Oh joy

We've had a nasty head cold circulating around our house.  Isaac was the first carrier, then he passed it to Corinna and me.  Last night Thomas got it too.  It was brutal.  He finally went to sleep at midnight and then every hour he'd wake coughing/crying with a congested nose.  My pro skills with a bulb syringe (aka blue nose sucker) were no match for this cold.  Plus it just worked him up further and made it even harder to settle him back to sleep.  Jonathan and I were zombies this morning.

To add icing to the cake, yesterday I got a call from the school nurse pick up Melissa since she was running a fever and had a sore throat.  Ducky, just ducky.

Today Tommy only wants to sleep propped upright on my chest, and Melissa is still sick.

Can't we get a pass on illness?  For a few months at least??

Thomas fusses

Still trying out nicknames for him. "Baby Snort" was an early favorite. "Chubalub" is another contender.

Here he is being disgruntled.

Darth Corinna

Corinna found her brother's Darth Vader mask. She came up to me at the dinner table: "Daddy! I not p'tite fille!" [I'm not a little girl]

"Oh, no! C'est Darth Vader!" We acted appropriately scared.

Pleased with herself, she took the mask off. "I 'nina girl!"

Too fast

Yesterday I had my 6 week checkup at the midwives' office.  It's always a bittersweet visit.  It is a time of goodbyes.  Goodbye to pregnancy, the early newborn phase, and the midwives with whom I've enjoyed visiting very much.  It is especially poignant this time because I think little Tommy will be our last baby.  I gave away my maternity clothes to a crisis pregnancy center and I hope someone else will get good use from them.  Can't say I was sorry to see the clothes go though.  Some of them date back to pre-Matthew and I was ready to part ways.

It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that little Tommy is nearly 6 weeks old!

Here he is at 10 days with Debra and Monika.  

I didn't post any belly pictures for this pregnancy so here I am at 39 weeks and 40 pounds heavier.

That's a lot of baby!

Tommy at about a week of age.  

I was trying to figure out how he fit inside.  It is still a mystery.  Those little feet were right under my right ribs and he liked to stretch and roll. No wonder I was feeling crowded.

He still likes to sleep with his left arm right up by his head and his fingers curled up in his palm.  He must have spent a lot of time in utero like that.  I know I felt baby fingers poking me!

Here he is at 5 weeks.

At my check up, he was unofficially weighed at 12 lbs 6 oz.  However he was still fully dressed since we didn't want to disturb him, and it wasn't his check up so it wasn't necessary.  He's probably about 12 lbs. or just over.  He won't get an official weigh-in until his 2 month check at the doctor's office.  

He still makes the newborn squeaks, grunts, and chirps.  His cry is very loud though, and more like a much older baby's.  We can hear him all over the house; no need for baby monitors!

Matthew putting the finishing touches on the geo-gym

Matthew is almost too old for the park

For now, he still enjoys bossing younger kids around, organizing games of Monkey Tag and the like.

Younger kid: "Is there pauses?"

Matthew: "No.  Not unless you have to tie your shoes."

Spider Girl

Corinna found her big brother's spider-man costume and was an instant fan.

a quickr pickr post

And the training wheels come off

Jonathan's mother came to help out for two weeks after my mother left.  Grandmas are great; hip-hip hooray for grandmas!  Quite seriously, I don't know how we would have survived without them.  

She spent time sewing with Melissa, doing arts and crafts with Isaac, helping Matthew with his model airplane, and planting vegetables with Corinna.  

Tommy made sure she exercised her quads and core by bouncing him on the yoga ball.  Sometimes he let her rest. 

She and my mother both stocked my freezer full of ready-made food for when Jonathan goes to France next week.  It's awesome.  I won't have to cook while he's gone. 

Now the grandmas are gone.  Jonathan took his mother back to the airport yesterday.  The new normal begins today.  

Science Fair

This year Matthew came up with his own idea for the science fair.  He wanted to make bouncy balls using varying amounts of ingredients and test how that affected the bounce.

He studied polymers and wrote a short paper to go with his project; then he got out the glue, cornstarch, water, and food coloring to make a gooey, bouncy mess in my kitchen.

His efforts, and my nagging  reminders to get it done, paid off and his project was one of 17 from his school to make it to the regional science fair.  Yay Matthew!

The regional science fair took place in downtown Austin at the convention center.  They had around 20 school districts, not schools, mind you, school districts, participating so there were a LOT of people.  Parking was a zoo.  All of the children were shuffled into a room with their projects while parents were herded to another enormous room to wait.  And wait.  And wait.

While we waited and noodled on our phones, the judges talked to each kid about their project.  Matthew was so nervous about this part, but I was sure he'd do fine.  After all, he did all the work and research.  He knew what his project was about and that is what the judges were trying to discern, whether the project was done by the kid who knew what he was talking about or with lots of "help" from Mom and Dad.  Child after child returned to the main "parent holding pen" after their projects had been judged, but no Matthew.

Finally after 2 hours, Matthew's name was called out for me to collect him.  He was one of the last kids to be judged.  Awards were to be announced 4 hours later, but we decided to break for donuts and go home instead of finding out the results.  This decision was heavily influenced by me being 9 months pregnant and dealing with swollen ankles.

The next Monday at school Matthew learned that he'd earned second place!  He was so proud of himself.  Now the regional science fair awarded a certain number of first place, second place, third place, and the rest were participation awards.  Go Matthew!

Sadly I didn't get a picture of him with his project board.

But I'll get a picture of him with his award and put it HERE:

Soon.

13 years, 5 kids, oh my!

Has it really been 13 years since we left the temple hand-in-hand as a new husband and wife on that cold, blustery day in April?  Thanks for sharing thirteen years of laughs, tears, dinners, late nights, early mornings, vacations, moves, diapers, dates, stories, school projects, kid drama, silly times, and more.  It's been real, and I'm glad you've been by my side through it all.  

There's something tender about a man cradling his baby...

He's even more handsome than when I married him.  

I count myself a lucky girl that I can wake up next to him every morning.  Looking forward to the adventures to come.  Happy anniversary!

Gray hairs

I remember being little and never walking anywhere if I could run.  At the time I never gave a thought as to the source of that energy.  Now, I know.  Kids sap their parents' energy.  They gnaw on the bones and gleefully suck the marrow from their elders.  They are essentially adorable little vampires.  Then, to top it off, they scare the daylights out of their parents.  Gray hairs, I have them.  Poor Jonathan's hairs jumped ship long before turning gray.

Two days after Tommy was born, Jonathan offered to run to the store to pick up some things in the evening.  We were both extremely sleep deprived but managing, mostly.  Jonathan got Isaac ready for bed and took Melissa and Corinna with him to the store.  Matthew was busy on the computer, and I thought Isaac was tucked into his bed for the night.  I locked up the door and then lied down to nurse Tommy on the bed.  Isaac, however, had other ideas.  Inadvertently I fell asleep in minutes...

Next thing I hear is Matthew in my room, "Mom!  There's some policemen here and they want to talk to you!"  What?!  I lept out of the bed.  There are three officers in my living room and Isaac with his pajamas and bare feet.  "Ma'am, your son was found outside down the road.  A neighbor called to report a little boy out on his own."  

Oh Crap!  It was horrifying that he'd slipped out undetected.  Isaac didn't realize the gravity of the situation initially.  He got to ride in a cop car!  Cool!  And spend time with some police, double cool!  It was a GREAT night as far as he was concerned.   Mom, on the other hand, did not think it was so cool.

"Isaac what where you thinking?!?  Why did you leave the house?  You were supposed to be in bed, that was so dangerous!!  You really scared me!"  It is one of those rare times I've been so very upset, scared, and grateful all at the same time.  I could see the gears working in his mind.  Hmm.  Maybe that wasn't such a great idea.  He told me he wanted to go with Daddy and left the house to try to find the car.  He didn't want to be left behind.  I told him that I was glad he was safe, but he must never, never do that again.  Isaac promised he wouldn't.  

One of the officers suggested a lock with keys on both sides.  We thought about that, but it wouldn't meet fire code and really could be dangerous in a fire.  Another officer said he'd been there; he had twin 3 year-old girls.  Even though the police officers were really nice about it, I still felt like the world's worst parent at that moment.  Kids! 

We will install a turn lock up high on the door.  It won't stop Isaac if he is determined and gets a stool, but it will slow him down and maybe he will think first.  

I just hope we can get them all raised to adulthood without major incident.

Pray for us.