I'm miserably behind on updates, but I've been on Christmas vacation.  We had a great white Christmas in Indiana with my family....where we were all spoiled rotten with help, food, and love.

This picture is from way before Christmas, but I wanted to share:

We were able to borrow a wheelchair for Lilah until hers comes! I'm so excited that she has it, because she's already gotten much better at it.  Although, i will say that she does not love it--at all!  She would still much rather be carried:).  I'll try to get some video of her in action soon.

These were taken when we put our tree up, so you can ignore the outfits. Or actually, ignore Lilah's--obviously she's moved on to appropriate Christmas attire.  G, however, wore this exact outfit today....the coldest day of the year.  Brace yourselves--I've told him that Winter starts Dec. 21 and you are not allowed to wear shorts after that day--until Spring.  Should be a fun transition:).

Snow Day

Woohoo! I love snow...at least for the month of December:). It's so festive! And you know what makes it even better? When your husband and 4 year old are out playing in it and the other one is napping.

Christmas music + Christmas candle+ Quiet  =   Jolly Momma

Friends

Between her wheel chair and her iPad, Lilah is the most popular 2 year old on the block these days:).

Fo Real

I have a confession to make:  I like Facebook.  I wish I didn't because it's all cyber-y and a little to hip for me, but I do.  I think it's because, when my life is all "mommy, mommy, mommy", I have some sort of connection to the outside world--albeit fake and superficial.  I wish I could visit with all the people I keep up with via Facebook in real life....well, almost all.  I de-'friend' some people on occasion, mostly because they post too much about things that are TMI for me or about how many eggs their chickens laid on Farmville.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then Welcome to the 90s (much better ring than '10s', don't you think?).  Get yourself a Facebook account. Unless you are going to use it for evil instead of good:).

Any-who, my most recent de-'friend' was today and I'm kind of sad about it because now I feel like I'm going to miss said 'friend's' complete psychotic snap.  Obviously, she's not a real friend, just a 'friend', and I'd never root for someone's close encounter with a straight jacket--but, this girl has got it coming.  She's  Pollyanna is totally asking for it.....let me tell you why.  Her life is all unicorns and rainbows and air kisses and crap.  A bunch of crap.   It drives me Crazy.  Her husband is perfect.  Her children are perfect.  And her status updates read something like this:  "My husband just surprised me with a Dooney and Burke handbag.  He is the most romantic man in the world."   "Sarah made honor roll--again."  "I love my children."  "I have all my christmas presents bought and wrapped and homemade bread in the oven."  (a week before thanksgiving).  "I love my life".  "I don't understand why some people can't be nice.  I pray for those people."   Seriously, not one post about how she burned the rolls or screamed at her kids or locked her family out of the house.  Ever.  It's just not right.  And I'm not buying it.

Now, don't get me wrong....I'm all about some happy attitudes and choosing joy.  But I think that anyone that claims their life to be a fairy tale is either living in their own mind, totally disconnected from reality, or has some serious stuff to hide.  Because--news flash--no one's life is perfect.  And, I'll choose real and honest friends any day over the ones that spend all that energy trying to convince themselves and others of Wonderland.  So, in an effort to keep it real, here are some 'real' tales of my week:

--you already know about the party mix up
--I sent Garrett to school without breakfast
--I totally forgot about an OB appointment
--I screwed up my phone in a way that I did not see or receive any messages for a week....and then proceeded to call and leave messages with offices and people about why they hadn't gotten back to me...when, in fact, they had.
--I fed Garrett rotten sour cream--twice.  Even though he complained about how his food tasted.  I chalked it up to pickiness.  Awesome.
--Garrett has already found 2 of his christmas presents that I failed to hide well enough.
--I lost 2 pages of addresses.


Feel free to laugh at me.  I'm a total mess.  But at least I'll admit it:)

HoHoHo

This is my latest find....and it's simulatneously obnoxious and beautiful (because it keeps her entertained for 2.2 seconds).  Push Santa's hand and he sings--over, and over, and over. :)

I'd like to bake Christmas cookies...

but this is what my pantry looks like.  And I can't find the chocolate chips.  I wish Martha would come to my house and organize and label with color coded somethings.

Oops I Did It Again

I will start this story by saying that I've had a very sick little girl at home this week and my extra brain power (which is scant) has been focused on keeping her out of the hospital--not social engagements.  Clearly.

Garrett received 2 birthday party invitations in the mail a couple of weeks ago and, while the thought of a kids birthday party usually makes me run for the hills, there was no way we were missing these.  Jumpity Jump and Gymnastics parties....a 4 yr. old boys' dream.  Both at 2:30, one Saturday and one Sunday.  Check.

It's Saturday, Lewis's Jumpity Jump party, and I had to wake him up from a nap (it figures, right?) so we started out about 20 minutes late.  He is so excited! This is the Superbowl for him--the kid lives for bounce houses.  We pull up to the place, get out of the car, run into the place, and he starts stripping off his clothes.  (He had negotiated his customary shorts and t-shirt underneath long pants and shirt).  I sign the waver, tell the 12 year old working the desk that we are there for Lewis's party and she says "We don't have anyone by that name today.  Are you sure it's here at Pump It Up?".  Right.  Crap.  Wrong place.  That's when it would have been helpful to have carefully re-read the invitation...had I had it with me.

Back in the car.  Racing to Jumpity Jump.  30 minutes late.  Holiday traffic.  40 minutes late.  We get there, run inside.  Garrett is literally hopping with anticipation.  I sign the waver, tell her sorry we are late, where is lewis's party?.  12 year old worker looks confused and says, "We don't have a Lewis party here.  Actually, I think that party is tomorrow."  Crap x 100! I am a totally loser.  It's like having your child at the gates of Disney and saying, "oh, you can't go though".

Sweet Garrett buried his head in my thigh and sobbed.  Sad, crocodile tears against which I am powerless.  It's terrible to disappoint your child and, I know I'll have to get used to it, but I wasn't really wanting for either of us to have to learn that lesson yesterday.  I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but it's a part of the story---at this point I was crying too.  Dumb, I know....I'm totally blaming pregnancy hormones.   I would say I swallowed my pride, but since I had none left, after going to the wrong place, for the wrong party, on the wrong day, 40 minutes late....pride was a non-factor when I asked,  Is there anyway in the whole wide world that my little boy could jump?  For just 10 minutes? I will do anything!!!???  Please!!!!!!


I'm not sure if it was fear or mercy, but someone went and asked another birthday party mom if Garrett could jump at her party.  And she said "yes":) .  Garrett marched on back, dried his tears, and had to be hauled off an hour later as the birthday girl, that we did not know from Adam, was cutting cake.  I was not able to laugh about this at all yesterday (unlike me, I know), but today it seems really funny that Garrett and I spend an hour at a birthday party full of strangers, bouncing under a sign that read, "Happy Birthday Jenna".  And that he kept saying, but I don't see Lewis, the whole time.  And that now there is the possibility that two people could be having a conversation that goes something like this:

Stranger #1:  "Last week a random mom and her little boy crashed a birthday party that we were at."
Stranger #2:  "That's so funny because that exact thing happened at a baby shower I was attending a
 couple of months ago.  Wonder if it was the same person? Hahahaha"


And then they will put two and two together and I will be known all around town as The Girl who Goes to the Wrong Parties.  I guess there are worse things to be known for.

You can thank me later

I have found the perfect Christmas gift for kids anyone.  It's a little stuffed animal that is filled with lavender seeds and can be microwaved for warmth.  It makes a certain little boy's room smell like a spa instead of feet and has been a huge hit.  I got it at TJ Maxx for $10 and wish I would have bought 10 of them.  Now that I'm home bound because of Lilah's annual winter plague, my hopes of getting more have been dashed. But, there is still a chance for you:).

The Cozy Plush is vaguely reminiscent of a Christmas present someone in my family got for my beloved Grams one year.  She was a tiny woman and always cold...like wore a sweatshirt in the summer.  Anyway, someone got her a pair of microwave slippers.  Same concept as the cow, microwave and they stay warm for hours.  Grams was not one to be overly excited (unless there was talk of an imminent card game), but she went gaga over the slippers.  She was so excited! So, being the doting granddaughter that I was, I offered to microwave them for her so that she didn't have to get up.  A few minutes later, during the hubbub of the post present exchange extravaganza, the family hears a loud explosion.  Coming from the microwave.  That had previously contained Grams' highly anticipated new slippers.  What can I say? I was young and did not yet fully appreciate the power of the micro waves.  And also, maybe I was operating under the concept of "more is better"--which we all know to be erred reasoning.

Moral of the story:  treat your Cozy Plush with care.

wheels

  I've been saying for 6+ months that I've got to quit carrying Lilah everywhere, but she hates to be in a stroller for long and it always seems easier to just cart her around the house myself.  Easier to carry her to and from the car, in and out of stores, rather than fuss with her big stroller.  I'm always afraid that when we make the jump to a wheel chair (or something like it) that she will just be in it all day--which is definitely not what I want for her.  For the last few months, Lilah's favorite thing has been for me to just tote her around the house looking at things....lingering....touching...playing...on my hip.  This is totally where she's at developmentally and she has so few opportunities to explore because she's immobile, that I don't blame her.  But, as my waist is rapidly disappearing and she seems to get heavier by the second, I've been starting to freak about it.  That's a lot of hours of carrying by the end of the day.

What's our next step? I've researched the latest and greatest strollers.  Nothing better than we already have--which don't fit the bill.  I've looked at bikes and trikes.  We've got a new therapy chair, which is good for table top activities, but stationary and not what she wants.  We've been discouraged around here, because, although she's making progress....it seems to be as slow as frozen molasses.  And, the worst part, is that Lilah is frustrated.  I thought from the beginning that she would be so severely handicapped that she wouldn't even know it.  Thankfully, that is not the case, but what it means is that she is trapped--wanting to move and not being able.  It keeps me awake at night, thinking about the imprisonment that must be--to be totally dependent upon what someone else shows her or brings her as her only stimulus.

So, when her Physical Therapist mentioned that she had a little girl who was L's age who used a manual wheelchair, I said 'great, we should try it', thinking that it would be another place for her to sit, with the possibility of moving in the future.  We talked it over and concluded that, since her upper body has always been more coordinated and strong (which is not saying much) than her legs and feet, a push chair could be a viable option for her down the road.

Monday, that little girl's very gracious family brought her, and her wheel chair to our house so that Lilah could try it.  I thought we'd just sit her in it and see if she could even tolerate it.  But, her PT placed her in it and....she pushed!! Not far and not consecutive pushes, but she definitely got it.  Here is the video:

It may not seem like much, but I tell you, we were overcome.  It's a heavy load to see your baby in a wheelchair....something that will likely be a permanent situation.  But, it was also the most hopeful I have ever felt for her quality of life.  To think that she might learn to use that tiny little chair to explore her world anytime in the near future is way more than I've let myself dream for...and the gifts that you don't even know to hope for are the best!

The hard part now is getting Lilah one....it has to go through insurance, be custom fitted and made, shipped from CA, and you know it's the holidays...blah, blah, blah.  It's a good thing I couldn't run out to Target and buy her one that day, because I would have...and wasted all that good insurance money.:) But, I'm getting impatient already.  I've called and looked everywhere I can think of to rent/borrow one, with no luck.  So if any of you 7 readers out there have a pint sized manual pediatric wheelchair in your garage, call me.