my weekly wrap-up

1. Mary had a field trip to Gettysburg. She didn't have that great of a time since she has horrible sinus problems every May. Her eyes were watering and swollen and she couldn't breathe. The other kids kept saying, "boy looks like someone punched you in the face"! She had her 8th grade drama play too and was a natural...she gets her acting abilities from me since I used to be in that stuff too when I was younger:)

2. Johnpaul had a band concert. He plays the trumpet. I was kinda dreading a 4th grade band concert since I remember how bad I was at 4th grade on the flute (dh has all the musical genes)  but I am pleased to say he did very well as did the whole band. And it didn't drag on forever like I imagined. They played 5 songs and they played them well. He must get his musical gifts from his dad. :)

3. Johnpaul is quite creative. He has recently taken to writing sheet music. He wrote a song not in English but in Spanish this week about a king and donkey milk. It was funny. I guess he used all the Spanish words he knew. He drew a cartoon not too long ago also: the adventures of Tom Taco. He gets all his creative ideas from me :)

4. James had a friend over this week. He has recently been very interested in playing with other kids. Which is new for him. He used to not even care if other kids are around or not...so I am glad to see more social awareness. But, he has had many issues with his medication making him sick all of a sudden. I guess we will have to think about switching soon. He comes home everyday from school and has a migraine and has to vomit--so its not good.

5. Patrick turned 7. I did not make a big fuss like I usually do. Mainly because I am about 900 weeks Pregnant and about to explode baby. My mom let him have a special sleepover at her house, took him to McDonald's and took him toy shopping etc... About 5 mins before he got home I had the idea to make him homemade colored paper ring streamers, made a happy birthday sign and put candy and homemade cupcakes out. The kids jumped out and shouted surprise. It was a sweet family moment and that's all he really needed. But, I was a bit perturbed that his teacher sent home a book in which every child in 1st recorded what they did on their birthday to be read aloud to the class...of course all the kids had elaborate parties at expensive locations and he was the only one who didn't= mommy guilt.

6. Patrick had a field this week to some farm in Ohio. Ummm why? its not like we don't have farms here. I think that's crazy...why drive 2 hours away to see something we have here?? Public school tax dollars at work I guess...

 7.  Somehow that weekend (I think Saturday) James, Patrick and Sofia all got poison ivy. Of course I didn't realize it until Thursday (5 days later), because I am such an amazingly observant mom.  I saw them scratching but I assumed it was bug bites. Then, James says, "I think Sofia has poison ivy her legs are all rashy"....so I look and UMMM YEAH poison ivy! My husband started freaking out (he does that for all medical emergencies, I'm usually the calm one) that they all had to go the ER NOW before they die (Yes he literally thinks this way despite the fact they had it for 5 days already). Of course, this was an hour before the band concert on Thursday. So we figured we had to take them after. Everyone was crying...James was having a panic attack about going to an ER, Sofia was crying since she is terrified of taking any type of medicine and Patrick was crying because he wanted to go to Grandmas instead of a dumb old band concert followed by a doctor, Claire was crying because she was 2, Johnpaul was crying because he's punctual and HAD to be on time and was late and Mary was crying because of her sinus issues and a headache from all the noise....my husband said he was having a heart attack and I was cranky from being pregnant and uncomfortable....yeah we have moments (days) like this :) Don't want you all to think my life is peaches and sunshine here all the time.
     Anyway, so after the concert we get them to the children's ER (its about 8pm at night btw). We walk in: baby is singing itsy bitsy spider,  Mary and Johnpaul are doing a hand clapping game, Sofia is dancing and the other 2 boys are just loud...They have never been to this children's ER and it was really nicely decorated for kids--so they all go berserk playing with the toys and kid stuff etc. and are so flipping LOUD. I try to quiet them but Sofia says, "I am sorry but my shoes are TAPPY and they can't help it!!!"  UMM ok ---one of those just give up moments. We go to check them in and the lady says, "ARE THEY ALL YOURS???" For a moment I honestly wanted to say that no I picked up 6 random children off the street at 8pm and noticing half of them had a rash decided to stop off at the ER....but my husband beat me to it and said, yeah they are all ours proudly. I was thinking to myself, boy I wonder what kind of comments are we going to get next week when we have 7. Good thing we are here now with ONLY 6 and not that extra baby, wouldn't want to set her over the edge you know.
     Anyway...it all ended well. Kids all got ivy cream and I had them all in bed ohhhh by 10:45pm that night.

So basically, that was my week. I actually have pictures but don't have the energy to upload right now. I will probably post pics tomorrow.

link up at : conversion diary.com

thankful thursday

1. That I have made it to the end of this pregnancy with new baby still alive and well, and my mind still intact.

2. That my husband has been able to take me to almost all my appointments...all 90054+++ of them and be my moral supporter through it all.

3. I am so thankful that he was able to help with watching the little girls for and during the appointments so I didn't have to pay for day care like I have in the past.

4. That he has never once complained at all when the house was a mess and dinner was a can of something gross and that he encouraged me to rest as much as possible. That he went shopping for me and brought home countless dinners for us all (since he can't cook very well :).

5. There is the saying that every baby comes with a loaf of bread under their arm...and once again I can say that it has been true for me. All the baby's needs have already been met by the kindness of strangers and numerous friends and family. It goes without saying that financially 7 kids is a lot...but somehow I have piles of beautiful clothes, diapers, a crib and everything the baby needs. I gave away everything to a pregnancy center from Claire since I had no storage space at the time and everything has been replaced by God's providence.

6. That this baby has her own house to come too. She will have fresh and clean running water and food, clothing, warm blankets, safe place to sleep  and health care.

7.That this baby has so many older anxious siblings waiting to love her.

8. That although I have had many health complications this time I have had good doctors to take care of me...That a lot of he problems resolved themselves and or were not as bad as initially perceived.

9. I entered this pregnancy quiet unsure and fearful...despite the number of children you have it is scary to enter into another pregnancy and trust God. Somehow though this has been the least stressful of all my pregnancies. Never before have I felt so calm through it all.

10. For the support of friends. I can honestly say it has been so much easier knowing that I had personal cheerleaders offering me moral support through it all.

Having a baby week...

The baby is going to be induced this coming Sunday (may 27) but most likely I won't be having the baby until the 28th since my inductions are slow--but you never know. So there is a light at the end of this tunnel!! YEAH. I am so happy. But, I also get so scared the week before my inductions since I keep fearing all the things that could go wrong. I have been really good about not worrying this pregnancy though but the last week is always the hardest for me.

Still undecided on this little girl's name. I have a list and will decide once I see her I suppose. I feel weird--maybe its just me tho--since everyone I know IRL and in the blogosphere all have the same names for their kids that are on my list. I don't want people to think I am copying..lol of course most of these ppl wouldn't even care but do you ever notice how all the Catholic blogs out there all have the same 10 girls names??? LOL.

Everyone is looking forward to the baby. But I think that Claire is going to have a hard time adjusting. She loves all the attention she gets  from everyone and I don't think she is ready to be de-throned. Johnpaul was my only child that a hard time with a new baby...everyone else was easy. (He loves having 3 brothers close in age NOW but when he was 2 he was a bit miffed). I think Claire has a similar personality which is basically selfishness... But really, having a baby sibling is the perfect cure for selfishness. Siblings only benefit children. They teach them to share, to love, to think of others....New baby girl will be the best cure for Claire's self centerness.

This brings me to a list of things I have been considering about babies. These are my opinions and sorry if anyone disagrees:

1. You will never have enough money: I have heard so many people say, well I want to have some more money in  the bank before we have another. There will never be enough money. You will always want a bigger house, a better car, a larger savings etc...

2. "Well, I can't have another since my husband doesn't help enough with the kids" (common complaint by people) : The only way to get hubby to help out more is to have more kids...lol. My husband barely helped with the first, slightly more with the second  with the 3rd a bit more and so on and etc...the more he sees you need help the more he will step up. My husband didn't even change diapers until #4!  ( He has/d a queasy stomach and vomits when he sees poop). Gradually, he got over it. Now he is fine. He even offered to me voluntarily that he will change the diapers for this new baby--and he's even looking forward to it. :)! Some men just need more practice and more opportunities.

3. Time for the previous baby/ies: You won't have enough time for the previous baby or babies but its a good thing. Your child does not need you in their face 24/7.The best thing you can do for your child is to step back and allow independence. But this does not mean that your child will be deprived of attention. Case in point : Claire. If its not me its my older kids crowding her 24/7 with love and kisses and attention.

4. Cleaning/housework: Your older children can be taught to do laundry, vacuum, mop, empty the dishwasher, spray Windex, take out garbage.... These are life skills they need to survive. You will not be coming to their rescue to do their laundry when they are18--they need to learn to care for themselves...starting now. My kids all help out. But I admit they could do a lot more. Cleaning is not their priority in life. They would much rather vegetate in front of Sponge bob--but that's not good for them. So, I don't feel bad asking them to clean for me.

5. Its hard : Although I understand this excuse totally...I feel like its a cop out. I have not had any easy pregnancies. I have had to be poked and prodded by doctors, I have had to take life sustaining injections, test after test after test. I could probably write a book on pregnancy problems since I feel like I have had them all. It has not nor ever been easy for me. You just wake up in the morning and go and don't think...you can do it and yes I know its hard.

6. Superwoman: No I am not superwoman. I do not have special graces bestowed upon me. I am a regular person. I do not have more patience than the average person. I lose my temper all the time. It is true though that having 6 kids has made me work on my temper more, work on patience more, work on kindness more...but its not something I was born with or am particularly graced with. I am also highly disorganized and a scatterbrain.  I do not have it altogether  any more than the average person.

7. "But my kids have special needs...." Although I fully understand the seriousness of this excuse I still feel like its something that can be overcome. Although I don't write about my kids personal issues all that much anymore, 2 of them are dx with aspergers (autism spectrum disorder) and add/hd. My husband also has add/hd as well as some other medical issues...Life goes on and no one is perfect. Everyone has their challenges in life. Some more than others. Having children with "problems" does not mean these children will not benefit from a baby sibling. Everyone needs a friend to grow up and in my opinion even more so with children with special needs. My kids are truly each others best friends and I wouldn't want to image James, for instance, being an only child with no friends in school. He laughs and giggles all nigh long with his brothers...they have sleepovers with each other and cuddle up to each other at night, share secrets, share jokes...without his brothers he would have no one to share life with. Siblings bring happiness and joy.

8. The unknown:  I also understand the seriousness of genetic disorders. Since 2 of my boys have aspergers its clear that there is a genetic component in our genes. I could very well be carrying a child with autism or even worse...but you know what?? Who says children with disabilities are any less entitled to life than "perfect" children.  Life has taught me that every soul is valuable and worthy of life...I honestly don't care if this baby will have something "wrong" with her. Its basically irrelevant to me and to God. How can one be pro-life but only for perfect children. Makes no sense.

Mother's day weekend

Mother's day weekend started for me on Thursday afternoon as my son, Patrick, had his 1st grade Spring Tea which is technically for moms but since its a public school and they are all PC there, it is a "family" tea.

Patrick has been stressed all week about it or longer...see, he is not a "stand in front of the school/parents/ and sing" kinda kid. He did something similar in prek 3 prek 4 and a play in K and hopefully this is the last one since I don't think they have them in the higher grades at his school. He has intense stage fright. He dreads things like this. They let him sit in a chair though with a few other kids while everyone else stood. He was white as a ghost and looked like he was about to vomit the whole time and seriously had the deer frozen in the headlights look while all the other kids happily sang and danced away...

Now, stellar mom that I am--I arrive late and walk in during the last few songs--I missed half the show--just because I am perfect like that and always arrive on time for things.

Anyway--the tea part is more important anyway as the child has to sit with their mom(significant other) and serve tea. The kids write what they are thankful about for their moms...Patrick just wrote "I am nice" but I found it funny what some of the other kids came up with---one girl said, "I like my mom because she makes me take vitamins..." healthy family I suppose ;)


Friday, I had appts all day and dh stayed home with 4 kids since 2 of them had no school. Very thankful for that and not having to drag kids to appts with me. Of course, by the time I got home he was ready for a nap and had greyed significantly...

The weekend--not very fun in others eyes--but I spent the whole weekend cleaning/nesting and organizing. I feel so much happier when things are in order.

We went out to eat on Saturday but had to take it to go since my angel Claire wouldn't stop screaming and screeching.....

Cards from the kids are always perfect gifts on Mother's Day. Johnpaul's are always funny and his said:

"Mom, you are so nice. You make us rice. You keep us from getting lice."
"Mom, I know I am a pest but you are the best" (an ode to Patrick) " what a nice brother he is, right??? Blaming all the pesty behavior on his little brother.

We went to church and just spent the day at home.

Claire gave me a few tantrums over the usual not wanting to take naps, not wanting to eat, and not generally behaving but that's what Mothers Day is for, right?? Perfect day to give your mom a hard time.  I had to put her in time out for throwing a glass of lemonade across the room (glass hit Mary and got her soaking wet and sticky). Time out is impossible with the other kids around. "Mom, you can't put a baby in time out!", "But she is crying, MOM!!!" Her siblings run to her protection every time.  They all get so stressed out if I am firm with her and run to her aid...ahhhh well, they adore her.

 I guess that's all I ever really wanted anyway--for all the kids to love each other and be friends. :)


my "angel"

outside of JP's card

Patrick climbing trees

is'nt she so innocent looking?

FHC photo

Here is the pic they took of James at the school on his First Holy Communion. He had on dress shoes though for the actual ceremony. I guess they are going to crop in the pic and focus more on  his face before they send me the actual pic.

1. Dh's birthday was also this week. We didn't do much which I feel bad about. He is not a sweets/cake person at all and never wants us to get him presents. Johnpaul did insist on buying him a card on his own though...at a dollar store. So he goes in alone to purchase the card and just comes out with just a card--no enveloppe. He thought the enveloppe was an extra dollar and didn't realize it comes with the card.

2. So next up is little Patrick who has been talking about having a party for a year now. He wants to have a big party at this uber-expensive arcade. But, right now is not a good time for us to shell out that kind of moola considering we are having a baby again. The alternative is having a home pary. The only problem with that is I am about to have a baby and I have no energy and do not have it in me to clean and plan a party with all the fixings. I am scheduled for an induction 5 days after his birthday. Either way--I feel like is a bad decision.

3. So yeah about this pregnancy--I really am tired. ALL THE TIME. All I can say is having  a baby when you are 25 is nothing like having a baby at 40.  

Claire is 2

Well, last week she was...

 I have been sick this and busy with stuff with drs appts and I have no money  and she is only 2 so I was thinking of not doing anything for Claire's birthday this year (like not even a cake nothing)... yeah I am a great mom. :)  She's 2. She has no idea what day it is. She has no concept of birthdays. Why ppl spend hundreds on their babies I still don't know why, I digress....But I was looking over past pics of all her siblings 2ND birthdays and even when I just had a cake for my babies on their birthday in the pics it always looked like a big deal since I had so many little kids in the pictures. I guess thats the nice thing about lots of siblings--- its a party everyday. So, I thought I better try to make it a bit nice for her.

So I saved a few pieces of cake for everyone from James' communion cake my mom bought over since i was too sick to make one or get one last week. (Poor 6th child doesn't even get her own cake). Then, I made rainbow jello which everyone LOVED but her.

She did have a few gifts from distant relatives to open that came in the mail that day...she got chalk and crayons and paper a book and some nice clothes...my mom has some things for her too which we didn't open yet... She is spolied dispite the fact I didn't spend any money on her at all this year.

Anyway, I really only wanted to get her a nice of wooden blocks and a little doll stroller since she is always obsessed with those in stores. Ironically, while I was looking around 2 weeks ago in a second hand shop I found a stroller and brand new doll for $2 and a set of wooden blocks for 99cents (brand new) so I got them for her. Things like this always happen to me...the one thing I am looking for will just turn up out of the blue in odd places for pennies. God's providence I think.

I got the block idea since I had to take her for an eye check up 2 weeks ago (she has had vision issues since she was born) and the drs office had a set of brightly colored wooden blocks that she wouldn't stop playing with the whole time. Anyway, her eyes have improved. They were thinking of doing a surgery on her eyes last visit but this time they said no need for that. Come back in 6 months.

Overall--she has grown up a lot. But she is definately testing boundaries. She doesn't like sharing...you know the toddler story "If I see it its mine, If I had it 10 mins ago its mine, if I touched it before you Its mine...If I like it its mine. If I say so its mine..." ever hear that story??? Well, thats her.

She sings all the time. She sings ABC song and twinkle twinkle non stop for hours.

She loves Barney.

She  can actually say the abcs and counts and knows colors and shapes etc...she really is smart. She talks up a storm. In comparison, Johnpaul didn't even talk until his 2nd birhday where he said one word on that day. She does still say some gibberish baby talk but I would say only 10-20% of the time.

She loves baby dolls much to my delight since I was that way and Mary never really played with babies---she played right with Barbies...and Sofia threw dolls on the floor while she kicked soccer balls around in the dirt ...Claire is the mini mommy and I love that. Finally a little girl i can relate to LOL.

She loves tutus and can often be found wandering the house naked with just a tutu on or naked with just shoes on... I would post THAT pic, but you know....slightly odd.

She hates naps anymore and has turned into a horrible sleeper. Right now she is SUPPOSED to be napping but...you know....

Her eating habits have only slightly improved since my last post about her...or worsened not sure?? She doesn't like hardly anything and won't eat so many things anymore especially things like pizza or hot dogs or normal kid foods. For her birthday meal I am like....Ok-- WHAT do i make this child? We had tacos while she just turned up her nose and screamed to get out of her high chair. Probably her favorite meal is mushy eggs but thats gross so I couldn't make that for everyone.

She has developed a lot of fears also of late. She is afraid of pirates and dragons among other things...

She was just weighed at the drs and she is 25 pounds.

random pics of the chaos. The video of blowing out candle and kids singing..we arent the greatest singers but its cute.