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.

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.

Two more days of maternity pants

Woohoo! My OB scheduled me for an induction on Friday morning, 6am. I can't tell you how glad I am that I will:

1. likely not have a baby born on April 1st, and

2. be able to burn pack up all my maternity clothing mere hours from now.

Everyone likes a new toy [edited for more info]

We finally decided on a vacuum yesterday, after months of hemming and hawing about which one to get. The winner: Kenmore Progressive 28614 canister vac. So far we love it. And the surprise bonus: Kate loves to vacuum. Yes!

*[edit]* I, too, grew up with a dreaded canister vacuum, and I hated it. Dragging the canister around everywhere I went, banging it into things, getting it stuck around the corner - it was such a pain. The reasons I love it now mostly revolve around the fact that the actual vacuuming part is easier; the vacuum is lighter and the hose is 7 feet long, so I don't feel like I'm dragging it around every 2 seconds. It's also about 20 years later than my first experience with the canister vac, and this vacuum is brand-spankin'-new. Maybe they make them better now? Maybe I'm just bigger and have less trouble pulling it around.

This one sits upright if you want it to, so you can reach ceiling fans with the hose and attachments (Tim swears by vacuuming as a form of dusting, and although I disagree on its effectiveness, he does the dusting so I can't complain), and it has this little lip that 'hooks' the canister onto stairs when you are vacuuming them. Which is also a huge reason we got the canister - stairs. We have 17 of them in a row, and let me tell you how often I vacuumed those suckers with my upright: twice. Gross, I know. That vacuum was such a pain to haul to each step, though, that I never did it. Now with this one, I can just carry the vacuum part to each step and it's so lightweight. I can reach (theoretically; I haven't actually tested this out, since my belly would protest greatly) about half-way up the stairs from the bottom, and then put the canister at the top and reach the other half from there. Voila: easy stairs.

Other nice things: the noise level is very good - much quieter than our old upright. I can vacuum under beds and sofas (cheerios, anyone?). The brush on the vacuum goes all the way to the ends of the vacuum (I've seen plenty others where the brush stops an inch from each wheel, so you think you are vacuuming up against a piece of furniture, but you really aren't). There's this toe-lever thing that you push with your foot to extend the handle - awesome for tall people who don't want to bend over (why don't strollers do this??) or if you want to reach something way under the sofa. An easy on/off button on the handle of the vacuum so you don't have to bend over (can you tell this is an extremely difficult task for me right now, this bending thing?). A bag-full light (haven't tested that one yet). A toe-lever to easily suck the cord back into the canister. The vacuum part self-propels, so as if it wasn't light enough already, it's now easy enough for Kate to use. See above.

Two is not my favorite age on you, Claire

After yesterday's successful painting experience, I thought I'd give it another go. Except this time, both children were painting at the same time. This, I believe, was where I went horribly wrong.

It started out innocently enough.

Then Claire apparently started flinging paint, while I was cleaning paintbrushes across the room. For 30 seconds.

Evidence.

The end result: paint on 2 walls, 3 chairs, 2 children, the floor, and 2 newish chair cushions. Claire is cut off from painting.

It's only 10:15am. I'm doomed.

Getting used to doing nothing

Several times in the past few weeks, Kate has asked me, "Mommy, what are we doing today? Is today the day we're going to the park?" She looks sad and extremely disappointed when I tell her that no, today is not the day we are going to the park. I think the kids are starting to live for the weekends when Tim is home and we can actually do something. There has been a lot of TV lately, and the girls are getting really good at playing by themselves together. (Is it really 'by themselves' if they're together?) I guess this is good preparation for what is likely to be happening for the next couple of months, but I feel guilty! Yesterday I felt proud that both the girls painted a picture. Look, art! They did something today! They were also over-excited by their accomplishments, a sure sign of boredom.

Everyone has been practicing sleep deprivation, in preparation for the big event next week. Last night, Kate came into our room at 12:30 crying about the bees in her room and how she was scared. Tim went back to bed with her, and proceeded to get kicked for the next four hours, while listening to Claire thrash around in the toddler bed across the room. I, who ought to have gotten hours of uninterrupted sleep, tossed and turned, trying in vain to roll myself out of the crater my butt has made in our bed. I'm afraid the bed will never be the same. Then Claire woke up crying just before 6am, and there was no more sleep for the adults in the family. I know that starting next week, we'll be getting a lot less sleep than we are getting now. But I am looking forward to the fact that when I'm sleeping, I will be able to lie on my back, rise out of bed without huffing and puffing, and won't be waking up to pee every two hours. It's the little things.

Sooner than expected

I had my weekly OB appointment this morning (child-free, due to Tim flying tonight!), and after my doctor told me that he was glad I went to the hospital last week ("you are in what I call 'latent labor', meaning that you're having contractions without actually progressing towards actual delivery" ??), he mentioned that he'd like to move my induction date up.

I immediately sat up straighter and my eyes brightened. Earlier? His concern: he will be gone during the window he would really like to induce me (April 4-8), and is thinking that if I don't have the baby before he leaves, I will have it while he's gone. [Thoughts of crazy Dr. Kuni running through my mind here...] His solution: induce me next Friday, April 3rd.

I'm torn! The thought of delivering next week is causing me great excitement and anxiety.

Pros:

• One less week of being pregnant! Everyone by now is fully aware how much I dislike the last few weeks of pregnancy.
• A planned date and time that I am more likely to make it to; less worrying about going into labor at 2am on Monday, having to call our neighbor at such an ungodly hour.
• Having Sheila here the 2nd week of the baby's birth, which if I remember correctly, can be more challenging than the first week when the baby may (or may not) sleep a lot.
• One less week of maternity pants! I know you're thinking, "Wow, that's a big one, Jen," but I hate maternity pants. This is a serious pro for me.
• One less week of being pregnant! Did I already mention that?

Cons:

• Sheila won't arrive until April 8th, so we still need to find childcare for the girls.
• Will being induced a week earlier make labor more difficult?
• I'll be 38 weeks, which is full-term, but the baby will have one less week in the womb. Of course, Kate was born at 37 1/2 weeks and was just fine.

In any case, I have an appointment next Tuesday to determine if he will move my induction date forward.

Kate likes to sing

Oh, and our new car, finally clean.

Ugh

I'm fine. Sadly, I am not in labor, although I swore I was for a few hours yesterday. Tim is convinced that I am doing too many things (but if I didn't do them, the state of our household would be even worse than what it currently is! I have no good solution for this besides hiring a nanny. Would one of you like to nanny for me?). I am frustrated because I hate to be That Person. I try not to freak out and take my children to the ER at every ailment. I try to take care of the family without intervention whenever possible, yet I have been to labor and delivery twice with this baby! That seems ridiculous to me.

When I wrote yesterday's post, I was having some major back pain while sitting on the sofa, and painful contractions. I did call the OB's office, and the nurse told me that it was possible it was false labor, but that my OB would want me to head to the hospital. So we did. And the pain lessened and the contractions slowed and after a couple of hours they sent me home. Again. I did find out that I'm 60% effaced, which is some sign of progression, but I wasn't going to have the baby last night (obviously, as I sit at my desk and type this!). What was all that back pain about? I do not know. Clearly, I am losing it.

So, hopefully I will not be That Woman who gives birth at home because she waited too long, thinking it was false labor yet again. Seriously, though, in all likelihood, y'all will stop reading about my labor pains and just wait for picture evidence that a baby has been born. Which, at the latest, will be April 9th. Countdown!

I should be better at this

Can watching Knocked Up cause one to go into pre-term labor?

Having given birth to two children already, you would think that I would have a firm grasp on when I am in true labor and when I am in, as they call it, false labor. But I Don't Know! Our shopping trip to the commissary this morning was...challenging, and since we've been home, I've felt the need to once again write down contraction times. When I can breathe through them, that is. I'm planning to call the OB as soon as I get done blogging (addicted much?), and Tim is on alert. If this is indeed another false alarm, I promise not to cry wolf on my blog about labor again. Riiiiiight.

Also, if these contractions are fake, I am in serious TRUH-BULL for the real thing, because: OUCH.

Dr. Mom

Symptoms:

• bossy, slightly indignant 3 1/2 year old tells her mother in loud voice to "come ON", in attempt to get mother to pick up her sweatshirt and leave already from school
• has minor tantrum on way to car when mother tells her she can have glitter-encrusted shamrock back when we get home, and that no, she may not hold it in the brand new car
• has major tantrum when said adult takes previously mentioned shamrock from her at brand new car
• won't get into car without high-pitched screaming fit
• inspires younger sibling to join in the noise; extremely loud crying from both children ensues on way home; mother becomes certain she will be sent into labor by own previously-born children
• eldest daughter refuses to get out of car once home, despite promises that she can go straight to bed if she would prefer to disobey
• mother finally removes children from car, begins making lunch amidst crying children who stand in way and impede progress
• youngest daughter finally calms down when given milk; oldest daughter continues to cry for her father
• after approximately 2 bites of sandwich, eldest daughter refuses to eat another morsel of food; mother sends her to bed
• all is quiet within 45 seconds

Diagnosis:

• numerous nights of "sleepovers" during which the children play, giggle and talk until approximately 9pm, followed by morning awakenings of 7am and minimal naps, have caused this phenomenon to occur

Prescription:

• immediate naps for all children, and mother (if she can stop nesting long enough to rest)
• glass of wine for mother, with potential for reisling-flavored sippy cup drinks for children if chaos does not dissipate*

*CPS: totally kidding on the alcoholic drinks for children. Hey, you never know who might be waiting to come take your children away.

Kidisms

Last week when my sister was here, we were having a nice, respectable dinner together when Claire tooted rather loudly. My sister tried to hide her smile, asking, "Is there an elephant under your chair?!" The kids spent the rest of dinner trying to find the elephant. Kate swore she spotted it several times.

Single-handedly keeping Spray 'N Wash in business

Otherwise entitled: why I feel like I can never get anything done around here.

They were supposedly napping.

Claire works on her pointilism technique, using my make-up.

My little German dictator gets an afternoon bath.

I guess all kids go through this stage?

Lost: 2 weeks of pre-baby time

Warning! Pissed off pregnant chick here! Two weeks ago I spent 30 minutes (thirty minutes!) on the phone with Ikea trying to order 3 pieces of furniture. I would have ordered it online, because that is always easier, but their website wouldn't accept my address. Said the zip code didn't match the address or something asinine like that. So I called them up and tried over and over to place the order. Their computer ate my order at least 3 times. Tim was in the other room wondering why I kept trying. The furniture was CUTE, that's why. And it was cheap, compared to other options we had tried. FINALLY the woman gave me a confirmation number and said a delivery company would be calling us to schedule a time to bring the furniture.

Fast forward two weeks to yesterday when I began to doubt that my furniture was coming to Las Vegas. I got online to track my order, but there is no way to do that online. Wha? Is it 2009, or is it just me? So I emailed customer service, and got an email back this morning telling me that I needed to call their 800 number, because they couldn't help me over email, either. OMG. After going round and round on phone tree hell, I finally got connected to a sales person, who abruptly transferred me to someone else when she apparently got confused. I gave the new woman my confirmation number 4 times (the first 3 times resulted in other people's orders: "Uh, no, I'm not John Hornblower in Detroit...") after which she confirmed that my order had been cancelled. Lovely. Back to square one. I have always loved Ikea, but will never order anything online (or on the phone, since my address doesn't exist!) from them again.

The best part about living in Las Vegas

The visitors! In the past week, we've had more friends and family visit us than anywhere else we have ever lived. My sister and her daughters were here for ten days, Tim's aunt and uncle stopped by overnight on their way back to Oregon last week, his Uncle Bob was here for dinner tonight, and my friend Dana is here from Tucson (I haven't even had a chance to see her yet, we've been so busy!). My friend Kristen will also be here in about ten days for a conference. Life is good.

Uncle Bob and the girls in front of his truck. He's headed back to Portland tomorrow, but we enjoyed dinner with him tonight while he had some free time.

Very exciting.

This is the BEST!

How to pre-register at labor and delivery the long way

1. Have numerous contractions each hour over the course of several days.

2. Hem and haw about going to the hospital or calling your OB. Surely at 34 1/2 weeks, this can't be true labor, right?

3. Begin to doubt self after reading several online articles about the signs of labor and when to go to the hospital. Realize you have been ignoring 3 major signs for days, including specific instructions from OB about going to the hospital if having more than 6 contractions in one hour.

4. When he arrives home that night, watch husband roll eyes at the fact that you are not already being checked out by labor and delivery. Listen meekly as he says, "At least call and ask!"

5. Run around house making sure the kids are settled in bed, apologize profusely to sister who must now be in charge of 3-year old, 2-year old, 22-mo old, and 3-mo old at bedtime, for God knows how long.

6. Tell funny stories to husband on way to hospital about my pregnancy brain, and listen as he alternates between certainty that I will have the baby when we get there (because he has 3 flights where he gets to drop live weapons over the next 3 days) and certainty that I will not have the baby (because I am *laughing* as I tell my stories).

7. Find labor and delivery in the hospital, repeat my social security number approximately 6 times, get hooked up to various monitors and lie in very uncomfortable position on my back as they call my OB.

8. Receive a shot of some sort to stop the contractions, and then get dismissed an hour later.

9. Arrive back home by 10:30, exhausted and ready to sleep for 12 hours. Sleep until 7:30 the next morning (!) and then run around like crazy person trying to get Kate ready for school, and myself ready for a timely OB appointment.

So, here we are. My doctor chastised me in a nice way this morning about not going in sooner, and said that had I been a few more weeks along, they wouldn't have given me the shot and would have kept me longer to see how things went. As it stands now, I have an induction date of April 9th, if I "last that long" (says OB).

We dropped my sister and her daughters off at the airport 2 hours ago, and we miss them dearly already. They were so fun to have around, and Jessica was such a huge help to me. Now it's nap time and I'm going to try to rest a bit. Thank you, everyone, for your calls and concern!

Trial run?

After the third day of a crazy number of contractions within one hour (today's count at lunchtime was 13; they did decrease when I sat down and rested, so I decided against calling my OB. Wise? Probably not), and increasing discomfort, I am dragging Tim to the hospital. Actually, the on call nurse (?) told me to go, after I called and told her the situation. I think her response was something like, "Honey, you just get yourself to labor and delivery now." This was not how I pictured my evening going, but I'm beginning to think I won't make it until my appointment tomorrow morning without severe repercussions.

I'll either be back posting tomorrow on the silliness of all this, or will be posting pictures of a new little baby.

Adding an adult to the chaos

We went back downtown today, this time taking Tim with us for reinforcement. The kids were still all over the place, but this time I didn't have to chase them! I waddled meandered slowly through the crowds with the stroller as Tim attempted to corral the children. It wasn't relaxing, but it was much more fun than the last trip. Since it was a gorgeous day (mid-60s), we opted for the outdoor dolphin exhibit and the Secret Garden at the Mirage, which the girls and I went to last year when Tim was deployed. This time, the girls were less impressed with the dolphins and the big kitties, and totally dismissive of the alpacas, making me glad all children were under 4 and therefore free. In September, Kate will cost $10 for admission and that's when we will no longer be taking trips to see the wildlife at the Mirage.

Somehow, although I was not solely responsible for tracking the children, I was unable to get a single good photo.

Taking over the Revolution Bar at the Mirage.

Claire adopts an unknown family at the baby leopard room.

When we had had our fill of the animals (which took about 30 minutes), we beelined for lunch at one of the casino restaurants, where we made too much noise and got in trouble for letting the children out of their chairs. ? The greeter told me that there were too many things for them to climb on and they could get hurt. As opposed to other restaurants? Whatevah.

Last night I got another abdomen cramp, at nearly the same time as the one the night before. This time, Tim's aunt and uncle's RV wasn't blocking the driveway, which had me slightly stressed the night before (how would I get around them without waking them up at 2am? this is probably a false alarm anyway. but how do I know?).

This second round of pain caused different stresses: why is this happening again? is this labor? do I need to go to the hospital? we were going to talk more about names, but still haven't narrowed things down entirely. I haven't transferred any of Claire's clothes to Kate's room yet, and we still don't have the new furniture we ordered. who will take my sister to the airport if this IS labor? You know, important things to think about in the middle of the night. The 8 contractions within an hour around dinner time, along with some moderate low back pain and general crampiness have me wondering if I'm going to make it to April. I'm glad I have an OB appointment on Tuesday to answer some of these questions.

Paint and contractions

Jessica and I took the girls to the MGM Grand to see the lions yesterday. It was chaos. I will never do that again: the next time we all go downtown, Tim will be with us to help maintain order. Two adults, a three-year old, a two-year old, a 22-mo old, and a 3-mo old...the ratio of adults to children was not nearly high enough, and at the end I was concerned I was going to go into labor at the Rainforest Cafe.

Right after we got to the lions, Lucy decided she needed to eat, so we all hiked over to some tables and set up shop. Then a waitress informed us that we couldn't sit there because some of us were clearly under 21. She mentioned that we could sit on the "wall" near the Rainforest Cafe just around the corner. The wall turned out to be not entirely sit-on-able, so Jess fed Lucy her bottle while standing up. She's talented, and Lucy is a patient baby.

During Lucy's lunch, Kate pretended she could no longer hear a word I said and disobeyed all commands. Claire was not much better, and I had a lot of difficulty trying to be in two places at once and maintain sight of both children. We decided that we needed to just eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe to save our sanity, and all was well for a short time. Claire and Tempie were very interested in the surroundings, and loved waving at the butterflies and leopards on the walls and in the trees. Kate, not so much. She kept getting out of her chair and wandering around the restaurant. At the end of lunch, I'd had enough and strapped her into the stroller. This caused much shrieking (the kind where all patrons look at you, embarrassed) and yelling by Kate.

Last night I woke up at 1am with a severe abdomen cramp, and began to worry that I was going into labor. It finally subsided about 20 minutes later, and I slept okay the rest of the night. We were supposed to all go to Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef today, but I'm still feeling a little weird, so we're hanging out at home.

Now for the paint:

Kate and Claire's room.


Nursery. I went with 'Treasured Jade' on the accent wall. I LOVE it.


Our room. The wall behind the headboard is a darker shade of brown (Fawn's Leap by Ralph Lauren) than the other walls, but it's sort of hard to tell in pictures.

Where do they get this stuff?

No baby, just crazy busy

My sister and her daughters got here a week ago and we've been non-stop busy since then. We've been to the park several times to enjoy the 70* weather (these have also been fruitless attempts to wear out the children). We've been stuck in the house a fair amount, too, as we try to get the kitchen/bathroom/bedroom disaster worked out. The painters are here today and everything should be back to normal (better, really; you should SEE the paint, it's so cool) soon.

Claire's favorite thing lately is to come into our bedroom at approximately too early (6:15am) and declare that she wants up in bed with me. She quietly hands me her blanket, then her puppy, then her bunny, and then demands I help pull her up and get her settled under the covers. She is much more relaxed than Kate was at this age, and will lay there quietly enough that I am often able to go back to sleep, snuggling with her. I love it, but wish it would happen about an hour later.

Kate is thoroughly enjoying being a big sister/cousin, and has been pretty good with baby Lucy. I am so thankful for this, as it's really a dry run for us. We are still working on not touching the baby's face and hands, but both Kate and Claire have been very lovey towards Lucy. As for Tempie, who is 22mo, I think Kate sees her as another little sister to boss around. Tempie plays into this by declaring that everything is "MINE", and sets Kate off occasionally. Mostly things are going well, though. I, for one, am so very happy to have my sister here for such a long stay, and wish fervently that she lived closer. Sadly, they leave on Tuesday, and Jessica heads back to work not long after that.

We have plans to fly my sister-in-law and her youngest daughter out to help us with the kids during the baby/hospital stay. I have an OB appointment next Tuesday at which we should be able to set a date for the delivery. Then I can let the countdown really begin.

I am trying so very hard to enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy, since it will be my last, and there truly are amazing things about being pregnant. But I really just don't enjoy pregnancy; in particular, I dislike the last 6-8 weeks. I am very impatient, and I hate being so big and uncomfortable. And it is very frustrating not being able to play with the girls and be as active as I would like to be. That being said, I do love feeling the baby kick and knowing that we will soon have a tiny bundle of joy to love and hold. And that should be happening in approximately 30-some days.