The reality check has been cashed and SPENT

I'm sure it is no surprise to anyone reading this still that I have been cah-RAZY busy and absent lately.

I have a busy 14 year old who has recently grown up into a very helpful young lady with the kids.  However, there's only so much entertaining that big sister can do for a knowledge-hungry 4 year old boy and a whirling dirvish two-and-a-half girl. Then there is the 6 week old baby boy who loves loves LOVES to cuddle and be held by Momma. Allthetime. I am completely smitten with him, and you can find me wrapped around his precious little finger.

Consequently, I rarely get to sit down to the computer with two empty hands to do much more than my basic banking and the actual work that I do for the church. I'm dependent on my phone for any internet fun like Twitter or Facebook, and that is always on the run.

I am giving myself permission to stop pressuring myself about blogging. You can always find me on Twitter, Facebook, and more recently Instagram as lgossom.  I'm on Pinterest as well - pinning my hopes and dreams of a perfect house on the interweb ;)

I've been blogging for close to seven years now. I'm so thankful for every friend I have made and every acquaintance renewed through the community of blogging.  Social networking does not replace local friendships for me. I feel like it has enhanced my ability to listen and converse without judgement, and definitely I am a better person because of you. Yes, you!

It's a new season of life for me, one which I have long dreamed for. I'm excited about how our family has grown - and you have been there with us.  Thank you for all the memories!

Much love,

Liz

Gabriel Anthony

We are proud to introduce our newest addition!

Gabriel Anthony joined our family Thursday, March 1st at 6:43pm. Weighing in at a nice 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 19 3/4", I'm thankful that he is our last baby.  If I had gone through labor like that either time before, we wouldn't have had any more children.

It started out pretty normal for me. I was still only dilated 2cm at my appointment the Monday prior, and the doctor agreed to induce me Thursday even though he stated the baby was pretty high up there, thus a risk for a c-section. My other labors hadn't even a hint of a complication, so we pretty much poo-pooed his worries and he said he was comfortable with delivering on March 1st. This put me at 4 days early, since they did change my due date to March 5th.

I really thought with the level of contractions I had been having all week that I would be in the hospital Wednesday night.  We distributed the children to their home for the week, and showed up at the hospital at 5:30am on Thursday. The same nurse who started my induction for Gracie was there, so that was nice. We had the Pitocin drip started by 7:10am, doctor broke my water around 9, and by 10:45 the epidural was in effect. On schedule to deliver early afternoon, if things went according to how Zachary and Gracie were delivered.

But I still just didn't dilate. Unfortunately, our favorite doctor was only there until 1pm, and after that was the doctor I saw that previous Monday. When he got there, I was barely at a 4, with no dropping.  He started spouting off about high risk for c-section, baby not ready yet, that's why they don't like to induce early, yada yada yada. I got to hear that nice little speech every hour until 4pm. I finally got to a 5 then, and the epidural started wearing off.

For the next hour I was maxed out on the Pitocin. The epidural slowly wore off, and I really started to be in pain and uncomfortable.  I could feel extreme pressure, but still not dilating any. At 5:00, the doctor let me in on a little secret - my cervix was leaning to my left, and the baby's head wasn't dropping down into it but was pressing on the side of the opening. In fact - hind sight is 20/20, of course - I had been having pain on my lower right abdomen for the last 6-8 weeks of my pregnancy.  I wasn't comfortable sleeping on my right side at all, and if by chance I rolled over onto my right side without having hoisted myself over there, I always turned back over to my left side. Excruciating pain, but I didn't ever think to tell the doctor because I just thought it was pregnancy, and pain happens.

Anyways, when he mentioned that tiny detail about my cervix not cooperating, the nurse suggested that I reposition to my right side, instead of the sitting up we had been trying, to allow gravity to take its course. Dr McSmartypants also threw in one final "if she hasn't delivered by 8pm, we will have to do a c-section."

I think at that point I started going delirious. About the last thing I remember is crying, asking Chris to pray for me because I was so scared. I just held on to the bed railing and cried every contraction. At some point Chris started calling around for prayer for me, because it just was not looking good at all.  My bff Christina got there some time after 6. I do know I was so relieved when I saw she was there because that's just what we do for each other.  Finally around 6:30 they pronounced that I was complete and ready to push.

Chris and Christina have had a really great time sharing with our friends and family that I told off the doctor about telling me what to do, and giving the anesthesiologist down the road ... I don't really remember all that.

(I did ask if I cussed, and thankfully I did not.)

(I will not say that those words did not pass through my mind but apparently even in my miserable about to die state, the Lord had mercy on me to help me not be profane.)

At 6:43pm, the most precious little bundle of fat rolls came tumbling out. Zachary had asked me how the doctor was going to get the baby out, and would he come through my belly button? I decided almost 4 years old is still too young for some facts of life, and told him that the doctor would know how to help me get the baby out.  So he thinks Gabriel came out of my back. I'm going with that. :)

Even though he was bigger than the other two babies, I have to agree with my sister in law Catharine. She had a 9 pounder first, and then again a 7+ pound baby just a few months ago, and said they both felt the same coming out. That is exactly the way I felt, even though the labor to get to that point was different for each child, the actual pushing of a human out of my body didn't feel any different.

I still wouldn't call this labor traumatic. I was disappointed at the lack of support I received from the doctor who was delivering. However with my body not really lining up the way it was supposed to, I don't think the labor would have gone any differently if I was induced on or after my due date.

Enough about me. THE BABY! He is so precious!  Takes a paci, thank you Lord for small blessings. Loves to snuggle right into my neck, he's a great nurser, and last night he slept from 11pm to 4am, and again 5am to 8:45am.  It was fantastic. He does have a spitty problem, but I'm working on resolving that by just shortening his feeding times because I think he is just a super sucker haha!

This was today. Zonked out on my lap.

We're so pleased at how the kids are doing with him. Gracie has finally figured out it is a he, not a her. For the first night she was saying "Her so tute!" every 30 seconds. Zachary is oh so protective of him, and tells everyone he is a Big Brother.  Like he hasn't had a little sister for the last 2 1/2 years. Kelsey is head over heels for him.  I think it's different this time for her because she is older, and has lived with us the whole pregnancy. It's more real that a new baby joined the family rather than us picking up a baby doll at the store.

Affectionately we call him our love child because he was totally unplanned. But I wouldn't take him back for all the 100% birth control plans in the world.

One Square Yard For Liz, One Giant Leap For Decoration

I have some plans.

When we left off painting in June - directly correlated to the time I got pregnant and lost all will and energy to do anything that required thought or planning - we had begun to paint the family room area.  My original plans to do a charcoal gray and yellow theme fell through about 12 hours after we painted the toyroom (now my craft room) yellow.  Feather Plume from Behr, to be exact.  It is so bright. No, bright is an understatement. I was inspired by my mother in law's home, her kitchen is this color. It's delightful, welcoming, cheerful. Everything I want my family room to be. However - her ceilings are probably 3-4' higher in the kitchen than in my family room. 

It makes a difference.  There is a reason the Sun is 150,000,000 miles from the Earth.

I am still in love with the deep gray we have painted the bottom half of the walls and one entire wall (split level - we have ledges). So everywhere downstairs that it is the cream/taupe from the previous owners and ALL OF THE SUNSHINE, we are going with a few shades lighter gray on the same chip.  I'm excited about that because I can use colorful and easily changed out textiles for my window curtains.

And my side curtains!

For the brief time that my other mother in law lived with us, we had a curtain separating her private living space from the rest of the family room.  She has since moved on, and I simply added onto the curtain rod to extend the curtains to either side of the opening.  

Like so:

see the yellow? The lights are OFF. It's like heaven, where there will be no more night.

I have been looking for inspiration for how to have neutral gray walls, colorful fabrics, and still reconcile the big red couch.  New furniture for the downstairs is a long way off, although I hope to add a futon couch and a few easy chairs soon. But a whole new set? Meh. I'll wait until the kids get a little older. Especially now that I know my new carpet shampooer does wonders on microfiber. 

Where was I? Oh yes. Inspiration.  

Inspiration came in the form of Sis Pastor's Wife who had received this remnant of fabric years ago as a gift. After spending the afternoon Saturday here with my baby shower, she brought this to me Sunday to see if I could use it, because it doesn't really flow with her decor. 

I. Love. It.   

I wouldn't want a whole set of curtains from it, but it is a start. I am going to make it a pillow, and pull colors from it for other pillows and base all of the curtains from it as well.  

I'm especially excited, because the changing table/dresser that I stole from Gracie to start off my craft room needs to be repainted. This DIY project brought to you by a quick nap from Daddy while Gracie went cah-RAZY on her whole body, the changing table, and Zachary's wall with a blue highlighter. It came off of everything except the changing table.  Which is fine, because as it is, it looks like a changing table. My goal for that area is to be able to set up my sewing machine full time, and do whatever I need to do when I need to do it instead of waiting for an opportunity for the kitchen table to be available. 

Also, I love this image that I pinned from The Pioneer Woman's website:

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Liz on Pinterest

Doesn't that look so inviting?  And wouldn't the ever-popular Robin's Egg Blue shade found in the fabric sample be delightful on a changing table/dresser/don't-ever-touch-Momma's-stuff?

Maybe I could just give Gracie back that blue highlighter and let her go to town on the changing table, because it is a close match.

Gossom Christmas 2011

We have had a great month, despite events and circumstances that could take a lesser person down.

Ignore my last post. My poor boy was fatigued and oversugared, and I think he needed Momma's attention. I didn't react right. We're better now.  I quit telling him to potty, and he is taking care of business all on his own. Just like I taught him.

We've worked out a system of celebrating the holidays that seems to work for everyone. Kelsey had her Christmas celebrations with her mom's family when they planned them. Not that I think they puposely planned them around our events, but this year it worked out fantastic. Which is good, because Christmas time for a kid with two separate family trees is difficult to say the least.  She handled it all very well this year, so A+ for her. Our girl is growing up.

We spent Christmas Eve with Chris's dad and stepmom, and his sisters and brothers-in-law. Sweet new baby to cuddle, my chicken 'n' dumplins to devour, and lots of laughs.

I forgot to mention that I am hosting The Flat Princess - Thanks Mom! She was a big help with the chicken 'n' dumplins, but she was a little light handed with the pepper. Just sayin'.

Alyssa reading to Zachary

Precious little bundle 

I have to say that I am so happy with how our Christmas Day turned out. The kids were delightful opening their presents, and I'll share the two pictures I got - I was too busy admiring my new Pyrex to mess with pictures.

The tree with decorations on the top third. 

 

Gracie playing with her magnetic paper dolls.

Zachary building his stuff - definitely the Christmas morning winner!

In my stocking

Zachary is so proud of himself for putting this puzzle together!

My dinner was delicious - BBQ spice rub on a boneless turkey breast - totally the way to do turkey. It was incredibly tender and juicy.  Of course there was mashed potatoes, gravy, macaroni and cheese, broccoli salad, deviled eggs, rolls, corn on the cob, a perfect butterscotch pie (no recipe to share there - sorry - you'll just have to come and visit if you want to taste it), and a burnt apple pie. Which I was totally fine with cutting off the burnt crust edges.

The fun isn't over - we're doing Christmas at Mom's tomorrow night.  I'm super excited about it, and I hope I stop eating long enough to take pictures.

Also I hope I can manage to score a cheeseball somewhere on the way up because otherwise this will be the second cheeseball disappointed Christmas in a row.

Maybe that will be in my stocking next year.

Potty Talk

Potty training - Ihateitwithmywholeheart

Not sure if it's all the Christmas excitement that came to a screeching halt yesterday when I decided November 18-December 26 was a long enough lifespan for the Christmas decorations. But Zach has all but refused to use the bathroom without an unbelievable amount of prompting for several weeks now.

Today I had to sit him on the potty where he had not been since last night - at 12 something today.  He decided to not cooperate in the grossest way possible and peed all over my hand painted mushrooms on the wall.

Should an almost 4 year old have a potty training setback after months of no accidents?

Meanwhile Gracie is so ready to stop wearing diapers, but I'm not sure I'm ready to handle cleaning up potty messes on one hand and reteach Zach how to use the potty in a timely manner again with the other hand. And change diapers with that third hand that is going to magically grow out of my back just in time for the new baby to be born.

Don't look now but I think I captured that elusive waistline on film

I found my camera!

More accurately, Zachary found my camera.  Apparently the place I put it where I'd never forget it and the kids would never find it - was behind this little divider behind my modem and router at the back of the desk.

There's no telling what else is back there.

The desk is the one stationary piece of furniture in the house.  We (meaning Chris) had to screw it back together when we moved in.  We had some friends help us - one being a guy whoI affectionately refer to as The Hulk, or sometimes That Guy Who Made My Dining Room Table Into A True Scratch And Dent Item.

I've been perusing the Craigslist for a new-to-me dining room set for a few months.  I'd like to find an 8 seater normal height table, preferably with a hutch or a buffet included.  We have four chairs, and already have five in our family.  For awhile we had our spare two-seater in the dining room, but I moved it back downstairs.  Since we rarely eat together due to Chris's work schedule, it's pretty much first come first served when it comes to chairs at the table.

So we definitely need more seating at the table, and since my old set is pretty banged up now, I'm tossing around the wording to sell it on Craigslist too.

"Counter-height table for sale. Four chairs. Seats eight but I only bought four chairs. The four chairs we have are encrusted with God knows what.  Needs a power wash and possibly an orbital sander. The bolts holding the legs on the chairs are tenuous at best; my two year old unscrews them at the most inopportune times."

Segway.

So I found my camera.  That black hole behind my desk sucked the camera in sometime after Father's Day. Gracie is so little in that picture.  That dress went to her ankles - now it barely grazes her knees.  I can't bear to part with it though, so it's hanging on the wall in her bedroom.  So I can look at it daily.

Oh, and check out me trying to show off the paint job upstairs.  Sometime in May.  Right before I wasted four months of hard work losing weight and got pregnant again. 

So I took it with me to the annual Ladies Banquet tonight. This was my 13th banquet, and I was so desperate to go I paid a 12-year-old to watch the kids. She was wonderful and she's totally hired.

Forever friends. Oh, and yes that's a blue ribbon on my sweater. I was on a winning team.

Through the fog

Please don't get used to this. I don't know how I got so lucky that my children are settling back down into a normal bedtime routine, but I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.

Or as a mixed up card of common quotes that my Dad sent me one time said, "Don't count your chickens before they walk a mile in your shoes."

I hadn't mentioned it before because who has time to blog these days when you are so busy living the life - BUT - Zachary had another asthma attack. We're pretty sure it is due to allergies, but I asked the doctor if it was time to maybe put him on a daily medicine to help with that. Now that my child is not blue in the face again, I can step back and see that maybe he just needed a few days of Benedryl. But the doctor was only too eager to comply and gave me samples and a prescription for Singulair.

Maybe your child or you have had great success with this medicine, and maybe it was because Zach isn't dealing with a chronic asthma problem, but this stuff messed him up.

I mean, he could never be accused of being a compliant kid, and he has been sleeping on the floor instead of his toddler bed for almost a year now because he insisted he was "a big boy for to sleep on the floor not in a baby bed."

A few days after the asthma attack and the start of his nightly Singulair, I realized he was being exceptionally ugly.  And not sleeping. Not just the not sleeping well, but in my bed every night. Screaming, crying, nightmares, the whole works. He can be less than cooperative on a good day, but on a day following a night of no sleep which followed a day after the night of no sleep - multiplied by ten or so days and nights - it was awful. He even pushed a kid down at the mall play area, which is highly unusual behavior for him.  And no 3 1/2 year old wants to be told "no," but he would get completely out of control at the smallest confrontation.  He even told me he didn't want to be happy, he wanted to stay sad.

!!!

I called the doctor right away when he told me that, and we took him off of the Singulair. Ten days later we think we are finally getting our kid back. I missed him. And I missed my sleep and peace of mind.

I liked it so I put a Pin on it

I know, right? Two posts in one day.  I attribute my chattiness to the full night of rest I got last night.

It is astounding the amount of energy one has when one is permitted to sleep through the night without the added benefit of a 3 1/2 year old wallowing all over them. Hypothetically speaking, that person might even clean the refrigerator, deep clean kitchen counters, sweep, mop, and *gasp* practice the piano.

Henceforth, one also might be persuaded to actually create something she pinned.

And the speaking of oneself in the third person is getting old.

I saw this mug sweater on Pinterest, and immediately wished I could knit and also wished I could bring myself to use a cup without a top on it in the presence of my children.

Source: ravelry.com via Liz on Pinterest

I remembered that I really can't knit worth blogging about, but I can crochet a little.  So I went in search of a crochet pattern. Pinterest did not disappoint.

Source: micahmakes.com via Liz on Pinterest

Aha.  Free pattern! Just the way I like it! I dug out the solitary skein of yarn that survived the Decluttering O' Winter 2010 and whipped this baby up after having to research crochet pattern abbreviations because I couldn't remember what "sk" stood for.

Isn't she sweet? 

she loves her some Cordy

We added two new family members to our household about a month ago. Nana Crystal joined us for the time being, along with her almost ten year old white English bulldog, Lady Cordelia.

We are all very happy with the whole arrangement.  It has been a long time since I've lived with any family at all, and it is just so great to have another adult around to talk to when Chris is working.  And say what you may about mothers-in-law and their sons - there is no jealousy here.  It makes me very happy when I hear Chris and his mom talking about whatever random stuff they talk about, because he treats her with respect as a mother, and she treats him with respect as a grown son.  We work together dealing with the kids and their various disciplinary needs. We picked up a chair off the side of the road together and readily admitted defeat after twenty minutes of scrubbing. She admires my cooking, and I admire her swift laundry tackling skills.  It is mutual adoration.

And I especially enjoy a dog that I am not personally responsible for, but who comes running to meet me every morning.  Well, as much as a short, fat, and utterly adorable mess of Cordy can run.  It's more of a rapid hop.

Gracie took a few weeks to get used to her.  We are talking full on shrieking and running the other direction any time Cordy dared to move from her cage.

Now we are all the time calling for Gracie to "stop riding the puppy," and "please stay out of Cordy's cage," and "no, Nana will wipe Cordy's nose, you don't have to do that," and any other assortment of two year old adoring the puppy a bit too much comments.

the lion sleeps in the middle of the day, and so I blog

So a couple of weeks ago I got homesick for my people.  Mom & I had a thing to swap, Jessica & I had a thing to swap, so we all met at some outlet stores between hither and yon.

Between the three adults we managed to corral the three young ones with only one injury for the afternoon. That's probably a record. Zach was overzealous in hugging Eva, and the poor girl wound up on the sidewalk. Thankfully Zachary's arms were trapping her into the hug around her , and I think his arms broke the fall.

A few pictures of the kids, those camera hogs ...

Jessica got a greatly over exposed shot, but edited it into my favorite happy picture ever that I show everyone.

Nana sewed the most perfect birthday gift ever, this remnant of orange fleece I picked up over a year ago for less than a dollar - turned into a cape.  Gracie loves it, and it coordinates nicely with a handmedown cordouroy skirt and a yellow turtleneck. She looked like a candy corn, and a little girl in the store said "I love her costume!"  

I didn't get many pictures of the other two playing. Mainly because they would have been a blur, and also I had my eyes fastened on Gracie. This is the largest playset she has attempted, and I was nervous.

Speaking of birthdays, Sissy turned 2 last week!  So hard to believe.  Here is her birthday outfit/present from Mommy.  Target's clearance produced an adorable dress that is elbow length, so I'm totally fine with it for winter. The leggings, not so much. I thought they would fit tighter, and they are more like a 4T than a 3T, so I'll be saving those for next winter. And the shoes. THE SHOES! Fuschia Keds, never worn, at Once Upon A Child for $6.50.  Score. She can put them on herself, and loves them. Double score.  

And here is the birthday girl at her little cake and ice cream party that I refuse to call a birthday ParTay, because a birthday ParTay every year goes against every principle that I have. Also a birthday ParTay requires planned games and a theme and I just don't have the time and energy to do that. I did bake her a cake though.  I tried to make it a hairbow. It looked more like a butterfly. Actually I won't write it out loud on the internet what I thought it looked like once I put two round layer cakes side by side and iced it with yellow icing and no trim decorations, but if you are following that sentence closely at all you can read between the lines and figure out what I thought it looked like.  

Okay, back to the cute little girl in the pink dress - she is taking a picture of me with her Step 2 kitchen phone.  Too cute.

Segway.

We had a no good, terrible, awful, very bad day around here Tuesday, and so I made Chris drag down the Christmas tree and decorations. Someone had to do something to get a smile out of somebody, and snowmen did the trick.  If you look closely, you will note there is not one breakable decoration on that tree. All plastic and paper chains and stockings. It is delightful.  The kids had a fantastic time decorating it to their heart's desire, and smiles were shared by all.  Mission accomplished.