Diapers? We don't need no stinking diapers!

Hopefully, by putting this in print, I'm not jinxing the process, but it appears that Lauren is indeed potty-trained by day. We have quite a supply of night time pullups courtesy of Grandma Barb (who paid shipping to get them here--which, if you know her well, is practically against her religion) so we're good there.

Apparently the problem was just Lauren's comprehension of her own body. She's happy to be a big girl and making Dora proud (her potty seat has Dora on it).
We also have babysitters lined up for this semester so writing will be a lot easier for me. We actually found college gals willing to hang out with four kids ages four and under for an hourly wage within our budget! Praise God! The gals actually work with Annika and Lauren in Sunday school--one of them played pretend for two hours with Annika and Lauren today. Dan and I don't have that kind of "pretend" stamina.

After Megan's birth, we were spoiled with meals from our church. The youth pastor from our church dropped them off so we weren't exactly sure from which family each came--but when you know one particular family has been in the Swedish Covenant church for a very long time, you deduce that the Swedish meatballs came from them. And that the taco casserole came from the family with three young children--one of those tried and true recipes kids like! So it's been a fun game to see if we could figure them out. And they were all fabulous with few dishes!
Uncle John and his girlfriend Cassie came to visit us a week ago--the first official family to meet our latest member. While they were here, we went thrift-store shopping. Dan is so proud of his find--a double stroller from Stroll-Air for under $100 (they retail for $900).

It appears Lauren definitely takes after the Pike side of the family. It's after 11pm and she's still up. She just came out of our bedroom deeply concerned because she didn't turn off the bathroom light. What kind of society do we live in when even three-year-olds figure being environmentally friendly is a good excuse for getting out of bed?

Last note for this entry: Shedd Aquarium had free admission this Tuesday so we went. We found onstreet parking, so besides a babysitter, our only cost for our trip was a quarter for the meter. Lauren found the aquarium amazing. She is well able to project her voice and enthusiasm, too. She kept rounding corners, pointing to different tanks, and yelling, "Mommy, look! Fishies!" And, to see how kid-savvy you are, I'll tell you who we saw, and you tell me what we saw. We saw Sebastian, Nemo, Dori, Crush, the red-eye tree frogs (from Dora--freebie), Bruce, and Flotsam and Jetsam.

Parental Embarrassing Moment?

On Monday night, we took our first family venture since Megan's birth. After about 60 minutes of preparation (potty breaks, jackets on, socks replaced, mittens found, kids buckled in), we put Cinderella into the DVD player for the 30-minute drive to Ikea. When we got there, we headed for the restaurant on the third floor (great deal with meals beginning at 99 cents) for dinner.

Annika and Lauren were a tad upset we weren't going to play in this giant basket of balls so we let them eat dinner in the Family Funhouse next to our table. Soon, a new friend "M" came along, another four-year-old girl. Her parents were sitting at the other table alongside the Funhouse--definitely within hearing distance.

As I was checking on their progress (Annika and Lauren can both be easily distracted from the task at hand), Lauren started a conversation with "M" with the statement, "Do you want to see my nipples?" and promptly raised her shirt. (As Uncle John would say, "Awkward!")

However, M's reply put everything back on even keel. Her response was, "They're called 'boobies' at my house." Absolutely nothing seemed out of place to her. Ah, the innocence.

Annika also has her moments where she humbles me (Liz). I'm down about 14 pounds from Megan's date of birth and my stomach obviously is flatter than at 10 months of pregnancy. Annika asked me, "Mama, why is your bum still so big?" Having children is definitely an adventure!

Emily turns 1

Today Emily turned 1 year old. It's hard to believe it has already been a year. This afternoon, Lisa, one of the girls babysitters, took the girls out to play in the snow. The girls had a great time making fresh tracks in the snow and making snow angels. Thanks Lisa. This evening we celebrated Emily's birthday with a little get together. Heather McMillan came over for dinner as well as Chris Ravn. Thanks J.T. and Carrie Madison for the stuffed shells, they were great. Emily was completely engrossed in the act of eating one of her birthday cupcakes. We had a great time.

How Megan Got Her Name

The day before Megan's birth was my 35th birthday so Dan and I went to Caribou Coffee to celebrate. We brought his laptop so we could decide on our newest daughter's name--no need to have a Jane Doe for two days like poor Emily.

As we were scanning the various websites, Dan really stuck with Megan. Since we'd been considering Keira or Kaylee or something along those lines for a few months, I was surprised, especially since it takes me awhile to get used to small things like a new haircut let alone big things.

He said, "Hey, you got to name the other three." Being the submissive wife that I am, I gave in. He compromised and let me pick the middle name...which I didn't do that night.

While in surgery the next day, the doctor recommended I have a tubal ligation ("sterilization" is what it says on the consent form). When she was doing the incision, she noted that the uterine wall was already separated. The only thing holding Megan in the womb was the amniotic sac (I think I'm getting all this medical stuff correct). If I had had intense contractions, serious complications could have arisen with Megan's birth. Any further pregnancies probably would not result in full-term healthy babies and would probably create complications regarding my health as well.

So when Megan was delivered safe and sound and I heard her crying, knowing she was my last baby and that she was safe, I cried also and decided Joy was definitely a perfect middle name for her. We've been gifted with four healthy, beautiful daughters--a blessing I could not have imagined.

Fun at Home

Megan has been home for three days now. We are still working on a routine. So far Megan has been a pretty mellow kid. She is a pretty decent sleeper at night (waking up every 3-4 hours to eat). We have taken a few new pics of Megan and Emily over the past couple days. I have included a few of them for people to see. Not much else to say except that Lauren did manage to go potty on the toilet twice today, yeah (we did go through several outfits in the process). Hopefully she will figure it out very soon. Annika is working on spelling three letter words and is getting better. Liz and I are working on catching as much sleep time as possible. Classes start again for me in two and a half weeks.

Re-Calculating Home Life

Life with four young kids definitely requires more strategy and precipitation of events to juggle daily life. Dan is still on break from school, and it takes both of us to get Lauren on the potty, Emily fed "real" food and Megan nursed simultaneously. Dan folded seven loads of laundry yesterday, but it took both of us all day to get it in the right rooms. However, it's not even all put away--someone is always sleeping in the girls' room.

Megan opens her eyes all the way now and is awake for slightly longer periods of time. She has discovered her hands already and is experimenting with whether she prefers sucking her thumb or two fingers. We'll work on taking photos today for her birth announcement.

If you're in town, we invite you to drop in and see our fabulous gathering of Wheeler beauty. We really do have an impressive collection of cuties here.

Welcome Home

Liz and Megan came home from the hospital today. Both are doing well. Emily is very curious about this new little person in the house. Annika and Lauren are excited to have their little sister at home. I am excited to have Liz and Megan home as well.

Megan Meets Her Big Sisters

I brought the girls over tonight to meet their new little sister. Annika and Lauren were pretty excited to meet Megan.

She's here!

She has arrived! Megan Joy Wheeler.
This morning at 9:37 am, Megan Joy Wheeler joined our growing clan. Megan weighs 8 lbs. 4 oz., and measures in at 20.28 inches. Liz and Megan are both doing well. I had the chance to feed Megan her first meal while Liz was recovering from surgery. Liz says that she feels the best she has felt after any of the four c-sections. Praise God for our new blessing. Thank you to everyone who has been praying and continues to pray.

Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow is the big day! Liz's c-section is scheduled for 8a.m. The big sisters are very excited to meet their new little sister. Annika is hoping that we name her Lydia, but we haven't promised anything. Lauren is holding out for the name Cinderella. Again, no promises have been made. I will post pictures and information tomorrow when I get a chance. Keep Liz and our newest addition in your prayers. God bless.

T-minus 5 days to go

This is it. We can't believe that we will be welcoming another member to our family this week. It seems a bit surreal when we are holding Emily in our arms realizing that she is going to be a big sister in just a few days. We pray that God will give Liz and baby #4 a healthy delivery on Friday. I pray God will give me patience and sanity as I will be at home with three little girls for three days while Liz and baby are in the hospital.