First, I would like to let everyone know that Ella been having a good day. She did wake up cranky and seemed slightly irritated in the morning after breakfast. Late morning seemed to be much better though. We had a google meet with some staff from the school, she was super happy to see them, and ate a hearty lunch. She is in much better spirits now, as she relaxes and watches Goldie and Bear. No episodes to report of today, yet.

Now let’s, for a moment, talk about our littlest, Jack. He will be one year May 28th and man is he a mover and into EVERYTHING. We are so incredibly grateful he is hitting his milestones, but it’s been seven years since we had a moving baby in the house and it’s so easy to forget what that’s like. We were in the tiny house WITH CJ and Ella were babies. It was a totally different scene. I almost wish we were back there for this phase of development.

It’s been bittersweet watching him grow. He has accomplished so much these last eleven months and has the most amazing personality. He can crawl and is starting to take steps, he says a few words and is making a ton of noises, he is alllllll up in everyone’s business, he purposefully plays with his toys, he has mastered the art of irritating his brother and sister, and he is without a doubt the most laid back of all the kiddos. He also hates to wear socks so it has been super fun trying to find where he hides those every day.

As happy as we are to see positive progress with Jack, we can’t help but be a little sad knowing that Ella didn’t, and may not, reach most of the same milestones. What I would give to see her take steps toward me or hear her scream my name from across the room. I wonder what her voice would sound like and how she would look in a dress standing on her own? Mostly though, I wonder what she is thinking all day in that adorable head of hers. I know she knows what is going on in this crazy world just by her facial expressions and noises she makes when something happens.

We try to never dwell on the negative and always lift all the kiddos, and each other, up. It’s been said the universe doesn’t give you more than you can handle, or everything happens for a reason. When you are in the middle of living it, it’s hard to take a step back and really process what that means. Right now, I do know for certain that each one of our children has taught me to be a better mother, and person, and to never take one second for granted.