| Now That Katie is Here...Continued |
| Rebecca thinks she looks like me. The other day we had this conversation: Rebecca: "Now that Katie has gained some weight, she looks a lot more like you." Me: "You mean now that she's fat and has a double chin?" Rebecca: "Well...yeah." Me: "Thanks a bunch." I don't really think I have too much to worry about (but that won't stop me!), as Ari and Alexa are both beautiful. Alexa was built like a fireplug until she was four and then she just seemed to stretch before our eyes. Katie loves the pendulum on our wall clock in the living room. She likes it when I get all slouched out on the couch so she can sit on my chest and look at it. She sits there and watches the clock and smiles, and I watch her smile. She also "talks" to us. We'll lie on the bed and she will make the same noises over and over, or try to copy the ones we make if they are simple enough. To anyone else it must look like everyone's IQ just took a sharp nosedive, but they don't know that there is serious conversation going on! Katie only has one song that Dad sings to her so far, "You Are My Sunshine" and then only one verse. I may have to look the rest of them up. Maybe there will be another song, maybe not. Jake only had 2 songs ("Maybe" by the Inkspots and "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones), but I worked them for all they were worth. Our house still hasn't made it back 100% to where it was before Katie was born, but it can wait. When Jacob was a baby, a little old lady at Wal Mart told me, "That's a little baby you've got there. Enjoy it while it lasts because he won't be little for long." How right she was. We'll be dusting and doing laundry for the rest of our lives, but Katie will only be a baby once. It isn't fair to make any of the other kids take a back seat to chores, especially at a time like this when they tend to get jealous of all the attention the baby gets. So, things can be put off even more. Laundry gets done only on the weekends, and dishes get done late at night or early in the morning. Some people might think we are crazy or lazy or stupid, but I figure people are more important than things. A house full of cool stuff will just be a house full of someone else's cool stuff once you are gone, but your memory will live on with your children and theirs forever. I'd like mine to have at least a few good things to remember about me. I realize I haven't said much about my wife. She has been a real trooper of late, being sick for a week with stomach flu and coming down with blinding headaches every week or so since Katie was born. The doctor says the headaches are probably hormonal and caused by breastfeeding. That puts Rebecca in a tough spot because she wants to do the very best for Katie, but at the same time she doesn't want to feel like her head is going to blow apart. She has been very good to me, too good, since I have gained a ton of weight since Katie was born. She is a great Mom and my very best friend. Some days we are sure that Katie will be the last, other days we aren't so sure. Most of our friends and coworkers think we are crazy for having 4 children on purpose, let alone if we have another. The kids and the family are what are good in life. To me, it's what life is all about. It's not easy having a big family, but it's not what I'd call hard either. The rewards are worth the effort. |
 |
 |