LONG overdue update

I'm staying home from church today, cuz I just feel cruddy. I won't go into details. You all know what I'm feeling. No need to whine any longer. I will fill you in on what's going on in the Monahan clan though...

Matt is about to start a new RTS class, with the goal of taking three classes this year. He's also working on various unfinished projects around the house: toe-kicks under the kitchen cabinets, rebuilding a sketchy-looking support wall in the basement, trimming out windows and doorways and, hopefully, installing our bedroom and closet doors. On our awesome Spring Break with the Oligs (pictures to come), he caught a bunch of trout with Nick, which he was quite proud of. They took the better part of a day and floated the Toccoa River, fly-fishing the whole way. I think it amounted to a whole lot of stress relief for both Nick and Matt.

Dana is doing well. We are taking a break from the structure of our homeschool curriculum, until Mommy feels better. In the meantime, he's enjoying playing baseball for the first time. His friend Aiden Kennedy is on his team too, which is a plus for Dana. It's so good for him to make friends with other boys. There really are so few boys his age that we know. He's also enjoying the new freedom of being allowed to play in the backyard more often. With the new fence, he can go outside to play in the sand and I don't have to worry about sitting with him all the time. Now I'm left wondering if I should lather the poor pasty kid's body in sunscreen, EVERY time he goes outside, seeing as he's been getting weekly sunburns ;). His thoughtful and sensitive heart continue to amaze me as he watches out for his sick Mama. I've had countless beautiful pictures and encouraging kisses and hugs.

Jane is growing like a weed. She was such a tiny peanut as a baby and now she's all bare ankles and wrists in most of her clothes. She and Clara have started to bond and enjoy their girlness a bit more, instead of being dependent upon Dana for direction and fun. They love to play princess and dance ballet shows for us. I know most sisters struggle to like each other, but I hope they stay close. I realized way to late what a treasure my own sister was. Back to Janie... She's been a huge help to me lately. I know I can always count on her to happily help me set the table or talk to me while I cook. She's such a nurturer and giver and I'm reminded daily of what a gift she is to me. She's also started to take ballet, at her request, and she's proven to be a graceful little dancer. Her instructor was surprised that she hadn't had lessons before this. She has a recital coming up this month, and she's keeping the dance she's practicing a huge secret from us.

Clara Joy is still delightfully funny and ridiculously strong-willed. "Clara" means "bright" and every time I think about that I laugh. She's more like a blaze, but I can't wait to see what God will accomplish with her determination and cheerfulness. Right now she's taken on potty-training herself and she's succeeding. The little sprite hops onto the big potty unassisted, wipes herself, dresses and undresses, and all without any prompting from me. This is a very new experience for us. I've heard that it happens, but I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it for myself. She's amazing me and her Daddy with her courage and will. She's also quite the book worm. If Matt or I sit for more than a minute, she's in our lap with a book within seconds. She has most of her favorites memorized, like Ask Mr. Bear and We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Also, she had tube surgery a little bit ago and that went well. The wake-up from anesthesia was pretty brutal, but we've been clear of ear infections for awhile, so it appears to be working so far.

I'm doing better, with the exception of a few bad days. Even now, I feel impatient to meet this new little Monahan and snuggle the little babe in my arms. It's so hard to wait.

I've been too sick to post anything for awhile, but this week, my sister's father-in-law died of congestive heart failure. Will you please join me in praying for their family. Katie and John are currently living in the Netherlands, while he works on his doctorate. They were able to fly home to be with John's dad before he died, and thankfully, they were still here when he died. Please pray that they will be comforted in their grief and goodbyes, especially as they have to prepare to head back to the Netherlands again.

Also, Matt's mom, Pam, is currently in the hospital. The doctors think she may have had a heart attack and are running a bunch of tests. We're hoping that she'll be well enough to go home today, but we're waiting to hear more results today. If you think of her, will you pray for her?

Fighting the monster

I know that most of you moms have had morning sickness, some worse than others. So I need all of you nausea warriors to give me your best advice. This is the first time I've been horribly nauseous and I really need some relief. There's a nutritional hole in my being and everything looks disgusting. Help.

for Matt

Last week I sunk into a horrible GI bug. I was disgustingly nauseous, weak, and mentally absent. Poor Matt. What was even harder was that we weren't sure if this was even a bug, due to the fact that I just hit my sixth week of the pregnancy. We just knew that I was miserable and we weren't sure why.

Thursday, my friend Joli came over for a bit to clean and fold laundry for me. It was much needed and things were a wreck. Then Matt came home later, put my green flowered apron on and stormed the house. Every so often, I would glance up from my nauseated stupor and gasp at his progress. He can do so much in a short time! And you know what, he could have been so grumpy about it. I would have been, at least on the inside. The whole time though, he took care of me with all the tenderness of newlywed. Did I mention this went on for days? I was sick from Tuesday 'til Saturday and somehow, I'm caught up on laundry (which never happens), better organized, and things are generally cleaner than before I was sick. I'm in awe and thankful for God's goodness to me when I was so miserable and down. Thanks Joli, and most of all, thank you Honey.

I Cor. 13:4-7
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Tree fell last week

Last week we had some high winds and a tornado watch, after being drenched with rain. The result: trees down all over the place, including one in our front yard. In the middle of uploading the pictures I took, I overloaded our hard drive and the computer crashed. There's been a bit of a delay since then, but here are the pictures.

Tree Down in High Winds on 3/4/08

Announcing the littlest Monahan...

due to make his or her appearance on November 5th. This is the first time we've announced a baby via our blog and I think I like this better than telling people in person. With every pregnancy, we get more and more negative responses, so I'm all for people hearing the news and reacting however they please... in private. We told the kids last week at dinner time and they are all very excited and doing their best to be big helpers. Dana has started bringing me a glass of water when I start to feel nauseous and he loves to put his face up to my belly and tell the baby all kinds of things. Baby can't hear yet, but it still touches my heart that Dana's so welcoming of this new little life. I don't think any mean comment could steal my joy when my children remind me everyday that this baby is a miracle. They ask a million questions... "Mommy, how big is our baby today?"... "Can baby hear me?" "What will baby look like next week?"... As I answer their questions, I'm reminded to thank God for his goodness and stand in awe of his craftsmanship.

advice needed

Anyone know how to get large quantities of Vaseline out of a two-year-old-with-tubes' hair? And yes, Clara had tubes put in and adenoids(sp?) out this past Thursday. More on that later...

Seriously, we've tried baby shampoo, my shampoo, and dish soap--lots of it--to no avail. I can't dunk her head because of the tubes and pouring water over is pretty ineffective. All advice is welcome.