Rebecca's Blog

Every year at Christmas, we have an entire week of activities planned, starting with Christmas Eve and ending New Years Day (or a day or two later depending on what days of the week the holidays fall on).  This last Christmas season was no different.  With spending time with my family Christmas Eve and Day and going to California the week after, there was nothing but fun to be had.

Unfortunately, our schedule of events wasn’t quite what we had anticipated, so, instead of a blog outlining our schedule of outlandish fun, we’re going to outline what really happened with some blips of fun mixed in.

2010 Holiday Schedule

December 20-22:  Clean, clean, clean in preparation for Santa’s arrival.  He doesn’t come to dirty houses.

December 23: Michael has stomach flu.

December 24:  Last minute Christmas shopping.  There was a mistake made in a purchase that didn’t get caught until the night before.  After nap time, head to parents’ house for annual Christmas dinner of fried shrimp and egg rolls with the extended family.  Have a really nice program of scripture reading and caroling.

December 25:  Wake up 5:30 am thanks to the discovery of a new friend, Venus, at the house.

Parents, having had 2 hours sleep, shove kids back in room and tell them they have to wait to do anything until 8 am.  Kids grumble, but relent.

Once it’s a reasonable hour, go downstairs and open gifts, followed by traditional breakfast of apple oven pancake, sausage and the cruddy sugar cereal Santa brought the kids.  Play.  Eat chocolate from stocking.  Nap.  Head to Gaga’s house for additional gifts, dinner and dessert.

December 26th:  Josh and Sariah get stomach flu.  Illness lasts half a day.  Go to Gaga’s and Papa’s for left over dinner.

December 27th:  Travel to California.

December 28th:  Ryan and Benjamin get stomach flu.  Open presents from Grandma and Grandpa B.

December 29th:  Elizabeth and Mommy get stomach flu.

December 30th:  Grandma B. gets stomach flu.  Grandpa B. and our family go to see Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3D.  (It was quite good and there’s definitely eye candy in it for the females.)

December 31st:  Mommy and Grandma B. go shopping.  Have a pizza and pie party for New Years.  Stay up late watching movie.

January 1st:  Mommy spends day in bed with a gall bladder attack.  (For those who don’t know what a gall bladder attack is, it’s about 1000 times worse than the stomach flu and as painful as contractions during labor.  In fact, I would much rather be in labor than be having a gall bladder attack.  If you want to know how truly terrible one is, ask me.  I’ll tell you, but I’m not going to gross out the readers with gory details.)

While Mommy is sick, Daddy takes kids to the park to finally play with the cousins they’ve been dying to play with all week long.

January 2nd:  Mommy has second gall bladder attack, delaying the drive home one day.  Severly dehydrated, Mommy goes to ER with Daddy when, at 10 pm, the attack shows no signs of ending.  Mommy learns to love pain and nausea medications.

January 3rd:  Trip home delayed again due to bad road conditions.  Mommy does laundry and recovers from illness.

January 4th:  Go home.

Bet you wished you spent Christmas with us!

Have you ever felt REALLY behind?  I don’t mean behind as in “I didn’t get 3 of the 10 things on my checklist checked off,” but behind as in “I will never catch up in a million years.”  That’s kind of what I’m feeling like now.  I was doing pretty well at getting things ready for baby number five to arrive in a couple months, but now I feel pretty sure that there is no way on Earth that I’m going to get everything done that I wanted to before Michael is born.  I guess I’m going to have to settle for doing my best and let the rest slide.

Having said that, I am fully aware of how behind I am on my blog and I get further behind with each passing weekend, so goal number one that I intend to achieve on my quest for catching up is to catch up on my blog.  I will warn you that it may get a bit lengthy, but hopefully not TOO much so.  I was gonna do some hopefully funny posts on some of this stuff, but I guess I will have to settle for reporting the facts as they really and truly happened with no funny business – which some of you might prefer as I’m really not a funny person, I just like to think that I can be when I want to be.

SO.  First on the list:

PREGNANCY UPDATE!!!

I’m now 30 weeks.  YAY!!!  I’m getting there!!  Anyway, 10 weeks ago, I had my 20 week ultrasound.  Didn’t see the pictures?  Well, that’s because I lost them.  However, now I’ve found them, so here ya go!  They’re not as good as some of my previous ultrasounds.  The baby was too big to really get a good picture, but they’re better than nothing!

A profile of the head.

This is the face.  It’s official, we’re having an alien.

A leg.  Real impressive, huh?  At least we know he has a leg with a foot on it.

Can you guess what the arrow is pointing to?  We had them re-check the sex in hopes that MAYBE they had called it wrong the first time.  (I know this sounds terrible, but I really don’t know if I can handle three small boys.)  Anyway, the fifth appendage has not disappeared.  We’re still having a boy.  I’m getting used to the idea and just want him to get here safely now, which leads into the next bit of pregnancy news:

We had a bit of a scare a couple weeks ago.  Ryan and I rushed down to the hospital with a little spotting, cramps and contractions.  After a couple hours of observation and making me drink about 1/2 a gallon of water, the contractions subsided and I was sent home.  Tests were done at the hospital and the doctor’s office.  Everything looks fine.  I just have to be careful and pay attention to my body.  OH, and I have to drink 1-2 gallons of water a day as dehydration can send you straight into labor.  YEAH RIGHT!!!  I don’t think I’ve made that 1-2 gallons a day goal yet, but I try.  Got to get him here safely!

Finally, when I went to the doctor for my hospital follow-up, the doctor went ahead and measured me.  I was shocked to find that I’m measuring a full 8 WEEKS ahead of schedule.  NO WONDER I’M SO UNCOMFORTABLE!!!  Anyway, everything still looks good.  No gestational diabetes or anything.  He’s just going to ultrasound me one more time to make sure I can actually get the baby out of me.  Having a history of large babies and easy labor (except Elizabeth), I’m sure I can handle it!

MAY 2, 2009

May 2nd was a busy day.  It all started out with having Cujo’s manhood being taken from him.  Everything went well, but he was a pretty pathetic soul when he got home.

Cujo pretty much laid around for the remainder of the day, except when we took him outside to go potty.  Still pathetic, he also turned hilarious.  His rump was bothering him, so he sat down on his rear in the rocks, lifted his back legs in front of him and them proceded to turn around in circles.  I wish I had gotten video.  It was pretty funny.

His predicament wasn’t so funny the next day, though, when he decided to take revenge on us.  He did nothing but everything he isn’t supposed to do.  He drove me crazy and I wondered what we had done.  He’s calmed down since, though.

The second was also a very important day in a young boy’s life – a day when you go from boy to man.

Joshua got his very first shaving lesson.

And finally:

For Elizabeth’s birthday, her friend’s mom offered to give her a cake decorating lesson.  On the 2nd, Elizabeth finally was able to go have her lesson.  The above cake was the result.  Not too bad for the first cake of a 9 year old, huh?

MAY 3, 2009

I found this picture on my camera.  Apparently Ben has found a new way to use the toilet.

MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s day was really nice.  It started with breakfast in bed, made by Ryan and served by Elizabeth.  Then I started to get ready.  When I got out of the shower, I found this waiting for me on my bed:

Joshua is SUPPOSED to be hiding.

SURPRISE!!!

I got lots of special gifts and cards from my hubby and kids, who all worked very hard.  Later that night we went over to my parents’ house to have a nice dinner with my parents, grandma and aunt.  It was a very nice day.

Well, I guess that’s it.  Goal number 1 done!!!  Not very funny, but accomplished.  I guess I’ll sign off for now.

Here’s just one of the reasons you end up keeping the dog that sometimes drives you nuts:

This is Cujo’s first night in our house.  We didn’t have a crate for him yet.

Aren’t they cute?  I see great buddies in the making.

Have you ever wondered at what the true calling of a mom is?  Those of you with no kids, only babies or even just one or two kids may think it is to raise and nurture your kids into fine adults…  I’m here to tell you that you are WRONG!!!  The true calling of a mom can be seen in the experiences you have everyday. 

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that nurturing your kids is what you experience everyday, but I’m asking you to look deeper – look at what you actually DO while you’re trying to nurture your kids.  I’m here to suggest that the TRUE calling of a mom is mess control.

We all do it – we are constantly trying to keep our homes in order, but one does not fully appreciate the truth of a mom’s true calling until they have at least four kids.  Sure, we’ve got the normal messes anyone may have to contend with, such as cornstarch poored all over the floor by the two year old and the three older kids deciding to play in it.  No big deal, right?  Of course, once this scene is cleaned up, the same thing happens two weeks later with powdered sugar.

Then there’s the classic of the toddler getting into his or her mother’s make-up.

But, by the time the forth child gets to it, he learns not only how to put it on his face, but how to ruin furniture and carpet as well.

And, of course, there are the messes we create ourselves just because we are trying to be good moms.  (Please try to ignore the cleavage, but notice the large flour accumalation on my pregnant belly.)

However, the forth child brings with him/her chaos that no one else understands EXCEPT another mother of four or more children.  With the children always going in different directions and the mother being pulled in all those different directions, it is impossible to keep up with what everyone is doing all the time.  It is for this reason that the true calling of a mom is not only mess control, but poo control.

Let’s start with proof number one shall we?  I have a four-year-old that I have been trying to potty train for over a year.  He is completely pee pee potty trained.  However, though he is perfectly capable of pooing on the potty, he will go for weeks at a time refusing to do so.  Therefore, I’m cleaning 1-4 pairs of pooey underwear a day in the toilet.

Then there is the two-year-old, Joshua.  He is ready to be potty trained.  How can I tell?  He takes off his diaper and poos or pees all over the house.

Of course, once the mess is made, you have to decide which to do first: find the toddler or clean up the mess.  For us, we find the toddler.  Why?  Because if you don’t he will most likely be found getting into more trouble.  In this particular instance, he was found holding the light bulb he had just unscrewed from my lamp and the sewing stuff I had just finished using.

Then, once again trying to be a good mom, you invite one of these into your home:

Unfortunately, unlike cats, these do not come potty trained.  You spend the next several weeks cleaning up messes off your floor and rewarding it when you actually get it to go outside.

The climax comes, however, when your children and the dog combine.

Say you have a son who constantly poos his underwear and you are trying to get him to stop.  Now, say you also have a dog that you are training to go poo outside.  Guess what happens.  That’s right!  The four-year-old starts playing outside, has to poo, doesn’t want to have to go inside to do it, but doesn’t want to get in trouble to for pooing in his underwear either.  Seeing that it’s ok for the dog to poo outside, he pulls his pants down and poos right there in the yard. 

Now, you might have expected that something like this might eventually happen.  Afterall, his siblings cheer him on when he pees in the backyard, which is also against the rules.  What you don’t expect, however, is the dog to want to EAT the poo.  The result?  You have a 6-month pregnant mother chasing a dog with her son’s poo in its mouth around the yard.

And yes, all of this is going on simultaneously during the last two weeks of March.  Have I made point?

Experiment:  Who’s will is stronger – a cat’s or a human’s?

Problem:  Midnight keeps waking me up every morning between 4 & 6 am to be petted.

Hypothesis:  If I ignore her, she will go away and leave me alone.

Test:  Last night I went to bed determined to stop this conduct once and for all.  Come early morning, when Midnight came for her daily early morning petting, I ignored her to see if she would get tired of trying and go away.  First she tried her normal tactic – head butting/rubbing me on the forehead with her forehead, then start purring immediately in anticipation of being petted.  I pretended to stay asleep.  Then she came in again and hit me on the mouth.  I still pretended to be asleep.  She tried it one more time for good measure.  I did well ignoring her and she seemed to be retreating.

Unfortunately, Midnight was just heading to my hand.  Her next tactic is always to force her head under my hand, forcing my hand upwards.  Then she stretches her neck up and maneuvers my hand down her back.  This is where I usually give in.  NOT THIS MORNING!!!  This morning my hand just dropped dead to the bed.

This was not the end, however.  Oh, no.  She just regrouped for a minute and came up with a better plan.  Next she came in and tickled my nose with her whiskers.  That I couldn’t ignore quite so easily.  I swatted her away like I would a fly, still pretending to be asleep.

That didn’t stop her, however.  She came back full force with the head butting.  OK, now it was time to get physical.  I started pushing her away, trying to give her the message that I wasn’t interested.  She just came back stronger each time.  I’d push her away and then she’d head butt me to get my attention harder than she had before.  After several minutes of this, I decided it was getting me nowhere fast, so I turned my head and tried to go back to sleep, facing the other direction.  Perhaps that would give her the hint.

Nope.  The next thing I knew she was chewing on my hair.   The grinding sensation this produced in my hair was far more annoying than anything she was doing before.  I yanked my hair away and tried – once again – to go to sleep.

Midnight did not try that again.  She simply walked over me and went to where Ryan was sleeping.  “YES!!!” I thought.  “Now she’ll bug Ryan and leave me alone!!!”

Apparently, she just went to look at him.  She was back head butting me and putting my hand on her head in a matter of seconds.  I gave in.  I petted her for a few minutes.  She curled up and enjoyed it.  I started to fall asleep with my hand on her.  She lightly bit my finger as if to say, “Don’t think I’m finished with you yet!”

Finally I gave her one last pat, rolled over and tried to go to sleep . . . again.  Her petting needs had been satisfied, so she should leave me alone and go to sleep too.

Well, I was right about one thing.  She did finally go to sleep, but not before she walked over me again, stood on my pillow, and curled up with her back in my face.  There was fur from my forehead to my chin.  Having been too tired to do anything about it, that’s how we slept for the rest of the night.

Conclusion 1:  Cats’ wills are far stronger than humans.  In fact, they rule the roost.  They rule the house, and the people and animals inside it.

Conclusion 2:  The more you try to ignore or push a cat away, the more they like you and want your attention.  My advice to those who want to stay the boss of their own home and own a pet they can play with would be to get a hamster!

Who said dogs and cats weren’t compatible???

(To the tune of “Under the Sea.”)

Down there all the fish is happy, as off through the waves they roll.

The fish on the land ain’t happy. They sad ‘cuz they in the bowl.

But, one day if the crab gets lucky, there will be a two year old.

Then crab makes his great escape, yeah, when Josh knocks over his home bowl.

Crap, where is the crab?

Where is the crab?

What do I do now? He’s disappeared now, naturally.

If I look close I might find him. Luckily he don’t need to swim.

Look on the floor now. Don’t panic more now.

Where is the crab?

His home is now all in pieces – the job of a mastermind.

The sand, it is in the carpet. The dustbuster’s quite a find.

But crab, he is still a-missing, though everything else if found.

Oh there he is. He is hinding in a corner on the ground.

Oh, there is the crab.

There is the crab.

Put it all back now. Restore his home now, naturally.

Maybe I should find a place where my little boy can’t stick his face.

Put in the crab now. Hope he’s not dead now.

There is the crab.

Yesterday, our house officially turned into a zoo with the arrival of three new pets. That makes a grand total of SIX!!! Now, I don’t know why or how we have ended up with so many. I NEVER had a pet growing up, with the exception of a cup full of rollie polies I tried to keep in captivity in our garage. Unfortunately, they were dead the next day. Perhaps, I am trying to make up for all the years I went without. Perhaps I’m just insane – who knows. This post is an introduction to the Briggs’ zoo.

2 Zebra Finches

With the exception of a couple of fish that have since passed away, ZEE is our first pet. She has been a mom once and had several illnesses, but still seemed to outlast her perfectly healthy mate.

This is HAWK II. He is the replacement for Zee’s hubby. He has NOT been allowed to father any children yet. Isn’t it totally unfair that the male is so much prettier than the female? Sorry the photo is so bad. I was having a hard time maneuvering the camera around the bars.

1 Dog

ANNA came next. She is 1 1/3 years old and 57 pounds. She is very hyperactive, but super lovin. Anna is a mix between a Chocolate Lab and a German Shorthair Pointer. The hunters we know have coveted her.

1 Cat

MIDNIGHT is our newest addition. She is 8 weeks old and adorable. I’ve never seen a more playful and friendly kitten. She didn’t even go through the scared kitten stage when she came to her new home. Of course, my kids wouldn’t let her, either. We had to make them leave her alone as they just want to hold her all day. Don’t worry, we’ve made a safe haven for her. We’ve put up a gate in the doorway of the laundry room with a 3 inch gap only she can get through. If Midnight is in there, the kids aren’t allowed to touch her.

Petsmart

So, with my sister-in-law doing a rush trip with her five kids to bring us Midnight (long story), we had to make a trip to Petsmart for supplies. Ryan suggested we go ahead and get the pets we promised Elizabeth and Sariah months ago while we were there. These pets are rewards for cleaning their room and keeping it clean. We already had the tanks, so why not???

1 Hermit Crab

This resulted in CRABBY for Elizabeth. Crabby spends most of his (or her – we’re not sure which) time in her cave. I took the opportunity while she was out today to take some pictures. Watch out. He/she pinches!

1 Beta Fish

Sariah decided on SILVER MIST here. Yes, he’s a male, but have you ever heard of a fish with gender confusion? Me neither. Therefore, she can name it whatever she wants. Beta fishes are great because they are about as low maintenance as you can get. They can just sit in a bowl without filtration (though our tank is filtered) and all you have to do is feed it once a day. They rarely need cleaning too!! WHAT A GREAT PET!!

4 Monkeys

Oh, I almost forgot our four monkeys: ELIZABETH, SARIAH, BENJAMIN AND JOSHUA!!! They love their playmates excessively and get into as much trouble as they can. However, they are pretty good cuddlers, so I think we’ll keep them!