Parenting through trials

 Well, I feel slightly more human after getting some things unpacked and getting more than 4 hours of sleep last night.  HALLELUJAH!  On a trip that felt more like training for an ultra-marathon than a vacation, I was certainly thinking ahead four months and wondering how our family dynamics will change, yet again, with the addition of another new baby??  This will probably all seem like an easy training lap, compared to life with another newborn, come September.

Well, now it's closer to 9 pm...I typed that first paragraph early this morning.  I'm not feeling so rested or relaxed or confident that I can handle things.  The kids spent what seemed like the entire day attempting to destroy the entire house.  I guess this was their own unique way of  "unpacking" or maybe expressing joy about being home again.  They started with the basement, dumping about 10 different full bins of toys out and mixing them all up all over the floor...they moved to Carter's room and dumped out ALL of his Legos.  They moved to the family room and spread out books and toys all over that floor, then came the icing on the cake...they dumped out almost all of Reese's teeny tiny melting beads all over her deep, fluffy rug.  (Why didn't I buy a berber????)  We spent 45 minutes tonight picking bead after bead after bead out of her rug.  I should have just vacuumed them all up and said, "too bad"...but I didn't.  In the midst of this she was telling me I didn't love her because I wouldn't let her have one of Sienna's three stuffed animals.  This is the child who owns more stuffed animals than I can count.  I just don't understand...

And to top it all off, I had just cancelled Sienna's follow-up appointment at the pediatrician tomorrow because she finally seemed to be better again...and I really didn't feel like taking her for the 6th time since April 15th.  Then she woke up from her nap with a 102 fever this afternoon that had climbed to 103 by bedtime.  Am I missing something here????

I have had three older people tell me in the last three days, "Enjoy them now...they grow up too fast!"  I am at such a point of exhaustion, I find myself longing for easier days.  The other night though when I was kissing Carter goodnight, I stopped to look at him...half-way to 7 already, and wondered...how much longer will he let me give him big hugs and goodnight kisses?  When will he think it's not "cool" anymore?  My babies are growing up right before my very eyes.  And in the midst of all the chaos, I am trying to leave a legacy for them...trying to give them lasting memories of family, and love and a strong faith to carry them through their own trials.

We parents do SO much for our children...and so much of it seems to go unnoticed and unappreciated.  We would throw ourselves in front of a bus to save them if we had to...will they ever realize how much we really do love them?  I think, in many ways, having kids is like the wedding vows we say to each other when we first start out...for better or worse.  Now that they are here, there's no turning back.  We are in this for better or worse...in sickness and in health.

I happened upon this amazing commencement speech, and honestly, it was just what I needed to read tonight.  A reminder not to let obstacles hold you back...to keep moving forward to matter what...to be your best...to help others around you...

Check out the speech here: 10 Life Lessons from a Navy Seal

OBX 2014....we survived!!!

 Hmmmm....to sum up 9 days away with about 4 or 5 broken hours of sleep many nights, three out of seven of us sick at some point, Nani and Pop Pop having to leave three days early (due to sickness), Sienna developing a total fear of her crib/sleeping/naps resulting in hours of screaming tantrums. Well, it wouldn't be a Berad Family Vacation without a "little" drama, right???  HA!  But in spite of it all, we did manage to have a really great vacation with lots of fun memories, good laughs, and probably not just a few new gray hairs.

Reese flying her kite

Running down Jockey's Ridge

The "lolly"

Ready, set, SPIKE!

The waves are winning this time

Little crab

 Sienna preferred to eat snacks while the older kids swam until later in the week when it got really hot.  She loved sitting in the shade watching everything going on around her.

 We competed in the Water Balloon toss challenge.  Fortunately, Derrick and I won medals since the kids wanted them so desperately.  There were tears until in the last round, we finally won.

So proud of their medals!

 We went to the beach at night the last two nights and built big castles near the water that the kids spent hours trying to defend from the incoming surf.

 Reese wanted to build a starfish...

 The kids swam every day, sometimes two or three times a day at the different pools. Both kids are swimming much better and even going underwater and retrieving things from the bottom.  So proud of them!

What happens when you DON'T SLEEP at night!!

Reese's newly learned skill!

Troublemaking baby...

I don't know that anything is more humbling than to admit I have been beaten by a one year old.  It's sad, but true.  We tried to put a mattress on the floor of the closet since Sienna seemed to be so restless and unhappy in the pack 'n play.  I found myself lying curled up on a closet floor last night...twice...trying to get the screaming baby to sleep.  Nothing says "vacation" like spending your nights, awake for hours on a closet floor.  To add insult to injury, I was cold, lying there without a blanket so I borrowed Sienna's little blanket to throw over my shoulders.  But whenever she woke up and saw it there (which was every five minutes it seemed), she would abruptly yank it off of me and roll it up in a ball in the corner.  So unappreciative!  After another (very) early morning wake up from my night of not-sleeping  I finally snapped at nap time today and put the pack'n play back up.

She does like to do things her own way.  Apparently she is not a fan of cold water, so she has petty much been avoiding swimming in the pools.  She found a way to have the best of both worlds today.  She sat on my lap and watched the kids swim for a little while, but then she was ready to join in the fun.  She walked over to the pool, and in typical Sienna fashion, stepped right over the edge, just expecting that one of us would catch her on her way down.  She stood there in the foot deep water for twenty seconds, climbed out, ran over to her towel and pulled it around her.  I dried her all off and a minute later, she was running back over to the pool to do the same thing again.  She must have gone in and out of the pool twenty times...her towel was drenched from drying her off so many times.  I think I caught the lifeguard snickering to himself a few times.

Reese spotted her travel Bingo game in the van tonight and wanted to play on our two minute drive back from the beach.  When we got home, she asked if she could bring it inside so she could keep playing.  Uh, Reese...how are you going to play travel bingo when you are sitting inside the house??

We spotted some interesting wildlife this afternoon too...we all enjoyed seeing a red-headed woodpecker on a little hike we went on.  And when we were unloading the car to go to the beach I turned around and a fox was running through the parking lot just ten feet behind us.

Kids on the beach...

Well...this might be our most stressful, germ-filled, and sleep-deprived vacation yet...we've had to visit the pediatrician... endured a split lip...managed to get Nani very sick...been woken up earlier and earlier by the kids every day (today it was a 4:45 wakeup...thanks Sienna!).  But they cooperated for our annual photo shoot tonight...so I guess that's worth something.

 

Carter and Reese have both been doing really well with swimming this time too..both kids are enjoying swimming underwater with their new masks, and Carter even successfully swam to the bottom today to pick up a toy a bunch of times.  So proud of their progress.

 

Sienna has officially become a two-time sprinkle shoplifter as of today.  I'm not sure how it's possible but we walked out of the store and didn't even notice them stashed in her firm grasp.

Vacation...then and now

Whoever said vacations could be relaxing was lying...or wasn't pregnant or the parent of crazy children!!  In some ways I feel like people are trying to rub it in my face...how carefree their lives are compared to mine. Sitting on the beach yesterday, it seemed like every ten minutes another cute couple would walk onto the beach in their matching workout gear, stretch out together down by the waves, then take off running in sync with each other...like two gazelles racing down the beach.  The last time I really ran was in December....I am very bitter about this.  The most I can muster now is an un-gazelle-like lumber...it is not pretty to watch.  But come to think of it, every time I stand up I just have to pee so I'm better off not moving at all.

Another group of fit and limber folks was gathered doing yoga on the beach.  Watching them contort their bodies into positions a pregnant woman could only dream of was a bit angering.

Seeing people reading on the beach...ah another relic of life before kids.  The only reading going on in my life these days is reading my kids the riot act for throwing sand in someone's face, trying to bury a sibling, or taking all their clothes off in public.

Other things I used to enjoy in vacation...going for bike rides ( can't do while pregnant), sipping a glass of wine with my dinner ( can't do while pregnant), sitting in the hot tub ( can't do while pregnant), gorging myself on delicious seafood (can't do while pregnant)...do you see a trend here??

Whoever said vacations were a time to rest and recharge your batteries...they were lying too.  There has been at least one little person...if not all three...awake before 6am every day that we've been away.  This does not allow for many hours of rest.  I know the idea of rising with the sun sounds somewhat glorious and refreshing...this is only true though if you haven't spent the last six years surviving on five hours of sleep a night or less.

Well..the little people are awake and it's time for another "relaxing" day to being.  Cheers to another day of vacation!

Facebook Fiends

This is a conversation I actually witnessed today, sitting by the poolside.  It was both hilarious and extremely disturbing all at once.  Please, slap me in the face and throw away my phone if you EVER see me doing this!  Visualize a husband and wife sitting next to each other by the side of the pool while their four young kids swim unattended.

Husband:  I just posted a picture of the kids at the beach on Facebook

Wife:  Ok, I will "like" it.

H: ok

W: did you tag me?

H: no

W: ok I will tag myself

H: OK

H: look how many people "liked" my post already

W: I just posted something too.

H: Oh that's awesome.

W: Make sure you "like" it

H: ok, I will "like" it

W: I just shared your picture with Sarah

H: check out this hilarious picture I just shared with you

W: OMG that is hilarious

Ok you get the gist of it but they were both on their iPhones sitting 5 feet apart and were going back and forth like this for a good ten minutes.  I was shocked.

Mall Madness

I'm contemplating a trip to the Mall...I know...this is the big league now.  But seriously, I have a gift card to use in the next month, so I do need to go.  It's just that the last trip was such a cryfest...I'm having a hard time committing.  I know, it's pretty pathetic, but I couldn't help but cry a little with each store we passed, remembering the days I used to be able to shop without three kids, a stroller and an 80 lb. diaper bag weighing me down.  Anyone remember my post a year or so back about the double stroller getting stuck in Victoria's Secret last time I tried to get my free underwear there???  Enough said.

The last time we went to the mall, we made it into a total of four stores.  To accomplish this we had to buy two bouncy balls, .01 oz of candy which cost approximately $6, and French fries.  The stores we went to were as follows:  1.) Sears - we had to walk through it because that was the end we parked at, AND we also had to return the 4th broken shovel there for Derrick.  Have you ever tried walking through a mall with three kids, a stroller an 80 lb. diaper bag and a broken shovel?   You get odd looks.  2.) Old Navy -  we had to stop here because everyone was tired from walking through Sears.  The only purchase made was the two bouncy balls.  3.) Expensive mall Candy Store - they saw it...need I say more??...also were tired from another 100 feet walked and needed sustenance.  The French fries were purchased at the food court as bribery to get them to give me 3 minutes in 4.) the Body Shop where I used my gift card.  Then we had to leave immediately because all three kids were totally spent from such an exhausting morning of shopping.  See why I'm so anxious to go back??

I have another gripe about the mall, or more specifically, the maternity store at the mall.  Notice I said the...as in the ONLY.  I know I've also griped about this when I was last pregnant but seriously did they have to stop carrying all maternity clothes in stores.  Motherhood Maternity, the only store left, will charge you an arm and a leg to outfit your tired body in clothes that in my opinion are still less than attractive.  And there is something I learned about this store when you buy maternity clothes.  If you are in any stage of early pregnancy, they have this cute little pillow in the dressing room that you are supposed to Velcro onto your stomach to simulate later pregnancy.  There is however a problem with this.  Instead of the pillow, what they really need to have is a full size (seeded) watermelon in the changing room.  And you've got to hold one end against your belly and have the other pointing straight out to simulate an 8-month torpedo belly.  That is reality...deal with it.  If you get sucked into that cute, almost-flat pillow and buy clothes to fit that (as I did the first time around), you will literally have no shirts to wear when you get to the third trimester besides your husband's.  Unless, of course, you enjoy the 80's crop-top look.  Please don't try this.    The "sales" in this store are not really sales...buy three get half off the fourth.  Seriously??  So basically you drop a Benjamin for four shirts...do you only plan to wear four shirts for your entire pregnancy?  Of course not!

I've found it better to altogether circumvent maternity clothes in stores and buy them from the Thrift Store. This is the only way I can affordably clothe myself for all stages of pregnancy without spending my future child's entire college fund on shirts and large-waisted pants I will wear for four or five months.

My final gripe about the Mall is when people eye you suspiciously for shopping in stores that do not have maternity clothes.  I dared to enter such a store last week when I had a few minutes to shop alone because it is my favorite store.  I noticed they had sunglasses for sale and mine are so badly scratched I can hardly see out of them.  (Hmmm...wonder how that happened....SIENNA!!!!)  So as I was walking across the store to the glasses I swear people were giving me looks, like, "Why are you here?"  Discrimination, people!  But then the lady at the counter made me feel SO much better when I went up to pay.  She asked if there was anything else she could help me with and I said, "No not unless you carry maternity clothes."  And she sweetly said, "Well another girl who works here wore our regular clothes all through her entire pregnancy."   As if that would ever work for me on baby #4!?!

Donuts and the DMV

 We did another little field trip today to Peace, Love, and Little Donuts so the kids could see donuts being made.  They even got to create their own custom-topped donut at the end...pretty awesome.  They were shown how the batter is made, how the machine cooks the donuts and then all the different toppings that could be added.  It was a pretty "sweet" trip.

We topped that off with a stop at the DMV since my license was going to expire in 5 days.  That little visit only took an hour to complete...happy birthday to me!

Sienna is still hive-covered and pretty miserable.  Her ankles were so swollen today she couldn't walk.  Hoping tomorrow is a better day for her!

Carter enjoyed his chocolate oreo donut!

Crazy asparagus...crazy kids...

It was a beautiful, sunny day for Mother's Day yesterday.  The kids enjoyed lots of time outside...so everyone was happy.  They wanted to get out all of the lawn games and Carter's first request was, "Can we play Bad Birdie?"  Bad Birdie...Bad Birdie...what the heck is Bad Birdie....oooohhhh Badminton!

Yes, this is my kids with a stalk of asparagus that is taller than Sienna!  (In Carter's right hand...it's skinny)

No, in case you were curious, today was not any more relaxing than Saturday.  Another trip to the Pediatrician for Sienna for a severe allergic reaction to the penicillin she's been on for 16 days now...crazy itchy hives all over her body...still two ear infections...another new antibiotic...an oatmeal bath  (which she pooped in) to try to ease her discomfort.  I raced to get the tub cleaned,her dressed, and get the kids fed and ready for a trip to the dentist for Carter and Reese.  I sent them upstairs to brush their teeth and heard Reese screaming...she came down and the whole side of her head was blue.  There was blue toothpaste all over her hair and even in her ear.  I just got Carter a new tube and I guess he squeezed it a little too aggressively and shot Reese with it.  Ugh!  The final straw was being welcomed home by dog poop on the dog bed...oh yea...it's a been a super-relaxing very fun day here!

Indigo Bunting at our feeder!

Yes I did cry in the car earlier...no I will not be drowning my sorrows with a drink of wine at dinner...(dang pregnancy!)   I know they never said being a parent would be easy but seriously, this is insanity!