My Mother

When I was in 5^th grade, a friend asked me why my mom walked with a limp. I had never noticed anything unusual about the way my mom walked, but I felt like I needed to respond so I casually replied, “Oh, she fell down the basement stairs while carrying a load of laundry.” That day, I went home and for the first time noticed that my mother walked with a limp.

Before I was born, my mom had cancer. Not just any kind of cancer, but a very serious kind, a kind where there were no adult survivors. At the time, my mom had two small children and was pregnant with the third. She was flown to Denver for an experimental treatment and my sister was born a month early on my mom’s birthday. So, on the day my mother turned 24, she delivered a baby and started aggressive treatment on her cancer.

My mother was told that, if the treatment worked, it would take a year of chemotherapy and radiation to eliminate her cancer. A terrible year passed, a year of pain, vomiting, and hair loss. My dad told me that he once carried my mother into an appointment and when they weighed her, fully clothed, she was only 98 pounds. Unfortunately, my mom had to undergo treatment longer than one year. But my mom was lucky; she became one of the first adult survivors of rhabdomyosarcoma.

I once asked my mother if she minded walking with a limp, if it bothered her. She told me that she was grateful for her numb foot because it served as a daily reminder to her of how much she has been blessed.

I admire my mother so much because she is a true survivor in every sense.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Thank you for making us a hot breakfast every morning, for reading us stories, for always listening, for never raising your voice, but most of all, thank you for providing such an amazing example of what a mother should be.

Sunday Best: Mother's Day edition

Art Car Parade

Ellie and I drove into town today to meet up with Steph, Sheryl, and Boyfriend Andrew to watch the Art Car Parade. This was my first Art Car Parade and I found it really entertaining despite the hot and humid weather (94 degrees).
Ellie really liked it, too, but not as much as she liked this dog. She pretty much adopted the dog's family and sat with them, talked to them, and petted their dog for about 30 minutes. I guess she felt like the dog's fur was too unruly because she kept licking her palm and trying to smooth his fur down. Then, she would lick and repeat. Gross, I know. She was also eating her goldfish off the sidewalk. At first I tried to stop her, but then I thought, "Hey, she isn't running into the street."
There were moments that I was happy Ellie was so preoccupied with the dog because some of the floats (and the people on them) were a little risque.
All in all, it was a very fun day and I am looking forward to next year's.

A whole lotta poo

On Monday AND Tuesday when I went to pick Ellie up at daycare, I found her clothes and her bedroll all bagged up in her cubby. On Monday, I didn't ask about it, just assumed she had diarrhea, but Tuesday I was all, "What? I have to wash her bedroll again? What is going on?" Turns out, my child has been going poo and then sticking her hands in her diaper and smearing it all over the place, including herself! I do not understand this at all as she has never done it at home! So yesterday, I was all tricky and dressed her in a onesie with jeans. It worked, but I only have one 24 month onesie, so I had a little talk with her (heehee) about telling her teacher when she was poopy and not sticking her hands in her pants. Fingers crossed.

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I wrote a post about this. I just feel like there is nothing to write about these days. No daycare drama (she runs excitedly down the hallway each morning), no new milestones (unless you count the poop smearing), and no cute antics or pictures. I'm dry.

Weekend recap

I forgot to take a pic of Ellie for her "Sunday Best" pics today. She looked cute with her hair up in pigtails, though. I think I might be overdoing the whole pigtail thing. Rosie always has these fun, different hairstyles for her girls and I have all of two styles that I do in Ellie's hair. Ellie has weird hair, though. It grows forward from like the back of her head. So if I don't put it up, it is hanging in her eyes. And I can't cut bangs, because then she would have half her head of hair in bangs. Like a mullet. So...pigtails it is!
This has been a fun weekend. I went out with the girls (Sheryl and Steph) Friday night. It was so nice to just be free and not have to worry about chasing Ellie down the street. The rest of the weekend was mostly family stuff since my oldest brother was in town with his four kids. Ellie is always so happy when she hangs out with her cousins.