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Privacy

FYI: My blog has always been open to the public. Recently I was given a free baby product to review and therefore my blog address is going to be posted on their website. Because of this, I am going to try and make things a bit more anonymous. I will now only be using the 1st letter of names (I have changed all of my old posts). I know this doesn't mean I'll have absolute privacy, but a little is better than none at all.

***It was pointed out to me that I needed to change the comments as well. I went through and deleted any comments that had names of my family. Please don't be offended. :) And if you use a name in the future, I'll have to delete it. Sorry.

Baby C: 7 weeks

Baby C is 7 weeks old today. I can hardly believe it. The last month and half is a complete blur. My brain is still foggy from lack of sleep. I just can't believe so much time has passed!

Baby C is a sweetheart. She is my first baby who has not mixed up her days and nights. I REALLY appreciate this! haha! She isn't in a strict routine, but I've noticed she does tend to do some things at the same time of day. For example, she is awake every evening for about 3 hours, usually from 7 pm to 10 pm. She falls asleep between 10 and 11 pm and wakes up around 3 am to eat...then sleeps until 6 or 7. Not bad...not bad at all! I'm looking forward to when she sleeps longer (and goes to bed earlier), but I really can't complain because she has NEVER kept me up past midnight. I feel so lucky!

The girls have adjusted fairly well to having a new baby sister. Miss L loves to hold her. Miss A likes to get in her face and show her toys. Miss R likes to get on top of her and say "HI" in a really high-pitched voice. :) Miss R has started getting in to everything to get attention. It has been pretty tough. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I really was insane for planning to have two kids 17 months apart. I don't know what I was thinking!!!! :)

That said, we are so glad to have Baby C in our home. She is a sweetie! She is starting to smile (sort of a half-way smile) and I can't wait to see her face light up with a big one!

P.S. As a side note, I was chosen as a product tester for a new baby bathtub. It looks awesome. I'll be posting a review on this blog, so keep an eye out for it! :)

Consequences

Ugh. The older my kids get, the harder it is to parent. I've been struggling lately with giving my kids appropriate consequences for their inappropriate behavior. Generally speaking, I try to give consequences that makes sense. For example, if the kid spills something, they clean it up. But it's not always that cut and dry.

The consequences I've given have varied greatly. Here are some we've tried:

1. time out in the corner

2. time out in their room

3. spankings

4. hot sauce in their mouth

5. chores (cleaning the living room, etc)

6. taking away toys

The problem is that I'm a softy--at times. I mean, you have to pick your battles. Otherwise I would be reprimanding ALL DAY LONG! Plus punishing your kids often means you are punishing yourself because if you take away something they like, you have taken away their entertainment. That means you have to not only listen to the whining, but find something else to entertain them. I swear it's more agonizing for me than for them.

Don't get me wrong. I have good kids. They are just your typical kids. They get sassy at times. They whine. They even hit and push each other. They're just kids. Is it really possible to get rid of this behavior, or is this just part of growing up? I feel like a broken record. I mean, how many times will I have to say, "Don't jump on the couch" before they finally GET IT????

So what have you found as an effective means of punishment? Because so far, I pretty much stink at this part of parenting.

For the Grandparents

I've had some requests for more pictures of C...from grandparents of course! Here are some recent pictures. Isn't she cute? We love her, love her, love her!!!

She LOVES her baths, especially with the running water on her head. :) She completely relaxes in her baby bathtub. So cute!

Arizona

I am so excited about this post. G was recently offered a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ! He'll be specializing in Musculoskeletal Radiology. We won't be going there until June/July 2011, but I am so excited to know the final piece of our medical training puzzle!!! :)

I have heard great things about Arizona. I'm not worried about the heat. I grew up in the Central Valley of CA, so I know how to live in 100+ heat. I am a little worried about snakes and scorpions, but I guess it's no different than dealing with black widows here in Sacramento. :) I'm told Scottsdale is a great place to live. I have never been to Arizona, so I'm a little nervous about going somewhere new. But I know it will work out. After all, it's only for a year. I can do anything for a year. :)

We still don't know where we want to settle after fellowship (when G is finally a "real" radiologist). But at least we have 7.5 years done, only 2.5 years left, and we know the ending point. YEAH!!!!

Happy Halloween

The Balancing Act

C is 2 weeks old today. I have had help of some kind since the day she was born, so I still don't feel like I've started "real life" with four kids. But I have noticed that it is going to be quite the balancing act...I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do it. My biggest concern is making sure that each of my children feel loved and important. I've noticed that has become more difficult as they've gotten older, because each child wants to be loved in a different way and has different needs.

I have had a pretty easy recovery this time around. I feel pretty good...actually, I feel a little energetic. Is there such thing as post-pardum nesting? :) I feel the need to tackle all of the organizing and cleaning projects that have been shoved aside for the last 9 months. Today I re-arranged the furniture. Yesterday I sorted through G's desk (it took almost the entire day). Next on the list--clean out the fridge. :) Of course, I'm only able to get all of this done because my Mom took L and A home with her for three days. :) I'm sure once I have all four girls on my own, my outlook and energy level will be quite different.

But for now, things are looking good. :)

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She's here!!!

C joined our family last Thursday evening, October 15th. She was two weeks early. Here is the story for anyone who's interested. :)

At 3:30 I headed off to Costco with all three girls in tow. On the way there I started feeling contractions and considered going home. But I really needed to get some things, and I figured they would stop. About 10 minutes into our shopping trip I realized I needed to get out of there. :) The contractions were about 5 minutes apart and growing in intensity. I told the girls we needed to hurry. It didn't go over too well with them, since they love to taste all of the samples, but we got out of there pretty quick. As soon as I was outside Costco (4:30) I called G and told him that I thought I was in labor. He left work immediately and picked up a babysitter on his way home. We arrived at the hospital and I told them my history. It was obvious I was in labor (I could no longer walk during contractions) so they checked me immediately. Sure enough I was dilated to 4 cm. They admitted me immediately, bypassing a lot of the standard protocol stuff, which I really appreciated. I asked for an epidural right away, only because I knew it would take FOREVER to actually get it (which it did---about 2 hours).

I was very happy with my ability to stay on top of the contractions. By the time the epidural came, I was definitely ready for it though. However, it did not work as well as ones I've had in the past. My right side was completely numb, but my left side was not. The pain was dulled, but I still felt quite a bit. The worst part was that the last hour or so I felt almost everything. I was surprised, since I have had epidurals in the past and felt completely nothing. The doctor told me I had what she liked to call an "epidural light." Basically it had worn off by the time the baby was descending through the birth canal. Now, why would I ask for an epidural if I wanted to feel the baby coming at the end?????!!!!! Anyway, I survived. I only had to push for 10 minutes, so I shouldn't complain too much. She was born at 11:12 pm.

Here are some pictures of her. So far we think she looks like a mix of all of our family members, which is kind of fun!

One of my favorites

R was very unsure about the baby in the hospital. She wanted nothing to do with her. Now that we're home, she is doing much better. She giggles every time she sees C and says, "baby" over and over again.

Daddy and C

A admiring C. She was SO excited to hold her.

This picture makes me laugh. I thought I was smiling SO BIG! Apparently I'm a little tired. :)

Another cute one

The girls painted a picture for C.

I thought this one was cute because L's legs are crossed. She wants so much to be a grown-up. L is completely enamored with C. She is going to be a great helper! :)

Baby on Friday?

Well, I spent 6 of the longest hours of my life yesterday in Labor and Delivery. I went in because I was nervous that I was leaking amniotic fluid. Can I just say how much I detest teaching hospitals??? The time it takes to work through the chain of command is ridiculous. Yesterday I was the guinea pig of 1 nursing student, 2 OB interns, and 1 OB resident. It was SO obnoxious. Even the nurses were upset with how long I was there. What should have taken 1.5 hours took 6 hours! Ridiculous!

Long story short, I am not leaking fluid, which is good. However my blood pressure was high and they were toying with the idea of inducing me while I was there. I tried to explain that my BP was high because I was so irritated after being there so long, and because that tiny room induces anxiety because of my last experience there (quick un-medicated delivery of Rose). But they didn't seem to care about that. Finally they decided to run some tests and let me go home for a few days to let the baby grow for a little longer. So on Friday morning (Oct 16th) I go in for the test results (and no doubt, MORE tests) and then they'll decide if they want to induce me that day or wait until the 22nd (which is already scheduled).

Honestly, I REALLY want them to induce me on Friday. I'm already dilated to 3cm and I am so afraid of going into labor and having a repeat of my experience with R. After spending 6 hours there yesterday, I'm convinced that if I'm not induced, I'll end up with an un-medicated, scary delivery just like last time. So I'm laying low for the next couple of days and really, really hoping that the doctor wants to induce me on Friday. Wish me luck!!! :)

Overheard conversation

Today L and A were outside playing "barbie" and this is what I heard:

A: But why are you poisoning me?

L: Because I want to be queen!!!! (evil laugh)

A: OH...that's great.

L: I will be queen forever! (evil laugh)

A: (thinks about this for a second then says) Okay, you can poison me.

I was dying laughing because this is a perfect illustration of A and Li's personalities. L calls the shots, and A just rolls with it! "Sure! You can poison me. No problem!" :)

Handle with care

This is how #3 is preparing to treat her new baby sister (#4):

No Halloween Baby!!!

Today I had my 36 week OB appointment. Everything looks great. We discussed my history of fast deliveries, and my OB said he will induce me at 39 weeks if I haven't delivered by then. YEAH!!! So that means I have an end date--Oct. 22nd or thereabouts. He is doubtful that I'll even make it that far, but either way, that means in 3 weeks (or less) I'll have a little baby. I am so ready to be done with pregnancy and move forward with this transition in our lives. I can't wait to see what she looks like! I can't wait to hold her!

Now if only we could come up with a name for her....

Grown up

Daddy: L, go to bed.
L: Why do I have to go to bed? I'm older than A and R!
D: Yes, but you're still a little girl.
L (defiantly): That's what everyone says, but it's NOT TRUE - I'm almost a grown-up!

Homeschooling

We began formally homeschooling L last January after she turned five. She was ready for so much more than preschool could offer, and her birthday fell such that she missed the deadline to start Kindergarten. G and I had some reservations about our local school, and so we decided (at least for now) to homeschool.

I don't think I fit into the mold of your typical homeschooler. I tend to see both sides of the coin when it comes to education. I can see many pluses and minuses to homeschooling, and the same goes for public schools. I had a very positive experience in public school, for the most part. I made great friends and I have a lot of fun memories. The most common concern raised with homeschooling is the "S" word...socialization. :) I have to admit that I have my concerns as well. But the question is whether that concern is large enough for me to ignore all of my other concerns with public school. Right now, the answer is no.

I have really had a fun time homeschooling this past year. I never envisioned myself doing this, and so I was pretty intimidated to start. I have a good friend in my ward who has helped me a lot. But mostly I just had to dive in to see what I was getting myself into. I'm surprised at how rewarding it is to teach L...to watch her grasp a new concept...or read a book that I never thought she could. It is amazing to watch her grow...and I love it! And I feel like I'm learning right along with her. It's just really fun!

The one drawback I have seen so far is that I RARELY get a break. I know most parents look forward to sending their kids off to school so they can have some quiet time to get things done. That doesn't exist with homeschooling. Grocery shopping, housecleaning, etc take place with ALL the kids...which can be very trying at times. There have definitely been moments when I've wanted to ship Liberty off to school in order to have some peace and quiet. But for now, it's doable and we're surviving. :)

As for socialization, I'm doing my best to keep her actively socializing with other kids. Aside from primary each week, we go to a weekly playgroup. We try to have play dates as often as possible (but this is more complicated during the school year when her friends go to public school). She is also involved in gymnastics. After the baby comes, she'll start ballet. We skipped soccer this year because of my pregnancy, but she wants to do it next year. I have to admit that as I watch my friends literally go crazy driving their kids to and from school, and then off to extra-curricular stuff, all the while trying to squeeze in homework and everything else, that I find myself grateful for the route I have chosen. Our days are relaxed for the most part and we seem to have more time. I'm really excited about how things are going. :)

Happy Birthday A

Today my little A is 4 years old. I can hardly believe it!

Some things I love about A:

1. She is so generous. She shares very willingly with her sisters. She even offered to give half of her birthday money to L. :)

2. She has the cutest giggle.

3. She bounces everywhere. From the time she could walk she has been running and jumping!

4. She has such a likable personality. She's just a sweetheart.

5. She is ALWAYS in dress-up clothes. I should never have bought 3T summer clothes. Every day she wears a ballet leotard, her swimsuit, or her gymnastics outfit.

Here are some pictures of her as she has grown over the years.

Happy Birthday A!!! I love you!

Love, Mommy

Motherhood

My brother recently sent me this movie trailer:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810025319/video/15003090

I'm not sure if I'll like the movie or not. There are some things that look pretty realistic, and of course some things that are extreme. That's Hollywood for you. But the trailer got me thinking...

Before I was a stay-at-home mom, I worked for 5 years as a social worker with handicapped infants and toddlers. The job was very demanding, emotionally draining, and extremely rewarding. I was busy, busy, busy...or so I thought.

Staying at home with my first daughter was an adjustment, but I never desired to return to my old job. She was an easy baby--slept a lot, generally happy, etc. A couple of years later, we added daughter #2. That's when life as a stay-at-home mom began to change. Then daughter #3 came along, and now in a few months--daughter #4! I had NO IDEA how much work would be involved in having a family. I had NO IDEA how much chaos would ensue at my house. I had NO IDEA how exhausted I would be.

But I also had NO IDEA how much joy would come from watching my children learn and grow. It is truly the greatest blessing in my life! I now have an immense respect for women who are able and choose to stay at home with their children. For some it has required great sacrifice of material things, but it is all worth it (I recognize that some women really want to stay at home and cannot. If that is you, please do not be offended by this post).

I've been thinking about all of the jobs that are entailed in being an at-home mom. Here is the list I've come up with:

1. Teacher

2. Chef

3. Housekeeper

4. Taxi Driver

5. Psychologist

6. Nanny/Babysitter

7. Financial planner/Accountant

8. Child Development Specialist

That's a pretty extensive list, don't you think? Do you have anything to add? :)

On top of being ALL of those things (all at once, I might add), you also have to do it on very little sleep, 24 hours a day, with essentially no vacation time. There are no weekends, no summer breaks...NADA! And let's not forget that our husbands need some of our time and energy as well.

So to all of those stay-at-home moms out there, I just want to say, "You're AWESOME!"

The reason we have so many girls

click on this link: here.

Venice Beach

We just came back from a R Family Reunion down in Venice Beach. It was a blast! We stayed in an awesome house right on the beach. L and A thought the ocean was the best thing ever! G spent a lot of time body surfing. And R...well, she didn't like the beach too much. She hated touching the sand and water; G and I had to take shifts with her at the beach house. But it didn't really matter. We had a GREAT time!

L, A, cousin D, cousin E, and The Muscle Man (Uncle C)

A, Aunt C, cousin D and L jumping over the waves.

L agreed to be buried in the sand! Haha!

A and L posing on the beach. I LOVE this picture!

Our family

L, A, cousin D, Uncle G, cousin E, and G sporting bubble beards in the hot tub.

Playing on the beach

A building a sand castle

Our view from the house/balcony. It was awesome!

Thanks G and G for an awesome family vacation. We had a great time!!!

Conversation

Daddy had been helping L do flips. He sat on the ground in front of L, held her by the shoulders, then kicked her up and over him in a flip while he tipped onto his back. L landed on her feet just beyond his head. L requested numerous repetitions of this. The following conversation ensued:

L: A., do you want to do a flip with Daddy?

A: (without taking her eyes off of Daddy, slowly shakes her head No).

L: Come on! It's just like gymnastics, only different.

Growing up

I haven't had much to blog about lately.

Today I took pictures of my girls and I saw something that I've been trying to avoid--L is growing up; she's a "school girl." :( I have seen a tremendous change in her over the past 6 months. She seems to excel in everything she tries. I'm so proud of her! But I am so sad that she has lost that baby/little girl look. She'll be six in December. I can't believe that 1/3 of the time she'll be here at home with me has already passed me by!!!! I've always been told that "they grow up fast" and I'm starting to see that. I'm suddenly wanting to slow time down.

Don't get me wrong. I love the independence that comes with this age. It is so nice to have a child who can get her own snacks, help me find things in the grocery store, and will read her sisters a book. I love watching her learn new things, such as telling time, reading, and counting money. It is so fun to watch her discover the world in an academic way. I LOVE homeschooling her. We have such a blast!

I guess I'm just realizing that I won't have my "little girls" forever. So for now, I'm going to rock my babies, cuddle with them on my lap, and play house as much as I can.....

I love my girls!

Bad Day Spending

Recently I've been going over our family budget--AGAIN! It seems like I always do really well for a couple of months, and then start to slack until I realize that we're not saving as much as we'd like. And then I re-evaluate, and start again.

Being at the end of the month, things always get a bit tight. I usually do okay, until I have a really bad day...and then I need some extra cash. :) I'm not sure where this idea stemmed from, but for some reason when I have a bad day, I'm sure I DESERVE something a little extra. This is why I am trying to convince G to add a category to our budget: Bad Day Spending. :) I'm kind of joking, but not really.

My bad days seems to get much better if I do something out of the ordinary, such as buy an ice cream, splurge on a cute pair of shoes, or take the girls somewhere fun. Last night I had one of these moments, and bought myself a new wallet. Granted, I've have been in need of one for a while and bought it at Marshalls for 1/3 the normal retail cost, but still--it was not in the budget. I never know how to deduct these expenses. Those who are extremely disciplined will tell me not to spend the money in the first place. :) When we were in medical school, money was so tight that I did just that---I rarely spent a dime because we didn't have very many. But now that we have a little flexibility in the budget, I find it hard not to run through the drive-thru on a day when everything has gone wrong and I just haven't had time (or the energy) to cook. Or to say no to a really cute new book for the girls. Or to stay clear of Blockbuster video. The list goes on!

So, I'm curious...am I the only one who does this?

TRICKED

Well, so much for mother's intuition...we had our ultrasound today and we are having ANOTHER girl! :) I can hardly believe it! This entire pregnancy I have been sure this baby was a boy. Talk about a shock. Of course I am happy though...and I'm glad for R. She'll have a sister close in age which will be really fun for her. Not to mention that we have EVERYTHING we need for a girl. :) So, that's our news... :)

Lemonade for Sale!!!

L is always asking me to tell her stories of when I was a little girl. When she heard that I used to sell lemonade, she HAD to do it! We sat outside for 45 minutes and the girls made $7. NOT BAD! We have a great location. We live on a corner down the street from an elementary school. A lot of parents/kids stopped on their way home from school. The girls did a great job and had LOTS of fun. They are already begging to do it again! :)

Grandpa comes to town!

This weekend Grandpa R came for a visit. He asked the girls what they wanted to do, and of course the vote was unanimous--Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Grandpa, being the softy that he is, agreed. :) We had an awesome time.

R smiled the whole day even though she never slept a wink!

L was super brave on this one. Grandpa said it felt like it was going 80 mph. L LOVED it and begged to go again--but Grandpa couldn't stomach another time around. :)

This is the sweetest shot of R while she is watching the girls on the swing ride. As soon as she can walk (completely on her own) she'll be allowed to go on these rides with an adult.

A enjoying her cotton candy during the whale and dolphin show.

Cute one of Grandpa and the girls.

The swings. I think they rode these 5 or 6 times in a row!

This is L's first "adult" roller coaster. She LOVED it! She is such a daredevil!

Glasses

I had to post these pictures because they are SOOOO cute! :)

WE LOVE YOU R!

Happy 1st Birthday, R! I can hardly believe R turned 1 yesterday! Where has the time gone? We celebrated R's birthday by eating her favorite food for dinner (waffles and strawberries) followed by presents and cake. Here are some pictures of the party fun. Unfortunately R is obsessed with trying to grab the camera, so getting a good picture of her is pretty much impossible!

L wrote a book for R called R the Beautiful Princess.

R LOVED the stuffed bunny from Auntie K! She loved it so much, she tried to eat it. :)

Playing with her new electronic car keys.

One of R's presents was a box of tissue to use however she wished. She enjoyed pulling them out and tearing the tissues into tiny pieces. :) L and A had fun with this gift as well! :)

We didn't get any pictures of R with her cake (just video). She didn't like it at all, and ended up just squishing it and throwing it! Yuck! What a mess to clean up!

We feel so blessed to have R in our family. She is such a happy, easy going baby. Her name fits her perfectly. We love our sweet, little R! :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

G with his yummy dessert!

L made this card for G. He LOVED the picture of him on his bike! :)

G's birthday was yesterday. We celebrated by making his favorite--strawberry shortcake. The girls were so excited to give him the presents they picked out (a bike light and some shirts). G spent the rest of the evening on the phone. Between all of our family members calling, he was on the phone for 3 hours. :) Luckily, he and I will get to celebrate this weekend by going out!

Tooth Fairy Time

L is ecstatic that she has lost her first tooth!