It's no secret that the big change for our family this year was the birth of Ainsley Vivian on February 27th. She arrived 2 weeks early, and our life has been quite an adventure ever since. I can't help but think back to the day Ainsley was born. I went to work and contracted all day (nothing serious enough to make me stay home, but it really freaked my students out), had dinner with friends that night, and then in the middle of the night had to leave for the hospital. About an hour-and-a-half later and no pain drugs, Ainsley was born. Our experiences with Ainsley have been a little different than with Eli. Ainsley is suspected to have ADPKD (Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease), a disease that runs on my mother's side of the family. Ainsley's kidneys seem to be fine now, and hopefully she won't have to deal with any problems earlier than at the normal age when cysts will start to form on her kidneys (around the age of 40). However, for precautionary reasons, Ainsley will need to see a pediatric nephrologist once a year to ensure that her kidneys are not changing or malfunctioning. The other part of this diagnosis is that Ainsley having ADPKD also means that I have the same disease, so I will need to watch my health carefully as I navigate through my 30s.
In all other aspects, Ainsley is a happy, healthy little girl. She is crawling like crazy, smiling and laughing, and enduring the torture provided by her brother. She's our chunky little monkey, and we're lucky to have such a content little girl as a part of our family.
Eli is also doing well these days. Luckily, he has adjusted well to being a big brother and having to share his time, toys and our attention with Ainsley. He likes to help pick out Ainsley's outfits each day, he gives Ainsley lots of zorberts, and he really gets a kick out of hiding in a fort with her. Eli turned two this year, and he wore it well. At the ripe age of two, Eli turned into Jekyll and Hyde--one minute he would be listening, laughing and obeying my requests, and the next minute he'd be screaming, crying and refusing to wear his Halloween costume. Parenting Eli this year has taught me many lessons about patience and persistence. Lately, though, it seems as though (knock on wood) he is growing out of this tantrum and non-listening phase as we continue to approach his 3rd birthday. My Christmas wish this year is that 3-year-old Eli is better behaved than 2-year-old Eli. When Eli is in a good mood, he loves all things related to garbage trucks and dinosaurs. Instead of sleeping in his toddler bed, he sleeps on the floor next to his bed, and his favorite books are Barney Backhoe and the Big City Dig, Go Dog! Go! and Mercy Watson to the Rescue.
Jay and I are doing well and continuing to adjust to parenting two kids instead of one. Jay's work continues to be steady, which is nice considering he is the only editor for DMR. He's tackled lots of household projects big and small, including creating a stand for our washer/dryer. His new toy is a riding lawn mower that my parents purchased for us. Now mowing the lawn and snowblowing the driveway has become 10 times easier thanks to the new/old John Deere.
My life is still hectic and chaotic, particularly during the school year. Teaching English is a demanding job, but one that I still love. I've got great students this year, and I really feel like I've got a handle on what I'm doing on a daily basis. I'm still pursuing the media specialist licensure so someday I can move from the English classroom to a school media center/library. I have completed 60+ out of the 200 required practicum hours before I can actually obtain the new teaching license. It looks like I won't be able to finish those hours this year, but next year I will be done and can get the license. For fun, I've been attending many local art events with my good friend, Jo. We occasionally attend Monday night jazz at a local wine bar, see musicals and shows at the Paramount and Pioneer Place Theaters, or go to the downtown Art Crawl, which features local artists' work. I'm thankful for the times I can get out, be social and relax listening and viewing the creative arts. I'm still an avid reader, although finding time to read books for myself is challenging at times. I've also started to write a bit more, which also feels good, since it's one of the reasons I became an English major in the first place.
Well, that's all for now. We hope this "letter" finds you and your family happy, healthy, and full of warm holiday cheer. Here's to a new year of new adventures......
2 comments:
I feel so honored to have made it into the Burnham family Christmas card!
Merry Everything Burnhams!!
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