adjust and overcome

"Never say never"

"Adjust and overcome"

"Don't sweat the small stuff"

"Pick your battles"

"take it one day minute at a time"

If ever asked to give my best parenting advice, I am sure that I would pick or (or all) of these.

Yesterday I had thrown in the towel by 10:30 in the morning.

Maddox was whiny and needy and non-stop and honestly just annoying, from the minute he woke up.

Beckham, has began cruising on furniture.  Meaning that now that he has finally mastered pulling up on any and everything-- he took it to the next level, ultimately taking us back to the falls and back to the tears from when he first became mobile. 

He has also learned to make a new sound.  It is an earthshaking squeal, that makes me want to pull my hair out, one strand at a time.  

At barely 7 months old, has learned how to throw a temper tantrum sounding similar to a pig being chased or tortured.  It isn't fun.

On top of this, my cute little lump'o'love ate his own poop yesterday.  A first for me. 

I let him "air out" in the bathroom while I took a shower... big mistake.  Poop in the floor... squished between his toes... and some in his mouth.  Gross.

I have a clear shower curtain-- I was watching him the entire time.  He mastered this all in the time it took me to wash my hair.

Amanda called me at 11:00 and I confessed to her that both of my children were in time-out.

Even the infant.

Honestly, I was in time out.

I needed a break and I was counting down the hours that I got to go to work and free my mind from the stresses of my house.

Back home, I was refreshed and excited to be mommy again.

[that's what I love about my schedule]

Maddox and I went to bed chatting about our big day that we had planned for the next day [today], which led to talking about anything else that comes to his non-stop mind.

I wrote down our conversation because he just cracks me up::

Do you remember before we had Beak'um when I found that cupcake menu?

Cupcake menu?  No?

Hmmmm... well, Daddy 'members it.

Where was it?

In the deks... desssssk... you know what I am trying to say momma, the word that starts with a c.  (slowly and thoughtfully he pronounced 'desk')

(I giggled, since obviously desk does not start with a c-- in which he grabbed and kissed my face)

See, now you remember... good time giggles.

Good time giggles?  Isn't that the funniest thing?!

I'm sure he heard it on a show, but it tickled me so much.  I think I will start using it!

Lance was already asleep... so like a bad wife good momma, I snuggled my little man and let him sleep with me.

Good call.

Beckham had me up to nurse at 4:00 and Maddox was up shortly after that with a horrible barky cough, fever, and stridor [a scary sound that makes you think they are gasping for air].

All kind of things came over me::

Obviously I hate my kids to be sick anytime....

So first, and fore-most I want him well.

But also the timing for this illness was the worst.

We are celebrating our 5th anniversary Thursday.  At the Gaylord, without our babies.

It is not cheap to stay there.

My sister has never kept my kids over-night... and honestly Maddox has only slept over night without me about 5 times in his 3 1/2 years.  Beckham never has.

We had plans to go see Santa today and since I plan my life down to the hour, there really is not another time before Christmas that it would work out perfectly for us to accomplish this task.

At 6:05, while discussing all of the above with Lance and Maddox, I heard a car go screeching by with the alarm and headlights blaring in unison.  Against Lance's advice, I called 911.

The sun wasn't even up.

Already this was my day.

We all drifted back to sleep, and crawled out of bed by 10:00.

In true-croup-fashion, Maddox seemed a million times better, so we ran with our plans and continued on to Bass Pro Shop and Grapevine Mills.

Both boys were wonderful.

Quiet, easy, tired.

Neither were running fever... or even coughing for that matter-- 

just hoarse.

Lance and I talked about the date night many times today...

I leaned on the side of canceling it.

Fearful of dropping the cash and having to rush home in the middle of the night...

Scared to leave my babies at all, much less when they are ill.

Just dreading it all together, under these circumstances.

Lance talked me out of it.

This is the first year that we have planned to celebrating our anniversary.  (falling so close to Christmas, we are typically broke and busy-- and it is just impossible)

"We need this time"

"We never take time for ourselves"

"Please, lets do this"

"It is our FIVE year..."

He'd say.

Hesitantly, I would agree.

By dinner, Maddox started looking worse.   He had "that look" in his eyes, and his voice was sounding worse and worse.

Rather than having to make deals to keep him in the stroller, he stayed swaddled up under Beckham's blanket, quiet and solemn most of the day.

Out of no where, Lance said, "lets rent movies and lay in our pjs all day together tomorrow.

We can celebrate our anniversary next month or something."

It was like a weight off of my chest.

I wanted to cry.

Talk about winning my heart?!??

I am the momma.

Call me crazy, but my husband has never seemed sexier!!

Back home, Maddox grew worse and worse.

Lance scanned his head and our scanner read 107.4!

We changed the batteries, and we get readings closer to 102, which I feel was more likely correct.

We held our horrible-medicine-taking-child down and shoved Motrin into him, and then he and I sat in his bathroom with the shower on full blast hot, letting him breathe in all of that hot steam.

He fell asleep on my chest, and his fever finally broke.

***

If Maddox is better tomorrow, and Beckham doesn't follow suite...

I have an anniversary surprise up my sleeve, that may just be better than an expensive dinner, dancing and hotel stay.

It will be fantastic.

{I'll post our Santa pictures another day.  I am off to bed for now.}