... and about 1 gallon of sweat -- and the dog's water dish.  More on that later.

As many of you know, our A/C went out downstairs last night (AGAIN!  3rd time this year) and I was going to try and fix it (or at least diagnose it) myself.  My prior workings on the A/C revealed that, at least electrically, A/C systems are actually extremely simple devices and I had confidence!

It started with Amy telling me around 7-ish that the thermostat was completely dead -- like it had no power.  She was right, there was no power (typically 24 VAC) going to the thermostat.  It was 7pm, so I figured I'd see what I could figure out.  After a simple check of the breaker, I went up into the attic, pulled the cover off the furnace and went to work with the multimeter (yes, the same one my Papa gave me about 20 years ago).  At first I suspected a fuse, but no, both were intact.  Then, maybe the transformer.  No, there was no power into the transformer.  I feared the main control board (pictured) was dead, but I found no power going to the board at all.  Then I suspected the door detection safety switch (which I was pushing over and over while doing all this testing).  Upon opening it up, I found no power going into the unit at all!  I went back downstairs to check the voltage coming off the breaker.  (This is when the dog's water dish was sacrificed.  I mistakenly thought I had two screws left, and the breaker panel cover fell to the floor, the dog's water dish breaking the fall in a spectacular explosion of plastic.)  Alas, the voltage coming off the breaker read live at 120V.  Huh?  The wires in the house aren't that old!

Then I remembered there was actually a switch in the attic that could turn off the power to the A/C unit.  (Groan.)  Did a bird get in there and hit the switch?  A squirrel maybe?  I found the switch, and it was still on.  Despite my doubt that a physical switch (that gets used maybe once every 5 years) could be the root of the problem, I decided to check it out.  Upon pulling the cover off, a piece of plastic fell out.  Interesting.  When I took the switch out, I found a loose wire, not connected to anything.  Aha!  It turns out that the plastic at the back of the switch had cracked (probably upon the original installation) and the contact had completely fallen off (pictured).  The wire to the A/C had likely been just resting against the switch -- time and temperature fluctuations finally disconnecting it.  This is a good reminder NOT to insert wires into the back of the switch, but to use the screw terminals instead.  I raced to Home Depot (as they were about to close at 9pm), bought a new switch for $5.99 and raced home.  Once I installed the new switch, the problem was solved!

Update: Steve and Barbara Arnold have a A/C service website that is chock full of good information if you have A/C problems.  It's somewhat poorly organized and looks kinda 1990s style, but there's good information there and they sell parts for decent prices.  If you get a "pro" to work on your A/C, you might want to stop by this place if you're wondering whether you're getting what you're paying for.

Ok now that I have seen or talked to practically everyone I know over the weekend, and you were all so kind to ask about Audrey's reflux, I am finally able to steal 2.2 minutes to write an update.  But you already know.  Still, I love redundancy...

The Zantac is DEFINITELY helping!  I feel like I have my kid back.  That's not to say she still doesn't have moments of pain and fussiness.  Saturday and Sunday nights she had episodes that were painful, but they only lasted about an hour.  She was cranky in general on Saturday but it was (ahem) bowel-related.  I'm still trying to figure out what times of day are best to give her the Zantac.  It does seem to bring her some fairly quick relief when she is already in great pain, but I think primarily it is designed to reduce acid over a specific period of time rather than just be a quick fix.  It allows her traumatized esophagus to heal.  She still spits up and gets the hiccups a lot but there has been no bile or true vomiting.  THANK GOD!

And she continues to grow - I think this is the last pack of size 1 diapers we can use.  I still have about 3 more packs from my RLG girls and other sources but HEB will let me exchange them.

Times up, someone's crying.

I took Audrey to the doctor today.  They prescribed baby Zantac and we are going to try it as soon as I can pick it up from the Walgreens.  We had another rough night but I handled it a little better, at least.  Paul took a sick day (lack of sleep=sick Paul, as you all know) and having him here is a tremendous help.  I didn't have to take Kate to the doctor with us.

In spite of the reflux, Audrey continues to gain weight and be very healthy.  This is not always the case with reflux babies, so we are doubly grateful!  She is 23 inches long (97%) and 10 lb 15 oz (80%).  Getting to be a big girl!  More pictures to come eventually if I can find the camera charger.  :)

Poor Audrey's reflux has been awful the last few days.  She responds well to rice cereal in a bottle, but the benefits are limited to that particular feeding period.  Last night was particularly rough.  She woke at 3 screaming in pain, tried to nurse a little but it just hurt too much, and then wailed until about 5 or so, I kind of lost track.  Her cries were hoarse from the start and she vomited bile again.  Paul had to take her for a while because I was losing it.  I was barking orders at her.  ("Audrey!  Stop that crying!"  Yeah, like that was going to work.)  She has been really fussy off and on this evening.  I'm trying to just give her bottles to help control how much she is eating at any given time (I have lots of milk and tend to drown her).  She is not particularly sensitive, and when not in pain is very calm and friendly. We go to the doctor tomorrow.  We just don't know what to do.   I am hoping they can give me an antacid for her to ease the pain.

Hi everyone, just a little note to mark the momentous occasion of BOTH CHILDREN NAPPING AT THE SAME TIME.  I also wanted to let all friends and family know for the record that we are tremendously grateful for all of the generous meals, gifts, favors, etc. that you all have done/given over the past few months.  My first order of business during the peaceful nap (aside from going to the bathroom for the first time since this morning) was to bang out a few thank you notes.  If I can do a few each day, I may actually finish them before Audrey turns 1.  I am still kind of slow with the writing (not sure why, but I still feel the soreness in my elbow when I write, and my penmanship is dreadfully uncontrolled).  There are many notes to write because we are blessed to know so many incredibly loving and generous people.

Now I am sure I should go nap myself, since the kids are napping, but because the adult part of my brain is starving, I shall knit and talk on the phone or something.

BTW, turning 33 wasn't so bad.  It feels a lot like 32, but with cake and a balloon and some gift certificates!

This is a new CAPS widget. Just testing it out. Might add it somewhere on the blog... still thinking about it.

So Audrey turned one month old this past weekend!  And the really big news is...SHE SMILED FOR THE FIRST TIME!  At who?  Katelyn, of course!  This morning the girls were in my bed hanging out (A was in the Boppy) and Kate was talking up a storm, right up in Audrey's face as usual.  Audrey just gave her the sweetest little look and smiled at her!  It was definitely in response to the attention from her big sister.  Audrey always lights up when she hears Kate's voice.

So Audrey, the super-calm baby, has been fussy the last few days.  It progressed from just a little gas (that responded to medicine) to full on stomach pain.  She's been vomiting (so hard it comes out the nose sometimes) and screaming in pain during and after eating.  So today we took a little trip to the doctor to see what is up.  Basically he confirmed what I had begun to suspect: she has reflux.  In spite of this she is still gaining weight - 9 lb 14 oz today, buck naked!  He prescribed a teeny bit of rice cereal added to a bottle of breast milk twice a day.  We go back for her 1 month check up in about a week so hopefully we will see some improvement in her comfort level.  If not we may try a lactose-free formula or give her a baby-dose of antacid.  We'll keep you posted.  Still no signs of true colic - thank heavens!

Audrey is now 3 weeks old!  We are doing pretty well, and she is growing like a weed already.  And remember, here our weeds grow extra fast - you've seen our backyard.  By my scientific calculations (by that I mean weighing myself and then weighing myself holding her on my Wal-mart special scale) she weighs 10 pounds already!  So I guess that means that the nursing is going okay.  A few days early in the week she wanted to eat every hour and a half (hence my inability to complete thank you notes and simple housekeeping tasks).  She has struggled with some gas and tummyaches the last couple of days but thanks to the natural remedy gripe water, that is a little better.  I did not use gripe water with Kate, but I wish I had tried it - it seems to really help Audrey.  After about 15 minutes she calms down a lot and is able to relax enough to actually burp and pass some of the gas.  (Note:  I am sure that some of my readers are uncomfortable with this subject matter, just like the potty training stuff, but with a newborn, gas can mean that no one gets any sleep at all.  Therefore it is a very important topic around our house!)

In other non-baby news, the TV died on Saturday so we now have a new TV.  Goodbye, old friend, we only knew you 8 years.  The old console TV lasted some 20 years or something ridiculous.  They don't make them like they used to.  Anyways, it was actually me that insisted that Paul get out on Mother's Day and get one right away.  It is my only connection with the adult world sometimes, how sad!  Seriously, we don't go out to movies, we don't even rent movies, we watch DVR and DVD's.  It is worth buying.  And I really need the Little Einsteins right now, for those times when I am nursing and Katelyn feels the urge to climb all over me.

Well, back to the kid subject, because it is all I do:  Katelyn is a great big sister.  Really.  She is so loving, and very excited to have Audrey here.  She doesn't seem jealous at all, but does get clingy sometimes.  I just have to make sure that she gets lots of exercise (read: Daddy time) and eye contact playtime, such as tickling or books or just being silly.  If she has that, she sleeps well, and is content to play on her own for an hour or so at a time, which really helps me take care of Audrey.  Today Kate played alone and Audrey napped, so I actually got to clean the kitchen and do a few loads of laundry.  Paul's clean clothes situation was so dire that yesterday he actually BOUGHT new clothes.  Anyways, I think that after a few weeks, when we are really truly on a schedule I can sort of predict and Audrey is responding to her world a little more, that the two of them will have TONS of fun together.  I have heard it said that the firstborn lives in an adult world and any other kids live in a child's world.  That seems especially true when I see Katelyn right up in Audrey's face telling her all about the world.  I hope they grow up to be best friends.  It fills me with tremendous joy to think of the fun times to come.

So today Paul's family went home, and he was back at work, and the Hooper girls were left to figure it out on their own.  It did help break up the day that Paul came home for lunch and to take us to Audrey's doctor appointment.  But overall, we did very well today.  Katelyn is struggling with sharing Mommy (of course) - this took form in a lot of fussing and demanding to use anything Audrey happened to be using at any time.  For example, the Boppy.  What on earth would Kate want with a Boppy, other than just to get it away from Audrey?  Every feeding, she began whining about needing a turn with "that special pillow."  And at bedtime, she cried a lot and Paul and I had to go in there a bunch of times, which hasn't happened in ages.  I am sure this is normal and will pass in time.  This week we are going to do a lot of extra special art projects, read fun books, etc. - anything where she can be close to Mommy and feel important.

Audrey is just doing her baby thing, eating incessantly, sleeping lots, and occasionally giving us a glimpse of her eyes.  She's really agreeable this far, and we had another great night last night, with stretches of sleep from 12-4 am and 4:30-7 am.  I am having to set my alarm to wake her for night feedings.  Glory hallelujah!  Of course I have to literally feed her 9 times during the day for this to be possible, but it is worth it.  These are actually longer stretches of sleep than I had during pregnancy, what with all of the bathroom trips and pain from the elbow and all.  I really like that I can actually take some painkillers now if I feel uncomfortable!  Also, at Audrey's doctor visit today, we discovered that she is back up to 8 lb. 4 oz., up from 7 lb. 12 oz. a week ago.  She's almost back to birth weight.  The jaundice is almost completely gone as well.  She was very brave for her heel stick.

Now about me...this is a TOTALLY different recovery experience than I was expecting.  I guess I just thought that what it was like last time was what every Caesarean recovery was like.  Not at all.  I am moving around great and can actually feel my abs now - just a few days ago I could not.  The big difference surgery wise from is that the muscles were not severed this time, just pulled apart.  I can go up and down stairs.  I can bend down.  I am only taking a little Advil at night.  I'm tired, sure, but it could be SO much worse (and it is fresh in my mind how awful I felt just a few weeks ago).  Thanks to everyone for praying!

One last thing...a picture of my new little cutie: