Smorgasbord

I'm all over the place tonight.....some serious, a little questionable, a whole lot productive and everything with a tinge of the neurotic.

BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Craig had a ton of basketball in the past four days.  The 8th grade basketball tournament started on Thursday night with a win for his team and then continued into Friday night with a devastating loss but I couldn't have been prouder of the way my husband composed himself in the face of two very ridiculous refs.  

Let me give you a little backstory on Craig and his coaching career - his father was very involved in the conception and evolution of girls select basketball in Texas up until his death in 2002 and that's when Craig took over and continued the family business.  So Craig not only grew up as a coaches son and an athlete himself, but he also began coaching select girls basketball when he was still in high school.  If you're doing the math......Craig is now 37 which means that he has been actively coaching girls basketball for twenty years.  In most things in his life, he is very humble and self-deprecating..........but when it comes to coaching, his knowledge of the game, the rules and how to inspire and instruct girls - he is confident about his skills, almost bordering on cocky.  

Friday night he had two refs that were butchering the game and as a result, hindering the ability of either team to really PLAY their game.  In the past Craig would have blown a gasket and deafened the crowd with his voice and badgering of the official but something in him in the past few years has softened - he has matured and refocused his priorities when it comes to coaching.  His main objective when he is sitting on the sidelines is to look out for the best interest of the twelve girls that are on his roster.  Sometimes protecting them means getting onto the referees to call a fair game and in the past he has done this with passionate theatrics which have left me in the stands trying to hide my head.  

On Friday night he held his ground with the refs in a manner that was quiet, calm but still determined.  There was no yelling.  No flailing of arms.  No beet red face with that vein throbbing in his neck.  Yeah, he still earned that technical and his team came up seven points short in the end but I was a proud wife.  Proud that my honey loves his players like he loves every other woman in his life - he protects them, he is loyal to them and always lets them know how proud he is to be their coach.  

After the game Natalie and I went over to him and I handed Natalie to him while telling him "good game baby" and "I'm so proud of you."  I'm not sure how Natalie knew what was going on but she latched on to her daddy and rested her little head on his shoulder - as if to say "it's alright Daddy, I'm sorry you lost but I still love you."  As she hugged him, I watched the tension, stress and frustration drain from his face.  In that moment, a game was just a game and life was bigger than a pair of bad refs and a technical foul.  In past years Craig would have obsessed all night about those refs, the terrible calls they made, how they ruined the game for his players and what he could have done better to ensure a win for his girls.  But I think Natalie has given him a different perspective - he doesn't want to come home and relive a basketball game.  He wants to come home and be fully present with HER - mentally, physically and emotionally.  She has shown him what is important in life and how to properly prioritize his energy.  When she was born all we talked about was what we were going to teach her and not once did we stop to think about what she would teach US about life.

BOTTLE WEANING

Seeing as how Natalie is rapidly approaching her first birthday, weaning her from the bottle is also imminent. As excited as I am to not wash and sanitize anymore bottles, I am absolutely terrified of the temper tantrums that might erupt when she is given a sippy cup and not a bottle.  

Here is where we're at with her and liquids:

- She LOVES her morning and nighttime bottles as well as a small bottle when going down for a nap.

- We have been giving her half formula-half cows milk bottles for about a week and she hasn't had any negative reactions (allergic or attitude) to the new taste.

- She will drink water or milk from a straw sippy cup when eating meals.

This is what I'm mainly concerned about:  Breaking the habit of nighttime and naptime bottles.  Some days it's already enough of a battle to get her to sleep and I'm afraid that if she doesn't have a bottle it's going to be that much worse.

I will take any and all advice regarding bottle weaning.  

NO TELEVISION THIS WEEK!

I'm revising my previous statement - since I got SO much done this weekend (we have absolutely NO dirty laundry in our house) I've decided that I will just take a five day (Monday through Friday) vacation from television to see if it makes a difference in my energy and productivity level.  Who knows?!  Maybe I'll realize that I can live without the drama of those crazy Housewives!

BIBLE STUDY

I started Bible Study a couple of weeks ago and last week's lesson and discussion BLEW.  MY.  MIND.  I wish that I could delve into what we discussed and maybe I will in the future but right now I'm still processing all the awesomeness that was revealed last week.  

Okay.  Maybe a little bit.  The major thing that I got out of last week's lesson (and I already knew this, but it was nice to see it in writing) is that every trial in our lives is ultimately leading us back to God.  On a good day I am a testament to this, especially in the past year - the PPD did a pretty good number on me but it didn't destroy my faith in God.  It might have robbed me of enjoying the first months of my daughter's life but it has not stolen my faith.  In fact, my faith has strengthened because I am still standing.  My daughter is healthy and flourishing.  My husband and I have a deeper understanding of and respect for each other.  I have been broken and put back together through His grace and mercy.  There were nights I called out desperately for Him to take this from me and heal my soul and my family.  I had to learn to stop fighting everything by myself and instead take His hand (and Craig's as well) in order to pull myself out of the hole that PPD created.  On a bad day......well, I say a lot of prayers asking for patience, wisdom, strength and a good night's sleep.

I told you I would be all over the place.  Craig and I have a pretty quiet week up ahead which is something we're both looking forward to - we've been on the go since August when volleyball season started which lead into basketball and cross country.  Now we have a bit of a breather until track season kicks off next week with the first track meet.  We always look forward to track season because it's a little bit more low maintenance as far as coaching is concerned - all you can do is tell the kids beforehand is "run fast, turn left" and "good job" with a pat on the back when they cross the finish line.  Track season also means that summer vacation is quickly approaching!  My how summer will be different this year with a toddler to run after instead of a sweet little baby to rock!