Bald Is Beautiful

We had two other couples to dinner last night. Between us there are 4 girls and 4 boys, luckily Ben and Lauren went to bed at 7:30 and one of the other girls is an infant. While the adults played Cranium the older 5 ran amuck upstairs. We heard a little commotion in the bathroom, but thought nothing of it since all of the kids are potty trained or training. We were foolish to assume that they were simply going potty and washing their hands. When we finally checked on them we found bubble bath poured all over the sink and tub as well as down the front of the vanity. However, the most disturbing discovery was the hair all over the floor. A couple of days before I had given Ben a quick trim in the bathroom and carelessly tossed the scissors under the sink for safe keeping (so I thought). With a clump of hair in my hand I went searching for the victim. It was Jack. The missing clump of hair fit perfectly into a silver dollar sized patch on the top of his head. It was to the scalp. After Jack was interrogated by his father we discovered that not only was Jack the victim, but he was also the victimizer. That's right, he cut his own hair! After our friends left, the trimmers came out. Travis gave Jack a buzz cut with a #2 (1/4 inch). When we came in Jack wanted to look at himself so I took him into the bathroom. He climbed up on the stool and when he caught the first glimpse of himself his lower lip started to quiver. When I asked him what was wrong he cried and said, "I don't like the way I look". It broke my heart. As angry as I was at him for playing with the scissors I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It took me back to looking in the mirror in junior high and thinking the same thing. I have to admit, the poor kid looks a lot like a cancer patient! As I was tucking him into bed Jack asked me if his hair would be back in the morning. The crying started all over as I explained that it would take several weeks to grow back. When I woke him up for rocket school this morning the first thing out of his mouth was, "I don't want my teach to ask about my hair". I haven't told him that his hair looks good, but I have told him he is a good-looking boy and he has a great personality. I am going to have to do some more self-esteem building this afternoon when I pick him up from school. The thought of him sitting in rocket school not feeling good about himself is just killing me!

The Maddition And The Four-Eyed Mommy

As Jack is bopping a 3 foot long balloon, that looks suspiciously like a giant condom, around the family room.

Jack: Don't touch my balloon mom!
Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we were playing.
Jack: We are playing, I am the maddition and you and Benny are the audience watching my show.
Jack: Are you watching?
Me: Yes, I'm watching.
Jack: Are you using those eyes in the back of your head?
Me: Yep
Jack: You are lying; I don't think you have eyes in the back of your head.
Me: Well, I do.
Jack: Why haven't I ever seen them?
Me: Because you aren't a mommy
Jack: Do all mommies have them?
Me: Only the best mommies have them.
Jack: That's why you have them, right?
Me: That's right!

I Am Extraordinary Because I Am Ordinary

I ran into my neighbor today as I was unloading the kids and the groceries after a hellacious trip to Walmart. I say that as though there are trips to Walmart are not hellacious, but who am I kidding? They are all hellacious. She is one of the nicest women I know. As the rain was soaking me because I didn't pull my car far enough into the garage she came over to chat about our trip to Nebraska. I continued to usher the kids inside and unload the groceries as we talked, then out of the blue she said, "you know, you really are extraordinary!” I am a confident person, but I am not good at taking compliments and said, "No, I am ordinary". My neighbor looked shocked to hear me say that as she went on about how I over came MS and the loss of Nate and Spence to have a great family. She was right about one thing; I do have a great family. I am so lucky. I often wonder how my life would have been different if Travis and I wouldn't have had the obstacles we had. I know we have a stronger marriage for it. We have watched friends divorce over things much less than what we have made it through. If I am extraordinary for any reason, it is because I am ordinary! I think the most challenging and most rewarding thing I have ever done is being a stay-at-home mom and wife. I will admit, it has its dull moments, but those are few and far between with 3 kids under 5!

Where's Jack?

Lauren: Where's Jack?
Me: Rocket school.
Lauren: Where's Jack?
Me: School.
Lauren: Where's Jack?
Me: What did I just tell you?
Lauren: School.

A couple of minutes are allowed to pass in silence.

Lauren: Where's Jack?
Me: School.
Lauren: Why?
Me: To learn about rockets.
Lauren: Why?
Me: Because he likes school.
Lauren: Where's Jack?

I think you get the point. I should have started counting how many times she is going to ask me where Jack is. I am going to estimate the number at approximately 74 in the last hour.

Talk To Me

While we were in Nebraska someone flipped a switch and Ben and Lauren started talking. They can and will repeat anything you say. It seemed to be a more gradual process for Jack. This is very exciting, but a little scary at the same time! I can only imagine the new words they picked up after spending a week with my dad! Lauren is driving Jack crazy, she repeats everything he says. If Jack isn't around Lauren is constantly asking where he is so she can go harass him with her constant chatter. I feel sorry for poor Jack, it isn't easy being the oldest child in the family!

Spank Them!

Although we had a great time at the lake I think Jack missed our Texas friends as much as I did! Yesterday when I brought him home from rocket camp he wanted to invite a friend over. I explained that he had to take a nap and we might be able to do that when he woke up. I admit that I am guilty of the same "might trick" that my mother used to pull on me. I was figuring that he would forget about it and didn't bother to extend any invitations. When Jack got up he asked who was coming over to play. I tried to tell him that all of our friends were busy but he wasn't taking that for an answer so I called Trisha and invited us over when Ben and Lauren woke up from their nap. Unfortunately, Ben and Lauren didn't get the memo and they didn’t wake up until 4:45. I had to leave for Pilate’s at 5:45 and the kids needed to eat dinner before I left, so we just didn't have time to go play. Jack cried and cried. I really felt bad, I have been missing Trisha, and I was really looking forward to hanging out with my friend too! But, I had finally had it.

Me: Jack, you are going to have to stop crying
Jack: I am not going to stop crying until you spank the babies
Me: Why should I spank the babies?
Jack: Because we can't play because they slept too much
Me: They didn't mean to sleep too long
Jack: (through tears) spank them and I will stop crying

I don't spank the babies. Travis doesn't spank the babies. I don't spank Jack. Travis only spanks Jack in extreme cases. Why did Jack think that spanking the babies for taking a nap was reasonable?

The crying continued off and on anytime he thought about the horrible injustice.

The Lake

Fifteen minutes into our 12-hour drive home.

Jack: Mom, can we make a deal?

Me: It depends, what is the deal?

Jack: You know I REALLY love you, right mom?

Me: Yes, I love you too, what's the deal?

Jack: Well, I was thinking that I would go home to Texas with you if anytime I ask we can go back to Grammy's lake house.

Me: I wish we could, but I don't think that will work out.

Needless to say, the kids and I had a great time! I loved watching Jack enjoy everything that I loved when I was a kid. We swam, caught lightening bugs, played in the sand, hunted toads, fished, walked to the park and while the kids napped my mom, grandma and I reminisced, drank margaritas, talked, ate nachos and laughed. It was just like old times. I have mentioned before that the lake is quite possibly the best place on earth. I had a great time telling Jack stories about my grandpa. It was a hard concept for him to grasp since he has never met him. I was able to teach him the grandpa run and flop into the lake. This is a picture of Jack and my mom demonstrating the infamous maneuver.

Anticipation

We are leaving for Nebraska in an hour or so. Yesterday the kids were 'helping' me pack. I was putting things in and they were taking them out. It will be a miracle if everything we need actually gets there. The kids are so excited. Jack has told the babies all about the magical land of Grammy's lake house. When they saw the life jackets everyone wanted to have them on. In attempts to pacify everyone so I could pack in peace I buckled everyone into their life jackets. About that time the doorbell rang, we got some weird looks to say the least. Is it wrong that I haven't bothered to tell them that we are stopping at Uncle Jeff's in Kansas City tonight, then will spend the weekend with Travis' family before we actually go to the lake house?

In 10 Years

We have a story in my family that has become lore. When my great grandparents were married 60 years (I think) there was a write up in their small town local paper. There was a typo in the paper and it said 59 wonderful years. My great grandfather was asked which year wasn't good and his response was "it wasn't one bad year, it was just one or two bad days at a time". I think that is so true!

Travis and I have been married 10 years today! Wow! I am not old enough to be married 10 years. I had no idea what I was getting into when I knocked on the door of Travis' dorm room to introduce myself on the first day of school at the University of Nebraska. It doesn't seem like it could be that long until I reflect on what we have been through in the last 10 years. In 2000 Travis stood by me as I was diagnosed with MS. Travis was my rock. It was a great feeling to know he would stick with me through sickness and health. In 2001 Travis and I lost our first set of twins, Nate and Spence. We attempted to comfort each other as we mourned differently. Those were a couple of the bad days in the last 10 years. In 2003 we celebrated the birth of our first son. In 2004 we moved from Nebraska to Texas. On December 9th, 2004 Ben and Lauren were conceived on Nate and Spence's 3rd birthday. I know that may be too much information for some people, but I think that is pretty cool! In 2005 we completed our family with Ben and Lauren. We have spent the last two years settling into our perfect life. We have had rough patches but I can't believe that I got so lucky.

Playgroup Break-Up

I think that Jack's first Texas playgroup is about to break up. It started with Ann and Jack. We eventually included Elsie. For about a year we were a happy threesome. The kids would have their occasional fights, but as a general rule they got along great! To make a long story short Elsie's family and ours hit it off so we frequently get together outside of playgroup. We weren't really sure how to tell Ann's mom about our new friendship because we didn't want her to feel left out. Anyway, she eventually put all of the pieces together and called us out. I faced the problem head on and told her I wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, I value her friendship, so on and so forth. Everything was okay for about a minute, and then Ann's mom started acting weird. It is uncomfortable to be around her. She purposely scheduled swimming lessons for Ann during our playgroup and suggested we do it later. I said I really couldn't do that because Ben and Lauren still need naps at which point it was dropped. Ann's mom said she was going to have to take a couple weeks off, but will be back after swimming lessons. Yesterday I was walking with Elsie's mom and she mentioned that she was getting together with Ann's mom that afternoon. I must say I felt a little sad for Jack...and for me for not being invited. Not being one to keep things to myself I said something about being left out of our playgroup. At which point Elsie's mom promptly invited me. The playdate was horribly uncomfortable. Ann's mom didn't want me there. I am not sure what I did. I don't know why she doesn't like me anymore. I don't know why I care so much. When I was having ridiculous friend problems in junior high I thought that I wouldn't have to deal with this immaturity when I got older. I was wrong. I guess this is going to be Jack's first official break up. I bet he won't even notice, but I am a little sad.

Can WD40 And Duct Tape Fix Birds?

I grew up with a father that was convinced you could fix anything with WD40 or duct tape. I remember my dad calling me in from playing so he could squirt a little of the liquid squeak relief on the annoying toy of the moment. I have this bird that is hanging out on my back patio that sounds like a squeaking swing. I am not much of a bird lover, I am sure my grandma could tell me the type of bird based on my description of it's chirp. I am now becoming a bird hater this thing is so irritating. If I had some WD40 I would squirt it in his little beak to stop the squeaking. I am sure if the WD40 didn't fix it, a little duct tape over his beak would! I thought it was just getting on my nerves but this morning I found Lauren peering out the window chanting noisy doggy, noisy doggy over and over. She thinks all animals are dogs. I correct her every time, but she just hasn't gotten it.

God Bless The Scientists

Those of you who know me well know that Good Morning America is part of our morning routine. I turn on the TV and it is in the background as I make breakfast, dress kids, brush hair, etc. This morning they had on two young scientists at a university that I can't remember. These girls tested the 5-second rule. All of the mother's out there are familiar with this rule; if food hits the ground it is still edible if you pick it up within 5 seconds. I am a religious follower of this rule, unless of course it is something sticky like a sucker or falls on a public bathroom floor. Come to find out, you have 30 seconds to pick up something wet, like an apple slice and a whole minute to pick up something dry like a Skittle before any bacteria grows. This is going to change my life! I can pick up the food that Ben throws on the floor and serve it to him again. No more waste! I think I could feed an entire third world country from what I pick up under the babies' chairs after a meal.

Camp?!?!

In the car on the way to Vacation Bible Camp.
Jack: Where are we going?
Me: I am taking you to Vacation Bible Camp.
Jack: I am going camping, right now, really??
Me: Well, it isn't really camping it is more like school.
Jack: But it isn't school?
Me: No, it isn't school, but it is really fun!
As we are pulling into the parking lot of church
Jack: Mom! You are at the wrong place this is my school!
Me: Yes, this is where Vacation Bible School is.
Jack: You said it isn't school.
Me: It isn't.
Jack: Am I going to Sunday School?
Me: No, this is Vacation Bible Camp it will be fun.
Jack: I am not so sure about that!

Shaggy Balls

If you watch any cartoons you have seen the advertisement for Better Batter Baseball about a thousand times. Jack has been begging for this contraption for months. When we were at Target I noticed that it was on sale so I picked it up as a good behavior reward. Jack was really good to his brother and sister this afternoon and ate all of his dinner so we got it out. It was fun to watch Travis teach Jack something that he enjoys. Jack has pretty good hand eye coordination and did a really good job with batting. As Jack was hitting balls, we were teaching him baseball terms. When you get your feet in the right spot it is called 'squaring up', 'hitting the ball out of the park' means you hit a home run and when Lauren ran after the ball he hit it is called 'shagging balls'. I nearly wet my pants when Jack said, "come on Lauren, bring me back some of those shaggy balls!"

Beware Of The Pork

My friend Trisha had her son's birthday party yesterday; it was the fishing party. The 3-year-old party was from 4-6 and at 6pm the fun adult party was to begin in honor of her husband's birthday. Unfortunately, when I went to write the party on the calendar I realized that Travis and I already had dinner plans with some of his colleagues that we had made over a month ago. It was such a bummer, there was no way we could get out of it since we made the plans so long ago and I even had my cousin already lined up to baby-sit. We went to the fun party and made a pact with our friends that they would call Trav's cell phone at 9pm pretending that they were the babysitter. If we were having fun we would answer the sitter's question and be done, but if we weren't having fun it would be an emergency we would have to leave for. We were hoping to go back to the fun party and hang out later in the evening. When we arrived at our hosts’ home we were greeted with some frou-frou appetizers that I couldn't even identify. It was a far cry from the blue margaritas and guacamole at the fun party! I did my best to choke down the unidentified appetizers while we waited for the other couple to arrive. I painfully made small talk for 30 minutes until the other couple walked in fashionably late. I was wearing shorts and a cute tank top (I was coming from a 3 year old birthday party...cut me some slack), this junior league wanna be was sporting a floor length gown. I wanted to blurt out "are we here for the same thing?" but I was able to contain myself. The men enjoyed each other as the women stood around staring at each other. I decided to break the ice by telling the older ladies about my adventure at Target earlier in the day. The high maintance bimbette countered with "oh, do I have some stories of when my kids were younger!" I don't know if she was waiting for me to say "okay, let's hear them!" or what, but that is where the conversation died again. When we sat down to dinner Travis immediately asked the hostess if there were nuts in the salad. Something was giving him a reaction, but he didn't know what. The hostess said, "no, there are sunflower seeds, but that is it". At which point we had a short conversation about how Travis is deathly allergic to all nuts, then we all continued to eat our dinner. A few more bites in Travis was starting to swell, he again asked "are you sure there aren't any nuts in anything" again the hostess denied trying to poison my husband. After Travis asked a couple more times and ate half of his pork the hostess pulled her blond head out of her ass and admitted to putting walnuts and pesto "just on the outside" of the pork. Travis quickly drank the rest of his water then got another glass. That usually works, but then again he usually doesn't eat as much. Travis took the hostess up on her offer of Benedral, but that wasn't enough. As I ate my dinner I watched as Travis' cheeks swelled like a little chipmunk. He wasn't talking much until he said, "I'm sorry, we are going to have to call it an early night". We hadn't even had the much-anticipated dessert! I was thinking, yippee, he is bored too, we're out of here, and we will be back at Trisha's by 9:30! When we got to the car he confessed that he needed to see a doctor. This is when I got a little worried; he has never needed to go to the doctor before. We quickly stopped by my cousin's house to get directions to the nearest PrimaCare, when we arrived it had already closed. I could see the panic in Travis' face and offered to call 911. We decided to drive to the nearest hospital, which was only about 5 minutes away. When we got there they checked Travis in right away then told us to have a seat close to the nurses station incase he had any trouble. If he weren’t having trouble, we wouldn't have been there! As we sat in the waiting room we speculated about being the only insured people in the joint. I swear we saw a guy come in with blood dripping from his gun shot wound, Travis thought it was a stab wound, but I think gunshot makes a better story. By the time the doctor finally got around to seeing Travis his swelling had gone down and he was able to talk again. The doctor gave him 3 prescriptions and showed us the door. When we arrived at our dinner party I thought for sure that I would be back with my friends having Jell-O shots by 10pm, if only I would have known!

Kiddie Drinks

After I drug the kids through Target we had to run to the mall for another quick gift. Jack kept telling me how thirsty he was. In attempts to save time I was telling him all about the great kiddie drinks that I am sure they will have at the birthday party. When we got home from the mall we ate lunch and I put the kids down for their naps. I had to wake Jack up so we could leave for the party. In his groggy state, he said...
Jack: I can't wait to have a kitty drink at the party.
Me: I am looking forward to an adult beverage myself.
Jack: How do you know they will have kitty drinks?
Me: Because it is a kiddie party.
Jack: No it isn't! It is a fishing party, not a kitty party!

Mother Of The Year

I had to buy an emergency birthday present yesterday, for a party that was yesterday afternoon. I loaded up all three kids and we headed to Target. I had saved this trip for Saturday hoping that I wouldn't have to take the kids through the toy aisle and knowing that I also needed some yoga pants. I actually wanted to try the pants on at the store since Target's new return policy is so strict. But, Travis had to go shopping for a new mower, which is a whole different story. We started in the toy aisle hoping that we wouldn't have a big problem with the "I want", "can I have?”, "MINE!" if they were fresh. I was studying the airplanes as the boys stood in the basket of the cart and Lauren sat in the front. I heard a big thud, followed by a very loud scream. That's right, Ben fell out of the cart onto the concrete floor below. What do I do? The horrified onlookers were expecting me to scoop my child up and comfort him. But instead I utter, "oh, shit". I picked him up and continued to study the airplanes and he screamed in my ear. After finding the gift we moved on to yoga pants. I decided that Jack needed to walk so there was enough room for Ben to sit in the basket. In retrospect, I am not sure that was a good idea. I found a few pairs of pants in between the threats to Jack to stay by me and headed to the fitting room. I pushed the giant cart and all the kids into the florescent-lighted torture chamber that Target likes to call a fitting room. As soon as I got my pants off Jack decides to open the door. In my annoyed haste I slammed the door shut, only to catch Jack's fingers in it. He cried and cried and cried some more. Luckily for me, we had a whole new set of horrified onlookers. If we would have had the same group of people I may still be trying to talk CPS into allowing me to keep my children.

No Pain, No Gain

Yesterday I actually paid for an ass kicking Pilates style! Correction, my insurance company paid for it. My neurologist referred me to physical therapy 3 times a week so I am going to a place that does Pilates physical therapy. Basically, I go there for a personal training session. It is so deceiving; yesterday it seemed too easy, like I wasn't getting a good work out. By the time I got to my car to leave I was feeling a little sore. This morning I feel as though I was hit by a truck rather than doing a few stretches yesterday! But I guess it is working. My trainer would be telling me that I was wrong, he says the saying "no pain, no gain" keeps him in business. Coaches use that to push their athletes too far, and then they end up getting therapy from him. I don't care what he says in his whispery little voice, "no pain, no gain" is a saying I have lived by for a lot of years, in life as well as sports, and I am not about to stop.

Dead Babies Creep Me Out

I watched Elise the other afternoon while Anne took her other daughters to the pediatrician. When she came to pick her up we decided that it was late enough in the day that we could justify a glass of wine. As we sat and chatted the kids came running up with a doll saying that the baby was dead. God bless Anne, she saw the color drain from my face and quickly said, “you mean the baby is sick, right?" The kids then corrected her and said, "No, the baby is dead". I get to the point where I think I am dealing really well with Nate and Spence's death and something like this slaps me in the face. I looked at the "dead doll" and the little hairs on my arm stood at attention as my brain dug up memories of looking into Nate and Spence's little faces as they died in my arms. I think these are images that will be etched in my mind for the rest of my life. It gives me comfort to have them there, but I only like to retrieve them when I am alone. I don't like others to see my weaknesses and that is certainly one of them! I guess if Anne wasn't already in my inner circle she is now.

I'm A Bad Friend With Ugly Tan Lines

I had my first physical therapy session today. It was great! This is the first time I have left a physical therapy session excited about the prospect of getting better. This is a Pilates based physical therapy program, I will be working on strengthening my core as well as the weak muscle in my leg. I am going to be going 3 times a week; I have the annoying neighbor girl lined up to watch the kids. Maybe this will help her not want to be around unless I am paying her!

I have been bribing Jack with a visit to the beach club if he could be a good boy. He was really good yesterday so I told him we would go today after I got back from the physical therapist. When we arrived at the beach I took the babies' shoes off so they could walk across the sand. They started crying the moment I stood them in the sand. I picked them up figuring that they would be fine once we got settled into our beach chairs. We found a spot right by the kiddie area that has a little waterslide and water squirting up out of the ground for the kids to run through. The babies wouldn't even let me take my shirt off, they were clinging to me like little leaches. We sat down and Jack went to swim. Meanwhile they are crying their fool heads off. I finally got them settled down, but they refused to get off my lap. Every time the wind would blow we would get spray from the water feature and Ben and Lauren would start crying again. Unfortunately, we are in a wind advisory today, so we got sprayed with water quite frequently. The other mothers in the area were actually laughing at me. I couldn't help but comment on how fun the beach club is! The good news is that Jack had a great time. He was doing bobs, kicking and going down the slide. The entire hour and a half that we were at the beach the babies clung to me. So much for getting a tan, I wouldn't be surprised if I have little finger tan lines!

I left the beach feeling like mother of the year. I stuck it out at the beach for an hour and a half because Jack was having such a great time, even though the babies and I were miserable. I drove the kids through at McDonalds for lunch. As I was checking to make sure the order was correct it hit me. I was supposed to pick up McDonalds and take it over to a friend’s house for a playdate. I totally spaced it off. What makes it worse is that I spaced off a play date with the same friend on Monday. I immediately called her and told her how sorry I was. She cut me absolutely no slack! I probably didn't deserve any slack, but I truly didn't blow her off on purpose. She told me how hard it was to explain to her 4 year old that they weren't going to have a play date again today. I feel like shit. This friend has been having trouble with depression and sounded really down when I called. I suck.

F

Jack failed his hearing test again. So, he will have surgery next month to get tubes in his ears and have his anodes removed. The doctor described the surgery to me and explained that Jack would have to be put under, but after all of this he will be able to hear great! After telling me all of this, she looked at me sympathetically and said:
Dr: I know this is a big decision, go home and talk to your husband about it and let me know what you want to do.
Me: What do you mean? You think this is what we should do, right?
Dr: Absolutely
Me: Then what is there to discuss?
Dr: Whether to proceed with the surgery
Me: But the surgery will make him hear better, right?
Dr: Yes
Me: If you say this is what we should do and this is what will help him I don't need to discuss it with my husband, he isn't a doctor!

Today Is A New Day

I have resolved to make today better than yesterday. It would be hard to be worse. The kids continued to become more and more awful as the day went on. I am not going to itemize everything they did because I realized that is sounded really petty as I was reliving it for Travis. Each of the things they did in and of themselves wasn't so bad, but doing them all in one day is enough to put a mommy over the edge! While I was at Walmart yesterday I purchased a bribe for Jack to be good today. He has been wanting a scuba mask and snorkel so it is now on top of the refrigerator waiting for him to be good for a whole day. We have playgroup today and Jack has an ENT appointment so we will get out of the house a couple times. As I was typing this Ben threw his entire breakfast plate on the floor and is now crying at my leg. I think I will take two Zolofts today, just for good measure!

Spiraling Out Of Control

My kids’ behavior is spiraling out of control! They were cooped up in the house for 21 out of 31 days in May because it was raining. Now that it isn't raining I don't want to take them anywhere because they are being so unruly. Today they have been running through the house like hellions. They have already re-broken the lamp. It is a vicious circle. I know that I am the only one who is going to break this circle, but I don't know if I have the energy.

Pee, Pee In The Pot-ty

Lauren came to me right after I had changed her diaper to tell me "potty". I quickly ushered her to the potty that was not in use, but I was too late. She had just peed in her diaper, but I put her on the potty anyway. She was able to squeeze an additional drop or two into the potty. She was so proud AND she got to pick a prize. Before Jack was old enough to know there were toys in Happy Meals and cereal I saved everything. I now have a basket of crappy toys that I used for potty training Jack and I will use to potty train Ben and Lauren. Lauren picked a spoon that lights up like a lightsabor. She ran through the house laughing and singing potty, potty, potty as both of her brothers chased her down hoping to get a glimpse of her potty prize.

Winning Hearts

Our next-door neighbors are the closest things to grandparents our kids have in Texas. They love our kids and the kids love them. When Jack was about Ben and Lauren's age we moved to Texas. Jan and Paul brought a homemade pie the day we were moving in. They immediately fell in love with Jack. Shortly after meeting they started taking Jack for 45-minute walks every morning. They even bought a new stroller this March "for Jack's birthday" with a steering wheel, honking horn and music. They brought it over on his birthday with a giant bow attached. They bring gifts for the kids for every holiday and when they go on vacation or business trips they bring something back for Jack. When Ben and Lauren were born I was concerned that Jack would lose some of their attention, but it seemed like they were able to come up with even more love and attention for Jack. They don’t seem interested in babies. Recently, Ben has been winning Ms. Jan and Mr. Paul's hearts. They invited us over to swim in their pool and have dinner tonight. Ms. Jan made her family's traditional blue Jell-O with colored marshmallows on top. It looked God awful to me, but Ben was just in heaven. He was covered in the sticky blue syrup and kept asking for more. Ms. Jan just grinned ear to ear as he gobbled the blue Jell-O goodness. She said she couldn't wait to call her kids (they have 7 kids between the two of them) and tell them that the blue Jell-O tradition lives on in her "Texas Kids". Mr. Paul talks like Donald Duck and Scooby Doo, the kids just eat it up. For several months Jack was telling people that he lived at 1122 Boogie Woogie Avenue just like Scooby Doo. Now, Ben tries to imitate Mr. Paul when he talks like Donald Duck. They say bye-bye to each other over and over again. Ben is just so darn lovable right now! I think that Benny is going to be giving Jack a run for his money. Ben even tried to climb into the stroller last week before Jack got to the door. Ms. Jan called yesterday hoping to sneak Ben out on a walk but he was napping. I think this just might be the first girl that Ben and Jack fight over!

Done

We turned Drew back over to his parents at lunchtime today. I am going to miss that little dude. I have learned that we are officially done having children. I enjoyed having Drew; it was great to have a baby around again. But, I don't think that my kids would like to have another sibling. Ben started pouting yesterday because he hadn't gotten his quotient of cuddles this weekend. We took all four kids to a friend's house for her birthday party last night. One of Ben's biggest fans was at the party so Ben parked it in his lap and snuggled in for most of the evening. Ben wasn't his happy smiling self until we came home from lunch. I am not sure how he knew that Drew was gone, but it really seemed like he knew everything was back to normal when we got back.

At breakfast, Travis was playing with Drew and Lauren looked across the table and shouted "NO, Lauren's daddy!"

Jack was an enormous help with feeding Drew and holding his hands while I changed him. He was really proud to be the big cousin and I think he felt good knowing that he was needed. But, this morning when I asked him to feed Drew so I could change Ben and Lauren's diapers he told me that he was getting a little tired of always feeding the baby. This leads me to believe that he wouldn't be the huge help all the time if we had another one.

I did learn that I could do it, but I don't think my household would be as happy. I missed my own kids. I was just spread a little too thin, everyone had all of their basic needs taken care of, but it seemed like all four of the kids were feeling a little shorted. I wonder if people with really big families know each of their kids individually. I guess we will just need to get our baby fix by taking care of Drew every now and then. I do hope that it was as good for Nicole and Trey as it was for me because I would like to take him every couple of months. I certainly got to know him a lot better when I had him to myself rather than just getting together with Nicole for a playdate.

Bennis The Menace

Jack and Lauren are having the best time with their cousin Drew! Ben and Lauren were the first to get up this morning and Lauren and I actually carried on our first conversation.

Lauren: Where's baby Drew?
Me: He's sleeping.
Lauren: Why?
Me: He's tired
Lauren: Why?
Me: Because he played hard with you yesterday
Lauren: Why?
Me: Because he enjoys your company
Lauren: Why?
Me: I'm not sure
Lauren: Where's Jack?
Me: Sleeping
Lauren: Why?
Me: Why do you keep asking me why?

This morning Lauren held the bottle while I held baby Drew. Jack was highly pissed off when he saw this happening.

Jack: I am the big cousin that is my job!
Me: Well, you were upstairs, so Lauren had to do it
Jack: Did she feed him his fruit?
Me: No, he doesn't eat his fruit until later this morning
Jack: I get to feed him his fruit and his bottle next time since Lauren has already had a turn!

I asked Jack to sit with Drew while I was doing the laundry this morning and Drew was not happy that I had set him down. Jack was hollering from the family room "mom, he wants two people to sit with him!" I wasn't in the laundry room two minutes when Lauren came in announcing "Drew crying" and pointing like a mad woman. I am not deaf, I am fully aware that he was crying, but the laundry doesn't wait. Jack and Lauren are such good big cousins.

Ben on the other hand has no love for baby Drew. Ben sneaks away at every opportunity when I get busy with the other kids. I found him in the pantry in the dark shoveling cookies into his mouth. Another time I found him rooting around in my office. He doesn't show any interest until out of the blue he comes over to bop him on the head with his sippy cup or pull his toes. I guess Ben is feeling a little threatened that his position as youngest boy is being taken!

Can We Keep Him?

My sister dropped my nephew off this morning for the weekend. This is the first time Drew has been away from his mom AND dad overnight. My sister has left him with her husband overnight, but I am the first overnight babysitter. I am actually quite honored! She has already called twice and he has only been here for 7 hours, but whose counting! Jack loves having Drew around. He is being a great big cousin. He is being really helpful. I can see the benefits of having kids further apart! He fed him his green beans and his bottle tonight. Luckily Drew is a pretty easygoing kid and took it all in stride. As Jack was feeding him his bottle we discussed Drew.
Jack: Mom, do you think Aunt Nicole will let us keep baby Drew?
Me: I don't think so sweetie
Jack: Why not?
Me: Aunt Nicole loves baby Drew very much
Jack: So do I!
Me: Yes, we love him, but Aunt Nicole is his mommy
Jack: Maybe we should just ask?



I took the baby to finish up the feeding just in time for him to blow chow all over me. I am not sure if Jack still wants to keep him. After I got everyone all cleaned up Jack said "I am going to sit way over here in case he throws up again"

What Have I Done?

I had to run a couple of errands this morning, but Jack had trouble tearing himself away from the TV. I admit that the dry cleaners and the bank aren't very exciting and are definitely not glamorous. But I had to get it done before baby Drew arrives at 10am, so I turned the TV off. The kid went into hysterics! I got his clothes out and continued getting him ready while he cried. Then I got tired of listening to his crying. I had a headache from the monthly drunko (bunko with plenty of alcohol) game and I snapped and made a threat. "If you don't quit crying you are not going to watch TV for the rest of the day!" He continued to cry. "1-2-3" Counting usually works. I don't know why it works and I don't know why it didn't this morning. He continued to cry. "No TV for the rest of the day!" The crying actually got louder "1-2-3” Still crying. "No TV tomorrow either, do you want to lose TV for the whole weekend?" The crying was now so loud that I am convinced my hearing was being damaged and my head could explode. "No TV Sunday!" This went on until he had lost TV until Wednesday. Five days without TV, what was I thinking? This is a bigger punishment for me than him.