Bless-ed Life

So.... Joe just took all 3--yes THREE--of the kids to the library, grocery store, and Men's Warehouse to pick up suits. He's had all 3 before, but not for that many errands at a time. I have complete confidence that he can pull it off... and do it again in the near future. ; ) I stayed home to make pizza, clean house, and (apparently) blog about my bless-ed life. Tomorrow he told me he is going to clean the garage (huge YEE-HAH! from me!). He loves me. I think I am going to throw away my worried-ness about inviting people into our home and invite people over tomorrow night to celebrate Halloween with some wassail and doughnuts. (In case you didn't know, I am intimidated by these people in Dallas with Huge and Gorgeous homes... which we don't have, although I acknowledge and am incredibly grateful for all that we do have.)

On another note... this week we got an ultrasound (and yes we know what it is, what do you think it is?) and I started freaking out as reality set in. Until this point, I have been totally and incredibly excited about baby #4--almost feeling like having a first child again excited. I still am... but all of a sudden I am TERRIFIED!!! How are we going to pull this off? Where are they all going to fit in this tiny (but wonderfully blessed) house we are renting?! Can I keep up with everyone? Will we be able to afford these people? I know right now it won't be that hard--but in 10 years??? How will I get everyone to where they need to be? How will I be able to give them all the attention they need? Will we be able to meet every need? I know we will figure it out; I think I have felt this not-so-crazy fear with the impending birth of each child. But for the moment/week... I am trying to sort out the feelings of being elated and overwhelmed all at the same time.

And finally... Logan turned 7 this week! Wow! He deserves a post all to himself--so next time Joe blesses me with quiet and time I will brag about my oldest kiddo--he's the reason I know we really can parent 4 children!

"I ad"

Conversation with Grant over lunch.

Grant: I ad.

Mom: You are sad?

Grant: Yeah.

Mom: Why are you sad, Grant?

Grant: I wa Daee.

Mom: You want Daddy?

Grant: Yeah.

I love this little boy! For some reason he prefers Dad over Mom. That's ok with me, though.

Mom to Grant: Who do you want to change your diaper?

Grant: Daee.

Mom: Who do you want to brush your teeth?

Grant: Daee.

Needless to say, I find his Daddy-preference highly beneficial! :)

Afraid to Look at the Scale

Maybe I need a new mirror.

Maybe I'm having twins.

Maybe it's because this is number 4.

Or maybe it's because I haven't been outside to exercise since it started getting hot in May.

No, I'm not trying to gather nice comments. I just need to complain.

Joe: will you be my hero and set up my treadmill?

-----

This is Joe.

First, yes Jenny, I will set up the treadmill.

Second. You are pregnant.

Grantee-Pants

Today Early Childhood Intervention came to assess Grant. As I expected--knew--he is quite a bit behind, especially in language development and communication. I kept comparing him to the other two children, and making excuses... maybe it was because he was a third child and a boy; every child is different. Even though I knew he needed some help, it was really hard to hear, after their assessment, that he is behind in a few areas of development, but almost a year (8-9 mos) behind in language development. He is such a great and fun boy, and hopefully he will be able to catch up quickly now that we will be able to get him some help. At the same time, I keep wondering if it is my fault some how. He is actually about 2 months ahead in his listening comprehension--which is a great sign. While the specialists think he can probably hear ok, they did suggest we get a professional hearing test done to make sure that he can hear 100% out of both ears. They also believe that the other areas he is behind on (cognitive and something else) are things that will quickly correct themselves once he is able to speak better. They will be coming to our house to work with him once a week until he turns 3, and at that time we will reassess and decide what steps to take next. Oh Grantee, we love you!

Coming Spring 2011