I have taken a short break from blogging the past 2 weeks. Some of my faithful followers may have noticed (my mother and mother-in-law), and some of you may be saying, “You have a blog?” Either way, I’m back boo, and the last 2 weeks have been filled with lots of ups and downs. In most cases, I tend to laugh to avoid crying (obnoxious laugh as seen in photo above), but some of the life events that have occurred only brought tears. I wanted to share with you four things I have learned during my blogging hiatus. Most of you have already experienced some of these lessons, but there may be a an experience you will never encounter. So, here goes:
For the last 6 years, I have been a part-time stay at home mom (SAHM) and a part-time nurse. I feel very fortunate that my employer has been so understanding of Sayla’s needs and the intermittent medical leave I was able to take when necessary. After eight weeks of maternity leave at the beginning of this year when Pax was born, I returned to my job. Pax attended daycare a few days a week while our LPN, Peggy, continued to watch Sayla while I was at work. It has been very difficult maintaining a job, being a mother of a special needs child, and an infant, wife, caretaker of the home, and managing Sayla’s healthcare, even though I really want to do it all! I was also accepted into a part time Nurse Practitioner online program starting this fall. This is hard to admit, but I’m choosing to be real with y’all right now…one of my biggest struggles is taking on too much, and not being able to commit myself 100% to any one role, so not giving each one my best. (Another struggle is my habitual run on sentences) The stress I have put on myself to try and do many things, is just not fair to anyone, so I have decided to stop being a “part-timer” with many roles, and focus on being a “full-timer” at home. No more work, and no school. My children (and the hubs) are my priority and they need 100% of me right now. Sayla has her upcoming surgeries with many pre-op appointments, and I am excited to stay at home with Pax, just as I did with Sayla the first years of her life. I am blessed to have this option, and thankful for a husband who supports my new full-time gig. This will not be for forever, but for right now, it’s the best choice. To celebrate the first week of my new full timin’ mom status, baby Pax and I decided to road trip it with my sister in law and niece to Charleston, SC, to see my brother and other sister in law. Sayla was with her dad and is not stable enough to travel right now, but she would have loved the ocean breeze as much as we did!
I look forward to many more adventures with my babies. Out of all the part time commitments I had, I chose the hardest role to commit to full time, but I know it will be the most rewarding. Any SAHM sanity tips would be appreciated, so leave a comment!
I love surprises, and my husband loathes them. I waited until Sayla’s birth to know her gender, and I could do it again with this baby! Whereas, Patrick would pay hundreds of dollars to find out gender at 10 weeks with genetic testing. We decided to compromise and both be surprised at a gender reveal party at 17 weeks gestation. My best friend Alana, offered to throw us this shindig, and it was seriously the best party anyone has ever given me. We had the gender scan 9 days before scheduled party. The results were made available for front desk pick-up by Alana, ONLY, and required ID verification. She guarded this secret with her life, and says it was the hardest secret she has ever had to keep, BUT was totally worth it when she saw our reaction. We had the reveal at our home, and invited close friends and family.
{Wishes Spectacular – Trip to Disney World January 2016}
Day 2 may have been the Best Day Ever, but THIS day was Spectacular from start to finish. It was Mommy, Diddy, Nini, and Pappy’s last day with Sayla at the Disney parks, so we had a lot planned to see and do. Most of our photos are from Day 3 and we were able to capture so many memories. Warning: this post is mostly photos. Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World included a Memory Maker/PhotoPass in our trip package. This allowed us access to photos online that professional photographers at Disney World would take of us and our adventures. I would highly recommend purchasing this feature if going to Disney! (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/photo-pass-service/)
{Best Day Ever – Trip to Disney World January 2016}
They say I’m a planner. This may be an understatement when it came to planning the best day EVER! I was packing heavy with my Disney travel tip book complete with written side notes and highlighted “must do’s.” I had a general timeline, but not down to the minute…obviously needed to allow room for flexibility…but not much. The pre-planning mainly focused on attractions Sayla would be able to take part in. Disney has a very thorough list of attractions and modes of transportation access for those with mobility disabilities. (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/mobility-disabilities/) Some of the attractions have ride vehicles modified for a wheelchair. We were able to roll her wheelchair into the vehicle and strap her chair down, as we would typically buckle up in a seat. Some of these rides included Its A Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Under the Sea. It was so convenient! Other rides, we would have to transfer her out of her wheelchair. This includes unstrapping 500 straps (okay just 5), and disconnecting her feeding pump and tubing. Not a huge deal, but a little time consuming. Sayla would ride these attractions sitting in our lap. Some of these included Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. With our game plan and matching shirts, Mommy, Diddy, Nini, Pappy, Miss Peggy, and Sayla were ready for the best day ever.
