Sick :(

I'm not sick anymore, but the 24 hour bug I had cycled through the whole family. I've been okay other than an occasionally moody stomach since last Wednesday. Thursday was Christmas eve and Mia threw up shortly before we were supposed to go to Doug and Linda's for the Scott Christmas. Since I had already been sick and it's Steve's family, I stayed home with her. She only threw up one more time and we cuddled in the chair and I did laundry. She seemed back to normal by the time Steve and Ella got home and opened her presents and played with Ella's for a little bit before bed. The next morning she woke up early, so Steve got up with her and let me and Ella sleep in a little. We opened our gifts and then Steve made breakfast. Mia had half a pancake and some scrambled eggs and has been fine since then.

We headed to my parents' house that night and no one showed any symptoms. In fact, everyone was fine most of the weekend. Saturday evening we had the Atherton Christmas and got a lot of great gifts. The girls had a blast playing with their cousins and sledding earlier in the day. Sunday morning the girls were in the nursery when Susan (who was one of the nursery workers that morning) came to get me and said Ella had thrown up twice. Irene (the other lady in the nursery) helped me clean up Ella and her clothes. Ella seemed okay the rest of the day, other than not having much of an appetite. She didn't get sick again and we're still not sure if it was my bug she had or if it was a combination of too many jelly beans the night before (she found a bowl of them and none of the adults noticed until most of the bowl was gone) and leaning over the toy box.

After the Steward Christmas that afternoon, we headed home that night. The family time was great, but it's always nice to get back home and into our little routine. It snowed most of the way, so the trip was longer than normal. We saw two cars in the ditch but we made it home safely. That night Steve's stomach was upset. Sure enough, he got sick in the middle of the night. And then he got sick every few hours after that. :( The last time was 7am yesterday. Needless to say, he stayed home. I got the girls up as normal and he slept for a few more hours. He had chills and nausea off and on during the day but didn't get sick again. He took it easy and I ran some errands while the girls napped. He was able to keep soup down and had a bit of an appetite by evening so he had some peanut butter toast. Today he was okay other than being a little tired and weak from not eating very much. He's at work.

Since everyone had been sick, I thought we were done. I was relieved that the girls had each only thrown up twice and didn't have the accompanying diarrhea. Steve and I can handle the flu a bit easier than the girls can. I was sitting down with my bowl of cereal this morning when Ella threw up again. Chocolate milk and dry Life cereal. All over the living room carpet. She seems fine now. She finished her chocolate milk (I was cleaning the carpet and she drank it before I realized it was still out) and ate more cereal and seems fine. When she had the flu last year she lost her appetite and was lethargic. She's been walking around playing with her new toys all morning. So I'm not sure what to think but I'm really hoping this is the end of it.

As far as I know, we somehow didn't get everyone else sick this time. Last year we had the Atherton Christmas and almost everyone had the flu within a week, if not the next 24 hours. A month later we were all together again and half of us got sick again. This time, Leslie is the only other person who got sick (and I'm sorry we got you sick!). Luckily she only threw up once in the middle of the night and felt okay by morning. I'm praying no one else got our germs and this is our only bout of the flu this year. I do feel more prepared now. We have rolls of paper towels positioned throughout the house. There's a bucket here in the living room in case one of the girls gets sick again. We're stocked up on laundry detergent. We're just low on carpet cleaner, but it's on the list. I just hope I don't need it again soon!

End of Year Newsletter

It's been another busy year. At this point, 2010 looks like a new adventure and maybe a different sort of busy. I think we're up for the challenge. :)

Steve is working at Comcast and has been for four years now. Since last December he has worked in the business tier at the call center and very much prefers that to residential. However, there will be some restructuring next March so he'll either be moving back to residential or a new position. We're waiting for more details on that. Steve also has the opportunity to help a friend with a new computer business venture. Otherwise he keeps busy with things around the house and yard and keeping all his girls happy. :)

Paula finished her masters degree and graduated in May. She became a limited licensed professional counselor (LLPC) in July and began working part-time at Community Connections as an evaluator in August. She really likes being able to work part-time and be home with the girls the rest of the time. Fitness has been another important thing for her this year, but that has taken a backseat due to another development. She's looking forward to getting back into shape this coming year.

Ella turned three in November. She's very bright and knows all her letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. She loves to build things, color, and pretend. She has quite the imagination. She also loves books and learning new things. But more than her new accomplishments, we are proud of the little girl she's becoming. She is very empathetic and will give a hug and a kiss to make someone feel better. She's our social butterfly and absolutely loves the nursery at church.

Amelia is twenty months old and a ham. She loves to color and sing and do whatever Ella is doing. She knows all her animal sounds and loves books too. Her vocabulary is exploding and she carries on the funniest conversations. She takes time to warm up to people but loves to make people smile. She's very caring and cuddly. She's very expressive and always busy.

The biggest surprise of our year came in July, when we found out we were expecting our third child! In November, we found out that we are expecting a healthy baby girl. We're picked Nora Ann as her name and we expect her arrival in April (her due date is two days before Mia's birthday). She's active and Paula is 24 weeks pregnant now. Ella likes to listen to her heartbeat and Mia likes to kiss Mommy's belly. Luckily Steve adores all his girls and is looking forward to adding another one.

We've found a church that feels like home and have been attending there since July. We've also joined a small group that is doing the Love Dare. Our circle of friends has expanded, which we are thankful for. We've been so blessed with all the people in our lives and all the material things we have. We have a warm home, reliable vehicles, jobs with insurance, and healthy kids. We have family and friends who truly love and care for us and our girls. It's been a very good year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Scott family!
With love, Steve & Paula, Ella & Amelia

Updates

I guess I haven't updated in a while. I did finally change the profile picture. But here's some of what's happened here:
- Ella had her 3 year well-child check. She's in the 75th percentile for height and weight and perfectly healthy.
- I'm 24 weeks pregnant now. And sick with the flu. It's been pretty miserable. But after throwing up six times yesterday, I seem to be able to keep down crackers and water today. I might try Sprite in a little while. Maybe by dinner I'll try chicken noodle soup. Luckily, this seems to be a 24 hour thing, so I should be over it by this evening (I hope). I'm praying no one else gets sick! And Nora is doing fine. She's been kicking a lot (not pleasant when my stomach is upset, but it's reassuring) and despite the fact that I've managed to eat very little in the past 24 hours, she can still get all she needs from me. Amazing how that all works.
- Mia split her lip open earlier this week. Ella was pulling Mia around by the hand and Mia lost her balance and fell. Steve and I were both at work and Kat said there was a lot of blood. But Mia is doing fine. Her lip is still a little swollen and bloody but seems to be healing. Ella felt so horrible when it happened that she put herself in time-out, crying the whole time, and saying she would never pull Mia ever again. I wish they were more gentle with each other, but they sure are sweet and empathetic.
- I found a dead mouse in our kitchen yesterday. It was on the floor and I haven't seen evidence of where else it has been. It's been disposed of and I hope it was alone. Ew.

Four years later...

Four years ago today there was a double wedding in Evart. Two young couples said their vows. The father of the brides pronounced them man and wife, and man and wife. They posed for hundreds of pictures and smiled until their cheeks hurt. And they still couldn't stop smiling. They celebrated with a dinner with several hundred friends and family before one couple went to a hotel in Cadillac (I think) and the other to a bed and breakfast in Holland. It was a beautiful day and the memories are a happy blur.

Four years later, those two couples have four kids between them, with a fifth on the way. One higher education degree has been earned, a business has been started, a house has been bought, and several vehicles have been purchased. There have been some tears and much more laughter. Through experiences and the addition of kids, love has grown and deepened. I'm happy to say we're all happy. Life has been very busy and full. It feels like it's been much longer than four years (in a good way). Life before Steve and our girls feels like it was a lifetime ago. Marriage and parenthood presents a whole new set of challenges but I wouldn't trade them for what I had before.

Steve, I love you. You're more than I could have hoped for in a husband and you make me feel incredibly safe and loved. I'm so thankful I have you by my side for this adventure. Thank you for being so kind and supportive and fun. Thank you for being you. You've truly been my partner in this and I am so happy that you are mine and I am yours. I love you more everyday.

Tracy and Donovan, happy anniversary! I am so glad we shared our wedding day and all that went with it. You're our family and true friends too. Thank you for all the help, support, laughter, and memories. We love you guys. To many more years!

Sweet girls

Tonight Mia pointed to my belly, so I had her repeat, "Nora." She had a quizzical look on her face and asked, "Sleeping?" So I told her that yes, Nora is sleeping and will be for a few months. To which she responded, "Wake up?" Then she got distracted by Christmas lights out the window. A moment later she said, "Sleeping. Wake up?" And I told her we could try to wake up Nora. So Mia leaned toward my belly and said loudly, "Wake up!"

A few minutes later, Ella told Steve that he is her best friend. Then that Mia is her best friend. And so am I.

On days when they act up or are difficult, it's good to remember these things. :)