My Pleasure Center

After reading my posts, can you tell that food is one of things I like the most?

Keith says that if he wants to make me happy, all he needs to do is indulge me in my favorite foods. He also knows that if I am grumpy or in a bad mood and I have a food urge, he just has to satisfy it and all is right with the world.

Some of my best memories are triggered by food. When I think of certain foods, I think of certain people. I had no idea my older sister's favorite cereal was Captain Crunch. So, now I think of her when I see it. I also think of her when I have cake with butter cream frosting. My younger sister I think of when I see Liver and Onions on a menu - every so often she orders it. Kare Kare (a Filipino dish) always makes me think of my parents - I only like it the way they make it. I think of Mom whenever I make her gingered carrots and her coleslaw. I think of my Grandma whenever I cut a banana in half for my kids. She would eat half a banana almost everyday. I think of Karensa when I use Nutella. I think of my brother-in-law Paul whenever I use Paprika because he and Karensa gave Mom some really good Hungarian Paprika which confused the heck out of me because he is Ukrainian and for some reason Hungarian Paprika given by a Ukrainian was too much for me to process! I kept thinking Paul was Hungarian and the Paprika was from the Ukraine. I think of my kids around carrots, apples and peanut butter. That's what they love to snack on (not all at once!). I think of Keith often because of all the hundreds of places we've dined at, well, that's not exactly true. I think of Keith often because he is always on my mind.

Ah, food!

Mom's Visit Has Been Nice

Mom flew in on Friday. It was so nice to see her. We were all really hungry by the time we got to our area and we went to Souplantation. I really like the place and Mom had never been there. Unfortunately, she had something in her salad that didn't taste so fresh. It pretty much ruined her lunch.

When we finally got home, Kyle went down immediately for a nap and Kevin and Kaela took up most of Mom's time. They read books and drew pictures all afternoon. I hadn't gotten Mom's room put together, so while the little ones napped and Mom and the bigger kids were spending time together, I straightened out my massive loads of laundry and boxes so that Mom could have room to maneuver in the guest room (which we have been using as a storage room).

After Keith came home, we had take out Indian food. I had been craving Indian food for a few days so, I really really enjoyed it. Before we knew it, it was time for the kids to go to bed. Keith, Mom and I watched Hotel Rwanda; a good, but really sad movie. I cried too many times to count and was embarrassed to be so ignorant of the situation over there. I had thought that the wars and genocide occurred in the 50s or 60s. All this took place in the 90s. Over 1 million people died and we (America) did nothing. What a dreadful thought.

I'm not sure how to switch back into "what we did this weekend" thoughts after commenting on the movie. So, I will just jump right back in and get back to my movie commentary another time.

Saturday morning (today) started early. Kenna and I were up before 6am and Kevin then Kaela came down to join us soon after. Kevin's first words were, "Where's Grandma?" Mom came down just after Kaela did. Keith was snoring away upstairs as was Kyle. I finally went back up just after 7 and woke Keith so that I could take a short nap before the day started. Kyle woke just about when Keith did.

I finally got up and we all headed out into the neighborhood for the neighborhood garage sale. We opted not to sell because we just weren't read and Mom is here for the weekend. We would much rather have had fun spending time with Mom. We weren't going to spend a lot of money, but we ended up getting some good deals. We bought a new kitchen nook for $20, a new computer monitor for $10, a bike for Kevin for $4 and a Sit and Spin for the kids for $1. We thought we did pretty good. Kevin got a free little plastic jet from the neighbor down the street.

After garage saleing, we had lunch. Then Keith and Mom took the kids to the park while I stayed home with Kenna. My Mom and Dad and sister came up to visit Mom and the grandkids (they didn't mention Keith and me in their reason for a visit!). Before dinner, we all hung out and each had a Mai Tai. We had salmon burgers, a tortellini pasta salad and carrots for dinner. They brought a Red Ribbon Cake. Yum yum yum!

The rest of the night was pretty much hanging out. Mom and Keith watched U-571 and I surfed. It has been a nice time, as always our time together has been too short. Mom leaves tomorrow. But! She will be back this time next month along with Grandma Fischer. Yeah!

She's Sleeping Like a Baby

Since having kids, I have wondered why sleeping peacefully is referred to as "sleeping like a baby" because as most of us know, babies wake up constantly every few hours. To me, that isn't very fun.

Well, McKenna has proven four nights in a row now that sleeping like a baby is indeed peaceful. She has slept through the night four nights in a row now. I am SO happy. She has been going down around 10 - 11pm and has been getting up at 5 - 6am. I had been staying up until around midnight - 1am anticipating her waking again, but she hasn't. So, last night I went to bed at 11:30. I slept really well last night. It is the best feeling to her hear wake in the morning and to look at the clock and find that more than five hours have passed.

But, not to burst my bubble. I am not expecting this to last, but I am enjoying the rest.

Why can't my Son say Mama?!?!?!

So, at Kyle's 18 month exam, the doc was slightly concerned that Kyle wasn't talking much, but after asking a few questions, she thought he was fine and not in danger of having speech delays. He isn't saying much verbally, but since he understand everything we say and points and grunts when he wants something or sees something interesting, the doc says not to worry. Kevin at this age was saying more than 40 words and Kaela was at about 30. Kyle can say 5. Yup, five. They are in order of appearance: Dadee, Bye, Tickle Tickle, Higheee and Baby.

So, he and I are together practically 24/7 and he says what - Dadee??? (This has been explained in a previous post, I know.) And Hi and Bye - typical toddler talk. He clearly says "Tickle Tickle" - maybe because of his "jokester" nature. But okay, so, McKenna is only 3 1/2 weeks old and Kyle can say, "Baby." Excuse me???? Where is "Mama"?

OH sure, he'll repeat the sounds, mama and any other weird sound, blah blah, do do do, and so on, but he uses the above mentioned five words in context. Dadee is Keith. Baby is McKenna. I guess I should be consoled that he doesn't say Kaela and Kevin, but I am not.

(Just to let you know, since this is text and you can't see the expressions on my face as I write this, I am not mad about it. I find it as amusing as you all do.)

Augh! The Price of Gas

Last night I finally filled my gas tank after driving around a few days putting it off because of the high gas prices. Well, my "low fuel" light finally came on, and I was forced to get gas. I decided after watching the gas prices the last few days that I should just go ahead and fill the entire tank. So, I pull into the gas station and the pump I pick shows the amount the person before me paid. $53. I thought, "Wow, this poor person had to pay $53 for gas." So, I start pumping and I know that it is going to take awhile since my tank is bone dry. After a bit, I peek at the pump $48. Okay, I am getting close to the other person's $53, so I watch the gauge. 51, 52, 53, 54, 55. It shows no sign of stopping. I am getting worried... 58, 69, 60. "Oh geez," I moan to myself. 61, 62, 63. I can't take it anymore. I finally stop the pump at $65. The darn thing had no signs of stopping. $65 for a tank of gas in which I had to stop the pump myself. Augh! The price of gas.

Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind

(Kenna, Kaela, Kyle & Kevin - this morning)

My kids - all cut from the same cloth, but different in their own right. I guess that would be called - personality!

Kevin is a gentle soul - kind and caring in every way. He is sensitive and has compassion. He's smart and very curious. Always willing to help out.

Kaela is a princess. She is already using her female side to get what she wants. She has perfected the head tilt and the pleading eyes. She knows what she wants and she almost always gets it (unless she is up against me).

Kyle is a jokester. You'd think he was the one born on April Fool's day. He loves to smile and laugh. He plays jokes on all of us and knows exactly when to crack that wonderful smile of his to get out of trouble.

Kenna is easy going. Keith commented today that she is the easiest baby of the four and I think I would have to agree with that. She is very easy to please and loves to just lay around and absorb all that we are doing. I think she will continue to be this way as she gets older.

I (as does Keith) feel so lucky to have such "easy" kids. When I go out with all the kids, I get comments like "Wow, you have your hands full" and "Are they all yours? I only have (pick a number) kids, and I can barely handle them". My response always is, "It's not so bad, they are really good kids."

My Birthday Continued...

Well, Keith did manage to get off work early and we all headed off to the local mall. We had a lot of fun (as always). First, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. It was our first dining out experience with all four kids. It worked out really well as the older kids were all well behaved. McKenna slept the entire time in her car seat/stroller. The kids shared a popcorn shrimp appetizer and Keith and I split a Navajo sandwich. Yum! We didn't have a heavy meal since it was only 4pm and we thought that maybe we would be eating more later (which we did).

After Cheesecake Factory, we went to Cold Stone and we all had ice cream - again, Yum! We sat on a bench and watched people go by as we ate ice cream. Since it was still fairly early, there weren't the huge crowds that we had experienced before at this mall. It was raining earlier in the day, maybe people decided not to venture out. After ice cream, Keith, Kevin, Kaela and Kyle went on the train that runs through the mall. After the train ride, we strapped Kyle back into the stroller and the two little ones and I strolled around while Keith and the big kids took a few spins on the giant Ferris wheel. After that, we walked around a bit, went to the chocolatier and had chocolate. Keith had a short espresso. It was extremely strong, just the way he likes it. After chocolate, Kaela and I went on the carousel. So, Kaela rode on all three attractions. Even though it was my birthday celebration, the kids seemed to have the best time - not that Keith and I didn't. We had a great time doing all these fun things with the kids. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. We finally left around 7pm and the kids went to bed at their usual time.

We sat on the couch for awhile and watched TV. Keith gave me a really nice foot massage then we went to bed. Kenna gave me a nice break. She slept the entire night! We got up at 6am. She fell back asleep soon after eating and I got to go back to bed. Keith woke me at 9:30am for my day of shopping.

I got to spend the entire day yesterday all to myself. I went shopping with all the gift cards and money I got. I had a really nice time. I went shopping for clothes, but didn't buy any. I did end up using most of my birthday funds on the rest of the family and things for the house. Keith got some new shirts and a new belt. Kaela got a new summery outfit. The boys got socks. I bought two hanging plants for the front of the house by the door. I finally got a new mouse for my laptop (I killed mine - it was a horrible death). I did use my Joann's gift certificate for fabric, but I ended up buying the kids fabric for pillow cases. I paid practically full price on theirs so it consumed half of my gift card. But, I did end up getting some really nice fabric to add to my stash. While shopping, I had lunch at the Indian restaurant. Yum! (Can you tell I love to eat?)

Today is just a typical Sunday. Keith and I are computing and the kids are playing. The house is a mess and we have eaten just whatever we feel like scrounging up. Sunday business as usual here at the Fischer house. Relaxing away.

What a Nice Birthday

Well, my birthday was really nice. I got a ton of phone calls from family, some nice cards and some nice presents. Keith had made plans to surprise me by coming home early (off at 1pm) and have a nice afternoon. But, when he got into the office this morning, there was an e-mail that the bigwigs had scheduled an afternoon last minute meeting. There were some problems that arose yesterday with their new project and they needed to be addressed. So, my surprise is no longer a surprise, but it is going to still happen tomorrow. So that will be fun. We are going to have a nice afternoon out with the family. Saturday I am going shopping. So, I will have a nice extended birthday.

My birthday dinner was yummy. We were all stuffed, and we have a lot left over for lunch tomorrow. After dinner Kevin and Keith went to Dairy Queen (by the time Keith got home from the meeting it was late and we didn't have time to walk all the way there before Survivor started), and we all had ice cream. Then Keith and I snuggled on the couch (as best we could with four kids), and watched our TV shows. It was a nice evening.

Zoe is Born!

My childhood friend, Julie, had her fourth baby today.

Zoe Michelle Antoniette weighed in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces and 18 inches long. She was delivered by C-section at 3:00pm today.

Julie had wanted to name her next baby girl Zoe, but baby #2 is Andrew and baby #3 is Nicholas (Emily is her first). So, finally a girl. So, two girls and tow boys, just like me!

She named her Michelle, after me. So, that is a really neat thing that she was born on my birthday.

She named her Antoniette after her mother who passed away about 2 months ago.

Congratulations to Julie, Mike, Emily, Andrew & Nicholas!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, today I am 35, and I don't feel a day over, well, 35! Today has started out really well. It started really really early with Kenna and me hanging out from 1:45 - 3:30am. We watched Oprah - which I had meant to watch during the day, but completely forgot. So, we caught the last 15 minutes. Then at 2:00 we switched to America's Store (an at home shopping channel). We caught the entire Scrapbooking hour and then about half an hour of their Sewing hour. Good thing they show these things in the early early morning, or I would never get to see it. After eating 6 ounces of formula and an outfit change after her spitting up, she finally fell asleep. She (and Kyle) mercifully let me sleep until 7:45. The morning has flown by and all I have been doing is sitting in front of my computer. Well, I did feed the kids breakfast. McKenna went immediately back to sleep after having her bottle. And can you believe Kyle is already down for his nap? I see his molars are breaking through on the bottom (the tops broke through last week), maybe that's why he is sleeping. Most kids are in pain crying and carrying on (my cousin told me her friend's daughter was in so much pain she was banging her head on the floor to try to ease it), but mine just sleep. Which is a good thing - all is quiet right now.

I have gotten some really nice birthday cards in the mail and got a couple of birthday phone calls this morning. Keith left me a few birthday messages. There was one on the message board on the fridge, a voicemail on my cell, and a really nice birthday e-mail. I opened my present from Mom. I got some really nice foot lotion, foot scrub and a foot brush/pumice. Just last night I was thinking of giving myself a pedicure. Also in the package was a Silpat - which I have wanted since I first used Mom's to bake, a Hershey's Cocoa cookbook, in which everything looks SO yummy and a gift card to shop! What a great present. Thanks Mom! I am going to have shopping with all the gift cards and money I got. Maybe I'll ask Keith if I can take a few hours to myself this weekend to shop. I need new clothes I think. I took an inventory of my clothes and I don't have anything decent to wear out in public. All my warm weather clothes have suddenly become old and worn. Well, I guess since most of the stuff s from when Keith and I first started dating, it isn't suddenly old and worn.

Yesterday, I did a TON of laundry and sorting through of clothes. I did about six desperately needed loads of laundry. I had two huge piles (one in my bedroom and one in the garage) of laundry that I have been meaning to do, but when I was pregnant, I just didn't have the strength or energy to do it. But, after all that I did yesterday, I feel like I am in the nesting phase. Isn't that supposed to happen before the baby is born?

Tonight is Survivor, Apprentice and an "all new ER". My favorite TV night! We are going to have Peppino's for dinner. I love their Linguine Imperiale. Then we might walk down to Dairy Queen for dessert. Sounds like fun.

Well, I am off to do more laundry. Bye!

Starting A New Week

Let's see. What can I update you on? Well, Maria and the kids left this morning and now we are back to our old routine.

The visit with Maria and the kids was good. Short, but good. I am really tired though. I stayed up too late a few nights and then didn't nap, not to mention having to get up with McKenna. But, today after I cleaned up the place, I took advantage of the babies taking their naps and I napped too. When I woke, Michaela had fallen asleep too. Kevin was the only one up. I asked him what he did while we all slept and he said he watched TV and played. He had taken all his toy cars and lined them up like a huge parking lot. He had special parking for his Army Jeep, Michaela's Little People Pink Mini Van and Kyle's Red Water Tank Truck. They were bigger than all the rest, so they had special parking.

The house is amazingly tidy. You'd never know all those kids were here for three days. I actually kept the kitchen clean and the clutter to a minimum. I am feeling really good these days. Maybe I'll finally get to all those projects I had put off while pregnant.

Ris' and my birthday dinner went well. We had barbecue spareribs (yum!), baked chicken (also yum!), corn, gingered carrots and coleslaw. Mom and Dad brought a Red Ribbon Chocolate Mocha Caramel cake. Yum yum yum! The kids drew Ris and me a lot of pictures for our gifts. I got a really nice picnic basket set and some money from Mom and Dad. Ris got me a gift certificate to Joann's. Wouldn't you know it, Joann's is having an additional 50% off clearance fabric sale this Saturday! Guess where I shall be on Saturday morning.

Well, I guess that is it for now. I should log off and get to bed. *Yawn*

A Busy Weekend

Cousins

It has been a busy weekend, even though we haven't really gone anywhere. Maria, Ellie and Colin are here. They came down just to see McKenna - and us too. The kids have been having fun playing together in the house and out in the backyard. They have been watching PBS Kids and videos. It can get pretty loud in here with all these kids. If you go just by age, we have one of each age. Kevin, 5; Ellie, 4; Michaela, 3; Colin, 2; Kyle, 1; McKenna, 0. This happens for a few months every year, from Kevin's birthdate to Colin's - about two months. Then, Colin catches up with Kaela. Six kids in an exactly 5 year span. Wow!

Notice how cute and cooperative the kids are. Well, except Kyle. He is going through the uncooperative with pictures stage. Kevin and Michaela both went through this and it drove me batty. Oh well, par for the course.

Mom, Dad and Ris are driving up here for dinner. We are celebrating Ris' and my birthdays. So, tonight will be even more busy. Maybe we'll try to take more pictures and I will try to post them tonight.

Happy Birthday Ris!

Happy Birthday Ris!

(Left to Right - Maria, Marissa & Me)

Geez! I can't believe my little sister is turning 30! I'm sure she doesn't mind that I just posted her age (Right, Ris?). Anyway, I remember her coming home from the hospital as a newborn, as much as I remember walking her to her classroom when she was in kindergarten. Where does the time go?

Well little sister, I would like to wish you the happiest of birthdays. May there be many more to come. I love you!

No McKenna Pictures

Humpf! Well, I have literally taken over 200 pictures of the girl and I can't seem to find just the perfect picture of McKenna to use for the baby announcement. Even Keith commented that she is much better looking in person. I am hoping that this is just a newborn problem and not that she is just not photogenic (gasp!). Just kidding. There are a few good pictures, and Keith and I are going to poll the ones we like and then decide on one for the announcement. She sure does look funny in the pictures though. In some she looks like an alien, others a real grump and still others she looks fat - it's really just the way I have her propped up. She is not fat at all! Maybe it's because she is still so sleepy and I am disturbing her when I take the pictures. Or maybe they are fine and I am just being too critical. That's probably it! Oh well, off to bed!

Kyle Being Kyle

Kyle being Kyle

Here is Kyle sitting on top of the kitchen counter. He figured out how to move the dining chairs to the bar stools to climb up onto the counter about a month ago (or two). One time when he climbed up here, he managed to crawl over to my laptop and bend my wireless card. Luckily Keith was able to get it up and running again. So, we finally started laying the dining chairs on their sides. The dining area looked like a battlefield of expired chairs. Anyway, after Kyle decided that he wasn't strong enough to right the chairs, he started bringing things to the kitchen to use as steps to the bar stools - toys, the wipe box, my file box. Well, yesterday, he finally figured out that he could use the rungs on the bar stools to just climb right up the bar stool to the counter. This is a picture of him, smiling in triumph.

Best Buds

Eating Popsicles

Kevin and Kaela are the best of buds. I like to watch them play together. They love to sit together on the bench in the backyard. Even though they do the normal brother/sister fighting, they can't stand being separated.

The Kids, Right Now

The Kids, Right Now

Are playing in the backyard. They were looking at a lizard. It is a nice day out.

McKenna, Right Now

McKenna, Right Now

Fast asleep. She sleeps all day. Which is nice. She is so peaceful (and pouty).

My Healthy Boys!

Today the boys had their appointments. Kevin was in for his 5 year and Kyle for his 18 month.

The appointment went well and both are healthy. The doctor says they are in excellent health.

She told me that the school district provides free speech therapy for kids over 3 that reside within the school district. I will call them today to inquire about getting Kevin evaluated.

Both boys got their immunizations updated. I couldn't believe the size of the needles. Kyle got three shots and Kevin got four (three immunizations and one TB test). The needles were about two inches long and they sunk them all the way in! Kyle went first. His first needle stick he didn't cry at all, but the next two he sure did. My poor boy. He was easy to soothe though. Kevin was next. He immediately started to panic and insisted that he didn't want any shots. I had to hold him down while he got his sticks. He was crying even before he got his first stick. By the end, he was very upset. He cried, "I never want to come back here ever again! Never ever!" He kept repeating the "never ever" part. But, I had to gently explain that we had to come back in two days for them to look at the TB test and that Kenna had her appointment on Friday. Poor Kevin. It took about 10 minutes of holding him and telling him that it was going to be okay before he finally stopped crying. He should be done with his shots for a very long time now.

Let's see. Kyle weighs 25 lbs, 3 oz (45th percentile) and Kevin is 44 lbs (75th percentile). Kyle is 32 1/4 inches tall (50th percentile) and Kevin is 43 1/2 inches (70th percentile). Both Kevin and Kaela weighed 25 pounds at 18 months. Kevin was 30 inches, and Kaela was 31 inches at 18 months. Kyle so far is the tallest at this age. It'll be interesting to see how McKenna falls into all of this when she is at this age.

Thoughts

Thoughts

Late at night when Kenna and I are bonding during her early morning feedings, I often wonder what she is thinking about. When she is awake and alert, she is always looking into my eyes, as if she is wondering what it is I am thinking. I know that she is observing and absorbing things because when I hold her while she is sleeping, she smiles and moves her mouth. She must be remembering all the smiles that she gets throughout the day from all of us.

Ten Little Toes

Ten Little Toes

McKenna is one week old today. She is so tiny. Her little feet are so precious. They are just a bit shorter than my pinky finger. She is so delicate, everything on her is tiny. A precious little bundle. It is so hard to describe how sweet it is when she curls up and sleeps on me. She's just so wonderful.

RIP Pope John Paul II

McKenna woke me up at exact 3am this morning for a feeding. So, we went downstairs and I flipped on the TV while I fed her. I had debated on whether or not I was going to watch the funeral at 1am, or go to bed. I decided that I should sleep and catch the highlights in the morning. Well, as it turned out, I caught the last hour of the funeral.

I tuned at a really nice part of the ceremony. They were doing the Litany of Saints and shortly there after there was a ceremony that included the leaders of the Eastern Orthodox church. It was commented that it was the first time in current history that anything like this had taken place. It was so beautiful to see their vestments. They were so colorful and gorgeous. They were there to honor the Pope as he help to unify the Catholic church. Not many people realize that Catholic means Universal, so to have many of the Eastern churches there and part of the ceremony was a really touching thing to see.

Another part of the funeral was the final blessings and then the presentation of his casket to the crowds. I welled up at the thought if this being the last time he would be in public view. Although I personally don't know much about his history and his works, I do know that he was a very peaceful man and truly down to earth when it came to being one with the people and trying to make the Church "catch up" with the modern world. I hope that his life will be an example to many young Catholics and to people in general. He truly was a good man.

Me vs. 4 Kids

Well, Keith went back to work today. He was just as bummed about going back as I was. He enjoyed his time at home with us. He said he likes just hanging out and having fun (not that our lives are all fun and games). It was so nice to have a helping hand around the house. I got to rest a lot to gear up for the days without him. At least it is already Thursday. I can survive two days without him for the time being.

McKenna had her 4-7 day weight check and Michaela had her 3 year old appointment. Both girls are looking "perfect". McKenna lost a little weight (she's now 6 pounds, 13 ounces). But, she is looking healthy and will be checked again next Friday. Michaela is a big girl! She is weighing in at 32.5 pounds and is in height 36.5 inches (that's the 60th and 40th percentile respectively). We are going again on Monday for Kyle's 18 month and Kevin's 5 year appointments.

The appointments were at 11:45am. We started getting ready at 10:00am. I have forgotten how hard it is to get all the baby gear put together. Our next outing I will definitely back all the bags before we go. I gave the three olders baths before we left. Maybe I should do all that the night before too! We rushed out the door by 11:10, grabbed lunch and got to the doctor's office at 11:40. They wanted me there 15 minutes early for paperwork. Oh well.

McKenna has been sleeping mostly during the day and has been awake in the wee hours of the morning. The doctor suggested that I wake her every four hours and feed her and let her take her long naps at night. That was news to me because every thing I have read says that it is not possible to switch a baby's schedule around. But, if I can sleep at night, I am going to give it a shot.

McKenna has been awake at night anywhere from 2am to 6am. But, last night she woke at 1am and then again at 5am, but both times I was able to get her back to sleep within an hour. The nights prior she would be up on and off for anywhere from 3 - 4 hours. I feel like I have gotten some sleep if I can sleep at least a three hour block.

So far, it hasn't been all that hard to watch all four kids. McKenna sleeps a lot. She is sleeping on the couch right now and all the kids are in the same room playing and making all kinds of noise. I am so happy that she can sleep through it. With her sleeping all the time, it seems like it is business as usual. Even hauling the four kids in the car and walking from the car to the doc's office wasn't hard. I carried Kenna's baby car seat hooked in one arm and held Kyle's hand with the other. Kevin and Kaela held hands and then Kevin decided to hold Kyle's hand too. I guess I am really lucky in that my kids don't run off and are extremely mindful about cars in the parking lot and waiting to cross the street. I haven't tried the whole shopping thing yet, but I figure that if there is shopping I have to do, out comes the double stroller. Kevin and Kaela do stick with me and don't tend to wander.

Okay, totally off topic here, but what is up with our weather here? Yesterday it was in the mid 80s. Today it is about 15 degrees cooler. I do like it more today, so I shouldn't complain.

Well, it's Thursday. Apprentice and Survivor are on tonight. Yippee!

Day Three and All is Great!

Wow! McKenna is now three days old and has been home for two. She is doing well and so are we. Michaela is still in love with her Baby Sister. She constantly says how cute she is and how little she is. Kyle is as interested as ever. He wants to watch everything we do with her. If she is eating, he is right there and if she is napping, he is right there looking at her face. When she is awake, he laughs and points and is as proud as can be. Kevin keeps proclaiming himself the big brother and the great helper. He wants to help me with all the kids. Keith is staying home for a few days while we adjust. I am surprisingly rested. I have gotten much more sleep than I thought I would be getting. Keith has really helped out a lot. I think when he goes back to work on Thursday, we will just be fine here at home. McKenna sleeps a lot, which is really nice.

Today, she went out on her first official outing. We did McD's drive through then to Babies R Us for bassinette sheets and formula. Well, it was really just me. I went in and everyone else waited in the car. Kenna and Kyle were asleep. Next was CostCo. This time it was me, Kevin and Kaela. The little ones were still sleeping. On our way back, Kevin and Kaela fell asleep and Kyle was awake. We stopped at Dairy Queen. Everyone was a awake for that one, so I guess Dairy Queen is McKenna's first public appearance. Kevin's first was CostCo at two days old. Kaela's was Cotija's at one day old. Kyle was Gabe's at one day old. Notice the food trend?

After Dairy Queen, we headed to the park. The "older" kids had a good time. There were three older kids (maybe 7 or so) that were mean to Kevin and Kaela when we first got there. But, somehow as the time progressed, two of the boys were following Kevin and playing with him. One of them even apologized to Kevin for being mean. I'm not sure how that all transpired, but Kevin said that the boy apologized to him. When he left, we heard him saying goodbye to Kevin.

After the park, we headed home and had dinner, cleaned up a bit and then relaxed in front of the TV. Right now the kids are watching GlobeTrekker with Daddy. They are up late, but it has been such a great day that we aren't pushing them to get to bed. We have decided to have a great family time these days while Keith is off. No heavy duty work around the house, just relaxing and having fun.

McKenna is Here!

McKenna - Born 04/01/05

McKenna is here! After all that hoping and wishing, the doc finally said that she/we were ready.

Here are the quick stats:

• Date of Birth: Friday, April 1, 2005
• Time of Birth: 1:37 pm
• Weight: 7 pounds, 1 ounce
• Length: 18 1/2 inches

Here is a more in depth play by play (in case you are interested): Keith took the day off and came with me to my NST and doctor's appointment. The NST went fine, uneventful as usual. We went to Starbucks for coffee in between appointments. Then we headed to the doc's office.

During the exam he found that I was already 6 cm dilated and decided to admit us to the hospital. We got into a LDP room at 11:25am. They hooked me up to the IV and introduced Pitocin at a slow rate. My mom showed up around 12:30. By this point, I was having no pain, but the monitors were picking up contractions. Mom went to the cafeteria to get some food. The doc came by around 5 minutes to 1pm. He decided to break my water. Keith went down to get Mom from the cafeteria. By the time they got back to room, the contractions started to get a bit stronger and then even stronger and faster. The contractions were about three minutes apart. I asked for an epidural. The nurse checked me and I was at 8cm. She called both the doc and the anesthesiologist. By the next contraction the doc was there and he said I was ready. I said that I had to push! They were dismantling the bed and getting the stirrups up and the doctor told me not to push and that he could see her hair. They barely got my legs into the stirrups, I gave one push and out she popped. 1:37pm. I was so happy when she was finally out, the pain stopped instantly. I guess I can't complain about a less than two hour labor. We spent the night and left around lunch the next day (today).

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