Kevin is 1 Month Old!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

He is such a delight! He's very laid back, but by his entrance into the world, I suppose that was to be expected. :) He has a fussy time in the evening, but over all is happy and content.

He's smiling a lot at people! He also has a strong neck and likes to try and hold his head up as much as possible. He likes his bouncy seat, but the verdict is still out on the swing...

Katie said recently, "Mom, he looks like a real boy now that his eyes are open." I didn't want to ask what he looked like with his eyes closed... ;) He is awake more of the day now, in the morning and evening. Overall, it's been a great transition!

What a miracle! I still can't believe that he grew inside of me.

Jer 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."

What makes Good Friday good?

This is a re-post from my blog entry two years ago...

What makes Good Friday good? Death, blood, thieves, darkness...

And why did Jesus have to die anyway? Why couldn't God have said, "To cleanse yourself from your sin, you must wash in the river."

Imagine that my daughter Abby stole $10 from a store, and the punishment I set in place for the crime was for her to pay back the $10 plus do 10 hours of work at the store the following weekend.

If she tried to get a bunny to work in her place, I'd insist it be a human - not a bunny. A bunny could look like it were working, but it wouldn't really be taking her place.

If her friend offered to pay the money and work in her place, that would be a justifiable trade. The debt would be paid and the work would be accomplished. However, if her friend was also guilty and had stolen as well, then he would not be a good replacement because he has to work the 10 hours himself.

Our punishment for sin is death - which is in reality separation from God. When we do works of service or personal sacrifices to cover our sin, it's like having a bunny take the punishment for Abby. Someone else qualified must step in and take our punishment for us.

No other human being is qualified because they are in the same boat as us. They also are convicted and the verdict is "guilty."

That is why God himself provided our needed replacement. Jesus lived a perfect life and was not guilty or deserving of death and separation. 2000 years ago on Good Friday, God put our sins on Jesus in some amazing way I can't comprehend, making him take the guilt for all. Only God could do this.

In the most simplistic way I can think of, that is what makes Good Friday Good.

Kevin is here!

I update facebook far more than my blog, so finally, here's a picture of our newest Emerick.

Kevin Thomas was born March 11th at 12:27 PM.

Ear Thermometers - Good To Know!

Summary: Ear Thermometers don't register correctly over 102/103 degrees.

Katie's been sick, and at bedtime her temp went up to 104. We gave her a bath, continued the Tylenol, and she went to bed. at Midnight, it was still high, but then at 4 AM it registered at 105.7! I immediately took my own temperature to check the thermometer, and it was correct: 97.7. Another bath for Katie, plus more medicine, but it wasn't going down.

We called 338-kids and talked to a nurse. After a long conversation, he recommended the ER. She also had stomach pain and a cough. Thinking it might be RSV or Pneumonia, Lee took her into the ER. (Take no chances with high fevers and teeny babies in the house!)

At the ER, her temp was 102.8. A quick change in only 15 minutes. As it turns out, the doctor explained that ear thermometers don't register accurately above 102 or 103 degrees, and they get a lot of scared parents, thinking their child might have brain damage or serious issues. And that is also why we can take our own temp and think it's working.

After a chest X-ray and throat swab, she was thankfully sent home with just a virus...

Which I would have KNOWN had I used a standard thermometer. I never would have taken her in with just a 102 fever. She gets that a few times a year. But 105? That's just scary.

So, from now on, if it registers over 102, I'll pull out the good old under the tongue thermometer that takes an entire 60 seconds to read.

I thought this was very valuable information and wanted to pass it on! Before freaking out about an insanely high temp, try taking it the good old fashioned way first.