A "Stitch" In Time

My baby girl is 18 months old! For her 18 month birthday on Friday, Sophie decided to surprise her Momma with a trip to a place neither of us had ever been - the new Wesley Emergency Room on the west side of Wichita!

Sophie was shopping at Shoe Carnival that afternoon with her Momma and Aunt Katie. While my sister was trying on some shoes, Sophie was just walking around the store being silly. Before I knew what was happening, she stumbled and landed face first right on the corner of a wooden display case. At first I thought it was just a normal bump. I picked her up to console her and realized she was bleeding. So, I asked the clerk for some tissue. I quickly began dabbing at the blood on her head, and once it was cleared for a moment I realized that the cut looked too deep.

SO, off to the ER we went (I did try her pediatrician first, but they were closed). At the ER my poor, sweet girl cried and cried and cried some more. We finally were taken into a room where we put on a cartoon and she quickly drifted off to sleep on her Momma's lap. I laid her down and they put some numbing gel on her face, which took about 40 mins to take effect. Here she is sleeping on the hospital bed (low quality pic from Katie's phone). You can kinda see the blood above her left eye.

Of course the poor girl woke just before they sewed her up. So one nurse did a "big girl swaddle" to hold her arms while another held her head, and the doctor artfully applied two stitches to Sophie's face. Watching the stitching wasn't hard, but having to stand by while she was held down and screaming was the worst torture possible. She kept repeating, "Momma, momma" in the saddest little voice you can imagine.

It was really amazing, because the doctor told us if they weren't able to hold her still enough, we'd have to stop and sedate her. I was a little concerned and of course began asking God to let it all work well. Both times the doctor got close to her eye with the needle, she completely stopped crying and was extremely still! Once he pulled the needle and thread through, she would start screaming again. I know God was there helping to calm her in those moments!

Here she is after we finally left the hospital and were back at my mom's house. Wow, what a week! Granddad passing Sunday, lots of extra family in town to spend time with all week, finishing up at work before our trip to Utah, Christmas, Granddad's viewing Friday night, the service this morning, and leaving for Utah tomorrow morning (Sunday)... let's just throw in a trip to the ER while we're at it!

There Will Be a Day...

There is a song by Jeremy Camp that sings of the freedom we will have one day when we, as believers, finally go to live with Jesus. "There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more..."

This song has been on my heart all week as I knew that my Grandad Carr (my mom's daddy) would soon pass on. Last night Grandad finally left this world and is now resting peacefully with His Lord. Oh, how he loved God. He was such an example of living for Christ and standing firm in what he believed, no matter what others said.

Grandad fought dementia for the last few years, and especially over the last year we watched him suffer a great deal. When my mom called me this morning to tell me he passed away, the only thing I could say was, "I'm so glad he's finally home with Jesus."

Thank you, Holy Father, for taking Grandad home. I know he rejoices with you this moment as he has no more pain, no more tears...

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain..." Revelation 21:4

Thanks, Grandpa!

Ben's parents have been here visiting since Wednesday afternoon. Ben's dad, Bill, takes after his own dad in his talent with woodworking. Last time he was here, he and I talked about a special custom-made bookshelf I wanted for Sophie. When they came on Wednesday, Grandpa delivered the coolest bookshelf - exactly what we wanted! He did a beautiful job and we're so excited to have this for the kids over the years to come. Thanks for the extra special gift, Grandpa T - we love you!

The Snowy Day Chronicles

By noon today, this was the view from our front door:

Needless to say, Sophie and I were hermits in our pajamas and sweats (until I had to go to work at 2). I know my readers will be so thankful that I recorded our day in pictures - just with you all in mind!!

Before I could finish baking my Christmas bread, our front room looked like a little monster had attacked (oh wait - she had!).

Lucky for me, that same little monster loves to help with the laundry:


Occasionally on a long day inside, Sophie likes to play with her toys the "right" way:

But mostly, she likes to invent new ways of playing with them:

She must make sure to watch Baby Einstein in at least three different positions:

It's a necessity to get some dancing time in:

Sophers has to holler at the doggies in the backyard, because she loves to see them pop up in that window (even though they're never going to come out of their shelter in this weather).

She'll make some funny faces at Momma's camera, and of course she'll definitely want to put on fun things to wear (i.e. reindeer antlers - not pictured - and this silly name tag that is from VBS back in July):

After a nice nap, DaDa comes home and helps us create new ways to have fun (and isn't Momma so thankful for DaDa)!!

What winter weather adventures have you had lately?

Oh Elmo, We Love You!

And we love the way your song will play in our heads until the trumpets one day sound.

(The one below has no Elmo, but I just had to throw it in anyway).

Reindeer Like Enchiladas, Too!!

Little Miss Smarty Pants

So I'm a biased mom. But I was pretty amazed when I realized that my sweet little girl (no longer a baby... sniff sniff) knows three of her shapes. Ben and I tell her the different shapes at times, but we haven't spent excessive time trying to get her to learn them.

Imagine my surprise when I found a new toy in her closet that I forgot we had. She'd never even seen this toy before, and the first time I pulled it out she was choosing the correct shapes when I asked.

Confessions of a High School Musical Junky

I admit it. For a couple hours on Sunday I found myself actually imagining myself back in high school. Thankfully I wasn't returning to my alma mater Northwest here in Wichita, but to East High, in New Mexico. I could feel myself becoming friends with Gabriella and Troy... after all - they're nice to everyone, so my "nerdiness" wouldn't have mattered too much, right?!

When the show was over and I realized that I really was a crazy 29-year-old attempting to find momentary acceptance and joy through fictional characters (who probably are at least ten years my juniors), there was only one thing I could do. Watch the second movie. Don't worry, I did wait until my daughter went to bed - she wasn't getting the cold shoulder for Zac Efron!

Unfulfillment crept in as the second flick ended. Where does this leave things? What will happen now that our perfect summer... err... your perfect summer at the country club is ending, and you have to return to school?

It's a good thing my husband's on top of things. This Friday night, he's taking me out for the most romantic movie you could name. High School Musical 3: Senior Year!

**Thanks, Brianne, for sharing these fun, cheesy, clean movies with us!

28 Weeks Down... 12 To Go

3 months to go... and we still haven't begun getting ready for this baby. With the holidays and a trip to Utah in a month, the date will draw quickly near. We better get movin' on that nursery!

I have no strong feelings as to whether it's a boy or a girl. So, I would love your help. I've set up a poll at the side of the blog for you to state your opinion... chico or chica?

To argue in favor of a girl - this pregnancy has in most respects been very similar to my last one. I've felt mostly the same (a little more sick, but not much), and I've only been a little more tired (but I'm chasing around a 1.5 year old). Also, the ol' Chinese calendar trick emphatically states it's a girl.

On the other hand, you might say boy because this baby's heartbeat is slow (last time in the 130s) and I'm carrying lower than last time (but hey, I'm a little more stretched out this time). Plus, this baby is much more active than Sophie was in my tummy.

So, get to voting - let me hear what you think! Maybe we'll even paint the nursery accordingly! (Okay, probably not.)

Daddy's Home

Every night the same - what a homecoming!

I'd Say She's Preparing Quite Nicely...

Our Little Wookie

You've all heard of Chewbacca (for those of you who aren't Star Wars nerds like my hubby, Chewbacca's "people" are the Wookies). Do your best to recall what he sounds like.

May I introduce Sophie the Wookie. Oh, her Daddy is so proud.

Humble Pie

**CAUTION: You are about to get a small amount of insight into a daily struggle for me. If reading about other people's mental issues makes you squeamish, turn back now.

Last week I sat in my Tuesday morning women's Bible study at church and listened to a friend talk about weakness. She delivered a heartfelt discussion of how we need to be thanking God for our weaknesses, because through them we grow and learn how to rely on God's power. I returned home that day excited about the thoughts she shared and spent the remainder of the week thanking God for my own shortcomings and the lessons learned as a result.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. I was with a patient, and I told them something that was incorrect. Although the patient's family questioned me, it wasn't until I left the patient that I realized my mistake. Thankfully it wasn't one that could cause harm or any setbacks in therapy; it actually was an insignificant mistake. However, since the family questioned me about it, it is obvious to me that God is demanding me to apologize to them and admit my error. For my big-ol'-ugly pride, this will not be an easy accomplishment.

You see, Satan gets into my head and tells me that I'm better than other people because I have a Master's Degree. He tells me that I worked hard to get where I am and people should listen to me. And then God is so good, so merciful, so beautiful to remind me that I am nothing without Him. He gently whispers in my ear that my education was a simple gift, and nothing more; a tool from the Lord so that I can help His loved ones. He allows me a glimpse of what could be if I choose to misuse the love and grace He has freely given to me.

So for my generous helping of humble pie, I am thankful. Please, Lord, remind me that each person I meet is just as precious to you as the next. Give me your eyes to see those around me. Remind me that only through you am I strong.

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:10

On Momma's Day Out, All Fashion Rules Are Obviously Null and Void

And yes, he unfortunately took her out in public like this.

Picture Pages

I tried to tell you how much she loves books...

Happy girl:

Just chillin' - probably one of our last days to enjoy the zoo:

Sophie loves her hat from Great-Aunt Brenda:

This huge T-shirt is so comfy for play/nap time. She looks so old in it, too!

Little Ears Update

Yesterday Sophie had another appointment with Miss Dena, her audiologist. PRAISE GOD that all of her results remain consistent with what they have always been. This is such wonderful news, mainly because Sophie's hearing loss isn't getting worse! Since we have no family history of hearing loss at birth, and we don't know what caused Sophie's loss, there was no way to anticipate what it meant in the future for her. A year-and-a-half of extremely consistent results is an amazing blessing!

I'll try to explain exactly what kind of hearing loss Sophie has. The picture below is of what's called a "speech banana" (you can see the letters on the graph - the speech sounds - fall in a rough banana-like shape... hence, the name "banana").

What this diagram is showing is where different sounds typically occur in our range of hearing. Sounds have high or low frequencies (the numbers listed across the top). Each frequency of sound can be delivered at a different level of decibels (the numbers listed along the left side) - this is how loud or soft that sound is.

As an example: if you look near the middle of the graph there's a piano. The graph shows that the piano is found at around 1,000 Hz (the frequency), but is delivered to our ears at about 80 decibels (dB) on average (the loudness).

When a child has hearing loss, the main concern is to make sure they develop their speech and language normally (because, of course, we learn those things by hearing them!). Sophie's hearing loss is categorized as borderline mild hearing loss. In both ears, Sophie hears all sounds at around the 20-25 dB range. I shaded this in red so you can see where it falls on the graph.

So, if you looks closely, most of the sounds of speech fall below where Sophie's loss is, and she should be able to hear them just fine. There are a few sounds, though, that fall right around the area of her loss, such as the "f, s, th, p" sounds. These sounds are typically not developed until a child is in elementary school, so we'll just keep watching and waiting to see if she acquires them on her own or needs some help.

In the meantime, there is a speech therapist coming to see Sophie about every 3 months to help me make sure that Soph continues to develop right where she should be for her age. So far, she always says Sophers is doing great. She asked me to keep a list of the words Sophie says, and it keeps expanding all the time! Of course, she doesn't say the words perfectly (many of them most people probably wouldn't recognize), but I was adding to her list today and realized that she has over 30 words that she uses! One of my current favorites is, "Amen," which sounds like "ah-neh." She loves to chime in at the end of prayers with this one (and sometimes in the middle if we're taking too long).

Our incredible God can take any situation and make it beautiful, and that is precisely what he's doing with our Sophie!

Halloween Sneak-A-Peek

Friday night brought our Family Fall Festival at church. All the kids dress up in costumes for it. If you know me and Ben, you know that an event such as this means we will inevitably don a costume as well. So, many of you have been asking what Sophie (and subsequently her mom and dad) was going to be for Halloween.

Therefore, may I introduce to you....

The Flinstones 2008!

Litte Miss Pebbles:


Sophie/Pebbles had a little friend from church who we convinced to be Bam Bam! We couldn't get a great picture of the two of them, but they were so cute!

"Fred" attempted, in all his assumed manliness, to hold the two kiddos on his shoulders. Obviously he was no match for Bam Bam's extraordinary strength.


There were lots of games for the kids to play.

Sophie, however, found her greatest entertainment from the cones that separated one game from another.

And this wonderful lady below is Miss Andrea. Andrea is a dear friend who generously made our Pebbles shirt and adorable bone-bow. She is also the one-and-the-same Andrea who makes most of Sophie's hairbows. I am trying to convince her to go into business.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE FLINSTONE/TYSONS!