In addition to the mini-update, I thought I'd offer you all a bonus entry today with the new Eily stats. She had her one year checkup last Friday, and aside from "She's perfect!" here's what Dr. Marcus had to say:
Height: 28.5 inches
Weight: 19lbs 7oz
Head circumference: 18.5 inches (big brains!!)
The poor kiddo screamed through the three shots she had to receive. She calmed down as soon as I picked her up, though, and she even managed to wave bye-bye to Dr. Marcus when he left at the end of the appointment. A huge smile of surprise hit his face when he saw how quickly Eily forgave him for giving her those three shots. Something tells me he doesn't get that kind of reaction from kids on a daily basis. I guess it's just further proof of how awesome our little Smudge is....not that I needed any, of course!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Mini update
Hello all! As usual, I'm way behind with posting. I'm sure you're all asking, "Is Eily's big First Birthday post ready yet?" Unfortunately, all writing and blog preparation has taken a back seat lately. "What could possibly be more important than her birthday?" you ask? Well, nothing, of course! But there are only so many hours in the day, and mine have been taken up by this lengthy kitchen renovation and my summer commitments at the theater.
So here's a quick snippet of what's been going on these past couple of weeks:
- Rehearsals for the production of Woody Allen's "God," which I am directing at The Playmasters.
- Sanding, staining, and polyurethaning of the kitchen floor
- The beginnings of some cabinet building in the kitchen
It doesn't look like a very long list, but those are some very time consuming items!
And the most recent news? After over a month of near-drought conditions, the skies opened yesterday and dumped water on us for the length of the day. And after over a month of resting safely in the neighbor's garage, our unopened boxes of cabinets and appliances were suddenly sitting in huge puddles of water. Yes, you read that correctly. Some (not all, thankfully!) of our cabinets got wet. We may have to replace a few pieces, but thankfully all of the huge money items are fine. We spent the better part of yesterday evening moving everything to dry land (with the help of our awesome neighbor, Mark).
So what was the reaction to the catastrophe? In true J&J style, we kind of shrugged it off and said we'd make it work. Shortly after, the window installer with whom I had set up an appointment for an estimate stopped by and we proceeded to set up the next home improvement project. So on a day that could have been a real downer, we decided to keep the ball rolling and ordered new windows to be installed in September. Life goes on, right?
Anywho, that's a pretty good idea of how things have been going around here. I'm still working on the big birthday project to share with all of you, so bear with me just another week and it will be here.
So here's a quick snippet of what's been going on these past couple of weeks:
- Rehearsals for the production of Woody Allen's "God," which I am directing at The Playmasters.
- Sanding, staining, and polyurethaning of the kitchen floor
- The beginnings of some cabinet building in the kitchen
It doesn't look like a very long list, but those are some very time consuming items!
And the most recent news? After over a month of near-drought conditions, the skies opened yesterday and dumped water on us for the length of the day. And after over a month of resting safely in the neighbor's garage, our unopened boxes of cabinets and appliances were suddenly sitting in huge puddles of water. Yes, you read that correctly. Some (not all, thankfully!) of our cabinets got wet. We may have to replace a few pieces, but thankfully all of the huge money items are fine. We spent the better part of yesterday evening moving everything to dry land (with the help of our awesome neighbor, Mark).
So what was the reaction to the catastrophe? In true J&J style, we kind of shrugged it off and said we'd make it work. Shortly after, the window installer with whom I had set up an appointment for an estimate stopped by and we proceeded to set up the next home improvement project. So on a day that could have been a real downer, we decided to keep the ball rolling and ordered new windows to be installed in September. Life goes on, right?
Anywho, that's a pretty good idea of how things have been going around here. I'm still working on the big birthday project to share with all of you, so bear with me just another week and it will be here.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
A friend in need (updated)
**UPDATE** If you would like to participate after reading this post, please email toriellen@gmail.com . The Two Big J's and little e will be out of touch for the next few days, but Tori can provide you with the address to send your cards. Thanks so much everyone! I'm so moved by your support.
I've decided to hold off on Eily's big birthday post until next week, when we are finished with traveling for at least a couple of weeks and I can devote some time to really organizing pics and videos. I promise, the wait will be well worth it!
In the meantime, I wanted to take a couple of minutes to tell you all about the mommy of one of Eily's June birthday buddies, Barrett. Barrett's mom, Kim, was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer while she was pregnant. In fact, if it weren't for her pregnancy, the cancer may have gone unnoticed much longer than it did. Barrett was delivered via emergency c-section at 31 weeks (extremely early for those who aren't aware), in order to get Kim started on treatment for her cancer. Barrett is now a bouncing, active 14 month old, but Kim continues to fight for her life everyday. You can read about her battle in the blog she keeps with her aunt, Fight for Barre.
Recently, Kim was told that the medical center she has been going to for treatments will no longer be treating her because her tumors keep growing. Having lost her job just before her diagnosis, Kim has no medical insurance. Her options are very limited. And perhaps hardest of all, she is raising her amazing little boy on her own. Barrett's father has had very little interaction with his son since his birth, with only minimal visitation on a very irregular basis. I don't know how Kim does it, but she continues to put up a fight. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of courage and faith this young woman must possess to even get out bed each day.
I met Kim through a discussion board on BabyZone.com, an area for moms and moms-to-be to gather and discuss their experiences in parenting. (This is the same place I met Eily's favorite sitter, Casey, and her daughter, Ava.) While those of us in the June 09 Birthday Club have never met Kim in person, we all want to do something to help her to know she is not alone in her struggle. We are planning a card shower for her, and we are inviting anyone who is moved by her story to participate. The plan is to send Kim a box of cards to let her know that there are people out there thinking of her and hoping for her cancer to go into remission. Some of us plan to include gift cards to help her with the day to day costs of raising a little boy on her own while being unable to work. While I'm sure she will appreciate this generosity, I think even the cards alone will bring a big smile to her face.
If you would like to join us in brightening Kim's day and letting her know that even strangers are holding her in their thoughts and prayers, let me know. I can give you the address of Tori, the girl who is organizing the card shower, so you can send her your cards for Kim. Tori will be putting the box together and sending it to Kim on July 15. Thank you in advance for sharing any kind words you have to offer to Kim. You never know how much of an impact your actions can have on someone, even if it's something as simple as sending a card.
I've edited to add a picture of Kim and her sweet son, Barrett:
Thanks again to all of you who have already responded and to those who continue to offer support!
I've decided to hold off on Eily's big birthday post until next week, when we are finished with traveling for at least a couple of weeks and I can devote some time to really organizing pics and videos. I promise, the wait will be well worth it!
In the meantime, I wanted to take a couple of minutes to tell you all about the mommy of one of Eily's June birthday buddies, Barrett. Barrett's mom, Kim, was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer while she was pregnant. In fact, if it weren't for her pregnancy, the cancer may have gone unnoticed much longer than it did. Barrett was delivered via emergency c-section at 31 weeks (extremely early for those who aren't aware), in order to get Kim started on treatment for her cancer. Barrett is now a bouncing, active 14 month old, but Kim continues to fight for her life everyday. You can read about her battle in the blog she keeps with her aunt, Fight for Barre.
Recently, Kim was told that the medical center she has been going to for treatments will no longer be treating her because her tumors keep growing. Having lost her job just before her diagnosis, Kim has no medical insurance. Her options are very limited. And perhaps hardest of all, she is raising her amazing little boy on her own. Barrett's father has had very little interaction with his son since his birth, with only minimal visitation on a very irregular basis. I don't know how Kim does it, but she continues to put up a fight. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of courage and faith this young woman must possess to even get out bed each day.
I met Kim through a discussion board on BabyZone.com, an area for moms and moms-to-be to gather and discuss their experiences in parenting. (This is the same place I met Eily's favorite sitter, Casey, and her daughter, Ava.) While those of us in the June 09 Birthday Club have never met Kim in person, we all want to do something to help her to know she is not alone in her struggle. We are planning a card shower for her, and we are inviting anyone who is moved by her story to participate. The plan is to send Kim a box of cards to let her know that there are people out there thinking of her and hoping for her cancer to go into remission. Some of us plan to include gift cards to help her with the day to day costs of raising a little boy on her own while being unable to work. While I'm sure she will appreciate this generosity, I think even the cards alone will bring a big smile to her face.
If you would like to join us in brightening Kim's day and letting her know that even strangers are holding her in their thoughts and prayers, let me know. I can give you the address of Tori, the girl who is organizing the card shower, so you can send her your cards for Kim. Tori will be putting the box together and sending it to Kim on July 15. Thank you in advance for sharing any kind words you have to offer to Kim. You never know how much of an impact your actions can have on someone, even if it's something as simple as sending a card.
I've edited to add a picture of Kim and her sweet son, Barrett:
Thanks again to all of you who have already responded and to those who continue to offer support!
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