Good mommy day

I feel like I have been a good mom today. Here's why.

The youngest, Joseph, has done well on his potty training. He has had a few accidents over the past few days, but this morning, he went both #1 and #2 in the potty, which is a big step. It took his older bro 2 months of going #1 before he felt confident to try #2. There is still the issue that if he is wearing any clothes below the waist he forgets to use the potty and wets, but today I had him go potty right before our walk, put the underwear and shorts on him, and he went potty right after we got back, and he was dry all morning. Yay! I really look forward to when he can wear the pants and take them up and down by himself. The kids and I get tired of seeing the nakey boy, but this is a tried-and-true method that works and is working.

And then there was our walk. Since I live in the hills, going for a "walk around the block" is an extreme undertaking. Now that I am in my 3rd trimester (as of tomorrow), I am not going for my long walks, so I have been taking only the 4-y-o. I didn't want to take Joseph, because I can't push the stroller up the big hill, and I was afraid he would ask to be carried. Today, I decided to take the chance since we could take our time, because the boys needed the exercise and so did I. So we went out and before we got down the second block it started raining lightly. The boys were SO excited. It NEVER rains here, and we have been in a very bad drought. They were so happy. And it was a warm rain (left over from hurricane Dean from Mexico). They were actually running up the back hill from excitement. And when we got home, they insisted on putting on their rain jackets and going back outside (poor little guys were sweating in their hoods because it was so warm). They were so cute and happy. Now they are napping, and that also makes me happy, so they can be awake tonight when their dad gets home from his seminar.

The 8-y-o is with his father this weekend, no doubt riding his new bike. He grew out of his old bike, and was given the youth bike that my dd grew out of a few years ago. He began riding it in the back yard for hours per day last week, and asked to take it to his father's house. I said that was fine. Especially since I'm not bike riding this year. Due to the pregnancy, and being on a blood thinner. Too risky if I fall.

Now for the older ones. DS-16 is finishing his last work day tonight. He works the 4:30 to 11:30pm shift at Knotts. I'm so proud of him for sticking out the summer there. It has been tough for him, working in the 95 degree heat. And that he managed to negotiate his way through working for a large institution, with all the bosses and coworkers and despite his rather severe case of ADHD, is really great. He signed up for his high school classes for fall, and he has 4 AP classes. He is going heavy on science, taking AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus, and AP American History. His other 2 classes are Spanish and American Literature. He and I were heartened to hear from some of his coworkers at Knotts that there was a kid who got into UC Riverside with a 3.3 gpa. I think DS will end up doing better than that, but it is good to know that he can get into a University of CA school and not have to settle for a State College, or a junior college. He knows already that he won't be qualified to get into UCLA or UC Berkeley, but if he pushes this year and does OK, he might get into UC Irvine or even better, UC San Diego. He'll just have to do his best, take his SAT in the spring, and make applications next fall, then see how things sort out. I told him this is his big year to show what he's got before his applications. He will either reap the rewards for himself or he won't, but either way, it sounds like he won't be stuck in too humiliating of a circumstance, in comparison to his big sister.

Speaking of big sister, she struggled this summer with her interpersonal relationships. She is still dating her marine boyfriend, who lives in Camp Pendleton in San Diego. It's not that. It was that she had problems at work with some coworkers and one of her bosses. The work environment (restaurant hostess at Knotts) ended up getting so stressful that she quit work about a week and a half ago. After which she has been sitting around the house relaxing and planning for her apartment, which she will move into around Sept. 5. I know that this is a lesson she needed to learn. She did admit to me that she shot her mouth off at work and went on a rant about how she was the hostess and that the others should not encroach on her territory. It was after that that things went south. I told her and John that the best workers keep to themselves, don't go on about their personal business at work, and put on a happy face while they do a diligent job. It is a hard thing to do, and hopefully, she will do better at hiding her volatile emotions on her next job. She hopes to get a waitress job near UCLA sometime this year or in early 2008.

The youngest unborn one seems to be doing well. He kicks and wiggles regularly. He has gotten ticklish, too. I noticed if I have an itch low on my belly and I scratch down there, he starts crawling vigorously, like he's trying to escape. :-D

And I'm cooking split pea soup from scratch. I had some leftover brisket from Friday night, and I remembered that split pea soup tastes good with brisket. I have had to make kosher modifications to my recipes since becoming Jewish 5.5 years ago. Also, the rest of the brisket has been chopped up for tacos. And DD is making fresh guacamole. We just got back from the store and dd already sliced the strawberries for dessert. I love fresh cooking!

New Employee

Here is DS in his new work uniform. He gets a lot of comments about his outfit. He has become tall, or at least taller than me. I would estimate he is about 5'9" and still growing. And he can't wait to get his first paycheck!

Proud momma moment

You should have seen my 4-y-o at his swim class today. He swam 15 feet independently. I was completely amazed. Just 2 weeks ago he was shrieking and clinging to the kickboard for dear life. This private swim school does great work. Next week the youngest is starting a series of classes as well. He hates to get his face under water, but it's for his own safety. He needs to learn.

My 16-y-o son completed a couple of days of training at Knotts. Some of the things he told me were interesting. He learned that there will be 2 cameras pointing at his game booth at all times. I guess he better watch his little habits, eh? He will need to keep watch on all sides of the booth at all times so folks don't walk off with the merchandise. They also told him that somebody got fired for eating something as small as a Tootsie Roll Midgie. He was also taught how to recognize phony currency. Like how some folks wash off a 1 dollar bill and reprint it as a 20, so my son will have to look and see if the face in the watermark matches the face on the bill. I would never have thought of that. It's really neat that he is getting this training from them. I mean, parents can tell their kids what they need to do to get and keep a job, but him hearing it from the men at Knotts leaves so much more of a lasting impression. And yes, eating a tootsie roll that doesn't belong to you is stealing, which is a firing offense. If he wants a tootsie roll, he needs to buy it first.

Random updates

I get questions and I apologize for not answering them in a timely manner. I'll try to answer them here.

How are the kids reacting to news of our baby-boy-to-be? The 2 littlest ones don't really understand. My 4-y-o is convinced that he is growing a baby boy in his tummy. He is so cute. He has even taken to carrying around the doll that DH bought for him when Joseph was born 2.5 years ago. He takes good care of his "baby" and makes him look both ways when we cross the street. :D

DS-age 8 is thrilled. He was asking and asking for another boy and he got one!

DS-16 is a little perturbed that I keep cranking out kids. No matter the gender.

DD-(almost 19) was hoping for a girl. She had told me in the past that she didn't want to be dethroned as my only girl child, but I think she matured beyond that. I was touched by her desire to see me raise another girl and happy that she reached a point where she was thinking along those lines. We both had a good laugh to hear that it was another adorable boy. We love boys!

How are the summer activities/jobs going for the kids?

DD is gone this week to Chicago, then she will start her job orientation at Knotts I think July 3rd. DS is at his first orientation/training today. He will have one or 2 more sessions this week, then I think his first 6-hour day will be Saturday.

DS-8 and 4 are taking swim classes these first 2 weeks of summer. Then DS-8 will go to 3 weeks of full-service day camp. He loves this camp. They have very elaborate field trips to all of the fun local attractions twice per week, with daily swimming in a heated pool and a rock climbing wall. Then the 3 weeks after that he spends with his father.

DS-4 will begin a new preschool session a few hours per day 3 days per week, and take private swim lessons on the off days.

Little Joseph, 2.5, will join DS at the private swim class in July. Joseph didn't like the one trial class he had in June, but DH and I think that he needs to get water safe, with all the older siblings running around and on the off chance that somebody leaves the pool gate open. He also starts Mommy and Me once per week for 1 hour.

So I continue to work 2 mornings per week, and try my best to juggle the kids' schedules around my own. I'm so happy about the older 2 having jobs and I don't even mind all the driving.

Thoughts about blood thinners

I forgot to mention that I asked the amnio doc afterwards about the Lovenox protocol. I was aware that my OB wanted to consult with her about it and so I decided to see what her opinion was. She told me that if indeed I needed Lovenox, it might be dangerous to stop at 34 weeks, as the reproductive immunologist's paperwork recommends as a standard protocol. I was inquiring if it would be OK to re-start baby aspirin if I was going to stop Lovenox. I am concerned about losing the baby to a cord accident (as my SIL did at 38 weeks) or having a stroke (high pg hormones is like taking birth control pills over the age of 40 and that is a risk factor).

The amnio doc said that it might be a good idea around 36 weeks to switch from Lovenox to regular heparin. That way, the heparin could wear off faster when I began early labor and I could just skip a shot then. That makes sense. I can usually tell I'm about to deliver within 24 hours of the birth. Since it takes 36 hours for Lovenox to wear off, that could pose a problem. The heparin shot needs to be taken every 12 hours, and that would increase the chances that I would be able to control the situation. She didn't think that baby aspirin would cause a problem with bleeding too much during delivery. But I know for a fact that when I take it at the same time as the Lovenox I get uncontrolled bleeding out of the injection sites, and large hematomas (blood-filled areas) when I strike myself, such as hitting my shin against a hard chair. Kind of scary.

The kids got their Knotts Berry Farm name tags today and went to the wardrobe area and found out what they would be wearing. They are so excited and so am I. It is great to find a job where they don't mind seasonal workers.

Remember to look at the bottom of the blog for an updated pic of the kids. They were all in the pool together, for once, yesterday and I decided to take advantage of the photo opportunity. I love them all so much. I can't believe that we will be adding another precious boy to the group. Thank you, G-d.

Both teenagers are employed!

I am finally home after driving for hours to fetch my 16-y-o from his dad's house and take him to the hiring event at Knott's Berry Farm. He got hired as a game booth operator. He would need to be 18 to be a ride operator.

Yesterday DD got hired by Knott's as a restaurant hostess. She asked to be put into food service because she want to learn how to be a waitress, so when she is at UCLA she can work as a waitress and make lots of money on tips. I think that is a good plan.

So there will be some driving involved for me this summer because they don't have a car of their own, but I think it will be effort well spent. I believe that having a job and learing how to keep a job is an important step for teenagers.