Faith

"Let us run with endurance this race set before us..."  This is one of my favorite verses because its easy to translate into everyday life.  It takes endurance to survive parenthood.  It takes faith to survive parenthood.  Everyday there is something that challenges our faith and pushes us beyond the limit we thought existed.  Jon has been working a lot lately leaving me to have some quality time with the kids.  Allie is well into those glorious, terrible twos and is embracing them.  No is the answer for everything...anytime she does something wrong, it's "Bent's" fault..."Bampa" is the only one she will talk to on FaceTime..the best place to take a nap is in "Bent's" crib with him so I can jump up and down and scream while he tries to sleep.  I'm amazed at how creative a 2 year old can be and wonder if I can bottle that creative up and save it for when she is older and has a big girl job.  

Each leg of this endurance-laden "race" we run, begins for me at 530 am.  My "warm up" is drinking coffee, making the kids first sippy cups of medical formula, and watching 20-30 minutes of "I Love Lucy".  I blink my eyes and its 830am and time to get to work.  I told someone the other day how productive I felt before 8 am.  I'm convinced that God made coffee to keep moms sane....or was that wine?  Maybe an AM version and a PM version?  

When I fall asleep at night, it is faith I end up turning to.  I've made it through another day...my mind goes through its daily checklist.  Brent is finally getting teeth so he isn't eating well.  He hasn't hit his "phe" number in days.  Allie, again, felt it was more important for Pepper to eat her Cheerios and goldfish instead of her...which apparently evens things out because she has been sneaking into the pantry and eating handfuls of dog food.  I now know the "phe" value of dog food...not sure if I should be proud of that fact or embarrassed.  I end up ending my prayers by thanking God for the faith he has in me and let Him know that I'm ready for anything else he throws at me...as long as I have coffee and wine...

The best thing

Everyone it seems is looking for the next best thing, including me.  As a mom, I think it is natural to want the best for your kids.  If you aren't careful, don't we let it consume us?  Isn't the "best thing" right in front of us?  Our family...is it not our best thing?  How could there be anything better?  How could there be anything better than hugs from your children who have applesauce all over their hands?  How could there be anything better than being barefoot stepping on Cheerios?

One thing I struggle with is balance.  I am always trying to figure out how to spend more time with them.  5-6 times a week I plop the kids in the "double Bob" stroller and go for a run.  I have a mantra I have started repeating over and over again throughout my runs..."I do enough, I have enough, I am strong enough."  And even after spending an hour focused on this, I still doubt myself.  Isn't that the nature of being a mom? A parent?  A wife?  PKU has definitely challenged me to make sure I'm always on top of things with the kids.  Did Allie eat all her food or did she feed it to the dogs again?  Did they both finish their "batches" today?  Did I weigh everything right? One thing I do know the answer to...is it worth it? Yes, of course it is...I have a " best thing".

Bloodwork day

Today is bloodwork day for both kids.  Usually only one of us is able to go and manage both kids.  Today is Jon's turn.  We will head to Nemours and meet with Dr. Wheeler, their geneticist, and Sandy, their dietician.  The other important person in the room is Miss Laura.  Allie LOVES Miss Laura.  She is the one who draws the blood each time and has become a friend of ours.  Every time At the end of drawing the blood, Allie has to have Miss Laura pick her up and give her a big hug.  It always helps her feel better.  Both kids do so well getting stuck with the needle.  Allie says "no, no, no" and then squeezes tight on me but doesn't cry anymore.  Brent screams for a few seconds, then gets his thumb in his mouth with his blanket and calms himself while I squeeze him tight.  They are so used to going to the doctor that do not fear anything.  We have to turn in our food logs each appt. to Sandy and evaluate how they are.  Most medicines, including antibiotics have "phe" in them so we have to communicate constantly with Sandy and adjust their diets accordingly.  We always have the same questions asked to us, "any skin rashes, seizures, tremors? What new things have they done?"  If their "phe" levels get too high in their brains, seizures can happen among numerous other things.  Also their brain development is tied directly to our ability to manage their diet.  Good thing I have a type A personality! Bloodwork day will end with long naps taken by both kids...they get so worn out from the 2 and a half hour appt.  Today maybe we will take them to Twistee Treat??  Anything to help them feel like "normal" kids...