Gladdest Hours

Small Babies in Bell-bottom Jeans Are So Ridiculous....

...that one must haul out the camera. 

11 Weeks and Smiling! 

  

The Concept of Time

The girls were talking with Pete about covered wagon trains during the westward expansion of the U.S.  

Pete: "Sometimes they traveled for SIX MONTHS on those wagons!"

Dorothy Jo (age 4.5): "Six months!  Whoa!  How many Masses is dat?" 

Madeleine (age 7):  "It's much longer than a Mass, Dorothy.  Six months is when Mom's belly starts to get really poofed out when she's pregnant." 

Mass and Pregnancy.  How long something takes is compared to the length of the holy sacrifice of the Mass or the stage of a pregnancy. 

Makes sense.  That's pretty much what we know around here. 

The Blessed Mother oversees Math Lessons

When the girls told me a couple weeks ago that they "loved" math time, I thought it was because they liked "Mr. Steve" from Math-U-See.  Now, I know it's because the Blessed Mother is in charge. 

The girls doing some Math-U-See under the watchful eye of Mother Mary. 

Mary watching over Madeleine's next problem.  Also noteworthy is the fact that Mary is sitting on a burp rag. 

Erika deciding what to do next.

She even serves as a pencil holder.

 

 

(I wish I would've brought my Mary statue to math classes when I went to school; I may have liked it better.)

Crazy Uncle Ivan

My brother visited us this weekend.  He flew in from San Diego on Thursday night, and leaves Monday morning.  That's probably about all he can take of this three-ring-circus, being a swingin' bachelor, who has a bit of a quieter home life than what he experiences here. 

He is number two, in our line-up of siblings.  In other words he was the victim of my hours playing "school" where I was the teacher and he was the student.  I'm sure he loved every moment of it. <<wink>>

We went beachcombing, watched fireworks (absent of screams of terror this year!), relaxed at the house, and went to a minor-league baseball game.  Unlce Ivan also made his famous Chinese food for us on Saturday night. 

When he visited three years ago, there were only three nieces.  Now, there are FIVE:

Here we are at the Everett Aquasox game:

And, of course, we had to put the baby in the arms of the bachelor, swoon a bit, and then take pictures:

Sundays At Our House

And on the seventh day........

....we have target practice. 

Does anyone else find it hysterically amusing that the marksman has BOWS in her hair and is wearing PINK?

Tuesdays With Jacqueline - 6 weeks

 

Jacqueline's 6th Tuesday was spent at the midwife for our final checkup.  Everyone is fine (physically anyway) and Jacqueline weighs almost 12 lbs!     

The parting moment with midwife-Charlotte and assistant-Amy.  The girls were very sad that this was their last visit. 

Toothless in Seattle

Proud, Toothless Madeleine - Age 7

Apparently, I need some training

Madeleine (age 7) inquired yesterday, "Mom, did anyone TRAIN you how to take care of a newborn?"

"Well, no....not exactly, I guess."  I said, while wresting with said-newborn, trying to get the behind-the-ear and under-the-neck GUNK outta there.  "I learned from just watching and doing it."

"Hummmph.  Well, I think you need to actually get TRAINED," she declared.  "I don't think you're supposed to make babies cry that hard.  There has GOT to be a better way." 

My father's wish for me is coming true.  I have a know-it-all-first-born-daughter, just like he did.  

Tuesdays with Jacqueleine - 5 Weeks Old

"Uhhhhh, help?  I'm falling and I can't get up.  What is WRONG with you people?  Don't you know how prop up a baby?"

My favorite ~ the foot foto with father!

Tuesdays with Jacqueline - 4 weeks

I'm embracing my friend Kari's idea of taking a picture of baby on the same day every week, eventually monthly.  The day of the week they were born.  When she did this with her son, Charlie, 5 years ago, I laughed....as it was a take-off from the book and movie of Tuesdays with Morrie.  So now I get to have Tuesdays with Jacqueline and everyone can laugh at ME.  Of course, now I have a digital camera and wholeheartedly embrace the SIMPLICITY of "Tuesdays with Jacqueline." Otherwise I fear I would have a million pictures in digital-la-la-land OR no pictures of our little bundle because I simply can't remember or find the camera.   Anyway, enough of that nonsense....on with the pictures of the baby, for crying out loud!

Here is "little Jackie-T" at 1 month old: 

And, I actually caught a YAWN:

Here she is getting ready for her first boxing match.  We, here at the House of Gallus, believe that it's never too early to practice a good Balanced Boxing Stance.

Good-bye to Grandma Charlotte

We said good-bye to my mother on Wednesday.  Everyone cried.  She was a huge help and lots of fun, as usual.  Before she left, we had the obligatory photo-shoot.

"Nama" (as Caroline calls her) and her five grand-daughters.

With the newest little one (who is starting to look more "babyish" and less like Winston Churchill every day!)

And, we were able to get our second picture as a family of seven without involving the whole neighborhood.  In the first picture, you couldn't even SEE the seventh member.)

Now, I must excuse myself.  I need to attend to the laundry and messy kitchen; household tasks I haven't done for the past three weeks!   

Jacqueline's First Days

Jacqueline is three weeks old today!  Here are some photos from our "Babymoon." 

Baby Jacqueline's First Days

Welcome Baby Jacqueline!

Jacqueline Therese was born on April 29 at 11:06 pm!    She weighed 9.0 lbs., which is BIG compared to our other seven-pounders.   We're both doing well, and the girls are loving her and complaining that they don't get to hold her enough.

Labor was a mere hour-and-a-half!   Now THAT'S my kind of labor.  Finally....my dream of short labor!  (Pete does not share this dream with me.)  Water broke at 9:35, and 15 minutes later heavy contractions started.  She was born at 11:06.

I'm entitling this photo: "How many hands does it take to dress a newborn for the very first time?"

The Weigh-in:

Our New Family of Seven:

Here we go!

The midwife is on her way.  My fifth labor.  When I get to this point, I am always in utter disbelief that I am actually going to "do this" yet again.  Up until now, I do a pretty good job of NOT thinking about it. 

I've been having contractions since late this morning after my first 40-week-prenatal-appointment.   The girls went to bed early, as we hoped we'd have to wake them up sometime tonight.  And, it looks like we will! 

Parting Words

Madeleine's Godfather, John, was making motions to gather up his clan on Sunday after the First Communion reception at the church. 

He walked toward me and said, "OK, we're leaving!  Time to hit the road.  Everything went well.  We'll see you soon.  And, may your baby come out while you are sleeping." 

One can only hope.