Despite my earlier concerns, it has been a wonderful Christmas and beyond. Not having to get the kids set for school everyday has helped the relaxation factor immensely. Having my husband home from work since December 21 has been positively delightful. Those two things alone seem to have been enough to overcome those pesky hormones. But add those things to the family fun we’ve been having for the past week and you could honestly call my mood “blissful”. We have had lovely celebrations with both family and friends, we have been staying up late and sleeping in (kids included!) and we have been taking almost nothing seriously. It’s been incredible.
In case you want to share in the fun, my husband put together a slide show of the family’s Christmas Eve celebration for his brother stationed in Iraq . We intended to capture a bit of the party for him since he couldn't be with us. It’s about 6 minutes long, so that may determine your desire to watch.
We also took pictures of Christmas Day spent at our house and at my parents. We were fortunate to have my grandma, my aunt and my two-year-old cousin from out of town to party with us. It was great fun. Click on our beautiful Christmas tree for that set.
Grandma and Grandpa’s gift for their 19 grandchildren was a private party at “Pump It Up”. The kids (and their parents) had a blast running, bouncing and sliding around for two hours yesterday. I’m afraid it was so much fun that they’ll have to do it again next year! It was very much appreciated, though, as was the all-you-can-eat pizza afterwards. Thanks for an awesome evening, Grandma and Grandpa!
With all the holiday merriment it has been difficult to keep up with what day it is. I can hardly believe it’s the weekend already. We still have a few more fun things left to do before Dad has to go back to work on January 2, not to mention more relaxation and family fun to be had. I hope that you enjoyed your Christmas and that you will have a very happy new year as well.
I have been a little bit “bah-humbug” lately. I am trying to blame my current emotional state on the stress of the season, but as my husband points out, the happenings this year are nothing more than the usual holiday hubbub. I should be able to handle it. I am getting a little tired of blaming the pregnancy hormones for every wacky mood swing I experience, but I really don’t know why else I would be feeling this way. What is supposed to be The Most Wonderful Time of the Year has been much more like a Blue Christmas.
One thing that I know for sure is giving me some anxiety (and some heartburn) is the imminent occurence of holiday eating. Don’t get me wrong…I love indulging in the tastes of the season. In fact, my family makes a list of all the delectable (i.e. unhealthy) foods we MUST have during the holidays and we make sure we eat them ALL. My real problem with indulging this year is that I am really trying hard not to gain too much weight with this pregnancy. With my last pregnancy I gained enough weight for two expectant mothers. I gained it everywhere – not just where the baby was. I vowed that I would NOT do that again this time. I know how easy it is to pack on the holiday pounds when I’m not pregnant; but it will be even more difficult to get rid of come New Year’s resolution time because I have to worry about the health of the baby. It also doesn’t help that I have to step on the scale at the doctor’s office a lot more often than I am used to. At my last doctor’s visit I was told that my weight gain was right on target. That, of course, was before Christmas. Since then I have been asked several times by well-meaning souls whether or not I was carrying twins. That makes a woman pregnant with one child feel great, let me tell ya.
I can’t believe these holiday blahs could all be related to irresistible food and it's resulting weight gain though. For about a week now I’ve been snapping at my kids (and husband), I’ve been complaining about anything and everything to anyone who will listen, and I’ve even avoided talking to people just in case I couldn’t bring myself to be civil for five minutes. You'll have to trust me, despite what you might have heard, that’s really not like me. And as much as I don’t like the excuse, I think I have to blame at least some of the lack of holiday cheer on those hormones. The little things are more powerful than I ever imagined.
Thankfully, I see some peace on the horizon. Today was the kids’ last day of school before the holiday break. School is actually a big stressor for me. There are so many things to do and to remember and I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right. So I get two full weeks off from all of that. Today is also my husband’s last day of work until January 2. Life is just so much better when we are both home together. No matter how hormonal I get, he can help balance me out, or at least apologize to the kids for me when I bite their heads off for not picking up their dirty socks. I already feel that Christmas spirit drawing near.
In case I don’t get a chance to write again before the big day, I want to wish you all a very happy, hormone-free holiday. I also want to share a photo and a video with you. These are a couple of things that can really get me into a good, Christmas-y mood. The photo is the one we included with our Christmas cards this year. It shows the kids laughing and having a ball in front of our Christmas tree. How can that not bring a smile to my face? The video makes me laugh and dance and sing. I hope you enjoy it too.
We sure did a lot this weekend; more than I would have liked actually. On both Friday and Saturday nights I sang in the Christmas Concert at my church (the second night was in the midst of a snowstorm!). I have received numerous positive, even glowing, comments about the concert. It was fun, and I am so glad to have been involved with the production, but for the most part, I am just glad that it’s over. Thanks to all that came to listen. And many thanks to Julie and Maria for watching the kiddos so my husband could come to the concert.
I am so close to finishing my Christmas shopping that I can smell it…and it smells sah-weet! There are only 2 things left that I need to find and my mission will be complete. However, then begins the tedious task of wrapping all that loot. That’s another mission altogether. I am also nearing the home stretch with the Christmas cards. Most of my errands on Saturday revolved around those darn cards. I needed another box because I miscalculated the number I needed, I needed stamps to mail them all, and I picked up photos of the kids to stick inside. Now they really just need to be “assembled”, and should hopefully be on their way today or tomorrow.
The kids enjoyed spending lots of time in the snow this weekend. We got about 8 inches dumped on us on Saturday and they LOVED it. Here are some pictures of the fun. Thanks to Aunt Terri for having the kids over for sledding, and thanks to Uncle Steve for taking them!
When the kids returned from their snowy adventures, we got three kinds of cookies made. We still have a couple more types we’d like to make, but I’d say three is great progress. I kept out one of each variety for every member of the family, but the rest went promptly into the freezer to try to keep us from eating them before Christmas. We’ll have to see if that tactic really works or not.
One more week of school / work before our big Christmas break. The kids get two full weeks home from school and Dad is taking 11 days off from work. There’s been big talk about the things that we’ll accomplish during the break, but my guess is that it will just be a relaxing, fun time together. Either way, we plan to enjoy it. Have a great Monday!
We are so happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful new niece / cousin, Olivia Audrey. She made a grand entrance into the world, weighing in at 8 lb, 4 oz. and measuring 21.5 inches long. We enjoyed visiting her and her proud parents a couple of days after she was born, even though we were quite a crowd to have in that quiet wing of the hospital.
I was happy that they had such a nice, big room; especially since I will be delivering at the same hospital in about four months. The kids were all excited about meeting little Olivia. Miss M jumped at the first opportunity to hold her. Banana pointed out her eyes, nose and feet. C.B. was mildly interested, but would rather have been playing ball. Big D’s surprised reaction to her diminutive size was most entertaining. Welcome, Cousin Olivia – we are so glad you’re here!!
I just read that November 19 was the date of my last entry. I have to admit that I am slightly ashamed about that. I must also admit to a lack of inspiration lately. Either I am searching for something truly deep and meaningful to write about, or I am just preoccupied and weary. You decide.
I can tell you that I will be very wrapped up in rehearsals for the upcoming Christmas Concert at my church. There are so many on my calendar that I hope I have a voice left when it comes time for the actual performance. I am also trying desperately to get rid of a cold that I have had for about five days now. Surely that will have an effect on the quality of my voice as well. I am thinking hot tea with honey and lemon will be a frequent beverage selection for the next week or so.
I am scheduled for my 20-week ultrasound tomorrow. We have decided to wait and be surprised about the sex of the baby. This really seemed to bother the staff at my OB’s office when I confirmed that at my last visit. I found their response a little puzzling, because why should they care whether or not I want to know if I’m having a boy or a girl? Most of the people I have told, however, are very supportive of the whole surprise thing. There are so few surprises left in life anymore. It’s kind of fun to wait and see.
I can’t promise another entry anytime soon. Things are only going to get more harried and hectic as we get closer to the holidays. I will at least try to post an ultrasound picture or two and (hopefully soon) a birth announcement for my newest niece or nephew due December 8.
In case you were wondering, Peanut Butter the dog has stayed in the backyard since I wrote about this. Our overgrown pup really just needs a little T.L.C. and a lot of patience. Thanks to all who have expressed concern and support.
When I looked at the calendar about a week ago I noticed that this past weekend was relatively free. We had one thing written in on Saturday, and it was literally free; meaning it was an event that had no fee associated with it. It was a play performed by the Piwacket Theatre for Children. They put on a silly version of Treasure Island that the kids laughed about for most of the rest of the day. I love free family fun.
As expected, however, the weekend did not remain free. Not in either sense of the word. It got busier and more expensive as we inched closer on the calendar. We received an invite for a Friday night Happy Hour to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. It was at his house so it was free; however, it also required us to hire a babysitter, which was not free. It was a fun evening, though, and in my opinion worth every penny of babysitting money for an evening of adult interaction.
It also turned out that Sunday was the meeting day for a group we recently joined. It’s called G.I.F.T. (Getting Interracial Families Together.) G.I.F.T. is a social group for families of mixed race, whether by marriage, birth or adoption. They have fun monthly outings for the whole family and just started a monthly “Parent Chat” just for the adults. It’s a great way for our kids to see other families that look like ours, and for my husband and me to talk to other parents of transracially adopted children. We met at a place that was something like a mild version of Chuck E. Cheese. They had a huge climbing area, an arcade area, even a bowling alley, and they surprisingly charged no admission. That’s right…it was free (except for the arcade games, of course.) However, we met up with the group right before dinnertime, and the kids were not shy about expressing their hunger as we were leaving. Since we were about 35 minutes from our house, we decided to stop somewhere to eat on the way home. This dinner was decidedly not free.
So, as you can see, try as we might we can’t really have a free weekend. Not one without event or appointment; not one without spending money. But I guess that’s only to be expected around here. I hope your weekend was good!!
Our new dog is really just a big puppy. I specifically wanted an older dog in order to escape certain puppy behaviors. We were told when we brought her home that she was about two years old. We got pretty used to having older dogs in our lives, which is why I thought a two-year-old dog was perfect. But apparently it takes particular dogs more than a couple of years to outgrow some of their puppy issues. Thankfully she is housetrained and does not chew on furniture, which are the two major behaviors I wanted to avoid. Still, she does jump up on people that come into our house, she nips at us playfully (and sometimes painfully), and she just has SO MUCH ENERGY!! We have a retaining wall in the backyard – over four feet tall in some sections – and she can clear it from standing with a seemingly effortless leap. That’s when my husband started worrying about the fence.
When we moved into our house there was a wooden privacy fence on each side of the yard, but it tapered off as the yard went up a hill. There was nothing to keep dogs, or children for that matter, inside of our yard. We needed to extend the fence but decided that we could use a 4-foot rather than a 6-foot fence for the hill to save money. The steepness of the hill made jumping from an angle much more difficult. Besides, our dogs were getting older. After seeing Peanut Butter’s gazelle-like abilities, however, we were wondering if we had made the right call four years ago. But after almost two months with us, she has not attempted such a jump.
Which is why were surprised on Halloween night when our next door neighbor came to tell us that our dog was in his yard. As difficult as it might sound for a 65-pound dog, it turns out that she found a space to go under the fence; a space we had known about but had never thought possible for her to fit through. The next day that space was filled with a couple of leftover retaining wall stones and we figured she was stuck in the yard. But she apparently enjoyed getting out of our yard so much that she was desperate to try it again. She found a section of the original fence where the wood was nice and brittle, and she dismantled it board by board, making a mess of the fence and injuring herself in a few places in the process.
She created a spot just big enough for her to get her paws up and hoist herself over into the neighbor’s yard. They do not have a fence across the back of their yard so she is free to move about the neighborhood once she’s over. It wasn’t terribly difficult to get her back home, but I did have to load Banana and C.B. into the car to find her. My husband re-attached the boards as best he could that evening after work, but the next day she did it again. My husband went on the search this time. He found her much farther away from home, across the major street in our subdivision. He repaired the fence again, this time using stronger wood and better screws, and so far it is still in tact. Yet we find her over in that area pretty much every time she goes out. We are able to reprimand her when we catch her in the act, but I have to make an effort to keep an eye on her when she’s outside. Which truly is an effort because I have enough to keep an eye on inside the house.
With four kids and one on the way it’s foolish to think that I can handle a dog that won’t stay where she belongs, so this is a probationary period for Peanut Butter. I feel bad about it because she is such a sweet dog, and for the most part a good dog, but chasing her around the neighborhood with little ones is something I simply cannot do. We just purchased a training collar and will use it to help deter her from going anywhere near the fence. If that doesn’t work, we may have to reassess our need for a dog. Please say a little prayer for Peanut Butter. The poor thing doesn’t even know she’s on trial.
It’s getting to be chilly enough at night to sit around a fire! We finally got around to putting together our outdoor fireplace and last night we tested it out. I love the smell and sound of a fire. The kids enjoyed snacking and listening to Dad’s scary story “based on actual events”. It was nice and relaxing for all of us. Click here for the photo set.
The kids had a wonderful time on Halloween night. We put out the jack-o-lantern they designed with their dad…
In case you can't tell, the pumpkin is puking his guts out. Get it? Sweet, huh?
They got into their costumes…
Banana wore a Piggy costume my mom made 10 years ago for Miss M. We couldn't get a single picture of her smiling. I'm pretty sure she didn't care for the hat.
At the last minute, Miss M decided on Princess Fiona. You’ll have to imagine her with green skin. I just couldn’t get that green makeup to look right!
C.B. was the Green Power Ranger...
... and Big D was the Red Power Ranger.
They went out in search of treats with their dad for about 2 hours; first in our neighborhood, then near Grandma and Grandpas house. Even the Banana kept up with the rest of them the whole time. She looked like she was going to fall asleep standing up by the time the night was over, but she made it through the whole ordeal. I asked the kids to brush their teeth twice that night before bed and said a little prayer that they would all sleep in the next day. Halloween is exhausting!
I am actually thinking “Hooray” that Halloween is over. Call me a scrooge, but I am always ready to put away the costumes, the decorations and even the candy by November 1. I actually did take care of most of that yesterday. We packed up the costumes and took down the decorations. But the candy is another story. I put the kids’ candy bags on the scale and they weighed about 3 pounds…EACH! That’s 12 pounds of sugar in our possession right now. Does anyone else think that’s an insane amount of candy?
I have a plan for the candy this year, and so far the kids have been agreeable. They are going to pick a certain number of their favorite things (I haven‘t come up with that number just yet), and we will be taking the rest to a food pantry. Kids are really empathetic when you explain that there are kids who don’t get candy on Halloween, much less any other day of the year. I also think there must be a teeny-tiny little part of them way deep down inside that recognizes that TWELVE POUNDS OF CANDY IS JUST TOO MUCH!!!!!
Grandma and Grandpa’s gift for their 19 grandchildren was a private party at “Pump It Up”. The kids (and their parents) had a blast running, bouncing and sliding around for two hours yesterday. I’m afraid it was so much fun that they’ll have to do it again next year! It was very much appreciated, though, as was the all-you-can-eat pizza afterwards. Thanks for an awesome evening, Grandma and Grandpa!
