Milestones

Yesterday was a day of accomplishments. Nathan had his five-year checkup yesterday and he is off the charts for his height and is in the 98% for weight. He was 46 1/2" tall if I remember correctly and 53 pounds. I actually thought that he should weigh more than that, as when we weighed him at home, he weighed about 56 pounds. That was in the winter though, and he does have a tendency to lose some weight in the summer. He did have quite the belly on him this past winter, but it has gone down a little bit. I guess that is because all he wants to do is play outside and ride his bike so he is getting a lot more exercise.

Nathan also had preschool graduation yesterday evening. I think that we were the only set of parents that did not invite grandparents, but I didn't think that it was a huge deal. The 4 year-old group had red graduation caps and then the five-year olds had red graduation gowns and black graduation caps. Each four-year old marched out with a five-year old to music. I even remembered to bring my camera and take some pictures. That is a big accomplishment for me as I am not a picture taker.

We have been trying to work with Darren to get him to use the potty, but he had always screamed when we tried to set him on the pot. Yesterday after we got home from Mom's (Mom had the boys since she meet me at the doctor at 1:00) I sat down to use the toilet. As soon as I sat down, Darren was trying to pull me off. I asked him if he had to go potty and he nodded yes. Being seven-eight months pregnant, I have developed a trick bladder. I will pee a little bit and as soon as I wash my hands, I will have to pee again. I have taken to just sitting there for a minute or two to make sure that my bladder is really empty. (I know, too much information) Therefore I didn't want to get up so I asked Darren if he wanted to sit on the potty chair. He said no, and he grabbed the little toilet seat that sits on the big toilet. I told him to take it to Dad and go to the other bathroom. He took it to Bruce and he actually went pee! Bruce said it was funny because he kept starting and stopping, and laughing so he knows how to control the flow. He has recently discovered that he can pee in the shower, so he always pees in the shower with Bruce laughing the entire time. I am not going to force the issue yet, but I will definitely be more pro-active in asking him if he has to pee. It would be great if he could be potty-trained before the baby comes!

33 week checkup

I had my thirty-three week checkup today. My blood pressure is great and everything is progressing as normal. The good news is that I have not gained any weight for several weeks. He asked me if I have been sick and I said no, but I have been outside chasing the boys more, taking walks in the evenings and it also doesn't take as much to fill me up when I eat. When they measured my stomach, it is continuing to grow, so it isn't like the baby is not growing. I guess that I have been more active and eating a little bit better. Considering that I had already gained about twenty pounds, I am more than happy to have my weight at a stand-still. The doctor did ask me if I thought this was going to be a big baby, and I told him that I felt that he was going to be a big one. We will just have to wait and see. I imagine that I will have my last ultrasound probably about the week of June 22nd. That will tell us how big he is. I also found out that my doctor is on vacation the week of July 6th, and he will return to the office on July 13th. Hopefully something doesn't change and I go early. I have been with him for two kids and I would like him to deliver my third one. I am sure that there is nothing wrong with the doctor who fills in for him, but since I am paying him, I would like him to be there to deliver the baby.

5th birthday party

Last Friday night we had Nathan's 5th birthday party. We kept it very simple and ordered pizza and then had cake and ice cream. We celebrated outside since the house was so hot and it felt pretty good outside. The kids rode bikes, played in the sandbox and played on the swing set. Darren had a tendency to wander off, and he could always be found at the front of the house; usually on the porch. (I don't think that he felt the best this entire Memorial Day weekend.) The only drawback were all the mosquitoes. Nathan got some K-Nex from Brian and his family, some movies and books from Susan and her family, money from Grandpa & Grandma Kunk and an outfit with money deposited into his savings from Grandma & Grandpa Ernst. (Mee-maw and Pee-paw according to Darren.)

"Cursory flush"

Although we have two bathrooms in our house, we only really use one. Our master bath is where the kids take their baths and the front bathroom sits empty. That being said, there is a lot of traffic in and out of that bathroom. The other day Nathan was pooping while Bruce was shaving. Bruce told Nathan to do a courtesy flush because he was stinking up the bathroom. Of course Nathan asks what a courtesy flush is and we had to explain what it meant. So now, because I can't go to the bathroom in privacy, Nathan will remind me to do a "cursory" flush.

Last night I had Darren in the tub and Nathan said he had to poop. I walked into the kitchen to straighten up a bit, and when I walked back in, Nathan had my eyes watering. I asked him if he had done a courtesy flush, and he grunted out that he had two times already! He has also clogged the toilet on an occasion or two. What a rotten boy! Hopefully he can float better now at swim lessons on Saturday.

Lunch date

My friend Gail, who I have known since we were both babies, works here in Sidney so we get together occasionally for lunch. These lunches are few and far in between, and when we do meet, they just go way to fast. We met today for lunch at "our place" - Supper Subby's. We like going there because it is inexpensive, and it usually isn't terribly crowded or loud so we can talk and catch up. By the time we tell each other what is new in our life, what our kids are doing and what is up with our siblings or parents, the lunch hour is gone.

We were catching up with each other and I had to ruin it by looking at my watch and seeing that a full hour has elapsed. We keep talking about getting together with the kids and without the kids so that we can really catch up, but our schedules never seem to coordinate.

Ride anyone?

The boys, Nathan in particular, tried to give me a heart attack and put me into labor simultaneously last Friday. I picked the boys up from daycare and on my way out the door, Joyce had made a comment that I wanted her to expand on. I put the boys in their car seats and then walked back into the building. I stood right next to the front door and kept one eye on the van as it was running. All of a sudden I see my van rolling backwards in slow motion. Whether it actually moved slow or it just seemed like slow motion to me, it also happened so fast. I go running out the front door, and I know I looked as graceful as a deer on ice, and pray that no cars or semis are heading their way. By the time my van is on the road, Nathan realizes that he should press the brake. Nathan finally manages to put the brake on and I catch the van as the is in the southbound lane of State Route 66. Nathan takes his foot of the brake in anticipation of me getting in the van, so it continues to roll for a little bit until he realizes that the van is still moving. I get to the van, take it out of Low and put it in drive and take my foot off the brake. It rolls backwards a few feet and then I realize that the van has stalled out. I re-start the van and then pull it back into daycare driveway.

I had the shakes for a good while thinking about what could have happened and then my stomach hurt for a day or two. I could feel the baby moving so I knew there were no problems with the baby, but I must have pulled/strained some muscles running at full speed. Nathan knew immediately what he did was wrong, and apologized as soon as I calmed down enough to talk to him.

Cinderella

I had my 31 week checkup on Tuesday. There is nothing new to report; I am still pregnant! Everything is progressing as normal and he advised me to rest when I am tired and know my limits. I almost asked him if he could write me a doctors note to get out of doing housework! I was raised with what I guess you would call a tough love environment. You weren't getting sympathy or going to the doctor unless you were bleeding profusely or were in so much pain that you just couldn't function. Even when we got stitches, Mom would remove them at home instead of going back to the doctor to save on that office visit. We didn't go to the doctor's when we had colds because my parents are self-insured.

That being said, whenever Bruce would get sick and look for sympathy I would tell him to suck it up. When I was cleaning house this past Saturday, I didn't work extra hard, but I was exhausted by the end of the night. When Nathan asked me if I would get him something to eat or drink, I told him to ask his Dad as I was tired. Bruce looked at me and said that I didn't work that hard, so why was I so tired. I was mad at him anyway because the only time his butt got out of the recliner was to get something to eat or change the laundry around. He did not help me do anything, nor did he watch the boys. Therefore, everything I did took extra long because I had them "helping" me. I called him a name that can't be repeated and reminded him that I was seven months pregnant. I guess the pregnancy card doesn't come into play at our house!

Up again....

Darren was up again at 3:30 am last night. Luckily he fell asleep after about a half hour to 45 minutes later. I first thought that his allergies were what was waking him up, but after listening to him sleep for a while, I think he has other issues. I think he may have sleep apnea. He would breathe heavily for a bit, and then I wouldn't hear anything from him for about five seconds and then he would take a real deep-shuddering breath and snore for another 30 seconds to a minute and the whole process would start over again.

After he went to bed, I couldn't fall back asleep. It started raining pretty hard and then the baby decided he was going to exercise or something because he was moving non-stop for fifteen minutes or so. Kids can be exhausting!

We had thought that Nathan had sleep apnea and had him tested at Children's Hospital three years, and they said that he had it. The thought it was because his tonsils were so big, that was why he would stop breathing. His tonsils were big and they practically did touch, but Darren's don't look as big as that. Maybe they are still bigger than normal. I will mention it to his doctor when I take Nathan for his five year check up in two weeks.

Late nights or early mornings?

I know I have mentioned before that Darren has sleeping habits like Bruce. At least when Bruce wakes up in the middle of the night, he doesn't wake me up, so I don't mind his insomnia. Bruce will go out in the living room to watch TV, or turn it on in the bedroom and I hardly ever notice. If only Darren was big enough to turn on the TV and watch it silently, or get his own snacks, my world would be much better. Considering how daring Darren is and how much he likes to climb, I am amazed that he has never attempted to climb out of his crib. I know that Nathan was climbing out somewhere between 15 & 18 months.

Darren played outside all afternoon on Sunday, and he only had a 45 minute to an hour nap, so I assumed that he would sleep very well. Unfortunately, about 5:00 am he wakes up and decides that he is hungry. This wasn't too hard on me since I would have been getting up in about a half hour, but I can use all the beauty sleep I can get. He ate and then I laid him in our bed while I jumped in the shower. He fell asleep about six and I put him back in his crib for another hour or so.

Then on Monday night, Tuesday morning he decides that he wants to eat at 3:00 am. I gave him something to eat and then tried to get him back to sleep. He must have decided that he had enough sleep for the night as I could not get him to go back to sleep for anything. Finally at 5:00 am I threw him on our bed and told him that he wasn't allowed to move a muscle. I managed to fall asleep for a half hour, and when my alarm went off, Darren was sleeping. Back into his crib he went. That made for a long day at work on Tuesday.

Mother's Day

This past weekend was Mother's Day. Bruce got up with the boys and fed them breakfast so that I could sleep in. He must have reminded Nathan what day it was because Nathan comes into our bedroom and walks over to my side of the bed to wake me up and wish me a Happy Mother's Day. I heard Bruce tell Nathan that he wasn't supposed to wake me up to tell me that. Our bedroom is off the kitchen and I heard everything that was going on while they were eating breakfast, so I figured that I may as well get up.

Later that day we went to my parents for our combination monthly Sunday dinner and Mother's Day cookout. When we arrived, Susan was already there with her family. Julia was actually looking forward to seeing Nathan as she meet him at the door. Although Julia is a lot better than she used to be, she can be really shy or reserved around everyone, so we were very surprised that she was excited to see Nathan. I guess she is getting to know her cousins better since we have been having the monthly Sunday dinners. I think she prefers Nathan over Jenna or Darren because those two are her age and they always want the same toys that she does, while Nathan wants nothing to do with those toys. Later that day, the three two-year olds were in a fight over the wagon. Now we have another "round" of kids coming that are all going to be the same age. Poor Nathan, he has no one on the Ernst side his age to play with. I don't think he feels deprived at all though since he is bigger he gets to do a lot more things that his brother and cousins can't.

All four kids played outside all day while the adults sat in the garage. It was a little windy, and if the sun went behind the clouds, it got quite chilly. By the end of the evening, all the kids needed a bath and a new set of clothes as they clothes they were wearing were pretty dirty. They jumped on the trampoline, played in the sandbox, swung on the swings, went down the slide, rode on the 4-wheeler, climb in the trees, visited the cows, took wagon rides, rode bikes and took Hummer rides. They all had an action-packed day!

Snails & puppy dog tails

The boys have a book that has a bunch of nursery rhymes, and one of them is the nursery rhyme that says, " girls are made of sugar and spice and boys are made from snails and puppy dog tails." I don't know what the rhyme is called and I don't know the rest of it, but Nathan thinks that line is neat. I'm beginning to think that he/she knew what they were talking about. Although it should have said that boys were made up of piss and vinegar! My two have just been rotten lately. Between not eating dinner, to throwing chairs, to not listening, to thinking bedtimes don't apply to them, makes me debate the wisdom of adding a third boy to the mix.

Darren seems to be hungry ALL the time, so as soon as he gets home from daycare he gets a snack. Well, he is like a goldfish in that he will eat until he stuffs himself silly. We have been trying to limit his snacks, but it is hard. If he asks for chips, we give him a handful and tell him that is it until dinner. Once the chips are gone he will scream and buck until we either give him more or until dinner time. The other day we gave him a handful of chips and said no more snacks until dinner. He bucked for a good ten minutes until he was distracted. I put dinner on the table and neither him or Nathan want any. Our rule is that you at least have to try it, and if you still don't like it you can have a hot dog or something. Both boys said they weren't hungry, so after Bruce and I were done eating we cleaned up the dishes but put the boys food in the microwave for when they got hungry later. An hour later, they were both starving. After begging for chips, popsicles, ice cream, apples and whatever else, Nathan got the hint and sat down to pick at his dinner. Darren refused to even look at his. Off to bed he went without anything to eat. Of course it backfires on us because he wakes up at about 1:00 in the morning because of his allergies and wants to eat since he is wide awake (remember he has Bruce's sleeping habits). I let him have a cereal bar since I am completely exhausted and just want to crawl back into bed. Bruce reminds me when I crawl into bed about two hours later that technically Darren wins since I gave in.

Nathan threw a chair again at daycare on Wednesday. He knew what he did was wrong, because he accepted his punishment from us without complaint. He only got water to drink, the only thing he was allowed to eat was dinner and he also had to kneel in the corner for five minutes. It was only after bath time that he started acting like a brat again. He wanted something to eat, then he just refused to listen. He was sent to his room since he couldn't listen and he kept screaming like a crazy person. He was a bear to live with that night. Last night I was home by myself with the boys for an hour or two, and I was ready to sell Nathan to the highest bidder. He wanted the tricycle out of the shed and when I refused to get it out for him he threw a big fit. I finally get him in the house because it is bath time and he said he wants some cookies. Of course that means that Darren wants cookies also. There were only five Oreo's left, and since Nathan ate all the applesauce at dinner time without sharing with Darren, Darren got three cookies and Nathan got two. Nathan started whining about how it wasn't far and I explained to him my reasoning and I even told him what they tell them at daycare. "What you get is what you get so don't throw a fit." Nathan then decides that he wants his cookies "smashed" and I told him to eat them like they are. He is still whining around and asking for Dad, and I told him to be quiet and eat his cookies because by this time Darren is done with his and is eyeing Nathan's. He repeats again that he wants them smashed. I told him he had to the count of three to eat them the way they are or Darren is getting them. Guess who ate the cookies? Darren. Nathan continued to cry and get louder in asking for Dad and I told him to stop crying and to act like a little man. I warned him again that if he wasn't quiet I was going to stuff a sock in his mouth. He kept crying, so I got one of Bruce's clean socks and stuck it in his mouth. Darren and I thought it was funny so we were laughing. Of course he spit it out and kept on crying. Since it was a longer sock, I laid it over his mouth and then tied it in the back of his head. (I should point out this is the same thing we do when we play "robbers" so it is not cruel and unusual punishment. Nor am I abusing him.) He is to big for me to man-handle into the corner being seven months pregnant, and he obviously wasn't going to get up and walk himself into the corner. He was crying/whining so loud, and the back windows were open, that I was sure that the cops were going to show up. After ten minutes of this where I am straightening up the kitchen, I get tired of it and take Darren to the bathroom to start his bath. I close our bedroom door and the bathroom door so that Nathan is muted. I think that he finally got the hint because after a few minutes he walks in and asks if he can get in the tub with Darren. I ask him what he has to say for himself. He said he was sorry, and I asked why he was sorry. He said he was sorry for not listening. After that, the rest of the night went fine.

I am loved....

This past weekend, my friends and I rented a house at Indian Lake and spent a few days there gossiping, laughing and drinking. I obviously did not partake of the drinking unless you count all the water and non-alcoholic beer I drank. I left Friday at noon and didn't get home until almost noon on Sunday.

As soon as I walked in the door on Sunday, both boys had smiles that would light up a room and they both came running to me. Nathan had to have a kiss immediately and then Darren got his turn. The pure joy that all three of us felt was quite obvious. I tried to remember that joy about a half hour later when I wanted to beat the boys because they weren't listening. I had to reference that joyful feeling I had when I first walked in the door on Sunday all day, as they certainly tested my patience for the remainder of the day!