A Family Update

I keep meaning to update the blog and it just keeps escaping me! I took a temporary position at the hospital and was working 2 or 3 days a week, which was a lot for me. I have switched back to just working one or two which is much more manageable. We have been busy getting ready for Christmas, and both boys are coming off of sicknesses - a cold for Cohen and croup for Ezra. Cohen is off at preschool and Ezra is watching Barney so I don't have to try and keep his little fingers off the keyboard. So here's an update...

+Cohen is going to preschool and loving it. He loves his teacher and riding the bus. He is getting physical therapy while at school and has also started OT at a new facility. We got him a new swing, similar to a trapeze bar that he can spin on and he loves it. I don't know how he doesn't get sick, I get dizzy just watching him! Cohen's latest fascination is keys. He wears about 5 keychains around his neck at a time and is constantly taking the keys and keychains (and whatever else he can find) on and off. We have to hide our keys or they end up on his keychains and go missing. He also loves to pretend to cook "pake pakes" (pancakes) and loves to help us in the kitchen.

 Ezra is now 18 months old (eek!). He is all over the place climbing, jumping (off his rocking horse), rolling etc. He's still working on talking, he says "yeah" and "uh oh" regularly. He loves play doh and eating (sometimes eating play doh). Ezra gives the best hugs, he will come up and throw his arms around your neck and squeeze. It's about the sweetest thing ever. It's a nice balance to his rambunctious side.

The Christmas season is always hard as we juggle the joy of the season with the hurt of not having Carter here. The tears come easier and the "it should have been different"'s are close by. I still see that empty space in the pictures by the tree and wish I was getting one more matching sweater. I feel the hole in my heart more deeply. I usually end up finding a project to throw myself into and this year it has been making and selling Lego crayons. It seems silly, but it gives me something to focus on that isn't just missing my boy.

We have all of our Christmas shopping done and now we are just waiting for Christmas! We went with the "something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read" so shopping was actually quite easy! The boys are getting a little trampoline with a handle, which I know Ezra will love and hoping Cohen will too, it will be great for coordination and movement if he can figure it out. Danny and I had a night away from the kids to finish our shopping. I came home with a new saucepan, bathroom mat and kitchen towels. You know you're getting old when your Christmas presents are things for the house! I am excited to get to watch the boys open their presents. I was nervous about what they would do to our Christmas tree but they have been suprisingly well behaved and I usually only have to put a few ornaments back on at the end of the day, however, the presents will wait until Christmas Eve to go under the tree.

 
Whew! And that's where we're at. Thanks for checking in on us and we hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season.