Such a Good Day

So today was the first good day in a long time.

First things first. Natalie woke up this morning and was in a really happy mood. Her diaper was also dry. We have been practicing using her potty chair and this morning was the first time she went pee in her potty! She was really surprised when the potty sang a song to her after she went tinkle. She jumped up and closed the potty lid. I was so happy/excited and I gave her a little piece of toilet paper to put in the potty cuz that is her favorite part.

Then Ben had a job interview today! The first one in a long time. So we will see how that works out.

I took to a church thing this afternoon and Natalie and I were waited out in the hall for him. While we were waiting Natalie kept pointing to the artwork on the wall of Jesus. Then there was a picture book with a bunch of LDS artwork in it and Natalie kept flipping the pages and when she came to the picture of Jesus, she said Jesus. SHE SAID JESUS! I was so excited! She is so smart.

Then we went and visited Nana at work and she was being cute for everybody in the office. After we left the office Rebekah took us out for ice cream and Natalie got her own vanilla cone and sat on the bench and ate it all by herself like a big girl.

When we came home it was still nice outside so Natalie, Daddy, and I all played together in the back yard. She kept sliding down the slide squealing with delight. Then she pointed to the trampoline and after we put her up there she was bending her knees trying to jump saying 'Jump Jump'

So this blog is really all about how great our day was today. I really want to be able to remember all these special moments in her life, cuz its just going by way too fast!

America

The other night my parents and I took the babies to an Equine Theater show. It was really neat and Evan couldn't take his eyes off it. He was uncharacteristically still and focused. Natalie loved listening to the music and she was pointing to the horses. The only part she didn't like was the jousting. I think it scared her a little.

Before the show started they had a woman come out and sing the National Anthem. Of course I'm like "Oooo no" I ALWAYS cry when I hear the National Anthem. So at least it was dark in the arena and everyone stood up, but I couldn't because I had Natalie on my lap. So I was pretty covered.

I can remember when I first moved to Germany they had the summer Olympics in Greece, and OF COURSE the would play the National Anthem all the time. So I would be all alone in my apartment in the middle of the day in a puddle of tears. Before I moved to Germany I never really got emotional about the National Anthem. But being so far away, missing my family and all the comforts we enjoy here really brought it out in me.

If you have never lived outside this country for an extended period of time I would recommend you do it before you die. I think it should be a requirement that all young people live outside the states for a period of time. I think that more people would appreciate what they have so much more and stop whining.

I was up really late last night unable to sleep because I was worrying about how hard things are for us right now. It was the first time in a long time that I got down on my knees and prayed all alone in the dark. I really hope the economic situation in the country gets better rather then worse really really soon.

Even though things are super tough right now I'm always repeating over and over in my head 'Things could be so much worse, we are so blessed' it has become my mantra. I know that my heavenly Father won't give me anything I can't handle, and I am so thankful for being born here in the United States of America.

Natalie Updates

So my sweet little girl is growing up! *sniff sniff*

I keep telling her she has to stay little but she doesn't listen to me!

Anyway here are some pics of her at cousin Joy's 1st birthday. On this particular day she was in such a happy mood. We have been decreasing her medication little by little and it seems to really be bringing out her personality. She seems more alert and active. Usually when we are in a room full of people she is really shy and clingy. But at Joy's birthday party she was so friendly and happy. On the way home Ben and I were like 'Whoa we've never seen her like that with strangers'. Rachel told me later on the phone that she was shocked Natalie let Melissa pick her up since Natalie doesn't really know Melissa at all, and Natalie was happy about it and smiling.

Its unfortunate that Natalie needs to be medicated because of her epilepsy. But I know she needs it to keep her seizure free. I just wish it didn't make her groggy and grumpy. Such is life :(

Such a happy girl! She looks so grown up!

This is what she does when she is posing for the camera. She thinks it makes her look cute for pictures


More photo shoot squints

Can you give me a chip please?

I can't believe she is 19 months old! Time goes by so fast when they are little.

P.O.W

So today Ben and I went to the Veterans hospital in Lebanon PA for an MRI. We are like the youngest people in the hospital. There are always a bunch of old guys hanging around swapping war stories wearing their hats with VA pins all over them.

We were a little early so we were waiting outside for the MRI office to open. I was sitting on a bench swinging my feet back and forth cuz I couldn't reach the ground and Ben was standing next to the office door. This older man in a wheelchair comes wheeling by us. He pulls right up next to me and says to me "Can I see your hand?"

I could barely understand him, I thought maybe he had a mental disorder. I smiled and gave him my hand palm up. He took my hand and turned it over and pulled up the sleeve of my jacket and kissed my hand! He is still holding my hand when he says to me "I was a P.O.W do you know what that is?"

I said "Really? Its a Prisoner of War isn't it?" I was really amazed that I actually was meeting someone who was taken prisoner in a war. I was like whoa.

Then he says to me "No its a 'Pervert on Wheels'

I started laughing it was so hilarious. Then he says "It also stands for 'Prisoner of Wife'

Then he wheels off down the hall.

Ben and I looked at each other and we were just cracking up. That had to be the funniest thing that has happened to me in a while. I must have been the youngest looking lady he has seen in a long time :)

ER doctors know next to nothing

Soooooo. I think that pretty much sums it up

Natalie has been very sick for the past 2 weeks or so. She was vomiting all over the place. She would just sit on the couch and be miserable. Its been awful.

THEN. Her gums started bleeding. I thought it was because she was getting some new teeth and I didn't think anything of it. So I stopped brushing her teeth for a few days until her gums got back to normal.

Then she woke up from her nap and had blood all down the front of her shirt dripping onto her pants! I called the DR and he said that was not normal. I got a flashlight and took a look up in there and come to find out she has no NEW teeth. Its the old ones that are bleeding. All you have to do is lightly touch her gums and they start to bleed like you've never seen before.

So the on call DR told me to take her to the ER.

*sigh*

This kid has been to the ER 4 times in her year and a half on this earth. She KNOWS what that is all about. So I take her in and we wait....and we wait...and we wait some more. Then the ER doc asks me if I brush her teeth. OF COURSE I BRUSH HER TEETH!!! DO YOU THINK I WOULD BRING MY KID TO THE ER FOR GINGIVITIS?????

I explained to him that I had stopped since they started bleeding so MUCH... Much being the keyword here. So of course he takes blood to see if she has some rare blood disease.

So all anybody has to do is WALK into Natalie's room and LOOK like a DR and Natalie goes crazy. So when the nurses come to take her blood she is already flipped out because they are just THERE. Then I have to hold her down on the table while she screams and hyperventilates. I laid next to her on the bed to she could hold my ear and run my hair through her fingers. That is the only thing that comforts her. I look in her eyes and tell her she is such a tough girl and she is so brave. The nurses said she was a good girl and she didn't squirm at all for them. Poor baby.

I keep telling the stupid ER DR I think she has an infection or abscess . He asks me 'Do you take her to the dentist?"

SHE IS 1 1/2 YEARS OLD!!!! NO I DON'T TAKE HER TO THE DENTIST!!

He is like 'Hrmmm yea usually we don't take kids to the dentist until they are three"

*bonks self in head*

"Oooookay... So can I get some antibiotics JUST IN CASE its an infection in her gums?"

"Hrmm yea I will go ahead and do that" "Her blood work came back normal she doesn't have any blood disorders. "You should check in with your pediatrician later this week"

*smacks head against wall*

So by now its 1 am. Natalie is thoroughly traumatized yet again and we have the bubble gum flavored antibiotics in hand. Ive been accused of being a neglectful parent, and all is right with the world.

Curious Toddler = No New Blogs

So I know, I know. Its been months since I updated this blog. It must be very disappointing to all my adoring fans when they click on my link saved in their favorites and then.......nothing new from Stephanie. *frown*

Well I must say that I have quite a silly little monkey running around the house who takes up most of my time these days. She has gotten so good at running that I have a hard time keeping up with her before she gets a hold of something sharp or dangerous. Sometimes I turn around and scream "Where the heck did you get those scissors?!?"

I might add that the scissors were pink. So Natalie automatically thinks they are hers. It is understood in our household that anything pink is HERS! It is also known that anything with a handle on it is HER purse.

Anyways My new years resolutions are as follows:

1. Keep a better blog
2. Keep a better personal journal
3. Print out old blogs and put them in a binder
4. Take better care of my body
5. Get my home/life better organized
6. Get pictures printed out from digital cameras
7. Pay off as much debt as possible

So no crazy weight loss/ working out resolutions for me. They are dumb. I hate it when people say they wanna loose weight for a resolution. Blah

So hopefully in the very near future I will have a new blog about my sweet girl, with lots of pictures!!

So much has happened in the past few weeks. I haven't blogged about any of it and I am so upset with myself. But I am going to do better!!

Movin and Groovin

So the move is in full swing. Ive been stressed to the ultimate max. I think my hair might actually be falling out.......interesting

On the upside, I am so happy to be around 'my people'. Whenever Ben and I live on our own far away from family, we just wouldn't do much socially. Isn't that awful? It was a pretty boring life. We always moved so often that it was difficult to make a lot of friends. Plus other people around us moved so frequently that by the end of the year that we lived in GA we were the only 'original' family on our street. Everybody who lived there when we moved in had moved out by the time we left. We did make a lot of good friends in Germany, but I can't figure out why we didn't make as many good friends in GA. Its WEIRD.

Anywayz.

So now its the other extreme. EVERYDAY its something new, a new place to go, a new thing to do, family members to hang out with, go to dinner with.... I FREAKING love it!

We are still doing the Job search thing. Which is exhausting, but I hope it will all work out in the end. I'm living on faith right now. I just gotta keep telling myself its all going to work out somehow.


In other Natalie news,
She has improved her walking skills so much in just a few days! She is walking like a pro and I am so proud of her. She is such a tough girl! Whenever she falls down or hits or head on something she doesn't cry! She will flop over and bang her head on the floor and everybody in the room holds their breath to see if she is going to scream, and she just looks up at everybody and keeps on truckin. But whenever she does get hurt bad enough to cry, I pick her up and tell her she is such a tough and strong girl. She usually just stops crying and goes about her business.

I love her so much