Up
I'm up. Baby is actually sleeping so this is crazy, but I can't sleep and the house is quiet for a moment so here goes...
1. Kids - it's just this three for the weekend. Small sigh of relief.
JP and JJ are at their aunt's house for now since their mom texted us asking us to bring them there since she is in the hospital now for some type of kidney surgery. That house is fairly safe so that's a good thing. We kept T because it was her scheduled 1-on-1 weekend with us anyway. We kept them all for 2 weeks to do what we can, but we just can't keep them so it was/is inevitable that they have to go back. I called DSS anonymously to inquire about reporting. Apparently, based on what I shared, removal would warrant investigation and testimony from the kids, and the girls aren't willing to talk, so we decided against reporting. We talked it all out with the girls and tried to come up with a safety plan with them. I pray it was the right choice.
The more we talked though the more it sounded to me like they are just done with being way beyond poor (who wouldn't be?!) and want out (e.g. No TV, no toys, can't leave the house b/c it's unsafe, not much food to go around, infrequent laundry, etc), not as much blatant abuse/neglect as they originally let on. The incidents they shared that really concerned us were much less frequent. We've been watching the Frontline series "Poor Kids" and it's depressing but clear there are so many kids in their same boat and separating then from their families isn't the answer.
I wish I knew what was the answer, but alas we do what we can.
We had a stressful, bickering, chaos filled couple of weeks but tried to balance it with peaceful good times too..,
Family dinner provided by my friend Carla (chicken parm, pasta, blueberry pie, all I had to do was some roasted broccoli!)
Haircuts for all! (JP wanted to cut off her braids because she had some serious hair breakage/damage to be repaired and she wanted that new look, a "temp fade"). JP and JJ were especially proud of their new looks and have been taking extra care with it, picking often and spraying with leave-in conditioner.
2. Jimmy- still a piece of work, but you have to laugh. I mean look at this guy.
Mean mug and clearly exerting his autonomy in the self-dressing category. Love the black argyle socks.
After the haircuts he also started walking around using an Afro pick. I turned around one day and he had put a bunch of the kids' product in his hair too. :)
3. Billy- 2-months almost exactly to the hour. How does that happen?! I'll take some 2-month photos this weekend, maybe get around to posting them and maybe his one month pics too :). He's doing well. Starting to love "playtime" on his mat more, becoming more and more responsive and interactive each day which is amazing and fun all rolled into one. It helps he's also falling into more predictable sleep/wake patterns too. Precious, precious!
4. Me- I straightened my hair 2x in 2weeks. Major strides here!! :). I had gained a pound last week which is the opposite of what should be happening at this point. Now that I'm at the 8-week mark it's time to get with it. Started with some small goals this week --use MFP to log foods (allowing 500 extra cals for nursing), make smarter food choices (no specific diet just more whole foods, protein, veggies, fruit), and at least 30-min moderate exercise each day. So far we've done some great daily walks and I even did a Mom and Baby Pilates Fusion DVD. It's a tough balance to try to lose some weight carefully and not have it decrease my milk supply, but I do need to work on it since I have at least 30lbs to go to wear all my clothes again (15 at a min).
I went to 2 work meetings too, which seemed way too soon to me. Pumping and work scheduling is the absolute worst. I am already dreading going back. Read a study that shows PPD is significantly correlated with the amount of maternity leave taken. No surprise there.
5. You have to laugh...
Today at the park:
(On the monkey bars, Ryan and I are showing Jimmy how to do a chin up)
Jimmy: Daddy you big!! Daddy you heavy.
Mommy, you WAY heavier than Daddy!"
Also at the park:
(Woman pulls up with a jog stroller that I was coveting, T noticing my gaze..,)
T: Look, mom. She has the REAL cup!!
She thought I was coveting the woman's hard plastic reusable Starbucks iced coffee cup and straw. Why?? Because in my cup holder of my rickety 4yr old snap-n-go was the same disposable Starbucks iced coffee cup that I had gotten earlier that day and had rinsed and reused several times for my water cup. I have water bottles I could use but I just love that cup/straw. I used to have one of those reusable hard versions but JJ broke it awhile back. I got another and Ryan ruined that one too so I just gave up on them. Funny that's what she thought I was longing for....mostly because it wasn't far from the truth. :)
At any rate, something about both of those moments made me laugh. I'm a true mess right now but taking it in stride. Of course the Sbux cup is the least of my problems especially given the drastic comparison to the kids' hardships.