The Rocky Road...It's Torture

I knew that once school started, we would be very busy...I was right. Over the weekend we had Jessi's 5th birthday party...looking back over the years with all my girls and their children, each time one of the kids turns a year older, it is hard to believe that I held just about every one of them in the hospital the day they were born (or the day after). I can't believe how time is flying by. Jessi had an 80's rockin' roll party so the kids (and some of the mid-lifing mothers;0) dressed up. The kids looked adorable...and so did the moms. It was a good time.

On Sunday, I woke up feeling sort of ill...I had spent the night kind of feeling like I could throw up. By the time our pastor started his sermon I was begging to just be done with it. (I'm 99.9% sure it wasn't the sermon:) I finally ended up with and have now recovered from the 24 hour stomach flu that our family cannot seem to knock...Adam is the only one who has not had it at least once.

I had to meet with our social worker feeling like a mac truck had rolled over my back...I could not believe the aches shooting through my back and down my legs. Anyway, Vicki came for our first post placement...I can't believe it is already that time but none the less, we have had this little miracle almost 5 whole months! Vicki wanted to know all about her sleeping and eating habits, her social skills, language development, etc. The only things we reported to her as what we see as a problems are her obsession with eating...she constantly asks for snacks and drinks and her inability to initiate self-play. Ellie will sit beside me doing nothing, while I work on the computer. I have to tell her to and sometimes go get toys and play. Both of these things seem to be security issues that I know will fade over time.

Today after school we went back to the orthodontist...and we got the first of Ruthie's "hard wear." She is wearing what is called a high rack on her upper jaw. There are metal bands cemented to her molars on both sides of her mouth and a metal do-hickey going across...every night we will insert a key and twist it to further spread her jaw...this looks to be phase one of achieving a beautiful smile for her and it will last about 2 years. We will affectionately call it the "torture rack" instead of the "high rack." To let you know how painful it was: Ruthie sat through all of her kindergarten immunizations without uttering a single protest and at the very end, a single tear fell from her eye. When they were finished installing the torture rack, she cried the whole way home...bless her little heart.

The kids sang in church on Sunday...as usual, Ruthie smiled and was a complete ham the whole time, Rusty...well, we'll just say that we decided not to torture him that way anymore...we agreed that he would go to choir but that when the kids went on stage, he did not have to go. He loves to sing but not in front of everyone...This week starts the madness of all madness...we will just have to see if I survive this rocky road...stay tuned!