Woo Woo look who's posted on the right day two weeks in a row?! This week I am suuuuuper happy to have our baby boy back! When your little one is sick and teething for a while, you forget what his regular personality is like - fun, laid back, sweet, funny, etc. After a week+ of holding a crying and whining baby, getting lots of sweet snuggles though, I was ready for the return of our Tommy. He took an antibiotic for the first time, he hated taking it so I was glad when it was all gone. And we have since discovered that it was all 4 canines coming in at once. Here's the bad news, only the tips of these 4 vicious teeth have poked through. You can see 4 specks of white where the teeth are, sometimes I think it might just be a leftover from a meal, but trust me I've felt them many times to verify they are in fact the points to all 4 painful canines. I'm just hoping that as they grow in more they don't cause him as much pain. But in wonderful, God praising, worthy news - TEETHING TABLETS ARE BACK! I know there are some teething tablet haters out there, I am not one of them. They work. God thought of me and Tommy, and my sister Julie and niece Eliza, (shout out on the blog woo woo) when he had someone invent these. By the way I did read why they took them off the market to begin with and how they brought them back. They're safe. They're great. The end.
But in all seriousness Tommy has been so much fun lately. He's big into giving me TONS, and by tons I really do mean more than I could count, of kisses. It's actually starting to dry my skin out on my cheeks from all the slobbery love he is giving to his mama. But I love it! He thinks it's funny! Oh and he's babbling so much more now, he is constantly saying "dadadadadadadadada" and now "babababababababa" sometimes we get a "rararararara" and on the rarest of occasions a "ma". He's actually babbling in front of people now too which is fun for them to hear his sweet voice. He's been playing really well by himself again, which is so so so nice! I was afraid it would be a long road back to him being able to do that, but it hasn't. He's a pretty great kid.
Tommy just turned 19 months old yesterday! That blows my mind. Our little boy is over a year and a half old. How did that happen? His physical therapist thinks he'll be walking around the age of 2, but Kyle and I will be amazed if that happens. Not to sound negative, we just know he has a long way to go before he's walking, the kid is smart and independent, he likes to get around quickly in the ways he knows how to and that do not require anyone else's help. His cutest way of getting around is by leaning forward on his hands and then lifting and moving his butt over in which ever direction he wants to go.
This week, right around his 19 month old marker, was the first time a stranger brought up Tommy having Down Syndrome without me bringing it up first. It actually took me off guard. Initially I didn't really like it but the lady was super nice and didn't mean anything by it. It was a grandma who was playing with her 10 month old grandson. And we were talking about their ages and size and shortly after she just said, "My daughter works with kids with Down Syndrome." And I said, "Oh, that's good." Obviously she was meaning to be sweet and to let me know she had a connection with Down Syndrome. And I don't know if it was b/c she said it out of the blue or that we hadn't been talking that long but my initial reaction was uncomfortable. Now here's the thing, I am A Okay with talking to people about Tommy having Down Syndrome and a lot more people may be able to tell he has it by looking at him but aren't going to say something about it. Anyway one of my points here is that I had wondered if as Tommy got older if he would look more like he had Down Syndrome to me, there are some typical physical features attributed to DS but not every kid who has DS will have those attributes. But the answer to that question is that as he gets older I actually see it less. And I don't think that that means Tommy doesn't have those attributes, he might, but I think as his mother I know him for being Tommy and I see his personality way more than anyone else and that effects the way that I see him. Now sometimes when he is tired I do think you can see it more in his eyes, but I actually don't even see it as much now as I did when he was little (I don't think that means that it's changed I think it means that I have). I don't care if Tommy has the typical attributes associated with DS but I love that I see him through my eyes. Do you get what I'm saying? It's not completely like when you meet a good looking person but then when they start talking they get a lot uglier, or vice versa when you meet an average looking person but as they start talking they become a lot prettier; but it's kind of along those same lines. It is comparable to my twin sisters, some people can't ever tell them apart, I've been able to since I was 2, b/c I know them. They're faces look completely different to me. Well Tommy's face looks like Tommy to me - the most handsome little face I've ever seen! He has the sweetest smile and the most pitiful sad faces (which he is getting very good at faking for attention). It makes me happy to share this with whoever reads my blog b/c this was one of the things I worried about when we had Tommy. It sounds vain, but I had no idea what it was like to have a kid, let alone a kid with DS. So I was afraid he wouldn't look like us, or that those "typical features" would be all I saw. How naive was I?! Kyle always knew better. When Tommy was still and infant, I asked him my embarrassing question of, "Do you think we'll be able to see that Tommy has DS some day?" he said, "No, I think we'll just see Tommy. We'll know him as he grows and he might gradually change but I don't think we'll see it. And he'll just look like Tommy to us." I married a very smart man, who gave me a very handsome boy that looks just like his daddy! I love my family!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Mushy Monday
My mushy post goes out to my dear friend Christina this week! During one of the more difficult weeks of our parenting lives she made us dinner and brought it to us and brought us an additional dinner to make the next night! It was such a blessing to Kyle, Tommy, and me. Kyle hadn't had a real meal since we left his parents' house on Sunday and Tommy was barely eating b/c he had been sick and teething. I had planned to make dinner the night before but my sweet boy wouldn't let me sit him down, he needed his mama to hold him. And I hadn't been to the grocery in over a week so we were limited on options any way.
Christina offered to bring us dinner in an email, and I almost initially wrote back, "no that's okay" but then I thought about it for a second and realized that it really would be a huge help. But even as I was going to write her back I kept fighting with my pride to whether or not I should really accept her generous offer. But then I remembered what a sweet friend I met in Kenya told me. He's from Kenya and was one of our guides during the week and we were on the bus headed somewhere and he was getting up and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?" (or something of that sort, I know we were eating) and I responded, "Oh no that's okay I can get it myself." Just thinking I didn't want to make him go out of his way. And he said very seriously back to me, "You do know that you should allow people to serve you. You keep wanting to serve us but we want to have the privilege to serve you too, and you should allow us to." So of course somewhat embarrassed I said said something like, "okay I'll take a water then." But what he said is really true, when I have the opportunity to serve someone else it is so fulfilling. It's what Christ wants us to do, and to do it in His name (sometimes I have a hard time remembering that but I also think that's connected to the reason why it really does feel good to serve and love others through that service) but we also have to give people the same opportunity and allow them to serve us. Anyhow since Christina is a close friend I did actually agree. And Kyle thought it was a little silly that I agreed to it, b/c obviously we can go grab something out to eat but we had been doing that a lot already. But after he had Christina's dinner I asked if he was glad that I accepted her offer and he strongly agreed at that point. And he finished off all the leftovers the next night!! And poor, starving Tom Tom ate so much of it too, it was the first big meal he had eaten in about a week! (His canines are coming in and he had strep so he had been eating hardly anything)
And here's the other neat thing, it made me feel even closer to Christina by allowing her to serve us. It doesn't completely make sense to me, maybe it's b/c I felt kind of vulnerable in a sense by letting my guard down and trying to push my pride aside. Who knows. But I'm so grateful for her sweet friendship and her willingness to serve us!
On a good note, things are looking up in our household! Tommy is doing better, Praise the Lord! He is taking his first antibiotic in his life, I think at a year and a half old that's not too shabby! That's something I want to remember too! He's been a very healthy boy and we're grateful to God for that. The Lord knows we couldn't handle this often.
Christina offered to bring us dinner in an email, and I almost initially wrote back, "no that's okay" but then I thought about it for a second and realized that it really would be a huge help. But even as I was going to write her back I kept fighting with my pride to whether or not I should really accept her generous offer. But then I remembered what a sweet friend I met in Kenya told me. He's from Kenya and was one of our guides during the week and we were on the bus headed somewhere and he was getting up and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?" (or something of that sort, I know we were eating) and I responded, "Oh no that's okay I can get it myself." Just thinking I didn't want to make him go out of his way. And he said very seriously back to me, "You do know that you should allow people to serve you. You keep wanting to serve us but we want to have the privilege to serve you too, and you should allow us to." So of course somewhat embarrassed I said said something like, "okay I'll take a water then." But what he said is really true, when I have the opportunity to serve someone else it is so fulfilling. It's what Christ wants us to do, and to do it in His name (sometimes I have a hard time remembering that but I also think that's connected to the reason why it really does feel good to serve and love others through that service) but we also have to give people the same opportunity and allow them to serve us. Anyhow since Christina is a close friend I did actually agree. And Kyle thought it was a little silly that I agreed to it, b/c obviously we can go grab something out to eat but we had been doing that a lot already. But after he had Christina's dinner I asked if he was glad that I accepted her offer and he strongly agreed at that point. And he finished off all the leftovers the next night!! And poor, starving Tom Tom ate so much of it too, it was the first big meal he had eaten in about a week! (His canines are coming in and he had strep so he had been eating hardly anything)
And here's the other neat thing, it made me feel even closer to Christina by allowing her to serve us. It doesn't completely make sense to me, maybe it's b/c I felt kind of vulnerable in a sense by letting my guard down and trying to push my pride aside. Who knows. But I'm so grateful for her sweet friendship and her willingness to serve us!
Here's an oldie but a goodie of Christina and Tommy who is showing off his gymnastic skills
On a good note, things are looking up in our household! Tommy is doing better, Praise the Lord! He is taking his first antibiotic in his life, I think at a year and a half old that's not too shabby! That's something I want to remember too! He's been a very healthy boy and we're grateful to God for that. The Lord knows we couldn't handle this often.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Mushy Monday
So just go ahead and reread last weeks mushy post, then let's add into my lovely in-laws who helped this weekend, and of course my husband!
I have not been feeling well, Sunday night was the worst. I had an awful, and I mean awful, gallbladder attack. At first I thought I had the flu or a bug, I was throwing up and felt so sick. My stomach was in knots, and the most painful knot was right under my right lower ribs, which my mom pointed out later was my gallbladder. I had an ultrasound done early this morning but the tech couldn't tell me if I had gallstones or anything, I have to wait to get the report from the doctor.
When I got sick we were out of town visiting my in laws and they helped take care of Tommy while I laid down and Kyle tried to work on his paper Sunday night. But poor Tommy only wanted mommy and daddy b/c his little teeth are giving him such a hard time. We decided to go ahead and travel home, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, that night and took a big coffee container with a lid in case I got sick on the way home, which I did (but thankfully that was the last time). As soon as we got home I laid down in bed, Kyle brought some stuff along with Tommy inside and Tommy puked on Kyle. Did I mention this was Kyle's birthday?! Anyhow my parents were almost to our house to come pick up Tommy, b/c at this point I still thought it was a bug and didn't want Tommy to catch it, so my dad was going to graciously take off work to take care of Tommy and my oldest sister Jennifer was going to try to take half a day off too to help him (and she really likes Tommy, a lot). But since Tommy threw up we were afraid he caught what I had and didn't want my parents to get it. But then my mom figured out, being the great nurse that she is, that he probably got sick b/c I had been giving him orange juice that day and he hadn't eaten much b/c of his teeth hurting so bad. An empty stomach and orange juice don't mix. The poor guy hasn't been sick again but is having some major stomach issues - some explosive ones. Sorry if that's TMI this is for my memories sake too. I believe he went through three outfits yesterday and this morning before my ultrasound I had to change his clothes and his sheets, if I had time he probably would have gotten a bath, even though he just had one last night.
I am so so very appreciative to have my husband who stepped up so much and took great care of me and Tommy! He did however mention he could never be a stay at home dad, he said it was exhausting. And the Lord was so kind to him yesterday, Tommy almost slept 4 hours during the day, FOUR HOURS! My son usually sleep for 1 1/2-2 hours. And Tommy went down great for his naps for his daddy, which he usually does not. So I know the Lord was being extra kind to Kyle and to me.
A big thank you to my hubby, to my parents for driving out late at night to come take care of my baby and bring us gatorade and pedialyte, and to my sister Jennifer for wanting to help, and to my in laws for helping too! Shew I couldn't do this on my own, I'm glad I don't have to!
As far as the gallbladder goes right now it just aches pretty constantly but I feel so much better. I can't handle attacks like I had, I felt like I got hit by a car. So I have to eat a very low fat diet to prevent that and I may have my gallbladder taken out in a month or so, we have to wait and see what the results are, I may be able to wait longer to have it out. But I am so thankful to be feeling so much better! I'm scared to eat though, but I'm not that hungry so that helps.
The end.
I have not been feeling well, Sunday night was the worst. I had an awful, and I mean awful, gallbladder attack. At first I thought I had the flu or a bug, I was throwing up and felt so sick. My stomach was in knots, and the most painful knot was right under my right lower ribs, which my mom pointed out later was my gallbladder. I had an ultrasound done early this morning but the tech couldn't tell me if I had gallstones or anything, I have to wait to get the report from the doctor.
When I got sick we were out of town visiting my in laws and they helped take care of Tommy while I laid down and Kyle tried to work on his paper Sunday night. But poor Tommy only wanted mommy and daddy b/c his little teeth are giving him such a hard time. We decided to go ahead and travel home, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, that night and took a big coffee container with a lid in case I got sick on the way home, which I did (but thankfully that was the last time). As soon as we got home I laid down in bed, Kyle brought some stuff along with Tommy inside and Tommy puked on Kyle. Did I mention this was Kyle's birthday?! Anyhow my parents were almost to our house to come pick up Tommy, b/c at this point I still thought it was a bug and didn't want Tommy to catch it, so my dad was going to graciously take off work to take care of Tommy and my oldest sister Jennifer was going to try to take half a day off too to help him (and she really likes Tommy, a lot). But since Tommy threw up we were afraid he caught what I had and didn't want my parents to get it. But then my mom figured out, being the great nurse that she is, that he probably got sick b/c I had been giving him orange juice that day and he hadn't eaten much b/c of his teeth hurting so bad. An empty stomach and orange juice don't mix. The poor guy hasn't been sick again but is having some major stomach issues - some explosive ones. Sorry if that's TMI this is for my memories sake too. I believe he went through three outfits yesterday and this morning before my ultrasound I had to change his clothes and his sheets, if I had time he probably would have gotten a bath, even though he just had one last night.
I am so so very appreciative to have my husband who stepped up so much and took great care of me and Tommy! He did however mention he could never be a stay at home dad, he said it was exhausting. And the Lord was so kind to him yesterday, Tommy almost slept 4 hours during the day, FOUR HOURS! My son usually sleep for 1 1/2-2 hours. And Tommy went down great for his naps for his daddy, which he usually does not. So I know the Lord was being extra kind to Kyle and to me.
A big thank you to my hubby, to my parents for driving out late at night to come take care of my baby and bring us gatorade and pedialyte, and to my sister Jennifer for wanting to help, and to my in laws for helping too! Shew I couldn't do this on my own, I'm glad I don't have to!
As far as the gallbladder goes right now it just aches pretty constantly but I feel so much better. I can't handle attacks like I had, I felt like I got hit by a car. So I have to eat a very low fat diet to prevent that and I may have my gallbladder taken out in a month or so, we have to wait and see what the results are, I may be able to wait longer to have it out. But I am so thankful to be feeling so much better! I'm scared to eat though, but I'm not that hungry so that helps.
The end.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Mushy Post
Okay so I will try really hard to keep my Mushy Monday posts on Monday! My lovely sister Julie and niece are in town again and I like to hang out with them as much as possible so sometimes that means I slack off in other areas - my blog, my house, my groceries, etc. I was sick last week so I didn't go grocery shopping either so we are running out of food, today Kyle said, "Ummm babe, the house is kind of going crazy. There's no food, no dishes, empty boxes everywhere (from what food there was)..." (He wasn't mad, he was mainly teasing me but also asking when I was going grocery shopping)There is food and there were dishes, just clean in the dishwasher. But I totally agree, we need more food and I definitely need to straighten up the house and put away the dishes, I just don't feel like it. Oh well it will get done - probably straightening up before the grocery b/c the weather is looking a little gloomy.
This post is not going to be one that I need for my memory's sake, unlesss I completely lose my mind for some reason. But I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (not enough o's to get my point across) thankful for my parents. My mom and dad spoil me, Kyle, and Tommy rotten. They watched Tommy for a whole weekend, which was just intended to be one night, so I could get our house cleaned (which I did do, but now it's a little messy again, that's just how it goes) but also and I would say mainly b/c they just love spending time with Tommy. Last week was not the most eventful for Tommy since I was sick, he spent a lot of time playing in the family room and not getting to do much else. But I know when he goes to Nana and Pappy's house that he gets to do all kinds of fun stuff. He goes swinging, on wagon rides, to visit the neighbors. Tommy has his grandparents wrapped around his finger. If he even starts to whine, Nana runs to him to entertain him. I am so thankful that we live close to each other and are able to spend so much time together. They are a huge help. My mom makes good food when we visit sometimes and when Kyle is working I just take him the leftovers home for dinner (which is super nice when you haven't been grocery shopping) or my parents will take us out to eat for delicious dinners too. They are extremely generous with their time and their money and they always tell us how much they enjoy spoiling us.
In the past couple of years I have been able to see how much of a role parents play in their children's lives. Kyle worked at a home for troubled boys and it was apparent how integral each parent is to a child's life. And this may sound dumb, but even from watching a few shows on Netflix about addicts - there were so many who had a parent who left or some major issue with one or both of their parents. But when you have good parents - you don't know what it's like to have bad ones, and I'm glad I don't know what that's like. It makes me appreciate my parents. And now that they are grandparents I appreciate that role they play too, not everyone has super supportive grandparents who want and ask for their grandkids to spend the night b/c they want to take care of them and have some quality time with them.
So thanks Mom and Dad, Nana and Pappy! Kyle, Tommy, and I love you so much and we appreciate all that you do!
This is one of my very favorite pictures of Tommy!
This post is not going to be one that I need for my memory's sake, unlesss I completely lose my mind for some reason. But I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (not enough o's to get my point across) thankful for my parents. My mom and dad spoil me, Kyle, and Tommy rotten. They watched Tommy for a whole weekend, which was just intended to be one night, so I could get our house cleaned (which I did do, but now it's a little messy again, that's just how it goes) but also and I would say mainly b/c they just love spending time with Tommy. Last week was not the most eventful for Tommy since I was sick, he spent a lot of time playing in the family room and not getting to do much else. But I know when he goes to Nana and Pappy's house that he gets to do all kinds of fun stuff. He goes swinging, on wagon rides, to visit the neighbors. Tommy has his grandparents wrapped around his finger. If he even starts to whine, Nana runs to him to entertain him. I am so thankful that we live close to each other and are able to spend so much time together. They are a huge help. My mom makes good food when we visit sometimes and when Kyle is working I just take him the leftovers home for dinner (which is super nice when you haven't been grocery shopping) or my parents will take us out to eat for delicious dinners too. They are extremely generous with their time and their money and they always tell us how much they enjoy spoiling us.
In the past couple of years I have been able to see how much of a role parents play in their children's lives. Kyle worked at a home for troubled boys and it was apparent how integral each parent is to a child's life. And this may sound dumb, but even from watching a few shows on Netflix about addicts - there were so many who had a parent who left or some major issue with one or both of their parents. But when you have good parents - you don't know what it's like to have bad ones, and I'm glad I don't know what that's like. It makes me appreciate my parents. And now that they are grandparents I appreciate that role they play too, not everyone has super supportive grandparents who want and ask for their grandkids to spend the night b/c they want to take care of them and have some quality time with them.
So thanks Mom and Dad, Nana and Pappy! Kyle, Tommy, and I love you so much and we appreciate all that you do!
This is one of my very favorite pictures of Tommy!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Mushy Monday
Okay so I'm late again - this is starting to be a theme but oh well at least I'm posting something. Okay so I have a super sweet post that I just thought about a few minutes ago so I'm glad I didn't post yesterday. This is something that I never, ever want to forget but more than likely I will tuck it away somewhere in the back of my mind as Tommy gets older b/c there will be so many new and different things he is doing.
So one of the key things to calming Tommy down and getting him to fall asleep is to softly stroke the side of his face, specifically the right side of his face. And also rubbing his little head, in the direction his hair is parted. I don't know what it is but he absolutely melts when I do this and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. When I'm rocking him to calm him down before a nap or bed, if he's tired enough he'll lay his head on my chest and I'll stroke his face and I do it really close to his eye, I don't usually touch his eye (sometimes I do to see if I can feel him blinking to know if his eyes are closed and he's starting to drift off) but it encourages him to close his eyes and relax. And he has such soft sweet baby skin. Aww it may seem like nothing to read this but my sweet baby will not always let me do this and to be honest it would be a little weird if I was doing this when he's 15. So I cherish his little sweetness. He is such a boy, he loves to wrestle and play rough, watch cars, play ball, throw things, get into things and explore. But he still cuddles his mama when he's tired. I have stroked that face and brushed that baby's hair with my hand so many times I don't even realize I'm doing it sometimes and that's when I thought - I never want to forget these sweet moments. I mean who doesn't love a sleeping baby?! And let alone when they fall asleep in your arms.
We've been trying to comfort Tommy by patting him and not picking him up when he wakes up during the night b/c he automatically lifts his arms up for you to pick him up. But let's just be honest, can I really resist my precious boy putting his arms up for me to hold him when he wakes up crying. No way jose! But if he doesn't fall right back to sleep after I hold him for a minute I lay him back down and I'll stroke his face and hair and when he's almost asleep he rolls on his belly into my hand so I can get the right side of his face. Melts my heart.
So one of the key things to calming Tommy down and getting him to fall asleep is to softly stroke the side of his face, specifically the right side of his face. And also rubbing his little head, in the direction his hair is parted. I don't know what it is but he absolutely melts when I do this and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. When I'm rocking him to calm him down before a nap or bed, if he's tired enough he'll lay his head on my chest and I'll stroke his face and I do it really close to his eye, I don't usually touch his eye (sometimes I do to see if I can feel him blinking to know if his eyes are closed and he's starting to drift off) but it encourages him to close his eyes and relax. And he has such soft sweet baby skin. Aww it may seem like nothing to read this but my sweet baby will not always let me do this and to be honest it would be a little weird if I was doing this when he's 15. So I cherish his little sweetness. He is such a boy, he loves to wrestle and play rough, watch cars, play ball, throw things, get into things and explore. But he still cuddles his mama when he's tired. I have stroked that face and brushed that baby's hair with my hand so many times I don't even realize I'm doing it sometimes and that's when I thought - I never want to forget these sweet moments. I mean who doesn't love a sleeping baby?! And let alone when they fall asleep in your arms.
We've been trying to comfort Tommy by patting him and not picking him up when he wakes up during the night b/c he automatically lifts his arms up for you to pick him up. But let's just be honest, can I really resist my precious boy putting his arms up for me to hold him when he wakes up crying. No way jose! But if he doesn't fall right back to sleep after I hold him for a minute I lay him back down and I'll stroke his face and hair and when he's almost asleep he rolls on his belly into my hand so I can get the right side of his face. Melts my heart.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, October 3, 2011
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:
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.
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