A mother needs our help!

I've been given permission by the mother to post this information to my blog. Here is portions of a letter she wrote to her senator, Florance Shapiro, that explains the whole story:

y son was removed from my home first thing in the morning on the 18th of July. The charge was "medical neglect", prompted by a doctor who had never seen my son, on the word of a nurse who seemed to resent my desire to continue to breastfeed him. While we acknowledge that he was underweight, we dispute that there was neglect. My son Erick had a very rough entry into this world (high risk pregnancy, difficult labor and deliver, nicu stay in two separate hospitals), and we were trying to find out why, despite a proper amount of diapers and meeting milestones he wouldn't gain. I can provide paperwork, log books and statements to back this up. We were NOT ignoring him, which is what seems to be implied. Despite the claims of Martha Strong, the nurse (she claims that he was at "death's door", and only immediate removal would save him), we have video of him taken two days prior to his removal that shows him smiling (at 5 weeks), tracking and then getting annoyed with the dog, who licked him on his head! He was not acting weak or lethargic.

We were offered NO services, NO investigation and NO options. They just came and took him. We weren't even allowed to put him in the car seat that took him away.

Fast forward to today, and we are informed that he is being released from the hospital and into foster care. Our 2nd court date (apparently there was one held already that we weren't allowed to attend) is supposed to be (according to CPS's own rules) WITHIN 14 days of removal. They have offered us one on the 13th of August, almost a full month later! Supposedly, there is something going on at the courthouse during the time when we were supposed to have our hearing. When I asked Jamie Specht, the case worker, why things couldn't be speeded up instead of delayed (since family reunification is supposed to be CPS's top priority), she said "Mrs. Vinton, if you argue with me, this call is over". We have found her to be very combative through out the entire process, and do not believe she is acting in our or our child's best interests.

CPS has violated a number of their own policies, according to the handbooks they gave us and online research we’ve done:

1) An investigation of some sort is supposed to be done before removal. Removal of a child from his home is supposed to be a LAST resort.
2) She came to my door without a court order, though she claimed they had already been in front of a judge.
3) When they did get in front of a judge, we weren’t allowed to be there to defend ourselves or our son.
4) We haven’t gotten to visit him yet, supervised or otherwise. We are supposed to have a visit coming up on Wednesday, but the case worker has canceled interviews with my other children 3 times already, so I have no reason to believe this will actually happen until we are there and he is in my arms (for the first time in two weeks).
5) She has stated that she will not allow a lawyer to be present during the interview with my other children.
6) The case is supposed to be heard in 14 days, but we won’t be heard until almost a month after the fact (a very long time in the life of a newborn!).
7) A family member is supposed to be offered before foster care. We weren’t given this option, despite a large, loving family who would be willing to take him.

Ms. Shapiro, we have done nothing wrong but get on the bad side of a nurse that we went to in an attempt to help him. If they felt he was at such risk, at the very least they could have removed my medical rights, leaving my other parental rights in tact, and restoring them when they felt his heath was more stable. I have three other children at home, ages 9, 5 and 3. The older two wake up with nightmares that someone’s going to take them too. My 3 year old thought we “got rid of him” because we “didn’t like him anymore”. Can you imagine the damage being done to them as well? How am I supposed to convince my other children that they are safe, when quite frankly, I’m not so sure myself?? This seems a horrific abuse of power by a state agency that has no one to keep them in check. Please, I beg you… I am not a rich or powerful woman, but I love my children deeply and can’t believe that this action is right or moral. I need my son back. And what’s more, he needs me. Please help us.

(Carolyn again) if you are able to help, especially if you live in Texas, you can contact this mother by responding to her post in the Mothering forums, or by sending her a private message. Or you can send a message to your state representative if you are in Texas, or to Rep Shapiro if you don't. Please, if you can spare 5 minutes, this mother is being pushed around by a way too powerful organization. She needs help. Thanks for doing whatever you can!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lacy

I've been busy de-junking my house and playing with kids, so no blog posts lately. I'll try to be back on next week or so after I feel a little better about my house!

Anyway, three years ago this time I was holding my not-yet hour old daughter. My sweet Lacy just turned 3. She was so excited to help me make a pink and purple birthday cake today. She got lots of presents from friends and family (thanks, everyone!) and we got visits from my parents, Dave's grandpa, Emily and her kids Tuckerby, Danner and Wynnie, and Jay and Tuana came by, too. Lacy's presents include: A 3 wheeled scooter complete with head and knee protection, two tiara sets, several dress ups and dancing outfits, a princess backpack and lunchbox, a pink umbrella, some books and a CD. I think there was more but this is off the top of my head.

Anyway, just wanted to post a quick blog and hopefully I'll upload some pictures in the next few days to share.

We're Back! And wedding bells are in the future!

We just got back earlier this week from a trip to Utah for a family reunion and to Arizona to visit my sister, Leslie. While I was gone, I found out that Dave's brother Tim proposed to his girlfriend April. They will be getting married in the Seattle Temple (I believe) on August 25th. I have offered to help them in any way I can since it is such short notice. In other good news for Tim, he is starting up with the plumbers' union tomorrow as an apprentice. go Tim! Tim will be staying with us until he gets an apartment around the time of his wedding next month, since he now works in Olympia. (((Update: This wedding was later called off and Tim now has a girlfriend named Julie)))

Dave isn't faring as well as his brother, unfortunately. Last week was a scorcher (for Washington) and Dave was working on a roof where the temps got to 115. The first day of a new job, they have to wear just their containment suits for safety reasons, and despite wearing sunblock, Dave burned through his containment suit, and the next day he burned through his suit and his garment top. He's completely blistered and painfully red right now, but he's slowly but surely getting better. I wish he had 2 more days off to recover, though. But in good news, his company has given him keys to the shop and he gets a lot of "window time" which means time spent next to the window of a vehicle! He's doing extremely well at his current job and enjoying it. Hopefully he can keep it up for a couple years until he's ready to go to school for taxidermy.

In Rose news, we have 12 teeth now! Yea! And in Lacy news, she is recovered from bronchitis now and has stopped napping, and goes to bed at 8. She really still needs a nap, but it makes bedtime miserable for us so I decided to cut it prematurely. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip:

New things

Well, Rose is officially walking. She took a few steps here and there, but on Sunday she really took off. She is now walking 3-5 steps at a time before she falls, and she practices several times a day.

Did I mention that she also has a molar?

Also, I started reading a wonderful book Sleepless in America. Using the author's techniques, I had Lacy sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, without crying, and without me nursing her to sleep, the first night we tried it. So tonight is night three, and she complained and wants to be back in our bed, but it's too difficult now that she has trouble nursing to sleep and now that Rose is getting so much bigger and waking a lot at night due to a growth spurt and teething.

Tomorrow is another big day-- we are finding out the results of Lacy's allergy testing. I'm so nervous! Hopefully it's things that are easily controllable.

And, we're going on vacation this month! Woo hoo! I'm so excited! I'll be getting out of the heat here and enjoying myself in nice, temperate Utah and Arizona! LOL! I've got to finish buying some gDiaper inserts (because I couldn't possibly use disposables while I'm gone because I'm too much of a hippie for that) and in 2 weeks I'll be flying high! With two toddlers! By myself! Yikes!

In other news, check out my new food blog: Mama, I'm Hungry!

First birthday

So I guess I'll admit it now.... Rose is one. She even took two steps in the bathtub on her birthday, a feat not equaled until yesterday when she took one step. She is now standing up on her own from the middle of the room and I expect she'll be walking for real in another week or so. I guess my baby isn't a baby anymore.

And man am I baby hungry. But no babies for me this year, or next. I'm just not ready to have another baby! Not until I can get both kids to bed easily without spending a lot of time and effort, both kids are weaned and in their own beds, Dave is through school, and we have a minivan. Okay, so maybe we'll never have another one!

Rose's one year old stats are as follows, as taken by her pediatrician's office on the 23rd: weight, 21 lbs 11 oz; length 29 3/4 inches; head size: 18.5 inches

And pictures of my birthday girl:

Birth of Rose Marie N.

My sweet Rosie (whom we swore we would never, ever call Rosie, but Lacy calls her that, and it suits her) is coming up on her first birthday later this week. Now that it's been a year, it is time for me to heal from her birth and write out her birth story. Rose's birth did not go how I envisioned, though it was still an unmedicated vaginal birth, with very little tearing, and I felt great immediately afterward. I was going to wait until Rose's birthday to publish this, but I've written it out now and I just want to get it out there now. It's really long, so don't start unless you have a little time on your hands! There are a few photos at the end, from May of last year. Enjoy!

Rose was supposed to be born at home, like Lacy was. I planned for a homebirth, seeing the same midwife and setting everything up at home for a homebirth. The only difference was, this time we weren't using a birthing tub. That was okay with me, because I had done it once and I could do it again, and supposedly it is faster and easier the second time around. On Tuesday afternoon, I had an appointment with Constance, the same midwife who helped with Lacy's birth. She asked me if I was ready to have a baby tomorrow, and I said I was more than ready, since tomorrow was my due date and I had a feeling this babe was huge. Since my last iron levels were borderline, we did a quick iron test and had to wait until 7 for it to come back. The three of us (Dave, Lacy and I) went to dinner at Sizzler which was nearby. We came back and Constance checked me. This was my first internal exam of my pregnancy. I was about 1-2 cm at this point, I think, and not much effaced yet, which is common for a second pregnancy. She vigorously stripped my membranes and by the time I left, I was 4-5 cm dilated. Now we just had to wait it out, and labor would soon start.

The next day, I wasn't feeling too well so I decided to call in to work and maybe go in the afternoon if I was feeling a little better. I decided to give myself some time to get ready for the birth should it happen that day, so I took Lacy over to the babysitter's as usual. Dave and I spent the morning picking up the house. We ended up going to the chiropractor for one last adjustment, and then went to lunch to El Nopal with our chiropractor Burt, his wife Jainnine (who was at Lacy's birth and did Rose's belly cast), and his office manager. I started feeling some contractions during lunch, so I just ordered a salad, beans, rice and tortillas, knowing that I wouldn't want anything heavy. Before we were finished with lunch, I was sure I was in labor so I paged the midwife and Dave and I went home. Constance called me back and said that the birth assistant would come over soon to set up, and she'd be there in a while if I felt like I needed her. So the assistant came over and we chatted, I felt like I had some time to go still after she set up, so she left and let Constance know. I called my mom and the babysitter and a few other people, letting them know there would be a baby today, but it was going to take a little more time. Dave and I decided to watch a movie early in the afternoon. We only made it halfway through the movie when I started hard labor. Constance returned at 3:30. Before she returned, my mom arrived with food for everyone to much on as the labor progressed, and a couple of my friends who were going to support me had arrived (Jainnine and Bethany), and my dad and Dave's dad and fiancee I believe were also outside. I spent some of my labor walking around the streets moaning and frightening small children, and a lot of time was spent in the bathtub. This was an especially hard labor and the water was very relaxing for me, and really helped me cope with the tremendous back labor.

While I was in the tub, Constance came to check on me several times, and some various girlfriends and my mom would come in and out to help me by pouring water over my belly, which helped sooth me. At some points I was alone, and my late mother-in-law, who was at Lacy's birth, was definitely with me. It was only at those times when I was alone that she was with me in the bathroom. She was pouring water over my belly. I could literally feel it being poured over my belly. It was a really neat experience that I will always remember. I know Kathleen was with me and with Rose the whole time I was in labor. Constance felt like she was intruding when I told her that I felt the presence of my mother-in-law, and she told Dave with a tear in her eye that she knew she was with me, too.

Things did not progress as easily as they did with Lacy's labor. In fact, several things happened that made Constance start thinking that a hospital transfer would be in our best interest. 1) baby's heartrate was in the 190 range, which is too high. We weren't sure why it was so high, and changing positions did not do much for the heartrate. 2) the baby had at one point descended into my pelvis, but she had floated up again. Because my membranes were still intact, there was a slight chance of cord prolapse if they ruptured at that point. Cord prolapse is extremely dangerous and requires an immediate c-section. Because of the high heart rate that wasn't coming down, we couldn't just wait around to see if the baby would descend again. We needed to get the baby out sooner. 3) I developed a slight fever, so there was a small worry of infection. If I had just one of those things without the others, we would have been able to continue at home. With the high HR, but with baby in the pelvis, she would have ruptured my membranes and baby would have been born shortly thereafter. With the baby high in the pelvis with intact membranes and a normal HR, we would have waited it out. The fever was probably the smallest concern of all three, but because it was there we had another thing to worry about. So she said we needed to go to the hospital, I had a good cry, and we loaded up in her car, with the midwife assistant driving, Dave riding shotgun, and the midwife in the back with me on my hands and knees driving down the freeway during rush hour. Hands and knees seemed to be the position that Rose tolerated best at this point.

We arrived at the hospital around 6 or 6:30 (everything's kind of blurry at this point, since I was deep in laborland). Constance instructed Dave to run into the emergency room entrance and tell them that his wife was READY TO PUSH which wasn't exactly true since I was still 7-8 cm dilated with intact membranes and a high baby. So they brought out the wheelchair and the lady who pushed it sternly told me to sit back in the wheelchair. I yelled at her, no I wouldn't because "I'm in labor, dammit!" I don't swear, even in hard labor, but this lady really struck a nerve in me. She looked like she was 20 years old and probably hadn't ever been pregnant, so it irritated me that she was bossing me around when she had NO CLUE what it felt like to be in transition! I had been a 7-8 for a few hours so I had quite a long transition already and wasn't going to be bossed around by someone who was just pushing me to L&D!

The L&D nurse we were given was great and shooed everyone who wasn't necessary out of the delivery room. She was fully supportive of natural childbirth, and I think had several NCB's herself, and the on call OB was very supportive and wonderful, as well. I had been terrified of a "cascade of interventions" once I stepped into the hospital, but the support I got from these two ladies was great and helped me through it. For some reason labor got a lot more painful once I got to the hospital (probably due to my fear of being in the hospital!) but Dave was really supportive and somehow I got through it without drugs. I kept telling everyone, "I can't do this anymore! I need something!" I wasn't going to ask straight out for drugs, I wanted them to suggest it so it would be okay for me to get some. But nobody ever suggested anything, they just kept supporting me and saying that I could do it, and I was doing it, and that I was doing a great job. Dave and I were in the bathroom alone at one point and I told him that I really needed drugs. He told me, "you made me promise that I wouldn't let you get drugs when you were in labor. So you can't have any or you will be mad at me." I realized that he was right, and that it wasn't going to be much longer. I was just discouraged because I had been at 7-8 cm for about 3 hours at this point.

When I got out, the general consensus was that I should have my water broken because the baby's heartrate wasn't recovering so this would speed up the process. I looked to my midwife who said she agreed that this needed to be done. They broke my water pretty soon after I got there which helped me progress the rest of the way, and also for some reason brought Rose's heart rate down to a more normal range (140-150). As they were breaking the water, the nurse pressed on the top of my belly to help the baby descend quickly to hopefully prevent a cord prolapse situation. It only took about a half hour or so before I was completely dilated, with just a lip left that the OB thought I could push away. I gave a push, and the lip was gone.

I wasn't feeling much like pushing yet, but I felt like this was a huge emergency so I needed to push to get her out as quickly as possible. So despite my instincts to just let labor continue for a while longer, I started pushing in a semi sitting position, not the most effective position for pushing out a baby because it can compress your pelvis causing less room for the baby to fit through. But I only needed to push for 12 minutes and she came out (I pushed for 22 minutes with Lacy) Rose was born "sunny side up" with her chin sticking out, which is a fairly difficult position for babies to be born, because you're not starting out with the smallest spot on the head going through the birth canal first (actually my posterior baby is one reason why my labor was so tough-- back labor hurts!). Even though it seemed like this huge emergency, the OB let Dave catch his baby, and he passed her to me after she was born, still attached to the placenta. I was expecting her, with her long brown hair! I knew she was my daughter. looked just like me when I was born! Even huge, like I was. Everyone was guessing at her weight, and I was sure she was over 9 pounds. I held my baby and cuddled her for a while, and then they said they were going to cut the cord, so Dave got to cut his first umbilical cord (he didn't cut Lacy's because it was wrapped tightly around her neck several times so it needed to be cut right away). Eventually, they took her away briefly to weigh and measure her (21 inches and 9lb 6 oz!!!) and gave her a vitamin K shot. We were able to get out of the eye goop and they didn't give her a bath. She was only gone out of our sight for seconds.

I had considered going home, but I thought I needed to stay at least a few hours to recover, and since she was born at 8:18 pm and we didn't have a car there, we decided to stay overnight. Big mistake.

My post partum nurse was really mean and kept disturbing me all night long. One of the reasons we decided to stay was because we wanted to get a little sleep. Yeah, right! She kept wanting to prick Rose's heel and take my blood at 4 am. Why can't my blood work wait until the next morning after I get some sleep? I just had a baby, darn it! Let me be! The meanest thing she did was not let me nurse Rose for an hour so she could check her glucose levels. Since she was so big, there was a worry of low blood sugars, and they had "forgotten" to check her levels after birth. So now it was 5 hours later and baby is nursing well, and they ask me to stop nursing her so they can check her levels? I did this, and Rose screamed and screamed to nurse, but I wasn't supposed to. I almost cheated and let her nurse, but I just wanted to get the heel prick over with. So we stuck it out. Her levels were well within the normal levels, but the nurse informed me that we would need to perform this test twice more that morning. The thing that really made me mad was that Rose then got tired and didn't nurse well for the next 12 or so hours. She just nibbled and slept for a while. When the nurse came again for the next heel poke, I informed her that because the glucose levels were so good (I think they were 42, and the low normal level is 30, so pretty good), I was going to decline the next two tests. I wanted out of there! The next morning, I pretty much said I wanted to go home ASAP, but it seemed like whenever we were ready to get going, another road block was put in our path. We actually fell asleep around 1 or 2 when they were doing the hearing exam, which took a loooooooong time (and since I am a conspiracy theorist, I think they did this on purpose to keep me there longer!). So we waited a little while longer and then I decided I was going to go now, so get me the discharge papers, darn it. They started the ball rolling on this, the lactation nurse visited with me, I got my free bag of goodies from the formula company, but the lactation nurse had taken the formula out already. She told me she always takes the formula out of the bags (I wonder what she does with all that formula?). It actually had a couple really cool things in it, including a nice board book that I still read to my kids a lot.

Finally at 5, rush hour again, my mom came by with Lacy to take us home. We got settled in, I nursed both the girls together for the first (but definitely not the last) time, and then mom took Lacy with her so we could have one last night of just the three of us before we brought Lacy back home.

One more thing to add, that wasn't part of my birth, but is important to Rose's story. Many people who were there were worried about the hospital transfer, because it wasn't clearly articulated to everyone why we were there. We transferred to the same hospital that Dave's mom had died in less than a year before. Dave's dad was sitting outside on the steps contemplating everything that was going on, and he saw Kathleen rocking a baby. She looked at him, and turned the baby around so he could get a good look at her. He wasn't sure why she did this, and was afraid that this would be the only time he would know what she looked like (remember, he wasn't clear on why we transferred!). A little while later, he saw her again, this time there was no baby, and she got up and left. A few minutes later, it was announced that the baby was born. Dave said, "she has a lot of dark hair, doesn't she?" Just an amazing part of this birth story that I love!

Rose's birth was a very healing experience for me and our family. Dave knew from the beginning that this baby wouldn't be born at home, but in the hospital, and now we know that it was so we could all heal from the death of Kathleen which took place in the same hospital Rose was born at. The birth wasn't really that bad overall, and wasn't as bad as I had envisioned a hospital transfer to be. In fact the birth part was great! My only interventions were an IV and AROM (artificial rupture of the membranes). Not too shabby! It was just the post birth stuff that I disliked. Another interesting thing-- Rose was over a pound bigger, presented poorly, and I pushed in a worse position than with Lacy's birth, yet she was born after 12 minutes of pushing (10 minutes less than her sister's birth) with less tearing than her sister and I felt better sooner than I did with Lacy. However, this labor was 9 hours from start to finish (11am-8pm approximately) whereas Lacy's was only 4.5 hours (7-11pm)

While I'm not eager to add another person to our family just yet, I am looking forward to someday having another child (in probably 3 or 4 years, we'll see!) to hopefully have a smoother birth... this time at home! And next time, I will definitely be spending the $200 on the birthing tub... it is worth every penny!

Little did Lacy know at the time, there was a baby in that belly! Today, Lacy can't remember a day without her sister! Lacy and Rose are best friends now. I love that they're so close!


My first look at Rose. Look at all that lovely vernex!
My first attempt at tandem nursing, the day Lacy came to visit at home. She didn't come home for good until the next day. She was spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa's.
The girls together, Rose is about 6 days old, Lacy 22 months.

The Great Sea

So we cosleep with both our kids. We love it and intend on continuing cosleeping for a while. Dave always sleeps on the left side of the bed, with Lacy next to him. Rose and I switch places on the right side of the bed, usually nursing several times in the night, and often she ends up in the middle because out of instinct I put her there-- my instinct doesn't want her falling out of bed!

Last night, well, I didn't really sleep too well. Miss Rose decided to keep pushing and pushing and pushing. I ended up with about a foot of bed space. Lacy also pushed Dave closer to the edge, but at least his whole body was in bed. So when Rose woke me up this morning, I noticed there was about 3 or 4 feet of empty bed in the middle!

No wonder I'm sore!

Rose's New Tricks, and why I am so cool

Rose is now hi fiving, in addition to clapping (patty cake) and waving bye bye. Now we just have to get her to start signing and we'll be good! I show her the potty sign every time she sits on the potty.

Speaking of potty time, I was really starting to worry about my poor girl because she hadn't pooped in 3 days. I had been feeding her all kinds of soft foods and finally today she did. On the potty. Soooo glad she did that-- I wouldn't have wanted to clean that diaper up. Yuck. She's much happier today now that she pooped!

Lacy threw up last night in bed. Ugh. I'm just glad I've been putting her hair up in braids so it didn't get in her hair. I think it's because she has allergies. She won't take the allergy medicine, though. She says it's yucky and today squirted it on the couch when she didn't want to take it. She got a long time out for that one. Little stinker.

One last thing, on why I am so cool: I ordered some ink from ABCInk.com. One of the ink cartridges was defective. I got a return authorization from them, but they said I would need to mail it back to them. It did not say anything about a prepaid fedex ticket or anything, so I wrote back asking them how they would be paying for the shipping. They wrote me back saying that I was responsible for the shipping, just like I would be responsible for taking something back to Wal-Mart had I made a purchase there (well, I don't shop at Wal-Mart, but that's another blog post!). I wrote back saying that the comparison was not the same, and that I would report them to the BBB if they didn't pay for shipping and that I wanted a resolution that day.

Guess what? It worked! That evening, I had a prepaid fedex ticket email and a return authorization form. I just have to figure out where to send it from and I'll be good to go. I am so cool for twisting their corporate arms like that! Go me!

So, now I'll be happy to recommend ABCInk.com to anyone who needs to make an ink purchase. :)

Great Garage Sale Finds

Today we went garage sale-ing and we got a ton of great deals! Our best find of the day, though, was a double jog stroller/bike trailer. We've been eyeing those for a while and were ready to shell out $200+ for one of those puppies. Instead we only paid $15! Woo hoo!

Other garage sale goodies:
*kid's picnic table
*pillowcases
*box fan (for free!)
*My little ponies (2-- Lacy picked out one for her and one for Rose)
*Care Bears t-shirt
*tiny bike w/ training wheels

Fishing

Lacy's been asking for a pink fishing pole so she can catch pink fish in the pink lake. So we bought her a pink fishing pole yesterday after finally finding one that wasn't Barbie or another brand on it. I like things to be generic, ya know. Anyway, we took her fishing yesterday evening and again today. She didn't catch anything yesterday but today she caught 2 trout and dad caught 2 as well. We ate them for dinner. Yum!
Rose had fun at the lake, too. She sat in the stroller and watched some of the time, but most of the time she was on my lap.

Beautiful

I love this photo of my gorgeous daughter Lacy.


I found her that day hiding between the changing table and the dresser in her room.

Three-Diaper Day

Today was a great day, a three diaper day! That means that Rose only peed in her diaper three times today (other than a sopping wet morning diaper because mommy is too tired to take Rose potty at night). My goal is to get down to one load of diapers per week and we're getting pretty close to being there! However I hear that once they start walking, EC is a whole new ballgame. Rose will be walking probably in the next 3-4 weeks. She will occasionally stand unassisted for perhaps 5-10 seconds, but does not stand up on her own from the middle of the room. She uses furniture to get herself up.

Lacy was such a good girl today. She was exhausted by the end of it. It was beautiful today so we spent much of the day outdoors. Dave was off work today so he decided to tackle the carport and start fixing our fence. Lacy wanted to help him the entire day! Dave almost got the carport in order and didn't get anywhere close to starting the fence, but at least we have all the materials! He will be making a fence with two doors to swing out, one big one and one little one, so we can move the little one when we just want to walk in the back and move both of them when we need to drive a truck in the backyard. We hope to have a nice backyard by the end of the summer, with a deck and a small play area for the kids. I'd really like a garden, too, but I'm not counting on much of one this year. At the minimum we will have tomatoes and an herb garden.

Because Lacy was so excited with Dave being home, she didn't get a nap today, though we did try to have some quiet time. I was thinking about taking the nap out permanently but my sister suggested instead to wake her up an hour earlier and limit her nap to one hour and see how that goes, because once you cut out the nap it is nearly impossible to put it back in! Lacy has always had trouble falling asleep at night and I think her nap has something to do with it, but we'll try the early wake up, short (and early) nap for a few weeks. I think I'm also going to cut out one of Rose's naps because on the days when she gets two naps she falls asleep at around 9/9:30 and when she only gets one nap it's more like 8.

Anyway I'm rambling now, but I just wanted to report that today was good, we got a lot done, and I'm loving being a full-time stay at home mom! It's an adjustment, for sure, but I really love having the kids all day, every day. Tomorrow we're going to the library and a few friends from church are meeting me there, so I'll have some adult interaction! Woo hoo!

Photos-- it's about time!

I'm really good about taking pictures of the girls. But that's where my dillegence ends. They just sit in my camera or on my hard drive, don't get posted, don't get printed, don't get scrapbooked. It's mostly because my computer is a dinosaur (which Lacy is afraid of, by the way-- dinosaurs, not my computer) and it takes f o r e v e r for anything to run on this darned thing.

But today I will be posting photos for your viewing pleasure. Because I know you want to see my beautiful kids. Lacy, who is always surprising me with new things she does and says, and Rose, who is growing like a weed. Rose cut her eighth tooth on Tuesday, by the way! Woo hoo! And, I have discovered that my baby has rhythm. She can keep a beat pretty much in time to whatever music we're playing. AND she started playing patty cake this week-- I say it and she immediately starts clapping.

Current kid stats (unofficial-- we'll be going in for a well baby check this month for the official stats): Lacy: 38 inches (80th percentile) and 27 pounds (19th percentile). Rose: 30 inches (85th percentile) and 22 pounds (72nd percentile). Rose is quite a bit heavier than her sister was at this age!

Lacy at the procession of the species in downtown Olympia, showing us her tootsie roll prize that someone threw to her.

Rose earlier today, being smiley and happy as always!

Lacy in the front yard wearing dad's shoes. She does this a lot. It's still cute every time she does it.

Rose eating her first pear. And by first pear, I don't mean strained pears, canned pears or even cut up fresh pears. I mean, she found a whole fresh pear laying around and started eating it without me noticing for a few minutes. I saw her and grabbed the camera and eventually moved her to her highchair because she was making a mess. Most of the other photos in this series (as with the procession of the species series) are in portrait view so I have to download them and switch them before I can add those ones to my blog. I also need to download a bunch of videos to youtube or something because I have videos of both the girls dancing that I'd like to show you!

But stay tuned! I am planning on doing a lot of photo organizing this week and I'll post more photos when I get them all downloaded.

I'm Super Nutty, How about you?

Here's a fun little quiz... so just how crunchy ARE you, anyway?

The crunchy factor indicates how much of a natural mama you are--you know, crunchy,
like a "granola girl." :-) Take this fun little quiz, and then post about your answers... I'll respond to this will all of MY answers!

Do you have homebirths?
15 points for “yes” (unassisted)
10 points for “yes” (with a midwife in attendance)
5 points for alternative birthing center
2 points for “thinking about/would like homebirth”
0 for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Will you circumcise future sons?
5 points for “no”
-5 points for “yes”.

Do you use cloth diapers?
20 point if you do Elimination Communication (no diapers)
15 points if “yes” (wash and make your own)
10 points if “yes” (wash your own)
5 points if “yes” (diaper service)
2 points if “thinking about it”
0 points if “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you observe your fertility signals using Natural Family
Planning/Fertility Awareness and use that for birth control/trying to conceive?
10 points for “yes” (observe and use for birth control/ttc) or you use ecological
breastfeeding/lactational amnorrhea
5 points for “yes” (observe for trying to conceive)
2 points “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6+ months?
10 points if “yes”
5 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of expressed breastmilk)
2 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of formula)
0 for “no” (don’t breastfeed by choice).

Do you co-sleep/family bed?
10 points for “yes” (all night every night)
5 points for “yes” (part/all of most nights)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”.

Do you use a sling/soft carrier?
5 points for “yes”
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you believe in/practice child-led weaning
(even if that means breastfeeding for several years)?
15 points for “yes” (complete child-led weaning)
10 points for “yes” (up to 3 years)
5 points for “yes” (up to 2 years)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (you’ll wean the baby at 1 year or earlier).

Do you tandem nurse/nurse during your pregnancy?
10 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy and tandem nurse)
5 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy, but wean before birth)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”(wouldn’t consider it).

Do you eat organic/whole/natural foods and limit your meat?
15 points for “yes” (grow own/buy organic, shop only at health food store,
grind own wheat, vegetarian, etc.)
10 points for “yes” (grow some of own food, buy organic,
use whole wheat flour, bake own bread, eat some meat occasionally)
5 points for “yes” (try to buy natural, whole grain foods, etc.)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you use herbal/homeopathic remedies?
10 points if “yes” (very rarely see a regular doctor)
5 points if “yes” (but use a doctor occasionally)
2 points if “thinking about it” (see a doc for now)
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

Do you homeschool?
10 points if “yes” (currently homeschool)
5 points for “yes” (will homeschool)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).

What's your take on childhood vaccinations?
15 points for no vaccines
10 for delayed, selective vaccination
5 points for selective, on schedule vaccination
2 points for thinking about not vaccinating
0 points for vaxing on schedule.

Would you/have you ever breastfeed/fed someone else's baby
or have someone else bf your child?
10 points if yes (have or someone has bf your baby)
5 points if yes (would)
2 points if maybe 0 if no (wouldn't consider it).

Do you use cloth/re-usable products for mom?
10 points if yes (make own)
5 points if yes (buy own)
2 points if thinking about it
0 points if no.

Ratings
120 – 140 Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy Granola Earth Mama
90 – 119 Mmm! Love that whole-grain crunch!
60 – 89 Pretty Crispy
20 – 59 Sprinkled with Granola
5 – 19 Instant Oatmeal
0 - 4 Jell-O

Dave is growing weary...

What a man I am married to. He’s so wonderful, taking on voluntary overtime to earn a little extra to help us out once I quit my job (of which, by the way, I only have 2 working days left!). But all the overtime (which amounts to working 60 hours a week of HARD labor) is making him tired and weary. I feel bad for the guy. I try to make things easier for him by having dinner ready every evening and having things at home to make lunches easier to pack, doing almost all of the household chores and trying to keep the kids out of his hair when he’s resting (HA!).

Dave is probably the hardest working man I have ever known. I appreciate his work and his dedication to our family. He has such confidence in our decision to have me quit, and I appreciate that because sometimes I’m not so sure I’m making the right choice.

His work has taken notice of his hard work, too. Last week, the CEO of his company came up to Dave and said he had heard good things about him. He asked if Dave plays softball, which he does, and invited him to join the company team. So of course Dave wants to rub elbows with the boss man so he says of course he’ll join! To heck with sleep! Who needs it, anyway? He only gets up at 3 in the morning, what’s sleep when you have SOFTBALL!

At first I thought he was a little insane for saying he’d join. But after talking to my lovely sister Leslie, she made the point that he needs to be able to do something for himself that he enjoys, and may actually be a SMART move. Because he won’t be putting 100% of his effort into earning a living anymore. He’ll get some time that is just HIS. And that can do a lot for keeping mental breakdowns at bay. So now I’m glad he’s on the team. He can not only have fun playing, but he can spend time with the CEO and other higher ups of his company, making a name for himself not only as a hard worker but as a generally good guy that’s fun to have around. Dave would like to advance in the company he’s at, hopefully going into a job that doesn’t require hard physical labor in a few years, and this is a great way to get your face out there. I’m still hoping he’ll go to taxidermy school, but the way he’s talking, it looks like he’s not going to go, at least not in Pennsylvania, anyway. As long as he’s happy in a career that he enjoys, that’s all I care about.

So starting next week, here’s the plan. I’m going to pack a picnic dinner every Wednesday and the girls and I will watch him play ball. That way, he can have food, have fun, see his girls and wife, and not feel guilty for adding something else to his plate. We’re not going tonight because it is a double header, but I want to start going to the games next week.

Miracle of miracles

Yesterday at church, I did not have to leave the chapel even one time. Neither did Dave. It’s a miracle! Lacy has sat in church two Sundays in a row without asking to leave. And Rose was able to fall asleep and stay in the chapel as well. Lacy joined me on the stand as we were singing a choir number, and she sat with Sidsey for part of church as well. I’m so proud of her—she’s really growing up!

Rose cut another bottom tooth this weekend. So she’s up to 7 teeth now. She’s also waving all the time at people and is as happy as ever. Except when she has to poop. She’s been constipated lately and will cry when she starts pooping. So I will sit her on the potty and Lacy and I will go in there and cheer her on. Yesterday I gave her some prune juice and she is now officially unblocked. I think she’s been blocked up so much because of all the grown up food she’s been eating lately—chicken pot pie and shepherd’s pie have been on the menu this past week, and she’s eaten them without any alterations. I have been making a concerted effort to ensure she eats enough fruit, because I think that will help with her plugged up-ness too.

Only 5 more days that I have to work until I get to goof off and eat bon bons all day long!

Lacy in describing her owie to Diane

I probably have the cutest kids alive. Lacy in particular is cute because she’s 2 and I love 2 year olds. They’re so much fun. Lacy’s babysitter today is Diane, who used to watch her but was diagnosed with cancer a couple months after Rose was born, so she hasn’t been watching them since I went back to work the second time. In explaining her burn to Diane (“I burned it on the cornbread”), she told her that daddy gave her a blessing. No, TWO blessings. And thinking about it, yes he did, because he anointed her with oil then sealed it with the blessing. I’m impressed she remembered, but then again she did specifically ask for her dad to give her a blessing, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

And speaking of Lacy, she just called me. What was the pressing issue she wanted to talk about? She went poop, of course! I’m so glad I know that now. I’m sure my day will be full wonders and delight now that she has revealed this stunning fact to me.

A few of Lacy's favorite things

Lacy likes…

Music! Shipoopi, Fiddler On The Roof, Songs sung by toddlers, Where is Thumbkin, I’m A Little Teapot. She likes to play piano, too, and knows how to change CDs in her stereo.

Dancing! Especially to Young Ambassadors. She learns some basic ballet moves from Emily

Food! All-time favorite food is noodles of any kind. Pizza has been a past favorite but it is currently out of favor. She likes ice cream but not cookies so much. Favorite veggies are carrots, broccoli, and asparagus.

Family! Her sister, Rose, especially. She sometimes will stroke her hair and say things like, “Rose, you’re so pretty, sweetie!” She speaks to her in total motherease. It’s cute! She also adores her daddy and says to me, “Mommy, I just want you.” She likes to snuggle with her family.

Friends! Her best friend and worst enemy is Wynnie. She doesn’t have too many other friends her own age but there are a few. She loves other adults, mostly Diane and Tuana.

Toys! Everything’s a toy to this girl. Dolls and teddy bears are more enjoyable than other playthings. And the more a toy cost, the less fun it is.

Art! Especially coloring.

Cooking! Yes, she burned her tummy helping me cook the other day while leaning over a hot pan of cornbread. But that doesn’t stop this girl from stirring and adding ingredients, and even (gasp!) cracking eggs when I need them.

Lacy likes lots of other things, too, but these are most of the things that are really important to her.

Jack In The Box

Mom and Dad are watching the girls today. For lunch, Mom and Dad dropped the girls off at Jack In The Box and they went down to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to claim their missing jewelry. Unfortunately it wasn’t as much as they had thought.

Anyway, while we were there, I took the girls in to use the bathroom. Rose was crying and wanted me so she was clinging to my leg. I had to walk away from her to help Lacy and she stayed standing in the middle of the room, unassisted! Holy cow! She’s growing up (sniff, sniff).

Not to be outdone, after we were done eating (I ate three burgers and Lacy at a half of one, Rose ate some portions of a bun because I’m too mean to give her french fries yet!) Lacy had to shake her little booty to the music. She made me laugh so hard! It was priceless. There was an older couple in the restaurant too, and she nudged her husband and they started smiling at my cute girl. Lacy also helped me out by getting ketchup twice. I kept an eye on her though! She went over and kindly asked someone to give her some ketchup and then said thank you very nicely (so I assume anyway, since she was out of earshot).

After lunch, we hung out in their car, I nursed Rose and Lacy lost the car key while she was “driving.” It took a few minutes to find it, but Lacy said a prayer and we found it right afterward. That was a sweet little lesson on answers to prayers, in action. Then Mom and Dad returned, and I annoyed Dad by fixing the car seat which actually took a long time, but eventually they left and I returned to work. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

Only 11 more working days (and 17 days total) until I am a stay-at-home mom and get to see even more funny things that my kids do! I can’t wait!

Hi, Regan!

Conversation between Lacy and (imaginary) Regan on Lacy’s pretend phone yesterday:

“Hi, Regan! It’s Lacy! How are you? Oh, you’re at home? OK, I’ll call you on your land phone!”

Oh my gosh that made me giggle so much! Silly kid must be listening to her parents on the phone a lot!