How being a grown up is a lot like being a kid

Auden's had two diagnosed UTI's, and it looks like we're going through a third.  There's a good chance that she is having a sort of kidney reflux issue, say both doctors at Med Express and my googling.  It's infuriating, then, that her own pediatrician is never interested in testing her urine or blood, or even so much as looking at her vaginal area, even after when I present them with the information that she tested positive on at home UTI tests and is complaining of pain.  I'm trying to get her to see a urologist, but I can't do that without the referral of her PCP, even though the doctors at medex. are the ones who've actually diagnosed the UTI's (that the pediatrician totally missed both times) and are the ones who say it needs to happen.


I think we'll do that Angie's list thing and find Auden a stellar pediatrician who addresses both her's and our needs and complaints.  gah!  And make sure to mention that both time he dismissed her vaginal pain as her 'telling stories' and didn't even examine for an issue.  And in the meantime, I'll worry every free moment I get about the state of her kidneys, bladder, and reproductive organs.

auden's a kid!

Perhaps short, brief posts are more realistic for us.
 ***
 Last week, we were making funny jokes in the car by going over the rumble strips on the side of the road on an off ramp. Saying things like, 'ew! that's stinky! Daddy farted!' and making Auden laugh. After a minute or two passes clear of fart jokes, Auden lets out a real big fart and declares, "I FARTED!"

 Made home made finger paint yesterday with Auden. Huge success! I walked away for one minute to clean up the counter from preparing it, looked back to check on her, just to see that she had painted her arms, chest, and face.


 Auden likes to shower like a grown up now. She's pretty good at it!
   Auden talks in full and complete sentences, and we can even rationalize with her! Aside from overnight, she's mastered the potty.

 I took her to living treasures, an interactive animal park last week, and she gladly shared her carrots with the other kids so they could also feed the baby giraffe. She also rode a pony named Oreo and got bit by a goose.
 

Happy summer-time!

communicating well

We're officially moved out of Neville and into my parents' home for a couple months!

While it's extremely humbling to be living back home, we're looking at the bigger picture of saving our paychecks and tax returns toward something bigger coming in the very near future.

Can't elaborate on that too much right now, but here's what's happening now:

- Our youth group has done phenomenal with two fundraisers this and last month, and we're pleased to be sending them for a week-long youth conference this summer!
- Auden is learning to talk in sentences! Just today she said, "I want a cookie!" and "Grammy, Mommy farted!" She's been potty trained since before 18 months (I am allowed to brag a little!) and has been making words since way before then as well. She can also sing her ABC's! (Though she says, "A B C B...")
- School is terribly hard after gaining a family. Seriously, it's kind of a total bummer. On a different note, in about a year and a half I should be student teaching, meaning that I should be at least subbing in about 2 to 3 years. My big consolation is that I'm doing it now, and not later - when Auden's older and when we hopefully grow our family, and that hopefully one day we will indeed be living just above the poverty line and can maybe buy a house. (Seriously, I cannot stop watching House Hunters late at night when I'm trying to do some boring reading.)
- I just got a perfect on my first grad school paper. If you need some info on No Child Left Behind, ask! Because I obviously know it all! (Totally kidding!)
-I'm losing some baby weight, but still have some weird deep stretch marks that will never go away. I don't mind so much.
- My favorite book became a movie! Wahoo! It's OK. I like the book better.
- My husband and I touch shoulders when we sit in church; it's because we're in love. I don't think you could put a piece of paper between us!

I guess that's all.

We're erased most of our debt aside from student loans and our monthly car payment. IT FEELS SO GOOD.

(But don't talk to me about student loans. Barf!)

video

End of October

It's often difficult to find the balance between internal peace and our American selves.

There are the moments when I am able to stand outside, in this beautifully crappy Pittsburgh weather and take deep breaths and have 20 seconds where I don't dwell on my (or my loved ones') mortality.

I find peace in hope, and truth in peace.

We have some ideas in the works that will hopefully become concrete plans in the next six months.

Typhany

getting by and enjoying it (mostly!)

Sometimes I can't help but mourn the newlywed period that we never got to have.

But how foolish of me. Sure, a person is a person, and an American is an American, and I am both of those, and somehow I can't help but think I am owed this concept of 'personal time' (or, 'me time,' '8 full hours of sleep,' 'a splurgey night out alone,' an 'expensive fancy date night,' etc. I could go on, I'm sure.).

People have been having babies since the beginning of time. People have been having babies when they were younger than me since the beginning of time. People have been poorer than us since the beginning of time. People have been experiencing horrors since the beginning of time - things that I can only hope that my family and I will never ever have to endure.

And so while I sit here and moan about only getting four hours of sleep, or having to wake up at 4am for work, then come home and clean, then pay all our money for bills, then make phone calls for grad school - Do I really have the right to complain?

I have a husband, good health, a daughter who's in good health, a furnished apartment, and a really expensive and education that I love.
At least I'm not experiencing the holocaust or another type of horrible genocide, or at least I am not in an abusive relationship, and at least I have tons of friends and family who are, generally speaking, experiencing the similar joyous, albeit boring, routine of everyday life.

SO maybe I don't get to play MarioKart too often or drink wine regularly.

Things are too good to complain, and perspective is essential.

real life updates: Nate is working on his last class for his BA, Nate is working through a new job search, I joined weight watchers at a discounted rate to help lose these last 15 pounds, I start school this fall, Nate's parents visited last week and it was wonderful and too short.

Auden's vocabulary:
uh-oh, mommy, daddy, no, don't, please, cheese, ball, baby, Dora, Gabba Gabba, Up, Down, book, Dance, owie, hi, hello, how are you, hat, hot,

Well, I can't remember the rest!
New videos coming soon!

And here we are!

Hello loves! Sorry to be such a terrible updater, I guess, with Facebook, I just get a bit laid back with updating here. Still, this has always been geared for ourselves and our family, and is a more precise documentation of our lives together, and so it will be updated, even if not as often as I would like it to be.

Anyway! We went to new England a couple weeks back for Raffi's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and big, we stayed the night at the hotel, without Auden, enjoyed an open bar, saw Tim and Kat, spent time with Ali and Justice, and of course enjoyed spending not enough time with Mom and Dad Sellers. We saw some people, didn't get to see others, And we really can't wait to get back up north. Or back to Philly to visit. I am really aiming for something in the fall...

We have a home, we are pretty much settled. I even resorted our filing cabinet! We have a yard, we cut the grass with our own lawn mower, I planted a vegetable garden and sunflowers. I start school, officially in January, but will probably be taking some pre reqs online I the fall. Starbucks is Starbucks, and I really couldn't ask for a better job during this Big transitional period of our life.

I think we are hoping to move back to the burbs of Philly in about four or five years, with at least one of us having our masters/certification. We are thinking we will rent for a couple years, the jump into the pool of commitment and responsibility that is buying a house. Of course, these are pretty broad plans, give or take a couple years. I there's on thing we've learned, it's that you cant rely too much on your own plans, so you have to be flexible in order to thrive.

We are thriving now.

Enjoy these videos of the last two months!




































(OK! These aren't exactly in any order, but all within these last two months or so.)

xoxot