Sunday, April 6, 2008

Tomorrow, next month, same thing, right?

So tomorrow turned into a full month later. After two weeks of waffling, the elbow was officially deemed "not broken". Of course, that was after ER took xrays, said "no fracture, but call us if it still hurts tomorrow". Which it did. So I called the ER for Radiologists "read" of the Xray from the night before - "no break, but follow up with your GP". More pain, so follow up with GP, then more Xrays, then "diagnosis supracondylar fracture" (totally the kind you don't want in a pediatric patient, OF COURSE!) and a referral to orthopedic doc. At this point she was doing cartwheels on the thing, and not wearing her sling. Ortho visit went well, still no placement of splint or adherance to sling rules - he ordered a CT scan for a detailed look (took almost a full week more to get that appt., then results). And finally, "no fracture". Well, YEAH, now that it's had time to completely heal! Is this normal, or are we dealing with "rural medicine" here?

The business took off with a bang, I have registered my trademark, gotten my business license, moved my work space to the office, started a preliminary business website (ie, blog about my business), bought a domain name, drafted drawings and a NEW price list for the NEW business website, gotten and passed business cards, gotten clothing labels, sewn ALOT (Easter rush) and taken more orders than I expected - it is WONDERFUL. Oh, and I upped the sitter's hours as much as she could spare, and hired a maid. The last two were unexpected necessities of a very-quickly growing business! This thing has really taken off! Oh, and I have my first trunk show next month - YAY!

So much funny stuff has happened lately - mainly the F bomb doing her thing. We've done a lot of travelling over the past week (me and the kids, that is, J.M. is working hard while we "play"), and in 24 hours time, F walked full-force into two different sliding-glass doors - seriously, fully witnessed by rooms-full of people. She is beginning to feel embarrassed when these things happen, and she'll silently tear up, hide her face, then run out of the room. Poor baby, I love her so much - she provides endless entertainment. And to be such a sweety all the time, she cuts that little bro NO SLACK! He's gotta get it from somewhere! SJ and he are growing like weeds right now, and after a full week of them home with me, I have deemed them "the locusts". They are in a room 7 minutes - tops - and everything consumable is gone! How will I keep them fed this summer?! Of course, SJ always does this right before summer, then burns it off in the heat and activities by week two of summer vacation. She is getting so grown-up, and is totally in love with her Daddy, which is so endearing. Everything has to pass through the "Daddy filter" before it is acceptable to her, from how big/strong her muscles look, to what she should wear, to how her artwork looks, to how to handle friend situations. I can't even handle the thought of the next deployment and how her heart will ache. Just with his busy schedule now, she can't get enough of him - he is truly her hero. Cool news - she was selected for Level III competitive team at gymnastics! She has been in a Level II class (non-competing), but was tested to see her level, and not only passed to the next level, but received an invitation to join team! She'll spend 4 hours a week in the gym through the Summer, then we'll see in the Fall if she is willing and able to keep up that pace and more, balancing that and school. I don't know where that leaves her love for drama/theater, but I hope she does not have to give up one for the other.

Speaking of gymnastics - F-bomb also tested and was invited to join a special team in her age category for exceptional strength and agility, to focus more on tougher skills than the regular classes can. She was so pumped about this - they are non-competitive at her age, but will do exhibits and performances at different events throughout the year. Her main focus right now, though, is her best friend from pre-K, and wishing every morning that she had woken up in the Fall of '08 and it was time to go to Kindergarten! She can hardly wait. She's reading and writing up a storm now, and you can always find her with crayons or markers, drawing pictures and writing notes to us all.

And then there's big M. He is so sweet-natured and fun. Such a clown - will do anything for a laugh, and LOVES his sisters. The girls' room is so big, they all want to sleep together in there! You would think the girls would want him out, but they don't seem to mind. He and SJ always snuggle up together, as F doesn't care to share her ACTUAL covers or space. She has even been making noise about how neat it would be to have her own room - maybe we can manage that the next move... He IS sleeping in his own bed tonight, though, with no complaints. All the travel and "sharing" over the last week probably helped with that! Oh, and he is definitely IN LOVE with music, all kinds. He is always doing something musical - singing, playing air guitar, dancing, playing his instruments. I love it. Oh, and he also does this thing now where he gives you a winning smile and a thumbs-up when finishing a conversation, leaving a room, or obeying or disobeying - like Daddy he plays the "cute" card to see if he can get by with stuff. We've been to the lake a couple of times already this Spring (it's full!!!) and he thinks he is supposed to drive the boat. He spends 100% of the ride sitting in Deedo's lap, watching the water for obstacles, hands on the wheel. He takes it pretty seriously, and even on longer rides, doesn't get bored or lose focus. So funny! He is so lovable, and I am taking every bit of that sugar I can until the mournful day he finds it "uncool" to love your mama so much.

I've got great kids - they all make me so proud.