I was due to go back to work a few weeks ago. I went for two days, and had to call it quits. She wouldn't eat for Ms. Joan (our sweet "Mimi" who kept Sumner.) It was taking her an hour to eat 2 ounces and kicking and screaming the entire time. Anna Ruth had made too much progress from her Feeding Aversion for me to risk having her back slide so I decided to take the rest of the school year off.
I got some good news this month, too! I was offered a job with K12 Georgia Cyber Academy. Georgia Cyber Academy is an accredited public school. However, it is virtual. It is designed for parents who want to home school their children, but also want their children to have the state's curriculum. I will work from home, therefore I will be able to be with Anna Ruth and Sumner as they grow up. A dream come true! To me, this is just the best job possible! I get to be a teacher (which has always been my life-long dream, along with being a wife/mother), but I still get to be a stay at home mama too! I will still have benefits, pay into teacher retirement system, and get a salary. Since I have my specialist degree, I will be taking a pretty big pay cut, but I do not care one bit. Ever since Sumner was born, the only thing really keeping me at work was insurance. With this job I will earn a little more than a beginning teacher's salary. There are more important things in life than money. To me, being home and able to raise my children, and instill in them values and morals is worth more than a million bucks! This job is truly an answer to prayers. The first time I applied was the day I found out I was pregnant with Sumner. I have heard from various people that they get thousands of applications each year and it is very competitive. The fact that I got a job is nothing short than a gift from God and a true answer to prayers. I give him all the glory for allowing me this opportunity!
What's New with Anna Ruth?
- Wears size 3 diapers
- Wears size 6-9 month clothes
- Sleeps in swing at night and crib for naps
- Drinks about 4 ounces every three hours
- I kept pumping after I had to stop breastfeeding because of her protein allergy because her doctor said she may outgrow it around 4 months old. By continuing pumping, it helped to keep my milk supply active. A few weeks ago I decided to test it and see if she could tolerate breast milk. If she could, I was going to start breastfeeding again. I had frozen milk in the freezer which was stored when I had been dairy/soy free for weeks. I gave that to her and within a few hours her face and scalp broke out in a bad rash and she got terrible gas and diarrhea. Her gi doctor said to try giving her regular formula (instead of the amino acid-non milk protein, formula.) He thought since she broke out with the non dairy/non soy milk, her protein allergy could be tied with a different source... possibly gluten... or ten other different things. It is impossible to know for sure without going through a process of elimination. I bought Earth's Best Organic formula. I was very nervous about giving it to her but to my surprise, she had NO reaction! So as of now, she is no longer on Elecare! We still aren't sure what she has trouble with, only time will tell. The good thing is these types of intolerances usually go away by a year old, so hopefully we won't have too many more issues.
- She started eating baby food for supper. I make everything myself from fresh, organic, fruits and vegetables. So far she has had sweet potatoes, carrots (not a fan/will try again later), butternut squash, pears, peas, and bananas.
- Anna Ruth is sitting up pretty good. She will sit up without support for about 10 seconds before she starts to fall over. She loves sitting up and standing. She also likes laying on the floor with her toys. She can grab her toys and play with them. She also puts her paci in her mouth by herself. She still loves for people to give her lots of attention. If you aren't smiling at her and talking to her, she will stare you down until she gets your attention. Once she gets it, she smiles and smiles and smiles.
- She likes playing peek-a-boo and creepy mouse
- She laughs occasionally. Not consistent.
- She loves Sumner. She watches every move he makes. I can't wait until she is big enough to play with him.
- Sumner is a pre-school drop out! Haha! He got sick with a bad cold and once that started, he became clingy, and would cry at "school." I couldn't stand it. The only reason I signed him up for the Mother's Day Out Program was because he loved the church nursery and YMCA childwatch so much. Therefore, I knew he would love "school", too! And he did up until he got sick. But once he acted like he didn't want to go, I didn't have the heart to send him. I would rather have him at home with me anyway. We are going to give it a go again next year.
- As I mentioned earlier, Sumner has been sick with a cold/sinus infection for about 2 months. For some reason he is resistant to the antibiotics. First he was on Amoxicillin. Then, Augmentin. Finally, we went and saw his f allergy doctor who said he believes he is having reflux issues which is causing him to chronic sinus infections. Go figure?!? Who would have thought reflux could cause sinus infections. After he explained how the reflux keeps sending stuff back up from the gut, and it just sits there, and becomes infected, it made sense! We are about to start him on reflux medication and a stronger antibiotic to clear the infection. Hopefully we will see results!
- Sumner uses the potty inconsistently. I am planning on looking in the Almanac and seeing when the best time to potty train will be and going it at full force. I really believe he is ready!
- Terrible twos have hit the Palmer house. But, in Sumner's defense, he has been truly sick which I feel like has contributed to the moodiness. Nevertheless, Matthew and I are having to be VERY consistent with him. When we say no, we mean no. Sumner is just a tad bit "testy." He likes to see just how far he can get away with things.
- Sumner's favorite thing in the whole world is sliding. We go to the park or a playground every chance we get. He is also really into riding in his wagon and swimming in his little pool!
- Size 5 diapers.... Maybe we just bought our last pack though :)
I am SO excited I will be able to stay home with you from now on! Being with the two of you (and your daddy) makes me happier than anything else in the entire world! I love you both so much! I can't wait for all the Summer fun we are about to start having! I love you both as high as the sky and the ocean is deep and more and more and more!!!!!!
Love,
Mama
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