Monday, May 21, 2012
More Picture Updates
Pictures
A few pictures of things we've done in the last few months. Above and below--a trip to the Norfolk Zoo over spring break in early March. It was cold and not many of the animals were out, but the kids had a ton of fun, we got some exercise, and we got to see a baby monkey on the back of his Mama for quite a while. The monkeys were indoors and hugely interactive through the glass with the kids.
Below are pictures of little miss. First is from our trip to the Chesapeake Bay over spring break while Jason's Dad and Step mom were in town. Rachel found herself a little ladybug to take care of for awhile.
I think the below picture is so cute. Alden loves watching Jason shave and so Jase often lets him "practice" with a comb or something else. He wants so much to be like his Daddy. Alden also has recently become obsessed with Jason's leather wallet, always taking out the cards, etc. He kept finding it no matter where Jase put it, so we bought Alden his own little cheap leather wallet. He feels so grown up with his little Martin's grocery card in there, tucked in his back pocket just like Daddy.
A picture of Jase on his 28th birthday. We had his favorite cake--German chocolate with coconut pecan frosting. He says he feels much older than before, being "almost 30." Jase thinks it's crazy that he can remember when his own Dad turned 30, so it's crazy to him that he's closer to being there. For his birthday we went to bowl as a family. The kids had a blast and looked so cute in their little bowling shoes.
I don't know if I had before said anything about Rachel taking ballet lessons, but she had a blast with them for the last few months. The local community center had a great deal with a wonderful teacher, Miss Tessa. Miss Tessa is an undergrad nursing student and dancer who just loves to teach. The class had about 5-10 little girls in it each week, for just about a half hour. Rachel learned a few things about ballet, but I think mostly just had fun dancing, listening to and getting to know Miss Tessa, and learning to make new friends. The first day we went to class Rachel was so nervous because she didn't know anyone there. We talked about how you make new friends and how it's important to say hi and smile and help other people not to feel nervous, and then you forget that you are nervous yourself. We talked about how to ask other people questions about themselves and listen and learn and be a friend. She timidly walked up to a cute little girl who also was there for her first time and found she really liked her. When we left she said she was glad to have some ballet friends but that she liked her "real" friends better (she was referring to the friend group she's had since she was a baby), which made me laugh. We talked about how they are all "real," but some we know better than others. It was a fun experience for her, and I think she loved ballet. 
Here's Alden-boy reading his most favorite book, "Trains" by Byron Barton.
More to come...
The Final Semester
Since my last post exactly two months ago, we've had so much happen that needs to be recorded. I'll do my best to get it all down.
When I last wrote, Jason was at the PMF job fair in Washington D.C. Later that week, the kids and I drove up to meet him in D.C. and take him to one last interview downtown. The kids and I saw the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, just down the road from the HHS building where Jase had his interview. Alden was especially in awe of the hanging airplanes and Rachel loved the space tech stuff. Alden was a little disappointed when we couldn't find helicopters anywhere, but after talking with their info-desk, we found out those are housed in another center in Chantilly, Virginia (who knew?). Apparently this place has all of the coolest "big stuff" that is too big to house in downtown D.C. They even have the space shuttle Discovery there! We're planning a visit for Alden's birthday, as they happen to have a special "Super Saturday" featuring helicopters on August 11th (his birthday is the 13th). I can't wait to see his face.
As for how the job search turned out, Jase accepted an offer to work for the FDA in their Department of Human Resources as a Human Resources Specialist. He's thrilled about the job (not only relieved to have one, but happy with the people he'll be working with and the type of work he'll be doing). There is plenty of promotional potential and they really seemed to want him there. He'll do a great job. We originally thought he'd be working at the FDA campus in White Oak, MD, but recently realized that his office is actually housed in Bethesda. Good thing we signed a rental lease to live in Gaithersburg, just 20 minutes by metro! We did some home searching in Maryland and found a great little condo for a good price, and close to the metro. We'll be able to save our money by staying in a two bedroom for another two years, and stick with one car for awhile as well. The benefits of savings just outweigh the conveniences of space and another car. We'll be safe and comfortable, and have enough for our needs and a few wants, and be able to beef up our savings. We're very happy with our plan. We also realize how blessed we are to have a job in this market, and are feeling very grateful for the way we were led to be at this school, at this time, making these decisions, and getting this job in the D.C. area. It's not my ideal area, nor would I have picked it first (I do not consider myself much of a city girl), but we cannot deny how important it was that we came to William and Mary, met the people we have, and had the experiences we've had, because we can see how all that led us to the job and location we are moving to now.
We had a little bit of a small crisis happen in our apartment towards the end of April. Essentially, our kitchen area was flooded by the upstairs condo's malfunctioning dishwasher. Water came pouring in from the light fixtures (imagine my shock!) and heavily damaged the ceiling, cabinetry, and flooring. The next day brought workers tearing apart our kitchen and a quick packing job. Luckily we have displacement coverage in our rental insurance, and after some awesome negotiating by Jason we secured a two-bedroom suite in a local hotel. We've been here at the Residence Inn now for almost a month. The adjustment was a bit hard for the kids, being without all of their regular things, beds, blankets, and toys, but we've tried to make things comfortable and now I think they are doing fine. The hotel has a hot breakfast that I don't have to cook every morning, and I can get my sheets and towels cleaned by someone else. Originally we thought we'd be back in our apartment by now, but the only thing that's changed about the place is that the ceiling has been refinished. The living/dining area is still full of kitchen appliances, and the kitchen is still bare and empty. The house is largely packed up though, since we're not using anything there, so that's actually been surprisingly convenient.
Jason's law school graduation was a week ago, on the 13th.. It was a perfect weekend for it, and we enjoyed having Jason's mom Elizabeth here to celebrate with us. I'm so proud of Jase for all he has done. He's worked hard to put himself financially through two degrees, worked hard to find a job and then received a prestigious fellowship, and finished in the top third of his class academically. And he did all that while helping me raise our family. He's the first of his family tree to earn a graduate level degree, and I'm so proud of him.
Rachel had her own little "graduation" of sorts as well for completing her first year of Joy School. It was a fun experience for both of us. She misses spending time with her friends, and I think it will be hard for her for a bit since many of her friends are moving, and we'll be moving in about a week. Luckily she still has her Alden to boss around (I mean...keep her company?). We heard from our new Bishop and Elders Quorum President in our new ward that there is a very large Primary program, so I'm sure she'll find and make many new friends quickly. She's very outgoing and kind, so I don't think she'll have any problem with it. We've loved having such good friends at such a young age for our children, and I think probably have had a very lucky and unique experience. Rachel has been playmates with a few of her friends since she was just crawling at 9 months old, and grown to experience all those milestones through preschool with them. I'm so grateful to have all these memories and to have so many children in my life. I love Rachel's little friends as though they were my little nieces and nephews and it hurts to leave them all, knowing they'll grow up and probably not remember us very well or at all. But we're on to new adventures and new experiences. The D.C. area holds so many opportunities and things to do, and I think Rachel will really enjoy it.
As for me, I've been busy taking care of these little ones, packing up the apartment, and preparing for our move. Over the last few months with having more time on my hands during nap time and after bed time I've been missing structured learning/being in school. For awhile I got on a bit of kick to go back and get an associates of nursing and become an RN, but realized how much time that would take out of the my daytime. Ideally earning something at night would be better for now. Unfortunately, nursing degrees are (understandably) hands on and built around a very rigid schedule and cohort. Basically that means that I feel I should wait until all my children (including future ones) are in schools of their own. It's been a personal decision for me that I just can't bear to leave the babies with anyone else. The other day I was researching other educational options and bumped into BYU's Independent Study online program. You can take online courses of various disciplines. There are a few free courses that look interesting, but I found two courses for around $500 each that I'm really excited to take. Jase and I decided they'd be good investments for me to continue learning, even if it's just one course a year that's not contributing to any sort of degree (I already have a Bachelor's degree). My first pick is a World Geography course, built around learning about the different countries and their relationships. The syllabus sounded fascinating and the professor seems really interesting and insightful. I never had the chance to take any history or geography courses at BYU since I took the humanities and social sciences routes for general education (of which I was very happy with) and I'm really excited to get to know more about the world and current issues in different parts of the world. The beauty of these courses is that you pay for them and purchase texts, etc. as if you were going to class, but you complete the lessons, assignments, and quizzes at your own pace whenever you like. You have up to a year to finish each course for credit. As much as I told myself I could do self directed learning, I haven't been very good at it and need some structure and direction, and I feel like professors do actually offer some great insights and ways of thinking that I couldn't necessarily come by on my own. Anyways, I may be taking a World Geography course in the fall, and have started taking a free personal finance course online for the summer. Jase thinks that after the bar (he'll take the Maryland Bar in February) maybe he'll start taking a course here and there and we can study together and be perpetual part time students learning all sorts of things (I guess we're both nerds!?).
Since the end of school and graduation we've filled our days with packing and prepping for the move. We decided to do a few "stay-cation" things during our last few weeks in Williamsburg, so we went to Busch Gardens on Friday. We all had a perfect day. Both kids can ride the log flume with us, and Alden got so giddy on that ride (it's kind of like Splash Mountain at the end). They met Elmo again, gave him lots of hugs, and Rachel got to ride on a real roller coaster. We're going to try to go another two times before we have to leave (Rachel got a free summer preschool pass and Jase and I got the "pay for a day, play all summer" passes).
And I think that brings us up to date. I'd like to think I'll get better about blogging, but who knows. I'm feeling pretty good about just recording some of the basic things I know I'll forget if I don't write them down. I suppose I really ought to post a few pictures as well, since I promised that months ago and still haven't done it. Maybe with this super-fast hotel internet it won't take blogger so long!
When I last wrote, Jason was at the PMF job fair in Washington D.C. Later that week, the kids and I drove up to meet him in D.C. and take him to one last interview downtown. The kids and I saw the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, just down the road from the HHS building where Jase had his interview. Alden was especially in awe of the hanging airplanes and Rachel loved the space tech stuff. Alden was a little disappointed when we couldn't find helicopters anywhere, but after talking with their info-desk, we found out those are housed in another center in Chantilly, Virginia (who knew?). Apparently this place has all of the coolest "big stuff" that is too big to house in downtown D.C. They even have the space shuttle Discovery there! We're planning a visit for Alden's birthday, as they happen to have a special "Super Saturday" featuring helicopters on August 11th (his birthday is the 13th). I can't wait to see his face.
As for how the job search turned out, Jase accepted an offer to work for the FDA in their Department of Human Resources as a Human Resources Specialist. He's thrilled about the job (not only relieved to have one, but happy with the people he'll be working with and the type of work he'll be doing). There is plenty of promotional potential and they really seemed to want him there. He'll do a great job. We originally thought he'd be working at the FDA campus in White Oak, MD, but recently realized that his office is actually housed in Bethesda. Good thing we signed a rental lease to live in Gaithersburg, just 20 minutes by metro! We did some home searching in Maryland and found a great little condo for a good price, and close to the metro. We'll be able to save our money by staying in a two bedroom for another two years, and stick with one car for awhile as well. The benefits of savings just outweigh the conveniences of space and another car. We'll be safe and comfortable, and have enough for our needs and a few wants, and be able to beef up our savings. We're very happy with our plan. We also realize how blessed we are to have a job in this market, and are feeling very grateful for the way we were led to be at this school, at this time, making these decisions, and getting this job in the D.C. area. It's not my ideal area, nor would I have picked it first (I do not consider myself much of a city girl), but we cannot deny how important it was that we came to William and Mary, met the people we have, and had the experiences we've had, because we can see how all that led us to the job and location we are moving to now.
We had a little bit of a small crisis happen in our apartment towards the end of April. Essentially, our kitchen area was flooded by the upstairs condo's malfunctioning dishwasher. Water came pouring in from the light fixtures (imagine my shock!) and heavily damaged the ceiling, cabinetry, and flooring. The next day brought workers tearing apart our kitchen and a quick packing job. Luckily we have displacement coverage in our rental insurance, and after some awesome negotiating by Jason we secured a two-bedroom suite in a local hotel. We've been here at the Residence Inn now for almost a month. The adjustment was a bit hard for the kids, being without all of their regular things, beds, blankets, and toys, but we've tried to make things comfortable and now I think they are doing fine. The hotel has a hot breakfast that I don't have to cook every morning, and I can get my sheets and towels cleaned by someone else. Originally we thought we'd be back in our apartment by now, but the only thing that's changed about the place is that the ceiling has been refinished. The living/dining area is still full of kitchen appliances, and the kitchen is still bare and empty. The house is largely packed up though, since we're not using anything there, so that's actually been surprisingly convenient.
Jason's law school graduation was a week ago, on the 13th.. It was a perfect weekend for it, and we enjoyed having Jason's mom Elizabeth here to celebrate with us. I'm so proud of Jase for all he has done. He's worked hard to put himself financially through two degrees, worked hard to find a job and then received a prestigious fellowship, and finished in the top third of his class academically. And he did all that while helping me raise our family. He's the first of his family tree to earn a graduate level degree, and I'm so proud of him.
Rachel had her own little "graduation" of sorts as well for completing her first year of Joy School. It was a fun experience for both of us. She misses spending time with her friends, and I think it will be hard for her for a bit since many of her friends are moving, and we'll be moving in about a week. Luckily she still has her Alden to boss around (I mean...keep her company?). We heard from our new Bishop and Elders Quorum President in our new ward that there is a very large Primary program, so I'm sure she'll find and make many new friends quickly. She's very outgoing and kind, so I don't think she'll have any problem with it. We've loved having such good friends at such a young age for our children, and I think probably have had a very lucky and unique experience. Rachel has been playmates with a few of her friends since she was just crawling at 9 months old, and grown to experience all those milestones through preschool with them. I'm so grateful to have all these memories and to have so many children in my life. I love Rachel's little friends as though they were my little nieces and nephews and it hurts to leave them all, knowing they'll grow up and probably not remember us very well or at all. But we're on to new adventures and new experiences. The D.C. area holds so many opportunities and things to do, and I think Rachel will really enjoy it.
As for me, I've been busy taking care of these little ones, packing up the apartment, and preparing for our move. Over the last few months with having more time on my hands during nap time and after bed time I've been missing structured learning/being in school. For awhile I got on a bit of kick to go back and get an associates of nursing and become an RN, but realized how much time that would take out of the my daytime. Ideally earning something at night would be better for now. Unfortunately, nursing degrees are (understandably) hands on and built around a very rigid schedule and cohort. Basically that means that I feel I should wait until all my children (including future ones) are in schools of their own. It's been a personal decision for me that I just can't bear to leave the babies with anyone else. The other day I was researching other educational options and bumped into BYU's Independent Study online program. You can take online courses of various disciplines. There are a few free courses that look interesting, but I found two courses for around $500 each that I'm really excited to take. Jase and I decided they'd be good investments for me to continue learning, even if it's just one course a year that's not contributing to any sort of degree (I already have a Bachelor's degree). My first pick is a World Geography course, built around learning about the different countries and their relationships. The syllabus sounded fascinating and the professor seems really interesting and insightful. I never had the chance to take any history or geography courses at BYU since I took the humanities and social sciences routes for general education (of which I was very happy with) and I'm really excited to get to know more about the world and current issues in different parts of the world. The beauty of these courses is that you pay for them and purchase texts, etc. as if you were going to class, but you complete the lessons, assignments, and quizzes at your own pace whenever you like. You have up to a year to finish each course for credit. As much as I told myself I could do self directed learning, I haven't been very good at it and need some structure and direction, and I feel like professors do actually offer some great insights and ways of thinking that I couldn't necessarily come by on my own. Anyways, I may be taking a World Geography course in the fall, and have started taking a free personal finance course online for the summer. Jase thinks that after the bar (he'll take the Maryland Bar in February) maybe he'll start taking a course here and there and we can study together and be perpetual part time students learning all sorts of things (I guess we're both nerds!?).
Since the end of school and graduation we've filled our days with packing and prepping for the move. We decided to do a few "stay-cation" things during our last few weeks in Williamsburg, so we went to Busch Gardens on Friday. We all had a perfect day. Both kids can ride the log flume with us, and Alden got so giddy on that ride (it's kind of like Splash Mountain at the end). They met Elmo again, gave him lots of hugs, and Rachel got to ride on a real roller coaster. We're going to try to go another two times before we have to leave (Rachel got a free summer preschool pass and Jase and I got the "pay for a day, play all summer" passes).
And I think that brings us up to date. I'd like to think I'll get better about blogging, but who knows. I'm feeling pretty good about just recording some of the basic things I know I'll forget if I don't write them down. I suppose I really ought to post a few pictures as well, since I promised that months ago and still haven't done it. Maybe with this super-fast hotel internet it won't take blogger so long!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Things I Want to Remember
The last two months have been a dearth of blog posts, so I'll spend this one catching up a bit. This might be a marathon post, but it's for my future self to read, so I don't really care. I'll post pictures later when I have access to the other computer. I wanted to mostly write down the funny things the kids have been saying lately so I'll remember them. A few things about/by each of them:
- Whenever Rachel or Alden gets messy while eating, Rachie always remarks, "That's like Cookie Monster. I bet Cookie Monster drives his mama crazy!" I think she hears me say (sometimes quite a bit), "you two are driving me crazy!" I almost always say this while laughing, but I think Rachel sees it as a funny remark of mine that lets her know I'm not happy with how messy the house has become due to toys dragged everywhere without being picked up or when food gets all over the place during a meal.
- When Rachel was in the car the other day she was heavily lamenting the fact that she is still in a car seat (a five point) and not a booster seat like some of her friends. I told her that she had to be at least four years old to sit in a booster seat (and if she fits, I may keep her in a five point for longer). She sighed and said very sadly, "I'm so tired of being three, Mom." Rachel is constantly talking about what things will be like when she gets older (this little three year old cannot wait to be a mom herself and get married and do all the things I'm doing right now) and I can't help but wish she would just enjoy being a child. I think this may be common for oldest children, as it's how I know I felt as a child and especially a teenager. I couldn't wait to get to the next stage or milestone...couldn't wait to drive a car, go to college, and be a grownup. I did all those things and never looked back, and thus I suppose worried a bit more about my life from a younger age. At the same time, having a mindset like that made me incredibly responsible and ready for adult life at a young age. I married at 20 and had Rachel at 21, so perhaps I needed to mature early to be ready for big life changes like those. I just see a lot of myself in her in these areas and I make a point to talk about how much fun we're having doing "kid" things. Rachel is no stranger to "living it up in the moment" either, so I'm sure she's fine. She just notices how much fun it can be to be a big kid, or an adult, and obviously can't yet understand the responsibilities that come with it.
- Rachel and Alden are honestly the best of friends, which makes having them so close together so worth it. They play better together than apart most of the time, and are always making up games and playing their own versions of "Blue's Clues" or "Dora" (the two shows I let them watch regularly). Their current favorite spot to sit and chat is on the little carpet next to the front door, which is apparently, "The Elevator." Rachel is constantly quizzing Alden and teaching him. She always asks him, "what's this?," even when she knows what it is, just because he will answer. If he doesn't know, she will teach him what it is. Their conversations are adorable. She'll repeat the word a few times and tell him how to say it. Because she does this, he already knows how to count to ten, and knows hundreds of words I wouldn't have expected him to know. He can speak in sentences, asking me politely, "Peas, I want to wear the geen shurt" (Please, I want to wear the green shirt). Rachel is a great teacher and a best friend to Alden, and makes it very clear in her best dramatic ways that she cannot wait for him to go to preschool with her, go to ballet with her, and all the other things he doesn't get to do yet.
- Alden is currently obsessed with helicopters. I have no clue what it is about them that makes him so in love, but he cannot get enough. We read the same two books over and over again, every single night and nap time (he also really likes "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" when he can persuade me to read him three). One is "Airplanes" and the other is called "Trains," both by Byron Barton. I will probably have to renew these from the library as many times as possible, and then recheck them out until I can purchase them. The airplanes book has a page about helicopters. Every night while I'm singing to him after his books are read and the lights are out he looks up at me and asks so sweetly, "I wide he-wa-cop-ker to-mo-woah?" (I ride helicopter tomorrow?). He is so serious and so desperate every time, and I always respond with, "someday baby boy." He has no idea how big a thing it would be to actually ride a helicopter, and it's just cute how much faith he has everyday that tomorrow will be the big day.
- Alden has learned so many songs lately, and can do the actions as well. He knows: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Popcorn Popping," "The Wise Man," "Flying on an Airplane," "Once there was a Snowman," and "Choo Choo Choo," (which is his and Rachel's favorite song in the whole world, requested separately by each of them every single night, without fail). I'm sure there are more, but those are the current favorites.
- Today I fed the kids "Cars" chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. I had no idea what a hit it would be. Alden was hilarious, and kept smacking his lips and saying, "mmm....," and mumbling, "dis is licious!" (This is delicious!)
As for a general update of the past two months, Jason turned 28 and kept up with his thousands of deadlines for school. We also had a fun visit from Jason's dad and step-mom for a weekend a few weeks ago. We went out to eat at our favorite local restaurant, "Anna's Brick Oven," and attempted to go see a museum down in Hampton (Ft. Monroe), but never did find it. Instead we saw the Chesapeake Bay and even got to see a cargo ship go past us pretty close.
As for the job search, Jase became a Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist, which means he is a candidate for a job with the federal government in their PMF program. It's kind of a fast-track program for grad students to get into the upper reaches of the federal government. He is at their job fair this week, and has very high hopes for some wonderful job opportunities. We'll hopefully have an idea of where we'll be moving and what he'll be doing with his career by the end of this or next week. I'm thrilled at the prospect of simply having a plan for the next few years. This entire law school journey has been filled with a lot of confusion and questions for us as far as what Jason's career path might be, and where we ought to live. Looking back, we really can see how each experience has prepared Jason to be a PMF, and there is no way we could have gotten these jobs earlier; he was right on time. All our discouragement and worry about not having a job along the way really was for nothing. We've realized we never should have doubted things would work out the way they should, and we are more grateful than ever for the experiences we've had. We've learned so much about faith and putting our trust in God. Things really do turn out in the end when you have faith and you give your best efforts. As I'm saying this, we don't have any job offers yet, but I really believe something will happen and we'll be just fine.
As for me, I'm really really enjoying motherhood (finally!). It's not that I don't love infants, because I do, for about a month. I read an article by another blogger/mother who talked about how she has a theory that it's okay for mothers to love different stages of their children and struggle with others. Some mama talents are better for suited for different children's stages--some mamas love their pregnancies, some are great with newborns, some enjoy busy toddlers, some are better suited for grade school age children, some are wonderful parents to teenagers, and some know just how to be a parent to adult children. Some parents are good with many of these stages, and struggle with just one or two. Understanding this idea has been good for me, since I always thought I had to love them all to be a good mother.
I for one, absolutely love the first four weeks of heaven-sent baby freshness. I love the way newborns cry (that's strange to many mamas) and the way they root when they are hungry and they way their eyes peek open when they are waking up. After about month, exhaustion sets in for me. This was especially true with my second since I couldn't sleep when Alden was sleeping since Rachel needed me. Having two tiny ones under two was a huge challenge. I barely slept for 9 months, struggled with postpartum depression, and basically just put one foot in front of the other to keep both babies fed, clean, and as happy as possible. I can't say that I loved every minute of it, or even most of it. But since Alden turned about one and began sleeping through the night consistently (and as of late is napping exactly when Rachel is), I love love love being a mama. Toddlers are my forte. Maybe I'll have more fortes too though. I have a blast keeping them busy, doing activities with them, baking with them, taking them on long walks, exploring the beach, listening to sounds outside, and a million other little things that they find fascinating, new, and exciting. Watching them enjoy simple things has got to be one of my favorite feelings. They are thrilled over seeing our seeds become sprouts. They shriek with giddiness when they play with my parent's dogs (and constantly wish for one to call their own). They jump up and down with excitement over rain, snow, or a sunny day. Sure they throw some incredible tantrums, but here's the thing, I can handle these calmly. A screaming infant for hours on end might put me into a sobbing, blubbering mess, but these toddlers, I feel like I've got it.I can speak to them and reason with them. I get the sense that something deep in me understands how to teach the right-now-Rachel and Alden to be kind and good and brave and obedient and creative. They seem receptive to how I teach and I seem to be able to read their feelings and their needs for explanation. Sure, there are definitely still times where I just don't know what to say or how to teach something, but somehow I always feel confident I can figure it out. Back when Alden was screaming for hours on end with no apparent end in sight or reason, I felt completely lost and confused, with no way out or help to figure it out. Eventually things calmed down, but I've realized that the difference between then and now was my confidence in my ability to figure things out. Next time around maybe it will be different. I'll have a different baby and even more experience. But then again, maybe I'll just push through and love having that toddler too. It's okay and I'm okay.
- Whenever Rachel or Alden gets messy while eating, Rachie always remarks, "That's like Cookie Monster. I bet Cookie Monster drives his mama crazy!" I think she hears me say (sometimes quite a bit), "you two are driving me crazy!" I almost always say this while laughing, but I think Rachel sees it as a funny remark of mine that lets her know I'm not happy with how messy the house has become due to toys dragged everywhere without being picked up or when food gets all over the place during a meal.
- When Rachel was in the car the other day she was heavily lamenting the fact that she is still in a car seat (a five point) and not a booster seat like some of her friends. I told her that she had to be at least four years old to sit in a booster seat (and if she fits, I may keep her in a five point for longer). She sighed and said very sadly, "I'm so tired of being three, Mom." Rachel is constantly talking about what things will be like when she gets older (this little three year old cannot wait to be a mom herself and get married and do all the things I'm doing right now) and I can't help but wish she would just enjoy being a child. I think this may be common for oldest children, as it's how I know I felt as a child and especially a teenager. I couldn't wait to get to the next stage or milestone...couldn't wait to drive a car, go to college, and be a grownup. I did all those things and never looked back, and thus I suppose worried a bit more about my life from a younger age. At the same time, having a mindset like that made me incredibly responsible and ready for adult life at a young age. I married at 20 and had Rachel at 21, so perhaps I needed to mature early to be ready for big life changes like those. I just see a lot of myself in her in these areas and I make a point to talk about how much fun we're having doing "kid" things. Rachel is no stranger to "living it up in the moment" either, so I'm sure she's fine. She just notices how much fun it can be to be a big kid, or an adult, and obviously can't yet understand the responsibilities that come with it.
- Rachel and Alden are honestly the best of friends, which makes having them so close together so worth it. They play better together than apart most of the time, and are always making up games and playing their own versions of "Blue's Clues" or "Dora" (the two shows I let them watch regularly). Their current favorite spot to sit and chat is on the little carpet next to the front door, which is apparently, "The Elevator." Rachel is constantly quizzing Alden and teaching him. She always asks him, "what's this?," even when she knows what it is, just because he will answer. If he doesn't know, she will teach him what it is. Their conversations are adorable. She'll repeat the word a few times and tell him how to say it. Because she does this, he already knows how to count to ten, and knows hundreds of words I wouldn't have expected him to know. He can speak in sentences, asking me politely, "Peas, I want to wear the geen shurt" (Please, I want to wear the green shirt). Rachel is a great teacher and a best friend to Alden, and makes it very clear in her best dramatic ways that she cannot wait for him to go to preschool with her, go to ballet with her, and all the other things he doesn't get to do yet.
- Alden is currently obsessed with helicopters. I have no clue what it is about them that makes him so in love, but he cannot get enough. We read the same two books over and over again, every single night and nap time (he also really likes "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" when he can persuade me to read him three). One is "Airplanes" and the other is called "Trains," both by Byron Barton. I will probably have to renew these from the library as many times as possible, and then recheck them out until I can purchase them. The airplanes book has a page about helicopters. Every night while I'm singing to him after his books are read and the lights are out he looks up at me and asks so sweetly, "I wide he-wa-cop-ker to-mo-woah?" (I ride helicopter tomorrow?). He is so serious and so desperate every time, and I always respond with, "someday baby boy." He has no idea how big a thing it would be to actually ride a helicopter, and it's just cute how much faith he has everyday that tomorrow will be the big day.
- Alden has learned so many songs lately, and can do the actions as well. He knows: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Popcorn Popping," "The Wise Man," "Flying on an Airplane," "Once there was a Snowman," and "Choo Choo Choo," (which is his and Rachel's favorite song in the whole world, requested separately by each of them every single night, without fail). I'm sure there are more, but those are the current favorites.
- Today I fed the kids "Cars" chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. I had no idea what a hit it would be. Alden was hilarious, and kept smacking his lips and saying, "mmm....," and mumbling, "dis is licious!" (This is delicious!)
As for a general update of the past two months, Jason turned 28 and kept up with his thousands of deadlines for school. We also had a fun visit from Jason's dad and step-mom for a weekend a few weeks ago. We went out to eat at our favorite local restaurant, "Anna's Brick Oven," and attempted to go see a museum down in Hampton (Ft. Monroe), but never did find it. Instead we saw the Chesapeake Bay and even got to see a cargo ship go past us pretty close.
As for the job search, Jase became a Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist, which means he is a candidate for a job with the federal government in their PMF program. It's kind of a fast-track program for grad students to get into the upper reaches of the federal government. He is at their job fair this week, and has very high hopes for some wonderful job opportunities. We'll hopefully have an idea of where we'll be moving and what he'll be doing with his career by the end of this or next week. I'm thrilled at the prospect of simply having a plan for the next few years. This entire law school journey has been filled with a lot of confusion and questions for us as far as what Jason's career path might be, and where we ought to live. Looking back, we really can see how each experience has prepared Jason to be a PMF, and there is no way we could have gotten these jobs earlier; he was right on time. All our discouragement and worry about not having a job along the way really was for nothing. We've realized we never should have doubted things would work out the way they should, and we are more grateful than ever for the experiences we've had. We've learned so much about faith and putting our trust in God. Things really do turn out in the end when you have faith and you give your best efforts. As I'm saying this, we don't have any job offers yet, but I really believe something will happen and we'll be just fine.
As for me, I'm really really enjoying motherhood (finally!). It's not that I don't love infants, because I do, for about a month. I read an article by another blogger/mother who talked about how she has a theory that it's okay for mothers to love different stages of their children and struggle with others. Some mama talents are better for suited for different children's stages--some mamas love their pregnancies, some are great with newborns, some enjoy busy toddlers, some are better suited for grade school age children, some are wonderful parents to teenagers, and some know just how to be a parent to adult children. Some parents are good with many of these stages, and struggle with just one or two. Understanding this idea has been good for me, since I always thought I had to love them all to be a good mother.
I for one, absolutely love the first four weeks of heaven-sent baby freshness. I love the way newborns cry (that's strange to many mamas) and the way they root when they are hungry and they way their eyes peek open when they are waking up. After about month, exhaustion sets in for me. This was especially true with my second since I couldn't sleep when Alden was sleeping since Rachel needed me. Having two tiny ones under two was a huge challenge. I barely slept for 9 months, struggled with postpartum depression, and basically just put one foot in front of the other to keep both babies fed, clean, and as happy as possible. I can't say that I loved every minute of it, or even most of it. But since Alden turned about one and began sleeping through the night consistently (and as of late is napping exactly when Rachel is), I love love love being a mama. Toddlers are my forte. Maybe I'll have more fortes too though. I have a blast keeping them busy, doing activities with them, baking with them, taking them on long walks, exploring the beach, listening to sounds outside, and a million other little things that they find fascinating, new, and exciting. Watching them enjoy simple things has got to be one of my favorite feelings. They are thrilled over seeing our seeds become sprouts. They shriek with giddiness when they play with my parent's dogs (and constantly wish for one to call their own). They jump up and down with excitement over rain, snow, or a sunny day. Sure they throw some incredible tantrums, but here's the thing, I can handle these calmly. A screaming infant for hours on end might put me into a sobbing, blubbering mess, but these toddlers, I feel like I've got it.I can speak to them and reason with them. I get the sense that something deep in me understands how to teach the right-now-Rachel and Alden to be kind and good and brave and obedient and creative. They seem receptive to how I teach and I seem to be able to read their feelings and their needs for explanation. Sure, there are definitely still times where I just don't know what to say or how to teach something, but somehow I always feel confident I can figure it out. Back when Alden was screaming for hours on end with no apparent end in sight or reason, I felt completely lost and confused, with no way out or help to figure it out. Eventually things calmed down, but I've realized that the difference between then and now was my confidence in my ability to figure things out. Next time around maybe it will be different. I'll have a different baby and even more experience. But then again, maybe I'll just push through and love having that toddler too. It's okay and I'm okay.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Rachel's 3rd Birthday
Today is big girl's 3rd birthday and I am completely filled with emotion about it. Gratitude for how blessed I've been to be her Mama, pride for who she has become, excitement for all that lies ahead, and even a little sadness at it having gone so quickly. Even after three years, it's still so hard for me to wrap my mind and memory around how it all happened.
(with most of her birthday loot, since two of the things we ordered for her got here during Joy School today)
(eating her birthday dinner, sans one hair bow--"hot dogs cooked over a fire on a stick, with root beer please"--Rachie request)
A birthday letter for my girl.
My dear Rachie Nicole,
I am so proud of you always, but want you to know it especially on your big day. Later on in your life you probably won't remember anything about your life up until this, your third year. But I will. And I hope when you read my letters to you, you can see what I see in you, even when you doubt yourself.
You are good. You are so kind. You are truly funny. You have the gift of empathy and compassion for others. In your completely genuine eyes, you see all people as simply people, no matter their faults or mistakes or differences. You are a friend to all you meet, and when you say, "It's nice to meet you!", I really think you mean it. You are honest and quick to give compliments to others. You are incredibly polite and are always saying please and thank you.
You were brought home to a little tiny garage apartment with nothing but a tupperware bin of clothes and a portable crib, and yet you filled that home with love beyond anything I ever imagined and helped me grow into myself. I've learned more, loved more, and lived more since you were born, and I'm so grateful to be your mother. You are a blessing to your Daddy, me, your "yitta boy" Alden, your grandmas and grandpas, your many aunts and uncles, your little cousin, and all your many friends.
I love you so much my girl.
Your Mama
Saturday, January 7, 2012
One Last Long (And Wonderful) Vacation Part 1
Jason and I have been students for our entire 4 years of marriage. One really great thing about being a student is that you get regular, long breaks between certain semesters. At William and Mary, it gets even better since you get about three weeks off in a row at Christmastime (Jason got 4 off this time because he finished his finals early). Coming up on our last semester of school, we had one last long break before we embark on this new journey called "The Real World." We thought we'd take advantage, so we bought tickets to Arizona to visit our families in Tucson and Phoenix.
We spent the first week or so in Tucson with my parents and brothers and sister, and the next in Phoenix with Jason's mom and siblings. The whole trip was a blast and the kids did great. Due to not having hardly ANY pictures from our trip to Tucson I will have to save my family for the next post. My mom is a professional photographer (check out her website here...I created the logo and my kids are on her opening page) and takes great candid shots of my kids and the whole family, so I just let her do her thing and end up with much better pictures of all the fun when I get them from her (they're in the mail).
To record the rest of the trip, here we go.
So we left on the 17th, early in the AM. The kids were huge troopers.
No big incidents to really report, especially since the last time I took the kids on the plane I looked like I got in a food fight when I met my parents in the airport, and cried several times just simply because the babies were so bored/tired/livid with me. Keep in mind that I braved a full scale across the country trip BY MYSELF with 2 children under 3.
During this trip we did in fact see Jake Pavelka (ABC's the Bachelor, fame obsessed jerk of a star) in the Atlanta airport train car. We are certain it was him, plus he is a pilot for Southwest I think. I was kind of sad that the first "famous" (or "infamous") person I ever was to come across was him. He was a lot smaller and less good-looking than he was on TV.
Anyways, we made it to Phoenix where my parents picked us up. I'll post about our week there later.
But we will continue with the rest of the trip, starting with the day after Christmas when we came up to Jason's mom's house in Gilbert. We walked in and were greeted by several of Jason's siblings and Jason's mom, and we all got to meet baby Noah for the first time. He is 5 months old and our very first nephew. The day was spent opening Christmas presents, eating a Christmas dinner, and just catching up. The rest of the week, we went on many walks to the park around the corner (it was beautiful weather the whole time--60's and 70's, breezy), watched lots of movies, played with toys, fed uncle Davy's dog Moose lots of treats (Moose is aptly named, as he is a huge great dane/german shepherd mix), played games, fed the ducks, and did puzzles. We also went to the movies and saw "The Muppets," which Rachie loved and Alden loved 1/2 of. Movies and 16 month olds aren't best friends.
Over the weekend we celebrated New Years Eve by lighting sparklers and throwing poppers all over the driveway with the kids (it was just our family and Elizabeth since everyone else was off partying) and then falling asleep early. I have a habit of doing this...New Years just isn't the same when you know your kid is going to wake up ready for the day at 5 am because of the time difference. Later that week we had quite the dance off in the dark, complete with glow sticks and taped with a video camera. We split into teams of girls vs. boys, and the boys danced to "YMCA" while the girls did "Firework." It's a good thing it was all in the dark, or it would have been terribly embarrassing. The same night we celebrated Rachie's birthday (a week from that date) with a purple cake, and ate way too many hot wings after the kids went to bed. I had a blast being with all my in-law adult siblings. It's so much fun when you're all grown up and can stay up forever laughing and telling stories. I have been adopted into a truly hilarious and awesome family. I love love love being a Howell.
Anyways, more to come on the trip with my family, but I think that catches the blog up on at least that part of the trip.
We spent the first week or so in Tucson with my parents and brothers and sister, and the next in Phoenix with Jason's mom and siblings. The whole trip was a blast and the kids did great. Due to not having hardly ANY pictures from our trip to Tucson I will have to save my family for the next post. My mom is a professional photographer (check out her website here...I created the logo and my kids are on her opening page) and takes great candid shots of my kids and the whole family, so I just let her do her thing and end up with much better pictures of all the fun when I get them from her (they're in the mail).
To record the rest of the trip, here we go.
So we left on the 17th, early in the AM. The kids were huge troopers.
No big incidents to really report, especially since the last time I took the kids on the plane I looked like I got in a food fight when I met my parents in the airport, and cried several times just simply because the babies were so bored/tired/livid with me. Keep in mind that I braved a full scale across the country trip BY MYSELF with 2 children under 3.During this trip we did in fact see Jake Pavelka (ABC's the Bachelor, fame obsessed jerk of a star) in the Atlanta airport train car. We are certain it was him, plus he is a pilot for Southwest I think. I was kind of sad that the first "famous" (or "infamous") person I ever was to come across was him. He was a lot smaller and less good-looking than he was on TV.
Anyways, we made it to Phoenix where my parents picked us up. I'll post about our week there later.But we will continue with the rest of the trip, starting with the day after Christmas when we came up to Jason's mom's house in Gilbert. We walked in and were greeted by several of Jason's siblings and Jason's mom, and we all got to meet baby Noah for the first time. He is 5 months old and our very first nephew. The day was spent opening Christmas presents, eating a Christmas dinner, and just catching up. The rest of the week, we went on many walks to the park around the corner (it was beautiful weather the whole time--60's and 70's, breezy), watched lots of movies, played with toys, fed uncle Davy's dog Moose lots of treats (Moose is aptly named, as he is a huge great dane/german shepherd mix), played games, fed the ducks, and did puzzles. We also went to the movies and saw "The Muppets," which Rachie loved and Alden loved 1/2 of. Movies and 16 month olds aren't best friends.
(Feeding ducks at the riparian preserve)
(Almost 3!)
(With Grandma Howell, eating birthday cake)
(Skateboarding with Uncle Seth)
(Feeding baby Noah with Uncle Davy)
Over the weekend we celebrated New Years Eve by lighting sparklers and throwing poppers all over the driveway with the kids (it was just our family and Elizabeth since everyone else was off partying) and then falling asleep early. I have a habit of doing this...New Years just isn't the same when you know your kid is going to wake up ready for the day at 5 am because of the time difference. Later that week we had quite the dance off in the dark, complete with glow sticks and taped with a video camera. We split into teams of girls vs. boys, and the boys danced to "YMCA" while the girls did "Firework." It's a good thing it was all in the dark, or it would have been terribly embarrassing. The same night we celebrated Rachie's birthday (a week from that date) with a purple cake, and ate way too many hot wings after the kids went to bed. I had a blast being with all my in-law adult siblings. It's so much fun when you're all grown up and can stay up forever laughing and telling stories. I have been adopted into a truly hilarious and awesome family. I love love love being a Howell.
(Married 4 years!)
One special day was Wednesday the 28th; Jason and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. We got to have an overnight date to celebrate down in Tucson, but we still wanted to have the evening out so Elizabeth took care of the kids for us and we went off to visit the Mesa temple, where we were married. My cousin was going through the temple for the first time, so we joined in the session. It was great to see everyone and sit with my Grandma and my Aunt Pennie for a bit inside. After the temple we went to Fuddruckers. It was a fun night, and really nice to be in the place where we were sealed forever. I can't describe how happy it makes me to be sealed to my man. More info here and here on temples.
(Wedding day December 28, 2007)
Anyways, more to come on the trip with my family, but I think that catches the blog up on at least that part of the trip.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Holiday Recap
It's already been over a month since I last posted, and there are so many events to record for the month of December. I'll take it in a few posts to catch up, since I want to write it all down for the books.
First off was Thanksgiving. We have been blessed to be a part of a great group of friends here in Williamsburg. Most of us do not have family nearby, so we all kind of band together for many holidays and make them special in our own way. For the past two years we've used the church cultural hall to gather. This year we shared Thanksgiving with the Wilkersons, the Taylors, the Devereauxs, and another couple (who I can't remember their names anymore since I only met them that one day...oops). Everyone brought food and we set up tables and chairs, brought the kids' booster seats and high chairs, and afterwards the kids played with the nursery toys and the boys threw a football around while us girls talked. It was relaxing and wonderful. Afterwards we all helped clean up the food, put everything away, and vacuumed the church, and all went home to already clean houses and only a few dishes to be done. All in all, wonderful! Here are a few pictures from the event:
The next day we went to Mill Farm to cut down our Christmas tree. This is the third year in a row we've done this, and we've really enjoyed this tradition. The kids get to run around in the farm and pick a Christmas tree, and then we haul it home on top of our car and decorate it that night. This has been great for us the past few years since we have absolutely no storage space for a fake Christmas tree, although it is somewhat more expensive since I think we've spent about $30 every year on a tree. Some may think that silly, but this has always been pretty much the only Christmas decoration in our house. The kids love putting the ornaments on it, and I love the smell of pine and the lights at night. Next year we'll probably have a fake tree since we'll have room to store it, but we'll always look back (at least Jase and I will, since we'll remember it) on the few years we got to spend traipsing through the Christmas tree farm.
The next week (December 3rd) we held our 3rd annual Ugly Sweater Party (sorry, very unfortunately no pictures). The day of, our kids ended up with fevers and were feeling pretty bad, so we called our friends to let them know. We held the party since most everything was already done by the time they were sick, and most of our friends attended anyways. We had a nice time. The real fun actually began about 20 minutes after the last guest left. Jase and I were shuttling toys from the living room to the kids room to prep for bedtime when we heard very scary screaming coming from Alden in the other room. We ran in to find Alden screaming and blood coming very quickly from his right ear. Turns out Rachel put the handle of a paintbrush into Alden's ear canal. We knew it was really serious, and after some brief panicking, we all jumped in the car (me still in Jason's slippers and my ugly sweater, which really is hideous, although at the time I thought nothing of it) and raced to the ER. Alden screamed all the way and soaked through nearly two paper towels. I don't think I've been more scared as a mother. I had no idea what damage had been done, and he seemed really hurt. I was crying, Rachel was crying, Alden was screaming, and Jase was just driving, but was very very scared too. Anyways, things calmed down once we reached the ER and Alden seemed to relax a bit out of his car seat. I pretty much carried him around for two hours while we waited to be seen by a doctor. It could have been worse. He did pretty well letting me walk him around and going through every last thing in the diaper bag. When the doctor finally came, he took a look and basically confirmed that the ear drum was definitely ruptured, but he couldn't tell how bad it was due to so much debris in his ear canal (dried blood, etc.). He gave us some great pain meds for Alden, antibiotics so it wouldn't get too infected (although turns out it already was, that was the cause for the earlier fever in the day), and instructions to see an ENT as soon as possible.
Anyways, we saw the ENT (a wonderful doctor) and his regular pediatrician (whom I love) the next week and were given more antibiotics in the form of oral and ear drops (Alden now knows the words "ear drops" very well, and doesn't really like them) as well as several other medications to help calm the swelling. The ENT doctor concluded that most of his eardrum is completely gone. He couldn't tell us much more than that until the swelling goes down and the infection goes away, so we have appointments this month (January) to determine how well he hears and the next steps (possible surgery--depending on further damage we might find beyond his ear drum, or quite possibly the ear drum will just grow back given time--up to a year--on it's own). The next few weeks after the ER drama we were pretty sick with colds, sinus infections, ear infections, prep for Christmas and our trip to Arizona, and keeping Alden comfortable.
We also had our 1st Joy School Christmas party. The kids made cookies for the dessert, we had soups and salads and rolls for dinner, and then the kids put on a little Christmas program. The program consisted of songs and a little 5 minute nativity play. Some things went better than others, but I can tell you, I sure was proud of my little girl when she played her part in the play. None of the kids actually practiced verbal parts, but were supposed to act out their parts. When it came to Rachel's two moving parts, she cut in to the narrator and actually said her part, almost perfectly. She must have just heard it a few times during practice and thought she was supposed to say it. Anyways, she played the part of the angel, and what she said to Mary was, "Do not be afraid. You will have a baby boy. You will call his name Jesus." Later she said to the shepherd, "Do not be afraid. Follow the star to Bethlehem. There you will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." She said it all so reverently and quietly I just couldn't help but get a little choked up, partly from the shock of seeing such a little person do such a grown up thing. It sure made me proud though, and once again, I felt really really blessed to be her Mama. Many of her talents just came with her. Things like speaking in front of others and performing the way she did, I know she did not learn from me. That is all her own. So many things she does I am so often reminded are just from her very nature. The way she is so intuitively sensitive to how other people are feeling around her, the way she naturally wants to comfort and help and take care of people. She even recently told her Aunt Ondalynn on our vacation, "That's me. I just, you know, take care of people. Animals, Alden, baby Noah, my friends. I just like to take care of people." No kidding she said it just like that. I'm grateful for a girl who just naturally thinks of others. Without further ado, a few pics of my little angel...
And what would a post be without a little mischief? While packing for our Arizona trip in the bedroom, Jase and I realized things were too quiet (we thought the kids had been playing with toys in the living room). We went out to investigate and found this.
Alden got into the baking supplies (yes he was most definitely the instigator) and I think Rachel thought, well...what an opportunity! Flour was everywhere. Although I realized how much work it would be to clean up such a mess...kids are kids. Wouldn't this be fun if you were a kid? So we took pictures and took baths and vacuumed up flour. Oh well.
And that about wraps things up for our pre-trip fun during the months of November and December. More posts to come about fun with our families.
First off was Thanksgiving. We have been blessed to be a part of a great group of friends here in Williamsburg. Most of us do not have family nearby, so we all kind of band together for many holidays and make them special in our own way. For the past two years we've used the church cultural hall to gather. This year we shared Thanksgiving with the Wilkersons, the Taylors, the Devereauxs, and another couple (who I can't remember their names anymore since I only met them that one day...oops). Everyone brought food and we set up tables and chairs, brought the kids' booster seats and high chairs, and afterwards the kids played with the nursery toys and the boys threw a football around while us girls talked. It was relaxing and wonderful. Afterwards we all helped clean up the food, put everything away, and vacuumed the church, and all went home to already clean houses and only a few dishes to be done. All in all, wonderful! Here are a few pictures from the event:
Rachie eating her meal
Rachel with her friends Luke (L) and Caleb (R)
Alden eating some sweet potatoes (he also really loved the turkey, surprisingly, because he comes from a family who likes ham for Thanksgiving!)
The next day we went to Mill Farm to cut down our Christmas tree. This is the third year in a row we've done this, and we've really enjoyed this tradition. The kids get to run around in the farm and pick a Christmas tree, and then we haul it home on top of our car and decorate it that night. This has been great for us the past few years since we have absolutely no storage space for a fake Christmas tree, although it is somewhat more expensive since I think we've spent about $30 every year on a tree. Some may think that silly, but this has always been pretty much the only Christmas decoration in our house. The kids love putting the ornaments on it, and I love the smell of pine and the lights at night. Next year we'll probably have a fake tree since we'll have room to store it, but we'll always look back (at least Jase and I will, since we'll remember it) on the few years we got to spend traipsing through the Christmas tree farm.
At the farm
The house after decorating
The next week (December 3rd) we held our 3rd annual Ugly Sweater Party (sorry, very unfortunately no pictures). The day of, our kids ended up with fevers and were feeling pretty bad, so we called our friends to let them know. We held the party since most everything was already done by the time they were sick, and most of our friends attended anyways. We had a nice time. The real fun actually began about 20 minutes after the last guest left. Jase and I were shuttling toys from the living room to the kids room to prep for bedtime when we heard very scary screaming coming from Alden in the other room. We ran in to find Alden screaming and blood coming very quickly from his right ear. Turns out Rachel put the handle of a paintbrush into Alden's ear canal. We knew it was really serious, and after some brief panicking, we all jumped in the car (me still in Jason's slippers and my ugly sweater, which really is hideous, although at the time I thought nothing of it) and raced to the ER. Alden screamed all the way and soaked through nearly two paper towels. I don't think I've been more scared as a mother. I had no idea what damage had been done, and he seemed really hurt. I was crying, Rachel was crying, Alden was screaming, and Jase was just driving, but was very very scared too. Anyways, things calmed down once we reached the ER and Alden seemed to relax a bit out of his car seat. I pretty much carried him around for two hours while we waited to be seen by a doctor. It could have been worse. He did pretty well letting me walk him around and going through every last thing in the diaper bag. When the doctor finally came, he took a look and basically confirmed that the ear drum was definitely ruptured, but he couldn't tell how bad it was due to so much debris in his ear canal (dried blood, etc.). He gave us some great pain meds for Alden, antibiotics so it wouldn't get too infected (although turns out it already was, that was the cause for the earlier fever in the day), and instructions to see an ENT as soon as possible.Anyways, we saw the ENT (a wonderful doctor) and his regular pediatrician (whom I love) the next week and were given more antibiotics in the form of oral and ear drops (Alden now knows the words "ear drops" very well, and doesn't really like them) as well as several other medications to help calm the swelling. The ENT doctor concluded that most of his eardrum is completely gone. He couldn't tell us much more than that until the swelling goes down and the infection goes away, so we have appointments this month (January) to determine how well he hears and the next steps (possible surgery--depending on further damage we might find beyond his ear drum, or quite possibly the ear drum will just grow back given time--up to a year--on it's own). The next few weeks after the ER drama we were pretty sick with colds, sinus infections, ear infections, prep for Christmas and our trip to Arizona, and keeping Alden comfortable.
We also had our 1st Joy School Christmas party. The kids made cookies for the dessert, we had soups and salads and rolls for dinner, and then the kids put on a little Christmas program. The program consisted of songs and a little 5 minute nativity play. Some things went better than others, but I can tell you, I sure was proud of my little girl when she played her part in the play. None of the kids actually practiced verbal parts, but were supposed to act out their parts. When it came to Rachel's two moving parts, she cut in to the narrator and actually said her part, almost perfectly. She must have just heard it a few times during practice and thought she was supposed to say it. Anyways, she played the part of the angel, and what she said to Mary was, "Do not be afraid. You will have a baby boy. You will call his name Jesus." Later she said to the shepherd, "Do not be afraid. Follow the star to Bethlehem. There you will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." She said it all so reverently and quietly I just couldn't help but get a little choked up, partly from the shock of seeing such a little person do such a grown up thing. It sure made me proud though, and once again, I felt really really blessed to be her Mama. Many of her talents just came with her. Things like speaking in front of others and performing the way she did, I know she did not learn from me. That is all her own. So many things she does I am so often reminded are just from her very nature. The way she is so intuitively sensitive to how other people are feeling around her, the way she naturally wants to comfort and help and take care of people. She even recently told her Aunt Ondalynn on our vacation, "That's me. I just, you know, take care of people. Animals, Alden, baby Noah, my friends. I just like to take care of people." No kidding she said it just like that. I'm grateful for a girl who just naturally thinks of others. Without further ado, a few pics of my little angel...
And what would a post be without a little mischief? While packing for our Arizona trip in the bedroom, Jase and I realized things were too quiet (we thought the kids had been playing with toys in the living room). We went out to investigate and found this.
Alden got into the baking supplies (yes he was most definitely the instigator) and I think Rachel thought, well...what an opportunity! Flour was everywhere. Although I realized how much work it would be to clean up such a mess...kids are kids. Wouldn't this be fun if you were a kid? So we took pictures and took baths and vacuumed up flour. Oh well.
And that about wraps things up for our pre-trip fun during the months of November and December. More posts to come about fun with our families.
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