Funny strange or funny Ha-Ha?

There are many people on whom my humor is lost. Well, misunderstood, maybe. It seems that either the person doesn't "get it," the timing catches them off-guard, sarcasm is mistaken for insensitivity, or it's basically an inappropriate time for silliness.

That said, I am anxious to see how Jack's teacher likes her Christmas card.



I couldn't resist.

First Kinder picture

Given that he cut his own hair on picture day...

... I think Jack's first Kindergarten picture turned out pretty adorable. He said "Mrs. Brockman had to comb my hair in the front with her fingers. Two times."

God bless her.

What's in a name?

Jack: "Mom, how come you always write 'MBG' instead of your name?"

Me: "It's just faster than writing out my whole name."

J: "Yeah, it takes like one minute to write 'MBG' and like a hundred minutes to write 'Melissa Bethlehem Griffin.' [pause...] Wait, what's your middle name again?"

Jack and the box.

Homework Directions: Write a Christmas story that includes each of the five senses we studied this week. Be creative!

Jack: "I don't know what to write!"

Me: "Well, think about Mary and Joseph... what do you think it smelled like in the stable?"

J: "Mom, a Christmas story doesn't ALWAYS have to be about Jesus! Sometimes you need to think outside the box."

Sad SAD commentary.

Overheard at SONIC Drive-thru today:

Me: "I will have a large half-diet, half-regular Dr. Pepper and a white milk."

Employee over intercom: "Are you driving a different car today?"

The gospel according to Jack.

After I reminded Jack Everett that he would receive three gifts from us for Christmas:

Jack: "That's because Jesus got three gifts, right?"
Me: "Right."
J: "Because there were three wise men, right?"
M: "Right."
J: "And they just brought one gift, right?"
M: "Yes. And we give gifts to remember that JESUS was the REAL gift.... the GREATEST gift of ALL, right?"
J: "Yes, but do you know what I wish?"
M: {...thinking, "There's no telling..."}
J: "I wish there were a LOT more wise men."

"Let every heart...

... prepare Him room."

Tonight we began the season of Advent... twenty-four days of anticipation. I imagine back in history... people were awaiting the coming of the Messiah with child-like excitement.

I imagine they felt like Jack when he hung the first little camel and immediately said, "I wanna do another one!"

That little Jude's a fighter!

Almost five weeks ago, my cousin Josh and his wife Kate welcomed this little guy into their lives much earlier than expected...

Jude Joshua Murray was born on October 20, 2009 at 27 weeks gestation. He weighed in at 2 pounds, 3 ounces and was 13 and 3/4 inches long.

He was going along pretty well but has developed a serious condition called NEC. We all know it's best if I don't attempt any sort of medical explanation, but from my limited understanding this disease attacks his intestines and can cause serious damage or loss of vital parts of his digestive tract.

He underwent surgery this week to correct the NEC and it went pretty well, so he's back on the long road to recovery. Our entire extended family has been keeping up with his progress thanks to Facebook, the hospital website, Sprint picture mail... it's really pretty amazing how technology makes it feel like he's not so far away.

11-14-09: Kate got to dress her tiny little guy for the first time. He looks so warm and snuggly and she looks like such a natural.

Davis was in the NICU for one short week during which Jeff and I watched young couples just like Josh and Kate caring for tiny preemies in isolettes. We watched them coming and going, bringing milk to feed the baby, taking turns touching the baby with one fingertip, asking questions, watching their baby sleeping, wanting to hold them, to nurse them, and to take them home.

Josh and Kate seem to be holding up well, but I ask everyone reading this to say a little prayer for them today. Pray for their energy... that they stay healthy... for peace of mind with all the BIG decisions they have to make regarding Jude's care... and for my Aunt Shelly, Uncle Michael and Great Aunt Sue as they cope with being away from their son and first grandbaby/great-grandbaby.

Thanks everyone, and I will post updates as Jude continues to grow!

The many faces of Davis J

"Yes, I've always been this loud."

The eyes and shirt say it all. Click to enlarge - that last one cracks me up.

Someday he will discover that this diving board also plays music.

I know the blog has been pretty Davis-specific lately, but the accident has really caused me to re-open my eyes to the amazing joy that is this blonde little boy. I just can't stop kissing him and holding him and smelling him. It feels like just this week I noticed how hazel his eyes are.

Thank you God for refreshing my attitude towards parenting him. He makes me laugh more and sigh less. Thanks for replacing much of my frustration with grace and humor.

I'm just sorry it took an accident to get my attention.

Hospital pics.

I took these cute pics (on my cell phone) of Davis trying to escape the E.R. before his CT Scan.

Trust me, little guy. No one wanted out of there more than Mommy...

Big D gave us a post-accident scare.

For a few days after the accident, Davis was extremely fussy, had little appetite and was sleeping a lot. With a 16-month old, it is so hard to tell what is wrong. He is cutting teeth, his muscles could be sore, he is on antibiotics for his ear infections, he has a diaper rash, his Mommy is stuck on a couch with painkillers and heating pads, and the country seems to be going socialist. Any one of these things is enough to make him cry.

But Sunday he developed a new symptom that started worrying us - he was sensitive to light. We thought we'd keep an eye on it, but when he took a FIVE-HOUR nap Monday morning, I decided take him back in for a CT Scan.

Four hours of wrestling him later, the results came back and his brain looks totally normal. The scan did, however, show that his nasal cavities were swollen and infected and his right ear infection was back. Praise God! The little guy had a bad sinus headache! This explained the sleeping, fussiness and sensitivity to light. With great relief, to say the least, we took him home. Well, took him to fill yet another antibiotic, then took him home.

As you know, I love to find humor in otherwise stressful situations. Well, when I got home and started reading the discharge paperwork I had to laugh at the nurse's choice of words. It pretty much said, "Spastic psycho Mom brought her son in for a CAT SCAN because of a cold."

Yeah, I'm laughing now. Let's just pray that GEICO pays for it.

A bit of a wreck.

For those who don't know, we were heading to meet Emily and Evan for lunch Thursday morning when Davis and I were in a car accident on 1604/Bandera Road. The other driver ran her red light and hit us at the end of our left turn. Our car spun around and when we came to rest, Davis' carseat was laying competely over on its side and he was screaming his head off. Thankfully, as soon as we lifted him out of the car, he immediately stopped crying and seemed okay. He had a minor seatbelt bruise on his neck/left collarbone and some faint markings on his right temple. Jack Everett was at school and Nana went to pick him up while we headed to the hospital.

The other driver, a woman in her fifties, was truly apologetic. She started really crying as she helped me get Davis out of the car. We hugged and I assured her the baby would be okay. I really felt bad for her, but was relieved when she admitted, "I was trying to beat the light." Two witnesses were willing to give recorded statements about her light being red.

We were both checked out at Methodist Hospital and were sent home within a few hours. We feel very lucky and know God protected us from real harm. I am extremely sore because (as we have established) I am no longer a spring chicken. My neck and back are painful and stiff and I have been alternating heating pads and muscle relaxers to manage the discomfort. Davis was uncharacteristically fussy Thursday and Friday but his appetite and cheery disposition seemed to return this morning. He has been taking unusually long naps, but Ask-a-nurse said that is to be expected.

When I got home from the hospital Thursday night, a note was waiting for me, "For Mom and Davis, I hope you feel betor from the hospital. From Jack"



My '99 Honda CR-V. If this had happened just a second sooner, she would have smashed directly into Davis' door. Instead, the rear quarterpanel took the brunt of the impact and his door was bent in only on the corner. The rear axle is bent and the right tire is angled in quite a bit. We are awaiting a judgment on liability and a determination of whether the car is totalled (which we fully anticipate due to its age and condition.)

Mom took me today to replace Davis' carseat, which will be covered in the insurance settlement. I got emotional at Enterprise Rent-a-car, again in the Babies 'R Us carseat aisle, and again when Mom got into her car to leave. I am still shaken up but am overcome with thankfulness when I stop to think about how much worse it could have been.

Tonight at dinner Jack said, "We better not spend any of our money. If the car people say they can't fix your car, you can have ALL my money from my money book. If not, I will STILL save my money from my money book. Just in case."

It was a sweet natural invitation to remind him that as we wait, we trust that God will continue to provide ALL of our needs.