A little Perspective

I have been following the blog nieniedialogues.blogspot.com for a few months now. I found a link for it on my sister-in-laws, sister-in-laws (wow that's confusing!) blog a while back and have been follow it since. The blog is Stephanie Nielsons. Her and her husband were in a plane crash back in August and they were both burned, her over most of her body. They also have 4 little kids. I love reading her entries. It puts life into perspective - in particular for me her latest entry on March 23, 2009 - A Mother. Our families problems and struggles suddenly become much smaller. It is amazing to watch someone slowly overcome trials you could never imagine facing. Click the button above to read for yourself.

Seven Months Today

I can't believe it. She's 7 months. My mom and I took her in to get her pictures taken last week. I have taken each of our kids to get their pictures the week they sat up. All of them for some reason, my parenting or genetics not really sure, have sat up at 6 1/2 months. We have all of their 6 1/2 month picures up on the shelves in our family room. It is fun to see them all at them same age and see their similarities and differences. Leah is looking more like Ellie as she grows, but still has a little look of her own.

So as for her latest tricks:
1. She is sitting up all on her own (as stated above)
2. She is finally rolling, although rarely does it. She is content to stay put most of the time, which is fine by me.
3. She has learned to put her binky in all by herself which she seems very proud of.
4. She has become very aware of who she knows and who she doesn't. At times she will break out in tears if someone she doesn't know tries to hold her. She was as happy as could be getting her pictures taken until the photographer tried to pick her up and them panic stuck her face. STRANGER DANGER!!
5. She is by far our happiest and most content baby. None of our kids have been hard babies, but she wins the prize for the most delightful.

Cousins

Leah is lucky enough to have a cousin, Adalie, who was just born a few weeks before her. It was nice to have someone to endure the pregnancy with, both to marvel and complain, and now have 2 little girls who already have a little friend for life. It is exciting to watch them grow and change together. I can already picture the two of them running around causing all sorts of havoc. We were excited to get a call from Britta today with a request to watch Adi and Kayla (who is just a few weeks younger than Noah). Here are a few pics from our day.

Pay It Forward

Jeff and I went to dinner with some long lost friends on Monday night. We all worked at Kmart together in our younger years ended up being great friends. It was fun to catch up and reminisce about old times. I got this off of their blog today. I can't wait for my prize; hopefully I don't have to wait the entire 365 days - no pressure Leslie. So, who will be the lucky 3 to receive a gift from me??

Rules
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!
2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along.Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! SO, REMEMBER...Pay It Forward!

Don't Assume Anything

So today was hectic - but I am not going to lie, most days are hectic anymore. Today, however, went something like this:


Get up

Get Ellie and Noah up, ready, fed and out the door to catch the bus by 8:10

Unload the dishwasher and load the washer

Bathe, feed and dress Leah and Carter

Take a shower and make myself look presentable

Play GeoTrax with Carter

Fix Carter a peanut butter sandwich

Load Carter into Steph's car for preschool carpool (phew - a break!)

Wait for Noah to get home

Load Noah and Leah into the car

Go get blood drawn to make sure my thyroid is still doing what it is supposed to (UUgh)

Hit Sam's club with the 2 kids - who behaved expectionally I would like to say

Load the kids and groceries into the car

Drive home

Unload the kids and groceries from the car

Feed myself, Noah and Leah

Lay Leah down for a nap (phew - another break!)

Staighten up.

Accept the request to watch the neighbors little boy while she runs to the store

Greet Ellie at the door

Visit with mom who stopped by to pick up Ellie and take her to dance

Watch all the boys playing outside in the front yard

Watch my neighbor pull up and see her little boy,whom I have been watching, run home to her (this one is important to the story!)

Say goodbye to Ellie and mom

Straighten up

Look up camp sights on the computer to reserve for this summer

Realize I am going to late picking Ellie up from dance and PANIC

Yell at kids to get in the car

Wake Leah up from her nap to go (HATE that!)

Frantically leave

Pick Ellie up from dance

Pick up take and bakes

Get home

Get call from neighbor laughing and telling me that her little boy, who I had watched earlier that day, was still in my basement playing when I left to get Ellie............oh dear!


How this happened is still unclear! Our house is busy. There are always neighbor kids, and my own kids, coming in and out. Typically however, I know who is in and who is out. Or at least I thought so. Evidently little Hayden was in, when I thought he was out.
So I learned:

Don't assume you know who is in and who is out!
Don't assume your kids know who is in and who is out!
Don't assume that when you see Hayden run home to his mom, that he won't come back to play without you knowing!
Don't assume when you are frantic and yelling that it is time to leave ALL the kids in the house will come running!

I have learned quite a bit after being a mom for 8+ years. I suppose that this lesson would be don't assume anything! Before I was a parent I thought I had it figured out. How hard could it be?? I remember working at Kmart and watching moms and kids shopping and thinking - 'my kid will never do that'. I have eaten my words many times. If I was asked 8+ years ago if I would leave a child unknowingly unattended in my house I would have said no way. Again, I eat my words. I find myself doing and saying many things I never though I would. I find things flying out of my mouth that 8+ years ago in my confident and naive state would not have thought necessary to explain such as: 'don't put your head in the toilet', 'stop peeing in the backyard', 'stop hitting the neighbor's tree with a bat', etc. etc. etc. Motherhood is an unpredictable humbling experience!!

Thank goodness little Hayden was not scared. In fact he was unaware that he was even alone, until 1/2 hour after I left and his sister was relentlessly ringing the doorbell, which he decided to answer. Thank goodness his mom has a sense of humor and understands what it is like raising 4 kids. All I could tell her is that I was glad that he feels at home in our house!

VALENTINE Week Festivities

1. On Tuesday we made valentines boxes for school which the kids always love to do. Carter chose cat and dog stickers to decorate his and Ellie used sparkly glitter paper (which already had adhesive on the back, which made it PERFECT). Noah used some blue glittery paper, and then wrote "LOVE' around the outside of his box several times. He later scribbled them all out when he realized that the other Kindergartners at school would see it. I guess he is not ready to reveal is sensitive side quite yet!

2. Great grandma sent the kids cards with $5 each in them and then Jeff and I a card with $10. I told them that we could pool all the money and hit Famous Dave's on Friday night for a Valentine family dinner. Everyone was on board except Noah, who was hoping to spend it on more Pokemon cards. (FYI, I Hate Pokemon cards. I find them all over my house. He bought a huge box of them at a garage sale last summer for $2 and then Jeff brought him another huge box when he went to China. He is not in need of ANY more!) We convinced him to chip in his 5 bucks when we told him his other alternative was to come along and watch us eat. Famous Dave's is his favorite restaurant, so we were pretty sure that tactic would work. While at dinner the kids began to question where all the animal heads and antlers came from that are hanging around the restaurant. Jeff told them that it is what is left of the food they serve at the restaurant. Seriously.....these poor children! It was a fun filled night complete with more barbaque sauce on their clothes than in the bellies.

3. My mom was nice enough to watch Kerry's kids in the day and than ours at night on Valentines Day. Jeff and I met some friends for dinner and a movie for a much needed kidless night. We had spent the day shopping for new glasses and clothes for Jeff, which with 4 kids in tow is always a BLAST! With most of our patience spent at the store, I am sure they had much more fun with Grandma that night then they would of with us. Date night is a cherished cherished thing!

4. Last but not least is what is to come. Once again, my mom is taking pity on us and coming to stay with the kids overnight next Saturday so Jeff and I can get away. 24 hours of just him and I is more exciting than I can put into words.

I can't wait!

A Valentine Kiss for Leah

Guess who's 6 month's today?

You guessed it. Miss Leah

Here are a few things she is doing to pass the day:

1. Sleeping like a champ -12 hours each night. Wahooo
2. Starting to eat solids, but not loving them as much as I anticipated.
3. Not rolling over - just laying there.
4. Gaining weight - all 19 lbs of her. She is definitely in the heavy weight division at the moment!.
5. Learning her name.
6. Loving her siblings.
7. Smiling, laughing and giggling.
8. Growing more crazy monkey hair.
9. Splashing the the tubby - her favorite thing.
10. Pulling her socks off and playing with her piggies.

What a life!
Happy 1/2 Birthday baby girl.