one more tooth- June 28, 2008

Olivia pulled out her fourth tooth tonight- her top front tooth.  We have a new way to pull teeth in this house.  We discovered that if we put baby orajel on her gums, she can pull harder and it comes out with very little pain.  As I looked at my smiling 6 year old who has no front teeth on top or bottom, I realized that I have all the “teeth options” that you can have.  Olivia has no front teeth,  Cord has only his front teeth, Emma has all her teeth and Lucy has no teeth!

Tonight we have to remember to call the toothfairy.  hope we don’t forget.

growing and learning June 25, 2008

We have been so cared for over the past couple of weeks- i am almost embarassed by the amount of care people are giving me and yet at the same time I am completely grateful and don’t think I would have made it without the help.  Over the past few days alone, we have had a lady from church come over on Monday and read and play with the girls for an hour and then keet Cord for almost two hours while I took the girls to dance.  Today, another friend invited the girls to the pool for two and a half hours while Cord and Lucy (and momma) napped.  Another family brought us dinner- homemade by their teenage son.  It was delicious!  And there are many more examples coming up over the next couple of days.  SOOO humbling.

This care for us has given me some time to grow into my new situation.  You would think the baby would be the one kicking my tail- somehow, that is not the case.  The baby has been sweet and predictable.  My growing pains are coming from my one year old.  I love him to pieces. but my struggle has been how to love him when he is so challenging.  He just gained a sister and parents who now must be shared, he is getting 4 teeth right now, and he wants to be able to communicate his frustrations- he can’t, so he screams and grunts and cries alot.  Being alone with all 4 kids has been intimidating- At times I hope I can handle what he “throws” at me that day.  Partly it is that I don’t know what I can expect.  Will it be easy that day or will it be filled with crying? The not knowing is worse than the real thing when it happens. 

I write all that to say that I have seen some hope over the past couple of days. I feel my fears subsiding and my joy returning about him.  I feel like I am understanding him a little more and am less worried about my days with him.  Today I loved his laugh, played lots of ball with him, and actually got to hold him for awhile (hard to do for a busy 1 year old!)  I thank all those that have helped us for giving me the time to get settled with all my children and for loving us well.  You may think it was just a meal or a little playdate- but to me, it was time to learn and grow! many thanks!

summertime June 20, 2008

I realized today that I love summertime in theory, but that I long for the routine and excitement of the school year.  Everything seems to shut down in the summer- just when I want it all to continue.  The kids are out of school and we need stuff to do-or should I say, they need something to do!  Growing up, I loved summer.  I would stay at the pool from swim team practice at 8 am until my parents made me come home near dinner time.  Friends were everywhere- at the pool all day and in the neighborhood all evening.

This season of life is totally different.  Last week was a flurry of details and events with the wedding out of town and a newborn.  I loved it!  I loved seeing all the people and having things to do and the time flew by.  The past couple of days have been slower, and I did need to rest after the weekend. But I am wondering how the rest of the summer will go with so little out there to do.  I know there will be a day when lucy is 4, cord is 5, emma is 8 and livy is 10 and we are at the pool all day until they drop into their beds Until then, I will have to be more creative- but honestly, right now I have 15 pictures drying from the paint session yesterday and it only took 30 mintues!

wonderful weekend June 17, 2008

 

We just got back from my cousin’s wedding in Nashville.  It was wonderful.  The bride, my cousin Charlotte, was absolutely beautiful and the weekend was so much fun.  We had lots of help and as always, the Grainger clan had a great time all together!  I hope I will have lots of pictures to share soon, but the two I have are of Cord and Lucy.  Cord got down on the dance floor at the reception- he was not allowed (by me) to be at anything but the reception! Lucy, on the other hand, went to everything and was sweet as pie love those newborns!  She made it through a bridesmaid’s luncheon, a rehearsal, a rehearsal dinner, a wedding and a reception.  We celebrated Olivia’s 6th birthday this weekend too.  The most amazing part was that the bride had a special cake on her cake table for OLIVIA- can you believe that? The band sang happy birthday to her too.  It was so generous and thoughtful to share that moment with her on their big day.  What a sweet detail to have made happen for her.  Many blessings to them both! 

a few photos from the hospital June 13, 2008

I finally got a CD of photos, so here are a few from last week.

Day1 for Lucy Elizabeth.

Olivia was so excited!

 Emma and Olivia with their cousin Anna- lots of family stayed and helped us!

Hanging with Lucy bug in the hospital.  She is such a blessing!

funny moments today… June 12, 2008

Emma was sharing a fear with me and I encouraged her that the answer to her fear was to come find mom and dad and tell us if she needs our help.  I reminded her that we all have fears, but that this one was easy to solve- if she needs our help, come find us.  She said,”Mom, you need to be on TV.  You have all the answers.”  I was a little confused.  Why does Emma think that people who have the answers are on TV?  Then she said,” You are like Wyatt on Super Readers.  He finds the answer to his problems!” This is from a PBS show in which the characters solve their problems and end up spelling out the right answer.  I feel like I am almost a superhero!

Olivia was singing after swim lessons a song about wearing a zucchini.  I asked her why she was wearing a vegetable.  She said she wasn’t, she was singing about wearing a swim suit.  I asked,”Do you mean bikini?” and we both started laughing.

Cord and Lucy were hungry at the same time and I found myself feeding Lucy while I held Cord’s bottle with my elbow.  I am wondering if I can grow 2 more arms this weekend? We are off to my cousin’s wedding and we are so excited for her and honored to be part of the event.  Olivia is turning 6 on Saturday and has been counting down all week.  What a blessing that we will be with Eric’s family for that and with my family that night for the wedding- Pray that we cover all the details that we need to and that the babies make it through all the events

 

 

One week old June 11, 2008

We made it through the first week.  Lucy is doing great.  She is off the blue light and back up to 8lbs 5 oz.  She is a really sweet baby- but I still think that she is not fully awake from jaundice and from being born.  I am sure she will snap out of this sweetness soon

The day is filled with concentrating on each child- Since I have help right now, I have been able to focus on each one more than normal.  Lucy needs physical things like feeding and diaper changes.  Cord needs chasing and lots of food!  I went into the hospital with a toddler son and returned home to find Bam Bam from the Flintstones in his place.  Everything about him seems to have changed- He is huge! His feet are huge, his appetite is huge, he plays the drums on everything, he throws toys and food.  He has changed so much.  He needs to get used to another person in our arms.  Emma needs to be listened to and watched as she dances or tells a story.  Olivia needs lots of hugs and conversations about all that is changing.  I feel so thankful for the energy to spend time with them and the help to keep the house in some kind of control.  A big thanks to my mom and to the Kennedys who entertained the girls this afternoon and gave us all something to look forward to today. One week down- so many to go!

Everything relates to Seinfeld… June 7, 2008

I have had two major Seinfeld moments lately.  One has been related to my OBGYN.  After a pregnancy filled with some frustrations and lots of conversations with my OBGYN and her staff, I started to think that my chart at her office probably had some additional notes in it- there is a classic Seinfeld in which Elaine makes her doctor mad and he makes notes in her chart, but she isn’t allowed to see what it says.  Everyone who opens her chart looks at her differently after reading those notes.  She makes lots of attempts to try to read her own chart, but never gets to find out what they have written about her.  I have had that Elaine moment at my OBGYN office over the last couple of months.  What do they put in those charts?

The second Seinfeld moment was last night- Lucy is on the blue light all night for her elevated bilirubin numbers.  With all the lights off in our room, her blue bed was glowing and lit up the whole room.  It immediately made me think of the Kenny Rogers Roasters episode- The restaurant sets up across the street from Kramer’s apartment and the neon sign glows all night in his window. He shows up at Jerry’s the next day red and exhausted from no sleep.  This was the best picture I could find from the episode.

Imagine blue lights glowing from our room instead of red… Why does everything make me think of a Seinfeld episode?

day 2 June 7, 2008

Today I got a phone call from the nurse at our pediatrician’s office.  She asked about Lucy and wondered if we would come back in for another weight check.  So we went this morning and Lucy had lost another 2 oz. She was also a lot more red than she was yesterday.  The nurse told me that she had thought about Lucy all night and wanted to have her checked again this morning.  I am so grateful for her heart and her follow-through so that we didn’t go the whole weekend without a doctor’s visit.  They sent us up to the lab for blood work and discovered that Lucy is more jaundice today.  A home healthcare nurse came over and put her on the blue light and will visit again tomorrow to check how she is doing. 

My mom decided to stay this weekend- Her help has been invaluable and today was more peaceful than yesterday.  We are taking it one day at a time (really one hour at a time) and praying that our sleep is multiplied in the hours that we get.  As soon as I get pictures on CD, I will post some of the past week. 

Day 1 June 6, 2008

well we survived the first day of all of us being home.  My mom is here and she has been a huge help.  Eric went back to work today, so I am really grateful for the extra set of hands and help with the kids.  Lucy slept well last night- probably due to the first days of sleepiness and that she has a little jaundice.  We had an early morning weight check and she is now 7 lbs 14 ozs.  Surprisingly, it makes a big difference.  She looks so small to us!  Olivia, Emma and Cord played outside in the sprinkler and with their water table while Lucy napped.  Cord did a lot better today and was a joy to watch while he played and laughed and looked like such a big boy!

I have yet to see how this will all work without another adult with me at all times I am so thankful that mom will be here again tomorrow and that on the weekend I will have Eric home.  So who wants to move in with us for about two or three years? We are taking applications now!