Life and all that stuff in between

Okay, I know it has been a little while since my last post.  We have been busy with Ellie's birthday, Grandma & Grandpa Mac's visit, and our trip to Atlanta, Ga.  With the impending move, I feel like life is whirling by in a flash.  It has been very stressful the past few weeks with looking for a home in Atlanta, finding tenets to move in here (since we are leaving half-way through our rental contract), and getting a release date at work for Jim to move.

I guess I should back up by starting with we found a great 3 bedroom home to rent in Woodstock, GA.  Everyone we talked to said to stay north of the city.  All the nice family neighborhoods are in the north and Woodstock is the next up and coming place.  Lots of new housing developments mixed with homes that sit on a couple acres of land.  With all the traffic, I was looking for something a little out of the hustle and bustle. It took the rental agency a week to process our application so they should be sending up the contract Monday and finally have a move-in date. It looks like we are shooting for a January 7th move in date.  It is a little earlier than we would have liked, but we are trying to accommodate the friends that will be moving into our current townhouse in Raleigh, NC.  They are currently staying in corporate housing and need to find a place by the end of the month.  Thankfully we will not have to pay rent in two places for the whole month.  Unfortunately, Jim's boss needs him to stay through the 13th. Now the plan is to move on the 7th, but Jim will fly back and stay in a hotel for a week.  I am not looking forward to sending up or home with baby-in-tow by myself.  Thankfully my mom is going to fly out to stay with us.  In the meantime I need to start packing everything up and making to-do lists (rental truck, boxes, electric, water, and cable cancellations, airline flights, hotel reservations, buy washer & dryer, etc.).

I promise to get back to my blog just as soon as I can.  Please be patient with me.

First Haircut

When Eliza was born, she had a full head of hair.  I remember at her ultrasounds we could see her hair floating around.  After she was born everyone told us her hair would most likely fall out.  Well it didn't.  I finally broke down last week and decided it was time to get a trim.  She had stands that when wet, reached half way down her back.  Most of the time it looked like a curly rat's nest that formed lots of little knots. We found an adorable kids hair salon, Snip-its.  It was a little pricey for a baby's haircut but the hairdresser was a pro at working with wiggly-whinny kids.  Since it was her first haircut, they put some of her hair in a baggy and filled out a little certificate for us to keep.  Very cute.  Here are a few pics of the experience and her new do!

Odds & Ends

Ellie's first oreo cookie.

Stood up by herself for the first time this morning.  So exciting! Oh wait, now I need to move everything out of her reach.  Better start hanging stuff from the ceiling.

CT’s, Endoscopies, Gallbladders... oh my

This month has been crazy, to say the least.  Many of you know that Jim has been sick for weeks.  He has been working with a surgeon and GI specialist to figure out what is causing his chronic stomach cramping.  At first we thought that scare tissue had built up from his previous surgery causing pain when food moved through his intestine.  The doctors have not ruled that out, but they discovered that Jim’s gallbladder was not acting normally.  He has surgery scheduled this Wednesday, on the 19^th, to have it removed.  This will be a laparoscopic outpatient surgery, however, they will poke around in there to see if anything else doesn’t look right.  His GI specialist is concerned that his symptoms seem like more than just the gallbladder.  Jim underwent an endoscopy yesterday to look for ulcers or anything else that might explain some of his symptoms.  The GI specialist found two areas that looked suspicious and were biopsied.  The first site is where the esophagus meets the intestine.  There is an area that is red and swollen.  This usually appears in patients that have reflux.  The second site has little red bumps in the small intestine.  It may be nothing or it could be an infection of some kind.

While all this is going on, Jim has only missed a few days of work; usually for medical tests and appointments.  He has kept up with his schoolwork, earning an A on his statistics midterm, and preparing for his accounting midterm this Monday.  If that has not been enough, he is interviewing for a different type of position within his company.  He has been up all night working and left early this morning for the three-hour interview.   He doesn’t expect to get the position since it is highly coveted in the IT support center, but it is a great opportunity to practice his interview skills and learn more about the position for future opportunities.  It has surely been the hand of God helping us through this time.  Thank you to our family and friends for all the support.

My mom will be flying out the day before the surgery to watch Ellie while I stay at the hospital with Jim.  She will also be staying with us for a week to help while Jim is recovering.  Please continue to keep our little family in your prayers!

Sewing (Brandi - don't show your girls)

While my mom was here in August, she taught me how to sew with some basic projects.  I made curtains for Ellie's room.  It was a little tricky since they had two layers of material (to make the room really dark).  I picked royal blue for one side (so it didn't look too kiddish for guests staying over) and a cute children's print with a border for the other side.  The children's print only peaks out when the curtains are tied back.  It was a fun project but next time I will not pick a print with a border (much more of a challenge).

I made them a little short so Ellie will not pull them down when she starts walking.


My next project was making Kenzie and Kate's Christmas presents.  While in Charleston, SC with my parents, we found a really cute reversible child's handkerchief apron.  I used it as a prototype to make my own.  Since the girls are Tinkerbell fans, I found some material that had her in it and glued fabric jewels to all the flowers for some extra bling.  On the opposite side I sprayed the material with fabric sparkles (aka fairy dust) to continue the fairy theme.  It was a little tricky making the aprons without a pattern but I'm happy with how they turned out for my first time. 

Please don't look too closely.  It was around midnight when I took these pictures. 

Ellie's 9 month check-up

Eliza's check-up went well.  At first the doctor was very concerned given her weight and measurements.  Then she figured out that the nurse put a boy's grow chart in Ellie's file.  Turns out she is doing fine. 

Height: 16.5 inches, 20%
Weight: 16.12 pounds, 18%
Head Circumference: 17 2/3 inches, 75%

Given her last measurement, the doctor asked if she has a hard time holding her head up and needs to wear a larger clothing size to get it over her head.  Both are true.  We just hope she eventually grows into it.  I asked a lot of questions about her reflux.  Even though the Prilosec makes it not burn when she spits up, she spits up a lot.  Some days she soaks through 3-4 outfits.  The doctor has recommended that we cut back on formula and push more food.  We have been feeding her solids twice a day, but the doctor wants us to up it to 4-5 times a day. We have an appointment to go back in a month.  If she is still spitting up just a much, then we will talk about being referred to a gastroenterologist.  That is all for now.

Just another day!

 Ellie has finally graduated to a big girl stroller.  Thank you Mom and Dad.  Let me tell you, it is so much easier to push than her old one with the baby carrier.  Oh, did I mention she has also out grown her infant carrier.  Hallelujah!! That sucker was so heavy to tote around with her in it.  It is forward reclining from here on out.

 Just a glimpse at what meal time is like around here.  Love that facial expression.  Truly priceless! Almost forgot, Ellie started eating Cheerios this week.  I was afraid to start solids, out of fear of choking, but with my Mom (a nurse) here, I was willing to give it a go.  Now she won't stop eating them.

I took these last two pictures this morning so you are up-to-date on the latest Ellie Belly.

South has risen Again!!!

After spending a week with my grandparents, visiting the DC sites, my parents made their way through the Blue Ridge Mountains to see us.  I was so excited; I had not seen them since February, when I flew with Ellie to California.  Ellie has changed so much since then.  For the last couple of weeks she has been sitting up all by herself.  She only falls over when she gets upset and throws herself backward.  I keep a pillow behind her back, just in case a tantrum arises.  Lately she has been going through a phase where the world seems to end if Jim or I walk out of site while she is in the living room.  One of us can be sitting right next to her, but it doesn’t seem to help if she sees the other person disappear from her view.  I hope this is just a phase!

Getting back to my parents, we planned two trips.  The first was a brief day trip to the Outer Banks.  Initially, this was supposed to be an overnight trip, but my grandpa assured us that it is a quick trip.  As the day grew closer, Jim grew concerned about all the time Ellie would have to spend in the car driving to, from, and all around.  It’s about 3 ½ to 4 hours one way.  The night before the trip Ellie was up every 40-50 minutes.  She had a really bad night, which translated into two exhausted parents.  We ended up sending my parents with directions while we stayed home with Ellie to sleep.

Our next trip was to Charleston, SC.  We left Wednesday morning and returned Friday night.  After we unloaded all our stuff in the hotel, we ventured out to the downtown to see the sites.  Janet recommended taking a carriage ride around the city, which was fabulous.  The horses were HUGE, mostly Clydesdales and Belgians.  While we trotted around the city, the guide gave a brief history on some of the historic buildings and folklore.  There were some beautiful Victorian homes, right on the harbor with a view of the Fort Sumter.  The only thing that kept us down was the serious HEAT and humidity.  It was hard keeping Ellie cool.  My mom, thinking ahead, bought little hand held fans.

By far the most breath-taking view of the trip was of Magnolia Plantation.  The grounds are so extensive that we toured by tram the gardens, wetlands, and slave quarters.  The mansion was beautiful, however, I didn’t see much since Ellie was tired and wanting a nap.  Jim and my mom gave me a play-by-play of the house after they finished the tour.  Later on the guys took a tour of Fort Sumter while the ladies shopped the open-air market downtown.  We bought a child’s apron that we will use as a prototype for sewing Kate & McKenzie’s Christmas gifts. 

The trip was a total success.  We did hit a little snag on the drive home.  One of the brackets on the car top carrier broke.  The carrier was rocking pretty hard and looked like at any moment it was going to tumble off.  At least that is what the other drivers on the road thought as they flagged us down and swerved around us.  We had to stop every 30-45 minutes to re-tie the rope we bought to secure it.  The 4½-hour ride home quickly turned into 6 plus hours.  This, still not so bad, until you add in Ellie screaming for the last 3 hours.  She was done with being in the car and we were all feeling the same way. 

My dad flew home the following day while my mom is out here for the week.  We have been using the time to get started on a few sewing projects.  I have never sewn before, so don’t expect anything elaborate anytime soon.  I am learning how to use the sewing machine she is giving me (Janome – Gem Platinum 760 model) since she is going to be purchasing a really fancy sewing machine that also quilts.  Our first project was a bib for Ellie.  I need to work on keeping a consistent amount of distance between the edge of the fabric and where I am stitching.  Very beginner stuff.  Next we will be working on simple curtains for Ellie’s room and then aprons for the girls. 

We forgot to bring the camera on our adventures.  Plus we were all pretty sweaty for a photo op.  I’ll post some pictures of our projects when we finish.

Ellie Belly Update

Eliza is finally sitting up on her own.  Thank you Brandi for showing us how to teach her.  It is so nice to sit her on the rug, throw some toys in front of her, and have a few minutes to get something done around the house.  We hope that she will start crawling soon. 

As some of you may know, Ellie's constipation has been so bad the past two months, that she bleeds trying to push out little boulders.  Between that and the reflux, we took her to the doctor today.  It was not our normal pediatrician, but he upped the prilosec dosage.  For her constipation, we need to give Ellie suppositories and practice anal stimulation with a rectal thermometer.  Ewhh!  This is what they need to teach in sex ed. to keep the teens from getting pregnant.

On a different note, Jim will be starting his MBA program in two weeks.  I'm anticipating life to be a bit more hectic with his attention focused on work and school, but worth the sacrifice.  My parents will be driving down from visiting my grandparents on Friday.  We have planned to trips to the Outer Banks (Kitty Hawk & Roanoke) and Charleston, SC.  I will post pictures of hour trips when we get back.  Below are some photos I took of Ellie yesterday, while she was clean & well dressed.

Lowry Family Reunion 2011

With their sons scattered across the country, Janet and Keith planned a family reunion.  They rented a cabin in Heber, Utah where the family reunited for a whole week of celebrations.  We celebrated Isabelle's 1st birthday, the 4th of July, Keith's 58th birthday, and Brandi & John's 10th anniversary.  You could say the party never stopped!  A long the way we had a few unplanned surprises... leaking from the walls and windows during a rainstorm, no A/C, and many creepy crawly things.  It was our version of "The Great Outdoors."  We ended the trip with a extended family gathering.  If anyone has some photos of the event, please share.