The Catch Up Post

It has been awhile since I posted.  A few things have happened here at Family of 4. 

We finished up the house and yard.  The yard has grass that has been growing for about 2 weeks and is doing well.  Our friend's fiancee came to mow it yesterday and we are getting some finishing touches going on our landscaping, but as always happens, something pops up so we have had to spread out the finishing touches. I have waited 13 yrs to have a yard and while it's a VERY small yard, it is still nice to see grass and a patio cover, as well as concrete for the med size metal sided pool we hope to get, out there.  We still need plants though, and I need ideas for plants that are safe for doggies and that can take shade and water (the plants would line the edge of our lawn where the sprinklers hit).  I am not very good at keeping plants alive (although that was pre girls, and the girls can now water plants so I'm all for getting plants going now) though.

The inside of our house has carpet, laminate and lino in.  Our old black bookshelf (purchased from Walmart during the adoption homestudy, 6 yrs ago) bit the dust so we had to buy a new one from Target.  So once books are put back, pictures hung, etc. it will feel more like home. I also got sidetracked by my back. I must have moved some furniture incorrectly, because I put myself flat out on my back after vacumming and getting a back spasm, that put me in extreme pain for almost 2 weeks.  I am finally feeling better, although my back is still hurting when I move around a bit.  I have no clue what I did but I have never been in so much back pain in my entire life.  I have had occassional back pain, but never this severe to knock me flat out in bed for almost 2 weeks.  You can imagine how my household has run during that time.  I did have to drive two days when it first happened and thought I would pass out.  Other than that, Dave has had to do cooking, laundry, and dishes.   He has had to go on errands, to the store, etc.  Poor guy, he has his own back issues.  We have had dogs with issues, too, so my new flooring has gotten 'christened' and not in a good way.  Luckily it's much easier to clean up than carpet. 

Being flat on your back, I couldn't sit at the computer very well (we have a 'big' boy office chair that is very uncomfortable for this 4'11 short arm/legged woman).  My small tablet worked ok but even balancing that on me was painful.  So I watched a lot of tv.  Specifically HGTV.  Why?  I don't really know, other than I turned to see Candice Olson remaking someone's room in their house and I couldn't turn the channel off.  I watched Junk Gypsys (a favorite), Property Brothers, House Hunters, Income Property, Love it or List it, Rehab Addict, Flip It (I think that's what it's called). I watched shows on people who wanted to rent apartments and the show would re-do a room for them, I watched Hawaii Life, where people who moved to the islands did a similar House Hunters show and picked their ideal "island" home.  You name it, I watched it.  I hadn't watched HGTV in years.  But it seemed (that and the food network) to be all I wanted to watch.  Sure, I watched some of my regular shows, but I laid in bed till I couldn't take it anymore, watching shows on HGTV.  The anniversary (this weekend) of my mother passing might have had something to do with it.  Dave let me be, and took care of me, even though I sensed some frustration on his part at times.  But I really was in pain.  Icy Hot and Tylenol (after the initial heating pad/cold compress stage) were my pain relievers.  But I feel while even though I was in pain, I was meant to rest for some reason, forced to sit back and do nothing.  The girls helped a lot (even though they are always freaked out when one of us is sick and always have been) and liked bringing me food in bed, getting my bed tray or bringing me water, adjusting pillows, helping with the pets and the laundry.  They did a good job.  But the sad part was when it was uncomfortable for me to sit at the kitchen table (we have all our meals there except the girls eat at their red Ikea table in the living room during the summer and weekends for lunch) hearing LGA say, "aren't you going to sit with us mommy?"  However, I could hear them laughing so I know that Dave did a good job of keeping them eating and talking, laughing, etc. 

I am ready, as we are in the last month before school lets out, to be ready to do more and get out and about.  I am tired of lounging now and I do feel I have done some mourning for my family during this time.  I have cried and I have been in pain and gotten through it.  I don't want to over do it though as I dont' want to end up back in bed, but I am ready to keep going. I have a summer to plan, and ready to get back in the routine.  But my back still hurts so I'm taking it a bit easy.  I want to get to my beading desk and straigthen it out as a bunch of stuff got moved to my desk area and stacked in our bedroom, so that's a bit of an eyesore for me.  It will have to wait.

I have been looking at the girls lately and they appear to have grown so much.  BGA is in 'sneak' mode, ie sneaking something she's not supposed to have and lying when she gets caught.  This is new, and more of LGA's MO, so a bit interesting.  According to LGA's teacher, she had a 'letter' week and is finally learning to read.  GO LGA!  She goes on a field trip to a grocery store today, one I couldn't go on because of my back.  LGA is also sleeping in her room now with the light off, the night light and ladybug light that shines stars on the wall, and the door closed (or cracked in her case most nights).  This is huge progress.  The water damage in her room helped her because before this happened, the hallway light had to be on, her light, nightlight, and she would open her door.  Now we have a new loft bed for her and a 'bedtent' from Ikea over her bed.  She has her huge life size teddy bear at the end of her bed, a new duvet cover on her bed, extra pillow with pillow case and she seems cozy in her room.  She got new carpeting, new dresser and new arrangement of her bed, new black out curtains, etc.  She seems to like it in her room and goes to sleep fairly easily most nights.  This is HUGE. She was the hardest sleeper, up most nights until she would fall asleep (with melatonin). Now she seems to go to bed earlier (and up earlier though, but I think she's a seasonal sleeper, as she would sleep in later during the winter) and get up once or twice to go to the bathroom then back to bed.  It would be hard most nights as she would not stay in bed, come down the hallway, get out of bed and play, etc.  So far (and I hope I didn't just jinx it!!) she stays in bed and sleeps through.

So that's my update from here.  I am ready for the summer, I think.  Gotta get a plan in place, I will have BGA at home with me as LGA will go to summer school, for a month, then both girls for a month, till school starts. 

Hope you are all well and enjoying spring..........cloudy, misty day here after an early type of summer weather (got into the 90's) for a bit of April.  May appears to be coming in a bit gloomy, but I think we are in for a hot summer.  Waiting for our med sized metal sided pool, and the girls will be all set.  :-)