random things about Adam

Adam's 25 random things about himself that he posted on Facebook:

1. seinfeld is my favorite show; everything in life can always be related to an episode. for example: tonight at dinner, lindsay and i were talking about medical charts, and i brought up the episode about how elaine and kramer were trying to find out what the doctors wrote in their charts.  kramer was dr. martin van nostrand and he tried to obtain elaine's chart.
2. fantasy baseball is the greatest inventions of all time; i usually play in 2 or 3 leagues
3. growing up in dayton, oh, we used to go to cincinnati reds games all the time; i miss that a lot and they are still my favorite team, my favorite player of all time is ken griffey jr.
4. for some reason i called my shoes bushes when i was a baby and i used to hide my church shoes every sunday morning so i could stay home from church.
5. my greatest regret in life was not paying 200 yuan (about $30) to play with the panda cubs at the panda refuge in China
6. i grew up watching wrestling and i thought that Hulk Hogan was so strong that all he needed to do to hit a home run in a major league baseball stadium was bunt
7. my wife is an amazing cook but she will never admit it
8. my two favorite sports to play now are golf and skiing, although you don't really "play" skiing
9. i am in love with skiing; to be outside, in the cold, on a mountain, and in the powder; there is nothing better, i wish i could ski more but we live in the worst state for skiing
10. the worst smell in the world was when my mom cleaned the coffee pot by running vinegar through it; absolutely horrendous and lindsay is barred it
11. everyday in high school my mom packed my lunch and wrote my name on the brown bag; i had a ham or turkey sandwich (sometimes on a hoagie if i am lucky), chips, swiss cake rolls, an apple or banana, and a coke.  i had this everyday and i still do
12. my roommate in college my freshman year was crazy, one time we played "poop dollar" on franklin street; one of the funniest times of my life.  the game is exactly what it says, you put poop on one side of a dollar and place said dollar poop side down and watch people come by and pick it up; their reactions are priceless; the game was over when an old lady picked up the dollar and put it in her purse (yes, its harsh but we were in college)
13. i say "that's what she said" entirely too much (it can be said after almost any comment)
14. unlike Lindsay, i really love our dog, she is really sweet and i love that she is protective, she is also really good with Caleigh
15. besides my wife, caleigh is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen, she stores all of her cuteness in her cheeks
16. the best time of my day is when i come home from work and the first thing i hear is "da-da"
17. i hate uppercase letters; i think it is a waste of time 
18. my first car was a 1988 chevy camaro, it was white with red cloth interior; the chicks digged it; it also had sweet rims with wide tires
19. i'm not a big reader but the book i have read the most, besides my bible, is goodnight moon, i read it every night to caleigh, along with her bible
20. i'm proud to admit that i am a lite beer guy, miller lite, bud select; i hate dark beer
21. my goal in life is to heli-ski; basically a helicopter drops you off at a random mountain top in alaska or some other backcountry mountain, and you just ski your way down; super crazy and super amazing
22. i love the cold weather; i hate the winters in north carolina, way too warm; i could live in colorado or a big city like chicago or new york
23. one of my greatest summers ever was when i spent it with campus crusade in east asia; i saw God do some amazing things in my life and in the lives around me
24. the music i listen to is alternative: jack's mannequin, shiny toy guns, snow patrol, angels and airwaves, coldplay, killers; i love xm radio
25. this has taken me (Adam) one and one half hours to finish

random things about Lindsay

My 25 random things about myself that I posted on Facebook:

1. I am thankful for the saving grace that is mine through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - I should tell people that more often so I am starting on Facebook.
2. I am a closet introvert.  I am not ashamed to be an introvert - I love it, but I think that most people would think that I am an extrovert.  I thought I was until my sophomore year in college.  I can only take large groups and small talk for a very small amount of time.
3. I really like working part time as a pediatric pharmacist at Levine Children's Hospital.  It is the perfect balance of being at work enough (16-24 hrs/wk) to feel like I have a work life and of being at home to feel like I have a stay-at-home mom life.  It can be a little lonely sometimes when I feel like I don't totally fit in either place.
4. I am an extremely picky eater.  Caleigh eats more variety and green things than I do.  Typically I have an idea in my head of what I want to eat and I will be disappointed with anything else (which annoys Adam to no end).
5. Rollerblading is one of my favorite things to do.  I have been known to rollerblade at the park with Bailey to try to wear her out.  Unfortunately it is not recommended during pregnancy - otherwise I would be doing it with Bailey on the leash and Cals in the jogger.
6. I love being pregnant.  Not the big and uncomfortable part and not even the being able to eat anything part.  I love how strangers always seem so in awe of pregnant ladies and how they treat it with such honor and amazement.
7. I don't clean.  I mean, I cook and unload the dishes from the dishwasher.  I do laundry.  But I don't do any deep cleaning. - On my days off i don't feel like cleaning is my job - I would rather just enjoy being with Cals.  If I stay at home full time at some point maybe I will try to get better at cleaning - but probably not.
8. I am obsessed with jeans.  Mostly designer jeans which I get to buy once a year in the fall.
9. I don't like lunch food.  Actually I loathe lunch in general unless I am eating out.  My ideal day of food is a bowl of cereal for early breakfast, brunch at 10:30 or 11ish consisting of eggs, bacon, grits, etc., a snack at 3 or 4ish and then dinner.  I try to avoid lunch at all costs.
10. I love cold weather and I wish we didn't live in such a warm climate.
11. Adam has made me so much more laid back than my personality would naturally be.  Now I almost consider myself a laid back person.
12. I love to golf - it is one of my favorite hobbies.  When Adam and I lived in Nashville I would get off of work at 4 (on a good day) and we would go play 18 holes of golf and then have a late dinner at 7:30 or 8 (GREAT memories of Nashville).  My best 9 hole score is 43.  Best 18 holes in 90.  I played regularly until I was 6 months pregnant with Caleigh.  It is so expensive to play in Charlotte.
13. I rarely paint my own nails.  I get a pedicure at least once a month - even if I have to save all my allowance money for it.
14. I would love to take art classes.
15. I don't like my pets.  We started with a cat, Riley, when we first got married and then we got our boxer/lab mix, Bailey, about a year later.  We gave Riley away when I got pregnant with Caleigh and now I want to give Bailey away.  I think I love our pets for about a year until the newness wears off and then I am just done.
16. I dream of living other places - Seattle (I love the rain!), Chicago (I love the cold!), New York (I love the city!), Colorado, London, etc.  But I really don't want to move away from Charlotte.
17. I was extremely rebellious in high school.
18. I loathe musicals.
19. Country music is my absolute favorite.
20. I worked at a Wendy's in Branson, Missouri for a summer when on summer project with Campus Crusade.  I was the drive through girl because I was the only one who could count change fast enough.  I rationed myself to 1 chicken nugget or a couple of fries per day so I didn't get fat.  I still have my hat with flare all over it.
21. I love movies -  only seeing them in the theatre though.  Adam loves to rent movies and watch them at home but I hate it - so I do it out of love for him.
22. I also love TV - Alias was one of the best shows ever and Jennifer Gardner is one of my favorite actresses.  I would be em brassed to list all of the shows I watch now. (Amazing Race, Gossip Girl, House, Heroes, The Bachelor, 24, John and Kate Plus 8, NCIS, America's Next Top Model, What Not to Wear (sometimes), Lost, The Office, and Grey's Anatomy)
23. I always have a planner with the whole year ahead planned out.  I love to know what to expect and I hate surprises.  This is why I like to find out the sex of the baby when we are pregnant (like now!).
24. I love to read.  Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors.  One summer I bought all the classics - Jane Austen, etc. but I have never read them.  I read the Twilight series last month and loved it.
25. I didn't think I would be able to think of 25 random things but I did, and I could go on with more.  Apparently I am more interesting than I thought.

14 month update

I can't believe that I haven't done an real update since she was 10 months old - I am so behind!  It is AMAZING how much Caleigh has changed from 11 months to now, 14 months old.  She is such a little toddler now and no longer a baby.  

First time sporting pigtails... At 14 months Caleigh is:

• Toddling everywhere - walking around our house in circles keeps her pretty entertained for a long time.  She loves attempting to navigate hurdles and is pretty good at keeping her balance.
• Eating like a bird - she hardly eats anything anymore!  I think this is the cluster feeding stage of toddlerhood but often she will eat 1 or 2 bites of food and then she is just done.  We will often ask her, Caleigh do you want more?  And she just shakes her head no.
• Understanding so much!  She has started shaking her head no.  Sometimes it is helpful (ie Caleigh do you want some milk? ... shake her head no), sometimes it is funny (ie Caleigh do you want to go to Dada? ... shake her head no), and sometimes it is a little annoying.  She is also understanding obeying commands: go to your highchair, come to mama (having to discipline for this when she disobeys now that she understands it), lets go outside (she goes to the door), etc.
• Saying some words: dada (still revolting against saying mama - when we say, Caleigh can you say mama? she says dada extra loud and then laughs, it is like she thinks it is a game to not say mama), doggie (dog-dog), all done (still one of her favorites), silky (sounds like dil-ky which is her lovie that she takes everywhere), shoes (do-es)
• She has started to mimic our actions - for example I will use her brush to brush her hair and then when I give her the brush she will use it to brush my hair or her hair.
• She has also started to figure out where things go - for example she will go and get her winter hat and carry it around trying to put it on her head, or she will go and get her jeans out of the dirty clothes and walk around trying to put them on her legs, or she will see the high chair tray and put it on the high chair, and the most surprising was when we were at the Kulps and she found a kid sized belt and she spent a good amount of time trying to put it around her waist which is funny because she maybe sees Adam put on a belt once or twice a week and I don't wear belts (and neither does she)
• Caleigh sleeps from 7 pm until about 7:30 am.  She still takes 2 naps - from about 915-1030 in the morning and from around 130 until 345/4 in the afternoon.  On Sunday she goes without a morning nap and could probably drop it soon but I am not pushing it.

another day, another sickness...

(This may be too much information so feel free to skip this post.)

So like I was saying in the previous post, this is the story of Caleigh's first scary sickness.  Starting 2 weeks ago on Wednesday before we went to Fairhaven Caleigh started getting fevers for no reason.  She had no cold symptoms or anything but she would feel warm and then we would take her temperature (always rectal) and it would hang out around 102.5 which is the highest she has ever hard.  The Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights before and while we were at Fairhaven (over the weekend of 1/17-1/18) Caleigh woke up each night with shaking chills and a high fever.  Here fever responded to Tylenol/Motrin and she would wake up a couple of hours later soaked in sweat from sweating off the fever.  We had taken her to the doctor on Friday (1/16) because of the fevers but at that point they had only been going on for 48 hours and they said she sounded a little congested.  (I didn't think that a little congestion that we hadn't noticed would be the cause of 102.5 fevers, but that was just me).  On Sunday night when we got back from Fairhaven she was still having fevers but she slept through the night and was afebrile by Monday morning.  Monday through Saturday morning (1/19-1/24) of last week she seemed fine and wasn't having fevers and was eating normally again.  

Here is where our story picks up from the nature museum.

When we got home from the nature museum Caleigh felt hot and I took her temperature: 103.3 rectal.  We gave her some Tylenol and when she woke up from her nap her temp was still 102.5 so we gave her some Motrin.  By 6 pm her fever had broken and she went to bed without a temp but wasn't eating anything and wasn't herself - she wouldn't play and just wanted to be held.  She woke up Saturday in the middle of the night screaming and she was burning up again: 103.5.  We gave her Motrin and she woke up at 5 am sweating off the fever.  When she woke up in the morning (Sunday morning) she was shaking with chills.  We took her temperature because she still felt warm even though she was shaking and it was 97.7 which is pretty low.  We tried feeding her breakfast but she wouldn't eat.  In the high chair she started shaking a lot and her lips looked a little blueish (I think from being so cold).  At this point we considered taking her the the ER but first called the on call pediatrician and found out that our doctor was on call.  We gave her some Tylenol to help with the chills and wrapped her in blankets and by 9 or so (after an hour of shaking) was finally a normal temperature.  We saw Dr. Ball at 11 that morning and with no other explanation for the high fevers (she had no other symptoms), she decided to put a catheter in her bladder and get a clean sample of urine to look for bacteria.  (I was not leaving the office without a urine sample or a blood count - I just knew something was really wrong with her).  The cath was traumatic for Caleigh - not because it was painful but because she was held down on the table while they did it.  She had leukocytes and bacteria in her urine, and with the fever, that means that she had a kidney infection (pyelonephritis).  Since she wasn't vomiting, they treated her as an outpatient and gave her a shot of antibiotics but said if she seemed dehydrated at any point she may need to be admitted to the hospital.

On Sunday night she was still pitiful and having fevers.  Sunday around 11 pm she woke up with 104.5 rectal temperature and we panicked because the doctor said her fevers should be going down.  We went to the ER at this point but by the time we had waiting in that sickbed for an hour her fever had broken and so we just left and went back home.  We got another shot of antibiotics on Monday and started oral antibiotics on Tuesday.  By Tuesday evening she was back to her normal self.  Basically urinary tract infections are common in little girls because their urethra is very short and it is easy for bacteria to go up there.   Next week we will still have to get some testing done: a renal (kidney) ultrasound and a VCUG which is where they inject dye in her bladder and then take x-rays and watch to see if any of the dye goes backwards into her ureters/kidneys.  If the dye (and therefore urine) travels in the wrong direction it is known as VUR or basically urine reflux and can lead to kidney damage.  We are praying that everything will turn out normal and rejoicing that our little girl is back to her normal self!  

at the nature museum

On Saturday, after brunch at the Adams' house, I met Carrie, Mary, and their kiddos at the nature museum (part of Discovery Place).  We are not members, but they are and Caleigh and I were delighted to use their guest passes and visit this fun place.  I can't believe we actually got a picture of all of the kids (except Henry) in one picture where they are all looking at the camera - Carrie is pretty amazing like that - and we borrowed these pictures from her blog.  Introducing: Camilla, Maggie, Caleigh, Bennett, and Celia...  This picture was taken in the butterfly garden and there were quite a few butterflies in there.

Here is the aquarium where there are some fish and turtles and other fun animals. Caleigh loved the tree house especially. Caleigh's sickness started on Saturday.  She didn't eat much for breakfast and then I noticed at the nature museum her forehead started to feel warm and she was very fragile/grouchy ... thus is the beginning of the next post.

it's a boy!

We are having a baby boy!  We were so thrilled to find out it was a little boy!  I have really felt like it was definitely a boy and would have been shocked (but still happy) if it was a girl.  We wanted a little boy so bad.  Adam was always the one saying that he was fine either way and I was the one who was saying I really hoped it was a boy... and then he was beyond excited to find out it was a little guy.  

It is amazing how different he already seems from Caleigh.  He moves around ALL the time.  During the ultrasound he was moving around like a little mad man - doing flips and kicks and giving the ultrasound technician a hard time getting measurements.  He has been kicking me a ton already and Adam has already felt him kick.  During Caleigh's 18 week ultrasound she laid still the entire 45 minutes and sucked her thumb - which is the laid back, calm baby that she was.  So we will see what is in store for us this summer.  Everything looked totally fine except for my placenta was lying a little low and a little part of it was covering my cervix (called placenta previa).  We will have another ultrasound around 28 weeks to make sure that the placenta has moved up some (the doctor said it always moves up - it never goes lower and he was positive that it won't be an issue).  We are so thankful to God.  It seems too good to get what we actually wanted... see how much God give good gifts to His children!

strawberries

I have been having a major craving for strawberries for the past couple days.  Not just strawberry flavored things but fresh strawberries.  Good thing Harris Teeter has had them on sale for the past week or so.  I don't remember having many cravings with Caleigh but maybe that is because (as Adam can testify to) in real non-pregnant life my general mode of operation is to set my mind of one specific food and generally not want to eat anything else.  Yes, I am the pickiest eater in the world so I guess I can't blame Caleigh when she does the same.

Anyways - tomorrow is the day - we can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or a girl!  I have really really been looking forward to finding out what this baby is - I think even more that when we found out with Caleigh.  It just seems like the second child really shapes your family and the direction it is going... will I be a mom of girls? (let's hope not all girls - I can't handle that emotionally...) or will I be a mom of both?  So fun to find out.  We can't wait!

President Obama

What a historic event to be a part of.  We didn't vote for Obama - but we will support him and pray for him.  I truly hope that he is an extremely successful president.

snow in charlotte!

It actually snowed in Charlotte!  I am shocked that the forecasters were right.  Adam and I both love the snow.  We just got back from Fairhaven on Sunday so we had our fill of sledding and playing outside over the weekend.  I worked on Tuesday and got to walk to the hospital in the snow - Uggs and scrubs and all...  It was melting by the evening but it was beautiful while it lasted!  I love the snow clouds and the look of the city when it snows.  I really wish it snowed more often but am thankful for our 1 snow per year.

fairhaven weekend trip

Last weekend we left Friday for a weekend trip to Fairhaven - some cabins in Roan Mountain, TN that we love to visit - it is run by a Christian organization.  We left after I got off of work on Friday and headed up there.  It wasn't supposed to snow but it was supposed to be really cold.  When we got there we realized that it had snowed earlier in the week and because it was 8 degrees outside when we got there the snow was still around.  It was gorgeous...

We brought some food and stopped for some food on the way in.  The cabins don't have tvs so it was a great getaway to relax and read.

When we got there it was 0 degrees and inside our cabin it didn't feel that much warmer.  A nice lady that works there brought us a space heater and we ended up sleeping in the same room with Caleigh since it was so cold! The hill leading down to the gazebo that we went sledding on...

lifegroup christmas party 2008

While Adam was out of town skiing in December, Caleigh and I attended our annual lifegroup Christmas party.  This year we had a tacky Christmas sweater party.  (I don't really dress like this.)  I debated about whether or not to post this but decided in the name of fun I would show just what I can do.  I am wearing the prize for tackiest sweater on my head which obscures my Christmas pom-pom headband - a last minute suggestion from Celia Kulp.  Mary was jealous that she couldn't wear it.

My sweater is actually a very long vest from one of my mom's friends who has lots of Christmas cheer (and 3 or 4 sweaters to choose from!).  I also wore a jingle bell necklace and Karen let me borrow her Christmas tree light necklace with the strict stipulation that I return it in perfect condition so that she could wear it.  The necklace really sealed my victory - especially the 3 different settings: all lights on, all lights flashing in unison, or all lights flashing at random.  Good thing nobody in our lifegroup has a seizure disorder.  My favorite moment from the Christmas party came from the last white elephant Santa gift.  Lauren got the pleasure of opening this enormous pair of men's underwear with an iTunes gift card hidden in the crotch.  Truly classy for an Uptown bunch.  I love this picture with some of the ladies' faces in various degrees of shock.

When Caleigh reads this blog in every how many years she is going to wonder...  who did my parents hang out with?

scary doctor's appointment

On Thursday, I went in for my 16 week OB appointment (only the 2nd time I have been by myself).  Our doctor (Dr. Gourley) couldn't find the heartbeat.  Adam wasn't there so I was really freaking out... the doctor just kept saying, "I'm only hearing your heartbeat... I'm only hearing your heartbeat."  He listened for a long time and searched all over my belly to try to find it.  Then he said, "This happens all the time, the baby might be laying in a way that we can't hear the heartbeat."  And I am crying thinking everything this happens to people I know they have a miscarriage and thinking that I am going to be all alone when I find out about the bad news, etc.  So the doctor says that we are going to have to do an ultrasound here in the room in a minute to make sure everything is ok (in hindsight he was very - maybe overly - optimistic and if it had ended up being bad news I would have wished he was a little more realistic in saying what was going on).  So the doctor leaves the room and is gone for (thankfully) only about 5 minutes during which I texted Adam and said: dr can't find heartbeat, getting ultrasound in a few to see if everything is ok.  Of course he is feeling awful that he isn't there - he immediately turned around and headed to the doctor's appointment.  During those 5 minutes I was praying so much and then the doctor came in and did the ultrasound and saw the heartbeat - the baby is totally fine, praise the Lord - and the baby measured exactly 16 wk and 4 days which was what I was on Friday.  What a relief...  Adam got to the doctors right when I was walking out of the office which was good because I was emotional and freaking out.  The doctor was funny afterwards and making jokes about how he didn't look at the baby's privates so we would have to wait 2 more weeks to find out if it is a boy or a girl.  We would love to have you join us in praising God for the life of this tiny baby, and that God would continue to protect and sustain this life inside me (and that it would be a boy) :).  I guess the doctor wasn't overly concerned because I hadn't had any bleeding and I have been feeling the baby move pretty much every day.  I am so glad that everything is ok... it makes me realize even more that in the chaos of not knowing where we will be next year or where we will live when the baby comes or what Adam will do about MBA school - that I really do already love and want this baby so bad.

dinner with kulps

The week of New Years the Kulps came over (2/3rds kid free) and joined us for dinner.  This is Mary's attempt to document their time there...  (Clearly I am slacking off in the picture taking department)

I made my first cheesecake!  I think it actually turned out pretty good - next time I think I need to beat the cheese for a little longer so that it will be fluffier - not bad for a non-baker. For dinner we had baked potato soup and salad, very yummy.... A blurry attempt at a self shot...

the sickness

Caleigh has had a rough run of this cold season - in the beginning of December she had tubes in her ears.  About 2 weeks later she had a cold that wouldn't go away and was especially grouchy and clingy so we went back to the doctor.   Apparently you can have a double ear infection even with tubes in both ears.  You learn something new everyday - I guess they forgot to tell us that tiny detail.  So we left the doctor that day with double ear infections, ear drops, wheezing, and 3 times a day albuterol breathing treatments.  We didn't realize how sick Caleigh actually was until the week after Christmas.  It was like she woke up that week.  She starting walking all the time, talking all the time and saying lots of fun new words, signing please and all done, and was just a different baby all around.  It is funny how your kid gets sick and goes through a hard parenting month and you just don't realize how bad it was until it's over.  Caleigh is SO fun right now - I need to do a 13 month update soon... actually by the time I do it it will probably be 14 months.