Finding Joy
There is a hush over my house. I hear the whirring of our white noise machine and my soft typing on this keyboard. Occasionally I hear my own sniffles, the jangle of a dog collar, and the chirp of a smoke alarm signaling it’s need for new batteries. This is a rare occurrence in our household, me managing to get up before anyone else, sitting in a quiet house. My husband is sleeping in, meaning he didn’t have to get up at 4:30, my sons have stayed in their own bed all night long, the baby has been fed and cuddled back to sleep, and Wonder Woman’s feeding pump hasn’t…
Flash Joins Our Family
AKA, how I had a baby on my bathroom floor. I guess it started with his nickname, we chose it soon after finding out I was pregnant. As an English major, I should have seen that for what it was, foreshadowing. His birth day started with brunch. A delicious sweet potato biscuit topped with pork belly and perfectly cooked eggs benedict. It was wonderful, I’m still thinking about it. As my very pregnant self scarfed down every scrap of food on my plate and chatted with my girlfriends, I ignored the occasional contractions I was having. At this point I had been having them for weeks and was 0 for…
The Exhausting Mundane
We’ve entered a new phase of life. I call it The Exhausting Mundane. It was a gradual slip into this new normal, and it’s been hard for me to wrap my brain around it. I guess that’s why it has taken me so long to update our blog. On paper, things are easier. Superman is now 5 years old, he’s incredibly helpful and independent. Batman is growing up too and there’s been a giant jump in his independence, especially when combined with help from big brother. Wonder Woman is out of what I’d call the acute phase. She’s now 18 months old and for the most part, she’s a very…
One Year Later: A Medical Update
We have now had Wonder Woman in our arms for a full year. I can’t wrap my head around all that has happened, all that we have survived together. As many of you know, and we haven’t been shy to share, it was statistically unlikely that she would live for a whole year. I’d like to take this time to update you medically on where we are at, what her future holds, and answer what I can about her prognosis from this point on. To say that it was unlikely she would reach her first birthday to me rings as both true and untrue. Because her system is so fragile,…
Happy Birthday, Wonder Woman
When I was a little girl, my family visited Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. Though I understood very little about the significance of the location, I have always remembered the trip. Specifically, I remember running with children of different nationalities up and down into grassy spaces that seemed like bowls carved into the ground. I remember my mother telling me that those bowls were craters caused by bombs from WWII. I didn’t understand the significance, my six year old self couldn’t imagine the type of destruction that could leave permanent marks in the earth decades later. I couldn’t comprehend the death, the grief, that each of those craters caused, rippling…
Limitless Love & Unshakeable Hope
This morning God stopped me in my tracks in the most beautiful way. I was sitting down with my cup of coffee doing my Bible study while the boys played on their iPads and Wonder Woman laid on the floor, hooked up to her feeding pump. Superman laid down next to her and snuggled, then decided to change her. He took off her pajamas, picked a clean onesie from her drawer, and (with my help) proceeded to get her dressed. I cried. The love this little boy shows his sister is so beautiful and pure it’s almost shameful to watch, because as a mother I struggle to love so purely…
Happy Birthday to Me
It happened. I turned 30. Do I look older? Do I detect an extra wrinkle? Nope, no new ones, just the ones my 3 kids gave me. The ones on my forehead were earned with brows furrowed from frustration or raised in the disbelief of ‘did my toddler really just do that?’ The corners of my eyes have a few more crinkles than before, created with the laughs so hard I cried and a life filled with joy. My mouth has a couple new ones too, from pursed lips or smiles, the varying emotions of motherhood. I guess this is a big birthday, the end of my 20’s. I’m ready…
Magic & Miracles
I’ve just realized that I haven’t blogged in almost 2 months. My apologies, life has been full. Mostly full of great things, making me wonder at how quickly time flies. June was the month of vacations for us. Ocean City with family, Salt Lake City by myself for the Jamberry International Conference, and then our dream vacation to Disney World. It was a whirlwind, and God was so gracious to answer my prayers regarding the trips. It was a blessing introducing Wonder Woman to more of my extended family. It is our goal that she would meet all of our extended family, and we are getting there. This little girl…
Crazy Trains & Time Wasters Part 2
February of last year I wrote a blog to remind my friends that despite how ‘together’ I may appear, appearances can be deceiving, and comparing yourself to another mom is a waste of time. Thanks to social media, I fear the myth that I’m a supermom has begun again. I appreciate the sentiment, but figure I should go ahead and set the record straight. We’re all in this motherhood thing together and we each have our own lists of successes and failures, no good can be found in guilt tripping ourselves that someone else does it better. So please don’t put me on a pedestal. If you do, I’ll just…
Sunshine & Rainbows
Life is sunshine and rainbows. Stick with me here. No, our life isn’t easy living all the time. In fact, it’s often hard, most days are exhausting, and some days are even brutal. Some days we just survive. 5 months with a beautiful baby whose only vocalizations have been crying or fussing is extremely trying. Parenting an independent and stubborn toddler is trying. Teaching and molding a boundary learning [pushing] preschooler is trying. It’s the season of life we are in. There are days that end with John and I flopped on the couch, mindlessly doing anything on our phones to try and decompress from the day. There are also…
