Just KIDDING! There is NO easy mommin' around here! As a matter of fact, I think I am not one of the best there is at all. This is not a request for reassurance either. I just like to keep it real. Maybe my title would be best with "Mommin' Made Real."
What's real today? Well this week we headed on into some busy days followed with horrible naptime schedules. Monday was just a "let's just figure out how to be at home again" kind of day, complete with some visits from amazing friends. Tuesday, we loaded up early and got Wade off to Huntsville for a little extra baseball help. I'll come back to that later. All of the kids had dental appointments. Two out of three just loathe brushing their teeth and the third reacts to tooth brushing as if I had stuck hell fire into her mouth. The dentist is a great gal, but we have a lot of work to do on our end. Enter naptime.
This week, Kaydence has been her normal self, which actually means that she is just a guessing game most days. Will she eat? Will she sleep? Did she poop? Will she clap her hands all night long like she is right now at 12:30 at night? I have asked her a few questions the past few days and I KNEW she answered her version of yes, which is an uh. That was exciting. Naptime is the biggest issue. She is wanting to cry for a few hours because she is so tired, but then she just won't go to sleep. Finally, naptime starts at four o'clock. I. CANNOT. DO. THAT. It's really nice because I am super excited that the crying has stopped and I can get a little work done for my little business, but I face serious repercussions later. After Midnight. Like right now. I'm sure we will get a summer routine going soon, but in the meantime, I feel kind of crazy. She probably does too.
To get Kaydence good and worn out, I try to take her swimming. Yesterday, she only wanted to lay on the concrete or the lounge chair. She wasn't feeling it, mostly because she needed to take a nap. So I took her in, changed her and then laid her down. I waited for silence and then went back out to swim with Abigail. I did some water aerobics, I played with Abigail, and I didn't put on sunscreen because I didn't need it. Funny how that works in my head. I am as fair and green-eyed as can be, but I felt like I wasn't going to be out that long and I've got a little sun tolerance built up. Besides, I needed a little color and the spot on my neck that is pale will surely catch a reflection of the water and color up too. Went in and felt great. A few hours later my skin was tingling. By last night it was like my skin said, "Soak up ALL the sun!" I look like I stood right beside the sun all afternoon. On my chest and shoulders I am bright red. The spot on my neck? Still pale. My legs? Pasty. To add insult to injury, Kaydence didn't even nap! She was still awake when I came in! All plans thwarted! The bonus? Abigail was very excited her momma swam with her.
Kaydence eating has plummeted to not wanting much at all, but after tonight's diaper, I am expecting that to change because I think we had a week's worth of dirty diaper built up. I am thankful that she held it in until after the baseball game because I would have had to leave the game. Sometimes, it's like a newborn blow out diaper all over again. And I do mean ALL OVER. I'm not really sure what is normal, but this happens every now and then. Thankfully it hasn't happened in a super public place because sometimes you cannot find a changing table. Schools are the worst, followed by a lot of restaurants. After our trip last week, I discovered that the only place I could count on for a changing table was Cracker Barrel, and they have big spaces for a toddler-sized kid. I really am concerned about potty training because I don't know what I will do when she is bigger and that happens if she isn't. Where do you change a bigger kid? I always hear people tell me that it's great we take KK places because a lot of people don't take their special needs kids out. Well everyone, that whole potty issue might be a main reason. Warning: Soapbox Alert! Our legislators are so busy worrying over this bathroom rule junk about gender when this is a common sense issue, but no one is worried about putting in a changing table for a larger kid with special needs. Let's all make a difference for families who would really like to take their entire family out, but can't because they really can't due to physical limitations on the parents, not just the kid.
On a brighter note, we somehow came to the decision to get Wade a little extra help with his baseball skills. He loves sports in a passionate way. He eats, sleeps and breathes sports. This is the side of Wade that I love seeing because even though is laid back, his competitive spirit truly drives him. So we have made our way to Huntsville twice this week to work with a young man on the SHSU baseball team. All I can say is wow, what a blessing! Not because I want my kid to be a beast (but yes I do like that he is a beast when playing ball), but because the guy working with him is a great role model. He just graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and has the kindest heart for working with kids. His spirit was what I want my kid to be like at that age. Regardless of how Wade plays, I want him to meet people like this. Being a dedicated individual with heart AND work ethic is a good thing. It's not always easy to find folks like this. I'm thankful God sent him our way.
Baseball has also pushed my tolerance limit on people this week. If we as parents, myself included sometimes, would just shut our mouths and let umpires/referees do their jobs without mouthing or acting like we know everything, our kids would sure benefit. We are a village raising these kids and they learn exactly what they see and hear. Want kids to learn respect? We need to model that. Tearing others down and blaming people or making snide remarks...no good. It happens in every competitive event where stakes are high it seems. (And if this paragraph offends someone, then you might need to consider why it offends you.) We would all be better off to say a prayer for wisdom and self control before a game or if you don't pray, I'm sure there is a pep talk chant somewhere. Also at the top of my peeve list is being ugly to coaches. They are volunteers. Who volunteered. And all the parents in the stands did not sign up for that job. Just let that sink in. I'm certainly not perfect, and I don't try to be, but I do my best to be the kind of parent that is a reflection of how God parents us. He is the Father. The Creator. And I want to honor that especially when I want my kids to grow up to honor Him and their earthly parents too.
I sure hope this didn't seem too ranty. It's part of my daily living with grace. Mommin' ain't easy at all, but it's real. Some days are harder than others, but where do I lean? God. I lean on God.
What's real today? Well this week we headed on into some busy days followed with horrible naptime schedules. Monday was just a "let's just figure out how to be at home again" kind of day, complete with some visits from amazing friends. Tuesday, we loaded up early and got Wade off to Huntsville for a little extra baseball help. I'll come back to that later. All of the kids had dental appointments. Two out of three just loathe brushing their teeth and the third reacts to tooth brushing as if I had stuck hell fire into her mouth. The dentist is a great gal, but we have a lot of work to do on our end. Enter naptime.
This week, Kaydence has been her normal self, which actually means that she is just a guessing game most days. Will she eat? Will she sleep? Did she poop? Will she clap her hands all night long like she is right now at 12:30 at night? I have asked her a few questions the past few days and I KNEW she answered her version of yes, which is an uh. That was exciting. Naptime is the biggest issue. She is wanting to cry for a few hours because she is so tired, but then she just won't go to sleep. Finally, naptime starts at four o'clock. I. CANNOT. DO. THAT. It's really nice because I am super excited that the crying has stopped and I can get a little work done for my little business, but I face serious repercussions later. After Midnight. Like right now. I'm sure we will get a summer routine going soon, but in the meantime, I feel kind of crazy. She probably does too.
To get Kaydence good and worn out, I try to take her swimming. Yesterday, she only wanted to lay on the concrete or the lounge chair. She wasn't feeling it, mostly because she needed to take a nap. So I took her in, changed her and then laid her down. I waited for silence and then went back out to swim with Abigail. I did some water aerobics, I played with Abigail, and I didn't put on sunscreen because I didn't need it. Funny how that works in my head. I am as fair and green-eyed as can be, but I felt like I wasn't going to be out that long and I've got a little sun tolerance built up. Besides, I needed a little color and the spot on my neck that is pale will surely catch a reflection of the water and color up too. Went in and felt great. A few hours later my skin was tingling. By last night it was like my skin said, "Soak up ALL the sun!" I look like I stood right beside the sun all afternoon. On my chest and shoulders I am bright red. The spot on my neck? Still pale. My legs? Pasty. To add insult to injury, Kaydence didn't even nap! She was still awake when I came in! All plans thwarted! The bonus? Abigail was very excited her momma swam with her.
Kaydence eating has plummeted to not wanting much at all, but after tonight's diaper, I am expecting that to change because I think we had a week's worth of dirty diaper built up. I am thankful that she held it in until after the baseball game because I would have had to leave the game. Sometimes, it's like a newborn blow out diaper all over again. And I do mean ALL OVER. I'm not really sure what is normal, but this happens every now and then. Thankfully it hasn't happened in a super public place because sometimes you cannot find a changing table. Schools are the worst, followed by a lot of restaurants. After our trip last week, I discovered that the only place I could count on for a changing table was Cracker Barrel, and they have big spaces for a toddler-sized kid. I really am concerned about potty training because I don't know what I will do when she is bigger and that happens if she isn't. Where do you change a bigger kid? I always hear people tell me that it's great we take KK places because a lot of people don't take their special needs kids out. Well everyone, that whole potty issue might be a main reason. Warning: Soapbox Alert! Our legislators are so busy worrying over this bathroom rule junk about gender when this is a common sense issue, but no one is worried about putting in a changing table for a larger kid with special needs. Let's all make a difference for families who would really like to take their entire family out, but can't because they really can't due to physical limitations on the parents, not just the kid.
On a brighter note, we somehow came to the decision to get Wade a little extra help with his baseball skills. He loves sports in a passionate way. He eats, sleeps and breathes sports. This is the side of Wade that I love seeing because even though is laid back, his competitive spirit truly drives him. So we have made our way to Huntsville twice this week to work with a young man on the SHSU baseball team. All I can say is wow, what a blessing! Not because I want my kid to be a beast (but yes I do like that he is a beast when playing ball), but because the guy working with him is a great role model. He just graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and has the kindest heart for working with kids. His spirit was what I want my kid to be like at that age. Regardless of how Wade plays, I want him to meet people like this. Being a dedicated individual with heart AND work ethic is a good thing. It's not always easy to find folks like this. I'm thankful God sent him our way.
Baseball has also pushed my tolerance limit on people this week. If we as parents, myself included sometimes, would just shut our mouths and let umpires/referees do their jobs without mouthing or acting like we know everything, our kids would sure benefit. We are a village raising these kids and they learn exactly what they see and hear. Want kids to learn respect? We need to model that. Tearing others down and blaming people or making snide remarks...no good. It happens in every competitive event where stakes are high it seems. (And if this paragraph offends someone, then you might need to consider why it offends you.) We would all be better off to say a prayer for wisdom and self control before a game or if you don't pray, I'm sure there is a pep talk chant somewhere. Also at the top of my peeve list is being ugly to coaches. They are volunteers. Who volunteered. And all the parents in the stands did not sign up for that job. Just let that sink in. I'm certainly not perfect, and I don't try to be, but I do my best to be the kind of parent that is a reflection of how God parents us. He is the Father. The Creator. And I want to honor that especially when I want my kids to grow up to honor Him and their earthly parents too.
I sure hope this didn't seem too ranty. It's part of my daily living with grace. Mommin' ain't easy at all, but it's real. Some days are harder than others, but where do I lean? God. I lean on God.
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