7 Quick Takes [3.9.12] AKA It's My Birthday And I'll Cry If I Want To

1. It was my 31st birthday on Wednesday. As far as birthdays go, this one was pretty much the worst ever. William was first. Only a couple hours after the midnight hour and into my birthday, he woke us up to let us know he had thrown up all over his pillow. That continued every hour or so for the rest of the night and into the morning. Lucy was next, shortly after breakfast. When the clock read 10 AM, it felt like it was already 8 PM. And that was pretty much how the day went. When one was throwing up, the other was on the toilet doing the other thing. When one was sleeping, one was whining. And on and on and on.

2. Brian stayed home for work. We didn't shower. We didn't get dressed. Brian left the house only once to pick up necessary survival supplies at Walgreen's. We watched a lot of TV. Our washer and drier ran nonstop. We rinsed our hands with bleach. We considered running away. Or at least not having any more kids. We rolled our eyes. We cried. We had a pity party. My birthday dinner was a bowl of Cheerios.

3. This is our second go-round with the throw-ups this year. Hence the pity party. But there are a few things for which I'm thankful. So far Brian, Katherine and myself are completely healthy. And the best birthday present anyone could give me would be to offer up a thousand and one prayers that it stays that way.

Also, I have to say it was a bit easier having the older two kids be sick at the same time rather than have it this week only to have another kid have it next week. We didn't have to worry about the germ swap. At one point we even cozied the two of them up in their sleeping bags in Lucy's full size bed and set up a movie for them to watch on the laptop. That way they were quarantined and we could generally go about our business of sanitizing the main floor.

And finally, I'm so thankful that Brian has the kind of job where he can stay at home or work from home at a moment's notice. He has an overseas business trip coming up and OH MY LORD I am so thankful this didn't occur when he was gone.

4. On Thursday morning, the day after the Worst Birthday Ever, I snapped this photo.

This is how you know when my two little show-offs are really sick.  When neither has the energy to lift their head off their pillow to look above their puke buckets at the camera and give me a smile or a funny face.  Just nothin'.

5. And then there's this little love muffin.

She's as healthy and happy as can be and we've kept her as far away as is possible from her sickie siblings.  Would you just look at her?!  Ah!  All I want to do is nibble on those cheeks and stick my nose in her little neck and kiss her for infinity.  And her hair.  Gotta love the hair that still has yet to start falling out.

She got a little ticked at me earlier in the week because I couldn't make enough milk to satisfy her and I'm just not ready to start solids yet.  This always happens to me around the 4-month mark.  For two days I nursed her every hour and a half or so to help stimulate milk supply and that has seemed to help.  The other night I had a lot to offer her and after a good feeding she slept six straight hours.  That's huge for her.  And it's proven my theory that the only reason she hasn't slept through the night yet is because she's truly a hungry little thing.  Anyone have any other tips on how to make more milk?  And please don't suggest the mother's milk tea.  I tried that once and just could not stand the smell or taste.

6.  My birthday wasn't a total bust.  Brian did surprise me with a brand new pair of post-baby designer jeans.  I wear jeans almost every day so for me, spending money on a quality pair of jeans that fit like a glove and make me feel put together is totally worth it.  But I've never spent this much on jeans.  And I never would.  So a huge thank you to him for spending it for me and letting me know he thinks it's worth it.  And that I'm worth it.  Some time I'll tell you about how Brian used to be the worst present-giver ever and how he's gotten light years better.

7.  And finally, the weather.  This glorious spring weather.  It makes all things feel like they are going to be OK.  It's supposed to be 60 degrees this weekend so I've already declared we will be going for a long walk tomorrow.  Even if that means strapping my too-big five-year-old in the stroller because he still won't have enough energy from being sick to ride his bike.  And if anything, it means we can open up a few windows to rid ourselves of the memories of the Worst Birthday Ever.

7 Quick Takes [3.2.12]

1. I have determined that the best description of what I do all day every day as a housewife with three small children is play a little game called, "Race Against the Clock."  What can I do before William is finished with preschool?  What can I get done before the baby wakes up?  What do I need to do before I start dinner?  Before Brian gets home?  Before the next feeding?  While Little Einsteins is on?

Just now I finished lunch with the kids and put them in their rest zones; reading, napping and just staying in their rooms "until the clock says three, zero, zero!"  And lucky for me the baby is also sleeping at this exact moment. Before I got here to the computer my mind was racing at all I could get done.  Put away the lunch food, load the dishwasher, wipe off the table, vacuum those pesky crumbs under the table, and maybe shake out the rugs while I'm at it, change the laundry, redo the sofa pillows to their original location, fold the blankets the kids used this morning while watching television, put away the contents of that shopping bag from two days ago.  Oh crap! The baby's crying!  Put her nukie back in. Yes, she fell back asleep.  What should I eat for lunch?  I need to go to the bathroom.  It can wait.  Baby's crying again!  Put her in the swing.  It'll buy me another ten minutes.  Reply to an email.  Send a text.  I need to change the chalkboard from February to March.  I'm thirsty.  I need to drink more water or my milk supply is going to drop.  Look up a scone recipe to make sure I have all the ingredients I need for tomorrow morning.  Eat!  I need to eat.  Peel an orange.  Heat up some soup.  Sit down at the computer.

And that's why my entire body might go to hell but I'll always have buns and thighs of steel after climbing the stairs, two at time, approximately 5,784 times a day.  The StairMaster's got nothing on me.

2.  I'm tired after that.  Let's just sit here and have a moment, shall we?

3. Our dishwasher broke this week.  Not really.  The door wouldn't latch and thus it wouldn't run.  This small-ish problem was actually bigger than it seems because a couple years ago the spring that keeps the door from flopping open also broke but we never got around to fixing it.  Broken latch + broken spring = hazard to small children walking by.  I had to keep a chair in front of it for a couple days before Brian got the part we needed.  All this to say I never realized how thankless I am to my modern appliances until they are out of order.

4.  Brian fixed the dishwasher all on his own.  But he only did this after a lot of badgering from me insisting that we didn't need a repairman.  And I was right. I don't know why he lacks confidence in DIY jobs but so far he's never disappointed.  I always tell him a repairman is just a phone call away but most of the time it doesn't hurt to give it a whirl yourself and learn something in the process.

5. Look at this girl.  Oh!  I am in love.

Does it sound like bragging when I say she's the best baby in the whole world?  I don't care.  After three babies, she really is.  Who do you think she looks like?  Brian and I think she looks just like William but almost everyone else says Lucy.

I can't believe that it was a year ago that I was struggling with the idea of a third baby while experiencing the pains of my first trimester of pregnancy.  If I knew then what I know now... She makes it easy for me to envision more children in our family.  Unless, of course, they told me it would be a clone of Lucy.  Then I would really, really, have to think about it.

6. Many people think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill when I explain how exhausting Lucy can be.  She does that to people.  She woos them in with her charm and good looks.  She'll sing you a song, do a little dance and you'll think, what's not to love?  That's how she gets ya.  But spend a day with her and you'll quickly see what I mean.

And therein lies the problem of me sounding like I don't like Lucy. Which is completely false. I have a fierce love for that girl. And crazy amounts of admiration of her.  She's everything good that I am not.  Outgoing and confident.  Determined and motivated.  BUT, she is a difficult child to raise in a house where she is one of five. She doesn't demand that the house revolve around her but she fully expects it to move out of her way so she can do it her own way, on her own clock and without disruption.

A few days ago I finally said aloud what I think I've known all along: This girl is going to be something.  Really something.  And it's going to be big.  You just wait.

7. It's the second Friday of Lent and we're headed to a fish fry tonight at our church with my brother and some friends.  I always feel a little guilty about this.  Lent is supposed to be simple and reverent.  But these fish frys are so much fun!  And they raise a lot of money for our school so I guess I don't feel all that bad.

Head over here for more Quick Takes Friday!

Perspective

When William was two and Lucy was a baby, my friends Amy and Dona also had two kids those same ages.  The only difference was that Dona's oldest was a girl while Amy and I both had boys.

In the midst of trying to navigate the new waters of having a toddler and a baby under one roof, I once asked the ladies when they showered during the day and what they did with the kids during that time.  Dona told us she put her baby son on her bed while her two-year-old daughter played with him.  Both Amy and I struggled to pick our jaws up from the floor.  Dona had no idea why we were in such shock.

"Dona," I said, "If I ever did that, William would unintentionally kill Lucy."

"Yes," agreed Amy, "So would Jack."

And as horrid as that sounds I think it was true.  A two-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl are two completely different species.  While William was a sweet, sweet toddler he was rather rough with Baby Lucy.  I really believe he thought she was his own pin cushion/monster truck/board to hammer come to life.

So I smiled to myself the other day when I jumped in the shower at 4 p.m.  Don't judge.  Four O'Clock is so totally a normal time to take a shower.

While I was showering all three of the kids were awake.  Lucy was watching Little Einsteins and just below the television was Katherine on her floor mat playing with William, who informed me that Little Einsteins was only for babies.  Nobody was crying.  Nobody was screaming.  Nobody was fighting.

I was reminded of that conversation with Dona and Amy a couple of years earlier because here I was in a completely opposite frame of mind.  The worry that Katherine might get hurt by the older children never even crossed my mind.  In fact, I was so confident I didn't even feel rushed and actually made time to shave my legs.

This little anecdote is the great reminder to me, and maybe to you too, of what my mom always told me: This too, shall pass.

The baby doesn't sleep through the night.  Not even close.  Lucy screams.  All the time.  William has difficulty following directions.  Especially when we're in a hurry.

But these are challenges of their ages and stages.  The challenge will pass and a new one will take its place.  Ever the revolving door.

It also reminds me of when William tells me I'm the best mom in the world and he still wants to snuggle up on the couch with me.  It reminds me of sweet open kisses from the baby and how she always lights up when I walk into her room and never ever talks back.  It reminds me of when Lucy pronounces all her "sp" words with an "f" so we make her say "sparten" so we can hear her say "farten" and all have a good laugh.

These things, too, shall pass.

It's never all good.  But it's never all bad either.  Rather, it's all in how you look at it.

7 Quick Takes [2.24.12]

1.  Hello?  Is anyone out there?  I blog.  I'm a blogger.  Except sometimes I don't.  And sometimes I'm not.  Don't hate me.

It's frustrating to me, as a writer, because I don't ever not blog for lack of ideas.  It's always for lack of time and energy.  I see great people getting their pieces published or recognized and I know I could really do something with this little space.  I hear people talk about this blog or that blog or the latest thing they repinned on Pinterest and I so badly want to be there.  To the mom with eight kids who homeschools and makes her own yogurt and uses cloth diapers and looks stunning and publishes seven well-written blog posts a week: How do you do it?  Come 8 o'clock and I am checked out!

2.  I had good intentions of writing a blog post yesterday all about how we've come to a good place in this little family of ours.  Things are running smoothly and I can mostly figure things out without have a full-fledged panic attack.  But then William did something to make me so angry that I sent him to his room without lunch.  I've never done that before.  So I wasn't feeling all high and mighty about myself anymore and thus that whole blog idea fizzled fast.  Kids are the world's best humblers.

3.  Katherine turned four months yesterday.  Can you even believe it?!  I look at her little body and while she is still my teeny baby, I know deep down hers is not the body of a newborn any longer. Sniff, sniff.  She "talks" all the time now.  She rarely cries.  Instead she'll start squawking if she's upset.  She eats like a maniac and the only time she cries really loud is when she's starving.  She's a pro at grabbing for her toys.  She even grabbed her nukie and put it in her mouth all by herself yesterday.  She loves to play by herself.  If you lay her down she cranes her neck to try to sit up.  She stands up when hanging on to my index fingers.  I think she thinks she's twice her actual age.  She still has crazy hair that has not yet started to fall out.  She smiles easily but makes you work hard for a giggle.  She loves William best of all.  Even though he makes me the angriest of all and has to get sent to his room without lunch.

4.  Lent started this week and while I don't always share the things I'm doing for Lent I'll let you know that this year I gave up treats after dinner.  For 90% of the day I'm a very healthy eater.  But as soon as 7 or 8 o'clock hits, I'm jonesin for some chocolate or ice cream.  It is my weakness.  So I'm giving it up for 40 days save for my birthday which always fall during Lent which I've deemed unfair and thus I allow myself to cheat.  I was unsure about this initially because selfishly I'm hoping it will help me kick those last few baby pounds I've got hanging around my mid section.  Is that a shallow reason? I wonder.  But if I do lose the weight, I'll feel better about myself and when I feel good, my mood feels good and a good mood mom is a good for everyone.

5.  Brian thought he might give up coffee for Lent.  I quickly talked him out of going down that dangerous road.  Would you give up water?  Or breathing?  Then you shouldn't give up coffee.  We have three kids five and under.  Coffee isn't a pleasure.  It's a necessity.  Funny how when I suggested he give up alcohol he quickly put that idea to rest.  Maybe for the same logic I used on coffee.

6.  Remember my room makeover pictures a few months back? I still owe you two more rooms.  The living room is complete and we're almost done with our master bedroom.  It has turned out rather lovely.  We have new blinds to install and I need to buy a headboard for our bed.  When we moved from our townhouse to our current home we actually downgraded our master bedroom.  It's much smaller and I really miss the walk-in closet.  But that's the trade-off between a house built in 1997 and one built in 1923.  What we lost in space we gained in character.

7.  I bought an Ergo Baby Carrier!  If you already own one you will know what a big deal this is.  You'll also know what an investment it is.  They are not cheap.  It is one of three baby products I've spent more than $100 on.  The other two are my Phil and Ted's double stroller (LOVE!) and my breast pump.  Technically my breast pump doesn't count because insurance paid for almost all of it when William was in the NICU.  But I would have forked over my own money if need be.  I know a lot of women who would disagree with me on the matter of the breast pump but I've found it to come in handy many times even though I'm a stay-at-home mom.

Back to the Ergo. My sister-in-law was in town from New York last week and she let me try hers out.  I now totally understand what all the fuss was about.  I decided to get the Sport instead of the Original and most moms I've talked to tell me this was a good decision.  Thoughts?  My Ergo hasn't arrived yet but don't think I'm not tracking that package every morning!

Fresh From the Bath

Brian said I need a blogger intervention. Until then I'll just keep posting pictures and pretend I'm a real blogger.  This picture totally captures my children's personalities.  Like, to a tee.

P.S. When I looked at the screen on my camera I totally thought Katherine was smiling. But now that I'm looking at it full screen I see that she's still unsure about her older siblings. What can we do to win you over, Miss Kate?

Captionless

I just recently found this picture when I was purusing through Christmas photos that have long been forgotten.  It says so many things, don't you think?  And it feels like it should be a poster for something.  Not sure what.  But something.

Fun With The Baby

When does the baby stop being referred to as "The Baby" and start being called by her given name?

I don't know but I hope not soon because that would mean she's getting old.

I can barely remember calling William or Lucy "The Baby."  But I know I did.  And now they're "Luce" or "Lucenberg" (don't ask) and "WILLIAM!" or "Hamster" (don't ask on that one either.)

This little lady has brought so much joy in our little family.  You absolutely positively cannot say you've had a bad day when she looks into your eyes and gives you a giant, gummy, drool-y grin.  I dare you to try.

And having a five-year-old this go round has been a pleasant surprise of wonderfulness.  He's so patient with her and mostly gentle.  He is boy after all so there's only so much he can do when it comes to being gentle.  He begs to hold her.  He calms her when she cries.  He offers her his face for inspection as seen above and never flinches or cries out or gets mad when she scratches him or pulls too hard as I know she does.  I'm a little sad William will never have a brother who is close to him in age.  But I think God knew what he was doing when he gave him these little sisters.