Abby

Ryan

(That isn’t a bruise on Jack’s hand.  It’s a fading tattoo.)

I thought I was patient.
And then I had kids.

I was adamant that I would nurse my children.
And then I had kids.  And found out it could be really, really tough.
 
I used to get my household chores consistently completed in a timely manner.
And then I had kids.

I never ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
And then I had kids.

I used to be grossed out at the sight of spit-up, vomit and poop.
And then I had kids.  (Well, vomit still grosses me out a little.)

I thought pregnancy was so romantic.
And then I was pregnant.

I didn’t think I liked children all that much.
And then I had kids.

I used to sleep in occasionally.
And then I had kids.

I used to feel slightly annoyed at parents whose babies cried in restaurants.
And then I had kids, and felt a whole new level of empathy.

I used to know all the new movies that were playing in the theater, and had seen most of them.
And then I had kids.

I enjoyed leisurely browsing at the mall, Target and Costco.
And then I had kids.  Tired and hungry ones. 

I used to think maintaining your figure wasn’t all that hard.
And then I had (three!) kids.

I used to have a clean kitchen floor.
And then I had kids.

I used to think I was tired.
And then I had kids.

I went to the bathroom with the door shut.
And then I had kids.

I always told myself I would NEVER bribe my children!
And then I had kids.

I thought I was a pretty good person, without any major character flaws.
And then I had kids, and that theory was completely debunked.

I never understood how I could really be special to God if He loved everyone so passionately. 
And then I had kids.

Jack and Abby all dressed up:

Ryan with a small little smile on his face:

All the kids checking out their loot after finding eggs:

A closeup of Abby and her cousin Maddie:

That’s all!!  I’ll post some closeups of some of the other kids later… 

My mom came to stay with us this week on her spring break and we’ve LOVED having her here!  I’ll try to post some pictures of our time with her next week, but here are a few pictures from the past couple months.

The New Guy!

Abby has two faces lately.  This sweet one and….

this grumpy one!  She is needing a little extra TLC these days, but overall I think she likes being a big sister.  She tells me all the time, “Ryan’s so cute!”  =)

Jack is counting down to his birthday later this month.  I can’t believe this one’s almost 6!! 

Weight: 9 lbs 14 ounces

Length:  21 inches

Born: 2/15/09 @ 1:05AM

MESS TEST
Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains.  Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

TOY TEST
Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos (or you may substitute roofing tacks).  Have a friend spread them all over the house.  Put on a blindfold.  Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen.  Do not scream because this would wake a child at night.

GROCERY STORE TEST
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop.  Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

DRESSING TEST
Obtain one large, unhappy octopus.  Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.

FEEDING TEST
Obtain a large plastic milk jug.  Fill halfway with water.  Suspend from the ceiling with a cord.  Start the jug swinging.  Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane.  Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

NIGHT TEST
Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand.  Soak it thoroughly in water.  At 3:00 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00 PM.  Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00 PM.  Get up, pick up your bag and sing every song you have ever heard.  Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00 AM.  Set alarm for 5:00AM.  Get up and make breakfast.  Keep this up for 5 years.  Look cheerful.

INGENUITY TEST
Take an egg carton.  Using a pair of scissors and a pot of paint, turn it into an alligator.

Now take a toilet paper tube and turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.  Use only scotch tape and a piece of foil.

Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball and an empty box of Cocoa-Puffs.  Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

AUTOMOBILE TEST
Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon.  Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.  Leave it there.  Get a dime.  Stick it into the CD player.  Take a family size package of chocolate chip cookies.  Mash them into the back seat.  Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.  There, perfect.

PHYSICAL TEST (Women)
Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes.  Leave it there for 9 months.  Now remove 10 of the beans.  And try not to notice your closet full of clothes.  You won’t be wearing them for awhile.

PHYSICAL TEST (Men)
Go to the nearest drug store.  Set your wallet on the counter.  Ask the clerk to help himself.  Now proceed to the nearest food store.  Go to the head office and arrange for your pay check to be directly deposited to the store.  Purchase a newspaper.  Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
Find a couple who already have a small child.  Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training and child’s table manners.  Suggest many ways they can improve.  Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild.  Enjoy this experience.

It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

*  Pre-term labor around 26 weeks, which in the end didn’t really count as pre-term labor because my body wasn’t dilating or effacing, but man!  Those contractions were coming every few minutes, and hard!
*  Being put on bedrest for awhile after the contraction scare, and then having to really scale back life in order to make sure I wasn’t pushing my body too hard
*  Getting big pretty quickly which has been hard on my back.  This has also led to people thinking I’m further along than I really am, which is kind of embarrassing.
*  Feet pain due to the extra pressure and weight of pregnancy
*  Tons of swelling
*  Tingly hands due to said swelling - not painful, but pretty annoying
*  Trying to keep up with two kids, especially Jack’s first year of homeschooling, as I grow bigger and more fatigued, etc…

BUT, I didn’t start this post to only whine and complain.  While that is a talent of mine, I actually wanted to write about the positives of this pregnancy.  97% of it has passed, and before I know it, our little man will be here and I won’t have as much time to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned and blessings I’ve observed through these past 9 months.  Let me share a few with you.  First, a few blessings.

*  I can get pregnant and bear children.  You hear so many struggles these days with infertility and miscarriage that I know better than to take this for granted.

*  I don’t get morning sickness too badly.  Some nausea here and there, and definitely fatigue, but I’ve never once thrown up, with any of my three pregnancies. 

*  Every indication shows this child is healthy.  Ultrasounds look good, and since I first began feeling him flutter around, he has been incredibly active, more so than the other kids.  I haven’t worried at all about any lack of movement.  Kick counts?  Yeah, that gets done in about 2 minutes.  And we don’t need orange juice.

*  We have great friends.  Talk about the body of Christ!  People have brought meals, gone to the grocery store for us, babysat so Tim and I could enjoy some time together, called or emailed to just check up on me, and jut plain offered help with whatever we might need.  I include family in this category too.  We have such great family, concerned and willing to help out all the time.  Last weekend Tim’s parents took the kids to the beach and then kept them overnight so Tim and I could have a break.  My parents also babysat for us over the holidays and my mom sends fun packages every month for the kids with games, books and treats.  And I have awesome sister-in-laws.  Easy to talk to, vent to, laugh with, cry with.  Blessings, all around.

Now, some lessons.  Being put on modified bed rest for awhile really opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t need to be all things to all people in this house.  My husband and children are smart, capable people who can really handle a lot more than I realized.  A few thoughts about this…

*  My husband is a good, good man!  I’ve learned how much I really depend on him and need him, not only through the times he is here, but also when he’s not here.  Inevitably, there have been times when his work has required him to be gone from dawn to dusk, and those days have been HARD.  Those evenings really highlight how much he has done the past several months.  When he is here, I can’t count the number of times he has put dinner together, played with the kids, washed laundry, bathed children, commanded me to go to our room, shut the door and rest, put the kids to bed, etc.  Several of these chores are usually exclusively my domain (dinner, laundry, baths) so it has been humbling to have to accept so much help.  Being the helpee, instead of the helper, is an uncomfortable role for me, but I think God is using this time to deal with some of my pride issues and make me more aware of what a great husband I have been given.  Always good things.

*  My kids are ready for a little more independence!  What awesome little helpers they are.  A few things they’ve learned how to accomplish due to my present pregnancy state:  clear the table, get their own water from the refrigerator, put their clothes in the washer and move them from the washer to the dryer, wash their own hair and bodies in the bath, pick out and put on their own clothes, put away most of their own laundry (Jack actually just learned how to even hang up his own shirts!), unload the silverware from the dishwasher…and the thing is, they LIKE doing these things.  I have been shocked -SHOCKED! - at how much they want to and actually can help.  What a blessing, and what an awesome thing for me to learn now, before Baby comes.

*  Jack can pour milk.  Allow me to explain.  I don’t sleep well at night at all.  After about 4 hours, I am either awake or only lightly dozing, unable to get comfortable.  After an exhausting night I usually start to fall asleep again around 6:30, which is, of course, when the house begins to stir.  This was highly frustrating to me until a counselor friend of ours made a suggestion.  The night before, fill the kid’s cups up with milk and leave them in the fridge, pour some dry cereal into bowls and leave them on the table, and also leave a small cup of milk in the fridge that Jack can pour on the cereal for himself and Abby.  My first reaction to this suggestion was to laugh outloud, but he finally convinced us to just give it a try.  And people, it WORKED.  Jack loves being in charge of this, has not once made a mess of it, and I have gotten a bit more sleep out of it.  Plus, when I wake up, breakfast is done.  We don’t do this every night, but a couple mornings a week is a lifesaver. This is another great thing to know before Baby comes.

*  I’ve learned a little bit more how to just let things go.  I’ve had to.  When I had to be on bedrest for the health of the pregnancy, there just wasn’t a choice.  What mom doesn’t need more lessons on this?  I’m still far from perfect on this issue, but I’ve definitely had more practice lately.

*  God has good timing.  About two weeks before the pre-term labor episode, we hired a housecleaner that we adore.  She was the first person we interviewed and she’s great.  Not only does she clean the house, but she’s very affordable, and will wash sheets, make the beds, fold laundry…plus, she speaks perfect English and is sweet to the kids. Love her!

So while this pregnancy has had its downs, it has also had its ups.  I’ve been humbled and helped, by so many people and I am so grateful.  God really has a way of taking our hard times and using them to benefit us.  I also realize that my “hard pregnancy” would be a cake walk for others.  Some women have much bigger problems than I do, and I know in the big picture, this isn’t much.  That doesn’t take away the fact that its been a long 9 months, but it does give me perspective when I want to feel sorry for myself.  And perhaps the thing I am most thankful for is…

*  Our gestation period is not nearly as long as an elephant’s.  Those poor mama elephants are pregnant for 22 months - almost two years!  Can you imagine?!