Friday, March 30, 2012

Anna's Words

Annabeth LOVES to "talk." Honestly, Mark and I are so meek and mild we have no idea where it comes from. Ha!! :) Okay, so she comes by it honestly. But in the middle of all the babble we've heard some real words:

Apple - Starting at around 3.5 months she's said a word that sounds like Apple

O-Gee - This sound is made only when a dog is the the room. She LOVES them!

Nama - The word she SCREAMS when she wants to nurse. We can only assume it's "Mama"

DAUD - Another word she SCREAMS,for attention, which Mark gives her so we call it her Dada word

Boo-Boo - The other day we were at lunch and in the middle of a monologue she said "Boo-Boo." It's only happened once but we are so proud!

Mama Baby - Okay, so maybe she didn't actually say "Mama Baby" but it REALLY sounded like it and my dad heard it as well so I have a witness!

We're really enjoying her not so little voice and are looking forward to understanding what all the noise means!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I can see it! The light!

In just a few short days Annabeth will be 6 months old and FINALLY our lives are beginning to have some sense of "normal."

Alot of people told us the first three months of new baby life would be the most difficult but I have to say it's really been the first 5.5 months. My Mama and I were discussing this today - we think the fall baby might have made things more emotional as I had a long, gray winter of lots of days at home to add to some sadness and the huge adjustment. So, advice: have spring babies!

We've been out enjoying the early spring these past few weeks and what a difference it has made. Projects we've accomplished:
- Total clean out of the garage (all Mark)
- First (and second) mowings of the lawn
- Weeding of the gravel drive
- Impromptu landscaping project - no more mulch out front/totally new river rock
- Annabeth learning to quietly play in her pack-and-play while we work
- A house full of family for a whole Saturday
- First steak cook-out of the year

We look forward to more sunny days, more outdoor work, and LOTS more time with loved ones. So, if you're in the mood for a cook-out, come on over! We'd love to have ya!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

"We'll do a phone hug!"

Medical Bills.

Those two words have hung over our heads for the past year now. As we strove to become debt free we faithfully prepaid much of our labor/delivery/recovery costs however the unexpected complications/medical care (such as the NICU) we experienced added LOTS of extra bills. So, since 10.28.11 I've had thousands of dollars in "This is not a bill" statements sitting in our Bills Folder. We've diligently paid off about eight thousand dollars and then we've saved waiting for the next ones to come. All the while, we prayed this prayer "Dear God. When the bills come, please make them ones we afford. Please give us the means to pay them. Or, if it is Your Will, have us owe them nothing." That last phrase seemed to be an unrealistic plea but we often threw it in just in case.

Yesterday, I again called billing and had the following conversation with Japhus at St. Francis Medical Billing:

Me: Yes, I'd like to check the balance on some bills. Here's the first account number
Japhus: It seems insurance has paid it in full
Me: As in, I don't owe you anything?!
Japhus: Yes, that's correct.
Me: Well, what about this one?
Japhus: The same thing, it's been paid in full
Me: *Insert squeal here* Oh my goodness! You've made my day!
Japhus: I'm glad
Me: I wish I could hug you!!
Japhus: We'll do a phone hug!!!

Following that conversation I laughed at the insanity of phone hugging the man in billing and then cried my eyes out while thanking God for this incredible blessing! So once again, in our Annabeth Saga of Miracles God gave us more than we ever expected by paying our medical bills in full - mirroring His gift of paying all of our debts and transgressions in full with His Son.