I recently had a conversation with my friend, Erin, about blogs. She made the comment that so often blogs portray the happy, fun, "pretty" parts of people's lives. But so often, there is more going on that for whatever reason, just doesn't get broadcasted on the blog.
She is totally right.
So on that note, things were not so pretty around our house last week.
Apparently we are smack in the midst of the terrible two's, and Saylor is fine - tuning the art of the temper tantrum.
They happened ALL week long. There was a pattern: every time a transition was involved, like leaving the park, leaving the library, and worst of all and especially, any time she had to go to bed. Naptime AND bedtime. It even frazzled Matt's nerves.
We were actually kicked out of the library for making too much noise. Yes, the librarian came over and asked us to leave. I had to put down my entire stack of books, chase my daughter into a corner, pick her up against my huge pregnant belly, and carry her out, literally kicking and screaming while everyone stared at us.
It was so exhausting. And embarrassing. And beyond frustrating.
When you talk to other parents about tantrums or read about them, the advice people give is to "just ignore it." Which is fine, in theory. But how do you do that in public? Or when there is a busy street right next to you? Or when you know the reason they are doing it is because they are over-tired but they refuse to sleep? PLEASE someone give me a manual for this parenting gig!
At one point while trying to leave the park Matt and I just walked away from her lying on the ground tantruming. Did she get up and follow? Nope. Just laid there. We walked all the way to the car and stood there not looking at but she just laid there until we eventually had to go back and get her, at which point she started up again.
The worst part is, I knew that half of the reason this was happening was because she was over tired. She's been waking up at 6 a.m., which is an hour earlier than her normal. Consequently, she can't make it until her normal nap at 1. So we did a lot of adjusting, but I just couldn't seem to ever get it right. About half way through the week I stuck my fingers in her mouth and sure enough, she was getting those eye teeth in on both sides on top. So maybe that was part of it? Or maybe she is sensing the upcoming enormous change with baby brother on his way? Maybe God is trying to remind me/prepare me for what it's like to have an infant and have to work really hard to get them to sleep?
Or maybe she's just TWO.
Whatever it is, I had two breakdown crying moments last week (during which she came over and kissed me and then ran off laughing hysterically and saying "you're welcome mommy!)"
Thankfully, this week has been much better so far, at least as far as sleep goes. We are still working on the other transitions. It seems that no matter the number of "2 minute till we leave" warnings, consequences for "sad choices" or, in my weaker moments, straight up bribes I give her, the girl can set her mind on something with the best of them.
But I know we'll get through it and like every phase they go through, this too shall pass.
But just in case you were wondering, things are definitely not always so pretty around here. :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Love is in the air
Happy Valentine's Day! We had a fun weekend celebrating Valentine's Day and also enjoying some beautiful weather today at the arboretum with our friends D and Gavin. Hope you are having a happy V Day!
Making some Valentine's Cookies!
Opening some Valentine presents, including socks and mittens from Nona and Dave
Opening some Valentine presents, including socks and mittens from Nona and Dave
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Donuts with Daddy
Every once in awhile Saylor and Matt indulge in this yummy treat on a Saturday morning:
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Fear
This past weekend, Matt and I had a conversation with some good friends about recent break-ins in our neighborhood area. They told us about a friend of theirs getting held up at gun point in a McDonald's parking lot around the corner from our house, and being forced to drive the gunman back to his home so the guy could rob him. Thankfully, their friend was ok physically, but of course he is still dealing with the major psychological trauma of being terrorized like that.
You see, we live in a great neighborhood, but the immediate surrounding areas have their fair share of crime. Obviously, this is what happens when you live in a major metropolitan area, rather than the suburbs. I am ok with that, most of the time. I like the city. I like diversity. I like the idea of raising my kids where not everyone looks exactly the same and where not all the houses look exactly the same.
But stories like this put in me a nice big chunk of fear. Ever since, I can't stop thinking about what could happen to me, my husband, or my daughter. I play out these horrible scenarios in my mind: someone coming down the hall with a gun while we are asleep, approaching me in the grocery store parking lot while I'm getting Saylor out of the car, approaching Matt while he's filling the car up with gas, etc. The list goes on.
The thing is, this is not the only thing I can get fearful about.
What if my daughter develops cancer?
What if someone just takes her one day while we are out shopping?
What if my husband is is a terrible car accident?
What if he randomly has an aneurysm in his 30's, or develops a brain tumor later in life, like his dad did?
What if we loose this baby?
What if he is born with a disorder or syndrome, or what if he is perfectly healthy but there is some trauma during birth and he is left anoxic and brain injured because of it?
What if my parents have a heart attack or some sudden life-threatening disease, and I can't tell them goodbye and how much I love them?
What if my sister, who lives alone, gets robbed or hurt or victimized?
What if my husband looses his job and we have no health insurance?
Again, the list goes on.
I am not crazy. It's not like I'm sitting around paralyzed from fear, unable to go about my daily life. I really am still a happy, normally functioning person carrying on about her day. But, sometimes a thought will hit me, and then I'll get stuck on it for a bit, just letting it sit there and weigh on me, at least until I am distracted with the next task or activity.
The thing is, these things are all around us. They are on TV and in the movie I watched last week. They are happening right now, in real life, to people I know, or patients I see at the hospital, or people who's blog's I read and follow, or to my own friends and family. And as we all know, inevitably, we will all face some sort of suffering at some point in our lives. It takes on different shapes and forms, but no one really gets away unscathed. Maybe it's not physical sickness or criminal trauma, but maybe it's financial or marital or whatever. Life bangs you up. And this is an understatement for some.
So I am prone to worry, which is really just fear at it's root. This is the genetic make up of my brain. It takes many forms...you could say I have a track record. I spent a year in elementary school unable to fall asleep at night because I was worried about a particular friend situation at school (kids can be mean)! I spent a good portion of my senior year of college terrified that I would not have a job lined up by the time I graduated. (PULEASE! There are SUCH better things to be spending your time doing in college)! Of course, looking back, I realize how incredibly ridiculous these worries were. Now that I am an adult, a wife, a mom, my worries just take on the more serious nature of list list mentioned above. And one day, I will look back and know these worries too, are unnecessary.
It probably doesn't help that in my job I work with people whose lives are rocked by awful tragedies every day. On the other hand, it probably is why I enjoy it, why I am good at it. It is also probably why God put me with a man who could not be less fearful about things...we balance each other out. :)
So I know this about myself.
And as I know I am prone to this fear, I also know there is One who is beyond all of it. Despite the tragedies and the suffering, I know that God is good, that He sees it all and knows it all. That though we are not immune to it, He sustains us. That He loves us. He protects us. He is with us through it and has already claimed victory over it.
Sometimes I wonder if all the fear of it could be worse than actually it itself. Because I know He will be with me. And I believe enduring it will draw me more near to Him, which in the end, when my mind quiets down, I truly do find great comfort and hope in. And I believe when it is over, I will be ok. My family will be ok. The ones I love and the ones I don't know but hear about and hurt for will be ok. That this is what it means when it says "all things will be reconciled."
So I am settling my mind on these truths. I am claiming my faith now, rather than waiting for it in some time of tragedy that hits me. I am setting my mind not on the flesh, which brings death, but on the Spirit, which brings life and peace. (romans 8).
Like many things, it's a lesson I must re-learn again and again. But thankfully, there is progress! Slowly but surely, I can see the grip of fear loosening it's ugly hold on me.
For because He has come: You have been set free from sin (fear) and have become slaves to righteousness (peace). (Romans 6).
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8).
You see, we live in a great neighborhood, but the immediate surrounding areas have their fair share of crime. Obviously, this is what happens when you live in a major metropolitan area, rather than the suburbs. I am ok with that, most of the time. I like the city. I like diversity. I like the idea of raising my kids where not everyone looks exactly the same and where not all the houses look exactly the same.
But stories like this put in me a nice big chunk of fear. Ever since, I can't stop thinking about what could happen to me, my husband, or my daughter. I play out these horrible scenarios in my mind: someone coming down the hall with a gun while we are asleep, approaching me in the grocery store parking lot while I'm getting Saylor out of the car, approaching Matt while he's filling the car up with gas, etc. The list goes on.
The thing is, this is not the only thing I can get fearful about.
What if my daughter develops cancer?
What if someone just takes her one day while we are out shopping?
What if my husband is is a terrible car accident?
What if he randomly has an aneurysm in his 30's, or develops a brain tumor later in life, like his dad did?
What if we loose this baby?
What if he is born with a disorder or syndrome, or what if he is perfectly healthy but there is some trauma during birth and he is left anoxic and brain injured because of it?
What if my parents have a heart attack or some sudden life-threatening disease, and I can't tell them goodbye and how much I love them?
What if my sister, who lives alone, gets robbed or hurt or victimized?
What if my husband looses his job and we have no health insurance?
Again, the list goes on.
I am not crazy. It's not like I'm sitting around paralyzed from fear, unable to go about my daily life. I really am still a happy, normally functioning person carrying on about her day. But, sometimes a thought will hit me, and then I'll get stuck on it for a bit, just letting it sit there and weigh on me, at least until I am distracted with the next task or activity.
The thing is, these things are all around us. They are on TV and in the movie I watched last week. They are happening right now, in real life, to people I know, or patients I see at the hospital, or people who's blog's I read and follow, or to my own friends and family. And as we all know, inevitably, we will all face some sort of suffering at some point in our lives. It takes on different shapes and forms, but no one really gets away unscathed. Maybe it's not physical sickness or criminal trauma, but maybe it's financial or marital or whatever. Life bangs you up. And this is an understatement for some.
So I am prone to worry, which is really just fear at it's root. This is the genetic make up of my brain. It takes many forms...you could say I have a track record. I spent a year in elementary school unable to fall asleep at night because I was worried about a particular friend situation at school (kids can be mean)! I spent a good portion of my senior year of college terrified that I would not have a job lined up by the time I graduated. (PULEASE! There are SUCH better things to be spending your time doing in college)! Of course, looking back, I realize how incredibly ridiculous these worries were. Now that I am an adult, a wife, a mom, my worries just take on the more serious nature of list list mentioned above. And one day, I will look back and know these worries too, are unnecessary.
It probably doesn't help that in my job I work with people whose lives are rocked by awful tragedies every day. On the other hand, it probably is why I enjoy it, why I am good at it. It is also probably why God put me with a man who could not be less fearful about things...we balance each other out. :)
So I know this about myself.
And as I know I am prone to this fear, I also know there is One who is beyond all of it. Despite the tragedies and the suffering, I know that God is good, that He sees it all and knows it all. That though we are not immune to it, He sustains us. That He loves us. He protects us. He is with us through it and has already claimed victory over it.
Sometimes I wonder if all the fear of it could be worse than actually it itself. Because I know He will be with me. And I believe enduring it will draw me more near to Him, which in the end, when my mind quiets down, I truly do find great comfort and hope in. And I believe when it is over, I will be ok. My family will be ok. The ones I love and the ones I don't know but hear about and hurt for will be ok. That this is what it means when it says "all things will be reconciled."
So I am settling my mind on these truths. I am claiming my faith now, rather than waiting for it in some time of tragedy that hits me. I am setting my mind not on the flesh, which brings death, but on the Spirit, which brings life and peace. (romans 8).
Like many things, it's a lesson I must re-learn again and again. But thankfully, there is progress! Slowly but surely, I can see the grip of fear loosening it's ugly hold on me.
For because He has come: You have been set free from sin (fear) and have become slaves to righteousness (peace). (Romans 6).
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8).
Friday, February 4, 2011
Real snow day!
Last night when we went to sleep they were expecting a "light dusting" of snow overnight. But, when we woke up this morning there was 5 inches! I drove almost all the way into work but then they called and said they didn't need me after all, so I turned around and came back. Thankfully, I made it safely; there were cars getting stuck and spinning out everywhere!
Since we've only had ice all week, today was really our first day to venture out to play. Once we convinced Saylor that the snow wasn't dirty, she was set to go, and she loved it! She walked all around the front yard and all the way down the street. She was pretty cold by the end, and we had a lot of trouble with those darn mittens...how do little kids get their thumbs in the right hole?
At one point she took off through the yard shouting "be right back, going to get cookies for Santa!"
Here are some pictures from the day, and then drinking hot chocolate to warm up once we got back inside.
Since we've only had ice all week, today was really our first day to venture out to play. Once we convinced Saylor that the snow wasn't dirty, she was set to go, and she loved it! She walked all around the front yard and all the way down the street. She was pretty cold by the end, and we had a lot of trouble with those darn mittens...how do little kids get their thumbs in the right hole?
At one point she took off through the yard shouting "be right back, going to get cookies for Santa!"
Here are some pictures from the day, and then drinking hot chocolate to warm up once we got back inside.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Snow Days
I guess it's now a yearly thing to have bad snow and ice in Dallas each year in February. The metroplex has been basically shut down for the past three days, and all the schools are canceled for a fourth day tomorrow! Luckily, Matt was unable to fly to Chicago for work on Tuesday morning, otherwise I'm pretty sure he would have been stuck there all week. This year it has been less snow, more ice. And since it is FREEZING outside (in the teens) Saylor has not been interested in playing in it which is fine by me! Needless to say, I am feeling very thankful for our house, our heat, and our electricity!
Here's what our temperature gauge said yesterday morning:
Even Harry, who is MADE for this kind of weather hates to go outside!
So here's some of what we've been up to.
Lots of coloring, and lots of time spent in our PJ's
Making play dough cookies
LOTS of tea parties!
Watching movies and snuggling on the couch (my favorite). :)
Painting nails and putting on some pretties
(Incidentally, every time I paint her toenails like this she walks around on her heels to let them dry for a good 3 minutes afterward. I did not teach her this...is it just instinctual?!)
Putting baby in time-out
And then giving her a hug to let her know she's forgiven
Warming up on the trampoline once we come back inside from the few times we have ventured out!
And just for fun, here are last year's snowy day pics. Oh my goodness, how she has changed!
Here's what our temperature gauge said yesterday morning:
So here's some of what we've been up to.
And just for fun, here are last year's snowy day pics. Oh my goodness, how she has changed!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Style award
My friend Laura "awarded" me with a stylish blogger award. Thanks, Laura! (Funny, because I think this actually has nothing to do with a stylish blog but rather just a chance to do one of those bloggy chain things). But here goes...I am doing it anyways! After being stuck indoors for two days due to the Dallas Snowmageddon of 2011 I am going a bit stir crazy, so why not?!
Upon receiving this award, I am supposed to:
1) Thank, and link back to the person who awarded it.
2) Share 7 things about myself.
3) Award 10 great bloggers.
4) Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.
Here are 7 facts about me:
1. I lived in Norway for four years when I was in elementary school, (my family was transferred there due to my dad's job).
2. Before becoming a Speech Pathologist (and the reason I did become a speech pathologist) I officially held the record for "worst first job out of college ever." I worked for a small investment firm and the owner was, shall we say, crazy. I have some great stories I would be happy to share with you off the internet that would entertain you for a good 10 minutes. Think along the lines of the Nanny Diaries or The Devil Wears Prada, but investments.
3. I married my high school sweet heart...Matt and I have been together since we were 16 (with a couple little breaks along the way). :)
4. I hate clutter (in my house) and have been known to throw away important documents or perfectly good items just to get them out of the way.
5. I used to be on a jump rope team (while living in Norway). Ha!
6. I've never gotten a speeding ticket (watch I will get one tomorrow!) and (surprise) am known for being a fairly cautious person. Working with traumatic brain injury patients does not help this cause. :)
7. I am very, very, very bad at mental math. Just thinking about it makes me nervous!
And here are my stylish blogger picks, if you would like to participate!
Ellen
Lauren
Mare
Julie
Jen
Ellen
Caroline
Kelly
Emily
Andi
Upon receiving this award, I am supposed to:
1) Thank, and link back to the person who awarded it.
2) Share 7 things about myself.
3) Award 10 great bloggers.
4) Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.
Here are 7 facts about me:
1. I lived in Norway for four years when I was in elementary school, (my family was transferred there due to my dad's job).
2. Before becoming a Speech Pathologist (and the reason I did become a speech pathologist) I officially held the record for "worst first job out of college ever." I worked for a small investment firm and the owner was, shall we say, crazy. I have some great stories I would be happy to share with you off the internet that would entertain you for a good 10 minutes. Think along the lines of the Nanny Diaries or The Devil Wears Prada, but investments.
3. I married my high school sweet heart...Matt and I have been together since we were 16 (with a couple little breaks along the way). :)
4. I hate clutter (in my house) and have been known to throw away important documents or perfectly good items just to get them out of the way.
5. I used to be on a jump rope team (while living in Norway). Ha!
6. I've never gotten a speeding ticket (watch I will get one tomorrow!) and (surprise) am known for being a fairly cautious person. Working with traumatic brain injury patients does not help this cause. :)
7. I am very, very, very bad at mental math. Just thinking about it makes me nervous!
And here are my stylish blogger picks, if you would like to participate!
Ellen
Lauren
Mare
Julie
Jen
Ellen
Caroline
Kelly
Emily
Andi
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
