The Family Update

:: After one day of the most violent throwing up of my life, I am feeling better. It was as if my body just had to totally eliminate everything inside of it and now I'm fine. Better than fine, actually, because I [again] have the fresh appreciation of being healthy. Ahhh...

:: Aubrey saw our family doctor today for a check-up. She now weighs 10lbs15oz, giving us a 10oz increase in the last 2 weeks-- which is the biggest of her life to date! (She's still 24" long and her head circumference is still 15".) I think I've officially adjusted to having a baby who barely reaches the 5%-tile for weight and who is rather far below the charts for weight-to-length percentile, because she actually seems chunky and chubby to me now. I realize that many of you have experienced this phenomenon before, but seeing as how my other babies were 17.5lbs, 16.5lbs and 15lbs at 4 months, I'm surprised at how accustomed I've become to Aubrey's smaller growth-curve.

:: In addition to great growth (which we celebrate immensely because failure to grow consistently is an immediate cause for intervention) Aubrey really seems to be doing well overall. She's been a bit crabby the last few days, but when crabbiness combines with massive drooling and "chewing" when she's supposed to be nursing, I begin thinking that she's teething and not in heart failure! Her medications were adjusted a couple weeks ago and that always makes for some unpleasant days with the re-assimilating her body has to do, but the worst of that transition is behind us and I feel it's safe to say that this adjustment will not land us in the ICU again.

:: Last night I was able to slip out of the house sans children (OK... so "slip" makes it sound effortless when, really, the entire day seemed to have been spent in preparation for such a major event!) for a CFA Mom's Meeting. Debbie Gordon shared what might have been the most refreshing and rejuvenating message I have heard regarding homeschooling. I was especially glad for the reminder that the Bible prioritizes faith and virtue before knowledge. In a culture that has so elevated academia, science and education, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that faith in Jesus and good character are exceedingly more critical to our children's preparation for life than knowledge. Not to say that knowledge isn't important (the Bible does indeed say to add that next!), but what a good reminder to keep first things first.

:: I made an amazingly wonderful pot of soup yesterday using all sorts of odds and ends that were in my kitchen. While I enjoy cooking with recipes best, I am finding that my enjoyment of cooking creatively is increasing a lot recently. I wonder if this is symptomatic of my decreasing need of late to know what the end will look like and my growing ability to be more content just taking things as they come.

:: We have red and pink and white here and there throughout the house in anticipation of the holiday around the corner. Last week when I was grocery shopping, I saw a small ceramic heart-shaped dish for $1 that I purchased to use as a spoon rest on my stove. I'm not sure how a $1-item can make me so happy each time I use it, but this one does. I think it's because I consider spoon rests to be such unnecessary but wholly delightful kitchen accessories and now I have one for both Christmas and Valentine's Day!

:: This concludes my update. I think I got a little more random and a little less "update-ish" the more I continued. My apologies.