Changes

Changes all around!

Wednesday was a big day for the kids!

Makayla started PreK - an all day, every day PreK 

and
Mason and Mia started at a new daycare!

Makayla's 1st Day

Before School
(she picked her outfit out and insisted on wearing her big earrings)

After School

(notice - the hair is down and the earrings are out!...but she's Happy!)

After picking Makayla up from her 1st day of school, she had a few things to say -

*Her favorite part of the day was sleeping.
*She ate all of her cauliflower from lunch.
*God made her.
*She thinks her teacher might have milk in her boobs because she has big boobs.
*She looooves school.

Something I love and appreciate are the emails sent from the school throughout the day.
On the first day of school, an email was sent to the parents saying that the kids were having a great day!  They had fun at recess and went to Music Class.  Then a couple of pictures were sent of the kids eating lunch in the cafeteria!  Makayla is at the end of the table and I couldn't see good enough to tell if her earrings were still in or not...

Today, at school, the kids took a walking field trip downtown to do Chalk Art on the sidewalks for the Balloon Festival.  Again, we got an email midway through the day with a picture of the kids!

(notice the earrings, again! they must give her a little boost of confidence...or maybe they just make her feel pretty!)

I've enjoyed these email updates and it gives me something to look forward.

I'm so thankful that we have chosen this preschool for Makayla.  It offers her so much! - She has the structure of a school day, lunch in a cafeteria, music class, library, computer lab, recess, religion, P.E....I think it's going to be an amazing prep for Kindergarten and we couldn't be happier in our choice.

Mason & Mia's First Day

Not only was Wednesday a big day for Makayla, but it was also a big day for Mason and Mia!
They started at their new babysitter's!

Switching childcare was not done by choice, but making the best out of the situation we were given, I am very happy with where we have ended up.

It's very emotional to search for somebody to take care of your child/ren - especially when you're leaving somebody that you love and have grown to trust!  It was a rough couple of weeks for us me, but staying positive and doing some research, I feel that we've found one of the bests for Mason and Mia!

A week before the kids started at their new daycare, we did a little meet and greet!
When it was time to go home, Mason didn't want to go!  He fell in love with the car table and was promised his favorite lunch on his first day - Macaroni and Cheese!  

So, of course, yesterday, on their first day, they had Macaroni and Cheese for lunch!

Mason eating his favorite lunch!

,

Not only do I receive updates from Makayla's preschool throughout the day, but I also receive updates from the babysitter!  I love it!  It brings a smile to my face and reassures me that my kids are happy and being taken care of!

So Many  little Changes!

I feel like we've started a new chapter in our lives!

Makayla is getting so big and growing up so quickly!  Sending her off to school every day and preparing her for Kindergarten is very exciting for all of us!  I love that Makayla loves school and I love that she has such an eagerness to learn and I am looking sooo forward to seeing where this year is going to take Makayla!

...and then you have my 'baby boy'.  At their new daycare, he's the big boy now!..and when I say "big boy", I mean that he doesn't have Makayla there to take care of him, or he doesn't have Makayla there to follow around, or he doesn't have Makayla there to influence him.  He's by himself!  Of course, he has Mia to take care of and Mia to be with, but he is able to be who he wants to be and do what he wants to do.  He gets to make his own decisions and I'm looking forward to watching him grow.  This is a big step for us and I think it's an important one - Mason getting out there on his own.  He's going to learn to think for himself and develop a sense of independence that he hasn't been able to experience much of, yet, because he's always had his older sister around.

...and then, there's Mia!  Totally going with the flow - lovin' life, sprouting teeth, and crawling around!  I think she's pretty happy at the new babysitter, too.  She doesn't cry when I leave her, she's happy when I pick her up,  and Mason tells me that she's a good girl during the day.  Plus, when I get pictures sent to me of her snuggling and smiling with the babysitter, I know she's pretty happy where she's at!

**Here's to a new chapter!**

Again

Makayla:  Mommy, I'm pregnant again.

Me:  You are?!

Makayla:  Yep!!

Me:  Wow...!  Why do you keep getting pregnant?

Makayla:  I don't know!  God just keeps putting the babies in my belly!

Me:  Ooooh.

Makayla:  Are you sad that he keeps putting the babies in my belly and not yours?

Me:  Kinda.  But why does God keep putting babies in your belly?!

Makayla:  (shrugs her shoulders with a grin).  I'm a good mommy.

...and for the past 15 minutes, she has been walking around the house with her back arched and her hand over her lower abdomen.  Every time she bends down to pick something up, she won't bend at her knees.  She'll bend at her back...in slow motion...and moan.

Will this ever end...?  

Important Advice

I came across this article titled "If I Could Do It All Over Again".  I read it and, of course, I was in tears by the time I finished it.  It's a very touching blog written by Carol McLeod. You can read the whole article if you click HERE.

"If I Could Do It All Over Again" is written in honor of all of the moms who have chosen to walk the very brave road of larger families. Whether you have a small family or a large family, Carol shares advice from the heart - advice that every mom (and dad) could benefit from.  

This article was beautifully written and while I think all of the advice is important and worthy, the pieces I am going to share are the ones that 'got me'... 

1. Don't ever feel guilty about everything that you aren’t able to do during this season (season of raising your children) but know that you are doing the most important things in life.

I remember one day when my highly successful, beautifully dressed mother walked into my zoo of a house filled with children. There were toys everywhere, the floor was sticky and the dishes hadn’t been done in days. That’s right … I said, “days”.  I was sitting in the middle of the family room floor reading books to my three boys when she walked in. I looked at her and said, “Mom, I am so sorry that my house looks like this.” She sat down on the couch, started folding the mountain of laundry and said, “That’s o.k., honey, you are doing the important things in life.”

At the end of every long, busy day, remind yourself, “That’s o.k., Sarah, you are doing the important things in life.”

Your children can never have too much of you. You are all that matters to them.

2. When a mom snuggles with an infant, for no other reason than just because I love you and want you, it builds a garrison of strength around that baby’s heart that no weapon of the culture can penetrate.

3. Start reading to them from the day you bring them home from the hospital. Read “Pat the Bunny”, “I’ll Love You Forever”, “Good Night, Moon”, and the Bible.  Even though they may not understand the meaning of the words … they will understand the love and cadence in your voice.

4. Don’t make your home such a serious place that it lacks the healing power of joy and gladness.  There can never be too much laughter in a home!

5.  You only have 18 short years with him. 18 summers … 18 birthday cakes … 18 Christmas Eves that will fly away in a mere blink of time.  Read to him … sing to him … prioritize him … laugh with him … pray with Him … dream with him … hold him.

*sigh*

Doctor

Last night, Makayla was playing doctor.  She said that there was a "Wet Floor" sign and the old lady didn't see it...so of course, she fell.  She fell and hit her head, now she has a brain bleed. 

Seriously?  

(how does she come up these things?)

Well, this morning, playing Doctor got a tiny bit more exciting...

As I was in the bathroom getting ready, Makayla came running in - freaking out - saying that Rascal's (one of our cats) brains and guts were coming out!!!!!

Hmmmm...

I asked her what happened and she said "Rascal was giving his friend a bath when his friend bited him!!!"

Hmmmm....

So I could finish getting ready, I told her to go comfort him.

She ran off and in a few seconds, I heard her yell from her bedroom "I'm rubbing him.  I'm rubbing his back to make him feel better.  Don't worry!  I won't touch the blood".  

Then I heard her say to him "It's okay Bubbers".  

Hmmmm...

A couple of minutes later, when I emerged from the bathroom, I went to check on Rascal.  

His brains and guts were coming out...

Mia At Nine Months

In recognition of Mia's 9 month birthday (9 months, already?!), I'd like to share...

NINE fun facts about my NINE month old baby girl!!

1. She's beautiful.  

Gorgeous.  

Fascinating.

Perfect.

2.  My petite little princess weighs in at 14 pounds and is 27" tall...and she's toothless.

3.  Discovering new foods is super fun for Mia.  Recently, she was introduced to cottage cheese.  I think she loves it because she always opens her mouth for more, but with every bite she takes, she reacts as if it's the first time it's ever been in her mouth.  She loves blueberries, yogurt, and toast (with butter!).  I also feed her food from Plum Organics...which she loves!  Some examples of her meals include: Apple Raisin & Quinoa, Zucchini Banana & Amaranth, Chickpea & Tomato with Beef, Cherry Sweet Corn & Greek Yogurt, Quinoa & Leeks with Chicken + Tarragon...
I could go on with their selection, but you get the picture - lots of variety that offers unique, flavorful nutrition.

4.  She loooooves bath time.  She's intrigued by bath time and could possibly spend hours in the bath tub.  When we're on "Mia's time" and there's nothing else that we need to do or bedtime's not waiting on us, she comes out of that bath tub looking like a wrinkled up raisin.  We've recently graduated from her baby tub to the big tub, so taking a bath has brought on a whole new meaning...in a fun kind of way!  Mia thinks it's pretty cool to take a bath in the big tub, but when her brother or sister get to join her...it's a party!  

(not a fan of the goats!)

5.  She can wave "bye-bye" and she can wave "Hiiiiiiii" - it's all one big super cute motion with her entire arm.  And, of course, when she did it for the first time, I just thought she was the smartest little baby ever!  It's funny how exciting it is for parents when their little ones learn something as simple as waving, but it is quite amazing how quickly they learn to communicate and actually understand that waving your hand (or arm) means "hi" and "bye"!

6.  She can say "kitty".  I swear.  And she's really good at it!
I tried to video it last night, but...she didn't quite say it like she normally does...
maybe 'cause Mason was busy distracting her.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the "K" sound...about 50 seconds into it.

...maybe I'm just being "one of those mothers", but I'm pretty sure she says it.

7.  She adores her brother and sister and thinks that they are the funniest people ever.  They adore her just the same.  Something I thank God for every day is that my children have each other.

8.  She loves sleeping on her belly!  Ever since discovering that sleeping on her belly is awesome, she's become an amazing sleeper.  Over the past couple of weeks, though, she's gotten me up in the night a few times because some how in the middle of the night she gets herself sitting up in bed and then doesn't know how to lay herself back down.  As soon as I lean over her crib to help her, her eyes roll back into her head (like, thank god you're here to help me) and she's usually back asleep before I get her head laid back down. 

9.  My Mia Grace -   She loves to cuddle and be cuddled.  I love to hold her close...breathing in her smell as she breathes in mine.  She loves to be kissed and loves to share her open mouth big wet kisses (i love them).  She smiles non-stop and laughs all of the time.  

She's a happy baby - a lover of life.

She makes this world a better place.

Happy 9 months!!

it's been an amazing, life changing 9 months and it's been great watching my little baby girl learn and grow into "Mia"...

Staying On The Fence

Sometimes, I have this feeling that I'm falling off of a fence.

I've only noticed this feeling when it comes to my kids -

more specifically when it comes to my kids growing up.

Usually I'm walking along the top of the fence and it feels good...it feels right.  I can go through life walking along the top of the fence like it's no big deal.   Every so often, though, I feel like I am going to lose my balance.  My legs get wobbly, my heart races, and I have to throw my arms out to my side to catch myself.  

...and I usually do.  I catch myself and I don't fall off.

Sound weird?
Confused?

Well, the other day, we decided to drive up to Chicago to have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.  As Kevin was helping Mason get dressed, he asked if he should put underwear or a pull-up on him since we'd be in the car for awhile and he would probably fall asleep (usually he sleeps too deep to wake up for the potty).

I thought about it for a second and decided to go with underwear.  Mason does a pretty awesome job wearing underwear and I was confident in him that he would do just fine. (which he did - he did great!  we just had to make about 125 stops so he could "go potty"...only going potty at one of those 125 stops)

But it was right there.

Right when I said "underwear".
I wobbled.
I wobbled a tiny bit on that fence. My heart fluttered and I had to put my arms up.
I didn't fall off, though, because Mason being able to wear underwear is right where we want to be.

It just made me wobble a little bit because it's, yet, another sign that my baby boy isn't such a baby anymore.

Kevin said "Say Cheese!", so Mason yells "Poopy Butt Weiner" -

Last week when I had to tell the babysitter that in two weeks Makayla wouldn't be coming to daycare anymore because she was going to be attending PreK all day every day, I wobbled a little bit.
Brenda has played such an important role in Makayla's life for the past 4.5 years, and taking her away from that environment is going to be a big change for us...but...when I got wobbly, I didn't fall off the fence because preparing Makayla for Kindergarten and seeing the excitement in her eyes as she talks about going to a BIG school makes me happy.  Moving Makayla from daycare to PreK will be tough, but watching her grow up and become more and more independent is right where we want to be.  

The other morning when I walked into Mia's room, she was sitting up playing peacefully in her crib.  I got really wobbly and my heart began to race.

My baby - my last baby - is getting big!
Although I didn't fall off the fence that morning, I came really close.  Seeing her sitting up entertaining herself that morning reminded me that her "baby days" are fleeting.

I tend to really lose my balance when it comes to Mia.

Everything she does - every stage she goes through - is the last time I get to experience it...whatever it may be.

No matter what it is that makes me lose my balance on the fence and gives me the feeling of falling off, I usually always end up catching myself.

Sometimes...I fall, though.

I do have my days - days...but mostly nights, that i do shed a few tears.  

Life is good and my kids are precious.

Sometimes I fall off that fence because I want to hold on to what we have right now.
I want to freeze time, I want to keep my kids little forever.

I shed my tears, kiss my kids, and get back up on that fence.
I thank God that I'm blessed with this beautiful life and remind myself of a sweet little book -

"If I Could Keep You Little"

-Marianne Richmond

If I could keep you little,
I'd hum you lullabies.
But then I'd miss you singing
your concert's big surprise.

If I could keep you little,
I'd hold your hand everywhere.
But then I'd miss you knowing,
"I can go... you stay there."

If I could keep you little,
I'd kiss your cuts and scrapes.
But then I'd miss you
learning from your own mistakes.

If I could keep you little,
I'd strap you in real tight.
But then I'd miss you swinging
from your treetop height.

If I could keep you little,
I'd decide on matching clothes.
But then I'd miss you choosing
dots on top and stripes below.

If I could keep you little,
I'd cut your bread into shapes.
But then I'd miss you finding,
"Hey! I like ketchup with my grapes!"

If I could keep you little,
I'd tell you stories every night.
But then I'd miss you reading
the words you've learned by sight.

If I could keep you little,
I'd push you anywhere.
But then I'd miss you feeling
your speed from here to there!

If I could keep you little,
I'd pick for you a friend or two.
But then I'd miss you finding
friends you like who like you too!

If I could keep you little,
we'd finger-paint our art.
But then I'd miss you creating
stories from you heart.

If I could keep you little,
I'd push your ducky float.
But then I'd miss you feeling
the wind behind summer's boat.

If I could keep you little,
we'd nap in our fort midday.
But then I'd miss you sharing
adventures from camp away.

If I could keep you little,
I'd fly you with my feet.
But then I'd miss you seeing
sky and clouds from your seat.

If I could keep you little,
I'd keep you close to me.
But then I'd miss you growing
into who you're meant to be!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, when I start to get wobbly on the fence and feel like I'm going to fall...

I'm going to stay strong, keep my balance, and remind myself of all the amazing things that are yet to come!

Lyndie

Guess what we got to do today?

We got to visit Lyndie and her momma, Katie!

...and let me tell you, it's going to be a visit that I'll probably remember for...ever.

Lyndie is 33 days old today!
Oh, happy day!

Knowing that Kevin and I were going to get to see Lyndie, Makayla was very upset that she couldn't go with, so we told her we would take pictures and she could see Lyndie through our pictures.
Upon showing her the pictures that we took, she said "Awww, oh my gosh.  We need to send these to Aunt Nina"...and every time we described Lyndie (like when Kevin compared her little butt cheeks to the size of his thumb), Makayla would say "Come on!". 

...and all Mason kept saying was "Where does Lyndie live?" 

This is a picture of Lyndie's diaper that Katie sent home for Makayla.

Our visit today was short and sweet, but I'm telling you that what we saw and heard will leave an imprint on our hearts and in our minds that we never thought possible.

What I learned during my 15 minute visit in the NICU:

I got to see Lyndie's teeny tiny booty butt while Katie changed her poopy diaper...all while Lyndie slept on her belly.  (little things like a poopy diaper amaze me!...)

That's talent - if you ask me - to change a 2 pound baby through an incubator...that has tubes and lines coming from her...and a ventilator...while she's laying on her belly...PLUS the pressure of an alarm beeping because her oxygen level was decreasing.  Whew! 

After Katie changed her diaper, I got to watch the process of them weighing her diaper...and once that was done, it was time to feed Lyndie.

Lyndie has an orogastric tube - a tube that goes into her belly via her mouth.  And that little tube (it's the orange tube in the picture) is how Lyndie is fed.  The nurses hook a little syringe up and let gravity pull the breastmilk from the syringe, though the tube, and into Lyndie's belly.  BEFORE they feed her, though, they have to pull back in the syringe to make sure that there isn't anything left in Lyndie's belly.  If there was anything that came back in the tube, that may indicate a problem in her digestion.

Katie wears little pads in her bra and then when she's done wearing them, she puts them in the incubator (Lyndie's bed).  Lyndie lays on them so she will always have the scent of her mom with her.

Occupational Therapy has to come in and help with the positioning of Lyndie to improve the development of her hips and legs.  If it were up to her, Lyndie would just have her legs sprawled out and frogged out all the time, but it's important in order to help them grow properly that they be positioned in a certain way and that's where the therapy comes in - they have ways to help support Lyndie while keeping her comfortable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were just visitors.  

We aren't living it.

I know we just got a quick glimpse in the NICU and what we saw and heard doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. 

 There are ups and down, steps forward and steps backward, 

but 

  it's a miracle right before your eyes. 

I want to thank Katie for letting us come up to visit her and Lyndie.
It was a privilege to be able to meet Lyndie and I'm so thankful that she's here to touch the hearts and lives of so many people.

Seeing and talking to Katie today, I left feeling proud of her and inspired.  

"being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed" 

- linda wooten

I know I don't know what Katie and Justin are going through.  I can't know.  I've never gone through something like this and I can't even begin to imagine how they are feeling and everything that they are going through and being forced to think about.
The least we can do is show them that we care -

Love them, pray for them, and be there for them.

 Katie is one strong woman and Lyndie is one lucky girl.

and though she be but little, she is fierce

A Mother's Prayer

We pulled in the driveway after getting home from work tonight.

Makayla runs in the house as I'm trailing behind lugging Mia in her carrier along with a purse, breast pump, a cooler of milk, the mail, Makayla's baby carrier, and two blankets.

I go back out to the car to open Mason's door.  Of course, I can't help him get out of the car because he can do it ALL BY HIMSELF (Mr. Independent Mason Curry).  As I'm standing beside the car waiting waiting waiting on him, I've dripped a gallon of sweat because it's 90 100 degrees out with 95% (?) humidity.
He finally gets out of the car and darts in the house...but doesn't make it to the door before he falls face first onto the concrete.
Picking him up, I begin to soothe him.
I nonchalantly look him over to see the damage, immediately checking his mouth and teeth - which, besides the fat upper lip, appeared fine.
Between the tears and sweat, we become one big wet mess.

His head hurts.

My heart hurts.

We finally get inside and I start getting ice for him to hold on his head.

What made me think he would hold it on there, I have no idea, but I thought I'd try.

As I'm getting ice,

Mason is crying,

Mia is crying - begging to get out of her seat, because yep - she was dropped off in the living room and kinda put on the back burner.

and Makayla is going a mile a minute with super glue in her hand (where did she get that?!) wanting and needing me to superglue something on to her hair brush. Right now.

I take in a deep breath.

All my kids need me right now (something I've been wanting to blog about),

Mason is hurt (he's number 1 right now),

and I still have to do 100 things before we need to leave for dance in 20 minutes.

*sigh*

Sometimes...I wonder how I'll make it to the end of the day!

And just when I start to pucker out, lose the wind in my sails, begin to wear down, I see this -

my blue eyed beauty

a smile through the pain

and a pregnant 4 year old

That's right - 

I know it's not a surprise to a lot of you that Makayla was pregnant tonight, but with each pregnancy she improves more and more.  It's scary.
Tonight she couldn't bend down AT ALL.  It "hurt too bad" to bend down.

Finally, when she had the baby (that I heard crying from all the way from upstairs) she STILL couldn't bend down because she was "too sore".
Wow.

She's funny.
Last night, she said "Ooooh, my contacts" with such conviction as she was fiddlng with her eye, that I swear she would have been able to convince anybody and everybody that she seriously wore contacts! 

When I asked her what contacts were, she said "Ummm, they're like little bubbles"...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parenting.

It's hard sometimes.  really hard.

But I'm telling you, that no matter how hard it gets, or how tired I am,

these children of mine fill me up.

They put the wind back in my sails and they brighten my life.

In that moment tonight when I was...

 hot, 

wet from sweat and tears, 

had just finished a day at work, 

worried about the extent of Mason's boo-boo, 

wanting everybody to just stop crying and talking,

trying to pack a diaper bag,

passing out snacks before dance,

helping Mason hold the ice on his head,

letting Makayla know that I cared about her hairbrush,

playing peek-a-boo from afar with Mia...

I needed to remember this -

A Mother's Prayer

...

Give me patience when little hands 

tug at me with ceaseless, small demands.

Give me gentle words and smiling eyes,

to keep my lips from hasty, sharp replies.

Let not fatigue, confusion or noise

obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys

so when in years to come my house is still, 

beautiful memories its rooms may fill.
Author Unknown