Hey all, I'm coming to you this morning with a request for your support for a sweet little man. Aydan is fighting hard in his third battle with cancer and he needs our help. Here's the plan: we're asking that everyone who reads this send a Lego piece to Aydan to show how all of our thoughts, prayers and support can come together to make something huge for this very special little boy. Below is the information posted by his family on his Facebook page; at the end you'll find a mailing address for the Lego pieces.
... Aydan Nyberg is an amazing little boy. His bright smile is contagious. His spirit is inspiring. Above all, his courage through his battles has been incredible. In the words of Aydan, "it's worth it." At the young age of eight, he has been faced with cancer three times. He is a true superhero against cancer.
At the age of three, Aydan fought and won over a rare, childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. He was in remission for three years. At the age of seven, he was diagnosed with a new cancer, AML Leukemia. With intense chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant with his younger sister, Mikaela Rose, he fought his second battle. At the age of eight, Aydan has received the devastating news that his Leukemia has relapsed. He will be entered into a medical trial program for another high-risk bone marrow transplant at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Tennessee.
Even though Aydan is a superhero against cancer, he needs your support more than ever to help him and his family through the next part of his battle...his journey to St. Jude's. They will need to relocate to Tennessee for six months, with additional monthly follow-up visits, as part of this medical trial. The proceeds raised from the efforts of Aydan's Army will help cover medical expenses, not paid for by insurance and uncovered travel expenses, as well as, loss of income and other expenses for Aydan's care.
Aydan's Army is proud to have you as a part of the team. Most of all, Aydan is thankful for your support. Aydan is a resident of Cumberland, RI.
AydansArmy.org
Aydan's Army
PO BOX 542,
North Attleboro, MA 02761
My momma heart aches for this child and his family; I'm asking that you read this; share to your Facebook feed; email the link to your friends and family - near and far; and keep Aydan in your thoughts and prayers. This is a departure from my normal blog fare but I happen to have some of the best readers on the planet and I know your hearts are as big as mine. Probably bigger, because we know mine is a little bit black.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Honey Boo Boo, But Nicer
My third child is crazy. He's an absolute animal who never stops moving, not for a moment. As a two-year-old, he has more energy than the other three of us in the household, combined, and he never fails to keep us all laughing. And screaming. But really, lots of laughing. I wish I had the time and energy to blog more of the hilarity that comes from life with my children but alas, little snippets will have to do.
My sister and niece stopped over for a bit this afternoon and The Baby was in rare form; he had put on a pair of his big sister's underwear and was demonstrating the yoga ABC's they've been working on. Because that alone isn't enough of a sight, while in the midst of "D: Down Diggity Dog" he starts singing/shouting "I'm shakin' my booty, I'm shakin' my BOOTY, SHAKIN' MY BOOTY, SEE?!" I couldn't tell you where the phrase comes from, nor where he picked up the sassy, southern accent, but it makes for some prime entertainment.
My quiet, unassuming niece rolls her eyes and says, "He's like Honey Boo Boo, only much nicer."
My sister and niece stopped over for a bit this afternoon and The Baby was in rare form; he had put on a pair of his big sister's underwear and was demonstrating the yoga ABC's they've been working on. Because that alone isn't enough of a sight, while in the midst of "D: Down Diggity Dog" he starts singing/shouting "I'm shakin' my booty, I'm shakin' my BOOTY, SHAKIN' MY BOOTY, SEE?!" I couldn't tell you where the phrase comes from, nor where he picked up the sassy, southern accent, but it makes for some prime entertainment.
My quiet, unassuming niece rolls her eyes and says, "He's like Honey Boo Boo, only much nicer."
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Lessons On Nudity. And Humility.
I've never been quite sure when to pull the plug on my kids seeing me naked. I mean, I grew up seeing both of my parents in the nude on a pretty regular basis. Not because we were a super liberal, free-to-be-me kind of family, more because I had zero respect for their privacy when in the bathroom. Being a parent myself now, it's nice to know that I'm not the only kid who was a total asshole to my parents; I'm raising three of them to follow quite handily in my footsteps.
I want to raise these people with a healthy respect for their bodies and without shame but I don't know how to maintain an openness on the subject while also instilling good boundaries about privacy and respect for others. Being a tricky topic, I've pushed it out of my mind and thought I'd wait until they were older to set up a plan. After several recent post-shower interactions with my kids, now is clearly the time.
My bathroom set-up is horrible. Think, hotel: shower and toilet in one room with a door (that locks, thank God) and then a sink/vanity and linen closet outside of the lockable area. My oldest sister - who has four older children - thinks my bathroom rocks; I, on the other hand, do not enjoy readying myself for the day with three children joining me in an area that is literally 15 square feet. Most mornings consist of me jumping out of the shower and racing through my "pretty" routine as fast as possible to keep to a minimum the number of times that I have to scream "GET OUT OF THIS BATHROOM BEFORE I LOSE MY COTTON-PICKING MIND."
No sooner have I shoved them all out of my way, when one will wander back in to stand directly between me and the sink, clawing at whatever body part said child can reach while crying/giggling/begging to be held. My youngest is two and finds delight in pinching my generous post-pregnancy-extra-skin pooch that lies just below my belly button. Endless entertainment for that one, and a giant dose of humility for me. No one ever said parenting was good for the ego, did they?
Last week while toweling off in front of my 3 1/2 year-old daughter I noticed her regarding me with a curled lip, head cocked to the side and a certain disgusted curiosity pouring from her big, blue eyes. After a few moments she shakes her head and says, "You sure do got a hairy bottom, momma." She walks away, turning back to offer me a sweeping glance full of pity, embarrassed on my behalf. Though speechless, I'm sure nothing I had to say would have convinced her I wasn't some mutant creature.
Two days later my 5 year-old son walks into my bedroom while I'm bent over, fishing some clean clothes out of the unfolded mass in the laundry basket. Gathering my things, I set them on the bed and feel his finger poking into my butt cheek and thighs. As I turn around to tell him to keep his hands to himself he says, "Why do you have all those dents in your butt, mom? Do they hurt? Look, they're as big as my finger!"
With that, I found that the Naked Dilemma had solved itself; turns out that whole nudity question has much less to do with the age of your children than your ability to take the heaping insults about your deformed, hairy, dented, fleshy body.
I want to raise these people with a healthy respect for their bodies and without shame but I don't know how to maintain an openness on the subject while also instilling good boundaries about privacy and respect for others. Being a tricky topic, I've pushed it out of my mind and thought I'd wait until they were older to set up a plan. After several recent post-shower interactions with my kids, now is clearly the time.
My bathroom set-up is horrible. Think, hotel: shower and toilet in one room with a door (that locks, thank God) and then a sink/vanity and linen closet outside of the lockable area. My oldest sister - who has four older children - thinks my bathroom rocks; I, on the other hand, do not enjoy readying myself for the day with three children joining me in an area that is literally 15 square feet. Most mornings consist of me jumping out of the shower and racing through my "pretty" routine as fast as possible to keep to a minimum the number of times that I have to scream "GET OUT OF THIS BATHROOM BEFORE I LOSE MY COTTON-PICKING MIND."
No sooner have I shoved them all out of my way, when one will wander back in to stand directly between me and the sink, clawing at whatever body part said child can reach while crying/giggling/begging to be held. My youngest is two and finds delight in pinching my generous post-pregnancy-extra-skin pooch that lies just below my belly button. Endless entertainment for that one, and a giant dose of humility for me. No one ever said parenting was good for the ego, did they?
Last week while toweling off in front of my 3 1/2 year-old daughter I noticed her regarding me with a curled lip, head cocked to the side and a certain disgusted curiosity pouring from her big, blue eyes. After a few moments she shakes her head and says, "You sure do got a hairy bottom, momma." She walks away, turning back to offer me a sweeping glance full of pity, embarrassed on my behalf. Though speechless, I'm sure nothing I had to say would have convinced her I wasn't some mutant creature.
Two days later my 5 year-old son walks into my bedroom while I'm bent over, fishing some clean clothes out of the unfolded mass in the laundry basket. Gathering my things, I set them on the bed and feel his finger poking into my butt cheek and thighs. As I turn around to tell him to keep his hands to himself he says, "Why do you have all those dents in your butt, mom? Do they hurt? Look, they're as big as my finger!"
With that, I found that the Naked Dilemma had solved itself; turns out that whole nudity question has much less to do with the age of your children than your ability to take the heaping insults about your deformed, hairy, dented, fleshy body.
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