ugh

we still don't know what is causing Terry's condition. the doctors took him off the immunoglobulin and his platelet count, which had risen to 18, dropped to 7. This is very disheartening. Meanwhile, I'm trying to keep up some semblance of normalcy for AJ, missing Grace who is in NC with her Nana and Grandpa and keeping Terry company in the hospital. The doctors are taking this one step at a time, 1st step being to get the platelet count up and keep it there. So he is back on immunoglobulin. Then they will explore the origins of this and plot a treatment course.

In other news, my mom is going to visit her dad today. Please pray for both of them. That's all I feel comfortable discussing on my public blog. :)

piano practice

I was practicing piano today, enjoying some of the music I used to play and sing at Alpine. In the middle of a rousing edition of "Mighty to Save", AJ came running into the room, "Mommy! Mommy! You're going to make me sick!"

"What's wrong, AJ?"

"You almost made me sick! The pi-an-go almost made me sick!"

"The Piano almost made you sick?"

"Yes, you have to stop, Mommy! It's making me sick! (fake cough, cough, cough)"

"Can I finish my song, AJ?"

"Yes, But then you have to stop! "

So much for practice time.

Dinner Fun

Dinner Fun

Originally uploaded by staciplonsky

Grace asked if we could have a Hawaiian Dinner tonight. She wanted to wear her new lei and flower barrette. She even invited her Nana to stay for dinner (Nana was watching the kids while Terry and I had a meeting today).

So we went to Petty's and bought their Polynesian Chicken stir fry, which happened to be on sale. We cooked Carribbean Rice (out of a box) and made salads with fresh veggies from the garden. I wore a "fancy" dress for the occasion, which met with Grace's approval. We also used the kids' brightly colored plates for the occasion.

My mom helped the kids make hula costumes out of garbage bags. AJ especially liked dancing in his, "like a cowboy", he says.


We finished the evening with strawberry shortcake. Grace sliced the strawberries, spooned them into the shortcakes and learned how to work the whipped cream can. Fun stuff! She taste tested everything, too.

We found a preschool!!

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Originally uploaded by staciplonsky



AJ is going to a Lutheran preschool in the area, with the 3 year olds, 3 days a week. This is after completing his first morning of school. He was EXHAUSTED. And so happy. He loved his teacher and his friends. He liked playing dinosaurs and snakes. He did NOT like "be quiet." :) We're working on it.

My Guy Ice Cream Social!

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Originally uploaded by staciplonsky

Grace and her "special guy", aka Daddy, went to an Ice Cream Sock Hop sponsored by the American Heritage Girls. (kind of like Girl Scouts, with a Christian emphasis). They had a great time! I made her poodle skirt just for the occasion. She picked out the material, of course.

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year 2009noaddress copy

Originally uploaded by staciplonsky

This is the New Year's card some of you will be getting hopefully by the end of the month!!! We were still settling in through Dec and decided to do New YEars cards again this year instead of Christmas cards. Well, I finished the card and then got sick this week. So the plan is to get it out Monday!!!

Dad, again.

Please pray for my dad.

He is in the hospital again, with pneumonia, blood clots in both legs, and a fracture on the hip that did not have surgery.

And did I mention that the man hates hospitals? His morale is quite low.

Preschool

Who knew that finding a decent preschool with openings in the middle of the year would be so difficult?

The preschools with openings are much higher priced than I am willing to spend. And they have larger class sizes, too, which bemuses me.

The preschool I'm REALLY interested in says the child must be potty trained. Tell that to AJ.

The others are full, for the most part. Or more daycare than preschool. I'm not interested in throwing my child in a daycare/preschool with a bunch of kids who are there from 6am to 6pm. I'm wanting him socialized, learning, exploring, discovering, creating. Not babysat. I'd keep him home for THAT! :)

And why do so many schools keep telling me about VPK? I didn't ask about VPK. AJ's not eligible agewise for VPK until he's almost 5--two years away. And I have no intentions to put him in VPK, even when he IS eligible. I just think that going to school 5 days a week, all day, for a 4 year old, esp. with AJ's personality, is too much for him.

For those of you non-Florida folk, VPK is Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten. The state provides pre-kindergarten to all 4 year olds. You must attend 5 days a week, and attendance is taken. Most of the preschools in the area now offer VPK because, hey, everyone does it, it's free! I fail to see how VPK will help my personal situation. Putting children in a class of 18 4 year olds vs. private, one on one, instruction . . . .to me, it's a no brainer. I see the value for people who cannot/choose not to teach their children. And I see the value for both parents working full time, because it helps their bank account. But it's not valuable to our family at this time. Good luck trying to find a 3-day a week 4 year old program!!!!

End of rant.

On the water

We went again yesterday to the Thousand Islands, just west of cocoa beach. I felt a bit jumpy, considering my alligator research the night before. We paddled out a bit to a canal, and something leaped out of the water just a few feet from us. I shrieked. It was. .. not an alligator. Not a shark. It was a dolphin!

Then I saw a whiskered snout poke up from the middle of the canal. It was a manatee!! Oh, joy! We paddled up and down the canal with the dolphins following us and leaping in front and playing little games with us. It was incredibly cool. We spent an hour with the animals, although my camera shutter speed is way too slow to catch the beautiful creatures.

On our way back to the dock, I followed behind Terry. I kept feeling bumps on the bottom of the boat and I thought I was running over branches. Terry had a perfectly smooth ride, so we have deduced that I either paddled over a manatee or a dolphin was checking me out.
The only thing strong enough to take away my terror of predators lurking in the water is the joy of discovering playful, peaceful dolphins and manatees.

Home Group and Cranky Daughter

Grace knows the rules. It is very clear that she must rest/nap/read quietly in bed in order to go to home group. I especially felt this was important when going to a brand new place. She didn't follow the rules. She stayed up and whined and cried and yowled for 2 hours instead of resting.

Imagine her surprise when I left her home with Daddy!!

AJ tooks a GREAT nap, but I didn't think he'd go nicely by himself without his sister. So he played with his Daddy and didn't realize that he'd even been invited.

Next time, I bet Grace takes a nap.

Moving In

The movers made it today with our stuff! They were very efficient, and I was glad. I farmed out Grace to one friend and AJ to another (divide and conquer, right?). But my friend could only watch AJ until about 1pm. Also, my friend called and mentioned that AJ was VERY upset about me leaving him. He finally came around when her 3.5 year old offered to play Little People with him. Pshew!

I was quite stressed last night and this morning, anticipating keeping inventory of all of the stuff, and watching AJ on top of that. I was amazed and grateful when the movers finished (paperwork and everything) by 1:00pm.

I picked up AJ and brought him to the new house. He was very excited to find his Playmobil train set and Weebles in his room. He played for an hour by himself while I unpacked all of the bathroom boxes.

So the good news: The bathrooms are finished!

The bad news: I still have about 100 boxes to unpack.

The plan: Get bedding on the beds so they're sleepable Wednesday night (when we move out of the hotel with the famed maid service and breakfast discussed previously). Hook up the TVs and VCRs and DVD players. Get some semblance of order in the kitchen, including boxes unpacked. Unpack the childrens' rooms. Unpack and organize the living room and family room. Then I'll tackle the office, master bedroom and garage.

Wish me luck!

Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be homeschooling Grace, too, while I do all this. I wonder if making her count boxes by 5's counts???? :)

Kindergarten Theology

Grace just told me:

"God will always love you, no matter what.  And we should never be afraid. In the Bible, angels  always say, 'Do not be afraid. Jesus is still here.'

Did you know that when Jesus grew up big and strong, a bad man saw him? And made him carry a big wooden heavy cross? And then he hung Jesus on the cross. And he DIED on the cross so that we won't die! "

Me: "That's right. That means that after we die, we get to go to Heaven."

GP: "Yes. And we'll be in heaven FOREVER! And then the pirates will be there, too!"

Pirates?

LOST on ABC.com

Terry and I have really gotten into this lately. We have blockbuster online and have made it through season 2, episode 4 so far. It's a rather clever show.

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Soccer Season

Grace went to soccer camp and loved it. So we signed her up for AYSO soccer. They needed a coach for her team, and Terry stepped up to the plate. I'm so proud of him! Grace is really excited that her daddy is her coach. We have a meeting on Saturday and then we start the season!! yay!

Naptime

I think it's over at our house. no more naps! AJ took a nice nap yesterday. unfortunately, he wasn't much tired come bedtime. I put him to bed, an hour later I was cleaning the house and mopping the landing at the top of our stairs and all of a sudden I saw motion at the bottom of the steps. It frightened the daylight out of me! It was AJ, just sitting on the bottom step, playing with his stuffed animals. I put him back to bed. Repeat 2x. Then Terry finally made it home (He worked WAY too many hours yesterday) and he went down to the laundry room--lo and behold, there was AJ again. Terry put him to bed and he stayed.

Then my little guy was up at 5:45 am. He wanted a drink. He gulped it down, went back to bed. 6:15: same story. He was up for good around 8:00am, crying and retching, saying, "I sick!" I think he drank too much water too quickly, because he's fine now.

God save me from long naps.

AJ

My poor guy has been a running a fever since Sunday afternoon. He seems to have some kind of a stomach virus. Well, I've been monitoring his temperature every few hours during the day. He hates the thermometer.

I just put it under his arm, and you'd thinkit was the end of the world. This morning, he got a hold of the thermometer and has been taking all of his stuffed animals' temperatures. He won't relinquish it. thankfully, his temp is back to normal anyhow. But I DO have a backup thermometer. Wouldn't he be surprised?

Seriously, being home with him every morning while Grace is in school is rather fun. We're reading books and playing boy stuff, which is quite novel for me. Usually he plays with his sister. So far, we're having a pretty good time together!!

He's getting a sense of humor. And he likes to pretend that he is "Uncle Kyle."

Angel's Literary Appetite

When we leave our home, Eve always goes in her crate and we put up baby gates in our hallway to keep Angel corraled. I followed Standard operating procedure when we left for church yesterday. We came home and discovered that Angel had stuck her head (we think) under the gate, twisted and grabbed a big pile of books neatly stacked next to our bookcase in our living room.

She left most intact. But she did enjoy three very special books: The sleeve to a hardbound book about Angels and Demons that I'd borrowed from church to teach Sunday School (so do I replace it? It's just the cover. . .. the book is still readable. . . but so embarrassing to return a book w/out the sleeve);  Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason; and A Tale of Two Cities (Didn't really like that book anyways).

Apparently she has a taste for British lit.

Kindergarten(!)

My baby started kindergarten today. It's hard to believe. There was a "Boo Hoo Breakfast" for the kindergarten parents. It's so silly to feel this bittersweet--she's going half days every day, instead of half days 3x's a week like for preschool, and she even uses the same door as last year to get to her room!

The moms at the breakfast were very nice. I met someone who's only lived here a week. I invited her to Alpine Church. Those of us whose oldest children were beginning kindergarten were all a bit sad, and some cried. (I cried at home this morning. . . and again when AJ and I left and saw Grace playing on the playground.) The moms whose youngest were beginning kindergarten were pretty excited. They finally have free time!!

Anyhow, it's a short day today so Grace is only there from 8:05 until 10:10. I think we'll still go to the gym. I didn't want to overwhelm her, but I think consistency is good for her. And for me, too! It's Wednesday--CORE ab training day.

Here's Grace before leaving this morning:

Going back to Utah

It wasn't until I saw all my friends and family again that I realized how much I've missed everyone. My kids have soaked up every minute with mom and dad and kyle and kellyn. So have I, if truth be told. I've enjoyed catching a movie with my mom, stealing the crossword puzzle in the paper from my dad, hanging out with Kyle and Kellyn. . . joking with them and knowing my sarcasm is appreciated. Usually.

And oh, my friends. . . .
Elizabeth and I have been friends since 1998, when we met as camp counselors--and oh, the drama! of that summer--I was matron of honor in her wedding, and we are godmothers to each others' children. . . Tracy and I have memories that go way back, to before I married Terry and to before either of us had babies . . . .Carin watched Grace when AJ was born and was a sounding board filled with wisdom and grace. . . .Cindy and I used to go out for a girls night, just the two of us, for Margaritas and soft shell crab sandwiches at Port Canaveral--she is the most kind, compassionate person that I have EVER met. . . I saw my friend Hilary EVERY day b/c I watched Alexis, and she has been generous times a million with me. . . .all of our play dates at the park, since the time our first born were just weeks old, our group girls nights out at The Melting Pot and Conchy Joe's and random restaurants. . . It takes time to build friendship like that. The kind of friendship where you can make an offhand comment and know that your friend will assume the best and not the worst. Where you can be who you are, share your hopes and dreams with your friends, talk about your marriage and your faith and your struggles and triumphs. Where you can cry and know that they won't think you're depressed, they'll know you're having a sensitive moment and send you cards that say it's okay to feel the way you do.

And to be hit with all that and realize how empty and lonely I feel in Utah, compared with the richness and fullness of relationships in Florida, has been incredibly emotional for me. And I saw the same in my daughter. She glowed with Alexis and Grace and Gracie and Joel and Collin. She loved having her friends back. And AJ loved playing with kids his age, too. . . the younger siblings. How funny it was that Carin, Cindy and I all had little boys within a few months of each other. How lucky for our children. And it breaks my heart that I must go away again, and we must forge new friendships, new relationships, with new insecurities, and more hard work. I know it can be done. But sometimes, I just want to bask in the security, comfort, and joy of those I already have.

Universal Studios

My mom took Grace to Universal Studios last week. Grace is very cautious, and I wondered how she was going to take all the rides. She avoided almost everything at the park--even the kids' rides! She liked the playground in Dr Seuss Land and rode the spinning hats (they turn three times, total). Everything was: too loud, too crazy, too high, too wet, too dark, too scary, too spinny, too fast, etc. She asked the employee when they were in line to ride the train:

"Is it loud?"

"No."

"Does it go upside down?"

"No."

"Does it go too fast?"

"No."

So she reluctantly climbed in with a death grip on my mom's hand!! Funny girl. She ended up having a great day. I'm just glad she got on the airplane with me to fly to North Carolina. We had major turbulence on the way, which was quite scary for her (and me). I hope I can get her on one again for the flight back to Utah!