josh is sick. boo :( i am praying like crazy that he doesn't get bronchitis. he's really susceptible to it since he grew up around cigarette smoke, and has smoked a few himself as an adult. and he just started his new job... eek. stupid cold and flu season.
i, on the other hand, feel great today. i was worried yesterday that i might be getting sick, too. it's hard enough when one parent is ill; the house just falls to complete chaos when both are under the weather. today we slept in, i fixed goulash for lunch (i know goulash is an actual dish served in hungary or something, but josh and i make our own version: ground beef, tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, cream style corn, and elbow macaroni) in time for josh to have some while he was home for his break. i love that he gets to come home for an hour during the day, with this new job! it breaks up the time that he's away from us, and the kids are thrilled whenever he walks through the door. if someone (*cough* micah) was on their way to a tantrum or just a sour mood, they perk right up after getting to see daddy!
disclaimer: i'm going to blog about the bathroom here for a minute. skip ahead if you're squeamish.
so, micah has been using the restroom all by herself lately. : ) this is very exciting. first of all, and please excuse the ridiculous euphemism which i hate, but she's been potty trained for numero uno (maybe typing it in spanish will dilute the silliness... or perhaps that has the opposite effect?) since she was 2 1/2, right? well... drum roll, please... numero dos in the toilet has been accomplished, a little over a year later. :) this being my first child, i did not know that it could take a full year for her to be comfortable doing this. it makes sense, and i've read and been counseled that this is completely, totally normal, and to not make a big deal out of it or stress out over it. i've tried not to, but for some reason i've always viewed it as a problem, something i was causing by not encouraging enough or by making her uneasy in some way. i don't know why, usually i'm pretty laid back about most things, but at times i couldn't relax about her not being potty trained for bowel movements. there were several practical reasons why it bothered me. for one, it was just plain messy. because, you know, the bigger they are... well, it was getting bad. also, it was a problem when we were out of the house. it's hard to diaper a 3 1/2-year-old in a grocery store bathroom, wait for her to finish her business, then try to fit her 3-ft-tall body onto one of those baby changing fold-out tables, all while wrangling with a 1-year-old, trying to keep him from touching anything or dumping the contents of the diaper bag onto the filthy linoleum.
despite my general annoyance, i decided to follow the advice of all my trusted mom friends and let her get to this point at her own pace. and, this must be one of those things with children that you don't believe will ever happen... until it does. because i didn't, until it did! one afternoon, micah just... let me help her onto the potty, and voila. we got to laugh at the "plop!" and the splash, and use the cool, new wipes i bought her months ago.
now, she just walks in there, arranges her step stool and her potty seat, goes, wipes, washes up, pulls the clothes back into place - all without any help at all, most of the time. in the mornings, she usually wants me to go with her - and she has always been funny about that first morning elimination, even when she was in diapers. other than the mornings, she relishes being able to do this herself.
as i write this, i am completely overcome with love for micah. i have a huge lump in my throat. i just... she's so wonderful. i love her so completely, with every fiber in my being. she's my firstborn, my sweet daughter, my little baby. my mom always told me that there is just something about your first baby, but i didn't fully understand what she meant until i had my second. that makes it sound like i cherish micah more than rowan, which couldn't be farther from the truth... it's just that there's a bond there with micah that is at the foundation of who i am. her spirit chose mine out of all the spirits in the universe, to mother her and hold her up for life to sweep across. she ushered me out of one phase of my life, and into another. she opened my womb, my heart, and my mind, and made them ready for rowan. his spirit made a wise selection, too, because she is going to be a strong, safe harbor for his gentle little soul always, i know it.
i have never really enjoyed winter, but at this phase in my kids' lives i dislike it even more. i can't get outside with them! it's really frustrating! my mom's blog is really inspiring, because right now she's chronicling the weeks of advent leading up to christmas day. each week of advent brings recognition and honor to different realms of creation. as i read it, i'm reminded of the quiet beauty and serenity of these colder months. i'm going to try harder to turn inward, and gather the warmth of my hearth and home around my heart.
i, on the other hand, feel great today. i was worried yesterday that i might be getting sick, too. it's hard enough when one parent is ill; the house just falls to complete chaos when both are under the weather. today we slept in, i fixed goulash for lunch (i know goulash is an actual dish served in hungary or something, but josh and i make our own version: ground beef, tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, cream style corn, and elbow macaroni) in time for josh to have some while he was home for his break. i love that he gets to come home for an hour during the day, with this new job! it breaks up the time that he's away from us, and the kids are thrilled whenever he walks through the door. if someone (*cough* micah) was on their way to a tantrum or just a sour mood, they perk right up after getting to see daddy!
disclaimer: i'm going to blog about the bathroom here for a minute. skip ahead if you're squeamish.
so, micah has been using the restroom all by herself lately. : ) this is very exciting. first of all, and please excuse the ridiculous euphemism which i hate, but she's been potty trained for numero uno (maybe typing it in spanish will dilute the silliness... or perhaps that has the opposite effect?) since she was 2 1/2, right? well... drum roll, please... numero dos in the toilet has been accomplished, a little over a year later. :) this being my first child, i did not know that it could take a full year for her to be comfortable doing this. it makes sense, and i've read and been counseled that this is completely, totally normal, and to not make a big deal out of it or stress out over it. i've tried not to, but for some reason i've always viewed it as a problem, something i was causing by not encouraging enough or by making her uneasy in some way. i don't know why, usually i'm pretty laid back about most things, but at times i couldn't relax about her not being potty trained for bowel movements. there were several practical reasons why it bothered me. for one, it was just plain messy. because, you know, the bigger they are... well, it was getting bad. also, it was a problem when we were out of the house. it's hard to diaper a 3 1/2-year-old in a grocery store bathroom, wait for her to finish her business, then try to fit her 3-ft-tall body onto one of those baby changing fold-out tables, all while wrangling with a 1-year-old, trying to keep him from touching anything or dumping the contents of the diaper bag onto the filthy linoleum.
despite my general annoyance, i decided to follow the advice of all my trusted mom friends and let her get to this point at her own pace. and, this must be one of those things with children that you don't believe will ever happen... until it does. because i didn't, until it did! one afternoon, micah just... let me help her onto the potty, and voila. we got to laugh at the "plop!" and the splash, and use the cool, new wipes i bought her months ago.
now, she just walks in there, arranges her step stool and her potty seat, goes, wipes, washes up, pulls the clothes back into place - all without any help at all, most of the time. in the mornings, she usually wants me to go with her - and she has always been funny about that first morning elimination, even when she was in diapers. other than the mornings, she relishes being able to do this herself.
as i write this, i am completely overcome with love for micah. i have a huge lump in my throat. i just... she's so wonderful. i love her so completely, with every fiber in my being. she's my firstborn, my sweet daughter, my little baby. my mom always told me that there is just something about your first baby, but i didn't fully understand what she meant until i had my second. that makes it sound like i cherish micah more than rowan, which couldn't be farther from the truth... it's just that there's a bond there with micah that is at the foundation of who i am. her spirit chose mine out of all the spirits in the universe, to mother her and hold her up for life to sweep across. she ushered me out of one phase of my life, and into another. she opened my womb, my heart, and my mind, and made them ready for rowan. his spirit made a wise selection, too, because she is going to be a strong, safe harbor for his gentle little soul always, i know it.
i have never really enjoyed winter, but at this phase in my kids' lives i dislike it even more. i can't get outside with them! it's really frustrating! my mom's blog is really inspiring, because right now she's chronicling the weeks of advent leading up to christmas day. each week of advent brings recognition and honor to different realms of creation. as i read it, i'm reminded of the quiet beauty and serenity of these colder months. i'm going to try harder to turn inward, and gather the warmth of my hearth and home around my heart.
1 comment:
yay, micah moon pie!
Post a Comment