Today was day three of our beautiful weather. In Norfolk, it only takes a few days of warm sunshine to bring out our friends, the American Cockroaches. Some people call them water bugs, but that's only because they are afraid to say the word cockroach. They believe it implies dirty, unpleasant living conditions. However, I have learned that everyone in Norfolk battles these little punks every spring. (At one point I have found a ginormous cockroach eating cookie crumbs from a still-warm cookie sheet, and making a scritching noise with his front legs that could be heard in the next room.) So every spring I buy a load of giant bug hotels and place them around the house. But who would have thought it was cockroach time already? Apparently, it is. We were at Hardee's yesterday (free Roastburger day). I was waiting at the counter while Will sat at a nearby table with Owen and Charlotte. To my utter horror, one of the largest cockroaches ever is headed straight for my family. I'm fairly certain that it's going to zip up Will's leg and attack them all. I make a mad dash for the table, yank off my flip flop, and beat the mess out of him before he can complete his killer mission. I'm sure the people in line, along with several employees, think that I have lost my mind. But one savvy employee realizes I deserve a free cherry turnover for that. So if you're looking for free food, keep an eye out for cockroaches.
PS Don't worry, pictures of Charlotte (instead of cockroaches) on the way.
I really don't have anything too exciting to share. I know there are some grandparents just itching for picture posts, so here are a few to satiate your voracious appetites. As for the answer to, "How's life without milk?" It's not so bad. I'm substituting Sprite ;-) I'm not really sure if it's helping or not. The crying does seem more manageable, but I'm not sure if that's because I'm learning how she prefers to be soothed, or because she's getting older and becoming more capable of dealing with the crazy gassiness, or because of the new diet. I'm going to give it two full weeks and then possibly reintroduce the dairy and pay close attention. We'll see. I'm trying to remember all of the other interesting things going on lately, but my brain is fried. Hopefully I'll have something more lively to share soon.
Maybe I'm biased, but I'm pretty sure I have the cutest kids in the world. But anyways, just thought I'd let all you inquiring minds know that we're doing well here in the Alley house. Charlotte is amazingly like every other newborn, though a bit fussier than her brother was back in the day. She's quite a good eater now though, so praise God for that. She had her follow-up appointments with Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. They were all very pleased with her healing. However, her aorta does show a bit of narrowing where they made the repair, so please pray that it will stretch with her as she grows. They're going to keep an eye on it for the next six months. If it does not, then she will be back in for another cardiac cath with a balloon to increase the diameter of the aorta. This would by no means be the end of the world (God has done such bigger things in her already), but we'd rather not send our baby girl back into the hospital.