Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease

My little family doesn't get sick very often.  So when they do get sick, our lives are literally turned upside down.  Even though I'm a nurse, I just can't get used to illnesses in my home--especially when I am the one with the illness.  What good does it do anyone when the nurse is sick?

Well, for the last 2 weeks, my little family has been fighting off the Hand, Foot, & Mouth virus (not the same thing as foot and mouth disease).  Hand, foot & mouth is a nasty little virus that starts out as a 24 hour high fever and evolves into a rash that can manifest itself on the extremities, the mouth, the face, the nose, the diaper area, etc.  It's painful.  It's nasty.  It makes you look like you have some form of the plague.  And best of all, the virus can last anywhere from 7-10 days!  Yuck.

Supposedly it's very rare for adults to contract hand, foot & mouth disease, because most of us have been exposed to the virus in childhood.  I never dreamed that a week after both boys came down with the virus that I would get sick.  Unfortunately, I was the exception to the rule that few adults contract the virus, because I had the full-blown experience.  And I thought morning sickness couldn't get any worse...

Anyway, if you are ever lucky enough to experience hand, foot & mouth, here are some tips from the nurse:

1) Have some Tylenol on hand to fight the high fever.
2) Get some Hydrocortisone cream for the rash.
3) Don't put your child in the bathtub with the rash, because heat makes the rash flare up and hurts really badly!
4) Stay out of the sun with the rash.
5) Don't apply lotions and creams liberally to the rash, because they sting.
6) Stay home!!!--The disease is very contagious (as many parents at our church have discovered.)

Hopefully you will all have a disease free spring.  But if you do experience your own little epidemic, just remember that this too shall pass!!!

Pregnancy Dreamin'

So I had this dream that I could finally have a "classy" and "enjoyable" pregnancy now that I'm not in school and am not working full-time.  I figured that being pregnant in the spring/summer/fall would give me the opportunity to wear cute maternity ensembles.  I thought that during this pregnancy I would have the time to follow all the rules and eat all the right snacks.  And I dreamed that I could do all this while sitting on my back porch watching my toddlers run around the back yard.

Unfortunately, I'm discovering that this pipe dream is never going to be my reality.  Instead of being fashionably "with child," I'm well on my way to looking like a pregnant Jessica Simpson's twin sister.   Instead of enjoying healthy foods, I'm eating whatever doesn't make me sick.  And instead of enjoying my afternoons with my kiddos on the porch, I'm actually spending most afternoons curled up in my bed praying that my children don't do anything crazy while I nap and fight through my nausea.

And of course, I don't even look remotely cute in my maternity clothes.  There's nothing fashionable or cute about being short and pregnant.  Even the cutest dresses make me look like I'm either wearing a tent or am wearing something made to fit a girl 2x smaller than me.  It's very frustrating, and also expensive.

I've always heard people say that "every pregnancy is different" and that you never know what to expect.  But the truth is that every subsequent pregnancy is partly predictable--if you were sick with the first one, don't expect to feel great with the next one; if you gained lots of weight with the first 2, you can bet you'll gain that much again; and if you couldn't eat something with the previous pregnancies, don't kid yourself into thinking that you're over whatever made you sick the first few times around.  The bottom line is that pregnancy is this amazing miraculous time where this little life is growing inside of you.  But it's also a 10 month period where you can expect to feel lousy and fat. 

Thank goodness there is a light at the end of my day-to-day survival period.  In only a matter of months, I'll get to hold my newest bundle of fun and joy.  And as is always the case, when that day comes, I'm sure I'll forget about all my shattered pregnancy dreams. 

Big News

I am fully aware of the fact that my blogging this spring has declined.  Initially it was because I was studying for the Bar exam, but then we had some other life-altering things going on in our lives.  So today, I'm finally going to share my big news with everyone.

For starters, the Texas Board of Law Examiners posted their pass list yesterday.  By the grace of God, my name was on the list.  It turned out that this must have been one of the more difficult exams, because the pass rate was only 65% as compared to other recent exams with pass rates in the high 70's or 80's.  But at least it's over.  I plan on attending the Dallas swearing-in ceremony on May 30, and then I can officially adopt the credentials of Esquire (although I prefer the sound of Nurse Attorney).  So officially, as of today, my 6 year trek of trying to become a licensed attorney is essentially over.  And my law license will forever hold today's date.  Talk about a weight off of my shoulders.

Now I can focus on my other life-altering news--the future birth of my 3rd child!  That's right, we're expecting baby #3 to join us in November.  And based on the way I feel right now, November can't come soon enough. 

My blogging, housekeeping, work, and every other thing in my life has pretty much been on hold as a result of my morning sickness and constant nausea.  I've spent the better part of the last few weeks in my bed praying that time would fly.  But as much as a I want to complain, I really can't.  I'm actually looking forward to a new baby, and I'm thoroughly enjoying letting my little toddlers take care of their mommy.  (My 3 year old actually mopped the floor for me today!) 

I will warn you that I'm not really into pregnancy photos, so don't expect a photo diary of my weekly progress.  Just know that I'm gaining weight, will probably start swelling as a result of the Texas heat in a few months, and am already looking forward to the day in December when I'll be able to slip into my pre-baby jeans!  And yes, later this summer we will be finding out the gender of our little one.  So stay tuned...  It looks like our little family is on a new adventure this year!  I look forward to sharing it with you.

Spring Favorite

I found the coolest snack drink yesterday.  It's the Dole Smoothie Shaker.  You purchase the plastic smoothie contraption with the frozen whatever inside, add juice, shake it up, and somehow you end up with a fantastic smoothie--like the kind that could rival Jamba Juice.  I have no idea how or why it works, but this is becoming my new favorite spring trend.  After all, they're saying we're going to hit the 90's this week...

Big Girls Like Tea Parties Too

 
So technically, I didn't officially celebrate National Princess Week last week.  But I did attend a large (and lovely) tea party.  The ladies at my church threw a rather lavish party on Saturday morning and invited a special guest to lead worship and share from her heart during our party.  It was fantastic!

Each table at our event was sponsored by a woman in the church who apparently got the memo that this was a very Southern event.  The room was covered in china and bling!  Each table had it's own flashy china pattern with matching tea pots and fine cutlery.  And of course there were flowers EVERYWHERE.  Not only that, but there were silk flowers, pictures of flowers, curtains with flowers, and flower, flowers,  more flowers!  I'm telling you this event was sooooo Southern.  To top it off, our menu came directly from Southern Living Magazine.  Yummy!  (Unfortunately, it never crossed my mind to take pictures).

The amazing thing about this event was the fact that it reflected the multi-generational population of our new church. At my table, we had a woman from every life stage--a grandmother, a mom of college/high school kids, a mom of elementary/middle schoolkids, a toddler mom, an expectant mom, a newlywed, and a mother who was cracking us up telling us how nervous she was about her oldest child's upcoming nuptials.  It was so fun to share a morning with what seemed like a random group of women.  But it wasn't random at all.  We may not have known each other well, but we all found ways that our lives connected.  And I know that I was encouraged by my new friends.

Historically, I've been a little hesitant to attend ladies' functions. But I was reminded this weekend how refreshing fellowship can be when we share our lives with other Christian women who are filled with the love of Jesus! 

A Girl Can Dream...

I hope you're having a dreamy week filled with cupcakes, tea parties, long silk dresses, and Prince Charmings.  Oh, did I forget to mention that it's National Princess Week?  We don't actually celebrate this week at our home (I mean, muddy back porches, trains, and dump trucks really don't mesh with princesses).  As a girl, I can only dream about how much fun this week could be for a mommy and her little girl or an aunt and her nieces.  (I'm really hoping that my brother will give me a niece!) 

Anyway, for all of you women out there, I hope that you get a few hours this week to be a princess.  Watch the Princess Diaries, The Princess Bride, or Sleeping Beauty and enjoy being a girl this week.  And may you all live happily ever after!

The Mommy Wars are Still Raging!

I think I almost fell off my bed yesterday morning while watching the news when I heard what a famous Democrat said about Ann Romney.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you really need to watch the news--it was everywhere yesterday.)  Anyway, this lady said that Mrs. Romney has no business telling her husband how women feel about the economy since Mrs. Romney never worked a day in her life.  Thus, inferring that women who stay at home with their children don't have a clue about the economy.  Oh Puleeeeze!

As a stay-at-home mom, I am most definitely in touch with the economy.  I may not go to the office everyday, but I don't live in a bubble.  I buy groceries.  I get gas.  I know how expensive it would be to send my children to day care, preschools or private school.  I write the checks to pay our medical bills.  I go to the pharmacy and buy our medication. I decide whether I can afford to get my child an Easter outfit.  I decide whether I can afford to sign him up for museum school.  Trust me, being a stay-at-home mom definitely qualifies me to have an opinion on the economy.  After all, my family income is significantly less than it would be if I didn't stay home.  I live in the economy every day.

I don't understand why working women have such a problem with stay-at-home moms.  And on the same note, I don't understand why many stay-at-home mommies seem to have a grudge against working moms.  As a hybrid--working mom who stays home all day, I get to experience the best and worst of both lifestyle choices.  Regardless of what a woman chooses, her decision isn't easy and she'll always wonder what life would be like on the other side of the fence.  And for those of us in the middle, straddling the fence is tricky.  You have no idea how hard it is for me to explain to other mommies why play dates don't fit well into my schedule while also explaining to my co-workers why it's really hard for me to drop everything for unscheduled meetings in the office.   Being a mom is hard in general.  Let's stop making harder on each other.

It is my experience that being a stay-at-home mom doesn't mean that you're a dummy.  After all, I've met some very brilliant professionals who have given up careers to take on the challenge of running their homes.  I've also met some uneducated, yet creative mommies who could have been amazingly successful "in the real world" but chose to express their creativity in the home.  All of these women have something to contribute to society.  We all have opinions and experiences that we can use to teach each other.  So let's not decide a woman's worth based upon whether or not she gets a paycheck.  After all, as Hilary Rosen proved herself yesterday, some women who get paychecks would be better off keeping their uneducated opinions to themselves!

The Easter Egg Hunt

 

Maybe I'm a bad mother.  Maybe I'm extremely lazy.  Or maybe I really didn't want to tread through the grass at church in my 3 inch heels on Sunday, but I actually really wanted it to rain on Sunday so we could avoid the church Easter Egg Hunt.

On Good Friday, we had a cute little Easter party with some friends, and we had a nice egg hunt in their backyard.  This "practice" egg hunt was very educational for me.  For one thing, I discovered that my youngest child could care less about picking up eggs.  He loved his basket.  He loved the cookies at the party.  And he really loved my friend's dog.  But what you can't see in the above photos, is that his basket is empty.  His loyal older brother had to pick up extra eggs to share.  The Friday party was perfect the guys.  The kiddos were all cute and sweet, and there were no "big kids" to spoil the fun.

But then Sunday rolled around.  It was nasty outside and it occurred to me that rain might spoil the church egg hunt.  To be honest, that was fine with me.  I had visions of my shoes sinking into the ground and getting stuck.  I had visions of my youngest having an empty basket and crying.  And I had visions of my oldest child getting pushed around by eager "big kids."  My sweet little boys aren't quite old enough (or mean enough) to hang with the big kids in an egg hunt.  And I worried about this all through church.

Then I heard it.  At first it was a light patter on the church roof.  But by the end of the service, it was practically monsooning outside.  It was perfect!  Yeah for rain!

And then some smart person announced that the annual egg hunt had been moved to the youth building!  Can you imagine a hundred children running around the old sanctuary chasing eggs?  The thought of it gave me a migraine.  That said, it did cross my mind that I might be a bad parent if I pretended that the egg hunt was off for good.  I couldn't lie to my boys.  So Dear Husband and I crafted a plan.

When we picked our oldest up from his Sunday School class we asked him if he would rather go get his Easter basket from Grandma's house or go pick up eggs.  Much to our relief, he wanted to go to Grandma's.  And that's where we went.

So yes.  I skipped the church egg hunt this year.  Maybe I'm a bad parent.  Maybe I don't like other people's kids pushing around my kids.  Or maybe one egg hunt is plenty for the year.  The good news is that at this point, my boys haven't even asked about Easter eggs.  And of course, my high heels still look good.

Have a Blessed Easter!

I serve a risen Saviour; He's in the world today.

I know that He is living, whatever men may say.

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He's always near.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,

And though my heart grows weary I never will despair.

I know that He is leading, thro' all the stormy blast;

The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian! Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!

The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,

None other is so loving, so good and kind. 

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

A Bitter Heart Can't Forgive

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:30-32

Have you ever noticed yourself grimace when another person mentions someone else's name.  Come on, don't we all have "that person" in our past who has damaged us in some way?  Haven't we all been the brunt of "that person's" cruel jokes?  Or haven't we all been the victim of "that person's" gossip? 

The other day someone mentioned "that person's" name and I remember rolling my eyes when I heard this name.  I'm so over this person's hurtful behavior.  OR AM I?  It occurred to me that if I have truly forgiven this person, then hearing their name should not elicit a moan from my inner brain or an eye roll.  For the record, "that person" could actually be any one of a handful of people from my past.

It's possible that I'm no longer angry with said persons, but I might be harboring some bitterness towards them.  If that's the case, then I haven't really forgiven these people.  I have been so proud of myself for not retaliating against these people over the years and for "taking the high road."  But it never occurred to me that true forgiveness DOES NOT go hand in hand with bitterness.  I guess I haven't really forgiven these people.

I've had to do some reevaluating this week as I've meditated on Ephesians 4.  I've been called to forgive others in the same way that God has forgiven me.  And forgiveness includes getting rid of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice.  God has called me to do more than just ignore the sin and not retaliate.  He's called me to let it go and to forgive unconditionally. 

It may not be easy to "put on" this forgiveness.  But in Christ, I have been given a new self created in the likeness of God, created in righteousness and holiness of the truth (v.24).  I have been given the Holy Spirit, which enables me to forgive in this unhumanlike way described in Ephesians 4. 

Oh how freeing it is to let go of that bitter taste in my heart and to freely forgive.  And how convicting is it to realize that God has forgiven me for so much more.