The First Weeks

I will not deny it - having four small children is crazy. There is always something that needs to be done or someone that needs to be taken care of. With friends providing dinners the first week and my mother coming soon after we have entered this new stage slowly. I joke (kind of) about what my house is going to look like when I am home alone with all four. After a rough week or so Micah is nursing better and gaining weight. There are things that you take for granted when you have your fourth child. It never crossed my mind that there would be a nursing problem - I've done this three times before right? Well, that is just another reminder that every child is different. We wondered how Lucas would adjust to having a baby in the house. He has really done well and only tells me to put the baby down when he first wakes up from his nap. The problem we are finding is that Lucas is still two, which means he is getting into everything and looking for opportunities to cause trouble. Just yesterday I went to see what he was up to and found him in the bathroom with gel running down the side of his head. I cleaned him up and then two minutes later I found him standing on the toilet. He had dumped baby powder all over himself and the floor. What else could I do besides laugh and get my camera? After my mother leaves I think that I will have to lock Lucas in a room with me while I feed the baby!


Isn't he sweet?!

Trouble, trouble, trouble!!!!

Easter Sunday

When I bought the boys these matching ties someone suggested that I might need four. Surely Micah wouldn't come that early!

Micah's Arrival

Micah Silas was born at 9:27 on Thursday March 20th. He weighed in at 7lbs 4oz and was about 19 inches long. He arrived after 3 1/2 hours of labor and is doing well. While we were in the hospital the boys stayed with friends and met their brother the next day. Lucas was the first to see Micah. He noticed that there was someone new on the couch when he came home and he was pretty interested. There have been a few times when he wasn't as gentle as we would like him to be, but otherwise he has been really sweet. He wants to hold Micah and enjoys giving him kisses. He also likes to tell us when Micah is awake, asleep, or crying. Josiah was somewhat excited to see Micah but was more excited about being able to have sleepovers. He has asked to hold him a couple of times, but in general he is going about like nothing has changed. I wish that you had been here to see Caleb meet Micah for the first time. When we left for the hospital Caleb was very excited that Micah was coming. According to his teacher he has often mentioned how much longer it was until Micah arrived. I knew that he would be happy to finally meet him. When Caleb came home he very cautiously walked over to Micah and I. I could already see the tears welling up in his eyes (which meant mine we soon to follow!) He asked to hold him and as I put him in his arms Caleb said "I can't believe he is here, I have been waiting so long" and then he began to weep. He was just overwhelmed and it took him a few minutes to settle down. Could you ask for a sweeter reaction?

Ready or not....

I think that I am pretty brave - not for having a baby in another country - but for posting a picture of myself in the last month of pregnancy. Our newest little guy is due to arrive in less than 2 weeks. Thanks to a few care packages and a surprise baby shower we have most of the things we need. We feel like new parents all over again as we try to remember what we should have for the baby. I'm sure there are things that we are forgetting, but at least we remembered the diapers. Last week we timed the drive to the hospital and met with a hospital liaison to ask questions about what to expect. That sounds a little funny considering we've done this 3 times before. Really my biggest concern was the lack of emergency parking. With the last labor lasting only 45 minutes I wanted to make sure that we were going to have an easy place to park the car. The liaison at the hospital assured us that we could just drive up to the emergency door and leave the keys with the security guard! OK!! Needless to say, in less than two weeks we will have a story to tell.

Lucas is Two!!!

Today we celebrated Lucas' 2nd birthday. Of course most parents would say that they cannot believe that another year has passed! Lucas enjoyed a few presents and a made from scratch chocolate cake. Today he started saying the number "two". He thinks its a pretty funny word so he laughs every time he says it. His had a pretty typical day for a two year old. He helped himself to a bunch of bananas while I was talking to Nana, he turned his sippy cup over on the coffee table, he took things he shouldn't have and then ran around the table (knowing that Mommy is a little slower these days!), and he kept saying "no" when his brothers tried to play with his new cars. He still has a few sweet moments throughout each day - giving kisses, loving on his brothers, and telling Daddy to "sit down" so that he can sit in his lap. It should be a fun and interesting year!

The Boys Perform

Last week the boys had an end of the semester performance at school. I want to tell you about Josiah's performance but first I need to make a confession. On Wednesday Caleb came home from school in tears saying that Ted and I missed his performance. At first I tried to talk to him about whether it may have been a dress rehearsal. We received a note from the school saying the performance was on Thursday. He assured me that it was not a dress rehearsal because the school theater was full of parents with their cameras. My heart dropped! After re-reading a note that Caleb brought home the day before I realized that I had not completely understood the message - it was in another language! Ted and I felt terrible and we apologized again and again. I was upset that we had missed it and that Caleb was so heartbroken. From now on I will read and reread his notes to assure that nothing important gets lost in translation. The next day we went to the school for Josiah's performance. I think the teacher also felt bad that we had missed Caleb's performance because they were going to let Caleb perform with Josiah's class. Caleb said he would rather stay with his friends. I think that he has forgiven us. All the kids were dressed in costumes and the boys did a lot of marching and clapping. I have attached a few pictures, but you will not see the best part of the show. As the class was performing I noticed that Josiah was the only one with a red piece of material hanging from his belt. I jokingly said to Ted that they probably had the only foreign kid carry the country flag. Sure enough, at the end of the performance Josiah walked to center stage, the other boys encircled him, then he was lifted up on a teachers shoulders and unrolled the country flag to the applause of everyone in the audience. Too funny! The boys will have another performance this year and I will be sure to be there for both of them.

Six Months Later

Caleb enjoys a spoonful of JIF -
a precious treat from the states!

We have officially been in the country for six months! Time really has flown by. It seems like we just arrived - and not just when we try to speak the national language! We are all picking up the language little by little. I have caught the boys exchanging the typical national "greetings" on several occasions. In the last week or so I have noticed that the boys are not only understanding more but also trying to use what they know. At a friends house recently I overheard Caleb answering a question in the national language and I was convinced that he made up a few of the words just to sound like a national. Well, not only did the boy understand what he said but so did the boys parents. I, on the other hand, recognized just a few of the words. Oh, to be able to learn a new language as fast as a child! Our language tutor asked me what I missed most about living in America - I very honestly answered that I missed being able to talk and function as a normal adult. As I think back over the last six months I know that there are other times when we have missed being "home". More and more I have tried not to refer to America as our home - not because we don't miss it and the family- but as a reminder that this is where our home is now and these are the people we have been allowed to live among. The boys are still doing well, although Caleb still misses his grandparents and wants to see them "right now". Josiah is happy as long as he has gum and Lucas is content as long as he can sit in Daddy's lap and listen to music. More and more we want to be content with what we have access to here - though we are grateful for the few care packages that have allowed the boys to color superheroes and a very pregnant lady to have JIF!!!! I'll end by relating a humorous, though untrue, dialogue between Caleb and Josiah.
J:Caleb do you like chocolate bars?
C: Yes
J: Do you want to go to the store and get a chocolate bar?
C: Yes
J: I'm sorry Caleb, but in this country they don't have candy bars at the store, only food for dinner.