The Dead Rabbits vs. the Natives

While in marriage counseling this week (Yup, still going. Go Team Mason!) we touched on a lot of relevant things.  How my work defines me, my need for validation and equality despite a continuous paycheck and a host of other issues that can cause marital strife when not addressed properly.  Somewhere in this the subject of our kids came up.  Our counselor made this observation-"Well, at this point they have formed sort of a gang."  I glanced at H and nervously stated, "Great. We've got a roaming gang in our house.  All the time. Our house if Five Points. "  A pack of marauders.  The kids are close in age and work together to achieve whatever it is they want around the house.  Now that The Fifth Element is mobile it is even worse.  "They are … [Read more...]

Peas in a Pod

The Fifth Element & Izzy on Halloween.   Holding hands. Playing and growing together. Two peas in a pod. November is National Adoption Month.  We have many kids on our block but last year we had a little Christmas miracle.  Izzy came to our 'hood right making us believe that Santa can deliver early and prayers know no bounds.  Our whole neighborhood has watched her grow this past year and it is in part to the wonderful thing that is adoption. Placing a baby for adoption can be a difficult decision, but it is an option that many women and couples choose for various reasons. It involves a legal process where the biological parent(s) voluntarily give up their parental rights, placing baby for adoption, and transfer them to an adoptive family. There are different types … [Read more...]

And Then You Were One

I wish there was a pause button, a way to rewind all the magic that this first year has held for our family now that The Fifth Element has entered our world. While the year has been rough for us in some ways her arrival was the starting point for so many things. When Abey Baby entered this world at 6 p.m. EST last August 18 I really do think I had a Grinch experience. My tiny little heart that had grown so much over the last four years decided to just let loose. I felt flooded by the intense sensation that suddenly I was at peace with motherhood. This kid, this one baby, was my golden ticket to finally feeling myself let go and really accept that this was our life. While I felt that our family was complete after we had The Comedian it ended up not being so. The addition of Abey/The … [Read more...]

Ten Months

It's always fleeting, this first year of life. The magical softness, the effortless cuddles and quiet times spent alone together with just the coos and the sound of your breathing mingled with theirs. So at 3:41 a.m. when The Fifth Element woke up again despite just having eaten I didn't mind picking her up out of her crib and holding her close. We settled into the rocking chair in her nursery together. As she rested her head on my shoulder and made self-soothing sounds I held her still small, soft-haired head in my hands and thought, "Soon this will be gone. I will never have this moment back. She will not cuddle so easily in the next few months." How can it be that almost an entire year has already gone by?As her breathing slowed and she shifted into a deeper sleep, I closed my eyes and … [Read more...]

Overheards- Toddlers with Knives

Scene:  The dinner table.  TD, The Comedian, H and myself are seated and The Fifth Element is on the floor playing with toys while we eat.H:  "We don't hold knives over babies!"  He says to The Comedian who is swinging her table knife* over the top of The Fifth Element's head as she plays down below.  Especially not at the dinner table.  It's just bad manners.*All knives used in the making of this post were dull and void.  No babies were actually harmed in the making of this post.  … [Read more...]

The Fifth Element- Month 7

Oh, how are we already here.  Sitting up, eating food, drooling like a pro and sporting a new tooth.  It's too much, too fast.  My baby (wail...) The Label as my neighbor likes to call her at seven months. … [Read more...]

Life in the Weeds

I keep thinking back to this saying I used to hear when I waited tables back in the day, "I'm in the weeds."  Truly, it runs through my brain on a continuous loop more and more.  The addition of a third child factored with a two-year old and more has put me over a barrel.I look at my kitchen windows and see that only one blind has been pulled up to reveal the outside world.  It is at a haphazard angle and crooked while the remaining windows are still drawn shut.  I think to myself, "Yup, that about sums up my week. My life, as of late. Half-assed.  Haphazard and askew."  My shit is all apart.  Take the fact that the kitchen sink clogged the other night.  Just before we were headed out the door for the Disney on Ice spectacular the damn thing … [Read more...]