Home

Nina is home! Yay! And a bit hyper I might add. It's as if she is making up for all those hours cooped up in a hospital bed. She had a really good night last night. She was able to come off the oxygen and space out her breathing treatments to every 4 hours. Yipee! It's was actually quite a change because yesterday afternoon they tried taking her off the oxygen for a little while and with in 2 minutes her oxygen levels were too low. Oh, I can't tell you how happy she was to put on her jacket and leave. She kept saying "Carseat! Carseat!". We had a follow up appointment with her pediatrician this afternoon and she says Nina still sounds "junkie" when you listen to her chest, but hopefully the medications (she's on 4 different prescriptions) will clear everything up soon. We have to give her nebulizer treatments every 4 hours even at nights so it will kind of be like having an infant again, but I'll take waking up at night here over waking up at the hospital any day. Thank you thank you to all you wonderful friends who have helped us with babysitting, and meals, and kind words of encouragement. I am so grateful...

This Creature's Comforts

So I've been noticing some things in the last couple of days. It's been a stressful time for me, but I've been able to look at a few things I've done with a curious sociological/psychological sort of perspective, probably because I've had lots of time to think whilst sitting around cuddling Nina or watching her sleep. I guess I have become slightly introspective. Did that make any sense at all?? Sorry. Anywho, I've noticed the things I've been drawn to (book-wise, clothes-wise, music-wise...) to comfort myself and thought I'd write a list, because I love a good list! Don't you?!

Fleece Hoodies -Now if you know me, you know I am drawn to this particular article of clothing, but in particular I've found that my fuzzy fleece hoodies (I have a mint green one and a salmon colored one) are like wearing a comfort blankie. So I've been reaching for them each morning, which means I need to wash one if I'm going to wear it tomorrow.

My Comfiest Jeans - I know a day will come when I get a hole in these jeans (oh they are probably a good 6 years old now), but I'm glad it hasn't happened yet. Nothing better than comfy jeans and a fleece hoodie. Ahhh.

Wuthering Heights - I've been reading this for a book club, but kept reaching for it in the hospital because it takes me to a different time and place that so far from where I am. I read it out loud to Nina that first crazy night in the hospital and it was the only thing that helped her fall asleep. I hope I didn't create some aversion to Wuthering Heights by reading it to her at a bad time. I guess if she loathes it in HS I'll tell her this story.

See's Chocolate - I know chocolate is a given, but man that chocolate bordeaux heart that Adrian gave me for Valentines day was dreamy today.

My Europe '95 playlist on my i-Pod - This definitely takes me to a different time and place. I've mentioned it numerous times, but I backpacked Europe with a friend when I was 17 and recently took all the songs that I had with me on that trip and put them into a playlist. How happy it makes me. I've pulled out my i-Pod while Nina is sleeping and it's totally soothing... Actually "Soothe" by Smashing Pumpkins is one of the most comforting ones of the playlist.

Toddlers and Tiaras - This is a completely silly and at times hilarious (and cringe-worthy) reality show on TLC. I watched it late last night because I was having a hard time falling asleep and completely lost myself in the little beauty queens getting ready for the Chittlin Strut Beauty Pageant in SC. Man, all the rhinestones and hair teasing...

Book Club - Adrian encouraged me to go to book club tonight. It was the Wuthering Heights book club and he knows how much I love that book and how for weeks I've been looking forward to discussing it with other ladies. I totally thought I wouldn't go, but when Adrian encouraged me I agreed that it was a good idea. (Adrian watched a movie with all the kids at the hospital while I went.) It was so battery charging to talk with these wonderful ladies and though I know I am slightly deranged for liking Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff especially) it was so fun to air my views and hear what other people thought of the book. When I went back to the hospital I felt renewed and ready to give 100% again, which is a happy result I think from 2 hours of chatting.

Blogging

Today

I'm at the hospital with Nina and as I blog she is sneakily trying to raise the head of her bed - those controls need a child lock I tell you. She's not going to be able to come home today, maybe tomorrow... It all depends on how she's doing and right now she still need the breathing treatments too close together. She is definitely getting sick of the hospital though. Frequently she says, "All done, put on jacket." Poor thing. We took her for a ride around the hospital in a radio flyer wagon that they have here in the peds department and she was convinced we were breaking her out. As soon as we neared some doors to the outside she exclaimed "Go home!!!" Our fun wagon ride turned out to be quite a disappointment... Of course she doesn't understand why she's here, but it all hasn't been a complete frustration. I think she enjoys watching her favorite shows, Peter Pan and Little Mermaid have been playing almost non-stop, and she's had lots of Polly Pockets and magna doodle playtime. Well, right now Adrian and the kids are on their way over so I better be off.

For the Moment I'm Blogging Instead of Crying

It has been a hard day for our family. Last night our sweet little Nina was having a horrible time coughing and wheezing and so at 11pm I took her to our local childrens hospital ER. (I want to tell you right now that she is doing better so I don't worry you with the rest of the story.) She was given 3 back to back breathing treatments and steroids but was still having a hard time breathing and getting enough oxygen so they decided to admit her. She'll be able to come home when she has made it through the "asthma path" which means when she's able to keep up her oxygen level with out the tubes in her nose, and can stretch out the breathing treatments to every 4 hours. We are really hoping that she'll be able to come home tomorrow. If not it will hopefully be the next day. Because of this whole thing she has been officially diagnosed with asthma and will be on some kind of preventative asthma medicine so hopefully a huge flare up like this won't happen again.

Last night I was with her all night and it was so hard to see my beautiful baby needing so much help to breathe. They put her in a big adult bed so that I could cuddle up next to her and I held her hand, hugged her, prayed, and tried to keep it together. I knew that if I let myself get too freaked out I would be a blubbering mess and not be able to talk coherently to all the nurses and doctors that were in and out of the room all night. Prayer helped. I know I was comforted by the Spirit and I did hold it together. Actually tonight was the first time I had a good cry. I know that she's doing better and progressing towards coming home, but it's just hard to have her there at all. Tonight Ben prayed, "Please bless Nina to get better and breathe really good so she can come home." Sweet boy. And while we were all at the hospital together Sophie gave Nina a coloring book and crayons that she had gotten on a field trip (Nina was ecstatic about it). Sophie and Ben are so sweet and tender with Nina. I have definitely been blessed with 3 amazing children. And I have to say right now that I am so grateful for the time that we live in, that they know just what to do for little ones like Nina and that there are medicines to help her breathe. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that has comforted me and helped me to know that He loves my sweet Nina and is watching over her. So right now I am blogging instead of crying, but I'll probably go do a little more of that and definitely some more praying. Thanks for being my favorite form of therapy tonight blogosphere.

Happy Valentines Day (even though it's technically Friday the 13th:))

Happy Valentines day tomorrow to everyone!! I am SO behind on blog writing and reading and commenting, but I am still around and hope everyone has a super-stupendous day tomorrow full of love and beauty. To help out with the beauty part here's one of my ultra-favorite romantic paintings.
The Painter's Honeymoon, Lord Frederic Leighton, c. 1864 (Museum of Fine Arts at Boston)

Last year on Valentines I posted a Pre-Raphaelite, so I thought I'd make it a Our Three Bears Valentines tradition and post a lovey-dovey Pre-Raphaelite painting every year. Isn't this painting gorgeous! It gives me warm fuzzies every time I see it and I actually saw a huge canvassed print of it at an Ethan Allan store over the summer. Oh, I wanted it so badly but it was hundreds of dollars (I can't remember the exact amount, but way too much to seriously consider buying it). I just stood staring at it for a few minutes and thought about how someday I'm going to hang a print of it in my bedroom. You might ask if it's historically important, and well the answer is kinda maybe, but not really. Honestly the Pre-Raphaelites (though Lord Leighton was not technically a Pre-Raphaelite he has always been associated with that artist style) were not terribly innovative or important in the historic scheme of things. However, from an aesthetic and emotional point of view there is a special tenderness in this piece that is hard to forget. So hey all the real art historians out there can shove it (did I just say that??:)) and I'm going to keep loving all the sappy Pre-Raphaelite paintings because they make me happy in a gooey and romantic sort of way.

Recipe Madness

Among other things I have recently been engaged in recipe organization. Those "other things" included dealing with a bunch of sickies for the past 2 weeks, going to the temple with my hubby on Saturday (wonderful), and having a lovely girls night out with Jenny last Friday complete with the most amazing onion rings and a fun girly flick, "New in Town"which I thought was cute - thanks Jenny I really need that girls night!!

Back to recipes. I do have a system for my recipes, but because I'm such a horrible hoarder when it comes to recipes every couple of years I have to overhaul my recipe binders and make new recipe binders for all the loose recipes I have stuffed into them. I keep all my real cookbooks on the bookshelves in our loft, but I have a bunch of self-made cookbook-binders that I keep in the pantry with all our favorite recipes and the myriad of recipes I want to try. These cookbook binders are lovingly referred to by their color, so there's the Blue Cookbook (or Family Favorites Vol.1), the White Cookbook (Family Favorites Vol.2), and the Green Cookbook (all the recipes I want to try). Once a recipe from the green cookbook has been tried and liked it moves to the back of the white cookbook. Very boring it may seem but for me this has been such a happy organizing time! I LOVE office supply stores and had quite a fun time with Sophie at Staples getting new page protectors, and presentation binders for a couple of the new cookbooks. I think I could spend an hour in Staples just going up and down the isles, and don't get me started on my own personal Mecca - The Container Store... Thankfully those who love me have found a way to endure my containerizing/organizing issues...

Anywho, here's the result:

Aren't they purdy?? I love having a separate breakfast recipes cookbook, I got so sick of looking through all my cookbooks to find the right pancake or muffin recipe. And of course as part of organizing my new cookbooks I got to make fun cover sheets for each one. I love the search for the perfect image on google. For my "Monthly Menu Recipes" cookbook (I like having all the recipes I'm going to cook for the month in one place) I thought I'd find a funny fifties housewife ad and oh my did I:

Doesn't she look ecstatic?? Yay that donuts are considered "good eating"!! Awesome! I love this genre of ads/pictures in general for the satire; they are good for a chuckle. I especially love the picture below because I have THAT cookbook she's holding!! Isn't that awesome! I found it whilst antiquing with Jenny a few months ago (can you tell that I'm very happy to say I went antiquing:)). There was even a hand written banana cake recipe folded into the pages of the cookbook. I love finds like that! I'm also tickled with this particular picture because it looks like she is in the middle of some kind of epiphany over what kind of muffins to make. That must be how I looked when I thought to add a bit of nutmeg to my broccoli cheese soup recipe.:)

Eating This and Not That

Have you read the Eat This Not That books? I think they are neat! They are not diet books really, but are full of nutrition information about common restaurant and grocery store foods. I've had the original Eat This Not That for over a year and have liked it and used it so much that I just bought the Eat This Not That for Kids and Eat This Not That Supermarket Survival Guide in the last month. The books are laid out in such a clever way, that the information is very visual and easy to understand - even for my kids.

In reading them I've found it so interesting that there is so much high fructose corn syrup is in everything. I totally know that HFC is chemically the same as sugar, but the problem is that its in all sorts of foods that didn't used to have sugar in them at all or they had a lot less of it. Well, these books, the supermarket one in particular, have helped me at a glance to choose a better nutrigrain bar, yogurt, spaghetti sauce or whatever without all the work of standing in the isle reading labels while I'm shopping. I just look through the book and write on my shopping list the name of the better brand for whatever I'm buying. It's been really nice and I hope it's making a difference. I'm sure that if I would have taken the time before to compare food labels before I wouldn't have needed these books, but honestly I usually went for the cheapest brand rather than the healthier one. I guess trying to make better choices has probably led to more of our budget going to food... That's the down side. Isn't it a bummer that buying healthier food is more expensive. But we've been going out to eat so much less in the last months so at least that helps in the budget department.

I've let Sophie and Ben look at the kids one as much as they want. For days after I bought it, Sophie kept coming up to me saying, "Did you know this is healthier than this??" I think it really shocked her how unhealthy some of her favorite "treat" type foods are. I don't want to make my kids obsessed with food, or count calories or anything like that, but I do want them to try to make healthy food choices. We've had really good conversations about what foods Sophie should pack in her lunches so they are well balanced. She has willingly taken chicken noodle soup packed in a thermos and turkey sandwiches with baby carrots since reading through this book and I am so happy about that. I don't want to say that I am a complete health-nut or that my kids never have processed foods or fast food (believe me, that's not the case - we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast today:) ), but I have loved these books for putting the nutrition information out there for me to make more informed decisions.