Pictures!!!

We've got some red-eye, but she is still so precious!




Here is the promised picture of Michael in the Johnny-Jump-Up...
(Sorry it took so long, Catherine :)




Katrina and Shiona are best friends - and Shiona is actually posing in this one - shocker!

Improvements

I thought this would be a good title considering everything that has been going on. Seth has been working like only a Robinson can to fix up a little outside of our house. He and his dad poured concrete along the side of our house earlier this week. Then they began building a little (or rather quite large for us!) pavilion adjacent our back deck so we can sit outside and still be sheltered. Just today Seth finished shingling the roof (with a bit of my assistance too, I might add!). He always does such a wonderful job. I'm so proud of his work. And of course we are ever grateful to his dad for being so kind and helpful. Seth said he couldn't have done it without his dad's assistance.

This has already yielded untold joy for our girls. They have loved being able to ride their bikes right outside and actually be able to do chalk. There are many other benefits to this for us as well. I won't have to park in the mud and unload groceries in the rain; I have the option of pulling right up to the side entrance (our kitchen) and unloading there if the weather is bad. Eventually we will probably enclose the pavilion on three sides and put a table, some chairs and a BBQ grill in there.

On other levels there have been improvements too. Thank you all for your prayers for Michael. I think his skin is slowly getting better. We are narrowing down what may be the culprit/s. His skin still feels rough and patchy but I've noticed it a little softer and less red.

I feel like I have been making some personal improvements as well. For one thing, I have been able to exercise every day this past week except once. This is so encouraging for me because I feel like schedules and goals are falling into place. I was able to school the girls and get exercising in on most days while Michael napped. I am sooo grateful God has graciously given us a very easy, content baby. He is a dream for us. Mind you he is not without his fussy times, but they are so manageable! I am very grateful God gave us a more challenging child first. It helped us not expect things to be too easy, so we are able to be more thankful when things are going so well instead of being all uptight and frustrated when they aren't.

Another thing is I've really been making an effort to not put things off - even for a few minutes (because I tend to forget after that anyway!). I am a terrible procrastinator, but I am slowly realizing how irresponsible that is of me and hard it is for my sweet husband. I don't ever want to be like the messenger in Proverbs who you can't rely on. I feel like because of my forgetfulness Seth doesn't feel like he can completely trust me to get things done without him having to remind and check up on me. I really want to be like the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 where it talks about the "heart of her husband doth safely trust in her" - that is my hearts prayer. So, that being said, I am trying to be a doer! I am trying to do bookkeeping everyday, or at least when there are new receipts to account for. I've made numerous scheduled transactions so I won't forget a bill or an automatic payment and I am trying to keep on top of filing so it doesn't pile up and become a huge project every few months. (Yes, I know - that is terrible, but I've done that many times!) I am also realizing that I need to do at least two if not three loads of laundry a day, and am also realizing the benefits of doing dishes three times a day as opposed to once or twice. Some things do get overlooked and with each child I have to relax my standards of cleanliness a little bit, but I try to keep the house going and tidy for all of our sanity!

Tuesday Michael will be going to the doctors to have his tongue clipped. He was born with a webbed tongue, also known as being tongue-tied (Yes, that is a real term, not just a cliche.) Seth had one too when he was little and got it clipped. Fortunatly it hasn't interfered with him being able to nurse, but if we leave it alone it will interfere with his speech later on. Once we realized Michael was webbed, we checked the other girl's out and discovered Shiona is slightly tongue-ties as well! So, we made an appointment for her to be looked at and possibly have her's clipped too. Her's is not as severe as Michael's. Please pray that the procedure will go well, there will be no complications, little pain/discomfort and a speedy recovery. Thank you all so much!

And on that note I am going to sign off. I will post a few pictures of Seth getting the outside ready for concrete and them laying it.

Changes

Well, it seems like Michael has officially gone from newborn to baby. Maybe that doesn't seem like that much of a distinction, but if you think of a sleepy, squishy little ball of chub to an alert, interactive "tank" of a boy...there you have it! He is such a little angel and just seems to look for an excuse to smile! He lights up all our hearts. "sighs" His skin has shown some slow improvement, so thank you all for your concerns. It is so nice to know that other babies have had the same problems and turned into very normal human beings! (Ha, the way I phrased that reminds me of a quote concerning children, "It's a shame they have to grow up to be people.")

Our first week of school went so well. I mean, considering having a 2 month old. He interrupted it every time, but I just kept thinking, "If I don't get stressed now and lose it, then when I really get his schedule down and can school the girls without interruptions I should have a great attitude. This is the hardest it is going to be." Um, hopefully...

It is inevitable that I will mention postpartum weight loss and exercise in the majority of my posts, so you guys are going to have to get used to that! I am really trying to find time to exercise consistently. Sometimes I feel like I've been trying to exercise all afternoon - get 10 minutes in, stop take Shiona potty, get 5 minutes, stop nurse Michael, 15 minutes, stop answer phone call...then...oh! time to get a shower and prepare dinner before Seth gets home! It's crazy. I tell you sometimes I actually have worked out at 1:00am! Obsessed? I think not! However, once Michael is more predictable with his naps I think I will be able to fit it into my day better. I am so into the kettlebell right now. It is such fun and I really feel my heart pumping. I never feel like I've had a real workout if I'm not short of breath some of the time and haven't sweated much. This accomplishes both!

Okay, I need to sign out and get all the little ones to bed. Seth has spent all day trying to update my laptop. It hasn't been updated in years! So, needless to say I wanted to thank him and there is a UFC PPV tonight that he had wanted to watch. I practically forced him to go with his friends to see it - he so deserves it and...I'm so curiours too. (I love UFC, too, but usually I can't watch the live fights because I have to be with the children. However, Seth always is aware of the interesting ones and buys them for me to view later once they are out! What a wonderful guy, huh?)