Fevers

JD had a fever for a few days last week. It was rough, topped at 103ish. The Tylenol and Motrin kept it there, so who knows how high it was. Well two nights ago Rae woke up with a fever. Yesterday she took a  nap and she woke up shaking. She let me put the thermometer in her mouth for about 10 seconds, it was at 104* so I gave her some Tylenol and that brought it down to about 103*. We shall see how she feels tomorrow. She napped from 430-6pm so I am hoping her fever doesn't break tonight, because if it does she will be up wicked early, which means I should probably go to bed now. And hopefully this is the end of our sicknesses for this winter season... Mostly because I hope winter will be over soon ;)

On another note, I think I just heard another mouse! We caught 4 and then last night I saw one so Isaac put up a LOT of traps. We caught 2 more. So 6 total. Hopefully if there are more we catch them!

HISloveNAME

The Woodward Family

Rae Sayings

While I plan to write them down somewhere else too, I thought it might be fun to share some of the funny things Rae says and does here. Hopefully I will be sharing some of the things JD says too very soon :) Still a little worried about the speech thing.

Popsicle: pacalow

The other day I went shopping with my mother. She told Rae that we would call and see if she and Rae were being good and then would bring them back something if they were being good. Isaac called me to tell me this story:
JD was not acting like himself, he was wicked fussy. Rae tried to tell him everything was ok, she likes to comfort him. Then she picked up the 'phone' and said "grammy, its Rae. JD is being a brat" Isaac picked up the phone to call me to tell me what had happened and Rae told him "daddy call mama and tell her that JD isn't being good."

HISloveNAME
The Woodward Family

"Ma-Ma"

These are words I didn't hear Rae say till she was a week shy of being two years old yes, 2. Tonight Isaac and I were sitting on the couch watching "Edge of Darkness" another discussion for another day, but I will say it was a good movie, definitely worth watching when I heard JD from the bedroom "Ma-Ma. Ma-Ma". I went in to make sure he was ok, put the binky back in his mouth, things like that. When I came out I told Isaac that it is weird to have a child under two or under a year for that matter call for me specifically. While I don't know for certain he knows the difference and I would love to say that he is close, but having NO idea what it is like for a child to develop normally in speech I have less of an idea than a first time parent it is still nice to know he can make the sounds something I learned from Rae's speech therapy is that the first key sounds babies make are 'da' 'ma' and 'ba' and the first flag should have been that she never said 'ma' or 'ba'. I have video of the first timeish Rae said 'ma', but I guess it isn't on my computer, I'll try to upload it another time... For now I will give you a fun video of Rae and her 2nd cousin dancing with a monkey at Christmas.

lol. Anyway... It is encouraging to hear him be able to say 'ma' but at the same time it reminds me of Rae from her first birthday to her second, and then to the present. While I am happy she is talking it is still hard to look back on that time. She was so frustrated. I think that is why it is so hard to see her upset now, because I start having flashbacks. I worry she will turn into that child again. Her tantrums are still on the extreme side but the occurrence of them is more normal  at least that is what I am told. But this is a subject for another day. Although it does show how I turn something happy (JD being able to say 'mama' and be weeks away from using it correctly) and spiral down into a negative. Overall my feeling is happy, but I think I fear being happy in case he ends up with a delay too. 

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

HISloveNAME

The Woodward Family

A Conversation

While we were waiting in a line today a woman was admiring our kids who doesn't ;) so she started making conversation with Rae.
She asked her, pointing to JD, "Is that your baby?"
Rae: "What?" (Her new favorite question)
The lady: "Is that your baby?" (making it more clear she was talking about JD)
Rae: "No"
The lady: "Oh, he must be your brother then"
Rae: "What?"
The lady: "Is he your brother?"
Rae: "Oh yeah... Joseph. Baby is at home..." She went on a little bit about that, and we explained that 'baby' is her doll at home.

It was just wicked cute to see her have a conversation with someone like that. She never called JD "her" baby and she would get frustrated that people would say that. "Her" baby is her little doll she brings everywhere. "A" baby is a baby who belongs to someone else. Always been so smart :) I do think it is cute that kids call babies "their" babies but I do love that Rae is so smart. Sometimes it is annoying because we miss some cute things, but it is ok.


Rae's recent cute saying:
"What are you thinking? What am I thinking?" (Are you thinking what I'm thinking?") and she always has the CUTEST face when she says it. I know there are more, but I need Isaac and my mom to help me remember them. We'll start writing them down, because she usually only does one or two at a time anyway.

HISloveNAME
The Woodward Family

Deep Breaths

We are getting there... slowly but surely. The cable guy had to come again today because things were fulling installed yesterday. Because they came back in 30 days we get 3 months of HBO free Yes I know to call and cancel. Most of our clothes are put away, we still have to figure out where some of them are going to go. Unfortunately I think we are going to have to squeeze another dresser in here :( or maybe just a different one, but then that means no TV. Which some people are totally for no tv in the bedroom Isaac and I only go to bed at the same time 2 times a week if we are lucky and having grown up in a small house and hearing the TV as I fell asleep I find comfort in falling asleep to it. Anyway... So clothes are mostly done. Right now I am a little more than ticked that it takes over 1.5 hours to dry a load of clothes. Isaac is going to pull the washer/dryer away from the wall and see if something is blocked. It better be because I am wicked excited to have my own washer and dryer. Isaac was just coughing in the living room and the monitor lit up :( the doors were made to be handicap accessible which is a little ridicules considering how small the apartment is. Anyway... They are very thin and very big, so you can hear just about everything through them. We are going to see what we can do with the kids door, maybe put something on it to block the noise... I did put up some stuff between our apartment and the landlord's house. It is only kinda working.. actually mostly all it is doing is blocking the site of the door. My mom is going to see if there is something else we can put behind the curtain yes it is one of the ones that is supposed to block noise. We still have about half the kitchen to unpack and then we have to tackle what everyone helped us pack up the day we moved which is all the crap we had all over the apartment. Hopefully we can figure out something to do with that. All in all I guess things are going ok but I feel like I am going crazy. I can't rest and I am wicked exhausted. In fact today I got a chill so I am pretty sure I am coming down with something, which is definitely not helping the situation.

Rae: She has stopped listening, almost completely, no lying. It is really weird. I think it is because of the move and I hope she moves past it soon because she is really bothered by it.

JD: He took a step fully unassisted. He was walking toward something but for a full step and a half he wasn't touching anything. I tried to get him to do it again it was hard cause he was tired and hungry but he didn't just go straight down, he thought about and started to attempt a step. I was really hoping he would be walking by now :-/

HISloveNAME
The Woodward Family

Long Week

We are moving on Saturday!! There is so much to do this week. My mom is coming down tomorrow to help me pack. I don't even know where to start. Although at some point today I will probably start packing the kitchen. I am hoping we can use paper for most of the week. I made something last night that was very big that will hopefully last us the week. Which is actually only tonight and tomorrow night. We are going to be spending Wednesday night at Isaac's parent's house, Thursday (Thanksgiving) watching the Pats/Lions game at Isaac's parent's which actually kinda stinks because out of everyone they have the worst TV. But oh well. The game is a bigger deal because Isaac's parents are from MI. Even though the Pats are going to win it should be fun anyway. Then we are going to my Aunt's house like we always do. Then spending Thursday night at my parent's. I wish we had some money because I am getting so many coupons and stuff for Black Friday. There is something I really want from Victoria Secret its some bag full of stuff but I don't have $60 to spend there... Even though there is stuff I need from there and could spend that much easily. I am going to be putting some pics up of the apartment on my Facebook soon. None of the outside though. There are a lot of safety things we have to do and we have to buy a tub thing for the kids, but hopefully it will work out well.

I should go. I have to look for a tub and a gate. Plus JD should be up from his nap soon and I don't know how much longer Rae is going to leave me alone. I don't know when I am going to get back on, I will try because I want to reminisce about a year ago. Also, I don't know what the internet changeover is going to look like yet. Isaac is going to call today I think.
Oh... and I want to talk about Rae's 3rd Birthday (WHICH IS TODAY!!) and what the last three years have looked like. Its crazy!

Wish us luck :)

HISloveNAME
The Woodward Family

BitterSweet

Second to last visit with Kristen (Rae's SLP) and Julie (Rae's service coordinator) it is going to be sad next week. As they were leaving Rae said (for the first time) "See you soon" as they left. She was understanding as we were telling her that next week will be the last time with them. And usually when we say good bye to people we tell her to say "See you later" so to come out with 'soon'... Very much her own working.

We bought the giant cupcake pan for Rae's cake. I am going to make it Friday in time to frost it on Saturday. Hopefully it comes out ok :) Rae can't wait to go to church on Sunday because she knows her party is after. lol

HISloveNAME
The Woodward Family

Officially Unofficial

We are moving. We are hoping to move sometime in December if we can find a place. We are hoping to move as close to my parents as possible. I am going to be looking for a job, which is going to add a different dynamic to our family.

Back in August or so Isaac and I started to feel the Spirit leading us away from the seminary. It was hard because we felt like if we left we would be letting so many people down our friends and family, the church who is supporting Isaac ordination, the school because of the RLC position we took thinking we would be here till the spring... each other. When Isaac went to take out a loan for this semester he came up short so we had to pay for that. We prayed more and realized while we could probably come up with a way to pay for next semester use our tax refund this was God's way of saying "Are you listening now?" We do understand that this was something that was just going to happen, they would have cut him off at this amount no matter what but because we have been feeling we should leave and then praying about it more we realize that it is time. Isaac still has about 5 more classes after this semester plus a couple mentored ministry things so the plan is to finish. When that is going to be we have no idea. Also, if it is going to happen. Through having Rae when we did and this happening we are being told over and over again that we are not in control and we are not to plan. We have set our lives for God and He is in control. At this point we are fully sitting back and letting Him take that control. So while friends and family want answers for what this means and where we go from here, we have no answer except that God is in control and we are trusting him with our lives just like we should. There are just so many things going on for us right now, and we are trying to get through together, one day at a time.

The reason this is officially unofficial is because we still do not have a place to live. We are looking for a 2-3 bedroom place to live close to my parents so if you know where that is and you know of something please let us know. The cheaper the better. The less hours I have to work the better.

I will update on Rae and her speech in the next couple of days. I am tired and really need to get some sleep but things have been progressing with the school although we are pretty certain she is not going to get a spot, she is too smart :)

HisLOVEname
The Woodwards

Quick Update

I have been having pain in my abdomen for quite some time. I have had two appointments with the general surgeon and he hasn't been able to feel it well the first time he said he felt something but he wasn't 100% sure because this type of hernia is very rare. So the next step is to do a CT scan. So tomorrow I have a CT scan. I hate preparing for these things, I get so sick from the stuff they give you to drink before. My mom is coming down so Isaac can stick with his sleep schedule and that way he gets some sleep and I don't have to worry about taking care of the kids in the afternoon. After this if they find nothing they are probably going to have injections in the spot of the pain because it is pretty intense. I can take TONS of aleve, but I hate taking meds.
JD ate bananas and carrots the other day. Bring on the solid solid food :) Rae is pretty much 100% fully potty trained, even at night WICKED EXCITED and PROUD of my two kiddos!

I think that is all I really have for an update on things for now

HisLoveName
The Woodwards

Deep Breaths

Things are going crazy. I came up with a great analogy for what is going on right now: I feel like I am going down a bob sled track, faster and faster, and I can't stop. At this point I would be happy to even just slow down. I talked to my best friend Jamie today and it felt great. Although it did remind me how much I miss her. She can always make me feel so much better.
JD is cruising like crazy. He learned how to do 'Ring Around the Rosie' its so cute.
Rae is pretty much 100% potty trained. In fact we haven't put a diaper on her in a week. Oh my gosh, it wasn't until I just thought about that that I realized it. Last Friday night was the last time she wore a diaper to bed. Yes you read that right. Last week she decided that she wanted to wear underwear to bed. And last night was the only time she wet the bed. She has been getting up and going in the potty in the morning. We are so proud.

His loveName
The Woodwards

Someday

At least I hope someday it will happen. We are working so hard to get Rae potty trained and by we I mean her and I. I have been putting her in underwear all day every day and we have maybe one accident a day sometimes more but in the underwear she lets me know quicker. It stinks because we pay for our laundry and I can't always get it done when I need to either someone is using the washer when I can, or I don't have any quarters. and while I do realize I could just hand wash them it doesn't seem to be the same. There are times where she goes in by herself and goes I just have to teach her that only mommy and daddy can dump the potty and wash it out.
JD has started cruising around the living room. He still prefers crawling but I am hoping he is going to start walking sooner rather than later. If he doesn't start walking until after a year he will have been crawling for almost a year more like 10 months but still a loong time

I am working on reading The Colorado Kid by Stephen King we have been watching Haven and it is based on this book. Isaac got it on tape to listen to on the way to and from work. I also got Raising your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent and Energetic My mom said she read it and she loved it. I am hoping it will help with Rae. I talked to a new neighbor here and she recommended another book also, so I might look through that one too. I have also started attending a Bible study which I am wicked excited about we are doing a study on the Psalms. So I have a lot of reading to do. lol OH I also borrowed The Host by Stephanie Meyer from a friend.

His LOVE Name
The Woodwards

I did it

I cut Rae's hair! It came out really good, I am pretty proud of myself. She was letting me brush her hair and play with it and so I decided to try and cut it. She HATES having her head touched, her hair brushed or washed. So I did it. Its a little sad, the first time its really ever been cut When she was about 7 months old I did cut her hair a little bit, there were two chunks that were a little longer than the rest, but that doesn't really count. I cut about an inch off. I wanted to trim the layered look off, make it look straight unlike mine her hair is think enough to look straight when you cut it. Its still plenty long though, and very beautiful. It will be interesting to see what the curls that were at the bottom do. It is possible that the rest would curl a little if it wasn't so long, so we will see if that is what happens. I didn't cut it all one length, the front is still a little shorter, but it looks angled, very nice.

Okay, enough about Rae's hair. lol

I was talking to my friend and we were at the door. She asked if it was ok that JD went out in the hall he was making his escape. I told her it was fine, he wasn't going to go anywhere. Boy, was I wrong lol. He went for the first stair, lifted his leg a time or two, and up he went. He probably would have done them all fairly quickly but we were all behind him. Since then he has tried to climb everything. He hasn't had much success though. But he is wicked cute.

His loveName
~The Woodwards

I'm Back?

Well I am hoping. I have been reading a couple more blogs from friends and feeling like I would like to start blogging again. Not that our lives are all that interesting, but ya'll missed that JD is now crawling! He started at about 6 months. He is standing and not quite cruising, but he does try to take steps between things. I really do think he looks around and realizes that we don't use furniture to hold onto when we walk. Rae's speech therapist said that he isn't even overextending his legs that much, which is odd for his age, but good because it means he really is strong enough to walk.

Rae's speech therapy is going well. She is moving ahead which is good, but frustrating because we would like to see her get into the town preschool because we can't afford a private one($3000 a year is just too much) We are going to be moving sometime in the next year (more on that later) and we are assuming they are cheaper up near my parents, which is where we plan to go. Rae is actually doing really well and may not have a problem, but it is still hard because they say she would really benefit from speech therapy for the next couple of years. But we can't afford that, and or preschool. It will all work out, somehow. I am very proud of her and I love the fact that I can ask her where something is and even if she didn't put it there, if she just saw it, she can tell me where it is.

That is it for now. I have been doing a really good job at keeping the apartment picked up and there are a few things I have to do while JD is napping.