Simply my life. I am a mother of 3 beautiful children, 2 of them in diapers. Life is incredibly hectic but I am very grateful for my blessings. This is our story.
The last week and a half, I have had to dedicate to my poor little boy who has had a terrible time teething. He has been whiny and clingy. His normal, healthy appetite has been playing peek-a-boo. I'm afraid that I haven't accomplished much in the last two weeks.
Over the last 3 days, I did get some time to work on the toy sort. I thought it was going to take forever, a long haul. But I managed to pull it together. We decided to use the bonus room or loft area as our tv room/play area. I wasn't sure how I'd set up the space at first, but I like how it is turning out. My large cube bookcase has turned into the toy station. Everything fit well with the addition of a toy sorter for the smaller items like blocks and legos. A couple of bins are holding the stuffed animals and now I'm just trying to figure out how to organize the games and puzzles. The tall book shelves I had orignally purchased for my bedroom last year are now at the top of the staircase.
We also managed to complete 97% of the final details in the kids rooms. I know, I need to hurry & post pictures. I am hoping to complete tomorrow -pending baby's mood. Wish me luck!
My heart, along with millions of others, just broke yesterday when I read that Patrick Swayze had died. He had been such a part of my life growing up. My earliest memory of watching Patrick on the screen was in Red Dawn. Years later, like most girls in my generation, I desperately wanted to be his "Baby" in Dirty Dancing. Between my sister, our friends and I, we had memorized all the most important lines in the movie - individually, each one of us wishing to play that role. We imagined ourselves practicing dance lifts in the water with Swayze, balancing on fallen tree logs, stepping on his toes, bickering with him, kissing him, and most of...just dancing with him.
What was truly wonderful about that film, was the collection of music it introduced us to. From the oldies, to the latin, to the contemporary, the music delivered the emotion that can't be spoken. The dance sequences were everything from breathtaking to fun. When Mom bought the soundtrack, we often found ourselves acting out the whole Love is Strange scene. We loved pretending to be Sylvia, calling out to her "lover boy". We had the time of our lives, watching Patrick Swayze dance and the music was a part of that journey.
Perhaps the most intense experience for me watching Swayze on film, was during Road House. At age 13, I found myself in the dark with my two favorite boy friends, my guy pal and his older brother - who I had a major crush on at the time. They invited me to see the flick at the theater around the corner from my house. We rode over on our bikes, parked them outside, and went in for what we figured would be a purely action story.
To our surprise, the steamy love scene was more than we could handle. I froze, when it became apparent that this was not your ordinary kiss-and-move-on moment. With passionate gyrating and a climatic lift, I got to see Patrick Swayze's delicious figure, unclothed and moving in such a way that made my spot between two adolescent boys extremely uncomfortable. I don't believe any one of us breathed for the entirety of that scene. Rigid, eyes forward, and hearts pounding, we were very still...and never, ever, did we speak about it.
Then there was Ghost. Another movie I can watch over and over again. I am moved to tears every time Demi is finally able to see Patrick and at last he tells her, "I love you"; she responds with his usual line, "Ditto".
Having watched pancreatic cancer destroy a friend of the family just 1 year and 4 days ago, I find it truly amazing that Patrick Swayze fought it as long as he did. The disease is aggressive and has a survival rate of nearly zero. It is rarely detected early enough to make any treatment successful. Often, those inflicted by this brand of cancer are in stage IV by the time they are diagnosed. It often hides and presents symptoms that could be many other ailments, in the meantime, growing and spreading.
Foregoing pain medication, Swayze continued to act, staring in A&E's The Beast. Unless one has witnessed cancer up front, I don't think one can truly comprehend, physically, what a sacrifice it was to go un-medicated so that he could deliver the depth of the character he felt it deserved. Due to his declining health, the show was not renewed after its initial 13-episode run.
...after 33 years of marriage, his wife Lisa must be devastated. How beautiful to have videos like this though to remember Patrick by. It is amazing that he survived pancreatic cancer these last 20 months, much longer than most victims of this aggressive disease. Mixed in with the grief, I am sure there is a some relief, knowing that he is no longer suffering, that he is at peace. I fall in love with his grace all over again watching this clip.
I love art projects, crafting and creating. With the little ones running around however, it is rare to have a moment to sit quietly and create something new. A friend of mine recently introduced me to Polyvore. I would describe this web-based application as a high-tech, digital world of decoupage.
The premise is to "shop" images from all over the internet (retail sites, photography networks, clip art, etc.) and paste them onto your own canvas. While the themes revolve heavily around fashion and style, there are a multitude of items to choose from. The 900,000 registered users make up a diverse community of participants stemming from all backgrounds and cultures. Once a profile is created, the site allows members to publish their own unique “sets” or collages, which they can then post into different categories. Users may also browse and even rate fellow contributors. This generates the opportunity for socializing and networking with a vast audience that seems to be made up of everyone from tween Twilight addicts to serious artist with verifiable credentials.
Most of all, it is just fun. With the click, drop-and-drag functionality, Polyvore is quite simple to use. I’ve found the trickiest part to be the layering of the elements in order to achieve the dimension I am aiming for. As a mother of Two in Diapers, I am enjoying this new art form that does not require me to negotiate with my toddlers who’d like to dip their fingers into the glue that they’ve just spilled. In other words, I’ve found it to be 100% baby proof.
So far, I’ve only published two pieces publicly. I have several other drafts that I hope to add to my gallery later this week. If I get real good at it, I may even join some of the contests that are sponsored by big names like Bloomingdales, Saks and The Gap. With prizes ranging from $25 gift cards to $1000 shopping sprees, it might be an interesting way to replenish my wardrobe. Even if I don't win, at least I can build a wish list or virtual collection of gift ideas given that most images are of merchandise and artwork that can be purchased by following the links to the retail sites.
I am still learning the ropes, but am truly enjoying it.
Sometimes...it's nice to just stop and listen. We're soposed to be loading up to head to the lake today. Mom & Neto have gone ahead. It takes so much time getting the little ones together, so they escaped quietly to make for an early arrival.
I jumped onto facebook real quick (it's a habit, I had to check it before we left. We've only got dial-up down at the lake, so I usually fall quite behind when we are away). A friend of my posted this. Simply Marvelous. At the same time, it makes me sad. I always wanted to play piano. I've owned a keyboard most of my life. Mom offered to send me for music lessons when I was 14. I declined. Nothing scared me more than being alone with someone I didn't know...oh but that's a long story.
Anyways...my husband is a musical wizard. He does not read music, but he can figure out just about any instrument in minutes. He plays guitar, keyboard and a handful of other instruments you may not know, like the jarana and huapanguera. He is also teaching himself to play violin now. I'm so glad we share this love of music. He enjoyed this piece as well, so now I share with you. Have a wonderful weekend!
I can't believe the last two things I have had a moment to sit down and write about had to do with poop. Really, there are five dozen other things, moments, and thoughts I'd love to share, but time has been a distant friend. You know...the one that calls or visits once in awhile, but is never really around when you need her. Time seems to be ganging up on me with her partner Energy. You see, when Time does stop, and give me ample opportunity to conquer a few to-do's...wouldn't you know that Energy abandons me. She leaves me cold and lethargic and feeling completely hopeless.
Today, in short...the baby is being weaned off of his bottle. He is just over two weeks away from reaching his first birthday. It hadn't been too bad until a few nights ago. He has had insomnia three nights in a row. I'm not sure if it's just his body adjusting to our new routine or maybe he's teething. Last night he didn't even want the bottle when I tried to coax him back to sleep. From 3am to 5:30, we sat on the living room floor going back and forth between sleep negotiations, quiet play, and cuddling.
Chica has been adding to her vocabulary list almost every day. She's also been asking to go potty and has only wet 3 diapers/day on average for nearly 10 days.
Neto Boy has learned how to tie his shoes. It had been hard to get him to look past his frustration and keep trying. Finally, within the last two weeks he just put his mind to it and learned how to do it. I usually follow up and tighten the laces for him by adding a second knot so that they don't come undone.
Now...I did have to bribe him a bit. The day he finally tied a successful loop and knot, I had explained that if he were to complete the task 3 times, I'd be so impressed, I'd buy him two fish instead of one (the first fish was a birthday gift). I don't normally bribe my children, but I needed to give him some motivation. It took nearly 40 minutes, but he did it. Now he is tying them everyday. I'm hoping this boost of confidence will carry over to the next challenge...riding his "big boy" bike. He's been afraid to fall off of it, so hasn't wanted to give it a go much. Now that autumn is just 19 days away, our summer afternoons are more comfortable so I'd like to get him on that bike everyday next week.
Well...most things come in 3's right? It was midmorning, I took the babies out to nana's backyard. Papi shortly followed and soon enough he was kicking around the soccer ball with Chica. It wasn't long before she managed to step in dog poop. I laughed at her reaction. She was saying "ewww, ewww," as she hopped/ran over to Papi to get her foot cleaned. I watched the two make their way over to the water hose. That's when I felt baby Patito's diaper area get warm. Figuring I'd go inside in a minute to get him changed, I continued to watch father and daughter wash off her feet. That's when I felt the drops kiss my knee and continue down to my bare feet. Diaper Leak...GREAT! I did laugh though before heading back inside.
When baby boy has eliminated the stinkiest, nastiest, stomach-turning mess...his hands WILL go straight to his genitalia for the first time. This causes you to freak out because now you've got to prevent yourself from gagging while holding down his kicking legs AND keeping his now, poopy hands, out of his mouth, clear of the toxic waste zone, away from the carpet, AND hopefully nowhere near your last set of clean clothes (because as a stay-at-home mommy...it's nice to be clean sometimes).
I am a 30-something year old mother of three. My eldest is about to complete his first year of school...Kindergarten! I thought that was going to be the most difficult challenge this year. I was wrong. I am also mom to Two in Diapers (hence the name of this blog).
Balancing life is a struggle, and most often, I have had to put many of my passions on hold. My husband is an angel, and if it weren't for him (he being who he is), I don't know how I would survive.
Little by little, I am trying to put everything back in order. The last 24 months have been very rocky. It started with my baby sister being diagnosed with cancer, shortly followed by my father's death. Over the months, we have been slammed time after time by devastating news, but we are surviving as a family.
I hope you will join me as I try to piece the story together, both past and present.
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