Denim is not good workout wear.

Totally random title, I know. But that's the most recent thing I've learned - I realized it about a third of the way in to my 2 1/2 mile bike ride toting 50 pounds of kiddos in the trailer, while wearing jeans, and biking the uphill portion. And incidentally, I do now know where the term "uphill both ways" comes from.
It's been so long since I've written, I have no idea where to start. So I'll just start writing, and see where we end up.
Yesterday I had three fillings done at the dentist. Three. The last filling I had was in 2003. I hate the feeling of half your face being asleep for the rest of the day. And the rough feeling of your teeth from the spackle they put on them to fill them. And the feeling that I've got something stuck in my tooth. And I realized that that sound/sensation of the drill gives me goosebumps from my scalp to my ankles. (As does just thinking about it.)
My grandpa Carl had a stroke a week and a half ago. He went in for knee replacement surgery Monday morning, the 3rd, and Tuesday evening he had the stroke (caused by a blood clot from surgery). He went from not knowing who anyone was, but talking perfectly Tuesday night, to recognizing people but not being able to talk Wednesday. They just moved him yesterday to a rehabilitation center in Gardner. He understands everything, and knows where he is and what happened, and is getting his power of speech back, although he still has trouble getting out more than one word at a time. Incidentally, his knee is doing great - he can already bend it to 90 degrees, and even prop his ankle (on the "bad" knee) up on his other leg.
We're trying to refinance the house again. Last spring we tried to refinance, and interest rates rose 3/4 percent in a week, which made it so we wouldn't save enough money to make it worth it. But we found a local bank (in Paola) that will keep our loan local, and not sell it. Interest rates aren't quite as great as I'd hoped but we decided that it's worth it to get away from Bank of America!
Jacob has not been sleeping well at night for the last week. At all. He's waking up an average of 4 times, and then nurses for a half hour, which is leaving me SO TIRED. I can't figure out exactly what it is. He had majorly snotty eyes for a few days, so I thought he was getting sick. But he also is working on some new teeth. The drool! And when he wakes, his cry sounds so pathetic, like he's in pain. When I do give him Tylenol or ibuprofin, he sleeps for 4 hours, so I know something must be causing him pain. I think he may also be going through a growth spurt..... Or more accurately, is needing to eat more to grow than he gets during the day. He started crawling, sitting up, and trying to pull up all in the last two weeks, and this has opened the world up for him! He can't take time away from exploring in order to do something so trivial as eating. So he's trying to make up for it at night. Either way, I'm exhausted.
So naps have become my friend. Unfortunately, naps (no matter that your sum total of sleep for 24 hours, including the nap, only comes to 6 hours) keep me awake at night, hence the midnight entry.
We went on vacation to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri two weekends ago. It was their 50th anniversary celebration. Paul's parents and sister also went with us. It was a really great time. However, I told Paul we don't ever have to go on a "special event" weekend again. I don't like crowds, especially not with children to keep track of.
We stayed at a condo (owned by Hunter's Friend Resort) right on Table Rock Lake. It was awesome - three bedrooms with king size beds. We took over the "master suite" (which also had a jacuzzi), and Nathan had his own "room" - a walk-in closet, that obviously we didn't need. It was so nice to have a "home-like" place to crash, complete with a kitchen to cook our own meals. We will definitely be using them again - they have any range of places to stay, from simple motel rooms to fully stocked condos. And they're only 3 miles down the road from Silver Dollar City.
Nathan got really sick with a sinus infection and 102-degree fever the day before we left. Since it was too late to cancel our reservation, we decided to go anyways, even if it meant I'd stay at the condo with the kids - anything away from the house is still a vacation! He did great in the mornings until the first dose of ibuprofin wore off, which is when we headed back to the condo for naps. He still got to ride several childrens rides - his favorites being the Happy Frogs and the Wave Carousel (a giant version of the "county fair" type swings). By Saturday, the antibiotics had kicked in and he did much better, and Sunday we practically had to drag him out.
Sunday night was a special night of praise and worship at Echo Hollow (the amphitheater in SDC). It was such a special time for me. I really looked forward to it, because as a worship leader, I don't really get to participate in worship - which sounds weird. But when I "lead" on Sundays, I have to think about playing the piano, keeping the singers together, and how I sound. Rarely can I sing my heart out. When the music began, I had the overwhelming urge to stand to sing. Mostly I think because I can't stand to sing at church, because I have to sit at the piano. So after 3 songs, and no one was standing (most were sitting back to enjoy the 300-voice choir), I told Paul I was going to go over to the side so I could stand and sing my heart out without annoying those sitting around us. I spent most of the 90-minute praise time standing with my hands raised (another thing I can't do since I play the piano). It was a very awesome, very special time. God's presence was definitely there.
Well, I'm tired now, and my back is killing me from sitting in this chair. I think I've covered most of the high and low points of the last couple weeks. I've got other fodder I'm mulling over. We'll get there soon.

Excuses

I do have a blog coming, I promise. It's been crazy since my last post. I've got a multitude of excuses:

1. We were gone for 5 days. (Which did provide blog fodder... I'll get around to it.)
2. Nathan was sick while we were gone, and he's still a bit "off" and wanting attention.
3. My grandpa had a stroke the day after we got back, and has been in the hospital ever since.
4. Jacob is getting sick and has been cranky.
5. Jacob hasn't been sleeping at night for the last week - up every two hours for a half hour at least - so I haven't been sleeping well.
6. So I've taken naps on the three days that I actually have had free time.
7. We are in the middle of refinancing our house, so it seems like I'm endlessly on the phone, comparing numbers, or otherwise mulling the situation.

Are those good enough excuses?

Why Little Boys Need Daddies

Because mommies really stink at farming the carpet.

First Date

Last Tuesday, Paul's mom came over to watch the boys during praise team practice, as she has been doing. Paul was actually off and not otherwise busy on a Tuesday, so he went to practice with me. As we headed home, he asked, "Do you want to go straight home, or go for a drive?"
I was a bit bewildered at the thought of doing something other than rushing home to rescue my mother in law, but said, "Oh. I guess we can go for a drive."
About a minute later, as we listened to the sound of the tires on the road and the wind rushing in the open windows, I realized that this was the first time in a long, long time that we had been in the car together without the running narration from the back seat, "Daddy! A TRACTOR!!" "Mommy, look! A water tower!"
It was so nice.
I reached over and took Paul's hand, and we took the scenic route home, driving through the river bottom and looking at the newly worked fields. It may have only been a 15-minute detour, but it's the first date we've gone on since at least last July.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect spring day.

1st Stage Laparoscopic Right Fowler Stevens Orchiopexy

Yeah. That's the full name of Jacob's surgery. And we had no less than four people say, "Okay, it looks like Jacob is here for a [blah blah blah]. Is that right?"
Uhhh..... Was that English?
Paul, the wonderful, polite, proper husband of mine said under his breath, "Why don't they just call it a 'right nut hunt'?"
The surgery went great. Better than great even, because even though this was supposed to be "1st stage" it ended up being first AND second. When the doctor was checking him over before surgery, he felt around on Jacob's groin and found that the testicle had dropped since his last appointment, so it wasn't that far away from where it should have been. (He had originally thought it was up closer to his kidneys, which apparently is the "point of origin" - which also explains something to me: why guys say it makes their stomach hurt to get kicked in the goods.) So they were able to pull it down and tether it next to the other one. It was an answer to prayer that we hadn't even prayed - we just were praying that THIS surgery would go well, not that we wouldn't have to do another.
He had an inch-long incision near his hip, and another on his scrotum (which they super-glued shut - awesome). They told us the surgery would probably take just over an hour, but the doctor came and got us after 45 minutes, and said everything went well. We had to wait another 45 minutes or so before they came to get us and said he was waking up. The nurse took us back to him, and he was conked out on the child-sized hospital bed. He had an IV in his hand, and a monitor hooked up to his foot.... Poor guy. I picked him up, and he opened his eyes and looked at me, then tried to nurse (it had been 6 hours). So we just sat in the chair and snuggled for a while. Then they told us whenever we wanted, we could change him into his clothes and take him home. We were there just about 3 hours total.
That night Jacob was squirming in my arms, so I laid him down on the floor. He rolled over and immediately started trying to crawl - apparently nothing like a little surgery will keep this big guy down!
And speaking of "big guy" - we found out he weighs nearly 19 pounds. He's a giant.

Tiniest little hospital gown. But he's still kind of adorable in it.

Before surgery. 6:30 in the morning.

After surgery - IV in his arm.

One of the incisions. I'm just amazed at how non-invasive surgery can be these days.

12 hours after surgery. The "X" on his leg is the doctor's "note to self" - this is the side we're working on.

I Love Spring!

I have decided that spring is officially my favorite time of year. I have always had a hard time deciding between spring and fall, but I've decided that the weather is similar, but you just don't get the beautiful flowers and blooming trees in the fall. The red bud trees are just gorgeous right now!
We got about half of our garden planted. After it being SO wet all winter long, we felt really pressured to get out there and get the soil worked up, and rush to get things planted before it rained again. But it is only the middle of April. Even though it's been in the 80s for a week, it still is early. If it was mid-May I'd be a lot more anxious. We got corn, lettuce, beets, radishes, carrots, beans, and peas planted. All that is left are my "hill" plants - tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and watermelons.
We are looking in to refinancing our house again. Something about spring must make me want to get out of debt - this is about the time we tried to refinance last year. I just SO want to get away from Bank of America (Dave Ramsey calls them "the old boa" - so accurate to how I feel!). Interest rates aren't as low as I'd like, but we should be able to save $100 a month. And if we continue paying the same amount we are right now, we'd be able to save like $30,000 in interest. I just hate feeling like we have this huge debt hanging over our heads, and that we can't do anything because of it. You know the Proverb about the borrower being slave to the lender? I hate being their slave. So I'm praying that THIS YEAR, God will see fit to bless us and allow us to refinance.
I've been bad about exercising this week. I've just been so tired, and my back has been hurting. Sometimes it's not bad at all, then other times, I have a hard time standing up straight. I have no idea what happened to it - it just started hurting Easter Sunday. Things have loosened up today, so I'm hoping that two nights of not having to share a bed will help. The weird thing is, it doesn't hurt when I stand, or even when I sit up straight. It's when I sit to nurse or sit at the computer or any other time my back isn't straight that it hurts.
Jacob's orchiopexy surgery is Monday. I'm more nervous about him being anesthesized than I am him being cut on. I guess that's because I trust the hands of a surgeon more than I trust a drug Jacob has never been exposed to. And this is only "stage one" - they find the testicle, but they won't actually pull it into his scrotum until 3-6 months from now... Another operation, another anesthesia.
Well, it's time to put Nathan to bed. I can't decide whether I want to be industrious and clean this disaster area of a house after he's in bed, or whether I should be lazy and go to bed and read a while. I guess we'll see how much energy the bedtime drama sucks out of me.

5 Months: 1st Tooth, Sitting, Crawling, NAPS!!!

....Okay, so maybe not quite crawling yet. But definitely up on his hands and knees. He doesn't quite have the move the knees, move the hands down yet - he usually gets the knees forward then does a dive. I'm going to pronounce him "able to sit" - he wobbles occasionally, but most the time if he topples over, it's an intentional action to get to that intriguing toy that's just out of reach.
And we F.I.N.A.L.L.Y got that first tooth. I've sworn he's been working on it since the middle of January. And I thought it made an appearance about a month ago (rough spot, white peeking through), but apparently not.... This is the OTHER front bottom tooth. I think he's finally figured out (a week later) that chewing on his fingers is going to hurt from here on out. So he chews on his toes instead.
.....I wish it were possible for me to look cute when I stick my foot in my mouth.
We're starting to mess around with solid foods. He had his first cereal last week. A few days later I tried cereal mixed with some banana. You should have seen his eyes when I put that bite in his mouth. What the deuce?? We're not going to get serious about it until after he's 6 months, though.
Jacob has FINALLY started taking naps. My life can begin again! Seriously. I've been waiting 5 months for this. I don't know how I discovered it, but I started putting him to sleep on his belly. I know "experts" say you're not supposed to do that, but I figure he rolls over onto his belly by himself anyways when he sleeps, why not put him down that way to begin with? If I don't put him on his belly, he wakes up in about 20 minutes. (And has slept enough to take the edge off and doesn't want to go back to sleep, but not enough that he's not cranky.) I don't know if I can describe how wonderful it feels to know I will have a couple hours each afternoon to get stuff done around the house. Or sit on my backside. Whatever I feel like doing!
Easter this year was awesome. We had an incredible church service (very Holy Spirit-inspired), followed by a great afternoon with my whole family. Paul had to work, though... The only damper on the day.
We finally got the garden plowed. It was such a wet winter that we never got in there after the plants died. Heck, we could hardly get in there even BEFORE the plants died - we didn't even get it tilled! We still had tomato vines and corn stalks everywhere. Paul managed to get it plowed the afternoon before it rained last Thursday. A few days later, he was able to get half of it tilled twice (the other end was still too wet).... Then it rained again that night. I may never get anything planted. But last year we had an exceptionally good garden, so even if I don't get as much in, we should have some left over to carry us part way through winter at least.
I have gotten to exercise three times this week. I haven't exercised hardly at all since Jacob has been born. Monday I told Paul I wanted to walk, but didn't get left when I wanted, due to a little someone not wanting to take his nap. I knew if I didn't go for a walk, I'd eat all afternoon, because I was dragging. (I eat when I'm tired. And bored. And happy. And.... Well.... I just like to eat.) Paul had a chiropractor appointment he needed to leave for in 20 minutes. So I took off walking, and checked my watch before I was even halfway and I definitely wasn't going to get as far as I wanted if I only had 20 minutes. So I started jogging. I ended up jogging a mile! I walked 1/4 mile or so on either end of it. I am proud of myself, that I could do that without killing myself. (Long, cold winter indoors, coupled with having one or the other boy awake and in the living room where I could do an exercise DVD, made exercise virtually impossible.)
My legs were seriously sore the next day, so I didn't go again (and the 30 mph sustained wind was a big deterrent, as well). But yesterday and today I've gotten out again, jogging a mile, and walking a mile. It feels SO GOOD. The beautiful spring weather is a wonderful motivator, too. My lower back does hurt today, but I think that's from muscles being used that haven't been used in a LONG time - they're finally getting back in place after having two pregnancies! (About time.)
We are going on a little trip this weekend to see my little sister direct her school's play. My whole family is going out (minus the brother in law - it seems like if Paul's there, Keith's working, or vice versa). It should be fun. And interesting. :)
And it looks like the weather this weekend is going to be GORGEOUS!!! I don't know if I've ever been so excited about Spring. It was a really rough winter.
Well, I have loads of laundry to fold. I still haven't folded last laundry day's laundry. Or the towels from the time before that..... We are completely out of towels in the kitchen and the bathroom..... They're clean, just not folded an put away.... We keep going to the pile when we need them. I should probably get on that since we need to be able to find the clothes we need to pack....