"It's A Dry Heat"

This morning while dropping Gabriel off at school...at 8:00 am...I noticed it was already hot. I was relieved that I'd left the cooler on before we left.

When we got home and opened the door we weren't met with the cool rush of air and I expected, "Dang, I thought I'd turned that cooler on." I ran back to switch it on, and discovered that, I wasn't crazy, it was running. I believe the "dry heat" has left. {:-/

Happy Monsoon.

It better rain on me. I get irritable when it gets humid and I can see the clouds raining everywhere but my part of town. As long as I get a nice rain at the end of the day I can get through the rest of the day. Gotta go...time to start my rain dance.

Good News, Bad News...

Good News: Our health and dental insurance cards arrived in the mail last week and I made A LOT of appointments to get us caught up on everything that we've had on hold.

Bad News: (but really it's me being a wuss) I'm now driving to a lot of appointments in 185 degree heat...ok I exaggerated...a little.

Good News: The big boys did fantastic for their first trip to the dentist, even the older one that I was a little worried about.

More Good News: The office is close to our house!

Bad News: Gabriel has 5, count them 5, cavities and Garrett has 2.

Good News: The new insurance will cover a ton of it.

Bad News: Gabriel has some serious issues with needles. Stephen has to hold him down for a puny flu shot. Cavity repair is going to be difficult for all of us involved. I asked for a tranquilizer to give him. Funny how they don't give those for kids.

Good News: I took them to a pediatric dentist in hopes that it'd be a good fit, and THEY LOVED IT! It was a way child friendly office. Each kid got to pick the kind of sunglasses to wear while their teeth were cleaned and given a mirror so they could watch what was going on. Garrett had some major build up that had to be removed; he sat there calmly playing a game and didn't seem to notice a thing. Later the dentist told me it's just something that some kids get and to just make sure he's in every 6 months. Gabriel was satisfied with the explanation of how they will fix his 5, count them 5, cavities. Both kids loved the goody bags, stickers and prize they got to pick with their token. This place was a hit. Once again, we have been blessed with finding a good medical fit for our kiddos.

Bad News/Good News: I have 4 more visits to get all the cavities fixed. They only work on one quadrant at a time. That's a good thing for the kids and will prevent any kind of dentist apprehension, but means I have to schedule 4 more visits.

Good News: I have a phenomenal husband!

Bad News: Apparently his cavity prone teeth are genetically dominant. (The O N L Y dominant feature I have is my severe myopia! The kids can thank me for that later.)

Good News: In two weeks when he's out of the academy he gets to go in and find out how many cavities he's developed in the last few uninsured years, AND get them fixed. I just went in and am proud to say I'm still cavity free...and have NEVER had one. I don't have much I can brag about so this will have to do. :-)

Random Note: There was another mom there with a 5 year old girl. She looked at me and said, "I don't know how you do it with two at the same time." I chuckled and said there's one more taking a nap at Grandma's right now (then thought about all my friends with more and thought I don't know how they do it). I explained it is very noisy, destructive and a high energy kind of environment. She said she struggles with her one child "and she's an easy one". She then asked how long I've been in the area. I assumed she meant the city we live in and responded since 1992. She said, "wow I can't detect any kind of accent what so ever." Then I realized what she really meant. I told her that I was born and raised here in good ol' Arizona, but had moved around within the state. Stephen and I are truly anomalies (sp?); we were both born and raised in the state. It's surprising how many times I get questioned about where I'm from because of the lack of accent. I should be a news anchor, they wouldn't have to teach me how to talk first. ;-)

*The dentist was great, very patient and good with the kids. When they were all done she came over and talked with me about a few things. She was very surprised to find any cavities because the kid's gums and teeth appeared to be in such good shape. Since they were babies I've invested a pretty good chunk of money in the fluoride water at the store. She was the second Dr. to confirm that our water does NOT have sufficient amounts of fluoride in it. I have a shelf and when it goes on sale I fill the shelf up...sometimes I feel silly spending money on water, but it's good I did. I'm glad I haven't been wasting my money. Although, our cavity count would send a different message. She asked how many kids I have; I answered 3 boys. She smiled, she has 2 boys, and then talked about dental trauma in boys. It was actually really good information; like if a tooth is knocked completely out then put it back in. This grossed me out, so she said to put it in milk and call them to let them know that we were on the way for THEM to put it back in. She explained that boys have the ability to internally and externally injure themselves and to have the ER or Urgent care take care of them first (have a plastic surgeon fix the external injuries) then have them do the dental work after. She's suspicious that part of the cause for Gabriel's many cavities might be all of the soy/dairy free alternatives. I'm checking to see what the sugar content of rice milk, cheese, and coconut yogurt is. Gabriel whispered in my ear, "Will I have to get a shot?" I told him to ask the dentist how they fix cavities. He did, and she had a very good way to explain it, so I'm not going to have a fight on my hands...at least for the first time. ;-)

I'm, once again, SO happy we've been able to find a fantastic place to take care of the kids. I feel very confident that the kids will be comfortable with trips to get their teeth cleaned. I've never had any issues with the dentist and really wanted the same for my kids. Woo-Hoo.

Moving Out

All packed up.

Front pocket.

Main pocket.


After I'd had it yesterday and banished the big boys to their bedroom, Gabriel came out with his backpack filled and announced, "I'm moving out!"

I had to laugh because he didn't want to run away, but to move out. Notice he only packed toys no clothes, or food or any of those handy move out items. He's been informing his brothers that he's the oldest so he's really just like Mom and Dad. We keep trying to correct him and reinforce the concept that he's still a kid and needs to let us do the correcting. So far it hasn't stuck. I cringe every time I tell him I'm the Mommy not you...because...I've heard the same thing directed to me so many times. ;-/ Most of the time he's getting on them about something legitimate, but I already know all the answers so don't need help. (wink wink)

Today he decided he'll go ahead and stay for a few years.

Speaking of moving, every time he sees a commercial, for one of the home builders around town, advertising the great prices to take some of their homes off their hands; he'll look over at me with the biggest excited smile ever and say, "HEY let's go MOM! Let's move into a new house!" He really thinks it'd be great to move into a new house. Someday he will definitely get his wish...

Breaks

I used to live for breaks from school/work. I loved Rodeo Break, Christmas Break, the random Friday off, and most of all Summer Break. I got to hang out with Stephen, get out and do some fun stuff, and could get a few things done that had been hanging around.

Those days are gone; I D O N O T like breaks anymore!

I'll spare you the details of why I don't like them anymore, but I will say I miss Stephen, I miss feeling useful and like I accomplished something, I miss regular showers, and I miss myself. There is not even a shadow of the girl I used to be left around here. I've seen pictures...I wasn't that bad. Where did I go? This tired worn out hag has worn out her welcome; not to mention, she's a lousy mom and housekeeper. Stink!

Here's to another horribly HOT 110 degree day tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that won't help my disposition much. Mainly because at that temperature everything in the backyard is too hot to touch...meaning everyone is inside...our little house.

We're going to have to replace a few things that have worn out (and I have a couple wants) so I was doing some pricing, after that I let myself venture into the pink section. I was just lookin'.

I made a discovery...you can coordinate sandals with sunhats and hair accessories, etc.
Who knew??
No, I didn't buy anything I was just lookin' and stuck to the lookin'.

So, I declare, I told a big fat lie when I told Stephen girls are like boys in the the shoe department. One pair of Sunday shoes, one pair of sandals and one pair of tennis shoes is definitely NOT enough. He's so lucky he didn't make this girl a few years ago. I know how much buying I did for the older boys I won't even venture a guess as to the amount stuff we'd have if I'd had a girl back then. :-) As it has settled in that a baby is really coming and said baby is a girl it's kind of getting exciting. Still a little weird, but an exciting weird. Crazy times....

Little Linc-A-Doo

We're still having issues convincing this child to eat. On Sunday he grabbed a potato and thought he was pretty cool.

He was actually eating on it so we let him go to town. He didn't eat the whole thing, but got some down at least. Whatever floats his boat I guess.

He loves when I clean his ears after a bath. Weird. I have to keep a really close eye on him now because he tries to clean his own ears....pretzel sticks, spoons, whatever he can manage to try to get in there. This has got no where but a visit to the doctor to go.

All three boys have gone through a stage that they make a perfect little 'O' with their mouths. I've tried and tried to catch it with a camera. I guess third times a charm! I was so excited that I actually caught it.

This boy continues to scare me everyday with his climbing EVERYTHING. Gabriel tells me right away, but Garrett never does I'll just hear him start laughing and know it's time to run and rescue Lincoln again. Scary.

Keepers vs. Throwers

This cute boy has been "shark boy" for several weeks now due to his double row of teeth. His permanent teeth missed their target and started coming in behind his baby teeth. We kept an eye on it to see what they would end up doing. Knowing what his reaction to shots is, a visit to the dentist to get them pulled was NOT an exciting prospect. With time I noticed the permanent teeth were pushing the baby teeth forward and out of the way. I decided tooth pulling was a definite Dad job. Well, Sunday morning, while Stephen was at meetings, he said he bit his tooth. I checked on it and saw it was barely holding on. I'm proud to announce I've pulled my first tooth that didn't come from my own head. The next one is still Dad's job though.

He looked at his tooth all day. That night we got an envelope ready and put his tooth in it. As I leaned down to give him his good night kiss he teared up. I asked what was wrong. He explained he liked his tooth and didn't want it to get taken. I told him he can't get money till he puts it under his pillow. He didn't care and wanted to keep the tooth. He's our little hoarder, he tries to keep EVERYTHING. We're working really hard to help him overcome this little tendency without doing something that turns him into some crazy that can't walk in his front door someday. Any time something breaks we don't allow him to keep it, he has to throw it away. We'll clean out stuff and he has to donate at least two things. We've pretty much always got a donate box around and he knows we send our stuff to people that don't have any. He kinda gets it, but still wants to keep everything. He gets it from me. I have to work really hard to fight that "keep" impulse. I made a deal that he could keep his tooth for two days then he'd have to let the Tooth Fairy have it. Someday he'll want to strangle me when he finds out how much I've thrown away when he wasn't looking.

In stark contrast Garrett is a thrower. Recently he helped Stephen take some stuff to donate. There were a couple of horses that we brought to them a couple years ago. They didn't work anymore and took up a lot of room so off they went. Garrett said, "Good bye horses I'll see you in 20 minutes" and went on his merry way. One day the boys had been drawing. When they were done I told them to put the pictures away. Garrett asked where. I told him in the garbage or his nightstand. He responded, "OK! I'll throw them in the trash!" I don't know why it was so exciting, but it was. Gabriel's went to the nightstand.
:-)

Sharing?? What's That!?!

Awww, isn't this cute? Little Lincoln wants to be a big boy so badly, but just flat out doesn't play the games "right".

The big boys had a very specific Little People game going on here and Lincoln was "messing it all up...it is terrible!"

The next thing I find is the two BIG boys squished into the naughty pen...just to make sure Lincoln didn't touch anything. They played in here for nearly an hour...makes my feet go to sleep just thinking about it.

This is the little time out (naughty pen) Lincoln gets to visit for things like throwing dog food across the living room, splashing all the water out of the dog bowl, hitting, and climbing up to places like the table. He gets one minute. When we walk back to let him out he'll drop to his knees so he can climb under while we hold the edge up. Boy, he's a savvy little critter; gonna give us a whole new run for our money.

Transitions...

On Friday we celebrated my sister in law's birthday. While they were here she brought these ADORABLE jammies and a cute girl blanket for our little "Monkey Wrench". I love them!

She explained they chose blue jammies to help us transition into our new mode. So Funny! The bottom of the feet say "kiss me". I have a feeling she'll be getting lots of kisses. ;+)

It's a Sign....

Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat - Talula

All of our car seats have started expiring, starting with the infant carrier. So, I've started looking around so see what's out there at this point. We had a snugride before and I really liked it. I was looking some more today and ran across this. It's called Talula.

Annndd...you may be saying.

When I was in college my program was small and we often had the same teacher for a couple classes in a row. One semester I was filling out my index card for a teacher I happen to have for 3 classes. Instead of my name I wrote "Telulah" except it seems like there was a double 'L' in there somewhere. I don't remember exactly how I spelled it. The name stuck and for the remainder of the program, and to this day, I'm still called Telulah by my friends and teachers from the Interpreter Program. So, when I saw this seat happens to have the same name I figured it MUST be a sign. Right??

We'll end up with some green thing because we have to be practical at this point and go gender neutral, but oh there was a time I would have been all over this...just because of the name and because I could. :-)

I can't wait for Stephen to get home so I can show him "our new seat". He's so good humored about this kind of stuff. I'll get a smile, a little eye roll and something along the lines of "uh-huh". We're lucky that we're both practical and cheap in very similar ways so he'll know he doesn't have to worry.


The other day he did ask if girls have as many shoes as grown up girls. Hilarious. I smiled and said that they should, but I'll probably keep it just like the boys...sandals, Sunday shoes, and tennis shoes...but by dang I'll always look.

Wah Wah Wah

This is gonna be a long, nasty summer.

After another day of dealing with my pre-pubescent mouthy 10 year old...oh wait he's only 5...AND A BOY and not supposed to act like that...I'm feeling irritated. The heat doesn't help. The slightest bit of moisture that crept into town today rendering my swamp cooler useless doesn't help. The fact that I have a full 9 months of "night sickness" doesn't help. The excessive fatigue doesn't help. Is Valley Fever or something going around? I feel more tired than normal pregnant tired. Having everything in the back yard too hot to touch doesn't help. Sometimes I just need to throw those yahoos outside for a while. Poor Lincoln ran out the door today as I was telling him "no no it's hot" and burned his poor feet something awful. I hopes he remembers how hot it is now. Poor kid. Rarely getting a shower doesn't help...Mommy's need those you know. Never wanting to eat anything but eggs and chocolate shakes doesn't help....not a great diet for growing a brain or preventing too much growth on my butt. The car we sold a while ago had remote start on it; I MISS IT SOOO MUCH! Oh, to be able to get the AC running while I round everyone up...wah wah wah. I feel whiny today.

Gabriel's quote of the day: (While flinging part of his lunch that he didn't want to eat and stomping off down the hall) "You NEVER give me what I want!!" No, son I sure don't and the younger you get used to that fact the better we'll all be. Watch out world he thinks he's turning 13.

On a completely different note:
This is a question for all of you that have had girls and boys. With the boys from the second I felt flutters I felt them all the time. They were as wild inside as they are now. I've begun feeling the flutters, but they are not often and it has me super paranoid. I'm not naive to the fact that many of these precious little ones are called back way too soon. Are girls quieter?? Do girls tend to not move as much or as often as boys?? If this is a normal difference I'll try to relax about it, if not I want to find out what's going on. Any more experienced perspectives would be very helpful.

Summer is Here!

In our little Tucson "suburb" it is currently 106 degrees. I know it could be hotter, and it's only 2:00 pm, so I'm pretty sure it will get hotter today. Our poor 30 year old cooler is getting a work out today...and I'm STILL roasting! This nice toasty week should knock the chill off the pool, so watch out world because next week the great white whale is goin' swimmin'. That should be a great show.

Gabriel had his first day of "summer school" today. He's been so excited about getting back to school, and it's been clear he needed the structure and something to do everyday. We nearly melted picking him up at noon...but that's already been talked about. As we were driving to the school he said, "Mom, I'm nervous." Oh, those big brown eyes of his just rip my heart in two. I asked him why he was nervous. He explained that he didn't know how this school worked and wasn't sure what this school would be like. That boy's got a lot of his Mama in him. While growing up, it was so painful every time I had to do something unfamiliar. I DID NOT, and still don't, like looking like an idiot "because I didn't know". He's got this in him too. I told him that none of the kids would know what to do because it was the first day and that if he listened to the teachers carefully they would tell him what to do, then he would know. He seemed good with it. We got there about 5 minutes early and found all his classes. When the teacher came out he went and waited in line to check in. After he told the teacher his name he looked up with those big brown apprehensive eyes again. They weren't the I'm about to cry eyes, just the I have no idea what to do and feel unsure eyes. I wanted to scoop him up and hold his hand through the day, but that does not foster coping skills or independence. The only thing left to do was give him a big hug, tell I love him, and to have lots of fun...that is the point of it after all.

When we picked him up he was happy, and talked about all the fun things he did. There were a couple kids he already knew in each class and had help from teachers as needed. He said he doesn't feel nervous anymore because now he knows how it works. This will be good for him. That kid THRIVES in structure. We had the "schedule change" drama during lunch, but that should subside soon.

Welcome Summer...at least it's hot enough that all the snow birds have been convinced to LEAVE! Gotta look for the positive. :+D

My Lil' Monkeys!

Today they did this right after tearing the family room to pieces. So Sweet!

Meet "Monkey Boy". He's always been a wild lil' Monkey and full of lots of energy. I can't believe all the growing and maturing he's done over the last year. His eyes are so expressive and melt my heart.

Sometimes though, even Monkeys get tired...on VERY. RARE. OCCASIONS.
He was on the very corner of our bed on risers, I was afraid he'd fall off and moved him right after this picture. :)

Meet "Chunky Monkey". He had a brief time as a baby that he had some baby fat on him. As of late, he is "Howler Monkey" due to the colossal tantrums he continues to throw despite being over 4 years old. I think we're all ready for the Howler Monkey phase to end. :) I love his black eyes! He says the funniest things with the funniest intonation.

Howler Monkey showing Little Monkey the fine art of neck breaking....

Meet "Little Monkey". This child climbs EVERYTHING he can. He has me scared all day, everyday. If my furniture arrangement doesn't accommodate his climbing goals he'll rearrange it to suit his goals better. I keep lots of dairy going down him in an effort to fortify those little bones of his as much as possible. Monkey Boy does a great job of watching out for Little Monkey. Howler Monkey, on the other hand, just joins in on the great fun till Mom ruins it at all. I love his laugh when he thinks something is really funny.

Then along came "Monkey Wrench". I'm adamant about spring babies. Monkey Boy taught me a good lesson about summer pregnancies...not ever again. Yeah, I'm due at the end of October...Translation...PREGNANT FOR THE ENTIRE DANG SUMMER. I had this grand plan that IF Stephen got a job we'd try again in August thus resulting in an April spring baby. Well, you know how planning goes... I discovered this little Monkey Wrench earlier this year. Stephen was still in the interview process so I didn't tell him for about a month. After all the interviews ended and we were left to just wait for a call I told him just how much I hoped he'd get hired. Poor guy had no idea (which tells me how preoccupied his mind was) then chastised me for not telling him sooner. He was kinda ok with it when I explained that I wanted him to have as clear a mind as possible so he could do his best. I'm happy that the job did come through and he's enjoying all the training so far. Have I mentioned exactly how relieved we are that he has a job? Remember, our Little Monkey was a self pay baby...LAST year. We had made all kinds of plans for this summer and the next couple of semesters. We felt confident that our plans would have us solidly back on our feet next year. Monkey Wrench received that name because all of those plans are no longer feasible. {Sigh} I guess that's why I'm not The Master Planner. Not only were our plans shot out of the water, but so were Nanny and Papa's. We're still working on a new plan that accommodates a baby....it makes my brain hurt sometimes, so I'll let Stephen come up with the new one. ;-) I'm busy after all...





Oh, and by the way...

The sonogram lady pulled this up and said, "Here's a really clear picture of the gender." I thought, "Ummm not really I don't see anything." That should have been my first clue, but I'm dense and had decided that it was a boy. I'm pretty good at identifying boys now. I knew Little Monkey was a boy even before she said anything. She was folded in half, as in feet next to her ears half, so this is a direct rump shot...I think. Regardless, it's definitely not a boy. Everything looks good and healthy.
Not really sure what to do with one of these, or where we'll put her. We're both really curious to see which "style" of kid she ends up being a girl version of.
Stephen was still at the academy, so Gabriel and I put an "It's a Girl" balloon and pink ribbons on his manly truck for him to find when he got out. He has such a funny wife....or something like that. :-)

Gabriel: (threw his fist up in the air) "Yes! Our first sister!"
Garrett: Jumped around the room shouting, "A girl, A girl!"
Lincoln: (just glad Mommy was home) ran up and gave me a great big hug.
Stephen: "Hey, no girls allowed. Thanks for all the pink stuff on the truck." He says the one he's married to is all he can handle. He's fantastic with the one he's married to so I think he'll be just great with one to raise too.
Me: There are plenty of things that really are all on me, but not this time. :-D We've never even cracked the girl section of the name book before. What a change. Like always we do have a middle name ready to go, so "Baby Girl" will have to do. It was good enough for the boys. ;-)

Here's to some CRAZY times comin' up.

Dear Lizards and Geckos,

I've been so excited to see your appearance this year. I think you're one of the coolest little critters runnin' around our desert. I appreciate your efforts in eating lots of bugs...because bugs are disgusting! I'm wondering if you could maybe step up your bug consumption efforts just a bit. You see, I have these three boys that keep leaving the door open when they are playing outside. All those bugs you haven't eaten are then getting into my house. I really don't like all those nasty things inside. So, if you could eat a few more each I'm sure we could get this little problem under control. If you have any suggestions that will aid in keeping the dirt outside, rather than all over my floor, I'm all ears.

Thanks for all the bug munching! Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
The Frazzled Mother of Boys