What A Difference A Year Can Make

Wow, hello again friends! I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I last wrote… So much has changed, but not really. Gosh, where do I begin?

Ville is officially a teenager! Goodness, I can’t believe I have a teenage child… I feel so old, haha! He has been super moody lately and gets really snippy with his sister. He also hates being asked to do anything really. Ah teenage years, when everything pisses you off… But then there’s the times where he snuggles up with Belle to watch something, or plays with the dogs like a child, or we just sit and play games together while chatting about random stuff. I live for those times. He’s an amazing kid. I wish he cared more about school, at least enough to do his work without me hounding him, but aside from that he’s a really well mannered and behaved kid. So far I think we’ve done a pretty decent job. Just pray for me these next few years!

Belle will be 6 in a couple weeks. She’s grown so much and come a long way! Her vocabulary especially has grown this year. She loves fruits, especially bananas (as always) and strawberries. She also like raw veggies, just like her brother. Her favorite is raree (broccoli)! She’s not much of a carb eater, unless its noodles, but she likes meat and yogurt. Oh, and her favorite treats are acki (ice cream) and minas (doughnuts)! I’m not sure how she got mina out of doughnuts, lol, but she loves them. She loves to sing and dance and the only time she will sit remotely still (though still bouncing and rotating on the couch) is when she has her tablet with Youtube kids on. She’s definitely my difficult child. I adore her and wouldn’t change her for the world, but man is it frustrating some days. Most days though, are so rewarding. Seeing the gears turning when she’s learning something is the most fascinating and heart warming thing ever. I don’t remember if I posted about her school doing the Special Olympics for the ESE kids. I went the first year and spent the whole time fighting tears because the kids were just having a blast and all these people were just so supportive and loving. They did it again last year (before Covid of course) but I didn’t have enough notice to take off work and had to miss. I sobbed so much that hubby thought he was going to have to come home from work because I was just so upset that I was missing it. She had a blast regardless, and I cried looking at the photos the teachers took. She was doing amazing in school before they did the crisis learning. She HATED it. She did not understand why we were doing school stuff at home. Doing her weekly assignments was an all out battle. I know she didn’t learn anything during that time because it was just meltdown after meltdown. Thankfully it’s over for now and we are able to have a nice summer as a family.

Hubby and I are in such a good place! Our house will be paid off in less than a year. He is still in counselling and is working with his psychiatrist on medication dosage. He has made leaps and bounds in regards to his mental health and I’m super proud of his progress! He’s still at his job and actually enjoys it. If/when we move out of this state he wants to stay in the industry. We have learned so much in the last several years and now seem to hardly ever fight (we used to almost constantly it feels like.) because we communicate so much better. He hangs out and plays games with Ville. Belle has him completely wrapped around her finger. She calls him “Daddy, my daddy.”

As for me, I finally put my insurance to use and went to the doctor. I got put on meds for the migraines I’ve had most of my life. I also got set up with a new gyn. I adore her. We are sort of trying to have another (and final) baby. They’ve got me on Metformin because I’m not ovulating. My weight is playing an issue and I finally got an official diagnosis of PCOS. Also, I’m on Lexapro for anxiety. I never thought I’d get help for my mental health because my old insurance didn’t cover much. I’m looking into a psychologist or psychiatrist, but they’re still fairly expensive even with insurance. But I am able to function so much better already. My new gyn was a part of that because I was so nervous at my appointment she could feel how stiff I was sitting. She talked to me about counselling and how much meds can help in conjunction. Then Covid hit the US and then my state and city. My breaking point was when there was 10 confirmed cases in the zip code where I work, as an “essential employee,” with the public. I was near panic for days and finally contacted a doctor online because I couldn’t handle it anymore. I’m still worried, of course. My husband is asthmatic and it very well kill him or at the very least put him on a ventilator. Belle is immunocompromised because of the Down Syndrome. Thankfully she is very healthy and I do think she would be ok, but the thought of my kids being that sick is nerve wracking. I just make sure I throw my clothes in the wash as soon as I walk in the door and shower before anything. I wear my mask at work and when I go out, it’s mandated now, so hopefully that helps lessen cases. Florida’s cases are though the roof and our city is a bit of a hotspot, so I’m still nervous, but at least I can be logical and know that I’m doing my best.

I think that’s pretty much everything, at least for now. Hopefully I won’t go so long between updates again! See ya’ll next time! xoxoxo