oh, february, i will not miss you.

This month has been crazy.  Seriously.  I feel like we have been living in a whirlwind, and there has just been one thing after another.  The past week has been unusually hectic, but the story of February 2011 really begins on the eighth of the month.

It was on this day that I had forgotten to bring the valentines I had made for the students I tutor up to the school.  It wasn't a big deal, but one of the teachers wanted to pass them out on that Friday when they had a school-wide Valentine's Day activity.  It really wouldn't have been a big deal not to bring them on Wednesday of that week except that we were leaving for Denver on Thursday morning.  So, Chris being the sweet husband he is came to the school to bring me what I forgot.  Well, upon trying to exit the vehicle where a drinking glass had been placed in the door a week or so prior, his knee smashed the glass, cutting said knee very deeply.  This landed him in the ER getting a couple of stitches.  Thus, it began.

Our trip to Denver was really uneventful as far as wildness goes.  We had a great time, and the youth group at the Littleton Church of Christ did an amazing job putting on a benefit dinner/silent auction for Mercy Project.  They raised almost $9,000.  Micah was amazing on both plane rides despite the interference with her sleeping schedule.  Our little social butterfly was in heaven with all the people to wave at and talk to.  I don't have a single picture to document our time there, but we were blessed.

We got back on Sunday night, and Chris left on Monday evening for Houston/Washington, DC.  While he was gone, Micah began to have a runny nose and run a low-grade fever.  No big deal.  Chris got home on Wednesday night.  When he went in to get Micah the next morning, he found that she had vomited in the night and proceeded to sleep in it all night.  She was all smiles and had no idea.  Yes, we have a monitor.  A video monitor, in fact.  She did not cry in the night and only coughed a couple of times.  I felt like a great mom for letting my child sleep in her vomit.  Seriously.  But it gets worse.

So, I lit a candle in her room.  I put it on the edge of her dresser so as not to catch anything in the room on fire.  We played all morning while her bedding washed and dried.  Before her nap, Micah and I went into her room to put her sheet and mattress cover back on.  Next thing I know, Micah is screaming and has pulled the candle down.  Burning hot wax is all over her pointer and middle finger of her left hand.  I rush her to the bathroom and run her hand under cold water.  The burn is not too bad, but the doc wants to see her anyway.  So, we go in.  Not a bad burn.  We are sent home with some special stuff to wrap her fingers.  Done.

Or so we thought.  We kept her little fingers wrapped until Monday as we were told.  When we took the bandages off, her pointer finger looked to be healing perfectly, but her middle finger was extremely red.  So, I called, and doc wanted us to come back in.  We go in.  It's fine.  Just healing.  Let's wrap it more loosely for a couple more days.

Fast forward to Thursday...unwrap her finger to find a horrible sight.  I will spare you the details, but it was very swollen and no doubt infected.  Now I definitely am feeling good about my mom skills.  I call the doc again...come back in.  This time, yes, it's infected.  We are given an oral antibiotic and told to soak the finger twice a day, leave it open for a bit, then goop on antibioic ointment, and wrap her whole hand.
Poor baby girl.  And, she developed a cough during all of this mess along with the runny nose she has had for almost two weeks now.  Thankfully, her hand is healing up and is less swollen everytime we take the bandage off.  She has really been in pretty good spirits despite all the drama.

Playing in her toy box with her little wrapped hand

We've been spending a lot of time like this after baths the past few days!  Micah LOVES it.

This is the exact face we get when we ask about her "finger."  It's hilarious!

Just a close up of my sweet girl.  She LOVES the camera...not getting her picture taken but getting to the camera :)

It's been a rough month.  Here's to March!!!  Come on, Tuesday. This little girl needs a break and so do her momma and daddy!

ode to the first trimester

I officially welcomed the second trimester of this pregnancy last week.  Although I was not sad to say goodbye to the first 13 weeks, I was a little sad that I have hardly documented this pregnancy on the blog.  So, I decided to make a little tribute to the lovely first trimester.  Enjoy!

{A HUGE shout out to my awesome husband for taking all of my scattered thoughts and writing this amazing little diddy.  He's quite talented!}

An Ode To The First Trimester

Could this be true? Could this be right?

We hold our breaths in potential delight,

"Honey, look closer, I think that’s two lines!!!"

We test again to make sure, yes 4 different times!

Hooray, there it is, clear as day,

Baby #2 is officially on the way!

Then the plotting began of how to tell the good news.

Christmas was coming and provided the perfect ruse.

Micah unknowingly sported her big sister shirt,

And the plan came together like we hoped it would work.

Family screaming and yelling, Lindsey running behind,

Micah crying and wondering if we’d all lost our minds.

A double announcement at the Field Family Christmas,

This was such a surprise that the grandparents nearly missed it.

Once that task was over, the real fun began,

Complete with the “queasies,” the cravings, and those divine sea bands.

Phenergen when it got bad, yummy stuff when it was good,

Thanking God for the Scholtzky’s and Wings ‘N More in my hood.

Diet Coke boots Diet Dr. Pepper, oranges and pickles always sound great,

And feeling so thirsty I could drink a whole lake.

An insurance snafu (or five or eight),

But that first glance at 9 weeks and 3 days was so worth the wait.

Could there be love at first sight? On a fuzzy sonogram?

Yes, because that’s my baby's precious feet, heart beat, and hands.

A perfect little bundle, a gift from above,

I am absolutely, completely, instantly in love.

As the weeks tick by and the nausea subsides,

My clothes grow tighter, and I have to improvise,

The old rubber band trick grows the jeans an inch or two,

And then the belly band comes out when that will no longer do.

Night after night, we pray for this child.

Not for good behavior or a temperament that’s mild,

But that God’s grace and mercy would rest on this womb,

That baby would grow up and love God and people too.

That our child would pursue justice and mercy all the days of its life,

And walk closely with God, both in good times and strife.

You are adored my precious child, loved on both heaven and earth.

We will meet you before we know it, on the day of your birth.

praying God's word

I decided to pray the same verse for two weeks, which is why I didn't post a new scripture for last week.  I was reminded during those two weeks of the ways in which God is CONSTANTLY redeeming my life.  It's not a one time event that He takes away my sins, heals me, and redeems me, but it happens every single day.  I am so thankful for His grace and love for me that He would continue to pursue me each day in spite of myself.  "Praise the Lord, O my soul!"

This week, in light of Valentine's Day, I will be praying and meditating on this verse:

"Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.  Love makes up for practically anything.  Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless--cheerfully.  Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it."  1 Peter 4:8-9 {The Message}

I have no doubt that the Lord is going to challenge me this week as I pray these words many times each day.  But, I am anxious to see the ways He works on my heart through them.  Blessings on your week!

happy valentine's day

Check out my dates for dinner this Valentine's Day

One of them stole my heart over 10 years ago, and the other one has been teaching me what love is every single day for the past fourteen months.  I cannot wait to add one more next year on our dinner date.

I am one lucky girl.

snow day

After several days of below freezing temperatures, we actually got some snow here!  We only got about an inch, but it was just perfect for us.  Micah loved being out there, even if it was super cold!  She has seen lots of snow in her short little lifetime, and she was a fan of it this year.  Last year was a different story, but being able to walk around and hold it in her hands made all the difference.  I think she would've stayed out much longer if mommy and daddy hadn't been freezing!

Here are some pictures of our little snow bunny.  Just a warning that there are A LOT of pictures.  I couldn't choose because she just looked too adorable all bundled up.  She is wearing the same coat I wore as a little girl!

I hope everyone has stayed warm during the cold weather and snow!

hair

Micah's hair is growing a lot right now.  It's getting thicker and longer, and it makes me wonder what it will look like when she's a little older.  Some days it has a little bit of curl to it, so I wonder if it will get more curly as it grows or will it be mostly straight like mine.  

All I know is that I love this sweet girl and her growing hair.

We've had some fun days with this hair lately.

One day, she woke up from her nap with hair like this...

Holy craziness!  She plays with her hair while she falls asleep, so I guess that must have contributed to the sticking up everywhere look.  Hilarious.

And, finally, a day I've been looking forward to since I found out Micah was going to be a girl...her first PIGTAILS!!!

Too.Dang.Cute.  Seriously.  I could eat her up with these sweet pigtails.  She is just too precious.

Love it.

Now, we just need to work on leaving them in for more than 20 minutes.