A Day In the Life

Subtitled- What Happens When Dad Accidentally Wakes A Two Year Old

This morning dh dropped something in the shower a little after 5 AM. That woke little Juju. As I was pulling her out of bed, she woke Joseph. The commotion of those two woke Gabe, who fussed and woke Banana, and it all went downhill from there.


Math books were abandoned by girls rushing to find shoes, brush hair, and gather books to get out the door when their ride was already knocking at the door.

Little ones, whose lack of sleep made them especially mischievous, paid no heed to my childproof lock and broke into the special cabinet filled with the toys Mom holds back for special times (AKA the cabinet of toys Mom h.a.t.e.s to constantly pick up).


There were baby meltdowns...

There were toddler meltdowns...

There were many, many, many timeouts...

Big sigh

In the end, the house looked like this because Mom was too tired to do anything about it.

Bacon Grease?

DH here. Since Nikki is lounging around the house, napping, and generally taking it easy with the six kids, I thought I'd write a guest blog post while I tirelessly slave here at work.

Last night Banana and Bophie were discussing what to watch on TV. Banana wanted to watch a short documentary on The Bacon Priest and Bophie wanted to watch a more kid-oriented show. The conversation I overheard was: "Banana, why do you want to watch a show on Bacon Grease?"

It's time to get Bophie a hearing test and it's definitely time for my next coffee break.

Joseph's Surgery--After

Joseph's surgery took a little longer than we expected, but the doctors consider it a success. Although it took some extra time, the doctors were able to close both openings in his palette and put in the ear tubes.

Joseph returned from surgery in quite a bit of pain. It was very difficult to see our typically easy-going little guy crying and moaning from the pain. The poor little fellow has had to deal with so much in his short life. Both dh and I wished there was more we could do to ease his pain and uncomfortableness. He had to endure this alone in China when his lip was repaired. I'm glad we could be there for this surgery.

He, Gabe, and I had a long night in the hospital. It seemed each time I rocked Joseph to sleep, someone came in to check vitals, give more medicine, or check his ears and mouth. Joseph would fuss at being poked and prodded, Gabe would then wake up, and I would do my best to get both boys back to sleep. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.

Sometime in the morning, I noticed a change in little Joseph. As I was giving him some juice, he raised his eyebrows and smiled. I knew he was feeling a bit better. By mid-morning Joseph was walking the hospital corridors and waving to all he met. We were able to come home around noon and Joseph was greeted by his doting sisters. Juju was especially happy to see him and came running in from the backyard saying "Hi Joe-Joe!"

Here he is in his 'no-nos'. These are to prevent him from sticking anything (like fingers, toys, bugs, etc.) into his mouth. He'll be in these for 3 - 4 weeks as he heals from surgery.

Joseph's Surgery--Before

On Wednesday little Joseph will have surgery to repair his cleft palette. Even though he is a fifth child, he entered a house where there has never been any major medical procedures for the children. None of the girls has ever even needed stitches. We have had no major injuries or illnesses. In fact, Banana was eight before we ever had to deal with so much as an ear infection.

I feel inexperienced, unprepared, and anxious about his surgery. I have so many questions, I keep bombarding every hospital worker that calls. At the same time feel like I am not asking some other important questions because I am unaware of what I should be asking. Some things are silly; do I need to pack diapers and jammies? Others seem more important; what qualifies as a soft diet, are sippy cups ok, what complications are common?

The apprehension is also compounded by a little frustration. The hospital has a standing policy about no child visitors and will not allow me to bring little Gabe who doesn't leave my side since he is nursing. The hospital was very dismissive and unsupportive and said we could just give him a bottle. There is a chance the staff will be more lenient, we are praying for that. I can't imagine not being there with Joseph.

Please keep Joseph in your prayers this week. His surgery is Wednesday afternoon and he will most likely be in the hospital for two nights. He will then have a modified diet for quite some time. Also, if you have any good hospital advice for a two year old patient, let me know.

Our Monkey Turns Two

Another two-year old, will our house survive?

We were blessed to celebrate Joseph's second birthday today. I imagine this birthday was much different than his first. He really enjoyed the attention. He smiled the whole time we sang to him. He also liked the toy truck, he went to sleep tonight spinning the wheels. From this picture you can tell he also really enjoyed the chocolate cake.
It is so heart-warming to share these times with him. I loved giving him a little extra attention on this day to show him how grateful we are he was given life. I am so thankful to have this opportunity to shower him with affection.

Please keep little Joseph in your prayers, he will be having surgery on his palette next week.

The Easter (Photo) Parade

Easter Bunny?

Or Boogey Man?

Poor little Gabe might never let Uncle Tim hold him again...

This picture reminded me of Patrick Madrid's post. I am lucky enough to attend the same the parish as Pat, I will have to share this picture with him.

Holy Week

**Retold with zoo pictures

With the addition of this two-year old, and this almost two-year old,

Our Holy Week attendance has drastically changed from years past. If only these two-year olds would sit as nicely as this animal...

However, our early in the week attempts at Vespers and Benediction probably left some thinking we were raising these:

Tonight I will be leaving the two-year olds with Dad and attend Holy Thursday Mass with the older girls. The only questionable one is now Gabe. I am hoping this is how he will behave...