Sunday, May 26, 2013

Stats from the Doctor

I finally took John in for his three year well visit.  I had to take him to the doctor a week ago for his millionth case of pink eye/clogged tear duct, and while I was there, I went ahead and scheduled his well visit.  Why is it so hard for me to make the call to schedule the appointment?!!!  Because I keep forgetting to save the doctor's number in my contacts list, that's why.

Anyway, we went this past Friday morning, and John was really excited about it.  No joke.  He knew that a sticker was involved, and also, he just likes going to the doctor?  He's also really excited about his upcoming visit to the dentist.  He and Ada could not be more different about this type of thing.

And, of course it was no shock to find out he is low on the charts for height and weight.  All I have to do is look around the church nursery to figure that out.  He is 9% for weight, and a whopping 3% for height, but the important part is that his growth is right on track.  He's just a little guy.  Everything else was great, which is a relief to hear.  I talked to the doctor about his eating habits, and he told me what I thought he would.  Don't make him eat.  Offer the food, he chooses to eat or not, don't let him eat junk in place of meals, etc. etc. etc.  And I really think we follow these things fairly well.  He also told me he just doesn't need that much food.  So, it's good to hear those things from the pediatrician.  We're doing what we're supposed to do; maybe one day he'll be a good eater.  We'll see.  He said most of all, don't make it a power struggle.  Offer the food at meals, but if he chooses not to eat it, don't make a big deal out of it, so that helps me.  Dinners have recently been turning into power struggles, so I can let that battle go.  Other than the, no you can't have a cookie if you don't eat your dinner.  The obvious things ;) 

Also, he had to get one shot, which I was nervous about.  He was a trooper, though.  He lay on that table, barely squinted his little eyes when the needle went in, and didn't shed a tear.  He didn't even make a sound.  Dramatic Ada was watching, and she said, "maybe next time I have to get shots, I'll do that."  That's a thought!!  At her four year appointment, last time she had to get shots, I am sure the entire office could hear her screaming.  The nurse and I both had to hold her down just to get the shots in her.  And you remember our dentist experience (though our last dentist visit went wonderfully, so I think she is finally outgrowing the dramatics). 

I worry about all the things I haven't taught John that Ada already knew at this point.  He doesn't know his alphabet; we don't spend a lot of time on numbers; he's just sort of along for the ride with whatever I'm teaching Ada.  I am going to try to be more intentional with him next school year.  We shall see.  I do have a funny John story that describes him perfectly...

He is obsessed with the letter H.  Who knows why?  I don't even know how he learned the letter H.  Why is John obsessed with a lot of the things he fixates on.  But, the letter H it is.  If I am writing his name on something, like a cup, he makes sure that I write H.  And if I am counting for any reason, he wants me to include the letter H.  So, one day, I asked him if he could write an H, and he very confidently answered yes.  And, indeed, he grabbed a pencil, and wrote a capital H, no problem, on the piece of paper.  The problem is, he has no interest in learning about any other letters.  Isn't it fun to see these personalities that God creates in our children.  He and Ada are so different from each other!!! 



Ada showing John some ballet moves ;)


Saturday, May 25, 2013

Southern Belle Farms

I know that I am still not blogging.  ever.  I am feeling much less sick, praise the Lord, but I am now so very tired at night.  Especially tonight.  We had a full day, so John skipped his nap, meaning I had zero down time, and I am ready for bed at 7:30.  Too bad no one else in the house is ready for bed ;)  This baby takes a lot out of me.

Anyway, I was determined to pick strawberries this year before the season was over, and we barely squeezed it in.  Scott has been very busy with work lately, so this was the first weekend in a while when
 we were able to get out and about as a family.  Plus, not so long ago, I was basically just surviving first trimester and wasn't really up for any outings.  So...we jumped on this free Saturday and headed to a local farm to pick strawberries.

It was perfect weather.  Blue skies, mid-70s.  Amazing.

John struggled a bit with the hay bales.  Bless his heart.  Soon after this, he called out in desperation. 

here, Ada and John are feeding the goats, or in John's words, "eating the goats."  For some reason, it really cracked me up every time he asked if we could go eat the goats.  And he really wanted to feed them, so he asked to eat them a lot.






a little taste test



do you see how John is running to me?  This is what he did every time he found a strawberry (the strawberries were everywhere, not hard to find), yelling, "I found one, I found one!"  He was as enthusiastic when he said, "I found one," as when he said he wanted to "eat" the goats.  Love him.

so, a fun day at the farm.  And I am worn slap out.  Oh my word.  Luckily, Scott is home today, and he already bathed the kids, and John did skip his nap, so soon we can tuck us all in to bed.

I have more blog posts coming--John's overdue 3 year well visit, Ada's ballet recital, the school year coming to a close, pregnancy thoughts.  If only I can muster up the energy to type them. 

Monday, May 6, 2013

Update

I think I will do a quick list style blog post to get things up to date, and then maybe I will blog more often?  Who really knows. 

1.  A few weeks ago the first trimester sickness reached it's peak, resulting in my lowest moment of pregnancy to date ;).  At that point, my mom suggested I come to Scottsboro to get some help/rest, and I took her up on that offer.  So...we spent a few days in Scottsboro, which was just the refuge I needed.  I had not been that relieved to be at my mom's house since John's newborn days. 

2.  The Scottsboro trip came after my family was in town to celebrate my paternal Grandmother's 90th birthday in Marietta, GA.  That was a fun day of seeing family I don't normally get to see.  A reunion of sorts.  Plus, it meant that Ann was able to drive my van to Scottsboro, since she rode here with my parents', and in my "sick state," it really helped that someone else did the driving.

3.  We finished up Classical Conversations for the year, including the end of the year presentation.  Ada's class sang a portion of the timeline song and recited the helping verb chant.  As always, I am so very thankful for Classical Conversations.  It has been so great for our family, and I am not sure I could homeschool without it.  The community is a huge encouragement to me.  I, unfortunately, did not take many pictures at the presentation.  Oops.  I was still feeling somewhat sick, and was thinking more about getting through the presentation in tact, crunching on my crushed ice the whole time ;)  And Scott was busy trying to keep John quiet, so, no good pictures.  Maybe next year.

4.  I had my first ultrasound, which never ceases to amaze me.  This precious baby is very healthy, so far, and is growing right on track.  We saw those little hands and feet, and that sweet profile.  Amazing.

5.  My stomach has started to rapidly grow, and like past pregnancies, I am astounded that my stomach is this big and I am only this far in.  Yikes.

6.  I just returned from a weekend at a homeschool conference.  As always it was an encouraging reminder that my children are a precious treasure, and that I must be intentional in the day-to-day with a vision for what God has called them to be for his kingdom.  It's always good to gain some fresh perspective.  Plus, the encouragement I receive from being away for a couple of nights with dear friends is priceless!!  So much fun.  Plus, Scott's family came here to hang out with Scott and the kids while I was gone, and Ada and John loved that.  A fun weekend for everyone.

while at the conference, we met our couponing hero, Jenny Martin from Southern Savers.  Also, my stomach is already quite large, but I don't think it's quite as large as it appears to be in this picture.

7.  I will be 12 weeks on Wednesday--second trimester, here I come!!  I am still not feeling 100% not sick, but things have improved greatly!!!!! 

So, that's where we are.  Although CC is done, we still need to finish up some math and reading before we can call the year finished.  Ada is also busy practicing for her end-of-the year ballet recital.  They will performing some scenes from the Wizard of Oz, and Ada is super excited.  And we are eagerly anticipating the rest that comes with summer. 

Also, while at the conference I bought myself the book Desperate, have ya'll heard of it?  I am super excited to read it, and I will share thoughts on that for sure!! 

p.s. I think there was more to say or more pictures to add, but at this point in life, I just want to get the post up or it won't ever happen.