Let summer begin...

As my maternity leave drew to a close, I was both anxious and excited about going back. Considering I only went back for the last two days of school and then three days of post planning, I don't know why I'm griping! However, the last two days of school are usually the most trying with parents and students so I really set myself up for a tough time! Leaving Annie wasn't as hard as leaving the first two! Mom watched her a few days and the sweet little Hispanic lady who cleans our house watched her the other days. I think the caregivers were the ones who ended up wishing they hadn't accepted the positions! Annie gave them both a run for their money! OK - so Grandma didn't get paid "money" but can I just say that she also did laundry and cleaned while watching the baby! Man! What a happy camper I was to come home to a clean house, clean laundry (Grant and Eric had been wearing their undies the right way and then wearing them inside out to cut down on the laundry - just kidding - or am I) and the baby's room looked like a Babies R Us store exploded. However, mom cleaned everything up while keeping Annie entertained. Anyway, today was officially my last day of the 2008-09 school year so I'm relieved and ready for some relaxation.

Annie has finally settled into somewhat of a routine - thank goodness! When Grant was a baby, we hyper scheduled everything! He ate at precisely the same hour at each meal. He napped at predetermined lengths throughout the day and slept for eleven hours each night without fail. This fit very nicely with my perfectionist tendencies. As I look back, I know that Ansley never fell into a good schedule but I'd always assumed it was due to her illness. Now Annie, on the other hand, has no excuse. In my mind, she should be sleeping through the night, cooing at her perfect parents, and sleeping at my convenience. HA! It has taken me twelve weeks to realize that Annie has her very own personality and it's nothing like Grant's! Whew! She much prefers cat naps spread throughout the day to a couple of big naps. (You can imagine how conducive cat napping babies are to getting chores done around the house)! She also prefers to snack and graze throughout the day instead of eating full meals. While I'm not ok with her snacking habits and am working diligently toward full feeds, she only looks at me and chuckles when I insist that she keep eating as her eyes fall shut and she smiles her little sleepy smile. How can you argue with that? Really, though, things are beginning to take the shape of a routine and that makes me happy. I can at least have a plan about when I'm going to get a shower or fix the big kids lunch - although Uncrustables have become a staple in our home for lunch on the go or lunch when mom is negotiating with the baby. Though my plans don't always mesh with Annie's plans, we're beginning to meet in the middle about issues such as sleeping and napping. I've been putting her to bed at 8:00 which gives me time to spend with Grant and Dasha - or get the top layer of crud wiped off the household fixtures. Then, I sneak into her room about 10:00 and feed her again while she sleeps and she normally will sleep through until about 3:00 after that. My body seems to have adjusted to the 3:00 feeds and I've learned that the Cosby Show and Home Improvement are on Nick at Night chanels during the 3:00 - 3:30 slot so I'm entertained by my favorite families while I wait for Annie to dine leisurely. When I put her back down to sleep, she normally sleeps until 6:30ish. Over the last couple of days, this has given me time to get a shower and get the big kids ready for school before she announces that she has finished sleeping for the night. Beyond this loose schedule, everything else must fall into place. Thank goodness that summer is here and we can all work toward a more cohesive schedule with benefits everyone - not just Annie!



As for Grant and Dasha... They are happy that school is out but bummed that they were born to an educator. Both kids have already received their summer reading and math schedules (thanks to mom) and have expressed their grumbles of having to do work through the summer. Oh well. They'll get over it - or they can bring it up in therapy when they're older! :) Both kids are very protective of Annie. Dahsa likes to watch from afar and offers to be the gopher and rarely crosses through Annie's direct path. We haven't forced the interactions. I think she's afraid of making the baby cry. She still doesn't really understand why the baby cries for absolutely no reason. She runs to tell us when Annie is crying and seems to ponder why we would put her in her crib and let her cry at times. Dasha's mind is always processing but she doesn't always verbalize it and still has a hard time putting English words with some of her feelings. Grant, on the other hand, drags Annie around as if she's a baby doll. He will give her a bottle and even change her diaper in cases of extreme need. Having a baby in the house has really reinforced his nurtuing spirit. I'm afraid that some of his thoughts might change once Annie becomes mobile, though, and begins to be a threat to his Legos and elaborate G.I. Joe set ups! I've told him that his Joes need to start training now for special ops missions dealing with slober and being gummed to death. He doesn't find my suggestions funny.

As for the keepers of the Oompaloompas... Eric is still working for the advertising company and gets to work out of the house. However, for the last few days, I've found him out on the deck in a lounge chair with his laptop propped next to him and his tunes going. I keep waiting to hear stains of some Jimmy Buffet song when I see him out there like that! The reality of the situation is, though, that he works an enormous number of hours each week and seems to be "on call" 24/7. I guess he deserves a Cheeseburger in Paradise moment! Though I'm finished teaching for the year, I have two more classes to finish my degree. It's been a long haul and I plan on partying in some sort of way at the end of July! It's a real bummer that teachers have to report back to school at the end of July - that puts quiet a damper on any real partying! (Ok, who am I kidding? Partying to me is a book on a quiet beach)!!!

As usual, the Randolph compound is still thriving and surviving on humor and laughter while living in chaos and baby spit up. Though the grass in the yard might be a little high and the dog hair in the carpet might be a little thick, we're all happy and enjoying this Season of our lives!

My servants may be dismissed...

She's the smallest thing in the house and she has everyone jumping to her every demand! As I scrolled down through the pictures, I realized that Grant and Dasha haven't made the headlines since Annie was born. That's because Annie is the All Star in our house right now despite our efforts to keep everyone equally happy! Annie officially has colic. I have to admit that I never really believed in colic and thought unhappy babies were simply a product of bad parenting. HA! See what I get for being judgmental? Anyway, Annie sleeps when she wants to sleep and then only eats when she wants to eat. Believe me, if she doesn't want to eat, you'll wear the contents of the bottle in accordance with her defiance! Have you ever seen the sweet little dresses called pillow case dresses which are carefully and lovingly made from pillow cases and embroidered with enchanting little doodles? Well, I'm going to start making the same type of dresses from garbage bags! This way, when baby decides to spew forth her contents at will, her clothing can be quickly wiped clean and the day can continue without the drama of a wardrobe change. While I'm at it, I think I'll fashion the same type of garments for adults, too. However, I've become accustomed to walking around with white blobs on my shirt looking as if I just taunted a flock of pigeons and lost the battle! Seriously, Annie has her moments of blissfulness but right now, she's very fussy, and it takes quite a bit of patience to get through the nights (and some days). It's a blessing that I'm not going back to work until August (minus a few days of post planning in June) so that I can recoup my sleep during whatever napping hour Annie chooses, though! As I rock her through the night (not like Amadeus), I hear my lullabies becoming alarmingly more hostile. I usually start out with something sweet like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but by the end of the night, I'm singing about the farmer's wife chopping off their tails with a carving knife! Oh well. I can definitely see where the composer of Three Blind Mice might have gotten his inspiration if he, too, had a colicky baby! From Three Blind Mice, I usually begin chanting, "Annie Bananie doesn't wear any panties..." Who knows! Someone remind me of this when I have a 3 year old who runs around commando! I just keep remembering that this is only a Season in our lives and it will quickly pass and in some demented way, I'll miss it.

As for the rest of the family, Eric is traveling quite a bit these days. (Hmmm... they say timing is everything). Grant is the backup mama when Annie is having a melt down. It brings tears to my eyes (if I wasn't already crying) to watch him carry Annie around like a sack of potatoes and sing songs to her and shush her crying while patting her bum. Last night, I found him cuddled up in my bed with Annie tucked carefully in the crook of his arm and she was peacefully asleep. Every single breath within me said to leave them there and ignore the late hour. Common sense prevailed and I woke both of the them up and spent the remainder of the evening with a screaming banshee! :) So much for common sense. -Did I mention that Eric is out of town so he'd have never know if our bed became a sort of napping area for Romper Room victims? And then there's Dasha... Dasha still isn't too interested in Annie. At first, she was mildly amused but her amusement has turned to disdain since her bedroom is next door to Annie's! Physcially, Dasha can't lug Annie around like Grant does but she will sing to her or read to her if Annie is calm. Dasha is still a firm believer in only having one drama queen per house and she just doesn't care to vie for that spot with Annie so she keeps her distance when there's much ado! And then there's Eric. His job is keeping him very busy and on the go. While it's nice to have him working out of the house, there are definite draw backs - like knowing when work is over and he's open for family time. Nonetheless, we're thankful that he has a job!!! For those of you who've been curious about the animals' response to Annie, the cat thinks Annie's swing is great and loves to pull the blanket off mid-swing which usually sends Annie into hysteria. Kovy thinks she's Annies guard dog and follows anyone around who is holding her. Beware if you come into our house and want to hold the baby! The dog has to 'ok' you first!

Despite all of the nuttiness, I know that we truely are blessed to have Annie and we'll do whatever necessary to make sure we're bringing her up as He would have us do. In the meantime, however, we'll be taking collections for family counseling if you're interested in helping out! We've already diverted the kids' college funds to James Dobson's cause and he quit on us saying that he'd have to write another book to cover all of our issues! (Just kidding)! Really, thanks for all of your prayers. I'm looking forward to hearing those first babbles and coos and getting through a night without screaming (I guess that goes for Eric and the baby)! :) If you've looked around at your family, you know that God obviously has a sense of humor (if you can't laugh at your family - laugh at mine) so I just need to laugh at this and move on!

Musings from a tired mama...

OK, OK... I don't have any idea what day it is. I now use feeding times to mark my hours instead of my day planner. I'm exhausted but content. I have so many thoughts about what it's like to have a new healthy baby to cherish after losing a child but I'll save those memoirs for a day when I'm a bit more sane! Nonetheless, we are still adjusting to life with a newborn (4 weeks tomorrow), a very proud nine year old brother, and an eleven year old who is still trying to figure this all out. Dasha's wonderment has added a whole new level to this new Season in our lives, as well. Since she spent her early years in an orphanage, she has never been around babies. She's still amused at the whole idea of pooping in a diaper, burping (legally and purposefully), and screaming until you get what your little heart desires! I'll update the blog more as I begin to regain the brain cells which have gone dormant due to lack of sleep! (I can't wait to finish the huge paper that I have due on Sunday. That should be really interesting to write and try to maintain any semblance of higher thought processes)!!! Good night! That being said, Annie will be ready to eat in exactly 40 minutes. That's time enough for a quick cat nap!

PS - I'd like to meet the idiot who coined the phrase, "Sleeps like a baby." This person obviously never had a baby!

Annabelle Cate Randolph

March 11, 2009, 8:03 p.m.
5 pounds, 5 ounces, 20 inches

Little Annabelle is here! Although born a few days shy of her 37th week, she's proven herself to be a true Randolph! She can out scream the other babies in the nursery and out poop most of the toddlers in the Metro area, as well! Hopefully, we'll all be home by Saturday!

Bean Randolph? Nanner Nose Randolph?

Although the baby still doesn't have a name, she does have a room now thanks to Eric's work this weekend! I'm 34 weeks now and we're hoping to get to 36 or 37 weeks before little Bean makes her appearance. The doctors are watching my placenta for "maturity" (the only part of me that has reached that state) and my blood pressure. She's about five pounds now so we're hopeful that she can hold her own in the "real world" if the doctors need to hasten her arrival. Now that the nursery is ready, I think we have everything we need except for a name. I've heard about families auctioning naming rites on eBay for lots of money. I'm wondering if we should do that and add the money to the kids' counseling funds (we've given up college funds for counseling funds)! :)

Dasha's Birthday

Somehow, we have managed to pack in two birthdays and an anniversary in January. Dasha will be 11 on 1/26 and her birthday request was to go to Build A Bear with Daddy and cousin Kailee. Believe me, I really did try to warn Eric what a Build A Bear trip entailed but he assured me that he was up to it. My last question for him as he climbed into his truck with two giggly girls was, "Do you have a bottle of Tylenol?" Of course, once again, he laughed and promised that he'd be just fine. I called him about an hour later and his confidence had begun to wane! His enthusiastic retorts had turned to simple caveman-like grunting. Nonetheless, he made it home in one piece and both girls had their little created creatures boxed up for everyone to see. (It must have been a Kodak moment when the girls wanted to buy their little creatures panties! Poor Eric)!

After dinner, my parents came by to have cake and open gifts. Dasha got loads of new coloring books and crayons of all sort. This, by far, is one of her favorite things to play with.

On another not so gleeful note, Eric's elderly grandma passed away yesterday morning. They had a family viewing this afternoon. Dasha begged to go. It was one of those moments that paralizes parents. We didn't know how to respond. We just never quite know how much she will understand or what her perception will be. With Dr. James Dobson's number on speed dial and Dr. Phil's written in the front of the address book, we figured that this might be a teachable moment that wouldn't cost us an arm and a leg in counseling fees to undo.

Dasha and Eric went to the viewing and Eric spent a great deal of time answering her questions. She truely did not understand what death meant and Eric said she stood by the casket and spoke to Mawmaw in a normal voice. She asked many questions about heaven and God, which did turn into an incredible teachable moment. However, we're still not quite sure how much she truely understood so we're just going to have to make ourselves available to answer her questions and give her whatever guidance we can.

What a day!

Boosterthon Fun Run

Our school just hosted an awesome fundraiser which also emphasized healthy living! The big finale was a Fun Run for the whole school. The kids all had t-shirts with an area on the back to mark how many laps they ran in a particular time period. Dahsa told her parapro that she wanted to do 15 laps and Mrs. Newman indulged her and noted her goal knowing that this was probably not going to be possible! Ha! The girl is determined! She went 16 laps! Grant ended up with a total of 25 laps. The kids had an awesome time as did the staff! Though we all froze our fannies off, we had a great time and will look forward to doing this again next year - hopefully not in January!

Go Thrashers!

Yes, it's a school night. Yes, the game started at 7:00 and won't end until 10:00 (at least). Yes, Eric has both kids at the game. Yes, they're probably freezing cold. Yes, it will be 11:00 by the time they get into bed. And, yes, they have to be out of the house no later than 6:30 a.m. tomorrow. Yes, I'm home alone! Anyone see my justification?

You can only be a kid once and once the baby comes, we'll have to curtail these types of ridiculous activities for a while (maybe). As a teacher, I detest parents who pull these types of stunts and let their kids stay up until outrageous hours. But, hey, I don't have to teach my own kids tomorrow! I get to be the hated parent! :) These days are fleeting that we have with our kids and get to enjoy their excitement so why not take full advantage! (I just really didn't want to break Eric's little heart and tell him that he couldn't go - and I sure knew I couldn't send him unattended)!

Meanwhile, it's 8:30 and I'm headed to bed with a good book! Thrashers tickets for one adult and two kids = too much to worry about. A quiet night alone with a good book = priceless! Goodnight!

Grant's 9th Birthday

Our baby is 9 years old today! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that he was watching Bob the Builder and Dragon Tales. Those days have been replaced with episodes of Dirty Jobs and Survivorman. I don't care how old he gets, he'll always be my baby!

This is the first year that we haven't had a big birthday blow out! We've done everything from swim parties, to tumbling parties, and even bowling parties. This year, he asked for a trip to the Lego store and an ice cream cake. He's reserving the right to ask for a game of laser tag when the weather warms up a bit, though. I'm sure Eric will have no problem indulging his request as long as he gets to play, too! But for today, we had a simple day of cake at Grandma's house and a leisurely trip to the Lego store. (If you've never been to a Lego store, it's anything but leisurely)!

I told him to stop it...

Sometimes, you have to make an example of someone to show that you're serious. If I remember correctly, my statement was, "Stop it or I'm going to knock your heads off!" Guess who didn't stop! I'd like to think he'd listen next time but... hey... his ears are gone!

Our family Christmas gift was transferring our old PCs to Macs and we're still having fun with the media options! Eric's business is built around Macs so now the kids can video chat with him while he's traveling and they're having a bit too much fun with some of the packages!

Boys will be boys no matter their age

You know, after dealing with thirty ten year olds from 7:00 - 3:00 each day, I have delusions of coming home to peace and quiet. NOT! With Eric working from the house, Grant always has a playmate near (who isn't interested in playing Barbies or Polly Pockets). I'm terrified that their rough housing is going to spur a neighbor to call the police but until that happens, my warnings are heeded the same as thoughts of, "You're going to shoot your eye out!" I used to say, "It's all fun and games until someone starts crying." Well, the crier used to be Grant. These days, there's about a 50/50 chance of Eric ending up as the victim! Man! Moments like this make me glad that this next little Randolph resident is going to be a girl! (Although, if she's anything like Dasha, she'll be just as ready to fight)!

Boredom meets technology!

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Diet Coke and Mentos - Merry Christmas!

This very messy story started back at Thanksgiving. My very loving sister decided to purchase and wrap Advent gifts for each of the kids. Now, I knew I should have been worried when I heard Grant say, "Dasha, try some of this gum!" The twelve days of Christmas in our home brought gifts that exploded, made rude noises, or required a Hazmat team to clean up afterwards. Obviously, the kids completely loved the gifts and it was a great way to get them to roll out of bed each morning without shaking them or dumping cold water over their cute little faces! However, one of the last gifts was a little tube that fit on top of a Coke bottle and functioned as a little chute for a pack of Mentos. For anyone who has never seen MythBusters or read about exploding Mentos - Coke and Mentos don't mix! So, here's how we spent the day after Christmas, blowing Coke bottles up! (Please note that all of this went on while my sister took Dasha to the zoo. Ha ha! She just thought she was getting the easy job)! :) One day, she's going to have kids and I'm going to get my full revenge! Play dough, permanent markers, and toys that make wickedly loud noised (without an off switch) are going to top my list of gifts!

This is my sister and her little dog, Rosie.

After opening presents at Grandma's, Dasha decided to read everyone The Night Before Christmas.

Well, my time is up. Currently, the boys are in the garage clearing everything out so the contractors (definitely don't look like the YMCA boys) can start building Eric's new office. We've decided to go ahead and add a room to the back of the garage instead of trying to force two Randolph family members to co-habitate. This works great for some families but with the age differences between the kids, it's not going to work for us! Argh!

Happy New Year from the Randolph family!

Merry Christmas from the Randolph Family

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

I know that you'll have to click on the picture to see all of the details and captions but it's well worth it! Our Community Group (aka Sunday School class) participated in a Christmas scavenger hunt. We ended up going as boys vs. girls and to say the least, Woodstock never knew what hit them! From jumping on mattresses at Kohls and Mattress King to wearing Waffle House and Starbucks aprons, we all had a blast. I still believe the girls officially won despite some minor technicalities. Oh well. We had a great time!

Deck the Halls with Medieval Dudes

Decorating for Christmas has been slow going this year! Between my "fragile state" and Eric's traveling, we're taking the decorating one thing at a time! Maybe we'll have some ornaments on the tree before the 25th. However, this is Grant's attempt at putting a holiday touch on things! If you don't have boys, I'm not sure you can relate! Absolutely ANYTHING can be turned into a make-shift battle field. I'm quite used to finding GI Joes in my bathtub, under my desk, or lodged in the stone work around the fire place. My dad has even given Grant some old grenades - yes, real ones - as keepsakes. Unsuspecting visitors get very nervous when they walk into the foyer and see a grenade laying on the table! Oh well. But as for the decorating, I guess the medieval dudes need a good dose of holiday cheer, too! (At least these guys have all of their clothes on and are dressed in their finest clothes unlike some of the Barbies running around at our house)!

Things are progressing pretty routinely with the pregnancy at this point. I'm 23 weeks and beginning to think about the logistics of really adding another little body to this funny farm! Naming this poor baby girl has become something akin to a comedy hour, though. Eric refused to even think of names until we were sure that the sonographer was really sure that we were going to have a girl - he was still hung up on that leg bone being, well, ... you know. Anyway, we had another ultrasound last week and were assured that "The Bean" is definitely a girl so Eric doesn't have an excuse now! While Grant is suggesting names with a strong military flair such as Duke and Shipwreck, Dasha is going for names she is familiar with such as Dora and Hannah (as in Montana). So goes that drama!

We're looking forward to some quiet time over the Christmas break. Eric has been traveling more and more (he's in San Antonio now) and I'm trying to finish out this semester of school and manage a classroom of 30 excited kids without losing my mind!* After this semester, I'll only have about 20 hours left for my doctorate so the light is beginning to shine at the end of the tunnel! However, I'm not quite sure how "The Bean" is going to play into all of this.

Bottom line, God continues to bless our craziness. We've given up on trying to be reasonable and we've surrendered to the fact that God's will might not always be reasonable in our minds but that's where we need to be! So, deck the halls with medieval dudes in tights and whatever else this Season may bring! We hope you all enjoy these days of Advent with your families.

*Keep reading if you want a good laugh about a craft that went awry in my room...
We just finished reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I love this book because I can easily present the "real" Christmas story through the context of this book! Anyway, when the children talk about swaddling clothes on the baby Jesus, they never know what that means. I thought I'd be really crafty and let them make a baby Jesus ornament. I made homemade clay so the kids could shape Jesus' little body. I didn't have any white flour so I used whole wheat. It gave the clay a fleshy color so that was perfect. The kids were to roll the clay into a hot dog shape and then we were going to paint a little face on and swaddle the "baby" in a piece of fleece cloth. Well, the play dough flesh colored hot dogs didn't look like baby Jesus at all!!! Thank goodness my kids didn't really seen to notice but EVERY adult that walked down our hallway had to stop and stare as they watched 30 kids rubbing little hot dog shapes to smooth the clay out. (We'd also stuck paper clips into one end to hang the ornaments with). I'd post a picture of the naked ornaments but I'm afraid Blog Spot might be alerted to adult content!!! :) Don't despair, though. We did get the babies swaddled and they're cute as little buttons now. Whew! Thank goodness for the innocence of children. What a laugh the adults had, though. Next year, back to good old white flour!

Daddy is out of town...

Hey, Joe!
Yeah, Barbie?

Dad is out of town! Know what that means?
Yep!

No bedtimes, no homework, cereal for three meals a day, and.. Oh wait! Mom is still here and ... gotta go!

Does anyone else ever experience this? When Eric heads out of town, you can guarantee that everyone is going to push every conceivable limit that has ever been set forth!

While Eric is living large in Las Vegas, I'll continue to play the role of Drill Sergeant / Jail Warden rolled into one! Oh wait... someone's escaping! AAAHHHH!!!!

P.S. - How do you get gum out of the dog's hair?

P.S.S. - The photo is a shot from Grant's latest video series, "The Adventures of Jack and Jill." No, I'm being serious!

Another air show... no, I'm not kidding!

I know it's hard to believe but Papa, Daddy, and Grant all found another air show to go to! You would think that you'd seen everything after a few years of this drill but they still seem to be intrigued! Papa and Grant (aka Mini Me) love to find the displays they can crawl into and pretend to fight some crazed air battles. It's common knowledge in our family to NEVER asked who won or if they got kicked off any of the displays! There's always an adventure to be had when the 3 Musketeers are around!

Thrashers vs. NY Islanders

Well, in usual Randolph style, Thursday night found us bundled up and sitting at Philips Arena waiting for the Thrashers to win a game. We were in luck this night! We went with some friends from school who are also hopeless hockey fans. The kids always enjoy having friends to play with when Daddy is busy screaming at the players!

It's official...

Harvest Time!

Although it has been over a month since I posted, it's sure not because we're bored! In fact, I'm not sure I even rememeber too much about the last few weeks! It's all a blur. Eric has been doing a LOT more traveling than usual. This is good news for his business considering the current economy but trying news for me! It seems to be hard enough juggling a full time job, finishing my doctorate, being pregnant, and dealing with two little crumbsnatchers. However, when Eric leaves town, Murphy's Law prevails and something blows up (or throws up) and I'm left holding the bag (sometimes literally)!!! Anyway, enought of my whining...

We had a blast this weekend at our annual Burt's Farm trip! Every year for at least the past ten years, we've gone to Dawsonville, Georgia to Burt's Pumpkin Farm. This place is a major tourist attraction but it's worth fighting the crowds to expereince a real hay ride and hunt through zillions of pumpkins to find just the right one - all while smelling cinnamon and cloves drifting from the little farmhouse where they make all sorts of Fall favorites! This year, we actually spent more time in line waiting for the hay ride than we did looking for pumpkins - that's a record! Nonetheless, the kids love the trip and then desert me when it's time to gut the pumpkins and make the magical transformation into jack-o-lanterns!

As for the third little Randolph (a.k.a. "The Bean"), things are going well. We're beginning to wonder if the doctors can go ahead and make a diagnosis of ADHD while still in the womb! In all of our ultrasounds, this little person has been jumping around like a Mexican Jumping Bean! Yikes! We'll get to find out if this new addition is a girl or boy on 10/23. We hope it will uncross it's legs. During the last ultrasound, its legs were tightly crossed. Eric got a little too excited when he thought the leg bone was... well... he thought he had identified a little boy! Gees! Dasha and Grant have had alternating opions about wanting a boy or girl. As for Eric and I, we'll be thrilled with a healthy baby! I'm doing everything I can right now to ensure the health of "The Bean" and myself though my diabetes is NOT cooperating! I've been taking many shots of insulin each day and I can't seem to figure out the rules of this dosing game! What works one day plumets my blood sugar into oblivion and might not have any effect the next day. As a perfectionist, this is not my idea of fun at all! Just give me the rules and I'll be glad to comply! Well, this sure doesn't work that way! At this point, I'm seeing my regular OB, a perinatologist, and an endocrinologist! In the last 15 weeks, I've seen more doctors than I'd care to see in a life time!!! Oh well. Like I said, we'll do whatever we need to do to ensure this little one's health. As for the Pompe's risk, we decided to wait until after the delivery to test for the disease. Eric and I both have perfect peace that this little miracle Bean was a gift from God and we'll accept whatever direction God might lead us in. Most people (especially the medical community) look down on our "uneducated" decision. However, they just don't know how educated we are!!!

Just continue to keep us in your prayers. With Eric's traveling, the kid's active schedules, my frequent doctor's appointments, my job, and my school (full time courses this semester), we're really having to micromanage our resources of time and patience! This is simply the Season we're in right now and I know the next Season might be even more hectic! I'll update with our news of a princess or prince on 10/23 - barring any leg bone disasters in which Eric tries to read the ultrasound himself!

Botox for the Princess

Dasha had her first round of Botox last Friday. Yes, I said BOTOX! Botox is used in CP patient's muscles to help give them more flexibility. Dasha had about nine injections in each hamstring to help her loosen up. So far, so good! And man, her legs look good! :) I did ask the doc to send any Botox extras home in a doggie bag for me but he was stingy! Oh well! Seriously, Dasha has had good results so far with this procedure and we're scheduled to do it again in January if this is a major success. As for this picture, she'd been given a small dose of some type of sedative. Eric said that she was helpless. She was trying to play her GameBoy and couldn't even hold it! I couldn't tell if Eric was getting a kick out of her inebriated state or mortified at her resistance to succumbing to the drugs!

Air Show 2008

Grant, Eric, and Papa spent the last two weekends at Rome's airfield. The first weekend was an "oops" because someone forgot to check the dates. However, there were plenty of opportunities for some specialized tours of airplanes that I'm supposed to be in awe of although I surely don't know why. The second weekend wasn't quite as fun. Many of the exhibits that were supposed to "fly in" were delayed or diverted due to Ike. The boys managed to find plenty of things to keep them busy, though! The girls enjoyed their weekends at home with movies and shopping!

Boys and their toys...

I'd like to tell you that this stand-off ended peacefully but I can't. I've decided that you can give a boy of any age blocks, boxes, bubble wrap, or mud and they can entertain themselves indefinitely (or until there's blood involved)! This is a pretty normal Sunday afternoon scene at our house! The Cobras build a fortress and the Joes try to destroy them. I do have to make a note, though. Sometimes Polly Pocket and her Barbie troops are able to distract the boys and everyone lives happily ever after - or until Barbie loses her head to a grenade! :) That's just a glimpse into our peaceful Sunday afternoons!

No, we're not kidding!

Say, "Hello," to the next Randolph! We're completely surprised but thrilled! We're about 10 weeks along and still in shock! Just when we think we have life figured out, God reminds us that He's still in charge!

"Look at their pom poms, daddy!"

What could strike terror in the heart of any strong father? This statement, "Daddy, look at those girls' pom poms!" We just won't even go there!!!

Anyway, Dasha had the opportunity to "compete" in the Summer Games at Phillips Arena. She loved it! There were Thrashers characters, Hawks characters, and and general characters (including Dasha and Eric).

All of the participants were rehab (PT, OT, etc.) patients at CHOA. The kids got to work at different stations and participate in crafts, sports events, and character meet and greets. I think Dasha's favorite part was getting her picture made with the Hawks girls, though. She is suddenly into anything (and everything) fashion related. We all know that doesn't mesh with my biological make up so I'm really struggling! If it's not jeans and t-shirts, I'm lost! Anyway, she had a blast and Eric came home only a little shell-shocked about the pom-poms!

Just FYI - The lady in this picture with Dasha is her physical therapist. She has worked with Dasha once or twice a week since the heel cord surgery. This lady has been such a blessing. She operates as mom, therapist (for mom and Dasah), motivation coach, and CP guru! I don't know what we'd do without her!

Well, tomorrow is the kids' first day back at school. Dasha, as usual, is excited to go and just knows that everyone will love her! Grant, as usual, is anxious and wants to know the details of the day as soon as possible. Me, well, the first day is simply crowd control. I really think the county should begin changing our pay scale to reflect combat pay for the first week of school, the week prior to Christmas break, and the last week of school. Oh well! Let the fun begin! (Eric is thrilled that we're all going back so he can have the house to himself again)!

Child of an educator

Being a teacher's child stinks! Every activity has a lesson behind it or some type of learning adventure tacked on! My kids have been traumatized all summer. I figured we'd end the summer with a big bash! We went to Fernbank Science Museum! This month, they have an exhibit about Arctic animals. Once again, I drafted my mom to help with Dasha and even the kids to adults ratio. I figure I have a much better chance at maintaining my sanity with the teams evened up!

First, we did some experiments about how Arctic animals survive in the cold temperatures. Then, we went to the library and checked out lots of books about Arctic animals. Believe it or not, the kids don't gripe too much about my methods!

The kids did have a good time learning about the animals when we got there. Dasha was really thrilled with the dress-up area. Grant was a bit insulted that we wanted him to put the penguin costume on for a laugh. He did put the costume on but I had to promise not to post it here! :)

Grant enjoyed the area with blocks more than anything! There were huge blocks and mats that you could move and build with. He had the entire area to himself for about twenty minutes! He was thrilled. There was a section entitled, "A Walk Through Georgia," that highlights animals from different sections of Georgia. He turned the exhibit into a hunting excursion! What's the saying... You can take a boy out of the country but not the country out of a boy!!!

Dasha is the technology freak in the family! If the exhibit had buttons, monitors, or anything electronic, she was into it! She was amused with the bubbles, too! She had never seen bubble wands this big! She is still learning vocabulary so these kinds of opportunities allow her to ask lots of questions about things and put some visuals with vocabulary from books. After four hours of being a sponge, she was exhausted! Hopefully she'll sleep well tonight!

On the road...AGAIN

Well, Eric is out of town this week so I have done my best to keep the kids entertained! Yesterday, we went to a little shop where you paint pottery. I thought Grant might balk at the idea but he really enjoyed it! In fact, he wants to go back next week and do their camps! As summer draws to an end (1 day left of vacation for me), the kids are getting antsy and ready to get back to school.



We also took a trip to Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta. The kids enjoyed the crazy atmosphere but I'd sure forgotten how ridiculously expensive the food was! Next time, I'll just crank the stereo up, punk my hair, and serve burgers at home. I think we'll get the same effect without breaking the bank!

Oh well. It's off to another day of trying to creatively keep the kids entertained without causing any permanent harm that might require counseling! :) Currently, Grant is entertaining himself by making stop-motion videos of his G.I. Joes in combat mode. I have a feeling that the Joes might be plotting an attack on the Barbie RV! Yikes! Better go check in on the troops!

Go Thrashers!

My kids outgrew story time at the library a few years ago - to my dismay. However, today the Thrasher's macot, Thrash, made a special appearence at story hour. They were more than willing to go and and sit among throngs of toddlers and "endure" three picture books. I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed myself! I think I'm going to keep these pictures hidden from Eric for a while, though. He'll see these and begin acting like Rain Man spouting off how many more day, hours, minutes, and seconds before hockey season begins for the year! For those of you that know Eric well, you can surely hear him sitting at his desk calculating the times! :) Seeing Thrash at the library was a good enough "fix" for the kids' hockey fever and a whole lot cheaper!

Road Trip (Sort Of)

Having Eric work out of the house has been a definite blessing - most times. Some days, however, it feels like we're nothing more than a bunch of sardines crammed into a can trying to be quiet while Daddy is on a conference call! I decided that we (the kids and myself) needed to get out of the house today so Daddy could get some real work done. I enlisted my Mom's help and headed downtown! We went to the GA Aquarium and the new World of Coke. It was a wonderful day to have a mini-vacation while Daddy had some peace and quiet! Although Eric loves being home with us, he'll sure be glad when we all head back to school in two weeks!

Literally climbing the wall!

Tonight was Date Night for Eric and Dasha. The ultimate goal was to find Eric some new tennis shoes so they ended up at Dick's Sporting Goods (big surprise)! They have a rock climbing wall there. Grant has tried it a couple of times but we've never even thought of letting Dasha try it. I guess she showed interest and Eric agreed to let her try to scale the wall. Let's remember that this child didn't walk until about three years ago - hmmm...

Eric shot this video from his cell phone so it's not great but you can see the results. She ended up getting up the wall about six or seven feet and she wanted to stop because of the height - not because of her ability. She never ceases to amaze us.

Independence Day in Birmingham, AL

This year was a bit different! Our good friends, Jason and Emily, are now living in the medical townhomes at UAB after her double lung transplant. We spent the weekend with them and "did" fireworks like never before! We were able to sit comfortably on the sofa, in the air conditioning, with little Faith napping, our kids in their pjs, and watch the fireworks. The kids were able to play Wii while we waited for the magic hour! What luxury! It was wonderful to celebrate the 4th in style with best friends and air conditioning!

Jason and Emily were an important part of our lives during Ansley's short life. Her middle name, Jaye, was for Jason. July 4th would have been her 6th birthday. We know we would have had a major little spit-fire on our hands! God's grace has covered our loss and we were able to enjoy the day as the birth of our Nation and our special little daughter.

With school looming only three weeks away, things have been crazy here. We've been busy buying school supplies and gearing up for 3rd grade! I don't know where the time has gone! Grant and Dasha are both looking forward to the "big day." I can't remember when that joy began escaping me each year! They are both great students, although, Dasha has to work really hard to keep up while Grant breezes through. They are so different!

Dasha will begin Botox treatments in September to help with her sudden growth spurts and muscle tightness. When her muscles tighten up, she has a really hard time walking despite her braces and PT. The Botox will release her muscles enough for her to walk and run comfortably for a couple of months. Surgery seems inevitable but it's useless until she stops growing! Her growth has been exponential since coming to America. Two short years ago when she arrived in the US, she wore a 4T. Now, she can easily wear an 8/10 and sometimes those are way too short (especially if Daddy is on duty)! She's changed so much! I'm sure this year will bring many new changes, too!