Glimpses of the First Snow

Today we woke up to the first snow of the winter (really fall).  CJ has seen snow before, but he is practically a different kid from when he saw it last.  This was Bubby's first snow ever.  As a background for my story, Hubby went over to his parent's house last night because we were going to have a Thanksgiving meal with his parents, younger sister & her husband and he was in charge of the turkey because Mama Neuby is out of commission due to an injury illness.  I stayed home with the boys because I wanted them to get sleep in the comfort of their own beds.

CJ was the first to wake up that morning.  He started crying right away because I had to break the news to him that Daddy was not at home.  So I tried every parent's go-to:  distraction.  While he was still crying I said, "Do you want to see what's outside?"  So I took him to the front door and opened it to a blanket of snow with more coming down.  His eyes got big and his mouth hung open wide in amazement.  No more tears.

Bubby woke up a little bit later crying as well.  So I carried the crying baby to the front door and opened it to the snow again.  He stopped crying, his eyes got big and his mouth hung open wide as well.  No more tears.

It was one of those moments that you cherish because tomorrow when CJ wakes up, it won't be a big deal to see the snow.  And you only get that first glimpse ever one time with your baby.  You never know when they will see snow for the first time of the year and not be amazed at all.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is an interesting hormone and I'm sure it is one that God created because he loves us.  It's the cuddle hormone during and after sex.  It's the "time to get the baby out" hormone.  It's the milk making hormone.  It's the baby bonding hormone.  It can help wounds heal faster.  It can increase trust.  It can decrease fear and anxiety.

One of the reasons that science becomes even more fascinating to me the more I learn is because I know that everything was ultimately created by God.  I do believe that God created everything, and I also love science.  And it's a pretty awesome thing to think about how God understands biochemistry and physics.  And I am so thankful that God created oxytocin.

I don't know if anyone else gets this way, and it did not happen when CJ was a baby, but when I nurse Bubby, I get this serious lovey-dovey feeling all the way down to my toes.  I'm not saying I love Bubby more than CJ or anything like that, but it is really weird and really neat, especially knowing that God is behind it all.

I know it's not Valentine's Day, but I guess I'm just thinking about how much I love my family and how awesome our God really is.

What do you do?

I sent my sister a text that said something along the lines of, "What do you do when you find out both of your sons and you have a horrible disease?"  A few weeks ago, I got confirmation that CJ, Bubby, and I have a genetic disease called Fabry disease.  It can cause a host of problems from early end-stage kidney disease to heart disease, stroke, and neuropathy.  There isn't a whole lot known about our mutation, though it seems to be a later onset version that is less severe.

 So what did I do?  It was nap time so I just sort of sat there after sending the text.  I thought about what I wanted to do--cry, yell, curl up in a ball.  Then I thought about what I should do.  So I started praying.  God reminded me of my favorite verse that says, "Give thanks in all circumstances."  So I just started thanking God for all the good I could think of and asked him to help me see more to be thankful for.  Then I turned on the Christian music and started singing.  It all seems crazy now, but God wants us to be crazy.  I still don't really know what to do.  Medically there isn't anything to be done at this point so when I start to get down about it I just remember to give thanks.

On the contrary, I am having a difficult time giving thanks when my patience is running short.  I checked out a couple books about organizing and household management since everything was getting away from me, and they were so helpful with motivating me if nothing else.  However, when you wash your 2 loads of laundry for the day and you are trying to fold them only to have your two year old sit on your folded stacks and then throw them on the ground, and then you have to fold them again but realize there is now dog fur on your towels and cloth napkins so you will have to wash and fold them again--it is REALLY, REALLY hard to say thanks.  And the worst part is my 2 year old is learning from my example which is no where near perfect when it comes to patience and self control.  It is a struggle.

Two year old just woke up from nap.  That's where I'm at.