Sickness

You know in the dead of winter when a lot of moms are stuck inside with their sick kids? You know... the flu, strep throat, or if they're babies, RSV? I've had my fair share of those winters, but somehow we were beyond blessed this go round. All season long I kept thinking to myself, "Aww, poor them. They've got another sick kid. I'm so glad we're healthy". Or, get this. I even thought this a few times "Well, if she'd just let her kids get dirty every now and then and be exposed to some germs so her kid could let it's immune system do it's job, they wouldn't be at the doctor so much". Wow! Who did I think I was?! 

I got a nice dose of reality slapped in my face, that's for sure.

We made it through winter and were trudging right through spring when it hit us. The dreaded stomach bug. 

It was May 3, to be exact and Caylee was the lucky victim. Fever, vomit, diarrehea... she had it all. She was out of school three days and then was good as new. 

Usually when one girl gets something the other does too. But when it had been a few days I was feeling good about Baylee. Nope, I thought too soon. She had the same stuff and was out two days the following week.

I disinfected the house once both girls were back in school. We had track and field, the field trip, and were gearing up for the girls' spring musical at church. Grandparents were coming in and it was going to be a jammed packed weekend. I just didn't know how literally "jammed" it would be.

The musical at church was "Life School Musical". It was super cute, great message, and fun songs. They had dress rehearsal the Saturday morning before performance and needed to take their backpacks. We were already in the van when Brandon remembered to send the girls in to grab the backpacks. We're waiting patiently in the van talking about what all we need to get at the store while they're at practice when Bay comes out.

"Mom! I snubbed (the rest wasn't audible)..."

"You stubbed your toe? Oh, I'm sorry Baylee, that hurts!"

"No, my PINKY! AHHHHHH!!! MOM IT HURTS SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!"

And then I look back and see this.

Oh dear. That didn't look good. And it definitely looked more than another jammed finger. Apparently when Bay went running through the house to grab her backpack, she hit (and I mean HIT) her hand on the doorknob of the hall closet. Ouch! Thankfully, Brandon's parents were in and they were able to pick Caylee up from practice while we took Bay to the ER. 

That girl is such a trooper. She wailed and screamed (and had every right to do so) for most of the 20 minute drive. But as soon as she stepped foot on the hospital parking lot, she stopped crying and turned into this poised little girl. It was pretty incredible to watch. 

She, of course, had an x-ray and then the doctor came in. Here were his first words...

"Uh, has Baylee ever seen an orthopedist?"

Excuse me? Of course she hasn't! My mind immediately goes into overdrive thinking she has some rare bone disease.

He no more than finished his question and followed it up with "She has a salter-harris fracture on the growth plate. I don't feel comfortable setting it here, so I'm going to call Dr. Gordon and have him take a look on Monday."

Whew! Just a fracture. Only need an orthopedist because she's still a growing girl. Breathe, Cari.

Long story short, we take her to the orthopedist and he suggests we put her completely out to reset her pinky. It was headed in a 30 degree angle in the wrong direction!! Five days after the initial fracture my baby girl goes in for her very first "non-cutting surgery" (as we called it).

(This is at 5:45 a.m. waiting on Daddy to finish getting ready. She had to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m.)

(Waiting until her surgery time. That's a temperature sticker on her forehead.)

I stayed home while Brandon took Bay in early and did all of the paperwork. I got Cay ready for school, dropped her off at a friend's house, and headed my way. If there was one thing I learned about myself in all of this, it's this - I'm not meant to live in a commuter town and work in the big city. I about stroked out several times dealing with rush hour traffic.

Anyway, the procedure itself only took 30 minutes or so and everything went beautifully. The doctor refractured her pinky and set it back in place. She has a temporary cast on until next week and hopefully she can get a waterproof cast when we go back for a check up. 

(Leaving the hospital and headed for On the Border!!)

So we might have sailed through the germy winter, but I'm ready for sickly May to be over and June to begin!!

School Days

Wow! This past week has been INSANE! I knew it was going to be pretty hectic, but then we had the unexpected trip to the ER last Saturday and that has just amplified things even more. But before I get into that, I'm going to relive some of the wonderful memories we created last week.

Track and Field

You know that kid who can't ever enjoy himself because he's so competitive? Yeah, my girls aren't like that. They had so much fun getting out there and competing. We didn't bring home any blue ribbons like we did last year, but we started and ended the day with smiles! 

 

Field Trip

I was lucky enough to be a chaperone for this years field trip. We went on a trolly ride, to a nature center, and the state capital. Fun times!

Bless her heart

My sweet little Caylee has been sick this week. Thankfully it hasn't been bad. A fever for a few days and a need to rush to the bathroom after eating. But for the most part she's been her normal self. She has enjoyed the numerous movies we watched while curled on the couch together. And she loved to rub it in Baylee's face that Animal Planet was always a click away. 

The past three days it has been just Caylee and me during the day. Other than the movies and Animal Planet, we have enjoyed our time together, just the two of us. It has made me realize we need more time together. If there's one thing Brandon and I need to improve on it's alone time with each girl. I remember being pregnant and talking about this with Bran. We always said we would take turns going out with each girl. Not always treat them like a pair, you know? Well, sadly, we haven't been the best when it comes to individual time with each girl. I'm gonna work on that, though.

My sweet Caylee can also be a stinker. There, I said it. She can throw hissy fits with the best of them and I have a few on film to prove my point. When the girl's hungry, get her food. I've had one too many arguments with her only to have everything immediately resolved once she takes her first bites. And Caylee enjoys her alone time. When she is in desperate need of it, you better get out of her way because she's going to come unglued. I've often said she would have loved to have been an only child. 

But I saw something in Caylee this week. I saw this little light in her eyes when it was time to go pick up Baylee. I saw her constantly looking at the kitchen clock to see how many more hours until time to go. This girl, this would have loved to been an only child, was missing her sister. Caylee tends to take advantage of Baylee. Baylee is her crutch and her comfort. But Caylee also likes to dominate their play time and that leads to unnecessary fighting. I'm not trying to rag on Caylee because this little girl has a heart of gold. But when I had this conversation with her yesterday, I knew why she had been sick and why the doctor had given her an extra day to stay home. She needed to realize how lucky she was to have Baylee. 

Here's the conversation as we sat in the van waiting to pick up Baylee yesterday...

Caylee - "Mom, I have really missed Baylee this week".

Me - "I know you have. You have a great sister, don't you? She takes care of you and loves you so much".

Caylee - "I know".

Me - "Well, maybe this time apart has been good for you. Maybe now you can learn to appreciate Baylee. And maybe you can be a little nicer to her when you don't get your way". 

Caylee- "Yeah".

There was a short pause and then I heard the sweetest words come from Caylee's mouth.

"That just blessed my heart," she said.

I was floored. I didn't know what she was talking about. And for a moment, I thought she was being silly. But she wasn't. She was being genuine. She needed time away from Baylee to recognize how special having her really was. And the time away "blessed her heart". 

It blessed mine, too. 

Highlights from April

Manicures from Baylee.

Pedicures from Caylee.

  

Flower beds.

    

Almost cutting my thumb off while slicing potatoes. 

My surprise tree from Bran. (Kwanzan Japanese Cherry Blossom) 

          

 

My sweet man.

    

First paying gig.

Easter

  

Happy 8th birthday, Baylee & Caylee!!

    

Visits from Dad, Mom, and Boy. (Yes, Boy, we still love you even though you tore up part of our flower beds!)

 

Baby showers

Muffins with Mom.

Donuts with Dad.

Throw in a week long Easter cantata practice with two performances, Bran and the girls' date night to the Traveler's game, the completion of Community Bible Study for this year, and you've got yourself a crazy filled month of April!

Mother's guilt

Awhile back I started a post with the exact same title. I was having mixed feelings regarding mother's guilt. I thought if I sat down and wrote through my feeling I would come to a conclusion. I was wrong. 

There is nothing like having mother's guilt. It can hit you at the strangest moments too. I can happily let my girls spend most of their summer away from me and in OK. I know they are making memories they will cherish forever and it's a great time for Bran and I to reconnect, just the two of us. But something happened this morning and my mother's guilt went off the radar.

I'm leaving this afternoon for OK, alone. I'm making that drive by myself and I had to say good-bye to the girls this morning. Usually we are the ones leaving Bran here alone, but this time was different. I have had this trip planned for months. One of my dearest friends is having her baby shower and I'm helping with it. I have to be there. I want to be there. I can't imagine not being there. 

All along the plan had been to go alone and leave the girls here with Bran and his parents would come and close out their birthday week with them. Logically it makes sense. But right now, I'm not happy. Baylee sobbed this morning and begged me not to go. She threw her arms around me, looked at me with tears streaming down her face, and said "Mommy, please don't go". It. Was. Awful. 

I tried to be the bigger person and not let my emotions get the best of me. I mean, hey, I was the mom who dropped them off at the nursery when they were nine days old. It didn't matter if they cried, I didn't give in. I was also the mom who was being ripped to shreds the second day of kindergarten because the first day was so traumatic. I didn't give in.

This morning, however, I begged Brandon to let us change our plans. I begged to take the girls with me. I cried as I asked him to call his mom and change every ones weekend because I felt guilty for leaving. But he stood his ground, and rightfully so. 

He's right. The girls will be fine. I will be fine. And we will all be reunited on Sunday evening. My heart hurts just a little, but it will heal. I'm sure the girls are going to have a fantastic date night with their daddy tonight. I can't wait to hear all about it. (But I'm sure I'll feel guilty when I get off the phone for not being there!)

Baylee & Caylee

Girls,

Eight years sure has flown by fast! It seems like just yesterday when I was eating my bacon biscuit in the hospital when the doctors came in. 

"We need you to stop eating," they said. "We're taking your babies today".

 

Those few words changed my world forever. My world was changed in a way far greater than I ever knew it would be. I can't imagine life without my bashful (yet goofy), quiet (yet boisterous), tomboy (yet girly),  and all things nature, animal, and horse loving girls!

Today on your birthday I pray you will always know how special and loved you are. I pray you take advantage of the blessing of having a twin sister. Sisters are special, but to have a twin?! Wow! What a blessing. Love each other deeply, girls. Laugh together. Cry together. Tell each other secrets. Treasure each moment you have together. I pray you will learn to love the Lord together and come to know Him as your Father. He created you the way you are. And even though you're twins, you are different because of His divine creation. 

Happy Birthday, my sweet girlers! I love you so much!

~ Mommy

Easter Festivities

I told a friend yesterday that I'm going to be a better blogger. It's pointless, in my opinion, to have this blog if I'm not going to use it. So what better way than to make an Easter post recapping our weekend?

Let's get started, shall we?

My first Easter activity included baking. A friend of mine asked me to make sugar cookies for her son's pre-school Easter party. I was very excited and oh so nervous, but was pleased with how they turned out. 

Saturday was a jam packed day, but we made time for the eggstravaganza at church. The girls had a great time. There was face painting, story time, crafts, bounce houses were set up, and of course the huge egg hunt. Oh, and popcorn. Caylee was THRILLED when she saw that popcorn. That girl is a popcorn freak.

And what would Easter be without dyeing our eggs? This is usually a long, drawn out process, but this year was different. I don't know if it's because they're getting older, or because I had bought them some fun animal egg wrappers, but this year was so easy. I barely had time for pictures and they were done!!

For the past three years Easter has been the only holiday where it's been just the four of us. We usually travel back to OK or have company at our house for other holidays, but Easter is different. We have made it our tradition to stay home, and it works for us. I know it makes some family members sad, but traveling on Sundays is hard enough on all of us. Let alone traveling after Easter family gatherings. 

We have had beautiful weather the past couple of years, but this year it rained. No, it poured. All. Day. Long. After church we had a nice lunch at home and tried to delay our egg hunt until the rain had passed. But by 4 o'clock the girls couldn't wait any longer. So what'd we do? We had an egg hunt in the rain! 

Hmmm...that was kind of a jumbled mess of a post, huh? Oh well, this Easter was definitely memorable. And it was a great day.