Just a mom
Posted by happygrl6
Just a mom. I heard that today. For the first time. Ironically, it came on a day when I was doing anything BUT eating bon-bons and surfing the internet while my daughter sat on the couch, eating chips & watching mindless TV. My day started with a frantic call from a dear friend who had just received word that her DH (in Iraq) had been injured. We spent the better part of an hour talking & praying. I then got DD & I ready to head to base where I went to the hospital so I could finish my Red Cross volunteer paperwork & get my hospital badge. Then off to a mom’s group where I talked mostly with a pregnant mama about the importance of being confident in you and your body’s ability to give birth. A couple hours there then came home to work on the website for my <a href=”http://mom-2-mom.org”>Mom-2-Mom</a> group, call a friend to do a publication interview about keeping your sense of humor as a military wife (a.k.a. not losing your mind when the army keeps your stuff in Germany for 8 months while keeping you in the States), call friend #1 to ask about her husband and e-mail another friend on my perspective of DH joining the military “late” in life. The evening was spent at a presentation for the local birth network and in prayer over friend’s DH. Amidst all the other things that occupy my day. Not a typical day but not so untypical either.
My life isn’t what I planned. I always knew I’d be a mother. Being a wife isn’t something I seriously considered either way. But I didn’t plan to be a SAHM. Nor did I plan to be a military wife. I wanted to live in a big city, work in a museum’s education dept, raise my kids, blah, blah, blah. Or some other variation that in no way resembles what would actually happen. Fast forward a few years. I’m working on resumes to send to a few museums in Chicago and we’re looking at homes to buy. And then it all changes. Soon enough, I’m on the other side of the country, my husband gets out of the car to hug & kiss me and our newborn babe and then he’s off to Iraq.
Until that night, I was planning to go back to work when DD was a few months older. As we snuggled on the couch that night, clinging to each other, I couldn’t imagine leaving her in day care when she was already “down” one parent. A parent I wasn’t sure would be returning alive.
I’ll take the mundane tasks of almond-butter sandwiches, puzzles, incessant writing of words for DD and laundry. Buckling sandals, trips to the potty, doing the Hokey Pokey 10 times a day, pouring yet another glass of water. Seeing DD’s delight as the cookies bake, watching her concentrate when putting away the silverware being careful to put each piece just so in the drawer, the wide-eyes when she finds Jack (one of her babies) during hide-n-seek, the delightful glees as she runs outside. Pulling out my hair as she asks to hear ‘Its Potty Time, Ernie’ again, putting her new puzzle together again and spending my day conversing with no other adults. Grocery shopping with a 2.5 yo, the meltdowns only a 2yo can grasp, the insane noise of a McDonald’s Playplace. Listening to DD pray before bed, hearing ‘me love you’ and getting covered in hugs.
Glamorous it isn’t but amazing it will always be.
Kids & Bedrooms
Posted by happygrl6
This morning I went to an event at a friend’s church. Very “proper” group of ladies, very stereotypical “old money”-type of Southern ladies. It was a nice event and nice ladies. But I was taken aback by a conversation after the evident. A group were discussing our kids and my friend made a comment about something her DD said to her as she (my friend) was getting ready that morning. The rest of the group gave her a “what???!” look. They couldn’t believe my friend let her DD into her bedroom. This group of ladies firmly believe that children should NEVER enter their parents’ bedroom under any circumstance but life/death. My friend & I were rather shocked that they were so shocked.
Even taking out the times DD has slept in our room, she’s probably in there daily–while I’m getting ready, when I run upstairs to our bedroom to put away laundry, to wash her hands (that is the only sink where she can reach the cold handle), looking for the kitties, etc. It doesn’t matter to us. Growing up, I clearly remember being in my parents’ room often–to talk to them while they were in there, an alternate place to watch TV, etc. Ditto to the friend I was with.
Is this a common belief??? Are we really that strange for actually allowing DD in there? One argument that was put up was the bedroom was where parents have sex, so kids shouldn’t be in there. I’d agree if those two events were happening simultaneously but that wasn’t the argument (I asked!). Does that mean they shouldn’t be allowed anywhere else in the house that parents have sex? Or is the bedroom the only “respectable” place to have it?!?!
Checking In
Posted by happygrl6
Its been much too long since I’ve written! I just can’t seem to get myself together lately. I feel like I’m going non-stop but yet I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing. Sadly, I don’t even have much to report!!
Jim is in his last week of school #2. One more school and then he can officially serve as an officer. I think #3 ends in July. At that point he can also be called out of his other schools if a unit needs him to serve. We’ve been blessed that we’ve had him home almost two years but the closer we get to the end of schooling, the closer his next trip to Iraq.
My step-dad is doing well. He hopes to return to work next week. He starts chemo April 6 (what a great Good Friday, eh) and will have it weekly. He’ll also be doing radiation but I’m not sure the schedule on it. He’s finally able to keep food in his stomach, so I think that has done a great deal in helping him feel better. He’s barely been able to keep anything in since October. He’s been losing 5-15 lbs a week! The doctors would like him to lose more weight but are hoping his body slows it down to a more reasonable rate!! As my mom said, that rate of loss would be pretty good under normal circumstances.
<mom brag> Elizabeth recently got her first jigsaw puzzle. She has loved puzzles since she was about a year old and has mastered all the wooden puzzles I’ve given her. So I thought I’d give her a 24 piece jigsaw and that would keep her going for awhile. Wrong. She has it almost mastered! So we got another new one today. The 24 piece are for 3+! With her love of puzzles, legos, taking things apart/putting them back together, Jim swears she’s going to be an engineer.</mom brag>
We put Windows Vista on our computer this weekend. I really like it so far. When Jim reformatted the computer, though, he forgot to copy some of the things I asked so I’ve spent the last few days recreating some impt. documents. Men.
<mama moment> I took E to Kohl’s yesterday to look for some summer clothes and a couple dresses. We went to the dressing rooms to try the dresses on. She was facing the three-way mirror and when I put the first dress on and looked at her reflection in the mirror, I started crying. She looked SO grown up. The dress really flatters her build and the colors looked good. My little girl is SO big!! *sigh* She loves that dress and has worn it yesterday and today. And we’ve gotten SO many compliments on it! (And it was just $11! ) Suddenly she seems SO big. I am loving this age. But where in the world did my itty bitty baby go??</mama moment>
G-E-N-I-U-S!
Posted by happygrl6
This guy is a genius. And maybe a bit (!!) off his rocker. I read this yesterday and I’m still chuckling today. “But I don’t think his wife was too pleased.” Gee, you think?! LOL
I think I’m going to print this off and mail it to Jim as a “warning” to keep on my good side. 
I’m Hip, I’m Cool, Part Deux
Posted by happygrl6
As you may recall in part one of this series (HA!) I talked about moving up in the hip/cool world. Well, I’ve (oops!) done it again (wasn’t that the name of a song?? as I fully admit, I’m not FULLY hip/cool, just working my way there! ) I was browsing on myspace (again) and found an old classmate that I’ve tried numerous ways to get in touch with and could never find him. I did last night but, in order to send a message, I had to register. So I registered but planned to NOT create a page. That didn’t last. So I did it. My page is here. I need lots of friends on it now, though, so I don’t like like such a dork. LOL