What Plans?

The bad just got worse. Right as we were getting ready to get the older girls into their costumes Tea threw up. Everywhere. It all went downhill from there. She was devestated not to get to go trick or treating. She couldn't even help the King hand out candy. She was too weak and couldn't stop throwing up. So just Chiggie, me, and Boo went. We took two buckets so that when they get to feeling better the girls can share the candy. We finished up just in time to run home so I could hang my head over a bucket. Nice, now I'm puking, Midge is puking, Tea is puking, and it's Halloween. This too shall pass, this too shall pass....

Stop.....please

Midge is now throwing up with a vengeance. Yeah, I know, Happy Halloween. She was up most of the night very uncomfortable and so were we. Two down, two to go I suppose. On top of the kids slowly rotating through this awful bug I have Thyroiditis. I went to the doctor yesterday with a goiter in my neck and some thyroid nodules. I suspected that I perhaps had hypothyroidism as I am overweight and tired all the time. Turns out I am hyperthyroid. What are the odds. Am I the only person on the face of the earth who has an overactive thyroid and still manages to be overweight? If it can happen......

The diagnosis answers a lot though. Ever since I had Boo I really haven't felt well. I have had anxiety, dizziness, fatigue, you name it. I really didn't think too much of it for the longest time. I figured it was postpartum related and would eventually relieve itself. When my neck began to swell at the base and I felt a large lump I became a little bit more concerned. I made a doctors appointment and that's as far as we are right now. I should be hearing from the radiology department of our hospital soon about an ultrasound. So I wait. The kids puke and I wait.

Still Sick

Chiggie made it to school today. It was her choice entirely and since she hadn't thrown up throughout the night I decided it was okay. She made it through the morning, but when I picked her up she was looking a little rough. We came right home and sure enough she had a fever and wasn't feeling well at all. She didn't eat most of the day and what she finally ate this afternoon came right back up. Tonight I think she is finally feeling better. No fever. She's kept a Sprite down and seems to be in better spirits. We'll see about school tomorrow though. I would hate for her to miss as they're doing a lot of fun seasonal activities but if she's sick then she's sick.

It has Begun

The puking that is. Last night around 1:30 am Chiggie came and got into our bed. She was only in for a second when she ran out. I followed her to see what was wrong. She didn't make it to far before she started puking. We got her and the carpet all cleaned up, she fell back asleep and was fine this morning. Until tonight. Tonight she has been either puking or dry heaving since around 7 pm. It's obvious that she has something and this is not her usual puke now fine later. She will most likely miss school tomorrow which is a huge bummer as up until now she has had perfect attendance. Cross your fingers she's better soon and we don't get this x4!

Delivery

Yesterday we had just under two cords of wood delivered for our wood burning stove. It's hard to believe it's that time already. I built a blazer this morning that is still burning strong. Too bad it's supposed to be in the mid 70's today.

Note to Self

Always have an extra outfit on hand. For mother and baby. The award definitely goes to Boo. The major blowout award that is. Today was Chiggie's last soccer game. I was watching intently while holding Boo. Suddenly I felt I warm sensation on my leg. I suspected she may have peed through her diaper. I lifted her up and was frozen with shock as poo ran down into her socks. Yep, into her socks. My pants were "damaged" as well. I had to go to the car to perform an emergency diaper change. Unfortunately we had been in such a hurry to get to the game that I didn't bring an extra outfit. Poor Boo had to settle for being wrapped in a quilt. The King suggested we burn the quilt and my jeans, but I was able to salvage both thanks to a little Spray n' Wash.

We had a great time visiting with Elizabeth and her two super cute kids. We were really able to talk while the McDonald's Play Land entertained the kids. Midge did bite AJ at one point, I don't know what we're gonna do with that girl. T and Chiggie hit it off and played very well together. I hope we have another chance to visit with them again soon. Be sure to visit her site as she took pictures.

No News is Good News

I know I know, same ol' same ol'. There's just not a lot new going on right now. Next week I'm hoping to shake things up a bit. Chiggie's last soccer game is tomorrow and having the season come to a close is going to loosen our schedule up a bit. Lately I've been a little bored. We have a lot going on so this is odd and at the same time hard to explain. Just ready for a change I guess.

In more exciting news, tomorrow, I'll be meeting Elizabeth and her family. We plan to have lunch together and let the kids play for a bit. I'm looking forward to talking in person and meeting her adorable brood. I'll be sure to share the details!

Pumpkin Pickin'

Getting lost in the corn maze: a little freaky

Spending an hour looking for the "perfect pumkin": exhausting

Helping wee ones roast marshmallows around a hot fire: nerve wracking

Making memories that will last a lifetime: More than I could ever ask for

If You Just Can't Get Enough

Then feel free to come check out the new and improved Larger Families Site. I am going to be a contributing blogger and am really looking forward to it. I found the site when I became pregnant for the 4th time and began frantically searching the Internet. I'm not entirely sure what I was frantically searching for, some kind of manual or how to, I guess. I was impressed with what I found. A group of everyday women blogging about their families. Larger Families to boot. It was refreshing to read about others struggles, achievements, and lives raising more the average 1.8 children. I must say even for smaller families I think their resources can be helpful and at least amusing. Please stop by and say hi!

Remember When.....

Elizabeth and Micki have been posting some blast from the past pictures this week and I thought I'd play along. Here is a picture of me on the day of my High School Graduation and then another on my wedding day two weeks later. I'd like to say I look the same, just maybe a little more "full" of life.

Big Loss, Bigger Gain

Chiggie's top front tooth has been dangling for some time now. Apparently she just wasn't ready to let go. That is until last night. I came home from Bunco to see her waiting faithfully on the front porch. She smiled a gummy grin and I noticed right away. The space is huge. Definitely big enough for two teeth the size of the tooth she lost. We celebrated by jumping around wildly and laughing about her toothless grin. She put the tooth under her pillow and her and Tea tossed nervously in their beds anticipating a middle of the night visit from the Tooth Fairy.

Finally they fell asleep, late. The Tooth Fairy came but from all the other business she had conducted that day she realized that all she had was a 10 dollar bill. She slipped the bill under a sleeping Chiggie's pillow with the intention of later switching it out for a 1 dollar bill. In the morning Chiggie ran downstairs unable to contain her excitement. "She came, she came!" she exclaimed. "And the dollar she left me has a 10 on it. You must get a 10 when you lose a top front tooth."

Looks like the Tooth Fairy underestimated Chiggie. Oh well, her loss.

Party Time

Yesterday was my little sisters 6th birthday and today was my other little sisters 8th birthday. So, party we did, and now we're all tired. A special Happy Birthday wish to Grandpa Bob today as well we love you!

Friday Night Under the Lights

We spent this evening at the Football Game where Chiggie got to participate in the half time show with the dance team. She loved it and performed with no fear at all. We had anticipated a cold evening and dressed the little girls like we were going out in a blizzard. It turned out to be 71 outside so we peeled off the layers and enjoyed the unseasonably warm evening. Good thing since it is supposed to snow on Sunday.

This weekend the King is off hunting and the meantime the girls and I will be going to a soccer game, shopping, a birthday party, church, and Sunday is Bunco night. I'm glad we'll be busy though. The girls cried when he left (this is his first time going in years.) I promised them he'd be back before they even knew it and bribed them with a night of movies and popcorn.

Tea is feeling better, but Boo is the latest victim. If it passes through her like it has the others, after this weekend we should be through with it. Hope everybody has a good weekend!

Tug me Id

I should be in bed right now. In fact I really should be in bed and sleeping right now. Instead I am waiting patiently for Tea to fall asleep. You see she has a cold and just about every five minutes she comes down and requests that I come up and "tug me id." I don't speak 3 year old with horrible nasal congestion and a minor speech impediment very well but I'm pretty sure she wants to be tucked in. So I have tugged her id about 30 times and will probably spend much of my night tugging ids. Such is the life of a mother.

Count on It

• The baby will poop at least one outfit a day
• No matter what I make for dinner at least two of the three that actually eat will declare their detest and accuse me of trying to poison them
• After spending most of the day trying to keep the older two awake, one of them will fall asleep at 6 and wake around an hour later ready to party
• The phone will ring 100 x's a day with 1-800 numbers
• We will continue to visit our Pediatrician more often than we visit family members
• I will continue to put off my diet

Ahhhh, at least my life is predictable. I've never done well with change anyhow.

Crud

Tea and Midge are sick yet again. I have a sneaking suspicion that Chiggie is a carrier and passes stuff she picks up at school back to the little ones. So far they both just have snotty noses and are pretty cranky. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is as far as it goes and that Boo doesn't wind up sick.

Oh Yeah

Boo is now 12 weeks old. She can

• smile
• laugh
• lay on her tummy and hold her head up at a 90 degree angle
• reach for objects
• follow an object with her eyes
• sleep longer with extended wakeful periods in between

I wouldn't even venture to guess how much she weighs. A lot. I'm sure she could roll over if she spent more time on the floor. She prefers to be held, and I worry about her safety on the floor with a curious 20 month old and a wild 3 year old on the loose. Today I went through a bunch of newborn clothes and boxed them up to give to an expectant mother we go to church with. I was surprised at how difficult it was. So many memories go along with each tiny outfit. It's hard to believe I'll never see them on one of my kids again. Really I had no choice though. I am running out of room, and you can't keep everything.

In the next week or so I am going to be breaking out the exersaucer and some of the "older" baby toys. Boo is really starting to get bored just sitting in her bouncy seat. She still loves the swing and most days it is a life saver. I have also been using my sling and front pack more often and she is a huge fan of both. I can't believe in less than 2 weeks she will no longer be my newborn.

Rockies

I'll be up late tonight watching game 4. If the Rockies win this is it, they move on to the World Series. Most likely I will have no nails left tomorrow.

Onward and Upward

Now that the season has officially changed and we're spending more time inside than we are out, we started a new Sunday tradition. When we get home from Church, instead of having a quick sandwich, we have been eating our large meal for lunch. Today we had spaghetti, french bread, and corn. It makes things so much easier. Everyone comes home from church starving. This fills all of us up until evening when everybody just munches on something small. It's so nice to come home, start a fire, and have a nice warm meal. Next week I think I'll make a roast and some potatoes in the crock pot.

Our weekend flew by per usual but it was a good one. On Saturday we went for a day hike so the King could scout for his hunting trip next weekend. It was a bit chilly at first but eventually warmed up. We hiked about 4 miles with some fairly steep inclines (I had the baby in a sling) and I have to admit my calves are feeling it tonight. I was amazed at how good the girls did. They collected things along the way such as pine cones, rocks, and sticks. After the hike we had a picnic lunch and didn't end up getting home until early evening.

This week promises to be another really busy one, but we have some fun events that I am looking forward to. Unfortunately I have to make a Doctors appointment for Midge as her Eczema is flaring up horribly. It's worse than it has ever been and I am afraid there may be a couple of spots on the back of her legs that are infected. We've been using her steroid cream and up until now it's kept it under control, but for some reason it's becoming more resistant. I feel so sorry for her and I'm hoping they can give me something that will give her some relief.

Oh yeah, and how 'bout them Rockies. There goin' all the way, I just know it!

LOL

Boo laughed. A real, straight from the belly, full on chuckle. Totally spontaneous. I was talking to her and telling her what a cute little chub she was. I went in for a kiss on her double chin and there it was. Even better the King and all the kids were in the room to hear. Everyone got a real kick out of it. It's funny how something so small can change the whole dynamic of a day.

300

This is my 300th post. Wow time really flies when you have nothing better to do than document your daily life online. Really though I am approaching my blogaversary. It seems like I just started blogging and a whole year has gone by. Too weird.

Things have been demanding around here. So much to do, so little time. I know you've heard it a million times. Doesn't make it any less true though. Soccer, Daisies, Youth Group, School, change diapers, referee toddlers, lather, rinse, repeat.

Speaking of refereeing toddlers, Midge has gotten fairly aggressive lately. I mean if you call biting, hitting, and pulling hair aggressive. For now, whenever she displays any of the afore mentioned behaviors, I put her on the uh-oh chair. Too bad she loves the uh-oh chair. I think she feels like a "big girl" sitting in it. What to do, what to do. Do they have a scared straight program for toddlers?

Just Dropping in ....

To say, it works. It works, it works, it works! I couldn't wait any longer. I put batteries in the camera pressed the switch and it came on. As far as I can tell we are back in business. I hereby promise to take and post as many pictures humanly possible in honor of the little camera that could!

Please Work

Would you believe it if I told you I slept awful last night because I was so worried about my camera? I checked on her several times, lying there all pitiful looking. I'm going to follow the advice I have been given both through comments and online searches and give her a few more days before I try anything. Several times today the perfect picture taking opportunity has presented itself and in a moment of forgetfulness I've run to get the camera and than remembered she's down and out. I take several pictures a day, this is like some kind of rehab and I'm definitely experiencing withdrawals.

While I was up last night worrying I turned the t.v. on and just happened to see that tickets to Hannah Montana are selling for $4500 a pop. It's insane. It's sad too, there are so many little girls who would love to see her perform, but who can make out that check? There has to be some way to regulate the scalpers.

Ahh well I am off to run Chiggie to soccer, youth group, and swing by the store. Keep up the positive thoughts for my beloved camera.

Why Me?

Today was the last day of fall break. We went swimming just to get out. I shouldn't have asked Tea to bring me the camera. Not so close to the water. She didn't know any better. Plop. I was able to salvage the memory card. Not sure about the camera. She's in recovery right now. AKA lying on a towel in the kitchen draining. I haven't even tried to power her up as I am terrified she'll short out. Ughhh, major bummer but completely my fault.

It's On Now

Today was chilly. Sweatshirt chilly. We've ordered our wood, laundered the winter clothing, and tomorrow I will be putting the electric blankets on. I don't know if I'm ready for this.

All About Midge

Midge. What can I even say. Of all the girls she has absolutely by far changed the most in the last few months. The other day we were at Wal- Mart (shocking I know) and the cashier asked me how old my baby was. I told her she was 19 months old. It took me a second to realize that she meant Boo not Midge. But it just goes to show, to me Midge is still such a baby. The truth is she is really transforming into such a toddler.

The list of things she can do is endless. I don't think she ever really sits down from the time she is up until she goes down kicking at screaming at night. She's picky about everything. Who holds her, who looks at her, what she'll eat, wear, etc. Her sense of humor is great, but definitely on her own terms. She's sensitive and has her feelings hurt easily. Sometimes I feel sorry for her being caught in the middle all the time. She's not the littlest baby in our family, but she gets left out of the older girls activities a lot too.

Her vocabulary has really expanded in the last month or so. She says Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, TT, Baby, Kitty, Ball, Hi, Bye Bye and many many more. Anything we say, she can repeat. She has a cute little lisp and thanks to having older sisters her grammar is a little off too. She'll say yeah vs. yes, huh, and several others. Instead of saying uh-oh she says uh-mmmmmm uh-mmmm over and over until whatever she sees is fixed or at least recognized. One of her new favorite things to do is look at books about animals or play with animal toys. She knows most of her animal sounds and is fairly amused with herself. That's okay though cause we're pretty amused too.

We have to really watch her as she has no fear what so ever. She's the most accident prone of the 3 older girls. In fact last night we learned that you really can, if you hold your mouth just right and fall at exactly the right angle, bite through your cheek. Luckily she was left with some swelling and a tiny hole and no major malformations. Sadly this is nothing new for her. Within a few minutes she was back up running around and laughing. I'm excited to share the Holidays with her this year when she's really aware of what's going on. She makes me happy and I'm glad she's mine.

Fall Break

Chiggie is on fall break from school from today until Wednesday. I don't mind, in fact I enjoy having her home all day, but it seems like they have a lot more "vacation" days then we did when I was a kid. Next week they go Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and then they're off again on Monday. I feel sorry for people who work and have trouble finding or affording reliable care for their kids on such a regular basis.

We plan to spend this break just relaxing. Soccer tomorrow, Church Sunday, and then maybe the park one day and swimming another. We're still doing our best to stay as active as possible. I still haven't committed to a diet or "lifestyle change" yet. I'm having a little bit of trouble finding the motivation. Plus this time of year is hard with all the Holiday baking and big get togethers that revolve around food. Now or never though, I know.

Here are some things I really want to post about soon:

• Midge's speech, she has really started to talk
• The girls and how they interact with one another
• My plans for the Holidays

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Chiggie's 1st year. We went all out and bought her this lady bug costume. We actually went trick or treating and everything. She was 4 months old.

Chiggie's 2nd year she was an elephant(adorable) but I cannot find the picture right now. This is her 3rd year and she was a care bear. We were living in Florida and it was really hot and humid. Very unseasonal.
This was Chiggie's 4th year and Tea's 1st year. Chiggie was a cowgirl and Tea was a bunny. It was our first year back in Colorado and it snowed. Brrrr!
Chiggie's 5th year and Tea's 2nd year. Tinkerbell and Snow White. This year was an absolute blast. I was pregnant with Midge and loved indulging in the goodies. We participated in several community events and the girls really got into it.
Chiggie's 6th year, Tea's 3rd year, and Midge's 1st. Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, a Care Bear, and a Kitty. Another really fun year. This was the first year that they really got into the trick or treating. They came home with buckets full of candy.

Who Me?

Boo Who?

10 Weeks 1 Day



Boo. It's so hard to describe her with words alone. She's a chunk that's for sure. She has also perfected the art of sleeping. It is her true love and she spends as much time doing it as she possibly can. She has the ability to sleep through just about anything, not that our house is noisy, of course not. I would say eating comes in a close second. If she has to wait a little longer than she finds acceptable then she will eat super fast and throw it all back up as if to say 'see what you've done to me.'



I recently realized that while referring to her as Boo I have neglected to explain where the nick name came from. Well...... when I was pregnant we decided that she was officially the last Dauk baby. No more for us. She makes us feel complete, whole, perfect if you will. So really she is our Ca"boo"se. The end of the Dauk train. Boo for short.

Happy Hauntober!

I am so excited that it's October. I love this month! We have several festive activities planned, pumpkin patch, apple picking, trick or treating. It's fun to have all of that to look forward to. I should be back tonight with a 10 week update on the Boo and some pictures. I just wanted to share my excitement.