Day #54: it's that time of year

 You moms know what I'm talking about. It's that time of year where runny noses run rampant and chunky coughs are prevalent. Fall is here, and along with it, the flu, common cold, and a whole plethora of illnesses.
  Some of you may remember Luke's seizure scares from earlier this year. Although this past Tuesday his fever was never higher than 99.4, I kept him home from school. I wanted to see if this was a fever that was going to spike. It seemed to me that with his runny nose, cough, insane crankiness, and three hour naps, that he was just fighting off a cold.  If this were Savannah, I would send her to school without a second thought. Yes, I send my kid to school with a cough, runny nose, and a 99 degree fever. Judge me. Where do you think they picked up that cold in the first place? But Luke is different. Luke has seizures when his fever spikes, Luke is much clingier, and Luke is my baby. So Luke stayed home. By Thursday I had done enough googling and talking to other moms that I realized he had croup. His fever had risen to 101.5, which still is not too high, but for Luke, anything over 99 scares me. So Friday afternoon we visited the doctor where it was confirmed, he did indeed have croup. Unfortunately, it is a virus and just has to run it's course.
  Thankfully Luke never spiked a fever, so there were no seizures. It was a huge comfort and relief to me that we got through this first virus of the season smoothly. Our weekend scuba plans were cancelled; I could not justify leaving my sick Luke with a sitter all weekend. But you know what? It didn't really bother me. I wasn't upset that our weekend plans had to be postponed. If this had happened a year ago, I would have been slightly irritated. My kids being sick used to interfere with my plans. But now, I don't bat an eye. I quickly adjust and am grateful that I can stay home to cuddle, comfort, and love on my sick baby. Not everyone gets to do that, not everyone wants to do that, but I'm happy that I get to.

Day #53: Falling into Fall

  Doesn't it always seem that this time of year absolutely flies by? Once October hits, I know I'm in for a ride and that when I finally get around to looking up from the chaos of the holidays, it will be January 1st. A new year. Again.
  But I do love fall, especially in Virginia. As strong as my Texas roots are (no, I will not stop saying, typing, or texting "ya'll"), the fall here is breathtaking, the colors are intoxicating, the crispness in the air is energizing. All of that aside, I know this holiday season will be a whirlwind like no other. The next few weeks we have some fun things planned: Tyson and I are getting certified in scuba diving, Savannah and I are running the Monster mile, and we are going to Annapolis, MD with friends to watch some Navy football! Throw in a little trick- or- treating, trying to rent out our house, the holidays, and well ya know, just life, and it's a recipe for a stress fest. For me. Not Tyson, because he does not seem the least bit apprehensive about anything the upcoming months.
  I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving. I have my whole family (parents, sisters, brother- in -laws, and the H's) all driving/flying in. Two weeks after that, the packers and movers come to and by the second week in December we should be moved into our new home in Maryland. Seven days after moving in, we fly to Colorado for Christmas with the other side of the family. I am totally stoked to have a white Christmas. Tyson is going to get some skiing in, I hope to take the kids sledding, and great grandma may possibly come to visit. And to top it all off, if Santa were a woman, it would be my mother in law. She knows how to do Christmas, and she goes all out. Needless to say, the next few months will be a blast! BUT. I would be lying if I said that looking at my calendar did not give me heart palpitations and make my hands sweat. Cooking, packing, unpacking, flying, moving, renting, shopping...
  This is when I have to tell myself, remind myself, it's one day at a time. If I can get myself to just look at today, I think I can really enjoy this holiday season to the fullest. So I will try to relinquish control of the things I cannot control and enjoy today.

Day # 52: Lessons learned

So I actually wrote this post a few weeks ago, but am just getting around to editing it and posting it...

As my sweet, precious Luke nears his second birthday, I've been looking back on what I've learned in my last 4 1/2 years of motherhood. This post goes hand in hand with my new mom post from yesterday; a compilation of things I've learned my children have taught me.
1. It ain't about me anymore.
2. Luke goes to bed at least twice a week without dinner, and he's still alive. He eats when he's hungry, and let me tell you, that boy will put away a banana, yogurt, and two whole grain waffles the morning after! Don't stress over the little things, it's just not worth it.
3. You will sleep again! The first year it felt like sleep was a luxury of the past. But alas, I now sleep a good solid 8-9 hours  each night.
4. A Starbucks coffee and a laugh with a girlfriend can cure any bad day.
5. My ability and capacity to love and understand others has increased exponentially.
6. Patience increases along the way. Ask my mom, I was not given the gift of patience. But in the past few years, I have become more patient.
7. Progress is progress. A little is better than none at all. A little house cleaning, a little work out, a little down time, a little sex. It's better that none at all- appreciate ALL progress!
8. Stay at home mom's are underrated. I try not to take offense when other women/mothers ask "what do you do?". I simply say, " I have two young children. That's what I do." Be confident in knowing you are doing one of the most important jobs on earth: raising children, caring for them, ensuring them that they are loved. I love what I do and wouldn't trade it for any other job in the world.