Reasons We Love Mom!!

A guest post from the Martin Kids!! (Courtesy of Dad)

Reasons We Love Mom!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Love, 

John-Paul, Andrew, Eamon, Maggie, Xander, & Declan

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

May is a busy busy month!  We had my niece's First Communion last weekend, my nephew's First Communion and Mother's Day this weekend, Declan's Baptism and our anniversary the weekend after that, and sometime in there is Memorial Day and Baccalaureate and Graduation at the high school where we work.  Woosh!

2.

Speaking of the high school where we work...I will be returning to work in 13 days!  AAAAHHHH! When I was pregnant, I thought that 7 weeks of maternity leave would feel so long and I would get so much accomplished, but now it's almost over and I've got nothing to show for it (except a gorgeous baby boy whom I don't want to leave!)  I better get around to cleaning off my desk, which was just one item on my to-do list.

3.

Clearance Cadbury mini eggs have been my vice this week.  So delicious (especially the dark chocolate ones) and so deadly.  At least going back to work means I will be eating less often, and also healthy foods.  I'm good at packing healthy snacks for work, and terrible about eating junk food when I'm at home all day.  How do you SAHMs do it?

4.

We've finally had some warm days!  I pulled out my baby carrier from when John-Paul was little, and Declan fell right asleep in it.  So this is how I played outside with Xander and then cooked cupcakes and frosted them all while he napped.  But boy oh boy did my back hurt after!!! 

5.

Declan is awesome, but we had a couple problems at his last pediatrician visit.  The first is that he fell from the 50% curve for weight, down to the 35% curve.  I'm hoping it was because I had been sick all week, and probably dehydrated and not producing as much milk.  The second thing was that his heart rate was high.  It was high for all of our visits so far, and this time the pediatrician took it like 5 times, making me hold him, not hold him, breastfeed him, bottle feed him, and then just once more, and every time it was high.  So she tested his iron level to make sure he wasn't anemic (he wasn't) and then we had to go to the hospital to get an EKG done on him.  That thankfully ruled out a DVT, but his heart rate was still high and they don't know what's causing it.  We go back next week to check it all out again.  

6.

I took Alexander on a tour of his school for next year.  All 5 kids will be at the same Catholic school, from preschool up to eighth grade (my kids will be in 6th, 4th, 2nd, 1st, and preschool) and I love that.  I wish they had a nursery so Declan could go there too!  But Alexander was pretty naughty and embarrassing on the tour, and I think his future preschool teacher is definitely going to earn her salary next year!!

Telling Grandpa who's in charge!

7.

How could I not mention my new favorite book by the hostess with the mostest?  It is so so good, I could barely put it down, and every time I did, Phil scooped it up to read.  We both finished it and loved it.  I don't want to talk about it too much because I know many of you haven't finished it yet, but I highly recommend it.  Go get you one.  I even dressed to match ;)

Scary photo eyes, as always

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend everyone!!!!

 

Twinsies

Do you want to see my twins?  

Meet Declan and Something Other Than God, Jennifer Fulwiler's new book.

Oh, you don't think they look anything alike?  Well, that's because they are fraternal.

They are practically identical in every other way though:

They both were delivered late.

They were both worth the wait.

They both are (as the shirt says) irresistible.

They both call to me, begging to be picked up at all hours of the day and night.

They are both impossible to put down.

They are both life changers.

Both make me laugh and cry.

They are both on sale at Amazon.  

Just kidding, Declan is only for rent.

(Only between the hours of midnight and 6 am)

See?  Twinsies.

Now go get you your own #SOTG, it's a lot easier than having a baby :)

He Said, She Said

This morning, it was pouring outside.  We also woke up to a child who had wet their bed, and had a leak in our ceiling.  When it pours, it rains.  Phil threw the wet sheets and pj's in the wash, and put a towel and a bucket on the couch under the leak to catch the water before running out the door to work.  What a man.  Alexander saw the bucket and said "Oh, today it's just raining inside the house?"  Basically, yes.

When I was breastfeeding John-Paul all those years ago, it would drive me absolutely crazy when someone would ask to hold him, then as soon as he started crying, say "He must be hungry!"  I would take back that baby that I knew wasn't hungry because I had just fed him, and complain to Phil later.  I don't even know why this bothered me so much back then, but I guess it felt like they were telling me, a new mother, that I didn't know what he needed.  Fast forward to the 6th baby, and I'm a lot thicker skinned and less needy for validation on motherhood.  John-Paul, now 11, was sitting next to Declan in the car the other day, and Declan started crying.  John-Paul said "I think he's hungry" and Phil, knowing how much this (used to) bother me replies "He's not hungry!!"  I added, in my postpartum haze, "It's ok John-Paul, he's a baby. They cry.  He's not hungry because I just ate him".

We have a large canvas photo of the four kids at Disney World in 2011.  It's one of my favorite Maggie moments.  Anyway, Alexander likes to look at the picture and the kids tell him that's when they went to see Mickey Mouse, and all the other characters.  Alexander says "I want to go!" and things get dicey.  The other day, Xander looked up at that picture, put his hands on his toddler hips and said "Hmmph.  I still not in that picture!"

Last week, we were all on our way to a medical supply store to get a new breast pump for me because my old one isn't able to function on batteries anymore.  On the way to the store (with all the kids - why are we such gluttons for punishment?) they kept asking what we were going to get.  Phil was just trying to be vague so we didn't have to explain the ins and outs of my breast milk production, said "We're just going to get something for Mom."  Of course, as soon as the kids realized he was being vague, they knew he was withholding information, and that means there's a secret to be found out!  They kept asking, and so I just said "We're getting a breast pump."  To which Maggie replied, "Oh, yeah, my friend at school has one of those.  She's allergic to sugar."

Happenings

First up, a baby photo:

Here's Declan at 2 weeks old, laying on a beautiful blanket gifted to us by Aimee, isn't she sweet?.

I just started Weight Watchers, again.  I love the accountability of it, and also that you can eat whatever you want, within reason.  I am just no good at diets that are too strict.  Plus, I get 14 extra points for breastfeeding.  That's a whole meal!  I have been eating like crazy to get ready for my weigh in last night, and it showed on the scale.  Blech.  Am I the only one who gets more hungry breastfeeding than while pregnant?  I always seem to gain weight while nursing and can't lose it all until the baby is weaned.  It makes it difficult to dress for work when none of my work clothes fit!

In less vain news, moments like this occur every half an hour or so...

I think Declan and Xander look so much alike, and call Declan "Xander" every day.  I would feel bad, except that my parents messed up our names all the time, and we still turned out sorta ok.  Most of us ;)

Oh, big news! Phil finished up his second Master's degree last week!  Somehow he has been taking these courses in addition to all the other jobs and volunteer stuff he does, and it's over!  His first Master's is in Theology from Providence College, and his second Master's is in Administration from the University of Dayton.  So I suppose now he can be a holy principal :)  Anyone know a good Catholic high school that's looking for one?

What else?  Ooooh, my friend Aubrey started blogging again!  Back in 2009 when there were only a handful of blogs (kidding) I was able to "meet" Aubrey and will forever read anything she writes.  

I'm off to scour the internet for some Baptism party ideas.  If anyone has any good sources (especially cold food ideas), let me know, because my little baby will be becoming a Catholic on May 17th, which just happens to be Phil and my 12th anniversary.  12 years of marriage and 6 kids?  Sounds about right :)

Props to All the SAHMs

Whew, school vacation week is over!  That was a tough one!  Between the rainy days and the lack of mobility that is life with a newborn, we were housebound a little too long for everyone's liking.  And now my remaining 3 weeks of maternity leave has begun.  

Six little monkeys

Back when I was at home with the kids, I would dream of having a job that would allow me to "get a break" and make some money.  And now that I'm a working mom, I dream of one day striking it rich so that I can stay at home, and not miss out on any of my kid's firsts.  The grass is always greener, amiright?  

So obviously, I was very excited to have this maternity leave from work.  I could be at home!  Enjoying my time with the toddler and baby, cooking dinners, cleaning the house, picking up the kids from school, and getting everything done that there just never seems to be time for when I'm working full time.  

But guess what?

Turns out this whole SAHM thing is HARD!!  I had forgotten just how hard it truly is.  Although toddlers are my favorite age group, they are a handful!!  At least Xander is, or as his pediatrician puts it, he's "developmentally appropriate" - yeah it's called "naughty" in this house.  Any time I try to clean or straighten up a room, he's in another room making an even bigger mess.  Just when I get the baby to go to sleep in the bassinet, Xander is banging on his drums next to him because he's "feeling the beat".  When I sit down to nurse Declan, Xander sees that as an opportunity to get into something that's typically off limits.  During Holy Week, I went to morning Mass with both Alexander and Declan.  I must have gotten extra time out of Purgatory for all the sweating and bargaining and manhandling that was required.  

I've had to ease up on my half hour of tv rule, because putting Xander in front of the tv is the only way I can nurse and put Declan to sleep in peace.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  I find myself counting down the minutes until Phil and the older kids get home so that I can have their help...and God help him if he has a late meeting ;)  I think I've cooked exactly one dinner on my own, and the house is never as clean as I would like.  Phil is still the one picking up the kids from school because I can't get both the toddler and baby to sleep at the same time.  And it's easier to put a pull up on Xander than potty train right now.  My dreams of doing it all have become a reality of just getting by.

Although I am only a SAHM for a few more weeks, and I do not want to leave my newborn ever, work will definitely be a welcome break from the crazy toddler!  His random acts of sweetness and "I love you Mamas" are what are keeping him alive at this point!  Mad props to all of you moms who handle multiple kids all day everyday.  Especially single moms, military wives, homeschooling moms and moms of many littles.  I tip my career hat to you.