Starfish was destarred a week ago. Here is an update:
Steps. Ethan has crawled a lot, and will 'cruise' around the house holding on to things such as the wall, couch, etc. He will hold my hand and walk with his little duck feet turned out, but hasn't begun to walk on his own yet. This is still a major success for Ethan since I didn't think he would be even cruising around yet.
Smell. Ethan doesn't smell like stanky cast anymore! He still smells when he has a dirty diaper, but it turns out that's normal.
Sleep. Starfish is back to taking naps! Yahhoooooo! He seems to take better naps when Jared is home with him then when I am here. Hmmmmm..... what does husband know that I don't?
Today was an especially funny day with the former starfish. It was my first time going to a store with him without the cast, and I was able to put him in shopping cart (or "buggy" as so many Southerners insist on calling it). I may have moved here in 1989, but I am still not converted to calling a cart a "buggy." So Hobby Lobby was calling my name around 4pm (when Ethan abruptly awakened from his nap after only 45 min and didn't fall back asleep). I obeyed the calling, and we went. Ethan did pretty good in the cart. Except that every car he saw, he thought he needed. The way I've decided to deal with this at the present time is to allow him to play with the toy and then before we leave we give it to the cashier and make a mad dash out of the building while he screams. It's worked well so far. I only have to apologize for the slober on the various toys as I give them back to the cashier, poor soul. So today by the time we were at the register, I had to return about 7 cars we had picked up throughout the shopping experience. If it's really chewed on I do buy it. I know, this is kinda gross and I need to be okay with buying a toy knowing some other little child prob chewed and slobered on it. But I am okay with that.
So when we got to the checkout line, the cashier starting totaling up the purchases. Ethan saw my credit card and started grunting for it (yes, grunting. we are working on words). I gave it to him to play with, and he then reached out for the place where you swipe the credit card and made that motion with the card.... AHHHHHHHHH!!!! He's SEEN ME DO IT! HE KNOWS! the little consumer has watched mommy swipe that card a few times and knows the drill. how embarassing. it's similar to when we pull up through a drive through and he starts licking his lips for some fries, only to find out the bank teller is different than McDonalds. That's what's funny about living your life through the eyes of a child. You get to see the patterns they pick up on, and quickly realize what has become so normal in your life (the swiping of a credit card & the drive through, among others). scary.
So I brought mini me home tonight and prayed for him, that he would learn to use cash and not overspend on credit, among other prayers.
That's the update for now, but as funny stories arise, there will be more.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Pictures from Ethan's first day without cast!
Notice Ethan is brushing his teeth in one of these pictures- Jared is teaching him such good hygiene! Also, here is Ethan taking his first steps... so exciting to re-experience the walking thing!!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Day 1 of freedom
Day 1 of freedom! I won't keep track of the days, but I had to at least start with a new number!
Today was such a fun day to re-experience normal life with Ethan. It's funny how everyday things (i.e. walking) take on new excitement when lived through the life of a former body cast toddler. So Ethan got to see his friend Cory today, and as soon as he saw Cory walking and playing, Ethan had motivation to start crawling. I went to show Cory the cars in the living room, and I started to hear some scurrying across the floor. I looked in the kitchen and saw Ethan crawling across the floor! It was such a heart warming experience for me to see him move around again. He later tried to stand up with shaky legs, and he held onto the couch and stood for a minute. Then he got tired and buried his head in the carpet! I was ecstatic... I had imagined me having to hold him all the time and go get every toy for him.
Next peice of good news, he took a real nap! He woke up a few times crying but fell back asleep pretty quickly. I haven't enjoyed a nap (besides me holding him in a rocking chair) in almost 6 weeks! I didn't know what to do with myself. Wait, I did know what to do with myself. I love sacred nap times.
He had his normal grumpy period after his nap and most of supper. We ate at the Woodard's house while Jared went to give a sermon at Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) on the UGA campus. Ethan was a little pill for the first hour or so, and was really attached to me. But by the end of the night he was smiling, giggling, and... WALKING! Alice would hold his hands and he began taking steps. He started out real shaky but by the end of the time his steps were much more planted and strong. This was such a suprise and joy for me. Ethan didn't crawl until 12 months and waited to walk until 15 months. He has always done things a little bit more slowly than other kids, so this made me think he might be slow to start back the whole movement process. But turns out he was anxious to move!
I remembered tonight what Ethan's name means. Honestly, Jared and I just really liked the name Ethan. It turns out lots of other Americans do too as it is one of the top 5 baby names of 2009. It is a Hebrew name, and the name 'Ethan' appears in the Bible 8 times, and Ethan is the writer of Psalm 89. His name means "steadfast, strong, enduring." We have prayed that Ethan would live up to his name, and it hit me tonight that these past 5.5 weeks are part of his story in becoming a strong, enduring, and steadfast man. Who knows what God has planned for his future, but it has been a neat picture of endurance as Ethan lived in solid piece of plaster that went up to his armpits since January 3rd.
There are really so many neat things that we have reflected on as Jared and I have talked about this experience. We both have learned a lot. A few to mention: In December we had talked about how life had been so busy, and we felt like we were neglecting the few important things that mattered. Well, this experience forced us to slow down and spend time on the really important things in life. We were together as a family a lot, we learned to pray a lot, and we got to reconnect with people in our lives that we had lost touch with. So that is a big answer to prayer. We got to see the church and neighbors really support us by feeding us! that was a HUGE blessing. I still have meals in the freezer to enjoy because of their practical love. We got to spend time with our parents as both sets came and spent the weekend with us. We enjoyed every possible cartoon rental at the movie store. Really. There was a lot of good that came out of this. I don't mean to sound pollyanna about the whole thing... I wouldn't necessarily want to go back through it and I should post a picture of what I looked like a lot nights when I was just desperate for sleep and was in tears. But I really feel grateful tonight, so I'll go with that.
Last thing. I had been really bored and tired of parenting in December. It's a hard month anyway because its busy, but I was especially struggling with how to enjoy my time with Ethan when he grunts a lot and kicks when he's mad. It's funny because this past month and half has been such a good time to bond with Ethan. We got lots of sweet time in the rocking chair, and because I held him a lot we became quite attached. Now that we are back to normal life, I feel like I can watch him crawl, and hopefully walk with new appreciation. I know he will soon be kicking again, and although we need to discipline him not to lash out in tantrums, I hope to remember that at least I have a little boy who can kick. Today was fun to see Ethan play with his toys without needing me to pick up each one for him. It's little stuff like that you can't fully appreciate until it's taken away. The newness of it will surely wear off, but I hope a piece of it stays with me. I think it will. If not, I will just go back and look at the pictures and then feel my massive left arm muscle. Then I will remember.
That's all. I'm thankful for a lot tonight. Some days are bad days and some days are good. Today was good.
Today was such a fun day to re-experience normal life with Ethan. It's funny how everyday things (i.e. walking) take on new excitement when lived through the life of a former body cast toddler. So Ethan got to see his friend Cory today, and as soon as he saw Cory walking and playing, Ethan had motivation to start crawling. I went to show Cory the cars in the living room, and I started to hear some scurrying across the floor. I looked in the kitchen and saw Ethan crawling across the floor! It was such a heart warming experience for me to see him move around again. He later tried to stand up with shaky legs, and he held onto the couch and stood for a minute. Then he got tired and buried his head in the carpet! I was ecstatic... I had imagined me having to hold him all the time and go get every toy for him.
Next peice of good news, he took a real nap! He woke up a few times crying but fell back asleep pretty quickly. I haven't enjoyed a nap (besides me holding him in a rocking chair) in almost 6 weeks! I didn't know what to do with myself. Wait, I did know what to do with myself. I love sacred nap times.
He had his normal grumpy period after his nap and most of supper. We ate at the Woodard's house while Jared went to give a sermon at Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) on the UGA campus. Ethan was a little pill for the first hour or so, and was really attached to me. But by the end of the night he was smiling, giggling, and... WALKING! Alice would hold his hands and he began taking steps. He started out real shaky but by the end of the time his steps were much more planted and strong. This was such a suprise and joy for me. Ethan didn't crawl until 12 months and waited to walk until 15 months. He has always done things a little bit more slowly than other kids, so this made me think he might be slow to start back the whole movement process. But turns out he was anxious to move!
I remembered tonight what Ethan's name means. Honestly, Jared and I just really liked the name Ethan. It turns out lots of other Americans do too as it is one of the top 5 baby names of 2009. It is a Hebrew name, and the name 'Ethan' appears in the Bible 8 times, and Ethan is the writer of Psalm 89. His name means "steadfast, strong, enduring." We have prayed that Ethan would live up to his name, and it hit me tonight that these past 5.5 weeks are part of his story in becoming a strong, enduring, and steadfast man. Who knows what God has planned for his future, but it has been a neat picture of endurance as Ethan lived in solid piece of plaster that went up to his armpits since January 3rd.
There are really so many neat things that we have reflected on as Jared and I have talked about this experience. We both have learned a lot. A few to mention: In December we had talked about how life had been so busy, and we felt like we were neglecting the few important things that mattered. Well, this experience forced us to slow down and spend time on the really important things in life. We were together as a family a lot, we learned to pray a lot, and we got to reconnect with people in our lives that we had lost touch with. So that is a big answer to prayer. We got to see the church and neighbors really support us by feeding us! that was a HUGE blessing. I still have meals in the freezer to enjoy because of their practical love. We got to spend time with our parents as both sets came and spent the weekend with us. We enjoyed every possible cartoon rental at the movie store. Really. There was a lot of good that came out of this. I don't mean to sound pollyanna about the whole thing... I wouldn't necessarily want to go back through it and I should post a picture of what I looked like a lot nights when I was just desperate for sleep and was in tears. But I really feel grateful tonight, so I'll go with that.
Last thing. I had been really bored and tired of parenting in December. It's a hard month anyway because its busy, but I was especially struggling with how to enjoy my time with Ethan when he grunts a lot and kicks when he's mad. It's funny because this past month and half has been such a good time to bond with Ethan. We got lots of sweet time in the rocking chair, and because I held him a lot we became quite attached. Now that we are back to normal life, I feel like I can watch him crawl, and hopefully walk with new appreciation. I know he will soon be kicking again, and although we need to discipline him not to lash out in tantrums, I hope to remember that at least I have a little boy who can kick. Today was fun to see Ethan play with his toys without needing me to pick up each one for him. It's little stuff like that you can't fully appreciate until it's taken away. The newness of it will surely wear off, but I hope a piece of it stays with me. I think it will. If not, I will just go back and look at the pictures and then feel my massive left arm muscle. Then I will remember.
That's all. I'm thankful for a lot tonight. Some days are bad days and some days are good. Today was good.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Cars, cars, & balloons!
So Jared's brother & sister in law (josh & nola) got Ethan a CARS remote control racetrack!!!! Here is Ethan playing with as best he can (he still pretty stiff and weak). Next to him are the balloons my mom and dad sent with Thomas the train on it! Any kind of transportation vehicle is a big win with Ethan. I'm excited to see him enjoy his toys again
Former starfish eating!
Had to include these pictures of Ethan eating some of the taco salad we had for dinner... he eventually used his fork and it was a great meal! in a regular chair!
CAST OFF!
TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!
Today is one of the best days of my life. really.
It's only 2:30 in the afternoon, but the situation of life calls for an early blog post.
We woke up at 6am, drove to the pediatric orthopedic in Atlanta, got there around 7:15 and waited an hour for our appointment (I say "our" but that is what it felt like!) Ethan was in a great mood this morning as if he knew what might happen. The doctor saw us a little earlier than our appointment time (which almost never happens to me), starfish got an xray, and then they took us back to a room where the saw was to remove the cast! I thought I wasn't going to stay in and watch the destarring, but for some reason I felt fine with staying and even videotaped it (I know, a little much... but someday he might think that is really cool). He cried a lot, but he also cries a lot when you change his diaper so its hard to know how scary it was for him. The doctor was great and made our day. Once the cast was pryed off of him, we saw the stank urine that has stained the cast and his skin. See pictures above. The doctor quickly through it in the trash before I could get a picture of it, so I had to ask him to take it out of the trash for more snapshots. I think he was grossed out. Take that back, he does this everyday so I'm sure I'm a normal mom. Take that back, maybe 'normal' is too generous.
So we put ONE diaper on ethan, put PANTS on him, & SHOES... and held him. My eyes filled up with tears as I held the much lighter little boy that I love so much. He had been crying, but as soon as I picked him up he was back to snuggling. It was a precious moment and I felt emotions I didn't know I could feel. But then again, that is what I would say about all of motherhood, emotions and feelings you can't put into words or experience until you have your own. So we had a moment, or two. Jared put in his REGULAR carseat and we went to McDonalds (how else to people celebrate in America?- I know, some of you are thinking "gross! that's a punishment!") Ethan wouldn't really move his leg because its really stiff. I imagine it's like when you have your neck bent a funny way and when you wake up, it's hard to move your head around. Except pretend your neck was stuck in that position not for 8 hours at night but 912 hours. That's Ethan's leg. So in one of the pictures above you can see that when we put him down, HE's STILL A STARFISH! once a starfish, always a starfish. We will be slowly helping him move his leg around and getting more comfortable with his body.
So we got home, and then came the GLORIOUS BATH! Jared has always done bathtime with Ethan, and since its been almost 40 days without a bath, this one was going to be the best. Jared put lots of toys in the tub, we stripped him down to his bare bottom, and there he went. He loved it. Jared washed his hair and scrubbed him all over. I even gave him a little haircut. I was so inspired by the cleansing process that I decided to scrub the shower! I really did, but more so because it was disgusting and I didn't have an excuse anymore. Ethan's skin is SOOOOOO dry and flaky, and he has sores where the cast must have rubbed him raw. It's not too bad, and actually better than I thought it would be.
My almost favorite moment: ethan finding his bellybutton. When we took off his shirt before bath time, Ethan looked down and pointed to his bellybutton! It was really sweet... one of the above pictures where his hands are at his stomach is from the bellybutton find. He kept pointing to it, and Jared and I both melted.
I tried to position him on his tummy and show him how to crawl, but he screamed. Too soon. It will come.
We sat him up to play with cars, and then Jared put some pillows behind him in case he fell. Well, Ethan took advantage of the pillows and immediately returned back into starfish position. Old habits die hard.
So I have some other thoughts and pictures to share about the whole experience, but I will wait until tonight to post those. Everyone else is asleep right now, so I think I should join.
Thanks for all the prayers, love & support. It has meant more to us than we can express in words.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Day 37
Day 37
I'm feeling much better today than I was yesterday. We enjoyed going to church this morning, and Jared went on starfish duty and sent me out to Starbucks to enjoy some coffee and time to myself (and thanks to the giftcard that Marnette, my mom's maid of honor in her wedding and dear friend, gave me). That was just what the doctor ordered.
I heard there was some big football game on tonight but me, being a "saint", didn't watch it but watched the fish instead. Jared went to a friend's house to see the saints win, and I put Ethan to bed and cleaned up the house. I really enjoy getting the house back in order when it's messy. I've determined it's also a control thing, so that when I feel like life is a little out of control, I take what I can control and fix that. That is my self psychoanalysis.
So it was really a non-eventful day but I enjoyed the peace and quiet so much. Everyone needs to form a coffee addiction to experience that.
I took starfish to Target after my starbucks spa, and we shopped around while I was trying to talk to Jared's mom, aka Mama B. I should have known better not to try to multi-task, because as soon as Ethan saw me on the phone, he devised a plan to thwart my conversation. He pretended to be unhappy because he was in some body cast and then grunted loudly for me to hold him a different way, then another way, then pointing to see some object on the shelf. I had to get off the phone, but before I knew it I had made a wrong turn and found the toy aisle on my right... ahhhhhhh! quick, before starfish makes eye contact with various plastic toys that will lure him in like a worm to a fish, I turned him so he was facing the books instead. Phew... that was dangerous.
Don't worry, we ended up making out of Target alive and well. I brought starfish home and put him to bed, realizing tonight is the last night (hopefully) he will sleep in his bed with a cast on. We are going to my parents' house in Marietta tomorrow so that we can leave bright and early Tuesday morning to make it to the appointment. I can't wait. I am so excited to put clothes on Ethan, and shoes. To give him a bath. I really can't express how much that will mean to me.
So I will be sure to post lots of pictures of the decasting & destarred fish. I can't wait to pick out an outfit for him to go home in. It's like when you take your newborn home from the hospital and packing your bag is such a big deal. Tuesday will be a big deal.
Thankful for:
God's grace in giving me a good day, hopefulness about Tuesday, a clean(er) house, and Target (minus the toy aisles = toddler tempertantrums)
I'm feeling much better today than I was yesterday. We enjoyed going to church this morning, and Jared went on starfish duty and sent me out to Starbucks to enjoy some coffee and time to myself (and thanks to the giftcard that Marnette, my mom's maid of honor in her wedding and dear friend, gave me). That was just what the doctor ordered.
I heard there was some big football game on tonight but me, being a "saint", didn't watch it but watched the fish instead. Jared went to a friend's house to see the saints win, and I put Ethan to bed and cleaned up the house. I really enjoy getting the house back in order when it's messy. I've determined it's also a control thing, so that when I feel like life is a little out of control, I take what I can control and fix that. That is my self psychoanalysis.
So it was really a non-eventful day but I enjoyed the peace and quiet so much. Everyone needs to form a coffee addiction to experience that.
I took starfish to Target after my starbucks spa, and we shopped around while I was trying to talk to Jared's mom, aka Mama B. I should have known better not to try to multi-task, because as soon as Ethan saw me on the phone, he devised a plan to thwart my conversation. He pretended to be unhappy because he was in some body cast and then grunted loudly for me to hold him a different way, then another way, then pointing to see some object on the shelf. I had to get off the phone, but before I knew it I had made a wrong turn and found the toy aisle on my right... ahhhhhhh! quick, before starfish makes eye contact with various plastic toys that will lure him in like a worm to a fish, I turned him so he was facing the books instead. Phew... that was dangerous.
Don't worry, we ended up making out of Target alive and well. I brought starfish home and put him to bed, realizing tonight is the last night (hopefully) he will sleep in his bed with a cast on. We are going to my parents' house in Marietta tomorrow so that we can leave bright and early Tuesday morning to make it to the appointment. I can't wait. I am so excited to put clothes on Ethan, and shoes. To give him a bath. I really can't express how much that will mean to me.
So I will be sure to post lots of pictures of the decasting & destarred fish. I can't wait to pick out an outfit for him to go home in. It's like when you take your newborn home from the hospital and packing your bag is such a big deal. Tuesday will be a big deal.
Thankful for:
God's grace in giving me a good day, hopefulness about Tuesday, a clean(er) house, and Target (minus the toy aisles = toddler tempertantrums)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Days 35 & 36
Days 35 & 36
It's 9:30 pm, and I'm going to bed after I write this. Really. That is a big deal for me since night time is usually when I come alive. But too tired for that.
I'm really tired. I think I was just emotional today and my fuse was a little shorter with starfish. We actually did well this morning, but later into the afternoon I got pretty sad and tired. We had a family outing this morning (went to a consignment baby sale- baby stuff, not babies for sale; ate at Wendy's; went to Kroger & the gas station) big times. The only protein I can really say Ethan has eaten in the last year is Wendy's chicken nuggets. I feel like I should be embarassed to say that, but I'm not. I will say he has eaten ground beef before at home. So no shame, we frequent the drive through. I use to think horrible thoughts about people who fed their kids lots of chicken nuggets, but now I am one of them.
Starfish became a grump (like clockwork) around 4:00 pm. Today I couldn't resist falling into his mood and am sorry to say I became a grump too. We celebrated Cameron & Thomas Woodard's birthday (they are brothers) and Ethan came along too. We had a good time over there but I was just so pooped from the day that I wasn't much fun. While rocking starfish in his room today I started thinking about when he gets his cast off and how it might be awhile before he walks again. Then I became sad. I started to think about how I will still have to hold him over toys to play with them or position him on the ground, or how he prob won't be able to play with his new train set for still another few weeks. I know, I'm being a Debbie Downer. But today was just one of those days. So most days I am really excited about getting the cast off, but today I just got overwhelmed with how much life will not be "back to normal" even after the cast is off.
On the bright side, I have been really encouraged by people. My friend Kat (mini me) sent me some funny and really sweet cards that pretty much made my day, and other people have sent encouraging notes that have meant a lot. The other thing that made my day was finding out one of my friends was randomly proposed to. That is a story I wish I could share, but don't have the liberty to.
3 Days Left...but then what? not sure, but I do need to remember it will be different, and different is good. starfish will be de-starred. he will weigh much less, and we will have a glorious time giving him a bath. it will great.
I have some great pictures from Ethan playing the bongo drums (or djimba- I don't know how to spell that) at the Woodards tonight and wearing a bread basket on his head that are pretty funny, but I have to get them from Alice's camera, so they will be posted soon.
Thankful for:
the new yogurt with strawberries & granola that Chickfila sells & I buy, a husband with a good attitude about life & trials, a son who is super cute & precious to me, and Alice's brownies that make your teeth feel like they are rotting as you eat them because they are so rich, sweet, and delicious!
Final thoughts:
I was about to post some pictures for today, but jared and I ended up watching a spica cast being removed on YouTube. That was traumatic for me, so please pray for us on Tuesday. The doctor has to use a loud saw up and down the body cast to remove it, and I felt like throwing up while I watched it. So prayers for Ethan as Tuesday approaches. Note to Self: don't look at too much stuff on the internet.
It's 9:30 pm, and I'm going to bed after I write this. Really. That is a big deal for me since night time is usually when I come alive. But too tired for that.
I'm really tired. I think I was just emotional today and my fuse was a little shorter with starfish. We actually did well this morning, but later into the afternoon I got pretty sad and tired. We had a family outing this morning (went to a consignment baby sale- baby stuff, not babies for sale; ate at Wendy's; went to Kroger & the gas station) big times. The only protein I can really say Ethan has eaten in the last year is Wendy's chicken nuggets. I feel like I should be embarassed to say that, but I'm not. I will say he has eaten ground beef before at home. So no shame, we frequent the drive through. I use to think horrible thoughts about people who fed their kids lots of chicken nuggets, but now I am one of them.
Starfish became a grump (like clockwork) around 4:00 pm. Today I couldn't resist falling into his mood and am sorry to say I became a grump too. We celebrated Cameron & Thomas Woodard's birthday (they are brothers) and Ethan came along too. We had a good time over there but I was just so pooped from the day that I wasn't much fun. While rocking starfish in his room today I started thinking about when he gets his cast off and how it might be awhile before he walks again. Then I became sad. I started to think about how I will still have to hold him over toys to play with them or position him on the ground, or how he prob won't be able to play with his new train set for still another few weeks. I know, I'm being a Debbie Downer. But today was just one of those days. So most days I am really excited about getting the cast off, but today I just got overwhelmed with how much life will not be "back to normal" even after the cast is off.
On the bright side, I have been really encouraged by people. My friend Kat (mini me) sent me some funny and really sweet cards that pretty much made my day, and other people have sent encouraging notes that have meant a lot. The other thing that made my day was finding out one of my friends was randomly proposed to. That is a story I wish I could share, but don't have the liberty to.
3 Days Left...but then what? not sure, but I do need to remember it will be different, and different is good. starfish will be de-starred. he will weigh much less, and we will have a glorious time giving him a bath. it will great.
I have some great pictures from Ethan playing the bongo drums (or djimba- I don't know how to spell that) at the Woodards tonight and wearing a bread basket on his head that are pretty funny, but I have to get them from Alice's camera, so they will be posted soon.
Thankful for:
the new yogurt with strawberries & granola that Chickfila sells & I buy, a husband with a good attitude about life & trials, a son who is super cute & precious to me, and Alice's brownies that make your teeth feel like they are rotting as you eat them because they are so rich, sweet, and delicious!
Final thoughts:
I was about to post some pictures for today, but jared and I ended up watching a spica cast being removed on YouTube. That was traumatic for me, so please pray for us on Tuesday. The doctor has to use a loud saw up and down the body cast to remove it, and I felt like throwing up while I watched it. So prayers for Ethan as Tuesday approaches. Note to Self: don't look at too much stuff on the internet.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 34
day 34
I'm feeling like I need to mix things up a bit with the blog. Today in the class I'm teaching (Rhetoric class) we talked about rhetorical devices- i.e. different linguistic methods used to persuade people. So example: alliteration is repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in close succession (Peter Piper Picked a Pickled Pepper). I think I will use alliteration to blog tonight.
Starfish spoke a new sound: tree. I pointed out the tree and perused through the pages to pick out more trees. That was fun.
Okay, too hard to come up with sentences based totally on alliteration. Back to normal.
I was supposed to wake up early and meet my friend Caroline this morning, but I woke up 5 minutes before I was to be there... Needed grace from Caroline and she was very gracious. We rescheduled- but have you ever had those mornings where you wake up making a mistake and feel like that sets the tone for the day? My day wasn't all that bad though. I taught, went to Walmart where I can find items made by small, underpriviledged children for cheap at the cost of their being paid a unfair wage, and then went home. It was a rainy, cold day so I was determined to not take any more fieldtrips and just stay at home with starfish in captivity. From about 2-5 pm, we played in his room, I read him books, and rocked him in my lap while he dosed in and out of sleep. I had this weird ache in my butt (excuse the transparency) but couldn't move because he was asleep (and never wake a sleeping starfish). So i sat there with the odd ache and do what I normally do while i sit in that chair: mentally rearrange and redecorate the room.
Jared came home a little early, we had family time, and then Ethan went to bed. He was giggly tonight which made my night. My college group met (the gals I meet with who are in college from church) and we got to just talk about our lives and pray for each other. that was really good for my heart.
Had another freakout moment when the doctor's office called about ethan's appointment- maybe rescheduling it, etc. We worked it out.
I don't know if I've blogged about this before- but I hate the movie "Groundhog Day." It's appropriate to mention because we just had groundhog day. Who came up with that anyway? So in the movie, Bill Murray wakes up everyday to discover it's the same day as yesterday. The radio plays the same song, the same events unfold, and the same hardships continue. I hated the movie. By the 3rd or 4th repeat of the day, I am done. So I have set out to make my life anything but groundhog day. The starfish cast has required some elements of monotony and that's the hardest part of the whole thing. But on second thought, just having a child in general and being a grownup requires "groundhog" likeness. I am dedicated to changing things up, so Ethan's appointment next week will be a big breakthrough in our monotony.
Final ramble- I just found out you can publish your blog into a book (like a scrapbook). So I've decided to get this printed with pictures for Ethan to have and for me to pull out in case there is any discussion of "you don't love me!" or "you don't even care!" Oh yes we do, cast boy. And when it comes time for him to carry me around or put me in a home, I will remind him to be kind to me in my fragile state by referring to these pictures and posts.
Anyways, I'm not sure if I will keep blogging once this is over. I think I will keep updating for the recovery period (the cast aftermath, the learning to crawl and walk, etc.) but what else would I write about once "mom of starfish" is just "mom of 2 year old human"? Still debating.
Time for bed - time to scheme new things to do tomorrow, rebel against living the same day over. Maybe we will go to the school pep rally? yes, that is what we will do. Blog on that tomorrow.
Thankful for:
God giving me great parents who have a sense of humor and taught me to not be overly dramatic- I am just realizing how my parents did such a great job helping us learn to find things to laugh about in life and how priceless that has become in the face of difficulty.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Days 32 & 33
Days 32 & 33... combined because of tiredness the night before
Here we are, on the home stretch. Do you remember what it was like in school the day or days before Christmas break, or summer? You know you're approaching the end and you start to lose focus. You go a little crazy knowing it's almost over. You wouldn't be like that if that holiday wasn't coming up, but because it is you turn in to this half-capable human that is about to go crazy.
That's me. And Jared.
We know if we needed to do, God would give us grace to continue this whole starfish adventure, but because we know the appointment is next week, we are going a little bananas. Tuesday is the day when he gets x-rays and, if his leg healed well, he can get the cast off. Pray for a healed leg please. The doctor's office called me yesterday to "reschedule" Ethan's appointment. my heart sank, but then the rest of the message said it would be for the same day. When I called back, the lady I spoke with said the appointment would have to be the 11th or in July. Umm, no. My starfish would be a beached and shriveled up amphibian if we waited until July. I told her what the message said, we went through all this rigmoral, and finally settled on an 8:30 appointment on Tuesday morning. Ahhhh.....
So as we finish out these last few days, I am thinking if it went much longer I would need a back brace. and a neck brace. I am definitely weary but I think a lot of it is mental- knowing that were on the final stretch, God willing. Yesterday my mom came up to help with Ethan while I taught, and then starfish and I went exploring Athens. Our days look pretty much the same (minus day trip to Ikea; what a wonderful day that was). We watch Clifford, Toy Story, Cars, or Handy Manny, we find an excuse to go out somewhere and then I realize he weighs more than the ol' 27 year old body can handle, and then we go home. I make a smoothie, and around 4:00 he gets in a fussy mood. I endure until Jared comes home, we both try to work with the mood, and then around 6:30 he suddenly gets real giggly and happy. Go with it.
Today we did take a field trip to the Woodard's house. Ethan saw the toddler slide they had gotten for him and he went ape. So Alice and I helped starfish go down the slide and quickly realized it was a bad idea. By the 7th time, we were pretty tired but Ethan would do the sign (baby sign language) for more. That's what the pictures are of on this post. Anyways, he had a good time and I can't wait for him to be able to do it by himself.
Tonight was a snuggleless bedtime. He was just in a bad mood; I think he is going crazy too. So we put him to bed and remembered that cast or no cast, Ethan is still an almost 2 year old with almost 2 year old type behavior. Game face on, jared and i are ready to deal with it.
In other news, we discovered Ethan likes shredded cheese. He also likes it all over the floor. He does not like sausage. That's probably a good thing.
That's really all. The countdown continues... 5/6 days until the cast is potentially and hopefully removed.
Thankful for:
swedish pancakes we ate for dinner, friendship with the Woodards over the past 9 years, coffee, and for the time I lost my cell phone but a week later my sister in law, Jen, found it in the portable crib. I just randomly thought of that and am thankful for it.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 31
Day 31
Above is a picture of starfish in bed, closing his eyes because I was aiming my camera and flash right at him when it was dark. I had to make this the picture of the day because it's my favorite part of the day. But not just because it's bedtime- it's also the time of day where Ethan laughs and snuggles the most. From about 7pm on starfish is in an incredibly good mood (at least at home- not so much when we are out). He loves to be tickled and has recently starting laughing during his nightime song and prayer. I understand the laughing during the nighttime song (you would to if you heard jared and i sing) but the prayer is a little more confusing to me. Anyways, it makes our prayers a little more cheerful and I think God appreciates our joy and laughter even in prayer. So nighttime has become this super sweet time to remember there is joy even in the midst of difficulty. When we lay Ethan down, he tends to still be laughing, so we joke around a little more. The picture above was taken in that moment. As you can see, he sleeps with a few cars. Usually he holds one car (and by car I mean anything with wheels, i.e. trains, buses, trucks = car), sleeps next to his car pillow (Lightning McQueen) with his car sheets and car comforter. So you get it... he likes cars. I'm thinking we are going with it and his 2nd birthday party will have a car theme.
Today I taught a rhetoric class, went to Barberitos with starfish, visited my dear friend Sonya who I use to teach with at Prince Ave., and then watched Toy Story 2. We had a good night catching up with friends and our old roommate (Jesse, who used to live with us) came over for good times. I broke free around 8pm after putting Ethan to bed to make a Target run. It's just a known female rule that one needs to go to Target about every 2.5 days. So I obeyed this unwritten code and went. It was wonders of Mossimo, Merona, and Circo kids stuff that I was tempted to buy. I resisted, for today at least.
So today I want to honor Lisa Driver (maid of honor in wedding, mother of Alexander Driver who I posted on blog). I talked with her tonight through tears and decided she needs a salute. I salute you, Lisa Driver, for getting up at 3 am to feed your newborn helpless child. For never getting to go back to sleep after 3 am. For not knowing when one day stops and another starts. For not showering for days. Just kidding. I think you said you do still get to shower. I salute you for not going crazy as you carry around this 6 lb precious baby who is now controlling your every second. For being honest enough to admit its difficult so the rest of us don't feel bad. Yes, Lisa Driver. Today's blog is in honor of you. It's amazing the human race continues, but its fine human beings like you that we have to thank for that.
I've decided that just like taps, there needs to be a trumpet song played for moms around the world who have sacrificed their bodies and lives for small creatures known as infants. I can hear the music now. men, women, and children saluting their moms. Right after the pledge of allegience in school will be the mandatory "thank you for giving birth to me" salute. If I was able to play the trumpet and download it, I would share it right now.
Thankful for:
My own mom who carried me around for 9 months, then carried me around for another year or so, then carried me & my stuff around for about 16 more years, and now carries my son around to help me. That's a lot of carrying, and I'm more grateful to you than anyone. Thankful for this weird strength that God gives moms to perserve in the midst of tiredness and for the pockets of joy that surprise me throughout my life.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
why they call me starfish
