motherhood

  • Grip Strength

    The days here at the hospital seem to follow a pretty consistent up and down roller coaster pattern, and today has been one of those days. It started out great, with an update from Layla’s nurse that she had made good progress eating from the bottle overnight with minimal puking. Poor girl is trying to learn to…

  • Flipside

    I’ve complained enough about Skyler’s age and antics lately, so here’s one about how amazing, adorable, and funny she is. These are the things I relish in the moment and cling to the memories of when she’s on one of her rampages. I love how she likes to hop everywhere she goes. I think she…

  • Bringing Out the Worst

    The thing I struggle with the most about parenting is that my child can really bring out the worst in me, and I can’t stand the ugliness that she somehow finds a way to draw up from deep inside. I’ve never been much of an angry person, or had much of a temper, but when…

  • Mini-update

    1) We haven’t made it to the glasses shop to buy Skyler glasses yet. It’s been a crazy busy week for both Ronnie and I, and after two doctor appointments for Skyler last week, we just haven’t had time to take off. I hope Target Optical is open on Saturday, because that is when I…

  • Spring Flings

    Skyler’s behavior at this age is about as predictable and consistent as Spring in Kansas. We have perfectly mild, smile-inducing sunny afternoons, followed by 60 mph winds, hail, and thunder. Tears fall like rain during scattered showers, where the sunshine of laughter breaks through the clouds suddenly and then disappears as quickly as it came.…

  • Things I am…

    …amazed at the things Skyler is learning in preschool. This week is “shapes,” so I naturally thought this will be a breeze for her since she’s known circles, squares, triangles, and even octagons forever now. But as of today, the four shapes they’ve covered this week are ellipse, diamond, pentagon, and octagon. She also came…

  • Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3

    That’s what Skyler does to me on a daily basis. It seems amplified since having spent almost 24-7 together the last 12 days. I made it back to work yesterday, which was actually a much needed break for me, but then today had childcare fall through and had to stay home with her. Vacation was…

  • Sick and Tired

    I should be napping right now, as last night was a trying one. It began as I was just pulling my own covers down to retire for the evening and I heard the unmistakable sudden-cough-turned-to confused-and-scared cry on Skyler’s monitor. I rushed for her room and sure enough, found her hair matted and pillow stained…

  • Love is a Battlefield

    (For the record, I am not a fan of the Jordan Sparks pop song that has a similar name to the title of this post.) It seems like our home these days is one big warzone, between Skyler and me. And by these days, I guess realistically it’s only been the last two or three…

  • GUILTY.

    I’m married to a personal trainer. I, myself, try to live a healthy lifestyle, at least during the week, by finding the time to exercise on my lunch hour and trying to stick to eating protein and veggies. Being health conscious is a top priority for my husband and I. When Skyler was starting to…