Ethan
Alex and Daddy
Guess who? Seriously.... who is this? Can you tell? (I know, but I'm not telling!!!!!)
Grant can walk
Taking personal responsibility
1 hour ago
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Just a Few February Pictures and Videos
Grant
Ethan
Alex and Daddy
Guess who? Seriously.... who is this? Can you tell? (I know, but I'm not telling!!!!!)
Grant can walk
Ethan
Alex and Daddy
Guess who? Seriously.... who is this? Can you tell? (I know, but I'm not telling!!!!!)
Grant can walk
Monday, February 21, 2011
Churches and Social Networking
(devotional I wrote for ABCRM on Jan. 24, 2011)
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ... Is Christ divided?” – 1 Cor. 1:10 & 13
Do you know what social networking is? Do you have a Facebook account? Do you have a MySpace account?
These words may mean a lot to you, or they may sound like jibberish. However, they are words that are used (and sometimes over-used) in this technological age.
Facebook, MySpace, and other social network websites connect people who have lost connection or want an easy way to connect with each other. One website helps someone in South Africa learn more about and become friends with someone in Alaska. Another website allows friends from all around the country to know in almost instantly that a baby girl was born to Jack and Sue in Arizona at 7:25, and she was 6lbs 15oz. Yet on another website, a woman finds an old friend that she was mean to in high school and asks that friend to forgive her.
Since working in the ABCRM office, I have realized that the churches in our denomination have lost connection with each other. Pastors may be connected, but it is likely that people in their congregations do not know anyone else in the denomination. Very likely, they may not even know that their church is a part of a larger denomination.
With as many people connecting via social networking websites, where is the connection in our churches? Traditions and past conflicts seem to stand in the way of churches connecting to one another and learning from each other.
God can fill any hole, any gap, any chasm that has separated the churches and people in them from each other. God just has to be asked to work, and then allowed to do the work. Then connections can be made or restored and churches can share again. Old friends can find their long lost buddy and new friends can be found.
What is standing in your way? Do you know anyone that might deserve a connection from you? Look outside the walls of your church to the walls of another in the ABC. Find someone from a sister church and make a new friend, or rekindle an old friendship. You may be surprised what you learn.
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ... Is Christ divided?” – 1 Cor. 1:10 & 13
Do you know what social networking is? Do you have a Facebook account? Do you have a MySpace account?
These words may mean a lot to you, or they may sound like jibberish. However, they are words that are used (and sometimes over-used) in this technological age.
Facebook, MySpace, and other social network websites connect people who have lost connection or want an easy way to connect with each other. One website helps someone in South Africa learn more about and become friends with someone in Alaska. Another website allows friends from all around the country to know in almost instantly that a baby girl was born to Jack and Sue in Arizona at 7:25, and she was 6lbs 15oz. Yet on another website, a woman finds an old friend that she was mean to in high school and asks that friend to forgive her.
Since working in the ABCRM office, I have realized that the churches in our denomination have lost connection with each other. Pastors may be connected, but it is likely that people in their congregations do not know anyone else in the denomination. Very likely, they may not even know that their church is a part of a larger denomination.
With as many people connecting via social networking websites, where is the connection in our churches? Traditions and past conflicts seem to stand in the way of churches connecting to one another and learning from each other.
God can fill any hole, any gap, any chasm that has separated the churches and people in them from each other. God just has to be asked to work, and then allowed to do the work. Then connections can be made or restored and churches can share again. Old friends can find their long lost buddy and new friends can be found.
What is standing in your way? Do you know anyone that might deserve a connection from you? Look outside the walls of your church to the walls of another in the ABC. Find someone from a sister church and make a new friend, or rekindle an old friendship. You may be surprised what you learn.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
18 month check-up
I took the boys to their 18 month well check Tuesday. "Nanna" (MJ - the women who takes care of the boys once a week for me) went with me. It was absolutely crazy when we first got there.
As soon as I set Alex out of his stroller seat onto the ground in the exam room he started screaming. The other two fed off him and started crying too. I had to strip them down to their diapers to be weighed and measured, so we set to doing that. They screamed and screamed, cried and cried. I am starting to think that they know that the drs office is a "bad" place and you get poked every time you go there.
Anyway, we got the boys weighed. At 18 months old...
Alex weighs 23lbs 8oz
Grant is 23lbs 11oz (he lost weight)
Ethan is 18lbs 10oz (he gained, but only 10oz since Dec 19)
Alex is really doing the best over all. We only need him to be eating better (texture issues remember?) and then he will be GREAT!
Grant has an ear infection. His eczema is also flaring up and he has some infected sores. Poor guy. He has to take an antibiotic for the next 10 days then I have to take him back in. I hope he is all cleared up by then. He doesn't really act like he has an ear infection, so I don't think it is bothering him much.
We also have to take him in to get a renal ultrasound to make sure that one of his tubes from his kidneys to his bladder isn't enlarged anymore. It was slightly enlarged after birth and once they got out of the hospital, so hopefully it has gotten back to normal. I don't know what we do if it isn't normal. We'll just have to wait and see. I have to get that appointment scheduled soon.
Ethan is still my PEANUT!! He is on his own growth curve (meaning he is following the curve, but just in his own way) at about -20th percentile!! However, he has a HUGE head for his body size. His head is in the 40th percentile for ACTUAL age, not adjusted age!!
Since he isn't growing as fast as they would like, we are still pushing the calories. I am adding butter to their lunch and dinners. I just started adding some vegetable oil to parts of their lunch and dinner. He also gets Carnation instant breakfast in his milk. And, we are trying to transition him to a Pediasure a day (he doesn't like the taste of straight Pediasure, so we are trying to mix it like we did with the formula). I tried it today and it worked ok, so we'll see if I can get him to take just straight Pediasure here in the next couple of days.
We have to return to see the pulminologist for his breathing issues sometime in March. And I was supposed to schedule the PT to come out tomorrow, but didn't get it done, so maybe next week. We will finally be getting him on the right track to be able to walk soon.
Overall the boys are doing well. We could have things a LOT worse, or we could not be here at all. I thank God every day that these boys are here and I have the chance to be a mother to them.
As for other news, Grant is thisclose to walking. He will take a few steps or more by himself, but he falls down a lot still. When we try to get him to walk between James and I, Grant gets the giggles then doesn't concentrate on what he is doing. It is so cute.
They are all playing a lot more together and Alex is starting to pick up on some things that other kids are doing. He was playing with a little girl that is a few months older than he tonight at church. They were chasing each other, tackling each other, and tickling each other. It was so cute. I should have gotten a video, but didn't think about it until just now! :)
As for James and me....
James is loving his new job. He is keeping busy. He loves what he does though.
This weekend he gets to have the boys to himself! All to himself!! I am going to a women's retreat for the weekend. James gets to take care of the boys for the first time ever by himself, with no help!!! (He is going to be exhausted by the time I get home Sunday afternoon!)
I have also found a new friend. She has twins that are 6 months old and she goes to our church. We started walking together this week and found out that we have more in common with each other than just babies!!! She used to play soccer!! Hey, so did I!! She was extremely involved in our church as a youth and young adult and thought she was the poster-child for an ABC youth.... so did I!! We really do have a ton in common and I am so very thankful to have found a very good friend to be able to talk to, walk with, and commiserate about my kids to!!
I am so excited to be going on this retreat this weekend. It will be the first time I am away from the boys over night since May of last year when I went to my friend Amy's wedding. SO EXCITED!! Plus, the last time I went, I had a WONDERFUL experience. (And not to long after that, the miracle I had prayed for the entire time I was at the retreat came true). You can read about that last retreat in this post of mine titled "A Dose of Conviction". (It is an amazingly prophetic post... go read it!)
I know this was a long post. Glad you stuck with me! I am sorry but I don't have any pictures in this post. It is late and i haven't taken the pictures off my camera yet. I will do that as soon as I can tomorrow (or so) and try to get another post up soon!! So check back then.
I hope you all are having a great week. Love to all...
The Fischer 5
As soon as I set Alex out of his stroller seat onto the ground in the exam room he started screaming. The other two fed off him and started crying too. I had to strip them down to their diapers to be weighed and measured, so we set to doing that. They screamed and screamed, cried and cried. I am starting to think that they know that the drs office is a "bad" place and you get poked every time you go there.
Anyway, we got the boys weighed. At 18 months old...
Alex weighs 23lbs 8oz
Grant is 23lbs 11oz (he lost weight)
Ethan is 18lbs 10oz (he gained, but only 10oz since Dec 19)
Alex is really doing the best over all. We only need him to be eating better (texture issues remember?) and then he will be GREAT!
Grant has an ear infection. His eczema is also flaring up and he has some infected sores. Poor guy. He has to take an antibiotic for the next 10 days then I have to take him back in. I hope he is all cleared up by then. He doesn't really act like he has an ear infection, so I don't think it is bothering him much.
We also have to take him in to get a renal ultrasound to make sure that one of his tubes from his kidneys to his bladder isn't enlarged anymore. It was slightly enlarged after birth and once they got out of the hospital, so hopefully it has gotten back to normal. I don't know what we do if it isn't normal. We'll just have to wait and see. I have to get that appointment scheduled soon.
Ethan is still my PEANUT!! He is on his own growth curve (meaning he is following the curve, but just in his own way) at about -20th percentile!! However, he has a HUGE head for his body size. His head is in the 40th percentile for ACTUAL age, not adjusted age!!
Since he isn't growing as fast as they would like, we are still pushing the calories. I am adding butter to their lunch and dinners. I just started adding some vegetable oil to parts of their lunch and dinner. He also gets Carnation instant breakfast in his milk. And, we are trying to transition him to a Pediasure a day (he doesn't like the taste of straight Pediasure, so we are trying to mix it like we did with the formula). I tried it today and it worked ok, so we'll see if I can get him to take just straight Pediasure here in the next couple of days.
We have to return to see the pulminologist for his breathing issues sometime in March. And I was supposed to schedule the PT to come out tomorrow, but didn't get it done, so maybe next week. We will finally be getting him on the right track to be able to walk soon.
Overall the boys are doing well. We could have things a LOT worse, or we could not be here at all. I thank God every day that these boys are here and I have the chance to be a mother to them.
As for other news, Grant is thisclose to walking. He will take a few steps or more by himself, but he falls down a lot still. When we try to get him to walk between James and I, Grant gets the giggles then doesn't concentrate on what he is doing. It is so cute.
They are all playing a lot more together and Alex is starting to pick up on some things that other kids are doing. He was playing with a little girl that is a few months older than he tonight at church. They were chasing each other, tackling each other, and tickling each other. It was so cute. I should have gotten a video, but didn't think about it until just now! :)
As for James and me....
James is loving his new job. He is keeping busy. He loves what he does though.
This weekend he gets to have the boys to himself! All to himself!! I am going to a women's retreat for the weekend. James gets to take care of the boys for the first time ever by himself, with no help!!! (He is going to be exhausted by the time I get home Sunday afternoon!)
I have also found a new friend. She has twins that are 6 months old and she goes to our church. We started walking together this week and found out that we have more in common with each other than just babies!!! She used to play soccer!! Hey, so did I!! She was extremely involved in our church as a youth and young adult and thought she was the poster-child for an ABC youth.... so did I!! We really do have a ton in common and I am so very thankful to have found a very good friend to be able to talk to, walk with, and commiserate about my kids to!!
I am so excited to be going on this retreat this weekend. It will be the first time I am away from the boys over night since May of last year when I went to my friend Amy's wedding. SO EXCITED!! Plus, the last time I went, I had a WONDERFUL experience. (And not to long after that, the miracle I had prayed for the entire time I was at the retreat came true). You can read about that last retreat in this post of mine titled "A Dose of Conviction". (It is an amazingly prophetic post... go read it!)
I know this was a long post. Glad you stuck with me! I am sorry but I don't have any pictures in this post. It is late and i haven't taken the pictures off my camera yet. I will do that as soon as I can tomorrow (or so) and try to get another post up soon!! So check back then.
I hope you all are having a great week. Love to all...
The Fischer 5
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bad mommy!!!
Alex looked like he had a mullet growing. He had really curly longer hair on the back of his head. So, last night I thought I could just take some scissors and trim off that part of the hair...
Well.... I got a bit trim happy. I started with just cutting off some of the hair, but it looked BAD!!! REALLY REALLY BAD!! As in, James was calling him chunky cause his hair looked so bad! I didn't get a picture of it cause I couldn't handle it.
...
...
...
...
...
So.... here is what I did this morning....
I put him in the sink, let him play in the water, and shaved it all off. He HATES the electric razor, so I had to do it by hand with a new razor like I use in the shower. He didn't seem to mind that. And he doesn't seem to mind that his hair is all gone! :'-(I think this looks just about as bad, but at least it will all grow back the same. :-(
Such a bad mommy!!
Well.... I got a bit trim happy. I started with just cutting off some of the hair, but it looked BAD!!! REALLY REALLY BAD!! As in, James was calling him chunky cause his hair looked so bad! I didn't get a picture of it cause I couldn't handle it.
...
...
...
...
...
So.... here is what I did this morning....
I put him in the sink, let him play in the water, and shaved it all off. He HATES the electric razor, so I had to do it by hand with a new razor like I use in the shower. He didn't seem to mind that. And he doesn't seem to mind that his hair is all gone! :'-(I think this looks just about as bad, but at least it will all grow back the same. :-(
Such a bad mommy!!
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