Rebecca's Hidden Talent

It's been a rough couple of days. So when I saw Rebecca do this to Gabriel at the dinner table, I laughed my head off, and grabbed the camera (the video camera broke, but we can do short clips on our digital camera). I'd expect this from a boy, but my six year old daughter?

Now you know it doesn't take much to crack me up...seriously, I need some chocolate or wine (or both).

Tag

Tag...hmm...okay. Katie, here goes...

My First Child

1. Were you married at the time? Yes

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? We were excited, but I was nervous too.

3. How old were you? 24

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? I just knew, took a pregnancy test, and there was a plus sign…

5.Who did you tell first? I think we told my parents and in-laws first.

6. Did you want to find out the sex? No, we wanted it to be a surprise…that drove my MIL crazy.

7. Due date? June 30, 1999.

8. Did you deliver your child early or late? 3 days early.

9. Did you have morning sickness? Only 1-2 not so great days & that was it.

10. What did you crave? Bean burritos with jalapenos, and oranges.

11. Who irritated you the most? One teacher at the school where I worked was upset…she’s been trying to get pregnant too after having a miscarriage. She actually told me, "See…NFP doesn’t work!" She just didn’t understand, and I couldn’t explain to her that we were open to life. Later, I found out she’d adopted a baby overseas, went on maternity leave, put the baby in day care, and went back to work. I though it was sad she worked so hard to have a baby, only to leave her in the care of others.

12. What was your first child's sex? ALL BOY.

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? I’m not telling…nope…no way.

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No.

15. Where did you give birth? Memorial Herman Southwest

16. How many hours were you in labor? 22 very long, exhausting hours. Poor kid, he eventually had to be "suctioned" out with the vacuum extractor because he wouldn’t budge after 2 hours of pushing.

17. Who drove you to the hospital? David

18. Who watched? Just David, the doctor, and several nurses...I didn’t want anyone else.

19. Was it vaginal or c-section? Normal vaginal birth…but I had many complications afterwards; I’ll spare you all the details.

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Heck yes…give me that epidural!

21. How much did your child weigh? 8 lbs. 10 ounces

22. What did you name him/her? Joshua David. Joshua because it was my favorite name, David because the Reisinger tradition is to give the first born son his father’s name as the middle name.

23. How old is your first child today? 9 (and just as cute as ever!)

Anyone else? You're "it!"

Heaven's Little Saint

I was very blessed to be able to attend Chloe's funeral today. It was at St. James, not very far from my house. I initially hadn't planned to go, but felt God wanted me to. I also went for my friend Linda, who was a close friend of the Schmidt family. Linda flew out to Virginia this morning to attend a conference, and was heartbroken to miss Chloe's funeral. I sat with Kim, Linda's daughter, and was glad to be with someone I knew.

In honor of Chloe's love of purple and pink (her favorite colors), Fr. Charles and other presiders of the funeral mass wore purple vestments. Her casket was white, with pink trim, and all the flowers were in every shade of purple and pink. I learned today that Chloe also had a love affair with Hello Kitty, and always thought of others before her own pain and suffering.

For example, last winter, a Valentine Card drive was started for her by the Customer Care division at Continental Airlines. Eventually, over 2,000 valentine cards were collected, enough for Chloe and all the kids in the cancer unit on the 9th floor of Texas Children's Hospital.

After communion, several people got up to speak. The first was a representative from Continental. He said several beautiful things about Chloe, this remark being the most profound:

"Death is merely the experience of living through the memories of others."

How true that is.

The second person to speak was Chloe's godfather, Billy. He could not hold back his tears, and eventually one of the deacons came to the ambo and embraced him. By now, my own tears were coming in waves; it was so hard to stop crying. Cloe's godmother, Teresa came to the ambo and finished what Billy started. I was still crying so I regretfully cannot really remember what they said.

Lastly, a friend of the family spoke. She said:

"To survive means to live beyond... that is what Chloe did."

"Chloe was a young old soul, her connection to Jesus was such that even adults were astonished at her understanding. She bore fruit, even while in pain, and we will not know the bounty of that harvest until we ourselves are in heaven. Her work is not finished, it is just begun."

The last thing she talked about was the story behind Chloe's name. When Chloe's mother Sam and her grandma Deb chose her name, they knew they wanted it to mean something. The name "Chloe" is actually found in the bible, in Corinthians, 1: 10-11. The actual verse has no real meaning...but, wouldn't you know it...Chloe's birthday is January 10, 2001. Amazing.

After the funeral mass, I drove to Calvary Cemetery, just a couple of miles from the church. Up until now, the sky was gray and dreary looking, but then...the sun came out, and it was warm, but not hot...the dampness of the day seemed to disappear. I am sure it was not a coincidence, it was Chloe's doing. Her sister and cousin released butterflies after the graveside service...Chloe also loved butterflies; on the front of the programs at the church, there was a picture of a pink butterfly pasted to the top of a rainbow. All of the butterflies flew away, but one remained on Chloe's casket...even as I walked back to my car, I looked, and it was still there. I know that was not a coincidence either.

I exchanged just a few words with Billy (Chloe's godfather) afterwards, and Cloe's grandmother Deb. It was so moving to see how their love for Chloe carried them through this day...difficult as it was, yet full of gladness that their angel was suffering no more, knowing that heaven had gained a new saint.

There is no doubt Chloe will not be forgotten, and her memory cherished in the hearts of all who knew her. She really was a special little girl.

Sweet Chloe

I don't remember how we first heard about Chloe-- I know it was through an email, but we've been praying for her for a long time now. Knowing her and praying for her has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

Late last night, Chloe breathed her last, and went home to be with her Savior. She died just before midnight, October 9, 2008. During her final days, she was in unspeakable pain, as no amount of pain meds gave her complete relief. It breaks my heart to know the dosages of meds were so high, they should have knocked over a 450 pound man. And yet... there are graces in suffering. I truly believe Chloe's suffering will not be in vain. She was only 7 years old, but in reading her online journal, she brought joy and love to all who knew her, and moved mountains because of her courage and faith. I am sad today, and I've cried so hard-- Chloe had become so precious to us, and I felt she was like my own daughter. I will never forget her.

Sweet Chloe, I know you are in heaven, resting in the arms of our Lord. You can run and play to your heart's content; there is no more pain. I know you'll be praying for your mom, grandma, and family, and sending graces their way. I am eternally thankful they shared your story with the world.

To read Chloe's story, here is her website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chloeschmidt

We love you...and we'll miss you. But it is wonderful to know...that finally...you are at peace.

Congratulations Joshua!

One awesome kid-- 9 years of graces

Diagnosed with speech delay at 2 1/2 years-- 6 months of speech therapy (and then released)

Reevaluated at age 5 1/2 due to other speech issues-- 4 1/2 more years of speech therapy

Graduating from speech today after 5 years of speech therapy-- PRICELESS!

(And check out that smile!)

Neighborhood Block Party

After Hurricane Ike blew through town and the lights went out, we had a nice cool front that first week. Most of the neighbors on our block would sit outside, and watch their kids play in the street until dusk. Our kids were outside as well, and we'd all speculate as to when the power would be restored. After 10 days, our entire neighborhood was lit up, except our street. I was talking to my neighbors, Minnie, Melanie, and Casey, who all live across the street from our house, and said,

"Shouldn't we have a block party once we finally get back power? We've been without power longer than anyone in the subdivision, we'll have a real reason to celebrate!"

Everyone thought it was a great idea, and put me in charge of organizing things. Me and my big mouth :-( Nevertheless, I really thought we should have a block party. We'd been talking about having one for the past 3 years, but nobody was taking the initiative to plan one. So I printed up some fliers, asked everyone to bring a main dish, side dish, drinks, dessert, or paper goods, and prayed for good weather and a good turnout.

Last night around 5:00, David set up our tables and chairs in Minnie's driveway, and used his sawhorses and a piece of plywood to make a third table (ironically, the same piece of wood used to cover the back door during the hurricane). People started arriving about 5:30, and brought hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, baked beans, and other fare, plus sodas, beer, and juice boxes. There were even a few ethnic dishes of stir fried noodles with meat and vegetables (yum!). I had made an 11 pound brisket and served it with BBQ sauce, onions, and pickles-- I was afraid it was on the dry side, but it was nearly gone by the end of the night, so it must have been okay).

We had plenty of food, too much food really, but I'd had no idea how many people would show up, so I figured if we had leftovers...oh well. I'd asked a few people to bring desserts, but nobody did. Thankfully, I'd made 24 Halloween cupcakes, and Rebecca had won a cake at the Fall Festival at the church, so I served that too. The cupcakes disappeared in a twinkling, but the cake was barely touched. I guess none of the adults wanted dessert anyway.

I actually met a couple of neighbors for the first time, and everyone remarked at the number of kids there were...we do have a LOT of little ones on our street. We had a great turnout, and I was relieved to remember nearly all my neighbors' names. It was fun to mingle, and once the sun set, I brought out some glow sticks I'd found in the dollar bins at Target (they were actually 4 for a dollar; what a deal!). They were a big hit with the kids, (along with the squeaky balloons another mom brought) and we could see all of them easily; playing and riding their bikes, scooters, and vehicles in the street). Here's Gabriel with his little friend Carter (Casey's youngest)--definitely the cutest boys on the block last night!

The party didn't start breaking up until after 8:00. By then, the mosquitoes had found us, and the youngest kids were getting tired. David took all of ours inside, bathed them, and put them to bed. By then, I had cleaned up and taken everything that belonged to us inside, put all the food away, walked various dishes/supplies back to their proper owners, and cleaned up the kitchen. I was pooped (and it wasn't because of the 2 margaritas I'd had either)!

Now everyone is saying we should definitely have another block party, maybe even once a season. That's fine with me...but someone else can organize it next time :-). Party on!

Late Night Fiasco

Last weekend, David got a cold. I know exactly how he got it. He stayed up late doing work from the office 3 nights in a row (later than midnight late). Whenever he does this, he gets overly tired (duh), often gets sick, and he ALWAYS gets a fever. It's a male Reisinger thing...even my mother-in-law gave me a kind warning when we got married, and told me, "Whenever David gets sick, he always gets a fever." Okay, sure...no problem. I found this to be 100% true when David got sick about 8 weeks into married bliss. And yes, that's when the honeymoon was over. Enough said.

So now, I have David's cold. And the worst part about being sick is...being sick. There are no sick days when you're a mom. This is one thing I wish aloud every time I'm under the weather (which thank the Lord is very rare)..."Can someone please take care of ME?" I take care of house, husband, and kids when anyone is sick, but if I'm the one in bed, I end up taking care of myself. Now, to give David credit, he is usually busy taking care of 4 kids to do much of anything else, and he does a fantastic job of it, so I do understand why I'm left to my own devices. But I don't like it...at all.

Last night, I got everyone into bed without any trouble, (David was at his FTCM class) passed out hugs and kisses, and went downstairs. My throat was burning, my sinuses were completely stopped up, so I took care of a few things, and decided to climb into bed with a hot cup of tea...really ready by then to hit the sack.

Well, not so fast...I hear the pitter patter of little feet in the bathroom. Rebecca and Christina know they are not allowed to get out of bed after lights are out. I go upstairs, open the girls' door, and I'm immediately assalted by the scent of baby powder mixed with perfume (yes, they have Disney Princess perfume). It's strong enough for even my clogged nose to smell. I check the bathroom and sure enough, Christina was the perfume fairy. She had also found an old canister of baby powder under the sink and used it to decorate the floor, bathmats, and stools. Lovely....

I turn around, march downstairs for the dustbuster, broom and dustpan, clean up the mess, give the girls the lecture of their lives, ground them both for 3 days, tell them to go to sleep, "or else," go back downstairs, and crawl into bed, without the tea, because I'm too tired to make it now. I can still the smell baby powder...