7 Things a Girl Needs from her Mom, Christian Women, Faith, Spiritual Life.
Become Your Daughter’s Inspiration, Christian Women, Faith, Spiritual Life
Good Morning Ms. Crawler!
Yep! She is CRAWLING…movin and groovin on down the floor! 🙂
AND..I love waking up to this smile! 🙂
Two weeks down; assessing
Tater time has become the focal point of my day (aside from my time with God :-)) Precious moments occur in the small doses, but they mean more now. From the moment I walk in her room with a melody of “Good morning to my Tot…” to the second we get into the car, it is quality. We play as much as possible while I get ready in the morning; it’s a good solid hour!
She also is learning to tie a shoe. Yes, this little Fisher Price boot, which was mine, is creating many learning opportunities! Square people…triangle people…laces! Oh, the choices.
Perhaps I should taste them first?
Once I pick her up, they give me the “report.” She is the class clown making everyone laugh constantly. She rarely cries, and loves to be silly. We come home and play in her playpen until dinner. Man, it challenges me to the core as I question our “bonding,” but I am constantly reminded that she is my gift from God. I will never take her for granted or forsake our relationship for the “other” in my life which, at times, can occupy all of my time.
This weekend, I spent ALL of Saturday and Sunday working…grading…planning. My job is round the clock, but NOW, I am so mindful of Tatum being number one. The work just happens around her/with her as I sit in her room and play as I try to focus on those countless Schaffer paragraphs I must assess. Soon, she’ll be my assistant!
Now, being Labor Day, I can rest with her ALL DAY, and be reminded that I’m so blessed. My goal for her is to be a kind, caring, loving person (who has some smarts but that won’t be everything.) Character counts, which keeps me aware of my character deficits and needs for improvement.
I must also thank my mom for being SOOOOO intergral in Tatum’s growth, my growth and my sanity. May we never forget the blessings.
One year ago: The Phone Call
It is hard to believe that one year ago today, I received a phone call from Dr. K. The opportunity crossed my path to become a mother. Three months TO THE DAY, November 22nd, Tatum Isabella was born. Yes, it is her 9-month birthday today, and I could not be more in love with her. Well, yes I could, but it just keeps getting more intense every day. 
I rush to pick her up at 4pm and whisk her home to play with her. I soak in every minute, as I don’t even open my computer or phone for those 2 1/2 hours before she goes to bed. She is at the stage where she just wants to crawl all over me. We go up to her room for some “rocker” time before she goes to bed. She’s not a big cuddler and really would really be playing on the floor climbing all over the place. But, I don’t give up. We say our prayers and attempt to read a story every night.
Happy Birthday Tater Tot! :0)
26 weeks Post-Op
I cannot believe it has been six months! I had my “check-in” with Dr. Waz on Tuesday to see how it is going. I stopped going to Physical Therapy about two months ago because things seemed to be progressing well. However, I would not have minded hanging out with my PT.. I definitely got the 2 most handsome guys to guide me through this (Dr. Waz and Troy have never been struck by an ugly stick)
Anyway, I digress! Dr. Waz wants me to go HEAVY at the gym on my calves once a week due to the atrophy. Also, he says “eccentric” movements with the bands is KEY “as much as possible.” I take that as often! Otherwise, I’m jogging again, swimming and doing my weights. My ROM is perfect and equal to the other side. He’s very pleased. There is extremely LITTLE chance of re-rupture, but this could happen on the other side. So he says those thera band exercises must happen (eccentrically, which is pulling forward the toes rather than out). This really stretches and strengthens a TENDON. He differentiates tendons from joints or muscles. Unfortunately, there is no magic vitamin to take to strengthen a tendon…just the bands. For joints, sure, you can take glucosamine, calcium…etc… but for tendons? No. They just break down with wear and tear, and need to be strengthened AND stretched.
Now, I am so careful, and I will always stretch! With the atrophy, I also need to be in the gym doing my calf work along with the thera bands. Happily, I’m walking normal and feeling great!
Don’t get discouraged if you are experiencing this process. IT TAKES TIME, PATIENCE, and HARD WORK, but it GETS BETTER! 🙂 (He also said, most people are 150% stronger AFTER this happens, so there is hope.)
Conflict Management 101
What? Are we in trouble? Coti and Tatum seem to love the same toys. She only wants this squeaky dragon when Coti is playing with it, and HE only wants her giraffe when SHE is playing with it. Then, they both look at ME to solve this challenge. So, what do I do? Sharing is not an innate quality of either of these lovely children (is it of any?!), so it must be discussed rationally. “Tatum, this is Coti’s dragon. Let’s throw it together!” “Not for Coti; for Tatum; this is your squeaky monster.”
Oy…the joys of motherhood! 🙂
