This past week Little Gwen made me think she had an earache. This would have (cross your fingers) been our first earache ever for our kids! We are really blessed for that! Anyway, she was extremely fussy and flipping at her ears and just getting over a pretty bad cold/flu thing that Naomi and her had for about two weeks. No fever, but I made an appointment to be safe. I took her to our doctor but our normal doctor was out sick. We saw someone else who cleaned the wax out of her ears with those horrible metal scrapey things and then told us that her ears looked clear. That was quite a relief until the next night when she woke up from sleep at around 10pm crying (that is abnormal, but not distinguishably strange). A little while later we noticed she was bleeding from her right ear (not even the ear I took her in for). I was freaked out! So Brian called the doctor and calmly asked what to do. They said most likely it was a ruptured ear drum but there was nothing to do tonight - bring her in to the weekend clinic in the morning. So I barely slept and was also upset that Brian  had not been freaking out like me (turns out her was trying to stay calm - it just came across as not caring). I took her in and this lovely very pregnant nurse practioner checked her ears and told me that it wasn't the eardrum, but she has a scratch in the back of her ear. OBVIOUSLY, the doctor had scratched her when he took out the wax right?? Well she said that he didn't make a note so she doesn't know how Gwen could have done that to herself. (she didn't!) But thank goodness it was not a ruptured eardrum! We are still earache free! 

So you say, why the endless crying and fussing? Its a phase - she is suffering from stranger danger! Severely! At least I hope its a phase. She even cries when Brian has her. People she doesn't know can't even look at her. Yet they all make it worse by trying to comfort her assuming she is just fussing, but really she is saying, "Get the crap away from me you person who is about to kill me I think!" But no one listens! Even when I say she is just afraid of people she doesn't know right now - including her Dad! And Naomi! So maybe its more "Nobody touch me or look at me, but Mom stage". Oh well, at least we aren't sick this week. 

I really love our new ward! We switched to the family ward the first week of January so that Naomi could be in a real primary. She loves primary, I love the Relief Society because it is small and manageable, I know Brian at least likes the ward, but I don't think he is in love yet. I like to feel like I can do something in a ward to make a small difference. This ward allows me to do that. We received callings our second week in - I am a Relief Society teacher for the fourth Sunday of each month. The Laurels come in for the lesson and I really enjoyed that - I thought that I wouldn't! Brian is the Executive Secretary for the Elders Quorum. Anyway, I have learned that if I see a need I will fill it. If I don't see a need I'm just going to sit and listen and not even want to be there. I struggled to go in our old ward. And with kids its hard because half the time someone is sick so everyone assumes you are inactive - I refuse to take a sick kid into nursery or primary because every other week we are sick because someone brought their sick kid into primary! So we are typically inactive! However our new ward - there are visible needs! This week is Enrichment so I am volunteering for everything! There are 8 people making a Blueberry Buckle for the dessert so I volunteered to purchase the ingredients and put them into kits and deliver them to the sisters so they can make them at home, but not be put out by having to purchase things. I also just got home from delivering all of the reminders to the sisters doors, very fun because we walked in the beautiful weather we are having right now! And this month I get to teach a cooking club! I get to pick the style of food we are doing and teach a tip to everyone! Its so fun! 

But then come May we are moving to a new place with a new ward! I just hope Brian will remind me that I like to be involved and not just sit by while everyone else helps out!