My momma...

Today is my mom's birthday. I won't disclose her age of course, but let's just say that she looks damn good :)  And to my sister and I - there is no one in this world that could ever live up to her in our eyes.  She's the most selfless, humble, stable, calming, strong, affectionate person I know.  And she's my mom.  I'm so very very lucky.

Today was a perfect example of how fortunate I am to have her around.  In typical "Jessica" style, BOTH sets of car keys got locked in the car this morning.  So, minutes - literally minutes - after calling to wish my sweet momma happy birthday, I'm calling her back to ask for help.  And to the rescue, she came.  She picked all three of us up.  (Fortunately, she is equipped with an infant base and toddler car seat).  She took Caroline to school and then took Abigail and I to the dealership for a key.  She missed her weekly Bible study class for us and didn't once make me feel bad about it.  We completely inconvenienced her morning (her BIRTHDAY no less) and she was her same amazing happy self to my girls and I.

By 10:30, Abigail and I were back home with keys in hand.  I hate to admit that this is only one of many, many rescues over the course of my 30+ years.  Time and time again, she's always there for me, and I only hope that I can always be there for her too.

Happy birthday mom/ninny!  We love you sooooooo much!!!

Love,
Dan, Jess, Caroline and Abigail.

P.S.  Sorry your cupcake was dry.  We will do better next time!

Back to School!

Oh how easy it is to neglect a blog that you promised you wouldn't neglect...  But, there's this thing called life that gets in the way and we have had a very busy month!

Let's see here...

Daddy had surgery to remove a growth in his wrist. Abigail started crawling and pulling up. She also decided her favorite game is picking small grains of dirt, etc off the floor and putting them into her mouth.  And finally, Miss Caroline has started her 2nd year of pre-k at Hope School.  Doesn't sound like much - but between the little dirt picker upper and daddy's lack of use in his right hand - we've definitely been busy!

Today was our first day of school.  I decided to leave her in Tues/Thurs this year after an unfortunate incident in the church nursery last Tuesday while I was in my new Bible study class.  Let's just say that Caroline's boredom turned into a behavioral issue.  The good news is that she will make new friends in her new class and also have her old buddy Piper to play with as well. 

She was ready to go this morning, all decked out in her Sofia the first shirt and shoes.  And I wasn't really emotional this time around.  I trust the teachers and know that Caroline has such an awesome time.  BUT... when I got home, I downloaded the pic I took this morning and compared it to last year.   Wow! My baby is a little girl!!!  

Keepin' it short and sweet today.   Best wishes to all the new little students out there!  What an exciting time of year!

Closet Makeover

Latest news from the Luckett clan centers around our patriarch... Dan will have surgery on his wrist to remove a cyst in mid- August.  And with this news means our handy daddy will be out of  commission from all honey-do projects for around 3 months :(

Before Dan goes under the knife, we've got one more project to tackle. Our closet. It's a great closet, by the way. Plenty big. Only one major problem... Our 12 year old bulldog decided to pee all over the carpet.  Harley - God bless him, is old and confused.  Despite going outside to pee ALL THE TIME, he thinks our bathroom, (and now apparently our closet) is fair game.  Not cool Harley... not cool.

Long story short, we pulled up the carpet this weekend and decided to do a little mini closet makeover. New floor, paint, and shelves. Nothing too fancy - but an improvement all the same.  In the process, we had to pull out all of our clothes so we could paint.  Pulling out those clothes and shoes was like looking into a window of my past.  Mainly because my new "wardrobe" - if you want to call it that, consists of the following:

1) yoga pants (long, short, mainly black)
2) boyfriend jean shorts (I have two pair that I alternate - one baggier than the other.  No man on the planet likes these - but they sure are comfy)
3) tank tops
4) sports bras
5) maxi skirt
6) t-shirts from Target and Old Navy

Talk about keeping it real.  If you've hung out with me lately - you know that I'm really not exaggerating. I truly only wear those six items.  Two years ago, I didn't repeat an outfit more than once every month - maybe two if I was creative.  But hey, priorities change. And now my priority is trying to keep my children nourished, safe and entertained. That agenda doesn't require any bit of fancy clothing.  In fact, stretchy pants work much better in this occupation.  So the question becomes, what to do with all of the "other" clothes?  The cute dresses, tops, blazers, skirts, trousers, etc? Do I hold onto them hoping that when I find my way back into some sort of work situation, they're still stylish, or do I donate them and declutter my life?  It's a tough call.  Something I think many of us have to deal with when we suddenly find ourselves in a completely different reality than only a few years before.  Getting rid of the clothes almost feels like closing a chapter of my life.  That may sound cliche to some, but it's true. Those clothes took me places. Business travel, client meetings, presentations... you name it, they were there. 

For me, I think I may just have to go with the hoarder side of my personality and hold onto most of them.  I think I'll give up the stuff that's completely toast, but keep a bit of my past for a while longer. And, as my mom would say, "If you would go to church more often, you would have a place to wear all those clothes!" And she's right.  I'd also like to go out on more date nights too :) 

Fingers crossed that the renovation will be finished by next month! Will have to post pics once we're finished.

Bilingual 3 year olds

The Whinese master in action

Did you know that 3 year old's are bilingual?  I personally had no idea until just recently.  It's this language that we all apparently master the moment we turn 3. Some of us hold onto it for years to come, while others do their parents a favor and stick to English by the time they are 5. It's called Whinese. The decibel at which Whinese can be heard seems to also attract small dogs and cats from the neighborhood while slowly making parents go insane.  Many two year olds start to pick up on Whinese, but on their 3rd birthday, the Whinese fairy comes down, sprinkles some special whining dust on their pillow and POOF! THEY ARE A WHINING MASTER!

Ok, hahaha... Soooo funny, right?  All I can say is that paybacks are H-E-L-L.  Yes, I was also a master at the art of Whinese, aka whining.  So much so that I have memories of my parents telling me, begging me, and threatening me to STOP WHINING!  (You know you were a big whiner when being told to stop whining is a childhood memory!)

I'm telling you, it's constant. Everything is something to whine about. Our typical conversation goes a little something like this:

(in Whinese)
Me: "Caroline it's time to take a nap"
Caroline (in Whinese): "Mawwwwwmeeeeeee I don't want to take a naaaaaaap. Waaaaaaaaa."
Me: "Caroline, are you whining?"
Caroline: "I not whiiiiiiining. Maaaaaaaaaa" (that's her imitation of a baby cry, awesome, I know.)
 Me:  "I can't hear you unless you stop whining"
Caroline: Muffled unintelligible dying cat sounds
 Me: "Are you sick? You sound like someone who doesn't feel good, maybe you should go to the doctor"
Caroline: "I NOT SICK" (more Muffled unintelligible dying cat sounds)

Speaking of being sick, I just so happened to get strep throat last week. I think I waited like two days too late to get antibiotics, so by the time I got to the doctor, it was already really bad.  Strep throat + a whining, bored 3 year old = disaster.  Thankfully my mom (aka ninny)  came to the rescue and let Caroline spend the night on Friday.  By the time she came home, Dan was there to play interference while I tried to take care of Abigail. Just another fun weekend at the Luckett's!  (Not really, but we did enjoy a wonderful pool party celebrating Dan's grandmother, "Nana".  She's still got "It" at 91 years of age. 

Here's hoping the rest of our week is better and we can somehow learn to speak Spanish or sign language. Forget this Whinese nonsense. It's makin' me crazy!!!!

Cheap Therapy

Fun while mama is away!

Over the past two years, I've been fortunate to develop  great friendships with other moms.  Having lived in the same 50 mile radius my entire life, making friends (outside of a work or school environment) was a completely new concept for me.  Two summers ago, my sister-in-law recommended that I find a good mom's group to get involved with and I'm so glad I took her advice!

Along came Stroller Strides. In a nutshell, it's a bootcamp style workout - with strollers. The kids stay put for the first hour and then can play once we finish. Basically a win/win situation for all.   I've always been a fan of group exercise and the opportunity to let Caroline socialize seemed like a perfect fit.  As it turns out, I've met some of my closest friends from this group of women. And as a bonus, I'm physically stronger today than I've ever been (think wearing a 19 pound baby for hours at a time is easy? ha!). And I've learned a lot about what really matters and what's insignificant when raising your children. 

Last year's group shot. Too prego to try. No group shot yesterday.

Another benefit to being a part of this fantastic group are the "mom's night out" events.  Time away from kiddos to decompress is sometimes the best therapy when you feel as though one more "whining" episode will send you over the edge.  Recently an event for paddleboard Yoga came up and I decided to go. The time was good (not too late for miss Abigail) and on a Sunday.  Only problem was I'm not a "Yogi" - never have been.  Many would think that signing up for a Yoga class... on water... on a paddle board... probably doesn't make the most sense.  But, I didn't see it that way at all. I just knew that the time would be well spent. On the water, mind clear, having fun. Yes, I would fall (and boy did I), but that wasn't the point.  It was about taking a moment away from the everyday and focusing on Me for a change.  Four hours later when I arrived back home, I felt better instantly. A little calmer, less rattled and more grateful. Just like that!

Not to mention, it's good for dads to have quality time with their kids.  And if that time is spent at Cabelas, where a little girl talks her daddy into a pink camo tent - then so be it.

Who knows, maybe this will be me next summer ;) 

Moral to the story is (and sorry Dan), I need to find time to myself more regularly. Time where I can go and let my mind clear.  And if I get to do it with like-minded women who also need the same brand of therapy, even better!!!

Highly recommend Float On Yoga! The instructor was really patient with all of my antics. If you know me, you know I like to crack jokes and be silly -even in a yoga class!
http://www.floatonyoga.com/home.html

And of course I recommend Fit4Mom!  They have classes for working mommies too!  These women are amazing :)
http://mckinney.fit4mom.com/

On my mind...

Watching the Today Show this morning, yet another story about the whole "having it all" debate was brought up. This time by Pepsico's CEO regarding her belief that she can't "have it all" and her daughter might say she wasn't the best mom. I appreciate her candor. I really, really do.  Because having been on both sides - as a new working mom, and now as a stay at home mom, I know both sides.  I know the guilt of sitting on Central Expressway in gridlock while my baby is ready to go to bed. I also know the anxiety of unanswered emails piling up at 9 PM at night - while my eyelids are drooping so low from a few hours of sleep the night before. 

Let me back up a little...

I sort of fell into advertising. I was 24, looking for something better than my current job and quite honestly, desperate for a change. The next 7 years were a blur.  A fun, exciting, stimulating, exhausting, anxiety-ridden, yet satisfying blur.  I advanced up the ladder, helping move my family into new tax brackets.  I also made lifelong friendships with like-minded people who understood who I was and where I wanted to be. 

Then, suddenly (well, not so sudden actually), Caroline Lane Luckett came into our lives.  And of course she had to make an entrance.  In the form of a rare (1 in 20K) metabolic disorder that required round the clock feedings and protection from illness (aka daycares) during her first year.  THAT was tough.  Not expected.  Didn't fit into my "plan" of enrolling her in one of the nicest day cares money could buy.  Instead, we were fortunate enough to have family that came to the rescue. Taking care of my sweet one while I was trying to maintain solid ground in my career.  Over the course of the next nine months, I found myself in a CONSTANT struggle. Working with a team who either had another parent at home taking care of the children, or didn't have children at home waiting to be fed, bathed and put to bed by dear old mama. So, when meetings that started at 4:30 and went on for a few hours weren't a big deal before kids, they became a huge issue now.  Because don't forget, hubby has a career too.  I think they call it "co parenting", aka "who's on first?"

And if you're not in someone else's shoes, you just don't understand.  I certainly didn't understand before I had kids. When I was a bright eyed 20 something with career in the forefront, I didn't get it when I saw other women jet out the door at 5 PM.  I thought they were (gasp) slacking!  Before kids, I was always the one at the office late, discussing strategy, or willing to go to happy hour to celebrate someone coming, going, or getting a year older. I traveled like it was no big deal, gone week after week for client needs.  I remember one of my favorite bosses saying (jokingly of course), "It's in your contract that you can't get pregnant."  And all kidding aside, he knew. He knew that in our job, it was a true challenge to be a mom and meet the expectations set forth on the account team.   

So, with little fanfare, my time in advertising came to a close two years ago last month and I was thrust into a new world of the "stay at home mom".  While not a completely natural transition for me, I traded anxiety and stress with complete exhaustion and desire to find reasons to wear makeup.   I find that while your hands and feet have little time for extra curriculars, your mind is open to the wild west of possibility.  I'm constantly thinking about home improvements, parties, playdates, recipes, and organization.  Most things I never get to - but it doesn't stop my brain from going there.  I was so starved for intellect last fall, that I actually enjoyed helping Dan with his first semester of grad school!  

Fast forward two years and two kids later - here I am. Still at home. Now wondering, what's next for me?  I see my friends climbing the ladder, making it work - both in parenting and career.  And while I haven't found the answer yet, I do know one thing.  I'll never have it all. Said differently, as a mother, I'll never feel like I'm all things to everyone at the same time.  I will always have to make choices. This however, doesn't mean I can't be happy. Happiness is a choice we make EVERY day.  And I find solace in prayer. Prayers that God will lead me in the direction I need to be - just like he did 2 years ago.

To my friends that are making it all work - juggling home and career - I applaud you. I truly, sincerely do. Because it's probably the hardest job.  To my friends who stay at home, Bless you!  Patience is a virtue my friends.  May we be patient and tender with our sweet ones because time is precious... just like this picture :) 

How does your heart feel?

My sweet girl Caroline is known by family and close friends for her spunk and personality.  She loves to play dress up, sing, dance, jump and run.  She's always excited to get in the car and go to whatever destination is up next.  There's only one small hiccup that keeps rearing it's ugly head when we get to said place... We "act" shy.  Our head is down. We don't want anyone to look or acknowledge us. Our little face shows a frown.  I first noticed it when we were frequenting story time at the library.  We would spend the first 20 minutes clinging to mom, not even remotely paying attention to the librarian reading the story or singing a song.  By the time story time wrapped up, we were finally happy and ready to engage.  I was perplexed. Who is this girl? By nature, I'm an extrovert.  I like people and new situations.  I like to go to parties and and events.  I don't feel right if I haven't struck up a conversation with someone new.   Dan, on the other hand is different.  Not the most gregarious person in the room. Confident, yes - but not generally a conversation starter.  I decided that Caroline was more like her Pop and I labeled her as my little introvert.

Then we started school and dance in the fall.  I was so fearful that she wouldn't like it. She would sit in the corner and cover her eyes.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  She loved it!  I attribute this to her teachers, but also to miss Caroline - who maybe doesn't fit into any one particular box like I originally thought.  Is she shy?  maybe. Is she anxious in new situations? possible. But does she ultimately warm up and have fun? ALWAYS. 

Now that we're 3 and officially a "big girl," we can have more intimate talks - her and I.  And during one of these talks the other day, I finally figured out the best way to help her understand what happens when she walks in a room with her head down and her eyes covered.   We had just entered the dance studio and she started in with her little scowl and head down routine and I said, "Caroline, how does your heart feel?"  - no response - "Ok, Caroline do you feel happy?"  "Yes"  "Do you want to be here?" "Yes" "Ok, then your face needs to show how your heart feels!" "Can you show me your happy face?"  "Yes"

I think it's clicking... I mean, I don't want to change her personality - she is who she is meant to be. But I do want her to understand how her outward actions make others feel.  If you look like you're having a bad time, people assume you are.  I still remember as a little girl people always coming up to me asking me if I was "ok." I never understood why... But later on I realized that I need to smile :)  I tend to stare into oblivion sometimes, lol - and in those moments my face looks like I just received some really bad news.  Typically not the case at all.  Maybe my little Caroline is a lot like her mama after all!  And if that's the case, I'm in for a world of pay backs!

Doc McStuffins Extravaganza

If you know who Doc McStuffins is, then chances are you have a 2-4 year old in your life.  Caroline gravitated towards this show on Disney Junior when I was pregnant last summer.  It was actually great.  She lost her fear of doctor's offices and hospitals thanks to our friend Doc McStuffins!

Earlier this year, Caroline wanted to begin planning her 3rd birthday and Doc McStuffins would be at the center of the action. She wanted EVERYTHING Doc.  I made the mistake of letting her look at pictures on google of Doc themed parties and the rest is history.

So, I did my best. I'm not really crafty, but I tried :)   A HUGE thanks to family and friends who came and helped get the party together.  We are so fortunate to have great people around us that love our little girls!

Took this picture a few days before. Wanted to make a poster similar to something I found on Pinterest. 

All of the sweet goodies!  We made the cake, but ordered the decor on top from an Etsy Vendor. Tasted better than it looked, lol.  My aunt (or Caroline's nana) made the cute bandaid cookies.  They were meant to be on top of the cupcakes, but my frosting was a little wimpy - so we improvised and the kiddos loved it!

Hard to see in this photo, but my mom made the cutest stethoscopes you ever saw! Complete with a little bandaid and a heart - just like Doc's.  The kids played doctor (or at least that was the plan) with my old beanie babies.

Saw this game on pinterest.  Pin the nose on Chilly.  There was so much going on that the game didn't get much attention.

Miss Caroline was a little unsure of all the attention.

The growth chart was a big hit!  It's now in our play room :) 

And here are some pics of some (unfortunately not all) of our party guests.  So fun!

 

 

 

 

Looking back

When I started this blog after Caroline was born, I thought it would be a place that would primarily focus on Caroline's MCAD (Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency) diagnosis.  Within a few months of dealing with the frequent feedings, it became clear that MCAD was not going to rule our lives.  Instead it would just be a very small (yet important) component of our everyday.

Fast forward 3 years. Caroline turned 3 on June 1st. Abigail is 7 months.  She also has MCAD.  And while Abigail has given us a run for our money (3 ER visits so far), we still are so grateful that their conditions are very manageable. The truth is that these girls were meant to go through this journey together.  The moment I realized that was the moment I found peace with the sleepless nights ahead.

My hope is that if a new MCAD parent stumbles upon this blog, it gives them a sense of peace of mind.  Something I was lacking 3 years ago when we got a call from the hospital. 

If you're curious about MCAD, see here.  And, unless something major happens, that will be the most MCAD talk you'll see on this blog for a while. 

See you soon!

We're back and we've multiplied!

I've decided to start blogging again.  For two reasons... 1) I may be annoying my facebook friends with too many posts on random topics and 2) Mama needs an outlet.  Somewhere to document my thoughts and what's going on in our lives.

So, here we are.  Almost 2 years later and we've added another redhead to our clan!  Meet Abigail.  She's sweet. A little stuffy. And she looooooves her mama!  We turned 7 months old yesterday and it's unbelievable how fast the time has passed.  I'm truly loving being there for every moment with her.  Beyond grateful that I'm able to do so and looking forward to what life holds for us next!

 

 In other news, I'm a stay at home mom now (2 years this month).  Dan is in grad school working on an MBA. And, we just celebrated (well, acknowledged) our 12 year wedding anniversary! And that would conclude our re-introduction. More to come.

See you soon!