This has been a stressful week. On Monday afternoon, I took R & C to the doctor ALL BY MYSELF. We were there from 2:45 to 5:15-Pat showed up at 4:00 thank the heavens. We were STILL in the waiting room. The waiting room was very crowded with lots of sick kids. Thank goodness they were both in good moods because they weren't hard to manage. We found out that Ryan is FINALLY negative for strep-yeah. Hopefully this will be it. Either way, we will still take her to Children's to the ENT in March. Charley didn't gain enough weight again. She had done much better two weeks ago and we thought her reflux was better with Prevacid, but apparently not. I've been pretty upset and nervous about it. Dr. Moody says not to worry and that we just need to watch it. We are starting her on human milk fortifier which adds 4 calories to each ounce of milk. The exciting part is that it costs $300 for 100 ounces. That's $3 an ounce and $12 for a 4 ounce bottle. That's one expensive drink! But, of course we'll do it happily if it helps Charley. The doctor's appointment went so long I missed my every other week appointment with Deanda. After missing Bible Study on Sunday night, I needed it.
Tuesday was a a crazy day....we had an appointment with the lawyer to sign our wills (wanted to do that before Arizona next week) and the accountant to go over our taxes. Gin Gin agreed to keep R & C at Nana's so we could do these things in peace. Ryan had a different idea. We got to Nana's in time to get everything organized and set up and Ryan had a medium to large fit and we didn't have time to deal with it so we just took her with us. Somewhere along the way she lost one of her socks. She then refused to wear shoes and socks. She also refused to wear a hair clip. So, we take her into professional offices barefoot with wild hair and static electricity that made her look like she had been electricuted. It's funny after the fact but at the time it was very, very frustrating. Ryan was extra clingy with me and sat in my lap at the accountant's office and was closing my file folder every time I opened it to get out a paper to give to the accountant.
We got home and she had a dirty diaper and didn't want me to change it. Normally I wait until it bothers her but it was nap time. So, I had to carry her kicking and screaming and physically restrain her as she tried to wiggle worm away from me. She was very mad and did not want to read books. She got into her bed and wanted me to sit in the rocking chair like we always do before naptime. She screamed and cried for 20 minutes or so. I kept saying to myself "God's grace is sufficient." I was obviously insufficient and this seemed to help me. She woke up in a great mood and had a decent rest of the day. I was worried about Charley's eating so I was nursing her in bed because that is where she seems to spit up the least. Therefore, I couldn't entertain Ryan and she got to watch Dora all afternoon. That night Gin Gin and Bubby kept R & C while Pat and I went to the Mardi Gras dinner at church-I really didn't want to leave R & C but knew I probably should. Pat told Susan that I had been stressed and I got teared up and we had to change the conversation. Obviously my emotions are right at the surface.
Wednesday was a 10-hour work day. The work day went fine. It's getting easier to be back and almost a relief. Wednesday's are when Pat works till 7:00 and every other week the cleaning people come. Well, the house wasn't adequately picked up (although I had picked many things up in preparation) and I forgot to tell Joe Ann they were coming. So, they called me to see if I had remembered. Because I was so frazzled when they called because of a sledgehammer in the background (I was at the pharmacy checking on the human milk fortefier) I just told them to come back Friday. I also forgot to see if someone could keep R & C from 5-6 (Joe Ann gets off at 5). She normally can help out in a pinch but she had other plans. Gin Gin agreed to come help for an hour. I got home early (5:30) and Bubby came by and stayed until about 6:00. He helped with R's dinner. I thought putting R in the bathtub would be an easy way to contain the situation. It was....I gave her a bath while Charley sat in her bouncy seat. Then, Ryan played with her bath crayons while I gave Charley a bath and got her dressed. I put Charley back in her seat and got Ryan out, dried off, and dressed. Then, we all went upstairs and Charley sat in her other seat while I dried Ryan's hair and brushed her teeth. We had books read by the time Daddy got home just in time to tell Ryan her nighttime story about "Princess Ryan". Daddy asks her who she wants to be in the story and she will say something like "Nana and Papa" or "Gin Gin and Bubby." This night she wanted Katee (her babysitter that she wouldn't play with Sunday). I thought I had really accomplished something major-but didn't take credit because again I think God had something to do with their good moods that allowed the night to be so smooth. Then, things took a turn. Ryan WOULD NOT go to sleep. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Pat's new routine is to stand in the hall/bathroom outside her room with the light on until she falls asleep (she used to be able to fall asleep on her own until the last couple of weeks). She kept sitting up saying "I see you" with a cute smile. I made his plate for dinner and he ate it in the bathroom. Eventually he got in bed with her because it was nearing 9:00 (this started at 7:00). When he got in bed she smiled big, said "Daddy" and squeezed his face. It was not like Pat to give in being the behavioral psychologist that he is. He knows he will pay for that one but at the time it was the best he could do. After working 12 hours and eating dinner in a trashed bathroom with a neurotic wife on the loose, one will do anything to make life easier, even if only in the short-run. Ryan's cuteness make all of the hassles totally worth it. I was thinking about parenting teenagers and the fact that they don't do things that make them lovable sometimes-you have to parent through hard times with no immediate "cute" payoffs. It may be years before you see the payoff. I already pray for R & C and their teenage years. I hope we can teach them how much God loves them and wants to do for them. I hope we can teach them to be secure in themselves and that they are OK just the way they are so that they don't get into trouble trying to figure out life. Scary just thinking about it. But, I trust that God will give us direction if we just ask and especially listen.
Today has been another one of my work days. I'm excited to get home and see R & C. Charley has her 3 month pictures tomorrow. We are taking Ryan with us so that might be chaotic. I'm debating whether to take Charley to get weighed in the morning or wait until Monday. I'm anxious to know if she's doing better with her weight. I know God is in control and I trust that she will be right where she should be. He's done so much for me in my life that I am crazy to not trust him 100%-but, we all know I'm crazy. I'm working on more trust and parenting gives me many opportunities to practice that.
So, that's it for now.....
KK
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