Observations of an Overwhelmed Mother of 3

Hospital: Day 4 Above, Day 1 Below
My 5 Year Old Rachael

There must be something crazy about this time of year. Ever since 2003, when my daughter was born 10 days late and I officially became a mom, something big (ie. stressful, sad, or difficult) has happened between the end of March and the end of April, which among other things, leaves me scrambling to pull of a birthday celebration for Rachael (who, by the way, has her birthday parties planned out for the next 3 years). Before you think I'm being ridiculous, let me demonstrate this pattern for you...

2004

At the end of March, I dedicated my life to planning my baby's 1st birthday. It was exciting to me to share this milestone with family and friends. About a week before the party, there was some serious conflict within my extended family that hurt deeply, and I won't go into detail about all of that. The night before the party, the Casady adults went to see the Buddy Holly Musical together. It was fun, until my sister-in-law got in a car accident...fortunately she was okay, but it was pretty scary, and after many hours in the ER we didn't get home until 6am. That 1st birthday party was quite a blur, but luckily my brother Landon got most of it recorded on DVD.

2005

This was probably the least "eventful," but I opted not to do a birthday party for Rachael this year (other than cake at Grandma & Grandpa Casady's) for the following reasons-

1. I was pregnant with Spencer

2. We had just bought our house and were still getting settled

3. We were going to Cedar City for Easter

4. She was 2yrs old and I knew I could get away with not doing anything big.

2006

The year of the infamous Princess Party with Snow White Cake. I had to do a party this year because I was no longer pregnant, and it was the ultimate potty training incentive. And it worked. I was so proud that Rachael wore her princess panties to that party. I was also very stressed out. My grandmother was dying of cancer. We had spent the first months of the year frequently visiting her in Cedar City with my other siblings (who don't have children). Grandma had endless patience with her dogs, but not so much for my emotional 2 year old daughter. It was hard because I wanted my Grandma's last moments with me to be peaceful and be assured that she was proud of me and my family. At least she always approved of my tall, handsome, blue-eyed husband :) Grandma passed away shortly after Rachael's 3rd birthday. We did have some good opportunities to spend time with her and feel of her love for us and how we would miss her.

2007

Pregnant again. Two weeks before I found out I was expecting Lucas, I was called by the Bishop to be the Road Show Specialist. I had a few weeks to write it and a month (April) to put it all together. In the meantime, Rachael had another birthday. She was planning a Belle birthday from the minute her Snow White princess party ended. On the plus side, I was able to reuse decorations and my mom had previously bought her the Belle barbie doll for her cake. Shortly after Rachael turned 4, we received a phone call from my Grandma Amonette. Grandpa was in the hospital and not expected to make it through the night. We made it to the funeral and enjoyed the time with family, however, the mood was somber. We missed Grandpa and all of his great expressions and stories he tells over and over.

2008

This has been the worst cold and flu season. My somewhat healthy children have had continuous bouts of coughing and yucky noses. Since I have a 4 month old, I am particularly stressed out by not being able to keep everyone perfectly healthy. Sure enough, at the end of March (The Cursed Time of Year) Luke came down with a cough. I took him to the pediatrician, hoping that I wouldn't look like a neurotic hypochondriac young mother, but he was wheezing pretty badly at night and I was worried. To my shock, the doctor told me to take him to the ER. From there, he was admitted and the hospital visit lasted 5 days. I stayed with him all but a few hours to shower and see my other 2 children. It was probably more traumatic for me than for my baby. He loved all the attention, the oxygen tubing to play with, the nurses and technicians to flirt with, and Mom's quick response to his every whim. My family knows how much I love the hospital, but we got through it, and it wasn't terrible after all. We knew that Luke was getting the care that he needed and that he was going to be okay. I loved spending all that time with him and not having to cook/clean. He was on oxygen and received breathing treatments every 4 hours until he could keep his oxygenation levels up high enough while in a deep sleep. We came home last Sunday afternoon, and while still trying to get back to normal, I had to frantically put together Rachael's 5th birthday party with a Dora the Explorer theme. I knew I couldn't get out of it, because she knows how to read our family calendar now, and she was counting down the days. I'm glad it's over, and I don't even believe in really elaborate kids' parties.

This last week has caused me to finally admit to myself that I am overwhelmed by having 3 kids and a house to take care of. I have to keep reminding myself that things will change as the baby gets older...and I might shock myself when, 14 months from now, I inform Mike that it might be time to have another one. Although by then I may officially be out of my mind.



So, I rest my case. It's safe to say I won't be planning any exotic vacations between the end of March and the end of April, just in case something tragic should happen.