I know that eventually she'll figure out which one of these fingers is her thumb and she'll suck that one exclusively, but until then, she likes to use the 'rock star' approach to self soothing.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Two Weeks
It's been two weeks since our darling Sammie was born and life has definitely been different. As far as babies go, Sammie rocks. She sleeps really well at night (last night she went to bed at 11:45 and didn't wake up until 6:30), eats really well (I nurse as well as bottle feed and she does equally well with both), is awake in big chunks during the day, and is (mostly) content when she is awake. We all adore this sweet baby girl. Clayton and Noah love sitting next to her, holding her, and kissing her goodnight. Josie isn't as enthralled with her as the boys are but she will frequently tell us, "Inna hode it!" (I want to hold it) and "I wike it!" (I like it). Justin and I think it's pretty funny that she calls Sammie 'it', but hopefully eventually she'll catch on. I was fortunate enough to have Justin home all week last week and it was glorious! Four kids is hectic and, since one of them is an infant, we're hanging on one day at a time right now but having Justin home last week gave me confidence that we can get through this! Today we're doing a picture overload of some pictures I've taken over the past two weeks. Nothing spectacular (we haven't gone anywhere or done anything) but Sammie has changed so much so I'm going to throw in all my pictures. She's thinned out a bit (she's still a big baby, but not as chunky as she was at birth) and has lost that 'fresh out of the oven' look. You can make your own judgements, but I think she looks more like Josie than the boys. Especially when she's sad.
I know that eventually she'll figure out which one of these fingers is her thumb and she'll suck that one exclusively, but until then, she likes to use the 'rock star' approach to self soothing.
In the bouncy seat. This seat was gifted to us when Clayton was a baby and it has saved our sanity countless times since. Sammie is the fourth Smith baby to love it!
Josie making a stink face. She looks a little beat up, but it was self inflicted (she got her fingernails clipped right after this picture was taken). I put it in because it's cute!
Sad Sammie. I really think she looks like Josie when she's crying. Poor baby. She is so sad, but her mom insists on taking pictures.
I love her little face!
Sweet little profile.
I tried
to take a good shot of her face, but she's not super cooperative yet. I do think these 3/4 shots are pretty cute though.
This picture cracks me up! The boys love holding Sammie and I try to take good pictures of them holding her, but this was the best I could get. I do love it though! Clayton's face makes me laugh and Noah's smile looks so happy.
Josie wanted to hold 'it'. I love her crazy facial expression and you can finally see Sammie's face full on! I love these two cute sisters!
Josie loved Sammie's shirt. More specifically, she loved the pink on Sammie's shirt. It's a bit early for clothes sharing though Jos!
She does love holding Sammie, but she lets you know when she's had enough (she usually doesn't last long). She'll say, "Mama turn to hode it!"
Clayton was at school when I was taking these pictures. I need to get a shot of all four of them together.
Here's a cute one of Noah and Sammie.
I love this cute face!
Sleepy Sammie.
On a different note, today was Noah's first day of preschool. He was so excited. From the time he woke up he asked me every five minutes if it was time to go yet.
He was too excited to give me a genuine smile (and I tried all my tricks to get one), but I love these cheesy grins!
I didn't take any pictures when I dropped him off. It was a little hectic, so I figured I'd take pictures when I picked him up. As you can see. He was not thrilled to be picked up. He wanted to stay at school. His teacher at one point said, "Well, you don't want to sleep here do you?". He did.
Noah and his teacher, Mrs. M. I got to know her a little bit last year because Noah's class was across the hall and I love her! I'm really excited that Noah gets to be in her class this year. I know he's going to have a super fun year. (Again, this was after school, so he's refusing to cooperate with me. Perhaps my boys love school a little too much??)
Noah wasn't the only one who loved school today! When we went to pick Noah up, Josie ran into the classroom and began to play like she owned the place. It was fun to watch her for a second, but it stopped being fun the moment I told her it was time to go. Picture me exiting the building: Carseat in one hand, screaming two year old in the other, diaper bag and purse draped around my shoulders. Oh I was a sight to be seen!
Fortunately, Sammie decided that she'd cut me a break and slept through the whole thing. One mopey four year old and a screaming two year old were about all I was emotionally prepared to handle this afternoon. Good girl Sammie!
All in all it's been a good two weeks. I'm pretty fortunate that I got to have Justin home. I'm also fortunate that Justin goes in late enough right now that he's able to get Clayton off to school before he leaves for work. Right now life with four seems doable. Certainly not easy, but doable. Although I'll admit, I've got pretty good kids, and there's no other group of people I'd rather be tired and frazzled for!
I know that eventually she'll figure out which one of these fingers is her thumb and she'll suck that one exclusively, but until then, she likes to use the 'rock star' approach to self soothing.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Delivering Sammie
My delivery with Sammie was, I think, the most unique of all of my deliveries. I believe this has to do with the fact that I'd decided months ago to deliver her naturally and I actually stuck to it (yes, I'm super surprised about that too). I guess it all started over two years ago with my delivery of Josie. I delivered her naturally. Not on purpose, but because the epidural wasn't administered early enough to be effective. Because of how fast things went, Justin suggested that for our next baby I could probably go natural because it was so fast. I'd thought about that for a while and shortly after we found out we were pregnant with Sammie, I made up my mind. I was going to do it. Natural childbirth.
I spent months preparing. Justin and I talked in depth about what I did and did not want to happen in the delivery room, I made a long playlist that I hoped would last the length of my labor, and I packed one of my own robes to labor in. I was pretty scared (I remembered how much it hurt with Josie), but I felt ready.
About a month before delivery, I was dialated to a 3 and about 75% effaced. This is pretty normal for me. However, when I was checked again on my due date and there was no change, I was pretty discouraged. I'd been having contractions for weeks and had hoped that things would have changed by my due date. Nope. I did, however, learn my new least favorite word: ballotable. Ballotable basically means that the baby's head hasn't entered the birth canal. The doc can still move the baby's head around. This is not a good sign. Obviously the baby needs to be in the birth canal before birth can take place. So I waited. And waited. I know four days overdue isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but when you're already the size of a small planet, every additional day that you have to spend with your girth seems like an eternity.
Saturday the 27th - I'd been having some pretty strong contractions and I was hoping and praying that this meant that she was coming soon. Justin and I took the kids to a church activity where I intentionally spent as much time as possible chasing the kids around and carrying Josie.
9:30 p.m. the 27th - I started timing my contractions. Every 3-4 minutes apart and pretty hard. I can still walk/talk through most of them though.
10:30 p.m. the 27th - My contractions are still 3-4 minutes apart and haven't gotten any harder. I'm not sure what to do. I don't know if we should go to the hospital or not (I didn't think I could emotionally handle being told I wasn't really in labor).
11:00 p.m. the 27th - We call my brother and sister in law to come over. We figured it would probably be better to have them come over at 11 as opposed to deciding we needed them at 3 a.m.
12:00 a.m. on the 28th - My S.I.L. comes over to spend the night and Justin and I head to the hospital.
12:30 a.m. the 28th - I'm in triage. My contractions are staying consistent. The nurse checks me and I'm a 4 and the baby is still ballotable (grrrrr). The resident that was on that night was an intern (first year resident) who was doing his first ever night on OB. I don't know if it's just professional courtesy or if he just felt sorry for me, but he called my doctor and convinced her that I needed to be admitted. YAY!
1:00 - 3:00 a.m. - get admitted to my delivery suite and meet my nurse Karin. She is delightful and I'm really glad that she's my nurse. Justin discusses with her my wants/demands and we go over my birth plan. No drugs. Scary. I labor in the delivery room for a couple of hours. Nothing changes.
3:00 a.m. - My doctor appears. She didn't have to come, but she figured that I wouldn't want the resident in the room and so she came in just for me. Have I mentioned that I love my doctor? Well, I do. She checks me again. Still a four. Still ballotable. I want to cry. She asks if she can break my water to see if that will get things going. I know from past experience that once my water breaks it's pretty much game over, so I agree.
3:00 - 5:00 a.m. - After my water is broken I notice immediate changes. My contractions are much harder (I can no longer walk/talk through them). I realize though that they are going to get MUCH worse before they get better so I try to just suck it up and deal with it. We start my L&D playlist and I try to focus on the songs instead of my body (I had a lot of hard, upbeat songs on the playlist so they were easier to get lost in). I try laboring in several different positions: laying in the bed, sitting upright in the bed, standing and bracing myself against Justin, the exercise ball, a rocking chair, etc. Obviously when you're in that kind of pain nothing is super comfortable, but it helped to be able to mix things up.
5:00 a.m. - I told Justin that I was starting to feel some pressure and that I wanted to be checked again. He got Karin and she checked me. I'm at a 5 (WHAT!?!?!) but the baby is no longer ballotable!!!! I feel like cheering. She's still pretty high up in the birth canal though. Things aren't looking good. I tell Justin that I want to have the baby by 7:00 and if that doesn't happen then we might just need the drugs.
5:00-6:00 a.m. - Karin suggests that I might like laboring in the jetted bathtub. I figure it can't hurt any worse to give it a try. Karin's a genius. It feels REALLY good. I am able to relax for the first time in hours. Justin is able to doze on and off. I have my music behind me and, for the first time in a couple of hours, start to feel again like I can do this.
6:00ish a.m. - I'm still in the tub, but no longer relaxed. I tell Justin that I feel like I'm going to throw up. He grabs me a bucket and holds it for me while I take turns vomiting and contracting. I've never in my life felt so trapped. I literally didn't know what to do. I was in too much pain to get out of the bathtub, but in too much pain to stay in the bathtub. Once the vomiting subsides, Justin tells me that I have to get out of the tub and back to the bed. What I didn't know until later is that vomiting during labor is a sign that a woman's body is progressing rapidly. Justin knew this though and he knew that I needed to get back to the bed. Once I was back in the bed, I ask Karin to check me again. I'm desperate now. I feel so hot that I almost can't stand it and I'm in so much pain that I just want to die. Karin checks me. A 7. I start to break down. I tell Justin that I can't do this. He was AMAZING throughout my whole labor. He assures me it's almost over and that I can do this, I AM doing this.
6:15ish-6:19 a.m. - **Things from here on out all happen so fast and all at once that I'm surprised I can remember it so well.** I tell Justin and Karin that I feel like pushing. Karin checks me again. A 9, but the baby is still higher up than she is supposed to be. I cry and swear (yep, I wasn't able to keep it clean, sorry). Karin does, however, page my doctor and tell her to come to the delivery room. As soon as Karin does this she and Justin tell me that if I feel like I need to push a little, I can. I go for broke. I give a big push and she crowns. No one is prepared for this. Karin only has one glove on and calls out for Justin to get her another glove. Justin says no way, and gloves himself up instead (have I mentioned how lucky I am to be married to someone who has done this a bunch of times? I am.). They both are telling me to stop, but that's just not going to happen. I don't feel mentally in control of my body anymore. It's all instinct now. Justin makes it down to the war zone just in time to make the catch. Sammie has the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around her neck twice but there isn't time for Justin to remove it before the rest of her body delivers. Once she's out, he unwraps the cord and they lay my sweet new baby on my chest. This is the point where my doctor walks into the room. **Note: She was literally across the hall when she was paged. That's how fast this happened. Sammie was delivered in the amount of time it takes a person to walk across the hall.**
6:20a.m. - I feel SOOOOO much better. I'm so happy, and not as hot anymore. Everyone in the room is in shock at how fast this all happened. I did it. Natural child birth. I'm insanely proud of myself. I'm also really happy that I'm not hooked up to anything. I feel better than I've ever felt post-delivery. I don't think my baby is any more alert (I think that is a wives tale, truthfully), but I feel great! I honestly could have walked to my recovery room if they'd let me. I'm high on adrenaline. I will admit, it's a pretty intense feeling.
In conclusion: Would I do this again? Would I recommend it? Well, since this is my absolutely LAST baby I can say that I probably would do this again, but only because I know that I deliver so fast. If it had taken much longer, I probably wouldn't - I'm way too wussy. As far as recommending it, I honestly believe that there is no right way or best way to deliver a baby. Every woman has the right to choose for herself how she wants her experience to be. At the end of the day, whether you have had drugs or not, everyone gets a baby. There aren't any prizes for doing it without drugs. My recovery has been AMAZING though, so that's definitely something to consider.
One final fact: In all the chaos, I made a mental note to pay attention to the song that was playing when Sammie was born. "Raise Your Glass" by Pink. Interestingly, this is Josie's favorite dance tune. It's a happy song for our family. I'm weirdly happy that it was playing when she was born.
Here are a few pictures of what Sammie's been doing lately:
On her way to her first doctor's appointment:
Going to the doctor is quite tiring.
Awake and alert.
I do love the big bows!
I'm so amazed at how quickly they change. It's only been 5 days and she looks so much bigger to me already. We are loving this sweet little lady. I'm glad that she was able to get here when and how she did!
I spent months preparing. Justin and I talked in depth about what I did and did not want to happen in the delivery room, I made a long playlist that I hoped would last the length of my labor, and I packed one of my own robes to labor in. I was pretty scared (I remembered how much it hurt with Josie), but I felt ready.
About a month before delivery, I was dialated to a 3 and about 75% effaced. This is pretty normal for me. However, when I was checked again on my due date and there was no change, I was pretty discouraged. I'd been having contractions for weeks and had hoped that things would have changed by my due date. Nope. I did, however, learn my new least favorite word: ballotable. Ballotable basically means that the baby's head hasn't entered the birth canal. The doc can still move the baby's head around. This is not a good sign. Obviously the baby needs to be in the birth canal before birth can take place. So I waited. And waited. I know four days overdue isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but when you're already the size of a small planet, every additional day that you have to spend with your girth seems like an eternity.
Saturday the 27th - I'd been having some pretty strong contractions and I was hoping and praying that this meant that she was coming soon. Justin and I took the kids to a church activity where I intentionally spent as much time as possible chasing the kids around and carrying Josie.
9:30 p.m. the 27th - I started timing my contractions. Every 3-4 minutes apart and pretty hard. I can still walk/talk through most of them though.
10:30 p.m. the 27th - My contractions are still 3-4 minutes apart and haven't gotten any harder. I'm not sure what to do. I don't know if we should go to the hospital or not (I didn't think I could emotionally handle being told I wasn't really in labor).
11:00 p.m. the 27th - We call my brother and sister in law to come over. We figured it would probably be better to have them come over at 11 as opposed to deciding we needed them at 3 a.m.
12:00 a.m. on the 28th - My S.I.L. comes over to spend the night and Justin and I head to the hospital.
12:30 a.m. the 28th - I'm in triage. My contractions are staying consistent. The nurse checks me and I'm a 4 and the baby is still ballotable (grrrrr). The resident that was on that night was an intern (first year resident) who was doing his first ever night on OB. I don't know if it's just professional courtesy or if he just felt sorry for me, but he called my doctor and convinced her that I needed to be admitted. YAY!
1:00 - 3:00 a.m. - get admitted to my delivery suite and meet my nurse Karin. She is delightful and I'm really glad that she's my nurse. Justin discusses with her my wants/demands and we go over my birth plan. No drugs. Scary. I labor in the delivery room for a couple of hours. Nothing changes.
3:00 a.m. - My doctor appears. She didn't have to come, but she figured that I wouldn't want the resident in the room and so she came in just for me. Have I mentioned that I love my doctor? Well, I do. She checks me again. Still a four. Still ballotable. I want to cry. She asks if she can break my water to see if that will get things going. I know from past experience that once my water breaks it's pretty much game over, so I agree.
3:00 - 5:00 a.m. - After my water is broken I notice immediate changes. My contractions are much harder (I can no longer walk/talk through them). I realize though that they are going to get MUCH worse before they get better so I try to just suck it up and deal with it. We start my L&D playlist and I try to focus on the songs instead of my body (I had a lot of hard, upbeat songs on the playlist so they were easier to get lost in). I try laboring in several different positions: laying in the bed, sitting upright in the bed, standing and bracing myself against Justin, the exercise ball, a rocking chair, etc. Obviously when you're in that kind of pain nothing is super comfortable, but it helped to be able to mix things up.
5:00 a.m. - I told Justin that I was starting to feel some pressure and that I wanted to be checked again. He got Karin and she checked me. I'm at a 5 (WHAT!?!?!) but the baby is no longer ballotable!!!! I feel like cheering. She's still pretty high up in the birth canal though. Things aren't looking good. I tell Justin that I want to have the baby by 7:00 and if that doesn't happen then we might just need the drugs.
5:00-6:00 a.m. - Karin suggests that I might like laboring in the jetted bathtub. I figure it can't hurt any worse to give it a try. Karin's a genius. It feels REALLY good. I am able to relax for the first time in hours. Justin is able to doze on and off. I have my music behind me and, for the first time in a couple of hours, start to feel again like I can do this.
6:00ish a.m. - I'm still in the tub, but no longer relaxed. I tell Justin that I feel like I'm going to throw up. He grabs me a bucket and holds it for me while I take turns vomiting and contracting. I've never in my life felt so trapped. I literally didn't know what to do. I was in too much pain to get out of the bathtub, but in too much pain to stay in the bathtub. Once the vomiting subsides, Justin tells me that I have to get out of the tub and back to the bed. What I didn't know until later is that vomiting during labor is a sign that a woman's body is progressing rapidly. Justin knew this though and he knew that I needed to get back to the bed. Once I was back in the bed, I ask Karin to check me again. I'm desperate now. I feel so hot that I almost can't stand it and I'm in so much pain that I just want to die. Karin checks me. A 7. I start to break down. I tell Justin that I can't do this. He was AMAZING throughout my whole labor. He assures me it's almost over and that I can do this, I AM doing this.
6:15ish-6:19 a.m. - **Things from here on out all happen so fast and all at once that I'm surprised I can remember it so well.** I tell Justin and Karin that I feel like pushing. Karin checks me again. A 9, but the baby is still higher up than she is supposed to be. I cry and swear (yep, I wasn't able to keep it clean, sorry). Karin does, however, page my doctor and tell her to come to the delivery room. As soon as Karin does this she and Justin tell me that if I feel like I need to push a little, I can. I go for broke. I give a big push and she crowns. No one is prepared for this. Karin only has one glove on and calls out for Justin to get her another glove. Justin says no way, and gloves himself up instead (have I mentioned how lucky I am to be married to someone who has done this a bunch of times? I am.). They both are telling me to stop, but that's just not going to happen. I don't feel mentally in control of my body anymore. It's all instinct now. Justin makes it down to the war zone just in time to make the catch. Sammie has the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around her neck twice but there isn't time for Justin to remove it before the rest of her body delivers. Once she's out, he unwraps the cord and they lay my sweet new baby on my chest. This is the point where my doctor walks into the room. **Note: She was literally across the hall when she was paged. That's how fast this happened. Sammie was delivered in the amount of time it takes a person to walk across the hall.**
6:20a.m. - I feel SOOOOO much better. I'm so happy, and not as hot anymore. Everyone in the room is in shock at how fast this all happened. I did it. Natural child birth. I'm insanely proud of myself. I'm also really happy that I'm not hooked up to anything. I feel better than I've ever felt post-delivery. I don't think my baby is any more alert (I think that is a wives tale, truthfully), but I feel great! I honestly could have walked to my recovery room if they'd let me. I'm high on adrenaline. I will admit, it's a pretty intense feeling.
In conclusion: Would I do this again? Would I recommend it? Well, since this is my absolutely LAST baby I can say that I probably would do this again, but only because I know that I deliver so fast. If it had taken much longer, I probably wouldn't - I'm way too wussy. As far as recommending it, I honestly believe that there is no right way or best way to deliver a baby. Every woman has the right to choose for herself how she wants her experience to be. At the end of the day, whether you have had drugs or not, everyone gets a baby. There aren't any prizes for doing it without drugs. My recovery has been AMAZING though, so that's definitely something to consider.
One final fact: In all the chaos, I made a mental note to pay attention to the song that was playing when Sammie was born. "Raise Your Glass" by Pink. Interestingly, this is Josie's favorite dance tune. It's a happy song for our family. I'm weirdly happy that it was playing when she was born.
Here are a few pictures of what Sammie's been doing lately:
On her way to her first doctor's appointment:
Going to the doctor is quite tiring.
Awake and alert.
I do love the big bows!
I'm so amazed at how quickly they change. It's only been 5 days and she looks so much bigger to me already. We are loving this sweet little lady. I'm glad that she was able to get here when and how she did!Monday, August 29, 2011
Introducing...
Samantha A Smith
"Sammie"
August 28, 2011
6:19 a.m.
8lbs. 11oz. 22inches
She is by far our biggest baby. I was able to have a natural child birth with her (planned this time). While I don't think it's for everyone, I'm glad I was able to have this experience. (I'll do a whole post on the labor and delivery later.)
We named her Samantha after me, believe it or not. When I was a little girl (probably 5 or so), I used to put a scarf around my head and talk in a really high-pitched voice, and tell my mom that my name was Samantha - an older woman who lived across the street (in the deserted lot) and had 10 kids. Justin got a kick out of that story and has loved the name ever since. I love the nickname "Sammie" so that was that. Her middle name is the letter A. No, it's not short for anything. I like middle names that mean something. When we were thinking about a middle name for this baby, we decided that we wanted to honor our sisters. Both of my sister's names start with A and Justin's sister's name starts with A, so it was as easy as that. Yes, she'll probably have to explain that to people her whole life, but we're okay with that!
For the first time ever, none of our kids are sick when I've had a baby so they were all able to come to the hospital to visit us. They (especially the boys) were instantly smitten. I love how proud they look!
One of my sweetest memories of this experience is going to be from Noah. They came to see the baby and were very excited to meet her. However, at one point Noah looked at me and asked, "Mom, are YOU okay?". His concern for me was so sweet. I love this kid (crazy expression and all)!
Justin with his girls. Josie loves "baby Sammie". I'm hoping that doesn't change once she realizes that "baby Sammie" is here to stay.
Our first photo as a family of 6 (yikes)! And probably the last photo you will see of me for a while.
Getting ready to go home.
She looks so tiny in her carseat. I have to remember that it won't stay that way long.
In true Smith fashion, she's already sucking on those fingers!
Home at last and taking up residence in the bouncy seat. We sure do love this little girl and are very happy to have her here at last!
"Sammie"
August 28, 2011
6:19 a.m.
8lbs. 11oz. 22inches
She is by far our biggest baby. I was able to have a natural child birth with her (planned this time). While I don't think it's for everyone, I'm glad I was able to have this experience. (I'll do a whole post on the labor and delivery later.)
We named her Samantha after me, believe it or not. When I was a little girl (probably 5 or so), I used to put a scarf around my head and talk in a really high-pitched voice, and tell my mom that my name was Samantha - an older woman who lived across the street (in the deserted lot) and had 10 kids. Justin got a kick out of that story and has loved the name ever since. I love the nickname "Sammie" so that was that. Her middle name is the letter A. No, it's not short for anything. I like middle names that mean something. When we were thinking about a middle name for this baby, we decided that we wanted to honor our sisters. Both of my sister's names start with A and Justin's sister's name starts with A, so it was as easy as that. Yes, she'll probably have to explain that to people her whole life, but we're okay with that!
For the first time ever, none of our kids are sick when I've had a baby so they were all able to come to the hospital to visit us. They (especially the boys) were instantly smitten. I love how proud they look!
One of my sweetest memories of this experience is going to be from Noah. They came to see the baby and were very excited to meet her. However, at one point Noah looked at me and asked, "Mom, are YOU okay?". His concern for me was so sweet. I love this kid (crazy expression and all)!
Justin with his girls. Josie loves "baby Sammie". I'm hoping that doesn't change once she realizes that "baby Sammie" is here to stay.
Our first photo as a family of 6 (yikes)! And probably the last photo you will see of me for a while.
Getting ready to go home.
She looks so tiny in her carseat. I have to remember that it won't stay that way long.
In true Smith fashion, she's already sucking on those fingers!
Home at last and taking up residence in the bouncy seat. We sure do love this little girl and are very happy to have her here at last!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Second Grade!
Today is Clayton's first day of second grade. I can't believe how big he is. We went to back to school night last night to meet his teacher and see his classroom. He has a few friends from his first grade class that are going to be in his class this year and he is really excited about that. Based on what I learned last night, I think he's going to have another great year!
As usual on the first day of school, Clayton bounced out of bed. He had asked me last night to help him remember the name of his teacher - just in case he forgot. However, when I woke him up this morning, his first words to me were, "I remember her name! Mrs. B---! Mrs. B---!" I could tell that he was relieved that he hadn't forgotten.
First order of business was breakfast. It has always worked out that Justin has been home to make Clayton a special breakfast on the first day of school (no one does breakfast like Justin). This morning was no different. Justin came through with chocolate chip pancakes! Clayton was so excited. I should have counted how many times he said, 'Thank you!', but I didn't. It was a lot though. (Doesn't that breakfast look delicious!?! I had some so I can say that it tasted as good as it looked.)
As usual on the first day of school, Clayton bounced out of bed. He had asked me last night to help him remember the name of his teacher - just in case he forgot. However, when I woke him up this morning, his first words to me were, "I remember her name! Mrs. B---! Mrs. B---!" I could tell that he was relieved that he hadn't forgotten.
First order of business was breakfast. It has always worked out that Justin has been home to make Clayton a special breakfast on the first day of school (no one does breakfast like Justin). This morning was no different. Justin came through with chocolate chip pancakes! Clayton was so excited. I should have counted how many times he said, 'Thank you!', but I didn't. It was a lot though. (Doesn't that breakfast look delicious!?! I had some so I can say that it tasted as good as it looked.)
Clayton demolished his breakfast and then ran upstairs to get dressed. Justin and I sat at the table a little longer and talked and before we knew it Clayton had come back down, fully dressed. It was definitely a new record for him! I could tell that he was chomping at the bit to get to school. So I humored him and we brushed his teeth and fixed his hair and were still done with about 30 minutes to spare (which NEVER happens with him). 
He kept begging me to let him get his shoes on and go to the bus stop. I assured him that it wasn't time yet and that he wasn't going to be late. I let him pass some of the time with the iPad. Finally, FINALLY, it was time to go to the bus stop!
His backpack was so full today. I thought it felt pretty heavy, but he assured me that he would have no problems carrying it, second graders are pretty strong! I also can't help but notice how much better his backpack fits him this year. Last year this backpack looked so big on him, this year it doesn't seem to dwarf him nearly as much. My boy's growing up.
We got to the bus stop a little late. Remember last year when his bus was 30 minutes late on the first day of school? I was sort of counting on that same thing happening this year too so I wasn't too concerned with punctuality today. So we waited...and waited...and waited. We took some pictures to pass the time.
Clayton wanted to take a picture of the baby. This is what overdue looks like.
After waiting for about 15 minutes, Justin drove past on his way to work. He informed us that Noah was awake and watching cartoons in the house. I decided that, since the bus was showing no signs of appearing yet, I'd go get Noah and let him wait at the bus stop with us (the bus stop is only two houses down from us, so grabbing him didn't take long). He loved waiting with Clayton. He also loved hamming it up for the camera.
Remember last year on Clayton's first day of first grade when Noah's face was swollen from mosquito bites? Well, to continue our theme of Noah's unfortunately sensitive skin, this year he is having an allergic reaction to something (we go to the allergist next week to figure out what). Poor Pootie, he just can't catch a break.
These two did, however, provide me with my brand new favorite picture ever. I love it so much!
To make a long story short(er), the bus never came. We waited for about 40 minutes. I tried calling the bus depot over and over but all I ever got was a busy signal. I ended up grabbing Josie, loading her up in the car, picking the boys up from the bus stop and driving Clayton to school. When we got there I thought we could just drop him off, but because we were so late by that point (which he didn't get penalized for, thank goodness) I had to physically take him into the school and sign him in. Noah was wearing his pajamas, Josie was also in her pajamas (the difference was that Noah had shoes on and Josie didn't), and I was wearing my ratty old sweats and a shirt that, while it completely covers my enormous stomach, is pretty threadbare. We were a sight to be seen for sure!
After we made it home, I made chocolate chip pancakes for Noah and Josie and finally got through to the bus depot. Trust me, they got an earful. They assured me that things would be much smoother and much more punctual tomorrow. They better be, you don't want to anger an overdue pregnant woman two days in a row.
I'm excited to see Clayton after school today. I know how much he loves school and I can't wait to hear how his day went. He's going to have a great year, I know it!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
No It's Not
My pregnancy ticker says that it's go time. Don't be fooled, no one's going anywhere today. Despite having light to moderately hard contractions on and off for weeks, my body has made zero change. I'm still hanging out at 3 cm dilated, 75% effaced, just like I have been for the past month. Bummer. On the plus side, it looks like I'll be around to walk Clayton to the bus for his first day of second grade tomorrow!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Lacking Motivation
It's been a while since I've posted. Not necessarily because we haven't done anything post worthy (we've gone to the beach, gone to a gymnasium and watched the boys show off their tumbling, gone on countless picnics, gone to swimming pools and splash pads...you get the idea), I just don't take pictures. I bring my camera everywhere, but when we get where we're going, I just don't take it out. I really have no defense for that other than to say, I'm very pregnant and I don't feel like it. When my kids are having fun and I get to sit and watch, that's what I want to do...SIT and watch. When my kids are busy and require chasing, the last thing I want to do is chase after them AND remember to carry the camera. Lame right? Well, lame or not, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
So this is going to be a picture-less update.
Justin is currently on a non-call block. That means that he's home for dinner (usually) and on weekends. To say that I love this schedule would be an understatement. It's glorious to have him home and I'm afraid I've already gotten used to it. This is just going to make it that much harder in a couple months when he goes back to a call block. As usual, he is his impressive self. The attending that he's currently working with is the recruiter for the Memorial Medical Group. He's been trying pretty hard over the past few weeks to convince Justin to stay in South Bend and join up. He even met me and the kids and told us that we were "South Bend people" and we should just be ready to stay here. Obviously we have no clue where we're headed after residency yet, but it's nice to know that we have at least one option (although, knowing Justin, there will be no shortage of offers when he's done).
I'm still pregnant. My due date is less than a week away. We are FINALLY ready! Well, I still have two hospital bags to pack (mine and the baby's), but I'll get around to that...maybe. Everything else is ready though. The nursery is set up, the clothing has been washed and put away, diapers have been purchased, formula has been aquired (I'm not planning on doing much breastfeeding...if you don't know my history with breastfeeding you have no room to judge), and (dare I say) a name has been chosen. I'm not saying what it is, but it's a good one. Don't worry, you'll learn it soon enough - hopefully. I'm still planning on going natural this time, I created a playlist for the delivery room. Justin informs me that it's not really the "typical" delivery room playlist (it's not what you would call 'soothing' music), but I need to do what I need to do to focus, and I just don't think that soothing music will help me out.
Clayton is enjoying the last week of his summer vacation. He starts second grade next week! I can't believe he's starting second grade...weird. He's still obsessed with all things geography - specifically U.S. geography. He knows all his states and capitals, where they are located, and a whole host of interesting facts about each state. He has a large U.S. map in his bedroom that he studies daily. I'm impressed at how accute his focus is. He loves this stuff. I'm a little embarassed to admit that he knows more than I do. He's grown up so much this summer. He's becoming this little man. He is able to take on a lot of responsibilities around the house and I'm super grateful. He's been a big help getting ready for the baby. I'm actually a little sad that he starts school around the time that the baby comes. I'll be loosing my biggest asset! Clayton is such a happy-go-lucky kid. There have been a few times this summer when I've thought that the school year couldn't start soon enough, but for the most part, I enjoy having him home to help me out. Everyone should be so lucky to have a firstborn as wonderful as mine!
Noah is also enjoying the end of his summer vacation. He doesn't start school until after Labor Day, but he can't wait. He'll be doing three day/week preschool again this year. He already knows his teacher (her classroom was across the hall from his last year) and he can't wait to be in her class. Talk about a kid that has changed over the summer!! Noah is now reading. I remember the first time I realized that Clayton could read (he read the peanut butter jar to me) and I was so amazed. Well, Noah is at the exact same age that Clayton was when he started reading and it still shocked my socks off. He can sound out most three and four letter words and knows several sight words. Justin and I were both impressed, especially considering that I haven't been working with him as diligently as I'd hoped to this summer. He also shares Clayton's geography obsession. If you think people are impressed with Clayton's knowledge of the states (and it's extensive) you should see how people respond when Noah begins rattling off states and capitals. It's too bad that his birthday is after the cutoff, I really think he'd be ready for kindergarten this year.
Josie is a two year old girl. I think that sums it up. Her current interests are anything pink and anything princess. Justin and I really don't understand where it comes from. We've NEVER watched a princess movie/show and I don't have an overwhelming fondness for pink and I don't particularly dress her in a lot of pink. Lately however, she insists on picking out her own clothes and if I don't let her do it then we have a fight on our hands. Because I don't like fighting about clothing every morning, she wears a ton of pink these days. She also thinks that anything pink belongs to her. "My pink!" is not an uncommon phrase around our house these days. Oooh is she girly. She likes accessories (jewlery, shoes, bags, etc.), baby dolls, My Little Pony, anything princess, make-up, twirly dresses (although I will admit it's super cute to watch her big smile as she spins around in a big skirt), and cute little baby animals. She also does NOT like bugs or getting her hands dirty. I'm telling you, G.I.R.L.Y. It's actually pretty fun, but she's a diva for sure and we honestly don't know where it came from. One thing I do know, baby sister's gonna rock her little world!
That's our update. The next post I do will be next week and it WILL have pictures. It will either be a post saying "Hooray! We've had a baby!" or "Hooray! It's Clayton's first day of school!" but rest assured, it will be one of the two and it will involve photos. So for all of you who are starting to get a little frustrated at my lack of exciting postage, take heart, starting next week I'm sure there will be no shortage of exciting/frustrating/funny/strange/hectic/lovely/nostalgic things to post about and pictures to go with them!
So this is going to be a picture-less update.
Justin is currently on a non-call block. That means that he's home for dinner (usually) and on weekends. To say that I love this schedule would be an understatement. It's glorious to have him home and I'm afraid I've already gotten used to it. This is just going to make it that much harder in a couple months when he goes back to a call block. As usual, he is his impressive self. The attending that he's currently working with is the recruiter for the Memorial Medical Group. He's been trying pretty hard over the past few weeks to convince Justin to stay in South Bend and join up. He even met me and the kids and told us that we were "South Bend people" and we should just be ready to stay here. Obviously we have no clue where we're headed after residency yet, but it's nice to know that we have at least one option (although, knowing Justin, there will be no shortage of offers when he's done).
I'm still pregnant. My due date is less than a week away. We are FINALLY ready! Well, I still have two hospital bags to pack (mine and the baby's), but I'll get around to that...maybe. Everything else is ready though. The nursery is set up, the clothing has been washed and put away, diapers have been purchased, formula has been aquired (I'm not planning on doing much breastfeeding...if you don't know my history with breastfeeding you have no room to judge), and (dare I say) a name has been chosen. I'm not saying what it is, but it's a good one. Don't worry, you'll learn it soon enough - hopefully. I'm still planning on going natural this time, I created a playlist for the delivery room. Justin informs me that it's not really the "typical" delivery room playlist (it's not what you would call 'soothing' music), but I need to do what I need to do to focus, and I just don't think that soothing music will help me out.
Clayton is enjoying the last week of his summer vacation. He starts second grade next week! I can't believe he's starting second grade...weird. He's still obsessed with all things geography - specifically U.S. geography. He knows all his states and capitals, where they are located, and a whole host of interesting facts about each state. He has a large U.S. map in his bedroom that he studies daily. I'm impressed at how accute his focus is. He loves this stuff. I'm a little embarassed to admit that he knows more than I do. He's grown up so much this summer. He's becoming this little man. He is able to take on a lot of responsibilities around the house and I'm super grateful. He's been a big help getting ready for the baby. I'm actually a little sad that he starts school around the time that the baby comes. I'll be loosing my biggest asset! Clayton is such a happy-go-lucky kid. There have been a few times this summer when I've thought that the school year couldn't start soon enough, but for the most part, I enjoy having him home to help me out. Everyone should be so lucky to have a firstborn as wonderful as mine!
Noah is also enjoying the end of his summer vacation. He doesn't start school until after Labor Day, but he can't wait. He'll be doing three day/week preschool again this year. He already knows his teacher (her classroom was across the hall from his last year) and he can't wait to be in her class. Talk about a kid that has changed over the summer!! Noah is now reading. I remember the first time I realized that Clayton could read (he read the peanut butter jar to me) and I was so amazed. Well, Noah is at the exact same age that Clayton was when he started reading and it still shocked my socks off. He can sound out most three and four letter words and knows several sight words. Justin and I were both impressed, especially considering that I haven't been working with him as diligently as I'd hoped to this summer. He also shares Clayton's geography obsession. If you think people are impressed with Clayton's knowledge of the states (and it's extensive) you should see how people respond when Noah begins rattling off states and capitals. It's too bad that his birthday is after the cutoff, I really think he'd be ready for kindergarten this year.
Josie is a two year old girl. I think that sums it up. Her current interests are anything pink and anything princess. Justin and I really don't understand where it comes from. We've NEVER watched a princess movie/show and I don't have an overwhelming fondness for pink and I don't particularly dress her in a lot of pink. Lately however, she insists on picking out her own clothes and if I don't let her do it then we have a fight on our hands. Because I don't like fighting about clothing every morning, she wears a ton of pink these days. She also thinks that anything pink belongs to her. "My pink!" is not an uncommon phrase around our house these days. Oooh is she girly. She likes accessories (jewlery, shoes, bags, etc.), baby dolls, My Little Pony, anything princess, make-up, twirly dresses (although I will admit it's super cute to watch her big smile as she spins around in a big skirt), and cute little baby animals. She also does NOT like bugs or getting her hands dirty. I'm telling you, G.I.R.L.Y. It's actually pretty fun, but she's a diva for sure and we honestly don't know where it came from. One thing I do know, baby sister's gonna rock her little world!
That's our update. The next post I do will be next week and it WILL have pictures. It will either be a post saying "Hooray! We've had a baby!" or "Hooray! It's Clayton's first day of school!" but rest assured, it will be one of the two and it will involve photos. So for all of you who are starting to get a little frustrated at my lack of exciting postage, take heart, starting next week I'm sure there will be no shortage of exciting/frustrating/funny/strange/hectic/lovely/nostalgic things to post about and pictures to go with them!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
37
(Photo courtesy of Clayton - the official photographer of this pregnancy.)
37 weeks down...3 to go! I'm in the homestretch of this pregnancy. While I'm definitely ready to be done with pregnancy (forever), I am not ready for a baby yet. I've been procrastinating unearthing all our baby gear, doing baby laundry, and setting up a nursery. I need to get on the ball. Poor 4th baby, I've done practically nothing to get ready for her! I have never had a baby early (well, Noah was 3 days early, but Josie cancelled that out by being three days late - I'm calling it a draw) so I probably have about three more weeks of pregnancy ahead of me. Let's face it, I'll probably need all that time to get ready.
I feel pretty great though. This has by far been my easiest pregnancy. All my pregnancies are pretty easy (compared to other women I know), but this one just sort of slid by. I have been able to exercise with relatively no pain throughout, I haven't had any sickness, I'm exhausted but nothing that can't be worked through, it's hot and humid but since I'm home with my AC most of the time it hasn't been as bad as people assume, and I haven't gained as much weight (which you can't really tell by looking at me, but it's true).
Oh I'm still getting the "are you sure it's not twins?" and "you'll never make it to your due date" and "oh you poor uncomfortable thing" comments, but I've adapted a zen attitude about it (well, zen for me anyway).
I can't believe how close we are to being a family of six. That seems like such a large family and it blows my mind. I am excited to meet this new little lady and discover what her name will be. For as upset as I was at the beginning of this pregnancy, that's how excited I am to meet my sweet baby now. I mean, let's face it, Justin and I have created some pretty amazing spawn and this one is bound to be just as awesome.
Come on little girl, get here soon...I promise we'll be ready (even if it means your daddy is doing laundry and rearranging bedrooms while we're in the hospital)!
37 weeks down...3 to go! I'm in the homestretch of this pregnancy. While I'm definitely ready to be done with pregnancy (forever), I am not ready for a baby yet. I've been procrastinating unearthing all our baby gear, doing baby laundry, and setting up a nursery. I need to get on the ball. Poor 4th baby, I've done practically nothing to get ready for her! I have never had a baby early (well, Noah was 3 days early, but Josie cancelled that out by being three days late - I'm calling it a draw) so I probably have about three more weeks of pregnancy ahead of me. Let's face it, I'll probably need all that time to get ready.I feel pretty great though. This has by far been my easiest pregnancy. All my pregnancies are pretty easy (compared to other women I know), but this one just sort of slid by. I have been able to exercise with relatively no pain throughout, I haven't had any sickness, I'm exhausted but nothing that can't be worked through, it's hot and humid but since I'm home with my AC most of the time it hasn't been as bad as people assume, and I haven't gained as much weight (which you can't really tell by looking at me, but it's true).
Oh I'm still getting the "are you sure it's not twins?" and "you'll never make it to your due date" and "oh you poor uncomfortable thing" comments, but I've adapted a zen attitude about it (well, zen for me anyway).
I can't believe how close we are to being a family of six. That seems like such a large family and it blows my mind. I am excited to meet this new little lady and discover what her name will be. For as upset as I was at the beginning of this pregnancy, that's how excited I am to meet my sweet baby now. I mean, let's face it, Justin and I have created some pretty amazing spawn and this one is bound to be just as awesome.
Come on little girl, get here soon...I promise we'll be ready (even if it means your daddy is doing laundry and rearranging bedrooms while we're in the hospital)!
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