Merry Christmas from our house to your house! Things have been a little out of control lately. But tonight, instead of putting in my thousandth hour of studying, I have the sudden urge to blog. So, here goes.
My daughter has entered the full-time workforce and is taking the mail room in stride. She has figured out that college may be a fine alternative to opening mail for the rest of her life, but at the same time, she has also figured out that a solid income is a good thing. However, it does not come without it's bumps. Growing up is hard to do and letting go and allowing your child to make mistakes may be even harder. In my next life, I am going to write a book about how it may be a good idea to not allow any living person to have access to their own money until they are much older than 18. Heck, I have a difficult time with money-management and I am much older than 18. Much older.
And, juggling one's income when one also has a child to raise is even harder. She would tell you that there is a certain kind of pride in helping to make your own way in this world, and I truly believe that she is striving for that. But, as I predicted, she had NO IDEA how expensive children really are, and frankly, I think it is eye-popping for her. Now, I do believe that this is a good thing, but alarming, and somewhat depressing, none-the-less. And, to be totally honest, I appreciate the fact that she can help a bit. My budget took a hit this year, and there is no getting around that. If not for the help of our family....well, we are not going to think about that. For some reason, Christmas brings out the appreciation for the people who we love the most, and for us, this Christmas brings it out even more.
Brady is awesome and is growing every day. He had to go to Mayo to see about his somewhat pigeon-toed stance, and it was officially certified by no less than three doctors that he is advanced in motion department. Our 8 month old bundle is crawling like a champ, standing up to things, and even letting go for about 5 seconds at a time before he falls over. And, his little pigeon-toed issue is already better and going away every day. The doctors told us to come back if he is not better by the time he is four....
They said that there was no-doubt that he would be an early walker....not something that is required, by any means. He just LOVES anything that he should not be into, especially if it is breakable, and he is already starting to give the little "look" when he knows he should not be pulling that ornament off of the tree, or pulling the "pretty" off of the end table. If he did not have dimples, he may be in trouble. He also stands in the crib and says, "Mum...Mum...Mum...and Ga..Ga..Ga." I am Ga...I will take it.
All Braden wants for Christmas is his two bottom teeth and a box of Cheerios. He sure is trying. Oh, did I mention that he is the 95th percentile for height and weight. At this rate, he will pass up his Mommy at about age 2.
To say that we are sitting in a different place this year than we were last year would be the understatement of the century. However, I do have to say, there are not words to describe how much better it is....I had no idea how much our lives would change... When I adopted my daughter, I could not imagine anything that would ever be as wonderful. Then came Brady. Every mountain that we have to climb, every lesson that we have to learn the hard way, every dollar that is spend, every sleepless hour, every worry, and every sacrifice brings us back to Brady. And brings me home to my daughter.
What a gift we have been given! God is Good! Merry Christmas!
