Change, Expectations, Sacrifices, and Realizations

Right now I'm trying to process a lot of change, expectations, sacrifices, and realizations in my life.  I about to unpack a bunch of emotional baggage, so . . . if you didn't plan to spend your leisure reading time hearing about an old lady's problems . . . you might just want to move on.

Changes:   The three fairies have become a front and center fixture in my life, possibly for the long haul.  Last week when they stayed with their parents, it wasn't as successful as Mom #2 and I had hoped.  We're really trying to work with their parents and get the girls back home as soon as possible, but we are meeting resistance.  That's very sad to me. I'm also still struggling with parenting a young adult, since that is apparently what Baby Boy is now.  Going from "Mommy" to "Ma" is quite a change.  *SIGH*  That last sentence is going to need to be a separate blog post one of these days.

Expectations:  I am expected to morph from "grandma" to "surrogate mom" on a dime and the transition is very labor intensive.  I still have a lot of presence in Baby Boy's life, and I am trying to be a good spouse to Mom #2 as well.   Baby Doggy also has a lot of needs, LOL.  I've apparently set up a system of dependence in every life I've come into contact with . . . and now I feel stretched a tiny bit too thin.

Sacrifices:  I didn't go to school  this semester.  The semester is over next week and I think this is the first time I've "said" it "out loud."  I see Baby Boy with his books and leaving for class, and I'm soooo envious.  This has led to some very good discussions between us though.  I've really been a not-so-shiny example of how not to wait until you're middle aged to get your education.  Right now I'm not sure if I'll be able to return next semester or not.  I have a few weeks to turn in my paperwork.

Realizations:  I do realize that these challenges will not define me.  I have a FANTASTIC support system in Mom #2 and Baby Boy.  I realize that there is a sparkly lining to every situation.  I realize that we'll make it though this together, as we've made it through so many things before this. 

Boy, reading back over this post, it sounds very depressing, but I'm not depressed.  I'm actually happy to have a little clarity.  Sometimes just getting all the feelings outside of yourself helps to bring resolution to what seemed to be a perpetual problem.  Off to enjoy the day!

Thanks for being my therapist for the day!
 
Until next time . . .

 

Sounds of Spring

I am many weeks late properly thanking  :)De for her beautiful Springtime gift, but her kindness is really on my mind today as we enjoy the Sounds of Spring on our back patio.

It is such a relaxing sound.  I love it! 

Until next time . . .

 

Taking a Breather

The fairies are staying with their parents for the week.  It's been soooooo quiet around the house.  I have so many mixed emotions about the situation.  I am so grateful to be able to slow down and enjoy the peace and quiet that is our home with three adults (yes, I do view Baby Boy as an adult now) living in it.  At the same time, I worry about the girls and how they are doing.  I worry about the situations that led to them living here in the first place.  Needless to say, we call them - OFTEN.   

Worried.  Relaxed.  Worried.  Relaxed.  That's been my frame of mind all week, LOL. 

I have had a chance to catch up on some housework and on reading the piles of unopened mail stashed on every single horizontal surface in the house.  Most of it just requires shredding anyway.  Too much junk mail for me. I should actually be cleaning right now, but . . . yuck . . . you know. ;-)

Last week Baby Boy had a birthday!  I guess he's my Baby Young Man now that he's 19.  My goodness, every time I look at him he seems to be getting taller and eating more and more.  When the heck do boys stop growing?  I'm good with his current height and weight, so any time he wants to dial back the growing legs and feet is fine with me.  We had a great big family get together party, but the photos are on Mom #2's phone, so I'll have to upload them later.

Speaking of Baby Boy, he's been very busy with school.  His classes seem to be exponentially more difficult this semester than they have been in the past, so it looks like it'll be touch and go right up to the finish.  Please keep him in your thoughts.  He's also going through the certification process in order to be a volunteer at our local hospital.  There are lots of hoops to jump through with meetings, training, paperwork, and immunizations.  Hopefully he'll get through that pretty soon.   

Other than Mom #2's work keeping her busy-busy-busy, that's about all we have going on with us right now.


Until next time . . .
 

Settling in FAIRY Well

We've been oh-so-busy with three new little fairies fluttering about.  I think everyone is finally starting to settle in and find a rhythm.  The fairies are on a pretty strict schedule, which brings me peace.  I don't do very well with surprises or the unknown.  Regularity and predictability are my very best friends . . . I don't know why I can't seem to blog with any sort of regularity or predictability . . . but I do like regularity in all the other areas of my life.  It's very Virgo of me, I guess. 

Our first order of business was to get everyone acclimated and feeling safe and secure.  That's my favorite part because it includes lots of hugs, kisses, and lap-sitting!  We'll be keeping that as a permanent fixture around here :).  The second order of business was to get everyone potty trained.  Which they finally are!  This past week we had ZERO accidents including after nap time and over night.  Now everyone is wearing big-girl panties (except for Baby Boy who would have no part of it ;-). 

I have been doing some gentle "learning-time" with the fairies.  We are learning to recognize the letters of the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors.  It's been frantic, fun, and frustrating, but rewarding.  They have a long way to go, but fortunately we have nothing but time to get them where they need to be.  I have to admit that I have a whole new appreciation for those who choose to have big families.  My goodness, everything is immensely more complex when you have to do it three times rather than one.  I didn't realize how easy Baby Boy and I had it, LOL.  As for myself, I'm learning to be humble, patient, and most of all, optimistic.  Those values are being reinforced in me every. single. day.  

As an added bonus, the fairies are excellent for my diet as I barely have time to eat anymore and my pedometer gets well above Dr. Oz's recommended 10,000 steps almost every single day. 

Insanity has its benefits!



Until next time . . .

It's a GIRL! It's a GIRL! It's a GIRL!

It's a loooonnnnnngggggg story, and not really mine to tell, so I'll keep it brief. 

The three fairies have been staying here off and on for the past few weeks and since their parents are unable  to care for them right now, they'll be staying at Two Moms' Homeschool for the foreseeable future.

They are just soooooo  precious and really deserve a positive start in life.  I hope that Mom #2, Baby Boy, Baby Doggy, and I can give them that.  I also hope their parents wake up and see what they are missing out on very soon.  That second hope is that one that's really on my mind lately. Either way, we've chosen to celebrate the new additions to our family. 

To give you just a glimpse of our new lives, we are being treated to regular serenades such as this one:

There's nothing like three pint-sized bundles of energy to keep you young!  At least that's what I keep telling myself, LOL. 

Have a great weekend!

Until next time . . .