Random thoughts, and Hallelujah!

We hosted a squadron farewell at our house on Friday night. After going to bed after midnight, and waking up to Luke yelling (not crying or screaming, yelling! Because he could!) at an earlier hour than I would have liked, I let Claire eat some brownie for breakfast. This morning, I asked her what she wanted for her first meal of the day and she said, "I want chocolate cake."

Luke started sleeping through the night sometime last week! I'm still waking him to feed him between 10-11pm before I go to bed, but he'll sleep straight through until about 7am now. At least I think he's sleeping straight through...with all the fans on, I did manage to sleep through a thunderstorm last week. I am so much more well-rested now. And yet still mysteriously exhausted. Maybe it's the whole 3 young children thing.

I had milk on my oatmeal yesterday and I think Luke tolerated it. He was a bit fussy, but nothing more than normal. I might try some cheese with dinner, or ice cream later tonight! Oooh, living dangerously.

Our dishwasher has been making a high-pitched whining sound for several months. Its one-year warranty is due to expire next week, so I had a repairman come out today to fix it and it wouldn't make the noise. The repairman left 30 minutes ago. The cycle is still running and the whine is back. Awesome.

Kate is getting excited about her birthday. She's a September baby, so she has a ways to go, but she doesn't understand the time thing very well yet. She does, however, know the months between now and then: "May, June, Goliath and then September!"

It's been sizzling outside for the past week (109* today), so we've been getting plenty of pool time. Claire knows that she must have one thing on before going outside: "sunscream".

I am at a loss for the whole bed wetting thing. Kate has been potty-trained for months now, but still wets the bed at night. She had several dry nights a couple of months ago, so I know it's possible for her to make it through the night without wetting the bed. We limit what she drinks at dinner, and even wake her up before we go to bed for one last trip to the bathroom. I was determined not to go back to diapers at night, because she gets lazy, and because I don't want to confuse her. But I am tired of washing sheets every single day! I am pretty sure kids are either bed wetters or they're not, but I don't know how to get beyond bed wetting. If you have ideas for me, please comment.

How can you tell he's the third child?

It took 11.5 weeks for me to get him to the picture place for the first time.

Gratuitous Pictures of a Baby Boy

Ten weeks old. Also, that is my ARM next to his head.

Me: happy. Luke: not so much.

Yeah, I'm a pretty big deal.

Already getting dressed up by his big sister.

And then there was the party bus

As most of you know, Nellis AFB is home to the USAF Weapons School. They have two classes per year, and this means every June and December people fly in from all over the world for a string of fabulous graduation parties. Living here has its advantages, because last week I got to participate in the A-10 wives' soiree - a righteous tour around Las Vegas in our own Rock Star bus.

We started at the local casino, and then boarded the bus for our next stop at the Blue Martini. The bus driver took perhaps the longest route possible to get there, but it allowed us all some time to get to know each other. Michelle and Lysandra entertained us with their dancing skills, which garnered some looks from the local traffic on the I-15. After martinis and shots at the Blue Martini, we went to the famous Las Vegas sign, where the bus driver took a photo of all of us...but not the sign. I'm pretty sure the whole point of the picture was to have us and the sign in the photo, but whatevs.

When you put the pictures together like this, it actually looks like what I had in mind!

From there, it was off to Mandalay Bay's exclusive Foundation Room, a posh bar on the 43rd floor overlooking the strip. More shots and more drinks led to much silliness, including this photo which shows Jenna, Aubrey, Erin and me, and something unmentionable floating in Erin's 'tini. Also, Lysandra might have drunk-dialed Katie, who lives on the east coast...making for a very late night call. Sorry, Kates!

Hawg wives know how to party.

Busy much?

I don't even know what I've been up to for the past week, but I've been busy enough that I just found my camera cable yesterday and downloaded pictures of the past two weeks' events.

We all went to Tucson last week for 3 days, as Tim had a short TDY to DM. The trip was quick (sorry to those of you we didn't get to see this time!), but fun. Somehow we survived the 431 miles each way, with three small and slightly vocal children. Let's just say that google maps says it will take a person who never has to stop for gas, food or poopy diapers approximately 7 hours and 47 minutes to drive from our house in Las Vegas to my sister's house in Arizona. Our drive there took eleven (11) (ELEVEN) hours. OMG. I'm pretty sure Tim was cursing me for most of those 11 hours, as he was skeptical that we should all go on this trip to begin with. (His thought process: I could fly to Tucson in 3 hours, on the government's dime, stay overnight without screaming children, get drunk with the guys after the conference, and then fly back home.) I coerced him into taking us. (My thought process: Tim will be gone for 2-3 days, leaving me stuck home with 3 crazy vocal children, or we could ALL endure the crazy chaos together and I could also see some good friends and my sister.)

We had a great time, staying at a nice hotel close to Jessica, and spending as much time with her and her family as possible. We also got to see Shayne and her family, and Rae and her boys.

The five cousins: Kate (3 3/4), Claire (2 1/2), Tempie (2), Lucy (6mo), and Luke (2mo).

Lounging at the pool.

Loving the pool.

Since we've been back, I have managed to unpack all of our bags, but that is about it. The house is a disaster, there is clean (and dirty!) laundry everywhere, toys in every room of the house, and my level of sanity is decreasing. I do, however, have a babysitter coming tomorrow morning for a few hours, so Luke and I can go to the dentist. Woohoo! A few hours with just one child! It's the little things.

Stinker

If you can't account for her whereabouts, beware. She's been called Claire the Destroyer before, with good reason. She's been known to moisturize herself (and the carpet and railing), spice things up if life gets too boring, host tea parties in inappropriate locales, express her artistic self in ways I'd hoped not to see, and redecorate rooms without anyone asking her to. She has a penchant for playing with water, and she loves her morning coffee. Of course, she learned a lot from her big sister. Kate can't hold a candle to Claire, however. Kate's idea of a mess is a lot more amusing and a lot less ohshitwhere'stheresolvecarpetcleanerohnowecan'tbeoutofitagain.

For instance, this was the scene in their room after Kate spent a couple of "nap time" hours alone:

For some unknown reason, Kate redecorated their room with the contents of Claire's underwear drawer.

My favorite picture. She apparently didn't want the elephant to feel left out.

Claire holding the undies and bloomers that had been laid out neatly in rows across her bed.

She's very particular about her shoe arrangement. Tim thinks she's got a streak of me Monica in her.

Claire is much more...dangerous. And messy.

Twice in the last week, I have found her in my room with medicine from my bathroom closet. Lest you think I am leaving my cough syrup just lying around, I have all of our non-child-friendly pills and such on a shelf that is 5 feet high in the closet. She is climbing the shelving to get to what she wants. The first time, I found her with 2 bottles of Robitussin and a bottle of Tylenol. She was hiding behind my bedroom curtains with the cat, preparing to have cocktails. I am very thankful for child-proof caps, although I am somewhat concerned that she will find a way to break into them. If anyone can do it, she can.

Also this week: she has poured the contents of my water cup out onto the floor in Luke's room. Twice. When she finds the cup empty, she simply helps herself to more water from the bathroom sink. She has removed her diaper and peed on the floor once, and on her bed once. She has climbed into the tub shower in their bathroom to get a bar of soap, and I've found her playing with it in Luke's room. Last night she put a stack of unused wipes in the toilet, causing much fun for me and Tim. I have found her in the loft silently rubbing vaseline and lotion all over her face. Twice today she has dumped the contents of her milk cup onto the kitchen table when I've been upstairs with Luke to change his diaper. She removed an entire stick of glue from the stick and rubbed it on the kitchen table, again when I was changing Luke's diaper. She and Kate were supposed to be gluing papers together. At bath time, she turned her Little People airplane into a seaplane and put it in the tub. I haven't replaced the batteries yet to see if it still works. She has drawn on our new picnic table with crayon, and delights in throwing rocks into the pool. Instead of throwing her food away after lunch, I have later found it rotting in the recycle bin. Mind you, these things all happened within the last week. I'm not sure what happened to my sweet little Claire, but she has turned into a terror when someone isn't watching her every move.

On a cuter note, we went to dinner at our local sushi restaurant the other night. We ordered several pieces of sushi, some tempura for the girls, and some sushi rolls. Claire ate two whole pieces of the unagi roll, dipped in soy sauce. Tim fell in love with her all over again that night.

Sleeps like a baby

Except when we're out. At a party. Where we figured we'd put him and his car seat in a corner and have some drinks. During events like those, he'll scream bloody murder if you set him down, insisting that Tim hold him while pacing hallways, pausing at times to require some bouncing and rocking. This was the scene on Saturday night as we attempted to socialize at a squadron luau. Well, not this scene as pictured below, this scene as described above.

Tim was a dream, though, and allowed me to have some drinks and talk with the girls.

Meghan and me on the deck overlooking downtown. Notice my lame attempt at "tropical attire". Meghan is 36 weeks pregnant and has a good excuse; me, not so much.

Starting last week, I've been trying to get Luke to drop his 1am feeding. We've gone back and forth between him waking up at about 2:15, demanding to be fed, and him waking up at 4am like is planned. I've been giving into his demand for food at 2am because he has a cold (second one in two months; poor third child) and is a little cranky. He wakes up with "angry breathing", which is adorable although loud enough to wake me. But I think we're breaking through and mostly done with the 1-2am feeding bit. The other night I slept from 11pm until 4am straight. I haven't been that well-rested in 2 months! Heaven.

Post-op

I had minor surgery last Wednesday (EVLT, if you must know), from which I am recovering nicely. I was instructed not to breastfeed for 24 hours after the procedure, due to the anesthetic used, and so we fed bottles to the munchkin. This was interesting mostly because we weren't sure how he would take to the bottle (he did fine), and we had no idea how much he was eating (it's a LOT).

Tim had Luke for the first feeding, while I was still in surgery. On the drive home, Tim asked me if it was normal for babies Luke's age to eat 8oz at a sitting. My eyes widened. OMG, seriously? Sure enough, he had at least 3 meals where he consumed 8oz. During what can only be described as "snacks", he ate 4oz. My only question is, shouldn't I weigh approximately 120 pounds right now? With all he's eating, I ought to be super thin. Sadly, it is not so. Also, we are out of reserve breast milk around here. I know, TMI, right?

I did take advantage of the whole "not nursing" thing, and we had pizza for dinner followed by brownie sundaes. Also, cheese for lunch. And cereal for snack. Of course, dairy stays in your system much longer than 24 hours, and Luke is finally getting over the gas caused by my binge. Sorry, baby boy. But man, cheese. Love.

Exhausting

I'm not generally a subscriber to the 'Murphy's Law' philosophy, but as of late it seems that if it's not one child, it's another. By this I mean that if it isn't Kate peeing her bed in the middle of the night, it will be Claire falling out of hers. If it isn't Luke failing to nap, it's Claire refusing to do so. Today it was the latter. I am at a point where I need an afternoon nap so as not to be 1.) a total grump in the evening hours, and 2.) to maintain some semblance of sanity and/or coherence after 4pm. In recent months, it has been Kate who has challenged the nap time routine, preferring instead to roam the house adult-free and cause untold destruction. Finally, she is starting to behave in this arena, and has passed the reins to her younger sister, who is exponentially more...dangerous...in this regard.

Today, something woke me around 3pm, probably about 30 minutes into a nap. The half-hour point is not a good point to be awakened, as anyone who has been abruptly jarred from sleep at this point will attest to. I checked Luke's room for signs of Claire. She was sitting prettily on her sofa, where she naps, but was mysteriously covered in brownish bits. Upon further investigation, I found that she had not yet slept, and that her pillow and blanket were "missing". Because she had been playing with a toy from the loft, which somehow made it to her room during nap time, I expected to find the missing items there. They were not in the loft. I went downstairs after she told me where to find them, and also found a juice cup on my desk. And one of Luke's burp cloths laid out like a table cloth on a box in the entryway. When retrieving her pillow, I stepped in what appeared to be invisible crumbs on the tile floor of the family room. It occurred to me that the last time I had felt such a sensation on my bare feet had been when Claire had 'salted' the kitchen floor. Sure enough, I looked around the family room to see a pile of salt and bread crumbs on the sofa and floor. On my way upstairs, I saw more bread crumbs on the bottom step. I'm not sure exactly what kind of party she was having while I was napping, but it involved a fresh loaf of zucchini-carrot bread whose top is now missing, and a salt shaker that I am currently unable to find.

They're home

He's home? I don't even know how many people live next door. Tim has talked to the guy we see most often there; does that count? This post is likely to be the most ambiguous one I have written yet. I have very little concrete information. Are you still reading?

Tim got home on Friday night and called the police. They sent someone from animal control. ?? The guy told Tim that two of the dogs had died (of their injuries? were put down? I'm not sure). He also said that the owner of the dogs knew someone at animal control, so we should expect to see the third dog back sometime. Sure enough, the neighbor(s) arrived home on Saturday evening, toting the remaining pit bull.

Some interesting information: animal control took no pictures of the dogs and their injuries, which I would think they would have done if for no other reason than to cover their butts. Also, both dogs that died were chipped. And no one called their owner about the situation. I can't stand the thought of pit bulls in general/next door, but if something like this had happened to my pets, I would be pissed. What's the point of a microchip if animal control isn't going to call you about things like this?

Leading the curve

Beginning of nap.

Middle of nap.

Luke is rolling over. Not consistently, but still. The first time he did this (2 weeks ago), I missed it. Grandma Cheri told me about it, and I sort of dismissed it, thinking it was a fluke. But it's happened several times since then: put him on his tummy, and there's a good chance he'll push himself over to his back. He's only 6 weeks old. Someone remind me, but isn't it a little early for this sort of thing?

Of course, I'm taking this new skill to mean that it's okay to put him to sleep on his tummy once in awhile. He looooves it. His naps last for hours. I know, bad mommy. But sleep! It's a wonderful thing.

On a completely different note, what would you do about our neighbor situation? My friend Jen, who lives across the street, remembers seeing them last Tuesday, as in about 10 days ago. No one has been to the house since. They left their hungry pit bulls in the backyard, at least one dog inside the house, a TV on upstairs, and...haven't returned. I know people go on vacation, but without making arrangements to feed the beasts in the yard that are likely to eat each other alive if not fed regularly? What about the dog inside the house? We heard it yapping up a storm on Sunday night when we experienced our own episode of CSI:, but Jen banged on their front door yesterday and didn't hear a dog at all. They still have the note from animal control shoved in their front door, so I don't think anyone has been back to the house. There are 2 cars parked in front of their house, and their BBQ and other small furniture are still in the backyard, so I kind of doubt they just moved out. Jen, Tim and I have tossed around the idea that someone came over and knocked 'em off...it is Las Vegas, after all. Also, I may have forgotten to mention the cars they have: we've seen two BMW 5 series M editions (is that even how you say that?) that we're guessing cost at least $80K apiece, and the "owner" of the house has an Escalade. Not that these vehicles weren't purchased with good, clean money, but I'm just sayin'. At what point do you call the police? Also, I may have to make this blog private soon if I keep talking about the people next door, so this will likely be the last post about them. [whispering] No need for a drug cartel hit over here.

What you can't see

What you can't see in these pictures is the 2 squad cars parked out of range of the camera, and the officers loading shotguns before "the raid".

This was the scene on our driveway last night after dinner. The cause for the commotion: our neighbors' pit bulls, that are left in the backyard day and night, were viciously attacking one another, likely out of hunger. We think the neighbors have been out of town for the past week. People walking along the greenbelt behind our houses saw what was going on and came to use our phone to call 911.

The events of the evening included: the animal control guy initially telling Tim they would "leave a note for the owners" to which Tim responded without positive enthusiasm, the call for back-up when the use of approximately an entire can of pepper spray did not have much effect on the dogs (although us humans were affected), two police officers standing on chairs in our backyard with shotguns aimed into the backyard next door as several other officers gingerly entered the yard to find the third dog that was hiding, 5 police cars and one animal control truck parked in front of our driveway, and all dogs ultimately being removed from the backyard.

It wasn't the Mother's Day ending we were expecting, but we are hoping it will reduce the dog problems next door.

The pro

Luke had his 1 month well-baby check today. He is officially 10 pounds 4 ounces (50-75%), and 22 1/4 inches (75-90%) tall.

I dropped Kate off at school and then Luke and I went to the pediatrician. I, being the veteran mom that I am, opted to carry Luke inside in his car seat, and carry only my diaper bag-sized purse in with me, forgoing the actual diaper bag itself. I had one of his diapers and a bunch of wipes in my purse and figured I was good. Critical error numero uno.

I had to change Luke into a new nappy to weigh him, using up my spare. Then, while we were waiting for the doctor to come to our room, Luke messed his nice clean diaper. I decided I didn't want the kind doctor to open up Luke's diaper to such a mess, so I decided to *clean it up a little* with some of my handy wipes. Critical error number two. While I was attempting to remove baby poo from said diaper, Luke felt the need to relieve himself. He peed all over the paper-covered table and himself. I, of course, was out of wipes by this time, so I had to use some of the paper towels provided for such occurrences. Luckily for me, the doctor didn't arrive until after I had cleaned up my mess, and he graciously offered me one of the office's diapers.

I will be bringing my diaper bag to all future appointments.

Look who's one month old!

Someone please slow time down. My baby boy is already one month old. And he weighs approximately 11 pounds. Gah.

A tea party

The girls had a tea party today. Upstairs, in the master bathroom toilet. I'm still gagging. Where do they come up with these things? This shenanigan took place while I was downstairs feeding Luke, and Cheri was cleaning the kitchen. I am so in trouble come Friday when I am left alone with the children. And I'm frightened. Very frightened. Someone hold me.

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.