Meeting a New Cousin

Tommy has been excited for the past couple of days and today he finally gets to do what he's been looking forward to doing. He's going to meet his newest baby cousin, Jonathan. Dean's cousin Peter and his wife Kim are in town for just one day from Charlottesville so we'll be spending the better part of the day with Dean's family just hanging out. Tommy's pumped. Fun will be had by all and pictures will be taken. And shared. So stay tuned.

Peace Like A River - Hoochee Mama Book Club Review

For the month of February I've been reading a really great book called "Peace Like A River". Actually I finished it in about a week and a half and it's been sitting on my dresser since then collecting dust and library fines. All that aside though, I loved the book. It moved along at a good pace, the characters were relatable, the writing style was easy to follow, and it just really held my attention. I found myself picking it up to read parts every spare chance I got. Whether I was laying in bed at night or sauteeing chicken I was reading whenever I could.

I felt for Ruben... he wanted so badly to be brave all the time and always wound up either having an asthma attack or backing down from doing what he wanted to do. You couldn't help but love him. Then there was the adventurous Swede (I loved that name too) who had quite a knack for old west poetry. Davy bothered me with the fact that he wouldn't just turn himself in, but at the same time I would have been disappointed if he had. And Jeremiah Land was great as the Christlike figure in the book. At times I was very frustrated with him and he seemed naive, but there were so many interesting spiritual parallels in his life with all his miracles.

The ending surprised me at first but then when it all worked out it made perfect sense. Read the book to see what I mean! I haven't even come close to giving it justice here. Dean kept asking me what it was about and all I could come up with was "A family who takes a trip across the country to find their fugitive brother." which is just the bare essentials of what it's about. So again, read it. I think you'll love it!

It's Time to Watch What I'm Listening to When...

The opening beats to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" comes on the radio today and I hear a sweet little voice from the backseat come in with Beyonce. Yes, Tommy knew the opening lines to the song and sang with all his heart. I looked back and he says "Tommy has his hands up! Mommy do it too." So we danced and sang the whole way home. And he's been singing it on and off all day.

Falling from Grace

Is anyone else as disappointed as I am about the Chris Brown/Rihanna situation? I mean besides the terrible and very serious act of abuse, Chris has let down all of his Sesame Street friends. I feel like I've been deceived. This is the Chris Brown that Tommy and I know:

While I was Away...

As I sit here watching American Idol, criticizing with the best of them, Tommy is now finally asleep and my parents are on their way back to my brother's house only to get up in a few hours and head to the airport and go back to Fort Lauderdale. We had a great few days. My mom was a wonderful help, we got lots of quality time together, and we had a really good time today when my dad was able to come in town as well. Some highlights of the last few days include a Dorsi escape, a trip to Tom Brown park, pretending Tommy's bed is a boat, a successful shopping trip to Kohl's, lots of fun at Zoinks, and a handful of meals together.

Just to elaborate on the escape artist that is my dog, her leash snapped off while we were taking her and Tommy for a walk and she wound up finding a sweet old woman who was unloading groceries out of her car. She actually jumped in the lady's car and that's when I was able to get her and put her leash back on. Gotta love her.

I'll be blogging more regularly now, so I apologize for the lack of posts in the last few days. Apparently Matt Robinson is going through withdrawals. I do feel loved though!

Mom in Town

As I sit here typing this, my mom is at Publix getting groceries to make dinner tonight. I love when my mom comes to visit! And not just because she does my shopping or cooking (though that is amazing, don't get me wrong). Since my parents live in Fort Lauderdale, which is about 450 miles from here, I don't get to see them quite as often as I'd like... although since my dad worked for Delta Airlines a number of years they have some pretty awesome flight benefits. So they probably get to visit every 2-3 months. Every time she sees Tommy, he changes drastically and has a completely new vocabulary so it's always fun to get to watch them interact.

This time she'll be staying extra long (it's usually about 24 hours) and will be here until next Thursday. My dad will fly up Wednesday morning after finishing up his work week on Tuesday night and then the two of them will head back to the sunny south Florida beach on Thursday morning. With all this extra time, we'll be able to shop, cook, bake, do random crafty things with Tommy, and just hang out. Technically I'm supposed to be resting (I'm just finishing up the end of my steroid stuff and my knees are sore from all the fluid retention), but I think we'll still manage to have a little fun. So stay tuned for updates on fun "mom and me" activities!

Fire Station Part II... SUCCESS!

If you've been following along at home, you may remember that a couple months ago we attempted to visit the fire station near our house on a whim that Tommy had when he just decided he wanted to go drive a fire truck and see fire fighters and before we could say anything he was dressed in his fireman Halloween costume. If you recall, that ended somewhat poorly... my little guy choked. Not in the choking sense that you're glad you're at a fire station and they can perform CPR. Nope, he just freaked out when we got there.

So today, we decided to try again. Every week I get together with a group of moms and their little ones for something fun (and usually free) to do to get us out of the house. Today we had a tour of one of Tallahassee's finest fire stations all lined up for us. And Tommy came decked out in his gear, once again. And this time he actually enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, he didn't just jump in begin trying on gear or anything (though some of the kids did), but he did walk up to the truck (huge accomplishment), actually get in the truck with me, almost sit in the driver's seat before deciding against it at the last minute, and hold the big fire hose as it doused the parking lot with water. He panicked a little when we had them all sit on the front of the truck for a photo op but once one of the fire fighters took him in his lap, all was well. Those guys were awesome, we were so appreciative!

After that we had a picnic lunch at the park next door and the kids ran all around, wearing their little bodies out. Again, a success. He's been sleeping for an hour and a half.

My Big Strong Boy

I have to relish in my pride and joy at this moment. Tonight for dinner, I made a broiled terriyaki salmon and lots of steamed veggies and brown rice. Here's the picture of Tommy's plate before he almost finished the whole thing (I'm blinking back tears of pride at the moment).



So the result? Take a look here.

School Today

I had the pleasure of working with Tommy and 16 of his two-year-old friends at his "preschool" today. The way it works is that I get to drop him off there every Tuesday morning from 9-12 for an unbelievably low price of $25 every 6 weeks and I just volunteer to work it and bring a snack one of those weeks. So today was my day.

I'm so glad I don't have 17 children! As they run around the room and take more toys out, I can't stop thinking "Oh my, this is only going to get messier... and it's only 9:30!" But Tommy just loves it and does so well there. According to his teacher, he's quite the little chef, putting food and other various items in the play oven and making "cookies" and toast, and everything has butter on it. And salad. Yes, salad on the toast and cookies. Apparently I eat lots of salad.

I was up at 6:45 peeling apples for the little tykes since they were studying Johnny Appleseed today. They were good but they all preferred the cheese more. Oh well. And now I'm getting ready to have 5 or 6 more kiddoes (not two, thankfully!) into my house for piano lessons so I should jet. But after that, I have a much needed massage, booked by my incredible husband, who has been so wonderful and selfless and caring while I haven't been feeling well. Thank you Dean!!

Retail Therapy at it's Finest

So I'm still figuring out what's wrong with me. I had another appointment with a neurologist today and was given an MRI on my hip. "But you're having eye problems!" you say. I know. Seemingly unrelated. Oh well, I guess we'll see.

And I was put back on steroids. Apparently they make you gain weight at an unbelievable rate (like way more than pregnancy), so you can imagine how depressing it was to leave Ann Taylor Loft today. But I quickly discovered a form of retail therapy that is helpful even in such sticky situations... SHOES! Long live BOGO at Payless!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The culmination of our Valentine's Day preparations has finally arrived. I guess Tommy decided to wake up early for the occasion. Despite our hanging a calendar and a clock in his room in an effort to teach him that we don't wake up before 6:30, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, he was up and ready to go this morning at 6:00. Today is Saturday. And rainy. Totally a day where you just want to snuggle under the covers all morning. But I humored him and got him up and we snuggled on the couch while watching an hour or so of Clifford.

I think the steroids that I've been on have left me feeling a little funny, so one of Dean's gifts to me today is to take Tommy for a boys' day out for a while so I can relax here. And I'm soooooo pumped to take a shower! I've had an IV in my arm for the last 3 days so it's been a one-armed bath and this shower is right up my alley today (don't worry, I don't stink).

Tonight (thanks to my fabulous brother in law and his amazing girlfriend for babysitting Tommy) Dean and I have reservations at Fusion, one of my favorite Tallahassee restaurants. It's one of those places with a funky atmosphere and even funkier food. We only go on special occasions, but if you live in the Tallahassee area, it's absolutely worth a try. I'll have to post sometime about my favorite Tallahassee local spots. Another day though, another day.

Going to the Dentist

I'm about to embark on completely uncharted territory in about 3 hours. I'm taking Tommy with me to my cleaning appointment at the dentist. We figured (and the dentist suggested this was the best way to go about it) that since he's 2 and a half now, he can start getting checkups once he's three. The dentist said the best way to go about it is to bring him with me before he turns 3 and let him watch and then volunteer for the dentist to count his teeth and "tickle them". He's already good about brushing his teeth, so in theory that sounds great. Problem is I'm a bit of a bleeder. Even with regular flossing. So I've made sure to floss good this time around and hopefully I won't look too gruesome before we offer for Tommy to sit in the big dentist chair.

This could be a disaster.

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Tommy's Valentine's day party at school. It was so cute. I spent the morning yesterday (because I procrastinated all week) filling out his valentines "To my friend, Love Tommy". I had high hopes of him putting a well-placed heart sticker on each one... he wound up just putting heart stickers all over himself.

When he came home yesterday, he had his homemade valentine holder chock full of fun little valentines. He told me about each one. They also had a party where they ate all kinds of food (translate: many varieties of chicken nuggets). One of the moms that was working that day excitedly told me what a good eater I have and that he was the last one at the table eating while everyone else got up and started playing. I'm not sure what to think of that.

Today we're mailing our valentines to Mima and Mima Pat (my mom and grandma). Tommy was a little disappointed that we didn't make a glittery heart for Papa, but I explained that we're only giving valentines to girls this year. I think he's ok with it now.

My Piano Injury

Well, I'm officially on the juice now. Got 30 minutes of steroids running through my veins every 12 hours. I had to go this morning to get my port thing put in my arm and learn how to administer the stuff myself. So when I came home after having my first treatment (it sounds like I'm dying when I say that. Believe me, I'm totally fine) with a bandage on my arm, Tommy immediately figured I'd hurt myself. I explained to him that I had a boo boo and he quickly filled in the blanks.

"Mommy was playing the piano and fell off the bench?"

I Can See Clearly Now...

Okay, well not exactly but at least I have finally figured out what's wrong with me. Actually the doctors figured it out. I just answered questions and participated in a variety of tests. Apparently I have optic neuritis and will begin treatment as soon as my neurologist calls me back. My treatment will be at least 3 days of steroid injections every 12 hours. Followed by a trip to the gym. Okay, maybe I won't be at the gym, but I'll join the 'roid ranks with A-Rod and others. So thank you for all of your prayers. I'm ready to get this treated and get back to normal!

Weekend Recap

I don't have a major brain tumor. That's the preliminary result of my MRI that I had on Friday. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. I don't know anything else or why my eye is still blurry, but at least I'm not dying. Always good to know.

So I got to go on the retreat. And it was so much fun! I was completely exhausted from the beginning and getting up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning to flip about 350 pancakes doesn't help with the fatigue. Thank you to all my pancake flipping and sausage turning peeps!


But I've had a day to recover now and reflect on the time. I love my church. I love the people there. I am in love with my pastor (haha, how many of you can say that?) And even more than all of that, I love how my church helps me to love Jesus even more.

Had a great time with Jill and Andy. And I had a special treat in getting to do some music with them (I'll be tickling the ivories of Godby's grand piano tonight while they're on acoustics). It was pretty neat practicing with them in our living room. And it reminded me of how incredibly small our house really is. When you try to cram 5 people around our dinner table, one with a guitar, and a two year old running all around, you just kind of have to go with it. But oh so much fun.



I have a neurology appointment in the morning that should tell a little more about the MRI, such as what might be causing all this nonsense. I'll keep you posted.

It's Finally Friday!

Well folks, it's been quite a week for us! I've had all my eye problems and whatnot, Dean's had a constant pain in his side that we're not quite sure what it is but he sees the doctor soon for it, Tommy's had diarrhea on and off (which is most likely teething), and the Well's One Night Stand Retreat is tonight in St. George Island. Good mercy!

With all the cold weather we've been having, Tommy's been a bit stir crazy. So we did our Valentine thing... actually we've been working on Valentines for the last three days and I've seen more glitter since then than I care to. Today our friends Anais, Dominic, and Noemie came to visit and hang out in the morning. Tommy still struggles with sharing (understatement of the year) and usually requires a few timeouts and various punishments. But we made it through today without too many tears, so that was a plus. And it was absolutely adorable when he grabbed Dominic's hand and they both began to sing "Ring Around the Rosie". Neither of them know all the words, so at some point after they felt they had gone around enough, they just fell down. It was really cute.

I went for my MRI today so I should get some answers in the next hour or so. If all goes according to plan... and I think it will... then I'll get a decent report from the doctor and leave for St. George with some of my small group girls around 5:30ish. If the report is bad (again, I don't think this will be the case), I'll just go straight to the hospital and we'll go from there. I don't expect it to be a great report (actually I'd be frustrated if it is because we still wouldn't know what's wrong), but I imagine whatever it is can wait until Monday.

So woo hoo for Friday! I have to go pack and get my griddle ready. I'm making breakfast for about 50 tomorrow morning with Sarah and Sally. I'm pumped!

Will You Be My Valentine?

Tonight officially began Valentine's season. Now I know that normally Valentine's Day is just celebrated for a day or two with a nice date and maybe some chocolates... certainly not for weeks on end. Unless you have a two-year-old and want to relive your childhood through him. We've put gel cling hearts on our windows. I made heart doilies out of napkins (thanks to Martha Stewart Living). I've got all my ingredients ready for a week's worth of heart shaped ginger sugar cookies (again, thanks Martha). And tonight we began the sacred task of making Valentines. We've talked about it for the last few days and Tommy has been so excited, albeit confused. He keeps asking where Valentine is and I think he's looking for a magical character like Santa Clause or something. He clearly didn't understand when I explained that we make valentines.

So after dinner tonight I got out the construction paper and crayons, glue, scissors, and glitter. I had visions of cutting hearts out of many colors and sizes and pasting them together, attaching cute little decorations. What resulted turned out more like an explosion of glitter and scraps from cutting out those hearts. In fact, I think I have a piece of glitter in my throat now. The stuff multiplies, you know. But at the end of the night, Tommy was happy and he had used some creativity. And I had used some paper towels. So all is well.



On a more serious note, I'm still not sure what's up with my eye. I'm determined to have some sort of scan tomorrow, whether it's ordered for me by one of my doctors or I go to the ER and just wait until they do an MRI or something. I'd estimate that since Friday of almost two weeks ago, I've lost 50-70% of the vision in my left eye with no sign of it improving. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

New Favorite Toy

Our neighbor was giving away a bunch of toys that her grandson has outgrown so it was very sweet of her to think of Tommy and give him an entire bag o'toys. Of course roughly 97.4% of the toys make some sort of obnoxious sound effect, whether a fire truck or a car or animals, or what have you. But his favorite toy is what he affectionately refers to as his "trumpet". Actually it looks more like a sopranino saxophone. Except rainbow colored. But each button plays a different familiar children's song just jazzed up a bit. For instance I was just listening to him play "This Old Man" that sounded like something the Jackson 5 would perform. So that's his favorite toy at the moment. He likes to play it all the time. Did I mention it's loud?

Can You See Me Now?

The Inserra family is being clobbered. In the past week, Dean and I both got prescriptions for sinus infections within 24 hours of each other and Dean has been having pain in his side that we're attempting to self diagnose and so far we've come up with gallstones or kidney stones. Not sure if either one is right but it's still no fun either way. Tommy's still having diarrhea twice a day and has a nasty case of diaper rash (aren't you thrilled that I told you that?!). And my sight is getting worse in my left eye. After a number of doctors appointments and a CT scan of my sinuses(which showed nothing), my doctor is confused and is going to send me to a neuro-ophthalmologist. Not quite sure what that is, but I guess he'll help. They want to do a scan of my brain and not just my sinuses so I'm curious to see what turns up there. In the meantime I'm rapidly losing sight in my left eye. This is just all so odd. But otherwise we're all hanging in there. I'm pumped about my small group tonight... I just love hanging out with all those girls! And church yesterday was good... weird for being at 11:00 instead of the usual 5:30, but still great. So I guess I really can't complain.

Well it's time to take Tommy to Target for some Valentine's Day supplies so I'll check in later!