7QT: Updates and Bumpdates

Wow it's been a while since I've written something in my little corner of the internet.  And mostly that's because my computer desk at home is messy and sits right in front of the window AC for our bedroom, and I really don't want to sit there for any length of time.  Plus we're kinda having a lot of summer fun in between working and I've been enjoying my time spent in reality instead of in blogland.

Why do you always feel the need to justify why you haven't been writing, Colleen?  Everybody's busy with heir own life and couldn't give a care.  Geesh, Colleen, you're a tough mutha.

Anyhoo, I figured I'd do a little update on each person in the Martin house and link it up with Kelly for 7QT even though their are 8 of us currently breathing oxygen, so enjoy that little bonus :)

Without further ado, here we go, Youngest to Oldest:

1)

Declan Kolbe, age 2

 

My baby is soon to be bumped from his princely position.  He's adorable but can be very two sometimes.  His favorites include: fruit snacks "gummies", cookies, popcorn, bananas, yogurt, singing Happy Birthday to You when he sees a cake or cupcake or balloon, jumping all over the place, dancing, filling buckets with sand at the beach, his nuby (pacifier) and blankie, and wrestling with his brothers.  Dislikes include: speaking in full coherent sentences, hearing no for an answer, eating a full meal in one sitting, being quiet at Mass, and sleeping in past 7 am.  This weekend, the relics of St. Maximillian Kolbe are coming to the city next to us, and I'm so excited to show Declan who he was named after!

2)

Alexander Blaise, age 4

If you talk to him, he will tell you that he is almost five, and as soon as he's five he can go to Kindergarten, wear his new uniform shoes, and ride a bike.  Actually it would take him a long time to open up enough to tell you those things as he is a very shy kid right now.  But shy in a way that manifests itself in some bad choices/crazy behaviors.  Like instead of just getting quiet and burrowing his head in my leg, he will make a crazy face or say something funny but inappropriate and then run off.  If I could define him in one word this summer, I would say it's exhausted.  He won't nap, and even though he goes to bed at 7 pm, he is just constantly tired from all the swimming and outside play time but fights it until we make him go to bed.  Luckily, he is adorably funny and sweet, always ready with a compliment or a keen observation on life, and I just think he's having a major growth spurt of the physical and mental kind right now.  Soon he'll be reading (he's really close!) and biking without training wheels, and swimming without floaties, and this summer he's on the cusp of all that greatness.  It's a lot.

3)

Maggie Rosemary, age 8

Oh my girl who used to seem so hard compared to the boys is my little right hand man woman now.  She sets the table while I cook without prompting, always wants to help me bake, gives me so many sweet hugs, is the most interested in this pregnancy ("This is the best summer because we are going to get a new baby!") and just loves love and attention, as any girl should :)  She finished all her summer work super fast and without complaint, is always looking for something to draw or read (I just remembered how I used to love The Boxcar Children and we went to the library last night to get a few of those).  She's desperate to become a sacristan at our church now that she's received First Communion. One morning she came downstairs and declared that she wanted to spend her First Communion money on a fish tank and fish.  Soon, all the kids were excited about this and pooled their money, and now we have a fish tank with six fish who can mate and have baby fish.  Maggie is convinced hers is already pregnant, and considering her fish is drinking the same water I am, it's entirely possible.  She's taking swimming lessons this summer, and doing really well with her strokes.  I told her she must be such a good swimmer because she was born in the water to which she replied, astonished "I was?!?!?!"  Guess I never told her about her birth story!

4)

Eamon Philip, age 9

This little sweetheart is just that - little and a sweetheart.  His best friend is his cousin Tommy, who is in his class at school, and almost everyday the two of the face time each other just to talk about sports.  Tommy recently sold some raffle tickets as a fundraiser for his lacrosse team, and unbeknownst to me, Eamon used $5 of his own money (serving funerals pays!) to buy a ticket.  One day a check arrived in the mail for Eamon for $150.00 because he won the raffle, he was so excited!!  Now all the kids want to buy raffle tickets and chances for everything they see, and our old warning of "You're just throwing your money away" doesn't deter them anymore since their brother just won big!  He used that money to buy himself a Kindle and case, tithed 10% to the church, and the rest went into his savings account.  Love that kid.  He still really wants to be a priest who lives close to home and is currently playing in a summer basketball league and started soccer practice for the fall.  He's a great athlete despite his skinny nature and we just encourage him to eat all the livelong day.  We also try to encourage him to read, but unless it's a dumb graphic novel or a school assignment, it's a losing battle.

5)

Andrew Pauric, age 11

Andrew is currently about three shades darker than any of the other kids in the family as he somehow inherited the Italian tanning genes that completely missed the rest of my Irish kids.  He is excited to start soccer and basketball camps in the next weeks, loves being at the beach if there are waves and/or cousins to play with, and is the favorite brother of all my kids if I were to ask them.  But I wouldn't.  He's just fun and easy to be around, ready with a smile and a funny comment.  He finished his summer reading book, but writing the paper is like pulling teeth...the boy just hates to write!  If we can't find Andrew, it means he's playing some kind of sport outside with Eamon.  They shoot hoops like it's their job and do fist pumps when it's a practice or game day.  He is super obsessed with his Madden game on his kindle and honestly sometimes I don't even understand him when he talks because it's all about athletes and stats that I don't care about.  But he does and it's cute.

6)

John-Paul, age 13

Every time anyone sees this boy-man who hasn't seen him in a while, they comment on how old/tall/deep-voiced he's gotten.  It's true, he's just about as tall as me now and sprouting a blond mustache that I told him he needs to shave off before 8th grade starts.  Is there anything grosser than teenage boys with mustaches?  Methinks not.  He's starting soccer practices and has a soccer camp next week.  I had to buy him some new cleats in a men's size 9 (!!) because his feet are growing so fast they are skipping sizes.  His current hobbies include eating all the food, reading all the books, weightlifting, and taking an online Algebra math course to help him get ahead for next year.   He wants to know everything before the teacher teaches it, which won't be annoying for the teacher at all, I'm sure ;)  He's a super good big brother to Declan, especially, always willing to put him to bed or carry him around for me.  He is not enjoying our family activities like he used to and sometimes asks to stay home instead of piling in the big old van and heading to the beach.  Sometimes we let him stay home and sometimes we make him go.  We're learning to find the balance alongside with him.

7)

Phil, age 35

Phil is starting the summer camp he runs at our kid's school next week and has been busy scheduling out daily activities and gathering supplies when he's not busy taking care of six kids, grocery shopping, keeping the house clean, and rubbing my pregnant feet every night.  The man is my hero.  He recently had a "perfect beach day" with the kids - hot weather, huge waves, and general happiness from everyone.  He is looking forward to Operation Get Baby Out which will start  the 2nd week in August (read more about that below).  Always taking one for the team, that guy.  Always rising to the occasion.  OK, now I'm blushing.

8)

Colleen, age 29 and holding

I'm 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant and feeling physically good.  Mentally, I'm tired and done with this pregnancy. It's just been so looooong and I want to eat all the naughty foooooods.  Just make like a baby and head out already!  I have an ultrasound next week to determine if baby is still in breech position or not.  I think he is transverse, but I'm terrible at knowing those things.  Last night Phil and I were laying in bed watching the little guy move around so much, and we could see his whole leg or arm moving back and forth, it was really weird!  I remember always seeing bumps poking out, but this was like a leg bone moving around.  As I shared on Instagram, I've been doing really great with controlling my gestational diabetes through diet that my doctor said he's not going to induce me unless I hit 40 weeks.  This was a shock, as the endocrinologist and friends who have been diagnosed with gd all told me that I would be induced at 39 weeks, and we have been planning on a mid-August birthday.  Now we are back to the August 24 bday.  Of course he could come early on his own, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we are going to try our hardest once I hit 38 weeks.  How does one get baby out?  Well, apparently the same way baby gets in.  But I'm open to all other suggestions, so give 'em to me!

Have an awesome summer fun-filled weekend everybody!

P.S.  Stay tuned for a couple giveaways next week!