Ready to Go..

Lily just came downstairs declaring: "I'm ready to go trick or treating now." She said she and my doll are both Sleeping Beauty. I know I'm a little biased but isn't she the most adorable Sleeping Beauty?! What I'd like to know though is why she's not wearing the the HSM Cheerleader costume we bought for Halloween...

A Very Patriotic Pumpkin

Last night was our annual pumpkin carving night. We aren't very creative so we use those pattern books to carve our pumpkins. So the big girls got to pick out their own patterns. Emma chose the stars and stripes pattern. Apparently she's feeling very patriotic this week since her voting experience...go USA. Paul got that one. Ha. Lily chose a relatively simple face and I carved that one. Usually Daddy does the pumpkin carving but this year since both girls wanted something different and we were short I time I carved one. The girls were pretty into at first and actually helped clean out the pumpkins. However when it got to the tedious task of the carving they got bored. After we were done we lit up the jack-o-lanterns and they loved that part. We took them outside where they will great our trick or treaters tonight. Here are some pics:

Exercising Their Right...

Emma came home from school yesterday with a "I Voted/Kids Vote" sticker on. She told me they read "Duck for President" and then voted. I asked her who she voted for and she told me to which I replied "awesome." She goes over to tell Lily about her voting experience and when Lily didn't respond Emma says aren't you going to say that's awesome? It was cute..she was clearly proud. I was impressed that she even knew who was running! I don't know that when I was 5 I would have known who was running for president. Clearly her parents have influenced her voting choice and it got me wondering what kinds of things her Kindergarten teachers got to hear as they were voting. You know those kids were totally repeating what they've heard their parents say and I'm thinking that could be dangerous (and probably pretty comical).

So this morning on the way to school Emma asked her friend Meri who rides with us if she voted yesterday. Meri replied yes (apparently they did at all schools around here). Emma said "well, did you vote for the bald guy or the brown one?". It was so funny.

I wonder where those election results will be posted..I bet it would be pretty interesting to see who won at school.

A Very Festive Weekend

I'm tired. Not just from Jacob not sleeping in his crib but from a very busy, festive weekend. It all started Saturday afternoon with a neighbor's Halloween Party. The big girls got to wear their costumes and all their favorite friends where there. They had so much fun! After that party we headed out to the 'hood Halloween bash. Again..lots of fun..candy, games, prizes, costumes, dancing and a very cute parade.

Yesterday we deemed "Potter Family Fun Day." It was Paul's last day of vacation so we wanted to make it fun. We went to church and after church we finally went to the pumpkin patch. We went to HillRidge Farms again this year which I think is the best place around. The pumpkin patch was really fun. The girls (all of them) had a great time. This year they were brave enough to try the giant slide and after waiting an eternity they got to do it solo. I think Emma was a tad hesitate to go down but Lily had no fear so Emma had to do it too. Paul took Julia down and her look was priceless. She's such a daredevil and has absolutely no fear so she loved it! We took a hayride over the pumpkins and everyone picked out a pumpkin. It was beautiful out and the pumpkin patch was surprisingly not crowded (perhaps most people go before 6 days before Halloween?). We could have stayed longer but we wanted to go to the Fall Festival at our church. We stopped for ice cream on the way to church because what family fun day would be complete without ice cream. The Fall Festival was fun but really, really crowded. Long lines for all the inflatable things and the games. The girls had fun, Jacob slept. My sister in law met us there which was great because she helped with Julia. For some reason we decided not to bring a stroller. Bad move and mental note for next year..must bring stroller. Jacob was in the baby bjorn so he was fine but our wild child Julia was crazy and all over the place. Aunt Mimi saved the day by being an extra set of hands.

Needless to say, everyone was exhausted by the time we got home yesterday..but it was a great weekend! I love this time of year!!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Bye Bye Bassinet

We got Jacob's crib set up yesterday in our room so he could start sleeping in there and hopefully get out of our bed. He's not been a big fan of the bassinet so we thought he'd be more comfortable in the crib. He slept in there for a while last night so I don't think we need the bassinet anymore. So, I took some pictures of it and I'll try to sell it on craigslist (though if anyone needs it..let me know). While I'm a little excited to get something out of our house I'm feeling a little sentimental about the bassinet.

When Emma was born I hadn't planned on using a bassinet. In fact, I remember taking it off our registry..I figured she'd go right to her crib in her room. However when I brought that tiny baby home I just couldn't bear to think of her all the way down the hall so far from me. So, I sent Paul to Target that very day to buy a bassinet. He brought home a very lovely one and it has been well used and well loved. Not only have my 4 children used it but we've loaned it to at least 3 friends for them to use. So, 7 babies all together have slept in the bassinet. It has such fond memories of tiny, sweet, little newborn babies. So, you can see why I'm a little sad to get rid of it. But, it needs to go..no more babies coming from this household. It's time to close this chapter and move on to the next phase.

Good Restaurant Gone Bad

Don't you hate it when one of your favorite restaurants goes down the tubes? There's a burger joint, Andy's pretty close to our house that we used to love. The first summer we lived here we went all the time. It meets a lot of criteria for us in picking out a place to eat: kid friendly, fast and cheap. I think our family can eat there for what we pay at McDonalds and the food is better and you get served. We still eat there quite a bit but the last few times we've been the service has been horrible..and I mean horrible.

Last night we went..got there at 6:15 and must have sat for a good 10 minutes before any server can to our table to get our drinks. The restaurant was sort of busy - there was one big party in but I would not say it was packed. We then waited 10 more minutes to get our actual drinks. Five minutes later we got half our food but had to wait another 15 minutes to get the rest of our food. Poor Lily kept asking when was her food coming. It was pitiful. There didn't seem to be any manager on duty but a cook did come over and apologize. He offered us 50% off our food which was nice but it doesn't make up for this being the 3rd time in a row we've had terrible service there. Needless to say this restaurant is now sadly off our list. Bummer too cause that's one place I could usually get Paul to go to if I didn't feel like cooking dinner...being that it's cheap and fast (but lately cheap and S L O W).

It's frustrating when places you love loose their luster so to speak. I guess it happens a lot but still frustrating!

Flu Shots, Fair and Fried Food

Paul's been on vacation this week, a well timed one to coincide with not only helping me but also with the fair. Paul loves the Fair...loves it. So the plan was that he and his sister would take Emma and Lily to fair while I opted out this year. I didn't really want to take Jacob. So he ordered the tickets a month ago and he took them on Wednesday. Apparently they had a great time. They rode rides, ate bad food and played some games. A fun time for all. Paul was a little bummed because he didn't find some of the food he was hoping to get. But, I got the impression they still ate pretty well.

Yesterday the girls were all scheduled to get their flu shots. We were going to take Emma out of school for that and decided we'd go the pumpkin patch afterwards since we hadn't done that yet. I've been wanting to go to the pumpkin patch for weeks but Paul hasn't been too excited about it. He thinks about how much it will cost..I think about the fun and memories. Whatever. Well, I get a text message at Bible Study yesterday from Paul saying it was canned food day at the fair and we could go for free if we take food. Then I get another one saying we'd spend less money than the pumpkin patch. Apparently Paul really, really wanted to go back to the fair. Since this post is getting pretty long I'll get right to the point: pumpkin patch = out, fair = in.

We get Emma and head to the dr office for the flu shots. I tell you what..it's getting harder and harder to give my older kids shots. We had Julia go first..who did not even cry..and then it was Emma's turn. We had to hold her down. Then after it was done she said "it didn't even hurt." Lily was a hot mess too..had to hold her down. But, it's now done. Then we headed to the fair.

We told the girls we weren't doing rides since they had done them the day before. So basically we walked around, ate and let them play some games. I was also able to get my flu shot for free, which seems very random but I have been needing to get one and it was there. All in all it was a fun day. It was a little chilly but in the sun not too bad. The BEST thing we ate was the deep fried cookie dough..OMG..it's a little bit of heaven. Makes me happy just thinking about it...

I've been going to the fair for many, many years. As someone who grew up in Raleigh we went every year. I suppose I missed going my college years and we missed a few years when we lived in MA but I've been a lot. And let me say..the fair never changes. Sure the red cross building is updated and I don't know if they still do the Pink Floyd Laser Show where people used to go to get high but for the most part it's the same. Some new foods but a lot of the same foods..in the same spots. Vendors in the same spots, rides in the same places, same "interesting" people. Some things you can always count on.

Here are a few pics from the Family Fair Day:

That's MY Baby Boy...

My photographer friend Laura posted some more pics of Jacob on her blog. Check them out:
http://www.lauraannphotos.blogspot.com/ . She's coming over tomorrow morning so we can view the rest of the pictures. I can't wait!

Three to Four

I've been asked a lot in the past couple of weeks (and I'm sure to be asked more in the future) how the transition is from 3 kids to 4 kids. I must say it hasn't been that bad. I think the transition from 2 to 3 was harder. Mornings are hectic to get everyone dressed and ready for school on time and of course dinner time is hard (but I haven't cooked in eons) but those times of day are hectic even if you have 1 kid. The biggest thing I've had to do is plan ahead, especially for the mornings...ensure everyone's clothes are laid out the night before, think about what breakfast options there are for the next morning, get lunches/snacks packed the night before, get book bags ready the night before., diaper bags packed the night before..you get my drift. Today we had our first outing where we had everyone going to the same place at the same time..to church. We managed to make it on time and everyone did great. All in all I think it's going well!

Spoiled

Spoiled I am these days...I haven't had to clean my house or do laundry in 2 weeks thanks to my BFF and my aunt and I haven't had to make a meal in 12 days thanks to my BFF, my aunt and my awesome MOMS Club and Bible Study friends. Paul's on vacation this week so I have another week to be spoiled. Don't get me wrong..he won't do any cleaning, laundry or meal preparation but he will take care of the kids so I can get those things done. I feel so thankful and blessed to have had so much help. So, a big shout out to all the people in my life who have helped make things easier these past 3 weeks - THANK YOU!!! You are all VERY appreciated!! xoxoxo!!

Mad..Getting Madder

So all this economic news was, at first, just depressing me but the more I read about it and think about it the madder it makes me. There was an article in the paper yesterday talking about how much harder it was going to be for people to get credit. The example they used was a guy who wanted a new car but couldn't get a loan because he didn't have $1000 for a down payment. Really? Shouldn't you have to put have to have a down payment to get new car?? Why do people expect to get something for nothing? I think a lot of this mess that the country has gotten itself into boils down to the fact that a lot of people have no personal responsibility anymore. They expect that they can get as much credit as they need and if they can't pay on it the government will just bail them out. It's just wrong..very wrong and I'm mad about it. And I'm mad that as a person who pays their mortgage, on a house they can afford, we will likely be paying for all those other people's mistakes. Sadly, I'm not smart enough and I don't know enough about economics to know how to fix the problems but I do know that people should take more responsibility for themselves. You should know how much house you can afford and if you can't pay for it then you shouldn't buy it. And that goes for cars, clothes and anything else. Perhaps in our schools we should be doing a better job of teaching kids about how to manage money. I don't want this post to turn political..not my intention..I just wanted to vent a little about how frustrating this current economic situation is..I'm sure we're all feeling the same frustrations..hopefully someone will have the knowledge to fix it and fix it fast.

Splish Splash

Jacob's cord fell off on Sunday and his circumcision is all healed so we were able to give him his first bath yesterday. I elected to just use the bathroom sink and that worked out well. I'm not a fan of the infant bathtub I have so the sink worked perfectly. He seemed to like it and stopped crying when he got in the warm water. He also didn't seem to pee everywhere for which I was very thankful. Here are a couple pictures of him. Most of the other pictures I have show more body parts so I'm hesitating to post them...don't want my blog to get censored..you know. I also don't him to be upset in 12 years that his "stuff" was posted on the Internet...

Visitors

We've had a full house lately. My best friend, Erin, was in town all last week to help. And, let me say she was awesome. She cleaned, helped with the girls and stocked my freezer full of meals! I can not possibly thank her enough for coming. She left on Friday and tonight my aunt arrived from Richmond to help for a few days. She leaves on Wednesday and on Saturday Paul will start his vacation. I'm so, so thankful for all this help! I feel so lucky! We also had Howie this weekend. Howie, you may recall, is Emma's class "pet". He's a giant stuffed hedgehog and he moves. He's been quite busy since being at our house. We're so lucky to keep having him on weekends..no 1 night sleepovers for us! Howie goes back to school tomorrow....

Otherwise things are going pretty well. I'll take Jacob for his 2 week check up tomorrow and hopefully he's gained some more weight. He's sleeping about as well as can be expected and the girls still like him, even when he's crying!

Because I think I'm Annie Leibovitz

Here are some pictures I took of the girls on the playground today and a couple of Jacob from this week thrown in...

Paul's First Solo Diaper Change

Jacob is 10 days old today and Paul changed his first diaper this morning. I know..sad. But, Paul was freaked out about the circumcision (he's pretty squeamish when it comes to our children and any "injuries" they have) so I've been changing all the diapers. I know..sad. But anyway Jacob's circumcision is healed now so I told Paul he was changing his diaper this morning. He asked me to supervise and he did OK. He cleaned him and didn't get peed on while I was standing over him watching..success. So, I go upstairs to take a shower and get the girls ready.

About 20 minutes later Paul comes upstairs with Jacob and says "you have to take him..I've been spit up on, peed on and there's pee on the sofa..I wasn't ready to change his diaper on my own." I start laughing hysterically as I envision the following scene downstairs:

Paul is feeding Jacob a bottle of breast milk. He puts him over his shoulder to burp and Jacob spits up all over Paul. After he spits up he must have pooped so Paul reluctantly feels obligated to change his diaper. So, he lays him on the sofa and gets to work (Paul's pretty slow at diaper changes..seriously I could change at least 3 babies in the time it takes him to change 1). Paul is taking his time and then the fountain starts and Jacob pees all over the place, including the sofa. Jacob's blanket and sleeper are now soaked, Paul's shirt is a mess and the sofa has a big wet spot on it. Paul is traumatized.

Me..I'm still chuckling...

The $10 Phone Call Rant

Last night we had a situation with Jacob where we needed to call the doctor (he's fine..no worries). It was a Saturday night about 10pm but that's when it happened. So I call my doctors office and get a recording that said something to the effect of this: "Like most pediatricians in the triangle we use Wake Med for after hours calls. You will be charged $10 for this call. We hope this won't deter you from using our services." What?? Seriously, they charge $10 for every after hours phone call!?!? Perhaps this is not news to most of you but to me it was. I'm not sure I've ever called after hours before but if I had I was definitely not charged. I thought one reason doctors got paid well was because they had to work after hours. I thought it was part of their job to work on call occasionally where they had to answer such calls. Apparently not..since the person that called us back was a nurse at Wake Med..who was already working!! So, let me get this straight...I just got charged $10 to talk to a nurse who was already working at the hospital. Are you kidding me? How many of these $10 phone calls are they taking a night? I'm betting a lot. And when the nurse called the first thing she asked was our address to send the bill! Ridiculous..simply ridiculous...it just makes me so frustrated!!!

Let me add I somewhat understand why they have the policy as I'm sure they get some really dumb calls in the middle of the night. But, if you are talking to a nurse who is already working that is different than waking up a doctor in the middle of the night. And, I had a legitimate question. Ok..now I'm over it. I think.

America's Next Top Model

So my friend Laura from the MOMS Club who is an amazing photographer (www.lauraannphotos.blogspot.com) asked if she could do a photo session with Jacob. She's starting out her photography business and wanted some practice shooting newborns. Of course I said yes and she came over this morning to shoot Jacob. It was a good time because the girls were gone with my mom and Paul was working so the house was quiet for a change. The plan was for her to come when Jacob had just finished eating so he would be content and sleepy. Right..newborns aren't so big on plans. Laura got set up while I finished feeding Jacob, he fell asleep and then we started his shoot. We put on a beanbag with blankets and took off his diaper. He wasn't too excited about this and he just couldn't get settled so I picked him up and of course he'd peed on the blankets. Oh well..on to plan B. Laura is seriously the most patient photographer. Jacob had a hard time getting settled and staying asleep. I ended up having to nurse him again. He finally did fall asleep and she was able to get some cute shots of him. I felt bad it took a long time but like I said Laura was really patient and gracious and didn't seem to mind. So the last shots we tried were of him sans diaper..after we were done I picked him up to dress him..I put him on the dining room table and..he peed..everywhere. This was the first time he's done that too me! I've been pretty careful thus far but it was like a fountain..little boys have impressive range!! Thankfully it narrowly missed Laura's camera lens! Anyway it was fun for me to have her shoot him and I'm very thankful and can't wait to see the pictures!

First Week Home

All and all I have to say our first week home is going pretty well. Jacob is actually sleeping pretty well at night..well, he's sleeping pretty well when he sleeps with me but I need sleep. I mean he's been sleeping with me for 9 months right, why would he want to sleep in the bassinet by himself? Oddly, he'll sleep just fine during the day in the bassinet or the bouncy seat but come night it's a different story. Oh well..we'll get there and like I said I don't feel too sleep deprived yet so it's all good. The nursing is going well but good grief I forgot how sore you get. That does sadly not get better the more children you have. The girls seem to be adjusting pretty well to having a baby in the house. Lily loves, loves Jacob and wants to hold him all the time. Julia also wants to hold him a lot and is often pointing and grunting at him (since she doesn't really talk much). Emma hasn't been as interested in Jacob but I think it's because my mom has been around and she's been distracted.

Here are a few random thoughts about the first week home:
1. You forget how much laundry a baby has. Seriously how does one addition to your family seem to double your laundry load.
2. Diapers for newborns are so, so tiny, especially compared to your 1 1/2 year olds diapers.
3. Newborns nurse for a long, long time each time. And though you want to "enjoy" it as much as you can it's hard not to think about everything else going on.
4. Speaking of enjoying nursing...seriously who does in the beginning. I got asked that yesterday at the doctors office. No, I do not enjoy it..it hurts, it takes forever in the beginning, it hurts and it hurts. Will I keep at it..yes , because it's working, it's free and I did it with the others but enjoying it..not so much.
5. As tempting as it is it's not so good for the ego to try on your pre-pregnancy clothes your first week post-partum.
6. You do not take nearly as many pictures of your 4th child as you do of your 3rd, or 2nd and especially first. I've been so slack taking pictures of Jacob this week. Shame on me!
7. Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes..sorry I've been so delayed in replying to emails..we'll get there!
Speaking of pictures here a few from this week: