What's New Here????

This year continues to be busy and full of surprises.

Some exciting news for John is that he has made the final cut at two different schools (both in PA) so he will be heading that way for interviews. That means a crazy couple of days for me. He will be flying for an interview at Kutztown University in February and another at York College in March. He has also made the short list at Appalachian State (in Boone, NC) and is waiting for another call back from them. That means I will be stuck by myself and have to attempt to get all 3 kiddos ready and out of the house in order for me to be at school by 7:15. We are still working on all the details, but Camden and Adalynn can't go to their respective locations until after 8. So we still have some planning to do. I know it will work out. Please say a little prayer that one of these schools will be the place for us to be and that John will get a job (and finish his dissertation in time in order to get a job).

Other news on the home front...


Camden is a little under the weather. He, once again, has a nasty cough and runny nose. I'm beginning to think that he will never be completely well. He seems to have been fighting this since he started preschool. (the pictures are of him eating salt and pepper off of his hand-he was so proud of himself)







Broderick, once again, has blown us away with an AMAZING report card. He has mastered all Kindergarten expectations at this point in the year, plus some. He will soon be tested for the gifted program. We have known for a long time that he is "smart", but I think all parents think that there kid's got it....well now we are really beginning to understand just how advanced he is. His writing is well above the norm for kindergarten and his reading is getting better everyday. He is already reading better than he should be in mid-first grade. WOW!!!!

Adalynn is getting really close to crawling. She can get onto all fours and rocks a bit, before she eventually flattens out. I am surprised her forehead isn't bruised from so many face plants into the floor. She still isn't so sure about food. She does enjoy things with texture (Gerber Puffs, Cheerios, diced peaches and carrots). She just won't eat baby food. I guess it's not a bad thing...just very different from the boys. Even when I can get her to eat the other things, she will only take a couple of bites before she turns into a tight lipped baby. The pediatrician said that he will give her until her 9 month check-up before he begins the referral process for Occupational Therapy (OT). After talking to one of my OT friends, she mentioned that Adalynn may have some texture issues as well as being hypersensitive. So much has already gone on in her mouth, that she says "no more" and "leave me alone". She goes back to the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Burstein, next Tuesday. We will update you with what he has to say...but she has developed two fistulas (holes) in her palate repair that we are aware of. This means that a lot of what she eats, still ends up coming out of her nose. I clean her mouth out with a syringe full of water after every meal and the water I squirt in her mouth, immediately shoots out her nose. We also keep her nose cleaned out with a saline spray, so food doesn't end up staying up there. She does well with sneezing most of it out. Needless to say, eating time is a mess and quite a chore. Maybe the whole ordeal has something to do with her not wanting to eat??!?! Who knows???







Thanks for checking in on us and the crazy antics at our house. Hope you enjoyed the new photos.