Summer Daze

Today, Olivia rode her bike for the first time. Really, truly rode her bike. After months of refusing to even touch the bike, she got on the bike and patiently pedaled it down and up the sidewalk. Go figure. My drama queen is cool as a cucumber on her bike. She smiles beautifically up at me and says, "aren't you proud of me, mommy?" And then, "I think I'll walk my bike for this part." and my favorite, "My crown doesn't fit under my helmet, so will you wear it for me, mommy?" She pedals carefully where she wants to go, every so often honking her horn without stopping or looking around, just honking while she pedals. She says, "I honk my horn for trucks and ring my bell for cars. Look, that one's a truck, so I'm honking my horn." It's cute, hilarious, and unbelievable. I told her that we were going to celebrate "Olivia riding her bike" day by going to ice cream. I walked and Eliana and Olivia rode their bikes. Eliana was so busy riding in circles telling us, "I took the long way through the college and I still beat you!" that she kept running into things and crashing her bike because she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. I think she crashed three times on the way to the ice cream parlor.

I had also told the kids we could play at the park. The problem being that Olivia rides VERY slowly. It took a lot longer to get there than I anticipated. So my kids were playing at the park at 8 p.m. They were the only kids at the park. Corbin was certainly the only one playing in the fountain at 8 o'clock at night.

I'm also putting together an art show with my friend Prindi. It's tomorrow night, and I'm very excited. I think it's going to be great! I'm displaying my stick art. The kids will be singing "I had a little turtle" ... I think they'll probably steal the show.

On ANOTHER positive note, I just finished a ten-day detox, including one juice fast day. I lost 7 pounds and counting ... and with my new glasses and bangs, I've had two people tell me that they didn't even recognize me. The totally weird thing is that a lot of my normal "fav's" taste and sound discusting ... ice cream, chocolate, coffee ... I think I'm going crazy. It's actually probably the healthiest my body has been in a while, but it still feels weird. Someone offered me coffee at a meeting, and after my first sip I almost gagged. Too weird. There's something therapeutic about drinking coffee, and I can't see anything else really filling that gap. I'm not a big herbal tea person, and I'm not sure black tea would be any different. I guess maybe I'll jump on the jamba juice wagon! BTW, have you heard of the new "hot smoothie"?? It sounds gross to me, but supposedly it's good. sure. right.

On the way home from the park today, I realized that for the first time, it actually felt like summer to me. The "do-fun-things-with-the-kids-just-because-its-summer" thing. It was good. Really good. I hope I keep feeling this way for a long time. Too bad it took me a month and a half to get here.

A WHAT infection?

So, I'm totally stressed out about this Corbin thing, and today Steven and I finally had a real good talk and decided he's just not ready. If he was ready, this would be easier. So we're limiting "mommy times", but continuing to nurse. I feel really good about the decision. It's a big relief after the turmoil of the last four days.

However, I now have ANOTHER issue consuming me .... I have a corneal infection in my left eye. Who knew that something like this could come on so quickly?? Last night my eye was itching, and by this afternoon the light sensitivity was so bad that Steven had to come get me. I couldn't drive home. It figures that I can barely resolve one stress before the next one comes. And Corbin broke my glasses this morning. Apparently they're un-fixable (is that a word?). And my eye doctor is on vacation. I'm wearing taped-together glasses with sunglasses over the top. Believe me, I feel REAL sexy! Apparently lots of people that get this have to wear glasses with prescription sunglasses for six weeks. I'm hoping that's not me. I'll find out tomorrow.

And tonight I got stung by a bee. I need a relaxing bath.

What a week

I'm having troubles processing that it's only Wednesday. It has been a week frought (is that how you spell that word? I need Carolynn's new dictionary) with chaos.

Firstly, and probably most significantly, we're trying to wean Corbin. What a harrowing process. Mostly because he's not happy about it. On Sunday night, Corbin woke up at 2:30 a.m. asking to nurse. And since I said no, he proceeded to scream for two hours straight and refuse to go back to sleep. Again last night, he woke up at 4 a.m., and didn't scream, but refused to go back to sleep. During the day, he has been this grumpy monster that I don't even recognize. It's been really hard. I miss my happy little guy.

I know that this is really good for us, I feel that it's time for our relationship to change, but it is really hard on this poor momma's heart. My baby is sad, and I am refusing to offer him the comfort he wants. On the other side, I think it's time that he learned to be comforted in other ways. I just wish it was easier on us both.

Another positive of this, though, is that he is finally EATING! He's done this thing for months where he refuses to eat unless it's something yummy (snacks, sugar) or breakfast or dinner. The whole middle part of the day, he wouldn't eat. Yesterday he ate crackers, a banana, chili with nachos, and part of an apple (and a popsicle ... shhh) ... all in the middle of the day. I cannot even tell you what a relief this is.

So, while I'm playing catch-up from having Courtney and Avery here, plus the fourth of july, Corbin is making life difficult, and that leaves my poor daughters catching the short end of things.

During rest time today, they worked on a little art project:



Oh well. It washes off. You can't see very well in the picture because the purple doesn't show up very well, but it was very tastefully done.

Did I mention that in addition to this week's stressors, Steven and I are on a 10-day detox diet?? So no carbs, grains, sugars, etc. Basically just veggies, meat, and fruit with lots of water. So I'm also craving coffee, sugar, and at this point, I'd eat just about any kind of carbs. I hope I feel good and lose enough weight to make it seem worthwhile.

Awesomeness!

I found this really great quote by Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state. I really really like it and the idea behind it!

"I think really the big changes happen very often at the local level. The most important people in my life were my parents, but the next most important people to me were the people in my community: my teachers, as well as the people who lived in my community and made sure I got home safely at night. These people were very much a part of my life and still are. Some of them I still stay in touch with: That's what communities can mean.

If you've got great family and great friends, as I have had throughout my life, that helps a lot. I'm also someone who has great religious faith. I am a great believer in being able to draw on what the Apostle Paul once said in Romans 5, which is that you have the glory and tribulation also, because from tribulation grows perseverance, and out of perseverance, hope.

In times when life is easy, we don't appreciate enough our religious faith, or the people who support us and care about us and love us. But when things get tough, we have to rely on them. Every time you go through a tough period, I think you're just making yourself a stronger person."

The Green Tinkerbells

Ellie-isms

I whacked my hip on the metal stair rail, and after chuckling at me, Eliana said, "Sorry. I shouldn't have laughed."

Olivia was wondering if we were eating pig for dinner, and Eliana told her, "It's called chicken for a very good reason. Because it's made out of chicken. Why do we eat chicken? I don't know. That's a very good question."

Randomly heard from the vicinity of the back seat, in all seriousness, "I think you'll make a very good mom."

Stunning

Today I braided Eliana's hair into two braids. She tied her braids into a knot in the back of her head with the ends sticking out sideways. When I commented on how cute her hair looked, she told me,

"It doesn't look cute. It looks better than cute. It's stunning. Stunning is WAY better than cute."

Well. Pardon me.