Stupidity Parenting Rule #1

When parenting 5 children under 4 some things just shouldn't be done.

 

When you have 4 kids that can't tie their own shoes, BUY VELCRO! Unfortunately, I didn't get that memo...

 

Kai a little upset at me for making him put his shoes on by himself.

 

Kai trying his best (and getting frustrated) to put his shoes on.

 

Mom finally has to do the job herself.

Praise the Lord for He is GOOD!

I just recieved a phone call from Shanna (Justus' birthmom) giving us some great news! Birthdad left a message for her earlier today saying exactly this, " I'm not gonna contest, leave the baby where he is. Bye." She let us listen to the message over the phone so we know it was actually said. I have NO idea why he has changed his tune in just 6 days with many, many threats to our lawyer and Shoshanna but I can guess it was all the prayers we had going up to God about it all! Tomorrow we will call our lawyer and see if he can try to contact birthdad again and ask if he will sign papers now. This would be the best thing that could happen as then we could adopt him in a few months instead of the few years we thought it was going to take.
We have a huge load off of our shoulders and thank God for such great friends and family that have lifted us up in prayer for this situation. Thank you so very much.

 

Oh, I'm getting hungry. I don't think I can hold it in any longer...

 

I WANT TO EAT NOW!!!!!

 

Ah, breastmilk is good stuff! It makes me happy...

Feeling peaceful

The last 2 days I have been seeking God with all of my heart, what else could I do? I have been through this all before. God has worked with my heart, bending it and stretching it to His will. He was successful and I was smart enough to learn the first time. When we went through this the first time it was about 2 1/2 years ago with the girls. It was one of most difficult things I have had to go through and I was sick to my stomach, wanting to vomit daily for months on end. I had no idea how it would end and I didn't want to think how my life would be without my girls. During that time I learned to lean on God, heavily. I am back to leaning on God heavily and it is such a peaceful place to be I am wondering why I ever stopped. Yes, there has been one moment each day that I am holding Justus, in awe of how beautiful he is and how much I love him and I start to feel anxious and nauseous but I know what to do when those times come! I start praising God! I don't pray that God changes the situation, I pray that he will strengthen me for what may be ahead. I praise Him for being the wonderful almighty God that he is! I praise Him for letting us have 7 weeks with Justus and then I tell Him that He already know my heart and to help this situation glorify Him in every way. A very dear and sweet lady at church who is a very godly mature woman e-mailed me. What she said was so true that I thought I would share it with you because it doesn't just have to do with our situation, you can look at it this way in all of lifes trials.

God sees the front of the tapestry while you're looking at
the knots and crossovers in the back. What a beautiful
picture that is being created that will be a testimony to the
world of God's incredible and loving behind the scenes work.

Isn't that SO true! I can use that for so many times in my life and it is such a great reminder to us! So today, I am still asking that you pray for this situation, we need all the prayer warriors we can get. However, my heart is at peace about what God is doing here. I don't know how it will end but I do know that He will hold me up and carry me through whatever lies ahead.

Scared, absolutely terrified

Today our lawyer called and told us that Justus' birthdad did indeed call his office today. This, after spending the morning in court with Shanna and being told he had to give her $302 in child support. According to Shanna he was livid since they had agreed that he would give her $200 but since he has a job now (a new thing that is not good for us) he could afford it. Shanna thinks it's just because he was mad and that he won't do anything about it, but he DID call our lawyer. And he IS making waves and 2 parents absolutely terrified and scared. We did know that something like this could happen but there are so many things against him that we thought it wouldn't be that bad(and until you have that baby in your arms you don't think it'll be that bad). Especially since he did even ask about the baby for so long before he was born. Well, today he called that lawyer and left a message telling him that, "I want my son back!" Yes, we are very scared. Please pray.

A BIG time prayer request

A short summary. Justus' birthparents are married and in the middle of a divorce since he cheated with her best friend and got said best friend pregnant. (follow?) Birthfather was against the adoption all along but only said things against it a few times and never did anything to stop it. Without going into details, he is a real loser with lots going on there (which is one stripe against him) AND he has epilepsy and is not allowed to be alone with a child at any time (court ordered). Since Justus has been born (and even 3 weeks before) birthdad hasn't asked about him at all (7 weeks now) until today. Birthmom called me today a little freaked out saying that birthdad had just called asking about the baby (along with child support stuff involving their 4 year old). He wanted to know if she knew where the baby was, to which she said yes but that he would have to contact the lawyer for any information about us and where we are. He wanted to know the number and she told him that she had given it to him in a letter 2 months ago, he didn't say he had it or not. She asked why he needed that information and his comment to her was, "I had my son taken away from me without my saying it was OK and I'm going to get him back."
So if that isn't enough to scare the living daylights out of us, what is? Now my rational mind tells me that no judge in their right mind would EVER give this guy a baby to raise (especially since he is raising his girlfriends 5 month old and they have another due in 6 months plus ALL the other stuff) but that is just it, there are some REALLY wacked judges out there! Jonah and I knew that this could be a problem when we decided to go ahead with all this, but when it really starts to happen, it gets scary!
So please pray with us, daily if you have a daily prayer list, that the next 4 1/2 months will go by without BD ever calling the lawyer or saying anything else. I am so glad that BM is smart enough to know not to give him any information on us, his past is such that it wouldn't surprise me if he tried to do something if he knew where we lived. Pray with us, please...

3 things

After a VERY long day running to the doctor then to the x-ray place then back to the doctor we got a phone call that Isaiah's arm is NOT broken. I guess that is a really good thing but it still hurts him really bad and he complains with the slightest activity or touch. The doc said that if he still can't lift it over his head in a week to bring him back in. Not sure what they would do then though. Hm. And I must say I have the best sis in the WHOLE world. After working all night without sleep she came and watched 5 of my kiddos AND THEN took me out to lunch. (BTW, Starla, Cari told me you are a blog stalker so speak up girl!)
Next item, Justus slept through the night last night! WOOHOO! I was one happy Mama when I was woken up this morning at 5:30 and even more happy that he was OK just nursing without the supplementor so I didn't have to get out of bed and got to sleep in another hour! I had forgotten how nice it is to sleep a consecutive 8 hours, pretty stinkin' nice I'll tell ya.
And a confession-embarrassment-conviction for you all. I'm laying it out here for you all and going to tell you something that happened to me last night that convicted me to no end about how I talk to my kids sometimes. Sarah called a good friend and left a message for her. When she got off the phone I talked harshly to her over something really stupid and then realized that she hadn't actually turned off the phone so that my words were on the message for someone else to hear. I have no idea if our friends listened for that long to the message but I was convicted, let me tell you! I know I am not expected to be a perfect mom and all of us make mistakes and get angry sometimes but I realized that there were so many better ways that I could have handled that and that I REALLY didn't need to talk to Sarah that way. So, I am really going to start praying and asking God to help me speak ONLY words of life to my kids and not words that might tear them down. There is my honesty confession for you all. I wanted to let all you blog stalkers know so that somehow I am accountable.

And one more prayer request

I think Isaiah may have broken his arm again in the same place he did after being home only 3 weeks. This time he tripped and landed with all his weight on his bad arm. I go to the doc in the morning and probably to get x-rays. I feel so badly for the little guy, he is in so much pain and just wanted to sleep tonight. Pray that things will go well, and quickly, tomorrow. My sis is coming to watch the kids, praise God!

Some prayer requests

I have a few prayer requests to ask of all of you bloggers that read this blog(although I'm not sure "why" you read this blog but I know you do even if you never comment so that I will know who you are. That is whole other post!). I mentioned in one of the previous posts about my knee causing me some problems. A little background, I have had 2 knee surgeries, one to repair some torn meniscus and the other to reconnect my ACL and repair some more meniscus that was torn. I have always had to be a little careful with my knee but nothing huge. Well, in the last couple of months it has caused me more heck than it ever has. It kinda "kinks" up so that I can't straighten it or bend it all the way. Usually the "kink" goes away within a day. Lately it has been staying for longer and longer until this time, it hasn't gone away and we are on day 3. To top it off, and help me know that something is wrong, my knee is VERY swollen. It never used to get swollen when it kinked up before. It is causing it to be very painful and almost impossible to walk up and down the stairs with anything in my arms (hint:baby) without extreme pain. So, if you got this far you're a trooper! I need prayer for my knee and that it will completely heal! I decided that if it is still bad in a week that I will be getting an appointment for an orthopedic surgeon (which I never wished to see again). I REALLY don't want this to be an issue!
Another request: We homeschool Sarah (and the other kids too) and just this year put Sarah in a 2 day a week language arts/math class at a local charter school to see how it would be. The school is great and we haven't had any problems at all with them. I have just been feeling lately that I need to pull her out so that I can be completely in charge of her education(part of the reason we H/S). My problem is I like the socializing aspect of it (although I think she gets plenty outside of school to) and would want to find a homeschooling group that meets locally so that she can make some friends her age around here. I haven't even started to look but I am hoping I will find one easily with good Christian, godly families to connect with. She would finish out the year and then just not go back next year.
Lastly, we are having troubles trying to get Isaiah the appointment with the pediatric hemotologist at Loma Linda. They say the doctor needs to look over his charts before he can even get an appointment but they have had his charts for a month. When I called yesterday, hoping they would give me an appointment they told me the doctor still hadn't reviewed his files. They have no idea how long of a time frame we are looking at but it is just getting frustrating. We know that he isn't seriously ill right now but would like conclusive results as to whether he has sickle cell disease or just the trait.

 

My smiley boy! I wish I had a digital photo of Kai when he was this age as the resemblance is crazy! Maybe I'll try to scan one sometime.

 

Isn't he the cutest?

 

Today I was laid up on the couch most of the day with a bad knee that just won't heal. I thought I would take it easy today and ice it a lot and try not to walk on it much. It helped a little but then there was the question of what to do with the kids after we had read a million books and all their chores were done. I decided to haul out one of their Christmas presents from Jonah's parents, a new 4 person tent for when we go camping(the 8 person one we have was at it's max last year). I set the tent up in an empty space in our living room without telling the kids. They went berserk when they saw it and couldn't wait to play in it. The only time they came out of it was to eat, seriously. I guess it was a hit!

 

All 4 of the "big" kids snuggled up and ready for bed.

 

All the kids were cracking up laughing as I laid them down saying silly things. They were so excited to sleep in their new tent together.

 

 

 

A conversation with Alana

As I'm putting my makeup on this morning

Alana: Mom, look what I found! It's a penny!

Mom: Where did you find it? (we have a problem with our kids taking money laying anywhere. I wanted to make sure she didn't steal it off the dryer)

Alana: On the floor (fair game). How much does it equal?

Mom: A penny equals one cent.

Alana: (with a TON of emotion in her voice) Oh my goodness, one WHOLE cent! I can't beleive I got so lucky! I'm going to put it in my piggy bank and buy something really great with it.

Mom: That's sounds great sweetie.

At this point I am done putting on my makeup (only takes about a minute anyways) and I look down to admire Alana's "penny". This is when I discover it isn't a penny at all.

Mom: That's not a penny Alana.

Alana: It's not? But it looks just like one.

Mom: No, it doesn't sweetie, pennies are copper colored. That is a peso.

Alana: A pedro?

Mom: No, a Peso. It is money from Mexico, not from America. You can't buy anything here with Peso's.

Alana: Ah man, I wish I was a Mexico so I could use this money. I thought I was SO lucky!

Mom: (laughing with her hand over her mouth as Alana walks out of the bathroom).

Aren't I the luckiest Mommy in the world to have such a sweetheart for a daughter. I love our little 4 year old conversations sometimes. If you knew Alana you would know that it was filled with emotion and drama the whole time. Everything with her is over the top, gotta love it!

 

When we are home all day with no plans to go out I let the girls choose their own outfits and do their own hair. This took a long time coming since I used to be somewhat of a stickler about my girls' hair and clothes at ALL times. After 6 kids I have relaxed A LOT. Sometimes Sarah will do Alana's hair and choose her outfit too. Today they each did their own thing and I was surprised that the outcome was kinda OK. You have to know that usually they look like a bunch of hooligans on these days. I was pleasantly surprised by their choices this morning. Aren't they beautiful girls? You would never guess they were bio sisters, would you?

 

Even though Sarah is 8 she rarely chooses a hair bow that matches. I was surprised to see that this one matched her shirt.

 

I can't believe Alana chose such a great outfit that actually matched! And her hair looks fairly good too.

 

 

Justus is such a smart baby. Last week he figured out that when he hits this little ducky the music and lights play again. At first I thought it was coincidence but now I know it's intentional.

 

Justus enjoying some Daddy time. Jonah was asleep but woke up just as I was taking the picture. Aren't they sweet?

 

Judah protesting about having his picture taken, he can be SO stubborn sometimes! But you can see his hair is all gone. I have already noticed that his hair grows VERY fast in comparison to Isaiah's.

 

I wear Justus in this (Moby wrap) all the time and every time we go out. It is the best and I would highly recommend it for a newborn. Sarah wanted to try it out and it worked great for her too although J couldn't get low enough to really snuggle in

My first outing, with ALL six

First off, the change in blog name. A good friend/mentor of mine told me something that I have clung to since the boys came home. I remember telling her it was just major chaos all the time and I wasn't prepared for such a big change in noise and busyness. Her response was, "There is nothing wrong with absolutely normal chaos, cherish it and use it to your advantage!" Thus the name and something I remind myself daily.

On to the post: Since J has been home I have not had to leave the house by myself with all of the kids. Jonah was always home or I could hold off going anywhere for the 3 days Jonah is gone each week. Well, this week Jonah is working 5 days straight, which means I cannot possibly stay in the house that long for sake of sanity. I had some Costco coupons and decided today was as good a day as any to venture out with my brood of 6. I am not sure why I was so worried as I am a pro at taking 5 kids out and the baby isn't that big of a deal to take care of when he is strapped on my chest and sleeping soundly. I think I was worried most about being a spectical. I mean, I got pretty used to it when the boys came home and there weren't ONLY 5 kids but 2 of them were black, oh my! We might have well had 3 heads each. But I got used to it and started not to notice and instead just enjoyed being out with my well-behaved kids( and can I brag that they were SO good today!). Today, I noticed all the stares again and no offense to anyone of Asian decent but there were some very rudely staring people(2 different groups) of this race. They would turn and talk to each other in another language and turn to look at us again, point a small finger close to their mouths and then turn back and continue talking. Just think if I had a little, beautiful Chinese daughter too! I should have had my friends daughter Mandalay, she's the cutest little Chinese girl I know!
Some people, I know, just don't know what to think. Are we a day care? Well, why are they calling her mom? Hm? Maybe some are foster kids? Maybe? They can't ALL be hers can they? You would think I was a Duggar (the family from Arkansas with 19 bio kids!). I know there are a lot of little ones that look the same age and that may throw some people off but 6 kids isn't really that many. I can understand if it was 8 or 9! I can't fault them really, most people in Southern California haven't seen 6 kids together at one time outside of public school, church or day care so I must seem a bit off my rocker:) All-in-all my maiden voyage faired very well and I enjoyed it all with no stress or anxiety about my kids' behavior. I can't wait when I am toting 10 kiddos around with me, just think of the stares I'll conjure up then!

 
Justus at 4 weeks old

4 weeks old

Where in the world has the time gone? I know this is a question mother's have been asking for centuries but it just doesn't seem possible that my baby is already 4 weeks old. This morning as I lay in bed with him by my side I was just in awe of this miracle of life that is mine. God has been so good to me over the last year and brought me so many desires of my heart finishing with this little boy who has stolen my heart completly. I fear that he may get somewhat spoiled as I do not think I will have any more infants and each day with him is a precious treasure for me.
With Justus' birth I have found contentment in all the things I thought I would miss never having a biological child. Because I was able to see a child of mine brought into this world and because I knew him from his first breath and because he nurses at my breast each day, what do I not have to be thankful for? It seems silly now that pregnancy was the only thing I wanted, I realize now it was much more than that, it was all the rest of it. Yes, I missed feeling him move inside of me, or watching my belly grow large as he grew. Somehow all that seems inconsequential when I see the blessing I have been given in return.
The thought of pregnancy doesn't bring the same pain that it once did and I can rejoice in the fact that my heart has healed from the pain of missing out that infertility brings. Oh, I am getting wordy here. I just can't tell you how blessed I feel to start out this new year with 3 new blessing to our family. The family I always wanted is here, 6 children. When I was young people would think I was crazy for wanting so many children, sometimes I thought so myself. Now that there are 6 little ones running around it doesn't seem like that many kids after all and my heart is already praying for whoever the next Winger will be. Hopefully, God will give us a few years time to settle in and let our 5 under 4 grow up a bit but we shall see. I have learned through this all that God's plans for Jonah and I are so much bigger than what we could have ever dreamed for ourselves. But God is good and through our many trials He has brought us 6 of the most beautiful blessings!
Alright, enough sappiness. I am blessed, that is all I can say. Blessed beyond my wildest dreams! I pray that God will bless each of you this year as much as He blessed me last year!