X-rays, alphabet letters, and waltzing flowers

On Friday I was sitting at the computer getting up to speed on all my friends' blogs...when all of the sudden I felt my neck stiffen up. Ouch! Yep, my Dr. thinks it's a pinched nerve. :( Unfortunately the pain radiates down my back, up to my ear, and down my arm to my fingertips. I had a bunch of x-rays done today to see if there's any more damage than just a pinched nerve. The good news- an hour at the Dr.'s by myself while my dear hubby watched Brie and Jake for me! Hopefully we'll know exactly what's going on soon. If pain meds don't help, I may need physical therapy. And I'm supposed to not lift my kids as much. That's a toughie! Luckily they all know how to walk, but I still change diapers (for Jake, anyhow) and help get them buckled into their carseats, and of course, what Mom can resist comforting them when they get hurt and run to you with arms stretched up, crying, "Mommy!"

Since I seem to be on a medical "roll" today, I also ask your prayers for Aubreigh, as next month she'll have another ultrasound and appt. with her urologist to determine if she's outgrown her urinary reflux, and if not, what course of action to take. She's been on antibiotics for a year now, which is not something I'm very comfortable with. But it's better than the alternative- kidney infection. Still, we're praying that Brie, like most young children with this disorder- outgrows it and can live without meds or having surgery. Of course, if that's the route we need to take, we'll take it! She is a much happier kid on the antibiotics- a normal 3-year old girl. And she amazed me today with how well she's learning her letters. I dug out some refrigerator alpahbet letters because Jake is (I'm crossing my fingers here) old enough to play with them and not stuff them in his mouth or other places. Today while I cleaned up from lunch I watched Brie take each letter, place it on the fridge, and say what it was...."M for Daddy (she knows his real name)....A for Aubreigh...u...little m...k...G.....C for Caitlyn...." Way to go, Aubreigh!

Our past weekend was busy, full of ballet, mostly. Saturday morning we drove to the Apple Ranch close by and then visited with the Baier cousins. The girls have been asking nonstop to see them! The girls had a good time playing, and Caitlyn loved trying on Emily's pointe shoes. Then it was off to Nutcracker practice, where they rehearsed the Snow Scene and began work on the Waltz of the Flowers. I love to stick around for 15 minutes or so and watch rehearsals. Any longer than that and Caitlyn notices I'm there and starts hamming it up! The girls- and one boy- are doing a fantastic job, staying focused but having fun, and dancing their hearts out. The director was smart by coreographing the dances in such a way that the littlest girls always have an older girl to follow. When I asked Caitlyn about her leader, she described her like this "she's really nice, and wears shorts, and has a slight smile." A slight smile? That's pretty observant!

I'll try to get ballet and the apple ranch pictures posted soon. :)