Betsy's B-day

Hey Bets,
I've been thinking about you throughout the day today. Happy 29th! Hope you had a great Christmas and an equally great Birthday. Let me know how it feels to be 29--mine is just around the corner :)
Much love
Lizzy

Slap Me the Next Time I...

Today I tried my hand at adding another child into the mix. I kept a 2 month old baby for most of the day. I think it would have been okay had i not had to actually do some everyday things like actually leave the house! Oh me oh my talk about insanity. I will say however, that by 2pm they were all sleeping in seperate rooms. So then i proceeded to other normal things like lunch and laudry. So with all that said, the next time i say i want another one right now SLAP ME! I will be ready in a year i really believe but now is a whole different story!
I am hoping to post some pics of our holiday season tomorrow. Right now i need to veg in a major way!

Meow.
Mandycat

"Oh Trish-mess tee, Oh Trish-mess tee...

How lovely are thou branches!" I love hearing Kenna say the word "Christmas"--and I especially love to hear her sing. Today at lunch we were playing Christmas music and she was singing, "rejoice, rejoice..." in O Come O Come Emmanuel. I can't imagine what it must do to God's heart for him to hear his little ones praise his Son--it certainly fills mine with immeasurable joy!

She got her first Barbie from my aunt yesterday and studiously combed and 'ficked'(fixed)her hair today. She's such a little girl! I can't believe how she is growing and changing right before my eyes. Eli bought her some snow boots that have little pink fluff balls on the end of the laces. When she walks in them it looks like she is wearing a cross between ski boots and leg braces! But she loves them.

We were dumped upon again this past weekend. We got several inches of snow and weren't even able to go to church on Sunday. I wonder if Fulty-cat got much? Betsy--got your Christmas card via e-mail just now. Loved the picture of Brevin trampolining!!

I hope all my cats are doing well. Vanessa, Fulty and Klep--we'd love an update. Byrd and Bets--keep us posted on your holiday events.

Much love
Indy-cat

Happy Birthday

Wanted to wish Mandy a very happy birthday- even though Liz beat me to it (I think we are the only 3 that actually look at this any more)!

Also, the clomid apparently wasn't our friend this month so we will try again next month- although we will be in Ohio and Swartz will be gone at crucial times so I definitely think we will be waiting until January for better results!

Is Byrd turning 28?

Happy Birthday Byrd-cat! Hope you enjoy your 28ness. 30 is just around the corner--can you believe it.
Lizzy

oops...forgot

The reason I titled my last blog "a quiet toddler is a naughty toddler" is because one morning ELi and I were a little slow getting out of bed in order to supervise Kenna. She was in her room and was just a little too quiet. When I finally got up to go see what she was up to I discovered that she had gotten some vaseline out of my diaper bag and had smeared it all over her baby doll. Hmmm....I think I'll have to teach her my infamous vaseline stunt. Anybody up for a butt-print?

A quiet toddler is a naughty toddler

Hello Dear Cats,
Yesterday Duncan and I appeared as Mary and Baby Jesus for the chapel service at our church's daycare. Eli and Kenna tagged along. When Kenna saw me walk out in my Mary costume holding Duncan wrapped in a blanket she yelled out, "Baby Jesus!" It was endearing. Apparently she's understanding something that we're teaching her as of late.

It's been snowing up here. Kenna and I made a snow man today and then pretended to be bears roaming around our front yard. I'm sure that if any of my neighbors saw me on all fours crawling about our yard they may very well think differently of me now. The things we do for our children.

Lizzy

Heathens on Saturday...

Well cats i have two stories that must be shared.

1. Let me begin by saying Ava JUST TURNED 2 not 12. Saturday morning i was getting her ready to go to a church thing. She was aggravatin the snot out of me by dumping her bag of hairbows out continuously. So i asked her to stop. She then proceeds to look me square in the face and says, "Get over it, mom." Yes. It is true. B-A-D-D!

2. On the same day, Daniel was in charge of throwin a diaper and some wipes into my bag as we left for the church thing. We get downtown to Market Square. We have been there about 10 minutes and Ava takes a ridiculously smelly dump in her diaper. I go to get my purse and of course there is no diaper or wipes in the bag. So, it was Daniel who forgot them so it was Daniel who i told to truck himself over to the parking garage and change her from the emergency stash that was in the van. Ten minutes later Daniel returns to tell me he didn't find any diapers in the van. Note here that there were diapers in the van-they just didn't jump magically into his hand when the van door opened! So at this point i asked him so what is Ava wearing on her butt? He proceeds to tell me, and cats i swear this is the truth--he found one of my pads in the van and she is wearing it! Yes! I know... Well, i am mortified but we continue our walk around Market Square. Ten minutes later i sit down with Ava and notice none other but the pad is around her ankle. The dingbat didn't even take the paper off the pad. Seriously....

We are packing him up for Christmas!

Well, not much exciting has been happening here either. I, too, have a poop story. Last night Brevin had to poop so this is what he does. He goes just enough to get a little out (we like to call it a turtle head) and then we cuts it off. He did this twice and we made it to the potty to put our little deposit in the correct place. Then he goes one more time, but of course he decides to get it all out and Swartz and I weren't in the same room so we didn't hear him say "Need to poop again." Anyways, it left me with something nice to clean up (I am very thankful now that his poops are always well formed)! We have decorated for Christmas and Brevin likes to tell people that Santa Claus is coming to town- and also that Santa is going to bring him Ratatouille (he saw a preview on the Cars movie and is obsessed with the 'mouse'). Oh- I also found out that with this blood disorder I have I will have to take Lovenox for my entire pregnancy (hoping that I do get pregnant anyway)- which I figured wouldn't be a big deal. Well that was before I found out it is a shot I have to give to myself every single day of the pregnancy- looking forward to that! We should find out in about a week if the clomid worked- I'll keep you all posted. By the way- what happened to your website Fulty? And how is everyone else doing?

*Update* Just wanted to show you all a picture of that advent calendar I made- Brevin loves changing it every morning.

Monday

Well hello friends of mine who are not posting as often as they should. Maybe if i get the ball rolling with a general update it will encourage some certain slackers to catch up with the rest of us.

Currently, the copy man is here in the office and i am alone and it is sort of strange. As i type right now he is having a fairly extensive phone conversation. He talks through his nose and smells like a smoke stack. How's that for an update?

Also, today at MDO Ava told her teacher she wanted to go poop in the potty and sure enough she did. That would be the way she gets started--poop first. She is something else! You just never know...hold on the copy may is telling me all about his phone conversation...

...Aaanndd we're back. Okay well i know this isn't mountain moving news but hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and will decide to update soon. It doesn't have to be super exciting as you can tell from this post.

One more thing-Kevin Ennis and his wife Emily are coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I plan on being very bad. I haven't met Emily yet so should be interesting. You know how good i am with new people. :)

Meow
Mandycat

Where two or more gather...

Meow Meow! Where two or more cats gather there the other cats shall be! Byrd-cat is visiting the Indy-cat and now we're both shiverin' in our fur--especially when Lizzy forgets that she has turned off the heat. We miss the rest of our dear Cats. Mandy and I have enjoyed watching our children play, fight and get to know each other better. Mandy wants you all to know that we're being bad and causing trouble--what else would you expect.

It's cold up here!

Hi Kitties
The Indy-Kitty is shiverin' in her fur! It's cold up here today. The kids and I are all bundled up and looking forward to the winter months. I'm excited about Christmas this year--Eli is off from December 15th to the 26th!!! This is the first time he has had Christmas off since he started with the department. I'm open to a road trip in the near future but would need to know more details before I could decide for sure. Duncan would certainly have to come with me--as for Kenna, well, that would take some arranging and talking with Eli.

I wish I had more exciting things to talk about...I got new glasses today, woo hoo! That's about as exciting as it gets on this blustery 15th of November the year of our Lord 2007.

Maybe you would enjoy some pics
Much love
Lizzy

Drugs!

I was able to get an appointment with a doctor yesterday to talk about Clomid. Even though I was there for 2 hours, I was glad to get started. I will start taking it today and then I will take some Prometrium later in the cycle (I also took that with Brevin). Hopefully this will jump start some things. I guess we will find out in about a month. Also, a road trip sounds great. Although, most of my weekends are booked up until Christmas. But I will be in Ohio over the break so I could meet you all up in Cleveland!

Long Overdue

Okay cats, not all of you read this faithfully however maybe this little post could get the ball rollin. I really think we need to put our heads and calendars together and try to plan a little roadtrip. I know several of you are deep in new baby world but maybe, just maybe we could make something work. We have never even been to Fulty's and i don't know about you but i could be up for a road trip-even if we had to meet in the middle. I think we could all use a weekend with one another. Sooo...whose up for it and what works with schedules? I know the teachers among us have a decent sized Christmas break. Nessa and Klepper you really need to chime in here!

Meow.
Mandy

Fall Leaves

So this was Brevin's Halloween costume this year. I made it so that is why it is a little big around the neck- but overall I thought it looked okay. He was a doctor if you couldn't tell. : ) I have been to see the hematologist (who apparently is also an oncologist) so when I get to his office I have pretty much convinced myself I have cancer because everyone is there for their chemo treatments. But luckily I just have a genetic thing that gives me clotting issues. He acted like it wasn't a big deal- I will just have to be on a blood thinner if I ever do get pregnant. They are running one more test that will tell them a little more and I find out about that in 3 weeks. After that, I called my OB about starting on clomid and I thought maybe I would have them just prescribe it over the phone. Well the nurse says they have to do an exam to check for cysts (mind you I just had one about a month and a half ago, but apparently that isn't sufficient). So I call to schedule an appointment and the doctor I am seeing isn't taking any new appointments because she is going on maternity leave soon. So I still haven't heard back from the nurse, but hoping for just the phone-in prescription still. Anyways, a little frustrating. Brevin is still doing well with the potty training. I can definitely tell the days he is at MDO because he seems to have at least 1 accident on those days, being he is in a pull-up there. But I am happy with his progress. To answer your question Liz- Brevin usually only calls us by our first names if we are calling for the other person (like if I am calling out Swartz, he will too). It still amazes me how much he can talk now- it is like he has been doing it his whole life, when really about 4 or 5 months ago he could only muster up single words. Now he can count, almost has his ABC's, can sing lots of sings (with some missing words), and talks in sentences pretty well. Anyways, Liz if you are coming in town, I would love to get together and see you some time. We should all try to do dinner one night or something. I would love to see Kenna and Duncan.

Hum Drum Indy-Cat

Well Dearest Cats
Not much going on up here in Indy-town. I'm still chasing after toddlers and cuddling babies. I'm trying to establish some sort of regiment so I don't feel so useless and wasteful of time--I hate that feeling. Eli's really excited because our new mayor-elect is planning to bring some much needed cleansing and direction to the department. He seems to really enjoy keeping up with the politics. The kids are great. Duncan seems so much easier than Kenna at this age--he's on the verge of the smiling stage. Kenna has her doctor jekyll and mr. hyde moments! We love her none the less. She can count to eleven pretty well. The other day in one of her prayers she got mixed up and instead of saying something like, "Jesus, thank you for this day" she said, "Jesus, thank you four, five". It was very dear and we love watch as she tries to sort through the English language...not an easy one! She also enjoys referring to us as "Ee-i and Whiz". Does anyone else's kids like to call them by their first names? Well, i need to go. Talk later. LIzzy

Oddities...

So i may be the only one reading/writing around here right now but i have to get it out somewhere & somehow. First let me just share that Ava will be two on Friday and she is currently referring to herself as the "Birthday Princess." It is a little ridiculous. Also a little ridiculous is Atley's newest tactic. When he is doing something he is not supposed to and he hears me say his name to call him down, here is his response, "Sorry, I'm not Altey, I'm Cheeseburger." Now, what the H am i supposed to do with that? So lately to save myself time i just refer to him as Cheeseburger when he is misbehaving. This did however earn some strange looks in Chic Fil A on Tuesday. Oh well.

Another oddity for you now, and i am still sort of processing this one. Last night we visited Ava's birth family. They threw a little birthday party for her. We had pizza and a cake and she was given a plethora of gifts. We really had a lot of fun and they are such a great family. They even gave Atley a few gifts. Now as an adoptive mom i don't really find this odd anymore. But last night as we were visiting in the midst of it all i zoned out and tried to take an outsider's view of the scene. I mean here is me, sharing my daughter with this family, this woman who took drugs and in turn gave my baby drugs, loving and playing with my daughter. Then there with us is her biological grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin, half sister and the great aunt no less. All of them doting on both of my kids. Then there is Atley running and playing with the cousin and the half sibling (only to Ava mind you) like they are his own family-when really there is absolutely no biological relationship at all. He actually has his own set of bio family like this. Now don't tell me this doesn't sound like something off of one of Jerry Springer's milder shows! It really is crazy-ESPECIALLY if open adoption is a scary foreign concept to you. But you know what cats? I wouldn't change one thing about it. It was so good. It felt like God was there-like this is the way he intended it from the beginning. I sat there in that room in that moment and prayed that my "family" would continue to grow like this. I really don't want to birth children because at this point i feel like i would be missing out on something if i did. I know that is strange. I hope that as my life changes i will get to continue to receive these gifts that are glimpses into the way i think God intended for grace to look. I know that God has given each of us different perspectives into his grace and that they are all beautiful, but this morning, as i look back on last night, i am just really thankful for mine.

Love you all.
Meow
Mandy

Catty's in the News...

Oh cats. What a CRAZY few days. Your dearest Mandycat has been on the evening news twice in the last two days-only for good things mind you! We had 75 or so people and a news crew come out to the TRH Dedication & Open House and it all went really well. Then yesterday we moved our first family in, with the news crew present again. If you want to see the two news segments by the way you can but going to our website; www.therestorationhouse.net. Well, i am really tired and need to chill for awhile but just wanted to share with you. I will write more details later. Love you all.

Meow.
Mandy

first Halloween...

So I guess parenthood is all about dressing your children up in ridiculous costumes and outfits and taking lots of pictures of them. These are my precious little candy corns. Aren't they cute?
-fulty

I'm officially able to blog!!

Ta-da...Lizzy-cat can blog now!
Well, this cat with 2 kittens is doing fairly well. My strength seems back to normal but the rest of my body leaves much to be desired--consisting of flab, stretch marks and expansion in places better left unsaid. Having two hasn't been too bad yet--the hardest things are making sure I'm not still in my robe and pajamas at lunch time and trying to wrangle Kenna in. She is certainly exerting her rights of toddlerhood. Duncan is a sweet little man--still sleeping, nursing and pooping. The other day I had him on the bathroom counter and he whizzed right into the sink--great aim! Having a son is proving to be an interesting experience. Men and boys are interesting creatures...do I hear an AMEN! Kenna will be 'Cookie Monker' on Halloween. I made the outfit myself! Duncan will simply wear Halloween socks.

Byrd, can't believe you're so close to having a mother come stay with you. I loved how you put the updates in your prayer e-mail. Nice touch!
Fulty, bless your heart! I wish I too could be there to help. Did you have your gallbladder completely removed?
Bets, Yeah for Brevin!!! I'm sold out on the all-or-nothing potty training way. Sounds like he's on the right path.
V, thinking of you. Got the pic in the mail of your two dark furry headed children. Where did that hair come from?
Klep, miss you! Hope you're able to post more often.

Love you all and look forward to sharing our lives together--no matter how far apart we may be.
much love
Lizzy

only fulty...

well, I can't talk long. I need to go back to bed and rest. major surgery does that to you, you know. but it's ok, my parents just got here and they'll be here till at least Thursday to take care of the babies.
so friday was our 6th anniversary of getting together. Steve decided to take me and the babies to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. As soon as we got home, I started having horrible back pain. I thought I was going to pass out, and that it might be a heart attack. i told steve to call aunt debby (Jean Hanze's mom) and have her come watch the babies while I went to the ER. this was the worst pain I've ever been in my entire life. long story short, i just got home from the hospital tonight after having gall bladder surgery. why not? i don't have enough going on in my life right now. i needed some excitement.
thank goodness for morphine and vicodin. can i get an amen?

Exciting Times!

Wow Mandy so excited for you and everything that is happening in your life. That is awesome that you got such a good deal on the van. And I am sure Daniel is happy with a truck- I don't think Swartz will ever be without a truck again. We were up in Ohio for the week of Fall Break. It was fun and relaxing and the best news of all...Brevin is doing so well going on the potty. We started on Saturday- just went straight to the underwear. It was a little rough the first day- he would pee, then cut it off, then go a little more, and cut it off, but after the first day he figured out how to pee all at once. He was standing on a stool the first night and trying to pee and pooped instead- on the floor. So he did really well the rest of the week. Only had a couple accidents by the end. I was kind of nervous about how he would do on the way home and we put a pull-up on him because I didn't think he would tell us when he had to go, but lo and behold, he told us at about 10 he had to go so we made it to the next exit and pulled off to the side and he just peed outside of the truck. Then we were eating and he went there and then just into Knoxville he said he had to go again and so we pulled over on the highway (probably not the safest technique) and he went again. He made it the whole way with no accidents. I was amazed. Of course today he has already pooped in his underwear (that is no fun!). I wasn't paying attention and he snuck one by me! Oh well, we are on our way I think! Hope everyone is doing well! Take care!

So Much To Share...

Well i know it has been awhile but so many things have happened i don't know where to start. So how about i make a list? Okay here goes:

1. My dad got married. It was an awesome week with he and Jill. I have grown super close to Jill-she is really great. It might have been one of the most beautiful weddings i have ever seen.

2. My dad gave Daniel a truck. So we traded in the xterra and the accord and ta da, we have a new van! We got an amazing deal at Duncan Automotive and straight traded the two cars for the van and don't have any payments. It is a 2001 Honda Odyssey, fully loaded with the seats that fold into the floor. It is the best thing ever. Liz, you'll just have to get over it! :) You can't really tell by the pic but it dark green. I feel as if i am deeper in the ranks of motherhood when i drive it. And there is just SO MUCH space!

3. TRH received three referrals, meaning there are three single moms interested in TRH. We interviewed one girl on Monday. She is in labor today and she will likely be our first family. Looks like she will be moving in the first full week of November! Craziness. We feel really good about her though.

4. I am directing the CAK musical and it opens on Thursday night. The show this year is Tom Sawyer and it is consuming my time this week.

5. Sunday, November 4th from 2-4pm is TRH's dedication and open house. I would love for my cats to come! Please try to make it if you can. It is going to be a really special time and i would love for you to be a part of it. We will have volunteers helping with childcare if needed.

Okay, i think that is the highlights. So how is everyone else? Ness, we haven't heard from you in awhile and Liz and Steph i hope you are holding up okay with the new babes! Let us know how you are.Bets, fall break with no MDO is the pits! Klepper, at lease we know you are alive. :) No, it was good to hear from you. Hope you can find the time and place to update us a little more often or at least send out an email!

Love you all! More soon.

Meow
Mandy

Oh how I love doctors!

So I went to the ob doctor yesterday to get the results of my blood work. The only things they could find is that I have some blood disorder in which my body has a hard time breaking down clots- which means I need to eat healthy and exercise! I guess that just gives me a motivating factor. It also can cause you to have recurrent miscarriages. So I have to go see a blood doctor to have him explain stuff to me and maybe do more tests. The only other thing was that my testosterone was a little high (should be 0-0.38 and mine was 0.55) and she said that could cause you not to ovulate. So I guess I go see the blood doctor and meet back with the ob doctor to discuss what he said and if we want to try Clomid. So I was a little disappointed because I really didn't seem to get a clear cut answer like I wanted but oh well.

Klepper- good to finally hear from you! I am glad you are enjoying your job! And no I haven't ever heard of that company.

LIz- hope you are doing well. Can't wait to see some more pics of that cute baby. By the way- love the name!

quick question

quick question: have any of you ever heard of the jewelry company 'lia sophia'? it's one of those home businesses like Premier Jewelry, Pampered Chef, etc. it used to be called Lady Remington - have any of you heard of it? i never had until up here in ohio this week.

why do you hate ME!?!

So here sits innocent little Klepper, just working away at her new job, wishing she could access the Cat Blog but Hamilton County Schools has it blocked...unbeknownst to her, her friends have been bashing her behind her back!!!!!!!!!! :) meow

no, really, it stinks cause i thought i was all hooked up since i now have internet access at school, but that also means that most everything is blocked. so here i am in ohio at my brother's house with my nephews and he has high-speed so i decided to check out the cat blog taht i've been dying to see. it looks great and like a really good way to keep up! i'm glad to see pics of liz and the new baby boy! that picture of kenna kissing him is adorable.

well i'm really enjoying teaching sixth grade reading - the team i teach with is awesome, we have a good group of kids this year, and we just moved into our new wing the week before fall break - which made for some late nights with it being exam week, end of the first quarter week, moving week, and the first week of lockers...oh, my goodness. it's amazing how many things that HAVE to go to their locker for. but i am really content in my job and i can see myself doing this for more than just a few years...but we'll see what happens. Eric is plugging away with school; he didn't start off the semester too well cause he was out of the studying groove and it took him a while to get back into it. he's doing great again, though. he's also part-time helping manage a local band (nothing huge, but he enjoys it, helps him work on his leadership skills, and makes a little extra money). also, he got 10 hours of work study in the teacher ed department at Lee - my husband the little secretary!!!

so i'm chillin' at my parents house for a few days; but daniel (brother) is going to be in atlanta, GA this weekend to jump out of a plane at the air show so we're going to go down to it. i'm loving this fall break - it was much needed; if i'm not careful i can burn myself out real quick putting in so many hours at school.

i love and miss you all!!!!!!!
meow - klep

The Den Adds a New Cub...

Yesterday the den added a new cub. Our dearest Lizzy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Duncan James. I will let her share the story when she gets a chance but for now here are some pictures. I think this little boy will be loved just a little! Congratulations & we love you Liz, Eli and Kenna!

Oh, and one more thing. Are we sure Liz actually birthed the baby? I mean she looks so good! Geez!

Meow.
Mandy

Maybe His Name Should Have Been Ludwig...

So maybe we gave Atley the wrong name. Monday we were coming home from the babysitter's house and he was really tired and pretty whiny. In the midst of his whining he says this, "Mommy, I just need Beethoven."

Needless to say, i promplty arrived home and turned on the classical music. Ludwig Jr... I mean Atley, played happily until dinner.

Meow.
Mandy

Some pics for kicks...

So these are not as cute as the the new Politte babies! But we have had a great summer. Now if it will just cool down enough to enjoy the fall!

Love the Cats!

So I went to the doctor yesterday and they drew 18 viles of blood from me. The nurse told me if I was getting that much blood drawn I needed to shorten my name- she had to write the full thing on every vile. I go tomorrow for an ultrasound and to talk to the doctor. I guess they are looking for follicles or something. They said the test results from the blood work wouldn't be back for like 2 weeks.

No further success with the potty training. Tried to get him to poop again on the potty but he wouldn't go and of course 5 minutes after his diaper was on he pooped in there. He is starting to tell me "pee pee on the potty" during the day and I am assuming that he is going in his diaper so I suppose that is a step in the right direction. I think we will probably just go cold turkey- maybe Christmas time- and just switch to underwear- we shall see how things progress. Any advice from you all would be willing accepted! Not much else to report on- Brevin is enjoying MDO- and so am I! : )

By the way- thanks for the interpretation Mandy- I had no clue what a neener-cleaner was!

The Politte Twins

I'm sorry I haven't been able to blog since the birth of my two beautiful babies. It's been kinda crazy at my house. But rest assured, my children and I are doing well. We are home and learning the ropes. They are just perfect and were certainly worth waiting the 2 years it took us to get pregnant!

Steve has created a website for the babies, so go to this address: web.mac.com/spolitte and use this username: happyparents and this password: babies

Can't talk long, I've got things to take care of. Love you all!!!

-Fulty

From the Indy Kitty

Another post from our dear tech-deprived preganant Liz. Just as a side note to translate for her: a neener-cleaner is a bathtub. Only Liz.

Hello Cats!
Clearly Klepper only hates you all because she called me yesterday to see how I was doing!! Just teasing--I didn't actually get to talked to her. I was cat-napping when she called. Dearest Byrd, I am so proud of you and can't wait to hear how things go with your first mother and child. This is where the rubber meets the road--that certainly has to be scary. However, I'm sure God has things planned that you have yet to imagine! By the way--the neener cleaner is up and running!

I am still pregnant and a bit jealous of Fulty that her Twinkies are out and have been for a week! But I must be patient. The doctor today didn't indicate any more development for me--perhaps he'll be an October baby. October 1st or 3rd--those dates have a nice ring to them. However, there is supposed to be a full moon this Wednesday--maybe Mr. Baby will get a little squirrelly!

Hope all is well with my other Cats. Bets, how is Brevin with the potty training? Any news from the doctor?

Much love
Indy Kitty

Transitions...

So i guess i just need to share with my dear cats some stuff playing through my mind on pretty much a daily basis right now. This Restoration House thing is really starting to take shape and it just might be the scariest thing ever. Seriously, like scarier than most things i have experienced until now. Saturday we trained our first group of mentors. We handed them a 50 page handbook and spent three hours training them. The funny thing is i am training them on something i haven't really done myself yet. It is a little odd to think of it this way. I mean this whole TRH thing is a theory that, although has been effective in other places in the country, may or may not work here in K-town. So this week my sister is moving out and then renovations on the upstairs will take place and then...lo and behold a strange woman and her baby will move in. We officially start taking referrals this week. For the last four weeks pretty much once to twice a week we get a phone call asking if we are taking referrals yet. For so long TRH has been so conceptual and so much time has been focused on raising the money to stay afloat and putting together the nuts and bolts of how all this will work on a daily basis. Now the time is almost here--it will actually happen in the next couple months and although i know we are doing exactly what God wants us to do i am not sure how i feel about it. Don't get me wrong of course there is excitement and all that but i have never felt this way before. I am neither overwhelmed or dreading it, i am not chomping at the bit to get started or ambivalent. I think i am just ready to see "it" happen. I am not completely sure what "it" is but i am hoping it is restoration for as many single mother families as it can possibly be. I just can't believe that what we have been working towards for two years now comes down to this unknown woman and her baby that will be moving into my/her house very soon.

So there ya go. If you got this far in reading...thanks. On another note, is the party at Nessa's still goin down this weekend? Liz, are you pushing yet? Klepper, you obviously still hate us. Bets will you be at Nessa's?

Much love.
Meow
Mandy

The Disney Hangover

Well, we are coming down off our Mickey Mouse high and trying to slowly slip back into reality around here. Although Atley still wakes up every morning saying, "Hey mommy lets catch a bus to Mickey's Castle!" Daniel says we should just start using public transportation. I told him to go ahead-alone. Anyhow, I dare say that our trip to Mickey's house was nothing short of magical. There has just never been anything like it. The kids had the best time and so did we. We just blew off the schedule and went hard and fast all week long. We ate hotdogs in the rain while watching the fireworks over the castle at 9pm one night then rode the bus home and walked around the hotel. Ava and Atley were mesmerized most of the time. Ava has a serious crush on Mickey Mouse. She has a stuffed one that she has yet to put down. He has even received a few spankins and a couple time outs for not lying down at night for bed. It is quite funny. Atley's new love is Nemo. He quotes lines from the movie and loves to do turtle talk with Crush. We drove buy a big Methodist church with a huge steeple last night and Ava said, "Mommy, there's Mickey's castle!" I think we are going to try to go every other year we loved it that much! YOu are all welcome to join us. We got a great deal through AAA.

But it is back to real life now...i still wish pwigwet, as Ava calls him, (Piglet) was coming to dine with us tonight as he did last week. But alas, it will just be us and our spaghetti i suppose.

I will post pics when i get them back.

Meow.
Mandy

Yummy! Cake batter!

Well I hope everyone is doing well! We went camping over the weekend with my parents in northern Kentucky. Brevin loves it- he loves being outside and it was relaxing for Swartz and I because he would much rather play with his Grandpa than with anyone else! We got back on Sunday and he pooped in the potty! Yippee. He didn't act scared about it or anything. Now if I could only get him to pee in there- that is another story. He is doing much better at MDO- seems to enjoy going and talks a lot about it at home. The other day we were riding in the car and he started saying "No, no mommy" so I turn around in my seat and he gives me the "evil eye" just like I give to him when he is doing something he shouldn't be doing- it was pretty funny. Mandy how was your trip? Can't wait to hear all about it. Do we have a day we are going out to eat yet? Klepper- would love to hear from you if you are reading this and Fulty can't wait to see pictures of those cute kids! Love you all!

I love my cats

Kitties,

Sorry it has been so long! I just recently acquired access to a computer since we moved. We are settled in and all is as well as can be expected. The main reason I do not have computer access is that Scott decided to clean the inside of our computer and broke the processor, ouch that hurt alot!! Yet another outlet to adult conversation and interaction destroyed!! Lizzie you look great and I know you are so ready to have the baby out! Gabe is peeing in the potty pretty regularly, but it still has to be his idea. I am hoping to get down to business around Christmas time! Bets I will be praying for you in regards to the doctor. Also, I Jenney came by just last week, she is alive and well. Jenney if you are reading this I love you! She just recently acquired access to the internet, so hopefully we will hear from her soon! We sold our house, praise the Lord, and Scott was able to give up his dream of delivering pizzas for Papa Johns! Anyway, so much to say, but is anyone going to Chad's wedding? I would love to take a road trip! Well everybody hang in there and stay strong in our Savior! I love you. Vanessa

A Word from the Liz

Liz is still having some technical difficulties but she sent this to me to post:

Hello Cats
The Indy Kitty is still waddling about and 'nesting' like a regular ol' bird. The baby's head is down, I've dilated a whole finger tips width, and we're meeting with our doula. I'm in the home stretch!! Still no name picked out--but what's new with us McAllister's! He'll have one when we leave the hospital I suppose.

Whenever I fart Kenna promptly says, "Iz you Mommy"--translation, "Excuse You crass Mother!" I don't stand a chance! She continues to build her vocabulary and make her own modifications. Oscar the Grouch is "Okar" and she calls the Count "ah aH AH". I really don't know where they get these things. Today we went into the bathroom and a twinkie shaped turd dropped out of her skivies! Never a dull moment.

Love you all
Lizzy

Questions that Need Answers.

Where the crap is Jenneycat? I think she must hate us.

Liz, is Eli sick? Daniel is sick as a dog. Puke and poopin without relief. We leave for Disney on Sunday.

Ness, how did the move go and are you surviving two?

Fulton, are you laying on the surgical table yet?

Bets, how is MDO going?

Don't be slackers cats.

Our family update goes like this: Atley turned three this weekend. Crazy. He is officially potty trained, peeing and pooping regularly as well as staying dry at night. He currently like to push really hard and say, "Nope, that wasn't it," if nothing happens. Then when it does happen he says, "I think he's coming!" A little strange, but hey if he is doing it he can say whatever the heck he wants. Ava is a sassy brother tormenter. I am just trying to keep my head above water in hopes that we can make it to our plane on Sunday morning.

Just a little note, yesterday afternoon i picked the kids up from the sitter and Atley was tired and whiny. We are driving along and whines out, "Mommy, i need Beethoven." What child says that? Lord help me.

Any other updates cat friends?

Meow.

Quick Hello!

Well, not much exciting is happening here. Brevin did much better last week at MDO- of course now he hasn't been there in a week so tomorrow could be an adventure. Just wondering how you are doing Fulty? Not too much longer- hand in there! Liz, I hope you are feeling well also. Vanessa- did you get moved yet? Mandy- your stories continue to having me laughing out loud! The poop story is a classic- Swartz was even laughing over that one! Well- gotta get some kiddos dressed! Hope everyone has a good day/week!

Alone with Dad Again...

So i seriously never know what is going to happen when i leave my children at home with their father. Saturday morning i got up early to look around at some local consignment sales. I got home at 10:30am. My soon to be three year old, comes running up to me and says this, "Mommy, my poop flies!" And how am i supposed to reply to this?

Although i was absent, the story goes something like this: Daniel took Atley and Ava outside to play before it got so dog-breath hot outside. Evidently Atley told Daniel he needed to pee. Well, i suppose thinking we need to teach our son that the whole of creation is his personal urinal, he told Atley to just pee outside. Well daniel went to pull Atley's pants down only for a big fat turd to come rolling down his leg and hit the ground. So Daniel, being the smart and ever so talented father and husband that he is, immediately goes and gets a shovel, scoops up the turd and sends it flying across the fence (probably into the neighbors yard, but i didn't ask because i really don't want to know. Atley, witnessing this really cool event, immediately throws his arms up in the air and proclaims, "My poop flies!"

Now how do i undo this one? Anyone...???

Mother's Day Out

Well Brevin went to his first day of MDO last week. I dropped him off at 8:45 and they called around 10 saying he had been crying for awhile. So we decided to give it another hour and she called back saying he was doing better. So today was his second day- he didn't cry when I dropped him off (which surprised me) but I was happy about. Then Niki called later and said he was having a much better day and that one time she was in the back and he was the only one not crying. So that is good. I still feel a little guilty taking him there since I am not working (besides babysitting) but I think the socialization will be good for him- and being away from his mama! I have an appointment to see an OB doctor on 9/7 to try to figure out why I am not getting pregnant so hopefully we will be able to get some answers! I hope everyone is doing well!

The Worst Mother Ever

I may be the worst mother ever. Currently, Atley is sitting on the toilet watching a DVD. He is refusing to poop! He will not poop in a diaper, not in his underwear, not in a pullup. Nowhere. I had to give him a glycerin up the butt on Wednesday b/c he hadn't gone since Sunday. He generally goes once to twice a day! He has always been that all or nothin kid! So i am hoping by just relaxing and getting comfy on the pot he will just let it go. We shall see. I will let you know when/if the eagle has landed. Gees. This was not in the manual!

His nosy little sister certainly doesn't help matters.

Meow.

From the Lizard

This was sent from our dear Liz-cat who is as rotten as ever.

I'm currently wanting to spit nails because I can't log in yet to the blog :( Eli says he'll help me download IE but it just hasn't happened yet. I think he's afraid I might mess something up. He's funny like that about certain things--for example, I am forever forbidden to ever order plane tickets again. I've messed it up a couple times in the past and he doesn't trust me as far as he could throw me. So I must be a pansy, meek mouse-wife and wait for my big, strapping alpha-ram husband to help me. Humph.....

Anyway...can't believe Vanessa is moving and Fulty is so close to getting those children out! My crazy cats.

You'll never guess who found me via Myspace...Ryan Moulden. He was so tickled to have located us. He's still in Chinner--I think he mentioned having been there close to 6 years?!?!? He's one of my myspace friends if you want to check him out. I filled him in on the Catties and he was grateful.

Any luck with Atley and the potty? Kenna dookied in the potty chair today--I was thrilled. This comes the day after she did it twice in her skivies. We must appreciate our small victories.

Will you post a "hello from the Lizzy cat" on our blog for me.

the waiting game

No, unfortunately I am not getting the news I had hoped for. We had a dr. appointment yesterday, and I begged them to schedule my C-section for next Friday, August 31. That would work out perfectly for my parents being able to be here and not overlapping with when Steve's parents are coming, (since I only have one spare bedroom now.) Plus, I just want to get these kids out, I'm so uncomfortable!
Sadly, the doctor said that they would probably not schedule a C-section for earlier than 39 weeks! That's 4 1/2 weeks away!!! She said she's sure I'll go into labor much earlier than that, but that she couldn't schedule it for earlier. She's going to talk to my high risk dr. to see what he thinks, but she's pretty sure he'll say the same thing. he told me last week that he thought I would go into labor within 2-3 weeks, so that's 1-2 weeks from now. The babies should both weigh over 5 lbs apiece at this point, so I'm lugging around over 10 lbs of baby and counting.
Steve is such a trooper, though. He really takes care of me and does everything for me. And he is very excited to be a dad.
I know I'm complaining a lot, but we really are very blessed and happy to be in such misery since it means God is giving us a family. If I could just get this foot out of my ribcage I'd be fine...
Ness, where are you moving?

Twin update?

Fulty- any word on a delivery date? Just wondered if they are giving you any concrete information?

-Betsy

I love the cats

Kitties! I am currently in the process of packing up my house to move! I was thinking that during the past six weeks I have had a baby by c-section, put my house on the market, sold it, and will move before my six week post-partum time is up! I am astonished at how strong my husband must think I am!! Anybody have extra prozac?? I am scared for what God might be preparing my family for, foreign lands, etc.? Bets I read about the bed and Brevin yelling mommy, it is torture. I have put Gabriel back in his bed ten times once before he finally went to sleep. I am not looking forward to starting all over in a new house! Mandy, Gabe had the stomach flu last week, our children must of gotten it from the same place! Anyway, Fulty you look great, hang in there! Well gotta go pack, I hate moving!! love you all

Arrrgggg!

Okay so since Brevin has been sick and maybe even a few days before that he started waking up in the middle of the night. Well since he sleeps in a full size bed now and I thought he was sick I just laid in the bed with him. Fast forward to him feeling better and he is still waking up and wanting me to come in and sleep in the bed. Now we are going to have to break that habit which I so am not looking forward to. At least in his crib he couldn't escape- I can see us returning him to his bed many times. And the other bad thing is that he doesn't just cry any more, he cries out, "Mommy, Mommy." So I feel like I am abandoning him or something, but I know it will be better in the long run. Hopefully it just doesn't take too long to get back on track.

Things that Sucked (some quite literally)

As with you Betsy, we had our own sucky things happen this weekend. I took off to Nashville on Friday night with a friend to eat dinner at her favorite restaurant for her birthday. While in the restaurant i got really sick and spent the night in pain and puking. I haven't had a stomach virus like this since i was 12! I am much better today, but i thought i was not going to make it yesterday. I am wonderin Bets, if their wasn't a virus going around at the summer party because both Atley and Ava have had watered down versions of the same thing. Atley puked a couple times and Ava just pooped a bunch.

Back to my Nashville story. In the midst of being sick Daniel calls. Here is his first question, "How much IBprofen will hurt Atley?" He got the bottle down off the counter, managed somehow to get it open and drank a few ounces. Thankfully, after our very first ever call to Poison Control he had not drank nearly enough to do any damage. They said just to keep an eye on him through the night. Thankfully he was just fine. Drama.

Now to the thing that sucked literally. This morning i walked into the bedroom where Atley and Ava had the door closed (never a good thing) only to find a bottle of baby powder emptied throughout the room and in Ava's curly hair. So, not feeling so great, i hollered for Daniel to come help clean it up. The next thing i know Daniel is vacuuming the powder out of Ava's hair! She didn't even make a sound! Just stood there!

If nothing else, at least i have lost like 10lbs from all the diarhea. Something positive has to come out of this right?

So, Fulton how are you feeling? Are you nesting yet?

Meow.

Birthday Blues

So yesterday Brevin turned two and of course he woke up with a fever. He was a trooper all day, wanting to play with his Grandpa, but just ran out of energy quickly. He fell asleep at 7:15 and didn't wake up until 7:30- a record for him. At one point yesterday his temp was 103. So we took him to the doc today and they said it was probably just viral- his ears and throat looked fine. So I guess we just wait it out- the joys of a sick toddler!

Look at my huge self!

My mom just emailed this pic to me this morning. This was taken last Friday night. I was almost 33 weeks pregnant. I have gained 14 lbs since I got pregnant, so it's all babies. I'm hittin' the gym as soon as I get the go ahead.

Lost Cats??

Where are you Jenney, Vanessa, and Liz??

So while I was blogging the other day my son decided to have some fun with sunscreen. He turned the nozzle to on and squirted it all over himself and the couch. I took a picture but for some reason my camera said it was the wrong format so no funny picture to look at. What will they get into next?

Ridiculous.

So i know that i have reached my limit for posts this week but Cats i HAVE to share this from our old friend Hooley Kitty's blog:

"A few years ago I was convicted by a certain tv program to take better care of myself for my wife, she deserved better. So I started running and washing my face with special stuff and whatever. Now I am still trying to be the best I can for my lovely wife so while I was at the gym today (which I caught the 5 o'clock rush, I will never go then ever again, it was so horribly crowded), I thought of how I may up my sex appeal to my wife. So I thought I should give tanning a try.

So I sign up for the "Tan Can". Its a stand up tanning bed. So I finished my workout, purchased a protein shake and hit the can (Tan Can that is). So I stripped to my Fruit of the Looms, put on the funny little eye cover things, turned on the big machine, grabbed my protein shake and entered for my 10 minute session.

Well, 10 minutes later I exited, got dressed, drove home, washed the dogs, took a shower, checked some emails, ate dinner, took the dogs out, locked up the house and now I am SO SUNBURNED I THINK I MIGHT DIE. Its bad, really bad. I went from skim milk white to Folgers red in one 10 minute session. I hope all my skin doesn't melt off my body.

The things men do for love. Your welcome Rach, would you please rub some lotion on my back please? Thanks. Cheers"

Some of us will never change. Can't you just picture him? LOL!

Meow.

The Task at Hand

Just a little potty update, especially for my fellow cats who are on this same thrilling ride. We only went through three pair of underwear and had to dump one turd out of the tidie-whities yesterday afternoon. Ava however, did manage to fill her daiper to the point where the poop was seeping down her leg, leaving a trail from the rug in the back room all the way to her room where she stood and stared at her changing table until one of us figured out what was going on and came to change her. They are consequently enjoying the M&Ms they receive everytime Atley manages to make it to the toilet. As the old saying goes, "Shit happens"-all the time at my house.

Meow.

I forgot to add a picture...

This is a 4D picture of Adeline about 7 weeks ago.They couldn't get a good picture of Anderson because of his position.
-Fulty

Hello Cats!

Okay, so I have been thinking about starting a blog and I am glad I didn't because this is a great idea on Mandy's part!! I hope everyone is able to contribute as I would love to hear how you all are doing. Things are good here- quick update- Brevin turns 2 on Friday and is starting Mother's Day Out next Monday for two days a week. I am watching a little girl who is 13 months old. Swartz is still teaching 8th grade math. We had a good summer- went to a lake, put new siding on the house, moved Brevin to his new room and a "big boy" bed, and built a bookcase/storage unit in our family room. Overall a pretty productive summer. I hope the preggo cats are doing well! I will try to post a picture with each message for something fun to look at. "Don't I look good in this training pants?" (Wish I could report that he was peeing on the the potty but he prefers to pee in the underwear and them promptly tell me afterwards that he needs to pee in the potty- just a little late. Oh well maybe one day he will get the timing right)

good idea

I tried to comment on Byrd's post, but it wouldn't let me. So I'll just do a new post.

Excellent idea, Mandy. I feel very detached from my beloved Cats and I'm excited to be in the loop about what's happening with everyone.

I am doing well. I go to both of my doctors (OB and High Risk) every week now, and I have weekly non-stress tests. Everything is going well with the pregnancy. I do have gestational diabetes, which is a pain. But that's really the only complication, so for a twin pregnancy, that's pretty good. I have to test my blood sugar 8 times a day and give myself 5-8 shots a day. That's just more annoying than anything else. The babies are both about 4 lbs. right now, and they could be born anyday, they tell me. But I'm not having any contractions or signs of labor, so I don't think it will be in the next few days. I'll find out if I've started to dilate on Thursday. Anytime in the next 3 weeks I should be the proud mother of Adeline Montgomery Politte and Anderson Magnum Politte.

My parents are very excited, and they were just up to visit this past weekend. My mom made the bedding for the babies: Adeline's is blue ginham with a hot air balloon border (to represent Dorothy's dress and the hot air balloon from Wizard of Oz) and Anderson's is green cammo, to represent violent things like guns and stuff. You know me. So the nursery has this sort of ecclectic theme of Wizard of Oz and cammo.

Church is going well and I am glad to have VBS and all the summer children's events behind me. Steve is doing very well and has a lot going on right now, but it's all good stuff. We are just very excited and waiting for our new family members to arrive.

Hope you are all doing well. I miss you!
-Fulty

Because There is Just No Excuse

Alright Cats, there is no longer any excuse for us not to keep up with each other. With everybody procreatin' like crazy (Jenney, it is no rush take your time), we have got to start keeping up with each other better. So, this is my attempt to help us make it right. We must each, unless in labor or adoption court, TRY to post here weekly. It doesn't have to be long, just something to let us know that you are alive, or at least trying to stay that way. So here is my story for the week:

Atley recently taught Ava how to gag herself. So, today after lunch she stuck her hand down her throat and yakked her entire meal into her lap. I know, aren't we supposed to start this in like middle school? :) Anyhow, so i was enraged to say the least. So i am cleaning her up and i told her, "Ava, this makes mommy so mad." To which she responded by laughing in my face. Atley, noticing my frustration says, "Mommy, it's okay, just take a breath."
Guess i should start following my son's advice. Out of the mouths of babes...

Meow.