My Laundry Solution

I enjoy washing my laundry. In the Summer especially, when I can hang it out and fold each piece later as it comes of the line. Right about now though, I get really bad at laundry. I have no problem washing, but then it comes out of the dryer in a pile and sits in the laundry basket.

Yesterday I realized I had three loads piled up in the basket sitting in our dining area. It being Fall and piles of leaves in every yard, I thought of the perfect solution! I will set aside a room for clean laundry, and just throw it in until a huge pile forms. Then, instead of diving into a pile of leaves, the kids can dive into the pile of laundry and fish around until they come out dressed. Hopefully in their own clothes.

Unfortunately I do not have a spare room!

What I have done is taken index cards and written each name on one, plus one for "pajamas" and one for "closet". These are folded in half like name cards at the table. I line them up along the table, then Amelia and I start folding and stacking. Micah and Sunny help in spurts, but Amelia really enjoys it. Afterwards, we each carry a pile upstairs where they are unceremoniously dumped into a drawer. It works, if you do not mind a few wrinkles!

The Speech

Amelia, Micah, and Dante all have hypothyroidism, which is not unusual in people with down syndrome. (Sunny has no medical issues.) This means that every 6 months they each have to have blood drawn and we go into Worcester for an appointment with the Endocrinologist. Each visit, and they are not seen together, costs me a $10 copay, $10 in gas, and $3 in parking...plus at least 3 hours interupting everyone's homeschool day.

For the seven years that Amelia has been our daughter, she has never had a problem with her hormone levels. So I decided to convince the doctor that she does not need to be seen by him every 6 months, once a year will do. In my speech I was even going to say that I do not mind doing the blood draw and seeing her Primary Care physician in the middle 6 months. I had it all planned out in my mind.

However, my plans were not His plans. The doctor beat me to my speech with one of his own. He decided that since Amelia has never needed a med change, that we should take her off the medication and see how she does. This means in 3 months we have to do a blood draw and I have to consult with him on the phone, than do another blood draw three months later and we have her regular 6 month appointment. I guess I'll have to save the speech for Micah and Dante's appointments coming up in February!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news: Leif has his first tooth! It is barely there, but has definitely broken through. He was mildly cranky this week, but nothing big. Yesterday we also switched him to a crib. My baby has outgrown the bassinet! Jamie decided we should keep the bassinet, "just in case".

Look at this boy! Can you believe he is only 4 months old?!

Leif Loves...

...sucking on two fingers, because two is better than one.

...people watching at the airport while waiting for Nana and Poppy, because babies are cute when they stare at people.

...holding onto his left foot, because he can.

...blowing razzberries, because it makes Mommy and Daddy laugh.

...rolling over and sticking his fist in the air when he wakes up, because he is the victor.

...eating mashed banana, because it is yummy.

...dancing in his jumparoo, because merely bouncing in it is for beginners.

Leif Loves Life!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Missing dad, called home three years ago today.

Wolf Cub Micah

Micah absolutely loves being a Cub Scout! He went bowling tonight with his den, and is just one of the boys there. He does tend to take his kerchief off, but he did put it back on. His fellow scouts were great about helping him and making sure he knew when it was his turn. I am very thankful Micah has this group to take part in, since he is so happy to put on his uniform, grab his "wolf book" and head off to a den meeting!

This photo is not the best since I had to use my cell phone, which is from the dark ages of technology. Trust me, he is the most adorable scout ever!

Angel Tree

Today Reece's Rainbow begins their Angel Tree campaign! The goal is to raise at least $1000 for every orhpan waiting for a home. It is an undeniable fact that adoption is expensive, and raising grants specifically for each child will help a family be able to adopt them. Due to various restrictions Jamie and I can not adopt from China, but we want to help a child there have a home, and little Zachary is definitely in need of a loving family. Please visit www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorship/angeltree2010 to learn more about the program-- such as how the donations are used and how you can receive an ornament for your sponsorship. Please visit the chipin gadget on the sidebar to help us raise money for Zachary!