January Check In

(In happier times, playing dress up, at Puppy Training Class on Tuesday night.)

Today has been a doozy! Although, technically, I guess it's been building since Wednesday afternoon when Isaac threw up on the drive home from preschool.  Yesterday afternoon, however, had a double whammy hit.  FIRST, Alex came home from school distraught and crying over an incident that happened while waiting for the bus.  Apparently, a kid tried to choke him and then ran off and then ran BACK and jumped on him and knocked him into a wall.  Adding to the surreal-ness of the episode is that the kid who "attacked" him was not some burly 3rd or 4th grader, but a 1st grader.  I think Alex hit the nail on the head last night when I was talking to him at bedtime and asked him to explain again what exactly happened -- "It sounds kind of funny when I say it out loud," he said, "but it wasn't funny when it happened."  Hahahaha.  (And just as a side note, he was laughing while he was telling me this time.) He was understandably nervous about going to school today because he was afraid it would happen again, but I promised him that I'd emailed his teacher and talked to the school and they were going to take care of things.  That didn't stop him from locking himself in the bathroom this morning and refusing to go to school, but luckily something made him change his mind at the last minute.  And just what was that, you ask?  Well, I asked him, too, and his answer had me scratching my head in perplexity as to how bizarre my kids can be.  "It's Diverse Abilities Day," he told me, "and I don't want to miss it."

The SECOND whammy that hit yesterday afternoon (and that trickled into today) was that I ended up taking Grace in to see the doctor last night after Scott got home from work because she's been complaining about a sore throat and a swollen lump on one side of her neck for the last couple of days.  Well, it turns out she has an infected lymph node, and since we already know she's allergic to 3 different classes of antibiotics, the doctor had to prescribe something new.  And that new drug is making her throat burn whenever she takes it.  The jury is still out on whether or not we should be overly concerned about that, but it did influence me to check her in late this morning to school.

The other reason I was checking her in late this morning?  Well, apparently she was up with the dog two different times in the night because he had to use the bathroom, and even with that I still walked in this morning to find dog diarrhea in three different spots on the carpet in her room.  Fun times!  Not.  Well, Grace tried to clean it up, but the smell made her gag and puke.  Then she ran out of pet odor spray for the carpet and I had to run to the store to get more.  And finally, after checking her in and keeping an eye on the puppy throughout the day, things went from bad to worse with him not really eating or drinking, laying around/sleeping most of the day, and continuing to have diarrhea which now had blood in it as well.  Once he vomited this afternoon, I made a call to the vet and, of course, they wanted to see him.

Their first concern was that it could be Parvo (a potentially fatal virus for puppies if they don't get treatment right away), but thankfully he tested negative.  After talking with the vet, and taking some x rays to make sure he hadn't swallowed anything that was causing the problems, they gave him some fluids for his dehydration and sent me home with an antibiotic and a prescription for an extra bland diet for the next several days.  I'm still not exactly sure what is going on, but after talking to the doctor and telling her that I had just bought some freeze dried, raw meat mix ins this week for his food, she thought it could be possible that he got salmonella.  The x ray tech also saw something in the X-ray that looked like potential pancreatitis, though, so who knows?  Poor Maxwell!  I mean, I totally know how to take care of children -- but taking care of a puppy??  I feel like the newest of the newbies. Hopefully, he'll be feeling better soon and all will be well.

 Waiting in the car for the vet tech to come out and check him for Parvo.

Alright, that was quite a lead-in, wasn't it???  Hahahaha.  To finish off the post tonight, I'll get to the main point -- a quick check-in on what everyone's been up to in the last month!

Ethan --

Mainly stressing about school.  But the good thing is that I've seen an attitude shift from him over the course of the school year, and I think all my wonderful words of wisdom are finally sinking in.  Hahaha.  In all seriousness, though, I can see in him that he is no longer allowing the things that are hard to weigh him down and lay him low.  He is actively turning to the Savior for help and strength and he is no longer allowing himself to be a victim of circumstance.  As a mom, I couldn't be happier or more proud.

Grace --

Oh Grace.  She continues to be the child that I simultaneously sigh in exasperation over while also beam with pride.  For all her antics and craziness, she is (at core) a good girl.  I can always count on her to tell me exactly what's going on.  She can't lie and she doesn't want to.  And I appreciate that!  I always joke with Scott that I prefer her willful and outright rebellion to the alternative of sneaky and deceptive guile.  Thankfully, her tropical storms are becoming less and less frequent and when she's not in a mood she's a delightfully entertaining conversationalist.

 Her newly created photo display in her room.

Sophie --

This month, Sophie has taught herself how to play "Burn" on the piano from the Hamilton musical.  She's also taken to singing it rather earnestly while playing and her latest is request is for singing lessons for her birthday next month.  She's also already excitedly talking about the upcoming middle school talent show and is really enjoying the theater class she is taking at school.

(Unrelated, but I forgot to add this picture into the post about New Beginnings last night.)

Jane --

Asthma girl stayed home from school yesterday because her wheezing was so bad, but thankfully, she was sounding better today.  She made me laugh out loud this morning when I dropped them off and told Alex and Jane to say a little prayer on their own in their hearts since we had forgotten to say family prayers after scripture time.  "I always say a prayer to myself during Rise and Shine, " she said.  And I said, "Oh really?  Why is that?"  "Because they say you can," she replied in the most duh, matter-of-fact kind of way.  Hahahaha.  {"Rise and Shine" is their morning assembly every Friday at school.}

Alex --

Well, I think we've covered the highlights -- or rather the lowlights -- of his month already, but in other news, his latest obsession is beyblades.  After pestering me for an entire week with requests for "money chores," he "earned" enough money to buy one earlier this week.  To say that the sound of the spinning top hitting the floor over and over again is a nuisance is an understatement.  Hahaha.

Isaac --

Let's see.  We've given up potty training for the time being -- because he was 100% uninterested -- so instead of making things WAY harder for myself (and ultimately for him) by forcing fetch to happen, I decided to just chill for a few weeks and try again later.  He can't want to wear an easy-up forever, right????  Hahaha.  I figure even if we can't REALLY work on it until school is out and it's summer time, it doesn't really matter in the eternal scheme of things.

Me --

Alright!  Now I get to check in on my 40 Before 40 progress.  (See HERE for my list.)  Things I have started to tackle include:

• 5K training -- I have a 12 week program to ease me gently into running again since it's been over a year since I've been able to do anything thanks to a wicked case of plantar fasciitis in my right foot.  The program include strength training, running, yoga, and core work and week 1 is almost in the books.  It's been good to feel sore again. :)  {Also, my plantar fasciitis has made a complete turn around after using some essential oils on it for a couple of weeks.  I know, I know, it sounds kooky, but it was bothering me so much and I was in so much pain and desperately wanting to run again that I was willing to try anything.  My "miracle salve" as I jokingly call it is in a 10 ml roller bottle with 25 drops DoTERRA AromaTouch, 20 drops Lemongrass, 25 drops Deep Blue, 10-15 drops Copaiba, and then topped off with liquid coconut oil.  I rolled it on my foot every 2-3 hours for the first few days and from there I try to do it at least once or twice a day.} 

• Finish the Old Testament -- 4 or 5 years ago, I started reading the Old Testament with the goal to read it all the way through from start to finish.  But then, I got mired in Isaiah and never finished.  This year, I've picked back up with Isaiah and instead of reading, I've been listening to it for about 15-20 minutes each day while I'm cleaning or working on projects, etc. and it's been fantastic!  I am fully confident now that I'll be able to finish the Old Testament before I turn 40.   :)

• Painting -- the whole house isn't finished YET.  But I've certainly made some progress this month.  Two rooms down and a couple more to go before I turn it over to the professionals to finish off what I can't do.

The couch cushion plus paint chip color samples.  The Sea Serpent is in the library, the Dovetail is in the Piano Room, and the Mindful Gray is in the Dining Room.  I've decided to continue the Mindful Gray in the front entry way and halls, and I'm 90% sure I want to do the Morris Room Gray in the Family Room/Kitchen.

• Learn a new classical music piece -- I'm excited about this one!  I haven't learned it yet, but I've settled on WHICH classical music piece I'm going to play: Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy.  I've always loved this piece and I've always wished I could play it.  Here's to #goals.  Hahaha.

Scott --

This month, Scott has been up to the usual -- working hard and humoring my eccentricities.  Hahaha. J/K.  But not really.  He's really enjoyed his new calling in the Young Men's program, working with the deacons, and continues to be my hero every morning by waking up early and driving Ethan from seminary to school, before heading into work.

And that about does it!  Happy Friday, everyone!!  :)