Ask Me About My Children

Just before church this morning, one of my casual friends whom I've not talked to for awhile stopped and asked me about my family -- specifically my children. She has 8, three of whom mirrored my three in ages, stages, and grades.

I realized after we chatted that there is nothing I like better than to be asked about my children. Never mind what I'm doing -- that is boring. Ask me about Jill -- Torrey -- Tim -- and I'm in my element.

I suppose it is because I think my children are amazing. I'm immensely proud of them. All three are utilizing the gifts God gave them, and all three of them are serving Him in their own special ways.

So yes, ask me about me, and I can tell you the salient points in about 11.6 seconds.

But ask me about my CHILDREN, and I can wax eloquent for hours.

Maybe you don't want to ask me about my children.

Taylor Tragedy Revisited

As I write this, I am watching NBC Dateline -- "The Twist of Fate" -- the story of the horrible Taylor van accident two years ago -- April 26, 2006.

The story touched me incredibly then -- as it does now. I will never forget waking up in a hotel room in Santa Barbara, seeing my cell phone blinking blue -- picking up the message from Tim... "I'm sure you have heard about the accident at Taylor -- just want you to know that I'm OK."

My Tim knows me well -- he would know immediately that I would wonder/assume that he had been involved (I've killed off all three of my children more than once in imagined tragedies when they don't get home in what I think "is time." (I'm all for 8:00 pm).

Anyway, tonight, Matt Lauer is recreating the entire story -- interviewing both families -- the story is not sensational -- but sensitive. And it is the most amazing story of the grace of God, the love of Jesus that has ever, in my experience, been on prime-time television.

Jesus has been glorified tonight.

It is an awful story -- I can't imagine being either of those sets of parents -- but had the girls not been confused -- this story would have never been told.

How will this story -- on the Today show, on Dateline, and, I understand, on Oprah -- impact Americans -- or people around the world?

Will it bring people to Jesus? If so....this tragedy will not have been in vain. And I think both families would agree....

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

This can be said about both families.

What an amazing testimony.

Thank you, Jesus

Telephone Woes

It seems that Comcast decided that all customers needed to have their phone lines upgraded to digital within the next couple of months, or they ran the risk of losing their phone service, phone numbers or both. Of course, you didn't HAVE to do this -- you could switch companies instead.

Foolishly, we decided to stay with them.

First there was the issue of the three land lines we have -- the house phone, the fax line, and the office phone. I can't run Lactation Education Consultants or my business as IBCLC for Wheaton Pediatrics without all of them. That was a problem. They only allow two landlines per house.

Bob finally said he guessed we'd go with another company when they all of a sudden decided they could do three lines and give us two bills.

So last Thursday, three very nice men came out and spent the better part of three hours switching the lines -- which meant our high speed internet, our cable for the TV, and the three land lines. I have 2 very complicated looking black boxes on the floor near my feet with green lights on them.

Before they left, we checked that we could get on the internet. No problem.

I thought things were mighty quiet on Friday, but didn't pay much attention to it until later in the evening when I realized that I had two voice messages on the house phone -- I'd been home all day and hadn't heard the phone ring. That was odd. I took the two messages, and then when I went to call my new mom back, got a prompt to change the voice mail.

That done, I went to the office phone to change that voice mail. Odd they didn't tell us that would have to be done -- but -- oh my -- I can't get voice mail on the office phone. There is just a long long pause, and then a disembodied voice says I've called the wrong number, please hang up and try my call again. I tried several times. Didn't work.

Then I called my home phone from my cell phone. It rang on my cell phone -- but not in the house. Not even a blip. And no caller ID.

So I called Comcast. Well over an hour later, they said they'd put us on the list -- "yes, ma'am, at the TOP of the list" to get the phones fixed. I can't exactly run a business without voice mail on a business phone.

It's a bit tough to pick up calls on the house phone when it doesn't ring -- and hard to know that you have a message unless you pick up the phone periodically to check.

So the voice mail on the house phone instructs you to call my cell if you want me, or Bob's cell if you want him.

Comcast called today.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"One phone doesn't ring or have caller ID, and the other one doesn't have voice mail."

"What do you mean, it doesn't ring?"

"Um. It doesn't RING. No sound."

"You mean, it doesn't ring."

"Right."

"Not even a blip?"

"No. That's why the voice mail tells you to call my cell -- because the phone doesn't ring."

"Oh -- you mean you are home?"

"Yes."

"I tried calling your house, but no one answered."

"Yes. That's because the phone doesn't ring."

At that point he said he'd look into it and call us back.

Yeah -- right.

Critter Update

As reported a couple of days ago, CritterGuy came out and set a new-and-improved trap. "Very sensitive," he told me. Nice fresh bait in the aluminum foil.

Set and ready to go.

Bob checked the trap yesterday. No critter.

Maybe he/she is gone? Possibility.

He checked the trap today.

Uh-oh. Bait gone. Aluminum foil and all.

And this time critter not only got in and out -- he shut the trap door behind him....

The New Bump

Yup -- Jill and Derrick are expecting baby number two on September 1 (my date) -- or September 5 (the doctor's date) or August 30 (Jill's hoped for date). How fun to think of being Grammie and Papa to a new little person!!

So, here is Baby Bump the middle of January when we went to visit:



And here is Baby Bump, looking a lot like her/his Daddy at just 12 weeks gestation. I think this is truly an amazing ultrasound. Despite my years of working in OB, I still look at most ultrasound pictures, smile wisely and wonder which end is up. But on this one, you can really tell. Astonishing!!



I can't wait to meet this little one in person....It's going to be interesting coordinating getting to Florida at the right time....but those sorts of things we leave in the Lord's hands. I'm free from August 24 thru September 10, so I'm trusting I'll be able to be there at least for a short period of time!

I was able to show Tim this picture through Skype yesterday --

Ain't technology grand?

Tim showed me how much Vegemite he has consumed over the past two months. His jar is almost empty.....here's hoping the next box gets to him SOON.

Critters Redux

Critter Guy came back today. As did WallFill Guy and ServiceMaster get-rid-of-the-old-insulation Guy.

Trap number two. No critter. Bait gone. Critter Guy looked at the bait (it is neatly packaged in aluminum foil), and discovered it had been opened from the back and the bait removed. He thinks -- mice.

OK, so we've had mice. Since we put in the new kitchen, nothing until this winter when there was evidence of their nocturnal forays into a couple of the kitchen drawers. YUK! And plenty of evidence in the basement just below the kitchen. Triple YUK!! But we took care of them (never mind how), and we've not seen any evidence of their mouse conventions either upstairs or down for the past several months.

I assured Critter Guy that what we were hearing were NOT mice -- they were more along the line of elephants (see previous blog). Mice -- I can deal with mice. Not nice, messy, but they at least are little. Squirrels -- we've had those too in days of yore, but well -- not so bad. But raccoons? 30 to 40 pounds of LARGE and NASTY (think hissing, snarling and thumping), not to mention an attic full of destroyed insulation....ugh.

So, we currently have trap number 3. We have estimates for taking out old insulation, putting in new insulation, deodorizing the floorboards, and making the house animal proof.

Will we catch the bandit? Well, that remains to be seen. We've not heard him recently -- but that doesn't mean anything. He/she/they have moved to the western side of the attic which is above the bathroom, so as that is visited only briefly at night, we haven't heard much of anything. Or -- is he/she gone? Could be. But maybe there is a family, just biding their time.

Critter Guy said that birthing season is April and May. Momma Raccoons like to birth in attics, and then the babies know where to come home. I am NOT, repeat NOT going to be a lactation consultant to said raccoons. They don't know how to get raccoon milk, I'm NOT going to help them.

All is quiet at the moment.

I'll keep you posted.