So. Our family has been sick for a long, long time.

I believe that the throwing up started Christmas Eve and we haven't had a fully healthy family since then. It is almost comical. Everyone will seem on the upswing and three seconds later someone has a river of green coming out their nose. We actually all made it to church one week and it was announced as the "happy minute moment". I am not embellishing at all when I say that about 20 minutes after I got home from church I had a sore throat and was so sick I couldn't get out of bed for several days. Who ever gets that sick anymore? We even got Maria sick. I think it might have been strep, but I didn't get myself to the doctor to see. In about 10 days I could swallow again and found myself 10 pounds lighter for my troubles. We just finished a round of coughs and colds and the little girls have not been in therapy for two weeks (we went back today, but big sister has a 104 fever and is bed bound with the flu. I sure hope she shares it with ALL the kids..).

The point of all this is not to whine about how we have been so sick. It has actually provided a refreshing change of pace for us. It has been like a vacation-with snot. I was laughing with a friend about how the kids must be spreading each others germs. We wondered if they were licking each others noses in the middle of the night or spitting in the bottles. Then today I randomly walked into the bathroom today and found Jacob. With his head in the toilet. With his head in the toilet as if he was bobbing for apples. Luckily it wasn't apples he had in there, just the hair brushes, the lotion bottle and everything else you put your hands on in the bathroom.

So, while I joked about the funny ways my kids could be infecting each other, never in my wildest dreams did I think that my germophobe son (heaven forbid there be a hair in the bathtub or that he get his hands STICKY) was marinating the downstairs bathroom in bog water. I can't even think about it. I am trying to find the humor in this, but right now I am too busy cloroxing every hard surface in the house.

I am beyond asking the question "why" (and just in case you are curious, the answer I got was "I don't know") I just want to know what kind of thoughts lead up to the point where the end result is to dunk your head in the toilet. We may never know.

I can't decide to call this a good day or a bad day. Good days generally aren't applicable if anything unusual with a toilet has been involved.

I think I will sleep on it.

*Update. After a reasonable night's rest and an episode of "The Bachelor--The Women Tell All". I have concluded that it was a GOOD day. If you are familiar with my wild man Cubby, you know that this is nothing. It didn't involve poison, sharpies, stitches or police..... What a GOOD day!!!

** Update/Update. I just remembered that a few days ago while we were visiting my in-laws for dinner, Cubby bounded into the dining room with a bunch of rat traps in his arms. The old fashioned kind that spring shut (like in the cartoons). I have no idea how he didn't hurt himself (and also, ewwww). That would have involved poison, stitches, broken bones AND the police (after we go three or four times in a year we have to meet with the hospital social worker--because, honestly, who has to go the ER as much as we do?).

**Update/Update/Update. I have had a few query's about the silhouettes. I did them in about 4 seconds in Photoshop. It is super easy. Want one? Check back in a few days. I'll post a tutorial for those who have Photoshop and how to get one from me for those that don't. It will involve a small charitable contribution of your choosing.

Just don't rock the boat....

I have had several inquiries recently asking how I am doing. My lack of blogging has annoyed some people (sorry mom) and worried others. Since the last time I took a big, unannounced blogging break was during the DARK TIME it is a fair concern.

Actually, things are fine. Better than fine, they are awesome. They are doing so well that I have to pinch myself to believe it. In fact, I think that was half the problem. I have been on such an even keel I don't want to do ANYTHING to mess that up. It is like my life is a ship that is packed to the absolute top and we are cruising along at top speed. Everything is fine unless someone upsets the balance. Is that to vague of an analogy? I guess what I am trying to say was that trying to do extra things like blogging, reading or taking a shower (kidding, kind of) puts me off my game.

But, since my baby is almost one (next month, don't remind me..I can't stand it) it is time to re shift the boat. Derek even bought me a laptop so I could update this site regularly while I am in my car or waiting at doctor appointments. I will put up a bunch of pictures to show the relatives that my children are not just alive, but growing and thriving and hope that will buy me some mercy.

I am back.

This girl is HEAVEN. I absolutely cannot get enough of her. There will be lots of Gracie posts soon. Recently what I can't get over is how much like Lulu she is, except the whole "scratching her head with her own foot" thing. She continues to delight the children with her party tricks.


Miss N is a little girl now, there is no toddler left. She is walking, running and talking (heaven help us can she talk). When I see this picture I am struck by how beautiful she is (and how awesome my braids were....). Nosi is still globally delayed, but spends most of her time acting like a 2 1/2 year old. We are also seeing more and more of ...

... this face. Good times ahead.


This guy? Not much has changed. He continues to be charming and funny and is getting less destructive by the day. We are not sending him to Kindergarten this year (he is right on the cusp) so he has another year in preschool to refine his stand up act and practice all the funny faces to make his teacher crazy. Lucky her!

Lauren is too grown up for me. She chooses her own clothes, has opinions about her hair and is generally a great helper and sister. I was looking at pictures of her the other day and realized that my tiny girl is gone. I didn't even notice that the new big girl Lulu had replaced her. Gulp.

There is a tidbit. I am working on some more posts. I am also going to start posting about the progress of Miss Gracie. I have talked to some parents who also have children with Down Syndrome and we were saying how there are only a few blogs that really give people some concrete insight into what it is like to raise our kids. We need these kinds of blogs, not for everyone, but for every family that finds out prenatally that their child has Down Syndrome and is trying to figure out what to do. Or, for the family that finds out at birth and feels overwhelmed with understanding just how exactly their lives are going to change. There needs to be more places where they can see what the developmental delays entail, how the therapies work in the context of family life. Mostly I just hope to show any one who reads here that having a child with Down Syndrome is both the biggest deal in the world and no big deal all at the same time. So many of these pregnancies are terminated and I just think that if people KNEW how easy it is to parent and love these kids, they would have just that much more information to add to their decision basis.

We are off to do something fun this weekend. What are your plans?