Hospital visit

I signed us up to take a hospital tour of the Women's Center so that the kids could see where I would be when I had the baby and where the baby would be after it was born. I thought for sure Jaed and Josie would be a tad bit interested with all the baby talk lately. I couldn't have been more wrong. The only spot that kept their attention for more thant 1 minute was the nursery because a nurse brought a baby to the window where the kids could see him. Jaed was asking every 5 minutes if it was time to go, and Josie was dancing and touching everything she could get her hands on. And, Indi just wanted to run the halls, so the visit was quite adventurous to say the least. When we were in one of the delivery rooms, Indi was smacking the bed and saying, "Get in, Mommy....right now!". She repeated it about 5 times until everyone stopped talking and laughed at her. Then she ran right over to me and covered her face. I think we were both a little embarrassed. So, I'm not sure if any of the kids listened or understood anything that was being said by the tour guide or Thayne and I, but at least they got a peek of where I'll be when the baby comes.

Thayne finally got all of his grades back from last semester. It was his best semester yet. He got straight A's (a couple A-'s, but close enough) which is a HUGE accomplishement in law school. A's and A-'s a extremely hard to get and are only handed out to a select few. In one of his classes, he was the only student to get an A. He worked so hard last semester, and it's nice to see that it paid off. He finished off in the top 10% of his class for that semester and will probably end up on the Dean's List as well. I"m so proud of him and I can tell that he's feeling pretty good himself. I hope this semester goes as well as last! (Don't tell him I told you this info, you're not suppose to share grades in law school, but how could I resist!)

Conversations about the baby....

Here are a few conversations I have had with the kids about the new baby:

Jaed: "Mom, what if the baby is a boy?"
Me: "Well we'll be happy if it's a boy or girl."
Jaed: "Well, I hope it's a boy cuz if we have another girl, daddy and me will get our bums kicked."
Me: "What? What do you mean?"
Jaed: "Well there will be 4 girls and just me and dad. We need some help so I hope the baby is a boy!"

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Josie: "Mommy, when the baby pops out can I hold and hold and hold her?"
Me: "Sure you can hold her but you have to be gentle!"
Josie: "Ok Mommy, I"ll pet her with one finger like I do Whiskers (gerbal at school)."
Me: "That would be so nice!"

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Me (holding Indi like a baby): "Indi, I love you. You're my little baby!"
Indi: "NO I not! Da baby is in your tummy (as she smacks my stomach). I'm a big girl, not a baby!"
Me: "You'll always be my baby Indi."
Indi: "NO I NOT, I a big girl!"

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Me: "Thayne, when the baby comes we can't even leave her alone in the room for a minute. Promise me that if I"m not home or you're in charge of the baby that you'll take the baby EVERYWHERE you go."
Thayne (barely paying attention): "Yeah, sure."
Me: "I mean it Thayne. We can't trust the kids to leave her alone if we're not in the room. So even if you have to go to the bathroom you either take the baby or make the other three go with you."
Thayne (rolls his eyes): "We all four can't fit in the bathroom and if I take the baby how am I suppose to get done what needs to get done? C'mon Ally, I think we can think of a better solution. How about putting Jaed in charge while we use the bathroom. He likes to boss his sisters around and if they start to get close to the baby he can yell for us or something."
Me (extremely sarcastic): "Yeah, let's even let him stand guard with his light saber and shield!"
Thayne (completely serious): "Sounds good to me."

Too long

I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted last. I'd like to say that it's because it has been so quiet and uneventful here but you'd all know I was lying. Never a dull moment in my house. We are almost back to our ole' routine with everyone back in school. My housecleaning routine has gone to pot but I blame it on this huge baby in my stomach. I can't bend over very easy and standing for too long hurts my back so I do the minimum amount possible and call it good. I have two and a half weeks to go and everyone in the house is helping me count it down.

I have a great friend here who threw me a (wanted to be) suprise baby shower a week ago. I never thought I'd have another baby shower after my last one but, boy, did I need it. Living on a small amount of student loans, and having given all my baby stuff away, we were starting from zero. I got several packages of diapers, cute outfits, socks, and other great stuff. I truly felt blessed to have such great friends. My "need" list is getting smaller and smaller thanks to my friends and family.

Since Jaed lost his last tooth and got two quarters from the tooth fairy he has become obsessed with money. He's been searching everywhere in the house for money. I even caught him trying to sneak his hand in Thayne's pants pocket for coins. He did happen to find a dollars worth of coins and was determined to spend it on something. Thayne tried to give him the talk about saving but Jaed didn't want anything to do with that. So, we went to the store and showed him exactly what toy he could buy for a dollar and he wasn't satisfied at all. Thayne kept saying to him, "well, Jaed, you can buy other stuff if you save your money.", but Jaed either ignored Thayne or just responded with a "no". Finally after about 10 minutes in the toy isle he picked a hot wheel car that he could buy but you could tell he wasn't happy with it. Thayne tried one last time to talk to him about saving and even told Jaed that he would give him interest (and then had to take another 10 minutes to explain what interest was to Jaed) if he would save his money. At first, Jaed said no and we walked away from all the toys. Then Jaed stopped, looked at the car for a few seconds, put it down on a shelf, and said "Ok, I'll save and get interest." I'm still not sure if Jaed understood what "interest" meant other than he got more money but Thayne was thrilled. Thayne and I talked about doing a job chart that had little jobs that Jaed could do to earn money around the house and now Jaed constantly askes me to give him a "special job" so he can earn some pennies (every coin is callled a penny to Jaed, even after SEVERAL explanations). As of now, Jaed has about $2.50 saved. We know that because we count it about 10 times a day, upon Jaed's request.

Chores....

I have been given "jobs" to Jaed since last year and he does pretty well. I decided it was time for Josie to start getting "jobs" as well. One of Jaed's "jobs" was to unload the dryer into a basket (one thing I HATE TO DO!) and he did it fast and promptly. Well I thought that this would be a good job for Josie and I would give Jaed another chore. Josie seemed excited to get a job and was even more excited when she saw what it was. All I would have to say is, "Josie, go do your job please." and she would rush right in there and start. Unfortunately, it took her about 10 times as long as it did Jaed. Let me tell you why......she takes out one article of clothing at a time and says who the clothing belongs to and then delicately puts in the basket. Even when she is alone in the laundry room I can hear her saying "This is Jaed's.........this is Indi's" etc.. One time I wanted her to hurry up so I started helping her pull things out of the dryer and she started screaming, "NO, this is my job!!!" and everything I put in the basket from the dryer she would take it and put it back in the dryer and start over with one thing at a time. AHHHHHHHH!!! This is surely a trial of my patience. I want her to learn the importance of a "job" but she stinks at it in regards to time. I certainly don't tell her that and even compliment her with a tad bit of sarcasm and she is thrilled she's doing a good job and helping "mommy". I guess I should just be thankful that I don't have to fight her to do that. That will come later in life I'm sure.

Now Jaed......well his new job is to unload the dishwasher. At first he was excited and did it promptly and fast. But something happened.....cuz now he complains that it takes to long and then when I still make him do it, he starts playing games with everything he pulls out of the dishwasher. The utensils are swords, the cups are bombs, the plates are shields and whatever else he can find is a gun. It takes him soooooo long to finish but he sure has a blast doing it while I'm tapping my foot, pacing the kitchen and trying to keep calm while I wait to load it. One time I tried to help him a little and the next thing I know he was handing me dishes and ordering me around to put them away. Why and how I fell for it, I don't know.....but it won't happen again! I am starting to learn to tell him to do his "job" at a different time I want to load the dishwasher, so we are making progress. Thayne has to give him a talk about where things go about once a week because I start to find the cups in the pots and pans cupboard and the utensils in every other drawer but the one they belong in, but I think it's going to work out. I just have to keep remembering what my mom would say, "Jaed is 5 and you have to expect nothing else but a 5 year old job.".

Indi is dying for a "job". Almost everytime I ask her to do something (turn the t.v. off, shut the door, etc.) she asks, "Is tis my job, mommy?". I have to be careful how I answer that because if I say "yes" then nobody better EVER turn that t.v. off or shut that door but her or she starts screaming, "THAT MY JOB!". The job of throwing away her poopy diapers is not rewarding enough for her, I guess! You should all know how she feels about that (if you don't, read my Sept. 26th post and then you'll understand.). It is still a challenge for her and one she tries to get her siblings to do now. She's great at saying, "No not me, Jaed do it!".

Blame Game

The blame game has started in our house and everyone is participating. Someone threw toilet paper ALL over one of our bathrooms and I wanted to know who it was. So I made them all come in the bathroom with me and I asked who did it. Without a pause, Jaed pointed at Josie and said she did it, Josie pointed at Indi and said she did it and little Indi pointed back at Josie and said she did it. And then there was screaming and crying as they were trying to talk over one another and make sure I heard who they thought it was. Poor Josie was being pointed at twice and it really upset her. She finally fell to the floor in frustration and confusion, not knowing what to do. I was pretty sure Indi did it. I knew it was something Indi had done before. I also knew that if Josie did it, the toilet paper would have been soaked in water first, then thrown around. And I was hoping that it was toooo childish for Jaed to do. So, I asked Jaed and Josie to leave and I had a little talk with Indi. I had to ask her three times if she did it and finally she said yes, BUT....she kept saying Josie helped her. We talked about what toilet paper was for and not for and then she helped me clean it up and we left the bathroom. I made sure that Jaed knew that I was dissappointed in him that he would blame Josie for doing it when he really didn't know and all he could say was, "Mom, Josie does naughty stuff like that!". I had to remind him that when he was just a little younger than Josie he was caught in the bathroom flinging poop everywhere (thanks to his cousin for not flushing!). You should have seen his nose curl up and his eyes get big. He obviously didn't remember that event as much as I did.

Another tooth

Jaed had another loose tooth that he has been wiggling for about two weeks. I've been telling him that when I was his age, and loosing teeth, my dad would tie a string around it and yank it out. Thayne thinks that is HORRIBLE, but I don't remember it being that bad. I actually remember being nervous and excited to get it pulled out. I told Jaed that it did hurt a little but then the tooth was out and I could leave it for the tooth fairy.
On the way to school this morning he asked me if I would pull it out after school......I seriously didn't know if it was something I could do but I agreed to give it a try. WELL...when he got home from school he had his tooth in a box and said that I didn't need to worry about it anymore. One of his teachers helped him pull it out. I asked him if it hurt but he said "no" so I guess all is well. Everywhere we went today he was showing people where he lost a tooth.

Drama QUEEN!

I have been called a drama queen by my parents, siblings and even Thayne but I don't think I even come close to our little Queen Indi. Thayne said that the day she was born she started her reign as Queen Indi. Today was her day to perform, I think. Everything she did was to the extreme. She started out trying about 5 princess dresses on to find the best one for her debut. With every one she tried on it was a screech that she didn't like it and wanted it off. If I protested the screech got louder and the stomping of the feet started. So I just gave in and helped her take it off and put another one on. The final one was the least prettiest but that was the one she wanted. She then put her princess shoes on with several necklaces, rings and crown. She twirled with her eyes closed, lips pursed, and arms in the air. The more I complimented her the more elegant she tried to be. It was if she was a true Queen. I wanted to laugh so hard. She played the part so perfectly. Even when she fell from dizziness she rest on her bed sitting up perfectly and and her hands folded in her lap. Once she was rested the act started again. Josie participated a little but got bored with the scene really fast and went off to play with her ponies. Indi kept the facade up for quit a while as she followed me around the house. I'm sure she followed me around to keep the compliments coming. If I hadn't said anything in a few minutes she would say, "MOM WOOOOOOK!". She finally gave it a rest when spongebob was turned on. I guess it was intermission :)>!
Along with the pretty side of being a queen comes the not so pretty side. She can screech, yell and order others around just like a queen does. She even told me several times this morning, "Mom don't touch dis.....". Half the time I didn't even know what I wasn't suppose to touch. I heard her yell "YOU NAUGHTY, JOSIE!" a number of times as well. If she didn't get her way in something the fit started and it was well acted out. She covers her face with her hands, drops to her knees and cries LOUD! This scene can continue on as long as her dancing scene if I would allow it. I normally give her a choice to either go to her room or stop the crying. After several minutes of repeating her choice she finally stops the crying, sticks out the bottom lip and hangs her head.
I wonder if there is drama class for two year olds? We could be rich!

New year, new classes!

At church yesterday, Josie was put in a new class because of the new year. She graduated from nursery and now is with the older kids at some part of the time. She was extremely hesitant and even cried but Jaed was so good to her. He showed her where she would sit and where he would sit. He tried to tell her all that would happen but I'm not sure if Josie was really paying attention to that part. Her teacher happens to be a friend of mine and when I told Josie that she seemed to calm down a little. All the kids get together at first to sing songs and have an activity, then they go with their teacher and other kids their own age for a lesson, and at then end they all get back together to sing a song and pray. Well Thayne and I are teachers for the 7 year olds so we're in the room with Jaed and Josie when we sing songs and when it was time for the us all to get back together for the last song and prayer we were waiting for Josie's class to come. The door opened, and in pops Josie with her hands in the air and says (quite loud), "WE BACK!!". All the teachers chuckled as she marched right to her seat after she made that announcement. Josie's teacher said she did really well which was great! It was nice to see Jaed try and take care of her and make her feel better about her new environment.

Jaed had a playdate today with a little boy his age. Him and his mom (a friend of mine) came over and Jaed was so excited. The problem was that the little boy had no idea what Star Wars was and had no interest in playing with swords. As a matter of fact, the boy was more interested in playing with the girls then he was with Jaed. Jaed came over to many several times and said, "Mom, he's not playing with me.". I finally told Jaed that he needed to find out what his friend wanted to play and then play that with him. So here was the conversation that happened when Jaed went over to the boy:
"So what do like to play at home?"
"Toys"
"What kind of toys?"
"Cars"
"I have cars, do you want to play with them?"
"No, I want to cook with your sisters."
"Oh, well they're girls!"
"Yeah"
"Well we're boys."
"I play with my sister sometimes."
"Oh, me too."

Jaed picked up some fake food and started playing "house" along with his friend and the girls. It didn't last long before Jaed came over to me and said, "Do you think Dad will play with me if I go ask him?"

Poor Jaed. He just wants a friend that loves the toys he loves and nothing else. His dad might be his only option :). Jaed calls Thayne his "Best Bud" and has started to use it to his advantage. For example, we went to the store and Thayne said that he would just run in and get what we needed while me and the kids waited in the car. Jaed spoke right up and said, "But Dad, I thought we were best buds.", and Thayne reassured him that they were which Jaed responded, "Well then we have to do everything together so I need to come in the store with you.". It's so funny to see how their little minds work and how early they learn manipulation :).

House of Sickness!

We have been the house of sickness since we returned from Christmas. With colds, ear infections, stomach flu, and bronchitis. The only one not affected by any of the bugs was Thayne. Somehow he has dodged every virus in our house so far. He's been the best Mr. Mom since I've been sick without complaints. I even had to go the hospital because dehydration and then the next day I returned because I had one of my heart episodes and Thayne was a trooper the entire time. He has truly been a lifesaver while he's been home between semesters. I can't believe that he has to start school next week.

Jaed and Josie are counting down the days until they return to school (me too :> ). I do have to say that it will be nice get back into a routine again. Josie will only be returning to her speech preschool this next semester. The co-op preschool we were participating in with four other mothers has started to dwindle. One mom needed to back out a couple of months ago and then one other mom felt like she needed to do something different so I just decided to back out as well. I didn't want to commit to more teaching time than I already had.

I am really trying to simplify my life before this new baby comes so that I don't feel so overwhelmed with everything I've committed to plus the stress of a new baby. I've resigned from a leadership position I was holding in my MOMS Club and haven't volunteered to host any events (which has been very hard!). I hope all this simplifying pays off and I don't regret it.

Happy New Year!!

Well christmas is over and we survived with nothing to report but good stuff. I got to see my mom which was great and we spent christmas eve and christmas day with Thayne's parents which the kids loved. They loved all their gifts that santa brought and were completely satisfied. When Josie got done opening her presents she looked at me and said, "Mom, Santa is a good boy!". How funny is that. Although she wasn't very happy that Santa ate her cookie she decorated and left out for him. I guess she didn't quite understand the concept of leaving a cookie for Santa to say "thanks for the presents". She wanted to eat that cookie herself but as soon as she saw the gifts she seemed to forget all about the cookie.

I think the best part about the whole present ordeal is when the kids run over to both Thayne and me and say, "Look what Santa gave me!" and then we act completely shocked and excited for them. When all the presents were touched and opened the kids didn't even know where to start to play. Thayne's mom tried to get them to eat breakfast but they couldn't be bothered with it.

Jaed was in heaven with his star wars guys and ships. I think I told him about 50 times to quit spitting on me. He would fly his ship around and make shooting noises with spit just shooting out of his mouth. I would tell him to quit spitting on me and that his dad really wanted to see his ship so off he went to spit on Thayne. Thayne never said one word to Jaed about the spitting so I don't know if he didn't notice or if he just chalked it up as a boy thing and let it go.

Josie loved her "My little ponies". She had them lined up and was giving them orders to be nice to one another when they played together (which tells me that she hears me when I tell her same thing but she just chooses to ignore it). She played along time with her ponies while she was dressed up in her princess dress that Santa gave her with a crown, necklaces, play shoes and barbie sunglasses. Jaed tried to get near her ponies with his star wars guys and Josie would screech and say, "Don't shoot them!". Of course, that just made it a game to Jaed. We had to tell him to stay away from her ponies multiple times.

Indi was the queen of the day. She carried around her princess barbies while she was also dressed up in her dress, crown, etc.. You could tell that she felt like the prettiest girl ever. Her barbies danced, kissed, and slept over and over. She never got tired of reenacting the same scenerio. She wasn't as bossy with her princesses as Josie was with her ponies, though. Sometimes she would set her barbies down on a chair and just start twirling around the room like dancing princess herself. Then when she was done she would do one of her famous bows right at where the barbies were all stacked on the chair.

I think the best part of watching them play was when Josie and Indi decided to play barbies and ponies together and Jaed wanted to join. So, Josie gave him a barbie and Jaed was not even a tad bit embarassed to play like the girls. He was saying stuff like; "Will you marry me, honey?"; "My dress is prettier than yours!"; "Let's dance around the room.". I thought Thayne might interupt and try to get Jaed to play his star wars but Thayne just sat still and smiled. It was a great day of much entertainment!

(Our camera stopped working so Thayne's dad took pictures and we're waiting for him to email them to us so I can put them up on the blog. Also, I bought all the barbies and ponies off of Ebay for a great deal. They were used but in great condition and my girls could have cared less!)