Tuesday, May 19, 2009

We are not moving to the Promised Land!

My house is a mess. But why clean it? I'm packing. Slowly. Ok, so I only have three boxes packed, but I KNOW that everything is going to end up in boxes anyway, so why clean it/put it away/organize it now?

I realized today that I keep saying "when we move...." (fill in the blank). When we move, Skylar will sleep better. When we move, Bailey will sleep better. When we move, Reagan will be easier to wake up for school. When we move, I will be organized. When we move, I will be able to decorate. When we move we will be able to finally connect with church folks. When we move, I will cook better meals. When we move, when we move, when we move.

It is not the promised land.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one that does this. It may not be a move to a new city for everyone, but it might be "I will be organized after the kids are in school" or "I will get my body in shape after Christmas."

I'm learning to accept things as they are. Change the things I can, but stop waiting for "after."

My house is a mess. And I can pretty much guarantee that in six months, I will be saying the same thing....from the new house. But my kids are happy; our bellies are full; and we live each day with the Grace that God has given us to try again tomorrow.

Monday, May 18, 2009

SOS (the Monday edition)

Ok, so it's not Saturday. It's not even Sunday. So the "S" in SOS (Shout Out Saturday) is not quite applicable this week. But I always say "Better late than never." I have a good excuse too. I was hardly home this weekend. We've been working on the house all weekend. I hardly even saw the girls. That, in and of itself, was hard, because Skylar did indeed hit that days 5-7 "dip" that the doctors warned us about. She went back onto the codeine and stopped eating and drinking (and went back to the whining and crying from the pain). Thankfully, today is much better and it appears that our "dip" is over. Onward and upward people!

As for my Shout Outs...I have two this week. Two folks that have made a huge impact on my week. They are:

Truett Cathy



and Proctor and Gamble



I know....random.

Truett Cathy is the founder of Chick-fil-a. It just happens to be my FAVORITE fast food place. But, they also have this fantastic SWEET TEA that I love! I make my own sweet tea at home, but it just doesn't taste the same. Also, I make decaf iced tea at home. Chick-fil-a's tea is caffeinated. Needless to say, it kept me going this weekend. I only wish they were open on Sundays (although I completely respect their reason for closing).

Why Proctor and Gamble? Because they invented Pampers? Nah. Although I do appreciate that too. No, this week my P&G product of choice was Downy. Because it makes my clothes smell so nice? Nah. Although it does that too. This week, Downy saved my life. You see, our new house had a lot of wallpaper in it. I started with the downstairs bathroom and it came off SO easily. Then, Bailey's room. Again, probably took 15 minutes of spraying it with warm water and then just pulling it down. "This is EASY" (famous last words). Then, I started working on Reagan's room. It's just a border. How hard could it be? SIX hours later....it still wasn't off. I tried spraying it with warm water. No luck. I tried putting stripper on it. No luck. The largest piece that I was peeling off was no larger than a nickel. And her room is 16x20. It's huge. I tried a razor blade. No luck. Just gouged the walls. I went to home depot and got another stripper. No luck. I scored it with a wallpaper scorer. Then sprayed it again with stripper. No luck. When I was at my WITS END with that darn paper, I googled ways to get rid of wallpaper. One random website said "hot water and downy fabric softener." So, yesterday, I loaded my squirt bottle with hot water and some Downy. I let it sit for five minutes and then VOILA! It started coming off!! Of course there is still a layer of glue left on the wall, but Goo Gone should take that off (famous last words). Who knew there were so many uses for fabric softener? And her room smells April Fresh! Of course AFTER using all the toxic chemicals and burning my hands (should have read the warning and worn gloves), it would be the NATURAL choice that worked the best. Of course.

So, thank you Truett Cathy for putting sweet tea at your wonderful establishments. And thank you Proctor and Gamble for inventing Downy.

On to Skylar's room.....

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Turned a corner

Day four has officially been the best day since Skylar's surgery! Thanks for all the prayers! She still had a bit of a rough night, pain-wise, but this morning she woke up happy and TALKING! She hasn't said much in three days so it was great to hear her sweet little voice. I am told that her voice might sound a bit like Mickey Mouse for a while, but we have yet to hear any change.

She even ate four popsicles, a donut hole, nutter butters, teriyaki chicken with rice and veggies, and alphabet soup. Of course it was a few bites of each, but I am thrilled that she is eating solid food and not complaining. She even sat on her swing outside and sang a "popsicle" song this afternoon. Then, she started watering the plants and sang the "watering the plants" song. You see the pattern? :) She was doing so well this afternoon that I even gave her JUST Tylenol (no codeine) for her noon dose and she has done great (knocking on wood).

We were told to expect a "dip" somewhere around day 5 or 6, but we are praying that doesn't happen. We would love to have her just progress upward from here. For now we are enjoying our almost back to normal Skylar!



We are also praying for our dear friend Jaimie (you might remember the Amazing photos she took of our girls). Her little guy just had his tonsillectomy today, so her uphill climb is just beginning. Thankfully I am able to tell her that the BAD part is only a few days long. Hopefully less for him.

I'm off to make chocolate chip cookies (Skylar's request)!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Worse

Roller Coaster: There's no better way to describe the last few days for us. In the days leading up to Skylar's surgery I was a bit anxious but kept thinking 'she's a tough kid. She's going to breeze through this.' I was mistaken. She did GREAT right out of surgery (as evidenced by my 'Awesome' post), but day 2 and now day 3 have been a series of ups and downs. Day 2 was bad. Day 3 was worse.

We were sent home with the painkiller Tylenol with Codeine and instructions to give it to her every four hours (three if ABSOLUTELY necessary). They also said "if the pain isn't too bad, try regular tylenol since the codeine can be addictive." I already strive to do things naturally for our family. I don't like giving the kids medicine unless they seriously need it. I buy organic. We go to a farmer's market. I don't use bleach. So, I was already not thrilled about giving my 3 year old a narcotic that can be addictive. I tried a few times to substitute "just" tylenol but that failed miserably. Not only did it not take away the pain, but then I had to wait four hours to give her the good stuff. Argh! And that 3 hours if "ABSOLUTELY necessary" turned into an absolute necessity. In fact, even with the codeine, she is in pain about 2 hours after taking it, so she has to be uncomfortable for an entire hour before I can give her anything else. After she has it, she does GREAT.....for about an hour and a half. She goes from this:



To this...in about ten minutes:



This is her new blanket and frog that she got at the hospital and they haven't left her side in three days...


We have also discovered that she needs to be medicated around the clock. The last two nights have been a challenge. She wakes up crying and uncomfortable so we give her more meds (but of course they take 15-20 minutes to work). It seems like after a few doses through the day, she has a few GREAT hours in the afternoon. Today I was even able to get her to eat a few french fries and a bit of chicken. The Dr said to let her have whatever she wanted, so I've been doing that. She does ask for food (all day long) but only takes one bite and then says "it hurts. I'm done." It goes against everything I do to let her eat just ice cream, popsicles, and drink gatorade. But, it's just a season. This too shall pass, right?

It's not easy to watch your child suffer. I kept saying, "I wasn't prepared for this." But I don't think anyone can really be prepared. Part of parenting is just learning as you go. I know that there will be a BIG payoff in the end. No, I don't mean eternity in heaven (even though THAT payoff WILL be big!!), but I mean a payoff in the not so distant future. Skylar should be sleeping better, eating better, breathing better, speaking better, hearing better, and reading all in the next two weeks. Ok, so I made up that last one, but you get the idea. I would compare it to discipline. No one likes to discipline a child, but you know that you are doing it for their own good; so they will have a better future (and make better decisions). This temporary pain means a better future for Skylar. And hopefully more sleep for mommy.
Tomorrow will be better. And I may even get a shower.

I just have to keep reminding myself....It could always be worse.

(In a totally unrelated tidbit: If you watch Biggest Loser, you may have heard my "start" song! I'm so thrilled!! Francesca Battistelli is one of my favorite new artists and I love this song of hers.)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Awesome!

So it's a little retro, but it just seems to sum up the last few days.

We closed on our house- Awesome!

How was my Mother's Day? Awesome.

What does it feel like to be the mother of such amazing little girls? Awesome.

The girls were playing with stickers yesterday and Bailey put one on my nose. Do you know what it said? That's right...Awesome.

Skylar had surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. How is she doing? Awesome.
Just look at this little face.



I will post some pictures of our house soon. For now, we are focusing on Skylar's recovery. Thanks for all the prayers. I know that tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are "common" but putting my baby under general anesthesia, having her intubated, and cutting part of her throat open is not "common" for me. By and large our children have been VERY healthy. We are extremely blessed that we are not familiar with surgeries and tons of dr visits. I was a little anxious but definitely felt the peace of all the prayer being sent up for us. She came through with flying colors and even asked for french fries when she woke up. :) All the nurses commented on how beautiful her big blue eyes were (I know...they're awesome) and how well she did. She drank two glasses of gatorade, ate two popsicles and then promptly fell asleep in my lap (as did my hiney in what turned out to be the most uncomfortable chair!). But I enjoyed just letting her sleep in my lap. I watched The Little Mermaid (and finished her french fries). And the Dr. just called. From his cell phone. On his way home. He's awesome.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

SOS, part deux

Betcha thought I forgot! Technically it's still Saturday for one more hour here.

This morning I was contemplating who I would like to give a Shout Out to this week. There were a few that I could choose from.

First, I thought about giving a shout out to the folks that helped us finish our loan and actually CLOSE on our house yesterday! Let me tell you, it was no small feat. Short of asking for blood samples or our firstborn, the mortgage company had some amazingly ridiculous requests (no offense if you work for a mortgage company). But, our broker and the escrow officer pulled some late hours and focused solely on our file for a few days in order to speed us through the process. Woot Woot! We closed yesterday and have already begun tearing down wallpaper, picking paint, carpet, and reveling in the glory that comes with knowing a small piece of real estate is "ours" (in 30 years).

Second, I thought about giving a shout out (in the most sarcastic of ways) to a fellow mother in Reagan's classroom. This past week, my parents were in Cabo San Lucas on vacation so I had to take all three girls to Reagan's school in the morning. I have to walk her to her classroom and then I read a book with her before leaving. While reading, Bailey and Skylar play with the blocks or books. The other mothers love to see them (as well as the other kids) as I am one of the ONLY moms with a baby. If you know me, you know that I am fairly strong-willed; which means I'm rarely wrong. :) I don't like it when others question the way I do things. So, the following conversation bothered me in ways I can't begin to describe:

Other Mom: Wow, Bailey is walking?! How old is she now?

Me: 14 months. But she started walking at ten months.

Other Mom: 14 months? Don't you feed her? She's so tiny (hahahaha)!

Me: She eats constantly, but since she doesn't stop moving, I think she burns it all.
(not to mention the fact that ALL my children have been small for their age because THEIR MOTHER IS SMALL AS WELL!)

Other Mom: How much milk is she drinking?

Me: I'm still nursing.

Other Mom: OH! Well, my kids always had that healthy fat but it may have been the formula and then real milk.
(REAL milk? As opposed to the FAKE milk that my body produces? And HEALTHY fat? Are you saying my baby isn't HEALTHY?)
Other Mom: Is there really any health benefit to breastfeeding after a year? I heard it only has health benefits for the first six months.

Me: No, I'm pretty sure it continues to provide the necessary nutrition as long as they nurse, as well as the immune system support.

What frustrated me at that point was not having the true medical knowledge to give her. So, after I abruptly ended our conversation by walking away and grabbing my malnourished, overactive toddler, I went home and promptly started researching the health benefits beyond a year.
So, why would she deserve a shout out? Well, because I learned a ton about breastfeeding past the first year of life thanks to her insensitive and ignorant questions. Don't get me wrong; I'm not a 'nurse until they are four' kind of gal. But my baby is far from four. She doesn't even have molars yet. There are a number of organizations and researchers that recommend NOT introducing solids until a baby has their molars. So I'm not a total nutjob....yet. I also learned that even the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends breastfeeding for a year at MINIMUM. AND, for each month over 12 that a child nurses, you diminish the occurrence of ear infections by approximately 10%. The La Leche League has some good info about nursing past a year too. You can read it too here
Plus, she's my last baby. And I like it. So there. :)

Sidenote: I am not saying that breastfeeding is the ONLY route that folks should take. I completely understand that it's a personal choice and some have a need for formula. I am not judging those folks or saying that their decision is a poor one. I am simply defending my OWN personal choice to breastfeed. :)

But, since you all probably won't be reading this until Sunday, I decided to go with my third option: Moms. That's right. No sarcasm. No research needed here. Just moms. All the moms I know, and all the moms I don't. We have the hardest job on the planet and most days we have folks that will tell us a hundred ways we are doing it wrong. But not on Mothers Day. Today is for us ladies. My Shout Out today is for you. For all the things you do without people knowing. For raising little people that will someday rule the world (or blow it up as it may be). For all the icky sticky messes, the tears, the tantrums, and the whining. For all the times we have been puked on, pooped on, peed on, and drooled on.
For my mom. The best example I could ever ask for. And the most amazing 'Yaya' to my precious blessings. For you girls...the moms in my life that make me laugh, remind me to enjoy each day because they grow so fast, and keep me sane when I reach the end of my rope. May your day be blessed and blissfully quiet. Or at least be filled with 'I Love You's and chaos that makes you smile.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Crazy 8's

I'm new to this blogging world, so I'm not sure what tagging is, but I'm a pretty smart girl and figure that it means I'M supposed to do this too.
I was 'tagged' by my dear IRL friend at Mommy Madness
So, here goes...my first tagging (sounds so illegal, doesn't it?)

In no particular order, here are my 8's...

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Owning our own home again
2. Summer! (maybe a vacation)
3. Bailey to be done with teething
4. Fitting back into my skinny jeans
5. Hanging out with my girls
6. Date nights with my husband
7. My morning coffee
8. Dessert!

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Took Reagan to school
2. Filled out paperwork for new school
3. Went and picked out carpet samples at Home Depot
4. Took my sweets out for a date night since daddy was working late.
5. Cleaned up puke from a dog that got into the garbage! YUCK!
6. Packed lunches
7. Bathed some filthy kids!
8. Realized at 11pm that I had not showered :)

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Sleep in!
2. speed read
3. eat without consequence
4. make money without taking time away from the kids
5. freeze time
6. protect my kids from hurt and mean people
7. stop taking things too personally
8. be content

8 "Grown Up" Shows I Watch

1. American Idol
2. Dancing With The Stars
3. Survivor
4. The Office
5. House Hunters
6. Biggest Loser
7. So you think you can dance
8. Amazing Race

8 Bloggers Tagged For The Task

1. Beana: No Cryin Mama

2. Peapod Four

3. CABean03: You are the Sunshine of My Life

4. Jaimie: The Wonder Years

5. Jennifer: The Middleton Family

6. Amy: One Day at a time

7. Nikki: The Williamsburg

8. Amy: Park City Girl

*********
Have fun with it ladies!

In other news...tomorrow is the 8th...the day we FINALLY get the key to our new home! I will post pictures soon. Just know that they will be the "before" shots :D

Followers

Blog Archive

Statcounter