Monthly Archives: September 2010

Random Postpartum Thoughts

Posted on September 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

First random thought…all my thoughts are random right now. I think I have lost most of my ability to form a coherent thought.

Best random thought…I am enjoying having three kids even more than I enjoyed having two kids.

Favorite random thought…I got a great deal on a jogging stroller on Craigslist. I am so excited. Once I am cleared by my midwife, Patrice and I will be hitting the pavement.

Weirdest random thought…I miss running more than I miss being able to sit down and read a book!!!

Most urgent random thought…I miss being able to sleep. I don’t mean that in the “I have a newborn baby so get up to feed baby during the night” way. I miss it in the “I have a newborn to get up to feed and insomnia” sort of way. It kind of adds insult to injury to lay there watching baby sleep knowing that as soon as I fall asleep she will wake up to eat again. Ahhhh…my midwife is helping me find a solution.

Scariest random thought…I am taking all three girls by myself up north next week to meet the rest of my family. Did I mention I am going all by myself???? With three little girls????

Now all those other random thoughts…

Sue and Caitlyn are going to AWANA on Sunday nights. (Check out the AWANA blog here). They are doing great learning their verses. Both have earned their vests to start collecting their badges. And they seem to love it. And daddy and I LOVE watching them learn!!!! They are in the same class to start out. It is great to see them together. Poor little Patrice will be on her own when she starts this stuff. When we first found out Sue was coming just 15 months after Caitlyn, I was freaked out at them being so close in age. Now, I am sad Patrice will not have a buddy so close to her age. Ahh well, the Lord will sort that out, huh?

I am back in my prepregnancy clothes. I still have a lot of pounds to lose, but am back to the regular clothes much sooner than ever before. I think it is because the girls and I are constantly going and doing. There have been very few days where we have not done something. It has been great. Man, I hate the days though where the fun is rewarded with a child throwing a fit when we get home. Or even worse, when we are still having fun. Umm, trust me children, not throwing a fit is a better way to say thank you than throwing a fit is.

We went to two cider mills last week. The first was one we have been to before, Yates. We got there about 30 minutes before they closed thanks to road construction. We had time to get donuts and cider, so successful in my hubby’s opinion. We did not have time to walk around much so kind of a dud in my opinion. There were some stinky goats to watch so a hit in Sue’s opinion. I think Caitlyn was mildly pleased. Patrice slept through the whole thing. The lady that used our picnic table to change her baby’s diaper was a definite downer. “For the record lady, there were other tables where no one was trying to eat. You could have changed the diaper on one of those.”

Then we went to one on Saturday with some friends. Dietz Cider Mill. It was a hike to get there, but totally worth it. I really like the people we met up with, so even if it would not have been any fun, it was a hit to me. Beyond that, it was fun. They had a craft show, pony rides, face painting, balloon animals, a playground and, oh yeah, cider and donuts.

Final random thought…Patrice is much happier in her swing now that I put new batteries in it and Caitlyn would like to be let out of her time out…here goes nothing…

Oh the things they say…

Posted on September 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Some recent random conversations in our house…

Upon me commenting on our bathroom “why does it smell like pee?” Sue responded “because I pee in it!”

Playing at one of our area parks on 9/13/10

Sue coming out of nap one day “I eat fish at my church.” (Umm, no we don’t…guess she means goldfish crackers.) Why that thought came up as she walked out of her room after nap, no idea!

Caitlyn was asking me a million questions the other night, as 4 year olds do, and I was a bit tired of it. So I said, “Caitlyn, why are you asking so many questions?” She paused, looked at me and said, “well why not?” I laughed, agreed she was right, why not ask questions, and answered what she wanted to know!

Neither of the older girls like potato salad. They’ve tried it. They don’t like it. So this week decided at lunch they wanted some. They had changed their minds several times on what they did or did not want. I reminded them they didn’t like potato salad. They insisted they did, so I got it out of the fridge. They took one look and both said, “you’re right, I don’t like potato salad.”

Waiting to ride the pony at Aunt Susan’s house

I realized this week I chipped a tooth while giving birth to Patrice. During my other two labors, I remember saying to myself, “don’t grit your teeth while pushing, you’ll chip a tooth.” Well if you’ve read Patrice’s birth story, you might remember that she was pushed out kind of in a hurry. It was a bit intense and I didn’t have time to think about my teeth. Guess I’ll be paying for that oversight at the dentist. A facebook friend suggested Patrice needed a nickname…and that “chipper” might be appropriate. I am still laughing about that.

Also this week, Caitlyn got sent to her room for going outside with out asking mommy first. She got really mad when sent to her room and started crying. A bit later she was allowed to come out. She showed up in this princess dress.

I said, “let me take your picture. Brush the hair out of your eyes please.”

“Okay,” she said, “let me wipe the water out of my eyes too.”

“Why do you have water in your eyes?”

“Because I was crying when I got sent to my room.”

Silly mama.

Sue wanted some attention the other day. Patrice was crying. Sue told me, “I don’t want a baby anymore.” “Well, she’s here, ” I said. To which Sue replied, “put her back in your belly.” (Uhhh, there is no return route or policy, she is here to stay.)

My three girls, 9/13/10

Sue came up to my belly the other day, patted it like she did most of my pregnancy and said, “I like your baby.” I told her, “the baby isn’t in my belly anymore, she is in the swing.” Not to be deterred, Sue said, “I like the next baby that will be in your belly.”

Along the same lines, Caitlyn told me the other day, “next time you can have two babies.” Personally, I’m not so sure about that, I hear twins are a lot of work…

Recently, my hubby took the older girls to the park. An older gentleman there asked Caitlyn what she wanted to be when she grew up. Typical to her, she told him, “a Barbie and a rock star.” Apparently he did not appreciate the fantasy of a 4 year old. He told her she couldn’t be those, she should want to be a doctor. About a week later she was talking to me while I changed Patrice. She told me, “I still don’t want to be a doctor.” I guess she’ll show him…it will be all his fault if she grows up to be a rock star!

And before I forget to share it, by the week Patrice was due, I was getting anxious for her to come. I may have mentioned that here at home…one of the Sunday School teachers asked Caitlyn when the baby was supposed to come to which she responded, “I don’t know, but mommy just wants it to get out!” Okay, maybe I mentioned it here at home, a lot!!!!!

Thank you Lord for these beautiful children who bring us so many joys and smiles!

Reading a Minute at a Time

Posted on September 16, 2010 | 2 comments

So, have I mentioned I have three little girls? In case I have not, let me say it again. I am the proud mama of three little girls. Most of my reading is limited to the directions on how to put together a new toy or a book at bedtime.

But today I am going to try and tackle reading a book. I want to read The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman. I actually read it several years ago while my hubby and I were dating. It was very interesting. It described me, as an only child, very well. And it described my hubby, who is the youngest, quite well. As Dr. Leman notes in his book, if there are several years between siblings, a child can end up with characteristics for their number in the birth order and sometimes so things that seem like an only or first born child. It was amazing to see how my hubby, who falls in that category, fit exactly what Dr. Lehman said.
My favorite was the part where it said mom’s of last born sons would do well to find a first-born for him to marry. (My hubby had not yet proposed and I wanted him to soooo badly! I was looking for anything to reassure me.)

And all of this information is from my memory of reading this book 6+ years ago.

Now that I have three kids, who are in a birth order, it seems like it might be time to read it again. Challenge #1 to this plan is to coral the aforementioned kids to get to the library to get the book…so stay tuned to see how the reading goes…

So got to the library…only one meltdown by Sue…okay, only one in the library, we won’t count the ones in the car…those will be our little secret.

Sue reading a book outside the library 9/16/10

But we got lots of books. And I got an older copy of The Birth Order Book. Now to read a bit at a time.

Caitlyn checking out what her book is all about 9/16/10

You can get it in paperback or as an e-book

The Birth Order Book, Updated Edition

By Dr. Kevin Leman / Revell

This updated edition of The Birth Order Book, a classic bestseller, offers key insights into how birth order affects personality, marriage and relationships, parenting style, career choice, and children. Paperback.

Birth Order Book, The – eBook

By Dr. Kevin Leman / Baker

Whether you’re the firstborn, a middle child, or the baby of the family, your place in line can influence who you are and what you do! Explore the effects of birth order on personality development, marriage, parenting style, and career. Dr. Leman’s bestseller will help you recognize, understand, and overcome negative tendencies shaped by family environment.

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Posted in books, kidlets

Fun Found in the Adventure

Posted on September 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

We are confronted with unexpected situations and decisions at every stage in life. And often, one circumstance we see as bad, leads to outcomes that are very good.

As you know from other posts, we had several weeks of uncertainty during my pregnancy with Patrice due to her deciding to sit in a breech position…over and over and over. There are many ways to help a baby turn, one being chiropractic treatments. This option was just one of the many things we tried to help our little one get where she belonged for delivery. And it worked. And along the way, the treatments to help Patrice, took care of a nagging health issue I have had for 30 or more years.

And my poor Sue has had the same nagging issue. So a few weeks ago hubby and I decided to take her to the chiropractor to see what could be done for her. It took about 2 weeks, but she is doing much better!!!! Did I ever expect chiropractic to figure into my family’s health care? No, but I am so glad it has. I am glad to be feeling better and even moreso, I am glad to see Sue feeling better.

So that is one of our recent adventures.

The chiropractor we have chosen to trust as a family is a bit of a distance away. Yes, we drive past numerous chiropractors to get to this particular one, but that is okay with me. Just past the chiropractors office is one of the areas’ county parks. Hubby and I had never been there, but he had heard it was really nice, so on a whim last week, we picked up some pizza and headed out to the park. And I must say, it was a wonderful decision.

Getting ready for a trip down one of the many slides!

We are in love. We have been back once already and plan to go back tomorrow. Caitlyn had so much fun there, she asks me on a daily basis if Sue needs to go to the ‘practor. She is going to be so bummed to find out tomorrow is the last time Sue needs to go for a while!

Maybe Patrice isn’t ready for the slide

Catch us daddy!!!!

Sue is Captian of this ship!

As a random thought in this adventure…when we were there the first time, the bathrooms were locked. And of course Caitlyn had to go potty. I tried to teach her how to go in the woods…I failed. And Sue decided she had to go potty, but was not willing to try in the woods, so we had to make a quick drive to a nearby store to use their potty…which she decided was too dirty to use and refused to go until I cleaned it up a bit. No one mentioned that kind of stuff in the childrearing books I read!

But back to the park…

In addition to going back to play, we will be checking out some of their community programs this fall and plan to spend lots of time here and at other area parks next summer. Want to know more about where we had fun? Click here to investigate it for yourself!

What Stories Will I Tell

Posted on September 1, 2010 | 1 comment

The other day my cousin posted an interesting thought Facebook. She said, “[I] wonder what stories I will tell at the end of my life.”

Pause, think about that.

What are the moments that define us to such an extent we will tell of them our whole lives? What are the thoughts we want people to know of us as we realize there is not much time left to share ourselves?

I am sure the answer evolves as we walk through our lives. But right now, here are the stories I would imagine I want to share not only at the end of my life, but throughout my life.

First and foremost would be my salvation story. I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Saviour at the age of 9. I was at church camp. There was a puppet show about hell and I thought that sounded scarey so I decided to put my trust in Jesus. I went up to the altar when they gave the call to come pray to accept Jesus. Yes, there have been lots of changes in life since then, but my walk with Jesus has grown as I have. My life has been shaped by my relationship with Christ. That is a story to tell forever.

Stories two, three and four are very closely intertwined. I have shared in these posts the birth story of Caitlyn, Sue and Patrice. Those are stories of miracles I was honored and privileged to participate in. I hope I never, for one minute, forget the awesomeness of these stories.

Mixed in there will be stories from my marriage to my wonderful hubby. How both he and I had given up on getting married and then the Lord lead us to each other. Almost 6 years of our marriage story has been written. I look forward to the next several decades, loving, laughing, arguing, learning and growing with my love. I know our children will be a large part of our stories, no matter which ones we are telling, but beyond that, we’ll to watch the history unfold.

What stories will you be, or are you, telling? What moments do you want to tuck into your heart?

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Posted in kidlets, memories, midwife