The Kids

Elijah

Elijah was born February 25th 2007. He was beautiful from the very beginning.

He’s got dark brown hair, that is very thick and grows quickly. He is a hot child, so this summer I have been keeping his hair short, although I prefer it a bit long. He’s got beautiful brown eyes that are framed with his daddy’s thick long eyelashes. Before he was born, I hoped he would inherit these.  He was active and stubborn from the very beginning, and gets more active and stubborn each day. It is very hard to contain him for very long. Even to get him to sit long enough in his chair to eat meals is a chore. He is picky with his food just like I was and am. They say karma gets you when you have children. I think he will have his daddy’s height, but Nathan says that’s fine, he’ll be fast. And he is. His stomach muscles are already defined, there is not one ounce of baby fat on this boy. He would live outside if he could. Making him come in is like you are killing him.

He is sweet. He loves to hug and kiss, and loves other children. He is very nurturing towards other children, especially those younger then himself. He tells me all the time how much he loves me. At night he prays for everyone he can possibly think of. And he’s a wonderful big brother. There are times he can be a bit rough, and times he forgets how to share, but from the day his sisters came home from the hospital, and his youngest brother, he has loved them. Never was he jealous, never did he lash out at them, he just hugged and kissed them.

He’s a smart child (I know, I’m his mom so I’m biased). He seems to have almost a picture memory. He has been able to look at a puzzle, dump it, and put it together perfectly without help (not those puzzles where each piece is cut into the wood, the type that you have to put each piece together). If you give him a toy that comes with three parts, he always has to have those three parts when playing with it. There were nights we had to search the house for lightning mcqueen because he came in the same package as dinaco.

He has a smile that lights up the room. He likes to wrestle. He loves to share his farts with you.  And I love that he carries his blankies still. He showed me what it felt like to love someone so much, you would do anything for them.

Eve

Eve was born September 17th 2008, 30 seconds before her sister. She weighed 3.11 pounds.

She’s got curly light brown hair and grey steel eyes. She too inherited her daddy’s beautiful eyelashes. Her beginning was rough. Being 9 weeks early and a twin, we knew there would be complications. It was tough and tiring at times, but it could have been a lot worse. I think one of the hardest parts, was when they were in the special care unit in Mississagua, and trying to be there every day, but also taking care of Elijah.

Eve had breathing problems, and needed to be assisted her first week of life. She had other complications which caused her weight to go down into the 2 pound area. She was so tiny. When she was born, I could hardly see her. I was not recovering from my c-section as easily as I wanted, and could not sit up to get a good look at her in her incubator. Within the hour, they shipped her away, to a different hospital. She wasn’t named for her first two days of life. I wanted to see her before I named her. She was a fighter though. I think her having to fight in the beginning has made her stronger now. Because for being a premie, you would never know by looking. She was out of the hospital October 16th. (She would have been out on the 15th, but I had a wedding to shoot, so they stayed one extra day!)

I thought she was going to be the fiesty one, the one that got into the trouble. But so far, I’ve been wrong. She seems to have such a sweet disposition about herself. She is personable, and funny. She makes the cutest faces, and talks in this voice that goes up an octive at the end of the word. She allows her sister and brother to take anything they want from her. She won’t fight back, just come and give a little whine to me about it. When her brother and sister start to fight over a toy, she always backs off and goes to play with something else. She is content to play on her own. But don’t get me wrong, she is cheeky. And that big smile and bright eyes gets her out of a lot of trouble.

I think she will be the  firecracker.

Gracie

Gracie was born September 17th 2008, 30 seconds after her sister. She weighed 4 pounds.

She’s got curly light brown hair, grey steel eyes, thick beautiful eyelashes just like her sister. Her beginning was also rough, but she was a bit stronger then Eve. She didn’t need as much help, and gained weight easier. We thought her sister would be the one that had the most problems, but again, we were wrong. Her first 6 months of life, she was in and out of the hospital 3 times, and then again after she turned one.  She has respiratory problems, and when they occur, she gets sick very quickly. It’s scary being at home by yourself, going into your babies room and realizing that her lips are a bit of a purple color, and she’s struggling to breath. I have never packed the kids up in the car and drove so quick as I did that day. She was such a good girl during her hospital stays (Eve did end up joining her for two of her stays). I think she will have problems with her breathing for awhile to come.

She does not live up to her name. There is no gracefulness about her. Very rarely does she not have a bruise or some sort of mark on her. I have watched her many times run straight into a wall. One week, she ended up with two black eyes. She falls hard, and yells loud. One of the funniest things about her, is she has her own language. No lies. We think maybe she’s russian or polish. She knows exactly what she is saying, and will point and yell and expect you to know what she is saying. And she does not stop! If her siblings don’t do what she is telling them, she simply goes over, grabs a hold, and pulls or pushes them in the direction she wants them to go. Strangely enough, Eve doesn’t speak it, but understands it.  She is rough. She is learning to hold her own with Elijah. She will push and shove and bite when needed. She takes whatever toy Eve has, whether she really wants it or not. However, only she is allowed to bother Eve. Anyone else try (especially Elijah) and you have to go through her first. If she asks for a drink and you give it to her, she automatically hands it to Eve (they call each other baby) and asks for another. She always makes sure all the other kids get the snack and drink offered before her.

She is attached to me. She finds it hard when I have to work. When I return home, she is my shadow. Most of the time she is content to hold my hand and follow me around, but there are times I have to sit on the ground and let her on my lap and not move. Sometimes leaving the room means a melt down. I have lost count how many times I have made supper with a hand attached to my pants.

She is going to be the trouble maker. You can see it in her eyes. She is already pretty saucy. She has no problem telling you ‘no-no’. It worries me a little for when she is older. I can already see the battles we will have.

I think she will be the love.

Kaleb

Kaleb was born April 19th 2010. He was my biggest chunk.

He’s got thick dark brown hair, and so far blue eyes. His cheeks continue to grow every day. He started out looking a lot like Elijah, but now I think he looks more like me as a baby. He is completely kissable and lovable and beautiful. He is probably my easiest baby. He doesn’t make a lot of fuss, and once you get him to sleep, he’s pretty sound. He eats very well. Anyone that sees him is impressed by his size. He’s solid.

He also got taken away from me a little after an hour after his birth. He was a c-section, (came a week before he was planned to) and was having some breathing problems. So to be safe, they shipped him up to Peterborough. I had to share a room with another girl who had just had a baby. I got to stay up all night to listen to her baby cry and feed, and I had empty arms. But, it didn’t last long, he was out within 5 days and joined the family. He belonged. He completed us.

He is a noisy one. When he sleeps, he purrs constantly. When he’s awake he coos to you. When he’s eating he sighs inbetween each swallow. He is a happy baby. I stare at him and feel so much love.

We’re still learning him.