Life as a Lewis

Poor Rory is still sick, and today is the worst yet. Is it possible to be really sick and not have a fever? She still isn't running one, but her little nose just keeps on running and her cough gets worse and worse. She sounds pitiful. We had an exciting morning. Camden (up at 5:30) and Rory (up at 6:00) were playing together (what a rare treat) back in their bedroom. Brian (up at 5:00) and I (up at 5:42) were in the computer room talking. We heard Rory fussing, but it didn't seem urgent so we didn't worry about it. Well, after a few more minutes of fussing I went back to Camden's room, and Rory was shut in the bathroom and couldn't get out (thanks to Camden) while Camden just sat there and listened. Brotherly love. On the agenda for today is grocery shopping. I really don't want to get out with Rory and her cough, but we've got 2 diapers in the house and nothing to eat, so I think I should at least make a quick trip. We were supposed to have a play date with

How did I end up not only being married to a morning person, but having two children who are also morning people. I. am. not. a. morning. person. I'll spare you the gory details, but it was not a good night and Camden is the only one in the house who got much sleep, but somehow by 6:00 a.m. everyone in the house is up and perky. Except me. Yesterday was pretty uneventful so I don't have much to report. Today will probably be much of the same so I won't drag this out. Enjoy your day.

So in an effort to keep myself accountable and get more accomplished, I've decided to start posting my daily "to do" lists. It may be the dumbest idea I've ever had, but I'll try anything to help me be more organized at home. And, obviously, this does not include many everyday things that happen, these are just habits I'm trying to reinstate as well as different household chores and errands that are done on different days of the week. Here's how Monday went. And in defense of myself - it's too cold to walk with a sick baby, the thank you notes are almost done, and just cannot drink another bottle of water at 9:00 p.m. without running to the potty all night. I'll plan better tomorrow!

Rory's proofs are up on Angie's website if anyone wants to take a look (there's no password so browse away). Click here .

Rory has another cold. She seemed fine on Saturday, but then woke up from her afternoon with a runny nose and lots of sneezing and did not sleep well at all that night. And it seems to be going strong this morning. Camden was sick over and over his first year home and I blamed it on daycare, but Rory seems to be headed in the same direction and all we do is stay at home! Brian's dad ran in the Music City Marathon on Saturday (finished the 1/2 marathon in 2:17) and so I ran errands with the kiddos while Brian went to the marathon. I took advantage of Tennessee's tax-free weekend and picked up a few things we still needed for Camden's summer wardrobe, as well as some things for me and Brian. Rory actually came away from the shopping trip with nothing new if you can believe it. It took will power, though. Rory and Camden have been playing together (well, existing together anyway) much better the last week or so. Not that there aren't intense moments of screaming and fighti

Rory is napping in her crib. You have no idea how excited this makes me. Well, a little sad too because I'm sappy and liked that she needed me to snuggle before falling asleep. And the transition went so well - I even waited to try it on a day that Brian would be home so he could help me be strong, but I didn't even need him. Oh, and yes, I actually risked her waking up just so I could take the picture.

Brian is off work today and we had big plans to spend it doing something fun, maybe a zoo trip, but we all woke up a little cranky and feeling lazy today so we're doing nothing. Well, I shouldn't say nothing. Brian decided he wanted to work in the yard. Because he's outside, he gets both kids! I'm going to scrap for a bit and then get to work on the house (no, I didn't do it yesterday). Tomorrow is still up for discussion. Brian took Camden to Gram and Gramp's house for a cookout last night, and they had so much fun. He came home very late and so excited! He burned himself cooking a hotdog and his allergies were seriously acting up, but he had a blast. A couple of kid funnies. The first night after my parents left, Camden gave us goodnight kisses and hugs and then dejectedly said, "I sure wish there were more people to say good night to." His way of saying he missed Grandma and Grandpa. Rory has developed a very high-pitched fake laugh and giggle. It&#

. . . in more ways than one. (watching Dancing With the Stars at lunch - Rory LOVES the music!) It's been so long since I really blogged I don't really know where to start, so I think you'll just get the abbreviated version. Friday night our friends came over, and the kids had so much fun playing. Camden would "play" the piano and Emily would dance ballet. Emily would "play" the piano for him, and he would dance (not sure what style!). Rory was pretty infatuated with Andrew, the baby. She thought he was a doll and kept trying to pick him up and give him the pacifier. It was so cute! Saturday we had pictures with Angie, I had a manicure, pedicure and haircut, which was fun. My parents arrived Saturday night and stayed until Wednesday morning. Camden especially enjoyed himself with Grandpa, who played endless games of softball with him. We went to the park on Monday, to Opry Mills on Tuesday. Wednesday was Rory's doctor's appointment. Our church ha

Head over to Angie's Sneek Peek Blog for a few of the 100's of pictures Angie took on Saturday. I can't wait to see all of them.

I'll update later about our weekend and time with family, but I wanted to quickly let everyone know that Rory's doctor's appointment with the pediatric dermatologist went very well this morning. She has an Eccrine Angiomatous Hamartoma (try saying that 3 times), which is quite rare but is non-cancerous, non-hereditary, vascular malformation. The doctor said that we will probably want to have it removed surgically by a plastic surgeon when she gets to be 11-12, but that we should just leave it alone at this point. He said that it will probably cause her minor pain as she goes through growth spurts since it will be growing as well, but that it will not hinder her physically in any way. We went to the doctor at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, which is a teaching hospital (think ER or Grey's Anatomy) and the intern came in first to exam Rory. My poor baby was sooooooo traumatized by this young man touching her and looking at her leg. She screamed and sobbed uncontrollab

We're still here, but no time for blogging. We're too busy having fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Camden and Grandpa Rory and Grandpa Rory, Camden, Grandpa, Grandma Gram and Rory

We actually felt the earthquake this morning. It was very strange! Rory had woke up and I had just put her in bed with us when the house started to really vibrate. Brian immediately got up and went to check the weather (this tells you how much we really felt it because he's the man who can sleep through tornadoes). I was really freaked out, and we weren't sure what it was until we saw the news this morning. We had a beautiful day yesterday, and Rory and Camden enjoyed playing outside. I think today is another nice day and then our Saturday is supposed to be chilly and rainy. Rory's first official photo shoot is tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping the weather will cooperate. And speaking of those pictures, how many outfits are too many do you think? I'm having trouble deciding! We have friends coming over for dinner tonight, and I'm really looking forward to it. After the pictures tomorrow morning, I'm spending a little time alone! Brian is taking the kiddos home

Drama queen in the making! Before I look at her After I look at her Before I look at her After I look at her Yes, this is the third post of the morning. I told you things were slow.

I forgot cute kid stories! Last night at supper, Camden out of the blue told us that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because they were having a baby and they needed to pay taxes. So, since we have Rory, we need to go where we were born to pay taxes. Rory has learned to fake cry. She manipulates her face into all kinds of strange positions as she "cries" and "whines." She says "omma" over and over and kinda hunches her shoulder over. Of course, as soon as I respond to it, she breaks out in giggles.

Rory woke up in a very good mood this morning. She's laughing and playing, and even let Brian hold her this morning and hugged Camden goodbye. She slept pretty well last night. I think she woke up twice, not counting 4:45 a.m. when we just put her in bed with us. Of course, considering she didn't take a nap yesterday, she should have slept well! You should see her with her wild and crazy bed head running around the house. On today's agenda is laundry (I didn't make it yesterday), maybe a walk, getting Camden's spring and summer clothes from last year ready to take to the consignment store, and then actually taking it there . Well, have this week's entries been boring enough for you? Pretty slow around here!

This week is flying by (which is actually a good thing because I have fun things coming up this weekend)!. I spent most of Monday and Tuesday cleaning the house and getting it ready for company this weekend. I still have Camden's bedroom and our bedroom left to do as well as catching up on the laundry. Mayme came over yesterday for a digital scrapping lesson and a walk. I think I might have scared her off with the scrapping - hopefully not! I'm grocery shopping this morning and running a few errands and then another walk possibly this afternoon. Our weather is quite nice today, and I think it's supposed to stay nice for several days. Here are two pictures of the kiddos from this week. Rory is all about wearing Camden's hats, and she always puts them on sideways. And I took this picture of Camden yesterday after school. He continues to struggle and have a difficult time with our transition. Hopefully, he's going to accept this is our new normal!

I'm sure there's no one happier than my parents that it's finally tax day! And, of course, it's people like us (who just last night finally finished up everything for him) that makes life rough. I'm glad it's almost over, mom and dad, and we can't wait to see you this weekend!

This weekend was definitely the busiest yet since Rory has been home, but it was good. Friday night we went to supper with Brian's parents. We hadn't really seen them since Easter. After supper, we went to Lowe's to pick up a new ceiling fan (I'm so happy to have this installed in the computer room!), to the mall to pick up a dress I wanted for Rory's first official photo shoot on Saturday, and also to buy the sleep book our doctor recommended. Saturday morning Camden went to stay with Michael and Liz, and I have to say that it was so nice to have a little quiet! One child is definitely easier than two. Poor Brian worked on the plumbing almost all day and it's still not fixed all the way, but the leak is minimal anyway. Saturday night we met some friends for dinner, and that was fun. Their two year-old is so cute and talking up a storm. Rory was very quiet, so she may have been a bit overwhelmed. Sunday morning was church and then it was family night in the gym

Seriously, more rain and storms. Enough with the rain already! Our Thursday went well. The doctor's appointment was productive, although she did scream from the moment the nurses walked in and then the doctor until they left. She weighs 20 lbs, 8 ounces, 30.5 inches tall. That puts her at 17th percentile for height, 2nd percentile for weight, and 3rd percentile for head circumference. Dr. Heil recommended that I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby and put it into practice. I knew that she wasn't getting enough sleep, and he confirmed that babies do not thrive and stay healthy on only 8-9 hours of sleep a day. He said they need 13-14 hours of sleep a day. I also asked him about her feet because they turn in when she walks, but he said that everything looked fine and that they would correct themselves. She does have an ear infection from the cold last week, but since she's not running a fever, there's no treatment. He prescribed medication for her constipation and said

The last couple of days have not been particularly exciting or fun. I caught Rory's cold, and she is still getting over her cold and has been pretty cranky. She is sleeping much better at night, but is taking much longer to put to sleep, which is tiring. I've even resorted to carrying her walking around the house trying to get her to FINALLY go to sleep. I'm not sleeping at all, which is ridiculous! Camden was up at 5:00 this morning and also woke us up at 2:00 because he wanted to tell us good night (again). Maybe one of these days we'll all be on the same schedule. We have a busy day today. I'm heading to the post office (finally mailing your Korean stuff, Melissa!) then to the doctor for Rory's 18 month check-up, then to Gymboree to redeem Gymbucks. Hopefully the doctor's appointment won't include shots, but we'll see. A new milestone for Rory is she can get up on the couch all by herself! She is also finally starting to call me Omma or Mama. It&

Just some video of Rory and Camden - no music or special effects this time.

I've had these pages in my head almost since we arrived home and have jotted notes down, and while they're not as good as I'd like, I'm leaving them because I've worried over them enough! The first page is What I Knew Then and uses a picture from the day we met Rory and the second is What I Know Now and uses a picture at one month with us.

No babies were harmed in the making of this video.

I know everyone says that their kids grow up too fast, it all happens too quickly, etc. But when your "baby" comes home at 17 months old, it really does happen too fast! For two days in a row now Rory no longer wants to sit on my lap for snack time. As of Saturday, she had her last bottle. She is becoming more independent by the day. It's just happening way too quickly. I want those baby stages to last. Rory slept all night last night. Of course, it was well after 10:00 before she actually fell asleep, but she slept until 5:00, woke up briefly and slept until 6:30. How is this enough sleep for an 18 month old? I can't figure it out. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take advantage of all that sleeping because I've caught her cold from last week. I also can't figure out how to get her to into bed earlier without it involving some crying and leaving her on her own, and we're not ready for that yet so I guess we'll just let her play until she drops. And,

We had a phone call from our agency yesterday letting us know that our caseworker had passed away during childbirth on Friday. It is so sad. She was 26 and this was their first child. She apparently had amniotic fluid embolism, which is very rare. I actually talked to her on Thursday when she called to let me know that it would be her last day and that she would be returning in June after maternity leave. I told her I'd be thinking about her, and she said, "this is different for us - I'm used to seeing babies 'born' in an airport." Her baby is doing well. I have not stopped thinking about her family since we heard the news. Rory ran a fever off and on yesterday, but seemed better. Her sleeping improved a bit last night. She was up about every hour, but that's better than every 15-20 minutes. She woke up this morning fever-free and seems to feel okay although Camden might disagree. I put her down for a second this morning to help him with something, and she

Well, I caved yesterday and went to the doctor and just as suspected, there's nothing they can do. Poor baby is soooo miserable, though. We've had two nights of little-to-no sleep, she won't leave my lap, and SCREAMS if anyone looks at her or dares touch her. Fun times . We let Camden watch Swiss Family Robinson last night, so he's been playing "pirates" all morning. We have rarely let him watch anything non-animated so he was quite excited to see it and wants to watch it again this afternoon. We watched the old 1960's version, and it was interesting to see how differently they portrayed women especially. All Camden cared about were the tigers and mean pirates. Hope your weekend is better than ours!

My poor girl is so miserable and pitiful! She's running a fever, coughing non-stop, and has a nasty runny nose. I did call and talk to the nurse, and they said it's too early to know if it's a respiratory infection or just a bad cold so I'm not taking her in to see the doctor yet, but I have a feeling a doctor's visit is going to be in our weekend plans. I feel horrible for her. She only lays on my shoulder or cries - sometimes both. That's pretty much how last night and today have gone. She's down for a much-needed nap now. We're supposed to have friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Hopefully, we'll still be able to see them! Other than that, the weekend is full of domestic fun such as cleaning out the refrigerator, dusting, and vacuuming.

I forgot to update on Rory's "prayers." They've now become her favorite routine for us. It is so cute! And when I finally get tired of it and say, "you do it," she holds her own finger and prays. It is hilarious! I'd appreciate prayers for Rory. Her cough is just nasty and now she's running a bit of a fever. This is her first sickness, and so I don't know how she acts or what she needs when she's sick. It's making me feel a bit inadequate not knowing what to do to help her. Although, I have figured out that she REALLY likes Cheetos so I'm letting her eat as much as she wants today. Hey, I always want ice cream when I'm sick so why not let her have junk food when she's sick!

It's a slow blogging day - just normal, every day stuff. Rory's got a cough that started yesterday and is worse today so she's a bit cranky. She did sleep pretty well last night, though. On my agenda for today is to get caught up with laundry (are like 12 people dropping off their clothes at my house because that's what it feels like), scrap Rory's 17 month and 18 month old pages, watch Survivor tonight and that's about it. The only thing worth mentioning from yesterday is that Brian actually came home to his fantasy last night. Supper warm and ready to be served. That's his idea of having me at home - a home-cooked meal ready when he walks in the door. What do you think it means that this is my 5th week home and this is the first time it's happened? I tried to take pics yesterday to use for her 18 month page, but she would not look at me for anything. Oh, well!

Once again I'm a loser. I've totally lost track of all dates and should have realized that we arrived home with Rory one month ago yesterday. I've even got two layouts started along the lines of "What We Knew Then" and "What We Know Now" but they just didn't get finished! I didn't even remember to call my friend Tina for her on birthday on Monday, because my dates were so mixed up. Lunch was great yesterday. Everything in my life has changed so much in the last month that it was nice to do something that felt very familiar and normal. After lunch, I decided I really needed Starbucks (since I never even see one these days) and the line was ridiculously long! I was in the drive-through for 20 minutes, and Rory was none too happy about it. After we finally finished up, she got this little mad look on her face and babbled away at me for a good ten minutes. I think she was chewing me out. We got home the same time as Brian and Camden and decided to ta

I walked for almost an hour last night with Mayme and Shelly and then again first thing this morning, and I'm feeling it. That big hill gets me every time! It apparently wears Rory out as well since she's been asleep for the last 1.5 hours. We're going to Nashville to have lunch with my (former) work group. I'm very excited! Hopefully, Rory will be a little angel and enjoy the conversation and restaurant as well. I got the best mail yesterday. Jaime sent me a box jam packed of the cutest goodies for Rory as well as something for Camden. One of the items was this pink tutu. Rory oohhed and aahhed over it, but when I tried to put it on her, she didn't like the feel of it. . . . . .until she saw herself in the mirror, and then she beamed! I ran her outside and took some pictures and just LOVE them! I snapped about 20 cute ones in about 60 seconds and with no posing help from me!