ABCs, 123s, and Working with Daddy

Mommie wanted me to share with you how well I'm doing on my ABCs lately. I recognize at least a half a dozen letters just by looking at them, and I know that:

• A is for Adeline (I find A's everywhere!)
• B is for Baby (I point to Mommie's tummy)
• C is for Cookie (just like Cookie Monster!)
• D is for Doug (my lovey :)
• Y is for Yo-yo (upside down this one looks like an A, so Mommie taught me what it really is)

I also know how to count to three! But sometimes I get a little confused when I get to two and say "Trojans! do do do do do do..." instead. Mommie says that's okay :).

In other news, sometimes I like to help out Daddy at work. I do some work at the computer...

and I answer the phone...

And here's a little picture of my curly bed head. When I wake up from my afternoon snooze my hair is almost always super curly! This was after a 3-hour marathon snooze today!

Mommie has some things she'd like to say, too, so I'm going to let her type now. Mommie says...

For those of you wanting the baby update, obviously there's no news to share yet :). We are two weeks and 3 days from our due date, but of course I'm still hoping for April. I learned this week at my midwife appointment that the hospital where I was planning on birthing has some policies that don't thrill me (kind of anti-natural childbirth) so we're pursuing the Alternative Birthing Center once again. I have to see if they'll let me birth there without having gone through their orientation process. Hopefully since I've done this before - natural childbirth and everything - they'll let it slide.

I've been having rhythmic contractions several times a day for 60-90 minutes at a time, about 15 minutes apart. Here's hoping they're actually doing something. They are getting fairly uncomfortable, so I'm hoping this means real labor is not far away. Next midwife appointment is Tuesday, if I don't have a baby by then (wishful thinking!). Alan's preaching on Sunday morning, so those are the only two hours or so in the next few weeks that being in the throws of active labor would be a bad thing!

Stay tuned...

More Easter Pictures

Beckie has posted her pictures from Easter in Michigan in a Picasa album too! Enjoy!

Adeline LOVED playing with her cousins, Sophie and Abby, yesterday. They chased each other around and played with their Easter gifts together. It was so fun to watch Adeline interact with older girls. I think all three of them were just eating each other up :).

We headed over to Holland from church and were there by about 2pm. Some friends from Mom and Dad's church, Mark and Trisha, joined our family for a lamb, mashed potato and green bean feast (and Jello eggs!! :). After dinner Peter, Sophie and Abby came over and we just all played and enjoyed one another's company. We're a loud bunch, but we love it and each other and wouldn't have it any other way :). Not too long from now one more will be joining the craziness!

Today Amma, Beckie, Adeline and I went on a little adventure in and around Holland while Alan and Papa stayed home and got some work done. We drove all the way up to Grand Haven (while Adeline snoozed in the car) so Beckie could see Lake Michigan. Then we came back downtown for some lunch at 8th Street Grille and visited Amma's friends at Moynihan Gallery. We got home to Amma's just in time to head back home. Our visits together are never long enough but I guess that makes us enjoy them all the more :).

I hope you had a wonderful Easter celebration with your family and/or friends, too!

Easter Pictures

Family Easter pictures can be seen here. Am I on top of things, or what!?! :)

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Just an update to let you all know we are all well in the Conrow Household once again. It's so nice to have my little girl back :). She's really fun.

There's still some snow outside, but the temp is climbing so hopefully the piles will disappear soon.

Tomorrow (Friday) we get to see Amma again and maybe even Papa! Saturday Aunt Beckie is coming to town and we're going to dye Easter eggs together. Sunday morning we're all going to church where I am singing an offertory solo. After church we're heading west to Holland to spend the day/night at Amma and Papa's house, and Uncle Rob will be there too :). Uncle Peter, Sophie and Abby are also coming to visit for a few hours. Then on Monday Aunt Beckie will head back down to Indiana and we'll head back home too. We're all looking forward to a fun, eventful, family weekend :). Oh, and we'll be full term on Easter Sunday!! (still 3 weeks till the "due date", but the kiddo is considered fully 'cooked' ;-)

It is my sincere hope and prayer that you have been able to fully identify with the misery of your human condition during this contemplative season of Lent, that you have entered into Christ's death which we remember tomorrow, so that you may fully enjoy and celebrate the resurrection of Christ with an abundance of joy on Easter Sunday morning!

I'm Dreaming of a White Chr... er, Easter???

No these are not old winter photos that I'm just now getting around to posting. These were taken this morning. I have no words...

Thermometer

Time for a new thermometer in the Conrow household. Adeline's not having any more of this "bottom" temperature thing, if you know what I mean, and I hate doing it to her too. We've tried underarm and I just can't do it well enough to get an accurate reading, especially with a squirmy toddler.

I'm looking at the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer and the Braun Thermoscan (mostly for ear). I don't think she's ready for the oral method just yet, and ideally I'd like to get something the whole family can use - even Pink Floyd when the time comes. Anyone have any experience or thoughts on either of these?? Or know of a less expensive tympanic thermometer that's known to be reliable and accurate? Adeline really dislikes her ears being touched so something with a quick readout would be ideal. Come on Moms - help me out here! :) We've all had sick kiddos!

By way of update, Adeline is doing better today. Fever has come down and the runny nose is not as bad. She is, however, a little monster. I don't know if it's the drugs making her loopy or if she just doesn't know what to do with herself being so sick and in pain - probably a combo of all of the above - but she has sudden fits of uncontrollable screaming and flailing. It's actually quite scary. Continue to pray for her little body. We're on antibiotics for 9 more days...

As for me, I've stopped taking Tylenol as I'm pretty confident I'm no longer feverish, but we'll see how today goes. Aches and pains are back to regular pregnancy aches and pains, so that's good (???). Throat still hurts and head feels like it's in a complete fog. I can't hear very well and don't dare try to talk above a whisper as anything with any voice behind it sends me into coughing fits (which then freaks out Adeline who, depending on her mood, will either come over and pat my back, telling me "You're okay...", or she'll scream and run for Daddy because Mommie is scary sounding). I do feel like I'm getting a little better, but really wish I could take a decongestant. I'm anxious to get out of the house today - it's been 5 days! - so I think that might consist of a little errand to get some throat lozenges which the midwife assured me were okay. A little trip to Target can always make you feel better, right?? :)

Sickies :(

Not a whole lot going on this week, other than that Adeline and I are both sickies :(.

Amma came over for a visit on Monday and we went out to lunch and fooled around for a while. That night whatever this bug is - cold, flu, something - hit me like a ton of bricks. Adeline had had a mild fever for a couple days that we had brought down with drugs so we didn't think much of it. She seemed to continue to do okay until the last 24 hours or so. Her fever spiked twice and could only temporarily be relieved with some Motrin. As I type this Alan has her at the doctor's office. Hopefully they'll diagnose something and give her drugs to take. The last couple times we've been to the doctor for her she's been so sick - fever, aches, lethargy, runny/stuffy nose and coughing - they've basically just told us to wait it out, which I found more than mildly irritating. Not that I want her to have an ear infection or something dreadful, it would just be nice to know that all of this is not meaningless.

As for me, the achiness in my whole body but especially my joints rendered me useless on Tuesday. At my midwife appointment that morning she did take a strep culture just to check, but we were both pretty sure that wasn't it. But being to close to my due date we need to get me on drugs to get rid of whatever this is if necessary. They also took my temp - 99.9. They really don't like you to be feverish when you're pregnant, so I'm on a steady diet of Extra Strength Tylenol to keep the fever at bay. I'm pretty confident as of today it is gone. The last two days have been absolute misery - I seriously cannot remember the last time I was this sick. My mom came over yesterday (with her friend Cathie who's in town from CA) to help take care of Adeline and me so Alan could actually get some work done this week. This morning seems to have brought a little relief, but I'm still quite sick. I'm now going in for my regular pregnancy check-ups weekly till the end, and this coming week a midwife was not available so I'll be seeing an OB. If she's still concerned about how sick I am then I will seek out a primary care provider (don't have one yet because I haven't needed one, being pregnant and all!) and see what they say.

Once this latest series of illnesses pass in the Conrow household we are sanitizing EVERYTHING! No stuffed animal will go unwashed and no toothbrush from this period of time will remain. It is very important we get all signs of sickness out of this house before Pink Floyd comes, because I do not want a sick newborn.

Anywho, despite my being sick the midwife did say that the baby is still doing quite well. Her heart rate was a little elevated which apparently is not uncommon when Mom is sick, but it is still well within the "normal" range, so no need to worry there. Pray for healing and continued wellness, and pray that the fever is indeed gone. Also pray that I don't have to end up on any antibiotics or anything, because I have such severe reactions to most of them I'm worried what a doctor will feel like putting me on to get me well even though I'm preggers. There seem to be a few in category B that I could take if necessary, but I really don't want to.

So that's the current news from the Conrow household. Hopefully there will be more, and better, news soon.

Much love,
Meredith


**5 minutes later... Adeline and Alan just returned from the doctor. Adeline has a double ear infection. She's never had one before, and of course the first time she gets one it's not one, it's two! Pray for her little body that she heals and feels better soon.