Oh My Goodness, has time flown by. Things have been super busy around the Johnson household. Both good and bad. Being a mother of 4 has shown me, how super busy life gets....I really wonder how families larger then us, get everything done in a day. So Anywho- I'll do a brief summary of what we've been doing since Thanksgiving. LOL!!! Starting with youngest to oldest. :)
Gordon - is almost 9 months old already. He's been crawling since November, and boy is he a fast! You have to watch all the danger zones around him. We have to make sure the gate to downstairs is gated at ALL times, or he makes a b-line for those stairs. We've had to make a temporary gate to the upstairs, otherwise he watches his siblings go up the stairs and before you know he's up there too. With how steep these stairs are he'd either kill himself, or we'd end up with another child with a TBI. Don't want either one of those. Hopefully this spring we'll put more of a permanent gate going upstairs like we have to the downstairs ones. He's currently cruising along the furniture, and twice has taken a couple of steps. He's getting closer everyday to walking and if the older 3 have a say, he'll be walking by April. Heaven help us all if that happens. lol. I DO NOT want a 9 month old walking...not ready for that. He now has his bottom 2 teeth, and is currently working on his top 2, which makes nursing a fun occasion...mmm...not so much. But we'll make it thru, just like I did with Cyril...well I hope we do. We are currently still Gluten and Dairy free, due to Gordon and my allergies. Gordon doesn't look like he's going to be growing out of the dairy allergy anytime soon. :(
Cyril-Is 4.5yrs old already, and he's a little pistol. As I have said before God did not make him a red head for nothing. He sure at times lives up to that stereo type, but his parents are showing him, quickly how using that temper, in a negative way gets him into trouble. lol. He is still pretty shy, I can't remember if I've shared about his love/hate relationship with preschool? Well that's still going on. He HATES the actually leaving to go to preschool, but seems to love being there. He'd much rather be at home with me, and me teaching him. But we'll see. He's so smart!! He problem solves so quickly it's really neat to watch him do that. He's still my little cuddle bug, but for how much longer, I'm not sure.
Spencer - Is doing okay. 5th grade has been really tough for him on all levels. And we are now starting to get school involved in ways that, I don't appreciate. Spencer is late to school on a weekly basis, due to his tantrums that he has about various things. The school is threatening to involve social services, which little do they know, is already involved. We (meaning Jessie and I) have gotten them involved, to see if we can get more targeted services for him, because school honestly isn't really doing it for him, nor can they thanks to budget cuts by the federal government. They can only do so much, which is fine. I'm just getting tired of all the promises and not the follow thru. The window to help him, is slowly closing. Plus with insurance the way it is, we have limited resources in the area, that he can go to, all of whom have HUGE waiting lists, so I've been fighting with insurance to get a referral to people outside the area if need be. We all know how insurance people are. sigh. We have a meeting this month to update his IEP, and everyone will be there, wonder how THAT is going to go. We'll see.
Dawn - Is also doing okay. Somethings have come in her life that are proving very difficult for her. This year and the coming years are going to be a huge transition for her and us as a family. 7th grade has been very difficult for her, much more then what I thought. Not to mention how tough it was for me, dealing with her transitioning officially into the teen years. It's really hard thinking of my baby girl as a teenager - where has all the time gone? No more tea parties, no more frilly dresses, or playing dress up in my clothes. Now it's friends, and boyfriends (well 1 boyfriend). We are still looking at different school options since she is still really struggling in school. How on earth do we (Jessie and I) her parents pick the right choice for her? Public school (stay in the same one or a different one)? Private Christian school(there are 2 which we are looking at - 1 is SUPER strict and the other one isn't.)? OR do we homeschool her? We are getting closer to that final decision. Hopefully God will answer my prayers and show us the right decision.
So as far as the Johnson children, that's what's been going on in their lives since Thanksgiving. I won't bore you the details of the comings/goings of Jessie and I.
God Bless~
Friday, February 11, 2011
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Gordon - 6 months
As far as weight stats, we'll find out on Monday how he's doing, but I can tell you as far as weight goes, he won't be going off the charts for it that's for sure. But as far as developmental milestones he's doing very well...it's been a very busy month for this little guy. At the end of October, he realized the advantages of rolling around the room, and became fast at that quite quickly. Since the end of September, he's been pushing him self backwards, almost army crawl like. Also at the end of October he also started getting on all 4, and rocking it's only been recently that he started pushing himself backwards on all 4's so it won't be long that he's actually on all 4's crawling. This past month, we've seen him go from rolling around the room for a few weeks, to realizing that if he army crawls it's faster. So depending on how quickly he wanted something he'd do one of each. The living room is no longer safe from him, nor are the kids toys if left downstairs. He's getting really close to crawling forwards on all 4's. He hasn't quite put together yet, that as you move a knee a hand needs to move forward too, so he face plants and gets all mad. He has gotten really good at sitting up by himself in the last 2 weeks. Boy, doesn't he babble...it's been so adorable. He loves to "talk" to you.
He also started this month on rice cereal & fruits/veggies, he loves it, we started this month, since he's been trying to swipe at people's food. Guess he really wants the food huh? lol. With his sensitive tummy, we've been talking it nice and slow. Even though he wants more and more, his tummy shows us, that he's not ready for all that he wants to eat. So as for now, he's getting rice cereal with a fruit/veggie at night and breastmilk the rest of the time. He still doesn't take a bottle, but if wanting to drink out of people's cups more and more. So I've been thinking of trying a sippy cup, and bypassing the bottle stage all together. :) So as you can see it's been a very busy month for this little guy, even on top of battling a cold.
God Bless
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Voting Day and....
Ironically enough on this very day 11years ago, I missed voting day for a VERY important reason. Spencer was born. I had complications from about 32 weeks on in that pregnancy, and he was determined to arrive early. He was due November 25th of that year, but came 3.5 weeks early, all 7lb 13 oz. My best friend Liz who was supposed to be my labor coach didn't make it in time, he came so quickly.
It's hard to believe the bumpy journey that we've had these last 11years. I know that the Lord is holding our hands as we travel on this journey, but there are many times, especially when it comes to Spencer, that I would LOVE if the Lord would give me just a sneak peak as to what's coming down the road for him, are we making the right decisions for him, and if his life will get any easier. No mother wants her child's life to be filled with obstacles and difficulties, but alas I worry that's what it will be for him. He has hit a big road block as far as schooling goes, and we are starting to look at homeschooling more as an option for both him and his sister Dawn. Lord has been giving me a lot of great feed back in regards to that, providing resources for me, and giving me the not so quiet shove into that direction. I honestly am starting to feel that would be the best option for the two of them...but we shall see.
Spencer will have a small party to celebrate turning a 11 years old. They will go to the movies and have the party there...this will be interesting.
Happy Birthday Spencer!!! The two of us will be going to breakfast soon, to celebrate his birthday, just like I did with Dawn when it was her birthday earlier this year.
It's hard to believe the bumpy journey that we've had these last 11years. I know that the Lord is holding our hands as we travel on this journey, but there are many times, especially when it comes to Spencer, that I would LOVE if the Lord would give me just a sneak peak as to what's coming down the road for him, are we making the right decisions for him, and if his life will get any easier. No mother wants her child's life to be filled with obstacles and difficulties, but alas I worry that's what it will be for him. He has hit a big road block as far as schooling goes, and we are starting to look at homeschooling more as an option for both him and his sister Dawn. Lord has been giving me a lot of great feed back in regards to that, providing resources for me, and giving me the not so quiet shove into that direction. I honestly am starting to feel that would be the best option for the two of them...but we shall see.
Spencer will have a small party to celebrate turning a 11 years old. They will go to the movies and have the party there...this will be interesting.
Happy Birthday Spencer!!! The two of us will be going to breakfast soon, to celebrate his birthday, just like I did with Dawn when it was her birthday earlier this year.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Long 2 weeks.
Last week and this week will have been very long for us. Last Saturday, Jessie's grandfather passed away. He had been sick off and on for the 10 years that we've been together. So it was a mixed blessing with his passing. I'm not sure for Jessie or members of his family, but for me it brings me comfort knowing what a strong relationship with our Lord Jesus - his grandfather had. My heart breaks though that Jessie wasn't able to say good-bye to his grandfather before his passing. We had gotten word earlier the week before that Grandpa Johnson's health was failing, and that he didn't have much time left. Then on Friday, we got word that he would not make it Thur the night, let alone the weekend. Unfortunately Jessie was working out of town/state so he didn't get back till later in the evening. By that point Grandpa Johnson had been put to sleep, so Jessie didn't want to disturb him. So Jessie would leave very early the next morning to see grandpa, but he never got a chance. He died the next morning.
We had hoped that the funeral would be either Monday or Tuesday but it ended up being later in the week, which meant that Jessie was unable to attend. My mom was wonderful in coming with me and Gordon, so that I could attend the funeral, pay my respects and support my in-laws.
That very night that Grandpa Johnson took a turn for the worst, my grandma took a turn for the worst and was readmitted into the hospital. About a month or so go - my mom, Gordon and I traveled to go see her when she was in the hospital the last time. We had been told that she wasn't going to make it, and to be honest she didn't want too. Her husband has been gone for over 30 years and she was ready to go. She was dying from cancer and there wasn't much they could do, especially at her age. But one of her children wasn't ready to let her go, found doctors to help her in sustaining Grandma. SO it's been rough on Grandma and everyone around her watching her being in pain.
Sadly this afternoon, she passed away. I'm so thankful that my aunt and uncle were there with her. She didn't die alone. My uncle Steve said that was a little strange being in the room as she died though, I could only imagine. I feel blessed and thankful to have had such a wonderful lady in my life and to be able to call her Grandma. The kids have been a little unruly today, but I think that's normal for kids to take advantage when their parent's minds are elsewhere. They are also excited at the thought of being out of school for several days. The older 2 have grown up with Grandma, and have asked to go to her funeral. I'm not sure how it will go having all 4 of the children, but I feel that it will be okay, much to the disagreement of others.
May God bless us, and give us all strength during this tough time, as we mourn the loss of dearly loved family members.
God Bless
Carlena
We had hoped that the funeral would be either Monday or Tuesday but it ended up being later in the week, which meant that Jessie was unable to attend. My mom was wonderful in coming with me and Gordon, so that I could attend the funeral, pay my respects and support my in-laws.
That very night that Grandpa Johnson took a turn for the worst, my grandma took a turn for the worst and was readmitted into the hospital. About a month or so go - my mom, Gordon and I traveled to go see her when she was in the hospital the last time. We had been told that she wasn't going to make it, and to be honest she didn't want too. Her husband has been gone for over 30 years and she was ready to go. She was dying from cancer and there wasn't much they could do, especially at her age. But one of her children wasn't ready to let her go, found doctors to help her in sustaining Grandma. SO it's been rough on Grandma and everyone around her watching her being in pain.
Sadly this afternoon, she passed away. I'm so thankful that my aunt and uncle were there with her. She didn't die alone. My uncle Steve said that was a little strange being in the room as she died though, I could only imagine. I feel blessed and thankful to have had such a wonderful lady in my life and to be able to call her Grandma. The kids have been a little unruly today, but I think that's normal for kids to take advantage when their parent's minds are elsewhere. They are also excited at the thought of being out of school for several days. The older 2 have grown up with Grandma, and have asked to go to her funeral. I'm not sure how it will go having all 4 of the children, but I feel that it will be okay, much to the disagreement of others.
May God bless us, and give us all strength during this tough time, as we mourn the loss of dearly loved family members.
God Bless
Carlena
4 mos
Wow has time flown. On the 27th of September, Gordon turned 4 months old. I can't believe that already. He had his 4 month old check-up and it went well. He's already 27.5 inches long (off the charts as far as percentages go) and 17.1bs (85%), to help put that in perspective he's wearing 6/9 month clothing (9months if they are one piece outfits) which is amazing.
We aren't doing vaccinations, so we didn't have that to go thru during his well child check-up. He's hitting all the milestones for someone at this age, and a few he's even ahead. Lately he's been pushing his chest up, and almost getting up on his knees. It doesn't seem like it will be long before he's crawling, he's already pushing himself backwards, so he's won half the battle. It's really cute watching him get annoyed because he pushes himself backwards to the point he can't go anywhere. He's rolling over on to his tummy (been doing that for several weeks already), but hasn't quite figured out yet how to go from tummy to front. It will come.
We tried cereal the other night but I think we will hold off on that. It's not that he's not ready. He is, he loved eating cereal, his tummy didn't like it very much. He cried and was very fussy the next day. I was talking to a chiropractor friend of another friend of mine last night. She suggested since Gordon, is already showing food sensitivity to hold off on the cereals, but trying foods that are "good" fats and easier on the tummy to digest, like a yolk(not the egg white) and avocados. So I'm going to do a little more research into that and see. He's showing signs he's wanting foods: waking up more at night, batting/swiping at your food if he's in your lap, watching you eat, and the tongue reflex is gone. SO we'll see what happens in the coming weeks.
God Bless
We aren't doing vaccinations, so we didn't have that to go thru during his well child check-up. He's hitting all the milestones for someone at this age, and a few he's even ahead. Lately he's been pushing his chest up, and almost getting up on his knees. It doesn't seem like it will be long before he's crawling, he's already pushing himself backwards, so he's won half the battle. It's really cute watching him get annoyed because he pushes himself backwards to the point he can't go anywhere. He's rolling over on to his tummy (been doing that for several weeks already), but hasn't quite figured out yet how to go from tummy to front. It will come.
We tried cereal the other night but I think we will hold off on that. It's not that he's not ready. He is, he loved eating cereal, his tummy didn't like it very much. He cried and was very fussy the next day. I was talking to a chiropractor friend of another friend of mine last night. She suggested since Gordon, is already showing food sensitivity to hold off on the cereals, but trying foods that are "good" fats and easier on the tummy to digest, like a yolk(not the egg white) and avocados. So I'm going to do a little more research into that and see. He's showing signs he's wanting foods: waking up more at night, batting/swiping at your food if he's in your lap, watching you eat, and the tongue reflex is gone. SO we'll see what happens in the coming weeks.
God Bless
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Preschool
This week Cyril started preschool, and LOVES it!!! He was so excited this past weekend, every time you turned around he was asking if it was time to go yet. Even when I was having the kids get ready for Sunday school, he asked. When Monday morning came, he jumped out of bed, got dressed and was ready to run out the door before anyone else was ready. lol. We made sure his backpack was ready, including a picture he made at Sunday school. He was so excited to show his teacher Miss S, but then all of a sudden that excitement turned to fear on Cyril's part. His big beautiful blue eyes sparkled no longer with excitement and happiness but with fear. His eyes had tears in them. He said "Momma don't leave me."
My heart just stopped. It took every once of courage I had to look down at him, and smile. My heart was secretly breaking that my little boy was old enough to be starting this new adventure, and for the fact he was scared. I wanted to pick him up, and run back out the door. Thinking no, he's not ready, we'll try this again next year. But this mommy took a big huge breath, said a prayer, and looked at Cyril. I gave him a huge hug, and said "you'll have so much fun with Miss S". Thankfully Miss S read the signals right, and got Cyril distracted with searching for circles.
Then as I left the tears fell from my face. I remember holding Gordon close to my chest to stop the aching that my Cyril was old enough. It felt like yesterday he was as small and helpless as Gordon. Then again, it's hard to believe that ALL of my babies aren't that small anymore. It feels like they should still be that small.
Later that morning, when it was time to pick him up, it was so easy to see I had made the right decision. Cyril was lit up like a Christmas tree with excitement. He couldn't wait to show me his "happy face" which was a circle (the shape they had discussed) and to show me the song they sang. He also got to be made teacher's helper, which he was very proud of. Turns out that Jessie had those strong feelings too. He didn't cry, but I bet he would have liked to today.
God Bless
My heart just stopped. It took every once of courage I had to look down at him, and smile. My heart was secretly breaking that my little boy was old enough to be starting this new adventure, and for the fact he was scared. I wanted to pick him up, and run back out the door. Thinking no, he's not ready, we'll try this again next year. But this mommy took a big huge breath, said a prayer, and looked at Cyril. I gave him a huge hug, and said "you'll have so much fun with Miss S". Thankfully Miss S read the signals right, and got Cyril distracted with searching for circles.
Then as I left the tears fell from my face. I remember holding Gordon close to my chest to stop the aching that my Cyril was old enough. It felt like yesterday he was as small and helpless as Gordon. Then again, it's hard to believe that ALL of my babies aren't that small anymore. It feels like they should still be that small.
Later that morning, when it was time to pick him up, it was so easy to see I had made the right decision. Cyril was lit up like a Christmas tree with excitement. He couldn't wait to show me his "happy face" which was a circle (the shape they had discussed) and to show me the song they sang. He also got to be made teacher's helper, which he was very proud of. Turns out that Jessie had those strong feelings too. He didn't cry, but I bet he would have liked to today.
God Bless
Saturday, September 11, 2010
1st week of school
This was a very exciting and busy week for Dawn and Spencer. They started school the day after labor day, just like 99% of public school age population here in Minnesota. If you don't know, here in Minnesota - school districts have to ask permission to start the school before labor day, if September 1st occurs before.
Dawn loved the fact that she is entering her 2nd year of middle school, and this year kicked off with her being a student leader. She loved being able to mentor and help out in coming 6th graders and new students. The new students and Student Leaders all had 1 day of school without any of the other students, and then the other students came to school the next day. Dawn missed one day of school, due to a gluten attack. She is starting to get more and more of these, so we'll be investigating that with the doctor.
Spencer entered into the 5th grade and is all excited that he's "top dog" in his elementary school. He loves being the oldest. :) I'm very thankful that Spencer has the teacher that he has. It was the same teacher that Dawn had for 2 grades while she was in elementary. He's a terrific teacher. Spencer so far has been very excited about going to school. We're still having issues with clothing, and shoes due to his sensory issues. I'm coming to the realization this may never, ever change. We as a family need to be okay with that.
Cyril starts preschool on Monday. He is so excited, he's been asking every day since Dawn & Spencer started when it's his turn. We had his open house on Thursday night. He wasn't shy at all, I was pleasantly surprised. He didn't even want to leave the classroom. So even though it's on two different days then I had planned, Cyril is showing me that he's more then ready to start. Makes me really sad, but I'm glad that he's going to a christian preschool. It will help get the roots of our faith down a little better. Knowing what I know now, I would have put the older two in it as well, since it really is only 5.00 more a month for us compared to public preschool.
God Bless
Dawn loved the fact that she is entering her 2nd year of middle school, and this year kicked off with her being a student leader. She loved being able to mentor and help out in coming 6th graders and new students. The new students and Student Leaders all had 1 day of school without any of the other students, and then the other students came to school the next day. Dawn missed one day of school, due to a gluten attack. She is starting to get more and more of these, so we'll be investigating that with the doctor.
Spencer entered into the 5th grade and is all excited that he's "top dog" in his elementary school. He loves being the oldest. :) I'm very thankful that Spencer has the teacher that he has. It was the same teacher that Dawn had for 2 grades while she was in elementary. He's a terrific teacher. Spencer so far has been very excited about going to school. We're still having issues with clothing, and shoes due to his sensory issues. I'm coming to the realization this may never, ever change. We as a family need to be okay with that.
Cyril starts preschool on Monday. He is so excited, he's been asking every day since Dawn & Spencer started when it's his turn. We had his open house on Thursday night. He wasn't shy at all, I was pleasantly surprised. He didn't even want to leave the classroom. So even though it's on two different days then I had planned, Cyril is showing me that he's more then ready to start. Makes me really sad, but I'm glad that he's going to a christian preschool. It will help get the roots of our faith down a little better. Knowing what I know now, I would have put the older two in it as well, since it really is only 5.00 more a month for us compared to public preschool.
God Bless
Friday, August 27, 2010
3 months
Gordon turns 3 months old today. It's hard to believe that 3 months have gone by that he's been in our lives already. Gordon & Dawn had their well child check-ups last week. Dawn had to have one to get into 7th grade and Gordon had his 2 month check up. Both went very good. Gordon is measuring in 90% for weight (15lbs 8 oz.) and 99% for height(26 inches). Dawn though I'm a bit concerned. She's only measuring at 10% for height and 25% for weight. So I brought up my concerns and the doctors ran some tests, we are now waiting on those test results.
Nursing has been going okay. The supply seems to be going up and down. Which is really stressful. I'm having a hard time getting all of my daily amount of calcium, and I'm gonna need to maybe look into a supplement. I've been taking fenugeek and drinking mother's milk tea, which has been helping a lot. I'm not at the point of taking the fenugeek where I smell like Maple Syrup (Yes you read right. lol), but I think I'm going to be at that point soon. I've also been making a lot of the lactation nursing cookies. I was able to successfully make them gluten free, and even the kids love them. Gordon is still sensitive to what I eat. There are times that he just wails and acts like he's hurting but we can't seem to figure out what the issue is. I think at his 4 month check up we are going to ask for a blood test to see if he has some sort of a food sensitivity or something. Yes, part of it is that he's a fussy, colic baby, but there's more to it. My mommy instinct is telling me there is something more. Especially considering that Dawn had colic as a baby, and I have babysat several babies thru the years that have colic they weren't this bad. I've cut out my dairy along with gluten, and even though that has helped a lot, it's not totally stopped it.. My heart just breaks for the little guy when he's like this, and I feel bad for his brothers and sister too, that they have to listen to it. Hopefully now that he's 3 months old, this will start getting better.
Development wise he is doing really well. He is still trying to sit up, to see the world I guess. So since Gordon has excellent head control, he's been sitting in the bumbo seat and excersaucer for brief periods of time. He LOVES them, he just watches all the activity that is going on around him. He's a little busybody I think. lol. He also loves to babble and talk to everyone. He's got so much to "say" - would love to know what it really is. lol. He's gotten really good on his tummy and is almost at a 90 angle when he's on his tummy, so maybe he'll be an early crawler like his brother Cyril. He's also starting to grab at things when he's in the bouncy chair. It's been really neat watching him grab at things and look at them, or study his hands. He LOVES his fingers. I hope and pray that I'm not in a losing battle in regards to his fingers and him sucking on them. lol. Every time I see him sucking on them for too long, in goes a nuk (a pacifier).
He is starting to look more and more like Cyril I think. I see a lot of Spencer in him, but more Cyril then anyone. Gordon's hair has really lightened up since he was born, and he's losing a lot of it. I hope that he won't lose his curls. They are just so adorable on him, with his big blue eyes. Which I hope will stay. Then we'll have 2 kiddos with baby blues. :)
God Bless.
Nursing has been going okay. The supply seems to be going up and down. Which is really stressful. I'm having a hard time getting all of my daily amount of calcium, and I'm gonna need to maybe look into a supplement. I've been taking fenugeek and drinking mother's milk tea, which has been helping a lot. I'm not at the point of taking the fenugeek where I smell like Maple Syrup (Yes you read right. lol), but I think I'm going to be at that point soon. I've also been making a lot of the lactation nursing cookies. I was able to successfully make them gluten free, and even the kids love them. Gordon is still sensitive to what I eat. There are times that he just wails and acts like he's hurting but we can't seem to figure out what the issue is. I think at his 4 month check up we are going to ask for a blood test to see if he has some sort of a food sensitivity or something. Yes, part of it is that he's a fussy, colic baby, but there's more to it. My mommy instinct is telling me there is something more. Especially considering that Dawn had colic as a baby, and I have babysat several babies thru the years that have colic they weren't this bad. I've cut out my dairy along with gluten, and even though that has helped a lot, it's not totally stopped it.. My heart just breaks for the little guy when he's like this, and I feel bad for his brothers and sister too, that they have to listen to it. Hopefully now that he's 3 months old, this will start getting better.
Development wise he is doing really well. He is still trying to sit up, to see the world I guess. So since Gordon has excellent head control, he's been sitting in the bumbo seat and excersaucer for brief periods of time. He LOVES them, he just watches all the activity that is going on around him. He's a little busybody I think. lol. He also loves to babble and talk to everyone. He's got so much to "say" - would love to know what it really is. lol. He's gotten really good on his tummy and is almost at a 90 angle when he's on his tummy, so maybe he'll be an early crawler like his brother Cyril. He's also starting to grab at things when he's in the bouncy chair. It's been really neat watching him grab at things and look at them, or study his hands. He LOVES his fingers. I hope and pray that I'm not in a losing battle in regards to his fingers and him sucking on them. lol. Every time I see him sucking on them for too long, in goes a nuk (a pacifier).
He is starting to look more and more like Cyril I think. I see a lot of Spencer in him, but more Cyril then anyone. Gordon's hair has really lightened up since he was born, and he's losing a lot of it. I hope that he won't lose his curls. They are just so adorable on him, with his big blue eyes. Which I hope will stay. Then we'll have 2 kiddos with baby blues. :)
God Bless.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Cyril turns 4
It's hard to believe that 4 years ago today in about a half hour, our Cyril entered into this world. I was so nervous at what Spencer was going to say and how he was going to react. He hadn't reacted very well to the news when he had told him he was going to be a big brother. He refused to talk to anyone that even mentioned babies, or the fact he was going to be a big brother. Then again that's Spencer for you. I remember the first couple of weeks after we brought Cyril home. Dawn was so enthralled with him, and Spencer could careless about him, but boy oh boy - if Cyril started fussing or crying, Spencer got very upset, and wanted you to "fix" Cyril right that second, so he wouldn't cry. When Cyril was 3 weeks old, I was making our bed, when Cyril started fussing. Then next thing I know, Spencer is singing to him. It reassured me that things would be okay, maybe not perfect (what life is?), but okay.
Fast forward to now: Cyril is a walking, talking spitfire of engery. I swear this little boy is going to be the one that brings me gray hair. He beats to his own drum, nows what he wants and thinks that he's able to do everything. He's stubborn and exhausting some days. lol. On the flip side he's sweet, loving, compassionate, and a little ham. He's so expressitive with his eyes. He loves to wrestle with Spencer and Dawn. He's a wonderful big brother to Gordon as well, even trying to "help" nurse Gordon.
Today the kids and I went to Dairy Queen to celebrate his birthday. We'll have a birthday party this weekend with friends and family. Hopefully it won't be so hot and humid as it has been.
Happy Birthday my darling fireball!
God Bless
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Dragonfly camp
"Dragonfly" tree at "dragonfly" camp
Jessie told me of one part of their day, he was making a meal ( I can't remember what time of day it was) and there were tons of dragonflies in the tree, behind him, it got very loud all of a sudden when they all took off. I would have loved to have seen that.
Spencer got the biggest fish of the whole trip. He got a Northern. He was pretty excited. When considering that was the 2 or 3rd time that he's gone fishing, I would be too. It sounds like everyone got some fish - which makes the trip even better. Jessie was a little disappointed that they weren't able to go to his favorite spot on the lake whenever he goes there to fish. He said that spot isn't available anymore. So he'll have to find a new spot.
It was nice last night having the kids tell me all their stories. Cyril was so excited to have the kids home, he wouldn't leave Spencer or Dawn alone. He was wrestling Spencer everytime you turned around, to bad that Spencer didn't want to wrestle. It was equally nice to have all of my babies under 1 roof again, and under my wing. To bad the sibling love and getting along between the older two didn't last long. (3hours and 15 minutes to be exact.)
Jessie had to go back to work today, but thankfully he'll be back Friday night. It's going to be a busy weekend this weekend. We have 3 birthday parties to go too, along with some friends coming up for the weekend. I'm so excited for this weekend. I haven't seen my friend in forever, we've both added to our families since the last time we got together. It's going to be a blast. :)
God Bless~
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Dance Your Ass Off
A couple of weeks ago, late one night while nursing Gordon, I started watching a dance show called "Dance Your Ass Off." I'm not sure if you have seen it, but it's a combo between two shows currently on TV, I think. The Biggest Losers and Dancing with the Stars. The contestants are trying to lose large amounts of weight, but they do it dancing. Each week like Dancing with the Stars, there's a dance style that they need to do each week, but there's no famous people.
I've really gotten into the show, not sure if that's because Gordon chooses that time to eat, and it's the show is interesting or what. One of the contestants made a comment on this week's show. Katie said "She doesn't just want to lose weight, she wants to turn people's heads." That's exactly what I want to do. I was on my weight loss journey before I got pregnant with Gordon. Between January of '09 and the 1st 10 weeks of my pregnancy I had loss 30 pounds. Even though it wasn't my intention to lose weight the 1st half of my pregnancy it happened. Now that Gordon is going to be 8 weeks old on Thursday, I feel it's time to start kicking my weight loss back in gear. Today I've lost 20lbs, which is really good, but I'm not anywhere near my goal weight. I'll get there, nice and easy, I'll get there.
\
God Bless~
I've really gotten into the show, not sure if that's because Gordon chooses that time to eat, and it's the show is interesting or what. One of the contestants made a comment on this week's show. Katie said "She doesn't just want to lose weight, she wants to turn people's heads." That's exactly what I want to do. I was on my weight loss journey before I got pregnant with Gordon. Between January of '09 and the 1st 10 weeks of my pregnancy I had loss 30 pounds. Even though it wasn't my intention to lose weight the 1st half of my pregnancy it happened. Now that Gordon is going to be 8 weeks old on Thursday, I feel it's time to start kicking my weight loss back in gear. Today I've lost 20lbs, which is really good, but I'm not anywhere near my goal weight. I'll get there, nice and easy, I'll get there.
\
God Bless~
Monday, July 19, 2010
GF spice cake.
I made a GF/DF spice cake from Full Circle - which turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself. :) The best part for me though was the frosting that I made from scratch! I always thought frosting where really hard, so I have avoided that part of the Betty Crocker cookbook. But I was craving something sweet, and spice cake does not taste good without frosting or whip cream, in my opinion. The frosting turned out great, but really sweet, so be careful. I am posting the recipe as well too. It sure won't help me in getting my girlish figure back since having Gordon, but I think a treat is always a good thing, especially for a new momma.
Enjoy!
Vanilla Butter Frosting by Betty Crocker
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter softened.
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
Mix powdered sugar and margarine/butter. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. Fills & Frosts two 8 or 9 inch layers or frosts a 13x9 inch cake.
Enjoy!
Vanilla Butter Frosting by Betty Crocker
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter softened.
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
Mix powdered sugar and margarine/butter. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. Fills & Frosts two 8 or 9 inch layers or frosts a 13x9 inch cake.
Trader Joe's
Mom, the little boys and I went to Trader Joe's today. Mom and I have been meaning to go down there since sometime last year. We've heard they have a great selection of gluten free foods, and that they aren't really that expensive. Well - now that Dawn has been showing signs of being at least gluten sensitive if not gluten intolerant, I figured now was the time to go down and check it out. I'm going to be making the household 99% gluten free. I don't want to make it 100% gluten free, and I'm not sure I'd be able to successfully be able to do it 100% all the time so why try to?
It was a long drive down there today, I'm not sure if it was just because of Gordon having a fussier day today or what the deal was, but it seemed to take forever to get there, and equally long on the way back. The car accident on the way home didn't help either. At one point of our trip home - there's a certain stretch that takes 15 minutes to get from one exit to another - it took 40 minutes. It seemed longer then that when Gordon picked that time to start screaming bloody murder. Yesterday I ate some cheese by accident and I think that helped contribute to his fussiness. Going Casein Free/Dairy Free is a lot harder then I thought it would be, more so then going Gluten Free originally. Not sure why. :(
In some ways it was worth the time and drive to go down there to check out Trader Joe's. It reminded mom of an old fashion grocery store. It doesn't have any or very little processed foods. The fresh produce was very yummy looking and low prices. A thing of bananas was $0.19 and organic ones was $0.29. Normally in our local grocery store regular ones are $0.59. Their Brown rice pasta was almost 1.00 cheaper, and there were a few other things too. The Almond milk that I've been drinking was also a 1.00 cheaper here. So I bought a couple.
I was a little disappointed though. I was expecting for them to have a larger selection of GF flours and baked goods. Even more GF crackers and breads. They had only 1 kind of each. They had a HUGE print out list of GF foods, but they aren't in one section of the store, you have to look for a G symbol on the packaging. So we'll see. Mom and I are talking about coming back down to check it out again...but without Cyril with. lol. It's not that he was naughty, but he was everywhere trying to "help" us grocery shop. Every time I turned around he was putting stuff in his cart, that he thought we'd want. It wasn't junk food, just gluten food. lol.
It was good for us to go down, because we've always heard about how people just LOVE to go to Trader Joe's, but I just wasn't so sure about it, and if the benefits out way the drive down there. The jury is still out on that as far as mom and I are concerned. But it was interesting getting people's opinions for or against Trader Joe's on my facebook account. So far it's all been positive.
God Bless~
It was a long drive down there today, I'm not sure if it was just because of Gordon having a fussier day today or what the deal was, but it seemed to take forever to get there, and equally long on the way back. The car accident on the way home didn't help either. At one point of our trip home - there's a certain stretch that takes 15 minutes to get from one exit to another - it took 40 minutes. It seemed longer then that when Gordon picked that time to start screaming bloody murder. Yesterday I ate some cheese by accident and I think that helped contribute to his fussiness. Going Casein Free/Dairy Free is a lot harder then I thought it would be, more so then going Gluten Free originally. Not sure why. :(
In some ways it was worth the time and drive to go down there to check out Trader Joe's. It reminded mom of an old fashion grocery store. It doesn't have any or very little processed foods. The fresh produce was very yummy looking and low prices. A thing of bananas was $0.19 and organic ones was $0.29. Normally in our local grocery store regular ones are $0.59. Their Brown rice pasta was almost 1.00 cheaper, and there were a few other things too. The Almond milk that I've been drinking was also a 1.00 cheaper here. So I bought a couple.
I was a little disappointed though. I was expecting for them to have a larger selection of GF flours and baked goods. Even more GF crackers and breads. They had only 1 kind of each. They had a HUGE print out list of GF foods, but they aren't in one section of the store, you have to look for a G symbol on the packaging. So we'll see. Mom and I are talking about coming back down to check it out again...but without Cyril with. lol. It's not that he was naughty, but he was everywhere trying to "help" us grocery shop. Every time I turned around he was putting stuff in his cart, that he thought we'd want. It wasn't junk food, just gluten food. lol.
It was good for us to go down, because we've always heard about how people just LOVE to go to Trader Joe's, but I just wasn't so sure about it, and if the benefits out way the drive down there. The jury is still out on that as far as mom and I are concerned. But it was interesting getting people's opinions for or against Trader Joe's on my facebook account. So far it's all been positive.
God Bless~
2 more days...
It's Monday morning: Jessie and the kids have been gone 3 days already. It's hard to believe. I miss them terribly. It's been strange not having them here, when they should be here. This has been a good test run too, on how things will run when they are in school everyday.
I haven't done to much out of the normal, but I think Cyril has liked the fact that everytime Gordon has laid down, or if Nana is here holding Gordon, then that's more time I get to spend with him. My little mommy's helper has even returned. All last year, everytime I was cleaning something he wanted to help. Since sometime in April or May - he stopped wanting to do it as much, if at all. And I think we will have to go to the library this week, whether or not the older two are with. We've read thru all the books we checked out. Cyril is loving that he gets story time, whenever he wants this week. lol. We have had some interesting days too. The 1st day they were gone, the little boys were crabby, we missed a playdate, I lost my cell phone, we had severe weather that included 3 tornado warnings, 1 of which resulted in our seirns going off, or so I'm told. The little boys and I fell asleep, we slept thru the whole thing. Good thing, nothing touched down in town.
The quiet has been really strange for me to get used too. I thought I would love having all of that quiet, but to my surprise I've discovered that I don't. I love the sound of children laughing. I miss the sound of the kids talking, pestering me with questions, tattling on each other, and etc. Granted when I'm in the heart of it - it drives me insane on many, many days...but thru this trip I've realized how much those sounds mean to me.
Jessie has been checking in almost everyday. The kids are going to have some interesting stories to tell when they get back. Some are funny (even though Dawn will not think so right now.) and some are just interesting I guess you could say. Who knew- they would enjoy playing with the walkie talkies so much. They found a dead snake while they were biking around the campgrounds. Dawn lost a sandal in the lake because she freaked out thinking she had a leech on her. No wonder they didn't get any fish that time....wonder if anyone else did on the lake with how loud she screamed. lol. Then they go back to the campsite, because she needed her tennis shoes, only to discover they were in the truck with them the whole time. Did I mention the camp site was 30 miles away??? Jessie didn't find it so humorous at the time that he told me, but I think it's funny.
Wonder what interesting adventures they will experience between now and the time they come home?
God Bless~
I haven't done to much out of the normal, but I think Cyril has liked the fact that everytime Gordon has laid down, or if Nana is here holding Gordon, then that's more time I get to spend with him. My little mommy's helper has even returned. All last year, everytime I was cleaning something he wanted to help. Since sometime in April or May - he stopped wanting to do it as much, if at all. And I think we will have to go to the library this week, whether or not the older two are with. We've read thru all the books we checked out. Cyril is loving that he gets story time, whenever he wants this week. lol. We have had some interesting days too. The 1st day they were gone, the little boys were crabby, we missed a playdate, I lost my cell phone, we had severe weather that included 3 tornado warnings, 1 of which resulted in our seirns going off, or so I'm told. The little boys and I fell asleep, we slept thru the whole thing. Good thing, nothing touched down in town.
The quiet has been really strange for me to get used too. I thought I would love having all of that quiet, but to my surprise I've discovered that I don't. I love the sound of children laughing. I miss the sound of the kids talking, pestering me with questions, tattling on each other, and etc. Granted when I'm in the heart of it - it drives me insane on many, many days...but thru this trip I've realized how much those sounds mean to me.
Jessie has been checking in almost everyday. The kids are going to have some interesting stories to tell when they get back. Some are funny (even though Dawn will not think so right now.) and some are just interesting I guess you could say. Who knew- they would enjoy playing with the walkie talkies so much. They found a dead snake while they were biking around the campgrounds. Dawn lost a sandal in the lake because she freaked out thinking she had a leech on her. No wonder they didn't get any fish that time....wonder if anyone else did on the lake with how loud she screamed. lol. Then they go back to the campsite, because she needed her tennis shoes, only to discover they were in the truck with them the whole time. Did I mention the camp site was 30 miles away??? Jessie didn't find it so humorous at the time that he told me, but I think it's funny.
Wonder what interesting adventures they will experience between now and the time they come home?
God Bless~
Saturday, July 17, 2010
1st Camping trip
Well - it's 8am in the morning and I'm not sure what to do with myself. lol. The little boys are sleeping. Jessie, the older kids and my brother in law Kenny, left this morning for a 5 day/4 night camping trip. This is the kids 1st big camping/fishing trip. We decided that the little boys shouldn't go because Gordon is too small, and that the older kids need this trip with just dad. No younger siblings.
I'm so nervous about it, because it is their 1st big camping trip, not sure how the kids will handle not having any modern day technology. lol. No TV, no video games, and no computer. lol. Plus the last time Jessie took Spencer fishing, he didn't have a good experience. It was ice fishing and his foot fell in the hole. He swore off all fishing forever. lol. But this week, he had been getting more and more excited about going so we'll see. I just hope he has really good days, and none of his bad days like he's been having lately. Dawn has been like a typical teenager. One moment she wants to go, and the next she's too "cool" to be going. Plus lately she has been having gluten attacks. At least a couple times a week she's been sick, so I'm starting to wonder what's triggering the gluten attacks. I just hope she doesn't have any while she is up there. That would make for a miserable trip. I packed a bunch of gluten free foods, but we'll see. You know how kids can be when you restrict them from foods they love.
They've only been gone 2 hours but I miss them terribly. lol. It will be a nice break for me, especially with the challenges Spencer has been giving me lately, I guess in a way it's respite care for me. Cyril was just sad at the though this week of not being able to go on the camping trip with Daddy and his siblings. But so far this morning he's handling it okay. He got sad at 1st, but I told him that we needed to do something fun for just the 3 of us. I asked if he'll help me think of some fun stuff, but secretly I've already got some stuff planned. We will go to the splash pad or the wading pool, go to the library, maybe even go to the local fast food place that has a kids play area. I think he'll have some fun. Plus it will do him good, to spend some time with just momma, when Gordon is sleeping. It's been tough for him having to share his mommy.
This is going to be an interesting day I think, I wonder how it will go and the rest of the week will go without all of my family here.
God Bless~
I'm so nervous about it, because it is their 1st big camping trip, not sure how the kids will handle not having any modern day technology. lol. No TV, no video games, and no computer. lol. Plus the last time Jessie took Spencer fishing, he didn't have a good experience. It was ice fishing and his foot fell in the hole. He swore off all fishing forever. lol. But this week, he had been getting more and more excited about going so we'll see. I just hope he has really good days, and none of his bad days like he's been having lately. Dawn has been like a typical teenager. One moment she wants to go, and the next she's too "cool" to be going. Plus lately she has been having gluten attacks. At least a couple times a week she's been sick, so I'm starting to wonder what's triggering the gluten attacks. I just hope she doesn't have any while she is up there. That would make for a miserable trip. I packed a bunch of gluten free foods, but we'll see. You know how kids can be when you restrict them from foods they love.
They've only been gone 2 hours but I miss them terribly. lol. It will be a nice break for me, especially with the challenges Spencer has been giving me lately, I guess in a way it's respite care for me. Cyril was just sad at the though this week of not being able to go on the camping trip with Daddy and his siblings. But so far this morning he's handling it okay. He got sad at 1st, but I told him that we needed to do something fun for just the 3 of us. I asked if he'll help me think of some fun stuff, but secretly I've already got some stuff planned. We will go to the splash pad or the wading pool, go to the library, maybe even go to the local fast food place that has a kids play area. I think he'll have some fun. Plus it will do him good, to spend some time with just momma, when Gordon is sleeping. It's been tough for him having to share his mommy.
This is going to be an interesting day I think, I wonder how it will go and the rest of the week will go without all of my family here.
God Bless~
7 weeks already!
Times sure seems to fly during summer break, and when you add a newborn it seems to fly even faster. Gordon was 7 weeks on Thursday. I can't believe it!!! Where has the time gone. He's getting bigger every day, and it's been neat seeing the changes in the kids in regards to Gordon. Last Wednesday, he was weighed for an appointment and came in 13lbs 5 oz. He measured in at 23 inches. So, I guess momma's milk is working well for him.
Nursing is getting better, but it's still a challenge at times. I'm really glad that I made the decision not to take on any new children under the age of 2 this summer because I wasn't sure how things would go with him. It would have been really hard to nurse him, and take care of a young toddler or infant. One of my daycare families had to stop coming, because their dad last his job (damn economy), and I was really sad. Mr. E was just on the verge of taking his 1st steps and I've missed that big milestone. It's turning out to be a blessing though that he and his sister is not here, considering the challenges that I've had with nursing Gordon.
Plus Gordon is turning out to be a fussier baby then Cyril was. He's more like his sister Dawn at this age. So that's been a tough on all of us. Mom has been a HUGE and I mean huge blessing with him, especially during the work week when Jessie is gone. I'm not sure what the kids and I would have done with her. She says that Gordon looks so much like me when I was a baby at that age, only he's a lot bigger then I was ( I was only 7lbs when I was born. lol.) So that in a way is a blessing, because she's really bonded with him, I wasn't sure if she would.
I discovered something very interesting in the last couple of weeks. Since Gordon has been so fussy almost colic like (Dawn has colic. Ugh, that was hard), I've been on the hunt to find out if there was a cause. He also has eczema really bad. I read an interesting article about fussy babies/colic babies and milk sensitivities. These babies also tend to have the acid reflux eczema, and, are also the spitters too when fed formula. (Breastfed babies spit, but not as often and most certainly not as bad.)So at this point I was ready to try anything. So I cut out the cow's milk and dairy products I was consuming, in hopes that it would help. And that has seemed to really help things, and his eczema has disappeared almost. Why did no one tell me!! So as of now I'm GFDF or GFCF depending on who you talk too. (DF=Dairy free or CF = casein free) I'm getting used to almond milk in my coffee. I haven't been brave enough to try it in my cereal. I will not do soy milk, because of what Soy does to the male body. I figure Gordon's already getting enough soy products from the foods that I eat, and he's getting enough synthetic estrogen already from the environment...why the hec would I add more? He's also proving to be sensitive to gluten products. Up until recently I thought that I had been able to eat gluten products without having any attacks on my body the 2years I nursed Cyril. I know, I know - dummy me. Recently that was proven wrong to me, and to top it off, the same days that I had gluten products, Gordon was fussy and had extremely messy diapers, worse then what a normal breastfed baby has.
I am missing alot of the dairy products, but it's not forever. I figure I'll try in back in my diet in 4-6months and see what happens. If' he's still the same, then I will continue to avoid till after he is done nursing. After I started doing this, my mom reminded me that my cousin Jess was lactose intolerant or had a milk sensitivity as a child. Plus Cyril is sensitive to milk too. We haven't taken him off dairy though, and I'm starting to wonder if we should. So we'll see what happens for Gordon.
God Bless~
Nursing is getting better, but it's still a challenge at times. I'm really glad that I made the decision not to take on any new children under the age of 2 this summer because I wasn't sure how things would go with him. It would have been really hard to nurse him, and take care of a young toddler or infant. One of my daycare families had to stop coming, because their dad last his job (damn economy), and I was really sad. Mr. E was just on the verge of taking his 1st steps and I've missed that big milestone. It's turning out to be a blessing though that he and his sister is not here, considering the challenges that I've had with nursing Gordon.
Plus Gordon is turning out to be a fussier baby then Cyril was. He's more like his sister Dawn at this age. So that's been a tough on all of us. Mom has been a HUGE and I mean huge blessing with him, especially during the work week when Jessie is gone. I'm not sure what the kids and I would have done with her. She says that Gordon looks so much like me when I was a baby at that age, only he's a lot bigger then I was ( I was only 7lbs when I was born. lol.) So that in a way is a blessing, because she's really bonded with him, I wasn't sure if she would.
I discovered something very interesting in the last couple of weeks. Since Gordon has been so fussy almost colic like (Dawn has colic. Ugh, that was hard), I've been on the hunt to find out if there was a cause. He also has eczema really bad. I read an interesting article about fussy babies/colic babies and milk sensitivities. These babies also tend to have the acid reflux eczema, and, are also the spitters too when fed formula. (Breastfed babies spit, but not as often and most certainly not as bad.)So at this point I was ready to try anything. So I cut out the cow's milk and dairy products I was consuming, in hopes that it would help. And that has seemed to really help things, and his eczema has disappeared almost. Why did no one tell me!! So as of now I'm GFDF or GFCF depending on who you talk too. (DF=Dairy free or CF = casein free) I'm getting used to almond milk in my coffee. I haven't been brave enough to try it in my cereal. I will not do soy milk, because of what Soy does to the male body. I figure Gordon's already getting enough soy products from the foods that I eat, and he's getting enough synthetic estrogen already from the environment...why the hec would I add more? He's also proving to be sensitive to gluten products. Up until recently I thought that I had been able to eat gluten products without having any attacks on my body the 2years I nursed Cyril. I know, I know - dummy me. Recently that was proven wrong to me, and to top it off, the same days that I had gluten products, Gordon was fussy and had extremely messy diapers, worse then what a normal breastfed baby has.
I am missing alot of the dairy products, but it's not forever. I figure I'll try in back in my diet in 4-6months and see what happens. If' he's still the same, then I will continue to avoid till after he is done nursing. After I started doing this, my mom reminded me that my cousin Jess was lactose intolerant or had a milk sensitivity as a child. Plus Cyril is sensitive to milk too. We haven't taken him off dairy though, and I'm starting to wonder if we should. So we'll see what happens for Gordon.
God Bless~
Rule 25
I used a phrase by the cartoon character "Olivia" from the cartoon Olivia (If you aren't a parent of a young preschooler - you may not get that.) in the title because, this past week, Jessie and I have experienced one of the sucky parts of parenting: animals dying part.
For as long as Jessie and I have been together, my in- laws have had cats on their property. Whether house cats or strays. For the last 3 years I believe, they've had a bunch of them. One of the strays has had 2 or 3 litters of kittens since she came in our lives. Of that 1st batch only 2 of her babies are really friendly. One of them - has become a beloved pet of Dawn's. He is her best animal friend as she puts it. Well sadly - what so often happens to pets whether beloved family or strays when you live in the country, happened to her buddy.
My brother in law Kenny, told Jessie yesterday, that Buddy, the cat was hit by a car about a week or two ago. When we went up there on 4th of July weekend, we didn't see Buddy, and it wasn't from a lack of trying. If Dawn finds out, she will be devastated. When we went up there about a month ago, she was devastated that she couldn't find him, fearing the worst. But my mother in law Gail, God bless her, told her, he visits all the neighbors too, so not to worry.
So Jessie and I are taking the cowards way out right now, and not going to tell her for now. I don't want to tell her the truth about Buddy, so my mother said to say that he probably found a really good home, and that's why he's not around. Which in a around about way is true...he has found a better home, in kitty heaven. No home is better then Heaven...human or animal. :)
Between last Saturday with the local bunny that they call "Flash" dying and now Buddy, it's been a rough week...so for now we are taking the cowards' way out and not telling the kids the truth...this is one of life's lessons' that I do NOT like about being a parent.
God Bless~
For as long as Jessie and I have been together, my in- laws have had cats on their property. Whether house cats or strays. For the last 3 years I believe, they've had a bunch of them. One of the strays has had 2 or 3 litters of kittens since she came in our lives. Of that 1st batch only 2 of her babies are really friendly. One of them - has become a beloved pet of Dawn's. He is her best animal friend as she puts it. Well sadly - what so often happens to pets whether beloved family or strays when you live in the country, happened to her buddy.
My brother in law Kenny, told Jessie yesterday, that Buddy, the cat was hit by a car about a week or two ago. When we went up there on 4th of July weekend, we didn't see Buddy, and it wasn't from a lack of trying. If Dawn finds out, she will be devastated. When we went up there about a month ago, she was devastated that she couldn't find him, fearing the worst. But my mother in law Gail, God bless her, told her, he visits all the neighbors too, so not to worry.
So Jessie and I are taking the cowards way out right now, and not going to tell her for now. I don't want to tell her the truth about Buddy, so my mother said to say that he probably found a really good home, and that's why he's not around. Which in a around about way is true...he has found a better home, in kitty heaven. No home is better then Heaven...human or animal. :)
Between last Saturday with the local bunny that they call "Flash" dying and now Buddy, it's been a rough week...so for now we are taking the cowards' way out and not telling the kids the truth...this is one of life's lessons' that I do NOT like about being a parent.
God Bless~
Bunnies
On Thursday - I had a couple of my daycare boys. Two of my favorites, okay, I'll be honest they are all my favorites, and I love them all to death. lol. Anyways - I had MR. J and Mr. C over for the day, we were all outside in the backyard. When Mr. C goes over to one of the playground equipment, and starts yelling "Bunnies! Bunnies!" I couldn't figure out what on earth he was talking about. He comes running over to me as fast as his little legs would carry him to me, and begins pulling my hand. He's yelling and pointing. So we go back over there, sure enough, there are 6 baby cotton tail bunnies in it. Momma Rabbit was sure smart making her den in that particular piece. Safe from predators (since our yard is fenced) and the kids haven't been drawn to that part of the yard at all so far this summer.
Since all the kids knew about them - of course they needed to peak at them...constantly. lol. Thankfully none of them touched the bunnies who were about 3 weeks old I imagine, (They looked ready to leave the den) we did make the momma nervous, because the next morning they were gone. I had assumed that they left the den the night before, but this afternoon/evening we would find all 6 babies back in our yard. Jessie and the kids found two earlier this afternoon, but caught one of them. Jessie and I would later find the remaining 5 and their momma tonight. Boy was THAT an adventure. Those little buggers are fast! lol.
Sadly, my friends - Momma Rabbit aka "Flash" to those of you that have heard my older kids and some of the other neighborhood kids talk about a local rabbit, is no longer with us. Something,we believed scared her, because she got stuck in the fence and died. Jessie discovered how easily it is to frighten a rabbit to death, from our research on the internet (Once we got the one- we didn't know what to do). With how often this bunny has been in and out of our back yard, she knew about the fence, so that's the only conculsion that we came too. We have not told the kids, because we know they would be just heart -broken. All the kids love that rabbit.
Jessie and Dawn will release the other 5 babies down at the park with it's sibling in the morning. They picked a safe spot, and Jessie dug another den for the 1 baby, he'll put the others there. I'm being a nervous adopted momma for these babies. I took a bunch of lettuce and water to them in the box that we have them in. I'm so scared that they weren't quite ready to leave the den yet, but all the research says that they are ready to be on their own. A really good sign is that they are pooping on their own, so that gives me courage...but still. Hopefully with our prayers and God's blessing they will survive.
Dawn and I got to each hold a couple...I can't tell you how hard it was NOT to keep at least one of them. They were so cute and cuddly. No bigger then my hand...but Jessie does not like animals of the rodent variety. lol. Not to mention our landlord won't allow us to have pets.
God Bless~
Since all the kids knew about them - of course they needed to peak at them...constantly. lol. Thankfully none of them touched the bunnies who were about 3 weeks old I imagine, (They looked ready to leave the den) we did make the momma nervous, because the next morning they were gone. I had assumed that they left the den the night before, but this afternoon/evening we would find all 6 babies back in our yard. Jessie and the kids found two earlier this afternoon, but caught one of them. Jessie and I would later find the remaining 5 and their momma tonight. Boy was THAT an adventure. Those little buggers are fast! lol.
Sadly, my friends - Momma Rabbit aka "Flash" to those of you that have heard my older kids and some of the other neighborhood kids talk about a local rabbit, is no longer with us. Something,we believed scared her, because she got stuck in the fence and died. Jessie discovered how easily it is to frighten a rabbit to death, from our research on the internet (Once we got the one- we didn't know what to do). With how often this bunny has been in and out of our back yard, she knew about the fence, so that's the only conculsion that we came too. We have not told the kids, because we know they would be just heart -broken. All the kids love that rabbit.
Jessie and Dawn will release the other 5 babies down at the park with it's sibling in the morning. They picked a safe spot, and Jessie dug another den for the 1 baby, he'll put the others there. I'm being a nervous adopted momma for these babies. I took a bunch of lettuce and water to them in the box that we have them in. I'm so scared that they weren't quite ready to leave the den yet, but all the research says that they are ready to be on their own. A really good sign is that they are pooping on their own, so that gives me courage...but still. Hopefully with our prayers and God's blessing they will survive.
Dawn and I got to each hold a couple...I can't tell you how hard it was NOT to keep at least one of them. They were so cute and cuddly. No bigger then my hand...but Jessie does not like animals of the rodent variety. lol. Not to mention our landlord won't allow us to have pets.
God Bless~
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Blue Jays
I have heard that Blue Jays (the birds) are the meanest birds around. I've watched them with other birds, and I agree they are. Figured if we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone. Fast forward to this summer. We have a family of Blue Jays in our back yard. I believe they have 2 or 3 baby birds. No biggie, since it's been so wet & I've been on maternity leave, I've not had to worry about kids in the back yard, other then my own.
This past weekend, as Spencer was trying to mow the grass, we saw a baby bird, trying to climb up the tree. Then all of a sudden out of no where, you hear the Momma bird, just squawking at us, and dove at us a couple of times. Then the Daddy Blue Jay joined in. Made all of us a little nervous. So we've been leaving that side of the yard alone.
Earlier this week, you could hear this soft sound/call from a baby bird, couldn't find where it was coming from,then Spencer found it. Yep- fell into one of the window wells of the basement. The kids freaked out, because they were so worried how this baby was going to get out, and the parents were sitting on the roof -raising up a ruckus too. So I got the kids to get some wood, and we placed it in the window well. Later we checked on it, and the baby was gone. So now, I've placed a large piece of wood over the window wells, to prevent any more babies from fall in.
The kids are relieved the baby is okay, I'm okay that neither one of the parent birds attacked me, my neighbor or our kids. My neighbor told me that one of the parent birds, attacked her husband, and pecked him on the shoulder. Ouch! I'd hate for that to happen to any of us.
Wonder what will happen next in our little Blue Jay soap opera....as the "World Turns" lol.
God Bless~
This past weekend, as Spencer was trying to mow the grass, we saw a baby bird, trying to climb up the tree. Then all of a sudden out of no where, you hear the Momma bird, just squawking at us, and dove at us a couple of times. Then the Daddy Blue Jay joined in. Made all of us a little nervous. So we've been leaving that side of the yard alone.
Earlier this week, you could hear this soft sound/call from a baby bird, couldn't find where it was coming from,then Spencer found it. Yep- fell into one of the window wells of the basement. The kids freaked out, because they were so worried how this baby was going to get out, and the parents were sitting on the roof -raising up a ruckus too. So I got the kids to get some wood, and we placed it in the window well. Later we checked on it, and the baby was gone. So now, I've placed a large piece of wood over the window wells, to prevent any more babies from fall in.
The kids are relieved the baby is okay, I'm okay that neither one of the parent birds attacked me, my neighbor or our kids. My neighbor told me that one of the parent birds, attacked her husband, and pecked him on the shoulder. Ouch! I'd hate for that to happen to any of us.
Wonder what will happen next in our little Blue Jay soap opera....as the "World Turns" lol.
God Bless~
Blue Angels
Oh my word was today hot!! This weekend has been a busy weekend for us. The kids and I finally got to see Dawn in a parade. I was such a proud mommy. My friends and I cheered and hollered for the band, and for Dawn. I got all teary-eyed finally getting to see my baby girl in a parade. I'm such a proud mom. lol. I was so thankful that God kept the weather at bay until the kids were done with the parade. Then it rained. It was a VERY long parade, but the boys had a blast and I finally got to see Dawn march so it was worth it.
Today was a memorable one. The city of St. Cloud like all Minnesota cities in the summer is having it's annual City festival this weekend. But this year was different, they held an air show that hosted the famous Blue Angels and several other famous air planes. So as a family we were blessed to go to the air show. It was a long day, but the kids had fun. At first I wasn't sure if we had made the right decision. Nana was talking about taking the kids to see Aunt Nancy this weekend, and the kids were bummed that they weren't going with her, but to the air show. To be honest - when they acted less then thrilled about going, I was crushed. The older two are always talking about wanting to do more "fun" stuff as a family, and I thought - the air show..with the Blue Angels?! What would be more fun then that?
The kids didn't last very long when we got there, either between the hot weather (Clear blue skies, sun and humidity), or just being kids and sitting there for so long, they got super antsy. So between Jessie and I, we walked the kids around the airport where the air show was being held. The kids had a blast climbing in and out of the various planes on display, the boys even got to try on one of the pilots' helmets. The kids climbed the rock wall. It was neat watching Dawn do it, since she had so much fun doing it at Deep Portage earlier this spring. Spencer and Cyril even tried to climb the wall. Spencer got about half way up, and came down. Cyril didn't even get out of the Soldier's arms.lol. They also had a play area for the kids. The inflatables were a blast for them. They played and bounced for over an hour on those things. Including during the Blue Angels flight show. lol.
It was really cool to see the plane formations and etc. There were a couple of times that I about died because of the fly byes that they did. But it was fun watching the kids get excited about the planes. It will be neat to have the pictures to look back on this day.
There were a few times while we were there that again made me question if we made the right choice to go. One because of how loud it was at times for baby Gordon. We made a make-shift ear muffs for him, and he seemed fine,slept thru the loudest parts. lol. Dawn and I argued briefly, and etc. But I hope over all the kids had a blast. All of us but baby Gordon got sunburned, even with sunscreen on. It will be interesting to see what they think of tomorrow's festivities. We'll see what more the city of St. Cloud has to offer.
God Bless~
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