Merry Christmas 2011

I have to admit this letter almost didn’t make it this year. Too much stuff to do, not enough time or money to make it all happen. But the thing about this letter that I love – is that it gives me a chance to sit and reflect on the year God has written for us. The chapters we’ve begun and the chapters that have come to a close. And every year as I remember our story, I’m left with such thankfulness at all that God has done. So let me share it with you…

Lizzie has had a big year this year. In February, she turned 5 and finished up preschool in May. In the fall, my little girl started Kindergarten!! WOW!! She has done so well and really enjoys her class. She rides the bus home every day and has started a Daisy troop with the Girl Scouts. So if you need cookies, you know who to call! She has lost 2 teeth and the top two are loose. She is growing up so fast and is becoming a beautiful young lady. We are so thankful for her in our family and I miss my time with her during the day so, so much. Mark takes her to school each morning, so he is really happy with the new daddy/daughter time that he gets with her.

Charlie turned 3 in June. In the fall, he started preschool for the first time at First Foundations. He goes two days a week and is having a lot of fun. He refuses to wear long sleeves or pants, and will only wear a few tops – monster truck, Lightning McQueen, or helicopter. (sigh) God help me when those tops become too small as this boy grows. He has a great attitude at school and is helpful and a good friend. We are so proud of him!

Last year, we were battling chronic ear infections, which led to putting tubes in his ears. This year, we battled a chronic cough and have learned through a series of tests and doctor appointments that he has asthma and every season’s worth of allergies. He tested positive for everything they tested except dogs, cats, and roaches. Yes, I know. So I vacuum constantly (think furniture, blinds, curtains, floors) and wash his bedding on sanitize to kill dust mites. It has been such a blessing to have Mark’s brother, Scott, who is an allergist, available to answer our questions and help us figure out what will help our son the most. Charlie takes a LOT of allergy medicine and an asthma inhaler everyday – but is truly improving and we are so glad to have this question answered.

Owen turned one in June. He is 18 months old now, and is walking, running, climbing, jumping, dancing, laughing, talking, wrestling, tackling, eating, ALL. THE. TIME. He is happy and snuggly and keeps me dashing around the house to see what new madness he’s gotten into today. He is a joy, and I thank God for giving me such a loving baby boy to spend my days with. He loves to wrestle with Lizzie, Charlie, and Mark and we all have a big time with our family dance parties in the living room.

Mark is still working at National Oilwell Varco and I am still at home with the kids. We consider every day that I am home with our kids and Mark has a job that enables me to be there a blessing. We are so thankful God has provided for so many of our wants – well beyond our needs.

We’ve spent our year making memories with our family – trips to Houston to see Scott & Stephanie and the kids, family trips to Sea World where I cry each time baby Shamu swims alongside mommy Shamu, the kids first airshow in Burnet with my dad, and our 11 year wedding anniversary.

Have a Merry Christmas and find a moment to remember Your story – we’d love to hear it.

Love,

The Oberhoffs

Asthma?

Today we took Charlie to the pediatrician, after a night of coughing, crying, and generally not sleeping. Our normal doctor, Gwen, doesn't work fridays, so we saw a different pediatrician in the practice, Dr. Dudley.

After explaining the last year or so of our battle with the mystery cough that has once again reared it's ugly head even on month 5 of a daily steroid, she gave us a new batch of medicines and dosages to try. She believes that he has allergies, reactive airway disorder, and potentially a sinus infection on top of all that.

She gave me a new prescription of the Pulmicort at twice the strength he is currently taking. This is the daily steroid he has been on 5 months. She wants me to bump it back up to twice a day for a month and then once a day for another five months. (sigh) This will be a full year on this medication.

She gave me a prescription for Singulair, for him to take in addition to the Zyrtec he already takes daily to combat allergies.

When he has his coughing fits, he takes Xopenex in his nebulizer every 4-6 hours for 2 or 3 days.

Oh, and one of his tubes fell out.

She also wanted another round of x-rays to confirm/rule-out sinus infection and/or pneumonia, so we obliged and headed over to Austin Radiological Association to get them taken. Thankfully, Mark met me there so he could go in with Charlie and I could stay in the waiting room with Owen.

After it was over, the x-ray tech came out into the waiting room to tell me that Charlie was the best patient she had ever seen (I'm guessing of the 3-yr-old variety.) He was so proud of himself! So we decided to reward him with a family lunch at Fuddruckers, naturally.

When the xray results came in and Dr. Dudley called me, she said he did not have pneumonia, but a slight sinus infection that concerned her enough to start an antibiotic (Augmentin). She wants us to do the treatment and come back in a month to talk about all of it and discuss whether we need to see a pulminologist.

So if you've lost count, here's what my baby boy is taking on a daily basis:

• Zyrtec
• Singulair
• Xopenex - 6x a day
• Pulmicort - 2x a day
• Augmentin - 2x a day

This seems pretty idiotic for a 3 year old. I'm going to need to get my nursing degree just to keep up with the proper dosages!!

And even with all this, we still don't have a definitive 'asthma' diagnosis. SO frustrating!!

So enjoy your Labor Day 2011 and take a deep breath in honor of our son, Charlie the Chronic Coughing X-Ray Champion!!

Lizzie's Future Derailed

"Mommy, I don"t want to be a cowgirl when I grow up anymore."

"Why is that, Lizzie?"

"Because the horses poop."

Charlie's First Day of Preschool - Ever!!

Okay, today was harder.

Charlie had the best attitude and was so excited to go to school. He wouldn’t eat anything but a smoothie for breakfast, which was my only hint he was nervous at all. He even got into his lunch box and found the helicopter I bought him as a surprise. He is so much like Mark!!!

When we got to school, he literally ran down the hall and left us in the dust talking to Lizzie’s old teacher, Mrs. Fionda. When we realized he was gone, we hurried down the hall to find him totally busy playing playdough and talking to the teachers and other parents. Who is this kid?

Mark and I just stood around and watched, waiting for our son to realize how scary this was supposed to be and come running for hugs. But he never did. He was happy and comfortable. Even his teacher said she thought he was going to be the kid she could get to try things first.

So we walked out to the quiet car with Owen and Mommy & Daddy were sad. So proud of our children and relieved that they embrace school so openly with joy, but sad about the time that has passed so quickly and these little ones who find their wings and fly off without a glance behind.

The day her dreams came true...Lizzie gets to go to Kindergarten!

She did it!! My baby started kindergarten!

So many of my friends homeschool or send their children to private schools that I was feeling a little alone as I prepared my heart for the first day of kindergarten. I imagined tears and butterflies in my stomach. I was "letting go" of my baby, after all.

But as He always is, God was faithful.

Our friend, Lisa Haug, who we know from Hill Country Bible Church UT back in the day, is a kindergarten teacher at Lizzie's school. And all summer long, we've been praying that she would be the one to teach our little girl. And God answered that prayer! Lisa is a Godly woman, a Longhorn, AND a reading specialist! Seriously? What more could you ask for?

So on that big day as we walked down the sidewalk behind our little princess, it wasn't quite so scary for Mom & Dad to hand over our baby.

She was so excited to get to school, make friends, and start learning. She has always loved school and began negotiating for more school time her first week of preschool as a 3 year old. But mommy is a little less excited to say goodbye to long mornings in PJs and happy shopping trips to Target.

Kindergarten is a whole new world. And truthfully, I'm not handing over my baby.

I'm sending my little girl, who is confident and eager to learn, to her first day of elementary school. A dream come true, indeed.

The park and a chick-fil-a cup

Took all 3 to Target today. The kids ate popcorn and dropped it all over the store as we shopped and I talked on the phone to Jenn Gilbert.

Afterwards, I took the kids to the park.  Lizzie had to pee, so she peed in a chick-fil-a cup.  When she was all finished and I began to unload the car so they could play, I realized I had chicken and milk in the car.  So we couldn't stay at the park and had to go home anyways!

The kids were NOT happy with me.

Ahh, Blessed June 2nd!

The big day has come and gone...and I'm so thankful it's over!

Owen turned one yesterday. My baby. My last one.

The night before his birthday I stayed up much later than normal just to delay the inevitable sunrise which would mark his first birthday. I just wasn't ready to face the truth - that ugly truth that happens each day, mostly unnoticed. The truth that time moves swiftly and unmercifully, whether you are in agony over each second that passes in the grip of grief and sadness, or having the time of your life celebrating the joys of this life. For each of us, the minutes and hours are all measured the same, completely unaffected by our desire to control them.

And so, that brings us back to the marking of time in the life of one little boy.

When the sun did come up on the morning of the 1st, I actually had an easier time than I'd expected. I had a list of things to accomplish in preparation for his birthday party this weekend. The back of my car was filled with bags full of clothes and baby goods to donate to the crisis pregnancy center, and my heart was happy to give them to the little ones whose mommy & daddy were scared and unprepared to care for them. I thought it would be difficult to let go of these things, well, let's be honest, these memories, but that was the serendipitous discovery - I wasn't letting go of those memories!! I was releasing myself from the burden of storing it all and hanging on to moments that had already passed, seconds and minutes that were meant to pass so that I might enjoy the moments being made all around me.

And so after we left the pregnancy center, I decided to bask in the moments in front of me (or behind me, actually, in the backseat) and head for the park. A friend of mine and two of her sons came to the park and even brought us Happy Meals. The kids chased an aggressive squirrel, throwing nuggets at it and feeding it french fries. We watched the scores of high school students at the pool and playing volleyball, and I was thankful for my little ones. Who are still little. Even if they are turning one.

Today is June 2nd. Today I can just breathe. Today is the beginning of year #2. And God-willing, I can enjoy each day until May 31st.

I'll be up late that night.

Coupons are a lot of Work!

I'm trying so hard to save money on our groceries. Like, REALLY hard.

The problem is that my kids love fruit. And because I feed them mostly organic, this adds up to some serious grocery bills!

Thankfully, we are getting some organic vegetables for free from Mark's amazing garden. But the kids don't eat most of this free bounty, so that doesn't help my bottom line that much. (Well, it helps my bottom line, but that is not really where I was going with this...)

I started getting coupons from my parents that they weren't using, and I got us our own subscription to the newspaper. So my collection of RedPlums and SourceSavers is well underway.

But the way to save money with coupons is to actually cut them out. To be even more excellent in the pursuit of savings would be to use these cut out coupons at a store where the item is on sale!! (Can you imagine??)

This is all well and good, and sounds so simple and easy. But let me illustrate how time consuming this becomes by outlining the steps in a numbered list.

1. Gather coupons from newspaper and collect each week's sales papers.

2. Go through old coupons to trash ones that have expired.

3. Throw away last week's sales papers.

4. Spread out coupon stash, new coupon inserts, and current sales papers all over the table.

5. Look through sales fliers for items on sale. I shop at Randalls, Target, HEB, and CVS.

6. Look through coupon box for existing coupons, or the new coupon inserts to see if you have one for the 'deal of the week' item. You can also look online for coupons and print them out.

7. Make a list for each store, and put the coupons you need in a separate pile.

8. At Target, you can use 'Target' coupons and manufacturer coupons, so that is one more mind-blowing step. Because now you have to see if you have the Target & Manufacturer coupons for an item, and if that makes it cheaper than a sale price + coupon somewhere else.

I feel like it's a good time to mention that yesterday, while I was doing these exact activities, Charlie dumped out his water glass and soaked three of my coupon inserts in the process. He got a stern talking to and the inserts got dabbed with paper towels and spread out all over the kitchen counter to dry.

I have done these activities and had tremendous success. Like 4 times.

Now, I have this huge collection of coupons and an irrational disinterest in purchasing groceries because I feel like I need to complete my research and couponing before I go anywhere.

Which is actually saving us loads of money.

Owen Walking!

I forgot to mention that owen started walking a few days ago. He's been 'stepping' for awhile, but now he's actually walking places. And climbing onto things. And dumping out the dog's water. And smashing his fingers in every cabinet. And turbo crawling into the garage everytime I'm bringing in groceries. And...oh, sorry, I'm getting carried away here.

Princess Triple Threat

Princess Tea this morning, Princesses on Ice tonight, and a real Princess wedding on TV - whoa, I'm having princess overload today!!!

High Tea at the Four Seasons to celebrate the royal wedding

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Our friends, Stephanie and Sadie Lacour

Ready for Disney Princesses on Ice

Lizzie's First Communion

Lizzie took communion for the first time tonight! Mark and I are so thankful our savior died for us, and our baby girl. I cannot praise Him enough!!

Maybe living in Red "Oaks" was a bad decision...

Ahhhh, springtime.

Everything outside is green and budding with new life. The grass is growing, the flowers are blooming - even the weeds are gorgeous and fall under the 'wildflower' category this time of year. But all this beauty and growth comes with a price.

A Zyrtec-Flonase-Benadryl cocktail type of price.

There is oak pollen EVERYWHERE. All over the cars. All over the chairs on the porch. All over the swingset. All over your shoes when you come inside.

Even the dogs have green legs.

And people, we are dying over here! Charlie has a breathing machine for crying out loud!

Today, Mark took the pressure washer and sprayed down everything he could get to outside. He blasted the treetops to make fake rain that would wash away all the pollen. He sprayed the cars to erase the green sheen covering them. He mowed the yard so the dogs could go outside without dragging their body through the pollen.

Only time will tell if this experiment will help with our troubles. All I can do is vacuum, dust, and repeat. We did get new air filters and no one is allowed to play outside anymore. Which is a shame, because it's so lovely outside with the warm weather and the breeze.

But I will no longer be fooled. I will not be lured outside by that seductress known as Mother Nature. No, I will keep my kleenex (with lotion) close by and protect my sinuses from her onslaught. And perhaps sometime in May, I will emerge victorious.

Nebulizer, Anyone?

Yesterday about an hour into Charlie's nap, I hear a whimper at the top of the stairs. When I go to investigate, Charlie is standing on the top step saying, "I threw up."

Great.

"It's okay, honey. I'll come help you."

When I come around the landing to head up the second half of the stairs, I notice the puke bits that are sprayed onto the wall at the top of the stairs, along with the first 4 or so steps. (sigh)

He starts coughing again, and I usher him into the bathroom to get this under control. He's had a cold for a few weeks now that is being aggravated by the ridiculous oak pollen that covers every surface you can see. I turned on the hot water in the shower, hoping the steam would help his cough, and stuck him in there to breathe and relax. But all this did was give him a more convenient place to cough and puke.

Thankfully, a few months ago our compact carpet cleaner broke and we splurged and bought the SpotBot. It's this little gizmo that cleans the carpet for you - but also has a brush/hose situation you can use to clean manually. I got that bad boy out and started after the stains. Charlie had thrown up in his bed, at his doorway, and at the stairs. Poor guy.

At bedtime, the coughing started up again and thus, the throwing up started up again. We gave him a hershey bar - thanks to Dr. Scott Oberhoff's advice (the caffeine was the magic solution) and that got him stable enough to lay down and listen to some music in his bed until he fell asleep.

This morning, I took him in to see our amazing pediatrician, Gwen Collmann. She's actually a nurse practitioner, but we LOVE her and see her everytime we have to go in. She suggested we give him a breathing treatment. He cried and had a cow, but did finish the treatment. I posted the puking issues on Facebook, and LOTS of mom's suggested the nebulizer. I guess the cough-&-puke game is popular among young people!!

We're going to keep a lookout for asthma - which is possible since Mark struggled with it as a kid. But regardless, we now have this handy anti-puke machine...the nebulizer. I'm thinking we should give it a name. Nathan, Norman, Nelson. It'll come to me.

Nemo?

I like it! I'll ask Chuck about it when he wakes up. Maybe we can put clownfish stickers all over the machine...

Owen & the Stairs Adventure!

Two big problems with today. One little kid as the culprit. #1 Owen is standing up in his crib. #2 Owen is crawling up the stairs. Lord. Help. Me.

Potty Training Charlie

January 2011
Charlie made me go to the bathroom 3 times at Dillards today. Two pees and a number two.
GOOD GRIEF, CHARLIE BROWN

wait, let me rephrase. HE went all those times. Not me. LOL

I just had the boys with me. I took the stroller and all my unpaid merchandise right into the handicap stall with me! 3 times!!

February 2011

yesterday Charlie cut up 100s of playdoh balls and ''picked them up" using the tread of his shoes. Today, he's playing in the playroom naked as a jaybird after a morning tee-tee. This kid is a trip.

March 2011

Why is it that when you are potty training, the only thing that matters to the child is flushing the potty. And yet, when they are actually trained, the last thing they want to do is flush the potty? What I would give for a fresh bowl in this place!!!!

April 2011

Tonight our children informed us that they both peed on the potty at the same time - with Charlie peeing on Lizzie at one point. So we had to point out the not-so-obvious rule that when a potty is in-use, you need to find another one before you get started. ??!!

Last 15 minutes of my life....

last 15 minutes of my life = one exploded/broken bottle of orange strawberry shortcake nail polish on the stairs, carpet, tile, wall, hand towel + wizzed on pants of punished two year old who stayed in his room as instructed by mommy instead of going to the potty.

My story

Yesterday I watched the DVR'd interview between Oprah and J.k. Rowling. I felt like it was a message from God straight to me. If I could do anything, I want to write. Sure, I enjoy singing, and decorating the house. But both of those feel so limited - by nerves, or money, or fear of public approval, or the lack of.

But writing....

That is just for me. And I can get it just right and decide when or if I'm ready to share it.

This is my dream.

And so I prayed that God would bring me my story to tell, like He brought JK Rowling's story of Harry Potter. Let me be clear, my dream is not to become a famous author with movies and stardom. I really would rather not have that. My dream is to be free to be creative. To have time to soar within my imagination. To use my talents that God has created me with. To tell a story that captivates. A story that compels others to come alongside and imagine with me. What a gift that would be!!

I realize that my life has many days left to be lived and chapters to start and finish. But I'm so anxious to be a writer. And nervous it will be a dream that never comes true.

And so, until my story comes to me, my life as I know it now will be my story. And if no one else ever reads a word, it will be a living history for my children to know their story. To know me. And to know where they come from. What a gift THAT would be.