I decided to take a break for summer, after all.  Considered schooling year round, but I think I need a break as much or more than they do.  So, the plan is to read everyday, both me to them and them to me, and do math review 2x a week.  I won’t intruduce any new concepts, just reinforce mastery of the things they learned this year.  L could really use practice on her muliplication tables since she’ll be moving on to division next fall.  J needs to work on simple addition and subtraction facts.  He knows how to figure them out, but he’s slower than he should/could be.  I plan to play math games with him to get those math facts memorized.  R is going to work on reading this summer.  She’s a whiz at math but reading is coming slower for her.  I take blame for that.  She is more than capable of learning to read better if I spend the time with her.  I haven’t given her the 1-1 time that she needs.  She’s napping less and less so, I plan to use that time to work with her.  If/when I get her up to reading level, she’ll be in 2nd grade next year, skipping 1st grade.  I’m gonna wait at least another year with MisB.  She just turned 3 and she does know her letters and all the sounds they make but, I want to wait to start schooling with her.  We still hold to the idea of later being better.  I won’t discourage any interest that she shows, but I’m not going to encourage ‘school time’ with her yet either.  It will be a bigger help form me to have her play with C in the fall.  They can keep eachother occupied while the olders have table time.

I plan to have them spend the summer OUTSIDE!!  Beach trips, park days, pool in the yard, etc.  Lets enjoy this weather that we pay so much to live in!

When we were new parents, we took the Pedi’s word as bond.  If he said we needed it, we did it.  We vaxed for everything they reccomended.  L was healthy and never had a reaction to anything.  So, we followed suit with J and R.  Gave all the vaxes, no reactions, no questions, no regrets.

Then came MissB and her heart defect.  We (I) did research on everything with her heart related issues.  At 4 mos, she had a reaction to Penicilin.  I did some research on the vaxes and still felt confident that they were still safe for her, for the most part.  But, this time there would be no Varicella, no Heb A, no Pneumococcal, no Meningococcal and no Flu shots.  The ones that she did get were still given individually (DTAP, MMR, HIB, IPV, and Hep B).  We were not even offered a combo shot.  She did fine with all of them and had no reactions.

I knew that we’d be selective again with MrC.  I knew we would make similar choices to those we made with MissB. 
I refused the HepB at birth.  He would get it later, not so soon.  I felt uneast about giving a vax to such a tiny newborn.  My Pedi was supportive and agreed to wait.  That was the only one offered/reccomended at birth.  (I should note that we also declined the VitK shot and antibiotic eye ointment.)
At 2 months he got his first round of vaxes.  This was the first time I’d been offered combo shots.  The idea seemed okay, since I wasn’t expecting any reations.  None of my other kids had ever had a reaction.  Why not save the baby the pain of multiple sticks when he could get it all in 1 or 2?  He got 2 shots = HepB, HIB, DTaP and IPV  No reactions.  Some tenderness in his leg, but that’s it. 

Well, we had his 4 month checkup and shots in the last few weeks.  It did not go as planned.  I did not listen to my mommy-intuition.  At the checkup visit, he was sick.  He’d been down with a cold and still had a fever.  Pedi and I opted not to vax until he was well.  We did all the other well-baby checkup stuff. 
Weight: 15lbs 3oz
Height: 25.5 inches
We came back 2 weeks later for shots.  We only saw the nurse this time and she was not much help in telling me what he was getting.  She kept getting the names of the vaxes mixed up and giggling like it was funny.  He got 3 shots.  I had a pit in my stomach as I watched her inject my baby, but I dismissed it as over-emotion.  She handed me his record card.  He had recieved the same 2 combos as the first round, plus a new one, the Pneumococcal. 
He didn’t cry much.  I nursed him and he fell asleep.  The rest of the day seemed normal.  His legs were obviously tender, but nothing seemed abnormal about his temperment or symptoms.  He started to get fussy in the evening.  He just wanted to nurse and be held.  He started running a fever sometime during the night.  When he woke me for his 3am feeding, he was burning up.  I took his temp and it was 103.7*  I gave him Tylenol and nursed him back to sleep.  When he woke at 7am, his temp was still up.  I gave him more Tylenol and decided that if it didn’t drop in the next hour, I’d call the Pedi.  I know a fever can be a normal reaction, but this was high and unbreakable.  That alarmed me.  After an hour, I called the Pedi.  The nurse seemed concerned but when she spoke to the Pedi, he was not.  He said to give Tylenol every 4 hours and call back if the fever went above 105*. 
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?  He’s only 4 months old!!!  105*?!? 
Pedi said the fever might last 2-3 days. 
WHAT!?!? 
I wore MrC all day so I could keep a close eye on him.  His fever did go down to 101* for most of the day.  He was lethargic and fussy, but happy to be held all day.  Sometime in the night, his fever broke because when he woke, it was down.  He seemed back to his normal self, happy and content.
Later that day his fever returned but it was only 99* this time and was easily broken with Tylenol.

I think that we will request his vaxes one at a time from now on.  It will mean more sticks more often, but the alternative is too scary.  I wish I knew which one it was that he reacted to.  Pedi seems to think it’s the Polio (IPV) but all my research says it would more likely be the HIB or DTaP. (sigh)  I’m pretty sure we WILL continue to vax… selectively.  Not vaxing at all is not an option/conviction at this point.  I have friends who are on both sides of the fence on this issue and I respect them all.  It is such a controvercial issue and both sides have good arguments.
I think I’ll be on my knees for a while about this one.

I have been abundantly blessed.  Specifically with this newest baby boy.  He is a dream!  He sleeps, eats, poops and smiles.  That’s pretty much it.  He’s so happy and content.  If he is crying, there is something wrong, and it’susually pretty easy to fix.  I think God is being merciful with me because he know how full my hands are with MissB right now. ;)

He’s on a pretty standard self-imposed routine:
7a     wake up, nurse, stay up 3 hrs
10a   nurse, sleep 1hr
11a   wake up, nurse, stay up 2 hrs
2p     nurse, sleep 2 hrs
4p     wake up, nurse, stay up 2 hrs
6p     nurse, sleep 1 hr
7p     wake up, nurse, stay up 3 hrs
10p   nurse, sleep 2 hrs
12p   nurse, sleep 3-4 hrs
3-4a  nurse, sleep 3-4 hrs

We’ve got a wellbaby check up next week, but at far as my scale at home says, he’s about 14 pounds, maybe a bit more. 
Here’s a recent pic of my 3.5 month old sweet boy and me:

Daddy’s family moved to GA about 15 years ago and I’d never been to visit.  (For Shame!)  So when we heard that Grandpa was terminally ill and it wouldn’t be long, we decided to go for a visit rather than a funeral.  I’m so glad we did.  I was so blessed.
 My middle sister, Auntie R, played travel agent for us.  She took care of all the arrangements and her mom, my stepmother, graciously gifted us the plane tickets.  Who knew she could be so sweet?  We wouldn’t have been able to go otherwise. 
My littest sister, Auntie T, went too.  This was the first time some my kids had ever met her.  My children adored their aunties and made me promise that we’d see them more often.  A promise I’m all too happy to keep. 
The aunties were wonderful help through the whole trip, but especially during the traveling.  They each took on a buddy and helped us keep track of everyone.  L became quite attached to her auntie R and Becca to auntie T.  It was really cute. 
Miss B did as well as can be expected of a 2 (almost 3) year old on the plane.  She had a hard time sitting for 4.5 hours but really wasn’t naughty.  The traveling was much less stressful than I’d thought it would be. PTL!
My aunt picked us up at the airport in Atlanta.  She had already parked her minivan for my family of 7 the day before.   She drove her truck to pickup the rest of the crew and luggage.  We adopted the van for the rest of the week.  SO nice to save on rental fees! 
It was about an hour drive north-east to their home in Suwanee.  GA was beautiful!  So many trees.  There is forrest land in the middle of town and rolling hills of green everywhere else. 
We were blessed with awesome weather.  There had been a storm the week before, so the pollen was low and it was cool but not humid.  Gorgeous springtime weather. 
My aunt’s home is large enough to accomidate us all, so we didn’t need a hotel either. SCORE!  The aunties shared a room and my family was in another.  Dh, baby and I in a queen and the kids on the floor (air mattress). 
Our only complaint was the heat at night.  The air temperature didn’t change from day to night.  So the wonderful breezy 70s in the daytime turned into HOT, still 70s at night.  We are used to sleeping in the cold dry air, so it was tough.
The first day we spent just hanging out around the house.  We took a walk around the neighborhood and drooled over the HUGE homes.  It’s amazing, the difference in housing costs between here and there. Whew!  L kept saying, "We gotta move to Georgia, Mom!"  I couldn’t make her understand that daddy’s salary would adjust accordingly in GA and we’d not be able to live in that particular area.
On the second day we got to go see my cousin’s son play baseball.  He’s 14 and playing in the pony league so I thought J would be into it.  But alas, he was much more into the playground. LOL 
On the 3rd day we found a park called Suwanee Town.  AMAZING!!  This was the coolest park we’ve been to in a long time.  Huge play structure, lots of space for all ages, nestled in the trees with lots of shade, and a fence all the way around so the kids could run free.  VERY COOL!  Later that day we went to church for dinner.  They do a big churchwide dinner every Weds pm before services at the Methodist church that my aunt attends.  It was neat to meet some friends and see where they worship.  It’s a beautiful facility and a huge congregation.
The next day we went into Atlanta and went to the Aquarium.  It was really nice.  J was so excited, especially to see the whale sharks.  He still swears he’s gonna be a marine biologist.  It’s been more than 3 years so… we’ll see.  My cousin’s little girl went with us.  She’s 4 y/o and a total crackup.  She’s very animated and used to being the only child around, so it was an adjustment for her to be with my kids. lol
On Friday we went into Atlanta again and went to Centennial Olympic Park.  Such a pretty park.  We got to see a brick that my aunt had purchased in mermory of my dad.  Neat.  We went to the children’s museum that is across the street from the park.  SO FUN!!  There was so much to do in there.  The kids (and the aunties) had a blast.  Magnet fishing, moonsand, painting, tapdancing, dress up, pretend grocery shopping, mega tinkertoys, …  it was a great place! 
Saturday was AMAZING!  We went to another baseball game in the am and then they threw a birthday party for my little MissB.  (Her actual birthday was the following day (Sunday).)  On the way home from the ballfields my aunt stopped at Costco and bought a party.  A feast complete with sushi, steaks, scampi, cake and gifts.  The generosity was overwhelming.  We teased that we’d come back to GA for all our birthdays from now on.
The best part of the trip, for me, was the time spent listening to Grandpa tell stories.  I came to know him in a way I never had before.  I wish I had that opportunity with my dad. 
Here’s some pix from our trip: 

I’ve been avoiding my blog because there is just so much going on that I don’t know where to start and everytime I sit down to type, someone needs something.  I just don’t know how yall do it so often.  My blog being up to date is usually a sign that I’ve been neglecting something else and spending too much time at the computer.  I just don’t have the time to sit here lately.  But, I love being able to look back at past posts and reflect.  So, I’m gonna have to find the balance.  Maybe a once a week sum up on Saturday morning while the kids are vegging or Wednesday nights while everyone is at AWANA….
Well have to see what works out. 

For now, here’s a list of the things I’ve neglected to blog about:
1. J began farm league baseball with an AWESOME coach.
2. L&R began ballet rehearsals for the June production of Sleeping Beauty.
3. All 3 older kids participated in AWANA Games and Bible Quizing
4. L turned 9 years old and had a sleepover and then a shopping spree.
5. Dh played a charity basketball game against the Harlem Widards. HILARIOUS!
6. Baby boy started sleeping for 6 straight hours at night. WOOHOO!!
7. Miss B potty trained… finally!
8. We started a second PE class with some other HS families on Fridays.
9. L&J started an art class on Mondays.
10. We joined the Presidential Fitness program on Thursdays.

So, as you can see, BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

I’ll try to catch up in the coming days, BUT, I have a HS conference  all day tomorrow, a baby shower that I’m hosting on Tues and a trip to GA over Spring Break to plan and pack for as well as all our ‘normal’ weekly activities.  No promises. 

Whew.  It’s no wonder I’m exhausted.