Starting Preschool

Emily started preschool last week. She was all about it, but now she is in tears at the thought of going. Assuming it's just a phase, I am just taking it one day at a time. But I can understand her feelings. She basically runs the place here. She doesn't have to share her toys and has her own schedule. She says her teachers are scary and the place is too noisy. If she doesn't like preschool---she's going to have quite an interesting k-12 career. This too shall pass I suppose.

Kyle is still working a lot, as am I. Emily turned 3 in July and the very next day I decided to potty train her once and for all. I basically just said "no more diapers." Strangely, it worked.

I have been doing a lot of face painting gigs at various events all over the Quad Cities, very fun! I look forward to expanding my client base and getting more private parties. These big shows leave me exhausted; long lines seem to never get smaller. Plus, I hate that I have to turn kids away at the end, but after 3 hours of kid after kid getting Spiderman or Butterflies on their face, I wear down.

Well, I don't get paid for writing my blog, so it's back to work I go!

Cari

Spring 2012!

Not much of a winter and NOT complaining. I hadn't been able to find the time to write posts because of Migraines that were running my life. Tired of dealing with nauseating headaches every single day, I checked into the neuroscience unit of Genesis West for a 3-5 day stay. The next day...after being treated like a drug addict (well...I was taking Imitrex daily) and having my veins blown out AND not being able to get the medication through the IV, I signed out and left my treatment to myself and my husband, in the form of sub-q injections.

 Thankfully, the drugs are working and I have been virtually migraine free for almost 3 days. I've accepted a job a web editor at EYES IN Magazine, an up and coming magazine from New York. My boss is a doll, what a great person! I like my job, it's a lot of work but the income is appreciated. I take care of the content on the website, maybe sometime later I will be more involved with the magazine, but I like doing the online stuff. Kyle's job has slowed, and my anger surrounding that business has started to subside. I was mad about retiring from being a doula, it made me look bad to jump in and out of that profession so quickly. But we all have to do what is right for the family, and my days are not numbered as a birth assistant. When my children are grown, I can go back to baby catching another time!

 Emily is in the terrible twos! I hate to use the word terrible to describe my child, but sometimes I think she's lost her mind! The throwing things, tantrums and hitting can drain a mother. Plus I hate always putting her in time out. I think it's getting better. She is still loving and sweet, she just has her sour moments......daily. As the Duggar's say: Praise your children 10 times more than you correct them. She will be 3 in July....we are already planning our first fun vacation with her to the Dells the following year. We'll be 4 days 3 nights in Ames this June. It will be nice to show her our old stomping ground, as she hasn't been there since she was an infant. We're less than a month away from our 6 year anniversary, which is pretty good considering how people are these days.

That's all for now! Hope to continue feeling well and writing more!
 The Cooneys