what's happenin'

stella lost tooth number 3. this one being the top left. top righty has slanted himself over to try to take over the whole space, thus making our beautiful girl look slightly hill-billy-ish. teeth number 4 and 5 are seriously wiggly. toothfairy's gonna be busy.

10 in 10...from chris to me for january...this amazing chalkboard was completely made up from scratch with a wonderful rim to hold the chalk and a nice big blackboard for me to write all kinds of stuff on for school. it currently has some questions from the catechism for young children and our bible memory verse. we use it for reading, memorization and copy work. pure love.

and just because he's so darn cute.

but while posting these adorable photos...this sat over my right shoulder, trying to be ignored. this is so totally disgusting. go ahead, look closely. nasty.

but, friends, it can be done.

exactly 30 minutes later, we have a clean sink.

hand washed by me. hand dried and put away by chris. time for bed with a clear conscience.

two years old

day spent at the strasburg railroad with friends and family


he blew out the candles with his girl, milja!
we had a great day...i can't believe he's 2. my boy!!!

oh boy

this post was meant to go up on monday and didn't. then last night i was just too tired...so here it is, wednesday. you are due 2 posts...i'll try for tomorrow and friday(i have ideas, just no time in front of this dang computer! just things like what i'm working on (knitting projects) and figuring out womanhood/feminism/christianity/life... not bad or very big deals, eh? yeah, we'll see how this week goes)


anyway...my boy...loves trucks. bulldozers. trains. busses. things that go. he also loves animals. like baas, moos, oof-oofs, mows, errrrs, hisssses, vvvrrrmmmphs, you know (translation: sheep, cows, dogs, cats, lions, snakes, elephants) he also loves to be crazy...run fast, bang into things (like the chairs or my legs) and jump into the air and land flat on his bottom. it HAS to hurt, even in a diaper. he pile-drives his stuffed toys, or tackles his dada, whoever is available. and all of this, i'm told, is "what boys do." i'm ok with it, i think.

my problem lies in encouraging rough-housing, funny-like-violence, and the like. i may sound dramatic, or may be acting in such a way, but my boy will not be a wild, roughneck. he can be all boy while being sensitive to others, careful about his and others bodies, respectful to his and others belongings, etc...you know?? i'm just trying to figure out how you balance this stuff. so many folks we see around think his "wild child" behaviour is funny (which, i gotta say, it is!) and that he really IS sweet (no mean intentions, not trying purposefully to hurt anyone or anything). i just want to be sure to encourage the right things. and i think i WILL figure it out, or i AM. he is so loving...

i had to work tonight, so when i got home, the kids were asleep. but i had to slip eli's jammies on and he woke up briefly. as soon as he opened his eyes he smiled and said "mama!" then excitedly told me about his evening with dada..."mamie! boppa! eya! dada!" i ask, did you see grammy and boppa with stella and dada? he says, "uh-huh!" with a big nod. did you have fun? "uh-huh!" did you go outside? "uh-huh! mamie! boppa!" do you love your grammy and boppa? "uh-huh! nigh-nigh, mama!" do you want to nurse and go nigh-nights with mama? "uh-huh!" and his head hit the pillow. he nursed briefly and was sound asleep. my boy...

we're home

the endoscopy is done.

relief.

tired.

eli did great, and everything looks fine. dr. tung took biopsies to make sure of everything, but the pics look "normal". while we have copies of the photos: esophagus, stomach, intestines, i think i'll spare the weak tummied.

thanks for your prayers and thoughts. results in 2 weeks.

now, to take a nap.

gift making

er, um...yeah. exactly...well, a gift for me, that is! how stinkin' selfish is this...i spent the whole weekend working on this!



(knit in blue sky alpaca's sport weight in a nice, deep green (almost brown)mmmmm, cushy!)

well, i'm blaming it on the need to relax, sit still, and not stress. the testing for eli begins monday morning, 7am. he's not to eat or drink anything after midnight, which will stink, taking that he still nurses and typically right around 4am. i've been fighting the tears and the worry (for i know it adds nothing to your life!), but man is it hard! so...cute sweater in tow, i will set off to the surgical center at 6:30am with chris and eli. stella will stay with grammy and boppa for the night. can't wait for monday to be over!!!

so back to that holiday gift making (the real kind...you know, for others!)

pray for eli

tummy boy
Originally uploaded by picking.up.purls.

well...another trip to the pediatrician results in more failure to thrive. this time, eli fell off the growth chart for weight all together. we saw his GI doctor yesterday who prescribed a battery of tests: urine ph, pancreatic elastase, IgA level, and Celiac Panel, along with an upper endoscopy to be done on the 26th. i've called the nutritionist again, but can't see her until december 17th (!) but asked her to call me...as i need this to get moving a.s.a.p.

he weighs 20 lbs. 15 oz.
he's 18 months old.
he is 31 inches long.
he is developmentally at a 2+ year old level....what the heck???

he doesn't eat much at all.....
he's so sweet and smart.

please pray for him (and us).

thanks.

just a funny thing...

so eli likes, no LOVES, to play with phones...all of 'em. but especially cell phones. he also loves to go into the bathroom and try to play in the toilet. yep. gross. so we all now try our best to keep the door and lid shut, but you know...it doesn't always happen. so yesterday, he grabs my phone from the kitchen and starts crawling away (have i told you how fast he is???) i jump up, and go after him, trip on the phone wire (don't ask) and see him going into the bathroom. as i turn into the bathroom i hear "kerplunk"...cell phone in the potty. yep. gross. i was a nervous mess thinking it was ruined (my last cell phone fell into a river while canoeing...ruined.) but thankfully, this morning...it turned out just fine and is all better. phew.

he is such a little rascal! just loves to laugh and stick out his tongue...and do whatever his big sister is doing (like trying to jump on the bed...hmmmmm)

so just had to share that.

off to make pancakes. love saturday mornings....but miss the sound of chris playing guitar quietly in the living room...he'll never believe me! but i do. (10days...)

have a good day, folks! will post my late night sewing projects later.

in over my head...

whew! what a weekend...and it's only saturday!

thursday started it all w/ a follow up visit to eli's g.i. doctor. he didn't like how little eli gained (again) and scheduled an endoscopy to biopsy eli's stomach monday morning. i freaked out. there are no symptoms except low weight gain to signify such a procedure (which includes anesthesia, intubation and biopsying the tummy)...nope not doin' it. no way. i refused. which brings me to my now diligent schedule of feeding eli. i will fatten the boy. i will feed him stuff he will eat at every meal. if that means brocolli for breakfast, by-golly that's what he'll eat.

argh.

then stella got a cold. yep, again. fever, cough, runny nose. the whole works.

and we are babysitting my 3 nephews at my sisters house in PA till sunday. shoulda been fun. instead, tired and boring for the kids, as stella is sick, and i'm stuck inside w/ her. today was supposed to be a trip to charis' wedding shower...but can't go. chris took the "big boys" (aka brennan and landis) to papa's house to do some mulching and tree-trimming. hopefully tonight we can do campfire hotdogs and s'mores. we did watch the spongebob squarepants movie last night. chris and i both thought it was funny. ashamed to admit that, a bit.

ok...seems like i'm rambling on. must need an ear.

also realized today that i missed my very best friends birthday this week and i feel like crap. happy belated birthday, rachel...i hope you enjoyed yourself and i hope to talk to you soon! i love you!!!


alright...i'll stop whining...
big sigh.
i'm gonna go do some laundry. yeah!!

hope

with her permission, a letter from my sister...it says it all...


Melissa, What a beautiful picture of Stella on your blog...and that
birthday smile of Eli's..he is so precious! I really feel that our
family received a wonderful blessing & an extra measure of grace this
week with Eli's results. You know that I love Eli so dearly, but I
want to share with you how I think that Christ must be teaching
me...because all week I kept meditating on Matthew 6:34 'Don't worry
about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own' In our study right now we are looking at 1
Kings & 2 Chronicles and as difficult as it is for me to actually
finish all 5 days of homework & as unintelligent as I feel b/c my
answers are so often WAY off from what the answer or the meaning of
the scripture is...it is in subtle ways that the Lord really pins
certain points to me & they seem to give me an extra measure of
strength. Right now in 1 Kings we are looking at Samuel, son of David
who was a man after God's own heart....Samuel just finished building
the temple of the Lord & when God tells him to ask for what ever he
wants & it will be given to him...he doesn't ask for riches or power
or even glory...he asks for wisdom not of this world but for godly
wisdom to discern between the good & evil to understand trials....to
judge the people. Can you imagine God giving you almost what seems to
be one wish...I certainly would have asked for something like that
all of my family would live to be 100 or that we all had houses for
all our days...and this man who later in life turns away from
God...had faith so unmovable in this moment, so unselfish that he
asks for something to help his people & make him more like God. I may
have gotten a bit off track here, but what I want to say is that in
this, I saw God give you peace....especially when you said you were
able to take a nap...isn't it amazing how He carries us
through....even when everyday life feels ordinary, full of struggles,
fear etc...what a comfort to know that as a child we are given an
extra measure of our daily grace when these trials come. Can you
imagine facing these trials without His face? I often try to imagine
how I lived before I knew Him, or was it that I wasn't living at all
because I was so dead in sin. How does the unbeliever trust if they don't
trust in Christ?
Oh how the Lord loves sweet Elisha David! Let's continue to rejoice
today, give praise to His name for He alone is glorious...El Shaddai-
God Almighty, All sufficient one, Abba-Father to you alone be the
glory!
Thank you for allowing me to empty my heart this morning.
I love you & I love dear little Eli & can't wait to see his smile &
know that it is real...the grace was truly given.
In Christ alone, Lura

normal

results are in...

he's normal.

that's all i can say right now.