tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80087569083258641512024-03-14T05:15:12.148-05:00Ode To Umbrella MomentsA Mother's Wonderous Wet Refrain!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-72566919429595240332021-05-12T15:29:00.000-05:002021-05-12T15:29:30.852-05:00hello from 2021<p> haha this is Lancelot I snuck on this account that my mom had 11 years ago</p><p><br /></p>TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-28894706090652224072010-12-21T15:43:00.007-06:002010-12-23T21:20:56.509-06:00Don't you ever grow up Part OneWorking with the "update" theme I thought it was time to also fill you in on where Lancelot and Little Lady are these days. I'll update on Lancelot first.<br /><br />-Lancelot is now 18 months old and continues to be our friendly monster! He was up to 32 pounds but dropped around 6 pounds while he was hospitalized. He is recovering it quickly though and is already back to 30! It sounds like a lot but he actually isn't really chubby at all, he's just tall and <span style="font-weight: bold;">sturdy</span>! He wears size 2T or 3T in clothing and size 3T-4T in hats, socks, and mittens. I think he's about 32 inches tall right now. He is in size 9 shoes! Prince Charming likes to joke that Lancelot's size comes from him but in all reality we have no idea how we landed such a giant! Prince Charming is on the smaller side for a guy and I am tall for a girl but nothing crazy. Most of our extended family is on the smaller side as well. The only exceptions are a few random people on my mom's side and then several on my dad's side so I guess that's where he gets it!<br /><br />-Everything on him must be muscle because we are continuously surprised by this kids strength. At a year he could already crush a pop can with his hands! This has been a real challenge in the parenting department because of course Lancelot doesn't understand his own strength at all yet and most people do not expect a toddler to be able to out maneuver them...but he can. When he was in the hospital it took FIVE adults...using most of our strength...to hold him down whenever they needed to take blood or do procedures. He is the incredible hulk!<br /><br />-He now has a large vocabulary and tries several new words almost every day. For the most part he still only uses one or two words together at a time but every once in awhile he'll pull out a complete sentence. The other day he was becoming frustrated after jabbering to me for almost a minute about something where the only words I could make out properly was "daddy" and "ball". Finally with a look of exasperation he said, "Where did Daddy put it!?".<br /><br />-He is a momma's boy and loves to cuddle with me which is something I am cherishing knowing that he is my last baby. He doesn't like to cuddle much with anybody else...although his sister and a few choice friends do get hugs...but he is almost always up for a cuddle with mommy. It is one of the few times in a day where I see his quieter, more gentle side. Most of the day he is the Energizer Bunny just getting into one type of trouble after another...but now and then he'll come to me with his arms outstretched and say "Up Mommy" and I'll get a few sweet seconds of snuggles.<br /><br />-Besides mommy his two favorite people in the world are his sister and his Pappa. When he was in the hospital I think one of the hardest things for him was not seeing Little Lady. He talked about her constantly and the one time she was actually able to visit he lit up like a Christmas tree and screamed with happiness!<br /><br />-He still loves anything to do with a ball. Hockey, golf, football, soccer. It doesn't really matter as long as some type of ball is involved. The first thing he will go for in a play room is the balls. He is thrilled to see them on tv or video games and basically anywhere one might pop up. He has some kind of radar for them. I won't even notice there is a ball around but you can guarantee that if there is one within the boundaries he is allowed to roam...he will find it.<br /><br />-His second favorite thing is cars and trucks. He loves to shout "TUCK!" every time he sees a truck when we are driving and is able to turn almost anything into a vehicle complete with sound effects. Yes he is ALL boy. I marvel at this sometimes. When Little Lady was a toddler she was the most girliest little girl you could ever meet (<span style="font-style: italic;">still is</span>) and people would often tell me it was because she spent all her time with me and I am so girly. Well if that reasoning were true then Lancelot should be an extremely feminine little fellow since he not only spends all his time with me but now there is a second girly girl added to the equation! But no, he is all snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.<br /><br />-Which brings me to his third love. Puppies. Little Lady always liked pets but really she could take them or leave them. Her attitude was, "Sure they're cute to look at but there are much more fascinating things to find". Lancelot on the other hand thinks puppies really ARE perhaps a boys best friend.<br /><br />-Lancelot also loves drums and any music with a beat. He usually watches in complete awe whenever somebody is drumming. He especially likes a visual component to music...like watching music videos.<br /><br />-A few other favourites: Sesame Street (<span style="font-style: italic;">specifically the Old Spice parody commercial on YouTube or anything to do with Grover or Elmo</span>), "DuhDuh" or in other words Dora, Handy Many/working with tools/helping daddy work with tools, Hide and Seek, everything sweet, popcorn, chicken, pasta, cheese, apples, dancing, and balloons.<br /><br />-I used to say that Little Lady was high maintenance...and she is, emotionally. But I had no idea how easy I had things physically!! Lancelot is much more even keeled emotionally but in other ways he is every bit as high maintenance as his sister....maybe even more! He gets into everything. And that's not exaggerating. I mean it. Literally. Everything. You can not take your eyes off this kid for one moment. You turn your back and he's climbed inside the stove, you walk into the other room for a moment and you come back to find him in another room...eating toilet bowl cleaner! He has climbed the ladder to our tree house, mastered child proof locks in order to eat dish detergent, climbed shelving, jumped across an entire room to hang by his arms off the bathroom vanity in order to play with the soap, ...the list goes on...and on. He is so tall, strong, and determined that he just keeps going til he figures something out, opens a door, unscrews a jar. Little Lady might have tried but most of the time she would just burst into tears the moment it didn't work immediately. Lancelot on the other hand will just do it over and over until he figures it out. Prime example: He likes to climb on the dining room table to play with my centerpiece. Sometimes I will pull him off ten times in a row and block his strategy, but that won't change a thing...he'll just find a new way to get back up. He won't fuss or cry that I've taken him down, just immediately look for a new strategy. Or just yesterday, he wanted some bubbles which I said we could play with later. I put them at the back of our counter where he couldn't reach. So he went and got his stool. Still couldn't quite reach. So he went and got one of his books, climbed on the stool, lined the book up with the bubble container, "curled" the book across the counter top so that it knocked over the bubble container enough that he could reach it, then happily claimed his prize! The determination is phenomenal, it is only matched by the challenge this creates for parenting!<br /><br />-He is still on the bottle for night and nap time. I know I should have him weaned. He does drink from normal cups or no-spill cups already the rest of the time. But the bottle is one of his comfort objects and with the many times he has been sick or in the hospital I just haven't had the heart to remove that comfort yet.<br /><br />-He has been showing an interest in potty training for the last couple of months and has gone on the potty quite a few times already and definitely gets the concept. I don't know if I want to pursue it yet but I do let him go whenever he wants. Since he is already in size 6 diapers (<span style="font-style: italic;">Little Lady never wore anything bigger than 4!</span>) I should probably start pushing the potty idea but I'm just not sure I want that hassle yet. <br /><br />-Tonight as I write this post he is sleeping in front of our Christmas tree (<span style="font-style: italic;">it is our tradition to have a sleepover on our Christmas Eve</span>), hopefully dreaming sweet sugar plum type dreams. He is so excited to open presents and was thrilled tonight when he got new superman pajamas and slippers to go to bed in! Of course he wanted to open all of his presents at once. Hopefully the kids won't wake us at 4 in the morning ready for Christmas to start!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-38883047965233397622010-12-21T15:23:00.009-06:002010-12-21T17:23:29.585-06:00It's a (Wonderful?) LifeIt has been literally months since I have stepped inside this blogging box and attempted to describe to you the life we are leading. In fact, by this time I am probably talking to myself. But that's alright because I feel I should start putting my thoughts down on "paper" again, even if I am the only one who will read them. It's a way to organize the part inside my mind that sometimes feels overwhelmed trying to process all the thought patterns that scramble through on any given day....or minute. For the record, I did not intend to stop blogging but after our camping catastrophe this summer the stuff that fills our lives became so all consuming that every time I thought about blogging I couldn't even begin to see where I would start. Of course it didn't help that blogger erased my old lay out and I have found it impossible to find a new one for free that fits my desired design. Who wants to write on ugly paper? Silly I know but I'm shallow like that. If it weren't so difficult I'd pen my pent up emotions on beautiful frayed parchment with a fountain pen. But alas, this is the convenient, time efficient way to express emotions (doesn't that sound like a bit of an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">oxy</span> moron?). It seems to me that after an absence of this extent I should supply some sort of update about our lives...however, a complete update would be almost as overwhelming to read as it was to live and would be way to lengthy to type. So instead I will take the easy way out and give you our last few months in sentences. And maybe I'll slip in a picture or two.<br /><br />-Little Lady celebrated her fourth birthday <a href="http://www.fancynancyworld.com/">Fancy Nancy</a> style. Fancy Nancy is a book series for little girls that we discovered almost two years ago and Little Lady has been collecting everything Fancy Nancy ever since. In Fancy Nancy's world everything is elaborate, dramatic, and expressed with big words. We had makeovers, made tiara's, accessorized, had a fashion show, read a few Fancy Nancy stories, and finished it off with a fancy tea.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TRE2qZU__wI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/Ok8n2UtY24o/s1600/Copy%2B%25282%2529%2Bof%2Ballisfourthbirthday%2B049.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TRE2qZU__wI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/Ok8n2UtY24o/s320/Copy%2B%25282%2529%2Bof%2Ballisfourthbirthday%2B049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553279917505904386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TRE2qvchCAI/AAAAAAAAAZY/LCvR6Ehj-9M/s1600/fancynancycake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TRE2qvchCAI/AAAAAAAAAZY/LCvR6Ehj-9M/s320/fancynancycake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553279923443009538" border="0" /></a>-We said "So Long" (<span style="font-style: italic;">What a strange phrase</span>) to dear friends of ours as they moved to another province. This has been especially hard on Little Lady who misses their daughter terribly.<br /><br />-Lancelot had his third surgery. It went well although the recovery has been a long long road.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbFgDMTZI/AAAAAAAAAYw/7YGYfK-xNI4/s1600/elijahssurgery.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbFgDMTZI/AAAAAAAAAYw/7YGYfK-xNI4/s320/elijahssurgery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553249596841151890" border="0" /></a>-Our computer crashed and my laptop crashed, twice. I lost all of our photo albums...including all of Lancelot's birth to six month album which I create on the computer. The cost, time, and memories lost was a major blow.<br /><br />-I celebrated another birthday and feel extremely old. I know, I know, 26 is not old...blah,blah, blah. It's hard to explain. Have you ever watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116695/">Jerry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Maguire</span></a>? At one point the female lead is having a conversation with her sister and her sister reminds her she needs to be responsible while going out for an evening. The female lead says, "Do you know how other girls my age are spending their time? They are finishing their degrees, they are dating, they are dressing up and going out all the time, (<span style="font-style: italic;">etc.</span>). I am constantly thinking about how to pay the bills, what to do for my four year old, (<span style="font-style: italic;">etc.</span>). (<span style="font-style: italic;">and here's the part that I really identify with</span>..)<span style="font-weight: bold;"> I a</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">m the oldes</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">t 26 year old in the entire world!"</span> When I was 18 and engaged I didn't think I was too young. When I was 21 and pregnant I didn't think I was too young. Now I am 26 with two kids, have been married almost 7 years, and have put my life, education, and career on hold 3 times in order to make my families life work. I have what everybody supposedly aims for....husband, 2 kids, owning two cars and home with a nice fenced yard...all I need is the dog (<span style="font-style: italic;">which will NOT happen</span>) and I'd essentially have "The American Dream". Yet something in my head keeps screaming, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">I am too young for this!</span>"<br /><br />-Prince Charming graduated with his Masters in Business.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbF1y4YiI/AAAAAAAAAZA/wkk6UnhqS2U/s1600/grad.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbF1y4YiI/AAAAAAAAAZA/wkk6UnhqS2U/s320/grad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553249602678317602" border="0" /></a><br />- I went through three new doctors to finally find one I trusted enough to help me try and fix my increasingly debilitating health issues. I went through weekly/biweekly appointments and a new prescription that multiplied all my issues by about a thousand and made everything a million times worse.<br /><br />-Prince Charming and I went on a <span style="font-style: italic;">much needed</span> week long vacation. It was our first trip alone together since our honeymoon and the first time we had left both kids for more than a night. We got extremely lucky in that his company needed to send somebody to Hawaii for a one day job exactly the week we were hoping to get away and they sent him! This meant that our costs for our vacation were cut in half which was a huge relief and we also got to experience a dream of ours and go to Hawaii which is something that likely wouldn't have happened for years otherwise. The downside of this trip is that during this time I was still on the previously mentioned medication which made most of the trip so much more miserable then we would have liked. The upside is that we got to sleep, soak up sun, and surf and so we still managed to capture a few much needed magical moments.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbGLyZiFI/AAAAAAAAAZI/q_J1U5yUrIo/s1600/hawaii.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbGLyZiFI/AAAAAAAAAZI/q_J1U5yUrIo/s320/hawaii.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553249608581875794" border="0" /></a>- We all got sick on a nice little sickness merry-go-round. Our household has not been fully healthy since Early/Mid-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">November</span>.<br /><br />-Lancelot was hospitalized with a very serious illness called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_disease">Kawasaki's Disease</a>. This was a nightmare. He will be monitored by cardiologists for 3 months. Hopefully all is clear in those months and the monitoring will not have to continue.<br /><br />-During the sickness merry-go-round I have not been able to work much, we had to cancel many events, two weekend trips, and numerous other things got moved around or lost in the shuffle.<br /><br />-We had numerous disappointments in my job with the drop-in.<br /><br />-We've had numerous small financial set backs that added with everything else feel much worse than they actually are.<br /><br />-My brother got engaged to this beautiful girl and I am finally getting a sister!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbF1cpYFI/AAAAAAAAAY4/DJpim7Br-co/s1600/gin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TREbF1cpYFI/AAAAAAAAAY4/DJpim7Br-co/s320/gin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553249602585059410" border="0" /></a>-I finally found a specialist who could diagnose me. Currently I have been labeled with 5 different conditions. No that's not a typo. Five. We are still in the testing phases to determine some of the severity and the correct approach. I have been told I will never be "cured" but they hope I will eventually feel "healthy". I am currently on a very restricted diet and also have to make considerable lifestyle changes. This will not change regardless of test outcomes but some medications will likely be added as well.<br /><br />Well, that's a summary of our lives since I last set foot here. To sum up...we are struggling. On the up side (<span style="font-style: italic;">because I feel that I need to end this post on some sort of up side</span>), I recently enjoyed my annual review of "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's A Wonderful Life</span></a>" and despite the discouragement in our lives I was reminded of one thing...there is always a reason we are here. We may not be sure of it's existence...but <span style="font-weight: bold;">somewhere</span>...somewhere behind the darkness there is hope.<br /><br />P.S. Next time I'll give you an update on the kids because despite their ride on the sickness wheel they have a lot of exciting things to share!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-58428115031242028712010-08-22T11:40:00.003-05:002010-08-22T16:56:25.398-05:00The Camping ChroniclesYou know how you can take a wild animal and train it to become domestic? You know how they always say that it doesn't work the other way around? That they can't release zoo animals back into the wild or <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Orca</span> Whales from Sea World back into the ocean? That the animal will not be able to survive in the wild? Well, in the last two weeks I discovered that this is also true of humans.<br /><br /><br /><br />A family friend was getting married a couple of provinces away and as we had never done a family vacation before my husband and I had the extremely <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">intelligent</span> idea to turn our trip to the wedding into a family get away. The theory of this was really very sound and would likely have worked out wonderfully...IF we had been been more wise in the way that we executed the endeavor. Our "inspired" idea was to turn it into our very first family camping trip. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Naively</span> we thought we were being brilliant. Think of the money we would save without staying in hotels! Think of the magical moments roasting <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">marshmallows</span> in the evenings and and playing games in the trailer on rainy days! Think of how hassle free we would have things without having to haul stuff into a hotel every night! Oh how innocent we were.<br /><br /><br /><br />We started off on the wrong foot to begin with. We were late leaving town and immediately realized we had forgotten some very important items...like an axe. This put us even further behind schedule since we obviously had to go back to pick ours up since chopping firewood with a kitchen knife is pretty near impossible. As it turned out we needn't have bothered. Camping, it seems, has changed since I was a kid. Not a single campsite, except for the one we stayed at in the city where we attended the wedding (take note I said IN THE CITY, all the other campsites were in the country) allowed fires. Not only did they not allow them...they didn't even have fire pits! The closest we came was one campsite that had a small fire STAND! Something like a mini <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">barbecue</span> on top of a pole.<br /><br /><br /><br />As for the saving money without staying in hotels thing? Again, naive. We quickly discovered that the cost of driving my dad's pick up truck (our SUV is not large enough to tow the very heavy trailer we borrowed. It's not a big trailer but it's old so it's heavy) plus pulling a trailer is about <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">tripple</span> what we had originally expected. We had to fill up gas a minimum of every two hours and each fill cost around 80 bucks. And if we didn't find a gas station every 100 km or so (which happened three times)....we ran out of gas. Costing us even more money as we had to either call a tow truck or walk to find fuel. In a matter of days we realized we were totally blowing our budget.<br /><br /><br /><br />Then there was the hassle thing. We travel a lot and so honestly we are pretty excellent packers. The hassle of hauling stuff into a hotel every night and then out again the next day ended up being WAY less than setting up and taking down a campsite daily. Add to that the fact that when camping you are still <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">washing</span> your own dishes, cooking your own food, cleaning up your own area....and we quickly deduced that this was NOT vacation. This was simply taking your life on the road, cramming it into closer <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">quarters</span>, and doing it while sleeping closer to your neighbour than if they actually lived in your own backyard.<br /><br /><br /><br />By the time we reached our first official stop we were SO ready for a break. We spent two days in a mall, at a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">water park</span>, and on amusement park rides. That part was all a welcome relief and the kids LOVED every minute. However, while there my cell phone, containing my entire brain as well as access to all my information, was stolen. So we ended up spending our first full evening and a good part of the second day working on trying to resolve that issue.<br /><br /><br /><br />When we finally reached the wedding city we had decided we were now MORE stressed than before we left home and were DONE with this camping idea. We were tired of being dirty. Tired of tiny camp showers and trying to cook our meals on a teeny tiny stove. We were tired of driving and tired of campsites. We were done with constant <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">disappointment</span> and ready for REAL relaxation. I.E. A hotel. So we decided that after the wedding we would simply head straight home rather than extending our stay for the initially planned second week. We decided that even staying in a fairly nice hotel and paying for our food would still end up SAVING us money compared to what we were spending on camping.<br /><br /><br /><br />We spent a wonderful few days attending the wedding and seeing friends and family in the wedding city. That part of our trip was 100% worth it. Honestly I wish that had been our whole trip. Next time we will probably just fly there and stay with family or at a hotel. It was SO incredible to see all our friends and family. Made me very homesick for them and for that city!<br /><br />The day after the wedding we began our trip home and it was a good thing! Just a few hours into the trip Lancelot got a wicked high fever and was very sick. We stopped at a hospital where they said he had a throat infection and put him on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">antibiotics</span>. The next day Little Lady had it. By the time we got home we were all sick and everyone but PC was on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">antibiotics</span>! Not much of a vacation!<br /><br />However, determined to still salvage our vacation we packed up and headed for a hotel in the city. Thankfully we had an amazing time there! We swam a LOT, shopped a little, ate out or ordered in and played with the kids. The perfect vacation! And we are totally <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span> with being domestic animals!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-30232127828588830332010-07-31T11:39:00.002-05:002010-07-31T12:19:11.243-05:00ReunionLast night my grad class had a little mini-reunion. It's been 8 years since grad and even though some of us live in the same town...and our grad class was only 25<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ish</span> people...I honestly hadn't seen some of these people since our graduation day! It's strange how even the people we are closest to in high school can become people we never see. For instance one of my best friends in high school I hadn't seen since I was pregnant with Little Lady four years ago! Even my maid of honour and I hadn't connected more than a handful of times in the past 6 years. <br /><br />While it was slightly awkward to be the ONLY girl who has kids and therefore the ONLY one who doesn't have a gorgeous, toned, identical-to-the-one-she-had-8-years-ago body...it was actually amazing to reconnect. Initially I was worried it would be awkward and I was super nervous about heading out for the evening....but I quickly realized that while we have all made our way down different paths, we are still the same people at the core.<br /><br />Which brings me to my point! This morning I am feeling so lucky. Lucky to have my kids and my husband. Lucky to have good new friends. And Lucky to have amazing old friends. I always knew that I was pretty lucky to go to school with the people I did but I realized it even more last night. For one, they have all become amazing, successful adults but what struck me even more is that even after all this time and distance and differences they genuinely still care about and look out for each other. This probably won't make sense to many of you without all the context...but I just had to write about it because I was so blown away by it.<br /><br />To elaborate a little more..I had two very different high school experiences, one in a private Christian school and one in a public school where there were very few Christians (this is where I graduated). In the Christian school I always felt extremely judged, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">ostracized</span>, and out of place. It was not a good experience for me at all. In the public school I had tons of friends who fully accepted me...regardless of the fact that I had some different beliefs...and who ALWAYS ALWAYS looked out for me and protected me and were there for me. It always made me think. What is so attractive about Christianity if a Christian feels SAFER with non-Christians?<br /><br />People often ask us where we will send our kids to school. Our answer is always a resounding "Public School" because for BOTH of us our experiences were better in a public setting. Some people don't understand why we wouldn't send our kids to the Christian school for the "Christian environment" and to be honest? It's because to us the public school has the more Christ like environment even if it isn't "Christian". <br /><br />"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Gandhi<br /><br />Over the past few days I have been thinking a lot about that quote. And yesterday just brought it into even sharper focus. As I am the director of a "Youth for Christ" drop in for teenagers I have to consider "How do I make the last part of Gandhi's statement different for these teenagers?" When they graduate will they say "I felt safer and more accepted with my non-Christian friends than with the Christians"? I find it so sad that that has been...and often still continues to be... my experience. How will we change this for the future?TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-80584770784860163472010-07-27T21:37:00.003-05:002010-07-27T21:40:23.146-05:00Now I lay meLittle Lady's prayer tonight after accidentally seeing one of her birthday presents...<br /><br />"Dear Jesus, please, please, PLEEEAASSE tell me when it's my birthday and our camping trip so I can get those books. (Long Pause). There's not really anything else to say. "<br />.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-78992953265390417592010-07-25T11:06:00.003-05:002010-07-25T11:38:39.674-05:00Making the momentLately I've been thinking about how we often have a lot of dreams, ideas, and good intentions but how they don't always manage to materialize. For example, you might visualize your relationship with someone to be a certain way but without putting in the effort to achieve that it's not just magically going to happen. I might imagine that Prince Charming and I, ten years down the line, are going to travel together and laugh and be the couple that never runs out of conversation. But in order to actually get that image in my mind to be a reality I have to put in the work now. If I visualize myself as being really close with a friend that won't be reality unless I am putting in the time and the effort to be there, make the phone call, etc. There have been times with friends where I have assumed that we are very close but over time I begin to realize that we are drifting or have drifted apart and usually it's because we have both been busy and without even realizing it have been neglecting each other. Sometimes it's because I've been making the phone calls, sending the messages or gifts, planning the get <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">togethers</span>, but it's been a one way street and I've eventually got tired of being the main person to put in the effort. In any case, I've realized that our perceptions of our relationships don't mean much if they are not based on real actions.<br /><br />One of the areas where I realized that I haven't been putting in the effort to get the results I want is in my relationship with Little Lady. One of my fears about having a daughter was that we would have a strained relationship where she would feel as if she couldn't quite measure up. Sometimes since her brother was born I've been afraid that I am fostering exactly that kind of relationship since so often the focus has been on him and his sickness, achievements, etc. I know what it's like being the big sister who can't quite compete with the cute little miracle brother and I don't want her to feel the same. Although I realize it's not reality, I want a Gilmore Girls e<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sq</span> relationship with my Little Lady...or at least as close as reality will let me come. So lately I've decided to do something about it. Here and there I've been finding ways to connect with her as a friend and not just a mom. Looking online for dresses (she's a shopper), watching wedding movies (she's all about brides lately), etc.<br /><br />Last night we had our first spontaneous sleepover and it was SO worth it! We hauled out the double bed mattress from the spare bedroom and set it up on her floor with lots of special blankets and pillows. We rented a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">girly</span> movie and ate a ton of junk food. We painted our nails shades of pink with tons of sparkle. We giggled and chatted and every minute was so special. Even as she fell asleep she kept randomly giving me kisses and saying "I love you" or "You're so special". I will treasure these moments forever and hope that they are working to make the relationship I want a reality.<br /><br />Oh and I almost forgot! About a week ago Little Lady made up a song all on her own...with a tune and lines that actually made sense! Her song : "Jesus is the yarn that holds it all together. Jesus holds me all together. Jesus holds me all together." A budding little song writer!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-54491172721557456192010-07-22T08:42:00.003-05:002010-07-22T11:04:00.250-05:00Lancelot's SurgeryYesterday was Lancelot's ear surgery. I hate hospitals and I was so worried about the surgery but we all managed fairly well! If you remember <a href="http://themomdrums.blogspot.com/2009/06/god-is-our-salvation.html">this</a> you'll know how much hospitals break my heart and how one of my biggest fears for the surgery was having to not let Lancelot eat again. Our experiences with him having to be <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">NPO</span> at birth were so traumatic that I just couldn't imagine going through that again. Thankfully though this time was much different. Lancelot actually did really well with not eating. In the morning he was a little upset at breakfast but we distracted him by taking turns playing toys in the kids bedrooms while we got ready to go. He slept all the way to the hospital and then we managed to keep him distracted enough with balls we had brought along until his surgery that the only time he got a bit irritated again was when he accidentally saw the bottle we had brought along for after. <br /><br />Even I held up okay! There were a few moments when I almost lost it and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>, a few moments when the tears did fall, but I held it together and managed to not completely break down. So <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">yay</span> me! When we first got to the hospital I was REALLY panicky that I wouldn't be able to do it. The hospital smelled like hospital...a total trigger for my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">PTSD</span>....and we had to walk through a lot of the areas where we were when Lancelot was born. Then when we checked in there was this mom there who was probably no more than 3-5 years older than me who had three little kids with her...and the youngest, a 3-4 year old girl...was clearly there for cancer treatment. And looking at that mom all by herself with three kids in a hospital obviously trying to navigate a nightmare yet still looking totally calm and put together....that was just about to much for me. I wanted to turn and run and deny all reality. It made me wonder if there will ever be a time when our kids are healthy and we can stop focusing on that and seeing that around us all the time and have a normal life with different problems besides health. Will that day ever come?<br /><br />The other two things that almost made me lose it were this ten year old boy who was having surgery at the same time as Lancelot but for something else and was trying SO hard to be brave that he just broke my heart, and watching Lancelot go into surgery.<br /><br />Going IN to surgery was actually no big deal for Lancelot. They had all these different types of cars for the kids to play with in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">pre</span>-op waiting room and he was so excited by them that he was totally distracted. The nurse that came to take him to surgery let him drive this one little car while she pushed it and he was having so much fun he wouldn't even let us kiss him! He drove through the O.R. doors and didn't even look back!<br /><br />However coming out of surgery was a little traumatic. They had promised us that the moment he started to wake up they'd come get us but apparently he came out of the O.R. awake already and they still took 20 minutes to come get us!!!! So needless to say he was a bit traumatized. That was honestly probably the worst thing for him. For the rest of the day if one of us left his sight he would start crying as if we weren't coming back. Even in the car on the way home when Prince Charming got out to fill up gas he totally broke down. That is EXTREMELY unusual for him because he's a pretty <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">independent</span> kid and while he might <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occasionally</span> cry if I leave he pretty much NEVER cries when Prince Charming does...especially if we're just in the car filling up. So we could tell that the experience had made him a bit insecure.<br /><br />But overall he did well. By the time we were in the main recovery room he was laughing and trying to run around already! And last night when we came home he even ate some supper and was back to his usual goofy self trying to make us laugh by putting food on his head! Plus he was so excited to see his sister again that the two of them got totally hyper and chased each other all over the house. I had to put an end to it since I didn't really think Lancelot was up to being so <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">boisterous</span>...even though he thought he was....but it was good to see my kids so happy together!<br /><br />Despite the good result I still struggled with the day and with knowing we will have to be back there in a couple months for his other surgery. I am actually debating cancelling it...so we'll see. Please continue to pray for us in this regard and thank you to everyone who prayed for us yesterday!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-25849346199455995172010-06-26T20:44:00.001-05:002010-06-26T20:46:17.725-05:00Work in ProgressWell I found a template that kind of works but it's still not what I want. So bare with me as I try to figure this out.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-59944451745708320582010-06-22T21:07:00.001-05:002010-06-22T21:08:44.528-05:00Help!Blogger changed and I lost my beautiful blog layout...and I don't know how to make a new one! Somebody please help me! I hate this one!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-412645836948416792010-06-04T19:08:00.007-05:002010-06-06T08:33:38.222-05:00Lancelot's Ball Themed Birthday BashI haven't uploaded photos onto here for awhile so I can't quite remember how to do it properly. So forgive me for these being a little out of order and the captions are strange, etc. Below are some balloons, His birthday hat that had his name and a big polka dotted number one sewed on (it came with a matching T-shirt from Etsy and it was SOOO cute), and the goody bags for the kids who attended. Each kid got a nerf ball!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWuODtdpI/AAAAAAAAAWk/dXHneHosm6c/s1600/baloonsandgiftbags.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWuODtdpI/AAAAAAAAAWk/dXHneHosm6c/s320/baloonsandgiftbags.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479076142464726674" border="0" /></a>One of the bouquets of balloons. Each bouquet had a foil balloon in a different color with a bunch of multi-colored 1st birthday balloons. The decorations on the wall were made by Little Lady and I. We cut them out of construction paper.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWt8JjEgI/AAAAAAAAAWc/Raj56GUosK4/s1600/baloonbouquet.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWt8JjEgI/AAAAAAAAAWc/Raj56GUosK4/s320/baloonbouquet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479076137657373186" border="0" /></a>The main ball cake and Lancelot's personal ball cake. Both were made from a vanilla almond pound cake and were filled with blueberries, whip cream, and vanilla pudding. I dirty iced them with a butter cream icing and then did the rest with marshmallow fondant.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWtfvrp_I/AAAAAAAAAWU/fQgfOxgLAuE/s1600/ballcakeandpersonalcake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWtfvrp_I/AAAAAAAAAWU/fQgfOxgLAuE/s320/ballcakeandpersonalcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479076130032691186" border="0" /></a>The three cakes. The other cake was an extra cake since I didn't think the ball would be enough for all the guests. The extra cake was called Butter Rich Cinnamon Coffee Cake and was iced the same way as the other two.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWtEmUaVI/AAAAAAAAAWM/pOlV9yYTWX4/s1600/bakkcakefirstbday.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWtEmUaVI/AAAAAAAAAWM/pOlV9yYTWX4/s320/bakkcakefirstbday.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479076122745661778" border="0" /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">A shot of the food table. The hanging balls were made by Little Lady and I as well. We took Styrofoam balls and covered them in multi-colored tissue paper then attached ribbon.</span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeZoka7fI/AAAAAAAAAXU/H4eEygyMWRI/s1600/roundfoodtable.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeZoka7fI/AAAAAAAAAXU/H4eEygyMWRI/s320/roundfoodtable.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479084584897015282" border="0" /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Here is another shot of the food table. All the food was round or balled. We had balled melons, round crackers, cheese cut in round slices to match the crackers, round chocolate chip cookies, round oreo cookies, round jello jigglers, tostitos rounds, other round chips, cucumber slices, m & m's, blueberries, round burger patties with round burger buns, round tomato slices, round onion slices, round cheese cut outs to match the burgers, round fries, etc. </span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeZD7b_lI/AAAAAAAAAXM/J8xlWk7-c1k/s1600/roundsfood1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeZD7b_lI/AAAAAAAAAXM/J8xlWk7-c1k/s320/roundsfood1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479084575061442130" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> Some more shots of the main ball cake from both sides. I did one side as a little smiling monster!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeYgagE0I/AAAAAAAAAXE/6oXCSLe4Zrg/s1600/happyball.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeYgagE0I/AAAAAAAAAXE/6oXCSLe4Zrg/s320/happyball.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479084565528056642" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeXkM6CjI/AAAAAAAAAW0/E06nn167lm0/s1600/Elijahsfirstbirthdaycake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmeXkM6CjI/AAAAAAAAAW0/E06nn167lm0/s320/Elijahsfirstbirthdaycake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479084549364910642" border="0" /></a>The next picture is Lancelot climbing out of his ball pit into his bouncy castle. The inflatable ball pit/bouncy castle was a gift from my parents for his birthday and has been a HUGE hit around here! Both kids spend at least an hour in it every day and all the kids at the birthday party thought it was amazing! By the way...remember that baby who had everyone freaked out because he wouldn't grow? Well this picture of him on his FIRST birthday...know what size of clothes he's wearing in it? 2T!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWuqTH5nI/AAAAAAAAAWs/SxnKm-vw9Nk/s1600/DSC00003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/TAmWuqTH5nI/AAAAAAAAAWs/SxnKm-vw9Nk/s320/DSC00003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479076150045566578" border="0" /></a>TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-55293013553583074062010-05-27T22:08:00.002-05:002010-05-27T22:35:46.438-05:00ONE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/S_80f_flAZI/AAAAAAAAAWE/kDFjHVoDeTc/s1600/onetoday.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WTrLfa8NIiY/S_80f_flAZI/AAAAAAAAAWE/kDFjHVoDeTc/s320/onetoday.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476153396130283922" border="0" /></a>Lancelot is ONE! This picture was taken this morning when he first woke up. For the last few days when you ask him how old he is this is what he does. Then he laughs and claps. :o) So happy to be where we are today rather than where we were a year ago!!! Feeling extremely grateful.<br /><br />Lancelot had a fabulous day and enjoyed all the ball decorations I have already set up for his party Saturday. Every time somebody walked into the room today he made sure to point them out with an excited "Baw! Baw!" and he could hardly go down for his nap because he was so excited about the "baws". It was the first thing he said when he opened his eyes from his nap, "Baw?" to make sure they were still there.<br /><br />He also chose today to take his first couple steps!! He only did it once, I think because he wasn't paying attention so he just took off, and then his sister pulled him down. Little Lady was about at the same spot on her first birthday and by the following weekend was walking pretty well so we'll see how he does in the next few days.<br /><br />We had a great family party with my parents and Lancelot happily destroyed his little cake I made for the occasion (very different from Little Lady who was completely a lady, surprise surprise, and ate her first birthday cake with a fork!). I couldn't believe he even ate cake because I had made his favorite supper of chicken fettuccine alfredo and he had eaten like a horse! Actually he didn't so much eat the cake as lick all the icing and then destroy the cake looking for all the blueberries which he was THRILLED to discover look like "baws!" when mommy doesn't cut them up or mash them!<br /><br />After cake he was very excited to open his presnts...well Little Lady was very excited to open his presents FOR him and he was very excited to play with them. We finally have some "boy" toys in the house and he was totally enthralled with his tool set and trucks and went right to work "fixing" them. I thought it was pretty cute that just by watching daddy do it a few times on our car he had already picked up that concept! My parents bought him an inflatable bouncy castle with an inflatable ball pit attached and after a few minutes of warming up to it...which probably took longer due to the EXTREMELY excited three year old who couldn't stop bouncing... he was super hyper and throwing himself head first down the slide or doing belly flops into the ball pit! Definitely an entertaining toy and should be a blast for the party Saturday!<br /><br />Happy Birthday baby boy! I am a very blessed mama to have you in my home and be able to hold you in my arms! I love you so much!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-61962426988773814492010-05-26T10:33:00.003-05:002010-05-26T11:23:28.190-05:00A YearA year ago today I was tired....actually exhausted is more accurate. I was uncomfortable, grouchy, and basically at the very end of my rope as far as the whole pregnancy thing was concerned. All I could think about was how the hormones were a wild hurricane inside me and SOMEBODY GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME ALREADY! I'm not joking when I say we had been trying just about every trick in the book to get the labor train rolling and Prince Charming was far from charmed by my advances at that point. My doctor had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">been</span> assuring me for WEEKS that I was already partially dilated and my water was bulging and on the very verge of breaking...her exact words were "If my finger nail was a LITTLE sharper you'd be in labor already." I was seriously considering filing my fingernails to a point. Little Lady's arrival was much the same and so I suppose I should have expected it....and really I had little to complain about considering I didn't even reach my due date either time. But after nine months of every conceivable pregnancy symptom from nausea to immobilizing pain, after bed rest and medications and stress and worry and test after test....well you're just ready for it to be over.<br /><br />I think the worst thing is actually how babies mess with your head. For MONTHS in both pregnancy's I would have contractions. Even really regular ones that lasted for hours at a time so I was never really sure if THIS time was THE time or not. The only way for me to know for sure was when my water broke both times....and even then my daughter took ANOTHER TWENTY-TWO excruciating hours to arrive. Stubborn from the very beginning.<br /><br />Lancelot on the other hand...when he decided he was finally going to make his entrance he did it with a bang. Just as he approaches most of life. "I'll decide when I'm ready but trust me you're not going to miss MY entrance!"<br /><br />Anyway, my point in this post is that a year ago today I couldn't fathom being here. And in that first week of his life I often wondered if we would ever get here. To Lancelot's first birthday. Tomorrow my baby turns one. I can't tell you how monumental that feels to me. There have been so many times I thought I wouldn't get to see this day in my little boys life. But he is here and he is a bundle of energy with a bright smile and bubbly personality and I WILL get to celebrate this milestone with him. Just reflecting on everything in the last year, and the fact that, despite still being exhausted and definitely worn from the journey, we are HERE....makes me feel so blessed. I remember overhearing another mom in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NICU</span> have a conversation with a nurse about how she didn't think she'd be able to get over her sons start in life in time to go back to work at a year. The nurse said that in a year she'd be so busy with an active, healthy boy that this would just be a memory, a small bump on the road. I wouldn't quite go that far yet...probably because for us things haven't totally settled down yet, but in a lot of ways she was right.<br /><br />Happy almost Birthday Lancelot! Can't wait to celebrate with you!<br /><br />Check back in a couple of days for party pictures!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-86893793016414800582010-05-20T15:46:00.003-05:002010-05-20T16:20:24.079-05:00To Circumscise or Not to Circumscise...apparently that is the questionI did not mean for this to become a debate on medical issues but apparently it has and so I wanted to clarify a few things.<br /><br />First of all, Thank you Tara for your kind comment and insight. Yes those comments from people who have no idea what they are talking about DO bother me. I think it is incredibly rude for you, the random reader who knows nothing about me except a few words on a page, to make assumptions and judgmental statements. I am most frustrated by the comments of those who try to dispense medical advice when they are a)not medical professionals as far as I can tell b) have no idea about my families medical history c) are female and therefore don't even have personal experience! and d) are, as far as I can tell, not mothers so they don't even have any clue what it is like to be a parent or have had a similar experience with their child. If you fall under any of those categories and still want to leave your two cents...don't bother. From now on I'll be deleting all those types of comments. And if that bothers you then find another blog to read. This ones not for you.<br /><br />If however you are a friend, even a friend I haven't met, and just want to KINDLY share our support you are more than welcome to. You are also welcome to leave comments about personal experiences. I'm not against hearing other peoples stories, and maybe even learning from them, but I AM against other people assuming that their stories automatically apply to me or my family. Just because something was the right decision for you or a family member does not necessarily mean it is right for us or my son. Please do not imply that it is.<br /><br />Now that that's off my chest, here are a few things to clarify.<br />1. If nothing appears on Lancelots test they will consider doing a circumcision to stop the SYMPTOMS of a UTI. If nothing shows up on the tests then they are fairly sure that it is not UTI's he's been having but rather localized infections due to the nature of his anatomy. Because of the nature of his anatomy they have never been able to get a truly sterile urine sample from him which means that the infection may not be coming from inside but rather outside. So in answer to all those comments about circumcision not stopping a UTI...yes I am aware of that. Obviously. Please do not assume I am an idiot and that you know more than an entire team of medical professionals.<br />2. I am aware of the risks of surgery both for ear tubes and circumcision. See above statement. Surgeries carry risks. I know it well...I've had many surgeries myself and Lancelot has had one at only a week old. I know the risks. That's why I asked for prayer. But surgery is also helpful. Lancelot wouldn't be alive without the surgery he had at a week. Also, In our circle of family and friends I know of MANY cases where these surgeries were a HUGE benefit for the person who had them. In fact NOT having the surgery would have been seriously detrimental. To share one of many stories I could tell you...and without naming names or specifics to protect this persons privacy...we know of someone who was always a potential candidate for circumcision and never had it because of all the "risks" etc. At 14 he ended up in EMERGENCY SURGERY because his foreskin was literally strangling his penis! Yes, I'm not kidding here. He would actually pass out from an erection because blood supply was so severely cut off. Do you know how embarrassing that is for a teenager? Do you know how painful that is? Are you aware of the extreme ways a condition like that could effect a guy for life? Think about that the next time you decide to get all preachy on someone about a medical issue. Yeah, you may have a point in some circumstances, maybe even most, but you are NOT GOD and unless you are a medical professional familiar with that persons specific case...you really have NO idea. Stop pretending that you do.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-6226074769872992682010-05-18T22:29:00.002-05:002010-05-18T22:39:35.107-05:00If anyone's still out there...I have been a terrible blogger. And actually I have a lot to say...I just haven't found the time or words to say it. And truthfully I still don't have them.<br /><br />But here is two quick thoughts for now and I'll try to post more later.<br /><br />1. Lancelot is ALMOST walking and he is STRONG! This morning Little Lady was being silly and sitting in the laundry basket. Lancelot crawled over, stood up, then prroceeded to push the laundry basket, with her in it, all over the house. She is almost 4...he is 11 months!!! Then later she was sitting eating a snack at the table and Lancelot comes along and PUSHES THE HEAVY OAK CHAIR and his older sister nonchalantly across the kitchen. While his poor sister screamed "PUT ME BACK!"<br /><br />2. Lancelot has an ultrasound and a VCUG on June 3rd to determine the cause of his UTI's. We are PRAYING he will only need a circumcision and nothing else. Prayer has saved this little guy several times in his life already. Please pray with us. He will also have surgery in July for ear tubes. I am nervous about another surgery. Please pray. Please pray for HEALTH in our home so that we can catch our breath, and our sleep, and think about other things in life for awhile. Please.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-38082491673670235352010-04-22T17:24:00.003-05:002010-04-22T17:27:35.154-05:00CopeIt's worse than we thought. The emergency room doctors were wrong. Lancelot DOES have a UTI and he will need to go on antibiotichs again. Plus have a kidney ultrasound and possibly more extensive testing. I am so tired. I don't really know how to cope with yet ANOTHER medical issue.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-56845136058000080752010-04-19T11:38:00.003-05:002010-04-19T12:20:50.069-05:00These are a few of my favorite things....This weekend we had yet another trip to emergency and I watched my son get a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">catheter</span> and blood work. It was miserable...maybe beyond that. However, in the end the problem they thought was potentially very serious ends up being as minor as a probable <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">circumcision</span>. Not fun...but not all that freaky either. Things have been ....frustrating lately...but I have also been reminded recently of a million little wonderful moments and the song by Maria ...."When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sooooo</span> bad!"<br /><br />So here are a few of my favorite things:<br /><br />1. Big wet slobbery kisses from Lancelot<br />2. Holding Little Lady's light little frame...the way it feels like carrying a bird and the way I feel like her shelter when she slips her arms around me and squeezes. Her hugs remind me of the little girl in "The Santa Claus 3"....they warm me to the core.<br />3. Lancelot <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">chortle</span> little man laugh over ridiculously random things and Little Lady's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">girly</span> giggle over things that delight her.<br />4. The way Little Lady still has a little baby accent on certain words. Like "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">gayell</span>" for "girl" or "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bootyfull</span>" for "beautiful". Or her frequent use of words that are way to big for her like "absolutely", "apparently", and "supposedly". I also love her current favorite word when things are gross or a problem..."Nasty!"<br />5. Little Lady's daily obsession with obtaining a little sister. She even decided to turn my parents dog into one until she could get her own and insisted my mom buy the male dog a pink leash, collar, and bone.<br />6. Lancelot's Ray Charles and Hulk impressions. They were both things he did one day to be silly but now when we tell him to do them he does it on command! It's awesome! He scrunches up his nose and eyes and gets a big cheesy smile then shakes his head back and forth and clap for Ray Charles. For the Hulk he clenches his fists, clenches his teeth, and makes his whole body shake!<br />7. Lancelot waving bye bye enthusiastically whenever he hears the word.<br />8. The way Lancelot flirts with woman everywhere<br />9. The way Little Lady loves to shop and when I took her to the lady's room at a restaurant the other day she insisted on checking her hair and make-up and then proceeded to pretend to apply mascara, lipstick and blush and spent a good five <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">minutes</span> "primping".<br />10. Holding hands with my husband when we drive in the car, listening to music, and chatting.<br />11. Falling asleep next to my husband<br />12. Beautiful blue sky as far as the eye can see and warm sun shining down.<br />13. The way Little Lady mothers her brother, reading him stories, bringing him toys, playing with him, protecting him from things he shouldn't have<br />14. The way Lancelot loves his big sister and calls "NANA" or "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ANNIENANA</span>" (his version of her name) whenever she's not around.<br />15. The way Lancelot loves balls and uses them like a security blanket instead of a bear or blanket.<br />16. Snuggling Lancelot while he nurses and naps<br />17. Watching Little Lady drive her tricycle...repeatedly into the ditch while giggling <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">incessantly</span>.<br />18. The fact that Lancelot knows the theme song to Gilmore Girls because of my obsessive watching of it while he was in the womb and now will even wake from sleep or stop whatever he is doing if he hears it, grin like mad, and dance. Little Lady was the same with the Friends theme song when she was small. It just proves that kids really do hear things while you're pregnant.<br />19. The smell of my baby's breath and my husbands skin<br />20. Being with my kids and my husband and knowing that we might not have it all together...but together we have it all.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-56565436949294820642010-04-12T15:38:00.002-05:002010-04-12T16:06:07.597-05:00Take that Nicholas Sparks!Remember that oh-so-romantic scene in A Walk To Remember after Jamie has told Landon about her list of things to do before she dies and he, being this handsome high school boy that is not at all unrealistically chivalrous and sweet, is checking off her list? Remember when they go on that drive at night and he takes her to straddle the state line and therefore "be in two places at once"?<br /><br />I wanted to BE Jamie Sullivan...well except for the dying part. I sighed and swooned as I watched her be swept off her feet by, in my teenage opinion, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">OMG</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">SOOOO</span> sexy Landon. I actually had a lot of similarities to her before the movie so once I saw it I thought...well hey that's me....that could happen to ME! My dad was a pastor, I had a things-to-do-before-I-die list, I loved acting, I loved the stars, I wanted a butterfly tattoo, I had a quote book, etc. So I expected that my boyfriend should likewise sweep me off my feet and turn my whole world into a fairytale. I mean...it happened in the movie...that should totally happen in real life.<br /><br />As it turns out, as much as I wanted to be the romantic, it is hard not to eventually become a realist. High school boys do not, on average, learn to dance, take you to expensive dinners, and find unique and romantic ways to help you achieve all of your life goals.<br /><br />But it is now, as an adult, that I realize that those goals that seemed so romantic and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">un</span>-achievable were really silly and small. This struck me last night as I returned from a run and simultaneously unloaded groceries, folded laundry, stretched, ran a kids bath, and cleaned up my living room...all while holding a baby. At the same time my husband was doing dishes, fixing a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pre</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">schooler</span> bed time snack, laying out clothes for the next day, and wiping counters...all the while talking on the phone with a business partner telling them to buy this and sell that and a lot of big business terms I could only explain with the help of a dictionary.<br /><br />And I thought to myself....Two places at once? Ha. Try ten. Jamie had no idea how juvenile that wish was. I bet most mothers can testify that on average they are in at least 3 places at once. And then I realized something....it may not look like a scene from a sappy romance...but with the help of my husband I am accomplishing my list. The two of us together can be in twenty places at once and our dance might be one of holding hands over the gear shift on the way to the grocery store...but it speaks just as loudly...perhaps even more so...of the love we have then a dance on a balcony at sunset.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-31140464010377340332010-03-30T14:47:00.003-05:002010-03-30T15:17:05.771-05:00Reverse Birth ControlRecently a child free friend who joined me and the kids at the grocery store during one of Little Lady's more...demanding... days commented that these kids are birth control all on their own. And there are days when boy is she bang on. But today has had the reverse effect of my reproductive longings.<br /><br />First of all in the last few days I have finally started to see the effects of some really intentional discipline on Little Lady. After feeling exceptionally frustrated with her lately we decided to change our tactics slightly to IMMEDIATE, calm, and related consequences to misbehavior. For example rather than calling her to the table ten million times we call her once and if she doesn't come we call her again and say if she doesn't come right now the toy she is distracted with will be taken away for a day. Then we follow through. All of it is done calmly and quickly. Zero yelling or delaying. It's been REALLY hard sometimes not to snap at her or to carry through when I'd really rather not or to actually discipline her when I almost feel it would be quicker, and take me from what I'm doing less, if I just continued to call. But something had to change for all our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sanity so</span> we gave it a try. On top of that we've really been focusing on good behavior and on spending quality time with her.<br /><br />Anyway, today she has been an angel, listening the first time I tell her to do something and with a smile on her face. But the real boost to my baby desire came when I asked her to clean her room so I could <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">vacuum</span>. It was a pretty big mess from her very imaginative morning and usually she will pick up a few things and I will end up doing the rest. Since she's only three I usually feel pretty content if she just helps out with some of the stuff or does one of the jobs, like put away all her ponies. So I wasn't expecting much but when I walked in the WHOLE room was clean. It was like a miracle! My little cleaning prodigy!<br /><br />Lancelot also impressed me today by beginning to stand on his own while holding an object and by walking a step or two between furniture. I feel some intense independence coming on. It won't be long until I really won't have a baby anymore.<br /><br />On top of that Lancelot and her played house ALONE (with me peeking to make sure nobody was passed out or anything) in his room for HALF AN HOUR today! Well, she played house and he cooperatively crawled in and out of doors when she told him to and otherwise played with his toys and ate his feet. But nobody bit, kicked, hit, or cried about the other kid! And Lancelot, a complete mamma's boy, didn't even attempt to crawl away to find me or scream for me to scoop him up and get him back into my sight! I was totally in awe. It really was worth it to have siblings!<br /><br />Now if only there was a way to skip the sleepless nights, sickness, and stress I think I'd practically be begging for another baby!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-52235714484951107532010-03-26T16:44:00.003-05:002010-03-26T17:12:37.768-05:00Hello Again WorldToday it is a month since I last posted. It's been a LONG month filled with weekly doctors appointments for two sick kids and a sick mommy and a LOT of meltdowns from a teething nine month old and a terrific/terrible three year old who thinks shes a teenager. There have been many moments when I want to pull my hair out, throw my hands up, and walk out ...preferably to the spa. But you know what's struck me? Even in these crappy days when my world feels pretty dismal and I feel pretty stuck as a parent.....I still love these kids to PIECES and I can't get enough of them.<br />I can't get enough of Lancelot's laugh or Little Lady's incredible imagination. I can't get enough of the hugs and kisses. I can't get enough of their soft, squishy, sweet scented bodies.<br /><br />And I feel like they're growing up WAY to fast!<br /><br />Lancelot ...no longer little..is wearing 18-24 month clothes! He started crawling this month and he's into EVERYTHING! It's both exciting and exhausting. He especially loves to crawl to the bathroom, pull himself up on the tub, and play.<br />He can ALMOST stand on his own and occassionally he thinks he can walk and takes off only to immediately land in a face plant due to lack of balance.<br />He has decided he DOES NOT like baby food anymore and refuses to eat anything that we are not eating. This makes meal planning pretty interesting at times since I don't want him to have to many spices or sugars yet and since we are keeping him off dairy due to his chronic ear infections.<br />Little Lady is no longer little anymore either. She has for the first time grown above her age in clothing and is now wearing size 4. She is really into reading lately. She tries to figure out letters and words and spends a lot of her time looking at books. She loves to play outside and do everything by herself...including climbing the ladder on her play structure which totally freaks me out.<br />The other morning I was nursing Lancelot and she wanted breakfast. I had already poured her cereal but not her milk because I didn't want it getting soggy but since I was in the other room nursing I told her she could eat her cereal dry until I came. Well a moment later I heard the fridge door...."oh man. here comes trouble." I thought. However when I went to check a few minutes later she had nicely poured milk (from our 4 litre jug) into her bowl, eaten all her cereal, then proceeded to pour milk in my cereal bowl and eat all my cereal....all without spilling a drop! Then she had wiped the table after for good measure!<br />Despite being incredibly mature sometimes she has also been a HUGE handful lately. Her breakdowns make me TERRIFIED of her tean years.<br /><br />As they grow it makes me sad that these are possibly my last days with "babies". After two extremely difficult pregnancy's and complicated deliveries and then with all the sickness we had to deal with after Lancelot we made the decision not to have any more children biologically. At the same time we are still considering adoption (we were in the process before I surprisingly got pregnant with Little Lady) but we know that getting a "baby" might be difficult. I am excited and nervous about that prospect. Right now I don't know what the future holds for our family but I am enjoying the dream of days ahead.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-59639962028907160102010-02-26T10:42:00.003-06:002010-02-26T11:03:39.866-06:00Down in discouragvilleMy kids have alternately or together been sick for three months....THREE MONTHS! I HATE Winter! I hate cold and flu season! I hate that I hate what used to be my favourite season because "oh the snow is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">soooo</span> romantic and everything looks beautiful" and blah...blah...blah. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">was</span> so naive then.<br /> More than any of that I hate the way I feel that my kids are being punished for me trying to be and do something positive. I know it probably sounds ridiculous...but around Christmas I made two decisions....1)to get more involved in our community and to let my name stand to be part time director of our local youth drop in center, and 2) to be more positive about life because I am such a pessimist. Well, it seems like <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">every time</span> I make a move towards being more positive, like saying "The kids seem to be on the upswing" rather than saying "The kids are STILL sick."...they get sicker. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Or wh</span>en I try to do something for the drop in ministry like have a meeting or get together with the teens....the kids get sick. And I feel like they are being punished in order to keep me out of commission. That probably sounds like a crazy paranoid pessimist talking...and maybe it is...but it's how I feel. And it makes me want to scream and cry and rage and be anything but perky and positive.<br />For example....three times now I have tried to have some local teens over on their lunch break. We live right by the high school and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know them and get their ideas on the drop in. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Every time</span>, the NIGHT BEFORE, my kids get sicker and we are up all night.<br />This time I really thought it would happen. I mean we've been sick for THREE MONTHS, we've been at the doctor EVERY WEEK, SURELY this time we'd be healthy. And until the last minute we were. Until Lancelot woke me in the night <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">retching</span> for the first time in his life and his sisters rash which she has had for over a week and has been <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">prescribed</span> lotions for decided to have a wicked flare up and send her into a tailspin monumental breakdown. And so we cancelled....again. And right now I just want to give up.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-141076787812148852010-02-24T22:27:00.003-06:002010-02-24T22:34:56.269-06:00Gesundheit"AH-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CHOO</span>!" Lancelot sends splatters of cereal off into space.<br />Little Lady looks up from her breakfast with surprise....<br />"Mommy he bless you'd all over me!"<br /><br /><br /><br />Little Lady looks out the window.<br />"There's a bus!"<br />At the word bus Lancelot explodes with laughter<br />"Bus" His sister says again.<br />Lancelot <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">begins</span> giggling so hard he can hardly sit still<br />"Bus" Big sister repeats<br />His sides are splitting, his eyes are tearing, he can't catch his breath.<br />This continues for ten minutes.<br />Apparently Little Lady is an up and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">coming</span> comedian. It was lost on me but the laughter was contagious!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-32247045247013524222010-02-23T20:47:00.006-06:002010-02-23T21:40:08.128-06:00"layme down prayers" and the magical world of Little Lady and LancelotI have often wondered at the wisdom my children acquire. Where do their sweet little brains go to soak up this information? Since I am a stay at home mom and my children rarely go anywhere at all without me I would LIKE to think it is all because of my superb parenting. But I doubt it. I am not a mom who uses <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Montessori</span> methods in her home (at least not on purpose), I RARELY sit down and teach my kids ANYTHING. We hang out, we play, they watch me clean or come along on errands...but I don't purposefully teach anything. Of course Little Lady asks questions from time to time and I answer and sure, I try to throw in learning with the day. But it's totally casual and generally ignored like,<br />"Mommy I want an orange please."<br />"Sure. Did you know orange starts with the letter O?"<br />"Yup" She yells over her shoulder as she runs away.<br />That is the extent of my teaching. And yet somehow they still learn.<br /><br />For example, this morning Little Lady is drawing at the table while I make her brothers breakfast.<br />"Mommy is this an E?" She asks<br />I walk over to her paper and sure enough she's got a bunch of E's. She has never written an E before. This is similar to the first letter she learned at about 2 and a half....one day she just wrote an H and knew what it was. She can now write several letters without any prompting at all and I didn't send her to some expensive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-school or even a plain nursery "school" for her to learn it. I don't even home school.<br /><br />She can also spell. One day while reading her Strawberry Shortcake book she asked how to spell "angel" then "cake". She can now spell both as well as the word moon and her name. Then my husband decided to put batteries in our old Word <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Whammer</span> which has been laying around since Little Lady's second Christmas and has never been used. The first two words it asked her to spell were Web and Rim....she spelled them both.<br /><br />And it's not just academic learning. We go to church and we pray with the kids and we have spiritual conversations between Prince Charming and I but we rarely even read bible stories to the kids. However somehow Little Lady has developed this angelic heart for the hurting and for God without a lot of prompting. After a conversation recently about how some kids don't have a mommy or daddy she has prayed daily for the "babies and kids that need us." She asks God to help us find them and today she told Prince Charming, "I'm asking God to lay the babies that need us on your heart." Apparently this kid must pick up on EVERYTHING!<br />She has also really been into singing to God lately. This I believe I can attribute to Sunday School though. She will make up ten minute long songs about "Pleasing the Lord, God wants you to please the Lord. Be a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Trischan</span>. Say <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Layme</span> Down prayers. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">da</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">da</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">da</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">da</span>. Please the Lord." Tonight she took an appliance manual and sang this song "from the book" in front of the mirror for 15 minutes....naked. :o) So cute. But we don't even sing from books in our church....again...no idea.<br /><br />Lancelot also seems to learn without any direct teaching. One day he just started to wave. We hadn't really worked on it...he just did it. And yesterday he started playing catch! We didn't show him. He just did it. He's 8 months old and he will "catch" the ball and throw it back! And trust me we are NOT a sporty family. This was definitely not taught!<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Seriously</span> these kids amaze me. They are beautiful and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">snuggly</span> and smiley and smart and I have no clue how they got that way but I sure feel blessed that they are!<br /><br />Now if only when I actually TRIED to teach them something they would do it! Like getting Little Lady to clean up her room!TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-87599889568359602022010-02-16T22:24:00.003-06:002010-02-16T22:50:37.144-06:00Genetic Lottery.....or notLong legs, major muscles, hair that turns heads, these are the things you WANT to get given to you through your genetic code. My kids, however, got the short end of the stick. <br /><br />We went to the doctor again today...if we were American our doctor would be filthy rich, rolling in money by now. It seems we are there at least once a month. The whole office knows us by name...they even get out the special Dora stickers for Little Lady because they already know that's what she'll want. Lancelot is so used to going there he flirts shamelessly with both the receptionist AND the doctor. I say he should go for the doctor, I wouldn't mind that for a daughter in law. Of course....Lancelot flirts with EVERYONE female. I cannot take him to a restaurant or even the hospital without all the nurses gushing over him and then of course saying he can't be sick because LOOK HOW ADORABLE AND SMILEY HE IS! Right. <br /><br />Anyhow, Little Lady has had a cough for three weeks straight that has not improved one iota and was starting to have me freaked out because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">OMG</span> WHAT IF SHE HAS CANCER/<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">PNEUMONIA</span>/<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">PULMONARY</span> FAILURE SOMETHING OR OTHER TERRIBLE DISEASE....because yes I am that paranoid. So we traipsed off to the doctor AGAIN and sure enough it turns out that that little cold she had triggered asthma which she so luckily inherited from me. Sorry kiddo....you did not get mommy's long fingers or big brown eyes which have more than once been <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">refered</span> to as "Model eyes" or "Bedroom eyes" (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">hmm</span>...maybe I DON'T want my daughter walking around with those eyes!)...you got her asthma. Lucky you. So <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">every time</span> she has a cold or allergies she's at risk for it triggering her asthma. The upside is that a) it seems to, like mine, only be triggered by colds or allergies which means she should at least not be on inhalers very regularly and b) Since I have pretty much had every inhaler/asthma medication in the book I at least understand how to operate all these <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">weird</span> inhaler contraptions. <br /><br />Then just because I am that paranoid I asked the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">pediatrician</span> if she could please check Lancelot's ears as well since he seems to be pulling on them lately and since <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">every time</span> he has a cold he seems to have had an ear infection and he's had a NASTY runny nose for over a week. Our pediatrician is the most amazing woman ever and even though she knows I am overly paranoid because of Lancelot's <a href="http://themomdrums.blogspot.com/2009/06/update.html">start in life </a>she always obliges me and gives the kids a head to tow IS EVERYTHING WORKING RIGHT? ARE YOU SURE? REALLY SURE? I MEAN REALLY BECAUSE I AM SURE I HEARD HIM SNIFFLE ONCE LAST WEEK AND THIS COULD BE THE END OF THE WORLD examination just to calm my crazy nerves. So she turns to me and says, "Well it's a good thing you asked me to check because you were right. He's got an ear infection." Again. He just got off antibiotics for one two weeks ago. It turns out that this is Lancelot's lucky lottery win....his dad's ear canals. Prince Charming has <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">strange</span> shaped ear canals that he apparently passed on and until he had his tonsils out around grade 3 also had constant ear infections since his ears wouldn't drain properly. Of course...Lancelot also looks EXACTLY LIKE HIS DAD.... except with my dad's build and height (solid and tall). So he kinda did win the lottery there. <br /><br />So we are on a new round of all sorts of interesting medications around here again. Hopefully this time things clear up quickly and for GOOD. Or at least for many MANY months and we can give our poor pediatrician a break. Then again, she IS Canadian...so she's probably poor anyway.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8008756908325864151.post-43071504683886755672010-02-12T15:40:00.003-06:002010-02-12T16:10:56.167-06:00That's AmoreA <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Momdrum</span> survey on me and my man in honour of Valentine's Day<br /><br /><br />BASICS<br /><br />Who is your man? Prince Charming<br />How long have you been together? It's been 7 years and 3 months since we met, 7 years and a couple weeks since we started dating, and 6 years this Sunday since our wedding.<br />Dating/Engaged/Married? Married - February 14/2004<br />How old is your man? He is turning 29 at the end of this month!<br /><br />YOU OR YOUR MAN?<br /><br />Who eats more? Generally him...unless we are snacking. I do a lot more snacking.<br />Who said "I love you" first? He did although I wanted to and was just waiting for him to...and when he finally said it he kinda just snuck it in all casual too. I wrote it awhile before that on a foggy windshield though.<br />Who weighs more? He does. But only by about 20 pounds<br />Who sings better? He does<br />Who's Older? He is by almost 4 years<br />Who's smarter?depends in what. He is a lot better in math and those logistical, statistical type things but I beat him by far in anything literary and most things that require emotional/psychological thinking.<br />Who's temper is worse? His. I get mad more often probably but mine is quick and generally doesn't show much.<br />Who does the laundry? Me. Every now and then he throws in a load if I ask.<br />Who does the dishes? Nobody. We have a dishwasher but IF we do wash them by hand he is more likely to do it.<br />Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? This question is tricky to me. Does this mean when you look at it or when you lay in it? When you lay in it I'm on the right side.<br />Who's feet are bigger? His<br />Who's hair is longer? Mine<br />Who's better with the computer? Definitely him<br />Who <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mows</span> the lawn? He does. I would but a)not possible with the kids around and b)I'm allergic to grass.<br />Who pays the bills? He does<br />Who cooks dinner? Me. Unless I'm sick or busy with the baby then <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">occasionally</span> he'll do it if I tell him what to make and EXACTLY how to make it.<br />Who makes more money? He does by a LONG shot.<br />Who drives when you are together? He does.<br />Who pays when you go out to dinner? Well we share bank accounts but he usually does the actual paying.<br />Who's the most stubborn? We're both stubborn in different ways but definitely him.<br />Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? Probably me.<br />Who's parents do you see more? Mine<br />Who named your dog? We don't have a dog but if we did I'd probably pick the name. He'd have to agree on it but I'd pick it. That's how it worked with the kids anyway.<br />Who kissed who first? He kissed me<br />Who asked who out? He asked me out<br />Who's more sensitive? Me by FAR. But for a guy he is actually really sensitive.<br />Who's taller? He is by 1/4 inch.<br />Who has more friends? <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">weird</span> question. I have more people I hang out with on my own but most of the people we spend time with are both our friends.<br />Who has more siblings? He has one more than me.TheButterfly2http://www.blogger.com/profile/04649851690479005469noreply@blogger.com0