Aedan: 54 Months, Week 4
Owen: 13 Months, Week 3 (Week 59)
Here are a few more pictures from Saturday that I didn't include on the last post. Ema kept Samantha and Aedan busy on Saturday helping make some pumpkin cake and peanut butter spider cookies. Everything smelled and looked delicious, and we couldn't wait to taste it. It was very thoughtful of her to plan out things to make with the kids, and they always enjoy helping in the kitchen.
Sunday was the day that Ema and Papa had to head back home, so Ben and I went to first service so that we could teach our classes, while Ema and Papa stayed home with the kids so they didn't have to stay for two services. Here is a wonderful video they took of Samantha and Aedan singing the books of the Old Testament song, holding hands the entire time, and Owen even joining in by standing next to them and dancing. I love this video. I could watch it over and over again.
Then, after church was over, we gave them hugs and said good-bye. The car ride home was very quiet, as we had two sad kids on our hands that didn't want their grandparents to leave. Aedan even cried most of the way home. They always love them coming so much, and we told them that we will see them soon with Thanksgiving coming up in a month.
The rest of the day was spent catching up on things around the house, getting Owen down for a nap and the big kids in their rooms for some quiet time, followed by small group at our house. We had two couples this time, and we tried doing things a little different where the adults ate dinner together first before letting the kids come upstairs, while we continued to talk about the lesson, that way we could eat in peace, and we could all fit around the table easily. Our kitchen just isn't big enough to have a lot of people in at once, and we all agreed that we felt it worked out pretty well doing that. It was much more relaxing, and then when the kids came upstairs we could let them all sit at the table and we could just focus on making sure they had what they needed instead of trying to eat at the same time ourselves.
Monday was one of those days that just felt hectic and busy all day. Both boys woke up early, so they were cranky all morning. Then, I found out that one of the families that came over for small group had a daughter that was sent home from school with lice, and her younger sister also had it, so she let me know so I could be checking our kids' hair, just in case. So then I spent a lot of the rest of the day trying to clean things, like the kids' bedding and doing some vacuuming, just to be safe. Then, Owen only napped like 45 minutes that afternoon, I was able to get him back to sleep, and then he woke up again 5 minutes later. It was frustrating, especially after he was was up so early that morning.
Then, after school, Ben came home a little early to be with Owen so that I could take Samantha to her first orthodontist appointment. He spent a good while looking at her mouth because the issue is that she has lost all 8 of her front teeth, but only six have come in. Her lateral incisors on the top of her mouth are up in her gums, you could see them in her x-ray, but they don't have enough room to come down because her teeth are so crowded. Her bottom front teeth are also tight and somewhat crooked, but he said that would be fairly easy to fix. After looking for awhile, he recommended that we have the baby eye teeth pulled out to give space for the other teeth to come in and see what happens. However, down the road, she still may need to have adult molars pulled to give space for her teeth to be in the right place and then braces to straighten everything out. It sounds like it could be a long road for her, and I'm glad to start her early and hopefully avoid issues I had where my lateral incisors came in behind my front teeth, probably because there wasn't enough room, and then I had to wear braces for five years and endure a lot of work on my mouth. I'm not sure if I should just go with what this orthodontist is saying, or if I should seek a second opinion from the orthodontist in Canada, so we will just have to see how we will proceed from here.
After rushing out of the office after Samantha's appointment, we picked Aedan up from preschool. (I had gotten permission for us to pick him up late that day, instead of making him leave preschool early to come and be bored at Samantha's appointment.) I was worried that he would be sitting there waiting for me, wondering why I hadn't picked him up yet, but he was busy playing with his friends and didn't even notice that I was there 45 minutes later than usual. We got home and Daddy already was serving up dinner on our plates so that we could eat quickly and get to Trunk or Treat at our church. I don't know I've ever seen the kids eat quite as quickly as they did that night. They got their costumes on, and we were off to church.
Aedan was very tired that evening after waking up so early and having a long day. He was crying before we even got out of the car in the parking lot at church for some unknown reason. It was pretty windy and chilly outside, even though earlier that day it wasn't as bad. We walked around to get candy at the cars first, and then went inside to see what they had to do. It was different than it was in past years. There was an inflatable slide for the kids to go on, a place where you could get popcorn, and some craft tables.
Monday was one of those days that just felt hectic and busy all day. Both boys woke up early, so they were cranky all morning. Then, I found out that one of the families that came over for small group had a daughter that was sent home from school with lice, and her younger sister also had it, so she let me know so I could be checking our kids' hair, just in case. So then I spent a lot of the rest of the day trying to clean things, like the kids' bedding and doing some vacuuming, just to be safe. Then, Owen only napped like 45 minutes that afternoon, I was able to get him back to sleep, and then he woke up again 5 minutes later. It was frustrating, especially after he was was up so early that morning.
Then, after school, Ben came home a little early to be with Owen so that I could take Samantha to her first orthodontist appointment. He spent a good while looking at her mouth because the issue is that she has lost all 8 of her front teeth, but only six have come in. Her lateral incisors on the top of her mouth are up in her gums, you could see them in her x-ray, but they don't have enough room to come down because her teeth are so crowded. Her bottom front teeth are also tight and somewhat crooked, but he said that would be fairly easy to fix. After looking for awhile, he recommended that we have the baby eye teeth pulled out to give space for the other teeth to come in and see what happens. However, down the road, she still may need to have adult molars pulled to give space for her teeth to be in the right place and then braces to straighten everything out. It sounds like it could be a long road for her, and I'm glad to start her early and hopefully avoid issues I had where my lateral incisors came in behind my front teeth, probably because there wasn't enough room, and then I had to wear braces for five years and endure a lot of work on my mouth. I'm not sure if I should just go with what this orthodontist is saying, or if I should seek a second opinion from the orthodontist in Canada, so we will just have to see how we will proceed from here.
After rushing out of the office after Samantha's appointment, we picked Aedan up from preschool. (I had gotten permission for us to pick him up late that day, instead of making him leave preschool early to come and be bored at Samantha's appointment.) I was worried that he would be sitting there waiting for me, wondering why I hadn't picked him up yet, but he was busy playing with his friends and didn't even notice that I was there 45 minutes later than usual. We got home and Daddy already was serving up dinner on our plates so that we could eat quickly and get to Trunk or Treat at our church. I don't know I've ever seen the kids eat quite as quickly as they did that night. They got their costumes on, and we were off to church.
Aedan was very tired that evening after waking up so early and having a long day. He was crying before we even got out of the car in the parking lot at church for some unknown reason. It was pretty windy and chilly outside, even though earlier that day it wasn't as bad. We walked around to get candy at the cars first, and then went inside to see what they had to do. It was different than it was in past years. There was an inflatable slide for the kids to go on, a place where you could get popcorn, and some craft tables.
We also made sure to get pictures of the kids dressed up together. Aedan wore his Iron-Man costume, Samantha was a gypsy, and Owen was a monkey. It's difficult to get pictures where they are all looking at the same time, but I still got a few cute ones.
Tuesday was a Bible study day, and the boys and I were able to just spend some time hanging out around the house that morning. Owen wanted to put his monkey costume on, and while Aedan was walking around the house playing the guitar and singing, Owen joined in with his awesome dance moves.
I tried as hard as I could to get to Bible study on time, but even though it doesn't start until 10:30, I still arrived late, and I was feeling very frustrated by myself. I have been trying really hard to be better at managing my time, but I feel like there is always something that comes up at the last minute and makes us late. Then, as I dropped the boys off in a hurry, both of them ended up crying as I left the room. Owen cried because another baby was crying and he has gotten into the separation anxiety phase now. Aedan started crying as well because he wanted to give me a hug before I left, and I was trying to drop them off in too much of a hurry. Maybe one of these days we will be able to get our act together enough to be on time and not always in a hurry.
Owen had another difficult day, not taking much of a nap that afternoon (it seems like he always does this on Tuesdays), and he was crying when I left to go pick up Samantha and Aedan from school. He saw me go out the door, so I hoped that he wouldn't give Calla too hard of a time calming down. Ben told me later that he ended up being grumpy for about five minutes and then calmed down and was happy.
Gymnastics went well for the kids, like it usually does. They really enjoy it, and even though I can't watch them very well, I know that they are learning and active, and are excited to go each week. Plus, I have an hour of time where I get to sit and just read a book, something that I don't have time to do very often. Here is a video of Samantha on the balance beam. She wanted me to take the video of her.
Owen had another difficult day, not taking much of a nap that afternoon (it seems like he always does this on Tuesdays), and he was crying when I left to go pick up Samantha and Aedan from school. He saw me go out the door, so I hoped that he wouldn't give Calla too hard of a time calming down. Ben told me later that he ended up being grumpy for about five minutes and then calmed down and was happy.
Gymnastics went well for the kids, like it usually does. They really enjoy it, and even though I can't watch them very well, I know that they are learning and active, and are excited to go each week. Plus, I have an hour of time where I get to sit and just read a book, something that I don't have time to do very often. Here is a video of Samantha on the balance beam. She wanted me to take the video of her.
Then, the boys and I went to the library like we usually do on Wednesdays before getting Aedan dressed in his costume and ready for his Halloween parade at preschool. Samantha had a half day that day, so she was able to come with me to drop Aedan off and watch him in his parade. Aedan stuck with his decision to be Iron Man because Kate was going to be Iron Man, too. However, as soon as we walked into the classroom and he saw that she was dressed similar to him, he got extremely shy and tried to hide behind my legs. It took me going into the room with him and giving him a reassuring hug before he was okay to sit down and start talking to other kids. Then, Samantha, Owen, and I went down to the basement to wait for the costume parade. Aedan was the second in line, and I love how both kids waved at each other before they even noticed me.
After the parade, we went up to his classroom to say good-bye and get a few more pictures. I LOVE this picture of Aedan. It really captures his true smile. Man, do I love this little boy, and sometimes I'm surprised at how grown-up he is getting. I can't believe he is 4 1/2 and will be heading to kindergarten next fall. I want to hold on to this little boy of mine for as long as possible.
Here are Aedan and Kate, best friends, and wearing the same costume. :)
That evening, after eating dinner together and answering the door for a few trick or treaters, we got the kids dressed in their costumes and walked around the neighborhood to go trick-or-treating as a family. We were blessed with better weather than last year, and the kids scored a lot of candy since people give generously on our block because there aren't too many kids that trick or treat here, and they don't want to be stuck with a lot of extra candy.
Thursdays have been our grocery shopping days lately, and Aedan wasn't very thrilled about going that morning, so I was able to convince him to be more excited about it by allowing him to wear a cape around Meijer as we shopped. I figured it didn't matter, and maybe it would help us get through the process faster. :)
Just the other day Ben and I were talking about how it was only a matter of time before Owen learned how to climb up on the chairs and on the kitchen table, so I found it very ironic that that is exactly what Owen did on Thursday afternoon as I was trying to put groceries away. He was very proud of himself, and I had to take a video and some pictures to send to Ben. I knew he would get a kick out of them. This little boy is trouble, and no place is safe with him around!
Instead of going out just for the sake of going out, we stuck around home on Friday morning, and Aedan and I spent some time making applesauce. He helped peel, core, and slice the apples with our fancy apple contraption. We boiled the apples on the stove with some water and cinnamon, and then put it in the blender to smooth out any lumps, and here was our finished product. It tasted good, and it smelled lovely in our home from the apples simmering on the stove. Aedan couldn't wait to try some of the applesauce that we made together, and to have Daddy and Samantha try it when they got home as well.
Owen took a pretty good nap for me on Friday afternoon, even though he cried a little bit in the middle of it. But then that Friday night I could not get Owen to sleep. Ben was at the hockey game enjoying some time away doing something fun for himself, and I had had a long day and didn't feel like dealing with trying to get Owen to sleep. He wasn't happy with any way I was holding him, so I just laid him down and left the room to see what would happen. He ended up crying for about ten minutes and then fell asleep on his own, for which I was grateful. He is starting to do that more now, and I'm glad that when he is really tired, he can sometimes calm down and go to sleep without us having to walk around the room with him for a long time. He still wakes up at least once a night, at a different time each night, but Friday night was more rough with Owen. In fact, he has been waking up more than normal lately, usually requiring Ben to go in there earlier in the night to settle him back down.
Aedan also had a rough night on Friday into Saturday. He woke up crying and coughing just as we were about to head bed. Ben and I both rushed into his room because it almost sounded like he was going to get sick to his stomach. He was holding his throat like it was hard for him to breathe. Then, when he took deep breaths, it sounded raspy. I was worried about him that night as he went to bed, and he woke up a couple times during the night, calling for us, needing a drink, and just some reassurance.
Saturday morning, Ben and I were met with a wonderful surprise. After I was up with Owen from about 5:45-6:15, I went back to sleep, thinking I didn't have too much longer to sleep before all the kids would be awake. However, the next time I opened my eyes, it was almost 8:30, and Owen was still sleeping. I couldn't believe we had slept in that long! I don't even remember the last time we have been able to do that, especially since having kids. Samantha and Aedan had woken up an hour or so earlier, but they just quietly played and read books upstairs, letting Ben and I enjoy some extra time to sleep. It's nice that they are getting to the age where they can handle that.
When Aedan woke up on Saturday morning, he was very hoarse and it sounded pretty bad when he coughed. We went back and forth on what to do, but after talking to a nurse friend for advice, Ben decided to take him to the walk-in clinic to get him checked out because we were afraid he might have croup. Ben sent me a sweet video and picture of Aedan sleeping on him as they waited to be seen by the doctor.
They said to just treat him at home with ibuprofen, a vaporizer in his room, lots of fluid, and an expectorant. Then, if it were to get worse, like turn into a barking cough, or if he shows signs of stress when breathing, we should take him back in. His lower lungs were clear, which was a positive, so they didn't think he needed an x-ray or steroids.
We had tickets to the Lakers hockey game that night, and we went back and forth on what to do with Aedan being under the weather. We had him lay down for a nap that afternoon, but I'm not sure he actually fell asleep at all. We also attempted to take Owen to the game, just to see how he would do. He was pretty fascinated for the opening songs and the first few minutes of the first period, but then he started getting antsy. He didn't want us to hold him, and he wanted to get up and walk around and climb the stairs, which of course he couldn't do. I ended up strapping him into the stroller to try and contain him, but I knew that wouldn't be a long-tern solution. (Next time we will get a babysitter for Owen so we don't have to wrestle with him during the game.) Aedan was also fading fast, so after the first period, we decided it would be best for me to bring the boys home so they could go to bed. Our time was going back an hour that night, which always messes with the kids' schedules, but we hoped that keeping them out slightly past their bedtime might help their bodies adjust better. We had Samantha sit with a family that we knew at the game while Ben walked back to the house with me to help get the boys in bed and then went back to the game to be with Samantha. She enjoyed having one-on-one time with her daddy, and she even got to meet a couple of the hockey players after the game, which she found really exciting. It's fun for her to be able to stay out later and do stuff like that now that she is older, and Aedan wasn't feeling well, so he didn't mind at all that he was home sleeping instead.
Since Owen slept in for so long that morning, he didn't take a very good nap that afternoon, which was unfortunate, but the benefit of that was that he actually fell asleep nursing that night at bedtime, which never happens anymore. I was glad that he went to sleep better for me that night than he did on Friday night, and I hoped that Aedan would have a better night's sleep and start feeling better. The poor kid was not like himself. He was pretty lethargic, wasn't playing much, didn't have much of an appetite, and still sounded pretty bad when he coughed. I hoped that he would keep getting better and that it wouldn't get any worse. It's always so hard to see your kids sick.
(Blog about October 28-November 3, 2018)
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