Best of Valentine's 2010

I was not up for a big craft mess this year so most of the cards were done on the computer.  They were kind of funny.

This first one that Peter made for Henry kind of reminded us of the old "deep thoughts" cards

This next one he made for James was even more funny



Here's what James made for Daddy



Here's what Paul made for me



But this one from William made me laugh most of all

Just for Valentine's Day

 These pictures makes me smile.....and laugh.  They were taken just a few days before high school graduation and just a few days before I took off for BYU summer term.  That was a painful goodbye.

Had I known then what I know now I might have 1. plucked my eyebrows, 2. refashioned that baggy T-shirt, 3. not exposed myself to so much sun damage but most certainly not cried so much at our separation - I think instead we would have laughed ourselves into tears.

Happy Valentine's Day Paul - I'm still just as crazy about you!

These days will not last forever

Some days are smooth and some days are choppy.  But this is the beautiful scene I've been waking to over the past couple of weeks (actually it's probably my third waking since midnight).  

Everyone is anxious to say good morning to baby George, get some instruction from mommy and find out if anything exciting has been planned for the day.  We do make plans but don't always get to them.

The kids sometimes get dressed or at least half dressed but it's o.k. if they stay in their jammies all day because sometimes mommy does.

I was chatting with one of my sisters on Ground Hog's day and it slipped out that sometimes the early weeks of caring for a new baby feel a lot like the movie Ground Hog's Day - the same thing over and over on a three hour cycle of feeding, burping, diapering, and trying so hard to get the baby to fall asleep.  I don't think I was having one of those "smooth" days when I said it.  But the thought immediately came to me ..... these days will not last forever and I felt better.

The few days following Ground Hog's Day got even choppier.  Breakfast was left in the kid's hands which meant cereal and milk spilled all over the place and children fighting over who got more or who took the last drop of milk.  James has taken it upon himself to be the breakfast Latin tutor and on one of these mornings things got so chaotic that he crumpled the little study card up in his hand and threw a broom across the room. The root word of the day was "figo" or "fixum" and I think it means fix or attach, either way James was sent out to run laps around the house to fix his temper while the other children helped me fix the messes around the table.

That same day lunch was not ready until 3:00 pm.  I did meal plan and even purchased the food necessary for the plan.  What I did not do was plan how and when the food would be prepared.  At 7:00 pm I had a screaming baby in my arms with the next two little ones clinging to my legs also crying.  I begged the older boys to take over dinner, they made scrambled eggs and sliced bananas.  It was finally quite while they ate so I nursed little George alone on the couch and let myself have a little breakdown, again the words came to me ..... these days will not last forever and again I felt better.

The next day was my birthday and all I requested for my birthday was sleep.  Pictured above was my little birthday party in bed.  Besides allowing an additional hour and a half to sleep in Paul had presented me with a lovely package which just to be funny he wrapped in day old newspaper tied with dental floss.  It was a Flip video camera and Paul immediately started recording. The kids were singing and the video also captured me being smothered in hugs and kisses from all the little arms and wet lips that surrounded me.  Again the thought came to me ..... these days will not last forever  but this time it made me feel kind of sad.

James then commented how hard it was to think of a gift for me as he pulled $18.50 out of his pocket.  He explained how this was all the money I had ever paid him for babysitting, he was giving it back because his gift was one of service to a mom who needed his help.  I could not accept the money but he insisted.  I could barely hold back the tears because more than any amount of money I needed reassurance that I was not failing as a mother and that is exactly what he gave me at that moment.

The day only got better. Paul's parents arrived before noon and surprised me with a perfectly roasted turkey, mash potatoes, baked potatoes, Swedish meatballs, cabbage salad, gluten free muffins and cookies.  They fed the kids lunch and sent me up to bed for even more sleep.  When I finally emerged from my bed I was greeted with piles of clean laundry neatly folded across the kitchen table.  When I said "thank you, thank you" over and over Paul's mom simply replied "I love doing laundry" and that made the gift so much sweeter.

The kids got to enjoy their Nanny and Poppy well into the evening and Paul and I were able to slip out for dinner. Paul had discovered an organic pizza shop in town that specializes in gluten free pizzas and pastas. He took me there and to my delight it actually tasted good! We also found a boba tea shop where I got mochi ice cream in addition to a strawberry yogurt smoothie with the big tapioca balls, both of which should be added to my list of weird cravings.

This was a great day and I suppose the only thing that dampened my spirit was reviewing the Flip videos in HD and realizing that I am starting to look a little middle aged (trying to find an outfit for our date didn't help either - it was back to the maternity pile).  I childishly whined to Paul about it but he was sincere in his reassurance and even pulled out of the trash the Lucky magazine that had randomly been sent to me and asked if I would honestly wish to trade places with any of those women.  I answered with a definite No.

I know my life is far from glamorous, I never wanted a glamorous life.  Instead I have all I could have wished for and more, a life rich in experiences to learn and opportunities to love.  I'll take my "choppy" days and even the worse than choppy days because they make my "smooth" days or even just moments that much sweeter.  In both cases I realize these days will not last forever so that is how I cope and more importantly savor it all. 

Robot Helper

We are enjoying our new baby George so much that piles of dishes and laundry have been neglected.  Good thing James designed this robot to help out!

Still Craving

Paul brought me home one of my favorite treats the other day, a bacon mozzarella kimchi wrapped hot dog over rice or a "Seoul Dog".  

During each of my pregnancies I have indulged in very specific cravings and this last one was most definitely Korean food.  In the early weeks of my pregnancy I went through jars of kimchi even making a trip to the grocery store at 7 am because I had to have it for breakfast.

So far each of the cravings have been past down as that child's favorite food. We even joke that that specific food of choice may be indicative of where that child will someday serve a mission. Here's what I craved with each one:

Child #1 - red peppers, spinach salad and I hate to admit it - Wendy's chicken nuggets

Child #2 - I spent a few weeks in Buenos Aires with Paul during this pregnancy and indulged in pastries, pizzas, and thick juicy steaks

Child #3 - Indian food! He still requests it for every birthday

Child #4 - Vietnamese hoagies and Pho noodles. We were living in Charlotte at the time and I use to venture across to the rougher side because I had to have a hoagie. I remember eating three in one day

Child #5 - Any authentic Chinese food Xiao Xia would make including black chicken soup, shrimp with eggs, and rice porridge

Child #6 - Mediterranean food including grape leaves, lebnah, lentils and falfels

Child # 7 - As a stated above, Korean food, kimchi and Bi Bim Bap. Maybe that is why he has a full head of hair!

 

WW II costume

This was originally intended as a Christmas gift, then I pushed it to a birthday surprise but having missed both deadlines I busted it out two weeks ago (just before George was born) and finished it with Peter beside me.  I've decided that it is always more fun to have an excited child cheer me on in my sewing.

While I was sewing Peter flipped through various WW II history books and we talked about war.  William, my peacemaker, chimed in and asked "why can't we just forget all about it"?  I threw the question back at them and James answered back in a Mexican accent quoting Sister Encarnacion from Nacho Libre   "if you fight for something noble or someone who needs your help only then will God bless you in battle".  So there at my sewing machine we discussed the importance of studying history, even war.

Peter then set up his stuffed animals and led them as the Allies Powers and convinced the girls and their Calico Critters that they were the enemy.  Needless to say it was a quick defeat and it was time once again to discuss ethics and war with Peter (not to mention clean up the basement toy room).  

Just Before

Just a few days before baby George's arrival I made an extensive list of sewing and cooking projects that would keep me busy for what I thought would be at least two if not three more weeks of waiting. Only 2 of the sewing projects were completed and the 1 cooking project was completed just as labor began.

I promised my sisters I'd blog this one because it was so random - a refashioned hospital gown. This was done because I can't think of anything more awkward, uncomfortable, and unflattering than a hospital gown. 

The original T-shirt/tunic was picked up for $2.50 at Salvation Army and it took less than 30 minutes to add the snaps.  The minimal amount of time and money involved was worth the comfort it added although the picture above does not convince me it was any more flattering than a regular hospital gown.

So here's the story (at least my version, Paul's may be different): Saturday afternoon I took a nap then woke up quickly almost forgetting to take Maryanna to a birthday party. The party wasn't too far from JoAnn's and as much as I loathe the fabric selection there I thought it would be a good place to kill time and pick up all the misc. notions I needed for that long list of sewing projects.

I picked up Maryanna and with her hands full of sticky lollipops and tootsie rolls I decide we might as well swing by our three favorite thrift stores. I'm glad we did because I found some pretty cool fabric remnants, a denim blazer, a 6 slot waffle maker and the beginnings and inspiration for this year's Easter dresses.

It was dark by the time we returned home and I must not have been feeling well because I had to call the boys out to carry in my purchases. They were super excited about the waffle maker which led me to the one completed cooking project - mass produced waffles.

I thoroughly cleaned the new waffle iron then surfed around for a basic gluten free waffle recipe; not satisfied, James and I concocted our own. We got busy grinding a variety of grains, weighing out flours and mixing them up. Typically I let my batters ferment a bit over night but something was telling me to cook those babies NOW.

The kitchen was already a mess so I couldn't resist the urge to pull out the pressure cooker and cook up a batch of beans as well. All the while Paul was putting the younger children to bed. By the time he had joined us in the kitchen not only was he surprised by the mess and magnitude of the project (I had x the recipe by 6) he also questioned why I was swaying back and forth. When I snapped back at him he knew something was up and later admitted to retreating to the garage to call his parents and give them a heads up.

So I was in denial because I simply was not ready. I finished up the waffles and decided a bath might make my "stomach ache" go away. It did a little bit so I went to sleep and Paul kindly cleaned the horrible mess I left in the kitchen.

All was well until I got up with a shot of abdominal pain at 3:00 am. Even our dog was very well aware of what was going on because the lazy creature who has never has once climbed the complete set of steps was now at the foot of our bed looking at me with concern. I on the other hand was still in denial as crawled to the toilet and tried to reassure Paul that I just had to go to the bathroom. Still no relief so I consented to calling the birth center and even packed my bag. Paul meanwhile packed his own bag - just of towels because he was sure there'd be a chance of delivering this baby along side the road since it was at least a 45 min. drive. Good thing he didn't have to but bad thing I had several more hours of hard labor than I was use to.

James was awoken and left on guard until Nanny and Poppy could arrive, he was brave and just sat up reading a book.

I slipped on my refashioned hospital gown, some yoga pants and a hoodie then got to the hospital/birth center faster than we thought it would take. The "birthing suite" was actually quite comfortable with a queen sized bed so I crawled back in bed and let the labor progress without too much discomfort.

When it was time to push Paul confidently announced that I was a quick pusher and told the midwife that even my biggest baby popped out in no more than 15 minutes. But this time was different and very challenging.

I have concluded it was out of fear - fear of re-injuring my tail bone. It has been over ten weeks since I slipped out of the van flat on my behind and I was still suffering from soreness back there. The potion got me through quite effortlessly up until this point but there was nothing to ease me through pushing a baby past an injured tailbone. I admit to complete cowardness even to the point of begging for a c-section and threatening to run away.

The nurses suggested I move to the tub which I quickly did and hopped in with out even thinking to remove my refashioned hospital gown. They are not licensed for water births though so when I was ready to push again they wrapped me in a sheet (now I was wearing a delivery toga) and guided me to the bed.

Still struggling, the kind elderly nurse demonstrated how squatting at the edge of the bed might help. So there she guided me up and down commenting how she was glad yoga kept her fit enough to continue assisting in child birth for so many years.  So there we were doing squats when she slowly and calmly encouraged, "now blossom like a flower".  I know I'm immature because this really made me laugh, well maybe not a outward laugh but I was smirking through the discomfort and I knew if I made eye contact with Paul he would not have contained his laughter.  We greeted George very soon after.

So that is my secret to delivering a baby - just a bit of humor (two showings of Tommy Boy actually got me through the delivery of my biggest baby).  Though the nurse's carefully selected words of encouragement were not intended to be funny it lighten my mood enough to get through the challenge.  I'd like to add that that same kind nurse filled the tub up again shortly after delivery then brewed up two huge pots of herbal healing tea that was poured into the tub (gotta love the alternative birth center!) 

I suppose if I wrote this within in 24 hours of delivery my tone may have been  different but nature has a funny way of making us moms erase the memory of much of the discomfort of pregnancy and pain of delivery.  Instead we stare at our babies in awe and wonder of the blessings of new life and the great plan of families.  It certainly is worth it!