You Decide

In our family you either get the legs of a body builder or bird legs. What do you think?

What a Week

This week has been crazy. Not normal crazy, but above and beyond crazy. We've had two kids throwing up, dentist appointments and procedures, snow, sleepless nights, and much, much more. Most importantly we've persevered. It gets old really fast though. I though spring would bring with it nice weather and a prompt end to all of this sickness. So far, not the case.

On the bright side my root canal went great. The only pain I felt at all was the shot to give the numbing medication. From there on out it was just staring at the popcorn ceiling listening to a mixed tape from the 90's. Oddly very relaxing.

This weekend is also promising. We're going out to dinner on Friday for the King's birthday (on the 5th) and then we'll be busy on Saturday with Blossom Festival activities. Thank goodness because I am about to go stir crazy. I promise to take lots of pictures and share very soon.

6 Weeks

This post could also be titled "How many sisters does it take to help with a pacifier??"

He's a very loved baby, what can I say.

6 weeks seems like a huge milestone. No matter how many times I have done this it never ceases to amaze me how fast the time goes. One minute you think you're going to have a nervous breakdown if you don't have the baby very soon and the next you're sitting there holding your 6 week old baby. Here are a few things about him I never want to forget:

• He has gorgeous, big, blue eyes.
• His tiny chub rolls on his thighs.
• His exaggerated 'pick me up right now' cry.
• The bed head he has in the morning.
• His long feet and tiny toes.

Let's face it, this baby has captured the hearts of our whole family. We love you Buster!

Art Show

Some of Chiggie's artwork was selected for her school's art show this weekend. Her art was on display at the art museum downtown and we all enjoyed going to see it. I'm so proud of how talented and well rounded she is!

Grumpy

The King is on an emergency run to Wal-Mart for Mylicon drops. I can't believe we don't have any in the house but we don't. It seems Mr. Buster has a bit of a tummy ache tonight. Or at least I think he does. He is grumpy, that's for absolute sure. The only way he's happy is if I am swaying him singing "Baby" by Justin Bieber. Yes, only that song works, and yes I know the words. What has become of me????

Friday

Today was just a good day. I didn't get much accomplished as far as housework goes, but we did have fun. I took the kids to see the movie How to Train Your Dragon. It was cute and they really liked it. I was amazed at how easy it was to have all 5 kids at the theater. The hardest part was finding a place where we could all sit together. The baby slept the whole time. As long as he is being held he's happy so that part was really easy.

After we got home I ordered pizza for dinner and we had a relaxing evening. Afterwards I took the baby with me and went grocery shopping. I used to hate to grocery shop but now I just enjoy getting out of the house for a little while. I also like seeing all of the spring/summer stuff out.

Tonight the King and I watched the movie The 4th Kind, and holy cow it was freaky. I don't really have much of an opinion on those things, but it was scary. I hate watching stuff like that right before bed. I hope I sleep tonight.

Sittin' Pretty

We sat Buster in the Bumbo for the first time the other day and he really loved it. He likes to be positioned upright so he can see everything that's going on. He's not really ready to sit in it for very long at all, but long enough to take a really cute picture.

Today has been a long day. It started off wrong when I went to throw in a quick load of towels and my washer started sparking and flames shot from the lid. Very uncool. I of course panicked. The thought of taking 7 people's worth of laundry to the Laundromat was not appealing. Then, just before lunch I remembered that Chiggie had specifically requested a cold lunch today and I had forgotten.

Luckily both problems ended up being easily solved. There were some loose wires on the washer. My Step-Dad came by on his lunch break and fixed that. The towels are now safely drying. As for the lunch, I packed one quickly and made it to the school in time. Tea ran it in to the office for me. She is really growing up. One of the benefits to having an older sister is she knows the school so well that she won't be nearly as nervous for Kindergarten. Anyway, in the end it all worked out. I'm working on being more flexible, but it's not always easy.

There is no school here tomorrow so I'm taking the kids to see a movie. It will be interesting, but my Mom and Sisters are coming too so we'll have lots of help. Then the King has Sunday off and we're all excited for that. It will be so nice to have help on Sunday morning!

Dentist Appointment and More Cuteness

I had a dentist appointment today. I've needed to go pretty much forever, but always had a reason not to. Money, pregnancy, time, etc. It's amazing what a motivator pain can be though. Once I started having that I went ahead and made the appointment. It feels good to have my teeth really clean. I go back in a week for my 1st root canal. Yeah, I need a couple. Oddly I am excited. It will be nice to actually chew with both sides of my jaw again.

This sweet baby is getting huge! It could be the marathon nursing sessions he's been having. He will literally eat for a couple of hours right before bed. It does help him to sleep longer, but it absolutely wears me out too. He has also decided that anywhere other than Mommy's arms is completely unacceptable. I can't say I mind!

Spring Time

I think it is finally safe to say that spring has officially sprung. The roar of lawn mowers, floating pollen, and squirrels are all proof. We're enjoying it. With me being pregnant this winter felt especially long. It's nice to be outside again. I love that these two are now old enough to ride their bikes more independantly. As long as they stay together I feel comfortable with them exploring a bit. They don't cross any streets so theyr'e safe.
Tea humored me with a pose right after a pretty brutal crash. She is persistant and I love that about her.

Boo is just all around good natured. She enjoys just about everything we do. She's learning to ride Midge's old trike.

Sometimes Midge gets frustrated that she can't do the things the older girls can. She is close in age to Tea, but she's still only 4. She has become a pro at riding the scooter.

Boo's eye is looking a little better. Hopefully she won't get anymore injuries for a while.

This squirrel was bringing peanuts up onto our roof today. The girls thought it was hilarious when he walked across the skylight.

Taking a quick snack break. Rice cripy treats are a favorite around here.

I've been putting the baby in his crib for a few minutes each night while we get the girls tucked into bed.

He doesn't like to be in there very long at all. He knows when he's alone and he doesn't like it at all.
I even tossed him a little reading material, but he just wasn't having it.

A Good Day!

I woke up this morning to the weirdest feeling. Nothing. No pain at all. No sore throat, earache, sore muscles, etc. We didn't go to be early at all, maybe around 11:30, and I wasn't exhausted either. I got Buster and the girls ready for church and the weather was beautiful. The girls wore spring dresses and just needed light jackets.

We ate lunch at church and then came home to just hang out. The girls spent most of the afternoon playing outside. They jumped on the trampoline and rode their bikes. Now that they've been playing outside more they're sleeping better and night.

Buster and I hung out inside. I did several loads of laundry and straightened up the house.

When the girls came in they watched The Princess and the Frog and Chiggie worked on her HUGE stack of homework. She did miss 3 days of school last week but geez it's 2nd grade.

I have to share. We got the new pictures in and on the wall. I love the way it turned out. I actually got smaller individual pictures so I had to buy all new frames, but it's definitely worth it.

Boo Vs. Computer Desk

The other day Boo fell from the recliner and hit her upper cheek on the corner of the computer desk. She felt better when I gave her an ice pack.At first it didn't really look all that bad.Now...well she looks rough.

Who won? I'll let you be the judge!

1 Month

It's been a month. In some ways it feels so much longer and in others like the whole thing just happened. It's amazing how much changes the more kids you have. I'm not focused on milestones or anything like that. Of course I think I would notice if there were any delays, but mostly I just like watching him grow. He's changed so much already from birth. Definitely more filled out. He is very alert and always looking around. If I hold him facing out than he will look up to see me, it's very cute.

Strep Part II

Chiggie is unfortunately battling her 1st bout of strep throat. I feel bad because I was just there so I know how she feels. Poor kid just started her antibiotic today and doesn't feel a whole lot better. She started out with a headache on Monday. I'm really hoping tomorrow will be a better day. As of tomorrow she will have missed 3 days of school. We really need to get healthy around here this has been another rough early spring.

Pure Cuteness

For the Record

This post is mostly just a vent for my future records. Someday when I'm complaining I want to look back and remember that sometimes really are harder than others. I was just back at the doctor on Friday over the whole blood pressure/earache issue. Just when I thought I was closing this crazy chapter of my life I woke up today feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. At first I just assumed I had the same thing virus/cold that has been working its way through our family for some time now. I even went ahead and got everybody ready for church.

About 1/4 of the way through the service I knew it was just a little more serious than a virus. I was feeling nauseated, my body hurt, and I could hardly swallow. I went to the restroom and splashed some water on my face. It didn't help. I decided to leave. I took Buster with me but left the girls to enjoy Sunday school and my Mom offered to bring them home. I made it home, changed and took my temperature. It was 102.7 on Motrin. Ridiculous. I spent the rest of the morning sleeping with the baby. It was very restless as I was chilling horribly and my head and throat just hurt so bad. Now tonight my neck is killing me, my glands are swollen, I have a fever, and I'm pretty much just gonna go ahead and accept the fact that I have strep throat. For the first time in 16 years mind you.

Is this insane to anybody else. I know it could be so much worse, but this sickness stuff just feels like it has gone on long enough. I don't even remember what it feels like to be 100%. Top that off with never sleeping through the night and taking care of 5 kids during the day and holy cow I'm barely hanging on here. I just hope tomorrow, when I go to the doctor AGAIN, I finally get some relief!

A Party

Today was my little sisters' hampsters birthday party. Yes you read that right. We love to party soooo much that we even use the animals as an excuse. There were cupcakes and juice boxes, a hamster race, and party favors. The hamsters received gifts and were sung to. The girls had a blast.

Cabin Fever

Isolation is becoming a running theme in my life. It's not like there really is much of a choice when you have a newborn baby. It's different though when you have 4 older kids and a husband that works 7 days a week. The walls are closing in. Combine that with the fact that it has been a long winter and it's a sure fire recipe for cabin fever. The problem is there really aren't a lot of things to do in this little town. Especially kid friendly things. I'm not even really comfortable taking the baby out much at this point, but a little fresh air might do us good. Well, now that I think about it we both have allergies and the "fresh" air might actually drive us crazy, but you know what I mean. Next week my friend from Florida is coming to visit and meet the baby. I'm so excited. It will be nice to have someone to talk to for a few days.

Sleep

Or absolute lack thereof. So far this is my biggest obstacle. When to sleep?? For one thing, the baby chokes when he is lying flat on his back. We even bought an air-flow head elevator and it didn't help. Plus he has allergies and if he's not propped up he gets congested really easily. Congested and choking just really isn't my style. He will not sleep in his infant seat or car seat either. In fact he hates his car seat along with riding in the car. What does he like you ask? Well, hanging out right in Mom's arms, preferably nursing of course. This is fine most of the time, but I am beginning to feel the effects of very little sleep. I have to be up at 6:30 to get Chiggie to school on time and once the girls are up any chance of sleeping is over anyway. Hopefully he starts sleeping for longer stretches soon so that I can too!

3 Weeks

I must say he is darn cute, but demanding as well. When it's time to eat it is TIME to eat. He doesn't like to wait at all. I don't blame him really, but sheesh I can't always just drop everything at a moments notice. The nights are long and short all at the same time. Long in the sense that every time I wake up I can't believe it's only been 2 hours since I was up last. Short in the sense that before I know it it's morning and I'm exhausted. I'm nearly positive he's up over 8 pounds now and some of his little bitty pj's are almost getting too short for him. He's growing much faster than any of the girls ever did.

His novelty with the girls hasn't worn off at all. They still absolutely adore him. They're used to him now, but if they don't see him first thing in the morning they want to know right away where he is. It makes me happy to see that they share the same love for him that I do. I finally caved and bought a Moby Wrap and I love it. He seems to like it so far too. I just really needed something for walks and when I'm trying to do light housework. This way we're both happy.

I had a doctors appointment today to have my blood pressure checked again. Unfortunately it was 150/110 so I had to go on medication. Hopefully that helps and I don't have to take it for long. Other than that I really feel pretty much back to normal. I know I need more sleep, but that will come I'm sure.

Happy Easter

Today went amazingly well. Accept for the part where our bedroom ceiling collapsed, buy hey other than that it really did go great. We were up in plenty of time for the girls to Easter egg hunt, enjoy their baskets, and get ready for church on time. The Easter Bunny was even practical and left a basket full of milk storage bags and diaper wipes for the baby! The girls thought that was pretty funny.

We made it to church early. It felt good to be back. I haven't been since I was put in the hospital the week before the baby came. He was dedicated today which was nice as well. After we got home we made a nice lunch of ham, potatoes, rolls, asparagus, and deviled eggs. My Mom , Step-Dad and little sisters joined us. I ate way too much, but of course have no regrets. Overall it was a wonderful day to celebrate the 2nd chance we've all been given. I hope everyone else had a great day as well!

Ready or Not

Today was kind of stressfull and I hate that. Not that it was stressfull, but more how I let myself react to the stress. Life is unpredictable and I need to be more flexible. I know this and I plan to work on that. Here are the baskets all ready for the bunny.
The King and the girls colored eggs while Buster and I were spectators this year.

Appointments

Today was by far the busiest day we've had around here since the baby came. He and I had to be up at 6:30 this morning just to start getting ready. His appointment went great. He weighed in at a whopping 7#8ozs and is 19 1/4 " long. Obviously growth is not a problem. He was even cooperative for the rest of the exam. He doesn't have to go back until he's 2 months old and then he'll get his first set of shots.

My appointment was a little more complicated. It turns out my ear is no longer infected. The problem is my ear drum is now dull, discolored, and inverted. The doctor couldn't even get it to budge at all. Normally they try a high dose of steroids and if that doesn't work tubes is always an option. I've already had tubes though, so I'm not completely sure that would even help. Unfortunately I can't have the steroids because my blood pressure is too high. It was 170/110 in the office today. I could take medication for the blood pressure possibly allowing the steroids but that medication isn't safe while breast feeding. Why do things have to be so complicated. I have the option of pumping for 4-5 days while taking the meds and then going right back afterwards. It would be frustrating to quit nursing just to take a few days of unsafe medication.

Then again pumping around the clock for 5 days does seem overwhelming. I HATED the 24 hrs that I had to do that. I have another appointment next Friday at 11 and have to decide by then. I'm really too tired to even think about it right now. When my ear isn't hurting it seems like no big deal, but when it starts bugging me, usually at night I want it fixed right away. Again, why is nothing ever easy??