Living in a Bubble

I made a vow to my husband a few days ago (after seeing the baby wipe commercial) that I would not put Madeleine in a bubble to keep her from getting dirty.

I am ready to put her in a bubble...and all the boys...but not because of them getting dirty. I am ready to put us all in a bubble because of this Swine Flu!! Scarey stuff!

Forgotten Lunch

It was Bryce's turn to watch for the bus this morning. Usually, this does not go well. He doesn't like to watch for it and he usually plays at the kitchen sink instead of watching. Today he did not mind, though, because he had a field trip.

I was getting ready to leave this morning and saw his lunchbox hanging on the drawer knob in the kitchen. When they forget their lunches I usually wait until after 9 to take it to the school, so I am not in the crowd of people dropping kids off and kids in the office, etc. I got to the school at about 9:15 to drop off the lunch.

As I was pulling into the parking lot, I remembered today was his field trip. Yep, they had already left! I asked what they would do if he didn't have a lunch and if I should take it by the park. They called his teacher. He actually thought to tell her BEFORE they left that he forgot his lunch, so she got an extra bagged lunch from the office (the schools here will fix bagged lunches for field trips - probably because of the number of kids on free or reduced lunches).

This would be the day he forgets his lunch!

Daddy's Girl, No Doubt

When Paul got home this evening I was feeding Mady. After I finished feeding her and burping her I went to lay her down while we ate. Paul asked if she was asleep as soon as I laid her down and I told him she was. "So, I can't hold her?" he pouted? "I really want to hold her!"

He ended up holding her while he ate dinner.

I am amazed at how quickly she became a Daddy's girl. No matter how upset she is, she hears her Daddy's voice and her world becomes a happier place.

I am not as amazed with how quickly he became wrapped around her finger. But, I love watching every minute of it!

Another Redneck Olympic Game

Elbow Blowing (or Elbow Farting): the boys are apparently all competing in this one this evening. Andrew, for a while now, has liked to run around and make farting noises and then yell "Daddy" with a wrinkled up face (trying to make everyone think it's Daddy).



They make a Mom SO proud!!

Redneck Olympic Games

Papa and Daddy started what we are calling the Redneck Olympic Games with Andrew last week. Here are a few of the games in the olympics and we seem to add more and more every day.

Tractor Ramping: he rides his John Deere tractor up a wood ramp and jumps it

Ladder Sliding: They took a 6 foot ladder and put a board on the second from the top step. Andrew would climb up the board and slide down it. I have a video of this one I will put online when I get a chance.

Diaper Surfing: he takes his bag of diapers and puts them on the rug in the living room, then he stands on it and pushes himself off using the couch

Diaper Derby: We have a small television that was in Mady's room. Paul set it on the living room floor yesterday to get it out of the way in there. I asked Andrew to take his wet diaper and Mady's wet diaper to the trash. Instead he put them both on the top of the tv and pushed them off the back. His falls much quicker than hers (and has much more mass than hers!!).

Baby Gate Scramble: This is the newest...I JUST found him doing it. Mady was crying and I went to check on her. He had climbed to the top of the gate and was trying to figure out how to get himself OVER it and into her room. This is the first time I have used the baby gate since she came home and it has only been up for about 30 minutes. Don't guess that will work for long with a monkey in the house!

Day One....So Far

So far, day one alone is going pretty well. We had to put up the baby gate whereever she is sleeping to keep Andrew out. Yesterday he climbed into her crib with her and was trying to get her to drink his milk out of his cup. While he did that, Bryce was trying to shove a pacifier in her mouth.

Why did I think I could go to the bathroom while Paul was outside and her door was open?

Lesson learned.

The only other "problem" we are having is that Andrew won't stay out of her swing and he is too big for it!! And he is still giving LOTS of kisses...which is fine, but we have to continue to work on how rough he is!!

Withdrawl

Andrew is going through Papa and Marmar withdrawl. Saturday when they took them to the airport Andrew called for Papa the whole way home and then came home and looked all over the house for him. Off and on all day Saturday and Sunday he would walk around the house saying "Marmar? Papa? Marmar? Papa?"

Yesterday we drove by the park where Papa had been taking Andrew every day. Andrew starts yelling "Papa par!" over and over.

This morning, at breakfast (which Papa and Marmar had fixed every morning for the last two weeks), he again starts "Marmar? Papa?"

Pictures of Madeleine

A Loss in the Family

Friday our Cocker Spainel, Trip, was acting kind of funny. He has gotten "depressed" before when he has been put outside for any length of time. He was put outside during Spring Break and we made him stay out.

He went several days without barking...which is really unlike him and we again thought he was depressed about being outside. Friday while Paul was out mowing, Trip did not run around at all. This is really unlike him and we began to be concerned about him.

Saturday morning, I looked out the window and did not see him so Paul went out to check on him. He had died.

We have had problems with him several times in the past trying to eat toads in our yard (along with lizards and anything else that moved). Because of his drugged state he appeared to be in Friday, we think he ate a toad. They apparently have a poison in their skin. We don't know what else it could have been.

We have been expecting to be a dog less soon, but HE was not the one we were expecting lose.

FIrst Trip to the Store with FIVE Kids

We do our grocery shopping early Sunday mornings. Our Walmart is always pretty busy and this is when we have found to be the calmest time on weekends. This morning we did our first grocery shopping trip with five kids.

I can't really take Madeleine's stroller when we got get groceries because it takes up too much of the back of the vehicle. So, we used to buggies. We were quite the train going around corners....a buggy with Mady and Bryce in it, Mommy, two boys, a buggy with Andrew and Daddy. Luckily the boys all did better than they normally do, so it was not that bad of a trip. I think I will try to go back to doing grocery shopping on weekday mornings though when we don't have everyone with me!

We moved Andrew to the back seat of my car. The middle row is two captains seats and a console in between. It is going to be a pain having him in the last row when it is just me and the two kids going any place. He seems to like it back there though - for now.

Thanks for the Help!!

We just want to thank Papa and Marmar for all their help the last couple of weeks. Papa came down the week the boys were on Spring Break. They had such a great Spring Break, especially compared to what they would have been doing if they were home alone with me! Papa took them on 3 or 4 walks around the neighborhood everyday, took them to the park everyday and played outside with them in between walks and parks. I was able to do very little the week before Mady came thanks to him.

Marmar came in last Saturday morning. We planned on spending Sunday going over the boys routines and school, bus, homework schedules. We are glad she came Saturday and not Sunday! We had no idea that we would end up waking up late Saturday night in labor!

They did an awesome job taking care of the kids, even after we came home. I was able to nap when I felt I needed to and did little to no housework. It was nice to be able to spend some time recovering and getting to know our new Princess and definently helped with the adjustment period with the boys. They were able to get lots of attention.

Andrew will be knocked back into reality this week, I am afraid. I am still not feeling 100%, so he is going to go from being outside all day with one on one attention from Papa and Marmar to being stuck in the house most of the day, with Mom and Madeleine, until Daddy gets home from work. Thank goodness it is a four day week for Daddy!

Friday evening, Emily came to visit. She got here late Friday and went home early today. I am so glad to have gotten to see her, although I am afraid it was probably the most boring visit ever! I was in and out of sleep on the couch most of yesterday. Not great company for sure. Thanks for your help while you were here, though Em....we really enjoyed seeing you.

Andrew's Two Year Appointment

Andrew has his two year old well child checkup when Mady went for her checkup last week. He weighed 27 POUNDS!!!! He was 34 3/4 inches tall. He is right above average for height and right at average for weight. Remember this is the kid that was in the bottom 5% for weight for a long time!

Everything looked good. He still has his tubes in his ears. He had to get one shot (which Daddy got to hold him down for for once!!!). He cried when they did the shot, but was smiling at the nurses and telling them bye by the time Daddy picked him back up.

His growth has amazed us. He seems even bigger now that Madeleine is here. She seems really tiny, he seems really big!

No food restrictions anymore. He has been doing great since we put lactose back in his diet and he is loving getting to have ice cream and everything his brothers get.

One Week Old

Madeleine is a week old. She has adjusted very well. She is sleeping through the night for the most part. If she wakes up in the middle of the night it is only once or twice to eat and she goes right back to sleep.

During the day she is still sleeping a lot, but she is starting to stay awake more. She smiles all the time. I don't care if it is gas smile or a smile because she wants to smile....I love seeing it! When she does get mad though...she gets MAD!!! She came out screaming in a way I don't think I had heard from ANY of the kids. She has some lungs and is not afraid to show their capabilities if she does not get what she wants when she wants it.

She hates being undressed and having diaper changes, but she also hates having a dirty diaper on. Since she is still a newborn and is breastfeeding, we have LOTS of dirty diapers!

The only problem we are really having right now is that she does not burp after she eats. This is causing some major upset tummies. We have tried SO many different ways of holding her and attempting to burp her, but nothing is working. Mylicon is our friend!

I still cannot get used to having a GIRL. When she went to her first drs appt this week and I was filling out her paperwork I kept trying to mark male when they asked male or female. Just a while ago I told the boys to find something quiet to do while their brother and sister sleep. Still seems wierd to say sister!

As far as Andrew adjusting goes, I think the worst is to come! Papa was here for the last two weeks and Marmar was here for a week. They kept him very busy and gave him LOTS of attention. Now, not only is he going to be adjusting to a sister, he also has to adjust to not getting the undivided attention he was getting when his brothers were at school.

We have seen him act out some all week, but he does not really direct it at Madeleine. His biggest issue has been not minding. When you tell him to do something we are getting "no" a lot and when he does finally do it (IF he does) he usually has a pretty big attitude about it. He is super sweet to Madeleine though. He gives her kisses all the time. He is rough though! He lays across her to kiss her on the face. We are working on it and I am trying to spend LOTS of time with him when she is sleeping. When she is awake I try to get him to help me as much as he can to keep him busy and make him feel like I need his help.

I am somewhat concerned about what is going to happen next week. I am still not supposed to be picking up Andrew and he is good at getting "jello legs" when he doesn't want to do something. I am just going to try to keep Andrew on his routine and try and get Mady to adjust to his routine. We will see what happens.

First Check-up and Sleep Through the Night

Madeleine had her first check-up this morning. She is weighing in at 7 pounds even (she was 7 lbs 5 oz), so she has really not lost that much of her birth weight. She checked out perfect and the dr said she looked great.

She also slept through the night last night. Up until last night she had not slept very well. I woke her up twice to feed her last night, but spent more time trying to wake her than she spent nursing. Our pediatrician is one that believes you DO NOT wake a baby up to feed them, unless they are under weight or not growing well.

The only problem we are having with her so far is that she won't burp after she eats. This means tummy aches!! So, she gets fussy and gassy between feedings. We are trying all the different positions for burping, but so far not much is working. The best we got was a couple yesterday while walking around and bouncing her lightly while patting her back.

She goes back on the 4th for her two week check-up.

Pics of Boys at Hospital

Too Much Estrogen

Paul had to run a few errands this morning, to get my meds, send off some UPS packages, etc. He was asking Andrew if he wanted to go and Papa said he would go too. Paul says as they walk out the door "there is just too much estrogen in this house now!"

I still think we are REALLY outnumbered.

Baby Sister and Her Big Brothers

It was so great coming home last night. When I called and told Papa we were on our way he said he would get the kids to bed before we got there (it was close to bedtime). I told him they could stay up and we would put them to bed because I did not want all of the craziness that would come to come while they needed to be getting ready for school. He did not, however, tell them we were on our way home.

We opened the door and the boys all start jumping around excited. Everyone wanted to give us hugs, see Mady, ask questions, etc. I was glad I had them stay up. It was awesome seeing the boys with their sister. They are SO in love with her. We are seeing sides of the boys we rarely see. Such sweetness and gentleness. I guess it is not cool to be that way to your brothers!!

Caleb is continuously talking to Mady and rubbing her cheeks. He came in this morning and kissed her and said "hello my little sister, how are you this morning."

Isaac is being his normal sweet self. He wants to love on her and talk to her. Last night he just wanted to be near her. He was okay not to touch her or mess with her, but he wanted to sit near her.

Bryce is still trying to get over Mom and Dad being gone. Apparently it hit him hard Sunday night. He never cried or got overly upset, just quiet and withdrawn. I did notice Sunday when they came up to the hospital he stayed glued to my side. He did the same when I got home yesterday. He loves on Mady and talks to her and has been gentle with her. So far he has done great.

Andrew is still funny to watch with her. He REALLY wants to hold her (he hasn't gotten to yet). He goes about doing his normal thing and then he sees her and remembers about her. He calls her "Baby" all the time. He is trying to do the same things to her outside as he did when I was pregnant with her...like driving cars on her! All in all, he has done better than we thought he would do, both with accepting her and being somewhat gentle with her.

Caleb and his "Funnies" the Last Few Days

Caleb has been on a roll the last week or two with his mouth. Things like saying Papa was in his 60's....which is funny because Papa works out and has lost a lot of weight since he found out he was diabetic....to the first thing out of his mouth when Marmar got here Saturday was "you are white headed". He doesn't think before he speaks! So here are a few of the things that have come out of his mouth the last few days.

When the boys came to the hospital to visit Sunday I was lying in the bed. Caleb commented that I was skinny again (and also said that I was much prettier now than when I was pregnant...thanks DEAR).

This morning I was in the kitchen getting his picture ready (all of the boys HAD to take pictures of their little sister to show off). He patted my stomach and said "I guess you didn't get ALL THE WAY skinny yet."

He sure knows how to make a girl feel good!

As a threat to Caleb to make sure he did not miss the bus while we were at the hospital, I had told him that if he missed the bus I would make MarMar stand out there with him for the rest of the week. Caleb does not like ANYONE to stand outside with him when he is getting on the bus. I told him IF Marmar had to stand outside with him he would get embarrassed for sure because she likes to yell "Huggy huggy kissy kissy have a great day" as kids get on buses for school.

Yesterday morning he was standing outside waiting on his bus. Marmar walked outside (still in her pjs). Caleb walks in the house and says "Papa, you need to go tell your wife to get in the house. I have not missed my bus so she can't be out there!" (pointing his finger in demand the whole time). Papa told him that Marmar would come in before the bus got here, and she did.

While still in the hospital, Mady's foot was hanging out of her blanket. She had had her footprints done and still had some ink on the bottom of her feet. Caleb asked why she had "mixed skin".

A BOW....ON A GIRL....OUR GIRL!!!!

I found some headbands on ebay that I wanted Paul to order for Mady (I don't know the password to ebay and paypal). He kinda blew it off and I figured we would get to it when we do.

When he saw Mady today after the headband was put on her with her bow (for her hospital pic) he smiled and said "didn't you have some bows you wanted me to order?"

WRAPPED AROUND HER LITTLE FINGER!!!

Mady Meets Her Brothers

Mom and Dad brought the boys up to meet their sister earlier today. It was really a good day for them to come up here because there were not too many people here. Monday (when I was supposed to be induced) there were SIXTEEN scheduled inductions coming in between 3-7 am. So glad Mady had other plans!

Anyway, so the boys came up. They were SO excited to meet her. There were lots of questions as to why she came early, how she got out of my stomach (a fairy came with a wand and said "Mady come out" and POOF here she is!), where my tummy went, etc.

I got comments from Caleb about how it was okay for me to go in public now because I don't have a big belly. He also said I was much prettier without the big belly (he has been on a roll lately...told Papa he was in his 60s, asked Mom why she had white hair, etc).

They all had lots of questions about everything in the room, how things are done, why I had to wear a hospital gown, etc. It was a bit crazy. But, they were all so sweet to Mady. They all wanted to touch her and kiss her and play with her. They were loving on her continuously.

The cutest, though, was Andrew. He walked in the room and saw Mady. He looked at her and I told him it was Mady. He looked at my stomach, then looked back at her and back at my stomach. Then he got a huge smile and went after her. He kept patting her and saying "baby" or "Mady" over and over. He could not get enough of her. He was rough with her, but in a trying-to-be-sweet kinda way! He did a great job for a wild two year old! But he seems SO big now!!

While they were excited and I was probably a little irritable (havent slept in two days AT ALL), all in all they were pretty good. They were not running the halls or anything! They were boys, but even the nurse commented on how well behaved they were.

I am very proud of my boys and how excited they are about their little sister. I will post pictures of them with her during their visit shortly.

Labor

Last night, I went to bed feeling fine. I got up at about 11:30 to go to the bathroom and my water broke. I got in the shower and Paul realized I was gone and came to check on me. I frequently take showers in the middle of the night when my back is hurting. He asked if I was okay and I told him my water broke.

"WHAT?"
"My water broke"
"It did not....are you serious?"
"yes"
"What do we do?"
"I don't know, we have always been at the hospital well before this!"

I told him to take a shower and get ready and I called the dr. I was not having any contractions at this point.

Within an hour I had had a few contractions that were about 3 minutes apart. I had not heard back from the dr yet, so we decided to just head to the hospital. I did not want to lose my window of oppurtunity for an epidural and the only thing I had to go by was Bryce's delivery.

I went to tell Mom and Dad a few things about the kids and school. Mom was kicking me out the door. The weather was HORRIBLE on the way. I had to keep telling Paul to slow down and that we were fine. I had PLENTY of time when we got to the hospital.

The drs and nurses just loved the story of four boys and finally getting a girl. I told the dr if she came out a he to go find me a she before she gave me the baby!

She ended up having to be delivered with the help of forceps (that makes three of five babies). She was serious about the not liking lights!! It became the joke after we told the nurses and drs how she reacted to sun and flashlights on the belly! Luckily, though, there seems to be no bruises from the forceps :)

She still will not open her eyes if there are lights on. She has not left us since we delivered her this morning. They come to her if they need anything. I am sure tomorrow they will take her for hearing test, etc., but we were told Paul could go with her.

Well, I made it about 12 hours before I got pink on her. I did have her wrapped in a pink blanket though! She hates being unswaddled! She made a mess while we were changing her first diaper and the nurse forgot to bring us some more blankets.

They don't put tshirts on the babies here. They put disposable "gowns" on them. They velcro in the back, but don't stay velcroed. So she always had a gown around her face instead of her stomach. So, I put a tshirt on her. Pink and white stripes. The funniest part is, she was screaming when I unwrapped her to change her clothes. I put socks on her and she immediately stopped crying. She was unwrapped later when the nurse came in to check on her and she did not cry! She likes socks, I guess...which won't go well with the shoes I have gotten her!

She looks like a little girl now with all the pink on. Daddy and I are still amazed when we say her and she. You should have seen Daddy's face when she was dressed in all her pink. It HIT him!! He has a little girl! It was also VERY sweet when the dr delivered her and announced that she was indeed a girl. Such pride!

Introducing Madeleine Elizabeth...

Mady was born at 6:16 am. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She is very stubborn (like her Daddy) - which we already knew. She already sucks her finger or thumb, whichever makes it IN her mouth first.

We are very excited that she is, indeed, a GIRL and that the wait for her is over.

More pics to come when I get some sleep and am up to it! We have yet to go to sleep since last night!

At the Hospital.....Early

I am lying in a hospital bed....a little earlier than we anticipated, but this girl had plans of her own.

My water broke at about 11:30 last night. I had a few contractions, that were about three minutes apart, and after not hearing from the dr for a while decided to head to the hospital. Because this is the first time I have been home and gone into labor, I did not want to wait too long to go in. The only time I have gone into labor on my own was with Bryce, but I was already in the hospital. It was two hours first contraction to delivery with him....so I didn't want to take a chance.

On top of that, the weather is horrible. We were in the middle of heavy rain and very high winds. Didn't want to be deep in labor going through bad storms!

Paul was a little shocked when I told him my water had broke. Neither one of us really knew what to do, which is kind of sad since this is number 5 for us!

I am going to go rest between contractions. At four they will start giving me meds to move me along quicker.

Hiking Trip

Papa, Daddy and all four boys went on an all day adventure to a park right on the other side of the Mississippi border.

That's right....I had the WHOLE day to myself!

I spent some time shopping - alone! I don't remember the last time I did that. I spent the rest of the time trying to get everything ready for my stay in the hospital and bringing home a new baby.

The boys had a great time. You would think after hiking for 5 hours (literally - 5 hours) they would have been out in no time when they got to the car. NO ONE fell asleep in the car. Not even Andrew, and he HIKED over half way. Marmar would be proud. They taught him how to scoot where things were steep.

They all came in when they got home and told me about the snakes they saw (this is becoming a story I am tired of hearing...boys and danger - YUCK). I am ready to make them stay indoors all the time!

For some reason they had WAY too much energy still. Papa told them to wait outside until he got out of the Jeep and they would go for a walk around the neighborhood. He thought they would fight and say no. To all of the adults surprise they were ready to go! They didn't though.

The old men (Papa and Daddy) have taken their Aleve and are lounging comfortably now. The boys are in bed. If we are ALL lucky...they will sleep in in the morning.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Yeah right!

Snakes, Aliigators and.....Playgrounds?

Ever since we moved here the boys have been wanting to see an alligator in its "natural enviroment" (as Caleb puts it). The only place we have seen one is the zoo.

Today Papa took the boys to the playground down the road from our house. There is a playground, frisbee golf course and soccer fields. The playground is seperated by the fields by trees and a pond/creek. They were walking by the pond and Caleb noticed something that looked like an alligator. Papa thought it was a stick at first glance, but it started swimming.

They FINALLY got to see an alligator! They came home and one at a time came in yelling they saw an alligator. Caleb was first. He came in and said he saw it and I asked how big it was. "It was THIS big" he said with his hands about three feet apart.

Then Bryce came in yelling they saw it. I asked Bryce how big it was and he said "it was this big" with his hands seperated about six inches.

Isaac came in yelling about it and Papa and AJ were not far behind. When Papa came in I asked how big it was and he said it was about 18 inches long.

Last weekend Paul almost had a run in with a HUGE water snake. I am thinking I am not liking this playground much anymore. Maybe they need some "Beware of alligators and snakes" signs. Or....maybe it is a given in Louisiana to ALWAYS beware of alligators and snakes.

Papa is EVEN MORE awesome now because they were with HIM when they first saw a Louisiana alligator!

Caleb Knows Math

"Just one more decade and my Daddy will be FORTY!!"

OU-KEY

Instead of saying OUCHEY when Andrew has a boo-boo, he says OUKEY. He has spent so much time outside with Papa playing and running around that he has lots of boo-boos right now (he normally has quite a few anyway). He randomly stops what he is doing and comes up to me to show me his "oukey".

I love you is "Abu"

When most kids his age would be saying "mine" or "my" or "me" he says "I do" Or, if he sees you playing with something or eating something he wants he will run up to you and say "I do".

On the other hand, if it is something he doesn't want (whether you ask or not) he will say "I no do".

I love toddler language (especially when you figure out what is being said)!!

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!!

Today Paul turns 30!!! I keep giving him a bad time that he is 30 and I am still in my 20's. He just proudly annouces he is the older man chasing a 20 something (which is fine as long as I am the 20 something!!) We won't discuss that I will only be a 20 something for two more months, though.

I was going to take a cake to his office for him, but he is only working half a day. So, I was VERY glad to hear that one of the ladies at work put signs up all over the office that said Happy 30th Birthday Paul. He has had lots of people come and tell him they were working at that plant when he was getting his diapers changed (he is one of the "young ones" up there. I am glad that he is getting teased about it and even more glad that I stay home and he can't do anything like that to me on my birthday!!!

I love you Sweetie, and hope you have a great day!

I Could Get Used to This

It has been great having my Dad here to help. He got here Saturday afternoon and the boys have yet to calm down, but he has been SUCH a big help...especially yesterday when Paul was in Mississippi.

He took the boys on three walks around the loop in our neighborhood, which is no easy task when there are four boys - two on bikes, one on a scooter and one crazy toddler on a tractor going EVERYWHERE! I am not sure who wore out who the most. I do know that I had two kids take a nap yesterday though!

I must say it was hard to force myself out of bed this morning because no kids come in my room in the mornings. AJ did this morning, until he "found" Papa. He was in my room saying "Papa" and when he heard Papas voice in Mady's room he was gone.

They are on a walk now (except Bryce who was playing with his railroad and didn't want to go). I could get used to these little spurts of quiet and someone taking care of all the kids every need. I am sure I would quickly miss it though.

We appreciate all your help more than you know Papa!!

He's READY!

It is so funny that Paul is so on the edge of his seat with this baby. I guess because I have had contractions off and on for so long. Or maybe, it is because it is his little girl, I don't know, but he cracks me up.

Last night we didn't sleep well because I was tossing and turning with contractions. He knew I was taking my dad to the hospital today, just so he could see how to get there. When we got home I IM'd Paul and told him we went to the hospital. I get back a "YOU DID?" "oh"

It immediately dawned on him that I meant we went to show Dad where to go, but it was quite funny that he instantly thought I meant I went because I was in labor.

More From the Mouthes of Babes

Papa and the boys were out playing when I got home from the dr. They decided they were going to go for a walk around the loop around the neighborhood. After a bit, I heard the doorbell. It was Caleb giving me the mail.

He went back down to where Papa was and told him "I had to get the mail for Mom. She is about to go in labor any minute and doesn't need to be in public."

I am not sure if I should think that is sweet that he is taking care of me or if he is embarrassed by me!!

38 Week Appointment

I just got back from my LAST drs appt. ONE WEEK TO GO!!!

Her heart rate was around 145 bpm, and as always she was busy moving around the whole time. I have dialated to a 1 1/2 which is progress from the nowhere I was over a week ago, but not really where I want to be either. She still has not dropped.

The dr said she was not concerned because I have had four kids and never had a problem with induction, but if this was my first baby, she would probably want to wait a little longer to do the induction.

I have been having contractions this morning. Hopefully they are actually doing something!

Either way....I have to be at the hospital at 5 Monday morning....FIVE AM!!!! They were apologizing for it being so early. I told her the sooner I went in and got going the sooner I had her! I doubt much sleep would be gotten that night anyway!

AJ's Second Birthday

Here are the pictures from Andrew's birthday today. The cake part was much more interesting this year than last year. I put the cake in front of him to blow out the candle. He blew it out and then started knawing at the corner of the cake. When I tried to take the cake to cut it, we had a bit of a tug-of-war with it. He finally let go so we could all have some!

He also enjoyed the ice cream, although he kept getting brain freezes. He would take a bite, shake his head no and after a minute shake his head yes to let Daddy know he was ready for more. Oh, the faces he was making with it though.

We were so glad to have Popeye here with us for his birthday. Oh....Popeye is Papa. Andrew calls him Popeye instead of Papa. I don't know why....but it is funny!

I'll take that

Let me taste. YUM

Tug-of-war with the cake. It IS his birthday cake!

Brain freeze

Brain freeze

Happy 2nd Birthday Andrew

Andrew turned two today :(

Daddy shaved his head yesterday :(

He is looking and acting all little boyish now :(

I will post pictures and more later....gonna go play with him and his tractor.

SOLD!!!

We sold the house!!!!

Our counter-offer split the difference of what we were asking and what they initially offered. Their realtor called our realtor this morning and said that they did not want to pay that much and asked for $2000 more off. Our realtor said we would did not want to accept anything less than what we countered and her clients agreed to the price.

They got their preapproval letter yesterday. They are going to their realtor tonight to sign the paperwork.

We are trying to stay calm and not get to excited until closing, because things happen all the time that screw up house sells, but YAY!!!!! This is a HUGE stress off of us. They are wanting to close by May 15th....keep fingers crossed and prayers said that it all works out!

As previously mentioned, last Thursday...the REALLY bad day....our gate that goes across the driveway (the new one) broke. The wind blew so hard that it bent the brackets and the post the brackets were attached too.

The guy that put the fence/gate up was supposed to come out Friday. He is pulling the same stuff he pulled with the fence and he never showed up, never called. He had told me that if the gate was bent from the storm insurance would have to be called and a claim made, but he would come give us an estimate for the insurance company.

Down here, you don't make insurance claims unless you REALLY need too. Insurance is horrible here and it doesn't take much in the way of claims to get dropped. We would rather "save" our insurance for when we have hurricane damage or something a little more serious that a bent fence post.

Paul is going to try and fix it on his own because I refuse to give this guy another cent. If he can't fix it I will find another fence company, but I am pretty sure he can do it. Here is what the brackets and bolts that hold the motorized arm onto the fence post look like:

The brackets should sit flat against each other and the post and the screws are not supposed to be bent at all. This shows how strong the wind was that it just twisted them all and those are heavy thick metal brackets!!

This is what I found when Andrew was sitting a foot away from his Daddy. Luckily they were outside.

I immediately took him to the bath. We tried nail polish remover, soap, dish soap and oxy clean. The dish soap seemed to do the most. This was what we ended up with after the bath:

He got mad when I said we were getting in the bath and cried throughout the bath. I am not sure if he was mad that we were washing away his art work or that he could not rub off the black (he kept rubbing his knees).

Bus Drama

Bryce came home crying today because he did not get candy on the bus (Isaac did). I asked if he got in trouble on the bus and he said yes, but could not speak to where he could be understood. I told him to go to his room until he could calm down.

He just came out and said he was ready to tell me what happened. I asked what happened and he said someone told him to yell at the top of his lungs a bad word.

Yes.....we HAVE already been through this!!

I asked what word he said...he said "skit bull"

I can assume what he meant, but just like last time, the fact that he can't repeat the word is proof enough that someone TOLD him to say it.

He is still in trouble though. We have already been through this and he was told not to do something that someone tells him to do if they are not willing to do it themselves.

I am wondering if the two and a half to three hours a day I am saving NOT sitting in lines is worth all the stuff we put up with on the bus!

Another Offer on the House

We got another offer on the house in Arkansas today. It is a CLEAN offer this time. Not the crap we got last time.

They offered less than we were asking (no surprise there), but they are not asking for us to pay anything. They are even paying for their own home warranty!!

We are countering the offer, but after speaking with the realtor and hearing some of the buyers info (how much they are putting down, etc) it sounds as though they are expecting a counter. They had three houses they were looking at, but ours was at the top of the list.

Our only concern right now is there is not a preapproval letter yet. They have verbally been preapproved, but there is not a letter. As part of the counter, we put that we need a preapproval letter within 5 days and the listing stays active in MLS until we receive the letter.

Keep your fingers crossed and say lots of prayers for us. It would be GREAT to get this stress off of us!!

Usually, I would not purchase this picture. I didn't think it was a great picture when I first saw it. Then, Caleb changed my mind. He had this conversation with me when he gave them to me and I had to wait all day to laugh (after he went to bed and I was telling Daddy about it).

First, here is the picture:

























He hands me the picture and tells me that we HAVE to buy the pictures. He said it was the BEST picture he had ever had taken and he looked "very mature" in it. He went on and on about how great the picture was and how he smiled the exact way they told him to.

I just agreed with him and said it was a good picture and we would see (trying to hold in the giggles). I put the picture away so I could tell Daddy about it AFTER they went to bed. He got a good laugh to.

I am still not sure what he was aiming for, but he looks like a gangsta or homeboy or something. I don't know, but I SOOOOO love the picture now and I laugh everytime I look at it and think of the conversation, so now...I have to buy them!

Another Year Coming to an End

School year that is.

After the boys Spring Break next week, they will only have 18 school days left. Three of those are half days. There are five field trips (four of which are for two kids and all in one week), 2 art shows, a musical performance, two honors programs and three parent/teacher conferences.

Let's hope for a QUICK recovery because it is going to be a whirlwind month before all the kids are home everyday!!

I am shortly going to have a FIFTH grader, SECOND grader and FIRST grader!! :(

Some Questions You Just Don't Ask....

For fear of the answer you will get.

Some things I am just better off not knowing.

Last night, instead of taking the dog out when he was whining in the middle of the night, Caleb and Isaac chose to ignore him and he peed on their floor. Caleb came out complaining about it this morning and I told him to go put the dog in the fenced in area for the dogs and NOT to let him run around because the gate was open (still broken because the man won't get his booty out here and look at it).

I look out the window to see the dog running towards the gate and Caleb peeing off my patio.

When he came in I gave him some towels and told him to go the mess until I could get the shampooer out and take care of it.

Later, I walk in the bathroom after all the boys had showered and the towels I had given Caleb to clean the pee up with were on the bathroom floor. There were no other towels out.

So, the question I DON'T want to know the answer to.....What did the boys dry off with? Did they use the towel that Caleb cleaned up dog pee with?

See, I told you....somethings you just really don't want an answer to!!

Kite Flying