silly, wet, sandy girls

It's such a joy to see our girls play together, now that Elise is older. They bring laughter, smiles and DIRT to our lives!

Nora and Elise are NOT afraid to get dirty when they play. Here's some pictures of our silly, wet, sandy girls having fun outside.

~life~

Not much really is going on here. Well, I guess it feels that way, but maybe only because I'm stuck in the house!!!

Dad got the H1N1 Flu a few weekends ago.. He ran a fever for a week, which makesdhim contagious. He was holed up in his room for a good week!! He also had (and still has) bronchitis, which maked him feel even worse. He had H1N1 pretty badly and was put on Tamiflu and antibiotics for the bronchitis.

Mom started feeling towards the end of the week. She didn't have it as severely as Dad, which is great, but she's also holed up in their room.

So far, no one else has symptoms. The girls seem unaffected, which is GREAT!!!!

It did ruin our Thanksgiving plans however. We weren't able to go to Kim and Tom's. So, we didn't get to meet little Angelina!! :( I know that it's best for everyone, especially Angelina, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!! :)

So, I ended up cooking Thanksgiving Dinner by myself!! After all that I'm starting to think that Thanksgiving Dinner is over rated!!! Cameron, Kristen Joel and Lizzie were all here. Thankfully, Mom and Dad were well enough to join us at the table!! It was fun, but we missed all our family. We definitely felt a bit Quarantined.

We bought a new used car! We really weren't even looking, but would often talk about getting a van or suv. Someone in our neighborhood was selling a 1994 Honda LX Wagon for a great price! Originally Dad was thinking of purchasing it, but when he told us about it, we jumped on it! We need a bigger vehicle! So, we bought it and we are going to give Tim's car to Dad. So, we both get a car out of it. Dad just needs something for the papers, so it should be OK. We feel so blessed to have it!!

Tim's been working and going to school. So his days are still very busy! We miss seeing him!

We've decided to move our bedroom into the basement to have more privacy. So, it's already finish, but we are painting and replacing the carpet with remnants from Ollies. We've already organized the storage side of the basement, and now have emptied out the finished side. Now we just need to build a wall (for Elise's little room), rip out the current carpeting, paint the room, hall and stairs, put in a closet organizer and lay the carpet.

Since Tim's working and going to school, it will be hard to get done in a timely manner, but we hope to get in before Christmas!!

The girls are growing up fast! Elise is doing SO much these days!!

-crawling

-feeding herself cheerios, animal crackers or whatever we give her!!

-sitting up and ALMOST getting into a sitting position on her own

-clapping

-waving

-standing while holding onto furniture or our hands

-6 teeth!!

It's hard to believe that she's almost 8 months old!!!

Nora is also growing up so much. She's turning into a little woman!! She helps take care of Elise by running for things like diapers and wipes. She plays with her in her crib to keep her happy until Mommy can come rescue Elise. She plays with her on the floor and makes sure to tell Mommy when Elise eats something off the floor! :)

We are so excited for Christmas with the girls this year!! As always, we wish we had more to spend on gifts, but we are concentrating on the girls this year. We know that family understand our current under-employed status. But, it does make us sad to not be able to give more.

This year Nora gets to participate in the Children's Christmas Eve Program at Church! We are excited to see her sing on stage! :)

We are thankful for Tim's part time job at Costco. It's turning out to be a real asset and we wish he had pursued it sooner. Hindsight is always 20/20.

I haven't been taking many pictures, but I will try and update you with the girls pictures soon!!

~Nicoli

~An Update On Life~

I've been terrible at keeping my blog up to date! So, even though I don't have time to load some pictures, I thought I could do a little update on our family.

Probably the biggest change around here is that Tim has started working at Costco AND is going to HACC for his Microsoft Certification (MCSA & MCSE). School started in the middle of September and is going really well

for him. Our hope is that it will provide a brand new job opportunity for Tim. It was a long 13 month journey to get here, but we feel like things are finally starting to happen. We are anticipating some great things for our future!

As Tim is working AND going to school, we are seeing him much less than before! He work 5 evenings a week (3-10) and has school Mondays and Wednesdays (6-9:30), then class again on Saturdays (8:00-11:30) and works Saturday evenings. So, we don't see him much at all. Mornings and early afternoon are what we get. :) Which I guess is better than nothing. It does limit our opportunities to get with friends and doesn't allow for Tim to attend our Care Group meetings. I know he will miss the fellowship there.

Elise is getting SO BIG!!! She had a 6 month appointment last week. She weighed in at 16 lbs. 13 oz. (56%) she was 26 3/4 in. long (74%) and Head Circumference is 17 (63%).

So, she's LONG! I already knew that since she doesn't fit most of her clothes!!!! :)

Her visit went well, except for one thing. It appears that she has a heart murmur. Nora also has a murmur and a hole in her heart. So on November 20th, Elise will see a Pediatric Cardiologist and we'll see if it's serious or not. At this point, our Pediatrician is guessing that it's just small and nothing to worry about, but we still have to check it out.

She's doing SO MUCH! For the last few weeks, she's been crawling everywhere, sitting by herself for long periods of time and is eating EVERYTHING!

She has 5 teeth and 2 more on working their way in. She's already eating animal crackers and biter biscuits because she needs something to gnaw on!

Nora is doing well. She spend most of her day playing by herself. Often she is in her own little imagination world. She talks to herself, plays various games and gets "lost" in her world. It's great that she is able to occupy herself.

Anyway, that's an update for now! I'll try my best to post some pictures of Halloween and Nora playing in the leaves.

Seasons

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." ~ Thoreau

I love Autumn. It's only the beginning, but we were able to get out and enjoy a childhood favorite of mine, the West Lampeter Fair!

Poppy & Elise enjoying the Fair

Sweet Elise, I love her smile!

Nora and Daddy waiting to make Nora's own Jump Rope!!

Here's Nora making the jump rope, with Daddy's help.

Elise chilling after her bath...ready for bed now.

Soon to come, our visit with Grandma Hinshaw and Gettysburg...

Elise at 4 months!

Elise Micaela

4 months and counting...

This week Elise had her 4 month check up. It's hard to believe 4 months have come and gone so quickly!

She's getting SO BIG! Here's her measurements:

Weight: 14 lbs. 15.6 oz. (71%)

Length: 24 1/2 inches (51%)

Head Circumference: 16 1/4 (52%)

Here's what she's been up to:

~Almost 2 weeks before she hit 4 months, her first tooth broke through!

~She is able to sit up with a little support

~She's got STRONG legs and stands often (with help of course!)

~She reaches for things and grabs them

~She reaches for toys and they head DIRECTLY for her mouth!

~She talks a lot

~She laughs a lot!

~She's very ticklish!

~She sits in her Bumbo and plays with her toys

~She grabs her toes (and sometimes gets them in her mouth!)

~She loves to smile (some folks can get more smiles out of her than others!)

It seems like everyday brings about something new that she's learning or doing!

After her Dr. appointment, she started her first solids, Rice Cereal! Yum. Below are some pics of her first time trying it out.

I love that sweet face!

Posing with Big Sis, getting ready to try out Rice Cereal

She grabbed the spoon right out of my hand

She moves so much that it's hard to be clean about it!

Oregon Dairy Farm Days

Today we went to Oregon Dairy to see Animals, take rides and eat yummy food. Nora really enjoyed all the animals, the playground and the rides on the tractor and wagon! Here are some pics from our fun day...

May

May was another exciting month for us! Elise continues to grow and gain weight...she has an appointment on the 15th, so we'll see how big she is then! Nora is a great big sister, she's usually very gentle and loving with her!

Here's some pictures of what we've been up to this past month...

I took some pictures of Dan and Amy before the baby comes!

These are some of my favorites

I really like this one...so sweet.

Then Tim and I headed off to a B&B for one night...we could have stayed much longer!!

While we were there, Amy was going through the WORST labor and delivery...I felt so bad for her! But, we were finally able to meet little Emma...so adorable!

Here we are at Tim's parents for Memorial Day weekend...Nora playing the harmonica...
Steve, Rachel, Tim and I went to Arts Fest...
Elise was there too...
As always, we had a great time with Steve and Rachel

Here's Nora making cards for Dan, Amy and Emma

Elise is sitting nearby in her Bumbo...

She's growing up fast...

I'll post some pics of her along with some pics of me as a baby...she looks like I did!!

Here's Nora meeting baby Emma for the first time

Here we are at the pool! Thanks to Gram for getting us a pool pass...

Elise is fast asleep...

Nora loves the water, here she is in the baby pool...

This year, she's tall enough to stand in the "big pool"!!!
She's very brave!!! Walking all by herself!I think she'll be swimming by the end of the summer!

Here's Elise...she found her thumb!!

Nora's "Hair Cut"

So, Tuesday evening, Tim walked into the Kitchen to find a pile of hair on the floor.  Yeah, Nora cut her hair.  Earlier in the day, she saw Poppy getting his hair cut and she said he was getting "beautiful".  I guess she decided that she wanted to be beautiful too!  Here are some pics of her cut and her new hair cut.  Plus my attempt (which didn't succeed) at getting some good pictures of the girls outside.

Elise's Birth Day Story Part 1

Friday, April 10th -   Our 2:30 scheduled C-section had been previously canceled and rescheduled for April 14th.

Tim and I headed off to Camp Hill for our normal BioPhysical Ultrasound for little Elise.  As always, we packed up all our stuff and took it along "just in case".  On the way we got a donut and coffee to get Elise moving.

We got into the US room and the technician began the 1/2 hour test.  After just a few minutes, the Tech mentioned that Elise wasn't moving AT ALL.  Usually she has at least 1 or 2 small movements.  Time continued on...soon her 1/2 hour was up and there were zero movements and zero tones.  She needed to get 3 movements and 2 tones to pass the test.  Once again, she got a 4 our of possible 8 points.  

The Technician said she's be surprised if they didn't send us to the Birth Place immediately.

We got on the phone and of course, they sent us over.  Since we'd been there 4 other times, we weren't totally convinced they were going to take the baby.

Our minds went to "maybe we ARE going to have this baby today, even though our c-section has been canceled due to limited room in the Birth Place!!!"  "Maybe we'll see Elise today!"  "But probably not, they'll send us home again"  "But, Dr. Long is HERE and he said he's available today"  "But the Birth Place has too many inductions today, no room for us".

Waiting...and more waiting.

Phone calls...and more waiting.

In walks our nurse, Cheryl.  "Hi, I'm going to be your nurse, we are going to do the C-section this afternoon!"  I was ELATED!!  She later recounted how excited my response was. :)

Suddenly, multiple nurses were taking my blood, getting my IV in place, catheter...all those fun things.  

Without knowing if I was going to get the C-section or not, my Mom had driven up from Lancaster, so she was there through the whole process.  It was a blessing to have her there with us.  She and Tim prayed for me as I grew more and more nervous.  I remembered very little about the prep for my last c-section and the idea of getting the spinal worried me.

They had me walk into the ER and the Anesthesiologist had me get up on the table.  Before I knew it and with just a bit of discomfort, he has me laying on the table, with little to no feeling...absolutely no pain!

Suddenly, we were in the thick of it.  Tim was by my side.  Dr. Hoover (the anesthesiologist) made sure my BP stayed were it needed to, made sure I was comfortable and feeling well.  He was funny and took care of Tim, when he got a bit light headed.

Yeah, the light headedness was for good reason.  Just as Dr. Long was getting ready to take Elise out, Dr. Hoover told Tim, "she's coming!"  So, Tim got up to peek over the curtain.  Unbeknown to Dr. Hoover, there was a slight problem.  Elise was stuck.  Yes, stuck during a C-section.  So, instead of Tim seeing Elise come out, all he saw were legs and a belly...and Dr. Long tugging and pulling very hard.  Just  a bit too much for Tim. :)

Thankfully, they finally got her out and handed her off to the neonatologist immediately to be checked.  They didn't even let me see her, since she had been stuck and needed care.

She was born at 3:27 pm, one hour after her original scheduled time!

They started  putting me back together, as Tim watched them take care of Elise.  I finally got to see her about 10 minutes after she was born.  She was (and is) beautiful!!

Off to recovery, where Cheryl continued to take care of me.  Tim, Elise and I got some special time there together.  This is when I started telling the nurse that I was very dizzy...and the vomiting started.

We got to my regular room and no lie, within 2 minutes my room was filled with family.

Eventually we had to send everyone away, because the dizziness and vomiting continued.

That night, our favorite nurse, Dixie  (we had her with Nora too) came in and took care of me for the next 3 nights.  She took Elise to the nursery overnight, so that I could get rest and recuperate.  Unfortunately, my mind couldn't stop.  I didn't sleep all night long.  The dizziness and vomiting continued through the night.  

By morning, I was so tired and dizzy.  Thankfully the vomiting had stopped.  The nurse helped me get out of bed and head to the bathroom to take out my catheter.  Unfortunately it was too much movement too soon.  I passed out.  It was NOT a fun experience.  I woke to the nurse and Tim IN MY FACE.  All I could think of was, "I FINALLY fell asleep and  you are waking me up???"  Then I realized, I was in the bathroom, not my bed.  

The nurse chalked it up to just too much movement too soon.  That day, I continued to feel better, but the dizziness didn't go away.  Soon, I started having headache's and I could hear my pulse in my ears.  The nurse on duty checked with the Midwife about my symptoms and was told that the pulse was due to congestion and water retention.

Saturday night, Dixie came back on duty.  I told her I wanted to take a shower and she made that happen.  I asked if my IV could come out and she hesitantly asked the Dr. if it was ok.  She told me beforehand, "I'm not sure this is the best thing, you may have to get a new one.  I wouldn't be surprised if you needed a blood transfusion"

Sunday went by, I was feeling well. The dizziness had disappeared, but the headaches persisted.  We spend the day with Elise and watching TV.

Sunday night, Dixie took care of us again.  She spent  time sitting on my bed talking about her family, telling stories of her teenage years and taking care of Elise.  We had a great time with her!!!

I continued to feel better, the incision was healing well and the pain was manageable.  I was READY to go home by Easter Sunday.  We go the ok from the Neonatoglogist, Elise was ready to go home.  But, they told me, not till Monday.

Monday morning we geared up to go home at 11:00.  My headache grew excruciating and I had to ask for more pain meds.  Then walks in Mary.  A new nurse.  One we had with Nora as well.  She'd been off all weekend, so this was our first time seeing her.

Evidently, Mary went to my Dr. and questioned my blood counts.  She thought that I looked anemic and mentioned my dizziness, headaches and pale coloring.

Sure enough, after blood work was done, we found out that my hemoglobin was 6 (it was 11 before the c-section, normal is 12-17) and my hematocrit was 18 (normal for women is 34-44).  I had about 1/2 the red blood cells I was supposed to have.  Obviously, I was headed for a blood transfusion.  They gave me 2 pints of blood.

This put me over the edge.  I had been so ready to go home and the idea of more needles, and someone else's blood sent me into an emotional whirl wind.  The whole day it was difficult to keep my emotions in check.

We finally got home around 7:00 that night.

...to be continued

Elise Micaela

Elise - Soft Mannered (French, English)  

Micaela - God-loving (Hebrew)

Here are some pictures of our little Elise Micaela!  

Here's her nose & lips!

Left Foot

It's a girl!

She kept crossing her legs, during the ultrasound.  Funny, because Nora does that frequently!

After MUCH effort on the Tech's part, she finally let us get a profile pic!  She was moving very much, but never the way the tech needed!!!