A Finished Project

I actually completed a project from start to finish! I saw these hand-print canvases in a catalog a few weeks ago and thought we could do some of our own for the kids' bathroom. I managed to get them done this week (with some help from Steven on his off day) and they are up! Grady's was a wee bit hard to do, but I think they turned out well. You can probably tell which one is his. We also hung the growth chart that my very talented sister-in-law painted a month ago (picture to come soon). Now the bathroom is complete!



Speaking of the little guy, he is taking 4-5 steps at a time. He is really cruising along walls and furniture (and checking out all the cabinets). He likes to say "Haaaayy" and wave at the same time. He still has a pretty yucky nose, but we are doing the whole head of bed elevated-saline nose drops-humidifier routine, and that seems to be keeping him comfortable. Elle is doing better too. We're continuing the nebulizer treatments but her lungs sound much clearer. Hopefully, we will be a well household before next Saturday when we set out on our beach vacation week!

The Moose of the Mist

Why in the world you have to have a prescription for an AeroChamber I do not know. It is a small tube with a mask connected so that children can get all the benefits of an inhaler without having to use just their mouths. I waited for 2 hours to get this called in yesterday while Elle sat on the couch using more and more effort with every breath. I don't fault the pediatrician's office. I'm sure they did the best they could to get it called in (because I had to leave a message, twice, on the nurses' line) as fast as possible. During these two hours, I am thinking about how I left her AeroChamber at my mom's because it was bulky, my suitcase was overweight and I had to take some stuff out. Mom was going to mail a few things the next week, and I planned to tell her to put it in the package. I forgot. Had I remembered, we would not be in this mess with Elle struggling to breath. The tight wad in me was also thinking that here was another $60 that could have been saved if I would have brought the stinking thing home with me. Thankfully, my sweet husband ran to pick it up as soon as it was called in so I didn't have to drag the kids there and Elle could get the medicine that much faster.

The afternoon progressed and the inhaler didn't seem to be relieving the wheezing and other various noises in her lungs as much as it should. I called the doctor's office for the third time and we were off to rent or buy a nebulizer then to Wal-Mart (again) for the nebulizer medication. The guy at the medical supply place asks if insurance will be covering this. I reply, "That would be nice, but we haven't met the deductible." To which, he replies, "I can get you a good deal." A good deal? What does that mean? Isn't there just a flat rate to rent a nebulizer? He made it sound like since it wouldn't be on insurance, I was in for a sweet deal. Maybe this is why you need a prescription for an AeroChamber. Apparently, somebody is very creative and is using these things for that which they shouldn't. Who knew?

We begin the nebulizer treatments as soon as we get home (5:15 PM). After a small dinner, Elle seems to get worse and is laying on the couch, almost listless. Around 6:30 PM, Steven gets home. Elle is running a little fever so I take her in to the kitchen to get some ibuprofen. I am trying to get her to take it--she is refusing. "Elle, you have to take this so you will get better." She is becoming so mad that she is shaking and acts like she's going to hit me (she's NEVER done this). "Elle, you can either drink it or I'm going to get a syringe and put it in your mouth." I do this and am holding her because she's crying and very upset. Thirty seconds later, we are all bathed in throw-up. Nice. Now I understand why she didn't want to take the medicine.

She made it through the night and is doing a little bit better. She really slept well and didn't wake up except when we came in there every three hours and turned on the loud, humming machine and stuck the mouthpiece in her mouth for 10 minutes. She still has a bad cough and some sounds from her lungs, but her overall disposition is definitely improved. She does great with the treatments as she pretends to be Tyrone (from the Backyardigans) when he was the moose of the mist in one episode. But as usual, we have passed germs around. Grady, with the exception of one 4 hour stretch, woke up about every 30 minutes to an hour. He's just got a runny nose (which is how it always starts) and seems to be fine otherwise. We shall see how these particular germs progress.

So we are in sick mode. I had my last dental appt this morning (Steven took the day off) to get the permanent crowns put on. And what sent me in to sick mode was that my bill today was $596, which puts my total at $1601, not $1454 like I originally thought. What's $150 more, right?

Pool Time--HA!

There is nothing better than getting all geared up for the pool with two children 3 and under. Especially when you only have about an hour before nap time and your husband really wants to enjoy a few minutes at the pool for Father's Day. First, Elle goes potty, gets lathered up with sunscreen, then we put the suit on and get the hair pulled back. Next, we fight with Grady to lay still for thrity seconds so we can put on a swim diaper, diaper cover, sun shirt and this is only after we have covered him in sunscreen. We manage to get all the gear in to the car: towels, swimmies, float vest, baby float, sunscreen, sunglasses, sun hats, pool key. I throw on my suit and cover up. We take the two minute drive down to our pool only to find out that the pool is CLOSED! It is 12:09 PM on Sunday and the pool opens at 1:00 PM on Sundays. That would have been a nice bit of information to remember before we got "ready" to go to the pool. Steven is hitting golf balls right now at the range (which is a rare treat for him these days), so he's recovering fine from the shock of the pool being closed.

On a side note, does anyone know how to remove about $1.48 in change from a car CD player? Elle thought that would be a fun game yesterday. Mommy did not agree.

The Belated Birthday Post

I decided to read some of my journal from Kazakhstan last night before bed.
**Side note: This was before the cricket either in our room or right outside our door thought he would sing us an amazingly annoying and monotonous lullaby. At first it was just, "What's that noise?" "I think it's just the ceiling fan." Steven, who cannot stand noises like that, creeps around in the room until he decides it is, in fact, a cricket. I was so close to sleep but now that it's been brought to my attention, all I can hear is this stinking cricket. Steven eventually gets up, gets a flashlight and proceeds to go out back and stomp around near the house. The noise stops. But you all know what happens here. Just as he gets back in the bed, Mr. Chirper starts again. I think by this point (probably 11:30 PM), I was so tired, that it did turn in to a lullaby...

Back to the journal. Here are a few excerpts from the entries I read: (A little background before you read--I had a miscarriage back in January 2004 when every one of my friends were pregnant or getting pregnant or already having babies and I was getting ready to go overseas. I was due in September 2004.)

July 24, 2004
"It was hard for me to hear and be happy for them (finding out some more friends were pregnant). It's been tough for about a year now and especially since the miscarriage. One minute I want children so badly and the next, I'm so overwhelmingly scared at the reality of it all. I'm fearful too, that we'll never have healthy children."

August 7, 2004
"Been thinking a lot lately about the pregnancy and baby and miscarriage. Don't know if it's because it's getting close to September or what."

September 16, 2004
"Today was my due date. It's hard to believe it's been almost 8 months since the miscarriage. It's neat to see how the Lord has been moving in Steven's heart and also in mine."

October 4, 2004
"Well, we took another test yesterday and there were 2 lines! We're pretty sure we are pregnant. I'm so amazed at the Lord's goodness to me and His answers to my prayers. I am very excited and don't feel doubtful like I thought I would."
I share all of this because that miracle is now three years old and I am reminded of God's grace and goodness to me every time I look at her face. We celebrated her birthday on May 30th with balloons, streamers, presents, cake and ice cream, chocolate chip pancakes, and lots of hugs and kisses. The kids and I flew to Jacksonville that afternoon where Mom and Madison picked us up for a week long stay at their house. We got to go to Madison's dance recital, ride the carousel at the mall, have a picnic in the park, and go to several restaurants. We finished it off with a trip to the Jacksonville zoo on Friday before flying home Saturday morning. Sunday, we had Elle's birthday party at Recreation Station. Two of her friends (and their parents) joined us for some jumping fun and dinner afterwards. I will say that the dads certainly had their fair share of fun in the arcade:).






It has been a busy week. Elle had her 3 year old check-up on Tuesday. After two hours, I left the office with two screaming babies, as both of them had to get their fingers pricked. They like to save the best for last, don't they? The nurse did Grady's before Elle's which was a huge mistake. Elle was not about to offer her hand to go through whatever misery Grady just endured. And there was no consoling them after the torture. Not stickers, food, nothing. And to top it all off, I am fairly certain that Grady ate his Tasmanian devil band-aid. In the chaos of trying to get home, get a suitable lunch fixed (I think we had cereal?!) and get the kids down for their naps, the band-aid was nowhere to be found. And when I thought back, there was a small moment when I noticed Grady chewing on something, but I didn't do my usual finger sweep (which I do at least 5 times a day!). I guess a band-aid is better than say, a coin? The next day, I was able to go endure a little bit of torture myself with an early morning root canal. I am in the process of having two crowns and knew I needed to have a root canal before they put the permanent crowns on. So, yes, I choose to have the root canal, knowing it was inevitable and wanting to save the precious $979 porcelain to be placed on my teeth next week. The root canal was only $475 so that puts my total dentistry bill (in just under 4 weeks, mind you) at $1454. Did anyone else just lose their breath at the ridiculousness of that total? That's after insurance, in case you were curious.

I've also been trying all week to get some photos loaded on to Shutterfly or Snapfish. I am having trouble with both websites. I don't think it's my computer because all other websites are working. Anyone else having trouble or know of other good photo sharing websites?

I seem to have gotten off on a little tangent. The point of this post was Elle, who is a incredible and amazing 3 year old now. And going back and reading my journal made me realize just all the Lord has done in four years. Five pregnancies, three ending in miscarriage, one D&C, one extremely sick pregnancy (while in KZ with Elle), and one very smooth pregnancy later, I have two beautiful and healthy thumb-loving children.



I'm looking forward to a mostly relaxing Father's Day weekend. We are having a girls' morning tomorrow, doing a little Hobby Lobby shopping and getting her 3 year old pictures made. I really would like to start doing a few posts a week so I don't end up making one as long as this?! Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there!

An overdue update

Grady is now 9 months old (as of the 16th... I'm a little late). We had his check-up about a week ago. He weighed in at 19 pounds 2 ounces and was 27 3/4 inches long. He had a finger stick to check his iron levels. It was just a little low, so he's taking iron daily now. We'll have it rechecked when I take Elle for her check-up in a few weeks. He continues to be a great sleeper, except for the occasional cranky, fussy day (Don't we all have those days?). Both bottom teeth are in and he has begun to spurn baby food. He wants what you are eating and he wants it now! He is cruising like a champ and will even stand for a few seconds without holding on to anything. I'm sure it won't be long and he'll be taking a few steps. He loves anything that makes a loud noise (which is in direct contrast to his sister) and will make a beeline for the vacuum, door stoppers, dust-buster, lawn mower, you name it. The louder and more dangerous, the better. I've almost vacuumed him a time or two?! He gets so excited when his Daddy comes home at night. It's really fun to see. We love our Grady and are so thankful he's with us.

I don't know if you can see that mark beside his nose. You can see it better in the second picture. I did that with my fingernail a few days ago. I was trying to pick him up and just got the wrong angle, I guess. That will make a momma feel pretty bad when she rakes a layer of skin off her baby's face?! You can see his tooth in this one! I know these aren't the best pictures, but they are the best I could do?!

Here's a few pictures of our Memorial Day weekend and other happenings around the Salter household. We replanted our flower pots and put new mulch in the beds over the weekend. We had a backyard slide-into-the-pool party on Sunday and a cookout with our neighbors. On Monday, our neighbors took Elle with them to Oak Mountain for a few hours. Grady and I were able to get out and buy some birthday stuff for Elle. She turns THREE tomorrow--and my sister turns 12--they have the same birthday! We are flying to Mom's for a week tomorrow afternoon but I'll try to post some of our birthday festivities before we leave.

Elle "helping" do yardwork

Lastly, the 2 hour season finale of Lost is tonight. And while I am extremely excited to watch it, I am sad that I will have to wait a whole 6 months or so for new episodes. What am I going to do on Thursday nights?

The Elephant Sleeps

Since I got such overwhelming support in my cry to resume normal sleeping in the Salter household, I thought I would let you all know that it was just a crazy night. She has done great since and hasn't come out of her room except in the morning, past 6:30 AM. What I failed to mention was that Steven and I had gone to a marriage conference over the weekend (which I've been wanting to write about because it was fabulous!) and were gone from Elle more than we have been in the past year. Two sets of grandparents traded babysitting duties, so I think she was just coming down from all that craziness. We do have a bedtime routine with a little brushing of the teeth, potty, reading stories, singing and praying. Sometimes Daddy does get her revved up with dance parties when he gets home, but we try to keep enough time for winding and calming down. But thank you all for your suggestions and advice. I'm not sure if you heard about Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year-old daughter who was tragically killed this week. The Lord is continuing to remind me that my time with my kids is precious and I don't know what tomorrow will bring. There really is no reason to worry or get frustrated over the small stuff. I know I do that so much, whether it's from another spill I have to clean up in the kitchen, or tee-tee on the bathroom rug because we didn't quite make it to the potty, or the inability to have 5 minutes of quiet time during the day to have complete thoughts or a phone conversation. I just want to enjoy my kids and life and them to enjoy me and their lives. It's just too short. So if she wants to come out of her room 4 times in the middle of the night, so be it. I'd rather her do that than go to her empty room in the middle of the night and wish she were still here. Be encouraged and don't worry about the little things. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Sleepless in Calera

Elle goes to bed around 8 PM each night. Not unreasonable for a not-quite 3 year old. She has always been extremely good about going to bed, staying in her room, and not employing the stereotypical bedtime stalling tactics. She would stay in her room until we came in to get her in the mornings, usually around 7 AM. Something is seriously disrupting the bedtime peace we have enjoyed for a few years. For about a week now, she has been getting up EARLY, like before 6 AM, and coming in to our room. She's not tired, not sleepy, ready to get up. But last night took the cake. Steven came out of her room around 8 and we sat down in the den to talk. The TV was on Dateline but we weren't really watching it. About 15 minutes later, Elle comes bopping around the corner: "I need to go potty." Okay. Back to bed. About 15 minutes later (8:30 now), I go in to the kitchen to get something and she is laying in the hallway, watching Dateline: "I'm not tired." I'm really trying not to laugh because I thought it was pretty funny that she was just sitting there quietly without us knowing, not to mention how scarred she was going to be from watching Dateline. We go back to her room and in order to diffuse an all-out fit, I turn her lamp on and tell her she can read some books for about 15 minutes and I'll come turn the light off. After the 15 minutes, Steven and I go stand by her door and we hear her turn the light off. It's 9:00 PM.

Three AM rolls around and I wake to the lightest sound of shuffling feet around my bed. "Elle?" "I'm not tired." Back to bed. Twenty minutes later (of course I'm not back to sleep yet), I heard the distinct sound of a little 2 year old in my room again. "Elle." "I need to go potty." Okay. Back to bed. Twenty minutes later (3:40 AM), I hear her crying in her room. I go to the door and walk in. The lamp is on and Elle has her shirt off. "I was hot and the covers are all bunchy." Shirt back on, covers straight. "Elle, if you get out of bed again, you will get a spanking. You need your sleep and so does Mommy. Good night. Love you." At this point, it's about 4 AM and I am wide awake. For those of you who don't know, I do not fall asleep or back asleep very easily. This is why I don't like night wakings. I don't mind getting up and taking care of what's going on, but I will be awake for the rest of the night. And who comes strolling in at 6:20 AM? You guessed it. ELLE!

So, if anyone has been through this, I welcome thoughts, ideas, advice, insights, etc. I'm sure it will pass even if it means we have many more sleepless nights before we get there. Thanks for the comments ahead of time.