Sassy's First Day of School!

Sassy turned three and lost all her therapies that she was getting through Early Intervention.

Mommy and Daddy decided that she REALLY needed those services and opted to enroll her in day care at the same school where she received her EI services...so she could stay with all her favorite and amazing therapists!

She started on Monday.

Mommy had a hard time saying goodbye to her baby...who spent a LONG first day at school.

She had lots of friendly faces pop in to say "hi"...and she did just fine without her mommy!

She loves her teacher.

"My favorite friend is Miss Stephanie!"

She refuses to nap on her adorable nap mat.

And her teacher refuses to make her...

"She's just to cute!"

Ha!

The sass hasn't come out yet...but I'm sure it's not too far off!

Not A Problem!

I spent the afternoon helping out a friend and watching her two kids.  After I took all five kids to Tater's school to drop her off and then took the remaining four kids to Bruiser's school to drop him off (and lost count of how many seat belts I buckled and unbuckled!), the three little one - ages 1, 2, & 3 - headed to the basement and played there for hours!  Yes, HOURS!  It has been the best rainy afternoon with multiple children I have ever had! 

Just don't ask me if I change my mind tonight when I have to clean up the play room!

What Happened to Summer? (And Other Random Complaints!)

Prepare yourself...this is a bulleted list of complaints!

• First of all, where on Earth is summer?  It has been basically raining for 2 weeks here...and mostly chilly!  It's amazing how my mood lifts the minute the sun peeks through the clouds...but then it hides again and crushed for a few more days.  Oh, and to top it all off?  We are going tent camping in Maine this weekend...with six kids ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, & 8...and they are calling for thunderstorms ALL weekend! 

• We have been going NON-STOP for days!  It's appointments and meetings and picnics and parties and therapies and work.  I would give anything for time to just do chores...really!  The kids are burnt out, Mommy's burnt out, and I'm guessing (without asking him) Daddy is too.  We need a vacation...and I don't think camping in a tent with 6 six kids with no flush toilet and thunderstorms is the vacation we need!

• I'm feeling more than a bit burnt out.  I haven't mentioned it before but I have been struggling with blood pressure issues and had to start medication to help.  I'm supposed to make lifestyle changes...like reducing my stress.  When the doctor mentioned this, I offered to loan her my children for a while.  I don't think she thought it was as funny as I did! 

• So add to all that, Sassy just her EI (early intervention) yearly re-eval.  Cognitively, she was well advanced (she gets that from her mother!) but she showed delays in other areas such as speech and gross motor as well as a significant delay in fine motor.  Her articulation for speech is terrible, with less than 50% of her communication understood.  No one can figure out what is going on with her gross motor issues that are involving swinging legs and knee pain.  And overall the therapists have noticed a weakness on her left side.  So the result of all this?  I have spent the entire afternoon scheduling (or attempting to!) a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedist and a consult with a pediatric neurologist.  Let me just say that the whole thing of checking my baby's brain is not sitting well with me! 

• Then Bruiser needs to start his appointments with his social worker...and we've been playing phone tag for the past two months!

• Oh, and Tater's kidneys are relapsing and her allergy related things are off the charts...and we're playing phone tag with her doctor!

• Does ANY doctor answer the phone??????

Okay...deep yoga breath...lowering my blood pressure...

I'm now going to go try and call another doctor and then go dig out all the camping stuff before the little ones descend home from school!  Don't worry...I'll this all happier in a bit when I post pictures from the weekend!

While The Cats Away...

...Mommy's friend lets the little ones splash in mud puddles and documents the fun!

And her punishment?

I left all the wet, muddy clothes behind for her to wash!

On the Mend? (Knock-on-Wood!!!)

Bruiser seems a bit better today.  Yesterday we headed to the doctor because I just didn't know what to do anymore!  So in I walked carrying my 4-year-old, who refused to walk because his legs were too weak, and calling for my 2-year-old to follow me.  Sassy did great!  Well, until we were sitting in the waiting room and she decided it was her turn to be held and insisted (in a VERY loud voice) that I should put Bruiser down and pick her up.  I proceeded to tell her that it was Bruiser's turn to be sick and she would have to deal with it...and then I ignored the looks from all the new mothers with only one infant...who just don't get the multiple children needing you thing!

The doctor checked Bruiser over and determined that he was good and dehydrated.  She prescribed an anti-nausea medicine and gave orders that he had to have a wet diaper before 8pm (this was at about 3:30pm) or we were to head for the ER and IV fluids.  We got the meds, sipped ginger ale and Powerade, had a blue Popsicle, watched Top Gear with Daddy and curled up in bed for a long night's sleep...after peeing in our diaper at about 6:00pm!  What a good little patient!

Bruiser spend most of today in bed.  This morning Daddy found him sitting in the fridge eating yogurt and made him mad by telling him he couldn't do that.  So Bruiser retreated to him room and slept all morning!  He came down when I got home and helped Sassy with her speech therapy.  Then both Bruiser and Sassy headed up for naps...and are still sleeping now (@5:15!).  Given this take on his day today, I'm thinking no school again tomorrow...he's just so weak and tired and not really eating much at all.  Poor sick boy!

Sassy is back to normal and full of sass!  Tater is hanging on...but sniffing away with a cold.  Daddy is stopping for some medicine to make her more comfortable.  And Mommy and Daddy?  We are just tired and exhausted and done-in.  February was a LOOOOOOOOOONG month and we've had enough.  I have high hopes for March...I really do!

Things Are Looking Up!

Look what arrived in the mail today!

New shoes!

Aren't they pretty?

And guaranteed to improve any mood!

Cookie Making With The Big Girl!

While Daddy was doing a bit of Christmas shopping (hmmm, wonder what he got me?) and the little ones were napping (or at least contained in their bedrooms!), Tater and I did a bit of gingerbread lollipop decorating. Nothing fancy...just a kit from the "place we go on Sundays" and a lot of quality mother-daughter time!

Ten Years Later!

Ten year ago, we married our best friend!

And here we are ten years...and three children...later!

We've made it through so much together! It is great to have someone to share everything with...the good and the challenging. We've made a life for ourselves far from family, learned to be each other's family, celebrated the births of our children and said good-bye to a family member. We've battled through illnesses, world events, and natural disasters. We've found a place for ourselves and created life-long friendships. We've found a church and church family that we love. We've grown up (I mean, really...do you see those babies in the top picture?!?)...together!

And, now with a few more wrinkles and a lot more gray hair, we are loving the family and the life we've created!