But this girl just gives me wayto muchblog material...
So here is our new battle...
You will see in a second that Stella is giving us quite a fight!
She does not like to wear clothes..Bottom line. (Who does really...) So we have had many "mishaps" where we will lay her down for her nap
and she will take her clothes off before she falls asleep
then of course being 17 months old she will go potty in her sleep.
{Those are NOT fun "mishaps" to clean up}
We really are trying to win this battle! But if you look close you can tell that she is fighting right back
Please notice the duct tape in the picture below. SHE ALMOST GOT IT OFF!!
We really are doing our best to keep her dressed but it is just so hard when you are battling a child with a will like Stella Marta's.
It's a good thing she is so DARN CUTE!
I still am not sure how she got her shirt like this...? Its a mystery that will probably never be solved.
Please tell me that I am not alone in this battle. Advice would be very much appreciated on how to keep clothes on and messes to stay IN THE DIAPERS!!!
There are many, MANY things I have learned how to do quietly.
Why???... you might ask, did learning how to do things quietly become big enough to make an entire post out of?
Well this is why ...
Because there is nothing more precious to a momma of three, then three sleeping little loves.
And there is NOTHING worse to a lover of three little kiddos then accidentally waking one of them up and getting this reaction...
I want to give you a little list of all the things that I have learned how to do quietly
Here I go, The small list of things I have learned to do quietly,
1. Walk. It is amazing how much noise you can make just by walking down the hall!
2. Blow dry my hair..I close my bedroom door and then go into my closet and close that door too.
3. Close doors. Make sure you have your hubby grease all the hinges. (lesson learned)
4. Rinse your hair in the shower. This one I have to say I am really proud of! I learned that if you have a lot of hair when you wring out your hair and the water hits the bottom of the tub it makes a loud noise and it can and will wake up a baby!! So here is what you do...when your hair is full of water, wring it out onto the shower curtain!!! It just slides right down into the tub rather than splatting on the bottom of it.
5. Talk on the phone. This is obvious but go into another area of the house... another lesson learned the hard way...
6. Play with the other kids while one is sleeping. This was a simple fix. All the rooms are down the hall way so when one of them is sleeping I just block off the hall with this great long foot stool my hubby got me. (which is now the toy box instead of a foot rest...but ya know its all about what works these days.)
7. Laundry. It is all about closing the lids and doors gently...oh so gently.
8. Going to the restroom. Don't flush until they are all awake. Trust me.
One might say... just do those things like you normally would do and the kids will get use to the noise. That sounds really simple and great. But the reality of it is that I would have to go through A LOT of this...
When all I really want is this
So there ya have it. A few of my hard life lessons learned on being quite while little ones are asleep.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me some of your tips on being quite, we all gotta stick together on this nap thing! It makes a mommas world go 'round.
PS for all of you who checked into my post because of my blog title...sorry to disappoint! I have no tips for ya there. That is not what this blog is about ;)
Stella wants to do EVERYTHING her big sister does..she is 16 months and even wants to sit on the potty... and can accomplish the task from time to time...
Ben rockin a giant smile.
This little boy brings so much silliness to our home...Oh and he has learned how to defend himself...the girls do not take advantage of him quite so much!!
Claire rocking her new bike
She is such a big girl!! She is smart as a whip (what ever that means) ;) And is really starting to get the hang of the big sister thing! I am seeing glimmers of hope because she likes to make them smile, she likes to share, and she likes to tell everyone about them!
Breakfast at the Shrock's. I am normally sitting in the seat between Ben and Stella shoveling food in to their little mouths.
I am so thankful that we are now falling into the grove and life is smoothing out! (it took 5 months) ...But that's OK.
My Heart is SO FULL! After spending the weekend with some of the most amazing people I could possibly think of I am so happy this Monday.
It was so wonderful to see so many of the kiddos again! I loved to see the transformation in them. From being in an orphanage to being in a loving home ... that changes everything for these kids! To feel worth and love... something everyone deserves. I had the privilege to see it 1st hand this weekend in so many kids!
And it also made me take a step back and reflect on my little ones, And the transformation that happened in MY LIFE because of bringing them into our lives.
Adoption changes everything!
I love this picture! It was so muggy in TN that is fogged up my lens but I kind like it ;) Swimming with daddy, we were in the pool A LOT! Some of the ahhhmazing CCI momma's Oh my trouble....
Always a good time with the Armburstmachers. These are just a few pic's from this amazing weekend!! Loved every second of it!
Sometimes I wish I could throw fits like this again. They only last a minute or so. This girl sure does know how to let her emotions out!! Its a good thing that she knows how to express herself, but she really needs to keep it in check sometimes... but ya know she is only 14 months... whats a girl suppose to do???
you can still see the "tears" in her eyes... but she wants to smile.
And by the way all of these "mood's" happened in about 15 seconds. Yep that's my Stella!
So lets be real, every day here is fun! But I will now be making it a point to make sure we do something "extra fun." But unfortunately since I just decided to make this format for my blog last night I really did not have much time to plan anything. So this is our typical Friday. Macy my cousin is here. She is 11 and helps me out a ton! She loves my kids almost as much as I do!! Benny Boo eating breakfast. He loves to eat!!
Claire got into my tupper ware cabinet and decided this would make a "fun" hat. And that poor bunny she is holding has been through the ringer. He is not allowed to come in the house any more because he is so dirty and has been put in the kiddy pool a few too many times. But she loves him anyways.
A little bit of play time with mommy.
Holy Smokes she just keeps getting prettier and prettier.
Gorgeous! Stella is such a gem! She is SO funny. I might just do an entire Funny Friday on her because she could take an entire blog post with all the funny stuff she does.
I loved them!!! They were the BIGGEST blessing for the past 2 years. And have been THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD the last few days!!!
We have decided Claire is 2 1/2 and old enough to not have that thing in her mouth all the time!!! So we went cold turkey! Claire was so proud to become a BIG GIRL and say," bye bye" to her paci's.
One night I asked "Claire do you want to go to bed with out your paci tonight? It will make you a big girl." and she said, "yes Mommy." She had NO CLUE WHAT SHE WAS IN FOR! Neither did we....
That night was OK Darin held her on the couch until she fell asleep. No big deal...I was thinking, "wow this is going to be easy." The next day was Sunday and she woke up TICKED... wondering where her paci was... I reminded her she was a Big Girl and she did not need a paci any more!!
She then informed me. "I want to be a baby!! I do not want to be a big girl!!!" Oh boy... here we go.
A few days went by and it was not fun for ANYONE!!! ...we limped along with no paci
It was literally like a drug with drawl one night!! She was shaking, sweating, crying, and could hardly breath! I was scared for her! Darin laid down with her until she fell asleep, around 11!!! I went in to check on her around midnight before we went to bed and she was still sniffing in her sleep. ((((HEARTBREAKING)))))
Then it was Monday and I had to tackle her and the absence of the paci all by myself!! It was absolutely awful!
She was a bear when she woke up! She just cried, threw fits, and was mean! Then it was nap time and boy oh boy... when I finally got her to sleep at 3 (nap time is normally 12) she slept maybe 15 minutes and woke up and was NOT HAPPY!
So I called Darin, because after 3 days of this I was at my wits end, and said..."we might need to give the paci back, but just at sleeping times!!" And that is what we have done.
We can all sleep and she is doing OK with the fact that she can only have Paci when she is in bed...All is well in her world again...
Because my last post was so heavy, I wanted to post some of the FuNnY things that have been happening around this crazy house!
Claire is obsessed with poop. She always wants to look at it after one of the babies makes a mess. She has told me that she is big enough now to change their diapers. And honestly if they would hold still long enough I think she could do it! But the ironic thing is that she does not want to go in the potty. She will tell me, "no I poop in my diaper." Another funny, Claire has a corner that she always goes to and poops in. There is a gap between our fridge and pantry. Thats where the "magic" happens.Also Claire found out the hard way that when things are thrown in the trash they are gone for good. Yesterday she asked to watch Barney and I was looking all through the DVD's and I could not find it anywhere!! I asked her, "Claire do you know where Barney is?" and she said, "I put him in 'da trash." So there was a life lesson because a few minutes before that I just threw the trash out. :( Barney is no more... Sorry Sweet girl.
Stella has learned that being chased is a BLAST.
And then there is Ben who just laughs at everything.
To say that I was overwhelmed the last month would not even come close to describing how I have been feeling. The 1st 2 weeks of having Stella and Benjamin home was nothing but Dr. appointments and hospital visits. (regular adoption stuff) Stella was scared and teething so I literally could not put her down. If I would put her down to tend to another child I would have to get her distracted first, but that would be short lived and she would come screaming and thrashing back to me. So I held her for a month straight. Ben has had what we thought to be scabies and we have treated him 6 times!!! That also means that we bleached and bagged everything 6 times!! Only now to be referred to a dermatologist because it is not going away. Scabies is HIGHLY contagious and none of us have gotten it. So I am sure that is not the problem. Claire was adjusting to having 2 new ones in the house. Everyone told me how she was acting was normal. But it was not "normal" for me!! Claire has always been so well behaved, well mannered, and so sweet. But since they have been home she has struggled. Its been about a month now where she would throw herself on the ground, throw her head into the wall, hit, scream and just burst into tears for no real reason. I thought I had to be right there for EVERY out burst, every whimper, every laugh. I thought it was my motherly duty to jump at every noise! Not to mention that I still thought my house had to be spotless and laundry had to be done and put away. After a month and a half I have come to the realization that I just have to let some things go. I have learned that I need family,friends, and coffee!!I have learned I can not be there for every fight the girls have. They just have to learn to duke it out.I have learned that just because Ben is quite does not mean he does not need me.I have learned that Claire's fits are her just being 2 and needing extra praise.I have learned that I have to take care of my mental health if my children are going to get a good momma. I have learned that Stella is so much fun, and she is hilarious. I have learned how to see the absolute blessings that God has given me. I have learned that reading to, playing with, kissing and hugging my babies is far more important than having my make up on or my hair done. I have learned that if there are crumbs on my floor and dishes in the sink..its cool, I have a great excuse now! I have learned that not having their teeth and hair brushed every day is not going to make me a horrible mother. I have also learned that some days they might just stay in their PJ's all day and that is OK. But the biggest thing I have learned is that I have to let go of some of my outrageous expectations of myself and of my kids and that has made me a MUCH better momma!
Let me be very honest when I say that I was not able to keep a clean house or keep on on the laundry or spend all the time I wanted to with each kiddo and I was not even making meals at the time my head was spinning like a top. I felt so heavy with guilt and so overcome with the feeling of being inadequate that it would paralyze me.So with a lot of prayer and an amazing husband I was able to see more clearly what is important! I am sure that I will experience these feelings again, but I will always have the hope that things get better.
Thank you Lord for teaching me when I need to be taught!
It is 8pm and all of the kids are in bed...(sigh.)
Change diapers
Before that it is some SERIOUS play time with daddy!! Some nights we take all of the cushions off the couch and love seat and we play a little game Claire's calls "alligator." Stella and Ben love to climb on top of the cushions and roll off. Other nights its a game of hide and seek. Where Claire always hides in her closet and we do our best to act like we have no clue where she could be ;). Darin will find her and she will run as fast as she can to me.. I am her safe base :) Ben and Stella just giggle and laugh while their big sister goes crazy!!!
Change diapers
6:30 is dinner time. So far we have had meals come to the house every Monday through Thursday since we have been home!! Come on people, talk about some serious love and support from friends and family!! I am totally blown away by the BLESSINGS!! Dinner is interesting, we feed the kids 1st. Normally Darin feeds Ben and helps Claire and I get Stella, then its clean up the kiddos, get them interested in something to play with or give them some puff's, or Cheerios, and we will get Luke-warm dinner. :) We all sit there together for about a half hour. Wouldn't change it for anything!!
Change diapers
The hardest part of my day is between 4 and 6. That is the time where all of the kids are up at once and they are bored with me and want daddy to come home. They are typically getting hungry and fussy around 530.
Change diapers
Lunch and naps start at 12. Lunch is your typical Mac and Cheese, apple sauce, and green beans. (what I grew up on) Every now and again I throw in a hot dog, switch up the veggie, or if we have some kind of left over from the night before they might get lasagna or other kind of pasta. After lunch it is nap time and all the kiddos go down around 12:30 or 1. They all will sleep for 1 and half hours. Claire sometimes is down for 3.
Change diapers
Mornings are always fun. It brings the excitement of a new day! We are all up by 8. Sometimes one of the girls might be up around 630 or 7. I will get breakfast on a wake up basis. Then we play and the babies go down at some point after breakfast. It all just depends on when they get fussy and I feel they need a nap. They are all morning kids. I have found that mornings are the best for them! They are sweet and snugly.
I could not have made this unimaginable adjustment with out my mom! She is the most amazing, loving, helpful, compassionate person I know! Thank you MOMMA!
This post is all about Ben! Our sweet little son who just turned one!!!
Ben is one amazing little man! We have only spent 3 short weeks with our son but the love and joy he brings to us is unmeasurable. He has these sweet eyes that make everyone "Oooooh" and "Aaaah" when he smiles! Ben LOVES his bath time, balls, and hitting and banging on anything that makes a lot of noise! He is a very happy kid, but you can tell when he just needs some alone time. (His sisters can be a little over whelming) It is normally around 3:30 he will get fussy and easily irritated so I will put him in his crib with a bottle and about a half hour later he comes out just as happy as can be! Ben sleeps through the night and always has since we have had him. We just are so in love with our Baby Ben!!! Happy Birthday little man, we are so glad we got you home in time to celebrate your 1st birthday. We look forward to celebrating your sweet presence in our lives for many more years!!!!
Stella was so proud to show her daddy how she can walk!! It was precious! Darin had just gotten home from work and she wanted to walk right to him! LOVE IT. Ben as usual has to be all over his Daddy too!! Darin does not get a break from the kiddos until they go to bed.
A lot of people have been asking how life is now that we are all home and the only way to describe it is BUSY!
I have only been out of the house 2 times, but life is non-stop! It is constant feeding, diaper changing, napping, crying, laughing, and playing.
Claire is doing OK at best. She is having a hard time understanding why she is not getting 100% of the attention any more. She will throw herself on the ground, bang her head on the wall, and cry randomly. All of course attention getting mechanisms. So I have been trying to handle that the best way I know how. I know it will take time and eventually she will come to love her Bro and Sis. I see little glimpses of hope every now and again. So please remember her in your prayers.
Ben is just as sweet and easy as can be. I have to be very intentional with him because he easily gets lost in the mix. So I will make special time just for me and him when the girls are napping. She has a sweet innocent way about him. He is quick to smile and lots of fun to play with.
Stella is something...right now I am looking at her and she is laying on the tile licking it. HAHA She is FULL of life and personality. She is either totally HaPpY or she is MaD... and there is not much in the middle. She has the biggest smile but... She has a nasty little habit of biting.
There is a small update..its all I have time for ;) Thank you all again for helping build our family!!
Wow looking back November has been insane. I am so very thankful that it has been all "good" insane. We have been doing so much celebrating and planning this month. To start the month off I had picked up an extra day a week at work. So I now work 2 days a week. Even tho it does not sound like a lot I was very comfortable just working one. :)So that jammed up my weeks a little. But we need the $, plus it is right before the holidays so it made my clients happy because it made it easier to get in. It is all good! But then we also decided to book our flights!!! So at the beginning of this month we did that. And now the seriousness of planning and packing for a huge 10 day trip to Ethiopia, Africa is real!! My dad turned 50 and we threw a surprise party for him. So there was lots of planning and shopping for that. PS He was totally surprised. And then it was 2 Thanksgiving meals on turkey day. We went to Darin's parents for lunch. And the whole family was there. It was awesome. There we probably 50 people!! Then to my parents for dinner and there were probably 30 people there! Every Friday night we have our God Son Tariku spend the night and then Saturday is full of indoor soccer. Its a blast and that now fills our weekends. I have been working on the Ordinary Hero fundraiser. Trying to sell those shirts. My lovely friend Danielle and I are dreaming big!!! Check out her blog at www.daniellesdance.blogspot.com (more on that to come soon!!!) But that has also consumed a lot of my thoughts. All I can say is that life is so exciting and I feel humbled and blessed when I think of the loving, supportive people in my life.
/> My Mom and Dad on my dad's 50th birthday. They still look like a couple of teenagers! Love them My dad's new hobby is making a boat. So one of his friends though it would be funny to make a mini Arc with my dad on it. So funny Millers! Surprise!!!!! Oh the pre teens in my life....
We really are doing our best to keep her dressed but it is just so hard when you are battling a child with a will like Stella Marta's.
I still am not sure how she got her shirt like this...?
