(I wrote this post in Feb, but just edited a few things...)
I just finished the Christmas post for 2014 (yes it's already Feb of 2015) and I have an avalanche of news to share...I always do, yes, it's ok, you don't have to mutter that under your breath - you can say it out loud!
So here we are in our new house...been here for 2.5 months now. No pictures on the walls yet and still a bunch of boxes to unpack, but it's home. We are *this close* to having the other house empty and soon it will get a fresh interior paint job and a good scrubbing. Then - it will be for sale. If you should have any interest in the house or know of anyone looking for a wonderful 4 BR, please let me know!! We have begun the slow adjustment to being a 'country' family. I packed an extra change of clothes for each of the kids' cubbies at school. Right before we moved, Mo 'fell in a puddle' on the school playground and I was all "Note to self..." Luckily, living in town, less than 5 minutes from the school, I was able to run over there w/a fresh change of clothes. Now? Not so much, for more than one reason! We are only about 18 minutes from the school now, but still. That and...since we don't have kids at home and we currently have 2 mortgages draining the vacation funds, I have begun working again. Long story short...I am working in the deli of a nearby grocery store and I am an Educational Asst. at the kids' school. Each for about 4 hrs of the day. On a good week I am working close to 40 hours, but it's been busy due to social engagements and doctors appointments, etc, so I usually am scheduled for about 25-30. All of that (minor stress, harsh chemicals when doing dishes at work, etc...) means my eczema broke out again - it started back in October but really flared up...it was the worst I have had in a long time. I felt like a leper! It left and it's back again, ARG, but I am treating it and moving on. Just be gentle if you shake my hand please! There's some cool things about working though - and some odd things. For starters, I used to work in the same grocery chain's deli in high school. Twenty years ago. So oddly, my first day it was like riding a bike. I have to laugh though at finding myself standing at a meat slicer or scale and singing along to the same songs I did 20 years ago!! Only this time, I won't be going out w/my boyfriend when I get off my shift. HA! Seriously, it's a messed up time warp feeling to be in an almost 40 year old body, doing the same stuff I did at 17...
Right before we moved, we were about to meet a little guy who might have been placed w/us for adoption. Then his current foster mom changed her mind about keeping him...which turned out to be for the best, we think, since we ended up moving and that wouldn't have been too great for a little guy to move in w/us and then move again. (You really do know what You're doing, don't You, God...?!) It was sort of bittersweet, of course...it hurt like nobody's business to be closer to adopting than we had in years and for it to not work out. However, we were cautious about it all and again, we can see how it was for the best. Now we're here and the adoption worker has come to give the house a once over and adjust our file to reflect all the new changes. I hate that I am working right now (being honest!) for many reasons, but all this reminds me that I don't want it to hurt our chances of adopting. And then I have to tell myself to back up a few lines in this paragraph and read the part about God knowing what He's doing =)
In other news, Mo recently had minor surgery but recovered extremely well. Kids seem to just bounce back from stuff like that!! He was out of gymnastics team practice for a while and we worried about his progress for an upcoming meet. It turns out we shouldn't have been...he did the best he's done yet! He actually earned his first medals! He was so proud - and actually, right after he finished his floor routine, he let out a big "YES!" b/c he knew how much he had improved! That feeling alone would have been worth it, but to see him beaming on the podium when he got a medal was one of the best moments of my life. I had to swipe some tears from my face and Dave just looked at me....we both had those lumps in our throats and were blinking a lot...when my former 4 pound preemie sat back down, this momma bent low and waded through the crowd of limber boys to tackle her kid w/a giant bear hug!!! He later said, "All my practicing paid off!" Yes, yes it did babe...we cannot wait for the next one. Last year he qualified for state but it took place during spring break so we opted out. This year? Done and done!
We recently had a 'weight check' at Children's for Colleen - she GRADUATED from the program due to her sustained almost average BMI!!!! We were overjoyed and again, Dave and I just locked watery eyes and shared a silent moment remembering how far we've come w/our girl and her eating issues. She is by no means 'cured' or completely over the issues - we still do 3-4 bottles of high calorie drink a day, she still only eats mini- meals, she rarely if ever says she is hungry, etc...but she is at a weight that is acceptable. We will continue to be vigilant in her care and such but it's such a freeing feeling to know that she did it!! She has what it takes to hang in there (even now taking an appetite suppressant type of med) and fuel her body w/enough calories to help her grow. We also recently finished her IEP for school so we are learning a lot about her status there. We are grateful for the teachers at her school and their willingness to work with us and support her. She's getting more snacks at school, which helps keep the calorie count up! They are also still working w/her on her hand strength, among other things. I could go on about a bunch of things there, but the bottom line is that there are services available to her and it is clear she needs them. Not sure what it means for her educational future, but for now, we continue to learn and figure out ways to help. Colleen has a big ballet/dance recital coming up! She is excited to wear a costume but at the same time she has been asking a lot about other sports too. She misses gym/swim, I think! Our Y has classes where they do a half hour of sports and then go to swim class. She's too old for them now! She asked about basketball, hockey (??) and football. Maybe some of her momma's hockey love is rubbing off on her...I looked into the mighty mite sports or whatever but none of them fit our schedule. Maybe this summer?
Well, there's a hundred other new things but at the moment I'm tuckered out. If there's something you really want to hear more about, leave a comment and I'll try to find time to write about it.
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