Summer is just zipping by – I can’t believe we are already past the half-way point! I keep thinking that I need to write, because I’m going to forget things that we’ll want to remember someday. Instead, I’ve indulged in lots of reading, and while it doesn’t get the house clean or accomplish much for anyone else, I have enjoyed it!
My parents returned from their 18-month mission in India at the beginning of April. What an experience that was for them, and what an example they are to us! Conditions were tough – the temperature never dipped below about 75-80, and more often hovered around 100; India is where America was about 50 years ago in terms of industry and the technology and conveniences available to the masses; it is a dirty, crowded place. And yet my parents enjoyed their experience there and loved the people and especially the children at the orphanage school in which they served. It has been amazing to me to see how our children have picked up so quickly where they left off a year and a half ago – and even the ones who were too young to really remember excitedly greet Grandpa and Grandma with cheers and hugs and ask often when the next get-together or sleepover will be.
Since they had a week off in April for Spring Break, my brave sister, Sharon, and two of her children (Brett and Brooke) drove out to Utah to welcome my parents back. It is always chaotic but also lots of fun when we get together, and we are always grateful for the time, money, and effort our extended family puts out which shows that we are a priority to each other. We have also seen Derek several times as he has flown in to Salt Lake City for various conferences and for meetings at the University of Utah – and we are so excited that he secured a research position at the U of U and that he and his family will be moving here within the next month!
Our three older boys played soccer in March, April and the beginning of May. The girls had wanted to play too, but after last Tax Season when I had six kids playing soccer and I nearly lost my mind trying to stay on top of the schedule and chauffeuring by myself, I talked them into playing only Fall Soccer when Hugh is around to help. The school year finished at the end of May, but it has begun to really feel like summer only the last few weeks. We really enjoy the more relaxed schedule - more time to sleep in, play games, read, just to do things together (all of us except Hugh, who still faithfully wakes up at 4:30 and goes to work every day!) These are some of the fun things we have done over the last few months: Jon Schmidt Concert in Roosevelt, Utah, Hope of America Program at BYU, End of the School Year Party, Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove, Handbell Concert at Temple Square, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Jon Schmidt Concert in Nibley, Utah, Seven Peaks Water Park, Hot Air Balloons, Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, SLC Airport La Quinta, Wilkins Family BBQ in Logan, Utah, and the Stadium of Fire Fireworks show in Provo. We are planning our second trip to Disneyland in mid-October, which surprisingly, Hugh insisted on.
Other than reading, I have spent a lot of time researching computers and video-editing software. We bought our first computer seven years ago with the hopes of putting all our home video on DVD’s with snazzy title screens and descriptions, but were able to record only a few minutes to the hard drive before it suddenly stopped working – and eventually I ran out of time and patience to figure it out. I ended up going through the tedious process of recording all the home videos with a DVD recorder, adding titles with a keypad, one letter at a time (like texting) and not many creative options. The memories of frustration have faded enough that I decided I was ready to give the computer-captured home videos another shot – so we bought a new computer. I’m not ready to say it was a mistake, but I will say I have a fresh recollection of why I quit trying the first time. (Is it really too much to ask that the time/date stamp on the home videos be preserved as I am transferring them from one media to another?!) Anyway, one new computer, hundreds of dollars, dozens of hours, and four software programs later, Daniel and I are at least figuring out a way to get around the major holes we have found in the software. It’s a good thing we have some extra time to pour into this project while it’s still summer!
For a little while, it looked like we might move to Germany for six months or so while Hugh took care of some Church business throughout Europe, but to my disappointment/relief, that fell through. Instead, Hugh will make a few trips there by himself. We are trying to figure out if there is any practical way we can send a kid or two with him. Steven really can’t miss two weeks of school at this point in high school, and we are finding that flights are most expensive during the summer, so we’ll have to decide how much this experience would be worth to the kids since it will not be cheap, even with hotels being covered by the Church.
Steven breezed through 9th grade, just barely escaping the parent-imposed retake of Pre-Calculus by squeezing out an A- minus (it turns out the rest of the class didn’t do so well either, so grades were figured on a curve.) He managed to get a B in one of his easiest classes, pulling his cumulative GPA down to a 3.7. If he worked a little harder, he could have all A’s every term, but overall I can’t complain because Steven really is a good kid – generally respectful, pleasant, and kind, which is most important to me. He loves being with his school friends – one of his girl friends talked him into trying Irish step dance and attending a Caeli (sort of like a square dance, but Irish style.) Steven finished Driver’s Education a few weeks ago (I know, I can’t believe he could possibly be that old already, or maybe I can’t believe I could possibly be that old already!) He will need to complete the driving requirements with his instructor as well as with his parents, but we are dragging our feet on that one because we can’t decide which is worse for a new driver: a stick-shift car or a full-size automatic van? Anyway, we have until next May 18th when he turns 16 to figure that one out. Steven hasn’t seen his friends this summer as much as he would like, but he has done some fun things. He went whitewater rafting with the youth of our church (Youth Conference) and is at the University of Utah all this week for a youth camp with inspirational speakers and fun evening activities (EFY).
Daniel finished 7th grade with a 3.92 (3.7 cumulative.) It is interesting to watch each of our kids develop their own preferences, talents, interests, etc. independent from each other and from us. Daniel decided he wants to try student government and yearbook next year. Early this summer he found in our closet the old Dosdall flute we had when I was a kid, and he seemed determined to learn how to play it…for about two weeks… so now I’m glad we didn’t put money into reconditioning it. Daniel has been asking us to purchase Adobe Flash (software which allows you to add animation to Web applications) for a long time, so we made a deal. If Daniel will figure out the video editing software and teach me how to use it, he will have proven his tenacity and we will purchase the software he wants. I’ve been told that high school students who are proficient in Adobe can make good money – I have yet to research who will pay that good money, but at least this software has some productive potential, unlike the computer games and video games the kids usually like to play. Daniel and Michael spend a lot of time pulling weeds in the garden to earn extra electronics time, which I thought was a win-win situation until I discovered that they had unwittingly pulled up all the carrots and peas I had planted. It is so cute to watch Daniel with baby Katelyn. He will pick her up and entertain her when she fusses, and when she does something cute, he makes the same adoring noises I do when I’m thinking she’s just so cute I can’t help it. Daniel has been very helpful about watching Matthew and Emily while I take five of the other kids to swimming lessons. My life is so much easier with helpful older children!
Julia will be turned 12 yesterday! She is anxious to have some school friends over for a birthday party which we will be doing a day late because Hugh took some of the older kids (including Julia) to a concert at Temple Square last night. Julia is very conscientious about how she does things – from schoolwork to chores – and I appreciate that I can count on her to do a good job without my prompting. She started out the summer so on fire about teaching her younger siblings new things like cursive and math, but that has fizzled out and she has spent a lot of time reading and playing games with her siblings. She and the other girls would do well with more of the structured learning time I had planned for the summer, but the boys are enjoying the fact that I have let some of that go in lieu of more reading time for me! Like Steven and Daniel, Julia has been really helpful in being responsible for some of her younger siblings while I run errands or take kids to doctor or dentist appointments. Speaking of dentist appointments – Julia has recently had four teeth pulled in preparation for much-needed braces, which will probably be put on within the next year or so.
Michael enjoyed playing futsal and soccer (with Uncle James as coach) and has improved considerably this year. Steven, Julia, and Michael have all been working on essentially the same piano pieces (mostly Jon Schmidt and classical) and so have been taking a group lesson together. (Daniel opted to continue one-on-one lessons every other week, even during the summer – YAY!) They are all impressive in different ways; Michael’s talent seems to be his ability to memorize complicated pieces in few repetitions. For awhile we were struggling with Michael not wanting to do his chores, then not being able to eat dinner (or not liking what we were having), then helping himself to treats, but he’s doing much better now. He doesn’t love doing chores, but he does them, and it really helps the house run smoothly when everyone pitches in. Michael’s favorite things are piano and electronics. And he really likes Katelyn – he saves his most spontaneous and authentic smiles for her. We have had to adjust our electronics policy a couple of times this summer because it seemed that all Michael did all day was play the piano or do extra chores in order to earn more time to play electronics.
Alyssa did well in 2nd grade academically, but even more importantly at this point, socially. Away from home, she is painfully quiet and shy. At home, she is creative, energetic, even boisterous. She is Matthew’s special buddy, and almost every night Matthew and Emily talk her into setting up a bed of pillows and blankets and sleeping next to them. Hugh and I are so appreciative since it gives us a little quiet time to read or even just get ready for bed without having to corral the little two back to their bedroom every thirty seconds. Alyssa enjoys making things and playing with the other kids. Until I grounded them for dirtying so many towels and tracking so much mud and grass into the house, Alyssa and Natalie spent many afternoons playing water games out back (Slip ‘n Slide, sprinklers, etc.) Alyssa likes to catch butterflies when the weather is not too dreadfully hot. She is also very helpful with Katelyn, often volunteering to sit with her on the rocker out front while I work on dinner or laundry.
Natalie was probably our most social kindergartener to date. She seemed totally comfortable with being away from me (should I be offended?), and made lots of friends. She reads well and has taken her share of turns reading to Matthew and Emily during our mandatory summer Reading Time each day. Most of the time, she is easy-going and pleasant. But you’d better watch out if she gets bent out of shape about something, or didn’t get enough sleep the night before, because she turns into a growling, grumbling, cantankerous little snapping turtle. I think I’ve been saying this for awhile, but hopefully soon she will learn to control her actions even if she can’t stop herself from feeling crabby sometimes.
Matthew is done with diapers! He is 4 ½ years old now, so I certainly wouldn’t call him a potty prodigy, but we are so glad! We tried lots of different techniques to try to potty train him, and what it finally came down to was him spending an entire day (literally 10-12 hours) locked naked in the bathroom with only some books to keep him occupied. We, of course, checked on him and brought him food several times, but we explained that we would repeat this every day until he learned. I felt bad for him, but I also felt bad for me having had to change his stinky diapers for the last 4 ½ years, and it took just that one day in the bathroom to convince him he wanted to learn. Matthew is very proud of himself, and is gradually doing more “big kid” things, like doing chores and playing card and board games as well. He is not the most verbally precocious of children, and sometimes has interesting ways of remembering ideas and pronouncing words, like the 24th of July/Pioneer Day “per-wade” (parade) he has been talking about for the last month, or the “pitootie” (bikini) he was surprised to see someone wearing at the children’s museum. He and Emily spend a lot of time playing together, voicing the action and conversations of their objects of play about two octaves higher than normal, which I find enormously amusing as long as we are not on the same floor of the house.
Emily will be turning 3 in a little over a week. She is pretty easy-going (especially for a two year old) except when it comes to going on the potty and attending Nursery at church without me or Hugh. She likes to play outside and ride her trike, though we have to monitor her carefully to be sure she doesn’t wander out without an older kid or parent to keep an eye on her. She has become rather stoic (like Michael was at her age) and works hard not to smile, though fortunately sometimes can’t help herself.
Katelyn is almost 9 months old. I am already mourning the fact that she is outgrowing the baby stage – she is no longer the calm, cuddly, placid little bundle she once was. Even though they are exhausting sometimes, I love having a baby, and I’m not sure I’m ready to be done – maybe I will never feel ready to be done. She is crawling and pulling herself up to stand, round and chubby (but probably not for long since she is now mobile,) curious, active, and lots of fun. She has surprised us by keeping her blue-gray eyes (unlike the rest of us, who have brown eyes.) Not to worry, though, she still fits in with her bright red hair and deep-set eyes. She likes attention and gets lots of it from her adoring family.
We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and find joy in whatever stage of life you are in.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Hello All!
I haven’t written an update in four months! Recounting in my mind why it has taken me so long to write again, I realize that my life lately has become a series of crazy-busy times. I keep thinking that once I get through this “next thing”, my life will slow down - and it just never happens. There will always be more to do than I can possibly get done. I just have to figure out what are the most important things, and make sure I give my attention first to them, and then let that be enough. My memory is not what I wish it were, so I know I need to write things down or they will be lost not only to me but to our children as well.
Our kids are already three-fourths of the way through the school year – wow! As a 9th grader, Steven is changing in many ways. He is now a good five inches taller than I am. He has fully outgrown the “girls have cooties” stage and now admits to having a crush on one of his girl-friends. That seems to have changed the dynamics of his core group of friends somewhat, though I hope they figure out how to maintain their friendships despite the teenage drama. Steven has a confidence (which is beginning to border on cockiness – but I’m determined to keep that in check) about his intelligence that keeps him from measuring himself by the grades he earns… That’s a great philosophy if you have no intention of going to college, where they make decisions about scholarships and admissions based on grades! If he would exert just a little more effort and discipline, he would have all A’s. He has inspired us to put in place more stringent standards for his younger siblings so that they can learn that underperforming is not acceptable well before it has such big consequences as lost scholarships and other lost opportunities. But otherwise, Steven is a good kid. He treats others respectfully (except maybe his brother, Daniel, since Daniel’s favorite pastime is bugging Steven,) he is pleasant, responsive to my requests for help, and generally a good big brother to his siblings. Our kids would like to invite guests for dinner every weekend, but I’m generally not willing – not because I don’t like to visit with people, but because the bulk of the cleaning and cooking becomes my burden. Steven finally talked me into getting together with his friends’ families, and he made good on his promise to help get the house and food ready. So I might consider it more often than once a year…
Though Daniel was despairing while watching Steven go through his growth spurt less than a year ago, he is now taller than I am. He enjoys being a T.A. (teacher’s aid) for Julia’s teacher (who was his 6th grade teacher last year). Daniel, Julia, and Alyssa are the kids most willing to take care of Katelyn when I need help. Daniel and Steven will be playing soccer on the community league again this spring with a couple boys from the neighborhood. Even though he is progressing well, Daniel looks forward to his 14th birthday, when he can quit taking piano lessons. He much prefers to express his creativity and sense of humor with technology, making movies with Windows Movie Maker or silly sketches with Adobe Flash, or going outside to ride his unicycle. He amuses me with his on-purpose malapropisms, like when he says something is very “confiscated” instead of “complicated”. Since Daniel has been wanting a Rubik’s 4x4 cube for a long time, it finally dawned on me that that might be a good carrot to dangle in front of him – and it worked; he earned all A’s and one A- this last term.
Julia is a very low-maintenance person. She is very responsible about keeping on top of homework and school projects, and conscientious about doing things thoroughly. She is so helpful with the baby; I have left Katelyn in her care for an hour or two at a time at least half a dozen times, and she manages well and seems to enjoy doing it. (She is the only kid who has braved changing a messy diaper.) Sometimes she responds immaturely to the annoying things her little siblings do and is understandably peeved when she finds that someone has eaten her candy or tampered with her things while she was at school, but otherwise she gets along fine. Julia has an inquisitive mind and enjoys learning how things work. We had a full week off school recently because of three scheduled vacation and two furlough days, and since the kids would normally be in school, I suggested that we each pick something to research and about which to teach each other. Julia was the one who made up the schedule and kept us on task on the days we reported to each other.
Michael has been very busy the last couple of months. Including basketball, futsal (indoor soccer) and scouts, Michael had five practices/games/meetings to attend every week. He (and the other three older kids) have been on hiatus from piano lessons on and off since December because their teacher is busy finishing a music degree at BYU. In the meantime, they have discovered the music of Jon Schmidt. (Look him up on YouTube if you’ve never heard him…) Steven and Michael especially have practiced a lot more in the last couple of months because they so enjoy playing his compositions. We attended one of his concerts last month (which was great fun – he is such a showman!) and are looking forward to attending at least a couple throughout the summer. The one drawback to all this is that there is rarely a moment of quiet when the older kids are home; apparently, it is more fun (for them) the faster and more loudly they play. I bite my tongue for as long as I can, but sometimes my head hurts or my stress level is already too high and I have to ban them from playing the acoustic piano for an hour or two. All the boys readily devote time to piano practice in order to earn extra electronics time.
Until recently, Alyssa has done so much better this school year than last emotionally and socially, but lately has complained more of stomachaches and earaches. I always wonder whether her illnesses have a psychosomatic component, but nothing seems like an obvious cause when I have talked to her and pondered it. It is particularly difficult to know how to handle her complaints when her siblings doubt her sicknesses and ask why I let her miss school. She is still shy but has more friends and seems to feel more comfortable at school. At home, she is Matthew’s special friend and advocate, which he really needs at times. We were planning to have Alyssa baptized in early February (after her 8th birthday on January 22nd) until we found out there was a mix-up in dates, and most of our extended family would be unable to attend. We decided to put it off for a couple months until April 10th so that both sets of grandparents can attend and be involved in the program, and she is very excited about that.
Natalie is thoroughly enjoying kindergarten. She is very social there (despite being shy in other settings) and has improved her reading skills to the point that she can read simple chapter books on her own. She has done much better at taming the temper monster lately. I love to hear her animated reports of things that happened at school each day.
I didn’t think potty training could get any worse, and here we are, four months after Matthew’s 4th birthday, with three kids still in diapers. I have learned from past experience that potty training is within the child’s control, and as much as a parent coaxes and coerces or rants and raves, it is still ultimately the child who decides when it will happen. I have been very patient and I have tried not to let potty training affect my relationship with Matthew, but I guess I haven’t done very well, as Matthew’s favorite ammunition to sling at me lately is, “You don’t even like me!” Sometimes I think he is just trying to manipulate me, but other times I fear that too much of our interaction is tainted with my exasperation with the whole thing. So often I wish I could get inside the heads of my children to understand what they are thinking and what motivates them! Matthew developed an interest in drawing and coloring within the last few months, and has really improved his fine motor skills a lot. Most of his time is spent in imaginative play with Emily. I can often hear the falsetto conversations their favorite cars or stuffed animals (Eldon the Elephant and Tiger) have as they go on their daily adventures around the house. I think it is very amusing unless I have a headache or I’m trying to keep Katelyn asleep. Matthew would love to play with friends every day, but I usually use that as a privilege he has to earn by going on the potty. He is slowly learning that asking quietly and kindly for things he wants yields faster and better results than automatically whining and demanding.
Emily, now 2 ½, is still quite a character. (Is it the left-handedness, I wonder? I remember thinking some of the same things about Daniel when he was her age…) She can be charming and sweet, or Terrible Two. It is fun to see things from her perspective; for example, she calls tissues “paper noses” (like paper towels, but for noses.) She makes sweeping declarations like “I don’t like boys!” which can quickly change to “I don’t like girls!” based on who has most recently offended her. She likes to pull the piano bench over to Hugh’s dresser to rifle through his stuff until she finds something she likes (candy, gum, cough drops.) She finally lets me pull her hair back most days, so she doesn’t look quite as ragamuffin as she did for awhile (though she still often picks out her own outfits, and it is not uncommon for her to spend the day wearing combinations like green dinosaur pajamas and a pretty pink dress.) After more than a year of refusing to go in the Nursery at church, Emily has suddenly decided not only that she will survive it, but that she actually likes it.
Katelyn, five months old now, is a bundle of joy. We all love to make her laugh and smile. Though she has gone through phases of being demanding and fussy, overall, she is a happy, easy-going baby. Her red hair is a startling contrast to her soft, round little features. We are still waiting to see if her eyes will turn brown like all our other babies’ did. We have to be careful because she is learning to control her hands and likes to grab whatever gets within her reach (hair, plates full of food, etc.) Katelyn sleeps through the night much of the time, thanks to her ability to get her thumb to her mouth. She has a sweet little voice and rarely gets really mad (unlike some of her siblings!)
Hugh is even more sleep-deprived than usual as he has been working longer hours with the April 15 tax deadline quickly approaching. I have put way too many hours into my Parent Council (PTA) fundraising responsibilities at the charter school over the last couple of months with helping to organize a silent auction, book fair, and reading program, as well as a Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. I need to figure out if there is some way to scale down my part of the work so that I can still be involved at the school, but not be so busy that I am overwhelmed and ignoring my kids – who are the whole reason I volunteer at the school. We are anxious for my parents’ return April 2nd from their 18-month mission in Chennai, India, during which four new grandchildren and their first great-grandchild were born. We are also excited to see Sharon and some of her kids, who will be driving here from Michigan for a visit during their/our Spring Break the day after our parents return.
Though busier than we might like, we are well and happy and grateful to God that we are able to do all these things that keep us so busy! We hope you are doing well.
I haven’t written an update in four months! Recounting in my mind why it has taken me so long to write again, I realize that my life lately has become a series of crazy-busy times. I keep thinking that once I get through this “next thing”, my life will slow down - and it just never happens. There will always be more to do than I can possibly get done. I just have to figure out what are the most important things, and make sure I give my attention first to them, and then let that be enough. My memory is not what I wish it were, so I know I need to write things down or they will be lost not only to me but to our children as well.
Our kids are already three-fourths of the way through the school year – wow! As a 9th grader, Steven is changing in many ways. He is now a good five inches taller than I am. He has fully outgrown the “girls have cooties” stage and now admits to having a crush on one of his girl-friends. That seems to have changed the dynamics of his core group of friends somewhat, though I hope they figure out how to maintain their friendships despite the teenage drama. Steven has a confidence (which is beginning to border on cockiness – but I’m determined to keep that in check) about his intelligence that keeps him from measuring himself by the grades he earns… That’s a great philosophy if you have no intention of going to college, where they make decisions about scholarships and admissions based on grades! If he would exert just a little more effort and discipline, he would have all A’s. He has inspired us to put in place more stringent standards for his younger siblings so that they can learn that underperforming is not acceptable well before it has such big consequences as lost scholarships and other lost opportunities. But otherwise, Steven is a good kid. He treats others respectfully (except maybe his brother, Daniel, since Daniel’s favorite pastime is bugging Steven,) he is pleasant, responsive to my requests for help, and generally a good big brother to his siblings. Our kids would like to invite guests for dinner every weekend, but I’m generally not willing – not because I don’t like to visit with people, but because the bulk of the cleaning and cooking becomes my burden. Steven finally talked me into getting together with his friends’ families, and he made good on his promise to help get the house and food ready. So I might consider it more often than once a year…
Though Daniel was despairing while watching Steven go through his growth spurt less than a year ago, he is now taller than I am. He enjoys being a T.A. (teacher’s aid) for Julia’s teacher (who was his 6th grade teacher last year). Daniel, Julia, and Alyssa are the kids most willing to take care of Katelyn when I need help. Daniel and Steven will be playing soccer on the community league again this spring with a couple boys from the neighborhood. Even though he is progressing well, Daniel looks forward to his 14th birthday, when he can quit taking piano lessons. He much prefers to express his creativity and sense of humor with technology, making movies with Windows Movie Maker or silly sketches with Adobe Flash, or going outside to ride his unicycle. He amuses me with his on-purpose malapropisms, like when he says something is very “confiscated” instead of “complicated”. Since Daniel has been wanting a Rubik’s 4x4 cube for a long time, it finally dawned on me that that might be a good carrot to dangle in front of him – and it worked; he earned all A’s and one A- this last term.
Julia is a very low-maintenance person. She is very responsible about keeping on top of homework and school projects, and conscientious about doing things thoroughly. She is so helpful with the baby; I have left Katelyn in her care for an hour or two at a time at least half a dozen times, and she manages well and seems to enjoy doing it. (She is the only kid who has braved changing a messy diaper.) Sometimes she responds immaturely to the annoying things her little siblings do and is understandably peeved when she finds that someone has eaten her candy or tampered with her things while she was at school, but otherwise she gets along fine. Julia has an inquisitive mind and enjoys learning how things work. We had a full week off school recently because of three scheduled vacation and two furlough days, and since the kids would normally be in school, I suggested that we each pick something to research and about which to teach each other. Julia was the one who made up the schedule and kept us on task on the days we reported to each other.
Michael has been very busy the last couple of months. Including basketball, futsal (indoor soccer) and scouts, Michael had five practices/games/meetings to attend every week. He (and the other three older kids) have been on hiatus from piano lessons on and off since December because their teacher is busy finishing a music degree at BYU. In the meantime, they have discovered the music of Jon Schmidt. (Look him up on YouTube if you’ve never heard him…) Steven and Michael especially have practiced a lot more in the last couple of months because they so enjoy playing his compositions. We attended one of his concerts last month (which was great fun – he is such a showman!) and are looking forward to attending at least a couple throughout the summer. The one drawback to all this is that there is rarely a moment of quiet when the older kids are home; apparently, it is more fun (for them) the faster and more loudly they play. I bite my tongue for as long as I can, but sometimes my head hurts or my stress level is already too high and I have to ban them from playing the acoustic piano for an hour or two. All the boys readily devote time to piano practice in order to earn extra electronics time.
Until recently, Alyssa has done so much better this school year than last emotionally and socially, but lately has complained more of stomachaches and earaches. I always wonder whether her illnesses have a psychosomatic component, but nothing seems like an obvious cause when I have talked to her and pondered it. It is particularly difficult to know how to handle her complaints when her siblings doubt her sicknesses and ask why I let her miss school. She is still shy but has more friends and seems to feel more comfortable at school. At home, she is Matthew’s special friend and advocate, which he really needs at times. We were planning to have Alyssa baptized in early February (after her 8th birthday on January 22nd) until we found out there was a mix-up in dates, and most of our extended family would be unable to attend. We decided to put it off for a couple months until April 10th so that both sets of grandparents can attend and be involved in the program, and she is very excited about that.
Natalie is thoroughly enjoying kindergarten. She is very social there (despite being shy in other settings) and has improved her reading skills to the point that she can read simple chapter books on her own. She has done much better at taming the temper monster lately. I love to hear her animated reports of things that happened at school each day.
I didn’t think potty training could get any worse, and here we are, four months after Matthew’s 4th birthday, with three kids still in diapers. I have learned from past experience that potty training is within the child’s control, and as much as a parent coaxes and coerces or rants and raves, it is still ultimately the child who decides when it will happen. I have been very patient and I have tried not to let potty training affect my relationship with Matthew, but I guess I haven’t done very well, as Matthew’s favorite ammunition to sling at me lately is, “You don’t even like me!” Sometimes I think he is just trying to manipulate me, but other times I fear that too much of our interaction is tainted with my exasperation with the whole thing. So often I wish I could get inside the heads of my children to understand what they are thinking and what motivates them! Matthew developed an interest in drawing and coloring within the last few months, and has really improved his fine motor skills a lot. Most of his time is spent in imaginative play with Emily. I can often hear the falsetto conversations their favorite cars or stuffed animals (Eldon the Elephant and Tiger) have as they go on their daily adventures around the house. I think it is very amusing unless I have a headache or I’m trying to keep Katelyn asleep. Matthew would love to play with friends every day, but I usually use that as a privilege he has to earn by going on the potty. He is slowly learning that asking quietly and kindly for things he wants yields faster and better results than automatically whining and demanding.
Emily, now 2 ½, is still quite a character. (Is it the left-handedness, I wonder? I remember thinking some of the same things about Daniel when he was her age…) She can be charming and sweet, or Terrible Two. It is fun to see things from her perspective; for example, she calls tissues “paper noses” (like paper towels, but for noses.) She makes sweeping declarations like “I don’t like boys!” which can quickly change to “I don’t like girls!” based on who has most recently offended her. She likes to pull the piano bench over to Hugh’s dresser to rifle through his stuff until she finds something she likes (candy, gum, cough drops.) She finally lets me pull her hair back most days, so she doesn’t look quite as ragamuffin as she did for awhile (though she still often picks out her own outfits, and it is not uncommon for her to spend the day wearing combinations like green dinosaur pajamas and a pretty pink dress.) After more than a year of refusing to go in the Nursery at church, Emily has suddenly decided not only that she will survive it, but that she actually likes it.
Katelyn, five months old now, is a bundle of joy. We all love to make her laugh and smile. Though she has gone through phases of being demanding and fussy, overall, she is a happy, easy-going baby. Her red hair is a startling contrast to her soft, round little features. We are still waiting to see if her eyes will turn brown like all our other babies’ did. We have to be careful because she is learning to control her hands and likes to grab whatever gets within her reach (hair, plates full of food, etc.) Katelyn sleeps through the night much of the time, thanks to her ability to get her thumb to her mouth. She has a sweet little voice and rarely gets really mad (unlike some of her siblings!)
Hugh is even more sleep-deprived than usual as he has been working longer hours with the April 15 tax deadline quickly approaching. I have put way too many hours into my Parent Council (PTA) fundraising responsibilities at the charter school over the last couple of months with helping to organize a silent auction, book fair, and reading program, as well as a Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. I need to figure out if there is some way to scale down my part of the work so that I can still be involved at the school, but not be so busy that I am overwhelmed and ignoring my kids – who are the whole reason I volunteer at the school. We are anxious for my parents’ return April 2nd from their 18-month mission in Chennai, India, during which four new grandchildren and their first great-grandchild were born. We are also excited to see Sharon and some of her kids, who will be driving here from Michigan for a visit during their/our Spring Break the day after our parents return.
Though busier than we might like, we are well and happy and grateful to God that we are able to do all these things that keep us so busy! We hope you are doing well.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Our new baby
Hello Everyone!
Now that our baby is a month old, I figure it‘s probably time we get an announcement out, and write down all the gory details before I forget them (but please don’t feel obligated to read them – I just know I don’t have enough RAM in my brain to store all this information for very long – anyone know an easy way to upgrade to a better system?)
So, here’s the short story:
Our little Katelyn Nicole was born on Tuesday, October 20th at 6:52 p.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. She has a little bit of dark red peach fuzz on her head, and newborn blue-gray eyes. She is doing well.
Here’s the long story, if you want the details:
October began in a crazy rush, with the new carpet installation I had been both putting off and looking forward to since we first moved into this house and realized what an awful choice green carpet is if you have kids and don’t want to vacuum multiple times every day. That nesting instinct kicks in during the last six weeks or so of a pregnancy, especially when you’ve gone through it once or twice and you know that your newborn will be dictating most of your schedule for the next six to nine months, from how much sleep you will get to what time you will finally get to take that much needed shower. So I had been spending as much time as I could sorting and getting rid of things and repainting baseboards while I could do it without worrying about dripping paint on the carpet. We were also just finishing up soccer season with the six older kids. I was achy and not sleeping well – waking up every 1-2 hours during the night. At the same time, it was quickly becoming apparent that my role of “overseeing” Red Ribbon Week at the kids’ school was changing to that of organizing Red Ribbon Week as I could find no one to step up and take over. About this same time, my blood pressure readings were starting to creep up at my weekly doctor’s appointments. By the time Fall Break came in mid-October, my readings were high enough that I would either need to be induced or put on bed rest. Struggling with trying to balance conflicting desires – wanting to make sure this baby was really ready to be born, wanting to keep Daniel’s birthday his alone (October 18), not wanting to disappoint the kids by cancelling our Fall break get-away plans, and wanting to get a few more things checked off my “to do list” before the baby arrived – I was hoping to put off the impending birth. We ended up taking the kids to the hotel, zoo, aquarium that Friday and Saturday as we had planned, and the following Monday I went to my doctor appointment, when the doctor decided that I would be induced the next day. After having tried to get the H1N1 (Swine flu) shots on Monday afternoon unsuccessfully, we woke up early Tuesday morning and went to the Health Department before school, and after more than an hour of waiting in line were able to get all of us (and my sister, Jeannie) the immunization. We ran the kids to school, I packed my bags and tidied up the house, and we left for the hospital (with the youngest two in my sisters’ care.)
We checked in and the admitting nurse at the hospital promptly forgot about us for a full hour and a half while we waited not-so-patiently. I was finally put in a room, hooked up to monitors and an IV with a Pitocin drip at about 3:15. Everything seemed to be going fine; the contractions were becoming stronger and more frequent, though I was not dilating as much as the contractions led me to think, even after I got an epidural. At one point, the baby moved and the monitor lost her heartbeat. The nurse came in to reposition the monitor. After she tried unsuccessfully to locate the heartbeat, she called in a couple more nurses to try. At first I wasn’t worried, but after about ten minutes, I was beginning to think something more was going on. The nurses called the doctor, and fortunately he had decided to stay at the hospital after having broken my water, so it took him just a couple minutes to come in the room. Though the nurses and doctor were very professional, it soon became apparent that the situation was not perfectly routine as the nurses tried to put a scalp lead on the baby’s head to monitor her heartbeat, and finding that it was down in the 80’s rather than 130 to 180. At the same time, the doctor checked and found that I was dilated only to a 5. His comment, “It’s okay if you do this when you’re dilated to a 10, but not so good when you’re at a 5,” quickly brought me to the realization that this little baby was in distress, and things might not turn out just fine. Miraculously, within five minutes of the time the doctor arrived, I had dilated to a 10, pushed once, and the baby was born. That was also the moment blood gushed out and one reason for the baby’s distress was discovered: the placenta had detached from the uterine wall at some point, depriving the baby of her source of oxygen. She was fairly pink when she came out, which was a good indication that she hadn’t been without oxygen for too long, but she had also inhaled a lot of blood. When the nurses cleaned her up and brought her over to me so they I could see her before they took her up to the NICU, there was blood bubbling out of her mouth. They whisked her away to put her on a CPAP machine, which would inflate her lungs to ensure that they would not collapse while the blood and fluid was being cleared out. After having watched her for an hour on the machine, the nurses were satisfied that the baby was okay. Three hours after she was born, I finally got to hold my little baby. The next day when the doctor came to check on me, he said, “Someone was definitely watching out for you. I couldn’t have gotten you back and ready for a C-section as quickly as you dilated and pushed her out.” So we are especially grateful that everything turned out well, that our little baby is here safe and sound, and that I am healthy and strong, too. We are all enjoying her very much and are so glad she is here and part of our family.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wow, how quickly the time has passed! I have been awful about writing, and now that this baby will be here in less than two weeks, I figured I better make this a priority before my life gets even busier.
A lot has happened in the last few months. I left Hugh and the kids at home while I flew back to Michigan for a sisters’ (plus one brother) weekend (with Hugh’s blessings) mid-August; we had a wonderful three or four days together. It is the most relaxing time I have had since I started having children – Sharon and Chris are wonderful hosts, and I never eat better than when we get together with Belknaps, Enderles, and Jana! The kids started back to school the day after I arrived back home.
Two weeks after I returned from Michigan, I received the news first that my brother David had had his fourth heart attack in 3½ years, and a couple short hours later, the news that he had never revived, and had passed away. I suppose I should have been more prepared for it than I was, but I was shocked to hear that after having seen him just two weeks before, looking healthy and happy – the same fun, jovial David I always remembered. None of us considered then that it might be the last time we would see him. Looking back, I am just so grateful for that time that we had to see him, to say good-bye without even knowing we were. I feel at peace that he was a good, kind, person, and that he loved us and he knew we loved him. We will always miss his sense of humor and his pleasant presence. I am sad that my children never really got to know him – they would have loved and enjoyed him the way anyone who knew him did. My parents were unable to make it to the funeral as logistics and finances kept them at the orphanage in India where they have been serving a mission for the LDS Church, but all twelve of the other siblings were able to make it back to Michigan to be together and support and enjoy each other despite the loss of our dear brother. We continue to pray especially for Cynthia, Jana, and John, as they feel the loss most deeply.
Life was especially crazy at home through all this so I really appreciate Hugh covering so that I could be with my siblings. The six older kids played soccer this season, so it was a bit tricky getting everyone to the cumulative thirteen games and practices each week in addition to school and all the regular stuff, but the kids sure enjoy it and it is fun to watch them. We were all ready for things to slow down, though it seems like other things seem to fill in where we thought we would have gaps once soccer ended in early October. We had new carpet installed upstairs a couple of weeks ago, and in anticipation of that I was trying to sort and de-clutter as much as I could, as well as repaint the trim while I would not have to stress as much about dripping paint on the carpet. Overall, I’m glad I was able to get as much done as I did, but my body was beyond exhausted at the end of each day, and still achy when I would wake up in the morning. I have been much busier with Parent Council/PTA responsibilities at the charter school than I had thought I would be, but hopefully that will calm down for a while.
The kids are home for the next few days for Fall Break, so we are planning to go stay at a hotel in Salt Lake City (somehow that makes it seem like more of a vacation) and go to the Hogle Zoo, since some of the younger ones have never been. My blood pressure has shot up in the last few days (as it has at the very end of other recent pregnancies) so there is some question as to whether I will need to be induced next week, but for now we’re planning to just watch it and go ahead with our plans and hopefully have some good family time this weekend. We are excited for this little baby to come, though we are still struggling with settling on a name – hopefully we will just know what fits when we see her!
Now, for an update on each of the kids…
Steven is in high school now! I have tried for the last two years to help him understand that he has to discipline himself to stay on top of his grades, and he just finished the first term with all A’s/A-‘s! I had some qualms about having him start 9th grade in Pre-Calculus (that’s where I ended high school math!) but so far he is doing well, and it would be an option for him to retake it next year without that looking too bad on his transcript. Steven has been socializing more with a group of girls lately, which is strange to me but I think a very healthy thing in that they are all just friends (though he might want it to be more at some point) and seem very comfortable just hanging out together and playing games, talking, watching movies. I like to have them here because then I get a better feel for how they interact, personalities, etc. and I’m assured that they are good kids. Steven still likes to hang out with his guy friends, too, but as he put it, “I spent the first eleven years of my life thinking girls had cooties, so now I’m just making up for it!” Steven has spent a lot of time playing music by Jon Schmidt (look him up on Youtube if you’ve never heard his stuff - “Waterfall”, “All of Me”, “Dumb Song”) and now a couple of the other kids are learning some of the same pieces because they like them so much. Of course, it might also be that they can earn electronics time by playing extra piano time, but in any case it’s nice to have something they enjoy playing.
Daniel enjoys the varied schedule of 7th grade, and like Steven, is accompanying the orchestra on the piano. It’s a great experience for them both to have to read music on the spot and perform with some pressure to maintain composure even when they make mistakes. He usually hangs out outside during lunch and comes and says hi to me and the little kids when I bring Natalie for kindergarten in the middle of the day. I wish I could help him not to be so shy - Daniel is a good, sweet, kid with a funny sense of humor – and I’m sure other kids would enjoy his personality if he would venture out a little more. Daniel will be turning 13 in a few days (on October 18th) and we plan to pick up this weekend what he requested and found in the classifieds for his birthday – a unicycle. (I told you he has a sense of humor!)
Our lives aren’t all about piano, but I have to say that I am impressed when I watch these guys play – especially Julia with her tiny hands flying up and down the keyboard. She did an amazing job accompanying the Primary children for one of the songs in the Sacrament Meeting Program. Julia is doing well in school and I appreciate her being responsible for keeping tabs on her school assignments. She has been reading tons lately (any good fantasy/adventure books you can recommend for my older kids?) She does not enjoy our current chore system of each person being responsible for a certain room or “zone” in the house for a week at a time, but she generally does it and does it well. She is helpful in playing with the younger kids except for Matthew – he can be difficult, and she gets right down on his maturity level and clashes with him. I’m hoping that instead of having lots of conflicts, these varied personalities in our family can teach us all how to get along with many different personality types. Some of us aren’t getting it so well right now!
Michael is enjoying 5th grade. He has made friends with a kid in his class who is also very smart and excels at piano. I wondered at first if they were more competitors than friends, but we have since had him over and they seem to get along great and enjoy each other’s company. Their teacher at school lets them play the piano in the classroom for the last 15 minutes of school when they have wrapped everything else up, and I think that has motivated Michael at least as much as the candy bars his music teacher gives him to learn pieces quickly and play them fast. That has become a bit of a sore spot between us the last little while as I keep telling him it’s much more important to play it correctly than it is to try to impress everyone and play it fast. He really enjoyed playing soccer this season since his Uncle James was his coach and his cousin, Guts, was his teammate (and his team finished the season undefeated.)
Alyssa seems to like her teachers at school (team teachers -Lewis & Clark- seriously!) She has made friends, and she is doing well academically. But she wakes up nearly every day (and sometimes during the night) with a stomachache. She also still gets headaches at least a couple times a week. She seems happy and healthy in general, so I’m unsure whether her symptoms have a straightforward physiological cause or whether there is some psychological component to them. I always wonder whether there’s something I’m doing (or not having enough time to do) that would change things. Alyssa spends a lot of time making things and making messes (just like I used to when I was young) – cutting up paper, drawing, etc. She is helpful as an ally to Matthew – he seems to rub people the wrong way a lot lately, and Alyssa is careful to try to guide Matthew away from trouble. He often wants her to sleep with him at night.
Natalie has adjusted very well to kindergarten. She enjoys having her friend from our neighborhood in her class with her. She often gets bored and wonders why she can’t play with friends as often as her older siblings (usually because she doesn’t want to tidy her bedroom or do her music homework.) She is our Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde these days – she can be sweet and endearing one moment and then yelling like a wild animal and throwing a fit the next. I’m trying to help her understand that she is in charge of her emotions, or at least her actions – that it’s possible to choose how to respond to an unpleasant situation instead of just reacting to it. I appreciate it when she decides to be helpful and will do the morning chores or sort laundry with me.
Matthew is a ball of enthusiasm and energy. Unfortunately, lately this has been more bad than good. He has an intense personality; he is demanding and easily frustrated. He will be turning 4 next month, and while I was hoping and trying to have him potty trained before this baby is born, it doesn’t appear that it will happen. He and Emily latched onto a stray cat that stayed at our house for a couple of weeks – as adamant as I was that I did not want a pet, I nearly lost my resolve when I saw how much they loved that cat and how very tolerant and good-natured it was to them. They had named it (Tiger) and would check as soon as they woke up and every time we came back from running errands to see, “Is Tiger home?” We rarely see her anymore – hopefully that means someone else was charmed by her and took her in. Matthew loves his BYU shirts and his monster truck shirt so much that one day he collected all the laundry and loaded it in the washer so that he could wear them again.
Emily is such a little character. She is definitely two – she has her opinions and knows how to throw a fit – but she is really fun. She talks so much and so well (at least around her immediate family) and surprises me with how much she understands, remembers, and can anticipate what is coming next. I often find her in the pantry perched precariously on a stool, snitching gum or candy. She is frequently Matthew’s accomplice in getting into trouble – piling a laundry basket full with books (and then refusing to put them away) or raiding a sibling’s room and scattering their belongings. But everyone has a soft spot for her and somehow she is quickly forgiven. She refuses to go to sleep until everyone in the house has gone to sleep and all the lights are off, and even then she growls at me in the dark until she finally tires of it and goes to her bed. I’m guessing things will be a bit tricky once the baby comes and I am up and down many times each night – hopefully she will sleep through it. She and Matthew like to look at my distorted belly and say affectionately, “I love that cute baby, Mom!” I hope they still think that when that cute baby cries and takes Mom’s attention away from them!
I should sign off now, but I promise to post an update when our little one arrives.
A lot has happened in the last few months. I left Hugh and the kids at home while I flew back to Michigan for a sisters’ (plus one brother) weekend (with Hugh’s blessings) mid-August; we had a wonderful three or four days together. It is the most relaxing time I have had since I started having children – Sharon and Chris are wonderful hosts, and I never eat better than when we get together with Belknaps, Enderles, and Jana! The kids started back to school the day after I arrived back home.
Two weeks after I returned from Michigan, I received the news first that my brother David had had his fourth heart attack in 3½ years, and a couple short hours later, the news that he had never revived, and had passed away. I suppose I should have been more prepared for it than I was, but I was shocked to hear that after having seen him just two weeks before, looking healthy and happy – the same fun, jovial David I always remembered. None of us considered then that it might be the last time we would see him. Looking back, I am just so grateful for that time that we had to see him, to say good-bye without even knowing we were. I feel at peace that he was a good, kind, person, and that he loved us and he knew we loved him. We will always miss his sense of humor and his pleasant presence. I am sad that my children never really got to know him – they would have loved and enjoyed him the way anyone who knew him did. My parents were unable to make it to the funeral as logistics and finances kept them at the orphanage in India where they have been serving a mission for the LDS Church, but all twelve of the other siblings were able to make it back to Michigan to be together and support and enjoy each other despite the loss of our dear brother. We continue to pray especially for Cynthia, Jana, and John, as they feel the loss most deeply.
Life was especially crazy at home through all this so I really appreciate Hugh covering so that I could be with my siblings. The six older kids played soccer this season, so it was a bit tricky getting everyone to the cumulative thirteen games and practices each week in addition to school and all the regular stuff, but the kids sure enjoy it and it is fun to watch them. We were all ready for things to slow down, though it seems like other things seem to fill in where we thought we would have gaps once soccer ended in early October. We had new carpet installed upstairs a couple of weeks ago, and in anticipation of that I was trying to sort and de-clutter as much as I could, as well as repaint the trim while I would not have to stress as much about dripping paint on the carpet. Overall, I’m glad I was able to get as much done as I did, but my body was beyond exhausted at the end of each day, and still achy when I would wake up in the morning. I have been much busier with Parent Council/PTA responsibilities at the charter school than I had thought I would be, but hopefully that will calm down for a while.
The kids are home for the next few days for Fall Break, so we are planning to go stay at a hotel in Salt Lake City (somehow that makes it seem like more of a vacation) and go to the Hogle Zoo, since some of the younger ones have never been. My blood pressure has shot up in the last few days (as it has at the very end of other recent pregnancies) so there is some question as to whether I will need to be induced next week, but for now we’re planning to just watch it and go ahead with our plans and hopefully have some good family time this weekend. We are excited for this little baby to come, though we are still struggling with settling on a name – hopefully we will just know what fits when we see her!
Now, for an update on each of the kids…
Steven is in high school now! I have tried for the last two years to help him understand that he has to discipline himself to stay on top of his grades, and he just finished the first term with all A’s/A-‘s! I had some qualms about having him start 9th grade in Pre-Calculus (that’s where I ended high school math!) but so far he is doing well, and it would be an option for him to retake it next year without that looking too bad on his transcript. Steven has been socializing more with a group of girls lately, which is strange to me but I think a very healthy thing in that they are all just friends (though he might want it to be more at some point) and seem very comfortable just hanging out together and playing games, talking, watching movies. I like to have them here because then I get a better feel for how they interact, personalities, etc. and I’m assured that they are good kids. Steven still likes to hang out with his guy friends, too, but as he put it, “I spent the first eleven years of my life thinking girls had cooties, so now I’m just making up for it!” Steven has spent a lot of time playing music by Jon Schmidt (look him up on Youtube if you’ve never heard his stuff - “Waterfall”, “All of Me”, “Dumb Song”) and now a couple of the other kids are learning some of the same pieces because they like them so much. Of course, it might also be that they can earn electronics time by playing extra piano time, but in any case it’s nice to have something they enjoy playing.
Daniel enjoys the varied schedule of 7th grade, and like Steven, is accompanying the orchestra on the piano. It’s a great experience for them both to have to read music on the spot and perform with some pressure to maintain composure even when they make mistakes. He usually hangs out outside during lunch and comes and says hi to me and the little kids when I bring Natalie for kindergarten in the middle of the day. I wish I could help him not to be so shy - Daniel is a good, sweet, kid with a funny sense of humor – and I’m sure other kids would enjoy his personality if he would venture out a little more. Daniel will be turning 13 in a few days (on October 18th) and we plan to pick up this weekend what he requested and found in the classifieds for his birthday – a unicycle. (I told you he has a sense of humor!)
Our lives aren’t all about piano, but I have to say that I am impressed when I watch these guys play – especially Julia with her tiny hands flying up and down the keyboard. She did an amazing job accompanying the Primary children for one of the songs in the Sacrament Meeting Program. Julia is doing well in school and I appreciate her being responsible for keeping tabs on her school assignments. She has been reading tons lately (any good fantasy/adventure books you can recommend for my older kids?) She does not enjoy our current chore system of each person being responsible for a certain room or “zone” in the house for a week at a time, but she generally does it and does it well. She is helpful in playing with the younger kids except for Matthew – he can be difficult, and she gets right down on his maturity level and clashes with him. I’m hoping that instead of having lots of conflicts, these varied personalities in our family can teach us all how to get along with many different personality types. Some of us aren’t getting it so well right now!
Michael is enjoying 5th grade. He has made friends with a kid in his class who is also very smart and excels at piano. I wondered at first if they were more competitors than friends, but we have since had him over and they seem to get along great and enjoy each other’s company. Their teacher at school lets them play the piano in the classroom for the last 15 minutes of school when they have wrapped everything else up, and I think that has motivated Michael at least as much as the candy bars his music teacher gives him to learn pieces quickly and play them fast. That has become a bit of a sore spot between us the last little while as I keep telling him it’s much more important to play it correctly than it is to try to impress everyone and play it fast. He really enjoyed playing soccer this season since his Uncle James was his coach and his cousin, Guts, was his teammate (and his team finished the season undefeated.)
Alyssa seems to like her teachers at school (team teachers -Lewis & Clark- seriously!) She has made friends, and she is doing well academically. But she wakes up nearly every day (and sometimes during the night) with a stomachache. She also still gets headaches at least a couple times a week. She seems happy and healthy in general, so I’m unsure whether her symptoms have a straightforward physiological cause or whether there is some psychological component to them. I always wonder whether there’s something I’m doing (or not having enough time to do) that would change things. Alyssa spends a lot of time making things and making messes (just like I used to when I was young) – cutting up paper, drawing, etc. She is helpful as an ally to Matthew – he seems to rub people the wrong way a lot lately, and Alyssa is careful to try to guide Matthew away from trouble. He often wants her to sleep with him at night.
Natalie has adjusted very well to kindergarten. She enjoys having her friend from our neighborhood in her class with her. She often gets bored and wonders why she can’t play with friends as often as her older siblings (usually because she doesn’t want to tidy her bedroom or do her music homework.) She is our Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde these days – she can be sweet and endearing one moment and then yelling like a wild animal and throwing a fit the next. I’m trying to help her understand that she is in charge of her emotions, or at least her actions – that it’s possible to choose how to respond to an unpleasant situation instead of just reacting to it. I appreciate it when she decides to be helpful and will do the morning chores or sort laundry with me.
Matthew is a ball of enthusiasm and energy. Unfortunately, lately this has been more bad than good. He has an intense personality; he is demanding and easily frustrated. He will be turning 4 next month, and while I was hoping and trying to have him potty trained before this baby is born, it doesn’t appear that it will happen. He and Emily latched onto a stray cat that stayed at our house for a couple of weeks – as adamant as I was that I did not want a pet, I nearly lost my resolve when I saw how much they loved that cat and how very tolerant and good-natured it was to them. They had named it (Tiger) and would check as soon as they woke up and every time we came back from running errands to see, “Is Tiger home?” We rarely see her anymore – hopefully that means someone else was charmed by her and took her in. Matthew loves his BYU shirts and his monster truck shirt so much that one day he collected all the laundry and loaded it in the washer so that he could wear them again.
Emily is such a little character. She is definitely two – she has her opinions and knows how to throw a fit – but she is really fun. She talks so much and so well (at least around her immediate family) and surprises me with how much she understands, remembers, and can anticipate what is coming next. I often find her in the pantry perched precariously on a stool, snitching gum or candy. She is frequently Matthew’s accomplice in getting into trouble – piling a laundry basket full with books (and then refusing to put them away) or raiding a sibling’s room and scattering their belongings. But everyone has a soft spot for her and somehow she is quickly forgiven. She refuses to go to sleep until everyone in the house has gone to sleep and all the lights are off, and even then she growls at me in the dark until she finally tires of it and goes to her bed. I’m guessing things will be a bit tricky once the baby comes and I am up and down many times each night – hopefully she will sleep through it. She and Matthew like to look at my distorted belly and say affectionately, “I love that cute baby, Mom!” I hope they still think that when that cute baby cries and takes Mom’s attention away from them!
I should sign off now, but I promise to post an update when our little one arrives.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wow – I can hardly believe we are already more than halfway through the summer! I have enjoyed the more relaxed schedule of the summer – sleeping in, not having to take kids to and from school, not having sports or events scheduled every night of the week. We had a great time visiting with my brother, Derek, and his wife, Alyson and kids in early June. The kids all got along so well – we hope they can end up here in Utah within the next couple of years at least.
Since my last two pregnancies were so hard, when I found out I was pregnant, I dropped our tentative plans for a trip to Mt. Rushmore this summer (which would have required a lot of driving and walking around.) Fortunately, this pregnancy has not been as bad as the last two, though I still have times of nausea every day and I am starting to feel and move like an old woman! Lest the kids remember this as the summer we did nothing, I will name some of the things we have already done: Jumpin’ Jacks (a place with giant trampoline-type inflatables), Discovery Park (a big playground structure in Pleasant Grove), fishing with Uncle James (Kristen’s husband), swimming lessons, Veterans Pool, “camping” in the back yard, Lehi Pool, Freedom Festival Hot Air Balloons, 4th of July Fireworks, mini-golfing, BYU Planetarium, Walter Wickes’ “I Spy” Exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art, and visiting the huge Spanish Fork windmills. We also plan to go to Seven Peaks Waterpark, Clark Planetarium, a petting farm, and camping with the extended Wilkins Family before I go back to Michigan in August for a “Sisters’ Weekend”.
I have realized this week just how spoiled I have been this summer since Steven and Daniel are gone at Scout Camp. Up to this week, I have been able to leave at least some of the younger kids at home with Steven and Daniel in charge when I go run errands – it makes me appreciate them as well as how much harder things will be when school starts again, and then when the new baby comes! We had to promise bribes of dinner or breakfast at their choice of restaurants in order to talk Steven and Daniel into going to Scout Camp and actually earning the merit badges for which they signed up. Until very recently, I have struggled to understand why I should force our boys to participate in the Scouting Program other than that our Church endorses the program. I am just beginning to understand that the program was developed in order to help boys learn how to become men. They learn life skills and how to be responsible citizens, as well as having the opportunity to interact with lots of good male role models. Since I haven’t always had this attitude, the boys have been resistant to suddenly embrace all the added work and meetings involved. Hopefully they won’t resent me at the end of all this! Steven, Daniel, and Michael have spent a lot of time this summer doing extra chores and piano practice in order to earn extra electronics time. It has been really nice for me to have chores done that normally just nag at me because I don’t have the time to get to them! Steven attended his first Youth Conference (a several-day retreat for the 14-18 year-old church youth) and he enjoyed it. He has also spent a fair amount of time emailing/instant messaging a girl friend (notice that is two separate words!) from school. I’m pretty sure they are just friends (which is all they should be since they are both only fourteen years old) but this relationship has introduced us to new territory in the parenting department. Steven has been to Taieno’s house for a pool party, and we have had her here to hang out and play games with the family. She is one of eight children, she seems very nice and down-to-earth - she was even comfortable with the craziness and antics of our household and with talking to me. Steven will be starting 9th grade (high school!) next month and all this makes me feel very unprepared and like I must be getting old!
Daniel has enjoyed making a series of “Bumble Rumble” movies with Windows Movie Maker (which he has posted on YouTube, in case you are interested…) He has an interesting sense of humor, and I’m glad he has found a good way to keep busy and use his creative brain during the long days of summer. Daniel really has his heart set on getting a dog, and he has put a lot of time into researching breeds and was even going to take care of the Wrights dog for 10 days while they were on vacation. I nixed that after one trial night when she whined and kept me (and, I fear, the neighbors) awake nearly the entire night. The kids loved having her here, but it would definitely have been a lot of work to keep the younger kids inside the house (out of her territory and messes.) I feel bad for Daniel, but while we still have small children and until I know the not-so-fun aspects of having a pet would not become my responsibility, I am just not willing to take it on.
Julia is so excited to be celebrating her 11th birthday on July 16th. We won’t be having a friend birthday party (I decided a couple years ago we would do those only for even birthdays,) but hopefully we can do some other things to warrant her excitement and make her feel special. She is excited that she will legally be old enough to babysit younger children, as up to this point I have not left her alone in charge of younger kids. Sometimes she can be very responsible and motivated: she can bake just about anything without my help, she has changed Emily’s diaper on occasion, and she plays well with most younger children. But then other times she is very petty and easily bothered (especially by Matthew) and doesn’t handle it very maturely. She always finds things to do (lots of reading, this summer) and has enjoyed getting together with school friends more.
Michael has played lots of electronics this summer – it seems to be the only thing he wants to do! On the upside, that means he has also done lots of extra chores and practiced the piano a lot. I should also acknowledge that he is much more pleasant to be around and has made a lot of progress in controlling his temper.
Alyssa’s favorite activity this summer has been catching butterflies. She has a generous sprinkling of freckles and pink skin across her nose and cheeks due to her daily hunts. We bought a little butterfly house and have ordered butterfly larvae. She especially is excited for them to arrive in the mail so that we can watch them turn into butterflies. The headaches and stomachaches which plagued Alyssa so severely this spring seemed to subside for most of a month after school let out for the summer. She has started complaining again a couple times a week, but it usually seems to coincide with her desire to sleep in our bedroom or upstairs on the couch. I really need to be better about journaling her activities and diet and symptoms so that we’ll have some baseline for comparison if this gets worse when school starts.
Natalie is generally a cheerful, pleasant person to have around. She occasionally becomes pouty and walks around with a grumpy face to show me her displeasure, but it doesn’t usually last very long. She loves to play with her Julia and Alyssa, and on the rare occasion that they are both gone, she frets, “What will I do while they’re gone?!” She is reading simple chapter books, but doesn’t do it unless I make her (like during our mandatory reading time every day.) She is very sweet about thinking to thank me for things like dinner or taking her somewhere. She split her chin open after slipping off a stool while sitting at the counter and was a trooper about getting the five stitches to close it up again. Natalie will be starting kindergarten in just a little over a month.
Lucky for him, Matthew is a cute boy. He has such an expressive face and such energy…that’s the good side. The bad side is that he can be so impatient and demanding, and he angers quickly when he doesn’t get his way. He has further torn up the wall in the bathroom during his frequent incarcerations there. I’m trying to teach him how to appropriately interact with other people even when they do things he doesn’t like, and that his actions have consequences. We have made very little progress on the potty front, which distresses me as we have just over a month left before school starts. I’m not sure how to get him to want to do it, but I think I at least need to be more consistent in making him try several times a day, or I will be very sorry when this baby comes if I have three kids in diapers again. We had three baby birds which hatched in a nest in one of the trees in our yard. After having found two of the birds dead within a couple days, we were happy to find the third bird alive but weak on the grass beneath the tree. All that first day the kids were so attentive, feeding it moistened bread and giving it shade. They were careful not to touch it, but loved to go and watch it. Matthew asked, “Is that baby bird part of our family now?” We were all so sad the next morning to find it sprawled out on the grass, dead, away from the safety of the box we had prepared and placed it in to keep it dry and warm while the sprinklers were set to go off during the night. When we watched the ultrasound of our baby, Matthew kept saying things like “That baby is awesome!” or “She’s so cute!” We are struggling with figuring out a name for this baby, but I will probably ignore Matthew’s suggestions of “Cougar” and “Lightning McQueen.”
Emily will be turning two years old on July 26th. We so enjoy her spunk and charm. She greets her siblings with such enthusiasm and warmth that they all adore her, even when she gets into their things. She will carry on simple conversations by reminding me of things - like the pig-shaped hot air balloon we saw a couple weeks ago, or the baby bird – “Baby bird died. Sad.” Any time someone comes to the door or calls on the phone, she has to know immediately afterward, “Who was that, Mom?” She and Matthew have a sort of love-hate relationship. Many times a day and during her sleep she will say, “Maffew be mean. Maffew hurt me.” But they share a room, and each wants the other in the room at night and they greet each other happily in the morning. Matthew will search for the many stuffed animals Emily likes to carry around the house with her. Emily says the cutest things, like when I was finishing giving Matthew a haircut, “Maffew beautiful!” Speaking of hair – hers is getting long, and she still won’t let me pull it back, so she looks pretty shaggy most of the time (but we still think she’s cute!) Getting Emily to bed has become a struggle since she climbs out of her crib and cries as soon as I put her there unless I have taken the time to cuddle her to sleep beforehand. I enjoy the cuddle time, but sometimes it’s very inconvenient to have to lie down with her when I have other things I need to do and I know I’m going to fall asleep if I stop moving for that long.
I am now about 25 weeks into this pregnancy (15 more to go!) I can feel the baby move quite a bit now, and this is most fun part of the pregnancy for me and the kids as well, as they all want to sit next to me to feel the baby move. We are all excited for her to come, and I am thankful that I am not as nauseated as I was earlier in the pregnancy.
Everything is good – we always seem to keep busy. Hugh is always tired from his early morning commute – but we appreciate how well he takes care of us. We hope all is well with you.
Since my last two pregnancies were so hard, when I found out I was pregnant, I dropped our tentative plans for a trip to Mt. Rushmore this summer (which would have required a lot of driving and walking around.) Fortunately, this pregnancy has not been as bad as the last two, though I still have times of nausea every day and I am starting to feel and move like an old woman! Lest the kids remember this as the summer we did nothing, I will name some of the things we have already done: Jumpin’ Jacks (a place with giant trampoline-type inflatables), Discovery Park (a big playground structure in Pleasant Grove), fishing with Uncle James (Kristen’s husband), swimming lessons, Veterans Pool, “camping” in the back yard, Lehi Pool, Freedom Festival Hot Air Balloons, 4th of July Fireworks, mini-golfing, BYU Planetarium, Walter Wickes’ “I Spy” Exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art, and visiting the huge Spanish Fork windmills. We also plan to go to Seven Peaks Waterpark, Clark Planetarium, a petting farm, and camping with the extended Wilkins Family before I go back to Michigan in August for a “Sisters’ Weekend”.
I have realized this week just how spoiled I have been this summer since Steven and Daniel are gone at Scout Camp. Up to this week, I have been able to leave at least some of the younger kids at home with Steven and Daniel in charge when I go run errands – it makes me appreciate them as well as how much harder things will be when school starts again, and then when the new baby comes! We had to promise bribes of dinner or breakfast at their choice of restaurants in order to talk Steven and Daniel into going to Scout Camp and actually earning the merit badges for which they signed up. Until very recently, I have struggled to understand why I should force our boys to participate in the Scouting Program other than that our Church endorses the program. I am just beginning to understand that the program was developed in order to help boys learn how to become men. They learn life skills and how to be responsible citizens, as well as having the opportunity to interact with lots of good male role models. Since I haven’t always had this attitude, the boys have been resistant to suddenly embrace all the added work and meetings involved. Hopefully they won’t resent me at the end of all this! Steven, Daniel, and Michael have spent a lot of time this summer doing extra chores and piano practice in order to earn extra electronics time. It has been really nice for me to have chores done that normally just nag at me because I don’t have the time to get to them! Steven attended his first Youth Conference (a several-day retreat for the 14-18 year-old church youth) and he enjoyed it. He has also spent a fair amount of time emailing/instant messaging a girl friend (notice that is two separate words!) from school. I’m pretty sure they are just friends (which is all they should be since they are both only fourteen years old) but this relationship has introduced us to new territory in the parenting department. Steven has been to Taieno’s house for a pool party, and we have had her here to hang out and play games with the family. She is one of eight children, she seems very nice and down-to-earth - she was even comfortable with the craziness and antics of our household and with talking to me. Steven will be starting 9th grade (high school!) next month and all this makes me feel very unprepared and like I must be getting old!
Daniel has enjoyed making a series of “Bumble Rumble” movies with Windows Movie Maker (which he has posted on YouTube, in case you are interested…) He has an interesting sense of humor, and I’m glad he has found a good way to keep busy and use his creative brain during the long days of summer. Daniel really has his heart set on getting a dog, and he has put a lot of time into researching breeds and was even going to take care of the Wrights dog for 10 days while they were on vacation. I nixed that after one trial night when she whined and kept me (and, I fear, the neighbors) awake nearly the entire night. The kids loved having her here, but it would definitely have been a lot of work to keep the younger kids inside the house (out of her territory and messes.) I feel bad for Daniel, but while we still have small children and until I know the not-so-fun aspects of having a pet would not become my responsibility, I am just not willing to take it on.
Julia is so excited to be celebrating her 11th birthday on July 16th. We won’t be having a friend birthday party (I decided a couple years ago we would do those only for even birthdays,) but hopefully we can do some other things to warrant her excitement and make her feel special. She is excited that she will legally be old enough to babysit younger children, as up to this point I have not left her alone in charge of younger kids. Sometimes she can be very responsible and motivated: she can bake just about anything without my help, she has changed Emily’s diaper on occasion, and she plays well with most younger children. But then other times she is very petty and easily bothered (especially by Matthew) and doesn’t handle it very maturely. She always finds things to do (lots of reading, this summer) and has enjoyed getting together with school friends more.
Michael has played lots of electronics this summer – it seems to be the only thing he wants to do! On the upside, that means he has also done lots of extra chores and practiced the piano a lot. I should also acknowledge that he is much more pleasant to be around and has made a lot of progress in controlling his temper.
Alyssa’s favorite activity this summer has been catching butterflies. She has a generous sprinkling of freckles and pink skin across her nose and cheeks due to her daily hunts. We bought a little butterfly house and have ordered butterfly larvae. She especially is excited for them to arrive in the mail so that we can watch them turn into butterflies. The headaches and stomachaches which plagued Alyssa so severely this spring seemed to subside for most of a month after school let out for the summer. She has started complaining again a couple times a week, but it usually seems to coincide with her desire to sleep in our bedroom or upstairs on the couch. I really need to be better about journaling her activities and diet and symptoms so that we’ll have some baseline for comparison if this gets worse when school starts.
Natalie is generally a cheerful, pleasant person to have around. She occasionally becomes pouty and walks around with a grumpy face to show me her displeasure, but it doesn’t usually last very long. She loves to play with her Julia and Alyssa, and on the rare occasion that they are both gone, she frets, “What will I do while they’re gone?!” She is reading simple chapter books, but doesn’t do it unless I make her (like during our mandatory reading time every day.) She is very sweet about thinking to thank me for things like dinner or taking her somewhere. She split her chin open after slipping off a stool while sitting at the counter and was a trooper about getting the five stitches to close it up again. Natalie will be starting kindergarten in just a little over a month.
Lucky for him, Matthew is a cute boy. He has such an expressive face and such energy…that’s the good side. The bad side is that he can be so impatient and demanding, and he angers quickly when he doesn’t get his way. He has further torn up the wall in the bathroom during his frequent incarcerations there. I’m trying to teach him how to appropriately interact with other people even when they do things he doesn’t like, and that his actions have consequences. We have made very little progress on the potty front, which distresses me as we have just over a month left before school starts. I’m not sure how to get him to want to do it, but I think I at least need to be more consistent in making him try several times a day, or I will be very sorry when this baby comes if I have three kids in diapers again. We had three baby birds which hatched in a nest in one of the trees in our yard. After having found two of the birds dead within a couple days, we were happy to find the third bird alive but weak on the grass beneath the tree. All that first day the kids were so attentive, feeding it moistened bread and giving it shade. They were careful not to touch it, but loved to go and watch it. Matthew asked, “Is that baby bird part of our family now?” We were all so sad the next morning to find it sprawled out on the grass, dead, away from the safety of the box we had prepared and placed it in to keep it dry and warm while the sprinklers were set to go off during the night. When we watched the ultrasound of our baby, Matthew kept saying things like “That baby is awesome!” or “She’s so cute!” We are struggling with figuring out a name for this baby, but I will probably ignore Matthew’s suggestions of “Cougar” and “Lightning McQueen.”
Emily will be turning two years old on July 26th. We so enjoy her spunk and charm. She greets her siblings with such enthusiasm and warmth that they all adore her, even when she gets into their things. She will carry on simple conversations by reminding me of things - like the pig-shaped hot air balloon we saw a couple weeks ago, or the baby bird – “Baby bird died. Sad.” Any time someone comes to the door or calls on the phone, she has to know immediately afterward, “Who was that, Mom?” She and Matthew have a sort of love-hate relationship. Many times a day and during her sleep she will say, “Maffew be mean. Maffew hurt me.” But they share a room, and each wants the other in the room at night and they greet each other happily in the morning. Matthew will search for the many stuffed animals Emily likes to carry around the house with her. Emily says the cutest things, like when I was finishing giving Matthew a haircut, “Maffew beautiful!” Speaking of hair – hers is getting long, and she still won’t let me pull it back, so she looks pretty shaggy most of the time (but we still think she’s cute!) Getting Emily to bed has become a struggle since she climbs out of her crib and cries as soon as I put her there unless I have taken the time to cuddle her to sleep beforehand. I enjoy the cuddle time, but sometimes it’s very inconvenient to have to lie down with her when I have other things I need to do and I know I’m going to fall asleep if I stop moving for that long.
I am now about 25 weeks into this pregnancy (15 more to go!) I can feel the baby move quite a bit now, and this is most fun part of the pregnancy for me and the kids as well, as they all want to sit next to me to feel the baby move. We are all excited for her to come, and I am thankful that I am not as nauseated as I was earlier in the pregnancy.
Everything is good – we always seem to keep busy. Hugh is always tired from his early morning commute – but we appreciate how well he takes care of us. We hope all is well with you.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ultrasound Picture: It's a ....
GIRL! We are so excited to meet her! And we are grateful that she appears to be healthy.
Monday, May 11, 2009
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