Days With the Duerksens

. . . In with the new!  We welcomed a new couch and chair into our home Monday night!  For those of you who have sat in our old couch, you will understand what a fantastic addition this is to our house!  The last time Grandma and Grandpa were here watching the kids, they weren't sure if they would actually get up and out of that old couch.  Springs were poking through, the fabric was torn all over, and it was generally uncomfortable to sit in!  I bought that couch at an auction in Goessel after I graduated from college - so it's well over 11 years old. Chelan has found the new chair particularly nice for sleeping in already!  The kids are also enjoying the reclining aspect of the couch.  Poor Delaney, however, isn't big enough to get up on the couch by herself.  She was so used to hopping up onto the old one because it sat so low to the floor.  She doesn't mind asking for help, though! We're still trying to figure out the best arrangement...

I found Cambry making this tape box in our entryway last Friday.  Can you guess what it is? This is what the box is for . . . Over the course of this school year, somehow, the kids' shoes have found a home in this very spot!  Cambry just decided to make the spot official!  And, she added another spot on the other side of the table.  :) It made me smile!

After visiting with Dr. Wittler (pediatric infectious disease doctor) today in Wichita, we are officially done with Delaney's "illness."  I put illness in quotes because she never seemed sick.  Anyway, the final result is that she had a nontuberculosis mycrobacterium (NTM), an environmental bacteria.  The bacteria caused the lymphadenitis (lymph node infection).  Aren't you impressed with my big words?  :) She could have picked this up anywhere as it can be found in the soil and water (thus the term "environmental bacteria").  This summer, she was at that age where everything went in her mouth, so it makes sense that she could have ingested the bacteria. The best cure for this type of bacterial infection is surgery, which we have done.  He said there shouldn't be any more complications - it's gone!  Dr. Wittler also said that in the last couple of months, he has seen a lot of cases like this.  For some reason, it's on the rise.  It's...

. . . But we're not!  Yesterday, I received a phone call from Dr. Harris's office.  The pathology report came back on the lymph nodes he removed from Delaney 2 months ago.  The result?  A "strange" bacteria -- one they are not used to dealing with.  So, tomorrow, we head to the KU Pediatric Center in Wichita to see an infectious disease specialist.  Yikes!  It sort of sounds scary, but I'm very curious to hear about this bacteria and what it means for Delaney.  We don't know if it's still in her system, whether it can come back, where this bacteria is usually found.  Hopefully, we remember to ask the right questions tomorrow!

Caiden and Cambry had their "spring" program the other night at school.  It was a great program - lots of fun songs!  The Kdg. and 1st grade classes started it off, and this was my favorite - "You've Got a Friend in Me!"  I think it's from one of the Disney movies.  Cambry got to pair up with her real life friend, Jake!  Enjoy!

Last night, Chelan and I ended up at Wal-Mart instead of seeing a movie - I know, a real night on the town!  There just wasn't a movie we wanted to see that we were willing to pay $16 for.  Anyway, Chelan noticed the giant jars of cheese balls right away -- and they had to come home with us!  Delaney was thrilled - it's almost as big as her!

Wednesday was my birthday - a pretty normal day.  I guess that's what birthdays have become - just another normal day.  However, I had been wanting to try a Reese's PB Cake recipe for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity to do that!  I have this awesome cookbook, America's Most Wanted Recipes - Delicious Recipes from your Family's Favorite Restaurants , by Ron Douglas!  This particular recipe is from the Macaroni Grill.  Although it didn't come out of the pans very well, it was delicious!  ( I think I would just do it in a 9x13 next time). Anyway, before I dug into my cake at snacktime, Cambry insisted on us lighting 3 candles and then blowing them out so I could make a wish.  It was really very sweet!  She even took this picture.  As soon as I blew the candles out she said, "Mom, now you're 33!"  I guess it takes blowing out candles and making a wish for you to really have your birthday!   

The kids were delighted to find a heart-shaped box of chocolates this morning!  I actually let them eat one piece, each.  And, I might have eaten one of Delaney's.  Of course, Cambry chose the one with caramel in the middle and it took about 5 minutes for her to finish it.  She stuck the whole thing in her mouth at once!  As a result, we ran a little late getting ready for the bus.  We give them a box of chocolates every year (it's something they look forward to), but this year I was trying to think of a way to make it a little more special.  I was so proud of myself when I came up with this idea.  I didn't find it on Pinterest and I didn't steal the idea from anyone (that I know of - I'm sure someone has done this before)!  That's a really big deal, because if you know me, you know that I don't come up with many great ideas on my own!  Anyway, here's what I did - On some scrapbook paper, I traced around the top of the box. ...

Just some random thoughts from yesterday . . . 1.  Delaney had her 18 month appt. with Dr. Patron.  Is it strange that I look forward to these appointments??  I'm always curious to see how much she's grown, if she's on target, and I just like visiting with the doctor.  He seemed genuinely happy to see a happy, healthy girl yesterday saying, "Every now and then I need one of these!"  Delaney was her usual charming self -- repeating words, smiling, blowing kisses.  She got lots of pats and kisses on the head from him as well!  :)  It's a good thing to have a good pediatrician! 2.  Cheez-Its were on my grocery list yesterday, and wouldn't you know it, they're selling boxes of Scrabble, Jr. Cheez-its?  They were the same price as the regular ones, so I bought a box.  Cambry and I had fun at snacktime!  I know, I know, I fell for clever marketing! 3.  Delaney LOVES shoes.  Caiden just got a new pair the other day, a...

This is how excited we were to see snow today (they are standing on our bay window) . . . All day, Delaney kept pointing out the window exclaiming, "Show, show!"

In my last post, I mentioned how fast Delaney is growing up.  Well, on Sunday, we discovered that Cambry is growing up fast, too!  She came into the kitchen after lunch and exclaimed, "Look, I just pulled out my tooth!"  She said it very mat ter-of-factly, which was kind of funny! When she discovered that this tooth was loose, she went through some anxiety about it, but I would say she has embraced the fact that she will be losing more teeth!  She keeps telling me how good it feels to feel the empty space with her tongue!  :) She believes in the tooth fairy - sort of.  Caiden never misses a chance to tell her that the tooth fairy is a fake, and she keeps asking me if Dad and I are the tooth fairy.  I tell her, "Yes" but I think she dismisses my answer in hopes that the tooth fairy is real! The "tooth fairy" in our house did not do a good job of remembering this momentous occasion.  In fact, when Cambry came to breakfast on Monday morning, ...

As I write this, Delaney is sitting at the counter on a bench (not her highchair), sucking on a Dum-Dum.  Is she 18 months old or is she 2 1/2?  Chelan and I have been asking that question quite a bit lately, as she seems to be growing up quickly right in front of our eyes!  It's as if it happens overnight - the babyfat is disappearing, her hair is growing, she's talking (a lot)!  Speaking of talking, yesterday, she told me twice when she had pooped in her diaper!  Now, I hate using the word "poop," but she can make even that word sound so darn cute! This week, I put the high chair away for good.  She was refusing to sit in it!  I guess it wasn't grown up enough for her or something!  Now, she's sitting in a booster seat at the table with us.  It makes me sad - kind of.  I'm glad she's growing up, but good grief, let's slow it down a little bit! Delaney has definite opinions.  If she wants to go outside, she points o...

Thanks to Pinterest, this not-so-crafty mom and her very-crafty daughter found the perfect valentines to give to her friends!  I have to say, Pinterest has been a crafts lifesaver for me!  When Cambry found these butterflies, she instantly wanted to make them.  It was quite a process, but in the end, they turned out so cute!  For the instructions and printable, click here . After enthusiastically cutting them out and writing her classmates' names, it was time to start glittering Then, we glued on eyes The finished product - I glittered the first few to give her some ideas But, she did most of them!  She was very deliberate in choosing the color schemes for each one!

Fabulous winter weather means we've been outside exploring by the creek!  Winter is the perfect time to do this since the grass is short, the cows aren't back there, and the poison ivy isn't growing yet.  Temperatures have been in the 60's this week, so we have taken advantage!  Normally, Cambry and I do this when Delaney is sleeping, but yesterday, Delaney came along!  Here are some things we've discovered . . .  When the creek is low, there are lots of rocks to stumble over and collect.  Cambry has quite a collection going around a nearby tree -- I should really take a picture of that!  It's fun to throw all those rocks into the creek.  There is always a new place to find -- "Let's go see what's over there!" Dogs don't mind if the water is cold  Sometimes we have to climb steep hills to follow the cow trails  Tree roots can look like toilet seats!  Cambry has assured me she will "try it out" sometime...