Mom isn't allowed to be out of commission...

This is the first time in about a week that I have spent more than a couple minutes on the computer.  I feel strangely out of touch with the world.  I spend so much time with my kids at home that sometimes I feel like blogging is my only communication with the outside world!!  

Anyway, there is a reason for the absence.  I got mastitis.  This is the bane of my breastfeeding existence!!  (for those of you who don't know, mastitis is a breast infection you get when your milk ducts get clogged and then infected.  It can affect all lactating beings...cows, dogs, humans, etc).  I must be susceptible to it because I have had it several times over the years.  IT IS HORRIBLE!!  I have NEVER been as sick as I am when I have mastitis.  You feel like you have the flu-chills, fever and the whole shebang.  My fever was up to 103.3 at one point and it kept spiking.  I. COULD. NOT. FUNCTION.  Seriously, I was useless.  It all started last Thursday night.  I felt yucky all day but it hit me like a ton of bricks that night.  I called my midwife and got some antibiotics but didn't start feeling better until Monday.

Side note about this particular antibiotic.  I am supposed to take it on an empty stomach.  WHAT?!  I have to remember to take this pill an hour before I eat?!  Not to mention that I am ALWAYS eating because breastfeeding makes me ravenous!!  Anyway, I'll stop complaining now.  

Luckily, I have an extremely supportive husband who totally took care of all the kids while I was out of commission (except for the breastfeeding part:)).  He even took Grace and Elliot to work with him on Friday afternoon (I'm sure the secretary appreciated it when Elliot answered the phone when it rang, he's such a good helper:)).   I am so lucky that Ray is so supportive and that he has a job that gives him so much flexibility.  

Ray is an amazing dad and totally supportive of me, but a house cleaner he is not.  I'm SO not complaining, it's just the way it is.  When I came out of my haze on Monday the house was a disaster and there were loads and loads of laundry to do.  So I have been playing catch up.  I am on the verge of never cleaning my house again (not really).  It is honestly an exercise in futility.  It never ends and doesn't last more than an hour, tops.  Sometimes I wonder why I try, and I would seriously consider just letting it all go if my mind didn't feel so disorganized when my house is in that state. 

Anyway, everyone is healthy now.  Naomi is getting so big and chubby.  She is almost too long for her 0-3 month jammies!  She is turning into a chunk like the rest of my babies (I guess she always was a chunk, relatively speaking).  Grace is on the verge of reading, she can read really simple books.  We are trying to work on it more.  Elliot is slowly getting better at going potty.  We are going to start pushing it hard again soon.  We all needed a break!  Hope all is well with all of you! 

Happy Valentines Day!!

We had our annual Valentines cooking making/decorating party (thanks for the recipe Angie, the cookies are sooo yum!).  The kids loved it, they love anything that involves making a huge mess!  We also went out to breakfast at Elmer's, we loooove Elmer's!!  Ray let me sleep in and worked on the laundry for me.  He also got me a foot spa/massager.  He knows personally how much I love to have my feet pampered!  Sorry about the blurry pictures, I'm having camera issues.

Keep scrolling down, many more posts await.  I'm catching up...

I love hand-me-downs!!!

This bike isn't exactly a hand-me-down, but sortof.  We wanted to get Elliot a bike for his birthday.  He really needs a boy bike (up to this point he has been riding Grace's old SeaStar bike :).  Ray likes to frequent the goodwill and came home the other day with this bike, which he says is a really good brand.  Only $6, people!!  I love a good deal!

My mom recently got a new bed set for her bed and passed her old one down to me.  It took me a while to get it on my bed (I never did get around to ironing it), but now that I have I love it!!  It's a really nice pottery barn set that I could never afford to buy.  It also matches the pictures I had above my bed perfectly!  (if you were wondering, no there are not lampshades on those lamps.  There are just some boxes buried in the garage that I haven't gotten to yet.  Priorities...).  Thanks for the bedding mom, I love it!!

The Other Kids...

Here are some pics of the oldest 3.  Enjoy!!

I think the way Maggie looks has changed so much lately, she is looking so much older to me!

I think she's looking a lot like her older sister!

Nice face, Maggie!

Elliot got his head shaved.  I think he looks adorable!!  This is also Elliot's favorite shirt, he loves Charlie Brown!!

Elliot, pre-buzzing, was laying on Ray's lap.  He stood up and this is what we found on Ray's leg.  Permanent marker, people...that ain't comin' out!  I am a little baffled at how Ray didn't know it was happening, but whatever!

Maggie and Elliot have become much better friends since Naomi was born.  Before, Elliot kindof just tolerated her, now they play together all the time.  (Sorry about the pictures, I'm having issues with my camera-all the pictures are blurry.  Anyone with camera expertise know why this is happening?!)

Elliot spinning Maggie around in the basket, I mean ghost Elliot...

Maggie likes to wrap up her baby and put her in the swing.  On a totally unrelated note, I think Maggie may be left handed (which I'm sure means that she is a gifted genius, like my left handed mom:).

Ghost Grace jumped in front of the camera right as I was taking this picture.  Again, camera issues! We are getting some spooky pictures around here!

My dad, he's cool like that...

My mom and dad came up to our house to stay with the kids when Naomi was born.  Prior to this we purchased a bunk bed for Grace and Maggie (the crib, obviously, would be needed soon).  The bed came in a box, needing to be assembled (it is my dream to someday purchase furniture that doesn't need to be assembled by me :).  Anyway, when my dad was here he decided to put the bunk bed together with only a hand held screwdriver (Ray's power tools were in his truck, which was with us at the hospital).  In addition to this feat, Grace, Elliot and Maggie all decided to help him.  This alone would have sent me screaming from the house, but grandpa was such a great sport.  Patience is truly his virtue.  They were so excited about the bunk bed.  It trumped the new baby arriving.  When they were all done, grandma said "Wasn't that nice of grandpa to put your bed together for you?", to which Grace replied, "well, I helped".  Nice.  

Thanks dad, you're the best!!

Naomi grows...

I have been so bad about taking pictures of Naomi...it seems like I think about it at night when she is asleep.  You know what they say, time flies... She is now 5 weeks, 2 days old.  It has really flown.  At her 2 week appt she was 9lbs 7oz, so she gained everything she lost in the hospital and then some.  She is a sweet little girl.  She sleeps pretty well at night, usually only waking up once to eat.  During the day she can get pretty fussy if she isn't held.  I have come to the conclusion that she just doesn't like to be awake!!  It's hard to blame her, it does get pretty loud around here!

Naomi and dad, 4 weeks old

Gracie, you crack me up!!

Naomi and Grace, 10 days old

I have been thinking lately about how amazing our bodies are.  They are so perfectly designed.  It has always amazed me the way our bodies prepare for babies.  The minute they are born, our bodies begin to produce milk to sustain the life of that baby.  COMPLETELY sustain that life.  That is all that baby needs for at least 4 months (I usually try to stretch it to 5 or 6;).  That is so amazing to me.  I feel really lucky that it has worked out so well for me.