August News

So much going on...so much to keep up with! And it's getting ready to kick into high speed. I've been working at the Merrimon Avenune Preschool this summer and am really loving it. It's such a nice change of pace/scenery than office work. We've been very busy this past week cleaning and moving classrooms per some recent rulings from the fire marshall. I think we're going to pull through and everything will work out better than expected. I'm going from 2 days per week to 4 starting next week, picking up tutoring again twice a week and a baby sitting job. Whew!

I took Jacob for his first official day at preschool a couple of weeks back with anticipation that he would go one day a week for a few weeks, then bump it up to two. He then picked up another cold type virus that ran through everyone in our house and I'm just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel a week and a half later.

Jacob did pretty well his first day. He went back with me today -a work day- and had fun running in and out of all the rooms and down the hall. He goes back next Thursday for another "first day" since he will be in a different class room with different kids and teachers as they are starting Fall classes.

As most of you have taken your vacations during the summer, we're getting ready to head off right after Labor Day to Pigeon Forge - taking advantage of lower rates. We're staying in a cabin as opposed to a hotel room so that Jacob will be able to run around more, get outside and it feel more like home. We'll be hitting up the aquarium while we're there. I think he'll have a blast seeing all of those fish and be able to enjoy it. I'm very ready to get away and take a break from life as we know it for a few days.

Jacob has gotten better with going down for naps/sleeping, although not perfected it yet. He's been waking up once a night and taking some water (yeah! no milk! - we retired the bottles and put them into storage!) and going right back to sleep, but only sleeping a total of 9 hours or so with a 2 hour afternoon nap. We keep tweaking it, so I know we'll eventually be able to sleep through the night again soon. He's been eating like a horse and growing like a weed. I don't know where he puts all of that food! He eats as much or more than I do sometimes! He is saying lots of words and putting together 2 word phrases. Mamaw and papaw got him the Your Baby Can Read! series, so we've been working with it. He likes to recite words he knows well or has just learned when he's going to bed and waking up - as well as vacuuming at 6:30 in the morning!!

As far as Bill and I, we're good overall. Just can't seem to get done all that needs to be done around the house, which needs about a week's worth of work. Bill has had some elevated numbers come back on his triglycerides recently and is getting his liver and surrounding region looked at this week due to some prolonged pain he's been having. Pray that everything is OK, manageable and fixable. We're doing some diet and lifestyle modifications to try to get both of us into good shape.

And finally, speaking of good shape, my dad is improving every day from his quadruple bypass surgery done about a month ago. They, too are making modifications to life and diet. This has slowed dad down quite a bit and came fairly unexpected, but he's expected to make a good recovery and is doing very well in rehab right now.

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