A bunch of nothing!

I hadn't posted in a while so I thought I would give it a shot! Yesterday was very chaotic and today is a lot calmer, so I feel like I have a minute to post something. I had to babysit the little 18-month old boy from church yesterday. I need to tell her that I can't do it anymore, but I know she's having a hard time finding anyone else so it makes it harder. Right when he gets here, my kids morph into terrors. Ema and Eli want to play with him, but if they get too close, he slaps them in the face. Elena seems to be jealous of him and will take anything away from him and clamor for my attention. So from 10-6, I feel like I just say "don't do that, don't hit, get out of his face, you can go potty by yourself, don't eat that dried up piece of macaroni you found on the floor." (That last one was to Dalton who finds anything that you don't want him to, and tries to eat it.) Yesterday was a little better than most of my days with him because Ema actually took a "nap" for me. I don't try to make her go to sleep anymore, but she has to stay in her room and rest, coloring or whatever. She started cutting out pieces of different pictures and making a new picture out of it which I thought was very creative and cute. She only called to me a couple of times because the glue was coming out too fast and even when she called me, she wasn't too loud and then waited patiently for me to come in. I was so proud of her. So I got payroll done, and some other things picked up, and then went and played dolls with her while the others still slept. I always need a few minutes in the day where I can have some quiet time away from the kids, even when I'm working on something. It makes my mood much better.

I was also very proud of Eli because he ate his dinner so well last night. I made some of that wacky pasta and added hamburger and sauce, and green beans on the side. Eli fed himself-nobody had to jam it in his mouth-and he didn't cry and throw a fit. He ate his whole or most of the portion of green beans and probably 7 bites of the pasta mix. Then he got some jello. I know this doesn't sound like much, but we have made big strides since I starved him last Tuesday. He could only drink water and eat the supper that he didn't eat the night before. He slept for 4 hours that day because he was upset, and finally at 4:00, he ate the warmed and cooled, warmed and cooled, then warmed up supper! Last night, he wasn't real enthusiastic about chewing the food, but Daniel is a great encourager and Eli really likes to please him.

After supper, my body was aching so bad that I asked Daniel if he would help the kids clean their rooms while I took a bath. He gave me one of his "that's good for you" smile looks, but he let me anyway. I felt SO much better and the bedrooms were mostly picked up when I was done. Ema likes to have "help" so I pointed out the things that are hard to see, like the cards strung out on the floor, and the toys that had climbed out of the toy box.

So today I am staying in again for most of the day anyway to try and get my laundry done. I've got so much that I could pile it up and the kids could jump in it, but we won't today! Sorry I can't give you all anything more exciting, but this is my life! Tomorrow will be our "going out" day because I'm going to get so much done today! The free kids movie is "The Waterhorse" so we are going to meet some friends there. Then our 4D ultrasound is in the afternoon. I'd kind of like the kids to go with us, but I don't know how many they let in. They love to feel the baby move and Elena likes to "take it out" of my belly button and hold it in her hand. I tell her it's too tiny, so she'll have to put it back and let it grow some more. I'm sure she's thinking like everyone else, "how can it mom, you're hUGE. (The silent H thing is for Shellie!) Oh-one more quick thing. I was talking to Ema the other day about one of our spats. I was having to physically move her and put her on the bed over and over. So afterwards we were clearing the air and I told her as a sidenote that she weighs 60 pounds plus this big belly adds 25 pounds so it is too hard on me for her to be acting that way. She looked at me real skeptically and said, "that baby can not weigh 25 pounds." She wasn't challenging what I was saying, she just couldn't imagine a 25 pound baby. I just thought it was kind of funny. Elena keeps turning my chair around which really annoys me, so I better go!

Your opinions

I just wanted to see what everyone thought about this subject. We are still trying to figure out names for the new baby. It's not consuming our every thoughts or anything-just a nagging, we-need-to-get-that-done kind of thing. First of all, I'm a little irritated that we have gone with the whole E thing because it's hard to find something that works all together. We didn't intend to have all E's. When I was pregnant with Eli, we had the name Elena picked out for a girl and something else for the boy. But that didn't work out and we ended up with Eli. Then we still really liked Elena so now we have all E's. Here is the main problem though. After Elena was born, Shellie was so kind and insightful to point this out! We have Ema Cheri, Eli Douglas, and Elena Elyse. EC, ED, & EE which was completely unplanned. So the question is, should we continue with this and use the initials EF for the next one. I think it's kind of neat, but at the same time, no one will really know unless we point it out. Plus it's hard to find a good E and F name. But I don't want someday to be saying "well we did have EC, ED, & EE but then EJ came along...." and have that one feel like they messed it up or something. Maybe that is over-thinking it, but you never know. So what does everyone else think? If you'd like to contribute ideas for E names as well, you can and they will be considered!

The other thing is-I'm feeling totally overwhelmed with my tasks now and the task ahead of me (raising four children) and I feel like my head is not screwed on straight much of the time. So the other day I was thinking maybe a palm pilot would help me to be a little better organized. I am a crazy to-do-list maker. I just have to see things. I would also like to use it for things like grocery lists, budget and money type things. I don't need it to stay connected to my clients or email or anything like that. Does anyone know what to look for with that? I found one called a Palm Z22 I think and that looked like what I was wanting-it also is compatible with our mac and pc so that is nice. Just curious if anyone had any insight on that.

I've got a lot to get done to get ready for our trip so I guess I better end here. Thanks for your opinions!

We're still here

I haven't blogged in so long, I thought I should sit down and write for a minute. I've been cleaning all day today and my eyes are screaming at me to go to bed so it might be short. It seems like we've been so busy, but to actually write it out, it doesn't sound like much.

Ema has been out of school for 2 weeks now. It's been a bit of an adjustment with her home because she doesn't take naps and the other two still do most of the time. She still has to stay in her room and color or play quietly, but she finds any excuse to come out and tell me something. She has also decorated her room quite extensively with pictures and school papers. I will have to take a picture and show everyone. There is a lot going on in there! We've been trying to go to the library for the summer reading program and the free programs they offer during the week. She seems to enjoy that, but when we go to check out books, it's hard to find one that is right at her level. I want to get out as fast as we can because Elena is pulling books off as fast as I can put them back up (I was a library aide in 8th grade, so it's against my nature to put it back in the wrong spot). But she likes to read to Eli and Elena and is very helpful when they are all in the right kind of mood!

Eli is going through a real whiny stage that I'm not real sure how to deal with. He's starting to actually talk when he's upset now instead of "UUUUUHHHHH, UUUUUHHHH sob, sob UUUUUHHHH." But it's a very quiet talk. I've gotten to where I can ignore the fits while he sits in his room and yells, and pretty soon he calms down. I really hope this stage gets over soon though. I'm being as consistent and patient as I can. When he prays at night, he always thanks God for Ema, Eli, Elena, and mommy's new baby. I think he's excited about it. He does want another sister though, which may seem odd, but he's very good with his sisters. I tried to let him feel the baby moving, but he's not quite patient enough to wait for it.

Elena's just as ornery as ever. She's been doing really well with potty training. I know I said I was going to do that long ago, but we went backwards for a little while and I got lazy with it. But we're back to it and as long as she wears panties, she does really well. She does okay with pull-ups, but not as well. I'm just not brave enough to take her into public with regular panties on yet. I just need to keep extra clothes in the van I guess. She loves to make Eli and Ema laugh at her, and will do just about anything to make it happen-either that or have them chase her, usually with something that they've been playing with, in her hand.

Daniel has been playing softball in the church league for a few weeks now. We started off really well-winning our first 2 games, but then we went up against some really extra athletic teams and lost 2. The first loss was by just a little, but last night, we got smeared. Hopefully they can do better tomorrow night though. It is fun to watch when the teams are pretty well matched, but last night, all their guys must have been college aged, ball players from the time they were tiny, and in Daniel's opinion, on steroids! That's not as fun to watch!

I have been feeling a lot better now. My morning sickness FINALLY went away and aside from my body telling me that I shouldn't be pregnant for a fourth time, I'm doing pretty well. We had our ultrasound last week and found out we are having..................................




only one baby! Some people at church were thinking I might be having 2 because I look kinda big, but that is just because of the poor muscle tone in my abs. I can't hold anything in. For those of you that know about my antigen issue, they tested my blood at 4 months and the level was at a 2. When I was pregnant with Elena, it was around 16, so we got some excellent news. I was under the impression that it could only go up from 16, but apparently not. They will test me again at 6 months and probably every month after to monitor the change in the number. That's really what is more important-to make sure it doesn't jump up. This baby is really active. I can't really remember how it compares to the other three, but it has kept me from falling asleep at night sometimes. My favorite part of pregnancy is feeling the baby moving and letting Daniel and the kids feel it. Hopefully it's just feeling really cramped in there and it's not an indication of what this one will be like on the outside!

Okay so that was as short as I could make it. Hopefully I'll write again soon! I'm going to bed!

To Know or not to Know

When people find out that you are pregnant, there is one question that is ALWAYS asked after the appropriate time has passed. "What are you having?" I could probably come back with a smarty remark, but I usually just say, "we don't know, we like to wait." Call me old-fashioned, but it just seems like the right way for us. It's weird because I like to know what other people are having, but I don't ask "what". If I say anything about it, I think I just ask if they want to know. But I try to avoid it because I know it can be annoying to me. Just for starters I hope that I don't offend anyone with this post. I understand that there are just a slew of questions that people ask pregnant ladies, and I'm okay with it. This last pregnancy has made me go back and forth on this issue though. In a way, I think "this is the last one, maybe we should try it and find out early." But I keep coming back with the fact that you can't un-know if I'm disappointed that I found out early. Then I think, "we could figure out how to do the bedrooms and get started on preparing everything." But-most of you know us pretty well-we are procrastinators. We do everything at the last minute. We wouldn't get it done. Plus the baby will be in our room for a few months anyway. And a lot of people say, "it's still a surprise, it's just an earlier surprise." I just can't help thinking (and this just applies to me-I'm not saying anybody else would be like this) that if we knew, then in the delivery room, there wouldn't be as great of an anticipation to get it done. It's hard to explain. Nothing beats the feeling of working so hard, going through so much pain, and having that extra surprise at the end-waiting to hear the doctor, or Daniel say "it's a girl!" or "it's a boy!" It's just a wonderful experience. That's not to say that the beautiful baby isn't good enough. For me-that just seems like the right way. I don't think there is anything wrong with anyone else finding out, if that's what they want.

The thing that really bothers me is when people actually get upset because you are one of "those" people. My sister was telling me about someone who was going off on a tangent about people like me. "We have all this technology today, there is no reason why you shouldn't find out." If a couple makes the decision to patiently wait, nobody else should have a problem with that. I understand that there are certain inconveniences that I feel bad about-like people wanting to get or make a certain gift, or saving clothes and things in case the baby is this gender. I truly am sorry about that. But the couple is the ones that are having to wait with the most anticipation-pregnancy is something that consumes your thoughts and changes your entire lifestyle. The only one that goes through such drastic changes is the woman (and the man who listens to her complain and does extra things to make up for what she is "unable" to do!) It's something that can actually be decided in pregnancy (I can't decide not to have back and leg pain) so I am exercising my freedom. Just because 90% of women choose to know, doesn't mean the rest of us have to conform. So, I'm sorry to all those people who are slightly annoyed that I never have found out. That's the way I'm hoping to go again. Of course we are going to have a lot of sonograms toward the end again, so there's always a chance that something might slip, but I hope not. I had a dream the other night that I knew what it was going to be, so the rest of my pregnancy was kind of blah because I already knew-what more was there to know?! I know that sounds stupid, but it's hard to put it into words.

Again-I don't ever look down on someone because they find out. I think it's neat that way too. Just for us, it works better this way. I'm glad that Daniel likes it this way too. On a side note, I also think it's funny to hear different people's theories! When I was pregnant with Ema, one lady said, "It's a boy, I can tell." and she went on her way, nothing was going to change her mind. There is a lady at church now who says it's a girl, and then another who says it's a boy because I'm carrying high. I thought it was opposite (girls-high, boys-low) but the way she carried her kids was boy-high, girls-low. I honestly have never really noticed a difference in the way I carry them. And I don't examine other women's stomachs to try and guess either-it seems a little strange to me. I just smile and let everyone think what the want to, knowing that each pregnancy is so different. It just makes me laugh a little. ANYWAY I think I've spent enough of your time rambling on about this! I'm sure I could come up with more, but I won't!

I know, I know!

I know I need to blog! A few people have mentioned it lately. I've been trying really hard not to spend too much time at the computer lately. I've been trying to keep my house clean and have done a pretty good job with it, but it's gotten a little out of hand these past couple of days. I realize that keeping a clean house isn't the most important thing, but it has always been a struggle for me. One side of me is a perfectionist that wants a place for everything. The other side of me (the tired and lazy side) just says "I can do that tomorrow when I have more time." And it only gets worse-and I know exactly what will happen. Tomorrow will be one of the craziest days because one of the kids isn't feeling good and I've got to go do this and that and it never works out. But anyway-I've been doing really good for the past 3 weeks or so. We are fixing our bathroom and can only really work on it on Saturdays so it's stuck being kind of dirty. It throws me off because I love to see my clean and orderly bathroom and bedroom. It's relaxing. Soon though, maybe!

Ema had a rough morning today. She has had 2 cavities that we've known about since November I think. I tried to get her in sooner, and if I would have known how hard it was to get them in, I would have tried harder. I finally got her appointment for today. We made this appointment in January. I should have just taken her to Midland or something just to get it done. Last week they were really bothering her, so this morning she was ready, even excited, to have it taken care of. I told her she would have to have a shot, but she said she didn't care. We had x-rays that the visiting dentist for the school had taken but she had to take new ones to see if the decay was worse. It was, on both sides and she had a small cavity on one of her bottom teeth. So she had the nitrous gas and then he gave her shots (without numbing the spot which I thought they usually did). She winced and quietly cried. He waited long enough I thought and then came and filled the one cavity. Then he pulled the other two teeth. It's hard to watch someone tugging and pulling in your child's mouth. He was very caring though-when she was whimpering he stopped and asked her if she was okay, and called her baby and was real sweet with her. He thought she said she was okay, but with her mouth open it's hard to tell. I thought she was okay too. Finally he was done and I was standing next to her. She said she wasn't okay, but still couldn't talk because of all the gauze in her mouth. When we finally got out to the car, she just let it all out. She said only her lips were numb. I asked her if she could feel her teeth with her tongue and she said she could feel like normal. Usually my tongue will be numb. I'm sure she was a little numb, but not near what she should have been. I felt horrible-one, because I hadn't gotten her in sooner, maybe her teeth could have been saved, and two because she had to endure that much pain. She is doing a lot better now though. Her cheeks are a little swollen. She's got 2 really gross, rotten teeth to put under her pillow. She thought she'd probably only get a penny for one since it was so bad! She does brush her teeth, usually twice a day (sometimes we get lazy at night and would rather just get them to bed) But I think we are going to be more diligent about it, with all of them because I don't want them to go through all this. I know she eats a lot of sugar-not near as much as some kids, I try to limit it, but I guess she is just more prone to cavities-kinda like her parents.

I think I've spent enough time typing this. I have a hard time writing a short blog. I better get to work!

News

I know that a lot of you already know this because I think most of my readers are family.  We are expecting AGAIN (I know-we've had the talk-I just don't know what happened!)  It's not an egg in the oven either, just for clarity!  My due date is Oct 16th.  I went to the doctor on Wednesday and everything seems to be alright.  I am about 8-10 weeks along.  She tried to hear the heartbeat, and was pretty sure she heard it, but she couldn't get a lock on it to hear it steady.  I'm supposed to go back in 2 weeks to make sure they can hear it.  She also gave me some pills for morning sickness because it had been lasting most of the day, and that seems to be helping quite a bit.  I'm just SO tired I still am not getting much done-the story of my life.  

Wednesday was our 9th anniversary.  I meant to blog that day, but I didn't.  I just can't get over the fact that Daniel and I are such a perfect match.  Even though we can get irritated at each other at times, he makes me laugh every day.  I've always needed a good laugh every day-just ask Shellie-she was the laughEE while I was the laughER most of the time growing up.  She's hilarious too though.  A lot of times when Daniel and I start arguing about something, it turns into joking and laughing about it instead of a heated discussion.  He always has better comebacks than I do though!  He's much wittier and more ornery too.  We met on July 14 or 15th, 1994.  I can't believe that it has been so long.  We started writing letters back and forth (or forth and forth because he forgot to write sometimes!)  We still have all of those letters which I keep meaning to read again because they make me feel all giddy inside again!  We started "dating" on August 18, 1996.  That was the day before I went back to Colorado for one more year of high school.  But then I came back a year later to start college and we were inseparable.  I am so blessed to have such a loyal, respectable, and loving husband.  He puts up with me when I'm at my worst and loves me more each day.  I love him more and more each day too and see something new in him all the time.  Last night he was so cute playing with the kids.  He usually doesn't get too roudy with them, but he was chasing Eli around our circle (kitchen, dining, living rooms) having a pillow fight with him.  Ema got in on it too, and they were all giggling up a storm.  So cute!  Anyway, God has blessed me more than I ever thought possible with a wonderful husband and now 4 beautiful kids!

One exciting note-Elena found my missing-for-2-weeks wedding ring!  I was washing dishes a couple of weeks ago and had laid my ring on the counter.  Elena wanted to sit on the counter while I did it because she likes to play in the cabinets.  Then it was gone.  I looked everywhere for it-I looked in the cabinet she was playing in and looked in all the cups and everything.  We even looked through the trash the day after it happened.  I figured at some point it was going to show up, but I was starting to lose hope.  I kept dreaming about finding it and if I was going through something and felt something unusual, my heart would jump, but it was never the ring.  Today when I was doing dishes, Elena wanted to get up there again.  I said, "why don't you find my ring for me?"  Just saying it, not thinking she actually would.  After a few "what"s because you have to repeat most things to her in a different way to make her understand.  It reminds me of a comedy bit.  She turned to the cabinet and a minute later said, "yyeer it is!"  I don't really know where she looked that we didn't, but I'm just happy that she found it.  So now I feel more complete with a little bit of weight on my hand!  

I've gotten a hole punch from my teacher Ms. Ema, because I was hitting a fellow classmate, and I have done 3 pages of work while typing. So this post is a little scattered!  I'll be going now because apparently, I need to finish this "A.R. test."

Birthdays and Bragging

Elena's birthday party went pretty well, I thought.  After I finally got lunch ready, it worked out well.  Ema did me a favor and wrapped all of Elena's presents that we got for her.  That was her "thing" on Saturday morning, and then she wouldn't let anyone else in her room because the presents were in there.  We are some of the suckers that feel like the other kids should get a little something too (from us-nobody else needs to feel like they have to do this!) partly because then they have something to play with and maybe they will leave the other kid's new toys alone for a little bit, and partly just because we don't want them to feel left out or something!  I know, they need to used to not getting something at every party!  Anyway-Ema ended up wrapping her own prince (not the artist-formally-known guy) doll-but nobody else could see theirs!  

When we started singing Happy Birthday to Elena, she started crying!  We weren't sure if it was because she didn't like all the attention or if we told her she couldn't blow out the candles yet.  By the time she started crying, we couldn't remember what anyone had actually said to her about the candles!  I was trying to get pictures loaded up, but can't get it to access my photo library.  What is wrong with me that I can't figure this out?  I thought I was pretty up on technology, but apparently not!

Fred and Nyla, Samantha and Kerry, and Shellie all traveled here to come to her party.  I thought it was pretty fun and it was nice to get to see everyone again.  My parents were also there for a little while.  Dad mowed our huge weeds for us and then his allergies were acting up. I felt bad about that.  Thank you though, Dad!

This morning, Ema got to "run the halls" at school because she accomplished her advanced reading goal.  She read through all of the AR books on her level.  She wasn't real sure about it before school today, but when she got there and did it, she had fun.  I really admire her strength because I know how dependent I am on other people, especially if I'm doing something new.  I always want someone to go with me the first time.  Maybe that's something little, but I think it's a big deal anyway.  The other kids that didn't make their goal stood outside the classroom and cheered the runners on.  It was neat to see and I know it made Ema feel good.  She was one of three kindergartners (out of 40 K's) that got to run.  She is quite the reader.  We were doing a little homework test last night where you write down the child's responses.  It is so easy for her, it's almost not worth doing.  Except that we are spending time together without fighting!  She corrected me on something that I wrote down.  I asked her what sound "v" makes and she told me.  I wrote "va" down because how else do you write a sound down?!  She said "no, it's not va, it's vvv."  I stand corrected!  

We may be going to Abilene this weekend so I guess I better get some things done.  I will try to figure out why I can't get to my photo library and post some pictures!