Encouragement

Warrick fell in a heap at the foot of the door.  His tears flowed and he grimaced. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I asked him, kneeling beside him. “I’m missing all the fun,” he responded between deep breaths. It was a Thursday afternoon, and my husband was washing his truck. My son, Warrick, was watching cartoons when my husband invited him outside with him to help with one of his favorite chores. Warrick was exhausted from his school day and did not hear the invite. A few minutes later my husband and our toddler, Xavier, were outside frolicking in the water and washing his truck.  It was at this moment that Warrick saw the fun outside that he was missing. I put...

Last week, as we joyfully celebrated my son's first birthday we also celebrated another milestone: another trip to the pediatrician's office. I'm really starting to feel like I should have a VIP parking spot or some kind of frequent visitor punch card.  For more than half of my sweet baby's life, he has battled a multitude of illnesses.  All of which my pediatrician says are normal for an infant in daycare and experiencing his first cold and flu season (not what any mom wants to hear).  I'm just not really sure how much more my heart can take watching my son in misery with yet another illness.  My husband and I are exhausted from sleepless nights, weary from rocking him...

When I tell people that our son is on medication for his ADD/ADHD, I usually get some kick-back. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need others' approval. I do want the people who inquire about it to know that our 7-year-old is on medication because we thought about it…a lot. We weighed the pros and cons. A lot of research and praying on our parts went into him taking his first dose. We had to put away our judgement of medication and do what was best. Our son started showing signs of ADHD around 4 years of age. He was a very calm baby and BOOM…he turned 4 and never sat still. When he started kindergarten, his inability to focus...

With two young babies, I'm still fairly new to this mom thing. But for years even before I got pregnant, I loved listening to stories and experiences from my friends with babies. I had an idea about what kind of delivery I wanted and how I would raise my kids; but there was so much more than that. So many options. I didn't know about all the methods of delivery, decisions on certain things made immediately after birth, feeding and diapering options, different sleeping arrangements, and the list goes on. It's easy to be overwhelmed. Here are a few things I've learned so far from some great moms throughout this journey called motherhood. 1. There's always someone who won't agree with you. It might...

I had my first panic attack at nine years of age. I awoke from a weird dream one morning that left me feeling unsettled. As I began to get dressed for the day I started to feel my heart racing. My skin began heating up, and my mind started jumping from thought to thought like an erratic bunny. In a panic I ran to my mother’s lap, legitimately afraid that I was on the verge of losing my mind. But, too embarrassed and unsure of how to explain what I was feeling, I simply told her I had a nightmare and cried there in her embrace until my body and mind eventually settled. This was the beginning of my life...