Happy Halloween!

LAST night was horrendous! It went so terrible that I think it was downright comical. I went to bed at around midnight. At 2:30AM, Jonathan and I jumped a foot when two little girls entered our room in very high spirits. I think they honestly thought it was morning or something. They bounded in the room noisily and jumped into our bed. Jonathan was NOT amused (to put it mildly). So I took the girls back to their bed...thank goodness it's a full bed, because I stayed there. At 5:30AM, I woke up because Kelsey peed on me. What a new low as a mother. She had stayed sleeping, so I snuck out of the pee bed, took my pee clothes off, and returned to my bed. She woke up at 6:30 and came to me because she was "cold." I asked her if she had peed the bed and she said, no, Calla had done it. Haha. Nice try, Kelsey. This little story does not take into account Jay waking up to nurse. Little boy's night waking takes up one little sentence. His sister Kelsey is making him look good.

But anyway, TODAY was a fun Halloween! I hope you all had a fun one... Jonathan does not particularly like Halloween, but it was Jay's first holiday and the girls certainly enjoy the dressing-up portion of it. This was the first year I think Calla really understood the whole trick or treat concept (or it least remembered it), because she asked me no less than a dozen times today (and the days leading up) when oh when were we going trick or treating.

This morning we got up and into costume (-: and then headed to my friend Emily's house. She texted me and four other friends yesterday to see if us and our dozen kids (between us) wanted to come over for a Halloween playdate over coffee. (Coffee for the adults ha.) Well, there wasn't really anything Halloweenish about it, except all the kids wore their costumes.

below: All the children in costume. Check out Kelsey, far left. I told her I'd give her a piece of candy if she smiled nicely for the camera. Instead she cried.

Kelsey is unbelievable.
Left to right...Kelsey, Calla, Grant, Erik, Braden, Maggie (bumble bee), Kenzie in an adorable homemade cupcake costume (the gray part is an upside down lamp shade), Kelsey Ann, Ashlyn, Norah holding Dane.

Haha look at Kelsey.

It was a bit chaotic, but a lot of fun. I made a breakfast cake last night to bring, and we arrived to the tune of Jay screaming his head off. He was sad after the car ride over there, and it took me awhile to settle him down. (He had been sleeping for about an hour in his crib when it was time for us to go to Emily's, so I woke him up and I think it made him cranky!) I put him in the bjorn and he relaxed, and fell asleep right away for a solid two-hour nap.

The girls had a fun time with their friends. Kelsey didn't put her best foot forward. She brought her baby doll, "New Baby" (she calls it new baby because it is, obviously, her newest baby). This turned out to be a bit of a disaster because her little friend Maggie wanted it...at all times. They spent most of the morning fighting over it. I felt like I was a referee most of the time. Neither of them are at the age where they fully understand the concept of sharing; I can certainly "teach" her to do it but kids don't understand the concept until they are three (according to my "making the terrible twos terrific!" book ha).

Calla had a fabulous time with Grant...they were playing "house" in the kitchen and when it was time to go she was so disappointed. (Mind you, we had been there two hours.) She gets along so well with Grant (he is always very willing to be the daddy; you can tell he has a big sis!). But nonetheless, we headed home and ate lunch. Jay and Kelsey napped (it is pretty nice how their naps always overlap) and Calla and I straightened the house and got ready for the Trick or Treaters. (Getting ready: dumping a bag of candy in a bowl.)

Calla was so anxious for the trick or treaters...she stood at the window at 2pm waiting for them. Trick or treating officially began at 3pm, but considering kids didn't even start wandering home from school until 3:15...we didn't get anyone. Calla stood at the window shouting and waving at all the kids walking by from school. I think she thought they'd stop for candy.

We have been going trick or treating with the Moo fam for the past two years, and did the same this year. We decided to meet at 4pm, and Jonathan planned on meeting us at 5 after work. So I got the girls into costume, and we drove over at 4 to their house. We wanted to do their neighborhood since they know a lot more of their neighbors than we know of ours. Plus, Cooper likes to come along. (Cooper is their dog.)

Before we left, I got a pick of all three children. Wow, Kelsey, what an attractive picture of you.

I told Kelsey she could have a piece of Halloween candy if she smiled nicely and this was her expression:

Forget Kelsey! Here's one of our oldest and youngest. Jay looks like a worried puppy dog! His costume was in the hand-me-down clothes I received from my friend Brooke. It was cute!

True to form, Jay was crying when we got there but fell asleep as soon as I put him in the baby bjorn, and he stayed sleeping in there for two hours until we got back to the Moo's house. We ended up actually walking the neighborhood for it least an hour and a half, which is pretty long! I think Norah and Calla would have kept going...they had such a wonderful time. Calla kept saying, "This is so much fun!"

We did the annual Halloween pose...Calla, Norah, Dane, Erik and Kelsey. Jay was sleeping in the bjorn so he missed out.

Kelsey and Dane chilling in Dane's stroller...

How Jay spent his first Trick or Treat!

Posing with a cat. A very large one. Thomas the Tank Engine there was a neighbor boy.

She and Norah would race ahead to the front doors and Erik and Kelsey would lag behind. The rest of us would stand in the sidewalk and wait. The kids took turns sitting next to Dane in the stroller, but mostly Kelsey was in there next to him. A couple times she said "We?" to him, which is Chinese for "hold my hand?" (Well, it's her version of Chinese.)

The weather was 50 degrees, but there wasn't any wind so it wasn't very cold. It least, my girls didn't complain (all that running between houses kept them warm!) and I felt warm because I had baby Jay snuggled against me.

The boys decided to order pizza and Jonathan went and picked it up and had at the house when we got done at 6pm. I wasn't sure how much the kids would eat after the candy they were eating, but they ate pretty much pizza. I think it was good we were eating pizza and not something like chicken and broccoli, since pizza is always appealing! Even on a full candy-filled tummy.

I took some pics of Jay on his first Halloween......

What a cutie!

Haha. In the car on the way over he was crying (not unusual) but Calla suddenly said, "Uh mom, Jay can't see." I realized his hood had fallen over his face. Oops! How traumatizing.

Jonathan had to leave from the Moo's to go to church to help with youth group, so I let my girls played for a bit and then we left after an hour. Jay was getting tired and I wanted to leave before everybody got crabby.

TOO LATE! I gathered our things at the door...Jay started complaining...and I got Kelsey into her shoes. I went to round up Calla with Kelsey on my heels, whinning about something. Norah made the mistake (I'm sure accidential!) of showing me the card that Calla had been working on to surprise me, and Calla was - in a word - devastated. She burst into tears, which seemed like overkill if you ask me. I sympathized for her since she was disappointed, but for goodness sakes pull yourself together. She fell in a heap on the floor, and I lifted her up by her arm...her body was like jello. I handed Jay to Jenny and carried her by her shoulders over to the front door. I told her to get a grip and get her shoes on. I hadn't seen the card but if she kept crying I would look at it. At this point, Jay was feeling tired and decided to express this by crying.

It was at this time that Kelsey got into the act and fell onto the floor crying, although I am still not sure why. (Maybe she didn't know either.) At any rate, Jenny helped me take all three crying children into the minivan. Jenny bid me goodnight, Godspeed. I strapped the kids into their seats and they stopped crying (I think they forgot to keep it up) and we had a relatively peaceful ride home (until 3 minutes in, which is when Jay takes his cue to get sad.).

We got home and I put Jay to sleep while the girls examined their candy. Jay's sleep ritual is so cute. I put him in his crib, with his pacifier, on his belly. Then I rub his back and his bottom until his eyes start to close, and then I put a stuffed animal on his bottom and wish him sweet dreams. He is such a love. He loves his crib.

I tried a new approach to bedtime in the hopes it may keep Kelsey from checking on me in the middle of the night. We had a wonderful routine going on right after Jay was born thanks to Aunt Rin. But we've gotten away from that in the past few weeks, unfortunately. On most evenings, I set up my laptop at the bar and do marketing work or start the blog or check email while the girls go to bed (or it least until one of them goes to bed) in order to maintain some sort of control over them. In other words, to keep them from jumping in bed/hopping out/turning the lights on/and all that type of nonsense that goes on when two little girls share a bed. But I wonder if Kelsey wakes up and then looks for me because she expects me to still be sitting at the bar.

So tonight before bed I read stories, as usual. Then I sat on the rocker in the front room and rocked and rocked Kelsey and gave her hugs and kisses and sang songs (Calla sang along) and then i tucked the girls in and told them three rules: (1) Stay in bed. (2) Keep your heads on the pillows. (3) No crying or screaming. I told them they were allowed to whisper.

Then I went to the front room to work on some laundry. Kelsey came out one time to check on me, and I took her right back to her bed. She cried a little because she wanted to be able to see me, but I told her she could sit and stare at me in the morning. And then I didn't hear a peep. I'm not sure how long it took the girls to go to sleep, but quite frankly I don't care if they are in there chatting away until midnight as long as they aren't bothering me. (Well, midnight is a stretch.)

I hope you all had a happy Halloween! I can't wait to see some Halloween pics of my niece/nephews! Cosumes are so fun!

Red/White

TODAY we left the house at 8:15AM and didn't get home until 8:45PM. It was a loong day! But a fun one.

This morning Jonathan got up at 6:30, which helped make it possible for us to be packed for a day in Wisconsin following church. Poor Jay is not a big fan of Sunday mornings - he's always at the end of his rope by the time we get to the car! He took his first nap during Sunday school in Daddy's arms. He woke up, I nursed him at the beginning of the second service, and then changed his diaper and decided to leave him in the nursery. Jay is an easy nursery candidate because I knew he was going to get tired so I just asked them to please rock him. They did, and he was sleeping soundly when I arrived to pick him up.

I retrieved Calla from her class first so she could come with me to pick up Jay. She has been asking to see the "baby class." It is pretty cute - all the little babies in the swings and being held. I think she appreciated the tour.

The only hiccup with having Jay in nursery is that Kelsey's class happened to be filing by in the hallway as I dropped Jay off, and of course she saw me. She said "Mommy!" excitedly, but instantly started crying when she realized I wasn't standing there to pick her up. Poor Kels! They hurried her away!

After church we got settled into the minivan (thankfully Jay stayed sleeping) and drove through the McDonald's drive-thru and headed to Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is exactly two hours from our house. Kelsey was supposed to take a nap, but instead she and Calla watched Boz the Bear on the DVD player and colored. Kelsey ended up falling asleep as we were literally driving into the city of Madison. Poor timing, Kelsey! She got in a 20-minute snooze as we were a little early for the game.

Ben's game today was called the Red/White game, which is a fancy way of saying the team plays itself. (It's a scrimmage. Inter-squad scrimmage? Could this be the proper term?) Anyway, it was a great game for us because Ben played almost the entire game and ended up playing really awesome (he had 22 pts).

Jay had woken up in the car during our trip, and was actually ready to go back down for a nap by the time the game started. He ended up falling asleep right on my lap. He is an easy fellow - just a pacifier and some bottom-patting and he was out. Once he woke up, Jonathan stood up with him in the bjorn which kept him happy.

Calla and Kelsey spent the game either looking for Ben or looking for Bucky, the mascot. Kelsey is absolutely captivated by Bucky; we were either discussing where he was and if we couldn't find him then what he could be doing. (Taking a nap? Eating lunch?) Jonathan took the girls down by the court to get a picture with Bucky before the game started and said Kelsey got instantly super shy as soon as she was that close to him. Calla was feeling confident; she gave him some high 5s and lots of smiles.

College bball games have 20-minute halves, and since there weren't any commercial time-outs it wasn't too long. The girls did really well. It helped that they were constantly on Mema or Aunt Courtney's laps. Kelsey spent a while on my phone. I apologize now if she texted anybody. haha

After the game the team had an autograph hour, which worked out fine because the rest of us browsed the gift shop and the girls got some of their wiggles out. Mema had the girls pick out a Bucky stuffed animal for Halloween...they ended up getting little teddy bears dressed in Wisconsin cheerleading outfits. They were delighted. Calla was also making a pretty strong pitch for a Wisconsin car decal but we told her we would get one when she turns 16. ha

When Ben was ready, we walked down the street to the Nitty Gritty, which is a burger joint with a big menu, crayons for the kids, and even some arcade games to keep Kelsey busy. (She just sits on them; we do not waste quarters on her. ha) Mema, Opa, Ben, Courtney and our little fam ate dinner; it was probably only 5 or so when we got there but we were hungry after eating lunch at 11:30. The girls discovered the Nitty Gritty had plastic high chairs with trays, so they sat there looking like a couple of weirdos (well, it least Calla looked way too old for the high chair). Their kids meal came with mini-ice cream sundaes which were a big hit. In fact, I wish my meal would have come with one!

Jay held strong and steadfast most of the day, but by the end of dinner his tough exterior was ready to crack. He started to fuss, which fortunately got us thinking about leaving in time for his big breakdown. Aunt Courtney graciously took the girls to the bathroom (unfortunately, it involved some boo) and then Jonathan picked us up at the door and we left (Jay's cry had escalated to an all-time high at this point).

Jay used to have meltdowns on a pretty regular basis but it's been a while...I think he was just a bit overwhelmed from his big day. He hadn't napped longer than 45 minutes or so at a time, and I think itt was catching up with him. He screamed bloody murder in the car for a few minutes before I was able to settle him down. He's been sleeping ever since...in fact, his crying lulled his sisters to sleep. They were snoring by 6:50pm. It made for a very peaceful car-ride home!

below: our family of 5...

 below: Jay and Daddy...poor Jay had his pants hiked up to his armpits. I hadn't ever put these jeans on him before (size 3 mo) and they were definitely too big!

 LOL! Jay's pants! Ok, ok, I have to photoshop them out or something bc otherwise this is a nice photo of Jay and Uncle Ben...

I have to wrap this up because the Eagles are on. Fly Eagles fly. From one sports event to another today I guess!

Saturday at Home

TODAY was a laid-back Saturday. Jonathan was out of town until dinnertime, so we just had a day at home.

The kids heard about our exciting plan to stay at home, and thought they'd kick it off early...say, 6:15am. The girls were in bed with me (I thought it'd be fun to do a sleepover-slumber-party with Daddy away), which seemed sweet until 6:15....when Kelsey declared she needed "more juice!" Two words, and the whole house was awake. Her voice is piercing, let me tell you.

It was a pretty fun day. It was nice not to have anywhere to go. I got out the girls' "little people" toys and felt some nostalgia (my sisters and I used to play "little people" for hours)...



below: Jay got stuck with the farm animals. That will happen when you are the youngest.

Counting them up. He is very advanced. 

 Calla and Kelsey playing with their heads together. cute

We had a "cheesy lunch" - cheese sticks, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese. We were done eating by noon, and I put Kelsey down for her nap. She was getting so cranky after being up so early. She and Jay slept while Calla and I straightened up the house and threw in some laundry.

Since Kelsey was up by 1:15, we had a lot of time to chill this afternoon! The girls dug up appropriate outdoor shoes - not - and went outside to play in the sandbox. (Calla was wearing sandles with socks and Kelsey had on a black dress shoe size 8 and a brown dress shoe size 6.) The sandbox play didn't last too long because they found an ant in there (I am serious) and so they were nervous. But the neighbors behind our house were working on their landscaping, so they stood at the fence between our yards and talked their ears off.

I couldn't be out there because Jay was sleeping inside, but I walked out onto the deck to check with the neighbors and see if they minded the background noise. They seemed delighted by it. I was just thinking about how sweetly Calla and Kelsey were standing and chatting, until Calla came inside the back room to tattle tale. "Kelsey just said poopy!" she reported. I was pretty disappointed that Kelsey had decided to work "poopy" into her conversation with the neighbors, so I told Calla to have Kelsey come inside.

Well, THAT was a bad idea. The next thing I know, Kelsey is yelling at the top of her lungs. I looked out the window to see Calla trying to drag Kelsey back into the house. I didn't even dare to look at the neighbors. I hollared for Calla to please come inside. Oh my. I knew if Calla came in, Kelsey would follow. (Which she did, crying the whole way.)

I asked Calla was happened, and she said she told Kelsey that mommy wanted to talk to her inside but Kelsey wasn't moving so Calla thought she'd pull Kelsey in and Kelsey fell. Haha.

I told the girls we'd be staying inside the rest of the day. They were disappointed, but Jay woke up shortly after and we headed to Target for a couple things. It was nice to get out of the house. I put Jay facing outwards in the baby bjorn, which was the first time (I've always had him facing towards my chest). He seemed to like it. He's a little young to be holding his head steady so I tried to lean him back towards my sweatshirt.

By the time we got home, we only had about an hour until Jonathan got home. I thought we'd kill some time by going swimming.

below: Kelsey washing her sister off.

 swimming...

 Calla "decorated" the tub with wash cloths. She said it was in honor of her birthday today. (She was pretending.)

Jonathan got home, which got the girls excited of course. We were home all evening...we ate dinner, put the girls and Jay to bed, and then watched the Wisconsin game at 7. In the background all evening was music from the "DuPage County Fall Fest," which apparently is going on at the fairgrounds across the street...the tunes will be pumping until midnight. Hopefully we can sleep! (-:

Callaism~

~ "Mom, can I wear my high heels to play in the sandbox?" Me: "No." Calla: "But I never get to wear them!"

Kelseyism~

~ Jonathan loves to ask Kelsey to say her name, since Kelsey Mae Brust sounds pretty cute when she says it. He'll say: "What's your name?" And she loves to answer, "Nobody!" She thinks it's hilarious.

Jay is 11 Weeks Old

TODAY Jay woke me up at 6:15. I asked him how he knew it wasnt the middle of the night; I certainly can't tell until I look at a clock since it's so dark outside. I always feed him and then we hang out in the front room - him under his activity mat and me with my eyes closed nearby - and we wait for Kelsey to wake up. She was up by 7ish I think this morning. Calla by 7:30, which is early for her.

Well with all the early birds I decided we would do something fun mid-morning. So I gave them waffles for breakfast, got ready while Jay took his first nap, and then at 9:30 we drove the half mile down the road to McDonald's so they could play on the indoor playground.

Jenny has suggested going early in the morning before...I guess she has and I can see why she recommended it. There was jazz music playing (normally you can't hear any music in the playground bc the noise of children is so deafening), and there were only two other kids there. Calla and Kelsey brought their babies, and all "six" children got busy playing.

We stayed for almost an hour and a half. Jay got sleepy and slept in the bjorn for about 45 minutes or so. But for the most point we just watched his sisters. We also called Aunt Kelly to check in on cousin Clarkle. Its so fun comparing our boys since a lot of their baby characteristics are similar. (-:

Before we left, the two other kids in the play area (who were either there with their Hispanic nanny or else their father has very light skin bc they had blonde hair, blue eyes and were very pale! ha) got their happy meals. Kelsey got seated at the table we usually sit at to eat and told me she was ready for her food. I told her I was going to make grilled cheese at home, which I didn't think was going to be a big deal but my girls were pretty puzzled why we wouldn't be eating there (never mind that it wasn't even 11am yet). I told them we could have popsicles for dessert at home, and McD doesn't have popsicles. They were sold!

We went home and ate our grilled cheese and popsicles.

This afternoon Jay took a glorious two hour nap, and so the girls helped me clean. Well, sorta. They mostly played and did crafts in the same area that I was cleaning. You be the judge if that was helpful or not.

WE also took photos.

below: This is what Jay does now every time I lay him down to sleep in his crib. Um...Jay...can you please lay down and go to sleep? It's not time to count crib rails.

below: smiling as he gets his diaper changed. What a far cry (no pun intended) from the fuss he used to make. He has now learned to accept that diaper changes make his legs cold, wipes are uncomfortable, and mommy is going to swing his legs around. He has only peed during a diaper change one time.

below: the girls at McD. Apparently there is bad lighting there. ha

below: When we got home from McD, I had to feed Jay and so the girls made themselves comfortable with their own "lunch" while they waited.

below: craft time. Lots and lots of them. Kelsey likes to announce who she is making a craft for as she is working on it. Today she made one for Daddy and one for Aunt Kimmi. (-:

below: It takes a special kind of artist to be able to color with bangs in their face.

The Many Faces of Jay.
Face 1: Worried. Very, very worried indeed. This is a common expression.

Silly Jay! He does this face when you touch noses with him. Daddy figured out that he likes that.

Polite smile. He does this when you smile at him.

I am about to have gas. This is also a common look.

below: Well, he started turning my head towards me because he heard me, but he used to lay on his changing table and stare up at the frame. Now he likes to turn his head to look out the window, which is behind his head. So he swings his neck waaaaay around to see. It looks painful really.

I was thinking this afternoon about how far Jay and I have come in the past few weeks. He became pretty difficult at 4 weeks, and that lasted until he was about 7 weeks I think. "Difficult" and that there was a lot of crying that I wasn't sure how to interpret. But he's come to peace with a few things....first off, nursing. Today I didn't pump all day, which was unheard of even two weeks ago. For three weeks straight I pumped it least 4 times a day, so that I could give him bottles so he wouldn't get so frustrated. But now I usually only pump once because he is doing much better at nursing. Phew. I had thought he would come around and sure enough he did.

He also has come to grips with getting dressed, which used to be very upsetting to him. (The undershirt coming off always sent him right over the edge.) He is also much braver when he is tired. He falls asleep without much fuss, although I am usually holding him during the process. He sometimes falls asleep on his own in his crib, but now the crib has become very fascinating. Sometimes he gets sad and then I usually rock him. He does awesome at falling asleep on his own in his crib if it is dark (so at nighttime it's no problem; I can nurse him and burp him and stick him right back in and he'll drift off after a few minutes).

Jay enjoys his big sisters. He saves his biggest smiles for them, Calla especially. (I think there are less smiles for Kelsey because when she is near him she is usually kissing his face, which means all he sees is a big mass of hair.) But he doesn't ever seem affected by Kelsey's loud voice, which is more than we can say for the rest of us.

Ok, enough of the Jay interlude. (-:

Jonathan went out of town tonight until tomorrow afternoon with some guys from church. They are hanging out and having guy time at a lakehouse owned by one of the friends. I am sure he is having a fun time. The last I heard he jumped into the lake there for $100. When he told me that I thought "sure I'd do that too" but now that I think about it I don't think I'd have the guts if I was actually standing by the cold lake in the cold air. I would say that I hope he doesn't get sick but since he just got sick then what's the difference? (-:

So three of the wives of these men on their guy trip decided to go out to dinner tonight. I thought I'd play it by ear if I should take Jay with me, and since he was tired as I was leaving and still awake in his crib, I decided just to take him. Calla and Kelsey had just eaten dinner but seemed wild and my babysitter Amy was going to eat dinner once she arrived....I thought it may be a bit much to juggle Jay while she tired to eat and contain the hyper girls.

Jay did great on the ride there (mind you, I live within walking distance to the restaurant)...until we got to the parking garage. There were a million people (give or take) trying to park in there, and someone decided to clog the whole garage by waiting for people to walk to their car so they could get a good spot. Jay lost it and was wailing and wailing and I was ready to get out of my car, run to the front of the line of cars, and tell the people that their insistance on a good spot was costing my baby his right lung. My second plan was to get Jay out of his seat and drive Britney Spears style, with me holding the baby at the wheel as I parked. But - dont worry - I did neither. I just turned the worship music of Keith and Kristin Getty up very high in the car hoping their soothing Irish voices would calm Jay into some sort of trance. (It didn't work.)

Jay fell asleep in the bjorn and I got to enjoy most of my meal with him sleeping right below my chin (I used a napkin to keep hot food from sizzling his hair) and woke up and pleasantly looked around until it was time to go. How cooperative on our first mommy-son date! (Well, plus my other friends.)

I came home and Calla and Kelsey had enjoyed an evening of Candyland and puzzles with Amy. They almost seemed sad to see her go. They love babysitters when evenings don't involve bedtime!

They've been in bed for a while now, and Kelsey just crawled into daddy's side of the bed. My typing doesn't seem to phase her. Maybe she knows I need company in bed since Daddy is gone. Jay took a while to get to sleep...until I actually stopped holding him and laid him down in his crib. He stared at his lovey (Mema got him a blue cuddley blanket that I am forcing on him as his "lovey" - he will thank me later! I can't believe I never did that with the girls; "loveys" are so helpful with nursery, I think) and drifted off to sleep on his own. Sometimes I think he wishes I would just put him down and give him his space!

below: a piano duet at McD.

below: Jay's first slide

Another Sick Day (boo)

TODAY started very very early. Actually, it started yesterday. At 11:30, Calla came into our room saying her belly hurt. She came into bed with us. Jonathan felt sick too and decided to move to the living room couch. He spent most of the night awake, and throwing up. )-: Calla woke me up at around 1am to inform me that her stomach still hurt and that she was going to go to the kitchen to get a drink of water. (I, in my sleepy-stupor, didn't even offer to get it for her. I was nursing Jay.) Poor Calla didn't make it out of the hallway before throwing up. Jonathan was suddenly right there, helping her throw up in the toilet. She threw up again at around 4am, but in the bucket next to the bed. The little dear went into the bathroom to clean off her own face. She is a pretty independent sick person!

Thank goodness somehow morning dawned and Calla was better. She slept in until 9:30am, but woke up super cheerful. I decided to take it easy though, and let her watch a Barney while she lay on the back couch before getting her breakfast. And I just gave her some dry cereal at first before she declared she was still hungry.

It turns out she really was back to normal - she ate well all day and said her tummy felt all better. Jonathan's recovery time took much longer (kids always seem to bounce back faster than adults!). He stayed home from work (although he took an online training class from the comfort of his bed!)

So the rest of us had another "sick day" at home. But I got to tell you that caring for the sick is a lot easier than being the sick and caring for the healthy! (which got me thinking...moms experience none of the "pluses" of being sick - no long hours watching TV, no uninterrupted naps, no laying on the sofa waiting for someone to prepare food in line with the "BRAT" diet...) Calla and Kelsey didn't really realize it was a sick day, other than when they'd ask why daddy was still napping in bed. They played nicely and helped entertain Jay.

During Kelsey's nap, Calla chilled on the couch and had some downtime. We played Candyland and folded laundry after Kelsey woke up. The girls also helped me give Jay a bath. He likes his baths now, which makes them so much more relaxing for everybody involved!

Jay's bath reminded me that we has missed Tuesday's bath night since I was sick, and yesterday was Awana, so needless to say the girls were past due! I put them in the back jacuzzi tub so they could stretch out and "swim" after I washed them off. Jay sat in the bouncer while I cleaned them and then we sat and watched them for the better part of a half hour as they played and splashed
around. They needed to get some energy out after being stuck inside all day!
Phew

I got them out and into their pajamas and the healthy ones ate penne pasta casserole (I've started freezing some meals and so it was nice on a day like today when Jonathan wasn't eating to pull something out of the freezer; I've also made myself a 4-week meal rotation chart...I'm telling you, this third child thing has helped me become more organized!...and more forgetful, and more tired, but you know - there's a bright side to everything ha).

After dinner we cleaned up, I put Jay to sleep, and had the girls in bed just as Jonathan finished his chicken noodle soup. He was tucking them in as Jay and I left for small group at 7:25.

After a day at home it felt soo good to be at small group! jay really behaved so that was thoughtful of him. And I just love our friends there...which reminds me, it's been one year today since sweet Ellie had her surgery. I know a lot of you prayed for her. Click here to remember their story from a year ago. It must have been such a blessing for her parents to tuck her into bed tonight. (-:

below: haha. His shirt makes me laugh. (it says "Major Cutie Reporting for Duty". I have a weakness for cheesy shirts it seems.) He looks more like "Major Worried." He smiles a lot, I promise.

 below: Calla being silly.

 below: Little Sister is always right behind her.

 below: Calla chillaxing.

below: I just taped this with my phone when Calla had no clue. She sings/talks to herself a lot.

A Sick Day

MONDAY night I got an email from a friend saying she had an upset stomach (I had seen her that day at the park). Well I should have never read it because Tuesday morning I woke up feeling yucky. My stomach was really upset, and all I wanted to do was lay down. So, I pretty much did so...all day long.

At around 10:30, I crawled into bed with Jay and stayed there. For the first hour the girls played in the front room (where I could hear them) and then in the bathroom (where they emptied out all the contents of the cabinet under the sink in search of the strawberry-flavored toothpaste...which i found today on my dresser). Once it began sounding like a splash park in the bathroom, I told the girls to crawl into bed with me and put on two episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba, back to back.

By this time it was past lunch, so I hobbled into the kitchen and fed them lunch. Jay was awake at this point so I watched them eat lunch from the front room...where I was laying on Jay's activity mat with him. Then I put Kelsey down for her nap, and Jay and I slept on the couch in the front room while Calla played puzzle games on my phone on the rocking chair...for an hour straight. (She thought it was great! I usually only let her play on my phone for about ten minutes.)

Kelsey woke up and we realized it was nice outside (72 degrees!), so I directed them to the back porch where they played for a couple hours while I laid on the couch with Jay. Thank goodness Jay is at an age where laying around sounds perfectly delightful! I think it was the best day of his life...he didn't shed a tear. haha. He would stare up at me during his awake time, and nurse on and on and on (I was really dehydrated, so my milk production was super slow which is preferrable to him anyway), and sleep on and on. He took really good naps. It turns out Jay's "crankiness" goes right away when he is laying on top of Mommy all day! Who knew? (-:

Dinnertime was rolling around and I felt like I could barely walk without falling over. I fed the girls hot dogs and laid on the couch while they ate it. Then they played until Daddy got home at 6. Were we ever glad to see him! By this point I was feeling the worst of the day - I had a horrible headache and was so dizzy. I don't doubt the dizziness was from my lack of appetite (which the constant nursing wasn't helping). Jonathan gave me something to drink which helped my energy.

Needless to say, we put the girls to bed at 6:50. I laid in bed with them while Daddy held Jay for awhile. They were asleep by 7:30. Jonathan and I got something to eat (different things) and then I got to bed by 9:30. By then I was feeling much better; I fed Jay formula for his before-bed feeding to give my body a chance to get some calories!

below: It was a pajama day yesterday. Calla and Kelsey discovered some old masks they had made at church a few months back.





typical Kelsey expression: 

 Cheese!

 below: The girls spent enormous amounts of time fiddling around with my phone...

 below: And of course pretending they were puppy dogs...

It was such a hard day yesterday, but I learned that the girls really don't need much attention as long as I am on hand to feed them and wipe their bottoms! They entertain each other really well, and I am so thankful for that! Plus, God knows what a person can handle - they didn't fight all day (there was one crying episode when Calla told Kelsey she needed to learn to carry her own stroller up the outside steps, although I kept hearing Calla say 'But if you can't get it, I can help you'). And thank goodness Jay was so content hanging with Mom. I think if he was the oldest child, I would think he was a pretty easy baby! He would just like undivided attention please, mom. (-:

TODAY I didn't think I'd have the energy to get out the door to Bible Study, but to be quite honest I had less energy to spend another whole day inside. I woke up feeling ok, and early enough that I had time to shower before Jonathan left for work. Jay ended up taking an hour nap, which gave me lots of time to get the girls ready. The three of us were actually standing...coats on....waiting for Jay to wake up to leave.

I am so glad I went! Being around people always energizes me, and it was such a good week of discussion at our small group table. After some debate, I decided to leave Jay inside the nursery. It turns out after awhile he didn't like it and they had to come find me, but once I had him he was exhausted that he just nursed and fell right to sleep. He woke up when it was time to put him in the infant seat to go home, of course. That infant seat is so prickly!

The girls seemed to enjoy their classes. Calla made a papier-mache craft and now I don't think she will ever be content just coloring or painting ever again. (-: They made papier-mache whales because they studied Jonah.

This afternoon we laid low. Jay took an awesome afternoon nap, Kelsey napped, Calla and I did her Awana homework, the girls played, I talked on the phone, we folded laundry....the mundane activities of life are so much more exciting after spending a day on the couch! I was so relieved to be feeling so much better already.

below: Jay fell asleep as I rocked him today and had his hand on his paci. What a cutie. If he's tired enough, he can fall asleep on his tummy in the crib while I pat his bottom....but if he's not, he will roll over or reach his head up really high to look around. He is too interested in the crib rails or something to get relaxed and drift off to sleep! Most often, I rock him to sleep. He usually sucks his pacifier.

At 4:45, we ate dinner. I wanted to leave the house at 5:30 for Awana so Jay wouldn't be too tired in the car. It turned out to be a wasted effort, because Jay was wailing even as we pulled out of our driveway. It takes about 8-10 minutes to get to church, so I stopped at the 4-minute mark to calm him down. He calmed down, and stayed calm for about two minutes before screaming the final two minutes to church. he is just a mess! The only time he is good in the car is on our way to the grocery store, and that's because it's only two minutes away (he typically takes about two minutes to get all riled up and crying).

The girls were pleased we were at church early because we got to spend some time in the indoor playground. They played while Jay fell asleep in the baby bjorn.

God really works it out that Jay does well, since technically all the ingredients are there on WEdnesday evenings for Jay to have a terrible time: bright lights, REALLY noisy kids (multiple Kelsey by 12, because there are a dozen 2-year olds in there....plus throw in some crying babies), and the fact that I cant give him my full attention because I am technically there to watch multiple children!

Jay slept in the bjorn for a while, then hung out in the newborn swing for awhile. Then I fed him, and at 8 put him back in the bjorn to fall asleep. Unfortunately, as we were walking out to the car a half hour later, Jay was crying in the bjorn. I tried settling him before we left but he wouldn't be settled. So we drove halfway, I settled him down, then we drove the rest. He was very very sad by the time we got home. I just have to tell myself he won't remember this!

I put Jay to bed once we got home, but by the girls got into bed it was 9:30. Jonathan got home around then not feeling well, so he went straight to bed. I hope he doesn't get the tummy ache!

Callaism~

~ One of Calla's Awana teachers has a son who I watch in the childcare, and tonight when he came to pick him up he told me that Calla is one of the best at remembering her memory verse. He said they often call on her to remind the class what the week's verse was. (Keep in mind the verses are pretty short; this week's was 1 John 1:3: "Through Him all things were made." I usually teach her hand motions to help her remember it. I am curious to know if she does the motions when she says it in class!) Tonight was "bring-a-stuffed-animal night" and she brought a hippo. They sang a song that had a hippo in it, so the teacher said they invited Calla to the front of the class to dance and sing with her hippo during the hippo part and he said she did it very enthusiastically! I guess she isn't as reserved as I thought ! (She always walks in really shyly when I drop her off.)

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey's speech is getting easier for me to understand. She talks constantly now and in full sentences, it's just not very clear. (Calla was always very articulate.) Now that I spend Wednesday nights though with a dozen 2-year olds, I can see that she is not very behind. Most of them are hard to understand too. And she is the only one who is potty trained. (There is nothing grosser than having to smell a bunch of 2-year old bottoms looking for the dirty-diaper culprit! Why doesn't anybody want to own up to it?!?)

It's unusual that I remember what goes on at night, but I remember last night fairly clearly. Check out the summary...
Last night I went to bed at 9:30, so you'd think I had a nice long sleep....BUT this was how the night wakings went...
Sometime between 9:30-11:30 - Kelsey snuck into our bed
11:30 - Calla woke me up...she had to use the bathroom. She wanted Kelsey to go back to her bed so she didn't have to sleep alone.
11:35 - I take the girls back to their bed. I lay down with them so they fall back to sleep (Kelsey was all confused where she was.)
11:45 - Kelsey doesn't fall back to sleep, but actually has to use the bathroom.
12:30 - Jay wakes up.
Sometime in there - Kelsey has to use the bathroom again. And needs her cup refilled.
Sometime in there - Jay wakes up to eat.
6:30 - Jay wakes up for the day.

Sounds like a good night's sleep!! NOT!!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Kurt! Love, Calla & Kelsey & Jay

HAPPY birthday, Uncle Kurt! This is Kurt's first birthday as our official uncle, and I know he's been waiting years to get a birthday tribute. haha. (Actually I'm not even sure if he knows the URL to this blog.)

Kurt is a very attentive uncle, so I actually have lots of pics with him and the girls. My recent ones are on my camera, which is dead. So I decided to post some "oldies but goodies" from our trip to Hawaii because, after all, wouldn't anybody want to be back in Hawaii right about now? (-:

below: Court and Kurt with the girls....this was the day they got engaged

Playing games with Calla....

 More games with Calla...

 Another game with Calla (sensing a pattern??)...

 Uncle Kurt is always up for getting dunked in the water..

 Perhaps this pic is a hint of what's to come? (-:

And we needed a pic of Kurt and Jay!!!

I heard Aunt Courtney was making dinner for Kurt for this birthday, so we're sure he had an amazing evening! (-:

Today we spent Kurt's birthday enjoying the nice weather. Today and tomorrow may be the last nice days of fall...it least, non-coat days. (Which in my opinion defines a "nice day.")

Kelsey woke us up early, but ended up falling back to sleep. Unfortunately, Jay did not. He and I said goodbye to Daddy at 7:30, and eventually Kelsey woke up at 8. Calla did not stroll in until 9am. Must be nice, Calla!

below: the girls chilling while Mommy puts Jay to sleep.

A blurry pic of Calla. I thought it was funny she came out of her room armed with this unicorn. I have no idea where this unicorn comes, but it seems kind of pointy (the horn) for sleeping purposes. Calla woke up very animated....she told me a lot of details about a "really really good dream" she had about a gift. But she couldn't remember if the gift was a Dora gift or a princess gift. It was perplexing, really.

We got our grocery store list together, and packed a lunch, and waited for Jay to wake up and then headed out to the park to enjoy the nice day. Jay often wakes up from his morning nap cranky; I am not sure why, since it's a fairly decent nap (an hour). It wasn't time for him to eat though, so he got fussy when I tried feeding him (he does not like to eat unless he is on the verge of starvation; then it - literally - can't come fast enough!). I figured he was going to be crabby in the car anyway, so we left for the park to the chorus of Jay crying. Poor little one. Fortunately the park was nearby.

We spent over two hours at the park. We met up with some friends, which sure makes the time go quickly. The girls had a great time. They brought their baby dolls along, so they were busy giving them rides on the swing, pushing them down the slide, and of course flinging them to the side when they grew tired of them. (Then they wonder why random children go and pick them up.)

Jay fell asleep immediately in the bjorn, and woke up briefly to eat and then fell back to sleep. Next year he will be hogging up the swings with his sisters.

On the way home, Kelsey fell asleep and so Calla kept Jay happy while I carried her into bed. Calla is always very helpful with Jay when I ask. If he happens to be crying in the swing she doesn't usually go over and comfort him (like Kelsey does), but she always says yes when I ask her to make him happy (go smile at him/talk to Jay/etc.).

In fact, while Kelsey napped, Calla and Jay had some tummy time:

Jay fell asleep shortly after, and then as soon as the two youngest woke up, we got in the van and went to the grocery store. Ugh. I am not a fan of late-afternoon grocery shopping. It went okay. Jay was still sleepy after his nap, so I carried him around as I got out of the house and he stayed half-asleep on our drive to the store. I ended up just putting the infant seat in the grocery cart, which sounds convenient until you actually do it:

Uhhh, no room for groceries! And this was after combing the parking lot for the car-cart. I definitely wanted the girls contained in that little car! There is a shelf underneath the large portion of the cart so I stacked groceries in there and it ended up working fine. We moved quickly...the girls behaved awesome...and Jay did not wake up until I was bagging the groceries. He woke up in a rage. Oops. I held him and he stopped crying long enough for me to make it out to the car where I fed him before we headed home.

Dinnertime was a madhouse; the girls played nicely but I was trying to unload groceries and start dinner and Jay was not in the mood to cooperate. I finally just stopped what I was doing and put him to sleep, but he woke right up and so in desperation I just put him in the swing.

There's a first time for everything:

Daddy got home, we ate dinner, Daddy threw the girls up in the air for a bit and held Jay for a minute and then headed back out the door for youth group. Jay and I read books to the girls, put them in their pajamas and in bed, and then Jay got a second wind and didn't go to sleep until 9pm! Oh my. Needless to say, when Jonathan got home at 9:30 I was still cleaning up the dinner dishes.

I've been having an impossible time going to bed at a reasonable hour. I don't think I've gone to bed before 12:30am in over a week....I just feel like by the time I get all the kids in bed, there's so much "overdue" stuff I have to catch up on from during the day. Last night I was folding laundry at 11, cleaning the toilets at 11:30, and of course back up with Jay at midnight. I have had a horrible sore throat (I barely have a voice) since Saturday, so perhaps my body is telling me to sleep in? start napping? haha. Maybe go to bed early!

So....on that note...goodnight. -Isms to be posted tomorrow!