Wednesday, April 9
Tuesday, April 8
Planning Ahead
Am I the only homeschooler with next fall on my mind already?! Pretty catalogs are arriving in the mail, we are preparing for next year at our co-op, and I'm already thinking about how I'm going to formally school TWO kids!
I will admit. I've had a day planner since 2000, when I graduated high school and got a summer job at The Container Store. I used their August to August day planner for 12 years, and every June I would look forward to my annual trip to pick one up in a new color. That's the sort of stuff I get giddy about, y'all. Finally last year I pulled myself away and purchased The Catholic Daily Planner from Michele Quiqley (who has also written the curriculum I use). This gave me a little more space, a calendar/day planner with my lesson plans for Beth in the back. It's been fabulous and I think I will purchase another one soon... So I can start planning our 2014-2015 school year. ;-)
I do love having my history written down in my day planners. I wrote down everything- classes and dates, trips and interviews, wedding planning, babies, doctor appointments and playdates. I can see the progression of my life. And you know things were written in color-coded ink!
The Restore workshop I am "attending" right now addresses our day planners, and how as busy moms it's important that we not let it rule or dictate our lives. I am not sure that I've had that problem before (though I can certainly see how one might), but I am a list-maker and I do feel a certain obligation to check items off. And I can't cheat and write down things like "wake up" "eat breakfast" or "breathe." That's just not me. ;-) Right now we are in maintenance mode, and I'm really not getting ahead at all. I do feel such accomplishment from checking items off my lists, rewriting the lists, and throwing the old ones away. Because to me, it means I'm getting something done.
They have mentioned the importance of writing down goals, and that used to be something I was really good at. In fact, Ryan and I used to write out a yearly plan, mapping out the vacations, parties, birthdays, holidays, and other events or goals through our year. We haven't done that lately, but it's something I would like to get back to. I like to plan ahead, as you can see!
I feel lucky to have a friend who is just as crazy as I am in all of this, so I know I'm not totally alone! But- are we the only ones???
I will admit. I've had a day planner since 2000, when I graduated high school and got a summer job at The Container Store. I used their August to August day planner for 12 years, and every June I would look forward to my annual trip to pick one up in a new color. That's the sort of stuff I get giddy about, y'all. Finally last year I pulled myself away and purchased The Catholic Daily Planner from Michele Quiqley (who has also written the curriculum I use). This gave me a little more space, a calendar/day planner with my lesson plans for Beth in the back. It's been fabulous and I think I will purchase another one soon... So I can start planning our 2014-2015 school year. ;-)
I do love having my history written down in my day planners. I wrote down everything- classes and dates, trips and interviews, wedding planning, babies, doctor appointments and playdates. I can see the progression of my life. And you know things were written in color-coded ink!
The Restore workshop I am "attending" right now addresses our day planners, and how as busy moms it's important that we not let it rule or dictate our lives. I am not sure that I've had that problem before (though I can certainly see how one might), but I am a list-maker and I do feel a certain obligation to check items off. And I can't cheat and write down things like "wake up" "eat breakfast" or "breathe." That's just not me. ;-) Right now we are in maintenance mode, and I'm really not getting ahead at all. I do feel such accomplishment from checking items off my lists, rewriting the lists, and throwing the old ones away. Because to me, it means I'm getting something done.
They have mentioned the importance of writing down goals, and that used to be something I was really good at. In fact, Ryan and I used to write out a yearly plan, mapping out the vacations, parties, birthdays, holidays, and other events or goals through our year. We haven't done that lately, but it's something I would like to get back to. I like to plan ahead, as you can see!
I feel lucky to have a friend who is just as crazy as I am in all of this, so I know I'm not totally alone! But- are we the only ones???
Friday, April 4
My First Seven Quick Takes
I'm trying something new! For anyone who doesn't know, "7 Quick Takes" is a way to document the events from our past week, sometimes related events and sometimes not. I think it will be good for me because right now I'm not really good at organizing my thoughts (I'm sort of lacking on time!) and so I can work on it when I have time, without having to worry about it "flowing." It's "hosted" by Jen Fulwiler, and awesome Catholic convert blogger and author. I hope you enjoy!
---1---
Sisters. Finally, at last! Beth still tells me, almost daily, about how happy she is that she has a sister. She was so disappointed during my pregnancy that we didn't find out the gender; she would ask me how other women knew if they were having a boy or girl. Beth always wants to hold or play with Caeli, and now that Caeli is getting older and becoming more interactive, Beth is wondering when they will share a bedroom. I hope she still wants to share when Caeli is older and digging through her toys and clothes!
---2---
These are my great-grandmother's flowers. She passed away in 2007, and after her funeral, we gathered at her home. Somehow I received a pot of flowers from her backyard, and I brought them back and cared for them the best I could (I don't have a good record of keeping plants in pots alive!). Last year I repotted them, and I guess a little new soil was all they needed because this is the first year I've had them that they've actually bloomed! Not only that, but they've spread throughout my gardens and they're blooming all over the backyard! It's been so neat to see them everywhere!
---3---
Not only are the violets blooming, but now everything is in bloom! The weather finally cooperated and Ryan was finally able to give the yard it's first yearly trim. Wouldn't you know, the boys were both right behind him! Luke still uses the weed wacker we gave him for his second birthday, which is now so broken and old that it hardly resembles a weed wacker anymore! Ryan and I agreed that we'd buy them a new one this year, and probably another lawn mower as well. They both spent 3 hours following Ryan around in the yard- taking turns riding on the mower with him, edging and weed wacking, and finally blowing everything off. The yard always looks so fabulous when Ryan is done!
---4---
Yay! Look at this happy girl! She generally loves diaper changes and she especially loves baths! I've had her in cloth diapers since she was about a month old and started to fit into them a little better. She's mostly wearing the same diapers that both of her big brothers wore, but I will admit to buying a couple of new pink ones. :-) She's also been wearing her amber teething necklace for about 2 or 3 weeks now, I put it on her after I noticed that she was starting to drool a lot. I don't know that I completely believe that it will help with teething pains, but since: 1. I know it's authentic 2. I won it during a black Friday contest, 3. she's totally cute wearing it, and 4. I have friends who swear it helps with pain, she's going to wear it. I shall report back later!
---5---
My day planner. Oh how I love it. We talked about planners last week during my Restore workshop, and it renewed my interest in passion for how I use mine. (In fact, I have a whole post about it that I'll publish next week!) The workshop has also mentioned several times about the need for art and creativity in our lives. I am pretty bad at this, in fact I'm certain that I'm the worst artist in my family! (Beth is always asking me why I can only draw stick people!) I'm making a concentrated effort to pick up and use the crayons or colored pencils or water colors when the kids are using them. I drew a violet the other day, from my great-grandmother's pot, and it inspired the kids to get out their nature notebooks and also draw too, but they were afraid of...
Can you see him inside of the bird house? Ryan killed one the other day- he said it was super easy because it appeared to be sleeping or hibernating? The next day we noticed this one in there, clearly at work building the nest, coming in and out throughout the day. I'd go and peek in on him every few hours and I could see the progress of the nest- in a day, he made 3 or 5 little "pods." My theory is Ryan killed a female and this guy is still building the nest, not realizing his lady isn't coming home! I keep meaning to google it!
---7---
They were brave though, and decided to draw anyway. They used crayons and spent about 20 minutes working on this. Then they decided to play on our fort and build a pirate ship. I am loving this nice weather!
How did I do with my first 7 Quick Takes??? I hope I can keep it up, to get back to chronicling our lives!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Tuesday, April 1
A Boy Growing Older
I want to dedicate an entire post to my second child, who is daily surprising me with how much he is growing and changing. I'd have to start by being real: Luke and I have had some difficult challenges to get through. I hear from friends that the children who are most like you tend to be more difficult to manage because you're both so similar, and I think there's a lot of truth to that! Luke favors me in his looks, and as he's gotten older I think he favors my temperment as well. I don't know if I acted like him when I was a child, but I can see that his passion for whatever he's doing, his short temper, and his need for sleep all mirror me!
He started sleeping through the night when he was almost a year old, when I night weaned him. Since then, he's been the most consistent sleeper of our children, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow, sleeping all night, and even still taking occasional naps. Ryan and I used to go out of our way to make sure he got the sleep his body needed.
As my first boy, I wanted to be careful that we nurture his feelings, making sure he felt he was always safe to express himself. It's so important to me that he feels safe and never stifled... But goodness gracious it's not an easy task for this mother! He has a lot of "big feelings!" For months we taught him deep breathing exercises, and finally when it felt like I was a big failure of a mother, he started catching on and doing it on his own. He just needed to do it in his own time.
And that's what parenting is really about, isn't it? We can't "make" them do anything... You can punish and time out and threaten all you want, but it's up to the child to make their own decision. For that reason, I've wanted to be a parent that maintains an open dialogue with my kids, and I hope that I've done that for them.
In our family, I can usually tell there's going to be a big change soon by the way a child is sleeping or acting. Before a baby starts crawling, they usually go through a few weeks of fitful sleep. Before they start walking, sleep always seems to suffer again. And as they've gotten older, I can tell there's going to be a big mental change after a more obvious physical change. Luke has gone through several growth spurts the past couple of years, it seemed like I was always buying him a new pair of shoes! (He wears a size 12.5 right now, the same size as Beth!) Recently, he went through a mental growth spurt. It seemed like overnight, he got very interested in writing and drawing, and sitting still for an hour- by choice- to draw. And draw and draw and draw. And his handwriting went from "zero-to-hero" almost overnight.
And all of the sudden, he and I are connecting so much better. I feel like I understand him more, can reason with him and talk to him in a way that makes sense to him...and maybe that's me or maybe it's him. It do feel like a rotten mom for having gone through years of not "getting" him. But on the other hand, I want to take advantage of the time we have now to play and learn and grow together.
Well...I think it was him who went through a mental growth spurt, but I wonder... Was it me? Did something in my brain change or click so that I could understand him better? My pregnancy was so wonderful, I had so many lovely hormones flowing through me- they truly did help me be a better mom!
Or maybe God has heard my desperate cries to connect with my son. With this little dude who has challenged me in ways I didn't think was possible. I won't go into details for the sake of family privacy, but it's been difficult. And boy, did I have to pray hard to get through some days. I know God wants me to rely on Him, to give Him my worries and anger and anxieties and let Him take this from me. And maybe He's trying to teach me to choose virtue instead of vice? It's so real to see your children have your own same faults... To realize that's what I'm like? Boy I wish I could teach him now so that he wouldn't have to go through this difficult time trying to reform as an adult!
But I won't be able to, because it's not totally up to me. He is his own person- a silly, genuinely funny, artistic, skillful boy- and all I can do is set a good example for him (what a challange!) and pray. Pray pray pray pray pray.
I will make it my prayer that whatever he decides to be, he follows the path God sets before him. And I am thankful for the opportunity to connect and reconnect from all the times I missed when the journey was too hard.
He started sleeping through the night when he was almost a year old, when I night weaned him. Since then, he's been the most consistent sleeper of our children, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow, sleeping all night, and even still taking occasional naps. Ryan and I used to go out of our way to make sure he got the sleep his body needed.
As my first boy, I wanted to be careful that we nurture his feelings, making sure he felt he was always safe to express himself. It's so important to me that he feels safe and never stifled... But goodness gracious it's not an easy task for this mother! He has a lot of "big feelings!" For months we taught him deep breathing exercises, and finally when it felt like I was a big failure of a mother, he started catching on and doing it on his own. He just needed to do it in his own time.
And that's what parenting is really about, isn't it? We can't "make" them do anything... You can punish and time out and threaten all you want, but it's up to the child to make their own decision. For that reason, I've wanted to be a parent that maintains an open dialogue with my kids, and I hope that I've done that for them.
In our family, I can usually tell there's going to be a big change soon by the way a child is sleeping or acting. Before a baby starts crawling, they usually go through a few weeks of fitful sleep. Before they start walking, sleep always seems to suffer again. And as they've gotten older, I can tell there's going to be a big mental change after a more obvious physical change. Luke has gone through several growth spurts the past couple of years, it seemed like I was always buying him a new pair of shoes! (He wears a size 12.5 right now, the same size as Beth!) Recently, he went through a mental growth spurt. It seemed like overnight, he got very interested in writing and drawing, and sitting still for an hour- by choice- to draw. And draw and draw and draw. And his handwriting went from "zero-to-hero" almost overnight.
And all of the sudden, he and I are connecting so much better. I feel like I understand him more, can reason with him and talk to him in a way that makes sense to him...and maybe that's me or maybe it's him. It do feel like a rotten mom for having gone through years of not "getting" him. But on the other hand, I want to take advantage of the time we have now to play and learn and grow together.
Well...I think it was him who went through a mental growth spurt, but I wonder... Was it me? Did something in my brain change or click so that I could understand him better? My pregnancy was so wonderful, I had so many lovely hormones flowing through me- they truly did help me be a better mom!
Or maybe God has heard my desperate cries to connect with my son. With this little dude who has challenged me in ways I didn't think was possible. I won't go into details for the sake of family privacy, but it's been difficult. And boy, did I have to pray hard to get through some days. I know God wants me to rely on Him, to give Him my worries and anger and anxieties and let Him take this from me. And maybe He's trying to teach me to choose virtue instead of vice? It's so real to see your children have your own same faults... To realize that's what I'm like? Boy I wish I could teach him now so that he wouldn't have to go through this difficult time trying to reform as an adult!
But I won't be able to, because it's not totally up to me. He is his own person- a silly, genuinely funny, artistic, skillful boy- and all I can do is set a good example for him (what a challange!) and pray. Pray pray pray pray pray.
His face is changing. He's growing into a "big kid" and leaving behind my little boy. He still favors me, I think, but sometimes I catch him looking at a toy and he looks like his Daddy. So handsome and so old! I think he will be tall and have broad shoulders. He's definitely a soccer star but he tells me he wants to be a knight, a space man, and a daddy. At Sunday's mass he saw the Knights of Columbus with their swords and that caught his attention!
I will make it my prayer that whatever he decides to be, he follows the path God sets before him. And I am thankful for the opportunity to connect and reconnect from all the times I missed when the journey was too hard.
Thursday, March 20
Restore
Every day I have blog posts and topics swirling around in my head. Specific topics, like the way the 3 big kids will entertain Caeli while I cook dinner (it's so easy to have a baby with big kids around!), or how we're going on a mission this spring to eradicate the crawfish from our backyard! More posts about how I have started exercising again, how much I love our homeschool co-op, and how blessed I am to be the mommy of 4 amazing kiddos. Another post about Lent, one about Spring Break, and maybe a couple of updates about Caeli (she's 10 weeks old today!). But alas. My creative juices start flowing, but I am hardly ever in a place to write it down. And when I do find time to write it down, the juices aren't flowing and I feel like I'm just recapping events instead of really remembering them.
So tonight I'll write about the Restore workshop I am participating in right now, because I'm just so excited about it! It's an online workshop given by one of my favorite authors and homeschoolers, Elizabeth Foss.
"And after you have suffered a little while the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you." 1 Peter 5:10
Yes, I have been burnt out. I need restoring, every single day. I have pushed myself too far before, too many times. And I'm learning that it happens when I try to deal with all of the trappings of my life, instead of giving it to God in prayer. I worry, I plan, I control. But how often do I pray?
The feeling of "burning out" hits me when it's just too much going on without enough prayer. It's when things beyond my control start to control my life, and I don't invite God in to lead me.
I'm learning to avoid burn out, because I'm not so great at coping with it once it's hit me! I'm learning my boundaries- saying yes when we can or saying no even when I really want to say yes. And I think sometimes that comes off to other people as arrogance? Or maybe that I don't care enough?
Daily I remind myself to let things go, trust in Him, and not be so worried about these earthly things. My goal has always been heaven- for Ryan, for the kids, and for me. When I think about that, everything else just hardly seems to matter!
But yes... some things need to be done. I have to keep the house cleaned because that's an outward way of showing God I am thankful for these things. I feed my kids the best that I can as an offering of thanks to Him, because He gave us our health and this food. Many times it's a sacrifice to cook, and sometimes I REALLY don't want to, but they have to eat! (Oh why do they have to eat so often!) We have to school, and we have to teach our children to be responsible and holy adults. So yes, there are things that need to be done.
I'm looking forward to the entire workshop! Who else is doing it? Anyone want to get coffee and talk about it?
So tonight I'll write about the Restore workshop I am participating in right now, because I'm just so excited about it! It's an online workshop given by one of my favorite authors and homeschoolers, Elizabeth Foss.
"And after you have suffered a little while the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you." 1 Peter 5:10
Yes, I have been burnt out. I need restoring, every single day. I have pushed myself too far before, too many times. And I'm learning that it happens when I try to deal with all of the trappings of my life, instead of giving it to God in prayer. I worry, I plan, I control. But how often do I pray?
The feeling of "burning out" hits me when it's just too much going on without enough prayer. It's when things beyond my control start to control my life, and I don't invite God in to lead me.
I'm learning to avoid burn out, because I'm not so great at coping with it once it's hit me! I'm learning my boundaries- saying yes when we can or saying no even when I really want to say yes. And I think sometimes that comes off to other people as arrogance? Or maybe that I don't care enough?
Daily I remind myself to let things go, trust in Him, and not be so worried about these earthly things. My goal has always been heaven- for Ryan, for the kids, and for me. When I think about that, everything else just hardly seems to matter!
But yes... some things need to be done. I have to keep the house cleaned because that's an outward way of showing God I am thankful for these things. I feed my kids the best that I can as an offering of thanks to Him, because He gave us our health and this food. Many times it's a sacrifice to cook, and sometimes I REALLY don't want to, but they have to eat! (Oh why do they have to eat so often!) We have to school, and we have to teach our children to be responsible and holy adults. So yes, there are things that need to be done.
I'm looking forward to the entire workshop! Who else is doing it? Anyone want to get coffee and talk about it?
Spring at Last!
Today is the first day of spring!!! I can't tell you how excited we are- well, how excited *I* am! This winter has been so nasty- dreary, cloudy, cold, and wet. We've had several occasions that snow was foretasted and temperatures were freezing. We planted our vegetable garden and it froze a couple of weeks later! Luckily our little seedlings were strong enough to survive- we lost only two tomato plants. I think I can finally say we're past the cold weather though. I expect spring to wet like it usually is, but hopefully we will have more sunny days than not.
A couple of days ago we took the opportunity to get outside at a local state park. The kids wore their boots and I wore my sunglasses. :-) Happy spring!
A couple of days ago we took the opportunity to get outside at a local state park. The kids wore their boots and I wore my sunglasses. :-) Happy spring!
Friday, March 7
A Friday Night
The house is quiet, except for the quiet sounds of our dishwasher. All babies are sleeping (for the moment); it's Friday night so it's "sleepover night" at our house. Beth, Luke, and Jack choose a bedroom and they all sleep on the floor together. It's a special Friday night tradition, and that also means it's Daddy's "night off" from reading to them because Beth will read to the boys before they turn off the lights and make shadow puppets, giggle, and fall asleep. I hope they have sweet memories from these Friday night sleepovers! One day soon we will have the boys share a room again. Our trial at that several months ago was short-lived because Luke wasn't getting enough sleep. Beth is begging for Caeli to sleep in her room, and I've promised her that one day she can share a room with her sister if she wants. I hope that they all become-and remain- the best of friends.
I miss blogging. I miss tracking the daily little ins-and-outs of our lives, poor Jack and Caeli won't have nearly as much of their babyhood recorded as Beth and Luke did. But they have nicer photos and big siblings to love on them!
Some days it's hard to believe we are a family of six now. But most of the time, it's like Caeli was always here with us, and I can't even remember what life was like before. Here I am, not pregnant... How quickly did that pregnancy fly by? And she's 7 weeks old already? Moving her head to the sound of my voice, watching big siblings play and sing and dance? Every day I stare into her eyes and beg God to always let me remember her dark eyes and her smile that captivates me. I can't turn away from her when she looks at me like that! I can't wait to hear her laugh.
We have mostly good days. Beth is bored because I haven't been able to get back into the groove of school yet. That's been the hardest part of everything, but I keep telling myself we will get back into our groove and just work later into June than I had planned. It's too hot to play outside during the summer anyways, right? We still go to co-op, and made the decision to return again next year too. It's SO much work for me but after some internal debate, I realized it's just a sacrifice I have to make for my kids. They love it, and it's been so good for them. Luke and Jack love their preschool class, and Beth loves (and excels) at all of her subjects. It's nice for me to hear from her teachers that they're impressed by her reading skills or her knowledge of bible history, US geography, or American history. Luke has recently started writing REALLY well. I'm not sure when or how that happened... He was just ready, and it just happened. I'm so glad I didn't push him when he was younger. He loves to draw now, knights mostly, and he and Jack are such good friends... When they're not antagonizing each other.
I'm good right now. I really wish I could find my groove but I know it will happen when it happens. I am going to participate in the Restore workshop during Lent and I hope that I am able to refresh my spirit and renew my interest in our academics. I don't know if I am "burned out" in the traditional sense because we haven't been working too hard lately, but I'm off track. I have a stack of books I want to read too, though I think I might do a better job of getting them read if I ordered them on my new kindle fire. I know... I said I wouldn't do it. I love the feel of books in my hands, I said. But really... It's awesome. It's easy to read while I'm nursing Caeli and it's super-convenient when I am reading short reflections and want to switch back and forth between books. And I've been letting Beth play a math game on there to improve her addition and subtraction skills, so I guess she's learning something these days!
And she wakes...
I miss blogging. I miss tracking the daily little ins-and-outs of our lives, poor Jack and Caeli won't have nearly as much of their babyhood recorded as Beth and Luke did. But they have nicer photos and big siblings to love on them!
Some days it's hard to believe we are a family of six now. But most of the time, it's like Caeli was always here with us, and I can't even remember what life was like before. Here I am, not pregnant... How quickly did that pregnancy fly by? And she's 7 weeks old already? Moving her head to the sound of my voice, watching big siblings play and sing and dance? Every day I stare into her eyes and beg God to always let me remember her dark eyes and her smile that captivates me. I can't turn away from her when she looks at me like that! I can't wait to hear her laugh.
We have mostly good days. Beth is bored because I haven't been able to get back into the groove of school yet. That's been the hardest part of everything, but I keep telling myself we will get back into our groove and just work later into June than I had planned. It's too hot to play outside during the summer anyways, right? We still go to co-op, and made the decision to return again next year too. It's SO much work for me but after some internal debate, I realized it's just a sacrifice I have to make for my kids. They love it, and it's been so good for them. Luke and Jack love their preschool class, and Beth loves (and excels) at all of her subjects. It's nice for me to hear from her teachers that they're impressed by her reading skills or her knowledge of bible history, US geography, or American history. Luke has recently started writing REALLY well. I'm not sure when or how that happened... He was just ready, and it just happened. I'm so glad I didn't push him when he was younger. He loves to draw now, knights mostly, and he and Jack are such good friends... When they're not antagonizing each other.
I'm good right now. I really wish I could find my groove but I know it will happen when it happens. I am going to participate in the Restore workshop during Lent and I hope that I am able to refresh my spirit and renew my interest in our academics. I don't know if I am "burned out" in the traditional sense because we haven't been working too hard lately, but I'm off track. I have a stack of books I want to read too, though I think I might do a better job of getting them read if I ordered them on my new kindle fire. I know... I said I wouldn't do it. I love the feel of books in my hands, I said. But really... It's awesome. It's easy to read while I'm nursing Caeli and it's super-convenient when I am reading short reflections and want to switch back and forth between books. And I've been letting Beth play a math game on there to improve her addition and subtraction skills, so I guess she's learning something these days!
And she wakes...
Thursday, February 20
Six Weeks Old
At six weeks old, this baby has stolen all of our hearts!
She still does not like her car seat, even though I've calmly explained to her that screaming won't get her out any sooner! It breaks my heart, but at least I know- now that she's older- that she's not in pain, just extremely displeased. My poor love. We cuddle and give lots of kisses when we get to our destination.
She's sleeping well at night and her naps are pretty predictable during the day, but staying asleep is a problem! It's hard to stay asleep with three big siblings in the next room having so much (loud) fun! On the whole I certainly can't complain. We have great days, good days, and not-so-good days occasionally, but at least I am sleeping at night!
She smiles all the time at anyone willing to talk to her, and she captivates me. I can't wait to hear her laugh- although I have a feeling that next milestone is just around the corner. Okay, I CAN wait... I wish she'd stay little like this forever. Why do babies have to grow up???
Here she is, laying on her blanket made by her great-grandma, which arrived today! Thank you Grandma!
My babies. I can't get over the noise and energy in our home right now... It's a lot some days, I'm not going to lie! But I keep hearing that the days are long but the years are short, so I'm really trying to take that to heart. It's so true for me. Just looking at my old blog posts, at each of the other kids when they were babies. They were so sweet and tiny and...quiet, compared to now. ;-)
Saturday, February 15
Valentine's Day
The suspense has been building up for weeks around here! Our previous years of Valentine's Day celebrations have been so memorable that they could hardly wait for chocolate chips in their oatmeal, valentine exchange with their friends, and dinner at PF Changs! We had a beautiful day at the park for the exchange. Of course they were most excited about the candy... We don't do a lot of candy around here but I do let them indulge (dare I say gorge?) themselves on a few holidays, Valentine's Day being one of them. I do exchange their lollipops for my gluten-free, dye-free, "healthy" ones (which, in my opinion, tastes better than a regular lollipop!), but they don't seem to mind!
After our morning at the park, we came home for a couple of hours before going out to dinner. I love our family date night, we still all get dressed up and go all-out... We valet the car, Ryan and I order drinks, we all share an appetizer, we give the kids homemade Valentine's Day cards, and we take them to ride on a carousel. It's pretty much their idea of a perfect afternoon! No wonder they look forward to this day every year!
After our morning at the park, we came home for a couple of hours before going out to dinner. I love our family date night, we still all get dressed up and go all-out... We valet the car, Ryan and I order drinks, we all share an appetizer, we give the kids homemade Valentine's Day cards, and we take them to ride on a carousel. It's pretty much their idea of a perfect afternoon! No wonder they look forward to this day every year!
Tuesday, February 11
Caeli's Baptism
On February 1, we celebrated Caeli's baptism! She wore the same baptismal gown that her sister and brothers did, and was a beautiful, quiet little angel through the entire ceremony. It was celebrated by Father George, who baptized the boys as well, and we had so many friends and a few family members come to help us celebrate Caeli's entrance into Christ's Church.
Saturday, February 8
Life with a Newborn
I may possibly kick myself for saying this later, but so far it's been pretty easy. Caeli has been an easy baby. During the days, she sleeps, she eats, she looks at us for awhile, then she goes back to sleep. She's generally in a happy mood and she rarely cries. I do hold her all the time, but I'm okay with that. :-) I have taken a different approach to parenting this little one, but more on that later!
Beth, Luke, and Jack still love her! Ryan and I don't think anyone is "acting out" from feeling left out, which is another common question we are getting. I give all the credit to Ryan for that though, he is such an amazing father. When he gets home from work, he plays with the older three kids and gives them each the attention they crave from their Daddy. He plays silly games with them, lets them jump all over him, and teaches them what it means to be selfless by being so giving. I am so proud of him and so blessed to have him as the father of our children.
I do think Jack might be missing me a little, he does seem to be getting into a little more trouble these days... But I am working on trying to give each of them some undivided attention every day. Hopefully it will get a little easier on everyone, but as of now, both Ryan and I realize we are in the phase of parenthood where we're just trying to keep everyone alive and happy for awhile. "Survival mode."
They do adore their little sister. Jack is constantly kissing her, Luke spends a lot of special time looking at her and talking to her when I lay her on the floor, and Beth likes to hold her as often as I'll let her. Beth has become very... I can't quite find the word... Insistent on constantly helping and being a part of everything I'm doing. It's helpful but it's also smothering me a little bit. It's hard to be so giving when my body is being consumed by Caeli all day, and then everyone else wants a piece of me. It's overwhelming and demanding, but it's part of this stage in life. I've done it before, and in some ways this time it's easier because Jack is 3.5. Luke was only 20 months when Jack was born, and Beth was still a baby too. Now, they're all such big helpers, can get themselves mostly ready when we have to leave the house, and keep each other entertained when they play nicely together. But, whether they'll admit it or not (they won't!), they're all still my babies and all still need their mama's hugs and kisses.
We are starting to get some smiles out of Caeli. She will be one month old tomorrow, it seems a little early for smiles (I can't remember!) but she is definitely smiling at us!
I don't know if it's my age, my experience, or my placenta pills, but I feel like I've been more easy-going and casual this time. It's probably a combination of everything! I am totally NOT worrying about Caeli's "sleep schedule" or trying to predict when or how she'll fall asleep. I'm NOT worrying about a clean house or what or when we will eat (it always manages to happen). I am NOT worrying about the shape of my body because I know that I can't do much about it right now. And I am definitely NOT worrying about holding her too much or sniffing her sweet head too much! I just canNOT get enough of this girl, I have bonded so well with her and I am so thankful to actually be feeling this way!
So, for now, we are back to life as usual. I drove everyone to co-op last week, school is back in session, the visitors have stopped coming by, and clubs and activities have picked up. In fact, Luke and Beth start soccer next week! I hope to start some sort of a consistent exercise routine soon and maybe get a spring garden planted one weekend. This is good. I'm ready for life to be back to normal again... With the addition of one cute additional family member!
Everyone always asks about sleep first, so I'll start with that. Some days she naps for an hour or two and I'm able to get a lot done. Other days she only wants to sleep in my arms, and I'm wise enough now to be okay with that, and not worry about all of the stuff I'm not getting done. In the evenings she likes to be walked around; Ryan and I have made countless laps around the living room while watching primetime TV and Seinfeld reruns (because it's impossible to read or do anything else while pacing around like that!). At some point she may or may not fall asleep, but once I shower and get into bed with her she tends to fall asleep then. She sleeps next to me all night, she and I usually wake up in puddles of sweat! But she wakes, I latch her on, and we both fall back asleep together. Most nights are peaceful and she wakes 3-4 times, and she wakes up between 6:30-7:30, ready for a diaper change and to get out of bed for awhile. So we get up and she lays on her changing pad for 20 minutes or so, because she's always very happy there! It leaves me enough time to dress and get breakfast started. She is ready to go back asleep within an hour though, and on a good day she will go down for at least an hour or maybe longer. Then it's sort of up and down all day, it just sort of depends on how the day is going for everyone.
Beth, Luke, and Jack still love her! Ryan and I don't think anyone is "acting out" from feeling left out, which is another common question we are getting. I give all the credit to Ryan for that though, he is such an amazing father. When he gets home from work, he plays with the older three kids and gives them each the attention they crave from their Daddy. He plays silly games with them, lets them jump all over him, and teaches them what it means to be selfless by being so giving. I am so proud of him and so blessed to have him as the father of our children.
I do think Jack might be missing me a little, he does seem to be getting into a little more trouble these days... But I am working on trying to give each of them some undivided attention every day. Hopefully it will get a little easier on everyone, but as of now, both Ryan and I realize we are in the phase of parenthood where we're just trying to keep everyone alive and happy for awhile. "Survival mode."
They do adore their little sister. Jack is constantly kissing her, Luke spends a lot of special time looking at her and talking to her when I lay her on the floor, and Beth likes to hold her as often as I'll let her. Beth has become very... I can't quite find the word... Insistent on constantly helping and being a part of everything I'm doing. It's helpful but it's also smothering me a little bit. It's hard to be so giving when my body is being consumed by Caeli all day, and then everyone else wants a piece of me. It's overwhelming and demanding, but it's part of this stage in life. I've done it before, and in some ways this time it's easier because Jack is 3.5. Luke was only 20 months when Jack was born, and Beth was still a baby too. Now, they're all such big helpers, can get themselves mostly ready when we have to leave the house, and keep each other entertained when they play nicely together. But, whether they'll admit it or not (they won't!), they're all still my babies and all still need their mama's hugs and kisses.
We are starting to get some smiles out of Caeli. She will be one month old tomorrow, it seems a little early for smiles (I can't remember!) but she is definitely smiling at us!
I don't know if it's my age, my experience, or my placenta pills, but I feel like I've been more easy-going and casual this time. It's probably a combination of everything! I am totally NOT worrying about Caeli's "sleep schedule" or trying to predict when or how she'll fall asleep. I'm NOT worrying about a clean house or what or when we will eat (it always manages to happen). I am NOT worrying about the shape of my body because I know that I can't do much about it right now. And I am definitely NOT worrying about holding her too much or sniffing her sweet head too much! I just canNOT get enough of this girl, I have bonded so well with her and I am so thankful to actually be feeling this way!
So, for now, we are back to life as usual. I drove everyone to co-op last week, school is back in session, the visitors have stopped coming by, and clubs and activities have picked up. In fact, Luke and Beth start soccer next week! I hope to start some sort of a consistent exercise routine soon and maybe get a spring garden planted one weekend. This is good. I'm ready for life to be back to normal again... With the addition of one cute additional family member!
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