I couldn't have said it better myself

"Raising a 2 year old is like running a blender with the lid off." --Seinfeld

I forget

As I was reminded this week in church, I forget to pray and to advocate the unborn. Who knows what our world would be like 30 million lives later: Would we have a cure for cancer, or aids? Strategies for world hunger...or national healthcare?

Thought this short clip was worth watching from John Piper.

The latest installment...

Great Piper article: Birth control

Thought some of you would find this interesting! I thought it was pretty well stated.

More pics!

Washing the dishes that were thrown into the hamper and covered with clothes that were the victim of potty training.

Jack's introduction to hazing.

Our handsome little man!

This is classic. I'm dragging this out at rehearsal dinners.

A recent surge of girlness! It's great!

Well, not ALL girlness.

Mastering the art of the fake smile.

Thankfully!: Emma update

From my mom:

I just got back from the hospital and was there when the doctor came into report to Steven and Keri. He spent about an hour with them and bottom line is, nothing has grown on the cultures (no bladder infection or meningitis), heart x-rays were fine, no more glucose in the urine so the kidneys are OK, and all the blood work (including metabolic disorders) turned out OK. His best guess is that she had a virus of some type (not viral meningitis, but more likely a stomach virus or something) that she may have picked up in the pediatrician’s office when she went in for repeated checks of the billirubin. We will probably never know for sure what the cause was, but we are thankful that Emma is OK. The doctor commended Steven and Keri for being very “astute” parents and bringing her into the emergency room on Friday given her symptoms. Emma is eating better today and although she isn’t quite up to par, the doctor said since they’ve ruled out everything major he would prefer to send her home to recover so she doesn’t catch anything else in the hospital environment. And we were all OK with that. :)

Words can’t express how grateful we are for all of the prayers and support. She is such a little doll and it is amazing how much you can love her in such a short amount of time!

Cindy

Quick update on my niece; please continue to pray

Emma Kate came home after six days in the hospital for her jaundice. We were so thankful! However, last Friday night she was admitted to Children's Hospital after not eating for 12 hours. She's not rooting, not sucking, is lethargic, and has some other concerning symptoms. She's now had a battery of tests, including a lumbar puncture (spinal tap), to try to determine the cause. She did have some white blood cells in her spinal fluid, though the levels were not yet dangerous. Tonight will mark 48 hrs of the IV antibiotic and the fluid IV. Apparently they're very concerned with any infection less than 28 days after birth, because there's no blood/brain barrier; the infection can go everywhere. She showed interest in nursing at one point during this stay, but isn't any more, and continues to be so lethargic she barely cries.

Please pray for the doctors' wisdom and for a diagnosis--one that is easily treatable. Pray also for great peace and faith for Keri and Steven, who are handling this with so much grace. Most of all, pray for God's glory, and His good and perfect will.


On a much, much lesser note, John and I are drawing near to the 30-day mark from what would be Baden's first day of school. If we don't sell our home within the next week or so, we're probably looking at homeschooling. This is fairly overwhelming for me, and as I looked at curriculum this week, I was praying for more wisdom. On an encouraging note, we had a very positive showing today that may (or may not) result in an offer this week. We'd appreciate your prayers for God's best for our family. I must admit that my concern with Emma outweighs even this decision right now.

Thanks for praying, friends.

Please pray

My new niece, Emma Kate, was rushed to the hospital today with dangerously high bilirubin levels. Please pray for the protection of her body, especially her brain, and the peace of our family. Thanks.

The negligent blogger

Yes, it has taken me forever to get to our poor, neglected little blog. High points from our lives:

Corinne turned the big 2 last Wednesday, and Baden turned the big 5 (wow!) on Sunday! We had a space-themed party for Baden, and they got some really cool gifts from people who love them.

Corinne is saying things like "saw-yee!" ("sorry!") and "Okay, see ya!" She is an adorable two-year-old, and I am thrilled to have a daughter. I luh-huv putting all of that wonderfully curly hair in pigtails.

Jack looks so much like Baden did. He's finally responding to us with smiles, which is great, because otherwise he's kind of cranky.

John's brother Matt and his wife Elizabeth brought Alexander ("Xander") Mathew into the world on May 2! Elizabeth is a size 0, and Xander was 10 lbs. 2 oz.! Owwww.

My sister Keri and her husband Steven are the proud parents of Emma Kate, born two weeks early last Saturday morning! She was 7 lbs. 10 oz. and has a beautiful head of dark hair, looking like Keri's head on a Helmick body. :)

We've reduced the price on our house by, yes, $10K for quicker sale. We are simply ready to move into the new school district, and want to catch the buying season of the summer before it ends. We may move into an apartment at that point until we can find/build something that is in the location we'd like with four bedrooms and a more reasonable price. This has been a stressful time for us, and we'd appreciate your prayers for a quick sale.

My grandpa Don fell and broke his hip, but didn't seem to like rehab in the nursing home so well, so he left AMA! He's doing okay, and his spirits seem to be up when I talk to them.