20 Days Later...

Has it really been that long since I lasted posted something? I guess, with me, blogging seems to be "feast or famine"... Ah well... Here's an update for the past few weeks:

Kassia:

• She's growing like a weed! My parents bought her a push-from-behind walking toy a few weeks ago, and she loves it! She's walking everywhere! The only problem is that she hasn't figured out yet how to turn or back up...so she just heads in a direction, bumps into what's ever in her way, gets stuck, and then starts whimpering in an effort to get me to help put her back on a clear walking path... It's so cute to watch her...
• She had an MRI done on the 16th to see if there was anything wrong in the brain that's causing her left eye to drift out ("exotropia")... The scan came back normal, which is a good thing...(except for some "mucous in the ethmoid sinuses," so since that's not an area the opthamologist is familiar with, he's going to put in a consult to have Kassia seen by the pediatric neurologist to check it out, just to be on the safe side) Now, she's having to wear a patch over her right eye each day, working up to having it on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon... The "patching" is supposed to help correct the "vision" part of the eye drifting - in other words, it tells the brain to concentrate and focus the eye more on that side... However, the doctor still feels she might have to have surgery to correct the muscle weakness part of it... We'll see...
• She's just over 9 months old now! What a big girl! The pediatrician thought, if Kassia had mastered her "pincer" grip (putting things between her forefinger and thumb), she could start eating Cheerios... My "mommy gut" told me I shouldn't give them to her anyway, despite the fact that she's ready to have them... I went against it, though...(bad idea!)...and let Kassia have some Cheerios for a snack... About 3 hours later, Kassia was projectile vomiting all over herself at the grocery store! Poor baby! So, to make a long story short: we're having Kassia's blood tested for food allergies and for coeliac disease (an intolerance for gluten), and she's going to be scheduled for an upper GI test as well, to make sure everything's functioning like it's supposed to... We have an appointment November 13th to discuss all the results... We'll keep you informed...
• Her favorite color is definitely orange! And, we took her to her first pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago, and she was in "orange heaven!" She had a blast looking at and touching all the pumpkins... And, we got some really cute pictures of her, too! Speaking of pumpkins and such - Halloween is this Friday, and she's going to be a ladybug! I can't wait to see her in her sweet costume!

Scott

• He's been having some trouble with migraine headaches lately...and unfortunately, has had to miss a bit of work because of them... We're praying that whatever's causing them will reveal itself, so we can know better how to deal with this whole thing... Keep Scott in your prayers - migraine's are no fun...
• He's still searching for another job... No luck with that yet...
• He's been playing his "jimbe" drum for the praise band at the New Braunfels campus and is really enjoying that... He's still learning the bass guitar, and I'm sure they'll have him continue to switch between the two, depending on what they need for the songs...
• He had a "Scott Day" all to himself this past Saturday and worked on organizing the garage ("his space!")... He hung up some of his posters and moved some of the boxes around so there's actually space for him to work in there... I'm excited for him - that's one of the things he always used to talk about: "When we have a house of our own...I can't wait to have a big garage to put all my tools and stuff in..." I'm sure this is only the beginning! He'll eventually have the "garage to end all garages" by the time he's through!

Me

• I have a cold...bleah! I've had it for a few days now, and it's slowly starting to get better and go away...(leaving behind, in its wake, a sea of dirty tissues!) I really don't like being sick...I mean, nobody does... But, the one thing I really can't stand about having a cold is not being able to taste your food! Man, that irks me! I LOVE to eat! And, not being able to taste anything just makes me think, "It's not even worth eating!" I'm happy to report, though, that since I'm on the "tail end" of the cold, my sense of taste is slowly creeping back...and I'm enjoying tasting my food as much as ever!
• I finished the first Bible study I've done with the NB ladies last week...and will be starting a new one next Tuesday... I really enjoyed getting to know the ladies in our group...and it was nice to get back into the swing of having a quiet time each morning... I'd gotten out of the habit of doing that since Kassia's been born - lack of sleep can do that to you! But, now that she's mostly sleeping through the night, it's much easier for me to get up in the morning and spend some time with God before starting my day... And, that time, of course, helps me do better in multiple areas of my life...
• The whole "Am-I-going-back-to-school-in-January?" question is still on the table... Scott and I haven't discussed it much further, but it's still in the back of my mind... We'll have to pray about it and discuss the logistics of it all... I know that I want to finish and finally get my BA, but is now the right time?
• I try and write my brother, who's in boot camp at Ft. Benning, GA, at the moment, almost every day if I can... I'm sure he gets bored with the "Life and Times of Mommy Steph," but at least he's getting mail to read! I'm going to be printing out some photos of Kassia and the family from the pumpkin patch to send him...I'm sure he'll like those... He seems to be doing well with all his training... I worry about him, though, when I hear that he's learning how to throw grenades and avoid IED's...it's scary to think of him in those situations... But, I know God will take care of him...
• I'm still trying to get better about keeping up with Kassia's milestones... And, I'd like to start scrapbooking her first year pretty soon... Of course, that means picking out what photos I'd like to use...printing them out...and actually having time to sit down and scrap them! We'll see... I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually...
• I'm loving the colder weather! Absolutely loving it! I hope it stays this way for a while... It just improves my attitude by 150%! It inspires me... I feel like doing all kinds of things! And, I actually feel like being outside! Kassia and I go for walks all the time now... And, I so enjoy having a warm cup of tea, like I did this morning, when it's this cool...YUM!

Well, I guess that's about it for the last few weeks as far as the Ross family goes... I'll post some of those pumpkin patch pictures (try saying that five times fast!) later, so ya'll can see my cutie!