Thankful

I know, it's a few days late, but I finally have had enough rest to put together a coherent post about Thanksgiving.

While I LOVE Christmas and the Christmas season, I feel bad for Thanksgiving. Everywhere you look the day after Halloween, Christmas is in full swing. Thanksgiving barely gets a mention from retailers, and it's too bad, because Thanksgiving is an important holiday.

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on the blessings received over the past year. We truly are blessed, and while it is important to be thankful for those blessings each and every day, Thanksgiving is a good reminder to stop and say thanks.

So, here is a list of some things I am grateful for, in no particular order, and by no means exhaustive: a wonderful husband who is truly my partner in life, a happy and healthy daughter who makes me smile daily, another baby on the way, great family and friends, a warm home, a stocked fridge and pantry, job security, hot chocolate, Sophia's laundry fairy, Subway sandwiches, A&W Rootbeer, Tivo, my dishwasher (even though it's ghetto, it's better than handwashing!).

Just One!

I had my first OB appointment today, and it is confirmed that we are having just one baby. There were some who thought maybe, since I'm already showing and wearing maternity clothes, there might be two (or more!) babies. Thankfully (from my perspective) there is just one.

Currently I am at 11 weeks, 5 days gestation, putting my due date on June 11, 2009. My doctor congratulated me on a due date before summer - he cracks me up! If the due date holds then I'll probably have a C-section around June 4, 2009. The schedule works well, as Ernie can take the 4th and 5th off, plus the next week, and be able to return to school for the last two days of the year. He'll be able to get grades done and clean up his classroom for the summer.

My doctor is happy with how things look right now. The baby moved around quite a bit during the ultrasound and even waved once. Of course, it promptly moved out of the way and we didn't get a picture of the wave. Looks like already this kid might be uncooperative! ;)

According to babycenter.com, the baby is nearly the size of a lime. In the pictures we got from the ultrasound, the image is nearly life-size. It's so crazy to think that it is so small, yet already has hands and feet that we can see!

Computer Whiz

Sophia LOVES the computer. What kid doesn’t? She gets especially excited when she gets to play a game on the computer. She recently started “getting” the mouse, and has been able to move it with purpose. Ernie found a game on the Sesame Street website, Peekaboo, that Sophia can play all by herself. In the game, the characters hide and when a key is pressed (any number or letter) they pop out and say “Peekaboo!” Sophia was so proud of herself that she was able to play the game without any help!

Well, then I decided to try teaching her how to push the mouse buttons. She has another favorite game on the PBSKids website, Everything Must Go, where Curious George sorts items into three bins. For a while she has been able to move the mouse to indicate the correct bin, and then I push the button for her. Well the other day I showed her how to hold the mouse in place with one hand and push the button with the other. When it worked, she beamed from ear to ear.

Of course now Ernie and I are concerned that we have created a monster of sorts. We’re afraid that she’ll be outsmarting us in computer skills in no time. And we’ll turn into those parents who have no idea what MySpace is or what their kids are posting on it.

Happy 30th Ernie!

That's right, today Ernie became OLD. I don't mean to offend anyone of an age older than 30, but Ernie just feels old today. Well, truth be told, he's been talking about how old he feels for the last 6-7 years. I told him I was sick of hearing about it and he wasn't allowed to complain about being "old" until he turned 30. I am now regretting that remark in part, wishing I'd set the age older than 30. Oh well.

But, he certainly doesn't act old. I mean really, he still plays video games, begs for new video games, and reads comic books. How old can he be?

To celebrate we had dinner at Applebee's and got ice cream at Dairy Queen. We are planning another celebration with Ernie's family this weekend, complete with German chocolate cake. I feel bad that I don't have the energy to celebrate properly with a party. I didn't even have the energy to make a cake! But Ernie is wonderful and even lied and told me he had a great birthday. I know it was not the best, but hopefully I'll be able to make it up to him with a spectacular party next year!

Ernie, I love you, and wish you a very happy birthday!

Sunday Morning Pancakes

Whenever family or friends were visiting from out-of-town for a weekend, my grandpa made pancakes on that Sunday. I have many fond memories around my grandparents’ kitchen table enjoying pancakes and bacon with family. Grandpa made the best pancakes!

Well, we have re-started that family tradition in our house. We have recently started making pancakes for breakfast on Sundays, especially if Chris and Marilyn are here for the weekend. (I don’t make bacon though. Pancakes are enough for me.) The best part is that it makes it easier to get out of bed on the weekend, knowing that there is a reward of pancakes in the kitchen.

Usually, Sophia and I are in charge of pancake breakfast while everyone else sleeps. While I make the pancakes, she gets to work setting the table. Then, when everything is ready, I send her to wake up the rest of the house. They can’t get mad at a cute little girl knocking on their doors to wake them up, especially for pancakes!

Pregnancy Update

Well, we had a bit of a scare last night when I noticed that I was bleeding a bit. I immediately called the on-call doctor to get a professional opinion. She confirmed that it was completely normal at this stage in my pregnancy to experience a little bit of bleeding. She said that it might last for a day or two, but not to be concerned unless it got worse. I knew that in my head, but had a hard time getting my heart to understand!

Of course, I was completely freaked out. But Ernie was so calm, and exactly what I needed. He reassured me that the doctor was right and we had nothing to worry about. He hung out with me until I fell asleep. And he never showed a flicker of his own anxiety (though I'm sure he felt some). For those of you who know Ernie well, such a task was not easy for him, and I am so grateful for his calmness.

***Update*** In response to a question left in the comment section...We did not go to church this weekend, as we planned to go this morning. But then I was too freaked out to go anywhere. Instead, Ernie took care of Sophia so that I could have some quiet time. I reflected on Phil 4:2-9 and was reminded not to be anxious but to bring everything to the Lord. So I did and immediately felt calmer. God even gave me a sign that all would be well - I felt a flutter in my stomach similar to what it would feel like to feel a baby move. I know that's not what I felt, since this baby is about the size of a blueberry and I wouldn't be able to feel it move yet, but it was just what I needed. God is good!

Things are going much better today, and I am really glad that we had no plans for today except a few chores (which I have put off until Tuesday). I have been able to relax and calm my nerves.

Other pregnancy-related items:
I am craving Subway sandwiches and apple juice. In an effort to save our budget, Ernie bought me Haggen hoagie rolls and deli meat so that I could make my own sub sandwiches for much cheaper.
I do not enjoy macaroni and cheese at this point. Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn. I tried to get past it, to no avail. I am making my peace with it.
I am still tired, but able to sleep better these days, so am not as tired as I have been. Yay!

Heathens No More!

That's right folks, the Dickasons finally attended church again. And we didn't burn upon re-entry! It's been so long that I can't remember the last time we went. How terrible is that? We didn't go at all this summer, as we were usually out-of-town or had plans. But we're two months into the school year, with our regular routine back, and we just didn't have an excuse anymore. So we went on Sunday morning. Sophia had a great time in Sunday school, and it was nice for us to be back at worship. I feel better already!

Trick or Treat!

Friday night we took Sophia trick-or-treating for the first time. Oh, was she excited! We have been talking about it for about a month or so. We started preparing her early, in hopes that if we talked about it enough she wouldn't be scared, and maybe she'd even say "thank you" after receiving candy. Well, all of the preparation worked because not only was she not scared, but nearly giddy with excitement!

We bought Sophia's costume at Old Navy, since they are practically snow suits and we knew she would be warm enough. And you just can't beat the price! I called home from Old Navy (by the way, whatever did we do before cell phones?) to see what costume Sophia would like best. Of course, without even seeing them, she picked the most froo-froo option - a pink poodle. She loved it once she saw it and couldn't wait until the big day!

Our friends were nice enough to let us come trick-or-treating with them. Our street is pretty quiet on Halloween (we got around 8 trick-or-treaters last year) and they live in a development with plenty of houses and sidewalks and streetlights. It was great! We all had dinner together and then got the kids dressed and ready. We couldn't even get a good picture of the two of them together because they were too excited to sit still!

So, off we went to trick-or-treat. All of that preparation did come in handy. The kids rang the doorbell and knocked on the doors and said "trick or treat" until the door was answered. They took their candy and said thank you (needing prompting only about half of the time). The best part was that at this point they just stood there, staring at the homeowner. We had to pull them away from the door and lead them to the next house. In all of our preparations, we never told them what to do at the end!

Sophia had such a great time. If she knew how, I think she would have been skipping down the street, she was having so much fun. She's talking about going trick-or-treating again. We told her there are LOTS of sleeps until the next time, so she will have to wait.

Time for Cookies!

One thing I love about holidays is the excuse to make sugar cookies. Halloween is no exception, as I have Halloween-themed cookie cutters. This time, though, Sophia got to help. She was so excited, counting down the sleeps until Cookie Day.

My sugar cookie recipe requires all day to complete cookies. Let me assure you, it is worth the effort! We started after breakfast by making the dough. Sophia very patiently filled the measuring cups with sugar, then flour (BIG THANKS to Ernie for running to the store for additional flour!). She learned how to crack eggs and we had just one minor shell incident. (My mom taught me to crack eggs into a clear glass container so that it’s easier to see if any shells get into the mixture. That piece of advice has come in handy on many occasions!) Once the dough is mixed, it goes into the fridge for a few hours.

After Sophia’s nap, we rolled out the cookie dough and cut it into pumpkin and ghost shapes. Of course, in typical toddler fashion, Sophia put the cookie cutter in the middle of the rolled dough. I think we got only two cookies out of that attempt. I then asked her to wait for me to help her. We baked the cookies, and set them aside to cool.

After dinner came the best part – frosting and sprinkles! Sophia did one cookie on her own, and then asked for help with the rest. She is a perfectionist (gets it from me!) and didn’t like the way hers turned out. So, I helped her get the frosting over the entire cookie, and then she chose sprinkles and added them sparingly. I’ve never seen a toddler be so “fiscally conservative” with sprinkles!

For snack time, we enjoyed a cookie each with milk. What a wonderful way to cap off a day of hard work!

Pumpkin Carving

Another family tradition was marked off the to-do list last Saturday – we carved pumpkins! Sophia loves pumpkins, and she was so excited to cut a face into hers. We cheat and print a template from the disk that came with our pumpkin carving tools. This year, Sophia got to choose the design.

First, I cut a hole in the top. Then, Ernie and Sophia get to work gutting the pumpkin. I really don’t care for that step in the process, so I leave it to them. Sophia has so much fun getting messy for this chore. Usually, she prefers to be clean, but somehow she can handle pumpkin guts. I say, good for her!

Then, Ernie hands the pumpkin off to me and Sophia and I carve it. Ernie doesn’t have the patience for this part of the process, so we make a great team. Sophia actually did a majority of the work – I just guide her hand in the right direction as she saws away!

We were glad to have Chris and Marilyn here for the weekend so we could all carve pumpkins together. We had a great time. Sophia especially enjoyed being up WAY past her bedtime!