I never intend to go this long between blog posts, but the last couple of weeks have been those kind of weeks: long, emotional, stressful, sleepless, and every once in awhile sweet and wonderful. Here are a few of the highlights:
- Katriel had her 18 month well baby visit. We knew she had grown, but holy smokes, she is one big baby. She is the 99 percentile for both height and weight. That means that out of a 1000 babies her age all but two of them would be smaller. She is healthy, and smart, and happy, and oh so beautiful.
- Grace also had her 6 year well kiddo visit. We had a bit of a scare with Grace. The doctor heard a heart murmur. She said it wasn't anything to panic about, but it didn't sound like any heart murmur she had heard before (yeah, that won't make you worry) and she wanted Grace to have a follow up echo-cardiogram. Well, the follow up showed there really was nothing to worry about. She needs to do follow ups every six months or so for awhile, but she is also healthy, smart, happy, and beautiful. Oh, and the doctor predicts that she will probably be no more than about 5'2". Go figure, we got a tiny Chinese girl.
- For the past week I've been suffering with a case of food poisoning or stomach virus, or who knows what. But it knocked me on my butt! I really felt like I had been poisoned. It was scary, and of course, highly inconvenient for my poor husband. It it never good to have a sick parent in the house when you already have 6 little people to take care of.
- In the midst of my food poisoning apparently Brian was starved for attention so he tried to cut off the tip of his ring finger one night while preparing dinner. I gave it my greatest effort not to throw up while he rushed to urgent care and get it stitched back on.
- We got our taxes back and we were able to pay off the last of our adoption expenses and JoJo's tonsillectomy. With the exception of our house we are now debt free!!! At least for this week. Next week I have to go in for a possible root canal. There is always something.
- On the tax issue, we did not get any adoption tax credit back. We actually make so little money that we did not have enough tax burden to earn the credit. Now that it is a non-refundable tax credit the adoption credit does us no good. It was zero help on our last adoption. So keep urging your legislators to switch it back to a refund and not a credit.
- Louise has had a severe case of insomnia for the last 2 weeks. I'm going to do a whole post about that (if I ever get any sleep).
- Grace's heart murmur really threw me for a loop and I have been in a bit of a "live for the moment" frame of mind ever since that doctor visit. So with a little bit of our tax return we got new bikes for Grace, Manny, and Haven. JoJo inherited Haven's bike. After a few days of sticking to the driveway and sidewalk we took the whole crew to the park on their bicycles. I can't explain why, but it was an absolutely magical moment for me, watching all of them ride along the trail to our park, bicycle helmets in place, training wheels squeaking. I took up the rear with Kat and Louise in the stroller. The moment felt like a perfect picture of our family.
