Learning new things

We're learning new things in this house.
     Last fall I bought Zander the book "Learn to read in 100 easy lessons". I have been very nervous all along when it comes to teaching my children to read. My sister and I read at 4, but all my older 3 have learned to read in public school kindergarten between 5 and 6.
      Zander is his own being. He is totally different from his big brothers and has been a new adventure all around. I know I have a few more months to a year and a half before he has to start kinder, but he's so smart and so ready. A few months ago he looked at the clock in the kitchen and read me the time. No one had taught him to do it, he just did.
     Yesterday I found the Learn to Read book on the table. I didn't put it there, but there it laid. So after doing lessons at the table with the big kids, I called Zander over and opened the book. We went through Lesson 1. He loved it. We moved very quickly through it and then practiced writing the letter/letter sounds we had learned. We made the letters out of cheerios and he got to eat those.
     Later in the day yesterday I again asked him about his lesson and he remembered what he had learned. So today we sat down to do it again. He again whizzed through the lesson. I am loving seeing him learn and do these Lessons.
     I don't know where we will end up with this, but for now he's loving and it and I'm loving it. We'll do it until it's not working and then see where we are.

     Then there is Mason. Our little free range baby. We pretty much let him do anything he wants. He had his first birthday last month and is just a learning/developing little thing. He has mastered walking and is almost running. He can stoop and stand back up. He can stand from holding on to the floor. He loves to be outdoors with his brothers.
     But Mason's biggest accomplishment is learning to fall asleep on his own. We do not want him to cry himself to sleep or feel alone or abandoned in bed, so until the last week or so he was put to sleep and then transferred to bed. Tony decided one night after me trying to lay him down, when I thought he was asleep, to comfort him and rub his back until he settled (Little secret, he's much better for his dad than me.) I said as long as Mason didn't cry he could do that.
     Well it has been such a blessing because I was sometimes fighting Mason for 30-45 minutes to fall asleep. We now nurse and snuggle and then Tony or I, go in with him until he's asleep. He's a good sleeper and needs his naps, but sometimes with the commotion of 5 older siblings and anything else we have going on his naps get messed up. He has also been sleeping better at night.

Mandating Vaccines

Talk about a slippery slope. Many of the states in our "free" Country are heading down a path to make them mandatory NO MATTER WHAT, as an over reaction to this measles "outbreak". What the heck? I don't even care where you stand on vaccines, step back and see the bigger picture. We are losing another choice that we are allowed to make for ourselves and our children.

Where will it stop once it starts? Will they just continue to manufacture more and more vaccines and add them to the already long list of vaccines? Will there be any supervision to protect us? They don't care if the vaccines we already have are safe, so what's to say they will start now.

Once I became an adult and a mother, it became clear to me that I was pro-choice. I want to be able to choose what I think is best for my body. It is no one but my choice, and my husbands depending on the circumstances.

I am not pro-abortion, in fact that makes me sad knowing how much love and joy my kids bring to me. HOWEVER not my body, not my choice for others. I have 6 healthy, happy children because that is what God gave me.

All I ask is that you don't take away my rights to choose for myself and my children (until they are adults). Make your choice and I'll make mine. My choice does not affect your choice and your choice won't affect mine. Unvaccinated children are not out carrying around vaccine preventable diseases. They really, really aren't. When an "outbreak" occurs do they trace back to where it started, or to the first unvaccinated person they find?

I'm going to skip all the politics and fear-mongering news info about what side is "right". Point is this is a choice for everyone to make. This is a right a freedom to be protected.

Too much baby stuff

As a first time mom I had it all. We had a crib, a bassinet, a swing, a bouncer, a walker, an exersaucer, a pack-n-play, a carseat, a stroller, johnny jumper, and a baby bjorn. I had this tiny precious human and I just moved him from device to device because that seemed like that was the purpose. You have all these items, that were suggested from any baby registry. I would still hold him, but I also played pass the baby when others were around. That was just what was expected of me. Zayden and Zavier also were cared for basically the same way. Mainstream and sheepish.

When we moved to Germany in 2008, I eliminated all the baby gear to make less to move. When we had Zander in 2010 we had 2 bouncers, a boppy, a jumperoo, a playmat, and a crib. I also started practicing baby wearing to be close to him. I wasn't as dedicated to it as I am now, but it was a beginning. With Abbie, we got rid of the jumperoo and added a swing. Tony deployed when she was less than 4 weeks old and I knew that I would need to put her down to care for the others sometimes.

This time with Mason we have 1 bouncer, a boppy, a playmat, a walker, and a bed. But he spends so much time just being held by me. I'm amazed he's so mobile and pulls up so much already as he wasn't put down any more than he had to be. I still hold him just to go to sleep. He sleeps with me (which many of the kids have). He loves being next to me. I know so much more now as a mom that I wish I would have been encouraged from the beginning to just enjoy them as babies. Hold them, carry them, rock them to sleep. You can't get these first few months back.

Do what comes naturally to you and just comfort and sooth your little baby. Love them as much as you can as they really do grow so fast and that chapter of your life is over. I would sleep with all my kids now if they didn't wake each other up off and on all night long, and the bigger 2 maybe 3 are too cool for that.

One more thing, just talk to your baby like it's a real person. It is a real person. Right after Mason was born and as traumatic as it was for me (actual delivery), some of the first things I said to him were that I loved him and was so glad he was here, but I also recognized to him the pain he was likely in. Birth has got to be painful to be squished out. I told him I knew and I felt the pain too and just cuddled him.

Now when they become toddlers and up, that's a different sort of problems. But while they are little just hold them, show them the world while safely snuggled up against you.

First ER visit in over 16 months

Finally had our first required ER visit since we moved to El Paso. It has been our first visit of any sort actually. I must say it went well and the fear I had of a quick and easily handling of the situation was not necessary. Zavier has been having trouble with his breathing after long outdoor exposures. He has a tree and grass allergy, and who knows what else wasn't tested for. He had 2 breathing treatments and an x-ray too make sure it was just allergy related. He was given a few more treatments for the next few days hopefully to strengthen his body enough to not be on med permanently.

Now to decide if I eventually want to follow up with an on post appointment. Which right now would mean dragging all 6 kids into the dr. so that's still up in the air.

When you know better you do better

I always feel like I'm judged on the choices I make as a parent. I feel like I've come so far since I became a mom almost 12 years ago. I had no idea what to expect going into parenthood. I had no idea what the future would look like and how my family would end up. I went along with the main stream and just did what everyone else did. I circumcised, vaccinated, supplemented with formula and just went along with what others did. I never understood why someone wouldn't do those things. Certainly if they didn't do those they were just being difficult.

It wasn't until Zander came along that things really started to change for me. With each of my previous hospital births I felt forced while vulnerable to get some IV drugs, even when I said I didn't want them or to be offered them. When a woman is down there isn't much she won't do to get through the trek of child birth. Even now as an advocate for natural/unmedicated/homebirth deliveries if someone said this will take all your pain away with no side effects I'd likely be all over that. But back to Zander I finally made it through with nothing but forced IV fluids, and then after delivery I was forced a bag of pit (likely with something else mixed in because of the effects it had on me). That was it I knew then that I wanted something better. Then on my birth plan I had asked that they wait an hour to vaccinate him (for that really really necessary Hep B). We switched rooms before he was given it and the mother/baby unit didn't know anything about it. I didn't force it and went on. After we left and we went in for his appointments I knew I just couldn't watch him suffer from the pain. And that is where my research began.

What was the purpose of this vaccine? Was my newborn running the risk of catching this disease? What side effects were there to this vaccine? Something about vaccinating didn't feel right and I was going to figure out what that was and why. The information out there is amazing. I'm far from alone in my journey to keep my kids safe and healthy without a vaccine. There are others out there like me and most have spent tons of time researching and weighing their choices just like I have.

I wanted to add in here because I can't finish this today because Mason is asking for me is this.
The overall health of my children and my family is amazing since we stopped vaccinating and therefore stopped monthly treks to the doctors's office. For as many children as I have we have maybe 3-4 illnesses a year (colds, 24 hour bugs, 5ths disease). My younger 2 have had no ear infections or symptoms requiring a check up.

I will be back to finish eventually.

10 days

Until we sign for the new house. I'm excited because once I knew we were moving I started packing. So we've been living with a mound of boxes for a month now and I'm ready for it to be over. I can't feel settled when I know change is coming so I've been packing.

The kids finished up 1st, 3rd and 5th grade last week and are ready to move up. They all seem to have mastered what I wanted to see from them. They are enjoying a little break since we're moving. Otherwise we would have jumped right back in to the next school year so we could take a break when Tony goes to school in the fall.

Mason turned 3 months old last week and weighs in at whopping 16lbs. He did amazing fighting off a sickness the rest of us had with just a tiny cough. He's ready to take on the world and have a lot more stimulation. I feel bad but I only know so much to say to a 3 month old. He will smile at his siblings. He jabbers up a storm (when in a good mood). He's trying very hard to roll over and for a little boy who doesn't spend much time laying on the floor he's almost there. We have only tile downstairs so even with his playmat it's not soft enough for long play. Yesterday he scooted completely off the mat and was just laying on the tile floor. I was sitting with him but he was so quick.

This upcoming weekend we will be celebrating Zayden's 9th birthday. His birthday isn't until the 12th, but that is the day before we sign for the house and we want to finish getting everything packed that day so that we can start taking loads over at signing. His presents are all here and most of them are wrapped. Poor kid always gets a move around his birthday. In 2008, 2010, 2013, and now 2014. Hoping this will be the last move for at least 2 years, but I had so much fun moving last summer from WA to TX, I'm ready when the orders say so.

On the move again.

After living in this house for not quite a year we will be moving to a different house in El Paso. We weren't sure what we were going to do at lease renewal, but with a $10 rent increase it was answered for us. We only have 3 bedrooms and a loft here and we really need the 4th bedroom to be enclosed. When we selected this house last year it was our second choice as well as $75 above the budgeted amount we wanted to spend and we didn't know Mason was coming. We got on the housing list before we arrived at Bliss last year, but didn't like the options given to us when we got here then. When I got the lease renewal I went in to just see what we could be offered if we choose to take an offer and we were offered a nice single family home in one of the nicer neighborhoods. We took it and will be moving in the middle of June.

While we could have stayed and paid more rent this house exceeds our housing money in the summers and we break even during the winter. But we just decided having a 4th complete bedroom was what we needed. We have yet to decide what the exact split will be of the kids and if Mason's bed will still fit in our room. However Tony and I are both just excited that we're still moving together and will be together.

Tony is out in the "field" during training exercises and has been for the last few weeks. He was able to come home last weekend which happened to be his birthday. Having decided that we were moving before he came home changed our plans of do nothing (relaxing and celebrate his birthday) to get some stuff to paint and buy boxes so I can pack. But we had the most amazing weekend. We just spent the whole thing together and it was so nice. It really was a renewing weekend for us that usually doesn't happen on the weekends.

His big birthday gift was a grill/smoker/roaster and he very much enjoyed getting it set up and grilling on it. We actually just sat outside Sunday evening being together him, the kids, and me. We ate some food and goofed around. It was down time we don't usually get to take with all the crazy stuff in life.

Now I'll be packing until he gets back, we'll fix some painting issues in the house, clean it and move to our new house together. 5 weeks until we move.