No Swimsuits for the girls!

The other day, Albert and I were strolling through the baby section of Walmart. I came across a rack of swimsuits for little girls! I delighted in this, as I waited through 11 years of parenthood and five (technically six) boys before hearing those magic words "IT'S A GIRL!"
I stood before the rack of swimsuits, picking up each style...one pieces, two pieces, ones with butterflies, ones with polka-dots. Hmmmm...should I get matching??? Or maybe color cordinated with each other but yet different in some way....
I gathered a few in my excited little hands and asked Albert "Which swimsuits should we get the girls this year?"
Albert made a face like I'd just asked "which crack pipe are we getting the girls this year?" He quickly, and very sternly said "The girls will not be wearing bathing suits."
I was deflated. "Well..." I stammered. "What are they going to wear to the pool then?"
Albert looked at me like I had three heads.
"Some boys trunks...and a big tee-shirt."
We'll see about that...

Baby showers!

Saturday was Shannon's baby shower. It was held at this little place called the Honey Tree Tea Room and as soon as I walked in, I saw immediately why it was so important to Shan to hold it there. It was the cutest little quaint setting for a shower. They had the whole upstairs designated for the party.
It was a fairly good turnout as baby showers go...we probably had about 15-20 people total. Yummy food and cake and Shannon got lots of great gifts. Our twins group had pooled together for a nice sized gift card so that Shan could buy whatever she felt she wanted most for little Mayah. The original plan was to get her a triple stroller so that she could get around with the twins and Mayah (her oldest, Ethan is 4). But she was never quite sure she wanted one so in the end we felt that the gift card allowed her the most flexibility.
It was really a nice things to spend the afternoon with Shannon's family and friends celebrating her new little one.
Across the country in California, another friend and member of the twins group, Jenn was also having her baby shower and some of the West Coast ladies from our group got to be there for her. I've seen pics on Tonya's blog and it looked like a beautiful day. Shannon and I talked during Shannon's shower about how we wondered how it was going across the country and how we wished we could be in both places at once! I would have loved to have been there for Jenn too!
I didn't get any pics of Shan's shower but did take lots on her camera so when she's feeling up to it I'll ask her to email me some. You can all check out the Staab family blog to see some photos of Jenn's shower which features a beautiful pic of Jenn . That was actually the first picture I've seen of Jenn so its wonderful to put a face with the name of someone I've known over two years now!
Today we switched out winter and summer clothes. The result is always the same. Drew needs new stuff. The girls need new stuff and everyone else is soooooooooooooooo set. And wouldn't you know...as soon as I switch the seasonal clothes and pack away the winter stuff...its cold outside today!

Shannon's Brand New Baby

Last night, Albert and I went to visit my friend Shannon at the hospital. Shannon and David just welcommed their fourth child into the world on Tuesday night. Her name is Mayah Jacqueline.
When I saw the baby, I was filled with the most overwhelming feelings of amazement, wonder, and awe at the power of God's hand.
I am not a stranger to seeing newborns. Between Albert and I we have eight children, 3 neices, 5 nephews, and tons of friends who have had babies. I've seen plenty of newborns. Yet each time, I am struck again, by the miracle of new life. A new baby, to me, is like a direct encounter with God. When I look at a newborn, I know that that warm little being is freshly sent down from heaven and that the Lord was just hours ago, holding in his arms, what I am holding right now.
This new baby has the ability to do whatever she wants in life. She is so full of God's Grace and so untainted by the ways of the world around her. She has the power to touch people's lifes, to be an instrument for Christ and it always makes me wonder, in what ways will He use her talents and abilities. A new baby is the expression of love between her parents, and more than that even, an expression of love between God and man. I felt so blessed to spend time holding her, as I do with every newborn I see. Looking at a new baby is truly looking at God's newest creation. Such an amazing thing.
I also never tire of seeing the amazing bond between a mother and her new child. Shannon looked so happy and so natural with her little one. The mother/newborn bond is such a strong, primitive and all encompassing thing. It is truly a marvel to watch. Though I know parenthood is not for everyone and there is certainally nothing wrong with that, in moments such as this, it always breaks my heart a little bit for those who will not experience it, or for those who do but are unable to fully appreciate it.
Alright, gotta run, Alexandria is finished with breakfast and is calling me (loudly) to help her down from her high chair! Someone has a dirty diaper...off to the not so glorious and beautiful moments of motherhood!

A Good Day At Clinic

This morning we had our clinic appointment at the cancer center for Brandon. It went super well. First off, I was worried that it might be a difficult time since I had to bring 5 kids (Brandon, Brice, Isaiah, Alexandria and Sydney) However, all the kids behaved very well...excellent in fact. I was so happy.
Brandon's counts came back absolutely marvelous. Platelets were at 219,000. Hemaglobin was 13.6, ANC was 3876 (I hope that means his white cells are just doing THAT well and not that they are getting ready to fight an impending infection which is sometimes the case when his ANC soars like that).
We were very pleased that the appointment went so nicely. Brandon also got a dose of Pentamadine to help prevent a certain type of pnemonia that occurs in immuno-compromised patients.
Tonight I am planning to go visit my friend Shannon and her newborn baby in the hospital. Shannon had little Mayah (I'm certain I'm spelling it wrong...I know she is using a unique spelling but I'm not sure which one) last night. I am excited to see them both. We also have several errands that need running before I can go.
In other exciting news, Brice has somehow learned the proper terminology for a female dog and has thus delighted in using it when calling our dog Raja (who is indeed a female). The other kids laugh and say "that's the real name Mom!"
I could sure use a big nap right now but it doesn't look like one is forthcomming!

Pangea, Church , and a Fishing Trip

PANGEA

This morning I was awoken by Jackson standing beside my bed. "Mommy?" he asked. "Do you know about Pangea?" I had to laugh. I told him I was indeed familiar with pangea and asked if HE knew what it was...just to make sure he had the right concept.
"It's when all the continents were stuck together." he answered. He kept talking about it all day and finally at dinner Albert asked him "Jack, do you know what the continents are?"
"Yes," Jackson answered. "Mars, Jupiter and Earth!"

CHURCH
We missed the 9:00 service (as usual) but were up in time to make the 10:30 service. Then, Albert had an attack of some type of stomach bug and the twins had huge diaper issues. We ran late, but did make it by 11:00 at least in time for communion. As we pulled into the parking lot, Jackson says "Oh Mommy, I love church." I was so proud. Until he continued, "At Church we get candy!" Oh my. Looks like we still have some work to do.

OUR FISHING TRIP
After church and after Albert worked with Jackson on riding a bike without training wheels (he is 6 now) We took the whole family down to the lake for a fishing trip. It didn't start out so good. Sydney was screaming, her diaper was dirty. Albert kept telling me to pick her up becuase it was irritating to the other fishermen to hear a baby crying. To this, I replied that it wasn't a personal lake so everyone would just have to get over it. Alber then answered that it was against the "fisherman's code" to make noise and thus scare the fish! The twins also cried in their strollers. During this time, Albert was trying to get all the fishing poles ready for the boys. This took around 15 minutes and so it was my turn to get annoyed. "Couldn't you have had these ready BEFORE we left the house?" I asked him. "NO. I was busy helping Jack on his bike before we left the house." Albert answered. Then he announced that next time, the babies and I were NOT INVITED! In fact, he offered to pack the babies back up in the car so I could go home! Happily, by the time we finished the lines and helped the boys cast them, the babies (and us) had all settled down and it turned out to be a beautiful time. Manny was fishing and Brandon was having trouble with his line. He asked Manny for help and Manny said "Okay, hold my line while I fix yours." They traded lines and all of the sudden Brandon yells, "OH, I GOT A BITE!" Together they reeled in the fish. It was so cute to see them working together to get their fish. They were so proud. And so were we!
Poor Brice broke his little kid fishing pole within the first five minutes. In his defense, it was a really old one. Albert had not put any hook on it, just a big plastic goldfish and a bobber on the end of his line so that he could pretend to fish. He could cast out but no one was in danger of being hooked by Brice. Unfortunately he still had his share of snares, tangling his wire around himself, his shoes, other people fishing. There are lots of ducks at the lake and he kept dropping his little line in and calling the duck saying "here ducky...get the fish...get the fish...its right here!" So funny. By the end of the trip his line was a tangled mess of fishing wire and bent pole. He was happy though. And he needed a new pole anyhow. It was definately a fun time and we will certainally go again!

The Name Game

So, most of you know that my favorite part of being pregnant is picking out baby names. In fact, I've always been somewhat of a baby name addict. Ever since I was a little kids, continuing up through today I will write long lists of names for future babies, friends babies, our next baby...and so on. Perhaps I do it even more when I'm NOT pregnant. Of course it seems so easy to pick the perfect name when I'm NOT pregnant and the ramifications are only theoretical. When I AM pregnant the list suddenly takes on a more significant meaning and is thus scrutinized all the more.
Quite by accident with baby Sydney we stumbled upon a startiling discovery...its much more fun NOT to have a name ready when the baby is born. Indeed, it is so much better (for us) to have a list of names and then do the narrowing down and make the choice after the baby is born, when you can see her, touch her and know which of the names will "fit". Of course I realize that any name will fit if you've predetermined it and are set on it but there was something of a christmas morning like feel in waiting to look at her before we picked her name. So much so that we have decided that all subsequent kids will be named in the same fashion (lets hope that "all subsequent" means only this last one!)
Even so, making the list is part of the fun. We aren't finding out the baby's gender this time so we'll have two lists. The list is sure to change, even drastically so, from month to month and week to week as one or the other of us decideds we are tired of certain names, or hears something fresh to add, only to discard it again a few weeks down the road when we realize it didn't have any "staying power" with us.
It's very early on, but I thought I'd share how the list is shaping up so far. The boys' list is actually posted as a poll that can be voted on at the top right of the site. So, here's what we have so far...remember this may look far different from the way it will ulitimately look...even a few weeks from now...
BOYS:
Noah (leading in the poll by a big margin)
Carter
Madden
Britton
Campbell

GIRLS:
Augusta
Athena ("Thea")
Amelia ("Mia")
Amalia ("Mia")
Maia
Julia
Laila
Arinn



Last time, with Sydney the list grew quite long and was at 17 names when we left for the hospital. Of course some of those were only under consideration as middle names and out of the bunch we ended up with Sydney Paige which was funnily enough, not one of the top contenders until THAT day. Jackson had a girl in his kindergarten class with the name and Sydney had been his contribution to the list. Honestly when he first suggested it I just kind of gave it the "it's okay" shrugg but put it on becuase it was his choice and each of the kids were encouraged to add one name of their choice for consideration. Sure enough though when Sydney was born, out of all the names, it was instantly clear to me that only 4 on our list fit her. They were Elizabeth, Sydney, Morgan and Ava. Out of those four, Sydney fit her the best and had the right "vibe" that matched her . So Sydney she became. It's exciting to wonder who we'll be holding 7 months from now.

THE MIDWESTERN EARTHQUAKE

Early this morning, Albert and I felt the earthquake! I had woken up at 4:15 to feed Sydney and just after I laid her back in her crib and came back to bed I felt the bed start to shake. Albert was awake too and we were sort o f wondering "What the heck?" Then, the whole house started to shake. It only lasted 5 or 6 seconds. We were pretty sure that it was indeed an earthquake. We tried to look online but couldn't find anything. Briefly, other options ran through my mind such as "what if it was an explosion at the air force base?" No, we'd have heard emergency vehicles. What if it was a derailed train? Again, we'd have heard emergency vehicles. It was most def an earthquake only we couldn't find anything about it on the radio or on the internet quite yet.
Later on this morning, I talked to my Dad on the phone and told him I thought we'd had an earthquake and he said "Yeah, you had one. It was on the other side of Illinoise."
A couple of hours ago, as I changed the fourth dirty diaper of the morning, I felt an aftershock. Again, I wondered if I really had felt what I thought I felt. Albert called a few moments later and said "Hey, did you feel that aftershock?"
No major injuries were associated with the earthquake which was a 5.2 magnitude. In St. Louis the worst effect was that a bridge had to be closed. Albert had been hoping that the epicenter of the quake had been Clyde C. Miller Career Academy so that he'd get a few days off of work. No such luck.
The twins' continue with their sickness. No more fevers but the nasty noses and coughs continue. Lets hope Sydney and Brandon are not the lucky recipients of the next round of it.

Prayers For Our Friend Jamie and Jesse

Okay everyone, this is an important request. Our friend Jamie Straka is dealing with some new issues with Aplastic Anemia. As most of you know, Aplastic Anemia is the same bone marrow disease that Brandon has. Jamie and Brandon got sick around the same time..well, sort of around the same time. Anyhow, Jamie was fortunate that BOTH of his siblings were an HLA tissue match. His brother Jesse became his donor and Jamie received a bone marrow transplant. All and all, in spite of a few setbacks, he's progressed beautifully and it looked like Aplastic Anemia was definately behind him for good.
Unfortunately however, in recent months, his doctors have noticed a slide in his platelet count. On April 9th, a bone marrow biopsy and aspiration confirmed that his marrow is indeed loosing cellularity and is not as full as it should be. Does this mean a recurrance of Aplastic Anemia? We all hope not. But no one knows for sure. It is hoped that it is due to the walking pnemonia he contracted a few months back and perhaps his body just has not been able to recover.
At any rate, it has been decided that a stem cell boost will be necessary. Thankfully, Jamie will not have to undergo chemo in preperation for it as he did his initial marrow transplant but the downside is that the proceedure will be exactly the same for little Jesse. The harvesting process isn't so pleasant and the Straka family is not looking forward to Jesse undergoing it again. Please pray for this family and espicially for these two brave boys. Please pray that Jesse's cells can once agian provide new hope for Jamie and that Jamie will be rid of this aweful disease forever. Jamie's website is linked here on our links' list under "Our Friend Jamie's Aplastic Anemia Journey" Please take a few minutes to visit them and post your prayers and happy thoughts. Thank you so much.

Twins' Official DX: Bronchiolitis

So, we got home from the ER at around 2:15 this morning with tired babies and very exhausted parents! Alexandria's urinalysis looked clear but both of them showed some "fluffiness" on thier chest x-rays. So they were diagnosed with bronchiolitis, which if you remember, is the same virus that earned Sydney a trip to the hospital in the ambulance earlier this year. The odd thing, the dr. explained was that the RSV swabs were both negative, but RSV is usually what causes bronchiolitis, although it can also be caused by other things such as the flu, adenovirus, or a couple of others...basically these all share the same parent virus she said. Also, Isaiah's rash turned out to be viral in nature except in his diaper area where it is yeast. So, we have rx's for nystatin cream and she encouraged us to use the bactroban cream on the blisters even though they were viral so that they dont accidentally become infected with Brice's staph or cellulitis.
Oh what a week at our house!
So that's the update. Currently its almost 11:30 and the twins are still asleep. I'm going to scramble some eggs and then wake them up to eat so I can monitor their temps and keep motrin in them....hopefully this passes quickly. My friend Shannon is supposed to have a baby tomorrow night and I wanted to go and visit her on Friday afternoon, but not with this virus in the house. That's all she needs is for her baby to get RSV. Alright, off to the eggs...

A Lovely Night In St. John's Pediatric ER

Oh joy of joys. This evening both twins spiked a fever. Alexandria was 102.6 and Isaiah was 103.6. Neither twin's fever was brought down by aTyelenol. Also, Isaiah developed a rash that spread by the minute from the bottom of his stomach all to under his neck, on his face...everywhere....Normally I'd have waited a day or two and seen what happened but since Brice is already at home with staph and cellulitis and because of the rash I decided to take them both into the ER. If the rash was something contagious like God forbid, chicken pox, I need to know so that I can try to do whatever I can to protect Brandon, for whom such a thing could be devestating.
So, off to St. John's Pediatric ER. When we got there, both twins were well over 103. Alexandria's lungs sounded "coarse" so both babies earned an X-ray. We go back to get the X-ray done, and of course I forgot I was pregnant but luckily, Albert remembered. He made a big deal about me standing way behind the lead wall. Then he made another big deal about Alexandria wearing a lead blanket to protect her baby ovaries! He then proceeded to make a third big deal about himself wearing a lead blanket to shield his sperm! The tech explained to him that yes, his sperm would be damaged...but only TODAY'S sperm....the sperm produced tomorrow and from then on out would be fine...anyhow....
Since Alexandria is a girl, she also was the luck recipient of a cath to collect urine. Isaiah got to skip out on this lovely proceedure since it's so rare that boys over 6 months have bladder infections. Albert left the room for the proceedure because he didn't want to see it and didn't want Alexandria to "blame him". I stayed because I didn't want her to feel abandoned. Maybe we're both crazy. Al was hanging right outside the room though becuase when the first attempt failed and the nurse had to leave to go get a bigger cath, Albert almost pounced on her asking if she were done. Sadly, she reported that she was not. After that, Albert went to the waiting room so he didn't have to hear Alex screaming....and screaming she was! When it was over, Albert swooped back into the room and took her out of my arms (like he'd just rescued her) and made a big deal of comforting her and pampering her. Poor Isaiah was traumatized just from watching.
So, as of now, we're still waiting for all the results. Isaiah's fever has come down due to Motrin. Alexandria's is lowered but is still there. Both are trying to settle in to sleep in the baby crib they are sharing. The dr. thinks the rash is either viral or due to some type of contact dermitis but isn't sure. He isn't very concerned though. He doesn't think its staph and says it definately isn't anything like chicken pox or strep rash. So...the waiting continues....

fontenotkids

A couple of pics of Sydney's blessing

Here are just three pictures of Syd at her blessing. So far I only have my camera pics downloaded to laptop and I didn't get many pictures as I was busy. Al's Dad's camera has wayyyyy better shots but those are uploaded to a different computer right now so this week I'll try to get them moved here too so I can post more but in the meantime I wanted to put these up. The first one is Albert and I with Sydney. The second is Albert's dad and Aunt Dorothy and the last one is my Mom and my nephew Cam.

Another Fine Morning With Brice

Ahhhh, yes. This morning I woke up early only to discover that I had to be at our much dreaded WIC appointment at 10:00. As many of you know, I despise WIC appointments with a passion. I don't know if I've ever been to a place where I have felt more disrespected, frowned-upon, or judged than the WIC office. And our location is actually fairly decent as WIC offices go! Normally, I need to mentally prepare myself several days in advance for the appointment but in all the rush of the weekend, this appointment snuck up on me. Fortunately, this particular morning's appointment was only for myself and Sydney so I knew it would at least be relatively short.
I started getting babies ready at 7:30 so we could leave by 9:15. As I was loading carseats, Brice came flying out and of course Raja (our dog) came flying out right behind him. Now, if you know Raja, you know that when she gets out...she doesn't come back. You have to play her game which consists of getting in the car, with the passenger side door open. You have to drive slowly down the street calling her in a nice voice into the car. Maybe then...just maybe, she'll decide to jump in. Then, you have to proceed around the block a couple of times so she'll think she's getting a ride (otherwise, she'd quickly learn not to jump in with you). Only then, may you take her back to the house. Only this morning, I didn't have time for Raja's game. I called Albert and explained that she was on the loose. He said "Just leave her. Maybe when you get home, she'll be roadkill." Then he said seriously, that she'd probably be back in the yard by the time I got home.
So, off to WIC. It takes forever to unload the stroller and load all the babies. Another enternity to pass the zillions of people who make the usual irritating comments such as "you've got your hands full" or "Oh my God look at all those babies"or "I don't know how you do it." I have become very grateful to the folks that just stare and say nothing. Within seconds of entering the door, Brice was at his usual behavior. He ran around, he teased the twins, he knocked stuff over. He refused to come when I called him. When it was our "turn" to have our irritating little appointment with the WIC nurse (who never fails to be a complete moron in the area of raising babies) Brice decides to run out the door 48943 times. After hauling him back inside each time, always with a new threat of what would happen if he didn't sit in the chair beside me (I never did hit on something he actually took seriously enough to listen) the "nurse" would start again with her conversation. I use the term "nurse" very loosly here. I'm not sure what her exact credentials are but I wonder.
While I was listening to the nurse continue of about how Sydney should not be left lying on a changing table or a couch (where she is at this moment, lying by herself and taking a nap) and how she should be attending all of her pediatric checkups, Brice decides to drop himself onto the floor and swim across it. I realize it must sound like I'm doing nothing here, but please remember I have three other babies I'm juggling at the same time. As Brice wallows in the dirty WIC floor and while I try to pursuade him to get up, he begans eating little things he finds there...crumbs of food, peices of paper, and best of all the caps to syringes. As I fish each thing out of his mouth, carefully trying to balance Syd in my opposite arm, the WIC nurse continues to tell me about how Sydney should only be eating stage 1 foods at this time. It is at this point of the appointment that she informs me she'll be checking my iron level. I tell her not to bother because I already know its low due to the fact.....that I am pregnant. The nurse stops and looks at me in utter disbelief. Brice has now gotten up from the floor and is going down the row of office drawers pulling each one open and digging through their compartments. The nurse comments that she supposes we'll have to make a new appointment for next month for me, since I'm once again pregnant. She then asks me who my primary care provider is. I tell her I don't know. She asks me why I don't know. I tell her because I usually just see my OB's or Midwife. She asks me who do I see when I'm not pregnant. I look at her with a straight face and tell her that I'm always pregnant. I'm only ever not pregnant for three or four months at a time. She hands me my WIC book and says I can go now and that we'll skip the iron test! Only now, Brice refuses to come with me. I stand up gather myself, my diaper bag and the other babies (the twins are in the twin stroller and I sit Sydney on top of the handlebar while I push it.) Brice is still not comming so I say out loud in front of the horrified nurse "I'm leaving now Brice. I'm going to the Van. I hope to see you there." I then walk out without so much as a second glance behind me. Sure enough, by the time I stuggle to open the door and push the stoller through it (while 534 onlookers just sit there and stare) Brice is beside me again.

Sydney's Blessing

This weekend was crazy at our house and is just winding down...although not really, because we've just made the realization that we're low on formula and out of diaper wipes so a trip to Walgreen's in is the immediate future.
This weekend was Sydney's blessing which we (I) decided to hold at home for a variety of different reasons. We both ended up really happy with the decision as it worked out to be a perfect choice. My family arrived at our house on Friday night. My mom, my sister Katie and her three children Preston, Cameron, and Kylie and my sister Ashley and her two little girls Abbi and Tatum. Also, Sara who is very much like a sister to us, flew in with her husband Jose. Sara and Jose are Sydney's Godparents. So, if you've done the math...when you add everyone to our own crowd that makes 13 kids and 7 adults in the house thru the weekend.
Albert's Dad and step-mom "Aunt Dorothy" plus his Aunt Pat and Uncle Ron also made the trip and it was really good to spend time with them as well. Albert's Dad is a pastor so he does the baby blessings in our family most of the time. It's a tradition we really, really cherish.
Our church of course offers a baby dedication but theirs was held on a Monday night which makes it really difficult for our families to attend since most everyone lives out of state. Also, they do several babies at one ceremony which I feel is impersonal and doesn't allow the families of the babies to tailor the ceremony to each individual child. We liked the personal feel of holding the blessing at our house...we had 13 children to get ready so we wanted it to be casual, and stress free. In fact stress-free on many levels was why I really wanted to do it at home. By the time we'd have gotten 13 kids ready and to a church, we would have been super stressed and it wouldn't have been enjoyable.
So, Saturday morning at 11:00 we held the dedication. It was really intimate, quiet and special. We had all the family I mentioned plus a couple of close friends. We both thought it went perfect. We got lots of really great pictures which I will try to post this week and lots of yummy food.
The boys said small prayers during the ceremony....funniest of which was Jackson who prayed for something (I can't remember exactly what) that was totally unrelated, trivial and important only to him...it was something like thanking his Dad for helping fix a toy or such. It did provide a moment of laughter. Also humerous was when Albert said his prayer and was asking God's blessing in raising Sydney. Without thinking he said "Please guide us in this chore."
Really? Chore? Did he say Chore?
Saturday night Brice started complaining about his toe hurting. After about 354656575 complaints, I took his sock off to have a look and it appeared that there was a small blister on the side of his pinky toe. It didn't seem like it should be causing him as much grief as he was making it out to be but all night he continued to cry off and on. Even a game of twister with all the cousins couldn't pursuade him to stop crying. And indeed, he slept in our bed and woke up twice in the middle of the night crying about the toe.
By the next morning it had become redder, hotter and and swollen. Then we noticed the tell-tale red streaks moving up his foot. My sister Ashley who is RN (BSN) told us to take him to the Dr. quickly. That posed a problem because Albert and the four oldest boys were supposed to go to Albert's nephew's baptism. Neither of us thought I would be able to handle taking Brice, Isaiah, Alexandria and Sydney by myself and my family had to leave to get on the road/catch their flights. Albert said he'd just stay home and not go to the baptism but I could tell that that would have made him pretty sad not to mention disapointing the boys who were looking forward to seeing their Grandad/Auntie/Cousins. So we figured that if he still went and just didn't stay long, that we could safely take him after the event (figuring it'd take us a while to get ready anyhow even if we WERE going to take him right then so we really wouldn't have been losing that much time)
So the guys went to the baptism though unfortunately they couldn't stay as long as they'd have liked due to Brice's impending trip to the clinic.
So, when we got Brice seen the dr. told us he had cellulitis and most likely staph. Lovely. We got two antiobiotics..one oral and one topical and hopefully he'll be fine.
We got home...of course just too late for evening church and fed babies and put them down for the night. Now, of course we have to go get formula/wipes and then hopefully we can both fall into bed...after soaking Brice's toe in epsom salt and administering the first dose of antibiotics.
What a weekend! I miss my mom and sisters already! I'm so glad they made the trip. I love them so much and couldn't imagine not having them here. I know they went through a lot to be able to make the trip and did a lot of driving (16 hours round trip) for a weekend visit. They really mean a lot to me.
The weekend was really special and I'm sad it's over. Hopefully next week will be a quiet one, though as I'm typing I wonder if I should knock on wood....

My Birthday and The FIrst Visit to the Midwife (for this pregnancy anyhow)

Today, along with being my birthday was our first visit to the midwife. I have to say that this has been probably my favorite birthday ever! When I first woke up this morning it was around 6:00 to the sound of Sydney crying for her morning bottle. Albert told me to go back to sleep and that he was planning to go into work late so that he could get up with Syd and I could sleep in. Oh, what a wonderful start to the day! Then, Brandon came in asking if he could set up all my birthday suprises downstairs! Albert told him to go work on making some cards.
I slept in until 9:45! It felt soooooooooo good! Albert ended up staying home all day and we spent the whole time together.
We had a midwife appointment at 3:30 this afternoon. I had been a little b it nervous becuase I'd been having some spotting and cramping. Also, Albert kept insisting that he thought it was twins and saying that he'd be happy if it was. Yeah, me...not so much! So we go into to see Tammy, who is my favorite midwife in the whole world and I ask her to check with the ultrasound to see if she can see if everything is okay. As she starts the ultrasound, Albert comments that he hopes she finds triplets! She looks at the screen and says,
"No, not triplets but guess what I see?"
She smiles.
I don't smile.
"What is is Tam?" I ask nervously.
"Well..."she pauses. Then she laughs and says "Happy Birthday...one baby!" Baby looked great. Heartbeat looked good. So, so far, so good. She did find quite a few little cysts...pretty small...more like folicles that she said might cause some pain and she did see a little spot that might have been where the spotting was originating from but nothing major. So, so far, so good. We're still early so we'll have to keep waiting and praying but for now it all looks great.
When we came home, we decided to go out to eat for dinner. We went to O'Charleys because its free for kids. We had a great time, the kids were all well behaved. Albert and the kids had brought my presents and I opened them. I got a new cell phone (the pay as you go kind, which is what I wanted) and some new Tennis shoes...also what I'd been wanting. During pregnancy my balance gets really bad and my tennis shoes were old and not that great looking. Finally, I can have some decent looking ones. They are grey and orange and I love them!
My birthday has passed really quickly. I loved my day. I'm tucked in bed next to my best friend in the whole world and I have eight babies sleeping down the hall from me with another one tucked in my tummy. I think I'm pretty lucky. Definately very blessed.

Drew's Band Competetion

Yesterday was Drew's band competition and was a ride it was getting ready. This story really starts out the night before when I was on the phone with my Mom. I called Drew into the room and said something along the lines of this:
"Drew, do you have everything ready for your band competition tomorrow?" Drew answered in the affirmative. Not throughouly convinced however, I pressed on. "Drew, Make sure you have your shoes. Please make sure everything is in order. If something is wrong NOW, I still have time to help you. BUT if you wait until tomorrow morning when its time to get on the bus and announce something is wrong, It will be too late." Drew nods his head and again insists everything is okay. My mom suggests that I have him try on everything so I can see it all together but what does Mom know...I tell her that no, I don't need to see it all ON, I just mainly need to make sure he knows where his black dress shoes are. Black dress shoes that were recently (in January) purchased by Drew and Albert at Walmart. They were in a rush when they bought them, so Drew didn't exactly try them on...just told his Dad his size and they bought the box in the correct size. He'd already worn them though to the band field trip a couple months ago, when Sydney was in the hospital so we didn't SEE them on him, as he'd gone with a friend.
Drew assures me that he has the shoes in hand so I think we are set.
Then next morning things are hectic as always and Albert and I make the discovery that we are out of milk. As I peer into the refridgerator, perhaps subcontiously(sp??) waiting for some milk to appear, Albert suggests that we run up to the little market up the road for some milk. I holler at Drew to get dressed because we'll need to take him to the bus (the band is taking a bus together to the competition...parents are encouraged to follow) as soon as we get home.
Well, well, well...as we're on the way home, we get a call from Drew telling us frantically
"My band jacket is too small! It doesn't fit!"
Suprise, suprise.
"Drew!" I bark at him. "Didn't I just ask you last night to have your stuff together? Didn't I tell you that I wouldn't have time to fix it if you come up with a problem today?" He doesn't answer.
We rush home. We have exactly 15 minutes to have him on the bus. We take a look at the uniform, hoping he's just over exaggerated the tightness of his jacket. No way. The image of that song "Fat Man in A Little Coat" comes to mind instantly. The jacket is wayyyyyyyyy shurnken on him, leaving a huge gap in the back of his pants that the jacket should fit over. It's clear that somehow his band teacher has accidently swapped out his jacket for a smaller one when she distrubed the uniforms. Albert gets ready to rush him up to the school to see if the band director , can grab another one. But before he can leave, we glance down at Drew's feet. It looks odd, mishapped....like Bozo the clown.
"Drew...are your shoes on the wrong feet?" Albert askes.
"No," Drew says taking off the left shoe saying "See...left shoe."
"yes, Drew," Albert says..."but now take off your other shoe. IT"S ALSO A LEFT SHOE!"
Yes, our son is wearing TWO LEFT SHOES!
Albert rushes to the school where thankfully the band director is able to find a larger jacket for the band uniform. However, the shoe situation is not fixable. Drew completes the band competetion in two left shoes. It shouldn't be such a big deal though...afterall, he wore 2 left shoes to the field trip a couple months ago.
I think back to what my mom had suggested about having him try everything on. Yes, she was right afterall.
Albert and I follow behind the bus...well, several minutes behind the bus to be exact. But we still arrive 30 minutes before Drew's band is scheduled to play.
We settle in the gym and when the band starts, Brice decideds he is enthralled with the director's conducting. He stands in his seat and begins conducting himself. At the end of the first song, he feels compelled to shout out "DREW-DREW." Drew shoots an annoyed glance at him.
At the end of the band's performance, as the members file out one by one, Albert resists the urge to leap from the bleachers shouting "THAT"S MY BOY! YEAH!" But, he does pretend that he's going to so as to scare Drew. Quickly Drew walks even faster past us, not looking up.
Gosh, we aren't THAT embarrasing!
A few minutes later we all learn that Drew's band reveived straight First Superiors at the competition. That's the highest ranking that is given out at the competition. The kids are thrilled. The director asks us if we'd like to take him home with us, rather than having him ride the bus back to the school but we say "NO, there's no room in the car." The director gives us an odd look.
Drew was very pleased with his performance. and we very very proud. Even with the two left shoes, he did a great job!

Sydney starts solid food!

Sydney has now officially started solid food! Mostly we are just experimenting with it at this point. She isn't on a "food schedule" and in fact we skipped it altogether yesterday. So of course, formula is still almost 100% of her nutrition. We are starting though! We started with the requisite rice cereal. It went over okay, but not great. I know you're supposed to try the same thing for 5 days before you move to the next but seriously, she's the 8th kid I've fed and we've never had any have even one allergy. Plus there are no allergies in either of our families so I went ahead and did Applesauce this afternoon even though she's only had the cereal twice.
She LOVED the applesauce. She woolfed it down pretty quickly. When she spilled some out of her mouth she actually bunched up her sleeve (that it had dripped down on to) and began sucking the applesauce off of her sleeve! So cute my little piggy is! She's funny when she eats becuase she totally has the opening of her mouth down pat. She opens nice and wide too ( I wish she'd have opened that wide when I tried to breastfeed her after she was born!) but she still has the tough reflex to push out the food. So she opens really big and then pushes it all back out with her tounge. So we have to keep scraping it back off of her chin and trying again and again. She's getting the hang of it though.
In other kid news, I'm sure you all remember that Drew had to get 12 stitches in his leg. Then over the next two days, most of then popped out, leaving only a couple intact. Well, we had been taking care to make sure that no infection started and that the wound didn't open back up but after a while when it seemed fine, Drew basically took over care of it himself. He is almost 13. Well, in the hecticness of our house I basically forgot all about it until he came in our bedroom the other night and said
"Uhhh, Mom and Dad, wasn't I supposed to get these stitches out after 12 days?"
Oh crap. Sure enough they were supposed to come out after 12 days. How many days had it been now???? Oh...17. Great. There were only 2 stitches left but I was afraid now that they would be embedded in his leg.
I called Dr. Rob's office and asked if I could just run him to the local clinic down the street. They said that was fine. I mentioned that I was half tempted to just clip them out myself and they said that probably we could, that it wasn't really that difficult and was in fact pretty basic. Albert and I decided that we'd give it a try but if they stitches were embedded too deeply or if it was painful for Drew then we'd stop and take him to the clinic. They came out without a problem though with the help of a sterilized pair of tweezers. Drew said that it didn't feel very good but that it didn't really hurt either. So, crisis avoided! Mental note....don't forget your kid is walking around with stitches!

Drew's Health Class and our disasterous trip to the grocery store

So the last two days have been quite interesting at our house. Yesterday, Drew came home off the bus and looked a bit...well...I don't know, embarrased maybe...or maybe it was dred that was all over his face. Anyhow, after fumbling around for a few minutes, he produced a packet of papers that he told me he didn't want me to show his father. Immediately I protested and told him that whatever it is, we can't keep it a secret from his Dad becuase that doesn't work in our family. Then he told me that he didn't want his Dad to see it beacause it was embarrassing but that I'd need to sign the papers indicating that I'd reviewed the material with him. He slowly and regretfully handing the paperwork to me. It read...

"Dear Parent/Guardian,

This month your child will have the opportunity to participate in an abstinence only based sexual education program in his/her health class......"

You get the idea. I looked over the paperwork, with it's detailed and quite graphic illustrations, descriptions and passages relating to all sorts of personal matters. I then looked at my son's agonized face, already turning red...avoiding eye contact....obviously praying that our carpet would somehow open up and swallow him whole. I though about what I could say to help him relax and not feel so ashamed. I thought of all the wise, mature, Good-Mom remarks I could make at this crucial and sensitive crossroads for us. Then....I busted out laughing. Not just a small giggle, but a big, loud, abnoxious, full on cackle. I read a few passages out loud while Drew rolled around on the floor probably now wishing the carpet would open up and swallow ME whole.

Later on that evening, I set aside time to truthfully and seriously discuss the material in the pamphlet with him. Actually both Albert and I sat down with him. We wanted to be serious, but not too serious. Even though Drew was embarrassed and clearly wished he could be elsewhere (the sink full of dirty dishes suddenly seemed to be calling him) he listened, although usually with his face covered up. Every few passages, Albert and I would crack a joke that would really irritate Drew. Finally, obviously fed up with his parents immaturity regarding a serious matter, Drew decided to turn the tables on me. When I got to a passage that was a little too discriptive even for me, and I tried to skip it, Drew called me out saying "No, Mom...why don't you go ahead and read it...out loud. If I have to be embarrased...so do you!" AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! My son is too much like me! So I read it and as I tried to explain to him what it meant, he again turned the tables by cutting me off and telling me exactly what it meant....complete with slang terminology! Suddently I was the one who covered my face and wanted to crawl under the blanket and HIDE! Albert on the other hand, was completely enjoying the whole scene.
By the end of the night and the end of the discussion I felt very glad that he had brought home the paperwork. I had not realized that he knew as much as he did....I was a bit sad to realize that but also glad that I did so that I would not continue to be naive to what he knows. Also I think that all joking aside he now knows we are not going to be prudish and uptight if he needs to come talk to us. He knows that we are approachable about sex and that we see it as completely natural and normal (although not for him!) The fact that it is normal and natural was proababy the biggest issue we stressed because I feel that if you, as a parent, take the holier than thou stance, your kids won't come to you later.

So, it was quite the learning experience for all of us. On a side note, I was beaming with pride over the fact that Drew had all the basics of fertility and reproduction down pat. He can explain conception like a pro!!!!! I think by now in our house...even Brice can! He can also say that he has attended a birth...although he told me that he currently has no plans to make that fact known!



As for the grocery shopping disaster....today I went shopping and took Sydney, Brice and Jackson with me. Normally I have a personal rule...NEVER TAKE BRICE SHOPPING ALONE! meaning, just me as the only adult. Within moments of entering the front door of ALDI's, I remembered why I've clung tightly to that rule for the last couple of years. Before we went in, I had the requisite chat with Brice and Jackson...you all know the one....it covers basic grocery store ettiquite such as no adding crap to the cart, no destroying the meat or produce, no taking things from other carts, stay with me at all times, don't knock anything over....

Well, Brice obviously had mentally checked out of that conversation because as soon as our cart cleared the doorway, he threw the first thing he saw into the cart. It was a bag of snickers. As I removed the snickers and replaced it on the shelf, I turned to discover that Brice had thrown a a bag of skittles in the cart. This continued all the way down the isle with frequent breaks where would scold/beg/plead/threaten/pinch him into complying with the rules. Finally he grew tired of adding groceries to the cart, and at that time simpy chose to run. And run he did. He ran down the isle and into the next. Now, if you have an Aldi's you know that it is cluttered, over stuffed and it was the 1st which meant it was packed with shoppers. I could hear Brice calling my name and taunting me from the next isle but my prediciment was, I couldn't leave Sydney with just Jackson (not always the brighest bulb) to go chase him down. Finally I had to do just that (and Jackson did a terrific job). Just as I'd get close to Brice, he'd laugh and take off again! Finally I caught him and physically held his hand under mine on the shopping cart bar while I pushed.

It didn't get any better after that. He tried to steal a beef jerky, tried to run out of line and finally when I told him he was going to get a spanking when we got home, Jackson yelled out (quite loudly, I might add) "Oh Mommy, but you are the spanking saver! You save us from all the spankings Daddy gives us. Daddy is evil but you always save us!" I swear, the things that come from my kids' mouths! Brice then joins in on the act, wrapping himself around my thigh and crying "Save me Mom! Save me Mom!"

Now, we had another stop scheduled. We also needed to go by Walmart for cleaning products and meat. But shortly after, when Brice tried to run outside the store and make a break for the parking lot....I decided to scrap the plan for Walmart. It would be a McDonald's night for us.