Babajaba Dadalalala? Mamama?

Robbie wanted to title this post, in case you were wondering.

This week marks the end of any shards of peace and quiet Rob and I might have been enjoying during Robbie's waking hours.  He is officially jabbering, and is getting a big kick out of the sounds he can make... mainly "dada", "mama", "jaja", "lala", "sheh" and "duh" - that is the best I can do to represent the sounds.  Which is not easy, you should see me sitting here repeating the sounds he makes out loud to myself and then trying to figure out how best to type them!  I'll try to post a video of his jabbering since that would be easier.

He enjoys trying to get our attention (during the rare moments it is not focused on him!) by blowing raspberries at us until we look at him, and then smiling sheepishly.  It works - it makes me want to spend the rest of the day pinching those chubby little cheeks and making him laugh!  He is quite the charmer.

Update on Dad's recovery / progress:  he was released around lunch time today from the hospital and is settled in at home.  So far he's doing much better than any of us could have imagined - he said his pain is manageable.  He gets around on crutches throughout the day.  He is not allowed to twist or bend over at the waist, which  makes a number of things difficult - but he has all sorts of contraptions to aid him throughout the day.  He has this pincher rod he can use to get things off the floor; a 2-3 foot long shoe horn to help get shoes on; a scooper-shaped plastic thing rigged with handles that helps get his socks on.  And a few other things that came in the "hip-kit" as he called it, I think!  Great inventions.  

Please keep praying for the absence of blood clots, quick healing in his hip, and continued looseness in his back which has been an unexpected blessing.  Thank you!!

Dad has a new hip

My dad came out of surgery around 2pm, and was up in his room where he will recover for the next few days by 4pm.  He did really well - the doctor said that there was a lot of arthritis in his hip and it was not surprising that it was causing him so much pain (not that there was any doubt).   But the surgery went smoothly, and we are so thankful for the medical care we are able to receive.

Robbie and I spent most of the day at the hospital, sitting with Mom (and her sweet friend Martha) in the waiting room, and then up in Dad's recovery room as he woke up from surgery.  I was proud of him as I watched him ask his nurse about her kids (she had a picture of them hanging on a lanyard) - when he was still very tired and drowsy from being 'under' from the surgery, and also battling a very sore throat!  Trying so hard to continue to think of others even though he'd just been through major surgery.  

Thanks for your prayers today!  We are so grateful for your care and concern.  If you remember, please keep praying for dad though.  The next few days and weeks will be pretty painful as he begins to walk on his new hip and bear weight on it, and recovers from the surgery overall.  

*Sidenote:  Since we were in the hospital, I called the Labor and Delivery wing to see if my favorite nurses Susan and Pam were working.  Susan was, so Robbie and I stopped by to visit and thank her again for the wonderful care she provided as we welcomed Robbie into the world!  It was fun to see her, and she couldn't believe how big (and cute!) Robbie is.  

Pray for Dad!

**Update / Revision: Dad's surgery started at roughly 11:45am, as the surgeon was running behind.

Dad went into hip replacement surgery at 10:30am this morning - Robbie and I are leaving now to sit with my mom in the waiting room.  We expect dad to come out of surgery sometime between 12 and 1, and be up in his recovery room around 3pm (if everything goes according to plan).  He'll be at CDH for a few days until they let him go home (anywhere from 2-4 days, we're told).

Please pray for my dad today - and for the doctor and nurses performing the surgery.  Thanks!

"Not Me" Monday

MckMama's blog is one of my favorites to check, and she does this really cute thing on Mondays called "Not Me" Monday.  Everyone blogs about the funny (or terrible) things they certainly did not do, and then links to their blog on her site.  If you ever want a reminder that you aren't the only one who's lost your mind, your faith, your dignity, your courage, visit her blog HERE and read through everyone's entries!

As for me...

I certainly did not eat 1/2 of a chocolate cupcake for breakfast, then wash it down with a cup of coffee... and give myself the shakes as a result before 10am.  Not me.

I would never dream of forgetting the supplies I need to change Robbie's diapers when I go shopping... that would mean he would have to ride around in his stroller with poop in his diaper until the trip is over, and I would have to apologize to the other women I strolled past for our smelly 'situation', and hope that they didn't think I was a bad mom.  No, I don't forget important things like diapers.

And I can't imagine who would burn out the motor of their blender while making baby food by using the pulse button incorrectly - just as their husband was explaining that the way they're currently using it will burn out the motor.  That would make little bits of black plastic fly out of the sides of the base, and a yucky electrical smell would follow.  And surely the blender would have to be thrown out.  But I would never do that.

Ahh!  I feel better.  How about you?  What didn't you do today / this weekend?  Feel free to leave a comment!

Expanding our taste buds

My friend Jen (who has the cute twins, 'the pixie' and 'j-bird') gave me a baby food book recently.  It has all sorts of fun first-food recipes, and Robbie's been getting bored with his typical pears/peaches/apples/sweet potatoes/squash/mixed veggies.  So I packed our grocery list with fall vegetables and new fruits, and dusted off the blender this weekend.

Here's what I came up with:

Top shelf (L-R, top down): lima beans, sweet potatoes and apples, cauliflower with a touch of butter, mixed veggies (carrots, corn, peas, green beans), and butternut squash.

Bottom shelf (L-R, top down): cantaloup with mangos and peaches, applesauce, bananas with peaches, and blueberries with bananas and peaches.

It was really fun to mix up some new flavors and blend old favorites together in new combinations.  So far Robbie's loved his new food!

Blueberry/banana/peach with oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast!

Yummy cauliflower!  (Got lucky with this one I think - Robbie is not a huge fan of his vegetables)

Delicious lima beans - they might look orange because they induced the 'veggie-gag-reflex' until I blended a bit of peaches in!  Hey - whatever you need to do to get those things down...

And just for fun, a picture of my Robs hanging out before bedtime the other night.  Aw!

"All Day I Dream About Soccer"

Robbie was given this ADIDAS suit when he was born, and I thought it would take forever (well, 9 months) for him to be big enough to wear it since it's a size 9 month outfit.  Surprise!  Fits like a glove.  Isn't it so cute?!  Thanks to Rob's coworker Brian and his wife Dana for the outfit!

Closing up the lake house

I have to save the blogging related to these pictures for another day... but we closed up the lake house last weekend for the year.  It was a great weekend as a family, although Kels was at TU so she was missed.  Cheryl came to help - and as you'll read at a later date, it was a good thing she was there.  God showed up in some pretty neat ways and we are really looking forward to next summer!