Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
We celebrated Tate’s 5th birthday last weekend. His aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents and brother all gathered at the swimming pool. It was a perfect day for the festivities, and time well spent with all his family members.

Unfortunately, Tate’s father was supposed to work and couldn’t join in the celebration. He was visibly bummed. Tate asked almost daily whether or not his daddy was going to attend his party. I did my best to explain to Tate that Daddy’s schedule is very demanding that he would to his absolute best to see him on his birthday. Tate’s father made a last-ditch effort to move his schedule around, and miraculously he got the day off.  He got into town late on the eve of Tate’s birthday to surprise him.

On the morning of Tate’s birthday, the whole family greeted Tate with birthday hugs and kisses. However, Daddy patiently waited a few minutes and snuck up behind Tate to surprise him. He gently tapped his shoulder and whispered “happy birthday!” Tate turned around with the biggest eyes and joy in his voice shouting, “daddy, you made it to my birthday!” It was very sweet and an exciting moment for the two of them.

Tate’s 5th birthday was a great day. He played with his family, ate pizza and cupcakes, and best of all his daddy made it there just in time. One birthday I’m sure Tate will never forget.

Haley and Hudson share a room, and overall the situation has worked out quite well. Hudson goes to sleep first. After a bit of whining, he’s pretty much out for the night. Haley is not too bad either. She requires a witness, with abilities including back-scratching and head-patting, but she’s so tired by the end of a long day without a nap, she tends to go down without a fight.

Recently, Hudson has started become a bit fussier. Is it teething? Is it because he’s learning to crawl? I don’t know. It’s not too bad, but it pushes back when Haley can go to bed. Then, the problem becomes not that Haley is not tired enough for bed, but overtired by the time Hudson settles and we can get her in there.

We’ve tried different solutions—telling her to ignore him when he fusses, putting her to bed in a different room initially or all night—but despite our best intentions, things often go haywire. We—the kids and grown-ups alike—try to keep our chins up and shake it off. Tomorrow will be another day, we think, and kids go through these phases. But it’s been a week of chaos.

We’re lucky overall since the kids almost always sleep all night, even if they have late starts and early rises. With very little ones in the house, I think that’s all you can wish for most nights.

Enjoy your week, everyone.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
We are in the market for more help in the evenings during the week.  While I have been successful so far at keeping the same work hours that I did when Rory was an infant, it is growing more and more apparent that from a professional standpoint I am going to need to put in longer hours at least a few times a week.

As much as my husband could probably handle it,  we are leaning toward trying to get a college student to help out one or two nights a week.  Our hope is that such a sitter would also be able to help on weekend date nights.  We are realizing that this little family team needs a slightly deeper bench in order to survive.  Never one to ask for help, I have struggled with whether I want to outsource in this fashion. But I watch how the stress can grate on both mommy and daddy and I have no doubt that it is the right choice for us right now.

Now we just need to agree on the job description.  My hope is that by having regularity in whatever set up we come up with, the kids will simply be used to mommy being away on Wednesdays or Tuesdays,or whatever the case may be.

I know that these are not real problems when compared to folks much less fortunate who have no choice but to work multiple jobs or long hours, so I try desperately to keep that in perspective when grappling with my own mommy guilt.  For me, balance is not a matter of “having it all,” it is simply a matter of owning your choices and being okay with them.  And I am working on it.

From Wednesdy Mom – Janelle:
Last week, my in-laws hosted a camp for Jack and Tate. It’s a week long and super fun. This was the second year Jack attended and Tate’s first. They were both ready for some planned daily activities, arts and crafts, swimming, trips, and adventures. The best part was time well spent with their grandparents.

I picked up Jack and Tate on Friday and arrived in time to see their final swim lesson. They greeted me with hugs and kisses, and I was happy to see them again. They both improved on their swimming skills, and Jack even passed the deep-water test. After their lessons, they both told me everything they did at camp. They mentioned lots of neat crafts, experiments, a factory tour, mini-golf, a scavenger hunt, ice cream, fishing, a boat ride and movie night. What a fun week, indeed.

While the boys were away, I had several days to myself. It was terrific. No worries or responsibilities. I knew my boys were in good hands, and I could relax for an extended period. Sure, I missed the boys, but some alone time was refreshing.

I’m so appreciative that Jack and Tate’s grandparents are willing to host such an enjoyable week. I know the boys will always have memories of Lake Camp this year and future years. Soon, their cousins will join in the fun. What a great experience for everyone involved!