The Big 1!

Here's me at about 5 or 6 am, one year ago...after already being in labor for, oh...let's see...8 or nine hours. (SO glad I'm not pregnant anymore.)

That's right folks-Misha will officially turn one tonight at 8:11pm EDT. I can hardly believe I'm mother to a toddler. Heck, I can still hardly believe I'm a mother. Anyway-we celebrated Sunday since my sister and niece were in town. We had a couple of close friends from Southern Maryland over as well, and had a blast celebrating and watching Misha down her first piece of cake independently.

You obviously see Jer here in the movie-the little girl next to him is the daughter of two of our close friends, Jeff and Katie. You'd be surprised-she's only 3, and I swear the tallest one I've ever seen. My dad's voice is the distinguishable deep one in the background-he's actually standing just out of view. Clearly I'm the one filming. After we sang to her, we put a disposable table cloth over the chair and what not, stripped her down to her diaper, and let her go to town. You can actually see she was a bit anxious to get her chance in the video.

And yes...the cake was good enough to lick the plate. I love McKay's cakes...

She got a lot of toys (THANK YOU EVERYONE!..she really needed some news ones to freshen up the exploring), and some fabulously cute clothes from my mom.
After she was done mashing cake all over creation, I took her upstairs for a quick bath and then she opened her presents.
She was highly entertained, as were we all. So, how old is she?

That's right, one.

Oh, and here's a picture of her and my niece after the party Saturday night.
All in all, I think she's had a pretty great first birthday, minus the shots she had to get at the doctor's today. Here's to many more birthdays! I love you, Misha, and Happy Birthday!

30 Years

Is how long my parents have been married. Can you believe that?!?! I can't-and sometimes I don't think they can either. But, they've made a major milestone, and in a world that is ever increasing in divorce rates, I'm really happy for and proud of them. My sister and I planned a surprise anniversary party, and despite the both of us at separate times coming close to blowing the surprise, we totally duped them. It was a blast, and it was so wonderful to have so many come, and to have so many write them very heartfelt letters that we had bound into a book as a gift. I truly love my parents-they are two of the smartest, most generous and charitable people that I know. They've taught me so much in how to make a marriage work. I don't think I can honestly remember ever hearing them yell at one another...that's not to say that they've never been unhappy with the other, just they were very good about not hanging their dirty laundry out to dry. It's something I respect, and wish so much that I was better at. They're a testament that if you're willing to work at your marriage, be forgiving, and love unconditionally, that it really can work. They've given me so much in my life, and I respect them more than I can possibly say. So Mom and Dad-here's to 30 more!

Napping...

Is not something my child wakes up well from.

Well, all, it's my last weekend before starting a "real" job. It's going to be a hectic week and a half or so. But I'm praying I make it. I'm uber stoked about it. I hope everyone is well! Perhaps I'll be posting a picture of me looking very similar to this in about a week.

Firsts

Being captured giving kisses....

Staring into her first fire....
Well, this isn't really a first, but it is a first on "film"...here she is trying to crawl in a dress....

Upgrades

So, thanks to our refund this year, we were able to go out and purchase some much needed improvements to our house (and still save some!). I realized some of you haven't even seen what our "house" (Okay, it's a duplex) looked like, so here it is with a lawn much in need of mowing after all the rain we've been getting. The first thing we got was a desk. (Courtesy of Ikea-that place is a MAZE.)

Oh so needed! Although I shouldn't complain about our last one-it was free courtesy of North Fork Fire Department (we miss you guys!)...but they were getting rid of it for a reason.
Next we got Misha a crib. (Courtesy of Overstock.com) She's really close to outgrowing her pack-n-play, so we upgraded to a crib that converts from crib to toddler bed to day bed to head and foot board for a twin size bed. GOOD investment...I'm thinking if we have another kid, it'll get one of these from the get go. Our next upgrade was our patio furniture...(courtesy of HomeDepot.com)
again, the original was free...and I finally feel like I'm starting to make my house my own, instead of free stuff from other people. While I liked the old, the flower print and PVC piping just weren't doing it for me.
Although they did glide quite nicely. We added to the patio furniture with a new "fire pit". (Courtesy of HomeDepot.com as well..You can even see a bit of the old desk there to the left.)
Obviously this isn't a pit, but it's awesome, and it will allow me to stare into some flames and not think about anything...it's one of my favorite things to do, and it seriously relaxes me to sit in front of a fire...I suppose I truly am a pyro at heart. Back at Christmas time we began our new furniture collection with a new tv stand (Courtesy of WalMart...it was previously sitting on a broken coffee table with a sheet over it),
and a movie case (Courtesy of WalMart as well...the contents of which were previously on an open book case).
Obviously these were needed because Misha had begun crawling and getting into things...so we needed things that were enclosed. And I think by now everyone realizes how much I really like dark furniture. So these are our wonderful improvements...our next save up is for a flat screen...but that may be a while in coming.
For those of you who haven't heard the good news.................no, I'm not pregnant if that's what you're thinking. I was previously employed at an agency called OMV Medical Inc. as a Respiratory Therapist. I was working at National Naval Medical Center on an "as needed" basis. I am proud and very happy to say that I upgraded my job as well and am now a full time Respiratory Therapist at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health. It's literally across the street from Navy, I just make a right turn instead of a left. I'm really excited about it...I'll have much more of an opportunity to be a therapist rather than a tech who dispenses nebs and pushes buttons on a ventilator. It's a very prestigious place to work, and I'm really stoked to be working with some people that seem really awesome (one of them being the girl that trained me during my clinical hours at Navy, and called to tell me they had positions open at NIH....THANK YOU NIKKI!). All in all things are looking up. As soon as I'm over this sinus infection I have, I'm pretty sure our April showers are turning into May flowers.

The month of never-ending problems

This poor child of mine is really having a tough month. First rotavirus, then getting hit by a truck...and now..............

That's right....hives.

This poor child. She looks awful (although she clearly couldn't care less about it)

and sounds like a 20 year smoker. I too have had my own issues with allergies the last few days. What are we gonna do?!? We're all just pretty miserable around here. And get this-the doctors told me it was just a "viral" rash. So, we're trying some Benadryl on her, but it's not working all too horribly great to me. I just ache for her...she's just so darn cute!

This is my daughter....

....on noodles.

Sorry to those of you who had to read my book review without a picture at the end. Enjoy.

Rave Reviews

My thanks to all of you who have given your well wishes. We're doing fine..still a few aches, and some healing road rash, but all in all I think I'll recover fine. In our spare time waiting for my work, we're relieved to say Misha got over her bout with rotavirus. NOT FUN. Thankfully she's back to her normal self, and seems to have an increased, ferocious appetite. We've been able to purchase some new furniture for the house, and pictures will be going up soon when we've received all of it and gotten it all put together and in their rightful places. In the mean time, I've been doing some reading. Some may call it speed reading. I caved....I've been reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.

Some may be ecstatic to hear this news. Particularly, perhaps, my friend Lindsey Patten. I'm sure she's thrilled. I was quite reluctant to read the story of a vampire romance...I mean, COME ON..Vampires? Seriously?

Seriously. No really, seriously. Jerry and I had to head to Ikea for a new desk on Saturday, and with our limited room, we had to leave Misha with Pam for those few hours. I knew her daughter had read them, and she also gave rave reviews...but I wasn't fully convinced to read them until my cousin Megan posted a blog about it...I figured if Meg was reading them and loved them, I had to give them a shot. Vampires aren't really my thing, and I was fairly certain they weren't normally Meg's thing either, so if she could read them and love them, I ought to give them a try.

I picked up Twilight from Pam's daughter when we dropped Misha off on Saturday afternoon, but didn't begin reading it until our drive home, which took about an hour. I was a bit disappointed at first...the first 100 pages are so were alright, but I wasn't understand what all the hype was about. Well, ahem...I just finished the second book that I purchased yesterday a mere few hours after finishing the first. I actually went on-line as soon as I finished the first and ordered the whole series (including pre-ordering the one due in August) so I would have them...but a few days was too long to wait and while I was at Wal-Mart I went ahead and purchased the second one and will by giving it to Pam's daughter to keep...and I'm now stuck having to wait a couple of days for the third one. FANTASTIC. Jerry even commented on the fact that I'm blazing through these ones faster than I went through Harry Potter. I seriously finished a 562 page book (plus some because I HAD to read the 1st chapter of the third book in the back) in less than a 24 hour time span...and that was WITH getting a solid 10 hours of sleep last night. I mean seriously. SERIOUSLY.

They're THAT good. What one of us hot blooded females out there who have read these doesn't long to be Bella? I actually think I'd do quite well with a cold vampire...I have always loved to have Jerry give me a kiss with his cold lips when he eats a popcicle. I've always been a bit hot blooded-thanks mom and grandma. But seriously-whenever I think of Edward, I think of the Taylor Swift song "Teardrops on My Guitar" where she says, "And there he goes/so perfectly/the kind of flawless I wish I could be." Doesn't that sum him up? How many of us women don't LONG to have that flawless guy want us/love us/desire us/care for us/protect us the way Edward does Bella? We've all had those unattainable guys whose circle ours doesn't even come close to ours that we would flip head over heals just to even say we looked cute! Might I point out though that the only way a person does get that, is when the other guy ISN'T HUMAN. So, don't hold our breaths ladies. Not to say I don't love my husband...I most certainly do, and get to have him for an eternity without having to sacrifice my soul...but he is nonetheless human, and therefore, less than perfect......although, still more perfect than I am.

WARNING: If you haven't read the books, you may want to skip a bit ahead...I'm not giving a ton away, just expressing how I felt reading the books.....

I don't know how any of you felt reading these...I can only guess we all have our own stories. I, however, while reading these, totally understood the utter agony Bella is in at times. I sit there and cry reading because I've felt it...the thought of trying to live another moment without that person you've given your whole soul to. When Jer and I were first married he said something to me once about how he thought he'd die before I did...maybe even while he was still young. (Not helped when his career is a dangerous one.) I remember feeling (and still feeling) the utter despair at thinking I'd have to lose him while we were young. I couldn't stand it. It makes me cry just thinking about it. I know the profound sense of not feeling adequate...of feeling like your partner deserves so much more. I know what it's like to want someone else to feel that much PASSION for you. I'm a fairly passionate person, and I've always wanted it reciprocated in the same way, because that's what I understand...alas, guys and girls ARE different...and the guy I have does his best (which is pretty darn good). I wish I could more adequately describe how I've felt reading just these two books. I am anxiously awaiting the third in the mail in a few days.

So, to those who have read them, I've joined the fan club. I find it harder to force myself away from the fantasy when I have to put the book down to actually accomplish something in my day (feed the kid...shower...sleep...eat...) than any other book I've read. WOW. I have to say Lindsey, though, I don't agree with Stephenie's choice on Edward for the movie. SO does not do the Edward in my head justice...I'm not so sure I'll see the movie...I don't want to ruin what I've got in my head. Mom, I'll be giving these to you to read...you'll like them...I think. I hope. Tiff Brown-as SOON as you're done taking the Physics GRE (maybe you took it already) go home and pick up Twilight if you haven't already....it will be a much deserved/needed/welcome vacation from all your studying. (We're SO proud of you!!).


Okay, I apologize to those I told there would be a picture. Blogger is struggling right now, and won't upload it...I'll get it up as soon as I can.

Built Ford Tough

So, here I am on Wednesday day thinking it would be great to get out and go jogging. The weather is BEAUTIFUL, Misha's been a little sick-maybe the fresh air will do her some good, let's go for it! Just as I'm about to leave the house, Misha has a disgustingly dirty diaper (again, she's been a little sick...), I have to bathe her, etc. etc., and I think to myself, "Maybe I shouldn't go jogging today...Nah, let's go! You need to train for Race for the Cure, you need to lose weight, let's just go and be motivated." So, I get Misha strapped back into the jogging stroller (which she was already in when I found her with said diaper) and off we go! This is what our jogger looks like....

So, I need to get stamps, so I head toward the post office about a quarter mile from the house and decide I'll get stamps and just do the rest of my jog afterward. I start up my MP3 player to play me some GooGoo Dolls as I work out, I put on my sweet shades...I'm already looking hot in my Under Armour jogging clothes (well, I'm working out to EVENTUALLY look hot in them anyway). I do a nice little warm up down the street and do a bit of jogging as I come up the little hill to cross over the railroad tracks and across Mildred Street toward the post office.

I stop. I look BOTH ways. All the traffic around has a ton of time and distance to slow down (as was already happening to my left) and stop before I finished crossing the crosswalk. I think a little about waiting, and again I decided that there was plenty of time for people to stop. I cross over the first lane of traffic beautifully. As I continue toward the center of the street and look to my right, this is what I see barreling down at me...
Yes ladies and gentleman, that is the grill of a Ford F-150...and if you can picture it going about 25 miles an hour, that would be what I saw in that moment. I take a shocked gasp knowning that I would be struck and that there was nothing I could do about it and sure enough...BOOM! Dude slams right into me and Misha (being secure in the stroller). I am fairly sure my feet left the planet momentarily. I have many thoughts fly through my mind as I fly toward an eventual landing..."Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just got hit by a truck"..."What happened to Misha?!?!"...and mostly..."PLEASE LET HER BE OK!". I do hit the ground and immediately get up and try to rush over to Misha...rushing at this point was a bit slow seeing as how I was in a fair amount of pain. Dude gets out of his truck and says, "Ma'am, you shouldn't have been in the middle of the road." I say, "Sir, I had the right of way!". Perhaps if I had not been in so much pain and worried so much about Misha as I was "rushing" over to her, I may have taken the time to hit him instead of tell him I had the right of way...we all know I hit like a dude and I would have been effective in my communication. By this time I finally make it over to my screaming girl who, miraculously, is still in the stroller. You will note in the picture above that the seat portion attaches (it actually clicks in) right at the front wheel. From what I could see whilst I was hurdling through the atmosphere, it never tipped, rolled, or flipped over. She simply slid 90 degrees to the left, and the seat portion came unclipped so that she was laying down instead of sitting up. Dude tried to start taking her out of the stroller, and 4-5 people came crowding around. I told him to leave her as she was, that I was an EMT and it was best to leave her in that position until the paramedics came. Realizing that there was really nothing I could do for her at that point and that I was in a fair amount of pain, I laid down right there in the road. We were all but a block from the Ranson police department, so they showed up pretty quick. We were a half mile from the Ambulance Authority of Jefferson County, so the medics came at an impressively speedy pace as well. As I lay in the road, I called our good friend Pam Harmon (who we also have watch Misha when we are at work) using a bystander's phone to tell her that I hadn't been able to get a hold of Jerry all day and I need someone to be with Misha in the ER because clearly I wasn't going to be able to be with her. That sweet woman and dear friend dropped all she was doing and met us at the ER. (THANK YOU PAM!!!) I prayed...A LOT..."Please, just let Misha be alright...PLEASE...let her be alright." I saw a familiar face in the EMTs and fire fighters who showed up on scene from Independent Fire Company (whom we volunteered with when we first moved here) and told him I needed someone to contact Jerry at Lansdowne ER where he was doing his clinicals that day. He calmly reassured me a few minutes later he had gotten a hold of Tyree Kable (another person we had volunteered with and who also works for Loudoun County Fire and helped Jerry be prepared for and know what to expect in recruit school) and that Tyree would let Jerry know. (I came to find out later that Jer was actually contacted by a Loudoun County deputy and was told that way...Tyree also called him to let him know and to offer to drive him to the hospital if he didn't feel up to it, and was kind enough to notify Jerry's bosses about the situation...we are deeply indebted to his kindness and thoughtfulness). The EMTs then put me on a backboard as I watched them put Misha in a "papoose" (a child sized, although not as stiff, backboard).
I must say, it is MUCH more fun being the EMT than the patient. They loaded us both into the ambulance (by which time Misha was calm and easily consoled by the wonderful EMT Mary Ann), started an IV in me and hauled us away. By the time we got to the hospital(the short mile drive didn't take long!), Jerry had contacted the hospital and I was told he would be there within an hour. So, as I laid very uncomfortably on the backboard (my whole right side was killing me, especially from my hip down) I was asked all the standard questions..."Are you allergic to anything?"..."How much do you weigh?" (162 lbs.! and I better have left a dent!!!)..."What's your address and home phone number?"...blah blah blah...all the while hearing Misha crying once in a while in the other room (more about being restrained than about the bump that appeared VERY quickly after the impact)

and being so worried as to whether or not she was alright. I cried once in a while between the questions when no one was talking to me...I was scared, and I was a bit alone. The nurse told me she was going to cut off my spandex...I said , "No! It's Under Armour...it's REALLY expensive...please, just pull it off...I'll help you if you need it." So, she kindly said she'd try before cutting, and thankfully was successful in pulling the pants portion off and not having to cut it off. Thankfully she didn't remove my skins underneath...which would have been fairly embarrassing seeing as how the ER tech was fairly good looking...I got a sheet to save some of my dignity. I apologized to everyone that I was planning on shaving that day, but clearly hadn't had the chance! The deputy on scene came in and told me that Dude didn't have a current insurance card with him because he had just switched, but that they were going to get it from him, and here was his number if I had any questions on the case. I asked when I would be taken for x-rays so I could be cleared of any spinal injury and finally be able to lay on my left side to give relief to my very injured right side. The doctor tells me they are taking Misha for a CT scan to rule out any brain injury due to the bump on her head. Finally I'm taken to x-ray...they x-ray EVERYTHING but my left leg. I may have left glowing! They clear me of any spinal injury and I even HELP take myself off the board and I ripped off the c-collar and threw it across the room! I've got major road rash on the bottom of my right elbow (this looks relatively like ground meat, I realize...it's kinda that bad...that's kinda what happens when you skid across asphalt at 25 mph)

and some on my right ribs. This actually is redder than it looks...the flash made it look not as dark as it actually is.

I walk gimpy. I WILL be bruised and stiff for some time. By the time I'm back in my room, Jerry is there, I see Pam, and the wonderful Brothers Dunn & Roberson have already given a blessing to Misha, and then administer to me. The doctor comes in and tells me the results of my x-rays.
Miraculously I have no broken bones. None. All 206 bones are still in their respective 206 pieces as they should be. I have a fair amount of bruising...it's deep tissue, so surface wise it STILL hasn't even shown up. By this time I'm starving because I have yet to have eaten anything since 10:00 am which was only 2 pancakes. Jerry leaves to go and get Misha's car seat from the house just a few blocks away. Pam leaves to return to her family. I sit patiently and wait for Jer to come and get me and Misha out of the hospital that I'm not all too fond of...and have never been fond of. Misha I'm noticing has a few bruises on her right arm, but other than that seems totally unscathed. I refuse the Vicaden prescription the doctor wants to give me...I'm not going to take it anyway, I hate feeling out of it...you might as well not waste the prescription slip. Ibuprofen is all I need. We stop by the police station around the corner from the house to pick up the stroller that still had some of our things in it....this is what we get back.
This is pretty much how I found her, only on the side of the road, and Misha still strapped in it. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father protected us from much worse, and kept us alive to finish whatever we still have yet to do here on earth. We all appreciate beyond measure the prayers in our behalf, and we are the very most grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who has kept Misha and me in the palm of His protective hand. I have witnessed the blessings given to me in my Patriarchal blessing being fulfilled, and I am so relieved that I have stayed worthy of those blessings. It's now 2 days later. I'm REALLY sore today...things have shown themselves to be hurt that I didn't realize where hurt Wednesday...mostly just bruises I didn't know where there, my neck, back, and right shoulder being stiff and sore from the actual impact and the whiplash of my body taking the full brunt of the hit. I found out this morning that the news of my being hit was on the radio today...104.7 here in the metropolitan D.C. area. I'm hoping it'll be in the local paper soon. I have no idea where they actually got the news of my accident. We got the police report today, and although I do not know how fast Dude was driving, I do know that according to the witness (the driver who appropriately stopped for me at the cross walk) I did indeed go up onto the hood of the truck before landing on the asphalt on my left side. Apparently I did hit my head. Dude was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, and for having no record of his insurance with him. As a note to some of the Henderson family who may be reading this. Other than Scotty's car accident all those years ago, I feel that I have met/exceeded the definition of "Henderson tough." To all of you who may not like me very well out there-it'll take a lot more than an F-150 to take me out...apparently we Heath women are built FORD TOUGH.
Again, my heartfelt thanks and love to those who have placed myself and Misha on prayer rolls in Temples throughout the country, who have kept us in their prayers, and who have generously brought us meals and goodies. Prayers ARE answered. Although I may not be in no pain, I am still alive...and that is answer enough.

The Double Fountain

CUTEST CHILD EVER. 'Nough said.

Oh, and for future reference people...please, don't send any "brain squeezers" to Misha-I don't personally like them, she doesn't tolerate wearing them (she pulls them RIGHT off), and this is what gets done with them when we receive them....

This is not to say we don't appreciate you sending her things-we really really do...but I have mentioned it before that I don't put them on her, and I wasn't lying. Jer-honey, I love you, and purple is a REALLY good color on you.:)