Happy Birthday, Iain!

Four years ago, today I was lying in a hospital bed, waiting, worrying and wondering. Iain was born the next day, January 28th at 11:11 am.  My water broke a month before my due date and we didn't know what to expect when Iain was born. We were prepared for the worst (NICU time), praying for the best and ended up with a combination of the two. In the end, after we were discharged home, on schedule, he became hypothermic, his temp dropping to 94.7 degrees. Thank you Jesus for homecare nurses who discovered it and helped this first-time-mother get her baby off to the hospital when I didn't know better (I knew his feet felt cold, but assumed that was normal).

Iain, about a week old:

First time motherhood was overwhelming and I dare say traumatic. But, four years later, Iain is the picture of health - minor allergies aside - and I feel like I can safely call myself a seasoned mother (of small children).

  1st birthday:

 

 2nd birthday:

3rd birthday (was that really already a year ago?!)

Happy 4th Birthday, Iain! I am so very very blessed to be your mother. These 4 years have flown past, and I'm afraid they will only continue to fly by faster. I hope and pray that your coming year is full of growth in joy, wisdom, strengthening of character, deepening of love for God and others, and lots of wonderful experiences. I am so proud of you, my big boy!

Iain (not quite 4 - this was taken a few months ago)

And, just for fun, Mark's 4th birthday:

1. The Way I Tidy

I'm sure this isn't a novel idea, but it has really helped me... I pick one side of a particular room and start my tidying there. I move towards the other side, tidying as I go. 

Leaving a wake of tidiness behind me is very motivating, as is having a room completely tidied before moving on to the next. I usually start in the living room and move from there to the dining room, then to the kitchen. By the time I get to the overwhelming pile of mail on the kitchen counter, there are plenty of tidy areas on which to rest my eyes. 

2. Hats

Does anyone remember the Amy Grant song Hats from her Heart in Motion album, circa early '90s? I was never a fan of the song, at least in part because I actually thought it was about hats and the lyrics seemed so random. You gotta cut me some slack, the early '90s was an era of hats and I was only 10 years old!

I had a good laugh about that when the song randomly popped to mind the other day and my adult-self realized what it was about. I'm still not an Amy Grant fan, but at least now I can understand and relate to what she was singing about. ...definitely wearing a lot of hats around here!

3. No Water

We have no water right now. That's why I'm sitting in my recliner, still in my pajamas, writing a blog post. Not having running water is so unmotivating! 

Apparently there was a "water emergency" on the corner of our block that necessitated the water shut-off. It should be turned on again in the next few hours. Going without running water is rather eye-opening. I can't: drink, wash dishes or clothes, use the toilet, shower, wash my hands after a diaper change (blech!), make cereal for my baby... Certainly, it's no hardship (yet). Like I said, it's just eye-opening.

4. Blog-a-holic

Hi. My name is Betsy. I'm a blog-a-holic. What are some of your favorite blogs or websites? I know, answering this after I've told you I'm a blog-a-holic is like pouring gasoline on a fire, but hey, sometimes that's ok. (Sure, neither you nor I can think of an instance where that would actually be ok, but let's just go with it.)

5. Bosnia and Other Residential War Zones

"Whaaaa? Huh?" Is probably what you're thinking. Let me explain: I think I may have mentioned in the past that my bedroom closet is a catch-all for everything that hasn't been put in its proper place. - Tangent: I have discovered just how important it is to have a place for everything! - Not surprisingly, the act of throwing all sorts of odds and ends into my closet has produced something akin to a rubble pile. Mark started calling it "Bosnia" because it looks like a war zone. He now joins in the fun, throwing things into "Bosnia" with wild abandon. Clearly he doesn't look in there when he does this, or he would notice that I actually cleaned my closet the other day. I'm too kind to mention that he's single-handedly recreating a war zone during peace time...so I just mention it on my blog instead.

Iain just asked to color which reminded me that our craft drawer is in desperate need of attention. I just don't know if I can justify spending time and energy on something that hopeless. Where are those UN peace-keeping forces when you need them?

6. Lydia's Songs

Iain and Lydia love to sing. I love listening to them. I'm especially enjoying Lydia's current repertoire. She sings songs to Jesus, which usually sound something like (yelled to some familiar tune such as bah-bah-black-sheep) "This is for Jesus, hamsters down the drain..."

7. That's all for now

The Love of My Life

One day, Mark called and Kate answered the phone. She announced to me that "the love of your life is on the phone." I took the phone and said, "Jesus?!"

Ok, I thought it was funny (Mark was a little confused, initially).

Five years down the road from our beautiful and very blessed wedding day, I can only say that marriage is infinitely better than I had hoped. Not just because it's great to have my best friend around all the time, or the knowledge that he's committed to loving me for our whole lives, but because fundamentally, he refines and purifies me (and hopefully I him) as we strive to live love in all its selfless glory. That is the greatest joy of my vocation. To grow together with Mark in holiness and therefore in love. To seek together to weed out the rotten roots of sin so that we can be fully who we were created to be without the constraints of selfishness and sinfulness.

Sounds like a nice ideal, doesn't it? And that's what it is; it's not reality yet. But the more we strive for that ideal, the further we progress. And as we progress in the growth of selfless love, the more I discover that "I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow." It's so true! That's why, when I hear the warnings about the fleetingness of feeling "in love," I can joyfully smile, knowing that the love that I experience is so much better, so much deeper, so much purer than what fades with time because it points us to eternity. How truly amazing...and to think, this is just a foretaste of Heaven! Wow!

I tried to express some of this in my Valentine's Day card for Mark. I said something along the lines of "the way you love me teaches me about the love that the Father has for me and each one of us." Yes, he was touched by that, but he rightly pointed out that what we have, and in particular this love, is a gift for which we can thank our parents, our first teachers and mentors in the faith. So, THANK YOU! It is your example of Christian life and marriage that protected and nurtured us and allowed us to be free from so many of the wounds that riddle society, eroding and destroying the vision for real love (and know to whom to look for healing for the wounds and weaknesses that we do have).

If it weren't for Mark leading by example, I don't know that I would be able to say any of this. I am so blessed by all that he is. He calls me to higher ground, to be a better more selfless person, to love more fully and embrace the crosses of our chosen vocation in order to live the joy set before us. Thank you Jesus for giving me this man to be my husband! May I truly be the wife to him that you (and he) desire me to be. ...and may our children be so blessed, and more, in their vocations!

What we've been up to

We've had a whirlwind past few months here at Glenhaven (as we've named the MN Archibald home).

The kiddos have reveled in lots of attention from extended family from August through the present. It's been a huge blessing having Kate live with us and various visits from my parents and Mark's brother, Adam, were highlights of the Fall.

Mark and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with a wonderful 2-week trip to Hawaii in November. We were able to visit two of the islands: Oahu (the most populated) and Kauai. The trip was spectacular and Mark and I feel refreshed and renewed! My Mom and Kate stayed with the kiddos in MN, except baby Sticker who of course tagged along with us. :)

We arrived back in snow-covered MN and celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends at my Aunt's house. My parents took off that weekend and their return for Christmas can't come too soon. Iain in particular is VERY excited about the upcoming arrival of the Keisers and Fenton Grandparents.

Mark and I had the great joy of seeing our newest family member at my 20-week ultrasound. Baby Sticker is the picture of health and EXTREMELY active! Even the ultrasound tech said that she didn't see many babies that active. We were able to find out the gender, but we're keeping that "secret" until after Christmas when we will tell the rest of our family.

Various illnesses have been passing their way through our home. Lydia came down with a high fever about a week after her 15 month immunizations. She's still got a runny nose that won't quit but at least her temp and activity are normal. Iain surprised us all with his first bout of "gastroenteritis" (stomach flu or allergies; we're not quite sure) that resulted in a sleepless night for all of us - most esp. Mark who proved once again that he is an AMAZING dad! Iain's still on tiny sips of water and saltine crackers, 2 days later, having thrown up yet again this morning. He has a date with the ER and an IV if he throws up one more time, but it's looking pretty hopeful right now.

Either the same bug or pregnancy took it's toll on me last night, but we serve a merciful Lord who heard and answered my prayer and other than being tired, I haven't had any symptoms since this morning. Kate has been amazing, taking care of the kiddos today so I could get a much-needed nap.

In the midst of all this buggy excitement, we got somewhere around 17 MORE inches of snow dumped on us (there were already about 5 on the ground). It's been a fun adventure, and the snow is absolutely beautiful. The sides of our shoveled driveway (THANKS KATE!!!) reach chest-high! We are enjoying one of the benefits of living on a busy-ish road: frequent plowing.

We celebrated Gaudete Sunday by decorating for Christmas. It's our first Christmas in MN and therefore also the first year we've had our very own Christmas tree. My post-Christmas clearance ornament purchases last year resulted in a very patriotic tree, covered in silver, red and blue balls. I also have a lovely ceramic snowman ornament collection. Coincidentally, the largest of the snowmen happens to be holding an American flag. :) Perhaps my subconscious is trying to say something to my British-citizen husband? ;)

There, that brings us up to the present. We are all in the downstairs family room watching the Vikings "home game" being played in Detroit after the Minneapolis Metrodome's roof collapsed from the snow.

Just pictures

Redemptive suffering & my husband, my hero

As for the first, this illness has really kicked my butt. I am no good at suffering. I can "offer it up" for about 2 minutes, as I try with all my might to stop focusing on how completely miserable I feel and pray for the grace to suffer well and pray for those in need of prayer. I have about as long as that thought takes until I'm right back to self-pitying misery. "Offering it up" only seems feasible AFTER the meds have kicked in. I may not feel like myself, in fact I may feel like a drugged, dizzy, exhausted, water-logged version of someone similar to me, but at least I'm not in pain. So now I can "offer it up." Really impressive, I know.

On Friday I was on the upswing and I was looking forward to Saturday when I was sure I would feel even a bit better. Much to my chagrin, Saturday found me downhill, again. This time it was fever/aches/chills, sinus pain/pressure and ear pain that went from bad to worse through the day. I went to urgent care in the morning and was told I had a sinus infection (no surprise there as my kleenexes all looked like they'd been used to wipe up a hot-dog condiment station,) and fluid in my right ear, but no infection. So, finally, I was put on antibiotics. I was told that if I still feel like this in 10 days, I'm to refill the perscription, and in 20 days if I still feel awful, to go see my doctor. Great. Well, lets hope for the best and not a 20-day marathon of "offering it up" practice!

As for the fever and pain, extra-strength Tylenol and Sudafed have done the trick. (Sometimes I wonder how I made it through nursing school. I'd been avoiding Sudafed, like an idiot, b/c I'm nursing Lydia and didn't want to affect my milk supply, and couldn't think straight enough to realize that it would decrease the pressure as well as dry up the congestion). Mark was rightfully shocked to discover that I hadn't tried it yet. Well, needless to say, it worked. So, I still have all my symptoms, but very little actual pain, Praise the Lord! I am sooo thankful for modern medicine!

God must be dumping Niagara Falls amounts of grace on Mark because he's been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. He's taken care of the kids, cleaned, cooked, worked really hard on a 30+ page strategic plan for work, run errands for me, and that's just in the last 24 hours! I am very humbled by this man I am so blessed to call my husband!

One last humorous story to wrap up this post. If you know me, you know that I'm a big dork. If you had any doubts (in which case, you must not know me), I'll give you an example. Yesterday, as I was feeling miserable and listening to Lydia wake up from her nap, it suddenly dawned on me that it was Saturday. That meant that the Menards flier would be sitting in our mailbox, waiting for me. Yes folks, I love Saturdays and the Menards flier that it always brings me. Did I mention....dork!? :) Well, I opened the door to get the mail, and a package fell at my feet. It was a care package from my mom! That's much more exciting than a Menards flier! It was mostly full of things for the kiddos; bath toys, clothes (including a pair of blue crocs for Iain that match his Daddy's! and, incidentally, the very dress I saw at the store and wanted to get for Lydia, but couldn't justify spending anything then...thanks, mom!!!!) and chocolates for the grown-ups; yum!!!...well, yum in a few days. Right now they would taste about as good as glue. Mark's been enjoying them for both of us. Thanks, Mom! :) Oh, and the Menards flier wasn't all that interesting this week...or maybe it was just outdone.

Where to begin?

-Kate visited for a week and a half. It was wonderful. We look forward to her return in July!

-We finished our renovation of the downstairs office and now have a fully carpeted guestroom/office complete with twin/king bed options and adjoining bathroom. Sweet deal, when are you coming for a visit?

-Iain had his first official case of diarrhea complete with scary lethargic colorlessness which prompted a visit to Urgent Care. He was fine after administration of a popsicle.

-Iain had further allergy testing done. We can now add soy, cats and tree pollen to the allergic-to list as well as needing to avoid ALL egg-containing products including baked goods. Booo. Poor Iain!

-Mark's parents arrived for a week-long, er, two week long visit. Thank you Volcano Euoilipoiqiuzbdiopaus (note: not correct spelling). It was truly wonderful to have them here for that bonus time!

-I had my last CT scan and at 5 years out from cancer treatment, am as close to officially cured as I can be. Cancer Free, Praise the Lord!

-Iain came down with Croup which prompted another visit to Urgent Care to make sure that was what it was. He looked ridiculously cute in his purple hospital gown with his diapered behind poking out the back of the gown. A dose of oral steroids and a popsicle later and we were home again. (Note: Yes, I am aware that popsicles can be purchased "over the counter").

-Shockingly, Lydia now has Croup. Knowing that this is indeed what it is, there has been no Urgent Care visit, just lots of Ibuprofen and some steamy bathroom visits.

-Can adults get Croup? If so, I think I feel it coming on. A quick Google search made it sound less than rosy for adults, but what else could this pain in my upper throat and kinda woozy head be?

-I'm addicted to lawn edging. My new-found passion has given me bursitis in every joint in both hands except the distal joint on my index fingers. Fortunately, said edging is nearing completion. I also have a new-found compassion for arthritis sufferers.

-Mark's Feast Day is this Sunday and I'm in the midst of making the traditional Archibald Fruit Cake. I also have to make my own marzipan for the first time because my supplier, World Market, folded along with everyone else, last year. I hope it turns out ok. I told Mark I'd attempt a lion as a decoration because St Mark is oft depicted as one and "Iain likes them. Why that's relevant is beyond me, but Mark tried to talk me into baseballs as decorations "for Iain" and I nixed that unholy idea. Back to the lion, I warned Mark that my attempt might end up looking more like Daisy, the ugly beast of a pot bellied pig who lives down the street, (and whose aroma wafts towards unsuspecting passers-by on hot windy summer days. blech.)

-My German language education has corrupted my correct English sentence construction (or perhaps that's just my excuse). I can't seem to remember the rule about capitalization of nouns. I know there's something about only capitalizing names and proper nouns, but what counts as proper gets all muddled in my head. Perhaps I'll ask my mom; she's sure to know. For now, nouns seem to make their way into my writing capitalized at inappropriate intervals according to some mash-mash of German/English/Betsy rules. I am aware of this and hopelessly unable to stop it. Feel free to add your corrections in the comments section. Perhaps if I get enough of them, the correct English rules will be restored to their rightful place in my brain.

Mark had to wait until after my big exam for his feastday cake, it's his fav: Fruitcake mit marzipan and a healthy dousing of Brandy. Here it is in all its glory, just before a large chunk was -ectomied. :)

As for that exam...well, it certainly could have gone better, but it went about as expected, esp. in light of being out of the nursing environment for 2 years, etc... Anywho, I'm about 95% sure that I'll be visiting Pearson Vue testing center again in the next few months. But thanks for all your prayers! I could tell that they were extremely efficacious; I was peaceful and calm throughout this past week and while taking the exam. Excellent dress rehearsal, you are all to be commended! ;)

What we've been up to

The past month has been a Lenten whirlwind of involuntary fasts of time, comfort, health, (solid) food, and sleep, for Mark and I. It began with Mark contracting a case of strep throat. That lasted a week longer than it should have due to his nurse-wife's inability to recognize feverless strep (who knew?!). That was promptly followed by a 3 1/2 day excursion to and from Leonard, MI with about 40 high schoolers for the annual YES retreat. After arriving home at 2:30 am Monday morning, we caught a few hours of sleep before Mark had his wisdom teeth removed at 1 pm. The surgery was difficult due to his age, impaction, and pre-existing TMJ, which was excerbated by the surgery and left Mark in serious pain for quite some time. (The picture of him is about a week out of surgery, with his heat-pack held by his cap, hands-free, so he can do some work on the computer.) Our Lenten soup dinners became not simply fasts but a necessity as the TMJ pain prevented Mark from chewing even after the holes in his mouth were safe from the risk of dry-sockets. In the midst of all this, I was trying to study for the impending Nursing Boards whenever I could find the time...which, unfortunately was not often and I lost about a month of studying (please pray!). Just as Mark was beginning to "turn the corner" in his TMJ recovery (a phrase used about 5 times in 2 minutes by the oral surgeon, last time we saw him), I headed off for a 4-day women's retreat in WI. I was originally VERY hesitant to go, as I felt I just needed some rest and study-time and a retreat with 180 other women, 2/3 of whom are strangers, didn't seem the way to achieve either of those. After much deliberation, and coaxing from my women's group, I agreed that I would go, study materials in hand, and tithe "my" time to the Lord. Though it should be no surprise, he generously blessed me and it was a truly restorative retreat, which also included nearly 6 hours of study time (more than I probably would've gotten over the weekend had I stayed home and tried to clean, cook, take care of Mark, run errands, etc.) This brings us to a very busy, but eagerly anticipated Holy Week. This morning I got another "all-clear" from my Oncologist and he also progressed me from seeing him every 4-months, to 6-months. Hurray! :) Additionally, we are thrilled to be able to share the 2nd half of Holy Week and the Triduum with Mark's parents as they arrive tomorrow evening for a week-long visit. I pray that Holy Week brings us all closer to the Lord as we follow His last steps to Calvary and await the celebration of His triumph over death and sin! (I also pray, perhaps selfishly, for a peaceful, study-filled Easter season!)