I've been thinking for a while about starting a blog, mostly to chronicle what goes on in our lives, but also because I just think it would be a good way to decompress. Honestly, it is tough being a working parent to four kids "under the age of nothing."
As I type, Levi is crying in his room, trying to fight sleep off. Although I can't remember well, I don't think my other children fought naps nearly as much. When it was time to sleep, they did! But Mr. Levi, well, he's another story. He does have a bit of a cold, but he's never liked naps, so I don't think that is the answer to his crankiness today. I stopped consuming dairy last week in hopes that it would help him be more comfortable, as he is a very gassy baby. It did do some good, but not enough. I wonder now if he is teething. 3 1/2 months is a bit young for teething, but Joey got teeth early, so it is not unheard of.
Chloe is finally learning how to talk, with the aid of a speech teacher. She now has words for almost everything, but she is still quite difficult to understand. As Elizabeth said, "We all speak English in our family except Chloe. She speaks words we can't understand." I wonder if it has helped that she switched daycares this year - last year she was at day care in a home where the native language was Russian. Although I was pretty happy with the fact that I could say simple things to her in Russian ("other hand, please") and she would understand, I think that hearing English with a heavy accent may have contributed to her reticence to talk.
Elizabeth is enjoying 4K. She is pretty bright. The other day, she was outside with Todd and she found a large toad in the yard. She examined it for quite a while and even taught Todd something. "Daddy, toads have four fingers in the front and five in the back. See?" Or was it five in front and four in the back? I am amazed every day at the things she comes up with. A few weeks ago, I was using Brain Quest cards with her before bed. On one of the cards was a drawing of Molly Mouse with three cookies in front of her. The question was "How many cookies does Molly have?" Elizabeth's answer: "Four, but she already ate one."
Joey is quite excited to be in the advanced groups in school. Though he is in first grade, he is in second grade math and we are working on basic multiplication here at home - math is just "his thing". Though his 2nd grade reading level is nothing to sneeze at, either. I love it when he has the option of, say, a nap or quiet reading time. He'll choose the quiet reading time every time. And sometimes he'll invite Elizabeth into his room and read to her. She is so impressed by him!
Our house feels pretty small. When we first started the building process seven years ago, we were newlyweds with no kids and not yet expecting Joey. Now, seven years later, we have four kids in our 1700 square foot house with three bedrooms. It feels as though we are tripping over one another on some days, and our kids are still small.
Because of this, Todd has really been working toward getting the basement finished, which will give us a third bathroom, another living area, and a fourth and fifth bedroom. I look forward to that! Last winter, he was able to get the whole basement organized, which was no small task. This winter, he plans to start work on the construction of it! I can't wait to be able to use that space.
A daily challenge we face is dealing with Elizabeth's celiac disease. She was diagnosed at age two, and she will require a gluten-free diet for the rest of her life. I'm glad we know, but it is not always easy to either cook gluten-free or to make two meals. I fear that soetimes she gets shortchanged. I do have to say, though, that more and more places are adding gluten-free foods to their product line or menu. This is a blessing for us. As a matter of fact, I recently found out that Marty's Pizza is now offering GF pizza. I think we'll have to stop there sometime on our weekly lunch out after church. More on celiac some other time.
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