the thornell family

Blocks

2010-12-11T11:08:00.001-08:00

The boys were playing blocks and Matt was in the midst of building a great castle.
Thomas: Uh oh Matthew, blocks fall down.
Matthew: No, they're not going to fall.
(Thomas sweeps his arm across the castle, knocking every block to the floor.)
Thomas: Blocks fall down!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

November Update

2009-12-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Kids

Earlier this month we moved Thomas’s crib into Matthew’s room. Brandon needed an office space to work out of for school so we decided to bunk the boys to give him the solitude. So far it’s working out great! Their bedtimes are staggered by half an hour so they generally are not awake at the same time. There have been one or two nights that we’ve heard some laughing and chatting from them if Thomas wasn’t quite asleep, but otherwise it has been really great. The office is also doubling as a playroom and is housing most of their toys.

Matt’s School Progress

I had my first Parent-Teacher Conference with Matthew’s kindergarten teacher a couple of weeks ago. He’s doing so great! He is excelling at math and science in particular and Brandon and I couldn’t be happier about that. His teacher told me that he also has really nice, controlled handwriting for a boy and that he is a great learner and contributor to the class. His only area that needs a little improvement is paying attention (go figure, a 5-year-old boy is having trouble paying attention). He follows directions very well but it’s paying attention long enough to hear the directions that can be his problem. But he is very well behaved and gets along great with the other students. He also memorizes his Bible verses easily and can remember all of the verses for the year; they go through the alphabet and are currently on letter I, so he can remember quite a lot. His favorite times of day are his three (yes, three!) recesses and P.E. This makes perfect sense because Matthew is a little ball of energy who tends to not sit still for very long (hence the not paying attention problem).

Thanksgiving

We joined Donna and the kids for Thanksgiving dinner and had a very relaxing holiday break. I got the Christmas decorations put up minus the tree, which we will get this weekend. We are going to buy a real tree, a first for me, so I’m very excited! We also plan to do the bulk of our Christmas shopping this weekend. We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a day to get out for family gifts. We’ll also pay a visit to Santa. Thomas did not see him last year so it’ll be interesting to see his reaction to him. Then Brandon and I will take a day off during the next two weeks to shop for the kiddos.

October Update

2009-11-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

October was a busy month for our family! We went on some great trips around the area, including the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim and the pumpkin patch at Sunrise Farm in Kingston. Photos of our adventures will be posted soon!

We also attended the annual harvest party at our church. This year it was the night before Halloween so we were able to take the boys trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Matthew wanted to be a construction worker and Thomas was a train conductor. Check out their costumes, as well as the pumpkins we carved.

The Boys

With the exception of one incident, the boys had a great month. Soccer season for Matthew came to an end – check out his cool trophy. They won 7 out of 8 games!! He really improved at soccer this year over last year; Brandon and I were thinking of switching him to something else next year, just to try something new, but he did so well this year that I think we’ll let him play as long as he wants to. He’s also having a fun time at kindergarten. His school held a marathon fundraiser and he completed five miles on his bike!

The exception I mentioned was Thomas burning his hand on our freestanding fireplace. I took him to the doctor every other day for two weeks getting his hand dressing changed and monitoring for infection. Fortunately he is doing great and the hand is healing beautifully without any scars. He has been without a wrap on his hand for about a week now. Other than that, he’s doing great. He’s repeating new words that he hears and we can actually understand what he’s saying! His hair is getting long and I’m thinking of getting it cut but haven’t got the guts up to take him. Matthew’s hair never got this long and definitely didn’t curl on the ends, so I’m just loving seeing it, but it’s getting a little scraggly (?) and I really should just do it. I definitely have to before we get Christmas photos taken.

Last Saturday we finally painted Matthew’s room. I’ve been considering putting the boys in the same room and I think we’re going to do it. They have a great relationship right now and I think it’ll get stronger if they room together, especially as they get older. I’ve read so many success stories of siblings sharing rooms that I can’t wait to do it. Thomas will still be in his crib for a while since their room is upstairs and I don’t want him taking a tumble if he climbs out of a twin bed. I’m hoping it will be a fun change for them. If not, we’ll move them back to separate rooms.

Brandon

Brandon took a business trip to Anaheim a few weeks ago and has otherwise been working hard both at work and school. His first two classes wrapped up last weekend and he’s now onto his third.

Crystal

I am LOVING being the mom of a school ager. It’s an entirely new facet to this whole parenting thing and it’s really fun. I love making Matthew’s lunches every night and putting little notes in them. He’s not so sure about those, though. I did it for a few days but he didn’t say anything about them so I finally asked him one afternoon “Matthew, did you see the picture I drew and put in your lunch?” and he said “Yeah, it was weird so I threw it away.” Apparently I need to improve my art skills…

I’ve also been reintroduced to Tag. Remember playing that? I used to LOVE tag. I was a really fast runner, always made it to base, and was rarely “It”. However, there are new rules to this game that I don’t remember. For instance, did you know that if you tag someone and say “No tagbacks” that they can’t tag you back right away? Matthew is a fast runner like I was. I can’t keep him still. He runs everywhere. I think it’s great, though. He’s active, loves to play outdoors, and is totally worn out by the time bedtime comes around. Bedtime is definitely not a struggle in our house with either kid.

Grandpa in Iraq

Brandon’s dad was sent to Iraq in September. Even though he is a naval officer, he is doing work for the Army and helping to build a base in the city of Umm Qasr. He is able to keep in touch with us via email, so we’re not without contact. Our prayers and thoughts are with him while he is away for the next 13 months.

September Update

2009-09-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have been horrible at this whole blogging thing, probably even worse than responding to friends on Facebook. After unsuccessful tries at random, daily, and weekly updates, I’m trying out monthly updates to see how that goes. I’ll post at the end of each month with photos of what we did that month.

This Month at the Thornell House

I want to brag about the bookcase that Brandon put in our family room. We originally had this nook that we stuck our IKEA Billy bookcase in when we first moved in. It’s the perfect nook for a built-in and I knew when we first bought the house that I wanted one there. Check out the before and after photos. Didn’t he do a great job?

Before

After

I have something else that’s pretty cool. After getting stuck in the snow multiple times last winter, Brandon was determined to put me in a 4-wheel drive vehicle before this winter. Well, he did that alright. He bought me a 2006 Land Rover LR3 (see below at Hurricane Ridge). Isn’t it cutie? With the all-weather tires he’s getting, there’s no chance of me getting stuck this year, which is good because according to forecasters we are in for a very extreme winter.

Our month's outings have included visiting the Seattle Aquarium, a family favorite, Hurricane Ridge and Crystal Lake in the Olympic Mountains (another favorite), and most recently the Seattle Symphony’s Beethoven and Wine Festival. This of course was a date night for me and Brandon. It was a lot of fun – the entire lobby and mezzanine levels of Benaroya Hall showcased several wineries and select wines. After about an hour of wine tasting, we sat in for the Symphony’s performance of Beethoven’s Fifth. This was our first time hearing the SSO live and it was a really great performance.

Matthew and Thomas at Crystal Lake

In the clouds on the Hurricane Ridge trail

Matthew on the Move

Matthew on his first day of school

Matthew officially started school this year! September 8th was his first day of Kindergarten. His teacher’s name is Mrs. Tangeman and he is having great time in her class. Aside from their daily classroom work, they participate in P.E., music, and have recess several times a day. He has been in half-day kindergarten up to this point but will switch to all-day kindergarten on Oct. 1st when he will add computer lab, art, and free play. He is doing marvelously with his handwriting, math, and Bible verse memorization.

Ready to learn!

Matthew and his teacher, Mrs. Tangeman

Soccer season is also upon us! Matthew’s team this year is the Tigers and they have the same coach as last year – she is actually assistant coach to her husband. They are doing a great job of coaching the kids and they have won every game so far! Matthew has done great – he has scored at least one goal in every game. (Of course, his favorite time of each game is finding out what they get for snack.) We were thinking of switching him to a new sport next year but he has really taken to soccer so he may do it again next year, if that’s what he wants.

Photo op for Mom

Get in there!

Big kick!

Thomas watching his brother from the sideline

Talkin' Thomas

Thomas has been a busy boy this summer! He spent the last couple of months learning to walk and is now trying to conquer walking up and down stairs. He recently switched to Matthew’s daycare where he will have to walk upstairs to the playground everyday, so he should begin to master those pretty quickly. He has also become quite the chatterbox. He started with making the sound “agguh” ALL the time and can now say words like Momma, Dadda, ball (which sounds like “bow” because he rounds his mouth so much), thank you (sounds like “kee koo”), Uh Oh, and baby (sounds like “beebee”). It’s amazing to see how much he has grown and learned over the last few months and even weeks. Of course, he does have his big brother to keep up with.

Brandon

Just when Brandon’s life couldn’t get any busier, he started his MBA degree this fall. Earlier this month he began a 22-month MBA program in International Business through Walden University. On the positive side, he took up motorcycle riding which is proving to be a nice stress outlet for him.

Crystal

One of my goals has been to organize my home and this has actually gone very well so far. Here's what I've been working on:

Kid's Clothes

I recently sorted through what must have been hundreds of Matthew's clothes that I've been saving for Thomas and I put every piece into either drawers (clothes he can wear now), labeled boxes (clothes that are too big), or into a box to consign (clothes that Thomas has grown out of). I then tackled my craft supplies, which entailed purchasing a $16 rolling printer cart from Walmart, putting it into the small closet beneath our stairs and, after paring down all of my craft supplies to only the projects I actually do (good riddens cross stitch, candle making, and paper making), I can now fit it all onto this cart, including my sewing machine. Whenever I want to make cards, knit, or sew, I roll out the entire cart and use the top as my work surface.

Mail and Paper Clutter

Another organization project was household paper including mail, my filing cabinet, bills, etc. This took a lot of research and work but I finally found a system that works for me. My filing system is based on the Freedom FilerÓ system (read this excellent post about Freedom Filer on the unclutterer. blog). My system is set up a bit differently than how theirs is, but like I said, it works for me. I now have a home and procedure for every piece of paper that comes through the house. For example, all mail that comes into the house goes into my inbox. From there, each piece is sent to a specific file: To Do, To Be Paid, To Be Filed, or the trash. These files are horizontal files set up on my computer desk so I can see them. They are out in the open because I hate seeing paper and I am much more inclined to deal with it if I know it’ll otherwise be seen.

So the first two categories, To Be Paid and To Do, are self explanatory. Once something makes the To Be Filed pile, however, it is then put into my filing cabinet and where depends on what it is (e.g. a monthly statement or tax document). This is better explained on this page on Freedom Filer’s website.

Meal Planning

The final area of home organization I have recently and quite successfully tackled is meal planning. First, I made a list of all of the meals we eat on a regular basis. Not meals I tried once or have new recipes for, mind you, but the go-to meals that we eat week after week, such as baked penne and sausage, grilled chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. Under each meal I wrote down every single item needed to make that meal. I then used a 3x5 index card template in Microsoft Word and put each meal name, the needed ingredients, and their quantities (if necessary) on each card. So for Baked Penne the meal card looks like this:

Baked Penne

10 oz penne pasta

1.5 c. pasta sauce

3 links Italian sausage

Shredded mozzarella cheese

1 loaf Italian bread

Butter

I don’t include cooking instructions because these meals are so common to us that I don’t need instructions. I then printed the cards on colored paper (not of any significance, just so they’re not boring white), cut them out, and laminated them. For consistency (and lack of tons of colors), I did make all pastas one color, all chicken meals one color, and all beef meals another color. I keep them in the pocket of our family calendar, which is centrally located in the kitchen on the pantry door. Every Sunday I sit down with Brandon and Matthew and we go through the cards and pick out what we want for dinner that week. Friday is always pizza night, Saturday we eat out or order in, and we always have a “whatever” night during the week, so that only leaves four other nights to select dinners for. We only have one pasta and one chicken per week so meals don’t get overdone or too predictable. Once we select the meals using the cards, I take those cards and do a pantry check for the needed ingredients. Everything I need goes onto my grocery list and the cards get put in my day planner. We don’t commit to having a certain meal on a certain night – we never feel like eating what I plan to make…EVER. So we choose day by day and everything is ready to go no matter what we choose. I only prepare just enough for one meal so we don’t have leftovers (they just end up in our fridge for weeks and getting tossed out so I stopped saving leftovers). Then I go grocery shopping every Monday during my lunch break and I only buy a week’s worth of food at a time, so I always have a week’s worth of meals ready to go. And that’s it!

Happy 5th Birthday, Matthew!

2009-04-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Matthew's 5th birthday! I brought cupcakes for his daycare class this afternoon, and tonight we plan to celebrate with Mommy and Daddy gifts, plus he gets to pick where we go for dinner. His big party will be this weekend!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Despite the clouds and rain, this morning has been full of Easter happiness. Matthew woke up at his usual 6am to locate the basket left by the Easter Bunny. The boys were dressed in their Sunday best for church (see their handsomeness below), and we've spent the early afternoon eating lunch and watching movies.

Creating Beauty out of Chaos

2009-03-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

So being the good little Northwesterner that I am, I had a cup of Starbucks coffee this morning. On my cup was printed quote #36 of their “The Way I See It” series. The statement, said by novelist Alice Randall, read:

“Mother-love is not inevitable. The good mother is a great artist ever creating beauty out of chaos.”

I don’t believe that all quotes are good, or even worth repeating, but this one, specifically the second sentence, stood out to me today in particular. I’m not quite sure how the first sentence is relevant to the second, but anyway…

I had a fairly normal morning: I woke up, got dressed, woke up the boys and got them dressed, and headed out the door.

Of course there was more to it than that (Thomas just had to have his bottle first thing and wouldn’t hear otherwise, Matthew didn’t want to go to daycare, which was a first for him, and I decided to put off making bottles until this morning instead of doing it last night, which took up an additional 15 minutes).

After our hour-and-a-half long morning ritual, I emerge from the house with two dressed, happy boys who are ready for their day of play. I am nearly ready myself – finishing touches usually go on while the car warms up – but still mostly presentable.

Funny, the word “chaos” was the main word that jumped out at me and I can’t imagine why. :o) I think the saying does have some truth to it. We mothers have the ability to manage quite gracefully in the midst of chaos and produce beautiful results. I think if someone were to put a video camera in my house and watch from 5:30am to 7am, they would think I fare very well with what I have to deal with. Don’t get me wrong – it’s nothing like what the Gosselin family goes through – they work magic in that household. But the boys and I have our routine and our own way of doing things, and it works for us.

I don’t know that Brandon would fare as well. Actually, I know he doesn’t because he has told me that. He told me straight up that he'd rather keep leaving for work at 4:30am than get the extra sleep and have to get the boys up and out the door. I have heard his experiences firsthand. Having had to meet him and the boys at church on a few Sunday mornings, I have had several phone calls asking for locations of clothes articles and heard crying and screaming in the background. He always tells me, “Just know that we’ll be there; don’t worry about how we get there.” I can’t help but laugh when I hear them. I think that’s because we (moms) have, as Ms. Randall says, a natural ability to “[create] beauty out of chaos.”

Matthew Entertaining Thomas

2009-03-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is really funny. Matthew is using an empty formula can to make Thomas laugh and I think it's the hardest I've heard him laugh yet.

Seattle Aquarium

2009-03-15T16:10:00.001-07:00

These are photos of our trip to the Seattle Aquarium on Saturday. It was fun but it was ccccoooold!!

Tons of fish!

Brandon and Thomas

Laughing at the otters

He's a starfish stuck on the window...

AHH!! Octopus tentacles!!! (They're not real)

It's Nemo and Dory!

Touching a starfish

Taking the ferry home

Me and the boys

The Boys in the Morning

2009-03-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

I wish I was a morning person like the boys...look how happy they are at 6am!

Wacky Wednesday

2009-03-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

It was Wacky Wednesday yesterday at Thomas's daycare and we were supposed to dress the kids in crazy clothes. Well, I don't have "crazy" clothes for Thomas, so I accessorized him!

1st Bathtime Together

2009-03-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Matthew and Thomas had a blast taking their first bath together this week. I wanted to wait until Thomas was sitting up well enough that he wouldn't get dunked if Matthew gets a little excited. They were so cute together. Matthew gave Thomas a scrub and a rinse while Thomas just sat there and chewed on all of the toys. Thomas didn't seem to mind water being dumped on his head; he actually took it better than Matthew does!

An Attempt At Discipleship

2009-01-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how you as a Christian can best influence the lives of others in your life? This is something I have been thinking about ever since last Sunday when our pastor's sermon focused on discipleship and telling "the good news". Well, the sermon last week, in particular the part about Psalm 107:22, "...and tell of his works with songs of joy", sort of clicked with me. Let me explain...

I have always wondered why Brandon and I were given two kids who carry genetic disorders (Opitz G syndrome). "Why our family?" I would ask. I believe that everything happens for a reason so I just always figured God knew what he was doing and I left it at that. But it still bothered me why they would carry this disorder and yet are not affected by it like they should be. I mean, the odds they were up against made it very obvious that they were going to have major problems with feeding, learning, walking, talking, etc. Yet Matthew is as normal today as his peers, if not ahead intellectually. Thomas is perfectly on target for his age and milestones.

I don't think Matthew and Thomas turned out as well as they did just because of coincidence. Brandon and I prayed to God every day after Matthew was born and we learned of his feeding issues. We thanked Him for our son, we prayed for strength to make it through the situation, and we asked that He would make him healthy. Matthew developed into a very smart, sweet boy who can do everything he's supposed to and more. When I was pregnant with Thomas and found out he had the same conditions and probably worse, we prayed every day that God would again give us the strength to get through it and make Thomas healthy and normal. When Thomas was born, he couldn't have been healthier.

As genetics go, these were truly miracles. Some 75% of Opitz-carrying boys have learning disabilities and severe physical abnormalities, yet neither Matthew nor Thomas had any of those issues.

My belief, and I suppose my testimony, is that God blessed me and Brandon for our trust and faith in Him that he knew what he was doing. Did He put us in these situations so that we could testify to His awesome power and works? It's very possible. I believe God does that all the time - that He allows people to get into unfortunate situations so they can later help others who get into the same situations. Case and point - Dave Ramsey. He found himself in horrible financial distress and God pulled him out of it. Now he is a nationally syndicated radio and tv show host who helps millions of people get out of debt every day by speaking from experience.

There is a Bible verse that has carried us through many challenging years: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6. This verse is hung on our coat closet door as a daily reminder that God has provided everything to us thus far and always will, even if we don't know how or why.

I can think of no better way to prove that God exists and that He helps those who call to Him and trust in Him.

Is Winter Over, Yet?

2009-01-24T20:04:00.000-08:00

Since the first of the year I have had this itching to start some home improvement projects. I think because of the rain, snow, and cloudy days we've had over the winter I am impatiently anticipating spring and warmer weather. My "to do" list so far includes:

Find storage solution for all of the kids' toys that are overtaking my family room
Build raised bed for new vegetable garden
Paint kitchen, downstairs bathroom, boys' rooms, and my bedroom
Cut back butterfly bush and the HUGE bush in front of our house
Plant new tree in backyard to replace the one Jake uprooted
Organize closet under stairs (potential craft closet??)
Select, print, mat, frame, and hang family photos in stairway

It's possible I'm a little over ambitious, but it's not like I'm going to do all of them at once. I just wanted to get them all on paper so I can decide what makes sense to complete first. Problem is, I have so many projects I want to do that I don't know where to start...

Thomas Cracking Up

2009-01-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

This is a one-minute clip of Thomas laughing at me making goofy noises and faces at him. It's funny how parents will make fools of themselves to humor their children, isn't it?

Chocolate Face

2009-01-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this last week - here's Thomas eating icing from my birthday cake. :o)

Matthew and Thomas Playing

2009-01-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

I sat and watched the boys play together today with Thomas's new toy train that moves and spits out balls. They were so cute. I find it very interesting to watch them play - it's fun to see Thomas's curiosity at work and how Matthew acts with him. Matthew gets a little rowdy sometimes but Thomas takes it pretty well. He watches him with such wonder. Matthew's very proud of how big he is compared to Thomas, and he lets us know frequently. "I'm bigger than Thomas" is the phrase of the year.

More Winter Photos

2009-01-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Our house and street under 12+ inches of snow during the week of Christmas.

Me and Matthew

Brandon

Thomas can sit!

2009-01-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Thomas sat up for the first time tonight without falling for several minutes! He just turned 7 months old on December 30th. While he is a little bit later doing this than Matthew, I think he'll end up walking sooner than Matt because he has shown a lot of interest in standing and none in sitting until now. As you can see in the photo, he is very excited about this new milestone!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

It has been a snow-filled winter here in Washington! Here are Christmas and snow photos. Matthew and Thomas have been thoroughly enjoying their Christmas gifts from everyone.

Our Christmas tree

"Murgent" Turtles!

My angel making snow angels

Yum, wrapping paper!

Taking turns

Busy Thomas

With 12 inches of snow, you have to build a snowman.

Matthew enjoying the snow

August 2008

2008-10-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of our summer activities!

Blowing Bubbles

Nice night on the deck

Bee sting! Poor Matthew... :o(

Hurricane Ridge

Tuesday, July 15

2008-07-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back to work after a 6-week maternity leave. I have to say it wasn’t too bad. I left my office relatively clean so that was nice to come back to. It was a pretty quiet day of going through my mailbox, following up on voice- and e-mails, and getting caught up on what I’ve missed.

Today is Thomas’s first day at daycare (he was with grandma yesterday). It felt weird leaving him with people I don’t know but I trust that the staff will take good care of him. I’ve already called once today to check on him. He’s busy doing what most 6-week-old babies do: eating, pooping, and sleeping. I’m pumping breastmilk at work and hopefully will maintain an adequate supply to not need formula supplementation. It’s working well so far!

Saturday, July 12th

2008-07-12T23:02:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the beach! It has taken a couple of years for Matthew to get used to going there and liking the sand and water but today he had a really great time building sandcastles and looking for driftwood. We took Thomas with us as well - he didn't seem to care either way since all he did was sleep the whole time.

Matthew and Thomas birth photos

2008-07-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

I found a newborn photo of Matthew when he was one day old and wanted to show just how similar Thomas looks to him. Check this out!

Thomas is 6 weeks old!

2008-07-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Thomas is now 6 weeks old! He hasn't been weighed since June 23rd, and at that time he was 8 lbs 6 oz, but on our home scale yesterday he was approximately 10 lbs. I'm proud of that since he's exclusively breastfeeding (not getting any formula supplementation). He's awake much more during the days now than he was even a couple of weeks ago. He's paying attention to the toys hanging over his swing and he's making really good eye contact with us.

He is especially fascinated with Matthew. Matthew gets down to his level and talks to him, makes silly faces and sounds, and Thomas just looks at him like he's the most fascinating person he's ever seen. Matthew is doing so great being the big brother, but we already knew he would. He's great with getting diapers, replacing binkies, and entertaining Thomas when he's fussy. He shows a lot of love and affection towards him - there hasn't been one single moment of resentment towards Thomas. We're very proud of Matthew during such a big life change.

Welcome Thomas Frederick!

2008-07-10T13:26:00.001-07:00

We welcomed the newest addition to our family, Thomas Frederick Thornell, on May 30, 2008, at 9:29 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. He looks just like Matthew did as a newborn except he has brown hair (Matthew had none but eventually he got blond hair). I'll try to get a side-by-side photo comparison of the two on here tonight. It's uncanny how alike they look.

Mid-Week Update

2008-04-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

Matthew came home yesterday with (yet another) incident report from his daycare. Running + Concrete = Owie on Forehead. This makes for the third incident in the past two weeks. The last two incidents were for 1) running around and into another kid (got a black eye from that one) and 2) getting "accidentally punched in the face" by another kid (ironically in the same spot as the first black eye). Now, I realize one might come to the conclusion that there is more going on here than meets the [black] eye, but I don't think so. Is it a lot of incidents to happen to Matthew? Sure. Does he bring some of them on himself? Absolutely. Do I trust his caregivers? Yes, I do. Matthew tells me and Brandon every time something happens to him at daycare (or 'school' as Matthew calls it). We ask him about every incident - who, where, when, how - and his answers are always in line with what his teacher told us. Matthew is a surprisingly honest little boy, even at almost 4 years old, and Brandon and I have learned to trust what he says. So, after getting waaay too in depth into that subject, I will leave it at that. I've just been very lucky that Matthew hasn't got hurt right before portrait time, which is what he always used to do to me.

Glucose screening test results

2008-03-31T17:57:00.001-07:00

Good news! I passed the 3-hour glucose screening! I am very relieved - that was definitely one problem I didn't need on top of everything else. I knew I didn't have high blood sugar but they insisted on testing me again for being 9mg over their recommended normal level of 140mg. At any rate, it's over and done with and I'm on to the last 7 weeks of pregnancy. (Woo hoo!)

Thomas' Ultrasound Photos

2008-03-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here are the ultrasound photos that have been taken of Thomas throughout the pregnancy. Because of the concern for Opitz Syndrome so early on, we have had a lot of ultrasound scans to closely monitor his progress. The 3D photos are especially cool. They look a bit odd but they always do. He really does look very normal!

11/20/07
Hand in front of his face

12/20/07

Boy parts!

1/23/08

3D Face and arm

1/23/08
3D Face and arm (with a smile??)

3/4/08 Hands together on chest

Our New Garden

2008-03-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Brandon and I took on the task of redoing the garden in our front yard. I have been wanting to redo this area ever since we bought the house last June. The garden is set over a county water easement so it's on quite a considerable slope. Two weekends ago we tore up the old bed (see photo on the left), which was full of wildflowers and a huge butterfly bush that had taken over part of the yard, as well as part of our neighbor's yard. We cut it down to the ground, ripped out all of the wildflowers, and aerated the soil to plant new shrubs and flowers. We spent a few hours last Saturday putting down garden fabric, planting the new plants, and laying down a layer of mulch. The bed doesn't look fabulous right now (see photo on the right), but it looks a ton better than it did and once the shrubs grow, the bulbs bloom, and we add some more annuals, I think it will look pretty nice.

My First Blog Post!

2008-03-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

So here it is, our new family blog. Yes, I am officially a "blogger". I will not be one of those post-every-hour sort of bloggers but I will definitely post new events, photos, and daily happenings that are worth mentioning (and reading).

The first new 'happening' I can think of is Matthew's upcoming 4th birthday! He will turn 4 on April 21st. I am planning his party for Saturday, April 26th. I was going to have it the weekend before but my office is participating in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies that day, so we will be showing our support by walking for that. I suppose I could try to swing both in one day but I'm not about to do that to myself. At 30 weeks pregnant I'm just a little hormonal so I try not to stress myself out unnecessarily.

Speaking of the pregnancy, I have round two of the glucose screening test this Friday. I failed the 1-hour test so now I'm on to the 3-hour test. It surprised me a bit that my blood sugar levels were high - usually I'm trying to find something to feed myself to raise them. Oh well, we shall see. I've heard that a lot of women who fail the first test pass the second so I'm hopeful!