Mother’s Day

We had a very busy week last week.

Avi fell off a couch while we were playing at the hospital for Ryan’s therapy on the 29th of April. After a couple days of it still hurting her, we made an appointment last Wednesday. Three x-rays later (first one was blurry and one of the left side to compare) we discover that she has a cracked collar bone. No wonder she would whimper when it had pressure placed in the right spot. She did NOT like getting her picture taken by the x-ray machine. Two lolli pops, a nursing session and 3 stickers later, she was exhausted. We got home and slept through the whole night.

Then Friday, she went to the day care at the hospital while Ryan did his therapy and I went to get her half an hour early so we could go get her tested. Ryan has Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency which may have been the reason for his carotid artery dissections (that caused his stroke). (And if you want to get really depressed, following links from that and Google searches to all the things that can occur…)  So we had to draw blood from a 2 year old. Anyone that has had to go through this (or worse) with your child, I feel for you. The pain and fear and just overwhelming everything is heartbreaking. She yelled “scawy!” when she saw the needle. She screamed during the prep and really did not like the rubber band around her arm. The worst part for me? When they had the needle in and she just kept going “OW! OW! OW!” and looking at like I had betrayed her.

She did so good though. Got a sucker after that (thank goodness for Dum Dums!) and as we walked out, kept showing everyone her arm and the sucker. She is a trooper for sure!  They’ll be testing her for all types of the alpha-1 deficiency, so we can have a better idea of what to look for. I am trying not to think about it….

She still has a bruise on her arm, but is fine if you don’t mention it. The cracked collar bone seems to be healing well too, only have had a couple pain moments.

Saturday was busy busy! Got a call on Friday to see if I could attend a hiring seminar for Apple on Saturday, so got up early to go do that. I should hear sometime this week…would be nice to have something steady already lined up when I get “let go” from my current job. I’ve also been busy with The Photog’s Helper, meeting some AMAZING women photographers that are so talented and helping them grow their businesses. It’s been such a wonderful outlet for me. Hoping too to be able to announce my biggest news soon.

We went over to my MIL’s house for a birthday party for Ryan. A long trip but delicious BBQ chicken was had by all!  Avi had a blast too and it was nice to spend time with family, even if Ryan was exhausted at the end of the day. He was so tired that he thought about staying home instead of going to my parent’s for a Mother’s Day feast.

The next morning we all woke up lazily, stretching and snuggling in bed, listening to the rain outside. Ryan stayed in bed, playing his Pokemon game for several hours while Avi watched Aladdin and I got some work done. It was so nice to be able to work without a distraction and even took some time to play mindless Facebook games without feeling guilty.

Ryan called me into the room at one point to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. He had forgotten until then, but remembered on his own. It was so wonderful.  We walked over to my brother’s apartment to all troop to my parent’s house. Delicious hamburgers, deviled eggs and two glasses of Oak Knoll Niagra wine equals a lovely afternoon. We hung out under the heater watching the rain fall while the burgers cooked.

So now, the week has started again. Who knows what this week has in store for us….

Sneak Peek!

Someone finally peeked a smile after playing outside for a little bit. But he had to be outside, did NOT want to be inside at all.

Someone ELSE did not want his picture taken at all. Regardless of where it was located. So I got a few cute ones on the couch and then he and Baby Soup played the piano together. It was fine as long as I wasn’t in his face apparently.

But these little fingers….

They grabbed onto my heart and didn’t let go.

Even when momma had to change clothes because he decided to anoint her.

The cheeks and lips that taste so yummy.

And then forget dogs….

Lambs are a boy’s best friend.

Enjoy these sneak peeks, Trin! The rest will be on their way to you soon, I promise!

iHeart Faces – Cheese Ball

My daughter, the clown.

She immediately puts sunglasses on and makes this goofy face.

Oh, and we’ve hit the teenage years already.

Her first full sentence was said on the phone to me today.  The words?

“Yeah right, Mom.”

Lord help me.

Check out more faces at iHeart Faces:

Joy Joy Joy

Growing up, I was never really the mommy type.  I never played mommy with my dolls.  Oh sure, I enjoyed dressing them up and fixing their hair, but I was never the mother.  When my best friend Becky, who lived next door, would come over and want to play house, I much preferred to be the dog.  She would, of course, be the baby.  I don’t know what we were thinking with a house that included a dog and a baby and that was it, but kids and their imaginations are wonderful things.

My favorite toys were always the animals.  My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, Care Bears….all filled my closet.  My bed was covered in stuffed animals of all sorts.  I had Barbies, but mostly to add to the collection my mom gave me of hers.  And I much preferred, again, to dress them and fix their hair than play house.

I babysat occasionally, mostly family members.  The occasional friend of a friend of a friend, but only if they were “real people”.  Preschool was the youngest I felt comfortable watching.  Elementary School kids were my favorite though.  Helping them with their homework.  Playing games.  Letting them stay up later then they were suppose to.

Even once I got married, I was iffy about having children.  Newborns scared me to death.  The eyes!  The floppy limbs!  The lack of sleep!  OMG, the lack of sleep.  I have always needed more sleep than usual, and the thought of not getting sleep made me seriously worry about what I would become.

I remember the weekend that mindset changed.  We were in Colorado with a bunch of our friends.  A couple there brought their son.  He was only a few weeks old and I was smitten.  The running joke was that there was something in the water and I was chugging it bad.  I would snuggle and love on that tiny little man for hours, giving his mother and father much needed time off.

At the airport, before our flight home, Mr. Soup and I sat down.  And we talked.  Seriously talked.  Our path to becoming parents would begin.  That path would be short, and the pregnancy would seem like it would last forever.  I was horribly sick the entire time, even on medication.  I worked up until 41 weeks, when I went home because I was having contractions.  My coworkers were happy to see me leave, especially since it meant I was no longer vomiting in my trash can around them.

Later that week, less than 12 hours before I was scheduled for an induction, I went into labor.  Five and a half hours of intense labor and I was a mother.  I felt like my heart would burst.

This was what people were talking about.  This is what little kids strive for when playing house and mommy.  In that second, I knew I would do anything for this little person in my arms.

The joy she brought to my life was indescribable.  Time passes, and I only fall more in love.  Her personality grows daily and she’s grown into a “Strong Willed Child”, as Dr. Dobson put it.  Even in the midst of the toddler terrors, there is joy.

The silence when she is screaming so high pitched no sound escapes her mouth.

The head tilt she has MASTERED when she tries to manipulate the remote or phone or some other electronic from your hand.

The look in her eyes as she watches to see if you’ll come after her as she reaches for something.

Being able to recognize the good things in the midst of a breakdown has brought something else to my heart.

Motherhood doesn’t scare me anymore.  I know that this was how it was suppose to be.  I just needed to wait for this little princess in my life.

I now understand why children play with baby dolls.  The desire to snuggle children.  The twinge in the ovaries when seeing squishy baby toes.  This joy in my life has changed so much, and all for the good.

Well, except for my waistline….

“This post is part of SOYJOY‘s What brings you joy contest. Learn more here.”

iHeart Faces – Celebrating Mom

Because nothing is more mom-like than picking out snotty noses.

My beautiful cousin making her youngest son clean nosed.

For more photos celebrating mom, visit iHeart Faces.