Journal #33

Out My Window:

Supposedly it is about 90 degrees. . . I might or might not have gone to weather.com to find that out.  I have not really been outside much today yet, other than to hang out diapers.

Clothing Myself In:

Today I am wearing my current favorite shirt - as in I wear it every time it is clean.  I distinctly remember purchasing it a couple years ago to wear for Samuel's first communion, as I was postpartum at the time and needing something to match one of my skirts.  I really enjoy the vibrant color.  I will include a picture for your viewing pleasure.  I'm pairing it with a pair of black cotton shorts that are my recent favorite as well, even though I am becoming an "old lady" insofar as I tend to prefer Capri pants over shorts - for some reason covering my knees makes me more comfortable for social outings.

Around the House:

Totus Tuus, a Catholic summer bible camp, is going on in our town.  Rebekah, Samuel, and Jacob are old enough to attend.  We had the team over for dinner on Monday night and everyone had a good time.  This year they actually have TWO teams, so those eight people plus my nine people (my family) looked a little scary to me.  I decided to go with two pans of lasagna and ended up with quite a bit left-over, but better safe than sorry!!  We also did two pans of brownies and none of the children are complaining about extra dessert on the menu tonight.

The table was set by Rebekah, with care, in hopes that the Totus Tuus team soon would be there.

The Baby:

He is adorable, of course.  He still grunts and fusses when I lay him down for naps and at night, but often he will give me an hour or two this way.  Peter really likes to sleep in my arms in the easy-chair.  I'm at a loss as this is my first baby that is not very comfortable lying beside me in my king-sized bed (which we bought so I could nurse my babies lying down I might add) and that was always my trump card - the secret to me getting sleep after having a baby.  Unfortunately he is immune to this attack so I am having to learn to adapt and it is hard some days.  Especially since I have recently had surgery to remove a varicose vein that was giving me trouble.  Peter was a challenge to deal with during that and after as I try to rest and get better and still fight with him over sleeping positions at night.  I know he will soon be sleeping much better and I will soon recover fully and be better than ever, but it sure feels like time is moving extra slow at the moment!

Peter, 8-weeks-old

The Kids:

They really enjoyed themselves at Dad's yearly work picnic.  The hospital he works for brings in lots of fun stuff for the kids, including several different bounce houses for big and little kids, face painting booths, snow cones, bubble stations, sports games, etc, along with food, of course.  It is always hot, but a good time.  This year they even had a carnival ride (one of those "scrambler"-type rides - my kids had a blast on it and Rebekah had their car spinning like mad, even during loading and unloading).

Grandma also surprised the children by coming to town (she lives 2.5 hrs away) that afternoon and taking them to the pool.  Then she watched all the kiddos, even Peter, so Gordie and I could have a dinner out.  She rounded out the evening by attending Paul and Miriam's Vacation Bible School concert (aka, the kids sang some songs and did actions).  Paul refused to sing or do the actions and Daddy has definitely made him rue the day he would bring so much dishonor on our family.

Education:

We had basketball camp last week, as well as Vacation Bible School for the little kids.  This week is Totus Tuus for the big kids.  Next week we will get our summer learning started.  (and get back to finishing up that school work!!)  And I am actually nerdily excited as I was cleaning out some of my homeschooling supplies and found some Kumon math workbooks that had not been used.  They will be perfect for keeping up our skills this summer.

In the Kitchen:

Why did God create us to require so much food!?!?!?  

We are living off of what I can find in the freezer and lately that has been ok, thanks to my giant roaster meals of a few weeks back.  Unfortunately it means a bit of repetition in meals, though, so I really should add a few more recipes to the mix I suppose.  

I am personally trying to cut out grains and sugar again (eating mostly Whole 30) as I always feel better that way, but it is an especially difficult task at this time when I'm not getting a lot of sleep or feeling the best.  Those two obstacles tend to lead me to poor food choices, but I am consciously trying to stack the deck in my favor by having food on-hand that is desirable and compliant - such as the fixings for a taco salad (one of my favorite dishes) and single-serving jars of my favorite sweet potato-chicken soup (made in my roaster-of-awesome, of course) that I pull from the freezer one at a time.  Plus I recently created a type of egg-bake that I can make ahead and munch for breakfast (just sauteed onions, sausage, eggs, and a bit of coconut oil - simple but still yummy and filling).

On a random by practical note, I was in need of more and larger drinking containers for the children.  I had purchased these glass glasses for them a few years back when I was trying to decrease our use of plastic.  These worked ok and actually none have broken yet, but they only held just over eight ounces of liquid.  We have since upgraded to these metal cups.  And they are awesome, but. . . if you stack them wet (as in right out of the dishwasher), they will stick together!!  However, I discovered today (all on my own, with no help from google) that a short soak in hot dishwater will loosen them enough to pull back apart.  The kids now have explicit instructions to stack them apart until they are completely dry in order to avoid such a struggle (literally) in the future.

Thinking About:

I am proud to report that I did finally recall what I wanted to share for my last journal, the topic was how malleable I feel I am as an adult.  And I wonder if most adults are not similar to me.  The phrase "old and crochety" is one I would have used to describe some stubborn aged people I have dealt with before, but I wonder now if people do not appear stubborn as they grow older simply because they are so able to change, but they fear it!  They fear making the wrong choice because by that point in life, they have probably made a lot of them and had to live with the consequences!  I am not THAT old but still feel this way on many accounts.  Anyhow, what really began this line of thinking was my continued pondering of how many things I initially thought I would never do, I have done - such as get married, have kids, shoot a gun, or even do step aerobics!  (And now my step aerobics tapes are still my favorites to turn to for exercise in my home-gym.)  And suddenly I realize that I am only bound by my fear of change.  But once I let go of that fear and just see things as they are, then as I stumble on simple truths I find myself changing to suite them and loving the heck out of it - such as my newfound love of minimal shoes and sitting on the floor instead of my couch!  Not surprisingly this has made my marriage better as ideas from my husband that I would have dismissed immediately before are suddenly not-such-a-bad-idea and I feel we have had some real fruit from my openness to change and not get so caught-up on silly things.

Bringing Me Joy:

Coffee. . . sad but true, my regular Cup a Joe has really kept me sane the past couple of weeks.

Hope for a fun summer once our crazy activities and commitments slow down a bit.  ---Funny, but I actually MISS my children while sending them to basketball camp and then Totus Tuus.  I can hardly wait for them to be all home again so we can study, eat, play, and pray together like usual.

Pictures to Share:

Rebekah has apparently been watching me use my woven wrap to carry Peter around.  She whipped up these to carriers for her and Miriam.  I love her creativity and I love when these two girls play together.  It warms my heart.

Plastic knives. . . oh my!

Miriam and Zipporah - the two queens of dress-up these days :)  And that is Paul's hand with a lego turtle, just because.

Please pardon Zipporah's crazy hair - I had not gotten her "palm tree" in yet.  That is actually one of my shirts she is using as a cover, while sitting on her brother's blanket.

Smile!

Journal #32

Out My Window:

Sunny and warm - about 80 degrees.  Beautiful weather really.  Just a tad on the windy side (which I note because Peter was gulping in air earlier - wind still confuses him, poor guy.)

Clothing Myself In:

Black shorts and a nursing undershirt - because I was wearing Mr. Peter in my woven wrap earlier and it is easier to nurse if I put it on with just my undershirt (and cooler, too).

Don't worry, when I am up moving about, I tuck his head in more.  When he falls asleep his head basically falls off if I fail to tuck it in, hence how he looks in this picture!

Top-down view of Peter in the wrap.  Looks kinda funny to see his head and his leg, like that, right?

Around the House:

We just had Peter's baptism on Sunday, so we were "forced" to clean up - and not just clean the main room and the kitchen, but due to the amount of people coming (and the variety - some menfolk that like to hang out in the garage, etc) we cleaned pretty-much EVERYWHERE.  Too bad you cannot really tell anymore, but man for that day, it looked pretty tidy around here.  I guess the bottom of the garage is still pretty clean, but we do not necessarily spend a lot of time there.

Please pardon the flash.  I did think to take a picture without it, but it was actually worse that way because of the poor lighting in the room at the time.  Photography is hard!  :)  In any case, I just love this picture in this frame.  Peter looks so "I am SO TIRED and grumpy" and the frame is all "happy, pretty, God-loves-you!!!"  Such a fun contrast.

Our house is by no means small.  Well, the rooms might be considered "small" and it is not "ranch style" so it can "feel" kinda cramped, but we do have five bedrooms and a good-sized laundry/storage room.  I was just pondering today (as most of the family is gone to Scout Camp - just Miriam, Zipporah, Peter, and myself home) how much room we would have if these were my only three children.  So what' I'm trying to say is that our family is definitely starting to "fill up" this house!  I am slowly trying to rid us of the extra clutter but it is a long and grueling process. . . much like shoveling snow in the middle of a snowstorm, but I am TRYING!!  My latest idea has been to fill every box that comes in before it goes back out.  So when I got a box of diapers from Amazon last week I filled it with books to donate before it went back out.  While it would make sense to try and do a giant purge (as in look at all the books at once and decide which to keep - but our "library" spans six rooms!!), I simply do not have the time or means of keeping the children out of the way, in order to accomplish one giant sweep.  So little by little, box by box, I will keep trying to get this beast of a house under control, knowing I cannot let off even for a minute or more stuff is just going to be brought back immediately!

The Baby:

Well, this is my first post since "the baby" is officially not Zipporah anymore!  I think Peter is ready for the spotlight, though.  He is filling out quite well - but to 12lbs 5 oz and just the right size to squeeze and love on.  His favorite pastimes are fussing, nursing, and being carried in my woven wrap.  We have determined his Indian name is "Grunts-a-Lot." (P.S. No offense was meant to any set of "peoples" by calling it an "Indian" name.)  

Peter, seven weeks old. . . well, actually seven weeks and one day because I FORGOT to take a picture on his "official" seven-week-birthday.  Oops!  Pardon the extra day.  For a seventh-child, he should just be happy he has a baby picture at all, right?!?

Peter does not really like to be alone yet.  He will occasionally doze for up to an hour on his own, but he much prefers to be nestled in someone's arms or hanging out amidst the chaos of his siblings.  But I figure that is the life he has known since he was conceived so why fight it.

Education:

Summer is here!!  Unfortunately Rebekah and Samuel still have Language Arts Literature, and Comprehension to finish up for this past school year.  Rebekah also has some Science and just a little bit of GUM (General Usage and Mechanics - grammar and such).  They also have their German course open still since I did not let them in it much during the "regular school year" as it seemed a little too much like straight-up playing time on the computer since the course is basically just a bunch of games, but I understand that doing a foreign language over the computer, in a self-directed, lesson-by-lesson fashion is going to be quite an undertaking.  They are picking up some vocabulary and enjoying themselves, so I call it a win.

I have great hopes of continuing our writing practice over the summer and of delving deeper into our Catechism books, as well as continuing our study of Scripture.  I'm also considering adding some new prayer times and prayer forms.  I have done the Liturgy of the Hours some with Rebekah and would like to make it a regular habit for both her and Samuel.  Also I have been meaning to pray the rosary more with the little kids (maybe just a decade at a time) and am toying with trying some guided meditation with all of them (or those that will sit still and listen for it - which generally varies day by day).

The Kids:

Being home today with just the youngest three (as I mentioned above) has really brought home how much I appreciate our family dynamic.  We are a big family, but everyone seems to like it that way.  The kids LOVE to play together and rarely fight.  And when the DO fight it is usually a minor spat ("He hit me!") and then all is forgotten within a few minutes.

We were a little concerned, before Peter was born, that Zipporah would not take well to a new baby in the house.  Actually it has been quite the opposite.  She LOVES the "baby" and will come up and say, "Hello Baby!" and pat him gently and give him his blankie.  Then she will laugh and run off to play.  She still does not say his name, but "Baby" works.

In the Kitchen:

So a long time ago, my crockpot broke.  I went to replace it and delayed, caught up in "potentially made-up" concerns of lead poisoning from the glaze on typical crockpots - as most come from China.  After contacting the local Extension Office and voicing my concerns I feel confident that most crockpots are probably fine and this just another "scare tactic" that is being used to promote certain products.  But in any case, since I was buying a new pot anyone, I decided to upgrade.  I upgraded to a pressure cooker (that would also slow-cook) and this has opened new doors for me in preparing meals faster and in preparing more foods better (as in steaming things to perfection and making soup that is amazing).  Plus it does it all in a stainless steel tub, so no concern whatsoever about it introducing toxins into your food!  Unfortunately, the pressure cooker, although technically holding the same quantity as my past crockpot, simply was not coping well with the large roasts I was trying to cook and sometimes with the larger pieces of chicken or vegetables I would stuff in it for slow-cooking.  I believe this was because the shape of the pressure cooker is more vertical and the crockpot was more horizontal.  So basically the food was just too squished.  And thus, I got to upgrade AGAIN!!

We are now the proud owners of an 18 quart roaster oven!!  We have had it for about three days and I've already cooked a roaster full of taco meat and am currently slow-cooking some chicken and veggie soup.  I'm also thawing TWO giant pork roasts to cook TOGETHER tomorrow.  Rather than just look for small step up from our 6-quart - to maybe a 7 or 8 quart crockpot, I discussed it with the hubby and we concluded that this was a smart move for our growing family.  And wow, I am feeling great about it already!!  I am looking forward to being able to prepare "too-much" food so we can freeze some for another meal or two!!

Taco meat for our weekly "Mexican" meal.  I doubled my recipe, but I still have quite a bit of room so I think I will quadruple it next time.

All into the jars, ready to be frozen.  Usually we pull out two jars at a time for a meal.

And fear not, that pressure cooker is still seeing plenty of action cooking specific pieces of the meals, like steaming potatoes, making rice, or cooking straight-up frozen meat in under an hour.  (How is that for an endorsement? :)

Thinking About:

Wow, this is embarrassing. . . I had something I really wanted to share.  As in I was pondering this and so eager to put the idea out here.  And now that I have reached this point in my reflection, whatever it was I had been thinking about has fled my mind.  I'll post a few more random thoughts as I attempt to remember. . . 

*Today was the first day I have ever forgotten to brush my hair after my shower.  (I attribute this to how difficult it is to care for three young children.  Seriously, I may have a lot of children and people are always saying how full my hands are, but I am convinced now that my seven children are less trouble together than just the youngest three - hence the completely forgetting to brush my hair after finally squeezing in a shower just before lunch.)

*I was reading this book last night about doctors and contraception and abortion and it has made me begin to ponder how abortion is handled in the medical field.  The book (granted I'm only made it into the second chapter before growing too tired to read more) was making it sound like all doctors are bullied into performing abortions - usually as they are finishing up their training, but the book is older (written back in the 1980's) so maybe things were different then as abortion was just beginning.  Or maybe I have just had my head in the sand on this one.

Bringing Me Joy:

*A baby to hold and love and cuddle!!  (Even if he fusses.)

*My oldest daughter.  She is such a blessing in so many ways!

Pictures to Share:

Samuel and his frog.

Rebekah and her frog.

This is a common site most days.  Samuel's schoolwork is entertaining to his two brothers. . . especially if he is playing educational games at the moment and I am guessing from the guilty look on his face here, that is what is going on here.

New call sign: Peter Joseph, child of God

Hooray, Peter Joseph has been baptized into the Catholic faith!!

Peter Joseph, in the baptismal gown made from my grandma's wedding dress.  All of Grandma's grandchildren were baptized in it and so far all of her great grandchildren as well.

Papa holding Peter.

Nana and Papa with Peter

Grandma holding Peter, after he took off his gown, with Rebekah.

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!!