Journal # 36

Out My Window:

Is it bad that I have to go to Weather.com to know what to put here? -- Well, according to them it is 77 degrees. I have been outside briefly and it felt okay. But the AC is running now -- hmm.

Clothing Myself In:

I threw shorts over my pjs to run to the store real fast. And suddenly my "to do" list has exploded, so real clothing has fallen on the back burner.

Around the House:

I rearranged the study and got rid of some junk. It still needs the final finishing touches, but it is so much better already. It is nice to have that back as a functioning room, rather than just a place to throw stuff. I was going to take a picture but got side-tracked.

I still have plans for lots more purging, but just have to take it a little at a time. That's how we roll.

The Baby:

I was thinking of giving him his own post, but instead I'll just give him a few points here. There is so much about him that I want to report/remember!!

1) He loves to grab stuff. When I hold him, he holds on! He grabs my shirt or my hair. He loves toys/clothing. 

2) When he is angry/agitated, he will repeatedly thrust his hands down on his thighs. It almost makes me think of him making music. (Babies can be so cute when they are upset -- and I'm sure they hate it when I laugh at them in this state.)

3) Peter is working on the locomotion but so far just rolling. He gets his head up high and his arms reaching. Then he puts his head down and kicks with all his might, like he's swimming on land. Once he connects the two, he will be off, I'm sure.

4) He is sleeping pretty well at night. He can go for up to 8 or 10 hours some nights. I am not good at keeping his schedule consistent (since I'm running after all his siblings and their activities). 

I actually like it best when he wakes up once mid-early-morning so I can nurse him back to sleep and then get up and get a few things done before he wakes up for the day. Once he woke me up two minutes before my alarm went off. That was nice of him to let me sleep all night, but then I had to spend the next forty minutes nursing him and I had to skip my shower and we were still almost late to daily Mass that day.

5) Peter is still not napping well or at a good time. Often he will not settle down until about 4pm! Other days he just takes little nursing naps here and there, never actually laying down away from me for a solid amount of time. But I trust these days will pass and I try not to lose my mind over it.

6) He is so joyful and loves to play and talk to his siblings. And they love him right back. Miriam will wiggle his legs and chatter at him in the car and he just laughs and squeaks back. It is adorable. 

Rebekah will also often talk to him during the day while she is doing her school work and pull his bumbo over by her.

The Children:

Zipporah has so much spunk!! Seriously, that girl knows what she wants and will not be pushed over or forgotten. She is also one of my best helpers. She always takes her dishes to the kitchen and helps load the dishwasher. Likewise with a little demonstration she will often pick up the most toys.

Miriam has been growing an attitude, but she remains sweet sometimes. She was fetching a few things for me as I was getting ready to put Zipporah down for a nap and she said, "I'm being a good Miriam, aren't I?" -- It was adorable.

Paul is so energetic. He hits everything fast and hard and then runs on to the next thing. I'm really struggling to slow him down a little. He also will ask for something and then beg for it repeatedly, or try to make a deal with me over things, such as: 

Paul: Can I play for another 30 minutes?

Me: You may pay for five more minutes and then it is lunchtime.

Paul: So 20 minutes and then we eat?

Me: NO! I said five more minutes and then lunch.

And rinse and repeat -- he can be so persistent!

Jacob is becoming a bit of a little gentleman. He has been much more compliant to doing chores and following directions since I cleaned up the study (which had been locked, I should note, for several weeks up to this point because the children had made a mess of the legos and not picked them up as I had asked). He REALLY missed his legos that were locked in the study for so long.

Samuel has comment for EVERYTHING and gets caught up on nitty-gritty details, such as me asking him if he "could" do something, rather than just saying "do it!" But I will often ask if he could and then instantly rephrase and command, to which he balks and says, "but you didn't say to do it!" And we go at each other for a bit before I realize I'm the adult and I a have to figure out a way to stop this argument. But I might as well be arguing with myself of 25 years ago, so I have no idea how to make it stop.

Rebekah is becoming a bit more quiet and wary of life. She is beginning to find her way into becoming more mature (not so much responsibility, but in the ways of the world -- others see her as more than a child now) and that has made her a bit uncertain. But she is still helpful and often joyful in her duties around the house, thus far -- thank God :)

The Schooling:

All the children are struggling to get into the school groove. They are hobbling and limping along. I'm getting ready to put together a master school and chore schedule that I hope will help. I'm planning to give them input on some things, as well, so hopefully that will help them own it a bit and be more compliant to get their chores and work done.

I am impressed, lately with Miriam as she is becoming more and more interested in school work. She likes to count and color and cut and paste. She is a studious little one these days.

In the Kitchen:

I have been using my Instant Pot to make soup and it has been heavenly. It is so great to get the chicken cooked up in about 30 minutes and then set the soup for 30 minutes and suddenly dinner is done and often on time!!

Watching/Reading:

E-mails from my kids' teachers -- haha, I haven't actually read all those yet anyhow. I am so bogged down right now. But I found Amoris Laetitta (the post-synodal apostolic exhortation "On love in the Family") on my kindle and have been reading a few paragraphs while nursing the baby at night. I always forget how church documents are often fairly easy to follow if one just takes the time.

Thinking About:

My health/weight/etc. I'm trying to eat a modified Whole 30 diet -- but it keeps getting sabotaged. I started running again on a whim and remembered why I was addicted to it in the past. But then I got sick -- again and remembered I'm still recovering from baby. I'm skipping the running now, sticking to walking and carrying baby, or doing more gentle work-outs at home. Baby steps -- hah, and trying to be patient and keep trying in the nutrition department.

Stuff. We have too much stuff and it just collects in the house -- everywhere!! I've got to just keep cleaning it out, though, I think. It is definitely an ongoing process.

Nothing. That's right, nothing, because whatever I was just thinking about, I lost it again. This is super frustrating and I think it's a sign that I'm stressed/tired/overworked, but that's life these days. Gotta keep pressing on.

Bringing Me Joy:

*Peter. -- Every baby is such a light to my world.

*Cookies. Seriously, I made these cookies yesterday and they were so yummy. Call me shallow if you want.

*Feeling like my kids and I are on a team -- forging our days together. It is fun to tell them my plans and get their input and support. I love these kids and many days still can't believe they are all mine.

Pictures To Share:

Getting ready to walk in the TMP Homecoming parade.

All the Scouts at the end of the parade.

Samuel, Jacob, Paul, Miriam, and Zipporah -- after the parade, walking home.