Left, right, left… repeat

Hello! It’s been a while huh? Since I last posted things have been busy but generally steady, and we have just been putting one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left, repeat. And somehow, we have arrived at a mark roughly eight months from the birth of our wonderful Remy.

Such a little spunk! Rem’s eyes seem to be determinedly green now, his hair an ashy blonde, and he is such a splendid, healthy kid. He is starting to know exactly what he likes and dislikes, and at the moment he particularly loves to be sung to. (His Dad will cure him of that, I suspect). Rem is babbling like a brook, enjoys standing up with our assistance, and is truly a happy dude despite all his trials. We are still doing the dreaded dilatations, but tomorrow we will see his surgeon again and get a date in March for his next, and hopefully last, operation. This one will be to reverse his colostomy, and lose the dreaded ‘curry-bag’ for good!

Otherwise, daily life for us is, to put it mildly, messy. Between the two boys I am struggling to keep my head above water some days. Remy has got teeth vying for position in his gums, and has been uncharacteristically grumpy for the past few weeks. Yves, well, that kid is like a tornado in a t-shirt. I recently saw a meme likening life with a toddler to using a blender on high-speed – with the lid off. If you imagine that blender filled with lego, yoghurt, dog hair, popcorn, and plenty of rambunctious 22-month-old attitude, then you have got an inkling of what my floors look like.

Getting a balance of cleanliness/sanity/frivolity/woo-saa calm around here is a real challenge. I know that at the end of the day, it is only how much fun and freedom you have with your kids that really matters, and tedious tasks of tidying, mopping, or self-cleansing shouldn’t take priority over fort-building, drum-bashing, or wiggle-dancing…but when you are forced to answer the door in yesterday’s clothes, with your child’s breakfast in your hair, a pimple the size of a cherry on your forehead, and a manky bib stuck to your butt, it’s probably time to admit that you are letting things slide.

Speaking of things sliding…I have never been skinny, nor have I thought of myself as a ‘big gal’, but somehow I have garnered a waist measurement that would make Honey Boo Boo’s mother blush. Besides pure vanity, I really have to address this as a health issue. It is a sobering thought that Remy in particular will need me around for as long as possible, so dropping off the planet at 55 years old via heart disease or diabetes is really not in my forward-planning. Thus, I have been hitting the gym a few times a week, watching how I eat, and making a consistent effort to get back to a healthier state. It is slowly working, and while I might not be busting out a macrame dress any time this summer, at least I might be daring enough to do it for Yves’ 21st. Payback’s a bitch son 😉

P.S. Did you pick up the bit about the dog hair?! Some of you might know that I have been pining for a dog ever since my beloved Tobi died, just before Rem’s birth. Well, I am so happy to say that we now have a super-sweet chap in our lives. Meet the beautiful Buddy…

I found Buddy online at the Echuca Lost Dog’s Home website, and drove a 5-hour solo mission to meet him. He is only 15 months old, just a pup really, but has very good house manners and is so chilled-out with the kids. I really believe the right dog has found us. I love his amber dragon eyes, the way he sits and waits for a cuddle before eating his dinner, and especially the way he ‘hoovers’ under the highchair 🙂

Let’s hope he survives everything Yves throws at him, (I mean that literally) and has a great time growing up with our boys.

Posted by leecylou in Dogs, Down Syndrome, Family