High Chair Wars

A cup of blueberries
A cup of sweet peas
7 pieces of deli turkey
2 slices of cheese
A cup of milk
2 pieces of whole wheat bread
1/4 cup of yogurt

And still she asks for "MOHHH!"

After all of that food, consumed in a 15 minute time span, Peanut begs for more food!  Our table is in our kitchen which makes meal time slightly easier when Peanut is at the table.  Here is how dinner service "went down" this evening:

Peanut is yelling (her only volume these days.... happy or sad; it's always at volume: shout), stomping her feet at the gate between the kitchen and the rest of the house.  "EAAAAAT!  EAAAAT!"  I look at my watch and, she is right..... 10 minutes 'till dinner service number one.  I wash her hands and head straight for the booster seat, grabbing the blueberries from the fridge as I pass.  The sight of the blueberries induces clapping and leg kicking.... more shouting.

As soon as I dump out (what I think should take her 10 minutes to eat) about a cup of berries, she grabs two giant handfuls and shoves both of them into her mouth simultaneously.  Then as I turn around, rushing to fix the peas.... she is shouting: "MOHHH!!"  Tray cleared, mouth full, eyes piercing through me; knowing there are more berries in the fridge and I am withholding.   I truly spin in circles grabbing food from the counter, all but throwing it at her in hopes it lands within her reach instead of in the dog's mouth.  The dog is a totally different issue: whether he is licking her tray directly, licking her spoon (that she then puts back into her own mouth), or being fed by the diner.... he is never far and always interested.

Keep in mind that as soon as Peanut is seated, Bug notices that dinner has begun and she races to wash her hands and gives her input regarding the menu.  So, as I am trying to keep a clear head with the shouting, and the spinning, and the serving; I am also checking blood sugar and counting the amount of carbohydrates I am serving my oldest child.  Once the sugar is checked and the food is served, I head back to the counter and continue.  Thankfully, Bug is a peaceful eater and often only speaks to ask "Why is she shouting?!" or to tell me "Mom, she is definitely going to have to have a bath after this.  Just look at her face!"  She is right.

Almost every night, the post dinner routine for Peanut is a strip down, pre-bath wipe down, and we head straight to the bath tub..... all the while I am laughing and asking her how in the world she got yogurt in her ear and smooshed blueberry on her back.

I know what you are thinking: "why don't you just get her food ready ahead of time and have it ready for her to eat before she gets fussy?!"  I say to you, "No matter how early I prep; the hunger beast always wins."  I invite you to dinner with a toddler, and after that you may speak freely

This is a phase.  I know this because at one time, my peaceful eater was a shouter, food thrower, dog feeder, and 6 o'clock stress inducer.  So, just for now, I will continue to go to the grocery store 3 times a week to keep us in fruit and breath through the labor of love that is feeding my 25 pound 16 month old.

Chapter 14: Nomadic Adventures

I started at "Birth" as Chapter 1, and worked up from there.  This stage of life falls at number 14.

Nomad:

    1. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons from place to place in search of food, water, and grazing land.
    2. A person with no fixed residence who roams about; a wander.

I know what you are thinking......  and no, we are not moving to a far off desert to follow the camels as they search for water, or going to live with a herd of sheep to basically become one of them.  However, if you break down the definition of a nomad, we will be doing (our own version of) just that... free roaming herds of animals need not apply.

"1. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home..."

Later this week, if all goes as planned, we will have a "For Sale" sign in front of our (adorable, affordable, amazing, you should buy it) little house.  If you have ever attempted to sell your dwelling, you are well aware of the fact that as soon as you decide to sell, the house is no longer your comfortable, cozy, cluttered little home.  I have done my absolute best to make it seem as though:

-we have children, but they are quiet and boring and don't have more than 7 toys each

-we each only have a total of 10 outfits and 5 pairs of shoes

-we did not receive ANY wedding gifts

-we never use our bathroom or kitchen

and the one that keeps me going

-we don't actually live here, but rather it's like our home, on set of our family sit-com

All that to say, after we sell our house, we will have "no fixed home".  Don't feel sorry for us, that is apparently the goal we have set, so let's all hope and pray that "a safe kind of homeless" will be the end (and temporary) result.

".... and move according to the seasons from place to place in search of food, water, and grazing land."

I am sure that the definition implies that the seasons are that of Winter, Spring and so on.  However, for us this "season" is simply called Fellowship.  There was the Med School season, then the Residency season, now the Fellowship season..... to be followed by (God willing) the Finished season, or as I lovingly call it, the Job.  

So as we follow the season of Fellowship to a far off land called North Carolina, we will be in search of food (our new favorite restaurants), water (will we need to buy a Pur or is the tap water tasty?), and grazing land (this could be filled by any number of things, but for us it means: golf courses, play grounds, endocrinologists, Pharmacy, library, Whole Foods, dog parks, walking routes, pediatricians, red box spots, baby sitters, and anything else implying necessity or recreation).  

All potentially exciting things, as long as true life plays out exactly as the romantic comedy version; complete with a great soundtrack, and kooky (but safe and lovable) neighbors.

"2. A person with no fixed residence who roams about; a wanderer."

As we prepare to sell our house, I am spending every ounce of free time trolling every possible real estate website, having anything to do with a home that might be perfect for us, and available for rent beginning June 2012 and ending July 2013.  Which explains my absence from the Open Mic 4 times a week, here at Club Sugar Savvy.

Because we will be renting a house/condo/town home, (and I have rented many times before so I speak from experience) I will not feel that our space is our home.  That small fact eats away at me as I search for the perfect spot:

-3 bedroom, 2 bath, hardwood floors, fenced back yard, similar size to my current house, and a kitchen that is equal to or greater than the one where I spend a large part of my day

All that being said; we might be without a "fixed residence", and we might "roam about", but we will be unfixed and wandering together, with or without a dishwasher.

Thankfully, I know that there are other "nomadic" families in our midst.  As we await a long term dwelling place, we know we are not alone in our temporary displacement, and we look forward to sharing stories of our migrations.

When What to My Wondering Eyes...

Between our travels and our traditions it has been hard to find time to visit this place of thought logging, but today I have a small window to share a few small thoughts.

If you have had an encounter with Bug, you know that she loves to share what's on her mind.  I must admit that at times her "think out loud" thought process has driven me crazy, however at Christmas time it is quite the opposite.

She is so in awe of all things Christmas.  From the birth of Jesus, to Santa coming down the chimney.... it is all Christmas, all the time:

-Every star in the sky is "the bright star from the Heavens, Mommy!"
-She wraps up her sister in "swaddling clothes" and sings Away in a Manger to her.... With a slight lyric change: "Away in a Manger, no crib for YOUR bed"
-The blue Cinderella dress is now worn to play "Activity (nativity) Scene"... I usually have to be the shepherd.
-We write a new letter for Santa almost daily
-Daily there is a request to "ask Daddy to go buy us a chimney", in fear that Santa will skip us
-Constant.... CONSTANT caroling.... her playlist: Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Go Tell it on the Mountain, and songs she makes up as she goes along; usually on the subject of Jesus, Christmas Trees, Santa, or Mary and Joseph (sometimes all in one song) *each song ending with a big finish; which is just doing a curtsey while singing the last line of the song again very slowly.
-She wants to wear Christmas dresses every day

and my favorite
-She will look at one of us randomly and, with a huge smile, say, "Merry Christmas! I love you!" followed by a huge hug..... which Peanut usually wiggles free of.

I have been so impressed by her heart and mind these past few weeks.  Since we started talking about baby Jesus and why he came to Earth, there have been some very interesting conversations.  We have been telling her about Jesus and his birth and sacrifice since she was a tiny baby, always hoping that something would sink in.  The other day my 3 year old looked at me and said, "Mom, Jesus came to Earth as a baby and then grew up to save us from our sin."  Then she proceeded to tell me what sin was and that it makes us unhappy.  Then "Baby Jesus" came back into the room, dragging swaddling clothes behind her and Bug began to direct us all.  She sang to Peanut and spun around the room in her Cinderella/Mary dress, leaving trails of glitter and excitement with every step.

I hope you are finding the Miracle of Christmas as exciting as we are this year.  May the next few weeks be filled with joy, love, glitter, and a big finish!

Love the One You're With

In a few hours, the girls and I are headed west.  To west Texas, to be exact.

We are joining my dad's side of the family in celebrating the birth of his mother on her 90th birthday!  My aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousins' families are all gearing up for an entire weekend of celebrating.  There is never any shortage of laughter or late nights.... sometimes accompanied by dancing and dress up from Aunt Mary's closet.  We, cousins, are spread out; in age, interest, home, and profession.... but we all have one lovely lady in common.  Our Nanie/Nannie.

*I recently (last night) discovered I am THE only one to spell her name with one 'n' in the middle, but as I said last night, I have been spelling it that way for as long as I can remember.... so for the sake of simplicity, today in this post, she will be known as Nanie. (which by the way, my computer is trying to auto correct)*

My Nanie is glamourous, strong, confident, God fearing, loving, classy, comforting, smart, hilarious, beautiful, and everything I hope to be as I grow and raise a family of my own.  I can think of no better way to honor her, than to go to her home and surround her with love and togetherness.

I am a middle cousin.  If you are middle cousin, you know that you were too little to play with the big kids, but "too cool" to play with the little kids.... because you were always trying to act "cool" so the big kids would let you trade stickers with them.  Now as an adult middle cousin, have realized that I actually happen to like all of my cousins and the people that they married, even the children that have produced.  I am proud to say, I have a hard time relating to anyone with family/holiday/etc drama.

I know there are people that dread family time, but I can only value it.  Although we may not see each other often or keep up with each other very well.... we have come from the same place, we share some of the same genes, personality traits, and values, and we are family.

Have a great weekend

To see how we have been gearing up for this weekend and honoring Nanie/Nannie, look HERE.

*the lovely people in the photo are (from left to right) My Granddaddy Jimmy, Memaw, Nanie, and Granddady Thronton, at my parents' rehearsal dinner.*

NEWS: Artificial Pancreas

No original words from me today.... just some news from JDRF.  If you have donated prayer, time, efforts, or money to JDRF, you should read THIS.   I'm sure it's surprising to some of you that all the "gear" in the picture is exciting..... "Yes, I would love to add more 'gear' to my 3 year old's body!".... but it's the simple truth: It's a STEP in the right direction.

Hope you are having a great week!

Traditionally Speaking

Happy (almost) December!  I love December.  We get to partake in all things Christmas, there is a huge break from "regular" life at the end of the month, and the cold temperatures are new on the scene so they  haven't yet driven me to the point of insanity and sweat suits.

This year, our little family is embarking on a very busy, but adventurous December.  Upon returning from a celebration of thankfulness in Texas, my husband reminded me that "we are putting our house on the market in January, and I would like to put a lot of stuff in storage before we show it."  I replied with a simple, "that sounds great!  It will be good to get some clutter and stuff out of the house."

And then he "sprung it on me" that January is next month!  I am a relatively organized person and I LOVE to get rid of things we do not use.  However, our family of 4 and an animal as acquired quite a lot of stuff, clothes, toys, tools, decorations, and MANY other nick knacks that have suddenly started to drive me crazy.  This is even after selling $700 worth of stuff in a garage sale over the Summer!  Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me in this department.

In other news: We will be traveling to my parents' home town to celebrate my grandmother on her 90th birthday with "all the family" as Bug says.  There will be more on this next week, as the birthday party weekend approaches.

December also brings about one of my most favorite words: tradition.  If something happens once, and I enjoyed the happenings; it is likely that I will declare it to be a new tradition.... and I may or may not suggest that we should make a t-shirt or a Styrofoam cup to celebrate it.

Now that I am a parent I have assumed the role of tradition keeper and maker.  Whether it is a tradition from my family or my husbands, I want to keep it and pass it and make it specific to our family.  Here are a few that my husband and I have absorbed from our upbringings:

*some are celebrated solely with one side of the family*

Santa: talking about him, writing him a letter, not idolizing him, but enjoying the tradition of the idea
Chinese food on Christmas Eve
Tamales on Christmas Eve.... real tamales, not greasy or crumbly... only goodness.
Those little poppers with the paper crown and the toy inside (ringing any bells??) at the place setting at Christmas Eve dinner
The decorations are always the same.... as they should be
Runny noses
Christmas tree decorating the day after Thanksgiving
Champagne with frozen peaches at some point surrounding Christmas Day and presents
Stuffing stockings.... to the point of overflow
Nativity scenes
Watching each person as they open their gift, one at a time
The father of the youngest child reading The Night Before Christmas to all the kids on Christmas Eve
Huge big brunch after opening presents
Going to a movie on Christmas Day
Kids racing into the living room to see the Santa gifts
Looking at other people's Christmas lights
Watching White Christmas
Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus
Christmas Eve church service as a family
Leaving cookies and milk for Santa
Christmas pajamas
Advent

There are many more that occur throughout the month, but those are the few that mostly surround the actual day of December 25th.

Now that I have my own family, I have started to implement a few of my own traditions.

Tomorrow we begin a new tradition.  (I realize that sentence does not make sense.... but hopefully the action we are beginning tomorrow will become a tradition.... get the idea?)  Over the past couple of months I have gathered children's books on the subject of Christmas; from my parents' house, from our own bookshelves, and with a little help from Amazon to finish out the collection.  We now have 25 books, (poorly) wrapped in (cheap) Christmas wrapping paper, ready to be traditionalized.

Every night after the dinner/bath time dance the girls will get to pick one book from the basket, and then we will read it all together before bed.  I know there will be nights that it doesn't all work picture perfectly as I have made it sound, but that's life with toddlers.... expectations are minimal, but excitement is necessary.

A few of the other things we have started....

Making a gingerbread house (but at our house, "none of that stuff actually tastes good.... it's like all the play food in the kitchen in your room: not for eating, just for playing")
The wreath on our front door.... that we made with the big bulbed colored lights... (think J.Crew Holiday catalog cover: 2007.... you are remembering it now.....)
Sprinkling "Reindeer food" (glitter and bird seed) in the yard on Christmas Eve
and
Elf on a Shelf.... our Elf is named Glitter and he gets a daily report on how "I was so nice to my friends at school today, Glitter!"  and "Look, Glitter, I'm showing my sister love!"... in hopes that St. Nicholas will hear of her niceties in Glitter's nightly report.

I'm certain, and hopeful, that many more traditions will develop as our family grows..... as long as we don't start participating in that strange "jump in the icy water and swim in there" tradition.  I will steer us more in the warm and safe direction.

Happy December Eve!

Be Thankful, You Turkey!

I figured I would join the masses of people in social networking world and air my thankfulness. Straight to business.

I am thankful for my husband.
Saturday was my husband's 30th birthday and we celebrated in a big way. Four of my friends and I planned this party for our husbands who have been friends for about 10 years (15 for a few of them). We had a big time with tons of friends and family and my feet have finally recovered from the 7 hours of fabulous shoes I wore that night. It was the greatest birthday present I could have given, the husband, daddy, provider, protector, leader, and comedian our little family has come to know and love.

I am thankful for perspective.
Last week I helped plan an event for about 250 women in my Bible study. Our guest speaker is Mother to 19 children and has the 20th on the way. I've been thinking about her all week as little frustrations pop up..... Laundry, meal times, grocery shopping. I was frustrated as I folded laundry yesterday and remembered, "she does this for 20 people every week, there are only 4 of us, one of which wears scrubs every day.... I think I can handle this."

I am thankful for Joy at the appointment desk.
Last week amongst the craziness of event planning, I managed to schedule 2 doctor appointments and a dentist appointment. It should come as no surprise that I missed my dentist appointment all together, and then remembered Bug's endocrine appointment 5 minutes AFTER it started. I was very thankful for Joy, the receptionist at "appointments". She laughed at my excuse...."Joy! Hi. My daughter had an appointment 5 minutes ago, but she won't be there because she is currently enjoying circle time and centers.". After a few minutes of small talk, we had an appointment for the next morning. All went well, as Bug amazed me with her poise, watching Ronald from the lab draw blood from her tiny arm, sticking her with a huge needle and filling two big tubes. She sat as still as a statue and took deep breaths. When it was over she reminded us that she was brave ("I am so brave Mommy.") and ready to get stickers and leave. When we left she requested new lip gloss and chick fill a, and life was good again.

I am thankful for my eaters.
Bug and Peanut love to eat. There is not much that Bug will turn down and I have to go to the grocery 3 times a week to keep us in fruit for Peanut. I have the hardest time grocery shopping with them because as soon as I pick something up to put it in the cart they both want to eat it right away. Great problem to have, but I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Hide the bananas!

I am thankful for 2 a.m.
We check Bug's blood sugar every night at 2 a.m. I have grown strangely fond of this ritual. It eases my mind to know what her numbers are and to see her soundly sleeping in her bed. My husband and I have also had some great conversations surrounding the 2 o'clock hour.
Me: "my alarm went off, it's your turn to do blood sugar."
Husband: "yeah, I got it. I'm up."
10 minutes pass......
Me: "are you getting up? Blood sugar?"
H: "I am UP! I got it!"
10 minutes.........
Me: "ok....are you going to check sugar or not?..."
H: "I'll do it! Just get me some BLOOD!"

Very convincing and very much still asleep, he didn't remember that exchange the next day.


Lastly, I am thankful for my big huge vehicle.
We are loading up the car in the (early) morning with kids, dog, adults, and stuff and going to spend the holiday with my family in Texas. I had my first "we are moving to a different state in 6 months" meltdown last night, so concentrated family togetherness could not come at a better time! We are runny nose free and ready to be thankful.

Now off to be thankful for a Disney movie, so I can pack and clean this house before thanksgiving travels 2011!