Home At Last!

Sorry this post is so overdue, but I do have a few excuses!

Gil arrived home around 10:30 pm last Monday night! His trip went well and over the past week I've heard many stories illuminating his experiences, from rats on the concrete floor they slept on to a visit to a Honduran prison. Yes, I'm glad I didn't know most of the details while he was away! Anyhow, the first week having Gil back has been wonderful...not exactly perfect...but I'm sure glad he is home!

On Monday morning I woke up feeling a cold coming on. By Wednesday I not only had a full-fledged cold, but I was feeling a little queesy as well. I took a nap and went to bed at 8:30 (actually bedtimes this week all ranged from 8:30-9:30! It was great!). In the morning I felt much better, but in the night Gil had started feeling under the weather and threw up in the morning. He stuck it out with the kids at home on Thursday, but by that night he was wiped and I was single mom again. Not to mention Jude had his cough going again and actually threw up during his nap on Thursday. Then there was Cora. By Thursday evening we had also decided she was not doing to great anymore and should go back to the doctor. Gil took himself in on Friday morning to make sure what he had wasn't anything dangerous he acquired while in Honduras (it wasn't), and we were supposed to take Cora in in the afternoon. By that time she seemed a little better and I was convinced she must've just had a touch of what we had. After all she just finished her 15 days of being on antibiotics that day, surely she had kicked her ear infection! She confirmed my thoughts by sleeping 14 hours that night and throwing up herself during the night. Yesterday she perked up a little and we both thought she was on the up and up. Then today...Jude and Cora both have had a temp all day and have not wanted to eat and only wanted to sleep. They also both have a cough as well. So now what!? I am taking off tomorrow AGAIN for yet ANOTHER trip to the doctor. I'm thinking maybe RSV? or bronchitis? I don't know, but this sicky stuff has got to stop. It has been quite a school year of it.

Day 12

Yep. It's finally here. The day we've all been waiting for (or at least I have!)....Day 12!!!!!! Gil called about an hour and a half ago to say he had landed in Omaha. They left from there around 8, so I'm thinking 10:00-10:30ish he should be here!!! (please don't mind that sometimes I write to Gil and sometimes I write about him. I also probably switch tenses and make a million other grammar no-no's...I may be a reading/English teacher, but remember that I am VERY sleep deprived when you read these posts!).

I made him ginger snap cookies tonight as a welcome home gift. I'm kind of wondering how Jude will respond when Gil gets him out of bed in the morning. I hope he is really excited to see daddy. We have been talking about it and usually he is very chipper in the morning so I think it should go well. Cora I'm sure will be elated to see her father!

In-service today was so-so. Ok, honestly, it just sucked. I hate being one of those whiney, complaining, negative teachers, but really it just wasn't very good. The auditorium was too big and bad for discussion, the topic was too broad, the microphone didn't work, the lunch was all packaged foods with only pop as an option- no water!, the teachers were not enthusiastic. It just kinda sucked. But it did get over early!

I was really really hoping for a snow day tomorrow or at least sometime this week, but it's not looking like that is in the cards. Oh, I'm so tired, but I have to stay up until Gil gets home. I think I will watch a Gilmore Girl's episode and enter some grades into the computer.

Day 12! Day 12! Day 12!!!!!

Day 11

Oh man, we're finally here folks! Tomorrow is day 12! Today is Gil Returns Eve! Day 11!!!!!! ('nuf exclamation points?)

This morning John went to church early so he could stay home with the kids while Carolyn and I went. That was kinda nice. I don't remember the last time I heard the sermon or was able to look at music from a hymnal. After church Cora took a nap and Jude played with grandma and grandpa while I prepped my lessons for the week. It will be a nice week because tomorrow we have in-service, so no kids, and the rest of the week we have MAPS testing so I won't teach 4th or 5th this week at all. We are going to have kinda a fun week in the 6th grade. Since we studied Greece in our last S.S. chapter, we are going to have the "Allen Olympics" for S.S. and do some mythology for reading. I hope it's fun anyway!

Our trip home went really well. We left at about 2. Cora slept the first half and Jude the second, but they were really really good. I think Cora does so much better in the car than Jude did at her age. When we got home I unloaded while Jude watched "Cars 2" and Cora crawled all over the house. You really won't believe what she can do now! I gave her a bath tonight too and I think that was the last time I will use the baby bath. She is sitting up so well I think it's time to graduate to the big tub. She is eating really well too. And she is finally better! I think I've mentioned this before, but she has also gotten really good at taking medicine. Tonight she spit out her binky when she saw the syringe coming!

Now they are both in bed. Cora has been sleeping since about 7:15. Jude is having trouble falling asleep as I put him to bed nearly an hour ago and he is still not sleeping...

I am contemplating whether to fold the massive pile of laundry on the couch or just leave it and go to bed...decisions, decisions...I just had a brief intermission to pop Cora's binky back in and find Jude's blanky. He has decided he wants to sleep with his little blanky again!

Well, I haven't heard from you today, so I hope all is well and I can't wait to hear your voice, but especially see your face tomorrow:):):)

LOVE

Day 10

We are in council bluffs tonight. Had a big day here. Didn't quite go according to plan because Ashtyn got sick this morning. So instead Carolyn and I went to target and then we all went to see beauty and the beast in 3-D and to buffalo wild wings. The kids did a great job through it all and Jude had a blast. Cora went to sleep pretty easy tonight and Jude conked out on the couch so I'm just going to leave him there. Okay, I'm calling it a night!

Day 9

Finally Friday! Did I mention that when you get home I'm going to sleep for three days straight?!? It feels so good to know that I don't have to get up tomorrow (until I hear a baby crying that is...let's hope she knows it's Saturday!). I am planning on heading to CB at some point, hopefully by 10ish. Then I'm going to hang out with Katie tomorrow too. And do my lesson plans on Sunday while your parents watch the kiddos. That's the plan anyway. Today was a good day. I was up early and to school before I usually get there (aka on time!). Cora took a good nap and Jude has just been amazing. We went to Alissa's JV game after I got off the phone with you. It was fun to see her coach. Her team was good, but she has like a million girls she has to play. We ate a sandwich supper in her classroom with Tyler and mom after the game. Jude LOVED her classroom and the fish tank in the library and the trains that June played with him and running on the bleachers and watching the girls gymnastics half time performance. We watched the first half of the varsity after we ate, but at that point Cora had had enough and needed to go to bed. Jude did too and in fact they were both asleep by the time we got home. I had to do a little diapering and feeding and pajama putting on, but in no time I had two sleeping babies and I could spend the rest of the time until now packing (and you know how I am about that process!).

3 more days!!!

I don't know for sure if I'll post much tomorrow since it will be from the ipad, but I'm gonna give it a go.

Oh, and last night you ask? MUCH better! Much as in Cora was only up twice and went back to sleep easily and Jude had NO coughing. None so far tonight either!

Day 8

I think I have morphed into some kind of being that can run on little to no sleep. Man I thought it was bad before, but it seems like ever since you've been sick it has been REALLY bad. I have a hard time falling asleep alone for several reasons, but one is that it is hard for me to relax since I'm the one that has to be "on" all the time when you're gone. I haven't been falling asleep until Cora is up at least once (11-12...oh and right now I think!) because I will just lay there thinking she will be up any minute so what's the point. And my head fills up with the millions of things I need to do in the morning and can't forget to do tomorrow. And now there has been Jude and his coughing fits. Last night I gave him meds twice and then in my delusion of no-sleep/2am I freaked out that I mixed meds and was going to scar him for life somehow. Finally I had to turn on the fan and try not to hear it (he is coughing now too...). Today was COLD! I got the fire going right when I got home, but I have only been able to keep barely above the furnace. Tomorrow morning is the last I have to get the kids to daycare. I did really good this morning because I made myself get up on time despite the wee hours of wakefulness instead of falling asleep after my alarm went off on Tuesday and then being so late I had to bring Cora to daycare in her pajamas (I'm mortified that I did that, but it is the truth). Right now it is a quarter past nine. I have to make my lunch and then brush my teeth and then I'm hitting the hay. We'll see if I fall asleep before Cora wakes (I don't hear her anymore).

TGIF tomorrow:)

P.S. Cora seems better, but she won't really tell me how she's feeling...

P.S.S. I won the Omnaris battle today!!! Me-1 , Pharmacy- 0, what now!

Day 7

Cora seemed to be okay today. She doesn't have a temp and eats good and slept good for naps. She didn't go down real easy tonight, but so far she has been sleeping sound. I think she should be fine to go to daycare tomorrow. It got a lot colder today though so tomorrow morning will be frigid. I have kept the fire going all day, so it has been toasty inside! I haven't got much done around here besides take care of the kiddos today. It was a good and fun day though. I wish I could have more of these days...lots of playing! I emailed about the speaker. I also am on the warpath about this whole Omnaris issue. I called Omnaris, I visited Hy-Vee again yesterday, and today I called Blue Cross. All to no avail! No one knows why I can't get my prescription for $11 like I'm suppose to. I'm going to call back to Hy-Vee again tomorrow. It just bugs me! I wanted to make rye bread, but didn't get that done. Did get some laundry done (none of your clothes to fold, sad!). Oh, Jude has started saying the funniest thing he got from The Lion King. He will say, "You are my son, you are the future King!" It took me a while to figure it out. And then yesterday on the phone he told you, "That's impossible, Dad!" Don't know where he picked that one up. He has been really good besides a few peeing and spilling accidents. Today he even went outside in his new snow pants and all the gear. I think he is getting so much easier than he was like a year ago. Easier than Cora, although she is really good when she is feeling well. She would be awesome if she could just sleep at night! Ok, I'm off to beddy-bye. Goodnight.