Day Eighteen Hundred and Twenty-Six

The Top Knot

She has no shame when she nurses her baby in public and I quite admire her for it! Although maybe a bit more modesty would suffice. We're working on it. 

Amelia returned to the field - finally - after almost a month-long hiatus! She was as excited as ever!!

"Take me to the bases, Daddy. I'll show you how to run them!"

"See, like this!"

Amelia made it all the way home from here and all by herself too!! She's so big girl. And such a student of the game already. 

Feels good to be back!

Day Eighteen Hundred and Nineteen

The Other Kind of Fish

He's a Fish on the field. And off.

And so is his little girl.

Amelia's newest achievement is her willingness to lay back in the pool, letting the water fill her ears! She does this of her own asking too! One day, she was adamantly against it and the next, she's floating on her back with ONE Daddy hand holding her up!! Our original plan was to get her into swim lessons immediately after season ends, but at this rate, our tadpole will be swimming on her own before we get to the end of September! Crazy!! So so so proud of you, Amelia! She loves the water more and more every day and would spend hours in it if we let her - which we did yesterday! 3 hours, to be exact!! My wrinkly baby sure enjoyed the offset with her wrinkly Dada and sick-feeling Mama.

Baseball news:

Adam threw his first bullpen today since landing on the DL. He said that he's feeling better and better, but that he's not built up yet (as expected). It'll take some time to get him back into game-ready shape, but he's on the mend and feeling stronger. His hand is no longer swollen (his palm was incredibly swollen for around a week) and his finger, though feeling a little dull, is healed up nicely as well. We were never given a definitive cause or diagnosis of injury, but there is educated speculation that he tore something in his finger, causing bleeding into his palm, which then caused inflammation, leading to another possible small tear in his hand. This explains both the pain in his finger and hand. The best hand doctor in the country couldn't diagnose him with 100% certainty because he wasn't able to see Adam immediately after it all happened, but after reviewing the new MRI from a week ago, the doctor said the injuries have healed and there is no sign of lingering damage. Now, it's all about building the strength in his arm back up to pitching 6 or 7 MLB innings, with care that his hand continues to progress as well. It's been a wild second ride on the DL and though I was pretty bummed by the news at first, Adam has thrived during this time, using this setback as a testimony to those around him on the DL that he doesn't normally get the opportunities to talk to. I'm always so encouraged by Adam's outlook on his career and his family, and even more so in his relentless pursuit of God's character and will for his life. It would be so easy for him - for anyone - to let the DL consume his mindset in a negative way, but he realizes the great purpose and divine calling to this specific opportunity in his life and he's not letting it be lost on him. I love you so much, Adam. You're such a light in this world and someone I look up to with tremendous respect and admiration. Thank you for teaching me what it looks like to find joy and purpose in all circumstances. 

Day Eighteen Hundred and Fourteen

The Skittle

Daddy did a bad thing. On his flight back to Miami from NY, he bought a package of Skittles! BAD DADDY! Bad, bad, BAD! And then, once home, he whipped them out, dangled them in front of our faces, and we caved. Or, something like that ;) We gave Amelia her first super-bad treat and this was her reaction! Girl, you better not get used to it! But I'm with ya, all that sugar sure does taste good!

In other baseball-related news: Adam was cleared by the doctor in New York and began his throwing program yesterday! It'll be a little while before he's ready to pitch - a minimum of three weeks - but we're sure excited about the good news!

Day Seventeen Hundred and Ninety-Nine

The Hand

Mimi didn't like the blow up hand in her overalls. 

And Daddy doesn't like the fact that he's here instead of in Cincinnati. But this is our reality right now and though it mostly sucks, we're finding blessings daily as we accept where the Lord has us. Adam had an MRI yesterday and will update on his health once we know more after a few more appointments. 

So yeah, this is mostly how we're feeling. Bummed and upset, but finding beauty in it nonetheless. 

Day Seventeen Hundred and Ninety-Seven

The 24th Start and DL

This was maybe the only cute thing about yesterday. 

Well, Dad's hits were good too, but I wouldn't call them cute - something much manlier. I saw a hashtag that said #PitchersWhoRake. We'll go with that.

Adam's 24th start was a rough one.

Since Chicago, he's been battling a bit of middle finger soreness on his pitching hand after smashing it into the Cubs' visiting dugout while celebrating a teammate's homerun. Apparently the dugouts there are infamous for being much lower and smaller than most MLB dugouts - a piece of history that comes with the historic park. And one I think maybe needs reconsideration. But that's just me. He lifted his hand in celebration and banged it right on the dugout ceiling and since, he's had an unexpected lingering soreness/stifness that's gradually gotten worse by the day. Maybe the ConleyCurse wasn't done with us after all. I say that jokingly, but seriously, the irony of Adam being injured this way isn't lost on me. He's maybe the most serious and emotionally-introverted guy on that team and the time he does celebrate something, it eventually lands him on the DL. Go figure.

He pitched as best he could with the injured finger that spends the most time on the ball through his wind up and release, but he just had no command. His velocity was down too and in the video I'll link to this entry, he explains in more detail why throwing his regular velocity wasn't possible. Thankfully,  we aren't nursing a more serious arm injury (his arm and shoulder are perfectly fine) and he'll be back in 15 days - as that's the shortest DL stint that exists in MLB. He's obviously frustrated with his performance the last two starts and the fact that this is taking him from some very serious upcoming games with his team, but hopefully they can pick up his slack for the next two weeks and when he rejoins them at the end of August, we'll have our old July-Adam back again! Praising God that this is a much smaller hurdle than a more serious injury would be and praying that we use this time on the DL in obedience in whatever capacity He has for us. 

Adam's line:

4IP, 5H, 5R, 5ER, 4BB, 4K, 1HR and a No Decision

He's now 8-6 with a 3.94 ERA

And though his defensive side of the night was lacking, his offensive side was the best he's performed to date! Adam had TWO hits - his first multi-hit game of his career - and scored both times, helping spark two rallies that got the Fish back into the game! Proud of you, Adam.

Article:

http://m.marlins.mlb.com/news/article/195507150/marlins-place-adam-conley-on-disabled-list/

http://www.foxsports.com/florida/story/miami-marlins-giancarlo-stanton-adam-conley-disabled-list-081416

Video

http://www.foxsports.com/florida/video/adam-conley-says-he-was-dealing-with-hand-soreness-throughout-start-081316

Day One Thousand and Eighty-Six

The Greatest Disdain

I can't accurately describe just how much I abhor toothpaste at the moment.

And it's not going away.

Every time I think of the blue gel, an instant headache erupts in my brain and I want to puke. And so, every night, I ask Adam to put "a little less" toothpaste on than the time before. It's getting almost pathetic at this point...making me desperate for these absurd aversions to vanish and never return. Good news though: I'm fifteen weeks as of yesterday - two weeks into my second trimester - which means the aversions and me should be parting ways soon! 

Update on Adam:

He'll continue to rehab in Jupiter, even while the regular AAA season ended on Monday. We've not been told yet how long he'll stay on rehab assignment, but what we do know is that he's been instructed to rest his arm from throwing. He will, however, continue his workouts in the gym, transitioning from in-season workouts to offseason workouts, which are much more intensive. 

Day One Thousand and Fifty-Six

The 2014 Zephyr Card

Oh hey there handsome.

You look nice on a card.

Real nice.

Finally they're here!

I'll be sending them out in the mail soon!

__________

I forgot to mention. A little Adam update:

He threw for the first time in ten days on Friday. For now, he'll be throwing every other day until…well, he doesn't know yet. But that's the latest!

Day One Thousand and Forty-Five

The DL: Round Two

This should be a picture of Adam's hotel room in Iowa.

But, it's not.

Because that bed's in a hotel…in Jupiter.

Adam was flown to Miami at 6AM yesterday morning for a scheduled appointment with the doctor at 2PM. They took him through tests and MRIs and again, have inactivated him and placed him on the Disabled List. For the second time this season. His arm just isn't right.

With so many emotions running through my head and not enough energy to fully explain what's happening or why, all I can say is that we're fine, but sad. And frustrated. And disappointed. And confused. This season has been a challenge unlike any other. Adam's neither experienced an injury or such failure in baseball, and though we have our feet firmly planted in the grace and truth of Christ, it's still hard.  

We have a lot of decisions to make in the next few days. It looks like I'll be driving to Jupiter on Friday morning and possibly looking for a rental earlier than expected? That is, if the crazed trade deadline rumors circulating every publication out there aren't true. 

Advise for the lonely, slightly emotional, a little worried baseball wife who hasn't seen her injured - er, whatever he is - husband in a week:

Don't Google his name the day after he goes to the DL at the end of July. You might want to. But you'll regret. Especially after you find some trade rumor that has the potential of uprooting your already temporary-home life. It'll probably make you cry. Especially because you're already emotional. And the tears: they'll be the sloppy kind. Hey, just a fair warning! Because, I may have experienced that recently…and though they tell you not to read too closely into those things, well, it's baseball and nothing's ever a sure thing. So, plan what you can and always have ice cream in the freezer, just in case. (I made that up. We've never, in one thousand and forty-five days, had a half-gallon of ice cream in our freezer. Never. Dang husband. But I think that needs to change. For safety comfort reasons.) 

__________________________

DL or not. Trade or not. (Ice cream or not). God's always provided. Always offered hope. Always shown grace. He's always given us community and never left us without. His faithfulness will never change. No matter where in the world he places us. Sometimes I have to remind myself the truth of our purpose: to enjoy and glorify God wholeheartedly and to share the Gospel wherever we are. And wherever really does mean wherever.

 All that to say, there's a whole lot going on right now and we would appreciate any prayers.

Day One Thousand and Twelve

The Very Last Day

I feel like this deserves celebration. Something at least. Maybe fudge. Ice cream? Yeah, gimme some ice cream! Adam is a DL graduate! Hallelujah! He threw one last bullpen in Jupiter before getting the long-anticipated news (a few hours later), that he'd be heading back to NOLA in the morning. It was 10PM before he got a glimpse at his itinerary, and though the delay pushed back the booking and planning of my flight, you won't hear me complaining…we're making our comeback...finally! 

Alas: the celebratory Thanksgiving-in-June-meal concluding our six week baseball hiatus in Jupiter...prepared by the sweet and tender hands of Mommy McGough! Apparently, she too thought a celebration was necessary! I knew I loved that woman! Luci and Scott, we treasured every day with you and will miss your company. We're grateful for your kindness, your generosity, and our daily HGTV marathons mixed in with the best conversations. Your mother/son relationship is a beautiful testimony to the love of Christ and we're incredibly blessed to have called you two roommates for the past 10 days. 

__________________

It's Friday night...and Adam and I are both safe in NOLA. More about our crazy day tomorrow...oh man. 

Day One Thousand and Eleven

The Chang's Change

Fact #1: P.F. Changs endured a credit card breach this month.

Fact #2: We ate at Changs 3 times last week.

Fact #3: A Chase email alerted us at 4 AM that some jerk in Arkansas tried to purchase $266 of who-knows-what off Walmart.com.

Fact #4: Our credit card number was definitely stolen.
Fact #5: Chase sent us a new card.

Fact #6: It got lost in the mail.

Fact #7: I drove 11 miles to pick this bad boy up.

Fact #8: We have new plastic money again!

FACT #9: WE'RE LEAVING FOR NOLA TOMORROW (FRIDAY).

and

Fact #10: We still don't know Adam's flight schedule…and won't until at least 10 PM tonight.

Day One thousand and Ten

The Fin Flashback

Adam threw for the Jupiter Hammerheads last night. It was surreal-ish. He pitched for the Fins two seasons ago, and I can't say that I ever expected to see him in that uniform again. Such is life in baseball. So, to complete his stint on the DL, they placed him on the roster (since the Hammerheads' home field is in Jupiter) and gave him the ball. 

It's been around 6 weeks since he's thrown in an actual game. Six. And though that's significantly longer than we'd originally thought, hopefully we're closing in on our time here. He flossed out some cobwebs and worked away some kinks, throwing somewhere around 88 pitches in 5.1 innings. It was exciting to see him back on the mound, and it's official: my baseball butterflies are back.

Day One Thousand and Seven

The Blessings of Baseball

They're the best of friends and roommates on the road. 

And now, they're the best of friends and roommates at home too!

Life on the DL is hard and sometimes frustrating. But it's not so bad when you're sharing the roof with someone you trust and knows exactly how you feel. Grateful for you, Scott…and clearly, Adam's thankful for your cozy couch too! 

Day One Thousand and Five

The First DL 'Game'

I finally saw him throw in a game yesterday. 

It was glorious. 

He threw four innings of an inter squad game-ish and begged for a fifth. Rumor has it that they'll let you off the DL after you've gone 5. But, well, we're still here. And that means: his begging was in vain. 

Good news though: he'll surely go five next time. Which means that for the first time in 6 weeks, we'll be able to sleep in our own NOLA bed and check our mail. Gosh, our mail. I forgot about that. The mailman probably hates us by now. Oops. 

Speaking of beds...in this cozy little townhouse sits our fifth bed (Adam's sixth). And though we're tired and frustrated with all the moves and unknowns, we're so grateful to yet another friend who's opened their home and lives to us. 

What a blessing. 

God continues to provide for us. On a daily basis.

Day One Thousand and Three

The DL Spy

I spy with my little eye…

A BASEBALL PLAYER THROWING A BASEBALL!

Can I get an amen?!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay.

I haven't seen Adam throw in over a month. But yesterday, I finally got lucky enough (and close enough) to witness a little Southpaw action!

_______________________

We also picked up our third car. 

This time a rental. $18/day - not terrible.

For once I am thankful for being 26. Saved us a bit of cash. But, because I'm the only driver in this family over 25, I'm also the only person allowed to drive the car. 

Rental car = chivalry killer

And finally, we celebrated Zack's 24th birthday.

 It was a good day.

Day One Thousand and Two

The Couches Win

We had a long one yesterday.

Nap-worthy. 

That sorta thing just doesn't happen often in the Conley household.

And having to move again today is already making me tired for another one tomorrow. Sigh.

_____________

Adam throws a 4-inning GAME on Thursday (hallelujah!) and I'm hoping (real hard) that we'll be able to head back home to NOLA this weekend. But I have a proven track record of getting these things completely wrong, so you'd be better off not quoting me on it.

Day Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight

The Third DL Home

Prior to this long and drawn out little stint on the DL, Adam and I had only to depend on God's housing provision twice a year. Once in April, once in October. And once we found a place - giving brief and uninspired praise to the Provider of all life - His provision was kind of just, well…thanked for and moved on from. When I'd comment on how faithful the Lord has been in all our moves, it's never really, truly moved my heart. It burdens me to write that. But it's the truth.

While I was in NOLA, the girls and I started a Bible study. 

In one lesson, we learned about this food that the Israelites would eat called manna. I'd heard the story - and read it - many times, but it never really stuck with me. While the Israelites were wandering through the desert, tired and hungry, the Lord sustained them with a special type of bread. Each day, they'd wake up, collect bread scattered all over the land, but were only "allowed" too keep just enough bread to last them throughout the day. Nothing more. If they did decide to hoard it over night, the next day, they'd wake to maggots infesting what they'd disobediently piled up. It was during this time that the Israelites learned to trust God daily for His provision. Daily. Not just twice a year. Not once a month. Not even once a week. Every. Single. Day they depended on his provision of manna. 

It's taken a trip to the DL for me to finally wrestle with and acknowledge this idea for my own life. That literally, God is providing for us on a daily basis. That he's maybe narrated this entire frustrating episode to get me to understand how involved he really is, and how much more praise and honor He's deserving of. He's teaching me to trust him on the nights I have no idea where we'll end up tomorrow. We're currently in our third bed (Adam's fourth) in Jupiter, and driving our second car and have only some idea of where we'll be come tomorrow - when this bed becomes a thing of the past. But for me to worry about that at this point, would only be taking away from what God has for me today. 

I'm learning a lot here in Jupiter. 

How to trust. 

How to ask. 

And how to humbly say "thank you." 

It's been an incredible three weeks of ups and downs, but for me, it's been a hugely rewarding and faith building experience. 

Day Nine Hundred and Ninety

The Allen Hotel

We. Are. Spoiled. Rotten.

I can't speak too specifically on the subject, but I do know some things and typically, when a guy is on the DL, it's hotel-living (without a car) for the duration of his stay…and it's all fun and games until you're spending any amount of time over one week in a hotel room without transpiration. Thank the good Lord that we actually live in Jupiter during the offseason and had friend after friend opening their doors to us. 

Jupiter people: you rock.

We ended up staying here for the last 9 days. In the Allen Spare-Bedroom Oasis. And we can't even begin to describe our thankfulness toward them. This room, along with the rest of their beautiful home, was just purchased by the first-time home-buyers three weeks ago. And even though they'd barely just gotten the walls painted and the furniture put in, they took us on too…as their first ever guests! INCREDIBLE! What a blessing.

We did, however, manage to turn the once-beautiful- oasis into a gigantic pit of suitcase-living disaster. This is what MiLB life really looks like. I think it's possible I've mentioned this a few times before: we despise suitcase-living. Gah! It's the worst. But at least this time we had a washer and dryer and a drying rack and a kitchen. No hotel can beat that! Not even a 5-star! We'll take it!

Thank you thank you thank you, Erika, Franklin puppy, and Invisible Marshall! We love you an unspeakable amount and are so blessed by your overflowing hearts and open home. So gracious. Thank you.

…and for your daily giggle…

BLESS YOU!

Day Nine Hundred and Eighty-Eight

The DL Abode

We're living here currently.

With friends.

Awesome friends.

Including this friend.

Fraaaaaank!

And it's lovely.

The DL is treating us well so far. We have a cozy place to stay, a kitchen to cook in, a car to drive, and people all around us who are doing whatever they can to lend a helping hand. It's been amazing. And we are so grateful. 

To update on Adam:

He's doing well. Really well. His arm is totally healthy and feeling refreshed. He ended up taking 6 days off instead of the 3 that he had originally thought he was taking off. Because of that, he's now in the process of building himself back up to the seven-or-so innings that he'll have to pitch once he's back in NOLA. It's a process that takes a little time, which is why he's been here so long (at least, it's seemed long!), but hopefully he'll be back in NOLA soon! Oh, and for those curious, he's thrown two bullpens already and is pitching live BP on Friday. Lesssss go!

Day Nine Hundred and Eighty-Two

The(ir) Worth

While I flew over the Mississippi River, leaving NOLA and Apartment #6 for an undisclosed period of time...

Adam was here, giving his testimony to a group of middle schoolers. First Priority is an after-school program that allows and encourages students to explore faith in Christ. He shared the Gospel with them  and explained what it means to be a Christian, what life with God looks like, and answered any questions the students asked. At the end of class, the youth pastor closed in prayer and 9 students gave their lives to Jesus! Praise God!

Although Adam would love to be on the field right now, no performance on the mound could compare to the work Jesus did on the cross. Seeing people placing their faith in Christ is worth missing some baseball for. It's worth everything.
____________________________

Adam!! 

A much tanner (redder for now) version of the man I left 12 days ago! What a babe. He's doing great and his arm is getting stronger and stronger daily. It won't be long until he's out there again, but for now, he's rehabbing it with long toss, anti-inflammatories, and this weird cream that's applied using a glove! It supposed to act as a pain reliever, an anti-inflammatory, and something else that I can't remember off the top of my head. Whoops! I just hope it's working! Let's get this arm in gear because I'm ready for some baseball!

Day Nine Hundred and Eighty-One

Theres's No Place Like Home

Since home is wherever I am with Adam...

I got back to NOLA, unpacked from my Washington trip and re-packed for my Florida trip. Today, Adam and I will finally be reunited. And home.

I leave tonight for Jupiter. With two suitcases this time. Because well, who knows how long we're going to be there for. Good thing Southwest flys the first two bags completely free. Here goes our first DL experience in Jupiter together! Hopefully, it'll go extraordinarily quick! Which is weird to say…because we love Jupiter, but I may have a personal vendetta against our half-yearly-paradise-home during season...