Sunday, Fun Day!

We've had a fun and relaxing day so far today!  After being sick with a yucky cold the past few weeks, I finally felt well enough to make it to church without spraying sneezes everywhere.

Our two oldest love their classes.  They can't even explain it to me, just that they love their church class.  I stayed with our toddler in his class today -his first time going.  He was mad at first because he thought he was going to get to play toys and was very excited to play toys at church.  It turns out that his new class for 2-3's doesn't play toys.  They have a worship time, story time, snack and then a craft time.  There is also a small bathroom in the class for kids who are potty training.  Overall, he had a good time.  He has some learning to do when it comes to the more structured activities.  Being the only toddler at home, he hasn't had much experience with group things.

Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly to us there.  I think it is a small enough church that they recognize new people.  I kind of like that.  It can be convenient and safe to fit into the crowd, but I want a church home where the people there are a second family.  We might find that here!

After lunch and putting our little guy down for nap, we watched Ant Man & The Wasp as a family.  It was really nice to spend that time together.  My hubby has been struggling physically for a while and we haven't had much time together lately.  A nice relaxing afternoon!

I just realized that I haven't posted much of an update on my hubby's health lately.  He found a new dermatologist and a new rheumatologist closer to us.  His dermatologist is amazing and I am so thankful for her!  She reviewed his history and refused to simply accept his diagnosis as is.  She did some tests and a biopsy on the infection he has been struggling with.  All the cells in the biopsy are related to allergic reactions, and with the timing of the first outbreak, she (and we) think it might be his biologic injection that he took weekly.  He's been off of it now for several weeks and we've seen steady improvement in his skin infection.  Praise the Lord!  May it continue to heal and disappear!

The unfortunate side effect, is that he no longer has the TNF blockers to help with his autoimmune disease.  So he is back to using his cane and has had a few days where he couldn't handle it and had to work from home.  Thankfully, his job allows him to work from home as needed!  On the plus side, he is doing better than he anticipated.  Yes, he has more pain and is more handicapped by it, but it is not as bad as past flares he has dealt with.  Considering how bad he has gotten in the past, it isn't as bad as it could be.  His new rheumy is working to get him started on a new biologic after the old one is completely out of his system.  We are praying that he won't have any allergic reactions to the new one and that insurance will cover it!

Also on the doctors topic, we found a Christian medical practice nearby that seems to be more open to functional medicine, nutrition, and potentially vaccine delays too.  I haven't met them in person yet, I still have to go through the introductory stuff, but I am hopeful.  We are also praying things go well with this practice -they are in-network for our insurance!

Finding a new church home.

I see a lot of people asking how to do this.  For me it starts with praying for God to lead us to the right one, and then researching the church's statement of faith, how their services work, what opportunities they offer for families and kids since we that is a big part of who we are.  Then I look into times of services and locations for what might work best.

We visited a local church.  My youngest daughter enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, but my oldest hated it.  We were going to visit another local church, but her attitude was so bad about it that I decided to try a church more similar to the church we used to attend.  It's located in another town, but still just a 15 minute drive away.

She loved it, both of them loved it in fact!  It also broadcasts the sermon live online so my hubby can receive the same message I do in church.  I think we found our new church home.  It is much smaller than our last church, but the way things are set up is very similar.  They also have a homeschool mom's night out which is exciting!

I'll have many of the same challenges with my toddler and soon-to-be newborn, but this season of life is simply that, a season of life.  We'll manage somehow.  With my toddler, it's going to be all about the teachers in his class.  If he can learn to feel safe with someone other than me, he'll be just fine.  With the newborn, I'm expecting to spend more time out in the café area watching the tv screens, or leaving the baby home with my hubby.  We shall see how it works out!