A not so Mushy Thursday?!

So I didn't post anything on Monday half way b/c I forgot and I also just haven't been feeling very mushy! That sounds weird to say feeling mushy but you know what I mean. But there have been lots of very fun and enjoyable times we've had lately and that's probably one of the reasons why I haven't felt extra soft hearted -I've been tooooooo busy!

Last week my sister Julie and my little niece came to visit. That was a lot of fun! Tommy really enjoyed spending time with his sweet cousin. Over the past couple of months he has started liking her more - before he just wasn't interested. But he does allow her in his personal space, which means he likes her. It's always fun to spend time with my sisters and my mom. We went out to lunch, went on walks, just let the kids sit around and play. We tried to take some cute pictures of the babies together but they weren't happy at the same times.

Then this past Tuesday my mom and I went to see one of my other sisters, Jeanne, and had lunch with her and went shopping. Jeanne found a super cute pair of flats for $9 at payless and I copied her and got the same pair a 1/2 size bigger. Jeanne is pregnant with a precious baby boy! I love to see and rub and kiss her belly! (Just like one kiss to tell little Eli I love him)

Kyle had fall break last week which was really nice too! I think we'll both be so excited when he's done with school, which who knows when that will be. But I really do love spending time with my husband and it makes me feel so good to know he enjoys spending time with me too. It's funny b/c when we're home together it just feels more complete and when the other is gone, even though we probably wouldn't have even been in the same room doing the same thing we still know the other is missing. I love being married! And I can't believe we will have been married 5 years in August! It sounds like such a milestone. Anyway I've been super thankful for Kyle as my partner in parenting lately too.  Tommy has started throwing fits and they're pretty hard to get him to calm down from.  We're trying to figure out the most effective way to discipline him and keep our sanity.  So at the wise suggestion of my husband we will putting him in time out in his pack'n'play (that way he won't fight going to bed b/c he thinks he's in trouble) this way it will separate him from the situation and give him a chance to calm down, and so we don't have to hear him whine and cry and scream the whole time. We're also trying to push a second nap back into his schedule. I think a second nap will work wonders but it is hard to fit into his schedule. But I'd rather have a quiet sleeping baby then a crying/fussy/unhappy little guy.  I'm just so thankful I have Kyle to think rationally and to just flat out make decisions of what we're going to do sometimes.  I try to think of too many solutions and then don't end up being consistent with one.  And I feel so frazzled in the midst of it that I need my logical husband to just say, "let's try this..." And I love that I can trust him to make good decisions for us - it's not in a controlling way that he makes decisions b/c he always listens to my thoughts and sometimes we tweak what his original thoughts were but I definitely desire and appreciate his leadership in our marriage.

Once again I am so thankful for what the Lord has been teaching me about emotions and feelings and how they are so deceiving and they are not truth.  When Tommy was having a really rough day I told Kyle I didn't feel loving towards Tommy. I know I love him and I know I'll never stop but when he's throwing a tantrum it's hard to think, I love you. And in those moments I'm not "enjoying" motherhood. I'm so glad I have Tommy and I'm so glad he's ours and I know with all things the bad comes with the good. And I was just thinking from God's perspective too how I make it so hard for Him to love me. I sin and rebel and throw fits b/c I'm not getting what I want. And I also related it to marriage too, sometimes Kyle is a lot easier to love than at other times, and I know the same goes for me. But I know the Lord will always love me, I know I will always love Kyle & Tommy - no matter what my "feelings" are. Hopefully that makes sense.

Mushy Monday

This weekend we were able to walk and raise money for a local organization that supports individuals with Down Syndrome, along with their families.  They have served as a great resource for us so far and they will continue to more and more as Tommy gets older.

Here's a picture of Tommy's Team:

Aunt Jennifer, Tommy, Nana Jan, Aunt Sherry, Ken, PawPaw Rob, Grammy Patti, Pappy Dave, and me

It was a pretty chilly morning! But we all enjoyed the walk and look forward to doing it again next year. It will be fun as Tommy gets older and he can get excited and feel special that we are all walking for him.

My heart is also very thankful and sad today.  Another mom, who I met through the Down Syndrome organization, lost her three year old son yesterday.  My heart aches for her and her family.  I cannot even imagine what she is going through.  I am so very sad for their loss. I am so grateful that God is in control but if I were her I fear that I would be angry with the Lord.  But no matter what in my heart I know that God is sovereign and He is good and I'm glad He is in control.  It also makes me thankful for Tommy's health - that may sound selfish - but I think any parent who has lost a child would desire for people to be thankful for what they have and not take it for granted.

Heart Links

Here are two links that I recently found while doing some additional research on Tommy's heart defect - ASD.  They are very clear, not too much medical lingo, and have a lot of helpful information.  Just wanted to share them with anyone who would like to read more about it.

http://jmarkmoralesmd.com/cardiothoracic-procedures/atrial-septal-defect.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/asd.html

We go back in 3 months (instead of 6 months as I recently posted) - not b/c of any medical reason but for us to be able to have a sit down with his cardiologist and get some miscommunications combed out and get some additional questions answered.

Mushy Monday!

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful things happen to me through out the week that when I start to think what I'm going to post about it's hard to pick one thing. And, obviously I don't usually only talk about one thing so who cares?!

My favorite thing about this week was going on a date with my husband! It had been far too long! We went to dinner, to Lowes, and a movie. Then we went to the grocery store to get ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies and we got a few other goodies and went home and relaxed - watched some shows and made the cookies and ate them! Kyle now prefers cookies from scratch but I can't seem to make them without them turning out cakey :( blah! They have a great taste but aren't chewy or cookie-like. So I asked a friend for a new recipe for next time b/c I've had her cookies and they are DELICIOUS! But this could be bad too, Kyle may request them far more often this way!

My parents are always so willing to watch Tommy and have him spend the night. And this week I NEEDED the break. Kyle knew I did too so he was all for it. Tommy has been sick, we're pretty sure he had Roseola, and it made for a very fussy, long, less sleep, filled week.

I really enjoyed being out to dinner with Kyle and getting to eat bites when ever I wanted to and not having to feed anyone else while I ate. It was very enjoyable. We saw the Rise of the Planet of the Apes movie and it was really good. Only bad part was I got a bad headache during the movie - I'm pretty sure it was from lack of sleep. When I go for a while on less sleep than I need I get bad headaches. But I took a little nap (way late at night when others are actually asleep for the night) while Kyle watched some shows when we got home and that made my headache go away, thankfully.

But the reason I loved this date is b/c I really enjoy spending alone time with Kyle. I'm so glad we still like each other. Obviously we love each other and we believe that it is a choice to love someone but sometimes in marriages you know two people love each other but they don't really appear to like each other any more. And I really like Kyle, a lot. He has such a great sense of humor and the Lord has made us very compatible. We have definitely grown more compatible with time and it makes life so much more fun.

And I will leave you with this AWESOME video of our little guy!

He makes it look super easy to do this - but it has taken him a long time to learn and he seemed to figure it out, out of no where. And for that we praise the Lord for Tommy's progress! Kyle laughs at me b/c I get so excited over every new thing that Tommy does but it really is a big deal.  Tommy has endured hours of therapy since he has been born so we CELEBRATE when he accomplishes something new!

Mushy Monday

So my Mushy Monday moment just happened. It wasn't really a big a moment just a casual conversation between neighbors. Our neighbors across the street go to their lake house occasionally and I keep an eye on their mail for them. They are a very sweet, kind hearted, older couple. Well he stopped by to see if he had any mail to pick up and we were talking about some random things. And we got on the subject of how I met a boy from St. Louis and married him. I explained how we met in college and he said he had remembered that and then he said, "You're a well educated woman to just be a babysitter." And in the back of my mind I thought it was a little rude but knowing this man and how he would never intentionally offend me, I thought for a split second and I smiled big back at him and said, "There's no other job I'd rather have in the world than watching that little boy." And he smiled back and said, "I know that."

Truth is I've always dreamed of being a "babysitter" to my very own children.  And it is so much more than babysitting. I'm still smiling when I think about what he said, and b/c I know Kyle will get a good laugh when I tell him the story.

I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with Tommy. I explained to my neighbor too that I would be so jealous if there was some one else getting to spend all this time with him instead of me.  (Now on teething days I might think differently ;)

Kyle and I both see it as a blessing. This is a huge sacrifice for Kyle b/c he's working and going to school at the same time. I remember when Kyle thought about cutting back on work so he could focus more on school, I was getting so frustrated with the conversation but didn't know how to word my feelings. And finally I just started crying and told him I felt like if he cut back on work that I would feel pressured to work and I didn't want to do that. And my sweet and encouraging husband explained that I could completely push that thought out of my head, his intentions would remain for me to stay at home with Tommy and that wouldn't change. And if financially we couldn't make it work he would just work more. Just one more reason I love that man and I can see how the Lord has made us fit together so very well.

I also see staying home with Tommy as much more than babysitting, obviously.  And here's the thing, people get paid to babysit so it is a job. And if I were to ever leave my son with a babysitter or nanny, you better believe they'd have to be the best of the best which means they would want to be paid bank b/c they'd actually care for and watch my son. And thankfully since we don't have bank to pay someone we have willing family, friends, church family to help us out when we need a break (and they are the best of the best babysitters)!

My best friend just had her first child this week, a precious little boy. And she was actually a nanny before. I can guarantee you after a few days of being a mom she would tell you how priceless and incomparable to being a nanny it already is.

Obviously I'm reading more into this comment then what he actually meant. And it's also a generational difference.  He probably didn't have the opportunity to go to college and really couldn't fathom if having had that opportunity, not putting it to use.

I hope Tommy and I have many, many more years of "babysitting" to spend together and to cherish and to know each other more and more.



Mushy Monday

Once again so many big/busy things have happened this past week. One great thing was Tommy and I (along with my parents and Granny Jane) were able to travel to see my sister and brother-in-law find out if they were having a boy or girl...well they're having a boy! And we all thought she was having a girl! Needless to say we were very excited!

We also celebrated my mom's birthday. Birthdays are so fun when everyone comes in town! We had a great time going out to eat, playing games, and celebrating our mom!

My mushy post will once again be about my sweet and precious little Mama's Boy! I feel bad b/c I've been complaining a lot about him being too much of a mama's boy. He doesn't even like for me to leave the room, he starts crying. It's sad. But I know he'll grow out of it and until then I just need to be patient with him and encourage him to play well on his own.

One of Tommy's favorite things is my hair. He LOVES it! And I am 100% okay with this, it's super sweet. It's like his security blanket. He holds on to it when I'm holding him and then when he's all snuggly, he lays back in my lap with his pacifier in his mouth and reaches back to play with my hair while we watch TV. I LOVE this! But the sweetest thing is now he will army crawl/roll across the room and come over, get on his knees (trying to climb) reach up my back (while leaning on it) and get my hair. RIDICULOUS! And oooooh so cute!

I have been doing my make up in the family room in front of a mirror we have for Tommy to play in front of. Well I sit on the floor to do this. So Tommy being halfway across the room, sees me sit down, and now starts to come over by me and tries to climb all over me and climb on my back to play with my hair, whether it's down or in a pony tail. I wish I could get this on video. But unfortunately there is not a camera that automatically starts filming when my little one does sweet, precious, and funny things.

Oh how I love my little boy and I don't want him to ever completely grow out of being a mama's boy.

Mushy Monday

So unless you have experienced what my Mushy Monday is about, you probably won't agree that it's super exciting. I say that because I never thought it was a big deal when this happened to other people. Well this week I found my best friend from elementary school on facebook! And we have been messaging each other back and forth - reminiscing and catching up on what's been happening for the past 13 years or so since we last saw each other.

It has been so much fun! It's like my mind kept all of these memories from 2nd grade stored some where and all of the sudden they're coming back.

Her name is Becky and she was such a sweet friend of mine. And after catching up with her through facebook I feel like we're still friends. Isn't it funny how someone you got along with in 2nd grade you could still get along with after all those years? There's a lot of changing and growing up that goes on in all those years.

Anyhow it has given me such joy to get to know her again. She moved away in 6th grade (I think I have that right) and we didn't keep in contact. Pre-facebook days. At first when I saw she had written on a mutual friend's facebook page, I couldn't decide if I should ask her to be my friend and what I should write in the message to let her know who I was. But I knew I was over thinking it, I knew I would've wanted her to ask to be my friend if she saw my name. So then I started to write her a message saying "I don't know if you remember me but..." then I realized how dumb that was and I figured if she didn't remember me then that would be weird. So we started writing back and forth and I've greatly,greatly enjoyed it.

Sweet childhood memories are absolutely precious! Childhood is such a care-free and innocent time. One thing I remember was going to Cincinnati with Becky and her family. We got to get out of school early, and we went to the zoo and an amusement park. I loved the zoo! I thought the Bald Eagles were especially neat. It was a blast! Probably my favorite part was getting to leave school early to go on vacation with my best friend! She has such a sweet family, and they were so kind to include me on their trip.

I hope Tommy has great friends in his life as he grows up too.