What's Normal Anyway?

I tend to have a full brain on an average day. It's fair to say that my brain has been on overload for about, oh, 8 months? As I sit here pondering what to write about, I cannot deny that there is laughing coming from somewhere inside my own mind!  Who am I kidding?  There are about 100 topics that I could write about in a fashion similar to babbling...what is it called when you type endless babble?  My intention is to provide regular updates about the Murphy family--particularly our little Audrey, who has captured the hearts of many around the world; however, something tells me that this "blog thing" will be therapeutic!  So, as I think about what to write, I take in my surroundings.  Here is the on-the-spot Murphy update: JG is playing Wii fishing--catching the "Big One" (wow, he is so much like his dad!). Audrey is in her swing, persisting to rub her tape off her face as she typically does when she gets sleepy.  So, in between his fish-on-the-line inspired "oh yeahs," JG is telling me, "Mommy, Audrey is pulling her tape off!" ("Thanks buddy")  JPM is sleeping in on a Saturday morning...for which he's entitled after his week.  Plus, he's going to be on Audrey-duty all afternoon while we're at a birthday party.  I'm thinking about making pancakes for breakfast as a special treat for my son, eggs for the protein-focused adults and strawberries--so we can eat them before they spoil.  Pause....And now, 30 minutes later, Audrey has completed her gagging spell that usually happens after her respiratory treatments, we've logged a tummy-time session, the three of us snuggled to watch a baby cartoon, and she's down for a nap.  JG sat with us, baby-talked to his sister so lovingly...they held hands while we sat in the recliner.  It was a pinnacle moment of sweetness for any Mom.  He kissed her atop her head before I put her in her crib.  And then he was off to search the house for a "treasure" to give his friend at his birthday party later today. Apparently, the yet-to-be-purchased Batman something-or-other that we hope to find at Target on our way to the party is not sufficient.  My son wants to give something more meaningful...in addition to the Batman toy, of course, but more personal, nonetheless.  Another pinnacle moment: my son is a very thoughtful little boy.  Murphy is still sleeping.  The medicine alarm is going off.  The feeding pump alarm is going off.  How I managed to get her down for a nap and not notice the time is beyond me.  I've sent JG on a search for some wrapping paper, and in between typing words, I am verbally instructing him how to wrap a present for the first time by himself.  Gasp...he's using the big scissors.   The end product: seashells that he collected in Florida wrapped not-so-neatly in a tissue box.  I love him so!  He's already picked out his clothes to wear for the day: ASU football pants and an ASU t-shirt.  HUGE surprise. (not really) Oh well.  I'll remind him later that his pants have a hole in a not-so great spot.  I don't want to interrupt his attempt to create static electricity in his hair as he rubs his head on my couch cushions.  Oh, I'm really not certain he's a normal kid.  All these alarms are not normal.  Sleeping in on a Saturday definitely is no longer normal.  And then it hits me: this may be as close to normal as we'll ever get.  And if that's the case, I will consider it a blessing.  Which explains the ironic chuckling in the back of my head...

The other day, as I was leaving the house to go into the office, JG displayed a heart-wrenching tantrum.  Tears, sitting on the floor, howling about how many days it will take me to return.  And then, in his desperation, he tried to play an old card from a killer hand: "I just want everything to be normal!"  See, about 4 months ago, he said this for the very first time and it absolutely crushed me.  And who could blame him?  I felt that way, too!  That phrase brought this Mom to her knees.  Since then, we've talked about it, exhausted the subject and moved on.  Yet he obviously remembered the power that this phrase yeilded, so I guess he thought he'd go for broke.  It didn't work.  The truth is buddy, this IS normal.  So let's go over it again.  Remember?  We have a NEW normal...do we really want our old normal anyway?  Afterall, our old normal didn't have Audrey in it.  Our old normal had us running around a lot more.  How do you explain to a 5 year old that our old normal had less purpose?  How do you explain to a 5 year old (and his parents) that being tied to home isn't a bad thing?  I'm certain the next several years will require a few sacrifices and accommodations, but it's made us slow down and focus on what can be enjoyed a little closer to home than "normal."  And then he asks, "but when will we get to go to Hawaii again?"  Ironically, this was the last thing, in his mind, that we did before our life became "not normal."  Hawaii...normal...ha, I wish. 

So, I'm off to make some pancakes...a fairly normal thing for a Saturday morning wouldn't you agree?

A look back at "Normal in Paradise"

9/23/10

Kailua State Park Beach near the house

9/23/10

JG @ wedding*

*all weddings should have a beach for kids to run

Daddy & JG

Mommy (& Audrey) & JG

9/25/10

Air Show @ Marine Corps Base

9/26/10

Daddy & JG playing football

Murphy Family, est. 1998

Happy #12 Anniversary!

(4 days before the beginning of a new normal!)