The Fanning Four

Sometimes you look back on a year and think, "Phew, we made it!" 2011 is that kind of year and I am tired. But my heart and my home are full of love and joy. This precious girl started out her year with surgery, having her adenoids removed. She continued to struggle with asthma most of the winter and spring until we discovered allegra, got her off regular milk, and bought new couches. Now, she has been pretty healthy for months. She turned three in July and has been an absolute joy. She rarely gets in trouble, eats much better, has a huge imagination, is really understanding so much about God, and constantly make us laugh. She's quite the gymnast too and goes to gymnastics twice a week. She loves to play with baby dolls, do our hair, play dress up, run around outside, and has discovered the fun of computer games. She can say her ABC's but she gets tripped up on the letter "h". She can count to 13. She knows her address. She can sing a lot of different so...

Remember how Caleb climbed out of his crib two days after we came home from surgery? Yeah....good times. So, in order to keep him from getting too upset (in case he might start bleeding again and require another call to 911), we have spoiled him. He has been sleeping in our room with one of us each night. He falls asleep holding my hand. He hasn't shown any signs of bleeding in a while, so guess what's going up this weekend? THE BIG BOY BED! So, if you hear screams coming from my house next week, don't worry. Everything. is. under. control. I tried putting him on his crib mattress in our room last week. I even stayed with him. The phone rang. It was China. They asked, "What are you doing to poor Caleb? We can hear his screams all the way over here." Better go find those ear plugs........

On one of my trips to Nicaragua, we went to the city landfill to visit the people who work scavenging what they can find in the landfill. They live among running sewage. There is the stench of burning trash constantly. They live in places that make our kids' cardboard forts look like mansions. They are hungry, they are sick. They are desperate for hope. While I was there, I met a family that I will never forget. The Grandmother gestured to her daughters and grandchildren (dressed only in soggy diapers) and said to us; "I know you didn't ask, but these children, they only eat once a day." So, it goes without saying that it has been a rough month and a half for our family. But perspective is everything. I had mono, strep, and supposedly Lyme Disease but I have a husband who can take off work and still get paid. Caleb's surgery and recovery has been exhausting, challenging, scary, frustrating, and disappointing. For those who aren't on my facebook- he devel...

Hi neglected blog friends, Most of my readers already know everything from facebook but I didn't want to totally neglect those of you from other places that read. So, for you, I give you this post. Caleb is doing marvelous. He stays in childcare and with babysitters sometimes and there's no trauma or drama (most of the time). He drinks from a sippy cup (without the no spill plug). He can sign about 10 words. He pretends to read and makes sounds when he does. He's much more stable when he walks. He is enjoying playing on playgrounds. He is sleeping well. He still has some days where he has fits of crying and he gets easily overstimulated by new situations (and he is still terrified of elevators). But overall, we're so pleased with how he's doing. His surgery for his palate and tubes is coming up on Tuesday. Bethany is also doing well. Sometimes I forget she has asthma because she's been so well this year! We've made a lot of changes in our house, some i...