On A Cold September Day

Dear Mayzie,

I suppose I can thank Carter's for airing this commercial that makes me want to run all of your sisters' closets and get out the hand-me-down Carter's clothes that remind me of you ( there are a lot) and cuddle them while looking at old photos of you throughout the past 4 years.  And it doesn't help that like the little girl in this commercial, you also were born on a cold September day.  Yes, some days are fussy, and some days are all smiles.  As for this commercial, it reminds me of you. :)

Love,

Mommy

Forgotten

Dear Liza,

I don't know how I did it, I have lost my mind.  I took you to the gym today.  I called and they came out to the car to get you.  I parked and hobbled in on my crutches.  Did my share one-legged on the rowing machine, the hand pedaler, and did some weight-lifting and abs.  Went down to the locker room and sat in the sauna.  (I sweat more there then I did working out- oh how I just want to run.  I told your dad the other day that I am going to be like Sea Biscuit and break out of this thing and run on Sunday.  That's another story...I don't even know the story of Sea Biscuit...did they have to put him down after he raced?  Yikes!  Did he even break his leg?)  I finished getting dressed hobbled to the nursery, told them to get you ready for me while I pulled the car up to come get you.  I hobbled to the car and drove away.  I realized you were forgotten on the interstate almost all the way to preschool.

When I finally got back, she said I wasn't the first one to have done that.  I think she was just trying to make me feel better.

Oh, and I did this at target last week.  Yes, those were just diapers and food.  Yes, you are my actual baby...real live member of the family...forgotten at the gym.

Had my milk not come in right then I may not have remembered you until even later... I can't promise this won't happen again, but I can promise this (though I will try harder to make sure you are with me):  I LOVE you to pieces and I always will!

Love,

Mommy

You are so cute, how could I leave you somewhere?

Dear girls,

You slowly strip your father of his man-ness somedays. Like yesterday while out to dinner, we took away his man card for a while... Michael was occupying Tillie by having a pretend conversation on her sparkly princess play flip phone.

Michael pretend rang the phone and picked it up and started a pretend conversation. Tillie chimed in, "who is it, Daddy?". To which my husband replied "It's the Beast."

Yes, as in Beauty and the Beast. And he continued to carry on a conversation with the Beast. I think they may have even made a plan to meet in the forbidden west wing.

Hardest thing

Sorry about all the leg problem posts. It's funny how something you can't soma darn thing about consumes you. Obviously I'm guilty as charged. This thing is testing my patience. If I only knew that I could rest for 10 days and then go kill that 26.2 miles I want to run soooooooo badly...then I think it would be easier to have patience with it. Darn. Why didn't I stop running right when it started hurting??? Damn dummy (like my grandpa would say).

Funny also how a few short weeks ago I thought training for a marathon while taking care of 5 young children, (one of them still nursing, two of them going through the terrible twos, one a drama queen and the oldest a perfect little helper) was the most challenging, draining, tiring thing I had ever done. Was. Until now. Now this wins. In a much worse way. But I hope somehow we will grow from it more than I would have by running a marathon.

Oh and might I mention Liza Nell has decided this is a perfect time to start crawling.

Coincidence?

I have a feeling things are happening for a reason around here. My broken leg= me having to SLOW down and let Michael take care of everything, while he has to now DO everything I did around here. Yesterday morning he even said, "Thank you" for getting up with the baby these past 7 months (he means 5.5 years but I'll let it go). He's been having to bring her to me to feed during the night. And trust me that's not all he's been having to do. I'll owe him big time after this thing come off my leg!

I don't think it was any coincidence that I saw these two adorable old folks in the office right before I got word of my broken leg.

We are just being given an obstacle for now. I'm sure they have had their share too.

Perspective

I got a wake up call today at the doctor's office.

I had been frustrated beyond frustrated because my ankle has been hurting me so badly I can't train.  After talking with my coach, I headed over to the sports medicine doctor to make sure it is not a stress fracture (still waiting for an MRI...so no news yet, but my fingers are crossed).

It had been a crazy morning with the girls, they squeezed me in an appointment at 12:15 right after preschool so I had no time to make lunch.  I had to make do with the drive through.  The girls did a good job making a ginormous mess with their food in the car, and a not so good job eating their food.  

I even bribed them good behavior with milkshakes.  Which despite my best efforts, both Georgia and Tillie ended up with milkshake all over themselves, especially their hair.

We all walk into the office looking a bit dis-shelved.  Like we had been been through a freaking tornado.  Me included...leaking my own milk and milkshake down the front of my jeans.

There is a woman sitting there.  Looking very, very ill and very young.  She says many nice words to me in a very weak voice about how beautiful we are and how blessed I am.  Then she says, "I am not contagious, I have cancer...can I please hold your baby?"

"Of course!" I tell her...please hold her as long as you want.  Partly because I didn't want to deal with her fussing because she was getting hungry and partly because I needed a free hand to wipe up my other kids.

At first I didn't pay much attention Liza and the woman with cancer, but as soon as things settled down I looked over and  she was just resting her head on Liza's as she sat there completely content...not even a squirm.

I got called back to the room, and the receptionist told me if it was okay, she would bring Liza back to me once the woman was done holding her.

I asked the PT who the woman was and how old she is, what kind of cancer she had (it was obvious she was visiting and was not a patient).  The PT told me she used to work in the office and has stage 4 breast cancer....and she is 28.  28.  Married, but no kids, and she desperately wants them.

She held Liza for about 30 minutes of  the appointment, Liza ended up falling asleep in her lap.   And then it just got too emotional for her.  The receptionist ended up taking Liza and bringing her back to me.  As she brought her back she told me that letting this woman hold my baby meant more to her then I will ever know.  

I guess I can stop freaking out about my ankle...and my messy kids.

First Day of Preschool 2012

Dear Girls,

As of a couple of days ago, you have officially started many years of going to school together.  The first day went fabulous for everyone!  We contemplated not sending the twins to the 2 year old program as we did with Theo and Mayzie just because of their June birthday, but we went ahead and gave it a try and much to my surprise the day went well!

Tillie even cleaned up Georgia's snack and wiped her face and pushed her chair in for her when she was all done.  Imagine that?  Sounds just like Little Miss Tillie.

Oh 

My

Godness!

When I look at these pictures I can't help but smile when I imagine all of the fun (and probably getting into trouble) you three are going to have in school together!

And probably all the fun you, Little Liza, are going to have telling your mommy about what your sisters are up to...right????  Oh who am I kidding?  You will soon be one of them!

Love,

Mommy