so, i think i'm that mom. that mom. shoot.
though there are many reasons that have led me to this conclusion, here are a few of the recents:
1. the teachers at MDO tell me that the next two weeks are "sports days". dress your child in his favorite sports team's color or jersey. great! i write it on my hand. i write it on my calendar once i'm home. the following tuesday rolls around, and i drop hayes off in his freshly pressed, precious baby blue smocked romper with his cute little lace-up walking shoes. sinking feeling inside. oh no!! i forgot!! all of the other kids are wearing their sports paraphanelia (or however you spell it...stuff) and then there's hayes. what to do? do i go home and bring him clothes?? wait, he's 11 months, he won't remember. BUT, i'm his mom, I AM supposed to remember. shoot, i'm that mom.
2. the parent/teacher conference sign-up sheet is posted outside of hayes' classroom door. kind of crazy that i'll be conferencing for my 11 month old, but sure, i'll sign up. what kinds of questions will i bring in to discuss with the teacher?? anyway, write the time down on my hand. again, i write it on a piece of paper and post it to the fridge once i'm home. okay, i''m ready. ready for the conference. change plans, rearrange a few things, make new plans, all because i have this 15 minute conference on friday. friday comes. i get up and actually shower. i go to target and buy starbucks cards for all three of his teachers to take with me. i'm ready. pull up to school and again, a sinking feeling sets in. shoot!!! is my conference today or was it yesterday??? oh no!! yesterday!!! the director of MDO now takes my gift cards from me and assures me that she'll tell the teacher that i got confused and missed my conference. shoot, i'm that mom.....and I KNOW how we teachers talk about that mom!!!
3. okay, so i'm showered, dressed, and missed my conference all on the same day. so i go home for a bit to get a few things done before returning to school for hudson's fall party. will happens to be home. he doesn't say anything directly when i walk in, but he has this funny look on his face and starts kind of giggling. i'm like, what??! what's wrong with my clothes?! he hem-haws around for a bit and then finally says, 'nothing really, but they're, it's just kind of frumpy. well, it looks better from the side than the front.' sweet. not only am i a total flake up at school, but now i'm a total frump at home. so what, i had on the same sweater i wore when i was 9 months pregnant. so what, i was comfortable. so what, without my money tree blooming in the backyard, what was i supposed to do?! shoot, i'm that mom.....who's about to clean the toilet with her husband's toothbrush. just kidding!! :)
4. today, 1 year old birthday party. halloween costumes. me and the kids attend the party by ourselves. having fun, having fun, i'm a little distracted trying to carry on conversations, keep an eye on hayes, check on hudson etc. then wham... all of a sudden i feel like the party just got really loud, and i realize that is because:
out of one corner of my eye, i see hayes is screaming-so i go grab him, try to calm him, but can't. meanwhile, out of the corner of my other eye, i see hudson chasing the poor kid who wanted his trains back screaming at him, kid is crying and looked to be running for dear life away from hudson. so i scoop hayes up. he continues to scream. sweat beads are pouring down my back. i feel people beginning to look at me. i'm trying to figure out if hudson actually hit the kid that he's chasing. i get to hudson, he starts screaming and starts to melt down. hayes is still cying. nothing says "time to go" better than both of your kids screaming and everyone else staring at you. shoot, i'm that mom.
man... lately, my mom skills have me feeling like a million bucks! ;)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
a few things i don't want to forget
dear hudson,
you are 2 years and 4 months old now and amaze me with something new each and every day. your dad and i laugh about something you said or did each night after you go to bed and often sit and wonder how your funny personality will continue to grow. i wanted to take a minute and jot down a few of the sweet or funny things that you're doing now, as you change so quickly!!
right now, you:
-you recognize us as the Clark Family (pronounced: "Clock Fameeee") and when asked who is in our family you say,"mommy clark. daddy clark. hayesie. and hussson"
-you switch from "mommy" to "mom" depending on your need at the time. when you're really serious about something, i'm always "mom". but Daddy is always "daddy" and Hayes is always "hayesie".
-you have several favorite questions: what's that? did you hear that? what's that noise? what you doin'? what you talkin' bout? WHY??
-you are finally (the teacher in me has been waiting for this for 2 years and 4 months :) ) taking an interest in learning letters, shapes and numbers.
-you recognize yours and hayes' letter as H, mommy's letter as M and now spot them on road signs, daddy's Old High t-shirt, billboards, magazines etc.
-you like counting...to 3. and then you pick up again at 7.
-you're very particular about how fast i drive and how many bumps i hit along the way. at least several times a week you will say things like, "mommy slow down" "toooooo fast, mommy!" or "no do those bumps mommy"
-you are fascinated, and by fascinated i mean OBCESSED, with cars, trucks, trains, cranes, etc.
-you now have an ever-changing imagination and you love bringing us coffee (though we don't drink coffee in this house, so sometimes you'll bring me a diet coke), making muffins, pretending you're a fireman and climbing trees to save the cats (you must get that from your dad, because anybody that knows me knows i DEFINITELY DON'T DO cats...much less any other animal for that matter...if it was up to me, i'd certainly leave the cat in the tree!) when we're playing, i've grown tired of "saving the [useless] cats", so now i tell you that my ladder broke and that "Duggers", the name that you give the cat EVERY time, will have to make a happy home up in the tree forever. you follow that with, "why mommy?!"
-every Friday on our way to school, without fail, you tell me, "Mac goin' school today mommy. Mac pay (play) Hussson". then, when i pick you up you say, "No Mac school today??!!" .... i've tried every way possible to help you understand that you and Mac are in different classes this year. it breaks my heart to see the look on your face in the afternoons when, again, Mac didn't show up. so i've started going along with you and saying, hmmm, i wonder what Mac did today instead of coming to school??!
-you like to tell me which way to go and you always tell me to go find the Tollway...you even recognize our route to the Tollway and know when i'm going the "wong waaaaaay!!!"
-you enjoy drinking lemondades from "Donalds", and unfortunately fries usually accompany the drink in an attempt to keep your brother quiet.
-you are quick to tell us when we're talking to loud and that our voices "hurt husson's ears"
-you have a generally loving relationship with your brother. you love him too harshly some times and might have banged him on the head more than once. you really dislike it when hayes comes near a toy that you're playing with and are quick to tell him "NO, MIIIIIIIIIIINE," in the LOUDEST voice one could imagine.
-you're beginning to understand time, in the sense that when asked to do something you'll respond, "no, hud do ____ for one more minute mommy. just one minute"
-you will walk outside and say, "so nice out here!" when the weather is sunny and not 100 degrees.
-you love telling us the story of Noah's Arc and include the animals going "two by" into the arc. when we ask you what bible story you read about at Bible Study or School, you say, "God."
...i could go on and on. you are teaching more about LOVE than i ever realized and as a result of living these 2 years and 4 motnhs with you, i now realize more than ever that,
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it ise not easily angered, it kieeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
I love you Hudson Bradley Clark past the last number...you are my favorite huddy-buddy!
love, mommy
you are 2 years and 4 months old now and amaze me with something new each and every day. your dad and i laugh about something you said or did each night after you go to bed and often sit and wonder how your funny personality will continue to grow. i wanted to take a minute and jot down a few of the sweet or funny things that you're doing now, as you change so quickly!!
right now, you:
-you recognize us as the Clark Family (pronounced: "Clock Fameeee") and when asked who is in our family you say,"mommy clark. daddy clark. hayesie. and hussson"
-you switch from "mommy" to "mom" depending on your need at the time. when you're really serious about something, i'm always "mom". but Daddy is always "daddy" and Hayes is always "hayesie".
-you have several favorite questions: what's that? did you hear that? what's that noise? what you doin'? what you talkin' bout? WHY??
-you are finally (the teacher in me has been waiting for this for 2 years and 4 months :) ) taking an interest in learning letters, shapes and numbers.
-you recognize yours and hayes' letter as H, mommy's letter as M and now spot them on road signs, daddy's Old High t-shirt, billboards, magazines etc.
-you like counting...to 3. and then you pick up again at 7.
-you're very particular about how fast i drive and how many bumps i hit along the way. at least several times a week you will say things like, "mommy slow down" "toooooo fast, mommy!" or "no do those bumps mommy"
-you are fascinated, and by fascinated i mean OBCESSED, with cars, trucks, trains, cranes, etc.
-you now have an ever-changing imagination and you love bringing us coffee (though we don't drink coffee in this house, so sometimes you'll bring me a diet coke), making muffins, pretending you're a fireman and climbing trees to save the cats (you must get that from your dad, because anybody that knows me knows i DEFINITELY DON'T DO cats...much less any other animal for that matter...if it was up to me, i'd certainly leave the cat in the tree!) when we're playing, i've grown tired of "saving the [useless] cats", so now i tell you that my ladder broke and that "Duggers", the name that you give the cat EVERY time, will have to make a happy home up in the tree forever. you follow that with, "why mommy?!"
-every Friday on our way to school, without fail, you tell me, "Mac goin' school today mommy. Mac pay (play) Hussson". then, when i pick you up you say, "No Mac school today??!!" .... i've tried every way possible to help you understand that you and Mac are in different classes this year. it breaks my heart to see the look on your face in the afternoons when, again, Mac didn't show up. so i've started going along with you and saying, hmmm, i wonder what Mac did today instead of coming to school??!
-you like to tell me which way to go and you always tell me to go find the Tollway...you even recognize our route to the Tollway and know when i'm going the "wong waaaaaay!!!"
-you enjoy drinking lemondades from "Donalds", and unfortunately fries usually accompany the drink in an attempt to keep your brother quiet.
-you are quick to tell us when we're talking to loud and that our voices "hurt husson's ears"
-you have a generally loving relationship with your brother. you love him too harshly some times and might have banged him on the head more than once. you really dislike it when hayes comes near a toy that you're playing with and are quick to tell him "NO, MIIIIIIIIIIINE," in the LOUDEST voice one could imagine.
-you're beginning to understand time, in the sense that when asked to do something you'll respond, "no, hud do ____ for one more minute mommy. just one minute"
-you will walk outside and say, "so nice out here!" when the weather is sunny and not 100 degrees.
-you love telling us the story of Noah's Arc and include the animals going "two by" into the arc. when we ask you what bible story you read about at Bible Study or School, you say, "God."
...i could go on and on. you are teaching more about LOVE than i ever realized and as a result of living these 2 years and 4 motnhs with you, i now realize more than ever that,
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it ise not easily angered, it kieeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
I love you Hudson Bradley Clark past the last number...you are my favorite huddy-buddy!
love, mommy
Thursday, October 7, 2010
let the planning begin...better yet, skip the planning and go straight to celebrating!
hayes, honey, when you're old enough to read these posts on your own and you come across this one....please come talk to me about the first year of your life, and i can guarantee that no matter how old i am, i will never forget the important details that will help better explain this post.
so, here we are...a few weeks away from your first birthday. while most will say, wow, has it already been a year?! i'm sitting here thinking, good heavens people, yes it's been a year!!! .... a very crazy, interesting, soul-searching, full of love, inspiring, down right dirty, awful, funny, stressful, amazing, growing, changing, gray hair inducing year. one year. we're almost there. and in my mind, i keep thinking about your first birthday and the planning that i need to begin in order to "pull it off" to meet my own expectations. yet, when thinking about this past year and the amazing struggles that we've overcome together, i think, why waste time planning....let's just celebrate!! let's celebrate your precious life and the joy that you bring to ours. let's celebrate that you've out grown your refux and colic. let's celebrate that your "swallowing mechanism" has matured. let's celebrate that your daddy and i are still married, and actually still love each other, despite the intenese year that we've had. let's celebrate the fact that i have nothing, NOT ONE THING, filled out in your baby book. i can't tell you AT ALL when you started sleeping through the night, rolling over, eating rice cereal, crawling, sitting up, smiling, jabbering, got your first tooth, or if i even witnessed any of the above when they were developing...but low and behold, you seem to be turning out okay. let's celebrate the fact that with much help and prayer, i have come out of my "fog" and am able to enjoy you every second of every day and actually thank god that there is so much about this year that i don't remember. and, yes, let's celebrate the fact that you are a thriving, generally happy, well fed "hayesie-poop" with eyes that melt my heart.
so, back to planning your party.....with the help of two of my friends who have gone through just about every struggle with you (or really, me) we've come up with this grand party idea....
a celebration of hayes' first year:
cake: one GIANT re-creation of your three times as expensive as most formulas, Allimentum
snacks for kid guests: personal bottles of compounded prevacid, that took exactly 72 hours to mix (regardless of our urgant need) and will expire in exactly 15 days, resulting in your friends having to spend another $250 per new bottle. so drink up quickly kids!!
snacks for adult guests: mcdonalds dr peppers, canned diet cokes, and package after package after package after package of store bought cookies....oreos, chocolate chip, peanut butter, etc. because these three things, dr pepper diet coke and cookies, have been necessary staples for me this year.
decorations: hospital bill receipts, pediatric co-pay receipts, band aids, saline spray, tylenol, thermometers, ear monitors, teething tablets, breathing treatment machines and masks, a sign that says "RSV: rediculously severe virus that will make you miserable for at least one month out of the year and then, guess what, as a result of catching it at such a young age, you get severe colds and possible asthma with each illness." (see again, pediatric co-pay receipts), and pictures...wait, ooops, those were never taken...so instead, we'll use drawings of our happy little family of four.
activities: cry. cry loud. cry for long periods of time. don't stop crying. oh, and eat. eat everything in sight, and in sight of your brother's plate, and in sight of the serving table, and....
party favors: each guest will leave with a play doctor kit, a bottle of hand sanitizer, gripe water, ear plugs and the name and number of the sweet pharmacist at the CVS drive-through who knows us pretty much by name.
what a party i have to plan! regardless of the theme that actually is chosen, we'll have MUCH to celebrate!!
so, here we are...a few weeks away from your first birthday. while most will say, wow, has it already been a year?! i'm sitting here thinking, good heavens people, yes it's been a year!!! .... a very crazy, interesting, soul-searching, full of love, inspiring, down right dirty, awful, funny, stressful, amazing, growing, changing, gray hair inducing year. one year. we're almost there. and in my mind, i keep thinking about your first birthday and the planning that i need to begin in order to "pull it off" to meet my own expectations. yet, when thinking about this past year and the amazing struggles that we've overcome together, i think, why waste time planning....let's just celebrate!! let's celebrate your precious life and the joy that you bring to ours. let's celebrate that you've out grown your refux and colic. let's celebrate that your "swallowing mechanism" has matured. let's celebrate that your daddy and i are still married, and actually still love each other, despite the intenese year that we've had. let's celebrate the fact that i have nothing, NOT ONE THING, filled out in your baby book. i can't tell you AT ALL when you started sleeping through the night, rolling over, eating rice cereal, crawling, sitting up, smiling, jabbering, got your first tooth, or if i even witnessed any of the above when they were developing...but low and behold, you seem to be turning out okay. let's celebrate the fact that with much help and prayer, i have come out of my "fog" and am able to enjoy you every second of every day and actually thank god that there is so much about this year that i don't remember. and, yes, let's celebrate the fact that you are a thriving, generally happy, well fed "hayesie-poop" with eyes that melt my heart.
so, back to planning your party.....with the help of two of my friends who have gone through just about every struggle with you (or really, me) we've come up with this grand party idea....
a celebration of hayes' first year:
cake: one GIANT re-creation of your three times as expensive as most formulas, Allimentum
snacks for kid guests: personal bottles of compounded prevacid, that took exactly 72 hours to mix (regardless of our urgant need) and will expire in exactly 15 days, resulting in your friends having to spend another $250 per new bottle. so drink up quickly kids!!
snacks for adult guests: mcdonalds dr peppers, canned diet cokes, and package after package after package after package of store bought cookies....oreos, chocolate chip, peanut butter, etc. because these three things, dr pepper diet coke and cookies, have been necessary staples for me this year.
decorations: hospital bill receipts, pediatric co-pay receipts, band aids, saline spray, tylenol, thermometers, ear monitors, teething tablets, breathing treatment machines and masks, a sign that says "RSV: rediculously severe virus that will make you miserable for at least one month out of the year and then, guess what, as a result of catching it at such a young age, you get severe colds and possible asthma with each illness." (see again, pediatric co-pay receipts), and pictures...wait, ooops, those were never taken...so instead, we'll use drawings of our happy little family of four.
activities: cry. cry loud. cry for long periods of time. don't stop crying. oh, and eat. eat everything in sight, and in sight of your brother's plate, and in sight of the serving table, and....
party favors: each guest will leave with a play doctor kit, a bottle of hand sanitizer, gripe water, ear plugs and the name and number of the sweet pharmacist at the CVS drive-through who knows us pretty much by name.
what a party i have to plan! regardless of the theme that actually is chosen, we'll have MUCH to celebrate!!
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