Dog House

Our first full day back home from the hospital Ben and the kids built a dog house for Skippy. Ben had so much fun working with the kids and building the dog house. Of course this was right up Bear's alley, he loves to build projects. And this was doubly special for him since it was for the dog.


Although I don't think that the dog has actually been in the dog house, Cooper has. I think that he might feel like this is his own playhouse. Hopefully the dog will go into the house soon, because other wise it will just be Cooper.

Decllan Jude

He has at last arrived and we are all very excited to welcome him home. Especially mommy since this summer has been so hot, I think my temperature has dropped at least 20 degrees, since his arrival. I seem to remember walking outside late in the afternoon and thinking, wow it does not feel that hot, which is funny since it was probably like 102. Anyway, enough about that, I'm sure you would rather hear more about Decllan.


He is our first middle of the night baby, and not what I would recommend ever. It makes for a very long, tiring day. I had a doctors appointment on my due date and she asked if I would like my membranes stripped and I said yes please. Although I did not give it much thought since I had never had that done before, I was not sure if it would work or not. I should have tried it out with Bear and maybe he would have come out sooner. Anyway, that was around 3:30pm. Nothing exciting happened after that so we were just at home hanging out and thinking about taking the dog for a walk and eating ice cream, man I wish I had actually eaten dinner. I started to have some contractions that felt the same as those before sometime between 7 and 7:30p, I had to text Ben to find out when he was going to be returning since these lasted for about and hour and did not ever stop.


Ben goes let's get this baby out, he has not been sleeping very well. We took the dog for a walk to see if that would help things along and I think it did, either way, I think this baby is going to be coming soon. So we began to make arrangements, called Oma and asked if she would please come up and be with the kids. Then we had Ben's sister Penny bring over our niece Morgan to sleep with the kids, since by now it's close to 10pm and they really needed to go to be. We finally left the house around 10:30pm to head up to the hospital. The advantage of leaving then is that there is no traffic. We had to visit triage to actually make sure we were far enough along to be admitted. That was my fear that they would turn us away. After about an hour, we got our room.


I think it was about 12:30am or so, they broke my water and Ben asked me what time I thought the baby would arrive and I said 1:30am. Well I was wrong, but not by much, at 1:22am I squatted down and out came Decllan. The nurse who was supposed to "catch" him did not believe me that I was ready and kind of blew me off, we I told her umm no, you need to get the doctor now, because I am ready. He came out in one push and at last our little family is complete.


The only issue we had was that the doctor did not like how much I was bleeding and we had to take some actions that were not ever in my life plan. I had my first spinal ever and that was strange because you can't feel your lower body at all which is probably good since I'm sure the D&C would have hurt a whole lot more if I could have felt everything. Unfortunately that did not stop all of the bleeding and they had to put in a balloon, which seemed to help. The other downside to all of this was that they did not let me eat again until almost 12:30pm in the afternoon. And if you know me at all that just does not work well, I'm pretty sure they just wanted me to waste away to nothing after almost bleeding to death.


At least Decllan was born healthy and fit, coming in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and 20.5 inches long. He is the smallest of all the kids, but you know he is ours since they all look the same as babies. We are home now thank goodness, since hospital food sucks, and he is doing well and so is mommy.

Quick Trip Park

Since the Y really sucked this year in their planning of T-ball and made quite a few mistakes with the entire season they thought they should do some damage control. They arranged for our last T-ball game to be played at Quick Trip Park in Grand Prairie where the Air Hogs play. They took two corners of the field and set up minature fields for the kids to play their games on.


It was kind of nice except for the fact that we sat in the dirt tract and Cooper thought that was meant for him to play in. Not so good especially when the wind would kick up and blow dirt into other spectators eyes. Oh well, I digress.


It was hot as usual and since I had not taken any pictures at other games I thougth why not this one since it was "special." The kids did enjoy playing at the park and thought it was pretty cool to meet some of the players during and after the game. I did make the players pose with the team to get a photo and I think all the parents really appreciated that one.

Bear and Daddy

Look at how excited Bear is to be taking a picture with his Dad. He is too cute! They normally put both kids in the picture, but Isabelle opted to go to a Girl Scout function that day instead of attending the t-ball game. I just wanted to share the picture since they don't give us digital copies so thanks to Bloomfield Photography for taking out T-ball pictures.

39 weeks

That's right I have exactly one full week to go until my due date. Now when will baby appear? Who knows, at this rate we will have to kick him out because he seems to be very cozy and unwilling to leave. Does this remind you of anybody? I was going to have Isa take a picture of me today, but she actually fell asleep durning rest time, go figure. The kid must have been tired. Anyway, have I mentioned that I am done being pregnant? I'm ready to be able to not have to get up to pee five times a night. I'm ready to be able to drink my margarita or glass of wine and not just a sip here or there. I'm ready for Ben to stop complaining that I'm keeping him up at night because I have to get up to go pee. Whatever, snore much. Either way I'm sure my kids are ready for baby to get here and have their regular mommy back, or at least some semblance of their regular Mommy. Who knows if that will ever return because I'm not sure how much having four kids is going to change my life and they way I do things. I know there will be an adjustment but how much of an adjustment. At least we are mostly ready for baby to arrive. We have the pack n' play all set up in our room so he at least has some where to sleep. We have a car seat for him installed in the car. I think I might have to get the bucket down just for the ride home from the hospital, I guess that will depend on who has the other three. But at this point I'm done. I know this will sound strange but I get better sleep when I have a newborn then while I'm pregnant. Who knew! Hopefully baby will get here soon, because I know some of you are dying to know his name, me too. Ha Ha! Here's to one more week.

Well I made them . . .

after all. I still had quite a bit of left over fabric so I thought cute little bibs would be a perfect addition to our collect of baby stuff. And I was right they are too cute for words. I just hope they fit ok when he gets older, since the neck opening seems a little small. Here are a few of my favorite, some are reversable, some are just fun and others have a super yummy soft side. I like the foodball one because the back is so soft, it's great to have left over diaper material. I'm sure later on I will come up with something cute to make this little guy but until then I have these adorable bibs.

New stuff

I was feeling a little bit like a bad mother the other day because I had not made anything for the new baby as of yet. So I was thinking about things that I could do fairly quickly since, you know I only have a little bit of time left, and I came up with fancy burp clothes. I'm sure you have all seem them they are used or made from cloth diapers and then just decorated with extra fabric and maybe some ribbon. Well I decided to do some of these. I figured why not, I don't really use burp clothes but maybe now I would. For some reason, unknown to myself, I actually had to go out and buy the cloth diapers because in all my boxes I did not remember coming across any, which probably means I got rid of them because I do not use them. So silly. But I was able to use material I have here to decorate them up very nicely. After I had already made my choice I found some more matieral that would have looked great as well. I'm thinking if I have time I might even toss in some fancy bibs as well. I just have to find a pattern for those. At least I feel pretty handy and have made something special for this baby before he comes home.

Who is the best wizard?

As I have been know to do I was listening to NPR and they were doing a small piece about Harry Potter. Imagine that since the last installment of the movies opens this weekend. The "reporter" made some comment about Dumbeldore being the greatest wizard to ever live and I wondered if that were true. I know these are all mostly in some opinion to be fictional characters but what if someone were to write a book, paper, short story or whatever comparing, contrasting and displaying the many talents of Dumbeldore, Merlin and Gandalf? Who would turn out to be the greatest wizard of all time? Would the "reporters" statement be true the Dumbeldore is the greatest or would it be a different wizard from fiction? I told Ben my thoughts and he said are you going to do it and I said uh no. One I really don't like research and probably by the time I got around to getting it all done someone else would have beaten me to the punch. Who knows maybe someone already has.


I have already thought of several things that stand in my way, I won't really born you with them but I just know that they are there. Oh well, maybe someone else more scholarly and with a bit more knowledge on the subject will take up the reigns and write this one. I know I would read it. Gosh I did not even think about if you would make a comparison between Gandalf the Grey and Gandlaf the white. Do you think it matters, is he two different wizards?

Barrett turns 5

I know some of us can hardly beleive that he made it but he did. I think he gets better and better every year. I know ask me again once he becomes a teenager but that is a few years off so for now I will enjoy my sweet and loveable little boy. I felt bad for Bear this year since he really wanted to go to Sea World, but since I am huge and very uncomfortable we decided to stay home and visit a local water park instead.


He still had a blast with this cousin's and family. Plus the water park is just the right size for younger families, the lines are not too long and most of the kids are just tall enough to ride the rides. Now there is one we do not let them ride just yet, maybe next year. The bottom drops right out from under your feet and down you go, not sure they are ready for that one.


Anyway, Bear said his favorite ride today was the one that acts like a toliet because you go round and round and round before you get down to the end. Pretty fun, but that line can get long, so you have to jump on that ride pretty early. I think another favorite is the wave pool. Especially when the waves are going, the kids love to jump and try to swim.


We also went bowling on his actual birthday, with his cousins, which was pretty good. Most everyone did really well, and paid attention and did as they were told. Cooper is finally learning how to sit and wait his turn, very hard for a two year old. Then of course more swimming, because what Texas, July birthday would be complete without some amount of swimming.


I'm pretty excited that Bear has made this jump to five and I think that he will continue to improve with age, just like a good wine.

Happy 4th of July

We celebrated the 4th on the 3rd this year with the kids. We had a really fun day with family and friends. The kids' T-ball team went out to the Independant baseball league game and had the chance to go out on the field when the team went, run around the bases and watch a fireworks show. They all had a blast! I think the kids thought that going out on the field was pretty cool. They even had a chance to get balls signed by the player who they were standing by. Isabelle helped one on of the little 3 year olds out to the field then took up her position as Pitcher. Bear made his way out to center field, and once the National Anthem was played they all came back into the stands. The "event oganizers" made sure to tell the kids not to run on the white lines which none of the kids did so I figure that helped to make the event successful all by itself. Cooper did not go out on the field for the start of the game but he did run the bases, just like a big kid. It was pretty cool to see all the kids go around the field. I think they really enjoyed that one as well. As for the fireworks show, it was pretty good. This year the horse track and baseball field teamed up to make one great big show. We went a couple of years ago when they each did thier own, very silly. Overall it was a good day and a wonderful way to celebrate our nations independance.

Big helper

Barrett is such a big helper around the house, it's too bad he was not a little bit bigger and had more knowledge then I would not have to ask Ben to do things. Granted I would probably do more stuff, but right now my belly gets in the way. Plus I want to make sure Ben feels justified in his existence as a male species and that he is needed around the house. I figure in two more years Bear will be able to mow the law and then what will Ben have to do.

Anyway, the big boys are now sharing a room, and sleeping on the bottom bunk, on a full sized mattress. So we took a part the twin and put it away for the time being. Who knows if we will ever need it again, maybe. Right now we just needed the space. I had planned for this and it will take some time adjusting to, but that is what the summer is for. I do not want to fight the sleep battles when school starts.


So Bear being Bear asked Dad if he could help, and he took apart the entire bed frame all by himself. I think our other challenge would be sometimes finding the right tools in the garage, can you see, we need to organize. Then of course Cooper has to come along and "help" as well. It is pretty cute.


Bear even helped Ben to make the garbage disposal dispose once again. At least he is learning some good skills. How to be handy, that could come in well for him once he is older.

My Belly

My belly keeps on growing, and the baby keeps on moving around. So I thought I would take a couple of belly shots, which with my camera is a challenge all in it's self, especially by myself. So this is what I came up with. Only about a month to go, I wonder how big this baby will be?

Adam is funny looking

On our way home we stopped in Des Monies, IA and had dinner with my brother, Adam, who has recently returned from the Desert. Then he will be off later in August to visit the orient. Such an exciting life for him. We had to take some pictures because he is totally silly and wearing this pron stash that he should really shave soon. I told him I was going to up load the picture to facebook, I should really do that. Anyway, it was nice to quickly catch up with him, even thought it would have been nice to have a longer visit, but time did not allow for that. We'll have to see him on some return trip from all of his travels.

Wisconsin

I am suck a slacker. I keep sitting at my computer and saying to myself, wow I really need to update my blog. And then I roll past and do something else. Well instead of retracing my steps and putting up items I wanted to put up, I'll just start from where I am at.


Last weekend we made a quick trip up to Wisconsin for Jodi's, Ben's oldest sister's, summer party. We were not able to make it last year do to a conflict with Ben's work and almost did not go this year do to BELLY size. But we made it after all, I mean really, I had to pick up two of my own kids. And I think everyone had a great time. The kids all had a blast, and they all got a chance to see their cousins, so it was a good trip.


Isabelle was excited since she has not really had a chance to do much this summer because she has been busy with other things. The day we left we went to a place called Eat My Fish, we had been there before for Barrett's 3rd birthday, but this time we actually caught some fish. The kids had a blast. We caught our own fish and then they cooked them for us, and for me the egg plant that I brought along. Let me tell you grilled egg plant is great. And no I'm not one of those vegetarians who freak out when meat touches the food I'm going to eat. Heck half the time I buy a salad with meat on it and give it to Cooper instead of buying him a meal. Anyway, it was lots of fun and all the kids caught a fish.

My Summer Reading Plan

Ok so I have a Goodreads account where I like to keep track of the books I have read and plan to read. I have a good list that I want to read and some of those books have been on that list for years. Years you say, yes can you believe it! I know I can't. So I decided that this summer, between watching kids and having a new baby, I would start at the top of my list and work my way down. I will probably add in other books not on the list or at the bottom, but at least one will come from the first page. This weeks books are the following: Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express, and Lian Hearn Brilliance of the Moon.

I chose the Christie novel because I have never read on one hers before, and thought why not. Maybe it will give me something to talk about to old people with, haa, haa.


The Hearn novel I chose because it is the third book in the series and I just figured it was time to finish it up. The series has been pretty good so far, set in feudal Japan, with secret societies and warriors with special skills.


We'll see how I do, since most of the books off my list I will probably be getting from the library, I do tend to pick up random books not one my list and then read them. I don't often like to be without a book to read, so that adds to my need to plan well. Anyway, hopefully my plan will work.

Community Service

In our area we have a community program called "Feed the Children for the Summer." Every Wednesday night for ten (10) weeks people gather to make bags of food for children to eat during the summer. These are some of the kids who are on free or reduced lunches at school and would otherwise be without food during the day for summer.

Isabelle's Girl Scout troop went last night, for the first week to help fill bags, move them to the right food bank location and just perform overall community service. This was a great experience for the girls and I think they had a bunch of fun. Cooper even got in on the helping out, by filling bags, he did a great job. I really hope to be able to take all three of the kids at one point or another over the summer to participate because I think it is good for them to see and help out those in need.

I would have taken some pictures but I knew I was going to have to follow Cooper around so I did not want to be distracted with the camera. Maybe next time when we go with Barrett. We'll have to wait and see. I do think we will try to make an effort to go a couple times per month to help, since it does go for such a good cause.

This weeks bags were filled with the following items:

2 packages of single serve Mac and Cheese
1 Chef Boyardee meal
1 Can of Tuna
1 Cup of Noodles
2 Quaker granola bars
2 Quaker single serve Oatmeal packages
1 apple sauce
1 fruit cup
1 peanut butter sandwich crackers pack
1 Trail Mix bar
1 box of mini-cereal (like you use when camping)
1 container of pudding

I began to wonder if all these kids knew how to use a microwave and can opener. And if their parents helped to ration out the food so that it did last a whole week. I'm pretty sure my kids would eat at least half the bag the first day, if someone did not ration the food. After all we sometimes do two snacks a day, one in the am before lunch and one after rest time. And who knows if these kids have a parent at home during the day or someone to watch them. At least they have some food to make it through the week.

Either way it was a lot of fun and I plan on going back to help some more. The kids did a great job! Oh a few more tidbits of information, we filled over 700 bags and the weeks worth of food cost was around $3,400. They even think that they will get more requests due to increased publicity. So if you would like to donate money please let me know and I will get it taken care of.

Just some thoughts . . .

Does it seem a little odd that I felt or feel that Bear was more ready to be a big brother than Cooper is; especially since there is about the same amount of time between the two. Some days I actually feel that Barrett was more mature at 2 1/2 than Cooper is or will be at the same age. I'm not quite sure why I feel that way. I don't know if I feel that way because he was the baby for so long in my head that I almost figured he would always be the baby or is it something else. After all Bear has his days when I just want to send him away because he is being so frustrating. I have seen him grow up a lot recently too as well, which is nice. That gives me hope for Cooper. Not to say that Cooper is a bad kid he is just two. They don't say it's terrible for no reason. But I do question whether or not he is ready to be a big brother, I just hope he understands. He still wants to be carried a lot, and I won't always be able to do that for him with a new baby. Plus he gets so frustrated when you do not understand him and figure out what he wants. I guess it will all work out in the end but I'm just not sure at this point. Maybe if I start to get things more ready for the baby, Cooper will beginning to understand better. Only time will tell, until then I can just hope that Cooper will be understanding and work through any issues he has or will have with the new baby.

Baby Belly

I had my photographer friend Carleen, take some pictures of my growing belly for me this past week. It was a lot of fun and a very nice way to help show the changes and growth. Plus it was so much easier to have someone else take pictures instead of myself or Ben. Ben does a good job but not quite the same as someone who does this on a regular basis.


Here are a few shots that I really liked and thought I would share. I have tons of great ideas on Maternity shots in and out of studio, that I can hardly wait to try. But until then we can enjoy the shots of my growing baby belly.