Carol | February 20, 2012
Big sister knows how to give little sister a fun time. C10 set up the doll bathtub complete with waterbaby, soap and towels all on the kitchen floor. The Baby (doll) was an angel, but the Mommy (C1) got a little drenched. Waterplay is so much fun for a one-year-old… Had a fun afternoon snowshoeing with a lovely homeschooling family…
Carol | February 16, 2012
B13 just did a geography quiz identifying ALL the countries in the world without error in less than seven six minutes. For fun! Not school.
Carol | February 14, 2012
My 10yo daughter made lunch entirely yesterday, and one of my sons made supper today. YAY! I would rather do dishes than cook. (The hardest part is thinking of what to have – although living in a third world country on rice-alone would fix that.) Happy Valentine’s Day!
Carol | February 14, 2012
One of my most treasured parts of mothering is something I have experienced well over 14,000 times. And that is, having my baby fall asleep nursing in my arms. I can’t emphasize this rewarding and satisfying feeling enough. I encourage you to embrace your child and ignore those who tell you to let your baby cry-it-out or self-soothe.
Carol | February 8, 2012
We got to see my baby niece on the webcam for the first time yesterday. C1 said, “Baby… Baby…” and even repeated the baby’s name.
Carol | February 5, 2012
C10 was watching America’s Funniest Home Videos tonight. She backed it up to show me a mother talking to her little girl, “You going to put your toy in your cage?” (clearly referring to a crib) The child replied, “Yes, ma’am.” Then the mother repeated, “You going to put your toy in your cage, er, your crib?”
Carol | February 2, 2012
I bought two boxes of size 6 Huggies on clearance today, saving me $54.22 off the regular price!!! That doesn’t happen every day! The diaper company changed the packaging, and the grocery store wanted to get rid of the old style! I wish I could have bought more, but there were only two boxes left.
Carol | January 31, 2012
I just turned on a show for C1. She watched for a few minutes, then came over to her toy basket, dumped out all the toys, carried the empty basket over to the TV, turned it upside-down and sat down.
Carol | January 30, 2012
Amazing. We went snowshoeing and had art lessons two days in a row.
Carol | January 24, 2012
Two boys’ hair cuts done. One wee girl could use about 15 hairs cut on her bangs, but I’ll do that during her next bath. Shhh… If I mention the word “bathy”, C1 goes crazy signing the bath sign and squealing. I can’t tell you how useful it is to teach a baby sign language – a dozen signs go a long way… At 16 1/2 months, she is also saying lots of words. She mouths and mimics and repeats. Watching a child learn a whole language is amazing… She is still the joy giver of the family.
Carol | January 12, 2012
I think every child needs a brother AND a sister. Better yet, brothers and sisters. True friends for life… So that means a minimum of four siblings, but at least six would be better. 
… When I think of people who have lots of siblings, I can see how much they mean to each other… “How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.” Mother Teresa
Carol | January 10, 2012
When a 16mo can say “chocolate”, is it the parent’s fault?
Carol | January 8, 2012
My family made a lovely birthday weekend for me, even though I don’t turn 42 until tomorrow. On Saturday night, in addition to making two heart-shaped birthday cakes with her Daddy, C10 made a large birthday banner for me. The boys helped once again with tidying up the house. Today, Nana made me a great seafood birthday dinner. We all headed up to Grammie’s with the desserts Nana made in order to share with them all up there.
Carol | December 28, 2011
My sister’s baby is due in six weeks, and we have enjoyed feeling kicks and watching bumps. Last night, C1 hurt herself a bit and cried. Instantly, Ruth’s unborn baby started thrashing about in empathy… Every time one of the older kids gets hurt, C1 does a fake low whimpering squeal in empathy. She definitely feels their pain!… C1 has a dolly that starts with a cry, makes more different sounds, and finally laughs. C1 knows exactly how to treat the dolly during each sound. She hugs, pats and comforts at the first cry, and mimics the other ones, and laughs when her baby laughs.
Carol | December 22, 2011
“The best part of waking up is Baby at your side!” We’ve practiced sleep sharing with all five babies, and I can most certainly say there are no regrets. NO CRIB CAGES at our house! No babies in their own rooms! The benefits and rewards of co-sleeping are amazing. Oh, my, what other people miss.
