Three Days in a Haze...

Friday:

The morning began with a nice play date with my friend Laura, and kids, over at my house. I have been wanting for Haleah to get to know and play with kids more her own age, so that she can learn to progress, rather than regress. I was so happy that she and four-year-old Morgan actually played so well together and enjoyed each other's company. Laura and I will aim to do this more often.




I prepared a nice lasagna dinner for the family, but it turned out to be somewhat of a disaster. None of us ate together due to scheduling conflicts, and for those who did, it was chaos. Haleah smeared sauce on the window. In reaction, David flopped his plate down, which caused the sauce on his plate to spatter up into my face and into my eye. The acid from the sauce stung my eye, ridiculously, and it was painful.


After dinner, Kaelah decided to drag her outdoor fold-up chair into the kitchen while I was feeding Bekah her rice cereal. Kaelah tripped on the rug and fell onto her chair, collapsing it and crushing at least 8 fingers. As I was turning to get her, her Aunt Missy ran across the kitchen and swooped her up. In the process, baby food was knocked out of my hand and all over my legs, feet and the rug. Poor Kaelah was is terrible pain, and it took us basically the rest of the night to determine if her fingers were broken or not. Luckily, they were not.


When the older girls were down for bed, Grandmama came over and spent some time with Bekah. We got this cute, adorable video of Bekah laughing. There is no joy like it!

Saturday:


We ventured out to Cora's volleyball tournament. It was at a really, upscale high school a few towns over, but I was not thrilled with the spectator options. We had to watch the game from balcony bleachers, high above the court. It was ridiculous. I had never watched a game like that before and found it difficult to follow. But Cora did well and has begun to realize that tourneys are hard, because you have to pace yourself both mentally and physically, and you are usually exhausted by the end.


We took a little break with the kids between matches in the high school courtyard. We took these cute videos of them.

On the way home from the tourney, we "ran into" the Trail of Tears motorcycle ride. It's an annual ride with thousands upon thousands of riders. They travel through our town each year in remembrance of the Trail of Tears and for the suffering of the Native Americans. You can't break this line of motorcycles as they travel through, and each year since I've lived in Alabama, I seem to get myself stuck and unable to manuever until they pass. This year was no exception. We had to drive the LONG, LONG way home. And luckily David was driving and knew where we were going among the corn fields, etc.


We got home for nap time and I discovered that I pulled a muscle pretty badly in my chest and under my left arm. It was so severe, that I could hardly lift the baby. That evening, we ordered pizza and ate it at my mother-in-laws. And the final highlight of the day was when Haleah decided to quietly cut her own hair. She chopped her bangs, and now her hairdo is hacked! I don't know how I can rectify it. I did this too, to myself, as a kid. Live and learn! The funny part was when we took a picture of the clump of hair she cut off. It looks like it's in the shape of a heart. How apropo.
Sunday:


After our Sunday morning church service and nap obligations, we headed out to our cousin's ten year Birthday celebration. It was a cookout for a LARGE crowd, and it was a stereotypical Alabama party all the way! There were so many kids and people in one house, that even I was afraid to mingle... or nurse Bekah! I saw things I've never seen or done at a party before. It wasn't wild or anything, just funny. Some of the highlights included cousin Lilly showing the girls their hamster, Bear. They were fascinated, for a while.




Then we watched our cousin, David, use a strange tree climbing device to scale a tree in his back yard and hoist up his bow and arrows, and shoot at a target down below. The pics I took of him were pretty cool though. He looked like a silhouette in the sky. It would have been a peaceful scene, except for the arrows being quite dangerous.



Next, the CHILDREN were riding the quads and four wheelers in the front yard and on the street. I took a picture of my nieces "psyched out"to be riding them (of course). But I thought to myself that I wouldn't let my kids ride those in a million years. Maybe it's just me...


Then we played some volleyball in the front yard, which I participated in, while eyeing my kids to make sure they weren't going to get hit by some moving apparatus. And my David tossed a football and almost took out a tree (with his body, not the ball). And a group of 10-year-olds at the party found a lost puppy and wrapped him up in a blanket and put him in a shopping cart and wheeled him around the neighborhood to see if they could find his owners. And finally, someone called the cops on the party for child endangerment for riding the quads in the yard and in the street. But all in all, it was fun, and we had an enjoyable time seeing our family, and we made it out safe, happy and alive!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Today was quite mundane, except a few high points beamed in to make this day blog worthy. It was a beautiful, perfectly sunny fall-ish day. I went on two enjoyable neighborhoods walks with the kids. And there was more potty success in this household too.

After picking up Gracyn from 3rd grade, we went to the post office together and then headed out to see Cora's volleyball game. We sat in the hot gym for an hour, watched the 8th graders play, then had to leave. Apparently Cora's 7th grade team wasn't going to be playing for another hour after we left. I was not happy that we didn't have the correct time of her game and had to miss it.

But on the way home, Haleah told me she had to pee, and I asked her if she could hold it until we got home. She said she couldn't, but I encouraged her. I got sandwiched between a couple of cars thanks to some moron who spilled golf balls all over the street and was trying to retrieve them, stopping traffic in the process. Well, in the waiting, Haleah surprised me. She toughed it out and waited until we got home to race into the bathroom to pee. I was so proud of her.

Kaelah decided to surprise me tonight too. When I was changing her diaper before bed, I noticed it wasn't that full. So I asked her if she wanted to use the potty. She said, "yes." So off we went to the bathroom. She tried out her little potty first, then the big potty, and then finally settled back on the little potty. And she peed! I was super shocked and super proud of her! Perhaps we are well on the way to training two toddlers at once. I won't get my hopes up, but I am so thrilled with the possibilities.

Good things seems to come to those who wait... and wait.

Milestones and Tidbits

1) Well, after much prodding, Haleah finally used the potty today to doo doo number 2! I was disgusted the other day when poo fell out of her Pull Up and into my carpet. I told her it was time to change, because I was tired of changing her! We were really proud that she used the potty, and lots of little gifts were given to her for it. Grandmama brought her over her own can of Sprite and a hat. And Daddy brought her home a princess puzzle, a book and a princess stamping set. I gave her M&M's. And her cousin Gracyn helped her make her Poopy Potty chart to which we added two stickers. Now she can continue forward earning stickers for the chart. Let's hope this continues!

2) David and I have decided that Kaelah looks like Tinkerbelle. She has a big, round head, scruffy hair and big pretty eyes just like Tink. She's blond and little and cute too. Kaelah has been so funny lately. She walks around saying, "Self. Self," for wanting to do things herself.

3) This morning I told Haleah not to roll the big exercise ball towards Kaelah because it wasn't nice to try and bull her over with it. Haleah just looked at me and said, "Yeah, but it's funny though."

4) It's been a long week so far, and I'm trying to figure out why I am feeling so unmotivated. I have so much to do, yet I feel frozen to kick start myself to get anything done. I need to shake this feeling, somehow. I am trying to get things ready for my big yard sale in a couple weeks, and I keep procrastinating.

5) Poor Bekah still keeps rolling in her crib at night and gets her arm stuck behind her. This keeps her (and me) from sleeping through the night. And I felt terrible when I went to check on her during nap today. She had spit up and couldn't move her head out of it. She had spit up in her eyes and up her nose and in her ear and on her head. I felt horrible for this poor, sweet baby. She is my scrumptous baby, and I could just eat her up!

6) The kids have had fun this week outside riding their bikes and playing on the swing. It still feels like summer here, which is nice. I have been picking up my niece, Gracyn from school, so she has fun playing with the kids too.

7) Auntie Missy rode the kids on her lap doing different "horsey gallops," and the kids just loved it!

Heavy Hearted

The past few days I have been struck by the enormity of the sadness in the world around me. The 7th anniversary of September 11th came and went, and I still get chills up and down my spine every time I think of that day and where I was and what horrors happened to those poor people. I remember thinking on 9/11/01 that I was glad I didn't have any children, because it would be a horrible place to bring a child into a world filled with such hate.

I know God doesn't promise us happiness or health or a long life, but I feel so scared, and even paralyzed sometimes by the brevity that is life. I have now brought three little lives into the world, and I want to be around to keep them safe and happy and healthy. And I want them to live long and happy and prosperous lives. But unfortunately my desires aren't what matters---it's God's Will.

This week a high school friend of mine birthed a precious baby boy at 24 weeks gestation. Little Braden fought for his life for a couple of days and then lost his battle. My heart breaks for him and for those that loved him such a short time. It seems so unfair for a baby to be torn from his parents, their first born.

My neighbor's daughter-in-law passed this week, and their nephew too. A train wreck in California killed dozens of people. And requests pour into our prayer line at church for people with great need. It's so overwhelming to me. All around me it seems that people are fighting major battles, mourning tragic losses, struggling with disease. Sometimes I feel like I'm living just waiting for my turn, for it to happen to me. I suppose I just want to live a life worthy of the path God has planned for me. I want my words and my actions to say the same thing. I don't want to be selfish. I want to have a purpose and I desire to know what I can do to help others who deal with such exorbitant pain. I guess this entry is a little depressing, but my heart is heavy tonight...

Afterthoughts

I started off blogging daily, and theoretically still could do that, but I wanted to take some pressure off of myself. Life has been in full swing these past couple of weeks. School has started back for my nieces, and most afternoons and evenings it's like I do have 5 children instead of 3. I'm usually picking someone up from school and feeding a bunch of extended family dinner and making sure some homework gets done.



I have also come to a new realization that would have been absolutely unreal to me even just a month ago: I CAN keep my house clean. When I saw my friend, Jen's house a few weeks ago, after dropping by on her, I was amazed at how clean it was even though she has 3 small kids. I had to discover the key to this, as I have been struggling for so long with keeping things straight with my wee ones around. The key is this: progressive clean up. All day long now, I try to pick things up. I no longer wait until bedtime to "get a hold" of the housework. Another example is when a dish is dirty, I wash it right away, instead of forming a pile on the counter. Because late at night, that dish pile seems too overwhelming to me. I thought it would be worse washes pots and pans throughout the day (because I hate doing dishes), but that's not the case. I'm not saying I will have a spotless house all the time either; I suppose I'm just thankful to get a handle on it all. I have kept my house relatively clean for over a week now.



Today I went to my niece, Cora's, volleyball game for the 7th graders. Volleyball is one of my greatest loves, so it's hard to be a spectator at this time. But I enjoyed watching Cora begin to develop her skills. I had both positive and constructive critiques for her. The part I liked least about her Jr. High game was the $3 per person charge at the door. When I approached the lady at the money box with 4 kids in tow I said, "Oh no your NOT charging me for my kids!" I told her I was only going to be there for a few minutes and that it was probably the only game I was going to be able to get to to see my niece. And it was about 100 degrees in the gym, and I was not happy. Normally I don't put up such a fuss, but I thought the admission price was so ridiculous. I forked out the stinking money.

Though very tall, Cora is the setter, in black.

Cora is in the forefront here.

Cora is "00"

I was probably in such a sour mood by the time I got to Cora's game because it's been a rough couple of days with Haleah. She keeps peeing through her outfits without a care in the world, and I believe it's on purpose. I am at the end of my rope with that child when it comes to potty training. I am so tired of tantrums and whining and control issues. I see myself peering into the future, years down the road thinking about the relationship that Haleah and I will have together. She is so strong willed now. She won't let me put bows in her hair or let me read to her or help her or teach her anything. I just hope and pray that our time together is positive, and that she will learn to respect me as her mother.

At day's end, the extended family came back to my house for dinner, and they said they were so thankful for it. This made me feel good. Full bellies make everyone feel better inside and out. Finally, the other thing that makes me feel good inside and out is my precious Bekah (below). She is a scrumptous baby!

About Potty, Chuck E. and Me

I'm not sure what the deal with Haleah is. I think we may have confused her in making her wear Pull-ups on our road trip. Because now she pees in her underwear at least 3 times a day, and it doesn't seem to phase her one bit. The last thing I wanted to do was confuse her, but there was no way we could find a potty for her on a 21 hour road trip, every few minutes or so, when she would request it. And moreover, Haleah absolutely refused to go on a portable potty, in case that thought crossed anybody's mind...

Here's another story: The other day I was enjoying my cereal at the table with my morning coffee when I heard Haleah starting to call for me from the bathroom. She was actually whining (which she does somewhat frequently, for no apparent reason). So I took my sweet time in getting up from my comfortable chair and making my way into the bathroom to see what her deal was. Well, when I turned the corner to see Haleah in the bathroom, I almost started to laugh. There she was, hanging IN the potty, like the letter "V," with her bum all the way down touching the water. I felt bad that I hadn't hurried more, because Haleah was scared to death hanging in the potty like that. The thing is, though, she had refused to use the Elmo seat insert that I have staged for her at the potty. I tried not to make a big deal of it, as not to dissuade her from using the potty ever again. I told her she'd be okay. Poor thing.

So those are my current potty issues with Haleah.

This weekend has been a good one. We went to Chuck E. Cheese with the kids and had nice Friday evening.

On Saturday night, David went to the movies with his sister while I cooked. I was preparing ice cream balls, rolled in a graham cracker/peanut butter mixture, when I dumped them ALL over the floor and all over me while attempting to put them into the freezer to harden. I was so distraught and contemplated trying to save them, to no avail. The dessert was for company on Sunday, and I just couldn't reuse that mess in good conscience. At 10:30 at night, I had to start my dessert prep all over again. I then went on to flip and spill the remainder of one ice cream carton all over my jeans and onto the wall. I don't know what my problem was!

All that prep on Saturday night, was for our company tonight. We had our friends, the Hargroves over. We had chicken enchiladas, baked pineapple, spanish rice and veg. And for dessert, we had those clean, fresh, second take ice cream balls with homemade fudge sauce. Yum. It was worth it. Below is a picture of their daughter, Kinley, licking some of the dinner food off her cup. So sweet. And Holly is there too, holding Kinley and Bekah on her lap (they are 9 months apart). It was a nice night. I like having friends over, and need to put it in my mind to do that more often.

Sleep Issues

Here are the sleep issues we've each been having:

Haleah: Won't settle down in her bed due to her fear that lobsters might be waiting to get her under there. I think this stems from our vacation to Maine and due to the fact that we ate whole lobsters in front of her. I told Haleah I would eat the lobsters before they ate her! Haleah also finds excuses (now that she's 3), to keep coming out of her room once I tuck her in. First she has to pee, then she has to poo, then she needs some water. And then I'm going to scream!!!

Kaelah: She has been waking several times a night lately. I believe she is teething. She is a late teether, and didn't even cut her first tooth until 13 months. It's been maddening trying to settle her down. Usually it's David's duty to go into the older kids' rooms when they wake, since I have baby duty. But K.K. woke David about 5 times in a row last night. So I went in there to "lay down the law." I am not so nice when I am not getting my sleep. But usually I do give in a little when Kaelah says, "Holda. Holda," wanting me to hold her. I sing her a song and then put her back to bed...

Bekah: She has learned to roll onto her tummy, but not how to roll back onto her back. This poses a BIG problem in the middle of the night, because once she rolls herself, she's up, and she does not like it! So I run into her nursery and do the easiest thing to get her back to sleep as soon as possible- nurse. I don't want to do that, but I do need to get my sleep, and the need for it takes over. I am probably creating a midnight nursing monster. Ugh. I hope Bekah can learn to roll back over on her own soon. I also just started feeding Bekah rice cereal, so maybe this will keep her belly fuller at night without so much waking.

Me: I don't sleep well due to the above aforementioned reasons. Additionally, my husband is a snorer, so I end up beating on him most nights so that he'll stop and I can fall asleep. It's riduculous. I covet the day I will be able to sleep a full night and maybe sleep just until 7am, without little eyes coming to peer at me at the side of my bed each morning before the sun comes up telling me, "I want juice NOW."

In the next blog I will discuss the potty issues we've been having (hold on to your toilet seats, folks)!

Bekah's 4 Month Checkup

I took sweet Bekah to her 4 month doctor appointment today, even though she's almost 5 months old. We couldn't get an appointment scheduled for her amidst our vacation and work schedules. Bekah is growing bigger every day. I love the way she snorts when she's mad and the way she smiles with her mouth wide open and her tongue out. And her cry is more like a whine, like she's trying to be tough but is too sweet to yell too loud. She is also rolling over now and squeals when she can't roll herself back over; yet she keeps rolling over to that position over and over again. She has great head control, tracks me in a room full of people and holds on to me with her arms like a little koala bear. She is my Bekah bear. I love her so much.

I waited in the doctor's office for 40 minutes before I asked how much longer my wait would be. I tried to call David on the broken cell phone he gave me, but it didn't work too well. It's a flip phone that is barely hanging (literally) by a thread. He broke his phone, so he switched the memory cards of our twin phones and gave me his beat up one. Nice. Anyhow, I was waiting and waiting and looking at the other babies in the waiting room as well. There was one 7 month old that was practically walking. I was in awe. Another baby boy was named Hayden, and I told his mother that that was the name I was going to name my baby (if I ever had a boy). Not so probable at this point. Finally, there was another boy, who was pale as a ghost, yet older than Bekah at 5 months. His mother had the deepest voice I ever heard in a woman. It was so deep that you couldn't make out what she was saying. Freaky. You could tell from her voice that she was a chain smoker, and I immediately felt sorry for her poor sweet baby.

Bekah got three "all-in-one" immunizations today. I hate the shots. The baby just looks at you like you are not protecting her, and instead betraying her, and I hate it. Bekah is in the 90th percentile in head circumference (all of my babies had/have big heads for some reason), 75th percentile in weight, and 90th percentile in height.

Bekah survived her appointment. David, however, barely survived watching the older two girls while I was gone to the doctor. By the time I got home the kids were ravenous and exhausted and David was scrambling to make Mac and Cheese. I took over and got them settled. I then prepared the dinner meal in advance and picked up both of my nieces from school and brought them back to my house for the evening. Bekah pooped through her diaper and all the way down my leg. I am getting so disgusted by these frequent explosions. But, all in all, it was a good day.