My happy thought

I've got a pretty friendly and chatty baby. When I was pregnant with Nora, I freaked out off and on almost the entire time because I was so overwhelmed with the thought of being mother to 3 children 4 years and younger, and the last two only being a year and a half apart. I don't know how many times since Nora was born that I have felt an overwhelming amount of love for her. She has been such a source of happiness for me the last 19 months. I love her so much. She is sunshine wherever she goes. I am so grateful for all of my dear children.

Family pictures

So family pictures were kind of a fun experience. Of course the kids were totally squirrelly, but at least nobody cried or complained too much. We had a 20 minute session, which was perfect because I don't think we could have gotten a better picture had we stayed longer. I wish that I had known that my braces were gonna come off so soon, I would have waited two weeks to get our pictures done so that I could have a better smile. Oh well. I love these pictures anyway. Here we are at our Jensen best!

The Three Little Kids

For all my infrequent and non-facebookers, here are my three kidlets. I took all these myself just walking through our neighborhood and at the park, and thought that they came out really well--especially considering the kids were WAY squirmy and not quick to smile. I love candid pictures. That is how I want to remember these kids. My favorites are the ones where they are just hanging out.

The GERD, the bad, and the ugly

This is what I have-GERD-in a real bad way. I was diagnosed with this earlier this year after some bad reflux and upper abdomen pain/nausea. It was so bad the other day that I thought I was dying. I didn't know that it was my GERD because it felt unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I mean, it was so awful I had to have my friend call an ambulance to take me to the ER. So the doctors did a ton of tests and labs: EKG--normal, CT scan--no visible problems or blood clots, treadmill stress test--perfect heart rhythm, stamina, and recovery time, blood tests--no heart attack, not pregnant, normal glucose levels, no blood clots, normal, normal, NORMAL! Well, at least I am in good shape for the most part. Anyway, it was a little disconcerting that they could tell me what WASN'T wrong, but they couldn't pinpoint why I was having chest pressure, fatigue, weakness, and dizziness...especially given my recent history of GERD.

Today my regular doctor said that my stomach was just over-producing stomach acid and that it was really doing a number on my insides and causing one or more ulcers. Chest pressure is from my inflamed esophagus. Dizziness and weakness are from the stress my body is going through and the short breaths I am taking since my chest hurts. Bottom line is that I haven't been taking my prescribed acid reducer because it did nothing for me. NOTHING. I may as well have been swallowing skittles. So now, I have been prescribed a drug that will eliminate all acid in my stomach. How will this affect my digestion you may ask? Well, I asked that too. Apparently, I will still be able to absorb nutrients from food, but it may be digested and then passed in a not so friendly way. Hurray! Can't wait to feel the effects from this super med that is supposed to get rid of my reflux, ulcers, chest discomfort, weakness, and basically put a big band-aid on my belly boo-boo. And lucky me, I guess I may have to take this the rest of my life!

Wow. So now I have a pill box and a timer to help me remember to take those pills. At 28, I have somehow become sick and old in the midst of my youth and general good health.

Paul starts kindergarten

Paul started school on Monday. He has really been loving going to school every day this week and has come home bursting with news of what he did and what teacher said and a song they learned. I am soooo happy for him! And I am sooooo happy for me! I have been loving my three and a half hour respite from noise and continual mess-making. Nora naps nearly the whole time Paul is gone and Katie rests and entertains herself...quietly...neatly...aaahhhh yes....

I have felt like I have more energy to make it through the whole day instead of throwing in the towel around 2 pm. What a difference one kid can make. Actually, it's not just him. He was not always this way. He has only started to get restless the last year being at home. School is such a great thing for him right now.

Nora bath

Well, it seems like we've been giving Nora a lot of attention lately. I suppose it's because she's been doing so much! This past week she finally took a step. One step 3 different times. But she hasn't done it in two days. She doesn't really care. She stands up a lot though. Tonight she surprised all of us by saying "bath" very clearly during bath time.

Nora being cute

Nora is just about the cutest thing ever. We really love her a lot. She was so stubborn though and wouldn't say "hat" for anything the other day! She can now say hat, hi, dog, Hi dog!, bye, mama, dada.