Isaac knows all his shapes now. He has been pointing them out to me in real life, like the circle in his highchair tray designated for his cup or the rectangular bricks on the sidewalk. He knows star, heart, oval, circle, square, rectangle, moon, and triangle. Here he is showing off...
He does not know his colors yet, except for blue. He always points out blue things to me, but if I ask him what color something that is not blue is, he still answers blue. Genna did the same thing with pink. He did show me an "O" yesterday which I didn't even realize he knew.
Yesterday Isaac finally was well enough to have his 18 month well baby check up and get his shots even though he is almost 20 months now. His ears were clear for the first time in a long time without being on antibiotics. Praise God! Isaac has been to the doctor so much lately (about once a week since the beginning of the year) and has become a pro at it. He is brave and usually shocks the doctors with how easily he allows his ears to be checked. A week ago he had to have the antibiotic shot and I feared it would ruin it all. But we've been back twice since then and he was fine after he realized we were back to just looking in the ear and not hurting him. I didn't want this to seem like just another visit and turn into a traumatic painful thing. So I decided up front honesty was the best way to handle this. I told him the morning of the appointment that we were going to the doctor and at the end the "shot lady" would have to give him a shot. He immediately was resisting the whole trip. So we got the Elmo book about his check up and took Grover along to help explain what would happen. He did start to cry with the nurse, but by the time the doctor got there he was fine. He was a brave little boy for the shots as well.
It was hard for me to be honest with him about this. My parents did not take the same approach. I can't blame them though, I was afraid of everything, hysterically afraid. I was afraid of the doctor every time though because I never really believed I wasn't getting a shot. I was afraid to go on any ride at Six Flags or Disney World because I was afraid it would go backwards, go too high, or have a big drop (just a few of my fears). I am hoping that by telling my kids exactly what to expect it will help them, at least, to only be afraid when they are truly facing a fear and not every time they face even the possibility of one. I would love to think that just explaining that God protects us would alleviate all my children's fears, but I know from experience that is easier said than done by some. I will tell them that anyway because maybe some of my kids will be like Brian and have more faith than I. And if they turn out to be like me, then the knowledge of that truth will help them overcome their fears eventually.
Everyone survived! In fact, I think we all did better than that. When I got home, the dishes were done, the trash taken out, and the kids were all napping or resting quietly in their rooms. My husband makes my job look entirely too easy. He even saved the house from burning down! Really! Genna put her baby doll on the fireplace ledge (while a fire was roaring) and the doll's melting head smell caught Daddy's attention. He saved the day, but the doll was not so fortunate with a burned hole in her head she was chucked in the trash when I got home. Not like we don't have six million dolls anyway!
The only thing I can say didn't get done while I was gone was hair brushing. Brian rarely brushes the girls hair, probably only when they have just bathed. Since there were no baths while I was gone, there was no hair brushing either. I am sure they looked interesting at Mass. Hannah's hair is so long now that not brushing it for two days makes for a painful detangling session. I need to teach her to brush her own hair, I guess. I hadn't thought of it before.
My trip was amazing and quiet, with the exception of the loud Italians down the hall on Saturday night. The food was fantastic at the hotel and elsewhere. My massage was wonderful. When I first walked into the hotel, I felt so light with only a backpack and a small bag. It was weird not to have to haul in all the kid's stuff. The room was so small, and yet I fit just fine in there. My first thought was I could live here. I watched movies, read my book, and hand sewed to my heart's content. On Saturday, I went to Caracalla Therme which is a bunch of different temperature pools and a few different sauna rooms. It is very interesting. The locals just sit and socialize in the water. There is no swimming and no playing. My favorite part was the Aroma Dampfsauna. It was a steam room with mint aromas to inhale. So relaxing! Then I went wandering through the city center and looked in shops. After Mass on Sunday, I went to a Tea/Coffe Room and had ice cream and tea for lunch before heading home. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a couple I took while I was walking around.
I missed my family, of course, and decided to come back after all. :) Whenever I saw a back hoe or a cement mixer, I missed sharing it with my boy. Hannah had Brian call me on Friday night, and this cracked me up, to ask which outfit she was supposed to wear on Saturday and which one was for Sunday. The funny part was when I answered, Brian turns to her and says, "I was right. I told you so." Brian does not pick out clothes for the kids. (The only time I remember him doing that was when I was in the hospital. Hannah wore jeans too small for her the day we brought Genna home from the hospital.) So I left out two outfits for each child and told the girls the dresses were for Sunday Mass. Hannah tried to convince her dad that it was the opposite because it was a new dress that she really wanted to wear. I love my girls!
Conclusion: Daddy gets an A+ and so does Baden-Baden! Since Brian did so well, I am sure he won't mind me doing this every month, right? Ha ha!
This weekend, I will be sitting in a hotel in Baden-Baden, Germany getting a massage and experiencing the bath town with a book or some sewing alone. Did you catch that? A-L-O-N-E! Brian is going to be Superdad, as Hannah calls him, and take all three kiddos for the whole weekend. This should be interesting to see to what I shall come home. Will it be a house struck by the proverbial tornado? Or perhaps some overly tired kids? (He's already said, "I'm not just sitting around here. We're going somewhere and doing something fun!") Or will I return to Hannah tattle-telling on her dad for doing this or that different than me? My guess is there will definitely be a diaper explosion at some point since Isaac generally only poops once a day now, and I believe my husbands motto is, If it doesn't stink, don't change it. "How will I know?" you may ask. Remember the aforementioned tattle-teller! Perhaps reading this blog might stop some of this from occurring. I know he reads my blog regularly. So, taking that into consideration, I depart with a few final instructions for him.
1. Isaac needs a nap in his bed no earlier than 11:30am and no later than 12:30pm (to give you some flexibility since I love you.) Bedtime for him is 8pm at the latest! 2. Change Isaac's diaper (at least) before his nap to prevent that afternoon explosion we had the other day when I got home late in the day on Saturday. 3. Make sure the kids eat some vegetables. There are vegetables in the freezer that steam in the microwave in less than 5 mins! There are also lots of left overs in the fridge! 4. Don't forget Isaac's nose drops before nap and bedtime! 5. Don't forget to feed the dog too, not just the cat!
Even if I come home to a mess, I won't complain! As long as they are all alive, I will be one happy woman! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the R&R! You're the best!
Who would guess, that my Genevieve would have a post about her titled that? No offense to my adorable, hilarious, and brilliant little girl, but she is known for her backwards, la la land behavior. But she surprises me all the time! Perhaps it is because of her seeming lack of common sense and perpetual state of "Alice in Wonderland" syndrome that these things surprise me. In fact, I am pretty sure that is it. If Hannah asked me where she and Genna would sleep when we walk into a hotel room with only three single beds, I wouldn't think twice about it being unusual and would just answer her. But when Genna comes to me concerned about where she and her sister would sleep in this scenario with a couple of possible solutions, I am struck dumb. (I showed her how the bed was big enough for them to sleep with their heads on opposite sides of the bed and toes in the middle.) Before this trip, she concluded that we were staying overnight by how many diapers I asked her to bring me for Isaac when packing a little overnight bag.
In the dressing room after swim lessons, she figured out that the red on the outside handle was connected to the lock inside. Like I said, not rocket science, but from her it thrills me. I always worry she is just in her own little world too often to notice things. Lately, she's been climbing out of the rabbit hole more and more joining us in the real world and connecting the dots to draw conclusions. (Insert big sigh of relief here.)
The ENT says Isaac's problem may lie with enlarged adenoids. Since his hearing tests came back great and there is only a small amount of fluid and pressure behind the ear drum then we can take some time to try a few things before resorting to surgery. So, we are supposed to put drops of decongestant in his nose twice a day. Then go back to see the doc in 4 weeks. The doctor said to do this everyday, but the pharmacist said no more than 10 days of it in a row. So I need to call the doctor back about this discrepancy. For now we are living it up ear infection free while it lasts!
As I have mentioned before, Isaac has had a series of ear infections since the beginning of the year. Every time I took him to the doctor, I just knew I was being paranoid and they would say he was fine. But alas, every time I was sent home with a diagnosis of one or two ears infected and another kind of antibiotic. He had another one this weekend and had to get an antibiotic shot this time. He had only been antibiotic free for 4 days when the fever and sleeplessness hit again. So tomorrow morning we head to the ENT doctor to see if he can figure out what is going on. I pray it doesn't come to tubes, but I just want him to be back to normal and be out of pain. This makes four ear infections in less than three months which means he was on antibiotics for about 30 days of the last two and a half months. Bless his heart! And so the ear saga continues.
Fashion show time! Or perhaps I should say "Refashion show." Refashioning has been my latest thing. Refashioning is turning old clothes ready for Goodwill into something new and cuter. My husband, in preparation for the move, went through his closet and left a huge pile of old t-shirts and some other things. I stole them all and turned many of them into dresses for the girls. Who knew an old t-shirt, button down shirt, or a pillowcase could be a kid's dress, what about a sweater turning into a diaper cover or a throw pillow? Those are only some of the ideas I found online. The best part is you save ample amounts of time making dresses from old clothes because you reuse some of the hems in the process which means less sewing.
Transformation #1: Daddy's old button down shirt turns into a cute summer dress!
Transformation #2: Daddy's old button down shirt turns into a cute summer dress!
Transformation #3 & 4 (one for each girl): Old pillowcase turns into a summer dress! They will be wearing a shirt under these for sure!
Transformation # 5: Daddy's old Aggie t-shirt turns into a cute long sleeve play dress! (embellishments are from my old Aggie shirt.) These shirts turned out entirely too big, so they will either have to grow into them or I will have to take them in a lot.
Transformation # 6: A couple of daddy's old Aggie t-shirts turn into a cute long sleeve play dress! (I plan to sew a ruffle ribbon around the stitching on this one to cover it up.)
Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated with a little Irish soda bread, shepherd's pie, a shamrock/trinity craft, a reading of The story of Saint Patrick by James A. Janda, the traditional St. Patrick's prayer, and...
Hannah and Genna have been taking Irish dancing since the beginning of the year. Genna is the youngest in the class since they usually don't start them until 4 years old. She has trouble with the coordination and frequently says she "can't" do a step. Hannah has really done well, and I was especially amazed at her performance today. Unfortunately, I was so amazed that I did not get it on video. I snapped two pictures, but not good ones. (The girls don't have the special clothes and shoes because I want to see if they are going to stick with it before wasting the money.)
Tir na nOg is the name of the group. Since it was St. Patrick Day, they had a performance open to all levels of dancers at the Irish pub. (I know, kids in a pub, but in Europe this is not unusual.) The more experienced dancers were amazing! Here's another little video of them.
Brian has a whole box of lab coats that he doesn't need, so I am taking three of them and turning them into play lab coats for the kids. I made Hannah's first, and it took less than an hour to make it so Isaac and Genna should have one soon too.
There's Isaac and our friend's cat inserting themselves into the picture. :)
I doubt most of you would have any need for a tutorial on how to do this, but just in case I will give you the basics. I first ripped out the pocket with a seam ripper. I set it aside for embroidering the name. I put it on her and eyeballed it to cut the length of the coat (in hindsight, I should have made the coat longer). Even though I eyeballed this part too, a better way is to lay a shirt that fits your child on top (add an inch for the seam allowance) to cut the sleeve and the sides like this...
Isaac's coat in process
Then I just fold it over and cut the other side to match.
I hemmed the sleeves and then turned it inside out. Sewed along the sleeves and down the sides. Hemmed the bottom, and I was ready for the pocket.
After embroidering the pocket, I sewed it back on in a better place for the new smaller coat.
Is it just me or is there a resemblance? Same look, right?
Isaac is back to being best buds with his daddy. Brian has had a couple of overnight trips for work lately, and Isaac asks for him all evening long. He thinks every headlight that passes the window is his daddy coming home.
The kids had a blast at a friend's birthday party last Sunday. They were so happy to have cake too! Dessert ha been scarce around here with Lenten sacrifices and all.
Thankfully, we have our internet back. I can't believe how many times we have had to get a new antenna for the internet since living here. I would like to know who is sabotaging them.
Now on to the projects...Here are the saint dolls I made my girls for their Easter gifts.
St. Genevieve and St. Clare
The patterns for these dolls and others can be found over at Waltzing Matilda. I did change the eyes to make them look like Precious Moments dolls, but my husband thinks I made them look a little like aliens. Hope that's not true!
I embroidered prayers to the saints on the back. (Sentimental side note: The yellow and white plaid fabric for Hannah's doll is exactly what my wallpaper looked like when I was a baby.)
St. Genevieve, who since childhood was filled with God's grace, pray for us.
Valiant St. Clare, help us to live Eucharistic lives.
Then I made saint name shirts for my friend's two sons. This took much less time than I thought it would once I decided on the picture. I embroidered fabric which I then appliqued onto the shirt. I did it this way so that it would be easy for her to remove the saint and put it on something else when they outgrow their shirts.
St. Joseph
St. Michael
Then I embroidered a onesie for another friend's new baby girl. Francesca is her middle name.
And that is not all! But for the rest, you'll have to wait.
I guess this is that time of year.Last year about this time we had three straight months of illness in this house and we seem to be headed down that road again unfortunately.(At least, Brian is here to keep me sane this year!)Since the start of 2010, we’ve had 2 ear infections, 5 bad coughs, 1 mild pneumonia, 4 stomach bugs, 5 rounds of antibiotics, and a partridge in a pear tree!I’m hoping and praying we get a break here.Everyone is better today except for a bit of the stomach bug left in Isaac’s system.We are not all eating normally yet, but on our way to it.
Early in the day last Saturday we were on the way to the library and I actually thought, “This is nice.Our coughs are better.Isaac is almost off antibiotics for his ear infection.Maybe we’ll have a week before something else hits.”The peaceful feeling didn’t last long.On the way home in the car, the stomach bug hit Hannah.Let’s just say, I needed a reason to clean out my car anyway.In the last week, the bug made its way through the house (missing my husband) and I have done record amounts of laundry. I miss and appreciate my mom a lot right now!
By the way, our internet is out right now and that is why I have not been posting regularly. I just ran up to my husband's office to post the last weeks worth of posts that I wrote at home. So have fun catching up! I will be back soon!
I know this. I know that whenever I have said, “I will never…” It has ended up coming to pass eventually. Let’s take the supreme example of my whole life thus far when I said, “I’ll never become Catholic!” Ha! Look at me now. Most people who know me now can’t even imagine me ever saying such a thing. Well, since then, anytime I say I’ll never do something, I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach or a voice in my head that tells me to watch out because it is most likely going to happen now that I’ve opened my big fat mouth. Well, it looks like it has happened again!
I said two things more times than I can even count that I would never do.No, I didn’t listen to the voice inside my head.The first, “I will never be a teacher.”All my life people told me I should be a teacher.I always responded the same way.The second, “I will never home-school.”It’s not that I don’t think home-schooling is great.I know many many many MANY wonderful moms who do it wonderfully well.And it’s not that I can’t teach because I have always been a natural teacher and I even enjoy teaching and the challenge it presents, especially with my own kids.I love the creativity that is necessary to teach certain things to certain kids.You may be asking yourself right now, “Then why in the world wouldn’t you want to home-school?”The bitter truth is that I am selfish.I love the idea of sending my older kids off to school while I focus on, teach, and prepare the younger ones.I also feel a little overwhelmed thinking of teaching them all at their different levels.We, hopefully, are not done having kids and home-schooling a big family is daunting no matter how many women I know that manage it.Plus, there is the issue of my perfectionista coming out and paralyzing me, wanting to do it all and perfectly until I can’t accomplish anything.So a mean combination of selfishness and self doubt have convinced me that I would never…Well, I can’t even say it anymore.Let me tell you the story.
Hannah is going to be starting American kindergarten next year. (German kindergarten is just pre-school which she is already in here so we have to differentiate somehow.)We are moving back to the states, the Maryland side of DC to be more precise.My husband and I both went to private school and always agreed that’s where we would send our kids.Our Catholic faith is the most important thing to us and so we wanted their education centered on it.So I went to DC a few months back and hunted for private Catholic schools.I looked at ten schools in two days getting specially arranged private tours since I was only in for a few days.I narrowed it down to two schools and waited until Brian got back to discuss which one to choose.He helped me decide, we applied and registered her.Then one day, Brian came home from work and as we sat down to eat he said those fated words, “I’ve been thinking…”You know what came next.“I’ve been thinking that it’s just a lot of money to pay for kindergarten when you have already taught her most of what she will learn.”My reaction was, “What do you mean you’ve been thinking?”I was more shocked that he was thinking about something other than work while he was at work.When has that ever happened before?And then the sinking feeling in my stomach was back.He was right and I knew it.I didn’t give in right away, of course.I put up my arguments, if half-heartedly.After about a week of talking with him about it on and off, a few bribes (a housekeeper!) and mulling it over on my own, I knew it was a better idea.Although this doesn’t mean that I will home-school forever, the voices in my head keep saying, “It’s a slippery slope!”Even so, we plan to just take it one year at a time and see how it goes.We won’t always live in DC where it costs an arm and a leg to do anything and perhaps the Catholic schools at our next station will be cheaper.If I am capable of home-schooling at all, it is absolutely for kindergarten and the early years.If kindergarten teachers made more money, I might have even changed my mind about that whole never being a teacher thing.I love the age when they are so moldable and cute!
So this brings me to a question for all my wonderful home-schooling readers out there.What curriculum do you use and what do you like and dislike about it?I have almost finished the book, 100 Easy Lessons, with Hannah.We stopped because of life changing so much around here lately and we have been going slowly at it anyway.I think she is probably on a first grade level in most aspects, so I want to be able to teach her things that normal kindergartners would not learn once we complete the entire kindergarten curriculum like sewing, cooking, science, history, and art.I also want to get a German tutor to help her continue her German.I am excited that we will be able to go to daily Mass and have God in the middle of every subject.I am getting myself geared up, but I would love some encouragement.
Isaac has discovered the joys pitfalls of pockets. He likes to run around like this, but when he trips and falls flat on his face he usually can’t even get his hands loose to get up.Sad, but kind of funny too.
**edited**
Here's another good one I found!
And I remembered this old post of Genna shaking her "botman" with her hand in her pockets. Turns out they both discovered their pockets at the same age.
