Rewind

Tomorrow is New Years Eve. I can't believe it. This time last year Matt and I were talking about if we wanted to have a 3rd baby or if one of us should get "fixed". Well, obviously we decided to have another baby and you know the rest! I never ever ever would have thought I would be the Mom to four amazing kids. I am happy. Truly happy. That's not to say that things right now aren't hard, and that I'm not stressed sometimes but when I sit down and take everything in, I'm happy with my life. I hope you can say the same.

I'm not sure I'll be blogging again before New Years so I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year! And as for resolutions...mine is like most other people's----lose weight! I'm not sure how long I'm able to use the excuse that "I just had twins"!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HERE'S TO A GREAT 2009!!

Christmas

Here are some random pictures from Christmas, the first one is of Leah staring at the camera, then Evan making a gingerbread house, the next one is Maddie thinking about smiling for the camera, then the kids on Christmas, and Maddie again making a silly face.

I'm going to try to find time to write a "catch up" blog later on tonight.

Christmas gives me hives

Yesterday was bad. It started out bad and just kept getting worse throughout the day. Nothing major, just little bad somethings all through the day. It started with a really sleepless early morning with the twins. I maybe got 3 hours of sleep if I'm lucky. I finally got out of bed at 5am and came downstairs to check my email before the big kids got out of bed. Low and behold Speedy Gonzales got a ticket on his way to work. 50 in a 35. Um, yea. I'm so thrilled at this point. What cop is out running radar at 3am??!! Then it's time for me to go to BJ's and buy diapers and formula. I started the car to let it warm up a little before venturing out into the arctic and came back in the house where I was promptly distracted by something else. I then spent the next 5 minutes searching for my keys which I can never ever find when I realize, "you dumb ass, they're IN the car -- remember!??!" I guess that's what lack of sleep will do to a person?! I make my way to BJ's and cannot find a parking space - anywhere! I usually park out in the boonies but there wasn't even a spot out there! After I hike to the store, elbow people out of the way to make my way back to the diaper aisle I get the lovely task of waiting in a 20 minute line just to get to the front of it and realize that my membership expired 3 days ago!!! Ahh. I get out of line just to stand in another line to renew my membership. And then get to repeat the 20 minute wait to checkout. Once I get home, Evan went down for his nap easily just like usual. An hour and a half later I went upstairs to wake the little man and open the door to find that he had pooped, reached into his diaper and pulled out a prize. I guess that just wasn't enough so he decided to Jackson Pollock the wall and inside of his crib to the best of his ability. Oh yes. Lucky, lucky me. And now to add the perfect end to the perfect day, I went to bed last night after watching a very sad Little People, Big World feeling slightly itchy which I thought was just dry skin. About two hours later I am covered head to toe in huge red hives that are either a result of stress or the herbs I was taking to try to increase my breast milk supply, since I just can't seem to keep up with the girls nursing needs (hence the trip to BJ's to buy formula!).
I was so in the Christmas spirit yesterday. I hope today is better.

More whine...I need WINE

Grace is whining about everything. Every word that comes out of her mouth is a whine. It become a habit now that that is how she talks. I keep telling her over and over again to please not whine. When I remind her she will stop but oh how maddening it is!!!! By 3pm I'm ready to slug back a glass of wine just to calm my nerves from all of the whining!!! (I don't do it, mind you.)
The agenda for today is to clean, pack up toys to put away to make room for the new toys that Santa will bring. Then at 1pm I'm taking Grace to get a much needed haircut. I'm taking her to the same salon that she always goes to but to a different person since I can never get an appointment with the girl we usually go to. I hope she does a good job and do what I ask her to do.
I'm hoping that we can get a lot done today in the house. We're STILL trying to get the twins room finished up but we never seem to have enough time. Our house is busy all the time, not so much bad busy (well sometimes bad busy) but whenever Matt is off we're usually doing something or just get distracted by something and don't end up working on the room. We're now thinking that it might turn into a play room and that Grace and Evan will share a room. We're going to give it a trial run after Christmas and see how that goes. Evan is such a good sleeper. He sleeps through the night from 7pm until at least 6am every single night. Grace is a totally different story. For instance, last night not only did I have the babies up all the time, Grace was up 3 times. She was never a good sleeper though.
Last night I was making dinner and cut myself really bad. I was opening a can and cut it on the lid. I should have gone to get stitches in it but decided not to. How was I supposed to go to the ER with 2 newborns and 2 toddlers?? Matt was already at work so I was here alone. It still hurts pretty bad but looks like it will be fine.

Thankful

I have a new computer! I'm so happy that I'm back in touch with everyone. It's so sad, but the computer is pretty much the only way that I communicate with adults on a daily basis! Talking on the phone is just too hard with 4 kids running around! I got my laptop yesterday and am not trying to figure out why my wireless router isn't working. The help-desk guy on the phone said that it's probably too old/slow to work with my new computer or something. So that means I need a new one?! Ug...I don't want to run out for the third day in a row somewhere to get one. We'll see.
I took Madeline and Leah to the doctor on Monday for their one month appointment and they are both doing so well! They have both gained 2 lbs since Thanksgiving which is awesome! Madeline weighs 8 lbs and Leah weighs 7lbs 14oz!! They are in the 25% for weight and 50% height. It's still strange to think that they are still both smaller than Grace and Evan were at birth! Grace was 8lbs 3oz and Evan was 8lbs 13oz both at 38 weeks!
I am just so in love with my family!
Grace and Evan are so ready for Santa to come! Evan is really getting on board with getting presents! I think he's really getting into it now that he understands a little more what's going on. I can't wait for Christmas! I am sad (ok - really really sad) that Matt isn't going to be here. I will wake up alone on Christmas and then try to get things on video so he can watch it later. I am not sure how I'm going to get everything done on Christmas morning --- babies fed, Grace and Evan help with gifts, video camera everything. I just don't know. I wish I had help Christmas morning but I guess it's just not in the cards. Megan, Seth and Ellie will be staying at Mom's so we will go there after we get our act together here. Then I'm still unsure of what we will do Christmas night with Matt. It's still depending upon when he gets relieved at work. I hope and pray he can still find a way to get to leave early.

Maddie is crying ---

Not much of a potty mouth...

I usually have good grammar and use nothing but polite language -- but after today, HOLY SHIT! I got 2 hours total of sleep last night. Total. And it wasn't even in a row! Maddie and Leah both had horrible gas. Horrible in more ways than one! It's was painful, frequent and smelled horrible! I'm not sure if it was something I ate or was from the supplemental formula but wow did we have a bad night! Then I finally thought I was getting the girls to sleep and low and behold it's 3am and Matt's alarm went off -- back awake until 6:45 this morning. Grace and Evan got up at 6:30, ug.

I am trying to plan Christmas and what we're going to do since Matt won't be here. I think I'm coming up with some good ideas about how to still make it special for the kids and for Matt. However Matt's relief was supposed to relieve him early but low and behold he got himself a big 'ole DUI and now can only get to work by catching rides with his boss since he got the DUI leaving his bosses house! So Matt will leave the house on Christmas morning at the usual 3:30am and be home in the neighborhood of 6pm! How shitty it is. Shit. Shit. Shit.

There- I'm done being a potty mouth for today.

Shhh...listen

I'm listening to the kids play hide and seek in the living room/dining room while I attempt to clean the kitchen. Here is what I hear...
G: Evan-you need to count
E: no
G: yes - I'm going to hide over here and you need to count
E: Won, twoo, free, seben, nine, ten
G: you didn't do it right
E: (hands covering his eyes) here I tome
G: tag - your it!
E: toming! (as he runs as fast as he can across the living room)
G:you won!!

I can't help but laugh. It was a good attempt at playing the game, I guess maybe I should go try to help them work out the kinks. I won't. But I should. They're playing well together alone...If it ain't broke--don't fix it. My kitchen really needs attention. Expect more posts from today.

Things I've learned...

When one baby poops, the other thinks that it must be a competition and will inevitably blow out their outfit with a massive poop explosion. Evan has now entered into the phase of : if I leave the lid to the toilet open he will throw 'something' in it that I will then have to retrieve if I feel as though it's too precious or too big to just flush. Grace thinks that she needs to always talk to the babies in her own annoying version of how I talk to the babies. It's maddening. Or maybe it's just as annoying when I do it, hmmmm?? Projectile vomit from one of the babies always ends up on me when I'm wearing my only pair of jeans that fits. I never thought I would see the day when my chest registered into the 'double' anything. I really never thought that I would see the day when my family filled up a minivan! (And I hate my minivan for the record!)

LOSER

I guess I would give the contestants on the tv show The Biggest Loser a run for their money ~ I have lost 35 pounds in 3 weeks 1 day! That said I still have a lot more to go before I'm happy with my weight however it's an accomplishment none the less. I know breastfeeding two babies has a lot to do with it since I am not allowed to exercise yet because of my stomach/back issues that I hope resolve themselves. I'm still wearing the brace for my abdomen and have to for another 3 weeks at least. They might move me into something else after my 6 week appointment depending on how things are healing in my stomach. I guess my hopes and dreams for 6 pack abs again are a thing of the past unless someone will donate a tummy tuck to me like they did to Kate on Jon and Kate plus 8! Fat chance (literally)!
Last night I was driving home from Mom and Dad's house with the kids (Matt is on night shift) and I started to get that - "all four of these kids are really your responsibility...are you old enough for that kind of responsibility?!!" feeling I get sometimes. It's hard to explain really...sometimes I feel so old and sometimes I feel like I'm not old enough to be a married Mom of four and that I have no clue who in their right mind would trust me to raise 4 kids!! ;)
As I type this blog two of my kids are stuffing as much apple in their mouths as can fit and laughing hysterically at each other...I better stop it before someone chokes.

Pictures

Whew --

It's been a while since I've posted, I've been a little busy! Let's see, where should I begin----



Grace and Evan are really getting excited for Santa to come! They saw him at the mall and Grace just waved to him but Evan went up to him and was ok - then Matt put him on his lap and he had a meltdown! It would have made a really cute "bad Santa" photo! Then we went to the Picture People and had the kids pictures taken and they turned out really well! Both Grace and Evan smiled and pretty much sat where they were supposed to. Leah and Madeline were both awake - not looking at the camera but hey what more can you expect from babies less than 3 weeks old?! I bought some pictures to give as gifts so at least I have some gifts already purchased! I pretty much have nothing else done for Christmas. I did order some things from Amazon today so that will help. I was planning on going out next week when Matt has off but it looks like he's working 6 nights instead of 4 sooo that means that he's on tonight through Wednesday night. He will have off the rest of the day Thursday after he wakes up and then starts days on Friday through Sunday has off on Monday and goes back on nights Tuesday through Thursday night. Ug... It's going to be ROUGH!
Tonight was my first night here alone with the kids. It was hectic! However it's not even 7:30 and everyone is asleep! Small victory for me!!! The babies will wake up around 9:30 and eat again - then I'll pump and go to sleep. I 'hope' that's how it works anyway!
On a totally random topic - my glasses that are less than a year old are falling apart! I know that I'm hard on them with kids bumping into them and pulling on them - plus I have to wear them ALL the time but geez, they weren't cheap! I am going to have to go get new ones soon and I just don't want to pay for them! Luckily we have good vision insurance but it's still an expense I don't need right now with all of the medical bills coming in at once AND the HR lady at Valero messing up Matt's check for the second check in a row!! I won't even go into that!
My Uncle Bruce has been in the hospital with various serious medical problems and everything came to a head today when he had a very dangerous procedure done. Luckily everything turned out fine and everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. He will be home for the holidays and I'm so happy!
So much more to say but I just want to take this rare moment of quiet and sit and do NOTHING!!