Calm after the storm

A friend wrote me this morning and said she'd read my blogs and it sounded like I was having a horrible week. Well, I had been. But, guess what!? It's been a great couple days!!!! Here's the update...
Maialen had 2 families to choose from right away (Saturday). One family was someone she was very close with. The parents are divorced. There are two teenage girls in the house, a grandmother and mother. Every other weekend the girls switch off visiting thier dad's house. From what Maia says, they have a small house and rooms and struggle with money. Maia is on the swim team with one of the girls and has lunch and is best friends with her as well. The other family has a mom and dad and 4 girls, three of which are teenagers and still at home. The one girl that Carolina knows and has a couple classes with is in the National Honor Society and plays Soccer. They have a huge house with big rooms. Maia has decided to live with the 2nd family. She told Carolina that the family was perfect! They are Catholic and attend church a lot and she'll have to do that, but, they have no curfew, no rules, etc. The only thing wrong now, is that my community representative emailed me and said that Maia shouldn't have to pay for the charger she lost for the cell phone! I'm mad about that, but I'm bucking it and we'll see what happens. I am at peace and happy with our decision and happy that Maia has found the "perfect" home. On Friday she had asked if she could still keep in contact and see the kids. I said yes, but I doubt she'll even look back. I don't think she'll visit before she leaves.
Things here have been so much calmer, lighter and happier.
Carolina has been out of her room, interacting with the family more. She's smiling all the time now. I moved her room around while she was at school, got Maia's bed out, she's happy to have so much room. Carolina brought me her soccer schedule and I wrote down all the games for the season. Hopefully, we'll get to see her play! Yesterday as Carolina was leaving for school, Shanndon said, "Mommy where's arolina going? I want to go with her! I love arolina" (Arolina, isn't that adorable!)
David goes to the Dr. today for his first surgical follow up appointment. He's off the "big" pain medicine and only doing Tylenol. He's been trying to be macho man...actually up and around and helping (probably over compensating for the fit I threw last week before his surgery). Even him just sitting with the kids in the living room with the gate up while I cook dinner is a huge help! Instead of me tripping over them and stepping on them while I'm moving around!
Ben has been so helpful too! He's helping daddy excercise his arm. Thursday night when I was dealing with the Maia stuff, David held up the kids' butts and Ben diapered them!!!! Shanndon woke up at 330am soaked from head to toe. But It helped when I needed it at 7pm!!!! LOL. Yesterday I stripped our bed, and started washing bedding, while I was at the eye doctor with Christianna, Ben emptied washer and dryer several times for daddy, and laundry got done!!!!
Shanndon is doing great with school. He's potty trained during the day, he says he's a big boy all the time. He's pottying at school, he gets on the bus with no problems, he comes home saying he wants to go back to school, and he comes home happy. He gets cranky (no naps), but they are going to bed at 7pm!!!!! We try to get him to rest before school as they are up at 630am. Also, he naps on the weekends and then we go swimming in the afternoon to tire them out.
Christianna is going thru this no nap phase!!!! If we can get her to sleep at all, it's usually 30 minutes at best. That's annoying! She's cranky! She's tired! But won't sleep! She's talking a bit more. Says-mommy, daddy, hi, bye, Sky, puppy, and no! She'll also repeat things, but it's usually a one time thing. I was concerned about "lazy eye", the eye doctor said the bridge of her nose is wider on one side, so it gives the appearance of lazy eye. He wants to see her back in one year just be be 100% sure.
I have been excercising. Tonight I start a "Basics to Fitness" class on Tuesday night with Stephanie at the south YMCA. Wednesday I start "Basics to Cycling" and then Friday I start "Basics to Pilates" and "Basics to Yoga", they are all mornings at the west YMCA. Other then that, on Sunday's I've been going Hip Hop Hustle and Pump. I've done several Pump classes, and Steph and I did cardio on the treadmill the other day. It's not a big fitnes kick, I'm not watching what I'm eating. Just trying to gain core strength and relieve some stress. It's nice doing stuff for myself. Saturday and Sunday I put the kids in Kid Zone at the YMCA, Ben goes swimming or works out, or goes to teh game area. Then I take the kids swimming afterward, so there's a reward in it for them too! It's been fun, and exciting. Carolina is doing the Sunday stuff with Steph and I as well, so it's a "friends and family" thing.
Well, I gotta hop in the shower and get ready for YEA, then get Shanndon to school and David to the Dr. Tonight it my fitness class!