the fourth quarter rundown

So where were we?  Oh yes ... I'd start updating my blog with increased frequency!  The fact is, I do think about this blog nearly every day, even if I've been positively dismal about keeping it current. 

Life is so different around our house these days, most notably - cleaner and much more organized.  Although when I went upstairs to drop something off in Henry's room for the first time in several weeks, I quickly recognized that more random and routine inspections might be warranted.  I'm not as strict nor as disciplined with "just one" child at home, because it doesn't feel like the house is perpetually teetering on the edge of a hoarder's dream. Turns out the abysmal mess is just limited to the upstairs where that just one child predominantly resides.

Not only did I find several of our dishes which if I didn't know better, might have thought were part of some biology experiment cultivating multi-cellular life forms, the dirty laundry pile on the floor moved before my very eyes.  As I quickly shut the door before whatever it was in the pile came after me, I thought it's really a good thing he sleeps with his window open, even in the dead of winter.  I am quite certain, if the stale air in my teenager's son room had hit me, I might have passed out with a smile on my face before I could summon the exterminator.  Smile on my face because these are all such precious times for me.  I'm savoring all of it - even the messy stuff - because that rapid reduction from a headcount of six to three, has shaken me to just how fleeting this time all is. 

Henry does miss his siblings, but they connect quite often. As in, every day.  Thanks to modern technology, he is able to play video games with his brother in Germany, and the kids have a group chat that is always lighting up.  This recent screenshot of a telephone call they had and shared with me, made my heart so happy. I pray that they are always so close and William never loses the ability to make all of his siblings (and himself) crack up. 

It also helps that we have a standing date with the girls where once a month, we will drive down the street, pick them up from school, and make the less than 10-minute drive back to our house for a home cooked meal.  Last month, Elizabeth called and said that a few kids from the cross-country team were craving fajitas. If they brought the supplies, could they come over and use our kitchen?  I'd been at a campout with our scouts, and arrived home to find the UVM freshman cross-country team in our kitchen.  

As in, the entire UVM freshman cross-country team, minus I believe only two.

So glad we picked out that table that could expand to seat 3X our immediate family size. Never realized just how handy it would come in, but it is indeed the perfect furniture piece if your dining room ever needs to be transformed to a cafeteria. 

 

Last week, we had all three girls home, Elizabeth, Carolyn, and Lucy - our "honorary" daughter that moved to Vermont from Texas and is studying nursing at UVM.  Lucy is a good friend of the girls, and was in our Texas scout troop.  It's been so much fun having her here, even if she did finish all the puzzles in our house over Thanksgiving break.  

She also introduced us to an incredibly good Jack Daniel's chocolate pecan pie, hailing from her grandmother's Mississippi, the likes of which we've never experienced.  Absolutely yes: Lucy can stay.

 

Carolyn has been having a blast on the UVM rowing team and with all of her classes, and although both she and her sister have each changed their college major no less than 12 times since the start of the semester - it definitely feels like she is headed in the right direction.  

Over the summer, I happened to notice that Carolyn's hair was looking a little thin because as the kids can all attest: nothing gets past my eyes.  Unless I'm not wearing my readers and then I'm blind as a bat. 

When it didn't appear that her hair was getting any thicker despite all the fancy conditioners that claim to increase volume - during her recent visit to the doctor, I asked that they run a blood panel. A few days later, when the results came back and I learned that her calcium levels were above the average range, and TSH an order of magnitude below the average range, it took less than 30 seconds of me Googling her lab results to determine she was terminal.  

To say that my mind went to the worst case scenario is a gross understatement. I don't know why the mind does that to us, or my mind does that to me specifically (does no one else have this affliction??), but I honestly could not function for nearly three days.  Thank goodness Carolyn was off living her best life in college - still getting up every morning at 5:30 AM to row - and didn't witness the spectacle that her mother had become as she summoned all of her prayer warrior friends, while tearily slumping about the house, despairing a life without her.   

The happy news, we went back to the doctor last week and although all of her numbers are not yet back - the preliminary results are extremely positive.  Also, she stopped taking biotin, which it turns out can make the TSH levels go completely wacky.  I've since STOPPED THINKING ABOUT IT and am doing my best to direct my energy to our upcoming Christmas vacation to Europe. 

We're taking our first family trip across the pond and are really looking forward to seeing all of the sights. The most important of which will be our William.

Of course THIS ONE hasn't been keeping me up at night.  

Oh, meine nerven.  To think I was ever skittish about when they were little.