A day in the life of a single mom with two kids:
5:30 am Wake to find Y Baby is asleep on my arm. Try to move her without waking her.
6:00 am Alarm goes off. Get up and get in shower.
6:10 am O brings a screaming Y into the bathroom and dumps her unceremoniously onto the floor. “She wants you.”
6:11 am Climb out of half-finished shower to hold baby.
6:15 am Give both girls a bowl of cereal.
6:16 am Force Waba to go outside (or else he will be eating the cereal)
6:17 am Return to shower
6:20 am Back to kitchen to check on girls
6:21 am Back to bathroom to finish getting ready
6:23 am Back to kitchen to see why Y Baby is crying
6:24 am Pick up spoon on floor, put in sink. Find baby a clean spoon.
6:26 am Return to bathroom to try to style now frizzing hair.
6:35 am Return to kitchen. Clean up cereal from table, floor, baby’s pajamas.
6:40 am Wrangle both girls back into the bedroom to get dressed.
6:41 am Try to change Y Baby’s diaper as she crawls squealing across the bed.
6:43 am Ask O to get dressed.
6:44 am Finally get clean diaper on baby
6:45 am Ask O to get dressed. Again.
6:46 am Dress the baby
6:47 am Ask O to get dressed. FOR THE THIRD TIME.
6:51 am Search room for baby’s other shoe that was just on the bed a minute ago
6:52 am Tell O that if she doesn’t get dressed immediately she is going to school in her nightgown
6:53 am Spend 10 minutes trying to dry O’s drama queen tears over being “yelled at”
6:54 am Put baby on the floor so she will stop pulling sister’s hair since sister is already crying
7:03 am Ask O one more time to please get dressed
7:04 am Get self dressed
7:05 am Help O take off nightgown
7:07 am Put baby back on bed so she will stop screaming
7:08 am Finish getting self dressed. Realize O is now naked.
7:09 am Dress O.
7:12 am Heard both girls into the bathroom to brush teeth/wash faces
7:14 am Chase Y Baby down the hall and carry back to bathroom
7:15 am Find O standing in middle of the bathroom
7:16 am Prepare toothbrushes and toothpaste for everyone
7:17 am Tell O to brush her teeth
7:18 am Brush baby’s teeth
7:19 am Tell O to brush her teeth. Again.
7:20 am Baby wipes toothpaste all over Mommy’s shirt
7:21 am Tell O to stop singing to the mirror and brush her teeth
7:22 am Try to wipe toothpaste off shirt
7:23 am Tell O that if she doesn’t brush her teeth NOW Mommy is going to lose it
7:24 am Help O brush her teeth
7:27 am Finish brushing baby’s teeth
7:30 am Wash both girl’s faces
7:34 am Brush O’s hair (Y Baby has no hair)
7:36 am Try to get both girls to head for the van
7:37 am Stop to give Waba food and water
7:39 am Drag girls out to the van
7:40 am Strap baby into car seat
7:41 am Help O get her seat buckled
7:42 am Get in van, open garage door
7:43 am Realize that Waba is still outside
7:44 am Go back in to let the dog in
7:45 am Get back in car, ask baby to please stop screaming as Mommy has returned
7:46 am Pull out of drive way and remind myself that I signed up for this
Yeah, I know I said a day in the life, but you get the point.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Ying Goes to the Park
While Mama is busy at work, and Big Sister is busy at school, little Miss Ying is busy playing at the park. This is how she spends her days. It's a rough life, huh?
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Swingin'
When you are a kid, summer time should be all about fun. It’s bare feet, ice cream cones, riding bikes, splashing in a pool, tan legs, and swinging on your swing set.
Summer time, when you’re a Mama, is not all fun. There’s still work and bills and grass that needs to be mowed. But mixed in with all that, there is the joy of watching your children discovering how much fun a swing set can be. So, last night the dishes and the laundry were ignored while I watched my two little girls enjoying their very own swing set. Just look at those faces. That’s what fun looks like. (And a big THANK YOU to Uncle Sauce-ear for helping me set up the swing set. As O would say, you are cool.)
Summer time, when you’re a Mama, is not all fun. There’s still work and bills and grass that needs to be mowed. But mixed in with all that, there is the joy of watching your children discovering how much fun a swing set can be. So, last night the dishes and the laundry were ignored while I watched my two little girls enjoying their very own swing set. Just look at those faces. That’s what fun looks like. (And a big THANK YOU to Uncle Sauce-ear for helping me set up the swing set. As O would say, you are cool.)
Monday, May 21, 2007
I tiss Mama
That was Ying’s first sentence. This weekend she said, “I tiss Mama” clear as a bell (that’s “I kiss Mama” for those who don’t speak toddler). She had been trying to kiss me, and I was teasing her by acting like I didn’t know what she wanted. When she finally managed to kiss me, she laughed and said, “I tiss Mama’. Oh, you have no idea how sweet that sounded! Her little giggle is like pure sugar, and her voice just makes me smile every time I hear it. Yeah, I love that little girl.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
One Down, One to Go
Guess who has slept in her own bed for the last three (count 'em -3!) nights in a row? Yes, that's right, my big girl is sleeping in her big girl bed. Little Bit got to me with the crying, "Mama, Mama, Mama." I couldn't take it, so she is still sleeping under my arm. One of these days, they will both be sleeping in their own room! Maybe before I'm 50!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Ying and Bing
First, I have to say “WAAAAAAA HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I found out this morning that Bing’s surgery has been completely funded! Yes, that’s right. Little Bing will soon be fitted for his new leg, thanks to the generosity of people who see the value of every child – even the ones we’ll never meet. Of course, Love Without Boundaries still has other children who need medical care. Like Hao, a little 9 year old girl who needs $2450 for a Cornea Transplant. Donations are tax deductable. Hey, I'm just putting it out there.
Now, about Ying’s eyes. When I took Ying to see the ophthalmic plastic surgeon last month he diagnosed Ying with a condition called Blepharophimosis. Blepharophimosis is a collection of birth deformities. They include: small eyelids that are short in vertical dimensions in some cases causing the lower eyelid to be too short to adequately cover the eye (in Ying's case, it appears that the lower lid rolls in), eyelids shorter from side to side, eyes spread apart from each other that make the nose look like it is flat, ptosis, arching of eyebrows, bones above eyes slightly flattened, and a fold of extra tissue near the central corner of the eye opening. Yeah, that pretty much describes my Ying.
So, I did a little research on Blepharophimosis. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder. This kind of surprised me because Dr. L diagnosed it very casually. So casually, in fact that I didn’t even ask any questions. OK, I’ll admit it – I thought it was just what you call it when someone has both ptosis and epiblepharon. I couldn’t let go of the fact that it is really rare. So, then I started to wonder how much Dr. L really knows about it and how many times he has seen it. Then I started to worry about whether or not his treatment plan is the best thing for Ying. So, I started looking around to see if I could find a doctor who could be considered a “specialist”. Well, the internet is a wonderful thing. I found a support group for families with Blepharophimosis, and a woman from Ft. Wayne told me that there is a doctor at Riley Children’s Hospital who has treated several kids with this condition, including her daughter. So, we have an appointment at Riley on May 11th. I just want this guy to confirm Dr. L’s diagnosis (or not) and tell me if going ahead with this particular surgery is the right way to proceed (or not). I’ve never asked for a second opinion before, but then again, I’ve never been told that my child has a rare disorder before, either.
If the second opinion doc agrees with our current treatment plan, Ying will have surgery as scheduled on June 8th. It is out-patient surgery, and supposedly she will be up and about by dinner time. Whew. Parenting isn’t for the weak!
Now, about Ying’s eyes. When I took Ying to see the ophthalmic plastic surgeon last month he diagnosed Ying with a condition called Blepharophimosis. Blepharophimosis is a collection of birth deformities. They include: small eyelids that are short in vertical dimensions in some cases causing the lower eyelid to be too short to adequately cover the eye (in Ying's case, it appears that the lower lid rolls in), eyelids shorter from side to side, eyes spread apart from each other that make the nose look like it is flat, ptosis, arching of eyebrows, bones above eyes slightly flattened, and a fold of extra tissue near the central corner of the eye opening. Yeah, that pretty much describes my Ying.
So, I did a little research on Blepharophimosis. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder. This kind of surprised me because Dr. L diagnosed it very casually. So casually, in fact that I didn’t even ask any questions. OK, I’ll admit it – I thought it was just what you call it when someone has both ptosis and epiblepharon. I couldn’t let go of the fact that it is really rare. So, then I started to wonder how much Dr. L really knows about it and how many times he has seen it. Then I started to worry about whether or not his treatment plan is the best thing for Ying. So, I started looking around to see if I could find a doctor who could be considered a “specialist”. Well, the internet is a wonderful thing. I found a support group for families with Blepharophimosis, and a woman from Ft. Wayne told me that there is a doctor at Riley Children’s Hospital who has treated several kids with this condition, including her daughter. So, we have an appointment at Riley on May 11th. I just want this guy to confirm Dr. L’s diagnosis (or not) and tell me if going ahead with this particular surgery is the right way to proceed (or not). I’ve never asked for a second opinion before, but then again, I’ve never been told that my child has a rare disorder before, either.
If the second opinion doc agrees with our current treatment plan, Ying will have surgery as scheduled on June 8th. It is out-patient surgery, and supposedly she will be up and about by dinner time. Whew. Parenting isn’t for the weak!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Flower Power – Love Without Boundaries
Hua, post-op!For those of you who donated money to help Flower (Hua) get the life-saving surgery she needed, I have some great news. Sunday the heart surgeon said that Hua has had a complete repair of her heart defect, and she will not require any further surgery. She will be discharged from the hospital and head home with her family as soon as tickets can be booked for them.
How’s that for amazing? A little girl who was just waiting to die can now go home and live a long and happy life because a bunch of strangers thought that her life had value. That what I love about Love Without Boundaries. “Every child counts” is more than just a motto to them. They are run entirely by volunteers, and their overhead is about as low as an organization can have! So, if you are looking for a good cause to which to donate money, please consider LWB. Their medical page always has a list of kids in China who need life-saving or life altering medical procedures. Like Bing. He is 7 years old and needs surgery to prepare his leg for a prosthesis so that he will be able to walk for the first time. The cost of the surgery and the “new leg” is $1500. I’m not saying you have to donate, I’m just saying that he’s out there. Waiting. For a leg. So he can walk. Seven years old. Waiting.
Sigh. If I ever win the lottery, LWB is going to love me!
How’s that for amazing? A little girl who was just waiting to die can now go home and live a long and happy life because a bunch of strangers thought that her life had value. That what I love about Love Without Boundaries. “Every child counts” is more than just a motto to them. They are run entirely by volunteers, and their overhead is about as low as an organization can have! So, if you are looking for a good cause to which to donate money, please consider LWB. Their medical page always has a list of kids in China who need life-saving or life altering medical procedures. Like Bing. He is 7 years old and needs surgery to prepare his leg for a prosthesis so that he will be able to walk for the first time. The cost of the surgery and the “new leg” is $1500. I’m not saying you have to donate, I’m just saying that he’s out there. Waiting. For a leg. So he can walk. Seven years old. Waiting.
Sigh. If I ever win the lottery, LWB is going to love me!
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