A NEW NORMAL

It has almost been a month - something that boggles my mind - and we seem to have settled into a new normal. I will lovingly call that new normal "crazy" because that is what it is. After weeks of being so exhausted that I don't want to take Lauren anywhere, I now force myself to take her out in the morning for some sort of adventure because, at two and a half, she craves adventure and stimulation. And I crave a two and a half year old who is happy and listens because her needs are being met. So understanding that, I take the crazy train out of the house into public. I've realized that I shouldn't give myself specific goals when I go out but just a general guideline of outedness.

Last week we hit up the petting zoo one day, the water park with new buckets another day and Granville Island. Between that and her day of fun with her friends at daycare, we're starting to see our happy little girl reemerge. Granted this weekend she had a series of meltdowns because I've put sweatshirts on her at different points throughout the day (how dare I!) but, hey, she's still two and a half and she's very opinionated about what she wears.

Elyse on the other hand seems to be happiest when she's wearing nothing. In the last few days we have made great strides with her as well. Last week we had her heart all checked out and got a clean bill of health for her. She has a slight murmur but nothing that shouldn't fix itself in the next few months. I would like to add that when the doctor said "slight murmur" Matt had to sit down and I actually got physically ill after the appointment. After being there through the time that Lauren was in the ICU two summers ago, the doctor really should have led with, "Everything looks fine and she's got a slight murmur but that is totally normal at this age." After getting the all clear on her heart, we took her back to the doctor and got her on meds for reflux. The medication has made a world of difference! She has begun to sleep so much more comfortably, stopped throwing up and no longer stresses through feeds. What a relief! She's turning into a chunky little baby. She's gone from 6 pounds to 8.5 pounds in only three weeks. That might be why we call her Baby Squish. It's good that adults don't put on weight the same way that babies do since babies seem to put the pounds in their cheeks first. We would all look like hamsters!