Big Boy

It's hard to believe, but our tiny newborn baby turned 4 months old yesterday (sniff, sniff). Oh, how I long for the days of endless screaming, 2 hours of sleep a night, and genuine terror over the horrible breathing sounds that he made. NOT! Way to go, Jack! You survived being a newborn and are finally a regular old baby!

Disaster Relief

Finally! I am able to get some "disaster" pictures online. It has been a long road, one that we are still continuing to travel, but it is getting better all the time. The drywall is up and being finished, we are planning to paint on Saturday, and the carpet will be delivered sometime next week! It will look better than it did before and has allowed us to do some "unexpected" spring cleaning, so it hasn't all been bad. On top of it, with our house looking so dismal, we were still able to have a visit from my mom and the kids! Here are some pictures of the night we discovered our little "problem". Thanks to everyone who helped!

The water really wasn't that high.

It's hard to believe that so little water could cause so much damage, but the drywall sucked it up more than 2 feet, so it had to be replaced. Of course the carpet had to be ripped up as well.


Matt and Scott helped haul everything upstairs.

Lee directed the cleanup!

Melisa worked tirelessly and came later to help again!

Fiances Matt and Kerri. What a bonding experience!

Our beautiful home theatre room, reduced to cement floor and stick framing.

My current dining room. Will it ever be the same?

Sweet baby Jack

Always reminding us how thankful we are that we have each other.

Snow!

The long prayed for snow has arrived! Anne and Bryan have been wanting snow since Thanksgiving, and this morning, it happened! It's great to see them out there playing and having fun. It's hard to believe that our time together has passed and tomorrow they will be going home. It will be two months before they come back, but then it will be for seven weeks! Yeah! Anne and Bryan, we love having you here!!!!

Under Construction

It has been a while since I blogged, but for a good reason. We are in a war zone right now with our house. On Sunday afternoon we came home to standing water in our basement. The basement is finished and houses most of our computer, television and exercise equipment. The sump pump failed and the water that was pooling everywhere was wastewater. Yes, folks, it was poo water. So, we called in the troops and our good friends came over and went beyond the call of friendship to bring all of our basement belongings upstairs. We disinfected each piece as it came up the stairs and it is now sitting in the dining room and foyer area. I have been taking pictures, but right now I can't get them from the camera to the computer because we can't find the card reader or the cord! The basement that Jeff worked so hard to finish is now back to cement floor and framing. It is a huge setback and expense, but it needs to be done, so Jeff has been working like a dog trying to put it all back together. It's one of those things that you just have to look at and say, "I have no idea what the reason is, but I know there is one, and that God will show us what to do". It also brings home the thought that all of that stuff is just "things" and the most important thing is that we have each other.

On a much happier note, the kids are flying in today! We have been so excited, and yet nervous about them coming home to such a wreck. But they are good kids and I fully expect them to jump into the work with their characteristic exuberance and sweet spirit. Basically, they don't care what we do as long as they are with their dad! I can't wait for them to see Jack--they are going to be amazed!

More later........

The Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth

I am so happy to report that Jack finally appears to be out of his "colic" stage. It was just like everyone said, one day he woke up and he was just. . .better! He does still have some "meltdown" times during the day, but they have definite triggers that I can look at and say, "He's crying because he's tired and needs to sleep (or eat, or has poopy pants, etc.). It makes our day so much easier because now I know how to deal with him (for the most part). I believe him to be a very intelligent, sensitive little boy with a HUGE stubborn streak! I see some clashes of will in our future. But he is also extremely lovable, very snuggly and affectionate, and laughs at everything, sometimes even when he is crying! He is an absolute joy and I love him very much. I believe that he is currently working on a tooth. Now, I know that he is only almost 4 months old, but there's no other reason for the faces that he is making. I took a little video of him that I'm going to ask Jeff to put up here and you can see for yourself. For the last two days he has sucked, chewed, stuck his hand in his mouth and all around made the most hillarious little faces. He must be cutting a tooth. At least I think he's forming it. It may not be coming through, but something about his gum is definitely bothering him. He literally looks like he has chewing gum in his mouth. I've stuck my finger in there but I feel nothing. I guess time will tell.

The Cows Come Home

This past weekend we went up north to Milwaukee and the area in which I lived for 12 years. While Jeff worked on computers at the northern branch of his company, I ran around the countryside, visiting old haunts, eating Kopp's custard, and seeing the many changes that have taken place at my alma mater. Jack did GREAT traveling this time! He slept pretty much any time we got in the car, and when he was awake, he was mostly smiling and happy. There were a couple of meltdowns, but there was always a helping hand (or shoulder) nearby for him to drool on, and I think he was a big hit. Not only did we see a lot of familiar places, but we also so many familiar faces! I took Jack around Old Main and introduced him to many people that I've known for years. On Saturday, we were invited over to "Auntie Carol" Senn Ruffin's house to visit with some very close friends and to catch up on the "happenings" of our lives. There was lots to say! Jeff and I had a great time with the Ruffins and the Vegters (and wish that we could have seen the Nicholson's as well, but alas for poor planning on my part). Later that evening we went to the Machine Shed for dinner with some very special family members--and it was wonderful to see them and to introduce them to my new family. Now that Jack is becoming such a good travel bug, we hope to visit others on the list of people to see!