Samantha: 53 Months, Week 1
Aedan: 17 Months, Week 3 (Week 77)
This week was another strange one with our schedules being all thrown off due to sickness and other unexpected events. Samantha seemed to be doing okay after her fever on Monday afternoon; however, we just stayed home on Tuesday to rest, relax, and allow me to get some cleaning done and things around the house. Even though Samantha was mostly back to her normal self, Aedan had developed a really bad diaper rash. I called the pediatrician's office to see if there was anything that could be done about it, or if we should just discontinue the antibiotics, if that was the cause of the rash. The strep test that was sent out to the lab was also negative, so the antibiotics Aedan was on probably wasn't necessary. Both the Miami Health Center and the pediatrician's office said that he should continue all the doses of the medicine, but a cream was called in to treat his diaper rash. I felt so bad for the little guy because his bottom was pink and puffy, tender to the touch. He was pooping a lot more than normal due to the antibiotic causing trouble in his GI track, which was then irritating his skin. He cried every time I had to change his diaper, and he was even more fussy other times as well. He wanted to be held, but he didn't want to be held on my hip like I normally carry him because having his legs spread out and having pressure on his bottom was hurting him. Every time I picked him up, he would keep his legs tight and straight, like you could tell that it didn't feel good to move his legs much. Poor guy, I felt so bad for him.
Tuesday evenings we usually go to community group; however, we figured with Samantha waking up with a fever on Monday afternoon, that we should wait the 24 hour cut-off before taking her around other kids and toys. We wanted her to rest and not wear herself out that evening. We wanted her to be able to go back to preschool on Wednesday. Ben volunteered to stay home with the kids on Tuesday night so that I could go to community group. We figured Aedan wouldn't enjoy going with just me because Samantha helps him to feel more comfortable and also helps keep an eye on him for us. Plus, he was a lot fussier and more clingy than normal because of his sore bottom. I made banana chocolate chip muffins to share for dessert, as well as homemade bread. Daddy hung out with the kids while I went to church. It was nice being able to still go, but it was strange being there without kids. It's amazing how peaceful dinner becomes and how little responsibility one has when you are suddenly without your kids. Back at home, the kids played and Ben kept tabs on the Cubs game. He was so excited that they finally made the play-offs. When I got home from group, Ben was already getting the kids ready for bed. We played in Aedan's room for awhile and watched the end of the Cubs game. When they won, we all got so excited that Samantha and Aedan piled on top of me!
Life has been difficult and busy for us lately. Ben has a lot on his plate with applying for many jobs, close to 60 by the time he is all done. Life just keeps on rattling along, and sometimes I find it hard to keep up. We have just a couple more weeks left of soccer, and I have to admit that I am glad. Having another commitment on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings has just been a lot for us right now. Maybe it would have been better if Ben wouldn't have had to coach, or if Samantha was more into actually playing soccer. It has been difficult waiting as well, thinking about our future, and where we might end up next year, but at the same time feeling frustrated when nothing has come up yet. I know that God has a plan for us, that He is trustworthy, that He won't leave us, and that He will provide for us just like He always has, but when you are in the middle of it, the waiting and the trusting is so hard sometimes. I find myself wanting to fast forward a couple of months until we know more of what the next year(s) might entail, but I know that I need to to be faithful even through this difficult time, and I want to see what God has for me in this, rather than wishing it away or wishing for whatever I think the perfect outcome might be. Major life changes like this can be so confusing. It's a daily battle, and some days are better than others.
Here's a video of Samantha playing Simon Says during soccer practice.
Aedan had never really eaten an apple whole before, so he thought it was pretty cool to eat an apple like his big sister, holding it and taking bites out of it. Before we left the orchard, I had Samantha and Aedan sit next to each other for a picture of them eating their apples together. It was pretty cute, especially when Aedan leaned in for a hug from his big sister.
We were at the apple orchard until about noon, and I decided that it would be too hard to drive all the way back home before having lunch. I didn't want Aedan to fall asleep in the car and then not want lunch when we got back home, so we decided to stop for lunch before going back home. The only fast food restaurant in this little town was Subway, which we had never taken Samantha and Aedan to before. They split a sandwich and Samantha really enjoyed it, eating very well. Aedan, on the other hand, did not eat very well, but that's not too surprising as of late. He has been extra picky lately, not wanting much of what we give him, especially if it's a vegetable, even if he's liked it in the past. What he'll do is take a bite of something, chew on it for awhile, and then spit it back out. Sometimes he'll chew the same piece of food and spit it back out several times. Who knows with toddlers! But sometimes it is gross to eat with him when he spits food out so much. I imagine this is just a phase and at some point he will just snap out of it. In the meantime, we will just keeping offering him the same kinds of food choices, but we can't make him eat it, no matter how hard we try.
Looking towards the weekend, we were excited to have my parents visit. However, as we were on our way out from the apple orchard, I got a text from my dad saying that Matt had another seizure and was on his way to the hospital. Back in March Matt had a seizure that led to his open heart surgery, so we were all afraid that there was going to be more trouble with his heart or even another surgery. I let Ben know right away just in case things made a turn for the worse and we had to make an impromptu trip to Chicago. My dad and Christy let me know how things were going, and as the day progressed, it seemed like there was no damage done to his heart and that he would probably be released the next day. We decided there was no reason for us to travel to Chicago, but it did change our plans for the weekend with my parents no longer coming down for a visit.
In some ways our weekend ended up being nice and low-key. Andrea took Aedan on Friday morning, so I was able to finish cleaning the house before going to Zumba and then getting the kids down for their naps. They took nice long naps that afternoon, and then we just had a good family night at home and playing outside. There was a cold front coming in on Friday night with rain as well. Therefore, Samantha's soccer game was cancelled for Saturday morning anyways. We slept in until the kids woke up, made pancakes for breakfast, and then took the kids to the library to play for awhile. Ben had never seen the new library, so I figured that would be a good outing for our family on the chilly, wet morning.
Then, later that afternoon Brenda from OBF came over to babysit our kids for us so that Ben and I could go out on a date together. We were looking forward to having a date night when my parents were supposed to come, so we were glad to get a little time away still. Brenda arrived at about 4:00 so that we could sneak out before Aedan woke up from his nap, she fed the kids dinner, and we were back for bedtime. Ben and I went to eat at our favorite restaurant, Chuy's, and we had a good time talking with each other about the future, enjoying each other's company without kids interrupting us. It's amazing how an uninterrupted meal and conversation can be so enjoyable to parents of young kids. We are so grateful for Brenda volunteering her time to watch Samantha and Aedan. It was a wonderful, refreshing evening.
Here's a couple pictures of Aedan sporting Samantha's Mickey Mouse ears that evening when we returned home.
The rest of the weekend was very low-key and relaxing as well, with lots of family time, but nothing in particular to go and do, which I really appreciated. We played outside quite a bit, and Aedan even found a new, fun game: rolling the pumpkins down the driveway and squealing with delight!
Monday was back to our somewhat normal routine. Aedan is supposed to go to Andrea's, but she had a sick child to take care of, so I kept Aedan instead. I developed a pretty bad cold and stuffy nose over the weekend myself, so Aedan and I just took it easy at home that morning. My friend Maggie came over to talk for awhile, and I spent some time cleaning toys with a vinegar solution in an attempt to kill any lingering germs from the kids. They finally seemed to be on the mend, so I wanted to sanitize anything that may have been in their mouths.
Before Daddy got home that evening, we were playing in Samantha's room for awhile. I just had to take this picture of Samantha and Aedan sitting next to each other in Samantha's reading corner. He loves it when she allows him to come into her room. He feels so special when she includes him in anything that she does. I love the two of them and the bond that has developed and continues to grow. They are so cute together.
That evening after dinner, we had more play time outside with the neighbor girls. They like to come over and play with Samantha and Aedan, climbing on our play house, and even learning how to play baseball from Ben. It's nice having friends for Samantha to play with as well, and we will take advantage of these pleasant October evenings to get outside.
(Blog about October 13-19, 2015)
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