One of the questions I am most frequently asked is what my days look like as a mother to a large family. While we try and maintain a structured schedule with a general idea of what is supposed to happen there is no average day. Every day is different and nothing ever goes as planned. Some days I don't get dressed. Some days a tantrum takes up so much time that we've missed a part of naptime. Some days I don't do any chores, where as some days I get a lot of chores done. It just depends on the day, what we have going on, and what type of mood everybody is. If I'm in a good mood, things tend to go good. If the kids are in a bad mood, things tend to go really bad. At the end of the day I look back and hope that a lot got accomplished, whether it be the grocery shopping or the laundry or reading with the kids, but if it didn't I'm usually okay with that. There is no such thing as a perfect day for my family. That comes with having a large family. And you know what, I do not care about smoothly run, scheduled days where I get everything done and time for myself as much as I care about Maya, Amari, Kenyan, Gianna, Ira, Arlet, Elaina, and Gabriella Kingston... oh, and that amazing, caring, helpful husband of mine, Wren.
Here is what my morning looked like today...
5:30am- My alarm goes off. Every night I go to bed and hope that my night of slumber will be peaceful and I won't be woken up by any of the children, but like every single night since I have become a mom I am woken up. Once, twice, maybe three times... if I'm lucky. Other times it is more like five times a night. I am so exhausted and ponder hitting snooze, but I know I have to get up. I have a lot to do and I need my day to run smoothly so it's up and moving for me. This morning I have scheduled (for only the first hour of my day!): a morning run with friends, a shower, and, hopefully, fifteen minutes to get dressed, do my hair, and put on makeup. If I'm lucky this will happen, if I'm not lucky I will have to resort to sweats, my hair in a ponytail, and no makeup.
6:30am- I am back from my run with friends. It was great; four miles in forty-five minutes. I've been running almost every morning for weeks now, while Wren is asleep and can stay home with the kids, and I love it. Running not only gives me a newfound energy, but an opportunity to get away from motherhood for an hour. It's just me, my friends, and our "Running Moms Club." Just as I had hoped I came home at 6:30am, showered until 6:15, and got dressed, did my hair, and did my makeup in forty-five minutes. By 7am I am ready to start my day!
7:00am- Wren is up and has started the coffee. The big kids (Maya, Amari, Kenyan, and Gianna) have their weekly school program today so I have to make lunches and get them ready for school. (As a homeschooling mom I feel so weird saying that!) I try to make healthy lunches that are also delicious and fun. But it gets tricky with four (mildly picky) kids. Maya and Kenyan do not like crust, Amari and Gianna do. Maya is allergic to strawberries. Kenyan loves vegetables, while the other kids prefer fruit. This all makes me wonder: have I turned into a short-order chef? I have decided on peanut butter and banana sandwiches in the shape of stars (no crust for Maya and Kenyan!), kiwis and grapes, carrot sticks, and a cheese stick. Oh, and lets not forget about a note for each of the kiddos.
7:15- I have fifteen minutes before the kids wakeup. I have a huge decision to make: I can either use the fifteen minutes of spare time to make the kids a delicious, healthy breakfast other than cereal OR I can use the fifteen minutes to catch up on my emails, call my sister, and drink my coffee in peace. Decisions, decisions, decisions. I feel like a contestant on Deal or No Deal deciding if he should accept the Banker's offer or keep playing the game to try and win the million dollar prize. I decide to surprise the kids and make them a different than usual breakfast. On weekdays we tend to have cold cereal, oatmeal, or yoghurt and granola, whereas on weekends we have eggs, pancakes, or waffles, but I feel like surprising my babies. So I whip up something quick that the kids will love: cheesy scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit salad.
7:30am- Alarms go off for the older kids and Wren goes into the little girls room to wake them up (Ira, Arlet, and Elaina), with the exception of Gabriella who is a newborn and sleeps until she wants. Everyone makes their way to the kitchen. I give each child a kiss and say good morning and then they each take a seat at the table. Some of them are cranky, others are pleasantly and excitedly surprised for the breakfast I made. We eat for fifteen minutes, all while doing morning scriptures. We have a few minutes leftover so Amari vividly tells the family about the dream he had the night before. "I was being chased by a monster but my pet monster came to save me so I got on his back and we ran away from the bad monster! It was awesome!" I love his imagination.
7:50am- Wren and I have less than an hour, fifty minutes to be exact, to get the older kids ready for school: dressed, teeth brushed, and hair done. I settle the little girls in their playpen with coloring books and crayons (and baby monitors!) so that Wren and I can divide and conquer the children. I take the girls, Wren takes the boys. He hates doing the girls hair, so I'm usually the one who ends up with the girls each morning. The clothes I picked out for the kids are in their bedrooms. Maya is wearing a purple shirt with a butterfly on the front and a striped purple skirt. Kenyan and Amari are matching in blue V-neck shirts and black shorts. Gianna is wearing a pink dress with yellow leggings. Then we do their hair: braided ponytail for Maya, a quick brushing for the boys, and a bun for Gianna. Their teeth get brushed. Shoes are on. I snap a quick picture because the kids look so cute and are all matching. Plus, I can't take the picture after they come home from school because their outfits will most likely be stained and the girls hair will not be as perfectly done as when they left in the morning. Soon it is...
8:45am- We're five minutes off schedule but it's only a two minute drive to school so that is okay. Usually we'll walk as a family to school and drop the kids off, but today the younger girls aren't even dressed yet and Gabriella is still sleeping (say what?). Today Wren will take the girls to school on his way to work. School starts promptly at 9am, though, and so does Wren's job so I kiss the kids and Wren and they are all quickly out the door. As soon as the door slams shut is when conflict begins. Ira starts crying for Wren. This makes Elaina upset, which makes Arlet upset, which wakes Gabriella up. Oh, how great. I run and pick Gabriella up who, thankfully, stops crying as soon as she feels my touch. We head into the playroom where the girls are and I sit down and comfort the three of them, reminding them, like always, that Daddy will be back. Ira is very attached to her father and, because of her experience in an orphanage in Ethiopia, has developed major attachment issues to both Wren and myself. If Wren isn't home she gets very upset. If I am not home she gets very upset. If both of us aren't home she gets EXTREMELY upset. But, Wren and I are committed to Ira and knew that adopting from Ethiopia would come with challenges. We love her and are here for her 100 percent.
9:00am- I get Ira, Arlet, Elaina, and Gabriella dressed for the day. This is way harder than dressing four kids for school because the girls cannot sit still for more than a minute and I have to keep all of them in one room with me while I dress them. This takes twenty to thirty minutes on a good day. Today is a good day, it takes me twenty-five minutes. Although during these twenty-five minutes I thought it was going to take an hour! Gabriella wouldn't stop crying, Arlet wanted to be held, Ira was climbing on top of me, and Elaina knocked over a basket of dirty clothes. I take what seemed like one hundred deep breaths before I'm finally done. Ira is in a yellow shirt with white polka dots and blue jean shorts. Arlet is dressed in a pink romper with flowers. Elaina is dressed in a pink dress with ruffles across the bottom. Gabriella is dressed in a purple onesie that says "I'm cute, aren't I?" Oh yes, baby girl, you are.
9:30am- We head outside to play while it is still nice outside. The forecast says it's going to rain so I want to get the girls outside to play and run around and lose some energy before naptime. If they don't do something to get their energy out each day than there is no hope that they'll fall asleep for nap. And trust me, I need them to take their daily naps. We sit in the front yard. I hold Gabriella who is dosing off between consciousness and sleep. Ira waters our flowers. Arlet and Elaina draw on the driveway with paint. A couple times some other neighborhood moms walk by and we get into talking. Really makes me appreciate living in such a family friendly neighborhood. At one point Ira falls and scrapes her knee and let me tell you my little drama queen acted AS IF IT WERE THE END OF THE WORLD. There was screaming and tears and panic over one little scrap with absolutely no blood. Once again this is over the conditions she lived in in Ethiopia and the constant fear of death my poor daughter had. Anyways, we all went inside, I cleaned it, put a Dora the Explorer sticker on it, and Ira was all better.
10:00am- The girls sit at the kitchen table and work on a jigsaw puzzle while I whip up their morning snack. A couple minutes later an argument abrupts between Ira and Elaina. There is yelling and crying between the two of them and even hitting. I do not tolerate any violence in my home so it was straight to timeout for the two of them. The rule in our house is a 5-minute automatic timeout with an additional 5-minutes if the child does not stop crying, throws a fit of any kind, is argumentative, etc. One of my daughters only had to stay in timeout for the required five minutes, the other had to stay in timeout for five additional minutes. This pushed snack back by five minutes but finally we all have snack together- apples and broccoli- with a lecture about why it is important to be nice to people, especially sisters, and to remember that, at the end of the day, all my children has is their siblings so it is important to nourish their bond and be caring towards each other. How do you translate that to a 3-year-old and 2-year-old? I tried my hardest and I think I got it right. Afterwords Ira walked up to Elaina and hugged her. Aw!
10:30am- Naptime for the girls. We complete our daily ritual of cleaning up snack time and playtime, go to the bathroom, and then I tuck each girl in for a nap. Hopefully they'll sleep the whole 120 minutes. I think so, they burned a lot of energy playing outside. Once the girls are asleep I start my daily chores: laundry, dishes, etc. On today's list is laundry, breakfast dishes, vacuuming, and I have to make the grocery list for the upcoming week. I walk into the laundry room, which is also where the kids keep their school supplies (backpacks, lunch pales, etc.) and see Maya's fieldtrip permission form sitting there. Silly Maya, she forgot her form. Oh well, I guess she'll have to turn it in next week. Except, NO, it says right on the front that it is due today or else she cannot go on the field trip. What?! I call Wren and see if he can come home early so I can run by the school and drop the permission slip off. No, he is in a meeting. I call my next door neighbor, Mrs. Perkins. No, she's in Italy. Finally a lightbulb goes off in my head and I call the school to see if I can fax it to them. Perfect, I can. Problem solved. That was a complete waste of stress and madness for twenty minutes. I continue with chores.
11:30am- An alarm on my phone goes off. I quickly turn it off or else it will wakeup the girls and I do not want that to happen. I read the label on the alarm and it says "Mothers Retreat Conference Call." Oh shoot, I completely forgot. I run upstairs to my office but realize I forgot the baby monitor so I run back downstairs. Once I'm back in my office I shut the door and begin the call. It was very successful and we (the co-planners of this event and I) got a lot planned for our upcoming retreat.
12:15pm- Once I finish the call I look at the clock and realize the girls will be up in 15 minutes. Wow, I completely lost track of the time. I run downstairs to the kitchen and start lunch. Today's menu includes grilled cheese, grapes, and carrot sticks. In the middle of cooking the grilled cheese I burn one of the sandwiches. I'm surprised the fire alarms didn't go off! And as I am chopping the carrot sticks I realize none of the girls can eat hard carrots because of their baby teeth. I quickly change their vegetable from carrot sticks to tomato wedges. Lunch gets done cooking at exactly 12:30pm, which is right when the girls wakeup from their naps. Record time! I place everything on the table and here a door open, followed by footsteps and the word "Mommy, we're up."
It's only noon and my day is only half way done. Oh. My. Goodness.
Part 2 of Day In the Life is coming soon!
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
An Update
Wow! I cannot believe it has been almost one month since Gabriella's birth. Times are flying and she is growing, growing, growing whether I like it or not... and trust me, I don't like it!
Gabriella is a great eater and wakes up every hour on the hour to eat… no joke! Her sisters and brothers love her and all they want to do is hold her, kiss her, and make her smile… though we all know she can’t even smile yet! Her personality has definitely been showing, even at a few weeks old! I think she’s going to have a bit of attitude and toughness in her, but also a girly side. She’s feisty and not very patient, and the girly side is just a guess... probably because I love dressing her in pink, frilly outfits!
Gabriella loves her new brothers and sisters, and they love her. Each child is adjusting well to their new sister and enjoy playing and helping with her. Speaking of the kids, here is an update about how each child is doing since Gabriella joined our family:
Maya, who has done the whole big sister thing six other times, is yet again a wonderful big sister, which comes to no surprise. She is always by my side, helping me with whatever is needed and tries to finish her schoolwork and other responsibilities early everyday so she can help feed, change, play, and watch Gabriella. And trust me, I love and use any help I can get!
This is probably the first time Amari and Kenyan have been so excited for a new baby. It's not that they weren't excited when Gianna, Ira, Elaina, or Arlet joined our family, but they were a lot younger then and didn't quite grasp the concept of a new baby. But now they do, and cannot get enough of their little sister. Amari and Kenyan are perfect for hugging, kissing, and holding Gabriella because they cannot get enough of her. Kenyan isn't into changing or feeding Gabriella, but he loves to play with her. Amari, on the other hand, loves to change and feed Gabriella, and actually prefers this to playing with her. Maybe because she cannot actually play yet.
Gianna is a great big sister and I can already tell that she is going to have a special bond and close relationship with Gabriella. She is already talking about sharing a bedroom with her little sister and what she is going to teach her when she is older. It melts my heart and is one of my favorite things about having a lot of children: my kids love each other so much!
Ira is also a wonderful and amazing big sister. She is still a little bummed that she didn't get a baby brother like she hoped, but still loves her sister just as much and is slowly warming up to Gabriella. There have been a few moments of jealousy, but that is to be expected. The cutest thing she has said since the birth of Gabriella is "Gabi, I am your big sister and I will always love you. I will buy you candy when you're older and sing you songs and read you stories." It was priceless!
Elaina, at two years old, has been the entertainer when it comes to Gabriella. As she is so young she isn't very interesting in caring for her sister yet, but she loves to perform for her by singing and dancing. That is no surprise, though, considering Elaina's HUGE personality. I'm pretty sure I have a future actress on my hands! But there have been a few times of sisterly bonding between the two of them; like how Elaina insists on picking out her outfits every morning, or how she likes to (gently) comb through her baby sister's wild hair!
Last but not least, Little Miss A (Arlet) has done surprisingly well as a big sister. She doesn't mind sharing my attention and always wants to be in the same room as her baby sister. When Gabriella is crying, Arlet is the first one to get my attention and she leads me to whichever room Gabriella is in. She also loves to climb in her sister's crib and pretend she is the baby. I love seeing her as a big sister!
I am We are so in love with Gabriella. She has brought so much joy and happiness to our family and I cannot imagine life without her.
Wow, eight kids! How lucky am I?
Gabriella is a great eater and wakes up every hour on the hour to eat… no joke! Her sisters and brothers love her and all they want to do is hold her, kiss her, and make her smile… though we all know she can’t even smile yet! Her personality has definitely been showing, even at a few weeks old! I think she’s going to have a bit of attitude and toughness in her, but also a girly side. She’s feisty and not very patient, and the girly side is just a guess... probably because I love dressing her in pink, frilly outfits!
Gabriella loves her new brothers and sisters, and they love her. Each child is adjusting well to their new sister and enjoy playing and helping with her. Speaking of the kids, here is an update about how each child is doing since Gabriella joined our family:
Maya, who has done the whole big sister thing six other times, is yet again a wonderful big sister, which comes to no surprise. She is always by my side, helping me with whatever is needed and tries to finish her schoolwork and other responsibilities early everyday so she can help feed, change, play, and watch Gabriella. And trust me, I love and use any help I can get!
This is probably the first time Amari and Kenyan have been so excited for a new baby. It's not that they weren't excited when Gianna, Ira, Elaina, or Arlet joined our family, but they were a lot younger then and didn't quite grasp the concept of a new baby. But now they do, and cannot get enough of their little sister. Amari and Kenyan are perfect for hugging, kissing, and holding Gabriella because they cannot get enough of her. Kenyan isn't into changing or feeding Gabriella, but he loves to play with her. Amari, on the other hand, loves to change and feed Gabriella, and actually prefers this to playing with her. Maybe because she cannot actually play yet.
Gianna is a great big sister and I can already tell that she is going to have a special bond and close relationship with Gabriella. She is already talking about sharing a bedroom with her little sister and what she is going to teach her when she is older. It melts my heart and is one of my favorite things about having a lot of children: my kids love each other so much!
Ira is also a wonderful and amazing big sister. She is still a little bummed that she didn't get a baby brother like she hoped, but still loves her sister just as much and is slowly warming up to Gabriella. There have been a few moments of jealousy, but that is to be expected. The cutest thing she has said since the birth of Gabriella is "Gabi, I am your big sister and I will always love you. I will buy you candy when you're older and sing you songs and read you stories." It was priceless!
Elaina, at two years old, has been the entertainer when it comes to Gabriella. As she is so young she isn't very interesting in caring for her sister yet, but she loves to perform for her by singing and dancing. That is no surprise, though, considering Elaina's HUGE personality. I'm pretty sure I have a future actress on my hands! But there have been a few times of sisterly bonding between the two of them; like how Elaina insists on picking out her outfits every morning, or how she likes to (gently) comb through her baby sister's wild hair!
Last but not least, Little Miss A (Arlet) has done surprisingly well as a big sister. She doesn't mind sharing my attention and always wants to be in the same room as her baby sister. When Gabriella is crying, Arlet is the first one to get my attention and she leads me to whichever room Gabriella is in. She also loves to climb in her sister's crib and pretend she is the baby. I love seeing her as a big sister!
Wow, eight kids! How lucky am I?
Friday, March 29, 2013
Gabriella's Birth Story
Gabriella is my eighth child. Four of my children joined our family through the miracle of adoption, while four are biological, making Gabriella my fourth pregnancy. My four pregnancies were all relatively easy. I had morning sickness, but only until 12 weeks; I never craved anything unhealthy, only fruits and vegetables; and I wasn't in a lot of pain, just very tired. But i'll take being tired over morning sickness, crazy cravings, and body pain any day! With my three previous pregnancies, I delivered sometime between 38 and 41 weeks, so there really was no way to be certain when i'd deliver this time around. I just had to live day by day and know that I could deliver that day, the next day, or two weeks from then.
March 6th began like any other day. I woke up exhausted from a terrible night's sleep, dressed and fed seven children, shuffled the five oldest to the dentist, stopped by the library, went back home and began school for the day, made lunch, dealt with what is for sure our biggest tantrum of the year (so far), took a nap, and then handed the kids off to Wren when he came home from work at 6pm. Dinner wasn't made and the house was a mess, but I was too tired to do anything. "They're all yours," I said before retreating to my sanctuary- my bedroom- for another long nap.
I woke up around 9pm. A three hour nap- wow! Wren was asleep next to me and, when I got out of bed, I discovered that all seven children were sound asleep, a healthy dinner had been made, and Wren had tidied up the house. No wonder he was asleep at such an early hour!
Suddenly I felt pressure in my stomach. A few hours earlier a sharp pain had run through my stomach but I dismissed it as a coincidence because it didn't return. But now I began wondering: was I in labor? I wasn't sure if it was a false alarm or the real thing, so I decided to not wake up Wren. He had been working so hard lately, caring for me and the children, working a demanding job, and keeping up with all of my usual responsibilities, so I didn't want to wake him up if it was only a false alarm. That had been happening so many times during the last month of my pregnancy, and Wren even began to call me "the girl who cried wolf." Time would definitely tell within the next couple of hours whether I was in labor or not.
In the meantime, the pain kept coming... and intensifying every so often. It was so bad that I couldn't fall back asleep, so until I could make the determination of whether I was in false labor or real labor, I entered nesting mode. It was only 9pm, after all. I had the whole night to nest, nest, nest! So from 9ish at night to 3ish in the morning I did what any other 9-month pregnant woman on the verge of labor and delivery would do: I organized the pantry, unfolded and folded the baby's clothing, did laundry, and even cooked the next night's supper. All while the pain kept coming and coming. In fact, my experience reminded me of the song "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" but instead for me it was "She'll be Nesting 'Round the House as she Labors!"
I still couldn't make the determination of whether I was in labor or not, though. I would have just dismissed my pain for false labor and gone back to bed if it weren't for the pain that kept intensifying every hour. So around 3am I decided to text my sister and see if she wanted to go running. If six hours of nonstop cleaning wouldn't do the trick, running a couple miles most definitely should, right? My sister said yes and from 4am to 5am we went running around the neighborhood.
Okay, I'll try to stop rambling and get on with the part to when I began laboring, alright? Where was I? Oh...
FINALLY, when I was in the middle of my run, my water broke! I knew I wasn't crazy, I really was in labor. So we went back to the house and I woke Wren up, "honey, my water broke. We need to head to the hospital." My husband, who mind you is the hardest person to wake up and get out of bed, repeated what he has done with my three previous deliveries: he enters crazy man mode. "What? What? WHAT?! Labor? We're having a baby? Okay, let's go!" and he runs to the car with the hospital bag and forgets the most important detail: his pregnant wife and unborn child. Luckily, he only made it to the car and then remembered me... not like Gianna where he actually forgot me!
We arrived to the hospital a short time later. It was now 6:15am and I could tell the baby was going to come very, very soon. (Side note: So funny how my labor compares to life. One minute things are fine and calm, and the next minute there is hecticness and a conflict.) Wren and I, along with a couple of nurses, rushed to my birthing room on the labor and delivery floor of our local hospital. I got all situated- filled out paperwork, changed into a birthing gown, got hooked up to an IV (ouch!), and got as comfortable in bed as I could. We met with my doctor, Dr. Rashad, and discovered I was 8 centimeters dilated.
No wonder it hurt so bad.
An ways, for the next hour I patiently (I call it patiently, Wren calls it impatiently) waited to get to 10 centimeters. The time finally came and at about 8am I began pushing. It hurt so bad! Payback for such a wonderful, smooth, easy pregnancy... that I am sure of.
I pushed for about 20 minutes.
Pushed. Painfully.
And pushed. Excruciatingly.
And pushed. Agonizingly.
Finally, her head appeared. A head full of dark, beautiful hair.
Next came her shoulders. Small and tiny, very petite.
Then, her body. Thin and slender, the perfect size.
And finally, out she came!
"It's a GIRL," Wren cried, "a beautiful baby girl!"
Right onto Mommy's chest she went for a couple minutes of family time with me and Wren. We held her. We cried with her. And we couldn't believe that this baby is ours. How lucky are we? Truly lucky. She is beautiful and is the perfect combination of Wren, myself, and her brothers and sisters. Her name is Gabriella Lynette. Gabriella is a name I have loved all my life, and now the name belongs to a perfect little love of mine. Her middle name, Lynette, is after Wren's childhood nanny, a woman he admires and adores. Gabriella came home the very next day to a house full of love, where she is loved and adored. We cannot imagine life without our little beauty and cannot wait to see what life has in store for our amazing daughter.
Mommy and Daddy love you, Gabriella!
March 6th began like any other day. I woke up exhausted from a terrible night's sleep, dressed and fed seven children, shuffled the five oldest to the dentist, stopped by the library, went back home and began school for the day, made lunch, dealt with what is for sure our biggest tantrum of the year (so far), took a nap, and then handed the kids off to Wren when he came home from work at 6pm. Dinner wasn't made and the house was a mess, but I was too tired to do anything. "They're all yours," I said before retreating to my sanctuary- my bedroom- for another long nap.
I woke up around 9pm. A three hour nap- wow! Wren was asleep next to me and, when I got out of bed, I discovered that all seven children were sound asleep, a healthy dinner had been made, and Wren had tidied up the house. No wonder he was asleep at such an early hour!
Suddenly I felt pressure in my stomach. A few hours earlier a sharp pain had run through my stomach but I dismissed it as a coincidence because it didn't return. But now I began wondering: was I in labor? I wasn't sure if it was a false alarm or the real thing, so I decided to not wake up Wren. He had been working so hard lately, caring for me and the children, working a demanding job, and keeping up with all of my usual responsibilities, so I didn't want to wake him up if it was only a false alarm. That had been happening so many times during the last month of my pregnancy, and Wren even began to call me "the girl who cried wolf." Time would definitely tell within the next couple of hours whether I was in labor or not.
In the meantime, the pain kept coming... and intensifying every so often. It was so bad that I couldn't fall back asleep, so until I could make the determination of whether I was in false labor or real labor, I entered nesting mode. It was only 9pm, after all. I had the whole night to nest, nest, nest! So from 9ish at night to 3ish in the morning I did what any other 9-month pregnant woman on the verge of labor and delivery would do: I organized the pantry, unfolded and folded the baby's clothing, did laundry, and even cooked the next night's supper. All while the pain kept coming and coming. In fact, my experience reminded me of the song "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" but instead for me it was "She'll be Nesting 'Round the House as she Labors!"
I still couldn't make the determination of whether I was in labor or not, though. I would have just dismissed my pain for false labor and gone back to bed if it weren't for the pain that kept intensifying every hour. So around 3am I decided to text my sister and see if she wanted to go running. If six hours of nonstop cleaning wouldn't do the trick, running a couple miles most definitely should, right? My sister said yes and from 4am to 5am we went running around the neighborhood.
Okay, I'll try to stop rambling and get on with the part to when I began laboring, alright? Where was I? Oh...
FINALLY, when I was in the middle of my run, my water broke! I knew I wasn't crazy, I really was in labor. So we went back to the house and I woke Wren up, "honey, my water broke. We need to head to the hospital." My husband, who mind you is the hardest person to wake up and get out of bed, repeated what he has done with my three previous deliveries: he enters crazy man mode. "What? What? WHAT?! Labor? We're having a baby? Okay, let's go!" and he runs to the car with the hospital bag and forgets the most important detail: his pregnant wife and unborn child. Luckily, he only made it to the car and then remembered me... not like Gianna where he actually forgot me!
We arrived to the hospital a short time later. It was now 6:15am and I could tell the baby was going to come very, very soon. (Side note: So funny how my labor compares to life. One minute things are fine and calm, and the next minute there is hecticness and a conflict.) Wren and I, along with a couple of nurses, rushed to my birthing room on the labor and delivery floor of our local hospital. I got all situated- filled out paperwork, changed into a birthing gown, got hooked up to an IV (ouch!), and got as comfortable in bed as I could. We met with my doctor, Dr. Rashad, and discovered I was 8 centimeters dilated.
No wonder it hurt so bad.
An ways, for the next hour I patiently (I call it patiently, Wren calls it impatiently) waited to get to 10 centimeters. The time finally came and at about 8am I began pushing. It hurt so bad! Payback for such a wonderful, smooth, easy pregnancy... that I am sure of.
I pushed for about 20 minutes.
Pushed. Painfully.
And pushed. Excruciatingly.
And pushed. Agonizingly.
Finally, her head appeared. A head full of dark, beautiful hair.
Next came her shoulders. Small and tiny, very petite.
Then, her body. Thin and slender, the perfect size.
And finally, out she came!
"It's a GIRL," Wren cried, "a beautiful baby girl!"
Right onto Mommy's chest she went for a couple minutes of family time with me and Wren. We held her. We cried with her. And we couldn't believe that this baby is ours. How lucky are we? Truly lucky. She is beautiful and is the perfect combination of Wren, myself, and her brothers and sisters. Her name is Gabriella Lynette. Gabriella is a name I have loved all my life, and now the name belongs to a perfect little love of mine. Her middle name, Lynette, is after Wren's childhood nanny, a woman he admires and adores. Gabriella came home the very next day to a house full of love, where she is loved and adored. We cannot imagine life without our little beauty and cannot wait to see what life has in store for our amazing daughter.
Mommy and Daddy love you, Gabriella!
Monday, March 18, 2013
How Wren and I Named Our Kids
Wow, long time no blog. Things have been very busy because, you know, I just had a baby. But i've really missed blogging and I am going to try and get back into the swing of posting a couple times a week.
One of the things I have always loved about having so many children is naming them. Of course there is so much more I love about having a large family- all the laughs and smiles and hugs- but naming my children has always been special and memorable and heartfelt for me.
With all of our biological children, Wren and I found out their genders before they were born. I am such a planner and have such OCD that I must know for planning purposes. You know, nurseries, outfits, names, etc. But it has been much easier finding out their genders than naming them. I am so glad Mother Nature (is it her? Not sure.) gives Wren and I nine months to pick a name, because if we had less than nine months we wouldn't be able to decide. With some of our pregnancies, naming our children was easy, but with others it was very hard and long. Regardless it was worth the wait!
Naming our adopted children was a little different. Of course the process wasn't the same as being pregnant. I didn't carry Kenyan, Amari, Ira, and Arlet for nine months and I knew in advance whether they were girls or boys. Both of our adoptions (Amari and Kenyan were one & Ira and Arlet were another), were very different and required a different amount of preparation. For example, with the boys we only had three months to prepare, but with the girls we had a year-and-a-half. This means that we had that long to choose their names... or change them if we wanted. Confused? Well, Kenyan, Amari, Ira, and Arlet already had names when we adopted them, but Wren and I were given the opportunity to change them. This is something we really struggled with. Should we give them American names OR should we keep the names that represent where they came from? Eventually we chose the second option and decided to change their middle names to American names. Our biological children have names that honor a family member and represent their history, so we wanted the same for our adopted children; and in this case, this means that honoring their Ethiopian heritage. I am so glad we did this, and whenever I say "Amari" or "Kenyan" or "Ira" or "Arlet" I always think about how special it is that my children have unique names and how much of a privilege it is, through the miracle of adoption, that my four little Ethiopians are magically mine.
Maya is named after her great-grandmother (Wren's grandma) who passed away a year before she was born. Maya was her her first great-grandchild, who she unfortunately never got to meet, so Wren and I felt like this would be the perfect way to honor her great grandmother. Now Maya will always have a piece of her great-grandmother with her, who was a wonderful woman, one that Wren and I hope Maya can grow up to be like- caring, powerful, responsible, and so much more. Her middle name is Caroline, after my mother, whom I also wanted to honor. Now and always, Maya will have a piece of two amazing women in her heart who are inspirational and role models. This is the perfect name for my Maya Caroline!
Kenyan and Amari's biological mother was from Kenya, so that is how Kenyan got his first name. It fits Kenyan perfectly and I am happy he will always have a piece of his biological mother and her history in his heart. Kenyan's middle name is Samuel, after Wren's father. When we told him we were going to adopt a baby (at the time we didn't know we'd be adopting twins), Wren's father suspected that the baby would be a boy. And he was right! Samuel is such a noble, wise man and Kenyan is just like him: very observant, cautious yet adventurous, and a leader. Such a perfect name for my boy. Add the first and middle name together and you get Kenyan Samuel!
When Wren and I found out that our second son's name would be Amari, we instantly fell in love with it. Amari is such a handsome name, and we knew it would fit a handsome little man. He was named by one of his orphanage caretakers who felt the name would suit him, and that it has. Amari means "brave" and this is one of the best words to describe him. Amari lived a very scary life in Ethiopia, one that gave him PTSD when he came home to us in the United States. And not only did he have to be brave in Ethiopia, but he had to be brave when he came home to a new world in the United States surrounded by new people. But Amari has adjusted well and he is now a thriving, strong little man. His middle name is Thomas, after my father. My father has five daughters and always wished for a son, so when he found out that we were adopting two boys he was SO excited. My father has always cherished having two grandsons and he loves my boys so much. He and Amari have always had a special relationship, and I can tell every day that Amari is truly a mini Thomas, just like his grandpa. What a perfect name: Amari Thomas!
When I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter I was absolutely thrilled. There is nothing like being the mother to a little girl; my girls and I just have such a special relationship! Anyways, Gianna was the easiest baby to name! The day Wren and I found out we would be adding a girl to our family, we went out to lunch and started discussing baby names. Ella- no. Ariel- no. Gianna- yes! We walked into the restaurant with no name for our baby and walked out with the perfect name. Next up was choosing her middle name. This was also very easy, especially because we knew we'd be continuing on with the family names. Wren and I chose Katherine after Wren's mother, who we felt would be just like her grandmother. When I was pregnant, Gianna was a very calm baby: she never kicked, I didn't have any cravings or morning sickness, and her birth was so easy. Just like my pregnancy, Wren's mother is kind, calm, and peaceful... and we felt like this would the perfect middle name for our baby girl. Five years later this name is still perfect for my Gianna Katherine!
My third daughter and fifth child's name is Ira. When I first met my daughter in an orphanage in Ethiopia, I had never seen a picture of her and was eager to put a face to the name. All I knew was that her name was Ira. But when I walked into the orphanage and was surrounded by tons of little girls, I knew, just knew, that the little girl with the gorgeous green eyes sitting in the corner was my girl. And I was right! I walked up to her and said "Hi, i'm your Mommy" and she looked up at me and said "I Ira." Ira, what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Her name means watchful, and this is perfect for her and fits who she is: a very watchful little girl with very watchful, observant, big eyes. Ira's middle name is Alexandria, after my grandmother. Grandma Ira loved children so much and passed away right before we adopted the girls. She was the first one to tell me "I think you should adopt again" and soon after Wren and I made the decision to do just that. A year-and-a-half later, my beautiful daughter became mine. I love my Ira Alexandria so much!
Elaina was another easy baby to name. Just two years before I became pregnant with Elaina, my aunt passed away in a car accident. I was absolutely devestated and wasn't sure if i'd ever be the same again. My Aunt Elaina was one of my favorite people ever; we were so close and had a very special relationship. Before we found out if we were having a boy or a girl, Wren and I decided to name the baby Elliot for a boy and Elaina for a girl, both in honor and memory of my amazing aunt. Well, at 20 weeks gestation, when I found out I was pregnant with a girl, I began crying at the thought of having a daughter to name after my aunt. This name fits my daughter perfectly, and not a day goes by where I don't think about how Elaina is the spitting image of her auntie. What an honorable privilege! Elaina's middle name is Rose, which is the name my Aunt Elaina, the mother of four sons, had always loved. Such a special name for my special girl, Elaina Rose!
One night I had a dream that I had just given birth to a baby girl named Scarlett. It was a very imactful dream and stuck with me for the next couple months. During the couple months that passed, Wren and I were approved to adopt Ira and another baby girl, who we later found out was named Arlet. When I learned of this, I was shocked. Arlet is the same name as Scarlet, just without the first two letters. Looking back, I realize my dream was a sign that another baby (or two!) would be joining our family within the next year. How amazing! Her name is a type of spice and this is the perfect name for Arlet: a little spice! Arlet is adventurous, sassy, and has a little attitude... she sure is one spicy little girl. Arlet's middle name is Olivia, after the social worker who has helped my family with both of our adoptions. Thanks to her, four beautiful, special, amazing children have joined our family. How lucky are me and my family?! I cannot get enough of my daughter, Arlet Olivia!
As I have mentioned on this blog, my very last pregnancy was the toughest for deciding on a name. Wren and I found out at twenty weeks that we'd be having a baby girl, and dove immediately into choosing a name for her. Little did we know we'd have a very difficult time naming her... as in nine months! We just couldn't agree and probably threw out every single name in the world before we decided on Gabriella. I have always loved the name Gabriella, and all nicknames that come along with it: Gabi, Briella, Brie, etc. When I was pregnant with Maya, Gianna, and Elaina, I asked Wren if we could name the baby Gabriella, but every time he said no. Finally, with this last pregnancy I said, "you know, what if this is our last pregnancy? I love the name Gabriella and would be very sad if after four pregnancies, I didn't get to walk out of the hospital with a newborn named Gabriella... especially after a painful, long labor. Please honey, can we name the baby Gabriella?" and he said yes! But this was after nine months of struggling to figure out a name, so I suspect Wren was just sick and tired of trying to decide on a name. Her middle name is Lynett, after my husband's childhood nanny; who my husband just admires and adores. This baby was born eleven days ago, and it has been eleven days of bliss and blessings with my little Gabriella Lynette!
Well, there you have it! A very long post about how Wren and I came to name our children. How's that for a first post after a blogging hiatus? I love how each of my children are named after special people in our lives. This makes my children even more special! I cannot imagine different names for my babies, and, every day when I say their names, I am reminded of how lucky and blessed I am to be the mother to these eight children.
To me, they are named Maya, Kenyan, Amari, Gianna, Ira, Elaina, Arlet, and Gabriella, but to them I am named Mommy. How special!
One of the things I have always loved about having so many children is naming them. Of course there is so much more I love about having a large family- all the laughs and smiles and hugs- but naming my children has always been special and memorable and heartfelt for me.
With all of our biological children, Wren and I found out their genders before they were born. I am such a planner and have such OCD that I must know for planning purposes. You know, nurseries, outfits, names, etc. But it has been much easier finding out their genders than naming them. I am so glad Mother Nature (is it her? Not sure.) gives Wren and I nine months to pick a name, because if we had less than nine months we wouldn't be able to decide. With some of our pregnancies, naming our children was easy, but with others it was very hard and long. Regardless it was worth the wait!
Naming our adopted children was a little different. Of course the process wasn't the same as being pregnant. I didn't carry Kenyan, Amari, Ira, and Arlet for nine months and I knew in advance whether they were girls or boys. Both of our adoptions (Amari and Kenyan were one & Ira and Arlet were another), were very different and required a different amount of preparation. For example, with the boys we only had three months to prepare, but with the girls we had a year-and-a-half. This means that we had that long to choose their names... or change them if we wanted. Confused? Well, Kenyan, Amari, Ira, and Arlet already had names when we adopted them, but Wren and I were given the opportunity to change them. This is something we really struggled with. Should we give them American names OR should we keep the names that represent where they came from? Eventually we chose the second option and decided to change their middle names to American names. Our biological children have names that honor a family member and represent their history, so we wanted the same for our adopted children; and in this case, this means that honoring their Ethiopian heritage. I am so glad we did this, and whenever I say "Amari" or "Kenyan" or "Ira" or "Arlet" I always think about how special it is that my children have unique names and how much of a privilege it is, through the miracle of adoption, that my four little Ethiopians are magically mine.
Maya is named after her great-grandmother (Wren's grandma) who passed away a year before she was born. Maya was her her first great-grandchild, who she unfortunately never got to meet, so Wren and I felt like this would be the perfect way to honor her great grandmother. Now Maya will always have a piece of her great-grandmother with her, who was a wonderful woman, one that Wren and I hope Maya can grow up to be like- caring, powerful, responsible, and so much more. Her middle name is Caroline, after my mother, whom I also wanted to honor. Now and always, Maya will have a piece of two amazing women in her heart who are inspirational and role models. This is the perfect name for my Maya Caroline!
Kenyan and Amari's biological mother was from Kenya, so that is how Kenyan got his first name. It fits Kenyan perfectly and I am happy he will always have a piece of his biological mother and her history in his heart. Kenyan's middle name is Samuel, after Wren's father. When we told him we were going to adopt a baby (at the time we didn't know we'd be adopting twins), Wren's father suspected that the baby would be a boy. And he was right! Samuel is such a noble, wise man and Kenyan is just like him: very observant, cautious yet adventurous, and a leader. Such a perfect name for my boy. Add the first and middle name together and you get Kenyan Samuel!
When Wren and I found out that our second son's name would be Amari, we instantly fell in love with it. Amari is such a handsome name, and we knew it would fit a handsome little man. He was named by one of his orphanage caretakers who felt the name would suit him, and that it has. Amari means "brave" and this is one of the best words to describe him. Amari lived a very scary life in Ethiopia, one that gave him PTSD when he came home to us in the United States. And not only did he have to be brave in Ethiopia, but he had to be brave when he came home to a new world in the United States surrounded by new people. But Amari has adjusted well and he is now a thriving, strong little man. His middle name is Thomas, after my father. My father has five daughters and always wished for a son, so when he found out that we were adopting two boys he was SO excited. My father has always cherished having two grandsons and he loves my boys so much. He and Amari have always had a special relationship, and I can tell every day that Amari is truly a mini Thomas, just like his grandpa. What a perfect name: Amari Thomas!
When I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter I was absolutely thrilled. There is nothing like being the mother to a little girl; my girls and I just have such a special relationship! Anyways, Gianna was the easiest baby to name! The day Wren and I found out we would be adding a girl to our family, we went out to lunch and started discussing baby names. Ella- no. Ariel- no. Gianna- yes! We walked into the restaurant with no name for our baby and walked out with the perfect name. Next up was choosing her middle name. This was also very easy, especially because we knew we'd be continuing on with the family names. Wren and I chose Katherine after Wren's mother, who we felt would be just like her grandmother. When I was pregnant, Gianna was a very calm baby: she never kicked, I didn't have any cravings or morning sickness, and her birth was so easy. Just like my pregnancy, Wren's mother is kind, calm, and peaceful... and we felt like this would the perfect middle name for our baby girl. Five years later this name is still perfect for my Gianna Katherine!
My third daughter and fifth child's name is Ira. When I first met my daughter in an orphanage in Ethiopia, I had never seen a picture of her and was eager to put a face to the name. All I knew was that her name was Ira. But when I walked into the orphanage and was surrounded by tons of little girls, I knew, just knew, that the little girl with the gorgeous green eyes sitting in the corner was my girl. And I was right! I walked up to her and said "Hi, i'm your Mommy" and she looked up at me and said "I Ira." Ira, what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Her name means watchful, and this is perfect for her and fits who she is: a very watchful little girl with very watchful, observant, big eyes. Ira's middle name is Alexandria, after my grandmother. Grandma Ira loved children so much and passed away right before we adopted the girls. She was the first one to tell me "I think you should adopt again" and soon after Wren and I made the decision to do just that. A year-and-a-half later, my beautiful daughter became mine. I love my Ira Alexandria so much!
Elaina was another easy baby to name. Just two years before I became pregnant with Elaina, my aunt passed away in a car accident. I was absolutely devestated and wasn't sure if i'd ever be the same again. My Aunt Elaina was one of my favorite people ever; we were so close and had a very special relationship. Before we found out if we were having a boy or a girl, Wren and I decided to name the baby Elliot for a boy and Elaina for a girl, both in honor and memory of my amazing aunt. Well, at 20 weeks gestation, when I found out I was pregnant with a girl, I began crying at the thought of having a daughter to name after my aunt. This name fits my daughter perfectly, and not a day goes by where I don't think about how Elaina is the spitting image of her auntie. What an honorable privilege! Elaina's middle name is Rose, which is the name my Aunt Elaina, the mother of four sons, had always loved. Such a special name for my special girl, Elaina Rose!
One night I had a dream that I had just given birth to a baby girl named Scarlett. It was a very imactful dream and stuck with me for the next couple months. During the couple months that passed, Wren and I were approved to adopt Ira and another baby girl, who we later found out was named Arlet. When I learned of this, I was shocked. Arlet is the same name as Scarlet, just without the first two letters. Looking back, I realize my dream was a sign that another baby (or two!) would be joining our family within the next year. How amazing! Her name is a type of spice and this is the perfect name for Arlet: a little spice! Arlet is adventurous, sassy, and has a little attitude... she sure is one spicy little girl. Arlet's middle name is Olivia, after the social worker who has helped my family with both of our adoptions. Thanks to her, four beautiful, special, amazing children have joined our family. How lucky are me and my family?! I cannot get enough of my daughter, Arlet Olivia!
As I have mentioned on this blog, my very last pregnancy was the toughest for deciding on a name. Wren and I found out at twenty weeks that we'd be having a baby girl, and dove immediately into choosing a name for her. Little did we know we'd have a very difficult time naming her... as in nine months! We just couldn't agree and probably threw out every single name in the world before we decided on Gabriella. I have always loved the name Gabriella, and all nicknames that come along with it: Gabi, Briella, Brie, etc. When I was pregnant with Maya, Gianna, and Elaina, I asked Wren if we could name the baby Gabriella, but every time he said no. Finally, with this last pregnancy I said, "you know, what if this is our last pregnancy? I love the name Gabriella and would be very sad if after four pregnancies, I didn't get to walk out of the hospital with a newborn named Gabriella... especially after a painful, long labor. Please honey, can we name the baby Gabriella?" and he said yes! But this was after nine months of struggling to figure out a name, so I suspect Wren was just sick and tired of trying to decide on a name. Her middle name is Lynett, after my husband's childhood nanny; who my husband just admires and adores. This baby was born eleven days ago, and it has been eleven days of bliss and blessings with my little Gabriella Lynette!
Well, there you have it! A very long post about how Wren and I came to name our children. How's that for a first post after a blogging hiatus? I love how each of my children are named after special people in our lives. This makes my children even more special! I cannot imagine different names for my babies, and, every day when I say their names, I am reminded of how lucky and blessed I am to be the mother to these eight children.
To me, they are named Maya, Kenyan, Amari, Gianna, Ira, Elaina, Arlet, and Gabriella, but to them I am named Mommy. How special!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Monday Musings (#1)
1. The other night, my husband and I were getting ready to go out on a Valentine's Day date. This was our first date in a while and, since it was Valentine's Day, I decided to dress a bit fancy- you know, a dress, makeup, earrings- and when I went to say goodbye to the kids, my 7-year-old said to me, "Wow, Mommy! You're looking very foxy!"
2. Kenyan wishes he had a younger brother SO bad. In fact, he was so sure that baby #8 was going to be a boy. I believe he just loves the idea of having a little brother- teaching sports to him, being a role model, etc. Plus, there are so many girls in the house so who can blame a 6-year-old for wanting a little more testosterone in the house? Anyways, last night I overheard Kenyan playing with Ira and he said, "Ira you'd be the perfect brother! If I could choose anyone to be my brother, i'd choose you. You love playing in the dirt and your good at burping!" Okay, maybe I was wrong? Is all Kenyan looking for someone to play in the dirt and burp with?
3. This morning Gianna asked if she could have chocolate pudding for breakfast. After I said so because it wasn't healthy or nutritional for a morning meal, she said, "But Mom! Chocolate every day keeps the doctor away!" I just about burst out of my chair from laughing so hard.
4. Ira has a very close relationship to Wren and she is definitely a daddy's girl. This morning I was brushing her hair for church and she said to me, "Mommy, when I grow up i'm going to marry Daddy." I didn't take her that seriously and responded with, "But then who will I be married to?" She looked at me and said in a very persuasive and serious tone, "No one. You can just be a grandma." I then said, "Aw, but I want to be married to Daddy forever." And she looked at me, annoyed and dead serious that she was going to marry her father, and said, "Fine, we can trade. I'll give you my teddybear if you give me Daddy." Wow, looks like I have a businesswoman in the making!
5. Maya has been helping me cook dinner every night. She loves it and can't get enough of the attention she gets from everyone telling her "thank you" and "oh, Maya, this is very delicious." A couple of nights ago, Wren's boss came over for dinner with his wife and kids. Maya and I cooked a fancy dinner, one that she was particularly proud of. Before we began eating, Maya said, "Instead of saying our prayers, can we just have a moment of silence for this delicious meal I made?" Everyone was silent and burst out laughing!
2. Kenyan wishes he had a younger brother SO bad. In fact, he was so sure that baby #8 was going to be a boy. I believe he just loves the idea of having a little brother- teaching sports to him, being a role model, etc. Plus, there are so many girls in the house so who can blame a 6-year-old for wanting a little more testosterone in the house? Anyways, last night I overheard Kenyan playing with Ira and he said, "Ira you'd be the perfect brother! If I could choose anyone to be my brother, i'd choose you. You love playing in the dirt and your good at burping!" Okay, maybe I was wrong? Is all Kenyan looking for someone to play in the dirt and burp with?
3. This morning Gianna asked if she could have chocolate pudding for breakfast. After I said so because it wasn't healthy or nutritional for a morning meal, she said, "But Mom! Chocolate every day keeps the doctor away!" I just about burst out of my chair from laughing so hard.
4. Ira has a very close relationship to Wren and she is definitely a daddy's girl. This morning I was brushing her hair for church and she said to me, "Mommy, when I grow up i'm going to marry Daddy." I didn't take her that seriously and responded with, "But then who will I be married to?" She looked at me and said in a very persuasive and serious tone, "No one. You can just be a grandma." I then said, "Aw, but I want to be married to Daddy forever." And she looked at me, annoyed and dead serious that she was going to marry her father, and said, "Fine, we can trade. I'll give you my teddybear if you give me Daddy." Wow, looks like I have a businesswoman in the making!
5. Maya has been helping me cook dinner every night. She loves it and can't get enough of the attention she gets from everyone telling her "thank you" and "oh, Maya, this is very delicious." A couple of nights ago, Wren's boss came over for dinner with his wife and kids. Maya and I cooked a fancy dinner, one that she was particularly proud of. Before we began eating, Maya said, "Instead of saying our prayers, can we just have a moment of silence for this delicious meal I made?" Everyone was silent and burst out laughing!
Friday, February 22, 2013
7 Quick Takes Friday (#2)
2. The Tooth Fairy has made FOUR stops to our house this week. Wow! Maya (7) has lost three of her teeth this week and Kenyan (6) has lost one. The little kids think this is the absolute coolest thing ever and keep trying to pull out their own teeth! I'm not sure what they like more: the idea of the tooth fairy or finding money under their pillow. Hmmmm! One thing is for sure, though: the Tooth Fairy is going to be broke with the amount of kids in this family!
3. Wren and I are obsessed with Downtown Abbey! For a long time people told us we should start watching the show, and, probably after the 20th time of being told, we finally watched an episode. AND WE ARE HOOKED! Right now we are beginning season 2. We're not big television watchers, but this is one show that we definitely take time to watch. Wren and I make a date out of it, too. When we aren't totally exhausted and out of energy from raising 7 kids and being 9 months pregnant, Wren and I will lay on the couch at night and watch an episode or too. It is a great way to spend time together!
4. Kenyan and Amari love soccer so much. They have been playing since they were little boys, so every soccer season I sign them up to play on a team. They have already played for two years now and love it every year. That time of year came again where the boys were asking if they could play soccer. Of course my immediate answer was yes, but then I got to thinking about how soccer is just falling at the worst time for us this year. The league begins in March, this is when the baby is due, when we're expected to move (separate post coming soon), and when Wren has to go on a business trip for two weeks. After I had already said yes, I thought about possibly telling the boys it wasn't going to work out. But then I imagined their little faces and having to disappoint them; plus, it is just not worth it. We can make it work. It is more important to me that my kids are happy than not letting them participate in extra curricular activities for my sanity. Yesterday I took the boys to meet their team at a pre-season party and they were SO happy and SO excited. It is so worth it!
5. Maya has been interested in helping me in the kitchen lately. Each night when I cook dinner she is right by my side, helping me and learning. It is so much fun and such an amazing way to spend time with my daughter. She has graduated from observing and doing a few small tasks, to completely making side dishes on her own. Looks like I have a future chef on my hands! Of course she isn't cooking or baking anything too complex, but Maya makes some delicious cheddar biscuits. She is learning so much and she told me this morning that helping me cook will make her a great future wife and mommy. Awwww!
6. Yesterday, when Wren was at work, I called him saying I was having a rough day. I spent 30 minutes cooking a delicious lunch for the kids, only to find that none of the kids felt like eating what I had made. Arlet and Elaina would NOT go down for their naps. Amari scraped his knee and thought he needed to be hospitalized... literally. One of the kids broke a vase. Basically, the craziness of yesterday was insane. Thirty minutes after I called Wren, two of my sisters showed up at my door saying they'd take over the fort while I went out for a couple of hours to have some time for myself. Wren had called them and asked them to come over since he was at work and couldn't. Wow, I have the best husband and sisters ever. With four (magical, relaxing, peaceful, quiet) hours to myself, I felt like I had gone on vacation for a week. First I bought a new book from Barnes and Nobles and spent an hour reading it in my car (I needed absolute quiet), then I went out to lunch, got my nails done, and lastly, I went to fulfil my
7. Guess what?! Wren and I picked a name for baby #8 last night! We feel it is absolutely perfect for our baby girl and cannot wait to put a name to the face in the upcoming weeks. It is a name that we both equally love and it has a very special meaning. Just like our previous pregnancies, we're not sharing until her birth. But a couple weeks isn't bad, right? It's better than nine months!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
My Favorite Child (GASP!)
Disclaimer: The following post got its idea and originality from another large family, homeschooling, mothering blog. It is simply altered into my own words to best fit my family. See the wonderful post HERE.
Do you have a favorite child? I do, and i'm not afraid to admit it. In fact, I don't just have one favorite child, I have seven of them! Aren't I lucky?
Maya is the best oldest daughter a mother could have. She's responsible, obedient, trustworthy, helpful, and loves her younger siblings more than life itself. I call her my mini-mommy because she truly is like my younger kids second mom. A second mom for my kids? Wow, who can say that?! We get along so well that Maya must be my favorite child.
Amari is a mommy's boy. He is always by my side, my little buddy, and my best friend. This little boy is one of the happiest kids i've ever known, always laughing and smiling. I love his personality and how he is a glass-fall-full kind of boy. Amari and I are two peas in a pod, so he is definitely my favorite child.
Kenyan is without a doubt the funniest kid i've ever met. He is always making jokes and other people laugh (like me- all the time!). He is humorous beyond his years and he's never afraid to turn a dull situation into a funny one by saying jokes, doing funny dances, or just doing something funny. He knows this is one way to make Mommy happy because I love me some funny! This boy makes me laugh my pants off, so he is my favorite child.
Gianna is one of the sweetest people known to man. She is always smiling and her eyes can bright up someone's day. My girl is so friendly and has never met a stranger. And she'll do anything to make someone happy if they're having a rough time. Gianna is truly an easy child so she must be my favorite.
Ira is a little spunk, a firecracker, a wild girl! She has so much energy and is never tired, is so brave and adventurous, and loves to explore and try new things. This little girl makes every day fun and never dull. Ira is such a fun child so she must be my favorite.
Elaina is so very loving and generous. She loves sharing with her brothers and sisters and if she sees a child playing alone she will walk up to them and start playing with them. I don't think she considers herself one-years-old either, because she runs around with her bigger siblings like she's 7, but also gets on the floor and plays with baby Arlet. She is always happy so she must be my favorite.
Arlet is a mommy's girl. She is always by my side and can only go more than a few minutes without seeing me. As long as she is by my side everything with her is great. Her face lights up when she sees me and so does mine. I love her so much that she must be my favorite.
And lastly, baby number 8 (due any day now!): I already know I love her forever. She is filling a gap that has been in my heart for a long time. Baby Girl makes me so happy, so excited, and so full of joy... and I haven't even met her yet. Not everyone gets to say they are pregnant with their eighth child; wow, baby number 8 is for sure my favorite child.
As you can see, how can I have just ONE favorite child when I have these seven truly extraordinary children to call mine? Each one of them is truly extraordinary and so very unique. My eight babies fill my heart with absolute joy, bliss, and happiness. I cannot imagine my life without any of them, not one. They all bring something remarkable and incredible to my life, and I am so lucky, blessed, and honored to call Maya, Kenyan, Amari, Gianna, Ira, Elaina, Arlet, and Baby #8 my children.
Wow.
God is good.
Do you have a favorite child? I do, and i'm not afraid to admit it. In fact, I don't just have one favorite child, I have seven of them! Aren't I lucky?
Maya is the best oldest daughter a mother could have. She's responsible, obedient, trustworthy, helpful, and loves her younger siblings more than life itself. I call her my mini-mommy because she truly is like my younger kids second mom. A second mom for my kids? Wow, who can say that?! We get along so well that Maya must be my favorite child.
Amari is a mommy's boy. He is always by my side, my little buddy, and my best friend. This little boy is one of the happiest kids i've ever known, always laughing and smiling. I love his personality and how he is a glass-fall-full kind of boy. Amari and I are two peas in a pod, so he is definitely my favorite child.
Kenyan is without a doubt the funniest kid i've ever met. He is always making jokes and other people laugh (like me- all the time!). He is humorous beyond his years and he's never afraid to turn a dull situation into a funny one by saying jokes, doing funny dances, or just doing something funny. He knows this is one way to make Mommy happy because I love me some funny! This boy makes me laugh my pants off, so he is my favorite child.
Gianna is one of the sweetest people known to man. She is always smiling and her eyes can bright up someone's day. My girl is so friendly and has never met a stranger. And she'll do anything to make someone happy if they're having a rough time. Gianna is truly an easy child so she must be my favorite.
Ira is a little spunk, a firecracker, a wild girl! She has so much energy and is never tired, is so brave and adventurous, and loves to explore and try new things. This little girl makes every day fun and never dull. Ira is such a fun child so she must be my favorite.
Elaina is so very loving and generous. She loves sharing with her brothers and sisters and if she sees a child playing alone she will walk up to them and start playing with them. I don't think she considers herself one-years-old either, because she runs around with her bigger siblings like she's 7, but also gets on the floor and plays with baby Arlet. She is always happy so she must be my favorite.
Arlet is a mommy's girl. She is always by my side and can only go more than a few minutes without seeing me. As long as she is by my side everything with her is great. Her face lights up when she sees me and so does mine. I love her so much that she must be my favorite.
And lastly, baby number 8 (due any day now!): I already know I love her forever. She is filling a gap that has been in my heart for a long time. Baby Girl makes me so happy, so excited, and so full of joy... and I haven't even met her yet. Not everyone gets to say they are pregnant with their eighth child; wow, baby number 8 is for sure my favorite child.
As you can see, how can I have just ONE favorite child when I have these seven truly extraordinary children to call mine? Each one of them is truly extraordinary and so very unique. My eight babies fill my heart with absolute joy, bliss, and happiness. I cannot imagine my life without any of them, not one. They all bring something remarkable and incredible to my life, and I am so lucky, blessed, and honored to call Maya, Kenyan, Amari, Gianna, Ira, Elaina, Arlet, and Baby #8 my children.
Wow.
God is good.
Friday, February 15, 2013
7 Quick Takes Friday (#1)
2. My four oldest children had eye appointments yesterday. It was definitely time to see whether Maya and Gianna have poor vision like me or great vision like Wren. While we were at it, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to take Amari and Kenyan to get their vision checked. The appointment lasted three hours and I was definitely worn out by the end. The appointment was during their usual snack time, so they were all cranky and in need of a snack; and by the time their exams started (45 minutes after we checked-in!) they just wanted to run around and play! Amari also had a difficult time, he was so scared of all the machines. (Ever since we brought him home from Ethiopia, my little boy is very scared of things he's not used to in his normal environment. We've been working with him, slowly but surely, and we can definitely see an improvement in his ability to adapt to different situations, though.) After three hours, a few tantrums, and lots of crying it was determined that Maya, Gianna, and Amari do not need glasses. Wow, I thought for sure the girls would need them! Unfortunately, Amari does. And I say unfortunately because he's definitely going to have a difficult time adjusting to them.
3. I've been a reading fanatic lately. I've always loved reading but am finally getting to the point where I can find time to read each day... even if it may be at night before I go to bed. I love, love, love memoirs and biographies. Some of my favorites are Bloom, Heaven is Here, The Obamas, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, and The Freedom Writers Diary, though I could go on and on about my other favorite books! My love of reading has definitely rubbed off on my kids. Seeing Mommy read encourages them to read and they think its cool when they see me reading... I love that! We've gotten in the habit of having "Mommy/Children Reading Time" at night before bed. I sit with the oldest four and we read together for 30 minutes. It's a great way to spend time together and educational, too!
4. The oldest four are home schooled, but their curriculum is based through the school. Every Monday they go to school and interact in a regular classroom setting, with other students, and learn everything kids of the same age learn; their work is assigned on Monday, throughout the week they work on it, and on Friday they go back to school to turn in and have their work graded. It's great for their social skills (not they have any social issues, they have six siblings after all!) and they love that they have a teacher and friends. Since there was no school on Friday, the kids went to school on Thursday, which also happened to be Valentines Day. Maya, Gianna, Amari, and Kenyan all got to participate in the Valentine's Day festivities the school had to offer, including giving each of their classmates a valentine. It was a great day!
5. Speaking of Valentine's Day, Wren and I went on our first date of the year on February 14th. We usually try and go on a date every two weeks, but lately we've either been too tired or too busy to go to dinner and a movie. Instead we have been waiting until the kids go to bed, then stay up talking and laughing over dinner in our home (which is equally as special), but it was Valentine's Day and Wren thought it was the perfect excuse for a romantic night out. He surprised me with dinner at my favorite restaurant- The Melting Pot- and a trip to the bookstore for a couple of new books. My husband knows how to make me feel special: fondue and books! Then we went home and, even after a delicious dessert of chocolate fondue, I was craving chocolate covered strawberries and Wren whipped some up for me. I just love my husband!
6. This probably isn't newsworthy, but I feel like I need to write this down. My 4-year-old daughter, Ira, is currently obsessed with frogs. And by obsessed, I mean addicted. She has at least ten stuffed frogs, frog pajamas, frog slippers, frog bed sheets, frog books, and a frog beanie. None of my children have never been this interested in something, but Ira is truly committed to her froggies! She has a birthday coming up and I have a pretty could idea of what she wants the theme to be. Can you guess? FROGS!
7. I cannot believe in less than one month another Kingston baby will join our family. This baby has technically already joined our family, but it will feel more real when she is actually here. Wren and I are finishing up all the last minute preparations we need to complete before baby: install the car seat, pack my hospital bag, make childcare plans for the kids, etc. One thing we still have to do, though, is come up with a name. We've gone back and forth between our favorite names, but cannot seem to agree. This has never happened to us before, and with our other pregnancies we came up with a name by the sixth month. Oh well, she'll have a name sooner or later!
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