Emmeline is the boss and other random facts

Emma and Grandma Judy on a walk

I'm going to blame Blogger going and reformatting how we post blogs for the lack of posts lately.  I have a few drafts, but it took me a while to get the hang of inserting pics.  Good thing I never claimed to be a diligent blogger who records everything--it's doubtful that you'll ever hear about Christmas 2011.  Not that it was a bad Christmas, just one that I didn't attempt to record.

Yesterday, I picked up Emma from Kids' Club at the gym, and my friend said, "I didn't know Emma could talk."  I replied she doesn't really...she mostly speaks in inflections.  My mom is better at understanding them than I am. Her favorite inflections is, "What is that?"

My friend said, "Oh, I heard her telling a baby to go."  And, then, I realized Emma does have a few words.  Her favorites being, "No, Mine, Go." She continues to call her dad, "Nate," and unfortunately, she's mastered the inflection I use when I'm irritated with Nate--wait, not that I'm ever irritated with Nate.

Emma finished with her walk

She hates the car, and that's totally my fault.  She's so much easier to take out than her toddler brothers were that I do 3-4 errands at a time.  I never dared to do more than one or two with Asher and/or Luke.

And, I love the fact that when I say, "Don't, that will hurt," or "Hot!" or "Be careful!" she's the first kid I've ever had who actually thinks I might be telling the truth.

Mom, I Have a Good Idea...

Since Christmas when Luke started creating "Santa traps" (don't worry, I just need to get down the string for his "Easter Bunny traps" and take a picture so you'll know what these look like), Luke often comes up to Nate or me and says, "Mom (or Dad), I have a good idea..."

...and then, proceeds to tell us some creative solution to a Lukey problem, like:
Mom, I have a good idea.  Let's get a seesaw, you can put me on one end and jump really hard.  That will shoot me over to Walter's house.

Dear Dad

This is why I hate moonsand.

This is an email Luke had me type to Nate on Friday (we're trying to loose the nighttime pull-up):

Dear Dad,

I won't pee in my pants anymore. I will go to the potty right away, and this is so I can get a movie or Hot Wheels, or a doughnut, or go to Old McDonald's or get an ice cream all the way to the top or to the zoo (Mom, type "toooo the, the, zoo.").

And, I will get something with the Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Saturday, and Mom and Dad are going to tape it up to the wall.

I will put stickers on the other days, there and there and there.

Dear Dad, and I will do underwear until I say.
Love,
Luke

Asher and bad boys

Look! We did a craft together.

This morning, Luke brought Asher his school picture and said, "Asher, which ones are the bad boys in your class?"

Asher's response was, "There aren't any bad boys in my class," which he said with simple conviction. 

This probably means that I need to work on my judgmental attitude because I thought of two as soon as Luke asked (including the one who punched Asher in the stomach).

Gardening

We finally finished the other half of our awesome gardening bed in November. Emma was delighted, too.

Trying New Things

So, I'm trying my hand at fundraising and celebrating my 35th birthday by trying to raise $3500 for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Phew...that makes me sweat just typing it out! Don't know if I'll make it, but it'll be fun and worthwhile to try.

And, I figure if any organization deserves me going outside of my comfort zone to raise money for them it's the CCFA.

I wrote a post about my time with ulcerative colitis here before. And, here's my fancy fundraising attempt:

For my 18th birthday, when some kids were getting a new computer or a new car, I got a colectomy--that means a surgeon removed my colon. I had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was 14 years old, and my chronic, inflammatory bowel disease had irreparably damaged my colon in just four years.

Leading up to the surgery, I was getting two blood transfusions a week, going to the bathroom hourly, and eagerly waiting my next dose of anti-nausea medication. For a month I had been on bowel rest--a nice way of saying I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink in the hope that giving my colon some time off its hard work of digesting would help it heal. While being fed intravenously, I would salivate over the Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial that came on the hospital’s TV. Though not usually a KFC fan, I longed for some crispy fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

I awoke from my colectomy and immediately noticed a difference. The nausea was finally gone. Though the recovery was slow, I eventually returned to a blessedly normal diet (I could eat raw vegetables again!), gave birth to three children, and remain ever grateful that I had the surgery.

Post-surgery my health has been great. I know how lucky I am. But, there are millions of Americans who aren’t as lucky, and for years I have felt the nagging guilt that I need to give back to the community that helped me when I was so sick.

When I heard about the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s (CCFA) half marathon, I knew this was the time. Recently, I started strength training and running, which have helped strengthen the muscles around my knees. (Some of my joints have damage from the steroids I took to keep my ulcerative colitis under control as a teenager.)

So, I made the decision to run in the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon this July. I am part of Team Challenge, a program that trains participants to run or walk the race while helping us raise money for research and support for Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Since its inception, CCFA has been a part of every major discovery regarding ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease. CCFA offers support to patients and families, and even sends kids with these diseases to camp. For many of these kids it is the first time in their lives they get to be “normal.”

CCFA holds a special place in my heart because they were the ones who organized pediatric support groups when I was first diagnosed (a disease with the primary symptoms of diarrhea, incontinence, and flatulence is difficult to deal with as a teenager). Later they found me a support group when I was dealing with my ostomy, and they organized conferences that helped me and my parents learn about on the newest treatments for my disease.

I am excited to have this opportunity to tell and reflect on my story while meeting new people as we work to help others who struggle with this disease. The timing is serendipitous; the race two days after the seventeenth anniversary of getting released from the hospital after my colectomy.

So, I have made a personal goal for this exciting challenge. In honor of my upcoming thirty-fifth birthday, I am committed to raising $3,500. Please consider helping me reach my goal. I look forward to raising money for an important cause. Call me with questions and check out my personal webpage.

http://www.active.com/donate/napa12phoenix/NapaECurtis
With many thanks,
Emily

Emma's puddle

So, Emmeline managed to find the only puddle of water in the whole dry, dusty park today, and played in it for about 15 minutes.

She managed to get the top of her head wet while she did one of her favorite things...looking at the world upside down.

We all had a good laugh when she stood up and kept looking around, trying to figure out why water was dripping on her face.

I had to stop her when she resorted to drinking the water, but she did it a few times. I figure at least we know where the dysentery came from.

(Thanks, Jessica, for taking the pictures!)






































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