Look before you sit

We are finally feeling better -well most of us.  I seem to take the longest to get better on account of lack of sleep and being worn out caring for the other sick ones :( .  I'm just glad I got the cold part of the illness only, and that Mark didn't get it at all :).  The other three took turns throwing up for about 12 hours each (not constantly).  I don't think I remember doing that much laundry in three days.  I had those machines going constantly  - thank God for washing and drying machines!  I can't even imagine how crappy that would have been to deal with washing everything by hand like people used to (still do in some countries).  Although all three of the kids were sick, there always seemed to be one that perked up when another one started feeling sick - so I had a sick kid, a semi-sick kid and a bouncy " get in trouble kid" every day for about three days.

Yesterday was a "making messes" day.  It seemed like I would clean up one only to turn around in time to see them make another giant mess.  By the end of the day I gave up.  I made sure that the floors were mostly clear (or they trip and fall) and it was not too annoying stepping on crumbled food....  if that is possible. While I was putting Abby and Sarah to bed Nathan decided to change his own diaper.  He had pooped in it and decided that the couch was a good place to take it off.  He then went to the change table and attempted to clean himself up and then proceeded to the kitchen with a chair and helped himself to a soother (I keep them in a cupboard until bedtime).  I know all this because he left a trail of poop smudges everywhere he went.  What could have been a 2-3 wipe poop turned into a 50 wipe poop as I searched the house to see where he had been.  It was my chair this time :(.  When I told Mark about the episode he replied "well, I guess the motto for today is 'look before you sit!'".  I love my husband :).  Nathan has developed a fascination for pump bottles filled with shampoo or conditioner in the bathroom - often when I find him in there there is a stream of shampoo or conditioner flowing down the bottle and making a puddle on the floor.  He looks so intently at it while it is dripping - I can't be angry.  I'm at a loss of where to put those darned bottles.  They come from Costco so they are huge - I am glad of that because the floor gets a lot of treatment but they are so big they don't fit anywhere :(.  

Recently I noticed that my supply of plastic containers was growing non-existent.  I also noticed Abby walking around with them , attempting to put lids on or take them off but never putting them in the same place or back where they came from.  Abby also , now that she is always walking, walks around with her food.  She used to make a mess around her high chair or by the coffee table where she was standing - now she scatters her mess all over the house!   She often will follow me around the house with a book clutched in both hands , wanting me to read it to her and getting very loud and angry when I don't immediately comply.  Abby is lucky she is so cute and we still love her no matter how crazy she gets...  I could say that for all three of them.  Sometimes I walk in on them doing something crazy and often the result is a lot of clean up for me...I stand there for a moment not knowing if I should laugh, cry or be angry.   I take a picture and puzzle about it - then clean up the mess usually ending up laughing.

Since the weather has been so nice I have been taking the kids out in the back yard more often.  Sarah has decided that she does not like bugs.  At first she seemed afraid of them and wanting me to flip them off the slide before she went down and freaking out if they happened to land on her clothing or skin.  I explained to her that the bugs live outside and that they were not going to hurt her.  She seems less afraid now.  Now, she smashes them in-between  her fingers and then hands them to me (or tries to) saying "Here mom!"  and I have to brush the remnants of the bug off her fingers.  Nathan seems to be much like his dad in that he  needs something to do outside.  He needs to blow bubbles or ....something .... I haven't figured out how to keep him busy yet.  Usually he is waiting by the door for us to go back in while Sarah and Abby are happily playing.  

I have concluded that we just need to survive May.  June will go quickly , then I will have a baby and everything will settle down after that ..... hopefully.  Ha ha -I think rather we will be adjusting to a new kind of crazy, but at least it will be summer and Mark will be home.  Just focus on surviving May Leanne.....

Nathan watching his favourite meal bake *fish* 

playing outside -watch out for bugs!

These girls don't need lessons on how to make a mess 

Warm thoughts and warm weather

It seems like Spring is finally here!  And my husbands birthday is only a few days away (for those of you who don't follow his count down on facebook).  That means that April is almost over :)  In May we open the pool and get out the summer clothing and in June we prepare for Hannah and in July... I hopefully will have a successful home birth. About three years ago I would have considered myself crazy to consider a home birth.  We live about 1/2 an hour from ....everywhere.  I was afraid that something might go wrong, but after having three children I realized that I was tougher then I thought.

I also realized that the medical system regarding labor and delivery has largely failed women in my opinion.  In my experience all my births were normal (with the exception of a fast heart beat from my oldest), but it seemed that the medical staff had rules for "normal".  I hated being in the hospital and was always glad to get home to my own bed.  I was GBS positive for all three pregnancies and I'm assuming I am for this one as well.  The staff always wanted me to stay for 24 hours of observation even though the risk for the baby getting anything was less then 1% (much less). Mark and I had read all the information and research and were confident that we could handle anything that came up (likely nothing will).  It seemed to us that esp. with the last birth they were trying to scare us by telling us that the "danger" was not over yet (after we went for the next morning check up) and the nurse telling me that Abby might be dehydrated after she peed all over her.  It was smile and nod time.  It was irritating to drive back to the hospital (three times the last time) for the blood work.  I'm really looking forward to having the baby at home , relaxing in a warm herbal bath after the birth (with Hannah) and going to bed in my own bed :).  No more early morning drives, uncomfortable lectures and all this foot poking for the baby.  The midwife will come here for the checkups and Mark will be home to take care of things.

I totally intended on finishing this post but my whole family got sick (except for Mark) - as I write this I have one crying at me :( .  I will post what I have written and hopefully I can catch up on myself later this week.

Cloudy days and rain

I think that sometimes my mood seems connected with the weather.  Last week was full of clouds and rain.  I am looking forward to the warmer days that are coming when I can at least take the kids outside in the back yard.  It seems like such a simple thing - but getting them dressed for outside and then carrying around Abby (to cold/wet to let her crawl around) is exhausting. When the warm weather finally comes they can run around on bare feet and if the clothes come off it really does not matter :).  Maybe because I'm looking forward to this I feel more depressed when it rains or turns cold again. I also notice that when it does rain or is cloudy my hips seem to hurt more and it gets painful walking around.

The week seemed to go by in a fog.  I think the only time I got out of the house was when we went for our normal Costco trip.  I'm not looking forward to when Hannah is here regarding getting out of the house - often the only time I do get out of the house (unless it is for appointments) is the Costco trip.  Currently we need two carts for our trip- for kids and food.  When Hannah comes there will be a lot less room for food... which means I will have to stay home with her and probably one other sibling :(

On a lighter note, Abby is almost walking :).  I think the only reason she crawls now is because for her at this time it is often quicker.  Today (Monday) was sunny and very warm.  My mom came over for a few hours and we played outside in the back yard (finally!).  I put green food coloring in the tub for the kids when they took a bath - they were very impressed.  Nathan requested a host of different colors of course "Now blue?, Now yellow?...." .  He stole the baby shampoo , convinced that the orange colour would turn the water orange.  Sarah now describes everything she does in first person " I dip, I poke, I laugh!, I jump, I fall...." .  She amazes me with all the words she comes up with.

This morning (Tuesday) it was raining again.  I decided to bake muffins.  That in it self is a crazy decision for me.  Of course they all wanted to "help".  I put Abby in the sink striped down to her diaper and filled up the other half of the sink with soap and water so she would have something to do.  Nathan decided that he wanted a sink bath and jumped in the sink naked.  Sarah and I mixed up some batter and they all ate chocolate chips.  Nathan decided not to listen and got kicked out of the sink - Sarah took his place and "tickled" Abby with the dish scrubby.  Poor Abby had her entire head white with soap while her sister laughed her head off.  Nathan was not done getting into trouble and got himself kicked off the chair not listening again and spooning sugar into the water of my coffee maker.  He also peed on the chair he was standing on - I think I got him to the bathroom on time to finish.  Nathan put the little potty lid on the toilet and stated he had to poop.  I have no idea if he did or not - I just know he was done when I caught him twice splashing his foot in the toilet (don't worry- he flushes as many times as he can while trying to go to the bathroom).  Sarah who was also naked after getting herself kicked out of the sink (kept on trying to turn the water on) peed on the same chair.  I got her on the potty but she didn't do anything more.  I got the last batch of muffins in the oven and then made some lunch as fast as I could (Abby was screaming at me) , Sarah who I hadn't got a chance to diaper yet peed on the same chair AGAIN while picking at her lunch (it was Mark's chair ... don't tell?) .  I was a little encouraged because Sarah had run to the bathroom before lunch feeling like she had to go - she just had the timing off.  I finally got the girls in bed , mostly cleaned up the kitchen mess and ate some lunch myself when Abby woke up :(  I took her down and she napped on top of me while Nathan bounced around the couch like a crazy person.  Now I'm trying to muster some energy to walk them to the library - hopefully Nathan will release some of his energy.  My apologies to the library staff in advance.   My kids often leave a pile of books on the floor and I don't have time to clean it up before they are making another mess somewhere else ...

I think I've redefined the definition of "super-mom" for myself.  I always thought of a super mom as a mom who does it all and her kids are clean , well behaved and not crazy.  Now I think of a super mom as a mom who survives days like this and is not insane or crying.

A long week

When I think of the past week I remember how long it seemed.  Usually when Mark has a Monday off the week feels short because the weekend comes sooner. I think it had something to do with Abby deciding not to sleep on Tuesday night (or was it Monday night?  its all fuzzy).  I think she was teething ... I'm still not sure .  I believe Mark said he got about 2 hours of sleep - I'm still not sure how much I got.  The next few days after that were very tiring but at least all three children slept :)

On Friday we went out for dinner with my mom who recently celebrated a birthday at the beginning of the week.  We took the kids and my mom to a restaurant called "Jacks" in Kingsville. Again they were remarkably well behaved.  We had three high chairs so there was no running or attempted escapes.  We let them choose their drinks (except Abby of course) and meals.  They started banging their forks and knives together and chanting "chicken!" (they had ordered fish) , but my mom entertained them with a Dutch children's song that she knew from when she was small.  I remember bright smiles and bright eyes with lots of laughter.  Just as I commented on how well behaved they were the cups started falling on the floor with water everywhere, but that wasn't that big of  a deal... it was only water.  I know my mom had a good time and I think we were entertainment for the other dinners that eventually came.

 After dinner we went to the part for a little while (it was cool by the lake).  Nathan has soooo much energy - it amazes me sometimes.  Mark was climbing on a wall (he still likes to play as well).  Nathan attempted to follow him a few times then stated "No , I do not climb" and ran away.  I love that kid.  I was mostly watching them play when Nathan with his cheeks red, his nose running, his eyes bright said with a big smile "Common mommy - its your turn!  Here - this ladder is for you!".  Who could resist that?  It still makes me smile to think that my energetic son loves me and wanted to share his joy of being outside and running on the playground equipment with me.

On Saturday we visited a good friend who was waiting for a baby to come.  She looked exhausted.  That along with the returning Braxton Hicks reminded me that I have officially entered my third trimester.  I remember waiting and labor pain and sleepless nights, but most of what I remember is the warm healthy body of the newborn put on my chest for the very first time.  I don't think there is much that compares with that special joy and I am looking forward to experiencing it again.   

Easter weekend

I can't say I thought much about the Easter holiday until I realized that I did not have to make Mark's lunch for the next day because he would be home :)
The weather has been beautiful.  I think spring fever has taken over our son Nathan.  He has sporadic bursts of energy where he suddenly gets up and runs around yelling in his little high pitched voice.

On Friday we took our kids as well as a friends kids (the parents needed a rest) to the park.  It felt so good to get outside after being cooped up inside all winter.  Nathan and Sarah unlike last year both enjoyed the equipment and were able to climb and not look like they were about to fall to their death.  Abby mostly enjoyed eating the small rocks that cushion the area- or trying to - she would eventually spit them out. They all ended up tired and dirty - just as I like them :)

Saturday was still beautiful so we decided to head to Pt. Pelee.  Mark and I always have a great time when going there.  We daydream about all the different things we can do when our kids get older (biking/hiking trails, canoe trips, swimming ...). Mark , Sarah and Nathan climbed "the castle" (the look-out platform) several times and we walked the marsh board walk.  We only felt nervous a few times as our children called to the fish (some of the board walk does not have a rail)  and tried to get them to come out. After a few hours of walking we went to Pizza Hut for supper (it is impossible to go anywhere in the afternoon without running into supper issues).  The last time we were at Pizza Hut it felt like we were trying to feed and contain two squirrels.  Abby was still in the infant carrier so she was not to much trouble - the other two however spilled ice water all over the table , put face/hand prints allover the window, repeatedly attempted to climb out of the booth we had hedged them in  and were very (loudly) impatient with the wait for the food.  I remember seeing a large Mennonite family sitting near us with some of their children around the same age as ours.  They were so quiet and sitting still .... and obedient ...  I think that we had more fun ;).   This time Pizza Hut was a much better experience.  Nathan was still attempting to leave the table , Sarah dumped Parmesan cheese (all of it ) over her pizza.  Abby was more interested in staring at people and standing up in her high chair then eating ...actually I think Mark and I did most of the eating , but all in all it was a good experience.  I think we will attempt to take out my mom for dinner with the kids for her 60th birthday. Mark and I were the tired and dirty ones from that day - the kids were still going strong at bedtime - I really wish I could have some of their energy sometimes.

Sunday we went to church - the kids were good but not as good as last time.  I have to admit that most of the teaching that day kind of flowed around me not really sinking in at all.  The only thing I remember was that the pastor played the hallelujah piece by Handel at the end of his teaching.  I felt goose bumps and it was not even that great of a recording :)  I love large choirs singing with a full orchestra, it to me is very powerful and emotional.  When hearing that kind of music I often remember passages in the bible talking about how all the nations of the world will sing and praise God together - and how much more beautiful , powerful and emotional will that be?

Here are some pictures of the Point Pelee trip/ Pizza Hut

Sundays

Today my children amazed me... in a good way.  Sundays usually run like this:  early mornings (as usual) , getting breakfast - feed the crazy now whining children, locate clothing for self and children (may be in several different places)/eat breakfast myself , chase children around the house attempting to put on clothing/get ready myself - while I was doing all this my husband Mark was also getting ready and packing (snacks/lunch/diapers) the diaper bag , then we both put on shoes and coats/finish dressing children and get the kids in the van strapping them down in their car seats.  On the way to church we catch our breath.

When we get to church we follow our energetic children around until "singing time" starts.  Then we attempt to herd them in the general area/ enjoy the praise and worship songs.  Normally they cannot sit or stand still for longer then 3 seconds.  I look at other families that have children around the same ages as ours sitting quietly or standing watching the adults sing.  I see those kids and I think " what on earth happened to ours???" .  Our children dance/run/look for trouble to get into while the praise and worship goes on, then they impatiently "wait" (meaning us holding them back from running to the front) while announcements are being made.  Finally it is "Pray to Jesus time" (pastor prays with the kids before sending them off to classes/nursery) and we can finally sit down to relax and listen to the teaching (assuming our children have settled down in the nursery without to much screaming).  

After church we visit Mark's mom and step-father for a few hours.  By this time our children have missed their lunch and nap (Sarah and Abby still nap) and are barely functional for a good visit.  We feed them and then take them home when they start crying ... about everything. All of this is exhausting and I look forward to the day when Sundays can be a little more normal.  The funny thing is - they love church aka "singing time"  and even the tiring visit to "grandma with Angel" (Angel is the name of her dog).

Today Mark lead praise and worship.  I was not looking forward to getting them ready myself while Mark looked for songs to sing in the morning, leaving earlier so Mark can practice with the other members of the team, chasing them/herding them around myself while praise and worship is going on.  I was feeling very tired and sore (Hannah growing again).  But all that changed to "amazing" - Mark finished his prep work on time to help get the kids ready.  Nathan and Sarah actually listened to me while I was monitoring them before the service started.  Abby fell asleep for the entire service and Nathan and Sarah stayed in one spot during praise and worship!  What ever else happened after that was dulled in comparison (except for having friends over and wearing out our kids)- not having to chase them around was just so amazing... until Nathan got out of the tub and promptly put the kid potty lid on the big toilet , sat down and did a poop!  I've talking to him about toilet training , read books and tried a few times (with big messes as a result) and now he just up and does it , no prompting  required :) .  I had a feeling it would be like that with him- he does things in his own time.    I hope I can get him to continue this - not quite sure how yet.

Here is my big boy , and that was my Sunday.

March 20 2013

I finally have my own computer at home now- so now hopefully I can keep up to date on this thing.  The days have been fairly typical and busy.  I am now about 5-6 months along in my forth pregnancy.  The baby will be a girl (as far as we know)  and we have picked out the name Hannah Grace Hawkins.  I would have liked another boy but either sex is welcome in our home. I think this pregnancy will go quickly as I am too busy most of the time to even remember that I am pregnant - excluding the times where I accidently  turn on the washing/drying machine with my growing belly, or find some food stuck there.

Today was full of kids spilling food/juice all over the floor.  I don't know why but the cups never ever end up in  a standing position like they are supposed to be.  Most of our spill proof cups are no longer spill proof.  Those cups are expensive!  This morning Sarah slipped on some juice that had leaked out of a cup.  I quickly mopped it up (Abby helped using her hands) and Sarah promptly slipped again. I made her sit on a chair with a blanket until I had swept and mopped the floor.  Nathan and Sarah (mostly Sarah) also trip on the blankets and pillows from the couch that they are forever throwing on the floor.  Abby mostly gets stuck on the blankets as she crawls now.

I'm trying to think of crafts/projects to do with the kids to break up the TV watching a bit.  Its hard to find things to do with 3 kids under 3 without resulting in a giant mess after about 5 minutes.  I smile at the suggestions I find on the internet that claim to keep your toddler entertained for "hours" - the longest they can pay attention to something is about 15 minutes (usually less).  I was happy to finally have cleared off the counter enough so I could wipe it this morning (its been a few days)- I didn't want to clean up a craft mess....so no craft today.

Abby has just celebrated her first birthday.  Its hard to believe a whole year has gone by already, and yet its not.  Abby can do so many things now - she can feed herself , is starting to talk, climbs stairs and is starting to be her own person.   She is so darn cute :)