The Arrival of Levi - Part #2

Once the c-section was scheduled in, I went on an absolute starvation diet. Since I had had a light lunch (and I actually gave over half of it to Rich...so then I REALLY wished I had chowed down!), I had to wait 8 hours from when I ate, which was noon. I was not allowed to have ANYTHING...food, water, ice, even gum or mints. Of course, nothing makes you more thirsty than being told, "You can have nothing for the next 5 hours!" 

I thought I'd be more nervous, but I wasn't. As the time drew closer to surgery, I sent Rich to grab a quick bite of supper so he'd be stable with blood sugar for the surgery. I lay there, trying NOT to be jealous that he was feasting while I was starving. Around 7:30, when I was supposed to be getting prepped for surgery, we were told that there was a woman in labor next door to me that had been pushing for 2 hours and was nearing that "emergency c-section" stage of the game. I totally understood but was still a bit bummed that we'd have to wait. Our hospital has 2 O.R.s specifically for c-sections but they always keep one open when doing a "scheduled" c-section in case of an emergency, so this emergency c-section would tie up the "open" room. Time ticked on. Of course, as luck would have it, I started to contract every 2 minutes right around 8 p.m. It became quite uncomfortable as they came crashing in one on top of the other and growing in intensity with each minute. Especially disheartening is when you know you are contracting and it will NOT yield a baby. I grew nervous b/c if I progressed rapidly with him still breech, we were in danger of the cord being delivered. The nurse came in and quickly gave me meds to STOP contracting - a first for me. At this time, I also started to become increasingly nauseated. My 39 weeks of nausea was getting OLD, and I knew I was going to continue to feel nasty until I was allowed to drink or eat something. When my stomach is empty while pregnant, I start to vomit repeatedly until I can pop meds and some crackers and water. That wasn't an option. Finally, after ANOTHER emergency c-section that went ahead of me, we were prepped for surgery. Rich was given his scrubs and I was escorted to the O.R. It was a little after 10 p.m. Walking to the O.R. was one of the weirdest feelings in the world. I felt like it was a cross between a bad dream and a television show. I have NEVER had surgery...in fact, the only times I've ever been a patient in a hospital is when I had Cae and Matty, and I had certainly never seen an operating room except on t.v. As we walked into the room, I was starting to get nervous. Seeing such a sterile, COLD (holy cow, was it FREEZING in there!), huge room with a bed in the middle, bright lights, and tables of sharp looking instruments started to make the heart pound. Maybe I wasn't as "mentally/emotionally prepared" as I thought? 

Thankfully, my doctors (there were 2 in there), nurses, and anesthesiologist was AWESOME. I almost giggled - they had their own music playlist going, and I got my spinal block to the Black Eyed Peas singing. Later it went to Taylor Swift and when they were delivering Levi, it was Sarah McClaughlin's "I Will Remember You" crooning (actually caught part of it on video when Rich videotaped Levi being pulled out). Thankfully the spinal block IMMEDIATELY started making me feel all warm and cozy - I could hardly get fully on the table before everything went numb. The nerves started to calm and they continued to prep for surgery while I waited for Rich to come. Just as the nurse said, "if you start to feel nauseated..." I immediately felt like, "OH NO! I'm going to HURL!" She barely got the puke dish there in time. I threw up twice before the rapid injection of anti-nausea meds kicked in. Funny thing...right before my surgery, they gave me this NASTY stuff to drink that was supposed to keep me from vomiting. Guess what I threw up? Yep...those meds. :-) They started to infuse my I.V. with stronger anti-nausea meds...but the bad side effect was that they made me SUPER tired and loopy. I almost fell asleep before Rich came in. I could tell he was nervous - he doesn't do well with needles, blood, etc... so this was totally out of his league. I kept telling him in the room before they took me away, "Babe, PLEASE don't look. Don't stand up or anything...they will tell you when Levi is ready to come out so you can capture that but don't look!" 

Then, as soon as Rich was seated, the procedure began. My last worry melted away when they cut into me and I felt nothing but what felt like someone rubbing my stomach. It seems like it didn't take very long at all before they had him. He was so far up that they were REALLY tugging to get him out - I thought I was going to fall off of the table! they finally got him out and we heard this tiny little squeak of a cry...then silence. It was 11:04 p.m...just 56 minutes away from being born on my beloved aunt's birthday! ;-)

They brought Levi past us and showed him to us briefly before taking him to the warmer that was still in my line of vision. He looked so different than my other babies b/c he was covered in blood and so still! We asked, "Is he okay?" b/c he was so very limp. As he lay there on the warmer, unmoving, I started to get a little nervous but no one was rushing, no codes were being called (like what happened with Caelynn's arrival)...then they brought out a little oxgyen pump, covered his mouth with the mouth piece, and started pumping air into him. I wanted to cry seeing his little chest rise and fall...and then we saw him start to twitch and then the crying started. :-) Such a beautiful cry! He didn't stop for quite some time - he was MAD! :-) I felt such relief and such overwhelming fatigue that I closed my eyes and dozed off until they had him all cleaned up. Then they brought him over and let Rich hold him while I rubbed his cheeks and gave him kisses. During this time I also threw up again once or twice - blast this cursed sensitive stomach of mine!

Soon it was time for him to go to the nursery for all of the fun stuff like weighing him, cleaning him up more fully, and getting a small feeding since I couldn't nurse him until after I made it through recovery and was back in my room. That was probably the hardest part of having a c-section. I missed being able to hold my baby right away, but I was so thankful that they let Rich go with Levi so at least one of us was still with him! My secret worry during the c-section was that his lungs wouldn't be quite stable enough and thus have to go to the NICU as some babies do. Praise the Lord that Levi was healthy and well!

After the final stitch up on the inside and being "glued" on the outside, I went to recovery, where of course I threw up a few more times and also slept. I made it back to my room and back to Levi around 1 a.m. or so. That time of seeing him was so sweet! 

I won't bore anyone with the recovery part of the c-section. That Saturday was hard - I felt really lousy and wasn't able to move my legs or feet for quite some time and when I finally could and they had me try to get out of bed and on my feet, I wanted to punch someone. By the next day, though, I felt MUCH better. I was by myself a lot of the day while Rich went to pick up our kids and took care of them before coming to visit so I was on my own more with taking care of Levi. By Sunday, I wanted to go home. I was actually medically cleared to leave, as was Levi, so we went home a day earlier than scheduled. I don't rest well in the hospital. It's bad enough being up so often to nurse a baby but when you finally get to sleep, only to be interrupted by a nurse or orderly to get blood drawn or check on the baby, it makes resting almost impossible. 

The past 2 weeks have been super busy with going from a family of 4 to a family of 5, recovering from a c-section (still recovering from that! Wow, is THAT a difference from a natural delivery!), and just trying to readjust and get back into some semblance of a schedule again. The Lord has been so good to us, and we are so thankful for our newest addition to our family! :-) The kids have been great with him and we are slowly all adjusting to being a family of 5, with three kids ages four and under! ;-) In 2 more days we add a puppy to the mix - will blog on that later! ;-)

The Arrival of Levi...Part #1

It has been quite some time since I last blogged about anything. I felt like we got sabotaged. As soon as I'd start catching up on an ever-growing list of chores to do before Levi arrived, one of us would get sick and put everything on hold. This pregnancy also wiped me out physically more than my other two pregnancies. I must be getting old! :-) I'm praying that now that Levi has arrived and is starting to fall into a schedule that I will be able to write more frequently! 

For each of my children, I wrote their "birth story" so I felt like I should probably get Levi's out there before I totally forgot in my sleep-deprived, fog-induced state! ;-) 

My original due date was Friday, September 14th. However, I've never gone into labor with my children. Caelynn was induced a week after her due date, and Matthew was induced a week before my due date because of some preeclampsia issues and rising blood pressure that was already on the "high/dangerous" end for pregnant women. This pregnancy I didn't have those blood pressure issues like the other two, but I faced a new dilemma...Breech Baby. For 37 weeks Levi was breech inside of the belly - which is why my stomach looked absolutely HUGE especially closer to the end. He was a 'transverse breech', which means that he was laying horizontally in my stomach with his head on my left side and his little adorable rear on my right side. As we drew towards the end of the pregnancy, I started to panic because I knew what would happen if he stayed breech. A c-section.

I started researching how to "turn" a breech baby and started implementing the little "tricks", which included leaning on my elbows on the floor while my knees and lower body stayed on the couch. Let me just tell you - NOT the most attractive or comfortable position when you are 9 months pregnant! I would then invert my body while lying on a wooden plank with a bag of frozen mixed veggies above where his head was and a heating pad where I wanted him to move to - the experts say that the baby gets annoyed by the cold and moves towards the warmth. Whatever...it worked like a charm. I went into my 37 week appointment to be told, "He moved! He is head down!" I was thrilled. But...I was told that his head wasn't engaged in the pelvis and thus wasn't ready for labor yet. So, I started sitting/bouncing on my exercise ball to encourage his little body to fully get into position and get ready to have this baby! At 38 weeks, I was told that he was still head down but STILL not engaged. Grrr! I was ready to be done being pregnant. My mom was getting her plane ticket to come out and help me, and I was done with the daily vomiting (which began to get worse again as the pregnancy was about to come to a close), the joint pain, and being unable to do very much. My induction was scheduled for Friday, September 7th at 9:00 a.m. I was thrilled!

That last week I worked like a fiend. The house was cleaned top to bottom, sheets changed, wash completely finished, ironing done, and fridge/freezer stocked with goodies, treats, meals, etc... Friday morning rolled around, and I was PSYCHED. But, at the back of my mind, I had a feeling that this labor/delivery would prove very different than my other two, and I couldn't shake that feeling. After dropping Cae and Matty off at our dear friend's house, we headed to the hospital and got checked in. After getting on my gown and hopping into the labor/delivery bed, I was told that I still wasn't even close to having that baby's head engaged. However, my blood pressure was back into that "high/dangerous" level so they told me it was VERY good I was there to have this baby and resolve that blood pressure issue! My fear was that he would follow in his big bro's footsteps and have a huge head...and thus it would be too late to be able to deliver him naturally. They did an ultrasound to confirm that he was still head down...and he was. They started me on a very light induction process, and we settled in for a long day. At noon, nothing had changed - still only 1 cm dilated (I had been that way for 3 weeks already) so they allowed me to have a light lunch. 

During this time I had nurses CONSTANTLY coming in to fix the heart monitor - Levi was my most active baby in the womb and was proving evasive AGAIN for those dear nurses! As soon as they'd find his heartbeat and leave the room, he'd move and they'd lose him again! At 3 p.m. the charge nurse came in to fix the monitor and as she felt my stomach, she said, "He's breech!" I assured her, "No...he turned at 37 weeks and they confirmed via ultrasound this morning that he is still head down." One thing I've learned...don't argue with an experienced nurse. She could tell by feeling that he had turned AGAIN...so in came the ob/gyns, 4 nurses that had been dealing with me, and the ultrasound machine - only to show that our little Mr. Evasive Levi had indeed decided to turn back to his transverse breech position. He was also VERY high - almost up to my rib cage, as if to say, "I am NOT coming out of here and you will have to do your worst to get me out!!!" At that point, it was "game over" as the doctors told me. Breech at labor/delivery means a c-section and I fully complied. I know some women still try to delivery while the baby is breech. We read up on it when we were still facing Levi being breech, and it was something Rich and I both agreed on - if he was breech at delivery, it was a c-section all the way. In fact, at the hospital we were at, none of the ob/gyns legally allow it - there are so many dangers to it that they all refuse to vaginally deliver a breech baby. Without boring anyone, the biggest issue is the umbilical cord being delivered first, which can pinch and thus starve the baby of the necessary blood/oxygen needed. Severe brain damage and death can occur. I already had a baby with a triple wrapped cord around the neck and watched my baby get whisked away from me, gray in the face and silent...there wasn't a chance on earth I'd even CHANCE doing anything that could result in an issue with my baby.

Now, this was actually something I had been praying about. Like I said before, I had a feeling near the end of the pregnancy (even after he turned to a head-down position), that this labor/delivery would be entirely different than my other two children. I had not only mentally/emotionally "prepared" myself for a possible c-section, but I was actually going back and forth in my mind to just ask for one. (If you are wondering how a person "mentally" prepared for a c-section, remember that I am very much a "Type A" personality. I don't like surprises. I want to know EXACTLY what is going to happen, so I read up on what happens in a c-section, the steps that are taken, the process, the recovery, the healing time, etc... Yes, I'm a nerd. I know that. :-)) I had friends tell me horror stories of c-sections but I had also had two very LONG and very intense natural labors and deliveries with my older kids, so the c-section didn't really scare me since I'd had tearing and stitches, heads stuck, and epidurals fall out or not work, as well as trying to deliver a baby while puking my guts out. The day of the induction, they told me that I could ask for a c-section and they would grant it, but none of them were in favor of it simply because it was my last baby and my other two children were able to be delivered naturally, meaning that my body was conducive to having a more natural experience. As the day progressed on and on, I was starting to talk to Rich about, "Why don't I just do a c-section? I'm not progressing and our kids are at a friend's house and who knows how long this will take..." I began praying, "Lord, please make it very clear what You would have us to do and what would be best for our precious Levi and help me to be okay with whatever You have for us." And then...as He faithfully does, He made the answer very clear. At 3 p.m. I was told, "This is going to end in a c-section, sweetie. We are scheduling it for 8 p.m. tonight."

Where have we been?!?!?!?

For anyone wondering why in the WORLD it has taken so long to have another blog post (all 3 of you!)...I apologize! 

The past few months have been a whirlwind around our house and I will try to briefly (or not so briefly) catch up!

In March, we found out that Rich's company was sending him to a week long conference in Washington, D.C. Since my home town is only about a 3.5-4 hour drive from there, the kids and I quickly got our plane tickets, packed our bags, and came with! It was SO WONDERFUL to be home for about a week and see my family. We are all incredibly close on my mom's side and the last time I had been home, it was Thanksgiving of 2010 and Matty was just a few months old. Rich drove us up to my mom's place and the kids and I stayed there while he was at his work conference. We had an awesome time (and my family spoiled my kids ROTTEN!) and then Rich, myself, and the kids went to D.C. for about 2 days of just touring and sight-seeing. It was great! Gorgeous weather, cherry blossoms in full bloom...absolutely lovely! We didn't get to do nearly the things we wanted to - children don't care very much for museums! :-) It was our first and only family vacation pretty much ever (outside of going to see family). The plane ride with 2 little kids and a pregnant mommy, though...not doing that again for a LONG TIME! 

After we arrived home, the pregnancy nesting really came in full force. I grew up with a mother who faithfully spring cleaned her house from top to bottom every single year. I had never been able to fully do that to our home here so I was DETERMINED to get it done before I get too big, too tired, or restricted. I am STILL spring cleaning but slowly getting there. So, the past month or so of being MIA on here, I've been cleaning out kitchen cabinets, closets, drawers, etc... I probably watch "Hoarders" too much - I'm in a major purging mood. I can't stand clutter and "knick-knacks" of any kind so I've been pretty strict on my "get rid of" pile. It's very freeing but taking FOREVER! As soon as I make some headway, something comes up (or little hands are undoing everything I'm trying to clean and organize!). I came back home and soon we were battling some bad colds. Then allergy season hit early in Colorado, and I was in bed for a day or two with a horrible sinus infection with very little I could take due to the pregnancy. Finally back on my feet, the pregnancy exhaustion hit again. Some days I could hardly make it to the kids' nap time before I'd have to collapse on the couch and just rest or sleep. This is probably the worst I've ever had it. Everything is starting earlier - Braxton Hicks, exhaustion, aches and pains, expanding rapidly...And of course I have a few KIND HEARTED women at my church that act like I am the largest pregnant woman they have ever seen. Add to that my defense of "I've actually only gained 4 pounds" and you'd think I said I sprouted wings and a 2nd head. I'm getting close to seriously hitting someone.

So, that is what is going on. Since finding out that our precious little baby is another boy, I've been pulling out all of the baby clothes out of our back storage/guest room in the basement and sorting. The good boy clothes are all washed in Dreft (HEAVENLY SCENT!!! It's almost as good as smelling baby lotion!), line dried, and sorted into age appropriate bags. The used things are in bags for Good Will. Then all of the girl clothes are being sorted into "donate" and "sell" bags. This is our last baby for our family (9 months of vomiting x 3 children = a lot of stress on the body!) so the dreams of another baby girl are over. I've been incredibly, INCREDIBLY emotional with this pregnancy. I never used to cry...now the stupidest little thing sets me off. I'd be sorting Cae's old newborn onesies and just burst into tears. I see a Pampers commercial and bawl. I look through Cae's baby album and sob. It's borderline ridiculous and sometimes I'm laughing at myself as I'm crying. My poor husband - he's not used to this side of me! ;-) 

That, in a nutshell, is our lives right now! I'll do separate posts on the kids b/c it seems like they have been changing and growing before my eyes, especially the last few days! I am in full "baby prep" mode, with mental lists, goals, and timelines. Rich is working on a huge outdoor sandbox in the backyard for the kiddos to play in (we have a park about 8-10 minutes walking distance from our house but I've just been too exhausted to push 70+ pounds of children there). We are TALKING (just talking, mind you!) of getting a Golden Retriever puppy for the kids, most likely AFTER the baby comes, so the "puppy fund" has begun. We are trying to prepare for a yard sale in the next month or so, and we have my beloved aunt flying out to visit us for a week starting next Tuesday. I've been trying to tie up loose ends at church with different ministry responsibilities and be 20 steps ahead so it will be seamless when the baby comes and I have to step down for a time. Lots to do (sometimes even busier than when I was teaching full time!) but we are so thankful for what the Lord is doing in our family and in our lives! The blessings just keep coming! :-)

"The Girl in the Green Sweater" by Krystyna Chiger

Last week I read this amazing book which I was told about by a dear friend from church. (Thanks again, Jenny!!!) This book is an absolute jewel. As I've mentioned before, I am drawn to books that deal with the events surrounding WWII. This book deals with a different aspect of WWII than I had read before.

Krystyna is a young girl when WWII erupts in her home town of Lvov, Poland. She has a little brother that she quickly has to learn to care for and help hide while her parents are forced to work long hours each day. Eventually, the family receives word that the final liquidation of their ghetto will occur, and the family takes to the sewers under the very streets their murderers walk. Her father, having been preparing for this last resort situation, had established a contact through a Polish sewer worker to bring them daily food for a steep price. When the final liquidation happens, many Jews pour into the sewers, spoiling some carefully laid plans. Eventually the family, along with a group of other Jews, settles and fall into a "routine" of sorts. In these damp, disgusting, rat-infested conditions, Krystyna and her family live for fourteen months. Their tale is one of true courage and the human spirit's will to survive. READ THIS BOOK...one of the best memoirs I've read thus far!

"The Avion My Uncle Flew" by Cyrus Fisher

Falling behind on all of my posts here! More to come soon!

I wanted to quickly write up about this book...on my quest of reading 30 books by December 8th, 2012, and this makes book #10! ;-)   This is a Newbery Honor book that I bought a while ago and just never read. It's pretty cute - it deals with a young boy (around the age of 11, I believe?) during WWII. His father returns from war and informs his family that they are moving to Paris briefly to help with some post-war work that he is contracted to do through the government. The boy, Johnny Littlehorn, is NOT happy to be leaving their Wyoming ranch but his mother, originally from France, is thrilled. Long story short, Johnny moves with his uncle (mother's brother) to a small village in France where his mother was raised. A thickening plot ensues as Johnny finds himself being followed by a Nazi spy. At the same time, Johnny's uncle is working on an avion (type of small airplane/glider) that he developed during the war. Can his uncle be successful before the last of his money runs out? Will Johnny figure out who is following him and why? Read it to find out!

The book is peppered with French words and by the end, you actually have a half-decent understanding of basic French without it being annoying or wordy. :-) Cute read.

"Financial Peace Revisited" by Dave Ramsey

Yes, ANOTHER book post! I finished about 3 books this past week, but this book I had actually been reading since around November. I may have mentioned this before, but Rich and I enrolled in the online "Financial Peace University" course around November. For the package we paid for, we received 16 weeks of online access to the online videos for the course, as well as downloading the workbook that accompanies the course (and the audio version of all of the video sessions), and they also send you Dave's book that is supplemental reading for the course. 

A little background info - Dave Ramsey is a Christian financial expert whose basic underlying goal is to help every man and woman get out of debt, get an emergency fund, get a savings plan, have a secure and substantial retirement fund, and be successful in life. 

Rich and I took this course together, and I HIGHLY recommend it for everyone - whether you are single, married, divorced, old, young...you will benefit! One thing that was never really touched on in our early marriage classes were finances and the importance of being on the same page. As Dave Ramsey says, in every marriage there is almost always one "free spirit" and one "nerd." I'm sure you can guess which one I am and which one Rich is. :-)  That affects everything from spending to budgeting to...well, EVERYTHING. I wish we would have done this sooner. Because, just like in raising children, buying a house, or any other major decision, finances MUST be done together and both spouses must be on the same page in order to be successful. It CANNOT be the philosophy of "one person handles it all and the other one is in the dark."

I won't go into detail, but as we moved to Colorado, grew our family, etc... we were stupid and ran into debt. The largest of our debt is a personal loan my mom extended to us for house repairs. Buying a "fixer upper" is fantastic if you get a great deal and can do most of the work yourself, which is true for us. However, if I could go back and redo it, I would have NOT taken a loan and just "lived" with the mess and issues for a while longer and paid cash for everything. Anyway, for a long time this debt has bothered me b/c I never had debt. Even living in the 2nd most expensive (or maybe most expensive) state in the U.S. (Hawaii) while making only $19,000...I always lived on a tight budget and never carried a credit card balance or debt of any kind. It BOTHERS me to have debt. So, I am VERY thankful for this course! :-)

The book is fabulous and even if you cannot take the Financial Peace University course, you need to read this book. Even if you aren't in debt...even if you already have a good savings account - READ THE BOOK. Dave sets up 7 easy steps for financial success. 

The first step is to have a $1,000 emergency fund. Once this is set up, you CUT UP EVERY CREDIT CARD. Then you pay off all of your debts in a structured way, which Dave calls the "Debt Snowball", starting with the smallest debt first. Then, once you get rid of all debt (outside of your mortgage), you save 3-6 months of money that will pay all of your bills, so that in case something should happen, you know you have that safety net to carry you through until something else comes along. VERY SMART - being the constant worrier I am, having safety nets are huge for me. Once you have that done, you start working simultaneously on saving for retirement, investing, and also saving for your child's college. 

This course was a major blessing to us, and we have learned so much. We even learned some great things to help our children learn at an early age the importance of "give, save, spend" and how to raise them to be excellent stewards of what God has given them. This isn't a "get rich quick" course. It is all about making your money work for you, being a good steward of what God has given you, and later being able to give back to others as God has blessed. 

I won't share our level of debt because I know my husband would KILL Me - and it's different for everyone. But I will say that we implemented our new "super strict" budget on January 1st. I set up our budget and did all of the math since I'm the nerdy "I love this stuff!" type of person but had Rich go over it all with me. We had 3 areas of debt and with the budget we live on (Rich has a good job but we aren't making heaps of money, we will soon have 3 kids, and I don't "work" at a "paying job" to stay home with our children right now), I figured it would take us 4.7 years to pay everything off, with the first debt in the "debt snowball" taking about 19 months to pay off. The Lord started to immediately bless us with a completely UNEXPECTED bonus, a job promotion for Rich, and just a few extra things here and there. What should have taken 19 months looks like it will be gone in 6 months. That's right...6 months. We are psyched to see all that God is doing and is teaching us! 

One night in November, we cut up EVERY SINGLE CREDIT CARD. So scary but also SO FREEING!!!! There were a bunch more than this but I had already thrown out a bunch. (Rich cut the "cool pattern" in them. Hence - his "free spirit" while my nerdy self was cutting them up into a billion pieces and making sure card numbers and names were totally obliterated. :-))

"In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer" by Irene Gut Opdyke

In the past week I read another amazing book that was recommended to me by another dear friend. As soon as I saw the title I thought, "Wait a second...I think I HAVE that book!" :-) One of my most favorite things to "shop" for (since I'm not much of a shopper at all) is books. In fact, when I was single and teaching, I'd give myself a little treat now and again and walk 1 1/2 miles to the mall and then spend HOURS in Borders, gathering books and spending the extra money I earned from tutoring after school. However, because of a very demanding teaching/grading schedule, I almost never had time to read, so I had stacks of books all over my bedroom. And if you know me at all...that spells HEAVEN to me. :-) So now, as I finally have settled into this house and fallen into a "routine" of sorts with the kiddos and housework, I am starting to be able to dive in to the huge pile of books I own and mark them off my list! (And by "list" I mean like "Epitome of Nerdness" in that I have an Excel spreadsheet alphabetically listing every single book Rich and I own, as well as a separate column for "Read".)

Anyway, I found this little treasure on one of my bookcases and dove right in. It is fabulous. I've read many books on the Holocaust survivors, but I believe this is one of the first that I've read of a Holocaust rescuer. I won't give too much of the story away, but this book is an autobiography that is well written, easy to follow, and attention-grabbing from the start. Irene is a young woman growing up in Poland that soon finds herself at nursing school many miles away from her family when the Germans invade Poland. What follows is her incredible tale of survival, sorrow, pain (she was raped by soldiers as she was trying to escape capture), and determination. She ends up working for a German officer as a housemaid while using his very own house to hide Jews in the basement. She is an amazing woman, and this book is absolutely fantastic! I think I finished it in about 5 days of reading at night before bed! I also enjoyed the pictures that were placed in the book - I love having real faces to go with the family and friends and survivors that she describes in the book!

Teaching Disclaimer: This book is fabulous for an older teen girl to read and would work well if you are teaching on WWII and want some supplemental reading. However, rape is mentioned. It is in no way graphic at ALL (basically just mentions, "I was raped") or distasteful but if your child doesn't know what rape is, it could lead to questions. She also is forced into a physical relationship with the German officer she is a housekeeper for. Again - no real details are mentioned, and she isn't explicit, but that topic also comes up. (I.E. "I slept in his bed." or "That night I found myself in his room.")

"Evidence Not Seen" by Darlene Deibler Rose

I finished this book several days ago, but have been sick with this pregnancy and unable to blog about it until now! I was told about this book by a friend and fellow book-lover. Wow, is this book fantastic! 

It is set during the time period of WWII and is another autobiography. If you remember from my last book blog entry, I had finished the book "Unbroken" - a biography of a POW imprisoned in Japan during WWII. This book also features a POW during WWII, but she was held in a Japanese camp located in New Guinea. Darlene Deibler Rose was a missionary with her husband to New Guinea. Soon after they arrived, though, WWII broke out and the Japanese quickly took over the island. I won't give major details away but she is captured and interred in a Japanese POW camp away from her husband. Written in her own words, this incredibly journey of faith challenged me so often in my own walk. To have faced such devastating circumstances and witnessed such atrocious things and yet still have a heart of love for people (and her captors, no less!) and the work of God was quite a rebuke to my own passive, easy life. One thing that continually impressed me was her vast bank of Scripture memory. She was able, although stripped of her Bible, to continually encourage herself and others with verses she had memorized as a child, teen, and young adult.  She took on a role of leadership in her barracks, held daily devotionals for her fellow inmates, and witnessed multiple times to her Japanese head of camp. It is virtually impossible to walk away from this book without continually seeing the goodness of God and the miracles He accomplishes in and through His faithful children!

I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Education note: If your teen (probably more geared for a 9th-12th grader unless your junior higher reads at an accelerated level) is needing to find an autobiography or historical book to read or do a book report on, this would be the perfect book!

The Tangle Monster

Have I gotten your attention? :-) This is probably going to sound a little strange, but since this blog is dedicated to our "mayhem", I thought I'd share with you. :-) 

Caelynn, even from around the age of one, has had these amazing curls sprouting from her head. :-) We love her curls...except for bath time. I've used adult professional conditioner and various detanglers but it still is a struggle to get through her hair. She used to HATE getting her hair combed and so one night, in desperation, I told her, "Honey, I'm so sorry! The Tangle Monster must have been in your hair!" And THAT was the birth of..."The Tangle Monster". Now, every bath night, as I comb her hair, she regularly carries on a full conversation with her beloved Tangle Monster. I turn away from her so she doesn't see that the Tangle Monster is indeed Mommy with a deep, growling type of voice. As I start to comb her hair she will say, "Um, Tangle Monster?" and wait for "him" to growl back, "Hello? Caelynn?" Then she launches into whatever she has done that day. She tells him her Sunday School lesson, her favorite songs, what she learned that day, what games we played, if she got any treats...it always varies. She will start each new sentence, though, with, "Tangle Monster?" just to make sure he is there. I think she really believes he is present and with her during each hair combing session. At the end of combing, when I announce, "No more tangles!" she will say a goodbye to her Tangle Monster, usually saying, "I love you, Tangle Monster!" 

It sounds silly...but I'm going to be really sad the day she realizes he doesn't exist and it was just her silly mommy trying to turn a hair-combing session into something fun. Might make a great children's book, though! ;-)

"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Holy mother of pearl, is this a GOOD BOOK! I started this book last month but because of the sheer volume of it, it took me a while to read and then I got sick. This book emotionally touched me in so many ways. 

I feel like I have read A LOT about World War II. It's one of my favorite eras to read about because it fascinates and horrifies me at the same time. I have read many, MANY Holocaust memoirs, books on the "Band of Brothers", and other works. I felt like I was pretty well read on the entire subject of WWII. This book proved me wrong. Yes, I've read about war tactics, Pacific theater battles, life in German-occupied countries, and most of the extermination camps in Europe. What I had NOT read was an account of our amazing POWs that were held in horrible conditions in Japanese POW camps. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think, it made me ANGRY, and it opened my eyes to a whole other side of history that I had never really known about. 

To try to keep the story as concise as possible without giving away pivotal parts, this story follows one of the most amazing POWs we have had the privilege to have in our country. Louis Zamperini was a troubled child that eventually turned to running to give him purpose in life. He became such an amazing runner that he made it to the 1936 Olympics in Germany. When WWII began, Louis joined the military to fight for his country. What he didn't expect was a plane wreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a record-setting amount of days in a small yellow raft, almost being eaten by sharks, being strafed multiple times by Japanese bombers, and almost making it to an island before being captured by the Japanese. What followed next is almost too horrific to write about. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! Overall, it is pretty clean. There are a few swear words and the "f" word is used once (because it was used in a quote). The story, though, is well worth the read, and so well written. You may recognize the author's name - she wrote "Seabiscuit" which went on to become an award-winning film. There are fabulous photographs, mostly provided by Louis himself, and the writing style of the book is awesome in that it has fabulous descriptions, fantastic details, and footnotes to give further information about a certain statistic, person mentioned, or place. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly suggest this for anyone who loves reading biographies or WWII history.

The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine

I forgot to post about this, but I HAVE been reading in order to try to meet my goal of reading 30 books by December 8, 2012. This book was great. If you are familiar with the couponing world, you most likely have visited or read about the blog "Money Saving Mom". The wonderful lady who puts this website together is the author of this book. She is a Christian lady who strives to live her life (stay-at-home mom of 3, homeschooling, paid blogger) debt-free. Her tips are awesome and if you are new to the world of budgeting, saving money, couponing, etc... then you will greatly appreciate this book! It is a super easy read! :-) She also provides some worksheets in the back to help you organize your meal planning, budgeting, couponing, household activities and full downloads are available on her website - here http://moneysavingmom.com/ 

Our Little Announcement

So AGAIN it has been a while since I have written. That is for two reasons. #1 is that I've been pretty darn sick. #2 is that I was afraid I would "blab" the news before we were ready to tell people. ;-) Our news, you might ask? We have baby #3 on the way. :-) We've known for about 5 weeks now but, since suffering two miscarriages over the course of the past few years, we like to wait until we have reached a somewhat "safer" part of the pregnancy. I also wanted to wait until we had our first ultrasound. I've had two kids now - and yet even with having TWO positive pregnancy tests, daily morning sickness, and sickness throughout the day, I am always petrified at my first ob appointment that they will say, I"m so sorry, sweetie - you are just fat. There is no baby." :-) No joke - that is my fear. :-) 

Some may ask, "Okay, we've read the birth stories of the other two. She CLEARLY said that she was DONE having kids after she had Matthew." Yep, I know. I blame peer pressure. There are so many friends on facebook that are pregnant that I got the 'baby bite". I expect large presents! Just kidding. Actually, I thought I WAS done after Matthew. I have difficult pregnancies. And while I have been blessed that they haven't involved early hospitalization or bed rest, vomiting for 30 some straight weeks is HARD on the body. And having to be induced with each one, enduring long labors and hard deliveries and high blood pressure and such makes it so much harder to have any more. I had told Rich that I was done...he wasn't convinced. We went back and forth, and I will admit that we had many an argument over it. I also don't do well on most birth control medicines. Any that have ANY form of hormone in them make me sick b/c my body is just THAT SENSITIVE to any form of extra hormone. Anyway, we fought back and forth. We both came from families of two kids - one boy and one girl. I was totally happy with where we were at. Plus, the cost of children. Many of our friends here and at our church home school their kids. We, however, just are NOT on board with that and unless God drastically changes our hearts and minds, that is NOT an option for us. I'm not slamming home school, so please don't start the hate mail. But, I do believe it is a personal decision each parent needs to weigh VERY carefully and coming from a background and degree in education, I come from a very different standpoint than others. Maybe some day I'll write on that if anyone cares. Anyway, children are EXPENSIVE and while we believe that God provides for the little ones He gives us, we also believe in counting the cost and being able to properly care for the ones He has given us charge over. So, back and forth we went, weighing the pros and cons of having a baby, with Rich always saying, "Please one more?"

Then, one evening while Rich was away at his grandfather's funeral, it really hit me. I wanted one more. I was actually a little startled to hear myself saying it in my head - b/c I KNOW what it involves for myself and my body. I also knew that Matty's pregnancy was worse than Cae's, which I thought was bad enough. So the likelihood that this one would be even harder was a great possibility. And with being thousands of miles away from family, not having any help, and already having two kids to care for, it was scary. But, I also knew in my heart of hearts that this was FROM GOD that my heart had changed to having this desire again. The funny thing is...after I had Matthew, I packed up ALL of my maternity clothes to sell. When I stopped pumping milk for Matty, I got the pump ready to sell. I had all of Cae's baby clothes in bags - but I couldn't bring myself to sell anything. And that was when I really was "DONE" with having kids. The Lord knows. ;-) 

So, after telling Rich of my change of heart, I sat him down and went through some MAJOR fears and hurdles I felt we needed to overcome before we'd try for #3. I'm a worrier by nature. I've always (until I had Caelynn) had a job, earned an income that I could fully sustain myself on, and also have a little savings. It was a safety net for me. After I had Caelynn, I stopped working so I could stay home with her. We moved to Colorado and suddenly my entire financial "stability" was on my husband. I was okay for a while but I specifically remember a panic attack I had at like 3 a.m. one morning after I had just had Matty. I was feeding him, holding this tiny newborn in my arms and I broke into a sweat. "What if Rich loses his job? We have ZERO savings. We have credit card debt. We aren't financially prepared. What if one of the kids gets sick. What if... What if... What if...." It was HORRIBLE. I didn't want to go through that again. So I told Rich I really wanted us to get financially secure before we had another child and have 2 of our 4 debts paid off. So, I set a date - a goal for us. Rich agreed we needed to be more on track financially but didn't agree with me setting a "deadline" on God. Several months later I started to feel convicted about it. I WAS setting a deadline on God. A condition of sorts. A "I'm willing to have another baby IF You do...." That is so wrong! So, we got serious about our finances but at the same time decided that we'd let God take the reigns and bring our little one when He felt we were ready for it.

Meantime, we started doing "Financial Peace University" with Dave Ramsey online. It has been LIFE CHANGING for us. We have been able to pay off one debt totally and should be finished with our 2nd debt by June, Lord willing. What was my original goal? 2 debts paid by the time we start trying for a baby. By the time our little one arrives, we should be well on our way to paying off #3 (out of 4 total) of our debts. What was the date I had set? January 1st. When did I get pregnant? Sometime during the week before Christmas. Amazing how God works, huh? ;-)

Here is a picture of our little one, due sometimes around September 14th. My blood pressure is already a little bit high so the likelihood that I will be induced early again is a real possibility. I'm guessing I'll go earlier. THe funny thing - both of my kids came EXACTLY either one week before or after their due date. Both were induced. Both were induced on a Monday and born on a Tuesday. Maybe I should request the same for this one if we have to go through the induction route. Easier to remember. ;-) 

Back from the dead

Oh man, these posts are getting farther apart and that is NOT GOOD. The past few weeks have been not so great.

About two weeks ago Caelynn came down with a virus/cold. She had congestion and a runny nose, but the worst part was the 5 day fever she ran. When the fever was below about 99.5, she was happy. But as soon as it would start to climb, she'd get hysterical and extremely clingy. NOT the best circumstances when you have a non-walking one year old to deal with too and house work. Matty was also dealing with the virus, but thankfully he was as happy as a lark. He had nasty junk coming out of his eyes AND his nose but no fever. Cae started with her fever on Tuesday and it ran through Saturday. Friday night Matty started with a fever and I got really sick with the virus as well. Thankfully, Cae was on the upward swing, Matty's went by within about 48 hours, and I thought mine was over pretty quickly too. Wrong.

That week, right near the beginning, I also noticed that the cabinet under my kitchen sink was leaking. All over. And growing mold. It was AWESOME. So, I had everything from under the sink loaded into a wash basket on my counter and my "job" was to figure out HOW the sink was leaking. In between dealing with "fever girl", I tried to keep inspecting with the flashlight. Ran the dishwasher - no leak. Ran the garbage disposal - no leak. Ran the water in the sink - no leak. Put water in the sink to wash dishes...LEAK! The sink is pretty old. Our house was built between 1980-81 and I'm pretty sure this is still the same nasty white porcelain sink put in the original house. So, I put a tupperware container where the water was dripping, called Rich and TRIUMPHANTLY announced, "I KNOW where the leak is coming from and I THINK I know WHY it is leaking!" Brilliant work, Melissa! Now...live like that for another two weeks. :-) 

So, that disaster averted and waiting for attention from my busy hubby, I focused on "fever girl" and "I don't want to learn to walk boy". I have been TRYING to encourage the boy to walk. Some will say, "Wow - that is REALLY delayed for an almost 19 month old to NOT be walking!" Let me tell you - it is not from lack of working with him, TRYING to get him to walk, or his own physically inability to. He will take steps here and there, he will walk behind a push toy when I MAKE him, and he will walk holding on to a finger. He CAN do it - the child is as stubborn as a mule and only wants Mommy to hold him and carry him. Sometimes I think the umbilical cord is still attached. I adore him to pieces but he just DOES NOT CARE and won't do anything he doesn't want to do. So, in between fevers, I was trying to get him to walk more. Then the virus hit. Friday night, around 5 p.m. I told Rich, "Man, I feel like I"m coming down with something." No lie - by 8 p.m. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I went straight to bed. BLECH! By Sunday I thought I was on the mend but we all stayed home from church b/c Cae hadn't even been fever free for 24 hours yet and Matty had issues and I was still sick. 

Monday morning comes - and my throat feels like I swallowed a razor blade. By Tuesday it is BAD, and I'm hardly sleeping at night. I have Rich check my throat for white spots (Strep), and he sees nothing. By midnight of Tuesday I just want to bawl my eyes out. I was up every night with Cae while she had a fever so I've now not slept through the night in over a week. I am up, at midnight, with my hubby's HUGE Makita flashlight (meant to be like a work light) and trying to simultaneously stick out my tongue, say "ahhh!", and shine the flashlight at the right spot in my throat while also trying to see any white spots. I must have looked like a moron. By the time I'd get my tongue flat, I'd shine the light in the wrong spot b/c I was looking in a mirror and it was throwing me off. BAD WEEK. That was an entire week. I'd sleep for about 2 hours, wake up in excruciating pain, gargle with salt water, make some hot tea with honey, pop some Tylenol, sip the tea, suck on cough drops, watch tv, and then eventually have dulled the pain enough to catch a few more hours of sleep. I think this past Monday was the first day my throat didn't actually kill me and one of the first nights I slept totally through the night. 

But, during that week of "sore throat killer pain", I went to do my laundry b/c...as you mom readers know, "Moms do NOT have time to get sick." Life goes on, meals need to be prepared, diapers changed, bills paid, laundry done... It was supposed to be GORGEOUS and SUPER warm on Thursday so I thought, "By hook or by crook, I'm getting three big loads done and on the wash line!" Went down after load #1 finished to find...water all over my basement floor. Super fantastic. Our water/sewer line had a clog in it again. I dragged the wet/dry vac down to the basement and tried to get up most of the water b/c I HAD to do another load of wash. I did the next load - even MORE water plus I completely clogged the wet/dry vac. At this point I thought, "Are you KIDDING me????" Called Rich and told him that now he had TWO projects to work on - kitchen sink leak and clogged pipes. And now my basement smells like poop and death. (And for the record, no, the sewer didn't back up into the basement. But it is an OLD basement and when it gets water, it STINKS!) Saturday Rich decides to do the fixes. It takes him ALL DAY with the kitchen sink (read: water turned off, kitchen sink completely unusable) b/c he decided to reroute the pipes a bit - which required THREE trips to Home Depot to pick up the plumbing tubes he'd need. Just as he was putting it all back together the main old part broke. Back to Home Depot. Washer pipes still not unclogged. As Rich went upstairs, during the kids nap times OF COURSE, he notices in our bedroom that the bookcase we have in there was starting to come apart - it was a "put it together yourself" bookcase given to us. Instead of trying to push it back together, he wants to "see" how much weight it could take or if it would come apart. And, as luck would have it, the ENTIRE THING came crashing to the ground. Like 8 big shelves of books ALL OVER the floor. At this point, I'm looking for a camera crew to jump out and say, "You've been punked!" Didn't happen. Just life.

End of the story - he got the sink all fixed up by 9:30 Saturday night. I was staying home from church with Matty b/c I was still really struggling with sore throat/talking (I'm sure my hubby probably secretly liked that it hurt me to talk - I'm not the quietest person in the world) and Matty was/still is getting some molars in. Sunday, after church, Rich went down to unclog the pipes - that took until about 6 p.m. 

I"m really thankful for a handy hubby. With buying an older house, there are A LOT more things to fix than a newer home, so I'm really blessed to have a husband to can basically fix anything/redo anything. Sometimes things pile on all at once - sickness, house disasters, falling behind on house hold chores, etc... Looking back now, it is pretty funny. At the time, not so much. Last night we lost power for 5 hours. The kids took a bath by candlelight and Matty pooped in the tub. :-) These are the things that make memories. I realize, as I see myself spazzing out when my routine gets out of whack, that I really pray my kids inherit Rich's laid back attitude. Nothing really phases him. He has the patience of a saint and just goes with the flow. I, on the other hand, start the huffing, puffing, eye rolling, muttering under my breath, and thinking, "Great, so this destroys my entire 'Thursday' schedule so therefore I need to readjust and that means I have to move this to..." In the grand scheme of things, NOT a big deal! I hope next time I handle things better than how I did this time. Just hoping it doesn't all come at once, ya know? Cause then someone's liable to get HURT!

"Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

I apologize for yet ANOTHER delay in posting. Last week and this week has been ROUGH. Caelynn started getting sick last Monday and by Tuesday was running a fever pretty consistently. If it went over 99.5, we had a VERY cranky patient on our hands. And by "we" I mean "me". She would get inconsolable and I'd have to sit with her and calm her down and get her to rest and try to get her fever down. When she was better, I tried to pack in all of the normal housework, plus take care of Matty. By the end of the week, she was FINALLY getting better but Matty started with the fever and Friday night I came down with it. This week has been better - Caelynn is feeling much better, Matty's little case of the cold/fever was over in about two days, but I've been struggling with congestion, coughing...and the worst part is the sore throat. During the day I was fine but I'd wake up in the middle of the night with such horrid pain that it would keep me up. 

Anyway, such is life...but that is why I haven't been blogging much lately. When I feel okay, I'm trying to get the daily chores done, as well as trying to get Matthew to just WALK already. More on that later.

Anyhow, my first "read" of the month is an awesome book I stumbled upon called Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Once again, I went with an adolescent book but it truly is marvelous. One of my little nerdy obsessions is the dream of collecting and owning every single Caldecott and Newbery Award winner/Honor winner since both awards originated back in the early 1900s. I have a running list of award winners and highlight which ones I own. This book won the award for 2011. :-) So, when I received a Barnes & Noble gift card from my hubby for my birthday, I knew what I wanted to get. :-) This book DOES NOT disappoint.

It is a historical fiction book, set back in the time period of 1936 in a small town of Manifest, Kansas. The main character is a young girl named Abilene who is shipped to this town, knowing NO ONE, by her father who works for the railroad and can no longer keep her with him while he works. As Abilene tries to piece together why her father sent her to this town...and piece together who her dad really was before she came along, she falls in love with the diverse people that make up Manifest. The story jumps between the activities of 1936 and 1917-18. When Abilene meets the "local diviner" and has to work for her to pay off a debt, Abilene begins to learn a history of a people she thought she'd never care about. 

This book is AWESOME. Very clean, very easy to read, but also keeps you on your toes as you try to remember who everyone is and keep in context what they were back in 1917 and who they are now in 1936. Fantastic story with some great morals. Also ingeniously weaves historical facts into the story so that it educates at the same time. Definitely deserving of the Newbery Award, in my book! 342 pages

"Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

So, after brainstorming for a while and searching the internet, I found a device that will help me keep track of my book reading this year. You will see it to the right of my most recent post. As I read each book, I can go in and add the title to my shelf. My goal is to read 30 books by December 8, 2012, so that means I need to read about 3 books per month. This past month - the FIRST month of my journey towards this goal, I was scrambling. I didn't think I'd make my "3 books" deadline, and I was worried. Let's face it, we set goals for ourselves and then if we fail in the first week, two weeks, month, we want to give up. Or at least I do. So I felt it was really important to start off this first month and meet my goals. I pulled a hamstring in my right leg on January 2nd and by the 4th, I could hardly move without a ton of pain. I went to bed as soon as the kids went to bed and tried to lie still and elevate my leg. Instead of watching t.v. for three hours, I read a book. An entire book. :-) I've had this book, "Homeless Bird" for many years now. When I was teaching 7th and 8th grade reading, I bought lots of books that were on their level so that I could offer my students a variety of books, since our small Christian school had very limited resources. And honestly - I like that adolescent genre for the MOST part. So, knowing I was pressed against a deadline, I tried to pick a fairly decent sized book that was still an easier read. It's about 212 pages long and by the image on the front cover, I was thinking it was about a girl in Russia. WRONG. This story takes place in India and the first page of the book says something along the lines of, "You are thirteen years old now, my daughter. It is time for you to marry." This book made me uncomfortable in a good way...simply because I not only TAUGHT that age but I now have a daughter of my own. I can't imagine marrying my child off at the age of thirteen to a boy she has never met. This book is well written and really portrays the good and bad of life in India for a young girl. I think the author's intent was to take the reader out of his/her comfort zone and interestingly weave fact with fiction so the readers can understand what life is like for others their own age thousands of miles away. Whelan hit the nail on the head. Good book!

Caelynn Strikes Again...

As parents, sometimes we find ourselves "wishing away" our children's younger years. For example, "I can't wait until he/she is old enough to... b/c my life will be easier." or "I can't wait until my kid is in later elementary school and starts to really sleep in so I can FINALLY wake up whenever I want on a Saturday instead of considering 7 a.m. as a 'sleeping in miracle'." I've been guilty of doing this over and over. So recently, as Caelynn has grown taller and figured out how to open the fridge door (we have a newer fridge where the freezer is on the bottom and the fridge is on the top), we have loved that she will come down in the morning, grab her sippy cup of milk AND Matty's, give him his in his crib, and then go back to bed and lounge around. NICE. During the week, it doesn't matter b/c I'm up at 6 but on the weekends... it's AWESOME. Until one morning...

As it WOULD happen, it was New Year's Eve. Rich and I have rarely ever stayed up late to watch the ball drop. I mean, seriously. It's a ball that isn't even all that attractive that "falls" at the slowest rate known to man, and then confetti falls on people I DO NOT KNOW and we stay up for that? Seriously? I've BEEN in Times Square on New Year's Eve. We wisely followed the policeman's advice to "get out of the city before the ball drops or you could wait 3 hours just for the subway out of the city." The ball wasn't even that impressive. I digress.

I stayed up until a little after 11 and then hit the hay. I was awakened at 1 a.m. by my son SCREAMING in his crib. I run over there groggy and completely disoriented. I could tell by his cry that he was hurt but after doing the initial feel/sniff check (feel for any body part stuck in the crib slats and also check for a fever, sniff for a poopy diaper), I couldn't figure out what was wrong. He was literally SCREAMING, though, so I figured I'd run downstairs and grab his cup, which usually quiets him down. I was worried he would wake his sister. Oh THAT is rich! I run down the steps, fling open the door, reach for his cup (I knew EXACTLY where I had put it the night before after he fell asleep)...not there. I'm searching the bottom shelf, the door, behind the milk containers, and I'm quickly getting mad at my hubby. Now let me just say for the record...I adore him. But he has been known to move the kids stuff out of the way for that late night oreo attack while he chugs milk from the jug. I don't care...just DO NOT TOUCH THE KIDS STUFF!  I was getting more and more mad and frustrated as Rich is snoring in bed, Matty is SCREAMING, and I'm not finding the cup I KNEW I put in there just 4 hours before.

I come up, in a huff I might add, and say, "RICHARD...WHERE IS HIS CUP?" He says, "I don't know - Caelynn has hers, I think." What? It's 1 a.m. Why in the world would that child have her cup? And suddenly it dawns on me - the little stinker woke up at 1 a.m., felt parched, went down, grabbed her cup AND Matty's, dropped his into his crib and most likely BEANED him with it! No wonder he was screaming! I go in - sure enough, there is his cup, still cold, still full, and Matty is wailing. I'd scream too if a several pounds, cold cup came careening on top of me while I was in a dead sleep. Took me until  2 a.m. to get him calmed down and asleep. Went down to the couch (my hubby snores - if I have to get up during the night with one of the kids, I have to go sleep on the couch b/c I'll never get back to sleep with him snoring. One of my pet peeves - cannot STAND the sound of snoring!)...was awakened by a crying Caelynn at 5 a.m. who was constipated.

Happy stupid New Year.

"The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story"

As I panic that my first month's goal of "read 3 books per month" looms just 8 days away, I tick book #2 off of my reading list. I'll admit - I picked a shorter book this time so I can meet my goal. However, I chose one that was A.) a Christmas themed story   B.) a book I've owned for years and never read    C.) a book by one of my most beloved authors, Louisa May Alcott. 

This book consists of several short stories all involving a young girl as the main character and each with such wholesome morals in it that it makes me walk away wanting to be a better person. Alcott has been one of my favorite authors b/c reading her books is like basking in the sun during the first warm day of spring. It's SO REFRESHING to the soul and almost always convicts me about some area of my life. It's a super easy read and I finished it in about 3 nights of reading. :-) If you love Alcott, get this book! Also perfect for a junior high aged girl that loves to read! Very clean, no language, and morally virtuous!