MOPS

This morning I was privileged to speak at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting.  These women were beautiful mothers and grandmothers that want to raise their kids as best they can in a difficult world.  There were several sweet newborns there.  Children grow up to fast. These Mom's want to do the best they can and meet together to encourage one another, help one another, and find the best resources to help with the big task of raising kids.

I am proud of these ladies getting together.  This is one of those meetings that is totally worth getting into your very busy schedule.  If you get an opportunity to go to MOPS do it.  You won't regret meeting new people, moms and ladies that are in the same situation you are.  It is non-denominational and open to all. 

Cheap Smiles

One of the cheapest ways to get a smile out of my grandkids is to get them a musical card.  They have such cute ones these days.  They even have ones you can record your own voice on and sing their favorite song.  There are card with their favorite Sabbath School song on them like, "This Little Light of Mine".  I also have one with "Your Are My Sunshine." My boys have been amused for hours, months, and one even lasted a year.  They just loved those cards and I loved seeing the smiles when they open and close, open and close.  So why get other toys when you can just get a musical card.

Asthma, Colds, and Making The Most Of It

Poor kids.  Davy has a bad cold and Sebby has a cold that launched his asthma.  Fortunately we know how to deal with the asthma attacks now so that we don't have to take Sebastian to the hospital.  I am really glad because it saves us sooooo much money!  Maybe that is why God never sold my Oxygen and Medical business.  Now it is providing for my family.  The Dr. gave an RX for Sebby and I had immediate delivery of Oxygen.  Casey still has medicine from the last time and the Dr. upped his dosage for the first two days.  We have been giving regular nebulizer treatments and he seems to be doing better.

Unfortunately because they are both sick we can't go outside.  It can get cabin feverish.  The boys decided to play hide and seek.  Sebby got to be off his oxygen for awhile so we played.  They are creative.  Funny how they have to call me when they are hiding so in can find them.  Sebby asked me to put Davy in the hamper with him so they could "hide" together.  Very cute.

A friend suggested we try a vegan diet for awhile and see if that works to reduce the asthma for Seb.  So Casey went out and bought a few things and made a couple of really good recipes.  My first thought about going vegan is, no flavor diet.  But the recipes we tried are really good. We found them online by typing key word Vegan Recipes. I will share them in a future blog.

Warm Greetings Fun And Games

I flew into Albuquerque airport and was so excited to see my Sebby and Davy. Don drove up to the passenger pick up and I opened the door and grabbed my Sebby and hugged him tight.  He said, "We are picking up up at the airport!"  He was all smiles and giggles.  After hugging my wonderful husband ( he really missed me!) I slid in between the boys.  I gave Casey a hug and settled back into shear heaven. Davy was asleep in his car seat and I had to wait till he woke up before hugging him.  My heart was really full and I was so happy to be back with my boys.

Casey, Don, and I went out to dinner before heading back home.  Sebby sat by me and hugged my arm and kept saying, "We picked you up at the airport!"  It was exciting for him too.  We had a great dinner and then drove home. Sebby hugged my arm all the way home.

The boys came over the next day for me to babysit while Casey went to work.  We had a ball playing games and running round. Don fixed up a box and pull and put the boys in it and pulled them around the living room.  They both squeeled with delight.

Periodically throughout the day Sebby would say, "We picked you up at the airport!"  I was gone so long that he may have thought I wasn't coming back and he was so thrilled to see that I did!

Today Sebby and I are going to make cookies.  "M&M cookes" per request. Will let you know how it goes.

First Well Baby Visit

Today was Cate's first "Well Baby" check up.  What trama.  Just think....you have to lay naked on a cold plastic covered table with a piece of paper draped over it. I don't call that very hospitable or comfortable for a naked baby. Then you wait, and wait, and wait.  I wonder if the Doctor is balancing her checkbook or something.  She could be finalizing her summer vacation plans.  Whatever she is doing waiting is getting cold. 

She finally comes in the exam room and poor Cate gets poked, prodded, bent, tapped, and listened to from every angle.  She is weighed, measured, and documented before finally being declared perfect.  We knew she was perfect.  All you had to do was ask.  Would have been so much easier and cheaper.

The Doctor is nice.  She explains things well and has a good way with babies.  But still I think Cate describes her ordeal best in her pictures.  Wow....that was a humiliating and  COLD experience!

Snuggling With Abby

Andy usually gets up early with the girls so Callie can get a few extra winks.  She was up most of the night last night because Cate decided it was time to play around 10:00 pm.  So I went upstairs about 8 am as Andy was getting ready to head out the door for work. On his way out he woke up Abby and kissed her good-bye.

Abby come out into the living room saying, "Abby's awake."  She crawled up on the couch with me.  She likes the smooth feel of my satin pjs.  We got the blanket and snuggled together while watching the early morning news.  She sipped on a cup of milk and snuggled under my arm.  Content to have her there and she being content to stay there we enjoyed sitting together for half an hour.

I've been here almost a month and Abby is finally comfortable with me.  Sad that I have to leave in three days. I guess I just need to make the most of those days while I have them.

Cate Update #2

Cate is 10 days old. She is changing so fast.  It's funny to watch Cate make faces.  She is dealing with all sorts of stuff from hunger, to temperature, to touch.  She doesn't like sitting in a full diaper, as if anyone would.  She makes faces for all of it.

I get to give her baths.  She likes part of it, like getting her head washed.  The rest of it, like washing her neck folds and behind her ears she can do without.  She smells wonderful after her bath.  Her umbilacl cord stump is almost ready to fall off.

She is alert and can track with her eyes a little bit.  She seems to focus in on close things.  She will stare at my face for a long time.  Hope she doesn't have nightmares over it.  She is getting her days and nights straightened out better, but Callie was up a lot last night with her and was very, very tired!!!

I am fighting the urge to go out and buy another outfit so I can take more pictures.  But then I really don't need cute clothes.  She is cute enough! BTW.  Her congestion seems to be clearing up. 

Cate Update #1

Susanne Catherine, "Cate", is doing great.  She is nursing well.  She does have some congestion and I hope it doesn't develop into a full blown cold.  We have kept her at home except for church and that is were she may have picked up a bug, but I doubt it as Callie held her most of the time.

Abby is still enthralled with her new baby sister.  She isn't calling her "baby cakes" any more, but "baby sister."  She corrected me when I called her Susanna Banana Danna. She told me that wasn't right.  This was her baby sister. 

Callie is trying her best to give time to Abby.  She does miss her special play time when it was just the two of them.  Callie is funny because she says that she "isn't doing anything because Mom is doing it all." That would be house cleaning, laundry, and cooking plus helping out when needed with the girls.  Yet she feels that she is always busy, nursing the baby, changing the baby, bathing the baby, and rocking the baby.  So not much time with Abby.  She will figure it out soon, especially when I go back home.

Abby is taking it all in stride.  She loves holding Cate. Andy and Callie even let Abby feed Cate a bottle for a minute or so.  They watched over that very carefully.  It went well.

Cate is 9 days old now.  She is starting to round out a bit.  Her cord stump was bloody this morning when I gave her a sponge bath.  I cleaned it up with a Q-tip.  It should come off in the next week or so.  The doctor will check it next week anyway at her first Well Baby check-up.

She is perfect and beautiful. 

Applesauce

You would think when Abby says "applesauce" she is speaking about something that you eat.  When I went to the store I bought her applesauce.  I found out later that is not what she is saying. 

We were doing her letters on Starfall.com.  The O has an eight legged sea creature on one of the pages.  I asked her what it was.  She said, "applesauce".  I tried to correct her and said "octopus". She nodded her head and said "applesauce"! 

Okay.  Applesauce.

Hugs and Kisses

My granddaughter, Abby, is hilarious.  When she gave me a hug and kiss before going to bed the first night I stayed at my daughter's house I felt so good.  I thought that was special and just for me.  Then reality hit.  As I was giving her a bath and letting the water out she had to "hug" the water as it was draining.  "Good-bye water."  Hug!  Then she kissed all her boats as she stacked them on the edge of the tub.  "Bye boats. "  Kiss, kiss.

When I put her down for a nap we have to kiss all the dollies, books, toys, blankets and each other.  Then we do a round of hugs, sing some love songs, and then do it all again.  I fall asleep before she does. I think it is a nap time tactic.

I took her for a walk today.  She saw many pine cones and was entralled with them.  Then she saw a broken one.  Of course she had to pick it up and kiss it.  "Bye-bye boken pine cone."  Sigh.  She is a very loving girl and much like her mom who when she is taking her pain
medication loves everyone and everything.

Like Mommy and Laundry Baskets

Siblings very much want to be involved with the new baby.  At least when they first come home.  I'm sure the newness wears off as it did after my son was born.  My girls were so excited to have a new baby brother and when I brought him home they played with their dolls and "helped" me with the new "toy."  After about 3 weeks they decided this kid took too much of Mom's time away from them.  So the attention getting started in. 

Sometimes attention getting included doing over and over the things that I thought were so cute to begin with.  One of those things was nursing.  Callie would "nurse" her dollie while I nursed Joshua.  Cute?  Of course.  Even when she would do it in church, restaurantes, car, store, and just about anywhere.  I would just shrug with a sheepish grin and say, "Like Mommy".

Today, Abby got the great idea to "nurse" her dollie.  And so it starts...."aww, isn't that so cute?  Let's take a picture."  Well, Callie....get ready, because you ARE gonna have to say, "Like Mommy."

Who would have ever thought that a lanudry basket would make the perfect basinet. Cate is as snug as a bug in a rug.  Kind of like a cacoon. Andy likes it too because he moves it to wherever he is so he can keep an eye on her. It also fits nicely on the foot rest of the rocker so one can rock her gently to sleep.  And those handles for easy carrying are great! Very convenient. I think I will market them as a new baby product that parents must have. I just don't want to forget that this isn't folded laundry and put her away in a drawer some place.

Hats

Isn't it amazing what hats can do for a person? Hats seem to make a statement.  Years ago everyone wore hats.  Not as much now as we used to, but they are still part of someones ensemble. When I turned 50 I was given a red hat.  When I get older I get a purple one.  Not sure what that is all about except to say be happy and enjoy life.  Hats are fun!  I love my granddaughter, Abby's, favorite hat.  Very creative don't you think? I think Grandmas and grandchildren understand hats better than anyone else.  We just don't care what others think, we're gonna do what makes us feel happy and just enjoy each other doin' it!

Owies and Naughties

Accidents happen.  Davy was in Casey's arms when she opened the toaster oven to get her bread out.  He lifted is leg and touch the door with his calf.  Being baby skin, it seared quick.  But due to quick thinking she got his leg under cool water.  Minimal damage was done. We slathered it up with aloe vera, bandaged it and he is doing great.This didn't make any difference to Casey.  She felt terrible.  She cried and cried that she had injured her baby boy. Nothing we said made any difference.  She just had to work through it. "Owie"!

Today I went to an employee meeting and Don watched the boys for about an hour and a half.  When I got home I opened the door and was met with a terrible gas smell.  I walked into the kitchen and there was Don on his hands and knees cleaning up water that Sebby had poured over Davy and then threw the glass and it broke.  While Don was cleaning it up Sebby was dumping fish crackers all over Davy and they were "swimming" in the water.  I looked at the stove.  Sebby had turned on the gas.

I turned the stove off, grabbed Sebby, marched him to the back bedroom and after some firm discipline I put him down for his nap.  I went back and got Davy, changed him out of his wet clothes, discovered a cut on his finger, bandaged it, fed him, and put him down for his nap.  Don went back to the office exasperated.

You can't stop everything, or protect them from it all.  I am glad they go home at night, but by morning I am ready to have them again.  After all, I love being with them and will enjoy every moment with them as long as I can.  Beside, if they were perfect, what would I have to write about?