She Counts!

Danika's newest accomplishment...she can count to two. :)

We have been listening to her all week and it still just cracks me up. She will be playing with her blocks and saying "unnnn.....tuuuuuu" over and over again. If you start buttoning up her jacket and you say "one" she says "two" as you grab the next button.

She loves to play with her new shape sorter (Thanks Terri Rae) and her favorite toy in the world (which has been true for about 2 months now) is a toy that has wood pegs that slide into holes and can be flipped over. She even uses the hammer appropriately. :)

She waves "bye bye" like a wild woman...and much to our surprise she does so on command now. :) Her new other games are (1)covering her own eyes and waiting for us to say "Peek-a-boo" and then flinging her hands out to her sides and (2) putting her hands above her head when we say "how big is Danika". Not huge accomplishments to the rest of the world...but pretty big in ours.
It may not look like much to you...but this is part of the wild, multi-directional "wave" we get when we say "Bye-bye".
The hair is still pretty thin...but there is enough now to get some wild looks when she wakes up from a nap. This mohawk was not altered or created by mom or dad...this was exactly how she looked when I picked her up out of her crib...I couldn't stop laughing. :)

Merry Christmas all! We will post pictures from Christmas when we return from Ohio!

Merry Christmas!

We managed to take a family photo for Christmas!

Thought you would enjoy!



love-
The Bierer Family

I need a 1-story house.

Greetings, one and all! :) For those that knew me in high school or college...let me start this out by reminding you that my coordination level has not increased even a little since you last saw me. I still have major issues. With that information, feel free to read on.



If you read our blog regularly, you know that I managed to fall all the way down our basement steps on Halloween and sprain my ankle pretty bad...along with an injury to my shoulder and a number of other scrapes and bruises. I never went to the doctor. I thought it would be fine and heal on it's own. It has been over a month and both the ankle and the shoulder are still causing me quite a bit of pain and the ankle still swells a lot...so I put it on my "to-do" list...along with about 500 other things...to eventually go to the doctor and get it checked out.



That brings us to yesterday morning...when I fell down the steps from our 2nd story to the ground floor. Yes...that's right....2 falls in less than 6 weeks. How pathetic is that? Except this time I managed to injure the other foot. Judging by the pain, swelling, and immediate discoloration, I thought it best if I not wait a month this time. And because crisis never hits when you are ready for it, I had to juggle a few other problems. #1- we got a ton of snow and it was STILL coming down...roads were icy and slick and there were crashes everywhere. Not a good day to go out if you don't have to. #2: Danika was home with me because she was sick. So I couldn't take her to daycare, Doug couldn't help because he was working his first day with a new crew, Dana was out of town, Susan was at work, and Grandma was too far out of town on the bad roads to risk taking Danika there. So...I packed up Danika and off we went to the doctor's office together...in a snow storm...with cars spinning around in circles and flying off the road around us....and me limping along with BOTH feet injured and carrying a 17lb kid in a 12lb carseat. It was a GRAND day.



I got there, the nurses had pity on me and helped carry her to the examination room. They quickly informed me I needed x-rays (after asking 35 times which injury came from which fall down which staircase...I told Doug to look out...they may be sending someone to investigate him for my many "falls" :)). They also quickly informed me that Danika could not go with me for x-rays. So...at my wits end and not knowing what else to do, I called Doug's Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Chuck. They were beyond gracious and let me bring Danika over there while I went to get x-rayed. Uncle Chuck even went with me so I didn't have to go alone. They are so wonderful! I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't been home.



Anyway...a zillion x-rays later, I had Danika loaded in the van again and we got home to find that there was about a foot of snow in our driveway and the plow had packed it up so that we couldn't pull in. So...leaving the van running on our little street and hobbling on wounded feet, I got to rummage through the garage, find the snow shovel, and start to dig a place to park my van. One of the neighbors saw me and had pity on me. He came and helped to shovel my driveway far enough to pull in. Interestingly enough, standing out in the snow with my feet freezing and numb while I shoveled was probably the least they hurt all day! :) The ice was quite helpful as it formed in my shoes and under my jeans. :)



Anway...they called me this morning...the verdict is in:



Right foot (injured yesterday): no fracture...just jammed/sprained

Right shoulder (injured Halloween): no fracture...just muscle injury

Left ankle (injured Halloween): fractured



At least I know I'm not totally losing my mind...I thought that ankle should be better by now!



So...tomorrow I get to go see an orthopedic specialist about my ankle fracture...and hopefully they have something good to say! I'll keep you posted.



And...in case you are wondering...there is a cute little 2 story house in Erie, PA going up for sale...owners are looking for a 1-story ranch with no stairs. :) (Just kidding...I think...)

God is so good...

As I mentioned in several other posts, Doug and I have been looking for a church to call our own. We think we have found that place.


Lately, we have been attending McLane Church in Edinboro. It has been a really neat experience so far, and a church we think we would like to make our home. The people have been kind, but most of all, this church has a very clear focus on showing people how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. It seems like the kind of place where we can grow, but even more importantly, where we can bring people who are far away from God and where they will feel comfortable asking the questions they need to ask in order to bridge that gap. The church is exceptionally patient and respectful of each person's own spiritual journey and process. They present Truth clearly, but allow for everyone to make thier own choice without guilt or pressure. It's the kind of place we want to be a part of.


Since Doug and I have been married, God has blessed us with more than we could ever ask for. When Doug was a pastor, God gave us friends, family, a church that loved us, and always met our spiritual, financial and physical needs above what we ever expected. Now that we are pursuing a different career path, He is still showing us new and exciting ways He wants to use us and at every turn He has proven that He can and will meet our needs. It doesn't matter if those needs are social, mental, physical, financial, or spiritual....He always knows what we need and what we can handle. A phrase we hear at McLane all the time is: "God is seldom early, but He is never late." I didn't know what it would be like to find a different church, but as always, God has been so good to us. We continue to be blown away by His amazing kindness and constant blessings...always exactly when we need them. Both of us have a totally settled feeling...we know this is where we are supposed to be right now. And it is pretty exciting.


There is tons I could write about this church, but for now I will settle with my favorite experience so far.


A month or so ago Brian Kelly preached a series called "McLane U". It was all about what the church views as it's mission and what they value. It was a 4 week series and it just broke me. I loved every minute of it...I downloaded the messages and I have listened to each one at least 2 times. If you want to listen to a great series, go to the website and download the McLane U series. It will be time well spent. "Course 101" and "Course 301" were my favorites. But the coolest part about this is that God brought it along at the perfect time for us. We have been asking if this is where God wanted us...if this was the place He wants us to call "home" and wants us to serve. After hearing that series, there wasn't a doubt left. If that is what this place is about, that is the kind of place we want to be...the kind of place we want to invest....the kind of place we want shaping our hearts and our character.

Oh, God...let us have hearts that line up with you...let us have desires that mirror your desire to bring the lost back to your arms. I can't think of a better focus to have at Christmas.

Cuteness and Spying

Danika received a gift from Trinity a month or two ago of this adorable stuffed "Geoffrey" from ToysRUs...you know...the giraffe. She loves it. She tackles it, plays with it...and sleeps with it. This is a pic of Danika after she fell asleep clutching Geoffrey in my Mom's arms.

Our house has a small hallway leading from the living room area into the bathroom/bedroom area. We keep the door closed because SOMEONE in our house runs straight to the cat dish in the bathroom, dumps it over, and plays in the mess if the door is open. But, the smart little cookie figured out that if she lays her face on the ground, she can see in under the door. So, anytime Doug or I go in that hallway and shut the door behind us, she crawls over, lays her face on the ground and yells for us. She sticks her little hand under the door and waves...it is actually quite hilarious. So...we have been trying to get a picture of it for 3 weeks...but everytime she sees the camera she stops and bolts for the camera instead. Well...we finally got it.

The view from the "other" side of the door.

This is what you see when you look under the door crack from inside the hallway. :)

Adventures in Eating

Danika has recently made it very clear that she wants more table food and less baby food. And if we want to feed her baby food...she wants to do it herself. Well...obviously this is not a clean process. As the mother who prefers NOT to bathe her 3 times a day, I've been trying to find neater ways for her to "learn". But...sometimes...you just got to let her do it herself. After a recent adventure, I thought you might be entertained to see the outcome. I do believe those are sweet potatoes. :)


And I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to intervene and keep my Dad from having a bad influence on Danika. I just was hoping it wouldn't be so soon. :) Sunday morning the weekend after Thanksgiving, Dad and Mom were packing up and saying good-bye. And I look over and Dad is letting her "drink" out of his coffee mug. My mind rambled as I started snapping a picture..."how cute! She thinks she is actually going to get something out of that. I'm sure he still has the lid closed, so she is probably just getting the droplets on the top. I wonder what she will think of that taste...."

That is until I noticed she was swallowing...and then I saw the coffee run down the side of her face and on to her shirt. "DAD! Do you have the spout open???!!?!? Are you actually letting her drink coffee? Fully caffienated cofee?!?!?!? She is 10 months old!!!"

All I got in reponse was a sheepish grin and a weak "Well, she likes it..."



Seriously...it is a wonder I survived my childhood. Danika...there will be no unsupervised visits with Paw-Paw.

Busy Month

It's been a crazy month and I just haven't had time to update this thing. So, I'm taking my lunch hour to post an update.

Right after the last blog entry, I had to go on a business trip for 4 days without my honey and my munchkin....which also means those two were home alone without me. :) I knew Doug would step up to the plate, but I was still a little nervous. Apparently, my nerves were completely mis-placed. Doug did awesome...Danika arrived at daycare on time every day, in a matching outfit, with a spare matching outfit and bottle packed in her bag without any glitches. She was clean, happy, and the house was all good when I got home. I was so proud! However, Danika was not so impressed. It only took those four days for her to decide I was a traitor who had left her and she permanently removed "ma-ma" from her vocabulary. When I showed up to pick her up from daycare, the little critter turned away from me and buried her head. She pushed away when I tried to pick her up, and it took about 2 weeks for her to "forgive" me. She has a SERIOUS grudge issue!

"No....I don't think I want to talk to you right now. Go away."

"Okay...if you insist....you can take my picture. But I still don't like you."

"Pancakes? Do I smell pancakes? I might consider forgiving you for some of those..."

My mom came at the beginning of the month to rescue me from my insanity and to help me regain control of my life. Well...actually she came to help me clean out my basement, but that one task accomplished those much larger ones. Between working full-time, trying to take care of a kiddo, and trying to keep a household running, I was starting to have a complete melt-down. I just sometimes feel like such a failure that I can't keep it all up...and then that triggers all sorts of insane and unjustified emotions that just bury me. I just want to crawl in bed and hide my head and avoid all of it because I can't imagine how to even start when I get that far behind and that emotionally distraught. So...I did what all reasonable women do when they can't cope....I called my mommy. She came for a long weekend and helped me get a grip. When she left I had a cleaned out basement, room to store the baby stuff that has been piling up, a plan for dealing with the rest of the house, and the hope that I was going to make it after all. Thanks mom! I love you!





The weekend in mid-November, we went to an event that Doug and I have decided will be a family tradition for us. A small town about an hour away (Franklin, PA) hosts an Annual Christmas Parade...but the parade is so fun because it is after dark and all the floats are lit up with tons of lights. The parade runs right through the center of this cute little town...and when it is done, they have this wonderful lights/fireworks show that is set to Christmas music. We went last year and loved it...so we took Danika this year. It was rainy, which made it much less fun than last year, but it was still pretty great. We bundled her all up and stuffed her in her stroller...it was hilarious. And she was fascinated by it all. She just watched everyone and everything...and she couldn't be distracted from the fireworks once they started...she thought that was pretty cool.

Danika all bundled for the parade and fireworks.

This past weekend, we had a full house for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving. My parents, Joanie, Cory and Brock all stayed with us in our tiny house. And it was just perfect. Doug and I celebrated Thanksgiving Day with his family....we will be home in LC for Christmas, so Thanksgiving is a Bierer celebration this year. But...my family was there when we got home and we all just got to spend some fun time together. It was a wonderful visit.

And, last but certainly not least...yesterday was the first day of gun season for deer. Doug and all the other able-bodied men in the Bierer family are out freezing their wet little hind-ends off out in the woods trying to kill that elusive giant buck. The rain has made it a less-than perfect start to the season, but I'm sure they are having a blast anyway. I will never understand how they call any of that fun...but at least I don't have to go sit in the woods with him. :)