Therapy Thursday

I'd like to say that things are going better than expected with having daddy gone for the first week. Unfortunately, they just aren't.  I know that Baby J has one tooth cutting but I'm beginning to think she has a molar coming in now also.  Between crying fits, ice chewies and late night movie marathons for distractions, I got about 3 hours of sleep last night, only to get up at 5am to go to work. At which point my dog decided to throw up... IN. MY. BED.

Forget about the bottle of nail polish that Jessy grabbed and then threw across the tile in the kitchen.  Yes it broke and yes purple nail polish went EVERYWHERE.

The best distraction by far has been this ball pit that we got her.  We both get in and have a party. She loves kicking up the balls and balloons and I love that she isn't fussy.

One more day till the weekend.  Just breathe.

Holy Teeth!

Teething has got to be one of the hardest things about having a baby.  I'm not going to lie, I walked out to my car yesterday morning for work and looked down to realize I hadn't put a shirt on yet.  I was up all night with a crying baby wishing I could take the pain away.  We're pretty much convinced she is getting the rest of her teeth in now.  I really hope the molars too so we can just get it all over with.  We see 3 teeth cutting right now.

One thing that has been invaluable is this feeder.  Its so much better than the mesh, it cleans better, it stretches to fit an ice cube, its just a life saver.  We buy frozen mango chunks, peaches, blue berries and cut bananas and then stuff them in the feeder frozen.  I've even filled it with Greek Yogurt and stuck it in the freezer, it works wonderful!  This is our go-to several times a day.  We can tell which tooth is hurting because she can hold it exactly where she wants it.  It's worth every penny, I promise you!

Kidsme Food Feeder

Friday Night Fever

Well we've spent all weekend with a baby and 102 degree fever.  I hate fevers, they scare me to death.  I noticed a new tooth sprouted on Saturday night but we continue even today with the fever.  If this is how she is with these teeth, what are the molars going to be like?

All she wanted was to cuddle and have daddy read to her

I've been trying to do the suggested things:

• Light clothing
• Keeping her inside
• Lots of water
• Alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours
• Cool cloth (she screams at this part)
• Eating (she only wants pureed foods)

During one of her fever breaks we dug out all the toys since its too hot to go outside

Something funny she did while playing with dad.  She picked up a toy phone and said "Hello?" She's never said that word before!  I'm glad we both got to witness it.

The Running of the Baby

Well we have an absolute runner walker on our hands.  No more needing to hold fingers.  I tried to get a few pictures and that didn't turn out very well... She takes off running and crashes into walls, toys, the dog.  I am more exhausted now than I was before!  And I live in a constant state of panic that she is going to seriously hurt herself instead of the scrapes and bruises she is getting now.  And to top it off, she has restless leg syndrome... well that's what we're calling it anyway.  She never stops even in her sleep... which has been crappy because all she wants to do is GO GO GO.

On top of that she has begun to communicate her needs and wants.  She points to what she wants now, whether it be something she is eating that she wants more of.... or something she shouldn't have but wants to play with.  And the tantrums of a one year old have started, although not that often, JUST every time she doesn't get something she wants.

And I'm pretty sure most of this has to do with those teeth coming in.  Which I have resorted to filling her feeder with yogurt and freezing it, she loves it!  Oh the joys of parenthood...

With all that going on, we still have squeals of laughter filling our house from sun up to sun down.  She loves her cuddles, especially in the mornings and she has started to sing into her microphone she got for her birthday.  Oh I hope she's a better singer than her mom and dad!

Those are some big teeth!

Looks just like Jessy with her 4 teeth.... Saw this little guy this weekend.  Speaking of animals.  We hopefully have a Robin laying some eggs under our patio.  They have done this several years that I have lived there and since Robins have such a low success rate of survival, I tend to let them build.  Mike has never seen this event before so... why not!  I'll keep you posted as to what happens!

Swimsuits and Teething Rings

Went swimming again this weekend.  Baby J was teething and held her teething ring from the car, into the pool and back out.

I can't believe she is going to be ONE next month!  So crazy.

When Satan Steals Your Motherhood

I know I said that baby girl was getting her two top teeth... well last night when she tilted her head back to laugh I realized it was FOUR of her top teeth coming down!  My poor girl. She is such a trooper even though it obviously hurts.

I wanted to make her day a little better so we decided to try a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. It was a huge hit!

I wanted to post this short article as it really spoke to me, I'm sure it will you too:

When Satan Steals Your Motherhood

It is there, and it creeps up like a silent killer. Maybe it is the wet underwear that you found floating in the hallway bathroom. Or the cat food that has been flung out on the floor like tiny marbles waiting to trip up a passer-by. Or the loud thumping and yelling and tantruming as if we live in some sort of primal age where roaring and beating your chest were the only way to get other’s attention.
And all of that madness and anger? It wasn’t the kids. It was me. The mother. The one who left a pair of Superman undies in a bathroom we rarely use for days, fed the cat without my glasses after someone else forgot, and the loud, obnoxious, downright scary human being I can be when I have just had more than I can handle.
That’s the kind of thing that happens when you allow satan to steal your motherhood.
No, it’s not the mistakes. It’s not the forgetfulness. It is what happens on the inside that no one else sees. And he knows just how to get to you.
He admires you, you know. But only when you yell at your kids, complain about tasks that need to be done regardless of how many people are in your home. He loves it when you wish you were the mom with the skinny jeans and tall boots and shiny hair with the perfectly groomed kids at the mall play area. You look at her and think you are subpar. Satan loves that.
Satan also loves it when you get scared because someone posted a random video online of how their 4-year-old can read, so you freak out that your 4-year-old is more interested in roaming outdoors and playing with bobby pins and giving them names, so you panic because books are the last thing on her mind. Satan is clapping now.
Satan also adores you when you get on the phone and ignore your kids, when you hide your true feelings and dreams and frustrations with your husband with a weak “I’m fine” and when you feel like this fun birthday party at the park for your children isn’t “the best” compared to someone else’s insanely expensive Pinterest celebration.
Satan wants you to fail. And to feel alone. And to feel inadequate to what Someone Else has called you to do.
Because I might as well have left the front door unlocked and allowed a thief to come right in my home yesterday. I mean, why not? I let Satan in. After all the fussing and nagging and utter bone tired exhaustion, I crawled into bed with my 3-year-old for a moment. Just to apologize.
“I am so sorry today was so rough.”
“I didn’t think it was rough. I thought it was fun!”
“Really? Which part was fun?”
“The part where we played on the couch like we were on a boat. Where we ‘fished’ with your belt as a fishing line, and used the couch pillows for life boats.”
Tears started rolling down my cheeks.“Please pray for me. That I can be a better Mommy.”
“Oh, I did! Earlier today. When it was sunny. Right before we played the boat game.”
Today I’m locking the door tight to whatever evil enters my heart and home.
Today I am going to remember the One who gives life and knows I am a mess and loves me anyway.
I washed the undies. The cat took care of the food. That 4-year-old is now 6 and can read like a champ. But she still names random things. And it’s cool that my hair is “shiny” because it is unwashed and I can’t wear tall boots because they make me taller than the guy that loves me to the moon and back.
Roll those cars down a ramp, read one more princess story, forget how “busy” you think you are and what the world thinks you should accomplish in a 24-hour period and for heaven’s sake, log off of Pinterest.
Take your kids and an old, worn blanket, reheat that coffee and hold them tight and just rest at the feet of Jesus for a moment.Today? It is going to be okay. Take back your motherhood. It is a gift. Listen to the life-giver, NOT the liar. 

Christie is a mother of three, cop’s wife, and Junior Mint lover. She blogs at Letters From the Nest and is a columnist for her hometown newspaper, The LaFollette Press. Christie and her family reside in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee, where sweet tea is served at every meal and hospitality is second nature. This post has been published here with her permission.