Presidential Fitness Test

Yes, yesterday we did the PFT. It was pretty awesome. Here are some highlights:

• Turi ran the 1/2 mile in 3:19. She took off in the beginning and a kid watching said, "She is going to burn out at that pace". She never did. When she finished she said, "At halfway, I looked around and no one was close-by so I slowed down." Right. We need to start training for the Olympics.
• Bitsu came in 4th. She ran the whole thing and we were so excited for her. When she finished, I said, "Bitsuanit, you came in 4th!" to which she replied with a huge smile, "But Turi came in 1st!". Just goes to show you her non-competitive attitude.
• Tihi ran the 1/4 mile and, again, ran the whole thing. We were so proud of her.
  
• Carmen slept in his sling the whole time, waking only to nurse.

The girls had a great time. Turi thrived off the competition and kept asking who came in first for everything, even though it wasn't a competition. Bitsu had a great time hanging out with the other kids even though she didn't know anyone. And Tihi spent most of the time playing on the swings by herself. SO classic of each one of them.
Carmen is doing ok. The doctor wanted him back on his meds, which I have done for the last 36 hours. He is miserable again. I think he just reacts to his meds. We need to get back in touch with the doc and try different meds, if she'll let us. She is concerned about the side effects, especially for one so young. We have graciously been given an infant swing by a neighbor, Dania, and he does so much better in it. We have also discovered that he loves being in a sling b/c of the pressure it puts on his stomach. Those two things combined with a pacifier that helps him to suck and swallow the acid down, have made a huge difference. I am now getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night and feeling so much better. Carmen is sleeping longer stretches and taking better naps. Overall, we're doing better but I would love to see him on some meds that actually help and give him some relief. So, please pray that we would be able to figure that out with the doc. Thanks!
The pics are of the girls in their races and of Carmen getting ready for his morning runs. We run together every morning and it's chilly! (been in the 30s or 40s).

Prayer Needed

You can pray for little Carmen. He has pretty bad reflux. I called the doc on Monday and she gave him a Zantac prescription. For 2 days, he was awesome and it looked like the Zantac really worked. Last night at 6, he started crying and wouldn't stop. I thought he had really bad gas. He continued to struggle through the night and all day today. He dozes and wakes up crying only to fall back asleep again shortly. We feel so bad for him as we watch him struggle knowing there is nothing we can do. We called the doc again and she told us we need to give it some more time for his esophagus to heal and see if the Zantac will work more effectively. Will you pray with us that God will put His hand on Carmen and heal him?
Our homeschool teacher, Elizabeth, is working out AWESOME. I still do reading and sometimes Phonics with the girls while she does computer, math, writing and one of the arts. It has freed me up tremendously to take care of the house, meals and Carmen. I am SO thankful. The girls love her and are continuing to do well. The love holding Carmen and are a huge help. Now I usually feed him and then pass him off to one of the older two. They hold him for his awake time or burp him or walk him if he's fussy and I can get other things done. They really are a huge blessing. They continue to be so helpful around the house and I am freed up even more. I hope to begin meeting with some students soon as a discipler. I also will be meeting with some of the staff women here to study together. That's really exciting for me to have a small part in what's going on on campus.
We finally got back out climbing as a family the other day. Carmen had a great time (he was asleep the entire time. He LOVES his sling) and the girls were glad to get back out. I had a fantastic time as I wasn't carrying the extra weight and could do some moves again! Who hoo!

Whew

So, weeks have passed. Carmen is 2 weeks old today. In some ways it feels like we've had him forever. Who knew you would have SO little time once you have a baby? Feed, change diaper, play a little, rock to sleep, feed, change diaper, play a little...goodness, then the day is done.
My parents just left and I was nervous about how I was going to do it all. While they were here, they took care of everything! Now, I have homeschool, nursing, taking care of Carmen, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. It's just not possible! The Lord answered my prayers today. We decided to take some money we had set aside and hire a friend to come help with homeschool. She'll come over 4 days/week, 4 hours/day. When she took the job today, a huge boulder rolled off my back. It will be such a help to have help. I feel like I can breathe again.
Carmen continues to do awesome. He has learned day and night and nurses at night and goes right back to sleep. He sometimes sleeps for longer stretches and other times is nursing every 2 hours. I make sure to get a nap/day. The girls continue to love on him and love holding him.
Pray for us as we adjust to having so many new things. Pray that I would have the energy to include the girls in on stuff with Carmen and take the time in the day to see them and not just be like ships passing in the night. Pray that Carmen would begin sleeping longer stretches and give me the chance to get some sleep. Thanks!