Who owns this house anyways??

Madeline has been sleeping in a pack n play in our bedroom for months now. This stems from her inability to obey and sleep when told and her ability to climb out and over anything put in her path. Her and Anna share a bedroom and months ago I got it all ready with new toddler beds, I made them quilts, and just got Leah's old room (the biggest one upstairs) ready just for them. Well, it was very clear from the get go that Anna and Madeline were not going to go to sleep in the same room. So we moved Madeline to a pack and play in Leah's room (Leah really loved that). Then Madeline started having her "issues" and the rest is history. Last night I decided to try and let the girls sleep together again. Madleine really wanted to sleep in her big girl bed and she has been doing much better at not climbing out of her packie (thanks to Leah's inventive sticker chart). So, I gave it a go. Within about 10 minutes Madeline was yelling for me telling me that Anna wouldn't quit talking. I know this is true because that is how Anna is (very chatty like her mama) and I had heard her carrying on. So I went upstairs a couple different times and settled things down and then, get this........they fell asleep. I was so proud. Well, that was until I heard some pitter patter at 5:00 am in the morning! Thelma and Loise had obviously be up for a while. They were just walking around the kitchen, maybe looking for a snack? They each had a pair of shoes on, a purse and just acted like this was normal every day activity. They didn't even come to Ryan and I's room. I wonder if I hadn't heard them if we just would have woken up in the morning to them lounging on the couch, watching Dora, chugging their sippy cups and helping themselves to some snack bars. After further investigation, I saw that their light was on (I am amazed it did not wake their 3 siblings up, the rooms up there are close) and their upstair toys had been well played with. Who knows how long they had been up. The good news is that the girls went back to sleep, the bad news is, I did not. Yawn. Off to check those grey hairs.

I just wanted to say thank you to anyone who prayed I would find the kids' baby books. They have been found! I was so thrilled. About 6 weeks ago I reorganized my closet and really sorted through a lot of the pictures/adoption stuff that had been stuffed in there over the last year. Those two books had been sorted and put in a bin under our bed. In my feverish hunt, I had looked there first, but aparently not well enough. Or maybe God did His thing and in response to your prayers made my precious lost items found!

Julie

My first grey hair!

So, it has begun. I was just looking in the mirror at how outgrown my highlights were looking and staring back at me was the greyist hair I have ever seen. I have seriously never yet had one. So, either I accept this new stage in life or I get to my hair lady quick and have her re-highlight me. Anne, here I come!

Hmmm, maybe this is what happens when you have 5 kids, 3 of which are in the terrible, I mean terrific twos......

Julie

PS You know I wouldn't trade it for anything!

You stuck what up your nose?!?!

So, I was putting the kids to bed Wednesday night and I told Anna and Gideon to go on upstairs. After a couple seconds I followed. I went to go into Anna's room and she was pointing at the floor and saying "icky." Well, icky indeed, it was 2 dime sized drops of blood. After looking Anna over and laying her down I went into Gideon's room and he was standing by his crib with blood literally pouring out of his nose. It was quite eerie. No crying, just looking at me like "what are you looking at?" As I got closer I noticed a piece of wood clutched in his hand. I kid you not, it was probably 2 inches long and maybe a 1/4 inch wide. Maybe like a huge splinter? It was of course covered in blood, as was everything else. So I bring him downstairs, wipe all the blood off and give him a good looksie. The blood stopped pretty quickly and although it started back up briefly, by the time Ryan came home 20 minutes later, he was good to go. You know I always wonder whether we should go to the ER, but since the bleeding stopped quickly and he seemed fine, we decided to just wait and see how he did. He slept in our room just so we could keep and eye on him. You know, I think he had that piece of wood in their for at least a few hours. When I changed his diaper like 3 or 4 hours earlier, I thought I heard some wheezing, but I got distracted and the wheezing slipped my mind. I have been watching him for any signs of infection also. You know, I just can't believe he had that big of a piece of wood up his nose and I couldn't even see it. I think it was all the way up there and him bouncing up the stairs dislodged it. Never a dull moment!

Besides bloody noses, things are going well. Gideon had his surgery this past Tuesday and he did amazingly. I was pretty happy with our experience at Nationwide Children's hospital (formally Columbus Children's). I admit, the whole process was a little scary, I am sure especially so for Gideon. It took about 45 minutes to an hour for him to really wake up afterwards, but then it was like a light switch coming on. He popped off of Ryan's lap and started dancing and playing. He was even doing his "pretend" fall, to which we were a bit horrified, fearing he would "break" something. He has pretty much been on Tylenol all week just to keep him comfy.

Anna is doing really well with her potty training still. She's only had a few accidents and those are mostly because she was playing outside and preoccupied. She is telling me know when she has to go and she is in undies full time (except at night). So 2 toddlers down, 1 to go.

Speaking of Anna, she has an uncanny sense of direction. She has predicted where we were going on more than one occasion. We probably go into Urbana once or twice a week and maybe half that time I drive the "back" way, by the West Liberty sewage plant. The kids and I refer to it as "poopy water." I was going down the road before the road the plant is on an Annie points toward the sewage plant and says "poopy water." You couldn't even see the plant at that point (maybe she just has a really good sense of smell :)).

Something somewhat small I could use your prayers on, I have misplaced Anna and Gideon's baby books. I can't imagine they are truly lost, but I cannot find them and I am pretty heartbroken about it. I hadn't added a bunch of pictures or anything, so technically I could buy two new books and fill them out, but I journel in my baby's books and I had wrote a lot of personal stuff in them that I cannot replicate. Fortunately this blog has served as some sort of journel for me, but not liked the book did. So, if you could send a little request up for me that would be great!

Julie

PS I have tons of pics to load, but we are experiencing some computer issues (what's new, eh?). The only computer right now with internet access is our old laptop and I really do not want to load pics on here.

Anna is hitting the potty train (and Dr.'s appt.'s)!

So Anna has been potty training for a few days now.  She is really doing well.  I haven't been brave enough yet to take her out in undies, but that will come.  She has yet to tell me she has to go, I've just been sitting her on the potty frequently.  I am not sure she gets that she needs to catch herself and tell me she has to go before she has an accident.  At any rate, I am so far really proud of her and don't be surprised if you stop by our house and see a half nakie Annie!

I took all three of the little ones to well child visits yesterday.  They all looked good.  Annie is right around the 50th percentile for height and weight (a little above for the weight and a little under for the height).  Gideon weighed 24 lbs 11 oz.  He was in the 3rd percentile for weight and the 25th for height.  We are taking Gee back to the GI specialist in December as a follow up and he had requested that a mid 6 month weight be done.  A three of the little ones really looked great though.  I left that Dr. appt. feeling so blessed for the 5 healthy kids I have!

A couple "funnies." 

-Ryan came home Sunday afternoon after cutting some wood and as usual all the kids ran up to him saying "Daddy home, daddy home."  Well, Ryan just happen to ask Anna to come sit in his lap and as she walked over to him she tripped a little bit and whined.  Ryan held her babied her a bit.  So Gideon, not missing a beat stands up and pretends to fall and than whines.  It was so funny and Ryan was just cackling.  We where both like "we can't believe he just did that."  I guess Gee was needing some lovings also!

-The 3 toddlers new phrase is "No mommy, I talk'in to ______."  Madeline started it and now all three say it.  A typical situation goes like this:    One of the little one is rambling on about something and I will say "Anna what do you need?" or I will answer their question if they asked one, to this I get (in a very frustrated voice), "No mommy, I talk'in to Madeline."  I feel like sarcastically saying "gesh, sorry!"

-Anna is very big into "why" right now.  Ugh, if I never heard that word again it would be fine by me.

Oh yeah, our camping trip last week was tons of funs.  I have lots of pictures and as soon as they are uploaded I will post them.  We hiked quite a bit and the kids did really well.  It was great to get some family time!

Well, until later....

Julie    

"Poopy, wet"

So this is often times Anna's phrase when she has pooped (yes, potty training is right around the corner).  Earlier today this is the conversation I hear:

Anna - "Poopy, wet......poopy, wet"

Madeline - "Ok, Anna, let me see"

So Madeline proceeds to check Anna's diaper like I do, by pulling it out at the back. 

Madeline - "Ohhhhhhh.....Anna, you poopy"

This is funny to me because she said it exactly like I say it, she even had a look of disgust on her face.  Yes, sometimes I get tired of changing literally 6 to 8 poopy diapers a day (Maddie is potty trained and Gee and Anna have poop issues) and I act disgusted that I am changing yet another on.

So I lay Anna down and change her and Madeline and Gideon gather around.  Maddie says "that's disgusting" and Gee chimes in with "dis-gut-ing."

Poor, poor Anna.  Fortunately she was not phased by the whole incident and she seriously cackled the whole time.  

Julie