REALLY

Ohhh the things he goes along with to keep his wife happy!
I owe you.
This Father’s Day will be a trillion times better than last year, I promise.
Unfortunately, we really don’t spend our summer mornings playing, my brain has to make sure everything we do notches off another developmental milestone and so yes being an OT has it’s disadvantages.
Anyhow this morning, we worked on feeding using a spoon, walking with her grocery cart, stacking two blocks, giving one more, picking things up with a pincer grasp, and so on. I glanced at the clock and we had to be at therapy in just over an hour. I gave her a bottle and crossed my fingers I had worn her out enough to take a quick snooze. Then I placed in her bed and instantly she pulled to stand, lifted her arm, and said u-bah u-bah.
I sighed my here goes nothin sigh, picked her u-bah and went to our bathroom to get ready. I took a quick shower and Maddox was able to safely entertain herself in the bathroom. I thought to myself, this is nice, a place that she can play and not get into trouble.
Haha.... Not get into trouble until she realized the drawers open. Out came the toothbrushes, hairbrushes, contacts, hairdryers, makeup, toilet paper, etc...
You know what, I took a step back and realized because of Maddox and this situation, I have met all these caring people, made new friends, and connected into the therapy world like no other.
Maddox usually works better at therapy without me present but I snuck in a glimpse. This is what I saw. I couldn’t have been a more proud mamma.
****VIDEO HERE****
365 days ago, we didn’t feel like new parents celebrating our special parents day because we were burdened by the questions of will her heart be ok, does she have sleep apnea, will her eyelid correct itself, will her head shape return, do we need ankle braces, will her belly button heal, will she be two wearing glasses, are her kneecaps stable, etc....
Scott, who didn’t even want kids to begin with - got a kid that is going to require way more time and investing than the average kid.
He has given up hours of sporting events for hours of doctors appointments. He has sacrificed Friday nights for carnivals downtown. Softball tournaments are replaced by trips to the zoo. Lawn mowing is replaced by therapy sessions.
My wonderful husband has sacrificed his lifestyle just to allow me to fulfill my dreams of raising a family. That is huge.
Now, I know he sometimes reminds me of the spontaneous life we could have had without kids but this past year I have been able to capture some smiles. If this photo tribute does not count for father of the year, I am not sure what the qualifications are!
Happy Fathers Day Daddy Scott, we love you.
There is more to say. This post has only takes me to dinner time. I still have to finish commenting about the rest of our day. We spent Friday night at home, making dinner. Maddox learned how to maneuver her walker today and chased us around the kitchen.
****VIDEO HERE****
PHOTO COMING SOON
After the bath, we discovered we had an over tired teething baby. Ahhh, the first “normal” thing that has occurred since she was born and I loved every minute of it. For those mom’s who post about how rough teething is, how nobody got any sleep, how cranky their baby is... I’ll take it. I’ll take it all. Everyday we check and every day we hope the right number of teeth are in there, that the come in the right order, and most importantly, that they are shaped normally. So many people make assumptions based on teeth and smiles. We don’t want people to think she is not bright because she is missing teeth. You laugh but think of the last time you took an odd looking adult with missing teeth seriously. These teeth are so so important to us.
Moving along.....Yes, a cranky teething, non napping baby is what I had at 10:30 last night but this is still the recipe for a perfect day when you have mostly bad days like I do. Here’s why.
We put Maddox in bed hoping she would quickly cry the over-tiredness out. For the first time ever, I had a desire to want to rescue her. This is a new feeling for me. In the past 1.5 years, I really didn’t care if she cried, if she was hurt, or if she needed me. But today it was different. Deep sigh, finally, a small bond.
Hearing her cry was though when I knew if I just went and stood by her she would stand up and I would get a killer smile and a Miss America flick of the wrist wave. Scott said no and that I had to wait it out so I listened to her cry which felt like eternity. Ok, 15 minutes but then I had to go. I picked her up, she laid her head on my chest, she wiggled a few times sinking into my body, took a deep breath, and fell into a deep precious limp sleep. So deep that her drool leaked through my shirt, tank top, and down to my bra.
I will spare you the picture of the drool spots but I totally thought about taking it!
Baby steps.
I pray there is hope that our future will someday return to normal and that our relationships with our families can go back to how it used to be, that the accomplishments of our nieces and nephews someday won’t sting so bad, that our friendships rekindle as they once were, our finances can adjust to its new cash demands, that we rediscover our lost hobbies, and lastly, I pray that Scott and I together can find peace in all of this.
Happy Father’s Day to the greatest husband and daddy ever.
(Also) Happy Father’s Day to the man who steered me straight and taught me how to pick em.
Here are a few photos of Maddox giving daddy his gift which by the way was a new smoker grill.
****VIDEO HERE****