May 25

Initially Chris and I wanted to do something fun this Memorial Day. We discussed strawberry picking and visiting a new park, but then we realized that the holiday would be better spent working on Caleb and Daisy's closet. 

While I played with the kids, Chris spent the morning painting the closet, then went up to the roof to clean our gutters, then came back to put a second coat of paint on the closet. While Daisy napped, we began assembling the closet organizer. It was a lot more time-consuming than we expected, but by bedtime the center column was installed, including the three drawers I assembled. We still need to get three hanging rods trimmed to size and get two boards cut down to six small boards, and then we can complete the installation. So it's maybe 75% complete? I'm really excited at our progress, though, and I think it is a worthwhile investment of our time and money considering the fact that this room will likely be a shared bedroom for many, many years. 

Eli kept us company for a little of the work:

Daisy's new bed is like a really cozy cave. It's quite wonderful!

After a delicious dinner, the kids really wanted to go to the neighborhood pool. But Chris and I needed to finish things up, and it was getting chilly, so we said no.  The kids were disappointed, until I suggested a compromise: the sprinkler. 

They were pumped.

We have a sweet setup for sprinkler play, and the favorite activity is "Water Slide".

You know, put the sprinkler near the slide? It's pretty awesome.

Last summer, Lily didn't really participate much in the water sliding. At least, I think she must not have, because today she seemed totally unfamiliar with what was happening. It was so fun to watch her face, which danced between delighted, concerned, surprised, tickled... all within ten seconds!

Here's the kids, doing what they do. Daisy going down the wet slide, Caleb running around to the ladder for his turn, and Lily not quite sure what to do.

I love the look on Lily's face in the picture above. She is just about to feel brave enough to let the water spray her.

There! She did it!

And again!

Daisy had a whole system for going down the slide. Normally the kids get going so fast that they shoot off the bottom of the slide and land on their bottoms. But her goal was to land on her feet and end with a gymnast's flourish. It was hilarious, and her focus was awesome.

Meanwhile, Eli lay on his playmat in the shade, chewing on his hands. It's hard work being a baby.

Daisy prepared for her slide,

Shot off, and stuck the landing!

(Also, I totally chuckled about this picture because it looks like her water just  broke.)

Lily desperately wanted to play the game the big kids were playing, but she wasn't sure if she was brave enough.

Want to see some video? Of course you do! It's just a minute and a half of my children playing and squealing with laughter. (Spoiler: Lily goes down the slide at the end.)

May 24

Last night was Caleb and Daisy's first night in their shared bedroom, and surprisingly, they actually slept! They told us this morning that they took turns telling each other bedtime stories, which was sweet.

It was our turn to serve in the church nursery again this morning, so we got to church early and Chris and I were able to spend some quality time together while playing with Eli and three other babies.

Eli was hungry when we got there, so I sat in a rocker and fed him, Then he spit up all over me. It's Day 13 of being dairy free in an attempt to curb the spit up, and he has spit up all over me each of the past three days. I've been told that I need to commit to being dairy free for as long as six weeks before I can conclusively determine whether it is helpful or not, so we're only one-third of the way there. I miss cheese.

In the meantime, I was at church, covered in spit up.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to refresh the spare clothes I keep in Eli's diaper bag.

Fotrunately, the church keeps a stash of onesies for circumstances just like this.

Unfortunately, they do not also keep a stash of spare shirts for mamas whose babies have just drenched them in vomit.

Fortunately, I was wearing a nursing tank that was (mostly) unscathed and had a cardigan handy, so it all worked out in the end.

Note to self: keep a spare change of clothes for myself in the van, along with the extras for the kids that are always there.

Once the spit up situation was addressed, Eli had a great time at church.

He had some tummy time, then we rolled him onto his back and he batted at the toys on the play mat and spit up some more. It was great.

And then he took an afternoon nap, and it was lovely.

(That's a cell phone picture! Not bad!)

Chris and I spent most of the afternoon planning and shopping for a closet organizer for the big kids' room. I emptied the closet, took off the doors, took out the shelf and rods, and patched some giant holes from the shelf removal. Hopefully we will be able to paint and install the new organizer tomorrow!

May 23

We have had boxes piling up in our foyer for the past week, waiting for today:

BUNK BED DAY!!!

The kids were pretty excited, and Chris and I were pretty pumped too. (This is the first step toward getting our room back: Daisy moves in with Caleb, Lily moves to Daisy's room, Eli moves to Lily's room, and we get our room to ourselves, for at least part of the night.) Last weekend we painted the walls, and during the week we painted trim. This morning we popped a movie in for the big kids, put Eli down for a nap, and got to work assembling.

Chris joked that he and I are a good team, because I read the directions and tell him what to do, and he does all the grunt work. It works out well. The beds were fairly simple to assemble, and the kids were eager to check out our work.

Lily enjoyed being able to look out the window from one of the beds.

Eventually Eli woke up, and he was content to keep us company as we continued.

Success! Bunk beds!  

Caleb was so excited. He was pumped about the bed, about sharing a room with Daisy, and about his awesome new sheets (which he chose) and quilt (red, per his request). We put the finishing touches together while Daisy was napping, and I was putting Eli down for another nap when she woke up, so I don't have any "Daisy sees her new bunk bed" pictures, but she was excited too.

After dinner, we all went grocery shopping. When the cashier at our first store asked how we were doing today, Caleb told him, "We got bunk beds!"

Despite the fact that we had four kids in tow, Chris and I managed to visit two stores and knock out the whole list for the week in just under an hour!  Eli fell asleep just as we entered the checkout at our last store.

I transferred him from his wrap to the car seat, and he stayed asleep. He slept the whole way home, and slept through us unloading his siblings and the groceries. Poor kid was tired!

Finally, bedtime. 

Caleb has a red quilt and zig zag sheets, and Daisy has a lavender quilt with polka-dotted sheets. They are really, really happy about the whole thing. But happy and excited doesn't always mean the transition will be easy. I have no idea how this is going to go. We intentionally chose to make the switch after school was out so that it wouldn't be a huge deal if Caleb and Daisy stayed up all night talking. I'm hoping Daisy doesn't roll out of her bed, because up until now she's been in a queen bed set on box springs on the floor. She could afford to be a wild sleeper. Now, she doesn't have as much room to toss and turn.

We're also nervous about Caleb. The ceiling fan is dangerously close to his bunk. He has slept with it on forever, but we have it off tonight and I just ordered a new, compact, flush-mount fan that should arrive within a week. Hopefully that will help the situation a bit.

Hopefully they will sleep well tonight.

And hopefully they're just as excited when they wake up!

May 22

Today was the first official day of summer break, and I have to tell you:

I nailed it.

Chris made the kids pancakes for breakfast before he headed off to work, and then we bummed around for a little bit. Once the big kids started bickering and Eli woke up (they happened at the same time. Coincidence? I think not.), it was time to get dressed and head out. 

My plan was for Fridays to be adventure days, but today ended up being the once-a-month gymnastics class that Daisy attends. Since Caleb is home, he got to go, too! But the class is at 11:30, and trying to cram an adventure in before that would have been too much for me. So instead, we tackled another summer goal: one new park each week. I may have to change that goal to be as many new parks as possible, though, because we had so much fun that we could easily visit a new park several times a week.

I found a park near the gym, and the kids spent a solid hour playing.

Before I had even finished getting Eli out of the van, Caleb was making his way across these "spaceship pole swings". Do you remember how cautious and timid my boy used to be? Kindergarten has really given him a refreshing boldness and confidence in what his body can do. I'm so proud of him!

The playground was a tiny little thing, surrounded by a dog park. We were the only people there, and all three kids played happily. I sat in the shade with Eli in the ring sling and nursed him to sleep, and smiled as I watched the big three romp and play and imagine. It was absolutely perfect.

Then on to gymnastics, and I even remembered to bring a snack for the kids to eat in the van on the way. I don't have any gymnastics pictures because I was busy talking to my friend Jen and to my friend Amber's parents, who usually reside on their sailboat in the Atlantic, but are briefly on dry land. But Caleb and Daisy had so much fun, and Lily was remarkably well behaved while we waited. Of course, Eli and Lily both decided to poop while we were in the gymnastics observation area, so I had to handle that. Thankfully, the gymnastics class is made of of a bunch of Catholic homeschooling families (we only participate in the classes because I know Amber) and those women have all done poopy diapers a million times and weren't even phased.

We zipped home from gymnastics, ate lunch, and I actually managed to put all four children down for naps. I seriously deserve an award for that. While they napped, I prepped dinner, then crawled back into bed with Eli for a little bit. Then Caleb woke up, and I snuck away from Eli to sit on the front porch and snuggle with my big boy. We pulled out a notebook and began a playground journal, in which he will rate and describe all of the playgrounds we visit this summer. (I know, right? Awesome idea. Let's see if we keep it up.)

Then my parents, who are celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary today, stopped by for a quick hello, and then it was dinnertime.

After dinner, we had a quick family snuggle before much-needed baths.

These are my five little monkeys, rolling around in bed.

Today is day three of pigtails for Lily. When she woke up this morning, the first thing she did was put her hand to her hair and ask, "Tail?"

She wanted pigtails.

I put in a quick ponytail instead, and the girl was mad. The only way I got her to stop screaming about tails was to promise to fix it after breakfast. She really likes her pigtails, and I don't blame her. She is adorable!

Putting her feet on her baby.

And then holding her baby.

(Today is day 12 of dairy-free, and he spit up all over me in gushing torrents. I had to change the sheets and my clothes and give myself a sink bath, yet somehow the boy ended up with just a few drops of spitup on himself. Go figure.)

Eli is reaching the age where my other babies have gotten bald spots on the back of their heads from turning side-to-side to look at things while they're lying down or in an infant seat. Eli doesn't have that yet; instead, he has a bald spot on the side of his head, above and behind his ear. It's the side he lays on at night when I nurse him. I guess we've been doing a lot of side-lying night nursing lately. That bald spot is a sign of how he earned all of the chunk you see above!

I'm so glad to have Caleb home for the summer, but it will be an adjustment for both of us.

Also, I feel awful about that scar under his eye. Maybe three months ago, Daisy scratched him there. Apparently it was a deep scratch, because the poor boy still has a scar from it. I'm hoping it heals eventually, because that is an awful scar to have!

Then baths.

Freshly-bathed Eli!

And tooth-brushing. 

Lily is hit or miss with the tooth brushing. Tonight was a hit, and the girl cheerfully brushed her teeth.

Daisy decided to be cooperative, too. What big girls I have!

May 21

And we're done.

Caleb's first year of school, and Daisy's first year of preschool, is officially over. It was a good year, and I'm happy with our choices. Caleb is reading like a champ, though we need to work on his fine motor and writing skills, which still aren't where they need to be. Daisy has come into her own in preschool, and really shines there. At first she was disappointed to learn that she won't be going to kindergarten in the fall, but now she is excited about another year at preschool with Ms. Amy.

You know I took official "Last Day" photos.

It was unseasonably cold today, so Caleb had to wear pants.

It was "Wear your favorite color" day at preschool today, so Daisy chose her lilac dress.

Do you remember the first day of school?

For those of you who don't, and who are too lazy to click on that link, here's a side-by-side comparison of each kid.

 I can't believe how much they've grown! I think the biggest change is in Caleb; he looks so much older and more confident.

After we got Caleb on the bus (thanks to our sweet neighbor Mary, just like every day of the past five weeks), Gayle came to take Daisy to her last day of preschool.

The little ones and I picked Daisy up, though, because they were having an ice cream social in her class. I suppose I could have brought dairy-free ice cream for the girls and myself, but instead I chose to let them partake of the good stuff, and I didn't have any.

They were so happy!

1. Lily's pigtails. They are heart-meltingly cute.

2. Wrong end of the spoon, Lou!

3. Daisy was so proud to have Lily there, and so sweet about helping her!

Daisy wanted her picture taken with her friends Addi and Sumon, but Sumon didn't want to be photographed. Instead, we got sweet Addi and Daisy making silly faces while Lily worked at the writing center. Addi got a new baby sister in December, and Daisy got a new brother in January, so they had lots in common. Addi was convinced, though, that our new baby's name was Camry. Funny girl.

Daisy showed us her writing skills,

and helped Lily practice hers.

Of course, I didn't manage to take any pictures of Eli because I was wearing him. I did snap a few at bedtime, though, when I was putting him in his jammies.

Hi, cutie pie!

(Did you notice how he has brought his hands together at the center of his body and is playing with his fingers. Yeah, that's a four-month developmental milestone. Good job, buddy!)

At almost four months, Eli's eyes are still persistently a dark gray color. I'm sure they'll change to brown soon, but for now I think they're pretty sweet.

May 20

Today was cold and rainy, and the girls were stir-crazy. Daisy kept asking if someone (anyone!) could come over to play, or if she had school, or if we could go to church. Lily asked for her friend Naomi, the doctor, and finally Target. (I think. Her words for doctor and Target sound very similar.) But both girls  have really nasty, snotty noses, so playing with friends is out of the question. (note to Jill: I hope Naomi doesn't get Lily's cold from our playdate. Sorry about that.)

However, we were almost out of toilet paper, so I decided a trip to Target was in order.

By myself.

With three children.

In the rain.

And Target is right next door to the Dollar Store, so we went there first. 

And our cloth diaper store is right there, so I decided to bop in and weigh Eli.

It was a very busy outing, but the kids did great. I limped the whole way through Target, but my pain was minimal. So that's improvement?

But if you want to see improvement, check this out:

Can you see those numbers?

12 pounds, 6.5 ounces.

Apparently I didn't blog about Eli's last weigh-in on May 2, when he was 10 pounds, 11 ounces. It was pretty discouraging, and I was a bit concerned. You can see why on his growth chart below:

See that awful dip?

But look at today's weight! He jumped right over the third percentile, and is now in the 5th percentile! I had a hunch that Eli was having a growth spurt; perhaps it was something about the fact that he was waking to nurse every two hours in the night? Or maybe it was the fact that all of a sudden his legs feel very thick, strong, and sturdy. Or possibly the new rolls of fat. 

Regardless of what it was, look at that awesome jump! 

Way to go, Eli!

May 19

I only took two pictures today. But aside from picture-taking, I did manage to:

get two children dressed, ready, and off to school

have a playdate with a friend

feed my children lunch

nurse Eli approximately 76 times (during the playdate, Jill asked, "Is he always like this?" I replied, "Yeah. Wait, like what?" Jill responded, "You have fed him four times now." She was right, and no, he isn't always like that)

wiped a child's nose at least 39 times (the younger three all have various stages of the same cold)

put three crabby children down for naps

sewed a doll sling (I am in love; the girls are totally uninterested)

discussed and paid for Lily's ear tubes

finally got a new breast pump (3 weeks after first deciding to actually pursue getting one covered by my health insurance)

prepared and grilled dinner with a toddler on my back

folded laundry

nursed a baby to sleep

snuggled with my big boy

ordered this for Caleb's birthday (July is coming soon, and we like to give each child a piece of art for their birthday)

So be satisfied with these two pictures, please?

Nap time. 

(for him, not me)

What Eli did while I grilled dinner with Lily on my back. They were both happy with the arrangement. My gimp leg wasn't too pleased with the 22 extra pounds, though.

May 18

My mom texted this morning while the girls and I were eating breakfast, so we decided to call her back. When Mom asked Daisy what we were doing today, Daisy replied, "It's Do-Nothing Monday!"

Smart girl!

However, since Mom had the day off and it was the perfect day for digging and planting, it became "Do Some Gardening" Monday. A week or two ago, Chris' mom came and planted flowers around the house. Today, my mom came out and added to that with some ornamental grasses and other plants. 

As always, the girls were eager to help.

Daisy loves this "new" dress. It was a garage sale find a year or two ago, and it's been hanging in her closet until it was the right size. The time is now, and she loves that it has a crinoline underskirt that makes it poufy. And since it cost maybe $3 at a garage sale, I'm totally fine with her wearing it for things like gardening. Win!

And there's Grandma, doing what she loves with two of her little loves.

Eli and I, meanwhile, sat on the porch swing and didn't even attempt to help. I'm ready for my leg to start feeling better.

While I made lunch, Eli played on his play mat. I think he is just starting to bat at toys and reach for things, but I could also be imagining it. When it comes to the fourth child, I think a lot of baby milestones happen that way.

Whether he was batting or not, he was content there for a good fifteen minutes, which is kind of amazing. 

The poor kid has a cold, and last night was really rough. He clearly feels miserable, and I'm feeling like a mommy martyr. Between waking every two hours last night to handle a child who would not stop screaming, to not being able to eat anything yummy because of dairy, I'm feeling like the suffering is just too great to bear. (I write that mostly-jokingly; I realize that this is all very minor and temporary and not really something to complain about, and yet, in the moment it feels hard.)

And then I remember that three months ago, I was worried that Eli might never be able to nurse like a normal baby and that my body might never produce milk normally. It felt like an eternity that I had to nurse and pump and feed bottles, but it was really just a blip in Eli's little life. Now that blip is over, and we are on to the next blip, and soon that will be gone, and the only way I will remember it is to look back on these blog posts and laugh about the time when Eli was a baby and it felt like I was underwater for four months because he came early and then there was mastitis and then everyone was sick forever and then more mastitis and then he started spitting up all the time and then I broke my leg and then I couldn't even eat dairy, for goodness sake!

Thankfully, Eli is our fourth child, and I feel like I have a better understanding of how quickly all of this really goes past. When I get caught up in the emotions of how hard things feel, I can look at Caleb, or Daisy, or even Lily, and remember how quickly things will change, and how soon this season will be over. 

But you'd better believe I will still complain tomorrow if this kid keeps me up all night again tonight.

May 17

Eli was pretty high maintenance today. During one of the times he was fussing, Chris chose to take him outside to play with the big kids. As I chopped veggies at my kitchen counter, I looked out the window and saw...

Eli in a swing???

Of course I grabbed my camera and hobbled out there to document it, but I still have misgivings. I mean, the kid isn't even 16 weeks old yet, and adjusted he is less than 11 weeks old... definitely not ready to swing on a regular basis. But Daddy was close and totally engaged, and Eli? Well, I'll let yo be the judge.

Chris stayed close and just barely pushed the swing.

Look at those pudgy little arms draped over the swing!

I think he liked it!

(I'm also not sure why his hands are balled up into fists like that. I think it's a developmental thing? I don't know. I'm not going to let myself worry about it right now.)