Archive for November, 2007

 

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Where did this come from?  …My usual answer is “the store”.  I’ve tried giving a long, convoluted answer that resembles something of a truthful answer to the question.  She blinks at me and says “What did you say?”

Why not?  …I think she is supposed to be saying “Why?”, but it never fails, she always says “why not” and I still haven’t figured out a way to answer this one.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS:  I give up!  …this usually ends with her flinging away whatever it is that she can’t do, spinning around on her heels and stomping away to find a corner (usually the bathroom) to sit and pout.

Other “favwits”

• “Mama I NEED you.” …  “What do you need?” … “I need YOU!”

• “Oh thank you.  I love it.  That’s my favwit.”

• “You’re the best.”

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On Thanksgiving day, we went over to visit my aunt and her family.  I timed it just right to slip in and grab a plate of turkey dinner and join their family, after only eating an hour or so before at my Mother’s dinner table.  My daughter went off to play with her 6 year old cousin.  She came and told me “He {mumble}  on the {mumble} “.  I have no idea what she said, but it sure sounded like “He stepped on the wand”. 

No, that’s not it.  She repeated it. 

“He stepped on the worm”. 

No, again she repeated it. 

“He stepped on the card.” 

No.  By now, she’s giggling and I’m still not able to understand any of it. 

“He stepped on your toe.”  No.

“He stepped on the chair.”  No.

“He stepped on the wood.”  No.

Now she is giggling harder and all I’m doing is just egging her on.  I’ve totally forgotten what it was she was trying to tell me.

“He stepped on the rug.”  No.

“He stepped on the book.”  No.

“He stepped on the toy.”  No.

“He stepped on the paper.”  No.

{sigh}

I still don’t know what it was.  It’s possible he didn’t “step” on anything.

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Here is a small collection of things I am thankful for this year.

1.  Pediasure..  without it, I don’t think Leah Rose would weigh as much as she does now.  Freeman Sheldon Syndrome has a characteristic of a “failure to thrive” and she needs all the nutrition she can get.

2.  Milk of Magnesia and Karo Syrup…  The Karo Syrup was a good additive in her formula when she was little.  Without it, I don’t think we would have gotten over the colic or that she would have started drinking her bottle.  Now, the Karo Syrup is a good mask for the Milk of Magnesia I have to put in her pediasure to help with the constipation.  It’s possible she may have to stay on the MOM for the rest of her life.

3.  Disney Princesses…  for enticing Leah Rose to drink a lot of apple juice.

4.  PB&J Sandwiches…  Finally, I can make them right and she will eat a whole sandwich.

5.  Nintendo Game Boy {with Barbie Pegasus Adentures, Ariel, Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty game cartridges}… This has been a really great tool for Leah Rose for eye and hand coordination.  I probably let her play it too much, but she loves it and for a 4 year old, she is really good at it.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

 

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I saw this when I was cleaning up tonight.  I am constantly amazed at her artwork.   She drew this without any direction from me.

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I entered the following photo in the Club Mom Holiday Scrapbook Contest.  You can see my entry here.

Snow White & The Great Pumpkin
3 Moms voted for it!
(The winning photo received 136 votes)

I entered the picture below in the ClubMom’s Shutterbug Showdown “A View From Your Door“.  You can see my entry here.

I received 34 votes!

View winners here.

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[I originally posted this article on my Georgia Angel blog on 5/31/07, but I thought I would include it here.]

 I first wanted to be a mother because my husband was the last line of his family. I wanted to help him carry on his family name, nuture a son to grow up to be a fine upstanding citizen of the human race, and a child of God. My son was born in 1987, and I believed I had fulfilled all those goals, at least for the first 2 years of his life. His father and I divorced in 1990, and we agreed that he should retain custody of our son. I have never regretted that decision, and today, you could not ask for a better son. For the next 13 years, motherhood, in the truest sense of the word (pregnancy, raising and caring for a child daily), was not in my vocabulary. It was not a word that filled my soul with longing, or joy and happiness. I’ve just never felt that was my calling.

In 2003, at age 40, I found out I was pregnant. Quite frankly, I was devastated. I was not prepared for it, and to top it all off, the father just wasn’t the man I thought he was. My future, which only the month before had been bright and full of promise, now loomed before me and filled me with dread and anguish. How was I, a lowly human, to carry this child for 9 months, and care for it, and nuture it…. ALONE? I was scared beyond belief. Of course, my biggest worry was birth defects, which was more likely than not. My second biggest worry was my body. I was a little overweight, and had not taken care of myself. I was concerned that my physical body would just give out, and my mental state would collapse.

Needless to say, I managed to survive, both physically and mentally. However, my first fear did come true. My daughter was born with a rare genetic disorder, called Freeman Sheldon Syndrome, and a midline cleft in the soft palate. The disorder affects the musculoskeletal system and materializes in bone and muscle deformities that require surgery to improve her functionality. She has been through 6 surgeries, and is doing very well. Her mind is alert and intelligent, and she is a vivacious, energetic preschooler.

Every day I wake up to face a new day of single motherhood, not always liking it, but seeing gifts often eough to carry me through. I bravely face the trials, and try to keep my worrying at bay (which is not easy). I have been told, frequently, that God will not give you more than you can handle. I have to admit, I do question this, because there are days when I feel that I can’t take one more mountain to climb, another financial concern, another health concern, another day of no rest. Recently, I received a visit from a Bible Story salesman and, after hearing my story, told me that I must be “very special” because God only gives those children to the mothers who are “special”. My heavily burdened heart was brightened a little by his words, and my “mustard seed” faith blossomed.

In searching the Bible for a passage to encourage me, I came across Ecclesiastes 11. In particular, verse 5… “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” I do not know why I was chosen to be the mother of this one special little girl. I only pray that I can, by the grace of God, walk on the right path, and be able to withstand His judgment on my day of reckoning. I strive daily to banish anxiety from my heart and cast off my troubles (Ecc. 11:10). I may not know God’s plan for me and my daughter, but I do know that I must place my faith and trust in Him to provide and carry us through. “…be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph 6:10-18). “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23).

 

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We managed to go outside for a few minutes and we took a moment to look at the different colors on the two small trees in our front yard.

Leah says the sun is too bright to look up at the trees.

This is the view from our backyard.  The blue in the sky was very pretty.

Leah loves being outside and she did NOT want to go back inside.

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It sure is a beautiful day and I wish we were able to go outside and really enjoy it.  I would love to take Leah Rose out in her little wagon and walk around the block.  I can’t wait for my foot to get better, and I hope it does before it gets cold and stays cold.

She woke up this morning around 7 am asking for a bottle.  And she actually drank almost all of it.  She has had almost 2 juice boxes, a little bit of coke, and a rice krispie this morning.  AND she’s been to the potty at least twice.  WOOHOO!!!  Maybe she can go back to school tomorrow.  She rested well last night, but she still isn’t back to her usual energizer bunny self.

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