A Good Book

I ordered some new books to read to Henry and Sophia.  I always wonder what it would be like if one of our kids hated to read.  I personally can't imagine why anyone would not be interested in reading as much as possible.  Lydia (11yo) reminds me of me when I was that age.  Constantly with my nose in a book.  My Mom is not a booklover (got it from my Dad).  She did not understand why I always wanted to hang out in my room and read, but she did keep a steady supply of good books coming my way. 

Once when I was around 12, Mom and I drove way out in the country to check out an antique store.  It was in an old barn.  We were the only ones there, and it felt as if we were the first ones to be there in a long time!  Looking around,  I found an old copy of Little Women that Mom bought for me.  Of course I started reading it in the car on the way home.  I read it two or three times during the first year that I had it.  Each time I read it, I would write in the corner of the page the date and time that I started reading, and then when I had to stop, the date and time for that.  Nowadays ya can't get me to even write my name in a book.  I like to keep them looking perfect.  A losing battle in a house with six kids!  Back when Jack was potty training, he let'er rip on a book that he found on the schoolroom floor.  sigh.  I was on the phone with a fellow homeschooling pal when it happened.  Every time she borrows a book from me she asks, "This isn't THE book, is it?"  hahaha  No, that book is long gone!  ;-)

One of the books I ordered for Henry and Sophia is a collection of Eloise Wilkin books.  Sophia was looking at it the first day we got it and has already accidentally ripped one of the pages.  Our books are destined to be well-loved.  ;-)  This one most of all, I think.  Sophia has taken to carrying it around.  It's a collection of nine stories, so it's a good, thick book for a 2-year old, but because the illustrations are so meticulously done and interesting, we read through the entire book without stopping for a break.

 

 

 

One of the really cute things Sophia does through the book is assign the characters in the book one of her brother's or sister's names.  Here is what she called Ben.

Here is herself:

Here is Lydia:
It doesn't seem to matter to her whether or not the cute little people in the book actually look like herself, or brothers and sisters.  It doesn't bother me, either, because she's so CUTE, giving the characters a name.

 

 

If you're a fan of Charlotte Mason, you might be able to relate with me on this.  Eloise Wilkin's books make me want to run out right away for a nature walk.  I've decided that her books are perfect Nature Study books for the Pre-K - K crowd.  There are a lot of flowers, trees, bugs, fish, forest and even jungle creatures to identify, and each in their own habitats.

She Willingly Works with Her Hands

I made a vow to myself to be better about taking pictures this year.  I have a tendency to get so wrapped up in what we're doing that the camera is forgotten.  It almost breaks my heart to think of all the special moments around here that are left unrecorded by the camera.  So I took the camera to my brother-in-law's birthday party and took a lot of pictures there.  Then true to form, I left the camera there.  ;-)  It's killing me - I need to get it back soon!  I'm itching to start using up all the Creative Memories supplies that have been sitting in the corner of the office for way too long. 

Is it a picture of Sophia, or her paci?

There is so much to do around here these days.  I usually make a list of things-to-accomplish, but the time that I used for that is now used for nursing Grace.  So I have what I like to call my "mental list of things-to-do."  I love that list.  I love doing every little thing on that list.  From ironing to making a lesson plan, to grocery shopping, to making some muffins ahead for breakfast during the week.  There are times when the list seems so daunting and I think I can't do it all.  Well, I can't, but I'll never get any of it done without taking it one item at a time.

What a funny smile - where are her top teeth?

It's hard to keep on.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and waste a little time, but then I think about how hard that makes it for myself and my family when I don't take care of what needs to get done and that helps me keep going.  Our family has adopted the verses from Proverbs 6: 6-11 that say,
"Go to the ant, you sluggard!
      Consider her ways and be wise, 
       Which, having no captain,
      Overseer or ruler, 
       Provides her supplies in the summer,
      And gathers her food in the harvest. 
       How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
      When will you rise from your sleep? 
       A little sleep, a little slumber,
      A little folding of the hands to sleep— 
       So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
      And your need like an armed man."

A doughnut!!!!!!

There once was a time when I would clean a little bit, read a little bit.  Clean a little bit, watch a little t.v.  Clean a little bit, chat on the phone with a friend. Those days are far behind me now.  Nowadays I clean a little bit, correct Lydia's math.  Clean a little bit, nurse the baby.  Clean a little bit, make lunch for the kids and myself...I can't help but compare the two lists and think that my life has greatly improved. 

Ravioli mouth.

I have to remind myself of that a lot as I discipline myself to keep with the tasks and little ones at-hand.  Isn't that what it really boils down to?  Discipline?  I've had a lot of ladies tell me they could never homeschool, or have six kids because they think they're not "organized enough."  Pshaw.  I will forever believe and forever tell those ladies that organization is a good tool to have, but what about the discipline to be organized?  That's something we can teach ourselves.  Once we've made up our minds to discipline ourselves, the rest falls into place.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

This is a fun YouTube video that my kids enjoyed watching.

The Simple Life

I predicted that Baby #6 was going to be my biggest challenge and I was right.  Not the baby herself, but having six kids.  There's a lot to do around here these days.  Grace is now six weeks and we love every  minute of her.  She is squooshy and cuddly and smells so sweet.  I love to kiss her fat little cheeks.  That was one of the things I daydreamed about there at the end of the pregnancy so getting to actually do it on a daily basis is literally a dream come true.  :-)

With so many kisses to give, I've been working on simplifying.  Here's what I've been doing so far:

1) This one is not so popular with the kids, but it has saved my bacon.  I have been using the same menu plan since Grace was born.  It's full of easy meals like tacos, chili, spaghetti, quiche and a frozen pizza here and there.  Grace usually nurses around 4:30 or 5 every afternoon - right when I should be making dinner, so a meal that I can put together in 30 minutes is my goal.  And using the same menu plan makes making my shopping list a short and sweet affair as well.

2) I remember back in the day when a friend and I would talk about how our kids would only have memories of our profiles because we spent so much time on the computer answering emails and surfing the web for homeschooling curriculum.  ;-)  Those days have been long past for me, but now I feel the need to cut back even more on computer time.  A five minute check in the mornings and evenings is my goal, so I've begun unsubscribing from email updates that I don't LOVE.  I never realized how many things I was getting from family organizations, homeschool curriculum vendors, news organizations.....I can survive without it!

3) During the pregnancy, I designated some shelves in our school room for toys that are in clear, plastic storage bins.  I am not allowing more toys in the house than can fit on those shelves.  So when we got new stuff for Christmas, the old stuff that was already conveniently stored in the bins went up to the attic and the new stuff was added.  Keeps clean-up time from being so stressful and....SIMPLE.  ;-)

4) There's a lot ot be said for The Basics.  I've slashed a lot of extra workbook-y type stuff from Lydia and Jack's schedules and have been concentrating on Math, Writing skills and reading good literature.  We've been able to fit in everything amid the feedings and Henry and Sophia's needs which makes us all happy.

If anyone has any other suggestions for the simple life, please let me know!  I'm all ears.  :-)

My Birth Story

I've been working on this post since 12/27!  :-)  If you're interested, here's my birth story....

I had a midwife appointment on the 9th of December.  That was the day before my due date. At the end of that appointment I made another appointment for the next week, but we all laughed about it because we just knew for sure that I would have the baby before then.  haha heehee.  ;-)  I needed that appointment! 

I was starting to feel like stinky fish.  Everywhere I went everyone would say stuff like, "When are you going to have that baby/"  or "Are you STILL here?"  Darin and the kids kept asking, "How do you feeeeeeel?"  Wondering if I was having contractions or not.  But nothing was really happening and I almost resigned myself to being pregnant for the rest of my life.  Oh my.  Can you imagine????  ;-)

So I went in for the appointment on the 17th.  Early that morning I had this weird "internal contraction-like" thing.  It felt like a contraction inside, and it felt as if Grace moved down.  I had never felt anything like that before!  So when I got to the midwife's, I told her what had happened and she decided to check me to see if I was dilated.  I was at a 5 and fully effaced.  That seemed to freak her out a little.  We are 30 minutes from the birthing center, and I am Group B Strep positive.  I needed to get two doses of antibiotics in before Grace came through the birth canal, so she told me in very strong language that if it were her, she would stay to be induced.  Well.  Absolutely.  My biggest fear during the pregnancy was that I would not be able to get the antibiotics needed before Grace was born.  I had a niece die from exposure to Group B when she was born so I definitely want to be overly cautious in this area.  It was a hard blow for our family when that happened!  That sweet niece would have been my parent's first grandchild.

Darin and I had taken Henry, Sophia and Lydia with us to this appointment, so we took them home, called our friend (more about her in another post!) who had volunteered to help out with the kids during the delivery, went through the drive-thru of Chick-Fil-A for some lunch, filled up the car with gas, then headed back to the midwife.  :-)

When Darin and I got there, Lynne, the assistant, told me to use my breast pump for 30 minutes to see if we could get labor started that way.  I am an all-or-nothing gal, so I hooked-up both sides and cranked the pump to "Max."  Darin looked at his watch when I started.  It was 12:12 p.m.  OH MY GOODNESS.  It worked!  10 minutes later I asked Darin to go ask if I could stop!  The contractions came on so fast and hard.  Lynne said I could stop, but that I needed to go take a brisk walk.  Oooookaaaay.  :-/  I tried to be a good girl and go for a walk, but I knew there was no need.  I laid down on the bed and sweated through some contractions before deciding to get up and change into the clothes I was going to wear for the birth. 

While I was up, I noticed the contractions were a lot more manageable while standing.  So I paced around the room, working through the contractions.  Our midwife came in for something....not sure what she was doing.  I think she was filling out paperwork or something.  She asked Darin how far apart my contractions were.  He said.  "Oh, about 10 minutes or so."  WHAT?  ;-)  It was obvious he wasn't the one FEELING the pain, so I set him straight on their frequency.  The midwife, Jean, said she also noticed they were lasting a good long time, so she decided to check me.  I was dilated to an 8.  This was only after about an hour.  It was just a little past 1 by this time.  Jean decided that if she broke my water, the baby would come right down and right out. 

It sort of worked like that.....the baby did come right down, but the right out thing was a little more tricky.  While I was pushing, my contractions slowed way down.  And can I say, WOW.  I could have lived with the contractions ALL DAY as long as I didn't have to push.  Having never given birth without drugs before did not prepare me for the pain of pushing.  Really, the thing that bothered me the most was feeling claustrophobic.  There were one person holding each of my legs, Jean, the midwife standing at the ready to catch the baby, and another person standing behind her telling me to PUSH!!!!!!  I felt as if everyone were on top of me and I just wanted them to back off.  And with everyone screaming at me (it seemed as if they were!) to push, I felt like a pushing failure.  I ended up pushing so hard that I had broken little blood vessels on my face - it looked as if I had a rash.  And I'm a screamer!  LoL  I kept saying, "Take the baby out!  Take her out!"  And then they would say, "You have to PUSH!!!!!"  I hope that if we go through this again that my reactions will be a little more subdued.  I think I was caught off guard with the intensity of the pushing.  There is nothing I could have read that could have prepared me for that.

So...my contractions finally caught back up to where they needed to be and I had two or three good pushes in a row and Grace Anne was finally born at 1:44 p.m.  9 lbs. 1 oz.  She was/IS beautiful.  :-)  I was so thankful it was over, but then it wasn't really over for me yet.  :-/  I was bleeding very heavily.  I ended up losing twice as much blood as I should have.  Jean said it was probably because my contractions slowed down during the pushing.  That left me weak and so tired and I'm still trying to work through that now.  I am always anemic (except during pregnancy) so I'm sure the blood loss didn't help that.  But I have to say that if God blesses us with another little one, I will definitely use the midwife again.  Besides the low energy I have from the blood loss, the healing really has been much faster than with all our other babies.  And no episiotomy for the first time!  That's probably the biggest blessing ever.  My old OB always gave episiotomies as a matter of course.  It was part of her procedure.

The best part was that Darin was able to take off the entire rest of the month.  He and the kids spoiled me.  I took naps, fed the baby, watched HGTV, ate the good food they brought me.  It was so nice to be at home immediately after the birth rather than separated from everyone at the hospital.  Another positive about giving birth at the birthing center.  During the last days of the pregnancy I thought that if there were a next time, I might try giving birth at home, but I can't imagine putting my kids through my freaking out during the pushing, so the birthing center it is!  ;-)

She's Here and The Count Up

Grace is here!!!  You can't imagine how blessed we feel to have her here with us.  I can't bring myself to stop kissing her little warm cheeks!  I have to say that I feel a little older and wiser after my first all natural childbirth.  Whew!  ;-)  More details about all that fun later. 

Grace's stats:
12/17
1:44 p.m.
9 lbs. 1 oz.
21 inches long

The rest of this entry is one I wrote two days before she was born, but never got a chance to post because I was moving too slowly to add the pictures of Sophia's birthday which was on the 7th.  I'll add them later, as well as a picture of our new blessing soon!
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My 'Blog Baby' there on the sidebar is counting up now.  My due date of December 10th has come and gone and we're all just sitting around and waiting. 

I have always been aware that one of my biggest weaknesses is being able to function outside the structure I create.  I usually have an idea of how I want the day to go and if there is anything that throws off my mental image of what should be, I struggle with staying on track.  There have been times when I let the unexpected interuption totally shut down my day as I give up and do nothing instead.  How High Maintenance can a person get?  ;-)  I've gotten better at overcoming this tendency over the years, but it's a huge exercise in self-control to pick-up where we left off before the unexpected reared its ugly head.

Last week when my due date arrived and left without a baby, I shut down.  I quit doing school with the kids and other miscellaneous stuff that took any extra effort on my part.  :-/  It took Thursday through Sunday of this wasteful inactivity to finally draw me out of the funk and realize that I still have to function like a real person.  This week has been so much better and I feel better because I've been productive - not a vegetable on the couch.  ;-)  A friend pointed out that the waiting is the perfect opportunity for learning.  Yup.  Having kids is the biggest character stretcher EVER.

We did have a birthday last week.  Monday was Sophia's 2nd birthday.  SWEET thing!  ;-)

Still Waiting

Still waiting for Grace to make her way into the world.  I keep thinking that she's just waiting for me to be able to finish paying the bills, or to get my grocery shopping and laundry done, but nope!  Apparently she has her own to-do list to take care of and it has nothing to do with mine.  :-)  So we wait.  In my control-freak-kinda-way, it wears on me because I hate surprises.  I want to know exactly when she's coming, so the waiting is killing me!  But God is good all the time.  He knows what's best for Grace and me.  But the next person who tells me that I look like I'm about to pop..........  ;-)