It has been two weeks since Ryan moved away and things here are finally settling into a routine. The first week that Ryan was gone we had a major winter ice storm. Luckily we only lost power at our house for about 5 hours, but other parts of Portage were out for 4 days, including our daycare! School was canceled for the first two days and then when the power was finally restored a power surge fried the motherboard and almost all the individual heating units for each classroom (about 30 of them). So, my school was canceled for another day. The district was planning on opening for Thursday, but without all the parts needed we still didn't have heat. It was a good thing, because Thursday morning there was a bad car accident outside of school and the two cars involved split the power pole in half, again knocking power out to school and this time frying the remaining heating units that didn't go in the first surge! They are still trying to fix all the problems a week later from this mess. So, our school had the entire week off. It was a very long week for us, but Matthew and I were able to go to Jungle Joes on Saturday with some friends to blow off some stream.
Due to the week off of school we had to reschedule conferences for this past week. Monday and Wednesday were conferences and I was booked both nights until 9:00. On top of conferences and getting Matthew to speech in the middle of it, Drew got sick again. His last ear infection never went away with the first round of antibiotics and now turned into a double ear infection. On top of that his wheezing flared up and he was officially diagnosed with asthma (something we have suspected since October). Drew is taking after his mommy! He now gets nebulizer treatments four times a day until this flair up subsides, then it is twice a day until spring for preventative measures. He is handling the face mask okay, some days and treatments are better than others. It works really good when he is asleep and doesn't fight me :)
We were able to purchase a new laptop and get it down there to Ryan so he can now Skype with us! Matthew is so excited to see daddy on the computer and talk to him on the phone. Drew is mesmerized by the fact that Daddy is on the computer too. Ryan got to see Drew walking all over the house in person too and not just on a video. Walking is his main mode of transportation now and he is a pretty confident walker! Drew is now climbing onto everything, including the couch...super! He talks and babbles a lot and imitates sounds all the time. He calls me 'mom' and Ryan 'dada'.
Matthew has his good days and his not so good days when it comes to missing Ryan, but every night when the phone rings, Matthew is the first to answer it. Once he talks to Ryan he gets in his bed on his own and goes to sleep. It is now part of his nightly routine. He loves his friends at daycare and loves having school time there too. Now that Drew is more mobile, Matthew has really turned around with him. He loves playing with him and his jealousy issues have subsided. He will hold Drew's hand and walk him to other toys or books. They wrestle together and play on the bed laughing all the time. Peek-a-boo is still a favorite and Matthew loves playing it with Drew under the covers. The joy of hearing those laughs is amazing.
We have had enormous support and help from family in town and many, many friends. I couldn't have gotten through the last two weeks without all the support. Thank you for the emails, phone calls, texts, watching my boys and the hugs. I can't wait for the next 6 weeks to fly by so we all can see Ryan in person. We have already started planning a few trips this summer, including a weekend in Chicago (about 4 hours away for Ryan). Ryan will come home in the fall for a few football games, but not the whole season. We are also looking forward to a family weekend at Great Wolf Lodge (also in the fall) with both boys this year. I plan on flying down there this summer too for a weekend visit. I'm not sure if I will take the kids for the 8 hour car trip, but who knows, knowing me I probably will (I don't have much else to do this summer). From what I have heard, St. Louis is an amazing city with lots to do. I would like to explore it with just Ryan and again with the kids, visiting museums, zoos and the arch! One museum I would like to see is called City Museum (Matthew's speech teacher told me all about it). It is amazing with all levels of exploration, caves, tunnels, etc.
Plus, Ryan is living with Gary, Blair and their son Henry (who is three months younger than Matthew), so a trip down there would be fun for all the kids involved!
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