Happy Birthday Jacob!

Today my baby boy is 6. Every year I sit back in amazement that the old cliche' "they grow up so fast" really is true.

May 19, 2003. The very day I was 37 weeks pregnant. I had been in the day before telling the doctor & nurses that I was in labor. But they, in all their "professional" knowledge told me I was wrong. 12 hours later I was back in labor & delivery and had dilated to 4 cm. I tried to tell 'em. :)

At 6:48 am this is the conversation that took place.

Dr. Freeman "I think he's about a 6 pounder"
Me: "Are you sure it's a boy?"

In all seriousness I had doubted the dr's assurance that I was having a boy. Surely ultrasounds can be wrong. Surely Dr. Freeman had gotten it wrong before. In fact, he got it wrong with a close friend of mine. So, I prepared for our 3rd boy, but deep in my heart was hoping for a girl. (more on that in a minute)

Jacob weighed in at a tiny 6lb 2oz. I remember thinking that he didn't look like the other two boys. I remember thinking that I could not name him Davis. I told Kyle this revelation while in recovery. We had already decided his name would be Davis. We had told family & friends - most importantly our then 2 1/2 year old - that this was baby Davis. But now, I just couldn't do it.

So, for the next few hours we "discussed" what we would name him. We, obviously, decided on Jacob. Jacob Aaron Brogdon.

And Jacob has been the hugest (is that a word) blessing to our family. We surely would have missed so much had he been a girl. God showed me, once again, how faithful He is and how much better he knows us than we know ourselves. I thought I wanted a girl. In reality, I just wanted another child. And life with my 3 boys for the next few years was delightful. Jacob was the BEST baby you could imagine. He has developed quite the temper in his preschool years, but he has also developed the greatest personality.

Our pastor once told us "the kite that pulls the hardest flies the highest." I believe God has BIG things in store for Jacob. My prayer for him is that he uses his passion to follow Christ with everything he is and that he will be a true worshipper of God.

I love you J. I am so honored that I get to be your Mommy and I can't wait to see the young man you are on the road to becoming.

Literally?

A part of Asperger's Syndrome is taking things literally.

Yesterday, I took Lucas & Noah to the orthodontist. Why they insist on seeing kids at ages 7 & 8 nowadays is a post for another day. But, that's where we were.

Before our appt each boy had to fill out a questionnaire about themselves: their likes & dislikes, etc.

Lucas had his turn and had a great conversation with the ortho about playing baseball, swimming, & eating pizza.

When it was Noah's turn, the conversation went like this:

Ortho: So, do you play baseball? I see you have a baseball on your shirt.
Noah: No.
Ortho: What sport do you like to play? Oh, I see here that you like to play soccer. Are you playing soccer now?
Noah: No.
Ortho: What are you doing right now?
Noah: Sitting in this chair.

I wish I could type the look on his face because it was so incredibly funny. He looked at the ortho. like "What a stupid question! Can you not see what I'm doing right now?"

I'm still laughing about it.

Fish & Friends

This past week we took the week off of school for Spring Break. I had big plans to get the house super clean & organized. Yeah. It was a good plan.

On Friday we took the kids to the aquarium. A couple of years ago we had season passes and went many many times, but haven't been back since those passes expired. But a few months ago a friend emailed and said they'd be in Atlanta during the week and asked if we could meet them there. So we made plans (which really means we scrounged & saved & ate beans & rice) to be there.

The friends that came down we first met in Guatemala back in 2005. During the adoption process we had the opportunity to travel down and spend a week with Ellie. This was an amazing time & a post for another day. While we were down there, though, we met another couple staying next door to us and adopting through the same agency. Their daughter was only a few weeks older than Ellie. We spent the week hanging out with them and had a great time.

We haven't seen each other since July of 2005 since they live several states away. So, when we found out they would be in Atlanta, we packed up and headed on into the ATL. I had images of Ellie & Makenzie hitting it off and years from now still be great friends. Ellie's first response to Makenzie, however, was to start saying "NO, I don't want to see her!!!!!" and running away. Ellie stayed like that most of the day while Makenzie was a sweetheart. However, we did manage to get one cute picture & hopefully years from now they will still be in contact despite Ellie's rude behavior!

Here they are in July 2005 & April 2009! (Thanks for sending the photo Stacy!)

Autographs for sale

You know those videos & pictures they show on American Idol of the contestants as kids?
You're looking at a future star, my friends. :)




Video by Lucas. Dancing by Ellie.

I saw this on another blog that I read. This had to have been written about me.

I present to you My Life.

If You Give A Mom A Muffin

Original Author Unknown

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

One of those days

Years ago when I thought about being a wife and mother I had visions of sugary sweet children who lavished their love, affection, and eternal gratitude on me. Kids who were always neat, clean, and obedient. Our home would always smell of freshly baked goods and dirt would not be found inside. Our pets would be non-shedding, non-barking, perfect angels to accompany my delusions. I would have gourmet meals prepared for dinner every night and my kids would never eat junk food.

HUH??

Here's reality. I present to you my day.

I woke up an hour late this morning due to the exhaustion of a child coughing all night. Kyle found a gash on the dog's leg as he brought him in from going potty this morning in the flood outside (it's been raining continuously for 3 days now). I called the vet as I was fixing Ellie's lunch for preschool. Of course I had to bring him in as they couldn't tell me anything on the phone.

I grabbed some clothes for the kids and myself, loaded up 4 kids and a dog and took Ellie to school. Then we headed for the vet.

I asked if I could leave the dog and pick him up later. I was told I had to wait. So I waited. Feeling guilty for not being home "doing school" we had a spelling bee in the waiting room. Then we figured out 19 + 19 mentally. We talked about vets and what they do. An hour and $$$ later we left with Max and his stapled, bandaged leg and one of those cone shaped collars so he wouldn't bother it. I was told he had to wear this for at least 3 days. Yeah. Ok.

We got back home and discovered that Max was not going along with the cone collar fashion. He took it off no less than 10 times and I put it back on him each time. He ran into the walls so many times he started just standing in one place and not moving with his tail tucked between his legs. He wouldn't eat, drink, or pee. So I took the collar off. Someone had to sit by his crate every second to make sure he didn't chew his bandage. Not going to work. Put the collar back on this time accompanied by lots and lots of masking tape. I threw a frozen pizza into the oven and called it lunch.

Went to pick up Ellie. We stopped by the library to get some books and make me feel as if I was doing something to educate my kids. Of course, Noah had forgotten his shoes (see previous post). So here I head across the parking lot carrying my 7 year old and corralling everyone else in the rain. The kids were horrid in the library. The check out machine wasn't working well. As we were waiting on the librarian to bring us our DVDs Ellie dumped out the basket of 43 books onto the floor. I put her in time out in the chair and she started screaming and kicking and crying. I can't put into words how loud this is - you just have to experience it. I pack up the books and start to leave, she refuses to come, and as I walk through the doors, the book alarm goes off. We turn around and head to the desk so they can go through all 43 books one by one to see which one set off the alarm. All the while ellie is still in the chair screaming and the boys are playing chase around the stand of newspapers.

We get home and I take off the dog's collar so he will go potty and drink some water. I'm putting the collar back on which involves lots of tape and a 46 pound dog trying to sprint away, the kids are helping themselves to yogurt, Ellie runs in and shows me her painted yogurt face and the phone rings. Somehow I answer it and a staff member from church says "Hey Rebecca - is this a good time?"

I had to laugh so I wouldn't cry. Still trying to manage the dog I hold a conversation about finding nursery workers for the extra Easter services we're having.

As I hang up the phone I realized it's almost 4:00, I've failed at homeschooling today, my kids will be stupid and never get into college, I haven't had a shower today and am gross, dinner needs to be cooked and kids bathed because we have home group tonight.

Piece of cake.