So, in celebration of the new addition (Toofer Number 3) I would like to share with you Smaller Child's new favorite game. Peek-a-Boo.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Toofers and Fevers and Droolers -An Update-
First and foremost, Larger Child's mysterious fever never came
back. (Thank you God!) Besides the normal seasonal yuck we are all
struggling with, he seems to be just fine. Smaller Child FINALLY cut one
of the two top teeth that were bulging the gums for weeks. The other
seems to be just under the surface. So.... fingers crossed it will make
its appearance any day now. In the meantime, there seems to be no
reprieve from the drool and snot associated with baby teething, but
there has been several nights (in a row!) of decent sleep in our house,
(yay!!!) which makes this Mama much more capable of handling the rest of
the goo.
So, in celebration of the new addition (Toofer Number 3) I would like to share with you Smaller Child's new favorite game. Peek-a-Boo.
So, in celebration of the new addition (Toofer Number 3) I would like to share with you Smaller Child's new favorite game. Peek-a-Boo.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Toofers and Fevers and Droolers- OH MY!
This week has been a long one. Smaller Child has been trying to cut his top teeth for SEVERAL days now. This has resulted in snot, drool, ear pulling, appetite loss, nasty diapers... the WORKS. It has also resulted in Mama not getting as much sleep as she would like to. By the time he would decide he was ready to give sleep a try, I would lay down, get nestled in bed, close my eyes and juuuust be about to drift off when -- the shrieks of pain and frustration would begin again. After a while, I started having a hard time discerning which one of us the sound was coming from!
Last night, it seemed like I might be able to get some rest. Smaller Child had a decent day, and didn't seem to be as affected by the teething as he had been. I was excited to catch up on some rest. That is when Larger Child decided to mysteriously spike a fever of 104.8! He has never run one that high! Tylenol, cool rags and ice drinks helped to bring it down a bit, and he managed to get to sleep. But, as any seasoned mother knows, when there is concern in the brain for the health and well-being of the child, our sleep is sparing to say the least.
We were woken up around two in the morning by Larger Child crying, and unable to explain why. The only thing that seemed to relieve him was to crawl into bed with us. I could hear the fear and frustration in his voice, so I was more than happy to accommodate.
So, as I reach for my afternoon cup of coffee, (the cup that allows me to stay vertical for the next several hours until that glorious time known as "bed") I sigh and say, "Small price to pay for a life this good... small price to pay." I mean really, how glorious is it that there are two lives in this house that find their comfort and support in my arms?!? How magical is the power of Mom to be able to provide calm, peace, safety with just the stroke of a finger on a cheek, or a squeeze of a hand? What an amazing gift!
I will try to remember this the next time I am dragging myself out of bed at 2am, wistfully remembering the days of sleeping through the night, beds with room to spare, and waking up past noon.
Motherhood Rocks!
Last night, it seemed like I might be able to get some rest. Smaller Child had a decent day, and didn't seem to be as affected by the teething as he had been. I was excited to catch up on some rest. That is when Larger Child decided to mysteriously spike a fever of 104.8! He has never run one that high! Tylenol, cool rags and ice drinks helped to bring it down a bit, and he managed to get to sleep. But, as any seasoned mother knows, when there is concern in the brain for the health and well-being of the child, our sleep is sparing to say the least.
We were woken up around two in the morning by Larger Child crying, and unable to explain why. The only thing that seemed to relieve him was to crawl into bed with us. I could hear the fear and frustration in his voice, so I was more than happy to accommodate.
So, as I reach for my afternoon cup of coffee, (the cup that allows me to stay vertical for the next several hours until that glorious time known as "bed") I sigh and say, "Small price to pay for a life this good... small price to pay." I mean really, how glorious is it that there are two lives in this house that find their comfort and support in my arms?!? How magical is the power of Mom to be able to provide calm, peace, safety with just the stroke of a finger on a cheek, or a squeeze of a hand? What an amazing gift!
I will try to remember this the next time I am dragging myself out of bed at 2am, wistfully remembering the days of sleeping through the night, beds with room to spare, and waking up past noon.
Motherhood Rocks!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Little Explorer
It all started innocently enough. I was supervising Olivia the Weirdo's necessity trip outside (we have a bobcat that lurks about and had been spotted earlier that day) and chatting with my mom on the phone when I noticed that Smaller Child had become really still and quiet. The sunshine and snuggles took him down... it's like kryptonite for this kid.
A few moments later, he woke up. Note the drool on his chin (and the phone on mine)!
A few moments after that, he was wiggling and giggling and ready to explore.
He started slow... just reaching for the dirt. It is like a magnet to all little boys!
Then he found ROOTS and GRASS!
Smaller Child was pleased by this!
It became clear at that point this boy needed full submersion. So, in to the grass we go!
This too pleased him greatly. Now he had full access to dirt and grass to do with as he pleased... like eat it?
That is what you do with grass, right?
That's when we made the move to the center of the yard. There was slightly less mud, and the sun felt great! And OH the grass... HOW THE GRASS DID DELIGHT!
Like this piece...
And this one...
I wonder what this one taste like...
Nope! Not so good.
(This is when I step in and try to get him to stop eating the grass... and this is when he tries to distract me with the cuteness of his tootsies...)
Hey Mom, don't look at my hands... check out these cute feetsies!
Huuh? Huuh? You like that foot, Mom?? Check out this foo--- Hey, what's that??
It's Ooooolivia!!
Try as I might, I can never get a good picture of this dog. She hates the camera! Come on, Lady... just one?
Hold still!
Come on! Please?
Heavens SAKES! Good enough.
Give me the camera, Mama... I can do it!
Or this leaf... that works too.
Mmmm... leeeeaf....
I hope you all enjoyed your afternoon. We sure did.
A few moments later, he woke up. Note the drool on his chin (and the phone on mine)!
A few moments after that, he was wiggling and giggling and ready to explore.
He started slow... just reaching for the dirt. It is like a magnet to all little boys!
Then he found ROOTS and GRASS!
Smaller Child was pleased by this!
It became clear at that point this boy needed full submersion. So, in to the grass we go!
This too pleased him greatly. Now he had full access to dirt and grass to do with as he pleased... like eat it?
That is what you do with grass, right?
That's when we made the move to the center of the yard. There was slightly less mud, and the sun felt great! And OH the grass... HOW THE GRASS DID DELIGHT!
I wonder what this one taste like...
Nope! Not so good.
(This is when I step in and try to get him to stop eating the grass... and this is when he tries to distract me with the cuteness of his tootsies...)
Hey Mom, don't look at my hands... check out these cute feetsies!
Huuh? Huuh? You like that foot, Mom?? Check out this foo--- Hey, what's that??
It's Ooooolivia!!
Try as I might, I can never get a good picture of this dog. She hates the camera! Come on, Lady... just one?
Hold still!
Come on! Please?
Heavens SAKES! Good enough.
Give me the camera, Mama... I can do it!
Or this leaf... that works too.
Mmmm... leeeeaf....
I hope you all enjoyed your afternoon. We sure did.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Laughter is our Lifeline
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. - Victor Borge
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. -E.E. Cummings
Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand. -Mark Twain
To laugh, in this home, is to breath. We may very well do them in equal measure. Some evenings it seems like our entire goal and purpose is to get one another to laugh. All five of us (yes, Weirdo Olivia included) seem to need both laughing and the response of laughter to survive. We thrive on giggles, we beam with laugh snorts, we remember the days of threats of milk noses, or thigh slaps like one would mark a momentous anniversary or birth.
Laughter is the one tool we have used over and over again to get through the mundane. It has been our saving grace in the tough spots, and our life preserver in the tragedies. I am not sure if there has been more than a handful of days in the twelve years Beautiful Bald Husband and I have been together that he hasn't made me laugh, I mean REALLY laugh. I hope he can say the same for me.
To have the desire to make each other laugh in this family is more than just a need for attention, or entertainment, it is a deeper desire to see the other ones happy...to bring joy to the lives of the people we love. So, the fact that there are gaggles of giggles, tons of tee-hee's, chortles, guffaws, chuckle, and cachinnates, means to me only one thing... there is an abundance of love.
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. -E.E. Cummings
Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand. -Mark Twain
To laugh, in this home, is to breath. We may very well do them in equal measure. Some evenings it seems like our entire goal and purpose is to get one another to laugh. All five of us (yes, Weirdo Olivia included) seem to need both laughing and the response of laughter to survive. We thrive on giggles, we beam with laugh snorts, we remember the days of threats of milk noses, or thigh slaps like one would mark a momentous anniversary or birth.
Laughter is the one tool we have used over and over again to get through the mundane. It has been our saving grace in the tough spots, and our life preserver in the tragedies. I am not sure if there has been more than a handful of days in the twelve years Beautiful Bald Husband and I have been together that he hasn't made me laugh, I mean REALLY laugh. I hope he can say the same for me.
To have the desire to make each other laugh in this family is more than just a need for attention, or entertainment, it is a deeper desire to see the other ones happy...to bring joy to the lives of the people we love. So, the fact that there are gaggles of giggles, tons of tee-hee's, chortles, guffaws, chuckle, and cachinnates, means to me only one thing... there is an abundance of love.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Nine Months
It is hard to believe that NINE months have passed since our Smaller Child came in to this world. Nine months! On the other hand, I cannot fathom a time when our beautiful baby wasn't here to complete our family so perfectly. Our house feels whole now that Smaller Child is with us. My heart feels the same.
In nine months I have learned:
1. I can hold a baby, make lunch for a six year old, and talk on the phone at the same time.
2. Carrots stain. Green beans don't.
3. When the schedules are organized, this family is like a well-oiled machine.
4. Puppies eventually get potty trained, and babies eventually sleep through the night.
5. Larger Child will never fail to exceed my expectations.
(When will I learn to stop having expectations?)
6. While the internet may say otherwise, parenting has not changed in six years.
(Or 60, or 600 really.)
7. The capacity for a parent to love is much greater than imagined.
8. I like to prove people wrong.
9. Boys will be boys. Boys in packs will be even more so.
10.Smaller Child brings out the best in all of us.
Nine months listening to my heartbeat. Nine months being my heart. (It has been a wonderful year and a half, Little Man. Can't wait to see what's next!)
In nine months I have learned:
1. I can hold a baby, make lunch for a six year old, and talk on the phone at the same time.
2. Carrots stain. Green beans don't.
3. When the schedules are organized, this family is like a well-oiled machine.
4. Puppies eventually get potty trained, and babies eventually sleep through the night.
5. Larger Child will never fail to exceed my expectations.
(When will I learn to stop having expectations?)
6. While the internet may say otherwise, parenting has not changed in six years.
(Or 60, or 600 really.)
7. The capacity for a parent to love is much greater than imagined.
8. I like to prove people wrong.
9. Boys will be boys. Boys in packs will be even more so.
10.Smaller Child brings out the best in all of us.
Nine months listening to my heartbeat. Nine months being my heart. (It has been a wonderful year and a half, Little Man. Can't wait to see what's next!)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
What a Gift!
I am blessed beyond measure. I am also lucky enough to have some awareness of that fact. One of my many many blessings is the gift of a good partnership in parenting. From the moment Larger Child came in to this world, Beautiful Bald Husband changed. It was as though Fatherhood shot through every fiber of his being the second that baby took his first breath. It was visually apparent. It was all over his face. His posture changed, his voice changed. His eyes.... his eyes changed the most.
From that day forth, I knew that without a shadow of a doubt, my son would ALWAYS have his Dad. He would always have someone in this world, besides myself, who is on his team. As the years have passed, this fact has just become more and more clear. When discussions of bringing another child in this world occurred. Beautiful Bald Husband would often voice concerns that he didn't think he could love another child as much as his first. I understood that, I wondered the same thing about myself. BUT, when Smaller Child blessed our lives, again... I could SEE the change happen in his body. It reminded me of the line in How the Grinch Stole Christmas..."the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."
It really was that way, I know because I felt it too. One of the greatest lessons we learned with the appearance of Smaller Child was that the capacity for a parent to love is much much greater than we could ever imagine. So, with that moment, again I knew Smaller Child would ALWAYS have his Dad, and would ALWAYS have two people on his team.
I cannot express the gift it is to have a partner in parenting that you can always count on. I know that I am lucky, I know that there are millions of other women out there that cannot say the same. My heart breaks for those mothers, and for those children. I could not imagine what that would be like.
I never have to think twice about it. I know that he is there for those boys, for whatever they may need. He has shown this over and over by the big things: Swimming a half a block through flood water to get to us when our house flooded two years ago. And the small things: Killing the scorpion in the flower bed that is threatening to scare the child. The exceptional things: Driving all over God's creation to find THE Christmas gift. Or spending half the night Christmas Eve putting together a Christmas gift to set under the tree. The day to day: Working two jobs, day in and day out, doing everything he can to provide a life for us. As our boys get older, his role is going to change like mine will. As they grow older, and begin to explore this world, learn their life lessons, my role as Mamma may take a back seat to his role as Dad to teach them the lessons only a fellow man can teach. I know now too, that in this capacity, he will flourish as well. As hard as it is for me to let go and let him handle it, I know that he will do whatever he can to give those boys whatever they need. He has proven that. The hardest thing I have to do is to trust another with the well-being of my children, but in this case again I don't have to think twice!
How lucky my boys are to have a dad like that! How lucky I am to have a partner like that! What a gift.
From that day forth, I knew that without a shadow of a doubt, my son would ALWAYS have his Dad. He would always have someone in this world, besides myself, who is on his team. As the years have passed, this fact has just become more and more clear. When discussions of bringing another child in this world occurred. Beautiful Bald Husband would often voice concerns that he didn't think he could love another child as much as his first. I understood that, I wondered the same thing about myself. BUT, when Smaller Child blessed our lives, again... I could SEE the change happen in his body. It reminded me of the line in How the Grinch Stole Christmas..."the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."
It really was that way, I know because I felt it too. One of the greatest lessons we learned with the appearance of Smaller Child was that the capacity for a parent to love is much much greater than we could ever imagine. So, with that moment, again I knew Smaller Child would ALWAYS have his Dad, and would ALWAYS have two people on his team.
I cannot express the gift it is to have a partner in parenting that you can always count on. I know that I am lucky, I know that there are millions of other women out there that cannot say the same. My heart breaks for those mothers, and for those children. I could not imagine what that would be like.
I never have to think twice about it. I know that he is there for those boys, for whatever they may need. He has shown this over and over by the big things: Swimming a half a block through flood water to get to us when our house flooded two years ago. And the small things: Killing the scorpion in the flower bed that is threatening to scare the child. The exceptional things: Driving all over God's creation to find THE Christmas gift. Or spending half the night Christmas Eve putting together a Christmas gift to set under the tree. The day to day: Working two jobs, day in and day out, doing everything he can to provide a life for us. As our boys get older, his role is going to change like mine will. As they grow older, and begin to explore this world, learn their life lessons, my role as Mamma may take a back seat to his role as Dad to teach them the lessons only a fellow man can teach. I know now too, that in this capacity, he will flourish as well. As hard as it is for me to let go and let him handle it, I know that he will do whatever he can to give those boys whatever they need. He has proven that. The hardest thing I have to do is to trust another with the well-being of my children, but in this case again I don't have to think twice!
How lucky my boys are to have a dad like that! How lucky I am to have a partner like that! What a gift.
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