The 10 truths as I know them...

The past two weeks have flown by since the last post - not surprising considering the pace at which life moves for a person in my stage of life.  Can I get an Amen from my fellow mommies balancing laundry, dishes, kids, bills, and more all before we even start work at 8am!!!  I have to say however that it has been a good March and I have gained some wisdom and landed on a few truths worth sharing with the readers. 

So, the moment you have all been waiting for...

THE TEN TRUTHS ACCORDING TO ME!!!

1) Girl Scout Cookies are dangerous.  Seriously.  And I don't mean dangerous like that green bean my daughter left on the floor for me to step on and potentially roll my ankle.  I mean dangerous like pringles, cause once you pop, you absolutely cannot stop!  I order a few boxes every year and tell myself I am doing good for the community, it's a fundraiser after all.  Let's face reality folks - it's purely selfish.  During the phase of my life that I call BC (Before Children and the wicked sweet tooth that developed during pregnancy), I used to savor each individual cookie only taking one bite at a time so that one cookie would last me an entire day.  What a waste.  Perspective has taught me that there is nothing wrong with sitting down with a good sleeve of Do-si-dos and making it count. So here's to next year's cookie batch - the sun has already set on our supply.

3) Bright pink nails really do make you happier.  It's true, trust me.  Gotta love the first manicure of the season.

2) Alex survived his first week at daycare!  It was touch and go there for a while (for me, not him).  I never allowed myself to call and check on him because I knew it would be the kiss of death if I heard him crying.  I would have driven straight to that school, sprinted to his room while pushing little kids out of the way, and swooped in like a seagull catching a fish in the ocean.  I have never been so productive at work as I was that first day I dropped my sweet Alex off at school to be cared for by a complete stranger (nose to the grindstone makes the time go by faster than nervously watching the clock while you bite off your beautifully manicured fingernails).  At the end of the week he came home with his first piece of artwork - I was a puddle.  Note that his teachers call him "The Great Alex Elliott" - love, love, love that.

4) Chemotherapy sucks.  Also true, trust me.  I lived the first 31 years of my life blissfully unaware of all the horrible things that other people went through in their lives and unaware of just how lucky my family was.  Now that it's happening to me and my family, it really sucks.  Cancer is the diagnosis but the treatment is one of the hardest parts and I hate seeing the people I love in pain, physical or emotional.  I want nothing more than to take the pain away, but I can't.  So, this is me giving a BIG shout out of support to two of the strongest ladies I know, Mary Brown and Beth Caracciolo.  You are role models we should all strive to emulate. 

5) I married Jay Pritchett from Modern Family.  First of all, if you don't watch Modern Family, you should run - don't walk - to your computer and download it from itunes.  Watching an episode last week, it dawned on Justin and I that he is Jay.  He likes to keep things as simple as possible and not unnecessarily complicate matters with silly things like "talking." He's got amazing one-liners, also like Jay.  He loves his family first and foremost and he will do anything for them.  And most importantly, he married up (hehehe).  Google Gloria Pritchett if you have no idea who I am talking about.

6) Amazon Prime is so worth it.  Do yourself a favor and spend $79/year on an Amazon Prime subscription.  Anything in the world (almost) you might want, delivered to your door in 48 hours or less - FOR FREE!  We did 98% of our Christmas shopping on Amazon due to this subscription (we don't dare take 3 kids into a store at the same time).  When the twins first came home, we bought formula, diapers, anything you might need to keep two babies at the same time happy, all with our Amazon Prime account.  We pulled an order report for 2011 and we placed 76 orders in one year - that's getting it done!!!  And we paid zero dollars in shipping.  Love.

Speaking of two babies at the same time, my favorite picture of the twins of all time...


6 weeks old, Thanksgiving week 2010

 7) Mommy Support groups are good for me.  I recently was invited to join a group of about 10 mom's on their monthly outings.  The unique thing about this mommy group?  Every member has a child with Cerebral Palsy.  I am going to my first outing next Friday at Maggianos and I am excited - no kiddos and a glass of wine, perfect!  More importantly, I am excited about being with a group who understands.  I have so many mommy friends of typical children and I am thankful for each and everyone of them and the constant support and love they give me on a daily basis.  I am also thankful that they don't have to walk the path I am walking, it will be nice to bounce ideas off ladies who have walked the path before me. 

8)  My family is wonderful and would do anything for me.  Not a new revelation but one that is weighing heavily on my mind lately.  I have a circle of supporters who want the best for me and my kids and would do anything to help me achieve my goals.  My mother in law Mary (Mimi) is wonderful and thinks the world of Alex.  Horse therapy is a common treatment for children with Alex's challenges and Mimi just happens to live on a farm - with horses.  Lucky me.  Lucky Alex. 

9)  I love Japanese steakhouses.  It's true, always have.  I love the oohs and ahhs and fire and my own personal dipping sauces.  I am going Saturday with Justin, Avery, and our BFF's Karen, Mark and their children Will and Tate.  I can't wait to see the kiddos freak out when that crazy chef flips a shrimp in his hat!  I hope he tries to flip one in my mouth! :)

10) March just might be the best month of the year.  If you don't live in the South and are reading this blog, I hate if for you cause the weather here is awesome.  I just happened to plan things so that my maternity leave with Avery fell during the month of March - nothing like a paid month off with a kid who loves to sleep during 70 degree weather.  Also, people are just happier in March.  And, the inaugural Mani/Pedi of the season usually happens in March.   Last, but certainly not least, March Madness - I love college basketball with every fiber of my being.  It's like the delicious special occasion dinner you have waited for all year that sets up the perfect dessert.  What's that dessert you ask?  Why, the Masters of course.  Hello April...

Til next time...M

A positive change...

If I had my choice, I would sit around and blog all day.  I enjoy writing, more than I honestly expected I would.  I have always said, "I am a math/science girl."  I am starting to think that perhaps I am a closet writer with math/science tendencies - really, the perfect package!  Alas, my busy life prevents me from updating this blog as much as I would like so I will try and make each entry count!

Over the past year and a half there is one thing that I have learned to cherish - stability.  When I have a day, or heck even an afternoon where things are smooth and stable, it's a breath of fresh air!  We have known nothing but change over that period of time and I have learned perspective that not all change is bad.  In fact some of it can be very good - just depends on your perspective.  An example of stability that I love - each and every year for Valentines day, my dad sends me a box of Whitman's sampler's chocolates in the mail.  And I know every year that taped inside is a small white card with a simple note - "Happy Valentines Day Meredith, Love, Daddy."  You have no idea how much I look forward to that simple note each year - so much so that they are taped on the side of my refrigerator.  Thanks Daddy. 

We had a big change in our lives last Friday that depending on your perspective, could be seen as bad or good - we enrolled Alex into daycare.  For the past 16 months our mom's have split the week and watched Alex and Addison here at the house.  Addison started a half day program at Avery's day care in January and has been thriving, but we just weren't ready to start Alex at that time.  But, as circumstances have changed and as my mom gets ready to start chemo (on the heels of Justin's mom wrapping up chemo no less), it was time to make another change.  

The challenge?  Alex's special needs. 

I have been hesitant to share the details of Alex's challenges in the past unless it was with close family and friends.  I initially thought that I was protecting Alex but I think the only person I was protecting was myself.  Hearing bad news and negativity is hard, and my life has been hard lately.  However, in my effort to have support only from those closest to me, I have eliminated the opportunity for others to grow an appreciation for Alex and who he is - a happy, smiling, curious little boy who has a lot to give.  And from whom we all have the opportunity to become better people. 

Perspective. 

I think it's important to know that the day Alex was born, he was a typically developing child with no disabilities (that's the terminology used in the medical field - typically developing versus developmentally delayed).  On October 21, 2010, I had 3 typical children - Alex, Addison, and Avery.  Alex, however, had a tumor in his kidney the size of my fist and he only weighed 4 pounds.  In the end, after he crashed post surgery to remove the tumor, he had a brain injury.  And that's how we got where we are today. A perfect, loving little boy who has been dealt a short stick  - and we have to make the tough choices to better his life.

Whew, a lot to take in.  Remember my advice from the last blog entry, never ask the larger global question of, "Why?"  You will go nowhere fast and my husband and children need the best they can get from me.  There are better ways to spend your time and your brain cells. 

So, back to daycare.  We decided to put Alex in a different school than Addison and Avery which goes against everything I stand for - I firmly believe that we should treat Alex as we would treat the girls.  When the girls nap, he naps.  When the girls eat, he eats.  But there are times when treating the same doesn't mean being identical in your treatment.  His school, Easter Seals UCP, is equipped to handle delayed children and specifically Alex's delays.  He can't sit up unassisted and he struggles to eat with a spoon.  Easter Seals however has therapists on site, they have a pureed diet on the menu, and most importantly, they have typical children in each class room - the ratio is 6 typical to 4 delayed - I LOVE THAT!!!  On my first visit to the school I was there during playground time and there was a child using a walker who was struggling to get up a hill.  My instinct was to go help him but before I could, his classmate, a typical child, ran over and starting pushing him from behind like they were drafting in a NASCAR race - it was beautiful.  That's what I want for Alex. 

And more importantly, that's what I want for those typical children he will encounter at his school.  That's what I want for every person reading this blog.  That's what I want for all of your children.  I want you to know that being different can mean a lot of things.  It can mean you have freckles.  Or you have a lisp.  Or you use a wheelchair.  But at the end of the day, we are all the same in all the ways that matter. 

Oh yes, change is good.  I walked out of that school Friday morning with a smile on my face and with the weight of 16 months being lifted off my shoulders.  They have no idea who just hit em.


Alex and his Daddy



Avery and Addison at Avery's 3rd birthday party!

 Til next time...M