Catching Up

My baby is now 2 years old. How is that possible? Wasn't it just a few months ago I was in the hospital for 5 weeks trying to keep him growing safely inside me? What a blessing it is that he is healthy and growing up. All those fears and tears seem so long ago at times. Many thanks to all of you who prayed for this child during his pregnancy!

Catching up... Wow, it has been so long since I have blogged on a regular basis. Not that I am not writing blog posts in my head all the time! I wish I could just think them and they would appear! My life has radically changed in the last two years. Not just having another baby and all that this entails, but my overall health has declined. So many doctors appointments, specialists, tests, blood work, a surgical muscle biopsy, medication trials, MRI's, EKG's and ECHO's. Add to that an overnight at the hospital about a month ago when I couldn't stand up without my heart rate going from normal to 145 bpm and then I would faint.

What is wrong with me? That, dear readers, is the million dollar question. I was blessed with two great specialist this summer: a cardiologist and a neurologist. We think we have finally figured out, with medication, how to keep my current heart problems under control. Diagnosis is POTS. But the neurological stuff is still a work in progress. What we know is that I have a neuromuscular disease. What we don't know is which one. The "episode's" I get seem a lot like MS, but my brain MRI was normal. I have a lot of the symptoms of an adult onset Muscular Dystrophy. But, my neurologist doesn't have enough information yet to be able to truly assign that as my "root" disease either. While we continue to search for a diagnosis, we are also pursing the right combination of medications and supplements to improve quality of life.

"You look fine!" (Please watch this short video) This is something I hear a lot. Of course, on the really bad days no one sees me... I'm in bed for days at a time. Most days I am in a lot of pain. Lately, it is my arms, hands, left hip and back. My hands are weak and I can't do much with them anymore (like cutting up things for meals or opening jars). Typing can cause pain if I don't already have some pain meds in me. Some days I have extreme fatigue along with the pain. And some days my brain doesn't work right: I can't think of the words I need to speak, or things are really foggy, etc. I don't sleep well as pain wakes me up a lot.

This is certainly a new journey for me, my husband and our family. Each day can be so different for me. It is hard to make plans because I don't know how I will feel. I fight discouragement and during really bad days, despair. And yet, my hope is in the Lord! He is my Strong Tower! He is my Help in this troubled time!

I never like to talk about my health or what is going on. I have tried to keep it kind of under the radar, hoping we would find some answers, some treatments and be done with this journey sooner than later. I can't deny any longer what our current reality is. My journey of motherhood, homeschooling and even being a wife has changed. I am having to find new ways to make things "work" for us. I am having to "let go" of many things I used to do and still want to do. I am learning a new level of contentment where God has me right now.

No pity party here, friends! Let us all encourage one another to love and good works whatever our circumstances are! I hope to be able to post more about how I/we are finding new ways to do things, large family and all, in sickness and in health. Maybe this will also encourage others in their daily struggles.

My baby is growing up: 19-21 months old!

This last one is so funny... his expression! We made red, white and blue tu-tu's for teh 4th of July and he insisted on wearing one and was having a blast dancing with it on, until this pic was taken. I think he wants to be able to deny later in life that he actually enjoyed wearing a tu-tu!

Liam is 8 months old!

6 months old today!

I'm not really here...

Just a few pics to hold you over.... till like, I have time to blog something intelligent again...

Liam is 7 weeks old today and weighs 10 lbs. He is still not the best nurser, so we spend a lot of time doing feedings. He is getting better. Now, if my milk supply would increase too.

**note: no need to send in comments about how to increase milk supply. I have tried everything and am now on domperidone to see if it will work (only been a few days so far on it).

Liam, 3.5 weeks old

Baby bear cub - 4 weeks old
(I have owed this pic to a very special blogging friend... you know who you are!)

Isn't he an adorable, happy little bear cub?

Oldest sister and "her baby" ~ 6 weeks old

Go look!

Go HERE to see a few of the great pics my very talented sister took of our little guy yesterday. She did a great job! And, we are very blessed by her coming all the way from Michigan to see him and take his newborn photo's! Thanks so much Ju!

Hanging on...

Sometimes, it is all we can do.... just hang on and allow God to hold us. Monday's disappointment was pretty hard to take (pregnancy hormones thank you so much!), but I am feeling much better now. I have been blessed by visitors each day this week (thank you all!) and that has been a great encouragement and comfort to me. Thank you all for praying for me and baby, that his lungs will finish what they need for his grand entrance next week, and for my family at home, who were expecting me to come home this week.

Being told it is "just" one more week over and over again (I know everyone means well) is quite difficult when you are feeling you can't do even one more day. Not from boredom, mind you. I just miss being together with my family, being at home with them all and taking care of them. Coming to the realization, for like the millionth time in my life, that I can't do it/can't do one more day, is absolutely correct. I cannot. But, God can. All I have to "do" is yield... float, instead of struggle. This is what it truly means to "rest in God" or have the "peace of God", in any and all circumstances...right?

The plan right now is to do the c-section on Monday, 10/27 @ 9:30 AM. FOUR DAYS TO GO!

Thank you for all your prayers. We are praying for:

a safe, uncomplicated c-section, despite all the "risks" the doctors are talking about because of the placenta's position and the likelihood of excessive bleeding, etc.

that Liam will be healthy and not have to spend any time in the NICU

that I will recover quickly, not only from the surgery, but to gain my strength back after 3 months of bed rest

that I won't have any trouble with lactation (having milk come in easily, which has been a huge problem with the last 3 deliveries due to blood loss) and that Liam will be a terrific nurser despite being a bit early.


I can hardly wait to see and hold my baby boy... but more than that, I long for the day he and I come home and I can crawl into my bed, with my husband laying beside me and my children surrounding us on our bed..... and just inhale that moment for as long as possible.

Anniversary

Today is hubby and my wedding anniversary. Not just any anniversary either, mind you, but out 25th anniversary! God is good!

What do we have to show for 25 years together? Not many earthly possessions; retirement accounts, vacation homes, new cars, etc. But we have been blessed with CHILDREN! Twelve and one on the way. Many would say we are "poor", but some understand the richness that children are in a marriage. We consider ourselves very rich indeed!

Yesterday our oldest son and daughter-in-law moved away.... up to northern British Columbia, where dear DIL hails from. We knew this day would come. It is bittersweet. We were so blessed to have them living so close for most of their first year of marriage.

This picture is probably one of the last times the whole family will be together for quite a while. You wouldn't believe how the moon, stars and tides had to line up just to get this picture taken (with a timer too)! **WARNING: for those of you with all younger children still, read ahead at your own risk... it is what happens when children become adults and are all going in different directions at the same time... but ignorance is bliss, so if you want to skip to the next paragraph, I don't blame you!** Second oldest son was flying home from being on staff at the YWAM base in San Francisco, CA all summer the day we took this picture. He was supposed to land at 2 pm. He missed his flight. He got home instead about 7 pm. We ate a hurried dinner together and took this picture. You see, this was the ONLY day we could because my husband would be at work the rest of the week, third son was moving out the next day (to an apartment around the corner from us - so nice!) and four days later fourth and fifth sons were leaving for a week at the YWAM Gleanings For The Hungry base in CA. They won't be back till after oldest son is gone. Did that all make sense? I could make a power point presentation of it...would that help?

So, we took the few minutes we were all together and with a borrowed flash unit (thanks Paul!) and some great editing from my sister (thanks Julie!) we have a picture of all of us together.

25 years... wow! We have so much to "show" for it, praise be to God!

My bookends....

Oldest and youngest...get, ready, get set....


















GO! Look Ma, no hands! (many years ago when his father did this with him, it would make my heart stop, but not anymore, I'm used to it now.... I think...)


















Add a mid-air twist for more points.













Oldest with his lovely wife, their new puppy (dare I say our "grandpuppy"? **shudder** ) and the youngest.


















This pic really captures our "current" youngest child's mischievous personality - she is a lot like her oldest big brother was at this age.

Now, don't even start asking who took these pics. I could lie and say it wasn't me, but I have twelve witnesses who would tell you otherwise. Yes, I escaped my room and recliner and went outside to be part of the fun (the big attraction was the puppy) and capture some of it with the camera. Being on bed rest means no one is taking any pics around here. Time is escaping us, to get some of these memories saved as pictures. You see, oldest and his wife are moving next week to her native British Columbia, Canada. So, I want/need to cherish these last few times we are together, for who knows when we will be together again?

For the record, I sat the whole time I was taking pictures outside and cherishing those moments.... just saying....

100 days

My 4 year old daughter asked me AGAIN this morning when are we "getting" the baby. Today? Tomorrow? She somewhat understands that I am on bed rest to help the baby grow till he is big enough to be born and be healthy (we hope and pray). Somehow she isn't grasping how very long away that day will, hopefully, be.

I tried showing her on my pocket calendar (that I keep with me while I spend my days in the recliner in my room) where today is and flipped through August, then through September, on through October and finally landing in November. "This is when we hope the baby will be born". Her eyes glazed over a bit.

I realized two things in that moment:
1. She is too young to comprehend this amount of time.
2. I was suddenly very aware of just how LONG it is going to be, and was startled by the enormity of it. My heart did a little flip. Not the kind of flip it makes when my hubby walks into the room, mind you. The kind of flip that is edging toward panic.

I decided for my daughter's benefit, and also for my own, to make a countdown chart of the days "left to go" till we expect the baby to be born (at 38 weeks a planned c-section, praying bed rest will be enough to keep the placenta from bleeding before then). I added it up. It is exactly 100 days from today. 100 days. **gulp**

No wonder the Lord tells us to take one day at a time, not worrying about tomorrow. It can be overwhelming to look ahead at all those "tomorrow's" yet to come. Not just in my situation, but in many, many situations.

My daughter will have the joy of crossing off each day as it comes, watching as the numbers go down and hopefully gaining an understanding of just how many days till the baby arrives. And, for me? I will rejoice in each day that gets crossed off, not looking at how many are left, but how many we have crossed off, each day a victory and a blessing that this little one is still inside me growing and thriving.

Random 4th of July pics

Sparkler Fun!

It's the most awesome feeling!

Yesterday we had dental appts. That is 5 cleanings, myself included, and one errant baby tooth that would not come out had to be pulled. I have had a cold/allergy/sinus infection THING for over a week now. Going to the dentist was not high on my list of things I wanted to do. (number one was crawling back into bed till my cold/allergy thing goes away) It was a necessary "evil" for the day, and once done, at least wouldn't have to repeated for 6 months. (side note: We do dentist appts. in two groups. Hubby had taken the first group a few weeks before my group went)

Having my teeth cleaned is not my favorite thing. Is it for anyone? And, by this point in pregnancy, my gums bleed just by looking at them and thinking the word "floss". Never-the-less, I settled into the hygienist chair and settled in for an hour of torturecleaning.

Part way into the cleaning my little baby that is growing inside of me starts kicking. This is nothing new. I have been feeling this little person moving around since about 13 weeks (so about 5 weeks now). This is the earliest I have ever felt a baby start moving. Next earliest was my first daughter, who I felt moving at 14 weeks. But, I digress....

My little baby is bumping and kicking and stretching and I put my hand on my tummy where I feel him/her moving and, lo and behold, I feel the baby hit my hand! In all this time I have not been able to feel the baby from the outside. It is an incredible feeling. And, not only did I feel the baby hit my hand once, but like four or five times in a row! Bliss!

Contrary to what some people might think about a woman who has a lot of children, each child is special, precious and a miracle to me. Even the sweet nuances of pregnancy, like feeling the baby move for the first time, feel the baby kick from the outside for the first time, when the other children can feel the baby move from the outside for the first time, when the first hiccups are noticed, etc. are just as wonderful with my thirteenth child as it was with my first.

I do not know what the future holds for this little one and my funky placenta placement pregnancy, but yesterday God gave me a huge ray of sunshine into my dismal, sick with a cold, and having to be at the dentist anyway, day.

It was a good day.

God is good, all the time.

Kim at Life In a Shoe has posted an excellent post about ectopic pregnancy and the sanctity of life. Check it out and be ready and open to possibly re-think what you have taken as standard thought in this area.

I posted a comment about my own experience with an ectopic pregnancy back when I was 20 years old and our first was 6 months old. If you scroll through the comments you'll find it. (yes, I know it is long comment...that's how you know it is MY comment! LOL!)

Ultraound results : 16 weeks

Tuesday I had an ultrasound to check on the position of the placenta. It had been over the cervix for the first 10 weeks of this pregnancy. (picture to the left is not me, in case you were wondering)

I was 16 weeks Monday, June 2nd, so seeing the baby was awesome! So completely formed and kicking and touching his/her hands to the face, even watched the mouth open and close. Amazing! Baby looks great. We did not want to know the gender and we did not find out. He/she is a feisty little person... I already knew that, as I have been feeling the baby moving for over 2 weeks already. =)

What we did find out was the placenta is now completely over the cervix. This is a complete or total placenta previa. Not only that, but the WHOLE placenta is in the "lower segment" and the cord attaches right over the cervix (which my doctor called a "centroid" previa, but I haven't been able to find anything specific to that on the web). This makes that whole are very vascular - which means lots of veins attaching in the "worst" place they could attach. (See the graphic below - I believe the type of complete/total previa I have is like the middle one shown)

Monitoring the baby and plaenta via ultrasounds and OB appts. will be done frequently. I see my OB in 3 weeks and have another ultrasound in 5 weeks.

There is a lot of information about placenta previa's diagnosed this early in pregnancy moving up and away from the cervix before delivery. However, those are mostly from marginal or low-lying previa's or complete's where the cord attaches higher than right over the top of the cervix. I am not trying to be "doom and gloom" here, just looking at the facts. However, my God is a BIG God and I know He can and will do what ever He pleases with this placenta. We are praying it will move, but also to joyfully deal with it not moving and the complications that may arise, and not worrying in the meantime.

Note how in the graphic to the left that in this illustration of a total/complete previa, the cord is inserting into the placenta fairly high up and that a good portion of the placenta is above the lower segment. So it seems there are more than one type of complete/total previa.

The probability of bleeding problems later on with this type of previa is quite high. Because of this my OB said he will probably be putting me on bed rest at 28 weeks (that is in 11.5 weeks) and if I have a bleed I will probably be put in the hospital for the part or the rest of the pregnancy.

If I can make it further without needing an emergency c-section, they will schedule a c-section for 38 weeks, two weeks before the due date, because the risk of a bad bleed gets higher and higher, especially as contractions get stronger.

Because of this type of placenta previa, with the whole placenta being in the lower segment, my OB says the incision for the c-section will be done higher than the usual "low transverse" incision. (remember the whole lower area is full of placenta, no safe place to make an incision) There is also a much greater possibility of uncontrollable bleeding after they remove the placenta because that lower part of the uterus does not contract much at all, leading to uncontrollable hemorrhaging. Because of that, there is a higher "chance" of needing a hysterectomy to stop the bleeding. Though, my OB said he would do all he could for me, to avoid a hysterectomy (and went on to say, "so if we can get you through this delivery without a hysterectomy, hopefully NEXT TIME the placenta will implant higher up." Next time. Gotta love an a Christian OB who totally supports us in having a large family and even more children!).

It is a lot to process all in one day, isn't it? I do not want to borrow trouble or think the worse or worry about this situation, but leave it all in God's hands. There is also the part where I need to be doing what I can, especially after 28 weeks, to keep this baby safe and hopefully and prayfully, avoid any bleeds or complications.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for me, baby, hubby and the whole family as we walk through this. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring. We can only pray and cling to our Savior for wisdom, direction and comfort for each day.

I have to add that there is MUCH I am thankful for right now. Thankful that we have a living, healthy baby (many of my friends have had miscarriages this year and I have greatly grieved with them over their losses ~ I am undeserving to be blessed again with another child and do not take fertility or that pregnancy equals a baby for granted). Thankful that we got an early diagnosis so that we can be preparing now for me to go on bed rest at 28 weeks. Thankful for friends and a great church family for their support and encouragement and offers of practical help once I am on bed rest. Thankful that my youngest is old enough that I don't have to carry her, since I am not supposed to be lifting heavy things. Thankful for a great, Christian OB who supports the Quiverfull mindset and is not using scare tactics and/or chastising us for having another baby or saying I have to have a tubal after this one. Thankful that God is always on His throne, always in control and always there to comfort us.

Revamping our church bag

We attend an age integrated church, which means there is no nursery, Sunday School classes or Children's Church. We have a worship service for 2+ hours in which the whole family sits, sings and listens to the sermon together. To help the younger children learn to sit through an hour long sermon we have a church bag we take each week, with "quiet" things for them to do. (even though there hands are being kept busy, their ears still hear the sermon)

**please note: The intention of this post is not to debate whether or not children should be allowed to have things to keep their hands busy during sermons or not. This post is to give ideas and encouragement to those of us who choose to do this. Please do not submit comments to debate this. **

Lately I had noticed that our church bag was getting out of control. Too many old bulletins, broken crayons, unsharpened pencils, etc. Bleh! I also didn't like how awkward it is for the kids to get into all the different compartments of the backpack during the sermon. Zippers are noisy too. So, I decided to get a new bag, streamline what we take each week, and rotate what goes in it every couple of months. Here are the results:

Our "old" church bag - pink backpack with too many pockets, zippers and too much space to lose things in!

Contents of old bag- what a mess! (click to enlarge)

New items for quiet play for the girls: Woodkins dolls by Pamela Drake. Our chiropractor has had one in his office for years and my girls always play with it. These dolls will ONLY be in the church bag and the girls are not allowed to play with them any other time.

Here is how the inside of the new church bag looks after putting the things I want to have in it in. Using a smaller bag (and no noisy zippers!) will keep us from over stuffing it and changing out items every couple of months. Inside it are: a few coloring books, package of twist up crayons, two lacing items, two magna doodles (we love these for church use), several small, plastic animals (dollar store) and the Woodkins.

New church bag: fresh, clean and even pretty!

I would love to hear of what you use in your church bag/quiet play bag, so be sure share with us in the comment box.

Older posts and misc.

Today I have been working on transferring some of my posts from what is now a locked blog ( I don't even post to anymore anyway) that I used when I first started blogging. You'll start to see them popping up and note the dates, as they were written in 2005-2006. Oldies, but goodies, I hope.

Here is a sweet picture of my oldest and youngest taken earlier this month. I love to watch my older boys interact with their younger siblings. It is precious!

Pack your bags...your movin'!

Don't panic. Just my way of telling the children that room arrangements were a changin'. Yep, a change was in the air! Don't, I repeat, don't cross a pregnant woman with a plan that involves moving furniture.

(Or, is that just me? I move more furniture, rearrange more furniture/rooms and do more painting when I am pregnant that any other time. It's almost like an obsession. But not. You know, I'm totally okay with this. If I didn't do these things when I was pregnant ~ which has been roughly 133 months of my life so far ~ I would never get them done. I seem to be more productive while pregnant, in spite of the fatigue and nausea, than when I am not pregnant. Course, when I am not pregnant that means I am breastfeeding... I won't inflict on you how many months that has been.)

Because our second oldest is spending more, most, a lot of time in CA, it didn't seem like a wise use of our bedroom space to keep "holding" a bed/bunk and closet space for him. He is gone 3,4,5, even 6 months at a time. This also has had an effect on our third oldest, thinking he "deserves/needs" his own room. Ha. Ha haha ha! Bwhahaha!

Sorry, that got away from me there. **wipes tears from eyes**

Okay, where was I? Oh yes, moving orders. In our house we have 5 bedrooms upstairs. There are 10 children and two parents and one "floater" (the one who bobs back and forth between home and CA) to live in this space. The master bedroom is just for the King and Queen. We use our massive, large, quite handy walk in closet for our nursery and for our hanging clothes. Okay, what is left of my craft items are in there too. Our youngest has been living "in the closet" for 2.5 years now and it was time for her to move on OUT. Where to put her though? How to arrange the rooms to accommodate this change?

Here is a description of "the way things were":

Bedroom 1: Oldest boys, ages 19 and 21 on a bunk, with a small desk, bookshelf, bass and an amp. This is the second smallest bedroom.

Bedroom 2: Youngest boys, ages 8 and 11 on a bunk with a chest of drawers, drawers under their bed, a table and closet full of toys and games. This is the smallest bedroom in the house and has one of those funky angled walls on the door wall that you can't do anything with.

Bedroom 3: Middle boys, ages 13 and 16 on a bunk with a chest of drawers, drawers under their bed, a bookcase and a drum set. This is the second largest bedroom.

Bedroom 4: Girls room, ages 4,6,8 and 10. Two bunkbeds, one is our junior bunkbed, one standard size bunkbed and a dresser. Also in the room are all the girls toys: a wooden table, 3 chairs, play kitchen, play washer and dryer, large box/chest of dress up clothes, various baby dolls, cradles, and two doll highchairs. In the closet are more toys. This is the largest of the children's bedrooms (in another version of this house model this is a second family room, but in our model it is a bedroom with a closet and door into the room).

Bedroom 5: Master bedroom with nursery in the "closet".

PLAN: to move 2 year old out of the closet/nursery and into a bedroom.

SOLUTION: After much thought and possible scenarios, here are the new arrangements:

Bedroom 1: 21 year old's stuff moved out and into boxes in the garage. 19 year old stays. 16 year old moves in with his drum set.

Bedroom 2: In the boldest decision that was made, I have made this into a playroom/guest room. Which means all the play kitchen, doll and sundry other toys from the girls room have been moved into this room. The games, blocks and duplo's stayed in there from the previous occupants. There is enough space to move the toys aside and put a queen size blow up mattress on the floor for #2 son to sleep on when he is home/visiting or for when any other guests come to stay, but the rest of the time, 90% of the year, it is just a playroom. Woo hoo!

Bedroom 3: 8 and 11 year old sons move into this room with 13 year old son (much to his consternation) on a bunk and a single bed. We take out the bookcase and now have drawers under both the bunkbed and the single bed for storage/Lego space. I should note that the bookcase that was in this room was only being used to house completed Lego constructions and dust. Ahem. Sorry, I'm mean. No more "just to look" at Lego's. Build it, play with it, take it apart and MOVE ON.

(side note: I don't really hate Lego's, they are a huge thing in our house and I love the creative play they encourage in ALL ages, including my husband, but my primary concern is real estate people! Room for beds and sleeping comes before having a museum of creations on display.)

Bedroom 4: After moving all the junk play things out of the room, there was now room to move a toddler bed (crib mattress size) and a small chest of drawers into the room so that the two year old could be moved in the Girls Room. **Hallelujah chorus plays in background**

Bedroom 5: King and Queen enjoy a brief respite, until November, of having their room completely to themselves. BLISS!

So far the plan has worked out well. There is still an extra bookcase to be moved downstairs, to the garage, SOMEWHERE. There was actually more things taken out of rooms then put in that was new (like the toddler bed). A lot of empty storage bins/boxes got moved to the garage (sorry honey!).

I do hope to post pictures after I get things totally arranged and #2 goes back to CA at the end of this month. Aw, I might take one of the mess it is with the queen blow up bed and extra bookcase lying on its side just to keep it real. LOL. Two of the bedrooms that had never been painted (this was a new home with white on white on white decor when we moved in 2.5 years ago) have been painted in the last week. Also the kids/hall bathroom was painted (thanks #2!). And, ta da, we have patches of paint color in the master bathroom and upstairs hallway as I decide if I like those colors or not. Painting to be completed soon!

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As a "wee" side note, I have the privilege of caring for my 7 week old nephew while my sister works for 4 weeks (well, three more weeks now). This has been an interesting time for the younger children...seems it has been too long since we last had a baby in the house and they have forgotten the little noises, that crying is okay (not a lot of crying mind you, just the waking up and letting us know he is awake type and an occasional "I have a burp" variety) and that a 7 week old doesn't make a good playmate. LOL. It has also been a good refresher course for me. I'll be good and ready for our November blessing!

All that to say that I do hope and intend to post more often, but real life is my priority and having a newborn in the house, with a tired, pregnant, older momma to care for him and the other 10-11 children in the house (not that I am complaining ~ I love this life God has given me!), leaves me wanting a nap more than I want to get a post written up. I know you all understand.

There is joy in the journey ladies!

Tis the season....almost

I was perusing Meridith's blog today and came across this post of hers, which reminded me of a post I wrote last December. I got to thinking it is a good one to recycle this time of year and remind those of you who thought, "hey that is a good idea, I'll try it next year". Well, here it is ladies...next year. lol. I'd love to hear from you if you are going to try this method this year and then your results/review after Christmas as to how it went, how you liked it.
















It used to be that we would keep all the Christmas gifts for our children in our closet until Christmas Eve and then dear hubby and I would stay up late wrapping like crazy to get it all done AND still get a few hours sleep before the children woke up. That wasn't too bad of a system for our family when we had, say less than six children. Yet, as our family size grew, our closet stayed the same size. It became impossible to get into the closet to get to our clothes with all the gifts being "hidden" in there. With twelve children and even with trying to limit the amount of gifts, even 2-3 gifts times twelve is, well, too much for our closet to handle!

I think it was my smart hubby who came up with the solution we have been using for several years now: We wrap gifts as soon as we want, before or after the Christmas tree goes up, but instead of putting names on the gifts we use a number system. Wrap the first gift, slap a number "1" on it and on our master list that we keep hidden away till Christmas morning I write who number "1" goes to. And, so on till all the gifts are wrapped. This way, the gifts our out of our closet, are already wrapped (much less stress and more sleep Christmas Eve!) and the children do not know who's gift is who's so they are not tempted to try to "peek, shake or rattle" the gifts as they sit for weeks under the tree.

This year (edited to note: this was 2006), we put the tree up on December 4th and on the 6th hubby and I wrapped 26 gifts, which was the bulk of them, but a few more are still on the way from doing 90% of our Christmas shopping online this year (another life saver for the busy mom of twelve!).

This is also a good idea for families of any size who have kids who like to "peek", or compare how many gifts they each have under the tree ("sister has 5 and I only have 4 - waah!).

And no, we don't do Santa at our house, so there isn't any confusion as to why there are gifts under the tree before Christmas Eve.

Happy wrapping!