Spy Satellite Parenting

Lots of things are different with my 3rd child.  I have 3 now.  I can't be the same kind of helicopter that I was for the other two.  I have decided that I am much more like a spy satellite.  I cruise by each child at least once every 3 hours or so to make sure they are still alive.  Ben has explored pretty much every corner of the back yard on his own.  He discovered that there is a drop off on one side of the yard and got a few scratches in the process.  His diaper this morning was a little grainy from the dirt he ingested yesterday. I have a hard time figuring out his health issues sometimes because I have to slow down a little more in order to even think about what day he started to have these night wake-ups.  I guess it is okay.  Some people manage to have 6 or even 12 children and everyone survives.  Just like spy satellite, I can be redirected to areas of conflict or areas that need extra attention, right?

Here is why I have a hard time vacuuming.  I have to do it when he is awake or it might wake him, but then he loves to get in front of the vacuum and pat it, or chase it around.  Apparently he also chased the lawn mower last night when Derek was mowing the lawn.  He is very interested in how things work, especially machines.  Maybe a little engineer?

Ben getting his first (very short) ride on Daddy's back.

Ben coming up the stairs from outside.  Libby came to get me and said I "HAD TO CHECK IT!"  Ben was standing up posing on the step.  I couldn't get my camera out fast enough though.  

Super Sick Week

This was a record setting week.  I don't think we have ever had this much junk go through our family in one week ever.  Libby and I both had the barfs.  Derek and Ben had the runs.  Sarah and Ben had sinus and runny nose issues.  Derek, Sarah, and Libby had strep.  I had pharyngitis (sp?).  Ben's doctor decided his night time screaming was probably a reflux resurgence.  I was at one doctor or another 4 times this week.  Insane.  Don't ever want to repeat this craziness.
Everyone seems to be responding to their anti-biotics (Derek's took awhile to kick in--his doctor said he had one of the highest strep counts he had seen).  And Ben is sleeping better thanks to the Zantac.  Whew.

We ate a lot of popsicles this week.  Here are some tongues to prove it.  Ben's mouth is also blue--he had a few licks, but he doesn't really like cold food.  

There were some bright moments in this week.  When I was about to barf for the first time on Monday, Sarah followed me into the bathroom and patted me on the back.  She coached me, "You can do it Mom!  You can put the barf in the potty!  It's okay Mommy, you can do it!"  It was so sweet!

Besties

We are so lucky to have such awesome best friends living nearby.  We took the Fillmores with us to see the new Seattle Police Boat on Saturday.  It was a blast.  So fun that it was hard to leave.  Libby threw an amazing tantrum the whole way home she was so sad it was over (oh yeah, and she didn't eat her lunch, that may have been part of it.)

Libby, Reid, Gideon, and Sarah.  They all pretty much adore each other.  (And--isn't Seattle beautiful!)

The news was taking some footage of Libby driving the boat.  I keep checking their website, but it doesn't look like they have run the story yet.

Reid and Emmi walking the plank...err the side of the boat.  Ben dropped my sunglasses off into the water right about where they are standing.  The officers are excited to do a dive to retrieve them.  We will see if they can find them.  They were brand new.  Luckily they were only $10.

Libby also made another new friend.  This guy was sitting behind us where we ate.  

Here is Libby's reaction after we tried to go to a second park that ended up being so crowded there was no parking.  We decided to just head home and this is what erupted from the back seat.  We turned on GI Joe on the DVD player.  You can see that a time or two it distracts her from her fury.  Sarah calmly watched GI Joe throughout the ordeal--once mentioning that Libby was being so loud she couldn't hear.  So I turned it up for her.  Libby and I had a serious talk about the tantrum.  When I asked her what she had done wrong, she felt most guilty for saying "hate" and "stupid".

Libbyism

We are driving past an intersection that is on the way to my gym.  On one corner is a Burger King, the other has a Dairy Queen.  She says, "Mom, I think that the Burger King and the Dairy Queen are married."
Brilliant observation, right?

Ben's New Look

Ben LOVES to drive these roller skates around like cars.   They are one of his favorite toys.

Ben and I "enjoying" some bonding time at about midnight last night during a break from his crying.

Ben really enjoyed the spaghetti dinner I made on Friday night.  

Yes, he got the summer buzz cut.  At first glance I felt like he looked a little like a cancer patient or a holocaust survivor. But now that I am used it it, I love it.  It is adorable.  It is a bit mischievous.  My little spaghetti face, rollerskate driving, hot water heater shutter-offer(I just discovered this talent), midnight crier, angel.  He is really having a hard time with the latest tooth he is cutting. He cried so long last night that I had Derek call Clark to come over so I could take Ben to the ER (Derek was at work).  But finally, just as Clark pulled up, Ben went back to sleep.  I ended up taking him into the dr. today in between ward council and byc (yest it was a hectic Sabbath) just to make sure it wasn't teeth or throat.  It was neither.  Just have to wait it out I guess. He is in the phase that I remember with the girls.  When I start typing, he beelines to the computer and grabs the keyboard.  When I open the dishwasher he hears it (from anywhere in the house, I swear) and crawls to it as fast as he can and tries to climb in.  He is into EVERYTHING.  And, he will no longer take naps anywhere but his bed and occasionally the car seat.  Ugh.

Best Mother's Day Gift EVER!

Derek had the girls serenade me for Mother's Day.  So cute!

Mother's Day Song

Mommy Look at ME!

Ben has a variety of new skills this week.  All of a sudden he can wave (occasionally), give kisses (mostly open mouth), and WALK--behind a toy.  But still--he is getting closer to walking.  He can even walk behind the toy one-handed.  Today Geneva stood him on the grass and he stood on his own for a second!  What a big boy!

Happily playing in the tub.  He has fallen out once though, when I left him a minute too long. 

Ben entertaining one of the babies in our ward.  He was adorable.

Oh Yeah!  I love this walking thing!

I am pretty sure this is the first time I have pushed him in a swing.  He loved it!

Sitting in a big boy chair (actually it has a butterfly, but it is blue), eating from a big boy plate (okay, it was pink), and enjoying dinner by the fire.  

His favorite new game.  Remove all the tupperware from the cupboard.  A game I love to hate.  I put a new childproof lock that works on there this morning.

Happy Birthday Grammy

Grammy Geneva turned 65 this week!  We took her out to lunch to celebrate.  Thank to the boy scout auction (where we ended up with lots of restaurant gift cards!) we got to take her somewhere nicer than McDonald's, yummy PF Changs.  We love you Grammy!

Delightful Sarah

When Sarah had her fever this week, she was great.  Just went right the couch and quietly stayed there.  Oh how different from her sister.

But she does have her whining moments.  Yesterday she left her little blanket in Ben's room while I was feeding him int the morning (Sarah is often up around 6:30 when Ben wakes up, eats and goes back to sleep).  I didn't want to go back in and get her blanket because that would certainly wake him.  So I gave her a different quilt (at least 10 sizes bigger and thicker) to snuggle with.  She complained all morning that she was cold because she didn't have her little blankie.

She also left her blankie at the gym yesterday.  The daycare closes at 1.  She didn't tell me until we were almost home at around noon.  I ended up having to pay one of the daycare girls to bring it to us so that Ben could take his nap.  That girl and her blanket!
Sarah also has had a couple of cuts on her fingers.  I can't believe the panic that ensues when one of her band-aids falls off.  I can't wait for her to heal.

Libbyisms

 Libby is just like me.  Super happy when hydrated, healthy, and not hungry.  If any of those things do not perfectly line up.  Watch out.  This week when she had her fever, I was ready to find a hospital to put her in until she was better.  It was constant whining.  Then I realized I probably deserved it because I bet I did the same thing to my mom.  One of the nights she was sick I went in to her room when she was crying and she said, "Can I have a binkie?"
Anyway, here are some of my favorite Libby conversations from the last week or so.
Libby:  "Mom, Dad wouldn't let us watch the Avengers on Netflix."
Me:  "Okay, well I can ask him if it would be okay today."

Libby:  "I should be able to watch them, because I am one of their daughters, Supergirl."

Here is one from the trip.  I couldn't figure out why she was just as excited to go to Chuck-a-Rama as the rest of us.  Then when we got there it became clear.  She was super mad.  She thought we were going to the place with all the toys--Chuck E Cheese.  I can see how she could make that mistake!

I took her to Marshall's the other day during Sarah's dance class.  I was starving (and I knew she was too) so I bought some random Guacamole Chips.  When she finally came back to the front of the store (she told me she was going to look at pans) I showed her the chips.  She said, "YOU MEAN THEY HAVE AVOCADOS RIGHT INSIDE THE CHIPS?"

This picture to the right was taken by my mom's bleeding heart plant.  On Thursday we went to her friend Lilly's house and we were admiring their flowerbed.
Libby:  "Mom, look they have a bleeding heart."
Me:  "No Libby, those are tulips, hyacinths and something else I don't recognize."
Then they answered the door, we went in and I forgot about the conversation until I came back to pick them up and realized that right in the center of the flower bed WAS a LARGE bleeding heart plant.  Man, I hate it when she is right!

Big Boy Ben

I realized I never wrote about Ben's stats from his last check-up.  They weren't awesome.  After his month of having everything run through his system, his weight lower that I would like.  It seems to be in the Norton Normal Range however.
(These were on 4/6/2012--it was his 9 month check-up about a month late)
Weight  18 lbs.  14 oz.  (15%)
Height   28 1/4 "  (25%)
Head    18 1/4 " (70%)

That is the Norton Normal.  Small body, big head :)

(He weighed in 20 lbs for his tube surgery on Monday, then when I took him in for the rash on Tuesday he was 17 lbs.  someone's scale is a bit off!)

Anyway, I am super proud of him lately.  He is doing so well.  He can give great high 5s.  He is really trying to clap.  He can wave "bye bye" (but won't always do it).  He is working on "what does the snake say" (which is to stick the tongue in and out).  He is starting to hold still while I change his diapers some of the time and pay attention when I talk and sing to him.  His favorite song seems to be "If You're Happy and You Know it."

He is a super fast crawler lately, especially if--the toilet paper is accessible (he loves to unroll it), the door to the outside is open, I am vacuuming (he is obsessed with the vacuum), the dishwasher is open (he loves to try to climb in), the girls are playing their room (he always wants to play with them).

Midnight Run

This is the one with me in it

This is the better one with everyone else (including Emmi, who took the other picture)

I am running the Ragnar Relay this summer with a group of ladies.  Most of them are from church, but I also invited Maren, MaryAnne (my fav mission companion), and Linda (my running coach).  We decided that since during the relay we will have to run at different times (like the middle of the night) we should do a midnight run.  It was 45 degrees, but thankfully not raining!  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  But I am tired now!

Flash Mob!

The Macy's at Alderwood Mall (the mall right by our house) asked Libby and Sarah's Dance studio to put on a flash mob to publicize the release of Madonna's new fragrance.  We practiced yesterday (even Ben got to be in my arms for the practice) and then went to the mall.  Geneva met us there so she could watch and take care of Ben.  Libby stayed with her too.  Sarah walked with me while I danced.  I googled it this morning and someone has already put up a video on youtube.  It is a short clip, but you get the idea.  Sadly, you can't hear the music (and we could barely hear it.)
Flash Mob!

Fevers Gallore

When I took Ben in for his ear tubes on Monday morning I noticed lots of little spots on him when I was putting on his gown.  I just dismissed them and sent him into surgery.  I told the anesthesiologist (in all honesty) that he hadn't been sick or had a fever.  Oops.  Liar.  The spots got much worse.  Turns out that he must have had a fever on Saturday while I was away at the party because he broke out into a mad fever rash.  Sarah was also feverish on Monday.  I took her in because I still hadn't realized that Ben had a fever rash.  I thought her strep had returned.  Well, it was definitely some kind of virus because the next day Libby had a fever.  All three kids had a couple of cranky days (Libby's crankiness is still lingering).  Staying healthy is definitely one of our biggest challenges!  Hopefully the ear tubes Ben got will keep at least his ears healthy!