Parenthood

Wow- it has been quite awhile since I have posted anything.  I have got to get back on the ball asap!!!  Especially since I will be having my second baby boy in less than 8 weeks!!  So, considering I am 8 months pregnant and that is all I can think about (oh my aching back) these days I thought I would do a parenting post.

*You know you really have entered the twilight zone of parenthood when you can hear your husband in the kitchen whistling the Elmo's World song while you are in the bathroom getting ready.*

Also, please let me forewarn all parents-to-be and all those thinking of having babies in the future:

DO NOT EVER TAKE FOR GRANTED:

Using the bathroom alone.  Greyson must be in the bathroom with me during this private moment- mainly because I do not trust him anywhere else in the house alone.  So- this means he is in the bathroom going through all the drawers and me having to say, "No, don't mess with that!!!" about a million times.  I usually wrap things up early before I lose my voice.

Taking a shower.  See comment above.  But, when I shower he has free reign over the bathroom so I have to save this glorious pastime for when he is not home or when Chris is here to keep him out of trouble.

Sleep.  Seriously.  Sleep is so not overrated.  In fact, it is underrated people!!!  I miss sleep.  Sleep was my friend.  Now when I do get some sleep it is accompanied by a one year old either kicking me, pulling my hair, and/or said one year old laying on top of me.  Yeah...that is not good sleep.

Watching adult TV.  No, I don't mean that type of adult TV.  I just mean anything that is not on Disney or Nickelodeon.

Keeping a clean house.  I have just given up on this one all together.  What is it like doing chores with a one year old?  Let me see:  la la la doing the dishes- Greyson is climbing into the dishwasher...yes, there are sharp knives in there.  La la la doing laundry- Greyson is either trying to get into the dryer, pulling clothes out of dryer while I am putting them in, and/or screaming because my attention has come off of him for 30 seconds.  La la la picking up toys and other messes created by my little whirlwind- Greyson decides that now he wants to play with those toys again and cannot fathom why his evil mother is cleaning them up.  Oh the horror!!!  La la la scooping the cat litter- well, use your imagination on this one.  Guess I need to tell the story at a later time of Greyson rolling around in cat poop. 

And please do not take this as complaining about my sweet boy.  I really wouldn't have it any other way...except more sleep.  Lots and lots more sleep.  I know all my fellow Mommies so get this post and will empathize with me. 

And by the way- this list could have gone on and on, but I must take advantage when Greyson is down at his grandparents.  I do have to eat, ya know? 

And....I did mention I am about to have another baby boy, right? 

From the time I was a child I wanted to be like my mother.....

I emailed these questions to Mom awhile back- I LOVE her answers!  She is just the sweetest Mom in the world.  I love her so much!

Do you remember what was going through your head when you first saw me?  I remember thinking how beautiful you were, and how I was amazed that you were looking at me right after you were born. I felt an instant connection and fell head over heels in love with you the moment I heard you cry (only your head was poking out at this time) and then when I saw you I was totally, totally, in love!

How did you choose my name?  I had a baby name book and I had made a list of favorite names on the back page of the book....Amanda, Heather, Holly, Beth, and lower on the list, Amber. Your dad made the ultimate decision because his Mom (Nanny) liked it best!

What was I like as a baby? As a young child?  You were a delightful baby! You did have colic after a month old that lasted about 9 months, but other than that you were happy and I just loved you and loved being with you. As a child you were very curious and extremely smart. You liked attention and would get it however you could...'Look me Mama, look what I can do!'.

Do you remember any of the songs you used to sing to me? Can you sing them now?  I sang a lot of the 'common' songs to you...Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves Me, all the little nursery rhymes. Nanny sang 'You are my Sunshine' to you a lot. As you got older you liked the songs we heard on the radio and we liked to sing them together...Tina Turner (What's Love Got to Do With It) but with your own lyrics....Cock-a-doola, Cock-a-doola?

What were my siblings like?  Jess was your baby sister, but you acted like a little Mommy to her. She looked up to you and always wanted to do what you did.

What were the hardest moments you had when I was growing up? It was very hard for me to let you leave to visit your dad, the few times he exercised his visitation rights. It broke my heart. I didn't mind you going to Nanny and Papas, because I knew they watched you like a hawk, and I didn't mind my Mama and Ed watching you, but I didn't like leaving you with anyone else. I hated having to leave you with sitters in order to be able to work, but I was a single mom and had no choice. I was actually glad when I finally got a job with day hours and you could go to a daycare like 'normal' kids, even though day cares aren't ideal. I would say the hardest thing about your 'growing up' years was the whole 'child care' issue all the way up through middle school when you finally told me you weren't going to daycare anymore.

If you could do everything again, would you raise me differently?  Not really. I feel like you had a good raising. You grew up knowing right from wrong, were not overly spoiled, and you just turned out so good I can't really fault myself for anything I did wrong! LOL!

What advice would you give me about raising my own kids?  Be firm, but gentle. Spoil a little, but don't overdo it. Let them be kids, but give them a good background for adult life.

What are your dreams for me?  That you live a long and happy life with your husband and kids, accept love and friendship from others, and have a close relationship with God, and just be at peace with your life and live in joy.

How did you meet mom/dad?  I met your dad at Rose's department store when I was 17. I wasn't too crazy about him at first. I didn't think he was cute and he wore dorky clothes and he was sort of a 'hippy'. We started dating and after a year we got married.

Are you proud of me?  I am so proud of you! I have been all your life. Proud of what a good girl you were, how smart you were all through school, proud of your determination to graduate high school and college. Proud of you that you found a good Christian man and married him. Proud of you for the wonderful grandson you've given me. Proud that you are a good Christian woman and proud you are my daughter! So proud of all the 'little things' all through your life since you were born. Some times just silly stuff like a good grade on a test, or because you got a job, because you got an internship in the best county, proud when you were a middle school girl who stood by a friend who needed to see the counselor, for being nice to an 'unpopular' girl, proud of all the times you were able to 'rise above' the bad stuff, proud when you got your own place...the list goes on and on and on and on!

"We loved with a love that was more than love." ~Edgar Allan Poe

I sent Chris a questionnaire by email awhile back and after reading and rereading his answers, this was by far my favorite question and answer.  He just makes my heart melt and reassures me that I married my soulmate.  I love you, Chris! 
How did you know he/she was “the one”? We just have that connection. I feel 100% at home with her, no matter where we are. She is my best friend.

A Chris moment :)

It's funny how I will be watching TV with Chris sitting there playing on the computer and he will just say something that will throw me into fits of laughter.  I was watching The Doctors Monday evening while flipping through a magazine.  Chris had Greyson in his lap while playing on FB.  There was a woman on the show that had gotten hair extensions to help her round face appear slimmer.  Chris pondered aloud, "Maybe I should grow my hair long?"  I look over at his dead serious face....and busted out laughing.  Ahhhh....how I love him for making life humorous.

A Perfect Walk with Greyson

This evening I decided to take Greyson for a walk.  Just him and I.  Greyson loves loves loves to go for walks.  His Mimi, Granddaddy, and Nanny take him for walks.  Chris and I take him for walks.  He just enjoys it so much it has become a daily ritual now.  I strapped him into his carrier facing out so he could see everything that I could see.  This simple walk, which lasted a little over 20 minutes, was so peaceful, joyful, relaxing, and brought to me a new appreciation of the outside world.  It is fun walking with Greyson- I catch myself wondering what he sees, smells, feels, hears, and thinks.  We looked and talked about the trees, leaves, clouds, sky, etc.  Greyson and I watched a beautiful butterfly tease and flirt with us as we walked.  We could hear the birds singing us an evening song.  The sounds of a faraway train, the crickets, frogs, other critters, a curious dog nearby, cars and trucks out on the main road, children playing in a neighbor's backyard, and the nice, cool breeze blowing through the leaves filled our ears.  We soaked up the last bit of sun as it was setting behind the trees.  We passed by the buckeye tree near our house, and I thought of the buckeye Greyson's Granddaddy gave me (which I keep on my jewelry box).  I will save it for Greyson.  A busy little bee rushed by my face, but I do not yell out as I normally would.  I was enjoying this walk with my son too much to interrupt or ruin it with a nonsense scream.  Tonight was a great time for a walk- it felt splendid outside.  Some moments of this walk were spent in silence- just us- taking in all the beauty.  Other moments I would describe all that we were experiencing.  As we walked back up to our home, Greyson let out a big sigh.  Relieved the walk was over?  No, I think not.  Tired from the walk?  Maybe so.  A little sad that the walk was over?  Definitely.

Horrible Boss

After seeing the preview for the movie Horrible Bosses it got me thinking about my former bosses I have had over the years.  I had one particular "horrible boss."  I worked at a local mini golf course during a few of my college years.  The owner's son (my manager) was there every day doing his normal duties, which included blowing the leaves and other debris off the two courses, keeping the grounds clean and nice, working on the games, stocking the coke machines, etc.  One of my main responsibilities was to open up shop in the mornings and count the cash drawer and the money in the safe before opening the doors to the public.  One morning I arrived 15 minutes earlier than I was scheduled for.  I remember that morning very clearly.  I walked in to find the manager counting all the money- you would think this would be normal, but it wasn't.  He was not usually the one to do this.  Only the owners (his parents) or the opening clerk (me on this particular day) did this.  He looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I was already at work.  I looked at the clock which revealed that time was 9:15am.  I was scheduled for 9:30am.  I explained that I was supposed to be there at 9:30am, but traffic was light that morning so I arrived early.  (Why was I even having to defend myself on this matter???)  He then proceeded to scold me for getting to work early.  Seriously?!?!?  I was getting in trouble for arriving 15 minutes EARLY for work.  Yeah- this is the kind of person I had to deal with on a daily basis.  There were many more incidents I had to put up with while working with this company, but that specific time just blew my mind.  And I won't get into it, but there were reasons he was not supposed to be counting the money.  Maybe I should have scolded him for doing MY job...grrrrr...

"If you think your boss is stupid, remember: you wouldn't have a job if he was any smarter."
- John Gotti    --->  ha ha- just realized this is a quote by John Gotti....bet he was a better boss than the above mentioned.

"Freedom is never free." ~Author Unknown

Thank you to all those who serve in our military so that we may be free!  Here is one veteran's memory from service:

"I was in the Navy SeaBee's during the Viet Nam Conflict. They did not call It a War...LOL. War makes You Grow up Quicker. I was 19 when I arrived in Viet Nam and about 40 maturity wise when I left. You read the Bible more and Pray more in a War Zone. I was too Young and Invincible to be afraid......I'll never forget when we had a new Commanding Officer that had never been in a War Zone. He had us fall out for Dress Inspection at 0730 every morning. The VC watched this and Hit Us with Mortars one morning. I'll never forget how hard I laughed when He went  went spread eagle into a mud hole; also a mortar hit on each side of me and both were duds; what were the chances that both would be duds??? The Lord was looking after Me....  We never had a dress inspection the rest of His Command... Also, I'll never forget being Tower Captain on Christmas Eve Nite....I learned that God will help You through anything. Also, that different cultures do not value Life the way We do as Americans..."  By:  David Keene (my father-in-law)

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."  ~Cynthia Ozick