Settling In

Well, we've been back in Florida, and we're starting to get settled in. We've still got some unpacking and organizing to do, but the basics are in place. The kids are having a great time playing outside and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Barber.

The kiddos are sharing a room, which is new for us. They've handled it pretty well. Bedtime and naptime take a bit longer than they used to, but they aren't waking each other up in the middle of the night, and the first one up in the morning isn't waking up the other, so I'm happy about that. Jillian's biggest complaint is that she has to share a dresser with Jake, and Jake's biggest complaint is that he can't share Jillian's bed. He wants to sleep in her bed with her every night, and sometimes she's okay with it, but I don't want to start that habit. The kids are definitely missing their dad, but they're doing okay.

Jillian is talking about Disney all the time. She can't wait to go!

Jillian's had a bit of a rough week, physically. On Sunday, on the drive down to Florida, she fell in the parking lot at a restaurant and skinned up her knee. On Monday, she fell off the recliner face-first onto the stone floors. She banged up her head, leaving a bruise and a scratch, and she chipped a tooth. On Wednesday, we realized that the rash that sprouted up on Sunday night wasn't getting any better, and was actually getting worse, so we re-introduced ourselves to Jillian's old pediatrician's office. One benefit to moving back to a town we've already lived in is that we already had a pediatrician's office - the one Jillian went to as an infant. She has Fifth's Disease, which is a viral rash. Nothing we can do about it but wait for it to go away. Then, on Wednesday afternoon, she fell and hit her face on the bedpost, and within a few seconds there was a bruise. Now that the rash on her face has subsided a bit, the bruise is more noticeable. And to top it all off, she's getting a bit of excema behind her knees. All this in time for cute Easter pictures this weekend. She's on the mend though - no falls or bumps or bruises occurred today.

Jake's starting to say more and more words. He's said "cheese" and "please" and "help" in the last few days. And today I asked him what his sister's name is, and he said, "Jillian." He's still feeling a little bit shy around grandma and grandpa, and he gets upset if I leave and he can't see me, but he gets over it pretty quickly.

Jillian's getting pretty good on her bike, too. She's able to get a lot more practice here than she could in Texas, since we have a yard and a long driveway for her to ride on. Jake tries to ride too, but his feet don't touch the pedals. Still, they've both been learning some good lessons about sharing.