Random thoughts

Do you know that all the best foods out there have dairy in them? Mexican food: cheese, SOUR CREAM. Italian food: cheese, cheese, cheese. Sandwiches: better with cheese. Then there's ice cream. Even sherbert has milk in it. Ugh.

I took a 2-hour nap today and woke up feeling like I'd slept half the night. That's probably because a 2-hour nap is half my night's sleep.

I'm pretty sure I should buy stock in Huggies.

Tim is on nights this week. Even with a 1:1 ratio of adults to children (Tim's parents are both here), there was still a lot of craziness and tears. I am fairly certain I will be joining in the tears the next time Tim is on nights and I am alone with all the children. *shudder*

We have hired a cleaning lady. This is possibly the best decision we have ever made.

I ran approximately 1/2 mile today. I am already questioning this action. I don't know if I will be able to walk up the stairs tomorrow.

I haven't been peed on in a few days. I am getting faster at jumping out of the way.

People have been sending us awesome gifts. I have not started writing notes to thank them. If you are one of these people, know that I am grateful, and that you should receive a note before summer is officially here.

I would post a picture of Luke, but am too lazy to find the camera or download the new photos. Soon. Really. Keep checking back.

Pictures!

I have no time, nor do I have the mental acuity, to post more than photos at the moment. But here are a few pictures to hold you over until I have a chance to actually write something.

3 weeks old and just shy of 10lbs.

First Easter.

Very dissatisfied with something.

Held by Aunt Sheila.

The aptly named poopie suit.

Enjoying zebra cupcakes for Haddi's birthday.

At the Shark Reef last weekend.

Shoeless Claire at the Shark Reef.

Holding her baby brother.

Giving Grandma Cheri a look.

The easiest baby ever?

I think Luke might win the gold medal in this category. He spends oodles of quiet awake time, checking out his surroundings. I wake him up every three hours at night to eat. When he does wake up in the middle of the night, it's usually just a quiet "mmm" that I hear from him.

The biggest challenge so far has been feeding. We almost went to the bottle after several days of fighting with him about whether he wanted to latch on and stay on long enough to eat. Luke and I argued about it many times over hours of "feeding" sessions during which he finally decided to eat, but with extreme prejudice. Somehow we have worked out our differences and now he finishes his meals within 30-45 minutes, which is acceptable to both of us.

He also has quite a lot to say about diaper changes, but that is understandable, in my opinion. Those wipes are cold. Sometimes he retaliates with a golden shower for me or Tim, which we are trying to remediate, mostly with a strategically placed washcloth. This makes actual cleaning of his bum challenging, so if anyone has other ideas, we would welcome them readily.

This morning I had my first outing with all three children by myself. I was the only one not crying, but that in itself is an accomplishment. Now Kate is happily at school, Claire is watching what is likely to be the first hour of many of cartoons, and Luke is sleeping. I also wish I was sleeping, but am pretty sure it is unwise to leave Claire awake by herself.

Sheila left this morning, and Tim's mom arrives this afternoon, in a strategically-timed effort by the entire family. I am so thankful to have an extra adult around for a few more weeks, as I am fairly certain I would be huddled in a corner rocking to and fro without significant help right now.

I totally forgot

::: the way babies squeak

::: that a series of short naps does not in any way constitute a full- or half-night's sleep

::: how incredibly soft a newborn's skin is

::: my love of all things dairy and how much I miss them the first few months (my babies are intolerant of me eating dairy for the first 3-4 months)

::: how much my back would hurt the first few weeks after having a baby

::: that my babies sound like horses whinnying at times

::: about the power of a hot shower to rejuvenate the body and soul

::: how irrational one can be at 6am after having been awake for 2 hours and having gotten only 3 hours of sleep throughout the night

::: that I can out-eat my husband at every meal as a nursing mom

::: how nice it is to be able to bend at the waist, and to pick something up off the floor without extreme awkwardness

::: what my toes look like

::: how much I enjoy sleeping on my back

::: that sleeping with a newborn on your chest is heaven

::: the satisfaction of losing about a pound a day for a period of time

::: how tiny a newborn is, and how perfect they are, especially their ears, lips, fingers and toes

::: the incredible healing effects of Tim's help and support

::: how difficult the first few weeks of nursing are

::: the emotional roller coaster that takes me for a ride almost daily

::: how strong love can be in such a short time of knowing a person

The story of Luke

Hiiii! I'm back! I'm pretty sketchy on the whole "awake and aware of my surroundings" thing, but we are home and all is well.

Friday was a LONG day. My OB wanted me in at 6am, knowing that my last induction (Claire) took about 13 hours. I had high hopes that with this third baby, things would progress at a quicker pace and Tim and I would be holding our newborn by dinner at the latest. The best laid plans, right?

I got my epidural at 11am (it took two tries; the first one hit a vein). With Claire I had a walking epidural, which is apparently a narcotic. I liked the walking kind a lot better; the ones with Kate and Luke were the non-walking kind, and not only did I feel like I was lying in a bed of gravel, the drug also didn't last...

At 8pm, they boosted my pitosin, causing me a good deal more pain. The epidural was beginning to wear off, just as I reached 8cm. It didn't kick back in. I think they call that a natural birth? Not what I had planned, but I survived somehow.

Just over 2 hours later, at 10:03pm, our baby boy arrived. There's nothing quite like learning that you have a perfect baby son after waiting more than nine months to find out the baby's gender. He weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces, and was 21" at birth. He is such a good baby, and is a wonderful blessing. Welcome, Luke Arthur.

It's a...

BOY!

It was a long day, but at 2203 we welcomed Luke Arthur into this world. He had his own ideas about how long he needed to stay inside.

He weighs 8 pounds, 2 ounces and is 21 inches long.

Mom is exhausted and hungry, and finally got some food. Luke has learned how to breathe, cry, eat and coo and likes to look at the pictures on the walls.

Thank you all for the prayers and encouragement.

Tim

Update from Tim

Hey everyone. Its 3:30 and as you might imagine Jen is not much in the mood for Blogging right now. She's plugged into the epidural and needed some supplemental pain relief. It seems to be helping because she is able to relax a bit and get a minute or two of sleep here and there. Progress is slow, but so far a little faster than with Claire.

We have a good team of people here helping out.

Baby and Mom are hanging in there, and I expect to get to meet the new little one in a few hours.

Tim

It's a...

...good thing some genius invented epidurals.

Sorry to tease - no baby yet. Did get the epidural, though, so life is much better than it was an hour ago.

Will keep you posted, I swear.

Right now

Right now I am

*wishing I'd eaten a bowl of cereal this morning (STARVING)
*glad I took that ambien last night
*experiencing a love/hate relationship with pitocin
*glad I can blog from Tim's PDA, but am looking forward to having the laptop here soon
*vascillating between boredom and slight discomfort
*hoping the girls are feeling better and will be good for our friends who are graciously tending to their every whim
*glad I have a good nurse and hope the baby is born on her shift
*excited to meet our new baby
*wondering how many "boredom posts" may be uploaded from my windowless hospital room today

Starting to freak out a little

Now that the countdown is really close to being over, I'm becoming slightly...anxious. I know I've had two children before, but both were born in the same hospital in Arizona, and I had the same OB. This time, we're in a different city, I have a different doctor, and there's a new unfamiliarity. What if this one doesn't go as well as the last one? I was induced with Claire, and it was fabulous - far easier than Kate's birth. But she was only about 5 days early; this one will be 2 weeks early. Also, we are relying on friends (really, really good friends!) to take care of the girls, as we will not have any family in town until next week.

I'm sure everything will go fine, but I will be taking an Ambien tonight to ensure hours of good sleep. Also, [scrunching face] it will probably be the last good night of sleep I will have in months.

More tomorrow! Or Saturday, or Sunday, or whenever I have the time to write again.