Just Catching Up

January is finally over. I had high hopes for 2008, and so far it's not living up. I'm just excited to be moving on to February. It is, after all, a leap year. That has to be worth something. February has a whole extra day just to be better than January, and that won't be too hard.

Seriously, though. We are catching up - on sleep, energy, work and play. My hopes are still high! Last night, we went to David and Casey's house to celebrate our neighbor Ernie's birthday. Sophia loves a birthday party, and that is a huge understatement. The other photo is her displaying her girliness by carrying around a bag all the time - what you don't know is that Mr. Incredible is inside. She has many layers....

Recovering Nicely

Apparently the antibiotics and albuterol treatments are really helping. Sophia is more like herself than she has been in weeks really. The steroid in the albuterol still makes her a bit wired, but it's not too bad. She is breathing so much better and even slept through the entire night last night! What a relief. So we're all on the road to recovery. The best part of her day is still when Daddy comes home from work. Here she is putting on his jacket for size. Thanks for listening to me rant the other day.

Update

Just thought I should throw out an update on my hatred of winter. It still stands. After starting the albuterol breathing treatments on Thursday, I expected to see some improvement by now. Sophia sometimes seems like she's doing a little better, but each night seems to get a little worse. So I took her back this morning. After listening to her breathing, the doctor said that she now has pneumonia. With antibiotics and increased frequency in breathing treatments, she will be fine. I'm still going back on Wednesday just so they can tell for sure. I just really feel bad for Sophia. She hasn't felt good in weeks. Now at least we have a little better idea of what we're dealing with. Just thought you should know why you folks in CoMo haven't seen much of me lately, and no one else has heard much from me either.

Side note, I did go on a retreat with some people from my church this weekend. So Erick and Sophia were all alone for 30 hours or so. I think they both had a great time. I know I did. It was so great just to have some stimulating intellectual and spiritual discussions, not to mention games and snacks. Erick and I haven't had the energy or the chance to talk in weeks. I should have gotten more sleep, but it was just refreshing not to be listening for the next cough. So, thank you, Erick for a much needed break!

His pay for being primary caretaker was being the recipient of Sophia's sweetest moment to date. They had been playing and reading for a while, when Sophia went to find a new book to read. She came back with the book and was wearing her sweet, loving look. Yes, she has one - she's expressive, remember? Anyway, before she sat down on his lap, she kissed him on the nose and said, "Uv you." Sigh. Saved for Daddy, of course, but he deserves it.

Old Man Winter

can kiss my grits. Seriously, this is ridiculous. Sophie got over the stomach stuff on Monday just in time to get a cold on Tuesday. This beloved cold is apparently some virus that has brought about bronchialitis or some such. After her morning nap, Sophia was grumpy and crying, even though our Parents as Teachers lady was there. Sophie loves her. Then, after refusing lunch, her temperature went up for the first time all week. So, I decided to take her in. She'll be fine, but she has to have breathing treatments every four to six hours until it goes away. The first breathing treatment was received about as well as sharp pointy things to her extremities might have been. Still, the doctor claims that it works even if all of her air is going out...in screams...

I am so sick of winter.

The reason he's leaving...

....is the reason that we should be sorry to see him go. From the moment I began to work for Governor Blunt, back when he was Secretary of State, I knew that he wasn't the typical politician. I went into Jefferson City without the foggiest idea of what politics requires of its players. I learned very quickly that there were only a handful of Missouri officials for whom I would be willing to work. I just happened to be working for one of them. My idealistic view of politics was only at home in that one office.

Governor Blunt is not the most charismatic leader in Missouri politics. I don't think this comes as a shock to anyone. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone (on staff and off) moan about the fact that he didn't "take enough time" with them or "wasn't friendly enough," I could have quit my job a lot earlier. That didn't matter to him, and it shouldn't have mattered to us. He is smart and he actually cares about Missouri. That's why he's leaving. He would not be doing his family or the state any favors to stay in a race that he doesn't care to win. I am willing to trust him when he says that this is not where his life is headed. I respect him for not doing what is expected of him.

Just a few thoughts of my own to add to the mix.

Randomosity

Thanks to BylerBabe for pointing me to this site, I had a pleasant couple of minutes browsing funny, if somewhat inappropriate e-cards. Don't be surprised if you get one from me unexpectedly. Or maybe you should be surprised. Happy Tuesday.

Sick Day

We had a 16-month streak going, and it's broken. Sophia had never really thrown up from being sick. Of course she has thrown up during those 16 months. Many, many times. But it was never the kind that made her cry. You know what I'm talking about. This morning that all came to a screeching halt. We knew it was inevitable. I won't give any details, but suffice it to say that we are still doing laundry - mine and Sophia's. I think she is over the worst part. She has kept down some of Erica's chicken and rice casserole and a few crackers. We have spent most of the day just cuddling. As you can see, she is an equal opportunity spooner. The silver lining.

Playing Spaces

Well, thanks to David and Casey for assisting in the paint job and to Erick's mom for watching Sophia, we got the playroom painted and ready for play! The room just begs for fun to happen there now that the walls aren't a serious gray. Of course, Sophia is a little too young to fully appreciate the change, but she did really like the new numbers that have gone up on her wall. After loading the pictures, I realized that I didn't really get a high quality "after" photo. That doesn't sound like me at all! This will have to do. Another touch that we are thinking of adding is a set of wall decals like (these) or (these). The walls in this room are just so big that in order to find enough fun art to "make a dent," we would have to spend a fortune. So the wall decals would go a long way to change the look of the room and make it look decorated without costing us more than we are willing to spend. Particularly since, as I mentioned, Sophia doesn't even notice! I would like to think she's this happy because she likes the room, but I know that she's just this happy.

An Up-and-Coming Young Writer

Well, right now, she's still just trying to write her name. But I have high hopes for this writing genius! The video is just her saying her name over and over. Then switching to "name." Then she gets bored, so feel free to stop watching at any time. I try to edit my videos first and cut them, but I have a hard time getting Blogger to accept the edited projects. So....just deal with it. Can you tell I'm under the weather? I hate sinus drainage. I'm going to go cuddle and watch Sesame Street now. Sophia doesn't feel well either.

Tight Spaces

I'm noticing a trend. You? Odd little thing, isn't she?

Our Ongoing Project

Yesterday, while Sophia was across the street with David and Casey and the boys, Erick and I worked hard to get our room moved downstairs and a playroom upstairs. We love the change. We still have some work to do, and we're not entirely satisfied with our bedroom. I'm not going to post pictures yet because the project is incomplete. Next weekend, we're planning to paint the playroom. We're not going to paint our room until we know what we want. That seemed like the best order to do things. Could be a while. We're indecisive. Currently, the TV is still in our bedroom. It's the first time either one of us has ever had a television in our room, and it's completely addictive! For cable-related reasons, it is staying in our room until the end of next month. Let's just hope we can find the courage to move it then. It is a lot nicer than I ever imagined to watch the boob tube from beneath your own clean sheets. Hmmmm. Courage.

Dreary Day; Warm Dish

Mmmm.... Tonight I whipped up a piping hot kettle o' gumbo. Some shrimp, clam and sausage were delicious when accompanied by cajun rice and seasoning. It really hit the spot. Thought you'd enjoy a photo of my masterpiece.

No reason

Just had to post another cheesy grin. Do you think she looks like Erick in this one? Everyone has been saying that she looks more and more like me these days, but this cheesy grin HAS to be daddy's. Hope everyone is having a good week! Ours is somewhere between passable and marvelous.

Don't put me on the shelf

But apparently, the shelf is okay with Sophia. As I briefly mentioned, we are in the process of moving our bedroom downstairs and giving Sophia a playroom upstairs. Today, I cleaned out some bookshelves, took the shelves off and moved them upstairs. They will soon be the home to books and toys, but for now they just have one occupant...Sophie. She loved climbing in and out and sitting and slouching. It did, however, occur to me that maybe I take too many pictures, when I asked her to slouch again because it was cute...and she proceeded to do it with a mean face for effect (which I kind of missed in the photo.) Am I raising a cheeseball? I think so. She had no chance anyway. Erick and I aren't known to shy from a photo op.

Spring Tease

It was so beautiful today! We had a wonderful day together. We went downtown and walked around after lunch. Sophia ran around in the grass, and we realized that this may be the first time she's ever walked in the grass without being attached to us! She was a little unsure of herself, but kept talking about the grass and obviously enjoyed herself.

When we got home, we played in the street for a long time with David, Casey, Aaron and William, brushing up on our football skills and whatnot. Our other neighbors came and went, too. It was a lot of fun. As always, it makes me so excited for spring. I just get so tired of being cooped up in the house all day! I'm looking forward to another beautiful day tomorrow, but I have indoor projects that should keep me busy. Who knows, though. Who can resist the call of a spring tease?

2007 Year in Review

Just a few pictures of our year. It was a good one. We're looking forward to an even better 2008!

Techno Wizard

Some day she'll be explaining to me how to turn on my computer. For now, she gets to play with an unplugged keyboard. She looks like she's hard at work, though.

Maybe next year...

...I can convince our friends to celebrate New Year's like we're in the Eastern Time Zone. j/k. I would really just like to convince Sophia to celebrate Mommy Sleeps in Day. I'm so tired!!

We had a wonderful time ringing in the new year with the DVanDykes and the Mitchells. The Mitchells are the proud new owners of a Wii. I have to admit that it was a lot of fun. I'm not typically a game system person, but I would enjoy some time at the Wii as much as the next guy. Of course, it takes a measure of hand-eye coordination that seems to elude me. Still fun. Erick really enjoyed it, too. Here he is about to get his butt kicked by a girl in boxing (he still lasted longer than I did.) Chris is the tennis champ as evidenced by his victory dance. I really couldn't get the hang of that one either. They need sensors on your feet, too! Let me know when that happens. Anyway, it was a blast, and it was only made more perfect by a decisive Tigers victory over the Razorbacks. Mmm Hmm. What a way to start the new year!