I passed the NCLEX exam (state boards) and I'm a Registered Nurse

With three kids it was tough, but I studied for the NCLEX for a couple of months and passed it first try! Now I'm a registered nurse, and doing some job searching. It is taking a long time to hear back from employers (several months on some).

The kids are stressful as a whole, so we are still trying to use the respite home as often as we can. Just last weekend, Andy went to the respite home, while the other two kids stayed with their grandparents. We got away to Mackinaw Island and had a nice night away. We rode a tandem bike around the island, and I begged Kevin to stop and sit on the beach for a few minutes (he was on a mission to get around the island as fast as we could). It was nice to just sit on the beach without having to chase a two year old up and down the shoreline, or worry about Andy getting too hot.

New shows for Andy to watch

Andy likes watching Yo Gabba Gabba and Dora the Explorer. He really likes the singing and bright colors. A new show Andy has been watching on Netflix is Little Baby Bum. The episodes are just a bunch of nursery rhymes and he is really enjoying it. I think he gets tired of watching Dora and Gabba sometimes and needs a little change.

Andy has been melting down easily

Andy has been getting very upset by noises made from his younger sister. She is two and a half and not speaking yet, so she has a lot of outbursts. She yells and gets loud, and it immediately sets off Andy. We have been having his headphones on a lot more lately, they help a lot. Although, when we are in the car and they are sitting right next to each other, he will cry until we reach our destination. They will both be crying almost the whole ride, despite the headphones. I've been trying to minimize the times I have to have them both in the car together, because it gets really awful.

Using the respite home has also been really helpful. Getting a break from the caregiving of Andy has really helped our spirits and energizes me. Having my mother-in-law help with Andy is also very awesome. Having breaks has been really key in keeping us going.