Tough Morning for AC

Photo provided by Anna Christine who told me the other day with her hand around her ear, "Mama, be quiet because someone is trying to talk to me from heaven."

It's been a tough morning at our house. Forrest seems to be feeling much better this morning. It seems as though he has no fever. His glands are swollen, but he is wild and crazy. I am actually wondering if the tylenol is making him feel too good based on how he is acting. Chanin refused to nap this morning, and he ended up having to cry for quite a long time. The other two were having some hard times resolving some issues, and I am just exhausted. So, I decided that we would head out to Dollar Tree to pick up some stuff for Samuel's birthday. It was quite hectic in the store as AC picked out some gifts for Samuel, and she chose balloons for him as well. We headed to the car, buckled in, and right before I closed the door, both balloons made their way out of the van into the sky. I just couldn't believe it. This is truly one of AC's worst nightmares. She no longer accepts free balloons from the grocery store in fear that this might happen. She cries a little, and we head back in the store to get some more (surprisingly they let us have replacements for free). At this point, AC no longer trusts me. She requests to hold them herself, and she holds them tightly in two places. She holds them in the car tightly, and then it hits her. And the tears come and they are around for an hour. She says, "I am just so sad. Mama, we have to go and find them." I tell her that they are gone, and she ask why and cries more. I say because they are too far away, and she cries more. I try to tell her that maybe they will land in a little girl's yard that does not have balloons. She then tells me that they are for a "dada," and she cries more. We get home and try to call Samuel to help us, and he does not pick up. She cries more. In the meantime, she has brought the balloons in our house and put them in our bedroom with the door closed, and she is still checking on them. She tells me that she is the "balloon person." She gives me reports on their movement. "Mama, the balloon part is not moving, but the strings are going back and forth a little." We call my mom who is able to comfort her. AC asks her to look for them at their house since "Mama says they are going far away." I am grateful for rest time today, and I am thankful for my little girl who brings so much joy to my heart.