Happy to be Thursday...

Well, I'm honestly glad that it's Thursday. It's been a week, as usual. Mary has been out sick from school for 3 days - she is going back tomorrow. She showed vast improvement today. We do have a re-check with the pediatrician tomorrow, so hopefully we won't be headed to the ENT for tubes.

Katie was home sick today too.... she was a "vomit comet" sometime in the middle of the night... we think it was just from her sinus' and her stomach couldn't handle all the drainage. It's hard because even at age 6 she isn't able to blow her nose independently -- so sometimes she becomes victim of more "toddler-ish" issues. She should be going back tomorrow too -- as she had a great day and according to my mom didn't appear to be sick at all... :)

I have the next 3 days off of work. After a week of 6 am's and taking care of "sicko's", I'm looking forward to it. The girls only have a half day tomorrow - so I'm going to get my butt in gear in the am with a nice latte' and get my errands done before we head off to the pediatrician in the afternoon....

And can I just tell you..it's going to be a great season of American Idol!

Sick of Being Sick

Well, I'm just back from the ER...has this been a winter or what? Mary has some weird infection in her ear where there is a bunch of fluid that has actually bubbled or blisted on top of her ear drum. It could rupture (we are hoping not)...and she has a fever and feels horrible. Her wonderful teacher had the office to call me to pick her up as she was so lethargic the teacher was concerned she wouldn't be able to ride the bus home successfully. She got a shot of rocefin in the ER. If you've never had the pleasure, I call it the miracle antibiotic. It truly knocks the bacteria out of their bodies - and considering that she has had 2 other courses of antibiotic in the last 6 weeks, I am ready for this to be done....

On a lighter note, I received a note home from Katie's teacher today which read:

"...Katie took all of her clothes off during circle time :), but other than that she had a great day!"

How can you not laugh when you read that!

A Day Off

So it's Friday - and finally a day off for me this week. Katie didn't have school today (her teacher's get one day a month off in lieu of planning time each day) so we are "hanging" out, running errands, etc. It's actually been nice to just spend some time with her. I should be cleaning my house, but at least I'm getting caught up on laundry (no pictures this time) and I think (cross my fingers) that we are all almost approaching the healthy stage! Woo-hoo! It's been a long-time coming. This has been the snowiest and "sickest" winter I can remember in ages. We are expecting another huge snowstorm tonight into tomorrow - isn't Spring supposed to be here soon?

Well, enjoy your Friday....more later.

This About Sums it Up...

These two pictures pretty much sum up today. Mary has been in a crazy mood...she must be feeling better! Katie got into Bill's "slurpee size" kool-aid and basically turned herself into a purple "joker-ette".....she thought it was funny, too!

A Long, Hard Winter

Well, yes, it is February and it is definitely still winter here in Michigan. We got several inches of snow yesterday -- and 8 more are predicted for Wednesday - yes, 8 inches. I was ready for winter to be finished about 2 months ago--- so for now we are just taking it day by day and praying for some significant sunshine :)

We have all been very sick lately, too. Bill, Katie and I are all on antibiotics. Mary finished her second round earlier in the week. I'm not sure if it is because of the weather, or the kids' school, or what, but it just seems like we have all had a lot of trouble getting healthy this winter. I invested in a jumbo size can of Lysol at the grocery store (1/2 off this week - so that was an added bonus) and I've been walking around the house spraying everything with Lysol. Window sills, sinks, doorknobs, remotes, telephones...all that stuff...in hopes of eliminating whatever germs have managed to set up shop in our home. I really wish we could just open the windows and air things out - but at 30 degrees I don't think that is a realistic option!!

Not too much else happening here....Mary is going to be an elephant in her 3rd grade musical in March...too funny! Can't wait to see it. Katie continues to be doing well, and we are happy with the fact that she is now "locked in" to the same classroom for next year with her amazing teacher!

Hope you had a fabulous Valentines' Day!

Father Daughter Dance 2009

They had a great time this year - complete with dinner at Applebees'. No blizzard this year - the weather was perfect. Hard to believe this is their third year going to the dance.

Patience - Part II

Well, the lesson in patience has continued today.

Mary has lost her snow pants - or should I say, someone "accidentally" took them out of her locker. And remember, I work in retail - there are no snowpants to be found in the store right now. I am praying that maybe they will show up on Monday when someone realizes they picked them up...the whole situation is still a little unclear - but I spent 20 minutes digging through "smelly" lost and found - and no snowpants.

I am sick. Whatever this cold is that Bill and the girls have had is now fully engaged in my body and is kicking my butt. My head ...my throat, my sinuses. Okay, I'll stop now.

I think I just need sleep.
Happier posting tomorrow - it's the Father Daughter Dance!

Patience

I think God is teaching me to be patient - and no I didn't ask Him to...but I think that is where we are headed. Trusting, depending, walking daily. Waiting. There are so many components to this, but I think that is what God is trying to teach me.

First - I have plantar fasciitis - I think I have mentioned this on the blog before. My foot is in pain - a lot of the time - especially when I am working a lot. I am seeing a great podiatrist, but it involves taping and meds and insoles and stretching and icing, and a night splint....you see where I am going with this..it just takes a lot of work to help reduce the pain - and a lot of visits to the doctor. When I have a few days off work the pain tends to reduce dramatically - but unfortunately, we are not in a position where I can just stop working.

Secondly, I have a very emotional 8 year old living in my home. (And no, we don't wonder where she gets this from.) She has always been an emotional creature, but since her acceleration to 3rd grade it has gotten a lot more "constant". There is just a lot of crying..and often over just very small things. Like I said, she has always trended more toward the emotional side - and I don't know if this is just a phase or what, but it is one of those things that we just don't really seem to be able to get a handle on.

Have a mentioned winter yet? (and no, this isn't meant to be a downer post - it's just where I am right now.) We have good things happening in our life --Katie's progress is great this year and we have a great situation locked in for her again next year -- so that is positive and encouraging. Mary is doing well in 3rd grade despite some emotional challenges, and Bill and I both continue to be employed in good jobs - so yes, we have a lot to be thankful for. I think I just have the February blah's and I need some sun.... It's been a long, cold winter in Michigan -- with no end in sight thanks to that little groundhog:) So, I'll be thankful today - for the good things in my life - and hope that I will quickly learn my lessons in patience and move on to a new life lesson! Happy Thursday!

Katie's World

We have been having a few really great days with Katie -- complete with a lost top front tooth (literally lost - we think she swallowed it!) and lots of smiles - You can see her purple kool-aid mustache in the last picture...she wears that around a lot...we've gotten kind of used to it.
It seems since we pulled her out of kindergarten and changed her daily programming at school she has just generally seemed a lot happier. That in and of itself is enough confirmation to us that we made the right decision. So all this to say, it's been a happy place in Katie's world lately - and I'm loving it!

A little life lesson....

My college friend Jennifer wrote an amazing post on her blog today, and I wanted to share it with all of you. She, too, is a parent of a child with autism, but a few things that she said really hit home for me. God knows what He is doing, even though when you are dealing with a situation like infertility, or a special needs child, or whatever the problem may be, we don't always remember that God is truly in control. Thanks, Jen, for sharing this great reminder with all of us.