And then there were sirens...

File this under "Strange but True":

On Thursday I took the kiddos to the grocery store. Just a quick pre-vacation trip to grab some snacks for the plane. In and out. No biggie.

About three-quarters of the way through, Roo got a little fussy. I asked him what was wrong. And he ANSWERED ME, "I stuck." I looked down, and he had shoved his heel between the bars of the cart and couldn't get it out.

Those of you who have a child with Down's may understand how amazing this little exchange was. Roo isn't great at understanding questions and knowing how to answer them. I also had no idea that he knew the word "stuck." While I felt bad that he was uncomfortable, I was ASTOUNDED that he had been able to communicate so effectively. And I was able to just pull his foot out of the bars easily, so all-in-all it was a pretty positive outcome.

Until we got to the parking lot.

The big kids hopped in the van while I threw our couple of bags into the back. Then I picked Roo up to get him out of the cart... and he didn't come. Sure enough, he had shoved his foot back between the bars again. Only this time, it wasn't coming out. I pulled and pushed and wiggled and massaged it, but it was stuck.

I called the big kids out of the van, and we walked back up to the sidewalk. I don't know why exactly, I guess just so that I wasn't standing in the middle of the parking lot while I worked on his foot. I was trying to be calm--he didn't seem to be hurting, and it's not like it was his head or anything--but honestly, it was a little scary.

A kind, sweet gentleman who regularly bags our groceries was outside, doing something with the carts. Let's call him Milton. He came over to try to help. Then a man going into the store with his elderly mother stopped to help. They tried to pull the bars apart enough to disengage the foot. No luck.

Then the man who had stopped with his mother said, "Oh there's a cop, maybe he can help." I looked up, and a sheriff's deputy, who just happens to be the husband of a friend of mine, was walking toward us. He just happened to be heading to the store. It was so nice to see a friendly face! He, too, tried to pull the bars apart before heading back to his truck to see if he had any tools that would help.

More customers stopped.

More employees came out.

Before I really knew what happened, we had attracted quite a crowd.

Roo, who normally loves attention, was not amused by this whole situation. I don't think having his foot stuck was especially bothering him. He just didn't like that everyone was tugging on it and messing with him.

Someone suggested putting butter or oil on it. Milton went in to get it. Someone else suggested calling the fire department.

Then Milton came back out... with maple syrup. Bless his heart. A lady said, "I think I'd put oil on that before I'd use syrup."

Poor, sweet, discombobulated Milton cried out, "I couldn't find any!"

He couldn't find any oil. In the grocery store. Bless. He was so panicked.

A cashier who had come out then went back in to call the fire department. A minute later, the store manager came out with a big ol' jug of vegetable oil, and right there at the front door to Giant Eagle, my son had his foot anointed.

There was pouring and rubbing and readjusting... and then it was OUT! There might have been applause. Maybe it was just me.

Instantly--and I mean INSTANTLY--Roo's fussing and crying stopped. He smiled, looked at his rescuer, and said, "Thank you. Bye-bye!" Stinker.

The crowd (OK, I'm using that term loosely, but there were probably around 10 people out there watching this all go down) dispersed, and my friend's husband told one of the employees to be sure they called the fire department back and told them not to come.

I got my children all loaded into the van, free of the confines of any grocery carts.

And then there were sirens.

I've never had the fire department called for my family before. They take it seriously.

A rescue ambulance came rolling into the parking lot of Giant Eagle as I blushed with embarrassment. The EMTs who had come out were very kind and understanding.

They asked that I fill out the paperwork anyway.

One of them asked if Roo (who was in the van by this time, so they couldn't see his almond eyes or his bald head or his overall I'm-rocking-an-extra-chromosome personality) had any other medical history. I replied, "Related to getting his foot stuck in a grocery store cart?"

He nodded. "Fair enough. Nevermind."

It is never a dull moment with Roo.

By the way, I totally thought about taking pictures while it was happening JUST SO THAT I COULD BLOG ABOUT IT... but I really thought the people helping us might vote me the worst mom ever for that. So I held back.

At least he's honest

I think everyone here knows that Roo isn't going to be winning any gold medals for sleep. (He's been doing much better lately, though. Most nights he either sleeps through the night or wakes up only once, and most mornings he sleeps until at least 6:15 or 6:30.) Between his early-riser-ness (yep, it's a word now.) and the fact that my big kids will finally sleep in (you know, until at LEAST 7:10...), he and I are often up before anyone else.

The last two mornings as we have crept past the big kids' rooms, I have whispered to him, "Shhhhhh. We're going to be very quiet. Can you be very quiet?"

And he has smiled, looked me right in the eye, and said, "Nope!"

In the cutest voice you have ever heard.

24 hours

Has your husband ever asked, "What exactly did you DO today?" Have you ever wondered that yourself? Well, here's a brief look at my past 24 hours.

In the last day, I...

• folded 15 loads of laundry
• went to Lowe's with my hubby to pick out new tile for our bathroom
• handled (or tried to handle) some small fires that popped up with a new ministry that I am leading at church
• made a nice dinner (meatloaf, twice-baked potatoes, salad, and oranges)
• cleaned the kitchen twice
• cleaned/dusted my first floor
• washed all of the linens on my bed (because the dog had peed on them...) and made the bed
• bathed three children
• put three children to bed
• spent a total of 1 1/2 hours in the bathroom with the shower running, trying to steam away Roo's croup (divided into 5 segments)
• drove most of the way to our local children's hospital in the middle of the night, only to find that Roo's breathing had returned to normal and he was fast asleep, then driven back home. (This was after the 3rd steam session. We had two more later that night.)
• got up after 2-3 hours of sporadic sleep
• got 2 kids ready for school
• showered
• dropped 2 big kids off at two different schools
• drove 20 minutes to a story time that I was supposed to lead, then dumped it all on two of my follow leadership team members because I had a croupy baby in the van (Thank you, ladies, for doing such a fabulous job!)
• bought last-minute supplies for Monkey's upcoming 5th birthday and our upcoming vacation
• loaded up on caffeine at Starbucks (Chai tea latte = Something that I never should have tried = Something that I'm going to be trying a LOT more often)
• took Roo to the doctor, where she brilliantly concluded that he has croup (gee, I'm so glad I'm paying you big money to tell me that) and gave him a dose of oral steroids (for which I AM very thankful)
• picked Monkey up from a friend's house, after she was gracious enough to pick him up from preschool for me
• treated my very special and patient Monkey to McDonald's for lunch (which we got from the drive-through and took home, since Roo was not up for a restaurant)
• put two tired boys in bed for naps
• got fantastic news that we scored last-minute reservations at Cinderella's castle for our upcoming trip to Disneyworld--in two weeks! (TOTALLY made my day)

And yeah... really, that's about it. And although the specifics change from day to day, it seems like this is the way that every day has been going lately. Non.Stop.

In fact, right now my whole body is shaking, and I'm not sure if it's from a lack of sleep or a surplus of caffeine... or both.

Roo's breathing is much better, by the way, but his fever (which was 102 last night, but of course completely gone when we were at the doctor's office) seems to be coming back. I'm praying that it goes away quickly and everybody is healthy for this weekend, when we celebrate Monkey's 5th birthday--twice! :-)

So what's new with you?

Why I'm not where you are

If you don't "get" the title to this post, it's a reference to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which just so happens to be a book that I recently read but absolutely do NOT recommend AT ALL. Really. I barely made it through the dang thing, and I refuse to take the blame for anyone else reading it. But every time I thought about writing this post, this is what came to mind and I just couldn't shake it.

(As an aside, I will probably still go see the movie when it comes out. At its heart, the story has a semi-cute plot line, and I'd like to see where Hollywood takes it. Plus it has Tom Hanks in it.)

So anyway, back to the real topic at hand, which is my neglected blog. I can't even begin to describe to you the chaos that has been my life for the past 6 weeks or so. And I have to tell you, there has been nothing hugely life-changing--no lottery wins, no tragic accidents, etc--but just a complete onslaught of one-thing-after-another, and I am having trouble keeping it all straight. Opportunities and challenges have been popping up all over the place. It is incredible, and intimidating.

I want so much to tell you about the rest of our trip to New York, about our Christmas, about my new ministry at church, about another opportunity that has come up for me, about Roo and how fabulous he is doing. But right now I am busting my hump from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM almost every day, and I am not even managing to KEEP UP with the current level of chaos, let alone get ahead.

This whole experience has helped me to realize two things. 1-I think I get overwhelmed easily. 2-I just might need to clone myself... or at least rent "Multiplicity" again.

If you haven't already heard from my Facebook page, I did recently get the chance to blog about life with sweet Roo for the MOPS International "Momology" blog. You can find the blog here, and search for my posts (two of them). And thanks to so many of you who are reading this now, they have asked for more!!! I love the opportunity to share Roo and the things we are learning together with the rest of the world.

I do want to sit down and chat with you all more. I'm hopeful that I will get that opportunity soon, and can catch you up on all things Zoo. :-) I might even get to blog more today, as I snuggle with two sick kiddos and watch movies. In the meantime, let me just share a couple of quick pictures to tide you over...

Routines

5:30 AM Hop out of bed and into the shower
5:45 AM Step out, refreshed and excited for a new day
               Throw on my size 2 jeans and that super-cute new top I found on clearance at LOFT
5:50 AM Put on makeup and do my hair
5:55 AM Read my Bible and pray, thoroughly enjoying the silence while my family sleeps peacefully
6:45 AM Do a load of laundry before the kids get up, so that I feel like I have a head start on the day
7:00 AM Lamb gets up on her own, changes clothes, and comes downstairs to ask me to braid her hair
7:10 AM Monkey gets up, and the two eat breakfast while we quiz each other on the latest Bible stories we've been studying
7:30 AM We sit down for a time of prayer and Bible reading before taking Lamb to the bus
7:40 AM Roo wakes up, but isn't the least bit hungry and is perfectly happy to wait for his breakfast until after Lamb leaves for school
7:45 AM Out the door

In case you were wondering, that was my fantasy about what a typical morning should be.

Here's the reality:
5:15 AM Roo wakes up crying because he's lost his binky (for the 5th time)
5:25 AM I'm still awake, thinking I should just get up, but I am just too darn tired to move
5:35 AM I realllllly want to go back to sleep... I need to get up in 10 minutes...
6:10 AM Oh shoot!  I overslept!  Time to hit the shower...
6:45 AM I've been standing in front of my stupid closet for 15 minutes.  Does it really matter what I where?  I can't stand the way I look, anyway.  Oh, forget it, I'm just wearing sweats.  Again.
6:50 AM I sit down to do my makeup, when Lamb comes in the room. She's up on her own--yay--but she's sobbing because she has just woken up from a bad dream.
6:58 AM Lamb has stopped crying.  I tell her to get dressed.  Monkey comes in already dressed in some strange concoction he has picked out for himself.  He woke up because of Lamb's crying.
7:00 AM "OK, Honey, that's great, but I need  you to get dressed."
7:05 AM "Lamb, stop talking and get dressed."
7:10 AM "Sweetie, it's a pair of pants and a shirt.  Put. It. On. NOW."
7:15 AM "There's no more talking until you're dressed!!!!!"
7:20 AM Lamb: "But Mommy!!!!!!  I don't WANT to comb my hair!  Why do we have to DO something to it?  Why can't you just BRUSH it?????"
7:35 AM Go downstairs to get Lamb breakfast.  Realize that I forgot to pack her lunch last night.  Also realize that Roo is awake.  Throw some Honey Bunches of Oats in front of Lamb and run up to get the baby.
7:40 AM Get Lamb a yogurt, Roo a bottle, make Monkey some oatmeal, and desperately search the pantry/fridge for something that will resemble a healthy lunch.  Hint that maybe Lamb could BUY lunch today, even though it's not Pizza Day.
7:43 AM Lamb finally stops crying about the idea of buying lunch.  I throw together an assortment that may or may not include any actual food groups and tell her to put it in her bookbag.  Explain to Monkey that he will have to finish his oatmeal after we take Lamb to the bus stop.  Be thankful that the kids at least have the courtesy to cry one at a time.
7:50 AM Run out to the end of the street to wait for the bus, because ONE day it came early and we missed it and we would NOT want that to happen again.  (It doesn't come down our road.)  Say a hurried prayer together on our way.
7:51 Wait for the bus.
7:55 Assure Lamb that we have not missed the bus.
8:00 Start to wonder if we HAVE missed the bus.
8:05 If the bus isn't here in 5 minutes, we'll go back home and drive to school.
8:07 Lamb gets on the bus, as happy as if everything had gone perfectly all morning.  At least that's a relief.
8:10 Monkey's oatmeal is hard as a rock.  Roo is starving.  The kitchen is a war zone.  And the day hasn't even started yet.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.

OK, so let's be honest here--it's really not THAT bad.  OK, well, maybe once.  So far.  Most mornings really go pretty well, but they are busy and stressful.  Getting the kids' day started and ended are the two most stressful parts of my day.  And in between, well, I just don't know where that time goes.

I miss it here.  I miss all of you--I mean, the thousands of you that I imagine are here, checking each day with baited breath, waiting for the next words that might fly off my fingertips.  Wait, was that an echo I just heard?  You ARE still out there, aren't you???

The beginning of the school year has not been the Return to Peace and Tranquility that I dreamed thought it might be.  BUT we're getting there.  We're getting into a routine.  Last night I actually remembered to pack Lamb's lunch so that it would be ready this morning--let's hope that becomes a habit, because it was a huge help.  This morning I practiced Bible verses with the big kids while they ate breakfast, and I remembered to take Cheerios for Roo when we walked out to the bus.  Oh... and I told Lamb that there was no talking when she got up this morning until after she got dressed and went potty.  So mean, I know, but it really helped.

And what's more... I finished almost everything on my to-do list!  Back in July when I made my list for what household chores need to be done each day, I quickly realized that I was going to have to do just half of the list each week and the other half the following week.  But yesterday and today I got all but 1 thing done on the list--what a great feeling.  I may actually get my act together after all.  Someday.

And now, I'm in what I am planning to call my "Wednesday Oasis."  My kids are in Wednesday night classes at church, and I have (shhhh... don't say it too loud) no responsibilities.  That's right--for an hour and a half each Wednesday, I get to sit down... by myself... with no dishes or laundry or house projects anywhere near... and listen to the silence.  And read.  And pray.  And (hopefully) blog.  That's what I'm doing tonight.

So I know... I thought once Lamb was in school, I would be back in full force.  And I haven't been.  But I'm getting there.  And I've got lots of good stuff up here (I'm pointing to my brain, which is a little silly since it means I have to type with one hand and you can't see me anyway... but that's where my ideas are), so I hope you'll keep coming back.  And if you don't, I'll just imagine that you do, and that you've brought several hundred of your closest friends with you.  ;-)

Uh-oh.  It's almost 8:00.  Time to go enjoy a few more moments of silence.  Believe me, you don't want me to start writing out what our bedtime routine is like...............................

Settling In

When Roo was just a teeny tiny newborn and spent a week in the hospital, I spent the days in a constant state of wondering, "What's next?" Every day seemed to bring new issues, new challenges. We went in for jaundice, and soon discovered thick blood, then poor growth, then high H&H levels in his blood, then increased sodium output… just to name a few. We finally got everything under control and got to go home. Hallelujah!

After a few days at home, the next reality set in: "Holy moly, I have 3 children ages 4 and under! What were we thinking???" (Which is funny, because we weren't *thinking* anything—Roo came as a total surprise.) The craziness of having a newborn combined with the craziness of having a 3-year-old and almost-5-year-old was overwhelming, although I think we adjusted more easily to Roo than we did to either of the other two. Still, it took a while to get into a groove.

And we were just getting into one, when our pediatrician asked us to have some genetic testing done "just to rule out any issues down the road." Ha. Just days before our sweet baby was 3 months old, our world was turned upside down when we were told, in a rather matter-of-fact manner, that he has Down syndrome.

The next several months were a series of CONSTANT ups and downs. CONSTANT. As if the emotional turmoil of dealing with this new diagnosis weren't enough, a question was raised from his karyotype that led to additional bloodwork and weeks and weeks of waiting for answers.

"I just want to feel settled!!!" I cried out to my husband. I wanted to know a final diagnosis and be done. Move on. Live life. But then I told him, "I'm starting to realize it's not going to be settled. There's always going to be something. Delays, therapies, health issues, concerns. This is our life now."

And… OK, to some degree that's true. Therapy is a part of our everyday life. Delays are definitely present. And yeah, when he starts to sniffle and sneeze, I worry more than I did/do with the other kiddos. But I was also wrong. We are getting settled. We don't live in a constant state of worry and waiting for the other shoe to drop. It is getting easier.

Of course, I say all of this less than 24 hours before we take Roo to our local Down's clinic. His growth has slowed significantly, and I'm a little bit concerned that our pediatrician doesn't have enough knowledge of Down syndrome when she advises us about what to do. So maybe we'll go in tomorrow and come out feeling unsettled all over again.

But do you know what I have learned in the past 11 months—and actually, the last 19 months, since we found out we were pregnant? I've learned that, no matter how unsettled I feel, I've got my feet on the Rock. He is firm and unchanging and won't let me fall.

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. –Deuteronomy 32:4

There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. –I Samuel 2:2

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? –II Samuel 22:32

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior! –II Samuel 22:47

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? –Psalm 18:31

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! –Psalm 18:46

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. –Psalm 95:1

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. –Isaiah 26:4

Distractions

Our last few days have been lots of fun, but very busy. So when Mr. Fantastic and I got home from a date last night ("Due Date"… just save yourself the time and money. Really.), I was thrilled to look at my calendar and see a big fat NOTHING for today. Actually, at 5:00 I'm supposed to go to a Christmas craft fair with my mom and mother-in-law, but I had the entire day here at home with my boys. And since next week will be full of cooking, eating, and shopping (We'll talk more about Black Friday in another post.), I need to focus the next few days on just keeping the house in order. So today was set to be a day of straightening, playing, cleaning, reading dinosaur books, etc.

That was the plan. Well, that was my plan. Apparently it's not how God thought it should go.

First, a confession. I didn't wake up with my full dose of compassion and patience this morning, so when Lamb also woke up less-than-happy, I had only frustration and short fuse to share with her. Poor girl. And so, when Monkey came up and said, "Mommy, I'm sick", I responded (as any good, encouraging, upbeat mother would), "No you're not. Go get dressed." Oops.

To be fair, this has become a common statement in my house, ever since Lamb actually was sick a few weeks ago. Now, any time that my kids are tired, crabby, or otherwise unhappy, they hope that "I'm sick" will get them out of whatever it is that they might not want to do. And he really didn't seem all that sick when he said it. He did seem rather sick, though, when he threw up at the breakfast table.

This is not a problem, I told myself. In fact, if it has to happen, today is a perfect day. I can turn on the TV for him, Roo can catch up on some much-needed naps, and I will get TONS done! Woo-hoo!

By 9 AM, Monkey was on his third outfit of the day. He was quite content to watch TV, but he wanted Mommy to watch it with him. I cleaned the kitchen, then sat down to some good old "Go, Diego, Go!" I tried doing some work that I could do while sitting, some craft prep or some online shopping or something like that, but then Roo chimed in. He hasn't thrown up, but he also has not wanted to be put down.

Distractions, distractions, distractions.

I recently finished a study called Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald. One of my favorite parts was her story about distractions. I wanted to quote it for you, but (of course) cannot for the life of me find my book right now. But basically she had set aside a day to work (writing), and interruptions kept popping up. She was getting frustrated… until she realized that the distractions were her work. These "interruptions" to her day were the things that God had placed in her day for her to do.

That's what my boys are today. They aren't distractions. They are the most important way I could spend my time. Snuggling, holding, tending to them. Loving them. This is what today is all about.

What "distractions" might just be more important than what's on your agenda today?