Laundry and such

I am laying here on the couch and Paul thinks I am playing with my phone.  Really, I am taking a picture of him folding laundry.  He's so lovable, isn't he?

I got a call from the secretary at school the other day.  Dallin slipped on the play ground and smacked his face into the wood chips.  He got a bloody nose and a raw face.  Poor kid.  He decided to come home after that so we got to hang out for half the day.  Ellie and Isaac were up at Heather's playing with Grandma D and Cameron.

Claire fell asleep eating lunch.  Super cute.

Isaac "drew Max!!". This kid is talking up a storm lately.  He will be 3 in a couple weeks.  Makes me sad he growing up, but happy he is progressing so much.

 I am trying really hard to catch the day to day more and write about it.  It is so fun going through our blog with the kids. They love it and I know I need to continue capturing life.

Necessity

Bath last night.  Bath in the morning.  Bubbles for breakfast.  I love it when babies wake up hiding surprises inside their snug footie jammies.  I had previously sewn the legs up to the waist in her pink penguin pair because they wouldn't stay buttoned up.  Luckily, they contained the mess.  To be perfectly honest, I am pretty sure she would have tried to eat said surprise had she discovered it.

Claire has been working on teeth.  She has two little cuties that have popped up on the bottom.  Times like these, I am ever so grateful nursing didn't work out.  Ouch.  :)

Another sleeping picture (yawn...)

One of these days, I will be the one sleeping and someone will take my picture. 

Truth be told, the reason why Paul falls asleep so fast is because he is the one who gets up with the kids in the middle of the night.  Then he wakes up early to go to work.  He's a great guy.

My back has felt pretty good the last couple days.  And today I did too much.  I went to the chiropractor today, right after running across the house and picking Isaac up by the back of his shirt and plopping him on the couch.  His new favorite thing is to pick Claire up and drops her.  Over and over again until Paul or I intervene.  So I am using the restroom and I hear her "bloody murder, Isaac is hurting me" scream.  I know he's not going to stop until I get to him so I jump up and run across the house to him and pick him up and and plop him on the couch.  Then I went to the chiropractor who told me that I had an angry back.  And therapy hurt.  And my at home stretches hurt.  So tomorrow, I will use a tranquilizer on him tomorrow so I can be more careful.

Claire, he loves you and you love him.  Remember that.

Adventures of Isaac

I got a new phone and it is so much easier and faster to catch the day to day crazy. 

Isaac is almost 3.  But will he get out of the terrible twos or will he transition loudly into terrible threes?  Time will tell.

He really is a good kid.  He is so helpful.  He just pushes through life with a lot of energy and determination.  He is almost an exact mix of Paul and I.  He can be very kind, gentle, and full of compassion.

The last few days he has fallen asleep at random really late in the day.  On the kitchen floor.  On my arm.  In the car.  Then he will stay wide awake until 11 o'clock at night.  It's been quite frustrating.  He is really funny, though, and will talk nonstop.  Half of it is completely unintelligible. 

To look at his new and very temporary schedule (his sister Claire adopted a similar approach to sleeping) as a blessing more than a nuisance:  They slept in an hour later than normal.  This gave me more time to stall taking care of them while waiting for my rescue babysitters to come get them.  I literally could not lift Claire out of bed.  I still shouldn't but I have to sometimes.

They are both starting to go back to their normal sleep schedules.  Just yesterday, Isaac fell asleep, on my arm, at 4:30.  Much better than 6.  He still didn't fall asleep until 11:30. 

He loves to eat as well.  Did I mention that he is determined?

Helper, blessings, rainbows and sunshine

Dallin is my helper.  This last week I couldn't barely move with my herniated disk.  He has learned to change diapers and do laundry.  He is my go-for or go-get or CHECK-CLAIRES-MOUTH-RIGHT-AWAY! 

I am so grateful for all the help that my family and I have received this past 8 days.  Food, child care, some cleaning, more food.  I don't even know if any homework was completed last week.  I am grateful for understanding teachers.  Paul played the sole role of single parent and provider last week.  I am so grateful to everyone who stepped in to help us out.

I went to the chiropractor 4 times last week and I will go 3 times this week.  For the next 5 months or so I will go multiple times a week.  I iced my back every waking hour for 15 minutes on bare skin.  I was cold all week.  I have a set of exercises that I have to do 3 times a day at home that take about 15 minutes to complete.  The good news is that after just a week, I can walk and go to the bathroom by myself and get out of bed.  My mobility has improved greatly and the pain is now very minimal when I am careful and cautious. 

I have a herniated disk below my L5 vertebrae, as well as multiple spots of stress up my whole back.  I have some degeneration in a couple spots as well as a slightly crooked section in my upper back (this last one can't be fixed).  So basically, I have a lot going on.  

Today is my first day without help for the busy shove-everything-in-her-mouth-way-too-mobile-calm-independent baby and crazy-needy-determined-solid toddler.  It sucks.  And I am tired and sore.  Ellie woke up with a scratchy throat so I let her stay home today.  I didn't even bother determining if she was really sick or not (I think she's just fine to be perfectly honest). Dallin was quite jealous.  She's been fetching things for me but mostly laying on the couch.  I am being really honest right now and I don't even have pain meds in me any longer. 

Today sucks because I just want emotional support that is physically right next to me.  Translation:  I want to stay in bed and take naps while Paul sits next to me and strokes my hair and feeds me grapes.

I look around and my house is a mess and my hair is sticking straight up and needs to be washed.  My kids had cookies for breakfast and my laundry is quickly getting behind.  When this happens, I slowly get depressed and my home gets toxic.  Physically and mentally. 

Before this all happened, I was so close to my happy place.  My house was spotless, dishes were done, laundry done, post partum depression was gone, children and husband were fed and happy. I was taking many opportunities to serve others outside of my home.  I was about to start boot camp again (at least I was thinking about it).  But I was doing it all.  Literally all of it.  And I really enjoyed it.  I loved the results I was getting from working hard to have a clean home. 

  I was doing it all, though.  I wasn't having my kids help because I wasn't leaving anything for them to do.  I was so caught up in getting it all done (and enjoying getting it done) that I am sure 30 years from now, my kids would still be living with me and Isaac would still be in diapers.  And, the kicker, it's probably cause all the stress in my back (along with over compensating to protect my knees that I injured several months ago that have since been physical therapied and fixed).

Speaking of diapers, I have to have a toddler climb up onto the kitchen counter so I can change said nasty diaper.  Yep.  That's how I have to get that job done.  Any one want to eat dinner over hear tonight?  I didn't think so.

May we find laughter in all things.

One more random:  I should rename this blog "Run On Thoughts, Or Lack Thereof"

I like it.

My squishy

I call her bear-bear.  But you gotta say it real fast like bear-bear.  Got it?  Sounds good.  She is SO FUN!  I miss her right now.  She's been away at friends and family Tues-Fri this week while I lay in bed with a herniated disc.  Now that, my friends, is fun!

Isaac's sleeping habits

The fun stage.  Insert sarcasm.  I have stopped putting Isaac in his room at nap time.  He got to the point where he would cry, scream, play, end up poopy...for an hour or two.  It was exhausting for everyone.  Now, I just lay down on my bed or sit on the couch and he, being my shadow, climbs up next to me and falls asleep most days.  He loves to play with his hair, or mine if it's within reach.  He is a stinker at night and we are having to lay by him.  I don't mind taking my turn because he snuggles up to my back while I sneak in some time on my smart phone.  He is really funny about a pillow case and sometime sheets and will pull them off.  He wiggles and rolls for 5-10 minutes and then he's out cold.  This is much easier than making him stay in his room, screaming his head off for an hour.  He is determined and stubborn.  He can be nasty mean.  He is also extremely snuggly and loving.  He helps me with whatever housework is being done, be it dishes, laundry, carrying a really awkward box to the basement.  He gives loooong firm kisses that make me giggle.  He thinks his daddy's shoulders is his second home.  We love him.  He brings a lot of joy and love.