life as we know it

I realize the blog has become more of a place to post quick updates and pictures then write about life and share stories, feelings, etc. I miss writing, but I can't seem to find the time. Or maybe the problem is making the time, and the blog has become less of a priority lately. I guess you could say I'm busy living right now. When I do have some free time (ha), I want to go for a run, or just sit still and read a book or flip through a magazine. I'm spending less time on the computer and more time on the floor playing with kids, worrying less about how up-to-date the blog is and focusing more on quality time reading stories, building castles, putting together puzzles and playing kitchen.

Not to mention, you might know how hard it is to concentrate (and write something that makes sense) when there is a constant barrage of background noise or when I have kids pulling on me begging for attention? And when they are sleeping, that's when I need to clean house, do laundry, go through the mail and get things accomplished. After all, for my sanity, I have do at least one productive thing each day or I feel like a slug.

People often remind me, as hard as it is at times, this time while the kids are small flies by. I want to take advantage of it. I am grateful that I get to be home with the kids. Though I have to tell you, not everything about this stage of our lives is great. It is frustrating and exhausting at times. I lose my sanity occasionally...or more than occasionally.

Hannah keeps us busy. She is quickly approaching the age of three and I have to tell you, I'm not exactly liking what I'm seeing some days. At 18 months I started seeing the signs of "the twos", so I guess it makes sense that lately we've been seeing the signs of "the threes". She is a strong-willed child, knowing exactly what she wants and how to go about getting it. Obedience has been the biggest issue and she is s-t-u-b-b-o-r-n. Time-outs and sticker charts are two of our current methods. Thankfully, she has a great personality, and fills our days with laughter and happiness. I am glad I keep a journal of the things she says. She makes me laugh as much as she melts my heart with the words that come out of her mouth. She is loving, outgoing, determined, curious, social, rambunctious, and so much fun.

...And she loves her little brother, whom she lovingly calls Josey. They really do well together, though he doesn't understand her a lot of the time, and sometimes she has trouble understanding that he's "just a baby". She is getting better about sharing, but she can be a royal pain. We're working on that... We know, usually, she means well.

 

As for my boy. Crying is something we have dealt with a lot of. I know it's hard to imagine how unhappy Joseph has been when the pictures you see are of him smiling and playing. But trust me, he has had a rough time. For months - eight to be exact - he has struggled with pain involving GI issues. {I posted this back in May and followed it with this update.} We have not had many happy days and that begins to wear on you...

While at the beach we took a couple days break from giving him Miralax (he has been on a fluctuating daily dose since November). He had been having (seemingly) a lot less pain since switching him to soy milk, so we weren't sure how much help the Miralax was anyway. We had come to the conclusion that the change in milk was our answer. But after only two days of not having the medicine the pain was back in full force. We had a miserable child. Within the course of 24 hours we gave him several doses of Miralax and finally that Sunday morning after we got back from the beach, we saw results and had a much happier little boy. Obviously now we are thinking that the right dose of Miralax matters more than the soy milk, but who knows... All we know for sure is that the past two to three weeks have been arguably the best he's had. Joseph has been more playful, more independent, and smiling a lot more. He's eating better and gaining weight. Things are beginning to get easier.

As for husband. Joe is spending a lot of time doing dissertation work. He has completed the additions to his literature review and data collection. He will soon start the results and conclusion chapters. In layman's terms, he is about 2/3 through with this mammoth project. If all goes according to plan, he will send the dissertation off to his mentors to be edited in the next couple of weeks. Once he makes the necessary changes, he will go up to Asbury to defend his dissertation. The kids and I will accompany him on this trip. We cannot wait to get to that point!

And that's all for now. Despite the daily challenges that come with two small children, we are happy and enjoying life. We love each other. We are blessed and we know it.