The Thompsons--With Love!

Busy week!

This week has quite a bit going on. Monday morning we'll go play at Linda's house.  Tuesday is Henry's 3rd birthday.  Hard to believe!!  We will have a very small party for him on the following Saturday.  On his birthday, he will be going to the dentist for a teeth cleaning, and we're fortunate to have a really great pediatric dentist who we are friends with.  So, Henry is excited to go visit Priya for his appointment. 

Also this week, Owen has his first allergist appointment, which I am very anxious about.  I can't wait to try to make some progress in figuring out what is going on with him .  I hope everything is fine, but I suspect that we'll get confirmation of his food allergy problems.  We'll see, though. I'd love to be wrong this time! In the bath photos below, you can see some of his eczema spots on Owen's skin.  Before I dropped so many potential allergens from our diet, spots and areas like the ones below covered most of his body.

Wednesday afternoon, I am meeting with a landscape designer to go over drawings for some ideas for our yard.  We're hoping to make some progress this year in developing our yard into an area that we really enjoy using and looking at.  I'm very excited!

End of March

Spring is finally here!  We are enjoying our Illinois spring so far--the wind is unbelievable, the weather is a bit warmer than what we're used to, and we have a lot of sunshine.  Much more sun than we are used to in Michigan.  Owen is now 9 months old, and is a tiny little guy.  At his appointment he was only 27 inches and 16lbs 4oz.  That puts him just under the third percentile for weight and around the 10th percentile for height.  His pediatrician and I agree that he seems to be developing fine and his size is not a concern.  He does seem to have some food allergy issues, though.  He appears to be allergic to soy and dairy, and hopefully that is it.  We are investigating the cause of his allergy symptoms, and I have a few more of the most common allergens to try. 

Henry is almost three, and is potty training.  He's doing really well.  He is having accidents sometimes, but will occasionally go a day or two without one.  He seems to want to go on the potty most of the time.  I'm really proud of him! 

Nora and I have started her kindergarten work.  She wants to learn to read, so she and I are using the book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons".  We're almost to lesson #30, and she is beginning to read.  She can read words well with the phonics sounds we've covered so far.  We're considering enrolling in Clonlara school for kindergarten next year.  It is an accredited school located in Ann Arbor, MI that has a wonderful homeschool program.  They have advisers, have curriculum you can use if you choose to, and will furnish you a transcript and grades from your reported work.  The great thing is you can still homeschool in any way you choose and they will work with what you're doing to credit you at whatever speed the kids are working. 

Another great thing about this spring and summer is that we're expecting to have lots of guests!  We just had a great visit from Matt's parents, Howard and Rochelle, last week.  The kids had a great time playing with them, and were very sad to see them go.  Matt and I had a nice time having them here to talk to and be with.  It is so nice to just be with your loved ones!  It is difficult being so far away from them, especially since we got a bit spoiled being nearby last year in Michigan.

We are also looking forward to a visit from Emily and Colin, possibly my mom, Tom and Heather Hofmeister, and Ellee Spier and her kiddos.  Yay! 

Before I sign off, here are a few new Owen photos.  He is 9 months old in these photos, and just cut his first teeth.

Where to Begin??

As usual, I'm trying to sum up over a month in one little entry, since I have not kept up with writing at all.

In January, we went to Atlanta to visit family, and go to and participate in Anna and Stephen's wedding. I think the kids did well, the wedding was beautiful, and we are so happy for them!  I'll try to upload some photos of that soon.

We're finally coming to the end of winter here at home.  We got to go on a nice walk outside yesterday, and even caught up with some of our neighbors. 

Owen is now 8 months old!  He's getting so grown-up!  He's crawling everywhere fast, pulling up to a stand, and is very aware of everything around him.  Here are a few photos of him from the last few weeks:

We're having a wonderful Christmas!

No time to write, but a photo of the kids in Christmas Eve, just after a candlelight service.  Yes, we took Henry to a candlelight service.  No, he didn't catch anything on fire.  Whew! 

Gift opening was fun for us all, but very hectic.  The kids seem very pleases with what we got them and what Santa brought.  Matt and I loved watching their excitement--that was our best gift!

Owen at 5 Months

Owen is now 5 months old.  He is starting to sleep better, and is a very enjoyable baby.  He is usually in a great mood, and enjoys being entertained by Nora and Henry.  They love him, too.  We've been busy lately.  Matt is working a lot of hours, but is enjoying work and getting more efficient.  He's probably working 50-60 hours per week, but is seeing more patients each week and getting home earlier much of the time.

The kids and I have been making friends in the neighborhood.  We have people to hang out with once or twice a week, and are feeling like this is home.  Henry has had an eventful few weeks health-wise.  He has his first ear infection.  He's taking antibiotics, and it is the first time any of the kids have needed them.  He also is sensitive to peanuts.  I noticed he was getting a rash on his face after eating peanuts, and had him tested for a peanut allergy.  The test came back with a very low positive result, indicating that he has a sensitivity to peanuts.  We need to avoid all peanuts and peanut products for a few months and then reintroduce them to see if he still has the sensitivity.  I hesitate to expect it to go away, and wonder if we will be dealing with a peanut allergy forever.  Peanut allergies tend to get worse with each exposure, and can grow into a big reaction with repeated exposures.  They rarely get better or go away.  So, we'll see.  But, we will need everyone's cooperation to be sure to keep peanut protein away from Henry--to make sure he does not worsen his allergy before he has a chance to mature through it if that is what is going to happen. A photo of his rash around his face due to peanuts:

We hosted the Harden Thanksgiving at our house, and everything went really well.  It was great to have everyone together for the first time in a long time.  It was also fabulous to celebrate a holiday with my family.  It was the first holiday I've been able to celebrate with them in five years.  It is about time to take advantage of Matt's increased flexibility around holidays to get to be with my family more often from now on.  Five years is too long to be apart from everyone!  Here are a few photos of the Nora, Henry, Colin, and Owen with Mom and Dad:

Owen is now 5 months old, and here are some photos of him at 5 months:

I also finally got a photo of all three kids together without anyone crying!  It's a first, and only took me 5 months!

Here are some photos of the kids ready to watch the Michigan-Ohio State game with Matt:

Halloween, and Owen's 4 month photos

Photos are of Halloween, Owen at 4 months, Nora and Henry watching TV together (titled  "Look! They'reNot Fighting!"), and Matt with Owen on Halloween.

Owen's Bumbo Seat

Owen has been seeming like he wants to do more than just lay around, but just isn't able to do much of anything yet.  So I thought it was time to buy a Bumbo seat for him, so he could sit up and watch the kids play.  In theory, that sounds good, but the reality of it degraded quickly...  Photos tell the story!

A few photos

The big machine (combine?) came and cut down the soybeans that were in the field behind our house.  Nora and Henry were so excited.  Here's a photo of it on it's second-to-closest pass.

This is Henry trying on his outfit for Anna's wedding coming up in January.

Owen is three months old!!

Time is flying by! 
News:
Owen is growing up too fast
He's still happily sleeping in our bed, but napping in his own in the day
I cut Henry's hair out of it's mohawk
Nora is no longer going to preschool and we're going to start homeschooling
I joined a gym and am on the road to fitting my regular clothes
I'm starting a book club in the neighborhood with a friend
Nora and Henry started taking gymnastics
my house is clean today, thanks to Mrs Brennan who cleans it for me!

Some photos of Owen at three months (I think he looks like Anna's baby photos when he smiles):

More photos from August

When doing the last post, I didn't realize that I had some pics from August that I hadn't gone through yet.  There are some great ones from the Illinois State Fair, Owen at 9 weeks old, and Owen and Stacy in the Moby Wrap.