A Lunch Date

Today, my sister, Mary Dawson, flew in from Cincinnati.  She came this far (without her peeps!) to be with us for John's baptism.  We are thrilled that she will stand with John on Sunday as his godmother.

Upon her arrival, she, Susan, and Mom went out to lunch.  When my boys asked why we weren't going, I explained that it was a girls only lunch.  We would have a Mom and boys lunch at home.  So instead of feasting on good food and great girl company, I fixed ham sandwiches for my little boys!

I have to share the highlights of a lunch with four boys...

1. I nursed John while we all ate.  He gave me a few good burps.  I told him, "good boy."  A few minutes later, Daniel, who is always good for a laugh, lets out a loud burp.  I ask, "What do you say?"  His reply..."good boy?"  How can I not laugh??

2. I turn to see William trying to drink his yogurt.  I tell him that this behavior is inappropriate...we eat yogurt with a spoon.  His reply..."aww, man."  How can I not laugh??  This is his reply anytime I tell him not to do something that he wants to do.  It is so precious!!  I literally have to turn my head to prevent him from seeing me laugh when he says it!

3. The main highlight....mini ice cream cones for everyone!  Father Mattew, Alice, and Preston brought them with dinner last night.  Who needs fancy food when you have ice cream??

I won't lie to you...I could have used some adult conversation, but I'm glad for the good times at lunch today!

Good Days and Bad Days and Going Half Mad Days

To borrow from another Jimmy Buffett song, "I've had good days and bad days and going half mad days."  This week I have had them all!

John decided to fight sleep for a couple of days.  I was doing good to get him to take 45 minute naps between feedings.  He screamed a lot and even our middle of the night feedings were not smooth and easy.  A few days of that definitely leads to "going half mad days!" 

Thankfully, my older boys are so patient.  They entertain themselves well and allow me to focus on John when necessary.  After a particularly long night, I hear Philip and Daniel waking up.  They walk in my bedroom and see me asleep.  I hear Philip say, "Let's don't disturb her," and they go back to their room to play.  What sweet, sweet boys!

I called Mom one morning because I was supposed to take her to run a short errand that day.  I had been up all night and John was screaming yet again.  Sweet, sweet Mom...she hears the exhaustion in my voice and offers to spend the day with us.  I seriously don't know what I would do without this woman.  I can always count on her to be at home and to be willing to help out when things are rough.

So on Wednesday, she came and helped.  She played Legos, board games, and read with the big boys while I tried to nap.  She held John and got him to sleep peacefully in her arms.  How does she do that??? 

I am certain that babies feed off our level of stress.  Mom's stress level is pretty low and I think John recognized that.  She isn't holding him and thinking about is he getting enough sleep, too much sleep, what's for dinner tonight, where's William and what is he doing, etc.  She just holds him, talks to him, and is simply wrapped up in him, and trust me he knows it!

I do not know how to repay her for the comfort she brings me.  I do know that one day when my life is a little simpler, I hope to do the same for my boys and their children.  

Now the good news is that Thursday was a good day.  John slept well.  We had a good night last night.  Such a reminder that bad times are temporary...good days will follow.

I'll leave you with the words to a hymn that I found in the service leaflet for Sunday's Pentecost service.  It is a big day for our church and our family...I'll write more about it later.  Anyways, I saw these lyrics by George Herbert and loved them.

Thou that hast given so much to me

Give one thing more, a grateful heart.

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,

As if Thy blessings had spare days:

But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise.

Thou that hast given so much to me

Give one thing more, a grateful heart.

A grateful heart...even on the "going half mad days!"

Fountain Fun

Today the boys, GranGran, and I headed to the Eastern Shore Centre to play in the fountains.  It was hot and the cool water was just the ticket.  Everyone had a ball...even William...his brothers were terrified of the fountains at his age!  GranGran, John, and I sat in the shade and watched them run!

I almost can't believe that I am posting these pictures because I am sure that they will fuel the ongoing debate in this house...do you think this one needs a trim??  His Daddy certainly does...his Mommy is trying to convince herself that it is indeed time!

After playing, we had a picnic...complete with homemade peanut butter cookies!

After lunch, the boys spotted the Sno-Cone cart.  The conversation went like this...

Philip: Mom, can we get a Sno-Cone?
Me: No, buddy, I don't have any money.  Plus, we just had cookies.
GranGran: I have money!
All three boys:  Hooray!!

Some battles aren't worth fighting!

We had a great time in the sun.  It was nice to be outside...and out of the house.  We will definitely be back this summer!

Bath Time

When Philip was a baby, Chris would bathe him every night.  He was always fussy in the evenings and his bath was one thing that would calm him down.  We didn't skip a night and the baths would last up to twenty minutes!

As Daniel and then William arrived, baths for the baby became more difficult to fit into the schedule.  I had other children to bath and sometimes they didn't happen.  My thought was they weren't out in the yard getting hot and sweaty, so they could skip a night or two, right?

Enter John...and his harness.  For those of you who know me, I am a rule follower...almost to a fault.  When Dr. Robert's called for the harness, she told me he needed to wear it 24 hours a day.  The only time he could be out of it was for a bath.  Funny how one little glitch can change things. 

John gets a bath every day!  He loves the time to stretch his legs and kick them.  The bath is relaxing...he too gets cranky in the evenings.  Now I definitely do not have twenty minutes to devote to his bath, but we try to make it last.  The big boys love to help...William loves to be able to see John's feet (he gets very concerned that his feet are covered by the harness!).

I hope we can keep up his routine when the harness comes off!

Slip and Slide Fun

Our Memorial Day weekend was good...so nice to have Daddy home for three whole days!  We didn't do much...a lot of relaxing...although, Chris did accomplish a few projects including putting together a new grill for us!  I was able to get out of the house a little...a party with Daniel and taking all three older boys to church!

On Monday, we filled up the pool and hooked up the slip and slide yet again.  The boys never tire of this entertainment.  It was even more special because Daddy was around to play with them.  I have some great video, but I am not sure time permits me to download it.  The pictures will have to do!

Of course when the thrill of the Slip and Slide and the pool wore off, the boys were delighted to find their own "swamp." 

It sure was sad to see Daddy go back to work again.  Oh well, at least the week is short and it will be the weekend soon!

So Everyone Asks...

How is William handling not being the baby anymore??

The truth is he is the most interested and definitely interacts the most with baby John.  Philip and Daniel are constantly off doing their own thing.  It's William who is at my feet while I am nursing or rocking John. 

William gets so excited when John wakes up.  As he gets close to John, he begins to wiggle his whole body.  It reminds me of a puppy that is so excited but knows its strength and that it must be careful.  He loves to give him a kiss before he naps...and it is always on the lips!  I remind him a lot that John is going to be his buddy.

This morning John, William, and I were on the porch.  John was actually having his first extended happy wake time...typically he is eating, sleeping, or fussing.  William insisted on showing him how to "blow it up"...a trick his Daddy just taught him.  I had to catch it on video.  (Please excuse William's hair...that's another blog post!!)

So rest assured, William is thrilled to have a little brother.  I look forward to watching their relationship grow!

Are You Crazy??

Yesterday, I sent a friend (who has four children also) a text asking if they could come play today.  Her exact response was, "We'd love to, but are you crazy?"  I later called her and responded that yes, I was probably crazy, but my boys hadn't left the house since Sunday and they were in desparate need of some different faces.  I haven't left the house since Friday, and I really needed someone over the age of five to talk to. 

So a pool party playdate was planned!  To top things off, a friend delivered dinner and a brand new slip and slide last night!

Here are a few shots of our day in the sun!  My boys loved playing with Elizabeth's boys (ages 7, 5, and 3...there's also a one year old little girl).  A good time was had by all. 

Elizabeth even took Philip home for a few hours.  Daniel was a little heartbroken, but once we got William and John in bed we had some good snuggle time!