Big Sigh of Relief

I spent a whole week worrying about Jennifer's health. She's had green stools for more than two weeks, and at my last appointment it was suggested that I wasn't sitting and feeding her long enough the past week, and she was getting poor quality milk. So I sat with her. Plenty long. A whole week long. With no improvement. I imagined her shriveling up inside. Long term health problems, and many other woes.

Jennifer, for all this time of green, has been an ideal baby, with no complaints whatsoever, seemingly oblivious to the color changes.

I took her to the doctor today.

Jennifer thinks "Mommy, why do you do this to me?"

The doctor's conclusion--Jennifer is perfectly healthy. Far from starving, she has gained over 9 ounces in 8 days. The green, she concluded, must be a result from a change in my diet--most likely the vitamin/iron supplement pill I've started taking recently. I shall stop taking it to see what happens...

I feel vastly relieved now!

Life as it has been--it goes on even when I'm worrying for nothing!
Kids at play:

(Melanie was likely shadowing me closely. She's five now, so she doesn't associate with boys quite as much as before.)

I just love checking out me holding Jennifer when I pass the bathroom.

I am still amazed and thrilled at her smallness. And I marvel at her beauty, and show her off to herself.

Even with a receding hairline she is gorgeous!

Nathan and Melanie have taken up art projects of their own designs.

Nathan made an apple tree--he cut slits in the rectangular green paper to give it a tree look (quite effective in 3D actually) and he cut out the stems and apples separately and glued them on with care! Melanie made a paper snowflake. With lots of slits (they seem to have forgotten that you can see through it better if you actually cut some of the paper bits completely out) and lots of dashing color. It's very dear to her heart, and patched with tape after Daniel's destructive removal of it from their bedroom window.


Smiles and sleep.


Kids today before supper:

Progress

Slowly life is getting back to normal around here. I'm getting closer and closer to getting up on time regularly. I managed twice last week! And this week I only slept in once! And not very long either, mind you. (I know, I know, it's only Tuesday... ;) )

Jennifer is still a big hit with her older siblings.

I do have to send them away from her sometimes, though, especially when they start fighting over her...and I worry about them falling on her or hitting her by accident instead of someone else. (Anyone is fair game except Jennifer--such fairness!)

I love her chubby arms!! Too bad the weather is cooler now and she has to be dressed in long sleeves. Maybe I'll just have to get in the habit of giving baths every night. (Likely!!)

Whenever Jennifer wears Melanie's hand-me-downs she looks exactly like Melanie to me. They don't look THAT similar, but I never have been good at getting past color and clothes similarities very well. She's going bald, as you can see a little here. I will miss her dark hair! (Presumably it is being replaced by blond.)

Matthew (with a bit of Melanie's help I think) made a camper van. My favorite feature of it is the back piece which has some peg puzzles in it--those are "bikes on the back like Grandpa and Grandma's camper van".

Jennifer is smiling a lot now. She is (so far) been such a lovely baby. Content to sit on her own (she's checking out her hands now and figuring out what they're for--very cute when she gets cross-eyed doing that) or to sit and watch the noisy big kids running around. If I need a couple minutes to finish something up, she's usually pleased enough to have Nathan Melanie or Matthew keep her entertained. She's not grumpy much--mostly when she's dirty (she's rashes SO quickly it's impossible to keep her bottom from being red) and hungry and tired.
The perfect baby.
But then, ALL my babies have been perfect babies. ;)

Party Girl

Melanie got to open presents early in the day (lucky girl!) instead of waiting 'til after dinner coffee time like everyone else.

Melanie, despite being 5, likes to color on herself occasionally!

Very pleased with the gift!!

Helping me make her birthday "cake" The cupcakes look strange, don't they! The kids didn't like them at first, but the second time they tried them there were no leftovers, and they all wanted seconds!

Adding lots of sprinkles is very important!

Melanie had one girl friend over for the day, and I took it upon myself to keep the boys from invading their girl time too much. It was challenging, but I managed it. And the girls had a lot of fun. I think I'll can big birthday bashes entirely, and just do the "one friend" thing all the time! (After all, how do I deal with bus stops not being by my place, not fitting more than one extra child in my almost full van, and timing things around school hours?) This was so much less complicated!

Last few weeks of life

So I finally emptied my camera, and b/c of lack of time/energy/caring, here the best ones are, in order of time, not in any other sort of pattern or neatness. Better this than nothing. :p

Gorgeous girl doing her second favourite activity. Although, it may be third if smiling rates second. Hard to know, she hasn't actually told me which she likes more. Feeding is number one, of course!

More sleeping.

Nathan made this. There's a railroad set up. But the blocks are a church. You can see the people on the pews, and the minister on the pulpit. At the back are other rooms, like the nursery.

There he is--contemplating a new project no doubt!

Daniel is contemplating demolishing the next project. (Actually, he's getting much better at leaving things alone--unless someone antagonizes him!)

Chubbyness.




Same clothes, same chair, same activity...different day.

Procrastinating chores

Marvelling at the miracle.

Sort of smiling.

Finally holding his sister! I'd avoided it for a few weeks...hoping to avoid it entirely--for Jennifer's safety!

Daniel thinks "Hmm...how do I stuff this in when her mouth is shut?"

Helping Grandma make my house look presentable.

"Isn't Jennifer a pretty name, Mom?"

Kids helping Grandma make my outdoors look presentable.

Big smiles!

'Nother clean up time.

Nathan playing games with his sister.

Melanie making stuff for her birthday.

"Don't you like the tent Jennifer?" asks Nathan. (If Matthew or Daniel had been upstairs I'd have forbidden this, just 'cause I know they'd try!!)

We love Jennifer.
Daniel: "Jenna, baby!" (He gives Jennifer his baby for a while to share.)
Matthew: "Jennifer can go camping with us next time!"
"Mommy Jennifer is crying, she wants to come out!"
Melanie: "Mommy, I wish there was only you and me and Daddy and Jennifer. And none of the boys were here."
Nathan: "You are so cute. You are SO cute. You are so CUTE." (Jennifer was cooing to him.)

Family Time

I stole these pics from Mom's memory card--as you can see, she likes doing group shots! Of course, she had scads more pics of other things.

2 Weeks