Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sweet Smiles
Sugar Cookies
I was feeding Damon so I had to set them free.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Malachi Had His First Pre-School Program Today
And it pretty much went how I thought it would.
My kids really hate public performances.
If You've Ever Wondered....
if Miss L has make-up on, she probably does. Usually when I put my make-up on she sits by me and I put some on her too. So I guess she'll be able to say she wore make-up from two-years-old on.
Today Daddy's car wouldn't start so we were stuck at home instead of hitting the gym. So we played Hair Salon and had a photo shoot.
She actually said, "Mom, kiss me!" My kids have a natural knack for poses. :) Look at her dimple! I'm jealous of my own daughter. ;)
"Do a silly face Lib!"
"Here, I'll make you do one."
"Do you want to take some photos of mom?" (I was bribing her so she'd let me take some of her.)
Oh how I love my little mischevious Princess.
Today Daddy's car wouldn't start so we were stuck at home instead of hitting the gym. So we played Hair Salon and had a photo shoot.
Trying to Catch That Smile
Wiggle worms cause blurry pics in bad lighting....:)
"Ok Lib, show me your teeth."
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Water Fiasco
Caleb was out of town this weekend. After the weekend by myself and an exhausting time at church, I badly needed a nap. We went into Miss L's room to play and I fell asleep in the chair holding baby D. I was out. Every once in awhile I'd come out of the coma a bit and I noticed at one point they had migrated to Mr. M's room. I listened for a second and all sounded OK, so I went back to sleep. I knew it wasn't the best idea but my head and my body did not agree. A while later (I have no idea how long) I heard them opening bathroom drawers. That is never a good sign.
I hopped up and ran into the bathroom, "What's going on?"
Mr. M, "We need towels."
Me, "Why?"
He just gave me this really silly grin and slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it.
I ran to his room and found the room completely covered in water. Almost the entire floor and entire bed were drenched. I could actually splash around in the water. I broke my no yelling rule and sent Miss L to her room sobbing. Mr. M had locked himself in the bathroom and couldn't get out. I told him good, he needed to stay in there. I immediately went and called my mom so I could calm down.
She said, "Please don't kill them. I love them."
Instead of killing them I made them clean up, put fans on the mess, and put them to bed at 6:30pm.
Mr. M. was never really a mischievous kid but Miss L influences that boy. And if he thinks he can pass most of the blame off on her, he won't tattle. I'm pretty sure that was the case in this situation but nobody is telling anything. They both admit they helped make the mess and that's all they'll say.
I hopped up and ran into the bathroom, "What's going on?"
Mr. M, "We need towels."
Me, "Why?"
He just gave me this really silly grin and slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it.
I ran to his room and found the room completely covered in water. Almost the entire floor and entire bed were drenched. I could actually splash around in the water. I broke my no yelling rule and sent Miss L to her room sobbing. Mr. M had locked himself in the bathroom and couldn't get out. I told him good, he needed to stay in there. I immediately went and called my mom so I could calm down.
She said, "Please don't kill them. I love them."
Instead of killing them I made them clean up, put fans on the mess, and put them to bed at 6:30pm.
Mr. M. was never really a mischievous kid but Miss L influences that boy. And if he thinks he can pass most of the blame off on her, he won't tattle. I'm pretty sure that was the case in this situation but nobody is telling anything. They both admit they helped make the mess and that's all they'll say.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
I Will Survive...and Enjoy
Keep in mind as you read this that I am writing a journal entry...I am not looking for parenting advice.
It's kind of been a rough parenting week. Mr. M is testing his limits like you would not believe. I was a little worried yesterday I would not survive it, I felt I was not cut out for this job. I told Friend Ashleigh I was going back to work, it was easier. Really, how is one supposed to keep their cool with someone whining and crying non-stop and picking fights with them ALL DAY LONG. It's exhausting.
Mr. M. has been defiant, whiny and throwing tons of fits. Miss L has been clingy and whiny as well. I tell myself all day long, "You're going to miss this. Be grateful for what you have." And there are times throughout the day that I can see how lucky I am, what a blessing these little people are. I can hear all the older moms in my head saying, "This too shall pass. Relax." It sounds great, cognitively I understand it. But sometimes, in the moment, it's hard to believe.
Don't get me wrong. I love my kids. There are moments where I can see them as God sees them. I would say most of the time (normally) I see them that way. Like today. Today has been great. Yesterday though, yesterday....not good.
So changes have been made to my day. Like blogging. I usually spend 45 min. to 1 hr. of nap-time blogging or catching up with friends and family on facebook. No longer. For now it will be fifteen minutes. Which means I will still be reading every one's blogs but instead of once a week it will be probably once every other week. Instead I will be spending that time doing more one-on-one time with Malachi. We have such a great time together when he is in a good mood. He's so amazing when he's happy. Hopefully I can help him be happy more often.
Another change I made a few weeks ago was getting up earlier. Instead of 7 or 7:15 I get up at 6:30 or 6:45. It helps a lot to get up, ready, and out the door with less stress which tends to lead to an easier day. We also started cleaning up before Daddy gets home. We used to do it right before bed. Caleb gets home around 6 and we start bed-time process around 7:15. It takes them about 45 minutes to clean up, they are soooo ssssslllloooowwwww. So that meant most of Daddy's time with them was spent barking at them to clean up. Now they can do activities like this instead:
I'm sure adjusting to the new baby has something to do with their behavior. I'm very grateful they do not take it out on Baby D:
As for him, my squishy little guy is such a sweet baby. He smiles more and more often. Those smiles at the end of the day remind me that it is all worth it and there are definitely parts of all this I will miss more than anything in the world.
It's kind of been a rough parenting week. Mr. M is testing his limits like you would not believe. I was a little worried yesterday I would not survive it, I felt I was not cut out for this job. I told Friend Ashleigh I was going back to work, it was easier. Really, how is one supposed to keep their cool with someone whining and crying non-stop and picking fights with them ALL DAY LONG. It's exhausting.
Mr. M. has been defiant, whiny and throwing tons of fits. Miss L has been clingy and whiny as well. I tell myself all day long, "You're going to miss this. Be grateful for what you have." And there are times throughout the day that I can see how lucky I am, what a blessing these little people are. I can hear all the older moms in my head saying, "This too shall pass. Relax." It sounds great, cognitively I understand it. But sometimes, in the moment, it's hard to believe.
Don't get me wrong. I love my kids. There are moments where I can see them as God sees them. I would say most of the time (normally) I see them that way. Like today. Today has been great. Yesterday though, yesterday....not good.
So changes have been made to my day. Like blogging. I usually spend 45 min. to 1 hr. of nap-time blogging or catching up with friends and family on facebook. No longer. For now it will be fifteen minutes. Which means I will still be reading every one's blogs but instead of once a week it will be probably once every other week. Instead I will be spending that time doing more one-on-one time with Malachi. We have such a great time together when he is in a good mood. He's so amazing when he's happy. Hopefully I can help him be happy more often.
Another change I made a few weeks ago was getting up earlier. Instead of 7 or 7:15 I get up at 6:30 or 6:45. It helps a lot to get up, ready, and out the door with less stress which tends to lead to an easier day. We also started cleaning up before Daddy gets home. We used to do it right before bed. Caleb gets home around 6 and we start bed-time process around 7:15. It takes them about 45 minutes to clean up, they are soooo ssssslllloooowwwww. So that meant most of Daddy's time with them was spent barking at them to clean up. Now they can do activities like this instead:
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Allergy Testing
When Malachi was a baby I noticed he had allergies. I would say from about six months on he would sneeze tons of times after a trip outside. He seemed to be sick a lot. He was always stuffy. We talked to the doctor about it, but he said babies do not have allergies before age one. I knew he was wrong.
I argued with one of his sitters once as well. She thought he had a cold and I knew it was allergies. She said, "If his allergies are that bad, you need to get him to a doctor." I had. The doctor didn't believe me. Besides, how do you treat it when they are that little?
As Malachi has gotten older his allergies have gotten worse and worse. Some nights he coughs all night and he is so stuffy. Then the cough and stuffy nose make him throw up. I never know what to treat. I usually treat the stuffy nose first and the cough later in the hopes that clearing up his nose will help the cough. NOTHING has worked. His eyes also swell up, as well as his nose, he gets so miserable.
At is 4 yr. appointment the doctor noticed wheezing. Thus started the nebulizer treatments. They helped, but not enough. She also prescribed Singulair, which did nothing.
Finally I had had it. I took him to an allergist. On the paperwork it asked for what makes the symptoms occur. I wrote in the margin, "I honestly have no idea. It seems like everything sets him off."
Turns out I was right. He is pretty much allergic to everything they tested for including all grasses, all pets, all weeds, most molds, and most trees. Malachi is younger than normal to have allergies as bad as he does. This doctor finally listened and agreed with me and he thinks we need to get on top of it asap. He is getting him help. Hallelujah. I am so relieved. I'm sad for my buddy because it's all such a hassle, but imagine how much better he is going to feel.
Normally they don't start allergy shots before the age of six but because Mr. M. is so bad, they are starting him at five. He'll be getting those weekly come spring. He has a new asthma medicine and new allergy medicine. This is is good time of year so I can't tell how much it is helping yet, but I'm just so happy to have somewhere to turn. And I'm grateful to be validated. I wasn't crazy all these years.
I argued with one of his sitters once as well. She thought he had a cold and I knew it was allergies. She said, "If his allergies are that bad, you need to get him to a doctor." I had. The doctor didn't believe me. Besides, how do you treat it when they are that little?
As Malachi has gotten older his allergies have gotten worse and worse. Some nights he coughs all night and he is so stuffy. Then the cough and stuffy nose make him throw up. I never know what to treat. I usually treat the stuffy nose first and the cough later in the hopes that clearing up his nose will help the cough. NOTHING has worked. His eyes also swell up, as well as his nose, he gets so miserable.
At is 4 yr. appointment the doctor noticed wheezing. Thus started the nebulizer treatments. They helped, but not enough. She also prescribed Singulair, which did nothing.
Finally I had had it. I took him to an allergist. On the paperwork it asked for what makes the symptoms occur. I wrote in the margin, "I honestly have no idea. It seems like everything sets him off."
Turns out I was right. He is pretty much allergic to everything they tested for including all grasses, all pets, all weeds, most molds, and most trees. Malachi is younger than normal to have allergies as bad as he does. This doctor finally listened and agreed with me and he thinks we need to get on top of it asap. He is getting him help. Hallelujah. I am so relieved. I'm sad for my buddy because it's all such a hassle, but imagine how much better he is going to feel.
Normally they don't start allergy shots before the age of six but because Mr. M. is so bad, they are starting him at five. He'll be getting those weekly come spring. He has a new asthma medicine and new allergy medicine. This is is good time of year so I can't tell how much it is helping yet, but I'm just so happy to have somewhere to turn. And I'm grateful to be validated. I wasn't crazy all these years.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
3 Events
I have one even per child that happened in the last 24 hours that stands out to me.
Damon: This morning at 3am I went to change his stinky bum and he was all smiles. I couldn't help it, I had to turn on the light and play with him. It was just so darn sweet. For twenty minutes or so I was able to enjoy his sweet smiles without being smothered by siblings. It was awesome.
Libby: Miss L pooped her pants (she had on a pull-up) at the McDonald's playground today. It was clear up her back and down her legs. This was right after I asked her to try and go potty and she threw a fit. It took fifteen minutes to clean her up while Damon screamed his head off the entire time. There was a sweet worker, Fran, who brought me better cleaning materials and my keys and Libby's bear. She was awesome. When I came out of the bathroom there were ten parents who didn't even try to hide the fact they were staring at me. I just avoided eye contact and went to clean off the table.
My sweet baby was still screaming and Miss L was completely naked with a small blanket wrapped around her. I cleared the table and headed out the door carrying Miss L, Damon in his carseat, a diaper bag, and a purse. I stopped at the front desk to tell them that Fran was an amazing worker and to tell her God Bless her.
I made it to the car only to realize I couldn't find my keys. So I had the kids sit against the fence while I dumped everything out to look for the keys. The lady parked next to me came out, "Wow! You have your hands full, I'd help you but I have a doctor's appointment I need to get to."
I knelt down with the kids and we said a prayer that we'd find the keys. I stood up and just rocked the baby for a few minutes while I tried to remember where the keys were. Finally I picked Libby and Damon up again, had Malachi hang on to my shirt and headed across the parking lot again, through the restaurant, into the playground, where I found my keys and Libby's poopy clothes still in the bathroom. So I headed out again carrying the poopy clothes now too.
It wasn't until later that I realized not one person helped me after Fran disappeared. No one opened a door, no one offered to carry something. Nothing. I vow that if I ever see someone in a situation even remotely similar I will at least offer to help. I will also carry a one-size fits all t-shirt in my diaper bag from now on.
Malachi: I finally took M to an allergist. The results were only sort of surprising. I'll type more on it tomorrow. Right now baby D is calling my name.
Damon: This morning at 3am I went to change his stinky bum and he was all smiles. I couldn't help it, I had to turn on the light and play with him. It was just so darn sweet. For twenty minutes or so I was able to enjoy his sweet smiles without being smothered by siblings. It was awesome.
Libby: Miss L pooped her pants (she had on a pull-up) at the McDonald's playground today. It was clear up her back and down her legs. This was right after I asked her to try and go potty and she threw a fit. It took fifteen minutes to clean her up while Damon screamed his head off the entire time. There was a sweet worker, Fran, who brought me better cleaning materials and my keys and Libby's bear. She was awesome. When I came out of the bathroom there were ten parents who didn't even try to hide the fact they were staring at me. I just avoided eye contact and went to clean off the table.
My sweet baby was still screaming and Miss L was completely naked with a small blanket wrapped around her. I cleared the table and headed out the door carrying Miss L, Damon in his carseat, a diaper bag, and a purse. I stopped at the front desk to tell them that Fran was an amazing worker and to tell her God Bless her.
I made it to the car only to realize I couldn't find my keys. So I had the kids sit against the fence while I dumped everything out to look for the keys. The lady parked next to me came out, "Wow! You have your hands full, I'd help you but I have a doctor's appointment I need to get to."
I knelt down with the kids and we said a prayer that we'd find the keys. I stood up and just rocked the baby for a few minutes while I tried to remember where the keys were. Finally I picked Libby and Damon up again, had Malachi hang on to my shirt and headed across the parking lot again, through the restaurant, into the playground, where I found my keys and Libby's poopy clothes still in the bathroom. So I headed out again carrying the poopy clothes now too.
It wasn't until later that I realized not one person helped me after Fran disappeared. No one opened a door, no one offered to carry something. Nothing. I vow that if I ever see someone in a situation even remotely similar I will at least offer to help. I will also carry a one-size fits all t-shirt in my diaper bag from now on.
Malachi: I finally took M to an allergist. The results were only sort of surprising. I'll type more on it tomorrow. Right now baby D is calling my name.
We Love When Family Visits
Caleb's parents and sister and niece came for Damon's blessing. We had a blast with them. We wish soooo badly that they lived closer.
Kylee and Darcy were great with our kiddos as well and we loved all the help and love they gave.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Damon's Blessing
On Sunday morning:
I lost Damon's blessing outfit.
Then I found it.
Then I tried to wash it
and dyed it pink (don't ask).
I put the kid in a white onesie and white pants
and off we went.
On the way to church
he pooped out.
Everywhere.
That was lovely.
So I changed his diaper,
pulled the pants up over the poop stain,
and wrapped him in his crocheted blanket.
It was a beautiful blessing, with lots of focus on Damon serving others. Daddy said that kept coming to mind over and over. Sounds like little D will be a pretty cool guy.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
2 Months
Damon,
You are such a joy to us. You do not sleep well (by yourself, you sleep great cuddling with mom), but that's ok, we love you anyway. You are a good baby during the day (knock on wood). Your brother and sister still adore you and pester you like crazy. You started smiling right around six weeks and those smiles are getting more and more frequent.
Last week you actually let Daddy rock you to sleep. This made us all happy. This week you've enjoyed cuddles with Grandma and Grandpa O. and Aunt Darcy and Cousin Kylee. Everyone has enjoyed rocking you and loving on you. We all agree you are pretty amazing.
I'm sure there is more I'd love to write but you are crying so it's time for me to go. Let's sleep well tonight my sweet baby, three to four hours in a row would be excellent.
Love,
Mommy
Ghosts and a Terrorist....or Not
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