I is a employee :)

As we speak, there is a contract upstairs printing that I just received via email. Yeah!

So, I talked about the great interview I'd had and how I was going to go through with a couple of others, despite being fairly certain about that job. Well, yesterday I visited that clinic and spent a few hours with the PT getting to know their program. It was great and I left very excited about working for them, called the Supervisor and asked when I might expect an offer. Long story, she wanted me to go another time to visit (the clinic had been VERY slow) when it was busy and then call her, though it still sounded like they wanted to hire me.

So today and I went ahead and went to this other interview, just to follow through with the appointment (this was the one who had been out because his wife had a baby, he'd finally called me). Now this is an only-game-in-town hospital in a rural county, so I honestly wasn't expecting much. I spent the first half hour saying nothing much besides "WOW!". They have a phenomenal program! I just can't even begin to relate all of the great things they have to offer, the ways they are growing, and the likability of the staff. I spent 4 hours with the director! I've never had an interview quite like it. I told him that I'd been ready to accept another position but that he had totally turned my head. I left with the understanding that he was sending out an offer letter and that I was ready to start on Monday. I had several hours of nail-biting (ack! what if he'd changed his mind!?!) until it finally arrived in my inbox.

I am nervous and excited. Nervous because it is a new place, new people, and different practice arena (I'll be doing outpatient orthopedics/sports medicine-like versus the pediatrics or hospital work that I've had experience in) and excited for all of the same reasons. I've been hoping to find a career "home" that I can and want to stay at for years to come and I hope, hope, hope that this is it.

Recent QOTDs

(Quote of the Day, that is)

All of the bigs are at their grandparents in Mississippi this week. Yesterday, their aunts took them to the water park, the twins first time to go, and Jamie's third just this summer! As per their report, a good time was had by all. Apparently though, Hunter had a run-in with another kiddo that resulted in his getting a goose egg on his forehead.

Hunter: I didn't like it one bit.
Mommy: What, the water park?
H: NO! Getting a Boo Boo!!

We packed church clothes for them with the understanding that they would be going today. This morning we talked to them and Hunter said they weren't going to church, then Hannah insisted they were.

Mommy to Hannah: But Hunter said you are not going to church.
Hannah: Well, I'll just have to talk to Hunter about that. (I can just picture her little hand-on-her-hip pose)

Recently we were watching A Wrinkle in Time, a not-real-great movie version of a favorite children's book. It's very science fiction-y and I spent a lot of the time trying to explain that they were travelling to make-believe planets, etc.
Hunter: That can't really happen, can it, Mommy?
Hannah (puts her hand to her mouth, leans across to him, and says conspiratorally): You never know what is in your future.

This is a really old one, but I have to record it, because we still refer to it often. This was a day when I was still in the hospital and DiDi was picking the twins up from school every day. They had a lot of coversations about what they might do or be when they grow up. Their was some reference to Hannah having a job/career.
Hannah: Well, I'm not going to live my life with just a husband and a weinee dog!

Golly, them kiddos just crack me up!!

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho

Yes, the interview clothes are because I am ready to (that'saLieIhaveto) go back to work. I had a good interview yesterday, for the position I am most interested in (so far), 2 more scheduled for Friday, and a 4th that is supposedly going to call me when somebody gets back because somebody had a baby (?? I think the director's wife??). I'm pretty sure I've got the one from yesterday wrapped up; I'm going Monday to shadow the therapist and see what their clinic is like, and they have to confirm my salary request to the boss's boss, or some such, but otherwise, I think it's in the bag.

Sooooo, Scott's last day of work is Friday (after being very patient, they are finally kicking him out) and he will be a SAHD (Stay at Home Dad) again. Looks like next week we will both be home, but hopefully I'll be starting the week after that, otherwise, we'll be eating rice :o He was pretty darn good at it with the twins, but there's a third baby in the mix this time, lol, not to mention the 3 other kids being on summer vacation!!! He's lucky because they are in a good place right now and are pretty easy all day long. Now, if I can just make him remember all the housework that goes along with being the parent at home all day. (Can you believe that one day last week he grabbed a pile of too-big diapers that were under the bed because he "forgot" where we keep the ones we use?? Yeah, it's really hard, they are ON THE CHANGING TABLE. Hmmph)

I want a new drug...

...One that won't make me fat


is that how the song goes? No? Hmmm


I just spent half an hour trying on everything in my closet that is "interview" worthy. Can't exactly where the fat scrubs, that are stained from working with kids in dirty homes for the past 5 years, to job interviews. Now I'm no fashionista, but I like to have cute things, or at least comfortable things that look halfway decent that I like. But I can't wear jeans or denim capris either. So that leaves the one or two pair of khakis left over from my hospital days (when my director didn't allow us to wear scrubs). Needless to say, I've HAD TRIPLETS since then.

Now, remember all those posts about not gaining much weight with my prenancy and then losing it fast after they were born? That didn't last. I pretty much have been eating my way back to sanity every day. Babies screaming unconsolably? Eat a cake. Stressed over lack of job and lack of funds? Eat all of last night's leftovers. Bored to tears? Eat a box of cereal. You get the idea. So I'm right back where I started, only now I'm stretched out and lumpier bumpier than previously.

According to Dr. Oz (I really don't watch much Oprah, but it was on one day when nothing else was) that is because food is my drug of choice. I wish exercise could be. I wish instead that when I was stressed I wanted to run up and down the stairs ten times. Or do that Yoga dvd I bought (though I could hardly get into a zen state with the three screaming mimi's in the room).

Anyway, I found 2 pair of fugly pants that I can get into with one of those chest to knees girdles left over from my wedding, and 1 dress that makes me look like...well...a cow in a dress. Goody.

Dare I hope???

How does the expression go...it only takes so many days to make something a habit? I'm drawing a complete blank. Anyway....


6 nights - that's how many they have slept from 11ish to 6 or 7 in the morning!!! Sweet Hallelujah! I feel like a different person now that I can get 6-8 straight hours of sleep again. I am rested. I am productive. I have energy again.


For the record, Molly is still determined to be our holdout. Most of those nights she has either ended up with a bottle (once, she took 2 oz and went back to sleep) or in bed with me (I have a certain pillow that I make a little "nest" for her and she curls up to me and goes right back to sleep) but we can work with that.


One of the best parts, they are finally on a consistent daily schedule as a result. Previously, whatever time they woke up in the morning dictated our schedule for the day. I.e., if they were up at 4, they ate at 8, 12, 4, 7-8, 10-11, then bed and up between 2 and 4. The next day, they may get up at 6 and eat at 10, 2, 6, 9, 12, 3, etc. It was everchanging. Now, they are consistently up between 7 and 7:30, eat then, and again at 11, 3, 6:30/7, 10ish (don't ask me WHY they have to eat more frequently in the evenings, they are just so fussy and act like they are starving). I feel like we could actually, dare I say it, Make. Plans., because I can actually guesstimate their feeding times.


We are also one week into summer vacation. I have to say that, surprising myself, I love it! I wish I could stay home the whole summer with the babies and the twins (and Jamie when she gets home!). There are challenges and we will make some changes, but overall I think it's going great. I mainly want to get a good schedule with mandatory chores, reading time, etc as well as try to do some craft projects. The main challenge is game time - we rented Lego Indiana Jones and that is, big surprise!, all Hunter wants to do, so I have to limit it. Not only that, but he doesn't really want to give anyone else a chance to play, so he gets a little ornery when it is Hannah or my turn.

And if you give a kid a camera, they will take pictures of the things most important to them ;)

I'm LMBO because I did not notice this pose when I was taking pictures of the babies, but isn't this hilarious!!

And I know you can't resist this sweet face, our Peanut, Em:

Finally, for good measure, Miss Molly Mae:

Haven't gotten a picture of her smiling yet, but I will ;)

Has it been a month???

I don't guess that really surprises me. The part about them being another month older - yes; the part about me not blogging for a month - no. It is a trial, let me tell you. I rarely get anything done during the day, and if I do, it sure isn't hanging out on the computer. It's more like take a shower, wash clothes, wash and make bottles, cook dinner. When dad gets home, he takes over so that I can take care of the needs of the other kids or do some of those things listed above that I didn't do during the day.

The evenings are a nightmare.

They are just not happy from about 4 pm until they go to bed for the night, which usually isn't until 11 or 12. Generally, dad handles it while I go to bed around 9 or so because I'm going to be back up with them anywhere from 2 to 4 am. The problem is that once they start stirring, it wakes me up and I can't go back to sleep until they are fed and settled back to sleep. All of their grunting, fussing, coughing, etc, plus my knowing I'll have to get right back up just keeps me awake, often for 2 or 3 hours straight. This wouldn't be so bad if there was a chance of me napping the next day, but that just doesn't happen anymore as they don't all sleep for long periods of time during the day.

There have been quite a few nights where they've made it to 5 or so before they wake. The last week or so, I have put Molly in bed with me (always the first to wake, then get everybody else started) for a snuggle and she goes back to sleep for a couple of hours. This has gotten us through until 5 many nights, and sometimes even 6. Last night, they were down by 10ish, and slept until 6 am!! Woo Hoo! Dad and I both got a nice, long night's sleep. What are the chances that this is the new norm? My guess - slim to none.

As for everyone else:

Hunter got a cast

and then got it offin the space of just 2 weeks. The break is somewhere near the growth plates, so the orthopedist wants to follow him for a year or so.

Hannah lost her two front teeth, also in the space of just 2 weeks.

She's just so darn cute with that smile!

School is out which makes the twins 1st graders, and Jamie...a high school student! :o That doesn't seem possible. I remember what was important and what we were up to in 9th grade and I just don't even want to think about it. YIKES!! She's already gone on the first leg of her summer travels, having left the day after school was out.

The babies at 3 months:

They all smile and coo, though Cooper is most proficient at both. If you "ooo" and "ah" at him he will do it right back to you. The girls are just more occasional and inconsistent. Molly smiles quite a bit, but it is much harder to get one out of Em.

Their weights are Cooper at 11.2 lbs (NOT 11 lbs 2 oz, but 11.2 on our home scale; we had dad hold the babies, then weigh without them and subtract the difference, LOL), Molly at 10.6 lbs and Em at 8.2 lbs. Em is still our peanut!! The gap between the bigger two and our little peanut is growing. But, she doubled her birth weight, so no worries.

They all have rolled over from their belly to their back if put on a little incline, lol, since they are often on the couch. From their side, I've seen them each try to go to their belly, and they will all go to their back.

I've started watching them for torticollis; they just too often seem to keep their head turned to one direction, but then I'll notice that the next time they are turned the other way, so maybe they just don't like to look straight ahead.

Ok, that's enough "therapy" stuff :)

They did start tracking shortly after the 2 month mark. You can really tell they are watching your face and if you walk by, they'll follow you over a small arc. They even watch TV! Of course, it's just light, color and movement, but it's funny to see.

Well, 2 hours after starting this update, I'm going to close. I will try to keep updating periodically, as much to look back on as for all of you (both of you??) out there interested :)

We are 2 months old

That is not possible. I almost refuse to believe it, as if I've miscounted or something. March, April, May...yeah, I guess that would be 2 months.

I gave an update just yesterday for them, so nothing much else to say. I wanted to come up with some poignant words, but mostly I'm just glad that I haven't been puked on today.

Here they are on their 2 month birthday.

Left to Right: Cooper, Emily, Molly