10 Months and more stay at home!

I can hardly believe but our baby turned 10 months yesterday and it seems like he's growing and changing each and every day.  My mom guilt feels terrible I haven't dedicated a blog post to him since his 3 month milestone... lots to catch up on.  But I thought I'd just share a few brief highlights about what he's into these days....

He's into EVERYTHING!  Honestly, from the moment he wakes up he doesn't stop moving. He crawls faster than any baby I've ever seen and he loves to walk.. While still holding on our our fingers he makes lap after lap around the house.  He's even take a few steps without help but we are still hoping his solo walking is a few more weeks away.  I literally can't believe our baby will be almost a year in 2 months (cue the elephant tears from mom).

He enjoys eating the same food we do for the most part and think's baby food well isn't that great.  He likes avocado, meat, beans, vegetables (peas, LOVES green beans), carrots and even he will eat olives.  For how much I craved them while pregnant with him I sure wonder if they will become one of his favorite foods.

Look at that squat... I wish my thighs were that strong!

In case you can't tell from the pictures... he's pretty much the splitting image of his daddy and has a mellow personality that matches too.  He doesn't talk all that much, I think it's because there's already too much noise around our house and he's just trying to process all that he hears.  However, he has figured out the whine and the screaming when he really needs something.  His personality is starting to come out and he is really shy when he sees someone new or he wants to stay with mom or dad he buries his head in our shoulder.

He's been loving the pool, we go in about everyday and he doesn't mind the splashing.  He also LOVES his bath, which we have in our evening routine before bed.  He's pretty much got a full set of teeth, well in my opinion he does.... 8 to be exact and almost 9.  He LOVES to bite and it has become one of his habits we are trying to break.  In the picture below you can see all the bruises on my arm.  They are all from him and his shark like razor teeth. 

Some of his favorite toys are the TV remote... He has tons of toys and instead chews on the remote.  He's also starting to mimic what we do as you can see from this video, he knows to point the remote at the TV and then he puts it up to his ear... I think he's also getting a phone confused with the remote being they are about the same size.

 

We are still working on the sleep training.  He wakes up every 2-3 hours but we've started putting on rain noise at night which has helped him sleep a bit better.  It also does wonders for Jarrett and my sleeping because we pretty much are zonked out!  And yes Jennings is still in our bedroom, probably will be for the next few years if we keep his routine anything like Madelyn's.  He goes down around 9:30 and wakes up for the day between 6:45 and 7.  

Jennings overall is an extremely happy baby, he is easy going and gets LOTS of attention.  We love him so very much and are so thankful he is in our lives.

In other news... we are still staying home.  Yesterday morning when I was working I found Michael had decided to teach the girls how to play BINGO and even though I told him Madelyn probably wouldn't be able to play because she doesn't know the higher numbers, Michael decided it was a perfect opportunity to teach her, to which I was very thankful.  They played very well together. 

The girls have been playing dress up lately and trying on some new clothes shared with them from some friends.  We are so thankful for the hand-me-down clothes shared.  With how quickly the kids grow I feel like they only wear clothes a few times before they've outgrown it.  

The girls in their new clothes excited!

Today dad took a brief break from work, he's oh so stressed and I worry about him, and he sat with the girls to watch one of his favorite movies "Winnie the Pooh"  It brings back memories for him about when Isabelle was a baby and how she loved it and now he can watch the movie with both of his girls.  I'm so glad when he takes moments like this because it means just as much to the girls as it does him.  

Then we all went swimming as a family of 7 and we played water volleyball.  I told the boys I used to play, which that to them meant I am so old I must be terrible.  Turns out Mom still remembers how to play and I think they were surprised.  Then Gabe hit the ball over the fence and that fun was done.  

One of the 50 pictures I found on my phone tonight after Madelyn took it to take pictures.  

We came back in and as a family we played board games.  Madelyn and I played memory which she kicked my butt at, followed by the kids and I playing Hi Ho Cheerio and then all of us played Old Maid. 

It was such a simple night and yet we had a lot of fun. 

As so many people started venturing out in our state, we are still staying home.  I"m enjoying these last few days as we jam in family time.  It feels natural now and I'm perfectly comfortable just staying home.

Until next time,

Angie

How to stay safe while returning to normal activities?

Tomorrow is the day our governor has decided to lift our state's stay at home order and from what it seems when I've ventured out, many people believe the risk of the COVID-19 virus is over.  We have been very protective of trying to keep everyone safe and we've pretty much done everything and more to mitigate the risks.  Therefore I'm struggling with how to find a balance in returning to the way our life was somewhat before.

The data I see on the news and the trends in the number of cases reported and the deaths to not seem to be matching what our governor reports and so I am leary.  I've spent enough time in the hospital with my children and previously when Jarrett faced his greatest life battle, and for these reasons I want to still stay at home and shelter in place. 

I know however I can't do that forever, I can see if on my boy's faces and sometimes even the girls.  Madelyn at lunch today asked me if when this is over we can take her to Disneyland?  And Isabelle has asked about 100 times if she can go to the store.  And the boys... they so terribly miss their friends, their activities the socializing that is so much of a teenager's life.  Today Gabe said, "I'm really tired of just being with you guys."  I totally get it, I'm sure we are all sick of each other in some ways.

But I worry and I feel like I just want to keep them safe.  I got an email today that the high school sports training for Gabe starts this next week so I better get comfortable with the fact our life has to start to resume some outside activity, I just need to find reassurance we can still do things to keep our family safe.

I took Jennings to the doctor today for his 9 month check up even though he's turning 10 months tomorrow (NO!!!!) and the pediatrician was telling me that about 7% of their total appointments  are for children who have COVID.  She said this is NOT something to take lightly and she is recommending for all her patients and their families that they still stay home and shelter in place for as long as possible.  She then shared with me that they are very concerned  about what happens this fall when the flu and COVID happen at the same time.  Her words were reassuring to me that it is okay to worry and that  it is okay  to be overly cautious in these uncertain times.

So tonight I'll go to bed with that on my mind.  I sure hope I can sleep because we are getting worn down.  Last night was another short night and today Jarrett and I have been fighting headaches we hope are nothing serious but again want to make sure we stay healthy too.

I'll close again with a few pictures.  The kids have taken over my phone in their "Today is just as boring as yesterday phase" and so I let them take crazy pictures with filters....

Baby filter... it doesn't seem that long ago when he looked like this... 

Oh and this was quarantine haircuts round 2, yes that's how long we've been at home 

And baby Michael... Look at those cute cheeks.

and baby with a baby filter.

and Madelyn with no filter... but with an Oreo milkshake mustache.  

And tomorrow I'll capture Isabelle.  Today she somehow avoided the photos.  

Until next time,

Angie

Nursing orientation and reflections...

After another night of not-so-much sleep, I woke up to fighting this morning, which woke up Jennings and well that was the way my morning started.  Quarantine day:  I've lost count.

But I was actually excited for today because it was my orientation for my nursing program and while it was only on zoom, I was so excited to learn more.  I've been working for this day for what feels like forever.  While it made me nervous and wonder if I can balance everything (they stressed, this is a vigorous program and we don't recommend you work- so you're saying my plan to still work and raise 5 kids ages 14-almost 1 isn't the smartest idea?), I am oh so very excited.

At one point during the orientation they talked about Florence Nightingale and how she embodied the qualities we should strive to possess.  They talked about how today was the lighting of our lamp for our nursing careers and they asked us to take the pledge that is so coveted in the nursing profession.  Here it is: 

As I read it, I pictured myself at a patient's bedside and then I recounted all the times I was the patient and how many incredible nurses took care of me or my children.  What an honor I view it to be to hopefully stand among the same ranks as them.  Tonight I watched this video from our college that reinforces the incredible job of nursing and I am truly excited.  It is going to be a very hard, challenging and life altering experience, I am nervous, but I can't wait to someday do what I've wanted to "be" since I was 18.  

Classes start in less than 5 days, I better get ready!

As the day went on, it was a day filled with work.  Jarrett tried to take a few hours off today so I got to work on cleaning out my work email! The kid were fighting more than normal today and my honey do list didn't get as far as I hoped.  This afternoon I took the kids swimming, they needed to burn off energy and while it is normally a time where they scream, yell, and wrestle, today I told them we were having a quiet (meditation) like swim (mainly because dad was on a work call and couldn't have it be loud).  Anyway I told them to swim and stay as quiet as they could and much to my shock they actually did it for 23 minutes.  Hey, I wasn't sure if they could even do it for 1 so I was happy.

As the day went on,I found myself thinking about my hopeful future as a nurse.  I've spent many hours brainstorming what type of nursing I was to do, what department and of course from my experiences I'm definitely leaning toward the NICU, Labor and Delivery and antepartum.  It just so happened today a person I follow on social media went into labor and because of COVID-19 decided to have her baby at home.  All day she was in the back of my mind and after several hours of no update I began to be concerned for her.  Thank goodness everything went well and she ended up having a almost 9 1/2 pound baby at home without pain meds (incredible).  Watching her the last few months and seeing the joy in welcoming a new baby has been fun, it makes me already want another one.  Maybe that's another reason why God didn't allow us to get pregnant right away... I'm afraid we'd have 10 kids.  I just love babies.  Anyway... I look at Jennings and cherish even more every single day we have with him as our baby.  Tonight as I was sitting down to work again, I happened to see an interview with a couple who had also made the decision to give birth at home just a few weeks ago because their hospital wasn't letting partners into the delivery room for fear of the virus.  As a result they decided to do a home birth.  Unfortunately as the baby was being born the baby got stuck and ended up sustaining severe brain damage because of oxygen deprivation.  Their son ended up passing away and they were sharing how they donated their baby's organs.  In listening to their story my heart broke.  I feel like my heart is so deeply affected by these stories as I know how hard the pain is for those going through loss.  

When I listen to these stories and dream about my future goals as a nurse, I hope that my experience will allow me to have more compassion and be able to provide better care.  I worry that I won't be able to be as strong as the nurses who stood by my side when Noah was dying and who comforted me without tears, but with more love and compassion than I could hope for.  I pray my compassion is abundant but I'm not sure I won't be that nurse that cries alongside families when they cry happy tears or sob in sadness.  Maybe they will teach us that too.

So many thoughts racing through my head tonight.  

What ever the case I am ready for this next challenge.  I will try to remind myself I don't have to tackle everything in one day but a little progress each day leads to where I want to be in the long road.  

I'll close tonight with a few pictures of the craziness that is our home.  

Madelyn spent some time drawing a lot of nice pictures.... can you tell how hard she worked? 

This guy is always on the go now.  I can't believe he will be 10 months in 2 days.

He is really loving getting to play with all his siblings.  That is another good thing about this time.  The kids have really bonded with one another and with a few to choose to play with they don't get too tired of one another. 

Isabelle playing with Jennings and Jack.  Jack's not to sure about Jennings but when he wakes up he loves the attention Isabelle gives him.

Another picture of Madelyn's super pretty drawing!

Man do I love the snuggles this guy gives me.  Here he had just gotten up from his nap.  He is SUCH a happy baby.

LOVE HIM!

And while I give Jennings a bath, these two crazies are wrestling and playing with dad's electric razor trying to shave off each other's hair.  Always something around this place!

Maybe I just need to remember that babies turn into crazy teenagers when I get baby fever.  

Until next time,

Angie

 

What day is it again... Oh it's Monday

For the most part we are handling this stay at home order well.  The hardest days are Monday-Friday.... because Dad works crazy hours... and by crazy hours I mean he works from before 8 in the morning until at least midnight every night.  A few nights last week he worked until 2 and 3 in the morning. I keep telling him his employer did not hire him with the expectation that he work that much, but the work is there and so he tries to do it best.

With Dad having to burry himself in work, that means the kids are my responsibility primarily and so my day looks a bit of crazy too.  I work all different times.  I work when Jennings is sleeping, when I can keep him entertained at my feet, when I have the big kids reading and playing quietly and when I just give in and let the TV be the babysitter.  It isn't easy and while Jarrett has had his share of meetings with Jennings in his arms because I'm on another Zoom meeting, our "work/school" days are nothing less than chaotic.

Today while I worked during Jennings long nap, Madelyn decided it was time to play Lion on my shoulder, so I worked while he played literally on top of me.  Thankfully she knows when I don't respond it's because I'm trying to get stuff done.  She just talks to herself and when she really needs me to pay attention she says, "Mom, stop working and listen to me."  I hope the kids know I'm doing the best I can and while I try to play with them, there have been many times I have to say, "I have to work, you'll have to play by yourself."  I think there is a lesson in this too.

I love to watch him sleep.  And because we are worried parents (still), we check on him about 12 times during each nap.  He loves to sleep in his position.  Butt in the air, head straight down on his hands.  I just love him so much. 

The kids are wrapping up their school work and for the most part, they have done a pretty good job transitioning to online school.  I am NOT a great teacher, they think I'm super mean and have high expectations.  I just tell them I would not pass them with some of the work they try submitting.... so I make them redo it and while they grumble I hope it helps them someday.

It's abs day today.

The kids also have mandatory exercise time each day.  I insist as it helps their mental health, wears them out and gives everyone a bit of alone time.  We have an elliptical in the garage and we each take our turns (well the boys and me), plus we have daily swimming.  While I exercise, the girls play or ride their bikes/scooters around the van about 100 times.  Today they made a game with chalk on the floor of the garage.

In other news Jennings is getting oh so close to walking. Just the other day he took three steps by himself and I think he was as surprised as we were.  He is still 9 months and I'm so not ready for my baby to start walking.

He's such a happy baby.  I seriously want to keep him little for a bit longer.  I need to soak up as much baby time as I can get.

He loves to play with the remotes.  He has 100 toys and he only wants to play with the TV remotes which means we can often never find them, and when we do they are in a completely different room in the house.  

And here's a few photos of Madelyn today.  She has found my googles from my last science class and decided they are perfect goggles for, well, wearing all day long.  Jennings isn't sure what to think...

Yes they are prefect for dancing in... 

And then poor Belle, she was coloring today and some how managed to get this on her face...

I kept showing it to her in the phone and each time she went to the sink to wash her face, she kept washing the other cheek.  It made me smile.  

So that's how today went.  We made it through another day.  Tonight I'll close with this video because someday I will look back and think... was there ever a day he wasn't walking?  I know I'll miss these days.

Until next time,

Angie

A wonderful (quarantined) Mother's Day

Today was a great day.  Last year on Mother's Day I was 7 months pregnant and filled with nerves.  I wanted the baby in my stomach to arrive so safely that I was so nervous I would be devastated.

This year I spent the day with my family, all 5 kids and dad and it was awesome.  I got to sleep in until 7:45 which was glorious.  I was up earlier but laid in bed as I heard lots of rumblings happening in the kitchen and was placing bets on the fact that they were making be breakfast. I got out of bed, combed my hair and started changing just as the crew came in singing Happy Mother's Day to the tune Happy Birthday!  They had made me breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, hashbrowns and smoothie.  It was tasty!

Momma is tired

The kids gave me their cards and gifts...

Following breakfast I got to exercise for 30 minutes and even take a 10 minute shower.  It was so nice to have a few minutes to myself.  After that we turned into church and then played a game of sequence.  By then the kids had decided they'd had enough of "let's do what mom wants and started begging to go their own thing.  I had decided I wasn't going to fight them or make them do things they didn't want so for the next while the kids did their own thing... mainly video games for the big kids.  Jennings, Madelyn and I played while Dad took a nap. He was tired from getting up first with the kids.  After a little bit the big kids came to check in, I think they were feeling guilty they weren't spending time with me, so they all came and we watched the old classic Cool Runnings.  We've been in a pattern of watching all old movies and the kids thought this one was a hit.

We then had lunch (dad) got me pizza and we went swimming.  The boys wanted to play more video games so they did that while the younger kiddos, Dad and I went swimming.  It was nice to have it be more peaceful without the constant wrestling and big splash competition it always seems to be with the boys.  The girls were super cute.

Jennings fell asleep and I put him into his bed, then came back out and while the girls dried off and laid on their towels I laid on the swing. 

Yep I was still so tired.  I laid down and the next thing I woke up to Isabelle taking my picture.. Mom you fell asleep again.

We came in from swimming and had a low key afternoon.  We played, we had snacks and we just enjoyed time being a family.  As the afternoon progressed, Dad and I got a chance to talk and then we decided to go for a drive.  Last week, we had done it with the kids and it was good just to go out of the house.  So we loaded up and started driving, we decided to just make a loop and soon after setting off, I could just feel in my heart that I should be looking to the sky for a sign.

Within about 10 minutes of driving, Isabelle shouted from the backseat, "MOM-look there's a rainbow, a double rainbow!"  Everyone in the cart turned to peer out the window and there they were... just gorgeous.  I knew in my heart it was my sign from above.  I smiled and felt my heart complete.  I had gotten to spend Mother's Day with all of my kiddos in their own special way.

Thank you to my dear friend Janelle for sharing this beautiful picture with us. 

Tonight we came home, had dinner and it was time to tuck the girls in.  It really was a special day.  The kids had each done something special to celebrate their love for me and they really did make me feel special.

For all those mom's who had a wonderful day, I celebrate you.
For all those mom's who long to be Mothers and are feeling heavy hearts this year, my heart is with you.
For all those mom's who've had to say goodbye too soon and have angels looking down from above... my heart is with you.
All those who are moms, like mom's, longing to be moms.... I salute you.

For so many years I dreamed about being a mom and for many years this holiday was filled with heart-ache for it seems like a dream that wasn't meant for me.  And now here I am with 5 children I am blessed to raise here, so blessed.  Last night I went through my closet and cleaned out the majority of my clothes.  See many of them don't fit after having Jennings and sadly I just don't have the time to take the same care of myself like I did before.  In about 20 days I will be turning 40 and I realized sorting through my clothes that many of them I've had since I was in college.  As I pulled out clothes after clothes that don't fit me, I started to feel really bad about myself.  See those dark circles under my eyes and that pouch in my belly.  My gray hair seems to sprout like the weeds in the grass, and I started to feel worse and worse about myself.  And then Jennings started crawling to me, and Madelyn needed me to help her in the bathroom and Isabelle wanted me to tuck her into bed.  As I walked up stairs to tuck her in the boys asked me to watch a movie with them and that's when it hit me.  For years I dreamed of being a mom, for years I prayed and asked God to grant me with the experience of being pregnant, of giving life to a baby.  I longed to have the words "Mom" be called and it be for me.  I sit here tonight with all of those prayers having been answered and those dreams my reality.... so instead of feeling shameful for the changes my body had undergone, I am going to give thanks.  This body has helped me through some of the hardest things I believe life can bring and it has enabled me to perform some of the most miraculous things that can happen in a life.  I might have dark circles, pouches of fat and a lot more wrinkles and gray hair than I had before, but I am every so happy and so very very blessed.

To Gabe, Michael, Isabelle, Madelyn, and Jennings... I am so blessed to be your mom.  Each of the ways we became a family are special and unique and I love you more than you'll ever know.  

Thank you for making me the luckiest woman in the world.

Happy Mother's Day.

Until next time,
angie

Fri-yay!

Well we made it through another week of quarantine... you'd think since we stay home all the time, the weekends wouldn't be much different but it really is.  Instead of having to be on top of the kids constantly as to where they are with their homework, and where I try to jam work into every moment in-between attending to the kids that I can, we relax things tremendously.   This weekend I look forward to getting a few more things crossed off my list and to spending time together.

We've started to make swimming a daily part of our routine.  For the first few weeks of stay-at-home orders we went on multiple walks a day, now we swim.  All the kids... it's good for them to get exercise.  

Then tonight we watched a family movie "HOP" a little after the fact since Easter was a few weeks ago, but still it was fun.  Since the boys have gotten so much older now, we let them stay up and usually we watch another movie.  Jennings hangs til 9 then he goes down and the boys go to bed a while later.  It has turned into our time together.  I hope in many years when the boys are grown and gone that they remember this time we got to spend together.  I know I will.

When we watch the movie the boys always want popcorn and Jennings feels like he should get some too, so he gets Cheerios in his own bowl too..

Can you see the way Jennings looks up to his big brothers with so much interest and admiration?    

So here's to the weekend.  Thank goodness we are here.

Until next time,

Angie