Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Being Stuck

Forgive me for not being a ray of sunshine today, but sometimes it just becomes overwhelming. I had been planning since last year to go to this event with my friend and her family and have Mike meet us. That way we'd be early, get good parking, pick up our shirts and have a little dinner picnic. I picked out Christmasy clothes for Riley and I to wear and spent the morning making turkey and cheese sandwiches shaped like Christmas trees. It was the first cooking I'd done in a month.

As soon as I'd put the food away it was time for PT. There's a lot of being stuck in my life right now. Physical therapy is one way. Three days a week he'll come sometime between 8am-5pm and I never know more than hour ahead. It's not like I can go anywhere very often, but it's annoying when I do have plans and a ride. So, we got started and I mentioned the popping. He got a concerned look and said "If it happens again call the doctor, you'll need an X-ray." Well, moments later with my therapist as a witness it starting happening again. He called the doctor's office they're seeing me at 1pm tomorrow because he's in surgery today.

It could be anything from not enough bone growth to keep the hardware from moving around to the muscle rubbing over the top of the screw (like a cheese grater). Both ends of the spectrum indicate another surgery to remove the screw God*&^% it to H$%&. I was hoping to bear weight early since I was doing so well and now it'll be extra weeks off of it. Stuck longer! For *&^%s sake!

Stuck. stuck. stuck. Stupid body, stupid surgeries...grr. Ok, I laid down iced my hip and tried to regroup. It would be ok I'd go have so much fun. Take the kids to see the real deal Santa and pretty lights and I'd deal with tomorrow when it came. Wrong. I got dropped of and my friends house and it begun to pour rain. It let up, but people kept reporting a cold mist and she has a small baby so she was ready to call it off. I was bummed, but persisted in getting Riley ready and packing us up to go. I kept telling everyone "I'm afraid of what the cold will do to my body, but I'm so much more afraid of what missing this with do to me emotionally."

I called Mike because I was stuck there without a ride. I rejected her offer to take the kids to the mall instead, but I understood why she didn't want to venture out. I had Riley packed up, shoes on and eating her Christmas tree sandwich when Mike got there. He decided to give the baby a bottle and someone took off Riley's shoes. Stuck. I couldn't put the shoes back on anymore than I could drive downtown by myself. Then my friend got a long distance call and I went to corral my kids. She had a step down into her playroom. I can get down that step, but not back up by myself. Stuck.

That's when I started crying discreetly. I called for help, but the adults were occupied. Riley, bless her little heart, tried to help me. Stuck. By the time the baby finished her bottle I was openly crying and asking to leave. The frustration and pain were overwhelming.

We finally got in the car to go home. Mike decided even though EVERYONE else had been fed he wanted to go through the drive thru. Ten more miserable minutes in the car. Stuck. No hope of even making it down town late. Stuck. I laid in my bed and cried. Not only had I wasted money at a time when that's a real problem, but I was stuck in bed in pain with the TV not working to distract me. Bad night. I was so worried about what Dr. B would say/do, but more so just irritated at all the relying on other people.

I want to decide to leave a room and go. I want to decide to take my kids somewhere and go. I want to drop something and pick it up myself. I'm so frustrated. I don't want this event to be the first of all the December events I miss without any say in the matter. It's too depressing.

Santa, if you're reading I'd like a way to cope for Christmas, please!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

December is...

December is not a month. Months have dates. December has daily events and obligations for those lucky enough to have family nearby and lots of friends. Most of them are fun, but the strain they put on someone trying to complete their overloaded daily routine while recovering from surgery is substantial. It's a lot of stuff, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

DECEMBER

Week one: Dinner party, Toddler Christmas Party, Mike's work Christmas party, Christmas crafts, Christmas cards and Yard/Tree Decorating.

Week Two: Shopping, Jingle Bell Run/Picnic/Santa Visit, Santa pictures & story event, Baking, Christmas light looking, Cookie party(s), Birthday Party (Happy, Happy Ms La!), Finish Christmas cards, Wrap!

Week Three: LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL for Isaac, More baking and crafting, Trip to Orlando for the Ice and Snow exhibits!!

Week Four: Christmas!! Wrapping, Family events x3, Gift opening and Eating.

Non-Holiday-wise there's physical therapy, helping with friend's new baby, my dad's surgery, Riley's dance class, Isaac's homework help needs, physical therapy (it warrants mentioning twice), school ending (that's also worth mentioning twice), cleaning/laundry, the constant demands of a toddler, blog writing, wedding planning, trying to recover from surgery and hundreds of things I'm sure I'm forgetting...

Monday, December 5, 2011

Decorating the Tree

Ta-Da! We decorated our tree. In our family it's tradition to order a pizza and it's the one night a year Isaac is allowed to have Coke. It's a big deal. Since Riley is too little for Coke, but big enough to get some kind treat. She got her very own small milkshake. It was the highlight of her week.

This year, I sat at the table and unwrapped and handed out ornaments to be hung. Since hopping around with a walker near my precious ornaments seemed unwise. Everyone hung their baby's first Christmas ornament. We each picked a new one this year too.

I went in search of a house ornament for our first Christmas in the new house. I struck out completely. I decided instead to let everyone pick a new ornament. Riley picked a sweet little corduroy owl with button eyes. Mike picked a purple monster. Isaac picked a shiny green snail because they're in the cephalopod family. I got a little girl with blonde braids and a red winter hat. I doubt we'll make that a tradition though because we're pretty heavy on ornaments.

Mike and I also have a beautiful green partridge for the first Christmas we were together. Other than those we came into the relationship with our own ornament collections. I always let the kids hang the ones they made too. Riley did very well considering being a tired, sugared up two year old. Mainly she wanted to hang one and then take it down and run away screaming. She managed to get a few on though.

The kids found my big jingle bells and started dancing and jingling to Christmas music. It was adorable. Then they started rolling bells down the hallway. Loud and also the most fun ever based on laughter levels. They had a fun night. I had back spasms from all that sitting, but a beautiful tree. I really over did it this weekend with back to back Christmas parties and tree decorating. I hope Santa appreciates the effort.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Decorations!!

My gesse made it ouside! Then we put down blue rope lights for a pond. Good idea, right? I was proud of that. Mike put some reeds by the pond and with deer it gave us a woodland theme out front. I'm loving it.

Here's a close-up of our Christmas that's in background of the last picture (through the window). It's lit, but not decorted. We're gonna fix that tonight.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

How Toddlers Do Christmas

Lighting the tree

Wearing Christmas clothes and antleers!

Dancing to Christmas music in a tu-tu!

Decoring cookies

Rudolph the red nose Riley

Friday, December 2, 2011

Cottonball Christmas Countdown

I love Christmas and crafting so much, but recovering from hip surgery really puts a damper on things. Riley's toddler friends are having they're Christmas party Saturday and the Mommies discussed bringing a food item and a craft for each of the kiddos in attendance. We're talking less than 10 toddlers here. I knew exactly what I had the resources and physical capability for.

I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it, a Christmas countdown where you glue a cotton ball onto Santa's bare chin. When the last one is on (beard full) Santa comes that night.

Materials
  • Santa face/template
  • Construction Paper
  • Cotton Balls
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Crayons/Markers/Colored Pencils
  • Glitter

Frist here is the first tmplate I found: Template from Pinterest. I love this one, but I didn't want to waste all the blue ink for the background. I debated cutting out individual Santa facial features for each one, but decide to Google first. I found and used this one: Template I used. I think it would be just fine to print Santa coloring pages and hand draw or stamp numbers on too.

Next I used glitter on the holly on Santa's hat. Don't you love glittery Christmas decorations? I also colored his cherry nose and hat red. I cut out Santa and glued him to some green construction paper. Then I used a gold marker write the poem:
Santa's beard is very bare
On his chin there is no hair!
So each day add a puff of white
When they're all on, he'll come that night!

After that I just counted out cotton balls. I only had jumbo ones so I had to cut them in half, grumble. Smaller fits better for sure. Twenty-four cotton balls in a baggie and they were done. I didn't attach the baggie to Santa just in case mom and dads had other plans, but it would be cute to do a sack out of Christmas fabric for your cotton balls.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Photo Thursday!

Last Christmas a family in our neighborhood had these geese. Christmas geese with hats and scarves. Super Cute, huge hit with Miss Roo.

Ever since I saw those I began formulating my outdoor display around acquiring some of my own geese in the off season. Well, guess what finally came after a shipping error last month, my geese!

Helping daddy assemble them.

Straightening a baby "GUCK" (duck and goose at the same time?). Aren't they pretty lit up?