School Lately

We are all still really enjoying having school at home and going to our Classical Conversations Community every Tuesday. The kids are really making progress and I love seeing them learn new things. Here's what we've been up to:


Math:
Leah is about a week away from finishing her Level 1 Math book. She's only in Level 1 because we did some switching of curriculums about halfway through the year and tried a few different things before we finally found one we like. I'm not sure how the Level 1 compares with what other 2nd graders are learning but I feel like it's pretty advanced, or at least on target. Leah struggles a little with math and it takes her awhile to get through a lesson, but she's starting to grasp some of the harder concepts and we do a lot of games to learn addition & subtraction facts. Andrew also finished his Kindergarten level Math book. It's a subject he seems to really enjoy and grasp easily-- so far.

Language:
Leah also finished up her Level 2 Spelling & Grammar books. Spelling is one area in which I've definitely seen improvement. She has a knack for remembering spelling rules. She may not be as good at memorizing definitions of parts of speech for grammar, but she still gets most of the concepts. She is starting to enjoy writing more, although her handwriting is still not great! She is also learning cursive and loves that! She loves to do word puzzles like codes or crosswords so I try to incorporate those into her spelling lessons.

Andrew is progressing in his reading, as well. He is not a natural-born reader like Leah but he does know how to blend the letters together to make words and can read most short-vowel words and those with blends. He is pretty good at handwriting and careful to form his letters correctly. He loves things like color-by-numbers and dot-to-dots and is very meticulous when coloring.

Science:
In science we have been doing earth science both at CC and at home. Andrew, especially, loves doing science projects, or anything hands-on. I try to keep science simple at this point. We tested rocks and minerals using various tests that geologists use to determine what type they are.

We did everyone's science favorite: an erupting volcano.

Now that earth science is finished, we're going to do some astronomy. We made a model of how the earth rotates around the sun and the moon rotates around the earth.

History:

This year we started a four-year chronological study of world history, beginning at the creation of the world. We use an amazing set of books called The Story of the World. I wish I had learned history the way these books teach it. They are written like stories, but are actual facts and events. Putting them in chronological order and including art, music, and literature from that time period helps put everything in perspective. So this year is Ancient History. We have made laurel wreaths when we studied the first Olympics. We made King Tut's headdress. We made African masks & shaker instruments. Leah says history is her favorite subject and I give the credit to both CC and The Story of the World.

We have only 3 more weeks left in Classical Conversations this year. The kids have memorized a ton of stuff, learned a lot, and have built some really great friendships. I have seen them both mature in their interactions with others and in how they focus and learn.

Both Leah and Andrew are also taking piano lessons from Daddy this year. They don't exactly love it now, but they do want to learn and like playing around on the piano. I know it will help them in a lot of ways so I'm hoping they will stick with it.

Abigail's "Adventure"

Abigail's most recent adventure began at her 3-year-old check-up back in November. She didn't pass her hearing test. The doctor wasn't too concerned-- she had fluid in her ears but it could just be from being sick. So we waited, and tested her again in a few months. She failed again. Still fluid there. So she was referred to an ear, nose & throat specialist.

For as long as I can remember, Abi has had allergy issues, stuffy nose, etc. and snores like a grown man! She hasn't really had ear infections, but I have always noticed her having trouble hearing and asking me to repeat myself more than once. I have also always noticed she doesn't speak as clearly as Leah or Andrew did at her age. And once we saw that specialist, I started to see the connection between all these things. The specialist said he'd like to put tubes in her ears and also get her adenoids removed. The adenoids, which apparently serve the same type purpose as your tonsils and are also not completely necessary, can block the nasal passage, and when the fluids in your nose have nowhere to go, they go up into the ears. So that is what caused the fluid in her ears.

So this past Friday we experienced our first surgery. I told myself I wasn't too worried. This doctor has done this surgery hundreds of times. It's relatively safe. Still, on the morning of, I was a little scared for her. She is so small and seemed even smaller once she got that hospital gown on. She had to fast that morning so none of us ate breakfast (we had to be there at 7:15 anyway so we didn't really have time!). I went to the pre-op with her by myself while Brett stayed in the lobby with the other kids.

It didn't take long to get her ready, and thankfully it was pretty busy the whole time so we didn't have much down time to worry. I don't think she really knew much of what was going on. We really just told her the doctor was going to give her a special medicine that made her go to sleep and when she woke up she would be able to hear better and breathe better. She was completely silent the whole time the dr.'s and nurses were asking questions. She didn't open her mouth even for the anesthesiologist to check her throat. She barely even spoke to me when they were not in the room. She just wanted me to be there with her. And I tried to make her laugh with my silly hat and booties.

I walked her to the operating room and held her while they put the mask on her to put her to sleep. This was the scariest part for me and I tried to be tough for her, but the big white room with all the huge equipment and 7 or 8 nurses and doctors hustling around was really intimidating. I had never experienced that before and to see the tiny little bed right in the middle of it all made me want to turn around with her and run out. But she did just fine, although it seemed to take forever for her to fall asleep. And then I went out to the waiting room. It took them maybe 30-40 minutes for the procedure. The dr. came out and told us all went well. Her adenoids were indeed huge and she should be done with all of this mess now. 

All of us were able to go back with her into recovery. She was pretty upset and crying uncontrollably as she woke up, but she was attached to an i.v. and in a strange place, so it was understandable. I was able to sit with her but not hold her and she wasn't too happy about that. They wanted to keep her about an hour or so, because apparently they had to give her a larger than normal dose of the anesthesia (stubborn, maybe?), but she was coming out just fine. Leah was almost more upset than I was to see her sister so sad and in pain. She was crying for her. Still, the other kids were so patient as they waited (and I had forgotten to bring them anything to do!) and even Jacob didn't fuss much. We were able to go home around 10:30, after making a stop for ice cream, popsicles, and Jell-o, which everyone enjoyed once Abi woke up from her nap back at home!

After sleeping a few hours, she seemed to be back to her normal self. Even today, two days later, she still says she has a sore throat (they had to give her a breathing tube during the surgery which can irritate the throat) and complains her ears are hurting. Several times she has complained that things are loud, when really they're normal volume. She doesn't want to eat much (which really isn't unusual for her, anyway) and she has slept a little more than usual, but she is still playful and acting normally. We haven't noticed huge changes yet, but I think soon we will notice her breathing through her nose instead of her mouth, and notice better hearing. I am glad it is all done with!

Jacob's First Food

On March 3rd, we started Jacob on solid foods. He is 5 1/2 months. This may be the first baby with which I've approached solid foods NOT for the purpose of him sleeping through the night. I actually had no expectations for him and was not in a hurry for him to get started at all. (After all, he does NOT have problems gaining weight!) And the funny thing is, since he started, he HAS slept through the night. 12 hours in a row for the past 4 nights. (I don't know that it is directly correlated to the food, though, because he has also discovered that he likes sleeping on his tummy and that could be making him sleep longer, too.)

He first tried sweet potatoes. With all the others, we started with rice cereal. But that is so boring and bland I wanted him to try something more interesting. And he liked it. He actually opened his mouth for the spoon. He had been watching us eat intently for the past few weeks and he knew exactly what to do. He didn't even spit it out.

Since then he has tried several other foods. He wasn't fond of peas, but got used to them and I think he'll eat them mixed with other things. He also wasn't too happy with the applesauce the first-go-round but liked it mixed with oatmeal. He really liked carrots and squash the best. Knowing this boy, our grocery budget just went out the door! 

All this came after our trip to the University of Vermont Medical Center the previous Friday for a bronchoscopy to check that his breathing problem really is only tracheomalecia. We got up at 5 am, left the 3 older kids with a babysitter and drove the hour drive. We went through all the paperwork, got an i.v. in him and everything, and then the anesthesiologist told us she didn't feel comfortable doing the procedure since he had been sick with a fever and cold the week before. Because they would have to go down his throat for the procedure, there was too much of a risk. 

So we still have no more definitive answers, and will have to go back in another month or so to get the procedure done. His breathing and reflux haven't gotten any worse but they also haven't gotten better. We really want to find out now if there's more to it, so we can make any necessary "repairs" before he gets too old. This happy guy didn't even cry the entire time the nurses were poking him until right as we were leaving when he finally realized just how hungry he was. He is so easygoing and such a fun-loving little boy! 

Jacob @ 5 months

At five months, Jacob is growing so fast! His new favorite thing is rolling over. He figured it out February 10th and hasn't stopped since. Except that he can only roll from his back to his tummy, not the other way around (the way that most normal, not-so-squishy babies do). So 800 times a day, I have to flip him over so he doesn't get so frustrated (because he hates to be on his tummy). Or I'll find him in his crib in the complete opposite direction of how I put him there.

He is still generally a happy baby-- always a smile on his face. (Which is why, this past weekend when he fussed all day long, wouldn't let me put him down without crying and barely cracked a smile, I knew he was sick and took him to urgent care. He tested negative for flu and they said it was just a virus. Still, I knew something was wrong when this boy didn't want to play and giggle.)

He loves bath time so much! He really wants to be able to sit up straight and is really working on his tummy muscles.

Abigail loves her little "Jakey." Though at times she's a little rough and can often be found laying directly on top of him or swinging him really high in his swing, he doesn't seem to mind and always has a smile for her. She is always asking about Jakey and concerned when he's sick or spitting up.

He hasn't gained a whole lot more weight since his last visit, but I'm guessing he's around 19 lbs. now. He is still nursing every 3-4 hours. His is generally on 3 naps a day now (2 short and 1 long one in the afternoon) and waking up only once a night, but that night time feeding is sporadic and I never know what time he's going to be up. His hands are constantly in his mouth-- definitely working on some teeth somewhere in that mouth. I have even caught him sucking his middle two fingers like his big sister, but we're really trying to curb that with a pacifier!

We still can't figure out what color his eyes are. Right now they're a dark gray, really close to brown, but still not quite brown. He also has a significant more amount of hair than Andrew did at his age, but it is still undetermined whether it will be curly or not.

Our sweet little guy will have a bronchoscopy in just a short week, to make sure he has nothing worse than the tracheomalecia they have previously diagnosed him with. He is not worse, just not better either, and we want to be cautious. Still, the procedure requires him to be put to sleep and it's a little scary, so all prayers will be appreciated!

Weekend in Montreal

Where we live now, we are a mere 2-3 hours away from Canada (a whole other country!). Our church has established relationships with a church plant in Montreal, so Brett has been up there several times. However, we hadn't yet been as a family. I just recently got my enhanced driver's license, which allows me to get into the country by car without a passport. The kids only have to have their birth certificates. So it was surprisingly easy to get across the border.

We left early Friday morning. Our first stop was Duc de Lorraine for French pastries. They have an amazing selection. It was a little late for breakfast, but we tried a couple things anyway.

Then we went next door to St. Joseph's Oratory, a beautiful, church (the largest in Canada, and the dome is the 3rd largest of its kind in the world) dedicated soley to St. Joseph, whom the designer, Brother Andre, credited all his miracles. They do hold Catholic mass there regularly, but there is also a museum inside and most of it is designed just for tourism. There is even a place where you can see St. Joseph's actual heart. Tourists come to light candles and say prayers to their patron saint of choice for healing or whatever it is they need. It was a little sad that such a beautiful place is so dead to true spiritual life.

The main basilica was absolutely gorgeous and even the kids recognized the awesomeness of the place. You go in and look up and there are just no words. (Also, if you are in Canada where most people speak French, the best people to get to take your family's picture are Asian people-- twice we found they took the best pictures. And they speak English.)

The view from outside was also very beautiful.

We met some of Brett's friends for lunch, then went to check into our hotel, the YWCA downtown. Then we wanted to give the kids the experience of riding the Metro. We had no particular place to go, so we got on and off at a couple stops to see the sights and ended up seeing Notre Dame Basilica at night. It was so pretty. And freezing cold! But the kids loved riding the fast Metro and just being in a new place. (Jacob, not so much. I had to carry him in my wrap so we didn't have to deal with the stroller on the Metro, and he is one heavy kid. And he hates cold wind in his face, so he was a little grouchy.)

I was grateful Brett has been several times and understood how to navigate the Metro system. It was a little confusing to me, but we didn't get lost and managed to not lose any kids on the way. (I held Abi's hand pretty tight the whole time!)

 After it got dark we got crazy and decided to save money we would just go to a grocery store to get some food for dinner and cook it at our hotel's kitchen. Except the nearest grocery store was a good 20 minute walk from where we were and then another 20 minutes to the hotel. In the freezing cold. With a little 3 year old and a baby in the carrier. It was treacherous and everyone was crying but that was a good dinner by the time we sat down!

The next day we got up and met another of Brett's friends at a nearby mall. David & his wife are from Egypt but have lived in Canada awhile now. They graciously spent the day with us, entertained & loved our kids, cooked us an amazing lunch, and were great company!

We went to a little arcade at a movie theater, which of course the kids loved.

After the arcade and watching some people at an indoor parachuting place (just for fun), we went to their apartment and played XBox. The kids are now begging to have one! They happily played for several hours after lunch. So we didn't see much of Canada the 2nd day, but it was snowing outside and we were tired from the previous day so we were perfectly happy to relax and just spend a day inside. We called it an explorational trip, to see what we'll do differently the next time we go-- because we will go back!