Long Winded Birthday Recap

We got back from our cruise on Monday, Ava's 6th birthday, and Dan left the next day for Denver. It's hard to come home from a cruise. It's really hard to come home from a cruise and step into single parenthood.

The first night was Ava's kindergarten program. We barely made it in time after dropping Dan at the airport and sitting in traffic. Not a minute after we got there, Dan texted me to say that his flight had been cancelled due to the weather.

The weather this spring has been something else. I have had a cute little post with cute little pictures about the weather lined up for some time now. Before I had the chance to post it originally, there was weather that actually did major damage, lives and homes destroyed, and then that post didn't seem so cute anymore. Since then, we have continued to have outrageous weather and then again, major, terrible, tornadoes have done so much damage.

That night turned out to be another doozy and I was so so so happy that his flight was cancelled, even though it meant he'd have to leave at 3:45 am the next morning to catch another. I might have had a major meltdown had I been alone with the kids. First though, he caught a cab to the elementary school where he walked into the cafeteria as they literally sang the last note to the last song.

Soon the storm was raging and just as we were about to go to bed, the tornado sirens started. When they go off, there is a feeling of uncertainty. Take heed and get in the closet or just ignore them? In light of recent weather catastrophes, we headed down, emptied the hall closet, scooped Ava and Luke out of their beds, and turned on the news. We figured we'd wait until the last minute, if necessary, to get Max. These are the moments when I was so glad not to be alone. By the time we sat down in front of the TV, the sirens were silent. We put the kids back in their beds and headed that way ourselves. The next morning, Dan was picked up in a cab whose windshield was shattered and had four huge baseball size dents from the hail. The driver told Dan that 300 cabs had hail go all the way through their windows. He had spent the night in the middle of the backseat, parked in front of the airport, as hail rained on his car.

I had to take Ava to the doctor for her 6 year well check the next day. Ava is just like me (or how I used to be) in regards to shots and medical procedures in general. She has been saying for months that she, "hates summer because that's when I have to get shots". I did not tell her ahead of time that she'd be getting her immunizations at this appointment. And even without the anticipation of the shots, she was plenty nervous just to be examined. She had the shakes and jerked at each touch and could hardly stand to let the nurse or doctor take her temperature, look in her ears, take her blood pressure, etc.

But she did it. She did it all. She didn't like it but she cooperated and was sweet. She thought she was home free and then I broke the news. I told her about the shots. And she was like a deflated balloon. This is one of the things I admire about Ava and how she copes with her sensitivities, she realized there was no way out; no crying or having a fit was going to save her, so she immediately went to work on a plan in her mind of how she is going to cope with this.

She looked at me in the eyes and said, "I am going to sit down and hold your hands, then I am going to squeeze them like this, close my eyes, and think about something else, then they will be over, right?"

Pretty good plan, I told her. And that is exactly what she did. She didn't flinch, she didn't squirm, and she didn't even cry. I'd say, "that's my girl!" but I never survived an immunization that well.



The next day the school nurse called to let me know that she was covered in a rash and to see if I knew what it might be from. The nurse at the doctor's office agreed with me that it was probably from the chicken pox vaccine. Though nearly a week later, it still covers her legs and now Max looks like he's got it, so we're guessing it is Fifth's disease, a suggestion by the school nurse who noted she's seen a lot of it at school lately.



Either way, I have felt strong reassurance that the right thing for my children, is to space out their vaccinations. Ava is now up to date, not too far behind her peers, and I feel very peaceful and strong about the way we got here.

And then it was Thursday night, Dan's flight home was cancelled because the hail had damaged 60 American planes. He switched his flight and got home at 1:00 am, the morning of his birthday.

He worked that Friday as scheduled. Which brought us to Saturday; two of my love's birthdays past, but none celebrated.

Ava had gone back and forth between wanting a friend party or just a family party. We settled on a family party and then inviting the neighbor girls down for cake and ice cream.

My parents joined us in Ft. Worth at the Stockyards for a wild west show.




Max was the only one who loved it. His body shook with excitement and he clapped, clapped, clapped. The rest of us were either bored or underwhelmed. For Ava especially, the fun didn't start until my parents gave her their present of a pony ride.

She was in heaven.





Luke tried his best not to smile, resulting in a lot of pictures with his tongue out.




We finished off the evening with Pin the Tail on the Horse,

Grandma trying to cheat

the requested Lasagna dinner, presents,

Ava's favorite present, a horse quilt from Grandma Linda

and friends and cake.

Ava's first guess when she saw the cake-a mitten? You can tell it's a horse, right?

We decided to celebrate Dan's birthday on Monday. He is the best guy I know, and that is the straight up truth. I have never met anyone better, which makes the fact that the day turned out less than fantastic, stink. Also, when you put up a birthday post with slightly embarrassing pictures of someone, you better be ready to make up for it in other areas (it's not too late to enter for a calendar!). I tried to take him to a Ranger's game on Friday night but he was just too tired after all of his traveling, so we took the kids to babysitting night, got take out, and came home to watch some of our recorded shows we'd missed.

Monday we went to the lake and had a breakfast picnic, we tried to swim at the pool but I made the kids get out when both Max and Ava's skin was crazy looking from the rash and I worried it might be contagious. The kids were wild and grouchy. I was grouchy. Dan was grouchy.

We made his requested dinner of grilled hamburgers and all the works. I made the cake. At least dinner was delicious.


By that night we were all exhausted and fell into bed. It wasn't his best birthday, I'm sure. But that's the good thing about birthdays, they keep coming so we can always try again next year.

If this post doesn't get removed it's because Dan is in a good mood

because it's his BIRTHDAY!

I have a little announcement to make. I have decided to expand my creative horizons and create a calendar. I love to take pictures, so it's a great fit, I'd say. I hope to have it completed in time for 2012. This calendar would make a perfect gift for all of those hard to shop for people on your holiday list. It's never too early to get a jump on Christmas shopping! You can pre-order yours today.

I already have the photographs for the first few months. I'll give you a sneak peek! Eeeek!

Here's what I'm thinking for February, the month of love:




And here's a nice playful one for spring! How about April?




This one is more serious. To me it says "September":




Summer Sweetness, here's June:




What do you think?! I'm on to something, is what I think!

Now go ahead and leave a comment to tell my baby happy birthday, thank him for being such a good sport, and be entered in a drawing for your very own copy of my new calendar!!


Happy Birthday, Dan!!

Creatures of Habit

In so many ways I could just repost my cruise stories from last time. Because it was the exact same cruise, after all. We loved it the first time, and we loved it again. We had a fabulous, relaxing time. And of course, we owe my mother a truckload of thank you's for taking care of the kids. THANK YOU, MOMMA!


We weren't surprised to find that a few things were different but most were very much the same.

The food:

Same.

We ate ourselves silly. We loved to eat breakfast out on the back of the boat each morning. There was still a lot of bacon involved for Dan, though one difference was that this time they had servers for the bacon (probably to save it from bacon hoarders like Dan) so by the last day, Dan was begging me to take bacon even though I didn't want any and give it to him. I gladly obliged.

We ate ice cream and pizza at odd hours just because we could.


Dan made a resolution to eat an apple a day to offset everything else. I think that resolution lasted...one day.



There was a new water slide, which Dan tested out and gave two thumbs up.



Gorgeous blue water:

Same.

The shows were still super cheesy and we still got candy to eat each night as we watched them.

Our dining table compadres were pretty okay.

We actually got in the pool this time.

We read and slept a ton.



We decided that we are not the cruise line's favorite customers. They don't make much money off of us once we're on the boat, unless you count the $10 worth of candy we bought. So much money is spent on alcohol it's crazy. I know we create a sort of bubble for ourselves and our family, but I wasn't born in a bubble. Still, I am still slightly flabbergasted by things people do with a little (or a lot) of alcohol in their systems. Probably more entertaining than half the shows on board, I found simple enjoyment from watching all the drunk people.


Shore Excursion:

Same.

We went to the exact same beach club on our stop in Mexico. This time the sun was out. The water was blue and the food was wonderful. We got the exact same thing, surprise!




We skipped the massages and just slept and read and swam in the ocean.









I feel obligated to point out that these are my legs. My mother thought this looked like an advertisement for a vacation for amputees. I may know all about accessible recreation, but this is not my plug.

Towel Animals:

Same.

But it never gets old. These little creatures and the mints always made me smile. What else was so amazing was the ability of our super little steward to get in and out of our room and have the bed made, straightened, turned down, towel creatures concocted, all within a few minutes. We'd leave and come back a few minutes later and it was all done. That guy was like a magician!

Formal Night:

Mostly the same.

Obviously we are in different clothes. I didn't make my dress, though I did add the lace at the shoulders. I hated the professional picture they took of us this year, despite loving the one from last year.

Occasion for taking pictures of ourselves:

Same.

We're so hot together, our camera fogged up.

Or it could have been the humidity.

Either way, the goals of our trip were accomplished-spend time alone together, make up for all the sleep we've lost in the last 3 years, relax, and eat.

And one more thing that's the same:


That one's never gonna change.

The Sixth Sense

They spend hours of everyday needing things, wanting things, and messing up things. They stand next to my bed at 4:30 am and say, "Can I sweep wif you?" Nothing unique among children, I know, and I actually wouldn't change a thing, but still they are things that lead every tired parent to dream of sleeping in, eating a meal without feeding someone else simultaneously, taking a nap, walking quickly, or slowly, or just doing whatever you want, whenever you want.

Tomorrow we cruise. We plan to do all of the above. But tell me something, why? How? How is it that my little children know exactly when to pour on the cute; the perfect moment to display formerly unseen brotherly love, the precise moment to pull out the proverbial dagger and stick it right into my beating heart? Problem for them is, my heart has already melted and is dripping down my leg.



I miss my pumpkins already, dangit! Why do they do this?! They make me love them so much I'm exhausted and then make me love them so much more that I can't leave without it hurting. What's a mommy to do? Rock and a hard place, that's what it is, rock and a hard place.

Medical milestones, maladies, mysteries, and other bits of tid

This week I seized the opportunity to get my back x-rayed since I am currently not pregnant. You may recall that it was my back issues that landed me in the unexpected and precarious situation of being very pregnant, at the beginning of an induction, with no anesthesiologist in the city willing to give me an epidural. Thus Max was born au natural.

If only I had brought x rays, they told me. If only they knew where, exactly, my problem lied (lay?), they told me. So, since the possibility of more children is out there, I wanted to have the necessary documentation and therefore hopefully avoid any surprise natural births in the future.

This x-ray showed nothing. No abnormalities. No nothing. Just a normal back. Huh. Apparently I don't have Spina Bifida Occulta anymore. So, that takes care of that, I guess.

Ava lost her 6th tooth last week. 6 teeth gone before her 6th birthday. She is making some fast cash from the forgetful tooth fairy.

This picture is actually when she lost her 5th tooth. Her sixth tooth fell out in church the next week.




Over the course of the last two weeks, I would say that Max has entered the Terrible Two's. Only he's still just one. This is reminding me of Ava, more and more. Only with her it was the Terrible Ones, Twos, Threes, and Fours. Five has been pretty good. Hopefully Max won't take so many years to get his kinks worked out.



He screams, screams when something, anything is not to his liking. We get a lot of stares when we're in public. He points his chubby finger in all of our faces and yells, "NOOO!", he throws himself to the ground in protest, he cries crocodile tears with fury and anger. He can't stand to have me out of his sight. He screams at the shower while I wash as quickly as I can. He screams at my leg when I am cooking and can't pick him up.

On the contrary he gives an abundance of unsolicited hugs, pats, and kisses. He dances and claps whenever he hears music, and he laughs and giggles which causes everyone around him to do the same. He "sings" I Am a Child of God with me when I put him to bed. He loves to sit at the table with the family and eat dinner. He folds his arms for the prayer. He plays endlessly at the water table in the backyard. He loves to wrestle with the other kids. He loves to jump on the trampoline.

I believe it was in his 18 month post that I said he laughed and cried with the same intensity. That is what I have seen even more over these weeks. He is enthusiastic with his feelings, whether good or bad. Not too unlike some other people in this family.

Also over the course of the recent weeks, I have noticed something about Luke's foot. When he walked it looked like it was turning inward. Not pigeon toed, but pronated; his ankle rolled inwards. I kept noticing and telling myself I needed to take a closer look but never did.

The other morning, though, I was in just the right position and had his foot on my lap and something didn't look right.








It's almost like he has 2 ankle bones. I can't remember much these days, but I vaguely remember noticing this a long time ago, but not nearly so pronounced. It is not tender or anything. But I think I will make an appointment, I'm just not sure whether to go to the pediatrician or skip straight to the orthopedist.

I have no idea what this could be, but let's just hope that the remedy doesn't involve staying off the trampoline.

Not Your Typical Mother's Day Post

First of all, I have had such a fabulous Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed, cute cards and notes, well-behaved kids at church, Ava's singing performance, delicious dinner with my own mother. Just a great day.

And this week in the mail, my Mother's Day gift from Dan arrived early. He got me a Bosch mixer! I am very excited but now the pressure is on to start making some good stuff with it.

I am so lucky to be a mother. These past few weeks I have been reminded again and again, what an eternal thing this is. I am so good at not seeing the long term picture. Sometimes I get caught up in my own worries about my kids, when the truth is, whatever is going to happen, will happen whether I am worrying about it or not. Better to spend my time and effort working to bring about the best situations I can and actually enjoy myself while I'm doing it. And still, whatever will happen, will happen. I just need to have faith that it will all work out in the end. Which it will. It seems so obvious but just saying to myself, "It is what it is" brings some simple peace when I need it.

As I contemplated how I would write this next part, I debated between coming up with some witty, brief, infer-what-you-will type of prose or just come on out and say I peed my pants.

So, I peed my pants. Let me tell you about it. And when I am done, if you would be so kind as to still be my friend or tell me that you pee your pants all the time, even if it's just to make me feel better, I would really, really appreciate it.

I ran my first 5k on Saturday. It was aptly called The Mom Run. I run the distance of a 5k about 3 times a week normally. I like to run with my phone, where my handy app keeps track of my pace and distance and then updates me along the way. I listen to my music and don't look at my time or anything. I just wait for that little voice to tell me how I'm doing. Generally I run the same pace each time. So this race seemed like no biggie.

But after this race I now know what it means to have "race experience". I don't think I have "race experience" yet but as I'm sure you are guessing, I did have an experience on this race. So let's just skip to the good part.

At the starting line I am a little nervous. I came alone. Dan and the kids hoped to be there in time to see me finish but I had my doubts based on the terrible construction and traffic I had already faced on my way in.

When the gun sounded I took off with everybody else. I totally underestimated how hard it would be to find my regular old pace in that pack. So from the start I could tell I was going faster than normal, but I didn't realize how fast until I heard the voice in my phone tell me that I ran the first mile in 6 minutes and 40 seconds, nearly 2 and half minutes faster than my usual.

I knew I needed to slow down, there would be no way in hail I could keep that going. But from then on I was totally off my stride. I lost my mojo. I ran the second mile still faster than my usual. And then with about 1/2 a mile left. Everything went south. Everything. I had to pee.

Right now. I have to pee right now. Oh my gosh, I am peeing right now. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

I will never stop thanking the high heavens for black shiny spandex shorts. Had I been in my gray shorts I would have been thanking the high heavens for cell phones while I called Dan to come pick me up from the bushes.

It was the most disconcerting feeling. I stopped mid stride and sat down on the curb. I got back up, ran a few more paces and sat down again because it wasn't over.

I ended up walking for a few minutes. I wanted to quit so bad but my car was at the finish line, so finish I must. And if I was going that way, I might as well run, right?

I broke my own rule and looked at my phone. I could still get a good time if I kept going. So I did.

I googled "peeing while you run" when I got home. Apparently it's kind of common, especially when you are pushing your body. I think the worst part is knowing that if I had just run the way I usually do, I would have finished with about the same time, minus sitting on the curb and the pee problem.

Dan and the kids didn't make it and I didn't feel like sitting around to hear the results. I was happy with my 28:28 time. For the second time in my 2 race history I rode home on a plastic bag. I checked the computer later that day to find out that I got first in my age division. I guess that's what happens when there aren't very many 25-29 year olds in a race.

I have always been keenly aware of the physical sacrifices made by mothers. Probably too much so. My body will never be the same. Being unable to control my bladder at The Mom Race is no coincidence. It's the price I pay for these babies, but I must be honest and say, that while I hope it never happens again, I'd pee my pants 1,000 times over if it meant I got to have these loves forever.


And that is my irreverent Mother's Day tribute. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my life, very especially my own mother, who still loves me despite my running incontinence.