Of course this weighs on my mind, and I'm just exhausted most of the time. I try to make life as normal as possible for the kids, though.
Evie started a prep program at a local elementary school. She goes 4 days a week for half days and she's doing really well. She started her new daycare today, and though my husband dropped her off, I was on the phone for it, and she seems completely fine, and that makes me happy. she tends to get a little overwhelmed after a while, and cries some at school, but she's only gone 3 days, and I think she just needs to get used to the routine. At her old daycare she screamed all day for a month, so this is progress. She knows letters and numbers and shapes, and is really prepared for kindergarten already. She loves to sing and sings all day long. Her speech is wonderful now, and she's really showing interest in hobbies. She loves playing with Disney princesses and My Little Ponies. She loves superheroes of any variety. And she still loves to be outside. All she wants in life is to run around outside, and I'm so happy that that's important to her. She's really into mommy right now. Everywhere she goes she asks for me. She follows me around the house. She tells me she misses me if I go to the bathroom. It's so sweet, but also a little overwhelming. She can be an overwhelming child, but she's also the most amazing little girl I've ever known, imagined, or heard about!
Andrew is the happiest little guy ever. I mean this kid is so content to just play with toys and talk to himself. He loves to cuddle his mommy (even though he normally wants to be put back down after like 10 seconds). He always strays and then comes back to make sure I'm still there. He sleeps 12 hours a night every night. Almost without fail. We're so blessed on the sleep front. He loves Chugginton, and he loves just motoring around. He's not walking yet at 14.5 months, but he was almost 2 months early. He does pull up and try to take steps, but he doesn't have good balance yet. He also doesn't have any words. For a while I thought it was a function of his prematurity, but at this point I'm fairly certain he is partially deaf. We're going to find out on Thursday. He's very engaging, but he doesn't respond to his name at all. You can scream right behind him and he doesn't even flinch. I'm a little nervous, but whatever happens we'll deal. He's such a wondeful little man.
I really feel like I hit the lottery with my kids. Yes, Evie has sensory issues and can throw a heck of a tantrum if she's tired, but she's just so smart and sweet and Andrew is as well. They're such amazing little people. So here are some recent pictures!
The next few pictures are from Easter. Evie found a "mister egg" with a pony in it, and Andrew and his daddy are enjoying the great weather.
The next two are just Evie being Evie. We went outside to play and she declared a tree she found "my tree" and there she is pointing out which one.
We also went to Florida! My parents have a house there so we went for a few days. Evie had a total meltdown in the airport through security and waiting in line when they called us to board. At the gate and on the plane she was totally fine. On the way back we got priority boarding on the basis of disability (SPD) and it was great! She got straight on the plane and didn't have to stand in the tunnel, so she was awesome. She only got upset through security! I think she has some claustrophobia because she didn't like when I shut her window. As you can see, Andrew did fine haha. On the way home, we boarded at his bed time, so he screamed and screamed. People kept sitting in front of us and then moving. I kept saying that as soon as we moved he'd be fine, and he was. The second we started to taxi he fell asleep and both kids were quiet the rest of the flight. Everyone was looking at us in either terror or solidarity, but the kids proved they are just as good as mommy says they are! Evie does have a bit of a seat-kicking habit, though, so my dad sat in front of her seat. It worked out because E, my mom, and Andrew and I had a whole row and my dad got to sit in front and read and sleep.
It was an odd trip for Andrew, though. I just finished saying he's really good, and he is, but he cut two teeth while we were there, and he was super whiny when we were in the house. I think he just missed certain toys and tv channels. Plus the entire ordeal was a new experience. Evie has been on one vacation, but it wasn't far from home (no plane ride). Andrew has never been away from home before except for a night here or there. He'll get used to it. One thing they did love was that they could go outside. It was in the 40s for most of our trip back home, and in the 80s in Florida, so we went to the beach and the pool a lot. My parents have a huge screened in porch where Evie could safely be kind of outside, and she just loved it. I really cannot wait to go back.
