Friday, May 23, 2008

A lunch date - toddler style

Today was a perfect example of why I quit my job to stay at home with Olivia. I packed a lunch and we met Johnathan at the park for a picnic. When we got to the park there were a lot of other kids running around so eating was the last thing on Olivia's mind. Fair enough. My homemade PB&J and apple wedges just can't compare to an a bunch of active playmates with cool toys. I don't even try to compete on that level. It's like trying to go head to head with Kristi Yamaguchi on an episode of "Dancing with the Stars"....suicide.

Johnathan and I ate while she played with all of her "new best friends." Slowly these friends left and she eventually decided that eating might be an acceptable idea. She took a few small nibbles of bread, ate a couple of apple wedges and very begrudgingly shared with me her favorite new treat of "Bacheetos." Oops, she realizes she has been sitting still for a whole 3 minutes....time to play again.

She makes the rounds of all the moms with baby strollers. "What's your baby's name? Is it a boy or a girl? What is she eating/doing/saying?" She has to get the whole story from each mom. They engage her in conversation only to have her make herself at home on their bench and delve into a long conversation about the state of the world or the latest happenings in her life that she feels they need to know. I go over and explain to her that these moms are not interested in hanging out with her and that she needs to go and play with some of the other kids. The moms always say how polite she is and how well she speaks for her age...which of course, Olivia has already told them was 3 and that she has a cat named KC that likes to sleep on her tummy.

An hour passes and the crowd thins down even more and the final 3 are left playing in the sandbox. It appears a potty break is in order and I take that opportunity to lead her back to the car with the promise of a lollipop Daddy brought for her. The likelihood of her falling asleep on the way home is a long shot these days, but I am happy to know she got her fresh air and exercise for the morning and we made some good memories. That is all the paycheck I need.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

My Little Ladybug


Yesterday marked Olivia's last day of her very first Mother's Day Out program. She came home laden with laminated hand prints, craft items, her emergency change of clothes, and a great binder commemorating her time with the 1st Baptist Ladybug class of 2007-2008.

When Johnathan and I picked her up at noon, the other mothers were milling around, gathering their child's items and a few were quietly crying. I am not really one of those kinds of women who cry. To be quite honest, Johnathan will shed a tear over sentimental things more quickly than I. For a gun toting, Harley riding man that is quite an escape from what one might expect, but he's really quite tender hearted. Sorry, Hon. I had to "Out" you.

We left the school building and I began to flip through the laminated book. Each page outlined a letter of the alphabet and many had a photo of Olivia doing different activities at school. Again, very cute but not anything to cry over....until that fateful page containing the letter "l." L stands for "Letters from your teachers." [Now, both Mrs. Amie and Mrs. Shiloh are very near and dear to Olivia's heart. I was always afraid she would not want to leave with me at the end of the day and they would think I was this horrible mom. Luckily, that never happened. (Thank you,Baby!) Anyway, upon reading the sweet little notes they wrote to Olivia I did have some tears well up. Had I not been in public, I probably would have sobbed uncontrollably.

Just seeing the difference between how she looked when she got into the class this January and how she looks now amazes me. She is turning from a little toddler into a little lady. Well I am using the term lady with caution. She has entered a very annoying nose picking phase. : ) Johnathan and I heard this song on KLTY the other day and it really illustrates just how quickly they grow up and how precious each minute is in their life. All I know is that I will no longer stifle my tears. Life is good and precious and should be shared......let them stare~

Friday, May 2, 2008

Let's trade places!

Why is it that kids hate to take naps? I do so love to nestle under my covers and just sleep an afternoon away. Sure, I feel guilty about everything I didn't get done or that blog I never got to post, but what sweet bliss! Olivia has fought a good fight today...a noble fight. She sang to herself, she had to go potty 3 times in 20 minutes...the human bladder is amazing, isn't it?! And now, only after trying diligently to stay awake for an hour has she finally fallen asleep.

My kitchen floor is now sparkling clean and my house is well on its way to being suitable for company. Well, let's not be too hasty. You know those people that have a clean and orderly house at all times. I was raised in that kind of house and contributed greatly to its clean state. Some people are just able to suck it up, get it done and keep on top of things. I am not one of those people, but I am lucky enough to have a best friend who is...and she's a willing helper, bless her massive heart of gold and total OCD. She has been here this afternoon and done her best in an hour and a half to help me get things back on track. I was a messy kid, a messy adolescent and a messy adult. The hard part is that I am married to one as well and we have produced yet another messy.

Now, let's not jump to conclusions and think I don't mind the mess or don't care about the mess. It eats away at my very core and I am completely and totally ashamed of the state of my home at most times. I don't invite people over. If people drop by, I am apologetic and I scurry about trying to pick up the dirty socks, toys, wigs and empty soda cans. I hate that I can't do better. I'm sure there is some deep, dark psychological reason for this, but who has time for all that therapy? I just have to keep on keeping on and know that those who love me will look past my clutter. : )

Thursday, May 1, 2008

First things first

Let me begin this blog by saying I am a procrastinator. I put my profile on this site at least 2 months ago and am finally getting around to my first post. Perhaps I feel that nothing of much interest ever really happens under our roof or maybe I just don't have an extra 5 minutes to document any of it. Nah...neither of those excuses holds up.

I think what actually triggered me to place my first post was thinking of my daughter and wanting her to know just how much she has changed my life when she is old enough to read and understand what I will be writing. Sure, I could show her photo albums and recount stories from her childhood, but I feel this blog will better show her, on a more regular basis over the years, just how loved she is and how blessed we feel to have her in our lives.

Olivia was a long time in the making, so to speak. Johnathan and I were married in 1998 and we decided we wanted 6 children...at least. We suffered miscarriage after miscarriage for numerous medical reasons. 5 total. I can honestly say that I have more fear of an ultrasound machine than I do of poisonous snakes. They have literally killed me inside on numerous occasions. To find that yes, there is a heartbeat at 6 weeks only to return 2 weeks later to the lack of a heartbeat. Over and over again.

When the genius folks at the Center for Assisted Reproduction finally found the perfect fertility "concoction" for all that ailed my body we were still considered high risk. Every time I had to have an ultrasound I replayed seeing and hearing those words and seeing that look on the doctor's face. But week after week, month after month, she grew and grew and developed perfectly. I had to see a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor every week for the last several months to ensure that no danger was lurking. We have loads of ultrasound pictures of Olivia at each week of her development...someplace. Please refer back to sentence one of this blog. In the end, we did have 6 children, but only 1 is living with us on this Earth.

It is to that one child that I dedicate this blog. My sweet baby girl. My Olivia.

NOVEMBER 9TH, 2004 _________________FEBRUARY 20TH, 2008


Hicks Family

Hicks Family
Mutual respect and admiration are the results of godly character and sacrificial love in marriage.