Brothers
Sooooooo Tired.....
I have a confession. Justus will be 16 months old and was still taking a bottle until yesterday. I have finally decided it's time to ween him off. Or should I say make him quit COLD TURKEY! He also still wakes up at night about every 3 hours and I gave him a bottle of milk. I know it's bad for their teeth and all that but I have done all my boys the same way and it's my fault for not breaking this sooner.
When a crying baby wakes me up at night I would give him just about anything he wanted to make him be quiet. Not to mention I am usually sleep walking. So it's time to break the bad habits and create some new ones.....SLEEPING! I am so tired of being tired. Every morning I wake up feeling exhausted like I didn't sleep at all the night before. One hour here and one hour there isn't REAL sleep. And since we know this is our last one I am ready to move on to the next phase in my life and that includes getting a full nights rest.
Our oldest son Jacob is 9 and I don't think I've slept a full 8 hours in 9 years. Of course my husband does get up with them sometimes too but being a light sleeper I hear every little noise and cannot just lay there and listen to my baby cry. So I have done everything imaginable to get them to sleep. I've slept in the recliner more times than I can count with a baby on my chest because that was his favorite place to be. I've put them in the bed with me against all the rules because that's what felt natural and most comfortable for us. I've gotten in the bed with them so we wouldn't wake up daddy. I've slept sitting up in a rocking chair while nursing. I've fallen asleep in the floor of his room. I've walked laps through the house singing and praying for him to sleep. Through the last nine years I've done what I had to do to help my baby's feel loved and comfortable.
Now it's my turn! I need to be able to think clearly and focus on what needs to be done each day like homeschooling, laundry, dishes, dinner, baths, checkbook and being a wife. So last night Justus got his last bottle. I washed them all and bagged them up for our next yard sale. I resisted the urge to give him a bottle all night last night. He got milk in a sippy cup this morning and he didn't really drinking all of it.
So here we go again tonight. I hope it goes better and more quietly than the last.
When a crying baby wakes me up at night I would give him just about anything he wanted to make him be quiet. Not to mention I am usually sleep walking. So it's time to break the bad habits and create some new ones.....SLEEPING! I am so tired of being tired. Every morning I wake up feeling exhausted like I didn't sleep at all the night before. One hour here and one hour there isn't REAL sleep. And since we know this is our last one I am ready to move on to the next phase in my life and that includes getting a full nights rest.
Our oldest son Jacob is 9 and I don't think I've slept a full 8 hours in 9 years. Of course my husband does get up with them sometimes too but being a light sleeper I hear every little noise and cannot just lay there and listen to my baby cry. So I have done everything imaginable to get them to sleep. I've slept in the recliner more times than I can count with a baby on my chest because that was his favorite place to be. I've put them in the bed with me against all the rules because that's what felt natural and most comfortable for us. I've gotten in the bed with them so we wouldn't wake up daddy. I've slept sitting up in a rocking chair while nursing. I've fallen asleep in the floor of his room. I've walked laps through the house singing and praying for him to sleep. Through the last nine years I've done what I had to do to help my baby's feel loved and comfortable.
Now it's my turn! I need to be able to think clearly and focus on what needs to be done each day like homeschooling, laundry, dishes, dinner, baths, checkbook and being a wife. So last night Justus got his last bottle. I washed them all and bagged them up for our next yard sale. I resisted the urge to give him a bottle all night last night. He got milk in a sippy cup this morning and he didn't really drinking all of it.
So here we go again tonight. I hope it goes better and more quietly than the last.
My Heart is Breaking...
After I had some dental work done recently I explained to the boys what was done. Jaron asked me "Do I have to get fake teeth?" Because he is missing his two front teeth and the two beside those where the cleft was. I tried my best to explain to him that everyone has different teeth and he will need braces and maybe some fake teeth. to fill in the space. We'll just have to wait and see. But I assured him that I love his teeth and there is nothing wrong with him.
Then a couple days later he told Jacob, while they were playing outside, "That's it! I want to cut my lip off!" And Jacob came to tell me about it. I asked him why he would say that and he said I don't know. I said were you looking at Jacob's mouth and noticed he looks different? He said yes. I told him he has the best cleft lip repair I have ever seen and Dr. Mulliken did an AWESOME JOB! I reminded him that God makes us all different. Some people have fat lips, thin lips, wide lips, little lips. Everyone is unique and that's what makes us all special. I told him if we all looked exactly the same this world would be pretty boring. He agreed and we didn't talk about it again.
Then the next day while taking a bath he said "Hey mommy I had bully." I said what's his name? And he told me Thomas was saying mean things to him like "you're so little, you can't even swim" I said well he doesn't know you very well because you can swim. I asked Jaron if Thomas only said that one time or a lot and he said about "17 times". When I asked him if he told the teacher he said no and I also asked him if said mean things to Thomas he said no.
But now we are homeschooling and won't have to worry about bullies anymore. Well maybe when they are adults but they will be better equiped to respond.
My heart is breaking because Jaron is finally noticing he looks a little different and he's not happy about it. I want him to be confident in who God made him. I knew this day would come. I hope we as parents can do and say the right things to help Jaron feel more confident and not be ashamed of his mouth.
Our new neighbors have 4 children the youngest is a 6 year old girl and Jaron likes her. I told him to keep his cleft a secret and see how it takes her to ask about it. I said she might not even notice. And so he agreed we'll keep it a secret until one of the children asks.
Do you have cleft affected children or family members? If so were they bullied? How did you encourage them? Suggestions please....
Then a couple days later he told Jacob, while they were playing outside, "That's it! I want to cut my lip off!" And Jacob came to tell me about it. I asked him why he would say that and he said I don't know. I said were you looking at Jacob's mouth and noticed he looks different? He said yes. I told him he has the best cleft lip repair I have ever seen and Dr. Mulliken did an AWESOME JOB! I reminded him that God makes us all different. Some people have fat lips, thin lips, wide lips, little lips. Everyone is unique and that's what makes us all special. I told him if we all looked exactly the same this world would be pretty boring. He agreed and we didn't talk about it again.
Then the next day while taking a bath he said "Hey mommy I had bully." I said what's his name? And he told me Thomas was saying mean things to him like "you're so little, you can't even swim" I said well he doesn't know you very well because you can swim. I asked Jaron if Thomas only said that one time or a lot and he said about "17 times". When I asked him if he told the teacher he said no and I also asked him if said mean things to Thomas he said no.
But now we are homeschooling and won't have to worry about bullies anymore. Well maybe when they are adults but they will be better equiped to respond.
My heart is breaking because Jaron is finally noticing he looks a little different and he's not happy about it. I want him to be confident in who God made him. I knew this day would come. I hope we as parents can do and say the right things to help Jaron feel more confident and not be ashamed of his mouth.
Our new neighbors have 4 children the youngest is a 6 year old girl and Jaron likes her. I told him to keep his cleft a secret and see how it takes her to ask about it. I said she might not even notice. And so he agreed we'll keep it a secret until one of the children asks.
Do you have cleft affected children or family members? If so were they bullied? How did you encourage them? Suggestions please....
Jacob is Homeschooling too!
After I homeschooled Jaron for 2 weeks Jacob was begging to come home. He walked in the door Friday and said he brought everything home with him and he thought he was making the right decision. He wanted to be home with his brother so Jaron wouldn't have to learn alone. Over the weekend we talked about it a lot and decided to let him stay home. He was begging! I knew he had a math book he could work on from school and I can print things online to get us by for the first few days until I decided what to do.
Monday and Tuesday went well. I had Jaron at the counter and Jacob at the table working on all different subjects. Going back and forth helping each one as needed and encouraging them to keep up the good work. All while Jonah and Justus were playing in the living room and watching Baby Einstein. I wanted to try out time4learning.com so I signed them up yesterday and we got up this morning after breakfast and tried to get comfortable using it. They offer an online curriculum for PreK-8th grade. We are taking the day to practice with it and get a feel for how things work. It seems pretty self explanatory and very user friendly.
The work is graded automatically so that saves me a lot of time and paperwork. I can print reports to keep on file of their school hours, grades and work completed. They even offer "playground time" with games but I can limit the use of that. They each have their own password to login with. It's really a neat program so far.
This is not a christian curriculum so we are going to be reading Bible stories and memorizing verses still everyday after they complete their online work. I am just using this time4learning to finish up this school year~only 8 more weeks.
Monday and Tuesday went well. I had Jaron at the counter and Jacob at the table working on all different subjects. Going back and forth helping each one as needed and encouraging them to keep up the good work. All while Jonah and Justus were playing in the living room and watching Baby Einstein. I wanted to try out time4learning.com so I signed them up yesterday and we got up this morning after breakfast and tried to get comfortable using it. They offer an online curriculum for PreK-8th grade. We are taking the day to practice with it and get a feel for how things work. It seems pretty self explanatory and very user friendly.
The work is graded automatically so that saves me a lot of time and paperwork. I can print reports to keep on file of their school hours, grades and work completed. They even offer "playground time" with games but I can limit the use of that. They each have their own password to login with. It's really a neat program so far.
This is not a christian curriculum so we are going to be reading Bible stories and memorizing verses still everyday after they complete their online work. I am just using this time4learning to finish up this school year~only 8 more weeks.
Terrifying Tornadoes!!!
The big boys woke up asking "why were we under Jonah's bed?" they really had no idea they slept there all night. Ignorance really is bliss.
Camping inside...
With a few blankets thrown over the kitchen chairs they were in heaven. Crawling through, around and under. It was awesome and kept them busy about 45 minutes then we had to take it down for dinner time.
Trying New Things
We invested in another trundle bed for Jonah and Justus's room. One day he will be crawling out of the crib and he will move to the bottom bed that is hidden under this one. Jonah loves it! He feels so big with is new bed.
Then I tried to be a cool mom and make a spiderman pancake. This is the best I could do...
Justus discovered he can carry a backpack and he loved it. He looks so grown up in this picture.
And I tried something new.....fun pancakes. I got a squirt bottle with a very small tip and put pancake mix in it. I got the pan hot first and squirted the outline of what I wanted and let it cook for a minute. Then used a cup to fill in the rest. And TADA!!! The kids loved them and said the baseball tasted like baseball.
Jaron's First Day Homeschooling
Well after many months of feeling like I should take Jaron out of school and teach him hear at home....I finally did it. Friday was his last day of public school. He has a hard time focusing and staying on task in a classroom full of children and only one teacher. I knew that I could provide him with the one on one attention he needs to get his work done.
Today was our first day of homeschooling and we survived! His teacher sent home a chart of things he needs to work on in Writing and Language Arts. Also she sent home his science and math workbooks that he needs to complete by the end of the year. I have done all the necessary paperwork (one form) for the state to notify them he is homeschooling now. All I have to do now is record his attendance and mail it in to them once a month.
I went to the local school supply store and bought a couple of books with activities in them for all subjects. We already have a lot of stuff like handwriting paper and arts and craft supplies. I had a rough idea of what I wanted him to do but did not plan ahead I just got all the work books out and let him pick what he wanted to do next. He has a hard time sitting still so I let him do 30 minutes at a time with 15-30 minute breaks in between each subject. He chose math first, then map skills, creative writing, science, language arts, Art (painting and playdough)...
...then reading The Story of Creation, Handwriting and Spelling words from the story. We covered the required 4 1/2 hrs by the state and finished the day by 1:30pm.
I am pleased with how smooth it went. Jonah had a hard time understanding why Jaron couldn't play with him but once he figured out when he took breaks they could play then he was ok with it. I skipped my nap today with the little ones (not easy but I will have to quit that) and that's when we read the story and focused on his handwriting and spelling.
Jacob is still in public school and wants to finish out the year there. He is warming up to the idea of homeschooling next year. His main conern is not having friends. But I am going to join a local homeschool group to go on field trips with other families next year.
I am excited for this new beginning in our lives. God has allowed me to stay home with my children and my husband is a hard worker providing for us to afford it.
Today was our first day of homeschooling and we survived! His teacher sent home a chart of things he needs to work on in Writing and Language Arts. Also she sent home his science and math workbooks that he needs to complete by the end of the year. I have done all the necessary paperwork (one form) for the state to notify them he is homeschooling now. All I have to do now is record his attendance and mail it in to them once a month.
I went to the local school supply store and bought a couple of books with activities in them for all subjects. We already have a lot of stuff like handwriting paper and arts and craft supplies. I had a rough idea of what I wanted him to do but did not plan ahead I just got all the work books out and let him pick what he wanted to do next. He has a hard time sitting still so I let him do 30 minutes at a time with 15-30 minute breaks in between each subject. He chose math first, then map skills, creative writing, science, language arts, Art (painting and playdough)...
...then reading The Story of Creation, Handwriting and Spelling words from the story. We covered the required 4 1/2 hrs by the state and finished the day by 1:30pm.
I am pleased with how smooth it went. Jonah had a hard time understanding why Jaron couldn't play with him but once he figured out when he took breaks they could play then he was ok with it. I skipped my nap today with the little ones (not easy but I will have to quit that) and that's when we read the story and focused on his handwriting and spelling.
Jacob is still in public school and wants to finish out the year there. He is warming up to the idea of homeschooling next year. His main conern is not having friends. But I am going to join a local homeschool group to go on field trips with other families next year.
I am excited for this new beginning in our lives. God has allowed me to stay home with my children and my husband is a hard worker providing for us to afford it.
He hates the gate!
I have a baby gate that I use to keep the boys out of the kitchen when I'm mopping or to seperate them when they're fighting. Or just to keep the little ones out while the big ones do homework.
My Valentines....
Well all of us are coughing and have yucky noses. It's rare to get them all in the same place for any length of time. But when they are sick this is what they do most of the time. Laying around watching movies and bonding.
We tried to celebrate and enjoy ourselves but it's not easy when everyone feels yucky.
I do love him more today than the day we met. He means more to me now and I can appreciate the differences we have instead of trying to change him. Opposites really do attact and we fit together like a puzzle. I am so glad God sent Chris to me and we have been together for 13 years. It's amazing what the Lord can do in your life if you just let Him.
This too shall pass...
Last week Jaron was congested and coughing....now we ALL are! Justus is the only one running a fever so after 3 days of alternating tylenol and motrin every 4 hours trying to help his 103 fever~ I gave up. I went to the ER today~desperate to find out "what's wrong with my baby?!?!?" After waiting for eternity the doctor and holding him on my numb shoulder (for 3 days straight) she came in and checked his ears. After confirming my motherly instinct was right, both ears are infected, I decided that a shot of strong antibiotics was in order to kick this nasty infection before I go crazy from lack of sleep. I do not want to wait for 10 days of antibiotics (accompanied by diahrrea) before his ears get better. We both wanted relief and fast!
We got home and the Lord reminded me of the stock of numbing ear drops we have because all our boys have had TONS of ear infections. So I gave Justus some of those drops and some milk in a medicine dropper. He won't suck a bottle because his ears hurt so bad. And too much milk increases the already troublesome mucus. But ibuprofen on an empty stomach makes him puke. But the milk causes phlem and makes him cough which leads to puking. UGH! It's a vicious cycle that I am praying will be better tomorrow. Please pray my baby sleeps tonight and is back to himself soon! (my shoulder can't take anymore~carrying around a 25lbs. baby for 3 days has not been easy but I'm his mother and I will do whatever I have to do to help him feel better)
We got home and the Lord reminded me of the stock of numbing ear drops we have because all our boys have had TONS of ear infections. So I gave Justus some of those drops and some milk in a medicine dropper. He won't suck a bottle because his ears hurt so bad. And too much milk increases the already troublesome mucus. But ibuprofen on an empty stomach makes him puke. But the milk causes phlem and makes him cough which leads to puking. UGH! It's a vicious cycle that I am praying will be better tomorrow. Please pray my baby sleeps tonight and is back to himself soon! (my shoulder can't take anymore~carrying around a 25lbs. baby for 3 days has not been easy but I'm his mother and I will do whatever I have to do to help him feel better)
New Ideas!
Despite the rain we had fun inside today.
And I can't forget Jaron dressed up in daddy's suit and said "here comes pastor Jaron". So cute!
Personal Pepperoni Pizza Party!
We let the boys create their own little pizzas with english muffins, mini pepperonis, pizza sauce and shredded cheese. Then 5 minutes in the oven to melt the cheese, they all gathered around the oven window with the light on, anxiously waiting for their creations, mouths watering. It was fun and we all loved them!
Playtime~all the time!
When child locks fail...
tigger gets a tail...
and they all check their email...(except Jaron~he's said "where's my laptop?)
The fish are not alone...
And there's two kings on their throne...
then Jonah wrote his numbers on his own.
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