updates and a funny

#5 funny--we had a candle lit yesterday. It is unusual and I actually cannot remember why we lit it. Maybe to torture the curious cat? she will not leave it alone (she singed her eyebrows but is not hurt). Jezabel is just a plain ole curious cat that I think is part dog. Anyway, back to the story....#5 looks at the candle, points at it and calls it, "counter fire." I had to giggle. It was a fire on the counter.

Jon has been in the hospital for 12 days now. He was spiking fevers over 105. They thought he had a fungal infection in one of his lungs but that hasn't been confirmed. Now they have found a 2 cm x 3cm blood clot in his right ventricle. So, essentially he has a gumball sized blood clot in his heart. Pray. Please.

Baby is turning into a cute Hubba Chubba. She is smiling and cooing and sleeping through the night. Not necessarily any naps during the day but we will take the sleeping through the night. She is well adored by all the "bwuddas and sista" as we work to keep #5 from rubbing all the peach fuzz off the top of her head.

#1 is approaching 5'8" and I have to look up at him now. sigh
#2 has a birthday coming up and I just can't think of a great gift-placenta brain (it lasts longer with each baby)
#3 is walking a fine line right now-big boy, little boy, responsibilities, dodging responsibility
#4 loves the new baby and pulled her eyelids up to talk to her when she had just fallen asleep today
#5 has had the vocabulary boom. From the moment she awakes until she falls asleep she is talking, talking, talking. She made the move to a big girl bed but had to spend a couple nights in the baby's crib to make the transition.
#6 is cute, charming her father and just getting over thrush. I used Gentian Violet and had a purple mouthed babe for a few days. Since she is nursing I was also purple. To use GV you paint it on the babies mouth three times a day. I was painting her one time and #5 decided to 'help.' So, I painted #6 and was then looking for a place to put the bottle of GV so that #5 wouldn't get it (it is dark purple and stains). There were no tables close or older child or hubby and not wanting to spill it I stuck it in my cleavage. It was there until I could hand off the baby and then I went to get the bottle and realized the cap wasn't on tight. Can you say purple cleavage? sheesh Purple hills and valley

The preeclampsia was horrid. The swelling didn't completely go away for a month and my liver is still not functioning correctly. So, while I am not 100% yet I am not 0% either. I am so thankful that the baby and I are okay.

A funny from #5

Apparently the baby whose diapragm isn't in sync with her breathing has according to #5, "the picc-ups."

"Momma, momma, da baby has piccups!"

I can breathe

Indispensible

Walkie Talkies-without a doubt. I don't have to yell and bellow through the house to get help. So I guess that splurge DH had around Christmas last year is paying off. We have walkie talkies spread throughout the house on the same channel so I can get them upstairs or downstairs. It is wonderful being fed and watered on a regular basis.

The bed rest is working. OB says at 37 weeks they will induce. That is 3 1/2 weeks away! Apparently preeclampsia has a way of stabilizing and then all the sudden your blood pressure goes up and you get to have a baby. Just like that! Did you hear the snap?

DH has been informed that the bedroom is getting a makeover after this little "vacation" of mine.

2 out of the 5 children's scrapbooks are finished. 3rd should be done tomorrow or Sunday.

My wonderful DH has really stepped up-as have all the boys-to help keep our family running. Our wonderful friends have truly helped us out also with meals and giving the kids a change of pace every now and then. #5 comes in regularly for cuddles and we read books in bed together. #3 has decided he can be a big boy and he is turning out to be a huge help around here.

To all those people who have criticized me for:
working my children too hard
making them grow up too fast
making them surrogate parents
not letting them just be kids

I stick out my tongue at you. If my kids didn't have these skills our family would have fallen on its face weeks ago. We aren't perfect but we are working together to get through this family crisis. And that is what learning to be a family is about.



I have the best husband in the world and the absolute best kids.

This didn't happen intentionally

I didn't mean to turn this into a preggo blog. Today we are 32 weeks-5 weeks left to go!

I am grateful that I have a couple projects to work on. I have my kids scrapbooks to finish-get-up-to-date and with my grandmother's recent death I have taken on the ancesteral photo project. All the aunts have given me the old family photos and newspaper clippings and I am sorting, compiling, digitizing and then laying out a scrapbook for family members. If I didn't have a project like this I would be nuts already and it hasn't even been a week.

sigh

We are aiming for 37 weeks

had the ultrasound today and she is "5 pounds 7 ounces" so she won't be teeney einey if she is earlier than that. That was a relief to me considering that my smallest babe was 8lb.8oz.

Does anyone understand how hard this actually is?? a mom of 5 staying horizontal or sitting all.day.long. and then actually being tired enough to sleep??

Off to bed I go.....

tra-la-laa-la-laaa

preeclampsia

no laundry, cooking or household duties for me

just worrying about a healthy baby and a healthy mama