My family

Just wanted to take a moment to blog about the greatest blessings ever: my husband and my son. They are without a doubt the highlight of my life and the two faces I want to see most when I wake up. And very fortunately, they live with me!! I love them so much, and would shrivel (ooh, like that word) to a dry nothing without them.
Whether it's Jesus bringing me a rose from our rosebush 'just because' or Daniel on my way to work, "Need another hug-n-kiss, Mommy" or anything in between they just my favorite people on the planet. I have never seen a father be so involved with his child as Jesus is with Daniel....he hugs, kisses, plays, changes diapers, cleans a stinky bottom, fixes meals (GOOD ones), and so much more for our son. I am grateful a million times over for Jesus. And Daniel....gosh, what can I say? He is sweet, funny, well-behaved (most of the time), intelligent, adorable...all I could ever ask for in a child, and more. I love them both so much. They are my joy.

Random bits of our lives

Three cheers for my hubby: The alternator in his truck went out Friday. In retrospect, we should have seen it coming, as we've gone through several batteries since we bought the truck in 2001. But we didn't. Long story short, he called up one of his buddies who works at a repair shop, they went to AutoZone for the part, they replaced it and the truck runs a million times better than before. All for a whopping $106. The man is a genius, and I am in awe of him!! Hubs, that is.

What I don't like: This has to do with work. So if you don't like the words placenta, uterus, cervix, or any talk of bleeding, skip this paragraph. :) And it has nothing to do with doctors, or even difficult patients, just their conditions. I work with a lot of high-risk antepartums (pregnant women) and have enjoyed learning how to take care of them. I enjoy reading the fetal monitor strips and enjoy just getting to know the ladies. We have many who stay with us for weeks and months until they deliver. My two least favorite high-risk conditions are placenta previa and placental abruptions. Previa is a condition in which the placenta completely covers the opening of the cervix. What makes that bad is that the placenta has a LOT of blood flowing through it at any given moment, and when that cervix starts to dilate (even just a tiny bit), the placenta starts to separate from the wall of the uterus. Which means that you could bleed to death in a matter of minutes. Boy howdy, when you get someone with a previa, you better be Johnny-on-the-spot cause when they break, it can be bad. You run, you don't walk, with them over to the OR. I also don't like abruptions. That's when the placenta (implanted anywhere in the uterus, usually in the upper portion) separates from the uterine wall. Less placental attachment=less nutrients to the baby, for starters. The other bit is that with as many blood vessels as are there, that can also kill you. What's even worse is that sometimes you have a hidden abruption, where the ends of the placenta are attached to the uterus, but the placenta starts to separate in the middle. So there's no actual bleeding that you can see, but it can still kill mom and/or baby. Those things will keep you on your toes, to be sure. (Note: the whopping majority of the women with these things have been wonderful to meet & know. I love them, I just don't like the conditions. Big difference, just clarifying.) Just in case you wonder what I do for a living....

Conversations with our two year old: we are down at the drainage pond at the end of our subdivision, which on this particular day, has a distinct rotting vegetation smell. Normally it's not so bad, and we like to go down there to skip rocks & watch the turtles.
Me: Ew, this water is stinky.
Daniel: We need to clean it off.
Me: We need to clean it off?
Daniel: Mmm-Hmm.
Me: What should we use to clean it off?
Daniel: Toilet paper.

And, the requisite photograph:

Another sound bite, and a picture

I was reading to Daniel the other night from one of his many Thomas books..."...and Percy was waiting for Toby at the bottom." Daniel: "When I make a stinky, I have to clean my bottom off."




At the library, with Rocky the Reading Rabbit. Or as Daniel calls him "Conejín" (Spanish for 'bunny).

Sound bites

Preface: James is an engine character from Thomas the Tank Engine. Daniel recently received a James engine from his grandmother Yaya, and of course it was a huge hit.

Daniel: James ready for going!!
Me: Where is he going?
Daniel: To the Wal-mart.
Me: He's going to Wal-mart?
Daniel: Mmm-hmm. And to the Lowe's.

"When you're nekkid [naked], peepee & stinky goes in the potty." (can you tell he's heard that a few times??)

"Está cayendo agua in the grass." Said just like that. In Spanglish. (BTW, the Spanish phrase means "it's raining.") Since we haven't had rain in WEEKS, I guess he figures it's worth commenting about.

To Make You Think

I found this quote by Gandhi & it may hurt, but it is often the truth:

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."

Touché

Ok, this cartoon is from an admittedly liberal website. But you can't tell me it's not right on the mark!!

Happy July 4th!

Yesterday, with the holiday approaching, I got to thinking about some things (rare occurrence, I know...) & wrote them in my journal. Here is an excerpt:

"I want to show You (referring to God here) I love you by obeying your commands. This political climate, this whole thing, I'm not sure of. Do I have to be a Republican to call myself a Christian? Could I be a Democrat? Do I have to be a member of the 'Moral Majority', the 'IVoteValues.org' people, to have the right view on things? Of course, some things are clear -- murder is wrong, lying and stealing are wrong, but what about things the Bible stays silent about? Illegal immigration, a prime example. Or even something not quite so controversial, like the environment. Am I going to be labeled a tree-hugging liberal because I think we as Christians should care about the Earth God created for us? Do conservative right-wingers have it all figured out, and I don't? Or can I be a little more moderate? Does it really matter, as long as I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? I'm just kind of trying to figure some of these things out. Because I hear some things on Christian radio stations that I'm not sure I agree with. Of course, I believe that abortion is wrong, that homosexuality is wrong, adultery, etc. But they are not more wrong than lust, greed pride, envy, and gossip, are they? I want to lead a life that pleases You. I want to be like You, Lord. I'm just trying to figure out how to do that."

Many hotdogs, fireworks, cookouts, and blessings for all!