Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Advancing Quickly:Babies 51 and 52

Thanks to Nov07chick a.k.a. Sarah for "Long Term InVESTment", it's something that I've been wanting ever since I saw it :) Thank you for the kind words and I hope you stick around!
Once Finnly is born I have nothing better to do than just go to sleep. I ask Kent to go home but he insists on working around the house a bit first. Even though it’s 9 PM he says he won’t leave until I at least let him tend to my pathetic garden so that his child can grow up in a home with a steady income. I honestly can’t say no to that so I allow him to stay, but he MUST leave once done.
I end up making three trips to the baby room throughout the night and every single one is for Finn. He sure is a crier.
Since I’m already up early with the baby I don’t even bother going back to sleep. I just drag my tired body into the kitchen to make a Sunday morning breakfast for the family.

But when I call Gina and Gerry out to eat they don’t, which is very odd. I force myself to hunt them down.
 Walking into Gerry’s room I am hit with what seems like a full bottle of Axe sprayed EVERYWHERE. I eye Gerry curiously and all he does is smile. Then I notice his muscle suit and I lose it.
Amber-Hey honey…watcha doing there?
Gerry-Ohh, hey mom! You like my muscles? (flexes muscles) I want to be a wrestler!
Amber-A wrestler, hmm….but you look VERY strong, have you been working out?
Gerry-You know it!!

I ask him more about what he’s up to before getting around to the fact that breakfast is sitting in the kitchen. Gina and Gerry used to be ALL about school and working hard but I guess Gerry has moved on. I inhale the fresh air in the main living area before searching for Gina.










I easily find Gina in her room playing with my makeup and doing her hair. “Hey baby girl, what are you up to?” I ask. At first she looks embarrassed for doing her makeup but I aim to make her feel fine. “Feel free to use my makeup Gina! I can even help you do it if you want :)” I assure her. She eases up and smiles.

Gina-Thanks mom, it’s just…I’m so tired of being a child. I want to be a teenager and have a boyfriend and be super popular. I want to drive and look like all of my older sisters. I want to be cool.
Amber-Honey, you’re perfect just the way you are! Don’t doubt yourself, you’re perfect in my eyes.
Gina-I just want more.
 I understand where she’s coming from and I feel awful. She’s had an A+ in school since her second day as a child and she’s already performed three shows with the ballet club. For once in my life I actually offer to let her age up early.

Gina-Are you serious mommy? Can I age up TODAY?
Amber-….if that’s what you REALLY want, then yes.
Gina-Thanks so much mommy!! I love you!!

She is delighted and skips into the kitchen. I’m sure she notices the food and grabs it right away. I am filled with a sense of accomplishment, maybe I’m not such a bad mom after all :)
After breakfast it’s about 9 AM and the babies are waking up. Gina and Gerry reside to the couch to watch the news and eagerly discuss how cool teenage-hood will be-I guess some things never change
As the day goes on we all come to terms with the fact that we have NOTHING to do. In an attempt to make the day fun I borrow a water slide from my friend Sky Greene and set it up for the kids. I loved the look on their faces when I said the words “water slide”.
Here’s a video of our fun day with the slide, it truly shows the dynamics of my family!
We spend the remainder of the sunny afternoon playing in the popular sandbox and teaching skills. Gerry and Gina have a real knack for building sandcastles, just look at some of the things they’ve created!
 They are truly gifted. I could see them going into an architectural business together and being very VERY successful. But by 5 PM they are tired and wanting to age up. The time has come for my beautiful children to experience the woe’s of teenage-hood!
Gerry aged up smoothly into a suave young man. He still loves learning and studying every little thing but he’s slowed down a bit. He’s now starting to enjoy everything in life, even the mess-ups. He’s an extremely sweet kid so there’s no doubt in my mind that he will make it far.
Gina has grown up just as well if not better. It makes me smile that she has kept her classic pigtails. She said she can’t just let go of the style that carried her through her childhood. But she is completely gorgeous as can be which is no surprise-she’s always been gorgeous. She is reveling in the wonders of being a teen, she loves all of the freedom and perks. But to ensure she doesn’t over-do it I have a talk with her. I tell her that even though she’s grown up she still have her limits-a curfew, no license JUST a permit, and she can still be grounded and reprimanded. She’s dully noted this so I sure hope she has her head on straight.
After the celebrations are complete the house feels a bit stuffed between two new teenagers and three babies. I decide to take my lovely baby 50 out for a stroll to get some fresh air. The moonlight is comforting and it really calms Finn who was previously crying like a maniac. His small little eyes are squinting the entire walk due to the fact that strolling apparently makes him sleepy. I make a note of that in my mind.
 I accidentally stay out to late but when I get home I’m glad to see Gerry and Gina are already helpful. The girls are drinking their bottles and their diapers are changed-all I have to do is put them to sleep, the easiest AND hardest part.
Today is Gina and Gerry’s first day of high school and they are pumped up! Gerry was being camera shy but Gina let me snap a picture of her super-cute first day outfit. She couldn’t stop smiling about this exciting day! I hope things go well for her but I know my ear will be talked off later about it :)
I’ve been feeling kind of stir-crazy the past couple of days. I can never spend too much time in the house no matter HOW convenient it is. We’ve been running low on groceries so even a trip to the grocery market would do me some good. Once there I see a man who looks at me and says, “Whoa, is that YOU?” I look around me to see if he’s talking to someone else but I’m the only one around. “Um, hello?” I ask. He seems nervous but talks regardless.









“Hello, my name is Dave Sailing!” says the man. “Hey Dave…” I say. “Do I, uh, know you?” He laughs anxiously and replies, “Not now but you will soon!” he keeps laughing.
Amber-May I ask why you’re laughing?
Dave-OH, sorry. I’m laughing because of the coincidence. I was going to stop by your house later to see if I could be in your baby challenge but I was too nervous and second guessing the plan. But then you showed up here and I guess I have to now!
Amber-Oh, haha! Well I am in need of a father! Do you want to be it?
Dave-OF COURSE

I lean in seductively and say, “Your place or my place?” He grins and whispers “yours”. We hop in the car and drive all the way back to my place.
 We do the deed and have some fun. I guess I didn’t get to go grocery shopping after all but at least I got something out of the trip!
Once Dave is gone I do some chores around the house like laundry and dishes so I can feel like I got something more accomplished out of the day. The kids get home soon after and Gina tells me all about her day.

“The Day went GREAT mom,” she says. “I met tons of new people like Rebecca who is REALLY sweet and REALLY rich. There’s also Kaity, Maria, Laura, Miah, and Liz. Liz’s boyfriend is the hottest guy in school…I plan on getting him! All my teachers are annoying and give out a lot of work but I can SO deal with it. Compared to some other things I’ve done this is a breeze. Geez, high school is going to be GREAT!!”

I’m glad she has such a good perception of what most people would consider “the worst time of their lives.” Maybe it’s just a phase.


 Rosebud and Poppy finally age up. They are so darn cute I can barely stand it! Poppy is still the dramatic and stylish one, Rosebud still the playful and messy one. They both still fight over every little thing but are somehow getting better with it. Whenever they fight I threaten to take something away and they automatically work things out. I sure hope they don’t get themselves into much trouble.
Since I have been so busy the entire evening with birthdays and running around doing chores Gerry agreed to make the family dinner. We all quickly eat together before I am once again busy helping Finnly grow into a tot.
Finn is utterly ADORABLE. He looks a lot like his father-his father’s hair, skin color, and variation of his eye color. Finn is very playful and very loved by his siblings. Poppy and Rosebud adore playing peek-a-boo and hide-and-go-seek with him. He is a true blessing to our family.
Poppy and Rosebud stay up late pretending to drive cars on the couch. It makes me crack up since they are in no way allowed to drive. They keep fake-crashing into one another which I guess is how they work out their anger? Regardless it’s way passed their bed time so I usher them to sleep and I myself do too.
I’m up early this morning but not for Finnly. Nausea is hitting me hard this time around, worse than I’ve ever had in all 32 of my pregnancies. I’m by the toilet for a good hour before I feel stable enough to go back to sleep.
But then again, Finnly’s crying doesn’t just disappear. He is the second reason I get up early this morning. I guess he’s not used to the sleeping habits of a toddler yet.
He potty-trains like a pro and is sweet to me once he receives some milk. Since single babies are so easy so I let him play and go back to sleep for the slightest bit longer.





I fall into a troubled sleep. I dream about horrible, heart-wrenching things such as the grim reaper and the repo-man. I wake up at 11 AM, my entire body shaking.

Then, the vomit comes.

I’m at the toilet for an hour just as the night before. Like I said before I have NEVER experienced pre-pregnancy symptoms quite like this. It’s making me extremely worried so a quick phone call to the doc sounds just about right.
The doctor says that he has NO IDEA what could be wrong so I should come in sometime soon. I ask if there’s any way that I could come in after my pregnancy so that I don’t have to worry and can spend my time at home but he encourages me to set up a time and I do. My health comes first because if I’m unwell…well, so is the rest of the family.
 Since I’m feeling supremely unwell I stay in my PJ’s and make it an eased back day. Finnly may have just aged up but he is already egging me to walk and talk. I can’t think of a better time to do it so I decide now is the time.


So here is my little Finn’s first steps :) he is worried beyond belief but the sight of my open arms encourage him and help him achieve his goal.

Finnly also try’s his hand at talking. It takes him a couple hours but at around 2 PM he finally experiences a full word rolling off his tongue for the first time-and it’s BAKING!

“Are you going to bake with mommy when you’re older?” I ask.
Finnly-Bake-y time with mommy, yay!
Amber-Yes! Bake-y time!

I’m sure Finnly will have some sort of future in the culinary arts.
As soon as I hear the bus pulling up to the curb I rush into the shower. Typically the kids will rush in, ask a million questions about dinner, homework, friends, party’s, etc. I am feeling too unwell to even think about dealing with that and a nice long shower is in my future.
When I get out of my long shower I’m glad to see the kiddo’s working hard on their homework. Rose and Poppy brought their niece Dina home from school with them to do group homework-although Gina and Gerry are much more advanced then them they still hang around and help with problems. The whole scene makes me immensely proud. Best part? They don’t ask any questions :)
 We eat a family dinner and afterwards is our regular nightly routine. We eat, the two oldest do dishes, I check the kiddo’s homework, the two youngest feed the babie(s) and then I put the kids to bed. This is a systematic plan that has been in use since pretty much my first baby Ashleigh. And hey, it works so it’s alright!
Gerry insists on spending some time with Finn before his curfew. He has been begging to spend some quality time with his new brother before having to move out. 
And before I myself can go to bed I spend an hour on the phone with Casey. He makes my sick tummy feel better in a heartbeat and even sings to me over the phone like a dork :)  (To the tune of Hey Jude) “Ohh Ambers tummy, stop being mean! Take a good pill and stay leannnnnnn”. It makes me break out into a smile and love him all over again.


While I’m on the phone and done talking to Casey I call my sister Penelope. I set up an appointment to get together tomorrow for lunch to discuss wedding plans. The date is approaching and I don’t know if I’m going to be ready!
This morning the sickness is a lot better, maybe due to the fact that I’m finally showing in my pregnancy. I still have that uneasy feeling in the back of my stomach but it’s not nearly as bad as yesterday. I spend a good portion of the morning gardening and picking some fresh fruits for a fruit salad. I’ve always promoted healthy eating and fruit is my favorite!
But soon the lunch date comes and I’m there. I have to bring Finnly because any babysitter I would need would be at school. I’m kind of happy for bringing him though, I think Penny will enjoy meeting my blessing baby 50.



When we see each other we of course hug and catch up on recent things but in all reality it hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen my sister. “Oh my gosh, so Penny-how excited are you for your wedding on a scale of 1-10?”
Penny-….11! I can’t WAIT to get married (again) and spend every moment of every day committed to Chase.
Amber-Aw sis, you’re so adorable! I’m glad you’re excited because I’m going to be throwing you the best wedding EVER.
Penny-I’m glad you’re so into this!! But how are the wedding plans going? Are you getting a lot done?
Amber-Well…..




She gives me a blank stare and says “…WHAT….” I laugh nervously but am quick to reply.
Amber-Don’t worry, I’ve got things under control. These pregnancy’s have been close together and draining all my free time but I'm going to start working a lot more on it.
Penny-Really? What are some things you’ve done?
Amber-Well, um, I started sketching a wedding dress and some possible places for the wedding to happen.
Penny-Okay…but have you actually talked to someone about the venues?
Amber-No…

She gives me yet another stare.




“Stop looking at me that way Pen! It scares me!” she starts laughing which is a relief.
Penny-But seriously…if you don’t book the wedding then how could I possibly HAVE my wedding?

Amber-I don’t know how easily I could get a good venue in two short weeks. What if we hold the wedding in my back yard?
Penny-a BACKYARD? I’ve never imagined myself having a backyard wedding…
Amber-No, it could work! I could set up a ceremonial area and have nice seating. I could get a caterer and landscaper to place nice flowers all over…I could also get an ice sculpture! C’mon, couldn’t it work?
Penny-…I don’t know. The more you talk about it the better it seems. Would it be a lot cheaper?
Amber-A TON cheaper
Penny-I’m in



We discuss several more things about the wedding such as dress shopping, caterers, bridesmaid dresses, and BACHELORETTE PARTIES-she claims she doesn’t want one but I think she does ;) Before I can leave we decide to eat together and after she gushes over baby Finn and my new baby on the way. 



When I get home today the scene is the same-all of my wonderful kids are doing their homework together. But one thing is different and it’s Rosebud. I see Rose struggling over her language arts homework. “Mo-o-ommm,” she complains. “I can’t read any of this, it all looks backwords!” I think about it for a moment before I realize something. Rose always had trouble reading as a tot and it carried into her childhood. “Honey? What does this letter look like to you?”
Rose-Kind of like an r…or an n….I DON’T KNOW!” I think she’s dyslexic but I don’t want to confuse her with the threatening term. I simply help her through her homework and make dinner when she’s done.

 After dinner we have a sort of “family movie night”. Most of the family gathers on the couch and we watch some home movies I took while the kid’s weren’t watching. They reveal some things we didn’t know about the kids and it’s really hilarious. But right after dinner Gina disappeared and I have no clue where she went.


When all the kids are in bed and I’m doing dishes I hear movement coming from the main doorway. It’s Gina.
 “Gina?” I ask. “Where have you been? I was just about to send a search party for you!”  Gi gets a weird look on her face and says, “Oh nowhere…I was um, taking out the trash and picking up trash around the yard. You know, being GOOD.”
Amber-Oh really?
Gina-Yes really but (yawns) I really am tired, I should be getting to bed…night!
She pretty much sprints to bed and I eye her. I WILL find out what she’s up to.
My bump is HUMONGOUS when I awake today. It’s a dead giveaway that I’m going to give birth today due to the fact that my stomach is the size of almost three watermelons!!
I wake Finnly up and he’s just too darn sleepy. I like Finnly better when he’s tottling around and being silly so I wake him up with a Lights family age-old tradition-THE CLAW!
I spend my heavily-pregnant morning with Finnly. He has about half of each skill learned so he needs some touching up before he’s set to age up. I want to get it done now so I won’t have to worry about it when I’m trying to get pregnant again.
But right smack in the middle of teaching Finn some new words a hard contraction occurs and I know what time it is.....
 It's LABOR TIME!!!!

And after only a couple hours I am proud to present TWO new Light's family members into the world....
Baby 51
Claire Lights
Baby 52
Charlotte Lights

<3 :)

Baby's 51 and 52, hurrah! I am advancing quickly and now that summer is approaching I have a feeling I will have a lot more free time...and you know what that means? 
MORE POSTS <3

14 comments:

  1. I LOVE the picture of the sandbox of the family! and Finnly is a handsome little guy! Your post is great and wonderful story telling.

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  2. as usual, LOVED it :)
    and i'm glad you enjoyed your gift.. it's the LEAST i could do for you. I mean, you post these amazing stories, you deserve something for it!

    i actually have just re-read your stories for the 3rd time now, i can't get enough :)

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  3. another great post..xo..octavia88

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  4. love your storees they make me light up

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  5. Love the posting, I haven't gotten to play with Generations to much yet. Please share the details on how to do a home wedding & the parties.

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  6. Awesome again! Way to use the word reprimand!!

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  7. Great post!
    Thanks for using my name:)
    ~Claire

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  8. Thanks everyone for commenting, it's much appreciated! There will be a new post sometime around June 16 which is around the time summer starts for me. I'll hear from ya'll then!

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  9. omg, i cant keep up! i started reading this late! :(

    would you plleeaasseee name your next baby girl allison.
    or Mary Anne?
    :*thanks.
    -allison

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  10. Yay! Great post! I loved the pictures of the children playing in the backyard. Generations is great, isn't it?

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  11. Under the picture when Amber first realizes shes pregnant it reads "Nausea is hitting me hard this time around, worse than I’ve ever had in all 32 of my pregnancies" shouldn't it be in all 50 of my pregnancies?"

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  12. @anon-No, because Amber has had multiples ;)

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  13. :P Oh duh.... Guess I wasn't really thinking :D

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  14. I loooooooooooooooooooooooooove the picture of you and your family in the sandbox and your blog in general!!! EDB x

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