Two Year Old Logic

Today Livia was playing with Legos. She was getting frustrated because she couldn't get her Lego girl to sit properly in the pet shop she had built, and I couldn't help because I was nursing Harrison. 

After handing me the girl to look over (because there was nothing else I could do at the moment), she took the girl back and sat down to try again. After another failed attempt she stopped, carefully examined the girl's bent legs, thought for a minute, spit on them, then successfully perched the girl where she wanted her. 

Problem solved. Two year old style.  

Legos aren't the only things she puts in her mouth...

In other news...

Harrison is rolling from his back to his belly

Landon has really warmed up to the little guy

Olympic diving was a big hit at our house.

Getting in position

not so synchronized

but high scores none the less. 

It's Not Easy Being the Baby

When I posted this picture on Facebook, my cousin Ryan commented, "That kid doesn't stand a chance." 


At the time it just made me smile because Ryan is funny like that and because seeing wee little Harrison next to Landon and Livia  makes them look like giants (although Livia is  actually closer in age to Harrison than she is to Landon- weird). 


Lately, however, I've been thinking he might have been onto something. Maybe he has some  added insight since he is the baby brother himself.  


Life as the baby means lots of big sister love. Unfortunately, big sister squeezes often come with a big sister finger in the eye, mouth, nose, ear, or any combination of those, and, more often than not, consist of big sister not only laying her body weight on baby, but also adding a little squeeze to show just how much she loves him. And big sister concern about baby crying usually results in a pacifier shoved into baby's mouth sideways and with all the "gentle" force a 2 year old thinks is necessary to get the dang thing to stay in there. And big sister serenading (which as far as she in concerned requires hand holding) sometimes results in a very unintentional, but still just as upsetting, big sister foot to the head. Poor guy. 

Trying to breathe through some sister squeezes

He actually wasn't even crying this time.
She just thought he might like a little paci action

Singing to him cannot commence until hands are grasped to her satisfaction.
Sometimes it takes a few tries for her to get it how she likes it, so she'll keep switching sides until their hand position feels right.  

  
Life as the baby also means being exposed to big brother germs. The mostly harmless bug big brother brings home from school, which just causes a mild cough and runny nose in the biggers, brings on a mild cough, a runny nose, and a fever for the baby. And a fever for the 7ish week old results in a pediatrician ordered trip to the ER, where baby is poked and prodded in all sorts of ways that make baby (and mommy) cry, just so they can tell us that he probably has the same mild cold as big brother and sister. 

They put an IV in my baby's head!
(Caroline, you are a strong woman. I only had to put up with this for 3 hours, and I was a wreck.)

It sure is rough being the baby.

But he doesn't seem to mind it too much. 

I never said it wasn't hard...

Oxytocin is a dangerous thing. It makes me really happy and really love my babies, and I'm fairly certain it's to blame for my sudden desire to have just one more. It's not that I forgot how uncomfortable being pregnant was. It's just that now, holding this little baby, it all seems so darn worth it. Can you be addicted to having babies? (Gina, I actually believe you might be able to answer this question.) If so, I probably need a 12 step program- at least until nursing slows down and I have a little less of this happy hormone coursing through my body. 

I just love that face

Having Harrison is amazing. I love watching the older kids with him, I love that he's part of our family, I love that he'll grow up so close in age to his siblings, I love the chaos that this closeness will surely create. But he's a newborn. And I don't think life with a newborn is ever easy. And life with a newborn and an almost 2 year old and an almost 4 year old is absolutely NOT easy. It's a juggling act. It's exhausting. And sometimes it makes me feel like a really terrible mom. In fact, I very rarely feel like a good mom to all three of them at once. I just hope that the relationships they'll have with each other will make up for my failings. 

She really loves that guy.
Is it still considered regressing if she never actually
 took a pacifier when she was a baby?

Today was my first solo outing since Harrison was born. I'm still taking baby steps. I went while Landon was in school, so technically I was just a mom of a newborn and an almost 2 year old at the time. Livia, Harrison, and I met up with some friends for lunch. We made it through lunch with no crying, I successfully nursed Harrison and kept control of Livia, everyone was fed, happy, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself as we went to pick Landon up from school (I hate the back and forth to school because it takes so much time and effort to get every one in and then out and then back in the car just to drop him off/ pick him up). We made it into his classroom, gathered up his things, and started back out to the car. I was just thinking to myself how easy it all seemed when Landon started giggling as we were walking down the hallway, 

Me: What's so funny, Little Man?

Landon: He, he, he. 

Me: What?

Landon: WHERE'S THE DAUGHTER?!? he, he, he.  

Me: (panic. Oh crap. I forgot Livia.)

I totally left her behind, playing in his classroom. I'm sure I would have figured it out for myself. Eventually. 

I realize Landon is under represented in these photos,
but the child is really not into having his picture taken

Already!

A little update

We're almost 4 weeks in to this new life and, so far, so good. We're settling into the new normal, and aside from getting a lot less sleep, a lot less exercise, and a lot less house work done, things really aren't that different. Harrison fits right in, just like he was supposed to be here all along.

He's really a great little guy. He caught on to nursing with no problems, he's napping like a champ, and he's really kind to us a night- only waking up twice to eat and mostly going right back to sleep once he's had his fill. I'm delighted by all the wonders of having a newborn that I apparently forgot about. I'm thrilled when I notice him getting stronger during tummy time, I melt when he makes eye contact while nursing, I love all his little newborn squeaks and grunts, and Andy and I are bonding over our shared obsession with his poo. (I think this is why a baby can bring a happy couple closer together... Who else in the world is going to care as much about my child's bowel movements?)

Playing with Daddy

Livia has taken on the role of big sister with enthusiasm. She's as smitten with him as I am. She sings to him, gives him kisses, holds his hand, comforts him when he cries ("He's crying! He's tired, Mommy, he's tired."), and makes sure his pacifier is never far from his mouth. She's always extra interested in him when I'm nursing, and I'm pretty sure she's not satisfied with the job I'm doing because she's always trying to take him away from me while I feed him ("I need to hold him, Mommy. I need him"). It's so sweet to watch her with him, and I'm really looking forward to seeing their relationship evolve as he changes.

She took him from me because she "needed" him

My crazy girl trying out Landon's underwear-
we've been spending A LOT of time at home and I think they might be getting a little bored...

Landon is very much himself about the whole thing. He's never been the most social or touchy-feely kind of guy, and his approach to Harrison has been very matter-of-fact, except he's making up the "facts" as we go. He spent the first week and a half calling Harrison Over. Now he's switched and decided Harrison's name is, in fact, Weston. If we call him Harrison while talking to Landon, Landon will correct us. He even told his teachers at school that we named the baby Weston, which had them pretty confused since Andy had already told them the name was Harrison. The little stinker will start to call him Harrison, catch himself, then switch to Weston mid sentence, "Where is Harris... uh, oh, WESTON going to sleep?" Livia had to force herself on Landon to get him to accept her (which suits her personality just fine) and I have a feeling she's going to be the bridge between the two boys. She already includes Harrison whether Landon's interested or not. I've even caught Landon sneaking Harrison a little kiss just after Livia had been loving on him, probably just trying to figure out what all the fuss is about.

Landon's not usually game for me taking a picture of him period, so no luck getting a picture of him with Harrison

Livia, on the other hand, rushes to be next to Harrison anytime I try to take her picture-
I was just trying to get the shot of her in Landon's underwear but she ran over and laid down next to Harrison

It's a Boy!

Well, he's finally here! As you already know, our family welcomed Harrison Edward on Tuesday night.

So perfect

Here's how it went down...

Saturday:
My mom arrived Saturday evening and I was hoping for a repeat of what happened with Livia- that I would wake up the next morning and go into labor now that my mom was here to take care of the kids.

Sunday:
Instead we spent Easter at brunch on the beach. It was lovely, but no sign of baby coming.

Easter brunch on the sound

Monday:
Andy drove me to base to have the non stress test to monitor the baby. Again, we were hoping we'd get to stay, or at least get my induction date moved up but that was a no-go. After 20 minutes of monitoring, the baby was deemed healthy and we were sent away. Andy and I took advantage of our little time alone together and stopped for a walk on the beach before picking up lunch to bring home to my mom and the kids. The rest of Monday passed uneventfully- still no sign of baby.

Hoping our walk on the beach would start labor- no luck.

Tuesday:
I noticed during my early morning workout that the contractions I usually had while working out felt a little different. I gave Andy a heads up before he left for work that something *might* be happening.

The contractions continued throughout the morning, but I still wasn't sure if they were real. I got the kids up and dressed and while they were eating breakfast I had a contraction that hurt so badly it stopped me in my tracks, so I called Andy. We decided he'd stay at work to finish up some paper work while I tried to figure out if I was in labor or not because I still wasn't convinced this would turn into anything.
(I'd never before experienced a non-pitocin induced contraction, and I had no idea what that kind of labor would feel like)

Since my mom was here to drive me we decided to go ahead and take Landon to school then head to the store for a few groceries like we originally planned, but because the pain wasn't going away I called Andy and told him to head home just in case (it takes him 50 minutes to get home from work). I mostly was afraid that if I stopped moving, the contractions would stop, so that's how I found myself walking around Wal-Mart in the beginning stages of active labor, clutching the cart to support me through the contractions which were under 10 minutes apart now. My mom was a nervous wreck.

We met Andy at home, called the hospital, got the ok to come in, and, after stopping for some lunch, headed in. The whole way there I was sure that as soon as they strapped me to the monitor the contractions would stop and I'd be sent home. Once we arrived they were very laid back about getting me on the monitor. I was still feeling the contractions, but they just didn't seem as painful as I thought "real" contractions should feel, so we were all shocked when they finally checked me (it took about an hour for them to get around to that) and found I was dilated to 7cm and 80% effaced.

Yay! I get to stay and have a baby!

After that things started moving much more quickly, and the nurses were a whole lot more interested in getting me set up. It was a remarkably easy labor that consisted of: 12 hours of non-pitocin induced contractions, 1 half-way effective epidural (my left side felt everything) that I requested after the resident doctor told me he wanted to start pitocin, 1 bag of water that was broken in place of the pitocin- the head doctor was consulted about the pitocin recommendation and he determined that breaking my water would be a better way to keep things moving, 1 hour of pushing (my babies are always stubborn about this part so one hour is relatively short for me), and the delivery of 1 very healthy baby boy.

It's a BOY!!!

With both Livia and Harrison I was able to see the gender for myself before anyone announced it to me. This is such an amazingly powerful memory for me. I'm really bad at articulating the emotion this moment holds for me. To truly meet my child for the first time and learn a bit more about this baby who shared my body for the last 9 months is indescribable. For those of you who think I'm crazy for not wanting to find out in advance, this is the best way I know how to explain why we like it that way - that one moment, that memory in the delivery room while seeing the baby for the first time- that makes it more than worth it for me. (With Landon the nurse said, "I think I see testicles!" in a singsongy voice that I'll never forget and I still get that same rush of emotion every time I think of it.)

Wednesday:
Big brother and sister got to come out the meet the little man. Both were very welcoming in their own ways. Landon didn't quite believe he was a boy and argued with me about it for a bit. Once I had him convinced, he insisted that we name him Over, and Landon has continued to refer to Harrison as Over ever since.
Livia needed a minute to grasp that the baby wasn't in my belly anymore. Once she caught on, she was thrilled. My favorite observation of hers, "He's noisy," said delightedly after Harrison made the tiniest newborn squeak.

My boys!

 

Sweet big sister

Proud Daddy

Hooray for Grandma

Eyes open!

And now he's here, and he's perfect, and he's made our family feel complete in a way we didn't know we needed to.

Finally at home

So now you know the rest of the story.

(maybe I can convince Andy to post his version like he did for the other 2. I always like reading his view of things...)

The Short Version

Harrison Edward 

Our newest little man arrived April 10 at 7:18 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches. The rest of the story will be posted soon...

No Baby Yet...

Yep, I'm still pregnant. 


Not that I'm surprised to find myself 40 + weeks pregnant. Neither of my other kids were interested in arriving on time either. They scheduled me for an induction on April 12 if the baby hasn't come by then, but the midwife I saw today said he felt "certain" I'd deliver before that. We'll see. 


As most of you know, we decided to wait until the baby's born to learn what it is again this time, but I'm really feeling boy. This presents a bit of a problem because we cannot agree on a name for a boy, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to send them this way. 


In other completely unrelated news I finally figured out how to upload pictures, so here's a recap of things I've been meaning to post but didn't want to without the visuals. Please excuse poor grammar, typos, etc. I'm 40 weeks 3 days pregnant. That's my excuse for being entirely too lazy to thoroughly proof read this. 


March was a busy month. Annalissa came out for her spring break, and we decided to make the most of the extra pair of hands and squeeze in one last Disney trip as a family of four. We also made it to a Tiger's spring training game just outside of Orlando, my birthday present to Andy. We always have so much fun at Disney, and this trip was no exception although I certainly felt every day of my 37 weeks. 

Andy and Livia taking in the game. They played the Mets. I think they tied, but the kids and I only lasted through the 6th before took I them out to let them run around. 

After the game. This is Livia's favorite way to be carried by Andy. For real. Such a nut.  

DISNEY!
Note Livia's body language. She is never impressed by the characters.
Landon would spend all day with them if he could. 

Landon and his favorite person in the world sharing a moment. 

i just love this picture. Waiting oh so patiently for Andy and Annalissa to get off a big kid ride. 

Mickey ears ice cream sandwich. Andy's really proud of this picture because he thought to get the EPCOT globe? sphere? what is it's actual name? in the background. 

A rare good picture of Livia and me while waiting in line to ride Pooh.

Landon decided to climb the pole while waiting for his FAVORITE ride at Disney... the train at Magic Kingdom. Annalissa's cracking up because he's screaming about "ringing the bell" at the top. Where do they get this stuff?

This one cracks me up. Just as we positioned ourselves properly for the picture, the show on the castle started and extinguished any chance of getting our kids to look at the camera. 

Annalissa is the most selfless person I've ever known. Really, she is. After spending 8 hours in the car answering Landon's incessant questions, 2 nights sleeping on springs on the hotel's hide-a-bed "mattress", 3 1/2 days chasing my looney kids around 3 Disney parks and 1 baseball stadium, she finally made a request (after much prompting) of something she'd like to do. She asked to meet the princesses. We'd never done this before because we didn't really think our kids were into the princesses, but we were more than happy to oblige this humble request. Turns out Landon was quite taken with the 3 lovely ladies. As soon as we walked into the room he started coyly waving at Belle. He later declared her to be his favorite. And he totally soaked up every minute of princess attention. And boy did they lay it on. I somehow missed getting of picture of any of them kissing him, but the evidence, and his self-satisfaction, can be seen below...

Newly smitten

I love Livia's cut-eye in this picture.
She really does love Mickey and Minnie.
Just not life sized, apparently. 

After we made it home-sweet-home Annalissa and I made time for a quick trip to the beach. Here she is playing zone defense with the kids because my whale of a self was pretty useless at this point. 

Finally, we rounded out the month with Andy's promotion to Major (capital M? Seems right). I don't have any pictures of the ceremony because we're not allowed to bring cameras into his squadron, but our kids behaved exactly as one would expect a nearly 2 and 4 year old to behave at such an event so all pictures would have consisted of Andy trying to solemnly take his oath while inconspicuously(ish) attempting to prevent Livia from playing peek-a-boo with, climbing on, or pulling over the American flag behind him.

In place of the pinning on picture, here he is with the kids on our latest trip to the beach. It really is beautiful here. 

Hopefully the next post will be announcing baby. And hopefully it will be soon.