New Years Eve

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

New Years Eve! (Blue Moon tonight.)
This year we are staying home and having a nice dinner. All our children are bathed and in their jammies - me too. Tommy just got home (with roses that he gave me for putting up with him for another year) and he is putting steak on the grill. It's 11 degrees outside, but nothing stops him from grilling. I've got the shrimp chilling in the kitchen.
Resolutions. First, I'd like to keep de-cluttering our home. Clutter equals stress. I want to be surrounded by things that mean something to me, things that are special. Second, I want to have more time to enjoy my husband and children. I spend so much time doing laundry, cleaning the house, and worrying about other "messes." Third, I want to finally do something creative and meaningful with my photos. I have many and lots of ideas, but they just sit there.
A year from now I will have to check back and see if I kept these.
At midnight I will give thanks for my family and friends. I hope that 2010 will be filled with happiness, good health for all, and many joyful moments. May the new year be kind and gentle to us.
Will there be any new Shermies this year? Ha! I told Tommy about a new Bench Dream. In this dream there was a little dark haired girl struggling to get on the bench. I'm not sure if she had trouble with her legs or if it was because I (and Tom) kind of struggle with "family planning." Not sure what to do. I want to accept the children God blesses us with. I just pray we are also given the ability to take care of them the best we can.
Good-bye 2009. The best part was giving birth to Jacob Edward. He fits right into our family. He is a handsome little boy. Loves to smile, and eat!
I love my husband, he is my best friend. I love our 7 children, they are amazing and are symbols of how much Tom and I love each other. We just need to keep our faith strong and trust in God.

Christmas

"For unto us a child is born"

Christmas Eve. We got dressed up and went to mass in the afternoon. Ethan sang in the choir. Our girls put on their fancy dresses and our boys put on their nice shirts and slacks. My husband looked very handsome in his suit. I brought my camera this year. Perfect opportunity for a picture of our children. They're all dressed up and the church is filled with beautiful flowers.
After mass we did our "night out." Every Christmas Eve we go out to a restaurant for dinner. It's a treat for our children. This year we ended up at Cheeseburger in Paradise - there aren't many restaurants open on Christmas Eve after 5:00. It was very good. I do love that place. Can I just mention that I find it kind of annoying that a tip is added automatically to our bill at restaurants. Can you really count little children? I can see a "party" of 8 adults being automatically charged, but we're a couple with children. Doesn't really make sense to me.
After, we went home and made some reindeer food, got out the cookies we had made for Santa, and tracked Santa's sleigh on the internet. Everyone got ready for bed and Tom read a few Christmas books including 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. A nice, peaceful evening.
Christmas Day! Yay! Happy Birthday Jesus. And something I noticed - you get "Christmas" when you put my name with my hubby's name. CHRISTine&thoMAS :o)
Our son Ethan was the first one up - at 2:50am! A Christmas Story was playing nonstop on tv so he had something to entertain him while he waited. Rachel was up at 4:00am. She came into our room to wake up daddy. He sent her back to bed. A couple hours later we were greeted by our oldest boys with cups of coffee. After we finished one cup, we headed downstairs to very excited children - and one sleeping child. I don't know what time Leah got up, but she was already napping on the couch.
Less than an hour later, 7 children were busy playing with their new toys.
Later, we got dressed and went to my sister's home for dinner with her family and our parents. It was very nice. Our children love to hang-out with their cousins.
By the time we left, the ground was covered with snow. I like snow, but don't like driving in it. To fit everyone, Tom and I have to drive separate cars. There was one moment that scared me while driving home. Tom was in front of me at a stop sign. My brake was to the floor and I wasn't stopping. I laid on my horn to signal Tom to move forward. Thankfully, he did. I "crawled" the rest of the way home.
The next day it snowed - all day. Our children had fun playing in the backyard and we got back to baking cookies. We ended the day with pizza and the movie The Sound of Music. Our children enjoyed watching a movie about another family with 7 children - and we all enjoyed singing along to the music.
On Sunday we ran some errands, including running to Goodwill to drop off donations of clothes and toys, then we went to evening mass. There was a lady in front of us that was there with her 3 sons. After mass she came up to me and told me she came from a family with 11 children. She enjoyed seeing our family. I love when people come up to us after mass. Church is one place we don't seem so "different" being a big family. I especially love when people come up and tell us how well-behaved our children are. It's nice to hear.
This morning Tom had to go back to work. Wait. I've been working on saying "get to..." instead of "have to..." So I should say: This morning Tom got to go back to work -- because we are thankful.
Children and I have been doing laundry (because I "get to" do laundry), reading many many books, doing homework (I personally wish they didn't have homework over break. It's "break") and cleaning up toys. There are Nerf Darts all over our home!
Now I "get to" make dinner for my family. Something warm. Then maybe a good movie together.
It's been a wonderful Christmas, filled with wonderful moments.

Caroling

"God bless us, Everyone"

The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is to sing outloud for all to hear. (Don't you love Elf?)
Last night was amazing. A group of us came together to surprise a family who lives in the same subdivision I do. Their incredible, beautiful 6 yr old son has cancer. His name is Carter. When I first heard about Carter, I prayed. My family prayed - we still do. I read his father's blog every time he adds to it. You can tell that he has a very strong faith. His writings are wonderful.
At the beginning of this school year I heard that Carter's mother was going to join our church's Young Mother's Bible Study group. I was very happy that she was going to join. We are a great group - very supportive of each other. I had the pleasure of finally meeting the mother that I have had in my prayers. I also finally got to meet Carter a few weeks ago. He came down to Children's Liturgy on a Sunday I happened to be one of the "teachers" for. He looked at me and asked me if I was the one that brought him downstairs (he is in a wheelchair) and I said No, but I would stay next to him. He reached over and grabbed for my hand. I held his hand and at that moment gave thanks to God for letting me be there at that moment and finally meeting this amazing little boy. When Children's was done, I stood with Carter and waited with him. A few of my children were downstairs with us and so I introduced them to Carter. They were also very thankful for getting to meet the little boy we pray for at night.
So, back to the surprise...At one of our Bible Study meetings one of the ladies brought up caroling - another suggested doing it for Carter and his family. From there, it took off. Fliers were made and me, my son Brandon, and four others went around the entire subdivision and put the fliers in every single home's mailbox. We went back to one of the lady's homes and went over what songs to sing. Phone calls were made, emails were sent, and the news spread quickly. Yay Bible Girls! We anticipated a huge group. My husband went and made 500 copies of the song sheet. I don't think I've ever been so excited about the night of December 23rd before.
Last night the weather decided not to cooperate. It was miserable out. It was icy, wet, and windy - but that didn't stop a big group of us, including Santa Claus himself. There was a fire truck, police cars, and an ambulance with their lights flashing. There was a photographer there from one of the newspapers too. Santa led the way as we all walked to Carter's home singing Rudolph. Carter and his family were very surprised. We sang for about 30 minutes - which included singing The Chipmunk Song twice (Carter's favorite) and then we headed home. Once home, we laid out our soaked clothes and made hot chocolate. Then I went on Facebook and read that Carter and family were interviewed by a news reporter and were going to be on the 10:00 news. Today one of the radio stations called Carter's mom and interviewed her. There are going to be many more people out there that know about this beautiful little boy and his family, which hopefully means more donations towards their medical bills (who needs to worry about stuff like that) and definitely more prayers. This would be a great time for one of God's gracious miracles.
Today we are getting ready to go to Christmas Eve mass. Our son Ethan is in the children's choir. We will have to arrive 1 hour before mass - we'd have to anyways to get a seat for all of us together.
Tonight we will make more cookies, read some Christmas books, eat a special dinner together, put reindeer food out, and track Santa on the internet.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

Another Week

"Christmas - it's all about The Gift"

Holding my newest child, Jacob. He is so precious. I love how his little head fits right into my hand. I love his little ears perfectly formed. I love how his little feet caress my arm when I hold him. Amazing. Beautiful.
Saturday was Noah's First Reconciliation. I had gone to confession at my Bible Study, so Tom took the boys. Fr. Steve told Tom that Noah did very well and nailed the Act of Contrition prayer. I'm impressed. I still read from a card or let the priest say it when I go. Noah has inspired me to learn the prayer.
On Sunday, we took our children's picture for our Christmas card and we got our Christmas tree decorated. It is filled with Tom's Trains, Brandon's Tonka's, Ethan's Snoopys, Noah's Arks, and our daughters' Barbies. Somewhere there is a shopping bag with a little Pooh Bear for Jacob's first Christmas. Hopefully I find it before Christmas Day. After we were done decorating the tree on Sunday, we did our Advent candles. Tom and our children sat at the table (Brandon laid on the floor next to them.) Tom lit the 3 candles. I stood and read a story from the Bible. For every day of Advent, there was a little part of the story of Jesus. After each reading everyone was to respond Come Lord Jesus Come - and they did. It was a very special family moment. I was so proud of our children. They listened and participated very nicely. We treated everyone to ice cream before going to bed.
Monday, Jacob cried every time I put him down. By Tuesday, I was worried. He has had a cough for awhile, but acted fine. Brandon stayed home because his throat hurt, so I left the girls with him and took Jacob to the pediatrician. When I got there, Jacob was smiling and cooing and just happy as can be. Little stinker. Everything looked and sounded fine - which I am happy thankful for. Peace of mind is worth the co-pay.
Last night Sarah woke me up around 3:00am. She was whining her sister Leah's name - but then she coughed and it was that ugly barking noise. Croup. I jumped out of bed and Sarah and I spent the next hour in the bathroom. I ran the hot water - it seemed to take forever to get the steam to fill the room. She was breathing fine, but kept coughing that horrible sound. I've been through this many times before, so I tried to stay calm. I am a huge believer in the power of prayer. I decided to pray the rosary - using my 10 fingers. It kept me calm and let me focus on Sarah's breathing. After I was done, we were able to comfortably leave the bathroom and go to me and Tom's bed. I took my holy water out of Jacob's cradle and blessed Sarah with it. She smiled at me and tightly hugged my arm. Good mommy.
Today, Sarah is still coughing, but acting ok. She did give me a little scare. After my "school crew" left, I noticed Leah had left her Flintstone vitamin next to her juice cup. I went into the next room and was soon followed by Sarah. She had Leah's cup in her hand. I immediately thought "Uh Oh!" I asked Sarah if she had eaten Leah's vitamin. She smiled and nodded her head. She is 2 and only supposed to have 1/2 a vitamin. Now she had had 1 & 1/2. I decided to Google it to see if I should panic. Let me just say - Never look up anything medical on the internet. Everything that came up was scary. I called my pediatrician's office and left a message. The nurse called me and we calculated Sarah's weight and the amount of Iron she took. She was well within the "safe" zone. Thank goodness. Later, when Leah's bus was coming, I went to get my boots on and found a wet Flintstone vitamin on the floor. Sarah had put it in her mouth, but hadn't eaten it. I showed it to Sarah, and again she just smiled. I think her first smile when I asked her about the vitamin wasn't to "soften me up" but was her saying " This could be fun. How crazy can I make mommy?"
Well, the girls went upstairs to play dress-up and they accidentally closed the gate. They are now trapped upstairs and yelling for me - which has woken up little Jakey. Guess I should go let them out and then I will snuggle with Jacob. Did I mention how much I love how my babies smell? So sweet! Maybe my girlies would like to take a nap while I rest with Jacob and get a little Jacob Aromatherapy :o) Ok, that sounds a little weird, but just snuggling with him and taking in his scent is very relaxing to me. It's that special bond between mommy and baby.

One Year Ago

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

One year ago today I took a pregnancy test. I remember being very surprised by the result. I was supposed to have minor surgery later that week. I'm not sure why I did the test. I really had no reason to think I was pregnant. I wasn't "late" or feeling different, I just had this feeling that I should make sure that it was safe to have the surgery. At first there wasn't a line - then slowly there was a very faint line. I put the test on the floor and covered it up with a magazine. Somehow that was going to make the line disappear right? I came out of the bathroom crying and shaking. Tom quickly asked me what was wrong. He was very concerned. I could barely get the words out. We were both nervous and surprised. Tom went outside to shovel the snow and when he came back in we just hugged.
Now a year later, I can't imagine life without little Jacob. He is such a blessing. Sweet baby. He looks at me with such love in his eyes - as if he recognizes me. I am so excited to have another son to raise. As always, God knew what was best for me and Tom and our family.
Today is the day Mary heard from the Angel, Gabriel that she would be the mother of God's son. After mass tonight there will be special prayers for babies - just like last year. I am looking forward to going - if the weather lets me. We have a bunch of snow today and we're going to get more. My children are hoping to stay home tomorrow from school. Good thing I bought some hot cocoa and marshmallows :o) Snow days are fun days if you don't have to go out. I enjoy having everyone home and spending the day watching movies, listening to music, and playing games together. Plus, our Christmas tree is up, but there aren't any ornaments on it yet. Decorating our tree would be a nice way to spend the day.

Give Thanks

"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel."

Where did November go? I can't believe it's December - and still in the 50's outside. Woo Hoo! I am not a cold weather person. I'm not looking forward to driving in snow.
Thanksgiving. Had a wonderful day with my family. Tommy got up and made everyone a wonderful breakfast so that we could eat dinner a little later this year. We played Christmas music and looked through the ads for the next day. (The weekend before, we put out Christmas lights and decorations.) Tom's mom came over for dinner and we all said what we were thankful for. I am very thankful for my family and that everyone is healthy. I am thankful that my hubby has a good job, we have a home, warm beds, food, clothes,...There are evenings when I'll curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and watch a good show and be thankful. Many nights after tucking everyone safely into their beds, I smile and say "thank you." My life is filled with many blessings. I can have a cup of tea whenever I want. I can take a hot shower everyday. I can go to my kitchen and eat something when I'm hungry. I can put on a sweater or turn the heat up when I'm cold. I can dress our children in clean clothes. I can get them medicine when they're sick. I can give them "juicy" when they're thirsty. We have so much to be thankful for.
Black Friday. Tom and I got up at 4:00am and left for shopping. Jacob came too. We had a wonderful time spending the day together. Plus, it's the one day we give ourselves permission to buy "toys." We shopped for about 12 hours - and thankfully we are done. We went home to eat some leftovers - we had doubled all the sides this year and bought a 20 lb turkey - leftovers were nearly gone when we got home. Our children can eat!
The next day we went to church for Saturday evening mass because our van was still "full." It was nice out, so the 9 of us walked to church. I don't know why we don't do that more often. It was actually very nice - and a lot less stressful then trying to get everyone into 2 cars. Plus, it let our children get some energy out before sitting through mass.
Sunday we got a lot done around here. We moved the baby crib out of the girls' room and into the boys' room. Ethan was pretty excited that Jacob was moving in. Now we just have to get Leah excited about moving into one of the top bunks and Sarah excited about moving into a big girl bed on the bottom bunk. Right now Sarah sleeps on a crib mattress on our bedroom floor. Of course, when she saw her crib in the boys' room she got upset and cried that it was her bed. She hasn't slept in it for weeks - I thought she would happily pass it on to her baby brother. I guess change is hard for everyone though. I'm not looking forward to taking Jacob out of the cradle next to me and into his crib. He sleeps through the night, but I still like the comfort of having him right there - I still check on him during the night. The rest of the day was spent trying to clean and rearrange the 2 bedrooms so that we can bring the girls' dolls upstairs for them to play with - and to get the dolls out of our Family Room so we can put up the Christmas tree.
The next day, our son Noah turned 8 years old! He brought treats to school and I took Leah, Sarah, and Jacob to his school to surprise him for lunch. We brought Wendy's! Love the Frosty! A mother I met a few years ago at Ethan's baseball game was there too. I forgot that we both had boys born on the same day and that they were in the same class this year. She brought Wendy's too. It was nice to sit with another adult and chat during lunch. I really do love going to my children's schools for lunch. I know a lot of the other children at the schools. I love hearing "Hey Noah's mom!" or one of my other children's names :o) For Noah's birthday this year, we got him a Nintendo DSi. His siblings want them / have them so we thought he might. He loves it! We usually either have a party or buy a "bigger" gift. Noah's birthday is right around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it's easier to get him the bigger gift and let him do something special with 1 friend or family. This year, Tom took him to a Chicago Wolves hockey game. They went last weekend. Noah had a great time! We are now a family of Wolves fans. Noah got a bobble head, a shirt, and a hat. Tom said when they would tell the crowd to make some noise, Noah was the loudest! Everyone around them would look and smile at him. Sounds perfect for Noah. He even had a popcorn fight with one of Tom's co-worker friends.
Today I am trying to play catch-up with our home. Laundry is piled everywhere, items we are going to donate are in bags and boxes all over, and just the everyday things need to be done. So much that has to be done - and so much I'd rather be doing, like Christmas cards, Christmas letters, wrapping, decorating,...My friends and I have a Christmas magnet we'd like to sell for charity, but looks like that'll be on hold until next Christmas. We'll do it. And someday I'll get around to doing the "crafty" things that I'd like to do. I keep putting it on hold to be Mom. That's ok. The right time will come. A year ago I thought was the right time. I had plans, but little did I know that God had a different plan. We would have another son to love and to be thankful for. Another blessing in my life. "Thank you."

My 40th

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip!"



First let me start with Halloween. We had a little birthday celebration for our daughter Leah with neighborhood friends. Everyone came over in their costumes and had chili and cake. Our 3 girls were very "girlie" this year. Sarah was Snow White, Leah was Tinkerbell, and Rachel was Belle. Our boys just threw on whatever they could find in our costume box - they're only in it for the candy. Plus, what does it really matter when it's freezing outside and you have to wear a coat, hat, and gloves with your costume. At 4:00 it was time to go out for the candy collecting. Our oldest went to a neighbor's house and helped with their Haunted Laboratory instead of trick-or-treating. We had 5 going out to collect the goodies, so we had plenty to share. (Jacob stayed home with Grandma while she passed out the treats.) I did enjoy the 3 houses on the block that had "treats" for the moms and dads. And there is the gentleman up the street that always plays the song Thriller in his garage. That is one song that you just have to dance to. After trick-or-treating Tom took a few of the older children to a Haunted House and a few of our neighbors hung out at our home. I loved that Halloween was on a Saturday this year.

Next came my birthday week. Our children had school on Monday and Tuesday, then were off for parent-teacher conferences. We had all 5 of ours on Wednesday. They went well. No big surprises. Thursday I woke up to coffee and handmade birthday cards. Yes, I spent my big 40th birthday - day at home taking care of 7 children. Not too bad :o) We had a good day. I really tried not to do any kind of housework - I definitely didn't do any laundry on my birthday. In fact, I let myself forget about laundry the whole weekend. By Monday, the boys were frantically looking for clean socks and underwear. (My girls just got out their Christmas socks. It's not that far away.) Anyways, that night my husband surprised me with my friend that I have known since I was 5. She told me she was coming on Friday, but there was this little part of me that thought she might surprise me - and she did! My friend, Kimmy took the train from Iowa with her 3 girls and Tom picked them up from the station. We did a lot of chatting and facebooking, (I learned a few tricks on FB.) ordered Chinese food and made plans for the next day. I took them to their hotel that night then picked them up in the morning. Tom made an awesome breakfast! We loaded up our 2 cars and went to the Brunzwick Zone. We bowled, played video games, and played lazer tag. My children were really enjoying my birthday! That night we had our usual pizza-movie Friday and Kimmy's husband drove in from Iowa. It was late and we were all very tired. Guess I was feeling my new age.

Saturday was beautiful! Kimmy and her family came over and we all went to our favorite park. There is a huge slide on the side of a hill. Our children enjoyed going down the slide for awhile then we had everyone get together for pictures. It's pretty amazing to look at 10 children standing together and realizing that Kimmy and I were the mommies of all of them. Ok, mostly mine, but still. A little crazy to think where we've been and where we are now. Beautiful group of children by the way.

After the park we went to get ice cream. We went to Chef Will's place. Great guy - Great ice cream! He is going to be on the next Hell's Kitchen. It'll be fun to watch. We'll be cheering him on. My older boys even asked for his autograph and we got a few pictures with him too.

When we got home Grandma came over. She was going to watch a few of our children while we took the older ones out with us for dinner. Little did I know there was another surprise waiting for me. My friend Suzie. She came in with her husband and 2 daughters. Sue and I met in Jr. High. We were laughing at certain parts of the book, The Thornbirds while secretly passing it back and forth during english class. We got in trouble and have been friends ever since. Side story: Whenever one of my kids yawns and it makes me yawn - I laugh. I've told them the story of Sue and I proving how contagious yawns can be. English class, sitting in a circle, reading Romeo and Juliet outloud. We decided to pretend to yawn to see how many people we could get to yawn. When someone did, it was pretty funny, but the highlight was when our teacher yawned. (I can't remember his name!) We laughed so hard and got into trouble again. I believe we were always getting into trouble with that teacher :o) And now I have a son in Jr. High...goodness. Back to Saturday - We went out to Buffalo Wild Wings. Wings, drinks, trivia, darts. Had a great time. Picked up some desserts on the way home then just hung-out for awhile. Pretty wonderful to have Kim and Sue there for my birthday. I hope my children make special friendships that last a lifetime too.

On Sunday we went to church in the morning and then had to say good-bye to Kimmy and her family. Hopefully we'll get together in Des Moines in a couple months for Kimmy's 40th.

Baptism

"Thus says the Lord: Shout with joy for Jacob..."

That was the first line of the First Reading at church this last Sunday - the day that Jacob was welcomed into the church through Baptism. This was my "sign" that we were all there on the right day. Baby Jacob Edward was supposed to be baptized on this date.
It was a wonderful, special weekend. On Saturday we went to the hospital where 4 of our children have been born, including Sarah. Sarah was 6 1/2 weeks premature. She was in the NICU for 12 days. This last Saturday was a NICU reunion. The first one they've ever had. It was nice. I actually saw the little boy who was next to Sarah in the NICU. I had remembered his name, then asked his mother the date he was born to confirm it was him. How amazing to see him and Sarah now standing next to each other. We also recognized one of our nurses. She had actually remembered us when we came in to have Jacob. (Born 10 weeks ago today.) I was sad that Sarah's doctor was not there. I had brought a picture of him holding Sarah when she was in the NICU. He would call her his "buddy." He took special care of Sarah.
Sunday was Jacob Edward's special day! God blessed us with a beautiful, sunny day. My sister, Ann and her husband, Steve are his godparents. They flew in from Texas. I love Baptisms! We had many family members with us. And I must say, Jacob looked absolutely handsome. He was staring at me, smiling through most of the readings. He cried a little when the blessed holy water washed over his head, but not much. Fr. David was the priest who baptized Jacob.
After Jakey's Baptism, and many pictures, we went back to our home for yummy chili and cake. We had 2 cakes. One for Jacob and one for my sister, Maureen and my daughter, Leah's birthdays. (Maureen's was last week and Leah's was yesterday.) We opened presents and took more pictures. While I was pregnant, one of my "Bible Girls" sent me a "mini" rosary for my baby. This was the day I gave the rosary to Jacob. I got some sweet pictures of him holding his rosary and some with his rosary sticking out of his pocket.
My sister Ann stayed with us for the next 2 days. We had fun. Lots of playing, tea drinking, and chatting. My girlies had us playing with dollys, reading books, playing princesses on the Wii, coloring, and doing hair styling. My boys joined us for a game of Disney Scene-It and DVR recordings of The Middle.
My sister was also here for Leah's 4th birthday. We put a candle in her pancakes and sang to her. Our mom had spent the night too. Later, when my dad came over, Leah was greeted by all of us when she got off the preschool bus. We had lunch, more pictures, then it was time for our parents to take Annie to the airport. I was a bit tearful. We had a wonderful time and it was nice to have my sister here to help and to just hang out with. We had joked about getting her an "I Survived" t-shirt. Our children loved having Auntie Annie here - and so did I. We can't wait for her to come back.
Today was our first day studying Mother Teresa at my Mother's Bible Study. We also had trick or treating. Jacob had on his clown hat and Sarah dressed up as Snow White. Both were pretty adorable. We all brought treats to put in their bags. The wonderful men and women that care for our children, so we can have this time together, brought them in to trick or treat. It was cute. Some days it is hard to get up and go, but I enjoy my Bible Study - and I love my Bible Girls.

The Power of Prayer

"Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you."

Sneezing and coughing in our home. Ugh. Started with our oldest. All of our children got the flu shot - well, not our baby of course, so I'm hoping this is just a cold and not the more serious flu. I have the print outs of what to look for and when to seek medical care. I'm going to be a little crazy during this season. I think that's the hardest part about being a parent. I'm so worried about my family's health. Tom reminds me to just pray about it. I'm trying.
So today I am home with all 7 of our children. I'm a bit outnumbered. The laundry and general cleaning of our house might have to wait. What's the point? What's that saying? Cleaning your home while your children are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing. Something like that :o) I think they have every toy in the playroom out. Guess that is what a playroom is for. It's also not very quiet here. A few disagreements with some whining. I hear some coughing and sneezing going on too. I've already taken Lysol wipes to the tv remote, computer mouse, door handles, and phones. We've got the hand sanitizer for everyone to use before going near baby Jacob. I need to go buy some of the spray.
Jakey is going to spend most of the day in my arms - mainly because I feel ok and don't want anyone who is sick to touch him, but also because he wants to be entertained these days. We have his little seat inside his playpen with a musical toy attached, but he'd rather be with us. The paci keeps him happy if he's tired, but he cries the moment it falls out.
Jacob's getting social. He loves to smile and is just learning to Coo. Tom and I were at our Couples Bible Study Friday night. Jacob seemed to realize he could make noise during that meeting. He was looking at me and there was just this "surprised" look on his face when he made a little "k" sound. He did it a couple times then smiled at me like - "Did you hear that?" - then tried it a couple more times. He seemed very proud of himself and I was proud of him too. I am looking forward to watching this little boy grow up. It's amazing to think that a year ago I had no idea I'd have anymore children. I was focusing on having surgery on my legs. I'm so happy that God had other plans for me.
When I think even further back, about 1 and 1/2 years ago I was on medication and told that I had a condition that was pre-cancerous. I'd have to have tests done every year, have to remain on medicine forever, and needed to do something to make sure that I did not get pregnant. One night Tom was working late and I had all our children in bed and/or comfortable with a movie. I just wanted to take a warm bath. When I was done and out of the tub, I started to cry. I fell to my knees in the bathroom and just cried and prayed. I told God that I knew he wouldn't give me more than I could handle and that this was something I just couldn't handle. After a few minutes, I heard the big garage door go up. I quickly threw on my pj's, dried my eyes, and ran downstairs to greet Tommy, thrilled that he didn't have to work as late as he thought. But Tommy wasn't home. Instead, in my kitchen stood my mom and dad. Wow. First of all, they weren't planning to visit from Iowa until the next day. Second, they usually only stop by my house on their way to my sister's when they get in in the afternoon. Normally they would not stop by at night - it was after 8:00 - they'd call and come over the next day so they could see their grandchildren too. All that, plus it was the fact that they "knew" to just let themselves in that made me know that God had sent them during a time I really needed them. He was showing me that He was not going to leave me all alone through this difficult part of my life. He heard me. (I tell people my mom has a direct line to God.) Anyways, back to my health issue. I happened to see online that there might be a "cure" to my problem at the Mayo Clinic. I had been there before for 2 lung surgeries (I will have to blog about that later. That whole health thing was a blessing. It's how Tom and I really came together.) I called Mayo and they got me in. It happened to be at a time that my parents could come live at our house with our 5 children - Tom and I took baby Sarah with us. After a few appointments and tests, they found that I was misdiagnosed and taken off all medication. (Sarah had been on meds too - they suggested that we take her off hers when they asked why she was on it. We did and she was fine.) You know, before all of this I went to see one of the boys from Medjugore speak. We were able to watch him as he saw and spoke to Mother Mary. We could put prayers in a box there that he would give to Mother Mary for us. I put in different prayers for my family and loved ones. For myself, I asked for courage. I believe the courage I was blessed with is what got me to the right place and the right doctors.
On the way home, after all was done at Mayo, we stopped by a place where they were building a place to pray. It was built for praying especially for unborn babies. We spent some time there. It was beautiful. In the gift shop there were many beautiful and religious statues, jewelry, and other items. I ended up buying a simple little prayer card. Prayer for Health: O Sacred Heart of Jesus I come to ask you for the gift of restored health, that I may serve you more faithfully and love you more sincerely than in the past. I want to be well and strong if it is your will and rebound to your glory. If in your divine wisdom I am to be restored to health and strength, I will strive to show my gratitude by a constant and faithful service rendered to you. Amen. I feel so strongly that Jacob was/is a gift (All children are.) and that I can show my gratitude for my restored health by being a good mother to him and our other children.
I had made a CD of religious music that I love. I listened to it on our long drives back and forth to Mayo. I made copies for my Bible Girls and still hand out copies to those I feel need some "hope." Music (and prayer) helps me get through so much. I wanted to do something to help spread hope and God's love. I want my children to know the power of prayer. (I'm still trying to show Tom that praying to St. Anthony for lost items truly works.) The other night I was getting dinner on the table. Tom was working late, but I was still trying to get all our children to the table at the same time so we could eat together. Jacob was in his seat and was starting to cry. Everyone was in the kitchen and so I decided to start saying grace. We all said it together. When we were done Brandon asked me if I noticed that once we all started to pray aloud, Jacob stopped crying. I smiled at him and said yes, I had noticed.

6 Weeks

And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children he said, "Who are these with you?" Jacob said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."

It is Saturday morning. Tom said I could sleep in, but Jacob said I couldn't. He wins. Wow. I did not blog much in September. Having a new baby and having school start for 5 of our children has kept me busy. Plus, it's that time of year when my Family Room looks like a resale shop. I'm switching out our children's Summer clothes for the Winter clothes. It's not a fun job. It's starts out ok, but then it gets very overwhelming. Boxes and bags of girls and boys clothes from newborn to size 16. For myself, I am packing away my maternity clothes and trying to find "regular" clothes that fit me. I'm not quite back into my old wardrobe yet. That will take awhile - especially with the cold weather coming. Being inside all day with little ones, a lot of snacking goes on.
I did have my 6 week check-up this week. All is fine. I always get uncomfortable thinking about this appointment. This is where they bring up the "c" word. What bothered me more this time was that the nurse asked me about contraception while she was checking me in - doing my weight and blood pressure. I didn't think it was something I needed to discuss with her. I really do like my doctor. He seems to understand that Tom and I have a hard time with this. He didn't try to talk me into anything, just gave me some options and told me to call him if he can help me with any of them. I just gave my usual answer, that I'll talk to Tom. (The nurse seemed upset with my answer.) Even now I'm not sure what to write because I don't want people to think that I judge others because of their choices on this. I really don't. I understand and believe that people have to do what they're comfortable with. I believe it's between them and God. But honestly...I do feel that Tom and I are judged by others. Mainly strangers. Lots of looks, lots of comments. People really do ask us if they are all ours when we're out. They ask if we know what causes it. They ask us how we can afford all of them. (We can't. Just kidding :o) Tom and I just dream of the vacations and cars we'd be driving. Ha!) They tell us we're brave. (I prefer when they say blessed.) Or they just stare at us. A few times I've heard people quietly counting our children then making a comment under their breath. I'll just smile at Tom and say "we just got counted."
One time this Summer we were at a pizza restaurant and an older gentleman walked by our table, looked back, and counted our 6 children then said to our waitress "6!" Our waitress was very sweet, probably around 18 yrs old, and after taking our order asked us if we were planning to have any other children. I stood up and showed her my very pregnant tummy. She smiled and told us that she was the 7th child in her family, that's why she had asked. She said it was nice to see a big family.
Earlier this week I took all 7 of our children to our pediatrician for flu shots - Jacob just came along for the ride. (When I told my OB this, his nurse asked me "By yourself!?" - Yes. I do that.) My children were very well behaved. They were playing together at the tables and reading books. They got a lot of stares, which is fine. I'm getting used to it. Plus, I know it's really because they're all amazingly beautiful :o) When we went into the room for the shots, it was nice to see them helping each other through it. They were trying to make each other laugh so they wouldn't be so scared. When it was done, they each got a lollipop. All better.
On our way out I saw a lady that goes to the same church we do. She has 6 girls. She came over to me to see our baby (she happened to be at the doctor when we brought Jacob in for his first appointment too.) It's nice to bump into someone you know and/or who understands having many children. She is always very sweet and asks how things are going. When we went to the dentist last weekend (it's a Saturday morning event every 6 months) the receptionist told me that she is one of 7 children. She always wondered how her mother did it, but now she looks at me and sees how it can be done. I'm going to take that as a compliment.
It's a cold, gray day outside this morning. Makes it hard to get going, but we have a Little League game to get to. Noah hasn't hit a ball during a game yet. I pray that today is the day. (Yum...Brandon just gave me a piece of Monkey Bread he just made.)
After writing about all this - it reminds me of a saying I thought was funny and true. For Christmas, one of the gifts I bought Tommy was a coffee cup for work that says "Stop asking me if I'm going to get fixed. Obviously, nothing is broken."

E's Birthday

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Our son Ethan "E" turned 11 today. He is child number 2. Ethan is a great child. I enjoy being with him. I let him sleep in a little this morning, but then we had to rush around a bit. There wasn't enough time to make a big breakfast for him, so we stuck a candle in his Cocoa Pebbles and sang Happy Birthday. It worked.
Later, I took Leah, Sarah, and Jacob to Ethan's school for lunch. He's 11, but still gave me a hug when he saw me there waiting for him. He sat with me and talked to me about the different kids in his class. When lunch was done he gave me a kiss and a hug and then kissed his sisters and baby brother. Ethan is very caring and loving towards his family (most of the time.) He is always looking out for his siblings.
I have a very close relationship with our oldest child Brandon. I'm trying to have the same kind of relationship with Ethan. Lately I feel like he's been trying to share more and is feeling more comfortable talking to me. Our children are so special to me. The other day when we were at the park and there was a lady yelling at a child (not her own) I told Tom I was glad she wasn't talking to one of our children like that because I'd have to approach her. Tom made a comment about how there was no way I'd confront the lady. Ethan quickly reminded Tom about two times he's seen me confront another adult in front of him. Once when we were in Wisconsin and there was a man at the swimming pool making comments about my children and my nieces and nephews. Then there was a neighbor who lost his "cool" while talking to me about an incident between his child and mine. I was surprised Ethan brought these times up - but glad that he realizes that I will "defend" my children - and also glad that both of these times (there have been others, but maybe E wasn't nearby) I stayed calm. I try not to yell or say "not so nice" words. I personally find cursing to be immature. I'm not big on confrontation, but there is just something about defending your children. I am protective.
I am also proud to say that Ethan has proven to me that I can trust him to make the right decisions (at this point in his life.) We had a talk about him following rules even when Dad and I aren't around. I know it can be hard to do, and at first he struggled with what we talked about, but now he seems to understand. Rules are rules. He's a good boy :o)
Ethan loves to write and wants to be an author of "creepy" stories someday. (He already has a great title - which I'll save until he has written his first book.) He is a creative story teller. He also loves to play baseball, four-square, and video games.
So there is my blog dedicated to our birthday boy E. We love him. He is a very special part of our family.

1 month old

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there."

Baby Jacob Edward is 1 month old today. Amazing! He is starting to make more eye contact - really checks people out. Gives little smiles when you talk to him. I took Jacob shopping last night, bought him a few outfits. (Love the clearance racks at Kohls - plus I had a 30% off coupon.) I am trying to get used to buying little boy outfits again. I'm so used to buying dresses and pink clothing. It was fun. I am looking forward to raising another little boy. His brothers want him to dress really cool. I got him a little denim jacket, Tony Hawk pants, camouflage clothing,...I'm sure his sisters will have some input too.
I just saw a preview for New Moon - the second Twilight movie. Looks really good. I can't wait to see it. I enjoyed all 4 books in that series. Fun to read. And our son happens to have the two main characters' names, but that's by coincidence :o)
Noah had a baseball game today. He just isn't into baseball. Coach has to keep saying Noah's name to get him to pay attention to what's going on around him. Oh well. At least he "kind of" tried it. We'll find something he is passionate about. He loves to draw like our oldest son. Maybe Noah will be artistic like Brandon. Brandon loved karate when he was really young, then tried soccer and baseball and in Jr. High did wrestling. I'm hoping Ethan or Noah want to try wrestling since we now own all the gear :o) Brandon is an incredible artist. I hope he can find a career using his wonderful talent. Ethan has a great time playing baseball and basketball, but wants to spend more time writing stories. He enjoys Goosebumps and wants to write books that are a little creepy. It's so hard to know what to sign your children up for. I want them to have a chance to try many different things, but in reality, that's expensive and it's impossible for me to take everyone to everything.
After Noah's game we played at the park again. Love our park! Our children played on the big hillside slide for a long time. We decided it was time to leave when the "grumpy" parents showed up. Goodness. I kept telling my children not to stare, but they found it hard not to. One mother started yelling at all the children on the slide trying to find the "bully" that took her child's wax paper (it helps you go down faster when you sit on it.) Then another father ran up the hill to yell at all the children to find who pushed his daughter and made her cry. Well, I believe they were both looking for and yelling at the same little boy. He was probably about 3 years old. As a parent, I would have been more upset at these adults yelling at my child, but I think this little boy's poor father was embarrassed or just to the edge of his patience. The whole park could hear this little boy cry as his father took him away from the slide to put him in "time out." Soon the father could also be heard across the whole park yelling at his son while holding him down. It was sad. One moment they're having a great day at the park and next it's just a complete meltdown for both of them. Tom and I told our children it was time to go. Just a bit uncomfortable at the park - they didn't argue, I think they were feeling uncomfortable too.
We ran to the store to buy Brandon some new shoes - the boy is growing! And then to another store to get Ethan's birthday gift. Went home and made everyone get in the shower or bath - Rachel, Leah, and Sarah were covered from head to toe in dirt from the park :o) Then we had pizza and watched a movie together. I love when we are all together. Every week I receive emails with prayer requests - makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for.

God Bless the USA

"A Baby's smile is as loving as an Angel's touch."

September 11th. Today our family wore red, white, and blue to show that we will never forget. I still remember getting our oldest child, Brandon ready for Kindergarten, taking care of Ethan, and being pregnant with Noah when I turned the tv on. I saw the twin towers, the planes and yelled to Tom that there was something terrible happening. We sat in our family room not believing what we were seeing. We will always remember that day in 2001.
On a day that holds so much sadness, I do have one little bit of personal joy. My littlest boy gave me a gift. Jacob has given me small "smirks" here and there before, but tonight I lightly touched his cheek while nursing him and he gave me a beautiful smile.

3 Weeks Old

"Babies are such a great way to start people."

Baby Jacob Edward is 3 weeks old today. Time goes by so fast. He is a beautiful little boy. Such a wonderful baby. He just fits right into our family. All of his siblings adore him. Noah and Rachel tell me I had a very cute baby in my tummy. Ethan likes to tell him stories and Brandon calls Jacob his buddy. He already talks about visiting home when he's in college and taking Jacob out for lunch and spending some one on one with him to make sure he gets to know his brother. Leah loves to hold Jacob and just smiles at him. Sarah loves to hold Jacob too. She still gets a little jealous. She wants to sleep in our room just like Jacob gets to. She wants me to put her in a stroller when we go out just like Jacob gets to. We're going to put a "bed" together for Sarah on our floor so she can sleep there when she wants to - and I guess I might have to get a double stroller. We did buy Sarah her own baby doll stroller and a little baby boy doll for her 2nd birthday. Now she can take care of her own "baby" while I'm taking care of mine.
Today I went to my Bible Study at church. I have missed going. We were on break for the summer. Wonderful group of ladies and friends. Sarah gets to play with a group of children too. She usually cries for a couple of minutes when I first drop her off, but then she starts to play. We are blessed with a wonderful group of volunteers that take care of our children and teach our children about God. I enjoyed introducing Jacob to everyone. Last time I saw most of them, I was still pregnant. There is just a special feeling I get when I'm at church and holding my new baby. I guess it's because I am in God's house and know that He gave me this precious gift.
I don't get to stay and chit chat after Bible Study anymore. I have to hurry and get out as soon as it is over. Leah's bus comes about 20 minutes after Bible Study is scheduled to be done. The one good thing is that Sarah spends all morning playing and comes home ready for a nap. Today, she fell asleep on the floor in our front room while I was writing an email. I got her in a more comfortable position then walked into the kitchen where I found Leah asleep on the floor. Really not sure why she picked that spot. I picked her up and put her on the couch. I nursed Jacob and he napped in his pop-up crib in our Family Room.
All 5 of our oldest are in school. We're off to a pretty good start. A few forgotten assignments here and there, but we'll get on track. Brandon's bus comes first in the morning - an hour before our other children's. Leah's preschool bus now comes next. She looks like such a big girl getting on the bus. She has her purple Tinkerbell messenger bag swung over her shoulder and she just walks proudly to her bus. Today she walked through the boys playing 4-square at the end of our driveway, got hit by the ball, stood still for a moment, then walked to the bus. She stopped for a quick moment to turn back towards all the mommies and daddies and smile with a little bye-bye wave. You can picture her as a professional businesswoman getting onto a bus downtown.
Noah is still trying his best at baseball. He was getting bored at his last game - playing in the dirt while playing outfield, playing with his hat, spinning around,...so the next inning Coach had Noah be catcher. You can't get bored when there's a ball being thrown at you every minute. Noah did well and I think he's found a good position. Rachel is loving her new Power Tumbling and Trampoline class. She wants to go every day. She is so flexible (and loud!) Yesterday she had to bend backwards, put her hands on the wall, and "walk" her hands down the wall to the floor so she's in a bridge position. My back hurt watching her. She did it several times - really enjoyed it. She likes to yell for her coach to watch her and likes to yell out that I'm her mom when she sees me through the window. Rachel is very loving and sweet - hopefully she'll always be that way :o) Thankfully those are the only sports going on in our family right now. I can only do so much running around.
On Wednesdays we will soon have Religious Education too - Brandon will have it on Sundays. He also does activities with Jr. Youth at our church. (This year, his design was chosen for the front of their shirts.) This weekend is Cardboard City. They will build shelters out of cardboard and stay the night in them. They'll have just the clothing they are wearing and they will eat pb&j sandwiches.
Tom and I will start going to our Couple's Bible Study again soon. We also took a summer break. Not only is it nice to meet with other couples, but all of our children get to be together too. There is childcare (If Brandon isn't doing something Jr. Youth that night, he helps do childcare.) and our children enjoy getting to hang-out and getting to know each other. I love that they're making friends with children whose parents I know and who have similar family values.
The first bus of the afternoon is due in a few minutes. I still have 3 little sleepers, so I have to put doggy outside so he doesn't bark indoors at the bus and I have to unlock the front door so the doorbell doesn't get used.
Oh,...2 days ago was my Daddy's birthday. Happy Birthday Dad! Yesterday was my Parents' Anniversary. Happy Anniversary! And today is my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!
Now it is time to make some tea, put on some music, and take a few deep breaths before I am thrown into the world of homework.

Doing Ok

"And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen."

Yesterday our littlest girl, Sarah, turned 2. We had a little party for her on Sunday. It was fun to have family and friends over to celebrate. We kept it small since Jacob is so young. Little Sarah stayed awake through lunch, gifts, and singing happy birthday to her. After her siblings helped her blow out her 2 candles, she fell asleep at the table. She couldn't even wait for a piece of cake. So cute. I made sure she got some of her cake and ice cream when she woke up.
Jacob will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. He is such a good baby. He fits very nicely into our family. Everyone loves him and he is such a laid back little boy. Even in the middle of the night, he doesn't cry. He'll stir a little and I'll pick him up and feed him. (Jakey sleeps in a cradle next to me.) Last night we were up for awhile. Jacob didn't cry, he just laid there looking around, staring at me, cuddling with me. It was nice to just focus on each other. We hung out and cuddled and I fed him a few times until he fell back to sleep.
Today Leah, Sarah, Jacob, and I sat outside and had a picnic for lunch. We're not going to have many more warm, beautiful days before Winter gets here. We played with our neighbors and now I have 1 little boy napping and 2 little girls playing Barbies. I'm hoping they decide to take a little nap soon.
Rachel starts her new Tumbling Class today after school. She is very excited. Noah has Baseball practice. Last Saturday he had his first game - and his first experience wearing a baseball uniform and cup. Poor kid kept picking at his pants. His coach came up to me and told me that he was practicing with Noah before the game, and Noah said "What is up with these costumes?!" We're going to try something new at today's practice. Looks a little more comfy.
Day 2 of being on my own. I'm doing ok. I think it helps that everyone in our home is in bed by 9:00 at night. I make their lunches before I go to bed. (Even Tom's now.) Makes the mornings a little less hectic. Just have to focus on breakfast and getting everyone dressed. The afternoons are a little crazy. Everyone wants my attention at the same time. Either they want to tell me about something that happened at school and/or they need me to help them with their homework or sign something. Jacob is kind and patient for mommy. If he isn't happy, there are siblings that love to hold him. Ethan held him for me last night and was teaching him all the parts of his body. Brandon is at the age where he can be a huge help. He loves to cook so he helps me with dinner and also loves to hold his baby brother.
I belong to a Bible Study group. Best group of ladies. Many of them are bringing my family dinner 3 nights a week. Last night we had a very yummy dinner brought over. It was so nice to not have to make dinner. I am very touched that my Bible Girls are bringing us dinners. Very kind of them. I have a little difficulty asking for and accepting help, but I really do appreciate it. I'm getting better. I realize that it is God who has surrounded me with wonderful friends, family, and support.
I really miss having Tommy home, but we're thankful. Thankful for what we have. Thankful that Tom has a job and that I am able to stay home with our children. Thankful we have clothes to keep us covered and warm as I do huge piles of laundry. Thankful we have a home, cars, all the necessities as I pay our bills. Thankful for our home as I vacuum and clean each room. Thankful for our family as I take care of each child - even when they're whining or giving me a hard time. We are truly blessed and I am truly thankful.

1 Week Old

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

Jacob Edward was born on Wednesday, August 19th at 1:34 pm. He weighed 8lbs 3oz and was 21 inches long.
Tom and I went to the hospital at 7:30 am Wednesday. We got settled then the doctor broke my water and the nurse started the pitocin. Once the contractions got going and I got more uncomfortable, I got an epidural. I like to enjoy my children's birth. Unfortunately, it only fully worked on my left side. I could still feel the contractions on my right side. It wasn't too bad, so I decided to wait it out and see if it got better. I had a button to push to get some extra medicine if I needed it and it took the "edge" off for awhile. Around 12:30 they checked me and I was about 4 1/2 cm. We felt safe to let Tom go get some lunch at the cafe. At 1:00 the nurse checked me again and I was 6 1/2 cm. Tom came back in and we let him know. About 10 minutes later I told the nurse that I was in a lot of pain. I wanted the Anesthesiologist to come and fix my epidural. The nurse said that she would call him back, but first wanted to check me again. Baby was right there - I was 10 cm and ready to push. But my doctor was at his office, not the hospital. The nurse called him and for about 25 minutes I had to breathe through the contractions. I must say that I think I handled the contractions very well. It really did help to stay calm, focus on my breathing, and remind myself that each contraction meant I was about to meet our newest son or daughter. That is what really got me through the pain. When my doctor got there and got set up, it was one push and the head was out. One more and the shoulders were out. The next thing I heard was Tom telling me we had a little boy. And little Jacob came out crying. Beautiful baby boy! I held him for a moment then they took him to check him out and weigh him. His Apgar scores were 9 and 9. When they handed him back to me he nursed right away. Amazing that they know what they need right after being born.
Later that evening, Tom went home then brought back my mother and all of Jacob's siblings. They didn't get to spend a lot of time because visiting hours were almost over. They were running late because there had been a tornado warning. When I had called to see why they weren't at the hospital yet, Tommy answered his phone from our basement. But everyone did get to come and meet Jacob. Our other children were very excited to meet him - except Sarah. She was happy to see mommy, but not so sure about the new baby. Rachel told me I did a great job - Jacob was so cute. They all took turns holding Jacob and getting their pictures taken.
Tom went to church with our oldest 2 on Sunday. Tom saw a couple we know from our Couple's Bible Study. They were also expecting a baby. Turns out, they had a son on August 19th too. Same hospital and were in the recovery room next door to ours. Too bad we didn't realize that while we were there.
And yes, our son's name is the 2 main characters from Twilight. I am a Twilight fan - read all 4 books, but that isn't who he's named after. Jacob is a great biblical name that's been on our list. We have 2 daughters named from the same biblical story. And Edward is my daddy's name. Jacob is named after my father and has the same birthday as Tom's father. That's fair :o)
Plus, got to love Jacob's initials. "JES" then you just add our family or "US". Remember December 8th? Ties in nicely with the story of Mary finding out she'll have a son named Jesus on the same day that I found out I was pregnant. And my "Bench Dream" - I do have a boy. We'll have to wait and see if he looks like the little boy in my dream as he grows.
Jacob is 1 week old today and is a wonderful baby. He sleeps in a cradle next to my side of the bed. He wakes up, eats, goes back to sleep. Only cries when he needs something. Gets lots of attention. Even Sarah held him today. She cried when I had to take him from her to feed him. She loves him - we all love him. Tom cleaned out the basement and we found lots of boy toys and some clothes. I'm excited to have a little baby boy again. I am a bit emotional right now. I cry a lot, but they're happy tears. We may not have planned a 7th child, but I am so thankful that God did. I am so in love with this little boy. He is going to get so much love and care!
A little bit of funny: Sarah points to me when I nurse Jacob and says "Jacob's Juicy?"

Baby Update

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Tom went with me to my NST and appointment this morning. NST looked great - once they gave me a brownie to eat. Yum. Then the doctor checked to see if there was anything going on and I was 3 cm! So excited! I started clapping, which Tom thought was kind of a weird visual :o) So now we are waiting to see if I go on my own tonight, otherwise we will check into the hospital tomorrow morning at 7:30 to help get this labor going. I am very excited, but also a bit nervous. All of a sudden I don't feel prepared enough.
Tom went back to work and I went shopping with my dad this afternoon. I bought a few more things for school - lunch and snack items. Came home and found all the lunchboxes and labeled them with their names. I am now giving the girls a bath (boys can bathe themselves) and we're going to pick out our "1st Day of School" outfits to help make Thursday and Friday morning a little easier for their daddy.
Friday is Leah's very first day of school and I was hoping to be home to get her on the bus, but I won't be coming home until later that day. My doctor said he could send me home Thursday night if baby and I are healthy, but I told him no. I want my 2 days. Tom can handle it and can take lots of pictures. I'm not trying to be selfish, I just like to have those 2 days to bond with our new baby and I think it's safer to let us be observed for at least 48 hours. (Especially if this is a boy and he has a "c" the next day.)
The laptop will be staying home, so I'll have to add a post when I get home. I want to focus on baby - plus, we'll be busy I'm sure. I'm hoping Tom will bring all the siblings to visit tomorrow night. He usually does. You can hear them coming down the hall at the hospital :o)
My mom will be staying the night at our home tonight so we can either sneak out in the middle of the night if we need to or get up and leave bright and early. I hope I can get some sleep tonight.
Oh...there go those butterflies again - or maybe that's just baby :o) LOL All will be ok.

Due Date

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you as you are to them."

It's baby's due date. Where's baby? I will go in for another NST tomorrow morning followed by an appointment to see if there is any progress. My parents got into town last night so they'll be here to keep an eye on our 6 children and will be here for when baby decides to come out.
I did get phone calls from our children's teachers and went in to meet 3 of them today. My husband took our oldest to get his schedule and locker set up. So now we've met all of our children's teachers and have dropped off all their supplies. We're ready. Let's do this baby :o)
I went to our church, St. Mary's, tonight for Eucharistic Adoration - Benediction. It was a nice, peaceful moment. I sat in the back row next to the stained-glass window of St. Veronica. She is the one who wiped Jesus' face while He was carrying the cross. This is also the name we have chosen if our little one is a girl. Veronica / "Ronnie". I think it's a beautiful name and I like that it is the name of a woman in the Bible who showed great care and love for Jesus. If our little one is a boy we like the name Jacob / "Coby". Follows the story of Rachel and Leah (2 of our daughters) in the Bible.
This will be a short one tonight. It's hard to type on a laptop when you don't have much of a lap. It keeps slipping. I should get some rest in case tomorrow turns out to be an extra special busy day.

Still Waiting

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."

Another NST this morning. Baby was comfy, just relaxing. Little movement here and there. The nurse came in and put both her hands on my belly and really shook it. Ouch. Wow! Did that upset baby! The heart rate went from 130's to 160's and stayed over 150 for about 10 minutes while baby rolled and kicked. Doctor came in and was very pleased and took me off the machine. I thought we were going to talk about possibly inducing, but different doctor equals different opinion. My next appointment is Tuesday - 1 day after my due date.
Hopefully baby comes on his/her own this weekend. School starts next week. I would like to be home with baby so Tom can take our older children to their Open Houses and I'd like to be home to see everyone start their first day of school. Especially Leah. She'll be starting preschool and riding a bus to school for the first time. I did call her teacher this week and we did go in and meet her. Leah loved her classroom and is very excited to go back. I just have to believe that somehow everything will work out ok.
I will miss the slow mornings around here. Our oldest boys have learned that I'm much happier when I wake up to coffee, so they've been making me half a pot and bringing me a cup when I wake up. Tom has been making them do chores every morning too. Brandon and Ethan need to do 2 chores each before they can play video games or get on the computer. And these have to be "real" chores. Feeding the cat and dog is a necessity, not a chore. Cleaning their room is an expectation, not a chore. They have been very helpful with doing dishes, vacuuming, dusting, laundry, cleaning the bathrooms,...The younger ones even get into it now. They want to help. Leah likes to help empty the dishwasher. Noah and Rachel actually fight over who gets to clean the windows. This morning I was woken up by Rachel going into my bathroom to get the trash out. She had "baby" Sarah following her. It was cute. Rachel was sweetly saying "Come on Sarah." And they went around to all the rooms together. I'm going to miss my little helpers during the day - or as I like to jokingly call them - my little dwarfs :o) I do have 7. Guess that makes Tommy my Prince.
Our pets seem to know there is a new little one arriving soon. We have a 19 lb cat named Moose and a German Shepherd named Cody. Cody started protecting me more than usual when I first got pregnant. Now that baby is almost here, he doesn't leave my side. Sweet. Now Moose is curling up next to me more often too. They're both very good around our children. Moose lets children crawl all over him and he doesn't like to sleep alone. He cuddles up to one of us at night. I think Cody thinks we're all just part of his pack.
After pizza - movie night tonight I think Tom and I should go for a long walk. Tomorrow would be a good birthday for our child. August 15th is a special day in the Catholic church. It is the Assumption of Mary. One site that I looked at said that it is also known as Mary's Heavenly Birthday. Kind of a "full circle" since I found out I was pregnant on December 8th. That is the day the Catholic Church celebrates the Angel Gabriel telling Mary the news that she is pregnant with Jesus. Plus, Tom and I finally have a boy and a girl name picked out :o) Now we just wait...

Where's The Baby?

"Some people care too much, I think it's called love."

Went to my doctor this morning. Receptionist laughed (with me) when I waddled in :o) I can hardly walk. The nurse commented on how firm and tight my tummy is - there is no more room to stretch. I am as big as I can get. Had another NST today. Baby was pretty sleepy when we started, but after some peanut m&m's, baby woke right up. Normally the heart rate is in the 130's while resting and 150's when awake and moving. Today (after the candy) baby's heart rate was in the 150's while resting and 170's while moving. Doctor did a check and baby's head is in position & down low. I am about 1 cm dilated. He sees no reason for me to have to wait until next week if baby doesn't start coming on his/her own. I will go back in on Friday if I am still pregnant and do one more NST, then we will make plans for this little one's birthday. I would like to just "go" on my own and not be induced, so I am praying that baby comes this week. If baby is still not here by the end of the week - I am not going to argue with inducing. My nights are very long and uncomfortable and walking around trying to take care of 6 other children is getting diffcult. Just doing one little thing around our home exhausts me. Even driving is getting hard. Last Thursday on the way home from Rachel's gymnastics, I had to pull over and rest, drink some water.
Tom and I are pretty sure we're having a boy, but there is a chance it's a girl. We have a boy's name picked out, but not a girl's name. I think we'll just bring along a list, along with the meanings, and if it's a girl we'll see what name she looks like. But even then, you never know. Leah was born with very thick, dark hair and dark eyes - within a few months, she was bright blonde with bright blue eyes. (Still is.) I'm sure the right name will come along if/when needed.
When I got home from my doctor appointment today, my 3 yr old and 6 yr old daughters were walking around with dolls stuck in their shirts. They were pretending to be pregnant. It was cute until they started acting out that they were in labor - then it was a little weird and kind of disturbing. My 7 yr old son was yelling "Push! Push!" Maybe I've been watching too many daytime birthing shows. The only time I ever watch those shows is when I'm pregnant. I even emailed the show "A Baby Story" when I was around 20 weeks pregnant. They sent me an application. I talked to my doctor about it and he was fine, but wasn't sure if the hospital would allow cameras. Then the more I thought about it, the more I really didn't like the idea of a camera man in the delivery room with me and Tom. Now that I am so close to giving birth, I'm glad I chose not to do it. For me, it's too personal and too precious to share like that. Our own video and photos will do.
So I should be holding the newest little member of our family this week. I can't wait to see what he/she looks like. I can't wait to have those little fingers wrap around my finger. I think our children are all ready too. My oldest 2 have been commenting on Mommy's Mood Swings. One moment I'm singing along to a song and the next moment I'm upset about crumbs on the floor. They usually start pretending to "freak out" with me about the crumbs until I start laughing. Sarah might not be too happy at first. She made me sleep in her room last night. Very mommy-clingy right now. Most of our children have been like this before a new baby - then they become daddy's little buddy when baby arrives.
I have many people praying for me and baby. I have many friends wanting to help at this time and after baby is born. I feel very blessed to have the family and friends that God has surrounded me with. Life is good :o)

39 Weeks

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

I am 39 weeks today. After having Sarah at 33 weeks, I really didn't think I'd get this far with this one. Baby is comfortable - wish Mommy was too. It's getting pretty crowded in there. It's kind of sad when your maternity clothes are really snug fitting. On Friday night the contractions were coming every 7 minutes. Tom was picking up pizza for dinner on his way home from work and I was calling him feeling a little scared that I needed to get to the hospital soon, then the contractions just stopped. I will go in for another NST and check tomorrow morning.
Yesterday was a wonderful family day. Went to mass in the morning (Donut day - always a great way to start.) then went to the IL Tourette Syndrome Association picnic. It was 90+ degrees, but we stayed in the shade and had a terrific time. We met some people that live near us, including one of the original women to start the Association in IL. We talked to her about our positive experiences with a couple of Brandon's teachers - esp. his 7th grade teacher. She has worked with Brandon to educate other students and teachers. This lady thought Tom and I should think about starting a support group for other families in our area. After we get settled with our newest family member, we will have to seriously think about it. Tom and I wanted to find a support group when Brandon was first diagnosed, but there wasn't one close enough to our home. We went to one, but it was kind of a far drive - children couldn't come - and there was a lot of negative stories being told. Tom and I were the only ones who were not angry and upset. I kind of felt bad, but also very blessed. We didn't go back to that group after that first night. I would like to have a group that included all family members and that had some positive stories / helpful advice that would help families to have positive stories. Back to the picnic -- Yummy food, funny magician, amazing balloon man, and fun activities and prizes. The magician liked having Noah as his "helper" and he was making funny comments to Rachel. Every child at the picnic won a prize too. We came home with a box full of beanie babies, hair clips, videos, games, books,...Ethan won a year of bagels and Brandon won a certificate to a hot dog restaurant.
After the picnic we used the Family Fun Bowling Package we won last year. Our children had a lot of fun and I was happy to be in the air conditioning. We then went to use Brandon's certificate and bought hot dogs for everyone. We found a nearby park and had our own little picnic. It was a lot cooler outside, so our kids got to run around and play this time. I sat with my camera and got some great pictures of Tom and our children playing. I think we all needed a day full of fun and fresh air.
Leah and Sarah are napping now. (Sarah is on my "lap.") I should really be doing the same thing. Hopefully my doctor gives me some encouraging news tomorrow.

Comfy Baby

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."

Baby is comfy cozy. On Sunday I didn't feel a lot of movement during the day - I felt enough that evening to feel comfortable. On Monday baby was moving just a little again. I didn't feel the usual rolling around that I was used to - it was more of slow pushing and nudging. That evening when Tom got home I shared my concern with him and we decided to call my doctor and go to the hospital for an NST. When the nurse hooked me up, baby started rolling around. Little stinker :o) Making mommy feel silly. But then s/he stopped, so what we thought was going to be a quick 20 minute test, ended up being over an hour. I had to turn from one side to the other and finally got baby moving again. The nurse took the machine off, but then came and put it back on when they realized the baseline had changed. The doctor was called and they talked about the test - then decided that everything looked fine and we could go home.
On Tuesday I had to go back to my doctor for another NST, which went very well. Baby was back to being active during the day. Since I was 38 weeks (and 1 day) my doctor did an internal exam...nothing. No real signs that my body was getting ready. Baby was up high. I really believe that my baby moved back up. The couple days before I felt like baby was low and I looked like I was carrying lower -- now I look like I'm carrying "up" again. I guess s/he is just not ready. I am physically ready, but that's about it. I am excited to meet this little one, but I didn't get as much done around our home as I wanted to. The only thing I've found in the basement and washed is the carseat. We need to get the tubby, the stroller that goes with the carseat, and the cradle. I guess the clothes will have to wait until we know if this is a boy or a girl. We do have a little white and yellow ducky outfit to bring baby home in. We also have a little stuffed dinosaur that we bought for baby from Brookfield Zoo when we went to their dinosaur exhibit this summer.
Time to eat a little something and focus on baby's movements. I'm supposed to count all the kicks and nudges for an hour after I eat. The nurse told me to make sure I feel 10 movements in 4 hours - my doctor told me to make sure I feel 10 movements in 1 hour. Hmmm...that's a big difference in opinion. I think I'll just go by mommy instinct :o) I am scheduled for another NST on Friday. Come on Baby!

Enough Movement?

"Always Kiss Me Goodnight"

On Friday Leah was watching my tummy roll around and yelling "It's Alive!" as she giggled. She is so excited for the new baby to be born. Yesterday I got some cute video of Sarah talking about being a big girl and being a big sister while she and I had dinner together at the table. She was using a big girl cup to drink her milk instead of her sippy cup. I'm still not sure if she knows what's about to happen to her little world. And today Noah was helping me feel the baby move by poking at him/her and trying to name parts.
Which brings me to why I am blogging at 11:00 at night. Trying to figure out what to do. Baby hasn't been wiggling around like s/he usually does. There is still movement and I'm just trying to figure out if it's just smaller and slower because I am 38 weeks tomorrow and the space is tight or if there is a problem. With Sarah being born early because of my placenta not working well towards the end, it makes me worry. I ate some dinner, drank some milk, and had some ice cream. I've been drinking lots of water and I soaked in the tub for awhile. Now I am sitting in my rocking chair next to my bed not sure if I should go to sleep or not. Everyone else in our home is asleep.
I'm praying for more of a "sign" to know what to do. While I am writing, baby keeps nudging me so I'm feeling a little more relaxed. My bag is packed. My home is fairly in order. My wonderful neighbors are all "on call" for baby time. I am prepared if I feel like we should go.
My body feels ready, but my mind and heart are having a little difficulty with the reality of not being pregnant anymore. The last nine months went by so fast - I feel that way now. Amazing. I am looking forward to meeting this little one and holding him/her in my arms. I love how babies smell. I love their little feet. I love holding them over my shoulder as they snuggle up and sleep.
Maybe I should get a little sleep and see how I feel in the morning. Baby has been moving for me while I've been sitting here. Sarah has been waking me up at 3:00am almost every night, so maybe even just a little cat nap would do me good. I think Sarah is helping me prepare for being up with a newborn. (Oh - that was a wonderful wiggle baby just gave me.) I'm pretty comfortable with how much s/he is moving now. Maybe I just needed to slow down and pay attention. Good baby - and good night.

37 Weeks

"Live...Laugh....Love"

Tom is back to the office until Baby arrives. He got a lot done in our backyard. We have a beautiful shed - passed inspection! And a huge wonderful playset for our children. We still need the swings attached, but the slides are on and getting a lot of use. Now I need to find time to work on the inside of our home. Still can't even step into our basement. I have a hard time letting go of stuff, but I think I'm ready to go through it all. It'll be easier once we find out if Baby is a boy or a girl. We have lots of toys and clothes down there.
Today I am 37 weeks. Baby is moving around a lot. (Has the hiccups right now.) I really thought we'd be at the hospital yesterday. I remember having false labor in the past, but not like this. My oldest even said he's never seen me so bad before. But usually I go into labor at night, so they've never really seen mommy having true contractions. This little one is just teasing me. I would like to wait until August. I'm just not quite ready. Normally I get to a point where I am so uncomfortable that I can't wait to go into labor. I'm not there yet. I think it might be the thought of having a newborn to care for while also trying to get 5 children off to school every morning that's holding me back. I better learn how to be very organized very quickly. Lunches, snacks, bus schedules, homework,...and all the needs that a new little baby comes with. We're praying for a healthy, happy, patient child. I'm also praying that Sarah accepts her new little brother or sister. She has been very "clingy" lately. Still waking up and screaming until I get up and bring her to bed with me and Tom. I've tried letting her cry a little, but one of the older children comes in to let us know they can't sleep with Sarah screaming. I think she will enjoy the time we'll have together this year while Baby is napping - which they usually do a lot of at first. Sarah will get mommy all to herself in the mornings.
Yesterday was our church picnic. Lots of fun, good food - beautiful weather. I am so thankful that it has been a pretty cool summer. I was afraid I'd be suffering in the heat for 3 months, but it's been really nice.
When we got home from the picnic, Tom finished up the slides and we had some neighbor children over to help break them in. After I bathed our girls Tom and I had to go drop off the truck at his work. Not the thing we really wanted to do at 9:30 at night, but it had to be done. I am not big on driving on the Interstate - another reason to rethink the big family van.
Today I am going to take all 6 children to the pool. My neighbor is taking her 4. Should be fun.
There are a couple of meltdowns going on around me. Time to put on some music (totally changes the mood in our home - I recommend it.) Then I will let them all know that we are going swimming. That should make them all very happy.

Getting Ready

"Home Is Where Your Story Begins"

Lots of practice contractions going on. I even packed my bag last night and made sure the batteries for the cameras were full. It takes about 1/2 hour to get to the hospital. I am going to be ready to go when the time comes. I don't think our 7th baby will take long once labor starts. I want to be at the hospital with an epidural in place.
Went to my doctor again today. The receptionist gave me my hospital registration papers to fill out. I was looking through them, checking out the vistior hours, and it really started to hit me. It's going to happen. I am going to have a 7th child. Wow. I also had another NST today. Baby took a little nap again - but the chocolate chip cookie they gave me woke him/her up. Of course, once baby started moving around and getting their heartbeat going - the paper in the machine ran out. Thankfully s/he kept moving while they changed the paper and we got enough movement recorded to see that all is fine. S/he is in position. Sometimes it is very hard to walk.
Tom has been home this week getting some things done around the house. The shed is now painted to match our house. Yesterday while Tom was painting I went outside to chat with him and to just get some "space" - which never happens by the way. There is always at least one little person that follows me. Yesterday it was Noah. He did give us a good laugh though. Tom and I were talking and Noah kept trying to get in on the conversation. "What did you say? What?" We just looked at him and he finally seemed to get it. "Oh...you said something that is none of my concern." I guess he's heard that a few times before :o)
Tom is out there right now putting some final touches on the shed so the village can come inspect it tomorrow. I can't wait to park my van in the garage again. It'll be nice to have a place to store a bunch of our stuff. There isn't a lot of room in the garage with 8 bikes sitting in there, strollers, water toys, grill, mower,....this will be nice. Especially if we end up buying a "monster" vehicle. Yikes.
When Tom put the shed in, he had to move our swingset/fort. It kind of fell apart during the move and our children have been sad that their play area is gone (mommy too)...but there was a family who was getting rid of a swingset/fort and they said we could have it if we removed it. Tom spent a couple of days taking it apart piece by piece and with some help he got it to our home yesterday. I can't wait to see it all put together. It's huge! Good for 7 kids :o)
I looked on our school district's website. Open House for our children is the same day baby is due. I warned Tom today that he might be on his own to meet the teachers and take in the supplies. He didn't seem thrilled with that idea. He suggested I have the baby a couple days after my due date - that's when I told him that then he'll be doing the first day of school solo. Lunches, backpacks, forms to fill out, bus schedules...all for 5 children. Maybe a few days or a couple weeks early would be better.
I also have to decide what kind of activites to put my children in this year. Do I really want to run around that much when baby is born? No, but it's tough to decide what your children "need" to be in. School keeps them busy enough. Not to mention the cost of everything. Gymnastics, baseball, dance,...It's nice that our oldest can do activites at school in Jr. High and that he knows what he likes. He loves art and cooking and is getting more into writing. He is writing about having Tourettes to share with his teacher from last year. She was, and continues to be, very supportive of Brandon. We couldn't have wished for a better teacher for Brandon. He did great last year at school. A few struggles here and there, but a lot of improvement. I am so proud of the way he handles having Tourettes. He is such a great "kid." I put quotes around kid because he is only 13 and has his moments with his siblings, but he is also taller than me, his voice is getting lower, and he can be so helpful and caring. I enjoy the relationship I have with Brandon. He knows he can talk to me about anything. Being our first child, he did get a lot of one on one with Mommy as a baby. I was a nanny when I had Brandon and he used to come to work with me. I took Brandon everywhere. He was always a lot of fun, but also a handful at times too. (That's how I know there is hope that one day Noah's energy will be at a level I can handle someday too.) hee hee Noah :o)
Noah is showing signs of possibly having Tourettes too - now that we know what to look for - and that might be part of the energy. They used to want to label Brandon with ADHD, but we knew that wasn't it. Noah's teachers already agree that he does not have ADHD because they have observed him, but he is impulsive and does have some "tics" that really come on when you ask him about them. He did have an MRI done for headaches (which is usually caused by running around too much or from his head shaking "tic.") They found a cyst, but don't think it's causing anything. We'll be rechecking it in October. If it turns out that he does have TS, he'll have the best support ever from his biggest brother.
Each child is very special. Each child will have wonderful talents of their own. Each child will have their own struggles too. I am happy to know that our children have each other. There are days when they are yelling and fighting and running around in the house -- but it's the moments when they're playing nicely together, helping each other, laughing together that I'll remember. Some days may feel very long, but the years feel so short.

Nights Out

"Wish it...Dream it...Do it!"

Thursday night I went on a date with my husband Tom. We had a great time. We won a gift certificate last summer at the Tourette Syndrome picnic. It was for a restaurant downtown called Twin Anchors. They're pretty famous for their ribs. Lots of celebrities eat there or order from there. The movie Return to Me was filmed there and so was the bar scene from The Dark Knight. The food was excellent - and so was the service. Kimmy was our waitress and she was wonderful. When we were done and went outside there was a guy outside having a cigarette. He saw my very pregnant belly and asked if I was pregnant or was that the ribs. Ha ha got to love "drunk humor." I said I was definitely pregnant, but patted my hubby's tummy and said that that was the ribs. He then asked if this was our first child. I always put on a big smile before asnwering that question. I told him no, this is our 7th. His response? Whoa! Irish Catholic? Do you live on a farm and need the extra hands? Ok...I've heard the Irish Catholic question before, but not the farm one. People used to assume I grew up on a farm when they found out I grew up in Iowa, but I hadn't heard it related to the number of children I have. Anyways, he said we were the most modern couple he's met with that many kids. Whatever that means.
Last night Tom and I took our 2 oldest boys to a White Sox game. We are huge White Sox fans -- I used to be a Cubbies fan, but in 2005 while I was pregnant with Leah I watched a lot of the Sox with Tom. I really liked how the players worked / played together and I liked Ozzie. I got to know all the players and could actually name them. The night they won the World Series was the night I went into labor with Leah. It was tough dragging my hubby off of the couch. I waited until the contractions were really strong and close before letting him know what was going on. He thought if I sat down and stopped pacing the floor, the contractions might slow down long enough for the game to be over. Ummm no. It doesn't work like that. We had to listen to the Sox win while in the car on the way to the hospital and I had to listen to my husband and doctor talk about the White Sox's WS win while I was having our 2nd baby girl. She was born soon after midnight so her "birth newspaper" has a great headline and Tom and I spent the day in my hospital room with our new baby girl watching the victory parade on tv. How can I not be a Sox fan? Ok, back to last night...Excellent game! We won 12 - 8 against the Orioles. Thome hit 2 homeruns and Podsednik had a great night. I'm glad Chicago brought him back. I wish I could have worn my "Pod Squad" shirt, but my belly wasn't going to fit into it :o) We ate a bunch of yummy food, watched our team win, then watched a great fireworks show. The show was to music from the 80's "hair bands." We didn't know until we got there, but it was Mullet Night at the game. Lots of workers and fans wore mullets and they had mullets drawn on the players' pictures up on the screen. It was a fun night to be there. The only "difficult" part of the evening was walking all the way to and from the car. Those "practice" contractions were coming a lot last night. I think baby just felt and heard all the excitement.
A couple of weeks ago I was feeling pretty excited when I felt the braxtons, now I'm starting to get a little nervous. I'm starting to remember what labor feels like and why I always end up getting the epidural. I just hope I get to the hospital on time with this one. Believe it or not, it's still a little strange knowing that we're going to have a baby in the next month. I don't think it's going to be real to me until I'm holding this little one, counting all the fingers and toes.
Today Tom and our oldest, Brandon are taking apart a swingset/fort to bring home. There's a family that said we could have it for free if we moved it. Deal. Our set kind of fell apart when we moved it to put in a shed earlier this summer. I'm going to try and get through some of the basement today. Need to find the baby carseat and clean it. I also want to get more organized. I have children's clothes and toys all over the place down there. I think I am to the "nesting" part of my pregnancy. It's nice that Tom is taking the week off to help get things done around our home before our newest family member arrives.
Sarah just fell asleep on my lap. Guess now would be the best time to get some work done - if I can sneak her into her crib. I'm not sure how much Sarah understands about mommy's belly and baby, but she has certainly become my little shadow. She wakes up almost every night screaming until I come get her and bring her back to bed with me and daddy. I think Tommy and I are going to have a very crowded bed (and bedroom - Leah sleeps on our floor) in a few weeks.
With Ethan and Rachel "camping out" in our loft, (Noah and Brandon like their beds) I think our family of 9 will be just fine in our 3-bedroom home. Although a finished basement would make it even better, but we'll get there someday.

Less than 5 Weeks

"When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me."

Non-stress test this morning. It was a long one. Baby wanted to sleep again. S/he slept for about an hour. I ate candy, poked around, got up and danced,...nothing. Then about an hour into it baby started rolling all around. Good baby. I have plans this week and next week, so I'd like to keep the little one inside me for a little longer. Next week's plans include getting our home ready for our new baby. I'd like to clean the cradle and the car seat and get all the baby items organized. Lots to do.
This afternoon I had Rachel's gymnastics. While I was getting ready to go, I found out it was going to be a family outing. All 6 of my children wanted to come along. Rachel wanted her oldest brother, Brandon, to come watch her, and he told her he would. Then the rest of her siblings said they'd like to come. It was nice. I love when my children support each other - and honestly, I feel so proud of all of them when we go somewhere together. We do get the "look" from people that don't know us - and the "friendly" smiles. My children behaved very well today and it was enjoyable. When Rachel was done with her class, Brandon told her she did a great job. Rachel seemed to really appreciate that comment from her biggest brother.
It was a long drive home - lots of traffic. Nice thing about that, is that Tom was home soon after we got home and we were able to have dinner all together as a family.
This will be short tonight. I have children sleeping all over the Family Room and I want to get them upstairs. They love to "camp out" in the loft together. During the summer and on weekends, that's fine. They have fun. Right now Tom is upstairs hanging window coverings in our master bedroom. We've lived here for 7 1/2 years and have had paper blinds on our windows. We've had to redo our children's bedrooms so many times, we've never been able to spend time / money on our own room. We're finally focusing a little on ourselves. Plus, we have to figure out how to fit the cradle back into our bedroom.

Baby or not Baby

"In raising my children I have lost my mind but found my soul."

Yesterday I had a lot of "practice" contractions. Leah kept smilimg and asking if the baby was coming. She is so excited! Two of the contractions got pretty painful last night - now I remember why I get the epidural.
Sarah and Leah like to feel the baby move. Sarah likes to show off her tummy and say "baby." Hopefully I'm not confusing her too much. Rachel and Noah were watching baby move around. I love watching their reactions. They would poke at the baby and the baby would push right back. It was like a game. The whole pregnancy is triggering more curious questions from my 10 year old Ethan - and when I talk to my oldest, Brandon, I realize just how much he already knows...I can't believe that I'll be sending Brandon off to college the same year I send this little one to kindergarten.
Today Brandon was commenting on how he can't believe our family is having another baby soon. He says it feels like yesterday that he found out that I was pregnant with Sarah. He still remembers watching Open Season and coming into the kitchen to find me standing there with tears in my eyes. He looked at me and asked what was wrong. I told him nothing's wrong. As soon as I looked at Brandon he asked me if I was pregnant. I just smiled. He can read me very well for a kid. The day I found out that I was pregnant I received a special letter in the mail. I took the test that morning and that afternoon I got a letter I had written to myself a few months earlier. At the end of my letter I had asked for strength to accept any other "blessings" God might give me and Tom. Tom and I had been discussing children. God has incredible timing.
This time, we waited until Christmas morning to tell all our children about our newest member coming. I don't know what I was expecting, but they were all pretty shocked and quiet when we told them. We had 3 pickles hidden on the tree. One was for a big "boy" gift - mini fridge for the loft - and one was for a big "girl" gift - dollhouse. The third one was for their new sibling. I think it was Noah that pretended to faint. It's on video. We really need to get all of our videos in order so we can enjoy them.
As for when Tom and I found out about this newest blessing...it was on December 8th. A special day - the day of Mary's Immaculate Conception in the Bible. I was supposed to have surgery that week and I just felt like I needed to take a home pregnancy test. I wasn't late, just feeling "different". I took the test without telling anyone. Tom was still home, so he was a bit concerned when I came out of the bathroom crying and shaking. He went outside to shovel the driveway and sidewalk while the shock settled. He came in and we hugged. We can do this. I felt even better about it that night. I went to mass by myself - saw many of my "Bible Girls" there, but didn't tell anyone. A few told me they were praying for my surgery to go well that week. I did tell them that I had to postpone it - they assumed it was because I had a terrible cold I was still trying to get over. Mass was all about Mary accepting the blessing the angel was telling her she was receiving. Her courage. Her strength. Her faith. Every word meant more to me this evening than any of the many other times I had heard the story. In the last couple of years I have felt closer to Mother Mary. After mass I stayed for the special rosary being said for all the unborn.
Well, Sarah just woke up and crawled onto my lap to cuddle - and baby is "practicing" again. Ow. We're just taking it easy today. We sat outside this morning and the girlies played in the kiddie pool while Brandon mowed the front lawn. During nap time we rested while the boys watched The Dark Knight. Tom is off playing golf. It is a fundraiser for our neighbor's son who we've been praying for. I am going to meet Tom for the dinner after. My parents will be here to watch our children for us. It's nice that my parents can come visit us so often from Iowa. Sarah was born 6 1/2 weeks early - it happened to be the same week my parents were visiting before they went overseas on vacation. Timing. I've explained to this little one that Grandma and Grandpa will be back in August...no need to hurry.