36 hours

Today was a first in my experience as a mama of two. Jamie left for Raleigh (for a job interview he has tomorrow @ 11:30am) around 3pm today, leaving me with all of the duties required to care for Jadon and Macy for 36 hours. Okay, so many people might think, "Yeah, and?" Well, I really don't have much to say to people who would think that ;)

Here's a recap from tonight (in the blur that I can remember):

4pm: kids wake from a long nap, potty, change Macy's diaper, put in a DVD, give both kids a tiny snack, nurse Macy, prep dinner

5:30pm: make homemade waffles and berries with yogurt on the side, make plates for each kid and myself, (Macy in high chair, Jadon in Bumbo on floor, me standing), Yes, we said grace

6pm: cleaning, cleaning, cleaning as I go; Macy ate yogurt with her fingers (because she won't eat from a utensil of any kind, teething?? no idea), hose off both berry-stained and yogurt crusted kids, put dishes in dishwasher, hand Macy a string of beads/blocks, hand Jadon a box of Leapfrog magnetic letters...clean, clean, clean

6:15-7:30pm: playtime, while a Brainy Baby Music/Art DVD plays, kids dance and sing, we all three play Ring Around the Rosey (they LOVE it!), read about a 5-year-old girl who has cancer, my heart breaks because this could be us (read their story here), pray WITH Jadon and ask him to pray for little Kate, cry, post prayer request on Facebook, try to Skype with Gramma, but hers won't work for some reason, play cars, nurse Macy, clean up toys

7:30pm: bathtime, grab all post-bath clothes/diapers, etc., talk to Jamie on speaker phone, Macy splashes water EVERYWHERE, Jadon dumps boatfuls of water on Macy, can't find the wash cloth (Jamie tells me its on the shower door...thank you, Daddy!), Macy is getting fussy, Jadon is getting rambunctious, dry off Macy, get her dressed, balance keeping Macy out of the bathroom drawers, while attempting to get Jadon out of the tub, Jadon asks what the box is that Macy has, I tell him it's to see if Mama is having a baby (hahaha yeah riiiight!), get Jadon dressed, grab all dirty clothes and diapers and both phones

8pm: hang out in their bedroom, practice Jadon's verse for the week ("How awesome is the Lord Most High." ---Psalm 47:2), listen to accompanying song five times, while he focuses on the words, sings, and bouces a little, Macy is ripping books off the shelves and trying to attack the CD player, Jadon plays cars, Macy plays with the kitchen set and fusses A LOT, nurse Macy several times in an attempt to put her to sleep, try rocking Macy (sitting and standing, while Jadon and I sing "Rockaby Baby"), Macy refuses to sleep, clean room, simultaneously practice saying Bible verse with Jadon, change Macy's diaper

8:30pm: go to living room, nurse Macy to sleep (though we have not been doing this for about a month now), put in a Max Lucado DVD for Jadon, put a sleeping Macy down on couch, take Jadon with me to our bathroom to get his toothbrush and have him potty, put his diaper on for bed, sit on living room floor and brush Jadon's teeth, read him two books, say prayers

9pm: put Jadon to bed, Eskimo kisses, bear hug, regular hug, "I love you" hug, kiss

Me: I love you to the moon and back. Sweet dreams. Goodnight, buddy.

Jadon: Mama, I love you to the moon n' back. Love you to the stars n' back. Sweet dreams, Mama. Give Daddy kiss?

Me: Daddy's not here, buddy. He'll be back tomorrow.

Jadon: Mama, I love you, Mama. I see you in da moring.

Me: Okay, goodnight, buddy. Sweet dreams. You're my favorite. I love you.

Now wasn't that easy? Ha! Actually it went better than expected. I still have the entire day tomorrow, which I honestly am trying not to think about. I love and miss my husband so much, and can't imagine doing this without him. Of all the things I missed most about him, I wanted to hear him ask, "Do you want a cup of coffee?" I always say "no," but today I made a cup and thought of how blessed I am to have a husband who is considerate enough to think of me, before he thinks of himself.

High: Did you read all of that good stuff? (two kids, Bible verses with a toddler, Ring Around the Rosey, praying for others with my toddler...)

Low: I didn't get any pics or videos to go with this post. What you think I am, supermom?

And a P.S. I am not done with Macy for the night, by any means. Because I will be weaning her in the next few weeks, Jamie has been so sweet and handling any night time or early morning fussiness she has. Tonight, I'm certain I'll be nursing her a gazillion times, but am praying for a miracle good night's sleep. Did I mention how much I love and miss my husband?

Duh

Why there is so much uncertainty in our lives...yet we know God continues to meet our every need.

Sicker than a Bulldog

The same day our family from CA left, Jamie, Macy and I traveled to Athens, GA. Jamie had an interview there the next day (July 31st). They put him in a hotel for two nights, so Macy and I went with him (6 hrs each way), while Jadon stayed back with Auntie Em, Gramma and Grandpa.

While we were thankful for the opportunity to interview and had fun seeing the sights in a new city, it was no fun at all to be away from Jadon. I cannot tell you how thankful we were that we made the decision to leave him back though because I ended up getting sick Thursday night. When I say sick, I mean like I threw up the most I think I ever have in my life. While I laid in bed, I had so much anxiety thinking how in the world I would nurse Macy even one more minute. I kept picturing Jamie having to carry Macy into his interview in the morning.

I wondered if it was going to be God's plan to get a sympathy vote for him, you know, carrying a crying baby into the interview, wearing a new suit with snot and slobber all over him. I could hear him explaining how she will soon starve because she is breastfed and her mother is back at the hotel dying from some aweful food poisoning she got from the protein powder in her sugar-free vanilla latte from Starbucks on the way there. He'd then tell them of her inability to eat solid food and unwillingness to drink from a bottle. Poor thing. I could see the interviewer and her staff oohing and ahhing over Macy, as they placed the "Super Dad" cape around their new Administrator-in-Training's neck.

As I laid there, clinging to my life, begging God for mercy (okay, so I'm being a bit dramatic), I thought to myself, "I'll do it, God. I'll take this one for my team. Jamie needs and wants this job. I'm willing to be so sick and send Macy wailing into the interview with him, in order to secure this opportunity." Well, thanks to three extra-strength Tylenol (because I had a SEVERE headache, bodyaches, and a FEVER!), taken ONE at a time, since I'm nursing(!!)...and also thanks to spewing everything I had eaten and drank in...oh, I don't know, a month...I felt OKAY enough by morning to care for Macy. Ahhh! I should write for All My Children, yes?

Jamie went to his interview at 3pm, was back around 4:30pm, and we were able to drive around Athens and investigate areas we might like to call our temporary home, grabbed some decent Chinese at the mall (which is not as nice as I thought, but did have a Macy's), and stopped at a HUGE Starbucks, before calling it a night. In the morning, we went to the most awesome local coffee shop. They have tons of organic foods and drinks, vegan pastries, and the cutest brick patio out front with umbrella seating. We could see ourselves having breakfast here on Saturday mornings for a while :) We grabbed a treat for everyone back home, and then went to tour the downtown area that is home to the UGA campus. I thought Myrtle Beach was humid! Ha! We were dripping wet within 10 minutes, but snapped lots of pics, before Belle fell asleep in the stroller and then we headed home.

We got a bit off track on the way back, and passed a place you will NOT likely see on the Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives anytime soon..."The Possummm Grille and Cafe" (or something like that) in Rayle, GA (yes, Rayle). We were both annoyed to be so far in the backwoods of nowhere, to say the least. Jamie was ready to toss the GPS out the window, when it told us to turn right in 500 feet onto a road that didn't exist...but we figured it out, thanks to my mom, and we made it back to our baby boy after only 7 hours on the road. Looong time with a nursing 6 month old, but we would definitely do it all again. Too bad we had to return that sweet '09 Camary we rented for the trip.

I really could have skipped all of that and said, "Here are some pics from our trip to Athens, GA a few weeks ago. Jamie had an interview, and we hope to hear something by next week. A few in-house people have decided they wanted a chance at the position, but thankfully, even if he doesn't get it, God is still good and we may have a backup plan in NC." :)