The Six Pack

Zachary is a much happier baby this week. He is not as whiny and is more content to play by himself or with his brothers. His diarrhea, however, is only getting worse! So today we got out the yogurt in hopes of helping his tummy heal. This is perhaps Zachy's favorite food in the world, and he insisted upon feeding himself: Not bad, huh? Tomorrow Zachary goes for his developmental screening, so as always your prayers are appreciated.

Our washer and dryer run every day, but this week they are working overtime. Samuel threw up last night, and while I am overjoyed that it didn't get the carpet (this time,) he was sure to soak our sheets, our pillows, and of course, his clothes. Fortunately it was a one-time puke, but now... now I'm waiting for it to work its way to his other end. Zachary hasn't vomited, thank goodness, but he has been rather "loose" and had several blow-outs and emergency baths this week. So that's why he wasn't acting himself last week... poor little guy can't tell me when his tummy hurts! This week his mood and appetite have improved, so hopefully he's pulling through. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I am SO NOT looking forward to summer break! Not a likely confession from the writer of a blog entitled "Five Little Blessings," is it? But it's true... I love my children immensely, but spending ALL DAY with them all together for days on end ...

Lately Zachary has been into SO MUCH TROUBLE! He's more work than he was a year ago as a newborn, because he's always on the go and finding new "discoveries." Zachy raids the cupboards, and has developed an addiction to the "jug." He clutters and destroys everywhere he roams. And you saw this one, but it's so typical of my little mess-maker that it deserves a second look: He tries to help, but usually ends up getting in the way: And he thinks he may not need two naps anymore.  But when he skips his morning nap, this is what happens at lunch: Going, going... GONE! On Wednesday Zachy visited his pediatrician for a well-baby check.  He still measures small, just 20 lb. 12 oz., which puts him in the 5% percentile (he is 14% for height.)  Developmentally, he has also fallen behind.  His doctor says he isn't yet "concerned" given all he has been through, but he does want to screen him to get a baseline.  He's trying really hard to walk, but ...

When we lived at the Ronald McDonald House in Ann Arbor for Zachary's birth and first surgery, we became good friends with a very special family from Atlanta.  Their sweet little girl, Kyara, was in the hospital for a gastric transposition surgery and treatment.  She suffered many complications, and recently grew very ill.  The family is now seeking hospice care for Kyara. Please offer your prayers for this sweet, special child and her incredible family.  This is a very difficult time for them and they need the peace that only God can provide.  If you wish to offer words of support, please visit Kyara's Care Page here.

I don't know what to do with these kids this week. Everyone is out of school on spring break, but so far the weather has been cold and gloomy. If the sun peeks out from behind the clouds for just a moment, the boys run outside seeking Spring. But it's just not "springy" enough out there, and the neighbor boys aren't around, so they bore quickly. It's not so easy keeping five active boys of five different ages entertained over spring, summer, or Christmas break. Zachy still naps twice a day, and often his naps don't coincide with Samuel's afternoon nap. So, as you might imagine, it's hard to leave the house at all during the day! With the weather not so nice out, that doesn't leave much for the older boys to do during naptime (especially since they need to stay quiet...OR ELSE!) So we watch too much TV and play too much XBox. And the house explodes into even more chaos and clutter than its usually disordered state. Last night I took the ...

In attempt to adopt a healthier lifestyle (and for me to shed a few pounds, ) our family is playing closer attention to what we eat. So today for lunch, we got out some veggies and an itsy little bit of lite ranch. Zachy loves coating his "diet" veggies with ranch... he loves skinny dippin'!

Big news, guys.  Zachy took his first real baby steps today! This morning we were rushing out the door, as usual, to make it to my class at the Y.  I stood Zachy up against the couch, sat down, and leaned over to tie my shoes.  Then out of the corner of my eye, without any "coaching" whatsoever, I witnessed little arms and chubby hands held high, and one... two... three... four... and FIVE confident baby steps until Zachy plopped down on his bottom, now halfway across the room!  (Maybe even six; I'm not sure because it was out the corner of my eye, remember?  But I'm sure it wasn't four...) In utter excitement I screamed "Yay, Zachy!  You WALKED!  Big boy!  Sammy, did you see that?  Did you see Zachary walk?"  (Sammy didn't care.) Zachy giggled with pride and clapped his little hands together, pulled back up to a stand, let go, and plopped back down.  "Yay, Zachy!" I cried,  "You tried to walk again!" Again Zachy stood up, let ...

Losing the baby fat has always been a challenge that I have "enjoyed," in a manner of speaking.  The first couple of weeks post-partum are exciting to experience as your belly shrinks and you can lose up to 15 or 20 pounds in a matter of days.  I'll never forget my experience with Joseph, though.  He was born weighing eight pounds even, so when I returned from the hospital I got on the scale, eager to see the numbers plunge.  BIG MISTAKE.  I had lost just seven and a half pounds!  WHAT?  I'm not a mathematician, but somehow I don't think the numbers added up.  Well, eventually I made it back down. I have always made it back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and, most importantly, back into my old jeans.  It was never easy, and it did take months of watching what I ate and dedication to exercise.  But it did happen sometime within that first year, and I was always able to maintain it. Until now. This time, I'm more than fifteen months post-par...

Oh, my talented offspring... Today Joseph's abs make their debut! He has a little trick he calls his "Tummy Roll," not to be confused with Tootsie Roll or the effect of too many Tootsie Rolls which can also result in a tummy roll (that is, my type of tummy rolls...) Steve and I try to teach our children well, but this is definitely something that Joseph did not (and could not ) learn from us! Enjoy it while you can still do it, little man! Don't let yourself get too distracted with the fashion briefs:

I'm warning you--these boys are crude!  So if you can hack it, then read on... We were driving to swim lessons--everyone packed in except Steve.  David and Joseph were going bonkers in the back seat.  I kept turning up the volume on my music, but those little voices kept getting louder! Then suddenly David hollered from the back seat, "OK, who farted?!  Yuck!  Come on... whoever did it, sniff it up!  Sniff it up fast! " Does sniffing it up really help it to go away faster?  I remember thinking so when I was his age!  What do you think?

It just doesn't seem right that my baby Zach is already 15 months old!  He is turning into such a little boy before our eyes, but he still loves to snuggle like a baby. This winter, so far, we have been very lucky with his health.  He came down with a cold the other day, but he's not letting it slow him down.  I have heard that RSV is pretty bad here, with the hospitals in overflow, but fortunately Zachary didn't end up there.  Just the other night he received his monthly Synagis injections (for RSV,) and it proved to be the most traumatic yet.  Once his home-visiting nurse stepped through our front door, Zachary started crying and clinging to me.  He recognized her and knew why she had come!  Once the shots are over, however, he does pretty well.  I don't think that they must burn much or stay too sore, because by the time the nurse left he was smiling to her and waving "bye-bye."  Sweet baby! Zachy is still not walking, but he is getting cl...

It's the stuff of legend, the magic moments of the good 'ole days. I remember the stories my mom used to tell of those lazy Sunday afternoons out at her aunt and uncle's farm. Of fried chicken, homemade biscuits, corn on the cob, and apple pie. Those dinners that filled the belly so full, the only thing left to do was to sit and play cards, sip iced tea, and wait out digestion. And it doesn't happen too often these days, because for one reason or another families are "too busy" to sit down together to a home-cooked meal. But you can still find them, and when you do, they're nothing short of magic. There's just nothing more special or more satisfying than a big Sunday dinner. And yesterday that very magic took place in our own kitchen. I could sense it Saturday. I'm not sure if it was a scent in the air, the bright sunshine gleaming through our kitchen windows, or even the date on our calendar. But you could tell that spring was just around ...