patience

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.
--Franklin P Jones

If this is true, then Michael & I have learned a lot in the past week. The whole family has been sick or tired or sick & tired or sick & tired of being sick & tired! Early last week I was diagnosed with shingles. I avoided seeing a doctor until I was pretty miserable & when I did, he took one look & said, "You have shingles." Great, huh? It wasn't as terrible as the horror stories that I've heard, but it was really, very uncomfortable for about a week & a half. Fortunately Michael & Cassidy weren't susceptible to the virus (same one that causes chicken pox) but Kalea hasn't been vaccinated yet. So we had to keep her home from the babysitter last week & be extra careful that she didn't touch the bubbly gross things on my arm & back. So far it looks like she may be safe, but the pediatrician said that she could break out up to 21 days after infection, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

In the meantime Michael & Cassidy caught some sort of illness & were out of commission much of the weekend. Which leads me back to the original quote...we continue to learn patience. Every day. Multiple times a day. Sometimes even multiple times an hour.

Most recently the toddler battles have been around getting dressed. We're not talking about disagreements over matching clothing or what kinds of shoes to wear; if it were completely up to our child, she would be naked all.the.time. So, exaggerated by not feeling well, we battle loudly politely disagree. And, while she howls, screeches, wails, yelps & occasionally throws things, I've decided that I'm going to start meditating. I may as well do something productive with my time, right? And maybe my zen state will rub off on her. What do you think?

In other news, potty training is going swimmingly. Cassidy is entirely day potty trained, including nap time. The last few nights she also asked insisted on no diaper overnight. Two out of four nights she woke up dry. (Well, the first night she did wake up in the middle of the night screaming & peed on me while I was holding her on my lap, but that's beside the point, right?!?) 

Not to neglect mention of the other darling babe in our lives, Kalea is doing really well. She's still a toothless, smiling sweetheart. Sleep is going pretty well, she's eating purees two to three times a day now on top of nursing & babbles non-stop. You can tell she looks up to Cassidy already because, even still, Cassidy can make her laugh & giggle more than anyone else can. 

This weekend she held herself up on hands & knees for a few seconds for the first time. I don't think it will be all that long before she starts crawling...& I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet!

We're counting down the days until the great Lumpkin Triangle of Travel SLC to PA  to GA...get ready Grandma, Grandpa, Gran & Poppy, we're coming!

So anyhow, that's how life with the Lumps has been lately.

And, just for comparison, here's a picture of Kalea last week & Cassidy when she was about the same age...