Look Who's 21!

Hint:  It's not the Asian!

What I wanna know is how did she go from the little peanut I met in early '92 to a college junior and who told her she could?

I threw together a small family {as if we are a small family!} dinner for a celebration earlier this week.
It is so nice having her so close during the school year!  No.  That is not red wine in our glasses!  Even though Lizzie was about to turn 21.  That is our family's way of showing something is a big deal.  We use sparkling juice! 

And this is quite possibly the ugliest cake EVER in the history of my cakes! I do not know what happened.  I made the same cake I always make for her birthday, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pound Cake That Isn't A Pound Cake At All.  Yes, that is the name I gave it! Clearly Lizzie was impressed with my culinary prowess, too.  As evidenced by that expression on her face! 

The cake shortly after it emerged from the oven.  Yeah, it was that great! At this point, I did what any self-respecting pastry chef would do....if I were a self-respecting pastry chef....or even just a pastry chef.  I whipped up a batch of Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate icing and tried to hide the .....ummmmm.....imperfections. 

There was no point.

No one was fooled!



But, that's okay.  Lizzie said that God loves ugly cake too!



The cake was good, but being with Lizzie was GREAT!

We love you sooooo much and hope your year is spectacular!

20

20 years ago today, I was a 19 year old college freshman at USC-Aiken. I went to my Psychology 101 class totally oblivious to the fact that my future step-daughter was making her grand entrance!



20 years ago, if you'd asked me if I thought I would marry a man with a four year old, I would have given you the squinty-eyes with furoughed brow look. Huh? How would that ever happen?



20 years ago I would never have guessed that my life would be intertwined so much with the life of a 20 year old woman that I have no blood relation to.



20 years ago was 2 years before my life would be touched by an angel with golden locks of hair and rosy lips. 2 years before my horizons would be broadened by a 2 year old! 2 years before I would fall in love with the amazing and wonderful flurry that is my daughter, Lizzie.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest, smartest, most beautiful 20 year old!

I've loved being a part of the last 18 years and can't wait to see what the next 20 will hold for you!

She's gone and done it!

Lizzie has successfully completed her first semester of COLLEGE! She had her final exam on Saturday morning and then headed back to Lexington for her month long winter break. We have loved having her so close while she was at school and enjoyed having her over for home cooked meals (and laundry!) every so often! Claire has really been able to warm up to her because she's been around just enough for Claire to get used to her!

Isabel and Lizzie at The Mellow Mushroom

We had a little early celebration with her Friday night and took her to her favorite pizza joint down near C of C, The Mellow Mushroom. Then we walked her back to her dorm and she shamelessly used her brothers and father as pack mules to carry her stuff down and help load her car so she could bolt as soon as her exam was over Saturday!

Noah, Parker, Isabel, Claire and Lizzie at Francis Marion Park on the way back to her dorm from the restaurant.

Her first semester went well. She was homesick but she didn't let that affect her classes. She took four classes this semester, one with a lab. She aced her Anthropology class, making 100's on most of the tests and an A on the final! Good thing, since that is her chosen major! Her British Literature professor couldn't believe that British Lit wasn't her major or that she was just a freshman. Needless to say, she did exceptional in that class as well! She also took a psychology class and Geology. Neither class was particularly interesting to her but she's sure she passed them. It's all good!

We're so proud of our Lizzie! Have a wonderful break and we can't wait to see you the 26th! We love you soooooo much!

This and That

First, Claire and Paul are back from St. Louis, safe and sound! They got in on Monday night. Claire loves to fly, no kidding! She sees an airplane and says "go on airplane". She wants to sit in her seat, buckle herself up and she wants her orange juice with ice....and she will tell the attendant herself, thank you very much! This trip was a follow up visit to be certain that everything was progressing the way they would expect after getting casts off and wear the brace. Because Dr. Dobbs specializes in club foot and because he works at two different hospitals, he sees more vertical talus patients than other doctors would normally see. He sees so many that he was able to perfect that casting method of correcting vertical talus where most other doctors would recommend surgery. So, once every year Dr. Dobbs invites doctors from around the country to come to St. Louis and see his vertical talus patients. He is able to show them pictures and x-rays before the correction and then they look at the child to see the finished results. Claire was examined by 6 physicians on this trip and they were all in awe of the correction Dr. Dobbs was able to do in just 3 castings and a tenotomy!! Everything looks great and we don't have to go back for 3 (if there seems to be any problems) to 6 months!

Claire is holding my arms....she's not too sure about all that fire on those candles!

Second, we had a lovely birthday dinner for our beautiful birthday girl on Tuesday night! Lizzie came over and I made her favorite, shrimp and grits. It's actually her recipe but I wouldn't let her touch it......'cause it's her birthday dinner, that's why! And everybody knows you are not supposed to cook your own birthday dinner! I also made Lizzie's favorite cake, a chocolate chip, sour cream cake that I got the recipe for years ago from a friend. Well, I went to make the thing and HORRORS, I could not find the recipe. I have a notebook and each of my prized recipes is color coded (purple for desserts) and stored in a protective sleeve. IT IS MISSING and I have no memory of where I put it. Claire didn't take nearly as long as usual to warm up to her so that was pretty exciting! I guess she comes around enough now that Claire actually remembers her from one time to the next!



In other news....

• Claire had her first eye doctor appointment and although she was not impressed with having to have eye drops put in her eyes, not once but three times, everything went well and she doesn't have to see that doctor for 2 years!
  
• Her AFOs are supposed to be here int he morning and so is her physical therapist. I can not wait to see how that goes!


• We have 7 days until we leave for the first camping trip we have taken in 2 years! We will leave next Wednesday and return Sunday. We were gifted with a pop-up tent camper a few years ago and we have only used it once. I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a new trend in the Gour household! I love to have the kids outside, running around, like the wild young-ins that they are! We're going up to a state park in upper South Carolina and somehow I doubt they have wireless service, so I may be offline for a few days! YIKES! If I can't get on the computer I will try to use Paul's cell to send a few short posts and pictures via email....if they even have cell reception.................

Well, I'm heading over to the prayer meetin' at Significant Source. If you're new to this, my friend there holds a weekly prayer meeting where you can leave prayer requests in her comments box...or just pray with her for anyone that did. You can get there by clicking on the prayer meetin' link above.

A Birthday Wish

Going out to our 19 year old baby girl, Elizabeth Hope. Arriving into this world on October 20, 1989 and weighing in at just 5lbs, she proves that good things come in small packages! I had the privilege to meet her in March of 1992 and the honor of becoming her Step-monstermother on January 4th (or May 7th) 1994!

She has grown into a lovely, loving, lovable (can you tell we like her a little bit!) young woman. We can't wait to see what the next 19 years hold for her.

Lizzie is a source of joy and and pride and we are so thankful to have her in our lives! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! We love you!

Surprise weekend visitor!

It's a COLLEGE STUDENT!

Always studying!

As usual, I emailed to check on our Lizzie this week. Instead of getting a comforting reply about classes keeping her busy and a general "all's well" report, I got a one liner about a sprained ankle that was laced with desperation........ or exasperation, not sure which! Either way, it didn't sound good. "Grace" stepped off the curb to get into her Nana's car and got into a drainage hole instead! That is apparently what you get for trying to do your laundry off campus!

I checked in on her the next day and it was worse! Her ankle was really hurting her and she was going to hobble blocks to get to her classes. Her first class that day was near-by, but she was worried that she would not make it to her second class, several blocks away, without being disrespectfully late!

It so happened, her Daddy was working at a hospital downtown anyway! One quick call to him and he did exactly what I knew he would do! Yep, he raced over to the college......... because he was a man on a mission now! (insert Mission Impossible theme music here) Using the latest in technology, (a cell phone) he located the target, then circled on the one way streets near the campus until he got "the signal". At precisely the right moment......or close, he pulled up to the curb and whisked Lizzie away and around the corner to drop her at her next class. I half expected him to call me blurting out the code "Papa Bear has the cub, I repeat, Papa Bear has the cub" ! This would not be out of character for him as he frequently called me with similar codes when he would drive to the meeting spot to pick Lizzie up for weekend visitation. Yes, Lizzie comes by her humorous side, naturally! He then went in search of our college student's prefered lunch, Subway! He managed to find one, get the lunch and get back to the street corner in time to shuttle her back to her dorm. In the mean time, we issued the invitation that she was welcome to come home for the weekend to be "nursed" back to health with the help of her four loving, yet nutty brothers and sisters. She actually took us up on this offer! Of course, if she hadn't she may have had to survive off of Easy Mac because there was no way she could have gotten to the cafeteria for her meals without starving to death first at the rate she was moving!

We ended up having a really nice weekend! We took full advantage of the opportunity to indulge in a seafood extravaganza and I served crab legs and shrimp cocktail for Friday night's dinner! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it cost less than taking our whole crew out for chicken! Lizzie, ever the comedian, had us in stitches all through dinner and Noah almost managed to make root beer come out his nose....or should I say Lizzie almost made root beer come out his nose! Yep, we've got a talented bunch! The best part of her visit was actually getting to visit! She put in a lot of needed bonding time with Claire and I got our first ever pictures of ALL FIVE KIDS!!

A little ice, a support brace and some rest has done wonders for Lizzie's ankle this weekend and I am happy to say that though she is still gimping, she is doing much better. We sent her off well fed, well loved and well rested. She managed to visit, make us laugh, watch a few movie and get all her homework done!


I recently encouraged her that blogging could be a creative outlet for her....after all, she is a writer and a talented artist. I thought she could post her poetry or short stories and upload scanned drawings. Lizzie firmly believes that her dorm is haunted by playful ghosts and so she decided to start a blog that chronicles paranormal activity at the college! It is aptly titled The Ghosts of Berry Hall. Well, knowing Lizzie, no matter how serious she is, it will still be entertaining....because that girl is a riot I tell you!

Playing with "Izzie"

This video was taken in my kitchen which is horribly dark. I even refer to it as "the cave", so the video is also very dark. But it's cute just to listen to Claire interact with Lizzie.

(Don't forget to turn off the music at the bottom)

Tune in tomorrow for more adventures as the Mama and Daddy fly to St. Louis with Claire for the Great Reveal ! By this time Tuesday we will be boarding our flight home with her new and improved feet....made just for walking...and running...and dancing and climbing! Oh my!

It's a college student!

That's right, we officially have us a college student!

Elizabeth Hope Gour

4 feet 11 inches and about 100 lbs soaking wet
full head of hair and beautiful green eyes!

Oh yeah, and she's highly intelligent! Whipped the pants off me and her Dad at the SAT's! She was dropped off at her dorm in downtown Charleston on Sunday by her mother and step-father and let us know that she was all settled that night, but she was already homesick. I asked if there was anything we could get for her and in true college student fashion..... she begged for food! She also requested a toaster and......a shower-head?! Apparently, the dorm rooms are equipped with something that resembles a spigot coming out of the wall! This afternoon we went down so that Daddy could install the new shower-head, for which Lizzie and her roomie, Allison are very grateful and I brought lots of college food! It was very exciting to see her in her dorm and she gave us the deluxe campus tour before we took her out for dinner. I am happy to say that I think she is going to do great! She seemed really happy and a lot calmer than on Sunday. It seems two days can make a big difference! Paul and I just kept saying, we can't believe we have a COLLEGE STUDENT! We are so proud of her and seeing her actually on the campus just made it so.........REAL. She is all grown up!

Here she is in her dorm room! She actually lives in a "suite". She shares a room with one girl and there are two more two person rooms in the suite. There is also a "common area" that has a small kitchenette and sitting area. This is her "half" of the room. Alli has an equal amount of space on the other side and there is a bathroom behind me. Lizzie and Alli lucked out because the other four girls have to share a bathroom! Of course, she is happy to have a bathroom for just her and Alli but she saws the deco in it is "prison chic" because it's all grey and white and she nick named the toilet "Shamu" because that is who it sounds like when you flush it! As you can see, she still has her sense of humor!

At her desk...doesn't she look studious! She's reading a note from Isabel.

Here she is on the campus. It's a really beautiful and peaceful campus once you get away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets that run all around it. It is steeped in history, most of which, Lizzie could tell us all about. It was like having a guided tour of a historical area. It was a wonderful visit! WE LOVE YOU, LIZZIE!

Finally!

Sisters!

I finally have some answers! We finally have a plan! Claire finally got to see the urologist! We had our appointment with Dr. Aaronson this afternoon. He is a small, grandfatherly British man and according to everyone I talk to, the finest pediatric urologist on the East Coast. He did, what I thought was a very thorough examination of Claire with history and went over her ultrasounds and other tests with me.

His decision about the bacteria in her urine that is causing her urinary tract infections, is to continue with the antibiotics she is currently taking. But, instead of coming off them after the ten day round, she will remain on them, at a lower dose, for thirty days. He believes that this may give her the chance to actually eradicate the little critters! Not once, did he mention putting her in the hospital for IV antibiotics!

He also took note of her reflux issue. Claire lived 2 1/2 years with a neurogenic bladder. Her bladder never emptied and only when it could hold no more, would it overflow into her diaper. Therefore, her bladder is misshapen, thick walled and she has a reflux problem. Urine re fluxes back into her kidneys. Because of prolonged reflux, her ureters are very large now and she actually re-fluxes freely. This means that urine will go up into her kidneys even without her bladder being full. For example, when she lays down, urine will flow out of her bladder and up into her kidneys. So, part of her problem is that even though we catheterize her now, some of the urine hangs out in the kidneys until after we are done. Then we sit her up and it comes back into her bladder. When a child's bladder doesn't ever empty completely it increases their chances of getting urinary tract infections. If she can not get rid of this infection after 30 days of antibiotics, Dr. Aaronson believes that she needs to have a small surgery to have her ureters reattached to her bladder. He already scheduled us for a return visit to reevaluate this in September. He was very honest and let me know that he feels certain that she will need this surgery. But, he made it clear that it is also important to clear up the infection first anyway.

I felt much better leaving his office today. I feel like we have a plan of action and now she is in his system so if we have a problem (like a relapse on the lower dose of antibiotics), Claire WILL get in to see him. He made that clear!

Lizzie bonding with Claire!

WE ALSO, FINALLY GOT TO SEE OUR LIZZIE! She came down on Sunday and stayed until after dinner tonight. It was a very nice visit. She spent a lot of time with Claire and though it took a day, Claire warmed up to her. She gave Lizzie a hug AND a kiss before she left tonight! The kids loved having her back for a while. She played video games with the boys, did a make-over on Isabel, orchestrated a treasure hunt for Isabel's birthday and made her famous shrimp and grits dish for dinner! She is an amazing young woman and we are so fortunate to have her in our lives!

The boys decided to "join" her in the chair!

Then Isabel had to get in on the pile-up too! Poor Lizzie, she loves her personal space.

Can you say SQUISHED!

And, last but not least, we FINALLY got to have a niece and nephew in for a visit. I've been trying all summer. Usually, by now, we would have had them all for several weeks. Not this summer...it's just been too busy. But, finally we got Brianna and Christian here! They came in on Sunday with Lizzie and are staying until next weekend. I love having a full house! I prefer it to be busting at the seams, if at all possible. That's why we are adding two more on Saturday....Brooke and Megan!

Christian found a treasure map in the crib!

The Graduate

The Gour Gang, a family of seven!
With Meme and Papa Stroud!
The Happy Graduate!

Lizzie's graduation was lovely and went off without a hitch. We got the opportunity to grab a hug and a few pictures with her right afterwards. Claire would not even look at her but that is understandable. There was a crowd and she was not comfortable, but she behaved beautifully, as did the other children! It do not have a "cap and gown" picture yet. It was HOT afterwards and Lizzie, understandably, refused to dawn the gown again!

LIZZIE

Our beautiful, sweet Lizzie is all grown up now and she will graduate high school tomorrow!



I met Lizzie in February of 1991, when I was dating Paul. She walked up to me and matter-of-factly stated that she was going to be a Paleontologist when she grew up! I knew I was in trouble then, because that precocious two year old had to explain to me what a Paleontologist was! She's been schooling me ever since!

Although Lizzie has never lived in our home, we endeavored to make her part of our lives as much as possible. From weekend visits, holidays and vacations, we carved out a life with her that we could only hope meant as much to her as it did to us. Always a flurry of activity and creativity, she has been a source of joy and inspiration in our home. Parker, Noah and Isabel love and respect her deeply. Claire has yet to meet her and our only regret is that we weren't able to adopt her when Lizzie was younger so she would get to bond with her too. Our fond memories include Dad's frozen underwear, room sized blanket forts and "boot camp", Lord of the Ring marathons and Harry Potter trivia games, scary movies 'till dawn, Renaissance festivals and stand-up comedy reenactments. We've had treasure hunts and a New Years Eve murder mystery party. We've been to Washington DC, Cherokee, Busch Gardens and Sea World. Each memory is cherished and we wait patiently to make new ones!



Unfortunately our time with Lizzie is limited now. Life caught up with her this year and she found she had to spend her free time studying to complete her senior year, applying for colleges and working a part time job. But, even amid all the activity, she found time to visit with us a few times and continues to email with us and the kids. And, all her hard work paid off. She applied to and was accepted at four colleges-Randolph Macon, Clemson, College of Charleston and UNC-Wilmington!

Lizzie is planning to pursue an undergraduate degree in anthropology with a concentration on archeology. She intends to go to graduate school as well. However, her dream is to study abroad and she hopes to go to Ireland in her junior year.

She is still writing and acting when she gets the chance. I think she will continue with the acting in college, taking some drama classes. She has been working on a novel for a while now. I know she will continue to work on this every chance she gets. I've read the first part and it is quite good. Her imagination astounds me!

Lizzie has worked hard and we are so very proud of her! We love you, Lizzie!

Daddy, Mom, Parker, Noah, Isabel and Claire Hope

A DAY WITH LIZZIE

Our Lizzie has been a very busy girl! Between school, work and household responsibilities there has been little time to schedule any visiting. Thankfully, she was able to be with us for a few days over Christmas break, but we had not seen her since then. Finally, she let me know that she would have a Saturday off if we wanted to visit with her in Lexington, so we headed up there for the day. We spent the day eating out and going to the children's museum. The kids had a blast at the museum and Lizzie enjoyed hot tea at Starbucks afterwards. We loved just getting to hang out with her. It was a good visit! We know she just has so much going on right now that she can not help it so we feel blessed to have gotten the chance to see her. It may not happen again for a while....but, that is what happens when your kids grow up!