It’s so rare....

Its no secret that my oldest son and youngest daughter don’t exactly get along all the time. (Please read that as they hardly ever get along. Like once a month maybe they aren’t arguing . Or once a blue moon do they find themselves actually enjoying one another’s company.) So, in the rare moments they do get a long and are enjoying each other, I try to take a picture of it. Or 10 pictures because who knows when the next time will be! On this particular occasion they were having the best time with James pushing Olivia off the foot stool multiple times. Olivia tried pushing James but her legs were too short so they talked Audrey into joining in the fun!

And speaking of rare moments of getting along, I witnessed another rare moment in its own category. One night over the weekend Olivia was giving me a little push back about eating one of her meals. James had already finished and he challenged Olivia to a contest (which she cannot refuse) and said “Hey Olivia if you don’t eat that it means I beat you. If you eat then you will tie with me. Do you want to tie with me or have me beat you?” She didn't even answer first instead she quickly ate what ever it was and with a mouth full said “tie with you.” I think it took me an hour to pick my jaw up off the floor. In fact, I’m still not believing that it happened. But with wide eyes I thanked James for thinking so creatively and helping to get her to eat. He WINKED at me and said “Your welcome, Mom.” These are the moments I live for as a mother. They may be few and far between but when they happen its the sweetest fruits I could get.

Did you know?

The first 5 1/2 weeks of his life were a little hectic to say the least! When we left the hospital two days after he was born his bilirubin levels were elevated. And when we went to the pediatrician for his day after check up (a Thursday) his levels were a little higher. The Dr wanted him to get a heel prick the next day to get an accurate reading so we went back to Tallahassee on Friday morning. Then we had to go back to the Dr’s office for the results directly after that. His levels were up to 13 so we were told to supplement every 2-3 feeds with formula to help get his liver working quicker so the jaundice would skedattle. The lactation nurse who was working with me almost had a hissy fit right then and there. Those breastfeeding people don’t play around. Ok, technically at the time I was (and still am) one of those breastfeeding people but I did raise three perfectly healthy children on formula so I was down with it. 

Any who, we supplemented as told and and went back to Tallahassee on Saturday (to the hospital lab this time) this time with all 4 children in tow and had his heel pricked again. We went straight home and had to call the on call nurse this time for the results and the levels were at 15 this time (not stressful at all) and were told to supplement every other feed with formula and to go back on Sunday for another count. Sunday morning posed a little problem for us since I couldn’t drive so I had to call on a dear friend to help out and she gladly drove Henry and I back to Tallahassee for the 4th straight day. This time his count was down enough that they didn't want him to have his heel pricked again but wanted him to see the doctor the next day. It was his one week check up by that time and our surrogate grandmother drove us then since daddy had to go back to work.

This is where it starts to get hazy. I know we went back to the Pediatrician 2 more times after that in a weeks time because another good friend of mine had to drive us. But I cannot for the life of me remember why. But I do know it got old quickly having to go back and forth so much with him right after he was born while I was still struggling with the after affects of major abdominal surgery, being a first time breast feeding mom and worrying about my other 3 children and husband. But its what they call Mom Life, right?!

 9 days after Christmas Henry came down with RSV. Where did he get you ask? Well we won’t really ever know I suppose but we have some good guesses. The week before school got out for Christmas, Jon came down with a nasty crud and two days after Christmas I came down with some nasty crud and 6 days after Christmas the girls came down with some nasty crud that came with horrible coughs. Take your pick. While we were in the hospital, the nurses told us this year has been the worst for RSV that they have seen in a long time. Of course it would be! But, Henry was blessed to only be afflicted with a mild case of it, even though it did earn him an over night stay in the hospital for observation and 2 weeks later there are no signs of that nasty cough or terrible snotty nose he had to suffer through. Praise the Lord.

I told him I was sorry

When I found out I was pregnant with bebe numero quatro it was a little bit of a shocker to say the least. To say the least. I may or may not have cried about having to start all over again. And then I may or may not have cried about crying. It was an emotional rollercoaster around here for the first few weeks.

I had such a rough time emotionally when I was pregnant with Olivia and for the first few months after she was born, that it scared me to death thinking about putting my family through that again. And with older kids this time who don’t forget things any more. And all the time I was going to miss out in Olivia’s kindergarten class. Not to mention the “plans” I had for myself once I got all the kids in school. Lets see, don’t they say ‘We make plans and God laughs?’ And lets not forget having to go through another spinal tap with major surgery. I shed lots of tears. And then one day in the shower I was boohooing and begging the Lord to please send me some peace and He did. It came into my mind that I had two choices: 1. I could fold like a deck of cards and give into all my fears and all the hormonal changes and let it control our lives OR 2. I could put on my big girl panties (literally a few months later hahaha) and do everything I possibly could to make this a fun and happy time for us. The Lord blessed me beyond measure with choice #2 and taught me so many lessons over the course of the last 10 months of my life.

The first night after Henry was born and he was laying on my chest in the middle of the night, I looked down at him and started crying because I just couldn’t believe he was here and he was mine and he was perfectly healthy. And it was so strange to me to think about how scared and worried I was in the beginning and I whispered to him “I’m so sorry I was so scared to have you.”

9 months later....

John Henry Mizell
Born November 28th, 2016 at 8:04 a.m.
Weighed 8lbs, 11oz and was 20 1/4th inches long.

Stay tuned, I plan on blogging again. Hahahaha, yeah I know! Really though, I cannot let this little guy grow up with out the same attention to documentation that his older siblings received. AND I take WAY better pictures now than I did 5 years ago not to mention 9 years ago when I started this blog :) so I have to get back into it. I really lost the desire to take pictures much with my big camera while I was pregnant with him. And I really lost ALL desire and then some to sit at the computer for any length of time. 

i’m setting the bar very low this time and plan on blogging just once a week to start with. I honestly have NO IDEA how I blogged as much as I did when the twins were newborn. Newborns are exhausting and so time consuming. But oh my goodness the joy that they bring to a family surpasses any thing else.

Purple Mysterious

There once was a little girl who would argue with a sign post. Who’s legs were always to tired to walk. Who’s arms were always to short to carry things. Who’s temper more often than not would get the better of her. But she was never afraid to try new things. She was always up for anything.

This little girl was always asking hard questions about Heaven and God and angels; questions that left her mother wondering if she really knew what she was saying when she would try and answer.

This little girl still wakes up in the middle of the night most nights and comes down stairs in the dark to climb in the bed with her mama. She tucks her cold feet into the warmth of her mama’s back and sometimes even asks her mama to hold her hand.

This little girl was also always trying to say hard words and more often than not getting them mixed up. Like purple mysterious for purple Wisteria. 

This little girl was also always listening to sermons and giving commentary. She looked up at her mother yesterday after her father said that we are all gentiles and spiritual Jews and said “Nu uh Mama, we are all Americans.”

This little girl despises being alone. She would rather go to sleep than have to play by her self. She also can’t stand to do school. Complains that it is too hard and it makes her hand tired. Her mother is beginning to think Kindergarten is either going to be a disaster or a disaster!!

Oh how this little girl lights up any room she is in. Her smile and her laugh are infectious. And most days her Mother (and Father) have to fight the urge to just roll up and be putty in her hand. She loves to help her mama with dusting and sweeping and washing dishes. Funny how her arms are never to tired to do the things she likes. She adores her older sister (although that older sister is getting a little too bossy these days) and she desperately misses her brother when he is not at home. Even if she can pick a fight with him quicker than you can say BOO!!

But most of all there once was a little girl who was loved all the way to the moon and back a thousand times.

I’ve been looking for Him

Today was Super Tuesday so of course I did my civic duty and cast my vote for who I would like to see in the race to the big house of white this November. Olivia of course was my faithful sidekick to the polling house this morning. I have the luxury of going during the time of day when I can walk in and walk out in less than 10 minutes!! As we were driving away she had a multitude of questions about what had just taken place and wanted to know who the President was now. She asked the following question: "Who is our President now? Swamp Fox? God? Or George Washington or something?" You cannot make this stuff up people!!

Also, Olivia has had questions for me daily about Heaven and about God. The typical "whats it like up there" and what not. Tonight at supper she asked her daddy and he gave her a really good description of what the bible says it will be like. She thought on that for a while and then looked up at me and said: Is God invisible? Cause I’ve been looking for Him.

I am choking back the tears still, as I type this. I had to come write it all down right away before I forgot. What a blessing this child is and she doesn’t even know it. Thank you, Lord.

Mispronunciations

“Mama why do those Nums call Maria names?"

"I like Weisel the best out of all the children"

“I do not like to eat the chicken breaths!! I like to eat the legs!!!"

“I really like these chaladas, Mama!”

These are four words she’s gotten wrong in the last week and they make me smile each time she says them. Nums and Wiesel get repeated a lot since she is still thinking about and singing songs from The Sound of Music. I cannot bring myself to correct her. I’ve never been able to do it, not with any of my children. There is something so completely innocent about listening to children get words wrong.