February Recap

February 27, 2019

February Recap :: 2019

I cannot believe that February has flown by! Lately, we've been living for the weekends around here (all three kids are pretty much feeling Spring fever and are over the gloomy wet weather we've had this winter).

February started out wonderfully for me. For the first time ever, I was able to take an entire weekend off from being "mom" and join my dear friends at a cabin in Wearsville, TN (near Pigeon Forge and Sevierville).

It was heavenly! I chatted with my friends Mishi and Katherine O. on the 3 hour drive, I read the book Bear Town (totally recommend!), went out to eat twice, shopped in Pigeon Forge, and went on a beautiful hike. We were so lucky to have great weather!

I couldn't have had such a great relaxing weekend if my friend Monica and my husband Brian hadn't stepped up and took my spot with the kids! Monica stayed with Jocelyn after school and even went to go pick Jayce up from Math Team. And she cleaned the playroom! It was so nice to come home to a clean house! She's the best!

Brian had to get Jocelyn to cheerleading early on Saturday and put a ponytail and a bow in her hair. He did a great job! Jocelyn performed her first stunt as a flyer and I was sad to miss it!

Jaina helped out Saturday afternoon until she had to go to work. Brian also made sure Jayce took his meds on time and ate. That's a big task I worried about.

Jocelyn was sure happy when I was home :)

A few days later, I attended a MOMS Club activity at Lakewood Senior Assisted Living Center. It was so much fun!

I missed the first Upward game of February, but I luckily didn't miss the team's dance premiere!

Then it was time to celebrate Grandma's 74th birthday!!

We took her to lunch at O'Charley's and had excellent service there!

I got a call from a friend of a previous SDP client who was in a bind. Their regular photographer was out of town and not going to be back in time for their son's first birthday party. I was happy to fill in! The UNO theme was adorable!

I also shot for Belle's March issue. We won't be using this image because of the wet side walk. We pretty much had to shoot in rain the entire time. The boutique is called Two Cumberland and they had the best stuff!

Another Saturday, another cheer game.

The next day, I celebrated my friend Adrianne's daughter Hannah turning two!

Then came our last game of the season :( It was such a great group of girls and we had a wonderful coach!

Time for updates!

Medically, January and February have been rough months for us. But it was never flu or pneumonia or RSV like you'd think this time of year. Instead, we saw:

- Jayce's developmental pediatrician for his 3 month med check

- Jaina's regular pediatrician for a 6 week med check

- Jocelyn's regular pediatrician for a 7 year old well-child check

- Jocelyn's not regular pediatrician for pink eye and a sinus infection

- Jaina's pediatric GI specialist for a regular check up, barium swallow, and GI upper endoscopy (3 separate visits, one of which was under general anesthesia at the children's hospital).

- Jayce's peds GI for the same exact things as Jaina

- Jaina's GI Psychologist (yep, that's a real thing. Helps her deal with food anxiety)

- Jayce went to MD360 urgent care for a PE injury to his legs and a concussion. He had to do 3 days of complete brain rest.

And we managed not to pick up any flu germs while we were there all those times? Kind of a miracle. Oh, and we've met our high medical deductible for the entire year already. Gah.

On to the kids...

I'll start with Jocelyn:

We've seen a reduction in her anxiety a bit. She's back to eating breakfast and she's going to her activities at school. However, she still says she doesn't like school at all and really hates going on Thursdays. She also went to the doctor for a sinus infection and is on amoxicillan.

Jayce:

I think we *finally* got his med combo just right. We upped his risperdal to .5mg twice a day. He has to take it by 5:30 or else he's an emotional mess by 7 PM. He's been doing a great job keeping up with all his school work, but I have to sit by him for support. If I don't, he quickly gets overwhelmed and just shuts down. For example, he put off a science project for days because he had too much math and English homework to do. I finally made him sit down and do it... it took 30 minutes to finish. He acted like it was going to take 2 whole days! He's completely caught up in English and Math and Science right now. I'm hoping its the same for Social Studies.

We still love his therapist. He's so good with Jayce. They talk about everything and everything. They problem solve. Jayce tells him things that he doesn't feel comfortable telling me (although he usually tells me after he tells his therapist). It was revealed the other day that Jayce is having to deal with some jerks in PE that are making fun of him for his less than stellar athletic abilities. I've emailed the coach and Jayce has promised to talk to the coach as well.

Jaina:

I think she's doing okay? It's so hard to tell when she's so good at hiding her depression. She's decided to put in her notice at FATZ and get a job at Delany's Irish Pub instead as a hostess. I hope it's a positive change for her.

Brian:

So, Brian and I are no longer going to marriage counseling. Instead, he's been reading this book. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it's already made a difference in the way he's treating me. He seems to be more understanding how difficult he is to live with and that I have different needs than him, even if he doesn't always understand them. He made me feel very special on Valentine's Day :)

Me:

I got a job!!! :) I know what you all are thinking... yes, photography IS a job :) But it's not full time year round and we seem to do better when I have a steady income coming in monthly. I'm now a toddler preschool teacher at First Presbyterian Week Day School. I absolutely love it!

Now, here's a phone dump from the month of February:

(I took pictures for First Pres WDS annual fundraiser. Just quick candid pics of the kids playing. The parents loved them!)

Birthday Balloons that won't die...

New hair cut! Not as short as the first one in November.

Barium Swallow

Jocelyn realized she matched Glaceon with her cheer uniform.

How I found Jocelyn on a Friday night

Jaina rescued a cat. Her name is Luna Guadelupe Gutierrez Sanchez Walker.

She does not live with us.

Happy Gotcha Day to our Pig Pig.

Anesthesia. The only time my teens are quiet during the day. Jayce had a much easier time waking up than Jaina did.

Brian bought me a diamond necklace for Valentine's day. This is the first piece of jewelry he's picked out for me since my engagement ring in 2004.

I got invited to the YMCA Valentine's party!

And then I joined Jocelyn for hers!

Jaina and Brittany had a "galentine's date" at a restaurant downtown.

These are my sweeties in my class! The school encourages us to take pictures and post on our private IG account so parents can see what we do during the day.