An update and a long thought

So, I need to buy batteries for our camera. That said though, here's a quick update on what's happening in our lives:

Ryan continues his recovery from his tonsillectomy -- the cauterized tissue is now starting to sluff off, and maybe in a week or so, his throat will be back to normal. I am very glad he has a high pain tolerance and can get by taking his pain meds just at night so he can sleep. We're almost out of it as it is, and it was expensive. Apparently it's pretty nasty stuff, Ryan says. It burns his throat when he takes it, and tastes like cherry gone real bad.

Amy is so full of energy, love and humor. She makes me laugh heartily, at least once a day. She loves shutting herself into rooms recently (our bedroom door has no latch, so she spends the most time in there). She'll wave at you "Bye bye" and then proceed to shut you out. Then she opens it up and says "Boo". She's still allergic to dairy as far as we've been able to test, but we hope she rebuilds her little GI tract soon so she can have one of her favorite foods which we can never eat in her presence: cheese. She loves the park -- all parks -- any parks. She laughs almost maniacally when one comes into view. I do take her to the park 4-5 days a week, and we just recently found another park with a 'Tiny Tot Lot' which we are excited to try out Saturday.


Baby E is growing right on schedule, is healthy, and a major wiggler. More so than Amy was, which is saying something. She seems to have an uncanny knack for kicking when we talk about her. She also likes to kick during the night, and sometimes it seems, at 5 minute intervals throughout the entire day. She doesn't kick quite as hard as Amy did, but she's perpetually in motion. We are excited to meet her and see if she prefers the name Eva or Elaine.

I'm also doing well -- I'm behind on sleep, but I'm grateful for the sleep I do get, and even more grateful that Amy at least sleeps. I have a new calling at church which is requiring me to become a more organized, computer saavy-ish person. I am grateful Ryan's my husband and knows all about spreadsheets. ;) I am also grateful to be enjoying such a healthy pregnancy so far --

An acquaintance commented the other day how irritated she was when pregnant women complained about being pregnant -- she's tried for years to be pregnant and would take all the weight gain, morning sickness etc with glee. It made me think how careful we all should be about saying things that sound like complaints. From having such an amazing sister, who struggled with this last pregnancy, I already have an example in 'non-complaining' which I'd feel proud of myself if I could follow. Jenny made a comment once to me about how we somehow think sometimes that we 'own' our health, like it's something we deserve... when in reality, it's a gift from God. We should always be grateful, and realize that if we're complaining about little aches and pains, there are either some who are experiencing much worse things, or some who ache to trade places with us and experience pregnancy themselves.

It brings me to another point that I think people need to be very careful of -- how they talk of their spouse or marriage. Ryan's essentially perfect, so I've never had any problems there -- but I'm grateful that he doesn't talk negatively about me. Sometimes (and I fear women are maybe more prone to do so) people make jokes about marriage, or spouses to the effect that 'aw, it's not all it's cracked up to be', or 'you have to treat them or manipulate them like children'. It always bothers me when people talk this way, because I have some very dear friends who would LOVE to be married, and would not for the world belittle it. It also made me think of an experience I had:

I took notes for a kid with disabilities in college -- he was totally there mentally, but his body was so handicapped that he couldn't go to the bathroom without assistance, walk, or talk clearly. After a few weeks of talking with him and working with him, I could understand what he said, but most who didn't spend time with him couldn't. While waiting for class to start, two kids were joking about relationships and marriage -- one kid was teasing this girl and said how he 'never' wanted to be married, ever... that it would mean an end to his freedom and fun. Skyler, in his quiet, gargled voice said "I would love to be married." The other kids didn't hear or understand and kept bantering... but it struck me so powerfully. Because of his physical condition, regardless of how wonderful his mind was, he probably would not have that opportunity in this life-time. But he recognized marriage as a wonderful gift and yearned for it anyways. It is a wonderful gift -- our spouses, our family members, our health, being able to conceive... all of these things and more are immense gifts from a loving Heavenly Father and we should remember to be grateful and express that gratitude not only to Him, but to our loved ones. I hope I can follow my sister's example in never complaining about physical discomfort, and I hope I can be diligent in expressing my gratitude to the people in my life who are such a blessing to me.