Frowns

**So after I wrote this blog post and uploaded the pictures, I looked over it and thought how sad it looked. Almost all of the pictures have crying children and it doesn't sound too cheery around here. I've re-titled the post as a contrast to my one just before this one where we were smiling...but let me reassure you, we do have happy times still!!! Hopefully you'll laugh like I do at these frown-y pictures.**

It has taken me too long to write about how Jonas is doing, I know. When we arrived home it took a while to get everyone back to normal. Kids were sick almost immediately and I wasn't really sure what to say about Jonas. He wasn't healing as quickly as I wanted but he also didn't look any worse. That was until about two weeks ago. You see, he had a strange formation of tissue on the highest hole on his back and it was the last to heal. Then one day it started opening up and stretching out the skin around it. At first we were nervous because with that came more drainage and what looked like skin breakdown. We had a nurse look at it and she assured us that this was the corner we were waiting to turn and it would now be able to start healing. I remembered Dr. Jallo telling us in Maryland that this section would likely look worse and get bigger before it finally healed. I held onto that piece of information and kept praying that he would heal properly without any more setbacks. It seems to be working. His back is now looking so good. Probably only another couple of weeks with his bandage. We are so ready to finally put this behind us! In the middle of all of this came a UTI/Yeast infection for poor Jonas but that was probably due to all the mega antibiotics he had been on for so long. That also seems to be better and we are looking forward to returning to our version of normal. :) I won't get into the therapy to-do lists we have for him after meeting with so many therapists back in Maryland but they all had many great suggestions so we are working at incorporating those things into our daily routine.

As for school, Jonas has missed so much. We started with part time days and did that for a week and then he had three days where he stayed to eat lunch. His aide wanted some experience with this before he was there all day since his food allergies and sensory reactions have a bit of a learning curve to them. Unfortunately two of the three times he ate lunch he threw up due to his typical sensory problems. I felt horribly for both Jonas and his aide!! Sometimes I wish I could keep him in a little bubble at home with me but I know this is all for the best. He loves school and it is so good for him even if I worry. Tomorrow is his second full day of school and he will be on a class field trip - GOOD LUCK I say to his aide and teacher!!!

Of course I am very aware of the other children in my life. :) They do their part to demand their fair share of the attention and I am happy to give it.

Clara is enjoying school and is going to start practicing the flute there. She does a great job of entertaining the family and loves holding and cuddling with Nell. We have had the past week off of school and Clara has enjoyed playing with friends and helping me with projects. We even enjoyed painting a Halloween project together. She has also discovered sponge curlers. Since I hated these growing up and was forced to use them, I vowed to never make her do the same. Naturally, she discovered them on her own and begged me to put them in. She then has me pull her hair into a ponytail the next day so it isn't too puffy. She makes me laugh. I couldn't decide which picture to post, so you'll get them all. She loves to pose!!

The other day she had a conversation with Devin that went like this:

Clara: One of you says one thing and the other says something else. [Referring to both parents]

Devin: What do you mean?

Clara: Like when I tell you something that bothers me or hurts me one of you will say "Oh, I'm so sorry" while the other says "I don't think it is really that bad".

Devin: Which one of us says what?

Clara: You take turns.

I'm so glad to know she doesn't have one consistently heartless parent but wouldn't it be nice if we both offered some sympathy at the same time? That would probably shock her and she wouldn't know what to do!!

Speaking of sympathy, Jonas has plenty of it for her. Clara can be pretty resistent to riding her bike. She just doesn't enjoy it the way we want her to. One evening we were headed to the Stray to ride with Jonas on his bike and Clara on hers. She did NOT want to...at all. She began crying at which point Jonas joined in since she was sad. You see, you never have only one child crying at a time in this house. Just ask our upstairs neighbors. If one starts, another is sure to join in. The following picture just makes me laugh every time I see it.

And this one is even better where Jonas is being told to stop crying just because Clara is...ahh, fun times at the Osterhout house.

Nell is quite a character herself. After a month of trying to feed her baby food, we've given up. She gags and acts like we're trying to hurt her. She is loving real food though. If given in small amounts, she will eat anything. I'm not sure she recognizes the age difference between her and Clara. Here she is acting offended by my rice cereal offering...

She enjoys babbling to herself. If I get on the phone while holding her she immediately starts babbling away. She also loves watching the washing machine and when music comes on she digs her heels into the floor and lifts up her hips and wiggles back and forth. It is adorable!!! She follows a similar pattern when throwing a little tantrum but with crying (but still wiggling) instead of smiling. While not quite as endearing, it still makes me laugh. She is just as passionate as her siblings!

We have been working on her sleeping patterns. She got into some pretty bad habits in Maryland we are trying to break. One night both Devin and I put her in bed. She immediately pulled the blanket up over her head. A few seconds later she pulled it down to see if we were still there. Assured, she'd pull it back over her head. She did this a few times until we left. Now every time I put her down she puts the blanket over her head and falls asleep. She is getting much better at sleeping through the night.

With the past week off of school we took a long weekend and traveled to Wales. It was a fun and relaxing trip. I'll post more on that soon. And I promise that almost every experience and picture is full of smiles...