A real update

I tell you what-the days get away from me! People used to ask when I had time to blog with my kids still (obviously) at home and I'd explain my windows of time. Lately I feel like those are gone-Joy is not exactly the sit and watch type like Charlie was at this age and I love it but it's cutting into my personal time.

Ha ha. But I'm kind of being serious.

Motherhood is my job like it is most of yours so when someone needs me I leave the computer, even if it's an appointed blogging time. For the last few months the lack of time issue has gotten worse and honestly I fought it. I'd feel frustrated when Joy didn't nap more than an hour, (which is pretty normal now for her, especially in the morning,) and I'd only have about 15 minutes of shared nap time to write and read other blogs. It's such a breath of outside-my-house-and-myself fresh air that I have no intention of giving it up. Reading about other people and what they're dealing with and learning gives me such joy. I'm an extrovert. I love people and feel isolated if I'm not around people pretty often during the day. On days when the kids don't have activities or I don't have obligations I'll write during nap time, their bedtime, and then if they are consumed in an activity a little in-between. Snippets of time here and there don't always add up to a streamlined, entertaining post but I appreciate that y'all don't care. I'm always refreshed after sharing what I am learning and hearing the same from you. What God is doing in your home, what you are realizing about this job He's given you, funny stories about the stunts your kids have pulled, you know, the real stuff. We are connected in ways that only He could orchestrate and I love that.

Anyway.

This weekend was fairly uneventful. We learned updates about a few of the things that went on during the week last week. Owen, my newest nephew, is doing great. He was born with a condition called imperforate anus which was not detectable before birth. We got the call that Leslie's water broke then waited and waited to hear from them and prayed that all was okay. When we got word that Leslie was fine, (I felt pretty confident in her being okay because she uses my same OB and I love him and you have heard me rave about him,) we were worried about the baby. We were relieved to find out that his condition is treatable and since that surgery the evening that he was born, he has been doing really well. He is expected to have another surgery when he reaches a certain weight so I'd love it if y'all would continue to pray for his growth. He weighed right over 7 pounds and they want him to double in weight before the next surgery. His care will be easier on his parents once the second surgery is performed. Grow baby grow!!

As far as we can tell, we are still going to Florida and I'm asking people I don't even know to pray for me since there's the whole traveling thing and the whole method of traveling thing and the whole flying is now our method of flying thing. I'm nervous. I need meds. I haven't even begun to get nervous about remembering to pack everything because I'm so focused on the flying part. Ty and Charlie will probably love it and I'll be crying. It's a sad case, y'all. I am a sad case. I am very excited about the trip in my own special way.

Charlie and Joy are now separated again because I learned that Charlie is cutting her last two molars. I thought she had them all, (what kind of mother am I that I can't tell,) but after weeks of her not acting like herself I took her to the doctor and found out that she had a reason for acting whiny/clingy/waking up screaming periodically during the night. Bless her heart. Since Joy is teething too, (hers is so much more obvious because the teeth are right in front! I'm not a dentist!) she wakes up during the night crying so they just kept waking each other up and then when I went in to help the one crying, the other one got her feelings hurt when I'd leave her in there. It was a bad cycle of little girls crying and me feeling guilty. So I did what I would normally do in the situation: whatever made things easier. I moved Joy back to her pre-roommate room. They both miss the roommate situation. Joy goes over to her crib in Charlie's room and hangs on it when I put Charlie to bed. Charlie says, "Bay Joy go nigh night over der..." but for now I think they're both getting more sleep the way it is.

Ty has school for a few more weeks and I'm seriously starting to wonder what we will do all day once it is over. He loves school and does really well on school days. He looks forward to it and his little friends are well, his friends. He will miss them and his teachers over the Summer and I'll miss knowing that he is using his brain in ways that I don't know how to imitate at home. He has learned so much and I don't want to cut him short because I'm not equipped with all of the things they have at school. I know it's silly since I'm his mother but I'm not as creative as I once thought I was so I'm envisioning him going back to school in the Fall and his teacher going, "What did you actually DO all Summer? He has made no progress!"

It's the insecurity from student teaching coming back to haunt me. My mentor teacher was precious and Godly and a veteran teacher. She was wonderful to me and I kid you not looked at me during "full responsibility" and said, "You were not cut out to be a teacher." I died laughing because I was praying I could do something other than teach once I graduated because it was so hard for me. I hated that I had to teach the kids stuff when I just wanted to talk to them all day. I felt responsible for doing the impossible-teaching them something-when I felt like it was more important that they were enjoying themselves and being obedient and learning how to be little people. My mentor teacher was instrumental in helping me pursue counseling. It fit my personality and my desires and strengths. Teaching, to me, really only highlighted my weaknesses. Emmy got all of the teaching gifts when God was handing them out.

Teachers out there, I am so on board with helping you from a far and supporting you and asking for you to get paid more than you do. I'll even substitute for you when you're sick. Just don't ask me to do your job. I'm terrible at it.

The end.