A cow, joy, and a baby boy!

Eric and I are so excited that we get the privilege to welcome ANOTHER baby to our family in Jan/Feb of 2012.  This new baby will be 13 months younger than the twins, and I just know they will have SO much fun growing up so close.  Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I just knew it was another girl...but apparently, I'm the only one in my family that feels that way.  Eric immediately started thinking of "C" boy names, and landed on Cal (which I am not particularly fond of).  When he told Eve that the baby in my belly was going to be a baby boy named Cal, she was extremely confused.  She looked at me with the most puzzled face and said, "so you have a baby boy AND a cow in your belly?"  We tried to explain, but she was NOT going to grasp it, so we moved on to a new topic of conversation :)  A few nights later, as I was praying over her at night, I was praying for the fruit of the spirit in her life and mine.  That we would have peace deep down and know that God is with us.  That we would be patient with each other and our friends.  That joy would fill up our hearts and show everyone around us how happy we are inside..."  At the end of my prayer, she said, "so you have a baby boy AND a cow AND joy in your belly?"

If this precious life IS indeed a girl, I think her middle name may need to be joy :)

wow, that was easy!

Why did I get it in my stubborn, little head that Eve needed to be potty trained before the twins came home?  Why did I beg and bargain and plea and bribe?  Why did I waste money on pull-ups?  Each attempt I made at potty-training Eve was a massive failure!  Her stubbornness met mine head-on, and it was a true battle of the wills!!  I'll never forget her looking at me, not smiling but wanting to, as tee tee runs down her leg, through her panties (the THIRD PAIR OF THE DAY)...after she had been in time out and given a spanking for REFUSING to use the potty!  Why did I put myself through that???

A week ago, Eve decided she didn't want to wear a diaper anymore.  So, I got her some panties.  I asked her every thirty minutes or so if she needed to go.  Each time, she would look at me so confused and say, "but mommy, i didn't TELL you I needed to tee tee!!"  So I left it alone.  About thirty minutes later, she informed me that she needed to use the potty, so we did...and she did it!  The first two days, she pooped in her panties, but each time she needed to tee tee, she told me...even in the middle of naptime.  On the third day, she got #1 and #2 down and was SO over wearing diapers (even through the night).  I was a little hesitant about her wearing panties to bed, but she has not had ONE accident!  NOT ONE!  IN 5 DAYS!  And I ask again, why did I torture myself because I WAS READY?  Obviously, when the girl gets something on her brain, she accomplishes it... I am one proud mommy.

I need to read this again in two years when I'm ready for the twins to be out of diapers... :)

Where does she get this stuff???

Pulling up to church yesterday, Eve says, "I wanna sing with you in church this morning."  I reply, "Not today, baby.  You're gonna go to your class to play with your friends."  She says in the saddest voice possible, "I can't sing with you with THAT attitude!"

First thing this morning, I have Ellie and Clara on the couch, Eve is having a little conversation with Ellie and I overhear this... "Ellie, I'm not your mommy.  I'm just here to help you!"

Eric came home for lunch today, and he was in charge of feeding Eve lunch so I could go out with one of my favorite youth girls.  As I'm walking out the door, I hear Eve say, "Daddy, come here, I have a secret!"  Eric bends over and she puts her hand up by her mouth and says loudly, "I have a great idea!  You can share all the cheetos with me for lunch and you can bite them and put them in my mouth.  All of them.  All of the cheetos.  Is that a great idea?"

Today, as Eric is leaving to go to work, Eve stands by the garage door blowing kisses and saying, "Good Luck, Daddy, Good Luck!  I love you!  Good Luck!"

After her nap, I am working on dinner in the kitchen so Eve comes in to join me.  She opens up the cabinets under the sink and sticks her head in.  She looks up at me and says, "I'm just looking for George.  Do you see any George's?"  

While getting the coffee maker out so I can make tea for dinner, I drop the coffee pot on Eve's head (while she is looking for George in the cabinets).  She says, "Oh, sorry mom!  We didn't mean to startle you!"  

Eric's Shaved Head

Actually, this was done at Fripp, but I felt it deserved it's own post.  It happened on a whim and I am SO glad he let me do it!  It looks fantastic...and he loves how easy it is.

BEFORE

THE PROGRESSION

THE FINAL PRODUCT

I LOVE it :)  I have a handsome hubby!

Greasy Hands, The Potty, and Grass

Just had to start this post with the most adorable picture of my girls!!  6 months old and so fun!

Clara and Ellie are teething!  Bad!!  We've got drool dripping from ear to ear, swollen gums, and two cranky 6-month-olds.  Their hands are ALWAYS in their mouths, which means, not only does their drool get all over them, but all over anyone that touches them :)  Yesterday, Eve was trying to get Clara's hands out of her mouth so she could put her pacy in (she's such a helper).  When she pulled Clara's hands away from her mouth, they went straight to Eve's arm (trying to pull that into her mouth).  Eve wanted NOTHING to do with it!!  She said, "Clara, get those greasy hands off of me!!"  Eve gave up on the pacy and walked away.

Right before I put Eve into the tub, she will climb up on the potty by herself and tee tee.  Tonight, she climbed up there and I said, "Eve, are you gonna go potty?"  She replied, "You BET I am!!"  The girl is not three yet!!!  She cracks us up!

We are housing a golfcart for a friend while he is staying in a place without a garage.  Well, it ran out of juice while Eve and I were riding tonight.  It was SO HOT, and we were alone, and I had Eve standing on the gas pedal so I could push it up a HILL... just to get out of ANOTHER neighborhood (not even our own!).  She didn't really understand the concept of standing on it, so I'd be pushing my heart out and look down at her foot and she'd be standing somewhere else...frustrating!  But then again, she's 2!  We made it out of that neighborhood and coasted into ours, where right off the bat we were confronted with a mountain I was NOT pushing up!  We parked it at the first house (I told the homeowners what happened) and Eve and I started on our trek up to our house.  Several times she said, "I dont really wanna do this, I want to hold you."  To which I quickly passed over and made her continue to walk.  As we get close to our house, she says, "We're almost there.  Wow, our grass looks so pretty."  :)  Eric would be so proud!!!

What are we gonna do with Eve??

Eve has had an EXTREMELY difficult month or so.  I think it has a LOT to do with Ellie being in and out of the hospital, taking me with her.  Eve really never struggled with jealousy or insecurities when the twins came home from the hospital the first time.  I was really excited thinking that we had bypassed that difficult transition.  Let me just tell you that she is MAKING UP FOR IT NOW...and we are 6 months in!!  When Ellie was in the hospital for her 3rd surgery (unplanned and emergency), Eve spent some time with a lot of her favorite people, MiMi, YaYa, Grandma, Papa, and Daddy.  But she was missing her mama.  She started pitching ridiculous fits and talking about being scared to sleep in the dark with the door closed.  She didn't want to take naps, started talking babytalk, and wanting to be held and cuddled like Clara and Ellie.  That was a long week for my extended family...trying to help us with Clara and Eve while Eric was at work, and on top of that, dealing with a SILLY almost-three-year-old.  My mom stayed at the hospital one night with Ellie so I could come home to be with Eve.  It was bad.  I saw her acting like I never had before.  Screaming at the top of her lungs, kicking the floor in a tantrum, melting down, crying at the drop of a hat, and really just not herself.  We prayed, quoted scripture, had Eve saying Jesus' name, and hugged/rocked her during the fits.  It was exhausting.  She wouldn't let me out of her sight.  If I walked to the bathroom, she was right behind me.  She wouldn't sleep in her bed for naps or bedtime.  Then Eric went out of town for youth camp for a week.  We were at a loss... God revealed something to Eric.  He said, "if you wanted an adult, you should have had an adult.  You had a child, and this is how children act sometimes."  It started to make sense.  Parents are supposed to be teaching their children how to respond, how to deal with things that happen to them and their family.  Children are looking for stability and security from their mom and dad, and when it goes missing for a week with a sister in the hospital, then it is OK for them to be thrown off their normal.  And we need to re-create that safe haven for her, it's why we're here!  After the light bulb went off, Eric and I were able to see Eve in a different way.  During prayer one night at church, the Lord revealed to me that my goal should be to parent Eve the way the God parent's me.  So I began striving for more patience, more love, and less frustration and anger.  We put her on a blow-up mattress at the foot of our bed, and started letting her take a nap in our bed with the door open.  It takes her a while to actually fall asleep, and typically she will cry for me to lay down with her, but eventually, she will go to sleep.  SEVERAL times, I have gotten up to go to bed and found her laying in our doorway, asleep, on the hardwood floors.  She just wants to be in the same room I am in.  Poor thing.  She is really struggling.  She's not the same girl who used to go to bed at 7:30 in the complete dark with the door closed, singing and laughing to herself.  Our goal is to get back to that slowly, but surely :)  If God can do all things, He can do this, right??  Here are some pictures of Eve at naptime...