Against My Better Judgement

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I distrust wildlife. I like to keep a safe distance between myself and any wild animal—and by wild I mean anything other than a domesticated cat or dog that belongs to someone I know and trust. But, I was won over by the little chipmunks on my parents’ property during my Utah vacation. My dad has been feeding them for years and finally has them eating peanuts out of his hand.

After some encouragement from my dad, I gave it a try.

And, we even let the kiddos feed the furry creatures (my niece’s little ones are on the left—my little guy is on the right).

 

Guess what? We all lived and no one had to get a rabies shot—if a rabies shot is what you’d get if you were bitten by a chipmunk. The little things were actually kind of cute. Right up until they stole my little guy’s shoe, chewed some holes in it and left it out in the great wide open. But that’s another story for another day.

Living: A Retreat

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re·treat

Pronunciation: ri-ˈtrēt
Function: noun
1 : an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous or disagreeable
2 : a place of privacy or safety
 
While life with a three year old and an infant isn’t necessarily dangerous or disagreeable, it has been, at times, difficult. A little one who eats every three hours on the dot and has an amazing set of lungs along with a little guy who sometimes struggles with sharing his mommy’s attention and a sweet hubby who often has to work late have left me a bit exhausted. So, I sought solace in a mini retreat at my parents’ house. 
 

Nearly two weeks of my mom’s cooking, kind words and extra help definitely soothed my soul. We baked, chatted, played and just relaxed.

My mom rocked my baby to sleep, changed diapers and relieved me (more than once) when Miss Madelyn refused to go back to sleep after her three a.m. feeding. Mimi, as my mom is called, made sure my little guy got breakfast each morning, took him on special adventures and showered him with love.



It was so much fun to watch her with my kids, and her extra help let me catch up on some rest and work. I even got to sneak in a little reading and take my little guy to the park sans his sister, which he loved.

 
Every time I am “home” I struggle with dividing my time between visiting friends and extended family or spending every possible minute with my parents. On this trip being with my folks won out (except for a few days I spent with my in-laws so they could see the kiddos), and I hope everyone understands. The time went too quickly, as always. It feels like we’re always on the run and the next month is no different. It is jam packed with work deadlines, a family lake vacation, another surgery for Madelyn and some well-child check ups. I’ve always said that I like to stay busy! This month will put it to the test. 

Living: A Favorite Quote

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Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more commonplace than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.  –Calvin Coolidge

 

Living: Six Things I Know About My Son

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He has a big heart. He sings to his sister and can’t give her enough kisses. He kisses my head when I casually complain of a headache to my hubby. He promises he will call me each day when he is away at college, then he asks me what college is. He is the first to ask why someone is sad and he always asks me what is wrong when I don’t have on “my happy face.”  

He has an impressive vocabulary. Last week he asked me what a killjoy is. He has called me one four times since then. Each time I was, in fact, being a killjoy. He has also picked up on a not-so-nice word his daddy likes to use when discussing certain politicians. It both mortifies and impresses me that my little guy has used this word in context now and then. I’m not going to say what it is, but let’s just say that if he is caught using it on the playground at his church-run preschool, I will insist he is calling the other kids juice bags. 
 
He is a bear when he is tired. He gets that from me. Now that I realize what is going on, I’m a bit more empathetic with him. However, things go downhill quickly when we’re both tired. I mean fast—really, really fast. 
 
He is a worrier. He has a double dose of the worry gene in him as his dad and I are both worriers. My little guy is still asking about his daddy’s kidney “bones” that landed him in the hospital six weeks ago. He is also distraught that Percy took a plunge into the ravine. Remind me not to let him watch the Spills and Chills Thomas DVD again. 
 
He is all boy. He likes to play rough and get dirty. This makes my hubby proud. It makes me proud, too. It also means I buy a lot of Shout and Oxi Clean. He likes to figure out how things work and he has an endless stream of questions. I’m grateful he still thinks I can answer them all. 
 
He is drawn to water. The hose, the kitchen sink, the bathroom faucet and the bathtub all call his name. So do puddles. I’ve learned to be patient and I go through more towels than I would like during the course of the day. That said, I can’t wait to see how he reacts to our lake trip later this summer. 

Living: Six Things I Know About My Daughter

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She is kind. She graciously accepts her brother’s kisses, hugs, snuggles and tickles, which means the world to him. There will probably come a time when she doesn’t even want him to look at her, but for now, she doesn’t mind his affection.
 
She needs a schedule. And fast. Little Miss wants to have late-night gab fests with me from about 3 to 5 a.m. I find this unacceptable. I also realize there will probably be a time when I hope she’ll come to me to chat at any hour of the night. However, that time is not now. 
 
She has my thumbs. This makes me happy. I rarely hear that my little guy favors me. I’ve heard that he looks like my hubby, my brother and even my mom, so being able to look at baby girl’s thumbs and know they are mine brings a smile to my face. 
 
She has distinctive cries. Her little cry and pouty face when she is hungry is my favorite. Her wail when she is uncomfortable is my least favorite. It is fierce and it escalates quickly. 
 
She is beautiful. This needs no explanation. 
 
She goes through more outfit changes than Cher on her farewell tour. Baby girl is a spitter. That means she needs a new outfit every three hours. It means I need wardrobe changes as well, but I don’t have very many clothes that fit me right now. That means I just pretty much smell like spit up all day. I’m okay with that. 

Living: Surviving New York

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Last week we loaded up the car and headed for New York City with the sole mission of taking baby Madelyn to see vascular specialist Dr. Milton Waner for her hemangioma–a type of vascular birthmark–on her arm. 

To add to the difficulty…I mean fun, we decided to take the kiddos to see a few of the sites while we were there. We started in Times Square and craned our necks upwards as we pointed out all the skyscrapers to my little guy. He kept asking, “Are these real skyscrapers?” We assured him that were. 




 

 Just a little tip–a carrier is a much better option than a stroller in New York. Plus, it is oh-so snuggly. Next we ventured to the Empire State Building. The wait was excruciating, but nothing some Dum Dum suckers, Nemo fruit snacks and a juice box couldn’t cure. The view from the top was worth it.


  


 I just love the little boy posing next to me in the picture.  

On Day Two we headed off to visit Dr. Waner. Baby girl was a candidate for laser surgery, so the office arranged for us to get in the next day. Hemangiomas grow fast, so time is of the essence.  We snapped a quick pic of Dr. Waner with Madelyn. (The picture of my guy with Dr. Waner on the day of his surgery is up on the Vascular Birthmark Institute’s website).  


 

 Miss Madelyn did great and both kids were so worn out from our days-o-fun that they slept the whole way home. Whew! 

We’re about a week out of surgery and my hubby and I both think it looks like the hemangioma is still growing. Boo. We will watch it for two more weeks, then consult with Dr. Waner about the need for another surgery. Hopefully it will start fading this week. Send good thoughts our way! 

Living: Preparing for Company

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My mother-in-law, who is one of the most organized people I know, is coming for a visit tomorrow. That means I’m spending today getting the house all spiffed-up for company. The laundry is humming away, I’m digging out the fancy soaps and making my grocery list so we can pick up some of Grandma Betty’s favorites. Company is always a great excuse to tidy up and pick up a few little extras at the store.

My to-do list still has 763 things on it, so that means the long post I have already crafted in my head about our three-day trip to New York last week is going to have to wait a few more days before finding its way to the blog. In the meantime, I’ll give you this little shot of my family in Times Square as a preview of what’s to come.