My preschooler.

Mercy started preschool this week. Yep, we finally finished all her evaluations and testings and she qualified for the school district's preschool. It's a bit bittersweet for me, because on one hand, I'm so glad that she's FINALLY going to be getting the assistance and therapy that I just can't seem to give her, but on the other, it's a blow to the mother ego. Does that make sense? Like I feel I've already failed her somehow, and she's only three. That doesn't seem to bode well. I know that's not the case, but that doesn't mean I don't still think it sometimes. Anyways, her teacher, Miss Dana, rocks. I mean, seriously ROCKS. I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect teacher for Mercy if someone had let me.

All weekend Mercy kept talking about going to see Miss Dana and her kitchen (there's a play kitchen in Miss Dana's room). So monday morning CJ took Mercy to the mall in the morning to get her haircut. He said she did so well, just sat there with her head straight and let them cut! Afterwards he treated her to Claire's and they got Mercy a Hannah Montana backpack and a pink bracelet, and they got their pictures taken in one of those photo booths. They came home and we got her bag ready, put some extra pullups in it and another outfit, and then ate some lunch.

Then I took her to school. We had to go to the office first so they could photocopy her birth certificate, and Mercy got worried when we got back in the car to drive around the corner to the drop off place. I had to keep saying "let's get back in the car to see Miss Dana! Miss Dana's going to be waiting to see us around the corner" and so on. We got there a bit early and didn't know what to do, so she and I sat in the van for a bit, just playing. Then two teachers came out to "collect" the kids, so I got mercy out and walked over, not sure what to do. Luckily one of the teachers recognized Mercy and said "hi Mercy! Are you ready for class with Miss Dana?" and took her hand. So I got back to the van and watched them for awhile. She looked so small standing against the fence, all alone, I started tearing up right then. She ended up holding another little girls hand and they walked into the school together, not once looking back at me.

When i got back in the van and turned it on, Brick (by Ben Folds Five, I think Erin sent radio vibes to my van) was playing, right at the verse "And she's feeling more alone than she ever did before". And I baaaaaawled. I mean full on tears coursing down my face, heaving cries, all that. No pretty crying at all.

CJ, Porter and Jameson came with me to pick Mercy up, and we got there early (again). I saw mercy come out of the school and got out of the van. She saw me too, because she tried to veer off the path and come straight to me, but there was a fence there. Miss Dana came out with her and said that Mercy did really well and had a great day, so whew. She told me some of what she did, but honestly, I was so happy that she said Mercy did well that I don't remember. *blush* Something about shapes... Anyways. We tried to get Mercy to say what she did, but she wasn't interested in talking about it, she kept saying things that she saw out the window.

Tuesday went equally well, they even had a fire alarm drill and Mercy did great. Which is wierd, since when our fire alarm goes off at home (which it does at least once a month, the kitchen and the fire alarm think it's funny or something) both she and Porter freeeeeeeeak out.

Miss Dana said that we could put a notebook in Mercy's backpack and we could write notes to her or her to us, so yesterday I went to Target and found some of their notebooks were on sale, and got a nice one. It was plain looking, so I decided to dust off some paper scrap supplies and be crafty-ish with it.

Nothing fancy, just enough to satisfy.

Then it came time to write my first note in it. What did I want to say? What I really wanted to say was

Dear Miss Dana,

Please be careful with my Mercy. She's a spitfire, from sweet to tantrum in .5 seconds flat. She can be frustrating, especially when you don't understand her speech yet. She's also probably going to be very quiet for a bit, since new situations really make her nervous. She's not used to being around a lot of kids, and she tends to withdraw while she susses out the situation. But don't underestimate her. She's a very intelligent little girl, she knows all the letters in the alphabet by sound and by sight, as well as her numbers, colors and shapes. She soaks up learning new things like a sponge, and loves books.

She is also the three year old love of my life. She's one of the best things to happen to me, so tread carefully. It hurts my heart that I can't be there with her 24/7 anymore, and I need you almost as much as she does, to be my eyes and her protector. I know the impact that a teacher can have on a child's life, and I know that impact will be for the better with you. Thank you for being an answer from Heaven.

But instead my first note reads

Miss Dana,

Mercy's skin is breaking out around her mouth because it's so cold lately and her skin is sensitive. If you could, there's a small tube of Aquaphor in her bag, could someone please put some around her mouth if you notice it looking pretty red, or if she starts licking her lips?

Thank you so very much.

I wonder if Miss Dana can read my first message in between the lines...

I have magic powers.

It's true. At least, I think it's true. It must be.

ANYWAYS, Laurie, get on with it. I know you're thinking that. What are my magic powers? My lap has the magic ability of being able to put J to sleep within seconds, even when he's not nursing.

I know, amazing, eh? (oops, let a little canuck slip out there. *teehee* )

The past two nights J has been having a heckuva time staying asleep at night. Growth spurt? Please no, I'm not ready for him to get bigger, even though it's inevitable. In any case, he's been waking up quite alot, yet seems to fall asleep almost as soon as I lay him in my lap to nurse. There's no other explanation to me except that my lap has magic sleepy powers. I've spent half of my night sleeping on the couch with him, just because going back and forth from my room is just too daunting. And I admit it, I love snuggling with him even while we sleep. I'm too paranoid to be a co-sleeper, so that's never been an option really, other than early morning snuggles. I have no problem with those who co-sleep, I'm just too much of a nervous nelly to do it. I'm a heavy sleeper, I toss around in my sleep (ask CJ, he's got the bruises to prove it), yadda yadda. I just can't do it. So I guess couch sleeping is my compromise.


And yes, J was asleep in my lap as I typed this post.

somewhat-quickie post

look to the left on my blog. see the bright pink rectangle that says "bloggy giveaways carnival"? click it. trust me, CLICK IT. (or click that.) It's a list of a massive load of blogs that are all doing giveaways this week!! wow, the things that are being given away... just amazing. babylegs, handmade jewelry, starbucks gift cards, books, and more. honestly, it's the coolest thing to see. like this giveaway, from angela (yes, i've blogged about her before; i check her blog religiously and love her!), it's a giveaway of a gift certificate to Nina & Tom! and props to rocks in my drawer for organizing this mass hysteria of giveaways!

in more somber words, President Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, passed away on sunday. i wish i could be eloquent in words and say all the things that he meant to me, to us, as mormons, but it's a bit too raw i think. i remember the first time i ever saw him in person though. i was in college in southern virginia, and we were told that he was coming to virginia, to do a special conference with the saints in the area. and area institute program was asked to sing at it!!! since 99% of the school was LDS, plus there was also a good amount of local college age LDS, we had a great sized choir. i still remember the practices, we sang "God Bless Our Prophet Dear" combined with "Come Listen To A Prophet's Voice". finally the day came of the conference, and we all hopped on bright yellow schoolbuses and headed to the conference. we got to sit behind President Hinckley!! i remember sitting there and watching him walk on stage, and *knowing* that i was looking at God's living prophet. after we sang, he was introduced and he stood up to talk. and the first thing he said was how much he loved the songs, how proud he was of us and how much he loved us. i felt surrounded by so much love that day, it will always be with me. Godspeed, President Hinckley. what a great and cheerful noise must have been raised in Heaven on Sunday.

so excited!!!

I won a giveaway from the awesome people at Peekaboo Picks!! It's for an adorable Valentines onesie from Baby Candy, I'm so so excited to see it. Jameson's going to look so adorable in it. And it tempts me even more to order from their site, especially their tie onesie. It's so adorable...

Will do another post later, but here's a cute pic of CJ and Jameson. Could they look more alike?! They even have the same look on their face!

ever ever after

I've been in a big fat rut in my digital scrapbooking lately, don't know why, I lost my mojo or something. But I was listening to Carrie Underwood's Ever Ever After tonight while looking at some recent pictures of the kids, and I hear that verse as I came across this picture of Mercy, and the need to scrap it hit me like a ton of bricks. I absolutely adore the song, and I'm thinking of maybe making a mini album to the lyrics....

(Psssst. If you want to hear the actual song, it's in my playlist on the left. Wink wink.)

owen and jameson: future roommates?

This is Jameson and Owen.
Owen is our awesome friends Russ and Ashley's son. Russ and CJ were roommates before Russ and Ashley got married (and oh, the stories they all have to tell). Then, when CJ and I got married, we moved into the same apartment complex as them (go Shadywood!!) and were in the same student ward as them. Then they moved a few blocks down. So we did too. Heheheh. The day I was in labor with Mercy was the day they found out they were pregnant with their sons William and Jonathon. A few days after William and Jonathon were born, we found out that we were expecting again. Basically, we've had a lot of "big ticket" moments coincide.

Then we found out that both Ashley and I were pregnant and due about 5 days apart at the end of October! THEN (here's where we get even more trippy) we found out that we were both being induced on October 24th, with both of us going in at the same time!! Owen was born about 4 hours before Jameson, but because J decided to wait til 12:50 to be born, their birthdays are a day apart.

So we're hoping that they both end up as roommates somewhere, or else as MTC companions, since they'll both probably go in at the same time. Wouldn't that be hilarious?

(yes, they're holding hands in this one. cute, yes?)

(caught J mid-laugh! Dunno how Ashley got him to laugh, I *still* haven't been able to get one out of him.)

(so the other kids don't feel left out, here they are chowing down)

(Mercy trying to kiss William I think it was? Love that my kid is nekkid in this, but she wasn't being naughty, she'd spilled soup on her shirt and we hadn't put another one on yet. Oh, she's going to hate me for this picture when she's a teen...)

alive

we're all alive and almost out of the sickie hole we were in. i still don't fully have my voice back, and mercy and porter still have snotty noses, but other than that we are good. woo.

this sunday was jameson's blessing at church, and both my parents and cj's parents came down for it. it was SO nice, the kids loved all the grandparent attention they were getting! newell and sally (cj's parents) hadn't ever seen jameson before, and mum and richard hadn't seen him since thanksgiving; he's totally chunked up since then. i can't believe how much bigger he is. in the last two weeks it feels like he's sprouted and gained so much! he's got these adorable fat thighs now, cj's convinced j is going to be some kind of football star. ugh, i hate how fast they seem to grow up! heheh.

anyways, j's blessing was great, he was such a good baby during the blessing, afterwards the 2nd counselor said that j was such a great baby and so calm and cute. j looked ADORABLE too; mum found the cutest outfit from Strasburg for him on a deep discount, it fit him perfectly! i'm thinking of putting it in a shadowbox on his wall or something, it's definitely not something he can really wear "every day". afterwards i was given a new calling.... *drum roll*.... i was asked to be a Relief Society teacher. *faint* seriously?!?!?! ME?!?! what are they thinking???? it's every other month that i would give a lesson, so that's a relief, but omg. i'm terrified!

mercy has a new saying that she picked up from me. "i'm not kidding!" i say it to her (or porter) when i'm telling them they need to do something and they aren't really listening. lol! the first time she used it was in church. she told cj she needed to go potty, and he told her to wait til after j's blessing, and she said "go potty now! i'm not kidding!" oh my gosh, i cracked up.

giveaway to drool for.

www.thebabymarketplace.com - a great online spot for Baby Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Gifts and Cloth Diapers is hosting the Pippalily Baby Slings Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two Pippalily Baby Slings! There are also 13 pairs of Bical Grippers up for grabs. Don’t miss out!

more giveaways!

okay, my kids are all asleep (one benefit to the sickies, lots of naps happen!) and i checked http://www.prizeatron.com/ and saw this new giveaway. oh wow, how soft and comfy does this blanket look?

if you want to enter the giveaway, it's really simple, just go to http://www.sevendogsandababy.com/2008/01/blanket-review-cariboo-blanket-giveaway.html and follow her instructions!

and here's another one. babylegs!! seriously the CUTEST things i've seen this year (yeah, i know i know... we're only 14 days into the new year. shush. lol)

wanna win a pair? go to Mama K's blog and enter! wanna just buy a pair? go to her store and buy away. :)

Sickies prevail

Yep, we've been invaded by the sickies. Ugh. Mercy seems to have another UTI, and Porter and I both seem to have caught CJ's chest cough that he had last week. The only one who seems to be evading capture is Jameson, thank the heavens!!
Last night was absolutely no fun. I was having the chills and fever, but Mercy woke up screeeaming and thrashing around. Nothing I did got her settled, I think she's "backed up" and it's hurting her. Poor bug. So I brought her into the living room to thrash so that she didn't wake Porter up (who was coughing in his sleep), and we ended up falling asleep on the couch. But then she'd wake up again and start all over. Add to that Jameson still doesn't sleep through the night... ugh. I think I maybe got four hours of sleep total? Finally the Tylenol kicked in for her around 4-5am and she fell asleep in bed. So of course J took that opportunity to wake up. Gaah!! Fun for all.
Mercy seems better today, but she still hasn't done the #2 yet, hopefully she will soon so that I can get a better nights sleep tonight!!

yet another mommy contest...

Kim the owner of www.thebabymarketplace.com - a great online spot for Baby Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Gifts and Cloth Diapers is hosting the January Gift Card Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two $100 Gift Cards!

crazy children...

Have to share some new videos!!

First up is one of Porter! I flipped the screen out on my camera so he could see what was filming, and he was fascinated with seeing himself in the screen.

Mercy was getting cranky at Porter, who was teasing her. She finally got so frustrated she put her hands on her belly and yelled at him "care... bear.... STARE!!!!!!!!!!" Oh my gosh, CJ and I busted up laughing, it was so funny! It took us a few minutes of prodding to try to get her to do it again, but she finally sort of did. You can tell that she loves Care Bears when she starts imitating them.

Last but certainly NOT least, Jameson! He's such a smiley baby, always smiling and cooing, and this was no exception. CJ was crawling on the floor towards him making funny sounds, and J just loved it!! He's so sweet and cute... I just can't get enough.

yet again...

angela has drawn me in to yet another fascinating company!!

this time it's Boon. i've seen their Frog Pod around and have wanted one for awhile, but i just cruised their site and they have this:

it's called The Flo. from its description: "Combining multiple functions into a single device, Flo provides a simple solution to several bath time challenges. This unique product diverts the flow of water, creating a gentle waterfall, while providing a protective faucet cover to help guard against injury. Flo also functions as a bubble bath dispenser.
Flo attaches easily to the bathtub faucet with a spring-activated grip that requires no assembly or special installation. When the water is turned on, it’s diverted into a stream that extends up to 12 inches in front of the faucet, creating a gentle waterfall and making rinsing hair easy. The soft material on the front edge of Flo helps protect against injuries caused by bumping or scraping against the faucet. Parents can fill the bubble bath reservoir and let children dispense bubbles into the water by pressing the button on the front."

how FUN is that??!?!? must get one...

have to add this site too. www.princesstots.com they have the cutest tutus!!!

i have a sunbeam!!??

Mercy started primary today. She's a SUNBEAM!! I was really worried because of her delays, plus I joined the church after primary, so I don't really know how it works. C said to just take M in and find out what's going on, so I walked her in and asked one of the counsellors what I do. She already knew who M was (which made me very happy, I love when a group is on the ball like that!) and pointed out her teachers. M and I walked over and I introduced M to one of them and told them that she has a speech delay and she might not get things. She was SO sweet and understanding, and sat Mercy down next to her. As I was walking out, I turned around and she was talking to M with her arm around her, rubbing her back. I love our church! Almost at the end of church Porter's nursery leader came in because he needed a bum change (she said he was looking very sad, so she picked him up and noticed he was sopping wet, poor boy) but CJ had the diaper bag, so I had to get him. As we were walking towards the bathroom, we walked past M's class and she happened to open the door as we were about to pass. EEPS!! But she just said "mummy and daddy!" and then shut the door. After church I met up with M in the hall, and her teacher said she did just great and was so good. Whew!!

Tonight we had dessert with Maria and Cole (from across the street). Maria's teaching in primary now, and she told me that M did so great, she looked like she was having a good time, and that she was trying to help Sister Manwaring (the primary president) out. Yay. M and P had a blast at their house tonight with their son Rykley. He and M were cracking eachother up, and they all had fun destroying their toy room.

Our church times switched to starting at 8am, so not easy to get up! Luckily Jameson was in a great mood for most of it, then nursed and fell asleep, and kept sleeping when I had to pass him off to my friend Shila so I could help Porter. Then when we got back from church the kids watched a carebear movie or two and CJ napped (he'd gotten in from work at 2:30am, so didn't get much sleep), and then P fell asleep on the floor too. I knew he would if I brought him this one fleece blanket of Js. After that we went to the park around the corner and CJ and I goofed off playing basketball (or I got schooled in basketball...whatever you want to call it) while the kids burnt some energy off running around or else tried to play too.

All in all, a fun day!

Okay, slacker mom blogger checking in. *blush*

J had his 2 month check up on thursday, he is in the doctors words, "perfect". I, of course, take that as a personal credit. He now weighs 12lbs 9oz, and is 22 1/2 inches long. His belly button still isn't healing so she redid the silver nitrate treatment, hopefully it works this time. It supposedly doesn't hurt them but he was PISSED when she was doing it. J also got three shots in the legs, I made CJ go with him for that. I start crying everytime any of my babies gets shots, so it's easier on all of us if CJ goes with them to get them. Luckily he seems no worse for the wear, the shots just seem to be making him sleepy, whew.

HAVE to share this video of Mercy on her bicycle that she got for Christmas. (or bike-isil as she calls it) :

Oh my gosh, I was cracking up the whole time!! Little Miss Bossyboots. Poor CJ...

Porter's becoming such a little boy it makes me sad. He's hilarious though, some of the things he does... he's a daredevil, loves to jump off almost anything, including the inside of the minivan, he just *expects* that you'll be able to catch him, even if your hands are full. His latest fun activity is as soon as he sees either CJ or I laying on the floor in the living room, he takes off down the hall, turns around, and runs full speed into us. i mean FULL speed. Sometimes he goes flying over us because of the strength of impact! Little nutter.

Christmas was great, M and P love all their toys. P's favorite is probably this truck thing that CJ's parents sent him. It's pretty cool, it has four cars that you can "load" onto it, and it can tell you the color of the car or else what number you loaded it; first, second, third... he LOVES it.

Mercy... hm.. she loves all her toys, but her bicycle is probably her favorite. She hasn't figured out how to peddal yet, but we also haven't had all that great of weather lately, so we haven't gone out much. I know I know, we live in southern Arizona, how can we NOT have good, at least warm, weather! Well, blah blah to you.

J doesn't have a favorite toy. Mostly because he didn't really *get* any toys... he got clothes. He'll get toys later.

and yes, they are in matching pjs. Heaven bless Nick and Nora and their sock monkeys.

fun blog!

have to post about this cool blog from a fellow mom:

http://www.sevendogsandababy.com/

she does reviews of all sorts of great things geared towards moms and kids, love it. i love her book reviews!!

okay, slacker blogger will be back later to post more. i hope. ;)