"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters
compared to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday, May 28, 2012

Bits and Pieces


We've had a really interesting weekend. Little Catherine somehow acquired poison ivy. All over her body. 


She was pretty brave about the bumps, but for some reason the Calamine lotion totally freaked her out.



Carol celebrated a birthday! This was not one of my creative cakes, but it did have lots of blue sprinkles on it, so that counts for something. 



My friend Jen sent the three little girls some cute bathing suits. Catherine insists on wearing them 24 hours a day and changing suits every hour. I don't even need to buy her clothes! Catherine says "thank you Aunt Jen!"
She did allow Francesca to try this one on. (This suit is much too big for Catherine, but it fits Francesca, who is 18 months younger. Guess who is the picky eater in our family?)


We fostered a sweet dog named Harold. He was quite the cuddler. 


One good thing about Victoria's casts is I think she has finally really bonded with us. I guess she hasn't really had a choice. It's not like she can get away. If I set her down, she follows me with her eyes and if she thinks I am leaving the room, she protests with a loud "MAAAAAAAAA".




She also has a new word! "Uh-oh"  Very exciting!!!! Though I am not a fan of annoying, battery operated toys, I will do anything to help Victoria learn to talk. So, I got her two new toys that I think are helping. The loud, shrieking voice changer. 


The parrot that repeats everything, twice. Victoria really likes to bite his beak. 


 Our biggest project this weekend was moving the girls. We gave them the master bedroom, since there are way more of them than there are of us! We had to take out the carpet years ago because the previous owners smoked, so I told the kids they could paint the floor any color they wanted. Of course, they chose bubblegum pink!


The walls are bright yellow, so it is a very colorful room, though I am not sure how sleep-conducive it is!


Francesca's dressing changes have been horrendous. I dread doing it because it causes her so much pain. Here she is on Tylenol with Codeine. Poor baby! Several of the areas are healing, but some are still very raw.  Salt water on a wound really burns!  She isn't sleeping much either, no matter what I give her. 


I have lost three pounds on my new diet. I call it the "the children always want whatever is on my plate so I have decided to eat oatmeal for dinner because no one likes it" diet. 


We saw a rainbow outside today, which I think means good things are coming! 


Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Several people have asked about my homeschooling philosophy, so I will try to post about that soon. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! 



















9 comments:

  1. I wish we lived nearby I'd come help, although I have two blessings of my own so we'd really up the noise level probably :)
    Love your blog, love your wackiness, and love seeing the girls blossom (every single one of them)
    Happy MDW!

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  2. Love
    Your new diet... Sounds like mine!

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  3. how do you change victoria's diaper?

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  4. I wonder if you could bathe Francesca's hands in a topical analgesic before the saline? This sounds horrible for everyone! A pharmacologist would likely have advice.

    I love watching Victoria bloom!

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  5. Poor Catherine! I have one tiny spot of poison ivy on my knuckle and so no I refused to do anymore yard work past weekend.

    I'm on the opposite 'diet'. My youngest child won't eat anything on his plate so I feel obliged to eat it...I've gained way more than 3 lbs since my youngest came home.

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  6. For whatever it's worth, some kids cannot metabolize codeine and don't get pain relief with it. So, maybe try asking for a different narcotic for her. Good luck.

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  7. yay for bonding and boo for unhappy bandaging (for both of you) Kids are adorable as usual!!!

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  8. First, I have to say I love your blog. From seeing your daughters listed as "waiting" on RR and now they are home and thriving! I also love that you aren't afraid to post the hard parts of parenting but the joy that each child brings. So with that thank you for blogging. Here's my questions. 1. When can I come play with all those adorable kiddos?! Just kidding, I'm not crazy I just think I'd love to learn how to manage and they just look like they love to LIVE! Ok serious now. Do you think you will adopt again? When you decided to adopt was your extended family supportive? What is the hardest thing about parenting children with special needs? How do you take care of yourself (besides chocolate)!?

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  9. For F's pain, alternate the tylenol w/c and childrens advil. I would dose her around the clock for awhile. It works best to be giving her one and then give the other 4-6 hours later. Keeping it going continuously will make her much more comfortable. But, absolutely do the prescription before dressing changes. Try to give it with food, 30 minutes before the dressing changes. Before you give her the Advil, talk to her Pediatrician and/or a Pharmacist. The advil works amazingly well for pain...often times, even better than the prescription meds. She really does need to be covered around the clock. I hope this helps. I'll add some prayers, too. Hugs to all! ~ Jo

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