The Wonders of a Family the Communicates

As mentioned in a previous post, our youngest daughter, Ruth, had tubes placed in her ears a little less than month ago. After two weeks of recovery and an ear infection, she went in for her follow up appointment and was given a good bill health.

 Not that we needed the doctor to confirm anything.

Her ears had cleared up from the infection days before her appointment, so that was great. Most importantly, within a day of the procedure her hearing improved 100%. Suddenly, the little girl that would ignore me until I was literally shouting was responding to her name and to basic directions. And she started speaking.

We haven't been able to get a word in since!

I have been amazed how quickly she started communicating since her hearing improved (I never realized just how bad it had been). She started off speaking in a very slow, halting manner as if she wanted to be sure that she was pronouncing the words correctly. After a couple weeks, however, she was speaking clearly and using full sentences to convey her needs. Within a day of the procedure, she started singing songs all the way through with only minor mistakes. Now, she sings countless songs and attempts to sing along at church or when I'm listening to music at home.

Like I stated, I am amazed at how quickly she picked up on things.

And now I have two very opinionated, very stubborn girls that can actually tell me what they want or why they are upset. It's a lot of fun...most days.

The new language development in Ruth (22 months) and the ever-increasing imagination and vocabulary in Esther (3 years, 2 months) makes me a little sad. My babies are growing up. The last few years are almost a blur.

Thankfully, I have another little guy or girl to look forward to and I plan to do my best to enjoy every last second of this baby's development. I am about 14 1/2 weeks along and am eager to feel the baby move regularly and to find out what we're having. Oh, and I can't wait until I actually look pregnant and not just fatter than usual.

Well, good bye for now!

- Meg

Been a while...

It's been a while since I posted on here and a LOT has changed over the past couple of years. First of all, we added a second child to the family in March 2010 and she is an absolute joy. I have never met a happier child. Ruth is nearing two years of age and is growing into such a sweet, joyful little girl. And she is quite the talker!

In terms of Ruth, she has been sick since 2 weeks after her birth and, as a result, was not hearing well. We recently took her in to have tubes placed in her ear and she went from speaking a word or two at a time to speaking in full sentences and singing complete songs. It's amazing what hearing can do for a person!

Overall, parenting two kids has been fun and challenging. Esther has been in her terrible twos (now threes) since 7 months of age and there is never a dull moment where she is concerned. No matter what, I love her intelligence and independence. She amazes me in new ways everyday! Mix that with Ruth's incredibly mischievous personality and I am constantly running (or crawling, jumping, etc.).

In addition to the two we have, we are also expecting our third. Sometimes I feel like an insane person. After all, I'm about to have three kids under three. But I wouldn't change anything. I am so excited to meet the next kid. Will it be a boy? Who will he or she look like? And is there any chance they'll be calmer than the first two? I am a little skeptical about that last one...after all, Tim and I made these children. What can be expected from parents who are independent, opinionated, hyper, and adventurous (that last one is Tim, not me)?

For the record, I would love a boy (got to see what it's like to have one), but I would be absolutely happy with another girl. I'll never understand why people think boys are so much better. My girls rock. Just saying :)

Onto non-kid related things - we moved earlier this year. We now live in a new state far away from our beautiful home. I'm not sold on the natural world here, but I have to say that God is teaching us a lot about faith and frugality. I miss the ocean, mountains, seafood, and my beloved city of Juneau (best place on earth), but I am so glad that God worked miracles to get us here and continues to do great things in our lives. I wouldn't change much at this point (except maybe the size of the spiders).

Tim is working at a facility for incarcerated youth and is doing an amazing job. He loves what he does, even if it means breaking up fights, getting hit on a occasion, and eating prison food.  On top of his job, he is also pursuing a degree in psychology with an emphasis in substance abuse counseling. I admire him!

We have a lot going on and are looking forward to the holidays. This will be the first year that the girls will enjoy Christmas (old enough to care that Santa is coming). Tim has to work the evening of Christmas, so we're making the most of our morning as a family and I will then go and make the most of the evening with my parents and siblings.

I guess that pretty much sums up this past year. More big changes lie ahead, but I think we're brave and tough enough to handle whatever comes our way. I think 2012 will be our best year yet!

Until next time,

Meg