The Six Pack

All it took was word that his big brothers were back at school this week.  Finally, he figured, maybe I'll get a little more one-on-one time if I come now.  And come he did! Mark Timothy was born at 2:25 this afternoon, after a very short but grueling labor.  He weighed in at a whopping 8 lb. 13 oz. and measured 20 inches long, so we're glad he didn't wait much longer!  Mark came out silent and blue, hung up on a rather short umbilical cord wrapped tightly around his neck.  But with a little Mommy love and some oxygen he perked up quickly!  He already had a chance to meet his pediatrician, who assured us that his heart sounds normal and all other systems seem to be quite healthy.  Thank you, God. All of Baby Mark's older brothers had a chance to meet him, and are so proud and excited I'm afraid they are having trouble falling asleep tonight.  And Little Zachy is now a big brother!  This morning he woke up and asked me, "Mommy, how we gonna ge...

It was a nearly impossible feat having ALL FIVE boys home over spring break--the rainiest five days we have had since I don't know when.  Lately my energy and mobility have been next to nothing, so I was not really in a position to entertain my children during their time off, or to plan exciting outings to get them out of the house.  When the rain would stop for an hour or so at a time, the boys would scamper outside to soak up the fresh spring air... and return back to the house covered head to toe in MUD.  My one salvation was Steve, who had taken vacation time to stay home and help me survive this difficult week. The gloomy weather, the cabin fever, and the seemingly never-ending pregnancy put a damper on my mood, so you can imagine my excitement when contractions came every ten minutes all day on Tuesday, and then my disappointment when they fizzled out that night around 12 am.  On Friday the rain finally stopped and the boys spent the afternoon playing outside (...

When David was a baby, Alex thought it was pretty cool to have a little brother.  He would run up to him, give David a hug and kiss, sometimes accidentally drop a toy on top of baby brother's head, and proudly exclaim:  "TWO boys!!!" I loved the idea of my sons growing up with each other, just four days shy of two years apart.  But as the boys grew older and more brothers came along, it became clear that their personalities are totally  different.  Lately these boys have been fighting like cats and dogs.  I can only describe their relationship these days as the cut-throat rivalry between a couple dramatic teenage girls.  And it often breaks my heart. So yesterday, I was thrilled to take them out together, to update their annual portraits, have lunch, and to spend some "Big Brother/Mommy Time" together.  And as different as these brothers are in their appearance, their interests, and their personalities, I was delighted that they got along and even...

In a couple short weeks (or hopefully days), Zachary's thunder will be stolen and he will no longer be the baby of our family.  Soon more attention will be turned towards our littlest one, and Zachy will be the Big Brother.  So before that happens, I wanted to take a moment to remember my sweet Baby Zachary in all his "littleness" while at the same time celebrating the big boy he has become. Zachary is my baby... ...he still asks me to pick him up and carry him, even though he can run faster than I can waddle. ...he sneaks into our bed and cuddles up with me every night. ...he still lets me hold him and kiss his sweet little head (big brothers have outgrown this, and they're too smelly, anyway.) ...he brings me books and asks me to read to him... all day long. ...he still gulps down milk like there's no tomorrow. ...he still picks his nose (but doesn't eat it anymore.) ...he sucks his tongue when he sleeps, like a newborn nursing his pacifier. ...he is still ...

On the way home from preschool, I tried to get Sammy to discuss what they did in class today.  He couldn't remember, he said, but instead started his own discussion. Samuel :  "Mommy, when you die, who will take care of me and be my mom?" Me :  "Sammy, when I die, Daddy will take good care of you.  And Grandma and Papa and your aunts and uncles, too.  They will all help out.  But hopefully I will die when you're all grown up, and you can take care of yourself!" Samuel (excitedly):  "So, we can PICK the time we are going to die?!!!" Me :  "No, we can't pick the time we die.  No one knows when they are going to die.  But I think I'm still pretty healthy, so hopefully it will be when you're all grown up.  And if it's when you're still little, there will be lots of people to love and take good care of you." I wonder if he knows something I don't.  Maybe he figures I'm about to explode, judging from the size of my b...