How will she know which is snack and which is lunch? Is it enough food? healthy? too messy? what are the other kids going to have? Let’s practice opening the container at breakfast to make sure she can do it. Braids. Can’t have her hair falling out all over the place or dropping in her food or art. Is this skirt too short? Gotta...
I guess it’s only fitting to have a motherhood post after the fatherhood, sisterhood and brotherhood ones. The thing is, motherhood for me is an ebb and flow between the sane and the insane. Fortunately most of the time we’re in the sane zone. I’m good, I’m good, I’m good, and then all of a sudden I freak out, and then I’m good again. ...
Have you heard of Breast Milk Jaundice? I hadn’t. Leslie had jaundice in the hospital when she was born, glow blanket and everything. The whites of her eyes have yet to be bright. While common among newborns, jaundice is less common now at 7 weeks. The pediatrician told me to take her in if not cleared up by 5 weeks, so we went in...
Who’s going to win it? –a question Dylan is constantly asking as he started trying to make everything a race lately. At least we get from point to point much faster, and I have another tool up my sleeve to get his cooperation! We did a family visit to the track the other day and the kids had a blast running around with Daddy. ...
Happy November 3rd! We spent our first night of November in a yurt. Did I say yurt? I meant damp icebox. But of course we were all squished in the same double futon bed – all 5 of us. Did I say 5? Yep. We’re expecting to be a quintet come early June. We got a sneak peak at the little blob (did I...
In response to my post about finding out Whitney’s Down Syndrome diagnosis, I was interviewed by 4Word Women about dealing with unmet expectations in motherhood. The interview came out today – check it out here! Work, Pray, Love. 4Word Women is a site geared toward professional women seeking balance in career, relationships, and faith. ...
My apologies to any non-parents out there, this is a potty post. We have been fully engrossed in a Diaper Detox experiment. We cut diapers cold turkey (while awake) on Wednesday afternoon….and spent 72 hours hunkered down with paper towels, Chlorox wipes and potty songs. I’ll spare you too many details but will say it’s been quite the adventure in patience and endurance, and...
I’ve taken it upon myself to do some family screenwriting lately. It goes like this:Act 1 Scene 1: garage door lifts, child runs shrieking with glee toward the street as mother frantically chases yelling all combinations of ‘stop!’ ‘Freeze’ ‘wait!’ ‘[name!!]’. Child turns a corner into neighbors yard and dares mother to hurdle waist-high shrub. And on and on.Act 1 Scene 2: [sound of...
Having Down syndrome automatically qualifies Whitney for government funded early education services. Since birth she has met with a teacher and/or specialists each week through the county’s Early Start program. Over the last month or two we have been preparing to enter the public school system. (!!!) When Whitney turns 3 she “graduates” out of the county program and into a pre-K special classroom. ...
So I resigned from my coaching job today. Through much deliberation I’ve realized that the immensity of the time and energy commitment of running a high school program is too much for me and my family at this point. I’ve done almost everything to keep coaching a part of my life the past four years, I even birthed both babies during volleyball seasons with...
The pressure/tension/stress around here has been of epic proportions in the past month…so I thought I’d share some of the things that has kept me from losing it altogether…. Love notes. The support and prayers and texts and emails of dear friends from various parts of my life have been a lifeline. Knowing one is not alone must be the single-handedly most comforting reality. ...