Day # 26: waking up too early: an epidemic

So I had to get up at 4:30AM to get Chel (my little sister) to the airport for her 6AM flight. I was going to make her take a cab, but I'm not that mean. I got back in bed at 5:20AM, Tyson's alarm went off at 5:45AM. Needless to say, I was awake and was not going back to sleep. So I decided to be productive, do a little bit of cleaning and laundry since I was up and unable to sleep. Well my children just know when I am up, it doesn't seem to matter what time it is or how quiet I am. They can hear me. For a while I was setting my alarm for 6AM, having some down time and coffee before the little people were up; well that lasted all of a week because although Luke typically does not start making noise until 6:45AM he started fussing the minute I swung my legs out of bed to get up. Plus, I have a rule that I do NOT get Luke out of bed until 7AM. It doesn't matter if I am awake, it doesn't matter if he has been making noise for an hour, 7AM is when I go in his room to get him up. Apparently I didn't pass this rule on to Tyson who brought Luke down at 6:20AM this morning- then left for work! I was slightly peeved not so happy about that, he claims he did not know the 7AM rule. Well then Savannah heard us all downstairs and came down at 6:45AM- she's been sleeping until almost 8AM every morning. People, let me call it now, there will be a mandatory nap time today at noon...if we can even make it until then. Honestly, I'm already grumpy and I'm pretty much ready for a nap now.

Day #25: To have or not to have

  I grew up on shows like Full House and 7th Heaven, the families were big and happy. Now I watch shows like Parenthood and Brothers and Sisters, each boasting big families that eat together, live a few miles apart, and are each other's best friends. I like to imagine myself with this big family one day, lots of kids and in-laws and grand kids....
  So the time has come that if we wanted a third child and if we wanted them to be the same 2.5 years apart as Savannah and Luke, I'd have to get pregnant. Next month. I know, I know, the kids don't all have to be the exact same years apart, but I would like it to be similar and not to have my oldest and youngest too far apart, ya know? Tyson is all for another kid; of course he is! He isn't the one who will be pregnant, or breast feeding, or struggling to lose 40 pounds.again. And I have to admit, having two kids has its perks. I like that we have a boy and a girl, its east to divide and conquer. Tyson and Luke can go to Home Depot while Savannah and I grocery shop.or better yet, go to the mall. The kids are each others playmates, they only have each other, so there is never an odd man out. I can spoil them separately. If I buy Savannah a baby doll, I don't have to get Luke one too. I have two younger sisters and my mom would always say, "I can't buy you that because then I'd have to buy two more just like it for your sisters." Tables at restaurants are made for four, not five. My youngest sister Sam was always stuck in a chair at the end of the booth at restaurants, which I'm pretty sure she is still bitter about. Two kids seems more manageable than three, I feel like I already stay busy enough with two, how would I make time for a third?
   It doesn't help that I have 12 (at least) "friends" (I use quotations because I admit some of these people are FB friends, people I haven't actually spoken to in years) who are having or about to have babies this year! Maybe just MAYBE, I'm having a touch of baby fever?...possibly, especially since Luke will be two in September! However, I do feel like I'm just now getting a little bit of my life back. Babies are hard work! I mean, they are cute, but heck, sleep deprivation, crying, all of it- wears.me.out! Throw in a husband who has an unpredictable work schedule and who deploys regularly, and it's even more tiring. Right now I have two children who sleep through the night, can feed themselves, and who are independently mobile. I just don't know that I am ready to go back again right now, or ever.
 

Day #24: Time flies

   Today I went to Savannah's end of the year parent-teacher conference. What the what? It's already the end of the school year? Her teacher showed me her progress throughout the year: writing her name (or something that resembled her name, there was definitely an S and two upside down v's somewhere in there) her drawing of people (which I love at this age because it was basically a head with arms and legs coming out of it) and her cutting skills. As a mother, I loved hearing her teacher talk about how my child is doing well, learning quickly, following instructions, and always has a smile.  My child isn't a social outcast who tortures small animals, throws tantrums, and pushes her classmates down. Knock on wood. It gives me reassurance that although it may not feel like it ever, I'm doing something right.
 

Day #23: staying calm during an emergency: a mandatory class for the SAHM

   So my little sister is here this week and my parents are coming next week, so I'm enjoying lots of quality family time. It's also a bonus that my sister is a pediatric ICU nurse since Luke, once again, had a fever induced seizure on Tuesday. Luckily, Tyson was with him when it happened, not me. I don't know that I could have handled it again this soon on my own.
   Tyson and Luke had gone to Home Depot on Tuesday while Savannah and I headed out to do some grocery shopping in preparation for the next two weeks of company. Luke had a low fever that morning and I had given him Tylenol. I had even taken him to the Dr. Saturday because I was sure he had another ear infection, but he checked out 100%, in fact, the Dr. said he looked great! We went to ballet class and Chick- fil- a and he had been a little cranky but nothing out of the ordinary. Well, when Tyson looked back in the car seat after they returned from their errand, Luke was seizing. Tyson explains this all to me in a very detached matter-of-fact tone later that night. Once he realized what was happening, he took Luke inside and put him on the rug in the 'safe' position and made sure nothing was blocking his airway and took his pulse. Then he called 9-1-1 and rode with Luke to the children's hospital where Savannah and I met them. So of course, as a woman and mother, at the end of his tale, the only question I had was, "how are you telling me all this in such a calm manner?? How were you acting so rationally as our child was having a S-E-I-Z-U-R-E?". Fine, my tone may have been slightly accusatory. To which he replied, "Micah, I'm trained to be calm in stressful situations and act rationally." Which got me thinking, there should totally be a mandatory class for all mothers that give us the same training! But of course what I told him is that I am his mother and I must love him more because I am a WRECK when things like this happen to me! I could NEVER act so calmly when I think my child is in the grips of death. A little dramatic, I know. I'm just grateful I have a partner who can act rationally and appropriately in tough situations; maybe some of that will eventually rub off on me.

Day#22: no nap and cranky (Luke, not me. Okay fine, me too.)

  Well, you would think I would be an expert in diagnosing ear infections in my children by now. Savannah had them CONSTANTLY as a baby and ended up with a set of tubes right before turning 2. Luke has had his fair share of ear infections as well, landing us in the ER last summer (yes, I have been to the ER 3 times with this child!). But this kid is a little trickier to diagnose than most. He never runs a fever or has a runny nose. He doesnt lose his appetite. He sleeps through the night. He rarely tugs at his ears.  Instead, he has a hard time napping, but yet will still sleep 13-14 hours at night and he becomes super cranky. And I mean cranky. Like lie down on the floor and throw.a.fit. A tantrum if you will. But every kid has cranky days. I figure I have bad days, days where I wake up pissed off at the world irritated for no apparent reason and my whole day is just a series of bad events overshadowed by a bad mood...so I allow my kids a cranky day every now and then. But his crankiness has lasted 2-3 days, which for Luke, means possible ear infection. Right? Wrong! So adding up the handful of "symptoms", if you can even call them that, I surmised he must have an ear infection, and with the way things go in my house, probably a double ear infection.
  So you must imagine my absolute shock (My mouth was literally hanging wide open) when the Dr. looked in both of his ears and said they look great! I was like, "are you sure? Is there anything else that could be wrong with him??".  I know this sounds bad, but I hate to go to the doctor FOR NO REASON AT ALL! Tyson asked, "Isn't that better than going there and finding out he is sick?". Um, no, it's not. I need a reason for my child's crankiness and inability to not nap longer than an hour. And I need medication. For him. So I basically took my child to the doctor for crankiness. Classic.

Day #21: Carrabas fiasco

  Well I ate at Carrabas one time while Tyson was deployed and if you know anything about me at all, you know I LOVE Carrabas. Love. So I suggested we go a few nights ago; I figured a Wednesday at 5pm would be "safe". I realize Carrabas is not a super kid friendly establishment, so I was trying to be there at a time that would not inconvenience all guest surrounding us. But there were a few things I should have considered before we went. A) I have a 20 month old (who I am pretty sure is coming down with yet another ear infection)  B) he napped 40 minutes that day and C) we were at the beach that afternoon, so both kids were already so freaking cranky tired. But no, my craving and NEED for Carrabas overshadowed my mom sense.
  Unfortunately, two elderly couples were seated right behind us, I mean, who else goes to dinner at 5PM, yes, the senior citizens. They glared at Tyson, who was facing them, throughout most of dinner. Good thing I wasn't on the other side of the table because I would have glared right back! Granted, my son was Out.of.control. He even threw a plate on the floor and broke it! The manager looked far less than happy about it. Yes, we were those people. Never again will I judge parents with crazy kids at restaurants. Maybe their kids only napped 40 minutes. Maybe they had an ear infection. Maybe despite  their best efforts to go to dinner at a convenient time was undone by a 20 month old. Or maybe they suck as parents, who knows.
  The only thing good that came out of our trip was we arrived during happy hour, making my Sangria half price. Of course I was chugging it at the end of the meal since I had spent the entire 45 minutes we were there wrestling the plate away from Luke (unsuccessfully), coercing Savannah to take a BITE, just one bite, of pizza, and wishing we had gotten our dinner To Go. Maybe the next two years it would be wise to NOT take my children to non kid friendly places and stick to places like Texas Roadhouse where you are expected to throw things on the floor. My kids would blend right in.

Day # 20: An Ice cream maker

   So with my husband being home (and have I said how AMAZING it is to have a spouse who lives in the same country??) we have been on a "staycation" for the past 10 days. I love that I just used the word staycation.  It just so happens I really had nothing on my calendar last week or this week. Well, I think Savannah has a Dr. appointment sometime this week. Or is that next week. Hmm, I should have written that down....anyway, we have really just gotten up everyday, had coffee, then looked at each other and asked, "what do you want to do today?".  We have gone to the gym, the zoo, Busch Gardens, the beach (tomorrow) and a baseball game later this week. Since we finally have beautiful Spring weather here in good ol' Norfolk, VA, we have also played outside almost every afternoon. These are a few of the moments I've really enjoyed in our backyard:

- Luke drinking directly out of the water hose.
-Tyson telling the kids that he hid the sweet gum balls (ya know, those brown prickly balls that fall off trees?) all around the yard and needed the kids to pick them up...like an egg hunt.... but without the candy.
- eating dinner outside.
- rocking in my rocking chair with Tyson.
- Savannah pushing her baby doll stroller down the slide from the fort (which concerns me on many levels)
- Luke pushing Savannah around in his toy truck.


 But I just want to say, I think I would be a better mother if I had an ice cream maker. I mean, for the children of course. Wouldn't that just perfectly complete an afternoon of playing outside (besides a giant glass of wine)- homemade ice cream? I think so.