Chaos

Someday I will look back on this time in my life and maybe think "things sure were easy then." But here in the present its a little not easy, in fact maybe I'd go so far as to say chaotic. Before I get to the details let me first say I have the most blessed life I could imagine. I have a wonderful husband, three whole and healthy children and we are building our dream home.

Prior to Little md's birth things were verging on the out of control. House in shambles. (No I'm not tossing that word around loosely.) Kids on a schedule that defies gravity. Behavior that needed to be checked.

Now that he's arrived, it's been multiplied. I keep thinking, "when we get to the new house it will all fall into place." Well, some of it will. Just by the nature of the house being 1000 square feet bigger, and all on one level, some organization will happen naturally. I mean my kitchen size will double, so therefore, all of the bottles and sippy cups and bread and bags of chips won't have to sit on top of a counter. And the office will be just down the hall from the garage where we will usually enter the house, which means mail can be handled there...not on the kitchen island, counter...floor (yes it's that bad.) And there will be a bench/cubby area at the back door for shoes, purses, backpacks (gulp-that's just around the corner) and keys.

And somewhere in the back of my sleep-deprived befuddled mind I seem to remember an adjustment period for Little d when Little m was born in the behavior department. It's as if she took out her frustration of having to share the spotlight on me, not the new baby. And I am truly thankful for that. I don't have to block books being thrown at the baby's head, I just have to put kids in timeout...alot. Today Little d was in special form. She was in timeout several times and got three spankings. Talk about testing limits. Then tonight when bathtime hit, Little m threw such a fit that I only washed her hair and the top half of her and then dragged her kicking dripping body out and got her dressed.

So I'm hoping after the post-new baby adjustment wears off, we'll see something that resembles order again. But Little md is 8 weeks old. How long of an adjustment do you suppose it will take?

The good news. My kids are well behaved in public.

And speaking of the world outside these four walls...that house we're building? When will it ever be done? I get so annoyed that D spends all his time off from his job-job working on the house. And it's not his fault. If he doesn't work on the house, how will it get finished? Answer--it won't. And when he's not working at his job-job or working on the house, he's working overtime to make extra money to pay for that house. See? Can't fault him for that either. But where does it leave me--resentful, restless, and for that matter sleepless.

On the subject of sleepless: We are both exhausted. He is running himself silly from place to place and I am nursing a newborn and trying to reign in two heathen monkeys. I am starting to think this tunnel doesn't have a light at the end. {No, that's not a post partum depression sentence.} I've started practicing visualization. Soooo not like me. But I have. When things get particularly hairy, I picture something in the new house. A wall of a new paint color. A cabinet pull. The front door. Anything to distract me from the crazy.

Sometimes it works. And sometimes I sit at the computer and type a blog post. Which may take three days to write. Like this one. PS I'm over double checking and editing for a while. Please excuse the typos. And misspelled words.

Funny Remote Story (or two)

Everybody has one of those right?

First I should explain that we have three TVs in our house. One in the living room. One in the office/guest/completely trashed room. And one in our bedroom. We also have Dish Network, so we have two remotes that control the dish. One is for our bedroom and the other controls both other TVs. Make sense?

So the TV in the office also has a seperate remote that controls On/Off and volume.

I just realized that I actually have two funny remote stories...bonus for you.

Anyway. Tonight Little m wanted to watch Disney in the office (we were finishing up bath time) and the dish remote was downstairs in the living room. I told her that she had to watch was Dad was watching downstairs and then left the room to get Little d out of the tub. I was drying Little d off in the office (hey don't question our routine-it works) when Little m comes running in the room yelling Hannah Montana and waving the dish remote in her hand. She had gone down and stolen the remote from D (who was sleeping in the recliner) and came back upstairs. I don't know why, but this struck me as extremely funny.

Okay my other remote story. A while back--maybe last year, I was up in the office--probably scrapbooking. {Sigh. I miss that a little.} When I decided I wanted the TV on. So I looked for the remote and couldn't find it. I yelled downstairs to ask if anyone knew where the remote was. Little d in all seriousness said "mom, there's this button on the front of the TV and if you push it, it turns the TV on."

Oh and then while I was typing this post, this happened...



But it was worth it.



And this is my other little poser.



Mwah!!!

So you want about a thousand pictures of our new floors?

Suuuure you do!

Laundry Room:
Kitchen:

Kitchen, from the great room:

Back door in great room. I didn't want carpet right at the back door...

Bathroom 2:

Dining room:

Okay off to bathe girlies...

Quick House Update

Finally we have a real roof! Not just tar paper. It is soooo satisfying to see the exterior mostly done. (The red door has to wait to the end, so it doesn't get scratched up during construction.)

Here's the backside ;)

And now for a little interior work... This is our stained concrete floors. The pictures were taken with D's camera so I'll have to get some better ones next time I'm out there.

Okay off of here....just had to get these uploaded!

Possessions

This morning I got an email about Grandma's stuff. Specifically it was letting everyone know that since they are predicting a strong hurricane season, if you want anything from her house you should speak up now. The siblings (meaning Grandma's kids) are getting together and will try to meet all requests.


There was no need for a will. Of the fourteen kids there will be no bickering.


So my parents, brother and I brainstormed about anything we might want from Grandma's house. My Dad sent Grandma some China from the Philippines when he was stationed there during Vietnam. Seven of the plates were broken during shipping. So it's 24 settings minus 7 plates.


I crocheted a prayer shawl for her several years ago in a soft heather blue. I also gave her a birdfeeder shaped like a pair of hands. And the coffee mug with Little d and Little m's pictures.


My brother remembered that Dad made a wooden lighthouse for her that was turned on his lathe.


Mom remembered a cross with the face of Jesus on it.


And so it went. Different memories of Christmases and times past. Stories with each gift. Visions of her opening her gifts at Christmas.


This sorting through things and dividing out is not about holding on to these possessions. I mean, what will I do with an "I Heart Grandma" Disneyland mug? Rather, it's about holding onto the memories of someone we cherished.


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For the last few months, well since Memaw passed away, Poppy has been visiting us more often. He comes up here at least two times a week. My parents don't want him left in POC alone, so if they are both going to be up here, they bring him too. And I've really enjoyed it. And the girls have warmed up to him.


Every time he visits he brings some little trinket for them. For a while it was my grandmother's beaded necklaces. And I remembered just about every outfit she wore with each one. Now it's other things. And they all bring back memories.


It seems that all of her things bring back memories for him as well and it's hard for him to have them around. He also loves to give things to the girls.

It's funny how possessions can evoke such memories. I look around my house and think that in the new house I want to really concentrate on only hanging onto things that have meaning, or that I love. Not just random clutter. We'll see how successful I am at that!

Little md update: He weighs 13 pounds and six ounces (at 6 weeks). He's 23 inches tall and his head is 15 1/4. My little chunk! Last night he let me sleep for four hours. In a row. An all time record. Repeat performance welcome...

Side note: It took me three days to write this post. Hmpt.

Has it been that long since I posted??

Yes, why yes it has! Whew. Who knew three kids would be so much work? I have hired a full-time nanny that goes by the name Mimi. She's cheap, thank goodness, but comes highly recommended...in case you haven't figured it out--I'm talking about my mom. She's practically lived with us since Little md's birth. What a Godsend.

How do women do it? Am I just particularly inept? I mean how do you fix a meal for a starving five-year-old, physically put a scratching two year old in timeout while breastfeeding a newborn? It can not be done by one person. And this kind of situation happens more than once a day.

I'm also trying to figure out if breastfeeding is just particularly draining on me. I mean I have zero energy most of the time. If my mom wasn't here to handle some of the night shift when D's at work I would not be conscious most of the time. I'm already cranky and short fused as it is. How do other mothers breastfeed and manage to have clean clothes, dishes....children? Oh and the sore...areas....of breastfeeding. A little taxing with every other thing going on.

A lot of stress comes from the fact that Little md is kind of high maintenance. He's on an iron supplement as per doc's orders, but Tuesday when we go in for a checkup and I'm going to discuss his iron levels to see if he still needs to be on it. I forgot to give it to him one whole day and half of two other days, and during that time he seemed less fussy.

Monday I have my six week post partum check up. Fun.

Thursday I have a root canal. Even more fun.

And because all that is not enough. Now is decision time on the house. Cabinet finishes, counter colors, call about alarm system, try to afford appliances, tile work--yes or no?

But the roof is on finally--I mean the shingles are. But they put the vents in the wrong place. Sigh. Here's a picture of the back of the house my bro sent today. What do you think? Did I choose good colors for the outside?

Okay I know it's not the best picture. Maybe soon I'll get out there and take some pictures. Maybe soon I'll sleep more than two hours...doubt it!

;) It's all good.....