"Normal" Stuff

Joshua had an appointment today with the pediatrician. He did great! He weighed 18 pounds 3 ounces which was up 2 pounds from his 4 month appointment. He also gained two inches and is now 28 inches long. He got a couple of shots, cried for just a minute and then went back to chattering happily. His doctor said it was fine to start giving him whatever food we really wanted to give him. He said to stay away from nuts, eggs and honey until at least one year, but we're free to give him any soft table foods that he will eat and we want to give him. Things like mashed potatoes, smashed fruits and veggies, yogurt, ice cream, etc.. Plus he said it's fine to start giving him Cheerios and that kind of thing. I need to head out and get him a box of those!! I love his doctor. He's not the kind of doctor who just reads the "doctor manual" and spits out what it says, he actually uses the years of experience he has to tell you what works and what's really best for your child. I love that. We've been really blessed with the medical team that has surrounded us lately. We've had this same pediatrician for awhile and I've always loved his style. But we've had surgeons and doctors dealing with Joshua's care that I have just loved also. His main surgeon is incredible. I just sent him a little email the other day with a picture of Joshua in Mickey ears and he was so kind in his response. He really is a good guy.

Tonight we had a nice family night out. We went to Pizza Tower for dinner and then went to the park to play. I am really enjoying the weather lately. I'm ready for spring! Joshua went down a slide (with his siblings help) and swung in the baby swing for the first time. The park was empty for most of the time we were there, so we just ran around like we owned it!!

The homeschool convention is coming up in about 3 weeks. I am so excited. One of the speakers that I loved two years ago will be here again this year and I can not wait to see him again. He was really the beginning point of the transformation in my way of thinking about what schooling means to me and my family. I can't wait to see what else he has to say. I get so energized at the convention. Homeschooling parents are such a minority and it's so nice to be surrounded by like minded families, even if it's just for a few days. It's nice to know you're not the only one.

The last two nights, we've watched the International Space Station fly by. It's really kind of cool. It looks like a star that moves across the sky in a minute or two. It doesn't flash or blink, so it's easy to tell it's not an airplane. When it gets to a certain point in the sky, it loses it's sunlight reflection and seems to "go out". I think that's the coolest part. It's supposed to do it one more time tomorrow night between 8:11 and 8:17pm, but I think it's going to be cloudy tomorrow, so we probably won't be able to see it.

We've also been watching Molly the barn owl as she eagerly awaits the birth of her owlets. You can see the live cam here. Isn't she cute?? Oh and I heard a man fishing found a nest of bald eagles a couple of miles from our house here. It's pretty rare to have a nest here. That's pretty cool.

I've finally gotten back into couponing. I'm doing it a little differently though. I just don't have the time to clip coupons right now, so instead of buying newspapers every week, I go to couponclippers.com and order the coupons I want. I end up spending right about the same amount I'd spend on newspapers every week, and I only get the coupons I want, in the amount I want and the best part is that they're already clipped for me!! I went to Kroger yesterday (they're having one of the mega sale things) and my order was 57 before sale and coupons and I walked out paying only $11! My coupon box has shrunk a lot, but it works for me right now. I'm happy to be back on the wagon saving money at the grocery again. When things were so crazy around here, I was lucky to actually make it to the grocery store, let alone worry about couponing. Now I'm back to where I want to be!

Our house is sooo beautiful!! Well, it was beautiful when we first got home from vacation anyway. We got the whole downstairs interior painted and I love it so much. It was a Christmas present from my parents and we ended up splitting the costs to make sure we could the trim, ceilings and everything done. I am so thrilled. We've lived in this house almost 6 years now and it feels so good to have the downstairs finally "done". I'm working to get everything put back away, but I had forgotten how hard it is to get things done with a baby in the house!! Especially this baby, because he sure does love his Mama!! I cut him some slack though, because we both missed out on a lot of mommy/baby snuggle time when he was in the hospital for 105 days. The housework will get done eventually, maybe when he's 10!! I am hoping to get a lot done this weekend. I should be rested up because tonight is my night off from overnight baby care. Daddy does Friday night to give me a break. I actually don't mind getting up with him. I love cuddling him at night, but it is nice to get a full night's sleep.

I guess you could say life is just normal now. I could not be more happy with normal. Oh, and here's a tip. If you haven't already, you need to go out and buy some Wal-Mart brand (Great Value) peach sherbet. It's about 2.83 or something like that, but it's so good, I'd pay 5 bucks for it!! Trust me you won't be disappointed!! (Thanks Dad!!). Also, if you have a cell phone that doesn't include a camera, may I implore you to reconsider that. I was one of those people who for so long said I have a camera to take pictures and all I need a phone for is to make calls. Then one day my husband convinced me I needed to get an Iphone. He couldn't have been more right!! Without that camera, I would've missed pictures of: Joshua's first smile, Abby and Noah at Meijer's "pumpkin patch", Abby and Noah on Big Thunder Mountain in Disney, Joshua's first ride in a shopping cart and first visit to the park. Maybe I would've gotten over not having those pictures, but I'm so glad I was able to get them. All of the pictures in this post were taken with my phone. Just something to think about.