We're looking at purchasing a larger vehicle in the near future. We now have 6 children, plus us two to haul around, and we're packed into our Ford Windstar van. We bought an extra 3-seat bench and installed that in the middle where the 2-seater went. That bought us 1 more space. I'm looking at my oldest's legs, though, and how long they are getting and thinking we need to upgrade pretty soon. :001_smile: If any of you drive something larger than a minivan, can you tell me what you drive or what your favorite large vehicle is and why? We're looking at a GMC Savana or Chevy Express, but aren't sure at this point...

The man needs to step away from the fake tanner already!!

Don't have anyone answer the door! That's what I do sometimes. :)

I'd definitely say congratulations and just be there for the family. It really does go a long way, just knowing people are praying or thinking about us even if they aren't sure what to do otherwise. Our 6th child was born w/Down syndrome and a severe heart defect requiring surgery soon after birth in June and several couples we were friends with, one who even offered to make a meal for after the baby was born, seemingly have dropped off the face of the planet. I'm Facebook friends w/both the women and... nothing. Not so much as a FB msg saying congrats. It does hurt.

No, you're not alone. I find talking to/listening to people on a cell phone sounds like you're in a can. They are small and a pain to hold since they don't fit nicely into the hand. Also, my dh's dad and stepmom have this habit of calling on their cell phone whenever they are out and about, driving around. They always go through dead areas and we lose the call. :glare:

:iagree: Yes. This is what we do!

I didn't make my ds9 show all his work last year in SM, and I am not doing it now with ds7. I will make them show their work a few times, maybe 1-2x/page. My oldest does not like writing a whole lot and I do not want to kill his desire for learning by requiring that of him in math. I'd rather save the requirement for actual writing/dictation/copywork/spelling! I do agree it is good to show work, just not all the time, and especially at that age.

Is this Standards or US, or doesn't it matter?

:smilielol5::smilielol5: That provided a real good visual!

:lol:

My kids call it Explode the Toad. :)

:iagree:

We're military, so we've actually moved from the area where these people are. However, I have noticed here that it has been more the people with fewer kids or who have all their kids grown and gone who have offered to help. I've chalked that up to their greater availability than those who have lots of little ones still running around... I understand what you mean, though. My dh's stepmom said something on the phone while talking to me recently about god's hand being heavy upon us or the weight of his hand heavy upon us. Something like that. I am sleep deprived, lol. After I got off the phone, it hit me what she said, and I thought what the heck?! Who says that? I don't even know what she was referring to. It just didn't sit right with me and didn't help. When she was out helping with the other kids while dh and I were going back and forth to the hospital, she constantly wanted to debate theology and I was sitting there, thinking, "HELLO! My newborn son is going for open heart surgery! I couldn't care LESS!" :glare: I actually did tell her, "You know, theology is pretty low on my list of priorities right now." I mention her because she is one of the diehard QF types that have very strong opinions and will not hesitate to voice them. I do want to say I know many QF people who are sweet and not overbearing, too. I do not want to bash that way of thinking. I just wish people would show the love of Christ more often. ETA: Actually, I do have an idea of what she is referring to. We're looking at a different flavor of Christianity than what she and my dh's dad are and it is bothering her. Soooo, that must explain why I have a m/c and a child with Down syndrome!! (roll eyes)

This is exactly how I am feeling right now! We were basically QF-ish up until the 5th child. Dh felt he was happy with the number we had, and I mostly did, too, but still had these weird feelings that it wasn't right to stop. Getting pregnant, for me, up until that point was fairly easy. Then came my first miscarriage. After FIVE healthy pregnancies. It threw me for a huge loop, and I am still trying to recover. I did not want to "end on a bad note" so to speak, so we just thought we'd try for one more after the m/c. I got pg about 3 months after my m/c, and I don't think I really had much chance to process through my grief. I was worried in the beginning of the pg that it would be another m/c. I then started inwardly freaking out that something would be wrong with the baby, as I was almost 36 and all the statistics say there is a greater chance of chromosomal abnormalities with increased age. I personally know women 10 yrs. younger than me that had Down syndrome children or children with other abnormalities, but it is hard not to think that something might be wrong with your child because you are older (at least for me)... Well, I had my baby this June and he is a beautiful, sweet, loving baby. He sleeps well. He also had a major heart defect that needed almost immediate repair, and he has Down syndrome. He had open heart surgery 11 days after birth, only because they had to wait almost a week due to him *also* having Group B Strep infection. I am fried. I am d.o.n.e. I have never been so done in my life. He has trouble making it through a whole feeding as with heart issues and DS, the endurance isn't there. So, we feed him from a bottle what he will drink and the rest is put into his feeding tube and pumped into him. It is tiring doing this with an additional 5 children who are needy. I now have 6 children ages 9 and under. I used to inwardly wonder *why* people stopped at such and such # of children-were they selfish? Did they just want wordly things instead of precious children? I now realize that I was arrogant and truthfully, it is none of my business. I was given all manner of QF books by my dh's stepmom after we had our first child. Those books, along with a number of QF families that were brought into our path throughout the years who had very strong opinions and didn't hesistate to voice them, has left me with a lot of mental QF baggage I need to clean up. I love my children. I am so glad to have each and every one of them. I do, however, feel like my husband's limit was probably back at 4, and, if I am honest, mine was too. However, again, I wouldn't give back any of my children. It is an odd feeling.

Colleen, Thank you so much for your post. I really needed to read this.

The only thing that helped me with those nasty things was to take the 800mg. ibuprofen, and keep retaking it as soon as I could take the next dose. Sometimes getting in the shower and letting the water hit my back and front would work, too. I'd imagine a heating pad would be better as it is constant heat. A nurse told me that ibuprofen works better than percocet, and, in my experience, this is true. If it helps any to know, I didn't have any really with #1, with #2 I had some, and it was horrible there on out with subsequent children, *but* it didn't get worse each time. It was just the same toe curling pain from #3-#6. Worse with nursing or pumping. Uuugh. Sending many :grouphug: your way that they do not last too long!

We switched to Tide HE and it really seems to help get the clothes cleaner and the stink out of the armpits.

:iagree: I just had my baby June 18th. I was GBS+ (as I was for my last 4 babies). I had a homebirth and the midwife was set to give antibiotics, but my labor was so short (only around 4-5hrs.) that she arrived 5 mins. before he was born. I got no antibiotic doses. She thought it was ok since my water broke as he was coming out. We noticed some markers for Down syndrome and she suggested we take him in that same day to the ped. to check him out as she was concerned about possible heart defects. It turned out he did have a major heart defect requiring surgery. The surgery, however, got delayed by almost a week. Why? He had GBS infection and was put on a round of antibiotics. They noticed the antibiotics were not kicking the infection, so they had to do a lumbar puncture/spinal tap to make sure there wasn't meningitis infection. Thankfully, there wasn't, but he was put on an even higher dose of antibiotics and watched very carefully to make sure the infection left him. Only after that could we schedule his heart surgery. All that before 11 days of age. In all my other pregnancies where I was GBS+ and got the antibiotics, none of my children had any problems with infection. I understand concern of overuse of antibiotics, but in the case of mom being GBS positive, I would just take them. It really is not worth the risk.

Faith, Here you go: http://www.crechurches.org/churches/presbytery_knox.php

I can't get it to play. :confused:

:drool5: We usually put butter, salt and grated cheese on ours.

No, Mary, that would be Doug Phillips with Vision Forum. This is Doug Wilson with Federal Vision, Credenda Agenda and Christ Church in Moscow, ID. I know, confusing!!

I remember reading about the whole Sitler cover up a while ago. It sickened me then and now I am just :crying: that this man is married and will probably be fathering children (victims?) in a year or so... Did this girl have no idea about all of this? If I had found out this kind of info about my husband before marrying him, it surely would've been a no go with the marriage!

I have a copy I can send!! :tongue_smilie:

Toss 'em? Burn them? I find the good 'ol circular file method works just fine! :) Off to read the slavery article. I've never actually read it before and want to read from the source although having been in the Reformed world for quite some time and reading other things about him, I sort of understand what I'm in for. :glare: Funny thing is, my dh's stepmom was out here helping us with the kids since I have a new baby. When she left, she gave us a copy of DW's Reforming Marriage. Arrghh. :glare: (how many of those faces can I put in this post? It needs quite a few!)