Is it just me or does it feel like this year went by both incredibly slowly, almost painfully, and at the same time, looking back, incredibly quickly? It's a weird dichotomy that has me flummoxed at the inconsistency. I have been enjoying decorating our home for Christmas & am happy to report that it is all done & ready for the holiday. Now we just need to finish our shopping for presents, all online. This will be the first year in 25+ years that I will not be making a tremendous amount of Christmas baked goods to be wrapped & delivered to family, friends, neighbors, teachers, front office staff, & CA's co-workers. There is a minuscule part of me that is relieved at this thought and yet, a much grander part of me that stumbles at this concept. Again I find myself confused at the contradictory emotions of the past year. I can't possibly be the only one experiencing this juxtaposition. I don't know maybe it is just me.
The kids are doing well with their virtual school work earning A's &/or B's so far in each subject. This includes their algebra classes, Nolan was taking Algebra I & McKenna Algebra II. As I am acting as Nolan's para for school I can tell you that my idea of damnation includes being forced to solve algebra problems for all eternity. I hate Algebra! Who am I kidding? I hate all math! I was almost completely useless for both kids in these classes, their poor teachers at school were contacted, I think, almost daily by one or the other of my kids begging for help.
Anyway, on to less confusing emotions. This year CA & I decided to go the route of artificial Christmas tree. This means, for the first time in over a decade, our tree went up the day after Thanksgiving. And I am still adding decorations to it as I make my own bows to adorn it. Unfortunately, the bows I am making require a lot of ribbon material & I am waiting for more to arrive via Amazon before I can finish the project. However, my beautiful country (quasi-Anne of Green Gables) kitchen has been completed & is still my favorite room in the house. And I've successfully kept our chalkboard updated for every season &/or month of the year. You tell me what you think of the Christmas chalkboard message.
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| It's not perfect by any means but considering that with pencil I can't draw stick figures that are recognizable I'm quite proud of how this turned out. |
And here is my AoGG Christmas kitchen...
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| I spent all of summer 2019 repainting cabinets in this kitchen & then CA shiplapped (no that isn't a word) the ugly ceiling above. |
CA is working from home again, in fact, 2 days after he started working from home, he was notified he'd come into close contact, 5 days previously, with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. This was at the beginning of November. It was an incredibly scary time in our household. He took our room, as it is the only room with an attached bathroom. I took the couch & he wore his face mask at all times, while we waited for his test results, which did come back negative. Thank heavens! But for 10 days I slept on the couch & we all steered very clear of CA & my room. Thankfully, it was at a time when we were enjoying rather warm weather for November so we were still able to keep windows open to help keep fresh air circulating throughout the house. The Lord was watching over us all. As I pray He is watching over all of you as well.
Kier is prepping to move south to be with his girlfriend, & her family, of almost 6 years. And I am both overjoyed at his growing up & leaving the nest & yet dreading it a little too, as I am not yet ready for my firstborn to move on & become a grown-up for real. He's scheduled to officially leave on the 27th. This is his last Christmas where he is here for the whole month & is part of the set-up of the tree etc. I'm so proud of the man he is becoming & I love his beautiful girlfriend so much, I couldn't be happier for them both. I look forward to hearing about the memories they will make together with their own family, as CA & I once did when we formed our own household. He's got so many wonderfully exciting adventures ahead of him!
Liam is okay. He's struggling with being stuck in the house & not being allowed to have visitors. But his former para still calls & video chats with him a couple of times a month. And he has 2 video PT appointments every week. He is enjoying all the Christmas decorations & Christmas movies. This is his favorite holiday of the year. His last blood test from the immunologist's office showed that his IgG is a little lower than it was this time last year but it is still above the level it was 8 years ago at this same time. But they also noticed that is IgA & IgM are also depleted. They are just above the lowest level considered healthy. Unfortunately, there isn't anything they can do to boost those Immunoglobulins. Unlike IgG, which can be separated from the blood, washed, & then reinjected in either (IVIg - usually given one a month) intravenous infusions or (SCIg-this is the one Liam gets every 14 days) subcutaneous infusion. The problem is that IgA is the immunoglobulin that helps fight bacterial & viral infections, particularly in the sinuses, lungs, & gut. It really is the worst timing imaginable for his IG levels to be dropping. And just another reason for us to continue to sequester ourselves inside our home as much as is humanly possible. But this also explains why in the last few months his sinuses have gotten worse in regards to congestion & why he is coughing up more & more mucus from his lungs. We've been told to keep going as we've been going & if we start to get a lot of colds etc they will up the IgG infusion amounts. But that's really all they can do. Liam is 19 years old. When he was diagnosed, with A-T, at 4 we were told we'd be lucky if he lived this long. Every extra day we get with him is a blessing & not something we take for granted.
As for the animals in this house? They're all very entertaining in their own ways. Artie, the 4-month-old Weiszla is constantly attacking every living creature in the house desperate for anyone to play with her at all hours of the day. She is never boring! And always cute! Loki the Great Dane is struggling with his hips & knees, he's almost 7 years old, so this is expected, poor old guy. But he is still so sweet & patient, for the most part, with his little shadow who worships him. The cats, Flynn & Luna, are already at war for the skirt under the Christmas tree. Every year they get in repeated minor skirmishes trying to see which will get the primo spot. Why they are both so in love with this particular spot we will never know for sure. But it does make for great entertainment!
In short, we are having a lovely month so far, and are cautiously optimistic for a continuation of our lovely month to continue. It is not without its concerns but we are cognizant of the fact that we have been very blessed. We live in a beautiful, warm, love-filled home, in a beautiful neighborhood, in a beautiful part of the country. My CA has an excellent job that allows him to work from home during an incredibly dangerous time. And so far, knock on wood, fingers crossed, hold onto a lucky rabbit's foot, we are all healthy. And while we do personally know people who have had COVID-19, so far all of those people have had either light versions or have been asymptomatic. We pray that continues to be the case.
Love,
Jes
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