Charlotte Rose and the family

Charlotte Rose was born on Friday December 4, 2009 at 4:15am at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI . She came into the world at 20 inches long and 7 lbs 14 oz. She is a perfect and quiet baby. At 2 weeks she is sleeping for one 5 hr period at night and another 3 hr period right after a quick 15 minute feeding.

She does have a kidney issue, but we aren't sure of the extent of it yet. As of right now she is peeing enough for the drs not to worry that something is in need of being done right away. She is on a small dose of amoxicillian every day to keep kidney infections away.

The kids all love her and try to help. My biggest two helpers right now are Veronica and Nicholas. Both want to rub her head when she nurses or hold the bottle when she eats. I constantly have diapers right at hand and a nuk ready to be shoved in her mouth at the smallest of squeaks.

The kids can't wait for Santa to come. St. Nick brought Charlotte just in time for us all the enjoy her. The second picture is the kids cheesing it up for the camera. Notice all the teddy bears that came into the picture with them.

The kids thoughts for Christmas presents this year range from transformers and star wars to the typical books and video games. Only a few more days to see some major twinkling in their eyes.

The reindeer food has been put out on the counter and the cookies have been made and tested. More need to be made.

Mommy and Charlotte snuggling for a few minutes the day after being born. Please excuse the spit up that is on the shirt. That seems to be a perpetual thing these days.

The nuk in my hand has been deemed clown face. When put into baby's mouth she has a clown smile. If anyone knows where we can buy these let us know....if we ever lose this one clown face we are in for trouble. The soothie pacifiers just are not the same.

The next picture is of Daddy and Charlotte the day she was born. Somehow that little girl got him wrapped around her little finger before she even entered the world. He comes home and drops everything to scoop her up and get some snuggling in before the rest of the group can attack. More pictures will come as we move along in the upcoming weeks and months.

Thank you all who prayed for Charlotte's safe arrival and for her kidney issues. The last picture is of all the kids with Santa Claus....

Halloween and all things Fun

Pickle is here to say hi and tell you what has been going on lately. We are all just recovering from getting the swine flu. What an exciting week. EMT's , fevers of almost 106, breathing treatments, convulsions, and dehydration. Way too much fun for us, we have decided to not do that again anytime soon.

This week we have decided to clean the house, get ready for baby girl due in about 4 weeks, and play outside when the weather allows it to. Today I even squeezed a little christmas shopping in with Pickle before Veronica got home from school. The colors are changing on the trees and this week the leaves have even begun to fall.
Patrick has begun to read, is pretty good at numbers and has tied his shoes one time by himself. We are slowly getting to where we need to be. He was just accepted into the speech program at school. We are waiting for the results to start showing, it could really be towards the end of the school year that we see what we want to. Patrick is getting excited about holding another baby and getting to cuddle and love her. He is such a sweetheart and so tall. He is already up past my armpits in height.
Sean is busy being busy. He is constantly on the move and never slows down. I swear he walks in his sleep too. He has begun to start reading and doing simple math. He has also really connected with some of his classmates and is excited to play with them when he can. His favorite activity right now is legos. He has quite the imagination.

As for the baby I really think he could care less at this point. He has a difficult time already just dealing with Pickle and Veronica haha.
veronica is in school 5 days a week every morning. She loves it so much that she is the first one up at about 630 in the morning. She has a little attitude but it really shows that she is a strong willed little girl. She is getting really good at drawing things and has started writing her letters and saying their sounds. :) What a big girl.

Well need to head off if I am going to be up with this little girl in the morning. Love to all!

summer drawing to an end...

Summer is fast approaching the end, and I really have to say that after nearly 3 months of "summer break" the kids really do need to go back to school. The boys are "bored" a majority of the time or just don't want to see each other anymore. I am keeping them busy watering the lawn for Tom, watering the vergetables, picking vegetables, picking fruits, cleaning and freezing them. I am going to have to find another chest freezer or start canning before I have this baby.

We've found time for fun things this summer. The kids and I went to Wisconsin for a few weeks in June and helped out at Mom and Dad's. We've gone to the beach a few times, done scavenger hunts, caught tadpoles, chased baby fish, gone for bike rides, and just enjoyed playing together.

Updates on everyone:
Tom: Working a lot of hours, but being somewhat of an expert in his field, that is to be expected. He also is in the midst of changing his hours for work to an earlier time so that I can get to work without needing a babysitter for the kids. His favorite hobby lately is playing boomarang with the boys...I am pretty sure that Patrick has taken to showing him up.

Nikki: Working as Store Detective nights a weekends. I get to play spy and catch shoplifters for the store. I am really liking the work and the hours. It has been nice to get out even for a few hours and meet up with adults and use my mind to learn new things. Baby is doing well. We were hoping to find out the sex of him/her on July 20th, but baby was stubborn and wouldn't move their foot. We are hoping to schedule another U/s to check renal function and the spine one more time in a few weeks, so we may find out yet before baby come in November/December.

Patrick: He's growing tall, already up to my armpit and I am sure by December will be to my shoulders. He had a big accomplishment last night, he tied his shoe for the first time by himself. This is a huge accomplishment as he doesn't have the fine motor skills that most children his age do, due to the Autism. I haven't had him on his concerta all summer as it gives him headaches, so I just deal with the outbursts and daily outcomes as they come. We've also been working on the reading and writing, two skills he is really lacking. his favorite activity has been playing the wii and playstation. I really wish they made games that would work towards the reading and math on there, but haven't found any yet.

Sean: He has been a socialite this summer, making friends and having friends over nearly every day. He also has gotten to be quite the artist with Legos. We've had so many creations over the summer and a lot of imaginative play with them. He got a big boy bike for his birthday so his little bike has become a trick bike that has gone down slides, off ramps and down hills and stairs. he is all boy for sure.

Veronica: a princess comes to mind when I think of her. She even has told me that the new baby cant be a princess if it is a girl since she is the princess in the house. She has gotten really good at riding her bike, doing flips on the monkey swing out back, talking and is learning her letters, numbers and counting. She is all about babydolls, doll houses, and being a little mommy. Too bad that she hasn't yet figured out how to keep her room clean.

Nicholas: aka pickle.. is finally growing. He is into 18-24 month clothes, talking and just jibber jabbering, His favorite activity other than snuggling with mommy is playing outside in the water. anything to do with the sprinkler or hose and he is right there. He loves to play with his siblings but hates when they play with any of his toys. His largest use word is NO lately so we are working on YES...

well that is all for now...need to go freeze some more beans and do another load of laundry.

OH BABY!

Surprise! Surprise! Sakes Alive, here comes baby #5, we are hoping to survive! Yep that is right we have another little one due around November 30, 2009. Today's ultrasound showed him/her healthy and moving around. Heart rate was 154 for all the rest that meant girl, but we are assuming nothing. So here is the ultrasound picture from today. He/She is measuring a week ahead of what we thought, but that is ok too. That means he/she is healthy and happy in there.

A few pictures

Just thought that I'd add some pictures. I actually just tried posting a blog but I think I closed it before it finished.
This first picture is of the boys. I think it is one of the best we have of patrick and sean...purely accidental.
The 2nd picture is of Veronica in a dress that i made for her. The next picture is of the kids and the farm with grandma great. Finally is a picture of veronica at meijer Garden. We had a great time there today on a field trip with Patrick's class.

This weekend is promising warm weather so be sure to check back.

Just a few fun pictures

The first picture is of a dress that I made Veronica. She loves frogs and butterflies and dragonflies. Walmart had the fabric and we found some cute ribbon and buttons to go with it. She loves it and it is difficult to get it off of her most days that she is wearing it.

The 2nd and 3rd pictures are from meijer gardens today. Veronica was amazed by the butterflies and enjoyed floating the boats out back. This was the first time that we've gone there and we will be going back again in the future. :)

Patrick loved going there too and sharing his mommy with his friend Brandon and Nicholas. Poor Mrs. kraft was running around the whole time we were there trying to keep everything straight and getting things paid for.

The final picture is from last week Thursday. I had forgotten my camera and the farm on easter so we went back to get it. The kids enjoyed the time with Grandma grape (great) and granma (aunt) jo. We played outside a ton and got a few things done around the house and yard.

This weekend promises warm weather so be on the outlook for a lot more pictures...Oh and Uncle Chris is coming for the weekend too.

Spring Break is done and now we countdown...

Spring break has been over for a whole week here and we are counting down the days left of school. 17 days left....well the boys do only go 2 1/2 days a week so that is far fewer than the regular kids, but still scary enough. We are trying to come up with plans for things to do this summer.

We are really hoping to make it up to Grandma Rose's and Grandpa Chuck's new home on Youngs Lake this summer for a few weeks if a job doesn't come around instead. we are also making plans for bike rides, sandcastles, and swimming at a nearby lake. We've been in this house nearly a year now, but it doesn't feel even close to it. We've barely put our own personalities into the house to all it our own. We just finished getting the office/guest room finished for the most part and the boys have decided they like that room a lot better than their own room, so in the near future we will be moving them into there and making their room into the office/guest room. Really i have no qualms about it because I will get natural daylight to work by.

Nicholas is really enjoying his time outdoors, but God help you if you take him outside barefoot or without a hat. That little boy has listened to his Gpa Tom and makes sure his tootsies are covered with socks minimally.

Veronica has figured out how to pedal, I bet by the end of summer we'll have another bie w/o training wheels. She is very vocal and such a little chatterbox...reminds me of someone else who used to be like that...hmm who could that be???

Patrick is moving up to a 20" bike. He is so tall and muscular truely amazing. He is still doing really well on his meds and continues to make great strides in his work at school and home.

Sean has been all about fixing things and putting things in order for Spring lately. We have seeds planted and strawberries growing. This boy is going to have veggies all winter long.

Homemade Ravioli Recipe

The kids love ravioli, but I can't fathom spending as much as the store wants for them so I've been making them myself the last few weeks. I thought I'd share the recipe here for those that aren't scared to make the kitchen a little messy. This is a great way to hide vegetables in the kids meal as they don't usually pick through it to see what is inside. My favorite veggie so far to hide in it is carrots as it adds a sweetness to the recipe.

Pasta:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. water
2 eggs
1 tbsp. olive or salad oil
1 tsp. salt
In large bowl with wooden spoon, stir 2 1/4 cups flour with remaining ingredients to make a stiff dough. On well floured surface knead dough until smooth and not sticky, about 20 minutes. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes for easier rolling. Makes 1 pound noodles.

Filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup parm. cheese
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp basil
1/4 cup shredded veggies (spinach, carrots, zuchinni, sweet potato *ideas*
Optional: 1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
Mix together in a medium sized bowl and set aside until after you have rolled out the pasta dough.

Cut your dough in quarters and roll out into rectangles either with the pasta machine or just your standard rolling pin. I only have a rolling pin so that is what I use. Spread flour onto your rolling surface so dough doesn't stick to it. Roll it out until it is thin enough that you can see your hand behind it if it was held up to a window. My rectangles are usually about 8x12 or so.

There are two ways to go from here. The first is to cut your dough into 2x4 inch squares and put 1 tsp of filling mixture just on the other side of the middle and seal by running a finger dipped in water on the edges. Flip the dough over itself and seal with a fork. These create cute little crescents or squares.

The second way is to roll out two rectangles of the same size, put down 1 tsp of filling every 2 inches on the dough. Run a wet finger around each pile of filling and place second rectangle over the filling and run finger around all the piles of filling to seal it. Cut with either a serrated cutter, pizza cutter, or cookie cutter that fits over the filling and noodles.

You can either cook right way by placing in a pot of boiling water for about 4-6 mins. The ravioli will float when it is finished. Or you can flash freeze by placing on cooling racks in the freezer until frozen (about 45 mins) then place in ziploc bag. Can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just pull out of freezer and place in boiling water until they float. (about 8-10 mins.) Coat with a sauce of your choice, serve with a salad and breadsticks.

Where did the time go??

20 months has gone so fast. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were trying to figure out how we were going to get all 3 kids to a sitter with the chance that there was something wrong with baby? 20 months ago Pickle didn't pass his NST, a scary proposition for any parent, but then to try and consider that there is no one to watch your other children if you end up in the hospital right away is even scarier. Giving birth should be a miracle that is enjoyed and the time spent with the new baby bonding should be stressfree, but this time around it was none of that. Bad things happened through the three days that I was in the hospital. Nicholas was to stay one extra night and I couldn't do that. Things just wouldn't have allowed it back at home.

Nicholas was born with a hypospadias, two urethra holes. a simple fix supposedly, but somehow even this was botched up. He is looking at another surgery after this July to recorrect what was to be his recorrection. The skin didn't heal flat or in the manner it was supposed to. The one hole they tried to close up has reopened again, and he wont be a straight shooter yet. He also had his scrotum reattached and things lengthened. I know this isn't the most significant surgery out there. Babies are on the Operating table hours after birth for harder and worse things than this, but it is hard to be there when they put that mask on your baby and he is looking at you with wide open eyes scared.

He also has an asthma issue. Any time he has a cold he is put onto a nebulizer a few times a day. It is to the point that he loves to put the mask on and wont pull at it. He knows that it is going to help him, which is great, yet sad to know. His first treatment was when he was not wuite 4 months old due to a bad cold that stuck in his chest that the drs couldnt rule out RSV. Since then we have to pull this out every few months to use, sometimes for weeks at a time.

Due to the inhaler and steroids he is a little bit smaller than kids his age. He is fitting quite comfortably in 12 month clothes, sometimes even 9 month clothes. Regardless of his size he has the spitfire of a normal 20 month old when it comes to his attitude. He is the first to scream sTOP of Mine when the other kids are playing rough. He also has the boys running and jumping on chairs when he comes after them with play swords or the light sabers. He just figured out this week how to climb onto chairs and our bed. He is in a big boy twin bed for the last three months. He also is starting to use the potty. I just can't imagine what it would be like not to have any diapers in the house, we've had them for over 7 years.
He amazes me with his growing vocabulary and need to voice his opinion. He'll tell us when he wants something or more often than not when he doesn't want anything. He has a love hate relationship with Veronica that is enough to make me pull out my hair some days. There is that twinkle in his eye that lets you know that he is schemeing his next plan of attack. Too funny and cute.

Because he wasn't walking yet last fall he really wasn't able to experience the outside like the other kids have in the past, so when we go out now everything is what's that? or where did it go? as things blow around in the wind. He loves everything about balls: hitting, kicking throwing, and has one mean golf and hockey swing. His second favorite is sand...Just sitting and watching it fall through his fingers is sheer amazement. The wind through the dead leaves on the front tree leave him just staring for ten minutes at a time. He is all about seeing his world for the first time, something that the other three kids really never did. So I am once again seeing the small things around me . It is truely an uplifting experience.


If the next 20 months go as fast as these did, I hope that they can be as enjoyable and amazing.

Veronica 4

Veronica 3

More veronica

Veronica's pictures

Veronica was in a great mood, freshly scrubbed and cleaned, sat for me to do her hair, and then continued to smile for the pictures. I can only post four pictures at a time here and we had over 100 taken. My favorites really are the candid shots like thi first ne that looks like she is praying. Really she just didnt want to smudge her freshly painted nails ;)....angel indeed. I will post more pictures in more blogs and you can help me choose the best 3 or 4 to print out.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St Patricks day to everyone, even those honorary Irish leprechauns. The kids are having a great day and tying to think of ways to catch a Leprechaun. We are also enjoying some warm weather that will hopefully be bringing 70s later today.

We've accomplished a lot in the house lately. The first floor has been painted though the colors are still in question. We've also finished organizing and going through the basement storage room. Shelves were built this last weekend, and two work benches. The garbage men wouldn't take the cardboard this week so i guess we will be hauling it somewhere later this week or next.

On a frustrating note, the Envoy was broken into and the TomTom was stolen...really stinks, but oh well what are you going to do. Well back to the kids. I hope to post pics of the house in the next few days again.

An update on the kids....

Its been a while since I updated you all on the kids and what is going on here.

Patrick: Still struggling with school and the social aspects of life. He is a borderline autistic, ADHD and possibly dyslexic. We are working on various therapies involving art, textures, social situations, and role play to get him used to working outside of the house. We also have started him on some medication to try and help with the ADHD. I was very skeptical at first that it would actually help him, but his is amazing on it. This is a side of the kid that i have never seen before. He is questioning, concentrating and focusing on everything that he needs to. Amazing indeed.

Sean: Flying high and just moving along at a steady speed. This kid has the energy of about 5 kids. he loves to flip around and jump off things. We are talking about getting him involved in some sports and see what he can do to reign that energy into something constructive.

Veronica: completely potty trained and her vocabulary is growing wonderfully. She also is a budding artist. This last week she has been drawing people on everything, including her walls and herself. very cute indeed.

Nickle Pickle (nicholas): talking and walking. Climbing and scooching. He has about 50 words in his vocabulary and loves to tell you his opinion. He is healed from his surgery in october, but there may be another one in the near future and something didnt heal correctly. he is still pretty little. At 20 months he is still wearing a lot of 12 month clothes with room to spare. We bought him his first pair f shoes not too long ago and he is just into 5w.....

Tom- working hard and if I get this job will be working even harder every night.

Jobs and more Jobs

I've been looking into getting a job nights and weekends for the last couple of months. So about two weeks ago I started working at a gym in Grand Rapids. The greatest benefit to this is that I get a free membership and it is a 24 hour gym so I can go workout whenever I find the time to. I am also working from home for the gym which is another great benefit. I just put in 3-4 hours a day when the kids are napping.

Well with this in mind I decided ok this is going to work really well for the family, I am making money, spending time with the kids and Tom, so I am no longer going to apply anywhere else. I stopped reading papers, online advertisements, etc etc and was happy as could be. Well all the sudden Wed I got a phone call from Meijer for a position they wanted me to interview for. So today I went in for the interview and was told to expect a second interview late next week. This would be a full time position nights and weekends. I also have been getting emails lately for tutoring, painting murals, canvases, and various other odd jobs that I do. When I finally gave up looking is when jobs started coming to me.

I am excited by the prospects of all this but at the same time am worried that I might be stretching myself thin.....Being grown up is hard...

Lutheran Family and Child Services

I donated a painting the the Lutheran Family and Child Services building in Greenville, MI. Some of you out there knew that I was doing this, so I thought that I'd post a few pictures of it done. These dont show all the depth to the paint, but they at least give you an idea. This painting is a popular one for churches and religious groups, as I have now done it 3 times. Each time is a little different though. I had the kids with me for the painting and they managed to make it through the 7 hours it took to paint today and the 2 hours to draw it out last week Friday.