I know many of these problems aren't happening directly to me. Therefore, maybe I have no right to complain or feel sad. Just... well, I'm already planning for summer 2014. Hint: I don't plan to stay home much!
My uncle passed away, my niece was born 15 weeks early. Two good friends have their mothers in the hospital or on hospice care. George is having a regression of certain actions that make ME want to bang my head in the wall. Cole might have Apraxia. I don't have a tutor lined up for Camille this summer and she needs one. The vacuum is broke, the AC in the car is on the fritz and dishwasher leaks.
It's the little straws that add up, you know?
In the midst of all this, there are things to be grateful for. My niece is here and her birth is worth celebrating. I was one of the first people to see her after her birth and that is one of the most special events of my life. My friends and their mothers are receiving great care. I saw my uncle's family and my cousins and we all reconnected. The weather has finally turned warm. I raised money for the March of Dimes and have lost a few inches running. I have a swanky new stroller and everyone under my roof is fairly healthy.
Yet... I need a vacation. I swear next summer I am going to party it up: visit my brother, hopefully get the cousins together for a weekend or week away, go to the beach. Maybe someone will get married, adopt a puppy, win the lottery. :) Whatever it is... no more illness, no more dying, no more premature babies. Got it peeps?
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Summer Bucket List
Woohoo! In a few weeks, the kids will all be out of school and within two days, I will be exhausted and wondering when school will begin again! Ha, not really. I like having them under foot. Anyway, to avoid a repeat of last summer when the kids didn't do anything because we were traveling so much, I've signed them up for a few activities and planned for several more trips to keep them occupied. Here's our Summer 2013 Bucket List:
- Potty train Cole
- Get the Herd on a daily chore routine. This mean you will be working, kiddos!
- Swim lessons for the big kids and, as an added bonus, the little dudes too! (right now, only the big ones are signed up. We'll see how the little ones do at the pool before I throw them to the WSIs.)
- Read the book Food Chaining and work on George's eating enough to keep him out of feeding therapy. (BTW, that's an affliate link, yo.)
- Go swimming- alot!
- Find a new TV show to be addicted to now that Call the Midwife is ending for the season!
- Take the kids to the aquariam or LegoLand. Bonus: Convince Adam to trvael to Omaha for their zoo/aquariam.
- Not cry buckets and buckets when my niece comes home from the NICU. Note: I will fail at this.
- Let the kids each have a special night at Camp Grandma and Grandpa.
- Clean out the closets and organize the masterbedroom and little boys room.
- Hang the gallery wall
- Keep running! We routinely get 100+ degree days in the summer so this will be pretty hard as I do not like heat or sweating. Bah!
- Work on building up the 31 business.
- Have us all eat more fruits and veggies.
- Vacation Bible School
- try alot of the summer pins, messy crafts and sewing ideas I have on Pinterest.
- Work on reading with Camille, speech and fine motor skills with the boys and keep Joseph up to speed.
- visit some of the awesome history musems we have in the area.
The days can be so long with four kids under the roof all summer long. Plus, they eat me out of house and home, so I need to keep them busy! I think I need more ideas; hit me with your best ones!
What ideas do you have on your bucket list?
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Maintaining Sanity When Your Partner is Away
I'm over at NPN talking about how to maintain your sanity when your partner is away. Click on the link and share your experiences and tips!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Quick Takes Friday: Toliet Paper Edition
- I have no idea how or why, but my children and two of their friends TP'd the play set yesterday. Yes, the play set! I know they've seen houses TP'd in the neighborhood (part of some high school hazing, I think) so they know what it is and we've talked about what a mess it makes. Right now, I just want to bang my head against the wall and say, "WTF were you thinking?!"
2. Back in February, Adam and I went to the Awful Marriage Retreat and my mother, who was watching the kids, potty trained George. (Mom got a really nice birthday present from us!) She's been joking to Cole, "You'd better watch out! You're next!" Well, George apparently heard this and is trying to put Mom out of a job. George has been taking Cole into the bathroom and helping him sit on the potty. He says, "We no need yelp!" and shuts the door in my face. It's the funniest thing ever... and we'd better watch out, because I think whatever he is doing is working! Wouldn't it be odd if my late potty trainer trained his little brother? Even better... won't it be odd without diapers in the house?! Yeah, I think I could deal!
3. Normally when your husband says, "Honey, I got your Mother's Day present at a garage sale!" it doesn't mean anything good. However, he found a Phil and Ted's stroller with the doubles attachment! I am in love! I had been asking for one for years and he said there was no way he was going to spend several hundred dollars on a stroller. I've been through several strollers (all but one were second hand) and this is the nicest double stroller I have ever had. It is easy to push with 70 pounds of kid loaded up. I haven't jogged with it yet but man oh man is this thing awesome!
4. The kids normal pencent for early 1990's TV has been replaced by the Disney "Buddy" series about dogs that play ball or go into space. I can't say I'm complaining. There was only so much "Power Rangers" I could take.
5. Speaking of TV, what the HECK is up with the new Scooby Doo? I remember four kids and a dog who solved mysteries. They were all friends. Now they are all paired up (Fred/Daphne, Velma/ Shaggy), dating and there's load of teenage/young adult angst. The mysteries are weird too and much more conspiracy-theory. (Greys? Alien probing?) I need to find the Scooby Doo I knew and loved because... this new stuff is weird.
6. George does an adorable "Scooby doobe do!" imitation. It's so cute!
7. Joseph is over a 3 day stomach flu. I ended up getting him adjusted so his immune system could work better to fight the virus. We ended up having to be very careful about what he ate or drank as it would come right back up, but he's on the end now. He's acting like a typical 9 year old boy... sigh.
You know the drill...head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
How to Freak Out a Husband and Amuse Your Mother
I wouldn't say my sister and I have the same taste in clothes. Sure, we shop at the same places and we tend to like the same colors. We do swap maternity clothes around and pass kid clothing back and forth. It's not that one of us has poor taste in clothes; it's just different.
Or so I assumed.
When I visit my parents I tend to dress a little nicer than normal. The kids play happily and quietly or my parents watch them while I shower and dress. Since I won't be walking kids to school or cleaning the house, I can wear something other than jeans. I had packed several nicer tops to chose from, a skirt, slacks and two different dresses to chose from (for brunch). After thinking a moment, I picked a lavender top layered with a white tank and black slacks. I had black ballet flats to wear and some jewelry. At the last moment, I chose not to wear my long beaded necklace that I can loop in various styles.
When I walked downstairs to greet my sister, I found her wearing.... a lavender top layered with a white tank, jeans, flats, and a loopy pearl necklace. We laughed and our mother snapped a few pictures. Although I threatened to change, I didn't. I figured our tops were different enough styles that no one would notice.
If they did, no one commented until we stopped at another room to talk to Miss Who's nurse. The family of the NICU baby has an older daughter who was with them. She stopped her playing, looked up at us and said, "Why are you two dressed the same?"
When we got back to my parents house, my brother-in-law walked in the room, started to say hello, then stopped and said, "Eh, did you two plan that?"
No, no we didn't but if a guy notices I guess our outfits were alike!
That night, I joked to my sister that I was wearing a green and grey maxi dress the next day and to not wear the same colors! She didn't . . . but she wore a pretty wrap skirt, the same style of skirt that I almost grabbed to wear to brunch!
I think we might need to call each other from now on to make sure we DON'T dress the same!
Or so I assumed.
When I visit my parents I tend to dress a little nicer than normal. The kids play happily and quietly or my parents watch them while I shower and dress. Since I won't be walking kids to school or cleaning the house, I can wear something other than jeans. I had packed several nicer tops to chose from, a skirt, slacks and two different dresses to chose from (for brunch). After thinking a moment, I picked a lavender top layered with a white tank and black slacks. I had black ballet flats to wear and some jewelry. At the last moment, I chose not to wear my long beaded necklace that I can loop in various styles.
When I walked downstairs to greet my sister, I found her wearing.... a lavender top layered with a white tank, jeans, flats, and a loopy pearl necklace. We laughed and our mother snapped a few pictures. Although I threatened to change, I didn't. I figured our tops were different enough styles that no one would notice.
If they did, no one commented until we stopped at another room to talk to Miss Who's nurse. The family of the NICU baby has an older daughter who was with them. She stopped her playing, looked up at us and said, "Why are you two dressed the same?"
When we got back to my parents house, my brother-in-law walked in the room, started to say hello, then stopped and said, "Eh, did you two plan that?"
No, no we didn't but if a guy notices I guess our outfits were alike!
That night, I joked to my sister that I was wearing a green and grey maxi dress the next day and to not wear the same colors! She didn't . . . but she wore a pretty wrap skirt, the same style of skirt that I almost grabbed to wear to brunch!
I think we might need to call each other from now on to make sure we DON'T dress the same!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Apraxia Awareness Day
Although I tend to write more about prematurity than CAS, Childhood Apraxia of Speech affects every single aspect of our family. It's why George started preschool last year rather than this year. It's why we've welcomed speech therapists into our home at least once a week, every week, for three years. It's why he won't eat unfamiliar foods or at unfamiliar restaurants. It's why he screamed at me every morning for six months straight.
But . . .
He has apraxia. Apraxia does not have him.
George is happy. Yes, happy! He loves cows, Chik-Fil-A and trains. He loves his Grandpa and his Nono. He likes pancakes and pasta. He is strong willed, stubborn, and loving. He's a typical little brother and a great big brother! He's a NICU graduate who kicked prematurity and took names. He's the reason we host a NICU Thanksgiving every year. He's loving, caring, kind and compassionate. Now that he is finding his voice, he says the most hysterical things! Yes, yes, he has apraxia. It is a part of him but it doesn't define him.
He's the reason I will never take my voice for granted. He's the reason I was given the gift of speech and writing. He's thrust us into the world of special needs and made us all more comfortable around those with different abilities. He's the reason for many tears and so much more JOY. He's the reason the sentence "car get ow" is the best darn sentence I have ever heard.
Yes, Apraxia is his dragon and he must slay it. But amidst that spinney, scaly, snarling dragon is a precious flower, blooming against all odds.
Some of my favorite posts about Apaxia:
(Please note that these posts were written at various times in our journey. What they say may or may not reflect how we currently feel.)
A Voice for My Child: Orginally written for this blog, it was reposted on the Natural Parents Network last March. In it, I reflect on how my greatest strength is my son's greatest weakness.
She Kept Mocking the Way He was Speaking: My oldest son does not have Apraxia but that doesn't mean he is affected by it. At recess, one of his classmates was mocking George, something that upset my oldest.
Heal My Son: Sometimes I still get angry that my son, my baby, struggles so much with something that should come easily to him. I wish he was healed and perhaps healing is taking place through the hands of his therapists.
His Voice: The best first sentence in the world! Written for the Carnival of Natural Parenting.
I Knew it was Coming: The first time a child asked, "Why can't he talk?"
Apraxia Therapy: Different therapies we have used to help our son.
Fine: Related to prematurity but also about apraxia. How I feel when people say, "But he's fine, right?"
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mother's Day Ends in Puke
I really wish I had a creative title for this, or that I was joking. I'm not.
Now, I like puke as much as the next mother (read: I don't) but this time I have a special reason to FREAK THE FRICK OUT: we were visiting Miss Who's family.
Yeah, Miss Who, my niece, the one who was born at 25 weeks? That Miss Who- and her brothers and her parents and my parents.
Excuse me whilst I abuse exclamation points: !!!!!!!
Shortly after Miss Who was born, I told my parents and my sister that I would come up for Mother's Day. After much hemming and hawing, I decided to leave the little boys at home with Adam and take just my big kids with me. Aside from the fact that they wanted and needed just time with Mommy and their grandparents, without the chaos two little preschoolers (plus their preschool cousins) can cause, we could stay with my parents. (George and Cole seem to be allergic to cats and they have two.) We didn't tell the boys where we were going, although they knew we were traveling. Adam said they were kinda grumpy the entire weekend but were otherwise fine.
(He also admitted that it is easier with Joseph and Camille around because they do help out. The Troublesome Tots just leave chaos in their wake.)
We had a great trip. We left around six and got to my parents house laaaattte. I got to see Miss Who outside of her isolette and hang out while her mommy had cuddle time. It was so awesome to really see her and watch her react to her mother's voice. She kept needing less and less oxygen while she was being held, even with my voice and presence there. (Sometimes unfamiliar voices can stress a preemie out- she did great! Guess she knows who will spoil her!) I even managed to make her a tiny, floppy brimmed hat that fit her!
As we were leaving the NICU, I got a call from Adam. Nothing good usually comes from, "Hey, honey, I got you a Mother's Day present at a garage sale!" I groaned and was ready to ream him when he followed up with, "I found a Phil and Ted's stroller with the doubles attachment for $75!" I about died! I have been wanting one for-ever! They are supposed to be the best, most lightweight strollers out there. I have tried jogging with our sit and stand and that just didn't work. It was so hard to push with only 30 pounds of kid; no way could I do it with both boys. Adam has tried it and says it pushed easily and stears well. I joked with my mother that I have no reason to give up running now. Darn that supportive husband who bought me running shoes, an armband for my phone, cleans the house while I am running AND buys me a dream stroller!
After hangin' with The Who, we went out to lunch and came home to dinner with everyone. I was very well fed and even more so the next day, when we went out to brunch on base. It felt oddly normal to be back on a military base. We lived on base when I was a teenager and, let's be honest, most military bases around the world look the same! Anyway, the food was great and we got home in time for a late dinner.
So, the puke. As we were driving home, the kids told me how much they enjoyed being with their grandparents and playing with their cousins without their brothers. It really cemented the choice I made and that the big kids needed some big kid time. They asked when we would visit again and I said I didn't know. The want to see Miss Who but completely understand the need to keep her germ-free for awhile. I remind them that they have her whole life to love on her but right now, she needs the quiet time with just her parents. I even said, "You know, you guys are big enough to tell me if you feel sick. The little boys can't do that so they probably shouldn't be around her or her brothers, because they could get them sick."
Ah, I should have known something was up when Joseph slept most of the trip and didn't touch his strawberry lemonade.
He woke up this morning and was sick several times. Adam and I were up early and he made a quick run to the store for ginger-ale. I cleaned up, made coffee, made him a bed on the couch, and freaked out.
"OMG, WHAT IF THE BOYS GET SICK? WHAT IF THEY GIVE IT TO THEIR PARENTS AND THE BABY GETS SICK??? WHAT IF I AM SICK AND I WAS AROUND THE BABY???? My parents and sister and brother-in-law will hate me FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE and we will NEVER EVER EVER be able to visit again and I will NEVER EVER EVER be able to see the boys or Miss Who again! NO ONE WILL LOVE ME and I will have to live with the knowledge that my SELFISH REASONS for visiting allowed the baby to get sick!!!!"
Adam looked at me, handed me coffee and said, "Drama much?"
So, there you have it. Mother's Day weekend was pretty awesome until it all came back into the toilet. If you need me, I will be doing penance in the form of multiple loads of laundry and sick kid.
Now, I like puke as much as the next mother (read: I don't) but this time I have a special reason to FREAK THE FRICK OUT: we were visiting Miss Who's family.
Yeah, Miss Who, my niece, the one who was born at 25 weeks? That Miss Who- and her brothers and her parents and my parents.
Excuse me whilst I abuse exclamation points: !!!!!!!
Shortly after Miss Who was born, I told my parents and my sister that I would come up for Mother's Day. After much hemming and hawing, I decided to leave the little boys at home with Adam and take just my big kids with me. Aside from the fact that they wanted and needed just time with Mommy and their grandparents, without the chaos two little preschoolers (plus their preschool cousins) can cause, we could stay with my parents. (George and Cole seem to be allergic to cats and they have two.) We didn't tell the boys where we were going, although they knew we were traveling. Adam said they were kinda grumpy the entire weekend but were otherwise fine.
(He also admitted that it is easier with Joseph and Camille around because they do help out. The Troublesome Tots just leave chaos in their wake.)
We had a great trip. We left around six and got to my parents house laaaattte. I got to see Miss Who outside of her isolette and hang out while her mommy had cuddle time. It was so awesome to really see her and watch her react to her mother's voice. She kept needing less and less oxygen while she was being held, even with my voice and presence there. (Sometimes unfamiliar voices can stress a preemie out- she did great! Guess she knows who will spoil her!) I even managed to make her a tiny, floppy brimmed hat that fit her!
As we were leaving the NICU, I got a call from Adam. Nothing good usually comes from, "Hey, honey, I got you a Mother's Day present at a garage sale!" I groaned and was ready to ream him when he followed up with, "I found a Phil and Ted's stroller with the doubles attachment for $75!" I about died! I have been wanting one for-ever! They are supposed to be the best, most lightweight strollers out there. I have tried jogging with our sit and stand and that just didn't work. It was so hard to push with only 30 pounds of kid; no way could I do it with both boys. Adam has tried it and says it pushed easily and stears well. I joked with my mother that I have no reason to give up running now. Darn that supportive husband who bought me running shoes, an armband for my phone, cleans the house while I am running AND buys me a dream stroller!
After hangin' with The Who, we went out to lunch and came home to dinner with everyone. I was very well fed and even more so the next day, when we went out to brunch on base. It felt oddly normal to be back on a military base. We lived on base when I was a teenager and, let's be honest, most military bases around the world look the same! Anyway, the food was great and we got home in time for a late dinner.
So, the puke. As we were driving home, the kids told me how much they enjoyed being with their grandparents and playing with their cousins without their brothers. It really cemented the choice I made and that the big kids needed some big kid time. They asked when we would visit again and I said I didn't know. The want to see Miss Who but completely understand the need to keep her germ-free for awhile. I remind them that they have her whole life to love on her but right now, she needs the quiet time with just her parents. I even said, "You know, you guys are big enough to tell me if you feel sick. The little boys can't do that so they probably shouldn't be around her or her brothers, because they could get them sick."
Ah, I should have known something was up when Joseph slept most of the trip and didn't touch his strawberry lemonade.
He woke up this morning and was sick several times. Adam and I were up early and he made a quick run to the store for ginger-ale. I cleaned up, made coffee, made him a bed on the couch, and freaked out.
"OMG, WHAT IF THE BOYS GET SICK? WHAT IF THEY GIVE IT TO THEIR PARENTS AND THE BABY GETS SICK??? WHAT IF I AM SICK AND I WAS AROUND THE BABY???? My parents and sister and brother-in-law will hate me FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE and we will NEVER EVER EVER be able to visit again and I will NEVER EVER EVER be able to see the boys or Miss Who again! NO ONE WILL LOVE ME and I will have to live with the knowledge that my SELFISH REASONS for visiting allowed the baby to get sick!!!!"
Adam looked at me, handed me coffee and said, "Drama much?"
So, there you have it. Mother's Day weekend was pretty awesome until it all came back into the toilet. If you need me, I will be doing penance in the form of multiple loads of laundry and sick kid.
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