Crhistmas was good. I had a raging swimmers' ear infection. I got crappy antibiotics and by Christmas day was in excrutiating pain. Fortunately, I also had LOTS of painkillers. Codeine during the day is FUN!

The kidlets got lots of clothes adn books and bath stuff. Celeste got an easy bake oven. The girls both got Cabbage Patch kids, very exciting. William got a suitcase of his own, and a lage kid sized front loader and dump truck, not ride on size, but big play size. Samuel got puzzles and a Weeble tree house.

But, I got them the big gift. A wonderful wooden playstand set complete with kitchen. One side of the play stands has a bench to sit on. The other side has a sink and stove. Plus a refrigerator that stands alone and LOTS of wooden blocks. Ths children all love it. I ordered it from a friend, got it here in plenty of time for Christmas, then put it together ALL BY MYSELF! and my children love it.

We spent time with family. It went well. No one fought or yelled or anything. My children behaved like angels, seriously.

My baby sister came with her FIANCE. He tried to set my parents' house on fire late Christmas night. The firetrucks came and everything. We were already back home in our beds. William was a bit disappointed that he missed all teh fire trucks. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it.

Stuff

I love a good deal. So when I found clearance Ralph Lauren on sale an additional 40% off, I was HAPPY! So I got 2 outfits for picky Celeste, an outfit for Lydia, a shirt for William, and a cute skirt for my teeny tiny sister who is 27 but can wear a sizxe 12 children's skirt. I just pulled it all out to wrap for Crhistmas, and one of the shirts is missing. so I called the store. The nice lady said she would pull ALL the shirts in a size 6 or 6x and hold them for me until I could get there this afternoon. I love customer service!

Stuff I remember.

Celeste weighed 8pounds 12 ounces when she was born. Her head was 14.5 inches. I had LOTS of drugs with her labor. I went natural for 14 hours, then had a contraction that lasted over 10 minutes. I got some drugs, then an epidural. Then some pitocin, and finally, a baby girl. She had a TON of hair. She got a chin length bob haircut at 8 months old. Really. She started signing when she was 4 months old. She started talking at 10 months. She hasn't shut up since then.

Lydia was a quick baby. My water broke at 9pm with a big POP! We got to the hospital at 9:30. I was 2cm dilated. They admitted me at 11:30 when I was 2.5 cm dilated. Lydia ws born at 2:02am. She went fast. I pushed for only abou t20 minutes. She weighed 8pounds 8ounces. Her head was 13.75 inches. I learned that three-quarters of an inch is a LOT more than you might think. Lydia had a lovely thatch of dark black hair when born. She had a sense of humore from birth. She wouldn't smile unless it was actually funny. No silly faces, or stupid grandparents blowing raspberries. She laughed at jokes though. weird, still is, but I love her!

William was a longer labor, but I never pushed. I just waited for someone to show up and catch him. He was a one handed delivery as he just wouldn't wait. He weighed in at 9 pounds 2 ounces. Not too shabby. We never thought we would have a boy. I have 2 sisters and Nathan has 2 sisters. We were surprised at the ultrasound when Pat said it was a boy. He was a lovey cuddly snuggly baby from birth. And a voracious eater. He gianed 2 pounds in the 6 days between hospital discharge and his first pediatrician visit.

Samuel was different than I expected. I pushed for over 2 hours with him. My labor was weird, very different from all the others. He was born at home, and I am so glad. It was atough delivery, but itwould have been much worse at a hospital. He weighed in at a slender 10 pounds 2 ounces. He was very quiet when he was born, He just looked around and took us all in. He didn't cry until 3 am the first night he was alive. It was quiet. We were all asleep. And a PIERCING scream erupted in the darkness. Nathan and I both sat bolt upright. We turned on the light, and there was our darling baby squealing. He sounded like a pteradactyl. Just a little magic mama milka nd he calmed right down, but eh scared the poop out of both of us.



And now, it is December. That big little baby is almost 8 months old. He has been sitting up since 4 months old. He's crawling and cruising and loves to explore. And he has a terrible cold right now. Poor thing gets his nose sucked out every time he wakes up. I've been putting breastmilk up his nose to kill germs, and in his goopy eye, and pretty much on anything that looks icky. Poor baby. Off to hug him some more. All too soon he will be too big for my lap and will push me away when I try to kiss him. But not yet!

I survived Atlanta. I lived through 3 days with my mom and my sisters. I survived Ikea. I had a BLAST!!!! I stayed with my mom on the Club Level at a nice hotel. They had this great room where there was always food out, and good stuff too. And whatever you wanted to drink, including booze. All for "free." Free in quotes because it is part of the room price I am sure, but my mom paid for the rooms.

Samuel woke up several times the first night, but did much better the second night. We went out to eat amazing and wonderful food. Samuel slept through nearly every meal. There were 3 extra people to hold him, even though he really preferred me.

They have a Target that is 2 stories high, just across the street at the hotel. We looked at some exquisite jewelry, and eve tried on lots of stuff. I felt like a princess.

My sister selected her wedding dress and veil. We knew it was the right one becausewhen she walked out in it, we all started to cry, just a little.

Nathan had fun with the girls. He just had Celeste and Lydia Friday night and most of Saturday. They went shopping for Christmas presents. He bought one for each of the big kids. Samuel doens't much care, at 7 months old, and will probably eat the paper. He said he got something for me! This is big since I got NOTHING last Christmas when I was pregnant and just a bit emotional. I alos got bupkis for my 30th birthday. Well, I did get taken out to dinner, but it was very last minute.

William spent the night with Kathryn, the wonder sitter. She has been baby siting for us for 5 or 6 years. She got married over the summer and the 3 big kids were in her wedding. Also, Kathryn's mom, Vanessa, watches our children occassionally. Kathryn's dad, George, was a great help in getting the FOUR TREES cut up and split into firewood and moved after they landed in our front yard as Katrina blew through.

So William went with Kathryna nd spent the night with her at her parents' house. They played outside and I don't think Nathan picked him up untillate Saturday afternoon.

And Nathan is such a fun dad. He bought plastic bowing stuff for our LOOOONG hall. And took the offspring to their favorite restaurant. And he even gave 2 of the baths! And made breakfast Sunday morning for everyone before church, and got them dressed for church. He is such a great guy.

And now, I am back home. Movers come on Wednesday to get the rest of the crap out of our old house. And Ralph will start work on Wednesday too. And I have about 2 truckloads of stuff for Goodwill, Salvation Army, or Hannah Home, the local place for donations.

Have a great day, and STAY WARM!

I'm going to Atlanta! I'm going to Atlanta! Sing it with me!

Today is Lydia's 5th birthday. She was up with the sun, or at 6:30 with her big sister, which is close enough to up with the sun. Lydia got LOTS of Polly Pockets from her grandmother and great grandmother, and a My Little Pony, plus money from 2 other great-grandmothers. I would hazard a guess that she wil use her birthday money to buy yet more Polly Pockets. But the three big kids played NICELY for 3 horus yesterday, so I LOVE Polly Pockets!

Ok, on to me. Did I mention I'm going to Atlanta? My baby sister, who is 24, got engaged over Thanksgiving weekend. She and my mom planned a trip to Atlanta for this weekend as Atlanta is the nearest BIG city. They need to get a move-on a wedding dress since the wedding is scheduled for June 24th. I asked if I could tag along. Leah, the sister, said SURE! So, I planned to go. Turns out my middle sister, 27, had millions of sky miles, so she is flying down from New York City to meet us too!

The best part of this trip though? My mom and I get to go early since we live closer to Atlanta and don't work, at least we don't get regular paychecks, so we have a bit more freedom. So I am meeting mom at IKEA!!!!!!! I get to buy bookshelves for my kids' playroom, an maybe a desk for me, and who knows what else. AND my mom hasn't gotten me a Christmas present yet, so she will be funding said trip to IKEA.

I am almost as excited about Atlanta as Lydia is about her birthday!!

So, if you don't see me around for a few days, I am
GOING TO ATLANTA!!

By the way, if you are planning to find out where I live and break in and steal my stuff, only sweet baby Samuel and I will be headed to Atlanta. My very large, body building husband will be here. Of course, he will have the other 3 kids, so the fact that he is only 5ft8inches and an attorney don't really matter. The ankle biters will get you if you try to break in.

I love the small world! WE moved over the summer, and our old house needs a bit of work done before we put it on the market. I mentioned this to a friend and she reminded me that our midwife's assistant's husband (did you follow that) is a "handyman." So I called. He came over. He walked through the house. He is going to be able to do EVERYTHING we need done. He can paint, will fix up the hardwood floors, put new carpet where the disgusting stuff used to be, stain the deck, pressure wash the green spots outside the house, and so on. I am just incredibly thrilled that we found Ralph!

And life is good. My Christmas shopping is complete. My baby sister is engaged. My children are happy and healthy. I have a darling baby boy. I make a bitof spending money selling my wares at Midday Faire. I have friends in real life and in my computer. Real friends who really care about me, who notice when I am gone.

I am truly blessed. I hope you are too.

In my old age, I have turned into a weirdo! For breakfast, I am eating oatmeal, the real kind, no instant. In fact, there isn't even a picture of Benjamin Franklin, or Wilford Brimley, or whomever on the box. I did make them in the microwave, but only because I was hungry. Add to the yummy oatmeal a handful of grapes and plastic sausage and you have a loverly brekkie.

What, you may ask, is plastic sausage? When my grandfather was still alive, he had routines. He wore a white shirt and khaki pants every day except when he went to church. He was buried in a pressed white shirt and khaki pants. Every morning for breaskfast he had plastic eggs, plastic bacon or sausage, and a sliced tomato. The plasic eggs are the kind that come in a carton, not real eggs. Plastic bacon or sausage was the vegetarian kind. The bacon looked like strips of painted plastic, thus plpastic breakfast.

I am eating two Morningstar Farms sausage patties with my oatmeal this morning, and really liking it. Weird and old I am. Too bad I hate khaki pants.

Ok, Carmen, don't fall over. I decided to start blogging again. It's only been 2 years, another baby, a new house, and so on.

Mundane and boring life that it is, here it is!

Samuel, the aforementioned new babe, has been crawling for a couple of weeks now. He isn't very fast, which is perfectly fine with me. I sweep my floors ALL DAY LONG, and he still finds stuff to gag himself with. And today, he crawled to the sofa, pulled up, and CRUISED along the sofa. It was slow, but he ws very proud of himself. Mama is scared!

William is now 3, and a darling darling boy. He woke up singing this morning. How can you not love that. This morning, as he was getting ready for school, I asked him to put his shoes on. He went in his room and found one shoe but was sad to report he couldn't find its match. I asked where he put it. He said," I taked it off and I frowed it and it just dissappeared!" It was found safely tucked under Samuel's bed.

Lydia will be FIVE on Friday. I went out and bought her a couple of special outfits as birthday presents. She is very into clothes. She also wants Polly Pockets an dMy Little Pony, but that is what grandmothers are for. Also, two of her great grandmothers send birthday money, so she can buy her own stinking junk!

Celeste is 6. She is in first grade and loves it. She reads. She does math. She knows amazing scientific facts. She sounds like a super hero. In fact, yesterday she was FANTASTIC GIRL! I made the mistake of asking how she was. She said,"FANTASTIC of course. What else would I be?" Smarty pants.

I'm still happily married to the wonderful Nathan. He has become something of a super hero as well. We lost 4 LARGE trees in Hurricane Katrina, just 9 days after we moced into our new home. Fortunately, nothing landed on the house. However, Nathan has spent nearly every weekend between then and now chopping wood with an axe, some wedges, and a couple of chainsaws. The upside is we have a woodburning fireplace, so the rise in natural gas prices isn't hitting us too hard. That and the fact that is was SEVENTY degrees here today.

And I, am me, but with red hair now. I colored it just a couple of days ago and am really enjoying it. Apparently I am the talk of the church. A friend had a baby, so wasn't at hcurhc this week. When she asked her husband what was happening, he said,"Hayes has red hair!"

I hope you enjoy my ramblings. If you want to know more, just ask!

Apologizing is a really difficult thing to do. It is especially difficult to apologize to your four year old after you, as the adult in the situation, have flow totally off the handle.

Today was LLL. I planned on getting there at 10am, to have a little time to spare, and help out the mom who was hosting. We were all set to go at 9:45. I went into my bathroom to put on lipstick and mascara. In case youa ren't from the South, a lady never elaves home without her lipstick on. Anyway, I was running a brush through my hair, and in walked Baby Boy, 16 months old. He smelled strangely like Lemon Joy. Oldest child, 4 years old, was washing dishes. She put nearly the entire bottle of dish soap into a bowl, which she dropped on the floor. Baby Boy then proceeded to place said bowl on his head. So freshly bathed BabyBoy, in clean clothes, ready to go, had to be washed and changed into more clean clothes.

I, needless to say, got a teensy bit pissed. There was some yelling, and once the children were in their room, some cussing, and a tiny bit of throwing.

And after I calmed down for a few minutes, I felt really really crappy. So I apologized, and oldest child and I cried together. And we went to La Leche League, and we had fun.

I bet you'll never guess what I am doing now.

laundry

Blah, blah blah

I think I am having some hormonal mood swings. I go from feeling just blah to crying over sweet memories of when my children were little. Oldest child, now 4 years old, just came in and asked if she could make herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I said yes, because she can, and will do a good job!

I have LLL tomorrow. For those of you who are not breast freaks like, me LLL is La Leche League, a support group for nursing moms. I get to see my friends, and eat lunch out, and I like that.

Tonight, church, so I get to see more friends.

Hubby is home! That makes me smile!

More later BatGirl!

Well, we all survived. Today was Oldest Child's first day of school. She seemed to really like it and wants to go back. We made a "ME" bag so she can share about herself. We included a family photo, a pic of her at the beach, one of her in her soccer uniform, and her tiny Bible. She said she wanted to tell her new friends that she loves her family, knows how to swim in the ocean, and plays soccer. "Mostly, I want to share God's love with them. That's why I am taking my Bible." I love this kid.

And it was pretty wuiet at my hosue today. Middle child had no one to fight with. Baby Brother took a nap, so she was all alone. We snuggled, and I let her have 3 popsicles. And she got to pick the cartoons this morning. I think Middle Child likes Big Sister in school as well!

And now I am folding laundry. One day I will catch up!

What do you do when your husband is stressed?

Husband was home Friday and today, because of the Labor Day holiday. He has barely eaten all weekend. Something big was going on at work and he was really stressed about it, but couldn't do anything. We all got out of the house several times, and ate out far more than we should have, but hewas just out of it.

While shopping in a toy store today, he spent about 10 minutes sending emails back and forth on his PDA. I guess everything turned out fine, as I knew it would, since he suddenly got hungry.

His short term memory was on the fritz this weekend too. It was as if his brain was working overtime on work and couldn't keep up with anything else.

But he is better now, and is planning on taking off this coming Friday as well. He says he needs time to actually relax. He is in the den now playing a Tom Clancy game on the X-Box. I think he is feeling better!

Thank goodness for long weekends!

Friday night I had a rousing bout with insomnia. I was up until 4am. My sweet husband let me sleep in until 9! The kids weren't fed yet, and The Baby had a stinky dipe, but I was in the bed so I didn't mind too much!

And Saturday, football returned. I am so happy. Vanderbilt was even on TV, and it was one of the best games on all day. Vandy, mine and my husband's alma mater, lost by only 3 points to an AMAZING kicker from Greenwood, Mississippi. Mr. Nichols kicked a 54 yard field goal with 2 minutes left in the game to break the tie. All the other games were huge blowouts or raindelayed.

Now we just need some football weather. Ninety-five degrees is really too hot to make chili!

Our new preacher has arrived. We now have two preachers. Harold is going to work on evangelism, and helping members invite and share with friends. Jason, the new guy, will be mainly preaching. He is young and very nice. I think he will do lots of good for our congregation.

And my 4 year old knows more about the Bible than I do. Do you know who Job's three friends were? My Oldest knows. She knows lots. I am amazed. Maybe I should join in the three and four year old class. It seems I could learn so much!

Oldest child starts school on Tuesday. I am going with her a few minutes early so she can meet her teacher and see her room. She is excited! We made a backpack to carry her stuff. Now I just need to figure out what she will wear the first day, or if I am going to make her somethign new and wonderful to wear.

Off to get everyone ready for church again!

My husband is working from home today! He got home at 7pm Monday, 7:30 Tuesday, 6 Wednesday for church, and not until almost 9 last night. But he is home today. The girls are in the basement with him. He is working and they are watching a movie. I might even get to leave the house ALONE! Life is good.

oh my word

Is there anything in this world that is sweeter than a still warm from bed 2 year old, snuggling in your lap and stroking you face? I love being a mom.

Blah blah blah blah. SOmetimes I swear that is all they hear! Of course, all I hear is, "Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy, PLEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE" so maybe it is only fair!

My bed is piled high with laundry today. I have folded 4 loads, and have washed and dried 4 more. And made some school clothes for my oldest child. My big screw up for today is that we missed meet the teacher day. This will be Oldest Child's first year at school. She will be in 4-K and is so excited. I thought tomorrow was meet the teacher day, so I called to confirm, at 2pm. oops. Today from 12-1 was meet the teacher day. Oh well, I guess we will go in early on Tuesday so she can see it all!

She is so so excited about school today. TOday, she packed her lunch: a yogurt you squeeze, a slice of cheese, and a half pint of raspberries. (As a complete aside, I LOVE the correct use of a colon and am so glad I got to put one in the last sentence. Please appreciate my grammar! It makes me happy :-) I explained that she wouldn't need lunch at school until next week. She said,"Da food will wait, Mommy!" I did at least convince her to put her lunch in the refiregerator.

And I signed Middle Child up for gymnastics today. It will be on one of the days that Oldest has school, and the gymnastics place is less than a mile away. Middle Child is ecstatic as well.

I hope I survive all this. My life is going from happy-go-lucky to very well-structured in just a few short days. Heaven help me!

Another important reminder

A good sized cup of coffee on an empty stomach will seriously screw you up! I had a big cup of full caffeine coffee this morning. since baby boy self-weaned, I am able to indulge sometimes. I hadn't had my banana for breakfast yet, and I kept doing other things and forgetting my banana. My blood pressure must have gone through the roof! I was seeing spots, heart racing, feeling dizzy. Fortunately, SuperKid to the rescue, my oldest brought me half a banana, the other half fell on the floor. I ate it quickly and felt better within a minute. So, my word to the wise today is, eat the banana first. It is, after all, growing food!

Snotty little children

Literally. Yesterday I had two snotty little children. Middle child was just runny and sneezy. Baby boy (now almost 16 months old) was dripping snot and full of buggars. Gross and disgusting. At least Middle child will let me wipe her nose. Baby boy just runs off screaming at me,"No no no no no!" The running and screaming was cute, the first three times; then it became irritating; now it is infuriating. On the upside, he got some Triaminic to help him sleep last night. It is 8:30 and he is still in bed!

My food battle is getting better. Last night I bought Krispy Kreme doughnuts for my husband, and I only ate two of them. That shows great restraint on my part! And I haven't had one for breakfast yet. I had a cup of coffee, and am about to have a banana. I MUST make a run to the store today. I need the ingredients for all the yummy muffins that my friend Carmen gave me recipes for.

One of my pregnant friends Amy, I have 3 pregnant friends Amy right now, called me last night. She is planning a homebirth and couldn't get hold of the back-up midwives. Her MW and assistant were at a conference in Tennessee. Amy fell twice yesterday. Once she landed on all fours. The second time she hit her belly on the stairs. She wanted to know what I thought. I told her that I would go in, especially since she was having constant tightening around her belly. She finally got hold of one of the assistants, a nurse. The nurse told her she was fine, that she would be bleeding from her vagina or having blood pressure problems if there were any issues. The nurse told her to take a Benadryl or have a glass of wine and sleep well. I was really upset by this advice. Number one, I do not think that a pregnant woman should ever drink. Perhaps one drink at the very end of pregnany, or during labor, to relax, but that is it. Second, I would not want to be in a drug or alcohol induced sleep after a fall and possible injury to me and my baby. I would want to sleep lightly, so that if something were happening inside my body, I would be aware. And thirdly, while I fully support homebirth, with a constant contracting, sharp cervical pain, and two falls in one day, I would want some reassurance. I would want, at the very least, for my midwife or someon in her stead, to come LISTEN with her very own ears, to my baby's heartbeat, to be sure baby's heart rate was good, not low due to lack of oxygen, maybe due to the constant compression. I spent quite a bit of time last night praying that God would hold Amy and her baby close to Him, that He would watch over them, and make them healthy and safe.

Sorry for the ramble, but this is my space and I get to use it as I see fit. If you don't like it, get your own blog!

Anyway, off to do MORE laundry. I only have 4 HUGE bins of dirty stuff left. Having it all in one place is making it easier to weed out though. I have an ongoing give-away pile, and one for things for the children that don't fit anyone anymore, attic clothes. Now off to make breakfast. Have a great day!

Life is good!

I went to a new playgroup today, Chrunchy Christian Moms. It was fun, and my three monkeys really enjoyed it. I have been eating well. I am amazed by how well a banana can fill me up for breakfast. I am trying to be careful between meals to not snack more than I need to. And I got four really great muffin recipes to try this week.

My oldest starts "school" next week. We have orientation on Thursday. She is so excited. I hope the excitment lasts until next Tuesday!

My middle child, only "two and a hap" is going to take gymnastics lessons. My DH and I were watching the World Championships last night and middle child was fascinated. She was more glued to the TV than usual, which is saying lots. So Middle Child will start gymnastics as soon as mama gets off her fanny.

I have been wearing my tennis shoes and socks. I feel more athletic just having them on. I walk faster and farther. And now I barely notice the chunks of food clinging to my feet, which were made sticky by the orange juice spill this morning. Thus is the life of women throughout the world, known as Mom.

When I don't answer my phone, it means one of 3 things. The baby has run off with the phone again and I cannot find it. I am unable to answer my phone due to the fact that I am driving in heavy traffic, trying to check out, or getting my 3 small children safely across a parking lot. I do not want to talk to you!

My mom and both sisters were in town yesterday. They were to call me when they arrived at their destination so I could met them. So my baby sister, who is 22 years old, calls me THREE TIMES in the space of about 6 minutes. I finally turned off my phone. Once I got all the children buckled up, I called back, informed her that I understood the FIRST time she called that they had arrived and that I would be there when I got there!

On the upside, they were in Saks. I do not shop in Saks. I have 3 small children who, though generally well-behaved, could destroy Saks in a matter of minutes. It simply is not a risk I am willing to take. But with 3 sets of extra hands, I ventured inside. They had a great sale in the children's department, obviously because people with children don't go in there. I got some very nice, very cute clothes for next summer, for excellent prices. When you can find Ralph Lauren dresses for under $10, you just have to buy one, or four.

And I found a beautiful blouse on clearance. It was a Liberty of London. Their fabric is beautiful and so so soft. It would not, of course, button across these just recently ended lactating breasts, but will look lovely with a pair of beautiful green velvet pants I plan on making. I can put on a nice tank underneath and be set for all the Christmas parties. I like to plan ahead.

And off to playgroup today! We go to a wonderful playgroup. There is a really nice mix of children and parents with different parenting and life philsophies. There are also some racial differences since our enighborhood is somewhat of a bubble. However, there is one little boy who is the vicitm of poor parenting. This mother has tons of advice for everyone else, but just ignores, or even watches, as her good-sized 20 month old terrorizes other children. Last month he chased one little boy all aroudn the room three times trying to steal his toy. It is sad that a parent who does not belong to this little boy has to follow him around correcting his behavior and protecting the other children.

Maybe my sewing maching will be fixed today. I NEED it back. I have lots to get done, but no machine. I have done lots on the serger, but I can only make so many blankets and burp cloths. I have eight more dipes to make, two bag orders to finish, and seventy-five Halloween bags to finish for a craft fair in Early October.

and 326 loads of laundry left to wash
and dry...
and fold...

and put away....

But for now, PLAYGROUP!

I did it! I added comments! Blast away folks, and thanks for reading. Also, thanks to Alana for letting me know how in the heck to do it.