His First Month

Congrats Jude, you did it, you're four weeks old (yes, I know, I am one day late). Your life right now is slow and sweet, eating all the time and sleeping a ton during the day even with your loud sisters running around, screaming, poking you and constantly mothering you to death. I am convinced you could sleep though anything, during the day. At night it's a whole different story, sadly enough you have already had a runny nose, probably brought home by you sisters from story time and given to you by the million kisses they shower you with each day. So its no surprise that you prefer sleeping sitting up and thats okay because its also no surprise that I enjoy snuggling with you 'til the break of dawn.


Four weeks ago I was wondering when you were going to join us, wondering what exactly you were waiting for. Your official due date was June 27th but I guess you weren't ready. The doctor measured you via ultrasound the Tuesday before you came and said that you were probably around 9lb 4oz but I convinced him I didn't think you were that big and to give me more time to have you without help from him because I felt so good. You gave me some great power and energy when I was carrying you with me, thank for that by the way. 


You still hadn't made your appearance four days after your due date so at 5 am, Daddy and I headed to the hospital so you could get a little wake up call and be forced to come into the world. We arrived at the hospital and they started giving me the medicine to make you come. 


Time passed and Daddy watched Sports Center and we hung out waiting for the contractions and then the contractions became strong and I had to close my eyes and concentrate to get through each one, but I welcomed the pain knowing that each contraction brought me one step closer to you. 


A few more hours later the contractions became really strong and I needed Daddy to help get through each one. I couldn't sit still, I was hot, sweaty and grumpy. I wanted Daddy to stand in a certain spot and he had to take his sweatshirt off because the fabric hurt my face. I had to have the shades closed on the window, wanted privacy though no one could have seen us with our awesome roof top view. I was ripping all monitors off, wanted my IV out, (though your Dad persuaded me to chill out) wanted nothing on me, nothing touching me. I had the sweetest nurse named Michelle with the calmest voice who also helped though this rough part. 


So I finally felt ready to push, that strong undeniable to urge to push, and the doctor came in and was all, "Lets have a baby!" and I didn't really care if he was ready or not because I was. I was so unbelievably out of my mind ready to meet you. 


So with two big pushes from somewhere deep in my soul, on Friday, July 1st, at 11:43 am, out you came and all I could do was fall back in my bed with relief and from absolute exhaustion. The doctor took one look at you and said, "This is a ten pound baby," and he was right on. He handed you to me with your swollen, sweet face and those juicy lips and that was it, I was a goner. You were pure perfection, the sweetest boy ever.  

You came home from the hospital on a Sunday and you were thrown right into this crazy life. You came home without a hat because your head was a little big for those tiny little hats they give out at the hospital. Don't worry, they weren't cute anyway. Your sisters took to you immediately. I honestly can't believe how much they adore you, it's so beautiful to see. Basically, there is a whole lot of love floating around here right now. 

Notice the doll in his chair.

Nyah can't stop professing just how cute her baby brother is, I don't know how many times I have heard, "He's soooo cute, my baby bruder is sooo cute." She also thanks God for you each evening as she prays before we eat dinner, "Thank you for our food and thank you for my baby bruder, AMEN".

Elsa is precious and the tenderness she treats you with doesn't seem possible for someone her age. She caresses you with the gentlest touches and is never too rough. You are now the only person in the house she will kiss, the rest of us just get her cheek. If you are crying, she announces to the whole house, "Crying!" Lately she has been calling you, "Big boy," which she has shortened to just, "Boy". And just today, she has stopped calling you Boy and now calls you, "Judah". I am not really sure what she will end up calling you in the end, seems she is just testing a few names out for now. 

The first thing everyone notices about you is just how big you are and let me be the first to say, you are huge. You have a healthy appetite, love to nurse, and I just can't believe how wonderfully you are growing. You are heavy and I can't wait to see how much you weigh at your next doctor appointment because you feel like fifteen pounds.


So that's you first four weeks of life little guy, you are the perfect addition to our family and our lives. We are in love George Jude, and we are so glad you've come.

40 Weeks!

I/We made it! I am ten months pregnant today. Meaning I have been pregnant for two months shy of one year. Isn't something supposed to happen today? Anything? Today would be a perfect due date. It's a really dark and rainy day around these parts, making for a relaxing, peaceful mood. Hope bruder is feeling my vibes because I am so eager to meet the little dark haired cherrub. 


If he doesn't make his appearance today, we get to see him via ultrasound tomorrow to check up on his size. I am feeling he is pretty much a perfect size, but thats just be, I am biased. I am getting my big girl pants on so I can stand strong against those oh so horrible words, induction. I have a feeling they will be tossed around tomorrow by the well meaning doctor. Trying to remain positive and have faith in this old body that it knows whats a going on and can handle birthing just one last baby, without help, thanks though.


So, instead of posting embarrasing photos of my huge body today, I opted to share these even more embarassing, super revealing photos of a body cast George and I did yesterday. Serioulsy, all pride is gone. This is your official warning. Hide your eyes if you must. 

This belly casting kit has been sitting in my room since the days Nyah was enjoying the comfort of my womb (as she likes to call it), a perfectly thoughful gift from my oh so wonderful brother and sister in law. I never got around to casting myself (what fun is that) and so I saved it. And out it came the other day. When I presented the idea of casting my big ol' belly to George he gave me that look like, you tree hugger, but in the end complied with my wishes out of fear pure sweetness. He really came around to the idea when he found out the nude body had to be prepped and rubbed down with Vasoline prior to casting so a good time was had by all. 


I of course couldn't let him have all the fun. After much begging and convincing, he finally let me. 

I am not sure what we will end up doing with our casted bodies. George suggested we put them on our mantle but I don't think that will happen. Don't want to frighten the guest. My original idea was to let the girls go crazy and paint our casted bods, but I kind of like them. If you are prego and have the chance, I would suggest trying this activity, and do your man/husband/significant other too. It's really fun.


Now off to test drive minivans. I wasn't kidding when I said all pride is gone.


Hoping my next post will be photos of our sweet baby boy. Until then...

Prepping

This week, I have just started to think that I should prepare for the new baby. I haven't done anything, seriously. Its real and I need to get with it. I don't want to fit the stereotype I have heard so often about how the last or in our case, third child, is allowed to do whatever and is all but neglected. 


I understand where this stereotype comes from. With practice makes perfect, or makes one more relaxed and confident and for us at least, by the time the third child arrives, I think (I hope) we will know what to expect, minus his little personality quirks. So what's the need for all the fuss and stress?


With Nyah, I was thrown numerous baby showers where I received beyond the amount of gifts one human deserves, from overly generous family and friends, picked from a mega baby store using a small hand held scanner. I had everything for her, wipe warmer, special pillows for nursing, special medical kits, special blankets, you name it. 


When Elsa came along, I had luckily saved everything from Nyah and was able to reused it. I obviously didn't ship the big stuff, like obnoxious swing, exersaucer, etc but that was fine. I didn't miss any of it and realized I didn't need any of it. The purpose of all the stuff seems to be just to make one small moment in the mothers life and small stage in the child's life easier and then to take up a lot of space. 


Elsa, from birth, has lived a contraption free life, minus a swaddling blanket. She has always been left to her imagination and allowed to lie, roll, sit, scoot, crawl and walk to her hearts delight without being confined to a piece of plastic. Our major investment with her were some mega padding puzzle like pieces for the hard tile floor which we are still using in the girls play area. We child proofed the house and set her free. She walked early and is extremely independent, has killer concentration for her age and enjoys playing alone, preferably looking at books. So this is the route we will take with the little guy, a plastic contraption free life. 


I have a carrier, swaddling blankets, co sleeper (in fact, haven't even put it away), the girls bedding is cobalt blue, everything is gender neutral so other than clothes, which my generous friends have totally hooked me up with, we might be set. I think. I hope. Bottles? Nope, breastfeed and try not to leave baby much. Cloth diapers? I just might go there this time, oh yeah, we got a washer and dryer. Booyah. Yup, it's the little things in life.


What I have been doing most of all to prepare little dudes arrival is reading. Lots. I totally engulfed myself with reading when I was pregnant with Ny. I wanted to know all there was to know about natural child birth and breastfeeding. None of the woman in my family knew much about these topics, in fact, I think my poor grandmother was knocked out for her "births". So since I really had no one to bestow this important womanly wisdom on me, I hit the books, naturally. My all time favorite book and the one I credit with teaching me the most was, Spiritual Midwifery, written by the badass midwife, Ina May Gaskin in 1976. 

If you are pregnant and have any interest in the beauty of child birth, you gotta read this book. 

A little crunchy and hippyish (some of the woman have harry arm pits) but it tells the birth stories of hundreds of women written by the mother herself, father, friend, or midwife who attended the birth. The numerous stories of how the mommas repeatedly had uncomplicated, untraumatic birthing experiences was so enlightening and get this, the majority of them did it on a farm. No hospital. They all did it, without drugs, without C sections. And they survived. The statistics are amazing, at times unbelievable. 


It's empowering and I credit this book with giving me the confidence to relax, trust my body and embrace the life changing labor and delivery experience I had with Nyah. The woman's stories in the book helped me realize that delivering a baby is normal and something I am perfectly capable of doing and in fact was born to do. It is a nice way to counter the horror stories so common in our culture today. 


Couldn't resist including a picture of the little beauty who changed my life in more ways than I can count.

So, I have picked up my treehugging tendencies again and ordered Ina's newest book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. 

Love it, so far. Haven't finished it yet but enjoying more inspirational stories along with more technical info of how to get 'er done in the delivery room. 


And there you have it, the most important item I have purchased thus far in preparation for baby boys arrival. Also, now accepting, in advance all good vibes anyone wants to send this way for a quick and peaceful delivery of a healthy baby. By far the best gift we could receive as we prepare ourselves and our lives for the newest addition.

And how could I forget a photo of the precious Elsa Christiana who brings joy and light to our lives daily.