Overwhelmed

I had an overwhelming day, to say the least. I can't believe it is finally over.

First, you get the long version for my venting purposes. If you would like to read the condensed, bullet point version please scroll down to the end.

It all started by getting up early and getting Gavin ready for school. I was so organized. I had his lunch made, the backpack packed and I even had every one's clothes laid out. I even had time to throw a load of laundry in, empty the dishwasher and make my bed before we walked over to school. Just as we were leaving, Charlotte thew up on the floor. My first thought was, "Typical middle child - had to get some attention in there somewhere on Gavin's big day!" I thought her breakfast was just too sweet on her tummy. So, I cleaned up the mess and off we went. I did great until Gavin started walking into school. He looked SO NERVOUS. I was sobbing hysterically. As soon as he was inside I was booking it home b/c I was so embarrassed. I was literally crying my eyes out. Pathetic, I know. But Gavin is such a mama's boy and he's been my best bud for the last 5 and 1/2 years! It was tough. So, I spent the next hour crying off and on and doing laundry and clinging to sissy (who wanted nothing to do with me - she was thrilled to have the toys all to herself. She went straight for Gav's Lego's the moment we stepped back into the house. It was like she had been waiting for this moment all summer long.)

Next, I was out of the house headed up to church to prepare for our big AWANA leader training tonight. I've spent weeks prepping for this. I've made power points, a 10 page handout, team binders, missionary hand outs for special sections and the list goes on. I'm not telling you this so you'll be impressed. I'm telling you so you can grasp the enormous disappointment that is coming towards the end of this post. Anyhow, I spent the morning w/ a friend making copies, assembling the packets and setting up the room. Charlotte was being SO GOOD this whole time. She is usually into all kinds of mischief at church. I kept on commenting on how good she was being. I figured that there was no one to compete for attention with b/c Gavin wasn't there. So, we left church and headed to Target to get some snacks for the meeting. By the time I got home, sis had fallen asleep in the car. I tried to transition her into her crib, but she just sat in there and talked for awhile. After a bit, she started yelling at me. I finally went in there and she was tucked away in the corner of her crib and she points to a big pile of puke on the other side. Nice. At this point, I figured she must be sick or something. I called the babysitter I had scheduled for the meeting tonight and told her not to come. It looks like I will be staying home. Weeks of prepping for this meeting and I don't even get to go.

I get Charlotte all cleaned up, do another load of laundry and then go and pick Gavin up. As soon as I see him, I start crying again. He had a great day, though. I thought he would be sad and would have had a rough time being gone so long. Not so much. He actually liked it. He had lots of stories for me. He was laughing at me b/c I was crying. When we got home I was hugging him and crying and he said, "Why are you crying now? I'M HOME!!" I thought that was funny. By this time, I was laughing too. I realized that all my tears were for nothing. He enjoyed himself. Whew. Then, I crashed. I felt the weight of the day. I tried to lay on the couch while the kids played, but I still had so much to do. Ryan came home and I started making dinner (while on the phone with some gals from church giving them some of my jobs that I wanted to do tonight). I was also prepping the snacks for the meeting. Dinner was almost ready, I was going to sit down and give Ryan on the low down on the meeting - something I thought I was going to get to do on the way. Then, Charlotte pukes ALL OVER THE KITCHEN. It was awful. I threw her in the bath, we ate our dinner in the living room. I threw the flash drive at Ryan with the power point on it and told him to call me on the way. Charlotte cried the whole time in the bath. Gavin was trying to make her happy, but he was only making it worse. I had ANOTHER load of laundry to do and puke all over the kitchen to clean up. It was ridiculous. After I calmed down a bit, I walked up to Walgreens to get some pedialite (and a coke!). Charlotte fell asleep on the way back which was heavenly. She is still sleeping. Ryan called me three times in the middle of all of this to ask questions. Then, I had to start on homework with Gavin. Are you kidding me? We finally finished, I played with him a little bit and then put him to bed. Then I had to clean up the kitchen, call my friend and cancel our play date for tomorrow and finish up the laundry (which still isn't done). I am pooped! Once I get Gavin to school tomorrow, I am coming home to CRASH!

Okay, here's the bullet point version (still kind of long, sorry!):

- get up early.
- as we are leaving to take Gav to school, Charlotte throws up. NICE.
- clean it up, rush to school.
- sob hysterically as I watch my eldest nervously enter kindergarten
- run home b/c I am so embarrassed at my lack of emotional restraint (I AM 33 weeks pregnant)
- spend an hour crying over Gavin and trying to clean up the house
- leave for church to prep for big AWANA training tonight (I've spent weeks preparing for this!)
- spend the a.m. with a friend setting up and assembling the training packets (while crying intermittently over Gavin.
- go to Target to pick up snacks for meeting (call my Dad on the way b/c I realized I missed his bday last week)
- head home, put Sis in bed
- she does not sleep. I go in after awhile and she is sitting next to a pile of puke.
- more laundry
- cancel baby sitter for tonight
- answer some e mails, fill out some forms for Gavin's school
- pick up Gavin, blubber all over him again, realize I am ridiculous and he had a great day!
- head home and try to crash - the day is getting to me - but the kids are ready to play
- go through Gavin's back pack and realize there are more forms for me to fill out and homework for Gavin.
- start making dinner, trying to make phone calls and pass some of my responsibilities off from the meeting, also prepping the snacks for the meeting
- sit down to dinner to give Ryan the low down on the meeting (he's running it). I thought we'd have time on the way to the meeting, but since I am not going, there is no such time.
- about to take one bite of my dinner and Charlotte pukes ALL OVER THE KITCHEN
- throw both kids in bath
- eat dinner with Ryan in living room while kids are in bath
- throw flash drive at Ryan with his power point on it and tell him to call me on the way
- more laundry
- more cleaning puke up
- more phone calls about the meeting
- cancel play date scheduled for tomorrow
- walk to walgreens to get some pedialite for Charlotte and COKE for me ( I am desperate)
- come home, Charlotte finally asleep, start Gavin's homework
- put Gavin to bed, clean kitchen, make lunches for tomorrow, fill out crazy forms

Now I am waiting for Ryan to come home to tell me the meeting was a success (hopefully!). I may not be able to keep my eyes open that long, though. Seriously, I can't believe this day did not kill me - God's grace. I am going to NAP tomorrow! Woo Hoo! I can confidently say that his has been one of the worst days of my adult life. I sure hope Sissy sleeps all night. I'm glad tomorrow is another day!

Sneak Peak

I've been working on a project for our sissy girl. She will be moving into her big girl bed within a few months of the unborn being born and I want her to have a nice snuggly blanket for the occasion! It's slow progress, but I love how it is turning out. I got the idea for these granny stripes over at Attic 24 - one of my favorite crochet blogs! I can't wait to show you the finished product in the next few weeks. Okay, maybe months . . .

The Kiddo's

Just a little update on my two lovelies . . .

Gavin 5 1/2 years:



Wants to be a knight when he grows up
Favorite color - green
Loves to wrestle with his sister and has "body slammed" her several times
Favorite outfit - Loves hanging out at home in his "unders"
Is nervous about Kindergarten
Still loves broccoli and most all veggies
Is Mama's Boy
Has THE BEST imagination
Is a Lego master
Hates milk
Loves to play board games, but is a sore loser
Has lots of friends at church but
Could play by himself all day long
Is learning to read
Loves to be read to




Charlotte 18 months:



Constantly looks like a ragamuffin
Loves to talk even though you can't understand her
Says, "YEAH" to every question you ask her
Knows lots of animal sounds
Favorite outfit - a onesie paired with her crocs, no shorts or pants please!
Walks around the house with her blankie at all times
Drinks LOTS of milk
Favorite thing to play with - STICKERS!
My meat and potatoes girl
Is Daddy's girl
Is freaked out by Baby Einstein movies and anything like it
Loves to go outside
Puts her shoes on first thing every morning
Defends herself quite nicely
Likes to sit on the potty like a big girl, even though she doesn't go
Loves to climb on EVERYTHING
Has 12 teeth

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This little one climbed up on my bed while I was folding laundry. She immediately went for my yarn and hook. I think she was pretending to stitch herself up some pinky goodness! Possibly wanting to be like mama? Probably just enjoying the mess she made with the yarn. Ah well, it kept her busy while I folded!

Quote of the week

Ryan, referring to Charlotte: "She's kind of like a dog. She's so mischievous, she does things behind your back and she eats off the floor."

15 months and counting . . .

We had Charlotte's 15 month check up this week. I of course wrestled with the MMR shot - to give or not to give. Immunizations drive me crazy. So much info. and it all makes me uncomfortable. Both sides scare me and creep me out.

ANYWAY, this is supposed to be about Charlotte - our little wonder pulled through for us and packed on a few lbs. She jumped to the 25th percentile. They were getting a little concerned b/c she was not growing with the curve. But that's all in the past. She's fattening up quite nicely.

She is also, I am thrilled to say consuming all types of dairy. She has officially grown out of her "sensitivity". WOO HOO!!! I've lived without cheese for so long, I could just feel her pain. Now, she eats cheese sticks, yogurt, pizza, mac n cheese, MILK, MILK and more MILK! This girl loves her vitamin D.

She's a super spazzy little thing. Since I haven't been as diligent in writing in her book like I was with Gavin, I'll have to type it all out here - sorry.
So, Charlotte climbs on anything and everything
Runs
Jumps
Points at what she wants
Eats everything but tomatoes
Loves her daddy
Gives kisses freely
Wrestles with big bro
Loves to clap her hands and stomp her feet to "If you're happy and you know it"
LOVES to put on shoes, necklaces, coats, - anything girly except hair clips :(
Does some sign language - all done and please
Loves to brush her teeth
Loves to do everything Gavin does
Is DIRTY all the time

begin toI'm sure there is so much more. She is so fun and it has been a joy (and a frustration, at times) to mold her into the gal God wants her to be. She learning how to have a sweet spirit and be more submissive. I'm sure it's a long road ahead of us, but we are up for the task. Bring it on, Charlotte baby! We love you and can't wait to continue to see you grow!

Sibling Rivalry

I really am astounded by how well my kids play together. They don't seem to mind the four years in between them! However, very often when they play someone ends up getting hurt and crying. I'm sure you can guess who that someone is. Well, I finally told Gavin that whatever he did to Charlotte to make her cry, I will do to him. That is SO something my dad said to my brother when we were kids. It sounded like a good idea when I said it.

So, fast forward a few hours. Gavin pushes Charlotte and she falls down and starts crying. So what am I supposed to do? Push my kid down? I don't think so. Gavin looks at me like, are you really going to push me down like that? I said, "Gavin, I am not going to push you, but you ARE getting a spanking."

I really need to think before I speak . . .

Have you ever threatened your kids with something ridiculous?

Bed Time Battles

Never in my life have I had a battle to get my kids to bed. Sure, Gavin might whine a little bit sometimes. He gets corrected and then it's over. He's in bed. Well, our spunky little girl has been throwing these fits when I try and put her to bed. It just baffles me. Last night was the worst. She knew it was time to go to bed and every time I would go to pick her up and take her, she would run to Ryan screaming and crying. Then she would snuggle up to him and look at me with this snotty little face. I was shocked. She did it about three times. Ryan finally had to get up and take her to bed himself. He put her in her crib and we said good night and walked right out. She cried for 5 - 7 minutes and then it was over. Ryan and I were just looking at each other shaking our heads. When we imagined having a little girl, we thought it was going to be a much sweeter picture. It looks like we have our work cut out for us with this one! I know we will have our struggles with her, but we wouldn't trade her for the world. With the right direction, her will and firey personality will be able to do great things!!

Pictures

I realized that I never put up the kids 1 year and 5 year pictures. Thanks to everyone who voted on what Charlotte should wear. It really helped me out! I went with the most popular vote - the purple dress. Here are their pics! I think they turned out really well.

Gamer!

I think we have a gamer on our hands here! She knows exactly what to do with the controller!

FORT!

What do you do on a snowy wintery inside day? You build a huge fort, of course! And you read books in it all day long!

Can this be happening?

Did my baby really just climb up into this chair and sit herself down? No, no. I must have imagined it . . .

One Year

I remembered to take a picture of Charlotte every month next to Pooh Bear for the entire year! I never did this with Gavin and I always wished I would have! It's fun to look at them all and compare.


We love this little girl so much! We pray that she will grow up to love Christ more than anything, serve Him with her whole being, and focus all her energy on bringing Him glory.





We just lov

A little help . . .

I am having a hard time deciding what Charlotte will wear in her One year pictures. I've never really had a dilema with Gavin. I just have so many cute outfits for Charlotte that I just can't decide! What's your vote?

#1 - Cream Gap Dress with Gold Threading, Gold buttons and Gold Shoes

#2 - Purple butterfly dress with striped tights and hot pink shoes

#3 - Grey Children's Place dress w/ pink flowers and pink shoes

#4 - Pink, Blue and brown dress with brown leggings and pink shoes

Miserable weekend

What a miserable weekend the Dobbertin's had! I was home with Charlotte every minute. I was so bored. Ryan took Gavin to the Shedd Aquarium on Saturday morning and then to work with him. When they got home, Ryan said that Gavin wouldn't eat lunch and needed a nap. He fell asleep on the couch and woke up with a 102.2 fever! I thought he had what Charlotte had. Then, we woke up at 2:00 a.m. to "Mom! I threw up! (BLAGH!) MOM! I'm throwing up!" Ryan camped out on the couch with him for the rest of the night. I was up with Charlotte for a few hours in the early morning. Ryan let me nap the rest of the morning while he hung out with Gav and fed him toast for breakfast. He kept it down. Later we gave him some pretzels. He did not keep those down. Charlotte is doing much better. I had a hard time keeping up with her last night and all of her mischievous ventures. She is one crazy kid. Currently she is nosing through the trash can looking through the discarded newspaper . . .

We have a lot to do this week in preparation for our trip to Michigan,Charlotte's birthday party, and Ryan's trip to Costa Rica. On top of that, Ryan has to have a procedure done today to see what is wrong with him. They are thinking he has an ulcer. We have to pick him up downtown this afternoon once it is over. I'm exhausted already! I hope Charlotte kicks this nasty habit of waking up from 4-5:30. It's really cramping my style!

So tired and feeling yucky! She passed out here on Gavin's bean bag chair.

Poor Baby

I just got back from taking Charlotte to the doctor. She has been so sick. She was miserable last night. I couldn't get her to fall asleep. She was just laying in my arms crying with her eyes closed. It was so sad. I am glad I ended up taking her in - she had some fluid in her ears (not an infection, yet) and the doctor said she has Bronchiolitis and possibly Pneumonia. I just can't believe it. Gavin is 5 and has never had an antibiotic. Charlotte is not even one and she has to take one. That makes me sad. But, I just want her to get better! Looks like we'll be missing church this weekend and laying low! I hope you all have a healthy and great weekend. Live it up for me!

Day 3 and 4

Well these last two days have been kind of a bust. Charlotte threw a wrench into my productivity plans. She decided to come down with a very nasty cold. She's had a fever and has been so miserable. She's been up in the night a few times for the last few days! So, I've been letting Gavin watch cartoons, I barely get in the shower before 12:00, and Charlotte and I just snuggle our days away.

I have been able to get some things done b/d she's been sleeping so much.
* we've done Gavin's reading
* I organized the pantry (yeah!)
* I put the last coat of decoupage on Jayne's bow holder
* I vacuumed the living room and Charlotte's bedroom - that's as far as I got, though.
* I packaged up an etsy order
* we went to AWANA
* I had Gavin fill out some Valentines to work on his penmanship

That's about it. Like I said, we've been watching a lot of cartoons and are laying around quite a bit!

Charlotte's Favorite Nook

This spot happens to be one of Charlotte's favorite spots. She goes back there several times a day. Doesn't she look so cute hanging out back there? The trouble is that it is a very naughty spot for her to be in! There is a shredder back there (that is always unplugged, but still) and the garbage can that holds lots of paper that she likes to eat. She also likes to spread the garbage around the house, as well. She is so determined to get back there and it drives me nuts! When Gavin was a baby, if you told him "no", he would listen. Not our Charlotte, she definitely has spirit and likes to do what she wants to do. We definitely have our work cut out for us with this one!

My girl

I can't believe my little girl is about to be ONE! That is crazy to me. I was so good at documenting all of Gavin's milestones, the big and the small (no matter how annoying it was to everyone else). Charlotte on the other hand seems to be passing them all so quickly I barely have time to capture half of them! I know I will forget all of these little things in the future, so I just have to write them down now!!

Some of her milestones -
waves bye-bye
signs "all done" when she is done eating
is walking - a little like Frankenstein, but still . . .
puts her hand to her ear when we say "hello" as if she is answering the phone
gives kisses - mostly to her baby doll, though
says mama and dada
still has NO TEETH!

some of her little quirks -
does not like to sit at the table but would rather eat grazing around the house
is ALWAYS messy - our little ragamuffin
doesn't so much like all the bows I force in her hair (too bad!)
does NOT like men (except daddy and her grandpas)
has no problem being thrown three feet into the air
loves to wrestle with her brother
is still "sensitive" to milk
loves to get a hold of my coffee and drink it - she gets SO MAD when I take it away
she could take or leave the passy but would wither up and die without her blankie!

I am sure I could go on and on here. But my little ragamuffin is pulling on my legs and smiling up at me ever so sweetly. I must go play with her and smooch on her before she passes some other crazy milestone!

Chirstmas Cuties

We had a wonderful quiet Christmas with just our little family. We decided to stay home after TWO trips to Michigan in November. Ryan had four days off, which was heavenly! So we just hang out as a family and enjoyed our time together.

The kids were fun and Gavin was so very thankful for everything this year. I loved that. When he opened a gift that was clothes, (which he doesn't like to get) he said, "Wow, mom! You were right, it IS nice to get clothes sometimes!" It was so cute. I know they aren't his favorite things to open up, but I was so proud of him for saying that.

Today it's back to the grind - Ryan is back to work, we are starting up school again for Gavin and even taking down the Christmas tree. I hope you had a very merry Christams!