Thanks for thinking of us this morning

The weather warmed up before 4:30 a.m. when I needed to drive my friend A to the airport. We grabbed the last few of the cinnamon rolls we'd made the day before and took the baby with us, since she was wide awake after her 4 a.m. feeding. She thought it was great fun to be out and about in the middle of the night!

The roads weren't icy at all and we got there just when we'd planned. A got off fine and has already called to tell me she arrived safely.

All 5 of us have this nasty cold now, but it seems to be hitting the baby and me the hardest.

Getting up at 4 a.m.

Sis went home yesterday morning, and I'll be getting up in . . . oh, about 5 hours to take my friend A to the airport. It's been wonderful having her here.

The girls, Baby E and I all have come down with colds--the sore throat, stuffy nose, headache version. I'm really hoping nobody else catches it from us. Sis doesn't need it with her class load, and A certainly doesn't need it during her pediatric ICU rotation for the month of December.

Oh, also it's very cold and precipitating here. I'm not used to driving in snow and ice, so if anyone is reading this before 4:30 a.m. Pacific time, please pray for a safe drive for us in the morning.

quick check-in

My sister J is home from college for a few days and my friend from college, A the pediatrician, is here visiting while on a few days' vacation from her residency. We've been having a great time catching up and spending time together. A and I have stayed up far too late talking each night, but it's been wonderful.

I'll be back to the blog in a few days after they go home.

Thanksgiving 2005

As I was baking a brown sugar cake this morning for our Thanksgiving festivities, the phone rang. It was a dear friend calling to tell me how she was thanking God for me today. That was such a special beginning to the day.

The excitement in the air as we got ready to go was contagious. The girls helped wrap gifts and write names on them, DH and I gathered food and coats, and we all headed for my parents' house, singing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" as we drove.


It's tradition in my family to give gifts at Thanksgiving instead of at Christmas time. My parents (and my dad's parents before him) don't celebrate Christmas, so the Thanksgiving gift-giving started out as a compromise with my mom's parents. Over the years it's become a beautiful time of reflecting on God's gifts to us and how thankful we are for each of our loved ones as we pick out or make a gift for them. We keep the gifts simple and few, but we enjoy them.

This year, DH took the girls shopping and let them pick out a small gift especially for each person. They had a wonderful time picking them out, and their gifts were amazingly thoughtful and appropriate. The girls loved wrapping their little gifts, writing everyone's names on them, and handing them out.



Interestingly enough, AJ demonstrated her proficiency in writing not only the normal way, but also in a perfect mirror image. Later in the day she did quite a bit of reading aloud, with the book both right-side-up and upside-down. I suspect she'll be amazingly good at geometry and spatial reasoning as she gets older. Either that or she's got some weird dyslexic thing going on--I'm not sure which.

We did, of course, have the requisite huge meal, which included the following: turkey, roast beef (from my grandparents' cow), green salad, broccoli walnut salad, cranberry sauce, red potatoes, pan gravy, stuffing, rice, homemade rolls (two kinds), baby carrots, sweet corn, lemonade, tea/coffee, pies (lemon, apple and pumpkin), and the brown sugar cake.

Before we ate, we joined hands and sang "Thank You Lord" and then prayed. Eleven faces glowed and eyes misted as our voices blended in praise.

For some reason, this year the day seemed almost unbearably poignant. I was deeply aware of the treasure of spending time with my husband and children, parents, sisters and my only remaining grandparents. It all seemed so very precious and fragile.

I looked at my mother's beautiful bright blue eyes and laughing face, and was struck by the contrast between now and this time 5 years ago. At that time it seemed she might not be with us much longer. Because of the choice a family made to share their daughter's life through organ donation that year, one family's tragedy gave birth to new life and health for my mother and others. Watching her enjoy her grandchildren and seeing her energy and joy has a special depth remembering how weak, pale and discouraged she once was.

My strong, unbending grandfather is getting feeble; he now walks with a cane and has difficulty standing, walking, and especially rising from his chair. He sat on the sofa for most of the evening, missing much of the conversation because of his increasing deafness. But Baby E smiled and babbled at him, and his face lit up in response. He talked to and grinned at her and, for the moment, forgot his pain in the joy of her smile.

There are so many little vignettes lingering in my mind . . .

My sisters reading books with the girls. Mom listening with absorption as they told her about the Nemo show. Dad blowing on the baby's tummy and laughing with her. Amy's excitement as she handed out autographed copies of the book with two of her stories published in it. Sis's tired smile as she relaxed and enjoyed being home again, and her delight in holding the baby.

The family laughing together, complimenting cooking and sharing stories. The ripping of wrapping paper, delighted exclamations, thank-yous and hugs. The talking about friends and family and how blessed we all are. The exchanged glances and chuckles as we shared an inside joke, wondering if my combination of nausea, heartburn, ravenous hunger and a missed period could mean anything other than just having had a baby and a stomach virus.

Grandma's surprised smile as she turned to the flyleaf of the out-of-print book I tracked down for her and saw the author's signature there. Her eager interest in my parents' description of a world cruise they had heard about. Her careful fingers stretching the yarn as we tried on the booties and hood she'd knitted for Baby E.

Grandpa's chuckle at a joke someone told. His solid determination not to set foot on a boat, plane, train or any other mode of long-distance transportation. The way he smiled at the girls and hugged us all. His enjoyment of the family even though he's not technically a blood relative (he became my mom's stepdad in her young adulthood).

DH's quips at the dinner table: "Now comes the part where the men say how good the food is while the women say how they messed it up," and his stubborn refusal to be caught by a camera. His tenderness with the kids, and his willingness to work on everyone's computers during the holiday celebration.

The jokes, competition and laughter as we played cards. Baby E looking for all the world like Aunt J was teaching her how to play. AJ and MM contentedly reading books and watching the game. Eating leftover turkey again for supper. Baby E fighting sleep and fooling Daddy into thinking she was resting (she was really leaning on his shoulder laughing silently at Aunt Amy). Finally seeing her nod off in Grandma's arms.

The personable comfort as we all enjoyed just relaxing together; family, with nobody to impress and no pretenses to make. Amy and I enjoying the prospect of writing about the day on our blogs (read her version here). Sis going upstairs to bed, as Mom encouraged her to sleep in the next morning to catch up on jet lag. Dad and DH discussing basketball and property values. The hugs hello and goodbye.

How I wish I could catch the golden moments in my hands and keep them. I'd like to bottle them somehow to bring out the glow, the laughter, the joy again on other days. But they slip through my fingers like rays of sunshine. Though I can't hold these moments, the brightness and warmth lingers long after they're gone.

Thank you, God, for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Creating memories

My sister J (a.k.a. Sis) got home from college for a few days today, and my mom and sisters stopped by on their way home from the airport. It was great to see Sis after several months living on opposite sides of the country.

The girls climbed all over Grandma and Aunties with abandon, of course. Baby E was happy in Sis' arms for the first few minutes, then suddenly went into a screaming panic fit. I think the similarity threw her for a loop--we do look similar and have very similar voices. Realizing that the person holding her was NOT Mommy must have been quite a shock. Once I finally got her calmed down, she smiled at everyone again from the safety of my arms.

My sister Amy and my mom won 4 tickets to Disney on Ice--Finding Nemo last week. Since none of their household could go to the show tonight, we inherited the tickets. DH had a music rehearsal, so my friend Elementary Schoolteacher (ES) went with the girls and me.



We had a fabulous time. All three girls (even the baby!) were agog. They soaked in every moment with their eyes wide and mouths hanging open, leaning forward and dancing in their chairs.

The show was, as all things Disney tend to be, a masterpiece of showmanship--a big, bright, colorful, well-choreographed, fun and thoroughly impressive staged production. ES and I had as much fun watching the kids enjoy the show as we did the show itself, but we loved the show too. The costumes and the set were just perfect. I really regretted forgetting to bring the camera. (You can see some photos and an article about the show here, though.)

Flickering lights helped create the effect of water, and a combination of costumed people, large creatures pushed around the ice by multiple hidden skaters, and fish on sticks created a beautiful and ever-changing ocean scene.

For the scenes with Nemo in the fish tank, the whole stage became the tank, complete with bubbles rising from a treasure chest and giant fake plants unfurling gracefully from the roof.

There were several big musical numbers with twirling and dancing groups of fish. So much fun to watch on the ice. The girls' favorite song was one they sang at the beginning in the "school" scene and again at the end--"Three Little Fishies". "Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu! . . . And they swam and they swam all over the dam!" They sang it off and on all the way home, and sang it for Daddy again when we got here.

One of the most memorable parts was the hauntingly beautiful jellyfish scene. There were big silk jellyfish lit with blue lights, floating and dancing all over the ice. In the center was a graceful gymnast dancing in the air with a long, flowing silk scarf hanging from one of the larger jellyfish. She twisted and turned, wrapping herself in and around the scarf in feats that made me catch my breath as the ends flickered and flowed beneath her. The luminescent blue ballet wove a spell that lasted long after the scene ended.

The sharks were impressively scary, but not too frightening for little girls. The "impressionistic" school of fish were great fun, and the turtles were absolutely adorable. Dory was cute and funny, Marlin convincing, and Nemo played to the audience wonderfully.

At the end, Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy came out with the characters for a finale. They waved at the audience, and my girls thought they were waving just to them. I wish I had a photograph of the way their faces lit up as they waved back.

When we got home the girls were spilling over with excitement, telling Daddy exactly how Minnie and Mickey each waved differently, and how AJ and MM waved back at them (AJ to Mickey and MM to Minnie). They told him all about the story, sang the songs for him, and demonstrated some of the dance moves.

Now they want to learn how to ice skate. Happily, they have two aunts who can teach them. My sisters took skating lessons for several years, even getting to the level of competing in programs, jumps, etc. and helping teach beginning classes. My girls have a lot of fun to look forward to.

Tomorrow we'll take the apple pie I made today, a brown sugar cake and some cranberry sauce as our contribution to the family dinner at my parents' house. My grandparents, sisters and parents will be there for the dinner, exchange of gifts and long afternoon of relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

Then on Friday my friend A (same name as my oldest daughter) the pediatrician will be arriving for several days' visit. I've seen her only a few times since we were in college together--mostly centered around occasions like my wedding and her graduation. It will be fun to have a relaxed visit with no major event taking place for once. :)

Life is good, and I am thankful for dear friends and family.

Homemade Playdough

Yesterday the girls played with homemade playdough.

It was an incentive for getting to bed quickly the night before--I told them if they hurried to get ready for bed and went right to sleep, I'd have time to make playdough. Rarely has bedtime gone so smoothly.



They spent a happy hour squishing it and cutting out shapes with cookie cutters, and then made snowmen. An easy bedtime, and then a deeply occupying activity for the next day. Not bad for 5 minutes of preparation time.



The recipe is very quick and easy to make. This playdough has a nice soft, squishy texture ideal for small children. It also carries a relatively low-mess- and stain-factor (especially if you leave out the food coloring, as I do).



PLAYDOUGH

From T.O.T. Teaching Our Tots by Cretia Olsen, 1980

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
food coloring

Cook 3 minutes. It will form a ball. Stir quickly. Pleace on wax paper. Knead. Separate into portions. Make a dent and add food coloring. Knead until color is uniform.

Store in airtight plastic containers. (Ziploc bags work just fine.)

And the little one said . . .

Roll over! Roll over!



Baby E just rolled over for the first time, front to back.

Watch out, World! Here she comes.

And no running with sticks, either.

Elliot Meacham (new to the commenters here at Purple Puzzle Place--welcome, Elliot!) has an interesting post today regarding this year's WATCH (World Against Toys Causing Harm) list of the top ten most dangerous toys. You can click on the photo gallery in the news article for photos and more info. about each of the toys mentioned.

I must say, I found the list for the most part--well, laughable. For example:

"W.A.T.C.H. also said The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King Uruk-Hai Crossbow set, which catapults arrows at high velocity, is dangerous because of its potential to cause eye injuries."

Oh, wow! You don't mean to tell me a toy crossbow that really works could cause an eye injury???? Oh, no! I never would have imagined that. Better stick to my good old-fashioned slingshot. Much safer. Yeah.



Any parent foolhardy enough to give a toy like that to a child without careful and strictly-enforced instruction not to fire it into people's faces, and to keep it away from kids not mature enough to handle it, deserves to be shot with a paintball gun--which is also on the list "because of its potential for eye, face and other impact injuries."

There is at least one toy on the list that doesn't have a blatantly obvious, common-sense danger:

"Animal Alley Ponies, distributed by Toys R Us, can cause ingestion injuries, W.A.T.C.H. said. The soft, colorful ponies aimed at infants have long, fiberlike hair that can be hazardous."

That one I can understand because--well--I made that mistake as a new parent. Nobody told me it was a bad idea to give long-haired toys to babies. Since this toy is marketed to infants it probably does deserve a mention. Hopefully, though, most parents would quickly realize (as I did) that any toy which sheds copious amounts of long hair when Baby touches or mouths it belongs on a shelf far away from the baby.

In my mind, the Why would they even MAKE a toy like that? And who would buy it? award goes to this toy:"Geospace International's 38" Air Kicks Kickaroos Anti-Gravity Boots, which fit over shoes and help children bounce around, also made the list. The manufacturer instructs users to "always remain in control of your motions," but that directive is unrealistic, W.A.T.C.H. said, citing the toy's potential for head or other impact injuries."

That Flubber movie where the basketball players all put flubber on their shoes looks like fun, sure. But why would I buy my kids shoes that do something like that?? They have a hard enough time controlling the bouncing force created by their own muscles--especially when sofa springs or stairs are involved.

My kids can bounce around and hurt themselves just fine without extra help, thank you very much.

Brown Rice and Catching Up

A friend taught me a new (to me) method of cooking brown rice, and I feel like I've discovered a whole new food. I tried it last night, and the rice was so much softer and fluffier than the way I usually make it. My family ate it without complaint and even asked for seconds. Usually they (the kids at least) complain and ask for white rice.

Here's the trick:

Before cooking the rice, heat some butter and/or oil (I used a mixture) in the pan and fry the dry rice and some seasonings until it's nicely toasted and a little brown. I used some thyme and basil and a little salt for extra flavor. Then add your water (2 parts water to 1 part rice) and bring it all to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff and serve.

We also had chicken thighs, which I simmered in some broth on the stovetop until they were so tender they were falling apart. We spooned the chicken and broth over the rice, added some veggies on the side, and it was delicious.

After a couple of bland but substantial meals, I'm finally feeling almost back to normal. I'm so far behind on e-mails, housework and just about everything else. MM's illness was milder and lasted only a day or two (she got sick before I did), and nobody else seems to have gotten it. I'm so glad about that.

Today I'm trying to catch up on housework and get ready for the holidays. We're having company for several days, starting the day after Thanksgiving, so we're getting ready for that as well as Thanksgiving itself.

We have much to be thankful for this year.

Blowing Baby Bubbles

Is there such thing as IDAA (internet discussion addicts anyonymous)?

You know you may be an internet discussion addict when:

* You stay up too late reading and posting.

* You feel you HAVE to post something on your blog at least every few days for fear of losing readers, whether you actually have something to say or not.

* You keep a mental list of things you want to post about and get frustrated when you don't have the time or energy to post on all of them.

* Your bloglines subscription list is so long it would take you at least a month to make the rounds and read the newest posts on each one.

* Having commenters makes your day.

* You dream about posts and discussion forums.

* Discussion board politics actually rattle you.

* You care too much what people you've never met think and say.

* You spend significant time worrying about how to word an argument or state a point in a discussion.

* The first thing you have to do every time you drag yourself out of bed is check blogs and message boards--even when you're sick.

Feel free to add to the list in the comments!

No, I didn't make it up

This post is for Dani, who thought maybe I made up the song. :)

The song AJ's words reminded me of is called "Kids Under Construction" sung by Bill and Gloria Gaither and the Gaither Trio (annyoing noisy website warning: if you're at work, turn your sound off before clicking the link to the Gaither website).

We had a tape of The Bill Gaither Trio For Kids when I was growing up, and that song (well, at least the refrain) and "Only a Boy Named David" (with its "woo-woo-woo-woo-woo" as "one little stone went up in the air") were the most memorable for me.

“Kids Under Construction”

by Bill Gaither and Gary Paxton

Refrain:

Kids under construction -
Maybe the paint is still wet.
Kids under construction -
The Lord may not be finished yet.



We’re more than just accidents without the cause;
We’re more than just bodies and brains.
God made us on purpose; we’re part of a plan.
He cares and He knows us by name.

Refrain.

Now, mister, I know that I get in your way;
I’m noisy and just bug you so.
But there’s lots of questions I just have to ask
If I’m ever going to know.

Refrain.

Dear Jesus, please make me more patient and kind,
And help us to be more like You.
And make room for all other children of Yours,
For they are still growing up, too.

Refrain.

Ugh, not again.

Guess I shouldn't have tried to eat normal food today.

Who are you on Middle Earth?

As seen at Phantom Scribbler:


Numenorean


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

I got Numenorean first, but by changing the answer to one or two questions that could have gone either way (especially the movie question--I like all the types mentioned!) I get Elvish or Rohirrim.

Ick, ick, ptui!

MM, get your foot out of the baby's mouth right now! What are you doing??!! Don't let her suck on your toes--yuck!

But, Mommy, I love the baby!

So that's the problem!

AJ, you're not listening to me.

But, Mommy, my ears can't hear very well as a kid. What God needs to do is finish making me!

24 hours later . . .

Thanks for the well-wishes, everyone. I'm still very weak and not feeling so hot today, but I seem to be over the worst of it. MM is well on the mend, and nobody else seems to be coming down with it so far.

Poor Baby E . . . my milk is almost non-existent, so she nurses and nurses and is still hungry. The other girls are full of energy. And all I want to do is stumble back to bed.

DH was able to stay home and take care of me yesterday, so that was wonderful. And, Baby E slept through the night for the first time in weeks the night I was in the bathroom every few minutes all night. So that was a big blessing, even though she woke up frequently last night.

I've been thinking we had too much going and wishing for a week to just stay home and not go anywhere. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind. :)

My Turn . . .

I spent the night praying for mercy as I stood before the "great white [porcelain] throne."

We now have two empty bottles of carpet cleaner

One of those things that makes me wish I had hard flooring and washable rugs throughout the house: children with a stomach virus.

Remembering

On this day a year ago, our world was shattered.

William Roger brought so much joy and love into all of our lives. We were blessed to have him from August 20, 2004 to November 12, 2004.

Precious baby boy, you are always in our hearts. You are still and will always be a beloved nephew to me.

Pictures and story here.

His little sister will be born this month, and big brother James will have a sibling at home again. Please pray for a safe and healthy delivery and baby, and for continued healing and peace for the family.

Purple_Kangaroo's Pouch

I finally found a sling that works for us. Baby E loves it (it's the first carrier she hasn't fussed in) and it's pretty comfortable for me to wear. The elastic in the edges helps Baby E stay securely in, and I can even nurse her in it. It even has a clip to make taking it off with her in it easier.

The Koala Carrier.



The funny thing is, people keep telling me that it looks like a kangaroo pouch. Well, I guess it is!

Cute & fluffy

This is a cute interactive page. Move the mouse around and see what happens!

Pictures

Expect Baby E to sit back and relax? No way! She wants to get up and go somewhere!



"I'm a gweat babysittew, awen't I?" Yes! "Me too!" You are both great babysitters and great sisters.



Well, MM's legs are longer than Baby E's even if the rest of her isn't that much larger. :)



E's favorite new resting position--entire fist in mouth, other hand caressing her hair. She wants to pull on my hair while eating.

Happy Birthday, Darling

DH is 31 today.

Happy Birthday! I love you so much.

Poor kid

Baby E has been in a good mood today, except for having a very short fuse and getting upset whenever I was out of sight. She hasn't gotten over being left with the sitter yet.


She has been acting strange at feeding time--grunting, whimpering, wiggling and pulling off a lot while nursing. I thought maybe her teeth were bothering her or something, because she was acting like her mouth hurt or she was in pain somehow, but not acting like it was her stomach bothering her.

It wasn't until I was talking to my mom on the phone that the probable reason dawned on me.

I was telling Mom that the babysitter last night heated up the milk in the microwave and didn't know it shouldn't be warmer than body temperature before giving it to baby E.

Mom said, "Did E burn her mouth?"

Suddenly everything clicked.

My poor, poor baby.


On another note, Baby E is in a convertible car seat instead of the carrier now. There are 4 slots for the shoulder straps, at different levels. MM, at 3 1/2, is a little below the top (fourth) slot. Baby E, at just barely 3 months, is about even with the third slot. She's growing out of all her 3-6 month clothes and wearing 6-9 and 9-12 month sizes already.

Such a cute little chunk!

Outing

DH and I went on our first date since Baby E was born; to a live production of Pride and Prejudice. The play was great, but the outing as a whole was not a roaring success.


We had trouble finding a babysitter.

I really wanted to leave the kids with someone who has kids of their own and is experienced with young children and babies, if we had to leave all three at all.

My mom was going to watch the kids, but ended up not being able to because a couple of us had runny noses. As a transplant recipient on immunosuppressants, Mom can't be around anyone with even a minor illness.

Everyone else we asked wasn't available tonight. We had a few other people who might have been willing to take care of the kids, but late evening is difficult for them for various reasons (early rising, young kids of their own, not liking to drive at night, etc.). And it's so hard to ask people for things like that.

So we ended up using our regular teenage babysitter, which I didn't really feel comfortable with. We hadn't left the baby with her ever before and it would be a long time. However, she assured us that she was experienced handling babies and was comfortable caring for all three kids by herself.

I asked the sitter to come between 5 and 5:30, preferably by 5:15. She arrived at 5:42, which significantly cut down on the time I had planned to go over things with her and explain things to her. So DH and I were both hurriedly trying to tell her things while getting ready to run out the door.

I tried calling twice on the way to the theater to check on them and to tell the sitter not to use the milk in the bottle (since I discovered that the milk DH had given her to use was a batch from about 2 weeks ago that had been supposed to have been thrown away) and which milk to use instead. The phone machine answered both times. Then DH informed me the cordless phone wasn't on the cradle, so she probably couldn't find it. So I called again to leave a message telling her where to find the phone.

When I called home during intermission the babysitter sounded like she was almost in tears. She said the baby had been crying a lot and the older two weren't staying in bed. She wanted to know how long I usually heat up the bottle in the microwave, since she wasn't sure she'd done it right when trying to feed the baby. She also hadn't heard my messages from earlier.

First, I told her to dump out the milk she was using. Then I explained that I never use the microwave; I run the bottle under warm tap water or set it in a glass of warm water. I told her how to test the temperature by putting a drop of milk on her wrist, and explained that it should be just body temperature. She seemed surprised and thanked me, and said she'd try it.

When I called a few minutes later (at the end of the intermission) to see if she needed us to come home, she said everything was fine and the baby was taking the bottle.

We came home to a rather traumatized babysitter and a very upset baby who had screamed most of the time. I'm actually not really sure how the other two kids did; the babysitter was eager to get away from our house when we came home.

The babysitter apparently didn't know how to do basic things like heat up a bottle of milk, and was quite rattled by the baby crying. Since DH had gotten the milk ready in the bottle and told her where it was, I thought he'd explained all that, but he hadn't. That's one problem with both of us taking turns briefing the babysitter while being in and out of the room in turn, getting ready to go.

The look on Baby E's face was one of despair, hopelessness and panic. I wanted to cry right with her. She was so happy to see me though, and to nurse. She hardly took any of the expressed milk from the bottle while we were gone, so she was gulping like crazy and swallowing air when I finally got her calm enough to eat. I kept apologizing to her and holding her close.

The babysitter says after tonight she's decided she doesn't want to have kids "for a very long time." I felt bad for her, too, especially since we weren't very organized and didn't explain everything adequately.

In the forseeable future, it looks like Baby E will be going with us on any outings DH and I take together.

Congratulations, Julie!

There are two Julies in the commenting friends here at my blog--this is the one without a blog of her own (yet!).

I was at Julie's house on Saturday helping her pack. They bought a house that ended up being more of a fixer-upper than they had thought. Because of the various repairs needed, their move-in date kept getting pushed back until it was just after her due date.

So, by Saturday she was 4 days overdue with her second child (her daughter M just turned two), with a moving date a week away and much left still do be done at both houses. Her DH was doing most of the work on the new house himself, so he was over there most of the time when he wasn't working.

When I left slightly after 3 pm on Saturday, she was still thinking it might be several days before she went into labor.


Halfway through a harvest party that evening her water broke, and just 4 hours later baby boy K was born. Julie and I both had difficult labors and long recoveries with our firstborn (she had hemmorhaging--scary!), but her second sounded much like my labor with M.

I'm looking forward to hearing the whole, detailed birth story. It sounded rather exciting. They left home with contractions 5 minutes apart and I think Julie was already feeling like she wanted to push at that point.

At the hospital, the nurses took forever to get her checked in and were quite leisurely about having her fill out paperwork, etc. A nurse put them in a monitoring room to see if they were ready to be admitted and then left.

After some time, Julie sent her husband to find a nurse because she was worried the baby was going to come right there in the admitting room, and nobody had even checked on their progress yet.

The first time anyone checked her progress was after they finally got her into a delivery room, and by that point she was 8 cm dilated and about 3 contractions away from giving birth. The midwife barely got there in time to catch the baby.

We got a call at 12:30 a.m. to tell us the baby was born, after I'd just been there that afternoon with no sign of an impending baby. Hooray!

Mom and baby are doing great. The baby is absolutely beautiful. At 8 lbs. 9 oz, he is just a bit smaller than Baby E was 3 months ago. She is almost twice his size already. I wish I'd thought to take my digital camera, but Julie's DH took pictures of us all so we'll get copies of those, I'm sure.

Julie and her family will, thankfully, be able to stay with family until their new home is habitable.

Meet the newest family member

We got a hamster about a week and a half ago. The girls named her Puff.



Puff seemed very sweet, calm and friendly at the pet store, but as soon as we got her home she was terrified. She wants out of her cage, and she does NOT want to be touched.

The pet store where we got her had all the hamsters in an open-topped cage where anyone could handle them. I thought that would make her used to being handled, but it seems to have been more traumatic than helpful for her. Poor thing.

So I'm working on taming her by getting her to take food out of my hand. Hopefully soon she'll begin to trust us. She did finally take a piece of food out of my hand a couple of days ago. That's progress.



Meanwhile, the girls are loving watching her eat, run in her hamster ball, and build nests out of paper towels. They're thrilled with their new pet and don't seem to feel there's anything lacking.

We had originally planned to get a fish, but we decided a small animal might be more fun. I'd infinitely rather clean out a critter cage than a fish tank, and little animals in cages are pretty easy to care for (and to get a pet-sitter for when we go out of town). Their lifespan is short, so it's only a committment of a year or two, maybe three.

I tried to talk the girls into a rat, because they're more active, social and friendly. But they were insistent on the hamster, because it was cuter and furrier. Since BrightStar seems to like her hamster, I was willing to go for it.

Welcome to the family, Puff. I hope you'll be happy here.

Happy 3-month Birthday, Baby E

Baby E is 3 months old today.



She is holding her head and upper body up with ease. She tries very hard to crawl or roll over--she wants so badly to be mobile and communicative. I think she's teething; she chews on everything and drools a river lately.





Here she is modeling her new cloth diapers and proraps. I'm so happy with the change to cloth so far. The cloth diapers are much softer and more aesthetically pleasing, which I didn't really expect. I actually enjoy washing and folding them and putting a clean one on her.

She seems to like them just fine, although a wet diaper bothers her more with the cloth--which just means we notice more quickly when she's wet.



We got a great price on seconds from Pro Diaper on ProRaps and some really nice diaper service quality prefolds, and added some flat diapers and a Bummi Super Whisper Wrap to try also. The Bummi is a bit softer than the proraps, and the inside is fabric rather than PUL (polyurethane laminate), which is softer but can't be as easily wiped clean, and seems like it would stain more easily. Both seem to work equally well. We haven't had any blowouts or leaking through with the prefold cloth diapers, and we were having those problems constantly with the disposables.

I ordered the Bummi wrap, a snappi and some Baby Bits for making wipe solution from Granola Babies, and was happy with the products and service. They were having a 15% off sale and free shipping. I was also thrilled with my experience buying a pair of snappis, fleece diaper liners and a few other things from Abby's Lane, with free (and fast) shipping and excellent service. She was just about to start a new 10% off promotion, so the owner of Abby's Lane actually refunded me 10% of my payment!



I highly recommend the Snappi fasteners instead of pins with the cloth diapers. They make it so easy, and keep the diaper snugly in place inside the wraps. We have had no leaks so far using the snappi/cover combination, even at night without doubling diapers.

The whole setup cost us the equivalent of just a few months' worth of disposable diapers, especially with getting prorap seconds for $4 each from the manufacturer (they're seconds because they had a smudge of dirt on them!). I'm very pleased.

On another note, I wanted to share the sculptures the older girls made yesterday.





They are porcupines made of dry spaghetti and beads with a playdough base. Actually, MM's is a "porky-pine" and AJ's is a "prickly-pine." AJ thinks they must eat prickles to make themselves prickly.

As little children

Tonight's prayers (most of it in echoes as each repeated the ideas the other came up with):

Dear God,

Thank you for the TV. And thank you for our baby. And thank you that we got to go shopping today, and have lunch with Daddy. Please help Daddy get home safely from his music practice.

I'm really sad because AJ pushed me--and MM pushed me back! And shut the door on me. Please help me to be nice to each other. Please help me be nice to MM. Please help me be nice to AJ.

And help me to be good. Help me be good. Yeah, and keep my underwear dry so I can get a Polly Pocket after church if I keep my underwear dry all night all week! Me too!

Thank you for the Tinkerbell toy we saw in the store today. Maybe it could be our Christmas present? Or maybe an umbrella. Yeah, or maybe a Strawberry Shortcake book. Or a Dora book. Yeah.

Please help us sleep well, and keep us safe. Goodnight.

Amen.

Whose kid is that?

In the checkout line at Costco today, AJ started chatting to the young man checking us out.

"That's my mommy."

"Yeah, I see that."

"Did you think she was my grandma? Because she's not my grandma; she's my mommy. Grandma has white hair."

The checker and I were both rather speechless.

I'm not exactly sure where that came from, but I did mention to her that I'm not really old enough to be her grandmother. I'm only 28, although I do have a lot of grey hair already. LOL.

Another interesting factiod: neither of her grandmothers has white hair. But her Great-Grandma does.

Dinosaur Jammies

These used to be MM's favorite jammies. When she wore them, she could run around and say "dinasauw jammies". I think AJ was walking when she wore them, too.



Baby E is almost as big at 3 months as MM was at a year old. But Daddy can still easily hold her with one hand while working at the computer with the other.

Contrition

MM just came to find me, and said, "Mommy, I really love you a lot."

"Oh, thank you, Honey . . . I love you too."

I bit my lip and stopped myself just in time from saying something like, "But the best way to show me that you love me is by obeying and doing what you're supposed to do." We already dealt with her disobedience this morning, and it's done. I don't want her to feel that my love (or my acceptance of her love for me) is conditional.

There was a long pause. Then, twisting her hair in her hand, turning her toe in the carpet and looking at me out of the corner of her eye, she said, "I'm sorry I took the nail polish and made a mess, Mommy."

I was so glad I'd held my tongue.

If you were wondering why I'm behind on blogging and e-mail . . .

Here are a few of the reasons--my kids.



I got the kids and the baby fed and dressed this morning and organized Baby E's new stash of cloth diapers. When I saw that the girls were playing nicely together, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. I came upstairs, laid the baby down for a nap, and took a few minutes to read e-mail.

A few minutes later, I started downstairs to check on the girls. Halfway down the stairs I became aware of the distinct smell of . . . nail polish. Oh, no.

I said, "Why do I smell nail polish?" I wear nail polish maybe once or twice a year, but there are a few bottles floating around in drawers.

Searching the house, I found A with some markers and other things she'd gathered off the forbidden kitchen counter by climbing up on a stool. But no nail polish.

Following my nose, I finally found M hiding under the dining room table. She had nail polish all over herself (including her face), her clothes, the carpet, and a few other things. She was sitting on the bottles of polish, trying to hide them. Oh, so innocent.



Anyone have any ideas for getting fingernail polish out of carpet and clothes?