My Baby Girl Turns 2!!!

Adeline Kate---2 Years

Favorite Foods---pizza, ice cream, all fruits, dried cranberries, noodles, peas

Favorite Books----The Great Gracie Chase, Little Critter books, all things Sandra Boynton, Where's Morris Mouse, Where the Wild Things Are, ABC books

Favorite Stuffed Toy---For a long time, this was her bunny, but that has recently been replaced by her sheep.  She's also very attached to a blanket that my grandmother crocheted.

Favorite toys---BOOKS, balls,  puzzles, her shopping cart, coloring, jumping house, anything with buttons that plays music

Favorite activities with daddy---Dancing, singing songs, being tossed in the air, hide and seek, riding on daddy's shoulders as he runs, general roughhousing.

Favorite activities with mommy--- helping mommy with EVERYTHING, reading books, dancing.

Cute Sayings---"I don't KNOW where it is!!!  I find it (looking under the couch).  There it is!"  "I love you too!"  "Where's Adeline?  I can't find her" (mimicking us playing hide and seek with her)  "No thank you, I don't like it."  "Go to church and sing songs?!?"  "Oh my goodness!!!"

Personality---very gentle and sweet, a rule follower (for the most part), able to rationalize and explain things to her, loves to cuddle, social

Recent things she's learned/ developmental milestones---Alphabet song, holds writing utensils appropriately to color, talks mostly in sentences, counts to 10, knows shapes and colors, improved abilities with puzzles, beginning to pretend.

Nighttime routine---Bedtime between 7 and 7:30.  Some nights mommy gives you a bath.  Mommy changes you.  You kiss mommy goodnight.  You are given your paci to sleep.  Daddy reads you books, prays with you, sings a song or two, rocks you, and lays you down.

Wordless Wednesday

This one's for you, Pawpaw

Grandpa (pawpaw) gave Adeline this tractor for Christmas.  She liked the little animals that came with it, but for some reason she was afraid to sit on it.  It took some time, but now she's all about it.

Sunday Finest--Two weeks worth

We got a new camera!!!

You may or may not have noticed that the quality of my pictures has drastically improved recently.  Through a generous gift certificate, we were able to purchase a new camera.  And it's awesome!!!  Here are just a few examples...

Now I just need to get Adeline's "Sunday Finest" from the past two weeks posted...

Sleeping Beauty

Friday Fun

Because I couldn't wait for Wordless Wednesday to post this one...

Too much sugar is NOT a good thing...

Thought it might be time for another pregnancy update...well an update of any sort would probably be welcome at this point.  sigh...

To clarify things for the random strangers who will probably never read this:

1.  I am due in mid-May

2.  Yes, I can, and will in fact, get bigger (and that's okay!)

3.  I am quite sure I am not carrying two, but thank you for asking.

Okay, now that we've cleared that up, we can move on to other news.  Many of you can relate to that ever pleasant glucose test that is one of the downsides of being pregnant.  For those of you who are not aware (and who missed my status update on facebook last week), let me splain..

You go to the lab, you drink some nasty extra sweet stuff that tastes like orange soda on steroids, and then they take your blood an hour later to see how your body digested the sugar.  This is a screening tool, and if you don't pass it, you need to take the LOOOONG version.  I did not pass.  Don't panic, I didn't pass it with Adeline either.  Ahem, this leads us to how I spent my ENTIRE Friday morning.  The long version takes almost 4 hours.  You have to fast, so I ate nothing after dinner on Thursday evening.  I got to the lab only to find MANY other people who felt a need to come to the lab on that particular morning.  I waited about 20 min for them to call my name.  Then, they take a fasting blood sugar level.  The results from this test took almost 45 min to be done.  Once again, I was given another even larger dose of said orange nastiness.  They then take your blood after 1, 2, and 3 hours to check how your body processes the sugar.  That means after 4 blood draws, feeling like I stole too much candy from grandma's candy jar, and having only enough time between the hour stretches to run the shortest of errands, I was finally released at 12:45 only to find I had grabbed the WRONG tupperware container out of the fridge and was NOT finally going to devour the delicious lunch I had packed for myself.  On a positive note, I got quite a bit of my book read in the waiting room, and I PASSED THE TEST!

This baby is quite active...kicking all over the place!  I love it.

We are in the process now of deciding where we want to give birth.  We would like to try to have a natural, unmedicated birth again.  Adeline was born in the military hospital, but she was delivered by a family practice doctor who knew and agreed with our birth plan, and we happened (after a lot of prayer and knowing the master planner) to get the best nurse in the world.  Family practice is no longer doing deliveries there, and my nurse is in midwifery school, SO that would leave me with whichever OB happens to be on call the day I go in labor.  We decided we would like to try going to a midwife practice, and we went to tour one last week.  We were pretty excited about it, but we have heard some stories since then that were a bit disconcerting.  We found another place that is across the street from a hospital, but they said they don't take our insurance.  After making a few more calls, they will take our insurance, but we need the referral to be approved by Tricare (military insurance).  Please pray that God will give us clear direction and wisdom over which facility to choose, and that He would work out all the financial details.

Our Love Story---Part 3

After a series of LONG emails, where I assured Patrick that I did not have high relationship/marriage expectations, and that I thought it was going to be hard to get to know each other, even in a friend capacity, if we were not intentional about spending time together, we started spending more time together. (was that really one sentence?)



Patrick had very limited culinary skills. His diet consisted mostly of pasta with Prego, cereal, and sandwiches, with the occasional shake-and-bake pork thrown in. I volunteered to teach him to make stir-fry to add a little more variety to his mealtime options. The day we planned to get together was BEAUTIFUL, and one of the first warmish days of the year. He decided we should scrap the cooking lesson, grab some food at Boston Market, and head to one of his favorite spots along the river for a picnic. We took a frisbee, some cards, etc. What? Friends can have picnics along the water....right? Well, as it got dark and the stars came out, it was time for another relationship conversation. It went something like this...



P: "I really want to date you."

L: nothing.....I still didn't know if we were having the I-really-want-to-date-you-so-we-have-to-spend-less-time-together conversation again or if this one was different. So I waited to see what else he had to say.

P: Somewhat discouraged by my lack of enthusiasm, he goes on to explain that he DOES in fact want to make a commitment to date me. I can't remember all the words he used, or how I responded (except that I somehow said yes). But, then came the best line EVER...

P: "I know you don't give your heart away very easily, but I want you to know that from this day forward I am in active pursuit of your heart."



Gasp! Yeah, I know, I MELTED....he stole a little piece of my heart with that line.

Our Love Story---Part 2

And this is why I rarely do series of posts...I feel too much pressure to get the next one posted, and it doesn't usually happen in a timely manner. Sorry to keep you in suspense for a few days...

Now where was I...

Ah, yes, Patrick was NOT calling me. Turns out he was in fact interested, but he was trying to be cautious. He wanted to get to know me and not rush into a "relationship." He did eventually call me, and we began emailing and spending limited time together (mostly in groups). As Sarah and Jason expected, we did have several friends in common. There were a lot of people at our church that were our age, and every Sunday, a group would go out after church to play volleyball, have lunch, go hiking, go swimming, or participate in some other fun group activity. We both started going to these outings more regularly. I was attending a Christian Fellowship group at Hopkins (that my roommate took me to after I moved to the city having never met her or seeing our apartment....another amazing God story I'll have to post sometime). Patrick went to Hopkins for undergrad and was working there on a research team when I met him. He attended this group at some point during his time there, but had stopped going. He conveniently started going again after he met me....

Eventually, we had our first "define the relationship" conversation. It didn't go quite the way I expected. Patrick really wanted to continue being friends, but he wanted to guard against spending much time together alone. He wanted to be careful not to lead me on, and I think he really envisioned us being friends for a while and then waking up one day to discover we were in love (sort of the Joshua Harris, I Kissed Dating Goodbye type philosophy). Problem was, we were already attracted to each other! However, we backed off talking so much on the phone, limited emails, and tried to just spend time in the groups I mentioned.

I guard my heart pretty closely. I was attracted to Patrick, but I was careful to not get attached to the idea of us becoming a couple. A friend from high school came into town and invited me to dinner. We went to Ruth's Chris (yeah, not such a cheap night), and I think it just about killed Patrick. We continued as friends for a few months (occasionally having a repeat conversation about not spending too much time together), and then something changed....

Wordless Wednesday---She can play dress-up with anything...

Valentine's Carnival and Our Love Story---Part I

 Kristen at We are THAT Family is hosting a special Valentine's carnival this week with some FABULOUS prizes.  Click on the button above to find out more.

In honor of this holiday, we are sharing stories or tributes to these wonderful men God has brought into our lives.  Since I have never really shared much about our love story, I thought this might be a good time.....

Many of you know Sarah from Short Stop.  For those who don't know, she was my roommate in college, and I was able to watch her love story unfold with her sweet hubby, Jason.  Sarah and Jason were driving one day and they had a conversation that went something like this..., "Do you know who would be perfect for Patrick?"  The other replied, "Lynn."  "Yeah, that's what I was thinking."  Patrick and Jason worked together in a Christian bookstore.  They had never set up anyone before, but they decided to give it a try.  I think Jason's conversation with Patrick went something like...

J: There is this girl we think you should meet.

P: Okay.

Sarah and my conversation was a bit longer....she made sure to explain that she didn't think Patrick wanted a girlfriend...don't have high expectations....many more details about what he looked like, where he worked, his personality, etc.  Patrick and I were going to the same church but had never met, and we had lots of friends in common.  Sarah said she thought we should meet.

In January of 2000, we planned for the four of us to go out to dinner.  We had a wonderful evening with great conversation.  I fully expected to get a phone call soon after that date...but I didn't....  Stay tuned!

My First Born...

It seems tags are no longer limited to the blogging world.  The facebook world is on a tagging frenzy!  I've been tagged for several meme's, and since I've been in a bit of a blogging rut, I thought this would be a good time to play along.  

The rules for this one are to answer the questions based on your first born...

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes, but not in my timing. We struggled with infertility for what felt like forever. God's timing is perfect though.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Thankfulness, elation, pure joy

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 28 when I found out, 29 when I gave birth

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Had a feeling...took a test.

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Patrick (I surprised him at work. I brought him dinner at the hospital while he was on call and asked him to come to the car to help me carry it inside. I gave him a card that talked about what a great guy he is...blah, blah...and I ended it with "and I know you'll make a great..." Then he opened a present and found the + test!).

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Nope...I LOVE surprises.

8. DUE DATE? March 5, 2007

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Very rarely. I had to snack a lot and take my time eating some meals, but I only threw up a few times.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Nothing throughout, but occasionally... Chic Fil A nuggets, anything with Velveeta, french fries (with lots of ketchup), and vegetables.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Having to wake up to roll over, people telling me I looked like I was ready to pop....are you carrying two....and other such insensitive nonsense.

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? my sweet baby girl

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope...I REALLY wanted a girl.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? I don't know if it's good or bad that I don't know the answer to this. I know I stayed in the normal range. I don't really care much about what I weigh. I care about how my clothes fit.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes. (work, friends and family in PA, friends and family in MD, church, and residents in Patrick's class)....yeah, we were blessed.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about all of them.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? We had to have a special ultrasound because at her 20 week one they thought her stomach was "slightly enlarged." If you saw how this girl can eat...you would understand. ;o) Other than that, it was pretty normal.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Andrews Air Force Base

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 24 hours!!! (3am to 3am)

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Patrick

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Patrick, my mom, my family practice doc that delivered Adeline, the best nurse in the world, and various other medical people.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope! I highly recommend the Bradley Method.

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lbs. 11oz.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? February 27, 2007

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Adeline Kate

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 23 1/2 months...she'll be 2 in two weeks!

I had a cute picture to add here, but blogger is not cooperating with picture loading tonight.  

She's down for the count...

That's what I get...A friend recently told me it was time for me to post again.  The thing is, there just haven't been that many blog worth events here recently.  We've done some fun social things (dinner with friends Saturday night sans kids, and Superbowl party with the same friends on Sunday with kids), but I didn't take pictures and well....NEVER, I repeat NEVER say you are lacking in blogging material because you never know where such a statement might lead.

I was helping a patient get washed up in her bathroom this morning (I'm an occupational therapist for those who don't know), and I started feeling a bit warm.  Then, that wave came over me that warns you that you better sit down.  I ignored said warning because I have never passed out before, and I really wanted to finish this treatment.  I probably should have thought this through better BEFORE finding myself on the floor.  Yep, I passed out!  I didn't lose consciousness and immediately said, "I'm okay".....and then proceeded to fall again when I tried to stand up too quickly.  My poor patient was quite shaken at the thought that her pregnant therapist just landed on the floor.  I bumped my cheek, but have no other battle wounds of note.  Baby is kicking all over the place...

I drank some water (I think I was dehydrated) and ate some nuts (for protein), and I did fine the rest of the day.  I've felt lightheaded a few other times with this pregnancy, and Patrick tells me it is quite common in pregnancy.  Anyone else out there have this experience?  I'll be sure to pay better attention to those warning signs in the future.