Foster 4.0

Aquired Wisdom

I must start out by thanking all of you that came to our "WEDDED DAY OF BLISS."  Trav and I had so much fun at our wedding and were so happy to see everyone that came.  I had a really struggled getting all of my thank you cards out and although I believe in time I did get everything out that I had recorded it took me months/years.  NO EXCUSE.  I today feel really sorry that I didn't show my gratitude in a more timely manner.

The same goes with the birth of little Audrey girl. I honestly have great intentions, but it's almost as if my life in this regard is paved with good intentions.  I, in most cases, could tell you what it was you got her or us, or if you came to visit at the hospital or at our house. At the same time all of you that did those things most likely did not get a thank you note. So here I am repenting of my ways and saying...

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!"

With the birth of this second baby I VOW to change my ways.

 

I was really shown a great example from my Aunt Cindy in these past couple of weeks.  She is mourning the loss of my Uncle and figuring out how to comfort 6 kids as well as get all their finances in order among 8 million other things. While she is dealing with everything she is FINISHED with her thank you cards for all that attended the viewing, funeral, for all that sent flowers or cards. She is done.  She is amazing and I thank her for her example to me.  Seeing her do this has truly changed my life and perspective.  It was remarkable the number of lives my uncle influenced with his acts of service and love. 

Cindy has that same ability.  She is a strong and spiritual and humble and faithful mother, leader and example. She is a great role model for her children as well as the rest of the family and people in her life.  I love her and thank her for all that she is teaching me by her Christ like example of love and gratitude. 

It would have been easier...

It would have been easier for me to have taken my National Massage Therapy test...Oh, I don't know...maybe in the YEAR that I graduated, but no I just took it on October 4th @ 2:00 PM. I was stressed myself out so much that on Monday I started to get sick with a cold and it just kept on getting worse as the week went on.  It was the worst week to get sick, but reguardless...I PASSED. I am now offically Katie Hanna Foster, LMT Pretty cool. It's kinda like a PhD, Should I just write LMT after my name on everything, Ha, could you imagine?

Things I know after only one

These are things I decided I wish I'd know before becoming a parent. And I've aquired this wisdom after only one child...

1. Preparing for pregnancy- I should have bought a 50 lb. bag of flour and some how strapped it to my waist and carried it around for 9 months.  And at the end of those 9 months trade that bag in for a lighter but not any more appealing 25 lb. bag of sugar,and it needs to be in a garbage bag instead of a tight paper one so it sags south just enough to be the unapealing thing I'd ever seen.  Only then would I have been ready for what child birth does to a womans body...except for my sisters and Brit's (i'm just jealous)

2. I should have gone over to someone's house who was in the midst of them child rearing and inquired about their methods of dicipline, lack of patience, and appalling low tolerance levels and how they got to the point of not even noticing when their kids are running wild in resturants.  Then I, the all knowing wife should have suggested ways for them to improve their childrens sleeping habits, potty training methods and table manners. And known that that would have been the last time I would have had all of the answers. 

3. I never knew the length I would have gone to get a baby to go to sleep.  You know, right after that sweetest baby falls asleep in your arms and you walk so softly to their crib and gently lay them down, and  just as soon as you do that,  their eye lids shoot open and cry to be held again.  But since this is the 17th time you've done this dance in a  24 hour period you decide to pat her back until those sleepy eyes shut again.   But as soon as you stop patting the eyes shoot open again so you have to make it seem like you are still there even when you are not, so you stop patting and just rest your hand on her back and once she's looked at you to reassure her self that you are still there you find a pillow or a stuffed animal to place on them where your hand had once been and then procede to crawl on the ground ever so quietly, so even if she opens her eyes again she won't see you walking out the door.

4. Then I would have needed to smear oatmeal on the light switch near her high chair and let it harden never to be washed off again and hide a sippy cup of milk behind the entertainment center and leave it there all summer.  Or forget to put a poopy diaper in the oudside garbage and wonder where that smell is coming from. 

5. We would have started setting the alarm for in the morning before 6:30 AM so we could squeeze in a bit of nookie, and not have been spoiled into thinking that we could just act on impulses. Forget about any time in the night because we are both so exausted from pretty much passing the baton between working and "child rearing"

And that's basically all of the wisdom I have aquired up to this point in time...and we only have one.