Loss

It's almost too much to bear...another dear friend losing a baby girl. My college roommate Kerry called me yesterday to tell me that her baby girl, Sadie Grace, who was due to be born on May 21st was gone. Unbelievable. After not feeling the baby move for quite some time, Kerry and her husband Jeff became alarmed and went to the hospital Monday night. There it was confirmed that their baby girl was gone.

Kerry is probably, as I type this, in recovery from her c-section to deliver Sadie Grace today. I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like. I'm just so heartbroken for her. So heartbroken for Mar. So heartbroken for any parent who has lost a child.

Mar and I will be traveling to Colorado Springs on Saturday to be with Kerry and her family for a couple of days. I know Mar is going to be such an enormous support for Kerry and I just pray that I can be what I need to be for both of them. It's so sad that they now share this story, this horrific journey. Mar expressed her feelings on her blog and I just wanted to share it here... Sadie Grace

Please continue to pray for Kerry, Jeff and their almost 3-year old Caleb. Pray for their entire families. Pray for travel safety for Mar and I and Kerry and Jeff's family that will be traveling to be near them. Thank you.

McDonald's toy that was actually worth getting!

We got this strange spaceship toy from McDonalds and finally found a great way to play with it! Sam thinks it's HILARIOUS! What a great laugh!



Mc Donald's Toy actually worth something from Sarah Giere on Vimeo.

Happy to report

WE HAVE RECOVERED!!!

THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR HEALING!

Faces

Nothing much to say today, except that we are still recovering from a stomach bug over here. Ellie finally perked up by Thursday afternoon, only to have Sammy get a touch of the bug (he's doing great now) and Hannah get nailed with it Friday night. We cancelled our trip to MI for the weekend and stayed put. Hannah literally has been on the couch since Friday night. Finally tonight she was talking more, eating more, walking more and currently sound asleep! I'm fairly confident that she'll be much better tomorrow after a great night sleep. 

Here are a few pictures from the past few days...the precious faces of our children. Even when they're sick and not smiley, they are oh so precious!

Poor little Ellie - knocked out by the nasty stomach bug!

Johaniks - this one's for you...can you read his shirt? "Pilot in Training!" :o)

Brian and Ellie checking out the butterflies! That was one of the good things about sticking around this weekend...we got to see them right after they emerged from their cocoons! Brian and Ellie also got to celebrate with Jake for his 11th birthday (happy birthday Jake!!)!

Unfortunately Hannah was too out of it to enjoy the miracle we were witnessing! Have you ever seen such a sad face?

I got this "walker/wagon" a couple weeks ago at Ikea and being the crazy boy that he is, Sam decided to find a new way to ride/push it! Silly guy!

He thinks he's hot stuff!

This picture of Ellie was taken the day she really came around after being sick...how cute that she discovered that she could see herself in a spoon! She can't do that with the plastic Ikea spoons she usually uses! :O)

AND last but not least, BIG NEWS!!! Sammy took his first steps! Of course after he did it once or twice (this was my best attempt to get a picture of since there wasn't anyone else around to take a picture), he thought it was more fun to just lunge at me instead of stepping. Just like his Daddy, always trying to make me laugh! 

Brother and Sister

Sam and Ellie (at age 1 yr. 5 months) in the ball pit. Notice how there are fewer balls in the picture with Sam. It's a mystery where they are, but they have to be here somewhere, don't they? I'm sure if we scoured our basement we'd find a few!

96 years young...

I don't mention her often on this blog and I'm not sure why...she's so special to us! So today, I want to wish a very special Happy Birthday to my Grandma! Great-Grammy (to my kids) turned 96 today! Isn't that just amazing?!

I know she won't see this (in fact, I'm not sure she's ever looked at a computer in her life...I need to ask her that one), but wanted to acknowledge her to all of you. We love you Grandma!

*my most recent picture of Grandma with Sam - Feb. 2009

Easter

I guess "they" say that life doesn't always go as planned right? Well, our Easter weekend was one of those such times. Good Friday morning Sam woke up with nasty, goopy eyes again! Long story, short, I took him in that afternoon and the doctor believed that the sinus infection we thought had gone away, had in fact, NOT. So, we put him back on an antibiotic. Because he had taken a turn for the worse again, he wasn't the happiest camper Friday or Sat.

We had planned to meet Dan, Mar and Jackson in Wheaton on Sat. for a time at the little zoo and have our own egg hunt with them. Well, because of Sam's issues, we thought we better lay low and not risk infecting the Glavach family! So, we did an egg hunt at home instead for the girls and Hannah invited her new little friend Mia from down the street. Despite Sam's sickness, we were able enjoy a beautiful day!

I guess Hannah is contemplating where to look for her next egg in this picture. :O)

Ellie found one!

Easter was great! Sam was well enough to take to the city to spend the day with Brian's family. We arrived in the morning and I stayed home w/ him while the rest of the family attended the Moody Church service. Steve, my father-in-law, was home sick as well, so while Sam napped, we watched the service live online. It was nice to feel like we were there with everyone. :O) It really was a beautiful service.

After church, we celebrated with the family up in the party room on the 56th floor of the building...even Molly, the Johnaik's new pup was there! She and Sam bonded!

Sam is 11 months old now!

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the girls w/ their dresses on...shame on me! And unfortunately, when we got home, I realized we didn't get one of our family either! So, I made my family sit down and pose for the camera. And, unfortunately, this picture was taken just minutes before poor little Ellie got hit with a nasty stomach bug. Needless to say, it was a long night.

So, here is the Giere family w/ one not-s0-happy 2 1/2 year old. (and a somewhat stunned looking 11 month old!)

Here we are three days later and Ellie is still pretty out of it. Her fever seems to be gone, but she has been left with one issue...let's just say, I've been changing a lot of diapers! (it's actually times like this that I'm sort of glad that she's not potty trained yet...although that's one of the next things on the 'to do' list!)

We hope that you had a blessed, healthy Easter!

These are the days...

We've been kind of sick lately...nothing major, just a nuisance. Here's a recap of the past few weeks.

Sam has been the poor child to really have been hit with these nasty bugs all winter. Actually, his doctor believes that he got an ear infection a couple of months ago and it just never really went away. So, instead of getting better, he'd seem fine and get worse...the last time, two weeks ago, he had an ear, eye and sinus infection all at the same time! Thankfully, he is a trouper! He had his moments, but overall, was still a good, happy little guy.

Ellie has basically had a cold for a month. At one point, she had a low-grade temp, but it went away pretty quickly. She still has a runny nose and slight cough, but otherwise is fine.

Hannah had been the same...just had a cold w/ a low-grade temp for one day a few weeks ago...until yesterday. Last night she began complaining that she didn't feel well and long story, short, I took her temp and it was 102! This morning, it was up to 103 and she complained that her ear hurt. So, off to the doctor we went. I love it when your child is old enough to tell you that something is wrong, because, sure enough, both ears are infected!

What does it mean when the pharmacist starts calling you by your first name when you drive-thru to pick up a prescription? Through it all, we give thanks to our ultimate Healer and giver of life. We are blessed, truly!

Okay, enough about that! In the midst of all of this sickness, of course, we've still had our fun! Sam is one growing boy! He had his hair cut again this week and I just can't believe how old it makes him look! His current loves are: opening the cabinet doors and letting them bang shut (as long as his fingers aren't in the way!), playing with the beach ball, standing and pushing toys across the kitchen floor, eating "big people" food, and last, but not least, crawling to the stairs and climbing them...at least 10 times a day!

Yes, Sam is wearing Ellie's fleece and he's playing by the baby center. Poor kid!

Common Sammy sight...scooting around the corner (probably headed for the stairs!)

Big boy with a new hair cut!

Sam's favorite activity...climbing the stairs!

Ellie has been a riot lately! On the one hand, she is "all 2 year old," becoming stubborn, throwing little fits and beginning to test me by saying "no" to me. The funniest thing is that she has discovered (and mastered) her "angry" voice. When she's upset and/or begging for something she's not getting, she'll make her voice low and almost with a raspy, deep voice, grunt out what she's trying to say. I don't think there's been one time that I haven't laughed at it! On the other hand, she's a little sweetheart too. We moved her to the big girl bed a couple of weeks ago and she was just as proud as a peacock! She even had to show Grandma and Grandpa her new bed (as if they'd never seen it before!). She also savers any time that I give her some one-on-one attention (must be a middle child thing). She loves to be tickled and to snuggle. Her vocabulary and sentences are coming right along too. She loves to repeat things that Hannah says (which doesn't always please her older sister) and again, voice her opinion when she seems fit!

No matter how many times we've tried to tell her, she insists on wearing glasses upside down!

Hannah is becoming a little woman right before our eyes. She continues to sprout, already growing out of a pair of jeans I just got her a couple of months ago (that were LONG when I bought them! And no, I don't think I shrunk them...she's just growing!). She's definitely inherited her daddy's long legs! She's been really into how other things grow too. She had some money saved up and when we said she could pick something out to spend it on, she said she wanted to buy caterpillars that turn into butterflies. If you haven't heard of this, check it out here. What you do is, order caterpillars that come in the mail. After you receive them, you get to watch their life cycle right before your eyes. It's been so interesting to watch this amazing transformation! Hannah loves checking on her butterflies (they are in the chrysalis stage right now) several times a day. She has a very hard to restraining herself from touching the little cup they are in, but is doing a good job at it! ;O) Hannah is and always has been such a social butterfly herself, it's no wonder she loves her new pets! Speaking of, her new thing is to ALWAYS want to have a party! The problem is that she'll say to me, "Mom, let's have a party...tomorrow." She'd have a party every day if she could! ;O)

Caterpillars - First day we got them

Hannah and her "pets"

Caterpillars - week 2 (taken April 7)

April 8 - all 5 in their chrysalid form!

Okay, I know this got REALLY long. Sorry...just thought I'd fill you in on life...these days...