I'm up baking cupcakes for Claire's much delayed birthday celebration. She didn't have school for an entire week in April due to flooding. All of the classrooms sustained water damage and it was a mess. We're just finally having Claire's school birthday on Friday. I thought it would be best to bake tonight so that Claire can frost and decorate the cupcakes after school tomorrow.
The last month has been a bit of a blur. Cathy was here for two weeks. We had a great visit and the kids enjoyed having their big sister around. I've also had a head cold/sinus infection so I've felt like I've been underwater. I finally went to the doctor on Monday. (I knew that it had become an infection when I ran on Sunday and with each step I could feel pain in my upper left teeth. Not fun.) Today was Day 3 of a week long course of antibiotics. I can still feel some reflected tooth pain and there was a lot of pressure when I swam underwater this afternoon. I'm hoping that this course of antibiotics will due to the trick, though.
Over the last 5 weeks or so, James has started to talk! For real! He's saying two, three and four word phrases...he basically has a monologue about what he's doing at any given time. His pronunciation is interesting, to say the least, but I'm not complaining. His new speech therapist is more concerned about his language development than his speech production (and I agree). Right now, James isn't really interacting with his speech. It's a bit like when he comes over to you, shows you his car and then takes it back. This week I'm going to focus on developing his language further. It takes a bit of conscious effort because we've been focused (for a long time) on labeling objects and actions (with lots of repetition). It is so amazing, though, to really hear James' voice for the first time.
Claire's doing really well with her piano lessons. We're thinking about purchasing a digital piano for our house in the States. If not, the other option would be to buy another Yamaha electronic piano like we have on the boat here. Claire will start transitioning to the elementary class at her school next week. She excited yet apprehensive about what to expect. It's quite a big deal to move up to the next level after three years in the same multi-aged class. (James will be in Claire's current class in September.)
Need to go check on the cupcakes (or "pupcakes" as James was saying earlier)...
The last month has been a bit of a blur. Cathy was here for two weeks. We had a great visit and the kids enjoyed having their big sister around. I've also had a head cold/sinus infection so I've felt like I've been underwater. I finally went to the doctor on Monday. (I knew that it had become an infection when I ran on Sunday and with each step I could feel pain in my upper left teeth. Not fun.) Today was Day 3 of a week long course of antibiotics. I can still feel some reflected tooth pain and there was a lot of pressure when I swam underwater this afternoon. I'm hoping that this course of antibiotics will due to the trick, though.
Over the last 5 weeks or so, James has started to talk! For real! He's saying two, three and four word phrases...he basically has a monologue about what he's doing at any given time. His pronunciation is interesting, to say the least, but I'm not complaining. His new speech therapist is more concerned about his language development than his speech production (and I agree). Right now, James isn't really interacting with his speech. It's a bit like when he comes over to you, shows you his car and then takes it back. This week I'm going to focus on developing his language further. It takes a bit of conscious effort because we've been focused (for a long time) on labeling objects and actions (with lots of repetition). It is so amazing, though, to really hear James' voice for the first time.
Claire's doing really well with her piano lessons. We're thinking about purchasing a digital piano for our house in the States. If not, the other option would be to buy another Yamaha electronic piano like we have on the boat here. Claire will start transitioning to the elementary class at her school next week. She excited yet apprehensive about what to expect. It's quite a big deal to move up to the next level after three years in the same multi-aged class. (James will be in Claire's current class in September.)
Need to go check on the cupcakes (or "pupcakes" as James was saying earlier)...
