Now accepting applications for volunteers in the following areas:
Baby Holding Prefer someone soft and warm with two arms that have nothing else to do. May be required to stand and sway for extended periods of time. Must be willing to work at any time of the day or night.
Playmate Must be willing to answer mind-numbing questions repeatedly. Will be required to spend long periods of time on the floor. Please provide own source of water as your voice will go hoarse from reading aloud too long.
Referee Need someone with the wisdom of King Solomon and the cunning of a fox. Gullible or "push-over" persons need not reply.
Cook Gourmet chef not a requirement. Must have recipes other than jello and mac 'n' cheese. Being able to work in small spaces with limited resources is helpful. If the other volunteers fail in their duties, must be able to multi-task!
Maid Endless energy a must. Prefer someone slow to anger as your work will likely not be appreciated. Includes basics such as: dishes, floors, laundry, bathrooms, etc. Windows are negotiable.
If interested in any of these positions, please reply ASAP.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
You're Invited
We're having an open house for anyone who wants to see the new house and meet the new baby. If you're actually going to be in the area this weekend, let me know and I'll give you directions! :)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
My First "Post"
Hello to all you new friends and family members. I am still getting to know you. I am the newest member of my family and have been here less than two weeks. I don't even know the names of my brothers and sisters.
I do know two big people pretty well. The first one is the person I spend the most time with. She's very soft and smells like food to me. I think I will call her Mommy. She has been slow to catch on, but she's finally figuring out my likes and dislikes. For instance, she finally knows that I like to eat. I'm still getting the hang of it though and so I'm not very efficient. It takes me two times to get full enough to sleep. So once Mommy thinks she's fed me and she can go back to sleep, I remind her that we're only half done and she starts over again. I think she gets pretty tired because she keeps falling asleep and leaning over me. But I'm not 100% sure of that since I fall asleep, too (it's just so comfortable!). Last night Mommy was up for almost an hour and a half until I was ready to go back to sleep. I felt a little bad about that, but I think Mommy felt worse.
Mommy is also learning that I like to sleep with the light on. She's guessing it's because I like to look around me. I don't really know why I like it. I just know I sleep better when it's on. I heard Mommy say that she doesn't care because she's tired enough to not even notice the light. And one more thing Mommy is learning about me is that I like to be held. She tries to trick me into thinking she's holding me by putting her arm under my blanket and tipping me toward her in the bed. Lucky for me, she's a light sleeper, so she checks on me all night long to make sure I don't get too close to her. I wonder if that's why she seems so sleepy all the time. I'm pretty sure she wants me to sleep in that little bed on wheels that sits by her bed. I'm pretty stubborn though and have only slept in it a few times (that's when she tricked me and put me there after I was fast asleep!)
The other person I know pretty well is a little taller than Mommy. I recognize him the best by the funny noises he makes at night. Sometimes he gets pretty loud, but I know I can always be louder if I want. I will call him Daddy. He sleeps a little better than Mommy. Sometimes I try to wake him up at night, but he doesn't seem to hear much. He is really good at changing my diaper. I try to tell him how good he is, but he doesn't seem to understand me, so I try to tell him louder. Then I get all red in the face and can't breathe for a little while afterward. (I try this with Mommy, too and the result is about the same.) At least I'm getting practice for good, lusty singing in choirs in a few more years.
I found out that I can get attention in church just by doing what feels right. I made a little noise in my diaper and at least 10 people turned to Mommy and Daddy. It must have been a good thing because everyone had smiles on their faces. Then Mommy took me to change my diaper and I did some loud, healthy singing for her. (Mommy and Daddy say "sh sh sh sh" to me a lot.)
I like this place I have come to live in. There are a lot of other people here, but they are smaller. The smallest one pinched my nose closed today. Why did she do that? I was right in the middle of one of my diaper songs! I really like it when they rub my cheek with their fingers. The biggest little person tries to help Mommy make me feel happy. He's really good at finding my pacifier for me. I think I will watch all these people here and do what they do when I get big enough. Maybe there will be someone smaller than me one day that I can teach them all this neat stuff!
I do know two big people pretty well. The first one is the person I spend the most time with. She's very soft and smells like food to me. I think I will call her Mommy. She has been slow to catch on, but she's finally figuring out my likes and dislikes. For instance, she finally knows that I like to eat. I'm still getting the hang of it though and so I'm not very efficient. It takes me two times to get full enough to sleep. So once Mommy thinks she's fed me and she can go back to sleep, I remind her that we're only half done and she starts over again. I think she gets pretty tired because she keeps falling asleep and leaning over me. But I'm not 100% sure of that since I fall asleep, too (it's just so comfortable!). Last night Mommy was up for almost an hour and a half until I was ready to go back to sleep. I felt a little bad about that, but I think Mommy felt worse.
Mommy is also learning that I like to sleep with the light on. She's guessing it's because I like to look around me. I don't really know why I like it. I just know I sleep better when it's on. I heard Mommy say that she doesn't care because she's tired enough to not even notice the light. And one more thing Mommy is learning about me is that I like to be held. She tries to trick me into thinking she's holding me by putting her arm under my blanket and tipping me toward her in the bed. Lucky for me, she's a light sleeper, so she checks on me all night long to make sure I don't get too close to her. I wonder if that's why she seems so sleepy all the time. I'm pretty sure she wants me to sleep in that little bed on wheels that sits by her bed. I'm pretty stubborn though and have only slept in it a few times (that's when she tricked me and put me there after I was fast asleep!)
The other person I know pretty well is a little taller than Mommy. I recognize him the best by the funny noises he makes at night. Sometimes he gets pretty loud, but I know I can always be louder if I want. I will call him Daddy. He sleeps a little better than Mommy. Sometimes I try to wake him up at night, but he doesn't seem to hear much. He is really good at changing my diaper. I try to tell him how good he is, but he doesn't seem to understand me, so I try to tell him louder. Then I get all red in the face and can't breathe for a little while afterward. (I try this with Mommy, too and the result is about the same.) At least I'm getting practice for good, lusty singing in choirs in a few more years.
I found out that I can get attention in church just by doing what feels right. I made a little noise in my diaper and at least 10 people turned to Mommy and Daddy. It must have been a good thing because everyone had smiles on their faces. Then Mommy took me to change my diaper and I did some loud, healthy singing for her. (Mommy and Daddy say "sh sh sh sh" to me a lot.)
I like this place I have come to live in. There are a lot of other people here, but they are smaller. The smallest one pinched my nose closed today. Why did she do that? I was right in the middle of one of my diaper songs! I really like it when they rub my cheek with their fingers. The biggest little person tries to help Mommy make me feel happy. He's really good at finding my pacifier for me. I think I will watch all these people here and do what they do when I get big enough. Maybe there will be someone smaller than me one day that I can teach them all this neat stuff!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A very long update
20 November 2007
This is for all of you faithful friends and family that have been checking our family blog daily hoping that I finally got around to sharing the details of Joseph’s birth.
I have had a hard time finding a good time to blog. The pain medicine I’m on helps with the pain, but slows my reflexes and brain functions. It slurs my speech, too, but at least you’re spared having to listen to that! And if I think I can function well enough, that’s when one of my FIVE kids needs me!
Even now, after I’ve written an entire 2 paragraphs (my hands are a little shaky and my mind won’t focus), I had to take a break to help Rebekah put on her socks and shoes, answer what else starts with ‘s’ besides snake for Nathan and then convince Leah that she CAN put her socks and shoes on by herself. Chad and Daniel will be home in 5 minutes before we all “drive into town” for TaVaci classes this afternoon. Normally, this would just be my job, but since I’m so safe behind the wheel, Chad gets to do the driving.
But I knew this would be nearly impossible to sit down and get accomplished, so I’m typing it first in Word and will post when it’s finally done. I’m hoping for this week sometime.
Joseph is one week old today. While he spends 95% of his time either sleeping or eating, we’ve learned one thing about his personality: he does not like to have his diaper changed! This became quite clear the first days in the hospital. It’s very strange to me. I’ve never had a baby react to diapering in such a manner. Normally, getting his outfit changed falls into the diaper rule, but not as severely. If he cries this bad when the cold air hits his personal space, I can only cringe at the response he’s going to have during his circumcision!
For those of you who don’t know much about our family, all of our babies are born looking identical. Maybe it’s delayed multiples. In fact, after 2 or 3 babies, I was programmed to think that all babies should look a certain way. I get a small shock when I see other newborns that don’t look like a Collett. How is that even possible? Anyway, Joseph was the very same. It was almost a spiritual experience to see him for the first time because I felt like I already knew him!
He is such a sweet little baby (minus the diaper issue). The past few days he’s started having a little time each day where he stares at me through half-open eyes and seems ready to listen to whatever I want to say. He’s so serene and almost seems to exude wisdom. At times like this I just speak slowly and softly and say his name over and over.
I have particularly enjoyed his extremely soft face and hair. If someone could create a cream that had that result, I’d buy it by the case! On the flip side, the rest of his skin has been peeling like crazy. At first, he looked like he had wrinkled tissue paper for skin, but now he looks like a molting lizard.
As for the hospital stay, it was pretty much uneventful (thankfully). I didn’t have any complications. Joseph had a very low jaundice risk. He didn’t have any problems with nursing. In fact, he latched on the very first try and has been latched on ever since! (If you can imagine how that feels, you’re sympathizing with me right now.)
I was awake for the entire c-section, the clean-up afterward and the hour of recovery that follows. (It was during the recovery hour that Joseph got to nurse for the first time.) I have never been awake for the entire procedure. Somehow, I felt a little cheated out of some of the deep sleep I had been anticipating. I still don’t feel like I’ve caught up. But I got to hear most of the Doctor’s conversation and participate in some of it.
It was decided that I’m nearing the limit of my pregnancies. I told the Dr. that we’d like one more, but I’d respect his opinion. He thought I would be fine with one more, but the scar tissue was getting more and more difficult to stitch closed. Someone made a joke that I’d probably get twins and the Dr. said that wouldn’t be a good thing. If any of you know my history, that’s got more than Murphy’s Law to make it happen for me. (So far, I’ve avoided any extra trips to the hospital with this baby.)
I only had one moderately annoying nurse in the hospital and a couple of mildly annoying ones. The rest were awesome. Everyone got all excited about my blood pressure. I guess they don’t see low blood pressure very often. It averaged something like 88/65 but went as low as 75/55ish and all the way up to 112/80ish. They liked to ask me if I felt ok or if I was dizzy. The only time I had any problem was during the delivery when it dipped into the 80’s and I got sick enough to throw up a bit.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 AM on Tuesday and left at 1PM on Friday.
I can’t believe that it’s already been a week! Joseph is so sweet (even when he’s using his killer suction on me at 3 AM) and I feel overwhelmed to think that I’m the mother of FIVE beautiful children (some with current behavior problems) and that they are healthy and have the ability to be happy.
To top that off, I have the blessing of being married to Chad, the best man in the world! He’s done so much for me and the kids and I just keep feeling more and more in debt to him. It’s not easy to deal with a hormonal wife, stressed out kids and work on moving a houseful of furniture and food storage within 3 compact weeks.
*
Now it's Thanksgiving evening. Chad worked all day to make the big meal. He is a wonder! I worked the whole day to stay in bed and tend to Joseph. I've got a few pictures of the kids eating their dinner, a movie of Joseph this afternoon and one or two more pics thrown in for fun.
I am very thankful on this day of nationwide reflection. We have a nice home (two actually...anyone want to move to Idaho?), a generally healthy family (although the pharmacist does see our name quite often), temporal and spiritual comforts and a bright future.
This is for all of you faithful friends and family that have been checking our family blog daily hoping that I finally got around to sharing the details of Joseph’s birth.
I have had a hard time finding a good time to blog. The pain medicine I’m on helps with the pain, but slows my reflexes and brain functions. It slurs my speech, too, but at least you’re spared having to listen to that! And if I think I can function well enough, that’s when one of my FIVE kids needs me!
Even now, after I’ve written an entire 2 paragraphs (my hands are a little shaky and my mind won’t focus), I had to take a break to help Rebekah put on her socks and shoes, answer what else starts with ‘s’ besides snake for Nathan and then convince Leah that she CAN put her socks and shoes on by herself. Chad and Daniel will be home in 5 minutes before we all “drive into town” for TaVaci classes this afternoon. Normally, this would just be my job, but since I’m so safe behind the wheel, Chad gets to do the driving.
But I knew this would be nearly impossible to sit down and get accomplished, so I’m typing it first in Word and will post when it’s finally done. I’m hoping for this week sometime.
Joseph is one week old today. While he spends 95% of his time either sleeping or eating, we’ve learned one thing about his personality: he does not like to have his diaper changed! This became quite clear the first days in the hospital. It’s very strange to me. I’ve never had a baby react to diapering in such a manner. Normally, getting his outfit changed falls into the diaper rule, but not as severely. If he cries this bad when the cold air hits his personal space, I can only cringe at the response he’s going to have during his circumcision!
For those of you who don’t know much about our family, all of our babies are born looking identical. Maybe it’s delayed multiples. In fact, after 2 or 3 babies, I was programmed to think that all babies should look a certain way. I get a small shock when I see other newborns that don’t look like a Collett. How is that even possible? Anyway, Joseph was the very same. It was almost a spiritual experience to see him for the first time because I felt like I already knew him!
He is such a sweet little baby (minus the diaper issue). The past few days he’s started having a little time each day where he stares at me through half-open eyes and seems ready to listen to whatever I want to say. He’s so serene and almost seems to exude wisdom. At times like this I just speak slowly and softly and say his name over and over.
I have particularly enjoyed his extremely soft face and hair. If someone could create a cream that had that result, I’d buy it by the case! On the flip side, the rest of his skin has been peeling like crazy. At first, he looked like he had wrinkled tissue paper for skin, but now he looks like a molting lizard.
As for the hospital stay, it was pretty much uneventful (thankfully). I didn’t have any complications. Joseph had a very low jaundice risk. He didn’t have any problems with nursing. In fact, he latched on the very first try and has been latched on ever since! (If you can imagine how that feels, you’re sympathizing with me right now.)
I was awake for the entire c-section, the clean-up afterward and the hour of recovery that follows. (It was during the recovery hour that Joseph got to nurse for the first time.) I have never been awake for the entire procedure. Somehow, I felt a little cheated out of some of the deep sleep I had been anticipating. I still don’t feel like I’ve caught up. But I got to hear most of the Doctor’s conversation and participate in some of it.
It was decided that I’m nearing the limit of my pregnancies. I told the Dr. that we’d like one more, but I’d respect his opinion. He thought I would be fine with one more, but the scar tissue was getting more and more difficult to stitch closed. Someone made a joke that I’d probably get twins and the Dr. said that wouldn’t be a good thing. If any of you know my history, that’s got more than Murphy’s Law to make it happen for me. (So far, I’ve avoided any extra trips to the hospital with this baby.)
I only had one moderately annoying nurse in the hospital and a couple of mildly annoying ones. The rest were awesome. Everyone got all excited about my blood pressure. I guess they don’t see low blood pressure very often. It averaged something like 88/65 but went as low as 75/55ish and all the way up to 112/80ish. They liked to ask me if I felt ok or if I was dizzy. The only time I had any problem was during the delivery when it dipped into the 80’s and I got sick enough to throw up a bit.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 AM on Tuesday and left at 1PM on Friday.
I can’t believe that it’s already been a week! Joseph is so sweet (even when he’s using his killer suction on me at 3 AM) and I feel overwhelmed to think that I’m the mother of FIVE beautiful children (some with current behavior problems) and that they are healthy and have the ability to be happy.
To top that off, I have the blessing of being married to Chad, the best man in the world! He’s done so much for me and the kids and I just keep feeling more and more in debt to him. It’s not easy to deal with a hormonal wife, stressed out kids and work on moving a houseful of furniture and food storage within 3 compact weeks.
*
Now it's Thanksgiving evening. Chad worked all day to make the big meal. He is a wonder! I worked the whole day to stay in bed and tend to Joseph. I've got a few pictures of the kids eating their dinner, a movie of Joseph this afternoon and one or two more pics thrown in for fun.
I am very thankful on this day of nationwide reflection. We have a nice home (two actually...anyone want to move to Idaho?), a generally healthy family (although the pharmacist does see our name quite often), temporal and spiritual comforts and a bright future.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Announcing...
I know you want details. Unfortunately, Joseph wants me. He wins. I'll blog later when I get the chance.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Joseph
Joseph was born Tuesday at 7:57 am; 7 lbs, 13 oz; 21 inches. He and Arlyn are doing okay. They should come home from the hospital Friday.Monday, November 05, 2007
Promised pictures
It's really a video. Not all the lights were on in every room, so I hope you can get the general idea. I got two exterior shots of the house as well. You want more than that? You'll have to at least drive by!
Daniel stayed home from school today with a fever (2nd night in a row for that) and it still wasn't gone this afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to slow him down and make him sleepy. I really like those kinds of illnesses in my children!
The kids have adjusted really well to their new school. Daniel remarked that his new teacher wasn't a grandma! It might seem like a strange comment, but it's the first teacher he's had that wasn't. She may even be younger than me, but I'm not 100% on that (only 90%). Nathan used to say that his original teacher was the nicest teacher in the school. There's probably a lot of truth to that. After his first day in the new school, he was excited to report that his new teacher was the TALLEST and NICEST teacher in the whole school. I can tell you a breathed a sigh of relief at that statement!
The bus drops the boys off right at the driveway, since we're on a rural route. I was glad that I waited outside for them the first day since the kindergarten driver knew she had Nathan, but had no idea where he went. Daniel's bus nearly didn't stop, but I was so obvious that she did anyway. She didn't even know Daniel was on the bus. She does now. She's also in our ward and supposedly only lives up the street a bit.
Until this morning, our house had no address markings at all. Now, the address is on both sides of the mailbox. I still have some numbers for Chad to tack up onto the front of the house. I want people to know where to deliver my children!
The people at church were very nice. I probably remember 15% of the names I heard yesterday. When we moved to this area the first time, one family came up to us in the chapel. They were the ward mission leaders at the time. This time, I lost track of how many people introduced themselves. While it was helpful to get to know people quickly, I hope they don't give me a calling like Enrichment Leader in this ward. At least not for a while.
The boys both knew kids from their school classes in their primary classes. I think that made them feel more comfortable. We had our first Sunday at the same time as two other families, one of which moved from the same ward we did. Their last name is only two letters different from ours. We had to chuckle.
Leah went right into her Nursery class and didn't even spare a good-bye wave for us. She'll be fine. We didn't put Rebekah into Nursery because she seemed to be coughing up a lung and wasn't very friendly. Chad got that job for the rest of the meetings.
We're still moving a few things out of the house. It's mostly left-over junk by now. Chad's currently working on the food storage room. That's lots of #10 cans! We have a few things left in our bedroom and the hall closets. There are four cupboards and three drawers left in the kitchen and some cleaning supplies in the laundry room. The computer and desks are left as well as all of Chad's office. Some incidentals in the living room round us out and then we're left with the garage. OY! the garage!
I went to Daniel's parent-teacher conference a bit ago and Nathan's is in 15 minutes. Daniel's teacher had glowing reports (I wish that boy would come home to live with us) and I expect Nathan's teacher will be the same.
We're getting the internet set up at the house on Thursday. So I may have to sign off until then. I'll try not to go into withdrawals!
Daniel stayed home from school today with a fever (2nd night in a row for that) and it still wasn't gone this afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to slow him down and make him sleepy. I really like those kinds of illnesses in my children!
The kids have adjusted really well to their new school. Daniel remarked that his new teacher wasn't a grandma! It might seem like a strange comment, but it's the first teacher he's had that wasn't. She may even be younger than me, but I'm not 100% on that (only 90%). Nathan used to say that his original teacher was the nicest teacher in the school. There's probably a lot of truth to that. After his first day in the new school, he was excited to report that his new teacher was the TALLEST and NICEST teacher in the whole school. I can tell you a breathed a sigh of relief at that statement!
The bus drops the boys off right at the driveway, since we're on a rural route. I was glad that I waited outside for them the first day since the kindergarten driver knew she had Nathan, but had no idea where he went. Daniel's bus nearly didn't stop, but I was so obvious that she did anyway. She didn't even know Daniel was on the bus. She does now. She's also in our ward and supposedly only lives up the street a bit.
Until this morning, our house had no address markings at all. Now, the address is on both sides of the mailbox. I still have some numbers for Chad to tack up onto the front of the house. I want people to know where to deliver my children!
The people at church were very nice. I probably remember 15% of the names I heard yesterday. When we moved to this area the first time, one family came up to us in the chapel. They were the ward mission leaders at the time. This time, I lost track of how many people introduced themselves. While it was helpful to get to know people quickly, I hope they don't give me a calling like Enrichment Leader in this ward. At least not for a while.
The boys both knew kids from their school classes in their primary classes. I think that made them feel more comfortable. We had our first Sunday at the same time as two other families, one of which moved from the same ward we did. Their last name is only two letters different from ours. We had to chuckle.
Leah went right into her Nursery class and didn't even spare a good-bye wave for us. She'll be fine. We didn't put Rebekah into Nursery because she seemed to be coughing up a lung and wasn't very friendly. Chad got that job for the rest of the meetings.
We're still moving a few things out of the house. It's mostly left-over junk by now. Chad's currently working on the food storage room. That's lots of #10 cans! We have a few things left in our bedroom and the hall closets. There are four cupboards and three drawers left in the kitchen and some cleaning supplies in the laundry room. The computer and desks are left as well as all of Chad's office. Some incidentals in the living room round us out and then we're left with the garage. OY! the garage!
I went to Daniel's parent-teacher conference a bit ago and Nathan's is in 15 minutes. Daniel's teacher had glowing reports (I wish that boy would come home to live with us) and I expect Nathan's teacher will be the same.
We're getting the internet set up at the house on Thursday. So I may have to sign off until then. I'll try not to go into withdrawals!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Another failure
Well, I gave it a good try, but moving into a new house did not put me into labor as I had secretly hoped. Even lifting and moving furniture that I knew I shouldn't attempt only made me tired. I have failed. Luckily, I have a back-up plan that will be put into motion at 5:30 am on the 13th!
We have been sleeping at the house for 6 nights now. We're slowly settling in. However, we're not completely moved out of the old house, including the computer and my connection to the big outside world (the internet). I need to make that call tomorrow.
I plan to take those much promised pictures tonight and post them tomorrow during breaks between the boys' parent-teacher conferences with their old teachers. See how devoted I am to their educations? I'm RETURNING to meet with their teachers!
I'll share some stories from their first day of school and maybe expound on our first day of church in our new ward (if any of it seems remotely interesting by then).
We are battling childhood illnesses at the moment and are up to our ankles in snot. Luckily, it's the week BEFORE the baby comes and not the week of or after.
Our phone number has not changed, so we should be easy to track down.
Until tomorrow...
We have been sleeping at the house for 6 nights now. We're slowly settling in. However, we're not completely moved out of the old house, including the computer and my connection to the big outside world (the internet). I need to make that call tomorrow.
I plan to take those much promised pictures tonight and post them tomorrow during breaks between the boys' parent-teacher conferences with their old teachers. See how devoted I am to their educations? I'm RETURNING to meet with their teachers!
I'll share some stories from their first day of school and maybe expound on our first day of church in our new ward (if any of it seems remotely interesting by then).
We are battling childhood illnesses at the moment and are up to our ankles in snot. Luckily, it's the week BEFORE the baby comes and not the week of or after.
Our phone number has not changed, so we should be easy to track down.
Until tomorrow...
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