When it rains...it POURS!!

Wow, has it been crazy around here! I haven't been able to blog everything in order, but here is a look into our life right now...

The toilet in our full bath hasn't worked in over a year and a half. There was a leak and we knew that we would need to replace the flooring. Because we have a half bath too, we put it off until we had the money. Then a few weeks ago, our half bath toilet started clogging up and over flowing. We found a car that Gavin put in there once so we thought he'd put something else in there too. We had carpet in the half bath (who does that...seriously??) and we were constantly cleaning it and drying it out. Our house was stinking and we couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. I'd had enough so we enlisted the help of my dad.

Last Saturday was the big day. Brian and my dad started in the bathroom while I took Macie and Lilah to gymnastics. Gavin stayed back to help the guys. What we thought would be an inconvenience turned into a NIGHTMARE!! Once they took up the toilet, tile, and sub floor, my dad was able to see into the crawlspace. What did he find? Sewage! Turns out, we had a leak that we didn't even know about. The sewage is what was causing the smell in our house. When I got home from gymnastics, I fed Lilah, loaded up the kids, and headed to Allie's. We ended up eating lunch and dinner, and doing baths there. I also started setting up for Gavin's party. Our house was a disaster and kept getting worse by the minute so I had him bring me some stuff. Thankfully, we were able to sleep at home, but we couldn't use any water in our kitchen. Brian and I could use the restroom sparingly and shower. That's it. I brought Macie and Gavin home and took Lilah to my parents house so that I could make cupcakes for Gavin's party. When I got home, I started cleaning up a bit and went to sleep. We had a long day ahead.

Sunday was a busy day! We didn't have any time to deal with the plumbing issues. First we had Lilah's baptism and lunch, then we had Gavin's birthday party, and we ended the day celebrating Aunt Dawn's 60th birthday. There will be future posts about that though. When we got home, we had to regroup and plan for the crazy week coming up.

Monday started off not so great...Brian's car wouldn't start. Are you kidding me? He was able to jump it from the van and get to work. He had someone jump him at lunch so that he could get to a place to get a new battery. Luckily, he got the girls safely to daycare. I kept Gavin for his hearing evaluation. Before we went, I loaded up the van with all of our laundry, dirty dishes, bath stuff, and lunch for me and the kids, and dropped it off at Allie's house. After the evaluation, we picked up the girls and spent the day at Allie's. I washed four loads of laundry, the dishes, and bathed the kids. Allie got off work a bit early and played with the kids. She was also kind enough to supply dinner for us. As far as the plumbing issues, Brian and I found out that it was going to be a few days before it was fixed. We also found out we couldn't use ANYTHING water related. We could run the water, but it couldn't go down the drains. The kids didn't nap at all and were starting to act pretty horribly. Macie went potty before we left Allie's, Lilah and Gavin are in diapers, and Brian could pee outside. That just left me and I had to hold it all night! Once we were home (and the kids were in bed by 6) , we unloaded everything and tried to get out house in order...ha ha!

Brian got up early Tuesday morning to head to Allie's to shower. He came back and our day didn't start out much better...we found Gavin in his bed with puke all over his pillow. Great! Brian had to wash his hair in a bowl. I obviously kept Gavin with me and Lilah. I was bummed because I wasn't able to visit my friend and her new baby. Brian took Macie to daycare and once he got there the realized he had my phone in his pocket. He came all of the way back to give it to me. I was looking everywhere for the phone and spilt sweet tea on the carpet in the process. Sweet Gavin was trying to help me. It's hard to clean up with no water! We loaded up the van with more dirty laundry and stuff that needed to be cleaned. Once again, we spent the day at Allie's. Luckily, Gavin didn't get sick again. He was a little clingy, but napped well and had a good day. Dad was kind enough to bring me some lunch and bad news. Our plumbing wouldn't be fixed for another day or so. That night, we picked up some chicken and potato salad for dinner and ate at my parent's house. Once again, we headed home to unload everything and catch up on some shows.

Wednesday was Gavin's birthday. I'll have another post for that. He still felt under the weather, but Brian was off so that helped. We spent the day at Allie's (notice a trend) so we could all bathe there. The good news house wise was that we could now use everything in our house except the kitchen sink and dishwasher. When we got home for the night, Brian finished digging a hole out back they needed and pulled up the carpet in the half bath.

Thursday, all three kids went to daycare. I took full advantage of it and cleaned our house. I got the living room, our bedroom, kitchen, and Macie's room cleaned out. Not perfect, but livable. That night I got Gavin and Lilah's room cleaned out. Feels good! The plumber came back and finished fixing everything. Now, we can use our dishwasher and kitchen sink. I had a doctor appointment in the afternoon and everything is good. I don't have to go back to see Dr. Crutcher for one whole year. I may have withdrawals:) Unfortunately, while I was at the doctor's office, I found out that Macie was puking at daycare. One more thing to add to the week. I picked them up as soon as I could. Macie has gotten sick several more times.

As of now, our plumbing issues have been fixed, but we still have a lot to do. Neither bathroom has flooring, we don't have a toilet in one bathroom, and there is still sewage that needs to be removed from under the house. Plus, I will keep Macie tomorrow and hope she feels better soon. I go back to work on Monday and have to get ready for that. Thankfully, I wasn't back at work when all of this happened.

When it rains...it pours around here! Thankfully, we've had people willing to help us out. Packing up and moving around 3 small children can be quite challenging at times!

Gavin's Hearing Evaluation

Yesterday morning, I took Gavin to the rehab center for another hearing evaluation. He had one over the summer and didn't fully pass it. Most of it he did, but he didn't respond to the various tones. We weren't sure if he was just being stubborn or really couldn't hear. He was too young to tell.
Gavin was the cutest thing and a hit everywhere we went! He quickly got bored with the check in and couldn't wait to play with the toys. He talked the entire time whether anyone was listening or not. Then, he was a big boy and led us to each of the three rooms we went in. In the first room, they looked in his ears and at the actual structure of his ear. Everything looked great there. In the second room, Gavin sat at a little desk and the lady went in the other room. He could see her through the window and hear her through his headphones. He looked so darn adorable in those headphones! I wish I had my camera with me. She had laid out several objects on the desk and asked him to give me different things. The look on his face was priceless! He was probably thinking..."why am I doing this again?" He did great there, but when she had him focus on a book and respond to tones, he didn't do it. Occasionally, she would make a pooh doll light up and dance and he would say, "Pooh funny, she funny". Because he wasn't responding, we went into a third room. In the last room, he sat at another desk and she played a game with him. The lady told me that he may not be able to do it because of his age. Most 2 and 3 year olds struggle and he will just be two tomorrow. She was shocked and amazed and how well he did and how smart he was. She said over and over, "Mom you should be so proud, you have no idea how good this is" I was definitely proud of him! He did the whole test even though he was getting a little restless. Every now and then, he would look back to make sure I was still there. Thankfully, he passed all tests and we don't have to go back. Gotta love news like that!

First Bottle and Day at Miss Julie's

Sunday night, Brian gave Lilah her first bottle. Just like the pap, she didn't have any trouble with it and took it right away! Brian was so happy to be able to feed her, but I always have a tough time at first. Even though it's a lot of work feeding her all of the time, it is a special thing. I'm over it though and it is nice to let other people help! I will feed her when I'm at home and pump for her time at daycare.
The reason that we gave Lilah a bottle was because she went to Miss Julie's for the first time on Monday morning. Gavin had an appointment and I couldn't take her with me. I was able to pick up the girls a little after 10 and spent the rest of the day with all three kiddos! Lilah will spend her first full day at Miss Julie's on Thursday and start full time next week:(

Proud Papa!

Visiting Holy Spirit

Last Friday, Lilah and I visited my classroom. We'd snuck into school a few times, but I didn't let the students see her. I didn't want to interrupt the class and I wanted to make sure Lilah was healthy enough. The kids were happy to see us. Lilah and I stayed during lunch and visited with the staff in the lounge. We had a nice visit and crazily enough, I will be back soon!

We have a sleeper!

Last Thursday, I fed Lilah around 9:15pm. We laid her down and started doing a few things around the house. Brian and I didn't make it to bed until 11:30pm. Around 3:15am, I hear Gavin crying so I go check out what was wrong. His sock was off and he couldn't get it back on. Why he cared about that, I don't know, but he went right back to sleep as soon as I fixed it. Once I realized the time, I freaked out and checked on Lilah. She was fine and didn't wake up to eat until 4:15am...7 hours later!! Technically, she is now sleeping through the night. That wasn't just a fluke because every night since then she has gone at least 6 hours. One night, she went 8 1/2! I will tell you, the sleep has been much needed (especially with all of the other drama we've had going on). Lilah is just now 6 weeks and sleeping through the night...love it!
In other news, she has rolled over from her belly to her back several more times. My baby is growing up way too quickly!

Little Bruiser

Just out of curiosity, we weighed Lilah on the wii tonight. According to that, she weighs almost 10 pounds! She is our little bruiser!!

Presents from Macie

Last night, Macie wrapped up presents for us! Even though she can be quite the challenge, she has a sweet side, too!

Each blanket wrapped present was full of toys!

Where's Gavin??

There he is!

A Few (Not So Fun) Firsts

Lilah has had a few not so fun firsts the last few days. Sunday night, we got some bad storms. Before kids, I would have slept right through it. Now, I get a lot more paranoid. Brian and I watched the tv for a while. They kept talking about winds that were 60+ miles an hour and suggested staying away from windows. All of my kids sleep by a window. I told Brian I wanted to take them in the bathroom for the worst part. Unfortunately, they were all asleep. We put a blanket in the bath tub and laid Lilah on it. Then, I held Gavin and Brian held Macie. We didn't turn the light on and only used a flashlight hoping the kids would stay asleep. Lilah did, but the other two ended up waking up. Macie knew right away that there was a storm because we'd practiced doing this before. We assured her everything would be fine. Thankfully the kids were in good spirits and went straight back to sleep after a drink of milk.

Yesterday, Lilah was fussy all day long. She wouldn't let me put her down. I was exhausted and unshowered when Brian and the kids got home. He held her and thought she felt a little warm, so he took her temp. Under the arm it was 99.2 and rectally it was 99.6. For a 5 week old baby, this was a little scary. None of my kids have had a temp this young. We called the after hours line and they said to take it again in two hours. If it got to 100.2, she would need to be seen. I was feeling guilty that I didn't realize she had a fever and really worried we were going to be making a trip to the ER. I called my mom to give her a heads up. She agreed to come and stay with the kids if we needed her. Thankfully, right before we took her temp again, I noticed she was sweaty. I was hoping that meant her fever broke and it did! She seems to be better today.

Grandpa and Lilah

Growing up, I didn't have a grandpa. I'm thrilled that my kids have two grandpas to love them. When I see my dad with my kids, it makes my heart smile!

Madisonville Road Trip

Aunt Allie came with Macie and me to her gymnastics class today. It was Macie's best class yet! Aunt Allie walked her out there and convinced her to get on a dot. She actually did all of the stretches with the class and stayed out there all but a five minute freak out in the middle and potty break. I got to sit on the bleachers with the other parents and I was one proud mama!

After the class, we picked up the rest of the family and headed to Madisonville. First, we met Brian's whole family at Applebees to eat. Macie and Gavin were already tired, but they were pretty well behaved. Considering we had four kids 3 and under, lunch was a success! Our next stop was the hospital to see Papaw (Grammie's dad). He's not doing so well and we wanted to make sure we went for a visit. We set up camp in a main hallway where there were some chairs. I didn't want Lilah to go into the room because she is so young. Nanny was able to come out and see the kids and meet Lilah. The rest of us took turns seeing Papaw. Aunt Katie even gave Macie a pedicure while we were there! Our last stop was to see Mamaw and Papaw (Pops' parents). We showed off Lilah and didn't stay too long because the kids were melting. The highlight for Gavin was the trains. He was so excited to see them up close! We had a great trip even though it was short.
When we were eating dinner, I asked Macie what her favorite thing we did today was. Keep in mind she went to gymnastics, ate at Applebeast, got Scooby snacks and gummy bears, and saw all of her family. She said, "Umm..I'd say seeing Papaw at the hospital. He gets a little bit sad sometimes." How sweet is that!?! Even though Macie can be challenging at times, moments like this make my heart smile!

Double fisting...this dude ate and ate! Lilah got cuddle time with Aunt Beth and Aunt Katie!

Nanny with my beautiful crew

This is the best picture I have of all four kids with Nanny...let's just say it wasn't easy!

Lilah and Nanny

Pedicure time!

I love this picture of my sweet nephew Parker!

The finished product

Four Generations of Mitchell Men

One Month Old!!

Lilah Jean is one month old today! On the one hand, the month has flown by and it doesn't seem real that she is here. On the other hand, I feel like she's been a part of our family forever! Here are some things she's been up to:

• Lilah is a great sleeper and eater! She eats every 2-3 hours and nurses like a champ. Occasionally, she has gas issues, but overall has done well. At night, she only gets up once or twice and sleeps the rest of the time. No complaints here!


• She is SO strong! She has rolled over from her belly to her back 4 times. She holds her head up pretty much on her own. When she is doing tummy time or laying on your chest, she pushes herself up and looks around. She is my most awake/alert baby by far and is often bright eyed!


• Lilah celebrated her first Christmas and New Year's even though she was so tiny and slept through them both!


• She is absolutely adorable and I think I may have a red head after all!


• She is so sweet and cuddly. She loves her mommy and daddy. Macie and Gavin love her and Lilah is still trying to figure them out!


• On a different note, I got back in my pre-pregnancy jeans last weekend! Woohoo!

Seriously...it shouldn't be this hard!

To get a decent picture of my three children

Thank goodness I think they're adorable no matter what!

Cuddling with Aunt Katie

This afternoon, Aunt Katie came for a visit. She wanted to cuddle with Lilah and she brought Cold Stone! She only planned to stay for a bit but ended up staying a long time. It was really nice to talk and catch up with her. We had a nice, lazy afternoon. Since she stayed so long, she was able to see Macie and Gavin, too. She even gave them a bath after dinner! We look forward to seeing Aunt Katie again soon!

Welcome Home Aunt Allie

After visiting with Grandma Wolf, my mom and I made a few stops and then ate lunch at Cafe 111. My mom had never been there before and I love that place. Our next stop was to pick up Allie from the airport. She spent 2 weeks in India and we missed her. We went to her house and hung out for a bit. My mom and I thought Allie would be really tired, but she insisted that I go get the kids and everyone come over for pizza. I left Lilah there and got the kids. They were so excited that I was picking them up early and that they got to see Aunt Allie. Macie missed her so much and said, "I have so much to tell her!" Brian and Dad came after work and we all sat around eating pizza and cookies Allie brought home. It was fun to hear some of her stories. She also brought the kids back some goodies. They each got a bracelet, some Indian money, and a key chain. It's nice to have Allie back!

Our camera started acting up so I only have pictures of Gavin

Gavin was showing off his key chain

The kids had so much fun playing with Allie's scarves

Meeting Great-Grandma Wolf

Lilah and I had a very busy day yesterday. My mom was off so we were able to spend the day together. She met us at our house and then we went to my grandma's house. She technically saw Lilah when I got my brows waxed, but she didn't get to hold her. It was nice to visit with my grandma for a while and watch her hold Lilah. I think my grandma is one of the best people I know and Lilah's middle name is after her. I'm so grateful that she is still around and able to hold my babies.

Siblings

Aww...peace at last!