Things I want to Remember

Joycie is growing up so fast that it feels as though she is changing right before my eyes. This blog has allowed to capture and document all the memories, emotions, milestones and moments that I never want to forget.  These days I am marveling at how much her vocabluary is expanding, and chucling at her slight and sometimes large misprounication of words.  My favorites at this stage:

 

Pee-yooo instead of Pillows

 

Covees instead of Covers

 

Muiins instead of Muffins

 

Dere instead of There.

 

And that when she couns 1 to 10 she always skips over number 4. When I correct her, she responds "Mama, I not like four."  

 

 

Joycie Changed My Saturdays

 

Before Joycie, I spent my Saturday mornings sleeping in and devoted my Saturday afternoons to cleaning the house top to bottom.

Today, I woke up early to squeeze in a run, then took Joycie to a Princess Pancake Breakfast.  Then we came home to have a tea party, and watch an episode of Team Umizoomi.  Once I post this entry, I am joining her for a nap.

I sleep a lot less on Saturdays, and my house is not as neat as it once was….but my Saturdays are so much richer thanks to a little girl that I love so much.

Joycie’s 2nd Birthday (Long Overdue)

 

Joycie offically turned 2 on March 5th. However, since my nephew’s birthday is on February 23rd,  my sister and I decided to have a joint birthday party this year – on the 25th of February.  One party means less work, less stress, and twice as much fun.

The theme of the party was Cowboys and Cowgirls, as chosen by my nephew Trenton.  He insisted that he have a Woody Cowboy cake and that Joycie have a Jessie Cowgirl cake.  My amazing MIL bake and decorated two cakes

Trenton’s cake was chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. Joycie’s cake was yellow cake with buttercream icing. Both tasted amazing and were beautifully decorated.

As part of the activities, we rented a jump house that was enjoyed by children and the adults alike.

 

When the kids were not jumping, they either played in Joycie’s room or swung on the swings in our backyard.  I had to laugh at the site of a dozen kids packed into Joycie’s small bedroom. But none of them seemed to mind the tight quarters.

After an hour or so of playing, we had cake, ice cream and chips. Then we unwrapped gifts.  Following the gifts, I organized some cowboy themed games.  The first was capture the bandit – in which the kids chased M, my BIL Jason, and good friend Travis who were the “Goody Bag Bandits”.  The guys had stolen the goody bags and stashed them away. The kids had to catch them (tag) then find the good bags.  The game was a HUGE hit.  The 2nd game was the coin toss.  I divided the kids into two teams, and gave them gold coins that they had to toss into a pair of Mikey’s boots.

 

The party finally wound down around 6:00 p.m. (it started about 1:00) when the cooler weather moved in and we are longed for warmth.  Joycie was amazing at her party – behaving so well in spite of skipping her nap.  It was no surprise that shortly after the party was over I found her like this…

Face down, sound asleep on the living room floor, with a potato chip in hand.  She stayed that way for the next two hours, woke up to eat supper, took a bath and was out cold again at 9:00.

I had so much fun planning this party. I have a million ideas for next year and can not wait to share them with all of you.

Terrible 2's

Joycie has always been mild-mannered, easy going, and generally laid back. As an infant, everyone marveled at how calm she was, as a toddler how content she could be no matter where she was or what was going on. As her 2^nd birthday approached, everyone warned me that the "Terrible Two's" would soon descend.  But I naively believed that Joycie's personality would continue, and that my sweet, loveable, easy going daughter would remain as such.  HA!

 

Seemingly overnight, Joycie began having temper tantrums – and since she is my daughter – she can't do them half-way. These tantrums are not just a few tears and screams.  They are full on lay in the floor, scream, kick your feet, cry for nearly an hour fits.  A few tantrums and my nerves were stretched thin.  M and I have tried all methods of discipline – time outs, loss of privileges (no Dora episode after supper), spanking, etc.  Nothing was working.

 

Yesterday, Joycie screamed for nearly an hour, over seem unknown injustice (She was not tired, hungry, in need of a pull up change, hurt, etc.). She was just mad.  M was still at work, and I felt like the world's worst Mama.  So I chose to ignore her screams and we went on with our evening routine.  I told her "Joycie, I understand you are upset. But throwing a fit does not mean we stop doing what we need to do."

 

And while she screamed, I gave her a bath, put on her pajamas, gave her a dose of her nighttime meds, and got things ready for the next morning.  When Joycie realized that her fit was not garnering a reaction out of me, she simply stopped.

 

Now, I know that this is not the end of her temper tantrums.  But I feel as though I have turned a corner in how her tantrums cause me to feel. My game plan for now is to administer discipline so that she learns that this is not the proper response to life and then to simply forge on ahead with our day.

 

Okay, experienced Moms, is this a good approach?  Any other tips/advice for dealing with the Terrible Two's?

My Anniversary

Three years ago, I stood at the front of my childhood church and pledge to love, honor, and obey my best friend. Before all of our family and closet friends, Mikey and I joined our lives together. At the time, I thought I could never love him anymore than I did -- but I was wrong, I fall deeper in love with Mikey every day.

For over a week, I have thought about what I wanted to write to my husband....but I kept coming up short. How do you find the words to express your love to the man who is your safe place when life gets trouble, let's you cry on his shoulder, pushes you to pursue your dreams, and is an amazing father. I am not sure I can.

So I started reading thru my old blogs...and I came across this entry written in 2005

"Now, at the ripe old age of 23, I do find myself warming to the idea of being married and raising children. However, I am in no hurry to rush to the altar. Moreover, my idea of a marriage is vary different from the stereotypical marriage.

Here's what I want out of my marriage:

1. A husband who is willing to be an equal partner in all aspects of the marriage - this includes and is not limited to Cooking dinner, Cleaning up around the house, Changing dirty diapers, Completing his fair share of 2 a.m. feedings


2. The ability to maintain my own full-time career, should I so choose. By the same token, the right to decided to be a full-time Mom, but not to be told that it is "What I'm suppose to do"

3. A husband who understands that I am horrible when it comes to ironing, would rather read a book than cook dinner, will never under any circumstances learn to sew beyond sewing on a button or hemming a pair of pants.

4. A husband who is willing to treat me with respect and love - even when I don't deserve it."


Did I get what I wanted -- yes, yes, yes...and so much more!

1. Mikey has taken on more than his fair share of cooking duties - sometimes cooking every night of the week, he has changed more than his fair share of the dirty diapers, and has done his turn at the 2 a.m. feedings. He has also mopped the bathroom floors at 9:00 p.m. - after Joycie got sick, stayed up all night with her and then went to work the next day.

2. Mikey has always supported the choices that I have made in career - and has always told me that if I wanted to change things, then he would stand by me.

3. Three years of marriage later, I have only ironed for Mikey 4 times - and that's only because we were running late. He knows that I hate it, and he gives me a major pass on this household duty. He laughs when he finds me at the kitchen table reading when I am suppose to be cooking, and as of yet has not asked me to sew a single thin.

4. I am not always easy to love. In fact, I have to admit that in the past 3 years there have been times when I have been mean - even downright cruel to Mikey. And yet, he still loves me, treats with respect. He brags on me to his friends, shows me affection in front of Joycie, as well as when we are alone. And he still looks at me like he did on our wedding day - as if he is thinking "How did I get so lucky?".

I am wonder the same thing, baby. 6 years ago I had vague idea of what I wanted out of a marriage. 3 years ago, God took that vague idea and put it to life in my marriage to you. And with each passing day, I realize that I got way more than I could ever of dreamed of -- I am the lucky one!

Happy Anniversary babe!

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Joycie!

 

Dearest Joycie,

You turned 2!!!  For more than 24 months, we have shared our lives with you – and we are so blessed for it.  I thought you changed so much in the first year of your life, but I think you might have changed even more in the 2nd. Let’s start off with you stats. We had your 2 year old check up last week and you are now 34 inches tall and weigh 30 pounds.  Doctor C was very happy with how well you had grown and progressed since your 18th month check up.

This year you mastered the art of walking, then running, and jumping. You went from babbling, to saying a few words, to carry on entire conversations.  You continued to develop an outspoken, fun loving, joyful personality. 

 

You love to be on the move – whether it is jumping on the trampoline with your cousins, riding the tractor with Daddy, or dancing around the house with Mama.  You are “Go…Go…Go”  from the time you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night.  While at times, it makes us tired, it gives us so much happiness that you are living life to the fullest.

You are also very smart and kind.  You are already learning the various letters of the alphabet, how to count, and can identify some colors.  At school and church, you tend to look after the younger children – bringing them toys, giving the hugs and kisses, and playing with them. Mama got to see your nuturing side, when she found you likes this:

 

Standing on the chair reading to your baby dolls – each of which was tucked in a blanket.

 

The past 24 months of been full of so much joy and happiness but there was also a bit of fear… as you starting experiencing seizures. But you faced that challenge like anything else – head on and with a smile.  You went thru an MRI and an EEG with very little fuss – something that would be hard for most adults, much less a little girl.

Our greatest prayer for you has always been that you would grow up to have a heart for Jesus.  We can already see our prayers being answered as you get so excited when we go to church, love to sing Sunday school songs, and often wave at the stars and say ‘Hi, Jesus’.  We continue to pray that we can raise you to love our Savior with all of your heart.

And we continue to thank that same Savior, that he chose us to be the parents of such an amazing little girl.

We love you!

~Mama and Daddy

Test Results are In (Joycie's Seizure Update, Part 3)

Today on her 2nd birthday, Joycie underwent an EEG. After the EEG, we met with her neurologist and learned that both the MRI (which she had last Thursday) and the EEG were perfect normal. Basically, we have no true reason for why Joycie is having seizures, however, the medicine seems to be controlling them. For now, we will continue with the current dosage and will see the neurologist again in 3 months. Please pray that the meds continue to keep Joycie seizure free. Thank you all for the prayers over the last few weeks.