Dog Lover, or Maybe Just TROUBLE

What to call my little girl. As I am preparing dinner, yes at 8 o'clock, Sophie is running back and forth with one cracker at a time feeding them to the dogs. The crackers were disgusting so no wonder she gave them up so quickly, but I should stop her but it is so endearing. My mother-in-law says that her first word was dog, and she is one of the biggest dog lovers I have ever met. I secretly admire it in her, because she shows the dogs she has so much love, and I just can't quite get attached to animals. (We did lose 3 animals in 2008. Thus for another blog.) I love to hear Sophie run across the kitchen floor. The little feet scampering is such a delightful sound.
As for the name of trouble. Joey was is so good to me and knows how I cring at spending money on things that will be gone only tomorrow, like a bouquet of flowers or a trip to the massage salon. So for Valentine's Day he has his work cut out for him due to the fact that I am possibly the fussiest candy eater alive. I don't care for most chocolate, or any sweet that is store bought, so he has to look pretty hard. He knows I will be thrilled just by the thought, or maybe he doesn't I should reassure him, anyways. He went with Sophie shopping and got me a mini potted rose plant (which is perfect), a box of chocolates that had a stuffed dog on top with a cute pair of socks. Sophie picked out a huge monster balloon that is adorable. Not to brag but I feel pretty spoiled. So back to TROUBLE, she couldn't wait any longer for me to open my chocolates, which honestly if she hadn't just taken it upon herself to open and enjoy them they probably would be around next Valentine's Day. So there you have it she knows that a heart shaped container is a box of chocolates and she is a girl after her daddy's heart, she loves chocolate, video games, dancing, singing, playing hard, getting dirty, and making people laugh. I think she is the girl version of the man I love. How can I possibly resist her cuteness?

School

I haven't been to school for over 5 years now and won't be back for another 5 until the baby is in kindergarten, but all I can say is I am so grateful for it. Joe has the best home hospital teachers who come over and play and work with him to help him with so many things. They get him to go things that I can't, due to the fact that I am learning about what an enabler I have become. I think that it is my way of controlling. I dislike when people are controlling but I have found that I have some very controlling tendencies. My biggest would be the enabling. I do it thinking that I am making life easier for my husband and children, yet I do not believe that it makes life better for them because I end up getting frustrated by doing somethings by myself.
Back to the school thing. Joe is having a lesson as I am writing this and the teacher is just so great with him. I try to stay out of the way because otherwise I end up talking the teachers ear off.
Joe has been feeling really good so far this week. He has decided to try to eat again and even is tolerating all his feeds through the g-tube. I am so grateful that this week is so much better than last. Tootles.

HMMM...

I do not remember the last month of pregnancy. I am having a heck of a time with the stretching and changes that my body thinks it needs to make. But enough about me.
Our house is pretty dull when it comes to doing adventurous things. We simple live like recluses and do chores everyday. I hope my kids turn out socially happy. Just kidding Sophie is the most social baby girl I have ever seen. I think we just have the winter camped in feeling.
Last week we had a scare. Joe was in the hospital all week with a fever that just wouldn't go away. But the last spike was on Thursday so we were able to come home and be a family together again on Saturday night. I always thought I could be a military wife but this last week has proved me wrong. I missed Joey so much. I think that it is good to realize that I need him. I get so strong willed and hard headed sometimes that I think I don't care if he is gone to work for hours on end. But just about right now it is like I want him to hang out with me and the kids all day.
It is true what they say, Trials truely make you stronger.

Help! Please.

So I think Sophie is ready to potty train but with just weeks until the baby is born I don't want to make the effort and have to do it twice. As I am typing this she is running around the house without any pants on this includes a lack of diaper. She will go in the diaper and then take off her pants and diaper and bring me the diaper then want to sit on the toilet and flush it for fun. I would love for her to potty train but is she ready? Please all you parents who ready this and have potty trained give me some advice on how to get her to take off the diaper first then go in the potty. She has done it before but then went on the carpet and got scarred into not doing that again.
I have decided to not write strictly about the cancers effects on Joe. So I write about Sophie more because she is so full of mischief. I love have to very different children. They keep me going and if this baby is anything like while in the womb. I am going to have a handful. Anyway, I feel I never make sense but, oh well.

Bugs and Keys

Sophie is completely fearless. While at the zoo on Friday we encountered a stink bug on her stroller seatbelt when getting off of the carousel. I reached in to get it out but just couldn't for some reason stand the thought of touching it, so Sophie being the studious student that she is at 1 year old, reached into the stroller grabbed the bug, without any fear, and threw it to the ground. I guess you could say she has now killed her first bug, yet she had no idea that she had hurt it. I believe she would have felt bad.
Today we came home from chemo and I got the kids out of the car and Sophie was walking to the door and decides that she needs to unlock the door and so she finds the hidden key outside, which now needs a new home, and tries to unlock the door. I was laughing because what 1 year old knows where a hidden key is and what it is for? I am afraid, yet tickled, that I have a very smart child on my hands. I hope I can keep up with her.