Big News from the Big Sister

I had to share...

I read this on a blog that I follow this morning, and it was too great not to pass on: Designer babies, designer God

January 2010

The month of January was a very long one for us. We had alot of exciting plans (going to visit friends and family, going to my cousin's wedding, and a bridal shower for my sister-in-law-to-be), but had to cut some of them out. A few days after Mary Laine's birthday, we loaded up the car and headed to Atlanta for our first stop in a nearly month-long trip. We planned to spend a few days with our dear friends, the Galbreaths, visit other Atlanta friends that we hadn't seen in way too long, and go to a couple of Kennesaw State basketball games. Unfortunately, when we were only a few minutes away, we were rear-ended and our car was totaled. So, sweet Shannon had to pack up her kids and come out in the snow (yes, it started snowing after the wreck) to save us from the side of the road as our car was towed away. When we got to their house, we turned right around and headed out to a basketball game. Sadly, Kennesaw didn't win. The next morning, we tried to get a rental car, but the roads were all iced over and the insurance company's office as well as most rental car offices were closed. So, the Galbreaths were stuck with us without a car. It as actually fun to just get to spend the day hanging out with them. We were finally able to get a rental van the next morning. On Saturday, I noticed that Mary Laine was acting a little fussy and wasn't eating very well (which is very out of character for her), but thought that it was probably just all of the excitement of being out of town. That night, several of us went back to Kennesaw State for another game. Mary Laine was super squirmy and fussy, but I just assumed that she was tired. I thought that if I walked around with her, that she may be able to settle down and fall asleep on my shoulder. On our third lap around the arena, the bottom dropped out. Mary Laine threw up. Yes, it was all over her, all over me, and all over the floor. Yuck! Thankfully, I had packed a pair of pj's in the diaper bag, so I could at least get Mary Laine changed. Our sweet friend Phillip drove us back home. I was naively hopeful that it would just be a one-time occurance... that we could get her cleaned up and get a good night's sleep and all be as good as new the next day. WRONG!!! My poor baby who had NEVER been sick (only a minor cold or two and that was IT) was up ALL NIGHT sick as a dog. Which meant that Gary and I were up all night taking care of her. Thankfully by about 10:00 the next morning, she was doing a little better. Of course, we didn't make it to church, and weren't able to get on the road like we had planned on. So, we decided to stay in Atlanta just one more night. Well, by that afternoon, I had it. Gary was able to take over Mary Laine duty so that I could quarantine myself. And then, of course, in the middle of the night, it had hit Gary. So, we ended up definitely overstaying our welcome as the Galbreaths had to put up with a sick family staying two days later than planned. Thanks guys - we already knew it before this trip, but y'all are truly the BEST friends!!!

Before the sickness set in
Mary Laine (12 mths), Kelsey (23 mths), and Carter (4)

Even though she was sick, we still got a smile or two

We had planned to go on to Raleigh to see Gary's parents and then on to South Carolina to see some of Gary's high school friends, but had to cancel that part of our trip (because we weren't feeling up to it, and we were all obviously highly contagious, so we didn't want to spread all of our germs). We headed straight to the beach a few days early. It sounds glamorous, but we just locked ourselves in our condo for days until we were sure we were all over the bug. It was a great view from the window, but so sad not to be able to get out and enjoy being there.

Not the worst view from your window when you're sick

While we were in lock-down in the condo, I was changing Mary Laine's diaper on the bed one morning. She decided that she wanted to crawl away from me and make it a game. I was on the phone (I'm not a great multi-tasker, so I should have known that this was going to be a bad idea.) Mary Laine proved that she has the potential to be a world-class gymnast as she did a some very impressive move, rolling 1 1/2 times backwards and plunging head-first off of the side of the bed. We'll have to work on her landings, though. She landed on her neck wedged between the bed, the side table, and the pack 'n play. In a failed attempt to catch her, I broke my toe on the furniture. Thankfully, Mary Laine bounced right back. Mama, on the other hand, was stuck with a swollen, bruised foot that had to stay elevated. No more cute shoes for the wedding!

One little monkey, rolling on the bed. She fell off and bumped her head!

Cutie Patootie!

In a pleasant turn of events, Daniel and Adair had a beautiful wedding! I was even more bummed about my broken toe with I heard the band because it was the best band I have ever heard. And I don't say that lightly. They were Party on the Moon and they were fabulous. I think that I was the only one who wasn't on the dance floor the entire night. They never took a break and they were so so good. Despite all of the incidents we had in getting there, it was all worth it. Congratulations and welcome to the family, Daniel!

When you can't get up and dance, the band will come to you!

We did get to stay at the beach and actually enjoy ourselves for a few days after the wedding. Mom and Dad babysat one night while Gary and I went on a double date with my grandparents to see The Blindside. We really enjoyed the movie, and it was so sweet to get to go out with Grandmom and Papa. One night, we went to our favorite place to eat in St. Simons - The Crab Trap. We have never gone to St. Simons without making it to the Crab Trap for at least one meal. One of our favorites is the crab soup. So, everyone at the table ordered a cup. Our waitress was trying to carry too many cups at one time (with no tray), and spilled them all over Mary Laine!! This is really hot soup! Thankfully, she wasn't burned, but I was disappointed that our waitress was less than apologetic. Will we go back to the Crab Trap? Absolutely - the food is too good to boycott them because of bad service. But I was sadly very disappointed.

Swimming with Aunt Susanne and Grant

So glad to finally be feeling better!

Sitting with Papa before the movie

Feeding the birds with Daddy

After all of the excitement over the past few weeks, I was glad to have a chance to have a mini-vacation for myself. Gary's younger brother is getting married this summer, so the Dyksterhouse (and Foca) ladies all gathered in Knoxville to welcome Kate to the family. We got to shop for flower girl dresses, bridesmaids dresses, and just hang out, eat really good food, and watch funny movies. It was a relaxing weekend and just what I needed. The night before we left to go home, Kate got the stomach bug (yes, the guest of honor - so sad!), so it ended on a bit of a sour note, but I think that we would all look back and say that the majority of the weekend was a blast. And then, the day after I got back home, I came down with the flu. Mary Laine also had a bad cold, so it all made sense - they say that bad things happen in threes. We just went through 2 sets of 3. That pretty much rounded out the month of January for us.

Sisters-in-law: Catherine, Kate (Katherine), Kathryn, and Kelly -
yes, it can be a bit confusing at times :-)

The attire when Daddy's in charge :-)

While there were definitely a few highlights in the month, we were all glad to see February!