The Kohl's Incident

SO...my sister, Melissa, and I met at Kohl's today. We parked next to each other and grabbed the kids from the car and shopped a bit. Bought nothing and headed back to the cars. I put Tim in on the driver's side as Mel went around to put Sarah in on the passenger side. I could hear a discussion begin between Mel and the owner of the car next to mine. I could not hear what was being said. I finished buckling Tim and headed over to find a woman, in a high state of agitation, berating Mel about hitting her car and dinging it. Since it was my car I stepped up and calmly and politely asked some questions. (Now mind you I have on occasion given a ding to someone else's car, quite by accident, AND have also been the recipient of said dings myself.) So I asked, did we park after you? are you sure the dings weren't there? She was insistent that we were the perps and was disgusted with people who do this. It was about this time that I began to think my car wouldn't hit her car even with the door all the way open. hmmm. So I calmly opened the door and pointed out to her that our cars didn't line up for that to happen and there was about a foot of space between the edge of my door and her car. I said, "Its just not physically possibly for us to have done this." And yet she insisted. (Had we defied the laws of physics???) I explained that I understood the frustration but we did not do this. She just didn't get it. Maybe we hit it when we pulled something out she claimed. About this time my cackles were up and I was getting louder. So I spouted out that, "The only thing we pulled out of the car was this child!!" Pointing to Sarah in Melissa's arms. I asked if she checked the passenger side of her car before she went in?? Was it at all possible that someone else could have done it and she had not noticed?? AND by the way she was being RUDE. In the end she half heartedly admitted that it wasn't us and said, "Sorry." I replied with, "Good." She huffed off and peeled out. I jumped in my car and left. It was unpleasant. I kept it together till the end. I really hadn't SAID anything wrong. But the tone I used at the end was not nice and I felt bad about reacting that way. Galatians says to never get tired of doing good. I think I did. I started out with diplomacy and ended up barking at someone. Granted she was wrong. But in the end so was I--in my manner. It will forever be remembered as....the Kohl's Incident.

The Tadpoles Died....

Apparently tadpoles can't take 90 degree weather in a small bowl of pond water. We cooked 'em! Sad, but true and the life cycle project was done anyway........

The Cutest Girl in the World

Its me!! Did you know?? I had no idea. But Timothy told me so this morning as we cuddled in bed.
He wakes so early! And often even before Sandor has left Timothy has found his way into bed with me. I enjoy it knowing it will be over too soon. Today he said, "Mom you are the cutest girl in the world." WOW!

Science

This evening I took Andrew along with me for my jog. He is in the "15 minute club" at school. That means he successfully ran for 15 minutes without stopping. So we are jogging along and he is commenting on how slow I am going. I am jogging at about 4 to 4.5 miles an hour. He is going about 5.5 to 6. He gets ahead then stops and waits for me. And after a while gets a "stitch" in his side. I explained that I was going for endurance--to jog for about a half hour and for distance--about 2 miles. When we pass the pond we stopped to look for frogs. We saw many early this spring during mating season. They were all over. None today. A little further around the pond and Andrew takes another break. I keep running but am quickly called back and go because he sounds really excited. Justifiably so. He has found dozens of tadpoles. This is timely because he has a life cycle project due at the end of May. We cut the jog short and hussle home. We come back with the camera and a container. Jacob joins us. We had some fun scooping up pond water and tadpoles and bringing them home. I hope they survive. Our plan is to release them once they are frogs into the green space that is wet and marshy by our house. Andrew can study and document the life cycle for his project too. It was great to see the boys get excited about real science. I love being Mom to boys!! When we got home Andrew gave all the credit to God for us finding the tadpoles and it all working out just the way it did. I think its appropriate. His hand was in the creation of the little squigglers too!

When the Truth Hurts

Yesterday I took Sarah to a Mommy and Me event at our church. I was very excited about this because it was our first time doing something like this together. I expected she might not be able to do everything but still it would be great fun--Mom and daughter time. Can you see the visions forming in my mind?? The event was quite nice. Pretty decorations and a couple fun games and cute craft. Yummy dessert. Very girly. On this particular evening, however, Sarah was demonstrating the extremely active side of herself. At one point even gave her infamous shriek of upset. I am still not sure why it happened--did she bump her chin on the table or was she just mad? She calmed relatively quickly but it still added to my growing embarrassment. And then in a moment of stupidity I let her wander off to where I thought she was safe to play. She was still in the same room. I couldn't see her but I assumed I knew all she could get into. Wrong! She pulled a vase of flowers down and water went everywhere! Thankfully the vase did not break but more embarrassment. Now I have a mess to clean up AND have publicly displayed my mommy inadequacy in front of many other moms. Can it get worse? I traveled back and forth between the mess and the kitchen and cleaned it up trying not to be disappointed. This was not part of my blissful vision! Of course I had the quiet ride home to mull over the events because now Sarah was tired and just sat in her chair sucking her two most favored fingers. I got home and Sandor was anxious to ask how it went. And I told him. "I shouldn't have gone. It was just a painful reminder that I have a retarded child. And everyone saw what a bad mom I am." Open the floodgates.....
It is true. I do have a retarded child. I am o.k. with that. But sometimes that truth does hurt. The interesting thing is that I really thought I had moved beyond that point. Maybe not as far as I thought and hoped. But there are always lessons to be learned from moments like this. Was I trying too hard to be "normal" when I am not?? Did I set unrealistic expectations for myself and for Sarah? Maybe.
Sandor reminded me of all the wonderful things Sarah can do and all the amazing ways she continues to surprise us! And pointed out that perhaps we should try again...in a few years. Perhaps we will....