Playing Barbies

I have been trying to make a more conscious effort to just play, and hang out with the girls. Sometimes that is so hard for me to just shut off my grown up brain, and just "play". I do enjoy the quiet downtime of playing with them, and listening to their stories they make up. I think everything in these pictures was mine as a child except the actual barbie.

Our day today

Christie called me last night to see if I could keep her daughter for her today. She is on the adoption coalition for DHS, and they were having a meeting with over 25 prospective adoptive parents to answer questions, and let them look at the heart gallery photos. So, I was excited. I just love Brejah, she is such a sweet little girl. She was so funny imitating everything I did. And, I was reminded of my days when Leah was a baby. Brejah just turned 1, the age difference between her and Zachariah is the same as Noah and Leah's.

I loved how Zachariah was looking at her. I wonder if he remembers her...she was his sister for a couple weeks....just a couple of weeks ago. She kept trying to climb in the seat on top of him, and thought she was playing a game with him called TAKE THE PASSY...he didn't think it was too fun. Haha

She is teething so she has a runny nose. I did wipe it before I took the picture, but it was running fast! She is such a happy little girl!

Update to the post below

I just got off the phone with a UAMS coordinator for DHS. Got all those initials? She works for UAMS hospital, but she is in charge of all the foster kids with DHS to make sure they get all the services they need. She was VERY nice. He just recently had a PACE evalution.....(I don't know what those letters stand for) but it is an all around evalutation that they do when they come into care, and then he will have to go back for that in 6 months I think. He was not with us when he had that evaluation, and I haven't been given any real info on him except what Christie told me, so she said she would mail me a copy of his evaluation. Then, she asked me if he is holding his head up. She said that at his evaluation, (that was done 2 days before we got him) that it noted no head control. So I was so proud to be able to report to her how he has been pushing up holding his head up, and I was also able to report that his reflux has gotten SO much better too. Yey for Baby Zachariah!!!!!

Today

This little boy is changing everyday. Just this week his mood has improved so much, and he has been so alert. It is exciting to see his personality come out....(you know, besides Mr. Discontent). He had the best day yesterday...very happy and alert all day. And then, last night, he slept from 11-5, Clay got up and fed him at 5 and he went back down, and slept until 10:30!! Now tonight he will probably be back to up every 3 hrs again, but I was proud of him!! Haha his eyes are a little swollen today from all that sleeping!

We bought him this chair last week, and he really enjoys it. This is the only place he will stay content for any length of time if I am not holding him and he is away. He sat there about 30 mins last night just watching us.

His latest thing, when I am holding him against my chest, he pushes back. I made the comment last night that it would be great if someone could stand behind me, and take pictures of him b/c he looks totally different from that angle. Well, since the person I was speaking to about it didn't show any interest in my photography needs, I had the idea today to prop him on the arm of the chair, and it had the same effect. I love it when babies are trying this at the beginning, and they concentrate so hard, and they are bobbing all around...it is so cute!



This one makes me laugh out loud. He is looking at me like, "how many pictures are you going to take???" Son, you just don't know where you live, do ya?

Wordless Wednesday

Our first day with him

Here are more pictures from our first day with him that I had on my little camera. Thank you Leah for making sure that he has pictures taken with his "momma"!

He LOVES a bath. Everytime I give him one he is so happy just splashing around. The other night, he cried for over 2 hours, and I finally gave him a bath and it calmed him down instantly. This was his first one here...you see my 2 big helpers? They are right by my side everytime I give him a bath, fighting over who will help....then they fight over who will help me with his diaper and dress him afterwards. (I only stepped back long enough to take this picture)

We only used this little one a couple of times, as I realized he wanted more room to spread out. I Now run about 2 inches of water in the big tub and lay him on his back and he loves to flap those arms.

WIPEOUT!

Does anyone watch this show?? Leah has gotten us hooked on it. I think this is the only show we look forward to watching as a family now that we don't have cable. Tonight when I announced it was on, I heard a loud shout out of WOO HOOOOOO from Leah.

Before Baby Z came along, I would get up during a commercial to do something, get distracted, and never end up back at the tv. It is so very hard for me to sit still to watch tv. Well now, he likes for me to hold him so much, plus, I am so tired, it is very easy for me to just sit there during an entire tv show, but I like that. During the evening, I am right there in the middle of everything going on with the kids instead of fluttering around the house.

The last 2 weeks, I have watched the entire episode of Wipeout. And I guess b/c I am so tired, it has made me laugh so hard, it has brought me to tears. I know it is b/c I am delirious, I can feel it. Once I start laughing, I cannot stop. I was just boohooing last week....freaked the girls out. This week, when I started it again, Rachel said, "oh no, not again!" It is just so stinking funny to me!! Normally, I don't like things that the announcers say trying to be funny, but even that is funny to me on this show. I just laugh at everything on there. Yep...it is probably my need for sleep. Is it really that funny??

Random things about school

1. The first day of school, Rachel came home so excited that her and some other girls were looking through people's lunchboxes, and she was naming me off so excitedly all the things that were in there.

2. I love picking them up from school and listening to their excited chatter about all that they did at day. They inform each other all the times they spotted the other one during the day...who waved, who ignored the other one...it is so funny.

3. Our neighbor across the street is in Noah's class. And, they have discovered there is another boy in their class that also lives on our street too.

4. Everyday after school I get the lowdown on each child Noah plays with...which Star Wars character they like, and which Episode is their favorite movie. Noah has turned into a true Star Wars nerd. Every word out of his mouth is about Star Wars. (Last night, Leah was asking me what divorce is, and as Clay was explaining, Noah broke into an analogy about how it is like Star Wars, and the battle of the Sythe.....yep, he is a true nerd...)

5. I worried that I shouldn't hold Noah back into the 1st grade as it might be too easy for him. Things are easy right now, but he likes that. Leah on the other hand....just breezes through everything, and does seem bored, and this is the grade she is suppose to be in.

6. Going through their papers every night takes me at least an hour.

7. We spend 2 hrs a day taking them to and from school.

8. Those 3 hours would have been more than enough time for us to do our schoolwork each day. But the relief I feel in not having to fight with them to do that 3 hrs of work, is such a relief right now.

9. Their handwriting has improved by 100% in just a week. Now why wouldn't they do that for me? That is what set me off into the frenzy that put them in school.

10. I miss them terribly. It is so quiet at this house, I just about can't stand it. And, my social status has change. I am no longer a homeschool mom. or a preschooler's mom that stays home. I guess I am a stay at home mom of a 2 month old...that isn't mine.....but I don't know a single other person that is like that. I feel just as alone as I did when Noah was born. I don't like it.

11. Yesterday, Leah's school papers were full of praises. Leah is a smart girl...Leah is a great reader....100%...good job, smiley faces all over her papers. And then, on the paper I had do sign, a note to me that Leah needs to practice her cutting. Her CUTTING? Seems I forgot about teaching her that in kindergarten when all she wanted to do was learn to read. Leah just about got hostile with me about it...stating that it was b/c the only person I ever let cut was Rachel. Sorry baby....I thought you knew how to cut.

12. Running errands yesterday, Rachel said to me, "momma, that stop sign is an OCTOGON!" Yep Rachel, you now know something that I forgot to teach your brother and sister.

Belated pics from Noah's b-day

I am really behind posting these pics b/c I have been so slow to load my camera to my computer. These pics are from Noah's b-day. All 3 kids love to help me cook, but it can be pretty overwhelming for them to all 3 want to help at the same time, so I made a rule that just one gets to help with another's cake. Rachel made Leah's cake, Leah make Noah's, and Noah make Rachel's. It worked pretty well except Rachel did still try to be right in the middle of it. I think Leah really could have done the whole cake by herself. She is really good in the kitchen, and really enjoys it.

And, b/c I am such a horrible cake decorator, I just let her have at it, and she even wrote his name on there. Truly, I think she did better than I would have.


I was very proud of my girls. I took them to the store, and they spent all of the money that they had on his gifts from them, and they didn't even ask to buy anything for themselves. It was very nice to see how generous they were, and to see their excitement in knowing they had spend their own money on him.

More of Zachariah

I love this blanket that Christie got for him, and the outfit too. He has such a pretty skin color, any color looks good on him...I really like the red. He has an orange onsie that I love that color too.

He is just so much happier when he doesn't have clothes on, and he also spits up a lot, so I end up with so many pictures of him without clothes. I promise I dress this baby everyday!

Photography by Rachel

I am oh so behind on my blogging. I have finally sat down and loaded my mommy cam, so I will have lots to blog about in the next few days. And, also, it was a sad sad day around here when my old mommy cam hit the dust. It will no longer focus at all. You know Clay got me a new one for my birthday, but I have never liked the quality of pictures it takes, so I have still been using my old one. I want to cry for my little camera. It has taken thousands of pictures for me. So, after I finish blogging these last few pics it has taken, that will be it. And I am going to have to sell my other one on e-bay and find a different one, or my picture taking days will be much more limited around here.

These are some I came across that I didn't even know about when they were taken. Noah and Rachel went outside one evening and she took these of them. They are so silly!

Zachariah's 6 week pictures

Boy, it is a challenge to photograph your own baby! I was just a sweating trying to take these of him. I could only do a few at a time, and since he gets so mad at me when I try to put on his clothes, we didn't get around to that until I had given up and taken down the backdrop. I will post those later.

He does look big in these pictures, but he really is so little!
He LOVES his passy!
one of the few I got with his eyes open before he started crying
This was my very favorite one. And have I told you that he shares my dad's middle name?? I just love that.

His little feet are so cute! (Clay did take this one for me)

He was sitting in the fold of my knee with me holding the camera, and I caught him smiling in his sleep. He does that a lot, and I love to watch him.

Children's hospital

Whenever I go to Children's Hospital to take photos, I am amazed by all of the machines that the children in the Intensive Cardiovascular unit are on. I can't imagine seeing my child on all that. This little girl has a Berlin Heart, which I don't really understand except that it is a procedure that isn't done many places, so it is a big deal that they do it at Children's. And, now a baby is screaming at me, so there goes my computer time!

What's been going on around here.

So, I bet you think I crashed, and stayed that way, huh?? Pretty much! My mother in law asked me Sunday what I was going to do with all my free time with the kids in school. And I say, "what free time?" I had envisioned a nice clean house, a little snack for them when they get home, where we would all sit down on the couch to talk about their day. Well, we MIGHT would sit on the couch to discuss our day if you could get to the couch that is full of laundry that I haven't gotten around to folding or putting up. Snack.....it is a free for all.....rummaging through the cabinets. That is after they ate all their lunch leftovers in the car on the way home. While they are gone, I might pick up a little, but most of my time is spent holding little bit. And today, I spend most of the day TRYING to get a much needed nap. Which I finally did get, stretched out in the recliner with Baby Z and we snoozed away, until I started having pains shooting through my arm for the awkward way I was sitting.

The baby has helped me get into a good schedule with the kids going to school. I go to bed as soon as I can after they do, and then I am up at 6:00 with them....or earlier if he wakes me up. And of course, a couple of times in between too. It really hasn't been too bad. It is mainly my mushy brain b/c I am too tired to think straight, and my messy house. He is fussy a lot....but I am remembering that Noah was about the same way I think. His new loving nickname is Mr. Disagreeable. And I we laugh when we call him that, even though it fits him well. I say all that with love though, as I don't regret one bit our decision to do this. He smiled at me for the first time yesterday. I was so excited about that, and he has a dimple that is so cute! I think he is realy warming up to me. There are times when he is fussing, and I pick him up, and he just snuggles in.

School is going great for us. I made the decision to put them in before I knew he was coming, I jsut couldn't talk about it before then b/c I was not sure of our decision, and was afraid I would change my mind. It was really very hard for me to do this. I think I would be very lonely for them during the day if I didn't have the baby distraction, but as it is, I know I would never be able to get any teaching in from taking care of him, and I would always be feeling guilty about the time he would be taking away from the other 3. And, they love it. Rachel was a little unsure the first couple of days, but she came home today excited too. When I got there to pick them up, she was holding a little girl's hand. Even she has made friends. Noah of course just soaks it all in. Leah has really surprised me. She made 3 friends the first day. Yesterday when I got there to pick her up she wouldn't get in the car b/c she was too busy waving at her new friend just a beaming.

I put Noah in 1st grade, so him and Leah are both in the same grade. I really struggled with that decision, but I feel good about it now. He is enjoying it. And really I think if either of the 2 are going to be bored, it is going to be Leah. The first day they send home their words to learn for the week. The letter said if they could already read them, then learn how to spell them. So I called them out to her, and she spelled them all right the first time. Then, later I saw her with the paper reading the entire instructions from the teacher and everything on there. I do hope that she is challenged enough with her reading. Last night, Noah's homework was to write his name over and over again, on the wide lines. He did it so well. Something he would never do for me. And he was so proud to show his teacher today. I think he is right where he needs to be. It is nice to say do your homework, and if they are sloppy, I just tell them to do it over b/c the teacher would mark off for sloppiness. And the happily redo it, something I would have NEVER gotten out of them. I love not having that battle with them, but getting to just enjoy their company when they get home. I can't wait to pick them up from school to hear about their day.

So, I guess that all about sums us up. I have been taking a lot of pictures along the way that I will eventually get around to posting. I am still behind on all my photography work, reading and commenting on blogs, and replying to e-mails, and I don't know if that will get better anytime soon. What is cool though, is I haven't even missed being on the computer.

Crash....

That is what me and the rest of this house are ready to do....at 7:25 pm. I have been up since 4:45, them since 6:00. It's been a long day. The kids had a good day, although the girls say they wish it was just 1 day a week. I am a zombie, and can't think to type anymore than this! I may get back to blogging and replying to e-mails someday!

1st day of school

Yep, I did it. I put the kids in public school. Today was their first day, and it was hard on me! Now it is eerily quiet at the Draper house, but luckily I hear baby Z crying to keep me company! Leah was the most excited of all. It was hard to see all 3 of my babies all go off at once. Leah's teacher asked, so are you nervous....to the girls, and I answered, I AM! When I left she said, "hang in there mom, you will be o.k.!"