This too will pass, and I will miss it

OK, so yesterday did not go as swimmingly as I had hoped. Teagan all out refused a nap, and Finn was very fussy all day which meant I spend most of my day trapped in baby jail with them holding someone.  I did not get as much cleaning up done as I wanted, but managed the basics of a few loads of laundry, vacuuming, dishes and I made dinner...buttermilk dipped chicken tenders, mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli.

Teagan was a wreck by five, so while she ate i bathed Finn and then threw her in once she was done since I knew she would be ready for bed by six given the lack of nap. After she went done, she was up a few more times since she was over tired, but thankfully Finn passed out around 5 and slept really well until his next feeding, and then conked back out.  After I fed him, I laid my head down for a moment with intentions of heading downstairs to switch laundry again and straighten up, and next thing I knew....he was crying to eat again, I had conked out too!  Overall, we had a good night, Finn is a good little sleeper and aside from being up for a bit around 1 am and Teagan waking at 7 am on the dot, we are getting decent sleep which makes the long days more manageable.

Right now things are a bit difficult, but having been here before I know it will pass, and quickly.  Before I know it, the two little ones will be in school too, and I will miss the days of holding them on the couch.


Today, right after breakfast, all the kids and I are running to the grocery store....wish us luck! 

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

We have just begun our first long week, and so far so good!  Yesterday the whole crew went together to the farm to get the milk.  As we struggled to fit the milk crate in our very full car, it became clear that we are outgrowing the car quickly.  Every seat is filled and the cargo area has the stroller...so when we are all together there is no room for anything else.  We ended up removing the stroller so we could fit the milk.  Thankfully, most of the time we run errands for groceries, etc, we are not all together or we plan ahead and can clear out the cargo space.  The truck is paid off in less than a year and I want to wait another year before we buy something bigger, probably a 12 or 15 passenger van or an airport shuttle, so we will just make do.

On our way home we decided to stop for a quick lunch.  We rarely go to buffet type places, but stopped at the local Ryan's Steakhouse so that everyone could eat quickly since Finn was coming due to eat and Ryan had to come home and get to bed before work.  It ended up being a huge success!  The kids were thrilled that they could pick whatever they wanted, I was happy they all picked salad as one of their items, they all ate well and it was quick and cheap...about 40 bucks for all of us to eat including tip! So while it isn't my favorite meal, it worked for yesterday and everyone was happy.

Came home and Ryan and Teagan took naps, I made stuffed rigatoni for dinner and off the hubby went.  Last night was good, got Teagan down just before 7, big kids and I headed up around 8 and everyone slept fairly well. We have no where to go today, so I am planning to use my spare moments to attack the post holiday clutter, do some laundry and general cleaning.  If all goes well, I will get a decent dinner ready before Ryan has to leave for work tonight and if all this happens I will count today as a grand success.  The 12 hour shifts that Ryan works, along with the long commute, means that his work days I have no help at all, there simply isn't time.  He will walk in this morning, hug and kiss the kids and go straight to bed.  When he wakes up, he eats some cereal, takes a shower, hugs the kids and goes to work.  The days and nights can be really long, but my big kids can be so much help and we have a schedule that allows them time to relax before bed and lets me get the babies settled.  Our life is ever changing, but I am am so thankful that they are positive changes!

No resolutions here

I write every year that I do not do New Years Resolutions.  I think they are just a way for people to trick themselves into thinking they will change something, and then when they don't, it is OK because everyone drops their New Year's Resolutions.  Don't get me wrong, I believe that most people want to make the change, but it is hard and takes work and to be honest, it is probably easier to begin making a change on a random Tuesday in September than at the start of the new year...pressure and all :)

So, I will tell you what my family will continue to work on. These are nothing new and are ongoing changes, adaptations, accomplishments, etc. that we have been and will continue to strive for.

We will continue to try to eat locally and grow more of our own.  The family will work to be good stewards of the earth and respect our neighbors and we will continue to try to improve the environment and not harm it.  I will continue work to build a sense of community in our home and to encourage the idea of "team" that we have built.  I will continue to branch out and explore new opportunities for learning, teaching and working and only seek to explore opportunities that align with my beliefs and what is best for my family.  The children will continue to explore their world, try new things, make new friends and work to define who they are as they grow up in our crazy little family. I will, of course, continue to love each person in my life with my whole heart, and try to be the wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, teacher, neighbor, student and human being that I can be.

I wish everyone the best as they head into the holiday weekend.  I will celebrate as I usually do, with a house full of kids and a bedtime before the ball drops, which is just how I like it.  I hope that anyone out and about having fun is safe, stay aware of other drivers and of course don't drink when you need to drive.  If you are a resolution maker, then I sincerely hope that you meet every goal that you set for yourself and have a wonderful holiday.

Post Holiday

So the kids had a wonderful Christmas morning and it was declared the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER :)  Santa did well, and being that we are a cash only society and I had a baby on December 3rd, I was very happy that everyone got everything they wanted and more, and we have no debt to deal with in the aftermath!

My parents are here now and the visit is going fine, kids are enjoying opening every single thing they got and playing with it for five minutes and then taking something else out.  I am exhausted and need a nap, and will get one tomorrow if it kills me, the newborn schedule is not working with the toddler schedule and the mama likes staying up late schedule and three hours of sleep a night is getting old.  I am anxious for the kids to head back to school next week and then I will begin to get a plan and a schedule that will work for me and the little ones and finding my way of juggling everyone and everything.

Right now I am just ready for my parents to leave tomorrow, and then Ryan will go to work Wednesday and the kids and I will hopefully get some quiet time and rest while they are off.  The holidays have been deemed a grand success.

Found the joy

OK, the tree was a fiasco this year, and the hubby's work schedule kind of sucked and then was OK, and getting Christmas done with a three week old (today!) and three very excited and busy big kids and one 17 month old who is having some jealousy issues was an interesting ride, but here we are and it is good.

Christmas is not about presents, it is about family...so here is what I am thankful for.

I am very thankful for my husband who deals with my craziness and knows when to make me stop.  He is unbelievably supportive of everything I want to do, and he manages to keep me moving in the right direction when I am losing my way.  He is the only person I will listen to when told to relax and stop "doing" and I always trust that he wants the best for me and the kids.  He is a hard worker and he loves our kids with his whole heart, I cannot imagine a better husband and father, he balances me in every way and I love him for it.

The kids-what can I say?  I am blessed with a diverse and unique bunch of kiddos.  They are all so different, it is so much fun to see them grow, change, learn and experience the world.  I know how lucky Ryan and I are to not only have been able to have five kids, but for them to all be healthy.  I love seeing how the dynamic of our family has changed since we added the two littlest members, to see my older children grow in their roles as big sisters and big brother, to see how deeply they love their siblings and how much their hearts have grown. Any worries I had about adding the babies and it having a negative effect on the big kids has long been erased as I have only seen a good and positive outcome for everyone.  I am one lucky mama to have these five glorious souls as my children, and while it may take us a long time to get out the door, and we may be a bit squished in the car, I cannot imagine any other life.

Tomorrow morning we will have a crazy time of opening presents, eating breakfast and then collapsing on the couch to watch the Christmas parade and Christmas movies.  We will have a warm fire in the fireplace, and food in our bellies all day long, and while I would love a day of no chores or duties, I will still do dishes and clean and vacuum as my little people tear through the house, and it will be a wonderful Christmas Day. 

My little tribe wishes you all a fun and festive day with those you love :)

Happy Hell?

God it has been a rough few days.  I have been working to clear up thrush in the baby and I, my hormones are a wreck and the husband returned to work on Wednesday.  We took our Christmas tree down Wednesday since it lost all it's needles and was a mess.  That night I made my first outing with all five kids alone and survived, and managed to get home, clean up all the needles and get the kids to bed...it was all going so well.

Then the husband told me he had go to the office Christmas Eve and I fell apart since trying to juggle everything, getting Christmas set up alone, and having to stave off the kids on Christmas morning was just too overwhelming.  The kids were upset since they thought he would be home, and they had also expected to have dinner and cake with him on Christmas Eve for his birthday.  In one moment, we lost everything we were looking forward to, and yesterday stunk as a whole.  Somehow we pulled it together, the husband left for work and I got Teagan and the big kids to bed.  I was watching TV for a bit since I had really pulled my incision and it was becoming a concern, but at 9 I headed upstairs with Finn to wrap the last of the family gifts and work on stocking stuffers.  Got upstairs, fed and settled Finn and then I heard the crash....the new tree that Ryan had brought home that morning and that the girls and I had decorated had fallen down, and smashed a bunch of ornaments.  That was it and I called Ryan sobbing.  He made the decision to drive home and deal with the glass strewn all over the living room and the fallen tree, and he worked from home last night.  This morning, as I got ready to make a run to the store, he told me he was working from home tonight and I am so, so happy.  Now the kids and I can make a nice dinner for his birthday and the kids can sing to him and have cake.  He can put everything out tonight and we can do Christmas at 7 am instead of having to wait for him to make the almost two hour commute home so we will actually get to have a real Christmas morning.

For the rest of today I have a few small things to clean, we need to organize the playroom a bit more and I need to move some laundry through and do a load of dishes.  When Teagan naps today I hope to make a batch of cinnamon rolls that I will throw in the fridge so Ryan can put them in the oven in the morning and I will make the cream cheese frosting and put it in the fridge as well.  Then for dinner I picked up some wild caught salmon that we will have with couscous and wilted spinach, a favorite meal of Ryan's and then chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for dessert :)

On my own

tonight the hubby returns to work and I am on my own....well sort of. The big kids are on winterbreak starting this afternoon, so I won't have to do the morning rush and can ease into the schedule with everyone.  I am feeling pretty confident about the coming weeks, and know that the days I have the two babies it will be the hardest when Teagan and Finn need something at the same time and I have work to do, but I have done this before and we will find out what does and doesn't work.

This morning Ryan, the babies and I went and ran a few quick errands. Made a quick stop at the grocery store while everyone waited in the car, then on to the farm for milk, eggs, honey and VA maple syrup then a stop at the drugstore.  Came home and Ryan got ready to head to bed and I fed the two littles, started a fire, did some clean up and prepped for tonight.  My big kids have a half day, so when they come home we need to undecorate our tree since it is almost out of needles, and then Ryan is bringing home a NEW tree tomorrow that we will decorate again.  We have never had an issue with our trees since we always go to the local tree farm and cut it fresh, but for some reason this year it is losing needles like mad and will never survive Christmas morning.

So the kids and I will be on our own for the night.  I am making buttermilk waffles for dinner for the kids since it is a favorite meal, and I am hoping we all get some sleep.  Tomorrow, in addition to redecorating a tree, I also plan to bake Ryan's birthday cake and start cleaning the house. Ryan did a good job of upkeep but we now have some areas that need to be deep cleaned again.  I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of life, although I must admit the idea of taking the five kids out on a busy weekend somewhere like the grocery store makes me a tad nervous, but we will do it and live to tell the tale :)

You will find me under the empty boxes

Well...only in VA would you have a two hour delay for three inches of snow FOUR days ago.  Sheesh!

Anyway, today my entire days goal was to make one of the kinds of cookies I need for the kid's school parties...and to wrap all the kids Christmas gifts.  Ryan pulled all the gifts down and we sorted them in the dining room, and quickly found, they filled the dining room.  The kitchen became filled with the empty shipping boxes since most of the stuff had been ordered online and the wrapping took four hours, and it was a non stop event.  To see what the gifts for five children looked like was overwhelming, and the two littlest kids had smaller piles than the big kids with Finn snagging only 4 or 5 gifts total!

Right now I am just happy the wrapping is done.  I still have stocking stuffers to deal with, but that can be done tomorrow night.  I am also really excited that it may snow of Christmas.  We have some white stuff on the ground, but to have snow falling on Christmas Day would be amazing and fun for the kiddos, and I would love to snuggle in our Christmas jammies eating cookies and watching the snow fall by the fire.

Out and about

Today I ventured out without my driver, aka Ryan.  Finn and I went to Target to get the last few items needed for the holidays and it was so nice to drive again and feel independent.  We began with a trip to the Starbucks in the store, then I meandered around the store getting what was needed while Finn slept soundly.  After finishing up at Target, I stopped off at Nathans to grab a hot dog since I have been wanting one for a few days and was happily surprised to find that I got a free scoop of ice cream from Brusters :) 


Made it home and started dinner.  We had a ton of fresh veggies left over from the delicious veggie tray my sister brought yesterday, so we are having vegetable beef soup for dinner.  Then I needed to treat Finn and I for thrush using Gentian Violet so we are very purple right now :)

Emotions run wild

Well, I have been relatively quiet on the ole blog lately, mostly because I am in the postpartum state where I am a wreck of emotions.  Thankfully this time does not look as bad as after Teagan, but regardless I am struggling with the hormones that come at this stage, the baby blues and my old standby, OCD and anxiety.  That combo, with a dash of my mother's judgment and ever nasty comments (including one little diddy where she stated that she thought I thought no one would love Finn since he was a surprise....um, yeah thanks that never crossed MY mind until you said that. Why would someone SAY something like that?).  Regardless, I have been trying not to feel like I am incompetent, which is hard when a bit laid up and are totally OCD but can't do what your head wants to do. Next week we begin flying solo so I guess time will tell if I am who I believe myself to be or not.

Anyway, we did have a good afternoon today.  My sister and her family came to meet Finnian and to celebrate Christmas with us.  We had an easy lunch of pizza and veggies and topped it all off with cocoa and Christmas cookies.  The kids loved playing with their cousins and of course they loved getting their presents :)  My sister and I are two really different people, but the last 10 years or so I have really enjoyed the relationship we have developed and I was so happy to see her playing with my two babies today while we chatted.  It was a nice start to the holiday week, I just hope I can survive the visit with my parents.  To say they left on a bad note after Finn was born is an understatement, and the only conversation I have had with my mom since was when she called to yell at me....yeah, not looking forward to the visit, but will bite my tongue and slap on a smile so the kids enjoy. 

No snow no school?

I am always amazed when they close school when there hasn't even been any snow.  Today we were set to get snow, possibly an inch up to five inches, however, it was not due to start until 9 am or so.  Yet they STILL closed school!  Snow began at 9 as forecasted and kids could have gone to school without an issue, maybe they would have given an early release, but seriously, they closed school before any snow fell!  Anyone taking bets on whether school will be delayed tomorrow and Gray will miss his field trip...yeah, I think so too.

Anyway, in an effort to make the best of the day, we got up and Ryan made a nice fire for us and I began baking off the gingerbread I made yesterday.  Then our babysitter, who lives next door, came by with presents for the kids and hung out here a few hours which was awesome since they were occupied with the gifts and playing with Steph.  Now I am going to rest a bit, then finish making the spiced chicken for tonight's dinner.  Not too bad for an unexpected day with everyone home.

Pushing through

This recovery has been a touch harder, possibly because I am older, or because I just had a baby and c-section 16 months ago, or because the day I was released I pulled a bunch of my stitches.  Regardless of feeling a bit rough, I am getting around. Yesterday the husband, babies and I went to the grocery store, lunch at a local pub we wanted to try (yummy!), the farm and we picked up the Christmas Cards.  By the time we got home, I was very tired and sore but needed to wait until Ryan got Haven from her after school club before going to lay down, but thankfully around 5:30 I headed to my room with Finn.  While I am on leave from work, I still had some stuff to do on my dissertation and it was starting to feel like this weight on my shoulders, so I buckled down and finished what needed to be done and sent it off...and I am very relieved!

Today I am working on cleaning up a bit.  I have some baby laundry to fold and put away, I vacuumed and straightened up and cleaned the downstairs bathroom. I am also making gingerbread, but halfway through realized I didn't have enough molassas...poor hubby was sent out in the cold to get it, but will  be rewarded with homemade mac and cheese for dinner!  They are calling for snow tomorrow, nothing big, maybe an inch or two, but they are school delay and closing happy here so I want to be sure that I have something for them to do should they be home tomorrow.

Hoping to nab a nap before the kids get home today, then up to make a good dinner of burgers, salad and homemade mac and cheese...warm food to fill everyone's bellies on this cold, cold day!

These people, here, they are my family

It has been a rough day.  I haven't finished writing out the information about Finn's arrival and our hospital stay since parts of it were really hard to discuss, and well, I am hormonal and having a hard time dealing with some of the actions of others. I will finish it up in the next few days and think i will just discuss the good stuff, the bad can be discarded and ignored.

Today has been hard, lots of family drama on both sides.  It is really lonely sometimes for Ryan and I, we have family, but they are not the warm and fuzzy types that we wish we had for the kids (my sister excluded since she is a great aunt).  We dream of family holidays, and everyone having a good time together celebrating birthdays and such, and well, it doesn't happen.  We really hope over the next few years that we will find a way to fill in some of the gaps for the kids, and we also know that what we have built here in our home is a strong family unit...one that I hope leads to all those big dinners and celebrations in the future when our kids grow and have families of their own.

So I decided to let it go, let the drama go, let the nasty comments and craziness and my inability to understand others perspectives go.  I have to remember that my family is made up of the other six people in the house, they are my days and nights, my love and heart, my support and my joy.  They are the ones I look to each and every day, we are one team, one group, one powerful force, and that is what matters.  In this house there are six other people I love dearly, and they, they are my family and what truly matters.

Major thanks to the husband

OK...I have to say that the last week my husband has been amazing.  The kids have been taken care of, the house has been kept up, the errands have been run and he has made sure that everything I need is there.  He has run to the store multiple times in an afternoon, up the stairs with tea, water and snacks.  he has juggled Teagan, who has a nasty cold, during the nights when she is up and crabby.  I have been up in bed most of the day since coming home from the hospital on Monday except to go to the doctor, one trip to Target, one attempt and failure to make dinner, and a trip to the kid's school for the pancake breakfast. He has handled everything else, and he has been simply amazing.  Birthday parties, trips up to the kids school to bring things, outings with multiple children in tow, a trip to get our beef order, emergency runs to the drug store...he has done them all and never complained. This has made this recovery, which was a bit rougher than the last c-section, so much easier on me emotionally.

Today is the first full day I have been downstairs with the family, although much of it has been spent sitting on the couch.  We vegged and ate a junky appetizer lunch while watching Christmas movies. Ryan made us a fire so we are all toasty and I threw the makings of spicy Italian beef in the crockpot so we can have Italian beef sandwiches for dinner with chips and salad.  The time taken for healing has been so helpful, and the coming week I plan to get back into the swing of things.  I need to go to the grocery store, with Ryan as my driver of course, and need to go to the pediatrician as well.  We are thinking of going to lunch on our way to get the milk and may take the two babies to see Santa Claus at the mall.  I even managed to get decent pictures for the Christmas card, so we will be picking that up as well.


So, a very special thank you to my husband for making me rest and allowing me to do so without worrying about the kids, house or anything else....you have been amazing!

Let's start at the very beginning

OK, I am going to break up Finn's arrival in a few parts so it is easier to type out.

We were scheduled for a c-section on December 3rd at 10 am but they called a few days before and moved us up to 7:30 am which meant we needed to be at the hospital at 5:30 am...eek!  The 3rd came and I stayed up all night since I can never sleep before c-section, something about knowing you are going into surgery and will be awake during it sort of freaks me out a bit.  We got up and moving and got to the hospital on time.  We had never delivered at this hospital so we had no idea where anything was, found Labor and Delivery and we were put in a recovery room to wait for the section.  The normal pre-surgery stuff happened, blood draws, etc., then at 7:30 I headed into the OR to get prepped and Ryan waited for what should have been 20 minutes, but became more like an hour.  The anesthesiologist sort of freaked a bit and couldn't figure out if she should do an epidural or spinal due to my heart condition.  She then had to go consult with someone, then come back, and then decided to do the epidural, which was fine since I have had them before....BUT she wanted to put in an arterial line.  OK, well that totally sucked.  It hurt like hell, she couldn't get it in right, she had to keep trying and never could get it to work.   The whole time I am freezing to death since the OR is so cold and I was only in a gown, and I was upset since it hurt so much and nervous about the upcoming section and I just wanted my husband to come in but he couldn't yet and well...you see where I am going, it totally sucked.  FINALLY she decided to give up on the line, I got the epidural and Ryan came in, and I was so so happy to see him since it had been so scary and painful.

They got started and I got the shakes from the anesthesia.  I think they were so bad due to the nerves and the stress leading up to the section, but I was shaking really badly.  The section went well, Finn came out screaming at 8:47 am, weighing in at 8 lbs 7 ozs an 21.5 inches long.  He scored a 9 on both Apgars and was the picture of health.  Ryan left my side to go see him, and then they brought him to me to look at.  As is the usual protocol, Ryan left with Finn to go to the nursery while they finished up, and the doctor was kind enough to shoot me with the sleepy relaxation drugs, so I was dozing off on the table while they finished :)  The closing took awhile it seemed, or it could have been the meds, but finally I was wheeled into recovery. 

The best part about the new hospital was that they brought Finn to me in recovery, in the other hospital I would have been in recovery for an hour or so then moved to a room where I would finally get to hold my baby.  This time, they brought him in and I got to hold him and nurse him right away.  They also turned off my epidural so I got my legs back pretty quickly, which is always nice since the dead leg thing is so weird and uncomfortable.  Finally after about an hour, Finn headed to the nursery to be checked over by the ped and I was wheeled to my room.

Kelley's come in sevens

Last night Brittan's homework included finding things that came in various groupings, pairs, dozens, etc.  She then need to find something that came in a group of seven....and her dad helped her with that answer, Kelley's come in a group of seven :)  Britt was thrilled with the answer and I am sure her class got a kick out of her unique response.

Feeling pretty good today, much more human.  Slept in a bit with the baby, ped called and said we were off the hook for the weight check which was a good thing since Finn had just wet through his diaper for the third time in a row, then he pooped, I changed him, and within 10 minutes he was soaked and pooped again...no concerns over his eating :)

He was awake a bunch this morning and was so alert, looking around and checking everything out.  Teagan came up and sat on the bed a bit with him, she really likes to sit by him and doesn't grab at him or touch him much, except to try to give him his pacifier if it is not in his mouth.  It always amazes me how different it feels when they are finally on the outside.  I cannot imagine our lives without Finn, I cannot believe how easily we have settle in thus far and I am so excited to see what the future holds.  Life will be crazy with our full house, but I love seeing all the kids interact and love each other.  We are so very lucky.

I can only handle the surface

I simply cannot get too far into the last few days right now, the delivery went fine, the baby is healthy and I am healthy, that is all that really matters.  Emotionally there have been some other outside influences that have been causing stress, plus the baby has been dealing with jaundice and I have been doing too much due to the jaundice and therefore have a lot of pain. I am now confined to bed for the rest of the day since one side of my section is throbbing so badly I cry when I stand, and I just took the full dose of pain meds so I anticipate being sleepy most of the day.  It is OK with me since I get to share my bed with the cutest baby boy, even if he is glowing like an alien baby due to his bili-blanket!  Once some of the drama and emotional aspects have passed, I plan to write it all out, but instead I want to discuss the following....

Bridalplasty?


OK when I was in the hospital I watched this show and it really disturbed me. In fact, the nurse I had that night and I watched a few minutes together and laughed at the absurdity of it all! I have no issues with plastic surgery, hell i am patiently waiting until I heal from Finn and lose another 20 lbs to get a tummy tuck.  However, I am not sure I would line up for multiple plastic surgeries BEFORE my wedding?  Maybe you want something small done, OK I get it, or maybe you lost a lot of weight and want a tuck, sure makes sense! However multiple procedures?  What does the fiance think?  Does he think she needs this?  It just seems weird to me that plastic surgeries are such a big deal for these women...anyone else think this is odd?

He is here

Finn is here, we are all OK, it has been a bit of a ride but for the moment I simply cannot get into it.  Just happy that he is here and healthy.

Mission completed

Ah, made it through NaBloPoMo....good.

Saw the doc today, everything is going along as planned.  Currently doing a million last minute things, making cheese to use up extra milk, making a veggie lasagna for dinner, working on lots of laundry and do the general clean up that is needed around here.  Hoping to get everything done so that I can retire to my room after dinner and actually relax a bit!

This is going to probably be my last blog post for a while, I feel I need to go dark for a bit, wait for Finn to come, nest, dote on my littles and then welcome our new member.  See you soon!

Not good to scare someone this pregnant

I just had the scariest moment of my life.  My husband had Teagan and was getting ready to climb over the baby gate we use to create baby jail holding her so he could change her stinky diaper.  Something happened and his foot got caught and he started to trip and fall....and stumble....holding my baby....towards the glass doors.  My god I began to freak as I watched it in slow motion, they fell against the doors (on top of the poor Newfie) and I leapt over that damn gate to get to them.  Teagan started crying, but she was absolutely fine, my husband held her tight the whole time and protected her with his arms...not a bump on the girl.  Now the husband's hand got hurt a little and the Newfie got squished, but holy crappola that was so scary to watch!  My husband is a big guy, over 6' 2" so you can only imagine my fears that he or Teagan would be going through the glass door or that he would somehow lose his grip on her, land on a limb funny, etc.  Thankfully they are both fine, Teagan got her diaper changed by her dad as I sat hyperventilating and is now going down for her nap. NOT a good moment, but so happy they are OK and that he held onto that baby so tightly, what a good Daddy.

Tree is done

It was a hard start to the morning, but we made it out to get the tree and then went and grabbed Five Guys for lunch.  Home to a rougher afternoon, somehow we made it through dinner and decorating the tree.  I am just thankful the tree is up and off my list...tomorrow I will do the rest of the decorations in the house.

Today is our feast

Being that the husband worked on Thanksgiving, we will be having our feast tonight.  I like to cook, but I am a week out from delivering and to be honest, I am wishing I had ordered one of those pre-cooked meals, although my family would have complained since their favorites would be missing.


My turkey just entered the oven coated in ample amounts of butter and fresh chopped herbs.  I just mixed up the cornbread stuffing, we like it with leeks, carrots and water chestnuts and more fresh herbs.  I still need to peel and chop white potatoes for mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes for sweet potato souffle and prep the broccoli which is the green veggie the kids requested.  Last but not least, rolls and pie...lots of pie with fresh whipped cream.  I wish the hubby was awake to help me, wrangling the kids and cooking a huge meal while trying to keep the house clean and work is a big job, but he worked his last shift until Christmas last night, so I will have lots of extra help around the house this week as we prepare for my parents to come into town. Interesting that his leave begins before mine!

I need some of that five hour energy stuff

but I am thinking it would be  bad idea.

I am wiped the hell out every day by noon.  I never got a nap on Ryan's days off last week and have had a few hard nights this week, so I am dead tired.  The end.

For all this I am truly grateful

What a year it has been!  I am a lucky soul and have much to be thankful for....

Of course my children, they are amazing little beasts, diverse in personality, and my reason for getting up each and every day. I am thankful for their good health, their love of one another, and their sweet and kind dispositions.  I am also thankful that many, many days they are real, normal kids who are too loud, too whiny and too needy, because otherwise they would not be human :)

I am thankful that Finn will be born soon.  I cannot wait to meet him and introduce him to his siblings who have been waiting to finally meet their baby brother.  I am also looking forward to feeling slightly less huge and tired, and I am ready to take on the adventure of #5.

I am incredibly thankful for my husband.  That we fought, tooth and nail, through the hard early years together and have come out on top.  That we share the same dreams and hope for our lives, and that he is an incredible father to our children and perfectly fills in the gaps that I leave with them.  He can talk me down, bring me up, make me laugh and make things right, and I am lucky that we chose to stay together and have this amazing life.

I am thankful for the health of my family and that my husband's family has not yet imploded...trust me, that is a huge thing to be thankful for here!

I am grateful for the roof over our heads, the food in our bellies and the secure jobs that we have. I am very thankful that I am working on my dissertation and that the end of my education is in sight, and that we have made choices as a family that will help us make our dreams come true in the next few years.

I am eternally grateful for the people we share our life with, and for having the strength to see that what I know to be right and just is what is best for my family.  As I look forward at our lives, I see that the choices we make, from jobs to friends to physical location all weave together, and is what makes us strong or weak as a family unit. I am thankful we made the choices to be strong.

Mixer=love

I cook...a lot.  I have an old Sunbeam mixer that I have had for years and years and I hate it because it has almost no power, about the same as a hand mixer which takes up less space and is what I have been using.  The hand mixer is OK for some stuff, but for pizza dough it doesn't work and for thick doughs like bread and peanut butter cookies, the poor motor sounds like a dying cat, and the Sunbeam just doesn't have the power and is not worth lugging out.


Obviously I have been coveting a Kitchen Aid Mixer for quite some time, not the less expensive home use one, but the big, fancy colored one with all the snazzy attachments.  Today I decided to go for it since I found an awesome deal at Kohls :)  I got the mixer of my dreams, plus three teacher gifts shipped for just about $260 bucks with 50 bucks in Kohls cash coming to me, 10 bucks in eBates rewards and a 30 mail in rebate......that is 170 total for my dream mixer PLUS the teacher gifts!  I am so excited :)

So it begins....

the great holiday season!

Today the baby and I braved the crowds at Wegman's, I figured it was safer to try today with just her than tomorrow with everyone.  I had a horrible migraine this morning when I woke up and it was still hanging about when we got there so I stopped to grab a coffee for me and a croissant for Teagie to see if I could stave off the headache.  The lady at the coffee bar was so sweet and complimented my cutie pie and asked what we were having, so of course I answer "Boy!" and she commented how perfect a boy and a girl how nice, to which I response..."and a girl and a girl and a boy, my three bigger kids are at school" with a big smile.  She laughed and then said, "Well that IS perfect!"  and I have to say I agree!

Teagie and I procured the goodies for Thursday, which will be appetizers for dinner since the hubby works as well as the rest of the fixin's for Saturday which will be our Thanksgiving dinner as a family.  I also have way too much milk on hand and I am due to get an order on Friday, so I am making cheese tomorrow and will make a double veggie lasagna, one for dinner and one for the freezer for after Finn is born.  My kids love veggie lasagna, and I love that it is full of good stuff :)

Finished up at Weggie's and then we met the hubby for lunch.  Had a delicious and filling lunch and came home to put away groceries and get some chores done, then out again when the big kids got home to run around some more!

Tomorrow will be a cleaning day, and Thursday will be a lounging day full of parades, cinnamon rolls, appetizers and movies snuggled on the couch.  It even looks to be cold enough to have a crackling fire in the fireplace.  The only thing that would make it better would be if the hubby was off too, but after his Friday shift he is off until Christmas to enjoy family time and help with the newest addition.  We are so lucky to have all that we do, to have a warm and safe home, to have healthy children and to be a close family full of love and chaos, is there anything better than that?

Tylenol is like tic tacs

I have a cold....I know you know since I keep whining about it, but it is one of those behind your eyes and in your sinuses colds that makes you want to take the heavy cold meds, and I can't because little Finn is still on board.  Add to it that I woke up at 3 am this morning and couldn't sleep due to the congestion, and the fact I had a doctor's appointment, and well, by 11 I was unhappy.  Thankfully the hubby is off so I took a nice two hour nap, and while my eyes are still watery and my nose all stuffy, I am at least not falling down tired.

OB appointment was status quo except the doc had a hard time getting the baby's heartbeat to register well because of his position.  When I asked how he was laying, the doc responded that it was hard to tell since he is so big and taking up all the room in there....yeah, I can kind of tell.  Made my last appointment for next week and hope to get the hospital registration done in the next few days....and we are officially in business to have a baby!

Just got the first wood delivery of the season, which is funny because it is almost 70 degrees outside, but the weather people assure me that it will be highs in the low 50's after tomorrow with lows in the 30's, to me, that is fire weather.  Ryan also may have sold his old car, the Saturn, that has been hanging in the garage for the last year.  I am super excited since this is found money and we are planning to buy a nice new Digital SLR for ourselves.  We NEVER get  ourselves anything, I mean we get stuff for the family and clothes, etc., but this is an nice indulgence in a want.  Also due to the generosity of my parents this year, we may blow some of Ryan's annual bonus on a new TV for the family room...watch out world, we are sloooooowly catching up!

OK, off to blow my nose and help the hubby get the Christmas decorations down!

Today....

Did not go as planned, since the cheeriness quickly wore off, but somehow we made it.

Some of the chores got done.

My cold settled in my sinuses and made me not happy at all, in fact, it made me weepy and cranky.

Grayson had a blast at the birthday party.

I learned a good friend's dad passed away and I wish I could be there to love on her and her family at the wake, but I cannot travel to NY this week.

I made a decent dinner, and the kids ate all my creamed spinach.

My husband went to two Starbucks to get me a Peppermint Mocha, one was out of syrup the other couldn't make hot drinks :(

Teagan started singing today, and she can carry a sweet tune, albeit without words.

My cold meds have kicked in and I am feeling slightly more human and so thankful that I am not sneezing as much since every sneeze brought on contractions.

Going to bed and just need to survive the day tomorrow and then looking forward to cooking and eating the turkey that is defrosting in the fridge and hanging out with my wonderful family.

Damn the trees

Well, the cold has taken hold of many of us, but we are all pretty cheery this morning so I am hoping that is a good sign :)

I had big plans for the week, BIG plans, and they have been foiled by the Christmas Tree Farm!  I wanted Ryan to go cut down the tree tomorrow so we could get it decorated Tuesday, a little early this year, but I want the house all sparkly before I deliver.  Sadly the farm doesn't open until the weekend after Thanksgiving :(  I guess we will have to go that Sunday morning and get the tree done that night.  Tomorrow the hubby can get the decorations down and I can deck all the other nooks and crannies while waiting for my tree.  Then I can go to work and make my goal of teaching through Thanksgiving.

Baby slave

Know what happens in this house when you are so loud that you repeatedly wake the sleeping baby who is super crabby?  Yep, you are the baby slave and are forced to spend your day doting on her and making her happy.  Good incentive to stop screaming when the baby is napping don't you think?

We are the survival stage

Well, I have a cold, a really nasty chest cold with a wicked sore throat. It has been coming on the last few days and it has hit, and I feel like crap and just want to go to bed, but the show must go on. On the bright side, my neck feels better, still not back to normal, but I have some mobility in it and it is not so painful....although sweet Finn has decided to move into a really super awesome position for birth that is making my lower back ache.  Ugh, I hate feeling crappy and hate not being able to just "do" like always!


Anyway, the hubs has to work tonight, so the kids and I are on our own as usual.  Flu shots this morning for the lot of them, then home to work on laundry and a few other odds and ends around the house.  I never got the grouting done, so I am thinking that just moved to the hubby's list for tomorrow :)  Today is mostly standard stuff, and I will make some Christmas cookies to stash away since we are coming down to the wire on those too.  I also have about 20 papers to grade for PT gig and 3 assignments for FT gig, so that should keep me hopping today as well.  Thank god for the fact that tomorrow the hubby is off AND he agreed to get up early to take Gray to a party, I am thinking that might have pushed me over the edge.

Whining aside, and there has been plenty to go around lately since this has been a hard last few weeks for me physically, I cannot say enough for the awesomeness of my family.  They have been so good to me, listening to the complaining, doing whatever they could to help, and just being loving and sweet.  I know they are anxious for me to feel better and we are all so excited that we will be meeting our newest member in just a few short weeks/days.  No matter how tough the end of this pregnancy has been, no matter the pain or discomfort, it is worth it to get to have Finn join our crew.  Some days are hard, but they are all worth it.

Let's play happy homemaker

Today is my "at home" day which means I usually can get lots of stuff accomplished.  Add to that that the kids will not have to do homework when they get home, and it is basically the perfect day to get working on some projects.

I accomplished some grading and work work this morning, and made some white chocolate peppermint bark...mmm, we will need another batch :)  Dinner headed to the crockpot early, BBQ pork, and I just made some coleslaw to go with it and will dice up the potatoes and throw them in water for the mashed taters when Teagan naps.  Laundry still needs to be switched again, but that is the story of my life, and I promised the big kids we could make the peanut butter blossom cookies when they get home, which means I need to make the dough and cook 3/4 of them before that so they can help with the last two pans. I was hoping to hang the curtains in Grayson's room, but the brackets have gone missing, so I need to look for those, and I have to regrout (yes I said regrout) the tub tonight after the hubby and kids shower :)

I am hoping that Teagan takes a good long nap so I can get this stuff done, the hubs works tonight and tomorrow and then has to take Gray to a party Sunday, so he can't help much, Monday I have a doctor's appt and we need to get the tree, and I work, Tuesday is last minute errand day and I promised the kids dinner out and that we will decorate the tree and then we head back into the craziness...ah life, always an adventure :)

Feeling human again..however a bit random

I am feeling better today, I think the massive non-stop heat all last night really made a difference, I am still sore, but I can do things like lift Teagan and move without crying...progress!

Teagie and I ran around first thing this morning, did a good shop at Weggies, stopped at the farm and then came home and started the butternut squash soup for dinner tonight.  It has squash, bacon, apples and onions in it with coriander and sage...yum!  We will have "fancy" grilled cheese on the side, I have American, Cheddar, Provolone and Brie for the kids to choose from and they can add tomato or bacon to the sandwich too all on a nice hearty whole grain bread, should be a yummy and filling dinner. Havey has dance tonight and I am hoping I can get some grading done while she is in class...we will see if the other kids cooperate.

Made it through class yesterday, still need to make it through Monday to make my goal...even better if I make it the following week too :) 

I would also like to personally thank Mini Boden for the super cute two pack of rompers I was able to order last night for under $3.50.  Thanks to a sale, free shipping and the 25 dollar voucher they sent, Finn will be super cute in his rompers. Nice deal for Mini Boden stuff!

Not sure what to call today

Let's see...last night my sore neck became a horrifically impossible to move neck.  I took some meds, strategically place a heating pad and finally passed out around 11 pm only to be woken to what sounded like Armageddon outside my window.  There was a wicked thunderstorm blowing through and of course it woke Teagan who when i grabbed her out of bed, wrenching my neck in the process, I realized she had wet through.  Thankfully, I had a diaper upstairs and she and I spent the storm time getting her changed into a clean dipe and jammies.  Settled her in bed and passed back out.

This morning when I got up, I was in so much pain but figured it was just from sleeping and hopped in a shower since I had an OB appt.  The shower didn't help so I tried calling the hubby at work to see if he could meet me at the doctor and help with Teagan, my girls got her out of the crib for me since I couldn't lift her and we got the day going.  My neighbor was taking the big kids early for me so they could catch the bus, but I ended up taking Haven along to the doc to help with Teagan since I was hurting so badly.  Got to the doc and of course as soon as we get there, Teagan has a poopy diaper and the dipes and wipes were in the car :(  Then I find out it is one of those drop your pants appointments...wheeee!  Oh, and they took blood too, lucky me.  Hubby made it there as we were leaving, and he took Haven up to school, then met me at home to help with Teagan.  As he was headed to bed, the sitter called to cancel since she had an emergency, so my poor husband took a nap on the couch while Teagan napped after working all night the day before since I had to go teach.

Thankfully, he is working from home tonight, and while he is super tired, he is here if I need help with the kids and I am hoping that by morning my neck will be better.  I am even giving myself the night off, no work at all since I am trying to relax and mend, no way this can keep up!

Let the hormones run.....

sing along with me to the tune of "Let the rivers run" now everybody!


Ugh, hormones, how I HATE them.  Usually at this point I have found some weird, crazy, minuscule item to hyper focus on and that is where all my hormone energy goes, but this time, dammit, I have no damn worries, tough life I know!

Everything at work is good.  Everything with Ryan's work is good.  Money, house and cars are good.  Kids are totally excellent.  So now I have been able to focus on myself and what sucks is I am in a TON of pain :(  I did something to my neck and the muscle is tender, plus it is nearly impossible to refrain from turning my head, how else I am supposed to shoot a look at a naughty kid?  The baby is practicing his kung-fu, and last night around 4 am when I was still awake and couldn't sleep he was so low and there was so much pain that I was sure I was going to be one of those freaky woman who don't know they are in labor, fall asleep and then wake up with a baby in the bed.  It didn't happen obviously, but it was a scary thought!

I am trying trying trying to get the last few things done without completely killing myself with pain.  If I walk too much, I get regular painful contractions so I am trying to keep that under control until after class next Monday, and then I plan to take a jog around campus while eating habaneros to try and kick this kid out!

So I am totally slacking on dinner and getting Chinese food, and given I teach tomorrow and have a doctor's appointment at the crack of dawn, I am afraid they may get pizza tomorrow night.  My husband assures me that this is OK since I am pretty sure this has never happened before and I am planning four big homemade meals Thursday-Sunday, but i still feel the mama guilt.


OK, I guess I should take tylenol so I can pretend it will make my aching neck feel better...can I have those pain meds a few weeks early please?

Let the great countdown begin

When I found out I was pregnant again, well right after the shock and terror wore off, I looked at a calendar and tried to figure out how PT school would work. The goal I set way back then was to make it through until the last class before Thanksgiving, this would put me at 37 weeks which is when my last baby was born, and I knew I could manage anything after Thanksgiving break virtually.  My class works all term on a huge presentation and it takes two weeks of classes for them to be done...these two weeks are the last two weeks before Thanksgiving and I did not want them to do all that hard work and then me not be there :)

This week my Monday class has their first week of presentations and my Wednesday class has their second, which means I only need to survive class tonight, Weds and next Monday and I will have made my goal :)

I have a few more things on the "to-do" list.  I washed all of Finn's stuff last night and will fold and put it away this morning.  Ryan is moving the jumperoo and swing around today and straightening the closet under the stairs so my mom can find cleaning supplies, Thursday I will get the curtains for the playroom and Grayson's room and hang them and a new toy box for Teagan's stuff that has overtaken the family room.  Next Monday, we will get the Christmas tree up and the lights on, Tuesday we will do a big grocery shopping and Wednesday morning the whole family will decorate the tree and the rest of the house....then, and only then, will I feel "ready"

Can you have anxiety over not having anxiety?

We are in such a good place right now, probably the best place we have ever been, so when I wake up in the morning I no longer have a panicked feeling which is so strange for me...but nice!

Last night we were planning a dinner out and then Teagan spiked a 102 fever.  Thankfully, we realized it is just the same virus that Britt had earlier in the week and we gave her some meds and headed out.  The kids were good at dinner and the food was OK, I just wish I could eat more than two bites in a sitting, my stomach is so squished up by baby that I have no room.  On our way home, we stopped at CVS to burn some of the funds left on the medical spending account and to stock up on over the counter meds since we won't be able to use the spending account for them next year.  Finally at home we settled the kids into bed and I headed up to grade some papers and try to relax a bit.  Sadly Teagan had a bad night and I didn't get a whole lot of sleep, she was just restless and wanted to be held a lot.

Today we are trying to get a few small things done and relax.  I am finally washing Finn's clothes today as I feel pretty confident that he will be here in the next few weeks.  Britt and I ran to the store to get the necessities for the week, and Ryan just made pancakes for all of us for lunch, including blueberry for me YUMMY.  Dinner we will be using up the remaining steaks from our last beef order and will have Caesar salad and ranch potatoes on the side.  I really hope the beef comes in this week or next, we are almost out of everything and I cannot bring myself to buy the grocery store meat.


Looking ahead, we have a rough week planned.  Tomorrow I teach, Tuesday Ryan is working OT, Wednesday I have a doctor's appointment at 8:30 am followed by work, Thursday the girls have their morning activity and we have dance at night, Saturday the kids have flu shots and Sunday Gray has a birthday party!  Thankfully the following week is much more manageable with me working Monday and then Tuesday Ry and I will go do a big shopping to stock up for when the baby comes.  The kids and I will be here alone for Thanksgiving so we will have movies and appetizers and then we will all celebrate together on Saturday.  I am definitely looking forward to Christmas break :)

The theme of my life...nest and work

We had an easy start to the morning, all three girls slept in until 8 and Gray and I were up around 7:30 and sat in my bed watching cartoons :)  Got breakfast and Ryan came home, made a super fast run to the bank and reveled in the 25 voucher I received to Mini Boden...oh Mini Boden how I love you but cannot usually afford you!

After the bank run, my two middle kids fulfilled their punishment from Thursday when they were rotten.  They came into the mudroom with me and we cleaned it from top to bottom, including the extra fridge and upright freezer!  Everything is now organized in there, scrubbed clean and will make it easy for my mom to find things when she comes to watch the kids.  I do need to organize the pantry shelves a bit, but for the most part, they are ready to go.

Worked some, fed the kiddos and now just counting down the next two hours until the hubby is up and we all get ready to go out for a nice family dinner.  SO excited to have dinner out and nothing to do when we get home!

Why I love Fridays

Well after the epic fail of parenting that was yesterday afternoon...compounded by the fact that I never got the Thai food I wanted since the kids were awful and the hubby came straight home from the farm, I decided to turn the craptastic frown upside down...or something.

Anyway, got the kids in gear, got the work done, and then because I had no more energy left to cook, took them to Panera for dinner before dance, it was easy, they were thrilled.  This was a bit crazy, it was crowded and we needed to order a lot including a to-go for the hubby who was grabbing it on his way to work, but everyone ate and was happy and we got Haven to dance on time.  While she danced, the other three and I ran to the grocery store to grab a few things.  I had randomly stopped at this one store the other day and noticed a sweet deal on cereal and English muffins...and being that breakfast is a big deal around here, I needed to grab more of each.  Now my freezer is well stocked with English muffins and we have about 12 boxes of cereal in the pantry, which is really not that much for our family, but it will do.  I also found a deal on slice and bake cookies, not something I usually buy, but they were super cheap and I figured the kids would enjoy making them this weekend with their dad while I lounged about in bed waiting for warm cookies :)

Today started much better.  Kids were off to school without a hitch and the littlest one and I made a run for the last few Christmas gifts.  I just grabbed a toy kitchen for Teagan, a Hot Wheels track for Gray, watches for Gray and Brittan and a baby doll set for Britt-except for the stroller that will go to Teagan.  I also ordered a bunch of super cute chocolates for the kids for their stockings.  Every year the stores are filled with santas and snowmen and reindeer shaped chocolates that we can't buy because of Haven's nut allergy.  This year I ordered from Vermont Nut Free and got them each a different shaped chocolate lollipop and a bunch of chocolate snowflakes and snowmen in dark and milk chocolate.  I even scored some gelt for Hanukkah this year!  That leaves me only a few stocking stuffers for Teagan and Gray and three items that are sitting in my shopping cart at Amazon to be ordered next week and we are officially done done done!

Now I have an impromptu work call to take, then nap time for the baby and I have big plans to make banana bread for the kid's after school snack and we are having homemade chicken fingers, mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli for dinner on request from the littles.  Hoping for an easy day!

The honesty of parenting

Today I was a crappy parent.  In addition, I was a crappy parent to kids who were horribly behaved which led me to believe that maybe I am always a crappy parent, but then I deduced it was all just today being bad all around.

Today I cried more than I smiled, complained more than I complimented and whined more than I nurtured.  The kids pushed my buttons and I reacted, and not in a good way, and all around, we just had a crummy day.

That is how it is some days.  Hell, we are human, that did not change when we became parents!  I still get hurt, and tired, and overwhelmed.  I still overreact and have meltdowns and want to be somewhere else in the moment.  Parenting is not sunshine and cookies and hugs from sweet little children, I mean some days it is, but most days it is messes on the floor, too much laundry, arguing kids and exploding diapers, and that can be hard to bear at times.  Today the kids fighting was too much for me, them yelling and refusing to do a simple chore while I was breaking my back working, it simply got to me and I yelled back and punished and took things away.  Today, I had enough.

But then we cooled down.  They apologized, I apologized, we come to some conclusions about where it all went wrong and I hugged them and loved on them and told them that even though I am mad at what they did, and that I am tired of the fighting and arguing, that I love them and that I forgive them and then I assured them that yes, the punishment still stands.

OK, I need to whine a touch

I am really feeling it the last few days.  My morning sickness is back in full force, combined with reflux all night even though I "sleep" sitting up!  I am huge, this kid is from my nose to my toes and I am really done with having my stomach squished up.  I can't really eat and even drinking fluids has been rough, so I am feeling yucky and tired...plus the lack of food is giving me a headache.

All that said, I am SO thankful that we have a healthy big boy growing, and so thrilled that we will get to meet him soon.  Just a few more weeks and I will never have a rolly polly little one in my belly again, so I am *trying* to enjoy the pokes and jabs and kicks. We just need to have him direct them away from my queasy belly :)

Educating the tribe

It has been an interesting few days, lots of very interesting news that has made us excited for things to come, including a work project for me.

Yesterday afternoon I was knocked down feeling really sick, like REALLY sick.  Thankfully my husband stepped in, fed the kids, gave Gray a haircut, did homework and baths so I could be in bed feeling awful.

Today we were back at the grind, I had to go teach and Ryan took the day off so we could do conferences.  I went to work, ran home in time for some dinner and then we headed out.  I had met with Haven's teacher yesterday, so tonight we had Gray and Britt.  Thankfully all three had glowing reports, they are doing very well academically and they are good kids, well behaved and have lots of friends :)

Tonight we will complete the fun job of filling in the benefits for next year.  Then tomorrow morning will be a farm run and then the hubby will get some sleep while the kids and I get a few chores done around the house.  Busy as usual!

Blindsided

We have all been there, going along and all is fine and well and then BAM!  something happens that throws us for a loop!  Usually when we are blindsided it is something bad that happens; illness, finances, relationships, etc can all sneak up on us and rain on our parade.  But every once in a while, the blindsiding can be good and positive and helpful, and today, Ryan and I were blindsided in this way and it was such a great surprise :)

Fevers, Sonos, Sneezes OH MY

Well, again my plans to go somewhere for lunch with my husband were thwarted by a sick kid!  Brittan was up early this morning complaining of a tummy ache, I figured it was the time change and she was hungry, sent her back to bed and when we got up for school checked her. She was still complaining of the stomach ache, which is not like her, so I sent her back to bed figuring she would either throw up or feel better and we would take her to school.  Other kids left and she still wasn't doing well, and I needed to go to an ultrasound, so I left her home with Ryan and Teagan and headed out.

Got to the ultrasound and everything checked out a-OK.  Finn is still a big boy, weighing in at an estimated 7 lbs at 35 weeks.  Given that Teagan was born 2 weeks from where I am now and was 7 lbs 6 ozs, this little (big) guy is way ahead of the game.  I am scheduled for a little over 3 weeks from now, so I will be curious to see how big he is when he is born.

Left the sonogram and went to pick up a few Christmas presents I had ordered that had come in, then a quick jump to the grocery store for bread and rice milk and then back home.  When I came in Ryan said Britt had been sleeping and when she came down I could see right away what the issue was, a fever.  She looked pretty ragged, so we gave her some Motrin and she is feeling better.  Guessing it is just another random virus, but they have had a lot of these this school year and I am getting frustrated with the sickies!  While no one is really  sick, it just seems to be one thing after another.  Ah well, I will this over the dreaded stomach flu any day!

Sundays are the best

Even with our early morning wake up, today has been so nice and relaxing.  Kids got up and had some of my homemade bread for breakfast, then Haven made everyone tea and we all relaxed for a bit.  Kids helped straighten up, we got the laundry moving and I bleached out the sinks since they were in need of a freshening.  My work is done, the last batch of today's Christmas cookies is chilling in preparation for baking and I made stuffing and have a chicken roasting in the oven as we speak.

In an hour, Ryan will get up and I will switch laundry one more time before I head upstairs for a while.  he will handle the littles, who are currently enjoying Fraggle Rock, while I work on a few work items and relax upstairs.  He will then serve dinner and I will come down to assist with the making of lunches for tomorrow, showers and bedtime...then I will settle in for the night.  Today is nice and quiet, a true change from the craziness the last few days, and the days to come.  What a welcome change!

You know what isn't on the agenda tonight?

Going to the ER!

I thought we were home free, but sadly, we were not. Teagan's finger was bleeding a bit yesterday morning when we were out, I wrapped it tightly in a band aid and the kids and I went about running errands and getting lunch out.  Came home, poor little one was exhausted so I gave her a nap and baked some more Christmas cookies, but I was feeling pretty sore and tired from our all morning outing and decided on making a simple dinner...which was really wise given the turn of events.

When Ryan got up for work, I had just made his dinner for work and the kid's dinner and they had all eaten. When Teagan was done, I went to get her out of her highchair and she was covered in blood...UGH!  Ryan checked her finger and all the glue was gone.  Given it was a Saturday night, I called the hospital who told us she had to come back.  Since it wasn't an emergency, I loaded all the kids in the car and away we went while Ryan cleaned up and went to work.  Thankfully we were only there just over an hour and a half, they looked at the cut again and said it couldn't be stitched, the finger is too small and the skin too thin, so they ended up using steri strips and wrapping the hand and thumb in gauze and taping it.  She has done well with the new arrangement, the gauze is still on this morning and when we bathe her tonight, we have fresh gauze and strips so she should be good to go until she sees the doc on Tuesday.

Hubby is home tonight and I am FINALLY getting to make the roast chicken I have been craving with stuffing and cauliflower....YUMMY!

Bonus to big families....it is never dull!

So last night around 5 pm I was pulling the leftovers out of the fridge for the kids since I couldn't make dinner, I was simply too tired.  In the kitchen stood myself, Ryan and the three older kids, and Teagan was toddling about right behind us.  In the moment it took for me to say, "Where is the baby" it happened....she screamed.  Teagan had walked two feet down the hall, reached in the recycle bin, pulled out a can and shoved her hand inside.  Ryan and I grabbed her, he got the can off and we could see there was a lot of blood.  Sat her in the sink, pulled her hand above her head and started pressure, realizing thankfully that she had only the one cut on her thumb, but it was pretty deep for such a teeny tiny thumb.

We held her hand up, put on the pressure, consoled the poor girl who was scared by the whole event and for 15 minutes, we waited to see if the bleeding would stop....it wouldn't.  Now Ryan had been about to get in the shower for work, I was in PJs and Teagan was covered with blood.  I threw on clothes, stripped the baby from the waist down and got a new diaper and pants on her, instructed the big kids to get coats, shoes and my diaper bag and we headed out the door with Ryan sitting next to Teagan in the back seat still trying to stop the bleeding.  If you have ever had a bleeding 15 month old, let me tell you, blood ends up EVERYWHERE!

We started out heading to the new walk in clinic place in town, but I managed to get them on the phone on my way there and while they would see a 15 month old and could do stitches, they didn't do the gluing process and we were concerned about them being able to stitch her finger up.  So we then changed direction and headed to the ER.  Ryan took her back and said she was a trooper.  No tears when they were washing her thumb or when the kept looking at it to see if they could stitch it or glue it.  End result is a baby girl with a super glued thumb, no pain for her and she is sealed up tight.  Being that we don't vaccinate on a normal schedule and Teagan has only had two vaccines, it was a good thing that one of those was her DPT, so no tetanus shot was needed.  A light antibiotic script and a check up next week with the pediatrician and she should be good as new.

Interesting thing is that while we have been to the ER a number of times with the kids, Haven twice while living in our old house and once living here, Brittan and Grayson each once and even Teagan once last year when she had the flu...never have we gone for an injury!  Teagan secured the spot as the first kid to get us to the ER for an injury, not too shabby for a 15 month old!

Why I wish I had removable legs like Barbie and how Daylight Savings Time may push me over the edge

OK, so today I stayed home...which was a wise choice.  The house is in disarray and I foolishly thought I would be able to bustle about getting things done.  I did manage to wash three loads of laundry including two loads of towels sitting on the coach waiting for me to fold them and put them away.  I made two loaves of bread purely out of desperation since we discovered we were out of bread this morning and I am NOT going out today.  I vacuumed and I made cookie dough for the linzer cookies, I did dishes and I fed the baby, I worked and I straightened a bit, but I did not get all that I needed to get done, done.  The reason?  I am absurdly exhausted and my hips are killing me.  I would like to pull my legs off like a mean third grade boy would do to a Barbie doll to get some relief.  I am terrified of my ultrasound on Monday since I am afraid they will tell me he is about to fall out, since that is how it feels.  These hips are so achy that climbing the stairs, lifting anything or climbing the baby jail gate is torture...but I still need to clean!  Thankfully the minions will be home soon and my girls can help me take down Halloween decorations and Grayson is the dustmaster so I saved him all the good dusting.

The hubs works tonight and tomorrow, so no nap for me until Sunday afternoon.  This week his big jobs are to clean up his desk area, clean the closet under the stairs, tape off the baby's room and help with the laundry.  The kids and I will declutter the Dining Room, fold clothes and clean their rooms up on Saturday, Sunday we will go outside and pick up any crud out there too.  We are closing in on being "ready" for Finn, and I cannot lose momentum now....except I have one hurdle, Daylight Savings Time.  Teagan wakes around 6:30 every morning, if everyone else is asleep she will talk to herself in her crib until 7 or so and I get to lay in bed and wake slowly.  Daylight savings time is going to be torture next week, she will be up at 5:30!  That is so not cool.  I will be crying by Wednesday for sure, cursing the powers that be and begging to sleep just one more hour.

OK, I'll leave the marriages alone

I had a plan to write about marriage today, but figure a few folks probably didn't like my post from yesterday, so I will save it for (another) rainy day.

Today I think I accomplished more by 9:30 am than anyone should.  As usual, I was up around six-bleck!  Woke kids at 6:45 because the girls need to be at the school just before 8 for a before school activity. Then off to grab Quail Cove, drop it at home, bring Gray to school and then off to two grocery stores...one of which gave me 7 dollars off my next order in coupons for an order that cost 7.41...wheeee!

Got home and poor Teagan was falling apart, so thankfully she is tucked in bed, I have gotten some work done and now I am planning to relax a bit :)

The great mom debate

So, if you are a mom, at some point you have probably been dragged into the whole Work at Home (WAH), Stay at Home (SAH), Work out of Home (WOH) mom debate.  There are folks on each side of the issue who believe that their way is the ONLY way and that is that.  Personally, I find the whole thing pretty damn amusing, because I find that it really depends on the mom whether she should WAH, SAH or WOH...and that all too often, she picks the wrong choice because of some other reason other than it is what is best for her and the kids (not including financial need).

Here is the thing, I have done all of these.  Here is my history:

1. After Haven was born I worked full time out of the home (WOH), she commuted with me and stayed at my boss's house with a nanny.  I was able to nurse her in the morning, at lunch and when I picked her up.
2.  Then we moved and she went to some one's house to be watched, I did not see her during the day (WOH).
3. Then I was laid off, I began babysitting two other kids (can we say nightmare!) (WAH).
4. After that ended, I worked PT at a local newspaper doing design work and layout until Brittan was born (WOH).
5. After Brittan, I was a (SAH) Mom until she was 9 months old when I went back to work FT and even traveled for work.  Stayed there until Grayson was born.
6. After Gray was born, I was a (SAH) Mom for just over a year until I began adjuncting, one class online, one on ground.
7.  Another year later, went FT online (WAH) and taught 2 classes on ground (WOH) which is what I do now.

So I really have done it all, tried it all and can honestly say that I am the best mom when I am working from home.  I like teaching on campus too and getting to leave here sometimes, just wish we didn't *need* that income and it could be an on again off again thing.  I was not a good stay at home mom, WAY too much free time and I felt restless and useless even though I had a 4 year old, 2 year old and newborn at home.  I HATED working FT outside the house, I missed the kids so much and wanted to be able to go to school functions, see them get off the bus, etc.

For me, this works, and I am glad that I found what is best for me and my kids and didn't cave to having to work FT outside the house or stay home full time.  I see a lot of SAH moms who should not be SAH Moms.  They are home because they feel it is "right" or because someone told them it was what is best, or whatever, but they really need to get out and do something else.  These are the moms who don't cook, clean or do things with the kids....yet they stay home?  They are also the ones on the fast track to crazy town since you can see it in their eyes that this is just not a good fit.  They reach out and try a million different "activities" with other moms and grownups, but quit and fall flat.  They are like little whirlpools going down the drain, and all because they couldn't choose a different path that would be a better choice.

Now don't get me wrong, there are LOTS of great stay at home moms that I know too.  They cart the kids around, they go to the events, they are there when the kids get home and their lives are fulfilled by being a full time mom.  Their eyes are different, they are truly content in their choice, they love their lives and you can tell not by what they say, but what they do.  Their homes show pride, their kids are put together and a priority, and they DO all week so that their family can be together on weekends. 

The last group are the WOH moms who should be stay at home moms.  For them, they really want to be home, should be home, and would be happy at home...but usually for financial reasons, they need to work.  However, they should be proud to support their families, and no one should ever think that even though they want to be home and can't that they are not super awesome moms.

So...get off each others back and choose what works best for you.  Some of us need to work to be good moms, some of us should stay home and be good moms, and some that stay home should really go get a PT gig because you are not cut out for the FT SAHM job.

A fun family day

So the kiddos are off for election day and the hubby is off because, well, it is his day off and I am home because I live and work here, so we decided to have some fun...well after we worked :)

I was up really early this morning, before 6 am which stunk since there was no reason to be up that early.  Not long after, Teagan was up, so I took her downstairs, threw her milk at her and made a huge pot of apple cranberry oatmeal.  Oh my, it was good!  The crew woke, ate and then we got down to business.  Haven finished the last few items in the playroom and gave it a good vacuum, Ryan worked on dishes and Britt, Gray and I sorted out the upstairs.  After getting all the work done, we loaded up in the car and headed to Weggies where the grocery shopping was completed and we ate a nice lunch.  Then off an running again, down to the farm for the weekly milk run and as a surprise for the kiddos, a trip to Friendly's for ice cream.  By the time we got home, I was beat, but got some work done before heading upstairs at 5 to try to rest my aching back.  Ryan made the kids supper and then they came up and showered and tomorrow we head back to the grind with school for them, work for Ryan and I and a million other little things that need to get done.  I am still anxiously awaiting a quiet day, maybe Friday? I am finding it harder and harder to get things done and not feel like crawling into bed at 4.  Tomorrow is busy, Thursday morning I have to run the kids to school early and grab Quail Cove, then we have dance at night, but I am holding out hope that I will not need to leave this house on Friday!

Welcome November!

I am so happy to see November!  Our little one will be here in just about 4 weeks and I am so excited.  The weather has turned crisp, Halloween is past us and now I will begin gearing up for the Christmas holidays.  I am still amazed that in just a few short weeks, we will be lucky enough to have another child added to our family, I know how so many struggle to grow their families and cannot be more thankful for our children.

In other news, my car was inspected today and passed with no issues.  Normally this would be no big concern, but when I am hormonal and pregnant I have weird car anxiety, so having the car pass with no problems puts me at ease.  Seems silly, and it is, but it removes a HUGE weight.

Going to teach tonight and it will be my last night of lecturing prior to the baby coming.  Starting Wednesday we have a week of exams, then two weeks of presentations, then Thanksgiving, then I will *hopefully* make it one more class to review some things and assign the final exam.  Then I will have the baby, miss a week and only go back to return papers.  Gosh, we are winding down quickly!

OK, off to have lunch with my hubby and our crabby baby who has a cold, then a nap for her and some work for me :)

It IS a Happy Halloween

for me because the playroom is CLEAN and DONE (except the carpet)!  Wooohooo, mark that bad boy off my list!

In other news, the kids are off trick or treating, even little Teagan who will not be getting candy but is along for the ride. 

Dinner was an adventure, lets just say that heavy crazy cleaning, plus lots of work work, plus whiny kids, plus too much to do, plus hormones can make the dinner plans go astray.  Thankfully, after a quick run to the store, the gross dinner plans were fixed and the only change was that we had store bought (gasp!) chicken fingers instead of homemade...oh well. 

Dinner was Witches Fingers (chicken fingers), Monster Brains (rotini with a creamy pesto and diced tomatoes) and Slug and Beetle Salad (bananas and black grapes in strawberry glaze).  Kids declared it a hit and ate well before getting dressed up as....

A Zombie, A Witch, A French Super Model and A Super Cute Baby Witch :)

I wait for this all year

Today we started the first fire of the season, and I am in heaven.  I love having a fire in the fireplace, there is something about the warm glow, the smell of burning wood, the crackling and shimmering logs.  We are using up the last of our wood and I will need to get going on ordering some more, since once we get into the habit of a fire, it is hard to break.  The kids are so excited, they all went out to collect twigs and sticks and helped stack the last of the wood so we would be ready.  I just hope the wood lasts the day, and fear we may need to take a run to the wood guy this afternoon and load up the truck just to appease the masses.

In addition to the fire, I am starting the next batch of Christmas cookies.  These will be chocolate cookies dipped in a chocolate peppermint glaze topped with crushed peppermint candies...oh my they are good!  I am also thinking of making some Challah bread since the week ahead looks pretty cold and the kids love toasted Challah with eggs or french toast made with the fresh bread. 

This is home. This is my favorite time of the year, when we get warm and cozy and make things with our hands.  These are the memories I hope my kids look back on fondly, that they remember the excitement of the first fire, that they enjoy cooking from scratch and working together to make holiday treats.  This is our life together, and I love it!

With a shiver in my bones just thinking......

about the weather! (thank you for the apropos lyrics 10000 Maniacs)

What the hell is going on here?  Earlier this week we had tornado watches and the AC was blowing and it was hot and humid and disgusting!  Today it is brisk and tonight there is a frost warning?  I am all for the cold weather and have been anxiously awaiting the cooler days and nights for weeks now, but seriously, AC two days ago, heat tonight?  My heat pump is going to get a complex!

I am, however, looking forward to sleeping in the chill tonight. For some reason the cool air welcomes deep slumber for me, and since sleep has been elusive lately, I am excited to get some rest. Plus cold weather means hot breakfast in the am, I am planning on a nice big pot of maple cinnamon oatmeal.

Today was yet another crazed day, but I am holding out hope that the weekend will be more relaxed. Teagie and I left the house around 9 am, hit the grocery store, a different one than yesterday but where I needed to go for sandwich meat and a rockin' deal on a pork roast.  Then off to Target where she was treated to a croissant and I slugged back a Pumpkin Spice Latte while securing Britt's Halloween outfit, a few accessories for Gray, and other random stuff like a new air filter and a shower curtain liner.  We were supposed to go to Justice after that to grab gifts for a double birthday party tomorrow night and some stocking stuffers for my big girls, but I forgot my 40% off card and will have to go tomorrow morning instead.  Came home and ate lunch, put the baby down and cleaned the house up, then the big kids came home and Gray's friend came to play, so they were a bunch of crazy, silly, happy kiddos outside.  Slapped together a dinner of mixed leftovers for the crew, did a work call and settled into bed. 

Hubby is off tomorrow night and doing the birthday party run, and I am planning to relax and do some laundry and save my energy to attack my bedroom on Sunday as it is the last big thing on my to-do list.  Thankfully I am reaching my "settle in" point, most of the chores are done, stuff is nearly ready, work is winding down...I am getting ready to sit and usher in winter, Christmas and our new son.

Human observations

In my old age I have come across many types of folks.  There are giving people, sweet people, angry people, sad people.  Most people have stories and reasons for why they are the way they are, and usually it all sort of makes sense.  Then there are those people you come across whose stories don't match "who" they are.  For example, they have had an incredibly hard and trying life, yet they are loving and giving and open.  But to me, there is one category of people I have come across that make me the saddest....and these are the unreasonably unhappy people.

See these folks have what they need and more, they are usually well cared for, loved and for the most part secure.  They have families that others dream about, they have homes, they have opportunities, but for some reason they are always unhappy.  These are the people you meet who complain about EVERYTHING even though they actually have little that is wrong.  They are the same people who fight with everyone; friends, family, coworkers, etc over anything and everything for no real reason.  They push people away, they whine and moan, they complain when nothing is there to complain about and they can't ever see what they have right in front of them.

When I run into these people, I can't help but wonder why they are that way.  Do they feel they haven't lived up to their potential?  Did they make wrong choices in their life or feel taken advantage of?  Are they just plain unappreciative and selfish?  I wish I could shake them and say "LOOK!  You have what so many others dream about and still you complain and fight!  LOOK, you don't need to be unique or stand out, you are good enough as yourself!  LOOK you made the choices you did, and you are OK, be thankful!"  But instead, I feel that all I can do is walk away from them...walk away because I can't watch the trainwreck, the breakdown of human spirit and the selfishness that drives these sorts.  I walk away feeling thankful for what I do have, and for all the hard work and choices it took to get where we are and that I had the opportunities I did.  I walk away thankful for my family, even if they can make me cuckoo, and for my jobs even though they are exhausting, since I would never want to be without the love of my family or the stability of my job.  I walk away proud of the hard, and sometime unpopular, decisions I have made as a human, wife and mother, because I am proud and confident that they were the best choices I could make in the moment, and that there is no shame in making a mistake.

Teagan-the new poster child for abstinance

Really crazy morning, although I knew it would be and was as prepared as possible.  I slept only a few hours last night due to my lovely insomnia and got up early since the girls have an activity before school starts.  Got them up and ready, then Gray and Teagan up and ready with enough time to get myself showered and dressed!  The best part about having older kids and the baby is that they were happy to bring her downstairs and sit her in her high chair with Cheerios and her milk and watch her while I showered, such a gift that was since otherwise I would have had to shower with her in the bathroom with me, with the curtain open begging her not to play in the toilet.

Our neighbor picked the girls up and then Gray and I straightened the house until it was time to drop him at school.  Drove him up, chatted with one of the teacher's whose little girl is a friend of Brittan's then ran to the grocery store.  Teagan and I rushed through the store and I planned to come home and unload, but we had just enough time to take the trek down to the farm to get the milk, so away we went!  Got the milk and dropped the deposit check for the meat order, got back in the car and hightailed it back to town so I could make my OB appointment.  Now I knew my appointment was at 11, and that Teagan would be getting hungry for lunch, so I had planned ahead and packed her cup and a container with cheerios, raisins, turkey and cheese.  Well.....we had to wait, a LONG time, and she lost it.  She was a wailing sobbing thrashing throwing screaming mess of a baby girl in the waiting room.  There were a few people there with new babies and she wanted to touch the babies.  She wanted to climb the magazine racks.  She wanted to open the door and leave.  She was a wreck.  There was actually a teenage girl in the room who I am pretty sure will never have sex again after seeing Teagan today.  Thankfully the receptionist knows us and checked when we were due to head back, and right around the point we could take no more, we got into our room.  Once in the room, she was happy to sit on my lap and look at magazines, which certainly helped my blood pressure stay down.

In other news, we got our date for the c-section and it was just when I wanted it, although I fear he still may try to sneak out early.  The doc was a bit concerned that he was measuring so big, so I am off to another sonogram in two weeks to check size.  Thankfully we make big babies so it is not a real concern for us, but he just wants to double check everything to be sure he is doing ok in there since I am just about out of room.

Now I just need to work and then hopefully get to bed early tonight, I couldn't break it to poor Teagan, but we have a bunch of errands to run tomorrow morning!

If you are the betting type....

we can play, "Guess when Finn comes"

I will share some information and if you care to, you can venture a guess when our fifth child, second son, will makes his arrival. Sadly no prizes if you are correct, but I can email you a pic of a gold star if you like :)

Info:
Finn will be a scheduled c-section no later than December 3rd, due date is the 11th...so no guesses after the 3rd.

My other kids were born 1 at full term, 1 at 38 weeks (induction then c-sec), 1 at 38 weeks (c-sec) 1 at 37 weeks (c-sec)

I have had labor concerns with all kids except #3, preterm with #1 and 2 at 28 and 32 weeks, preterm with #4 at 33 weeks and again just before 37 weeks.

Finn is VERY big, measuring at least 2.5 weeks ahead and has been settled head down for a number of weeks already.  I have dropped more in the last few weeks and have had regular, strong, real contractions.

So..venture a guess if you will, I am 33 weeks right now, turning 34 weeks over the weekend.  Oh, and feel free to guess his size too

 For reference Haven-9lbs 6 oz 23", Britt-8lbs 2oz-19 1/2", Gray 8 lbs 4 ozs-19 1/2", Teagan 7 lbs 6 ozs-19"

Making headway

We have been busy here, I have enlisted the rest of the family in my hormonal nesting and it is slowly paying off.  Ryan has finished painting the playroom trim and we will get to putting the room back together so my parents can sleep in there when the baby comes.  I still need to get new curtains and bedding, but other than that, it is ready...well until we put the carpet in, but that is not happening until after the holidays!

I washed all the baby gear and reassembled.  We will store everything upstairs in our room for the next few weeks except the car seat base that will go into the car in the next week or so.  I plan to do a big car cleanout to prep for the kid shuffle.  We have an extended Trailblazer that we bought with only three kids.  Right now I have Brittan and Grayson in the way back, Haven and Teagan in the middle seats with Teagan rear facing.  When we make the move, Grayson will stay in the way back and Teagan will join him, Finn will take Teagan's spot and Britt and Haven will share the other two seats in the middle.  When the whole family is together, we will fill every seat in the car!  Thankfully the truck is paid off in less than a year, so we plan to tough it out for two more years and then buy an airport shuttle....like this one although we will look for one that is used :)

I have also gone through the last of the baby clothes, scrubbed the bathroom, straightened the house and washed a million loads of laundry. I still need to organize my room to make space for the bassinet and make sure Grayson's room is spotless since my mom will sleep there when we are at the hospital.  I am hoping I can get the baby's room painted, but it may not happen and I am ok with that, it is the big things we need to work on right now that are important. Hopefully by the end of Ryan's days off next week we will have the house back in order and be ready for the new baby...hooray!

If you are the praying type, the loving type, the goodwill type or the human type

please send good thoughts, prayers and love to this family.  Their oldest son, a mere two years old, is dying from a very aggressive cancer and they have already had to bury one of his brothers (a twin) who was born prematurely.

While it is hard to read what these poor parents and children are living through, it in no way can compare to what they are dealing with day to day.  Just keep them in your thoughts, and be thankful for the moments you have with those you love, I am sure they would love to be badgered with questions, have to clean up a mess or deal with a temper tantrum with their son right now.

http://thematthewsstory.com

Sleep is SO not overrated!

I actually woke up this morning feeling good!  Yesterday I was so sore, every single step made me ache and by the time Ryan woke up, I was in tears from the pain. It was awful.  When the kids and I headed up last night, I was able to muscle through a ton of grading and get to sleep by 11, which is a pretty big deal for me...then Teagan slept until 7:30.  It was pure bliss.

I think we have turned the corner with Teagie, she was cutting a tooth (#8) and I believe that was what was causing the nap/sleep issues.  The tooth is through and we are back to taking a decent nap and sleeping through the night...I hope!

After getting some actual sleep, I was able to get up this morning and get some things done.  The sugar cookie dough I made yesterday has been cut, baked and packed to be frozen.  My work-work is done for FT job, dishes are done and laundry switched.  The kids and I played this morning and they are enjoying lunch, after which I will put Teagan down for her nap and make the chocolate chip cookies (triple batch!) and work on Britt's reading project with her.  Ry committed to getting up at 3 to help out and he is getting the baby gear down today so I can wash it all and get it ready for Finn's immanent arrival in the next few weeks and I am making grilled chicken for make your own salad tonight (last night all I could muster was eggs, English muffins and grapes).  I also have some more grading for PT school tonight, but will do that tucked into my comfy bed. Such a difference sleep can make!