Where we are

A week ago I went to Asher's classroom as a Mystery Reader. All the mystery readers that day are supposed to bring a Dr. Seuss book, and I chose Green Eggs and Ham (same as last year). When I came in to read, Asher couldn't wipe the smile off his face. His cheeks were a little rosy and he held my hand and introduced me to the class. He looked so proud. He stood right next to me as I read the book. When I was done, he hugged me and walked me to the door. He is the sweetest most loving boy and I almost want to freeze time so that he stays this way forever... but he is growing up to be such a fun, imaginative, caring boy- so I suppose he can keep growing. He loves playing with Ezra and knows how to resolve problems with his sister. Also, he has the most adorable freckles.

Dan and I went out to eat at Benihana for the first time last night. It was an amazing experience and the food was delicious. It was nice to have an evening out. We left our kids at Dan's sister's house. (Free babysitting for a year is a GREAT Christmas gift, in case you were wondering.) When we came to pick them up, Asher was in his cousin's clothes and he smelled freshly bathed. Turns out he had fallen into the deep end of their pool with no adults around. He has had swimming lessons before, but he is far from proficient. Luckily, his cousin Ericson was there with another friend and they acted quickly. Asher told me that Ericson dove in and pushed him to the wall while the other boy grabbed him and pulled him up. Then Ericson gave him a bath and gave Asher some clothes to borrow. Not bad for a 10 year old. (Funny enough Amy was on her way out when we showed up to collect our kids and she didn't even mention that Asher almost drowned. It must not have registered as a big deal to her, but I was freaked out for the rest of the night.)  

Gwen is incredibly delightful. She has a hard time being obedient sometimes, but she loves to play and says the sweetest prayers. She enjoys drawing and coloring, and lately she and Asher have been painting with water colors. She is starting to read little words and she can do simple math. She is so smart, and she enjoys books. Today I read Roald Dahl's "The Twits" to her and Asher and they both thought parts of it were very silly. Gwen also loves to sing and dance, and she has an incredible memory. She memorizes Asher's poems for school better and faster than he does. She will sing bits of popular songs that she has only heard a handful of times. She is also getting so big. She is tall and skinny and sometimes I wonder where my little girl has gone. She is such a sweetheart with the baby, and she loves to pretend she is a little mom with her dolls. She is still so girly, but she doesn't mind doing rugged things either. She looked pretty adorable in the fireman gear when we took a preschool trip to the station. I feel kind of bad for missing the trip they took to the dairy farm. It is sure hard to participate 100% of the time with a baby.

Speaking of the baby... oh, Ezra.

He is sleepy and adorable and usually very smiley. He seems happiest when we put him on the floor by himself... he just smiles and wiggles away. He enjoys bath time- I want Dan to record it sometime because he is so cute. He also smiles when he sees me and Dan. He enjoys patty-cake and lip tickling. He doesn't cry before he falls asleep. Until recently he was waking up at least once a night, but we let him cry it out once or twice and now he is sleeping through the night... basically from 11pm or so to at least 7am. I'm sure that will change and fluctuate, but for now we are enjoying the much needed rest. 

 I call him my "Chunky Monkey" because he is such a chubby baby! I love it. His weight is amazing, and his height is normal, but we are still anxious about his head. Although the CT scan showed no fused sutures at the time, it can still happen. His head is small in proportion with his body and it is starting to be a little more misshapen. Our pediatrician has also pointed out that he has wide-set eyes and a wide head, a high palate and a small pointy chin, all of which can indicate a number of different syndromes. I also noticed a difference in his thumbs: one is normal looking while the other one looks smaller and almost like a twisted finger. The doctor said it is another sign of hypoplasia (like his crooked cry) and now he has to see a long list of specialists. An ENT, a geneticist, an orthopedic surgeon, a cardiologist. We are seeing the urologist this week for unrelated problems... his skin attached itself where it shouldn't. This boy is giving my nerves a test and that is no lie. 

I've been pretty pathetic for holidays. I did not decorate for Valentine's Day, but I did make Valentines for Asher pass out to his class. They are way less cool than the lego light saber cards Dan made for him last year. Gwen just used drug store princess cards for her preschool class. We'll see if I can muster up some energy for St. Patrick's Day... or at least Easter!