From a letter to my family...
Madeleine has been earning accolades all over. Just before break we got her first report card, and she scored high marks in absolutely every category. Josh and i were especially proud of her health and fitness report (she was lauded as a 'first time listener', for trying her best in everything, and for always being there for her friends). This week her teacher stepped aside with me at pick-up and told me that Madeleine was doing so well in math, and that perhaps I could come in next week and see her work. Madeleine's reading skills have also grown exponentially in December, and it is so fun to see her exploring the new worlds that are open to her. We will have to start cracking down on lights out, i fear, as I can tell that she is staying up later than she should be reading. Honestly, Josh and i couldn't be prouder of her - in the midst of all this learning and growing she is just also a really good and fun kid.
William has been a lot of fun. We worked really hard with him in the fall to address some behavior issues that were getting in the way of being able to do things with him. Now that we have a few more techniques to help him listen and stay calm we are just really enjoying his enthusiasm and spark. He loves rockets and baseball. For Christmas he got Josh some model rockets, and the grin he gets on his face every time they work on the rockets is worth everything. William is also entering his third month in pre-school. He seems to be enjoying it a lot, and he is definitely learning something; if only that he can exist and be successful outside of home. My favorite part is the big grin and bear hug that he greets me with every time i pick him up. This week Josh took William to an ENT specialist at Children's hospital, in the hopes that we can address his near-constant sinus problems. The plan is to treat him aggressively for an infection and allergies for a couple of months, and then to work with the specialist to back off on medication to find a level that allows him to stay healthy. We are really excited and hopeful that he will start to feel better for the long term.
Marie is just a total sweetheart. We get comments all the time about what a happy and easy-going baby she is, and we agree. She is pretty happy just to kick around the house, following the other kids or parents as she pleases. She's getting stronger on her feet, excellent at crawling, and basically into everything. She has a curiosity and enthusiasm that is just fun to be around. And amid all that, she is pretty cheerful and snuggly. This past week Marie spent a few days at Children's hospital being treated for a series (three) intussusceptions. This, of course, was not very pleasant for everyone, and a bit scary. However, it is a thing that seems to happen with kids, and the doctors at Children's were very capable in handling it. Except in a small percentage of cases where there is an underlying cause, there are no expected long term effects, or an expectation of further intestinal issues. The doctors performed a test that ruled out at least one of the possible causes, and felt fairly certain this was just the result of a small viral inflammation. Now we are happy to have our cheerful smiling girl around again. Her mischievous grin is even almost enough to make me forgive the inevitable glasses grab.
The kids had a great holiday. They are really having fun and constantly appreciating their presents, and Josh and I appreciate the love that you all showed to them. The lack of Thank You cards thus far is all my fault - its still on my list, so THANK YOU from all of us. The kids and I also enjoyed having a long break; Madeleine had two full weeks off from school, and Josh took an extra week to coincide with that. As a result, we had a great and luxurious break as a family. We are getting into the full swing of winter now, and I'm sure we will all be busy and happy as always.