Goodbye Kindergarten...

It's hard to believe that my son's first school year has come to end. I feel like I am still adjusting to the "kindergarten world" and now, its over! I just can't seem to keep up...

This year has brought its I Guess Im Due moments for sure. Like, learning to juggle school work, sports, and family time.  Adjusting to early mornings and learning how to get three little ones (and myself) ready for the day with a morning time crunch has been challenging. I had to learn how to set aside all my fears and apprehensions while my son was at school and trust that he was in good hands (and yes, lots praying helped). 

With the challenges, also came Kindergarten triumphs. Jakson has mastered new skills, he's reading like a champ, and has become more independent (two months in he insisted on being a bus rider)! He's motivated to go to the next level, and if you ask him, when he grows he wants to be a biologist!

It's been a great school year, and who knows, maybe next year letting go will be a little bit easier...probably not.

Goodbye Kindergarten and hello summer! We're off to the next chapter...

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The Last Time Poem

Being a parent is a busy job. I constantly hear from others, "Don't blink, because before you know it your kids will be grown up." Some days it's hard to believe that when I am knee deep in I Guess I'm Due moments like, laundry and dishes, and when I'm busy playing taxi driver, exhausted from a long night with a little one, and while I'm wiping noses and bottoms. However, after I read this poem that my sister shared with me, I've tried to change my ways and truly stop and cherish every moment, because it may be the last time. And some of these moments, sadly, have already passed me by without even realizing it. I hope you take a minute and read this poem and take the time to embrace all the special moments with your little ones... 

. . .

The Last Time

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,

you will never be the same.

You might long for the person you were before, 

When you have freedom and time,

And nothing in particular to worry about.

You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,

And days will run into days that are exactly the same,

Full of feedings and burping,

Nappy changes and crying,

Whining and fighting,

Naps or a lack of naps,

It might seem like a never-ending cycle.

But don’t forget …

There is a last time for everything.

There will come a time when you will feed 
your baby for the very last time.

They will fall asleep on you after a long day

And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,

And never pick them up that way again.

You will scrub their hair in the bath one night

And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,

Then never reach for it again.

They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,

And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus” 

and do all the actions,

Then never sing them that song again.

They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,

The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.

You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.

They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time

Until there are no more times.

And even then, it will take you a while to realize.
So while you are living in these times,

remember there are only so many of them

and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.

For one last time.

-Author Unknown-
(source http://www.mykidstime.com/for-parents/the-last-time-poem/)

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Three Mini Moments

Meet Erika. This hilarious mommy of three, and creator of her own mommy blog, Damnit Hank,  shares with us three mini I Guess Im Due moments that many momma's out there can relate to. Enjoy her real-life mommy "drama" in her own words below.

. . .

So since becoming a parent 5 years ago, and twice more since then, I feel somewhat of a reliable source to be able to give some tips on parenting. Actually, these might be some really weird tips that you never come across, but just on the off chance you do, at least you'll have some go to knowledge before resorting to 'Google' only to find out it isn't considered normal, and you should definitely have a specialist check, recheck and multiple test for it. So before I get back to cleaning butts, diapers and dishes, I leave you with these three I Guess Im Due moments and hope you find some relate ability, some empathy, and most definitely, some hilarity...

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                                                                          12 WEEKS

Finding out your pregnant is like one of the coolest feelings in the world, is it not? I mean, even when your ' not expecting to be expecting' and it's a total shocker, it is still such an amazing feeling knowing there is a tiny little human being growing inside of you. It becomes even that much sweeter everyday your belly gets bigger, and bigger, and those flutters turn to kicks, and the kicks into somersaults. What I found to be the most wonderful point in my pregnancy (each time really) was that 12 week appointment. This is when I really started to think " Omg it's real, it's a real little person...I'm so in love.." [translation : ' HOLY SH*# it' a real person, a real f*&*^% little person... I'm so in love, and so terrified. jk .] Yes, that beloved 12 week appointment, when you hear that sweet little swoosh of a racing heartbeat... oh and it's the first time of many that you'll be felt up by a total (ok not TOTAL ) stranger. 

The day I went in for my pap/heartbeat appointment, I was so nervous for a number of reason. 1. who ISN'T nervous before a pap, I mean who LIKES that thrill of goopyness and huge pads? and 2. for the last 11 weeks I have not slept thinking, "OMG I hope they are able to find the heartbeat..." So I go into the room, get all dressed in the snazzy robe, which to my embarrassing surprise, I have put on backwards, and laid on the table for what felt like an eternity. Lot's of emotions ran through my head, including how cold my ass was and 'Why would they make the front open the whole way like this?" Then there it was, a knock at the door, in comes the Doctor, and with her, some adorable little Med Student. Doctor explains who she is and asks if it's ok if she's in to 'assess'. Of course that's fine, I would have agreed to a colonoscopy by this time because I was so damn anxious and excited. So did I mention I was a little hormonal with Stella’s pregnancy? Keep that in mind. Anyways, Doctor says," Why don't we get the fun part out of the way because I know you've been waiting! " I could have jumped (the rest of the way) out of my clothes!...

"Steady, strong little beating at 171..CONGRATULATIONS!" OH at these words, I can only explain to you the adrenaline rush I experienced. First I cried, then I laughed, then I cried some more...then I shrieked a little as I realized they were ready for the pap. Doctor told Med Student to hang up by me and hold my hand, or whatever support I needed, that poor woman, not only did I clutch onto her hand the entire time I was being felt up by another woman but , me : still smiling ear to ear.. I kept on holding her hand as they proceeded to the breast exam.. So let's just say, I could NOT control my cry/laugh/smile emotion and the Doctor made her do one of the exams, so literally the whole time she was poking pushing and prodding my boob, I smiled, laughed and cried all the while looking right in this woman's eyes saying " Oh it's so beautiful!.." "I am so in love!.." And a whole bunch of totally awkwardly timed sayings. That poor student, I wonder if she continued OBGYN after that awkward ménage cry fest I pulled on her.

For sake of extreme awkwardness, always choose the pap first.

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                                                           UHG IS THAT .....BLOOD

SO breastfeeding for me, was, for lack of a better term...tedious. I had a very hard time with latching, and creaming, and cracking, and engorging.. I was awful ok? I tried so hard and I did pretty good, but mostly I was just too hard on myself.. I pumped from about week 2 until about week 12 when I dried up. After a few sessions with lactation consultant Emily, who was wonderfully patient by the way, I finally got a good routine going. She helped me manage a decent diet so I could get the extra calories in and everything. Since that diet mostly consisted of fruits, veggies, and liquids, I thought I hit the jackpot of ideas at Kroger when I found the V8 fruit fusion! I mean, 8 servings of each in one glass?? I mean COME ON why isn't this on the how-to pumping manual!?? So I bought about 5 of those baby's in Strawberry Banana, and in about 2 1/2 days they were all gone...

I was feeling good! This new diet was great I had lots of energy, I was producing pretty decent, and she seemed to be reacting well to the milk I produced! Hell Ya!.. Until the day I sat down, started pumping and about 4 minutes into pumping I looked down and there was red liquid squirting out of my nipple and filling the bottle! I RIPPED that funnel off and stuck a pad on my boob which was continuing to let down, and ran through the house yelling "MARINA [Marina is my little sis] MY BOOB IS BLEEDING.... MY BOOB IS PRODUCING BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!'' Omg I was having a full blown panic attack. Like I could barely function while telling Marina of the horrific scene that just took place, as if she couldn't already tell by the way my chest was covered in red stained nipple pads.. After she calmed me down and brought me back to reality, I was swinging the bottle of red liquid at her saying " OMG am I bleeding internally? Did I feed Stella BLOOD and not know it?? Oh my gosh, I'm going to be sick!" So we did the smart thing (child one, when you still call the hospital first before Google...) When I reached Lactation Emily, I explained through tears how I had to be doing something wrong and I will probably need a transfusion and that I was O negative just in case.. She quickly calmed me down and ask one simple question. "Is it clotting or just staying like tomato soup?" when I replied 'Just tomato soup' she then asked if I had been eating or drinking anything with red # 40 in it... I quickly ran to my V8 fusions and realized other than juice from concentrate that Sh&^ is like all red #40!

Emily explained to me that if you consume anything with a lot of dye's in it your breast milk can become red, blue or green. She also told me it's totally safe for the baby to drink if I felt comfortable giving it to her.

I definitely dumped that shit out.

. . .
 

 DO NOT LOOK.. THEY'RE FINE

During my first go at labor, I guess you could say I was a little overzealous because I , like many, pushed to hard, and went and got myself 3 stitches and a hemorrhoid. Ugh, what an awful feeling.. I was told everything was great, and the stitches would be gone in about 2 weeks, and I was a little freaked out by all that, but as soon as they put that sweet 7#4 oz. beauty in my arms.. all that pain went away. I didn't even remember it, until about week 2...

I had been doing really great with my 'squirt bottle cleaning' and my witch hazeling, and my gigantic ice pack padding's... And not to mention, great at re applying the small canoe sized pad and fish net undies.. But right around week 2, I started to feel something I never thought would be a problem.. Itching. Holy Crap, I remember changing one pad one morning and about half hour later I was so sure I snagged one of the stitches because I was now itching so bad I figured I had probably caused mass hysteria down there.. My husband, and Marina begged me not to look. They told me " I’m sure it just means they are healing! " " I'm pretty sure that's normal, especially with stitches" " Just don't look, it might be weird!" So I listened, for about an hour when I couldn't stand the itching anymore and I was REAL freaked out..

What I saw in that bathroom, with that tiny mirror, on that cloudy day will never be spoken of again..

I walked out and both Marina and Chad said " DO you feel better?" As I burst into tears and crazed pandemonium over "whatever the hell I just looked at..." I pleaded that there was "NO way that was my vagina..." and "I don't know if a stitch even snagged but I don't even care.. "

Called the Doctor about an hour later, turns out the itching is TOTALLY normal, and all it means is that the last of the stitches is dissolving...

So please, for sake of your mind, eyes, and husband..."Don't Look."

. . .

Thank you so much to Erika for sharing some funny mommy experiences with us!  Don't forget to show Erika some love on Facebook and visit her blog at www.damnithank.com.

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The black thumb

As the air began to warm up, thoughts of a beautiful vegetable garden began to dance in my head. I could envision it now...kids digging in the dirt, seed galore, watering pails, and enjoying fresh homegrown veggies! Sounds like a great idea, right?! You see, the problem is, I've been known to have what is call a black thumb. Any sort of living plant under my care will thrive for the first few weeks and then suddenly just kick the bucket one day. I can't figure out why...

But I wasn't going to let my black thumb curse stop me from my dreams. So we rolled up our sleeves and begun our gardening project together. Two Tahoe loads of dirt, 11 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, and several herbs and wild flowers later, our garden was complete. 

And I'm proud to report that two months later (and with lots of prayer and some extra TLC) our garden is doing amazing. The kids have had such an awesome learning experience creating and tending to their very own garden. We've seen plants morph from just a seed, to a sprout, all the way to a vegetable. 
We've tasted the benefits of eating fresh, and even seen the positive results of letting over three dozen worms loose in our garden bed.

The fun isn't over yet. With summer just approaching our garden will soon produce even more yummy food to eat. I'm glad I didn't let my black thumb intimidate me. I'd say now, my thumb is more tan-ish, only time will tell if it will turn green. 

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