parenting notes, mostly

I've been writing blog-length Facebook posts, so I suppose it's time to finally jot something here.

Our kiddos have been alternating sicknesses for three weeks straight. It is the worst timing. Most recently, Ezekiel has been teething like mad. He has just two little teeth on the bottom and four on top, most of which came in at the same time, and now he has this... there's no other way to put it, so excuse my Idaho-ness... BIG HONKIN' molar trying to erupt through his stressed-out gums way in the back of his mouth. Poor kid! But I did find the baltic amber teething necklace for him about halfway through this teething episode and so the last several days have been much better. I'm thoroughly convinced now that those things work, because he was absolutely miserable before that, and since putting it on he has been so much better, despite the molar still looking pretty horribly painful.

Abraham has been running a high fever on and off for about five days. He's totally lucid though and there isn't anything else bothering him, so we're waiting it out. He seems to tend toward long fevers, I think. It's sad though. He wakes up about five times a night just needing some reassurance from me. I'm not really used to having to actually get out of bed at night to take care of children, apparently, because I have been rather bewildered about it each time! I didn't realize how spoiled I was getting about not having to get up in the night. Co-sleeping with the littlest one makes nighttimes so easy!

Rilla is the healthy one right now, and has been bursting at the seams with pent-up energy all this week. I thought having her in gymnastics would give her a good chance to work out some of her four-year-old energy, and perhaps it does, but WOW, four-year-olds have a lot of energy! Probably part of the problem is that I have still been having her take afternoon naps, and really all that does is refuel her enough so that she is good to go until like 10 pm. So I am gradually accepting that it is time to let her stay awake during naptime for the sake of everyone being able to go to bed earlier. (Having her up later drags everybody to be up later.) I know the afternoon will be a great time for her to work quietly on her own projects, but it's still a little bit hard for me to let go of the now-and-then alone time that I have in the afternoon. I'm such a introvert when it comes to needing time totally alone to refuel, so even though I know it will be good for our schedule and overall rhythm of our home when Rilla stops taking naps... still, it is hard for me to say goodbye to those little snatches of totally solo downtime, as well as the solo time that I get with Zekie when the older two are napping.

Annnyway. I'm having a conversation with my children as I type this (they are playing bakery) and am trying to convince them that it is okay for ladies to drink coffee. I don't drink coffee, so they are firmly convinced that coffee is for men, whereas tea and hot chocolate are for ladies. They still view it as this strange anomaly when women drink coffee.

My children have been doing and saying some pretty funny things lately. Well, I suppose they always do. I just wish I could remember them all long enough to write them down at the end of the day. Abraham has been saying a lot of really hilarious things without meaning to, especially while he has been feverish. He is just so amazingly straightforward! And the things that seem so logical when you think about it from their perspective, but are so hilarious coming from ours. And of course I can't think of a single thing to illustrate my point right now... sorry.

Ezekiel has just this week gotten to the point where he's now walking more than he is crawling. He has mastered pivoting this week too and is able to walk as far as he wants to now without falling. It's really adorable. It also feels a bit strange to be able to hold his hands comfortably as he is learning to walk. I know that sounds weird, but I was seven months pregnant with Abraham when Rilla started walking, and I was five months pregnant with Ezekiel when Abraham started walking! So not being pregnant and being able to bend down and play with him at this age with such ease is actually tremendously fun. I'm totally thrilled that he is going to be able to walk this summer, as it will be the first summer since 2008 that I will be able to go places outside in the summertime without needing to carry a baby everywhere in my arms! I am very much looking forward to it.

We've organized and sorted through all of our stuff that was in storage at Keith's parents house... and now we're on to the task of boxing up everything in our home and getting ready to move in the next week or two. We had planned to leave for Iowa the day after Memorial Day, but we're beginning to think about staying an extra week... it doesn't quite feel like enough time now to see everyone and pack everything in just the next nine days. Having the kids be sick has really set things back.

My two little bakers are done playing bakery and are ready for storytime... and so I'm done here.