Love it.

I'm not sure I can really express how much I love it when Sullivan says,

"Mommy, where is Contessa Caroline?"

Love it.

The best one

At least they were all looking at the camera!

And with that, I'll call my bday over. Moving on to a more important one...Sullivan's!

My best birthday gift...

FOUND MY CAMERA!!!!!

And so before we went out for supper we had to try and get a picture with all my kids. Here were the attempts.

My next 30 years...

I'm not going to lie. I LOVE my birthday. Love it.

I might even be a little freaky about it. I blame my dad. He made the biggest deal out of each of our birthday's. We were truly queen and kings for that day. He made us feel like an only child in the midst of 6 other siblings. I love him for that.

I get not only a birth - DAY, but birth - WEEKS (the one before and the one after my birthday). I've even been known to get out of things by claiming it was my birth - MONTH. Sad, I know. I'm 32, I should be a little bit more grown up about the whole deal. But I refuse.

32. Yes, 32. As I was driving to work today I flipped to a country station. This is not a habit of mine. Normally its parked on 101.9 and it stays for me. But today they hosts were doing a lot of gabbing so I was flipping stations. And what song came on? Tim McGraw's 'My Next Thirty Years.' By chance? No. If you know me, you know I believe nothing is by chance. Nothing. I listened to the words of this song and I was singing along and realized that 32 really isnt that bad.

Trina and I were talking last night and we both decided that all birthdays are better when your age begins with a 2, not a 3. (She turned 29 yesterday, next year might be rough for her!) Today Im not so sure about that. It really is true that with maturity comes a lot of good things...I THINK my temper is better than it was in my 20's, I know my faith is stronger and my marriage. I have a greater understanding of what really matters in life. I value my family and my friends so much more. And all those relationships are deeper and more real than they ever were in my 20's. My kids are at awesome ages and I find myself looking forward to each and every day with them instead of wishing that they'd grow up.

Today I'm feeling spoiled already, at 8:15. I woke up to my husband wishing me happy birthday and offering to let me sleep in a bit and then my kids SO excited to wish me a happy birthday. They are taking me out for pizza tonight with my mom and Jordan's mom. I had a message from my boss this morning singing the entire Happy Birthday song for me which had me laughing so hard I was crying, a co-worker just gave me the sweetest birthday gift, I had many emails in my inbox this morning wishing me a great day and some are from friends I rarely hear from but who remembered me today.

Yep, 32. I can handle that. And I truly am looking forward to the next 30 years! (Besides, I still look like I'm in my 20's, right?!?!)

7 months

I have to get this down before I sit down for the night.

Contessa turned 7 months old today. Hard to believe.
She is really just so much fun for our family.

Here's what she's up to:
- doing some strange crawling technique that gets her where she wants to go. Its a cross between just rolling and rolling and an inchworm. I find myself saying, 'How did you get there?' a lot.
- her favorite toys are baby sized spoons and any type of paper that crinkles
- she loves baby food, especially veggies. She wants to eat everything we eat. She eats potatoes and bread a lot. And I normally mash up the veggies on my plate and feed those to her as well. And watch out if you have a french fry...she is going to get it.
-she can hold her own bottle but I don't condone that!
- she sleeps very well. 10-11 hours, going to bed at 9 or a little earlier.
- she also naps wonderfully now - THANK GOODNESS! That was a hard six months getting her there! She typically takes 2 per day. One for 1.5 hours in the am and 2-3 hours in the afternoon. We try to just keep her up through the evening so she goes to bed when the other kids do. from time to time she'll wake up earlier than normal - like at 6 or 6:30 and then she'll drink her bottle and go back to sleep for a three hours - if she does that she doesn't really take a morning nap. She can also go with out a nap which helps a lot with our crazy schedules!
- when she has the chance she still loves her time with just Jordan and I. And so do we.
- she's getting some 'stranger danger'. She knows now when someone other than mommy and daddy have her. If its a face she isn't real sure of she cries, if its someone she knows a little she kind of pushes away from them and tries to get us back.
- she reaches her arms up for us to pick her up - I love that! Its one of my favorite things that little babies do.
- she smiles the prettiest and the biggest for daddy. But I'd have to say that of all our kids...she probably shows favorites the least...the others saved all their great smiles for him! This time I get some of them too!
-she LOVES music. It doesn't matter what the tune is...she starts bobbing her head and moving her body. It is adorable. I love it!
- Jordan believes she is perfect. He would tell you she is never fussy, she only smiles and she is the best baby in the world...He's close...but not exact! ;)

Another one bites the dust...

Another weekend is gone...so sad.
We had a really good one though. Tess is feeling a lot better and is just about back to herself.
We watched Lauren's first basketball game on Saturday, a new dimension of parenting...I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it!
My brother Jordan was in town so the 3 older kids got to have some outside snow fun with him that afternoon...Saturday night we had our small group bible study and then tonight we had Kirkpatrick's over for a Superbowl Party. Which basically means we had them over to eat yummy food. And it was yummy!
Now the kids are in bed and I'm ready to curl up on the couch with Jordan and relax.

Good night!

Contessa, Contessa, Contessa

We're back. She has a nasty ear infection. Also she is very full of mucus and instead of it coming out her nose, its running back into her tummy, which is causing the projectile vomiting. She's lost 1/2 lb. since last Friday.
She is also wheezing...which makes it official, I have NO idea what wheezing sounds like.
She's been sick for a solid 2 weeks. Our pediatrician said that after all this it probably was a full blown case of Influenza. NICE.

So, we've got an antibiotic for the ear and we'll do nebulizer treatments for a few days.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. If you saw her you'd just want to snuggle her. She is trying so hard to smile and giggle. She cant help but be cute and sweet.

Its so cute, when Avery and Sully found out she had to have an antibiotic you would have thought they'd found out she had to have major surgery. Sully even asked if he could get her HIS blanket. The surest sign of love that Sullivan can offer!

Now if we could just find that camera I'd take her picture and let you all see that she really doesn't look sick, except for being covered in vomit every now and then!

Friday

Well my camera is still missing and I am still less than pleased. If you know me you understand that I am borderline mental breakdown over this...

Also, Tess is still vomiting. About once per day. She has also been more fussy the past two days. But no fever and she continues to sleep normally. I'm waiting for a call from the dr.

We are supposed to have Nikki and Jalen over for a Valentine's Day craft today but we'll see if that pans out.

Happy Friday!

Cute/Not Cute

Here is an example of Sullivan being cute:
Last night we were driving home from Cedar Falls and he kept asking where his shadow was. He didn't like our explanation of why it doesnt come out at night. He really likes his shadow and talks about it often.

Here is an example of Sullivan being Not cute:
He is obsessed with my camera and is always asking to take pictures. Sometimes I let him. On Friday I told him no. My camera was sitting on the dishwasher.
I haven't seen it since. I'm fairly certain he took it after I told him no. We cant find it anywhere.

Not happy.

But he is so cute.

But WHERE is my camera!?!?!

WHY WATER?

Ever since WATER 4 Christmas was unvelied I wanted to be to be involved. At first it was because of these girls, Cassie and Jody. Because I felt their passion and I wanted to be involved. Their hearts for missions and the country of Africa has changed me. I like to say, ruined me. I cant watch tv, shop, eat or be...the same anymore. I think, why am I buying this? do I NEED it? Why do I do this? I have images of the people with less than me on my mind a lot. Yes, they ruined my brain. and I thank them.

Then I saw how Courtney was started making tshirts for WATER and how she explained WATER to her children. And how Amy used her talents to make coasters and her mom made ornaments...They were all inspiring to me. So I gave $, I bought t-shirts and water bottles. They have pushed me so that I cannot sit and just be. I saw the videos of the thirsty and I thought, what if that were my child? my sister? Me? It isn't right, and I wanted to be part of making it right. If just one life could be saved, that was enough.

But there was something more eating at me. Something that God was trying to tell me, to show me through this. There was some reason that WATER was brought to me, some reason my eyes were opened to WATER. Something kept waking me up in the night...almost haunting me. Because lets face it, there are hundreds of worthy causes to give our money and our time to. There are millions of haunting stories and images that can compel us to give. I've never given to something like this before. But I knew God put WATER on these girls hearts and then on mine for some other reason and I just couldn't figure it out.

Then all at once the significance of WATER hit me. Its like Jesus finally said, "Hey, human, here!" and he threw it at me because I wasn't coming up with it on my own. What it came down to was that if only one life was saved through the WATER for Christmas campaign I would bet that everyone involved would still have given the same. To stop even one child's pain I think the same $, time and energy would have been given. And that said something to me. Because of course, that is what Christ did for us. For me. He came to save the world. BUT He would have come to save just ONE. Even me. Even me. And so for me this WATER business is Christ played out. That is WHY WATER.

I believe the point of missions, of aid, is that if that if a physical body is less thirsty, hungry, cold, scared, sick...that their spiritual eyes might be open.

They might look beyond that all consuming physical need and realize their spiritual need and that they might see that their spiritual need is so very much greater. Perhaps the workers building the wells might know of Christ or perhaps when someone tries to tell the people of their great Savior, they will be able to comprehend and they will taste the LIVING WATER.

Jesus said Himself, I am the Living Water. In John 4 when the Samaritan woman at the well was questioning Jesus about water He answered, "Everyone who drinks this water (referring to the physical water she came to draw from the well) will be thirsty again (v.13), but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (v14)"

And that ultimately is my goal. That somehow, through water being brought to these people, that they will know of the Living Water. The One who came not to save them physically, but to save them spiritually, eternally. Saved. Eternally.

So that is WHY WATER. I don't think it was coincidence that WATER was brought to our heart's. I don't think it coincidence that Jody, Cassie and Amy cant turn their hearts away from it and why they brought it back to us for all seasons. A promise from our Savior to give WATER so that they might never thirst again.

Nothing is by accident with Christ. So go, give WATER. Not just 4 Christmas, but for Every Season. Be one of the 300 voices. Because believe me the Holy Spirit is waiting, ready. He is using us to be His hands so that once their bodies are full of physical, life giving water, their hearts might be open to a deeper need for LIVING WATER.

Tess update

You are all so sweet. I've had so many emails from people worried about Contessa.

Really she is fine. She is pretty happy, she wants to drink her bottles, she is sleeping normally...
Just every once in awhile she projectile vomits 8-10 ounces of formula all over anything within 3 feet of her. Then we bathe and change her, clean up and start over. The worst was when it was in the car and covered everything...taking those car seats apart to clean is NOT fun or easy.

She still has an icky cough and is congested but that seems better from yesterday even. And she has not had a fever since Friday morning...and that was the only time she'd had a temp since the Sunday before.

I think likely she had whatever virus it was last weekend and then caught a flu bug right at the tail end of that. Sully had some diarrhea on Thursday and the first part of Friday that was probably his version of the flu.

No one else has any symptoms of anything. She's going to be just fine. I'm not sending her to daycare tomorrow, more out of sympathy for the workers...she wants to be held a lot and they cant do that real easily.

Again, thanks...you're all the best!

Cant catch a break

Tess has had some virus for a week. I thought she was over it or close and then it came back or something new took its place.

Today she started vomiting. Yeah. She has like 3 times...

And yet, seriously, she is so sweet. I swear I've never seen a baby like this. Just sweet and cuddly and content to sit and stare around the room.

I hope she is better soon because I don't know how much more her little body can take!

Looks like she and I will be home from church again tomorrow.

Stats

Sully and Tess had their respective 3 year and 6 month well child appts today.

Tess couldn't get her shots due to the lingering virus...she had a temp again this am. But has been quite happy since Tuesday. She now has a nasty cough to go along with it though.
She is 15lb 14 oz and 25 3/4 inches long. Growing!!!! She's just over 50% for everything.

Sullivan remains LONG and LEAN!!!
32.2 lbs and 39 1/4 inches tall. 50% for weight and 95% for height. Sully impressed the doctor by naming all his colors but white and by picking out a triangle, square and circle. Sully seems to be growing up right before our eyes! He talked the ENTIRE time we were in the office. Our Dr. commented, "well I guess you aren't concerned about his speech and language development!"

I had Avery measured and weighed while we were there too and she is 1.5 inches taller than Sully and weighs less than 2 pounds more than him. The nurses commented that they could practically pass for twins anymore. I agree, I've even been asked that a couple of times in the past few months.

I like to compare the others when they were babies:
At six months
Lauren: cant find the silly book!!! Its on the cold porch I believe.
Avery: 14lb 14 oz and 25 1/2 inches
Sully: 18 lbs and 27 3/4 inches

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300 Voices

Have you noticed?

It stays light a lot longer lately...at 5:45 tonight there was still some sun.

Spring can't be too far away!!!!

After almost 7 months...

I knew the older three would be infatuated with Tess when we first brought her home from the hospital. I didn't realize that it would last this long!

She's been here almost 7 months and they still adore her. I love to notice how they are different though, even in how they show their love to their baby sister:

Lauren. Is quite seriously, Contessa's second mother. There is really nothing that she cannot do with or for her. She carries her, feeds her, picks her up, soothes her and makes her laugh. Tess adores her right back. When I make supper Tess normally sits in her high chair and plays with a spoon...that is until Lauren walks in and says, "I'll hold her instead." Then Tess gets walked around the house for 30 minutes...stopping now and then to stop and play with a toy or whatever Lauren thinks she might like. She spoils Tess beyond belief! Lauren's philosophy is: Why would we have her sit in a chair when she could be in my arms?

Avery. Avery probably pays the least amount of attention to Contessa. Now and then she will ask to hold her on the couch but it doesn't last more than a couple of minutes. She'll jump over Tess while she's lying on the floor to get to her destination but really is good at ignoring her! But this is what causes my heart to skip. A couple of times a day Avery will jump over Tess, run to the baby toy trunk and grab a toy or two and take them to Tess. She pats her on the head without a word and then skips on out. It is so thoughtful and sweet and I just love it. Its like she's saying, "I love you, but I don't have time to sit and play right now!"

Sullivan. I've said it before but this boy truly baffles us in his behavior towards Contessa. He is SO mean to Avery and Lauren. But its like a switch goes off in him when she is near. He talks sweet, soft and his touches become light and ticklish. She thinks he is hilarious and loves when he pays attention to her. He loves to bring her toys and watch her play. He loves to see her roll over and grab for things. He also loves to watch her eat baby food and asks if he can feed her. I have yet to see him get upset with her even when she's grabbing for his toys. I think he will be the perfect big brother - looking out for his baby sister.

Now for Contessa...she just loves all the attention she gets from them. What I love most is to have all the kids playing in the living room while Jordan and I watch from the sidelines. The three older ones will be playing a little wild and somehow they manage to keep out of Tess's way. She stares up at the madness kicking her feet and doing her little happy screams.

Our house really is very fun. Loud. But fun!

Rock Stars

Lauren and Avery spent the night at grandma Cindy's a couple of weeks ago. Grandma did their hair funky and they pretended to be Rock Stars with their guitars. Lets hope this never comes true!

Taking a Toll

I've mentioned that this is Jordan's busiest season at work. I've complained about it. I get stuck on how it is affecting me...leaving me at home with the kids a lot by myself, giving me no time with him etc.
I've mentioned a little about how it affects him, lack of sleep, stress...

What I didn't really consider was the toll it was taking on the kids. They've been kind of whiny and clingy lately and I didn't really know why. I figured it out today.

When everyone got up from naps Lauren was asking where Jordan was. I said he was at work, and she complained that he had been there all weekend. (They really have not seen him much this week period). I explained why he worked so hard, that he was working for us, to give us all the things we need and so many of the things we want, to allow me to stay home part time etc. I commented that we should be thankful that he is such a hard working daddy. She shook her head yes and then asked when he would be home.

I hesitantly told her that he would not be home until long after she was in bed because he had to drive to pick up someone from the airport for his training day tomorrow. Her eyes welled up with tears and she was sobbing. Avery joined in at that point and before long the three of us were crying.

We are having a cuddly night on the couch with a movie tonight to try and compensate. But the truth is, we just miss him and its not the same...could the next few weeks please go by in fast forward?

Sickie

It seems that in most families you have the kids who get sick a lot, and then the ones that seem to either avoid sickness all together or get it in much lesser amounts.

Lauren was sick with many ear infections her 2nd year of life. But other than that has been healthy as a horse.

Avery was sick a ton, every winter for what seemed like 10 years. Just like everything with Avery, when she is sick it is extreme. We were in the ER with her a lot. But now she seems to have grown out of that.

Sully had RSV as a 1 week old but beyond that rarely is sick and if he is it tends to last less than 12 hours.

Tess had a cold at like 2 months old with a fever. She had RSV and an ear infection at Christmas and then was sick AGAIN this weekend. She seems to be following after Avery in the sickness category.

She was very cranky on Friday and I thought she must be teething. But that night she got a fever of over 101. I couldnt get it to go down. In fact even with Tylenol and Motrin, it continued to rise. Saturday morning we decided to take her to Urgent Care because I just could not get the fever down. I've never had one whose fever I couldnt get down. And as strange as it sounds for me to say this after having 3 other babies...Ive never dealth with an infant with a high temp before! She was pathetic. She would just lay in my arms and wimper and then fall totally asleep to wake up again and just wimper.

So Jordan, Tess and I braved the HORRID road conditions and headed over. They did every test imaginable to the poor thing. Blood tests, RSV test again. In the end - virus. We got home and suddenly, wow, the fever was much lower and she slept much better last night. I only got up with her once and when I did her fever was gone. So hopefully this sickness is over.

But I'm seeing a trend with this one...she is going to get our attention...and keep us on our toes!

Lunchtime Conversations

Lauren, Avery, Sully and I were talking about the importance of being polite and saying please and thank you at lunch today. We were naming off places where we should be polite...school, grandma's, church, home etc.

Then Avery says, "You know what's even more important? That we don't catch on fire! Cause you could die. And even worse, you could go to the hospital."

Sullivan, "Yes, the witch died (Refering to the Wizard of Oz)"

Avery, "Well actually Sullivan she didn't die. She melted. And that's ok, cause the hospital can fix that with a shot. I think."

Lauren and I are just sitting there with smiles on our faces listening to this all go down. Very fun. And very fun that I can smile about it and have Lauren 'in' on the joke.