Updates

I had a couple of posts planned for this last week but life with three kids has meant to go with the flow (or sometimes, roll with the punches). So for now I'll give some quick updates.

• Norah decided to finish out her birthday in true style. Just before bedtime Norah crawled into the bathroom after pulling off her shorts and leaving her diaper behind to attempt to use the toilet. She continues to show some interest in potty training but we aren't pushing it. I was sitting in the family room nursing Mason when I heard her crawling onto her potty chair, followed by a crash. I'm not sure how she fell but as soon as Jason found her sitting next to the toilet and as soon as he picked her up it was apparent we had a problem. When Norah fell, she developed a hernia. She was seen in the ER and next week will see a surgeon to plan surgery (hopefully while I'm still on maternity leave). Until then we are watching it closely to make sure it doesn't cause any problems.
• Mason is 7 weeks, time is flying by. I can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing. This week, he has given me the gift of sleep. He learned that sleeping 6 to 7 hours straight is a good thing. In return of this gift of sleep, Mason has become a bit more demanding during the day. He likes to eat every two hours and if he's awake, his preferred spot is in Mommy's arms. We compromised the last couple of days with a sling.
• Grant amazes me with all the changes he has made since turning 3. He is a boy that likes to stay busy, busy, busy. If we can't keep him busy, he find his own projects. This last weekend, he did a great job keeping up on task as we worked to clean up the landscaping around the house and work on some projects in the house. He has taken to his roll as big brother, being helpful to entertain his little brother or help Norah reach something. Currently he would like to start changing his siblings diapers for me, while I would love the break from stinky diapers, I think I'll keep that task for myself or Jason for now. I do love his enthusiasm though.
• Jason's company was given a new contract to start on this last week that brings us some peace and decreased stress of unknowns of job stability. We are hopeful that this will continue. We would really like to sell our house, and buy a new home. While Norah is doing far more with her development than we were ever given hope for, her gross motor skills have us concerned. Norah is currently walking with a walker, a walker that doesn't fit a couple doors in our house, including the bathroom and we have lots of stairs in our house. We don't know how long Norah will need a walker for, a year or a lifetime, we would like to a house that she is able to move around in.
• As for me, I'm trying to soak in all this wonderful family time I have been able to have while home on maternity leave. I have truly enjoyed this time with my family. This last week I have started to tackle some deep cleaning and organizing that I put off while I was pregnant. It feels good to sort through things, put them in the right spot and get rid things that we just don't need.
• Last is Charlie, our beautiful Cockapoo that Jason and I have had for 6 1/2 years. We love our dog dearly and have had to come to terms that maybe it is time to find a new home for him. We learned that Charlie is extremely sensitive to babies crying when we had Grant. Every. time. a baby cries Charlie howls (and howls, and howls). He becomes very stressed by having a baby in the house (and we've had 3 in the last 3 years). We have been able to accommodate Charlie, but at times he has been aggressive. We would feel terrible if anything we to happen to our children because of him and feel that he deserved to be loved and spoiled something we currently cannot do since we have to keep him separate from the kids. This week he will be spending some time with another family to see if they would like to take Charlie. We pray that we are doing the right thing for Charlie and that this family will want to keep Charlie. I feel so torn about giving my dog to another family, but know that the stress we have been feeling isn't good for any of us.