Mom Talk 9.26

Life is absolutely crazy sometimes... like crazy that your toddler breaks her collarbone and your 6 month old is teething which includes a poop filled diaper every hour. Oh and let's not forget teething usually equals no sleep for baby or mama, good thing because I wasn't seeping anyway with Olivia's broken bone.



No Nap or Nap? I am legit torn between what I want the twins to do. I love my quiet time and yes even a nap when I can get one. And yes sometimes the twins are crabby and really really need a nap. But on the other hand somedays I just want to let them stay up and play, because I know it means an early and most importantly EASY bedtime. It is a daily dilemma, and it really doesn't matter what I choose,  I already know I am going to deal with some sort of crabbiness.

Can I sleep with daddy? yes, that is a question and no it's not from mommy. It's no secret the twins almost always come into our bed at some point during the night. If we are lucky it won't be until 3 or 4 in the morning... we usually aren't that lucky. But now we have a new request and it goes a little something like this... "mommy ok if we sleep in daddy bed toNIGHT, pleeease?" First, how am I supposed to say no to that cuteness? Second, daddy always says yes, and third do you know how easy bedtime is when they just go in and lay down with daddy? Makes my life so super easy and bonus daddy "helps" with bedtime. And I always take them to their room when I go to bed... I mean I need some personal space! So maybe I have said yes a lot more this past month than I did the past, but hey this is what memories are made of right? Until.... .they pee in the bed that is.

Normal... can we all please agree that normal is what we make it?? Seriously, I am so tired of mom's feeling like they are failing their kids and even at life because they aren't living up to others expectations or what their definition of "normal" is. Life is already too damn hard to make others feel bad because their baby isn't walking at 10 months. Or to compare ourselves to a millisecond snap of a photo we see on social media. One of my favorite instagram pages mamasaidtees is truer than true when it comes to "defining" normal do yourself a favor and watch their video. As moms all we really need to do is support each other and show each other that we are not alone.

I love Pinterest... Like really love it, there is just so much cool stuff you can find to do, to make, and if you ever have a few hours to waste...well pinterest is your winning choice. However, there is a dark side to pinterest most of the time we don't want to talk about it because it's just too difficult. It's called the "pinterest fail" yes I said it... pinterest fail. I love to cook and I love to try new recipes but sometimes just sometimes what I make leaves me shaking my head and wondering just where I went wrong. It's just so difficult to process, you think you are going to make the perfect meal or perfect craft... because it was on Pinterest how hard could it be?? Turns out.... hard!! Some of that stuff is hard!! I give the creators so much credit for getting it perfect... but for me... it's on to the next... hopefully it won't be a fail!

Mom talk ... last week

SaveSave

One Week Later

If you follow me on instagram (blessedbyfive) you've likely seen our excitement from last week with Olivia's broken collarbone. It was an exciting week to say the least, our poor girl really had a rough time.
Sunday night Olivia started crying and it was that cry where you just know something happened. I ran into her room and she was on the floor face down. She had clearly fallen out of bed, which she has done in the past and usually just gets up and goes back into her bed, this night when I picked her back up she only cried more. I kept asking her if she was ok or if anything was hurt and she wouldn't answer, only cry. I put her in bed with us and she just fussed the rest of the night, she would go from sitting up to trying to lay down but just couldn't do it. I eventually started to notice she was holding her left hand over her right shoulder. It hit me that maybe she did something to her shoulder, I woke up my husband and said I think we need to take her to urgent care.
I had to carry her to the car and she cried the entire time. After being checked into urgent care the doctor looked at her and said we needed to take her the children's emergency room.  Once we got there poor Olivia was just exhausted from not sleeping and everyone asking her if she was ok. They took her straight back for an x-ray and determined that she did not break her collarbone. We were told she either sprained it or had a slight fracture but we would't know for a few days. We were also told to follow up with a pediatric orthopedic doctor. The rest of the day she was just very blah and very upset, sitting on the couch all day and wouldn't move much. The next day she was very swollen and I just knew it was more than a "sprain" she had to have her sling on all day, was scared to move her arm at all, and kept asking me not to hurt her. I called and made her appointment with the ortho. The next day was much of the same and very little sleep for all of us. The poor girl would only sleep on me in an up right position and even that was uncomfortable with a lot of whining.
When it was time for the orto appointment I kept telling my husband that there was no way it wasn't broken and sure enough the x-ray clearly showed that it was in fact broken. We waited for the doctor and I was so full of nerves worried about what they would have to do to fix it. Thankfully, the doctor said it was a clean break and would heal on its own. She should be able to take off the sling in the next few days and feel comfortable using her arm. The next day she was still pretty sore and timid to use her arm but she did try a few times only to stop because she said it hurt. The very next day she wanted to take off her sling and play, completely impressed she was ok to try we let her go, and she did great. Since then she has been sling free and doing very well. She has shown us several times that she can lift her arm and she has been sleeping much much better.
It has been a crazy week full of emotions for our girl, it was a lot to take in seeing her in so much pain and knowing there was just nothing we could do. She seems to be healing ok and will go back for another visit and x-ray next week to check on things. I am sure there will be more bumps, bruises, and yes, possible broken bones, and I am sure it won't get any easier for us. I just hope it doesn't happen again any time soon!

Felling much better!!

Mom Talk 9.19

I had so much fun looking at my world differently this past week, finding the humor in our daily lives sure makes life exciting (as if it wasn't exciting enough already haha)!

Just so there is no confusion while these posts may come across as though I'm very sarcastic and maybe just a touch crazy I do love my girls and my family very very much.


Why do I feel something wet?? Something you really want to ask yourself right? And really something you want ask yourself when you are trying to get just 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning. Potty training is a big task for anyone, if you haven't had the pleasure of doing it yet just trust me! Teaching your toddler how to make it through the night without wetting the bed is a whole other topic. But this is where I am going... For the most part the twins do really really well at bed without wetting. From time to time there is an accident which is to totally be expected and certainly understandable. I have developed the habit of "checking" the girls when they inevitable climb into bed with us each night. I am sure you don't need an explanation as to what "checking" means. Even after they are in bed I find myself waking up to "check" them again to make sure they are dry. And this past week I did just that... except.... one of them wasn't dry (insert appropriate emoji here). Now I was faced with any parent's dilemma ... do I wake her up and get her changed and remove my sheets and clean my bed? Or do I go with my gut and sleep my ten more minutes because hey the damage is already done right? Why deprive myself of sleep?? Never mind the fact that my 3 year old is sleeping in her own pee. Well of course we all woke up and did just want I knew was the right thing... but maybe just maybe next time I'll take those extra 10 minutes.

Mom, mom, mommy... Isn't it fun when all you hear all day is these same words repeated over and over again? I for one absolutely love it so much so that my husband and I made 5 kids just so I can hear it for the next rest of my life. In the busy moments of the day is when I like to hear it the most, especially when there are multiple variations of the word mom... for example mom, mommy, mother, mama and let's not forget when more than one kid is saying it at a time. It's at these moments I wonder if my kids really know they have a father. I feel very luck to have been given this designations and to be clear I would never change it ... ever.

Does my voice sound funny? I love social media, I really do. There are so many ways to connect and share with our family and friends that I often find myself overwhelmed with the number of choices I have. Ok, not really overwhelmed, I pretty much stick to my favorites, instagram and snapchat with a little Facebook thrown in there. Now once you choose the platform you want to share on you then have to decide if you are going to post a photo or video.. both are fun and completely acceptable, who doesn't love a cute photo or silly video of your kids?? But let's switch things up a bit what if you are the one doing the talking and posting the video of yourself? For me there are so many things that catch my eye AND my ears while I am recording a video of myself.. the most nerve racking for me is... the sound of my own voice! Seriously, how the heck do volgers and those that post videos get over the way their voice sounds? Ugh... I just think I sound so silly... which often leads to the question "Do I really sound like that?"

The diaper isle.. Am I the only one that feels overwhelmed in the diaper isle? It's either that feeling or a feeling of social anxiety, after 5 kids I am still next exactly sure which it is yet. Here is what's up... there are so many different brands to choose from and each brand has its benefits and yes some downfalls. We all pick the brands we love based on different factors but why oh why do I feel awkward when I am standing by the target brand (yes, target is my happy place) and the lady next to me is staring at the honest company brand? Let's be real sometimes I get the look of "are you really going to buy those?" and maybe I shoot the same look right back at that person. In all fairness does it really matter?? If I want to buy the target brand or huggies isn't that my choice? I consider myself an educated consumer of diapers (hello 5 kids) I mean even if you only have one kid that is a 5 day old newborn you could pretty much consider yourself an expert.  So let's all just be nice to each other in the diaper isle, maybe we could give each other high fives for simply putting diapers on our babies!

Last weeks mom talk

Happy Half Birthday Parker!

Yes, it's true Parker is 6 months old... half way to ONE! Guess I better start planning that birthday party right?? No, I am serious I already have a board on Pinterest. So many changes for this little one, no surprise there as that is what each new month brings. Big changes and small ones each one making Parker the sweet little babe she is today.

Her personality is glowing and we simply cannot get enough of her. I watch her sleep so peacefully while her Daddy wants to put her in our bed every single night. She is full of life and loves to try new things each and every day. She sits up on her own without support ... until she tries to look to the left or right of course. She loves her sisters so very much and is always watching every thing they do. Giggles can be heard nearly every time they are playing with her. She has taken an intense interest in our dog Bella. She loves to grab at her and always has a big smile on her face whenever she catches a glimpse her.

As you guessed it Parker still loves to eat and is eating solids twice a day. She eats very well of course and gets extremely excited each time she sees her food or even a spoon. She's a bit of a chunk and we wouldn't want it any other way. 

Her Smile brightens any room, makes any tough day better, and is completely contagious. We simply do not know what we would do without her. Happy 6 months Parker!

I want to thank you all for your amazing support last month when I decided to share my heart regarding milestones on Parker's 5 month post. It means so much to me to know that we can come together as mothers and as parents to support each other on this crazy ride we call parenting. 

Mom Talk

There's a funny thing that happens when you become a mom (or parent for that matter) you start to realize you will try just about anything to make your kids happy. You find humor in the things that can sometimes drive you crazy, and small things seems like the best things. The past few weeks I've been really trying to laugh off the stress of the day and just find joy in the simple little things in life. And after a talk with my sister (she has a 10 month old) I realized that from time to time we all need to know we are doing ok. We have things under control and we are good parents. We need to know other mom's understand what we are going through.

Here is a look at my past week and the things I was like "Whoa" did that just happen/did I just do that??


Swim suits at bed time - the twins have been "playing" A LOT at bedtime and they love to pretend. Pretend they are painting, going to a wedding, packing for a trip, and so much more. Last night they were just giggling and talking over and over. I had gone in several times to tell them it was time to go to sleep...  I was for sure nearing the end of my rope as I went in the room one last time (hopefully) I  found Charlotte in her swimsuit and Olivia in her birthday suit! While I surely was not happy and the girls knew about it... I couldn't help but laugh after the fact... I realized maybe just maybe I should let their imagination keep working during these times... maybe

Dishwasher Packs (From SAMs Club) - there is something so incredibly satisfying when you open your cupboard and see a big container of dishwasher packs... especially when you have a big family and run your dishwasher nearly every single day! Not sure how I will feel when that container is empty!

Cars with NO air conditioner - When you live in Florida you learn to deal with the heat especially when you are outside. You do things at certain times so that you don't have to be doing them during the hottest part of the day. You make decisions for family outings based on the coolest time of the year. AND we can do all of these things because we know two very important facts... 1. there will be AC in almost every single house or building we enter; and 2. there will be AC in the vehicle we drive.... except.... when the AC goes out in your car on one of the hottest days of the year while you are sitting in the longest drive-thru line imaginable  at chick fi-la.

Crackers for Breakfast - It really is ok to give your toddlers crackers for breakfast right? I mean every day they ask for pancakes and usually only end up eating one bite and then ask me to save the rest for later.. ummm no those things will be hard as a rock and I know for sure you won't eat them later! So when they don't ask for pancakes but instead want crackers... I'm just going to go for it because at at least I didn't waste two pancakes and my three year olds ate breakfast... #winning

Did you really let your baby cry? - Yes, yes, I did. When you lay your baby down for nap or bed and she immediately starts crying you have to ask yourself.. what kind of cry is this? Is she hungry? Nope, she just had cereal and a bottle... not hungry. Does she need to be changed? Nope, just changed the diaper AND had to put on a bigger size for bedtime .. because... chubby baby and chubby baby just had a bottle. Is she hurt? sick? none of the above... oh so when I walk away she cries and when I come in the room she stops and smiles??? Yes, this my friends is called "baby plays mommy" so yes I let her cry... sometimes.

Until next time....