Working On A Few Things

So, I have been working on a few things and have been having a hard time finding the time to blog.  Yeah, so this is my post to quickly say "sorry" and let you (all 22 of you fabulous followers) know that yes, I am still alive and no, I haven't given up blogging.

Here is what I am working on.

Putting together my last post in regards to my Liebster award.  I have been having such a hard time coming up with 11 questions to ask!! I know, it should be easy, but somehow I am struggling.  Have no fear though, I am almost done and should be posting soon!

The hubs and I are looking into "out of the box" non conventional methods to help Stella achieve her FULLEST potential.  This current road we have been going down using early intervention and OT and PT and SPL has been helpful, but I have been feeling for a long time that there HAS to be MORE that we can be doing for her.....and there is.  But at this moment I need to collect my thoughts and get my shit organised before I can possibly even begin to explain this new journey we as a family are planning on embarking on.

So have a lovely weekend and stay tuned for two new blog posts....which are in the works....I promise!!!

I will leave you with some pictures from the last week.

Enjoy.

EPIC Family Fun FAILURE!!

What.....the......F**K just happened??!!

I am still a tad flabbergasted as to just how fast our family fun weekend in Calgary turned into a family fiasco!!

Friday afternoon, the McG Clan headed out in the minivan to Calgary.  The drive was lovely! The kids watch movies on the DVD, Stella had a short nap and we all happily arrived at our destination (The Sheraton Hotel) at around 4 pm. We skipped on up to our room, unpacked, put on our bathing suits and skipped on down to the pool.  The big McG girls went up and down the fun twisty slides with Mickey while I played with Stella in the nice warm baby pool.  She LOVED it!  She also insisted I take her into the big cold pool.  Personally I would have been happy to just stay in the warm pool the whole time, but I '"sucked it up" and went into the cold pool.  Stella LOVED it!

Our happy car ride to Calgary!

Aren't we so happy??

After swimming, we ordered room service and had a lovely dinner in our room.  The girls went to bed fairly easily for being in a room all together and being in unfamiliar surroundings.

In the morning (which came VERY early), we went down to the hotel restaurant and had a lovely breakfast.  I think that here, is where the seeds of total meltdown began.  As with all my kids, when they travel they tend to eat less and usually eat nowhere near as healthy as they do when they are at home.  Sophie is a nibbler, and when we travel she eats even less.  That being said, she had about three bites of her breakfast and then claimed to be full.  With our darling Sophie, Mickey and I know there is no point in pushing the issue, so we let it slide. After all, I ALWAYS have lots of snacks in my purse, so if she got hungry later there would be something for her to eat.

Sadly, this day, I forgot to stock my purse full of food.  I only brought a few items and halfway through our zoo trip, Stella had already eaten the few snacks I had.

But let me rewind a bit as drama and sadness and crying had already begun way before the zoo.  You see, Olivia was soooo excited and you know how it is as a kid, waiting is so very hard.  After breakfast we drove off to the train station. (We were going to take the train to the zoo).  We got to the station and WHOOPS! We left the stroller in the hotel room.  So BACK into the car we went to go back to the hotel and get the stroller.  Here is where Olivia lost it! She started fussing and crying and expressing very loudly her disappointment.

Then as I was putting Stella in her car seat I heard Mickey make a sound, like he had hurt himself. As he was lifting Sophie up into her car seat he somehow pulled out his back.  He was hurting...bad. I know this cause I said "are you ok?" and he said "No".  Now he has to be hurting pretty bad to admit to not being ok.

Somehow he sucked it up and we went back and got the stroller (Olivia is crying and fussing this WHOLE time).

We made it to the train station, we got on the train and made it to the zoo.

Yay! We made it!

So now we are pretty much back to where Sophie is now demanding food and is getting extremely agitated that I don't have any food left in my purse.

Olivia had also been complaining on and off since we got to the park because she wanted to go to the zoo playground and didn't want to go and see any more animals.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Stella was getting pretty crabby because she was still hungry even though she had eaten all of the snacks.

"This SUCKS!"  This SUCKS this SUCKS!!!! (I am screaming this in my head)

We went in search of food and the playground in order to quiet down the madness.

Mickey went and ordered food and I watched the kidlets.

Ahhhhhh, things seemed to settle down.

Mickey came back with food and I went and attempted to feed Stella some of it while Mickey went to get the girls.

He was gone awhile.....and I could hear screaming....which sounded very much like Sophie.....

Sure enough he comes on over with Olivia  "you gotta go and get Sophie, she won't come down for me and keeps screaming for you"

Now I am sure that Mickey would have crawled his adult ass up the kids play area if his back hadn't been causing him so much pain.  But since he couldn't, I went over there and attempted calm rationale talking to Sophie.

"Sophie, Sophie, it's time to eat. Come down now please."

"NOOOOO!! (picture, a child way up high in one of those netted outdoor play units, looking down with a "fuck you" look on her face screaming at the top of her lungs)

"Sophie (insert stern voice here), this behaviour is UNACCEPTABLE, it is time to eat, come down now please!"

"GO AWAY, I DON'T WANT TO COME DOWN, NOOOOOOO!  LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

People are staring.

Little kids were offering to go up and get her.

I thanked them but insisted that they did not engage in conversation with her for fear of them being hit or scratched by my agitated, hungry, tired, strong willed child.

What else could I do?

I squeezed my adult ass up the twisty stairs, trying not to step on a child's hand or head along the way.  Once I made it to where Sophie was I again attempted to reason with her and give her choices ( I somehow have forgotten that reasoning with a 4 year old is NOT possible).  I had given her the choice of going down the twisty stairs or down the slide.  She refused both.  I told her that she needed to choose or mommy would choose.  She responded by trying to crawl away from me all while screaming.

So I picked her up and dragged her 40lb body over to the slide and pushed her down it......she screamed the whole way down.

I then twisted my body down the twisty stairs again, picked Sophie up and carried her out of the playground.

Phew!

I was pissed off. I was so angry. I was so frustrated.  Mickey and I then told the girls that the fun was over and that we were going home.

As we all ate our lunch Sophie was back to her cute, funny, sweet self (Dr.Jekl and Mr. Hyde, is this child).  I had calmed down, Mickey had calmed down, so we gave the girls another chance.

The nightmare continued.

Olivia had changed her behaviour and was cooperating and being a very big girl.

Stella was tired and had eaten a lot of chips (she would not eat anything else) and was happily chillin in her stroller with her suckie and blankie.

Sophie...well Sophie was slowly falling apart again.  For a few minutes she would be happy and giggly and cooperative and then something would happen (i.e.. Mickey and Olivia would be walking too far ahead) and she would start screaming at the top of her lungs demanding that they "STOP!!! COME BACK!!" Then she would refuse to walk and wanted to sit in the stroller ( note to self: in the future bring the double stroller!).  So I would let her sit in the back of the stroller where my purse was, but it wasn't very comfortable so then Sophie would start screaming about that.

Looking at the peacocks...in between melt downs

Sophie was screaming as I took this picture.....good times, good times

Finally she just fell to the ground face down, arms and legs splayed out and screamed while throwing her hat.

I......was.......done......

I looked at Mickey and said "Let's go home"

Olivia cried the whole way back to the hotel, while we packed up our stuff and part of the way home in  the car.  I felt bad for her as she had changed her behaviour and was cooperating, but yet she was still loosing her privilege and had to go home.  Sophie didn't seem to give a crap.  As long as we were ALL having to go home and ALL not going to Chuck E Cheese's then it made no difference to her.

I kept hoping that at some point on the way home it would "click"  that we were GOING HOME as a consequence of her bad behaviour, like we had said we would do..... but I honestly think, she just didn't care.

I think what would have worked better for her would have been if we had stayed and had her stay in the hotel room and rest while Livi went with me to the pool without her....THAT would have been a consequence that would have worked for her.

But  we didn't do that...

But Mickey's back was really, really bad so on that note it's a good thing that we came home.

Being a parent is just plain hard sometimes....

But the weekend ended on a good note!

I took the girls bowling yesterday and there were NO meltdowns! (Cyber HI-FIVE!)

And today I took the girls to the water park (which is literally right across the street from our house) while Stella napped and Mickey iced his back for the 50 millionth time.

Oh and Mickey's back is a tad better...

So....there is always a silver lining..right??? Right!

Bowling and getting along! HI-FIVES!

PS. I really must remember to not only take pictures of my kiddos looking happy. A meltdown picture would have really added to this post I think......

Outside, Outside, The Sun Is Shining Outside

I am still attempting to finish up my list of bloggers who I want to nominate for a Liebster.  For some reason this is hard for me...perhaps I need to follow more blogs?

Anywho, in the meantime, here is what me and my two younger McG Girls did today.  We spent the morning at grandma's house helping her plant flowers.

Sophie SHOULD have been in school, but she has pink eye....seems Olivia graciously shared her pink eye.

Thanks Olivia.

Seems Sophie is also sharing her pink eye as Stella's eye was looking a little red when I put her to bed.....

But this post is really about the morning at grandmas.

So here you go:

Freaking out as I take the picture, crossing my fingers that Stella doesn't bash her face into the concrete too badly..

And YES!! She nailes it and continues to make her way down the stairs!

Here kitty, kitty, have some mushed up fruit!

Sophie found an earth worm...and loved it to death...literally.

I love days like this one!  Makes up for the crappy days!

This Blog Post Is For You Mom!

Empathy.  What is Empathy?

Empathy is the ability to mutually experience the thoughts, emotions, and direct experience of others. It goes beyond sympathy, which is a feeling of care and understanding for the suffering of others. 

(Empathy Vs. Sympathy found at www.diffen.com)

Some people are born with the ability to empathise.  My mom is one of these people.  To me, this ability is a rare and amazing gift.  Her ability to understand how it might feel to experience a situation that she has never experienced.....that is amazing!

This picture was taken the last time I saw my mom...May 2011!!

When I suffered three miscarriages in the span of 7 months back in 2007, my mom was there for me with a shoulder to cry on and loving arms to fall into.  She had never experienced the loss of a child, the loss of a baby that never made it past the safeness of the womb, yet somehow she "got it".  She was able to "put herself in my shoes" which is what I needed and wanted so badly at the point in my life.  Just someone who understood, my sadness, my loss, my anger.

I struggle some days with Stella's diagnosis.  I go through days of feeling sorry for myself, for Stella.  There are days I feel like the world is against Stella, the world is against anyone who is different, who is not what society deems "normal".  I have voiced my frustrations and worries numerous times to my mom and she is always there with empathy, love and understanding....even if she may not fully "get" how I am feeling, I know that she just naturally tries to put herself in my shoes and that gives her the ability to understand why I may feel a certain way.

This blog post is for you mom.

Thank you.  Thank you for being there for me emotionally when I have needed it the most.

Thank you for the kisses you smothered on my face as a child.

Thank you for the warm chest to lay my head on when I was sick as a baby.

Thank you for the many meals you made (even though I despised the stew that you made with all those big chunks of onions, thanks for slaving over a hot stove to make it)

Thanks for letting me watch TV all day when I was sick, and for bringing me toast cut into little strips.

Thanks for coming over almost every day when Olivia was a newborn and all she did was cry all day, everyday.

Thanks for taking over night feeds when Sophie was a baby (you living in the basement suit was so convenient!).

Thanks for letting my cry and sob on the phone to you when Stella was whisked away to the NICU the day after she was born.  Even though you weren't able to be there physically for me, just talking to you on the phone helped me.

Thanks mom.

I love you.

LOVE YOU MOM!

The Grand Finale of Question Answering

It has been awhile......yes... I have been distracted.

I have been....reading, not just blogs, but BOOKS!!!  I'll perhaps even do a book review on one of the books I am reading, but I'll save that for another post.

On my last post I answered 6 out of the 11 questions that Treyton's Posse asked me (remember my Liebster Award nomination?)

 That leaves.....5 questions.  So here we go!!

7.   Q:   What is your favourite candy bar?
   

MMMMM, Chocolate!

    A:   I don't have a favourite "brand" of chocolate.  BUT, I LOVE any type of solid, dark chocolate.  You know, the type that comes in squares, so you can break off a piece and let it melt on your tongue?? Mmmmmm, all this talk of chocolate makes me want some!!

8.     Q: Your kids are in bed and your spouse is off doing something else.  You have the television to yourself and the DVR has been recording everything from the last week.  What is the first show you watch?
       

     A:  WALKING DEAD.  Nuff said.

9.    Q:  What would you consider to be the greatest invention ever? Why?
       

      A:  At this point in my "small children, therefore sleep deprived life".....TASSIMO.  Why?  Because I don't have to remember to program the coffee maker the night before.  Because if I want a coffee... BAM!! A click, a push of a button and I have a steaming, hot mug full of delightful, aromatic, delicious coffee!

10.    Q: What is the one thing you cannot stand to be without?
          A: My iPhone.  I am hoping, I'm not the only one......I mean, it's not like I'm on my phone ALL the time.  But it's a nice security having it with me, plus I paid all this money for it (plus a plan).... I'd be wasting my money if I didn't take it everywhere with me.  Plus, it has a camera on it so if I wanna take a quick picture or video of my girls doing something funny or cute, I can just whip out my phone, instead of trying to remember to always bring my camera with me.  Makes sense to me.....

11.    Q: Who is the greatest superhero of all time:  Batman, Spiderman or Superman
       

     A: Batman.  And here is why:

• He has no real "superpower" yet, he kicks some serious ass.
• His "lair" aka "bat cave" is really cool.
• He has loads of money to spend on really cool "gadgets".
• He became what he feared the most...BATS!

TADAAAAA! And there you have it!

Over the next few weeks I will be organising my thoughts and putting together a post and "passing on the torch" so to speak.  I will be nominating 11 blogs that I feel have value and who deserve a "high five"!

It has been fun talking about myself (narcissistic much?) and I hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit more about me.