Random Thoughts

Here are few other things I want to jot down:

1. Grace has been attached to me lately. I mean, she has been a mama's girl for awhile now. And, I'm sure this has to do with her being with me 24 hours a day just about. And, if I'm out of sight, I'm typically out of mind. But, if I'm in sight and there is someone else close by, you better believe she prefers me over anyone else...including Vic lately!

2. Grace is not saying many words yet. I have gone back and forth for the last 3-4 months wondering if we are on track or not. Compared at Atticus at this age, and after looking back at my blog on him at this age, he was definitely saying more words. On one hand, I don't want to worry because I figure it will happen when it happens. On the other hand, I sure don't want to ignore any signs I could be looking for that she is having trouble with verbal communication. Basically, my biggest concern is that she doesn't say anything without being prompted and even then, sometimes the sounds she says make sense and sometimes I think she is just saying any random sound to please me. Other than "mama" and "dada" or "daddy", she truly does not ask us for anything. If she is in the mood and we get on a roll, she will repeat words that I know she knows, in her own way of course, and I start to feel better. Of course, I'm prompting her to say them. But, if she wants something, she either expects me to know it (which I usually do) or points and grunts until I figure it out. She makes noises and sounds and shows all emotions, but I keep waiting for some of those words to start coming - like no, or uh-oh, or wawa (water) or eat or something. I try to make her say things before she can have them - like "eat" when she wants food or something for "water" when she is thirsty. But, usually she doesn't say anything and then just gets mad. So is she mad because she is not getting her way? Or is she mad because she really can't say what I'm asking? I also think she started doing better when we were traveling for the holidays and when GG was here for a week. So, I'm probably inhibiting her in some ways because she knows she doesn't have to work as hard. But, with other people, she has to work harder. Anyways, am I over-thinking this today? Probably. But, I'm usually good at going with the flow and watching things work out just right without me needing to spend time worrying. So, for today, I'm just thinking it through more closely.

3. Preschool applications are due already for September enrollment. I already knew I was going to put Atticus in for 2 days a week again. I can't believe this next preschool year will be his last year I have him with me before Kindergarten! And I had ZERO intentions of putting Grace in. She is younger and I like having her with me. But, after thinking for about a day on it, I have decided to at least put her application in to get her a spot. I can't decide. I've started wondering if it would benefit her to be in 2 days a week or maybe even just one. It might help with her speech (which I know this is 6 months away and I'm concerned about speech now, but still...) and it would definitely give her kids to play with. I'm fine with her just having us to play with but you should see her when she is around other kids! She either screams at them or hits them as soon as she sees them at the park or at his school. So, maybe it would be good for her to have to behave and interact with some other little ones her age, as well as have teachers to be around and listen to. I don't know - I decided I could always change my mind once September gets here.

4. So, for those of you who do not know, we are currently in a predicament with Vic's back. For about two months now, it has been giving him lots of problems. The left side of his back and top of his hip have been giving him pain when he sits. For awhile it was kind of a general soreness and pain and he went back and forth deciding if he needed a new work chair or if we needed a new mattress or if it just happened when we drove in the car for long trips. But, it wasn't until early January that it became VERY painful. Between then and now, it has finally become an issue when he sits and stands and certain times when he bends a certain way. He can lunge, squat, run, walk, and as long as he stays active, he feels good. But, as soon as he sits or gets into his truck or does anything sedentary, it hurts him so much until he warms that part up again with movement - which usually takes 8-10 very slow steps. He went to his family doctor in early January who referred him to a chiropractor who decided his muscle was the problem. After about 2-3 weeks of massages and electricity type therapy and stretches and muscle relaxers and x-rays, the chiropractor was stumped. They ordered an MRI and we have learned as of this past Friday, that he has a bulging disc and a extruding disc plus a lot of other fancy words to describe them. Bottom line, they are not in place and thus, causing spinal fluid to leak out onto his nerves causing that terrible pain. These are located right above his tailbone which explains why this pain is caused mostly when he sits down or stands up. He now has appointments with two spinal specialists who will tell us what our options are. The chiropractor said that surgery is a very big possibility. Another friend of ours, who is a family medicine doctor, recommended one of the spinal specialist doctors and a pain management doctor who might also have insight to less invasive procedures. So, we don't know what to expect. There is a lot of relief knowing what is wrong now. But, we do not know much about what the future holds or how fast things need to happen. The chiropractor said this is something that could have been happening for years since Vic has always had some random pains in this area that last a couple of days and then go away. They have just never been this excruciating until now. The other part of this entire thing is that Vic is supposed to be running a big team relay race at the end of March. Of course, his health is most important so at first, we just assumed he would have to withdraw from the race. This would be NO good because he doesn't want to let his team down and it was his idea in the beginning to get a team together! But, we will do what we have to do. But, it's also interesting that the pain does not hurt when he runs, as he has been running anywhere from 4-8 miles every couple of days to train for the race. And after he has talked to our doctor friend, he thinks there may be a few options. So, he is not backing down yet! And hopefully won't have to. But, we will see.

5. Winter. I love winter. I love having cold weather because it means staying cozy in the house. I don't want it to last too long, but I do love it for a few months. The bad part of winter? Well, we do not go outside every day and we end up being extra lazy around the house. We watch too many movies and we play, but we don't accomplish much. I have decided I don't mind. Grace has become slightly addicted to the TV being on, but I've also noticed that when it's not something she cares about watching (like HGTV), she just plays like normal. I just tell myself we will make up for it when it's hot outside again and we are doing park playdates and pool playdates and taking daily walks again. And, then we won't have time for any movies or cartoons! Until then....we are enjoying being lazy.

6. Grace has decided in the last couple of weeks that she wants to be rocked to sleep again. I did this for a few days when she was in the middle of a cold, but after a couple, she wouldn't fall asleep. She liked being rocked but took so long to sleep that I would just lay her down anyways. And the she would scream and cry. So, now she does not put herself to sleep at night without crying. And the worst part? I decided the last two nights to lay her down without rocking at all. And she just stands up and cries out "Mama! Mama!" over and over while pointing at the rocking chair. As I shut the door to her room amidst that tearful scene, my heart just breaks. I know she only expects it because I gave in a few times, but poor baby! She just needs her mama! And I love to rock her so much...just not for an hour to just get her to sleep every night! So, in a few days I think we will go back to normal. But, it just shows that changing a little one's routine can really throw them!

7. Naps are my favorite time of day for my kids. It means I get 2 hours, on average, to do whatever I want whether it is catch up on church stuff and emails or blog or shop online or do housework or sit down and watch TV on DVR or even take a nap. It is ME time. But, lately, Atticus is finally getting to the point where he doesn't need an afternoon nap anymore. I told him he had to wait until he was 4 before he could stop taking a nap. But, to be honest, when I do make him nap, it just means he doesn't want to go to bed until 10:00 because he just isn't that tired. So, we spend the evening basically picking fights with him, because although he is behaving, we want him to go to bed and he is just not tired. So, I've been giving in if I think he is really not that tired. Grace, on the other hand, should still be napping, but also doesn't always want one or seem to be that tired. I think, again, once summer hits and we are physically getting more tired because we will be playing outside more, Grace for sure and maybe Atticus occasionally, will nap again. But, for now, I'm letting Atticus be done with naps and I'm taking Grace's day by day. The best part of this for Vic and me is that we set bedtime at 7:45 and we have not really had any problems with them going to sleep then. So, that means we get a solid 2 hours to be together each evening. So, we will see how this nap thing progresses...

I think that's about it for my need to dump my mental thoughts onto the blog. See ya next time!