Lots of Smiles

How long has it been?

Uh, yeah, I realized today that I haven't written an entry since May. In the blogging world that's almost equivalent to a year, so I thought I should at least write something or explain the lengthy abscence. Well, let's just say, I set up this blog to document the whimsical/humorous moments that accompany childhood; to detail the daily things that my children do which make me smile. Needless to say, five under five is no joke and just like the Goslings from John and Kate + 8 have come to realize, having a set of multiples and/or many children is particularly challenging. Unlike the Goslings however, we do not live in a multi-million dollar home nor do we have the luxery of taking trips to say San Diego or Colorado just because we feel a bit stressed. TLC should try filming a show here: Five under five in a three bedroom townhome. Ha! Things are going fairly well though. We've been blessed to have Joy's parents come over every day for close to eight hours while I'm away at work. Not sure what we would have done without them. Kai's doing amazing. He's in the 80th percentile for weight and has doubled his weight in only two months (the average baby takes about 6 months). Please understand I'm not bragging; it's just amazing to think of where he is now compared to where we thought he'd be only a few months ago. He had his first smile the other day. I'm trying to figure out a way to post a video of it on this site. More of that to come. The twins are done with preschool and are a delight as well as a challenge. Five has brought on a whole new level of craziness (gum chewing, sneaking bags of chocolate chips from the cabinet- actually two bags, and many other antics like sneaking out of bedrooms at night and hoarding whatever they can get their hands on in their beds). Speaking of the twins, their fifth birthday party is tomorrow. We're hoping for nice weather as they decided this year to have a friend party and invite everyone from their preschool class:) Mikaya is potty training. She's a rather reluctant potty trainer I have to say, but hopefully we're making some progress. Although her screaming, "I don't want to go potty!" yesterday might suggest otherwise. Karina is a joy. Lots of smiles. She's talking like crazy and she likes to identify parts of her face (teef, noooose, chese a.k.a. cheeks).

We're happy for summer and the chance to enjoy being outside! I, Steve, start working at COD next week so the rest of the fam will be on their own here for several hours while I'm away. Pray that everything goes well!

Normal Male

We just got word last week that the genetic test results for Kai were sent to our doctor. He called me and said the report said two words, "Normal Male"! We're so thrilled with this great news!

Twinmania

So I walked into the twins room tonight; it was close to 9:00 and they'd been "in bed" for quite some time. They were strictly warned not to turn on lights, jump off their beds, and so on and son on. I'd heard quite a bit of bumping and thumping, so I finally decided to head upstairs to check things out. I was suprisingly greeted at the door by the overwhelming smell of mint. To sum things up, our two oldest decided to decorate their room with strand upon strand of dental floss that had somehow been snuck into the room:) Aah the joys of parenting twins!

Post Miracle

Well, Kai is over a month old now, actually closer to six weeks this coming Wednesday. It's hard to believe where we are now compared to just prior to his birth. He's doing fantastic! We imagined NICU, appointments, doctors, and interventions. Instead, he's growing, eating, and sleeping at home like any other typical baby. He's lifting his head well and napping through the chaos that often ensues around him (picture four little girls circling our living room/dining room area tonight screaming and running from their Dad who's pretending to be a monster). It strikes me how soon things can return to "normal" after a miraculous event or happening and it makes me question, where do we go from here? or what should be our response? Please understand, I'm not trying to get all sappy or over dramatic here, but seriously, we've heard from so many people how Kai's story has touched them.

Joy was approached by someone from Texas who was visiting their daughter right around Easter time for instance. She just wanted to see Kai and cried when she did. She said people in her Texas church had been praying for him ever since they'd heard our story! Can you believe that? Amazing! All I can say is thanks Texas! I guess I'm writing because I never want that feeling of amazement and awe to go away. That fresh feeling of, wow something incredible has just happened. God can and does do amazing things.

I know life goes on. There are bills to pay, schooling choices to be decided, and all sorts of other mundane things that are part of life. Meanwhile, our little guy continues to thrive! He's a testament to the prayer and concern of so many people we know and don't know. So... all this to say, thank you again for everything, and tell Kai's story to others. Spread the word. Miraculous things still do happen!

Birthday Wish List

Joy's birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so I questioned the four oldest over the weekend what they thought we should get Mommy for their birthday. Here are some of the responses.

1) Maternity Clothes (Nadia): Not sure about this; I guess they just figure Mommy's been in maternity clothes for so long, why not keep going:)

2) A light bulb (Eliana): Apparently she's very concerned that one of the lightbulbs in Mikaya's room is out and thought her Mom would love that as a present!

3) Food (everyone): I guess that's just where kid's minds go. Snacks are always on the brain, so hey maybe Mom wants snacks for her birthday:)

4) Fancy Clothes or Jewelry: Ok, I said, that' s more like it. What do you have in mind? How about diamonds and a crown was the response. After explaining that I am but a teacher and cannot deck their mother out in such finery, one of them said, "Well maybe just a nice shirt then."

Princess for a day + outside fun

Mikaya here is decked out in jewels galore; yes the crown, neklace, and I look way to old to be three clip on earrings. She helped me pick out the princess set last night on a daddy daughter date to Target. Karina's on the top having fun on a warmer day than we've had in awhile.