What Happens When Dad Stays Home

I rarely talk about my handsome husband of four years on this blog, because let's be honest that there are some things I like to keep to myself and if you know him he is pretty private. He's actually fiercely private. So, for the most part I honor his wishes and I don't talk about him. Here is something I will tell you about him that is no secret to anyone that knows him; he works HARD. REALLY HARD. He works a lot of days, he loves what he does, and he is good at it. So, getting him to take a day off is hard work too!

But, Thursday we celebrated four years of marriage and the cards we exchanged were fitting. Mine was sappy, his was hilarious. I insisted on no gifts. So, he SUGGESTED he take Friday off and we spend some time together as a family. That is one of the many reasons I love him. No prodding from me...just him suggesting we do something together.

I wanted to cross something off our "summer bucket list" so the destination: The Shedd Aquarium.

View from Shedd Balcony

Brady AND I have NEVER been so this was big. Did you know teachers get in for free? Score. Brady was free. So, really, we paid for Glenn's admission and parking.

Looking at all the cool fish

Playing in the submarine (He could of and would of stayed here all day!)
Look at all the buttons!

Scoping out the jellyfish.

I don't really know what I was expecting but seeing whales, dolphins, jellies all the different fish up close was honestly amazing. I wonder what we should cross off next?

Guest Posting and Other Thoughts...

Today, I had the privilege of guest posting over at Back to the Basics! Go over and give Julie and her blog some love! The post is all about my commuting with a toddler at the end of the school year! I have to tell you reading my own post, makes me laugh...I think that's a good sign?

A baby was born yesterday... one of my bestie's welcomed a sweet boy on her mama's birthday and Glenn and I's wedding anniversary. Coincidence? No way! I am just so happy for her family as they start the amazing journey of parenthood.

Another one of my dear friends is in crisis with her family. I don't want to say much more but know that our hearts are heavy with worry and sadness and we are praying her family comes through this.

I am 33 weeks and starting to freak. (I try to take deep breaths but it doesn't work.) We have so much crap to do. The good news is that my parents are home from Colorado so things will get done. Pretty pathetic it takes my mama to get my butt moving. I am 32.

Brady's cast is off. Still got a ways to go...we need to be patient with him and his leg. More on that later...

Happy Weekend! Started off with a trip to the Shedd today and family time tomorrow.

My Home Away from Home

With summer moving quicker than I would like to admit for many reasons, namely a toddler that still has a cast on his leg (it comes off next week) and my ever growing stomach, slowing my down and reminding me that our time as a family of three is getting shorter and shorter, I did what I do each summer last week...I went home to Bloomington-Normal to visit my parents. For some reason when I am down there, I relax. I am sure it has something to do with the fact that school is out leaving the drama and the daily grind in a distant memory as I drive down I-55 South but I check my phone less, my shoulders aren't as tense and I spend more time soaking up a toddler who I am madly in love with and find myself trying to keep little. So we took a trip back to my first home.

A place...

where the success of your days are measured by how dirty your feet are from the splash park and the yard no not how many minutes it took you to get home.

where the dinners are cheap but so good and don't need a magazine rating to tell you why you should eat there.

where watering the plants is a daily ritual because the heat and humidity are enough to stifle your energy reminding you that there is such a season as summer.

where toddler time at the parks and recreation pool means the freedom to let your kid roam, explore, splash and play all while an equal amount of parents keep a watchful eye.

.

where a trip to Dairy Queen is easy and drinking the last drops makes it taste that much better.

where the car can be washed in the driveway, not in an alley or the automatic washer at the gas station and the help is even better.

where eating a Popsicle on the porch only last minutes as the sticky liquid drips down your chin on to your shirtless belly.

where the swings are a plenty and grass is so soft it tickles your feet when you walk.

My HOME is with my boys wherever they are, both of them. Our little house in the big windy city is my home. But Bloomington-Normal is where I am from, my first home. On this trip, I found myself nostalgic. Unplugged from technology, I spent a lot of time worrying less, crafting more, watching as my toddler got to spend hours doing simple things that brought him so much happiness. Spending time with some of the most important people in my life never gets old. The look on Brady's face after his nap when his daddy arrived will be carved in my memory. I may not get home as often as I would like but I feel like each time it gets a bit sweeter and I am proud to say it's where I am from. My home away from home.

Weekend Randomness

The weather this weekend in Chicago reminded me why I love Chicago in the summer. The sun was shining all weekend long. There was not one ounce of humidity in the air. The nights were filled with cool breezes coming off the lake and we woke up to birds chirping.

LAKE MICHIGAN

We took a trip down memory lane. To the lakefront. The place I will always associate with my engagement, my husband, and the beginnings of our adventures that have led us to where we are. As we biked there I seriously questioned if my 30 week pregnant body would defy me. It didn't and the lakefront didn't disappoint.


I watched in awe, with tears in my eyes as my boys watched boats from the harbor enter the sparkling, shining, blue water of Lake Michigan. I stood behind them and the only thought I could clearly hear in my head which had been swirling with to do's, must do's and do now lists was don't forget this image. Etch this moment in your brain because this is what life is about.

ICE CREAM

If you talk to me you know that like mother like son, my kid hates milk. But the kid loves, ice cream. And I am not above feeding it to him EVERY SINGLE NIGHT if it means some dairy goes in his body to help those bones heal. So, for the sake of not lugging him and his weapon of a cast to Scooters or Dairy Queen every night, I decided to become an ice cream shop. Saturday night it was chocolate milkshakes. And they didn't disappoint.


HOME IMPROVEMENT
Our house is our home. We have been "working on it" since we bought it (i.e. it has been sucking money from us since we bough tit) It has become a symbol of our efforts. It has new fixtures, redesigned spaces that I will show you soon, and every modern amenity that you would or could want in a house. It also means our kid has learned the joys of Menards and Home Depot. This weekend, paint stirrers were the drum sticks and paint cans the drums. The carpet was just taking up precious space in his cart.


Happy Monday! Can you believe July is already here? That means we are less than 10 weeks away from meeting our newest addition! The to do list is back to swirling in my head...Have a great week!

Dad's Day 2011

It's hard to find someone that meets your expectations as a man. As a husband, as a friend and probably most importantly as a dad. When you grow up with a dad who doesn't have a mean bone in his body, whose sense of humor is effortless, whose patience is tireless and willingness is overwhelming you struggle to ask yourself daily if there is anyone out there that can match him quality for quality.
I think I found one...

This week I have been reminded of that more than ever. Sure, we have had some moments that neither of us are proud of. But, when you have a active toddler in a cast, sometimes his frustrations become our frustrations. But this week, he has also been our backbone. Literally and figuratively. Holding Brady as he got x-rays since pregnant mamas are not allowed in the room, carrying him everywhere since 7.5 months and a 30lb toddler don't go well together and reminding me as we dropped him off at Bright Horizons that this is harder on us than him.

So, on Father's Day, I want to wish the two best dad's I know, that I am proud to call mine, Happy Father's Day. Today is day to celebrate you... to remind both of you just how much you mean to me and him!
Thanks for letting us experience the highs and helping us to cope with the lows! We love you!

B-R-O-K-E-N and Blue

Saturday night I was sitting at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria, Illinois watching my softball team play for 3rd place in State of Illinois 4A Tournament.

We had been in Central Illinois with my team since Thursday, my parents on "Brady Duty" while I coached and Glenn traveled for work. The season was ending that night. Summer was here. Glenn was home from a rare business trip. We were going to settle in and start preparing for the arrival of our second child.

I checked my phone after the second inning and saw I missed a call from my mom. Weird I thought to myself. Maybe he is running a fever since the daycare cold refuses to quit. Or maybe she has something to ask me about food. No. Not my ma's style to call me about something that minuscule. Then I saw a text message asking me to call her. My mama's instinct kicked in and I knew, just knew, that something was wrong.

She and my dad had been watching Brady all weekend while I was coaching. They had taken him to the splash park, eaten Dairy Queen, watched Mickey Mouse and gone to the park. Honestly I am not even sure Brady knew I was gone those two afternoons. My mama and papa care for him sometimes better than I think I do. They have those instincts that you can' t teach. Brady whines when my dad leaves the room. He looks for my mom at meal time. He was safe. But I just knew something was not right.

I grabbed my phone and walked behind the grandstand and dialed the number I know by heart and dial each morning. I dialed with an urgency I couldn't place, my heart beating quicker with each breath.

"What's wrong?"
"Well, Kristi, we think Brady got hurt at the park today."
"Hurt? What do you mean? Is he upset?"
"No, not right now but he can't stand on his leg. We think he may need to go to the ER."
"What happened?"
"We aren't sure. He went down the slide with grandpa and started crying."
"I am on my way home. Pack a diaper bag with food, toys etc... and I will meet you there."
"I am so sorry sweetheart"
"Sorry? For what? You and dad didn't do anything."

I rushed back to the dugout, found my assistant athletic director explained to her Brady had been hurt and going to ER and that I needed to leave. I ran out of the Eastside Centre, literally ran if you can imagine a 28 week pregnant girl doing this, to my car.

I picked up my phone and drove, quickly but safely, back to Bloomington. For some reason, I was calm. I knew I needed to call my husband who was 120 miles away. I knew I needed to think clearly because there was a 20 month old that was going to need his mama.

My next phone call was to Glenn.
"I need you to go somewhere alone, where you can be calm, listen and hear me."
"Okay. What's up?"
"Brady got hurt at the park. My parents think he broke his leg. I am meeting them at the ER."
"Do you want me to get in the car and drive down?"
"No. Let me see what is going on when I get to the ER."

I got to the Bromenn Regional Medical Center Emergency Room in Normal, at the exact minute my parents got there. He wasn't crying. He smiled when he saw me and my dad got him out of the car. He waved and for a moment I wondered if my parents, were just overreacting.

The next hour was a blur...a quick blur. The diagnosis was spiral tibula fracture. I remember the doctor saying, "common, toddlers, easy to heal" but past I couldn't tell you what she said.

An almost 20 month old with a fracture in his leg.

I have never seen this sadness in my dad's eyes before. He felt responsible, guilty and horrible even though we didn't and still don't blame him. Accidents happen. They happen every single day. My papa...being a good grandpa and honoring my toddler's wishes rode down the slide with him and somehow in a freak accident, his tibula fractures.

After getting a temporary cast put on, we were on our way. We needed to see an orthopedic surgeon and had to wait until Wednesday so the swelling would subside. All I could think, was this is our new normal. 28 weeks pregnant and our new normal.

I was a rock until Sunday afternoon and we were driving back to Chicago. I am not sure what the trigger was but I couldn't keep it in. The tears flowed. I wasn't mad. I wasn't sad. I wasn't angry. I was emotional. I was hormonal. I was selfishly sad for how quickly "summer" had just changed. I was taking it worse than Brady. I spent most of the day crying. And that night, as Glenn pulled me close, after he couldn't listen to me cry as I did laundry, ate yogurt, or sat at the table, I released what I had been thinking for so long.

This is MY FAULT. This is because I am selfish. This is because I couldn't walk away from something that is my passion. If I wasn't coaching, this wouldn't have happened. If I wasn't trying to "do it all", as he reminds me so frequently when life spirals out of control our house, this wouldn't be our new normal. I am reason he his hurt. I am the reason our summer will be "different". I did this.

This week our "new normal" has been a roller coaster. Monday was okay. Not great but okay. See, when you can't burn energy you have a lot. And you don't nap. Making a pregnant mama crazy and a toddler pretty upset. Tuesday was bad. Brady was unhappy, I was unhappy and we were a puddle of tears by the time Glenn came home to rescue us. My OB appointment did not go well and I knew I was in trouble, physically and emotionally. I threw myself a pity party most of the day.

I woke up today knowing that we would get answers. We would know what life was going to be like. I knew today, I needed to buck up. My husband will tell you that "carry" to much but today I knew I needed to carry my emotions quietly. I need to be a mama.

We had our first appointment with an orthopedic surgeon at Children's Memorial. We got this shiny blue cast.
There were positives and negatives. The good news is that it will be taken off in four weeks, ironically on our wedding anniversary. Also good, is that the doctor told us Brady will not remember this and it will not impact him whatsoever going forward. More good news is that it is waterproof so he gets to take a bath and we actually have to get it wet every day. (Edit: This has been interesting. After the bath tonight we couldn't figure out how to drain it. But we knew it was not drained because Brady was leaving these little puddles wherever he sat.) The bad news is that the cast is over the knee and half way up the thigh.


He scoots. He army crawls. He still finds a way to get in to things he is not supposed to be in. Today, as I was preparing lunch I put him in front of the Wiggles on TV only to find he had scooted to the playroom and found a crayon to color our walls with. Normally, I would be pissed, but today, I was just proud. He does love the extra snuggles (so do we). He watches more TV than we would like. We are adjusting to our new normal. He has clearly adjusted better than we have.


Do we need help? Yes. My OB has made it clear that she will not allow me to care for Brady alone at the expense of our little girl. Are we going to have to get some help? Yes. And we have friends and family who are willing. Accepting it is hard.

So, our new normal is normal. It's not so bad. It's hard but it's just a curve ball in our game of life. And I think one day we will look back and laugh. As the doctor told us today, this will be something to look at in pictures years from now and laugh with him about.

Disclaimer: I tried to be objective and honest when writing this. There is a fine line between negligence and accidents. Four days later I blame NO ONE, not even myself. I want anyone who reads this to know that I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world for the amazing dad I have. I do not blame him. There is no one to blame. It was a fluke accident and it could have happened to any of us with Brady.

A Small Moment- Window With a View

“Is there a window up here where I can see him out on the playground?”

“Sure, around the corner.”

I quicken my pace out of her classroom and head to that exact set of windows desperate to see him for one moment.

I spot him instantly.

The gray Gap sweatpants and the kelly green hooded Gap sweatshirt.

He is alone.

He is running up the hill and back down.

He is fearless as he does it again.

At the bottom there is a group of kids.

He runs over to the older kids holding hands and they do not invite him in to their circle.

An outsider.

He labors back up the hill to the slide.

He wipes his nose.

He sits feet from the slide.

He scoots to the slide.

I think to myself proudly, “That is what we taught him…to sit down, be safe and scoot to the slide.”

My heart swells and tears well up in the corners of my eyes.

He learned from us.

He finally slides down and I notice she claps from afar.

He starts up the steep hill but can’t do it.

She walks over.

He smiles and she takes his hand.

He offers it willingly and she helps him up the hill that towers in front of him.

He smiles at her again.

He is adjusting.

He is going to be okay.

He has found his space and has remembered how to smile as the transition continues.