After all, isn't it the season of drinking...?
Thanksgiving has officially ended which means we are in preparation for the final holidays of the year. December is a busy month, filled with shopping and sales, wrapping gifts, planning family gathering and parties, cooking and baking, holiday movies, and of course, lots of drinking. I know that I will be spending a lot of December watching the ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas,
The "Angry Elf Cocktail" is the perfect addition
"He's a mean one, Mr. Grinch" is definitely referring to this vibrant green
This is a response to 6 TV Characters' Style To Steal This Season
Amidst all the drama constantly ensuing their lives, both leading ladies ruled the upper east side in their share of iconic outfits. Over the course of six seasons, who was truly the fairest in Manhattan?
Whether running a fashion empire or running off to class, Blair’s style was classic, feminine, and always included a stunning skirt and/or headband.
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Meanwhile, reflecting her carefree and fun personality, Serena opted for a more modern, out-there look. She often bent the rules in fashion and life, but never failed to appear effortlessly flawless.
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Check and Blair’s heartbreaking exchange in season 4 was arguably one of the greatest “Gossip Girl” scenes, featuring Blair in a gorgeous red gown that was MADE for her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_P9phov-yw
Serena’s return in the very beginning was the original and most iconic story line of the series, and while her debut ensemble may not have been the most eye-catching; her gold sequin top later in the episode certainly was.
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These two made their school uniform outfits look fresh off the runway.
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Not to mention Serena’s bold choice of wearing her graduation tassel as a hair accessory.
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When you’re living in New York, freezing winters are a given. Of course, B and S did not disappoint one bit with their cozy and cute statements.
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Last but not least, who could forget the glamorous summer they spent in Paris?
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Whether you’re Team Blair or Team Serena, there’s no question that both will go down in fashion history.
Regardless of whether you're new to the area or just looking to expand your horizons, there are some great reasons to consider moving to Florida.
With a warm climate, beaches, and affordable living costs, it's an ideal place to relocate.
Whether you're looking for a vacation destination or a place to live full-time, Florida is a great place for a variety of people. The state has many beautiful places to live, including several gay-friendly communities. Here are a few of the most popular places in Florida.
Jacksonville is the largest city in the state and is considered a conservative, socially conservative city. It is the home of the Florida State University, the oldest women's only university in the United States. It also has a small, but thriving gay scene. The city is known for its gay bars and clubs. In addition, the city is home to the "Gay Villages", a retirement community for LGBT active adults.
Fort Walton Beach is a popular beach destination for LGBT people. The city is home to a nationally accredited LGBTQ Resource Center. It is also home to some of the most LGBTQ-friendly residents in the state. There are a variety of LGBT-friendly neighborhoods in the city, including Victoria Park. It is also home to some of the best shopping and five-star restaurants.
Located on the Florida panhandle, Navarre Beach is a paradise for beach lovers. It has clear blue waters and sugar white sand. There is also a pier to admire the views. The pier costs $1 to walk to the end. There is also a nice selection of restaurants. The area is also dog-friendly, so you can bring along your four-legged friends.
The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is an idyllic setting. It has a gallery of artwork based on the region's natural environment. The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a natural magnet for wildlife. It is a great place to see all kinds of birds, including eagles and seagulls. It is also an excellent place to see dolphins and manatees.
Among the other things to see in Navarre Beach is the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, which displays art based on the area's natural environment. There is also a nice selection of shops and restaurants along the beach. The area is also dog-friendly, and there is plenty of free parking. The area is also home to the Big Cypress National Preserve.
Whether you're in search of theme park thrills or amusement park rides, Florida is the place to be. From the iconic Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando to the lesser-known theme parks found throughout the state, Florida has something for everyone. For the thrill seekers among us, the state is home to the world's largest indoor amusement park, Dezerland. While there are many options to choose from,v you won't want to miss the likes of Splashdown Water Park and Legoland Florida. In the theme park department, the aptly named Pirates' Cove, is an excellent place to relive the past or escape the present.
Despite the fact that Florida is one of the most expensive states to live in, there are still plenty of affordable places to live. It is important to find a place that offers you the best quality of life. If you are looking for a place to live that has low crime, excellent schools, great outdoor recreation and affordable entertainment, Florida is a great option.
If you are looking for a place to settle down in Florida, you should look into Cape Coral. It is a beautiful city with a low crime rate, a variety of restaurants and shopping options, and year-round sunshine. You will find family homes for under $2000 per month in Cape Coral. If you're a homeowner in Florida looking to sell, you're in luck. Homes have been selling at peak market prices, which is a no-brainer as the sunshine state has so much to offer. One of the benefits of living in Palm Beach County is there are many companies that let you sell your house fast for cash in Delray Beach.
Florida is also a good place to live if you are looking for a place that offers you great job opportunities. The job market in Florida is one of the best in the country. Florida also offers an ideal work-life balance.
If you are looking for an affordable place to live, you should consider living in smaller cities or towns outside of the major cities. If you live in a large city, you might find that you spend more money on everything from rent to food. You may also find that you have to spend more on gas and health care.
The days are shorter, darker, and colder let's be real. Here are 15 personal tools to combat the sunless days and make the most out of it.
This is a response to Keeping Active in the Winter.
Ahh the days are here where the sun sets pretty much at 5pm every day. As much as I love the season of winter with the holidays, days off, cute winter clothes and fires, it is hard going through your day to only have the sun set in what feels like the middle of the afternoon. Then, at 8pm, even though it is not that late one could say it feels like midnight and you adamantly think you are going crazy. Do you feel me? In order to make the most of the shorter and darker days, I have come up with a few tools that can make the short days feel a little longer and the darkness feel a little less, dark. Below are all the things I have been doing to keep me sane.
1. Grocery shop and cooking
Once the sun has gone down, it is hard to get the motivation to do anything but have no fear! This is the perfect time to learn a new recipe, meal prep something yummy, or bake a delicious pie that oozes apple cinnamon all over your home. Look up a recipe and see what you need, hit up the grocery store, and make an adventure out of it. If you are not in the baking mood, meal prepping is a great way to have food on hand when in a hurry. Currently, I have been meal prepping in the evening and it has saved me a ton of time and money. I will batch cook meats like ground turkey or ground beef so I can be ready to go for any dish. I will also batch cook potatoes and throw them in with my morning eggs or toss them in with some veggies. There are endless meals you can make, so get creative!
2. Host a game night
I love bringing people together and what better way to do that than with a game night. I recently hosted a casual game night and realized how much fun everyone genuinely had. If you have any games sitting around, bring them out to play! if you don't have any games or ones that are not good for a group, hit up your local game store to buy a few! Have a selection of games to choose from for your guests so people can have options for what they want to play. I also made sure to have bowls of snacks and different drinks to be the hostest with the mostest. Game night was such a hit we are trying to make it a bi-weekly thing now.
3. Trivia
If you need an excuse to get out of the house and test your knowledge, trivia is one of the best ways to do that! Whether you get a group or one other person to go, you will have a blast. Many local eateries have trivia and there is one almost every night of the week. You just might have to do some digging to find which one works for you and your friends schedule. At one point, I was going to trivia every Monday night with friends and we called ourselves "the trivia crew". The more people that learned about our weekly trivia adventure, the more people that wanted to join. It gave me something to look forward to and I always had a great time when I went, even if we were sore losers.
4. Workout
I sometimes struggle with this one but who doesn't? At the end of the day, we get tired and do not feel like hitting up the gym when it is pitch black outside at 5pm. Even when it is hard, I tell myself I will feel better after I workout, and in most cases, I usually do. Make a pumped up playlist and jam to it on the way to the gym. This is what gets me going! Once my playlist is going, I feel warmed up and ready to jump into my workout. Even if it is a quick workout, I still feel happy that I went. With working out, you can set goals and get into a routine to meet those goals. Whether that is getting stronger, running farther, or improving your flexibility, there is always something to achieve. You are strong and can set your mind to anything!
5. Self Care
Give yourself a self care night to relax and reset during the week! For me, I will put on one of my favorite face masks and then paint my nails while the mask dries. I will also have my favorite piano music going in the background and a candle lit to help me de-stress for the ultimate relaxation night. Whatever self care looks like to you, whether that be meditation, taking a bath, painting your nails, doing a face mask, or even doing a restorative yoga session, it is important to treat yourself like the amazing human being you are.
6. Puzzles
Okay I know what you are thinking, a puzzle? LAME! But, let me tell you, a puzzle really sucks you in once you start it. We recently bought a puzzle and spread it across our coffee table and it has become something we look forward to in the evenings instead of reaching for our phones and browsing social media. You will find yourself excited to see it all come together once you start and when you do finish it? The sense of accomplishment is unparalleled.
7. Dance party
If no one is home, or if the person that is home will not harshly judge your dancing skills, get up and have a dance party. When I found myself sitting around and not doing much, I would tell myself "just go put on an upbeat song and start bopping around." Once I was up and moving, I was in full blown dance mode. Dancing releases endorphins and who does not want some of the happy hormone?
8. Coloring books
When COVID hit, I was looking for ways to pass the time. "Bring in adult coloring books to the chat". I have several coloring books and they really do pass the time because once you start one, it is hard to stop. I found them soothing and a way for me to express my artistic ability.
9. Switch up your room
Since we can find ourselves inside more these days, a little switch up can do just the trick to make a room feel new. Rearrange your bed and move it to a new wall, add new decor, go minimalistic and clean up your space, change your sheets to something different, add mood lighting, the options are endless! Personally I will change my sheets, pillows and decor based on the season. Currently? I have snowman sheets, Christmas pillows and a little Christmas decor in my room to ring in the season and I am not complaining.
10. Clean
Sometimes we all need a good winter cleaning. Put some music on and go through your clothes to see what you can toss or donate. I will also use this time to clean out my desk area, bedroom space and bathroom. If there is anything I have learned through the years is that there is always something to clean. I will also go through my bathroom cabinet and toss any expired bath products or items out I don't find myself using! When everything is clean, I feel like my space is fresh and I can actually breathe!
11. Read or Write
There is nothing like picking up a good book and getting lost in the story. Take advantage of the shorter days by reading more and diving into books you may not have picked up before. I usually read fiction books, but right now I am diving into historical novels to broaden my knowledge and learn something new. You never know what genre you might end up liking! If you are not a big reader, get a journal or computer and write! Write about anything. This could be your day, your thoughts, recent events, a fictional story, funny memories, literally anything. If you typed something up, keep a log of your written work on a computer in a folder so you can look back or add to it for the future.
Another cool thing to write about? A blog for you and all things you! Went to a cool restaurant and had the best grilled cheese ever? Discovered a new boutique that sells one of your favorite brands? Hit up a new hiking trail that you don't want to forget? Write it all down in blog format with pictures and fun edits! Then, when you are thinking of the places and things that you love, they are all right there. Remember this all for you and about you, you can craft the blog however you want! Friends will be impressed and you might even influence other people to start their own!
12. Live music
Check your local events page to see if there are free, live music events happening around your town! A lot of restaurants will have writer nights were you can grab dinner and listen to some awesome live music for free. Since I live in Nashville, there is always a live music event happening but you never know what could be brewing around your town!
13. Set up Face-time dates!
A lot of my friends do not live close by and it is hard to stay involved in each-other's lives. A way to combat this and catch up on all the latest from your friends? Set up a weekly Face-time call with a friend in the evening! My friend Jacob lives all the way in Raleigh and it is hard to talk a lot with our busy schedules. Together, we decided to set up a Reminder in our phones to have a weekly catch up call with one another for an hour on Wednesday nights. It has been a great way to stay in touch and make sure we are involved in each-others lives.
14. Have a Teleparty
Want to watch something and chat with friends or a partner that can't be with you? Set up a Teleparty date and watch a move or show together! Teleparty works for Netflix, Youtube, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Prime Video!
15. Take a drive
Sometimes we all need to just get out and drive. When I was in college and needed a break from studying I would jump in my car and drive around back roads listening to my favorite songs. When I got my first job and worked from home, on breaks I would jump in my car and take the long way around to a coffee shop. Now that it is so dark in the evenings, jumping in your car and taking a drive can do just the trick for some free therapy. Drive around, blast some music (at a safe level) and get yourself a treat in the process if you want!
It's almost like if The Office and Buffy The Vampire Slayer had a baby
This is a response to Why Does ‘The Office’ Work?
I consider myself to be both a very big horror fan, as well as a very big comedy fan. Finding the right horror comedy could be a challenge. That was the case until I found the 2014 film, 'What We Do In the Shadows'. I instantly fell in love with the movie because of the craziness and the horror elements. I was even happier to find out that there was a spin-off tv series of the same name.
'What We Do In The Shadows' is a mockumentary in the style of The Office and Parks and Rec. The one thing that sets 'What We Do In The Shadows' from the previously mentioned shows is the fact that it centers around vampires rather than humans. The 'What We Do In The Shadows' tv series follows a group of vampires and their human familiar. The show centers around various antics and situations such as trying to blend in with society, facing the vampire council, and accidentally being sent to animal due to being in bat form
What makes 'What We Do In The Shadows' so fun is that you can enjoy it whether you're a horror lover or a comedy fanatic. You also don't have to be super up-to-date on all the vampire media and lore to understand it or to even like it. Overall, 'What We Do In The Shadows' is a top-tier mockumentary that has to be seen to be believed
Ignoring your own needs is not the way to build healthy relationships.
This is a response to Meeting New People Will Expand Your Knowledge And Experience!
If you're a recovering people pleaser like me, you probably struggle to maintain healthy relationships. People pleasers are notoriously prone to codependency- a condition that severely hampers one's ability to have mutually beneficial relationships. When a people pleaser meets someone they like, we naturally want to, well, please them. But that behavior isn't as generous as it might sound.
The thing about people pleasing is it's inherently selfish. I say that as someone who's struggled with the behavior for years, so I don't mean it as an insult. It's selfish in the dictionary definition sense of the word- being "seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage." Contrary to popular opinion, this kind of selfishness isn't borne of an inflated ego, but a deflated one.
People-pleasers have low self-esteem. That's the reason they try so hard to make others happy- they want to be liked, and they think that their natural personality isn't going to achieve that for them. They feel ashamed of who they are, but still crave close connection. So, they cater to others' every need. They overextend themselves in the name of love, friendship, or family.
Yes, these gestures start from a place of love, but over time the goal of a people-pleaser morphs into self-protection. They want to secure the love and dependency of the objects of their affection by being the only person who can meet their needs. By constantly going above and beyond for their loved one's, the people-pleaser expects appreciation, loyalty, and love in return.
The problem is: love can't be earned. In their efforts to prove themselves worthy of devotion, people-pleasers are often disappointed. They might think they know their loved ones inside and out, and can anticipate their every need and reaction, but at the end of the day, they're playing a game that only they know the rules to. Others don't know that they're expected to return the people-pleaser's service with loyalty and affection. So, naturally, they don't always react the way the people-pleaser wants.
This leads to resentment against the person the people-pleaser is trying so hard to please. They might become disillusioned or quietly sulky. They don't understand why they aren't good enough to earn their loved one's adoration.
The truth is that being "good enough," is neither here nor there when it comes to a healthy relationship. There's no objective measure of goodness that makes someone worthy of having their time and attention reciprocated. Chasing after some ideal of the perfect friend, partner, or child is a pointless pursuit. It's not guaranteed to give you what you want. Most of the time, you'll only wind up exhausted and let down.
My advice to fellow recovering people-pleasers is this: when engaging in relationships, act according to your morals, not what you want others to do for you. If you enjoy being generous to your friends, do it. But don't act generous as a way to get them to like you the best out of all their other friends, or expect equal generosity in return.
It can be an intoxicating fantasy to believe we're able to influence what people think of us- that we can somehow earn the love and loyalty of others through nothing but our own actions. But it's also a dangerous lie that's serving no one- not your loved ones, and especially not you.
Most people of color have no choice but to live near pollution hotspots such as industrial sites, toxic landfills, and military bases.
Environmental racism, which occurs when communities of color are disproportionately exposed to harmful pollutants, is a worldwide phenomenon. What has been fueling environmental racism over the past four decades is poverty, inaccessibility of affordable land or rent, globalization, and lack of power to fight corporations. As a result, most people of color have no choice but to live near pollution hotspots such as truck routes, industrial sites, ports, toxic landfills, and military bases. Massachusetts is no exception when it comes to environmental racism.
With the rise of the suburbs, white people left the highly polluted cities and industrial areas. Meanwhile, highways, industry, and municipal solid waste sites were built in areas inhabited by communities of color that do not have enough resources to oppose their construction. Air pollution inequity has recently been growing in the state. Even though nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter concentrations became lower throughout Massachusetts, toxic exposure remains high among Hispanic and Black communities.
The most prevalent air pollutants impacting the health of communities of color include sulfur dioxide, particle matter, carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. Most stem from combustion, such as car, train, or bus engines, waste combustion, and industrial processes. However, as far as water pollution is concerned, the activity occurring on military bases has significantly contributed to it. Some of the most hazardous agents found in the water disadvantaged communities drink are arsenic, lead, pesticides, nitrates, and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
How Military Bases Have Been Promoting Environmental Racism in Massachusetts
The drinking water at roughly 700 military bases across the U.S. was severely contaminated with PFAS and many other toxic agents. Exposure to PFAS for several months or longer can result in kidney cancer, leukemia, prostate cancer, lymphoma, and bladder cancer. The source of these chemicals on military bases nationwide is firefighters using the fire suppressant AFFF, whose formula was devised in 1966 by the U.S. Navy and the 3M company. This firefighting foam may contain up to 98% PFAS, so it should come as no surprise that it can wreak havoc on the environment. For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been striving to clean up military bases throughout the country of PFAS and other toxic agents.
Massachusetts has three military bases where PFAS and other harmful substances were found lurking in drinking water. To comprehend the extent of this problem, it is very important to acknowledge that the safe exposure limit for PFAS in drinking water is 70 parts per trillion (ppt). Built in 1942, Hanscom Air Force Base is in Bedford, with some areas covering parts of the nearby towns of Lincoln, Concord, and Lexington. The "forever chemicals" level at this military installation was 44,360 ppt in 2018, which exceeded the safe exposure limit by over 630 times. Hanscom Air Force Base was deemed a Superfund site in the 1980s but is still active today, with over 689,000 service members living there.
The EPA discovered more possible sources of contamination at this military base, including the inadequate disposal of waste oils, solvents, paint thinners, and degreasers, toxic landfills, sludge disposal, and petroleum releases. Some of the cleanup activities the agency has performed at Hanscom Air Force Base are the removal of contaminated sediments and landfill debris, construction of a groundwater collection, removal of petroleum-contaminated soils from various hotspot locations, and containment of three landfill areas. Nevertheless, remedy implementation, operational maintenance, and monitoring are ongoing.
Another military base in Massachusetts whose environment, particularly the groundwater, was heavily polluted is Westover Air Reserve Base near the city of Springfield. It was established in 1939, and the greatest PFAS level ever measured at the site was 360,000 ppt, which eclipsed the safe exposure limit by approximately 5,142 times. Westover Air Reserve Base is home to the U.S. Air Force's largest cargo aircraft, and over 2,700 military and civilian workers currently live there. They are at risk of toxic exposure, as PFAS are still present in the drinking water of the military base, though in lower concentrations.
Finally, another military base where PFAS contamination occurred is Naval Air Station South Weymouth, with a level of 256,000 ppt "forever chemicals" measured in 2018. It was founded in 1941 and was also added to the Superfund sites list by the EPA in 1994. Naval Air Station South Weymouth, which is no longer in use, was in South Weymouth. The mission of this military facility was to train Navy service members for the forthcoming World War II. Other hazardous agents were found contaminating the military base, such as polychlorinated biphenyl, arsenic, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and lead.
All these toxic agents can easily find their way into groundwater and the wells of the surrounding neighborhoods, which, in most cases, are comprised of disenfranchised communities. They can also end up in the food supply and soil, which only worsens the extent of exposure among communities of color. PFAS are present in the blood of 97% of Americans, as these substances have become extremely common in the environment, and AFFF is a major culprit. Up to 1.2 million children in the U.S. have dangerous lead concentrations in their blood, a toxic metal that can cause autism, cognitive damage, ADHD, learning disabilities, behavioral abnormalities, and speech impairment.
Camp Lejeune, A Military Base Mirroring the Issue of Toxic Contamination in Massachusetts
Located in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and built in 1942, Camp Lejeune is a military base whose initial mission was to train Marines for the upcoming World War II. It is still operational today. Nevertheless, for almost 35 years, it was a tremendous pollution hotspot, with drinking water containing industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, vinyl chloride, and perchloroethylene. Between 1953 and 1987, roughly one million people training, working, or living at Camp Lejeune were exposed to these chemicals from drinking water. Only in 1982 was the issue of water pollution discovered.
Two of the eight water distribution plants at Camp Lejeune were found to contain solvents in excessive levels. At Hadnot Point, the trichloroethylene level was 1,400 parts per billion (ppb) when the acceptable limit is only 5 ppb. The perchloroethylene level at Tarawa Terrace was 215 ppb when the safe limit is also just 5 ppb. After 1967, PFAS contamination also occurred at Camp Lejeune, with the highest level of "forever chemicals" being 172,000 ppt. ABC One-Hour Cleaners was responsible for releasing industrial solvents, but also the military, as service members would use and dispose of hazardous products improperly after cleaning their weapons.
What Is the Military Doing to Address Environmental Racism?
On September 20, 2022, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. military would shift to fire suppressants without PFAS and no longer use AFFF except for emergency situations such as hydrocarbon fires and aviation accidents. Nonetheless, it will only be in January next year that it will reveal the specifications for PFAS-free alternatives. By October, the new firefighting foams the military buys will have to meet a series of requirements, and by 2024, the Department of Defense must stop all PFAS-containing foam use.
If AFFF use ceases entirely, PFAS will no longer contaminate the environment. Undoubtedly, this is a huge step forward for the military. Both service members and the nearby communities will benefit from a cleaner environment, and their health burden will decrease substantially. While industrial solvents and heavy metals are relatively easy to clean up, not the same applies to PFAS. The complete removal of these substances from military bases by the EPA will take several more decades, so there will still be a slight risk of toxic exposure.
About the Author
Jonathan Sharp is Chief Financial Officer at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. His responsibilities include case evaluation, financial analysis, and managing the firm assets. The law firm, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, specializes in toxic exposure, assisting veterans whose health was impacted by toxic exposure on military bases.
They will change your perspective of the world and teach you new things.
As time passes, we meet new people. We do not expect to see them coming. Certain people come at a certain time. They will change your perspective of the world and teach you new things. Some new things are related to your career goals while other new things are not related to your career goals. These other new things can be little and simple things like learning how to play a sport and learning how to swing on a rope.
When meeting new people, we learn to see the good in others. It helps us build trust in others. It also helps us embrace diversity because we see that stereotypes are not true. We meet at least one person that does not fulfill the stereotype. We learn that people are different from those that they are categorized with.
We learn that we can talk to people that we think are hard to make a conversation with. People say that we should stick to those who have the same interests, mindset, and culture only because it is easier to talk to them. However, we learn that people who are different from us unexpectedly have a connection with us. They like similar things that we like, and there is something from them that we can learn from that can help us improve our lifestyle.
New people can take us to more places that we have never been to before. Experiencing new places expands our knowledge and experience. We go out of our comfort zone and see a different place that is better than where we are always staying at.
We should be grateful to the people that we meet for all the knowledge and experience that they gave us. We will not meet all people in the world, but we will meet those that we will meet.
Now before I start telling you about what day finally came and why it came and what the heck I am actually talking about, I want to start by saying. I am in no way shape or form a professional writer. I don't intend to be. I find joy in writing sometimes to avoid talking to myself while my twin boys take naps so I don’t convince myself that I am crazy as a stay at home mom of nine month old boys. As a first time mom, mind you. Lets not forget to mention that. When God was ready to show me motherhood, boy was he ready. I learned fast, double time, if you will. Writing, journaling, blogging, positing, whatever it is that you want to call this is truly just a pastime passion so please if your going to be a critique just hit the “x” or the back button or something else and save us all an extra comment and some time scrolling too.
Today like any other ordinary day, I woke up with my husband, (if he read this he would laugh and say yeah right). I don't actually ever wake up at the same time as my husband usually because he wakes up at 5:00am and that's just too early for me to get up whenever the boys are not awake yet. But, today was different, today the boys had a doctor's appointment. Their nine month check up with their pediatrician at nine fifteen so that meant in order to make sure we left the house on time. I needed to go make Gatlin a bottle of milk and hook him up to his feeding tube at 5:30, for those of you that didn't already know by now, my son Gatlin is tube fed by a Gtube in his belly. For now anyway, until we get some things in his body fixed where he can eat by mouth.
Anyway, his feed runs over an hour, which means it would end at 6:30. He needs about 30 minutes for the milk to settle or else if I try to move him around too fast he will throw up what he just consumed and that's not good for anybody. That puts us at getting him out of bed at 7:00 as well as getting Gunner (his twin brother) up around the same time to give him a bottle. While I give Gunner a bottle Gatlin just hangs out in his bouncy seat waiting patiently for me to change his clothes, I run and pack the diaper bag- diapers, wipes, extra burp rags incase Gatlin throws up when the doctor sticks the thing in his ears to check them, puffs for Gunner to give him for when he gets fussy because he's bored, noisy toys to also give Gunner whenever he gets bored of the puffs, chew toys to also give Gunner when he gets bored of the noisy toys, you get the idea. Then throw the feeding pump, Gatlin's feeding extension, an extra bottle of milk for him, and extra bottle of milk for Gunner, the vaccine cards because I am that mom that forgets to give them to the nurse when they get shots for them to update them so of course I need them to update them today, the day they are not even getting any shots.
I forgot to mention at this point that after I hooked Gatlin up to feed earlier while he was still sleeping I got myself ready while they were both asleep at 5:30 otherwise I would have never had enough time to get myself ready before we had to leave at 8:00. Anyways, back to where we were. I chose to change Gatlin first because at this point Gunner was waving his now empty bottle around in the air like a helicopter propeller, all while saying “dada” repeatedly. Let's not get started on that topic, that has been Gunners first words. I change his butt everyday but Dada still gets the fame.
Anyway, now that Gatlin is changed I put him back down and grab the helicopter pilot and put his clothes on. I then grab both pumpkin carriers and put each boy in their own, buckle them in while they scream bloody murder at me because they HATE their carseats and being buckled in. Then I throw their stocking caps on because it's freezing and a big fluffy warm blanket and I take Gatlin out to the nice warm car first, I set the diaper bag in with him then turn the DVD player on for them. Yes, Karen, dont come after me. My 9 month old children watch dvds from the babyfirst show while we are in the car. If you listen to them scream while they were riding in the car you would try everything to find something that worked also.
Anyways, then I run back inside and grab Gunner, who at this point has already thrown his blanket off of himself and pulled his hat down over his eyes and is kicking his feet like he is running a marathon and freddie kruger is after him. I adjust his hat, put his blanket back on him and take him to the car. I come back inside, put my own coat on, grab the last minute necessities, lock the door and head to the doctor. Upon arrival, I pop the trunk, grab the lock and ride stroller, toss Gatlin's car seat carrier in it, strap the self carrier around my body, grab Gunner out of his carseat and strap him to me, throw a blanket around him and in we walk, carrying one and pushing one. You find things that work for you quickly with twins.
We did the routine: take them to the room, undress them, throw on a clean dry diaper, weigh them, measure their head, length of their body, etc etc. Then we got to talk with the doctor. For those of you that know the boys you know that they are two different boys. Gunner loves the attention, further advanced and more developmentally inclined than Gatlin. Gatlin, pretty laid back, a little less vocal and much farther behind developmentally than his brother. So the doctor (whom I absolutely adore so much, we have the best pediatrician hands down.) and I had a conversation about Gatlin, why was he not coming forward faster with his development. He was meeting milestones but not necessarily matching his adjusted age. Now I am not going to get into detail with what we discussed completely with you all over a blog post because that is not the idea. The idea is the day finally came where we realized Gatlin is not like Gunner. We are going to meet with another doctor in the coming weeks to discuss some other possible diagnosis for Gatlin and whatever they come from them we have absolutely no fear of what they may be.
The deal is, Gatlin needed a family, he needed a momma and a dadda. God knew what kind of hiccups he was going to have long before he gave him to me. If he chose to give Gatlin to me with all of the battles he was going to face in life then I am absolutely honored that he chose me to be his momma and I will be strong, I will be his fighter, I will be his protector. We will battle through each and every label that we receive and we will work hard to overcome the odds. If you have read this far, no Gatlin does not have a disease or cancer. Just some other things we are going to look into. Dont worry about us, pray for him. Pray to give him the strength to continue fighting to be just like his brother like he does everyday. I wasn't upset at all with what we discussed with the doctor. We take what we talk about and we move on. Nothing changes who Gatlin is and we don’t even begin to treat him any differently. I dressed each boy again, put their hoodies and stocking caps back on. Loaded Gatlin back in the carseat first, of course when I dressed him I had to hook his extension up and run it through his pant leg to feed him on the way home. I gave Gunner a couple of puffs to chew on on our way out as I strapped him back in the carrier that I was wearing to hold him over until we got home. I strapped them into the car, then back towards home we headed. Both boys fell asleep no more than we got out of jeff city.
The silence was so nice and different. With silence comes overthinking. I thought not about what we had discussed today but about Gatlin's cleft palate surgery coming up on Friday. Yall, NICU PTSD is a real thing. I began to panic thinking about them taking him for surgery then not giving him back to me just like when he was born. They took him and I didnt get him back for 127 days. I instantly began to back peddle thinking this was going to happen again. They would take him and I would not get him back for a long time. I had to take a deep breath and turn the radio down and pray. I asked God to just help to calm me when I didn't have anybody else besides two sleeping boys who had no idea what in the world I was talking about. I soon after giggled at myself. I knew God was there when I was laughing at myself. I should have known in the 127 days that God took care of Gatlin in the NICU that he would take care of him again in the 1 night he has to stay after fixing his cleft palate. I felt more at ease with myself and was able to turn the radio back up again slightly. I was almost home, I looked in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but smile with tear filled eyes at two of the biggest blessings in my life, sleeping so soundlessly, so preciously. I was hauling the most precious of cargo. I thank God everyday for that.
God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.
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