Quarantine

Quarantine is defined as a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.

It's also why my four year old rolls her eyes at me when I tell her to wash her hands again, because the quick splash through the streaming sink certainly was not enough.  Not to mention the extra loads of laundry because I make the girls change their clothes after being anywhere public.  

Do I believe I'm become a germophobe?  Now that I'm asking anyone that wants to see us even without Cole if they have a cold, I do believe I have.

When Cole was in the NICU we were told to keep him away from any germs and keep him warm since he still might have issues both staying warm and fighting off any infections.  We cancelled Christmas and New Year's plans, instead opting to hibernate and wait for spring.

To be honest, while we missed getting together with people, we slowed down and just enjoyed one another as we settled into our life as five.

As the snow disappeared, we left our cave, ready to rejoin the rest of the world.

Exploring outside was always an adventure!  As Cole's awareness awoke, the girls loved sharing their favorite festivities with their brother.  Books in the shade, jogs in the park, and dips in the pool with friends and family made for one fantastic summer.

While the air began to cool and the leaves began to crunch, Cole's situation was becoming more mysterious. Once again, doctors advised us to keep his exposure to germs at a minimum.  Now that teething was in full swing and everything found its way to Cole's mouth, this would be a challenge in any environment out of our control.

For the second winter we wrapped ourselves inside, armed with Lysol and "magic soap" for decontamination as well as crafts and games to ward away cabin fever.

Luckily, this winter has been a mild one.  Bundling up and getting outside during the warm spells has provided us all with a breath of fresh air.  The brisk walks keep Cole out of harm's way while giving us one thing we can still all do together as we wait for cold and flu season to subside.

Even though it's been difficult to not always go where we want to go as a family, we've been making the most of the situation.  Gwyneth is honing her skills as a card shark and Paige's creativity has been blossoming as she sketches her ideas for The Next Great Baker.

When life begins flashing at the speed of light again, I know I will miss these quiet days.  For now, I will cherish the time we have had to grow together, to really stop and just focus on the most important thing in my life, my family.  And someday, I hope the kids will laugh when they remember the year mommy was crazy and followed them everywhere with the bottle of Purell.

A New Beginning

I've finally started!  After keeping a journal for a while, I decided it was time to blog.  In fact, I had wanted to do this a while ago, I just needed to get the nerve to actually do it!

So why now?  For those of you that know me, you know the past year has been one of change.  In many ways it has been rather humbling.

My husband and I were blessed to add a third child to our family last December.  How hard could a third baby be?  I mean, we've been through this twice before, we were set and so excited to have a new son or daughter to share in our family adventures.

Once our son Cole was born, all our well laid plans seemed to fly out the window.  From his entrance and unexpected NICU stay to where we are today, waiting for results, his first year was nothing like we had anticipated or experienced with our daughters.

You see, as we all were testing the waters of the new family dynamics, our precious baby boy was struggling and we really had no clue for a while.  In fact, while we currently have some ideas from all his doctors, we still have no definitive answers.

Throughout the sibling adjustments, the appointments, and the waiting, we have had to change so much of how we live, some ways for the better, some not so much.  Friends have asked how we are doing it and just in general how we are doing and to be honest, we take everything one day at a time and are doing alright.  Some days are better and easier than others, but in a home filled with happy kids, laughter, and love there is always some sweetness or comic relief to any situation.

OK, so what is this blog about then?  This is me, stopping for a few moments in all of this, to catch my breath.  What can you expect?  For the most part, a look into our latest adventures and maybe random thoughts I just can't help but comment upon and well, this will be my forum.  And, to be honest, I love to write, especially for an audience, even though this will be the first time I have shared anything so close to my heart in such a public way before.  If you follow, thank you for choosing to be a part of this journey with all its twists and turns as I catch each breath, one at a time.