A Sick Day

It's 12:45 on a Sunday. This is right about the time I'd start running around yelling at everyone to get ready for church. But not today. Today I'm lying on the couch, Devan is playing his new Wii game we got him for Father's Day, and the kids are playing in a box.

And yes, Hannah is still a binkie thief. I don't know how to deal with it.

This has been a weird week. The kids have had sick-like symptoms all week, but haven't really been acting sick and I've been acting sick all week, but haven't really had any symptoms (except having my body hurt when I'm out of bed, but I've just been blaming that on being fat) but today I'm admitting that symptoms or not, we're all sick.

Yesterday was a fun, busy day. We slept in until 8 then jumped up and headed down to Provo for all-you-can-eat French toast at Magleby's Fresh. Before we'd even eaten, Hannah had a poop issue that I think will forever be my worst poop changing experience. I laid her down on the bathroom counter to be changed and didn't realize until too late how liquid her poop was. It ran all over the counter covering her back all the way up to her hair. We dealt with it. I took off all her clothes and used half a box of diaper wipes scrubbing her from head to toe, wiping down the bathroom counter, floor and even garbage can. It was fun. Then she had to go finish her breakfast wearing only a diaper and pair of purple flip flops.

We drove home just in time to get to our ward service project, which was cleaning up the Jordan River Parkway by our  house. Devan wanted me to let him go home and take care of the kids, but I was selfish and didn't want to go alone so we packed them up in the stroller and headed out. It was a super fun activity and Hannah had a blast picking up garbage with her friends. Toward the end I started feeling sick too and had to run into the woods to throw up a couple of times.

After the service project I went to a shower for my friend Lindsey who is having a little boy at the end of July. Hannah and her daughter Noelle love each other.

I made this little taggy blanket for baby Michael. I'd never made one before, but I like the way it turned out. I think I'll do one for our new baby too.

After the party I finished up the last of my visiting teaching for the month. It was seriously the first time in about a year and a half I've personally visited all of the four women I'm assigned to visit. If you don't know what visiting teaching is, each willing woman in a ward is assigned a companion and then given other women to check up on at least once in the month. Ideally, we should go into their homes and give a short message and spend some time just chatting about whatever it is women like to chat about and offer help where help is needed, but even a note or a phone call is sufficient. Just so that they know that someone is thinking of them. Visiting teaching is one of my very favorite parts about the church. I know it might sound weird having friends "assigned" to you, but I know that I need that extra push. I've made some wonderful friends over the years with people I've visited or who were my companions or who came and visited me. Like I said before, I've been so bad about doing my visiting teaching. I don't know why, I've had the same women on my list for about a year and they are all so wonderful. They all go to church every week so there is no fear that they won't want me to come over or anything. And I'm so lucky to have great visiting teachers who come visit me every month and it's one of my favorite parts of my whole month. For some reason, it's just so hard for me to pick up a phone and call someone and ask them to let me come over. And then I'm always afraid that once I get there we won't have anything to talk about and it will be awkward. But it never is and I always feel so much happier after I've just faced my fears and done it. We women need each other so much. I need to take advantages of my opportunities to reach out beyond myself and make some meaningful connections.

After I was done visiting teaching, I picked up Devan and the kids and we went to visit my dear friend Dawn on her birthday. She shared her birthday cake with us and Devan and I got to talk to she and Kevin while the kids played. Their boy and girl are just about the same ages as our boy and girl so we all have a blast together, even though things can get a little crazy when we get our 4 strong-willed children together.

After the birthday festivities we dropped the kids off at Nana and Papa's and went on our Father's Day date. We went to 3 sporting good shops looking at camping stuff. By this point I was feeling so sick and tired but I tried to be as enthusiastic as I could. Sweet Devan took me to the mall and helped me pick out a new dress the day before Mother's Day so I was trying to be as patient and loving as he was. I don't think I succeeded. We went to Red Robin for dinner and it was amazing and then got our kids and headed home.

We got home and I gave him the Wii games I'd gotten him for Father's Day. I tried so hard to play with him, but I fell asleep while we were playing and he stayed up and took care of the kids until they went to bed. He's done that for me every night for the last week. I seriously don't deserve him.

I woke up in the middle of the night violently ill. Devan got up with me and got me water and a wet washcloth to wipe my mouth. This morning he took care of every thing and I slept until 10:00. He cleaned the toilet for me so I wouldn't have to look at my old throw up and he nailed a heavy blanket over the window in our room so I would have a completely dark room to sleep in. It was just so perfect.

Every weekend for the last month I've gotten so frustrated. I've been trying to get the house completely cleaned by Friday afternoon so that I can take the weekend off. By Sunday night it's trashed again and I get so angry that I can't ever take a day off from the drudgery and that I have to clean everything all by myself. Then the week before last he was home sick from work for 4 days and I got so bitter that he could take days off and lay on the couch and I never, ever got that luxury. Today I did. Devan stayed home from church so I wouldn't have to be home taking care of sick kids while I was sick and I've gotten to lay down all day. I feel so crappy, but it feels so nice to not have to take care of anyone else while I feel crappy. I'm going to try my hardest to drag myself up and make him his Father's Day dinner tonight so that the day isn't completely ruined for him.

Devan is so kind to us. I give him far more grief about some things than he deserves and on days like this when he steps up and gives me everything I need, I'm humbled by him. Happy Father's Day, my sweet husband. 

My final thoughts before the kids wake up

1. I hurt. I've been fighting achy flu-like symptoms all week long. Devan was home sick all last week so I may be gotten something from him. Or it may be that I'm just too pregnant, which at 20 weeks is more depressing than I want to think about.

2. Last night I was so tired that I was asleep before the sun went down and up after the sun came up. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Why am I still dragging this morning?

3. This baby is moving a ton. I never noticed Hannah moving until around 22 weeks. While I was lying in bed this morning I lifted up my shirt and could see him moving all over the place. How could I have missed that the first time I was pregnant? I think I was a very unobservant kid back then.

4. How is it that I can spend 30 minutes wasting time reading blogs mentally yelling at myself to do dishes and the kids sleep peacefully on? However, the second I sit down to write this (something that is questionably "productive") they pop right up?

5. I spend much of my time feeling guilty for being so negative. I try my best to hold it in and save it for when my sweet Devan comes home. I don't know how long he'll be able to stay sweet living with me.

6. Speaking of my sweet Devan, he brought home Krispy Kremes for us from Utah county last night. Plus for Devan! And it was on a night when I'd actually cooked a nice dinner. Pear and Gorgonzola pizza. Plus for Alex! It was also on the first day in months I'd gotten through my day without any refined sugar. Minus for everyone. I ate 5 doughnuts. Today is a new day.

7. I'm currently experimenting with making my own shampoo. I've only used it twice this week, once on Tuesday and once today. So far I've noticed that it makes my hair less dry and frizzy right after I wash it and it kept the oily look away for one day longer than my normal shampoo does. This may be because I'm an awesome shampoo maker, or it may be that anytime you switch brands of shampoo your hair responds. But be aware, this hair care regimen is not for the faint of heart. To avoid a gross build up from washing with pure soap, I have to rinse my hair in vinegar after each washing. Now if that's not dedication, I don't know what is.

I was done and then I had to add one more:

I've mentioned Hannah's diarrhea problems already. Yesterday I had her in diapers and had to change her poopy diaper 8 times. She hates wearing a diaper so I hated to put her in one, but I couldn't have dealt with that many accidents in one day.  I just went in to wake her up and discovered she'd taken off her diaper during the night and then pooped in her bed. Seriously kid? SERIOUSLY?! So, this morning I will be washing my fifth set of sheets in the last 3 days. And then this morning while I was cleaning the kitchen a bird flew by and shot poop at my window. Huge splat right at eye level. And we live on the 3rd floor. It's never coming off. Imagine my frustration: The animal kingdom is now AIMING their poop at me!

We spent our morning at Wheeler Farm. I'd never been before. I've been wanting to go for a long time, and lots of people have told me about it but they gave vague descriptions and I didn't know what to expect. Now that I've been I can describe it to you. It's like a farm...there are animals and stuff...it's fun...yep, that's the best I've got.

We went because a girl from church told us about an event that was going on. It was put on by the company that does her son's physical therapy. It was so fun. There were bouncy play things...

And Hannah got a much needed opportunity to learn to stand in line.

The babies were a little tired, but they were troopers

And then my camera died. Hannah played on 3 bouncy toys and then went and got a balloon butterfly. The balloons were sensitive and would pop if they touched the grass. Hannah was really good about holding hers up, but after a while I put it in the stroller for her. After that, whenever we'd hear someone's balloon pop, she'd turn around and quickly ask, "Was that my balloon?" Sometimes it was part of her balloon popping and sometimes it wasn't. Either way, I'd hold up what was left of the balloon, smile and say, "Nope!"

After we got her balloon and picked up some snacks we walked over to the farm area for our complimentary wagon ride. We bumped into Heather (who had invited us) and her family as they were waiting. Heather was my angel today holding Rebecca for me on the ride. I was so grateful! Anytime I need to carry both babies and my diaper bag, the funness of the day drops a few degrees.

Rebecca was getting tired and fussy during the ride so we just saw a few things at the farm and then hurried home.  But we made sure we first got a picture of Hannah on the tractor.

Courtesy of the phone on my camera. I got this one picture and then it was out of memory. Not my day for pictures. 

She kept wanting to run over to the tractor while we were in line for the wagon ride so we went over as soon as the wagon ride was over. She waited her turn and then as soon as she got up there I could see under her dress that she was having a poopy diaper issue. (She was a little sick this morning so I put her in a diaper before we left. There was no way I was going to deal with diarrhea in panties at a farm.) I got her down, changed her diaper, we waited in line again and she finally got her turn. I think it was her favorite part of the day. She kept hitting the steering wheel and asking where the "beep beep" was.

Such a fun morning! I wish we'd had time to see more animals, but we'll go back again soon. The best part is once we were home and the kids had all gotten fed they all took naps. I know that I'm going to be kicking myself for letting Hannah nap when she's up at midnight tonight, but I just couldn't resist the temptation to take my own nap. 45 minutes of bliss!

Poop

Yes, it's disgusting and it's everywhere. I spend my days walking around sniffing the air saying, "Who's poopy?" I check everyone and turns out...my house just smells like poop...all the time! We have air fresheners and I try to leave the windows open for a few hours a day, but I'm still smelling poop where there is none. Devan doesn't notice it and I don't notice it when I first walk into the house so maybe it's my pregnancy-induced super smeller. Either way, I have a feeling that having 2 babies in diapers all day and one potty-trained toddler who has been having an abnormal number of diarrhea "accidents" lately has made my home very unsanitary.

Ben was up throwing up last night and this morning as he was drinking his bottle his diaper exploded all over the carpet. A couple hours later Hannah had a extraordinarily runny B.M. in her panties that I didn't catch for about 10 minutes because I thought I was smelling Ben. I was on my way to give him a bath because he perma-smells like poop when I checked Hannah on the off-chance it could be her. It was. The panties went in the garbage, she went in the bath, and the bathroom floor upon which I undressed her got a GOOD scrubbing. And it hasn't happened yet today, but sweet Miss Rebecca leaks out of her diapers EVERY SINGLE DAY! Sometimes twice. I've gotten in the habit of keeping her pantsless after the first blowout so that I don't have to deal with 2 pairs of poopy pants in a day. CRAP LIKE THIS IS WHY MY HOUSE SMELLS LIKE POOP! Pardon the pun.

My blogging life is spiraling out of control. I'm so behind and every time I try to sit down and write I get discouraged. So I'm giving up. You will probably never see a picture of the kids in their Easter outfits (mostly because that picture doesn't exist. I've been putting off recreating that moment for the last two months) or my awesome new dress I got for Mother's Day or the Mother's Day brunch I created. You'll never find out what Devan and I did on our 4th wedding anniversary or any of the cute/ annoying things Hannah and Ben have been up to. But here is what we did today...

We went to the splash pad at the park with our friends...

This weekend we did a babysitting swap with our friends Dawn and Kevin. Tonight we ditched the kids and took a drove down to Provo for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. They were amazing. I already wish we'd gotten more..

Surprise!

Ben took his first steps on May 25, 2011, two days before he turned 10 months! This was recored last night.