They Grew in My Heart

MommyWood

2009-11-10T12:47:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Mommyhood. Home of the biggest procrastinator. Seriously now, I need a kick in the butt. Life is amazingly busy but rewarding. I so need to write. The kids say the darnest things and you know, as much as I think I will remember, the memory ain't like it used to be prior to my children's births. I honestly think you lose some of your memory after childbirth. Whose with me on that?

We just celebrated two birthdays. My Dominic is now double digits. He is 10 and thinks he is a teenager. The sassiness has begun too. Don't tell him I said this but he actually is hilarous. It is hard to keep a straight face at times when he is being fresh. He is doing ok in school. Not as great as I had hoped. The Hope class is a lot more challenging and he has gotten a little lazy. We have had to get a lot stricter with him.

Reynaldo is doing awesome. I absolutely love his teachers and wish he could have them every year. They make learning so exciting. That little guy just turned 9. I wish I could keep them little forever.

Kiarrah is doing great in school too. Just have to keep her busy. Her and Gracie are actually getting very close. I love to see their friendship and sisterhood grow. They now share a bedroom and I crack up listening to them "talk" at night.

Gracie is starting to say many more words and is really asserting herself. She is very stubborn. Wonder where she acquired that? hmmm She is very into shoes. Putting shoes on is her first thing to do when she awakes. Doesn't matter that they don't match her footed jammies. She also wears everyone elses shoes. Shoe Fashion Designer in the future?

Noah is my little snuggle bug. He is going to be 4 months. He is finally sleeping through the night more often and not as whiny. He is a needy little boy and we of course spoil him. I am gearing up to start feeding him some creal soon. He is just not full after nursing and his bottles. That should be interesting.

I just celebrated my 39th Birthday. I can honestly say I do not feel that age. I feel much younger. I think the kids keep me young. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

I'm Back

2009-10-02T12:51:00.004-04:00

WOW time sure flies by. I can't believe how long it has been since I last updated my blog. All of my readers have probably given up on me and left.

Well,First and Foremost Noah Perry Bishop was born on July 20, 2009 at 4:48 pm weighing 8lbs 12 oz and 21". ( can you believe I just had to go look that information up? Remind me later to tell you all about my memory or should I say lack of?????) He is a cutie and was born via emergency C section. I was 37 weeks and 6 days. Poor thing was running out of room and my sugar was insane. I was having sporadic contractions and just down right miserable. I am so not a happy pregnant Momma. I honestly don't understand how people can say they love being pregnant. Whats to love? I mean the end result is amazing but the road there isn't. At least not for me. Although I had my tubes tied and will not have any more kids I will admit I am saddened. Holding a brand new baby is the most amazing feeling in the world.

Gracie was quite excited when Noah was brought home. She was convinced that he was her birthday present. Noah and I were discharged on Gracie's 2nd Birthday. She insisted on constantly touching him and "helping" Then a little jealousy set in. She has to be watched like a hawk with him. Kiarrah, Dominic and Reynaldo were so excited when he came home and are extremely helpful with him. Gracie has become the official Diaper thrower outer. Reynaldo is the soother. He loves to cuddle with him and calm him when he is crying. Dominic is the official Greeter. He is the first one in the room in the morning to tell Noah good morning and loves to talk to him. Noah always follows his voice. Kiarrah just loves to do everything. She loves being a big sister. Gracie and her have gotten a lot closer now that the two of them share a room. She really helps me a lot with her. I am truly blessed with all of my cuties and my gorgeous hubby.

Ahh It's June

2009-06-02T22:43:00.003-04:00

I really miss writing in my blog and going to attempt to be more faithful at it. Life has been crazy busy as usual. I am now 30 weeks pregnant and just miserable. I know I should be loving every minute of being pregnant because it is such a blessing but I am just so uncomfortable and tired. I recently starting taking iron pills due to it being low. Baby Noah is just sitting so low and putting a lot of pressure. I am also having an upset tummy and finding it hard to eat because I always feel so full. I go to the Dr.on thursday so we will see what he has to say. I just don't feel like I will actually make it 8 more weeks. I have so much to do to get ready yet.
The other 4 munchkins are their usual self. Dominic is finishing up 3rd grade. He will be moving up to the Hope Program next year which is the gifted and talented class. He has been getting straight A's. Reynaldo is doing a little bit better in school and will be participating in the extended school year. It lasts for 14 days and is only 1/2 day. We will take anything we can to help him transition into 3rd grade. His Bipolar has been majorly out of control. He will be starting some in home therapy and a mentor program this week after we called the mobile Crisis division. It has gotten pretty scary and I actually don't even have the energy to share about it right now. Just please keep our whole family in prayer as we seek help in this area. I am thankful that I get strength from my God.
Kiarrah is excited to be graduating Kindergarten. Actually they call it a moving up ceremony here. She has been a sneaky little one lately and I will need to share some of her antics soon. She is proud to announce that she has stopped biting her nails and has not gotten strep again. She was getting it month after month due to putting her hands in her mouth all the time. The Dr. threatened her with a shot the next time she got it and it happened. I think she learned her lesson.
Gracie is a little sweetie pie. She sure has been testing my limits though. Ahhhh the terrible twos. She is growing like a weed and favors cookies for every meal. No I don't give them to her haha. She has quite the personality. She loves music and doggies.
We finally got a van to fit the growing family. It is such a blessing and quite a testimony in itself. I will need to come back and write about these things. Now I have no excuse of not knowing what to write about.

2009-04-11T17:15:00.001-04:00

Long Time No Write

2009-03-04T11:00:00.005-05:00

I can't believe how bad I have been about updating my blog. I used to love to post here but Facebook has been sucking me in. I have been reconnecting with a lot of old friends. I have so much to share but where do I even begin.

Let's see. I am 17 weeks pregnant. I am having a BOY! We went for the Ultrasound on February 25th. Dominic, Kiarrah and Gracie went with us and Reynaldo went on a play date. He didn't care as long as we called him because he was excited for the play date with his friend Kuda. When we found out it was a boy Kiarrah was upset and said no, that's not a boy and then proceeded to say " That SUCKS" ( tell us how you really feel Ki LOL) Dominic smiled and wanted to see the rest of the Ultrasound. He was fascinated with what he was seeing on the screen. When we called Reynaldo he screamed with excitement. He was happy with a boy or a girl but I think deep down inside he did want a boy but didn't want to get his hopes up like he did with Gracie. Our little baby boy was not shy at all. I was surprised it was a boy because of how sick I have been feeling. He is growing wonderfully. Of course I just can't have a normal pregnancy but have to have some kind of abnormality. I think God is showing off again. He will get all the glory in the end because I was told I would never get pregnant and here I am pregnant again. He has what is called a 2 vessel umbilical cord. One is an artery and the other a vein. It "can" be a sign of a problem but in 90% of the pregnancies everything is fine. It happens in 1% of pregnancies. Of course being as "special" as I am I am the 1%. I am due on August 13th but will go about 10 days early with a C Section.

This has been a crazy pregnancy with off and on morning sickness and weird cravings. I love salad with French dressing. I am usually not a fan at all of this kind of dressing. I also have been grooving on apples and sesame bagel with cream cheese. I had one night where I had to have Mexican food. Of course I want to junk too. I can't have ice cream at all. It doesn't agree with me. I also can't stand the site of ketchup.

What was even funnier is when Jim and I went out for Valentines Day. I HAD to have fish. When I was pregnant with Gracie I couldn't stand the smell, sight or even thought of fish. For some reason that day I wanted it. Now if you were to offer it to me today you would get a big fat UGH! It is weird how your body reacts to smells and sights and such.

We have decided to name our little guy Noah Perry.

Prayers Needed

2009-01-14T13:39:00.002-05:00

I am finally feeling a little more alive and can eat a bit more. I have been wanting cereal. Of course they are not the healthiest choices of cereal but hey if I can keep it down then it is better than nothing.
Yesterday I received some very hard to swallow news and I would really appreciate your prayers. My grandfather who is 85 has a mass on each lung. He will be going for a scan again tomorrow to see if the brain area has been affected with the cancer. He doesn't have any of the typical symptoms of lung cancer but it is blatantly there. He had gone in for a scan of the heart due to leg swelling. His circulation is not what it used to be. they just so happened to stumbled upon the lung issue. I am thankful they found it and pray that he has more time on this earth. I appreciate your prayers. His name is Bob

Pity Party Please

2009-01-12T11:54:00.002-05:00

Well, today I am 10 weeks 4 days pregnant. It has been a very rough go up this this month. I had truly thought I would avoid the miserable all day sickness that plagued me when I was pregnant with Gracie but it did show up alittle later than it did with her. UGH! This weekend was hard because I have a nasty sinus infection on top of the mess and the post nasal drip just does wonders to my gag reflexes. I will admit defeat and say yes I am miserable. It is so hard when you know you have eat to nourish the baby and nothing remotely sounds good. I have been living off of Popsicles and bananas (although a little hesitant to try the latter as it didn't stay down last time I tried). Smells are even worst. I am driving my husband batty. Everything stinks and sends me over the edge. I had to suffer through washing some dishes this morning because I feel so bad that my husband has had to do so much extra but I literally gagged over the food on the plates,,, Oh and don't even get me started on my hair issue. I see pieces of hair every where and feel like I am constantly going to hack up a fur ball. I feel like there is hair in my throat. This issue is nothing new and something I struggled with when I was pregnant with Gracie. I know it is all worth it in the end my I just needed this little pity party to express exactly what I am going through.

Baby Pumpkins First Picture

2009-01-12T11:28:00.000-05:00

The tree is done

2008-12-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

Pictures from Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T09:01:00.001-05:00

"Little" Update

2008-12-08T10:51:00.002-05:00

It is so amazing how life just gets away from us so fast. Time just flies by and before you know it a week or a month have gone by. That is how I feel. I am trying to slow down and breath and enjoy the little moments.
I really need to start paying more attention to my blog. Even if it is just a little update here and there.
So I guess for this "little" update I thought I would let you know that Jim and I are expecting again next summer. I am so amazed at how God can take a womb that is closed and just open the flood gates. We had wanted another one but to be honest with you " me of little Faith" had started to doubt when Gracie turned one. I was also content with the family I had. I was a little saddened but I do know that God is in control. I will share with you soon about how my husband reacted when I have more time. I need to get cooking for a Pastor's Christmas Banquet tonight.

Fall Wedding

2008-11-21T09:03:00.001-05:00

Thought I would share some pictures. The weekend that we moved we had a wedding for a couple in our church. Kiarrah was their flower girl. It was a beautiful wedding and we were honored to share in the couples joy.

Peace that Surpasses

2008-11-20T10:32:00.002-05:00

I am surrounded by boxes and piles of stuff to put away. Overwhelmed you might ask? Yes but happy as all get out. We love our new place we call home. The kids are enjoying the space to spread out and just play. The overall feel of the residence is calm and welcoming. I am so relieved. It feels like a blessing for being obedient and doing what is required of us. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."Luke 12:48
When we moved to Jersey City it was a sacrifice. It was hard. Yes it was what God wanted from us. Did He speak it to me in an audible voice and say "Jenn, you must move to Jersey City and live in this SMALL house." No but He opened doors and directed us through the prayers and other people. I had a peace despite the fact that I knew what I was getting into. A peace that surpasses all understanding. I am still not sure exactly what I was to do or learn from being where I lived. All I know is that I feel blessed. I see God's hand directing my life. I see his blessings being poured out. I know that we must work even harder to use what God has given us to reach the lost. To shine for Him. We must use our lives to be a testimony. Just in the past few days I see how he is preparing me to do this. I see it in the people I am encountering in the community. I see my confidence rising as I meet people. I hear my voice speaking to people I don't know. A happiness that is contagious. An attitude of wanting to see change in my children's new school. There is an acceptance there.
I felt it last night when my husband welcomed his young boys life group in the house. There was an easiness in all of them. They felt comfortable. I haven't felt that in years.
God has big plans for our lives and I can't wait to see what he is going to do next.

Life in New Jersey

2008-11-06T13:58:00.004-05:00

I have neglected my blog for so long. I guess you can say that parenting 4 little ones has caught up with me and I don't have a lot of computer time. I didn't want to neglect my blog though because I love keeping everyone up to date and I love the new friendships I have formed. I haven't even read everyone's blogs. I will have to play catch up for awhile. I hope everyone is well and enjoying life.
A lot is happening in our neck of the woods. First News is that we are moving. I absolutely hate packing but I am so excited to move. Our current living arrangements have been less than desireable for quite awhile but we had been waiting listening for God to direct us. Whether it was to move to Indiana, Bayonne or what have you. After vacation we had seriously looked into Indiana feeling that maybe the time was right. Jim was onboard with this thought and we looked into. There are NO jobs. Yes it is much cheaper to live there but you must have a job to pay the bills.
We had then looked into moving to Bayonne with some friends that were buying a house. Would have been a little tight space wise but was in a great school district and would have a yard and laundry facilities. We said yes but God said no. I would be isolating myself away from my friends. I am the type of person that needs my friends around me. Especially in my Christian walk and just being a mommy to my three. I would have to be locked in a padded room. It was not the answer. As much as I hated to share with my husband that I was feeling a no go from God I had to tell me. Thankfully everyone understood and we stayed where we are.
About a month later we had a friend in church come up to us and ask me if I knew the house I was living in was on the market. No Maam, I didnt. We had decided that we were going to start looking because it is not easy to find a home in our price range for 6 people. Later that day we got a phone call from that friend asking us if we would be interested in renting from her if she got the house that she would be placing a bid on. It was perfect for us. Lots of room, a basement, a yard, Parking, laundry and a Christian Landlord. Ideal!!! Sp we will be moving next weekend. I have been busy packing and we have been painting. My hubby ripped up all the carpet over there because there are beautiful hardwood floors. We can't wait.

What else is happening you might ask? Let's see. Dominic turned 9 in October. He went to a Nets vs Boston game with his brother and Dad. This weekend he will be going to spend some time with his Godfather for his belated birthday celebration. He doesnt even know about that yet. He is doing good in school academically but is struggling socially. He is just not picking up on people skills. This is such an awkward stage right now for him. He was the target of some bullying but that seems to have gotten better. The kids will be switching school when we move due to district and I am hoping the school is better for all three of them.
Reynaldo is struggling mood wise and in school. He is such a class clown. Loves to have all of the attention on himself. His teacher told him that she was jealous because everyone was paying attention to him and not her. He thought that was funny. He is enjoying his tap and hip hop classes immensely.
Kiarrah is doing well in school except for her behaviors. The teachers are quite overwhelmed and we have held off doing anything until we move. This is what we had expected though from her as much as it shocks me. She is really excited because she was asked to be a flower girl in a wedding next week. I can't wait to see her all dressed up walking down the aisle.
Miss Gracie is growing like a weed. She now finally weighs 21 pounds. She loves walk around and play with her toys. She really gets into playing. She also loves to test her limits. She is starting to jabber away and she has such a happy personality. She is such a joy.
That about sums up things here. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Rey Turns 8

2008-09-26T11:02:00.000-04:00

Reynaldo just had his birthday this month. He is now 8 like Dominic for the next month. He thinks it is cool that they are the same age but Dominic doesn't like it. LOL. Can you blame him? He took munchkins to school for his friends to share and I made him a yummy cake for home. We got him the Batmobile that has the motorcycle that pops out of it and clothes. This kid actually enjoys getting clothes.
A week later Rey had three of his little friends over for pizza and cake and then they went to see the movie Igor. They had a great time. His godfather came too. It was a lot of work for Jim and Danny to take 5 hyper boys to the movies. I am happy to report that they did survive though.
Rey was also thrilled that he could now give up his car booster seat. 8 years old or 80 pounds is the law here.

School Woes

2008-09-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

I have been totally slacking at keeping my blog up to date. Boy have I failed this month. I have so much to catch up up on. The kids are getting into the swing of school. We were blessed with some awesome teachers this year. Dominic has one that clearly loves her job. She is full of enthusiasm which is exactly what he needs. Reynaldo has a teacher that is very nurturing ( not to say the others aren't) and patient with him. Kiarrahs teacher is a toughie. Kiarrah has met her match. I wish I could say that she is doing good. We thought that she would after the first day but reality kicks in and it was a short lived honeymoon period. The second week of school she had a breakdown at drop off and didn't want to go to school. I had blogged about that. The following day was fine but the next day she got into a lot of trouble for hitting another little girl. She literally slapped her in the face. We think it was a jealousy issue. The little girl had just started that day and was getting a lot of attention. Kiarrah demands attention. A few days later we had an issue of pushing in the classroom and on the stairs. Part of it is due to her extreme hyperactivity but also she feels she needs to control and be first in line. I can see the teachers slowly wearing down. I have made it clear from the beginning that I want my child evaluated by the child study team. I expressed my concerned and told the teacher that if she goes to them because of needing help with Kiarrah in the classroom that she would have my full support.
Dominic has actually having some issues too. It all boils down to his Aspergers and not reading the social cues and just being the target of bullying. I have spoken to the teacher and hopefully we can safeguard him. He had his lunch taken away from him by a boy, he got paid a dollar to do another boys classwork and then yesterday a boy threw a pencil inches from his eyeball. He wants to please his friends and doesn't like to tell on them for fear they wont like him. He doesn't need friends like that.
Reynaldo is getting comfortable in his classroom situation and starting to act up also. The teacher uses a reward system in the classroom and he is just not the type of child to care if points are taken away. He wants to be a class clown. He is a very strong personality and loves to pal around with his buddies. He also LOVES the girls.
We are in trouble :)

Gracie Walking Video

2008-09-23T21:09:00.001-04:00

Gracie Walking

2008-09-23T21:05:00.001-04:00

Seasoned Mommy

2008-09-09T09:36:00.004-04:00

This morning was not a good morning for Miss Butterfly. She was very hyper this morning when she woke up and she was in a major hurry to get to school. She was sure that she was late which was not the case( Note: We are never late for school. I think we were like 5 minutes late one day last school year). She was fine until her teacher came out the door. Then all of a sudden she started clinging to me and crying. She didn't want to go. Her reason? It is too loud in there. This came from a child who is the queen of noise. I had to hand KIKi off to the teacher while she did her blood curdling scream. What was so funny was the fact that I was getting such shocked looks from the new non seasoned mom's. How could I just walk away and leave my child like that? How dare I? I knew she was fine, I knew the teacher had it under control and I knew they would call me if they continued to have a problem. This is child number 3 for me. I was proud of myself for being able to handle it. I wasn't so strong when the boy's started school. I done good. Yes, I am a seasoned mom.

The Toothless Grin

2008-09-08T23:16:00.004-04:00

Mr. Reynaldo was so worried that his teeth would never fall out. I would have to scold him for trying to wiggle them free. He of course wanted money from the tooth fairy and wasn't happy that Dominic was losing teeth and getting a little big of money. Finally his wish has come true and he has lost 3 teeth in over a months time. Isn't he just adorable? He was surprised that the tooth fairy even came to Indiana to leave him money. Poor mommy had to send her a text message to remind her because she didn't come the first night. I think she had gotten lost among the cornfields.

More Pictures of 1st Day of School

2008-09-08T23:02:00.002-04:00

Gracie ready to walk the brothers and sister to school so that she can have mommy to herself
My cutie Reynaldo who is now in 2nd Grade. He woke up before everyone and was ready to go to school.

Ok city life is rubbing off on them. Peace Out

1st Day of School Pictures

2008-09-08T22:57:00.002-04:00

Little Miss Kiarrah started Kindergarten

Dominic hates getting his picture taken. He is now a big bad third grader.

Gracie's New Discoveries

2008-09-04T10:41:00.001-04:00

Gracie has been shocking us with her language skills. She is finally saying a few words. The other day she was taking a bath and Jim came home from work. She gets very excited when she hears him lately. When he came into the bathroom to see her she started waving her hand and said hi da and she kept waving. She was trying to get out of the bath and into his arms. He was tickled pink about it. Yesterday she was playing in our room and knocked a box off of Jim's nightstand. Right away she made a shocked face and said clear as day utoh. I busted up laughing and she kept looking at me with an O face like, what did I do? She also says mama, dada and bye bye. She has said bye bye in quite awhile though. She is also too cute when she makes people laugh. She knows she is being funny and laughs and looks at your for a response. Her father and I both can be humorous and think she has that trait. I love all her new discoveries every day. She has learned to climb on to her ride on toys and while in Indiana she learned to climb my parents steps on the first try. She had also climbed up my dad to get onto his Lap. He of course had something she wanted, LIME SHERBET. More on that later. That was hilarious.

Beginnings of a New School Year

2008-09-04T10:40:00.001-04:00

The three older kiddos are off at school today. I am sad a little but happy for the break and the peace and quiet. It is rough with all of them home all day and it makes it hard for Gracie to get a decent nap too. I love them but it was time for them to go back. Yesterday was a very testing day to say the least. I am not sure if it was due to the fact that they knew there would be a change in there routine and they were nervous but their behavior was off the charts. Luckily this morning was smooth. Yesterday I spent the day cleaning their rooms with them and going through some of their clothes to see what would still fit for the fall. I still have most of the fall stuff in storage to go through yet. Boy have they all had some major growth spurts. Especially Miss Ki Bear.This morning I got up to walk and came home and got showered and then I was ready to face the day. Reynaldo who is usually my challenge in the mornings got himself up on his own and got dressed. He was excited about school. Usually I have to fight with him for an hour to get up and dressed. Kiarrah was extremely excited but also nervous. She wore her new school uniform jumper and shirt. She was very picky about how we did her hair. I will post pictures later. They all had new shoes to wear. The boys had picked out Vans this year which were an early birthday gift from Busia and Dziadek ( For those of you wondering that is Polish for my grandparents. I actually just looked up how to spell grandpa. It is pronounced Jah Jah and grandma is prounouced Bush a)Jim went into work late so that we could take them together. I am going to have to figure out some kind of routine for pick up because each child comes out of a different door.I can't wait to hear about their many adventures when they get home.For now, Gracie is sleeping peacefully and I am off to clean up the house.

Recycling

2008-08-31T20:10:00.001-04:00

My darling son Dominic is actually a little bit of a germaphobic. After having learned about recycling at school, he has decided now months later that he doesn't want to drink out of water bottles because other people used them. I tried to explain to him that it is melted down with other bottles in high temperatures that kill germs and made into new plastic bottles. He doesn't want to hear about it. He is right and I am wrong. What shall I do with him. LOL.