Daddy
Grandpa Keel
Grandpa McCulloch
Grandpa Berger
Jaime, Luke, Iz & Kelly
Luke & Jaim
Iz & Mike
So big
Jeremy & Luke
Learning to be on back in water
I forgot to mention that Izzy has TWO TEETH!!! She was having a hard time falling asleep Saturday night...irritable and restless. My sister, being the baby expert that she is, said she must be teething. We gave her a healthy dose of Tylenol and she was out for the night. Sunday at the pool, Izzy was playing with/chewing on the clear plastic lid for her bottle...and I saw two white nubbs through the lid while it was in her mouth. I was so excited - I immediately lowered her jaw & lip to view the tops of two teeth peeking through her lower gums!!! It was monumental for no one except me. Fellow pool patrons probably thought I was crazy. Such is the life of a mom...the daily discovery of new tricks & traits.
It feels like she has been teething for weeks; thank goodness they are finally here! I cannot wait until they are fully in and shine through her big smile :) Pics to come soon.
Sandi & Ellana, Kel & Iz, Jaime & Luke
Rockin' her new Colts hat
Izzy was rarely out of Aunt Kim's arms
I love these tooters
Not so sure about the cold water...
Yep, she hated it
But looooovvvved playing poolside
Who is that under those sunglasses?
Taylor, Kim & Dylan
Check out the chubby cheeks!!
Our daughter is famous. Well, maybe not FAMOUS famous. But she was on t.v. tonight. Ok, maybe it was just the local news. But t.v. nonetheless!!!
This weekend is the Indianapolis 500 race...if you live anywhere near Indiana, you'd know it's kind of a big deal. So today Izzy's daycare held a race honoring the event: the annual "Kindy 500." Today was a beautiful day to host this outdoor event - 70 degrees and sunny! All the (able) kids decorated a cardboard box (some were quite elaborate) and raced by foot to the finish line wearing their "race cars." The teachers didn't want to leave the infants out of this activity (as they are not quite up to the running, or walking, caliber yet), so they loaded the infants by twos into cribs and raced the cribs. I know what you are thinking, "That couldn't be safe!?" I thought the same thing, initially. The teachers are older, so I doubt they were being thrown about...or going at a fast enough pace to cause any harm. My worries quickly subsided when I saw it ON THE LOCAL EVENING NEWS!!! Plain as day, Izzy is sitting up in the crib being pushed by her beloved teachers (sporting her NUK and sitting in the middle of a Boppy pillow for support, of course)!! She even had a close-up!!! Thank goodness for a good hair day and cute outfit :) Of course, only we could recognize her. But we FO SHO dvr'd the entire hour of news tonight to document it. It was such a small segment (they also showed about 30 seconds of the kids wearing their cars while racing - and crashing) that I couldn't even find it on the news' website. But if I DO find it, you better believe I'll post it :) In the meantime, if you want to see her 5 seconds of fame...swing on by and we'll be happy to share it.
Autographs are $1.00. And you might not be able to get one from her for a few years. Girl is just learning to wave...
Did you know you can save up to 3 people's lives by donating blood just one time?
Last week I donated blood for the first time (voluntarily) in many years.
During the initial screening, they took my vitals and reviewed my health history. There was a moment when they didn't think I would be able to donate, as I was 1 pound away from their cut-off. The volunteer had to ask his supervisor if they could go ahead with my blood draw...I was instantly nervous and saddened that I may not be able to save lives. However, they decided not to turn me away...but to simply draw significantly less blood from me.
I used to donate every other month when I lived in Minneapolis, as Target had blood drives all the time & it was a way to get out of working for an hour. This time I donated for reasons far more important than skipping out on work.
First, a young pregnant woman got shot during a bank robbery very near my office last month and lost both of her babies. My girlfriend, Karen Zurcher (who donates blood on a regular basis), told me when she donated a few weeks ago she learned this young woman's story through others donating. This gal went through fertility to get pregnant with these twins. She wanted these babies so much that she used the miracle of science to help make them. Devastating that the lives of her twins were taken from her unexpectedly. This mother needed several blood transfusions to survive.
Secondly, we have several friends whose sisters have given birth very prematurely to their babies in the last few months. Long hospital stays. Intensive critical care. One mother unexpectedly lost her baby shortly before she was to be discharged. Devastating.
Finally, through the miracle of cyberspace, I have discovered many stories of premature births & rare genetic disorders (see my sidebar for blogs that tug at my heart). Several of these babies have survived and several have not. I follow these stories on a daily basis, as I now feel like they are a part of my life. I cry reading these stories & often wonder how I could help. Last week I found out how I could...
While my blood was pumping into this small bag, the nurse asked if I was ok...I must have been wearing my disappointment on my sleeve, literally. I told her I was sad I wasn't going to save 3 people's lives today b/c of my smaller donation. She smiled and said, "No honey, but you will be saving a baby's life today." Instant tears flowed. I couldn't stop them from coming. All I could think about were the twins. My girlfriend's sisters. The blogger babies.
I helped save a baby.
My cup runneth over.
