Cool and rainy

Today's temperatures are not exactly ideal for soccer practice. Good thing we will have to miss as it is our last night of church activities for the kids classes. What a year it's been. It seemed to go by fast due to a late start. We had a rocky beginning with the director part, but figured it out and I think the year went pretty well. Daisy and I had a good time with the first graders. I love that age. We plan to bring Baby Girl there to see the kids tonight. I don't think we will stay for the entire class time. We will see. Bluestar was kind enough to make us a dinner tonight. It will be great not to have to cook. What a day we had! It was my first morning to get everyone out the door on my own. Thankfully, Miss D from next door offered to take Four to preschool. So sweet. They came home with lunch too! Daisy brought over books for me to sign. We are going to give one to each kid in our class tonight. They are the children's copy of "Heaven is for real." The night will be a party for everyone and should be fun. Six has been talking about bringing Baby Girl all weekend. It should be fun. With our discovery of Netflix, Four has grown to love "Cake Boss." We haven't had cable for many years. We got N a Roku and now we get Neflix on our TV. Needless to say, it will be sad the day we run out of "Cake Boss" episodes. She knows all the bakers by name and remembers things about them from various episodes. Zinnia picked up waffles and eggs for us today. Normally, I make eggs every morning for the kids. It's just a habit I started when Eight was in kindergarten. The school day is so long. It's awhile for first graders to eat lunch and I wanted to be sure they weren't starving before lunch. The past few weeks, I have not been able to produce eggs every morning. I've had to turn to waffles and cereal. It took them a little while to agree and get used to cereal. They enjoyed picking out cereal on sale at the store. It was handy to have a giant box in the freezer, waffles ready when we need them. I've got a list for the store this week, it's pretty small. I scheduled an appointment with Lavender to get my hair cut and highlighted. I've never had someone do it before. It takes around 2 hours. I hope it goes well with the baby. We will see. So much is coming up in the month of May. I'm looking forward to doing something for myself. I've got two cold sores today. Not good. It's hard to balance the baby, sleep and the other kids. It's a work in progress. She will sleep better, hopefully sooner than later. We will continue to get on the right track. Daisy was so helpful today. She striped the beds in Four's room, cleaned my microwave and got the dust off of my TV. She insisted on doing some jobs for me. What I really want is for N to get the filter in the shop vac and get the grass out of our van. It's terrible and drives me crazy every time I get in the van. Plus, it's been a week! Boys are hope, moods are positive and spirits are high! Should be a wonderful night!

Ready for bed?

The sound of rollerblading

"Time to get your roller skating on!" "I can go, I just can't move." This is what I hear coming from the basement. We found roller blades today at the Walleye Festival for the boys. We rolled up the rugs in the basement and they are down there practicing. Sister has a echo microphone and is playing the roll of announcer. They all have teams and nick names. What a group. Hard to believe I waited so long to introduce roller blades to my group. It was a huge part of my life in my early years. I used to roller blade all over town, it was my only transportation for a long time. I used roller blades instead of a car throughout high school and college. I still remember my first pair, black with neon laces! We've had two ok days so far. N went back to work last night at 3. We made it through supper and bedtime. Eight stayed up a little with me while I chatted with Mum. He's such a good boy. I was glad the other two fell asleep so fast, they usually do. I haven't been to keen on them playing outside lately. It's just hard to have the baby in the house and them outside. Everyone needs supervision. My compromise was to clear the basement. They were entertained for hours this afternoon. Four really wanted to get Littlest Pet Shop during the garage sales. I was sad she didn't find any yesterday. As luck would have it, our neighbor was selling her entire collection! Imagine, just what she wanted right next door. She picked a house and a bag with furniture. We then selected a few bags of characters. In the end, she was so pleased. Six had come home with N yesterday toting along ZuZu pets. I was less than thrilled. They didn't even entertain him last night. I imagine they will be short lived and gone for next years sale. Sad we will have to put up with them for the year. Oh well, perhaps he will surprise me. I think part of it was the need for new batteries in some. Eight too was disappointed. We didn't get to explore like we used to. Today, finding the roller blades cleared all sorry feelings for him. Also, spending the morning with N didn't hurt either. The Methodist church was selling tacos and tamales. Oh my did they remind us of San Antonio. We used to eat tacos all of the time. Our neighbor's family used to make the best tamales. It was a great lunch before N headed to work. He did try fishing last night at midnight, verruckt if you ask me. Especially since it was cold, fishing at midnight! At least he slept in today. I hope he got enough rest. Well, Baby Girl is up and so is my time. Ta ta for now!

Friday night and N is back to work

I'm flying solo tonight for the first time with four kids. It was great to have N home for so long. The kids enjoyed their time with him. I know he enjoyed the slower pace. It will be tough to go back to busy, busy. He took all three kids to Four's field trip today. It was at a farm and petting zoo of some sorts. They were there slightly longer than planned and had a great time. Of course when they came home, all they had on their minds were garage sales. We went to a few, but I am afraid I did too much walking. I carried her car seat into the car once too. Not the best plan. Just when I feel great, something like that reminds me I gave birth less than two weeks ago. I felt so good and healed after, I have to pace myself better. Baby Girl was up quite a bit last night. I am at a loss how to turn this around. She seems to sleep all day. She's awake and wanting to explore, right when I am exhausted. I don't know how to keep up. I try to wake her up during the day, but she won't stay awake. Speaking of, there is a squeak from the bassinet. The Walleye Festival wasn't quite like the others in the past. I knew it wouldn't be. There were quite a few houses I looked for to go to, only to discover they were not having a sale this year. I had gotten some great books from two houses near the school last year, but no luck today. I didn't get anything for myself this year. The kids found various treasures. Some I wasn't exactly thrilled with, but oh well. Pick and choose my battles. If it keeps them entertained all weekend in the basement, I guess I am thankful. I think Six spent the most money. I didn't find any clothing items for Four like I'd hoped. I found a few thing for Baby Girl. I got some more Swaddle Me's from the Halo company. We have two, one from our hospital and one from Baby Orchid. The one I found today looks just like Baby Orchid's. I will wash it up and add it to our baby stuff. I wasn't sold on them until we used one. I really do love it. She seems to sleep better, not that it made a difference last night. I don't know if it was the temperature or what. I'm still trying to figure it out. Perhaps she needed the warmer fleece Swaddle Me instead of the lighter one. I also found two sleep sacks for when she is bigger. They enable her to sleep safe without a blanket. I wanted to find a jumper and exer-saucer, but also had no luck. My options were limited. I went to 3 houses this morning while the group was on the field trip. Couldn't do more than three houses. Just when I was on my way home, I ran into Ivy. Turns out she has the two items I was looking for and can use! So excited. Another year of Walleye Festival complete. Back to normal this weekend. I'm not sure about church on Sunday yet. Not sure I'm ready to fly solo with the group. We'll see. One more week at home I think may be in order.

Walleye Festival

Tomorrow marks our fourth Walleye Festival in our little Michigan town. It's opening weekend for fishing walleye on the river. It's 150 + garage sales throughout town. It's a good time to find treasures. We have a small list of things to look for, but I fear we won't be as on top of our game as we have been in the past. To start with, it's cold and windy. Not a place for a new baby. We went to a couple of places today, but I sat in the car. She slept the entire time. We managed to find a basketball hoop for the boys. They were so excited when they came home. They could spy it from up our street! I hope to find a jumperoo for Baby Girl. I saw a couple today, but they were missing parts. Hopefully we can find one tomorrow. I have doubts because some streets are too full to drive down. We would have to walk and that won't work with the baby. Plus, Four has a field trip to the petting zoo in the morning. N is going to take her and the boys. No early garage sales for us that way. We could go in the afternoon, but I think we'll have to check out some neighborhoods that aren't as congested. Next year will be a different story. We did find a jogging stroller yesterday. It's not the same quality as our other jogging stroller, but this way it's not something my parents have to haul here for us anymore. Today we put our stroller in the van for the first time. I admit, I am disappointed how big it is and how much room it takes up in back of the van. Oh well. We'll see how comfortable we get with it. N says I am the stroller collector. We've had quite a few strollers over the years. The jogging strollers seem to be worth their money, not so much the other kind. Our new one is ok, but a bit large and I'm not sure how much we will use it. It came with the car seat and was $100 off, a great deal. Hopefully we put it to good use this summer. I know we will make great use of the jogging stroller though. Soccer tonight and I've got supper in the oven. Should be a great weekend!

New baby life

We've had a few hiccups with Baby Girl, but they are all getting worked out. First, she didn't poop for a week. Success on Tuesday solved that issue. She had such terrible gas the following day, she was very crabby. After a visit to Zinnia's, Mr. D discovered she had thrush. Another call to the Dr. and she had meds waiting for us at the pharmacy. She slept most of the day, wasn't awake much. This is new to me. I've never had a baby that would possibly sleep through her feeding. I've had to wake her up to eat. We'll see how long it lasts. I want to try to get some great pictures, but she's been asleep so much. Kids have one more day of school this week, then our first weekend alone. We were going to have help, but due to a family emergency, that was canceled. We'll see how we do. N goes back to work Friday night. I am sure it will be fine, but we will not leave the house. We left the house today to take Four to preschool. Baby Girl cried almost the entire drive. Just when I thought she was a fan of the car, we have two trips with screaming and tears. Good thing we don't go too far. I managed to make it to the store. I didn't want to take the baby out, but needed a few things N couldn't pick out for me. It was nice to get out. We were back home before we knew it. I was exhausted. Baby Girl didn't get out of the car seat. She slept the entire time Four was at preschool. I had mixed feelings about going to the store when she was only one week old. I really wanted to keep her home for as long as I could before exposing her to the elements. It was a big step for me. I feel like I need to be transitioned back into life again after delivering a baby. It's traumatic on your body. Then to get home and meet all the infants demands with little sleep and any other issues that come up make this a challenging time. Not to mention the repercussions of delivery on your own body, these alone take awhile to deal with. I'm trying to take it one day at a time, but it's hard when the simple things can seem so challenging. I felt rushed today, I just wanted to get things done and get home. I was disappointed how long it all took. We ran out to Zinnia's with some garage sale items. After finding the thrush, I felt slightly overwhelmed. Many people were at her garage sale and I felt the need to hide the baby in the house. I didn't want a bunch of people wanting to touch her. No one did, but when I saw so many people coming, that is how I felt. Plus, she was ready to eat and I needed to call the Dr office and figure out the thrush thing. Then I needed to figure out when the meds would be ready at the pharmacy. Would I have to go with four kids to pick it up? N took the day to himself. I was disappointed he did, but also glad. He's been great this past week and should enjoy some of his time off with an activity of his choice. Too often I rule his days off with errands and tasks we need to accomplish. Well, shes squawking and ready for the next thing. We'll see how the rest of my night goes.

One Week Old

Today we celebrate one week of Baby Girl being in our family! We did take her to the Dr. yesterday. We have seen plenty of wet diapers, but no stools. The Dr. checked her out and said everything sounded normal. We picked up some suppositories and waited last night for results. Nothing all night. This morning N gave her the second round and success! I am so thankful to have that figured out. She wasn't uncomfortable or irritable from being in that condition. We all gave her a bath this morning before the boys were off to school. Everyone was happy, it was a great morning. We had more visitors on Sunday. Daisy and Verbena stopped by during soccer. Daisy brought Baby Girl some clothes and a swimming suit! It is adorable and our first. Can't wait for her to be big enough to wear it. We love to swim in this family. Today, I have quite a bit of laundry to do after our morning. Hoping to organize the house and keep it together.

Visitors

We've started to have visitors come over to meet our new Baby Girl. Yesterday was our neighbor and N's family. It was great to see the grandparents and Aunt Lilac. They picked up Chinese from our local restaurant and everyone had a wonderful night. Gma Y brought two really cute outfits for the baby. I'm hoping she can wear one to Eight's confirmation in a few weeks. Daisy will be by tomorrow! I missed her call today, but we had company. N plans to take the kids to church tomorrow. We will go in a few weeks with Baby Girl. I am so thankful he will take them. I want to continue to stay on our normal schedule any way we can. The weeks ahead, so much to do. I've started a list in my head and will have to eventually write it down. We are nearly finished with Eight and his confirmation preparation. Tomorrow I hope to work on it with him. Six asked about it today. He was really precious with Baby Girl. He made the sign of the cross on her head, lips and heart, just like Fr. B showed him. They will be excited to go tomorrow and share our good news. I plan to get some pictures printed soon. Between my mum heading to see my grandmother next weekend and other relatives needing to see her since they are not online, I am eager to share our sweet new girl! After each baby, we've had our own photo shoot at home. I usually wait a few weeks to do this. I hope to time it right so she is a similar age as the other kids on our wall. I think we will be alright, it's usually been close to the one month mark. She's had her eyes closed so much during the day, it's been hard to get pictures of her. I keep waking her up to eat. Tonight she slept the first half of the night. I woke her up, but she fell back asleep right away. I decided to write, thinking she would wake up after I laid her down. No luck, guess I better make her a little less cozy in her swaddle. We're still getting used to all this. She does want to sleep so much it seems. The other nights, she's been up and fussy from 10-1am. Not tonight, she fell asleep after we put the kids down. I slept and am ready for what the night brings. We will see how we do.

Sweetness

Four's goodnight to Baby Girl after prayers "Are you thankful for everything, like me?" I found the boys on each side of her bassinet. She's holding a finger tightly from each boy. They were discussing how tight her grip was. Just when I wanted to take a picture, she let go. Six had referred to Baby Girl nursing as "milking." I also tried to video Four chatting with Baby Girl. She was saying the sweetest things. As soon as I turned on the camera, she stopped. At the end of the day, I tried to get them settled down for bed. We were waiting for people to be quiet to say our evening prayers and Baby Girl folded her hands just perfectly. Everyone saw and smiled. She's been a great addition to our group. I think she will bring change to our family, only for the better. We are so blessed. Mr. C showed up this afternoon with a KFC meal for us. Zinnia stopped by with bags of food from her FIL funeral. New Moon brought us a pinterest chicken spaghetti meal. N has been doing all the cooking and it's been a few boxes of Mac and Cheese. The kids were amazed and asked why everyone brought food. It was a nice lesson for them to learn. So much generosity around us.

Fast and Furious

She made it into this world on her own terms. Lesson learned, one can plan all they want, but life goes on His plan, not yours. I woke up to leaking fluid on Tuesday morning at 3am. Called in to the doc, they said if more fluid is present, head on in. If not, just come in the morning. N went back to sleep, I tried, but contractions began. We decided we would leave in an hour. I got all things ready for the kids for the next day. It was 5am when we called the neighbor Miss D. She came over and we were off. By the time we got to the hospital, my contractions were getting stronger. I knew I couldn't walk up to L & D on my own. N went for a wheel chair. I made it to the hospital door. On L & D, they were slightly surprised to see me. They thought I'd changed my mind. I was put in a room and my contractions got worse. I couldn't believe how painful it was. When they checked, I was still at a 3. I remained a 3. I was frustrated for feeling weak from the pain. I kept saying it wasn't like the others, I never had strong pain like this so early on.
By 6am, I couldn't stand it. They sort of didn't know what to do with me. My dr wasn't coming in until around 8am. I couldn't imagine surviving the next hour. Little did I know, I would, but not on my terms. It was 7am and all chaos began. I had to stand up, the pain was so bad. Water gushed on to the floor. They said I was still a 3! I will not think of the number 3 the same again. I went for a 3 to ready in just a matter of minutes. Baby girl couldn't even wait for the midwife to come down the hall. She came so fast and surprised everyone. It was shift change for the nurses. There were maybe 6-8 people in the room. Red headed Mickey caught her as she came out. I'm not sure how many pushes it took, but I know it wasn't many. Turns out the membrane never ruptured completely. It came out on top of her head. I did have a leak in my water, but the part at the bottom never broke. I was past a 3, they just couldn't tell because of the hard bulge on the bottom.
The plans for my epidural were out the window. There was no time. I was shocked after the entire experience. It was not like any of the other kids. Their labors were 12 hours +. This was as N said "old school" without any pain med assistance. Our theme lately has been vintage, guess this experience was just keeping in line with the theme.
Her entire pregnancy was not like the others, I guess it only appropriate the deliver by unique too. She arrived on her own terms and is beautiful. She was 9 lbs 3 oz. She looks a little like each kid. She has the same hair color Eight did when he was born. Her nose looks a lot like Four. She looks the most similar to Six, which surprised me. Eight and Four had more similar features when first born. Now Six and Baby girl will maybe have some features in common.
Later in the morning, Zinnia and Miss D brought Four to see us. She got in on helping with Baby Girl's first bath. It was great to see. Four was completely smitten with her new sister. They stayed for a few hours. N went home to get some sleep. He came back refreshed and ready for the day. He brought the kids back with him. The boys had their turn to inspect the new sister. Eight was grinning from ear to ear. Six bounced in like Tigger. He was so pleased with the day and everyone. They checked her out carefully, eager to see her eyes and toes. It was a sweet moment to see them meeting her for the first time.
Zinnia took all kids over night. N came back and stayed with us. I know he didn't get much sleep, I even less. Thankfully, we are going home tonight. Baby girl passed all her tests with flying colors. She's the soonest out of all our kids. She's done great with nursing and slept from 3 am to 6am last night! Lets home that habit carries over to home. Not sure what I will call her on this yet. I'll come up with something.
For now. I am just so thankful the Lord has blessed us with many things this past week. We couldn't have done this without our friends and neighbors. Many played an important role in bringing this baby girl into the world. She is more loved than she'll ever know. Her arrival involved so many people who care.
Now the challenge begins, keeping up with life and family. I will just take it one day at a time. I plan to post pictures soon. For now, this is as far as I've gotten.

Baby baby

Baby count down begins! I hope after my appointment today things start to go the right direction. If not, I'll be induced on Thursday. I really didn't want to be induced, but the doc doesn't want me to go past my due date.
It's been such a balancing act with the kids schedules and trying to figure out when to have this baby. I thought I had my plan nailed down for today, but poor Bluestar had a sick kid at her house. I couldn't have Four go there after preschool. Thankfully I called in plan B and Zinnia and New Moon worked together to watch her for a few hours.
My appointment was good, but my BP was high. After such a crazy morning, this did not surprise me. I was sent to L & D for observation. When everything turned out great I was able to go home.
RE starts again tonight. I will go and get the class started for the first half hour, then Daisy will come and finish. Mr. C and Miss D are going to pick the kids up for me. They are so sweet. I am sure I'll be tired at the end of all this. It's great to have such wonderful people around me. I don't know what I would do without them.

Typo from 4 AM

Guess I realized my typing skills in the wee hours of the morning cannot be trusted. A simple misplaced letter can make the meaning take a wrong turn. The correction has been fixed, not sure if you will notice what it was. Not my normal language, forgive my mistake. Perhaps I should better proofread my work before being so quick to publish the post.

Up at night

It's 4:30 AM and here I am, awake. It started out with a cramp and a trip to the bathroom, then turned into something in my eye, probably an eyelash. This led to hunger and baby movement. I do have a slight sore throat and headache as well.
Good thing we have no plans today. I hope to get through mass, but that is about it. N has other ideas. I think I'll just send him on his merry way. Eight also has ideas of his own, these involve spending some birthday money and Lego Heros.
The end of his birthday was good, I believe. I know he was disappointed not to have a party with his friends. I will try to make it up to him the end of the month. We went to the park and picked up pizza on our way home. They finished the day off with a movie. We were going to Skype with the fam, but it just didn't happen in time. The time change can interfere with that. They are an hour different from us. Most nights, my group needs to get to bed by 8 and they are still getting things done around that time. It's hard to accommodate everyone.
We still haven't figured out a name for this baby girl. I looked up some more recently, but just can't get N sold on the one I really like. We've got 4 varieties we're thinking of I guess. Something will come to us, though I know he wants it picked out before she gets here.
I think we're ready. I sort of feel ready. I guess I feel like I'm missing something, some piece of equipment that I don't have yet. I know I need a baby monitor still, just haven't gotten it yet. I enjoyed having one with the others. We will become aware of what we need once she's here. Orchid is bringing somethings too. At least that was the plan. I don't know how much room they will have since they are all driving together.
So many things coming up in the rest of April and into May. I'm a little nervous to put a new baby into the equation as well. I feel like I have forgotten so many baby things. I know it will all come back to me, but still feel a little nervous. Our three came almost right in a row, it was life as we knew it for those years. With so much time in between, I feel out of practice. Baby Orchid brought some of those thoughts back, but not until a situation presented itself and Orchid called to ask me about something specific. I feel like we used to have so much more baby items and prep time, waiting until the last minute leaves me feeling inadequate and positive there is something I've overlooked.
I do feel better we have a plan for the week. I have an apt on Monday. We'll see if the doc can get things started. It's such a juggling act with these kids. The only apt they could give me was at 11am on Monday. Four is done with preschool only a half hour after. I have to count on other people to make it work. I will bring her to class, then thanks to Bluestar, I won't worry until after my appointment. Bluestar will take her home after preschool. Zinnia told me not to go to my appointment alone. My wonderful neighbor will bring me.
RE will resume that night. I don't think I will be there. N can drop the troops off I guess. We will see how I feel. Tuesday night is the first soccer practice for Six. Still haven't heard from a coach for the other two. Three kids, three practices, could be three different days of the week. I hope the boys are on the same team as some of our friends. Ivy has a good chance of that, but could I be so lucky? There are lots of kids in soccer. Zinnia's JC has practice twice next week! Twice the first week, no thanks. It will be hard enough to get there once. I was surprised. So far, I've never seen anyone have practice twice in one week. Games and practice yes, but not two practices. Kudos to that coach for wanting them to be on top. Six is so excited, I was kind of surprised. He mentioned yesterday how he can't wait for Tuesday. I think we have everyone's shoes and shin guards figured out. Balls, we need to check on balls for practice. Well, my battery is going to die. Guess this is the end of my entry. I should try to get back to sleep anyway.

Happy Birthday Eight!

Can't believe my first born is eight years old today. He's the best kid a mother could ask for. His name means light and he is the light of our life!
We're making waffles with whip cream and sprinkles this morning. Bacon and eggs on the side, Eight loves bacon. We will be off to the pool in a few hours. After that, I believe we'll be home and play Lego's the rest of the afternoon. We plan to Skype with Baby Orchid. I hope for a wonderful day for Eight. He's always compromising for me and my biggest helper, best listener. We will have a small birthday get together at the end of the month. It was hard to plan anything with a baby on the way.
The day he was born was one of the happiest days of my life. Now we will have another child to join him in celebrating life in the month of April. The sun is shining and it looks beautiful outside. Should be a glorious day!

Birthday Boy treats

Here are the treats we are taking to school. I can't wait to see his face!

Lego Man Birthday Treat

Birthday treats

Today I am going to attempt to make Angry Birds cupcakes in honor of Seven's birthday. The Lego head pops turned out pretty great. I couldn't just send a marshmallow on a stick for a treat, thus deciding to make Angry Birds to compliment the Lego guys. I took a quick picture for mom to see yesterday. I'll post it soon.
Hoping the Angry Birds don't turn out to be too crazy.
Baby update: ultra sound says she's 9 lbs 11 oz. That is the exact same measurement they gave us before Seven and Four were born. Seven was smaller, thankfully, but Four was bigger, which I was not expecting. She appeared to have nice, chubby cheeks. She should for her size. We signed Four up for kindergarten this week and joked about signing baby girl up too. I have an apt on Monday. If nothing happens, we will be induced on Thursday. I was induced with Seven. Six, we set the date and threatened to be induced. He decided to come on his own terms and we went in at midnight instead of 5AM. It was so much easier, I had no clue. He's been setting his own terms from day one. Four, they sent me home on Labor Day. I went back the following day and she came. I'm praying for this delivery to be like the last two. I loved my Dr. in TX and had great experiences with those deliveries. Seven was an AF baby, completely different experience. I'm also hoping we get my dr. If not her, it will be her sister, whom I have never met. It will all go well, I'm sure.

Trying to be patient

With the birthday of Seven coming up this weekend, I am growing more impatient and wish things were more concrete. I am anxious for everything to work out nicely. With his birthday being this weekend, I will feel bad if he is sad. I made part of his treats for school on Friday this afternoon. They turned out pretty cool. I hope he likes them.
Tomorrow, I hope to have more answers. I have an appointment in the morning and an ultra sound in the afternoon. We will see what the dr. says. For now, I'll try to be patient.

Almost

Well, back to L and D we went last night just before 1am. We were met by 3 police cars and 6 police officers in the ER doorway. They were escorting a man without legs and a foul mouth. Not sure what they were waiting for, some sort of bus I guess.
My contractions were steady 5 minutes apart, I waited 1.5 hours and then called. They remained steady until she checked for dilation. After that, they began to space and eventually up to 10 minutes apart. I still had contractions on the ride home. They stopped sometime after 5am. What a night. N had gone to bed around 9 o'clock, at least he slept half the night. Poor Azalea came to my rescue and got to go home an hour and a half before R had to go to work. She's such a great friend.
The rest of today, I've been uncomfortable, but not uncomfortable enough. Some contractions, but nothing consistent.
We signed Four up for kindergarten today! I nearly forgot all about it. Thanks to Geranium and her FB post, I remembered in time to get it done today. We got it done just in time to pick up the boys. On an exciting note, Six's teacher shared with us she's expecting her first baby! She said she thought of me when she found out. She is the sweetest lady. Her mother came to the school for lunch and she shared her news with the kids. Everyone is very happy for her. She shared worries because of her age. She's in great shape and will be a wonderful mother.
We picked up presents for Seven today. Couldn't find what he really wanted. Turns out it is out of stock online as well. We went to 4 stores to look for this Lego motorcycle and had no luck. They ordered something online tonight.
Tomorrow I will work on the Lego guy marshmallow treats. We will get as much done ahead of time as I can.
N made burgers tonight. Everyone is in good spirits. Just a few sheets of homework to get done and we should have a nice evening at home.

Monday, back to business

Today is the last day of spring break. I hope to get some work out of this group. We never looked at Seven's confirmation papers, I planned to get that done during this time. I'm all caught up on laundry and have half the house clean.
Last week I had a filling fall out. Fun. I've been walking around with flossers in my pocket ever since. I have a dentist apt today. Hopefully my children can behave themselves to sit in the lobby while I see what the dentist has in mind.
We may be able to join Geranium for a picnic at the park after, if they will wait that late for us. We will go regardless. I hope to make the last day fun for them, but have so many things on my mind. Seven's birthday is on Saturday. I feel as though so much of my life is in limbo, waiting for this baby to make her appearance. I don't know what to commit to, what to plan. I will start his treats for school today or tomorrow for sure. Probably tomorrow since both boys will be in school. He can take treats on Friday, whether I'm around or not. As for a birthday celebration, I would like for him to pick 2-3 boys and go out for pizza and a movie. There is a new pirate movie coming out the end of the month, perhaps it would be best to wait until then. When I asked him about this idea, he said that was ok. I could tell there was disappointment in his voice. Poor Seven. He's such a good kid. He always compromises and makes things easier on me. I just want him to feel special and be happy. I don't want to fail his expectations. Tuesday Four and I will go to Toysrus for his present. I'd like to get that done today as well, but will have all three kids with me. Four usually can keep a secret.
Well, on with our day!

Happy Birthday, N!

To the love of my life, I wish all the best this Easter Sunday. Can't believe another year has past. We've celebrated so many birthdays together. As they do change over the years, the kids keep them exciting. Birthday preparation yesterday was really sweet.
The younger two kept asking how to spell things to write on their cards. Four said "Dad is going to be so happy with us tomorrow!" "We aren't going to whine or complain, nothing!" "We are going to be the best!" Six made a card look like the laptop. He wrote "Netflix" and then "cool" with arrows to the word Netflix. Seven wrote a letter and lined each of the sentences.
N had enjoyed the many cards he's received in the mail. Four loves to get the mail and see what card is there. The cards for N have ranged from sweet and masculine, to hilarious. The best probably came from my great aunt. It was of a mans face, just showing the mouth. The teeth were gold and spelled out Happy Birthday. Boy did that card give N a chuckle!
The plan is for him to work, us to attend mass. After mass, we will bring a lemon cake to the tower. Kids are very excited. Should be a great day!

One egg hunt down, one more to go

We attended an Easter egg hunt at church first this morning. It was great fun for all under 8. Eggs were scattered across the church lawn. Age groups were divided and everyone went for 10 eggs each. Four tripped on a rose bush and scrapped her leg. She recovered quickly fore she had eggs to collect. Cookies and juice followed. We were done after 30 minutes.
I brought them home after, our next egg hunt isn't for an 1 1/2. After inspecting all their eggs, they came up with different games to play. There was lots of talk about magic shows. Not sure what was magic about their play, but everyone was pleased. They discovered sweet tarts are similar to pills. The discussion then went to pretending to be "an old grandpa that needs pills." Once again, everyone was pleased with his or herself. They cracked open their eggs and played outside.
Now, we have one hour until the next egg hunt. If my memory is correct, this one will be even shorter than the first. Our friend ML is coming here after the hunt to play this afternoon. His dad will pick him up later. Should be a nice day.
On the baby front, I'm ready when she is. I'm uncomfortable, but not enough to be in labor. It can't be too much longer. I have an ultra sound appointment Thursday, but I will be surprised if I make it. Hopefully I'll make my dentist appointment on Monday though. We shall see.

One more week? Perhaps.

The doc thinks I can hold on for one more week. I have some doubts. You never know.
New Moon watched the troops during my appointment. I had picked up donuts as a spring break treat. They were all gone when we got home. Everyone was good and played nice.
My apt. was on time and didn't last any longer than it was supposed to. I'm scheduled for an ultra sound next Thursday. I hope things progress themselves before that. I think the further away from Seven's birthday, the better. We will see. I'll have to try to write more later. Our day is beginning with sunshine!

The flutter kick

I feel like she's practicing the flutter kick. Once again, here I am at 4 AM, wide awake. The kids came home last night around 9pm. They were so excited to tell me about their day! This was one of the first times N has taken all three for that length of time alone. First they went to his parents house to see the newest cousin. They were surprised at how small she was. She's only a few weeks old. It was good for them to see a baby so tiny, they have no memory of seeing such a small baby before. Next they went to get the boat. N wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the boat this year. It needs some work. We've discussed selling it, but when he came home, he said he couldn't sell it. He's really excited to make it work this summer.
After getting the boat, they went to see the cousins. Never a dull moment at their house! Kids all over, entertaining each other. The little ones are hilarious and all my group could talk about. Of course the most famous would be the 18 month old. He puts on quite a show. I guess he has some blonde curls now. They had a great time and were very happy when they came home. Of course they wanted to know what I did with my day. Nothing too exciting.
I finished a book, did three loads of laundry. I washed the kitchen floor and went to the store. Got my mail order returned at the post office, picked up two dvd's of a TV series I started watching that is a new release for the second season and ordered myself a Chinese dinner for take out. I went to Zinnia's to make a couple freezer meals and visited for an hour or so. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.
Today, we go see the doc. I really, really hope to have made some progress. I will not be surprised if I have to wait until next week, but if anything is changed, I hope it's go time. Not sure what to do with the kids on Easter weekend. I know the neighbor is free, but I am not certain of all my other friends plans. I would guess Azalea is free as well, but can't confirm it without speaking to her. We'll see what goes on at my appointment. Sunday is N's birthday. I have everything for his cake, but he didn't confirm his meal choice. He wants it to be simple and easy, such a nice guy. He'll probably make it with me or himself, depending on how I feel. I hope to have it all ready and enjoy the evening as a family.
Tonight is a potluck at church. I am amazed at the number of potlucks we've had this year. My kids love it. Our church really feels like our family. I hadn't signed us up, but did email earlier this week. Hopefully we can make it. I found a new recipe for potato casserole with bacon. I have all the items necessary and plan to put that together this afternoon once we are back from my appointment. That's all for now. We'll see where the day takes us!

A day to myself

N took the troops to his see his family. They plan to visit his mom and his sister's new baby first, then stop by to see the cousins, followed by retrieving the boat from his other sister's house. What a day it will be for them! Normally I would go with, but I am so uncomfortable at home, I fear the two hour car ride would be worse.
The kids were excited and everyone helped in preparation for their departure. I even had them clean up their rooms and other ares of the house before they left. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. I am slightly optimistic, but ready to continue to carry this girl into next week.
The house is picked up, I'd like to just run through and wipe it all down. I've put off washing the kitchen floor until the decorating of eggs was finished. With that project complete, the house should be looking pretty good by the end of the day.
New Moon is coming over to watch the group during my apt. tomorrow. She's so great. I've had a few contractions the past few days, but nothing regular. Zinnia informed me when I'm calm and relaxed is when I will dilate. Maybe I knew this before, I don't know. Perhaps the week off with my kids will really put me into labor. We haven't been doing much.
I have some errands to run and may get myself a coffee along the way. The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. Should make for a great day!

Second day of Spring Break

It's spring break for the kids. They had such enthusiasm when leaving school on Friday. Spring Break! So far, it's been uneventful, but I think everything they've wanted. Saturday they stayed in their pj's all day. Sunday we had church and went to the park. Monday, pj's until noon, then friends to play with. N took them back to the park to play basketball. Today, we will color Easter eggs. Six really wants to go to Sams club. I know he only wants the free samples and they probably won't be there today. Tomorrow is N's day off, the only day we don't have something on the schedule. He did bring up the idea of taking the kids to see his family for the day. We will see if that becomes the plan. I know the kids would love it. They haven't seen their cousins since Valentines. I won't be traveling with them. I can't get comfortable at home, let alone a two hour car ride.
Thursday I have a dr. apt. We also have church that night and a potluck. The kids are really excited because N will be able to come to the potluck. No big plans for the Easter weekend. It's N's birthday on Sunday. We will make a cake and his favorite meal.
It seems all is on hold, waiting for this girl. Hopefully we have more answers after my apt. on Thursday. We are ready for her!

Birthday girls

Happy Birthday to Rose and Morning Glory! I wish I could spend the day with them. There once was a time when we celebrated birthdays together. I am sure they will have a nice day surrounded by their family and friends. They are two of my favorite people. Rose is a friend from TRF and we've known each other since middle school. We really didn't hang out until high school. We've grown even closer after all the school years were through. She's Four's Godmother, as I am to her daughter. She's always there for me, even if there are many states between. I am so blessed to have such a great friend in my life!
Morning Glory is a UND college friend. We spent a great deal of time together my freshman year. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes of UND. Many adventures were had in the residence hall and her Toyota. : ) The good ole days! We don't talk as much anymore, which saddens me. Life just gets you busy and it's hard to keep up on a regular basis. I seemed to be better at it when my kid were younger and we lived even further away from all those we love. Not sure how or why that happens.
Hats off to my friends and hope they have a great day!

Tired, yet awake

I believe this baby girl and my body are just trying to prepare me for the weeks to come. Too many nights in a row, I've been up, wide awake at 4 AM. I even got in the shower this time to try to relax more. It's working, I may fall over any minute now.
The name situation has be up tonight. I think I have a name I love, but I am not sure how to spell it. I decided to channel my literary connections and ask some opinions. We will see what they say.
We had an uneventful April fools day. For some reason, my boys thought it wasn't until Wednesday. Not sure where they got that idea, it almost sounded like someone had played an April fools joke on them.
They are enjoying their time off. This week is spring break for them. Saturday, they were in their pj's all day long. Sunday, we went to church and came home for lunch. They played the afternoon away together until N came home. With a quick trip to the store for milk and cheese, our night was complete. I put chicken breasts in the crock pot. We had a spread of toppings, rice and beans. Everyone made their taco or nachos their own, personal way. It was nice, no complaining, but messy. I was tired. N was tired. I started the meal, he finished. The kids cleared the table and had ice cream for a treat. Team work is the name of the game. Why should one person do it all? It worked out well. I had enough energy to really clean up once they were done with their little jobs.
We Skyped with Baby Orchid. She is just the prettiest little thing. I can't wait to see her in person. You just want to reach through the monitor and squeeze her. She's lovin Patty cake now and stares at the kids when they sing to her.
Today's plan, coffee with the neighbor and hopefully some baking. I want to get a raspberry swirl coffee cake in the oven this am, along with some banana bread. Can I get it done before she arrives? We will see. This afternoon we will decorate Easter eggs and make up a meal or two for the freezer. Monday will fly by, I just hope I can keep up!