Saturday, February 7, 2009 - Update

What do you do to enjoy one of the most gorgeous days in Kansas? We decided to go downtown and see where Ryan works. (Can you believe that he's been there since last summer and I had yet to see it?) Afterwards, we took a stroll down by the river and it was one of the most enjoyable afternoons that I have had in years. Olivia had a blast seeing all of the new sites and I still can't believe it is this nice in February.

This is the building where my daddy works!

It was so much fun running around the cubicles. . .if only I could bring my pony next time.

To the left is Exploration Place and the Keeper of the Plains is in the background.

Mommy and I by the Arkansas River. Here in Kansas, we pronounce it Ar-Kansas, not Ar-Kan-saw.

Daddy and I enjoying the day.

This is the best day ever!

Almost done and ready to go home.

We walked a really long way!

The weather isn't the only special thing about today. It's Kerry's birthday!!! Ryan, Olivia and I wish you a very very Happy Birthday. May all your wishes come true!!

Here we are. . .a long time ago at Kerry's birthday party. Kerry and I are in the middle. . . holding hands. :)

Friday, February 6, 2009 - Update

Do you have days that just don't go as planned? We are unable to go outside to enjoy our almost 70 degree weather because of 30+ mph wind gusts. I hate the wind. For the last three days, Olivia has started waking up almost an hour earlier than usual. Her second nap went the way of the dodo bird some time ago. Now, her 11:30 am naptime has been pushed back to 1 pm. The girl only takes an hour or so nap all day long. Doesn't she know that mama needs a longer nap than that? We used to have lunch after she woke up from her nap, but we're going to have to do some rearranging. I tried to lay down and nap at 1 pm, but my hunger won out. I even attempted to snack on a protein bar while still trying to go to sleep. . .didn't work. So, I grabbed my laptop and gave up. Hopefully, we'll get a new schedule going that we can work with. Our whole day is always planned around her old naptime. Silly girl has so much energy that she doesn't know what to do with herself. Man, the phone rang and woke her up early from her nap (don't worry. . .it was none of you.) Now, I have a tired and cranky little girl. . .but isn't she absolutely adorable??

Thursday, January 5, 2009 - Update

What?
It's an Olive Garden breadstick!

Yum!

For the past few days, Olivia has been an eating machine! Yesterday, she even tried a hot dog and had some bites of my enchilada. So, today I was so excited to cut her up a hot dog with some ketchup and applesauce and macaroni and cheese. . . all on her own little plate. She wouldn't touch the hot dog with a ten foot pole. She tried the macaroni and cheese and choked on the pasta and I had to take it out of her mouth. It's so weird. I never know what to expect from day to day.

We're trying to figure out what to do in this beautiful weather. It's hard to remain cautious when it feels like spring, but there are a lot of sick people right now. I don't want to run into any of them. Maybe we'll find a new place to go for a walk. Our neighborhood starts to get a little boring after awhile.

Prayer Request

Yesterday, I learned from a friend that a family who goes to their church lost their 6-7 month old daughter, Mackenzie. The father went in to check on her and she was found not breathing in her crib. Please keep the Young family in your prayers. I have received so many heartbreaking prayer requests lately. I was asked to share some things that brought comfort to us after Logan died. No two situations or people are the same, but here are some things that helped us.

1) Cards. It seems like something so small, but we would go to the mailbox every day for weeks and find handfuls of cards. It meant a lot to us.

2) Food. Again, our situation was different because we weren't ever home and our freezers were stocked full of breastmilk. Gift cards to restaurants were helpful.

3) Let them know you care even if you don't understand. But, don't say that it will get easier with time. A break up with a boyfriend, the death of a pet. . .that gets easier with time. A death of a child does not. We were told something that has stuck with us. . .It doesn't get easier, it just gets more familiar.

4) Gifts with the child's name or in their honor. We received a tree to plant, Christmas ornaments, framed pictures, a wind chime with Logan's initials, Willow tree twin figurines (one with angel wings) along with many more. It helps us know that our child will never be forgotten.

5) Donations that help spread awareness or help prevent the cause of death.

6) Meeting other people who have gone through similar experiences has helped tremendously.

I know it is hard for others to know how to comfort someone who has gone through the unthinkable. . .whatever it is. If anyone has any other suggestions of things that helped them, please leave a comment if you wish.

Most of all, like the song says: Love Them Like Jesus

Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus

My Little Escape Artist

Last week, Olivia couldn't even pull herself up with her crib lowered.
Now, she's trying to climb out of it.

I put Olivia in her crib for her nap this morning and she stood up. I picked her up and laid her back down and she stood up. We did this about 5 times. Then, I hear a loud grunting noise coming from her room and I find her trying to climb out of her crib. Surely, there's no way that she'll succeed even with her crazy determination.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009 - Update

I'm getting better at pushing my walker all by myself.
It's sometimes hard to steer

and at times. . .a little scary,

but it's a lot of fun!

Olivia continues to get better and better at walking behind her walker. Watching her reminds me that she's not a baby anymore. . .she's a little girl! I still can't get over how she stands up in her crib every morning when I go in to get her. Her determination to learn new things is what continues to amaze me. Of course, just as strong is her determination to NOT do the things that she doesn't want to do, but that amazes me as well.

Now, I need to brag on my husband a bit. Kerry and I have been planning to go to a movie for weeks. After deciding on Feb. 3rd, I lined up a babysitter (the awesome grandma Mary) and anxiously awaited my afternoon of fun. Well, then my rat through a kink into the plans and I had to make a vet appointment. It was a bit of a relief to find that she had passed away curled up in her blanket at home. . .bless her heart. So, our afternoon was going to continue on as planned. Then, I find out that grandpa is under the weather and Ryan and I had to make the decision to not have grandma Mary come over. That's okay. . .we could have fun at home, although I felt bad that Kerry took off work to come over and sit around with us. I will always willingly sacrifice to make sure Olivia stays healthy. Before I could say no, Ryan took some of his vacation to watch Olivia this afternoon so that we could go to our movie. Not only did he bury our rat and have to stand out in the cold weather, but he had dinner made when I got home tonight. How do I top that? And, how am I deserving of someone who loves me so unconditionally? Thanks, Ryan, for all that you do.

Olivia The Rat

Sadly, my rat passed away overnight. She had been doing very badly over the last couple of days and I had a vet appointment this afternoon to have her put to sleep. Kerry and I have plans to go to a movie this afternoon for our birthdays and we were going to have to go to the vet beforehand. Nothing like having to have your animal put to sleep to damper your birthday celebrations. Being the thoughtful animal that she was, she passed away on her own. She will be greatly missed.

Now, I didn't "name my daughter after my rat." You see, I love naming things. In fact, as a child I think I named my roly polies. . .until my brother and his friends squished them. I still like to stop by the animals at the pet store and think of what I would name all of them. That's a slippery slope, however, because once you name something. . .they have a way of inching themselves into your heart. I always tried to keep my animal names separate from my future children names, but that didn't work so well with Olivia. Plus, my rat was such a sweetheart that it made the name Olivia even more appealing and it sounded so good with Logan. Rats are very intelligent and after being called Olivia for over a year, my rat wouldn't respond to any other name.

Anyway, I got Olivia the rat a few days after I got Lucy. Lucy was the personable one and Olivia was the shy one. Lucy helped bring Olivia out of her shell and she quickly became just as friendly as Lucy. The two of them became the best of friends. Last summer, I found Olivia the rat in a pool of blood and found out that she had some sort of tumor or cancer of the reproductive system. She had surgery to be spayed and also had three cysts removed. She bounced back from that amazingy well. Lucy passed away about 6 months ago and Olivia the rat never really bounced back from that. She has been so lonely without her best friend. I actually had to put a stuffed animal in her cage to cuddle with. Rats are truly amazing pets and Olivia was an amazing rat.

Here are Olivia and Lucy as babies.
Olivia the rat peeking out to say hello.

Wasn't she adorable?

After her surgery.

My rats are together again. . .somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge.

Monday, February 2, 2009 - Update

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. . .I had a great birthday. I think my favorite gift was watching Olivia push her walker all by herself. Well, and the 13 hours of sleep followed by 12 hours of sleep wasn't too shabby either. And, the fact that I have a birthday massage in about an hour. Ryan took one of his vacation days today to give me a relaxing 3 day weekend. . .how nice is that? Olivia, however, woke up around 5:45 am and I decided to bring her into bed with us. I don't know how people sleep with their children. Olivia likes to sleep sideways and try to push me out of bed. . .nothing like having a heel jammed into your eyeball first thing in the morning. We're all a little less cranky when we sleep in our own beds.

I'm surprised, however, that she got to sleep at all last night. She was bouncing off the walls and running around the house squealing. I don't know if it was because she got to see grandma and grandpa yesterday or if it was because of her late afternoon nap. More than likely it was the fact that she decided to drink out of daddy's cup last night and discovered that she loved Mountain Dew. I think she might bypass the sippy cup and straw and go straight to a cup. We just have to get her to drink things other than Mountain Dew.

Birthday Brain Busters

Ready to eat!
Hi dad.

Mom thought I would sit still for a picture. . how silly of her.

I got a Valentines Day present from grandma and grandpa!

Thanks aunt Shelley for the cool shades!

Today is my wife's birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JODI!!! I am truly blessed to have married such a wonderful woman. Growing up, I was always taught that it is impolite to tell other people someone's age. Because of that, I will not be sharing with everyone how old that she is today. Instead, I thought that it might be fun for you, our loyal blog readers, to play a few birthday games and answer a few birthday riddles. So here we go!

Game #1: Word Search

Hidden in block of letters below are words that have to do with Jodi's birthday. How many can you find?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOTHIRTYONEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Game #2: Scramble
Below are some letters from a word that has to do with Jodi's birthday that have been scrambled together. See if you can unscramble the letters to figure out the word.

THIRTYOEN

Game #3: Riddle
Can you answer the following birthday riddle?

Frank, Sue, and Jodi were all born on the same day of the same year. Frank's age is equal to one times Sue's Age. Jodi's age is equal to Frank's age divided by one. Sue's age is 31. How old is Jodi?

Game #4: Math Riddle

See if you can figure out this math riddle.

The sum of the two numbers is Jodi's age are equal to 4. Neither of the numbers in Jodi's age are 0 or 4. The two numbers in Jodi's age are not the same number. Jodi is old enough to vote. How old is Jodi?

Olivia's New Favorite Toy

Friday, January 30, 2009 - Update

When Olivia decides to do something new, she does a bunch of new things all at once. Every day, I cut up strawberries for her and she either chucks them off of her tray or ignores them. Last night, she started eating one and then another and then another. For lunch today, she had more strawberries and some of my pasta. She pulls up on everything and I often find her standing in her crib. She is making all sorts of new sounds and attempted to say Desitin today. Um. . .maybe you could say mama first? Please? She sticks her tongue out at you and was waving to the birds at grandma and grandpa's yesterday. She knows most of the rooms of the house and you only have to tell her once or twice what something is and she'll remember it. Then, if you ask her where it is, she'll lead you right to it. It's amazing! She blows my mind every day.

Olivia Pulling Up On Couch

Olivia has got this down. . .she has started pulling up on everything. She is even in the beginning stages of furniture cruising. I'm so proud of her! Pardon my silly voice. . .I tell myself "don't talk, don't talk," and what do I do? I talk throughout the whole thing.

Thursday, January 29, 2009 - Update

This is perfect, mom!

I've been trying to upload a video that I took of Olivia yesterday. For some reason, I keep getting errors. So, here's a picture of her that I took. Our basement is extremely cold and when we go downstairs to watch Baby Signing Times, her little hands are freezing by the time we come back upstairs. So, I made her a new seat to sit in out of the bean bag chair. . .complete with comfy, warm blankets. I think she approved.

Olivia spent the afternoon at Grandpa and Grandma Glunt's and Izzy is with Grandpa and Grandma Murray. . .so, Shelley and I went out to lunch. It was really, really nice to talk just the two of us. We'll have to do it again soon!

Pray for Cora

I just found out about this little girl tonight who is in the ICU at Wesley Medical Center. She is 10 months old and was found to have stage 4 cancer. She has begun aggressive chemotherapy and is fighting for her life. Please say a prayer for this family. You can learn more about her at:

http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/

My Backwards Life

Just stoppin' by for some snacks.

Too bad that's the only food she'll eat. In a world driven by the need to lose weight, it always feels backwards to beg Olivia to eat. It's sort of like that time when Olivia had her EEG. I had to keep Olivia, a 2 month old adjusted baby, awake from 5 am until her EEG at 9 am. I realized that everything is geared towards putting a baby to sleep, not keeping a baby awake. That was tough and felt so backwards. I just kept changing her diaper and her clothes because that's all that worked. Speaking of sleep. . .

I have not been getting much of it lately. I don't know how I can be so tired all day and then completely unable to sleep at night. How backwards is that? The last two nights have been impossible and I didn't fall asleep until 3 am. I can't take any sleep aids because 1)they make my legs horribly restless and 2) they make me very groggy in the morning. I do, however, take magnesium glycinate and progesterone that is supposed to help. I count sheep, count backwards from 999, try to think of "nothing." You would think that if you laid down long enough you would eventually fall asleep. I have realized that when you are tired, you are amazed by many things, such as:

*How can my husband fall asleep the second his head hits the pillow?

*How do those morning newscasters get up and dressed and ready to be in front of the camera so early? It's after 3 pm and I still can't manage to get out of my pajama pants.

*Or, those construction workers building houses out in the freezing cold at 7 am in the morning?

I will admit, however, that every poem or piece of writing that I've written in my adult life was written in the middle of the night. So, maybe my insomnia is good for something. Do you remember the poem that I wrote for Logan last year? I never liked the ending verse and it always bothered me that I couldn't think of anything better. Well, the other night at 1:30 am, I thought of a better ending. The poem is now posted on the sidebar. Wish me better luck with sleep tonight! I just want my life to begin feeling a bit less backwards.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - Update

Stacie and Me - I don't know where our prom dates were.

Bus trip to Chicago

I have been having a little too much fun on Facebook lately. My friends and I have been posting old pictures of each other. Last night I sat at my computer and laughed and laughed. It reminded me of something. Lately, I've thought of myself as only a mom and a woman who lost her child. I'm so much more than that. I'm a wife who is married to a wonderful man (and after thinking of my dating life. . .I'm so grateful.) I am a daughter of wonderful parents and a girl with amazing friends. I was in high school once and did goofy things without a care in the world. I had so much fun with my friends on band trips and at prom and in college. I was a professional who got ready and went to work and had clients who still ask about me. I think when I remember myself as all of those things too. . .it makes me a better mom. Anyway, just thought I'd share a couple of my favorite pictures. I'm hoping that some of the rest of them will somehow go away.

Monday, January 26, 2009 - Update

I am my mommy's daughter!
I love pickled okra just like her!
Okra lovers unite!

I found this hilarious for many reasons. Olivia won't eat hardly anything lately. . .no baby food, no table food, not even macaroni and cheese. Yet, I gave her one of my pickled okras and she chowed down on it. For a little girl with a few sensory issues, she didn't mind the texture at all. It was pretty funny. Our honey bear cup is not working too well. She won't let the straw anywhere near her mouth, so our transition from a bottle isn't really working. The good news is that she is taking her bottle great and continues to drink over 20 ounces a day. I put some goldfish crackers and such on the coffee table. She can ride her pony up to it and have some snacks. You can tell she feels so proud of herself. At least now, she's no longer eating only carbs. . .it's carbs and okra!

March for Babies

Well, I've only raised $20 so far, so I've gotta kick it into gear. Last year, the local March of Dimes office took notice of the Olivia and Logan team. We were one of the largest family teams and received a plaque for raising over $2000. I don't know whether we can do that again, but it would be nice to try.

March for Babies

April 18, 2009 10:00 am

Lawrence Dumont Stadium

One thing that helps me is knowing that I'm doing something to help other babies. My son, Logan, could not be saved and my hope is that fewer families lose a child to prematurity. This hope cannot be realized without the help of the March of Dimes. Without their research, Olivia would not be here or doing as well as she is. The money given by wonderful people in the past helped save Olivia's life. The money given by wonderful people now will help save babies in the future.

You can help in various ways. If you click the March of Dimes banner to the right, you will go to my personal page. From there you can:

Sponsor My Walk: Even the smallest amount of money can accomplish amazing things (just as the smallest babies can.) You can donate by credit/debit card, PayPal or cash/check. This does not sign you up on our team. This is a good option for those who wish to donate, but are unable to walk on our team.

Join the Olivia and Logan Team: Just click on Walk With Me. From there, you can begin collecting donations to meet your own goal which will go towards the team goal.

What if you want to walk, but do not want to collect donations? Just click on Walk With Me and set your goal to be the amount of money you wish to donate. Then, donate to yourself and show up to walk.

What if you want to walk, but are unable to donate yourself? Just click on Walk With Me, set a goal and begin collecting donations from others.

I totally understand that in times of economic hardship, it's hard to find funds for anything other than daily necessities. I also understand that there are many other causes that are so very important and deserving of funds. March of Dimes touches my heart personally and I hope our contribution is something that Olivia can be proud of as she gets older. It's even been discussed for Olivia to be the local ambassador in a few years. Thank you to everyone for your amazing support.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 - Update

Okay, so I need to take some more recent pictures of Olivia. I keep picking and choosing some from the past month, but I thought this one would be fitting considering how we spent the afternoon. I thought I had a great idea. Sedgwick County was holding an e-waste event at the Coliseum where you could drop of old tvs, computers and other electronic equipment at no charge. My dad and brother did this last year. They drove up, unloaded their stuff and went on with their day. Ryan was going to go earlier in the day, but I had this great idea. Why not wait until after Olivia takes her nap and we'll all take a little road trip together? Afterwards, we can pick up lunch and head home. What a bad idea that turned out to be. When we got there, traffic was backed up for well over a mile and moving at a snail's pace. And, that was just to GET to the Coliseum. It was insane! Olivia was an angel and didn't even make a peep. She just sat in her carseat. We were complaining more than she was. Finally, we gave up and left with our electronics in tow. We were hungry, Olivia was hungry and it was just an awful way to spend the afternoon. Did anyone else attempt this? We ended up dropping Olivia off at Grandma and Grandpa Glunt's and Ryan and I went out to lunch at 4 pm! We had a delicious meal at Timberline, just the two of us. So, that was nice. Thanks Olivia for being so patient!

Prayer Request

I was very saddened to hear that my friend, Kelley, lost her 10 year old niece, Hailey, last week. Hailey was killed after falling off of her bicycle and being struck by a 14 year old on a dirt bike. Hailey's services were yesterday. Kelley and I went to college together and have known each other for 10+ years. I have no idea why such horrible things occur in life. . .it just doesn't make sense to me. Please say a prayer for Hailey's entire family.

Friday, January 23, 2009 - Update

But, I don't want to sit. . .I want to walk!

Since Olivia is now running while holding on to our fingers, we have a sneaky suspicion that she can do more than she's letting on. She is also traveling longer distances while going backwards on her pony. And. . .I don't think the pony is supposed to go 30 mph! I think holding on to our fingers has become a crutch for her, so we're trying to only give her one hand to hold on to. I do that for short bursts throughout the day. Ryan decided to ONLY let her hold on to one hand while walking all night long. She was not happy. Boy, does she have a temper! I don't know where she gets it because Ryan and I are both very even-tempered. I think she was just mad because she was unable to run like she normally does. Eventually, she held on to his one hand with both of hers (good problem solving.) Now we're seeing the stubborn, feisty side to her that we knew in the NICU. Sometimes you can't help but laugh.

Also, I don't know what happened to our special reading time. She loved to read books and it was a nice change of pace from walking around the house all day. The last few days, I have only been able to get a few pages into a book before Olivia slams it shut and tosses it. Then, she looks for another book only to slam it shut and toss it as well. Sometimes if she is doing something else, I will just pick up a book and read it out loud. She will make a point to come over, slam the book shut and toss it away. And, we have all these new, exciting books to read! Olivia is just consumed with her desire to walk. I think that's all she thinks about and all she wants to do. I don't want to paint a grouchy picture of my little girl. She is still my happy, smiley Olivia Paige. She's just developing her own opinions. . .like how it is hilarious to crawl away in the middle of a diaper change and proceed to pee on the carpet. A part of me always wished for days like these.

Olivia's Got Skills

A Bucket List of Sorts

I didn't know what to write about tonight. So, I thought I would post this list that I saw on Kerry's site. Sort of fun, but made me realize that I really need to travel more. :)

The rules are that you are to bold/change the color on each of the below that apply to you, then tag 4 more people and let me know when you’ve posted!

Is "play with a red block" on the list? I've done that. Did you know red and yellow are my favorite colors?

How about "find yellow block with eyes closed?" I have done that too.

1. Started your own blog (technically, Stacie started it for me, but. . .)

2. Slept under the stars. I remember building tents outside out of sheets and blankets with my best friends, Tamar and Tiffany. For some reason, it was exciting to sleep in odd places like their station wagon, closets and outside, of course.

3. Played in a band (high school band counts right?)

4. Visited Hawaii - no but that's the next place I want to go.

5. Watched a meteor shower - My family and neighbors used to get up to watch them, but I never wanted to have my sleep disturbed.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis - I think so

10. Sang a solo - Nope, I always wanted the courage to, though.

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - It stormed one night on our Carnival cruise.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning (Who hasn't?)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept in an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse (I think we did at school once)

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language - does double talk count?

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - oh, the days of two incomes. . .

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Yes, I've done this. Ryan and I were in Jacksonville, FL and we walked along the beach. . alone. . .at night. It was very romantic.

46. Been transported in an ambulance - Yep, when Stacie and I were in a car accident in high school. I had cuts/glass in my head and all I remember is telling them not to shave my head.

47. Had your portrait painted - in junior high are class, we had the back of our heads drawn. Does that count?

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - Yep, on our honeymoon.

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car (a 1998 Honda Civic and a 2006 Honda Civic. . isn't that what I drive?)

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper (engagement picture and Kerry and I were in the newspaper for Jump Rope for Heart. Kerry, I think my parents still have that newspaper clipping)

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chicken pox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous - Betsy Byars in the 5th grade when I won an essay contest.

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby - I had two beautiful babies.

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

I'm not going to tag anyone, but feel free to do this on your blog if you'd like.

Prayer Request

I was sad to learn that last night my great aunt, Winifred, passed away. The last time I was able to see her was at my brother and Shelley's wedding, I believe. I wish that she had been able to meet Olivia, but it was difficult because she lived out of town. I'm sad for my grandma because they were very close friends and sisters. I'm sad for my great uncle for the loss of his wife of many, many years (50-60 years probably?) I know that she's in heaven and even better (not that that's possible) she's with Logan and that makes me feel better. Please keep my family in your prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

Why are bath pictures so adorable?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 - Update

Me and my Aunt Laura
I like your necklace, Aunt Laura

We enjoyed spending the morning with Laura. Thanks for coming over. I've learned that my mood greatly improves when we 1) have visitors 2) get out of the house. Keeping Olivia healthy is a huge concern for me (RSV is starting to run rampant around here) but I can't completely give up my mental health for her physical health. There has to be some sort of common ground. I constantly worry about Olivia and, although that's typical for all parents, mine is a little extreme. Whenever I worry about something, I usually ask myself, "What is the worst that can happen?" It doesn't work in this case because I know one of the worst things that can happen. It happened to us when we lost our sweet Logan. We've been there and that will always leave such an uneasy feeling within me. I don't know if that will ever go away. All I can do is try to take steps to help myself and continue to pray for God to give me peace.