Growing day by day

The kids are suddenly growing up super fast.

Ian can now completely dress/undress himself (other than doing the button on his jeans) and loves watching superhero cartoons like Spiderman and the Avengers on the computer in the evening.

He's told me several times that he doesn't want to watch some of the tv shows he used to love like Little Bear and Little Bill. He's matured in alot of his thinking and behaviors since his fourth birthday.

He's asking to do "grown up" things around the house. So now he does his usual chores like make his bed and pick up his toys but he also helps me set the table for dinner and he enjoys helping with the spray bottle when I dust or clean windows. Both kids love to help unload the dishwasher and I love the help. No broken dishes yet. :) Ian's new love is Legos. Much like his mother and father as children, Ian could lose track of time in his room alone with his Lego sets.

Both kids are quickly outgrowing their winter clothes. Their pants are short on them and Anna is wearing some tops in size 3T already. She wears a size 7 shoe and Ian wears a size 10. There is only about an eight pound difference between the two kids and Anna is starting to shoot up in height, too.

Anna has learned several new signs (please and help) and uses them often. She tries to say the word Help but it comes out as more of a grunt with an "H" sound on the front end. But having about a half dozen signs to use has really lowered her frustration level when communicating. She loves to say "Ma-mama", "Mine" and "Ouch" here lately. Everything she sees - from animals in a book to a large tree in the yard is a "Mama" to something else. She is wild about wood puzzles and her new fascination with the Let's Go Fishin' game is too funny. She turns the game on then catches the fish as they rotate around with just her fingers. Then she squawks because the fish are "biting" her and she can't get them off her finger. I take the fish off her finger and within minutes she'll do it again. She carries the game around the house (while it's turned on) and then dumps them all out on the kitchen floor. She loves magnetic puzzle toys, Ian's TAG pen, and lift-the-flap books. If the house gets quiet I know I'll find her reading her books or doing wooden puzzles in the playroom.

We're a bit happy (in a nostalgic sort of way) that Anna is really starting to enjoy tv shows like Curious George, Caillou and Little Bear. Much like Ian did at this age, Anna sleeps with an entourage. Her buddies are a Gloworm, her baby doll, her Monkey lovie, two pappies (pacifiers), and her big PB Kids blanket my cousin Julie sent her when she was born. And since she's in a toddler bed, she now just gets up and comes out to the living room when she wakes up...entourage in tow.

I'm so proud of both kids and how they are developing, learning and growing.

Ian has the softest heart of any child I've ever known. He often says he saves the kisses we give him and puts them in his heart. Or he will say, "Mama, you are a genius." Or, "Daddy, you are amazing." He's so genuine. He already has several little "girl" friends at school. One girl, JJ, just beams when he shows up on Wednesday. She runs up to him, hugs him and tells him she's happy to see him. And he gladly holds her hand and goes off into the classroom to play.

And Anna is just so smart and independent. She has no lack of confidence. She will try anything she sees Ian or another child do and as soon as Brother gets to do something, she wants the same privilege.

I absolutely love watching the kids do something new all on their own or learn something new. But a part of me, as each parent feels at some point, wishes they'd stay this young, innocent and precious for a few more years.

Family sickness update

I'm thrilled to say our entire household is finally on the mend.

Anna is now off the Amoxicillin and seems to be congestion and ear infection free. Praise God!

Ian saw our family physician (who is also a pediatrician) last Friday because of a rough, barking cough. Doc ordered a chest x-ray and it showed that he had a form of the flu that settles in the throat and lungs. It causes swelling of the throat so it is hard to eat and breathe, along with a harsh dry cough. We started him on a steroid that night and his cough got worse on Saturday.  Poor little guy coughed non-stop (no kidding) until he was either napping or asleep for the night. But by Sunday the cough was more normal and was only happening every fifteen minutes or so. By Monday he was nearly back to normal and the meds were finished. Amazing. We're so thankful to God that both kids are getting back to normal and nearly healthy.

This Friday the weather is supposed to be gorgeous with highs near 70 degrees so we're really anticipating a fun trip to the zoo to celebrate the weather and healthy kids!!

Mercy me!

Mercy me, mercy me. The past few weeks have been a constant struggle for everyone in our household because of ongoing illness. After having a really bad sinus infection that lasted weeks, Mark has finally started to overcome a persistent cough that has hung on since Thanksgiving - yes, November!

The month of January has been one full of sickness. If January brings sickness, does February bring amazing health?? I hope so.

Just when we think one of the kids is over his or her illness, a new symptom pops up. Or one child gets well just in time for the other to come down with something. I feel like we live at Mercy medical doctor's office these days.



Anna resting on the couch
with Baby this morning.


Anna has been prone to ear infections since she was a baby. It seems as though each time she has any cold or illness that involves drainage, she will invariably get a single or double ear infection. She seemed to be doing well despite having a cold, until the middle of the night Saturday when we heard her through the monitor. She started coughing so hard she gagged and then threw up - everywhere! She soaked her bed, her clothes, her lovies, blankets, carpet...everything. We got her bathed and dressed, got new bedding on her bed and got her back to sleep. We thought it was a fluke. Not so lucky. Sunday night just before 9pm it started again. But that night she threw up nearly every hour and a half throughout the night and into the early morning. I think I did three loads of laundry overnight - thank goodness for the eight or so crib sheets and water pads we own because we went through every single one. Mark and I were wiped out by Monday morning but poor Anna was just spent. She wouldn't eat, didn't want her milk (and I know why after cleaning up countless messes full of stinky spoiled milk), and was just so lethargic. I got her into the pediatrician on Monday and was told she had an ear infection in the left ear. So she's on a combination of Amoxicillin for the infection, a super strong anti-nausea med, and a cough suppressant. Poor little girl just squirms when she sees those medicine droppers coming her way. She was doing pretty good - eating bland foods and keeping them down - until today. She had another round of coughing, phlegm and gagging so hard that she threw up again just after 8am - all over her bed, of course.

Mark took Ian to Mercy's after-hours office on Tuesday night after he kept complaining of pain within his right ear. It wasn't an ear infection and he was tested for flu and strep B - both tests were negative, thankfully. He was diagnosed with a sinus infection so he's on an antibiotic and cough medicine but his dry cough progressed to a very rough "barking" cough as of tonight. He had such a strong cough attack that he threw up twice in his car seat this evening.  So we're headed back to the Mercy pediatric office tomorrow in hopes to hear this not a sign of something more severe.

I never fully realized getting thrown up on repeatedly was in the "mom" job description. Ack! I think that was hidden way down at the bottom with items like "you won't get a shower until the kids are either napping, at school or in bed for the night" and "the mints in your car door pocket aren't for date nights - they're in case you are so preoccupied with getting the kids ready for school that you forget to brush your own teeth" and "you'll never need an alarm clock again because your four year old will come into your room at 6:01am to tell you that his clock says it's okay to get up...and can he go get his sister up, too?"

All that being said, as tough as most days are - mentally, emotionally and physically - I can't imagine my life without these two little blessings. I can't imagine not being "mom" to Ian and Anna and all that comes with that title - the good, the bad AND the ugly alike. These kids make me beam with pride, melt with pure love, and laugh until it hurts. And because they bless Mark and me so deeply, we will do whatever we need to do (day or night) to take care of them. We're praying for healing and complete family health in our house soon. Or I might just have to get my pediatricians' personal cell phone number on speed dial!

The bank account

We opened a savings account for Ian over the holidays and he was excited to get his own member card to his very own account. And after the paperwork was done we got to empty his piggy bank into the money sorting machine. I never realized how LOUD fifty-five dollars in change could be as it was being dumped and counted! :) Ian was excited until his piggy bank was about three-quarters empty. He quickly asked where his money went and why the machine took it. After explaining that he gets a printout of his deposit and the money is put into his account, he felt better.

But the next day he had something on his mind. At breakfast Ian got really sad and said, "My money is all gone!" We explained again how a savings account works and how a bank is a safe place to put your money until you're ready to use it and he, again, felt better. Then he replies, "So the bank guards my money from the lions, cheetahs and all the big cats?" We got such a big kick out of this. You have to know that Ian has said for a while now that he wants to be a zookeeper and a rancher when he grows up. So much of his thoughts and conversation involve animals in some way.

Christmas

(Written from 12/19/10-1/10/11)

The week leading up to Christmas was such a joyous time at our house and Mark and I feel so blessed to have this time with the kids. Mark had two weeks off and we got lots of time as a family. Now that both kids are getting older, we wanted to start some family traditions of our own.

We have taken several drives around the city to see various Christmas light displays and the kids have just loved each time we go. Our favorite is probably the sea of LED-wrapped trees on the Chesapeake campus.

The kids and I have been making chocolate treats to share at Christmas and we've had so much fun. Now it makes me smile when Ian quickly asks, "Can we bake something today?" upon waking in the morning. Even Anna got into being a little chef and wanted to wear one of my aprons. We made a variety of treats - chocolate truffles, Chinese new year candy, Peanut crunch treats, chocolate covered pretzels, and a treat I now call Grandma J cookies because I remember my Grandma making them when I was young. Mark and Ian made the cookies for Santa and Ian got to decorate them (or, in Ian's case, just pour about a tablespoon of sprinkles on each one...or until the sprinkles spilled over the sides of the cookie.)

On Tuesday night, the kids and I took a plate of our homemade chocolate treats to various neighbors with a Christmas card from our family. I am embarrassed to say that although we exchange smiles and waves to our across-the-street neighbor multiple times per week, we have never met her in the six years we've lived here. So I was determined to meet her at the holidays this year. God blessed our venture into the neighborhood because each neighbor we intended to visit was home. I was so touched when several of the neighbors took the time to not only talk to the kids about what they wanted from Santa, but one neighbor invited us in to sit and talk - so unexpected and so nice. And then the neighbor sent us home with the movie The Polar Express to borrow so the kids could watch it.

The kids were so excited they wanted to watch the movie as soon as we got home. So I got dinner out of the oven and we crowded around the coffee table to eat, enjoy a warm fire in the fireplace that Mark had made for us, and a great movie as a family. Anna danced around the living room and sang along with some of the music. And Ian almost made me cry when he got concerned about the little boy in the movie who goes out into the snow all alone to board the train for the North Pole. Ian got so upset and asked if the boy was going to come back home. We reassured him that he was going to meet Santa and would return home safely. Then he says, "Won't he miss his Mama?" And then he ran to jump into my lap for comfort as he fought back tears. It touched me so because Ian often says that he saves the kisses that Mark and I give him - he 'puts them in his heart to save forever'. And he sometimes says, "Mama, I'll never let you go." He's so genuine and soft-hearted.



This was as good as it got
for a "family photo" this year. :)



We were quite blessed at Christmas. We celebrated with Mark's family on Christmas Eve after attending the family service at church, celebrated again on Christmas morning - just the four of us, and then saw my mom and step dad late Christmas day for another celebration. Then a few days after Christmas, my Dad drove up from Houston for a few days where we celebrated with him. Santa brought Anna a baby doll, a baby stroller, and lots of clothes (for Anna). And Gram made her doll some doll bedding/blankets and clothes. While he brought Ian a Star Wars AT-AT, a space shuttle toy, a kick scooter, a toy shotgun, Lincoln Logs, and Legos. We ended up putting several of the kids' toys at the top of their closets to "save" for a few months from now. Four Christmas celebrations, as wonderful as it is that we are so blessed, can be truly overwhelming for little ones...and their parents.

The first full day of my Dad's visit, Mark and I had to take Ian to the emergency room while Papa Rod watched Anna. We all sat down to breakfast and Ian leaned his chair back just enough for the back legs to slide out from under the chair. He fell backwards and as he did, he leaned forward and grabbed the seat of the chair where he then hit his chin on the wood part of the chair. We thought he'd just bruised it until we got him into the bathroom to tend to him and realized it had split wide open. A few hours later he had six stitches and was playing at home like nothing had happened. He was amazingly brave through the whole ordeal. He cooperated fully with Nurse Serena and his doctor. He was happy, joking and didn't appear to be in pain at all. They did two rounds of numbing cream on his chin before the stitches. He sat through it all without a tear. I had to take a seat as they stitched him up because it was just too much to see the inside of my little boy's chin - yuck. He came through like a trooper. And now that it is January 10th, the stitches were removed a week ago and his scar is continuing to heal well.

Anna has taken to music even more here lately. She sings (in gibberish) and loves dancing to the radio. The other evening she was singing "Jesus Loves Me" in the tub and tonight she was singing "This Little Light Of Mine". She doesn't have many words yet but she makes up "words" and sings as best she can - so much so that we can identify the song by the tune most times. She loves playing the piano at Gram's and Nana's house, too.

We had a really wonderful Christmas season and are looking forward to lots of exciting times in the new year.