Information Overload!

So it's time for an update, I guess. It feels like everyday is just like the one before, but then when I stop to think about it, I realize that there are changes, even if they happen gradually.

Jeff:
Power School has about 6 more days. He has one final tomorrow, then his Final Comprehensive Exam next Tuesday. He has really worked his tail off for the last six months and I couldn't be more proud of him. Graduating from Power School is a big deal. Many don't make it and are kicked out. Jeff has not only made it, he is graduating with honors. Way to go, stud.

He's also in the middle of some school/officer stuff right now. He wants to go officer. The Navy has a great program called STA 21 (pronounced "stay"). It stands for Seaman to Admiral in 21 years. Seaman is the lowest enlisted rank, and admiral is one of the highest officer ranks. Every year, so many sailors are accepted into the program to become officers. They attend one of the participating universities in a specific major and go to school full-time until they have completed a bachelors degree. The Navy pays them their usual salary and up to x amount tuition and expenses. From there, they attend officer training and are commissioned to be officers. It's a great program and Jeff is applying this year. The due date is in July, but there's a lot to be done. He has to be accepted into universities to be accepted into the program, so he has to begin that process. And there are many interviews and essays, so he has a big task ahead of him.

If that doesn't work, his other option is to finish his schooling on his own and apply for OCS. This wouldn't take especially long either. There are a few universities who accept all the Navy nuclear training as credits. Those combined with his credits from BYU-Idaho, leave him with only 2 or so classes required before a degree in nuclear technology is done. He thought he was going to have all summer to complete these classes, but since we're moving and he'll be starting prototype in June, I'm not sure how that will work out.

Jeffy:
He has started speech therapy at a great place called Coastal Therapy Services. He works with a great therapist named Elizabeth. She is very good with him. And she's good at including me in the session--she points out what she's doing so that I can reinforce it at home. He has an hour-long session every Monday, where the first 50 minutes are Elizabeth and Jeffy playing and working on words together, then the last 10 minutes are spent in an indoor gym that he loves. This will be the thing I really miss when we move. I doubt we'll be able to find such a great place again. Oh well. Here's hoping!

He has his first major ear infection right now. He had been pulling at his ear for a few days, and once he developed a fever, I took him in. Sure enough, infection! I admit I was surprised. He made it to 26 months without one. . . I figured we were in the clear. But once he got on antibiotics and some motrin, he's been back to his happy, destructive self. Yesterday, after I gave him his dose of antibiotic, he knocked over the bottle and it went all over the floor. Sigh. So we had to go get some more today. I can't wait till we can go outside and have him release some of his energy!

Katelyn:
Kate can now roll over both directions and is getting close to sitting up on her own! And she is a talker! She's always making some kind of noise, usually a babble or a growl. I was talking on the phone with my mother-in-law while holding Katelyn, and mom said that her growls sounded just like the sounds Jeff's sister, Elizabeth, used to make as a baby! Cute, cute. She is a very smiley baby and right now loves to chomp, chomp, chomp on whatever she can find! She just started baby foods, and peas is all she's had so far. It took some getting used to, but now I think she enjoys having her tummy full of something a little more substantial.

She also has her first ear infection right now. She didn't make it quite as far as Jeffy did. And I think it probably could have been avoided. At her 4-month check-up, the dr. couldn't see past the wax in her ear and didn't seem to want to take the time to get the wax out, so she sent us away with ear drops, and orders to come back in in two weeks for an ear check. At that visit, they couldn't see in either, and didn't try to get the wax out again. I should have insisted they do so. At her 6-month appointment, they finally pulled the wax out and she had a big infection. Who knows how long it's been there. Grrr. Oh well. She's on antibiotics now too. Giving the dose to her is horrible! I dread medicine time! I have to lay her down on my bed, straddle her and pin her arms to her sides with my legs, use my left hand to hold her head still, then squirt a little in the back of her cheek, then blow in her face to make her swallow it! Ugh. Not fun for either of us. And the medicine is bright pink and doesn't seem to come out of fabric very well. So yeah, I'm not a fan of ear infections!

Me:
Well, I have some new hobbies I've been meaning to try, and maybe once we're all settled into our new home, I'll have a chance to actually do them. With some birthday money, I got an electric sander and a staple gun, and am going to try my hand at refinishing furniture. I am the queen of finding side-of-the-road treasures, and I want to make them actually cute. I have lots of plans in my head. We'll see how the execution of those plans work out. I'm very hopeful!

My thyroid issue is slowly getting under control. This past week one of my main complaints has vanished--I'm not freezing cold all the time! Yippee! Being warm is a great feeling! And I don't keep the thermostat at 76 degrees anymore! So I am starting to feel better. I am waiting for the results of my most recent test, to get my TSH numbers after having started treatment, and to test for hashimotos.

I'm excited for our move to New York. I've been looking up fun things to do and see there, and I think we're going to have a great time. And Jeff has promised to take me to Broadway too. Can you believe I haven't seen a professional show in almost four years? It's a tragedy. But, it will soon be rectified! We are planning to leave here Sat, the 20th and spend a few days with my parents in Virginia on our way. We'll get to NY probably Tuesday and settle in. Jeff doesn't start Prototype till June, so we're going to tour the area a little before it get too hot and Daddy has to go back to work!

So there you have it. An update about us. Wish me luck with packing and cleaning. I can't wait for this part to be over! :)