying around and sleeping.

Laying on Daddy's chest is the only thing she likes to do while sick

Once everyone recovered I still kept the kids quarantined at home for a few days so as not to spread germs.  These pictures capture that quarantine period perfectly...the chaos and misery of bored children.

Once the flu saga was over we continued on with normal life.  We went to the special "Wicked Plants" exhibit at the Science Center (about dangerous, deadly, and invasive plants).  It was pretty creepy.

My mother is extremely allergic to English Ivy, so I took a photo of this in her honor

We bought and planted a burning bush from New Garden Nursery back in the fall because we thought it was pretty.  Winning.

This Biblical fertility food is not for me.

I don't even know what to say about this, other than I think someone captured a photo of me on a Monday morning

"High Fructose Corn Syrup."  Interesting little statue.

We attended a Children's Dental Health Month event at our local library.  Joseph got to play the patient at one point.

David and I had a delightful Valentine's Date at Green Valley Grill, complete with this amazing dessert!

We went to the Mardi Gras party in my parents neighborhood...always lots of fun...

I took these fun pictures one evening when we were downtown eating dinner at The Corner Slice...

One other important thing from this month.  I mentioned this once on Facebook and also mentioned it in my blog posts about Katie, but I'll elaborate a tiny bit more here.  I got pregnant in February and unfortunately we miscarried that baby almost immediately.  I woke up one morning, took a test, and got a very very faint, but definitely true, positive (and I had been testing daily after my D&E with Katie to make sure that my HCG zeroed out and I was getting negative tests, and all of my tests were stark white an entire month prior to this, so we knew for sure this was a new pregnancy).  After all we've been through I have pitifully little reaction to a positive test - I simply have to guard my heart and can't bring myself to become overly excited too quickly (which, in some ways is almost impossible, as a mother's heart starts getting attached to that baby at the very first positive test).  I didn't have Heparin in my house and, while the line did darken on another test that evening, by the time I could actual get Heparin called in and filled the line was already rapidly fading.  It was incredibly disheartening to know that this clotting factor my body has can end the lives of my babies so quickly.  I was able to get my OB to call in Heparin for me to have on hand (it's currently sitting in a cabinet) so that, if there is a "next time" (and oh how I hope there is) I can start on it the moment of a positive test.  Baby #10 may have only been with us a couple of days, but oh how we love him or her and miss them, just like all the others.

Finally, here are all those photos I took of Lizzie in February, followed by some of both of the kiddos together!

Her mischevious face

Since Lizzie is my "rainbow baby" (baby born after miscarriage) it only made sense for me to buy her this outfit when I saw it at Carter's ;-) 

She can start ballet at age 3.  Can you tell that I'm ready?

Many of you know that we co-sleep, which leads to adorable picture opportunities, like this one I took at 4am one Saturday morning (I'd gotten up to use the restroom and, when I saw them holding hands in their sleep, I just had to document it)

Whenever I go outside during the day to check the mail or take something to the trash I often look up to this

Love these two!

January 2018 in Photos

"If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello." -Paulo Coehlo

January was mostly a good month (you'll understand the "mostly" when you get to the part about the flu ;-) ).  After the pain of losing Katie we were, in many ways, happy to leave 2017 behind (but not her memory of course) and start fresh with a new year.

Early in the month, right before my post-D&E appointment with Dr. (David) Lowe, I took these pics of the kids wearing his surgical hat that he gave them the day of the procedure and had copies printed for him.  They really enjoyed playing with this simple "toy."  I think they are ready for medical school, don't you?

I had to pin this in the back to get it, in any way, to fit Lizzie's head

We joined the Greensboro Science Center, something we had talked about doing for a long time.  We've already paid for our membership several times over with our frequent trips there!  The kids love it and, quite frankly, so do we!

Joseph helping "build" coral

Lizzie is our little animal lover...she particularly loves getting up close and personal with the penguins

We went to quite a few morning library story times at several of our wonderful libraries...cold weather entertainment!

Morning story time at the downtown library

David and I had our first date night since October!  My parents kept the kids while we enjoyed dinner at Imperial Koi one Friday evening.  It was fabulous!

The day after Imperial Koi, we drove to Charlotte for a day of fun with our friend Emily.  We ate lunch, played at a cool park, and got ice cream!  Thanks, Emily, for a wonderful day!!!

A very elusive photograph of Joseph when he's still...not sure how we captured this rare moment on camera

We're really just big kids you know

I had very extensive blood work (read: 13 vials of blood) to determine the cause of so many miscarriages (I go into more detail about this in the second post I wrote about Katie).  The kids went with me to the Greensboro LabCorp early one morning to have my blood drawn and afterward Joseph asked if they could have a treat for being so good.  Mom gets a barrel of blood drawn, the kids get Panera.  Seems about right...

It snowed a great deal, and we had a ball going over to my parents house to sled in their driveway!

I have 4-Wheel Drive and I know how to use it!  I will not be kept down (or, shall I say, inside)

On days that it wasn't snowing, we still took advantage of the outdoors, bundling up and going to the park...

I took several random pictures of these two.  They are so hilarious together!

When we are at church, Lizzie makes sure Joseph sticks right with her!

And, to wrap up, here is the not-so-fun part of the month I warned you about.  A few days before the end of the month, David went to bed with a bad cough, which we assumed was normal wintertime congestion.  He woke up obviously quite sick.  We had our flu shots, but of course they don't prevent everything.  I immediately told him he should go in for a flu test.  One doctor's visit later and, sure enough, positive for Influenza A.  We had a quick discussion about the use of Tamiflu and although I have very strong reservations about it we decided he should go ahead and go for it, and I started it also as a preventative.  I set to work with all of my immune boosting remedies as well, for all of us...

Elderberry Syrup, Vitamin C, Kids Immune Avenger, and Doterra On Guard (diffusing in the diffuser when this pic was taken)...just part of my arsenal 

Sadly, all of my remedies were not enough and the next day Joseph woke up with a very high fever and clearly sick.  Off to our pediatrician we went!

Waiting for Dr. (Melissa) Lowe.  Trying not to spread germs to others.

A dose of Tamiflu and lots of rest later he was able to at least sit up that night and eat some clear soup.

More on the flu saga coming at the start of the February post!  Stay tuned!