Deep Breath In

A friendly hug outside Whole Foods

To say the least, I was conflicted about starting this last week.  Isaac underwent 10 sessions of brainwave optimization.  That in itself was exciting.  The office where we got the treatments done was clear on the other side of town.  The treatments were each 2 hours long and we were doing 2 a day with a 2 hour break in between.  Those were the things I wasn't looking forward to.  Deep breath in.

I was looking forward to Isaac getting the treatments and excited about the possibilities it held for him.  I wasn't looking forward to a 40 minute drive each morning, waiting in a waiting room for 4 hours total with my other two kids, and then driving back 40 minutes to get home.  But we (I) pulled it all together, gritted our (my) teeth, and "happily" went along with it.  Deep breath in.

In our van

Now, I won't drag it out.  I'll let you know right now that after the first 2 hours in the waiting room, I was politely told that my kids were too loud for this office's reception area and that I would have to find some place else to wait.  A really deep breath in.  Now, I won't deny that my kids made noise while we were there.  They're kids.  Duh.  But I will defend them and say that they were well behaved and getting along and making the best of being in a waiting area that definitely wasn't made with a single child in mind.  So where did we go from here?  Our van.  Yep, we spent 4 hours each day waiting in our car for Isaac to get his treatments.  Deep breath in...

On the flip-side, Isaac did really great.  He had a good time and behaved himself just fine while having the treatments done.  It's too soon to tell how well it will work for his bowels, but we can already tell a difference in his concentration, speech, and sleeping behaviors.  And chances are that we will see some results in the next 1 to 6 weeks.  

What do you think it is?

All things considered, it was a good week.  Our lunch breaks were spent at the dinosaur museum and Whole Foods.  We got to dig for dinosaurs and learn about malacology.  We played at the park and watched movies on the laptop.  We survived.  Deep breath out.

But the end of the story involved a broken water pump, smoke coming out of the hood of our van, a tow truck, a constable, and eventually a rented car.  Deep breath in...and hold...

The Terrific Twos

Merriam-Webster defines terrific as 1 a : very bad : frightful

That about sums up how I feel about my kids turning 2.  Every time it's been like a light switch.  As soon as they turn two, the tantrums start (or reach a culmination) and the flexing of the "independence muscle" begins.

This weekend, Annie turned two.  Yippee.  Let the good times roll.  Along with my eyes.

Now, terrific is also defined as 2 : extraordinary.

Now that sums up my general experience of being a mother to 3 terrific kids.  The past 5.5 years have been a blast.  We've had a lot of fun and we still have most of our hair (Well, I have all of mine.  Troy on the other hand...).  And we aren't done.  Not by a long shot.  Thinking about how extraordinary it is go through life this way puts a smile on my face.  Sometimes a crooked smile, but a smile nonetheless.

I think Merriam Webster saved the best definition for last.  3 : unusually fine : magnificent.

That perfectly sums up the last two years with my baby girl.  When I had my first boy, I was over the moon.  I didn't really want a girl.  Too much screaming over boy bands and too much drama.  I wanted a boy.  Seemed like they were low maintenance.  Then when we had our second boy, we were thrilled because we wanted brothers.  Life was good and I was still thinking that it wasn't necessary to have a girl.  But regardless of our wants or plans, we were blessed with our third child and it was a girl.  Yippee.  But what I didn't realize was how magnificent it would be to raise a little girl.  She's so much fun and so cute that I almost can't stand it.  Unusually fine, indeed.

So, Happy Birthday, baby cakes.  You bring me more joy than you could possible know.  You are one of the most terrific kiddos and we all love you lots!