Meanwhile, I played hooky for a bit this morning and hung out with these two cuties:
I made Elannah send me a screen shot of this pic she and Sophia took. They were heading to their favorite clothing consignment shop/thrift store in The Big City and asked me to come along. At first, I begged off due to work constraints, but Elannah (in her uniquely sassy way) pointed out that I would miss out on the experience of hanging out with my daughters. I really didn't need much convincing, as they are so much fun. Plus, I was very flattered that they wanted me to go. And yeah, we had a great time.
Elannah's hair is actually darker brown than Sophia's, but she let a friend practice dyeing her hair for a cosmetology class, and now her hair gets these insanely red highlights in bright sunlight.
I got to see Sian, Tyler, and Nathan earlier this week, as well. Sian called me on Thursday, in tears. Poor girl. She's been struggling. Tyler just had a little surgery, and while he is absolutely fine, Sian is anxious. I've come to realize that my oldest two girls have dealt with anxiety all their lives, but I've only recognized it as Anxiety now that Joseph has been having such a hard time with it. Sian and Gabrielle have lived with it very well, learning how to cope with their irrational fears and worries from a young age. I think their dad and I accidentally helped them learn some good coping skills, and they've learned some on their own, but neither of us recognized their worry and anxiety as anything out of the norm. It wasn't until Joseph started dealing with crippling anxiety that I begin to understand their experience in retrospect.
Anyway, Sian has a tendency to way overthink things and to worry about things that haven't happened and aren't likely to happen. Tyler's surgery is one of them. She is stressing over whether or not he is healing properly (he is) and whether or not he is in pain (he isn't). It's also hard just being a mom to an infant. Now that Nathan has a new job and is still going to school, she's alone with Tyler most of the time. I've been there. It's so, so hard, even if you love your baby more than your own life.
So I spent all afternoon and evening with Sian and Tyler (and Nathan, when he got home). I played with my happy, calm, very good-natured little grandson and had a long talk with Sian. I'm so glad she has Nathan. Sian is a wonderful mother, but when she starts worrying too much, he grounds her, and he is also so good at taking over when she's ready to fall apart. As tired as he is with work and school, he comes home and takes care of his family. Tyler loves it when Daddy comes home.
I told Sian that it's okay to talk to her doctor. It's okay to ask for help. I just wish I could be there in person much more than I can be at the moment. We send each other video messages on the Marco Polo app almost daily, and I love seeing my sweet pea (and her baby).
If only I were independently wealthy already!
Still working on that.
Now I've gotta get back to work. I only have an hour before I have to go to choir rehearsal, which the director has asked me to run because she's in New York City. It's flattering to be trusted to take over when she can't be there, but I much, much prefer to sit in the alto section and have her behind the music stand.
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