A family update

This one is  a long time coming.  I have sat down a few times to write an extensive update about our family, only to either run out time, creativity or....whatever else I can run out of, haha.  The past couple of weeks have been trying to say the least.  I feel like all three of my kids have reverted at least 6 months, and it's frustrating when that happens (but that also means there is great growth ahead as well, right?)

Nicole: Well, right this moment, Nicole is sick, again.  Yesterday she came down with a high fever, almost instantly.  She went from being perfectly fine, to laying on the couch the rest of the day.  One thing about her...she always, Always runs high fevers.  She has, even since she was a baby.  So, for most moms, the fever she was running would freak them out and send them to the ER, with Nicole, it was a "normal" fever, and she was acting exactly as expected.  So, I have held off on the ER trip for now.  Plus, her fever is back down to normal temperatures, not normal as in no fever...but normal as in, not scary.  I really feel like fevers can be a very good and healthy response from our bodies.  I generally let the fever run it's course unless I see that they are in great pain or are so weak that they can't get up.  I have never let it even get close to that.  Yesterday  I was giving some ibprofein to help manage, but that fever was still flying.  She is much better today.  Still has a fever, but her energy is back and she is enjoying hanging out in our room watching Bambi.

Anyway....the past couple of weeks I feel like we have gone back to battling some issues that I thought we conquered a while ago.  The whining...oh, the whining!  I refuse to give in to her whines.  She absolutely must speak in a self-controlled, non-whiny voice.  So, we have been working very hard on that.  While Jeremy and I were gone a few weeks ago, Valerie told the girls "No whiners"  They obeyed her, but I'm pretty sure they saved that week of whining up for me  ;)

We also have been dealing with some authority and submission issues. As she is growing up, she is realizing that I'm not perfect and I do things wrong sometimes (ok, a lot more than sometimes).  And, she likes to tell me when I do things wrong, and how I can do them better (mom...does that sound familiar to you?)  I really do not like to be corrected, especially by a four year old.  So, we are both struggling and battling through how our roles are so slightly changing as she is able to really make her own decisions and figure life out a bit.  But, she must also understand that I am her mother and that even if she disagrees, she must do what I have asked, even if she has a "but" statement afterward.

Nicole is doing very well with her school work.  We have a couple workbooks we are going through for math and phonics, and she is doing so well!  She is adding and subtracting the basic digits, and she is really getting it.  I'm so proud of her.  She is working more on reading and I see a desire to read that I didn't see a few months ago.  Her handwriting is also getting better and she is always writing cards for people.

**Edited*** Nicole has strep throat again.  This is the second time since the beginning of February, maybe 6 weeks.  If she gets it again, the Dr. will have to talk to us about having her tonsils removed.  She also had strep last May....so, this is three times in less than 10 months:(  She also had an allergic reaction to her antibiotic.  This is the first time this has ever happened.  It was amoxicilian and Clav....something.  Actually...it was called Augmentin.  Her cheeks turned red and broke out in hives.  After taking Benadryl, the hives went away.  It was not severe.

Hannah- also came down with a fever yesterday.  About an hour before Nicole.  She was perfectly fine, and then quickly came down with the fever.  Hers was not sky high like Nicole...it was a moderate fever and she alternated between sleeping/laying down and playing.  That's how I like fevers to work with my kids.  Make them rest, but also be comfortable enough that they can play while their body fights the illness.

Hannah has reverted in her communication skills.  She has been grunting and whining to communicate, which is unnecessary.  She seriously would grunt a whole sentence to me (like she did about a year ago before words came to her), but she is almost three, and I know perfectly well that she can talk and communicate most anything...so, grunts just aren't going to cut it.  She is also making whining noises and fake crying.  I'm not sure where that idea came from, but it's in her mind...and it's what she is doing.  I also had been wondering if she was having hearing problems because she was constantly saying "what" to me and to Nicole.  Until the other day when Jeremy was whispering to her while we were in the car (he was driving, she was behind him in her car seat) and she answered everything he said. Clearly it is selective hearing.  And that is something we must work on.  We need to train our ears to hear the voices that are important...and that's part of toddlerhood.

Hannah does some schoolwork with us while Nicole works.  Usually it's circling groups of pictures or cutting.  I have not worked with her the way I worked with Nicole.  This summer I plan to really focus on helping Hannah learn some basic info.  She still is not 100% on her alphabet, and it's primarily because I have not been working with her on it.  In three weeks I will start doing My Father's World, Kindergarten curriculum with Nicole and there will be SO much for Hannah with this too.  I'm excited about it.  It will be fun.

***edited***Hannah also has strep throat.  This is her first time ever.  She is taking augmentin and has not had a reaction to it.

Nathan: Nathan is sick as well, but something totally different.  Now, I'm hoping most people got bored and stopped reading.  This blog has really become a baby book because I have not done it for Hannah or Nate, so I am going to record some information that I don't want to forget.  This weekend, Nathan broke out in a rash all over his bum, legs, arms and around his mouth.  I also noticed a couple of bumps on his tongue.  He was miserable...miserable this weekend.  I took him to the Dr. as soon as they opened on Monday, and he was diagnosed with Hand, foot and mouth.  It's a virus that kids get from salivia and it includes painful sores in their mouth (he had them in his throat, I did not know about that!  This is why he did not eat or drink much this weekend).  I'm not sure if the rash on his body is itchy or not. So, the Dr. made up a magic mouth mix that includes a little numbing solution.  It is helping him and he is eating and drinking quite a lot now:-)  He is also less miserable.  I felt like this sickness needed to be documented.

Now, Dr. Brown said that the worse thing for him with this virus is his paci (oh the beloved paci).  So, on top of his screaming and crying in pain (which only makes the pain worse to be sure), he is being denied his soothing paci.  I figured this is it for the pacies.  Why give them back after dealing with the withdrawl now, only to have to conquer it again later.  Yesterday naps and bed time were very loud and not fun. But, today has been much better.  In fact, he just took his morning nap without ANY crying.  This tells me two things...he's getting over the paci, and his throat doesn't hurt as much anymore.

How has he reverted?  Well, appartenly while we were in Colorado, he was walking quite a bit.  I think they even counted 15 steps one day.  Not for me!  I have seen him take maybe 4 steps to a toy or to me...but that's it.  His primary mode of travel is either on my hip or crawling.  I've been ok not comparing him to other babies thus far, but I am starting to get a complex.  I really....really do not think there anything wrong with him...but I do wish he would start walking on a more regular basis.  On the bright side...he can hit a baseball like no other baby I know.  :)

Jeremy- Has been working a lot.  They are so busy, which is good....and bad.  He's been staying late a lot doing interviews, was studying for his state exam (which he passed the first section!).  He has to start studying for the business portion and they are starting a job in Ocala soon.  Now he won't have to stay up there for a week at time, but he will have to make several day trips.  I'm ok with that because that means he is home with me at night...but it makes for a long day for him.  He is such a hard worker, and I am so happy to call him my husband.  He loves his family so much and will do anything for us.  I'm so grateful for this!

Me- I am training for a triathlon (did you know that?)  I have two I want to complete.  The first one is April 23.  It's a 3.2 mile run, 11 mile bike, and 400m swim (in a pool).  I'm not sure how I will do.  I am having fun training...it has been great motivation for me.  Unfortunately, weeks like this one set me way behind because I will not be going to the Y because everyone is sick:-(  I am doing a 5K in 2 weeks at church.  I've never been interested in a 5K, but I figure it will be a great warm up for my tri three weeks later.  My goal is to run it in less than 35 minutes....I hope by my tri I can run it in less than 30, but I don't know about that.  The other triathlon is June 5.  It's a little shorter.  3.2 mile run, 9 mile bike and 1/4 mile swim (in the Gulf!).  I have no idea how long it will take me to complete it. 

I am planning for our homeschool adventure this summer.  We are going to have some really fun topics and I can't wait!  We will be planting a butterfly garden, ordering an ant farm and studying dinosaurs, along with lots of other things.  I will have lots of blog posts about it.

I am also considering being a tutor for Nicole's CC group next year.  I think I'm pretty close to saying yes.  I would get paid for it, and that should easily cover the cost of Nicole's CC class as well as any homeschool materials I need to buy.  Plus, it will give me lots of accountability to study and work with Nicole.  Next year CC will be primarily studying American History.

We are thinking very seriously about getting a dog.  The people we stayed with in Canada last summer have three labs.  They bred two of them together and offered us one of the pups.  We think we may get her in May.  It's a black lab.  I have a few reservations, but it looks like we may be bringing her home.  Any good names?  Right now, I'm leaning towards "Roxy"

So, how is that for an update?  Pretty good I think, right?  Any questions?