The End Is In Sight!

Tonight we are in Regina, SK. Some may understand the title of this post as quite literal. Saskatchewan is said to be so flat that you can watch your dog run away fro days, so even though we have about a day of driving yet, the end may be in sight!

We are staying at another Travelodge. I realized tonight this is the 3rd one on the trip. I guess they must be pretty good. I couldn't get a cheaper rate tonight, though I tried, but since we had gained an hour just before we stopped yesterday & then another one this afternoon, & we had driven almost 800 km, we decided that we'd just take the room here. It's the first night on the trip we've had to pay over $100 for a room, which overall is pretty good. Chad still thinks that's high, but I think he's just out of touch w/ how much hotels cost.

The perks of our hotel are:

• Swimming pool
• hot tub
• waterslide
• kiddie play area

So, yes the perks are pretty much all pool related, but really, who has time to do much more in the evenings anyways? We have to tire Asher out after a day of sitting in the car, what better way than a pool? A bath just doesn't cut it on days like this.

We stopped for coffee this morning in Kenora at a coffee shop called HoJoes. It was listed in our hotel book as a "Vancouver Style Coffee House." It lived up to it's name! It was some of the best coffee I've had in a long time. Strathroy had a coffee shop, but they seemed to go about things as cheaply as possible, & when you are making a latte for someone, that just doesn't cut it, my friend!

Anyways, back to the pool! Asher enjoyed the waterslide a bit more tonight. It wasn't as fast as last night's was, & it wasn't a brand new experience either. We have a pretend phone in the car for Asher to play w/ & he "called" Grandma Vos to tell her all about the pool & waterslide he went on last night. It was very cute & obviously left an impression on him.

In the kiddie play area there was a cave that lead up to a normal tube slide (w/o water) & it took some convincing & daddy to go w/ him, but Asher finally went down that slide as well. Chad said it was a good thing he had gone down the slide w/ him b/c since they were wet (the kiddie area was in w/ the pool area) the slide was really fast & Chad landed on his bottom at the bottom & it did not feel too pleasant. Plus it was quite a ways that you had to walk in the tunnel, & who knows if Asher would have made it the whole way up alone. It was pretty squishy in there as well, Chad reported.

So, we MIGHT be able to make it all the way to Lethbridge tomorrow, but it would be a long day to do it. We aren't sure if we are up for that long of a day w/ the most boring part of the drive still ahead of us. Besides, why not have another night at a hotel w/ a pool & possibly a waterslide?

One Thing I've Learned

On this trip there are many things I've learned, such as:

• I'm not as patient as I'd like to think I am.... especially when I am tired & hot. I just get cranky & snappy.
• I really, really like specialty coffee & it's not so easy to find when you are in the middle of nowhere (although I knew this before the trip too, but it's VERY evident now).
• Hotel rates are not set in stone.

This last one is a tricky one b/c we all know about AAA/CAA rates being lower than normal hotel rates, but did you know that if you hem & haw just a little, they will sometimes offer you an even LOWER rate? Our first hotel's rate was $120. They offered me $110 w/CAA, but then I asked how that compared to other rates in town & she said, "well, I can actually offer you $100." It came through as "Rate of the Day" on the bill, so it's worth asking for at Travelodges.

Tonight we stopped at a Holiday Inn & I asked about rates & they offered me $120, or $110 w/ CAA. I asked if there was anything cheaper & he simply said no, so we left. We went to a Days Inn & they offered $120 w/ CAA & I simply asked if she could give me a room for under $100, say $99 & she said, "sure." So It's definitely worth asking for cheaper or naming your price (as long as it's a reasonable price for a room) They'd rather have you there for a little less, than not have you there at all.

I am a bit surprised that they have cheaper rates though b/c it is Canada Day weekend, but perhaps we are just stopping at hotels that aren't full & that's working to our advantage.

Our hotel tonight has a swimming pool, a kiddie pool, a hot tub & a waterslide. We took advantage of them & tired Asher out. he went to bed easily & has been sleeping for the last hour or so. Much better than last night. Chad had to lay on the floor by his playpen for nearly an hour until he fell asleep. He just hadn't expended enough energy & wasn't very tired. We made up for that today by stopping for lunch at a rest area & letting him run around for awhile & then going swimming this evening. (The waterslide was pretty fun for all of us, though Asher took quite a bit of convincing to go on it).

Are We There Yet?

We are in Marathon, Ontario tonight. We have travelled about 1200 of 3500 kilometres on our trip. It feels like we've gone much further. Chad mentioned today that he already is not looking forward to making this trip again in 3 months. I agree.

Trips like this used to be fun, but now I am constantly having to turn around in my seat & being 7 months pregnant it's not too comfortable to try to reach for toys & books that have been thrown down on the floor. Asher's actually being fairly well behaved, until we get out of the car. He just wants to run & be crazy, but who can blame him? After 4 hours of having to sit still in the car seat we all want to run around & be crazy.

Driving is proving to be less than enjoyable for Chad as well b/c of the trailer. We can't use the cruise control b/c it makes the car work too hard, so Chad has to drive w/ his foot on the accelerator the whole time rather than being able to move a bit to get more comfortable.

Right now Asher is standing in his crib saying, "hi, Mummy!" over & over. We have set chairs on the table & draped a blanket over the top so he can't see us. Having to share a room w/ a toddler who has not expended enough energy over the course of the day, is not a whole lot of fun.

There will be no TV watching before bed. I always feel a bit sorry for the people on either side of us when we are in hotels. Asher is great at going to sleep at home now, but I think he saves all his bad nights for hotels. I suppose it makes sense since his routine is all askew.

Wish us luck on this trip, that we get the sleep we need.......

I Think I'm Ready To Move

Last night we got a call from the U-Haul guy saying that the closest place that had a trailer of the size we had reserved was 2 hours away. Well, we had ordered the smallest trailer b/c we have a VW Jetta to pull it with, so getting a bigger trailer wasn't really an option. His offer was to cut the price from $250 to $100 for the week.....

So Chad has gone to get our cheaper trailer! I declared it unfair that he gets to go driving for 4 hours this morning while I have to stay home & pack & clean, but then I remembered that I would have the computer, so I decided that I'd check emails & blog a bit!

So, now I have a few loads of laundry going, everything is pretty much packed, & I basically only have vacuuming to do, which I will wait until everything is pretty much out of here to do b/c you can't really vacuum w/ boxes everywhere. I'd show you a picture of all our boxes, but the cord for the camera is packed & I don't really know how to connect it to the laptop. Maybe I'll get them up in a few days.

Surprisingly, our phone has been disconnected already. I ordered it to be done today & they kept saying it would be done by 5 pm. I checked it at 9am & it had already been done. It figures that if you need a phone connected they'll wait until the last minute, but to get it disconnected it's done right away so you can't make anymore calls!

Tomorrow we head out on our way from Ontario to Alberta! It's supposed to be a 42 hour drive. We're going through Canada b/c we've never been that way before. It adds about 8 hours onto the trip, but since we have a trailer full of stuff we figured it doesn't make sense to cross the boarder if we don't have to.

I'm actually really looking forward to the trip both b/c it's seeing things we haven't seen before, & b/c we'll have lots of time to think about the calls we have received from churches. We don't really know where the Lord is leading us, so we have to really pray & figure out what His will is for us. We have 3 really good offers & we just don't know what our decision is.

So for the next week I'll be at the mercy of hotel internet. Hopefully most the ones we stay at will have wireless so I can still post about all the exciting things we do & see on our "big trip" as Asher has been calling it.

Packing Up

Chad & I are busy packing up all our stuff. It's a bit of a struggle, but we are making really good progress. We have taken all the boxes out of the storage room & gone through all the baby stuff to decide what we'll need in Alberta & what we can wait for.

We've packed all the things in the laundry room which included all the kitchen things like the rice cooker, crock pot, corningware, etc. We had to stop at that point b/c we started getting carried away & headed toward the kitchen stuff. At one point had we kept going we'd have nothing to eat for breakfast the next few days.

The items from the desk have been packed, which has become an issue already b/c all the rubberbands are gone.... How are we supposed to wrap electrical cords now? We did leave out a few pens, but we don't really have any paper to write things on..... I suppose we could write ourselves notes on boxes, but w/ our luck the box would get moved & we'd have no idea where that person's phone number went.......

All the books & art got packed before the weekend & now our living room echoes.... echoes... echoes....

Asher is enjoying being at daycare this week. Yesterday he managed to talk his way out of a nap there, but fell asleep on the couch about 20 minutes before we picked him up. This resulted in him sleeping in 'til quarter after 7 this morning! Of course b/c he is always awake at quarter 'TIL 7 most mornings, I woke up then & couldn't get back to sleep......

This morning Asher woke up & asked to play w/ his trucks, BUT we got a little carried away in packing his room yesterday & the only toys that are left are ones that we are going to get rid of, so there were no trucks. We did leave about 1/2 of his books out, but since he couldn't play w/ toys while we got ready, one of us had to read to him while the other got ready this morning, so we were a bit later than usual. That's ok though, we aren't really in a huge rush.

It's been really enjoyable having Chad around w/o Asher. I know that sounds bad, but normally one of us is preoccupied w/ Asher so we don't really spend all that much time talking & just BEING together.

This morning we got started packing our room. We're pretty much done, though it was not a whole lot of fun. We had to go through all our clothes & decide what we're going to wear in the next 2 months, pack THAT stuff to take to Alberta, & then pack the rest of the stuff for storage. For me, that consists of maternity clothes & post-maternity clothes.... It's not so easy to decide what clothes are going to fit after you have the baby, when you are currently 7 months pregnant.... How skinny will you be 2 weeks after your baby is born? What clothes (that you haven't even THOUGHT about looking at in the last 5 months) will you be able to/want to wear in 2 months?

Pretty much all that's left now is the washroom & the rest of the kitchen stuff. That shouldn't take us too long. We have 'til Thursday night when all the people come to load the trailer, but I think we should be able to be done sometime tomorrow. It's nice that we are so good at packing b/c I would NOT like to feel rushed doing this. It's nice to be able to relax in the evenings & not feel like we should be packing. Besides, I'm PREGNANT! I should be taking it easy, eh?

Oh, He's A Funny One!

Last night I found this blog. I was telling Chad how interesting it was that I found the blog of a woman whose husband is in the ministry, she has a son born in June 2006, & is 30 weeks pregnant (Since I also have a husband in the ministry, a son born June 2006 & am 31 weeks pregnant).


Chad's response? "Are you sure you weren't reading your own blog?"


He does keep me laughing!

Our Last Saturday

The day started as a typical Saturday. Asher woke up saying he wanted to go to McDonald's for Pancakes (he knows the routine). So, once were all ready, off we went. It was raining a bit when we left, but we were hoping that the showers would be over by afternoon b/c today was also our church picnic day.

After breakfast we decided to head to Sarnia b/c Chad has not been to the animal petting farm yet (& it's free), so off we went. I rained some more on our way, but we figured that Asher would be in the stroller, so as long as it wasn't actually raining when we got to there it would be ok.

Well, we kinda got sidetracked. First we went to Starbucks. Then we were right next to Goodwill, so I though we should just pop in & see if I could find some maternity shorts. I didn't find anything there, but I was still in the mood to look & since Value Village was just down the street, we figured we could have a look there too. Once again, no luck, but we were right next to Staples & we've been contemplating getting a GPS, so we thought we'd have a look.

We finally got on our way again & saw the CAA, so we stopped there to get maps for our trip from Ontario to Alberta since we don't have a Canadian atlas & maps are free. Then we went on our merry little way. But Janene had mentioned that she had found some maternity shorts at a consignment shop in Sarnia, so we had to go there.... On our way, Chad saw a sign that the pet shop had puppies, so we HAD to bring Asher in to see those (he was more interested in the fish).

I had no luck at the consignment shop either, but I did get a few longer maternity shirts since mine are starting to show a band of belly which I am not too crazy about. It was getting on 12 o'clock at this point, so we decided to stop for lunch.

After a delicious Subway sub (& cookies) we hightailed it for home since Asher tends to fall asleep in the car immediately after lunch & will not transfer to bed for the remainder of hios nap. So we drove home & kept bugging Asher to keep him awake until we got there so he could have a good nap.

Chad headed off to the chuch picnic shortly thereafter since council was planning a softball game against the youth. Asher & I joined him after naptime. The rain held off until just after the game was over & then it started thundering & pouring & FREEZING! Luckily I had decided against shorts for Asher & I, but Chad was wearing shorts & had no coat, so he was pretty cold.

We stayed just long enough for dinner & then came back home. I think most people were doing the same thing b/c it was pretty miserable & cold & most people were not really prepared for that kind of weather. We came home & gave Asher his bath & Chad & I both commented how nice it would be if we could have a bath as well, but there's just not enough room! (This is a picture of Asher a year ago in his tub. We only have a shower, so we had to improvise.)

A New Timeline

The other day I had another OB appointment. I am to the point where I see a different doctor everytime I go so that I can meet them all before I have the baby. O f course, I'm not having the baby here, but they didn't know that, so I was meeting them.

The last time I was there, the doctor asked if I was small when I was pregnant w/ Asher too. Well, I don't know really. I didn't gain a whole lot of excess weight, but I certainly got a big belly by the end. Then she asked if I was on a 28 day cycle.... well, not so much. So she changed my due date.

This time I saw a male doctor, & he said that since the ultrasound pictures had been a bit small for the time frame & I was more than 28 days, the new due date was August 21 instead of Aug 10. Then he asked if I was ok w/ that. Let me tell you, people are not expecting to hear that you'd rather have the baby inside for longer b/c it's quieter that way!

I am GREAT w/ having the baby later for that reason, but it does change things a bit for taking a call to a church somewhere. Our timeline has kinda been that we'd be in Alberta until the end of August & then move to wherever we are going, but I REALLY don't want to drive across the country 10 days after I have the baby, although at that point it will probably sleep most the way, nights will probably be another story. Asher was awake almost every 2 hours & was a Looooong nurser. That could make for an interesting trip.

It's Real Life

I'm having a go at the "It's Real Life" blog party. Here are pics from my real life (keep in mind that b/c we are packing to move, things are probably a bit messier/tidier than they would normally be in real life!) Without further ado, here's my real life:








Fridge:
Usually the fridge would be covered w/ pictures & magnets, but since my fridge died recently, it's been clean ever since.



The inside has less stuff than normal b/c we are moving & I'm TRYING to use up what we have.


Closet:
Chad & my closet. We came from a house where we each had our own closet this size.... I think we are doing pretty well sharing it!

Kitchen Sink:No dishwasher, so those dishes are drying. I decided if I have to wash after every meal, I am NOT drying the dishes too.

Toilet:Here's our throne.

Favourite Shoes:
I'm glad it's getting warm enough again!

Favourite Room In The House:
I like to sit in the bit chair & read/watch TV after Asher's in bed.

What Asher's Doing Right Now:
He's not in his jammies, but I didn't want to wake him, so here's an older pic. Imagine he's 2 months older.

Laundry Pile:
Not much here b/c I just did it yesterday, but I am anal enough to have it sorted into darks & lights.

Self Portrait:
Here I am!

Hot Feet

For the last few nights I have had a TERRIBLE time getting to sleep. I always have a problem w/ my feet being hot at night, it's kinds of a funny issue b/c quite often I'll go to bed w/ FREEZING cold feet so I'll put socks on, only to have to remove them 1/2 way through the night b/c my feet are too hot. This issue runs in my family as well. My brother always sleeps w/ his feet out of the covers & I think we both get that from Mom (Hi, Mom!).

So, last night I went to bed, no socks. My feet were sufficiently warm. After an hour of hanging my feet out of the covers, I finally had to get up & douse them w/ a cold washcloth. It didn't have much effect, but it felt pretty good at the time. I did realise that my feet were all swollen as well (one thing about pregnancy I could do w/o). FINALLY I was able to get to sleep.

I told Chad about it this morning & his reply was, "but the room was COLD! I had the window open all night." Yes, the room was cold, I was a little chilly, but my feet? Not so much. I do recall this hot feet problem from when I was pregnant w/ Asher & could quite often be found sitting on the front porch w/ my feet in a 5 gallon bucket of water to cool off my tootsies.

I think I may fill the hot water bottle w/ cold water & try that tonight. It's not like the weather has been that hot... just my feet!

There Are Worse Things Than Bushy Eyebrows

Today Chad was gone for the day. I spent almost all of Asher's waking hours reading him books. We read a few over & over, & then we moved on to some that I rarely read. He has enough books so that this can last for a very, very long time.

We were reading a book about animals that separates them into different kinds (Mammals, Fish, etc.). We got to the Reptiles page & Asher says "there's Daddy!" & points to the snake. He wanted to read the book again later & repeated again, "there's Daddy!" & once again pointed at the snake.

I'm not too sure where he got that idea from, but I suppose that it's better that he thinks I have bushy eyebrows than that I am a snake!

Maybe It's Time To Get Them Waxed

Tonight Asher was playing with his toys & I heard him saying, "looks like Mummy's eyes," over & over.... at least that's what I THOUGHT he was saying. When I got closer, I realized he was saying, "Looks like Mummy's eyes-brows."

So I looked at what he was playing with..... I know I don't keep my eyebrows as groomed as I should, but come on! I CAN'T look THIS bad!

A Few Asher-isms

Last night Asher & I took Chad out to Dinner @ Jack Astor's. They were having a special deal where if you ordered a Heineken, you got a free beer glass. Always ones to get free stuff, we went out to celebrate Father's Day!

We had just gotten out of the car & Chad was asking me if we were going to sit outside or inside, so he'd know if he'd need his sunglasses. Asher piped up, "Sit outside!" & promptly sat down in the parking lot. That boy DOES have good listening skills, I just wish he'd use them as much when we tell him "no."

*************************************************************

As I was putting Asher to bed last night, I asked him if he wanted the cow blanket or the purple blanket. He almost always chooses the cow blanket, so I started to put it on him. He said, "no, PURPLE blanket!" So I put the purple blanket on him instead. He was laying down in the crib, put his feet up in the air, & declared, "SU-PER Asher!"

Yes, we have a strange kid. Chad attributes it to the fact that he spends the bulk of his time with me. I have no comment.

Trying to Pack

I have been given the ok to pack from Chad. This is a good thing since we are moving in 2 weeks! I am a little worried though that we aren't going to make it out in time. You see, we have a storage room that is full of boxes. Some are 1/2 packed b/c we pulled some things out of them when we moved in, but we didn't unpack everything b/c we moved from a 3 bedroom house w/ basement, to a 2 bedroom apartment & we have less room here then we did before....

SO, not only do we have to pack the things that are UNPACKED, we also have to go through all the boxes in the storage room to fill the holes back in on the boxes that are 1/2 packed..... not only that, but since we are moving to Chad's parents for a few months, & are going to have the baby there, we have to have all the baby clothes & equipment along that we will need there, plus non-maternity clothes & maternity clothes for me.

Part of my task is also to look through all the boxes marked "Baby Stuff" & sort through it for things we will want in Alberta. To give you an idea of why this task is a bit daunting to me, here is a few pictures of the storage room. Keep in mind that this is all stuff that DIDN'T get unpacked. I still have to pack everything that we have had out in the last year!


*sigh* I think I'm procrastinating.

Baby Asher Has Stinky Pants....

.....Every morning.... at 6am!

So, I need some advice. Is there a way to change your child's poo habits? We have a night-light in Asher's room that is on a timer & he knows he can't get out of bed until it comes on at 7, but he has been waking up early b/c he's been filling his pants. So I have had to get up & change him & put him back into bed amid much protestations every morning.

I'd really like to get him to do his dirty business at a different time of the day, but I don't know how to get his bowels on a different schedule. One morning I told him I wished he wouldn't poo every morning & the next morning he didn't, but I don't think that will always work.

So, any advice?

Looking For A Church

As Chad & I start trying to figure out where God wants us to be for the next few years, we are visiting a few different churches. It's not very easy to discover what a church is like in one Sunday or even a weekend, but one thing that I have discovered in the last few years is that the feeling of family is very important to us.... well, at least to me it is.

Since we have been living so far away from family it has really become apparent, since we've had Asher, that having people around who really take an interest in how your life is going, more than just accepting that all is "fine."


I grew up in a church that had a very strong sense of family. There weren't very many members & since it was in a Navy town, there weren't too many that were there for more than a few years at a time. That could have been cause for disconnectedness. People could have thought, "oh, they'll be moving on in a few years, it's not worth investing the time to get to know them."

When Chad & I were moving around for school we had that happen at a few churches. People figured that since we were there as students we wouldn't be in for the long haul & didn't really bother trying to get to know us. We made a point of finding our own friends & working on our own relationships.

I have found though, that since Chad is a pastor, he needs to be free to talk to people after church & that leaves me to run after Asher. Because of this I do not have much opportunity to meet people after church, so my friendships are formed more outside of church. Not that I am someone who will meet random people in the supermarket. Perhaps b/c we are still the "newer folks," we don't come to mind when people are getting together, so I have had to make a concerted effort to invite others over, or contact them for things.

What I want to find in a church is people who make an effort to get to know us outside of church. When we aren't standing right in front of them, I would like them to still remember that we exist. I would like for them to realize that we are not close to family (& there are lots of benefits of living by family), & perhaps offer to fill in some of the voids.

I don't think there are as many issues as there used to be w/ the pastor (& their family) making friends w/in the church. I don't think the jealously issues are as prevalent as they have been in the past. I know more & more churches are understanding that the pastor's wife is just a normal person & just b/c her husband has been called into the ministry it doesn't mean that she knows how to play the organ, or sing on the praise team, or lead a Bible study. I think that churches are also understanding that the pastor's family needs friends w/in the church just like anyone else & as long as favourites aren't played, they are ok w/ that. I just think that more churches need to be aware of who is coming to their services. Like I said, the issue of people not making an effort to get to know us happened before we were in the ministry as well, it's not limited to pastors.

What Time Are You?

Another Post About My Eye

I thought since I've been gone the past few days, that you'd be DYING to know how my eye has been doing. There was so much drama about it last week that I couldn't just let the story die w/o filling you in on what has happened.

On Friday Chad & I brought Asher over to our friends' house for the weekend b/c we were going to Prince Edward Island to visit a church out there. The Optometrist had squeezed me in b/w patients in order to check that my eye was getting better. Much to her surprise not only was my eye NOT better, but the infection had spread to the other eye as well. I had started putting drops in both eyes, but since the right eye wasn't as bad as the left I put the weaker, first prescription in the right eye & the stronger, second prescription in the left. Plus I was putting the allergy drops in the left as well since she had told me to do that.

So, Chad dropped me off at the optometrist for my appointment. She took a quick look & told me to keep up what I was doing & take the allergy drops in both eyes. So four times a day I was supposed to put four drops in each eye. It can become quite difficult to put that much liquid in your eye & expect it to stay there & not leak out, but somehow I managed for most of the weekend. I got a bit lax about it by Sunday, but by that time it was pretty much better in both eyes.

Chad said this morning that it looked like I was over it, but my left eye still looked a bit puffy. I have stopped taking the medication & haven't suffered any ill effects yet. I may have to get some botox for the left eye though b/c it does really look a bit saggy, but I suppose that's what happens when your eye is swollen for 10 days.

I am supposed to call the optometrist again in order to set up an appointment for an eye exam since I was charged for one as a new patient visit, but still haven't actually received it yet. I'm a little bit worried about it b/c my left eye still seems a little blurry. I always thought that it would be cool to need glasses b/c they can be such a fun fashion accessory, but now that that might be a slight possibility, I don't think I'm so keen on it any more.

So, that's pretty much that. I hope it's all done with now. Asher never got it, so I am very glad about that. PEI was great. The island was beautiful, we had good weather all weekend, & the people were really friendly. It was nice to fly & not have Asher along.... it was a bit more relaxing than we are used to these days. Asher did fine for the people he stayed with. He told them they weren't allowed to sing at the table. He also woke them up quite early every day, so I'm sure they will be thankful that he's back home now. Hopefully now that he's back home he decides to sleep in in the mornings again!

The Singing Rule

We have a rule in our house that I adopted from my mother-in-law. Apparently whilst growing up (& currently as well), Chad had a habit of singing (or humming) ALL THE TIME. This wasn't much of a problem, except that he never took notice that he was doing it & it would often happen at the breakfast/lunch/dinner table. Sure it was a bit of an annoying habit for everyone else after awhile, but never more so than whilst trying to eat a family meal. So, his mum established THE RULE.

The rule is simply "No humming or singing at the table." I STILL have to remind Chad quite often while we are trying to have a meal by saying, "no singing at the table, it's too distracting." (And let me tell you, the WORST is if we are at a restaurant w/ music playing! Chad will start humming or singing along to THAT if we don't keep him entertained enough w/ our witty banter!)

So, last night Chad wasn't home from his seminar yet, & it was just Asher & I at the dinner table. Asher started to sing very softly, but I let it go b/c he was happy & was still eating pretty well. I was finished my meal & just waiting for him to decide if he had had enough. He said, "Mummy sing 'Where, Oh Where'." Not really thinking about it, I obliged & he stopped me 3 words into the song w/ a HUGE smile on his face. "No singing at the table, Mummy, too distracting!"

HE SET ME UP!!!!

Sick AGAIN?

I can't say I understand how it happened, but this morning Asher was grumpy. I attributed it to needing more sleep & figured it would work itself out during his nap. I thought, "ok, that should make for a nice long afternoon nap then."

Our friends from that we usually get together w/ every week were possibly going to come over today b/c Chad had a conference in Grand Rapids & I'd be by myself w/ Asher. We went out & played a bit this morning, but it was a bit cold & windy, so that didn't last very long. We came back in & it was time for Sesame Street (& my daily latte), so I turned on the TV & set to work making my coffee.


I came back out of the kitchen to find this:

Apparently Sesame Street wasn't enough to keep him awake this morning!


Our friends showed up about 1/2 an hour later & I eventually prodded him awake, but he just sat in his chair & watched Ryne play. I took his temperature b/c he felt a bit warm as well & it was 102.8! Hasn't this kid been sick enough in the last month?

To top it off, Chad & I are flying out of town tomorrow to go see a church. I just hope it's a 24 hour thing b/c I feel bad for him & I don't really like to have to leave him w/ someone else when he's sick b/c that's no fun for anybody.

"Excuse Me"

Asher likes to say excuse me. After he burps he will ALWAYS say excuse me. If Chad or I burp, or even if our stomach makes a funny sound, he will say, "'scuse me, Mummy (or Daddy)." The other day we were in the car & Asher had the hiccups. They were the real hard kind where it sounds a bit like a burp. He said "'scuse me," hiccuped again & said "'scuse me again" & since the hiccups weren't done, for the next few minutes this was repeated.

Finally Chad told him that he was hiccuping & that you don't have to say excuse me if you hiccup. After that we heard him hiccup, then say, "don't say 'scuse me, hiccup." He hiccuped again & repeated, "don't say 'scuse me, hiccup."

The other night Chad burped at the table & Asher announced, "Asher say 'scuse me a (for) Daddy....... 'scuse me." We loved how he didn't just say excuse me for Chad, but announced his intentions first.

Big Brother

This morning I was commenting on how Asher's jammies were a bit big. He kept stepping on the feet & couldn't go anywhere. Chad said "that's ok, he's a BIG boy." Which Asher then had to repeat, since he repeats almost everything at some point.

Then Asher informed me he was going to be a big brother today. I told him that he was going to be a big brother, but I hoped it wasn't going to happen today. Then he said, "Asher be a big brother when a baby comes out..... Thaaat's right!" (he likes to affirm himself).

So does that mean I don't have to give him the birds & the bees talk? Sounds like he's got it down doesn't it?

It Was An Optometrist Today

Today I had my appointment w/ the optometrist. She didn't seem to know I was there for an infection even though I told them on the phone & also put it on the form where it asked, "reason for today's visit." She kept asking me to open my eye further & finally asked, "do you have an infection or something?"

Now, really, if she is looking intently into my (partially closed) eye, shouldn't she be able to SEE that I have an infection? I said, "yes, that's why I am here." So she looked around a bit & told me it just looked like I had a bit of pink eye & told me to keep taking the antibiotic drops I got yesterday & also told me to get some over-the-counter drops to stop the itching.

So, back to the pharmacy I went for more drops. The kind pharmasist wasn't there today, so no more sympathetic looks for me. I wasn't recognized this time (maybe that was due to my incognito status since I was wearing my sunglasses). I finally found them & went back home.

I'm supposed to put the new drops in 4 times a day, 2 drops each time. So I went to put some in right away to help w/ the itching. It was like putting FIRE in my eye. I only managed one drop b/c the burning was so bad, but as Chad helpfully pointed out, "you don't notice the itch anymore though, do you?"

I have ANOTHER follow-up appointment w/ the optometrist on Friday just to make sure it's getting better. I just am very thankful that Asher has not gotten it b/c it would not be easy to put drops in his eyes. He's great about taking medicine, but I think this would be a different story. I just don't understand why it's taking so long to clear up either. I though pink eye was a 2-3 day think, not a whole week!

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Asher had a case of what the doctor figured was strep throat last week, so he was on medication for a week. During that time we added "please help the medicine to work" to his meal-time prayers. Now that I have medicine, we are praying "please helps Mummy's medicine to work." Although he has changed it to "please help Mummy's medicine in the eye, in the eye, in the eye (yes he does sound like a broken record, I think he forgets the end w/o some help), to work." It's very cute, but I'm not certain I can say it's helping any more than the actual medication is at this point.

Third Time's a Charm??

So, as I posted here, I have pink eye. I went to the Doctor on Thursday morning & he gave me a prescription for an antibiotic & told me if it wasn't better by Saturday to go to the ER. Well, Saturday rolled around & I had no relief. My eye was gunky, itchy, puffy... you name a symptom of Pink Eye & I had it.

Chad kindly brought me to the ER nice & early (for a Saturday). We beat the rush by getting there by 8:45. While I was being checked in Chad was chasing Asher around & it was getting more & more difficult to keep him occupied, so I told Chad he could go home & I'd call him when I was done. I only had to wait in the waiting room about 1/2 an hour before they called me back as there were only 2 people ahead of me. I figured that was a good sign.....

The nurse took me back, had a cursory look at my eye & told me the Doctor would be in shortly to examine it more thoroughly. So I sat & waited, & waited, & waited. I nearly fell asleep numerous times. An hour & a half later the doctor finally came in. Why I couldn't have waited in the waiting room I do not know, but I think it's a bit cruel to take someone out of the room w/ the TV & magazines & put them in the room where the only thing to do to while away the time is read the eye chart.

So, the doctor had a look & said that what I had was "Epidemic Viral Conjunctivitis." Which is basically a fancy way of saying that my eye was worse than it had been. She likened it to when you have the flu & it becomes pneumonia. I had Pink Eye & it became this. So she gave me another prescription for another antibiotic & said if it wasn't better by Monday to go see an Optometrist.

I called the optometrist today & the optometrist wasn't in, but they gave me an appointment for tomorrow. In the meantime, I had a prenatal appointment today so I went to that & the doctor took pity on me & gave me ANOTHER prescription for ANOTHER antibiotic. I went to the pharmacy & the pharmacist gave me such a pitying look! She asked, "You're back for MORE?" Oh ya, it's pretty sad when the pharmacist knows you on sight & you've never even been to that pharmacy before a week ago.

So, hopefully THIS medication will do the trick, but apparently I have mystified the doctors that have seen it so far b/c they have never seen a case go on this long & not transfer to the other eye or anyone else. I am still going to see the optometrist tomorrow, especially after hearing that. Next thing I know my eyeball will just corrode away or something crazy like that. I am very thankful though that it's not in my other eye as well b/c it would be very hard to go through the day w/ BOTH eyes mostly closed! Wish me luck tomorrow!

Ladies Night Out

Last night 6 of us girls from church went out to dinner at Jack Astor's. I had decided I was craving some Garlic Pan Bread, so that was the place to go. We had a really good time together. It was the first time one of the girls had been able to go, so it was really nice to get to know her in a different setting, b/c we all know that people are just different outside of church!

We got to the restaurant around 6:30 & settled in for a nice long meal. Yes, we started w/ appetizers, went to entrees & shared a dessert (of COURSE we had chocolate cake!). WE had finished eating & were really enjoying eachother's company when the waitress asked if we could pay up & clear out. I checked the time & it was only 8:30, so we hadn't been there an exhobitant amount of time, & it wasn't b/c we were being boisterous either (we weren't the table loudly singing along to Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" & "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", though thinking back, maybe if we had been, they would have left us alone). The waitress simply told us there was another group that had arrived & they needed our table.


One of the girls pointed out that she wasn't finished her coffee yet & was told, "well, if you could just hurry it along." Now, I really like the food at J.A., & I have never before had any issues with the staff (except one waiter who tried to bond w/ us a little too much), but I was highly dissapointed on this occasion. I thought the situation could have been dealt with w/ a bit more tact, or perhaps if they had just waited a few more minutes they wouldn't have had to ask us to leave at all. We were simply waiting for the coffee to be finished!