New pics

A few new pics are up here

emma & Jude 

TGIF

Tomorrow anyway. It will be friday, that is. Jude finally fell asleep. My back hurts from slinging him and holding him constantly. It's the work thing this week that's killing me, because he gets tired and just wants to be held and nurse, and I'm at the desk trying to get ready for Monday when the new session starts!

It's been a helluva busy week around here. Monday we went on a hsing field trip to Strong Museum. Check out today's hsing blog for more info on that.

Yesterday we took a field trip for Emma's LCG class to a farm market, which was really cool. They have these huge corn stalk tepees and I do mean HUGE. Inside, they are dark and one has at least a hundred or more Jack O'Lanterns lit up inside all around and up and up, and the next one has scary skeletons all lit up above you.

There was a petting zoo with donkeys and goats and sheep and chickens that were dyed pastel colors. They were hilarious! I wish I had taken m camera. They had a good selection of foodstuff inside. Soren got a slushy and Emma got hot chocolate and I got a donut and bought an apple pie to take home. It's pretty decent, although not as good as Lynn's was!

Today we had music class, and then emma went to play with her friend Nat. Then we went to the library downtown.

The girls and I had an funny discussion about monsters today. I noticed that someone had been peeing and not wiping or flushing and I knew it wasn't Tom ;). Soren finally fessed up and I admitted I used to do the same thing when I was her age, because I had an irrational fear that alligators would come out of the toilet when I flushed it. Emma admitted that she was afraid of monsters in the toilet, and then Soren agreed, and admitted that she didn't wipe so that I hopefully wouldn't notice that there was pee in the toilet ;). Heh. I used to do the same thing. We're a weird family. Then I told them how i used to hightail it up the stairs from our basement because I was also afrad that alligators would get me when I turned out the light to go upstairs. I don't know where this fear of reptiles comes from!

So anyway, Jude has to have a VCUG on Nov. 8. Apparently 10% of babies who get UTIs at his age have some sort of problem with the works in the bladder, so they want to rule that out. Thanks for your thoughts Rachel. I'm not looking forward to it but at least I found a sitter for the girls so I don't have to take them with me. I really just want to be able to focus on Jude. Tom's pretty stressed about it, but I really hate watching/dealing w/ my kids having procedures done to them and I'm sure he can't get off work to come along.

In other news, I got a package from Karen yesterday. Cute clothes for Jude when he's quite a bit bigger, which is good. Right now though, we have so many 3-6 mo. clothes that I'm refusing to do any baby laundry until he works his way through some of the outfits! His dresser is full and there's an entire rubbermaid bin of 3-6 mo size clothes that I haven't even opened yet.

We're off to PA tomorrow. I still have last minute costume adjustments to make, and the girls are excited. they get to t or t w/ their dad on Saturday and here on Sunday. Tom has to work at the complex during t or t time. Psuedo security or some such bullshit ;). Speaking of which, his boss was pissed b/c he refused to go on a call yesterday morning for someone who reported that their car was broken into. Um, ever heard of 911? Geez.

gotta get to bed.

My lack of computer time is starting to get on my nerves ;).

Let's see:
I miracuously just remembered to send the family outside to see the lunar eclipse. Very cool!

Jude's UTI is gone, but he has to have a VCUG test done. More on that when I have time to look up links and stuff. It's on 11/8.

Took the kids to a farmer's market today with some friends. It was fun! Then we went to our yoga moms group and took pics of all the kids w/ their costumes on. Well, except Jude, because I'm a slacker and haven't made his mouse ears yet. Emma's a dog and Soren's a cat ;).

I'm back to work, it's crazy, and I don't want to do it. Although I like it when it's there, it's exhausting to juggle girls, baby, work, coaching and food. Food is the hardest part. It seems like such a neverending battle to keep us all fed at the times we need it and my standards are falling off in terms of housecleaning. It's so hard to get things done. Thank god Tom seems to have neverending energy and stays up doing dishes and stuff or it'd never get done.

I'm sure there's a million things I"ve been wanting to blog about, but I'm drawing a blank now.

I got pictures, but haven't had time to post them on the web yet. As soon as I do, I'll put a link here.

No time...

to blog. Have been briefly updating the girls HS blog as much as possible. we are busy with gymnastics, cooking, trying to sleep, play groups, Lilac Children's Garden and I insanely agreed to lay out the LCG newsletter, which won't be a big deal soon, but was hard this month. Jude hates the computer.

I got to work out a bit this week and am sore, but it felt good. I started back to work on Monday. I don't wanna go even though I have the kids with me. It's too rat race to work eves and deal with meals and hauling kids and work and blah. Oh well, we need the $$!

Somebody remind me to help Emma with her sewing project because I forgot last week and got the worst mother of the year award. Did I mention tha tEmma lost another (her 5th?) tooth last week and was disappointe that the tooth fairy brought her money. she wanted something that would last longe.r I really need a stash of gifts.

sorry about typos; gotta run and shower while the boy's asleep. Don't have new pics to post yet, can't get to wally world to get the damn film developed. love being a mom of 3, but boy is it busy!

Travels

We took our first trip back to PA this weekend with baby in tow. It was a good trip, although it took us about 1.5 hours extra each way, in order to stop and nurse or change diapers or whatever. I know that will get better as Jude gets older, and he was not really fussy in the car at all IMO. It helps to have the girls back there with him, and they can wipe up a spitup, or give him a finger to suck on unitl we can find a place to stop and nurse, or talk and sing to him. They were awesome!

We spent Saturday visiting my dad for about an hour and a half, and then went to my mom's house for a few hours, as they hadn't seen Jude yet. Both visits went really well, especially considering that Tom and my mother had only met once and it didn't go well, to say the least.

We had dinner at Erica's and then Sunday morning we took my dad to breakfast, and went to Harner Farms, because I had a craving for their cider. Then I went and got a pair of pants that fit and we headed back and got the girls.

A nice relaxing weekend!

Today I got motivated and made a cake and egg salad. I'm defrosting chili for dinner, and today is my first day back to work. Ack!

More things about Tom

19. He is supportive of and helpful with homeschooling.

20. He drives very carefully. (which drives me nuts sometimes, because it feels as slow as molasses sometimes!)

21. Did I mention he changes diapers in the middle of the night?

22. He is good at using the grill, which is not one of my strong points.

23. He loves cloth diapers and will never use a disposable by choice.

24. He starts a load of diapers in the wash just about every night.

25. He cleans the bathroom!

more things about hubby

6. He warms my car up for me when it's cold out.

7. He always gives me his jacket if I appear the least bit cold. He knows I hate to be cold!

8. He does the same for the kids.

9. He changes all the diapers and burps Jude in the middle of the night.

10. He does all the dishes every night lately since our dishwasher died.

11. He makes a mean cup of coffee.

12. He tells his mom he loves her every time they talk on the phone.

13. He loves to hike and be outdoors.

14. He is so excited to be a dad and always slings Jude when we go out. He is a natural with the sling too!

15. He makes me breakfast in bed and gets the girls to help.

16. He is totally supportive of my parenting style and beliefs and defends them to others if questioned.

17. He loves the family bed and put a twin bed in our room so Soren can sleep with us while she's adjusting to big sisterhood.

18. He can fix just about anything.

Argh, interrupted again!

holy cow

It's really hard to blog, because when Jude is asleep, I need to spend time with the girls, cooking, or cleaning and when he's awake, like he is now, I just want to ooh and ahh over his adorable little face.

His eyes have gotten so alert and aren't such a murky blue color anymore. They look almost sapphire blue tonight. It will be interesting to see if they stay blue like Tom's or turn brown like mine. Just for the record, mine aren't really *brown*. They're auburn, like my hair used to be, which is a really cool color. Emma has brown eyes like her dad, and Soren has blue eyes like my grandpa, although the shape of her eyes is identical to that of David's dad, Mike.

Anyway, Jude is laying here, cooing and looking adorable. He gave me the hugest smile yet tonight. He keeps gently touching my arm with his little starfish hands too.

The sad news is that Jude has a UTI. I took him to the doctor last Friday to get this stupid diaper rash checked again, because it just kept getting worse. The diagnosis was not yeast (as I was kind of hoping at that point, so it was an easy fix). Oh no, they think it's a dairy or citrus allergy. So my diet is restricted for two weeks. I wouldn't be surprised, since Soren is allergic to dairy. Gah.

While I was there, I mentioned that he screamed with pain everytime he had to pee (prior to peeing) and that I wondered if he was anticipating it burning his rash. Well, no, that wasn't an easy fix either. This news concerned the doctor mightily, so we had to get a urine sample. That was fairly painless and simple.

The specimin looked OK but maybe a trace of blood, so off to the lab it went. Results today: e. coli UTI. Argh! 10 days of amoxicyllin, with another urine sample in 14 days. How does a 3 week old baby get a UTI?

So my mom is now insisting it's from cloth diapers, and that I need to be retracting his foreskin (just a little she says, yikes!) and swabbing it with a wet cotton ball at each diaper change so he doesn't get some sort of infection and have the foreskin tighten and end up with a circumcision. WTF?

Anyway, it's so joyful to give a 3 wk old baby abx ;).

Let's see, most of our other adventures are in the hsing blog. Two things:

My friend Erica sent me a Bravado bra. She rocks!

Karen and Catherine came to visit us this weekend and made us a wonderful big pot of Cincinatti Chili, which is just about gone already. We didn't get a long enough visit, IMO, and it was hard to talk about stuff with the kids around, but it was a delight to have them anyway. I even got to nap for 2 hours yesterday since Soren was busy playing with Catherine!

Catherine is a delight. She has such a great personality and is so good at saying what she needs - that's refreshing after being around Soren ::sigh::

I can't think of anything else. I want to do a 25 things I love about Tom, in imitation of Carmen but I don't think the baby is going to give me that much time.

I'll do as many as I can.

1. He buys me flowers for all sorts of reasons, and just brought me home flowers for becoming a mom again. Bless his heart, he's been busy enough doing other things!

2. He does laundry, and even folds it, which he hates, because I'm anal about things getting wrinkled.

3. He always comes and gets/gives a hug from/to me when he gets home from work. And the girls always get one too.

4. He has infinite patience for my hurried ways and bad habit of interrupting him. The turtle and the hare indeed.

5. He is the best stepfather in the world. Soren even makes him cards telling him so.

Well, I got 5 done ;)

Still here

Haven't been blogging much, because when I get time, I'm trying to keep up w /the hsing blog.

Jude is growing, and is over 8 lbs. He still had a heinous diaper rash that I can't get rid of. I gave him some naked time today and he peed about 8 times. Argh!

He's also reached the point where he doesn't just fall asleep, he needs to be slung down or driven in the car to really get deeply enough asleep so that he'll stay there when I lay him down.

We;re going through diapers at an alarming rate, I'm still trying to catch up laundry from the flea debacle and from Soren dumping a pitcher of water into Emma's dresser drawer (yes, an accident, no, I don't know why Emma had a pitcher (small though) of water in her room).

The cat finally seems to be deflead thank goddess.

Apparently my job has been expanded and he has added another person. I can't say I'm thrilled - I would have rather had the hours, but alas, that is not to be.

He also wants to me to teach on Thursday nights. I don't know how I will make that work, quite honestly, with the baby so young. I don't wanna go back to work!

David seems intent on getting his act together in preparation for moving to NY next spring. that has good and bad points to it I'm sure. I'm not up to thinking about it right now.

today is my MIL's birthday. Happy bday Mom Hall!

Anyway, gotta go make food for the girls before I take E. to gymnastics in 1/2 hour. I'm sooo tired. Too much activity this week, too soon, but I don't know what else to do. I really need to start planning meals again too. Can't wait!

Busy week

It's been so busy this week! Thankfully my morning energy is good. By 1 or 2 p.m. I'm shot, but so far, I've managed to get through the days. I actually got a nap w/ the baby yesterday, and it was only interrupted 4 times by my girls coming in to look at my clock (as if it's the only farging clock in the house of course!). So it was an interrupted nap, but I know I slept really hard for about 20 minutes ;).

Jude is doing great. He's having a growth spurt and eating nonstop, but we had a better night last night. The night before, he woke up every 1.5 hours to eat, but last night, he slept from 9pm to 1:30 a.m. and then from 1:45am to 4:30am, and then until about 7:30am. So I'm feeling somewhat refreshed. It also helped that David came to Rochester last night and got the girls, so I didn't have Soren tossing and turning in my bed and having nightmares at 2am and such, or wetting the bed. All signs of sibling disruption apparently. Adjustment is so much fun!

She's actually doing much better though. I really shouldn't complain. she's starting to act like herself again, which is nice, although she's still a bit grumpy and difficult around the edges.

Emma and I need some 1:1 time together. It's hard because they are both stuck like glue to me and the baby and are so possessive of Jude, they don't want anyone to look at him or hold him w/o hanging over the person like a couple of vultures. It's really getting a bit old.

They had a fairly social week though, so we got some space from each other. Tuesday was Lilac Children's Garden (hereafter known as LCG because I'm tired of typing it out), Wednesday they spent most of the day at a friend's house, Thursday I can't remember what we did at all, and Friday we had playgroup in the morning. They will be with their dad for the weekend. I miss Emma like crazy though, especially. With gymnastics I haven't seen enough of her.

She had a problem with her coach on Wednesday. I didn't have any idea that shaming kids was the new method for motivating their improvement! Needless to say, I made a call to my boss at 9am the following morning and it should be resolved Monday at the latest. If my kid doesn't get an apology, I will be taking drastic steps, like boiling in oil, for the offending idiot.

Things are starting to get in a bit more of a routine, which I credit to my increased energy level. I can't imagine working in a few weeks though. Augh!

In better news, I am going to get the girls involved in TribalMusic which will be wonderful. They both miss music lessons and since it's during the day, we'll be able to attend, yay!


Well Jude is sleeping peacefully in the boppy pillow for the moment, so I am going to grab some food while my hands are empty and hop in the shower. Tom's on call today at the complex, so we are going to go spend the day there. David insisted on staying there, which is strange since Tom will BE there today and tonight, but if they want to stay at our house in the city, I can stay with Tom tonight. Sometimes David is very strange. Or maybe he just didn't get what I was saying when I explained that Tom would be there all day .