Finally...

Pictures have been posted... from the last 3 months. Have fun: http://picasaweb.google.com/D2Spies

Oddly... there are more pictures still. But they will have to wait.

Health Update

Well, of course, one of us gets a cold after traveling. Unfortunately, this time it was Isaiah. :-( The timing, oddly, was great. Isaiah went in for a blood test to check his iron levels on Wednesday. I called Wednesday evening to get some advice on what to do about the barking cough that was forming. Long-story-short, we went in today...

Isaiah just has a little cold. Nothing to worry about at this point.

His iron level has not improved AT ALL!! It's like we haven't even been giving him the supplement. AND I HAVE!! Like a tyrant, every day, even while traveling!! So, I asked 100 questions and Dr. Helo (pictured here with Dan and Isaiah) upped the dose to the max. We'll give it 6 more weeks then do another blood test. He'll also test for led and a few other things too. If there's no improvement at that point, we'll see a hematologist (blood doc).

Isaiah is still meeting all his developmental milestones and still jabbering away so I'm going to be calm for another 6 weeks. Do keep the little man in your prayers. I'd love for this to resolve itself.

Dan and I are well. Super busy with Christmas stuff coming up this weekend. I'm going to do a little work tonight and make 50+ mini-cupcakes tomorrow night. I know, my life is exciting.

Thanksgiving Break

We took a week and ran the gauntlet. It was wonderful! Flew into CA on Sunday night, stayed at a hotel close to the airport. Drove to Arroyo Grande to visit the Bergs. Za was well cared for and loved and lead around... We ate like rock-stars, played with the dogs and horses, and had a wonderful time.

Then we headed south to spend a few days with my family. Turkey day was perfect! We went over to Kurt and Rosie's house. Mom did all the cooking, Rosie got everything together. Glenn and May were also able to come down. It was super great. And, as you can see, Isaiah LOVED the pie! He had his first taste of pumpkin and butterscotch pie. He's a fan.

Then, Friday afternoon, just as quickly as we arrived we headed home again. It was a very quick visit, but it couldn't have been better.

It was wonderful to have a few days to get settled in again. Dan heads back to work tomorrow and the craziness of December begins. Happy Advent to all.

What does the doggy say?

It's very fun these days. Isaiah is starting to make animal sounds in response to seeing the animal. The especially funny part is that we have a number of rhinos and giraffes and alligators... animals that don't really make much noise.

He's also starting "swimming" in the tub. He'll lay on his back and play with a toy, kick his feet, splash his arm around. Very cute! And he takes up a good part of the tub too.

On the health front:
Dan is super healthy and wonderful, of course.

Isaiah has a little baby eczema on his face. We went in on Friday to have it looked at as it was spreading slowly and there are a bunch of chicken pox cases right now. (I don't know the difference and I'd hate to be wrong.) Just a little lotion every day.

I am headed in to see an allergist to try to figure out what I'm having a strange reaction to. Every now and again my throat starts to close up. No big deal, right? Well, I finally went in and my doc gave me drugs to take daily, an inhaler, and an eppi-pen. Apparently, I should have been a little more concerned about this.

I see the new doc in December the same week Isaiah goes in for his 15 month checkup. This is also the checkup where we determine if the Iron treatment has been working. It should be an interesting week.

Other than this, it's been a great weekend home! The first one in 3 weeks. We're going to visit a local church tomorrow and spend the day picking up and playing around.

Flooded Birthday Party

September 12, 2008 was the day that hurricane Ike came ashore.

We only got storm surge here in Gulfport, but it did close Highway 90... the only access road into our place.

So, Dan called at about 10am. I was boiling potatoes for the potato salad (Schlatter recipe). The cowl slaw was already in the fridge (Spies recipe). The BBQ and Cake would be picked up later. Dan, calmly told me that I needed to be evacuated. I told him that this was not a possibility because I was prepping for the party! The party we were having at the house, with all our friend, in a few hours!!

After a little coxing, and a few more hours prep, AND the gracious offer of an alternate location, we packed up and hit the road. The Hazlett's let us use their house. Everyone came over, and we had a blast!! One day soon I'll get the pictures up online, but until then, here are a few of the super fun day.


We ordered the cake form a local bakery and got his "smash" cake for free. It took him a few minute to get the idea. Once he finally got his hands dirty, he wanted them wiped off. Very funny. Very much my son!



He was also very interested in sharing. Oddly, I was the only one willing to take a taste. Very yummy, and very cute! He did get a bit messy. Dan was responsible for cleaning him off in the sink. I think Joanna is still fining bits of frosting in their kitchen. You will also notice the new shirt for the rest of the photos.


Jagger is Isaiah's bestest friend. They are still learning to share. Jagger often snags Isaiah's toys and this was no exception. Andrea, Brian and Jagger got this great drum for Za. They were both playing with one of the sticks when Isaiah decided he wanted to perform with both. This is one of the rare shots we have of Isaiah asserting himself. Fear not, Jagger got him back. The eternal struggle will continue.

It was a wonderful day. For the record, Joanna and Gregg, Andrea and Brian, Jennifer and Michael, Lavonne and Daniel. EVERYONE took pictures. Those here are from Lavonne. Love and presents came from everyone. It's amazing that it's been a whole year.

Cutes boys ever!!

We spent the evening at Spookfest. It's a Halloween fun night on base. I was helping out with the NOSC Cupcake Walk (wives thing). This is Isaiah, no nap, up an hour past his bed time, having a blast.

The hat was a wonderful gift from Andrea, Brian and Jagger. Andrea had picked them up last season when one of the Outlet stores was selling off the end of their winter stuff. 2 for $.50! She got a medium and a large... Jagger has clearly grown out of the medium, so Isaiah has a fancy new hat. It was perfect timing too as we left the house without a blanket or hat...

But with a bee-hive.

It has been a great day and now I'm trying to get a few things done for this weekend. I'm preaching in Jackson again. I'm hoping this late night will make for a family day tomorrow rather than a "Dan, can you get Isaiah away from me" day. There not as fun.

After a long time...

It's hard to believe how long it's been since I've sat down to write. Life has, indeed, been a little busy. From the last time I wrote, we've been evacuated, had a birthday party, gone to California, and rearranged the house. Over the next few posts, I'll fill in the details.

This week has been rather full. On Monday Dan and I got our 3rd bedroom "remodeled" from a storage room to an actual bedroom!! We're very excited, as are Ron and Linda who are set to arrive tonight for 5 days of grand-parenting.

On Tuesday Isaiah and I headed over to see his Pediatrician, Dr. Helo. Isaiah got weighted: 10 lb, 1 oz. This is about 1.5 lb more than 2 months ago. He's now at 10% rather than 3%. As he started out at 30%, we're watching this rather closely. Isaiah got more blood drawn for an Iron panel and a thyroid test. We should hear about the results this week. We also both got our flu vacene. So far, so good.

Other than being a little light, he's very happy and seems to be hitting all of his milestones just fine. He blabbers often, sings (very cute), just got climbing onto the chair and sliding off the bed down (we're very glad about this), and walks everywhere. We have a whole living room full of toys and he spent today following me around with the string from a pair of sweatpants around his neck like a stole. The cat thought this was great! So, I went to the bedroom to get laundry. Isaiah followed, blabbering all the way. Shadow comes bounding around each corner just after Za goes by, chasing the string that he is dragging behind him. This is repeated as I leave the bedroom and head to the washing machine. I know, my life is very exciting.

Well, I also have email that I'm SO behind on. I'll update more on our exciting month soon.

Happy First Birthday!!

It's been a big week of cleaning and planning for Isaiah's birthday. Today, everything was coming together... the bathrooms were clean, the fridge cleaned out, table cleaned off... a perfect day.

Then, at about 10am Dan called and told me that Highway 90 was closed. Yes, that would be the only access road to our place. So, I was blocked in! What was worse, Dan was blocked out AND so were all of the people that we had invited to Isaiah's party.

In about 3 hours we loaded the car, picked up the cake and BBQ, and moved everything to a friends house. Gregg and Joanna had offered the night before, when we met for dinner, to host us if the weather got bad. Surprize!!

Well, it's nearly 10, the party was a huge sucess. Isaiah's asleep in the guest room. We're watching the Weather Chanel soon to head in to our guest room. We're exausted but it was truly a wonderful night. Surrounded by friends who have become our family, Isaiah was blessed and so are we. Pictures and details to come... tomorrow... when we're home.

Evacuation Walk

Well, while we were evacuated from Long Beach, MS, Isaiah decided to continue working on his walk. He's been trying for a while, and has taken a few stops here and there... but while we were here in Minnesota he finally decided that walking across the room wasn't so hard! So, here's a little video. I couldn't get one of him walking 15 steps across the room to me, but you get the general idea.

As for the evacuation, I'll write more when we return home. Our place is perfectly fine. The cats and Dan made it through without incident. We are super-grateful for the prayers and ask that you continue to keep those who lost so much in your prayers as well.

Storm Evasion

Well, you've probably seen the news... there's a nasty storm headed our way. Dan has to stay here and, if we are evacuated, will be on base with his students. No, this is not some type of hero complex that Dan has... this is a government mandate. Very fancy! He even has a special card that lets him drive back, into the storm!

I, on the other hand, will be flying to Minnesota with Isaiah on Sunday morning. We'll be there until Friday, at least. If the airport in Gulfport is underwater at that point, I think Ron and Linda will keep us a few more days.

They are not expecting this storm to be as bad as Katrina. As you watch TV over the next week, keep in mind that the worst part of the storm is the East side. So, the good news is, they are expecting Gustav to run through just West of Gulfport... the bad news is, we'll still get whipped. It's expected to be a Cat. 3 storm, so we're expecting to find our home in one piece when we return. We're also expecting some water damage or a broken window. We're up about 12 feet from sea level and we're behind other buildings... so we'll see.

Dan is glad that we will be safe and I am glad that we get to have such a wonderful visit allowing Dan to focus and stay safe. I'll have my phone. Call with questions.

Updated Photos

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks. I've finally taken some time to update photos and get them online. Take a look at the last few months. He's super cute!

This is a picture of the "big bottle." Dan had this 32+ oz sports bottle. It's usually full of Propel, but it really doesn't matter.... Isaiah loves drinking out of it. As soon as he figured out how to make the straw work, he can't seem to stop. It's very cute! If you ever see a picture of him totally soaked, it's probably because of this bottle! He gets most of it in, but every now and again he stops drinking and forgets to swallow what's in his mouth. So that ends up all over the floor, his shirt... you get the idea. We're currently looking for a smaller one, but somehow I don't think that would be nearly as fun.

With the rest of my "free" time I've been monitoring eBay for an Instinct cell phone. My current cell phone is trash!! And I really don't want to extend my contract. AND it would cost me about $100 just to get a new phone! So, I'm looking for the closest think to an iPhone without having to pay to get out of my contract with Sprint. I know, I can probably find something more important to do with my time... but... I need to check on my bids.

Pink cheeks, super hot, and all druged up.

No, not some supermodel or actor... Isaiah!! He started running a fever last night. It was apparent that he was cutting a few more teeth, so I gave him some Motrin and put him to bed. At 5 am he woke up with such a fever. More drugs, fed him, back to bed. It's a rather stressful thing to know that he feels so crummy and there's really nothing I can do about it.

Isaiah slept until 9:30a and felt much better when he got up. More drugs at 11 then off to a play date with Jagger. He had a super-fun afternoon... then, about an hour before he could have more drugs his fever spiked. 103.7! I happened to be on the phone with his pediatrician's nurse at the time, so she gave me the dosage and schedule to get his fever down. You wouldn't think this would be so complicated.

Isaiah just woke up (11pm), felt like a normal little boy - finally! He ate, now he sleeps. We'll see what he feels like as the night progresses.

Oh... and now he has 6 teeth and 2 more on the way! And, of course, this new milestone was discovered by Andrea while we were over at her place. :-)

Our First Birthday Party

Well, Jagger turned 1 today! So we went to our first birthday party. Andrea and Jagger are often mine and Isaiah's playmates. It was a very strange feeling... 20 some adults and 4 kids. Jagger was interested in playing with the toys, but not really interested in opening them. No worries, one of the other children (about 6) was more than willing to help. Isaiah and another friend (about 3) watched from very close. I felt bad that Isaiah was always in the pictures... but Brian and Andrea were super gracious about it.

We will be stealing a few ideas. For example, the balloons were a big hit. We are also having Jagger and his folks over for Isaiah's party. Maybe I'll get a few pictures of that one.

Butter and Cheese on everything?

It's been an eventful week. We've gotten a chance to hang our with friends, have lunch with Daddy, and watch Isaiah take a few more steps. We also had Isaiah's 1 year check-up.

I know, it's a little early, but the appointment people and the doctor people don't communicate really well. So, we went in on Isaiah's 11 month birthday. All is well, except he's a little lighter than they would expect! First I'm instructed to eat DQ Blizzards to gain weight while pregnant, then the doc want me to pack a few more points on our little guy!! Now, keep in mind, Isaiah can eat! And we feed him, plenty!! But he also eats SUPER healthy... fruit, veggies, a little meat, yogurt. Dr. Helo's instructions: put butter and cheese on everything. :-) Now, this is our regular doc, and he knows me rather well at this point, so he knows that this will translate into a slight increase in the amount of cheese Za gets, not an all out dairy extravaganza.

So, Za had a cheese tortilla for dinner (with green beans)... and we finally figured out how to get him to drink formula (he's still short a feeding of milk from me)... we put 2 oz of whole milk and 2 oz of water with the powered. Happy baby bay. He gets more calories AND gets to see what's going on.

We go back in a month for shots and to have him weighed. If he's still light, we'll do some evaluation at that point. With the way he eats, I think we'll be fine.

New foods: Mac and Cheese (eaten with his hands... very messy), taco meat, clementine, nutra-grain bar, montery-jack cheese and 1/4 of the chocolate part of an Oreo cookie (where did he find that??)

First Steps... "Clover Field" Style

I don't know if you've seen the movie "Clover Field." It was done from the perspective of someone carrying around a handheld camera. So, there are a number of things you can't really see because they're just out of frame.

Well, Isaiah and I were over playing with Andrea and Jagger yesterday. (We were there for ever! I'm so surprised she did just kick us out after a while.) :-) She was sitting on the couch and Isaiah was walking around her when she said... he took a step! Sure he did... Wendy tried that one too. Then, a few minute later, Isaiah took a free step from the couch to me! Ok... now I believe you!

He did it a few times and when Dan came home he did it again. Now, Jagger has also taken a few steps between his folks, so I'm sure that it was just all the advanced walking mo-jo in the house.

We'll keep trying to get a proper video.

I should be working... or sleeping...

but I'm watching "Corner Gas" instead. It's a Canadian TV show that I've subjected most of the family to at this point. Very funny... if you're me.

We've recently returned from California where we gathered with Dan's folks, Terence, Wendy and August. We spent a few days at Yosemite. It was wonderful! I'll post pictures soon, but Wendy has a few posted here. I remembered to bring the camera to CA, but forgot it at the house for our little trip. So, lucky you... you don't have 30 pictures of us riding in the car.

Oh... and, in addition to other cool stuff, Isaiah finally said MaMa!! I am very excited.

Well, Corner Gas is now over... I should go to bed.

It is like having a little bird.

This is Dan giving Isaiah a piece of cherry. The first bite in a long line of food that he will eat for dinner. He LOVES to eat! And, until today would eat anything. At lunch today, he decided that he wasn't interested in baby-food. If it wasn't relatively solid, he didn't wanted.

The trend continued at dinner. He ate half a peach and 3 cheese tortellini. I managed to sneak in about 2 oz of banana/peach puree, but he's a quick study.

I've got a call in to the lactation consultant as he only nurses twice a day now. He eats mostly fruits and veggies, a little meat and beans, but no real fat. So I'm starting to wonder if he's getting everything he needs. If my phone works, I'll be able to talk to her tomorrow and get more info.

I've also included here a few shots of Isaiah on the move. We picked up a friend, Joanna (pictured below), at the airport and hung around at her place for a while. Of course, Isaiah wanted to pick out a fancy bottle of wine to celebrate. Uncle Gregg has quite a collection. And he's in Iraq now, so he'd never know. :-) (Gregg, we got him before he touch anything.)


And we miss you bunches Uncle Gregg. (See, I'm waving to you!) We're keeping Aunt Joanna busy though.

A much better day

Thankfully, Sir. Super-fuss has vacated, at least for today. Isaiah has a rather large area in the living room that is sectioned off for his use. The only problem is, unless we're both in it with him, he's unhappy. We'll see how he does tomorrow without Daddy home. :-)

It's been a great weekend. We didn't get as much done on the house as we wanted, but we had a nice time.

Fuss O Ramma!

Isaiah is super cute, and we love him bunches... but when he fusses ALL DAY it gets to be a little much to take. We don't know if he's growing, so he was just hungry all day. Or maybe it's his teeth, he's really close to having his top 2 break through. Whatever it was, he's sleeping now and we are super grateful.

We're also having a little supply/demand issue. Isaiah seems to be constantly hungry. His solid food portions have gone up quite a bit. I remember Wendy talking about making herself and August lunch one day and August ate both portions. We're in a similar situation. He nurses about 3-4 times a day now - breakfast, after he eats lunch, a snack, the before bed. He also eats dinner. For the past 2 nights he's been so hungry, Dan's made him a bottle even after he's nursed! This might be a temporary situation or it might be the beginning of the end of the boob-juice. We'll see how the rest of the weekend goes and I'll touch base with the lactation consultant on Monday.

Other than Sir. Fuss-a-lot, it was a happy 4th. We're watching a movie while the fireworks dance outside. Happy Holiday All.

Mmmm, Blueberries!

The beauty of summer in Mississippi is that Joanna is off! She's a teacher and has the blessing of being off during the summer. So, Joanna, Isaiah, and I did something that none of us had ever done before... We went blueberry picking!

You can see the bushes in the background. We were out for a while... like 45 minutes. Dripping sweat, chatting, and trying to keep Isaiah from eating the tall grass that grows up around the bushes.

I did make the mistake of letting Isaiah have one early on in our picking. Then he knew they were food, so every time I put my bucket down or he saw a berry fall, he hollered. Thankfully it was a totally organic farm, and I had Cheerios to tied him over.

Now, if he would only take a nap. :-) I imagine he will soon, and so will I. Then we have dinner with the girls tonight. And then I have to figure out what to do with a gallon of blueberries. Mmmmm. Anybody want a few?

Downward Dog is his favorit...

... but Isaiah thinks it's a bridge to crawl under. Which, granted, is better than stairs to climb on which is what he thought the plank was.

I had seen in one of the parenting mags that you could download exercise videos, so today I went searching for a yoga video and I wont get out for a walk today. Found a free one on YouTube. I wondered what Isaiah would do. He played most of the time, crawled around on me some, and we both had a great time.

Now, lunch and then maybe the pool this afternoon before our dinner out. There's a new chaplain and family that just got here so we're all meeting them for dinner. Our lives are so exciting.

Everyone's ok, but...

As we were headed to the dentist, we got bumped from behind. We're all totally fine. The car's back bumper has a nice ding in it. We're working with insurance. The other driver drove off. How wonderful for us. :-)

So, now Honda gets to match out orange car with a new factory direct bumper. Very fancy and such a pain!

Updated Pictures

Finally!! I've fixed windows so Explorer doesn't kick me out every time I try to update pictures. I know, you'd think I'd be able to do a little more with my fancy MIS degree... but no. I've updated everything from 5 months on, so have a look.

And, under the 8 Months album, there's a video of Isaiah crawling. For the record, he's about ready to run a marathon now. :-)

http://picasaweb.google.com/d2spies

A Week in Review

Beginning June 3 Isaiah and I have been in a little swimmie class at Keesler AFB. Here you see Isaiah on his last day with his teacher, Miss Sarah. She was super great and we had a ton of fun! And, quite honestly, we're exhausted... so I'm a little glad it's over.

As we have our own pool, we'll still have some fun in the sun without the hour drive each way. In addition to the bonding time with Za, I had the best time bonding with Andrea and her little one Jagger. Our husband's work together and our boys are about a month apart. I drove to her place and she drive the rest of the way. The conversations made the drive go much faster.

Tuesday night we had Dan's wetting down dinner. It went really well and I got to meet his new CO. She and her husband are great and Dan is looking forward to working with her.

Wednesday was crazy, Thursday was a bit too... and Thursday late afternoon I found out that Dan will be at the chapel on Sunday's a lot more than he has been. This throws a bit of a wrench into out current setup. If we're both working... Isaiah's going to start licking power cords, etc. to get our attention. So, Thursday night went from being my weekly night out with the girls to figuring out solutions. It looks like we'll be hiring a nanny for Sunday mornings. Luckily, we have a friend, Sarah, who's here for the summer so she will get to love on Za while Dan works... now all we have to do is ask her if she wants the job. details, details...


Today, Friday, was the Change of Command at the school Dan is stationed at. It was very fancy! So fancy, that my name was on a list and I got to park in a special lot and everything. Isaiah and Jagger (pictured here with Andrea) did great! Though Jagger did decide to eat my name tag off the chair. :-( Dan, of course, did a great job with the opening prayers and benediction.

Tomorrow is a picnic at his former COs house and Sunday he preaches. Now, if we could just figure out who fired the maid... we've got a lot of cleaning to do.

Yeah... well... my baby knows geometry!

It's so fun to watch Isaiah learn new things. Tonight we played hide and seek. I crawl around on the floor, Isaiah goes after me. I hide behind the chair, he peeks around and tags me then squeals. Very fun.

He's also has learned a little geometry. He used to crawl a few crawls, then reach out toward you. Now, if he wants to get you, he crawls a little past you, then stands up. He's very advanced. :-)

This week we've been in a swimming class. Isaiah and his friend Jagger are the youngest. Most of the other kids are a year or more. So, we mostly bob around in the watter, which Isaiah loves, and watch the other kids. Now, in a few more months, when Isaiah can follow more directions, I'll know what to do to get him to swim. He loves the water and we come back exhausted. It's only a 30 minute class, but he usually takes 2-2 hour naps during the rest of the day. I'd like to say I get tones of stuff done in those times, but I usually take 1 of those naps to catch up on my sleep. And due to my sleepiness, now I get to catch up on some work.

Do you still have to solute me?

Today it's official! Daniel is officially Lieutenant Spies! This is an amazing picture that the AV dude for the school put together. Bottom right, Isaiah and I... obviously. Bottom left, Daniel taking the oath of office again. He will do this each time he is promoted. In the middle you can see Captain Banaji and I putting on his new rank. We changed the shoulder boards on his uniform, which is a little easier and far less painful that putting on the ranks that are pined on. :-)

On Tuesday, June 10, we'll have his 'wetting down' (usually a time when the new officer would get duked to dirty up his new rank) at the pizza buffet near our house with his ward room - the other officers that he works with. Yes, I know, we're very fancy.

Isaiah was perfect his morning but as the day wore on, he got more and more fussy. It took me until tonight at about 6 to figure out why. To be at Dan's thing, he got up at 5 am, about 3 hours before he usually would. No amount of napping can erase that. So now he's in bed, fast asleep, and tomorrow is another day.

And now he claps.

If you've known me for any length of time, you know that I have a habit of clapping (some would say, like a seal) at arbitrary times throughout the day. So... Isaiah has grown up watching this. This weekend he finally gained enough coordination to do it himself. Very cute!! Especially cute when he does it when I come home from Jackson.

He's also getting better about waving, both with a floppy armed wave and with the little hand wave.

He's also walking around while holding onto the couch. He crawls. He sits. He lays on the floor, then sits. It's all very complicated and super cute. He doesn't go far yet, so it's easy enough to pen him in, but it wont be long now. And, because he can get a few places, if you're holding him and he wants to go somewhere or get something, he gets quite frustrated. I guess now is the time when he gets to learn that you don't always get when you want it.

We're having a few friends over tomorrow for brauts and potato salad. It's a nice day off.

What did you do to him while I was gone??

Twice a month I travel to Brandon, MS, about 3 hours away. I go up on Saturday night, preach on Sunday and head back after church. I'm usually gone for about 24 hours. Isaiah and Dan run around without socks on, they sleep in late and go out to dinner with the guys. It's all very exciting.

This week, when I got back, Isaiah had figured out how to push himself into a seated position and to pull himself up to a stand. He's been "walking" by holding our hands, but this was new. By the end of the weekend he had pulled himself up on his little saucer, played with one toy, took a couple of steps to the right, played with another you... you get the picture.

I should go now. He's trying to push himself up into the couch and is getting rather frustrated. The finer points of locomotion are still coming.

The Frozen Tundra

We just got back from Minnesota. Isaiah had a great trip! We all did! We went to see Dan's folks, Ron and Linda. We also took the opportunity to say hello again to a few friends in River Falls. It was SO busy, I wish we had a little more time.

We got in on Thursday, spent lunch with Grandparents and the late afternoon in River Falls.

Friday was a SUPER FUN day. We went to the Como Zoo (a small, free zoo in Minneapolis) with Grandparents, the 3 of us, Melody and Hope, Andrea and Wyatt, and Elise and Hanna. Needless to say, it's an interesting experience walking through a zoo with 11 people! It was so fun. After the zoo we went to Panera for lunch. Here is a photo of all the mom's and their little ones. Very cool and a true blessing for me, so far away from "home" to have a day with the mommies I've know before we were all mommies.

Saturday was a Spies family day. A number of Dan's Aunts and Uncles, and a few cousins came over. It was a great evening. We even snuck in our first movie in 8 months. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching Za. :-)

Mother's day was wonderful. Another quick trip to River Falls to introduce Isaiah to his sister Makenzie. They share a birthday and a piece of our hearts.

Monday was nice a quiet. Isaiah got a tour through Ron's office. The proudest Grandpapa you've ever seen!! Do you think they'll all look alike? Isaiah was trying out Grandpa's chair too.
Then, off to the airport after lunch.

Today Isaiah is going through withdrawals. He only has 2 adoring fans rather than 4. He also had a little fever at the end of the day and was super fussy... we're hoping it's either teeth or travel and that tomorrow he'll be back to his sunny self.

Da da da da da da da

He's super cute! He says "Dada" really clearly now. He has no idea that he's talking about Dan, but you should see Dan's face light up when he hears it. :-)

We're having more trouble with the RAV. The Radiator was replaced a few months ago. Now some "sparkle flange" is being replaced. It's been overloaded with pixie dust... This is Dan's official explanation to me. We'll get it back on Thursday and hopefully it will stop dying, arbitrarily, while I drive it.

The good news is, we really don't have anywhere to go tomorrow so it will be a nice, quiet day at home. Maybe Isaiah and I will go splash in the pool during our walk. Maybe I'll get the dishes done and another load of laundery. (When did I become Holly Hobby??)

In a week we head to MN for a visit. I'm looking forward to it. We're planing a day at the zoo with all the moms. It will be very fun.

He walked today!!

Isaiah seems to be feeling much better. I'm getting there. Mostly, a runny nose and a cough. Slept well last night and went out with the girls tonight and still on my feet, so this is good.

Today was a good day. Dan left, took all of the keys, came home for lunch to return the RAV keys to me. After Isaiah took is post-lunch nap, we headed out to the library to find that the RAV had a flat tier. (Dan changed it when he got home... but no library for us today.) We went on a walk instead.

Isaiah played on the floor for a while when we got back, then got fussy. His new favorite toy is the Mommy-Jungle-Gym. He likes to pull himself up. So, I decided that we'd try walking again. I held his hands up by his ears and he picked up one foot, putt it down, picked up the other, put it down... We "walked" in a nice big circle in the living room! Considering that Isaiah's usually perfectly happy to sit or lay in one general area, it was great that he wanted to move. He doesn't pull himself up on the furniture yet, but it was very fun!

When Dan got home, he didn't really believe me. After Isaiah woke up from his next nap and ate, he was ready for a little more walking. We passed him back and forth between us. Isaiah loves it! I wonder if he'll be an early walker?

A little under the weather...

Isaiah's just a little sick... He got his 6 month immunizations on Monday and ended up with a little cold. My biggest question, though, is how can a cold from such a little boy infect me! So now I have a little cough too. So far, we're both doing well.

We tried a new church today. The music was great, even with the band on their honeymoon. The people were very sweet. The pastor was a little quirky... but I can understand that. But, oddly, his theology was a little contrary to what we believe. So... the search continues. Next week I'm back in Jackson, then, if we're feeling adventurous, we'll try another church, maybe. :-)

Isaiah's super cute. He's starting to show more emotions and he jabbers a bunch. Dan took him to the pool today. They sit on the side with their feet in. Isaiah loves it! He kicks his feet and squeals. Very cute!

I really wanted to see this movie too!

For months I've wanted to see "I Am Legend." It's taken 3 nights and I'm still trying to distract myself. We're 90 minutes into it... I hope it's over soon. The really odd part is, I like suspenseful movies. And there hasn't been anything too gross in this one. The thing that really got me was when the dog died. Having kids really changes some things.

Other than my newly guarded taste in movies, we're doing well. Isaiah was immunized yesterday so he's still a bit out of sorts today. If he still has a fervor tomorrow, I'll call and check in with the doc.

Dan taught Isaiah a new trick on Saturday while I was in Jackson. He fed him at 7pm, gave him a bath, read a book, snuggled a bit... then he put him in bed. After about 10 minutes of fussing - not crying, just fussing - he went to sleep! We've done the same each night and so far, so good. He's still getting up at about 4am to eat, but that's after 8 hours of sleep. Now, if I'd go to bed at the same time, I'd get enough sleep too!

Speaking of getting off to bed... I think I'll do that now. Oh, and the movie is over and it was really good!

A Great Trip

As some of you know, we just returned for traveling the world. Daniel spent last week in Jasksonville, FL at a conference for Lutheran Chaplains. He said it went well, but he is now a little warn out from being surrounded by mostly older, mostly grumpy, lutheran chaplains.

Isaiah and I headed out to California to see the family there. Isaiah did great on the flights. He was a little fussy every now and again, but no major screaming sessions! He was spoiled rotten by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends alike. He's going through a few withdrawals now... today he was sitting on the floor, playing by himself, when he suddenly looked up with a strange look on his face. He proceeded to squeal and beat on stuff until someone looked at him! Monday's going to be a rude awakening as he'll only have 1 person in the audience and that person has some laundry to do.

We spent our weekend marveling at all that has happened with Isaiah: 2 new teeth, laughs when you play peek with him, eats anything he can - currently Cheerios. We also did our taxes. :-) With a few additions, we should be safe from those pesky tax-evasion charges this year.

Now, off to a shower and bed. I'm beat!

There's a what in the pond?

Well, Isaiah is amazing, as always. He's getting really good at sitting up and playing with his toys. He understands that things don't disappear when he can't see them any more. He drops stuff, then looks for it on the floor. Very cool.

He's generally happy and smiles often. He still has a little "stranger anxiety" and it takes him a few minutes to warm up to people, though he smiles at them right away. He's also VERY chatty these last few days. It's quite fun.

Today, we got back from having lunch with Dan on base and found a note from our apartment management in the door. They hoped we were enjoying the beautiful weather (sorry for those who are still snowed in). It went on to tell us that an ALLIGATOR had been found in our lake!!! They said we should hold off on playing, walking our dogs or children around the lake until it's caught. I did think it was odd that there was a Marine Patrol boat parked in our little lot. They also instructed us NOT to feed the alligator. That's probably a good idea.

Welcome to Mississippi. Isaiah and I took our walk on the other side of the property today.

Cute Baby... Good Day

We've been trying to catch a face that Isaiah makes for about a week. He sucks in his bottom lip and puffs out his cheeks. This is as close as we've gotten. Sitting on Dad's lap, making faces.

There's an exchange student at the school from Turkey. Dan and I took him around today. He was really excited about going to Wal-Mart, so off we went. We left the house at 11:30 after feeding Isaiah and didn't get back until 4. The whole time, Isaiah was great!!

Right now, Isaiah's sitting, unaided but in close proximity to Dad, on the floor playing with a few toys. He still wobbles and falls back occasionally, but we're close to him walking... I'm sure of it. :-)

The goal for tomorrow is to setup my computer. Then, within a few days I might have the new pictures loaded. That... and I have to get the taxes done.

Party in Long Beach!!

Well, we're into out new place. Most things are unpacked... well, the kitchen is unpacked. Everything else was put away enough to have a few friends over for dinner and cake. As Isaiah turned 6 months on the 12th, we used it as an excuse to party.

We had brats, BBQ chicken and pork (thanks Melody for the coke recipe), mashed potatoes and veggies. People brought munchies. I made cake (see above - it says ZA - I know, the Z looks like an N). Everything was tasty.

We told everyone to bring nothing... so they all brought something. You can see the sun glasses and hat that Michael and Jenn brought over for Za. Super cute! And, it will come in hand as it's already getting to be summery here.

Oh, and a quick update on Isaiah's last checkup. He's 15 lb 9 oz. Doing great! And, he didn't get any shots!! He'll get them all when we get back from California. Luck him.

Ok... I'm exhausted. Much sleep needed.

Mommies are fun

It was a good day. Isaiah and I got together with 2 other moms and their little ones. It's always fun to sit around and chat about how things are going. Isaiah was in an odd mood today and sucked on his pacifier nearly all day (something he never does). He might be cutting those teeth!

At 7:20 am we go in for his 6 month well-baby appointment. That's always fun... until they give him shots. Check back for updated height and weight.

New Digs

By making this picture so big... do you think I'm bragging? Well... that's just fine. This is our new place. There's a little lake with a path around it. You can see the ocean in the background. It's beautiful and we're starting to see the floor in all but 1 room. (The guest room is full of everything from books to extra chairs.)

We moved on Saturday. We had 6 friends who helped. We couldn't have done it without them. Between hauling stuff and loving Isaiah, it was a full day. Isaiah did great. He's enjoying having his own room and he loved the walk today. He's still working on those teeth and is starting to sit up on his own a bit. I just ordered his high chair. That will be fun to have him in.

In other news, the RAV has seen better days. There's a hole in the radiator and the dealer wants $1000 to fix it. So tomorrow I get to work the phones to see if someone else can do it for less. (Thanks Ron for the idea.) This leaves me without a car, with a massive tooth ache (will see the dentist again tomorrow), and a super cute baby. All in all, not so bad.

Pants alert...

Just a quick note to celebrate 2 fun things:
1. We think Isaiah is getting his first teeth. He has little blister looking things on his gums and he's a little more fussy than usual. That... and the Baby Orajel settles him right down. He would pick the weekend we're moving for this. :-)
2. I just put on my pre-pregnancy jeans! There a little snug, but I'm going to wear them!

Well, off to the laundry! Moving dirty cloths seems silly.

Look what I can do!

Well, we're all better and we're getting ready to move on Friday/Saturday to our new digs. It will be a busy week. We also get to meet the bishop of this synod on Thursday. That should be interesting. Dan will be going in his official capacity, uniform and all. I will be going as a Pastor-on-leave-from-call, jeans, t-shirt and baby... just so there's no confusion about how I'm expecting to spend my days.

Isaiah is amazing. He's so happy all the time. We're actually getting to the point where if he gets fussy, we can reliably distract him until he falls asleep or eats next. This is super comforting as I'm expecting to head to CA at some point.

Isaiah has learned to do this. It's quite cute. Babies don't understand that they can breath through their mouth when they're born, so they don't. Once they figure that out, they have to learn that they can manipulate their breath... Isaiah's picking this up. Soon he'll be able to do a "raspberry."

He's also eating more and more foods. We've eaten green beans, peas, and banana's. He will only eat the rice cereal now if it has something else mixed in. It's hard to believe that he'll be 6 months old in just a few weeks. Then it's no time until he'll be eating Cheerios!

Hope all is well with everyone. We'll take pictures of the move, but I probably wont post again until we're in the new place. Call for updates.

We moved to Mississippi... and this is what we get.

I got an email from Lavonne, one of the other chaplain's wives, and thought I would share it with you.

"I haven’t been sleeping well lately. When I awoke this morning before 4 am, I decided I was going to go take some pictures of the sunrise along the Gulf Coast. I drove about 45 minutes to a spot I had thought would be nice. As I was walking up to the water’s edge, it was marshy and I notice tracks that I couldn’t recognize. I thought I might be in gator territory. As the sun came up, I took a couple of pictures of the birds in the water.


When I heard a very unfamiliar sound…the sound of water and air. Figuring that my day was not off to a good start and being the pessimist that I am, I started looking around for the gator I thought was going to have me for breakfast. Instead, I discovered this about 20 yards in front of me…. TWO DOLPHINS!!! They swam by me twice. I was so busy watching and listening to them, I didn’t get a whole lot of pictures. But, it was so beautiful. The water, as you can see, was very calm and peaceful…the only sounds were the birds and the dolphins. I probably looked like an idiot, standing on the shore crying at the beauty of the moment. It was amazing. Thank you, God for reminding me of the beauty in life. I know some of you think I am crazy…it is just a couple of dolphins…but to be that close….and for it to be so random…I still am in awe of the beauty in God’s creation.

The sunrise was gorgeous also. When we first heard we were moving to Mississippi, I was definitely not very excited. But, today, I am so thankful for the blessing of this place. Of course, it is also going to be in the upper 60’s today with zero chance of snow…unlike some of you. I imagine this summer I will be cursing the heat and humidity, but I am so completely enjoying it today.

I hope you all have a glorious day, full of unexpected joys!!!

Lavonne

Pictures uploaded

Well, I finally uploaded pictures... starting with week 10.

Check out Grow baby Grow also. And know that the most recent ones were taken today at a BBQ place called The Shed. It was truly a sight to beheld - and the Q was PERFECT!

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/D2Spies

And Boobs fear him...

I am feeling much better, almost 100%. Both Isaiah and Dan are still healthy. The most fun part (sarcasm), is that Isaiah has been eating like a monster for the past 2 days! And last night he ate every 3-4 hours! - That is not fun.

Last night it got to the point where I was actually a little afraid of him. He would just eat and eat and eat and eat... I gave him a bottle to help tide him over for about an hour while I recovered. That helped a little. He's starting to slow down a little today and, hopefully, we'll both be back to normal tomorrow.

Fun things our growing boy can do: grab his tows, use his hands for different things, giggles and smiles - even at strangers, and makes happy noises at home and in public places. He's super cute. He'll make his first move at the end of the month and he'll take his first airplane ride at the end of March (to CA).

He's 5 months old now... he can do anything.

I'm so glad he's "That Guy"

Well, this was me on Wednesday... and it only got worse. Thankfully, this was Isaiah on the same day. He watched 45 minutes of tv, which we never do... but I couldn't do anything else. I've been super sick for a week now. Just went back to the doc today to find out that what I had is leaving and in its place I have a "secondary" bacterial infection. Doesn't that should wonderful! It was the docs way of saying I had sinusitis. So I'm on Sulfa now and should start feeling back to myself in a few days.

During all of this Isaiah's been a trooper. I was so sick Thursday, Dan had to stay home from work. On Friday I called him to come home for lunch because I thought I was going to pass out. About an hour after he went back to work a friend stopped by and watched Isaiah for an hour while I slept. So, thanks Lavonne for being Isaiah's first babysitter! Jenn brought me wonderful chicken and rice and Joanna kept tabs on me from day to day. Thankful I am well loved.

The best part of all of this was Dan! He took every opportunity to take care of Isaiah, of course. One night, while I was sitting, curled up on the edge of the couch shivering, I heard him in the bedroom singing this song:

(chorus) O, the ship. O, the ship.
(verse 1) The engineman put coal in the furnace. (rept. + chorus)
(verse 2) The navigator knows the way to go. (rept. + chorus)
(verse 3) The cook, he makes fruit pies and roles. (rept. + chorus)
(verse 4) The captain's an orangutan. (rept. + chorus)

Never heard it before? It's because he made it up! Just for Isaiah. Since then ship has hosted little boys running, puppies, chaplains, mommies and the like. He's the best! We got married really young. He could have been the bear drinking, card playing, womanizing guy. But no, he's this guy. How lucky am I.

I'm starting to feel better. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll be great!

Also, check the comments on the 4 Month Checkup. They are precious. Thanks!

4 Month Checkup

Isaiah was so wonderful at the doctors today. Our appointment was at 8am and he's doing great! He's 14 lb 2 oz and 25.5 inches long!! They also measured his head, but I don't remember what it was.

I asked Dr. Helo when he would suggest starting solid foods and he said, "when he can keep his head level with his body while you pull him up." This was before he started his exam... So Dr. Helo put Isaiah on his back and started to pull on his arms. Isaiah did what he always does - stiff as a board, leading with his head. Dr. Helo looked surprised and said, "He's totally ready for food!" Super cute.

Dan had to visit a few of his students at Keesler too, so he found us after the appointment, but before the shots. I think Dan thought that I was exaggerating what happens during the immunization... then he was standing there, Isaiah on his back on the table, I was holding his hands... they started with the oral one. Isaiah liked that. The lab dude got out the needle, which I don't ever look at, and stabbed our son on the leg. Isaiah starts crying, I start crying and hyperventilating, and Dan nearly pushed both of us out of the way getting Isaiah up, into his arms. Super cute. And now Dan doesn't think I'm exaggerating.

Isaiah, of course, forgets about this within minutes and is asleep. Dan and I will remember the look on his face all of our lives. Thankfully we have more memories of smiles.

On the move

Well, we finally decided to move to the magical land near the sea. We're excited about the new digs and will move in on March 1. Thankfully it's a weekend, so we won't feel bad about asking friends to help. (Be warned, all who live near.) Oddly, both Joanna and Lavonne have already volunteered to help... watch Isaiah. :-)

Isaiah goes in for his 4 month check up on Thursday. And tomorrow we're going to the library for story time! That should be fun.

This is the baby we were looking for!

It was an amazing day!! And it's been a long time in coming.

We got up this morning and went over to a friends house at 9am. 3 moms, 3 babies. Isaiah was wonderful!! He was happy, engaged, and when he was tiered, he settled right down and took a little nap. We didn't leave until 3 this afternoon.

Then we went home for a few hours before heading to the coffee shop to meet with the girls. As Dan has Isaiah alone on Saturday night and Sunday, I wanted to give him a night off. Again, he was wonderful. He's getting more comfortable with people and was happy and smiley until he got hungry. Even then it was easy to distract him and calm him down. Here are a few shots of Isaiah being loved on by Lavonne and Jenn.

Now, on a regular basis I feel confident that I can go shopping or to lunch with Dan or a friend and not have a frantic, screaming, crying, inconsolable baby. Isaiah's engaged and happy most of the time and when he gets fussy, he usually tired or hungry. This is what I expected it to be like. It's like we have the baby we ordered... he was just wrapped in the super fussy baby for a little while.

It was a good day. Now he's asleep, and I will be too, very soon. We'll see what tomorrow holds.

So... we might move anyway.

For most of my life I've been able to look ahead and know what to expect. Even when we didn't know where we were going to live or work, I knew what life would be like and we trusted that God would make things obvious. Well, I'm learning that I really have no idea what life will be like with a little one. Is it worth moving if we're closer to work and Dan would be home sooner? Is it worth it to have a safe play area right outside? Would I use the fantastic workout room (one with actual equipment) or walk on the miles of walking paths?

This is the place we're looking at: http://www.arborproperties.com/profile.asp?AID=14849 It's about 10 minutes closer to work for Dan. It will only run us $25 more a month, still well within our housing stipend. Now, all we have to decide is, do we really want to move?

I've gathered opinions from Melody and Kim, now we're taking input from the masses...

Other than this dilemma, life here is great. I got my tooth fixed, so I'm not in constant pain anymore. I wonder what Isaiah will be like without the trace amounts of Motrin or Tylenol in his system?

** For the record, God has been rather clear about what we should do, I just don't like his idea. :-) He knows I'm stubborn.

We almost had to move...

Last week we got a notice that our lease needed to be renewed. The rent was $65 higher than we'd been paying, so Dan went online to see if we were being ripped off. He found a few places in the area that were $60-100 cheaper! So, for about a week we talked about moving. I actually went to check out a place about 2 blocks from the beach. All brand new, totally beautify and ready for renters. If our rent was going up, this wouldn't be such a bad place to live. Plus, we have a group of friends who will work for food so the move would be bearable.

Then, ready to haggle, I went in to talk to our apartment manager. As it turns out, our rent isn't going up! They just quoted us the price with our storage unit and washer/dryer rental included. I really wish I could do math. :-)

So we've learned 2 things: It's time to buy our own washer and drying. And it's time to toss some of the stuff we're not using. They say home is where the heart is... but I think it's really where your stuff is, because no one wants to move.

All is well here. My new favorite thing is Crystal Light's Immunity Cherry Pomegranate singles. Super tasty. And Isaiah is starting to get the hang of giggling even more. If I laugh, he'll laugh. Super fun.

He's such a happy baby!

Yup, that's what the checker at Wal-mart said about our little Za. After months of fretting every time we were in a store that he was going to lose it... because he usually did... we get these wonderful comments. Isaiah's looking around, smiling at cereal boxes and people and making this cute razzing sound. He's wonderful and perfect. And right now he's sleeping. I hardly know what to do.

I've now made it a regular habit to preach on the weekends. I've subbed at a church in town and have a regular gig in Brandon, MS. It's 3 hours away, so I leave on Saturday afternoon and return on Sunday. It's been interesting to be away from Isaiah for so long. It's been nice too because Dan has to handle everything. I know that he understands that I'm not sitting around during the week eating chocolates... but it's really nice that he experiences life with Isaiah every now and again. It does make for a sort weekend when I'm away so I'm looking forward to this weekend when I'm home.

Tonight we're headed out to dinner with friends. This is our fancy life. Isn't it grand.

So... who's baby is this?

A quick update: I'm feeling fine, just a little cough. Isaiah still has a cough, but it sounds like he's just clearing things out. His fever is gone and he's eating like he usually does. The only problem now... he has his days and nights mixed up. So I got 2 hours of sleep last night. He hasn't napped much today and he's in bed now... let's see how it goes.

Dan, on the other hand, is still sick. He's had everything. Now, his nose is ok, his belly is better, it's a cough and stuffed up ear. He's also away this week, so he has no one to take care of him :-) but he gets some uninterrupted sleep. We're hoping he's better very soon.

As Za was up most of the day, we had a great time. He's feeling good, so he's very smiley. He's also started intentionally grasping stuff. Very cool! And he's still sleeping with his hands unswaddled. That is super wonderful and it shows you who's baby this is!

Our trip to the emergency room

Wouldn't you think you could get a same day appointment?? Isaiah has had a fever (a little over 100) for 2 days now and yesterday he stopped eating his normal meals. This is not a recipe for a happy baby so I called the doc in the morning. No call back... Then I called this afternoon when his fever got a little higher, even with the Tylenol. They referred me to urgent care. We left at 2:30p... but the doc there doesn't treat infants! So I called back, while driving, and got approved to go to the emergency room at Keesler, our regular hospital. After 2 hours of waiting and 3 lab tests we finally got home at 7:30pm.

2 of the 3 labs came back negative. The 3rd takes 48 hours, so they'll call if there's a problem. They gave me the wrong dosage for the Tylenol... so when we got home tonight, we gave him twice as much as he should have. He'll be fine... he'll sleep really well tonight... but I'm exhausted, stressed, and feeling a little frustrated that I didn't think to question the dosage sooner. Dan's just starting to feel better, thankfully. And I preach at a church 3 hours away on Sunday morning.

This is our day... I'm glad it's time for bed.

I think I ate chocolate cake for dinner...

I didn't intent to eat cake for dinner. I intended to eat cake to relieve stress (not a good plan, but that was my plan) but that was dinner tonight.

We're still recovering here. Dan had the worst of it. He ended up with the same runny nose + cough that we all had but then it turned into a scary, gross, intestinal virus. I'll let you use your imagination on what that looked like. It's the worst he's ever been sick. That's saying a lot considering he was a marine! He went to the doc day before yesterday and they gave him something for the nausea and that's helped. He's almost eating food today!

I'm feeling pretty good. Just really tired. It's hard to take care of 2 sickos. Isaiah's been really crummy these last 24 hours. Today I did a great impersonation of a bed for about 2 hours. It was the only way I could get Isaiah to sleep a little longer. Then, tonight from about 3:30p on he cried. Dan was a super trouper and took Isaiah for 90 minutes so I could go out with the girls - this is where I ordered the wonderful cake. Isaiah slept for a bit... but then he was up and wailing again. I got home, fed him, drugged him (Tylenol), and he's asleep now.

Here's hoping it lasts. If he's still out of sorts tomorrow I'll call the doc back again. Now... off to bed.