2011 Volume 1

I feel like so much has happened since I last blogged, but I don't remember what. Maybe it just seemed like a lot happened since we were so busy with the hundred or so family get-togethers we went to for Christmas. It sounds crazy, but family get togethers take a lot out of me. I don't ever feel like I belong. And I'm such a loner that it is overwhelming to me to be surrounded by a lot of people. I really don't enjoy having a dozen conversations going on around me. It makes it to where I can't concentrate and I just zone out. I'm not saying that I don't like to be around mine or John's family members. I just don't like being the way I am. After every single get-together, I have a headache that lasts for hours. Once again, this social anxiety stuff just sucks the fun out of every experience. But besides that, we had a good Christmas. John and I were actually able to afford to buy each other Christmas presents this year. We bought a Wii for the family. The kids have been wanting one forever - seems like everyone had one but us. We all like to bowl on it. It's nice that we can actually all do something as a family that we can all enjoy. And it keeps the kids active - they like to play tennis and boxing and stuff like that too. It could potentially be a tool to help you loose weight - the fun way. Unfortunately, I can only play about one game of bowling at a time. Past that, and it bothers my shoulder too much. Sad, isn't it? It's VIRTUAL bowling. I don't even have to carry an actual bowling ball. But the motion of it bothers me. I feel like such an old geezer. I'm hoping that after using the wii every day, my body will get more used to it. We will see. Now, if only the wii didn't start so many arguments between the kids...

Sometime before Christmas, I took Mikayla to the doctor and found out that she had a urinary tract infection and a yeast infection. That wasn't too long after she had her teeth pulled out and the shots in her legs... She was having a very bad week. I felt so bad for her. She cried every time I gave her the Amoxil. She couldn't stand the way it tasted - and it's even bubble-gum flavored so I don't know why it was so horrible to her. She also wasn't a fan of the lotion I had to put on her "down there". One day she finally had enough and said "No more damn lotion!"

The other day, the school nurse called me. She said that the occupational therapist at the school told her that Dakota seems to be having a decrease in strength and endurance in his hands. They work with Dakota every week with his fine motor skills, so he should be getting better - not worse. They are concerned about it and wanted me to make him an appt. with his doctor to see if he needs further testing... And here I thought that things were finally starting to go well for him at school. Anyway, his appt. is on the 17th so maybe we will know more then.

Today was Dakota's appt. with his orthodontist in St. Joe. He will probably end up with braces by summer. She wants to wait for one more tooth to come in - and it should be coming in soon. While we were in St. Joe, we did a little bit of shopping for clothes for the kids. Dakota is already in size 10 jeans and he's only 7... He has grown so much taller here recently, his size 8 jeans are suddenly too short. Watch out grandma, your grandson will be taller than you before he's 10 ha ha ha! Anyway, both kids are currently so picky about their clothes. Dakota want all his shirts to be Star Wars, Wrestling, or all black so he can be a "Sith" (some Star Wars thing...). Mikayla is now refusing to wear jeans. I can't really say too much. If I remember right, I would only wear cloth pants when I was little. But Mikayla is wanting to dress like a diva or something. She wants to wear a dress or skirt all the time. I've had to get her some leggings. And she likes wild looking stuff. We were at Target today and they had some leggings on clearance. They had 3 different kinds in her size - black sparkly ones, pink floral ones, or shiny gold 80's hooker looking ones. Guess which ones she wanted??? I was really mean and told her no. I told her she could pick between the other 2 or not get any. She had a meltdown about not getting the gold ones so we left without getting her any. I'll allow Mikayla to dress funky, but there are just some things that I can't be seen letting her wear. Dakota told me that I was mean and he was gonna call the cops on me, lol... He is so protective over his sister sometimes (unless he is the one being mean to her). Anyway, about that time we found out that John's Auntie Mac had been taken to the hospital in St. Joe, so that's where we headed next. I think they said that only 20% of her heart was working. She looks really weak. Hopefully they can do something to help her. She is in her 90's though, so I don't know if there's a whole lot they can do. I think they have some more testing that have yet to do. I thought it was funny though - she was worried about not having her make-up at the hospital and you could tell she was worried about the way she looked. I'm guessing that if she felt too awful, she wouldn't have been worrying about that - so I guess that's a good sign :)