First Birthday

Almost 1

Last year at this time I was sitting in a hospital bed on bedrest.  My water had broken 4 days prior and I was not sure how much longer I would be able to continue my pregnancy.  There was talk of transferring me to another hospital and inserting a PICC line.  All the doctors from the practice were aware of my situation and were ready to jump into action if I went into labor or further complications arose.  One year ago today was my last full day of being pregnant.  I didn't know what tomorrow would bring or if I would get to bring my baby home.

Today, I am prepping for Linus' first birthday party which will take place tomorrow.

I am blessed.

Check out the big boy "bowling" yesterday!

Balloon Festival

The 20th Annual Mid-Hudson Valley Balloon Festival took place this weekend.  Two balloons launched from the Poughkeepsie Galleria parking lot (and a bunch of other location throughout Dutchess County) on Friday.  It was a good excuse to go window shopping and enjoy the air conditioning at the mall.

 The kids scored Poughkeepsie Galleria tote bags, stampers, and a tire gauge for daddy.  Josie has an assortment of green and orange stamps on her hands and creeping up her wrists.

Saturday and Sunday mornings there were mass balloon launches from the Hudson River Boathouse at 6am.  This morning, we headed out in search of balloons with eight kids and a dog.  We wound up watching the launch from the Poughkeepsie train station.

 By looking at Josie, can you tell it is 6am?

One balloon was even close enough that the kids were able to wave and say "Hi!"

Afterward, we drove over to the Walkway Over The Hudson for a morning walk with Mattie.  She gets very excited when she sees other dogs, and there were plenty of friends for her to meet.

We were back home by 8am.  It was a good morning.

Open letter to pushy parents eveywhere

Parents, naturally, have concern for their children and are interested in their lives.  When does this concern go overboard?  Too many parents become overly involved in their child's life.  Personally, I see this happening far too often, particularly in respect to children and sports.

Children need to explore their independence and learn how to live and grow outside of their home.  When parents step in and try to control their child's life, the only person to get hurt is the child.  As the child starts to feel like they are losing control over their athletic life, they will become disinterested in their sport and lose all drive and motivation.  Unfortunately, it winds up with the child abandoning the sport that they once loved.

Parents need to learn to take a step back.  Encourage your child.  Give them support.  Stop questioning the officials, the judges, the directors, and the coaches.  These people are there to make sure your child is safe and treated fairly.  Some parents hoot and holler and, frankly, make themselves look like baboons.  When their child fails, they take it as a personal blow.  They stress unnecessarily over upcoming games, meets, and tournaments.  When exceedingly high expectations are constantly placed on the child, eventually they will start to crack.

Sometimes parents will take on  their child's achievements as their own.  If your dream was to play baseball, score a perfect 10 on balance beam, or score the winning touchdown, then put on the uniform and do it yourself.  Your child is not a puppet for you to put on display.  Cut the strings.

Don't go around and try to break other children down.  Don't dredge up past failures or injuries. Teach your children respect for their peers.  Don't talk down about other children in front of your child.  Don't ever, ever, EVER let your child talk down to their teammates.  It will only come back to bite you in the behind, or worse, bite your child.  It will be pretty lonely when no one wants to associate with your child anymore because of their attitude.  


Stop hovering and stop pushing.  It is a marathon, not a sprint.  Sit back and enjoy yourself.  It is not about who gets there first, it is about who works the hardest and wants it the most.  Ultimately, it is about letting your child grow up and figure it out for themselves.

Contest winner

So far this week, Alice celebrated her 7th birthday, Linus learned how to scoot around the living room on his tummy, and I won another contest.  Little Bumpies, is all about helmet fashion.  If your son or daughter is currently wearing a cranial helmet, you should go check out the cute designs available to adorn his/her little head.  Earlier this month, Little Bumpies asked for stories about our babies and their journeys with their helmets.  The one request was that we share the stories as often as we could.  The person who shared their story the most times and helped to spread awareness about cranial helmets would win a $50 gift card to the store or restaurant of their choice.  Yesterday, I found out I was the winner.  Now comes the hard part, deciding where to get a gift card from.  Like a little kid trying to decide what candy to spend my fifty cents on, I can't make a decision.  I need clothes, but the kids need stuff too.  A night out at a restaurant sounds nice, but the money could go to something a little less frivolous and more practical.  In the end, I am pretty sure I will choose Target.  Something for me, something for the kids, and maybe a soft pretzel from the cafe.

Make me think, if I hit Lotto, what would I do with the money?  

• I would pay off all my debt, and my family's debts.  Everyone would own their home free and clear.
• Katie would go to gymnastics 24/7 if she wanted.  
• My "braces fund" would be set and ready for all my little ones with crowded teeth and cross bites.  
• I would take the kids on vacation.  We haven't been away on vacation for over 6 years now.  Lucie, Josie, and Linus have never been on vacation, stayed in a hotel, or have gotten ice from the ice machine in a hotel lobby (one of my favorite things to do at the hotel.)
• We would move into a larger home with more bedrooms and a large, flat, beautiful, green lawn.

Hey, a girl can dream.  Maybe luck will strike three times this summer, and I do have a Lotto ticket for tonight.

Happy Independence Day.  Tomorrow, I am looking forward to a fun day filled with sunshine, hamburgers on the grill, and fireworks.