Mommy called the dr & the dr said...

"NO MORE MONKEY CLIMBING ON THE CHAIRS!"

This is a crappy picture, but Bella has a fat lip. Guess why??? Arghhh! I put her in her little chair with a show on for a minute while I went into my closet to change my clothes. Within seconds I heard a crash followed by a terrible sounding cry. It was a different cry & I knew Bella was hurt. It looked much worse than it was because I ran out & she was in a weird position stuck between the chair & the desk. I picked her up & there was blood all over her mouth & shirt. After I got her mouth to stop bleeding, I could tell it was just a split lip. Pheww!

Obviously I need to get this climbing thing under control though. I must have Mommy amnesia, because I know that Sam was the biggest monkey ever, but I can't remember how we handled it. Stern & consistent isn't working. Any advice?

New tricks

By definition "Timid" and "Assertive" are contrary traits. However, in this little girl, they co-exist in the same tiny body as friends. We were at Babies R' Us the other day & she was pulling her usual trick of resting her head against me whenever anyone so much as glanced in her direction. Then she saw this ride on toy & immediately perked right up! I put her down she walked right over to the little girl, who was riding on it, bent down to be able to look her directly in the eyes & and gave her the look. You know...the "there's a new sheriff in town" look. It actually worked & Bella rode around the store much longer than we really needed to be there. It was cute to see her excited about a toy and it was all pink & girlie, so I caved & we brought the sheriff's new vehicle home.

All the kids go bananas over Len laying on the floor. They crawl all over him & he plays & wrestles with them. Lately, Bella sees the fun & walks over there like she's Butch the bouncer at the most popular Hollywood nightclub. She throws her arms as she aggressively walks through the crowd to get to her station. She's claimed her position as "Queen of the mountain!" (Not that your stomach is like a mountain, Len. Lookin' good honey!) xoxo

Here's another example of my timid, shy child trying to take out her older brother. Whenever I grab the camera & tell someone to "smile" it's a cue for Mack to come running. He can hear me pick up the camera from anywhere in the house & has to be in every possible picture! This morning I was trying to capture Bella & her new trick of climbing on every chair in the house. She saw Mack trying to spoil her shot & started shoving him out of the picture. Hopefully "Timid & Assertive" will turn into "Meek & confident" as she grows older!

Bella's on top of the kitchen table whenever possible the last 2 days. I have been trying to be stern & tell her "No", especially considering we have tile in the kitchen. She thinks it's hilarious & now waits for me to catch her & then runs the length of the table. It's so scary & totally needs to be dealt with before she cracks her head open. I'm working on a new approach that she will take seriously. I did capture her giving me the "come & get me" look before she took off running yesterday though. It's so cute, even if it's completely insane! It still just floors me (no bad pun intended) that my sweet, shy, timid little girl has found this new aggresive side. I am remembering many instances of little boys at this age climbing out of cribs, scaling the cupboards & teetering on the edges of their highchairs though. I guess it's the age...or our genes!

P.S. I think an alternate caption for this photo could be:
"does this diaper make my butt look big?"
It's cute when your 1!

Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine

"Work hard, play hard" this is what I always tell my kids. Yesterday that's what I did- I worked hard to get my reward at the end of the day. It was Thursday, I was exhausted, but I pushed through knowing that at 8:00 when everyone was in bed I could plop on the couch & watch the 3 TV shows that I enjoy guilt free. At 10:30 my TV comma was interrupted by our sick little Bella crying. After she went back to sleep, I finished the last 10 minutes of my medical drama, which ended in a preemie baby dying, me bawling & my foggy head drifting off to dreams of a better world before it hit the pillow. At 1:30 a.m. when my lovely dream world was shattered with cries from my sweet baby, the memories of that preemie dying came rushing back & I welcomed her hugs, held her a little longer, told her in my mind how much I loved her more intensely. At 3:30 my tired mind & body were less sentimental, but I went in and hugged her because I know how hard it is to sleep with a stuffy nose. At 5:00 I sighed & threw the pillow over my head. For a moment I dreamt of putting on a cute matching workout suit & going to the gym, trading in my droopy boobs for the perky version, hitting my husband to wake up in the middle of the night for something other than filling the humidifier, and a massage. Do all those people who say they get massages on face book really get them? Really? I want a massage. Instead I try not to hit a wall as I wobble across the hall into Bella's room for what feels like the hundredth time. At 6:30 I finally just bring her to bed with me & she was actually falling back to sleep...and so was I...then, "MOMMY IS IT MORNIN'?" I crack open one eye & look at the clock. 7:01 a.m. "Yes Sam, I guess it is". Let the party begin. Within seconds, there is a bright light, the theme song to "Umi Zoomie" blaring & kids jumping on me. I lay there starring at the ceiling realizing the only exercise I'm probably going to get today is running up the stairs 20 times to fetch chocolate milk & bring up laundry. If I do get dressed, I better wear my padded bra. And that massage I dreamed about? Whatever. I'm just whining.

No time

I really don't have the time to blog today, but I am in a sentimental mood today & wanted to take a few minutes to write. There are several things that have happened this week that have caused me to stop my life for a minute, totally embrace someone else's life, reflect & appreciate the small things. I am grateful right now for empathy, for visiting teaching, amazing friends that are like sisters, books, diversity, my husband, my boys, my baby girl, the gospel, health & hope.

"When we are in charge- holding people together, giving support & order- there are delays. Like the sun, we slow down for those who need us." Wayne Brickley

funny kids

So, I started off the day with a good amount of energy & ran some errands, like renting movies for my housebound boys, popsicles for sore throats & frozen pizza for a quick & easy dinner.

In the car on the way, I looked back at cute Bella & gushed how glad I am that she's part of our family. Then, I looked at the boys & told them how awesome they are & I said "we have an awesome family huh?" & Sam said "Ya- and awesome jackets!" as he's wearing his ugly hand me down parka!

Then later, Mack said "I wish I didn't have a stripe on my throat."

They helped me smile on this very long day :) After the errands & getting everyone fed lunch, Bella was napping & I was half playing Lego's with the boys, half reading "The Lighting Thief". My head & eye lids suddenly felt very heavy & I realized I needed to rest. I zonked out right there on the floor & it felt great!

Still determined to feel better by tomorrow, so I can go out with Len for Valentine's Day.

Club Med- for antibiotic junkies only

So, does anyone else have the experience of thinking or saying something & very quickly the opposite happens? Like you just jinxed yourself? During the holidays, I remember telling people how healthy we've been this winter. BOOM! Since January it's been one thing after another. Everyone in the picture above is currently on antibiotics (some on their 3rd round of them). Bella has an ear infection, again, and the boys & I got the good news today that we have strep.

Len is trying to stay healthy, while nursing us back to health, and study. I've been trying to convince him that it's not too bad studying at home- why spend all that time away at the library? He says there are too many distractions at home.

I think I'm loosing that battle.

This guy is the only one yet to catch anything (there I go jinxing someone again). Noah barely eats enough to keep a bird alive, avoids all meat other than bacon, and sneaks treats whenever we turn our backs. Go figure why he's the healthiest one in the family? Maybe it's positive outlook.

I still believe in mind over matter. Generally, I can avoid getting terribly sick if I don't concentrate on it, keep going, take lots of vitamins & clean like mad! Can you really ever feel better if the vermin are looking at your house like it's prime real estate? With 4 kids, this is what happens if house work is avoided for more than a few days. Although, there are those time you have to succumb to the fact that your body needs rest...and a new toothbrush!


You see, Bella walks around with a toothbrush in her mouth almost all day long. Yes, I take them out of her mouth & put them back all day long too (I'm not a totally negligent mother)! The boys are now in the habit of grabbing any old toothbrush in the drawer & using it, since theirs has usually walked off with Bella. So, today we got new toothbrushes for everyone with separate cup holders so that we can all have our own, clean toothbrushes that Bella can't reach! Hopefully this will help cut back on germ spreading a bit.

Tomorrow is light switch & doorknob bleaching day... I w i l l w i n (either that, or I just jinxed the heck out of myself & will be flat on my back all next week)!

Big girl!

We finally turned Bella forward facing in her car seat yesterday, which happened to be her 16 month mark. She went to the pediatrician Friday for another ear infection & she weighed in at 17# 4oz. I asked the doc about the 30# guideline for forward facing & she said that's what the standard is, but she & most other pediatricians use the guideline of 20# or 1 year & walking. This is also what Noah's pediatrician told us when he was little. I, of course, want her to be as safe as possible, but she was going crazy in the car reverse facing. It wasn't very safe because I was always trying to reach back & comfort her. She was very happy yesterday to look out :) She also wore her big girl shoes for the first time yesterday. She is growing up quickly!

Today

Women are angels, and when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly....on a broomstick. We are flexible!

I should have figured...

My little girl LOVES her brothers & imitates everything that they do. Somehow I was still shocked when we were sitting there the other day & she picked up a toy gun & started making shooting noises! All I could think was "Nooooooo!" I need to go buy Barbies tomorrow :)