Ok, crazy title, but listen up :) Some days, I have hard, long days. They usually start the night before and consist of being woken up about every 30-45 minutes by a little "cuddle bug" whom I don't have the heart to put in a bed in a dark room all by herself. I know you are probably saying that I have brought this on myself, but I don't care, its how I parent. Anyway, then, when I wake up for the day, I feel as if I never went to sleep at all. I drag through the day, usually listening to lots of whining, lots of crying, and change lots of diapers. It is on days like this that I wonder why birth control was ever created. I mean, seriously, send those teens over here that need a birth control pill. Surely, after one day, they will decide that sex just doesn't have the allure that it did the day before, and they can wait. I wonder why I can't capitalize on the market of birth control. Here's a novel idea, you pay me to come to my house to and watch my kids with the idea of not wanting any of your own.
But then, there are days like today, when I am left wondering why birth control was ever invented, but for the opposite reasons. I got a decent night of sleep- did a fair amount of cuddling with one warm little "heating blanket". I was awakened by a big, sloppy, wet kisses, and a babbling baby voice. As I was cuddling her, Sullivan walks in the door with the biggest smile you have ever seen. He covers me in his own version of love- strong hugs, pecking kisses. He tells me he loves me and that he can't wait to play all day with me (Thursdays are "his" days). Then, Aaron and I play with Sullivan, listen to his hillarious stories, his telling us things that we say - "See what will happen if you hit me again", "I would not do that if I were you", "Little Boys who behave this way go straight to time out". They seem much funnier coming out of the mouth of a four year old than they do out of the mouth of an angry mother or father. Then, we eat, get dressed, and set out to find the perfect Christmas tree skirt. Sullivan finds one he "loves" that I do not have the same affection for. He tells the lady standing in the aisle with us to "watch it for us while we look around so that we can be sure no one else gets it". There were only 8 more hanging on the shelf. Anyway, as she is cracking up, and I am as well, I am hit with an overwhelming wonder as to why I decided not to have any more children. They bring me such joy! They bring such humor and love into my life! I wonder why anyone would ever buy birth control to prevent having one of these wonders.
But then I remember that I can't predict what kind of day I will have tomorrow. I realize that it is a good thing that I stopped with two children- that's the number of hands I have, the number of eyes I have, and the number of ears I have. Surely I can keep track of two and hopefull raise them into their adulthoods without losing my sanity. I can right?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Birth Control
Posted by IamtheMom at 2:40 PM 1 comments
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving Is Over
sugar until he was 18 months!Sophie's attempt at feeding herself the whipped cream from the pie. Her new favorite gig is pouring the dog water on the floor and "mopping" with it. She SOOO does not agree that this is against the rules.
She is very talkative lately. She babbles at us constantly, and is really saying or trying to say what we say. She said cat this morning, and LOVES yelling at Sullivan. She is getting really fun. We watched ALOT of football this weekend, and now she can put her hands in the air and say something that resembles "touchdown." The cutest thing she has done lately was last night. Aaron and I were laying in bed, and she was climbing all over us. I had just put on some mint chapstick. She came and gave me a big, wet, sloppy, open mouth kiss. She sat up, kind of tasted her lips, realized something wasn't right, then gave her daddy a big, wet sloppy one. She sat up, like "what the heck?" She leaned over and gave me another, then did her daddy again. She finally just decided something was very wierd. It was so cute to watch her little mind process it. Oh how I love these nasty sloppy kissed! My friend Tiff always asks her "Sophie, do we need to get you and mommy a room?" (Sophie gets VERY into her kissing)
Posted by IamtheMom at 6:19 PM 0 comments
Friday, November 23, 2007
Dance Lessons
Check it out! We all took dance lessons for the holidays!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9583166765
Posted by IamtheMom at 7:42 AM 1 comments
Thursday, November 22, 2007
God is....
Posted by IamtheMom at 6:06 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Give Thanks
On this day before Thanksgiving, I am left with an overall feeling of thanks. I have SOOO much to be thankful for. I mean, we live in the richest country in the world, just having a government there to protect us is something we take for granted every day. I am thankful that I have a roof over my head, heat when it is cold and air conditioning when its hot. I am thankful for my shiny car to drive that can hold both of my kids and their ridiculous abundance of gear that it apparently takes me to get them places. I am thankful that Aaron has a strong desire to go places in the world, and has a job that can support us. Just having a job is a big thing to be thankful for!!
I am thankful for a family that supports us. My parents would do anything for us in their power. I am thankful more than anyone will ever know for my friends. I have the greatest group of friends a girl could ever ask for. God definitely knew what he was doing by bringing us to College Station. I mean, who knew I could be great friends with a lactation consultant, a girl from California that thinks crawfish are nasty, a girl that survives having three babies in one year and maitains her humor, or any of the wonderful friends I have made here? Its wonderful! I am thankful of course for my kiddos. They are so wonderful. I could not have painted them better- they are definitely gorgeous. But, more than that, they are so fun. I am thankful that I am getting to relive my childhood every day. Yesterday, Sullivan and I were practicing counting to 100. After the third time, he said "Mom, this takes forever." So, thinking back to my wonder years, I said, "Wanna know a trick? Just say 1,2 skip a few 99, 100." He was so thrilled to know this new trick. He cracked up laughing, and said it over and over and over. It was so fun to feel like I was 5 again! And, of course there is my Sophie. I guess I need to be thankful that the trash she finds everywhere we go that she puts in her mouth hasn't killed her! Looking back over our journey this year with her, I am just so thankful to have her. I can't wait to know her more, her little personality (well, not so little of one), is emerging every day. Her spunky sassiness is more apparent every day.
And most of all, I am thankful for a God who loves me, who trusts me enough to give me all of these things He has that I am thankful for. I am thankful that He loves me. And, I am thankful that I know I get to spend forever with Him.
Posted by IamtheMom at 7:07 AM 0 comments
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Seven Years Ago today
Posted by IamtheMom at 7:49 PM 4 comments
Friday, November 16, 2007
Ahhhhhhh
Posted by IamtheMom at 8:53 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Five
Posted by IamtheMom at 10:45 AM 2 comments
Monday, November 12, 2007
In Awe
This is her with my PawPaw. He is such a wonderful man, and I am so glad that we got such a great visit with him. It was a joy to see him delight in her. He just lit up as we surprised him with a visit. He said he now believes in real love that I would travel all that way with my kids. It was so worth every minute. I realize that he is getting old, and is not in the best of health, that's why I appreciated every minute. He still has such a big sense of humor that it cracks me up. And, its hard for me to remember sometimes that he is 87, until he reminds me with his lack of understanding of technology. He still believes that you can not stand in front of a remote control, or its rays will fry your brain. You can NOT go anywhere near a microwave when it is on for fear of the "waves" frying your brain. He does not believe that faxes are real, because seriously, can that stuff just fly around in the air? And, when we went to Disney World and were on the alien attack ride, he honestly believed that they had come to get us. He said "I just knew this would happen before I died."
Posted by IamtheMom at 12:09 PM 0 comments
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Conversations
(If you notice the time of my post, you will realize I am up ridiculously late. Sophie and her daddy have decided to snore in harmony tonight making it hard for me to sleep).
Tonight at Dinner:
Sullivan: "Mom, did God build this house we live in?"
Me: "Well, not really, Ed Froehling built the house and he used lots of workers to help."
S: "No mom, you are wrong."
Me: "Oh really, sorry about that, who built it then Sullivan?"
S: " Well, my teacher said that God made everything, so He had to make this house."
Me "Well, God did make everything. But, He made the men who built the house, He made their minds smart so they could know how and their arms strong so they could build it. He made the trees to be used for wood, so in a way He kind of made it, but the men built it."
S : "No you are definitely wrong mom, my teacher is always right."
Me " Ok, sorry about that Sullivan."
Conversation on the phone with Nanny:
Nanny: "Sullivan, I get to come see you tomorrow, and we can go to the Rennaissance Festival and ride a real Elephant."
Sullivan: "Wait a minute Nanny, I don't ride real elephants. You could fall off and bonk your head and IMMEDIATELY get hurt."
Nanny: "Well I think it will be really fun, and its safe. I will ride it with you."
Sullivan: "I will have to check and see if I have time to do that."
Afterwards:
Sullivan: "Mom, can elephants have seatbelts?"
Me: "I don't know what does your teacher say since she is right about everything?"
Sullivan: "Uh hello mom, she didn't say about this, so I need to know."
Me: "I am sure the elephants at the festival will be safe to ride, they probably have a metal chair or something on them to keep you from falling."
Sullivan: "Yeah like a chair would be safer, everyone knows you can fall off a chair."
Me: "Well, we will just check it out when we get there and see what we think."
Sullivan: "Ok I guess."
Posted by IamtheMom at 10:38 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
For the love of......
Posted by IamtheMom at 8:37 AM 2 comments
Monday, November 5, 2007
It was so real
So, Sophie got really sick Saturday night. She went to bed with us figuring she had an ear infection. She was super snotty- eyes, nose, nasty. Then, Sunday morning she woke up pretty hot- 102. She acted ok, but in pain. We decided to go get donuts, and as we were there, she coughed and choked herself a few times. Then, she started acting very listless. She looked sick. On everything I have read about kids, it says to gauge how sick they are by how they act. A child with 105 fever but running around playing is probably fine, however, a child with 100.4 fever but acting listless needs to be seen. Anyway, she then had 103.5, with tylenol in her. She didn't move a whole lot, and looked pretty rough. So, we called our pediatrician, who told us to take her to urgent care and have her seen immediately. She said not to take any chances, seeing how sick she got and how fast last time. So, off to Urgent Care we went. I have to say that at this point, I honestly felt like I was gonna have a panic attack. I was sweaty, felt like throwing up, and could have passed out if I had laid down long enough. I don't think the reality of what happened to her in September had ever really sunk in. Well, the thought of having to go through all of that again hit me like a train running into the side of a mountain. I prayed like I have never prayed before. And, as I was praying, with Sophie laying on my shoulder listless, I felt God touch me. Don't laugh, it wasn't as if I felt a literal hand, but I knew what He was telling me. He calmed me down enough to take care of her, and as I waited for the doctor to come into the room, He let me in on His secret. I had held Sophie as she was dying. She literally was gasping for her last breaths on the helicopter ride on the way to the PICU in September. She was in her final moments of life, and I was holding her. I was comforting her, but had no idea just how serious it all was. And, God changed His mind. He decided she should be around longer, and changed his mind. So, as I held her in the room on Sunday morning, I realized that God gave me a second chance with this small miracle of life in September. He changed His mind about wanting her then and allowed Aaron and I to have her back. I know what it feels like to watch your child fighting for every breath they take, and am blessed to know that God felt He could trust me with her. As he revealed this secret to me in the office, I realized that I am to care for this baby no matter how many ear infections she gets, no matter how many bouts with pneumonia she fights, no matter how many sleepless nights it takes with gratitude. Gratitude that I am able to stay up all night and comfort her. Because it could have gone the other way very easily in September. (If you had seen the looks on all of the doctor's and nurses' faces, you would know just how close it was to going the other way). God could not have changed His mind. He could have taken her. There are many moms out there right now who would give anything to sit in a doctor's office with their sick baby if only it meant they could have that baby in their arms once again. So, Sophie is on her 6th round of antibiotics since September 3rd. So, she hasn't slept more than an hour at a time in three months. So, she has no intention on ever stopping nursing. She is here. And I am thankful. I am thankful that I have seen her smile today. I am thankful that I have heard her laugh. I am thankful for her slobbery, nasty, wet, french kisses all over my face today. I am thankful for getting to watch her dance her whole body every time the Aggie band played music at the game today. I am thankful for getting to watch her face light up when she saw the baby in the mirror waving back to her this morning. Thank you God for the honor of trusting us with her. I promise to not take my job lightly as her mother. I promise to love her EVERY time she wakes up in the night. I do not know why she is staying so sick, but I promise to love her, hold her, and comfort her through it all. Thank you for sharing her with me, and for giving her back when you so easily could have taken her. I have taken my job too lightly as a mother, and I apologize. This IS the greatest calling anyone could ever have, and you have trusted me with it twice. For that, I am forever grateful.
Posted by IamtheMom at 8:22 PM 4 comments
Saturday, November 3, 2007
I resign
This is my official resignation letter from being a stay at home mom. I have spent the day taking care of ANOTHER sick child. I feel like I need to run away- far away. Oh wait, where would I go. No replacement willing to take over you say? No one willing to take NO pay for a job involving getting pooped on, thrown up on, and snotted on all in one day? No one willing to be bitten over and over and over, take six warm showers with a baby, fix meals, be a living bottle and pacifier, AND ignore the fact that their head, neck, lymph glands, throat and whole body feel like they are going to explode? Alright, I guess I will stick it out! You guessed it another sick one. Sophie, in the picture above, finally collapsed after her stupid mom finally remembered that I have numbing drops for her ears. Apparently we will be at the pediatrician again tomorrow (WHAT sick on a Sunday you say, you must not remember my children's track record of ONLY getting sick on holidays and weekends). If I sound bitter, its because I am! Sorry, dealing with sick children, husbands, and myself for two and a half months now apparently has worn me thin. I need something in the form of a very stiff drink.
We decided to wean Sophie because I just can't go on anymore, but she got sick today, so weaning had to take a break. I am now wondering if there is any way that a manipulative ten month old can cause herself to get sick so that her mother will stop the weaning process. Hmmm... maybe its a secret coded hidden in the Baby Einstein videos. I always wondered why they were so amusing to kids and so boring to adults. Perhaps I am on to something- secret, hidden codes. Well, normally I would go investigate this claim. But, I am dealing with less sleep than a mother of newborn quadruplets right now (Please read this God: I am NOT asking to be a mother of newborn quadruplets so that you can prove me wrong), and do not have the energy to check out my claim.
My children went to visit Santa Claus today. Boy am I glad they did, the Christmas list I had for Sullivan was all wrong! I am glad I got to listen to him tell Santa about Hungry Hungry Hippo and some racing car set that crashes cars (go figure- both full contact, LOUD, toys that require batteries). He also informed Santa that he has been a very good boy, and he should find his name on the good list. I wonder if lying about being good to Santa counts as a lie- pushing your name down to the bad list? Or, is it such a good con that Santa actually forgets that you have not listened, had many many meltdowns, thrown things at your mother, and screamed quite a bit and actually puts your name on the good list. He told Santa that Sophie wants a Learning Vacuum cleaner so she can learn to clean the house. Yes, you are free to say it, I am in for trouble as he gets older! Well, he is now asking me to look at his hiney to check what a great wiping job he did, so I must go. Enjoy this little clip of Sophie being a rock star! Perhaps she has a career in the dancing profession?
Posted by IamtheMom at 6:46 PM 1 comments
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Dragons, and Ladybugs, and Mono OH MY!
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Sooooo...................... Yesterday was Halloween, and we got one more trick from God. Apparently He really thinks Aaron and I are strong, because He sure seems to be throwing alot our way. Sullivan has been saying his throat hurt since last Wednesday. I took him to the doctor then, because he is prone to strep throat, had him tested, and it was negative. So, she said its a virus, let it run its course. He seemed to get worse on Sunday, saying it hurt really bad, and then throwing up. But, his temperature was around 95.3 the whole time. Monday, he kept saying he was tired, but we all are (night weaning isn't going as planned with Sophie so we aren't getting much sleep in the house). At dinner, he literally could not sit up, he kept saying he had to go to bed. He looked like he was about to pass out. Aaron kept asking if he had taken a nap (yes three hours as usual). Tuesday, he was just as tired all day, but he was crying his throat hurt so bad, I looked, and it had puss pockets all over it. So, I took him in yesterday morning, and he has mono. His spleen is rather large, so we have to protect it. She said he was free to do whatever he felt comfortable doing- that he is only contagious if he kisses someone or lets them drink after him. She also said he could feel sick like this for another week to two weeks and would probably be tired for a few months! This is getting insane! I don't know how much longer I can deal with sick people, at this rate, I should definitely be getting paid from the state a nurse's salary.
In other news, Sophie has started to wave!!! Its the cutest thing ever. She waves backwards (like at herself). She is also doing her first sign- the sign for "gentle"- a rub on the top of her arm. She does it anytime she approaches our dogs. She is giving unsolicited kisses as well. Like, when you pick her up, she opens her mouth wide and starts "making out" with your mouth. Its really sweet. If you are already holding her, she makes smacking noises, like "give me my kiss now." The thing is, she totally denies Aaron everytime he asks for one! Its really funny. She will be kissing all over me, and he will say "Sophie, daddy really wants some of those kisses," and she turns her head away. She should be an intersting teenager!
I will have to upload our halloween pictures later, I keep getting an error every time I try now. Hint hint- Sullivan was a dragon and Sophie was a ladybug.
Posted by IamtheMom at 5:51 AM 3 comments