June

Oh June... You've been a mixed bag so far.

Maddie picked up MRSA - we're not exactly sure where, but the most likely place seems to be the floor of the family shower room at the gym after an afternoon of indoor swimming. ICK. She had a single boil that I was lucky to even find, we treated her right away with an oral antibiotic and the entire family swabbed our noses morning and night with medicated ointment to prevent the spread of the bacteria, and that was it. The boil went away, no more breakouts, and it didn't spread to anyone else. Apparently it's more common to get now than it was even a few years ago (our pediatrician referred to it as 'community acquired MRSA' and said her kids have had it as well and she wasn't alarmed). We took Maddie back in this week to be re-checked by the doctor and she got the all-clear to head back to childcare/nursery settings and to be around other kids again.

My sweet friend Jennifer came to visit all the way from Florida! Even MRSA couldn't keep her away. :) She stayed with us at the beginning and end of her trip, and for literally all of the time in between that she spent in the city...

I came down with a horrible stomach virus!

Then we bleached the house.

Rob has been pretty busy at work, and comes home each day to who knows what. Sometimes somebody's throwing up. Sometimes we've been to the doctor with an unidentified bump or rash or persistent cough. About half of the time I've given up on trying to cook dinner and we call for carry-out. Last weekend he took care of me while I was sick and took complete care of the kids for 2 days straight. Then 2 nights ago, Ellie came running into our room at 1am, crying about her mouth burning and her tummy hurting and promptly threw up all over the carpet by my side of the bed. Lights on, I'm scrubbing the carpet until 2am... I don't know how he even gets up to go to work the next day after some of the nights we have!

I am trying to get him to take me up on the offer to stay at a hotel by himself for a night, just so that he can log some decent hours of sleep. I think it's a brilliant idea.

Ellie is in a random phase where she wakes up around 1am and/or 3 or 4am each night. She'll wander into our bedroom and goes back to sleep easily, but I have to take her back to bed. Sometimes I remember that it happened when I wake up in the morning. Mostly I forget. It's so normal. Why is it so normal? I don't want this to be normal. :)

However, we started going to the pool this week. First of all, it's much easier than I realized it would be! The older 2 wear floaties and can touch the bottom of the entire kiddie pool (which goes from zero-depth to 2ft 6in in the 'deep end'). I can hardly keep them by my side, and I was worried about them hanging on me before we went for the first time! Maddie is happy to walk around in the pool where she can touch, or be pulled around or for me to help her 'swim'. She keeps trying to put her face in the water, can climb out of the pool onto the deck on her own, and even jumped off the side into the water where I caught her when I asked her to today! What a little water bug. I am pleasantly surprised. Also? It totally wears the kids out. They are pretty wiped out by the time bedtime rolls around unless I've let Ellie doze on the couch while I make dinner.

Last night was the first night in months (and I don't think I'm exaggerating at all) that I slept over 8 hours in a row without interruption. I woke up with swollen eyes and a punch-drunk-happy feeling! It was glorious. I didn't even want or need coffee. What!?

The best news is that for the last 2 weeks, the baby has been working very hard at growing up. At 14 months old, MADDIE IS WALKING! Everywhere. And she's really good at it. She takes those little frankenstein steps that are just about the cutest thing in the world, and when Rob comes home she throws her arms up in the air and walks as fast as she can towards him with a huge toothy smile and excited little noises. I don't think life gets much better than those little moments.

Robbie came out of his bedroom the other morning and announced "Look mom, I dressed myself.". And he had. Head to toe, perfectly. He chose his Manning Giants jersey, a pair of khaki cargo shorts, and grey underwear. As if that's not enough, he has also been sleeping at night in underwear instead of a diaper, and only had one accident in the last week or two on night #3. We are so proud! Some milestones have taken a lot of work. This one seemed to just fall into place. He likes to pray at dinnertime, and my favorite phrases from his prayers include "Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins... please bless our little hearts...".

Ellie is also learning about prayer, and loves to pray at mealtime and at bedtime. I love hearing about what's on her little heart and mind as I listen to her prayers. She names her food as she thanks God for it, and once she asked "How are you, God?!". She has been testing the rules and boundaries a lot lately, which is exhausting. She has a soft heart and responds best to a gentle touch, but digs her heels in if I come down on her too firm or impatiently. She has locked me out of the house a few times when we have all been in the back yard playing. She will not stay in bed at night and will not stay in her chair during dinner. It's enough to make a parent lose their mind.

In June so far, I have heard "I hate you, mommy!"... "I don't love you anymore!"... "This is the best dinner I ever had!"... "I love you, mommy!"... "You're my best girl, mommy."... "I'm gonna HIT you!"... "Mom, I just want to be where you are."... "Mom, I love God."... "Mom, we need to read the Bible today!". I am obviously learning to pace myself as a mom. Things change from day to day. We sleep, we don't sleep, the baby is suddenly mobile, I find what works for this phase of life or this season of the year. Each day ahead of us is like one big question mark! Will it be good? Hard? Full of fun memories or sick kids? I'm learning not to live in the future as I hope for easier/healthier days, and not to live in the past either, but to be determined to grow through each day and moment that I find myself in.

Here's to a great rest of the month!