Mother's Day Wake-Up

Grady had just told me all about his card. He said that I looked like a monkey in his drawing. So, we had to crack up a little bit about that. :)
Hadley telling me all about her card.
Grady excitedly telling me all about their morning...making me breakfast, making my cards, etc.
Eissa finally made it to the bed too. She had to explore the room as usual...look to see if all the things she can't touch were still in their places. :)
Then all she wanted to do was eat my food. :)
Sharing my grapes.




The kids and me with their cards and my beautiful orange flowers...love them.

Cass was still snoozing by the way...you'll see her tomorrow.

Mother's Day - 2008

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day. I sure did. In fact, you will be seeing bits of it all week long. We took lots of pictures. :)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

This Mother's Joy

I love my kids. Here is a little update on each...

Grady (age 4) - Is so very sweet and loving and kind to his sisters. Is very particular and likes certain things a certain way, but isn't overboard (and we are guarding against that/fighting that when it rears its ugly head). Loves his portuguese class. LOVES to please us and asks "are you proud of me?" or "are you impressed with me?" sometimes. Loves to make his sisters laugh and does little comedic acts often to achieve that. Is very, very loving. Loves to do "just boys" things with Daddy. Loves to learn and do homework. Calls Cass "baby Cass"...not because we do because we never have. It's cute. Is really starting to do special little things with Eissa...playing with her, getting her things, making sure she's happy, etc. He's really growing up and we discovered a few weeks ago that he can even whistle. I was pretty impressed. He is very musical and sings ALL the time...he's got tons of songs memorized. He's also pretty loud. It cracks us up...another Arlis reference (from Old Yeller), but he sounds just like him lots of the time (and Frances from Swiss Family Robinson, Mookie from The Shaggy Dog, and Jimmy Bean from Pollyanna...all the same little boy as you know if you are a back-in-the-day Disney movie fan). It's really funny. To explain for those of you who don't know, it's basically a constant yell, but kind of a muffled yell...cute, not irritating. Fun kid.

Hadley (age 3) - Loves to play with her brother. Loves to mother her baby sister, Cass. Likes to be goofy with Eissa to make her laugh. Is so friendly and loves to play with anyone, but also doesn't tolerate much. Whereas Grady would get upset and sad and maybe even cry when done tolerating something, Hadley gets ticked and doesn't cry but "gets even." Yeah...we're guarding against/fighting that when it comes up too. :) Such a fun playmate for her siblings. Also likes to please and often says, "Are you happy for me?" which best translates as "Are you happy with me?" I guess. "So" is also a favorite word of hers. She'll say, "She's so crying" or "He's so fussing." Cute. She's always been very snuggly and affectionate. Every time Joel leaves, even if just to the corner store, she has to have a big hug and kiss. She also still just can't get playing around with her name. If we tell her she's goofy, she very seriously corrects us, looking at us sternly, saying, "No, I Hadley." :) Sometimes she even adds her 2nd name..."I Hadley Cloteal." Hilarious.

Eissa (age 19 months today) - Hmmm...she's an emotional wreck right now. :) Ha ha ha. No, not really. But, she's always been a cryer. We say 'no' to her once very sweetly and quietly...she looks at us like we've broken her heart, puckers her lip, and holds it, holds it, holds it...then..."WAAAAH!" Cries and sobs like we've just abandoned her. So, that's the way she's always been. Add to that, now, a little Irish temper (and we're not Irish). Yeah...working on that too. Other than that, she's so goofy and fun. She's crazy about her big brother and sister and tries to smother her little sister with love all the time. She's great. She's obsessed with putting her shoes on first thing in the morning. I think she thinks that if she does that and someone leaves, she'll be ready to go with them. She doesn't like someone leaving to go somewhere without her. She's also talking up a storm these days...verbally and in sign language...English and Portuguese. No big sentences yet, but things like "more Mama." :) That's the most common one. Well, it probably ties with "banana"...the kid eats more bananas than anyone I've ever seen. We had to put them up where she couldn't reach them...so now she asks for them verbally at the same time she signs it. Cute. She's also very good with "please"...thinking that if she just says that little magic word, she will get whatever she's asking for. :) She's busy, busy, busy...exploring her little world. Oh, and she also likes to run away. If our gate is open, she's sure to go visit the neighbors. :)

Cass (age 6 weeks as of Tuesday) - Oh so attentive and communicative these days. Still an excellent sleeper. I wake up once in the night, if at all, depending on when we nurse the night before. Last night I fed her at a little after 11pm. She then woke up a little after 6am. So, I've gotten pretty good sleep with this little baby...she's been really nice to me. :) She's such a pretty little thing and has been doing so very well at the Asas office with me. She's super sweet and hardly ever cries...only at all the normal times (hungry, got poops, occasional fussing when going to sleep...although, rarely cries then...usually just goes to sleep). She coos and talks to you like crazy now. She loves some good eye contact and conversation. :)

And, that's the lowdown on my crew. Well, then there's the one who helped to make me a Mama. Thanks Babe (Joel that is...so funny...sometimes the kids will call him "Babe"). Love you lots and so glad to be co-parenting with you. :)

Now...pictures.

Such a crazy little girl!

Friday the school requested that the kids' mothers pick them up. It was so great...the kids were all outside their classrooms with special things taped on the walls. They were all looking as their moms came in with such excitement. They had some goodies for us.
The cute decorative flip flops, the balloons with their pictures on it, their handprints and a poem, and another little paper with sweet Mama stuff on it. I'll have to take the flip flops back to exchange, by the way...too small. To be honest, not sure they have shoes my size here...a friend of mine told me rarely will I find them. These ladies have small feet here (of course, on the average they are much shorter too). :) Hadley already tried to steal my flip flops anyway (I asked them where they were earlier and she sheepishly led me to her closet). If they don't have my size I'll just get her a pair. She loves the bling.
Getting some lovin' from my big kids. They were so proud of their gifts for me...and I loved them too. So fun.
And now some pictures of Cass.


Notice the not-so-nice-looking TB shot mark on her arm (still healing).




"Hmm, I think someone is taking pictures of me." :)


A little conversation with Mama.


And this is the way our baby sleeps. The mosquitoes are back. :)

Quickly

No time to really post, but just wanted to let you all know that things are going well. Kids are good, going to Asas is going great, the wash is getting done. :) Ha ha ha. That seems to be a running theme in my posts these days, so just thought I'd throw that in. :) Anyway, I'll post more the next couple of days. Have a great weekend!!

Why Can't We All Just Share?

For those of you wondering, we truly L-O-V-E our cloth diapers that we got. And, are very excited about getting that grant. They are so soft, so cushiony, so great for the babies. We do produce MUCH less trash, for all you green people. And we save tons of money in the long run...TONS. They are very simple to take care of once you actually learn all the special instructions. They are just great.

Of course, for us there is only one problem. Our washer. :) Yes, another washer paragraph. Since we don't have hot/warm water cycle options, we have to wash diapers daily. Although we figured on doing a diaper load only twice a week according to the research we did (of people who have hot/warm water options...that was our downfall), even that wouldn't be so bad except for one thing...the time it takes to do a load with our washer. I seriously have a load of laundry going AT ALL TIMES. I even start a load in the middle of the night when I get up to feed Cass. I guess I'll have to set an alarm to do laundry when Cass starts sleeping through the night. :)

It was also recommended to us in our situation that we do a double wash of the diapers once every week or two. That is, wash them and then turn right around and add detergent and wash again. Truly, it is necessary and beneficial. But, are you kidding me? It already takes hours to do just one load. :) Not to mention the fact that I try to schedule it so that I can have some sun to hang them in once they are finally done in the washer...that's tricky. We will be following that recommendation because we don't want stinky diapers, but it's just a little insane the laundry situation here. I say all of this not complaining, but just in amazement. It seriously makes me laugh and makes me ask the question...yes, the title of this post...WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST SHARE?!?

Seriously, why don't they have washers here that have 30 minute cycles? Why not the capacity to have hot water in your washers and at your sinks? Why not dryers? Why don't they have baby swings and bouncy seats and jumpers? Why not wagons and double strollers for heaven's sake? Why can't we get some chili powder and pickles and pancake syrup and muffin tins/cups and Mexican food down here for these folks...and the list goes on and on? These are all things (and much more) that I've had to adapt to and it's been fine. It's not like it's life or death stuff...it's just stuff. But seriously, why can't we all just share our stuff. They have some great stuff here that they could share with us. I guess I just can't grasp the way the world works. I know the way it is, but we are all on this one planet...let's be nice and share. I'm not saying we have to share our military tactics, but chili powder? Come on.

Hmmm...this turned into another little slight rant didn't it? Really what I started out to do here was tell you all about how we are loving our cloth diapers. :) Ha ha ha. We are. We love them in case any of you are thinking about that possibility...bumGenius one-size diapers are the ones we got. Don't know if I'd like any others, but I love those.

And, if any of you want to donate an American washer/dryer to us, feel free. :)

Best Friends

Grady and Hadley really are the best of friends. They watch out for each other like crazy and it's so very cute to see. Now they still have their tiffs and tussles sometimes, but for the most part...BFF. :) They are so very grown up these days and I find them having serious conversations and asking each other questions about how they feel and what their preferences are. It's insane to see them acting so old. Sad in a way, but fun and exciting too.

Here are a few pictures of the super tight siblings...




Hadley was laughing so hard at Grady here. In fact, a little too hard. She laughed so much she peed in her pants...literally.
See the ever so slight worried look on Hadley's face?
Yep, the stream had started to flow and this is the point where I started hearing water hit the patio floor. :) Poor girl...off to continue the fun and laughter in the shower.

**Side note: There is still some wonderful discussion going on in the comments section of the post from a few days ago titled "Why Don't We Know This?"...tips, alternatives, and possible suggestions for birth control use and conditions such as PCOS. Go check it out.

Another Big Day

Tomorrow is the big day...again. I start going to the Asas office tomorrow. It is a multi-purpose move on my part...going to Asas 3 times a week.
1. be around Portuguese...practice, practice, practice :)
2. be able to really get to know Asas more...the runnings of it and the people
3. be able to bring Cass along

I'm excited, but at the same time, eeeesh!! :) It'll be interesting. The older 2 kids will be in their class, Eissa will be with Carol (the babysitter) again, and Cass will be with me, as said. I'll be going every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (this week is an exception)...I'll just ride there with Joel after lunch. Then we'll pick the kids up on our way back. Then we'll take Carol home after that. Busy, busy, busy as usual.

Who knows how often I will be able to post these days. Could be that nothing changes in that regard. I always want to post...so much to share and also, this is my main means of communication, period. But, we'll see.

Until next time, whether that be tomorrow or a few days from now, here are some pictures. Oh, and I finally added links to some of the blogs I keep up with on the sidebar. See why Bloglines is so important to me? :) Lots of friends and lots of blogs.

Eissa helping me cook.
Off to bed.
Eissa was holding her hands up signaling that she was next. Hadley was passed out in the bed already by the way. She fell asleep before she even had supper.

And a few of Cass, being all serious.

Anonymous and Washer Rants

First of all, let's get this out of the way. Why do people leave 'anonymous' comments on the blog and then refuse to acknowledge who the heck they are?!? That irritates the fool out of me, whether it's just a friendly hello or a catty little comment. I got this one from yesterday's post:

from my research, there ARE pills that do not do the "aborting factor". those are the ones i choose to be on.

Was this person offended by my posts? Was she getting a little defensive? Or, did she simply just forget to leave her name or any other helpful information like more insight into her research...which pills she claims to be non-abortive, etc.? She could really help some people out for heaven's sake (which is what I asked for), but what the heck? Not an acceptable comment. Since she didn't provide any sources to her research, I kind of doubt that what she says is accurate to be quite honest. Believe me, I looked high and low for a pill that didn't have the abortive action and came up short. But, seriously...if anyone really does have info. (including you, anonymous commentor from yesterday...I might be coming on a little strong, but I'm not mad...just hate unsigned anonymous comments) about one that doesn't kill fertilized eggs, let me know.

I might have to turn on the "no anonymous commentors" thing. I hate to, but then it really is easy to just set up an account in order to be able to comment...you don't have to have a blog or anything. We'll see. Until then, DON'T leave anonymous comments on my blog...always sign your name, thank you.

While I'm doing a little ranting today it seems, let me just say that I hate my washer. Seriously, it is ridiculous. It doesn't do a very good job of getting things clean (something Joel was the first to complain about might I add...Joel is a clean man, but it must be bad if he's the one who brings it up). Plus, it takes for-stinkin'-ever to do a load. Rapid cycle? - 3 hours!!!! Yeah...be thankful for your 30-minute cycles and really clean clothes there in the land of free and the home of the brave (oh, and hot/warm water options and a dryer to boot, although I kind of like the clothes line bit except for when we need something dry ASAP).

Now, for some non-rant stuff...how about some pictures? Been a few days.

Grady and Hadley get to do some of their "messier" projects while Eissa takes her morning nap. Painting is a favorite.

Our little neighbor friend, Sara, came over to play for a while yesterday. We had a little dance party while she was here.
Love Hadley's hair in these shots.
Look at Grady's air on this one.

Another Lincoln Logs night.

Why Don't We Know This?

Looks like, after a full day's worth of investigation yesterday (of and off of course...other things to do too), it is very true. One of the 3 actions of the birth control pill (ALL birth control pills from what I've seen in research) is literally an abortion. Geez...no wonder the pill is so effective. If it fails to prevent fertilization, then doggone it, it'll just refuse a home for the wee one, therefore killing it off. Nice. Grrr!

And seriously...why don't we all know that about the pill? I personally had no idea. It should be common knowledge, esp. among evangelical Christians (or anyone pro-life). If not common knowledge (there are still people who don't talk about such things in mixed company), at least within the ladies' groups. It makes me sick to think that I took that kind of pill for a full year (little over) after we were married. Do we have any little fertilized eggs in heaven I wonder?

I don't feel guilty. I hate that it happened that way, but we were completely ignorant of it. But, I'm just saying...we should've known. My doctor was a very pro-life Christian...what gives (again that phrase...don't you just love it)? I have to assume that most people just don't know, just like I didn't. From the comments and emails that I got yesterday, I would say that that assumption is true. I personally want to now spread the word and hopefully you will too.

I looked at MANY websites yesterday, but one is a great website that one of the commentor's yesterday mentioned. She and her sister-in-law did a whole series just recently about things related to this topic. It is very, very interesting and so very informative. You should check it out here.

In other news (completely unrelated except that it concerns babies I guess), we just got an email saying that we were awarded that diaper grant from Cotton Babies that I told you about a while back. WOOHOO!! We are so very excited about that. It is a super deal and includes:

¨ 15 bumGenius One-Size diapers – 3 white, 4 butternut, 4 twilight, 4
grasshopper

¨ 2 packages of Cotton Babies flannel wipes

¨ 2 extra one-size inserts

¨ 1 XL Bummis Tote (purple)

¨ 1 S Bummis Tote (red)

¨ 1 bottle bum Genius! Bottom Cleaner

Is that awesome or what? Thank You Jesus!

So, back to topic, if any of you research all of this birth control stuff and find out any new info., please share. Not all people are at the point where they want to abandon all forms of birth control. For those people, seriously...check out that blog I mentioned above. She did a post about each form of birth control...very interesting stuff. There are several other forms of birth control that I never realized are also abortifacient. Lots to learn and think about.

The Pill

**If you didn't see pictures of the kiddos from yesterday's post (I posted late), be sure to scroll down past this post.

Back in 2002 I stopped taking "the pill"...you know, the little one that prevents babies from entering your uterus when you don't feel they should. A while after that, for whatever reason, I did a tiny bit of research about that pill. I never had before.

I had heard people say before that the pill caused abortions. I, of course, dismissed those people as being a little on the extremist side...never gave it much thought to be quite honest. I mean, come on, everyone took the pill...geez-a-loo (as Frank Barrone would say).

Well, in my tiny (and I do mean tiny) bit of research, I found a few things that really did substantiate those "extremists'" claims. I found that some BCPs (birth control pills) had 3 actions:
1. inhibition of ovulation
2. inhibition of sperm transport
3. production of a "hostile endometrium", which presumably prevents or disrupts implantation of the developing baby if the first two mechanisms fail

I actually sent out an email (didn't have a blog) when I found that out to many of my friends. I was shocked and appalled. The first 2 are fine, but if they fail and the 3rd action is used to prevent pregnancy, well...if you believe that a life is formed when a sperm meets an egg, and that joined sperm and egg is then prevented from implanting by that "hostile endometrium"...that is abortion folks.

O.K., so in my very limited research at that time, for some reason I was left with the impression that not all birth control pills are this way. I tabled that research...we were in full baby mode for the next few years...until now. We are still in baby mode obviously since we have a few around here, but as mentioned before, we are praying about what to do...yes, still in prayer stages on that one. Quiver full philosophy? Should we prevent? Is prevention O.K., but only with the natural family planning/fertility awareness method? Oh, the questions turn over and over in my mind...still. We will get answers as we do about everything else. He doesn't just leave us hanging, thankfully.

But, just wanted to bring this out. For one thing, well, IF we should choose to "prevent," this is by far my method of choice. But also, really wanted to ask all of you because I know tons of great super-Godly people who use this little pill daily. I look at this research that I've done (again, a bit limited, but more thorough than before) and I'm left with the question, "what the heck do I do with this...there's no ignoring it." So, if all these great people are using it, I can think of one of 3 options why:
1. they don't know this information
2. they don't believe it or just don't care...it works for them
3. they have found this to actually be untrue...all birth control pills are not abortifacient

So...dear people out there in blogland...help me out. Seriously, tell me what you know. My resources are pretty limited and my time even more limited, so what gives (don't you love that Happy Days phrase)?

Here are just a few of the websites that Google gave me when searching out some answers:

http://www.aaplog.org/collition.htm
http://www.prolife.com/BIRTHCNT.html
http://www.epm.org/articles/bcp3300.html
http://www.pfli.org/faq_oc.html
http://www.days.org/birthcontrol.html
http://www.jimanddoni.com/ChooseLife/FactsAboutBC/FactsAboutBc.asp

Oh, there are so many other things that my mind is containing concerning this subject. I might just have to do a series on this topic.