Summertime.

And the livin' is easy? 
Really? 
Well, I suppose. 
I do feel like I will explode, but I suppose that's par for the course at this point.  Jim was able to identify individual fingers and toes sticking out of my abdomen recently.  Good times. 
Nate is in bed and none too happy with it.  Caroline and Sam are readying for a "baseball night" - since we can't watch the Olympics (really, NBC?  Thanks for making the games accessible to everyone).  Daddy is still working, but was able to come home for a picnic dinner. 
We're waiting for some thunderstorms to move through.  Maybe it will take the edge off some of the humidity.  It was "only" 90 degrees today (never thought I would hear those words come out of me). 
I need to finish up some "Thank You" notes - the ladies in the neighborhood were incredibly generous and had a "baby sprinkle" for Q and me.  I miss Worcester, but we live in a tremendous place now.    It's a neighborhood in the true sense of the word.  I couldn't ask for more. 
I also want to get the baby's bassinet set up tonight, it would be great to drag the dresser in our room and get the clothes all ready to go - I'm smart enough (at least for now) to know that's something I really shouldn't be doing by myself.   So I'll probably work on Q's quilt.
I DID get Sam's closet done.  Our closet is  done.  I got Caroline's small toddler clothes boxed up and mailed out as well.   Nate needs a bookshelf (without the dresser, I fear his room will look like a refugee camp with almost nothing but books and a mattress on the floor). Then I can tackle the floors and windows.  And then I'm sure I'll find more things to obsess about. 
Caroline is loving her "American Girl" camp at Rose Hill Manor.  Sam has his "American Boy" camp next week - really based on Colonial America and farming, but he soooo wants to be like Caroline and have a doll like Sarah that he calls it "American Boy Camp".  He already has a name for his doll (that he doesn't have) picked out - it's Jared.   Sam is also full blown into a whining phase about everything.  Ugh.  Anything he has to put effort into, he whines about.  I'm doing my best to ignore.  But still.  It's annoying.  Really.  Annoying. 
We did get to go in the pool today.  We got pulled out after an hour or so because of thunder, but after that, we got nothing but some lightning and noisy rumbles. 

And here is the aftermath of waiting out the storm.  I look at these pictures and know why I feel crazy on some (okay - MOST) days.  And to think there will be one more soon.  Oy.  Vey. 

And, hopefully, they'll sleep like this tonight:

A Mom can hope, right?

Blogging Hiatus...

We had a wonderful week at the Lake hanging out with Grammy and Grampy (or Nina and Papa, if you ask Nate).  There was lots of playing Wii, swimming, fake fishing on the Point, kayaking, watching Red Sox games, having  Activia and chocolate/strawberry milk, selling losing raffle tickets at the Chicken BBQ, planning for a new "water park" (loooong story)  and just chilling. 
I hope to put some pics soon but I have yet to figure out how to change them into jpeg format, so it may be a while. 
This past week there were three doctors appointments, meeting with the surgical coordinator to arrange for Q's birth and a night out with some neighborhood friends at a Japanese grill.  I was so overwhelmed I forgot Play Group and to take Jim's lunch to him on Friday.  As a person who prides myself in my ability to stay on top of things, this was tough to take. 
I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed by what will happen in the next three or so weeks.  The death of a high school classmate  has helped me try to keep things in perspective and been tough to take all at the same time.  Even with this, I DO pride myself  in keeping on top of things...it's hard to think with all the mess around the house, the baby's stuff needs to be taken out and organized, I would like to get all our little girl stuff mailed to the appropriate people that will use it, get the kids ready for school (starts early down here), get Nate a bookshelf, organize Sam's closet, hoe out Caroline's room (this girl is a hoarder), organize the pantry and the food downstairs and clean the house.  Oh yeah, and there are those three other kids to take care of.  =-)   The good news is that we have the mini-van (gulp), the car seat is ready to go and the new double stroller is awesome.  So we're moving in the right direction...
 My energy levels are dwindling as the size of my stomach is increasing.  Even Sam commented today that he thought my belly would pop like a balloon if it got much bigger.  Pride goes before a fall (or a birth, apparently) and this stuff WILL get done, I have faith.  In fact, to ensure that Q will not come any earlier than anticipated, I started packing my hospital bag today.  If I leave it unpacked, I'm almost guaranteeing he'll show up a week early! 
I will close out by posting these pictures (before my piggy toes turn into sausages)...
Here is a the cute shirt we got for Q.  Each of the kids got one - it will be included in the present that Q will "bring" for the kids when they meet him for the first time at the hospital.  We couldn't resist. 

Caroline finished her pillow to match the quilt I made for Q.  She is very proud of it. 

 How can I keep from laughing?  This is what I encounter on a daily basis!!!

The Answer

So far...not too bad.  I feared the dress...

Deja Vu

I feel like I've seen this picture somewhere before...in fact, I KNOW I've seen it. 
Except it was Sarah Leahy in this dress about 20 years ago. 
But I fear what Sam ended up wearing...

Oh. My.

He goes to Rochester. 
He wears shorts.
He whines minimally.
He gets in the pool. 
He helps with housework. 
He eats all his breakfast.

If he starts eating vegetables and willingly washing his face you can just keep him, okay?

At The Zoo

It's one of Caroline's favorite songs, so how much fun must they have had at the zoo yesterday.
Looks good to me!

Tuesday Update

Owen has gone home and rest assured, even with only one child here, I am keeping very, very busy. 
About 8pm, I realized I hadn't heard from my parents at all today. 
Nothing. 
Not even a text to point out one of my children's weird idiosyncrasies and that it must be genetic from my father's side of the family. 

So I sent an e-mail something like, "It's 8pm and NO, I don't know where my children are.  Could you tell me?"
Here's what I got...

Lots of Posts

Can't remember the last time I've put up so many posts in such a short period of time.  Guess you can tell which kids keep me the busiest. 
We have my cousin's baby Owen overnight tonight.  He is a real cutie.  I forgot about the "adjustment" period where you have to "learn" a new baby, though.  He's sleeping (for now) - so it's all good, so far.  Nate is jealous - sitting in Owen's car seat, laying in the tub seat, asking for a bottle every time Owen is fed...but, with all that said, Nate has been very helpful with feeding (okay - he really crammed the nipple up Owen's nose - but close enough!) and diapering. 
It was rather unhelpful when I was feeding Owen and Nate was (supposed to be) eating his vanilla yogurt.  Nathanael got the bright idea that the yogurt looked remarkably  like the Oil of Olay sunscreen he and I put on every morning.  Next thing I knew, Owen was two ounces into his bottle and Nate had slathered six ounces of vanilla yogurt on his face, neck and chest. 
That was fun to clean up. 
I can see already that every.  Single.  Cabinet.  In the house will need to be tot-locked before Q gets here because when Nate feels he is not getting enough attention, he feels the need to empty the contents of a cupboard.  I can also see that I am sooooo going to have to be on top of my game when the new urchin gets here just to be able to keep up with things.  Wow.  I'm getting nervous just thinking about it.  Yikes. 

A little bit of a catch-up...we went to the Cactoctin Zoo last week.  We were only able to stay a little while because of the 100+ degree temps, but we still had good time.  Caroline got to pet a chinchilla and a baby alligator.  Nate and Sam wanted nothing to do with the gator (can't say I was disappointed with those choices).  I gave the kids the map of the park to enable them to "direct" our visit and see what they wanted to see, knowing that we were only going to last a couple hours in the heat.  They appreciated it. 

Here are Nate and Owen beginning to get acquainted.  Nate was trying to plant a big, fat kiss on Owen.  He didn't succeed, much to Owen's delight.  They seem to genuinely enjoy each other.  Nate has dissolved Owen into giggles on multiple occasions.  Let's hope it lasts...

 When Owen was getting a bottle, Nate insisted on sitting next to me and playing with my hair.  I foresee actions like this making nursing Q exceedingly difficult.  We'll have to see how it goes.

 Hooray for Dada!!!  Makes me melt to see how good he is with the kids.  And it makes me laugh when I tell him this and he replies, "I should be. I've got enough of them!"

Piper Down!!!!

CJ and Sam at Hamlin Beach.
Sam fell and scraped up his parts...difficult to know if the scrapes are that big or if it's just the wrapping.

Looks like they're still having fun...they just need a good night of sleep.  =-)

Rockin' Out

 My parents are trying to brainwash them into listening to only country music. 
I fear it may be working. 

Sunday Night

We're home from softball and Nate is basking in his "only child" status by having some cuddle time with Dada and listening to the Red Sox / Yankees game. 
St Tim's played well and beat the Middletown Methodists in both games. 
The weather is finally starting to break.  It was only 87 on the drive home.  Compared to 103 yesterday, that's a real improvement.  We haven't gotten any storms so far.  Looks like they've all blown south.  No complaints about that.  It's only supposed to be mid-eighties for a high tomorrow, which I think will feel wonderful. 
We're getting ready to acquire Baby Owen for a couple days.  Hooray for baby snuggles!  And I think it will be good pre-gaming for Q's arrival to see how Nate deals with someone smaller than he is. 

Word on the street is that things are going well in Rochester.  The kids got to go to Uncle Matt's game in Geneva and chill in the pool.  Pops said that they were going to watch the first few innings of the Sunday Night game and then call it a day (yeah, right - what do you want to bet that Pops is snoring before they are?).
 Everyone is having a good time. 

I even got a nap in today.  And my neighbor made me lunch.  =-) 
Definitely a good day. 

PS - Caroline is eating popcorn in the picture.  Took me a bit to figure that out.

Sunday Morning.

Home from Mass. 
Jim has helped the neighbors move a 750lb lift to help them change their chandelier.  As nice as it looks, kind of makes me glad that our house doesn't have any. 
Nate is sleeping and I hope to be soon, too.  House is a mess. 
The heat is wreaking havoc with my stomach - Q is head down and busy Irish step dancing on my intestines and at 103 degrees in the shade, food just isn't up high on the priority list. Crohns also tends to flare with the heat and a five pound fetus jumping around. 
Good times. 
Makes me appreciate the early colonists...if it was this hot, I think I might have packed it right back up and went back to the cool dreariness of the Old World. 

Kids are doing well in Rochester...apparently this was the morning project.  Cute, huh?

What Happens at Nina & Pops' House...

...doesn't necessarily stay there.  Mama misses her babies.
Sam and Caroline get to spend some time with Nina and Pops in Rochester.  Not that they weren't excited or anything.  The basically jumped into their car, buckled themselves in, said "Bye, Mama and Dada!" and were off.
Nate, on the other hand, is looking for his siblings - "D-Day.  Nam. Are you?  Nina?  Poppa?  Are you?" He finally fell asleep.  Hopefully for a while.
So, with a bout of pregnancy induced insomnia along with a case of the wicked creepy-crawlies in my legs, it's 11:30 and I'm still awake.  Bleh.  Thank goodness for West Coast baseball games.

So, I think "What happens in Rochester...goes on the blog!"  

Lessons

I have learned a lifetime of lessons in the past six and a half years.  In no particular order:

-a clean house by 9AM does not ensure a clean house at 9:15AM
-the most efficient method to shorten the toenails of a child that is extremely resistant to clipping is to sit on that child's lap while he is sitting on the toilet.  There is nothing like a captive audience.
-if there is something breakable within a 20 foot radius of a toddler, it will be broken. 
-placing my children in time-out simultaneously while making them hug and chant "I love my sister/brother" is a most effective way of ensuring more appropriate behavior later in the day.
-having squeaky/creaky doors is almost as good as an alarm system, but is no guarantee that a toddler will not be found rolling across the front lawn naked after a rainstorm.
-kjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjhfyuvsrutfhgkgb.  Leaving my computer for even a split second to help one child means that another child will confiscate my computer and start to type.
-a sunscreen with a SPF of 50 may seem like a lot, but is insufficient for the amount melanin contained in my children's skin
-I can get more done during a 30 minute episode of Pingu than I ever thought was possible.
-Sitting down and being comfortable for more than 30 seconds is the best way of  inviting additional chaos. 
-Naptime is a beautiful thing. 

More will be added as time goes on. 
I just needed to have a seat for a bit after picking up, getting two loads of laundry done and put away, vacuuming, getting the kids up, dressed and fed and taking care of the trash before 9:15. 
Phew. 

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day!
Is it too sad that it's 5:30 and I'm looking fervently towards bedtime?
We had a wonderful day.  It feels like Saturday.
After Mass this morning, Auntie Melanie came over to bask in the air conditioning (so many people in Baltimore City still don't have power).  To celebrate, we got baked potato salad, made scallop & veggie kabobs with bacon, boiled up some corn and steamed a lobster on the grill.
Other than feeling six pounds heavier than I was this morning, it was the most satisfying meal I've had in a very, very long time.
We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the pool and listening to ballgames.
We may split squads and walk a bit after the thunder subsides to separate the kids and ensure rapidity in the passing out process at bedtime.

Cookies

And who wouldn't want cookies baked by this motley crew?

12 minutes at 350 must kill everything.  

Right?

Gee, I hope so.  

Or else we're doomed.  

Belly Pic

Caroline has be bugging me for the past few months or so that we really, really need to put up pictures of our bellies so we can track Baby Q's progress. 
I have been meh about the whole thing.  I'm big.  When I look in the mirror, sometimes I don't recognize myself.  I realize that I'm going to get bigger before I get smaller.  So it just hasn't been that big of a deal to me.  Caroline, on the other hand...
So - with 7 weeks to go...