Regroup

Last month, I never got to post what we're reading, our favorite things, or some of the craft and food stuffs that we've been enjoying. (sigh)

It was just one of those months that stays one step ahead of me and I spend days trying to keep up.

Unfortunately, we spent quite a bit of time at the Dr.'s office last month with Tyler. To catch you up quickly, she has been diagnosed with Vesicoureteral (VUR) Reflux. We will meet with her pediatrician tomorrow where we discuss the diagnosis further and will receive our referral to a pediatric urologist. Fortunately, she's been such a trooper through it all and I'm blessed in so many ways to have our little sweetheart.

This is where I give my shout out to the staff at Akron Children's Hospital. They were AMAZING. Everyone was nice, compassionate, and they kept Hubs and I informed at all times. I was really impressed and I felt good having Tyler receive their care. I believe that they truly empathized with her and tried to do everything they could to help her and keep her calm through various procedures. Hubs and I cannot speak well enough of the hospital and the nurses. We are extremely grateful for them.

Turner has graduated two more classes at swim lessons. He's diving off of the diving board now!! It's so reassuring to know that if my son would ever fall into deep water, he is able to swim. That's always been one of my dark fears... drowning. I believe that knowing how to swim is one of the most valuable lessons a person can learn. We will definitely be signing Lauren and Tyler up for them as well. We started Turner in the swim program when he was three years old and it worked well. We will likely send the girls when they hit that age. What a relief it will be when they all complete the program!!

Long overdue renovations of our den has begun. We did a lot of spiffing up of the outside of our home last year and now we need to tie up a few loose ends on the interior. I can't wait to see the finished rooms and I'm not even going to complain about all of the hammering, drilling, etc. that seems like a continuous ripple through the entire house. All of the construction noise means that work is being done and progress is being made. I will be beyond thrilled when we have a large play area for the kids and we will no longer have a living area so littered with toys that there is not any room for anything else. I love my kids, but I miss having pretty rooms untouched by lego's, squinkies, and all of the other microscopic toys of the world.

Tyler has moved from her bassinet to her crib. It was a seamless transition. Mostly, because we have the crib in our room. My choice. It may not agree with some of you, but it suits me. I'm just not ready to let her go yet. I love having her close. As long as I have that feeling, she'll stay. I'm guessing Tyler will spend her first year in our bedroom. Hubs doesn't seem to mind. We'll see how it goes. Turner and Lauren were both moved to the nursery at 4 months of age and did well. I think the key is to have white noise near them from the beginning. Babies tend to lose themselves into the sounds and as long as they have that, they will remain comforted in any room.

I'm back to being nocturnal. You would think that only getting 5 - 6 hours of broken sleep for months would make me exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I have my days when I wish I could stay in bed and sleep the day away, but overall I feel pretty good. I keep telling myself that I need to go to bed shortly after the kids do, but here I am... blogging away after midnight. Hopefully, I'll be able to kick the habit of staying up late soon but I doubt it. I've always been this way. I prefer the late night to an early morning. Unfortunately, that isn't the schedule that the real world operates on so I'll need to make that change. The sooner the better.

And here is the most random add to my post tonight: I'm addicted to Snyder's Pretzel bites, the honey mustard and onion flavor . I've eaten so much chocolate over that past month that I'm actually craving healthy food. Cuties. You know, the little oranges... can't get enough. Bizarre. Anyway, when I want a snack I've been surpassing the bowls of Easter treats and find myself devouring handfuls of dusted pretzel goodness. Not that the pretzel bites are doing my health any favors, but they are more fulfilling and satisfying than the jelly beans and candy bars at this point.

Alright, I seriously need to call it a night. The kids aren't going to show me any mercy in the morning and I need to stay on top of my game with them. The energy spewing off of them in the morning is unbelievable. I wouldn't say it's contagious, but it's definitely motivating.