Kissing??? Already???

After watching Naomi trying to kiss a little boy, I decided that it was time to have a little talk with her. This odd how it went: Me: Naomi, were you trying to kiss that little boy the other night? Naomi: What little boy? Me: Joe (Name has been changed to protect the innocent :) ) Naomi: Who's Joe? Me: Very funny, you know who I an talking about! I then go on to explain that kissing boys is not allowed until you turn 20. Naomi was not willing to listen until I explained that no boys were allowed to kiss her, either, and that, if one tried to, she needed to come and tell me. I finally had to agree to go and tell the boy's mom before she started acting like she would do what I told her!

Comments about my kids

I thought maybe I should also record some of the comments I hear about my kids. I was just thinking how lucky I am to have 4 little blessings in my life. The comment I hear most is, "You sure have your hands full!", or some variation thereof. So much that my kids think that is what you say when you greet someone. Sometimes, it will only happen once during an outing, other times, I finally just start counting how many times I have heard it that day :). Another comment, our rather a question, that I hear is, so are you going to try for a boy? In case you are wondering, the answer is no, we are very happy with out 4 little girls, and feel that our family is complete. The other day,a lady asked me, "Are they twins?" "Yes," I replied. "But their eyes are different colors!" As if that makes them automatically not twins? :) Some of the other things I have heard are that it is a good thing that one sucks her thumb, and the other takes a pacifier. That way, I can tell them apart. These comments may seem logical to anyone who doesn't know my babies, but they are actually very easy to tell apart, - they don't have very many features in common. Just a few thoughts about my kids - they are the light of my life, andI am so thankful for them!

Falling in the Potty

Naomi, at age 4, will never forget when she fell in the potty. I think she was 2 at the time, and we had a lady over to work with the kids. Naomi decided she had to go to the potty, and somehow managed to fall in. It still upsets her to remember it. She had to get cleaned up, and change all of her clothes before she could return to the living room. Pure torture for her to have to distance herself for a few minutes!

Having an Attitude

Naomi's comment to me the other day: "Quit attitudin!" Didn't know that could be used as a verb, did you? :)

The Guitar

Naomi: "Mom, why does Daddy not want to sell the guitar?" Me: "I guess he must kind of like it." Naomi: "So it can make this house look pretty?"

The "Why" Questions

The day after purchasing a used couch from someone off of Craigslist, Kaeli comes out from behind the couch, and says, "Mom, I found a piece of candy in the couch!" My reply, "Yuck! Go throw it in the trash!" Naomi: "Mom, why did someone think the couch was a trash can?"

No time

From the bathroom, I hear, "I don't have time for this!" When I go in there, I see Kaeli trying roll up the toilet paper, which has apparently gotten away from her once again!

Sending a Picture

Naomi: Mom, can I send a picture to God? Me: No,you can't send a picture to God. Naomi: How can I do something good for Him? Me: You do what mommy and daddy tell you to do and what you're supposed to do. That's what makes God happy.

Put it on the List

Naomi was looking at the book "Black Beauty" the other day. After seeing all of the horses, she tells me, "Mom, I want a horse." Me: "Oh, really?" Naomi: "Yes, can you please put it on the list?" Of course, dear, we will just pick it up on our next grocery run!

Imaginary Husband

Many kids have an imaginary friend. Our Naomi, at age 4, has an imaginary husband. His name is Anza, which ends with A, or so she tells me.

Breaking Thru the Wall

Naomi, as she is pushing on the wall: "Mom, how can I break thru the wall?"

Me: "You don't break thru the wall. Why would you want to break thru the wall?"

Naomi: "So I can see what's inside."

Naomi's Letter to Doug

Going to Live with the Monkeys

Kaeli, in the van when we were coming home today: Naomi is sleeping. I get to work on schoolwork when we get home.

Me: No, Kaeli, you need to take a nap. We are going to someone's house for supper.

Kaeli: When I get bigger, I will just go live with the monkeys!

Naomi, just half asleep: Kaeli, can I come with you?

Kaeli: Yes, me and Naomi will go be with the monkeys!

"Hotsick"

Naomi: Mom, do you know what "hotsick" is?
Me: No, what is it?
Naomi: It's when you lose your babies.
Me: Where did you learn that from?
Naomi: Kenya, the lion cub.

Singing the Blessing

Doug asked Kaeli to choose a blessing for the meal. Kaeli turned to Doug and said, "Doug, is 'For Thy Remembrance' your favorite?" Doug replied that it was. Kaeli said, "Then we will sing 'For Thy Remembrance' for you."

Naomi's Friend

At the Burger King today, I was listening to the conversation taking place up in the play area. Kaeli was up there with a few other girls, and Naomi was sitting with me eating her food.

The other girls: "Hi, Friend."
Kaeli: "I'm Naomi's friend."

So glad to have 2 little girls who love each other. :)

Talking Marriage Already?

Today, Naomi is talking to Kaeli when she is upset with her, and tells her, "I am not going to marry you. I am going to marry someone else. I am going to marry someone from Mexico."

I have no idea where she could possibly have gotten this from . . . not even sure where she would have heard of Mexico!

Big Steps for Kaeli

When asked why she won't sing the blessing with us, or go to the potty, Kaeli's answer was "But, but, but I'm not bigger!" It seemed to take her a while to be ready to do things.

One day at around age 2 1/2, she finally decided she was "bigger" and could use the potty, and that was the end of the diapers during the day. However, every visit to the public restroom still remains a traumatic experience for her because the toilets flush before she has a chance to put the toilet paper in them!

Parent Evaluation

I just love the constant evaluations I get from Kaeli - I never have to wonder where I stand with her! For example, I tell Naomi to give Kaeli back a toy that she took away from her, and I hear "Mom, you a good Mommy, you a good Mommy!" However, if Kaeli gets in trouble for not picking up her toys, I hear, "Mommy, you a bad Mommy, you a bad Mommy!"

Doing Everything Together?

Naomi: Okay, you sit on this side of the potty, and I will sit on the other side of the potty . . .

Naomi's Hard Life

Today, I wasn't feeling very well - I have had a cold for about 10 days now. Naomi decided to help me out a bit, and poured lemonade in bottles for Kaeli, Lexi, & Libby. She spent quite a while filling and re-filling bottles and refereeing when Lexi took Libby's bottle, etc. At the end of it all, when all 3 babies were laying on the floor drinking their bottles, she came over, and plopped down beside me on the couch, and said "It sure is hard having 4 babies!"

Guess I better be a little more careful what I say :)

2/24/12

Kaeli's comment to me today, "Look, Mommy, she (the doll) has a big tummy just like you!)

Why, thank you, Kaeli! :)

2/21/12

When we were up at my sister's house over Christmas time, she had a book titled, "Love You Forever" or maybe it's "I'll Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. I bought the book for my children, and I just love it. I especially love singing the rhyme to them at every opportunity. I am so thankful to have every one of them!

I figured out that over the past year, I have changed over 5000 diapers. I am not sure what I will do with my time when I don't have any kids in diapers anymore!

Back to the Past again - Dealing with a C-Section

Going into the hospital, I did not really even know what a C-section was. When it was covered in our class given by the hospital, the teacher was unable to make it that week, so it was a very condensed version that she shared with us. One thing I remember was that she said that 25% of the people in the class would end up with a c-section. I just looked around and wondered who it would be, never even considering that it might be me! :) I had never had any problems medically, and I just assumed this would not be any different.

After I did end up with a c-section, I felt bad that I hadn't been able to do what I was supposed to do. I knew that I should just be happy that my baby was healthy and we both survived, but somehow, it took me a long time to get to that point. I am not sure that I will ever reach it completely, but at least I understand why now.

It is the media, not to mention the competition between moms. Every mom has her own birth story or stories to tell, and those who had vaginal births are quite proud that everything went the way it did, especially if they opted to not use any medication during the births. Since I did have a c-section, I have paid close attention to everything I have heard about them since that time. I have come to the conclusion that the moms who are proud of the way their births went, along with the moms who feel guilty that their births did not go as planned, are promoting the idea that c-sections are wrong. I personally am thankful for mine - I don't think I would be here otherwise!

Apparently, it still bothers me a bit, because I get a bit defensive every time I read an article or hear someone comment about how c-sections are on the rise. I wonder why it matters to anyone that they are on the rise. Why should anyone even care how my baby or your baby was born? I researched this a bit just for my own curiosity and found that the number of deaths related to birth has declined. If just 1 baby or 1 mom was saved due to c-sections being on the rise, does it really matter how many c-sections, necessary or unnecessary, were performed?

I am thankful for all of the c-sections that my doctor performed before mine, if for nothing else than the experience it gave her so that she was able to perform all of mine successfully! :)

Best Friends???

A few days ago, I overheard this conversation:

Kaeli: "I not your friend!"

Naomi: "Yes, you are!"

End of conversation. Don't you wish all friendships could be saved this easily? :)

February 9, 2012

Pretty quiet around here today. The kids are still sick, but I think that they are getting better. Naomi & Kaeli were fighting non-stop, so I made them go to bed at 7 PM. This is very unusual behavior for them. They usually get along very well - just like you would hope for your little girls!

We were in the restroom at Wal-mart the other day (we spend a lot of time in the restroom no matter where we go!) Naomi & Kaeli went into the same stall, and were just giggling away. I am not sure what was so funny, as I was changing one of the babies at the time, but they were sure having a good time! Nothing puts a smile on a woman's face like hearing 2 little girls just giggling away. I discovered this as I watched the other women leaving the restroom stalls :). I just love those little girls, and am so glad that they can light up other peoples' lives even if it is just for a moment the way that they light mine up on a daily basis!

Back to the Beginning

I would like to go back and start at the beginning about my children, since I have missed quite a few years before I came up with this idea.

I was living in Phoenix at the time I found out I was pregnant - my husband had taken a job in Tucson. I resigned my job the following week, and left 2 weeks later. Luckily, it all coincided with the sale of our home in Phoenix, so I was able to just stay at home for the remainder of my pregnancy. We had a few events planned - my brother was getting married overseas, and I didn't want to miss that! My pregnancy was fairly uneventful. At about 7 months along, during a scheduled doctor's visit, the doctor was not sure that the heartbeat was steady, so I had to go to the hospital and do a non-stress test, which turned out fine - it just completely stressed me out that there might be something wrong!

I had always heard that the first baby comes late, so we did not expect her until close to her due date. On a Sunday morning about 8 AM, when I was 37 1/2 weeks along, I was sitting there talking to my husband, and I sneezed. I felt my water break right then, and ran for the bathroom! He had no idea what was going on, so I told him that my water had broken, and that we needed to go to the hospital. His response was "Can't we go to church first?" Apparently, he had not read the paper I had given him to read! We packed a suitcase, and got ready to leave. I was quite nervous at this time, but very excited. My contractions had not yet started.

We got to the hospital about 9 AM, and still no contractions. The nurse that came in first wanted to put the IV in, and I agreed. A student nurse asked to watch, and I didn't have any problem with this, either. The nurse stuck the needle in my hand, and it hurt, and I mean, really hurt. I felt the pain, kind of like a shock go all the way down my first 2 fingers, and it just kept on. I started crying, but didn't say anything, because I didn't realize that it wasn't supposed to be painful (this was my first time ever in the hospital). She then explained that she had "blown the vein", and told me to give her my other hand. Of course, I refused, and said that I would rather wait for the IV until I needed it. They had to go and check with the doctor, and the doctor said that it was necessary to be set up because my blood pressure was high . . . ummmm hello, I was nervous . . . who wouldn't have high blood pressure at this point??? Anyhow, another nurse came in and put the IV in, and it was practically painless.

The contractions started around 10 AM. I was already dilated to 4 CM when I went in. After a few hours, the contractions were getting harder and closer together, but I was not dilating any further, so I decided it didn't look like this was going to be a fast delivery. I requested the epidural at that time. It took them forever before they came and gave it to me. By this time, the contractions were getting really close together, and were quite painful, but I still had not dilated past 4 cm. As soon as they gave me the epidural, I completely relaxed, and dilated another cm immediately. My husband said, "We are going to do this right away next time!" (meaning the epidural).

I was able to just relax for the remainder of the day while my body did all of the work. When I was about 7 cm dilated and had been that way for a while, they came in and said that they were going to give me Pitocin to get things going again. They gave me the Pitocin, and one nurse told me that I should stop taking the epidural so that I would be able to push when the time came. Then, they all left the room, so it was just me and my husband in there. Of course, I obeyed her instructions because I wanted to be able to do everything right.

A little bit later, all of a sudden, the door opened and several nurses came rushing in, and asking me what was going on! By this point, I was in so much pain that I was not coherent enough to answer their questions, and I had no idea why they were even asking. One of the nurses pulled the oxygen mask over my face, and another one reached over and pushed the epidural button (that they weren't supposed to touch!) Thankfully, she did, because then I could at least focus on what was happening. Apparently, the pain was so bad that I was holding my breath, and it caused the baby's heart to stop beating. After that, I only took as much epidural as I needed to cope with the pain. At this point, they said that I was dilated to 10 cm, and I could start pushing.

I tried with everything I had, and nothing happened. The doctor finally left and told me to rest awhile. She came back sometime later, and told me to start pushing again. Again, I tried as hard as I could, and nothing happened. This same thing happened 4 times, before she suggested a c-section. The baby was just not dropping at all. I agreed to the c-section, even though it was not really what I wanted. I did not feel that I had a choice, if the baby was ever going to come out!

They prepared me for the c-section, and a short while later, at 11:03 PM, I had a beautiful baby girl!

Lexi & Libby's Birthday

Today was Lexi & Libby's 1st birthday. The older girls were extremely excited. We just had a family party, and spent a lot more time getting ready for it than the actual party, which lasted about 15 minutes. Neither baby is walking yet, not even taking steps on their own. They are all sick right now . . . again, but at least I haven't caught it this time . . .yet:)

Schoolwork

Sunday morning, at 4 in the morning, Kaeli rushes into our room, exclaiming in a very excited voice, "Mom, Can I work on schoolwork?!!" Schoolwork is her word for playing Reader Rabbit on the computer, which I have to get up out of bed and get it started for her.

Purpose of this Blog

I read the other day that someone started a journal when her kids were young, and just posted 1 little sentence per day to help her remember what when on during those years. As the mother of 4 small children, I have realized that the time is just passing like a blur, and I can't remember what happened yesterday, much less over the past year, so I am going to attempt to post at least 1 sentence per day of something that I think I would enjoy reading about in the future. Occasionally, I will try to include pictures or videos if I think that it applies :).