Regressions and Birthdays

It has been business as usual this week, just going about our normal routine.  Zach has had a few bad days at school, where he doesn't want to get dressed to go home, and has been wanting me to pick him up.  It is a little troubling, I could agree to pick him up from time to time, but I don't want him to get used to that, because once I get a job, I won't be able to.  It will be better next year, when he goes to the same school as Israel.  They are really close, and I can tell they take comfort in each other's company.  When they're not fighting, that is.
Israel has been having fairly good days lately, the most they complain about is him making excessive noise.  That is just his personality.  I understand (as do they) that he makes noise to drown out other noises, and a lot of times, he hums or sings without even realizing he's doing it.  I guess I can't feel too bad about him making noises, even though it's distractive.  Before he was diagnosed, he was hitting, kicking and pushing kids, and we've also been through periods of spitting (with both my kids), so while I don't condone the distractions he creates, making noises is not the worst thing he could be doing.  At least I am not getting calls to come pick him up all the time.
Zach has been having accidents at night.  It has been nearly a year since he'd peed the bed, but in the past few weeks, there have been several incidents.  I think it may have something to do with his sprained foot, which he is still refusing to walk normally on.  He is still on tiptoes, and it is starting to concern me, I may have to bring him to a different doctor to have it looked at again.  Did I mention how sick of doctors offices I am?  But I can't have him potentially shortening his calf muscles and tendons by walking on his tiptoes indefinitely.  So, I will try to get him an appointment next week.  Blah.
I can't believe there are only 4 months left of the school year.  There are pros and cons to having a 9 month school year.  I love the idea of summers off, so we can plan to do all kinds of things while the weather is nice.  It does get expensive to have full-time daycare for those 2 1/2 months though.  Ah well, we will take it as it comes. 
Last weekend the boys were busy playing in their bedroom, and all of the sudden I heard a chorus of meowing and barking.  I already had a smile on my face when I got to their doorway, and Israel explained that all of their stuffed animal friends birthdays had already passed, and we missed them, so they were throwing a party for them.  Cats, dogs, bears, Spongebob, and a zebra.  It was pretty adorable.  I am so glad my boys have the capacity to pretend.  It is truly precious, and so are they!

Spaghetti Beards

Guess what we had for dinner?  My boys rarely agree on foods, but one dish they can truly appreciate is spaghetti!  They both ate massive amounts of spaghetti tonight and played happily for the night.  Looks like we are off to a great start to the weekend.  Is there anything cuter than spaghetti-bearded kids?

Recovering Nicely

Well, Israel is now 2 days post-arm cast, and he is beginning to use his arm amazingly well.  Despite seeing the x-ray of a well-healed bone, I am still a nervous wreck when I see him running or fighting with his brother. He is quite prone to tripping, which is how the arm got broken in the first place.  Being forced to write with his left hand for 7 weeks, he is now ambidextrous and I found it quite amusing to see him sitting down to do homework, a pen in both hands, working away like a madman.  The coolest thing is, his penmenship as the same with either hand, which I find pretty impressive.  He was really worried about his arm when they took the cast off, and shed a good number of quiet tears in the doctors office, not wanting to move his arm or bend his fingers.  I had to set a time limit on him as to how long he was allowed to leave his jacket and mitten on after we got home, and had to coax him into a much-needed bath to revive his dry, flakey skin.  After the bath, he discovered he could bend his fingers much easier, and he hasn't looked back since.  I am happy he's doing so well with it.  I really didn't know what to expect since he is my guy who really doesn't handle transitions well. 
Zach is still walking on tiptoes due to spraining his foot a week and a half ago.  Though its not broken, he is still favoring it which makes me wonder if its time to get a second opinion.  I do catch him running on his tiptoes sometimes, and jumping gingerly on it, which leads me to believe this one may not be something to worry about.  Which is a relief, since our family has had 3 visits to the emergency room since December. 
Zach has a dental appointment scheduled for mid-March, which he will have  done at the hospital under anesthesia.  I am nervous about the whole thing, particularily the cost of it, if I get a job and lose our Medical Assistance.  But, as always, we will play it by ear and do what we can. 
I had a promising job interview last week, and will be going to that office to shadow for a few hours today.  While I am very excited at the prospect of having 2 incomes again, I am worried about how Zach will handle it when I go back to work.  I don't think Israel will be affected too much, because my husband will be here for them after school, and Israel and Garrett have a special bond, just like Zach and I do.  Zach is a little too attached to me, but the last few months have shown great improvement in his allowing Garrett to entertain him or get him what he needs.  Time will tell.  I was not unemployed by choice, and we definitely cannot afford to live on one income very much longer.  I can only hope that our extra time together was as rewarding to them as it was to me.