Work

Needless to say, life has been a little busy at the Marthaler house. I am back to work and working a lot. I have not worked this many hours in a month in years! It feels good to be working, but there is still the struggle of working vs. being home. Thankfully I am able to do both. I am tired a lot, but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel since I will have 5 months off once Ian is officially adopted. Since the leave is completely unpaid, I am trying to work a lot now so that it does not hurt as much financially when I go off work.
We promise to post more and post more pictures in the near future. Bear with us during this transition!

First Haircut

We loved the long flowing hair on Ian, but it came time to get it cut and make him look more like a little man. On Saturday, April 19, we headed over to Next Generation salon on the west side of Madison before going to Korean class. He was a little shy at first, but once we sat him down in the yellow cab chair, he was happy! He enjoyed steering while the lady cut his hair. Ben and Cami enjoyed watching the movie playing while Ian got his hair cut. We were very proud of him for being so brave. He was actually happy the whole time, no tears.

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

Ben is 5 years old today. I can't believe that time has flown by and he is a little boy about to enter kindergarten in the fall. I remember him being Ian's size and exploring his surroundings and being a mommy's boy. In a blink of an eye the kids are grown. I know that is what you are told over and over again, but times like this, it hits home.

Daddy made Ben breakfast this morning...eggs over easy, while they all waited for mommy to get home from work. By 7:30 am, mom was home and dad was ready to take Cami to school. Ben enjoyed a fun morning playing with his new toys from his birthday party on Saturday. He invited several friends to go swimming at Kittleson Swim School. It was a perfect party for a boy who LOVES to swim. Now that he can swim by himself without a lifevest, it makes it even more fun for him. The pirate birthday cake, made by Grandma Sandy and pirate decorations hand made by their very talented cousin Renee, was quickly devoured and then presents torn open. Everyone had a great time.

Justin's parents and Keri, Joe, and Natalie came down for the weekend to make his birthday even more fun. Grandma and Grandpa took Ben and Cami to the hotel on Saturday night for a short getaway. They enjoyed more swimming there.

Today Ben enjoyed a birthday meal at New Seoul restaurant, one of his favorite places to eat. He has been wanting Kimbop since Ian's Tol party. We picked up Justin for lunch and headed to the restaurant. Ben was excited to be able to order a whole plate of Kimbop for himself. We came home and napped and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing outside. Ben is enjoying his new Razor scooter from mom and dad, something he has been asking for since early last summer when we visited Mike and Allison in California and he was able to ride his cousin, Austin's Razor.

My baby is growing up. While it is exciting to see the changes in him emotionally, physically, and especially intellectually, it is also hard knowing that he is no longer my little baby. At least he still needs me to sing him songs every night in order to help him fall asleep, something I enjoy doing at home while we cuddle or singing over the phone to him when I am at work.

Happy Birthday Ben! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are very proud of our 5 year old!

In Sickness and In Health

Cami and Ian watching people dance.

Justin and Keri dancing

Cami and Ben dancing at Keri and Joe's reception

We had a wonderful weekend up north by Justin's parents. His sister, Keri, and her husband, Joe, renewed their wedding vows. They were married last year and had a ceremony and reception with friends and family this past Saturday. We always enjoy heading up north. This was Ian's first time at Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Neil's house. Unfortunately, it was not as enjoyable as it could have been. He started with a little cold late last week and was full blown by the weekend. He was not himself with a cough, sneeze, and runny nose. We left Sunday afternoon for Madison and by evening things went down hill. Ian had a tough time sleeping. He was wheezing and coughing almost constantly. The kids and I took him into the doctor on Monday morning and were sent home with an inhaler. Things only got worse, so after calling the nurse later, the doctor prescribed Prednisone to help his breathing. Last night Justin and I were both up with Ian multiple times for his coughing. It is painful to hear your baby cough and then say "Ow" everytime. It hurts me hearing him hurt so bad when he coughs. The little food that he did consume over the last few days usually came back up when he would go into a coughing fit.

We headed back to the doctor this afternoon. After a nebulizer treatment, chest xray, and lots and lots of crying and coughing, we had a diagnosis...Bronchitis. We have new medication and a home nebulizer to get him through the next 48 hours. We hope to see major improvements by tomorrow night.

Tomorrow I head back to work. I was originally scheduled to start on Sunday, but as Justin says, "I have a schedule change addiction". Since I have access to my schedule and an online program allowing options to drop a trip, change a trip, or pick up a trip, I find myself trying to play around with my schedule. Even though I have a great schedule for April, there were still changes that could be made. I was able to pick up this trip and get rid of a 2 day trip plus I thought it would be easier starting back with a redeye to Las Vegas where expectations are not as high as a morning flight to Orlando. I love the Vegas crowd since they are usually all happy going out and most are sleep deprived and hung over coming back, which means they sleep. I know this is a stereotype, but one that has been true for the many Las Vegas redeyes I have done over the years.

On Saturday we are headed to the westside of Madison for a Cops and Kids event our Korean group is going to . I have been working on some of the PR for this event and am happy to hear today that channels 3 and 15 are going to attend. We are also going to have the Badger Herald attend and possibly the Wisconsin State Journal. This is pretty exciting since it will be the first time our Korean group has had any big spotlight.
Have a wonderful weekend. I will upload pictures of the Cops and Kids event next week.

Going Back to Work

In just over a week, I will be heading back to work. I have enjoyed having the last 4 months off to spend with my family. I find great joy in taking care of my children. It is a lot of work and often tiring and frustrating, but worth every moment. While I am excited to get back to flying and have some adult conversation and do something I enjoy doing, I am also a little sad. I know I will miss my family terribly when I am gone. I am thankful that I have a really nice schedule that allows me to be home on Monday and Wednesday by noon and all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I am also thankful that the kids will get some daddy time next month as Justin takes on the job of caring for our children and our house when I am flying. It will be a challenge, but I know he will do a great job. While we would love to use his vacation time for a vacation, it is worth the sacrafice in order to have him stay with the kids. They will get some great bonding time! I think it will also be good for Ian since he hasn't taken to a babysitter yet.

We do have some good news. Ian has been diaper rash free for over a week. Thank you Rosie, a friend from Justin's work, for giving us Calmoseptine cream to try. What a difference. We tried about a dozen different creams for him and a few prescriptions, none cleared the rash until now. She is a true blessing. I was willing to try it, but also not very hopeful since we have tried so many creams and diapers, etc. We are happy and Ian is even happier. No more crying out in pain when we have diaper changes and no more going diaper free for hours hoping to clear it up! Thank You Thank You Thank You!

Here are a few pictures from the last few days...

Almost Easter

We are only days away from Easter and the kids could not be more excited. They know the story of Jesus death and resurrection, but at this age, they are more excited about the Easter bunny coming. Ben was very concerned today that Ian does not have an Easter basket. He is always thoughtful of his sister and brother. He was worried that Ian won't get any treats from the Easter bunny this year without a basket. I told him not to worry about it, that we would make sure that Ian had something for the easter bunny to put his treats in (not that he will be able to eat most of what the "bunny" brings. I am sure that mommy and daddy will happily help him eat any treats that may come.
Last week we enjoyed a visit from Grandpa Ron, Dana's dad. The kids always enjoy a visit from their grandparents. They enjoy spending time with Grandpa Ron playing in the basement, going to Chuck E. Cheese and this time a special treat to go to Toys R Us. Seeing the pure joy in their faces when we walked into Toys R Us and hearing their squeals of excitement was definitely worth any price paid! They were so excited that they could barely contain themselves. Ian wasn't sure to make of all of it, but had a blast standing in the back of the cart while we strolled around the store. Ian found a small ball that he could reach from the cart and happily played with it the entire time we were in the store. Needless to say, we brought the little ball home and he still enjoys playing with it. He likes that it is easy to grasp. It was a good visit and the kids were sad to see grandpa go.

Time for colds

Another week has gone by and I wonder where it went. It seems that the time is going by too fast. Ian has been home more than 3 months now and I often wonder how we lived without him. He just fits so perfectly into our family. It is proof that God does have your child/children picked out for you. I can't express how blessed I feel to be Ben, Cami, and Ian's mom. My heart just aches when I am away from them. I love them more than I can express.

We have just spent the last several days battling colds. Ben and Cami seem to be doing ok with theirs, but Ian has had 3 nights of little sleep as he battles a slight cold, big fever, the never ending diaper rash (ok so it stopped for a few days and now it is back) and either nightmares or other pain we are unaware of. With the little sleep he has gotten, mom and dad are very sleepy as well. Sleeplessness mixed a cold ourselves doesn't always make for the most fun days. The kids and Justin went to Eastside for church this morning for the kids singing then ran errands while Ian and I stayed home. Ian slept on and off, mostly crying while he was awake. It was a long 3 hours, but I am glad that I was able to be here to comfort him and hold him both while he was awake and while he slept. I know this time will pass and I just want to take it all in and be there to hold him and to show him that I love him. Ben and Cami have done a great job at showing him extra love during this hard time. They love to give him kisses, hugs, and they love trying to make him laugh. They also run to get a little Christmas book that lights up and plays music. He loves that and helps to calm him down. We were definitely blessed with amazing kids.

Now we continue to pray for patience and guidance in helping us be the best parents that we can be.