Blooming Where We're Planted

As Jack is currently screaming over the monitor about the injustice of having to take a nap on a Saturday, it is hard to believe that just yesterday we were calmly and peacefully observers in one of the great public parks of the country, Forest Park. As a reluctant midwesterner, (I swear, I tried to branch out to the coasts, no one has ever hired me) I sometimes forget about what a wonderful place we call home. Yes, it has some setbacks and is miles, miles, miles away from the ocean, but it does have great friends, great families, common sense, lack of pretention and gorgeous park settings going for it. After a very long visit by Grandma, Jack and I drove her to the airport and stopped off for lunch in the park. A lovely time was had by all.

FIVE MONTHS OLD

This week we mark the twins' 5 month birthday. They are rolling over, smiling and....gasp...yes, readers, I do believe we are teething. Our friend Kyle told us about these herbal drops he gave his daughters when Jack was little, I'll have to go out and find the voodoo drops later!

I am happy to report a healthy week, but sad to report that our toliet learning is going slowly. The good news is that it appears to be progressing, just not in the clean, sanitary ways I had hoped. Motherhood is nothing if not messy.

Our business opportunities do not seem to be panning out this week, a mixture of lack of time for research and client contact. A big excise tax fight is brewing in Illinois, I have made my presence known, here's hoping that I get a call back. Fighting back fears that leaving corporate America was a terrible, terrible idea. Oh, why, oh why, can't we have it all, all at once? And the work-life balance teeter-totter topples again.

In pictures, the entire family + Nana visit the Zoo, no, I didn't take pictures of any of the animals, I don't know why. Jack holds Brooke's hand in the car (seriously cute), the twins in their double snap n' go, Jack makes 'pancakes' in the sandbox, and Jack has the best seat in the house to see the elephants. Happy, happy Friday.

Mother's Day 2009

It is naptime for the children this Mother's Day, after a fight to get Jack down, Brooke is sleeping in her swing and Princess Caroline is practically holding open her eyelids with her fingers on my lap. And crying from time to time. Such is the life of a 4-month-old.

After a terrible month of colds and flus, I am happy to report that we are all in good health. Jack is taking the month of May off from his class, but we have decided to send him back in June and hope for the best. In a recent visit to the pediatrician, she suggested that we should assist Jack in claiming a new identity besides being my "baby," and that will help him get a bit more used to being a big brother. And so, we are lauding the benefits of being a big boy, getting to go to school, having your own bed, getting to wear a watch, sitting on the potty. We have also promised Jack a goldfish when he decides to give up his diapers. At least we are moving in that direction.

Having been mothered myself by an unconventional mother, I sometimes struggle in my new mommy role. Despite the difficulty that some days present, I truly have joy each and every day, something that I did not have before having a family. And so, we reach this day with great gratitude and renewed belief that dreams can come true.

Our Nana is featured in two pictures with Jack, reading Peter Rabbit before bed and then just today at brunch, smiling at Jack trying on her new summer hat. The mother-in-law relationship is touchy sometimes, but I think that the universe decided that I had enough managing with mother figures already and gave me a great one. She helps me more than anyone else with the kids and I am very thankful that she lives so close. Brooke (green) and Caroline (pink) model their dresses (they got dressed up for dinner with Grandpa Clyde). Dreaded tummy time is also featured. We are headed to the zoo post-nap, so will have more photos to share later.

Here's the bill for my services.......

Jack pulled out a subscription renewal card from a magazine this morning, handed it to me and said, "Here's a bill for my services." No, I don't know where he heard it. We laughed.

Since the last post, I lost my voice entirely and had a 102 temperature, etc. I was, of course, convinced I had the swine flu. (Didn't). I am still getting my voice back. The girls both caught what Jack had and went back to the doctor on Thursday. They have a cold. Brooke finally caught the brunt of it today, so we are working through that. I am trying to get used to childhood illnesses.

J returned from his golf trip and Nana saved the day, once again, while he was gone. She stayed up with the twins for an entire night and that did the most to get me on the path to healing. I hate being sick, as it makes my normally dark thoughts turn desperate, not a good look for anyone. Here's hoping that next week goes better. In the picture, Caroline shows us her sad eyes, which have a cold. Probably best that I was unable to catch Jack's blood-filled burst blood vessel eye.

The Emergency Room

I knew it would come, I just hoped that it not be so soon. On Saturday, Jack came down with what turned out to be a bad cold, but had the symptoms of congestion coming out of the eyes, 103 degree temperatures, a broken blood vessel in the eye and horrendous cold symptoms and then, for added effect, went lethargic on us around 6 pm on a Saturday. Repeated calls to an idiot stand-in pediatrician (who did turn out to be right) provided no assurance (he insisted it was a cold), so we called our new friend and new doctor as it turns out, who advised a visit to urgent care at Children's. With a sitter on the way because we had planned to go out on Saturday, we waited for her to stay with the girls and over to St. Louis we went.

The urgent care center at Children's was closed, so all patients were referred to the emergency room, where there was a 4 1/2 hour wait. Not to mention that it was a study in utter chaos, picture 100 kids on 100 parental laps, all coughing, sneezing or holding a basin in front of them. It looked like the sick room in pre-war Ellis Island. Not people able to wait 4 1/2 hours, we were referred to Missouri Baptist (another 30 minutes away) or Cardinal Glennon, the smaller children's hospital in town and about 10 minutes away. (Did you know that emergency rooms aren't allowed to give out wait times? I get why, but how about a ballpark? Awful). Anyway, the person answering at CG said that things were moving pretty well and she was right. We made it into triage about 15 minutes after arrival, assisted by the fact that Jack's eyes were now encrusted shut and swollen. With 103.5 temperature, we had a high dose of Tylenol and a popsicle tout suite! The staff were fabulous and fast, I am an official fan. A chest x-ray and evaluations by two doctors and we were on our way, with a sheet on dealing with upper respiratory viruses at home. (Wash hands, take Tylenol, wait for it to run its course. Overachievers will include saline nose drops and a humidifier.) As for the eyes, apparently a cold can spread to the eyes, hence the congestion (it's not pink eye) and he coughed so hard, he burst a blood vessel in his upper eye, which is giving him the Dracula effect. So, that was Saturday.

Sunday we split the family and J stayed in the basement with the twinnies and stayed upstairs with Jack and watched Dora the Explorer. I hate Dora. We had a brief sojourn into Handy Manny, who is more tolerable, but in our illness, we reverted back to Dora. She's apparently like comfort food.

So, now we are waiting for the virus to spread through the family unit. I believe that all of these illnesses are coming from Jack's Mother's Day Out program, which I think he has to quit. With such little twins at home, we just can't go through this every other week. Well, I just can't go through this every other week. He starts preschool in the fall, which will have the same effect, but the twins will be 8 months old by then and a little stronger. All a little depressed around here, but this too shall pass. At least I am at home to weather these storms with the kids. No pictures this week as I can't find my camera AND our main computer's hard drive crashed, so I have to reload the camera software, etc.

Family Fun at Easter

In the management of a 2 year old boy, my only hope is to tire him out and change activities about every 20 minutes. The first picture is the result of my stretching an activity past that time. There are no words. Ok, maybe two words....blue ears. Sigh. I wouldn't change a thing, though. He is making me more joyful, which is hard to do!

The rest of the pictures....the twinnies in their pack n play, a recent addition to the kitchen. We hosted the 3rd Easter Egg Hunt of the year at our house. Jack. Elizabeth and Noelle embark on the back yard. Aunt Jerri and Laurie look for the White family tradition of the coveted Black easter egg, which contains big money. Elizabeth found it this year, $20 bounty! Aunt Emmy holds Caroline in her Easter dress and Nana holds Brooke as she is admired by her cousins. The twins and the rest of the family had terrible colds, so the Easter dresses were a bust. At some point we'll have to dress them again and get them to smile but there was much wailing on the actual Easter Sunday, so we were unable to get them posed.

I embrace week 3 as a freelancer......I may not be cut out for this, I am nervous about work each minute of each day as I hunt for clients. AND I am considering a franchise opportunity as well, which is a crazy good idea, but scary nonetheless. I am trying to steel myself for bigger ideas!!

The Hunt of an Egg

With Easter fast approaching, it's been a week full of egg hunts, parades and family visits. With the start of school, Jack picked up a terrible cold, which he then passed onto Brooke and me. On Monday, he had a 102 temperature and was terribly congested. We all seem to be letting the cold move through, part of life, but not fun.

This is week No. 1 of officially being a stay-at-home mom trying to start a business. After many, many years of being completely busy with work, I am now completely busy with babies. It's a good change, but it does make me a little nervous. I'm thrilled to have the time to stay home and give the family and my consulting business a try, but I hope I have the stomach for it. It all makes me a bit nervous.

We are so lucky to have Emily and Nana visiting for Easter. They both arrived on Thursday and their visits are way too shortlived. Feeding the twins only takes a 1/2 hour with two feeders compared to an hour on my own. Such a time saver!

In the pictures, Jack is cuddled by the Easter Bunny at the neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Our good friend Kristen arranged it and did a great job.

Brookie enjoys the back deck with Jack.
The next picture is of Jack and his second cousins, Noelle and Elizabeth at Noelle and Jack's preschool egg hunt. Jack and Caroline hang out together, the twins rock with Aunt Emmy and Caroline smiles for the camera while enjoying a little fresh air.