Robynne's Nest

Just a place for this SAHM to record her thoughts, ramblings, and daily occurrences.

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Location: Missouri, United States

I'm a SAHM to SIX children, 3 of each model. The girls are currently ages 15, 12 and 7, and the boys are 9, 6, and 4. I enjoy many crafts, but my main interest is crocheting and knitting. I also enjoy music, both listening to and playing. I'm in the church bell choir, and I've played french horn for over 25 years. I currently play in a couple community concert bands, and I play throughout the year in church. My husband and I were married in the fall of 2004, and we are currently owned by 3 cats and 1 dog.

Monday, May 31, 2010

3 year olds do have their good moments...

I've mentioned before how much 3 year olds and I just don't get along. I've had three other 3 year olds of my own before now, and am now on my 4th 3 year old. Add in my nephews and neice, and that adds another six 3 year olds I've personally dealt with (my neice is still 3 right now.) It's just that one age (so far) that frustrates me the most.
So, my current little 3 year old, while still proving daily why it is that I have issues with this age, has also managed to remind me this weekend why 3 year olds are wonderful, as well.
We spent yesterday with family, having a barbeque and playing with cousins. We set up some sprinklers and the slip-n-slide for the kids to cool off with and enjoy. After our outside fun, as we were drying off and changing, my enthusiastic 3 year old tells me..."Mommy, that was SO. MUCH. FUN!!!" All smiles and excitement, and you just know this is what being a kid is all about. :)
Later in the evening, I finished up a bassinet purse toy I've been working on all week, that she knows I've been making for her. She has been wanting to carry it around and play with it for the past few days, as it has been looking almost finished, but I was finishing up the last stitches and edgings. Finally, last night, I called her over to me, and held out the purse. Her eyes got huge, and she said "OH!!!! OH! Is it FINISHED? Oh, THANK you Mommy! I LOVE it!!" It's hard to express in writing the pure joy and enthusiasm she had in those words. She actually had tears in her eyes, she was so happy. It was worth every second I put into crocheting the thing for her. (This is where we will skip the part when, after that, every time I tried to show her how to make it into a BED for her baby doll, she shrieked at me, because I know it was late, she'd had no nap, and was quite tired...!)
Now today...one more moment of just how awesome and full of joy a 3 year old can be. Mandy has inherited a few of her sister's old dance recital costumes and loves to dress up in them. One she uses a lot had needed to be soaked and cleaned (cats...don't ask...blah) and I'd had to tell her a few times it was still hanging and not dry yet. This morning, she saw it in the bathroom and asked, and yes it's dry...my enthusiastic little 3 year old's face lit up with excitement again "Oh, Mommy! Is it dry now? Can I put it on again?!" Yes...and we put it on her...and then I got the BEST response of the week...she looked right at me and said, "Mommy...YOU'RE the BEST!!!" Awwww...sniffle...
Sooooo worth it, and hopefully I'll remember these little things whenever the day is dominated by shrieks and "no" and that belligerent defiance so common with all the 3 year olds I've known.

Monday, May 24, 2010

So where did this kid come from?

I'm still trying to figure out where my 5th child came from. No, no, I understand "how that works" ;) What I wonder at, is how he is so different from my other children, especially the middle two. This morning, for instance... While Ryan (4) and Amanda (3) were sitting and standing on either side of me in the bed this morning, singing and talking loudly while I was desperately trying to get a few more minutes sleep, Ethan (22 months) was still sound asleep in his crib across the room from us. (And when he does wake up, he will often just quietly play with his toys in the crib for a while before climbing out to find me.) While Ryan and Amanda were climbing into my windowsill a little while later and jumping off onto my bed (I was up by then!), Ethan was sitting quietly at the dining table eating Cheerios. While Ryan and Amanda were downstairs loudly watching and arguing over cartoons, Ethan was lying on my bed, blanket over his legs, "reading" a book out loud. I just don't know where he came from...but I'm hoping our new little "Peanut" is a lot like him. :)

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

New experience for this mama today...

So, I had a new experience today with one of my kids. Even having 5, something new crops up from time to time. Ethan somehow managed to get his leg stuck between the slats of his crib when he was supposed to be napping. I've heard from other moms of this happening, but it hadn't happened here until this 5th child, and not until today, at 22 months old. And I'm not talking about him sticking his foot or leg through then pulling it back. No, it was STUCK. Jammed in there real good. I couldn't get it out! He was crying, it was stuck tight, and I wasn't sure what to do next. So...first I ran off to see if Ward could help. Unfortunately, he was on a phone conference for work, so I was on my own. By the time I got back to the crib in my room, he was standing there, crying, but free from his snare. I have no idea how he got it out, it really was stuck tight when I tried to help him. I'm thinking I haven't had this experience before at least in part because none of my other children have been in the crib as often or as long as Ethan. They hated the crib. We've co-slept with all 5 of them, but when we'd put Ethan in for naps and safe play away from his siblings, he kind of liked it there, and would go to sleep with no trouble. So when he started falling asleep in there in the evenings and sleeping for 8 hours or so, who was I to pull him back out of it and put him in my bed? (I love co-sleeping, but also appreciate the perks of a baby who sleeps all night in his own bed!)
So. I'm thinking this is yet another sign of needing to move this boy into a toddler bed in the bigger kids' room. Last month he started climbing out of it, and now he's managed to get himself stuck in it. I was hoping we'd have another month or two before we started to transition him (no rush due to the new baby, I figure he'll be cosleeping with us anyway in the beginning) but I guess we'll be toddler bed shopping this weekend...!

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Preparing for Baby

We don't need much stuff for the new baby. Honestly, we don't "need" anything for the new baby. Having had 5 children already, and three in the past 5 years, means we pretty much have everything we "need", and then some. However, there are always things on the "want" or "would be nice to have" list that can be bought.
This time around, we decided that we probably should replace our infant carseat, since the one we have has gone through 3 babies in 5 years, each using it for at least 10-12 months. It's worn, and 5 years old, and I'd feel better if we got a new one. We had gotten the old one as a stroller/seat combo, and wondered if we should trade the whole thing in and replace it (BabiesRUs/ToysRUs recently had a baby gear trade in program that got us thinking about this) or just get the new carseat. As we thought it over, we thought it would be nice to upgrade our double stroller, as the single hasn't had as much use over the past 5 years. It's not really a "need" because we do have a double stroller. However, the one we have, we got second hand about 6 years ago, when my 2nd daughter was 2, and my nephew was 8 months old. I had just quit my job to stay home again, pre-wedding to Ward, and started babysitting my 2 nephews (8 month old Drew, and 4 year old Raymond who I had babysat before) and had my 5 year old and 2 year old daughters. I thought the double would be useful, but didn't want to pay full price for a new one, since I didn't know HOW useful. :) So...$40 used double, and I have used it to pieces in the past 6 years, with my own children, plus my nephews. It has literally taken a beating, and is still going. However, it has developed a few issues recently. One of the wheels is starting to crack and is a little bent, we've completely lost the trays and bars that make it safe and easy to snap an infant seat into, and it's starting, finally, to get rickety. But I imagine it is at least 8, maybe 10 years old, depending on how long the person who had it before me acutally used it. I know I have gotten my $40 worth out of it, and then some. :)
So...replace the double stroller, replace the old carseat... with that in mind, we decided maybe we could just create our own travel system with double stroller and matching carseat. Over the past few weeks, we've done a little looking, and watching for coupons. Last week we found a good 20% off coupon, and today we took advantage of it. We used a little of our bonus money to get the new double stroller now, as we can get some use out of it with Amanda and Ethan before our new little Peanut arrives, and we will get the matching carseat towards the end of June.
I write all this to share...my dear little Ethan is IN LOVE with this new stroller. We got it all snapped together, and let Mandy and Ethan try it out, and Daddy took them for a short walk in the neighborhood. Ethan refused to get out when they got back, and cried when I took him out. He climbed right back in when we put it in the house, and even figured out that his sippy cup fits perfectly in the little cup holder. He's still sitting in the darn thing right now, just jabbering away and smiling. :) I'm glad he likes it...I hope it gets as much use and love as the last double did, since we paid full price (minus coupon) for this one! :)

I need to get my camera battery charged, and I will share a picture of Ethan in his new double stroller! :)