Monday, April 22, 2013
Party Hat
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
"Unfortunate" is Not in Our Vocabulary
Today while checking out at Target, the cashier noticed my daughter's arm cast. When I explained what she was born with, he said "how unfortunate", along with some niceties about how doctors can do all types of things and surely they could "fix her hands". I was caught off guard and said something about how great her doctors are and what a great and happy baby she is.
Up until her cast, most people didn't even notice her cleft hands (or they certainly didn't mention it if the they did). Now with the cast on her I get questions all the time about what happened to her arm and judging stares like I did something to hurt her.
I guess the new parent in me shows when I'm caught off guard and can't think of the perfect response at that moment. Unfortunate is not something that comes to mind when I think about my daughter. Beautiful, strong, funny, determined, smart - these are just a few words that describe her perfectly.
Yes, my daughter's hands look different than what is considered "normal". Can she still do things other children can do? You bet. Is she loved any differently? Not in the least - that child is loved so much I can't even begin to explain it.
As her first birthday approaches at the end of the month, I look back at how far we've come as a family. We had the initial shock at her birth and lots of doctor visits and stress. We've had to learn how to be parents quickly and make big decisions - some I hope most parents never have to make. But we've all three come out stronger and closer and better for it.
We were given so many special gifts when our daughter was born. The gift to accept others for who they truly are. The gift to not be so critical of ourselves and others. The gift to realize how blessed we are and be thankful every day. The gift to make the most of life and to teach our daughter to do the same. We are all three so blessed and lucky to have each other. So when someone says we are "unfortunate", they must be mistaken. Unfortunate is not in our vocabulary.
Up until her cast, most people didn't even notice her cleft hands (or they certainly didn't mention it if the they did). Now with the cast on her I get questions all the time about what happened to her arm and judging stares like I did something to hurt her.
I guess the new parent in me shows when I'm caught off guard and can't think of the perfect response at that moment. Unfortunate is not something that comes to mind when I think about my daughter. Beautiful, strong, funny, determined, smart - these are just a few words that describe her perfectly.
Yes, my daughter's hands look different than what is considered "normal". Can she still do things other children can do? You bet. Is she loved any differently? Not in the least - that child is loved so much I can't even begin to explain it.
As her first birthday approaches at the end of the month, I look back at how far we've come as a family. We had the initial shock at her birth and lots of doctor visits and stress. We've had to learn how to be parents quickly and make big decisions - some I hope most parents never have to make. But we've all three come out stronger and closer and better for it.
We were given so many special gifts when our daughter was born. The gift to accept others for who they truly are. The gift to not be so critical of ourselves and others. The gift to realize how blessed we are and be thankful every day. The gift to make the most of life and to teach our daughter to do the same. We are all three so blessed and lucky to have each other. So when someone says we are "unfortunate", they must be mistaken. Unfortunate is not in our vocabulary.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Okla-HOME-a
We made it to Oklahoma! Over the past month we have listed and sold our house in Texas (in a week and a half!), packed, moved and bought a house in Oklahoma. We don't close on the house until March, so for right now we are living at my parents' house.
I had done a little online research through Pinterest to get some ideas about staying organized throughout the move. These were some of our lifesavers:
1. Make a moving binder. In this we had dividers for categories such as our TX house, Oklahoma house hunting, box inventory, to do lists, and other important paperwork. In this binder I also kept a zippered pencil case that held scissors, tape, pens, and even gift cards/coupons for fast food. Having all of these things in one location made it easier to pack and find things quickly.
2. Take a box inventory. Before we started packing, we went to the store for supplies. In addition to the usual (boxes, tape, bubble wrap), I also purchased some white address labels and both pink and green bright duck tape. I got on the computer and printed rooms with numbers (Office 1, Office 2, etc) on the labels. Do all of your rooms on the computer at once. Then hole punch the sheets and stick them in the binder. Then when we were ready to pack, we went room by room. We filled the first box in the office, labeled it "OFFICE 1" and wrote what was in the box on notebook paper in the binder. That way when we are looking for something while unpacking we can refer to the room it would be in and the box numbers. LIFE CHANGING, PEOPLE! To take it one step further, we taped boxes we would need immediately at my parents' house with pink duct tape so we could spot them quickly. We loaded these boxes all together. I also made up some first to open at the new house and used the green duct tape for those boxes. These have items like pots and pans, toilet paper, a shower curtain and towels, etc.
3. Take packing breaks. On Sunday afternoons we would plan to get out of the house and have family time. We went on walks, visited the Dallas Aquarium and the new Perot Museum. This gave us some time away from the stressful sight of boxes everywhere and also let us make some last memories living in Dallas as a family.
4. Make your temporary home feel like home. When we got to my parents' house, we swapped out our mattress and our daughter's crib in the bedrooms. Everyone wants to sleep in their own bed. I also set up a changing area on a dresser in the room my daughter's staying in (my old bedroom!) just like what she had at home. Trying to keep things as normal as possible and close to routine was my goal to keep her calm and happy.
Now that we have settled in a bit I hope to blog more often. If you have to make a big move, I encourage you to try some of these organization tips! Hope they help!
I had done a little online research through Pinterest to get some ideas about staying organized throughout the move. These were some of our lifesavers:
1. Make a moving binder. In this we had dividers for categories such as our TX house, Oklahoma house hunting, box inventory, to do lists, and other important paperwork. In this binder I also kept a zippered pencil case that held scissors, tape, pens, and even gift cards/coupons for fast food. Having all of these things in one location made it easier to pack and find things quickly.
2. Take a box inventory. Before we started packing, we went to the store for supplies. In addition to the usual (boxes, tape, bubble wrap), I also purchased some white address labels and both pink and green bright duck tape. I got on the computer and printed rooms with numbers (Office 1, Office 2, etc) on the labels. Do all of your rooms on the computer at once. Then hole punch the sheets and stick them in the binder. Then when we were ready to pack, we went room by room. We filled the first box in the office, labeled it "OFFICE 1" and wrote what was in the box on notebook paper in the binder. That way when we are looking for something while unpacking we can refer to the room it would be in and the box numbers. LIFE CHANGING, PEOPLE! To take it one step further, we taped boxes we would need immediately at my parents' house with pink duct tape so we could spot them quickly. We loaded these boxes all together. I also made up some first to open at the new house and used the green duct tape for those boxes. These have items like pots and pans, toilet paper, a shower curtain and towels, etc.
3. Take packing breaks. On Sunday afternoons we would plan to get out of the house and have family time. We went on walks, visited the Dallas Aquarium and the new Perot Museum. This gave us some time away from the stressful sight of boxes everywhere and also let us make some last memories living in Dallas as a family.
4. Make your temporary home feel like home. When we got to my parents' house, we swapped out our mattress and our daughter's crib in the bedrooms. Everyone wants to sleep in their own bed. I also set up a changing area on a dresser in the room my daughter's staying in (my old bedroom!) just like what she had at home. Trying to keep things as normal as possible and close to routine was my goal to keep her calm and happy.
Now that we have settled in a bit I hope to blog more often. If you have to make a big move, I encourage you to try some of these organization tips! Hope they help!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Out with the old, in with the NEW
Happy New Year! 2013 will bring big changes to our family. I haven't posted because we are moving out of state!! My husband accepted a job in Oklahoma so we will be moving back to more family and friends. Over Christmas break we packed like crazy anytime our daughter was sleeping or playing happily on her own. It's hard, but at least she's not crawling yet. She has been rolling her way around the room until she gets stuck. At least now there's not much left for her to get into.
We listed our house for sale last Saturday and have already had 4 showings, plus at least 1 tomorrow! Today was especially crazy because it was cold and rainy ALL day and I had to get the dogs to the kennel, the house picked up, and myself and my daughter loaded in the car to be gone for 5+ hours. Oh - AND I started a zumba class tonight - really fun but man I'm exhausted!
Not too much time for a post since we're cleaning up for tomorrow, but thought I'd check in. Bring it on 2013! After today I feel like supermom :)
We listed our house for sale last Saturday and have already had 4 showings, plus at least 1 tomorrow! Today was especially crazy because it was cold and rainy ALL day and I had to get the dogs to the kennel, the house picked up, and myself and my daughter loaded in the car to be gone for 5+ hours. Oh - AND I started a zumba class tonight - really fun but man I'm exhausted!
Not too much time for a post since we're cleaning up for tomorrow, but thought I'd check in. Bring it on 2013! After today I feel like supermom :)
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