Things I am relearning about having a baby

Once upon a time, we had three babies in two and a half years. I like to say we basically didn't sleep for three years...it really was the most physically draining and exhausting experience of my life. But oh, the skills we learned! We learned how to wake up in the morning and live a normal day after sleeping no longer than an hour and a half at a time the night before. And how to function on a grand total of four hours of sleep a night, for weeks on end. We learned how to do everything with only one hand, while a baby slept or wiggled or cuddled in the other. We learned how to spend all day interpreting cries and coos and shrieks and whimpers, while still talking like (mostly) intelligent adults when speaking with someone over two feet tall.

But then they got older. We started getting more than four or five hours of sleep a night. They started walking on their own, talking with real words (English words!), and generally becoming self-sufficient little people. And when that happened, all those hard earned, bizarre new skills of ours went the way of geography facts and algebraic equations after the tests I used to cram for in high school -- they vanished. Disappeared into our rapidly retreating pasts, into the haze of sleeplessness and desperate coping mechanisms that was the previous three years of our lives. And we were really, really ok with letting them go.

And then four and a half months ago, we had another baby. On the one hand, I cannot believe how much easier it is to have just one baby than it was to have three at various stages of babyhood all at once! (Really. Now I get why people gave us funny looks all the time back then as if they were questioning our sanity. Having three babies at once instead of one at a time is insane.) But on the other hand, it's been a surprisingly tough adjustment for me to have a baby again. I think I was happily used to the independence with our older girls; last summer especially, the girls and I pretty much picked up and went wherever we wanted, and had all kinds of adventures together, and it was easy and fun all the time! I'm really glad that we had that time together, and though we're much more tied down now, I know it's coming again in the future.

In the meantime, I'm relearning how to do life with a baby. And with not enough sleep. ;) Actually, Katelyn is the best sleeper we've had, which is awesome. But even when she's only waking me up once in the night, I've been feeling the decrease in sleep. I...really don't respond well to lack of sleep. My body's ideal amount of sleep per night would be about nine hours, I think, especially since my days are so full of non-stop energy requirements with my four busy girls. Between going to bed late at night (so busy!), getting up early in the mornings (again - so busy!), and being up with Katelyn in the night, I usually get around six hours. And I know that for some people, that would be plenty! I wish it was plenty for me, but sometimes I really struggle with not having more sleep. I am trying to remember that this is another temporary season, and to not lose track of the priceless, precious things about this season with my girls just because I'm a bit sleep deprived! I don't want to just function right now, and to look back on this time later and remember myself stumbling around just frantic to keep up, grumpy, or focused more on surviving than loving.

I'm also figuring out all over again how to do life one-handed! This part is fun, because it means Katelyn is hanging out with me a lot. :) And I know...I know...I have friends reading this going, "Why isn't she using a wrap?!?! Ahhhhhh!!!!!" I love you all, and I think it's awesome that you all love using wraps -- but I don't love them. So there. ;) The other day I made raspberry bars, start to finish, with only one hand. Yes, I have mad skills!

So if you'll excuse me now, I need to go help Ashley paint her ceramic tea set, while making dinner with one hand, as I nurse Katelyn...all in my sleep. ;)

Best of Facebook 2012, Part 2

July - December

 

 

Bethany, climbing up on the seat beside me: "I'm going to hang out with you for a while." Me: "How about if you hang out with me forever?" Bethany: "No, Mummy, that's not what children do. They just hang out with their parents for a while." *sob*

 

As I listened to the traditional complaining from Ashley this morning over having her hair combed after her shower, I finally told her that if she keeps it up, I'm just going to cut it all off short and be done with it. A moment's pause, then she began chanting, "I love showers! I love combing! I love showers! I love combing!"

 

Ashley, praying before lunch: "Thank you for the sunshine today, and that we got to go to Target...and I'm sorry that I just burped, and let's pretend that I didn't...and thank you for this food...."

 

The girls were building a plane in the livingroom. I was informed that it was a REAL plane, and would REALLY fly. Sadly, we eventually ran out of rubber bands, and as everyone knows, you cannot build a REAL plane without sufficient rubber bands. So the plane became a zoo (because zoos apparently don't require as many rubber bands), and now Bethany is supervising her sisters' zoo construction and throwing out encouraging comments. "I have a good feeling about this!" "This is quite impressive!" And my favorite -- "We can do this, gentlemen!"

 

Ashley's advice for young ladies: "If you stomp, stomp, STOMP all over the house, then you sound like a stomping bear. And you're not a bear, you're a girl, so you shouldn't be stomping." I like it!

 

Bethany, looking up from lego play: "Hey, where's Daddy?"

Hannah: "He's at work."

Bethany: "No, I think he's at a party."

Hannah: "No he's not! He's at work!"

Bethany: "Party, infinity!"

 

Hannah, singing a made-up song to Katelyn: "Oh little baby Katelyn, I've fallen in love with you, I love you like a son...."

 

Ashley's holding Katelyn, and I look over to see her wiping away tears. "Oh Ashley, what's wrong?!" And she tells me, "I was just looking at her and thinking about how much I love having a baby sister, and she opened her eyes and looked at me, and it just brought me tears of joy!"

 

Irritated that Bethany spilled her milk all over the table, I told her, "You need to pay attention to what you're doing!" Her cheerful reply: "Well, that's why God gave us towels, so we can clean up if we forget to pay attention!"

 

Hannah, sounding absolutely amazed: "I just realized that we get to stay alive until we die!"

 

Ashley: "Hey Hannah, I just made a surprise for you, but you can't look at it yet."

Hannah: "When can I look at it?"

Ashley: "You can't know that yet either!"

Hannah: "That's mean!" *short pause* "I'm going to make a surprise for YOU, and you can't look at it yet either, and I'm not telling you when you can look at it."

Ashley: "You're copying what I just said to you!"

Hannah: "Yes. It's called a cruel irony."

Ashley is excitedly deciding what she wants to take to an upcoming food drive: "I think we should take 12 muffins, and 7 eggs, and two dozen sandwiches!"

Bethany: "There's really nothing for me to do, except play." Ah, the tough, tough life of a three year old!

Hannah: "I only want to have one child when I grow up, because if I had more than one then they would eat all my ice cream!"

Bethany just brought me a play cup with a straw in it and said, "I made you some coffee to help you feel better!" I smiled at her and tried to hand the cup back to her, saying, "Thank you, that was sweet of you!" She put out her hand to stop me and said very seriously, "Mummy. You really need to drink the coffee."

Bethany: "Speaking of zebras, I really wish one would give me a kiss!" Um. We were not speaking of zebras.



The Best of Facebook 2012, Part 1

I use this blog mainly to help me remember all these precious stages of life that we are zipping through too quickly. I just don't have the memory space in my caffeine-deprived brain to hold on to all of this as it happens, and it is such a joy to read back through the blog and revisit times and experiences we've had together, things the girls have said/done as they've grown, and all the memories that would otherwise be lost. However, frequently one of the girls will say something, I'll think, "Oh, I need to write that down!", and the fastest and easiest option is to just post it to Facebook. I've been realizing how much less permanent that is than the blog, so I've decided to scan through the last year's worth of my Facebook status updates, and bring over here my favorites of the sweet or funny antics of the girls that I want to make sure I have recorded for good. So here we go -- Part 1!

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January-June, 2012

 

 

Hannah just prayed, "God, please help everyone to know that You are there, so that they don't have to be afraid of life."

 

Lamont just told Bethany that his coffee has a restraining order against her! *laughing hysterically*

 

Bethany: "I'm getting big and growing so much, so I'm changing into a mama!"

 

From Bethany along with her tight goodnight hug: "Do you know why God made you? I do. So that you could be my special Mummy."

 

The wind is picking up and I hear Ashley whispering to her sisters, "We better watch out, because I think our house is going to blow away in a potato!" *long confused pause* "I mean, we're going to blow away in an alfredo!" *even longer pause* "Hey Mummy, what's it called when the wind goes in a circle and it can pick up a house??"

 

Just out of curiousity, if your three year old tells you that you are a duckling...is that a good thing?

 

From Hannah's sunshiny face this morning: "Mummy, happiness that lasts is called JOY!"

 

Note to self: telling Hannah to just ignore her sisters' attempts to distract her from the job I've given her results in her loudly proclaiming, "Hey guys, I'm ignoring you! Just so you know, I'm ignoring you! Ok? I'm just ignoring you!"

 

Hannah: "I really need to get a job and start making some money!" Me, startled: "Oh really? Why do you need money?" Hannah: "So that I can give it to kids who don't have enough food, of course." *heart...melting...*

 

Bethany: "Can we please have cookies for breakfast?" Me: "Nice try, sweetie, but--" Bethany, quickly: "Why don't you just think about it for a while, Mummy!"

 

Our littlest baby girl kicked her daddy's hand for the first time tonight for his birthday - yay!

 

Bethany: "Mummy, I'm going to grow up and be a mom with kids, but if you want I can still be your little girl, too!" Oh, yes please.

 

Hannah just came out of the playroom for a drink of water and I asked her what she and her sisters are doing in there. The eyes start shifting back and forth and she says politely, "Um...I don't think you...really need to know that right now, Mummy...."

 

Hannah, with a fierce goodnight hug, "I'm so glad you're not a vegetable or a llama!"

 

From a very indignant Bethany: "Mummy, Ashley is being SO mean to me. She's treating me like a carrot!"



Rejoice!

 

REJOICE! Christ, our saviour, is born!

 

Merry Christmas, and a very joy-filled New Year, from our family to yours!

 

May the love of God overwhelm you this coming year.

Check it out, Mary!

The girls have beautiful advent calendars this year, with pictures of the nativity on the front, and small pictures with verses behind each door. And there's glitter! They're exactly like the calendars I remember from my childhood (let's pause a moment for my happy, happy memories...ahhh). There's something really good for the soul about continuing happy traditions from my childhood with my own daughters!

Anyway, today's verse is Luke 1:31, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." I always explain the verses to the girls, but this morning Hannah beat me to it, and I heard her give this explanation to Bethany....

"It's like the angel was saying, 'Hey, check this out, Mary! You're going to have a baby growing in your tummy!' And I don't know why he said womb, but he should have said tummy. And then he said, 'You have to call your baby Jesus,' so if Mary didn't call him Jesus, like if she called him Boysa or something, then she wouldn't be doing what the angel said. And if we don't do what angels say, then we aren't obeying God, because God tells the angels what to say."

I kind of want Hannah to explain the whole Bible to me now!

The Alligator Book

This morning Ashley very proudly finished her very first book, both written and illustrated by her! She's been working on it for a week and a half, and though at one point she told me that she planned to "keep writing more and more of my book until I'm 12 years old!", she decided this morning that the story had come to an end. 

Let me tell you, folks, this story has it all. Drama! Intrigue! Life and death conflict! Buckle your seat belts, because I'm about to share it with you. :)

It says, "Ashley (self portrait of Ashley!): The Alligator Book"

Once upon a time there was an alligator that loved to eat and eat. 

The alligator saw the monkey and wanted it. The alligator tried to eat the monkey but the monkey swung.

The alligator saw the frog and wanted it but the frog just ribbited and the alligator gave up.

The alligator wanted it (the bee) but the bee flew away. The alligator tried to eat the butterfly but the butterfly flew away.

The alligator saw the horse and wanted it. But the horse ran away. Then the alligator saw pizza on the ground. Then he was happy.

The end.

See??? That was a pretty intense plot! I bet you were worried about which poor animal was going to end up being lunch for the hungry alligator, weren't you??

The alligator's facial expressions absolutely crack me up. I love that you can tell he's getting more and more hungry and frustrated, and his giant grin as he looks at the pizza at the end is perfect!

Ashley now says that rather than working on this one story until she's 12, she will just continue writing other books until she turns 12, at which point she will open a bookstore and sell all her books for $10 each. :)

Wrapping up GreaThings

So! Obviously I did not quite succeed at posting every day during the GreaThings challenge leading up to Thanksgiving this month. I kind of expected that I would not be able to write every day, so I'm not disappointed -- I actually really loved being part of that, and am so glad I did it. It was wonderful to take a focused look back at some of what this year contained for me and for my family. And I was able to get a lot of pictures and memories onto my blog that otherwise would have been left behind completely, so I consider it a great success for that reason as well. :)

This post is just to officially wrap it up and acknowledge that despite a few wild ambitions I may have had, I am definitely not going to be able to catch up with the rest of the list of writing prompts, and I am finished. ;) Thanks for hanging out with me for GreaThings 2012!