Thing #3 is 4 Today

This beautiful little girl turned 4 today.

She has just finished her first year of preschool and can write her name and count to 20 with a little help. She is so physically strong that she surprises me often. Her vibrant attitude and loving personality make my day. She takes after her daddy in many ways. She has the biggest heart and she is a fierce little girl.

Her birth story is still one of my favorites because this little girl was going to come on her own terms.

I had struggled most of my 3rd trimester with horrible sciatic pain. I already had the older 2 girls so it was difficult to carry or keep up with them.

A week before her due date I swore I was in labor with her. I went in to be monitored and she was still hanging out all cozy and comfortable. I, on the other hand, was not though. The day before her due date, I went into the Labor and Delivery department because my OB wanted to monitor me and strip my membranes. He told me to come into the Labor and Delivery department that evening so I could get the induction started. I showed up, they told me I was in labor but to go home even though my doctor wanted me there. I was mad. So mad in fact, my husband and I went against the no food orders and got pizza. I was not about to wait until this little girl made an appearance to eat again!

That evening right after we got home from dinner, my OB called and said the hospital made a mistake and they should have kept me because yes I was in labor and my water was leaking.

I asked if I could stay home until the contractions picked up and he said yes. If they hadn’t by 6am to come back and check in.  I went to bed and the next morning the contractions were more intense and closer together, but I was not too uncomfortable. So I told my husband to take me to the hospital then come back and take the girls to the babysitters. I got myself checked in, got dressed and set up with monitors. I had been there about an hour when things definitely picked up. I started to get nervous because my husband still was not back yet.

My dad showed up and I asked him to see if he could get a hold of my husband.  No luck. The nurse came in and she started to get the pitocin ready, I told her to please wait or scale back the dose because I was already contracting, and my husband was not back yet. Apparently she did not listen. She said these things usually take awhile and there would be plenty of time. No there was not.

The pain skyrocketed and I asked for an epidural. When they came into the room to do it, I was contracting 1-2 minutes apart. I told them they had to be quick. As I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed I felt her head. I told the nurse I had to push and she said “No!” She told me to lay back and she would check me. I was crowning apparently.

She ran to the door yelling for the doctor and the other nurses. I started to panic because my husband STILL was not back! My dad looked at me and asked what he could do to help, I told him to shut up and look into my eyes. The nurses hustled to get everything ready but the breakaway bed got stuck so they could not put my feet into stirrups. I could not resist the urge to push any more. I pushed and pushed. I pushed and my worst fear happened, i pooped on the table! I told my dad to look away! I was so embarrassed. The nurses told me this happens a lot. I was regretting the pizza the night before. Lol. I could not help but keep pushing. The doctor ran in just as I  was saying my dad would have to catch her. They told me to stop, I screamed “I can’t!”, they said her shoulder was stuck and I HAD to stop. It took every ounce of me to will myself to not push. As they stretched and massaged, they eventually got her rotated but her collarbone was already broken. I pushed 2 more times and Kahlan was born. My husband came in right after the doctor placed her on my chest. Lol.

She was in such a hurry to get out that she wiggled and rotated the entire way down. This little girl has never stopped moving since! The last 4 years have been an adventure because every day and every thing is an adventure to her!

I swear one day she will be a Hollywood stunt woman because she is fearless, strong and brave.

I only hope I can nurture the best of her and help her achieve her dreams and goals. My little warrior princess Kahlan. 

Mother’s Day 2018

It has been a bit since I have posted an entry here. Life is always crazy and hectic in my house. Is it that way for you too?

These past few years have literally seemed like a big blur to me. Maybe it was the back to back to back pregnancies, nursing, sleepless nights, teething, colds, diapering, potty training madness that is early childhood. To be honest, I don’t remember too many things that were standout special. Being in the trenches everyday can do that to a body.

Recently on Facebook I was reading a thread in a parenting group about what moms really want for Mother’s Day, and the overwhelming consensus came out to be sleep, kids taken care of, the house cleaned up without their help, dinner made without their help, and spa days.

So, basically, we want someone else to be Mom on Mother’s Day.

I get it. We dream of and fantasize about being able to just relax and let someone else shoulder any or all of that responsibility for just one day a year.

But see, herein lies the issue, no one can replace us. ❤

We are the unique embodiment of all that is good, loving, caring and beautiful for our kids. Our kids are taught about life from our laps. We often complain as Moms that we feel unimportant, invisible or forgotten. However, if yu were to ask someone who has lost their mom, they remember the little things she did to make then smile or feel good. The times she baked or cooked with them in the kitchen, or the days spent coloring or doing chores together etc.  It truly is the litle things, the unimportant, invisible or boring things that sometimes our kids remember most. And those things that feel unimportant or invisible are the foundation we lay for our children to grow to be decent human beings who are loving, kind and smart.

Don’t give in to the lie that you are unimportant or forgotten Momma! No one can replace you. I am not speaking of your role, but you as a person. In your kids eyes you are the only person who can fill that special place in their lives. Everyone else who tries to fill that place will always come up short in some way for your kids. You are uniquely and specially made for your children. Science has proven that. You alone can understand things about them that no one else will. You are their everything, especially if your kids are small! So don’t give up ladies, you are what makes the world go ’round. ❤

I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day and please remember that you are loved, cherished and remembered. ❤

Long time No see…Meet the new Additions!

From left to right:
Thing 1, 2, 3 and 4!

Things have been busy around here! We added Thing 3 in early 2014 and Thing 4 in late 2015.
Hubster has changed jobs,  we have moved twice and are now settling into our new normal. 
Come August, Thing 1 and 2 will be going to school and I will be left in puddles of tears.
Like, seriously…where has the time gone?!
Anyhow,  I hope you stick around to enjoy the journey with me! If you would like more frequent (and almost always funny) updates, follow me on Twitter @LawrenceLady

Where have the Naps gone?

Thing 1 has been consistently not taking a nap for about 2 weeks now. She will lay down on her bed, but will play with her doll, Minnie Mouse, or watch an episode or 6 of Little Einsteins. Now Thing 2 seems to be picking up on the vibe. Ugh.
Nap time was my sanity saver.
Nap time was “me” time.
Nap time sometimes was the only workout time I had.
Where have the naps gone??

I understand that realistically speaking, the naps will go away very soon. I just dont think I am ready for that bridge to be crossed yet. Today was a perfect example of why naps are still necessary, and dare I say, mandatory.

They woke up at a nice 7:30 am. Nice because 99% of the time, my Things are awake by sunrise, if not earlier. So I enjoyed my extra winks. 🙂
They ate breakfast in relative peace and quiet, but then they wanted to play. They can never play next to each other because they always end up fighting over a toy. But today they played doctor quietly together. *bliss*
Then I discovered ants on my kitchen counter.

I dont know about your kids, but when mine are told specifically not to go somewhere, they purposely try everything in their power to go where I told them not to go. So on top of clearing countertops and cleaning and spraying, I am keeping the kids from entering the kitchen with my feet while my hands are occupied.
It was Mommy Twister, not even kidding.
It felt like i could be part of the movie The Matrix with some of the moves i was doing.
The day progressed and I was looking forward to some time to myself, but Thing 1 and 2 had other plans. They chose to play in the backyard, pull all the shoes out of the shoe box and fight with one another constantly. I was praying for Nap Time, but it never came. After dinner, I let them play again in the backyard hoping to rid them of some pent up energy. Bathed them, and as of 1.5 hours ago, they are out cold. Hopefully I get to sleep in tomorrow……
Goodnight and sweet dreams!

Thoughtful Thoughts

Lately I have been trying to figure out how exactly in the world my Mom did everything she did with the 3 of us original kids. It seemed like she had everything lined up and organized perfectly and that plans were always coming together seamlessly. I know, now, that everything was not as it seemed, but looking back on what I remember, she made it seem so easy!
I realize that between the time she raised us, and now, as I raise my own kids, the economy and society itself has changed. When I was a teenager, we had dial up internet, and because it took up use of the phone line we were limited to 15 minutes on the internet at a time.
Cell phones were reserved for those who had well paying jobs or for those who needed to be contacted anywhere day or night.
Laptops were the latest greatest thing at almost 3 inches thick!
A good paying job to support a family was 40 hours a week at $8/hour. 
Gas was $.99/gallon and $20 bought a LOT more than it does now. 

Today:
My children know how to unlock cell phones an IPad’s at the ripe young ages of 2.5 and 1.5 years old.
They instinctively know how to use some technology better than I do sometimes.
The internet is not confined to the desktop computer at home, now it is everywhere and in everything. To be without the internet is almost considered primeval.
If you do not have a cell phone people look at you funny. As if to say “how in the world do you keep in contact with anyone then?”
Gas is almost $5/gallon now
And heaven forbid, if you don’t have a Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. *gasp*

(This pretty much sums up how I feel most days I compare myself)

As I try to figure out how my Mom did it all, I have to realize that in today’s society you are perceived to be failing at being a Mom if you do not multi-task, while keeping up with the Facebook lives of all of your friends and relatives, become a Pinterest whiz, Tweet every little thing that you and your kids are doing, Instagram every milestone caught on camera, or keep up with who is who in the media, all while scheduling play dates and whipping up a gourmet feast for dinner that is healthy AND delicious AND your family will gobble up! 

WHEW!!! Just typing that was tiring.

I guess what I am trying to get at, is that trying to compare myself to my Mom, while I was growing up, or any other Mom for that fact, is not wise in and of itself. 
2 Corinthians 10:12  

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

My focus needs to remain on God and what He has called me to do for my own family and to realize that in this time of the “Super Mom” mentality, that I need to make sure that I am not trying to make myself too busy to where I forget what and more importantly WHO I should be teaching my kids about. 

It has been far too long….

I have missed blogging.
Throughout my life, journaling and, most recently, blogging has helped me deal with things. Putting things down in  black and white seems to settle any fears, anxieties or confusion I feel about a particular situation and helps me focus on what truly matters. In a way it helps center and ground me. Since having children though, journaling/blogging have been on the back burner. Why? Simply because I did not anticipate just how much one little person (or two in my case) could so utterly consume my time, thoughts and life.

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I had a schedule and day planner and list for everything. It annoyed me when I was around disorganized and scatterbrained people. If I was packing for a trip, there was a (detailed) list(s) of every single item to be packed. I was completely packed and triple checked my lists no later than 24 hours before scheduled departure time. My house was even cleaned on a schedule. I had 3×5 cards that said exactly what to clean and when. My bills were kept in an organizer and I was never late.
I. Was. Bored.

More specifically, I was feeling unfulfilled. No amount of organization and so-called “control” could make me feel like I was fulfilling my purpose in life. I had a good job, an amazing husband and lots of activities and friends. But nothing could fill that missing piece. That is until Thing 1 came along. And with her arrival, the departure of my organization skills and “control” of my life. For a little while I maintained my “control”, but she had other plans. Colic, mixed with eczema, lactose intolerance and a bumpy start with breastfeeding made for uncontrollable screaming, fussing and tummy issues. ! My life seemed out of control and consumed with trying to solve all of my child’s problems. I had zero control.

In that lack of control, I found a peace that had been missing for awhile. God’s peace. I was never in “control” in the first place. He was, and still is!

I have since realized that I may never be the organized person I once was, but I will take the “chaos” of having my two blessings any day over the unfulfilled and boring “control” that was my life before kids. Besides, God is in control of where my life is going, so why do I have to be?

Winter Blues

If you are anything like me or my children, Winter is my favorite season and the kids hate it.

I love the cold weather, the sweaters, the boots, the Pumpkin Spice Frappucino, the Salted Caramel Mocha, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s day and all the other days in between.

My kids hate that they have to wear layers, shoes (or even socks for that matter), be cooped up inside when all they want to do is go play outside, and miss going on stroller rides in the evening.

I have been trying my hardest to keep the Winter Blues at bay. Some days it works, some days I feel like a caged animal. I am sure my kids feel the same way since their moods swing from day-to-day as well. The last 16 days have felt like an eternity to me because our whole house has had the flu. I hate flu season. Especially when we all got flu shots.

On a side note,  This is my PERSONAL OPINION– I do not think I ever want my kids to get flu shots again. Every year they have gotten them and every year like clockwork, they get the flu. The same is true for me. I have had the flu shot the last 2 years (because of pregnancy) and both years I have gotten the flu. Before then I rarely got sick. I think I had gone without a flu shot for almost 6 years at that point, and the one time I did opt for the flu shot because they were doing it for free at my job, sure enough, I got the flu. My theory is that your body is so busy fighting the virus you injected yourself with (supposedly to build an immunity to the virus that already went around last year), that if you are exposed to the active flu strain this year, your body just can’t fight off both viruses. I will step down from my soapbox now.

I love all the options available to modern Momma’s these days. Things like Disney Junior, Sprout, Agnitus learning apps, and Computer based learning games are all so handy for when the kids are sick and do not want to do anything but be held or comforted. But even the most modern Momma knows that too much of a good thing can be harmful instead of helpful.           I got my own dose of this, this past week with Thing 1. Because she enjoys shows on Disney Junior, we DVR a few of them for her to watch when she is waking up in the morning and right after bath time.  Other than that I try to make sure the TV stays off during the rest of the day unless she specifically asks to watch Sprout and has been a good girl. Well because she was sick all she wanted to do was sit, watch TV and curl up with her silky, in her purple chair in our bedroom.

Because we all were sick too, I said “OK no problem.” Well she was sick for almost a week and a half, along with the rest of us. We did not go anywhere period. Once we all started feeling better we started to venture downstairs more and start to get back into our normal routines. Thing 1 however, wanted nothing more than to sit and watch TV all day still. At first I did not notice the trend, still thinking she was still not back to feeling 100%. The other night, however, was a different tale.

My husband and I had just finished getting the girls bathed and dressed for bed. I fed Thing 2 and was rocking her to sleep and Thing 1 was sitting down to watch her nightly show of Chuggington. Thing 1 had a different idea though, she wanted to watch The Super Sprout show (which we do not DVR). We told her that it was not on and that Chuggington was on.

WRONG ANSWER

A meltdown ensued and the realization dawned on me that she had pretty much been sitting, watching television  ALL. DAY. LONG.  I would have smacked myself in the head had I not been holding Thing 2.  So over the next week I took steps to make sure that she was getting less TV time and more play time. That helped in the short run. No more meltdowns at night about TV, but she started skipping her daily nap and not wanting to go to sleep until 10 or 11 at night. That frustrated me beyond words. She is my scheduled child. I plan everything around that schedule. So for 2 days, I analyzed everything she was eating and watching and playing with. All for trying to figure out what was keeping her up all day and all night. Come to find out, she needed to get out in the sunshine and run around more.

That is hard to do when the daytime high is 34 degrees. Anyone else out there feel my pain?

So I took to chasing her while we were downstairs, playing hide and seek in my room, and having her push Thing 2 around in her walker. The last 2 nights, she has gone back to her normal routine and has been sleeping normally.  Today was actually warm enough to let her play outside for 30 minutes while I watched her.

Cheers to *hopefully* the end of the Winter Blues.

 

 

The Grinch……..

It is that time of year again, when all the Christmas Movies come out and among them, one of my personal favorites, is Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love anything Seuss, but this book/movie is one that has always stuck in my mind. Maybe it was the colorful illustrations in the book that I read as a child, or maybe it was the lilting, rhyming words that painted vivid pictures in my head, whatever it was, this story strikes a chord with everyone who is familiar with it…

A little who-girl seeks the meaning behind all the festivities everyone seems to get caught up in, while a Grinch seeks to end all the happiness and festivities. The Grinch comes up with a plan to steal their joy and happiness by taking all of the “things” that represent their happiness, but he does not succeed in stealing their joy or happiness because it was not about the “things” but about the people around them.

While this story is not in any way shape or form about the true reason for Christmas, it does however make us stop and consider what are we really making priorities in this holiday season? Are we making sure that Jesus, who is the true “Reason for the Season” is our first love and priority? Are we making our Husbands, children, family and friends that the Lord has given us a priority? I know that I have not….. I am SO guilty of this.

I get so caught up in the rush of the holidays, that I sometimes miss the Joy of this whole season.  That makes me so mad. It also makes me sad, because i know I let down my Heavenly Father, not to mention my husband and children. This holiday season, while I am trying my best to still celebrate the holiday traditions, I am also trying not to focus so much on them as I am the reason or rather, person, behind Christmas. But there is a Grinch that tries to steal my joy and happiness and time especially during this time of year, it is Satan. 

Satan has tried to steal my time and attention to so many other things that do not really matter, that when it comes down to what does matter, I know I have failed. And that is precisely what he wants us to feel like during this season, defeated failures. There is no reason why we should feel like that because the birth of Jesus Christ is the only reason we have to be Victorious!! 

It still happens though, we get busy and we get distracted. God still leaves us little hints though. I happen to be a very firm believer in little things being signs from a loving Heavenly Father. This last week as I was stressing about how messy my house was and how badly I needed a whole day to clean it, I walked by a pile of word flash cards that my daughter had failed to put away. And would you believe that the 4 most prominent cards on top were ones that read-  make, time, for, me ? Right then I was convicted about how little time I spent with the Lord that morning versus how much time I was wanting to spend to clean my house. Then I was reminded of a blog post I wrote not so long ago about keeping a clean house and also of a devotional for our Ladies Meeting that I gave about spending time with the Lord. 

Ever since that day I have been trying to de-Grinch-ify my life for this holiday season. I am trying to only plan one or two tings that would make some memories for our family, but beyond that I want to focus my heart and mind on the true reason my family and I have to be thankful and happy, the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Momma moment this week has been brought to you by those flash cards that are still scattered across the floor. LOL

 

The Plague

Thing 1 and Thing 2 have been fighting the plague over the last two weeks. Let me tell you, it had not been pretty around our house.

First off, I personally do not handle vomit, of any sort, well. My first reaction when I hear or see someone vomiting is to run the opposite direction.
I can’t do that when it is my little ones!
They need me more than ever when they get sick. Thing 1, who is normally so independent, becomes a literal cling on. Thing 2 on the other hand becomes a sleeping cuddle machine. Which is so nice for me, but when I am sick as well on top of it, things can get crazy.

Ever had moments that you have had to comfort your children so much that you become anti touch? I do, especially when I am sick. I just don’t want anyone to touch me, I just want to sleep all day. But as a Momma, my kiddos come first. That’s the Momma Moment for the week.
~ This Momma Moment is has been brought to you courtesy from this last week of the plague. ~

Housekeeping 101

Phyllis Diller – “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.“

Boy do I agree with this statement! It seems like you clean one room and move on to the next, and before you are done with that room they have destroyed the room you just cleaned!!

I have a touch of OCD/Procrastination when it comes to cleaning though and it tends to show. My thought goes like this “If I cannot do it right then why do it right now?”  The problem with that is when you have small children like I do, the right time may never come to do it “the right way.” So I try to do what I can with what little time I have every day. But those days that I choose to ignore some of the chores are the ones where I find myself enjoying my kids and laughing and playing with them more.

The above picture just grabbed my attention and struck a chord with me. Why would I be wasting the precious memory making time with my kids, by making sure I have a spotless house? Why stress about it? What will my kids remember from their early days? Will they remember a Mom that was present and nurturing or a Mom that was constantly stressing out about the house being obsessively clean?

Part of me screams out that the kids will do better and live better in a spotless and organized house. But another part of me says why waste a lot of time doing things that will always have to be done, when I could be spending that time with my kids?

As a child, my Grandmother was someone who actually was diagnosed with OCD. She would carry baby wipes with her everywhere and before we touched her we had to wash our hands, after we touched anything we had to wash our hands. She would wrap things in plastic wrap, then in foil, then put it in a zip-lock baggie to store things. She always carried a plastic set of utensils in a zip-lock baggie for when she would eat out. She would clean like crazy. And guess what? She always had her house clean and organized.       But she was alone.

Now I am not advocating that we all live in houses that belong on the TV show Hoarders, but I am saying that the things that really matter in life are not really things, they are the people who are part of our lives and the children God has given us to care for and to teach and to love. If we can use the times that we do clean as teaching moments for our kids, then all the better, but as a reminder to myself and to all Momma’s out there, they will not remember the times that the laundry was overflowing or the sink was full of dishes, but they will remember the times you got on the floor and played with them and enjoyed a laugh or two with them.

I will close with this poem that I am sure most of you have seen before, but it serves as a daily reminder to me that time is short with my kids.

“The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.”

~Song For a Fith Child, by Ruth Hamilton