ANOTHER addition!

4 kids and 2 pets.... we are crazy!  We got a little puppy over the weekend.  On Wednesday my friend told me that her sister had some dachshunds that she was giving away for free!  Billy loves dachhounds and had 2 growing up.  As soon as he heard that she had a baby daschund for free he was like"I want it!"  He was so excited about it he wanted to take the family and go look at her that night.  Billy and the kids LOVED her.  They wanted to take her home that night but I had my reservations and thought that we should talk about it and think about it for a couple days. 
Billy tried really hard to convince me that we should get her- the main argument being when would we ever be able to get a daschund for free again?  At the pet store they are over $1,000 and off the streets usually $300-500 and she was beautiful, and short haired (so easy maintenance) and girls are great with kids and more mild mannered.  She was soft and cuddly yet playful and fun.  So I agreed with all his points and I'm like, "I really want her too, and I know the kids would love her... I'm just concerned about the timing."  With the baby coming in a couple weeks it just seemed like it was not the right time. 
I almost convinced Billy of that as well but then he said that he used to play with his dogs for hours every day and he had so much fun with them.  He also said they'd comfort him when he was sad and he loved them.  And he said when the baby comes, it'd be nice for them to have a puppy to play with when I'm giving so much attention to the baby. 
So... we always said we'd get a dog someday and specifically a girl daschund, so I decided OK, let's do it.  So we picked her up on Friday.  And everyone loves her!  (Except for Cozette, our cat- which is a little bit of a problem but I hope they learn to get along soon)  Anyway, the kids are SO happy following her around and watching her sniff things and playing with her and cuddling with her. 
And I have to admit it almost makes you happy just to watch her happily trot into the room- cute little thing.  Indoor dogs are so different than outdoor, big dogs (which is what I had as a kid) and so different than cats.  So it's so fun to have her around.
Here's some pictures:

So, I did this post last night.  And today things are a little different.  So I mainly put the positive things about the dog in my post, but I had been going back and forth for the last 3 days about whether this whole situation was really going to work.  Last night it actually started stressing me out b/c I had had some contractions and I felt like the baby might be coming sooner than we thought and we won't have enough time to have everyone adjust to the situation and get the dog fully potty trained before the baby comes.  And our cat and the dog DID NOT like each other.  We could not have them in the same room, we tried many times with one of us holding the cat and the other holding the dog and they would hiss and bark at each other.  So we took turns having one of them out at a time- for the most part we kept our cat in our room and kept the dog out but then I'd feel really bad for our cat that she was stuck in there the majority of the day.  And I'd feel bad for the dog when we put her in the other room and let the cat out.  Not only that but Sophie (our dog) loves Billy and would pretty much only go to him.  So last night I started stressing out that he was going to be gone all day every day and leave me home with 2 pets who don't get along (one of which I'd have to take outside often to go to the bathroom) and 4 kids- one of which will be a newborn.  It just did not seem like it was going to work.  

But we love the dog and didn't want to just give her back to the people we got her from and never see her again, so we have the best solution!  My mother-in-law loves Sophie too and is single and living alone and she's been wanting a pet.  And she lives just down the street!  So Sophie is going to live with her and we will be able to visit her whenever we want.  I am really happy with that situation, b/c that way she stays in the family and the kids can still see her and play with her often.... I don't think they were quite ready to have her for a pet yet anyway.  So it works out!  I'm really happy with this situation.   

Top 10 Likes/ Dislikes of being pregnant

As I near the end of my last pregnancy ever, I thought I'd make a list of the top 10 great and not so great things about being pregnant.

Let's start with the things that I am NOT going to miss:

1)  Being nauseaus all the time... not being able to keep any food or liquid down.  (I used to get so jealous of people that could take a drink when they were thirsty- I was like "You don't know how good you have it.  I only wish I could just drink something."  I was thirsty all the time but every sip would come up.
2)  Not being able to move b/c I might throw up and I'm too weak.
3)  Not taking care of the kids and the house like I want to.
4)  Being poked with IV's/ needles over and over again due to my "condition".
5)  Heartburn
6)  Back aches
7)  Feeling big and awkward
8)  Feeling so much pressure in my stomach and on my bladder (and not being able to breathe)
9)  Jumpy legs- My legs spazm/ twitch when I'm really tired (every night)
10)  And, I'm not going to miss the times when I can hardly walk b/c I'm so tired and it hurts so bad to take a step.

Things I have enjoyed and will miss about being pregnant:

1)  Seeing those two little lines- It's so exciting!  And giving my husband a huge hug b/c "We're going to have a BABY!" 
2)  Annoucing to friends and family- such a happy, exciting time.
3)  Actually thinking it's cute to have a growing stomache, and being able to show off how big it is.  lol
4)  Getting ultrasounds and hearing the baby's heartbeat.
5)  Finding out if it's a boy or a girl.
6)  Having older siblings rub my tummy and talk to the baby.
7)  Getting ready for the baby and seeing all the cute tiny clothes.
8)  Being able to eat whatever sounds good- not dieting.
9)  Having an excuse why I'm overweight.
10)  Feeling the baby move and knowing that I am so lucky to be a woman and that I can carry a child.  It is such a miracle.  And I am so lucky that I get this special time with my baby to get to know him before anyone else can b/c he's a part of me- and I can feel everything he does.

So even though I have some hard times when I am pregnant and in general I really don't like being pregnant (they have been some of the hardest times in my life)... The good really outweighs the bad, and I am so excited about this new life that we will be bringing to our home soon.  I am so grateful that I have been able to carry 4 children.  I love them so much and wouldn't trade them for the world!

10-10-10

So Billy and I were talking as the kids were playing at McDonalds (they eat two $0.99 hamburgers between the 3 of them- not bad.) and Billy starts school soon. So we were talking about when is the earliest we can have the baby where he would still get finals off work. We are SOOOO lucky- he gets 12 weeks paternity leave this time! So he figured it out that it'd have to be the very end of Sept.- and I'd be 39 weeks.

I don't know about that! I feel huge!! I have already gained all the weight I want to have gained and I really don't want to get any bigger. I already feel awkward; I feel like this baby is bigger than the girls were at this point. And I really think it's a boy thing. All my kids were in the 7 lb range but the girls were born when I was 40 weeks (I was induced) and Will came during my 37th week. He was 7 lbs ll oz at 37 weeks. So I'm thinking that boys are bigger- or at least my boys. And if so I don't want a 10 baby! Sorry, but that scares me a little.
But then I told Billy that I DID think 10-10-10 would be a pretty cool birth date (which is over my due date). And he said "Yea! That'd be awesome- and then I won't have to go back to work till beginning of January!"
Then he said, "The baby could be born 10-10-10 at 10 pm and he will be the 10th grandchild (on my side) and he'll be 10 lbs 10 oz. Ha! That would be pretty funny.... I don't know if I can wait that long, but we'll see! It's sort of not up to us. :)

(That's Will when he was a newborn)

Getting ready for the baby

Well, these last couple weeks I felt like the kids room really needed to be organized and decluttered and I also have been really anxious to start getting stuff ready for the baby.
So 2 weeks ago we had the big project of organizing our closet (it was such a mess) and selling some things on Craigslist. Then we got enough money to buy some things we needed to reorganize the kids room. We were hoping for enough $ to buy another set of identical bunk beds. I thought it'd be nice for Tessa just to transition to the bottom bunk of the bunk bed like Adalynn did- it's a twin bed and Adalynn had no problems adjusting. Plus those beds would last for a long time and then there'd be one for Jaren someday too. BUT we didn't have enough money... maybe someday.
So we got out Will's old toddler bed which is kinda falling apart, but it works. So last weekend Billy set up that bed and put it in the kids room. Will, Adalynn and Tessa are now sharing one big room. We put the little toddler bed inbetween the wall and the bunkbeds so Tessa is sandwhiched in like the crib. The kids love it! Then I went through all the toys, donated some to the thrift store, and reorganized all of them. We bought 2 big tupperware cart things for the toys and I printed out pictures to go on each drawer to help the kids keep their toys straight and know where everything goes. We also bought two small "3 drawer carts" for Tessa's dressor. We already had 1 small one for Tessa's dressor which we need for Jaren, and we had a big white one we already used for toys. Those were the cheapest possible things to buy for storage/ dressor space. They're like $10 a piece.
So now we have

A big dressor (that used to me my mom's, and then me and my sister shared it and now Will and Adalynn shared it- it's old but sturdy) and then two little white tupperware things for Tessa's clothes- works perfect. And then there's the 3 beds close together.
Then we have

a girl "toy chest"- w/ Adalynn's loving family set, followed by kitchen/ food stuff, followed by dress up clothes, then the white one is all baby toys, then the blue one is Will's building stuff. Then we have 3 "chairs" which get lots of use.
Here's the closet:

There is no closet in the baby's room and it's a really small room so we have all the baby's stuff in here too. Toys and clothes for 4 kids in one room! So Jaron's clothes are on the top, Will's clothes are on the bottom- b/c he can dress himself so I wanted them where he can reach them. Then the girls dresses are on the right. We only have nice clothes hanging up and all other clothes in dressors. Then the white tupperware cart in the closet is Jaron's.
I was actually able to fit all his clothes in there!

Here's his onesies. They are so tiny!
And then Billy installed these shelves in the kids closet and our closet.

So there's one on each side of the closet in the kids room. And then 2 in our room.

I think we did the best we could w/ limited space and funds! I am actually excited about all the work we did in getting everything organized and making room for all the baby's stuff. I know it's not the prettiest room but it's the best we could do on very little money. :)
I mentioned that last week is when we did the whole reorganizing project, but I actually didn't put the baby stuff away till today. I washed all his clothes, blankets and bibs yesterday. That was another big project but so fun. I could really picture my little baby when I saw those tiny onesies and folded all the swaddling blankets. I am getting anxious to meet him.
I know it's a little early to be totally ready for his arrival (I'm almost 33 weeks) but I'd rather be ready early and just wait rather than rushing right at the end and being stressed out.
So now that my house is all organized all I have to worry about is keeping it clean and kept up (which I have been slacking on a little with all these projects- so I need to get caught up.)

Will's 1st day of Kindergarten

Yes I cried! My baby's at school... and he'll be in school for a long time now- no going back. I can't believe it. But I love this picture of my handsome boy cheesin' it up. haha. He smiled that way in every picture- the biggest possible smile he could manage. And of course the girls wanted to wear their backpacks and be in the picture too. I love how in this one they have the same pose/ expression.
So here's the details of Will's first day of school:
I had a restless night sleep the night before and I think some others might have too- I sure heard Tessa moving around a lot (kicking the wall). Then they woke up at 5:40... um, no... I don't think so. I told them it was still night time and they went to bed only to come out again at 6:20, so I don't know if they really went back to sleep. They used to wake up at 7:30, but since Tessa's moved to Will and Adalynn's room it's been earlier. So anyway, we decided to start the day. I excitedly told Will it was his first day of school and we talked and talked about that. He was really excited to help me pack his lunch and get in his brand new school clothes, etc. (speaking of the school clothes- he has to wear either red or navy blue shirts, so I just bought the smallest size shirt from his school and thought they would work. I didn't even try them on him till the first day of school and they are really big. So I have ordered new ones that should fit him better from Walmart. com- only $4!... I guess I should have tried them on him sooner)
So we had an extra half hour or so after getting every one fed, dressed, teeth brushed and lunch made. It was kind of nice not too be so rushed. So I had some story time with Will and cuddled him as close as possible until I had to let him go... Then came the hard part. Our whole family got in the car b/c neither his Daddy or I wanted to miss saying goodbye to him at the school on his first day. Billy said goodbye to him at the car and I could tell he was getting a little emotional- which got me started! I walked him into the school where all too soon I met his teacher and had to hand my son over too her. *sniff, sniff* It's so hard. She's so nice and I think she is going to be an awesome teacher, but it's like "Here's my son that I love so much, take good care of him." Well, she let me have a moment to say goodbye to him. I gave him a big hug (didn't want to let him go) and told him that I love him and then said goodbye before he could see me ball. I tried to hold the tears in till I got to the car which is when I lost it. And then Tessa didn't help matters any by saying "Will, Will." over and over again. Finally when I could talk again I told her he was going to stay there for awhile.
Wow... I missed him. BUT on the flip side, it is so much easier at home with only two kids! Adalynn and Tessa play so good together when it's just the 2 of them. They still have high emotions so it does take work to parent them, and I like spending quality time with them throughout the day, but it is a lot easier with 2 kids (and soon I will change that- adding another one to the mix- I just didn't want to keep it simple. lol)
So yesterday when I picked up Will I was so happy to see him and he was happy too. He seemed overjoyed to be home and to tell me all about school and his teacher and what he did. He showed me something he had colored and we talked about the rules in his class (his teacher sent that home) and that got him started talking more about school. It was just so fun to hear all that he wanted to tell us, and I was so happy to have him home. And then I played with him for a little while and he was playing so nicely with everyone- it's like he appreciated us more b/c he was gone for the day.
This morning was easier and I am actually really happy that he's in school. I know he needed to go to school- he needs to socialize and make friends, and play and have the structure of the classroom setting. It's fun for him too. I can't wait till he starts learning how to read and I can't wait to see all the things he'll excitedly show me when he comes home from school. I think he is going to a great school. The principal is someone I have known for a long time, and he is awesome. The teacher is so great, and I love her system. They do language arts curriculm and then hands on stuff and then the math curriculm and then hands on/ application (which I think is play oriented for this age). Everything sounds great, and there's only 17 kids in his class! So I am happy with the school and Will is happy and I am looking forward to more time with my girls before the baby comes!

Someone needs glasses!

So Tessa's been doing this for awhile now:



We kept thinking it would go away, but it didn't- it just got worse and then she started alternating which eye she crossed (it used to just be the left) and we started getting a little more worried as time went on. So we mentioned it to the pediatrition the last check up and she reffered us to the specialist. We finally saw him last week and he gave us some interesting news.
First of all, she's far sighted (as most kids are) and she has trouble focusing when things are close, so she crosses her eyes. It's actually a good thing that she alternates which eye she crosses b/c that means that she's not just weak in one eye. When an adult crosses their eyes they see double, but when a child does it, they have the ability to just shut off that eye and they can still see out of the good eye. I didn't know that! So anyway, she needs glasses, and what that'll do is help her eyes learn to work together and not strain which should fix the problem. And if it does fix the problem then she won't need glasses anymore (best case scenario). So I'm glad we are know now what's wrong and how to hopefully fix it. Let's hope it helps!
She has such pretty blue eyes, I almost don't want to cover her face with glasses... but I'm sure she'll still look cute- and if it helps we'll do it!

Our 2 year old

Tessa turned 2! It seems like she's been 2 for awhile b/c she's so developed for her age, and plus we celebrated her and Adalynn's birthdays together a month ago. BUT she is officially 2 now.
We get a kick out Tessa's personality and her love for her family. She is very loving and happy and gets excited about things. She loves to see "Annie" and Cozette first thing in the morning- she gets so excited when they come into her room. I love to hear her little voice. She is saying more sentences now and it is so fun to not only hear her say new words but also putting words together. One of our favorite words to hear Tessa say is "Thanee or Danee" That's Thank you in Tessa language. She says it often and it is so cute. Even Adalynn has started to say it sometimes b/c she likes to talk like Tessa now and then. Also, the other day I was talking to Billy about something and we said the word baby. Tessa stopped playing rubbed my stomache and said "Hi Baby!" She loves saying hi to the baby in my stomache.
She has gotten past her hitting stage and now she loves hugs and cuddling, so I'm so happy about that. She is a joy to have in our home and she's so smart. Sometimes she does or says something and I think Wow, that's early for her to start doing that. One example is that she pretty much potty trained herself- she's barely 2 and there have been many days where she'll stay dry all day.
We love our little girl and wouldn't trade her for the world!