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| Today I kept a promise to my son. I finally took him skating at
the skate park. But I decided that I'm not getting any younger,
and I wanted to try. Why should he have all the fun? So we
went to Target and got all the necessary padding and protective gear.
It was Beginner's Only at the YMCA skate park. I found myself
among four 8-10 year old male skateboarders and one teen. No
other parents were there, just the older man employed by the Y to
supervise. He seemed to understand what I was trying to do, and
none of the other kids made fun of me...to my face.
Connor and I tried all sorts of things. I eventually got really
good at going up and down the easy ramps. I even got enough speed
to ride horizontal on the half-pipe. The pros make it look so
effortless and easy, but it's very tricky. The ramps make your
body do things I didn't expect. The point was to spend time with
Connor...to maybe learn from each other as we tried something
new. Mostly I think I just showed him how to fall really
well. I really tanked trying to go up some of these. I'm
sure it was hilarious. Here I am six feet tall and thirty-two
years old trying to rollerblade at a skate park. I just know the
other boys were wishing their mom was cool enough to come try.
I'm sure their moms were older than me...and I'm too old to do this.
At the very end, I finally got up the big ramp I was trying to
tackle. I went up a ramp, down and ramp than headed for the big
one. I basically threw myself on the ramp trying to get to the
top. Once I pulled myself up there, I had to figure out how to
get down. I stood at the top for a long time. I looked to
my son for encouragement, but he was sitting on a bench with his legs
crossed ready to go. The only thing keeping me was fear.
What was the worst that could happen? Was I really ready to try
this without any coaching or advice? Could I really go that fast
and not hurt myself? My brother's wedding is a week away.
Do I want to go with a skating injury?? No I didn't, so I slid down the
ramp on my butt. I'm too old to do this.
We were exhausted and hot by the end. We had to leave because I
had to go nurse my baby. Again...I'm too old to do this.
With red faces and throbbing headaches we left the park. But by
this evening Connor was ready to go back. Tomorrow I probably
won't be able to walk because I'll be so sore. My
lower back is not happy with me tonight...I'm too old to do this.
Mostly I learned that he really wants someone to watch him, not do it
with him. So that is what I will do next time. I'm
glad I can say I tried it at least once in my lifetime. I
probably shouldn't have tried it so late. I can guarantee you
that when Hope is seven and wants to go to the skate park, I will not
be skating with her. That's what big brothers are for. I
will definitely be too old to skate, but never too old to cheer.
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| Today was most definitely a super mom day. (Or insane mom day)
For summer survival, Wednesdays are "Friend Days." The boys take
turns inviting a friend over for the day. Because a lot of their
friends are in day camps or day care over the summer, I know that
having the friend all day is part of the deal. So this morning
Cameron was dropped off at our house at 8:30. He fit right into
our family of boys as a 2-year-old with buzz cut blonde hair and a name
that starts with "C."
My first super feat was getting four kids out the door to the library
with books to return, packed lunches for all and swimming
supplies. We arrived at the library just in time for story
time. The two younger boys sat and listened while Connor picked out
his books. He could even check them out all by himself with his own
library card. As we left the library, I looked like a pregnant momma duck crossing the
parking lot with a baby in a sling and three blond-headed boys in
tow. I nursed Hope in the car while the boys played on the
playground.
My second feat requiring super mom power was taking four kids to the
pool and not having anyone drown. In our little caravan, everyone
was assigned something to carry. Connor took the boys to change into
their suits. Some of them were still naked by the time I got
dressed. But once everyone was clothed and the toilets flushed,
we headed for the pool. Cameron learned all sorts of fun games,
like surfing on a noodle and using hot tub jets to make a
fountain. We all slowly ate lunch as we got hungry. Hope
slept peacefully in her stroller in the shade. I got my 30-minute
workout with some water aerobics and about 20-minutes of tanning.
Every super hero has to stay in shape...especially with a wedding to
attend at the end of the month!
The next amazing act was a quiet and peaceful house complete with a nap
for the momma. Once I got Cameron down for his nap, the boys and
I had forty minutes of reading time. How amazing is that??? (It's
never happened before and we might even try it again.) Then Hope
and I rested while Kyle and Connor watched their shows.
Then came the sinister phone call that could have jeopardized the
entire day. "We have a realtor who would like to show your house
at 6:30." A wave of panic flowed through me because I had not
done a lick of housework the entire day and it was 4:00. But
deep-cleansing breath and we were off. My efforts to wrangle the
boys only lasted 20-minutes. Connor cleaned up the living room
and Kyle did his room, but then they decided they would rather annoy
each other than help clean the house. So in a stroke of
genius...I sent them outside. "If you're not going to help, then
get out!" I was slightly stressed, but I didn't completely lose
it.
At 6:00, I was sitting in the car across the street nursing Hope with
the dogs in the car. My sidekick (Cameron's dad) took the boys to
McDonald's for dinner. The counters were completely clear, the
lights on, the candles lit. Connor had even sprayed the sidewalk
chalk off the front steps. The house looked great. We went
to Nana's house for an hour. I did a load of her laundry and
loaded her dishwasher. We took a walk and watched the sun
set. Then came home.
My final act as super mom was giving everyone a bath and putting them
to bed. By the way, if you're wondering where super dad was, he
was being super manager with his new super band Rush of Fools all day. He came
home around 10:00. Suprisingly I was still awake and
smiling. I even greeted him with a kiss!
Thank you Lord for the strength and patience to be a Super Mom.
You give all the strength I need for each new day. Thank you that
tomorrow is Thursday...Day Camp Day.
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Wide awake and ready to go. Hot off the camera! I just took these
yesterday for those of you crying for updated photos. I was
playing around with this idea for a birth announcement. What do
you think? Notice the personalize onesie.
 Babies are the most angelic when they sleep.  Except for the red eye, this would be a good picture. Who do you think she looks like?? | | |
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Hope Renee Patton was born on Monday, March 12 at 4:55 p.m. Yes, she was about three weeks early, but very healthy. She was 6 pounds 11 1/2 ounces and 19 inches long...a good pound smaller than either of the boys. She was also the "easiest" labor yet...if any part of labor can be called easy. My water broke at 7:30 a.m. just after Connor got on the bus. We took Kyle to school and then went on to the hospital. Everything went smoothly, and after pushing for three contractions, Hope came into the world.
Her early arrival caught us a little off guard. Andrew was up until 2 a.m. putting the crib together while I was in the hospital. He also decided it was about time he bought some things for the baby. He came to see me the next day with a Target bag full of girl clothes. She has already brought many changes in the Patton house. It was strange to see a basket full of pink clothes in front of my dryer. The evening wrestling match between the boys has been replaced by "Can I hold the baby?" Connor comes home from school and holds Baby Hope as he watches TV.
 Hope Renee's arrival has also brought the whole family to town. Megan, Brian and Paula drove in on Saturday night and surprised me. Brian and Paula went on to a missions trip in Louisiana, and Megan and her 6-month-old daughter Evie stayed here with us. A house full of nursing and crying and lots of baby holding. I have been very grateful for her company. Zach and his fiancee Sarah, my mom and dad, and Andrew's brother David come in at the end of the week. It will be very busy and very fun to have everyone together. They have all been put on notice that I will not be providing the usual bed and breakfast services. (Ha! Ha!)
On the way home from the hospital, Andrew got a phone call. He told the person he was on his way home with Joy and Hope. Now all we need is Faith! | | |
| So here I am pregnant! Yes...I am almost ready to pop! Most
people tell me I look "cute"... which is not the word I would
choose. People say they can tell it's a girl because I'm carrying
so high. We are now at 36 weeks, so the baby is good to come any
time now. I go to the doctor's on Monday, and I'll be surprised
if he tells me I haven't made any progress. The last time I went
he could tell the baby was head down. I told Mom we would go out
for eggplant parmesean when she comes to town at the end of the
month. And if Hope Renee is not here by April 3, she will get an
eviction notice:).
The boys are excited. For awhile we were contemplating moving so
Andrew's mom could live with us, but we have decided NOT to do that
right now. So I finally got the crib down from the attic (but not
put up) and the ladies in my Bible study bought the bedding (but it's
still in the bag and very adorable). After my contractions were 6
minutes apart last week, I finally decided to pack the hospital bag.
Right now I'm exhausted. The boys had their first soccer
games. Both team won, and Connor scored three goals. We
also cleaned out the garage and have much more work to do. Thanks
to Zach and Sarah we'll be eating Pizza Hut tonight!
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