We've Come a Long Way Baby...

Ha... you're gonna love this one! But of course, I have to lead up to it... 

I've been a Big Mean Cleaning Machine this week... and I LOVE it! Feels SO good to freshen up everything, get rid of junk, junk, piles and more junk, and get all my ducks back in a row. 

John's also been doing some cleaning out this week... including his hotmail account inbox. Every now and then he sends me some Blast from the Past. Like today. He had saved this message ALL the way from 2001! 

I read this and cannot believe it's the SAME Kathryn I'm talking about. The Kathryn that is now so darling and wonderful and helpful!! Just yesterday, Kathryn and I had a GREAT day together. She slept in, was great company on our little girls' only shopping trip, helped prep dinner and made Julia Child's hollandaise ALL by herself (still blows my mind), took out the recycling, helped with dishes, tickled my back during Family Movie Night and was just delightful all day!!! 

Gosh, I guess I'm glad I decided not to throw her out with the bath water back then! HA HA HA. 

Oh Kathryn honey, I still loved you even when you were so difficult, but I have to say I'm glad we all survived those rough years. Sometimes it's good for me to read something like this (a venting email to some girlfriends at the time) to just remember. It wasn't easy! 

But look how far we've come! I love ya kid! 

October 25, 2001 

- Side note: Kathryn was 3 years old and Jasper was 3 months old. John had just started at SWA and was ALWAYS gone and I obviously had my hands FULL! Oh, and NO friends and NO family to help since we'd just moved to Modesto and I didn't know a soul in town!! Ah, good times. 

I'm thinking of putting my kids up for sale. Yesterday was the worst day of my adult life. Kathryn is out of control. She's wild and hyper and won't listen to anything. She's a terror. Yesterday was a constant battle. She poured out a whole brand new bottle of bubbles in the tub, ran over the dogs with her bike, chewed on her new book, ran off in the store, fought me getting into the carseat and then kicked off her shoes before going into the store, got mud ALL OVER the patio and the dogs and ran inside onto the carpet with mud caked feet, threw her pizza on the ground and said it was gross, screamed every time I was on the phone with a landscaper or preschool director, dumped out the dog water in the garage, constantly pitched screaming fits and woke up the baby from naps, touched the baby too hard, refused to stay in her room during a time out... and all this happened before NOON! It's really starting to depress me. I keep thinking, "Oh, we're just having a rotten day" but then the next day is the same. I never thought it would be like this. Kathryn was the sweetest, most loving, adorable and well-mannered toddler. I'm just very sad about all of it. What happened!?

Jasper was even a little toot yesterday. Screamed all bloody day long. Have NO CLUE what his problem was. He's started this new thing where he refuses to take a nap (oh joy). When we lay down so I can nurse him, he'll arch his back away from me and grunt and growl. But he's miserable... rubbing his eyes and crying. Won't take a bottle, won't take a binki, doesn't much like solid foods (will ONLY tolerate cereal and that's like trying to shove toothpaste back into the tube with a spoon)... have tried walking with him, the stroller, rocking, singing, swaddling, car rides, tummy massage, baths, new toys, Tylenol, Anbesol... OH GOD HELP ME! I don't know how I'm going to survive this!!!