Wednesday, July 13, 2011

April

A big, emotional month for us. Aside from some personal problems I was dealing with, April was quite the struggle for us. I learned that a "good" friend of mine wasn't really a friend at all. In fact, I learned a lot more than just that but I'm going to have to keep that to myself. Word of advice - always trust your gut. It's never wrong. And don't ignore it. I did so for two years before I finally realized that I was right about someone and had been all along. It's really sad when you find out what kind of person someone really is deep down inside. I can't say that I misjudged someone, because I didn't (going back to that trust your gut thing). I just ignored my instincts for the sake of being friendly and keeping the peace. Lesson learned. I know I'm being vague here but I have to be and all I can do is hope and pray that eventually things return to normal. I won't say I lost a friend out of this because this person was never my friend to begin with, but I lost a lot of trust and feel pretty knocked down. It will take a while to rebuild myself and my trust, but hopefully I'll get there.

Now back to Austin. He had his 15 month checkup and weighted 21lbs even. He got tooth #4, the second top center tooth. He says "night night" at bedtime, which just melts my heart every time. He is obsessed with chapstick (thank you Nana and Granddad). He will find it in my nightstand drawer and bring it to me to put it on his lips. He loves it. He had his first big boo boo - he fell at the park and busted his lip open. The first time you see your child's own blood spewing from their body is kinda terrifying and intense! Luckily some cold water stopped the bleeding and besides a little redness and swelling, he was fine (Mom on the other hand was a basket case!). He has also started saying "Lola", which is our cat’s name. Since he's started talking, he has always just said "O-wa", since he never could really say the L's. Now he pronounces it perfectly and of course says it all the time. We have been going to the park a lot since the weather has been so nice, and he loves playing on the playground! He drags his blankie around like Linus from the Peanuts (I think it's Linus?!) He has continued to be bit at school over the last few months, some noticed and reported to me, others unnoticed and discovered in the bathtub. After a talk with the owner about the problem back in February, Justin and I really hoped that things would change. Unfortunately, they didn't change but got worse instead. I felt like my child was a human chew toy and coming home with bite marks and accident reports on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis became unacceptable. Especially when the center began blaming him for the bites, saying that he provoked them. One thing I will NOT tolerate is someone telling me my child deserved to be injured because he and another kid wanted to play with the same toy. When this happened, Justin and I knew we had to make the change we had dreaded making for months now. But we couldn't take it anymore, we had had enough. So we moved daycares at the end of April, even paying out our two weeks notice without him attending - that's how bad it was. I paid these people to NOT watch my child. How does that make any sense?

So, not only did I turn 30 this month - yes, 30 - but we changed daycare centers and also got hit with the most disastrous string of tornadoes are state has ever seen. On April 27, my home of Tuscaloosa was hit with an EF-5 tornado that destroyed half of the town. Forrest Lake - gone. 15th Street and McFarland intersection - gone. Alberta City - gone. Rosedale - gone. I cannot begin to describe the feelings of sadness and pain that I felt over the next few weeks. I cried every day. I couldn't sleep, and when I did I was dreaming of tornadoes and victims and destruction. I couldn't think clearly without hearing the horror stories and the thoughts of families losing everything running through my mind. A good friend of ours brother was lucky to survive the tornado, and his story is incredible. The tornadoes also hit in Birmingham and other areas of the state. Two weeks after the storm, I went with Justin's company to volunteer in Pleasant Grove. What a sight to see. Amazing in every sense of the word. We spent the day helping a family whose home was destroyed. We packed up belongings that had been salvaged, cleaned up debris, went through rubble and just talked to them. It was an incredibly rewarding day and I was finally able to sleep better, knowing that I had finally done something to help someone. The sense of helplessness I was feeling was becoming too overwhelming, and I'm so thankful I was able to help in a small way. It was an experience I'll never forget, a sight my eyes will always see and a feeling my heart will always feel.
Fun at the Park!!Dragging his blankie around :)Pucker up!Playing in Grandad's truckRiding Tigger :)Chillin with Gran GranHis first chocolate pudding :)Wearing Grandad's hatA Tray full of Veggies!Playing with Mom's birthday balloons!On the See-Saw
Easter Pics:He LOVES Caesar!

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