Sam Update

We are going through an unusual (to me) trial with Sam right now. He just cries for no apparent reason. I really believe it's teething, but Anbesol nor pain relief (Tylenol/Motrin) helps at all. He will walk across the floor, start crying and reach his arms out to you. If you reach toward him, he will lie down in the floor and scream. If you don't do anything, he will lie down in the floor and scream. If you pick him up, he arches his back and screams. It's not pretty. You can tell him he will go to bed if he doesn't stop crying, and he'll shake his head no that he doesn't want to go, but he won't stop crying but for about 15 seconds. If you go ahead and put him in the bed, he will scream (not cry) until you get him out. Twenty minutes is my record so far. (If it were a going-to-sleep issue, I know to let him cry it out, but that's not what this is, and we usually don't have any trouble getting him to go to bed either at nap-time or bed-time.) So, I'm praying a lot and just trying to muddle through. We did have a couple of days respite from this, but it started again today. The first round lasted about ten days, at the end of which he had two new molars, so it must be teething (three two-year molars down, one to go), but his not responding to pain medication or numbing medication puzzles me.

I cut off all of Sam's curls a couple of weeks ago. It was a tough decision because I loved them, but his dad was ready for a little boy haircut instead of a baby one. It looks like the curls are going to come back though, and I'm glad. I'll just keep it shorter than I had let it get before.

Sam wants to mimic anything and everything that David does. He wants to sit in David's chair at the dining table--which is part of the reason he mashed his finger so badly in May. He loves to play with David, and he's getting big enough that they roll around on the floor some. They have a great time playing with their Dad, and I love to listen too all the craziness when they get going.

I am so blessed with my five guys--husband, two sons, two cats! :)

David Update

David's speech is just amazing. To think that less than a year ago, he had only a handful of words in his vocabulary.... God told me in August of 2007 that David would talk when he had something to say. Well let me tell you that he has plenty to say these days. It's so interesting too, to listen to him try out new phrases that you know he must have heard somewhere. On the way to school yesterday, he just started saying, "Of course I am," with different inflections and volume. He had heard it somewhere and was trying it out.

I'm having a hard time with his hair. It has thickened up, but it is somewhat unruly. We went ahead and buzzed it for the summer, but that's not the most attractive look for him, so we'll have to figure out what to do next when it grows back out.

Last summer, we had no luck with him and swimming in that we couldn't get him to close his mouth when he was playing in the pool. He swallowed what seemed like gallons of water. He started out that way the first time we went swimming this year (in May). We had a friend give him a "swimming lesson" which amounted really to working with him on closing his mouth. It didn't feel like we made much progress, but several days later while at Mom's he got brave about stepping off into water over his head and going under. He would flounder around back to the pool steps and come out with no choking and sputtering. I'm so glad we've reached that milestone! We haven't been able to do our weekly outing at Janice's this year because she has had some pool problems, but we should be able to start those after the Fourth. We did go to Blue Springs last Friday, and after a pretty tentative start, the boys had a good time.

We went to Orange Beach while we were at Mom's last week and had a great visit with Cherry. She is so precious and loves my boys so much. God has blessed me in the sister department! While we were in Orange Beach we rode the "Perris Wheel" at the Wharf, and the boys loved it.

David is enjoying "school" very much, and we're trying to figure out how to let him go two days a week beginning in August. I need to pick up another cleaning day in order to do that; we'll see what God does there.

I guess that about catches us up on my eldest. He is a rascal, but I love him dearly.

Facebook....

I am amazed at how using Facebook keeps me from "needing" to blog. That's not a good thing. I do this blog for me, and I like knowing I have a chronicle of our life. The things I put on FB disappear, so there's no record of life there.... I'm going to have to do better about blogging.

Hmmmm, almost four months since I blogged.

We got a new kitten. After many tries, the name Mokey finally stuck. It's how David used to say monkey (and sometimes still does), and this kitty definitely reminds us of a monkey with his antics. He has been a perfect addtion to the household. He and Pinx play together like two kittens in spite of the size difference, and Pinx has really gotten more affectionate with us human family members too. They both let the boys lie on them and squeeze them and pick them up. It's been great!

Benjamin made all A's again spring semester. He loves going to school! He's changed his major to English Education. I see him teaching college one day. In the meantime, we're not sure yet where he'll finish school He'll complete he AA next spring, but right now CC is not offering the English degree. They are thinking about it, so we are praying that that will come to pass in the next year.

We are so blessed that Garry and Joey work with Benjamin on his work schedule so he is able to work around his classes and therefore go to school full-time.

I'm in a learning phase of a different kind right now while God teaches me my place in this world. It's an odd one sometimes since most of my "peers" have older children, and some of them even have grandchildren. God is helping me to figure it all out though. Another blog for another time I guess.