Red Envelope Day

I've been told that every day 3,700 babies are killed by abortion. I have a tremendous respect for teens and adults who face the challenges of an unwanted pregnancy and have the baby.

To be a voice for the unborn today, all you need to do is take a red envelope, leave it empty, but put this message on the back.

"This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be part of our world."

Address your envelope to President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20500.

Be sure to include your return address. Probably not too many of us have a red envelope in our desk drawers. That is why I took a marker to the envelopes I am sending.

For more information, or to send one on-line, go to http://www.redenvelopeday.com/. They also have a Facebook page.

Innocent Until...

See, Mommy, I am just in my crib quiet and content and innocent...

Until you look at the whole crib! Guilty!

(Dear Mommy,

I like playing with my farm animal bumper in the mornings. Please don't tie it like you are supposed to do. That will take my fun away from me.

Love, Evan

Dear Evan,

I'm glad you've had fun. Here is another toy for you to eat. Sorry, I have to tie the bumper because I love you.

Love, Mommy)

Haircut

Today Evan got his second haircut. He is just five months old! I wasn't blogging during this first haircut, and I did it by myself, so there were no pictures.

The wings are just one reason why he needed his hair cut.

Before.

Mom trimmed the tail in the back. The bib was useful.

Dad trimmed the sides and bangs.

After.

Please don't think we gave Evan bald spots around his ears and in the back. His hair is actually quite thin, especially in those areas.

In case you wanted to see a sleeping Meghan, I risked taking a picture today during nap time.

My Helper

(I forgot to share that Evan was eating sweet potatoes as his second food. I write posts ahead of time and forgot to add it yesterday.))

I really feel that children need to have some responsibilities. At this point, Meghan loves helping me, and it gives her success and independence, too. She doesn't get rewarded with stickers or an allowance, but she does get lots of praise for all of her help.

If Meghan hears me loading or unloading the dishwasher, she comes running. Meghan assists me when it's time to unload the dishwasher. She removes the silverware (no sharp knives) and hands it to me to put away.

She also hands me the plates to put away. I hand her the bowls to stack, and then I put them in the cupboard.

I look forward to the day that Meghan will help wash dishes.

It may appear that Meghan is washing dishes, but she is only playing in the soapy water with some plastic storage dishes. Someday she'll use the dishcloth!

Just recently, I have been asking Meghan to carry her dirty dishes to the kitchen sink/counter. She has much pride in being asked to do this. Silverware often drops, but that's okay.

An Easter Bear and More

I made my first fabric (not just felt) toy since Home Economics in junior high. Mrs. Chandler would be proud of me. No broken needles, no blood, but not as cute as I had hoped either. The bear's pattern is here.

On Day 1 during nap time, I cut the fabric and embroidered. Silly me, I thought the worst was over. And embroidering was extremely hard for me...tiny stitches. When Day 2 came, I was excited to sew it, "knowing" it wouldn't take long.

I learned very quickly that sewing flannel isn't as simple as other types of cloth. Also, those turns are tricky. (I don't even have straight lines mastered! What was I thinking?) The total height for this may be six inches. Turning it inside out was tough! This little bear will find it's way to Evan's Easter basket. Until then, this bear will wait patiently for his hugs and drool.

Meghan hit two line drives right to Evan. It must be the bat!

Last weekend we planted corn for the garden. Some of it has poked through the soil, but a lot of the soil is moldy. Do I need to throw it out? Please help!

Meghan was collecting rocks again. Without Donna here to push her around in the big wheelbarrow, she had to resort to using her own.

A Big Bed

Meghan was very content in her crib, but with Evan coming, Derek and I decided to move her out of the crib so Evan could use it when he came home from the hospital. We skipped the toddler bed since we had a twin mattress and box spring. In August, we had put the mattress and box spring on the floor (no frame) of Meghan's room. She napped in it that day, and was sleeping in it exclusively within a couple of weeks. As soon as she started sleeping in her bed, she stopped crying when she woke up. Instead she would play quietly in her bedroom.

Now Meghan's bed is elevated off the floor. (We have a headboard, too, but need the hardware to attach it to the frame.) Derek set the bed frame up and moved it perpendicular to the wall.

Meghan explored her "new" bed.

It wasn't bedtime, but she got in her "new" bed.

Now what?

I was fairly opposed to buying "character" bedding for Meghan. This was the most affordable, feminine alternative that I could find. I love it, but I do know that it's not the typical bedding of a two year old.

A month or two ago, I taught Meghan how to "make" her bed by pulling up the comforter. I don't remember to have her do it daily, but recently she's been initiating it on her own, especially since we have her bed on the frame.

Evan at Five Months

Would you like to guess what my first jarred food was today? It was pretty good!

I like a pacifier and my thumb, too.

· Evan is happiest first thing in the morning and right before bedtime. This is when he laughs easily and makes lots of sounds.
· He is eating rice cereal very well, opening his mouth for the spoon and swallowing the food. · Evan rolls from belly to back and from his back to belly.
· Although he drools non-stop, he is not teething.
· Evan reaches for lots of things. He seems to like my hair best. Ouch.
· Evan naps three times a day, and is a much happier baby now that he naps for longer than 5-15 minutes like when he was a newborn.
· Evan’s favorite “toy” is probably his jumper. He really enjoys jumping.
· Like his big sister, Evan enjoys books, rhymes, and songs.
· Evan uses several burp cloths, bibs, and sometimes blankets and clothes for him and mommy due to large amounts of spit up (and drool).

Sharing the Fun

Evan now (about 5 months old).

Meghan then (about four months old)

Meghan now (age 2 years, 4 months)

She thinks she fits.

Another Baby with SVT

Many of our readers know Meghan's health history, including her SVT. But today another family's struggle with a baby (Evan's age) who has SVT. Meghan's case was the worst case her electophysiologist (cardiologist) had ever seen, but Stellan's is much worse. Stellan is almost exclusively in SVT. Please read Stellan's story at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/. And please pray.

Meghan's story:

When Meghan was 17 days old, I took her to the dr bc she wasn't eating well and then vomited. Everything checked out okay while at the dr; she even ate and kept it down while there. All was fine until that night when she vomited again. We promptly called the dr and took her to the local children's hospital's ER. The hopsital was about 45 minutes away...but we got lost on the way, having never been there before and the area was under construction. Thankfully we didn't know what was happening or we would have been even more freaked out and frightened. She was in a form of cardiac arrest when we arrived. They didn't use those words for several days...and I am glad!
Meghan's heartrate was in the 320's. She had tachycardia.. SVT...WPW type...the dangerous kind. For her, left untreated, it would be life-threatening. She was immediately admitted to Cardiac ICU...paralysis was induced so her body could recover...we cried and prayed. She had a breathing tube to help her body recover too.
After four days she was released from CICU. She was in the hospital for 2 full weeks, though we were told it would be a few days. Her electrophysiologist did many studies on her bc the meds just would not control it. During the studies when they induced the SVT, she always went into it, but they could get her out. In the hospital, when she was on meds, she only had one episode on her own. When he let us leave the hospital, the tachycardia could still be induced, and she even had an episode the day before we left on her own.
Her dr. said it was the worse case he had ever seen and as long as she was only having episodes once a month or so, he would not hospitalize her again. She was on two meds when we brought her home...and often gagged to the point of vomiting when we gave them to her. We monitored her heart with a stehoscope throughout the day and night. We took it with us when we traveled overnight. The meds were definitely a stressful time for Derek and me. I used a watch with an ongoing alarm set for every six (and later eight) hours so we would always be reminded to give it to her...even in the middle of the night.
We were so thankful that I had already planned to stay home with her and that we would be the ones giving her meds and checking her heart rate.
Meghan never had another episode that we know of. She was slowly taken off her meds. We were told that there was a 90% chance that she would outgrow it by her first birthday, and she did, even though her case was so difficult. Before she was fully weaned from her meds, they did another EKG and ECG to confirm that it was gone. Praise God it was! We don't even have to see the dr. again, unless we have concerns.
A day or two before taking Meghan to the ER, we mailed out birth announcements. On these announcements we included a Bible verse...For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. It comes from Jeremiah 29:11. Even during those very difficult days we never lost sight of that verse. We know every child is a gift from God...and given to us to care for and love. I'm thankful we didn't lose her, but trust that we would still love and worship God even if we had.
So she's outgrown the SVT. Her heart rate is normal, all the time now. When she's between 4-6 it might come back, but we trust it won't. Even if it does, by then she'll be able to vocalize her concerns and we'll be able to take her to the ER before it's life threatening! :)

God is good-All the time!

Eggs

Meghan thoroughly enjoys eating eggs and has even requested them by name. So when I saw a number activity using plastic Easter eggs over at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman, I decided to change it to a paper activity since we do not have plastic eggs yet. Then I made some extra, smaller eggs for hide and seek.

Meghan enjoys letters and identifies them, but she isn't so good with numbers. She didn't really enjoy this activity, but that didn't surprise me.

To make the eggs, I kept it simple by using an oval scrapbooking template. Then I cut each egg in half and labeled the top with a number and the bottom with a corresponding shape.

Using a smaller, egg-sized oval template, I cut out four more eggs. We used these for hide-and-seek. I hid them for Meghan to find, then she hid them for "us" to find. Remember the goal with an activity like this is to have fun and for the child to succeed, so hiding the eggs in complicated places is not a good idea.

This is where I put one of the eggs. When Meghan hid it on her turn, she put it under the rug!

We had a lot of fun with this activity and have played it several times since introducing it. Meghan says "egg" every time she finds one! So cute!

Daddy More Eat!!

Meghan has been doing incredibly well with words.

Tonight she handed me Lucy's canned food dish and said, "eat". I told her to tell Daddy. As she was walking toward the living room where Derek was sitting she said, "Day-ee mur eat."

A three word sentence (and four syllables) is amazing for an apraxic child! Keep in mind that it was about a month ago that she began saying daddy and eat! What I find amusing is that she wanted food for Lucy, not herself!

This week Meghan also has put the "s" on eyes and balls. :) More big progess.

The Apple of My Eye

The moment Meghan saw this completed, she said "apple," so it at least looks like one!

Over the weekend I made a felt apple, using the free pattern provided by Little Crickets. She also has pre-made felt toys available for sale that are just adorable.

My apple isn't so great. Meghan likes to throw it like a ball, so I guess she isn't looking at my stitches. This pattern used the blanket stitch, and this was my first time using it. You can tell, even though the pattern explained clearly how to do it! Practice, right?!

Little Crickets has a wide variety of patterns to choose from. They look a lot cuter than my apple. I know I need to work on my stitches (and maybe it needed to be stuffed more).

I did not use the pattern for the leaves, but decided to trim them after I took this picture.

Spring!

Oh, spring is in the air and is officially here! Now we'll wait for the temperatures to consistently feel like it is here, too. Sunday morning I heard birds singing while getting ready for church. It wasn't even daylight yet! Our grass is beginning to turn green, too!

We had family visiting this weekend. (Notice the new words Donna, Grandpa, and Grandma! Each came out as two syllables, though they varied greatly. They are pretty understandable though!) During their visit, we took advantage of some sunny, but chilly weather on Saturday morning. We borrowed a friend's rototiller to prepare a small garden for me. We are planning to have corn, cantaloupe, watermelon, and green beans. It will be our first garden. I'm not sure what to expect other than a lot of hard work!

Meghan has some of her own tools now. They did get a bit dirtier!

She really enjoyed the watering can.

Derek had plenty to do, as well. And, no, it was not warm enough for shorts to the average person.

Unfortunately Evan's nap was short so I didn't get to take many pictures even though Meghan, Donna, and Derek worked outside for two hours. They are the ones who prepared the garden patch for me. The rest will be up to me though.

Meghan and I planted some corn to let it get a head start while we wait for the last frost of the season. I suspect Meghan will enjoy watching the seedlings grow and then planting them in the garden later.

Painting Three Ways

We attempted blow painting. I remember doing it in elementary school and enjoying it. We used some of our homemade paint. I thought it would be a good activity for Meghan to strengthen her lips and blowing skills, but she wasn't very interested in it. I did assist with the direction of the straw. (Sorry about the blur.)

I apologize, but I don't remember where I saw this mess-free finger painting. I put three colors of finger paint on a piece of paper and covered it with wax paper. Then we used our fingers to move the paint around.

The final painting.

Here is a train we made. It seemed like a good idea, and I think it was. However, using the Crayola finger paints was not a good idea.

We used a sponge for the box cars. I used two different sized carrots for the sun and the train's wheels. Meghan had a great time with this, but the paints just weren't bold enough for my liking. I'm not sure if this was my idea or someone else's. Let me know if I can give you credit!

Sew Fun:Toys!

My sewing machine is truly going to see some action this year! I have a handful of free toy patterns picked out that I am very interested in making and wanted to share them with you.

Meghan can help me decide if I should make the cat or dog, and I already have purple polka-dot fabric for it. This will be my next project.

This platypus is just adorable, I think. It seems simple enough for me to complete...but you never know. Beanie froggie seems pretty simple too.

I think this striped cat is adorable and fun, but I couldn't figure out how to show the picture, so you should check it out.

The Long Thread has this lovely goose and other "softies." If you are a sewer, this blog has lots of sewing projects for you.

These next two are brilliant. A barn! A house! For support while remaining lightweight, UK Lass used needlepoint canvas. (We do have the Little People farm, and it is well used.)
You Can Make This is a resource for buying patterns for ANYTHING homemade, and you get a set of several patterns just for signing up for their free newsletter. I was quite pleased with their freebies. It's a site worth checking out.

If you know of simple and free toy patterns or sites that often feature how-tos, please share them with me. What toys have you made?

Tootsie Roller

Yesterday afternoon Evan rolled from his belly to his back. This was his ending position.

We're hoping he duplicates the roll sooner than later. As often as he twists to his side, I don't think we'll have the same wait we had for Meghan. She rolled once before she was seven months.