Checking in.

I have badly neglected my blogging the past few months. Our house has been busy with surgeries over the summer, and now we have all been taking turns getting sick. I think at least half of us have been blessed with the H1N1--- we just got a call from the blind school that Marisol is in the infirmary with 103 fever. She will be headed home tomorrow to recuperate. I am still driving a rental car. The gap insurance company has received all necessary documents and now I wait while they "process" the claim. I am hoping for mercy, as I have missed a lot of work and finances are tight enough without having to come up with money to pay off the van. I've been shopping for a new car for 2 months now so I am very ready to actually bring one home. Mattea's Make-a-wish trip has been approved and we will head to Orlando right after Christmas for a week. I can hardly wait! My biggest news right now is that I have decided to switch majors mid-stream for my Master's Degree. I am putting the MSN/MHA on hold for now and will be working on a Master's in Mental Health Counseling. My interactions with the drug-exposed newborns and their moms has really sparked an interest in addictions therapy and I hope to someday be able to make a difference with this.
My babies at home are all pretty much fine. Onny is learning new things every day. She is still not talking understandably yet, but every once in awhile we are starting to understand what she is trying to say. That's exciting! She is doing things in her own time and definitely in her own way. She can say everyone's name now and is just all personality. Estuardo is making that change from toddlerhood to preschool and he is talking up a storm, and has the biggest imagination. He knows what he wants and has perfected the 3-year-old temper tantrum to a fine art. He is enjoying his Montessori preschool and I am rewarded several times a week with a new bead necklace to add to my collection, that he has made in school. Mattea continues to be amazing. She is our little explorer and it is usually in the kitchen and involves food. She loves her pasta and gets so excited that it is contagious. When she sees me cooking dinner she is right over to her high chair and trying to climb in by herself. I can't believe how far she has come in 9 months. Kory is trying to catch up at school after being out for a week with the H1N1. So far Jesse has been able to stay pretty healthy and not get too sick, thank goodness.
I am looking forward to attending a conference next week for rehabilitation nurses here in Albquerque. I was lucky enough to be one of the three from our unit that got a scholarship to attend. And I am also hoping to go to a sewing/embroidery class the week after to work on a special project. We are also gearing up for Halloween fun...That's all for now.