what mommy in the midwest is thankful for

Posted on November 22, 2011 by mommyinthemidwest

Today’s Toddle Along Tuesday topic: What are you thankful for?

That sounds easy enough, sure. But when I think about how lucky I am and how the story of my life is unfolding before me, what am I not thankful for?

First things first, I’m thankful for my little family. My husband and our two perfect babies. It isn’t always easy, but no one ever said it would be. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love those three dudes more than I could ever express in words.

I’m thankful for our families. Without my mother, sister, and late father…without my in-laws, we would not be who we are and would not have had the chance to create this little life of our own. My mom and sister have been my role models for motherhood. I’m thankful for their love and support. That sounds like a cliche, love and support, but what else can you call it? I don’t know what I would do without my in-laws. They have helped us out in a pinch more times than I can count.

I’m super thankful for my health, and that of my family and friends. Again, that sounds really cheesy and obvious, but almost every day I hear or read about a very sick child. A very sick parent with young children. Someone who was perfectly healthy but died or nearly died in a car accident. I’m thankful for this day, for this right now, because there might not be another one.

I’m thankful for the friends that I have who have been patient with me. These last two years have been a whirlwind and I haven’t been the friend I want to be. But I know which ones I can still count on to be there in a heartbeat when I need them, because they’ve stuck around for years and years and never given up on me yet. And I love them so much for that. They know who they are, too. With that, I’m so thankful for the newer friends, my mommy friends, that I can bond with over the joys and pains of raising little ones. I’d be lost without having them to lean on.

I’m so thankful that my husband and I have maintained good, steady jobs throughout all of this economic instability. I’m thankful for my health insurance and the peace of mind I have, knowing if something catastrophic does happen – we’ll be okay.

I could go on for days like this, I swear. Here’s the materialistic side of me…

I’m thankful for: my cell phone…fleece pajama pants…McDonald’s sweet tea…Vince Vance and the Valiants…the occasional pedicure…amazon.com…my camera…my wedding rings…cheesy potatoes…vacations…etc etc etc!

And FINALLY, I’m so thankful that Sarah at It’s A Vol chose me for one of the recipients of the Kreativ Blogger award – wow, I feel honored. I’ve never been on the receiving end of such a nice bloggy gift. And you know what she said about me? I’ll tell you:

8) Mommy in the Midwest because ~C~’s smile is infectious even over the internet, not to mention she is mommy to two of the cutest little boys I’ve seen!

How sweet is that, right? Thanks Sarah!

I know I still need to update on some of the craziness that has been going on. Within minutes of posting yesterday that Theo was bit by a dog and an impending surgery was looming (for Dexter), I had calls, texts, emails, and facebook chats. I guess next time I need to wait to announce such things until I am ready to explain! But to everyone who was concerned, thank you for checking in and thank you for reading. Feeling especially THANKFUL for you all today.

xoxo,
~C~

hopes. dreams.

Posted on November 1, 2011 by mommyinthemidwest

When I saw that the topic for Toddle Along Tuesday was “hopes and dreams for your children” this week, I took a deep breath. Seems like such a loaded question. Where do you begin? Where do you stop? I had to think about it. I wanted to keep it simple.

~~~~~~

I hope they know they are loved. Not just “hey, love ya man” loved, but that there is a deep love emblazoned on my heart that will never fade. I hope they know that they were created and born out of love. I hope they feel that they were raised in a loving home and I dream of them recreating that same thing with families of their own. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a mama, it’s this: Family matters more than anything. Family is everything.

I hope they have true friends. Because I do believe that friends are the family we choose. I can’t imagine my life without the exact people that have been placed in it. I hope they know that they can always come to me for love and support. But if they can’t because I’m not around, I hope they have a wonderful circle of friends that they love like family.

I dream of them being the very best of friends to each other. To think of them not speaking breaks my heart. To think of them not delighting in one another’s children someday makes my stomach hurt. I hope that their closeness in age translates into closeness throughout their lives. I hope that one another’s families are as important to them as their own.

I sometimes catch myself dreaming of them being this or doing that, but none of that matters. I will love them to the bottom of my heart, regardless of what they do. I hope they are kind and compassionate and considerate. I hope they are responsible. Throughout their lives, I hope people say “he’s a great kid,” “he’s a nice guy,” “he’s a wonderful man,” “he’s a devoted husband,” “he’s a loving father,” and most of all, “he’s just like his dad.” That will make me as proud as anything they could ever achieve.

I just hope they’re happy and fulfilled at the end of the day. Satisfied with where their path has led them in life. I hope that’s not too much to ask.

~C~

toddle along tuesday #3 – milestones

Posted on October 25, 2011 by mommyinthemidwest

Whew. It was a rough week, guys. You know how I posted those super-adorable (okay, I thought so) pics of my super-adorable (no, they really are – swear) babes at the Children’s Museum last week? Ha. Yeah, I thought we had a good time. Joke’s on me. Me and Theo got so sick with the most disgusting stomach bug ever. I haven’t been that sick in years. I have been to bed before 9pm every night since last Wednesday. I think I’m better now, so it’s time for another post and link-up to Toddle Along Tuesday.

Conveniently, the theme this week is milestones…how about that? Because, I’ve been wondering when Theo would get sick with a bug that made him puke real puke. Not baby spit up. Not gagging on dinner. I’m talking partially digested, disgusting-smelling, grown-up chunky puke. Sorry for the visual, but it happened last week. So gross. Give me poop all day long, I can deal with poop. But puke? No sir-ee. I’m out the door when the puke starts splattering on the floor.

Let’s talk about more pleasant things, shall we?

Theo at 19 months is:

*a picky eater…well, not exactly. There’s lots of things that he likes but he’s picky about what he eats when. I never know if he is going to love or hate spaghetti, pineapple, or green beans. One thing he always eats – goldfish crackers. The boy might be able to live on goldfish crackers and white milk alone. We don’t let him have flavored milk or other sugary drinks on a regular basis. Water or milk it is, except for the occasional pull off of one of our drinks just for a treat.

*a good sleeper. He sleeps from about 7:30 or 8pm until about 7am. No complaints there. If I were going to complain though, it would be about his naps at home. He usually takes a 3 hour nap at the babysitter, sometimes 4. He NEVER does that at home. We’re good to get 1 two hour nap out of him on the weekends. Considering his nighttime sleep though … not complaining.

*a train, truck, and tractor lover. His latest craze is Chuggington, the little cartoon about trains on Disney Junior. We do limit the amount of television that he watches, but it’s just so darn cute to see him get all excited about his little show. “Chun-ton!”

*a great talker. His vocabulary is expanding so quickly. He is so cute in his mannerisms sometimes. He’ll stand at the bookshelf, scanning for a favorite book, saying “hmmm…” as he searches with his eyes. Yesterday I was in the bathroom drying my hair, fretting my ghastly appearance and wardrobe selection. I say to my husband “honey, this year for Christmas, I’m requiring all new clothing and beauty treatments.” I didn’t realize that Theo was standing in the doorway watching me, but he says “okay,” then turns around and walks away. He’s so silly. He’s stringing 2-4 word phrases together starting off with “I want…” or “I’m gonna…” Every day, he says something I’ve never heard him say before.

*easier to manage. He’s a little more trust-worthy now. A little, I say, because he is more aware of his own safety. For example, he was lying on the couch the other night. A couple weeks or a month ago, he had no regard for the possibility of falling off of the couch or hurting himself. We normally have the ottoman pushed up to the couch but on that day, we didn’t. His arm was dangling down between the couch and the ottoman and he said “fall,” as if he were telling himself not to. I like how he can tell us “milkies” or “water” – he’s showing some preferences and it’s nice that he can finally specify what he wants at times.

~~~~~

Dexter at 5 months is:

*starting to eat baby foods. So far he’s had baby oatmeal, bananas, and peas. Peas have been his least favorite, but he still ate them. He’s slow. He’s messy. He’s getting the hang of it. It’s weird – I feel anxious about how we will ever get him from this stage to eating all the same things we do, like we did with Theo. I’ve done it before – not so long ago – so I’m not sure why it’s overwhelming again. With Theo it was a very natural progression and I’m sure it will go that way with Dexter too. But for some reason, it’s like I totally forgot what to do.

*a crappy sleeper. He wakes up multiple times through the night (most nights) and does not have a set nap schedule yet. Most days he doesn’t want to nap in his bed and ends up sleeping in the swing at some point. That was something else that stressed me out with Theo, but guess what? Theo eventually outgrew the swing and that was no longer an option. And I don’t remember it being traumatic. So we’re just dealing with it one day at a time. And Dexter, dear sweet Dexter, wakes up for good at 5:50 every.single.day. Ugh.

*obsessed with television. We literally have to turn it off sometimes because I don’t want him to be a t.v. zombie. If it’s on, he will break his neck trying to watch it. He loves playing with his little crinkly toys. He will play with just about anything you put in front of him.

*such a happy baby. He’s an easy smiler – everyone always comments on how easy it is to get him to smile. I love that about my baby Dexter. He babbles and coos and has the sweetest tone to his little voice.

*trying hard to sit up on his own. He has great neck, head, and back control, but just needs a little more balance to be able to sit up independently. He can last for quite a while if I sit him on the floor or couch with the boppy around him. He LOVES playing with his toes right now – I love this stage.

*still toothless.

~C~