This week

Monday and Tuesday were just a blur of busy-ness at work, so I'll start with all the excitement of Wednesday. I stayed home that morning because Nate's class was having its spring music program. But between taking him to school and arriving for the music program, I took Georgia to the doctor because I suspected she had an ear infection. She hadn't been sleeping well and had a runny nose and cough, but the night before, I saw her cupping her hands over both ears. Seemed like a sure sign of an ear infection. Well, the doctor said her ears looked perfect, but he heard some wheeziness in just one area of her lungs, and he was afraid it might be pneumonia! What?! I totally was not expecting that. Georgia isn't supposed to get sick! Nate gets sick enough for the both of them. And she really hadn't even been acting like she felt bad. So he gave us an antibiotic and said to call back on Friday.

We went straight from the doctor to school for the music program. Blake was already in the classroom, but when I was going through the office, I saw a bit of a commotion and the secretary told me the teacher would need to speak with me. Ms. Melissa told me and some other families that siblings would not be allowed at the program. Well, I knew they didn't like siblings to come to certain events (although I don't exactly understand the reason, so if anyone knows, please share), BUT siblings were allowed at the music program in the fall, so I assumed it was okay. They told me I'd have to stand with Georgia in the hall, and Blake could stay for half the program then come outside to take Georgia and I could go in for the second half. Whatever, fine. Well, another family was very upset and threatening to just take their daughter and leave, and more and more families were showing up with siblings. Of course everyone wanted to bring the whole family! This was the end of the year music program, and both parents wanted to come, and siblings wanted to come too. Finally, after a delay of at least 20 minutes and talk of a teacher babysitting in the office and other scenarios, they decided siblings could come into the classroom. Sheesh.

I took this one when I was banished in the hallway. :)

While we were waiting, the kids sang a song in circle time.

Then they all went outside and got to come in to accept their certificate of achievement.

Okay, so then it comes tim for the big music show, and we were all looking forward to the adorableness because the show last fall was super duper cute. Then they tell us that they actually recorded the music program last week during class, and they were just going to show us the recording. Say what? And during the whole recording, Nate was just staring off into space with his mouth hanging open and not even singing, lol!

The whole time Nate was eyeing these cookies because I guess he didn't like the lunch I packed him and he was starving. He went over to ask a teacher if he could have one, and he came back and said, "Miss Christy said not yet, but I'm hungry!" Finally another teacher cut off the video before the last song was even over and said, "Okay, we have snacks back there, but take them and go because we have another class coming in!" Nice.

Back to Georgia. Since Wednesday, she seems to have gotten worse. She's just acting sicker and not eating well and coughing worse. This afternoon, I texted Alisa that she could bring Georgia to work for me to nurse if she still wasn't eating well, and that was just about the time that Georgia crawled over to Alisa and laid her head down on Alisa's knee, so she immediately texted back, "We'll be right there!" By the time they got to my office, I had already made a follow up appointment for Georgia at the pediatrician. This was a different doctor who did not thing she had pneumonia, but she was very wheezy. We did a breathing treatment in the office which helped a lot, so we're to do those every 4 hours for the next couple days. That's going to be fun, because she fights it the whole time! But I'm so glad it's not more serious and that this helps.

Nate has been making some great progress lately. First, he's finally starting making progress with eating with a spoon. I'm not sure why this has been such an issue for him, but all of a sudden, this week he ate a cup of applesauce all by himself, and tonight he ate a cup of ice cream by himself in the car. He made an awful mess, but he didn't need help!

Also, Nate is learning how to play appropriately on playground equipment (that's me using therapist speak), including walking up the steps instead of crawling! This is awesome! The next step is walking up the stairs at home by himself!

After Georgia's doctor appointment today, Alisa and Nate met us at the mall, where Nate and I ate some pizza. As we were leaving the mall and Alisa was going home, Nate said, "I want my babysitter!"

Me: "Alisa said she's going home to have pizza with friends."

Nate: "I want to have pizza with friends!"

Me: "You got to have pizza with me!"

Nate: "You're not my friend, you're my MOM!"

Ha! Is this what teenager Nate looks like?

Hello, blog.

Well, I'm really hoping me going back to work does not equal the death of my blog. I seem to be going at breakneck speed from one thing to the next, and I don't particularly like feeling that way. I think it will take me a few months, maybe longer, to get in a good routine, find a good balance between work and home, and prioritize what's important and what's not. But for now, I do think the blog is important because, as always, I'm trying to preserve the memories of my children being babies.

But the second reason I haven't posted much lately is that I don't have pictures to share. I LOST my camera charger! :( So a couple nights ago, after tearing the house apart twice, I bit the bullet and ordered a new one. My camera is dead. But in a few days, I will be picture happy, I'm sure. Speaking of pictures, I did take Georgia to get her 9 month pictures taken! (I was pretty proud I kept up the 3, 6, 9 month pictures with the second child!)

She's pretty cute, huh? She's also into everything. She doesn't want to play with baby toys. She's only interested in things that look like something she shouldn't be into. So sometimes I give her a closed ink pen or adult spoon or a pair of sunglasses I don't like, just to keep her occupied and make her think she has something she shouldn't. Just a few minutes ago she broke one of my Willow Tree statues. Last weekend I set up Nate's easel in the living room, and after she watched Nate a few minutes, she crawled over, pulled up to stand at the easel, got a closed glue stick and started "writing" on the chalk board like "I know how to do this!" It was cute until she started swiping the chalk and markers to put in her mouth. Poor Nate can't even eat at his car desk anymore because as soon as she sees him with food, she speed crawls over (she and Maggie look like they're racing) to pull up and grab some of his food. Nate does not like that.

Nate is doing pretty well right now. Still happy for the most part. He's doing this weird thing where he stuffs his mouth with food then won't swallow or spit it out, just holds it there. It's very strange. But he's said a few cute things I wanted to put here lately. A few minutes ago, he was rubbing his eye with the back of his hand, and he stopped with his hand covering the eye and said, "Hey, look. I'm a pirate!" Haha.

Also this evening, he said he wanted Daddy to come home. So we called Blake, and I let Nate talk to him the whole time. He said, "You need to come to our home! Because you're at work and not at our home. And I want you to come home. You need to play with trains. That train right there needs help chugging." :)

Yes, I still like my job, a lot. I ran my first playgroup this past Saturday, and there were 56 people there! That's the biggest playgroup yet. It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun, and there were parents having great conversations with each other and making friends. So it was a big success. And did I mention a lot of work? :)

All good updates

Nate
I'm happy to report I have my happy Nate back. The Keppra is out of his system, and for the most part, he's a happy guy. And when he's not, it's just normal Nate drama. With the exception of Sunday evening (I won't even go there), he's been in a very good mood, hasn't said he's sad once, and I'm a happy mama.

Yesterday I went to his IEP (Individualized Educational Plan), and everything went smoothly. He will get a little less PT (20 minutes per week instead of 30 like this year) because he's doing so well; the same amount of OT (30 minutes--she was going to reduce it to 20 minutes until I added another fine motor goal at the meeting, lol); and they're actually increasing his speech from 25 minutes once a week to twice a week. Their priorities are exactly opposite of mine--PT is most important to me, followed by OT, then speech--but Nate gets PT outside of school, so everything he gets there is just gravy. They made accomodations to give him more time to get down the hall (and I will NOT take the stroller next year) and to give him water as needed because of the side effects of his medication. They're going to focus a lot on self-help skills (because that's all he scored low enough on to qualify for), and my request was that they try to encourage him to interact with his classmates more instead of just playing alongside them.

Yesterday I also took Nate for an assessment for Minds in Motion. This is a program that works with kids who have vestibular sensory issues--which Nate definitely does! Blake and I were totally sold that Nate could benefit from Minds in Motion when we went to the Open House a couple months ago, but we were waiting to see if we could get a grant for the tuition. Yep! All $1,200 is paid for! Whoohoo! He'll start June 1, and we have big hopes for what this might mean for Nate, especially in terms of him being able to regulate is moods a little better, but also in his balance.

Oh, and today, Alisa took the kids for a walk, and Nate walked ALL THE WAY TO HIS SCHOOL. That's at least a mile. And he would have walked farther, but he TOLD ALISA that he had to poop! He told her! So he boarded the stroller with Georgia, and they raced back to the potty. Poor Maggie tagged along, not knowing what she was getting into, and she tired out well before anyone else. Alisa

Georgia
Well ... she took her first steps last night. She is 9.5 months old, people! They were still those falling-to-get-to-the-couch steps, so she hasn't taken off just yet, but it's a matter of time. As usual with Georgia, I just watch these milestones with wonder, but in all of our minds, we think, Of course she took her first steps. It was a given that she would do it. And so there weren't tears and phone calls to everyone we knew, like there was with Nate. But I know that watching any child take its first steps is witnessing a miracle. I wouldn't have known that if not for learning with Nate that having a healthy child is not guaranteed.

And in typical 2nd child style, I didn't even get a good picture. I can't find my camera charger, which is driving me crazy. So I took this on my cell phone. Poor second child. She's awfully cute though.

My Mother's Day Message

To my mom:

Thank you for making me go to church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday night and Thursday night (youth group, lol) growing up. Most of the time I didn't like it and just did it because you wouldn't accept no for an answer. But when I got older and the choice was up to me, I missed it when I didn't go, and now not only do I want to go to church, I want an ever deepening relationship with God.

Thank you for showing me by example what it means to do the right thing even when no one is watching.

Thank you for teaching me about hard work and doing a job right or not at all.

Thank you for teaching me the joy of gift-giving. You are the master of this, and it makes everyone feel loved.

Thank you for showing me by example that sometimes being a daughter means driving 45 minutes both ways every evening for months just to take care of and spend time with your mother when she is dying.

Thank you for showing me by example that sometimes being a mother means selflessly giving to your child when she needs it without making her feel embarrassed or throwing it in her face down the road.

Thank you for teaching me that being a wife means sticking by your commitment even when it's not easy.

Thank you for teaching me that being a child of God means trusting and following His will even when it's scary.

To my kids:

I have never been more proud of anything in my entire life. Nothing even comes close. Before I had you, I thought "proud" only described something you accomplished. But I am proud of your mere existence. I love you all the time, no matter what. And being your mom has shown me a glimpse of how much God must love me. On Mother's Day and always, I'm so thankful to be your mama.

Derby Week and Catch Up

Working full time + the mommy thing + the wife thing = okay, I got this. But add in the Kentucky Derby, and it's all over! Last week was a little crazy, and the weekends before and after were a little crazy, and I'm just now recuperating.

The weekend before Derby, my parents came to town, and we celebrated Mother's Day early at our favorite place, Buca di Beppo! (You should hear Nate say that.) It also happened to be prom night, and there were torrential downpours, so not a great night for going out to dinner, but once we got there it was fun.

My parents

The family

Mom and brother Lucas

With Nate, restaurants are always ... and adventure.

Here he is under the table balancing a spoon on his nose.

I thought Georgia was going to sleep, so she stayed in her carrier most of the time, but she didn't. Give this girl a spoon and a straw, and she's happy for a good hour.

She always has a bit of a crazed look in her eyes.

Nate destroying my necklace

Going to church the next morning.

At church, whenever one of the childcare numbers is flashed on the big screen, we just assume it's probably Nate (out of the hundreds of kids there) and check our numbers. Well, this week, sure enough one of our numbers was up on the screen, but this time instead of Nate, it was Georgia! She had been crying inconsolably. The next day we found out she had an ear infection.

Derby week is a very interesting time in Louisville. This is only our second year here, so it's all still new to me. If you're wondering, yes, you really do see women wearing huge fancy hats all over town for a good week. And most of the town shuts down there for a few days. On Monday, I got my first look at Churchill Downs, and I got spoiled! I went with some work friends to "Dawn at the Downs" and had breakfast and watched the Oaks and Derby horses exercise from Millionaire's Row. Here are some pictures from my phone.

Thursday was our big day at work. We had a fundraising event--the Oaks Eve Gala. I believe this was my first gala. :) That morning I took Nate to school, then took Georgia to work with me, and tried to keep her happy (she mostly cried) while filling gift bags. Alisa picked her up after getting Nate from school, and we had an event to put on. We hustled in the afternoon and then got all fancied up for the night. It was really fun, and pretty much went off without a hitch. I didn't get home until after midnight, and I was sore all over from wearing heels on concrete all night. I didn't work Friday, but we went to music class and had lots to do around the house.

Then on Saturday morning, the kids and I met Mindy and we all drove up to Columbus to visit Jenny and Ellie! We ate lots of good food, caught up on life, and watched the babies play.

Jenny and Ellie

She's a happy girl!

Not Georgia--look at that pout!

They LOVED each other!

Sometimes love hurts.

This is how I found Georgia sleeping that night ... not sure where the other leg went.

So, you might be wondering where Nate was during all this. He actually had his first solo overnight trip to Granna and Pop's house. We were all a little nervous about how he'd react--as much as I went on and on about his big adventure and having Granna and Pop all to himself, I don't think he realized I wasn't going to be with him until he left in their car and I left in mine. But he actually did way better than any of us thought he would. Granna reports there were no major tantrums (are we still talking about Nate?) and he actually went to sleep. So yay!

Sunday it just took us forever to get home, and it was raining and nasty, and we didn't even go home--as soon as we got into town, we went to a potluck with our Bible study. By the time we got home, it was after 8, and I gave the kids their medicine and put them to bed. We were all zombies the next day and went to bed early again. I think we're almost back to normal.

So, some new stuff going on here:

• We're switching Nate's seizure medication, because I just can't stand to hear him say, "I'm a sad boy" anymore! It breaks my heart! The new medication (topomax) is just a pain because it's sprinkle caplets, but I think he'll be okay because he gets it in a spoonful of pudding!
• He has started kicking Alisa. Not good.
• He is having some potty training success! Alisa is awesome, and she has him pottying regularly. There have actually been a few times when he's told us he needs to go, so major progress! Still a ways to go, but Alisa says if it's nice on Friday, they may try a naked day. (Note: Avoid our house on Friday ... unless you want to clean carpets, then you're welcome.)
• In addition to potty training, Alisa has Nate doing lots of new stuff, like asking for things in full sentences such as "Please may I have some water, please!" :) and climbing into his car seat on his own and buckling up and stepping out of the front door ... lots of independence stuff. LOVE HER. And yes, she is still my laundry fairy and does dishes and is just an all around angel and sanity-saver for me.
• GreenHill gave us a 6 month full scholarship for hippotherapy!!! Whoooohoo! I love them too.
• Georgia's crib now has teeth marks all over it.
• She's cruising everywhere.
• Her hair is growing.
• Her hemangioma is shrinking.
• I'm still really liking my job and getting more and more used to the schedule. And learning I'm going to need to stay home more weekends!

Now off to sleep, because I need it!