So I didn’t mean to be off-Xanga for over a week, but hey, we’ve had a lot of adventures recently…where do I even begin…

Bedroom Adventures

Last weekend, the twins joined the world of non-crib sleepers.  We “converted” their beds (by which I mean we simply took off the drop sides of their cribs) so they could get in and out by themselves.  They have LOVED it.  Alex, especially, relished his new ability to get into and out of bed all by himself.  So much so that he did it 3-4 times a night for the first few days.  Add that to the three times that Erin rolled out of bed and we did not sleep well for about 4 nights straight.  Thankfully, Eric created a perfect bed rail for Erin, so that problem is now solved.  And they love having pillows and sheets and quilts and such.  So we have had 1-2 nights without interruption recently.  Oddly, they will get out of bed in the morning (or at 2 am which happened a couple of nights ago) and just play in their room, but they won’t actually leave the room on their own.  I have no idea how long that will last, but for now, it still gives me enough time to shower before opening their bedroom door.

Pharmaceutical Adventures

So, my children are pretty smart (at least I think so), and together, they come up with all sorts of creative solutions to the ‘problems’ they face.  Like, how to get to the top of their almost 5-foot tall dresser.  The answer: get the tall stool.  So we were in the loft, and they were playing in their room (this was about 2 nights after the bed transition happened).  Alex shut the door and things got quiet.  Too quiet.  “Why?” you ask…because they had gotten to the top of the dresser, pulled down the Children’s Ibuprofen bottle, and gotten the top off.  And it was now empty.  At first, I was just annoyed.  There was a puddle on the floor to clean, and they actually know better than to pull things down like that.  Then, I started to get worried.  We had no idea if the bottle’s contents (it was only about 1/3 full) went entirely on the floor, or into them.  And that was WAY more medicine than a 2-year old (or 2) should have ingested.  Thankfully, my BIL is a pharmacist.  Eric called him, and he looked some stuff up for us.  Even if they had gotten a good bit more than they should, they should be fine, he reassured us.  Ibuprofen is really pretty safe.  And his literature confirmed his instincts.  So, I checked on them (A LOT), but they woke up happy and unharmed the next morning.  Thank you, Jesus.

Birthday Adventures

Last Wednesday was my birthday.  I am 34.  It was a pretty low-key day.  Nothing too exciting for most of it.  But that was okay.  I just enjoyed the day.  And we took the kids out for dinner (for Greek) where we saw some friends we haven’t seen for a while.  And we got ice cream and ate it on the couch while watching Date Night (good movie) after the kids were down for the night.  Funny movie, excellent company, so many blessings, and fudge swirl ice cream = great birthday!

Of course, the presents Eric got for me didn’t come until Friday.  He and the kids got me a hand-held wheel-shaped pizza cutter, some new cooling racks, and a knitting book.  What did come on my birthday was the new lamp for our television which had died about 5 days earlier.  So my on-birthday present was to have the TV fixed.  *happy sigh*

Then my family came up on Saturday for a small party.  And Kimberly, Kevin and Reagan joined us, too.  Eric made me pizza.  And we had yummy ice cream cake.  And it was a good evening.  So…happy birthday to me!

Car Trouble Adventures

So on Friday night, I decided to run “quickly” to WalMart to get a few things for my birthday party on Saturday.  I was driving merrily down the road, pulled into the turn lane of a nearby intersection, and came to a stop.  And so did the engine.  Just that fast, it died.  And I could not get it started again.  I called Eric to let him know I was stranded.  But as he was home with our 3 sleeping children, I called to find someone who could help us out.  Karen didn’t answer, but I got my friend Denae, who very graciously drove to my house to sit with my children so Eric could come rescue me.  Thanks again, Denae!!!  Then Karen called me back, too, and kept me company while I waited for Eric to come.  

Once he arrived, he pushed the car off to the side of the road and looked under the hood.  The battery was horribly corroded.  So we went in search of a battery.  The car place was closed (it was 9:05 pm…guess when they closed), so we ended up at WalMart (though I did not get anything on my original list) where Eric guessed at the battery we needed.  He actually did pretty well, except that the terminals were reversed.  Dang.  And it wasn’t starting even with the new battery.  Dang again.  So…he towed the car home.  I had never been towed before (it feels SOOO wrong to be that close, on purpose, to the back of another car).  It still won’t start.  We still don’t know what’s wrong with it.  But as it just passed 250,000 miles last week…I think it’s due for a tune-up anyway!

So, I left about 8:00 for WalMart.  I didn’t make it home until 10.  And I still had to go back out the next day to get the stuff on my list.  All in all…quite an adventure!

Warm Weather Adventures

Also, with the warm weather (and the broken TV), we made sure we got out of the house more last week.  So we went to C-ville to go visiting on Monday.  We were at Bible Study on Tuesday and Story Time at the library on Wednesday.  We played outside and took walks when the wind wasn’t too bad.  The twins drew with chalk and pulled the wagons and kicked the balls.  We ran around the yard playing chase.  And they figured out how to climb up their slide thing all by themselves.  So this summer, I don’t have to haul them up to slide…yippie!  

Growing Pains

As we get more adventurous, we are also getting more injuries.  Erin has a never-ending cycle of bruises on her shins.  Alex trips on his own feet fairly often. Fingers get pinched in doors once or twice a week.  Alex fell last week and smacked his head on the cement floor of the basement, resulting in a lovely goose-egg.  And over the weekend, Erin bit it on the back patio, chipping a front tooth and getting a fat lip in the process.  So now, I guess we only have to wait 5 years or so until that tooth falls out…poor kid!  I’m forever running to a sudden wail caused by someone running into something (or someone) and getting hurt.  But, hey, I guess that’s what they mean by growing pains, right?  

Other Adventures

This is Eric’s last week of work at Battelle.  His official last day is next Monday, and then he’s taking the rest of the week off before starting new March 7.

Megan is still doing fabulously.  She’s slowly getting less annoyed about being on her stomach.  And I’m hoping she figures out how to roll to her back sometime in the near future.  

I have all sorts of gift cards I need to spend from Christmas and birthday presents.  Yay for free money.  Now if I only could find the time for shopping adventures!

And as you can see, we are just slowly adventuring through our days.  Thanks for joining us…it’s quite a ride!

Happy Monday!

So yesterday was a pretty rough day.

We started out tired because Eric and I went to dinner and a hockey game with his brother and his wife.  It was fun.  I was glad to go.  But bedtime at 11:00 is hard, especially when no one tells the kids that wake-up time should also be 1-2 hours later.  And Alex had started screaming just as we got home.  So it wasn’t a smooth transition to bed either. 

Then Erin woke up with a cough and runny nose.  Just…boom…there it was.  At 6:30 a.m.  And she’d only been over the last cold for about 4 days.  *sigh*

On the other hand, they were pretty good all day, so that was nice.

But we had an earlier nap so we could get to Megan’s 4-month checkup in the middle of the afternoon.  I was going to take the twins to Karen’s house for the appointment, but with the arrival of Erin’s cold…I didn’t think that would be very nice of me.  So off we all went.  All three of them did great, though!  And the doctor’s office wasn’t very busy, so we were in and out.  And everyone was in a great mood. It was nice.  Oh, and Megan is now almost 15 lbs., and everything looks great.

On the way home, Alex started to act cranky.  But I didn’t think anything of it.  We had a normal afternoon.  I got dinner on.  Alex wouldn’t eat much of anything.  I started to figure he was cutting another tooth.  Still didn’t think much of it.  Played some more until bathtime.

And that’s when things really went downhill.

The bath was still running when he and Eric went into the room.  And out of nowhere…Alex throws up.  On the floor, down the side of the tub, into the tub of fresh bathwater (with bubbles).  I had to clean the whole bathroom while they played with Eric.  He seemed to be feeling better, but just as I finished…he did it again.  He got the guest bed, himself, the carpet (multiple spots), and a rug.  So, I started cleaning again, while Eric quickly washed everyone off (I’d run a new bath after cleaning the tub).  Into jammies and into bed.

Sigh of relief.  Hopefully, that is the end of that.

Nope.

Two more episodes before everything settled down, one of which happened just as Megan wanted to eat once more before bed.  And by then it was 9:30.  I’d gotten almost no writing done. And I was brain-dead.  So I went to bed.  I figured that, after a day like that, I deserved it.

As for today, we’ve had no episodes today so far (though there were some spots on the pad we put in his crib for the night…I’m not sure when those happened).  And Erin’s nose isn’t running much today.  And Eric took the garbage out for me.  And God and I did some business this morning.  And we made it to the grocery store this morning (and got a spot right by the door).  And the lady opened a register to check me out instead of making me wait in a line.  And I even got the mail into the mailbox on time today.  SO…today has gone somewhat better so far.  I’m thankful for that.  

I just hope the weekend goes more like today than like yesterday!

And on that note…happy weekend!  

Dear Megan…

I’m sorry that it didn’t occur to me until yesterday that you had reached the official four-month mark.  Apparently, I was busy on the 7th.  But only two days late is still pretty good for me these days!

You are doing such amazing things.  You learned to roll onto your tummy from your back this month. You use the momentum in your strong little legs to swing your whole body over.  It’s really fun to watch.  And I’m expecting to see you army-crawl before too much longer.  Those legs are so strong…I think you’ll probably push yourself forward in no time (though you can wait on that for Mommy’s sake!). 

Of course, you can’t get from your tummy to your back yet (those legs don’t help much the other way!).  So once you’re up, you’re stuck.  And this often results in a small tantrum until I come and rescue you.  Also, you are still doing a good bit of spitting up, which means that I’ve found you on your belly with creamy barf smeared all over your face a time or two.  You don’t like that either, not surprisingly.  And last night was the first night you tried to roll in your crib.  I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet…so let’s practice getting onto the back by yourself before you sleep too much on your tummy, okay?

We put away the swing this week because you just stopped enjoying it.  You’ll still sit in the bouncy seat, but it’s not your favorite.  You love your dangle mat most of all.  But we did introduce you to the exersaucer recently.  I think you two will be good friends in the coming months. Even though you don’t want to be there very long yet, you seem to really enjoy the new, upright life you’re starting to lead.  

You are a supremely happy baby, too.  Your whole face lights up when you smile.  You have a sweet, low laugh that makes Mommy giggle.  And you are ticklish, especially up your sides to your armpits.  There is little that I like more than changing you into your jammies at night and running my fingers along your tickle spots until we’re both laughing out loud. 

It’s funny how much time we get to spend together in a day.  We’re buddies, you and me.  The twins don’t often get me all to themselves, but you…well, for now, you get a good bit of one-on-one time.  And I love those sweet moments when we talk and laugh or you cry on my shoulder.  I love a little less the times when you barf on my shoulder or down my shirt…but don’t worry – I just focus on the sweet times as much as I can!

Even after four months, your siblings still love you.  They bring your pacifier if it gets left on the bouncy seat.  In fact, they bring you all sorts of things when Mommy isn’t watching.  Sorry about that.  And I’m so very sorry for the “love pats” they slip in before I can remind them to “be gentle with our Baby Megan”!  Erin likes to hold you in her lap.  And she just recently starting telling me that she “loves Ba-ee Meh-an.”  She hasn’t said she loves Mommy yet, so I know she thinks you’re super special!

And so do we all, my sweet little Megan.  It’s funny…the other day I thought about sending all 3 of you kids for an overnight stay with your grandma, and I missed you.  You weren’t gone (and the overnight didn’t happen).  But just the thought of not putting you to bed or seeing you first thing in the morning…I missed you!

Which means, I guess, that you are officially “in.”  There’s no turning back.  You’re stuck with our crazy clan.  But our family has only gotten better with your arrival.  You add so much joy to our lives.  And I am so very, very glad you came to us.

Happy four-months, sweet one!  Mommy loves you!

Well, for now, I’m not going anywhere…at least as far as the Xanga exodus is concerned.  Maybe someday, but for now, you can keep on finding me here.  However, that’s about the only area of life that is staying put these days!

Let’s see…

Eric

As of the end of this month, Eric is leaving his job.  He’s taken a new job that he’ll start March 7.  It’s a praise so big I really can’t express it sufficiently.  God has just blown me away with his provision.  See, Eric’s current job hasn’t been a good fit for about 2 years (maybe longer).  And it bottomed out, badly, just after Megan was born.  He came home beyond discouraged (which was saying something after 2 years of frustration), and I went to bed that night pleading: “Jesus, he just can’t do this anymore.  You have to work something else out because I don’t know what to do.”  

The next morning, an email arrived to Eric’s inbox that basically opened the possibility of a job at another company…here in Columbus.  See, if we wanted to move to the West coast, it would be no problem.  But we didn’t want to go anywhere.  And then miraculously, there was this hint of an open door.

So Eric pushed it open.  Discussions ensued.  We waited.  An interview happened.  We waited.  Holidays happened.  We waited.  Contracts were negotiated.  We waited.  And the whole time, I was praying for one thing: the salary.  See, we knew this place couldn’t pay Eric as much as he currently makes.  So I prayed, for like two months, that the offer would be high enough that he could accept it without stress. That it would be high enough that he would know he could provide for us at the new job.  I knew that was the thing that was really weighing on him as we waited.  So I prayed.

And on Tuesday, the offer came.  One that Eric could accept without concern.  It is a pay cut.  But it is still more than enough.  God is so good.

So, now we start another round of The Waiting Game.  But it’s a round that has a clear finish line.  As of March 7, Eric is going to a new job.  One we hope and pray will be a good fit for where we are and where God wants to take us in the coming months.  And since God’s been answering my prayers pretty amazingly recently…I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Erin

So Erin is going places, too, these days.  No, it’s not the potty.  To be honest, I chickened out on the potty training for now.  Well, maybe that’s not a good way to put it.  I wasn’t dreading doing it; I just figured we have time, and the longer I give them, the more ready they will probably be.  I think an attempt this week might have worked for Erin, but not Alex.  So I’m planning to try for real in the spring.

However…Erin is definitely going places.  Mostly into Alex’s crib.  She learned to climb over the end of their cribs and drop into his side sometime last week.  And she figured out very quickly that she had to drop all her toys in first because she doesn’t seem to go back to her own crib nearly as well (she’s only done that once).  And then a couple of days ago, she figured out how to get out of Alex’s crib to the floor.  Oddly, she doesn’t just drop to the floor from her crib.  But she seems to have figured the procedure out just fine.  

So, that means both twins will soon be going to new beds.  It may be their cribs turned into toddler beds.  But beds as they have always known them are about to change.  

Alex

Alex is just going.  It doesn’t really matter where.  He’s a step stool-moving, chair-climbing, bed-jumping, pro-wrestling-wannabe ball of energy these days.  In other words, he’s turning into a rough and tumble little boy.  Of course, he’s not reckless (he still hasn’t climbed out of his crib); he considers his moves before they happen.  But man, when they happen…he goes full force!  

Megan

Not to be outdone, Megan is doing her own fair share of going.  Mostly she goes from back to tummy.  She’s only made it from tummy to back a couple of times.  But that girl is rolling over like a champ these days.  The odd thing is that she hasn’t exactly learned to move her arm so she can roll.  Instead, she uses her strong little legs to push her body over the offending arm.  From what I can tell…she’s going to be army crawling in no time.  Yikes!

And finally, Me…

Well, I’m not sure where I’m going these days.  I have a post-worth of stuff to share sometime soon.  But I’m still processing.  I think God is really doing some big things in my life this year.  And they aren’t all comfortable.  But I’m really glad for them, too.  They mean we are, indeed, going somewhere.  And I’m thankful for the journey.  It’s time to move on.  I’ll just be interested to see where we end up.  And for once, I’m ready to let him lead the way!  

And that…in a nutshell…is where we’re going.  Happy Friday!