Panty Trip...

The time comes in every young girl's life for a very important right of passage. The day she purchases her first pair, or pack in this case, of "panties".

We invited Dad along who is a sucker for Target popcorn and Diet Coke. Julianne is learning this vice as well.

Now that we had our snack, we're ready to head to the panty isle!



Since Mom forgot to snap a pic in the panty isle, Julianne was asked to pose with her panty pack in the plastic dish ware isle. We also needed to pick up some plastic plates after loosing several glass ones. I suppose my child will not be the one child in America who can use a real plate. I had way to high of expectations for that and I am willing to give it up. Plus Target has a lot of really cute plastic, dishwasher safe options.

Anyway, this event was right after her birthday, so maybe the first week in February. I wasn't sure what to expect once we owned the panties, but I figured we'd give potty training a try. We tried the "3 Day Method" to train her. I didn't read that much about it, but basically you commit to keeping your toddler in panties for 3 days. Naps and nights are the exception.

Day 1 was terrible. I was ready to give up and felt like all I taught her was to be terrified of peeing! My poor baby girl would hold it for hours and then when her tiny bladder had to give in, she screamed and froze and got pee everywhere! At one point that day, I just gave her chocolates for a hour or so for continually sitting on the potty. We sang songs, read books, mommy danced in the bathroom to no avail. She would not go in potty. I was just about to give in but remembered my commitment to 3 days.

Day 2 we made some progress. This was the day I told her she would only get chocolate (mini m&ms) when she made a pee or poo in the potty. This must of motivated her somehow because she sat on the pot and would make tiny drips and ask for a chocolate each time. Drip drip, chocolate. Drip drip chocolate. I was thrilled. Some progress was encouraging after my previous day of constant steam mopping. Dipping her hands in warm water also seemed to help her relax.

Day 3 was like Eureka for her! Somehow it all connected and we got through the day with very few accidents. We still have some difficulty pooping in the potty and overnight she still wears a diaper. Sometimes when she is really having fun or distracted she will have an accident. Other than that though we have a potty trained 2 year old!

It's a little bittersweet. I am so proud of Julianne. She loves wearing "big girl" panties and doing all things "big girl". I am amazed at how quickly she grasped this new concept and how she is able to learn. It's just, she's my baby. I am sad to see her baby-ness go away and grieved to pack away the diapers. I suppose it's panty shopping from here on out with Julianne. As much as I miss the baby version of her, I am loving the little girl she is becoming.

The February Plagues

It deserves to be documented that the McClish family lived through and survived the never ending plague that hit our house in February. The 3 of us were completely blindsided, when after the birthday festivities concluded, we unknowingly entered a season of catching every know childhood illness.

It began with the dreaded ear infection. Oh how I despise ear infections! If I could go back to The Fall and just explain to Eve about ear infections I don't think she would have been as tempted. Our daughter had a runny nose one day and the next thing I know she has a 102 fever and crying non stop day and night. Thankfully I keyed into the symptoms right away and took her to the pediatrician who confirmed my suspicions with not one, but 2 (or double) ear infections. After an inconvenient trip and wait (remember constant crying) at the pharmacy we started amoxicillin and thought we seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately the double ear infection was just the beginning of our journey. While we were seeing the doctor he also found Julianne had the dreaded RSV virus. I noticed she was sort of wheezing in the sort of way you'd think she was suffering from emphysema but shrugged it off as congestion. The next afternoon though she seemed to be struggling to breath so I took her back to the doctor. A 30 minute wait (they were fitting us in), brief examination, and co-pay later, we were told it was not that serious and if she got to where she was taking 60 breaths per minute to bring her back or take her to the ER. Great....just what you want to hear on a Friday afternoon when the office is closing. Thankfully, it didn't escalate that far and truly looking back it was the most minor of our issues.

This pic has nothing to do with this post...just thought it was funny...

Enter: Hand Foot and Mouth Virus. Literally days after the RSV incident I noticed Julianne was starting to break out in pox like sores all over her mouth. Her diaper area had them too and it was quite alarming. She was MISERABLE. It was like she was having an ear infection times 3! Even worse we had no idea what the heck was going on! Was she allergic to the antibiotic? Was it something she ate? Hives? Chicken Pox? So once again, I called Dr. Porter and made an appointment during nap time so we could find out what the heck was wrong. He took one look at her and explained our girl was suffering from Hand Foot and Mouth disease. These pox pus sores were developing on her hands and feet and throat at this point too. Unfortunately it is also a virus so we had to wait it out. Two sleepless nights later (she could not get comfortable) she began to take a turn for the better. I asked if Andrew and I could contract this terrible mess and Porter said it was very unlikely since most adults have some sort of immunity to the disease.

Famous. last. words. Valentines day was coming and we had plans! We had reservations and babysitters lined up and couldn't wait for a night away. However, Andrew woke up with a fever and couldn't leave bed all that day. I encouraged him to get a throat swab just in case he was getting strep so he did. Strep it was! We cancelled our date and spent the evening on separate sofas watching rented MoneyBall. Then I made a bed on that same sofa since I was terrified of contracting strep! One of us had to stay well! The next day I disinfected the whole house, washed the sheets on hot water, and opened all the windows. Our baby was not going to get strep! Thankfully she didn't....

You'd think this saga would be over, but remember how we weren't supposed to be able to get Hand, Foot, and Mouth? Well, unfortunately it is possible. Especially when your immune system is down from something like strep. So you guessed it, Andrew got the Hand Foot and Mouth. He described it as the most miserable thing he has ever experienced and said he would rather have the stomach flue 3 times. He said it itched, then hurt. He couldn't walk since his feet were covered in the sores. Couldn't eat since his mouth and throat had them, and couldn't sleep since they itched and hurt constantly! Four vacation days (his office doesn't have sick time...joy) later he was back to his old self but not before much suffering.



Somehow I managed to escape it all. I don't think it was my killer immune system or vitamin supplement, but only the grace of God! I suppose we are better for it, and truly I am so thankful for a healthy baby who can fight this stuff. Still, I appreciate days when we all feel good around here.



Nathalie

3 years....

Andrew and I celebrated three years of marriage yesterday.....

 We married in Colorado on one of the warmest November 1st on record.....

 The outdoor ceremony was lovely.

 We kissed a lot...

and danced a lot.

It was a very fun day, but I can honestly say the days following have been even better.

I am so thankful Andrew is the guy God asked me to do marriage with.....Happy Anniversary babe! Here's to year 4!!

Day at the Pumpkin Patch...

I should correct the title of this post. It was really "30 minutes at the patch". That was about all our little girl could take of photo opportunities her parents mommy was eager to get. Below are some of the shots we came home with.....

 The above shots were taken within the first 10 minutes of our arrival. Julianne was intrigued by the sights and sounds and colors of the pumpkin patch. She also made every effort possible to eat the hay...

 Once the newness wore off, we attempted a mommy/baby shot in front of the windmill....

 The last 10 minutes we spent in this area with a very curious large orange thing....

 She wasn't so sure what to think about it....

 Perhaps it will taste nice?.....

 Me: Maybe she will smile if we sit her on it....

Andrew: Julianne, Julianne, youhoo....youhoo...look up here, look up here, "whistle", "whistle"

All our efforts were for not.....

Time to go.....

And that was our day 30 minutes at the pumpkin patch. Perhaps next year she will be a little more into it and we can make a day of it.

Happy Halloween All!!

Our Weekend Away

Earlier this year Andrew was asked to usher a wedding in Wisconsin for a college friend. In our naivete as new parents we thought we'd take Julianne and make it a fun filled family weekend in the Midwest. Thankfully this year has been packed full of weddings and we have learned the hard way that quiet churches filled with lovely people trying to enjoy the nuptials of friends is not the place for our baby. Not only to we spend the entire time trying not to disturb others, but our girl ends up exhausted and on edge for sometime afterward. All this to say, we elected not to take Julianne on the 6 hour trip and asked Gran and Gramps (Andrew's parents) to babysit instead.

They were eager to oblige us and came to our house for the weekend. I feel like I was supposed to feel sick about leaving and anxious about someone else taking care of Julianne for 2 nights, but honestly I was super excited over the idea! Getting some alone time with Andrew, going through airport security with just my stuff, sitting on a plane without breastfeeding, eating meals without worrying about when and what Julianne would eat, and waking up whenever I wanted, was all very appealing to me. I knew we would miss her, but knew also that it is good for our marriage to leave every now and then. She has been much easier to care for lately too and I had gallons of milk stored up in the freezer, so I knew Gran and Gramps could handle it. 

We had never been to Wisconsin and I have to say it is beautiful there in the fall! My goodness the colors were amazing! The wedding was lovely too and it was also fun to catch up with old friends. We had a nice time, but were ready to get back after all the festivities were over. Turns out we missed Julianne more than we thought! I also didn't sleep all that well so the whole wake up when I wanted thing was not realized. All in all though a nice time, and a good exercise in leaving our baby in capable hands in order to spend time together. We will be better parents if we are good spouses first.

First Day

I was a proud wife this morning as I kissed my husband goodbye as he headed off to the first day of his new job! I went to work too a little later but was able to snap this with my phone before he left. Doesn't he look smart and handsome? I am not used to him getting so dressed up as his previous job was a LOT more casual.

 
He accepted a position at a different engineering firm where he will have more leadership opportunities and control over his own projects. We feel so blessed that God provided this for him and for our family in an unsteady time in Andrew's industry. It is fun to see my husband excited about his work and what the Lord has for him in this new role. He is going to do a great job and I couldn't be more happy for him. Now I am eagerly waiting for the end of the day so he can tell me all about it!

In a Pinch

What is one to do when traveling westbound just before sunset when even the car blinder shade thing will not block the intense rays of the setting sun? What option does one have to safely reach his destination in conditions such as these while attempting to merge and maneuver through traffic on one of Dallas' most treacherous freeways?

Why...borrow your wife's sunglasses of course!

Doesn't he look handsome in my knock off street vendor shades from NYC?



He pulled it off well and we made it safe and sound!

 You can bet next time he will remember to bring his pair. Also knock offs from the streets of New York. We are classy like that.

Nathalie 

Andrew's reaction to Having a Daughter

As you know we decided to indeed discover if Baby M is a boy or a girl. I am so glad we did! I still think it is awesome when people have the discipline to wait, but for us it has helped us bond with our daughter and imagine life with a girl.  Andrew thought we were going to have a boy, along with 65% of our blog readers which I think is 9 people, and when he was told he would be a baby girl's daddy, he was a little surprised and shocked. His first reaction to me was, "We are going to have a baby!", like it wasn't until that moment it was real for him. Then as if accepting it he said, "we are going to have a daughter...wow...wait.... what if she doesn't get asked to the dance?" This comment caught be a bit off guard. This was his first reaction to the news? I tried to assure him that the dance was a long ways off. Then he said as if he hadn't heard me, "what if she DOES get asked to the dance!?" It seemed the reality of this scenario in his mind would be even worse than the first.

Even though we laughed about it, it became apparent to us how much we already love our girl and how much we want to protect her. I imagine these feelings will become even stronger once she is here. While I think it is good for us to love and protect our daughter, we are also asking the Lord to help us trust him with what he has for her life. We know that his path for her is perfectly planned and ultimately for His glory, but I suspect living this out will be difficult at times. We are praying about this.

Andrew now refers to "us" as "his girls" and it is really cute how much he has embraced having a daughter. I know she will adore him just like all the other baby girls in our life (there are 5 other baby girls in our small group alone and they all love Andrew). He talks to her and constantly touches and kisses my belly for his daddy daughter time. It is adorable and I love Andrew more or differently somehow now that we are going to be parents together.

In addition to seeing her private parts, we also got to see her heart, spine, lungs, kidneys, bladder, and stomach. Although the ultrasound photos of these anatomies are not as interesting to look at, I found them beautiful to behold! It is a miracle that all of her spine is in tact and perfectly formed. Likewise that she has functioning kidneys and bladder etc.. I am just in awe of how all of this happens in such a short amount of time and how thankful we are to God to have made our baby (at least as far as we know) healthy.

I am still eager to feel her move inside me. So far nothing on that front, but I am told I should start to feel her any time. I cannot wait for that!!

Nathalie and Baby M

Short story about yesterday's doctor visit:

If you didn't know, when you are pregnant you are required to pee in a cup each and every time you visit the doctor. I have made the mistake during prior visits to use the restroom before arriving at my appointment only to find it extremely difficult to give the required sample. Yesterday I planned ahead and waited until I arrived, by which time I was in serious need of a ladies room. I left Andrew in the waiting area while I asked the front desk lady if I could please use the office bathroom with the plastic cups in order to empty my bladder as well as leave my "sample". The more I talk about this the more I realize I am talking about my pee on the Internet. Oh well...I am too far into the story now to turn back. The front desk lady of course obliged my request and I hurried into the restroom. As I was doing my business my phone began to ring. I decided to ignore it since I had my hands full and hoped no one in the office could hear the level 4 ring through the door. About a minute later, it rang again. I thought, sheesh how annoying! After about 3 rings I was able to get my hands on the phone and see that it was Andrew, or actually "My Lover" as he has himself labeled in my phone. Frustrated, I answered, "Yeah babe?".

Andrew: "Where are you?"
Me: "Seriously? I am in the bathroom"
Andrew: "Oh well they just called your name"
Me: "Well can you tell them I am in the bathroom?!"
Andrew: "Ok"

When I came out I saw that all of the nurses and office staff where laughing. Apparently they had all heard what I said to Andrew. I guess I was kinda snappy and yelly through the phone/bathroom door. I apologized to Andrew on the way back to the room....I think we are their favorite patients.

Nathalie and Baby M

4Th Of July with My Guy…and an Untimely Bathroom Break

As you well know our Nation’s Independence Day was celebrated last weekend. Our friend’s asked us to watch their dog while they were away so we settled in for a much needed lazy long weekend at home. We thought perhaps there would be others like us holding down the fort in Dallas who would want to share in the festivities with us, but it seemed most folks we know left the DFW area for the weekend or had other plans. So we made our own fun and went to the fireworks at a local park by ourselves. It was actually quite romantic minus the ants…

We packed a picnic full of deliciousness. This was my first attempt at bruschetta and it turned out to be amazing thanks to tomatoes being perfectly in season and basil growing like crazing in our herb garden. Yumm!

A couple of hours later the sun was setting and we knew it was finally time for the fireworks!

Trouble was I needed to pee all of a sudden. Other problem: the bathroom Port-o-Jon was at least a 10 minute walk from our lovely picnic location. At first I tried to suffer through the discomfort, but after some reflection on what it would be like to try to reach a toilet after the firework show (lines, people, craziness, more darkness…you get the picture), I determined it was best to get to one ASAP. I shared my feelings about this with Andrew. At first he thought I was kidding. Probably because we had already taken a trip to the bathrooms an hour before and in his mind it was time to relax and enjoy the whole reason we made the venture out there to begin with. What can I say…I have a small bladder. I offered to go and come back but he was not comfortable with me walking around in the dark with thousands of strangers without him. So, we packed all of our stuff up and starting walking toward the bathrooms and our car (it was also in that general direction) all the while knowing we would likely miss some or all of the evening’s pyrotechnics. We got some odd looks from others wondering what crazy couple packs up before the fireworks, but we hurried on until we finally made it to the Port-oJon. While these are not my favorite form of public restroom, I was very grateful for it. As I exited and grabbed my germ gel I realized we hadn’t missed the fireworks at all! In fact we were able to re-situate right next to our car and still had a great view of the show. The other fortunate consequence was immediately afterwards we were able to jump in the car and beat most of the traffic out of that place. Who’s laughing now that we packed up early? Next year I will try to time my bio breaks a little bit better though….the situation gave Andrew lots of fuel for teasing.

Nathalie

Home Improvements

I have neglected my blog the last couple of weeks in part to a little home improvement project we have Andrew has been working on non-stop. WhileI have not helped outright on anything, I have been in a support role providing lunch, drinks, and the occasional Home Depot run when needed. One of my posts months ago made a pitiful attempt at describing what our plans were for the space off our kitchen previously part of the garage. If you would like to see some before pics I included some then (see post HERE). At that time I had dreams about what our new pantry/dog/storage/utility room would be like, but the results are more than I could have imagined! It is so beautiful and wonderful and huge! Some of you have been to our home and know the limitations to our previous pantry space. I am simply amazed at what Andrew with the help of his brother Marty (THANK YOU MARTY!) were able to do in such a short amount of time. The pictures don't quite do it justice as that pesky window which I am thankful to have there, seems to mess up the lighting. Either way I think they communicate the beauty and splendor of our new home space. Enjoy:)

This is the opening from the kitchen....

As you round the corner

looking in...now you can see the pantry on the left...love it!

Spacey and luxurious dog area

Wesson's view from the crate...

Looking out...have I mentioned I love the pantry? 

We still have some shelves and hardware to add but it is essentially done and I don't have to keep our food on the mantle anymore! Thank you Andrew....I am very impressed with your handyman-ness.

Nathalie

Big News

We got some exciting news today I wanted to share with the world. You are now looking at Andrew McClish Professional Engineer (PE)!! Andrew found out today that he passed his PE exam he sat for back in April. You may recall this post when I asked you all to join me in praying for my husband during the grueling 8 hour test with a 30% pass rate. The Lord was gracious to bless him with a score of 76 (this is a really good score) and the relief that he never has to take the thing again! The PE title doesn’t change a lot, but is highly respected in his field since Professional Engineers are the only persons allowed to sign drawings. Andrew will receive a special seal that will engrave his name on drawings making him responsible for the structure. I guess that is a lot of pressure and perhaps why the test is so dang hard! No matter, Andrew is a great addition to the PE community (if I do think so myself) and I know he can handle it. Way to go Andrew!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

This will have to be short and sweet since my lunch hour is coming to an end, but wanted to do a quick shout out to my husband who turned 30 yesterday! He was a little down in the dumps about it, but I think he's going to be OK. His spirits were certainly lifted by the party we had for him last Saturday. One of these days I will get the pictures downloaded of which I didn't take a one. Thankfully, my mother-in-law had the where with all to take a few shots during the event. It was lovely thanks to the McClish extended family coming in from the Texas Panhandle to help! Mercy I don't know how I would have made the food, decorated, or set up the party without them! If you are a McClish and are reading this....THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Lets just say it was a pretty fun time. We had amazing meat prepared by our friend Justin (he has a gift), red velvet cake, and a pinata! Really the party needs a proper blog post and hopefully I can get to that soon. Thanks to all of you who came to celebrate with Andrew. It reminded us how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends and family to walk with.

To Andrew: I for one am very glad you were born May 19th 1980. Happy Birthday! I love you and being your wife....even if you are an "old guy" :)

Love, Nathalie

10 Things I Love About Andrew:

I happen to be married to the guy who has it all. Andrew is full of amazing gifts and talents, and the fact God chose him for me? Well it baffles me and I continue to be in awe of how blessed I am! Of course I am a little bias, but what wife isn’t? He is the butter to my bread (is that the right expression?). I get expressions mixed up a lot. Expression dyslexia if you will. In other words he gets me and we just click. Here are some of my favorite things about my husband:

1. He loves God. I had to put that first since it is truly what I love most about him but the remaining 9 things are more lighthearted and less serious. Enjoy…

2. His athleticism is unmatched. See here how he masterfully chases the dog through the snow.

3. Andrew always acts cool in front of celebrities. Yes friends this is Coolio in the flesh! I feel like singing “Gangster’s Paradise” right now. This 90’s rap icon showed up at a wedding we attended last May. Andrew very naturally asked him about his 8 ball necklace. Oh wait that was me…and it was kind of awkward as I found out later that the 8 ball is a drug symbol. Andrew though? Cool (he knew about the 8 ball already) with Coolio and we got this shot before the impromptu rap performance for the bride and groom.

***side note: the bride and groom had no idea he would be attending

4. Next I feel the need to mention Andrew’s hot body. I especially enjoy his backside as seen in this photo. He loves when I take these kinds of pictures too:)

5. His front side is not bad either and shows off his ruggedly handsome features. Won’t our children be beautiful?

6. I have mentioned his resourcefulness numerous times in my short blogging life, but must say this gift continues to make me marvel. Remember the shop vac hair dryer solution? All his idea.

7. He is a man’s man too…look at the way he guides us through the rapids here. I was so at ease with his boating skills that I felt led to get the camera out for this shot.

8. Andrew is also one of the funniest people I know. If you know him this is obvious. Being serious is something he only does in private on rare occasions.

9. He was also blessed with the gift of rhythm, although he is from a Scottish heritage. Here he is at our wedding with Sarah (one of our bridesmaids)…wasn’t she lucky to take a spin around the floor with this guy? He is so uninhibited when he dances.

10. Finally (for this list anyway) the man is brilliant. He has 2 degrees in engineering (the hard fields) and can look at a math problem or any problem and figure it out. One time our ice maker didn’t work. He took apart the entire freezer, diagnosed the issue, developed a fix, fixed it, and put it all back together. There is nothing he can’t figure out!

A God loving, good looking, smart, but still cool, brilliant man. What else could a girl ask for? I love this guy!

Now on a more serious note, a prayer request. Tomorrow Andrew will be taking his Professional Engineering Exam all day. He has been preparing for this test for weeks now in hopes of passing (there is a 30% pass rate!). Please join me in praying for him tomorrow. It is a grueling 8 hours so your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Nathalie