For the past couple months, we have been dealing with a very troubling attitude from Z. He wants to be in control and every attempt we make to show him he's not, he shows us how much he doesn't like it with all the ire and contempt you'd expect from a strong-willed 3-year-old boy...plus some.
I should've known there would be issues of control from the countless nights I had to spend bouncing up and down on the exercise ball , holding Z tight to my chest as he struggled to show me he was not going to sleep. Then we hit this honeymoon phase when he was about 10 months to 15 months where he would comply with just about every request I made...don't touch that, hands off...he immediately did what I said. We were amazed that we had such a little obedient child. I think he was already starting to pull the wool over our eyes.
When he walked at 7.5 months, that should've been a clue that this child was fiercely independent and it would be our biggest struggle and probably one of his greatest traits...once he learns to use it the right way.
Lately anything we ask him to do is met with a bold "NO!" or "I DON'T want to, I WON'T." This is usually followed by crossing his arms, lower lip protruding and devil stares. Time outs and spankings and removing a few prized possessions is occassionally a temporary fix, but I knew we were coming to a crossroads where I would have to take a stand and show him he is NOT the boss...although he likes to tell me he is, literally.
So last night, we got home from preschool about 4:15 and I gave him a choice of watching Mickey Mouse or helping me fix supper. He first chose the TV but very quickly decided he'd rather help cook. He was a great helper and so proud of himself for the things he was able to do.
When supper was ready, I made his plate up for him after he chose what fruit he wanted...I scooped out some spaghetti, cut up the peaches and plced it on the table. He climbed up there and took one look at the plate and the switch flipped. He said he didn't want to eat and promptly pushed his plate across the table and threw his fork on the floor. I told him fine, and took the plate away...then he of course said no, he did want it. Well I wasn't going to have this argument and told him his behaviour was unacceptable, then told him he could either sit at the table and eat supper with us or he could sit on the stairs in time out...and that if he could not decide I would decide for him - and my choice was time out.
In short, he couldn't decide so I started to carry him to time out and he began kicking and screaming, daddy popped his bottom and took him to the stairs. Once there, he proceeded to throw the timeout timer across the kitchen and start hitting and kicking the walls. I went to talk to him about it and he took a swing at me, so then I picked him up and popped his bottom. This all just seemed to infuriate him more and so then daddy took him to his room. More banging, throwing things so right then I made a decision...it was time for the clean sweep.
I walked in his room and began to gather up his toys. At first, he stopped crying because he was curious as to what I was doing and asked about it. I told him he no longer deserved his toys and he would have to earn them back. As he watched me remove toy after toy, stuffed animal after stuffed animal and even the big fluffy rocking horse, he held onto a stuffed "boinger" ball, layed on top of it and began to sob huge crocodile tears. I almost lost it, but I knew I had to stay firm and finish the job. Once every toy was in a closet in our bedroom, I went back in and Z told me I'd forgotten some things and HE carried them to the closet...not sure what that was about because then he ran sobbing back to his room, slammed the door and started asking for his toys back.
By this time, I was sitting on my bed crying, thinking I was damaging him for life and that I would never get this mother stuff. I started second guessing myself, like all mothers do I suspect. It's hard to discipline your children....really hard.
The only "fun" item left in Z's room was his railroad crossing bank....and when he didn't stop banging the door, I went in and took that too. I told him when he was ready to talk about his actions, he could come out of his room, but he'd need to tell mommy and daddy he was sorry.
Little sucker stayed in there for about 20 mins....he missed gymnastics. Once he finally emerged he still had a little fire in him, you could tell it was just waiting to be stoked, but he did finally apologize and for that we allowed him to have one item of his choice back. What did he pick? The silly little Frische's Big Boy figurine bank. I thought he'd learned something, but I guess it takes longer than that.
I had to go to a parent/teacher meeting at his school, so I left at 6...I'm told about 10 mins later he lost the big boy bank again....sigh. Threw a wall-eyed fit in the bathtub splashing and kicking water everywhere and just had a miserable evening.
At the meeting, which once again God was showing me he's not leaving me hanging...it was providence that I even had this meeting on the night of the clean sweep, I told his teacher of our struggles the past few months and she was shocked. She said she never saw any of that behaviour at school...that he was very well behaved and cooperative. Even though I was confused by the stark difference, she wasn't. She said if he did it in both situations, we'd have something to worry about, but since we knew he could control his emotions and actions the majority of the day it was probably a case of releasing his feelings at home.
She reassured me I was doing the right thing by giving him choices and that is exactly what they do at school. She urged me to back off the spanking because it clearly was just escalating the problem and that more creative discipline was probably going to be more effective. When I told her the story of our supper explosion, she smiled and said she could give some insight...that in a Montessori school, meal time is family style. They don't fix the children's plates. Instead, they place bowls of food on a small table and children make their own choices about what they will eat and they serve themselves, then they clear the table and wash their own dishes. So she suggested we let Z try to serve himself...that maybe he has a picture of what his plate will look like in his head and then we serve it and it's "all wrong" which causes some frustration and he doesn't know how to fix it.
Just talked to David and apparently Z earned back his big railroad crossing bank this morning for being so cooperative....maybe there's something to this...only time will tell. I guess that will require patience...oh crap!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Policeman and the Playa'
I have to backtrack a bit and tell a little story from earlier in the week. Zachary and I were coming home from preschool on Tuesday, when I apparently grazed a stop sign in our neighborhood. Yes, I know...I'm such a bad driver...whatever. I thought I stopped, so I was quite surprised to see the cop in my driveway behind me as I got out of the car. He quickly announced over the megaphone that I was to REMAIN in the CAR, MISS!
Just then, I had visions of my neighbors, who were outside doing various things, thinking they had some drug dealer next door. So I got back in the car, but left the driver door open because it was pretty hot and he wasn't letting me turn my car back on because oh yeah, I was going to either drive it through my brick house or back over his car....with my preschooler in the backseat, mmm hmmmm.
We argued momentarily about whether or not I stopped at the sign and then he asked for my insurance info, which of course was inside the house, just steps away. He told me that didn't matter, if it wasn't in the car, it was a violation. Geez, can I catch a break here? He went back to his car and Zachary was asking all sorts of questions, but the most prominent one "Are you in time out mommy?" Ummm, yes I guess I was in a way, so I told him that yes, mommy broke the rules and must sit and wait for the policeman to tell her what to do. He had obviously heard the cop telling me I didn't stop so he began to question why I didn't stop, where I didn't stop and when. I explained all of it and finally the cop came back and said he'd been able to find my insurance proof on the computer and he was just going to give me a warning.
Zachary, "Thank you Mister Policeman, My mommy WILL stop tomorrow!"
The cop got a chuckle out of this was and laughing on his way back to the car. Z got out and walked toward his car waving and telling him repeatedly that mommy would stop at the signs tomorrow. And believe me, he hasn't let me live it down. He's been asking at every intersection..."Is there a stop sign there, did you stop Mommy?" I GET IT!! :)
Zachary's had a tough transition into preschool. He's been very adamant in the morning that he doesn't want to go to school, usually followed by many tears and screams and just generally a bad attitude. However, the past two or three days, the morning fits have eased and he's even shoved Daddy out the door of the school after getting dropped off.
I wondered why such a drastic change in attitude...was he finally adjusting and enjoying his class, teachers, etc. so much that he didn't even think about missing us? Well, I think I've figured it out....it's spelled C-A-M-R-Y-N.....yes, my 3-year-old has a girlfriend....well more than one, but I digress.
Now I must say that we met Camryn in a round about way. On Tuesday after the po po incident, we took Z to gymnastics. We were sitting upstairs in the observation area watching his class and we got to talking to another couple about our kids. They said they had a 3.5 year old...and her birthday ends up being just about a week apart from Z's. We then figured out that they are in the same montessori preschool...in the same class. Now at gymnastics, she is in a different class, but they are right next to Z's class. Her mom said it was funny, because the more she thought about it, Camryn had been coming home talking about a new kid named Zach.
So afterward, we are introducing them to each other....but really they already knew.
I go to pick up Z last night and he's walking around the playground with her and Miss Jalina proceeds to tell me they've pretty much been inseperable and holding hands all day -- they even fell asleep at naptime holding hands under the mat....hmmmm
So I ask him about Camryn last night and he tells me she is his girlfriend....wow okay, you're THREE lol. He said Kenzie is his girlfriend too, at church! But then starts giggling and saying Taylor and Piper are his girlfriends too...and then he added ME to the mix. Okay, I think we're good for now....hope Camryn's mom thinks so too! :)
Just then, I had visions of my neighbors, who were outside doing various things, thinking they had some drug dealer next door. So I got back in the car, but left the driver door open because it was pretty hot and he wasn't letting me turn my car back on because oh yeah, I was going to either drive it through my brick house or back over his car....with my preschooler in the backseat, mmm hmmmm.
We argued momentarily about whether or not I stopped at the sign and then he asked for my insurance info, which of course was inside the house, just steps away. He told me that didn't matter, if it wasn't in the car, it was a violation. Geez, can I catch a break here? He went back to his car and Zachary was asking all sorts of questions, but the most prominent one "Are you in time out mommy?" Ummm, yes I guess I was in a way, so I told him that yes, mommy broke the rules and must sit and wait for the policeman to tell her what to do. He had obviously heard the cop telling me I didn't stop so he began to question why I didn't stop, where I didn't stop and when. I explained all of it and finally the cop came back and said he'd been able to find my insurance proof on the computer and he was just going to give me a warning.
Zachary, "Thank you Mister Policeman, My mommy WILL stop tomorrow!"
The cop got a chuckle out of this was and laughing on his way back to the car. Z got out and walked toward his car waving and telling him repeatedly that mommy would stop at the signs tomorrow. And believe me, he hasn't let me live it down. He's been asking at every intersection..."Is there a stop sign there, did you stop Mommy?" I GET IT!! :)
Zachary's had a tough transition into preschool. He's been very adamant in the morning that he doesn't want to go to school, usually followed by many tears and screams and just generally a bad attitude. However, the past two or three days, the morning fits have eased and he's even shoved Daddy out the door of the school after getting dropped off.
I wondered why such a drastic change in attitude...was he finally adjusting and enjoying his class, teachers, etc. so much that he didn't even think about missing us? Well, I think I've figured it out....it's spelled C-A-M-R-Y-N.....yes, my 3-year-old has a girlfriend....well more than one, but I digress.
Now I must say that we met Camryn in a round about way. On Tuesday after the po po incident, we took Z to gymnastics. We were sitting upstairs in the observation area watching his class and we got to talking to another couple about our kids. They said they had a 3.5 year old...and her birthday ends up being just about a week apart from Z's. We then figured out that they are in the same montessori preschool...in the same class. Now at gymnastics, she is in a different class, but they are right next to Z's class. Her mom said it was funny, because the more she thought about it, Camryn had been coming home talking about a new kid named Zach.
So afterward, we are introducing them to each other....but really they already knew.
I go to pick up Z last night and he's walking around the playground with her and Miss Jalina proceeds to tell me they've pretty much been inseperable and holding hands all day -- they even fell asleep at naptime holding hands under the mat....hmmmm
So I ask him about Camryn last night and he tells me she is his girlfriend....wow okay, you're THREE lol. He said Kenzie is his girlfriend too, at church! But then starts giggling and saying Taylor and Piper are his girlfriends too...and then he added ME to the mix. Okay, I think we're good for now....hope Camryn's mom thinks so too! :)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Corn Farmer Goes to Montessori
It's been a weird week for me. I know I wasn't preparing my little bean for kindergarten or anything that lofty, but sending him off to Montessori preschool was more major for me than I had imagined. I even had to wait to write about it and pair it with a funny story to keep me from crying over it again.
It's not that I'm sad...or am I? I mean, it's such a conflict of emotion. Here is this little person that God himself has entrusted to my care and more and more, he needs my care less and less...does that make any sense? It's so amazing to watch him sprout before my eyes and see the wisdom and knowledge he's already gaining; I don't think I've ever been more proud of any one person in my life. So my tears are partly happy in nature because I know that despite all my flaws, I'm doing a decent job of getting him through his early years. But the tears are also sad because my baby is growing up and needing me less. When I was taking his picture in front of the wooden gate at school, thoughts of him getting married and having children started flooding my mind as if preschool suddenly catapults us to that time...oh please!
Z was so excited to get to school, he would hardly sit for a picture before we left. We got to school and the rush began. I could see Z looking back and forth at me and his teacher while we were talking and his grip on my hand got tighter and tighter. I could tell his anxiety was building and he kept saying "don't leave me mommy!" It was almost more than I could bare and I wished more than once that I could just pick him up and rush out of there, but I tried my best to hold back the tears and we trudged on. Once we had everything squared away and it was time to say goodbye (but not for more than an hour..you see I'd bought the wrong size nap pillow so I would have to go get that and come back). He asked me to pick him up and I did. As I felt his arms tighten around my neck I started to get weepy again ...but maybe it was from the lack of oxygen, I digress. The teacher was shaking her head no at me...I KNOW I KNOW he can't see me cry...I KNOW that...so I quickly handed him to her and told him I loved him and then once I was in the safe and private confines of my car, the dam broke and I couldn't hold back the waterfall that ensued. I cried all the way home as hard as I could. I don't know why I bothered to wear mascara to the drop off, it was gone in no time! Once I had composed myself at home I went to get the pillow and took it back to school.
When I walked in the room, Z was sitting in a circle with several kids and his new teacher Miss Christina...I was being so quiet, hoping not to let him see me since he was very engaged. Then out of nowhere a little girl says "ZACHARY, your MOMMMY is HERE!!!!" I was like "CRAP!!!" How could he have already started a Zach gang in less than an hour?! Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad that he has the ability to talk to anyone about anything and feel comfortable in most situations, but this was one time where I wished he hadn't already become so popular. He came running asking if he was going home, telling me he ate breakfast there, that he was going to take a nap there with his new blankie, blah blah blah...told ME to be a good girl and that he loved me and then basically shoved me out the door.
I truly believe that God made us to not pay attention to pillow size requirements. Some people will laugh and shrug this off...but I think he knew I'd need a reason to go back and see Z happy and content and not have to leave him with a frown on his face in a new place...I really believe my God loves me enough to give me that small blessing and I will not forget it!
Oh back to the Corn Farmer reference!! Tuesday night Z and I were on our way home from his last day at Linda's house when we hit Nicholasville Rd. traffic at SOUTHPOINT...dead stop, so there was no way I was sitting in that. We drove through Southpoint, Brannon Crossing, Ashgrove Pike to Mackey Pike to Vince Rd to Hwy 169 and I KNOW we got home faster than if we'd stayed on 27!
Regardless, we passed a huge corn field, just ripe for the pickin and here is the conversation that sparked:
Z: What IS that?!?
Me: Corn
Z: No it's not!
Me: Yes, it's what corn looks like before it goes on your plate
Now in between all these statements, he's flicking his tongue back and forth and I'm just watching in the rear view as the wheels turn at warp speed in his brain....every statement fully calculated.
Z: I will pick it!
Me: No honey, you don't need to do that.
Z: I WILL!
Me: No they have a machine for that...that picks all the corn.
Z: Where is that machine?!
Me: I don't know, the farmer has it somewhere and he'll use it very soon.
Z: I will shuze it (shuze is how he says USE)
Me: No, the farmer will use it.
Z: I will the farmer; I will be the corn farmer TODAY!
Me: No, that's not your farm and besides I thought you wanted to be a fireman (last week's precoccupation)
Z: Nah...I aready did that
Me: oh you did?
Z: yeah, yesterday I did; today I will be the corn farmer!
Me: well, whatever
Z: (random) but I will be a BAT for Halloweeeeeeen and you will be SCARED OF ME grrrrrr
I'm exhausted.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
He talks to God
Zachary loves to help water the flowers in the beds out front. He thinks the stream coming from the hose attachment looks like rain and so he's "raining" on the flowers. You can imagine when real rain comes, it makes him a bit frustrated because he can't use the hose and make rain.
We have had a very unusual July with temps in the 70s most days...a few 80s, but very rare. It's the coldest summer I can ever remember and the most rainy too. The great part is that everything is so green...the bad part is telling your kid he can't swim today because it's too cold and you need a thermal shirt to go riding pedal boats at the park...UGH!
Anyway, yesterday was one of those really rainy cool days and Z definitely wasn't happy about it. After work, we stopped at Q'doba before I had to go to church and Z had to go to gymnastics. He really wanted a chicken quesadilla (had been asking for it for breakfast for two days) so who was I to deny him? He picked out a booth by the window and did his normal stand up-sit down, bang shoes against the booth seat, turn in circles as he eats routine. Then out of nowhere he stops and just stares out the window for the longest time. I asked him what he was looking at and he said "nufin mommy, I's just talkin to God."
Me: Oh really? What were you talking to him about.
Z: I's just tellin him to STOP that rain!
Me: oh, but why?
Z: (gesturing with both hands and bending over for emphasis) Because, we have a hose!
Me: Okay, but why does that mean the rain should stop?
Z: BECAUSE MOMMY, we can do the rain ALL.....BY....Ourselves...with our hose, yep, we can!
I guess I've told him before that he can't water the flowers because God decided he needed to do it that day (when it's raining.)
We have had a very unusual July with temps in the 70s most days...a few 80s, but very rare. It's the coldest summer I can ever remember and the most rainy too. The great part is that everything is so green...the bad part is telling your kid he can't swim today because it's too cold and you need a thermal shirt to go riding pedal boats at the park...UGH!
Anyway, yesterday was one of those really rainy cool days and Z definitely wasn't happy about it. After work, we stopped at Q'doba before I had to go to church and Z had to go to gymnastics. He really wanted a chicken quesadilla (had been asking for it for breakfast for two days) so who was I to deny him? He picked out a booth by the window and did his normal stand up-sit down, bang shoes against the booth seat, turn in circles as he eats routine. Then out of nowhere he stops and just stares out the window for the longest time. I asked him what he was looking at and he said "nufin mommy, I's just talkin to God."
Me: Oh really? What were you talking to him about.
Z: I's just tellin him to STOP that rain!
Me: oh, but why?
Z: (gesturing with both hands and bending over for emphasis) Because, we have a hose!
Me: Okay, but why does that mean the rain should stop?
Z: BECAUSE MOMMY, we can do the rain ALL.....BY....Ourselves...with our hose, yep, we can!
I guess I've told him before that he can't water the flowers because God decided he needed to do it that day (when it's raining.)
The Flyby "Summer"
Well, I'm surprised blogspot actually let me log in again; it's been so long. But I've been so incredibly busy, the blog just fell by the wayside. Right after the last post, we traveled to Texas for my cousin Leslie's wedding reception cruise. It was a blast to meet up with family south of Houston and spend several hours floating around Galveston Bay on a 90 foot yacht. The kids had so much fun. It was SOOOOO hot! But it was still wonderful. We were worn out after that cruise, but I still went with Lori and David and the kids back to Kemah Boardwalk for dinner and fun. The next day we went to the NASA Spacecenter in the early part of the day and finished it off with a trip to Galveston ...the beach and Fish Tales. I was amazed how good the actual beach looked just a half-year after IKE decimated it. Apparently they trucked in tons and tons of sand to rebuild. There was still damage everywhere, but the people seemed to have weathered it all fairly well, considering. I think the fairy is even operating again to Bolivar, but I can't be sure; we didn't have time to go check it out. Zachary was pretty miserable during the trip as he coughed and coughed and just could never get well after having strep throat, but he still had a great time and we'd soon learn why he couldn't get better.
Another reason I got off blogtrack is that I finally started my own photography business after years of thinking about it. I got off my duff and just did it and I've been overwhelmed with clients...I'm not complaining. I LOVE it. If I could do this full time, it would be a dream. Maybe someday!
Back to Z not getting better after strep. We referred ourselves to the ENT clinic and the dr. told us that Z's tonsils were huge, almost touching in fact so they had to come out. I didn't really have a lot of time to get used to the idea that my baby was going to have surgery since they scheduled it only 10 days after that appt. That's probably a good thing for Z and me.
He was such a trooper at the hospital. He didn't even cry when they took him down the hall in a little red car. The doors of the surgery hall opened and there were several nurses and doctors all waiting there and calling him by name. When the surgery was wrapped up, the doc came to talk to us and I asked if he cried when he got to the OR. Dr. Younes (whom Z deemed Dr. Seuss by the way) said "Cry? He did not cry. He was back there introducing everyone to his teddy bear." When Z and Tucker (the bear) came out of surgery, Tucker had a gown on, a guaze wrap on his arm, bandaids and even a hospital bracelet...but Z didn't care, he was flaming mad coming out of the anesthesia. The only blessing of that was that we got to see him sooner as they needed help calming him down. I remember walking into the recovery area and I could hear him screaming. It almost made me cry too. He was so disoriented and scared. The nurse holding him handed him to me and said "here ya go, mom" in a relieved tone haha.
We finally got him calmed down and he was able to drink some apple juice. An hour later, we were on our way home. Now luckily my mom was with us...David had surprised me by flying her in the night before...because she was the only one who Z would take his medicine for. All I had to do was threaten to call her into the room and he would finally take it after screaming and flailing about for several minutes.
We had a rough 10 days. Z had night terrors, apparently a result of something traumatic coming out of the anesthesia and he was in horrific pain for the majority of those days. I thought it would never end and I thought we'd never sleep again. But things are getting back to normal and he's sleeping better for the most part now that we are 3 weeks out of the surgery. He still gets scared and still wakes up a time or two but it's getting less intense. Now if we could only get rid of this pesky thrush infection....wow, it's stubborn!
Another reason I got off blogtrack is that I finally started my own photography business after years of thinking about it. I got off my duff and just did it and I've been overwhelmed with clients...I'm not complaining. I LOVE it. If I could do this full time, it would be a dream. Maybe someday!
Back to Z not getting better after strep. We referred ourselves to the ENT clinic and the dr. told us that Z's tonsils were huge, almost touching in fact so they had to come out. I didn't really have a lot of time to get used to the idea that my baby was going to have surgery since they scheduled it only 10 days after that appt. That's probably a good thing for Z and me.
He was such a trooper at the hospital. He didn't even cry when they took him down the hall in a little red car. The doors of the surgery hall opened and there were several nurses and doctors all waiting there and calling him by name. When the surgery was wrapped up, the doc came to talk to us and I asked if he cried when he got to the OR. Dr. Younes (whom Z deemed Dr. Seuss by the way) said "Cry? He did not cry. He was back there introducing everyone to his teddy bear." When Z and Tucker (the bear) came out of surgery, Tucker had a gown on, a guaze wrap on his arm, bandaids and even a hospital bracelet...but Z didn't care, he was flaming mad coming out of the anesthesia. The only blessing of that was that we got to see him sooner as they needed help calming him down. I remember walking into the recovery area and I could hear him screaming. It almost made me cry too. He was so disoriented and scared. The nurse holding him handed him to me and said "here ya go, mom" in a relieved tone haha.
We finally got him calmed down and he was able to drink some apple juice. An hour later, we were on our way home. Now luckily my mom was with us...David had surprised me by flying her in the night before...because she was the only one who Z would take his medicine for. All I had to do was threaten to call her into the room and he would finally take it after screaming and flailing about for several minutes.
We had a rough 10 days. Z had night terrors, apparently a result of something traumatic coming out of the anesthesia and he was in horrific pain for the majority of those days. I thought it would never end and I thought we'd never sleep again. But things are getting back to normal and he's sleeping better for the most part now that we are 3 weeks out of the surgery. He still gets scared and still wakes up a time or two but it's getting less intense. Now if we could only get rid of this pesky thrush infection....wow, it's stubborn!
Monday, May 25, 2009
"Actorvating"
This morning I was laying in bed, the day was already in full swing. It was 8 a.m. I was in shock because I was still uninterrupted. But soon enough I heard the familiar door opening, closing...then my door closing and so I pretended to be asleep as Zachary climbed in bed beside me then laughed softly in my face. I opened my eyes to find his smiling face right above mine. He was ready for a bit more than cuddling though as the jumping and rolling began I just had to soak it in for a moment because these lazy mornings are so rare.
He asked me where we were going; I told him nowhere. He was very confused because 99 days out of 100, we get up and rush around and go somewhere...to Linda's, to my office, to church, gymnastics, etc. Then Theta, the alpha cat in the house, joined us on the bed. Now, everytime Z and Theta are in the same bed, Z thinks he needs to hold Theta and Theta thinks otherwise, so there's a little wrestling match between the two them until Theta gives up or I make Z leave her alone. Apparently I've often told him to stop aggravating the cat many times. Today he wanted to climb up behind my pillow to get her and I wouldn't let him. He crossed his arms arm pouted his lips and flopped down beside me and said "YOU are actorvating me!" I couldn't understand at first, so I had him repeat and he said it again, "YOU are ACTORVATING me, mommy!" I said OHHH aggravating? He said 'YES!" I couldn't help laugh. This child prides himself on getting big words out correctly...too cute
He asked me where we were going; I told him nowhere. He was very confused because 99 days out of 100, we get up and rush around and go somewhere...to Linda's, to my office, to church, gymnastics, etc. Then Theta, the alpha cat in the house, joined us on the bed. Now, everytime Z and Theta are in the same bed, Z thinks he needs to hold Theta and Theta thinks otherwise, so there's a little wrestling match between the two them until Theta gives up or I make Z leave her alone. Apparently I've often told him to stop aggravating the cat many times. Today he wanted to climb up behind my pillow to get her and I wouldn't let him. He crossed his arms arm pouted his lips and flopped down beside me and said "YOU are actorvating me!" I couldn't understand at first, so I had him repeat and he said it again, "YOU are ACTORVATING me, mommy!" I said OHHH aggravating? He said 'YES!" I couldn't help laugh. This child prides himself on getting big words out correctly...too cute
Friday, May 1, 2009
10 years ago
It's hard to believe it's been 10 years today that I set out in a U-haul truck, my brother-in-law behind the wheel, for the great unknown...Kentucky. I really didn't know a single soul, aside from a high-school/college friend living in nearby Richmond, in Lexington.
I still remember the weekend I left and started this new chapter in such vivid detail. I remember driving out of my sister's driveway, waving to her and my mom - fighting back tears for miles and miles, yet so excited to see where the journey would lead.
After two days on the road and David H. leaving a pair of wet shorts (he'd gone swimming the night before and left them in the hotel dryer) at the hotel in Paducah and almost running out of gas in the U-haul between Paducah and Etown on the barren W. Kentucky Parkway, we finally arrived in Lexington. We moved everything in and realized that the cable and phone would not be turned on for awhile. The next morning, I drove David to the airport and inadvertently left my debit card there. I drove back to my apartment, sat on my bed and cried, wondering what the heck I'd done and how I could be so insane.
Then the very next day, Oklahoma experienced the worst tornado outbreak ever, with an F-5 touching down not too far from where my mom works and lives. I was so out of my mind with worry. I didn't have a phone yet and I had to keep driving to the payphone and even then it was so hard to get through. Each time I did get through my mom or sister was telling me how they were needing to get to the shelter. I didn't get much sleep that night and showed up on my second day of work with what most Okies know as "tornado eyes." I questioned my decision even more at that time, wondering how I could do such a thing; how could I leave them so far away...for what?
But really, that's how I've lived my whole life...getting into things I've never done, going to places I've never been, trusting that God really does have a plan for it all. I've questioned that plan so many times since I've been in Kentucky, but for some reason He still has me here and hasn't allowed me to go "home" yet. I say "home," when in reality, this day actually puts a shadow of question on that word. I've never called Kentucky home and always said that I've never lived any one place more than 10 years...well after today, I have....so does that make Kentucky "home" now? I don't know, I'm still trying to get my mind around that one.
I think home to me will always be me and my sister dressed up in our Easter dresses, holding our baskets and posing for a picture for mom at Ma and PaPa's house in Dallas.
Home will always be trying hard to wake my sister up on Christmas morning to remind her that Santa came and she absolutely needs to come see what he brought.
Home will always be me and Lori trying to outrun a tornado to get to Dallas when Ma died so we could be with our mother when she buried her own mother. Home will always include outrunning a tornado period :)
Home will always be crying like a baby each time I have flown back from Oklahoma to Kentucky...putting on a happy face before the security gate and then ducking into the nearest bathroom to weep.
Home will always be welcoming so many of my family to Kentucky for my wedding a week shy of 5 years ago, even my pastor and his wife from CHBC and Barbara T! Oh what a glorious home feeling that was that day to see everyone in the same place and long for the ones who couldn't come to be with us.
Home will always be the surprise of an early baby Zachary, who was done baking a few weeks before we thought we should turn the oven off. And then waiting and worrying as MawMaw trekked across 3 airports and two airlines over an 18-hour period to be with us within 24-hours of the birth.
Home will always be watching that sweet baby boy grow up and amaze me in new ways everyday.
Home will someday be the culmination of ALL these things and so much more as we gather around our heavenly Father and make new, PERFECT memories together.
Basically, the old adage is true...home IS where your heart is....not neccessarily where your physical body resides.
However, I do hope that my physical body resides closer to my heart in the near future ;) it sure would make things a lot more bearable!
I still remember the weekend I left and started this new chapter in such vivid detail. I remember driving out of my sister's driveway, waving to her and my mom - fighting back tears for miles and miles, yet so excited to see where the journey would lead.
After two days on the road and David H. leaving a pair of wet shorts (he'd gone swimming the night before and left them in the hotel dryer) at the hotel in Paducah and almost running out of gas in the U-haul between Paducah and Etown on the barren W. Kentucky Parkway, we finally arrived in Lexington. We moved everything in and realized that the cable and phone would not be turned on for awhile. The next morning, I drove David to the airport and inadvertently left my debit card there. I drove back to my apartment, sat on my bed and cried, wondering what the heck I'd done and how I could be so insane.
Then the very next day, Oklahoma experienced the worst tornado outbreak ever, with an F-5 touching down not too far from where my mom works and lives. I was so out of my mind with worry. I didn't have a phone yet and I had to keep driving to the payphone and even then it was so hard to get through. Each time I did get through my mom or sister was telling me how they were needing to get to the shelter. I didn't get much sleep that night and showed up on my second day of work with what most Okies know as "tornado eyes." I questioned my decision even more at that time, wondering how I could do such a thing; how could I leave them so far away...for what?
But really, that's how I've lived my whole life...getting into things I've never done, going to places I've never been, trusting that God really does have a plan for it all. I've questioned that plan so many times since I've been in Kentucky, but for some reason He still has me here and hasn't allowed me to go "home" yet. I say "home," when in reality, this day actually puts a shadow of question on that word. I've never called Kentucky home and always said that I've never lived any one place more than 10 years...well after today, I have....so does that make Kentucky "home" now? I don't know, I'm still trying to get my mind around that one.
I think home to me will always be me and my sister dressed up in our Easter dresses, holding our baskets and posing for a picture for mom at Ma and PaPa's house in Dallas.
Home will always be trying hard to wake my sister up on Christmas morning to remind her that Santa came and she absolutely needs to come see what he brought.
Home will always be me and Lori trying to outrun a tornado to get to Dallas when Ma died so we could be with our mother when she buried her own mother. Home will always include outrunning a tornado period :)
Home will always be crying like a baby each time I have flown back from Oklahoma to Kentucky...putting on a happy face before the security gate and then ducking into the nearest bathroom to weep.
Home will always be welcoming so many of my family to Kentucky for my wedding a week shy of 5 years ago, even my pastor and his wife from CHBC and Barbara T! Oh what a glorious home feeling that was that day to see everyone in the same place and long for the ones who couldn't come to be with us.
Home will always be the surprise of an early baby Zachary, who was done baking a few weeks before we thought we should turn the oven off. And then waiting and worrying as MawMaw trekked across 3 airports and two airlines over an 18-hour period to be with us within 24-hours of the birth.
Home will always be watching that sweet baby boy grow up and amaze me in new ways everyday.
Home will someday be the culmination of ALL these things and so much more as we gather around our heavenly Father and make new, PERFECT memories together.
Basically, the old adage is true...home IS where your heart is....not neccessarily where your physical body resides.
However, I do hope that my physical body resides closer to my heart in the near future ;) it sure would make things a lot more bearable!
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