We have been home for three weeks and are beginning to settle into our new “normal” routine.  This routine is slightly different with two small boys needing attention, but thankfully Amelia and I are catching on to the nuances.  Of course as life would have it, there have been a handful of drastic changes...

 

First, Elliot is doing fine.  For all that little bear has had to deal with, he is adjusting very well.  We had a tough couple weeks after we first arrived home.  In addition to the world being ripped out from underneath him, we discovered a little too late that Elliot is allergic to milk.  We can chalk it up to simple translation issues.  We thought he had gas and digestion problems due to the soy formula, so we tried some lactose free milk formula.  Um.  Yeah.  Rather than detail how this concoction turned our little bear into a screaming, polka dotted rash covered monster that quite literally spewed poop everywhere, I will simply say that phase lasted a week and a half.  Amelia did some more research and learned the difference between lactose intolerance (which we thought Elliot had) and milk allergies (which we now KNOW he has).  So now the little bear is eating a very expensive corn based formula, which is only fitting since he is Mayan and the Mayans believe they were formed from corn.  Elliot has two or three bad times a day, but we can see a sweet little boy breaking through the shell of what once was.

 

Micah is two and a half.  That should say enough, but for those of you who do not yet have children, or have forgotten what it is like to have a two and a half year old, let me briefly overview the situation.  He is like a teenager in a tiny little body.  He isn’t totally rebellious, but he has moments of rebellion.  One night last week as Amelia and I were working late into the evening, we heard a loud boom.  We quickly opened Micah’s door to discover him...out of his crib....(the music chimes and we are instructed to turn the page to a new chapter in the book of life).  We asked him what he was doing - to which he replied “out bed”.  When I asked HOW he got out,  he graciously demonstrated again for Amelia and I to see...and he had an ENORMOUS smile on his face.  He was very proud of himself.  To be honest, we were pretty impressed to, but we couldn’t let him catch on to that.  So now, we have to remind him every time we put him to bed that he is not to get out until we get him...yeah....that won’t last long...

 

Our new chapter has begun and we are transitioning fairly well.  There are more details to attend to and the noise level at home has risen a few decibels.  We are praying about how to embrace this new normal as we balance the tasks of life.  I read a quote recently that challenged me to the core.  In fact, it is something that I remind myself of every day.  It says “WHAT I do will never be as important as WHO I love”.  As a human of the male variety, I desperately need reminding of this simple fact.  Productivity must be balanced with sensitivity and observation.  After all, life is a journey.  Who I love should determine where I am going, and not the other way around.

 

Gigi Armendariz came for a visit this month. We haven’t been able to take many photos, but here are some of our visit with her. We went to Arrington Vineyard one afternoon. It was cold, but we enjoyed the view and look forward to going back in the spring.