Sarah Rise Weekly Updates

I’ve been struggling a bit lately with my parenting. I’ve had these times before and they are no fun. I hate feeling like everyone would be better off if I just hired a sitter to take my place. I feel like every time I say something it is either ignored or the opposite is willfully… Read more »

This week has had some profoundly wonderful moments and some extraordinarily horrible moments. The headaches have been the horrible ones. Thursday night was one of the worst nights of my life. It was not only the intense pain. It was that after 1 1/2 hours of intense pain I felt adrift in panic and despair,… Read more »

I marvel at where we are sometimes. I marvel as I watch Sarah listen to her piano teacher, watching what K. does, and doing her best to do the same. I marvel as I watch Sarah play with Amy, engaging ever more in what might be labelled normal play. I marvel, not because these moments… Read more »

Sarah brought down the house. At her piano lesson on Monday the song they were practicing involved saying different names after saying who you were talking about, such as “say my mother’s name… Jenny.” Amy had her turn first and when she had the line about her father’s name she, of course, said, “Carl.” When… Read more »

The second piano lesson for the girls went beautifully. Each girl had about twenty minutes individually and then they shared an activity at the end. I seriously cannot imagine a more perfect teacher for beginning piano students. The girls practiced what they had done once but haven’t wanted to since then and I am hesitant… Read more »

The girls had their first piano lesson on Monday. It went well and I also think it is good to have them sharing the lesson time. Amy gets anxious about doing things right the first time (I have no idea where she gets that) and Sarah doesn’t seem to mind at all if she doesn’t… Read more »

Sarah did a lot of floating by herself in her swim lesson! She is now officially a Minnow! Amy has been a minnow for a while but they were letting her stay in Sarah’s Starfish class time because that was so much easier for us. Now we have to move to a different time slot… Read more »

While talking to my mom I realized that there are many areas of life that used to be challenging that are now easy. School mornings, getting out of the house to get Amy from school, and bedtime. I don’t even remember when some of these things were hard except that I know a year ago… Read more »

I’ve had some moments, mostly Friday afternoon and evening, where I felt embarrassed and disappointed about my parenting. I yell. I grump. I speak with judgement, disappointment, disdain, and impatience in my voice. I wish I didn’t. I’m not proud of that part of me. I resolve many times that I won’t do any of… Read more »

When I got home from my trip (which was wonderful), I soaked up love and welcome. Sarah was clearly pleased to see me when I met her bus and Amy leapt into my arms while telling me how much she missed me and loved me. I’ve been really focusing more on noticing the love in… Read more »