Happy Birthday Paul & Miriam!

We are really blessed to have two of our children (whom are not twins) share a birthday exactly two years apart!

Paul asked for a turtle on his cake.  Miriam wanted cupcakes with "kitties" on them.

Now, I have gone through some "adjustment" as to what is allowed for a birthday.  I used to be pretty "crunchy" and in my attempt to be healthy, I would make my kids this"nutri-cake" which is actually pretty healthy (has no sugar, uses whole-wheat flour, contains fresh fruit, etc.) and my children and I think it tastes ok, too.  But after enough looks of discomfort from guests at their birthday parties, I finally cracked and started making "typical" cakes, aka chocolate - or I even branched out and tried a recipe for a pumpkin cake (not healthy at all, but super yummy - no left-overs on that one!!) and similarly a blueberry cake.  Although I still try to feed my kids real food and not many sweets, I have thrown in the towel on birthdays -but my one stipulation was that I had to make it.  Then I still felt like I was giving them something worthwhile -my time and effort.  Well, this time, I decided that even that silly bit of pride is going out the window.  I was going to buy the baked goodies because I am still recovering from having Peter (just a month ago).  Unfortunately, even though I was planning to buy the treats, I did not feel like ordering them ahead of time - too much work!!  I figured I would just show up and have them write on one of the cakes they already had made.  This would have been fine, but Paul wanted a turtle. . . and apparently the cake decorator for Dillons only works at night?!?!  And when I asked for a turtle at Wal-mart, I was first told that it could not be done.  But then then she surprised me by giving it her best shot.  Fortunately all the kids loved it.

Although the turtle graphic ended up being well-received, I was concerned it would not do, so I had picked up a toy turtle as "plan b."  I went ahead and put it on the cake as well.





Now, Miriam's cupcakes. . . well, since it was the weekend for Fort Hays State University's graduation, all the pre-made cupcakes were graduation themed.  Then I had an inspiration.  I could bake cupcakes, from a box, frost them, and then put kitty fruit snacks on top!!!  So I purchased the items I needed and headed home.  Once I got home I had another inspiration.  Rebekah and Samuel could do this job!!  Yes, with a little minor supervision they were able to bake the cupcakes and frost them. They could have put the fruit snacks on top, too, but I chose to do that in order to be sure we had enough for the cupcakes (as I anticipated a little filching to take place while decorating).

For the record, although they may not look like much, they tasted wonderful.  The kids did a great job.

In order to compensate all my failing to be "healthy" at this party I decided to offer some other snacks as well:

summer sausage, cheese, pepperoni, carrots, hummus, and fruit salad.



The party went well.  

Paul, 6-years-old

*Paul catches on to things very quickly - all things, from Math and Reading to sports and social situations.  He is just all-around awesome.

*He has an adorable grin that already wins him many requests and will surely do so far into the future.

*Paul has no guile when it comes to begging for food.  He rates his friends by what kind of food they give him.  (Nana is very high in his book because she ALWAYS has dessert for him.)

*He LOVES computer games - playing them or watching his brothers play them.

*He is into Pokemon right now and will play the card game with his big brother, Samuel, or request episodes of the animated cartoon on netflix.

*Paul finished all his schoolwork by the end of February.  Apparently he can be quite studious.

Miriam, 4-years-old

*Miriam is very observant.  She pays attention to details and likes things to be precise.

*She loves to play dress up and have tea parties with her little sister, Zipporah.

*She is into princesses right now and loves reading books about ballerinas as well.

*Miriam is becoming a bit of a dainty eater but she still puts away her favorite meals - meatballs and spaghetti, as well as desserts.

*Kitties are also among her favorite things.

She has an odd love of the grocery store (which sounds more like "drocery store" when she says it) and gets OVERJOYED when I take her along for our regular grocery shopping.

*On of Miriam's favorite pastimes is coloring.

Thank you, dear God, for the blessings of Paul and Miriam.  May you ever draw them closer to yourself.  - Amen.

7 Quick Takes

1) Peter is six-weeks-old today!!

He is getting better at transitioning to sleep but he still grunts and groans like an old man.  He loves to be talked to - will quiet down and look you in the face.  I think we are going to keep him :)

2) Laundry

Doing the laundry is probably my favorite chore.  We have a high efficiency washer and dryer that work well and I even enjoy their elaborate end-of-cycle chimes.  When we were selecting this set, about eight years ago, my dear husband was pushing for the larger capacity set, but I wanted to be able to stack them (and honestly, this set was more in our budget anyhow).  I'm glad we go this set, though, and now, eight years and seven children later we have just crossed the point of every two or three days of washing to doing a load a day.  Funny how one little baby can tip the scales, but he has.  In any case, one load a day is really not a big deal and can be helpful when someone wants their favorite piece of clothing two days in a row!!

3) Food

I am slowly but surely coming into my own as far as cooking goes.  I am not a giant fan of cooking.  I like to eat.  And I like to eat food I cook (rather than eating out) but the actual taking raw foods and turning them into meals has always been a bit of a challenge.  I find it especially entertaining since providing food for nine people has now become my calling in life for the next twenty years or so at least.  God certainly has a sense of humor.  Anyhow, I am beginning to realize that simple can be good.  One of my family's favorite meals is my rendition of "hash."  Apparently "hash" is a meal Gordie's dad used to make for him, which included ground beef, potatoes, and various spices.  My interpretation of this dish has evolved into browned hamburger and fried cubed hash browns.  Mix them together, add a little ketchup, and viola! a delicious local crowd-pleaser, often with no left-overs.  Simple, but delicious.  That is definitely my new motto.

4) Paul's latest trick.

Lately Paul has been finding my water jar (I like to drink out of a mason jar), filling it up, and bringing it to me - without my asking.  It is really adorable.  He can certainly be thoughtful.

5) I am reading this book right now and it is AWESOME.

I stumbled up on it at the suggestion of someone in a facebook group - and the suggestion was not even for me!  They were talking about how beautiful it was and I guess the Holy Spirit gave me a push because I ordered it and I have been LOVING it.  It really speaks to my soul as the author uses his experiences in Russia to touch basic spiritual matters that everyone has to work through.  I highly recommend it.

6) A recent funny:

A few days ago the following conversation ensued:

Rebekah: Mom, can we get a pet snake?

Me: No.

Rebekah: Mom, can we get a pet at all?

Me: No.

Rebekah (to Samuel): I think we asked her at a bad time.

7) We have a new AC!!

I am pretty sure that we have been living the last ten years, using the air conditioner that was original to this house - built a really long time ago.  It was still running, but just could not keep up on those really hot (one-hundred-plus temps) days, so we have finally decided to upgrade.  As of right this minute, the old one is gone and the ducting and such is all changed up for the new one that is sitting (still in its box) in our yard.  Tomorrow morning they are planning to finish up the install and we can hardly wait!!

And if you have read this far, you get to enjoy these pictures of Zipporah. . . 

Yes??

Can't be bothered.

7 Quick Takes - Things to Remember

1) Rebekah has been saying the word "tarnation" when she is frustrated or forgets something, etc.  I find it odd but entertaining and I have no idea where she picked it up from.

Rebekah LOVES to hold Peter.  She often snuggles him in her lap and enjoys reading or coloring.

2) Peter is a unique baby - compared to his siblings.  He prefers to sleep nestled in someone's arms and will rarely sleep more than a half hour left on his own.  When he is awake though, he will look all around and likes to wiggle.  He is not a sit-and-cuddle type of baby, unless he happens to be asleep, of course.

Here is Peter all snuggled up on Mom.  He does not mind being "worn" this way and it allows Mom to get a few things done!

3) Zipporah is quite possibly the happiest almost-two-year-old I have ever met.  She spends most of her day dancing, giggling, and smiling so hard it must make her cheeks hurt.  She definitely finds all day every day in this family to be one big party.

Zipporah, enjoying pizza.  Yes, that is red marker all over her arms.

4) Miriam is in love with Peter.  When I ask Rebekah to hold him, she always wants to hold him, too.  Likewise, she is almost constantly asking if she can "pet Peter."

Miriam, holding Peter.

5) We came into an excess of cameras.  I had one I was not overly fond of but still works, bought another, and then my parents gave me theirs because they just use their cell phones now.  (Yes, I am the only person left on the planet that does not own a cell phone that takes pictures.)  Anyhow, Rebekah asked if she could "have" one of the cameras.  I told her yes, but did not realize just what that would mean.  Now she takes pictures of EVERYTHING.  She always has that camera.  I find it entertaining, but the hubby gets a little annoyed sometimes.  Oh well.  It is not hurting anything and thankfully digital pictures can just be erased at the click of a button.  No harm, no foul.

I'm not sure if you can see it, but the cord around her neck is the strap for her camera.

6) Now that the novelty of a newborn is wearing off, I'm waiting for my super-powers to show up.  Thankfully, God has blessed me with some amazing and helpful kids so they are definitely helping out as Peter keeps me from getting much sleep these days.  But I'm hopeful that soon I'm just going to turn into "pure awesome" and be able to do everything like I have in the past.

Here is Rebekah, putting Peter to sleep for me (accidentally, but I will take it :)

7) Peter is one-month-old today.  And although his brothers, Samuel, Jacob, and Paul are quite amiable toward him, I am pretty-sure they are going to find him loads more entertaining once he can do more than wiggle and cry.

7 Quick Takes - Time Stands Still

It seems like every time I have a new baby, there is just a short moment while time stands still.  This past week has been that for me.  The big kids are at Grandpa and Grandma's house, so the regular routine is gone, and my life revolves, for this short "moment" around this new little creature God has entrusted to me.  I KNOW I will blink my eyes and be celebrating his first birthday, but right now, I am just soaking him in.  I do not even mind that he will not let me put him down, or that he wakes every two hours to eat.  He is not going to be little for long and I just want to remember him this way - even though I know I will not be able to.  Life is just funny like that I guess.  Anyhow, the following are some of my reflections/observations from this week of bonding bliss, with our new little Peter Joseph.

1) He makes the cutest little noises - similar to a cat, when he is sleeping or trying to wake up sometimes.

2) Peter is the smallest of my babies thus far (weighing 7lbs 13 oz at birth) and he seems absolutely perfect to me.

3) I had forgotten how holding a newborn, while sitting, makes one feel SO WEIGHTED DOWN - as in, "Honey, can you bring me a glass of water, I'm holding THE BABY."

4) Peter prefers to be held basically all the time and protests loudly if left on his own for more than two or three minutes at time.  (Yes, I realize we are "breaking him" by allowing him to dictate the terms of his living arrangement and he will never self-soothe or grow up and get a job because of this, but we hold him anyway and I cannot imagine doing it differently.)

5) I am pleasantly surprised to discover that I have managed to pick up some decent breastfeeding skill and am able to do almost any household chore one-handed, while nursing this sweet baby - or carrying him around asleep after nursing.

6) There is some sort of tangible goodness that comes from a sleeping baby in one's arms.  It permeates everything and leaves a sense of peace and joy in the air.  I'm soaking it in - along with the quite of my clan's absence as they share their "noise" with their grandparents.

7) I am amazed at how good I feel!  Giving birth always gives me quite an emotional high - for several days, but even more than that, I physically feel very good - much better than I expected - a true sign of our merciful God I think :)

Dear God, thank you for the amazing blessing of our seventh child, 
Peter Joseph!!

Peter's Labor Story

If you are one of those that is interested in all the nitty-gritty details of a birth, this post is for you.  The pictures are mostly from the previous post - put more in sequence here.

Labor and Birth of Peter Joseph:

I checked in at the hospital at about 3:45pm.  They got me all hooked up to the monitors and let me sit a bit to make sure baby's heart-rate was doing well.  About 4:30pm they decided baby was quite happy and started me on the Pitocin.

Posing for my adoring fans,

I was at a 2 at this point and maybe 50% effaced.  We started watching one of my favorite movies, Stardust.  

I had just discovered the bed could be turned into this "throne" position and thought it was an awesome way to begin my labor.

My doctor made it to the hospital a little after 5pm and checked on me.  I think it was a little after 6pm when she finally was able to break my water and help my cervix stretch a little – all the way to a 4.  

One of my favored labor positions - on the ball.  I often had to hold the baby monitor in the right spot (as I am doing in this picture), despite the belt, in order to make sure it was tracking the baby's heartbeat and not mine.

I was sitting on the ball a lot or kneeling on the floor by the bed, trying to get my hips to open up while watching the movie.  After a while, I finally started having a few more serious contractions – requiring a little deep breathing.  

My dear hubby was making fun of me at this point as I was just starting to breathe through some of the contractions.  Fortunately they were not too bad yet and I had plenty of breath and patience to tell him to shut up.  :)

Then somewhere around 8pm I was noting that things were starting to get serious.  I was feeling – well, just crappy (as I expect at this point in labor) – some nausea, starting to get the shakes – that means things are doing what they are supposed to be doing, though, so I was grateful for it!  

Things getting more serious - Gordie adding counter-pressure.

My doctor came to check me and I wanted to decline, but was also on the fence about turning up the Pitocin or not, so I let her.  I was sadly still only a 4.  This is part of why I hate being checked – not only is it uncomfortable, it is often discouraging!!  Despite this, we decided the Pitocin was at a good place as things were definitely beginning.  Shortly after that, things got serious.  I slipped into a sort-of “quiet comma” where I just blocked out everything and focused on relaxing and surviving contractions.  I was really comfortable resting my head and upper body on the bed at this point.  And Gordie started giving me counter-pressure in my low back during the contractions.  That really made them not nearly as bad as they had been in past labors.  I had Rebekah turn on some music for me – actually it was “The Stations of the Cross.”  Not that I was really planning on praying “the way” at this time, but it is the most soothing tape I have.  Seriously, it calms me and is so peaceful.  Plus, when I could focus again a little after each contraction there was prayer going – it really helped me as I begged God to help me through labor again.  I basically just survived things for a while.  

At some point – maybe around 9pm, I was starting to get really tired and ready to BE DONE!!  (which is usually a good sign that we are close to the end).  I asked the nurses to invite my doctor back in – she was around, doing some paperwork.  I knew things were getting close, but was afraid to tell them my guess on how many contractions were left because it is discouraging to find out there are more than I guessed – but I remember thinking I had probably less than 20 to go – maybe more like 10.  (At this point in labor, surviving one contraction at a time is how I roll.)  My doc kept asking me if I felt pressure and I kept telling her no as I distinctly remember how it feels when the baby is finally down and ready to come out.  I was still kneeling by the bed at this point – down to hands and knees, letting my hips sag back and open.  My doc wanted to check me, but this was an awkward position for her and she had trouble figuring out what was what.  She wanted me to lie down so she could check me and this is where I asked if I could just lie on the floor – which elicited chuckles from everyone.  Then I realized I did not have to ask them – this was my labor!  So I moved to lay on the floor and they all just dealt with it.  

The black shirt is my main nurse, the navy scrubs are my doctor, my husband is in the back, and you can see my head to the left side as they all had to gather around me on the floor - my position of choice.

My doctor checked me – I was at an 8 and I remember asking her how I needed to move to get the baby to pressure my last part of cervix.  She told me the baby was posterior or anterior – I don't remember which, but those words where too “doctory” for me to process at this point, so I just went back to my knees as that had felt the best for me.  

Funny side-note: The commentator on my Stations of the Cross tape would start each reflection addressing Jesus.  And every time my doctor heard him say “Jesus, . . .” she thought someone was cussing and kept looking around to see who was saying it.

Another couple contractions there and I told my doc I felt some pressure, but it did not feel quite as strong as normal but she asked if she could check me again, as maybe it was time to push!!  (I LOVE time to push – finally takes away the pain of the contractions.)  I stood up and squatted a little – leaning on Gordie, who was squatting even more as he is taller than me.  My doc checked me quickly, right before the next contraction and concluded I could push, but I could tell baby was not quite down all the way.  

Pushing.

Anyhow, I started pushing.  Normally a push or two is all I need, but the nurse told me later I was pushing for a couple minutes or so (which seemed like an eternity to me – hah).  My doctor told me later that it was because he was in there a bit crooked, but fortunately I have had enough babies my body was able to wiggle him as he needed to be and get him out ok.  Finally, I heard my doctor say “STOP PUSHING!!” and I remember responding, “I'M NOT PUSHING!!  I'M NOT PUSHING!! - and I was not trying to, but I think my body was doing it anyhow.  I'm not sure why she said that – maybe the cord was around his neck – my babies often come out that way.  Anyhow, she did whatever she needed to do and he was out on the next push – right as my Stations of the Cross tape finished.  

They handed him to me and it was like I came out of my “quiet zone” and could talk to people again.  I remember saying, “oh, hello everyone, nice to see you here” or something like that – because honestly I had not opened my eyes for the past hour and a half – hah.  And Peter (who had no name yet) was absolutely perfect.  

Welcome Peter Joseph!!

Well, we did it again.  Last night I was induced to bring our newest son, Peter Joseph outside the womb, at about 9:30pm.  

Peter weighed in at 7lbs 13oz and shares a birthday with my father and my oldest nephew.  Rebekah joined me for the labor and was my photographer.  I told her she could take pictures of anything and boy she did.  I'm thankful for her capturing the moments as I was "a little busy."  

Rebekah and Peter Joseph

Random funny side-note: We live 30 minutes from the hospital I delivered at.  As we pulled into the parking lot Rebekah informed us that she had forgotten to put on shoes.  I was afraid they would not let her in!!  Fortunately, no one seemed to notice or care.  Only my daughter. . . 

A special thanks to my dear husband who was amazingly helpful and supportive literally - as I leaned on him to push the little man out while squatting at the end.  Normally my babies only take a push or two.  This little guy was wedged in a little crooked, so it was a couple minutes of pushing - nothing really for me to complain about, but I found out later it was a bit of a physical challenge for my hubby to hold me steady while squatting with me!  I am so blessed to have him, my goofball of a husband, to brighten the day and be my rock.

Here I believe Gordie is making fun of my breathing through a contraction, tell me to focus or some such.  I'm pretty sure I snuck in an extra breath to tell him to shut up.

Things were getting serious here.  Gordie was so good at counter-pressure during contractions.  He made this labor so much more bearable than my past ones.

Rebekah took the pictures, but there is a sort of "accidental?" creativity to this one I think.  I was pushing at this point.

Random fun note from this delivery. . .

*At one point I was kneeling by the bed - my favorite position and the doc wanted me to lie down so she could check me.  I remember asking, "Can I just lie on the floor?"  Because I am a big floor person nowadays - honestly I sit on our wood floor at home several times a day.  Anyhow, that question got a good chuckle out of everyone and then it dawned on me that I really was in charge of this labor and could do whatever the heck I wanted, so I laid myself right on the floor for the next couple contractions.  Doc checked me and then I decided I did not like that position to so I was up on my knees again soon, but I'm pretty sure they were a bit shocked by my craziness.

This is not the best picture obviously, but the black shirt is one of my nurses, the scrubs are my doc, Gordie is in the back and my head is to the side.  These poor people had to put up with my labor insanity circling up around me on the floor.  They were so good to me.

*Rebekah took some of the most random pictures.  But I am so glad she was able to document things.  These are totally out of order, by the way, but I'm limited on time and ability to organize them better at the moment, so you get what you get.

Doc in "the booties" - guess we were getting close to delivery at this point!

They had a plethora of ball choices.  This was my first time to sit on a "peanut" ball, but it was surprisingly comfortable!

Monitors and cords everywhere when you have to be on pitocin, but hey, it gets that baby out!

More belts and cords, I think I was posing for this one.

Rebekah was fascinated with my IV.  And I must say, my nurse did an excellent job!  She got it in on the first try and made it super-secure so there was no worry of pulling it out.

This was pretty early on.  I think it was the first time I realized the bed could be made into a "throne" like this - super comfy!!

A bit blurry, but this is my doctor, sitting here in my room, chatting it up with me while I'm in labor.  I am so blessed to have her delivering my babies!  And yes, she is pretty-much this happy and cheerful all the time.

Enjoying one of the peanut balls.  This was still early-on, I'm pretty sure I was watching a movie still here, waiting for things to get "serious."

I am guessing this was taken right as baby was born (as I think his "official time" was 9:24 pm).  I am impressed with Rebekah's thoughtfulness to capture the time.