Springing into Summer!

It's been another whirlwind season as we transition from my last post in winter to today--almost summer. I say almost because technically we're in the middle of spring, but my city only seems to have seven months of hot and four months of cold. We are finally reaching the hot days, though I'm grateful it took a while this time. There have been years where my brother hung out by our old pool in February and there are years where I had to break down and turn on the air conditioner before our usual April 1 date. This year it's been too cold for the air conditioner just yet, thankfully, as the wind seems to keep picking up just in time for cool-ish weekends to punctuate the slightly warmer weekdays. But with the highs in the upper 80s and low 90s starting tomorrow, I think we've seen the last of chilly days (tomorrow is the last time we'll have a low in the 50s as well).

It is nice to be able to move out of a "transition period" and firmly into predictability. For example, we were only just now able to pack up the long sleeves and bring the kids' shorts out of their closets. This "changing of the clothes" process is something they certainly don't prepare you for when you become a parent. As I started to gather the puffy sweatshirts from amongst my youngest's clothes I realized I could not pack them away for next winter. He would be too big for them by then. At least Baby 1's outgrown clothes can still get worn by Baby 2. But there are no plans for a Baby 3 in this family, so it's time to start giving away the winter clothes that no longer fit. While bittersweet, I'm relieved that I don't have to buy as many new clothes. Baby 2 will wear anything, so all of brother's hand-me-downs are on the table. Baby 1 however, who really should be labeled Kiddo 1, is a lot more picky about his clothes. He doesn't like pants that aren't soft. He doesn't like underwear with superheroes. He doesn't like clothes with tags but he also doesn't like clothes with words (usually the alternate option when clothes don't come with tags). We've always known Kiddo 1 was particular, and it doesn't really hinder his ability to navigate society most of the time. Though we can definitely tell he is neurodiverse, and will be working over the summer to see about an official diagnosis (we're guessing level 1 Autism due to my brother with the same situation, but only time will tell for certain). I'm grateful that he doesn't need a lot of support, but the diagnosis will help us to pursue any kind of accommodations needed in school and life situations. It is very exciting that Kiddo 1 starts Kindergarten this coming fall! Another season to look forward to, though I know it will be quite the learning curve for all of us. He was accepted to a charter school that my coworker's kids also attend, so we have someone with experience to turn to. That is a huge help! So now it's just navigating things like car line (new to me), opening snacks on our own, wiping properly when using the potty alone, and getting used to the fact that teachers don't carry you in "big kid school." Once we have all that down it should be somewhat smooth, since Kiddo 1 is familiar with a school setting through preschool and definitely has the academics down (he did memorize the U.S. states and capitals at age 3, when he learned to read and write).

We're also going through a transition period with Kiddo 2 as we navigate a new normal of diet restrictions. Given the allergy rebellion on Christmas Eve, we pursued allergy testing and only just this weekend got the bloodwork results back. It turns out Kiddo 2 is very allergic to nuts, especially walnuts, pecans, cashews, and pistachios, with a moderate allergy to peanuts as we suspected. Turns out the food he ate for Christmas Eve dinner had cashews in it. He also randomly barfed up his entire stomach after eating half a bite of pecan just recently. So now everything makes sense and we just have to be especially careful with foods and ingredients around him (sadly no pecan pie this Thanksgiving).

We had a lovely month of February celebrating Hubby's birthday (new photos as a gift!) and Valentine's Day (fun party with both the boys at Kiddo's school!) and also a stomach virus that hit everyone in turn.... But March was fairly germ-free and very positive with our annual Easter egg hunt in my parents' backyard, a Spring Break where I took a little time off just to clean house, and the sale of our old house! While there's still a few boxes in the garage and loft area that have remained from our December move, we now have a little money for furniture and hopefully a little more free time to clean since I decided to step back at work and return to my former position that is closer to home, fewer hours, and less stress. While I enjoyed what I've been doing for the past year as a "big boss" in administration, I had to make a choice for my family--and with all the big changes and transitions we've been going through lately, I think it will ultimately have a positive impact on mental health too. Once things settle a bit more in the summer.

So yes, we spring into summer with transitions as theme, with a hope to move from straight "change" to a little bit of stability. We're refinancing our loan to get lower monthly mortgage payments. I've set up a desk in my library for writing. And once we get used to Kiddo 1's new school we should have a nice little period of calm as we fully settle into our house, our jobs, our school, and our routine. Until Kiddo 2 starts preschool.....

Hubby's February birthday present. Okay, really it was more for me.