Our First Trip to the ER

Well, we have made it two years and 3 months....it was bound to happen!!  First of all, let me say that Weeze is okay, a little worse for wear, but okay! :)  I got a call around 3:40 yesterday afternoon from Eloise's teacher, Miss Amy, saying that Eloise had fallen and hit her head, and they think she may need stitches. (Insert noise from Christmas Vacation here..) She tripped on a rug in the classroom and fell on the back door that had a little metal ledge on the bottom.  She managed to hit that ledge in just the right spot and it sliced her little forehead. :(

So, I ran to her classroom, calling Eric on the way, because those of you who know me, KNOW that I DON'T DO BLOOD!!  When I got there, I saw my bubbly little Weeze, sitting on Miss Annette's lap on the rocking chair, and Miss Annette was holding a paper towel to her head. I chose not to see the wound, but I have a wonderful friend Trinace who took a look at it to let me know how bad the cut was so I wouldn't have to faint in front of Eloise's whole class.  After a little wait for Eric to get to school, we climbed in the car, Weeze and Daddy in the back, mommy in the front, and Auntie Trinace driving (because I just about passed out once I got into the car).

We got to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital shortly after 4:00 and got in to see the doctor right away.  The doctor told us that they would have to put stitches in because the wound was fairly deep, so we waited for the nurses to put on this snazzy gel-like numbing cream on her wound, slap a band-aid over it and let it work its magic.

Weeze and Daddy

Playing with toys while we waited.  We had a little tea party! :) 

It only took about 20 minutes for the cream to work, and the doctor came in with "Child Life Specialist" who played the iPad for Weeze while they cleaned her cut and stitched her up.  Eric was the brave parent (I sat in the chair behind him) and held her while they took care of her.  She was a CHAMP!  She was so brave.  She cried a little bit, but the Child Life Specialist and Eric were able to soothe her quickly.  On the lighter note, when they asked her if she wanted a red, purple, or orange popsicle, her response was, "I want BOTH!" So she walked out of the ER with a purple popsicle in one hand and an orange one in the other...

All stitched up!

She had a hard time sleeping last night, but slept in this morning and stayed home with Eric today.  They had a great day of bonding before Eric heads off to Australia tomorrow afternoon.  By the time I got home from work, she was back to her old self, happy and ornery as can be!  Gotta love her! 

It's football time in Tennessee!!

Hello everyone!!  It's September now (also, football season), and I know I haven't posted since January...I do the best I can, I promise!  Time just gets away from me!!  We continue to be busy busy busy here in Chattanooga, but I think the last 6 months or so may have been some of the busiest of late!  So many things have been going on here and I can't wait to catch you all up!  

First of all, Eloise has continued growing like a weed and it just such a joy in our lives.  She has quite the personality and spunk!!  She turned 2 on June 5th and had family and friends over for a little get together filled with bubbles and swimming. Her 2 year old self is starting to show with a few fits which include the back-arching, arms flailing...you get the picture! ;) Other than that, she is her giggling, laughing, loving, smiling self and we love her to pieces (even Izzy).  Here is a sneak peek of her in all of her glory...

At the beginning of June, she moved up to her next classroom at school into the "Older Toddlers" room and has just flourished!  She is counting, singing songs, talking like crazy, and continues to love coloring and DANCING!  The picture is of her after she got a new pair of shoes..she.loves.shoes.  Of course, so does her Uncle AJ and Aunt Kelli, so there is no surprise there! ;) 

I don't know if you all can tell from the picture, but we are in a different house now too!!  Shortly after my last post, we started talking with our realtor about selling our house in Ooltewah.  We had been talking about trying to move around summer time and had no real idea about how slow or how quick we could possibly sell our house.  We didn't have to do much to prepare for selling, just a new coat of paint in all the rooms except for Eloise's and a little rearranging of furniture.  We did put some of our belongings up in our attic so it wasn't to cluttered, but we were definitely counting our blessings for not having to do much.  Especially since we were selling at a bad time for the housing market and we bought in the peak of the market.  Needless to say, we did not ask for as much as we paid for the house, which was a bummer, but we knew we needed a change for our family.  

So, by March we were ready to put the little house in Ooltewah on the market.  Paula (our realtor) came out on a beautiful Monday afternoon and took some great pictures of our first home and had them loaded and the house listed the next day.  We anticipated some visitors, but were fairly certain we would be waiting for a while for offers...not so much... Paula called me around lunch time on Tuesday for our first showing and the couple came out in the early afternoon.  Tuesday night Paula called us to let us know the couple LOVED the house and was very interested.  They had a few questions and were going to take a second look the next day.  They came back Wednesday as well as another couple. By Wednesday evening (maybe Thursday) we had not one, but TWO offers on our house.  By Saturday we had sold our first home.  HOLY CRAP...WE HAVEN'T FOUND A NEW HOUSE YET!!!!  :)  

We had been looking around at different neighborhoods around Chattanooga for a couple months and had favorite, but were not getting serious about anything because we didn't want to get ahead of ourselves in case our house didn't sell.  Since that was not a problem, we went out on the Sunday after we sold our house to search high and low for a new house!  Luckily, the one I had my eye on for a while was still for sale and we LOVED it!  A week later, we were under contract to buy our next house.  Whew!!!  It was a pretty crazy two-week experience, but it was well worth it.  We closed on both houses May 18th, and moved into our new house the next day.

I can honestly say that I will always love our first home.  We brought Izzy and Weezy both home to that house, we have many great memories there and it was our first home.  BUT, we LOVE the house we are in now!  We have room to grow; it is close to work, school, shopping, and outdoor adventures; the yard is big, but not too big; we have room for visitors...the list goes on and on...

Of course, the move would not have been complete without a little drama and excitement.  First of all, AJ came down with his pickup truck to help us move some of the boxes while the movers moved the furniture and big stuff.  We are very thankful that he was here, he was a big help, and his company was much needed.  So while we in the midst of moving, AJ and I had gotten some sad news about our Grandpa Harry and in the moment of who-knows-what, I managed to bend down quickly and smack my mouth against our patio chairs.  Mind you, these are not our plastic chairs...they are our rod iron chairs...stacked up 4 high....they won the battle between me and them, and I had a tooth that was pushed backwards in my mouth. Not. good. Long story short, I ended up taking a break from moving and went to an emergency dentist and getting my tooth pulled back into place, having a retainer made, and couldn't eat solid food for a couple of days.  A couple of weeks later, I had to have a root canal because my root was damaged from the hit, they bleached my tooth (from the inside, pretty cool) and now I am as good as new.  It still feels a little funny, but looks normal!! 

Moving day was anything but event-less, thats for sure.  We were very fortunate to have friends help out, whether they were here helping move or watching Weeze for the day, they were a God-send.  AJ being here was priceless to all of us.  Not only did we get to hang with him for a couple of days, but he was a big help, and we were able to help each other through the difficulty of our grandpa passing away Saturday afternoon.  I hate that he wasn't able to be at home with my mom, but selfishly was glad to be together.  

The rest of the summer has been fairly un-eventful (thank goodness)!! I did decide to change grade-levels this year, so I started the school year as a first grade teacher for the first time since my first year of teaching! It took alot of moving, but I am able to be teaching with a very dear friend of mine, and am right across the hall from Eloise's day care!  It hasn't been the easiest move and I miss my second grade teammies very much, but I think it will good once I get used to it.

Eric hasn't been traveling too much this year, he was in Paris around my spring break last year and has been on a few trips here and there this summer.  In October he will be venturing over to Australia for a week which should be exciting!  

Oh, and I can't forget! Izzy has been loving the new house too.  We have a fairly large pond in front of our house that she recently discovered and enjoys swimming in it.  We also found her a new daycare that has great hours, is close to work, and most importantly, they love Izzy and Izzy loves it!

Until next time!!!  Go Cyclones :) 

  

Happy New Year!!!!

So, I know we are about a month late on the New Year celebrations, and I am about 7 months overdue for blogging. Whoops!!  Sorry about that!  I really will try to do better from now on, but for today, I will catch you all up on the happenings around here!  Here goes...

Eloise has been growing like crazy since my last post! She will be 20 months old on Feb. 5th, and is doing SO much!  She is not just walking anymore, she is running and even galloping sometimes.  She is talking more and more everyday!  She can say: Izzy, momma, dada, grandma, AJ, papa (grandpa), Elmo, water, up, dog, no, milk, banana, cookie monster "cookie", coat, shoes, frog, boots,etc...she is able to point at many things too that she can't get the words out for.  She loves to dance, facetime with my mom, dad, and AJ; snuggle and play with Izzy, read, get a bath, go on walks with my friends and their babies, and draw/color. 

Shortly after Christmas, I had my hairdresser trim up the back of her hair because it was getting so long and she may need to get the front trimmed soon.  Yesterday I had to pull her hair out of her boogies....not a good sign!  With the exception of a few fits here and there that she may throw, she is such a joy to us.  She is funny and so smart, she is loving and sweet.  She is inquisitive and spunky!!  We have enjoyed each stage that she has gone through as she has grown and are excited to learn more about her each day.

I don't mean to brag, because it is just the truth, BUT, Izzy very well could be, the BEST dog ever with babies!  She has never ending patience for Eloise, she lets her poke, prod, kiss, hug, squeeze, and lay on her ALL the time.  Not only does she not get mad, but she kisses her!  The old Izzy, would hide when it stormed, or hide when visitors would come to our house because she's a chicken.  The new Izzy (the one with a baby in the house) is a protector.  She sits by Eloise when its storming outside and lays in her room when Eloise is sleeping during the storm.  She stays right next to Eloise when we have visitors and doesn't leave her side until she knows the visitors are safe people.

I was never worried about Izzy and how she would be with Eloise because Izzy has always been kind natured and very loving, however, I could have never imagined how great she is.  Izzy has exceeded my expectations and I am so proud of her (and so grateful)!!

Eric and I have had lots going on too over the last 6 months! Since my last post, I have started a new school year and have taken on the task of being grade-level chair (team leader) and our school's Primary Literacy Support Teacher...addition to teaching all day, everyday! ;) I have always wanted to be grade level chair for my 2nd grade team, partially because I am a control freak and like to know everything (is anyone surprised?) but also because its good practice for me to be in a leadership role and is always an additional challenge to take on.  My role as the Literacy Support teacher involves supporting the K-2 teachers at my school with literacy challenges, helping them meet deadlines given by our district, and providing professional development focusing on literacy.  So, I have had to present PD's on guided reading, assessments, and questioning during and after read alouds to push student's thinking about the text.  That role has definately pushed me out of my comfort zone as far as presenting goes! Even though I am in front of 17 kiddo's everyday, I do not like to present in front of a room full of adults!!

Eric has been busy this year too!  He has recently gotten to hire an assistant to help him with some of his tasks at work which have been the jobs of 2-3 men before now.  His company has recently opened up a location in Germany which will require him to do more traveling overseas.  He has already been to Germany once since my last post for about a week to train the people over there on their product.  He is hoping this summer I will come with him to Germany for a week...we'll see about that!  Right after my last post, Eric turned the big 3-0!!!  We were able to have a little get together at my parent's house this summer to help him celebate this big birthday, so that was fun!   He just got back from his annual trip to Washington DC and will be off again in a couple of weeks for another trip.  The spring can be a very busy time for him and he tends to travel quite a bit.

As far as our little family goes, we are looking to sell our house that we have been in for almost 6 years now.  It is getting hard for us to make the 40 min. drive to and from work everyday, even though we love our house!  We have been spending too much time in the car and not enough time with each other at home over this last year and decided it was time for a change.  We are hoping to have realtor help us list our house in the next couple of weeks and are thinking about possibly building a house closer to downtown Chattanooga.  We will be buying or building a house a bit bigger than ours is now so we can fit visitors and any more kiddos that may join our family later on.

Sorry this is such a full and boring post!  If I can keep posting regularly, I can make them a little more exciting!! :)  Here are some pictures from the last 6 months for you to enjoy...

SOOOO Big!!! @ Baby Jake's birthday party

At the Children's Museum - Bettendorf (Oct 2011)

At the pumpkin patch!!

Picking out a pumpkin!

Halloween @ the Henderson's in Mommy's old clown costume

Trip to Cedar Falls - First taste of Gelato

Caught reading on Thanksgiving

Izzy, thankful the baby isn't around her right now... ;)