After the successful morning of pictures, I got Analise a quick doctor’s visit to check out her ears. Her behavior has just been uncharacteristically grumpy and fussy, and her sleep has been BAD. Sure enough, another double ear infection. We’re going to see the ENT next week and schedule the procedure to have tubes put in. Poor girl… I can tell she’s already feeling better now that she’s on antibiotics for the 5th time in 9 weeks. Whew! Our doctor’s son had tubes put in not too long ago, and he said it made a world of difference. I’m ready. He reminded me that one of the main reasons to do this is that her hearing is really compromised with all the fluid that has built up. Ah… that would explain the obedience problems partly… she’s really not hearing me! And I know that her waking with screams and tears at 4am has to be related to this. Finally, this morning, she slept until 7. (Unfortunately, Josiah didn’t, and he was up twice between midnight and 5am.) Then to top off the morning, Brian woke me at 6:30 curled in a ball saying his stomach hurt! He cancelled his 8am class because he was in pain, but after a little gas medicine, he seems to be feeling fine. Whew! I’m glad it’s not something more serious!

We had a birthday party for a friend of Analise’s at Chuck E. Cheese this morning. Analise had a good time, and Josiah rode around taking it all in from his backpack view. It was prime nap-time for him, so we were ready to leave a little early, but we still got to enjoy plenty of games, play time, pizza and cake. Fun!

Yeah for Friday! I’ll be back later to tell you Brian’s dramatic computer disaster/recovery story later… I’m sure you can’t wait to hear!

Whew… it was hard work getting these pictures taken! (Above is one of the final ones we came home with. I got a CD with my photo package, so I’ll include some of the other not-quite-good-enough photos below.) We canceled last week due to illness, and I was tempted to this morning when Analise was a grouch. I’m glad we got it done. Josiah, my normally cheerful smiley one, would hardly crack a smile for us, while Analise, who’s hard to catch even LOOKING at the camera, was in her full cheerful smiley beauty.

We didn’t have many to choose from with the two of them together, but I did get the top one above. I also got a couple sheets of the two individual photos above. I’ve had these two outfits since Josiah was 3 months old, and Analise’s since before he was born, just waiting for the right opportunity. I think they look very cute!

This one was one of the other choices for thw two together. Poor Josiah looks like he’s had enough of it all!

I got a double exposure enlargement of these two profile shots. Not the best of Josiah, but the final of both looks nice.

After a change of outfits, Josiah cheered up a bit. Or maybe it was because we let him stand up? Either way, he smiled a little bit and we got one that worked of just him and his sweet smiley self.

I got several sheets of this photo, too. Finally, smiley boy I know!

This is all the photos we’ll try to have taken until birthday time in June. Our photo place does a pretty good job of getting the kiddos to sit still and smile. This session was worth it, I think!

I’m so thrilled Tuesday is here.  Analise has been a bit of a grump lately, and she didn’t go to school on Thursday because she said she didn’t feel well.  Thankfully today she was good enough to go, even though she cried for a bit.  I think it’s just a stage she’s in… to not want to do things, even things she normally loves to do.  What a stage… I hope we get past it soon.  She’s been a bear during the night, too, waking up at 4:30 wanting to come to our bed.  We’re really trying to break the come-to-bed-with-mom-and-dad phase, just because we REALLY need some decent sleep.  But she’s throwing serious crying fits at that crazy early hour wanting to get up.  We placated her this morning – at 5am – by turning on her music, giving her some books, though the only light was her nightlight, and closing her door.  We told her she could get up when the sun came up.  I went back to sleep while Brian got up and worked some.  I guess she played pretty well in her crib, talking and chattering the whole time.  At about 6:30, she gleefully yelled, "It’s morning – the sun is up!" and Brian rescued her, while I stole another half hour of sleep.

Josiah, on the other hand, is my new sleep champ!  He slept from 8pm Sunday night until 7am yesterday morning.  WOOHOO!  Last night, he skipped his "nightcap" feeding at 11pm, and slept until 2am.  He was only in bed with us for half an hour to eat, and there was not even a peep from him when I put him back in his own bed to sleep, not in the swing, like we’ve been doing.  He slept until 7am this morning after that.  YEAH!!!  We’re making progress on one front of the sleep battle!

It could be that Analise still has a lingering ear infection.  If it sounds like I’m paranoid, it’s only because these out-of-character behavior times have more often than not corresponded with ear infections.  I’ll give it until Wednesday, and then we may be back at the doctor checking.  We need to start allocating more $$ in our monthly budget for doctor’s copays…

Anyway,  Josiah and I just got back from dropping Analise off at school and grocery shopping.  He’s asleep, and I’ve got BBQ pork in the slow-cooker for dinner.  I hope I can get something accomplished today… Yeah for Tuesday!  

So the sickness continues.  I’m so very very thankful that we’re not SERIOUSLY sick, but this junk that keeps going around our house is wearing me out.  Josiah had a hacking cough on Thursday night, and he slept really badly with his stuffy nose.  (Oh, and tooth #4 has broken through on the bottom).  So yesterday morning, I just kind of felt like I should have him checked out because although he didn’t look too bad, he was grumpy and not sleeping well for naps, besides the weekend was coming and I didn’t want to hassle with after-hours appointments.  So in visit #6 since the New Year, sure enough, Josiah has and ear infection.  Poor kiddo.  So he’s on antibiotics 2x/day… which isn’t that big of a deal since he takes them once a day anyway.  Analise has been quite a grump lately, but I think she’s over her infection, I hope, I pray, please, oh, please, let it be so…

Brian’s now down for the count with an intestinal bug.  He’s crashed on the couch right now.  I feel kind of bad… I was not looking forward to the weekend, because he had plans to bike for 3+ hours this morning with his team, and again tomorrow afternoon.  Now he’s in no shape to ride, and I get him home with me.  Not exactly how I wanted to spend the day with him! 

This has been a long week.  Honestly, normal life takes about all the patience I have, but with grumpy kids in the house and seriously bad sleep this week, I’ve struggled with my own patience and attitude.  I think adjusting to Brian’s full-time-plus work schedule again has worn me out. I knew I appreciated him over his break, I just didn’t know how much!  Anyway, Analise has been more in the "trying 2’s" than usual this week, probably because she’s been sick.  She has been up between 4:30am and 6 for the last 4 days. 

I was really excited to get out of the house for some scrapbooking with ladies from church last night.  I got Josiah to sleep, Brian felt like he could handle getting Analise to bed, and I thought I had a couple hours to myself as I left at 7pm.  I was giddy with excitement to be on my own.  Unfortunately, with Josiah having an ear infection, it wasn’t the night for me to leave.  Brian called at 8:40pm, with a wailing Josiah in the background.  He couldn’t get Analise to bed, Josiah had been awake since half an hour after I’d left, and he only wanted me.  BUMMER. 

Ok, I’ve still got a Saturday evening to be productive.  Enough whining from me.  Maybe tonight will be a good night’s sleep, and hopefully tomorrow we’ll all be healthy…