Health Updates, and a Thanksgiving

Feel free to skip this post if you just read the blog for updates on the kids. I am posting this here because it's the easiest way to inform everyone all at once, but I won't be offended at all if you don't actually care about my chronic health problems. :)

I am mostly doing okay. Still battling the anxiety. (Sometimes I think about trying to find counseling, but for some reason, it feels like an impossible task.) Some days are harder than others, but we are managing, and that's good.

In terms of physical health, I have noticed an improvement in my arthritis in the last several weeks which I guess is due to the methotrexate. I am still not happy to be on it, but I am grateful to be able to walk longer distances again.

Unfortunately, I have still been having a lot of neck pain, both muscle pain in the back of my neck,  as well as pain in the front of the neck. I ended up on strong painkillers and muscle relaxants a while back because my neck got so stiff I couldn't move it.

My doctor decided to have x-rays done to see if there was a reason for the stiffness in the back. When the results came back, I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease in my C2/3 and C4/5 discs. It sounded really scary when she first told me, but turns out it's not too bad. It explains a lot of the stiffness I've been having, as well as some scalp issues. (Apparently the C2/3 disc affects the nerves to your scalp if it gets inflamed. It means I often feel like I've been wearing a tight ponytail, even though I haven't.)

So that diagnosis is manageable. It's not something they can fix, but I am going to talk to my rheumatologist next month about managing the symptoms and keeping it from getting worse (hopefully).

The x-rays don't explain the pain in the front of my neck, which so far my doctors and dentists have just attributed to TMJ. I'm not really sure if I believe that's what it is, but I think that's a result of my anxiety. I am often afraid that they are missing something more serious. My doctor offered to do an ultrasound of the front of my neck, but since she doesn't really think it's anything serious, and I am trying not to be an alarmist, we are holding off on that for now. The anxiety about it has been worse this week because my glands have been swollen (I've been battling a cold). At any rate, I know I am a hypochondriac, so for all I know it could be stress-related.

I am writing this all out because sometimes if I keep it in my head, I get overwhelmed and depressed and scared. But talking (or writing) about it helps me put it in perspective, and maybe feel a little less worried.

So, I am going to end on a positive, Thanksgiving-ish note because, despite my challenges, I am so grateful for my life.

I am so grateful for Erik--for his patience, and his support, and his willingness to listen to me over and over and over again. He is truly one of the best men I know, and the decision to marry him was the best one I have ever made. I am grateful for his work ethic, his love for his children, his devotion to our Savior and his dedication in serving. He is a great example, and I feel myself trying to be a better person because of him. He brought me flowers last night, not for any special occasion, and it meant so much to me. Erik, you are my greatest blessing in this life. As much as I grumble about NYC, I would rather be here with you, than anywhere else without you. (Except for a few weeks in the summer!)

I am so grateful for Ginny. Ginny is so crafty, and creative, and full of enthusiasm. She loves to create, create, create. She is a great reader, and a people person. She gets so excited to spend time with her friends, and to go to school. She fights the Spanish, but she is really improving  and trying this year which has been wonderful to watch. She can be sassy sometimes, and has a bit of attitude (doesn't get that from me. . . ). One day at the park, she was mad at me and she yelled "Mom, I H-A-T-E-Y-O-U!" as she ran off. Less than a minute later, she ran back and yelled, "Actually, I L-O-V-E-Y-O-U!" and then ran off again. They are practicing spelling this year at school and she has been spelling out all sorts of words, instead of just saying them. :) She brings so much joy and fun to our family.

Ezra is still a bundle of joyful energy, and thankfully less destructive these days. I love watching him draw, and color, and learn how to read and write. He has matured a lot in the last several months. He is making more and more elaborate projects with his legos and his magna-tiles, and he is a great friend and great brother. His drawings are often funny, and such a reflection of his crazy, exciting personality. He loves superheroes and Rescue Bots and being my big helper. His prayers can be so sweet. He prays for individuals he knows, as well as categories of people he doesn't. They are sometimes funny, and sometimes so heartfelt. He is a great little boy!

And Isaac is going through his delightful, 3-year-old-independent phase, but we still love him. He loves to help out. He likes to clean with me, cook with me, sweep and mop the floor, clean the mirrors, etc. You name it, he will help me with it. He is my little puppy dog--following me around all day long. Always wanting to sit close to me (or sit on me). He responds to touch like no one else I know. It is his love language, and while sometimes I find that hard to bear (when he insists on sleeping in my bed and touching me all night long), I secretly really love him for it. I love all the hugs and kisses he so freely gives to me and Erik. What a delight he is, and I am incredibly grateful for him.

There are so many other people and things I could name on this blog that I am thankful for, and I wish I had time to do it, but I need to get back to the kids, so I am just mentioning a few. My life has brought an abundance of people who have been such good influences on me. Parents, brothers and sisters (you guys are the best!) , in-laws (I could not have asked for better ones), NYC friends (Leah, Tiffany, Melissa, Angela, so many others--I could not have thrived for 7 years in this city without you!), Utah friends (Anoush, Sarah, etc.--I miss you all!), Ohio friends (Sarah, Melody, Robin), cousins (Stacy, Kaylyn, Lisa), aunts, uncles, grandparents, former roommates (Lindsey--I am reminded of you so often), classmates, teachers, co-workers (Vickie!), neighbors, church friends, and so many others. How grateful I am for all of you and the ways you have blessed and shaped my life!

Despite any challenges I have faced, and whatever may come, I am grateful to be here, doing the things I am doing, with the people who surround me and love me and support me!

I am grateful for my Father in Heaven who loves me and listens to me and knows me and still loves me. I am grateful for my Savior. For the hope He brings. For the peace He promises me. For His love and His influence in my life. I hope I can be more and more like Him each day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

We had parent/teacher conferences a couple of weeks ago. I was sort of dreading Ezra's, because I really don't care for one of his teachers and she was the one I knew I was meeting with. It went okay, though. Ezra is doing really well. His teacher tells me that he gets loud when he gets excited, but that was her only criticism. (And I kind of thought it was a funny one, given that I would bet most 4 year-olds get loud when excited. . . ) 

Anyway, despite my fears that he was going to wreak havoc if we put him in school for 6 hours a day, he is actually really enjoying himself, and his teachers report that he is good at following directions and being helpful. I'm glad he does those things at school--how to get those skills to translate to home is a mystery I am still solving! Here is one of his projects he completed at school. The children had to cut out shapes and make something with them. One of his favorite things to make is a rocket ship!

Ginny's conference went well, too. Her teacher had nothing but nice things to say about her. She gave me some samples of her work. Here is one of my favorites, where she was asked to create her own character for a story:

Below is her Spanish Writing Assessment. The children were given 50 minutes to complete a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and then illustrate it. They had to do it without any help. I enjoyed Ginny's story immensely! (And I apologize that two of the photos loaded sideways. I have no idea why they did since I took them all the same direction. At any rate, I couldn't figure out a way to flip them, so you'll just have to crane your neck if you want to read it!)

Bruises, etc.

In keeping with a common theme of this blog, here is another picture of Isaac sleeping. This time he fell asleep during Sacrament Meeting (happy day!), and he slept on my lap all through Sunday School. With Ginny and Ezra coloring quietly, it was one of the most quiet meetings I've enjoyed in a while. :)

If you look closely at Ezra's forehead, you will see a long, thin bruise. This is courtesy of Isaac, who no longer puts up with Ezra stealing his toys. Isaac clocked him with the nearest thing to hand--an old marathon medal of Erik's. It swelled up beautifully, but by the time I took this picture a couple of hours later, it had subsided leaving just the bruise. I hope these two boys will figure out a system soon wherein they can live together without resorting to violence. They play so nicely sometimes, but the little monsters in them come out quickly when angered!

This is just Ginny and Isaac wanting in on the picture action. They were all eating their "dessert", so here they are showing it off. They love playing with their grapes before eating them. I find it annoying, but I have bigger battles to fight. :)

I have recently started to discover how nice it is to have one child old enough to semi-supervise the others. Ginny is really growing up fast. We had parent-teacher conferences a couple of weeks ago, and I asked Ginny to please sit with her brothers in the hall and read a book to them while I met with Ezra's teacher. She did a great job!

Ezra has discovered a love for drawing in the past couple of months. His drawings are getting so creative, too. One day, he angered Ginny by taking her drawing of a princess in a castle, and inserting an alien into it. When Ginny confronted him, he explained to her "But it's an alien princess, Ginny!" Sure enough, if you looked closely, you could see the tiny crown on the alien.

He almost never sits in a chair to color or do his homework. Every time he gets out a pencil, he plops himself to the floor and gets to work. I read an article about how movement helps some kids focus, and I think he is one of those kids. As long as he can squirm around on the floor, he will focus on his work for long periods of time.

A few weeks ago, instead of having a Quorum meeting, the High Priest Quorum sponsored a 5k. Our whole family participated (me sauntering slowly in the back), and the family did great. The real surprise was Ezra, who not only beat us all (since Erik was running with Isaac), but ran the entire 5k. He really zoomed! In fact, he got so far ahead of Isaac and Ginny that another family spotted him and invited him to run with them. I was so impressed, and Ezra was so enthusiastic about being in a race. Now I think Erik needs to take him out running more often so he can train for his next race!

Latest Funny Sayings

Isaac was bearing his testimony in family night. He said "I know that Jesus loves me, and everyone in Umi City!" (He is a Team Umi Zoomi fanatic.)

I asked Ginny if she needed to use Google translate for her Spanish homework. She replied, "No, thanks. I am using my brain!"

Sleeping #4

Waiting for the train at Citi Field. He was tired after seeing all the World Series fans streaming into the stadium. Erik did not want to carry him all the way home from our subway stop, so he set him down and Isaac ended up sleep walking a block or two, complete with his eyes closed.

Math

Ginny has always been pretty good at math. On Friday, she and the boys were trying to figure out how to get the remote out from behind the couch where Isaac had put it.

She did the math in her head and said, "Ezra and Isaac, you both stand on the other side of the couch, and I will stand on this side. That way it will be like having a six year-old on one side, and a seven year-old on the other!"

I thought that was pretty funny. Sadly, even with all that combined strength, they still couldn't move the couch. Luckily, Ezra discovered his arms were just long enough that he could reach the remote and get it out.

Instead of being helpful, I was hanging out in the kitchen cooking dinner. (Which, one might argue, is actually really helpful. . . The kids did not agree because I was cooking parsnips and zucchini for dinner.)

At any rate, I really enjoyed listening to them solve the problem together without help from me. :)

Sleeping, again.

This time it was on my lap halfway through Sacrament Meeting. The second half of the meeting was delightfully quiet. :)