You say short, I prefer vertically challenged

This evening as I was sweeping the kitchen and Lawson, Chuck, Garrison, and our friend Cam were in the living room, I hear Chuck saying  “Lawson, do NOT  tee tee on the porch, Son. Go to the side of the porch and tee tee off it.” Again, “Son, do NOT tee tee on the porch!” Apparently Lawson needed to potty and opted to go out the French doors and onto the deck (Not the first time this has happened, mind you ). Then I hear a sigh and Chuck hollers in at me “Momma, your  Son  just tee teed on the deck right in front of the door.” My response, “Well, I heard you telling him not to and he did it anyway, so maybe he needs a time out.” I wasn’t going to be the bad guy this time. So Lawson comes inside and Chuck starts talking to him, “Lawson, I told you not to tee tee on the porch, didn’t I? But you did it anyway.” And Lawson responds, and I quote, “Daddy, a job is a job.”

Last week, at The Pig, Lawson was really interested in why people are made all different sizes. I think it has to do with our friend, Cam, who is staying with us. He is super tall. I think like 6'6" or something. I don't know, I will have to confirm that but I do know that he is tall, especially compared to Chuck, myself, and all of the grandparents. Most of the people Lawson is around on a daily basis, like parents and grandparents, are short, small people. So I think he is noticing the differences now. 

 He starts with, “Momma, why are you SO short?” Well, gee, I ask that myself sometimes. So I answer, “Because that is the way God made me, Lawson.” So we shop around a little bit and I can tell he is still really thinking. Then he asks, “Momma, why are some people so big and some people are so little?(read as yittle, because his l’s sound like y’s and I LOVE it J )  So I answer, “Well Baby, it’s because God made us all different. He made each of us in his image, just like we are supposed to be and because of that we are perfect.” Good reminder for myself, right there… So he seems satisfied with that answer. We shop around a few minutes and he comes up with another question. He asks, “Momma, you and Daddy are adults right? Will y’all get bigger?” I reply, “No, we are done growing. We are adults and we will never be any taller than we are right now, Son. Once people reach a certain age, they stop growing taller. Kids are always growing though.” He thinks about this for a minute. He then says, “Momma, did you drink all of your milk like you were supposed to?” Hahaha. I know exactly what he is thinking. We tell him that he has to eat healthy food and drink lots of milk to grow up big and strong. He is wondering where I went so terribly wrong to end up the height I am. Do I lie? Do I say, No I didn’t eat my vegetables or drink my milk, that is why I am so short, in order to get him to do it? No, I can’t do that. So I say, “Yes, I love milk and I drank it when I was little too. I just didn’t grow to be big because that is not the way God made me.”  I then asked him if he thinks his Daddy is big and he said yes. Oh man, that is cute. He has a rude awakening coming when he realizes that at 5’7” and 145 pounds or so, Chuck is NOT big. But how cute is that? He still sees his Daddy as big and tall and looks up to him.

This reminds me of a couple of months ago at Chuck E Cheese when he and I were sitting next to each other on a ride and Lawson turns to me and asks “So Momma, you are a adult?” I said “Yes, I am an adult.” He then asks, quite confused sounding, “So you are a adult but you are the size of a kid?” How do you answer that one? Ha ha. I just said, “Um, no I am bigger than a kid. I am just not a really big adult. I am just the way God made me.” That answer seemed to satisfy him and off we went to another game.

Sometimes he comes up with some of the funniest things!! I can just see his wheels turning sometimes.

What a mess my oldest Son is.

My Cup Runneth Over

~Shana~

My motto at its finest

So, if you are gonna be a bear, be a grizzly! I wrote that post a couple of weeks ago but finally am getting around to posting it. How ironic....as I sit here in the hospital with a crazy eye infection that has kept me here for 5 days! Like my good friend WAP said, I might be a little dramatic :)
I don't do things half-way. Go big or go home. Even my sicknesses follow that motto.

Fast forward a week....I literally fell asleep while typing that. The laptop was still sitting in my lap, my fingers were still on the keys, my head was hanging down and I was snoozing.  Chuck took the computer away from me, to which I popped up and I replied "I'm OK!". He just laughed and is still laughing about it. Ah the wonders of medicine, dilaudid and zophran to the IV, to be precise. I haven't gotten that much sleep in almost four years. I figured I might should wait until I was no longer on meds to finish this post.
Fast forward:

So the Friday before Mother's Day I noticed that my left eye was a little sore. I didn't really think anything about it. As the day went on, my eye started to bother me more. By Friday night, my eye was swollen and really starting to bother me. Saturday morning I woke up and my eye was much bigger. I looked like someone (Chuck) had hit me in the face. My under eye was swollen, too. We had a trip to the zoo in Birmingham with the Morgans planned and I was really looking forward to it, so I just donned my big, dark sunglasses and off we went. All day the pain and swelling just got worse. I felt awful but I still had lots of fun! We went to the zoo, to the Galleria, and to eat and we had a great time! When I went to bed that night, though, I was hurting. By Sunday morning the whole left side of my face was swollen from my nose over across my cheek all the way to behind my ear. My eye felt like it was going to explode. My eyelid was so swollen that I couldn't even open my eye. Off to the emergency room I went while Chuck and the boys went to Thomasville to get something for my Mother-In-Law for Mother's Day. I expected to meet them back for lunch and celebrate Mother's Day....Little did I know, I was going to have to stay in the hospital. I had an MRI and bloodwork done. The boys came and visited for a little while and gave me my Mother's day presents and I had lots of other visitors, too. Friends and family. Monday I went to see an Opthamologist in Montgomery and he admitted me to see an infectious disease doctor at Jackson Hospital.

By Monday night, I was horribly sick! I was in lots of pain and couldn't stop throwing up. The first time, Chuck had run to get some dinner for us and while he was gone I got sick. When he got back, I was in the bathroom floor throwing up and crying slightly. Pitiful looking, I am sure. I quit and started to feel beeter for a little while. A little later, while the Phlebotomist was there taking LOTS of blood cultures from multiple sites trying to figure out what I had, I started to get sick again. I said "Chuck, please get me that trash can." He brought it over and I threw my guts up repeatedly. Poor CHuck just stood there and tried to help while I threw up into the trash can. The Phlebotomist just kept drawing blood and saying "You poor thing. Where is your nurse!?" The truly funny part is that she had to raise my hospital bed all the way up so she would be closer to eye level with my arms, so I was way up in the air while throwing up into the trash can. I apologized to her several times, to which she kept saying, "Don't apologize" Priceless!
After it was all said and done, the Phlebotomist marched down to the nurse's station and brought a nurse back. She let her have it because I had told them when I was admitted that I thought I was going to throw up. The  worst part about it is that with all of the pain and pressure in my eye, puking made it feel like my eye was going to explode out of my face. So, after I finally quit and everything was back to normal, for this situation anyway, Chuck was sitting in the chair across from my bed and I told him how glad I was that he was there with me. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to see me in the condition I was in. My face looked like Quasimodo (The Hunchback), I had puked until blood vessels had burst around my other eye, I was mercifully, finally doped up to the point that I was loopy and all-around not looking my best. He got a good laugh out of this. He said "So, you are glad that I was the one holding your puke bucket and wouldn't have wanted anyone else to do it?" Well honestly, yes. He replied, "How romantic." Bahahaha. OK, maybe not my finest moment but come on, isn't that what a marriage should be?

To sum up the rest of the 4 day stay:
Chuck would drive back to Camden at 4:30 in the morning to go to work and I would chill out in the hospital bed, hooked to an IV all day. I got lots of phone calls and texted a lot. I watched a few movies on my laptop and spent lots of time on Facebook. I slept a LOT.  After work, CHuck would go back by the house and see the boys, get some clothes and drive back to Montgomery. He also brought me yummy fast food since I am not a huge fan of hospital meals, other than breakfast. (Jackson hospital has the best cheese grits EVER! I am considering faking an illness just so I can be admitted for the breakfast in bed.) Then we would watch a movie or TV shows until bedtime and he would get up the next morning and do it all over again. I kept telling him to just stay home. That I was fine, but he wouldn't do it. He also wouldn't let anyone else be the one to stay with me. We had friends offer, but he wanted to be the one with me. How sweet is that? Meanwhile, throughout the days I am still having tests run because no one can figure out what I have. I had another MRI done one day. It was interesting and got me out of bed for a little while. Of course, I still had to ride in a wheelchair but at least I got out of my room. Oh, did I mention that I am in a quarantine room where the nurses and doctors have to wear masks upon entering? Yeah, there is even a sign on the door. Although, Chuck nor my visitors, WAP and the Morgans never did. It was surreal.
Finally, on day 4 we get an answer. MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A highly contagious form of Staph.Yup, my eye had gotten infected with it. I had caught it from my sweet little buddy, Garrison who had it in his ears following his tube surgery (He kept having repeated infections that were finally cultured. He had MRSA for a while before we even knew it, so who knows when I contracted it) The weird part, apparently, is that my white blood count was not up from it. I don't know, but according to the Drs it usually is. I am just a little enigma wrapped in a riddle, now aren't I?

After 5 days on IV antibiotics, I was finally able to go home to my boys. Once home, I was quarantined for like two weeks. That was brutal.
All in all, it was a weird fluke. So random and extreme. But then again, that is how I roll....

I never do things half-way...
My Cup ALWAYS Runneth Over...
~Shana~

No use crying over spilled milkshake

Another day of wonderful

I know it is hard to believe, but today was another typical Tait day. Lawson and Garrison both had an appointment with Dr. D. It had been a couple of weeks since we had seen her, so I was starting to have withdrawals  J The last time we saw her was by chance at Publix last Tuesday before my last doctor’s appointment. We even got to meet one of her daughters. Of course, Lawson ran up to her and saw her before I even did. What can I say, they are tight. Today was just a check up to check Garrison’s ears and Lawson’s allergies. I can proudly say they are both well!! I don’t know if we have ever gotten that response before. I would have to say that usually at least one of them leaves there with a prescription. Not today, though. Today was a great visit. Thank the Lord!

Dr. D is wonderful with the boys. She is super patient with Lawson and always lets him play with the stethoscope and listen to his own heart and baby brother’s and also lets him play with the otoscope. He is particularly fond of the light on it. I really hope all of this early medical experience may stick with him and maybe he will be a doctor. I can hope, right?!  Lawson is so chatty with her, too. Of course, that child rarely goes a minute without talking so that is no surprise. Before we left Dr. D challenged us to make it through the whole summer without getting sick. I am determined to do it, too!

After the appointment we went to Kinnucan’s to look for some Sperry flip flops for Father’s Day. I went to the back of the car to get out my umbrella stroller and…NO STROLLER. Uh oh. I forgot to put it back in after our trip last weekend. Woops! So, I tote Garrison, the diaper bag, and hold Lawson’s hand and in we go. Of course, as soon as we are in the door Lawson sees toys and takes off and GW is bucking like a horse to get down, too. Off they go with me running after. We finally do a quick look through the shoes, no Sperrys in Daddy’s size but both boys have found a toy they want, of course. Being the  pushover that I am, I proceed to pay for them. Two super-high bouncing balls. I can’t even remember the actual name of them, but I have to admit, they are pretty cool. They say they will bounce up to 75 feet. While I am trying to pay, Lawson finds a drink cooler and gets a Sprite and a water out. We add that to the pile. Then he keeps opening and closing the door, meanwhile Garr is running all around the store. I keep having to chase him down and bring him back over, getting on to Lawson “if you open that cooler one more time…” then finish trying to write out my check. I hand the drinks to the boys and try to finish up paying. Oh, the cashier needs to see my license. Seriously? Don’t you just want to let me go? So, I fish that out. All of a sudden crash, splash, scream. Garrison has dropped the new bottle of water and it busted spraying all over the floor and all over Lawson. Lawson hates to be wet! I don’t blame him, I am the same way, but man he freaks out. Lawson is screaming “Garrison! I don’t wanna be wet!! I don’t waaaannnnaaaa beeee wettttt!”Garrison jumps in the rather large puddle and starts playing in it, the man in line behind me starts laughing, the cashier is standing there with her mouth open, and  I quickly snatch up what is left of the bottle of water while telling Lawson it’s ok and grabbing Garrison out of the puddle. I then look at the cashier and simply say “Sorry.” I high-tailed it out of there after that. The man in line behind me looked at me before we left, as I am dragging Lawson by the hand while he’s still crying and toting Garrison around the waist, and told me to have an interesting rest of the day. Don’t worry, guy….I did.

You would think I might have given up after that, right? Maybe said, oh well, let’s go home. But I am a glutton for punishment. No, I just like to think that I have lots of patience or maybe I am crazy, the jury is still out on that one.  We went on down to Dillard’s looking for shoes. While making my way down there, I am cursing myself for forgetting to put the stroller back in the suburban.

Ah, Dillard’s. I think that every employee in the shoes and makeup department there today regretted helping me. I bet next time they might just run the other way. It was like The Perfect Storm. Everything came together just right to make it a really bad shopping experience for me and the boys. Both boys were overly tired, Garrison had no stroller to ride in (be strapped in), Lawson was bored and hungry, and I really needed to get some new makeup from Clinique. Oy! First stop, children’s shoes. I bought Garrison some of the cutest little Sperrys. The boys did OK at this stop, Garrison pulled down a few pairs of shoes and Lawson LICKED the mirror a couple of times, EW, but other than that, it was OK. Next stop, makeup. Poor, poor Clinique girls, they had no idea what was headed their way. While I was trying to pay, Lawson finds a chart on the chair and starts asking one of the girls 101 questions about it. She kept replying, “It tells you what makeup to buy” then he would ask “Ma’am, but what does this say?” and she would repeat it and then he would point to something else and the cycle would continue. Meanwhile, Garrison, who is standing right beside me, found the stash of cotton balls that are out and starts to throw them everywhere. I am attempting to write another check while all of this is going on. Next time, maybe I should just use cash…I pick up all of the cotton balls and off to the men’s shoes we go. This is where it gets really crazy. Lawson announces that he has to potty, NOW! So we take off as quickly as possible to the upstairs bathroom. Why do these places not have multiple bathrooms all over the store!? As a side note, why do they not have carts or buggies or little car stroller things or something, either?!  Come on Dillards, people with kids shop here, too. I digress…So we make it to the bathroom and Lawson tee tees. I realize I really kind of need to tee tee, too. Dang Starbucks, again. For the most part I have my bladder trained, no stops while out shopping, it just requires too much time and energy, but Starbucks won out again. So, I put Garrison down, put a potty protector over the seat, and attempt to somewhat hover while trying to keep GW from touching ANYTHING and Lawson from opening the stall door before I am done.  Needless to say, hovering while trying to hold a toddler between your outstretched legs and threatening to beat your 3 year old is not super successful.

Back to the men’s shoes….Lawson has met his limit. He is done shopping. He continues to run amuck all over the shoe department. Lawson tries to run in one direction while Garrison tries to run in the other. I find the shoes I am looking for and start to pay. DANG CHECKS! I cannot hold GW while writing a check, so I put him down and try to keep him from running all over. Lawson is trying his best to run all over the place while I threaten him by counting to 3. I have no idea who has replaced my sweet, well mannered boy and who this is in front of me. He refuses to listen and actually runs away from me and says, “You can’t catch me!”. OMG! I very calmly grab up Garrison, throw him on my hip, and walk over to Lawson who takes of running. I catch him and whisper in his ear …”You just earned two spankings when we get to the car. Would you like to make it three, son?” and drag him back to finish paying. The shoe guy looked at Lawson and says “Son, I sure hope you make it through what you got coming. You better start behaving.” Hahaha. I think he felt bad for me. Of course, all the way out to the parking lot Lawson is crying and wailing “But I don’t want a spankin’!!”, which makes me look like an abusive Mother.  Somebody call Child Services…

  Now, I try my very, very best not to spank. I really do. I really, really don’t like to yell or spank him in front of anyone, either. If I do spank, I take him to the bathroom or another room or something.  I like timeout and taking away privileges and talking it out. However, sometimes it comes down to it and I will do it if necessary. This was one of those times. It’s a good thing that we had a little walk to the car because I was about to lose my cool. It gave me a chance to calm down.  It truly surprises me when Lawson acts this way because it so rarely happens and when the three chances and counting to three doesn’t work, I am usually blown away. It so rarely backfires.  Yes, I did spank him when we got to the car. He cried for all of a minute. I don’t think it really even hurt. We then talked about the way he acted and why it was wrong and how he is supposed to act. I hope it sank in.

After that we went to Target, then Chick Fil A then headed home. Lawson ate and was asleep before we even made it to the airport. Lawson fell asleep with his milk shake in his hand and sneaky little Garrison seized the opportunity to snatch it. I looked in the rear view mirror and Garrison is happily drinking Lawson’s milk shake out of the straw. I sighed, Ok, he is doing well. No mess yet. Then, he decided to turn it up and the darn thing has a round hole in the top.  Vanilla milk shake dumps all over Garrison’s face, body, car seat, and my car seat. I just laughed and pulled over and cleaned him up the best I could. My car should smell really great tomorrow. A nice mix of spoiled milk and fried food. Let's be honest, not like it hasn't smelled worse than that before.When we got home Chuck took one look at Garrison with his matted, sticking up hair, stained sticky polo, and sticky face and hands and asked “What happened to Garrison?” 

While on the way home, I had my IPod on shuffle. Darius Rucker ,”It Won’t Be Like This For Long” came on. It gets me every.single.time! I reflected over the day, looked at both of my sleeping boys in the rear view mirror, Lawson with his baseball cap on backwards and Garrison with his sticky, matted vanilla milkshake hair, and cried a little. As fast-paced and stressful as the day was, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. Even the “bad” parts. I love every minute of every day I am blessed to spend with my darling boys. Do they make me crazy? Absolutely. Did I want to snatch a knot in one or both of them at some point today? You bet. Do I wonder why in the world I attempt to shop with them both in tow? All the time. But do I do it again? Every time. But I can honestly say I love every minute of it. I truly do. But do I love a little break now and then? Yes, yes I do J

My Cup Runneth Over

~Shana~