It's February already. So much for keeping things current in my blog. I swear the months seem to fly by. Let's see...
Christmas was absolutely wonderful! Every year seems to be better than the one before. This was the first year that both Colton and Natalie understood Santa. They each had a countdown calendar they they kept track of, and I know the time seemed to go slower than ever. Colton went to see Santa at the mall and told him exactly what he wanted. Thank goodness Santa was smart enough to go to Target early and get it, because the Lego set he asked for sold out very early this year! Natalie was a little more difficult. She refused to see Santa (
her mood swings are very similar to those of her Mommy and Nanny). The only thing she asked for was "The Baby That Poops". Grandma got that for her, hooray! Oh, and thank you Nanny for the Moon Sand. ***Memo to parents: Moon Sand sucks to clean up (think bringing the beach indoors)*** Colton found the Santa map online and had me check it every 10 minutes to see where Santa had been and where he was heading. I finally got him to go to sleep. That was a task in itself.New Years was pretty exciting. We went to BJ and Renee's house to eat and do fireworks. Of course, Mike had worked the night before, so he was too tired to stay up until the New Year. He and Natalie fell asleep and Colton and I quietly rang in the new year watching cartoons in bed.
We did have the tiniest bit of snow in January. Colton attributes the snow to the "snow stick" he made at school and the snow dance he did! We got about half an inch, enough to cancel school. The kids played outside for a bit and then decided it was too cold. Poor Colton, he has wished for snow every time he throws a penny in a fountain, sees a shooting star, or has a birthday. He seemed pretty satisfied though. I, on the other hand, am not pleased. This just means that we now have a snow day to make up at school.
Last we
ekend we took a trip to the mountains of North Carolina. It was a spur of the moment trip. I decided on Thursday morning that we should take a weekend trip so the kids could play in the snow. So Friday afternoon, we loaded up and went to Maggie Valley. There was just enough snow that the kids have a fabulous time. It was the first time they had ever stayed in a hotel, and the had a blast! We had a mini-fridge and microwave, so we had to hit a walmart super-center to stock it up. They played and ate snacks, ran around the creek, and had a ton of fun. Every day since we got back, Natalie asks when we can go back to the hotel. We are planning to go back this June.I think we finally have a handle on Natalie's health issues. It may take a while for us to get all of the doctor bills and hospital test fees paid off, but we are so relieved that there isn't anything serious wrong. For those of you who don't know, we have had her in the doctor's office at least 8 times since August with Urinary Tract Infections. Every time she would finish up a round of antibiotics she would get another infection. The doctor didn't seem too concerned with this, probably because he was not the one sitting at home with the screaming three-year-old. So I found a urologist who advised us we needed to have some surgical tests run. This scared me to death. I am one who refused to have a necessary surgery because I am afraid of being put to sleep. So to have my daughter put to sleep was almost too much. She did so well! The hospital staff was amazing. They were so good with her, and I was able to stay with her right up until the put her under. They came and got us just as she was waking up, so she never even knew we were gone. The best news of all was that she does not have anything developmentally wrong with her kidneys.
Then things took a turn for the worse. Natalie stopped eating. She was drinking a ton of fluid, taking a prophylactic dose of antibiotic to prevent UTI, but refusing food. We were then referred to another pediatrician, an outstanding doctor, who ran a bunch of tests. He discovered that she did, in fact, have a UTI (even though there were no symptoms) and she had a raging virus (with no symptoms). The refusal to eat came from her throat being sore and swollen. Unfortunately, she had no way to explain her symptoms to me other than to say "I don't feel good". Once the virus ran it's course, and she gained back the 4 pounds she lost, she did much better. Now she sleeps through the night and seems to be quite a bit happier. We still worry about her aggressiveness and mood swings. I know what we could be in for, genetically, but I hope we can keep it under control for now.
The kids are growing so quickly, and learning so much. They are both involved in gymnastics. Colton also does Karate, while Natalie does dance. She is currently doing tap and ballet. Colton also wants to do soccer, but with Mike working nights, me working days and taking classes at night, and my mom working 2 jobs, we can't seem to find the time to fit anything else in!
Hmmmmm...I guess that brings us pretty much up to date. Things we are looking forward to in the next two months: Playhouse Disney Live this month and The Circus next month. Plus, my very good friend Kristie is coming to visit in March! Tina and Danielle will be here for Spring Break and my birthday (31, ouch), and Mike's parents are coming for 2 weeks in the summer. We are planning another trip to Maggie Valley for hiking, swimming, and relaxation.
