Gestational Period of a Hutchison

So we (Allen and I) were talking with Lizzie after her nap. She was talking about the baby in mommy's tummy, and made a statement that wasn't distinguishable to either of us. To clarify Allen made a guess-

Allen: Did you want to play with the baby in mommy's tummy?

Lizzie (in a sure and lecturing tone): No daddy! We can't play with her. It won't come out for 2...3 years!

Humility

We've been trying to teach the girls recently how to be humble.

So, tonight, while Ellie was playing with her and Lizzie's new grocery cart:

Allen: Ellie, you're cute.

Ellie: Yep... I am.

Think it's working?!

What Flavor???

Thanks to those that guessed (especially Shelley and Andy :-) ).

I am very pleased to announce that come late March-early April we will welcome our 3rd little girl into the world. (We will be posting ultrasound pictures as soon as we have time to scan them).

We are really excited about her and the new dynamic she will bring to our home, our lives and the lives of all of you.

We are waiting in eager anticipation for the next several months ahead, as we have much planned for December and part of January (we are headed to Washington), and then we will be able to enjoy the splendor of a white winter in the North East for the 2-3 months following. And just as the snow begins to disappear, we will welcome our sweet little girl. After that we will spend the next months enjoying life with our 3 girls, and adjusting to life with a tiny one.

Needless to say, that after November, posting will be sporadic at best. There will be times of multiple posts a day, and times of nothing for a month. I apologize ahead of time, but know you will all understand. Thanks :-)

Ultrasound #2 for kiddo #3

Yesterday was the big day of the level 2 ultrasound to be sure everything is well with this little one and to see, as a friend put it so well, the flavor of our little one.

We spent the first 30-45 minutes speaking with a geneticist who went through our family history and took thorough notes on all the familial diseases, defects and other pertinent information. We then had a very complete ultrasound done by a skill technician and then again by a physician. The doctor said everything looks great and that this little one is, as far as appearances go on an ultrasound, very healthy looking.

So, since we haven't told everyone yet what we are having, would any uninformed persons like to wager a guess???

I won't post what we are having until I have 10 guesses, or until enough time has passed that I feel I must share.

Americans

I voted AT the POLLS today for the first time ever.

Being from Washington, where the absentee ballot is for anyone and everyone (with few exceptions), I have always voted days and even weeks before the 4th. Ashamedly I am not even sure that, before this year, I would have been able to say with certainty when election day was. I just didn't need to know, except to see how things went.

It was fun for me to take the girls in and vote. I tried to explain as simply as possible what voting was, and why, but really I don't think they get it yet. My closest attempt was to explain that we were voting for president, a person that was like a king (since my girls get the concept of a king from the princess connections). I also tried to explain the huge importance of voting, but since Lizzie's idea of a king was someone who dresses nice, and gets to go to fancy events, that didn't sink in very well.

Oh well, maybe in 4 years we will try to explain it all again, with a little more success :-)

Halloween and Pumpkin Carving

"So much squishy fun!"

Here are the long awaited pumpkins that Lizzie and Ellie helped do:

Ellie and Daddy worked on this one (mommy waited too long to get a picture and the face is giving way to decay :-( )

Lizzie and Mommy did this one, Lizzie decided on all circles for her design.

And here are a few fun shots from our busy Halloween:

Fishing for candy...

Looking pretty...

Playing at the Harvest party with our friend Jess...

visiting our friend Micayla...

In Honor of Our Family...

Who are Having a Blast at Disneyland:



Dear Disney Corp.

I want to thank you for your persistent advertising and for the sheer volume of things you have on the market with your Princess characters. In particular I want to thank you for the connection that you have allowed my 3 year old to make with rodents, that would not otherwise have taken place without the beloved Cinderella and her mice friends. Although my daughter is too young to have seen any of your animated movies, including "Cinderella", you have successfully convinced her that to have a mouse or two is not only a good thing, but a privileged one earns by getting older.

Now that we as a family are experiencing rodent infestation of a micey nature, my sweet little girl has declared that when she gets older she will get to have mice also.

Thanks so much for convincing my daughter that those dirty, disgusting, heeby-geeby-inducing, hairballs are something one earns with age.

Tell me, how can I get my mice to make me a dress or two? And if my singing isn't enough to scare them back to Cinderella's palace, can you tell me how to get a hold of the wicked step mother and her daughters, maybe they have some tips? Also, does the fairy godmother do house calls, because I have a few "friends" just waiting to be made into horses?

Cranberry Festival 2008

Today we ventured outdoors as a family. We travel about an hour and a half south to Werham, MA (near Cape Cod), in order to attend the annual Cranberry Festival.

The day was great. The weather was gorgeous, Allen & I felt okay and most importantly we were able to spend an entire day together having fun. With the events of the the last 3 months, fun time has been sparse and quality family time, just as difficult to manage. Today was a day that we had decided we were going to make time and fight off our bodies in order to love one another through a day of fun.

I could go on and on about just how important this day was for us all, but I will simply leave you with some pictures.

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

From Fall day at the Cranberry Festival

Animal

Tonight, Lizzie eating a banana at the table:

Steph: Are you (Curious) George?
Allen: Are you a monkey?
Lizzie: No, I not George; I not a monkey.
Allen: Are you Lizzie?
Lizzie: No, I not Izzie. I like an animal.
Steph: Really?
Allen: What animal?
Lizzie: Umm... a pig.

Medical stuff

Lizzie had her annual cardiology appointment tonight. Went well, praise the Lord! No change from last year. And as always with this stuff, as long as it's not negative change, we're good.

Here in a little bit, they are going to do a lung scan as a general screening / proactive step to measure the blood flow from her heart to her left pulmonary artery and right pulmonary artery to make sure it's even. Sometimes apparently with kids with Tetralogy of Fallot one lung gets more blood than the other simply because of one connection being bigger than the other. That can be indicative of other issues. They don't suspect that this is the case with her, just want to make sure. And we're definitely good with making sure.

Funny story from driving back from Boston tonight. We got food from the hospital and were eating on the way home. Steph and I were talking about traffic and driving in Boston.

Steph: You know, driving in Boston isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Allen: Yeah, I hear ya.

Lizzie: Mommy, does Boston have any napkins?

Ah Memories

I grew up sharing a bathroom with my sister and brother. This often lent itself to some "discussions" on bathroom etiquette. This evening events transpired that brought be back in time:

(Lately Lizzie has been going to the bathroom on her own, without Daddy or Mommy's help. It is great for us, but there is still much for her to learn. This evening was no different.)

Shortly after Lizzie went in to go potty I heard a shout, "MOMMY...HELP!!!!" I rushed in to find that she had decided to forgo the princess seat that sits on the "big potty" and was now sitting in 3 inches of toilet water, legs flailing in the air as she tried to lift herself out of the toilet. I couldn't help but laugh as pull her from her plight, remembering my own moments (yes it happened more than once) of sitting in the toilet and not on the toilet, because I hadn't looked to see that the lid was still up.

Hopefully she will learn from her mistake and not repeat it in the future. If not, I may have to get the camera :-)

Eyes

Tonight during dinner time prayer...

Lizzie: Ellie, close your eyes!

I'll let that one sink in for a moment.

Immune

Me: (having just taken a bunch of vitamin C) I just boosted my immune system. Lizzie, can you say 'immune'?

Lizzie: No. That's a big word.

Me: **much laughter**

Lizzie: That's not funny.

Praise the LORD!!!

Today was a day of blessings.

First, the church Women's Bible Study began this morning. It was great. And best of all, not a single person in my group has anything to do with the seminary. That means I am going to be able to get to know 7 other godly women from the area. I am so excited!

Second, Allen had his back appointment today and the neurosurgeon is awesome. He is very old school in manner and style. He is an older gentleman who you can tell has been in the back business for quite some time. He said that surgery is an option, but that it is up to Allen when and if it will happen. He asked what Allen's calendar looked like and Allen told him school just started. As soon as he heard that he said, "Oh no, let's not do surgery for awhile then. Why don't we see about trying a shot of cortisone?" He then explained that it has many different out comes, but generally can buy some time before needing to consider surgery. So, that is the plan. In the next couple weeks Allen will get the shot of cortisone and then we will wait and see from there.

Finally, Allen got another job! He has 12 hours with the IT department on campus, and now will get another 10-15 hours working for a professor doing a variety of administrative assistant type jobs. It should be a great opportunity to get a look behind the scenes.

Thanks for your prayers.

Life

This month a Bible Study friend of mine, Mandy, has been DOing a themed set of postings about DOing something as Christians.

I was excited at the idea, but once I began thinking about it I felt saddened. What can I possibly DO? I am a nauseated pregnant mother of 2 1/2, with a husband whose back is falling apart while he attempts seminary and working to provide for us, all the while I'm trying to process my mom's recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer (and breast cancer, but unrelated to the pancreatic cancer). Who can I give to when there is nothing left to give?

Then I was reminded of the words of another Bible Study Sister, Rachel. She pointed out one Tuesday evening that in II Corinthians 12:9 it says, "But he said, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (Today's NIV). This means in essence that we need to be weak for His power to be made perfect and His grace to take over. (Sorry Rachel if I botched this).

That means then that this is where God wants me, so that He can DO, through me.

Today Mandy (who I mentioned at the beginning of this post) linked to a woman who has challenge me to DO SOMETHING.

So what am I going to DO? Right now, I am going to be as real and vulnerable as one can be on a blog that all of one's friends and family and some strangers read.

So be patient as this weak vessel tries to let God Do His thing.

Here is my heart:

I'm a bottled up dreamer who has stifled her dreams for the sake of practicality. "I want too much", I tell myself again and again when new dreams arise or old ones resurface. But I would trade all those dreams for a new reality. A reality where I wasn't 3,000 miles from home while my mom is fighting one of the most evil things on this planet. A reality where 49 year old healthy women aren't told that they could be in heaven in the next few years. A reality where my children would know the healthy, lively and energetic Nana they were suppose to have, and not the one whose body is being hijacked by mutant cells.

Now I have new dreams. Dreams of miracle cancer cures and my mom getting to see Lizzie go to her first day of school. Dreams of doctors shaking theirs heads in disbelief that the cancer is gone, when they can't explain why. Dreams that, in the reality of this world, seem just that... dreams, but the dreams which I have prayed for harder than any of my own stifled dreams from the past, present and probably most that I may have yet to dream.

I am trying to process life.
I am trying to process death.
I am trying to understand the fuzzy area before the first ends and the second begins.

I don't know how.

I have dealt with death again and again in my life, but not like this. I have said goodbye to grandparents, elderly friends, even a young cousin, but every time was vastly different from this situation. I have been able to cope with watching an older loved one die, knowing they had lived a full and complete life. I have watch loved ones die from their own poor choices. I have had the shocking feeling of mourning a life ended young due to war.

But I have never had to try and prepare myself for the loss of one so close, while still trying to hold on to hope for a cure that would make the preparations pointless. How do you balance? How do you not give up on life and still be emotionally prepare for the possibility of death? And how do you explain to a small child things that even your own heart and mind cannot reconcile?

I know God is bigger than the evils of this world. I know He is gracious. I know He is merciful. I know He is kind. But I also know that He does all things for the good of those that love Him (Rom. 8:28), and my version of "good", may not look like His. And guess what, His "good" is better.

But I am scared. I am scared that He hears my prayers and is saying, "trust me". I am scared for what it might mean to truly trust Him. But I have to do it. I have to have faith that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has more knowledge, wisdom, power and might than all the doctors of this Earth combined. I have to believe that He is in control, not the team that are forever changing their minds on what is going to happen to treat my mom. I have to trust with all that I am that in the end, His will is going to be DOne.

So what am I DOing. Praying, trusting and waiting.

What are you DOing?

Ironies

Today was full of irony.

Things like the midwife needing me to get my thyroid levels tested at the lab that closes at 4:30pm, and Allen getting off work (with the car) at ...dah, dah, dah-dah...4:30. So I will be doing that tomorrow.

Or the fact that despite our wet summer, the past few weeks have been gorgeous. Which isn't the irony, just wait. Every year the seminary holds an all campus family Clamfest, where all of the students and families come together to eat dinner as one. The thousands gathered last year and were shower with loving service of the professors and staff who stood out in the POURING (we are talking flood inducing) rains serving each person their food. We have assumed that with the current nice weather trend, this year would be nicer. Then I found this. Do you think it is God's humor coming out? :-)

Finally, today while stuck indoors on a beautiful day, due to some disobedient girls that lost the priviledge of the outdoors (which definitely hurt me more than them, let me tell you), I did some Facebook updating.
For kicks and giggles I click on the scroll option that said I was a "CHRISTIAN-Amish". Then I had to laugh. Think for a minute about the reality of having that as an option on Facebook.

Got it?

In case it hasn't clicked yet, Amish don't do modern technology, so what Amish person is going to have Facebook?

Anyhow, thought I would share some laughs from my day.

IT an stuff

So, Monday Allen went to an interview and was hired for a part time position (12 hours a week) doing IT for the seminary (thanks Scott for all your help in encouraging this to come to fruition).

Today marks the first day of work at his new job.

Typically he will be working 4 hour shifts, but today will be a real people shift of 8 hours, so pray for Allen.

Pray for him not to feel nervous and that he would pick up everything quickly.

And pray for me as I am left to care for the girls alone during part of their grandparent rehab, while not feeling up to par.

Also, be praying for another small part time job to work well with this position. Allen has applied for 3 that might work, but is doing the waiting thing for all 3.

Ultrasound #1 for Kiddo #3

Yesterday I had a dating ultrasound.

I got to see the heart beat (at 176 beats per minute, which apparently is right as it should be for such a wee one).

I also got to see just how huge my bladder can look when at full capacity (they make you drink 32 oz of water an hour before, so you can imagine just what I mean).

Finally the tech measured our littlest one and said that as of yesterday we are 8 weeks and 2 days along in the process.

That means that as of today we have 221 days until the due date, April 5th, 2009.
That is 31 weeks and 4 days, or just over 7 months to go.

Stay tuned. A pool will begin shortly after we have had time to make up the rules, etc.

Chemo

So my mom saw the Oncologist last week (a chemotherapy doctor) and then a day later, met with an Oncology surgeon, and two days after that a radiation doc.

They almost certainly won't be able to do surgery, because the tumor has completely (like 360 degrees around) encased the major vein running through her pancreas.

However, they are hoping that chemotherapy will be able to shrink the tumor. Chemo starts tomorrow and will be every Friday for 3 weeks in a row. After the 3 weeks are done they will do another CT to see if the cancer has responded even minimally.

If it does then they will start radiation together with more chemo. This will make my mom REALLY REALLY REALLY sick. However, if they can't do the radiation then the options from there are extremely limited.

Please pray that the cancer shrinks in the coming weeks, so that they can do radiation. Also, pray for my mom's strength and peace to continue. And pray for strength and peace for my dad as well. It is tough on everyone, but they are carrying the biggest load.

Please, pray for wisdom too for the doctors as they make their decisions.

Vermont

Vermont is way prettier than I imagined. Lots and lots of green. And gorgeous rivers that have just enough white water to know they're moving, but not enough to make you think to get a raft and go for a ride. Bob Ross would have had a field day with the inspiration from that place.

Fun trip. Bit hard due to back issues and not some of the best paved roads in the country, but we still did have a great time.

Hit the Vermont Teddy Bear factory. Very cool. Each of the girls got one of the smaller (read: not crazy expensive) teddy bears from Ma and Pa. Lizzie named hers Heart. Ellie named hers Mine. Yep. :-)

Then we hit the Ben and Jerry's factory. Super impressed. The Flavor Graveyard behind the factory was hilarious. And the free sample of Cake Batter ice cream was very tasty and über rich. I don't think I could handle much more than that little sample size.

This morning we ate at the Farmer's Diner. From their mission statement:

The concept behind The Farmers Diner is simple. We are shortening the road from the farm field to the diner plate. The current commercial food system is a mess. The Farmers Diner follows a simple design: buy great ingredients directly from area farmers and prepare great meals for local customers. Vermonters should eat Vermont raised foods-this creates security and health-healthy economies, healthy communities, healthy bodies.

And boy does it taste fresh. You walk in and they've got a map where each of the products come from (eggs come from this farm, nuts/granola come from this farm, etc.). Each individual item didn't necessarily stick out as "Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" (well, the pancakes we're really good), but put together, the best breakfast I've had.

And we're all glad to be back at home. In our own beds. Well, for the time being. Steph and I bought a new bed today. See: my back issues and Steph's pregnancy. :-)

Why Not?

So last night I was feeling particularly frustrated with the world of merchandise and all things marketed.

Frustrations like, why don't they have a hybrid minivan, but they have hybrid SUVs? Do families with kids not want to conserve and save on gas too?

I interrupt this post to warn you that the following comments are for women only.

I repeat, women only.

I cannot be held responsible for making any gentlemen feel awkward.

You have been warned.

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Anyhow, the biggest frustration of all was with the bra industry. The only lament I have about having another little one, is the nursing bra frustration.
I cannot for the life of me find nursing bras that make it through even one child, much less 2, 3, or 4!
Why do companies like Victoria Secret not create a good nursing bra? They could even call it the Mommy Line. I hate that my options are $60 bras online (that I have to hope fit) or $15-30 bras from a maternity store, that will need to be replaced in a few months time.
Do any of you experienced mommies out there, have a better source for a good quality, but not outrageously expensive, nursing bra? If so, please let me know in the next few months, so that I can look into it before I have to get desperate and go with one of my other options.

It's A Boy!

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Did anyone seriously believe that I somehow knew at 7 weeks (yes that is all) what we are having?

Anyhow, as the mother of two beautiful little girls, it has been interesting, telling people about the expectation of the new arrival (March 29th, though seriously does anyone ever have their baby on their due date, I mean really, the likelihood of me giving birth on March 29 is about the same as me having twins...).

(random fact: 5% of women give birth on their due date, 3.125% of births are twins)


So, telling people about our little one that is coming March-ish, I have found people's responses to be unexpected. Since this was our third go at sharing "the news", I figured it would have become almost routine, but I guess there is nothing routine about a new life.

(Background, we decided to tell people as soon as we found out which means we are less than 2 months in, and still in the unstable-ness of the first trimester)

People have of course been excited, but the responses have ranged from the non-verbal awkward silent pauses to strange prophetic declarations.

There have been two particular responses which have surprised me the most.

The first is the unbelievable number of people who are surprised we didn't wait until the 2nd trimester, when we are out of "danger", to tell anyone. Seriously people, am I the only person on the planet that thinks that it isn't a bad thing to share my joy with others as soon as I find out, even if it means later sharing my pain with everyone as well?

I want people to know! And especially during the time when our little one is most vulnerable and needs the most prayer, I want people to pray with us for his/her health. I want people to rejoice with us as we rejoice. Likewise, I hope that if we did lose our little one during this sensitive time, those same people would be able to weep with us, feeling in some way a bit of our pain, as they have rejoiced beside us already.

(Another fact: 25% of pregnancies are miscarried before the 6th week and 8% are miscarried after the 6th week)

I understand that many miscarriages happen even before the woman knows she is with child, and I can't even imagine those emotions. I also understand that for some, telling only a handful of people feels safer, so as to have the support, but not all the questions and potentially having to retell the same difficult story again and again.

And maybe that is the difference. As difficult a story to tell as losing a child could be, I believe in the benefit of all those potential prayers. And I believe that for me having people genuinely want to help me through a difficult time of mourning would be such an encouragement.

I felt the fear and pain of almost losing Lizzie and cannot express to you, even now, just how much the encouragement of the multitudes of believers and nonbelievers meant to me. And though I don't pretend to know the pain of losing a child, I am almost certain I would continue to pull from the encouragement of others, to pick me up again.

All that to say, if you think us foolish for sharing our joy, you are not alone :-) And although it (obviously) bothers me that people look at me as a fool, I will continue to try and understand your points of view, while I stand firm in our decision to tell the world of our joy.

So, the second, and much more lighthearted response that has surprised me. I have already had a number of people immediately proclaim, "You are having a boy!"

Though I believe in the gift of prophecy (a subject for another post), I am not sure these declarations count as truly prophetic, and so they act as good entertainment for the most part. I am not dismissing them, but realizing that as a mother of 2 girls, people assume we want a boy and could easily lean that direction.

When late into my pregnancy with Ellie (I think about a week before she was born) I had a lady randomly approach me at the mall. She reached out to touch my extremely protruding belly and in her best English told me in seriousness and complete self-assurance that I was having a boy. I quickly explained we had had two ultrasounds that said we were having a girl. She looked at me with a face that said "I'm not kidding" and firm exclaimed, "They were wrong, it is a boy."(or something to that effect). That moment made me pause and think that maybe I was having a boy, so much so that I was a bit surprised when Eliana came out.

Now, I know that until the little one comes out, you never really know what you will have.


Thank you everyone for your responses, as expected or unexpectedly as they have been. It has been great fun to take them all in :-)

Looking Ahead With Joy to My Morning

An old one, but much needed:

"I'm trading my sorrow
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning"

Thanks Darrell Evans for being used by God to encourage me this morning.

Numero Tres

Bit of good news to brighten your day.

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Steph's pregnant.

:-)

Let's Talk About the Weather

It is pouring outside...again.

This Summer has been a shock to my system physically and metaphorically.
I love a good storm. Something to jolt me to life again and remind me that God is in control. The huge booming clap of thunder that shakes your seat and makes you feel small in a good way. The light show that outdoes any fireworks display no matter which side of the Mississippi you are on...awesome. The rain that comes down in sheets of white, taking once parched land, and creating a mud puddle in seconds.

What I don't love, is when that storm turns into a never-ending drowning of life, that leaves you doing the doggy paddle to keep your head above water. I don't love the way nothing ever is fully dry. Or the way that people lose their awe for the insane noise that rattles them physically, and go on as if they are ignoring the power of God Himself. Or how people (myself included)lament the impending storm as, "another storm".

The weather this summer has been the later...and so has life.

It started to pour a couple of weeks ago. My mom was here for a visit from Washington State and we had been enjoying our time, but she was feeling even more poorly than she had apparently been at home (I will spare you the details). Finally two weeks ago this Tuesday, we decided it couldn't wait for her return home 2 days later, because now she was jaundice. We made lots of calls and eventually decided the ER was our only option.

We did the usual waiting to be called, sitting in a room, waiting some more, blood tests, x-ray... By late that evening (probably near midnight) they were thinking Hepatitis A. To be sure they decided to keep her overnight and do a CAT scan in the morning. This didn't sit well with my very young 49 year old mother, who hadn't been to the hospital since my brother was born in 1986. However, she graciously agreed to endure the evening stay in a hospital on the other side of the country just over a day before she was supposed to return home.

The next morning they took a very long amount of time to do all the testing they could. That afternoon the doctor came in and let us know that is was definitely not Hepatitis A, but that there was something blocking the common bile duct (the tubing that connects the pancreas, gall bladder, liver and small intestines), hence the turning yellow all over. Unfortunately they couldn't do anything else at this hospital (Beverly Hospital), and would have to arrange for her to be transferred by ambulance over to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Of course that night there was a severe storm that contained tornadoes and was heading towards us, so the ambulance got caught in awful traffic, meaning we didn't get to her new hospital home away from home until 8pm that night. Since it was clear that she would not make her return flight we canceled it with hopes of rescheduling in a couple of days.

That night the new hospital redid every last test that had already been done, meaning we slept very little, because every time we dosed off someone else came in to draw blood, put stickers all over her for EEG or take her to another location for an X-ray or CAT scan. She wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything, but at one point they did make her drink 32 oz. (an entire nalgene) of milk for the CAT scan :-)


The next day we waited. I went home and got things together, while mom tried to sleep and that evening had an Endoscopy done to insert a stent (this was a plastic stent to allow things to flow through the duct, so that her body could get rid of the excess bilirubin that was causing the jaundice).

The next morning I returned to find that they had hoped to do another Endoscopy that day (Friday), this time to take a biopsy (since they were only able to take a scraping in the first procedure). Unfortunately there was no room to squeeze her in that day, so they had to wait for Tuesday. Since she was not jaundice anymore, and was seemingly healthy they sent her home with me, to be brought back the next week for her biopsy. While this was taking place, my dad was on an airplane heading out now that we knew mom would be here for at least a few more days.

We spent the weekend, plus Monday, sightseeing to keep our minds busy. Tuesday we headed into the City again, this time my parents, the girls and I (Allen started class on the Monday). Her 12:30pm scheduled procedure didn't happen until close to 4pm. We were there all day waiting. The procedure didn't take more than an hour and she did great. The doctors that did it came by to talk to my parents and used the big "C" word...CANCER. The words we dreaded.

We then spent the next couple of days trying to do even more sightseeing to keep our minds even busier than we had before. Her consultation to go over the official results, with her doctor, was Friday morning. Dr. Vollmer confirmed the hunch of the previous doctors, and said that the tumor could not be removed, due to its location. The cancer attached itself to a very important vein, meaning it is far more risky to try to take it out, than to simply leave it.

My parents got on a plane to go home that afternoon. This week they have the task of maneuvering their way through Kaiser's web of people you have to see before you get anything done. Hopefully soon mom will meet with a skilled Oncologist who can explain the options and time frames.

We know she is in His hands. The Creator. The Roar behind the thunder. The Light beyond anything we could imagine.

Pray.

Pray.

And Pray some more.

A Father's Love

Yesterday was vacuum day here at the Hutchison Apartment. I was busily pushing the vacuum across the floor when low and behold a heart (one of the girls alphabet toys with the word heart embroidered on it, very neat toys I might add, Anyhow), it was on the floor where I needed to vacuum so Allen thoughtfully grabbed it and said, "Here is my heart".



Being from a family of quick wit and all the sass to go with, I thought to respond, no actually it isn't yours to give, it is Lizzie's. Of course, with the vacuuming I chose not to, but as I continued my way through the apartment I thought about the implications of that little exchange.

The truth is daddy's would love to be able to choose who their daughter's hearts go to, and yet they can't. No matter how they may try to persuade, and coerce their lovely daughters to be attracted to the boys of their choosing (whether their little girl is 6 or 36), they have no control. Instead they must wait, and hope and pray that the little girl they watched grow up, will choose for herself as well or better than he can choose for her.



Someday Allen will come to that moment of no longer being able to pick up the heart and hand it to whom he chooses, but instead must release it to another. There will be seas of tears of all types on that blessed day. Until then, we have a huge job ahead teaching our girls to love and be loved as God would have them do.

And to my father,
Thank you for letting go. Being married to Allen has been the biggest blessing of my life. God chose well for me, so thank you for trusting God and me and letting go through your own sea.

I love you Daddy.
Always your little girl,
Steph

Stupid Key Lock

So, I have made an unfortunate habit of letting the girls play with my cell phone occasionally. I have "cleverly" locked it so that they are unable to do anything more than press buttons and sometimes they are able to take a picture or two. Harmless, right?



WRONG!!!!!!


I just received a call from a strange number. When I picked up the very professional male voice, said, "This is Emergency blah blah blah (Note: read blah blahs as Stephanie going into phone shock, mind racing as I process what this means). We received a 9-1-1 call from this phone and wanted to see if you were having an emergency?" (Slight pause as I try to formulate some words to explain my utter foolishness and complete embarrassment).
"Um, No. I am really sorry that was my daughter playing with my phone. I am really sorry."
The conversation ended with some quick parting pleasantries and my mouth hanging low in shock.

So, if you ever are having an emergency, never fear, Lizzie will make the call, key lock or not!

Thinking ahead

For this five minute window, Lizzie wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

Dancing fun

New video goodness. The girls dancing around and playing silly games. :-)

Dancing fun

Videos

We have now posted the Boz video and the Birthday video. Check them out here and here.

Once there just click on the link and it should take you right to the video. Enjoy!

Note: The birthday video is almost 5 minutes in length, so it could take time to load for some of you.

Things Parents Say

Allen:

Do you see what just happened, Lizzie?
Ellie was in the box. You sat on the box. So you sat on Ellie. That's not nice.

Lizzie:

Ohhhh...

Princess Party

Lizzie has been asking to do a Princess party for sometime now, so when her birthday was coming, we knew what the party would be. We ended up inviting a few of Lizzie friends over for crust-less sandwiches, chips, veggies, fruit, gogurt, amazing princess punch (bug my great friend Sarah for the recipe sometime, it is well worth it), and of course cake and ice cream. The cake was beautifully made by another dear friend, Jessica:


can you believe she made it all out of icing!

Anyhow, the party was great, and I think the kids had fun (which is the point). And with the exception of the glitter everywhere, there wasn't much to clean up or fix afterward!



Thanks to everyone who came and made Lizzie's party so special!

Oh, and by the way, Lizzie seems to think that we need another party next week just like it. Hopefully by next week I can get through the idea of a birthday being once a year...maybe I should start by figuring out how to explain how long a year is? Any Ideas????

Gardening Fun

So I started a garden this year, and am pretty please with it over all. I have made errors and killed plants, but over all it is do well.

I should have taken a picture when I first got my plot, so that you could have seen how many weeks and things were in my little section of dirt. But, you all know what weed riddled land looks like!

It started off looking smallish:

Now I have two plots (I needed more room, one of the errors I mentioned earlier): The original plot now

Rescue section of new plot with wild Strawberries and overgrown peas

My overgrown Cilantro (coriander)

Green beans and peas

The true test will be whether anything edible grows on the plants :-)

Hey, does anyone know what to do to rescue tiny squash plants that really didn't like being put so close together, and hated being dug up and replanted to spread them out?

BOZ

So we don't let the girls watch much television or movies, since they are still pretty little, but occasionally we do put in a DVD (usually BOZ or The Princess and the Pauper). Daddy got a shot of the girls starting to watch BOZ this past week.

Boz Dancing

It is pretty fun, though you miss the excitement that took place before the camera was rolling, with Ellie jumping up and down, shaking with anticipation of what was to come.

The 3rd Birthday

Lizzie turned 3 almost a week ago and she had a great time opening gifts, hearing her favorite song (Happy Birthday to Lizzie), and of course eating her favorite foods on her birthday (she picked chicken nuggets and fries with cucumber this year).

The gift opening was quite entertaining, since Lizzie faithfully went through opening each well wrapped gift and ignoring the loud noise next to her. Check it out. First, the link to the YouTube video of it. Then some pics.

Lizzie's 3rd birthday

Lizzie received a helmet and pads from Great-Grandma Sewell and was sporting them along with the bathing suit we got her. Of course also holding her new cell phone and camera (princess) from Auntie Nono.

Spring Came and Went

So the Spring here was quite short (and from what I hear that is normal around here, we have even heard that sometimes it just goes straight from Winter to Summer and virtually skips Spring altogether...anyhow, I digress).

We didn't get a ton of shots, but here are some of the good Spring shots from around campus.

Aloha From Auntie Nano (or Nono depending on the Day)

So my sister Lissa went to Hawaii recently and sent us a "wish-you-were-there-here's-a-taste-of-what-I-saw" package. It was really very sweet of her. There was banana macadamia nut pancake mix, coconut syrup, some chocolate (very addicting macadamia nut chocolate, not to be eaten when watching your weight), and of course for the girls:


Thanks Auntie, what would we do without grass skirts and coconut bras!

Catch-Up Time

So, we haven't uploaded pictures in awhile and now finally sat down to load Lizzie's Birthday pictures, only to discover a plethora of pictures from the beginning of Spring through yesterday. Bear with us while we blog, blog again, and blog some more, but we have a lot to share and finally have some time to do it!



Isn't this sweet picture of Lizzie loving on her little sissy great?! She was instructing her on how to go about pretending to cook.

Where's your line?

I'm posting it, but Steph came up with this question:

At what point are you done with a bag of potato chips?

1. No more whole chips
2. No more half chips
3. No more quarter chips
4. Handful of crumbs
5. Shaking the bag into your mouth
6. Licking your finger to press against the inside of the bag

Shameless Plugs

Another baby-wearing contest

Go here to enter yourself.

Jesus Loves Me

Lizzie has always taken to the song, ‘Jesus loves me.’ We sing it often in this house. It holds a special place in my heart because I would sing the Scarborough girls to sleep with it when I babysat them. In the last week, Lizzie has gotten better about singing along with us. Even getting the rhythm and starting to put the words in the right place.

Tonight, Ellie was having a rough night getting to sleep. So while Ellie was getting changed, Lizzie wanted to help. So Mommy asked her to sing to her little sister. She started singing ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ By herself. Getting the notes just about right and getting the words close enough. I nearly started crying on the spot.

3

Lizzie turned 3 today! Yeah! She is really enjoying her new age, from a big girl bed, to a helmet to practice riding bikes with the other big kids, to having fun playing with all of her books and princess toys that she received from all of you!
Thanks to everyone who made Lizzie's day so special.

It is a wonderful thing to see your little girl so full of joy and pride in who she has become.

Summer 1 done.

Turned in my paper today. Time off for over a month. I'm going to go get a full night's sleep for the first time in I don't know how long.

Credit Card

Need your input here folks. The question is at the bottom.

We put everything on our credit card and pay it off every month. And we reap the benefits. We have a State Farm credit card that accumlates State Farm Dollars. Which we then turn around and use to pay our renter’s and car insurance. It’s worked great thus far. Few minor issues here and there, but overall, pleased with the service. But, State Farm has always been behind the times when it comes to online options for interacting with your credit card (viewing reports, posting things in a timely manner, payment options). They just switched to a new system… and somewhere in the mix up of old and new system the almost $1000 bill for this month just got paid… TWICE.

TURNS OUT. I am an idiot.

I set up the payment twice. Once under the old system and once under the new system. Turns out there was a way to see the old system, I just didn’t look very hard. This was my fault. The guy on the phone wasn’t up to par, but I almost put him in a bad spot. So, my apologies to State Farm.

Don’t know if we’ll switch or not now, but I’m still curious…

What credit card(s) do you use? What perk(s) do they have?

p.p.s My dad has wisely said: “Son, it’s not that you mess up. Everyone does. It’s how you respond to your mess up that matters.” That’s the deciding factor in customer service for me. I’m still not thrilled with how the guy handled the situation, but in all fairness it was my fault. So, there you go. My bad State Farm. My bad.

Massachusetts

So for sometime now Lizzie has repeated the word Massachusetts at very random times. I have again and again tried to explain what a state is, but to an almost 3 year old the concept is difficult at best. I realized as of late that she must have some idea in her mind of what Massachusetts is or she wouldn't say it as often as she does.

I finally figured it out today when Lizzie came up to me, right hand out, waiting for me to offer my hand to her, as if we were making a hard fast deal. Then, as I grasped her hand, she said with great confidence, "Massachusetts!" It clicked. I responded in kind, "Nice to meet you!"

Apparently she learned the name of our state at the same time she learned formal greetings and has been confused ever since.

So for those I have yet to meet who may read this, "Massachusetts!"



Another cute Lizzie side note, today we played a game common around here, Doctor. Lizzie instructed Allen to be the doctor and her the patient. At the end of her "check-up" she said, "and now you give me candy!" Apparently she has learned that all doctors give candy at the end of a visit, which has been true for her! :-)