TOUGH week for my friends here! So sorry ladies!!! That's the worst part about these boards...when you know your friends are hurting and there's nothing you can do but type and pray...I wish I could do something more tangible for each of you!

We are having a good week over here. I'm the one that wakes up in the middle of the night moaning at our house! My m/s is worst during the night and first thing in the morning for this trimester. I'm usually up for a couple hours a night but it has nothing to do with my kiddos! So imagine my excitement when BOTH boys slept until 7:30 this morning, allowing me to catch up a little. Well, Sam came in my room and had picked his way to a bloody nose which was everywhere and when I went in to get Jack, he had thrown up in every corner of his crib and all over himself! I felt sooo bad that he was sick all night and I didn't even know! So then I'm trying to clean them both up and throwing up myself at the same time...it was quite hilarious. It's definitely been a "mom" day.

We are starting with a new small group on Sunday through our new church. (We've been going there for the past couple months after church shopping in our new town.) We've been in the same small group for five years, so it's going to be interesting to start all over with building relationships. I'm excited to see what people God will put in our lives at this church to challenge and sharpen us.

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Mel

John & Melissa (Married July 2001)

Oh....are we sharing bad sleep stories from last night? Gee, it must have been one of those nights. Guess it's my turn!

Well I said that she was getting up every 20 minutes. That was no exaggeration. Seriously. I got her down at 8:30p. She was up at 8:45p & 9p screaming. Both times I got her down with a butt pat, but I doubt if she was ever ASLEEP for more than 8 or 9 minutes. After several more butt pats averaging 15-20 minutes apart, I woke DH up (he'd fallen asleep in Gabe's bed since Gabe was having a "I'm not going to go to sleep" night). We head downstairs assuming all 3 were finally down for the night. DH was loading the dishwasher, so he had the National Championship game on REALLY LOUDLY so he could hear it over the water & the garbage disposal. I was cleaning the table, highchair, stove, keeping the washer & dryer going with clothes. So it was really hard to hear when Mikayla woke up. But sure enough, she'd eventually get loud enough I could hear her over all the commotion.

I had just gotten back downstairs about 11:30 or so (somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-10 minutes after I posted the pics last night) and we hear a loud thud. We assumed that Zach had rolled out of bed (not that he has ever done that, but we figured it was the only thing it could have been). So DH runs up stairs to investigate. Zach is sitting up in his bed grumbling to himself. DH asks if he's ok and he says yes, that he had thrown his cup on the floor because it was empty and he was thirsty. So he fills up the cup, gives Zach a drink and gets him back down.

At midnight, we hear RUNNING upstairs. So I head up figuring that it's probably time for Mikayla to wake up anywho (she'd been down 30 minutes.....her longest stretch all night). What do I find?? Zach sound asleep in our bed. So I make him get up and pee since he'd drank a whole cup of water since he went to bed and then got him situated back in his bed.

At that point in time I decide to give up and go to bed. DH & I each carried a basket full of clean clothes up the stairs and as soon as I hit the top of the stairs --- cue Mikki. At that point in time, butt pats aren't the answer. She popped back up 3 times and screamed her head off. So I spent a good 30 minutes trying to calm her down. For the first time in WEEKS I gave in to a 'middle of the night' nursing session - just hoping to get me a good 2-3 hour stretch of sleep.

While nursing her, Gabe comes in looking for water. Apparently, Zach had put the cup up on the top shelf where Gabe couldn't reach it. So DH had to go get him settled. When Mikayla was done, she started screaming again. By then I was delirious and saying all sorts of mean things like "I'm not a pacifier......go to sleep!" She would sleep if I danced with her, and screamed if I laid down with her.

After an hour of dancing (if you're keeping track, it was now about 2am), I get her in the crib. She did open her eyes and try to get up, but 30 minutes of butt pats & lullabies got her deep enough asleep I could leave the room. She stayed down til 4:30, to which I just gave in and let her have her 5am feeding. I needed the sleep.

She was so tired, she slept in til 8 when Gabe finally couldn't take it anymore and started screaming "BABY WAKE UP!" and went back down for a 2 hr nap at 10.

I'm so tired I didn't even bother to do a dang thing today. I let the kids stay in their pjs until 2pm when Zach wanted to go play on the swingset. I really need to go to the store, but I'm actually way too tired to drive. Plus, Zach has been withholding poop again recently, so after 4 cups of prune juice I don't dare take him out in the car. I'm even purposely keeping Gabe up all day so he goes down without a fight tonight. I want both boys sound asleep at 8pm, so all I have to do is get Mikayla down (for the night hopefully ) and go to bed myself.

If she is up again tonight like she was last night she is going back to the ped for the umpteenth time to get her ears checked. I've never wished so hard for baby sleeping pills in all my life. DH has a business trip on the horizon, and with nights like last night I'm not sure I can get through by myself.

Of course, on a good note, DH got his promotion today! He is now officially CHIEF ESTIMATOR!!! And he got a healthy raise to go with it. His new bring home will equate to TWO NEW JEEP PAYMENTS! And not that it amounts to much, but they are also making the raise retro-active to Jan 1st.

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Cyndi
Mommy to

Zach 5/20/03


Gabe 4/26/05


Mikki 1/22/07

Well Cyndi - Congrats on DH's raise $$$$$
So sorry about your night from hell. I think I would collapse into a heaping sobbing ball of dispair. I hope we all have better nights.

well My baby started crawling today. I thought it would take longer since it took Alex forever. But today during our play group he did four crawls. He has done it several times. I am thinking that in a week or two he will be full on mobile.

Cyndi that is awesome about your dh.

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Oh girls! all around!

Candes, I actually love that Free Credit Report commercial. I think it's hilarious!

Penny, you are one ambitious girl! Half the reason I wanted to throw Rebecca a circus themed party last year was so that I could get away with serving hot dogs and popcorn. So, no, I don't exactly get quite as excited as you about the food.

Cyndi, I hope your kids give you some rest. And on the promotion. Always exciting news.

Mel, yikes! What a night! I can't believe your m/s is still that bad. How miserable! Does the Unisom/b6 help at all? Are you on any medication for it?

Sara, on your mobile baby! In a way it gets easier when they are mobile because they can entertain themselves better. sounds great! We're thinking about taking a trip there soon too.

Frenchie, Rebecca whispers very loudly too. As a matter of fact, she says outloud, "whisper, whisper" as if the words alone will make her quiet.

Mo, you and Amy seem to be stuck in a downpour of bad news lately. I am so sorry. I am thinking of you guys!

Jaime, how are you doing? How many days are you thinking of working from home next year? Have you talked about it with your boss or are you planning on researching it and just presenting him with a proposal? How's B's speech coming along? Any improvements?

All is well over here. Just dealing with a little one, who is seriously in the middle of her Terrible Two's and a baby. Oooh, and knitting a sweater for Rebecca. I'm making it for a 4 year old so that I actually have time to get it done.

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Andy

Amy, I couldn't find your ice bowl pics...I am totally not myspace savvy though. It's because I am old, I'm sure. I did watch Jack singing Beyonce though! Loved it!

Tania, sounds like you had a great NYE. I can't even imagine a time where I might actually go out again. It seems so far off.

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Andy

I started singing that Beyonce song to Lily as a newborn on the way to the dr's when she was screaming in the back seat with Jack and I was driving. It shut her right up, so I kept doing it. After a while, Jack started singing it himself whenever Lily cried, and just for fun, too. I'm glad I got it on tape for him to see when he's older.


I ttok the ice bowl slideshow down and replaced it with one of candids from today! Under the pic of me and the kids in the upper left of my myspace page is a link that says "pics". The ice bowl pics are there!

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So a lot of us had crazy nights last night, eh?? Oh my, is this mom stuff fun.

Amy, I have been saying a lot of prayers for your mom tonight. I know you will be busy tomorrow but I hope you can update by Thursday how everything goes.

Sara, I can't believe your little guy is crawling already!! I am predicting 10 months for Bryce, as Hayden crawled at 9 months and he seems to be doing things, except getting teeth, about a month after she did. WHo knows--he could surprise me! He gets into enough trouble rolling!!

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E loves to roll and do the back crawl which lead to his bald spot on the back of his head..LOL. Now though he gets on all fours, crawls 2-4 steps and then sits up. He sort of just moves from sitting spot to sitting spot. He is going to be a pill though. He already comes to the sofa and pulls on my leg and pulls himself up to his knees and cries for me...fun.

Our nights are so messed up also. He wakes up at 12 like an alarm. and then 2-3 times between 12 and 7:30. Sometimes we sleep in till 9...those days are rare.

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Crappy night. Everyone is sick at home now. I came home to find Alex really down, running a fever. She didn't eat the whole day. I was finally able to get her fever down, and she had some toast and Gatorade. My mom says all she did was sleep all day. She could barely keep her eyes open. Then at night she kept waking up. I had to keep giving her motrin. I slept in a separate bed from her and Carlos so that I could try to not get sick, plus that way I could keep an eye on Nick. That didn't last long. She spent the night going back and forth between me and Carlos. Of course, Nick started coughing last night, which meant I had to go in there several times, and now he's running a fever too. Man, this sucks. I hope I don't get it too, because I don't know who will take care of everyone?

Amy- I'm praying for you guys!

Andy- PM for you! I have some questions about signing.

Hi ladies....


Amy..... I've been thinking about you a lot and everything you have going on. I hope you get some blessings sent your way soon.

Oh, and another to everyone who is lacking sleep and dealing with sickness. Hang in there!

I'm doing well. I'm entering the third trimester and I feel it. I've got the usual pg aches and pain...sore pelvic bone/hips, heartburn...you know all the fun stuff. In general I feel decent though. I'd post a belly pic but I haven't even taken on! Isn't that awful?? I do feel kinda guilty about that.


Andy, I'm thinking of working from home 2 days a week after my maternity leave. I'm just so unsure of how to really make it work. I'd love for someone to come to my house for a few hours those two days and watch the kids while I'm there. Braiden's speech is getting much better! I'm hearing more and more complete sentences and he seems to be much more understandable. Hopefully he'll just keep improving.

We're going to Florida in a few weeks- I can't wait. We're going to stay a night at Disney and the rest of the vacation at my grandparents house. Mo, any advice on where to stay in the "moderate category"? Or if you think one of the deluxe places are worth the money, I'm all ears. We're thinking about going to the Animal Kingdom this time.

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Jaime...Mom to Braiden


Born 2/2/2005
4 lb. 13 oz
17 3/4 inches long

jamie I am staying at the animal kingdom this time because the moderates were all booked. You should book early because all the moderates were booked like 3 months before. The animal booked up around 2 months before our trip date.

I stayed at the cariabean and it was ok. The orleans ones looked nice. never stayed there though.

Jaime- For the moderates I like the two Orleans ones. I think they are a good value. The deluxe can really range in cost. You won't be spending all that much time in your hotel anyway if you'll just be there one day. I'd go for whatever is economical, and close to whatever park you plan to visit most. Have fun! Let me know if you have any more questions.

Jack's stool came back negative for parasites or bacteria, so we'll move forward in the coming weeks with testing for food allergies.


Juan was written up for his work mistake, but is allowed to keep is job.


My mother has breast cancer.



That's all I can write right now, sorry.

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Amy~ I'm so sorry about your mother. I will keep your mom and your family in my prayers.

Jaime~ We always stay at the Port Orleans Riverside at Disney. It's our favorite.

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Oh Amy. I'm so sorry. I will pray for her. I wish I could be there for you. Just know I am praying. Whenm you muster up the courage to write more please let us know more. Maybe venting will help. i don't know. I'm so very sorry.

Amy, another for you.

Jaime, glad to hear that B's speech is improving. My sister works from home, between 20-30 hours a week. During the summer, she would have a neighbor girl come over and play with the kids. When she started, the little girl was probably 8, so she didn't have to pay her very much. She was basically just a playmate for the kids and whenever one of them really needed my sister, she was there. She's now 13 and official babysitting age, so they use her for date night, etc. but it was a nice introduction for her and the kids.

Toddler question... Rebecca has really been struggling as of late. I'm not sure if it is a delayed reaction to Tyler or if it is a two year old thing or what. She has completely regressed. She wants me to feed her, she's been completely wetting her pants, she wants to be carried--says she can't walk, etc. Two nights ago she was up from 12 a.m.-4 a.m. She woke up crying her eyes out, so I went in to get her, brought her into bed with us and she just flopped around like a fish. So I put her back in bed and stayed with her. When I left, she was OK for maybe 15 minutes and then started up again. As long as I was with her, she was OK. I kept asking her if she was sick or not feeling well and she said no. I really don't think she is sick. I think it's a Tyler thing. She's still unbelievably kind to him, but I think she wants to be the baby. Is this just my kid or did anyone else go through this? And more importantly, will it go away? I feel like I am teetering on the edge between raising a spoiled brat and not meeting her need to be loved.

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Andy

Amy, many prayers to your mom. I am relieved Juan got his job back and hope the allergy testing will answer some questions for you about Jack.

Mo, so sorry your family is all sick!!! Prayers that you and Nick stay well (how is your eye??) and Carlos and Alex get well soon.

Andy, I would bet it is a dreaded phase. It will go away. What worked for Becca when your first pt'ed? Sticker chart? Whatever it was, go back to it but maybe give stickers for her staying dry. Can you take her out and have some girl time every couple days and see if that helps? Or have you already tried that. Hmm. Regression is way common, but it seems funny it is now, after almost a year! But it is normal and if you make as little deal out of it (esp. the night waking, ughhhhhh) I think it will go away on its own.

Bryce continues to be in misery half the time and not sleep great, but when he is feeling good he is very charming.

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Andy- I agree with Melissa. It's p[robably a phase. She's just probably old enough now to understand and be jealous, so it's showing up now. I'd give her some extra attention, and also let her be really involved in taking care of Tyler. Play the Special big sister roll. Maybe if she feels really importnat, and like no one else can fill those shoes, it'll help.

Melissa- My eye is a bit better. Thank God. I'm still not wearing my contacts, but it's slowly improving. Nick has been a running a fever since yesterday so we've been working on the Tylenol/Motrin schedule. nights are tough. Plus, he seems to be getting all his teeth at once. I'm not sure if that may be making him miserable too. Poor baby. Alex's fever seems to have finally broken last night. Carlos is finally making some progress. Me, I have a cough, I'm a bit achy, and I have some laryngitis, but thankfully no fever or anything close to as bad as Carlos. I actually came to work because I know I'll get more rest here than at home. My parents are helping Carlos with the kids today.

What a week! I hope we are over the worst of it. I hope I don't get sicker. I just want everyone healthy again. My house looks like a hurricane came through. I'm dying to disinfect it top to bottom.

Amy,


Mo, we're going to the Animal Kingdom. Should we stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for close proximity? Carrie I'm definitely going to look into Port Orleans Riverside.

Andy, for the past few months my son has turned into a terror and I feel just like you do. I'm slowly figuring out some thing that work for him, but it's such a struggle. Espeically since he's r