I spent the day with my family yesterday.  My sister ran out to get something from her car and my almost 5 year old nephew followed her. She came back in with a disturbed look on her face. Memphis had started playing on the ground and Erin told him not to play in the mud. Memphis told her that it was dirt and not mud. Then he pulled down his shorts and peed on the ground.

“Now it’s mud.”

So much happened this last weekend. I’m still recovering from the awesomeness.

On Saturday, Ben had to work and run a mysterious errand. I met up with the rest of my family at a park and we had a picnic.

My parents and grandparents were there along with my brother, sister-in-law and my two nephews. My sister came and brought her man plus his three boys. All of the big boys ran around like maniacs playing with a ball, scooter and a kite. They also went down to the pond to “feed the ducks”. (AKA, pelt the ducks with bits of bread.) Aiden toddled around looking for people to charm and Sophie got passed around until she started freaking out. Finally we found someone to calm her down.

Jay and Sophie get along like gangbusters. He cuddled and walked around with her for most of the afternoon. After seeing him brush off anyone who tried to take her, I asked my sister if he was going to allow me to take my child home. We finally left when it became apparent that all of the kiddos needed naps.

Sunday was Mother’s Day. For my first Mother’s Day present ever, I received a framed picture of my husband and Sophie. It was perfect. We went to church that morning so that I could work the early service. (I volunteer in the Nursery.) My parents and grandparents met us for the late service. I hope they enjoyed it. We are NOT a traditional church. After the services were over, there was a Parent-Child dedication. Sophie looked beautiful and was actually pleasant for the majority of the ceremony! She waited to cry until our pastor began praying. After the ceremony, everyone came to my house and we met up with my sister, Jay and his boys. I made a big lunch that even the pickiest eaters liked. It’s a high compliment to a cook when there is NOTHING leftover. Again, Jay nabbed Sophie as soon as he set foot in the house. That boy is crazy about her! His boys played with Ben’s legos and one of the 3-year old twins cried when it was time to leave. I love his boys and can’t wait to see more of them.

My family is wonderful. I can’t wait for certain things to happen in the next year.

This weekend I began brainstorming about my upcoming birthday. I’m turning 29 this year and I feel a little uck about it. I usually don’t make a big deal out of my birthday but this one feels different. I told Ben, my mom and my dad that I would love to have a laser tag party. I think I have geeky enough friends to go for it. Ben and I joked about putting my grandma in a laser tag get-up and posting a picture to Digg. My mother got a look on her face and asked if laser tag hurts. I told her that a hit only makes your vest vibrate.

“Good. I guess I was thinking about paintball. One hit would kill your grandma.”

(Ben) “I can see the headlines the next day. SAINTLY WOMAN KILLED IN FREAK PAINTBALL ACCIDENT.”

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. Every night I fall into bed thinking “Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll post.” Tomorrow is now today and I’ll do my best to get to everything.

Sophie came home on January 31st, two weeks after she was born. That Monday we had been told by the doctors and nurses that Sophie was going fast and would likely be home that weekend. Tuesday night, Sophie took it upon herself to remove her own feeding tube and demand bottles at every feeding. They told us that we would be taking classes on Wednesday and going home on Thursday. On Monday night I started feeling not-so-great. By Wednesday morning I had horrible pains in my abdomen and begged my doctor to work me in. She saw me at 2:30 that afternoon and did a sonogram. Nothing was wrong with my uterus and that was all she could see. She suggested that I go to the ER and get a CAT scan. She called ahead to get me in faster and I called Ben. He met me at the ER and we waited about an hour before going back. A shot of morphine came about an hour later. This helped me through the CAT scan and also made TV reeeeeeeeally funny. Around 7:45 they finally came in an said that I had a small kidney stone and a UTI. They game me some IV antibiotics and scripts for more antibiotics and pain meds. We went home and collapsed into bed. The next day we spent about an hour at the drug store and finally made it up to the hospital. It took us a while but finally we were on our way home with our little girl in the backseat. Mom met us at home and we settled into a tentative routine of feeding, changing and sleeping.

The next day, Ben stayed home. I’m glad he did because I started feeling even worse. My grandparents came over for a visit and when they left I checked my temperature. It was 100.5 and I was feeling pretty cruddy. I called my OB and told her. She looked up my account to see what the doctors in the ER had done. I told her what they told me (white blood cell count high showing an infection and CT showing the small stone) and she hesitated. She asked if they had taken a urine sample. I told her that they had not. She said that my account said that my white blood cell count was normal and that they had never done a urinalysis. Basically, the doctor lied and misdiagnosed me. What’s more, the antibiotic that I was taking was NOT for women who are breastfeeding. I had asked the doctor eighty times if everything was safe and he kept reassuring me that it was. She told me to stop taking the antibiotic and to get up to her office ASAP for a urinalysis. My sister took me and by the time I got back, my temperature was over 102. It kept climbing. We called my mom to come look after me and Sophie while Ben went to get my scripts. By the time she came over I was delirious. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family support system. My mother is amazing. After sleeping for a while, a dose or two of Tylenol and some orange, I felt better. Mama went home and left us in the care of my wonderfully patient husband.

Just as I felt better, Sophie started fussing at night more than usual. I know she’s only been home for a week but I know my child. I know when something is wrong. One night while changing her I noticed that her stomach was hard and distended. We were going to the pediatrician the next day so I just held her while she cried. She was straining and grunting whenever she filled her diaper. I gave her small meals and made sure she was burped well. I let her sleep in her car seat and, when that stopped working, I held her while she slept on me. We went to the pediatrician a week after she came home. The doctor said that Sophie was having reflux problems and was horribly constipated. She told me to stop using the formula mixed in my milk and to start giving her a little bit of apple juice in water each day. She also told me to give her a suppository that day. I’ll let you guess which one Sophie liked more. If Sophie was still having problems then I was to bring her back in a week. Today Sophie’s tummy looks and feels much better and she’s sleeping in her bassinet again. She’s also eating more at each feeding which means her tummy is acting right again. This is the hardest thing I have done as a mother. My child hurt and all I could do was hold her and cry with her. I’m glad that’s over.

Ben is starting to get back into the swing of things back at work. He’s still having to put in some overtime so that things can get done after these last couple of weeks. I’m trying to learn a routine here at home that lets Sophie relax, lets me sleep and still keep the house running. It’s slow going but I know it will work. The shower / welcome home party is in the works and Ben’s parents are coming here around Sophie’s actual due date. We even plan on going to church soon! I haven’t been since Sophie was born.

In other news, I got my hair cut yesterday. You’ll have to wait until I can fix it the right way before I post pictures.

This weekend was quite the fun-filled family romp. 

 Friday:  On Friday night, Ben wanted to get out of the house.  We took the train down to Mockingbird Station for dinner.  The catch is that it was raining cats and dogs.  And possibly goats.  By the time we got to dinner we looked like we had swam there.  It was still a lot of fun.  We bickered cheerfully and had each other in stitches.

Saturday:  We began the day by cleaning.  When the apartment was finally to a point where we could see the majority of the futon and even parts of the carpet then we decided to reward ourselves.  We left and ran a couple of errands first.  We decided to take a drive after lunch.  After a yummy BBQ lunch where we ate WAY too much smoked pig, we started driving southwest.  A little outside of Fort Worth we saw a warehouse looking building with big army planes in front.  And a ship.  And a bunch of propeller looking things.  It was so bizarrely random that we decided to stop.  Ben grabbed his camera and we took some cursory looks at the planes.  We wandered into the warehouse and Ben’s jaw hit the floor.  It was FULL of classic cars.  He describes it here and there is also a link to the pictures he took.  I am in no way a car fanatic but even I could appreciate the beauty of these cars.  They even had a Hudson Hornet!  You know!  Doc!

Sunday:  Church was awesome.  (As usual.)  We got there early because Ben had to work.  I still love watching him in action.  We’re going to start having Sunday night services after Easter.  The team all decided that they would have one crew working both services on Sunday morning and the same people working that night.  They’ll just work less often a month so that no one gets burned out.  I pray every day that God will reveal to me where he wants me to serve.  I really want to get involved again.  After we finally got home, we turned right around and went to my Mama’s.  My brother, sister-in-law and their two kids were coming out.  YAY!  BABIES!  My grandparents also came out and we ended up having a huge amount of family fun.  Grandma finally got to hold the Chimp while he was awake and aware.  He’s so cute!  He’s starting to laugh and smile all the time.  Memphis was in fine form, singing his ABC’s and making toot noises with his arm.  We sat and played with his little plastic dinosaurs and I taught him “triceratops” and “apatosaurus.”  Then I held up one and couldn’t remember the name.  Ben told him that it was “Fred” and Memphis dutifully repeated him.  Ben got to roughhouse with Memphis and try to understand his toddler-speak.  He also got to hold Aiden and give him his first rabbit ears and moose antlers in a picture.  Uncle Ben was quite a hit.  I made sure to reward him nicely when we got home and he collapsed.  He earned that back rub.

 WOW!  I’m chatty this morning!

Ben and I have gotten into the habit of watching Mythbusters together each night.  It’s a tiny little Nerd Fest every evening during dinner complete with snort laughs and exclamations about how we would love to duplicate what they are doing.  Then we go back to the office and look up goofy videos and weird pictures to share with each other.  I love my Geek.

My sister is dating a new man.  She’s very excited about him.  He’s in town this weekend and is meeting the family.  We’re going to a family dinner tomorrow night and on a double date on Saturday.  He’s into similar geekiness and we’re anxious to meet and rate him.  Erin is a low level geek and while she can hold her own while talking about Star Wars or LOTR, she doesn’t watch anime or know all of the characters in Star Trek.  It’s going to be interesting to see what kind of guy she has chosen.  I hope we don’t scare him too badly.

There’s not a lot going on right now. Actually, I take that back. Something big happened last week.

MY BROTHER GOT MARRIED! TO A WONDERFUL WOMAN WHO IS NOW MY WONDERFUL SISTER!

We had a reception for the happy couple on Saturday. Roxanne came in looking beautiful and content. She is such a sweetie and I love watching her and my brother together. They compliment each other so well. She’s an incredible mother to my 2 nephews, also. Her sister Candy was there with her little girl, Breeze. (AWESOME NAME.) When my brother called us to say that they were almost at the house, my sister and I started racing out to the front. The winner would meet the car first and get the baby. Erin beat me to the car and nabbed the Chimp. I was disappointed until I saw Breeze. Two babies, two sisters. It worked out well. We just traded back and forth all day. The Fiancee was giggling at us the whole time. Whenever one of the mommies held their baby and tried to do something Erin and I offered to take the baby off of their hands. The Fiancee found this hilarious. Now, the Fiancee is a little wary when it comes to babies. He was content to watch us fight over who got to hold the baby next. I waited for him to sit and relax on the couch and then I pounced. Quietly, I sidled up to him and plunked the Chimp in the crook of his arm. The Fiancee froze like I had just handed him a live grenade. The two boys just stared at each other for a while. Aiden had a look on his face that said “…and you are?” All of the women began squealing and many pictures were snapped. The Fiancee threatened my life if the baby spit up on him. Aiden had already spit up on me 3 or 4 times so this was a very real concern. He was good and just snuggled down into the Fiancee’s arm. Cue the explosion of my uterus. My potty training 3 year old nephew had an “accident” and had to be bathed. We had a streaker running through the house for a while. He’s such a cute little chubby man! We told Roxanne to take some pictures for future embarrassment when he brings home his first girlfriend. He’s going to start preschool this year and is a little concerned. Roxanne is fine with it and is excited for him. Patrick is the basket case! They are a wonderful little family and I’m so happy that they are all officially COBBS.

Time to tell you about the siblings. We’ll start with the sister.

My sister is neat. She’s also my polar opposite in almost every way. She’s always been tall, thin, blond (usually) and popular. Men fall over themselves when she enters a room. Heads turn at the gorgeous creature that has blessed their presence. She has a husky alto voice with an amazing laugh. She sings beautifully and is maniacally smart. She’s also quite the Girlie Girl who takes great pride and care in her appearance.

I’ve always been the geeky, short, stout brunette that never knew what kind of clothes were cool. I still don’t know how to apply eyeshadow correctly. The only way guys noticed me when I walked into a room was if my skirt was tucked into my pantyhose. I have a dorky laugh and a tendency to slosh drinks down my chest.

She’s an incredible sister. She has a heart as big as the Milky Way. Her family is very important to her. Especially her siblings. Sometimes I used to feel intimidated by her. She was so much like the popular girls at school that made fun of me. And yet, she was also just my sister. How neat that one of the popular kids actually liked me!

When my sister was in 7th grade, she was diagnosed with a heinous disease that will be with her for the rest of her life. I’ve watched this beautiful woman struggle with a horrible thing that threatened to take her away from the rest of us. She stayed brave and strong through so much pain and fear. We came very close to losing her a couple of years ago. I remember hiding in a hospital bathroom and crying at the though of losing my baby sister. I can’t remember being without her. How could I live without her now?

She’s healthy now. There’s a really cute guy in her life that makes her smile a lot. She’s working again and is enjoying it. She still pokes fun at me when I tell her that I want a new pair of Frankensandals or that I’m thinking of getting another perm. She rolls her eyes when I talk about anime or tell her another stupid joke. We still giggle whenever Mama says something old fashioned and we still have burping contests.

Yesterday the Fiancee and I went to the grocery store with my Mama. As we were leaving we saw that a group of Girl Scouts had camped out at the exit. Now, the Fiancee is a Thin Mint ADDICT. He whipped his head around to me and gave me some serious puppy dog eyes. Like the meanie that I am, I pointed him out the door and told him that we were going home. My Mama immediately dug around in her purse, brought out some cash, thrust it at me and told me to “GO BUY THAT BOY SOME COOKIES!” I protested at first, telling her that I would get his cookies that weekend. She was not convinced. She ordered me back in so that her precious Future Son in Law could have his Thin Mints that afternoon. When I came back out with that box of cookies the Fiancee had a big smile on his face. He knew that he was IN.

Notice that there was no mention about getting her own daughter any cookies. Now that the Chosen One has come into her life THERE IS NO NEED FOR THIS CHILD THAT SPRANG FROM HER LOINS.

Grandma, you still love me right?

I have a brand new nephew!! Aiden Patrick Cobb was born a week ago and he is 9 pounds 4 ounces of Cute. I call my 3 1/2 year old nephew Monkey so his brother has officially been dubbed Chimp.

Now if I can only get a niece…Mama’s starting to eye me a little impatiently…