So far in March 2010...

Since August, I think we have had the stomach bug four times. It has been a battle with illness for us this winter.

Joel is still not sleeping through the night. The other two slept through the night by six weeks. I don't get this! Jamie and I have decided it is time to tough love Joel. We have done it a couple of times and then Joel sleeps through the night as a result. What happens is then he might get a cold, wake up, and then I feel sorry for him.:) Then, the nasty cycle begins again!

Joel is pulling up on everything and everyone. At this point, Jackson was walking and we thought Joel might be. While he is quite the monkey, he does not seem interested in walking. We shall see!

Jonathan, it seems, does well when he is healthy. No shocker there. He has difficulty remaining well because he mouths everything in sight. We started him, about a month ago, on using chewy toys. He will chomp all day long on these things suspended around his neck and it has greatly reduced him mouthing other inappropriate things (toys, furniture, etc.:)). I would say he is even healthier, too. Right now he has a weird cough he can't shake. He is so patient with it - I would be going mad. He just coughs up a lung and keeps going.:) I feel like I have a good handle on him right now and am really enjoying him. For a while, he was so destructive, I felt like pulling my hair out constantly and felt wildly out of control. He has calmed considerably. I began praying over him about a month or two ago and that is when I saw the difference. It may seem nutty, but I realized we were going to all these experts, consulting with them, and I wasn't asking "The Expert" for help. I think the Lord is using these other doctors to help us and He is also working to calm me down as well.

Jackson really enjoys school. It is so neat to see how well he is reading. He can read fluidly now and it is fun to watch and hear. He is trying a sport out this season - baseball - for the first time since soccer when he was four. After watching him tonight, I am so glad. It will be good for him to learn how to be patient, supportive, and learn the game.

Jack is quite foul upon his return from school in the afternoons. I am still trying to figure out how to help him release tension from trying to behave all day. If I were gung-ho on homeschooling, I bet he would enjoy it.

Next week is spring break. We don't have plans and I am trying to come up with fun things to do during the day so it is memorable despite the fact that we are staying home. Luckily, we had stories on CD Grandpa gave us, one of which talks about a family that stayed home for vacation and had a great time. Jackson actually referenced this and is looking forward to our time home even though some of his friends are going out of town.

Everyone is asleep right now so I am going to wrap this up, do another load of laundry, and go to bed.

Good night!