Posts Tagged ‘kids’
30 Sharing the news
Posted on: December 3, 2009
So that night there was a party over at Jo and Vincent’s for Matthew and Mary’s birthday’s. We went over not knowing if we should share our news or not. I have never been really patient. Joe and I decided to leave at one point to run to the store for something. While we were there we bought 5 carnations – one blue, 3 pink, and 1 white. We went back to the party, walked in and handed the flowers to my mom. My dad figured it out first. I looked at his face and tears were starting to well up in his eyes. When it finally registered with my mom I think she went into shock. My grandma and grandpa were there too. My grandma couldn’t believe it.
But would I miscarry again?
29 What the H***!?!
Posted on: December 2, 2009
So, Jo is pregnant. But, am I? Joe and I buy a pregnancy test that very night. The next morning I run downstairs to the bathroom. We’ll leave out a few details here. I wait the wait. I have waited this wait way too many times. And every time I do this I come out of the bathroom depressed. Not this time! This time I look at the test and see the positive. I start shaking uncontrollably. I walked upstairs where Joe was still slumbering. I wake him with what must have been the biggest grin I have ever grinned. Tears run down his face. It has finally happened! Joe and I are expecting our very own baby.
But wait – this has happened before. Yes, twice before. This time felt different. This time there was no clomid, no injections, no pressure. We already had 4 kids.
OMIGOD – I was pregnant. What the H***!?!
We were out at my mom’s celebrating her birthday. It was November. We had officially been parents for 2 months. Vincent and Jo and their 3 kids were out there also. That is when Jo and Vincent told us the news…they were expecting child number 4. WHAT????????? I know I now had 4 kids of my own but it just wasn’t fair that she was pregnant again! I wanted to be pregnant! And it was that time that my mouth opened and out came the words – I hope you get a Michael. (At this point Michael was known as a very very hyper child.) I still apologize to Jo for saying that to her. I wasn’t trying to be malicious. I was just jealous. The worst part of it was that I was sitting there wondering if I too was pregnant. I was late and even though I had four I was still hoping.
So one day I was scrubbing my kitchen floors (I think that was the last time I attempted that). The phone – the phone was ringing. It was the kids’ foster mom. I sat down to chat with her and the kids took over what I was doing. Before you know it there was water running all over. All I needed was a lamp post and an umbrella and was suddenly Gene Autry. I was singing in the rain. Although the rain wasn’t coming from above it was just flowing all over below. How was I ever going to get this mess cleaned up? Did I actually have enough towels to sop up a whole kitchen and hallway? It was probably at this point that I decided I was better off doing the work myself. Although I will say now before God and everyone that I am a control freak. But if I let them do it their way it was going to create much more work for me. It’s easier to house break a dog than it is to house break these kids. UGH!
25 Learning about bedtime
Posted on: October 1, 2009
So, I start my life with 4 kids. We start getting into a daily routine. The trips to all the fun places are over – thus the honeymoon has ended. What the hell do I know about raising kids? About the same as any other new parent – maybe a little less. But when you bring a baby home from the hospital they don’t have the ability to move around like 4-8 year olds do. When you put them to bed they stay there. They may scream but they stay in bed. Now i’ve got all these kids I have to bathe and get to bed. I soon learn that bedtime sucks. At the time Joe was working second shift and I was working first shift. That meant getting these 4 kids to bed was all my responsibility. How do you get kids to stay in bed? How do you get them to be quiet. Will they ever go to sleep? I just wanted a bit of quiet time before heading off to work the next day.
At the time we lived in a cape cod home. The kids slept on the main level and Joe and I had a room upstairs. So the kids would sneak out of their rooms and watch the TV that I was watching. They would get up and pester me about all kinds of things. I was losing my patience – and fast!
24 Meet some more of the cast
Posted on: September 27, 2009
I think this is a wonderful time to take a moment to introduce some people in our lives that play an important role in everything.
First, you should meet our friends Gigi and Tony. They are our very best friends and they have been there to help us through all of this. I have known Gigi my entire life but we didn’t become close friends until about 10 years ago. Gigi married Tony. Joe and Tony are both Italian and have many family similarities. Gigi and Tony have 2 children – McKenzie (she is 10) and Dominic (he is 7). Gigi and Tony threw us a wonderful adoption shower. Then they made us an awesome video from the shower. They supported us through the 2 miscarriages. They encouraged us every step of the way through the adoption.
23 The first week or two
Posted on: September 25, 2009
It was September of 2003. At the beginning of that year I never imagined that I would be the mother of 4 children by the end of the year. But here I was.
Joe and I took some time off work to spend with the kids the first week or two. We spent a lovely day at Great Wolf Lodge (an indoor waterpark). We spent the weekend camping where we got to do our first trick or treat camping. We also spent a day at the zoo. And somewhere in there we had a party so everyone could meet our new kids.
A funny story about the party – my mom purchased cute little dresses for Ann, Alex, and Jean. She bought them matching dresses. We have a picture that completely expresses how Alex feels about matching clothes. She looks absolutely PISSED!
Anyhow, they were spoiled and showered with gifts. I guess when babies get all kinds of presents it is okay because they don’t realize all the “stuff” they are getting. When you spoil the older kids it just sets them up for disappoint in the future when the all the gifts and spoiling are over.
22 Taking the kids home
Posted on: September 24, 2009
After court was over my dad and I drove back to our family farmhouse. We had to make arrangements to pick them up from the foster parents. In the meantime, the rain was pouring down in bucketfuls. I didn’t think we would get down our road due to all the flooding. It was touch and go. But we finally managed to get out of the flood zone. We got our kids and started heading off to Ohio. My dad drove the van while I rode in the backseat with my kids. My kids. We were going to meet Joe and my mom about a half hour away from our house. That way Joe and I could drive our kids to their new home together.
Mom and Joe had been cleaning up our house and preparing for the kids arrival. They got a nice welcome home sign put up for them. I could hardly wait to get the kids there. This was the beginning of a whole new life.
21 Our day in court…finally
Posted on: September 23, 2009
Well, after a coulple hour delay we did get our day in court. I sat there with my dad. We saw the mother of my children for the first and last time. I couldn’t really tell you what was said. I sat there in utter confusion. I just heard a lot of legal mumbo jumbo. Even after we were granted custody I was still confused. We had to actually have Brooke tell us that the children were now ours. For a brief moment I actually felt sorry for their biological mother. But what she must have done (or not done) to lose custody of her children not once, not twice, but three times really makes my blood boil.
So, suddenly I was a mother of 4. WOW!!!
20 The Court Date
Posted on: September 21, 2009
First I must apologize for the great delay since my last blog. Alex was in the hospital with viral menengitis. It was a pretty rough time. But it was even harder to come back home and deal with the rest of the kids and Alex too. And it was all right before school started. I was very out of sorts. But anyhow…
Our court date was finally set. We took time off of work and headed down to WV. Fortunately it was around Labor Day so we were going to be down there anyhow. But we had to plan an extended stay to go to the court hearing. Mom and Dad were down there with us as well. And then they changed the date again. But as I recall it was just by a day or two. From what I can remember (I am known for having a bad memory unless it’s a phone number) Joe and my mom had to go back home due to lack of vacation days. So my dad and I stayed down for the court hearing.
The day finally came. Dad and I headed off for court, something I thought I would be doing with Joe. We met up with Brooke. We got to the court house and found out that some things had changed. Don’t you just love our legal system? This time it was just a couple of hours of delay. That I could handle – almost. Would we ever get our day in court?
Never Ask Why - Life With 6 Kids 
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