Today marks WEEK 3 of illness in our house (with a 2-3 day window of sickness free).
Last night, I woke up to my daughter yelling my name. Went into her room and she was burning up. I gave her some Motrin, my husband laid down with her, and I prayed.
Prayed for her. Prayed for her health. Prayed for a break from the sicknesses that has overtaken our household. Prayed He would ease my anxiety, my worry. To just give us a break from this. A break from being stuck in our house. A break from worrying about medication. A break from being quarantined from all of our friends and family. A break from being "on call" ALL the time.
And then I woke up this morning and read a FB post that humbled me.
Our life could be MUCH worse.
Our health could be MUCH worse.
We are extremely fortunate to have each other. To keep each other company. To help each other out. To make each other laugh over the little things that keep us sane.
NO more woe as me posts. NO more whys. NO more I'm ready for this to be done.
I still hear my son laugh. I still see my daughter smile. I still have my husband keeping our life lighthearted.
And that people is keeping this Momma happy.
Thanking God.
For I DO have them.
Top 10 for the Week of
March 23rd, 2015
10. Sickness. Still here. Enough said.
9. Eating Constantly. Since our kids have been home forever (Mal it's been 8 1/2 days, Clay 5 1/2 days), they've been eating a TON. Our boy can eat 3 bananas in ONE day. Seriously, I buy 10 or so bananas a week and we run out! We've been going through lots of food. Either my kids are growing or they're bored. Either way popsicles have been great for keeping them hydrated and I don't mind the fruit.
8. Car Issues. We had a car issue this week that caused me to drive Jay's car. Kids weren't too happy about that--his car stinks. Enough said.
7. Saturday Break. I avoided the nasty digestive bug, Jay's cold, but unfortunately was not able to dodge strep throat from Mal. I was pretty down Friday and Saturday. My in-laws graciously volunteered to take the kiddos from noon until past dinner time. It was great. I was able to get some much needed rest, a nap, and a few things done. Hopefully, I am on the road to recovery so I can take care of my once-again sick kiddos (just Mal now) and a Book Fair that I'm helping out at Mal's school.
6. Windows. I had both kids home sick with me on Monday, a car that was in the shop, AND 3 men installing 9 new windows in our upstairs. It was crazy. But we love them! Such a difference! One bay window upstairs left to do and we are DONE.
5. Duet. We've had a lot of time indoors. A lot of it watching TV, but there have been some sporadic times playing. I had the pleasure of witnessing a duet by my two kiddos. It was adorable. Mal was such the little poser, as if she had always had a mic in her hand. Clay just screamed a lot but he enjoyed watching his sister who had the moves. I enjoyed every minute of it.
4. Infinity Scarf by ME. While being stuck inside on Tuesday, I decided to make myself an infinity scarf. It turned out fabulous! Can't wait to make everyone I know one! :o) Super easy and didn't require much fabric at all!
3. Clayisms. We had Clay's conference this week. It didn't go exactly how I thought it would go. However, with some clarification from his teacher--I did feel better. He hasn't grown much on their progress report (which is the skills he needs to know by kindergarten) but he has grown MILES in our book. He is starting to use 2 word utterances. On the way home from his speech on Tuesday he was telling me how he wants a "fast car" or a "fast truck". He even corrected me when I called a truck a car. He also can have a conversation with someone with little help and reference something that happened a few days ago or earlier that day. His OT also said his pencil grip is mature for his age. And I was able to witness this when Mal made him "homework" to work on. He can count to TEN on his own!!!! And his cooking skills and patience have gotten MUCH better (due to some help from his cooking time with Grandma). This boy is doing amazing things. And a sheet of paper says and means absolutely nothing to what he TRULY knows and the growth he's had. I am SO proud of him.
2. Malloryisms. Mal does not like taking her antibiotic AND we are taking the one that is 10 days, 3 times a day which ends up being 30 times! Not like it's enough torture she's sick, but to give her that much medicine for so long is even more torture. This week was rough on me and my daughter can read me like a book. One day, she came out of her room and just randomly hugged me. Told me she remembered that her hugs make me feel better. Such an intuitive child. It surprises me. I also put the kids to bed by myself one night this week. We are the household where we lay down with the kids until they fall asleep (I know, we need to break this habit). Anyways, I often lay down with Clay because he's usually the one that doesn't understand and is louder. Well, this time I chose Mallory. She seriously had THE biggest smile ever! And she told me she loved me. Made me realize I should be paying more attention to her. Putting her first. A few cute sayings from her: (1) Calling poop "froze" instead of solid. Which I think is actually pretty smart considering froze is a form of a solid. But with her whole diarrhea this week we talked a lot about solid and runny poop:o) (2) Knock Knock Jokes at the dinner table made up by the one and only Mallory. "Knock, Knock" "who's there?" "Ghost." "Ghost who?" "Silly Ghost" And she does this really silly face with a boooooo.
1. Thankful.
THIS blog keeps me sane. Keeps me looking at the BRIGHT side of this crazy, busy life.
Until next week.
Mrs. Newell
Friday, April 10, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Pushing On
My son, Clayton is THREE.
He will be four next month.
He has Apraxia--a speech delay where he can't say the correct words he thinks in his head. Due to this, he constantly has to work harder, be more determined, and have more patience than most kids his age. A HUGE task for any kid.
BUT he has us. And the HUGE support group around US which include grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, friends, his amazing speech therapist, and even strangers on Facebook!
We have continually fought hard for this boy.
Multiple speech therapist, hearing tests, doctor visits, IEPs.
Multiple phone calls, emails, letters to different schools, his teacher, therapists.
Hours of research, Facebook groups, reaching out to others.
It's the fight itself that breaks our spirit and makes us question our doings.
But we will continue to fight.
To give him THE best learning environment.
To provide what HE needs.
To surround him with people who truly LOVE him.
It's our son's bright, vibrant, contagious personality that KEEPS us going.
His openness to others.
His energy for everything.
His love of life.
Our latest struggle is finding the right school (that "fits" him) for him. We will NOT change our mission in helping our boy. We will continue to push on with our son's best interest in mind. Because truly, his parents and the ones that love him know best.
Top 10 for the Week of
March 16th, 2015
10. Pot Holes. They are everywhere! Welcome to Spring in Michigan right?!?!
9. Clay NOW Sick. Clay came home from school on Thursday totally out of it. Come to find out he was running a low temperature. Diarrhea came later. Of course. We are on day FIVE. At least last night BOTH of our kids slept through the night. Which hasn't happened in like....yeah, not even sure WHEN!
8. Mal's Cold. Mal's digestive issues are now back to normal. Unfortunately, she's gotten Jay's cold. I feel terrible for her. Her nose hasn't stopped running. One sickness after another. However with a little cold/cough medicine in the morning she is good to go!
7. Clean Sheets. I cleaned ALL of the sicky sheets on Friday. There is something about the smell of clean sheets that calms me. I'm still waiting for an outdoor clothes line which would totally make clean sheets even better!
6. St. Patty's Day. So, yeah, I wasn't totally prepared for St. Patty's Day. Like I didn't have outfits for my children to wear to school--which is totally fine. But my 6 year old daughter did not think so. She was quite upset with me. Fortunately, I have met some rockstar moms this year! And one of them unknowingly saved my butt on this fiasco! She texted me that night stating she had purchased a St. Patty's Day Tshirt for her! Talk about a saving grace:o) Thanks again for the help my friend! I did the whole leprechaun footprint thing and colored the milk green. Thank goodness both kids didn't see the green dye I accidently spilled on my fingers!
5. Walk Around Pond. We had a few nice nights this week which caused us to head outside and take a walk around our pond. I really enjoy this time. Being outdoors. Watching them get interested in little things. I'm SO glad they appreciate and love nature as much as Jay and I do.
4. Park Play Date. Monday was beautiful. And Clay and I got a chance to meet a friend (his FAVORITE friend) and his mom at the park. I wore a T-shirt and capris. Bliss. Can't wait until this is a regular occurrence.
3. Clayisms. This week we are practicing on his N's. We were gifted some new-to-us dinosaurs from a dear friend. He has fallen in love with them and every other dinosaur. SO we were able to work on new, neck, nose, and need words. Play therapy does wonders with our boy. And play outside for this boy is even 10x better. He's just like his dad. Would rather be outdoors than anywhere else. It's amazing to me how quickly he can get dressed (coat, boots, hat) to go outside but when it comes to going anywhere else--it takes him forever! Smart boy I guess. He still continues to take naps. I think the structure and having to stay so together during the school day wears him out.
2. Malloryisms. Mal has really enjoyed being in Girl Scouts. I was impressed that she sold about 100 boxes--which were all delivered within a week of getting them. I can't imagine selling more than this. 100 was enough craziness for me!! Jay doesn't think so. He thinks we should go all in. I told him--if he wanted to, he could. But I wasn't delivering all of them! Mal and I helped out at a cookie booth in front of Walmart. It was cute seeing her approach strangers and friends, asking them if they were interested in buying. Her ownership and maturity really shined. Mal has missed a lot of dance due sickness and being out of time. She has been upset by this--I have to admit I am too. This year she has two dances to memorize--Tap being one that she has just joined this year. This week I realized she is holding her own. She really is--which makes me so thankful and amazed at her memory and determination. Our 6 year old is growing up. Becoming so much more than I thought she would be. TWO cute, adorable Malloryisms: "Hey Dad, what seed is this?" As she's playing under the apple tree. "Mallory that's rabbit poop." Seriously. Cracks me up. And then the other night I was on the phone and spelled out the word KIDS. As in I was trying to get away from the KIDS so I could talk. She said it right away after I had spelt it. Sometimes I am shocked by how smart she is getting!
1. Great Outdoors. We spent the majority of the day outdoors on Sunday and it was bliss! Every one of us enjoyed it! Feels great to be back in the yard, enjoying what our property has to offer us. Looking forward to warmer days (even though as I type this SNOW is falling!).
Part of me questions everything. But I know going with my "mom gut" is powerful and real.
Have a great week!
Feels great to be back.
Until next week,
Mrs. Newell
He will be four next month.
He has Apraxia--a speech delay where he can't say the correct words he thinks in his head. Due to this, he constantly has to work harder, be more determined, and have more patience than most kids his age. A HUGE task for any kid.
BUT he has us. And the HUGE support group around US which include grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, friends, his amazing speech therapist, and even strangers on Facebook!
We have continually fought hard for this boy.
Multiple speech therapist, hearing tests, doctor visits, IEPs.
Multiple phone calls, emails, letters to different schools, his teacher, therapists.
Hours of research, Facebook groups, reaching out to others.
It's the fight itself that breaks our spirit and makes us question our doings.
But we will continue to fight.
To give him THE best learning environment.
To provide what HE needs.
To surround him with people who truly LOVE him.
It's our son's bright, vibrant, contagious personality that KEEPS us going.
His openness to others.
His energy for everything.
His love of life.
Our latest struggle is finding the right school (that "fits" him) for him. We will NOT change our mission in helping our boy. We will continue to push on with our son's best interest in mind. Because truly, his parents and the ones that love him know best.
Top 10 for the Week of
March 16th, 2015
10. Pot Holes. They are everywhere! Welcome to Spring in Michigan right?!?!
9. Clay NOW Sick. Clay came home from school on Thursday totally out of it. Come to find out he was running a low temperature. Diarrhea came later. Of course. We are on day FIVE. At least last night BOTH of our kids slept through the night. Which hasn't happened in like....yeah, not even sure WHEN!
8. Mal's Cold. Mal's digestive issues are now back to normal. Unfortunately, she's gotten Jay's cold. I feel terrible for her. Her nose hasn't stopped running. One sickness after another. However with a little cold/cough medicine in the morning she is good to go!
7. Clean Sheets. I cleaned ALL of the sicky sheets on Friday. There is something about the smell of clean sheets that calms me. I'm still waiting for an outdoor clothes line which would totally make clean sheets even better!
6. St. Patty's Day. So, yeah, I wasn't totally prepared for St. Patty's Day. Like I didn't have outfits for my children to wear to school--which is totally fine. But my 6 year old daughter did not think so. She was quite upset with me. Fortunately, I have met some rockstar moms this year! And one of them unknowingly saved my butt on this fiasco! She texted me that night stating she had purchased a St. Patty's Day Tshirt for her! Talk about a saving grace:o) Thanks again for the help my friend! I did the whole leprechaun footprint thing and colored the milk green. Thank goodness both kids didn't see the green dye I accidently spilled on my fingers!
5. Walk Around Pond. We had a few nice nights this week which caused us to head outside and take a walk around our pond. I really enjoy this time. Being outdoors. Watching them get interested in little things. I'm SO glad they appreciate and love nature as much as Jay and I do.
4. Park Play Date. Monday was beautiful. And Clay and I got a chance to meet a friend (his FAVORITE friend) and his mom at the park. I wore a T-shirt and capris. Bliss. Can't wait until this is a regular occurrence.
3. Clayisms. This week we are practicing on his N's. We were gifted some new-to-us dinosaurs from a dear friend. He has fallen in love with them and every other dinosaur. SO we were able to work on new, neck, nose, and need words. Play therapy does wonders with our boy. And play outside for this boy is even 10x better. He's just like his dad. Would rather be outdoors than anywhere else. It's amazing to me how quickly he can get dressed (coat, boots, hat) to go outside but when it comes to going anywhere else--it takes him forever! Smart boy I guess. He still continues to take naps. I think the structure and having to stay so together during the school day wears him out.
2. Malloryisms. Mal has really enjoyed being in Girl Scouts. I was impressed that she sold about 100 boxes--which were all delivered within a week of getting them. I can't imagine selling more than this. 100 was enough craziness for me!! Jay doesn't think so. He thinks we should go all in. I told him--if he wanted to, he could. But I wasn't delivering all of them! Mal and I helped out at a cookie booth in front of Walmart. It was cute seeing her approach strangers and friends, asking them if they were interested in buying. Her ownership and maturity really shined. Mal has missed a lot of dance due sickness and being out of time. She has been upset by this--I have to admit I am too. This year she has two dances to memorize--Tap being one that she has just joined this year. This week I realized she is holding her own. She really is--which makes me so thankful and amazed at her memory and determination. Our 6 year old is growing up. Becoming so much more than I thought she would be. TWO cute, adorable Malloryisms: "Hey Dad, what seed is this?" As she's playing under the apple tree. "Mallory that's rabbit poop." Seriously. Cracks me up. And then the other night I was on the phone and spelled out the word KIDS. As in I was trying to get away from the KIDS so I could talk. She said it right away after I had spelt it. Sometimes I am shocked by how smart she is getting!
1. Great Outdoors. We spent the majority of the day outdoors on Sunday and it was bliss! Every one of us enjoyed it! Feels great to be back in the yard, enjoying what our property has to offer us. Looking forward to warmer days (even though as I type this SNOW is falling!).
Part of me questions everything. But I know going with my "mom gut" is powerful and real.
Have a great week!
Feels great to be back.
Until next week,
Mrs. Newell
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