Blessings and BBs

It has been a while. It's not that I haven't been on the computer, but my computer time usually only comes when I'm nursing, which leaves me one-handed. Not exactly ideal for typing. And when I do have a spare moment (do I ever have those???) I am exhausted and choose my bed over my computer. However, tired or not, life carries on in its usual, busy way.

So, time for me to catch up.


The month of April began with a baby blessing for Will.

It went something like this.

Saturday: Wake up bright and early to clean the house. Get myself and all kids ready then go to my niece's baptism. Spend the day enjoying the Pilling clan and Kelly's delicious cooking. Hurry home. Run out the door to a piano recital. Get home and begin food preparations/finish lesson preparations for the following day. Midnight....finally go to bed, just to be awakened less than an hour later by Will.

Sunday: Up at 6 am after a few hours of very interrupted sleep. Get ready....finish food preparations....get other kids ready....quickly take a few pictures....run out the door (can't be late for church because I have a lesson to teach)!

Brek gave Will a beautiful blessing, we loved having all our family around, and there was lots of good food to eat. It was a good day. A long day....but a good day. And at the end of the day, I collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

Will looked darling in his little blessing outfit, which barely fit him. He is a growing boy!

All the kids....minus one. Scott had to go to church early for meetings.




And now on to the not so fun events of the past few weeks, which included sickness and doctor's visits.

First there was Scott. After four or five days of fever, headaches, and coughing we decided it was time for a doctor's visit. The diagnosis? Bronchitis. After being down and out for nearly a week, an antiobiotic was prescribed, and he was finally back to normal....for a day or two that is. Then the stomach flu hit.

Scott, Ben, Maddy, Syd, Josh, and I all took turns being sick. Luckily it was a mild dose of the stomach flu that didn't last long.

But that wasn't the end of it....the doctor's visits anyway.

There was the day when a little blue plastic bb found its way into Luke's ear. And how did that happen, you may ask? Well....the bb was placed in Luke's ear by none other than Luke himself. Then, to make matters worse, while attempting to get it out he managed to push it in just as far as it could possibly go, making it impossible for me to get out. So to the doctor we went.

But the family doc couldn't get it out either. Or rather, Luke wouldn't let him get it out. He screamed and thrashed whenever his ear was touched. There were three of us trying to hold him down, but it was no use.

Soooo....to the ear specialist we went. He tried the same route the family doc had tried with the same results. Sadly, it was looking as though Luke may have to be sedated, which was not a pleasant thought all the way around. I wasn't too excited to pay a small fortune, nor was I too thrilled to have my little Luke sedated. The doctor hesitantly mentioned that he could try strapping him down. Did he think I would be opposed to this idea? No way! I was all over that!

So, out came the straight jacket. (I asked the doctor if I could borrow it for the weekend, but he didn't think I was very funny.) Even with Luke strapped down, I still had to hold his head while the doctor numbed his ear. After 20 seconds or so, the numbing medicine started taking effect and Luke stopped screaming. Poor little Luke. It had been a rough go for him.

Now there was no more pain, and exhaustion began to settle in. He had worn himself completely out. There he lay, on the verge of sleep, when suddenly he turned his head and said to the doctor, "Hey! What's the big idea? I can't hear anymore!"

I knew Luke really wasn't losing his hearing (the doctor had warned me the fluid behind the bb might make it seem like his ear was plugged momentarily). This struck me so funny I couldn't stop giggling. The doctor must have been quite impressed with this crazy mom who asked to borrow his straight jacket, and laughed at her son's distress. But then the doctor doesn't know Luke like I do!

Luke was very brave, and soon the bb was out. But the fun didn't end there. When Luke tried to stand up to go, he just about fell over. Luckily the doctor was prepared for this possible reaction and caught him. The medicine didn't sit well with Luke and he had no control over his legs. And on top of that, it made him very sick. He threw up twice before we even got out of the doctor's office. As you can imagine, he was not a happy boy! Mercifully, he fell asleep on the way home and slept for hours. When he finally awoke, he was good as new, and acted as though nothing had ever happened.

And when Grandma Pilling showed up with a bouncy ball equipped with special flashing lights, it all seemed worth it!

However, I think it would be safe to say that Luke will never stick something down his ear again!

Is it bedtime yet??!

Today is not going so great for me.

Ben is in rare form. He must think to himself before he enters each room....Hmmm...what is the one thing in this room that mom really doesn't want me to touch?! He is in destructo mode today, pulling things out as fast as he possibly can. What is fun about pulling every DVD out of its case and throwing it on the floor I ask you? And really, where is the fun in throwing the folded laundry all over the family room?

To make matters worse, I haven't slept. Not much anyway. I feel like I am just about at my breaking point. You know, the point where you are ready to just collapse onto the floor and burst into tears. At least, that's what happens to me.

And to make matters even WORSE, Ben has finally discovered that he can climb out of his crib. I must confess, I thought this day would come much sooner, and for this I should be grateful. But his timing is, once again, impeccable. Of course he would choose now, when I need him to take a nap more than ever, to decide he has much better things to do. He and I are in the midst of a serious power struggle right about now, and my lack of sleep isn't helping matters.

There is so much to be done. I can't seem to get on top of things. I just simply don't know if I have what it takes to get it all done today. Homework, practicing, dance, dinner, laundry (yes, it must be folded again), etc., etc., etc.

What I really wanted today, more than anything, was for all three boys to take a nap this afternoon so I could take a nap. Oh, foolish me. What was I thinking?

Well, it was a semi-reasonable thought. After all, Ben and Luke were up until who knows when last night, given Ben's new-found crib freedom. And usually Will just sleeps the day away. But alas, today is not to be one of those days. Will is bugged by something, and peaceful sleep seems to be eluding him this afternoon.

And so here I sit, complaining to the world about my sorry case. Poor, poor me.

Alright, enough wallowing in self-pity. That has never gotten me ANYWHERE! Time to look on the bright side of things.

First there is Will, the source of my exhaustion. I must confess, I adore him. What a blessing it is to have such a sweet, healthy little boy join our family. At least if I have to go without sleep, it is for a good cause!! And tonight, Brek will take Will for the first shift of the night and I might get three whole hours of uninterrupted sleep. This may not seem like much to you, but to me it would be a welcome change to my past few nights!

The bottom line is this....Life is hard. It is hard for each and every one of us in its own way. Sometimes it is harder than others. But then, that's how we grow and become better people. And at the end of the day, I am so grateful that, despite the hardships, I am surrounded by people that I love!