Little Robert and Wesley

THE Question.....

When my kiddos ask me how they came out of my tummy, I am 'lucky' to say that you came out in the operating room using a special operation. This has worked and they never questioned it until today.....

Little Robert came to me and, quite matter of factly, tells me that he KNOWS not all babies come out that way. I thought for a quick moment and quickly said that others come out in the hospital with the doctor helping. From here he asked, very quietly, HOW? Now, I certainly was not ready for any of this today, but I quickly answered, matching his quiet voice, and said in a way God only allowed certain mommies!

This worked for him and off he went, never looking back - whew!

1 Down, ____ To Go!

Well, both my checkbook and I survived the acupuncture appointment! It began with a long history - she wanted to know all about me, my parents, siblings, and grandparents. She went back YEARS with my history - to when I was in 7th grade and developed appendicitis! She feels that all of this is intertwined somehow. We spoke about diet and the environment. We spoke about day to day routines. We spoke in depth about the past 18months.

After this, she 'examined' me in a very nontraditional way. She wiggled my arms and legs. She felt my pulses. She looked at my tongue (?!?!) She asked me a few questions during this that had never been asked before.

Once this was done, she sat down and said she can get me better. She knows how to end my pain..... now, I have been told this many times already, but before I could question her, she made the comment that, 'I am sure you have heard this from all of the doctors you have already seen.' This made me feel good. She then proceeded to tell me that there is no 'quick fix.' That her best guess would be 6-12months. It would include acupuncture, a form of Chinese massage and herbs, and dietary changes....

I was informed that I would have to completely give up diet coke! GASP! For those of you that know me well, know that I love diet coke. It is my drink of choice and has been for as long as I can remember. I asked permission to finish what was in my fridge, and she said okay... but when that is gone, there will be no more :-/ This will be the hard, but if it can help me feel better, I am totally game!


After this come to Jesus moment, she left and came back a few moments later ready to start the poking. I was nervous, but ready. The first one was on my right shin. It was a bit uncomfortable, but no big deal. She then proceeded to place some in my calfs, knees, and feet. Then slowly worked her way to my hands, ears (OUCH!), and scalp. It was different. Some I felt, others not at all. Once she was done, she brought over 2 heat lamps, turned off the lights, and told me to relax. After she left, I fell asleep!

Once everything was said and done, we chatted some more and I paid. She wants to do 2 sessions of Chinese massage and then re-evaluate. At this point, I am no longer scared. The only thing that has me on edge is the money, but I know that if this is HIS will, that HE will find a way. So, we will pray about it and go with whatever path HE shows us! :-)

(Special thanks to my fabulous girlfriend for coming over from Orange Park to sit with my babies.... all while dealing with her 8month old and all day pregnancy sickness. We love you, Katrina!)

Mama Mary and Baby Andrew (8 months old)

Mrs. Katrina with Robert, Hannah, and Wesley

Accupuncture.....

Well, today at 3:00, I meet with Beth at Beth's Center for Accupuncture for a consultation and first session. I have so very many mixed emotions going into today.....

I am scared. I have no idea what to expect. You see pictures like this one to the right and it totally freaks me out. I do not want to look like that! And then the thought of needles all over my body is just plain unnerving! While I have no fear of needles, I do have a fear of MANY needles. Before I go, I am going to set aside time to say a Rosary. That way, my head will be clear and I will have the Blessed Mother on my side!

I am hopeful - but in a hesitant, afraid to get my hopes too high kind of way. I have tried so many things, from chiropractic care (that only caused things to get worse), to physical therapy, to doctor after doctor, and even surgery to remove adhesions. All of which did not work. So while I desperately, with every ounce of my being, need and want this to work, I am so scared to get my hopes up out of fear that they will be crushed again..... But I am going into this with a positive attitude. I have heard many positive things about this. I have also heard of people feeling completely better after the first session.

God-willing, this is the answer to many prayers........

Peer Pressure!

All 4 kiddos working!

This afternoon, I had our sweet neighbor Lucas over to do some school with us - we made it lots of fun so that he did not feel like he was 'in school' from 8a until 5p!

When he arrived, Little Robert, Lucas, and I sat on the couch and read for a bit. They would take turns reading pages. Lucas' presence motivated Little Robert to work even harder. It was so fun to watch them read - it became a little competition with who could read faster than the other! When we were done, each received 5 gummy bears for doing a great job!

After this, we went to the table for a game show version of a spelling test! I gave all of the kiddos (Hannah and Aahliya included) a sheet of paper. They each wrote their names on the top and then their ABC's - whoever wrote them the nicest received a smily face on top of their paper - wouldn't you know it that they all have smiley faces?!?!?! After that, we went on to spell 10 words from Little Robert's 3rd quarter spelling words. This was great fun for all of them and the best part was that they had no idea they were learning! Nobody became upset or mouthy. Nobody fussed - all they knew was that they were having a great time and I felt on top of the world!

We had a major breakthrough yesterday and I am so very excited! I can hardly wait for our next Reading/Phonics/Spelling lesson with a friend!

I Slept In!

Robert and I have been married for 8 years, 5 months, and 13 days. During this time, I can count on one hand the number of times I have not gotten up with the kiddos (this does not include when I have been in the hospital). Now, let me specify this is NOT Robert's fault, rather the way things have evolved as we had children. When they were little, when they woke they would want to nurse and for obvious reasons, daddy can not do this. As they grew older, they were so accustomed to mommy waking up with them that daddy was not an option. And I like having that time with them. Well, this morning was different.....

I had asked daddy a few days ago if I could sleep in on Saturday. He of course agreed, but I did not get too excited because I was sure the kiddos would get upset because of the change in their routine. So, last night before tucking them in, I spoke to them and reminded them that when they woke up, that they needed to wake up daddy, not mommy. Surprisingly, all 3 were fine with this and I went to bed hopeful that I really might be able to sleep in!

I, very surprisingly, woke at 7:43 (kiddos NEVER sleep past 6:30) to a sleeping daddy and 3 sleeping kiddos! After the shock wore off, I closed my eyes again only to hear a certain 3 year old whispering mommy - apparently he did not understand when I said mommy is NOT getting up with you guys! I quickly sent him to daddy, where to my surprise, daddy was already getting up! He quickly scooped up Wesley and left the room. I checked out the clock and it was 7:55! Even if I were to wake up now, it still would have been the latest I had slept since....um.... I don't know!

Over the next little bit, I could hear daddy and Little Robert reading The Cat In The Hat and the kiddos 'ssshhh'ing each other. At one point, daddy' came in and turned on the classical music to block out the noise and then brushed his teeth. After this, I fell into a deep sleep and did not wake again until 10:40! When my eyes opened and were able to focus on the clock, I could not believe what I was seeing. Never have I slept past 9... not even in college! I guess that I was more tired than I had even realized! Shortly after my eyes opened, I heard the garage door open and I decided to stay in bed until the kiddos came get me :-)

Much to my surprise, when the door opened, there was daddy, Little Robert, Hannah, and Wesley carrying an iced coffee and breakfast! The only time I have gotten more than coffee in bed was in the hospital! Needless to say, I was speechless. I felt so very, very loved and special. I was being treated like a princess! Each kiddo told me something special about the morning - how he/she quietly read a book. Or reminded a sibling to stay quiet so I could sleep. Or help daddy. Daddy stayed quiet and just stood in the background smiling and listening....

I have always felt special and cherished, but the gift I received this morning was like no other. Words can not express the gratitude and love that I felt or the new depth of love and appreciation I have for my spouse. My best frriend. The love of my life.....and now that I have experienced this incredible feeling of staying in bed until your body wakes up, I might just ask for it again!

So, thank you my love for this gift today. Words cannot adequately describe just how very, very grateful I am. I hope that you enjoyed your special time with the kiddos because I might ask for this again :-) I love you with every ounce of my being and that love has only intensified after this morning.

A Trip To The Sun's Game

All Little Robert wanted for his birthday was a trip to the Sun's Game. We gave him the option of a Saturday afternoon game or a Friday evening game, complete with fireworks! Of course, he chose the latter, so we obliged! We had front row seats as they played Chattanooga (the suns lost!). The kiddos and daddy had a great time and, just like last time, Little Robert became rather close to our neighbor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post game fireworks!

 

 

Even mommy got a ball!

 

 

Little Robert's Friend!

Your Children Want YOU!

This is a beautiful article ~ I highly encourage all to read this. As I read it, I felt like the author was holding my cheeks between her hands, making me look in her eyes, and telling me all of this in her firm, loving, motherly voice! FABULOUS!

Your Children Want YOU!

Date Night With My Favorite 3 Year Old

Every Wednesday night when Daddy takes Little Robert (and almost always Hannah) to CCD class, Wesley and I head out for a date. Most of the time, we head to Dairy Queen for a blizzard, but tonight that was not the case as I was not feeling so great. I tried to convince him that snuggles in mommy/daddy's bed was a good date, but he did not buy it. So we counted out change and went down the street to Wendy's and shared a Frosty! When we came home, we snuggled in my bed and watched cartoons until daddy returned with the older 2 - then it was off to bed for all three!

I absolutely love having one on one time with each of my kiddos. I love having that time to focus on just him or her. I love being able to take care of just their needs for that period of time......

We Are Famous (Again!)

For the second time in 4 months, we have been interviewed for the news. The first time it was during our trip to MS when we visited the Children's Museum. This time, it was during our trip to the Duck Pond on Park Street after the kiddos well-child visits. It was somewhat smoky outside, but I had promised the kiddos that if they were good, which they were, that we could go feed the ducks and play for a bit. I was just rounding everybody up when a very pregnant lady with a microphone and a man carrying a camera approached us and asked if they could interview us for a news story on the smoke and kiddos....of course I obliged! The kiddos loved it. They would ask me questions and then tape the kiddos for a bit and then ask me questions again. My very last words came right after I thought we were done and had told the kiddos such.....I was caught off guard!

To watch us, just click HERE and it will take you to the video!

Enjoy :-)

Off to the doctor we go......

Today, I took Robert, Hannah, and Wesley for their annual well child checks. I love our doctor because we very rarely have to wait. Today, I had not even paid yet when they were calling our names. The best part was that their appointments were spread out over 2 hours, but our incredible doctor saw each of them at the same time - no going back to the waiting room and waiting until the appointment time. From the moment we drove into the parking lot until we were buckling our seat belts on the way out, was a whopping 45 minutes!

When we first arrived, the boys were quite hopeful that they would get shots. Why they wanted them, I will never know, but they did. Hannah, on the other hand, was terrified that she would get one. As our fabulous doctor made his rounds through each child, the boys became upset and Hannah became happy - NO shots for anyone.... I was grateful for this because though they thought that shots would be 'fun' I knew they would be followed by tears.... lots of tears!

We also went through and looked at each kiddos stats and growth curve...or lack thereof!

Robert (7): 42lbs (8%) and 44.5in (6%)

 Hannah (5): 36lbs (23%) and 41in (19%)

Wesley (3): 28lns (12%) and 35.5in (6%)

 
Since they were all so good, I took them to a park down the road from the Family Medicine Clinic. I had packed up some old biscuits, monkey bread, hamburger buns, and bread so that  could feed the ducks. All of the kiddos loved this and at times, I had to remind Hannah and Wesley that the bread was old and meant for the ducks NOT them! Once we ran out of bread, all of us ventured to the playground where they climbed, ran, and played on the swings.

While we were swinging, we were greeted by a lady with a microphone and a man with a camera - they were from channel 4 news and wanted to interview us in regards to how the smoke was affecting us. The funny thing was, I had just given the kiddos the 2 minute warning as it was starting to give me a headache! Anyhow, they interviewed me and filmed the kiddos playing. It should air Wednesday morning during the 6:30 segment. As soon as I *hopefully* find it, I will post it on here!

So, it was a great morning. Our kiddos are healthy, happy, and albeit slowly, they are growing! I found myself doing the math today to see just how much they have grown since that first day ....

Robert: 7 times bigger than he was 7yrs ago

Hannah: 6 times bigger than she was 5yrs ago

Wesley: 6 times bigger than he was 3yrs ago

Thank you, God for Robert Edwin Hannah Elizabeth, and Wesley Keegan.

Easter Sunday in Pictures (and a few words!)

Easter Sunday was and is always a special day for us. As Catholics, it is one of the most important days for our faith. As a family, it was also the day that our oldest was born - the day that we first became parents.....

It began with a big breakfast followed by Mass with Grandma and the Richmond family, then an egg hunt at home. After that we changed clothes, we headed over to Grandma's where we had another egg hunt and spent the afternoon enjoying Aunt Jeanine, Joshua, Katherine, Jared, Matthew, and Grandma. Daddy cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. It was a laid back, fun, family filled afternoon..... We all had a great time!

Here are the highlights from our egg hunt.....The pics are scattered as I am too tired to organize them right now - maybe later, but probably not!

 

My Princess

And he finally found the BIG golden egg filled with 3 DVD's

After the hunt!

All of the goodies went into 1 basket because we are a family!

 

 

He found this big egg, but it was not the one he wanted so he gave it to Hannah!

Little Robert gave the dead fishes (who are watched over by St. Francis) an egg!

Wesley found a baseball!

We were being mean and making them take pictures BEFORE the hunt....

 

The big kiddos moved one of the 4 big eggs to a place where Wesley could find it - made me proud!

And he found it!

 

We were a team as he just did not understand HOW to find the eggs?!?!?!?

 

I can't get it!