Happy 5th Birthday!!

[i am continuing to have problems with blogger. ugh. i cannot load pictures from my phone. i cannot make corrections once i am in blogger. it's a mess. but i don't have time to deal with it. nor have i taken time to deal with it in the past 2 months. so....excuse my lack of posts. lack of pictures. and lack of uniformity in general. someday it will get fixed. ugh. sorry. :((( ]

my contractions started at 7:30 that sunshiney saturday morning 5 years ago.

[according to my journal it got to be around 74 degrees outside that day.]

a tad bit different than the weather we are having today.

crazy amounts of rain, and was forecast to barely reach 60 degrees.

i am thankful calli was born 5 years ago, on a beautiful warm day. :)

i kind of forget what went on here.

i guess my mom was maybe working? so i didn't want to call her.

and i don't remember if my inlaws were out of town, or what?

but i called my sister, to pack up her kids and get down here so we could leave for the birthcenter.

she lived in downtown lancaster.

[you can find out more about where i deliver my babies here.]

in the meantime, we decided to leave...our friend aunt nik came to stay with the kids until meg got here.

we passed meg coming in the drive, as we were leaving.

you know the "try to smile and wave and look okay" thing thru the window. : /

 

calli ann was born at 10:34 in the water. just like i desire my babies to be born.

i remember arriving at birthcare. my midwife had the warm jacuzzi all ready and waiting.

i hopped in.

[i have my babies naturally, in the water...it's the best...really. no meds desired...that's just how i roll.]

things were going fine.

i remember looking at the clock at 9:30 a.m.

and saying, "what's taking so long. she should be here by now."

[kaden's hospital birth was crazy long...kaycee and campbell's water births were both 2.5 hours, and 2 hours, so i was expecting no longer that 2 this time around. :))  ]

my midwife reassured me that everything was fine, and that it

"might" just be a bigger baby than my others.

[let me tell you my smallest baby at this point was 7.12, and my largest was 8.4]

hmmmm. :)

monitors were monitoring baby, and all sounded well at this point.

long story short. calli arrived at 10:34 a.m.

i pulled her up onto my chest, and she looked right into my eyes.

she wasn't crying, but i remember being completely relaxed because she was "here".

she opened her big blue eyes and looked right into mine...

i remember that vividly.

 

now is where my mind gets a little funny.

that day i could have told you that nothing was wrong.

but as i think back on that day, i know that there was quiet alarm in that room.

my baby was not responding in any other way.

she was not crying.

she was a little bit blue.

and was laying limply on my chest, as i was patting her

and talking to her.

i do remember my midwife saying, "pat her harder mis, pat her harder."

and i did. she grabbed calli, and really hit her back. hard.

she then blew in her face.

and she then started blowing in calli's mouth.

i was completely calm until i saw her breath into calli's mouth.

like she was giving her mouth to mouth, and i was just "getting" what was really going on.

and just as i was going to PANIC, calli started screaming.

just.like.that.

i want to say i love where i give birth.

and i want to give them crazy high fives for the way they responded in that situation.

you see. because in a hospital. there would have been beeping. and panic.

and grabbing of baby. and wisking her away without an explanation.

[which in my opinion does no good for anyone, but that's another post. :))  ]

i asked matt today if he felt panic in that room.

he said no.

i asked him if he knew what was going on,

and he said, "it's just like we did to baby pigs all the time."

;))))))))

somewhere in there, it was noted that there was a knot in calli's cord.

the placenta was healthy, so the guess would be that the knot was not tight until i delivered her.

and because she was a big baby, she was moving down the birth canal slower than usual.

the knot got tight. cutting off calli's air supply.

my midwife gave me a staggering statistic that day.

MOST of the deliveries she has, that involve a knot in the cord, result in death.

a) the baby dies in utero, because they cannot get sufficient food. or

b) the baby dies at birth, because the knot gets too tight cutting off supply to the baby during delivery.

now. at that time ultrasound was not able to pick up knots in cords in utero.

i have a feeling today, that that is not the case...

regardless. we experienced a miracle that day EITHER way you look at that scenario.

calli's life is a complete MIRACLE.

i will never forget.

i will never forget her looking into my eyes.

as if to say, "hi mom."

all of calli's baby scores were great.

so that. was that.

enough to calm a mother's concerned heart and spirit.

and i never looked back.

i don't know how many of my friends know about calli's birth story.

yes. i told people she had a knot in the cord.

i told some people she was a little blue.

but i don't know if i ever really relayed the "whole" story.

i guess it was just too hard. i don't know?

anyway...we love you calli ann.

you are a gift. a treasure. a MIRACLE from the Lord.

calli LOVES karolina fiercely.

it's awesome to watch her with her.

she LOVES preschool.

writing, coloring, reading books, playing school, and house, playing with horses.

calli loves to do everything her big sisters do. even what they tell her too. :)
she is patient. she has a quiet gentle spirit.
she does not like to clean up so much.
she LOVES to help mommy. fold laundry. set the table. bake. loves it all.
she does not appreciate cleaning up toys so much.
she smiles with her eyes. :)

she really loves to pray. and sing.
it's times when i overhear her doing this i just want to freeZe. for mUch later. :))

i love her. we love her.
we are so happy she is in our family.

here's to a few days of celebrating CALLI ANN.

[kaden 5, kaycee almost 4, campbell 19 months, calli is a few weeks old here...i love this picture.]    

[calli with newborn cousin piper...born 3 weeks before karolina...]                                 

i just told someone this week. i love being a mom much more than i ever thought i would...
i love my life.
my kids add soooo much to me.
xoxo.

the kids love these.
and what can i say...i laugh too. :)

maybe i can call it motivation??






have a good day, regardless of the job you do.

:))

i woke up to...

the howling of coyotes.

what an unnerving sound so close to your window.

matt woke me up...and said, "do you hear them?"

oh.my.word.

how could i not?

it sounded like they were right outside.

like standing in the school yard. close.

i layed there. and listened.

you can listen to what i heard here.

under audio.

it was really.kinda.crazy.

from the research i have done. i see they are beautiful creatures.

beautiful creatures to live in the "wild". NOT my woods.

eeeeekkkkkk.

the worst part about it was...i rolled over and looked at the clock.

it was 5:21 a.m. in the morning.

that's like morning time.

on a good day, i get up at 5:30 a.m.

that gives me the chills.

i think it would "feel" better if it would have been 2 a.m. when i am tucked in bed for awhile longer. :)

it would seem that they eat well. off of our chicken compost pile.

we have seen them running from our pile during the night...

10 or 11 p.m., always when we are returning from somewhere, in our car.

still. unnerving. don't get me wrong. :)

our neighbor boy, who is kaden's age, saw one this summer.

like. up close. and personal.

i would have been completely scarred for life.

he came running home, and later took his dad back to where he saw it...

and there were big prints.

aggghhhhhh.

want to come over for a camp out?

***************************************************

:))))))

kaycee & karolina's room is done. *

yes. finally. kaycee and karolina's room is done.

what a process.

it wasn't going to be much of one.

the actual painting was done in one day.

but then.

i accidentally found bunk beds at reuzit.

and then the bunkbeds had 2 dressers that came with them.

so. then. i pretty much had to re-arrange my whole house.

which is a good thing.

a very good thing.

and now i am almost completely done.

and super organized.

which is how i LOVE to start out my school year...

but i have a teeny bit more work to do. :)

but. here are some pics of their new space.

they are loving it.

kaycee is a bit introverted like her mother. and loves spending time in her room now.

she is very much like me, and how i was when i was 8. :)

kaycee made all the poms.

i love them. :)

she also made the other little ribbon bunting by her mirror.

she is very crafty. & is starting to show style all her own.

very fun to watch it develop. :)

[karolina (L) just days old per bjfphotography & kaycee (R) at 2 years old per pea pod photography]

two of my favorite pictures...kaycee picked the one she wanted hung. of course. :)

there ya have it.

hope to share some more pictures of my house next time.

enjoy the rest of your weekend.

i am beat.

but i decided to paint a small portion of my living room, with chalkboard paint.

got to get on another coat

so it's dry by morning. :))

nighty.night.

whew.

what a day.

started when my alarm went off at 5:40 a.m.

course, then i hit snooze.

i did get out of bed by 6 a.m.

i promise. :)

the goal of the morning was to keep the kids quiet

(may i remind you that i get 3 extra on monday and wednesday mornings)

because matt didn't get a full night's sleep since chickens went out the night before.

why is it always a challenge to keep kids quiet, usually only when they ~need~ to be quiet?

it actually wasn't too bad.

i shooed them outside, where they played until it was time for school. :)

success.

matt was still sleeping, when i left for the morning at 8:25 a.m.

big.deal.for.me.

:)

i then dropped 6 children off at 2 school buildings

and proceeded to drop the last 2 off at my  mother in law's.

i met a friend for breakfast in new holland.

where i promptly received a phone call from kaycee's school nurse.

kaycee was in the nurse's office with a "really bad headache".

the same really bad headache she woke up with, and i medicated,

and encouraged her to try school for the day.

i told her to go to the nurse if it got "really" bad...

my bad.

i don't know where my daugther got the idea that if you have a headache you can take the day off?

ugh. matt went to pick her up,

 because after breakfast i had a hair appointment in new holland as well.

buzzed home at one oclock to check on kaycee.

who was waiting for me at the door with a cute little grin on her face.

some headache, i thought. :)

grabbed a quick drink,

put kaycee to bed to rest.

and headed out to pick up campbell for her dentist appointment.

she had a tooth pulled. :(

was a total rock star...but now, not feeling so hot.

bank drive thru.

picked up my littles at my mother in laws.

home. turned off chicken feeders.

did homework.

tylenoling kaycee and campbell all the while.

preparing dinner.

paying bills.

listening to piano being practiced, while t.v. humdrums to sad campbell.

preparing kaden for his ride to baseball.

while i smell the yucky perm smell on my hair. again.

will get campbell comfy  so i can run to kaden and kaycee's back to school night.

seems matt's been gone all day at appointments for real estate.

he should roll in here soon, want dinner, and be back out the door again to the chickens.

all.leaving.tongiht.

where we get a five day break to clean out and prepare for the next flock.

where we start chickens all.over.again.

i am thankful you are all eating organic chicken.

really.i am.

but. you could slow down just a minute.

whew.

i am ready for a slower day tomorrow.

again. i don't know how you outside the home, working moms do it all.

i.am.pooped.

until next time i need to vent

~missy.

first day rambling.

first day of the 2013/2014 school year is done.

gone.

never to be experienced again.

whew. :)

kids were a bit nervous.

rightfully so.

but they did great.

i think this was the best first day yet. as far as nerves were concerned.

everyone was in bed and sleeping by goal time, the night before.

which, let me tell you. with 5 kids. rarely happens in this household anyway.

~something~ always goes awry. :)

none of my children got teachers that i knew, or even recognized.

that was a downer.

makes it harder to know what to expect. for me anyway.

kaden was convinced his teacher was "playing nice" on meet the teacher day.

he is now convinced that she "really is nice...she wasn't just playing."

whew. :)

i am always amazed every year at the lack of familiarity of kids in my children's classrooms.

i guess with 8 classrooms per grade, they get mixed up a good bit.

and by the time 8th grade rolls around, that would be the time you would be mixed up with everyone.

and then, you know everyone.

i guess that gives me an opportunity to get to know as many kids as possible.

not that i would be taking notes, or scoping out for future dating relationships.

the motto at my house is: "not until college"

dating relationships are nothing but a distraction.

mommy knows this from personal experience.

so we are going to learn from her mistake, and by-pass boys/girls until college.

it will help you all to think more clearly. :)))

anyway...kaden is not with any of his good friends for any part of the day.

a great opportunity for him to make new friends. which he does pretty easily.

he is like his dad, in that regard.

kaycee did know a couple kids in her class.

which is always great. she is more shy at making friends.

campbell. well. she played at recess by herself.

i got a little bit sad about that, and started questioning her, and she said,

"mom...it took me like a week to make kindergarten friends"

well. okay then. why would i worry about it, if she is not worried about it. :))

she is delighted i am letting her stay for a full day of school this year.

thought i would start project get my house clean and organized today.

did.not.happen.

was running around all day.

did not here the quietness of my house at all. because i was hardly here. :)

will look for that tomorrow.

when project organization starts.

and i finish kaycee's room. :))

[painting has been done...but i "accidentally"  found a bedroom suite at reuzit over the weekend,

and just got it moved up tonight...it's really heavy...]

:)))))

* school takes a lot *

we LOVE this commercial at my house

school DOES take a lot.

and i DO love target.

it's pretty much a good thing there is not one closer.

room reveals coming soon.

turns out i found a quilt, on clearance, [at target, no doubt] for kaden's room.

it looks devine. on his bed.

i LOVE it.

started painting kaycee's room yesterday.

and found comforters, on clearance, [at target again] for their room...

and we got a new bunk bed [guess where] for campbell and calli's room.

and that comes today.

so...we got them new bedspreads too.

here is to a happy. and organized.

[i hope to re-organize my house when the kids get back to school...already started on some projects]

new school year.

meet the teachers we don't know. TODAY.

yippee.

"come to me"

i have been a part of Moms in Prayer ever since Kaden went to kindergarten. We first met at Highland Baptist Church, right down the road... but now we meet at MY house... very convenient. it's a small group of mom's whose children go to Octorara. it is being intentional about praying for your kids... being intentional about praying scripture over your kids... the school district and it's leaders and teachers... which is so good and necessary i believe... if you have a child in the octorara school district, and would like to come and listen in, please leave me a message, or get a hold of me. we would LOVE to have you... we don't have our start up date planned yet, but i will post it, as soon as i do... the following video is about a conference coming up at sandy cove retreat center. i have never been there, but people rave about it... it's not very far, so i am considering going... wanna go? :)))

a party at the pond...

it seems like summer is speeding to an end.

trying to squeeze in extra fun stuff every other minute.

yesterday we hosted a Shank party at our pond.

my mom was a Shank.

(so, it was my  mom and her 4 siblings, and their children and their families...

in other words: my first cousins and their kids. :)))

 my grandma Shank died in May...

as sad as it was to be together at her funeral then.

it spurred me on, to make an effort to have something fun to get together for.

almost everyone came,

which meant 60 people...

the adults only ~slightly~ outnumbered the kids.

whew.

i was really pleased with the number considering it was summer.

if we were all here, it would have been closer to 80. :)

and i could not have asked for a more beautiful day.

gorgeous.

my aunt debbie was snapping pictures.

[i didn't take any. boo. :( ]

thanks debbie.

[from L to R: my cousin, Jeremy, my neice Hope, her dad, my brother, Mark, and my brother, Matt- they are twins. :) if you didn't know...and Matt is holding my cousin, Jeremy's baby, Zachary]

instagram.

instagram.

i LOVE it.

i got a new phone months ago.

and it allows me to take pictures.

love that.

i use the camera feature often.

actually probably daily.

i don't know if that's a good thing, or not?

instagram.

for those of you unfamiliar with instagram.

allows me to post my pictures on my phone with a few words of description.

if you are a member of instagram, and "follow" me,

it allows you to see my pictures (melissa_erin14)

i have been trying to figure out how to get my instagram pictures on my blog.

for some time now.

and think. i figured it out.

there will be a slideshow feed on the side of my blog now.

and every once in awhile i will do a full post like this.

just more documentation to my days.

our summer has been really great.

one of the best, in my opinion.

the kids have gotton along fairly well.

and we have done a lot.

crammed our days with "stuff"

farm stuff. special stuff. summer stuff.

it's been fun.

i will miss summer.

i will miss the kids and the warm weather.

i will miss the randomness of our days.

the school year brings about routine.

more organization on my part. ugh. yuck. :)

and quiet days for me this school year.

kaden will be in 4th grade, kaycee will be in 3rd, and campbell will be in 1st grade.

gone all.day.long.

calli, will go to preschool, at our church, 3 mornings a week.

it will be very different for me.

just karolina and i a good chunk of the mornings anyway.

wow.

it's kind of hard for me to imagine.

adjustment. for us all.

here's to fond memories of the summer.

and bringing in a fabulous new school year soon.

i think i spoke to soon.

my kids are ALL fighting upstairs.

see you. :))

jUly BirThDay BasHeS.

whew. i must say i am a bit tuckered out.

we had a fabulous last week. lots of reflection and birthday celebrating!

here are a few pictures from the parties we hosted.

Thanks to my brother Mark for giving me a camera tutorial. again. at karolina's party.
most of her pictures i posted. he took. :))