Life at Goodness Grows Farm: Randomness 1-16

1) I would not have made it through the last 4 weeks without the help of my very good friend seen here:

I only have one at lunch time and somedays I want to cry with joy at the cold fizz sliding down my throat. Most days I'm praying that the cold fizz will provide me that extra boost around supper time, as all mother's know is the "witching hour" when I'm at my most tired and all hell seems to break loose in and around the house.

2) Whit is an absolute angel. He sleeps and eats and dirties diapers. He's just starting to have more "awake" time during the day and shows extreme fascination with my hair line. I highly suggest to all blond mothers that they color their hair dark because infants find the contrast between the white of the forehead and the dark of the hairline irresistible. People comment all the time on how intently Whitaker watches his Momma. I smile and say "Thanks" but I know the reality is that the contrast on my hairline is what is most interesting to him.

3) Potty training a 2 1/2 year old in the weeks after his new baby brother is born is a stupid thing to try to do. Maybe I will write a book: The Eight Stages of Potty training:

1) Excitement: In this phase, both parents and child are excited to start the process

2) Encouragement: In this phase the parents try to encourage each other and the child to keep trying.

3) Bribery: In this phase, parents attempt to bribe the child with candy and toys to use the potty consistently

4) False Accomplishment: In this phase, the child has consistently gone to the potty several days in a row and has successfully been wearing underwear with no accidents. This phase lasts just long enough to get parents excited that they have officially potty trained said child.

5) Regression: In this phase, the child starts pooping and peeing in his pants again.

6) Exasperation: In this phase, parents are tired and worn out. Mom is especially tired of changing underwear and washing them but is equally tired of cleaning up poopy diapers. This is usually when parents tell their friends they think something is wrong with their child and that "this one" probably won't be going to college. In fact, they are pretty sure the kid won't even make it to Kindergarten because he won't use the toilet.

7) Denial: In this phase parents deny that they have started the potty training process. The phrase, "He'll let us know when he's ready" is thrown around a lot to grandparents and neb-nose friends who want to compare kids achievements and gloat that their kid has been potty trained since he was 18 months!

8) Acceptance: In this stage the parents just accept that they will not be potty training this child any time soon. They give up and buy another jumbo pack of 100 size 5 diapers. Three diapers into that jumbo pack of diapers, the child will decide he wants to wear big kid underwear and use the toilet all of the time and will potty train himself in a matter of minutes. Parents will then accept that they are stuck with 97 size 5 diapers.

Right now we are in the Exasperation phase and rapidly approaching the Denial phase. My hope is that the Acceptance phase will be fast. It seemed to work with Walker - as soon as we "gave up" on potty training, he started going on the potty all the time. And just so I don't feel like a total failure in the potty training department, I'd like to point out that Maggie was potty trained at 18 months. We won't discuss the fact that her being potty trained had nothing to do with me other than me forgetting to pack diapers for her one day when she was visiting her grandmother and Mimi put a pair of underwear on her and she never looked back!

I'm still taking credit for it!

4) I got Mastitis this time around and boy was it awful. I felt the milk duct getting clogged on a Thursday night - tried to circumvent the mastitis by using warm compresses, pumping or nursing every hour, etc., but to no avail. I woke up Friday with a mild fever and by afternoon had a temperature of 103. I attempted to get to the Walgreen's clinic and the new FastER care emergency center - Walgreen's staff was at lunch and the new FastER care did not take my insurance yet. So, I had to come back home, wait for Erik to get home from work and then drive myself to the ER where I was given IV fluids and IV antibiotics and waited for blood tests to come back. Luckily, the infection hadn't affected my blood counts so I was able to go home with a prescription for an antibiotic and instructions to REST! Easier said than done, but I was feeling much better by Saturday morning. Sunday was even better, but I was so tired still. Now I'm all healed and feel much better.

5) I don't remember feeling so tired with the previous three babies. I guess running after three kids and then tending to an infants midnight feeding demands is really exhausting.

6) I forgot how much I love my hair postpartum. It is even thicker and longer and curlier. It will start falling out soon and look gross for a while until my hormones level out again.

7) The "big" kids have been so great with Whit. They love him dearly and try to help me out as much as possible. The possibly love him too much!

8) I am both bothered and glad that Walker has still had school this past week. It has been nice to still have a routine where I have to get him on the bus and to school and the three "little" kids all go down for a nap in the afternoon, but I feel like he is missing out on summer. We went to visit my mom for a quick overnight Saturday to Sunday and the weather was so gorgeous and it was so relaxing sitting at my Papa's pool and letting the kids swim with their cousins. I wanted to stay a few more days but we had to get back so Walker could finish school. He'll be done Friday and then we'll really start having some fun!

9) I already worry about what type of relationship I will have with Maggie as she grows up.

10) I worry more about how we're going to afford to feed three boys!

11) Whit had jaundice when he first came home from the hospital and the visiting Nurse and the PA at the pediatrician's office said they wanted me to supplement my nursing schedule with formula. Ever since, I've been giving him a formula bottle about once a day and each time I prepare the bottle, I think how easy it is to do and have about three seconds where I think about giving up nursing. Then I feel guilty.

12) Walker devastated me a week ago by getting a "buzz" cut. In my opinion he was scalped! I cried when he walked in the door. I'm still having a hard time getting used to this "hair cut." Thank goodness it has grown in so much already!

13) We did a family photo at my Mom's house the other day. Walker was having a particularly difficult time getting in the mood of posing for pictures. His dad gave him a little lecture and my sister managed to catch it on film. This is one of those photos that needs no words - you can tell right from the start the jist of what is going on. It will be one of those timeless photos we have in our album.