Coxsackie Guilt

Well, we are happy to say we had a great time seeing my Aunts and Uncles in MB, but sad to say, Rhianwen was unwittingly spreading coxsackie virus to her poor little first cousin once removed. I feel so ROTTEN about this, but at the time we just thought the drool and tiredness was from teething (something that she is also doing).

The inoculation.

We had a very enjoyable Valentine's day and very low key. Rhianwen decorated a card to daddy with Winnie the Pooh stickers. For some reason she LOVES Winnie the Pooh even though she's never seen any shows or really read any of the stories. I have shown her the Winnie the Pooh song online, but that is about all! She also got a Pooh from her poor little first cousin once removed which she loves. She even remembers who it is from b/c we'll ask her where her gift from him is, and she'll look around and say, "Pooh?"

The sweet card for daddy.

Daddy brought home Valentine balloons for Rhianwen, a first for her, and pansies for us to plant and water. I am so excited! Rhianwen helped plant them on Monday and was a pro at transferring dirt from the bag to everywhere else. We now have 2 really cute planters out front and a bunch of dirt on the deck to prove it. (And no, the coxsackie virus did not have her down for long. Just for Saturday night. So we are thankful she had such a mild case).

We got Indian takeout which we loved but Rhianwen hated. Despite the fact that we got mild, it was still too spicy for her, and she cried until we gave her some milk to wash it down. Instead we went with the tried and true macaroni and cheese which she ate with relish.

Indian cuisine, on a tablecloth from India, with Camelias which have nothing to do with India as far as I know.

Rhianwen enjoyed opening all of her fun cards from the family and a fun coloring book and gloves from Grandmama and Grandaddy. We unwittingly gave her a card that looked a lot like "Snowbear" her best bud who sleeps with her and gets dressed and drinks her water and gets carried around a good part of the day. She was so excited when she saw it and kept exclaiming, "Nobear! Nobear!" She also had a lot of fun with the confetti that fell out of Aunt Clara's card.

"Nobear" at Grandma Nanny Kim's and Grandpa's is about to be put in Mommy's old toy crib. We now have it back at our house too.

In other doings, Rhianwen has discovered the joys of eating pears.

Oh how fun! (This was taken on a very healthy day...see mom, I told you her cheeks just are rosy at times! Has nothing to do with fever or sickness.)

We had mentioned in a previous post the struggles Rhianwen was having between deciding whether to be gollum or a hobbit. Well, now we think she may be tempted to join the black riders. What ever happened to a sense of nobility? Her steed needs to be a tad less turquoise to really fit, so I don't think she will make the cut.



Washing things has been another of Rhianwen's new pass times. How I wish this task could remain a fun thing for her. I always wonder, when does it become a chore? Probably when we have to do it out of our sense of obligation or cleanliness instead of out of a sense of discovery and freedom. I sometimes wonder if I approach mundane things like this with the wrong outlook and how I can rediscover the enjoyment of such things...(perhaps if I just left the dishes until I really found it exciting to wash them...hmmmmmmm).



Here is a video showing Rhianwen's budding acting and janitorial skills.

Lastly, Rhianwen got to meet her Great Aunt and a bigger first cousin once removed (from Wally's side of the fam) on Monday at Subway. Her Great Aunt was fabulous at carrying the conversation...the topic? Rhianwen's Pooh bib of course. Very impressive skills for a stranger to be successful at getting Rhianwen to say anything to them!

It's a Boy!

My dad was right! He was insisting it was a boy. Even before conception, dad asked, "So, when is Rhianwen going to have a little brother?". After we were pregnant, we tried to warn him by saying, "Dad, we just tried for a baby, not necessarily a boy!". Guess we didn't have to worry about dashing his hopes! His predictions can be pretty uncanny sometimes. For example, he told me I would marry Wally, and this was the semester after I met him (we hadn't even started dating yet).

And yes, we are certain it's a boy. The ultrasound tech didn't even have to tell us although she concurred with our exclamations. We are so excited! And the great thing is that all of our friends around here are having boys too. So, he should have plenty of friends his age! Everything measured about right. The due date according to the ultrasound is July 10. So we will see. One or 2 days early isn't a big deal to us. They did say that his one of his kidneys is measuring a little large (just over the threshold) so we will have another ultrasound at 28 weeks. They said it was nothing to worry about, but hopefully it will be fine for real!

Now for the choosing of names. Yes, we did have one picked out on the off chance that Rhianwen was a boy, but now that it is for real, I just have to go back and think about it some more.

A good profile (wrinkled by Rhianwen on the way home).

I said to Wally, "He looks like you!!!", then I said, "Well, maybe it's just because he is so skinny." :)


A 3D profile with his nose to the right.


A front shot with half his mouth open. Reminds me of an old time gangster on those cops and robber films from the 20's and 30's. His arm is on the right next to his face and there is a loop of umbilical cord around it.

As far as we could tell, he is not a thumb sucker like Rhianwen was; during her ultrasound, she had it in or near her mouth the entire time. He was super active the whole time, unlike Rhianwen's ultrasound where they had to jiggle my belly to try to determine her gender etc. Time will only tell what he really is like!

A Busy Week

I'm back! It took a few days to feel back to better and to regain my appetite. I cleaned out the fridge after my episode and almost had another just thinking about it. But all that is left of the signs of my sickness are still red blood-shot eyes...being pregnant with all the pressure of puking made my face all blotchy and my eyes all gross. As many of you know, we were supposed to have our ultrasound this past Tuesday (Feb. 5), but Wally scheduled a business trip for that very day so I had to reschedule for this Tuesday. I was very disappointed, but it was probably better in the long run since I won't look like some gross nightmare of a pregnant woman and scare all the other moms-to-be or wishing-they-were-moms-to-be away from my OB office.

See, I really do look ok!

Thankfully no one else got sick and we all had a fab week, for the most part. I watch Toddler 2's on Wednesday mornings, and man are they a handful. We had 13 kids and 2 workers, me and one other girl. Somehow the kids managed to get a latch that I can't even do half the time open on the door and out they went while I was changing diapers and the other girl was supposed to be watching. I had to go chasing down the hall and corral at least 5 and the girl didn't even notice any of it! SIGH. What a morning.

The next day, Rhianwen's friend Phoebe came over for the late morning and all afternoon. I was so proud of Rhi who shared every toy and even stayed patient enough to share her swing with Phoebe. Rhi was SO into Phoebe that she went around all day piling toys on top of her and saying her name, "Hoebe, Hoebe!" (like Heebee jeebies...ha!) and nodding to her. They had such fun together. Phoebe even pushed Rhi on her little car; so quickly in fact, that Rhianwen vaulted off of the only step in our house, went airborne and crash-landed on the family room cement floor. But it didn't phase Rhi one bit. She just kind of lay there in a stunned silence like, "Wow, I didn't realize this vehicle's capabilities!...Awesome!". She even got up from her nap saying, "Hoebe! Hoebe!" I think we may have begun a beautiful friendship, but only time will tell ;0)

Rhi's guest.

This weekend we went to Grandma Nanny Kim's and Grandpa's because my high school class was having it's 10 year reunion (one year late). It was fun to see everyone, but really we stay pretty connected, so it wasn't like there were any shocking revelations. Rhianwen had a blast taking walks, playing in the fountain on Grandma and Grandpa's patio, eating at the Sidewheeler by the river, playing on a playground, "eating" some of daddy's chocolate shake, sleeping in a room with glow-in-the-dark stars, and seeing Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. Her only disappointment was not being able to see "Hoebe" in nursery on Sunday...she specifically asked about it!

Rhianwen could spend hours throwing rocks in Grandma and Grandpa's fountain.

Discovering the fun of bouncing on hanging bridges.

Throwing sweet gum balls off the riverwalk.

Trying a lemon at the Sidewheeler.

Oh, the satisfaction of a chocolate covered tummy.

Playing peekaboo with Great Grandma.

Her visit with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa went much better than at Christmas. She was able to relax and have fun! And she gave Great Grandpa a big smackaroo when we left. We'll be seeing them again next weekend (if we all stay well) when we go back to see my Aunts and Uncles who will be coming to visit.

Lastly, Rhianwen's communication skills are growing in leaps and bounds these days. She loves to repeat what we say and when Wally prays at night she will repeat the last one or 2 words he says. For example, he prayed, "Please help daddy not to get sick." and she'll say, "Daddy sick." Wally loves this so much that he sits at the dinner table and tries to get her to say things like, "International Spacestation" and "Space Shuttle Atlantis". She actually does a great job trying! Rhianwen has also started singing a little. She has a little lamb that plays Jesus Loves Me, and she'll press it and sing, "Je....Bible." She has also started doing this at bedtime, since we sing it to her every night as we tuck her in. It's so endearing!

Thrilled that she has figured out the Jesus Loves Me lamb.

Back-up blogging

Mommy spent all day in bed today after having spent all night sick to the stomach. Rhianwen and Daddy stayed away all day, but did not go to church for fear of being contagious.

So, in Eowyn's absence, I am filling in with a brief post.

The week was a busy one, but a good one. I have a new fulltime engineer at work who is assigned to helping me. So, while that means I have had to spend a lot of precious time training him, it is a real blessing to have his assistance. At home the week followed the normal schedule until Saturday night when Eowyn did not feel well.

Over the weekend, we got a "new" light for $15 to hang in the dining room to replace the old fluorescent one. (The dining room was the kitchen before we moved in.) We hung a new mirror in the family room. We dug up some rose bushes, removed a rotted stump, and enjoyed playing in the yard.

New dining room light!

Rhianwen loves to "slide"...anywhere and on or in anything. She wants to be pushed down the hall just sitting on the floor (thanks to Daddy's suggestion.) She found that this box was a perfect substitute for the pants seat. So, Daddy pushed her round and round the kitchen and the family room while Mommy fixed supper on night this week.