Week 23 Around Here {2019}

Watching... Chernobyl (a miniseries on HBO) at the suggestion of Josh's brother Samuel, and becoming quite obsessed honestly.  I also got to watch the first three episodes of Season Three of the Handmaid's Tale. So good!

Taking... our first family kayak trip.  It was so much fun to all be out on the water together!  I brought some toys that float for Carly, and she was such a good girl!  We all love it, and I see a summer FULL of kayaking adventures in our future.

Reading... I'd Rather be Reading and freaking out (!!!) when Anne Bogel shared my Instagram post on ways that I make more time for reading in her stories.  I listened to Golden Child and The Sea Glass Sisters on audio. (Have you heard of Hoopla? You can rent 7 books a month on there, with NO WAIT TIME! My friend Becky told me about it, and I'm all "Where has this been all my life?!?" It feels like I am always waiting for a book to come off hold, but now with Hoopla, I can have at least a handful of books I want right away!!)
 Golden Child was heartbreaking and disturbing, I think especially so because I have twins.  The Sea Glass Sisters made me very excited to read The Prayer Box, which is my neighborhood book club book for July.  I started The Favorite Daughter, which I am flying through (it's about a set of siblings whose dad is diagnosed with alzheimer's) and I started The Road Back To You, which is about the enneagram, and I finally got off my holds list from the library.  I am now officially obsessed with the enneagram, and wish I knew what everyone was. Ha!

Sharing... a backyard picnic with Carly in the sunshine, which was so lovely.  She asks for a picnic every other day, so it felt good to finally say YES!

Visiting... my counselor and sharing with him how nervous I am for school to let out.  My kids are, well, high maintenance, it seems.  The twins have such high energy, as does Carly, and I do not want to spend my summer playing "Entertainment Director", so we brainstormed some ideas to help keep them (and me) happy while making it a good, memorable summer for all. (And while preserving what is left of my sanity.)
He suggested keeping a routine, which will help all of us get through the day with more clear expectations, and he (surprisingly) suggested I actually give them a little more screen time, but broken up into smaller chunks throughout the day so as to save me from the post-screen monsters they can become if it goes on too long. 
I am also going to have the boys create a list of "at home" activities they can do instead of saying "I'm bored" to me (because if they say that to me, they are gonna get a list of chores to accomplish!) and we are going to (together) write a bucket list of fun things we want to do this summer. 
I left feeling at least a little bit better about the summer with all four kids home 24/7.
{big, deep breath}

Loving... our first official neighborhood book club meeting.  Those ladies are so smart, I'm telling you, after a few more months with them, I am going to be brilliant. Hah! Seriously, though, the thoughts they had about the book, and the way they applied it to society and marriage and... life... it was just mind blowing. I am SUCH a giant nerd, that nothing makes me happier than talking books, so sitting around for two hours discussing books with a bunch of other ladies made me one VERY happy girl.

Dosing... ibuprofen out to Logan & Jack whose teeth hurt like they are going to FALL OUT after having top wires put on their braces finally.  Now that the spacers have done their work to widen their top jaws, their top wires went in, and boy-oh-boy! are they in pain!!!
One night Jack was in tears, convinced he was going to wake up with teeth on his pillow. 
I remember feeling the same way.
Thankfully it has improved, but it was pretty rough for a while there.

Praising... my amazing husband who took one for the team and went to Wyatt's game with Uncle Samuel in the spitting rain so that I didn't have to go and drag Carly & the twins with me.  He gave me a big, fat pass and said, "Just stay home. I'll go." I was sooo grateful!! The twins and I worked really hard to tidy the house and get it clean for the weekend, and I was so happy to have an extra evening at home to get stuff done.

Celebrating... the anniversary of my motherhood. (Also known as Jack & Logan's birthday!) The twins turned 11 on Thursday, and we celebrated with candy in their lunchboxes, treats for their classrooms, and cake after dinner.  We put 22 candles on the cake and let them blow them out after we sang Happy Birthday. 

Laughing... as Carly tells any adult who will listen that her teeth are going to fall out soon.  She carries around the little tooth fairy container and keeps hoping she will wake up and find money in it.  #littlesister

Learning... from Wyatt's Sleep Study Follow Up that he is sleeping loads better than he was before his tonsillectomy.  He has less limb movement, more REM sleep and his oxygen baselines were better than before.  He went from having Moderate Sleep Apnea, to having Mild Sleep Apnea following the removal of his adenoids & tonsils.  The plan from here is to retest after he is done with his mouth expander from the orthodontist (in 3-6 months) and see what good that has done (it's supposed to make his mouth bigger to accommodate for his tongue and also help with his deviated septum/nose breathing). If he's better, great; and if not, then we will go on to see a specialist in Seattle.  Overall, I feel fantastic about this good news.
The only bummer is they didn't have stats on his Central Sleep Apnea (where his brain forgets to breathe) so I will be calling to follow up on that next week.

Receiving... flowers from the neighbor that were so beautiful. I seriously got compliments all weekend as family was in and out, the roses were so gorgeous.  (Thanks, Barb & Doug!)  I am so lucky!

Meeting... with a case worker from Wyatt's health insurance who will be an ally as we continue working on all his health issues (setting goals, making appointments & fighting for what he needs).  She can be a go between for me with the insurance company, letting them know why he needs a certain thing, calling and emailing them for me, and helping me keep track of all the things we have going on for Wyatt.  I am pretty organized, so I don't anticipate needing a lot of help for that, but having an extra person in my corner when it comes to fighting for what Wyatt needs/deserves, I couldn't say no to that.

Attending... Wyatt's last game of the season on Friday afternoon.  It was so dang windy & cold, but at least it wasn't raining!!  His aunt Julie and Josh's cousin Januari came to cheer him on, as did his cousins Ethan, Alvin & Isaac and Uncle Samuel.  We had fun there together, laughing and watching Wyatt and his team try their best.  I can hardly believe the season is already over!

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