a much better DAY!

So.... I had a WAY better day today with the kidlets!  Robyn slept last night from 7pm-8 am with only 3 super fast wake ups for a quick feed and right back to sleep.  It was nice to have my hour to myself this morning to get ready, and then an hour to get Jesse and Janna ready without juggling a hungry infant!

By 8:30 everyone was happy and fed and dressed, and I almost didn’t want to leave the house because it felt so calm....but I figured tackling groceries with all three was a good idea while everyone was in good spirits.  So off we went to hit up the sales at both Metro and Food Basics.

The trip went surprisingly well.  So far is seems that Robyn isn’t a huge fan of the car seat and car (total opposite of my other 2 kids), and so she wailed on the way to the store and during the first 10 minutes in the store...then passed out after I stopped and just rubbed her cheek for a minute and spoke calmly to her.  It’s like she just needed to know I was still there.   It was quite lovely to be at the stores so early.  No lines, not many shoppers yet, quiet and calm feeling.   Jesse and Janna were VERY well behaved,and it made me think that 8:30 am might be the new grocery hour for us!  The most challenging thing is where to fit all the kids and groceries!  Depending on the cart size and style, I can fit 2 or 3 of the kids in, and then there is not a ton of room for groceries after that.  Luckily, today I just needed half of the normal weekly pile and divided between 2 stops we fit ‘er all in!

The baby continued to sleep when we arrived home around 10:30.  I left her in her car seat on the first landing of the stair well when I got home.  (I figured it was quieter than the main area but still enough noise to keep her sleeping).  I was able to play with the kids, read them books, make their lunch, prep supper, send a few emails and get some laundry in.  I got the kids all snuggled  in for a nap around noon, and I cozied up with a blanket on the couch for a rest.   I was CERTAIN Robyn would wake up the second I laid down....but I woke up at 1:30 when she FINALLY did!  What a great nap for her and I!

I got up the other kids shortly after, and had a few hours to juggle all 3.  Aside from a triple poop incident (Jesse wailing on the toilet, Janna unleashing a few days in her diaper the same time as Robyn did) the afternoon went smooth and we made it to Dave’s school for 4 pm to pick him up.

I’m SO HAPPY IT’s Friday.  I don’t know if I have ever felt so relieved for the weekend to be here!  Tomorrow we plan on putting up the tree in the morning, and then we have a kids/ followed by adult Christmas party to attend in the evening.  I put on the Christmas music tonight while cooking dinner and cleaning up, and I all of a sudden feel very IN the Spirit!  Sunday will be a day to rest up as much as possible for another week of busyness!

Anyways.  Just wanted to check in.  I received many encouraging notes and emails in response to my downer blog from yesterday, and wanted to let everyone know that today was a great day all in all.  New mercies each morning I see J Thank you all for reading. I’m out!

how things are...

Life with three has been decent thus far.  Not great, but decent.  My big struggle I am having is getting poor Little Robyn adequate sleep.  Her nights have been fine and she is out for 3 hours at a time, and up very briefly for quick feeds and right back to sleep.  However- the poor thing is kinda sleep deprived during the day and has been a fussy baby because of it the past two days.   It’s a good thing she’s so cute!

My issue is not getting her to fall asleep.  I nurse her while the kids are running around doing whatever- and she falls asleep on my shoulder during the post burp.  But- If I try and put her down upstairs she wakes up within a few minutes wailing!  It’s like she can’t sleep in the intense quiet of upstairs.  If I put her to bed in her bassinet or chair down here on the main level or in a sling...she actually stays asleep.  It’s like she needs some noise!  However- the bangs or cries from the kids, or barks from the dog DO wake her up.... and then she cries till she has a bit more milk and passes out again... and then will wake up 10 minutes later when a door slams, or Jesse zooms past with a loud toy, or Janna decides she needs to wear some winter boots and shoves them on her feet.

And the more tired she is from the interrupted sleep- the worse her wake ups are each time.... more upset, more crying, more air swallows, more gas, more nursing to calm her....Ugh...  She’s been getting good long chunks in while the kids are napping, and in the evening when they are in bed, but the day has been HARD!  It’s not Robyn’s crying and having to nurse so much but it’s the juggling act of trying to be there for Jesse and Janna while I try and get her to Sleep ALL DAY LONG.  You can’t expect little kids to be dead quiet all day, but Janna or Jesse’s cries or squeals are VERY hard to handle when you finally think your baby might be in a deep slumber.   This morning it was 6:30-11 that we played this game.... and then again from 2:30 until 6.  

And then I feel guilty because I’m not able to give Janna and Jesse nearly the amount of attention I’m used to.  They pretty much hung out in the living room all day cycling between playing on their own, watching TV, or having me try to read books while nursing/burping/rocking Robyn to sleep.   I felt like it was all I could do to get everyone dressed, fed, and kept alive today.  Although, I did manage to set up a little science experiment/art activity for Jesse today recommended by a friend.   I colored a bunch of vinegar and had a big sheet of baking soda.  Jesse spent about 20 minutes with an eye dropper making little color explosions when dropping the vinegar into the pan.  Janna enjoyed her pastels for that time as well.  

Dave got home at 4:30 as I had just finished nursing the baby while cooking spaghetti, disciplining Jesse for his attitude and getting after Janna for playing in the closet, and I burst into tears about how hard the day was.  I continued crying over supper and Jesse was finally nice to me for the first time all day. Maybe I should have crying fits first thing in the morning in front of him?  He has been getting all attitudish lately and it’s pretty hard to handle.  Today he was playing in a drawer that he KNOWS he isn’t allowed to play in.  When I told him to close it he told me with a big scowl on his face and rolling eyes,    “Mom! I asked Jesus if I could play in the drawer and HE said Yes.  A superhero is going to come and throw your Head in Jail!  But not Robyn. ”  Oh my.... I laugh now as I sit here and write that- but at the time,  I really did want to throw his head against the wall!   All day long I have been reminding myself of all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for.  My kids are healthy, my husband is amazing, I only have 3 pounds of pregnancy weight left to shedJ

Anyways, it is now 7:30 and all my children are asleep.  Bliss.  Who knows for how long, but I slowly feel my composure returning.  I am crossing my fingers for a better day tomorrow, but again, who knows.   I attempt to take all 3 out for a few groceries on my own in the morning, so stay tuned for how that goes....  We’ll see if Dave comes home to another sobbing wife, although it is Friday and so the promise of tag teaming the kids for a few days might just pull me through.     Thanks for reading. I’m out!

me versus 3! demain!

I have a sleeping baby on my shoulder who is 2 weeks old today!  Robyn continues to be a very patient mellow thing, and is sleeping and eating wonderfully. Although that is fairly typical newborn behavior, I'm crossing my fingers it continues.  My 2 weeks of having help at the house comes to an end tomorrow as Nana Vance heads back to Fredericton in the morning, and nobody new is due to arrive.... It somehow feels like tomorrow is the start of something new for me.  I have that feeling of excitement and apprehension that comes the night before a trip, or a new job, or a competition, or Christmas?  Ok...maybe not Christmas...... no apprehension there....

It’s been really nice having all the help over the past few weeks.   Dave for the first while, then grandpere, and now Sharon.   Sharon took over laundry and dishes while she’s been here, and was it ever nice to have a break from those for a whole week!  She also took turns watching one or two of the kids for me each day while I got out for appointments or groceries, or whatever.... and so I have only had to juggle all three here and there throughout the day.  I have managed to get myself, and all the kids up and ready and fed and happy all by myself by 8:30 for the past few mornings....and that has felt victorious....

The kids have loved having Nana here, and  she got to take them out for their first snow day of the season on Tuesday while I was out running around with Robyn. (Robyn had a weigh in at the doc, and is up to 7lbs 11 ounces after her hospital discharge at around 7)  We got home to a delighted Jesse and Janna making snowballs with Nana in the backyard.  Here are some pics of the fun!

So, it’s been good a great week, but Jesse is certainly VERY off balance with all the visitors and lack of routine.  He gets more and more whiny and susceptible to break downs each day, and so I am hoping over the next few weeks I can get him back into shape!  Janna is doing awesome, and I think is generally more adaptable.  Perhaps a female thing?!  She really loves pushing Jesse’s buttons, and their room sharing situation has gone from pretty smooth and good, to a bit of a challenge.  Janna will bang on her crib while Jesse yells at her to stop, or screech at him while he sobs down the stairs, “Mom!  Janna is yelling!! And I don’t like it.”  Tonight Dave had to go in and lecture both of them to be quiet and go to bed after 30 minutes of shenanigans.  They quieted right down and went to bed.  Dave wandered downstairs and was like, “who would have thought we’d have to worry about the younger sister picking on the older brother?”

Dave has started doing funny things again in the night, and it’s pretty funny for me.  Nana has been staying in Robyn’s room, and the baby has been in ours.  So, I usually get up and hang out in the rocker to feed her and am pretty awake and alert.  I don’t ask Dave to deal with the baby at night, but he covers any issues that come from Jesse or Janna in the middle of the night.  Usually once or twice a week one of them has something going on that requires middle of the night attention...bad dreams or poop or something... ANYWAYS!  The other night, Janna was wailing for a good 10 minutes, and so I gently poked Dave and asked him if he could go and deal with her.  He sat right up and like hovered over me on his knees.  He put his hands out real close together as if to receive a newborn and was like, “Ok. I’ll take her.”  I didn’t even have Robyn in bed with me, and sort of chuckled, “Not Robyn, Dave.  Janna!”  He looked confused, then widened his arm stance from newborn size to a few feet apart as if he was ready for me to pass him Janna.  I laughed and said, “ No Dave. Janna is in HER ROOM.  Crying.  She’s been crying for like 10 minutes.”  And very slowly...” Can you GO AND CHECK ON HER?”  He sort of stumbled out of bed mumbling, “ Oh ya...Janna... in her room. Yep.”   And then last night he kept sitting up in bed and kept randomly asking if I needed him to hold Robyn for me?  Funny stuff... Here they are a few night ago having some bonding time....

Well, I should be on my way and get a good solid sleep for my new adventure tomorrow.  I’m feeling pretty good and prepared.  Today I cleaned most of the house.  The laundry is all caught up (thanks Sharon), and I even did bedding!  We have some leftovers in the fridge and groceries to get us to the weekend.... So I’m hoping without much housework to do, I will aim to mostly do lots of playing and snuggling with the kids tomorrow, catch a nap, and enjoy the moments.  They fly by!!  Thanks so much for reading.  Wish me luck! I’m out. 

Another Friday come and gone....

Wow!

Friday is here and the week has flown by in a mostly happy and tired haze.

Grandpere left on Monday, and Jesse wasn’t too happy about that.  It was so lovely to have my dad here, and the kids simply adored having a “big guy” to cuddle up and read with for a few days.  Dad came to church with us and play class, and Jesse kept saying to people, “see this BIG guy? That’s grandpere.”  He even told one random person that big grandpere protects him from the bad guys.  Here are the kids saying bye (obviously not too happy about grandpere taking off)   

I had a few days of flying solo with the kids until Nana Vance arrived in town.  It was really quite easy, as Robyn is still just in that sleepy newborn stage.  Not any real fussing.... just nursing, sleeping, poopin’.....  Luckily she has her nights and days semi-normal so far.  She’s awake for these little hour long spurts 3 or 4 times during the day, and at nights she has been giving me 4 hour stretches of sleep...with very quick and brief feeds in between.  This is my little angel and me at 6 am this morning.  Coffee, a beautiful baby, and my bible.  Good trio. 

Nana arrived on Wednesday night, and we all stayed up a little late watching some TV and catching up.  Of course, this was the night where Janna was up for over an hour having serious issues!  She had a massive blowout and was just wailing, and then needed a bath, and then got hyper at 3 am during the bath, and took a while to settle.  And then Jesse was up bright and early and chatty for the day.  Although we left ear plugs in Sharon’s room (which is right beside Jesse and Janna’s) the chaos was 

too loud to ignore, and so we were all a little tired yesterday.

The kids are very happy to have Nana around.  Especially Jesse, who seems to have a special little bond with her.  Today everyone had more energy after a better night sleep... and we’ve just been taking it easy around the house, getting our fresh air in the front or backyard each day, and enjoying visitors here and there.  I am really trying to relax as much as possible before I’m solo for real on Wednesday!  It’s hard though, when you are used to GO GO GO-ing.  

Speaking of GO GO Going Dave has had a busy week back at work.  And on much less quality sleep, I have been feeling so bad that he has to be coherent and deal with teenagers all week.  I try and show my sympathy through food usually....Gluten- free brownies were made yesterday, and home-made guacamole todayJ  Here he is, on his way out the door this morning for “retro-day” at school.  Creepy, I know!

Well, I’m so happy it’s the weekend, and we’ll have some time with Dave.  I also hope to get a picture of our little family of 5 at some point!  We’ll see, stay tuned for that possibility. Anyways, just a short post to let everyone know we are alive and well.   Thanks so much for reading. I’m out!

THE WEEK AT A GLANCE!

Oh my! My baby girl is almost a week old, and I have not blogged in about a week.  I feel a bit overwhelmed about all the possibilities and things I would like to write about.  But, I also want to go to bed soon.   So!  While I WILL most definitely post a lengthy labor story later in the week, AND I do owe a poem to the AMAZING Janice Tisdale who guessed Robyn’s birthday....For now I will just try and quickly sum up the week to “catch up”

MONDAY NOVEMER 12

I had a normal busy morning out with the kids, which I talked about in my last post.  At 2 pm, I had very mild contractions start about 5 minutes apart.  I hung around the house, and was in a bit of denial until 6pm.  At this point, Dave and I cancelled our evening plans.  He went nuts making lesson plans, editing a friends paper, trying to get my cell phone re-activated, and I went about cleaning, packing, pacing, laboring, etc.  At 10 we left for the hospital, and at 11pm I was checked into my room at about 5 cm dilated.  I painfully labored in a bunch of different positions until 2 pm, and was sad to discover I had only progressed to 6 cms.  I decided to jump in the tub and try that.  I loved it until the last 15 minutes where I felt REALLY GROSS, and my water broke at 3:07.  I turned into a psycho screaming lady and in trying to get out of the tub and back onto the bed kept yelling, “SHE’S FALLING!!!  SHE’s COMING! I’m POOPING!!!”  The nurse assured me I was fine and it was just a lot of pressure... and then she reached down and realized my body really had pushed the head out.  She frantically had Dave grab her gloves, ring for the doctors, and tried to get me up on the bed.  I couldn’t get up on the bed as my swimsuit bottoms were shellacked onto me.  We got those off, managed to climb on the bed during a contraction, flip onto my back, and got to give ONE mighty push and out she came! 7 minutes after my water broke, 5 contractions later.  I was happy to have achieved my goal of total natural child birth- but it certainly was not the calm collected picture I had in my mind of the way things would go!  Baby nursed well right away, and I got checked into my hospital room and Dave and I cozied up to sleep at 5 am.  Dave slept like a rock for a few hours, while I replayed the fairly intense experience over and over in my brain. We got up at 7am and just snuggled in bed together chatting and ooing and awing over little Robyn Elise. 

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13

Dave headed home to be with the kids by noon, and I spent the day trying to relax. There was a colic ridden screamer in shared semi-private, and so I didn’t get a ton of real sleep.   The kids came to see the baby in the hospital at 6 that night, and they were so cute!  Janna was all GIDDY and kept saying, “Hi Baby!”  and wanting to rub her head.  Jesse was wide eyed and very seriously insisted on holding her the WHOLE TIME.  He would stroke her face and say, “Robyn you are SO beautiful, I’m so glad you came.”  Aunt Katie had to fight to get a chance to hold the wee one.   They headed home, and the screamer next door was discharged early, and so I got a bit better of a rest that night

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 14

I asked to be discharged early, and Dave and I headed home at 11am.  The kids were overjoyed that mommy was home, but MORE excited about Baby Robyn.  They both just sat by her in the carseat in the entryway.  Janna dancing and giggling and Jesse right in her face telling her how wonderful and amazing she was (as he pushed Janna away and yelled at her...I am afraid Jesse is going to give Janna a complex with this intense love and adoration he has for Robyn while he lectures Janna and pushed her around)  Anyways, we all had family nap hour, and then piled in the van to get some groceries.  Dave was GIDDY about Filling the van with kids, and wanted to do it THAT DAY.  So, we meandered through Metro to get some essentials, and then zipped to the dollar store to buy everyone a little WELCOME ROBYN treat.  At one point I said to Dave, “ I’ll take Jesse and you load “the girls” into the van.”  This made me feel really emotional and excited.  I have girls!!!  We kept the night time routine the same, and was it EVER nice to fall into my own bed with a flat (ish) stomach!!!  Yes, there is physical fatigue and labor aches, but does it EVER feel good to be 15 pounds lighter immediately without the belly in the way of everything.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15

I don’t remember this day!!! Baby was up for a few long stretches during the night.....No wait, I do.   WE had the Potters come by to meet Robyn and bring lunch..... Dave had to go into the school to conduct parent teacher interviews, and a family friend, Tamara Guidon came by to hang with the family for the afternoon.  It was nice to have an extra set of hands, and somebody new and exciting to entertain the kids.   I reaaly missed Dave.  I think all the oxytocin from labor and nursing really hit me, cause I’ve felt so needy for him the past week J  We gave Robyn her first bath when he got home later in the evening, and she handled it like a pro.  I was hoping the late bath/massage/swaddle routine would help her with her night, and sure enough she gave mama two 4 hour stretches through the night

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16

Our delightful friends, the Potters, came to whisk Jesse and Janna away for a morning full of fun so Dave and I could relax and enjoy the baby.  We did take the opportunity to clean the house like mad for an hour- but then settled into relaxation mode.  The kids were delivered for naps after being fed, and I spent most of the remainder of the day trying to rest up while super Dave hung out with them.  I find when I get a burst of energy I sometimes go too nuts being productive, then am back to being wiped instead of restored.  It’s tough for me to let other people do things. 

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17

Once again Dave took great care of Jesse and Janna and I attempted to rest a bit, feed the baby (who is doing wonderful at sleeping, eating and pooping by the way) and do a few lighter things around the house.  My dad arrived in town at 4pm from Fredericton, and the kids were overjoyed to see him!  All hugs and snuggles, and won’t stay off his lap!  It’s cute.  We got all caught up over dinner and after the kids went to bed had a nice chance to chill and chat.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18^TH

It had definitelt been too long since I’d been outta the house, so we all headed into church.  It’s amazing how it seems to take almost the whole morning to make sure everyone gets fully ready!  We  made it to church a few minutes early, and Jesse was very happy to show his new baby Robyn to lots of people!  After church and naps, we had some more visitors this day, and I fell into bed at night after Robyns late bath feeling very blessed and thankful....and a tad apprehensive about the next day with Dave back to work.

TODAY!

Well, I still have grandpere here for the day with me, so I took the opportunity to get some stuff done.  He hung out with the kids for most of the day, and Robyn and I ran around doing some things...chiropractor for me, baby check up for her(she is lookin’ great!), groceries, Tims, walmart for a monitor and diapers, etc.  It’s amazing how peaceful and easy these tasks are with a newborn compared to a 1 and 3 year old.   My doctor (who has 3 kids of her own)  and I were discussing how we can more easily handle the physical fatigue of a new born, than the emotional fatigue from toddlers and fighting siblings!

The kids are still doing pretty well.  Janna actually has seemed totally thrilled with the new addition and has been a bundle of joy.   She has a bit of a crush on grandpere, and will just sit and snuggle with him FOREVER with a book.  Janna doesn’t sit still too much, so this is quite funny for us to see.  Jesse is very pleased and in love with his new sister, but is definitely a bit out of sorts.  He loves all the visitors and new people in his day....but he doesn’t adjust as well to change.  He just gets tired and out of sorts.    I think he was finally adjusting to Dave being home for a full week, and then he was OVER the moon excited that grandpere was here.... but today  has been a bit blue and wanting, “daddy.”  I have not been quite as patient with him as I normally am, and I feel a bit guilty about that.  Oh the parental guilt!

Anyways, that was the week at a glance.  Grandpere leaves tomorrow and I am solo with the kids for a few days, then Nana arrives on Wednesday night to stay for a while.  So, lots of excitement happening.  I hope to blog a fuller account of my labor story and that POEm for Jan sometime this week.  We'll see....  For now, I will leave you with a pic of me and Robyn taken about an hour ago.  Thanks for reading. I’m out.    

THE DOG BLOG

Well, perhaps it is very uncharacteristic of me to blog about my dog, but here we go!

I’m really not much of an animal person, but was very excited to get this little guy almost 6 years ago.  He was certainly a bit of “baby proof” in idea, but Dave and I quickly fell in love with him, and he quickly became our baby.  I feel almost embarrassed about how we took him everywhere with us, and were a bit obsessed.   Here are some pics of us in those early days....

The ad that made us fall in love....

Bringing the dog home!

Visitors...oh yes...just like a newborn...we had visitors come to meet the new little fellow

Back when Katie liked Cooper ;)  She bought him this hoodie!

After having Jesse we almost got rid of Cooper.  The sleep deprivation and adjusting to a newborn was very tough for us.  And the dog just seemed to be that extra thing that almost pushed me over the edge each day.  His protective barking woke him up frequently, Cooper always tried to get at my milk when nursing, and ALWAYS seemed to get into the garbage when I was in my most fragile state.

I am SO glad we pushed through that and held onto the little guy.  He really has been the BEST dog as far as the kids go.  He loves them, and is so gentle and patient with them.  Janna literally has to snap his bad knee out of place to get any snarl out of him, but mostly they just have fun together.  I feel like all my FB posts or comments about him have to do with his barking and garbage digging.... but he really is just a super relaxed family dog!  He is protective over us and that is why he barks when he hears outside noise.  He has never been into scratching or chewing or biting, or wrecking things....and so I must forgive his one guilty pleasure of getting into the garbage at the worst of times.

I have the dog on my brain because we have a new DOG policy that we don’t tie him up in the backyard to use the washroom anymore.   Between Dave and I, we have been getting him out for 3 brief walks each day for the past few weeks.  I do the 6:45 one, and it’s actually really nice to get out into some fresh air and the crisp morning before getting the kids outta bed.  Here I am a few mornings ago watching the dog pee.  Good times.

Our big push to do this was 2 fold.  First- we just felt like Cooper should get a bit more exercise and attention.  Crazy idea right before a newborn.....I know...but there is no time like the present, right??  But, also, the kids have really not been able to use the backyard to play in their house as you never know what treasures might be stepped into.   I just don’t have the time to watch Cooper as he is tied up out back to see where he goes and take care of it- and it’s been hard for Dave to find time to do all the frequent clean ups.   So! They have been enjoying their little house everyday now for a while. 

Today is mild and sunny and beautiful.  So, after the chiropractor we went for a long wagon ride, and then the kids played in their house together for a good chunk of time.  I will leave you with some pictures.  Thanks for reading! I’m out.

let's get this party started?!

It’s Sunday, November 11^th, and Dave is out to church with the kids.  After some convincing from Dave, I am at home catching up some sleep and emotional restoration.  I have to admit, I slept through the 11:00 hour.   But did observe a moment of silence once I got up, and have been thinking about how thankful I am for the people who fought for our freedom, the country I live in, and the daily blessings that God showers on me.   

Truthfully, It’s been sort of a rough weekend.   Two weekends ago I was feeling sentimental about our little family of 4 changing up.  This weekend, I can’t seem to think about ANYTHING except how READY I am to MOVE ON to family of 5.  It’s like you hit a point in pregnancy, where it’s just NOT fun anymore, and you start to go a bit crazy.  I feel like a physically and emotionally overwhelmed ticking time bomb.  With Jesse, I hit this a week or so before he was due.  I tried MOST all of the induction techniques and tales, and nothing worked.   I remember feeling frustrated with ALL the people telling me not to rush, to enjoy my time with Dave, I would never actually sleep again, my world would be rocked, etc.  Good intentioned and I TOTALLY understand where they are coming from now.....  But I couldn’t really appreciate it at that point.  However, I got tired of trying things and being disappointed when another day passed, so  I quit.  Several days later,  out came Jesse.  Ten full days overdue!

  

I swore after that pregnancy that I wouldn’t ever try that sort of thing again.  I was a firm believer in the idea that the baby decides when he/she is ready EVEN if your body feels ready.  However...with Janna... I started approaching that “I”M DONE!” stage, and sure enough drank a few cups of raspberry tea and opening my mind to the possibilities again.  I had hardly any Braxton hicks and little movement for the whole pregnancy, and I’d sort of suspected she would follow in big brothers footsteps and be late.  So, when I went inot labor out of the blue one Tuesday night, two days before I was due, I was quite surprised and not too agonized over a wait.

Well, all pregnancies are different, and sure enough, this one has had it’s own little unique set of things.  I have had fairly intense Braxton hicks from very early on with her, and have been having cramping and very real feeling contractions for maybe a month now?  I sort of suspected she might be a week or so early... and so with that day come and gone, and More and more labor signs each day, I’ve sort of hit that place of frustration and anxiety.  It’s hard because I really DON’T want to be like that/this.   I want to enjoy my last nights of semi-good sleep, my kids, my family of 4.  But it’s been a struggle the past few days, and contrary to what I “swore” with Jesse, have started with the induction techniques J

On Saturday, we let Daddy sleep in and then he took the kids for a bit while I tried a few different things  to get labor going.  Nothing, and so we ran a bunch of errands as a family. The library, getting gas, Tim’s run, a trip to the hospital to submit some paperwork before birth day, that sort of thing.   After a quick lunch,  the kids both failed to nap for different reasons, and therefore so did Dave and I.   We had some coffee and got them up to just have some family play time in the living room.  I normally really enjoy this, but found myself so uncomfortable I just ended up laying on the floor feeling very teary and in one very strange position that felt ok.  Dave and Jesse were playing hide and seek, and Janna kept diving over my hips and head planting into the floor (purposefully and somehow loving it?) over and over again.  I wish I had this on camera.  I needed to snap out of it and get going so we had an early supper and clean up- and then decided I would join the kids and Dave on their post supper walk.  We would take them for a much longer walk than normal to see if we could get baby 3 moving.   

I feel very lucky that Dave is such an involved and helpful dad!  Since September, every single night after supper time, Dave takes the kids outside for usually just under an hour.  He works so hard all day, comes home to walk the dog, down a cup of tea, eat dinner with us, and then spend time with the kids on his own.   They love it!  They race to the door to get their things on, and always come home SO happy and all about daddy.   It also gives me a nice little break from the kids to get the kitchen and house tidied up, and something else cleaning related under my belt.  I’ll do bathrooms, or dust, or a mop a floor.  I really don’t mind cleaning or cooking at all.  I would even say that I enjoy it!  However- I REALLY dislike trying to do it with the kids around.  I get frustrated trying to juggle those 2 tasks.   So- it’s been a very positive tradition thus far.  Dave will sometimes play in the front or backyard with the kids,  but mostly they go for a walk around the courts we live in.  Jesse has finally figured out how to properly use (and reach) his peddles- so he usually bikes, and Janna will usually combine the wagon, with hopping out and walking for a bit.  Dave has told me about how it can be stressful when they are near the main road with Jesse wheeling away- but I never really felt his pain until yesterday.

We bundled up and headed out, and I followed the kids on their normal paths.  Jesse just FLIES down the sidewalk on his bike.  Once in a while he gets looking at his feet going so fast on the peddles and sways over to the road.  Janna likes to jump up and down while being pulled in the wagon. It’s dark! It’s a busy street! It’s scary!  I was half jogging alongside Jesse on his bike blocking the road from his sway.   I was so stressed out! However- Dave has a good system with them, and Jesse does know when to stop to cross the streets, and listens quite well to daddy.  I had to bite my tongue several times not to undermine Dave’s authority,  as he really does have it under control.  Even though I was stressed out,  it’s  a good thing they have this little walk/bike time.  It’s a good thing they have one parent who is a little more cautious, and one who let’s them experience a little more of life!  The funniest thing that happened on our little jaunt, though, was all of a sudden as we are flying past a bus stop with a bench, the 3 of them abruptly stop, sit on the bench and say, “ Oh. We’re waiting for the bus.”  I look at Dave and ask what’s going on. He tells me they do this everytime and Jesse pipes in, “ Sit down,mom, we’re waiting for the bus”  The 3 of them are FROZEN just like statues on this bench.  They are looking straight ahead with  total  blank stares and expressions.  I join in for a minute, and then all of a sudden Dave yells, “ Bus! Let’s go!”  And they scurry down from the bench, back into the wagon and bike and plow ahead so the bus doesn’t actually stop to pick them up.  Oh I laughed....  We stayed outside for quite a while, and I even took turns pulling both kids in the wagon and power walking while lifting little 19 pound Janna.  

Well, bed time approached and after a bath and hair cut for Jesse we tucked the kids into bed feeling tuckered out.  Dave went on to do some marking for the night, and I ate chocolate and spicy food and pumped and...... there is no baby yet!

I went to bed feeling ok, but woke up feeling horrible this morning.   Tired, emotional, heavy, BLAH.  After breakfast, Dave took the kids out to puddle jump, and then we cuddled and watched some TV before he took them to church.  I really enjoyed this part of my day, and even got a few pictures to share.   After Dave headed back out to church with the kids, I climbed back into bed for a while.  I woke up and had a snack,  said some prayers of thanksgiving, and am now blogging as a final source of therapy.  Hoping for a good perspective and rest of the day/week.   Here are a few pictures of the morning of my wonderful little family.  I also put in a snapshot of all the HOMEMADE knit hats I have for baby 3 all lined up as a symbol of her impending arrival.   They make me excited.  Thanks for reading! I’m out. 

Movember.....

some thoughts for the day.....

We sent Dave to school with the Van this morning, and are taking an IN morning to relax and be lazy.  I am seeing a pattern here.  The kids and I GO- GO- GO at the start of the week.  Playdates and appointments and errands.  Days full of fun and productivity......  and by Thursday or Friday need a break to just relax around the house.

   

The kids are doing well sleeping through the night together (although have NOT adjusted to waking up later yet with the time change).  In fact, 2 nights ago, I heard Janna wake up around 1 AM calling out and crying for Mama.  I left her for a bit, and then hear Jesse toddle out of his bed and say in his sweetest most sympathetic voice, “It’s OK Janna.... You’re ok.  You don’t need to cry, ok? You’re alright.  Lay down and go back to sleep.”   I hear a plunk, and Jesse toddle back to his bed- and they both went right back to sleep.  Amazing!  I feel like I should be paying him... 

However- last night, when Janna woke up right as I was climbing into bed at 11- I decided to check on her as she sounded extra upset.  I cuddled her and got her resettled and calm and back in bed...but she still started wailing again around 11:30.  Jesse was NOT as patient this time.  He started out calmly asking her to stop crying and trying to soothe her...but as she yelped louder for me, he got grumpy and started scolding her, “ Janna! That is enough. You’re ok......mom...Janna won’t stop crying!!!!  Janna! STOP!”  I was so frustrated because it was almost midnight, and I didn’t want to ask Dave to go and deal with it.   He had a LONG Day and worked from 7 am-11 pm, and was in a deep sounding sleep.  But, Daddy has the magic touch with Janna.  I know that if he goes in and spends 5 minutes with her- she’ll be out for the rest of the night.   Where as, with me,  she pushes it and could be up a few more times.

I eventually caved and very sheepishly woke up Dave to ask if he would put her to bed.  What a guy. He hopped out of bed and took care of it.  And sure enough, I didn’t hear a peep from her until this morning.

Jesse continues to be inventive with the things he does in the morning while he waits for us to come and get him.  We went into his room to find Janna without her PJ bottoms on, but Jesse wearing them OVER his.  This morning, he was UNDER Janna’s crib.  I keep telling Dave, “atleast he is staying in his room till we come and get him!”

Janna! Where are your PANTS???

Oh! Here they are!

Not a whole lot more to comment on today!  Baby 3 is due in 6 days, and I continue to have short false labor spells just about every day.   Very annoying.  I am trying to stay relaxed- but feeling frustrated with my waddly and slow moving self.  Trying to dress the kids, and get them buckled into the van, and cuddle or read books to them is proving very difficult.  I told someone the other day, I am ready to trade in THE BELLY for sleep deprivation and a child attached to the boob.  J  Happy Thursday everyone, thanks for reading! I’m out.  

trying out some different looks....

It's November!  And I feel all ready to have baby 3 join the fam.  I'm not in that "get this out of me" state, but we got some final things done on the weekend- and I feel like any day would be fine.  I have been getting these 30 minute-hour long spells of feeling like I am hitting early labor fast and hard... and that has been quite annoying.  But, otherwise, feeling pretty good for the most part. 

The weather is getting cooler- and the kids have had to pile on the layers.   Here is proof that I do attempt to dress my kids in a normal fashion!

However- they both just seem to have their own sense of style.  These outfits are ENTIRELY Janna's doing - and while it's very cute now, I hope it translates into something a bit less crazy as she gets older.  Picture these outfits on a 16 year old?

 I think my mat. leave habits are starting to rub off on Jesse a bit.  He begs to let me keep his PJS on in the morning, and again to put them on at nap time.  I totally relate to this need for comfort.  So while I enforce getting dressed around 8 everyday- I have been letting him slip into PJS of choice at quiet time.  Afterall- it's the first thing I do when I put the kids down for their nap/ quiet time.

I mentioned a few weeks ago, that Jesse was finally working up the nerve to get out of his bed during a nap time, or sometimes when he wakes up.    Well, it has sort of backfired in that he now usually picks quiet time over nap time- as there is so much FUN stuff to do in his room.  I think he could still use a few naps per week- and he hasn't been getting these.  He's been a bit more on edge than usual, and if it continues I may try and enforce an IN BED only nap time a few times per week.

This morning, Jesse woke up 4:55 AM.  He started out really wailing and calling out for his new baby to come.  As I heard him start to shuffle around and become slightly hysterical I jumped into his room.  He was standing at Janna's crib almost yelling at her about needing his new baby.  He was trying to reach into her crib.   I think he was half asleep, and I convinced him there was NO baby in Janna's bed, she was still in my tummy.  I got him back into bed and told him to GO TO SLEEP. It was still night.  Well, he didn't.  He kept singing and talking about it, and trying to have a conversation with Janna about it- who was clearly trying to sleep.  He was happy though, so we just left him... even though we started to hear him up and out of his bed a bit.   Well, this is what we found when we brought Jesse down for breakfast this morning.

He managed to climb on a rocking stool, reach high onto a bookshelf, and open a  little box that had some randoms.  A face-painting crayon was unintentionally among the mix.  whoops... I felt a bit proud that he at least tried to DO a design on his face,  and hadn't tackled Janna with it. 

Jesse also found Aunt Katie's soap making mask today... and proudly sported that for a good chunk of the afternoon.  

Well, supper must be made.  The day must go on.  Thanks so much for reading.  I'm out!

Halloween 2012

We sent Dave to work in the van today, and are having an IN DAY.  The plan is to stay in PJs for a good chunk of the morning, watch too much TV, read a lot of books, and do lots of cuddling.   I have been feeling pretty blah with cramps and heat and random belly sensations the past couple days, so we are taking a break from the schedule, and just gonna try to relax at home.  This could backfire on me severely come 3:00 when my kids are going stir crazy... but I’m hoping not!   Yesterday was a pretty exciting day for the kids.  They had horrible naps and were up a bit late with Halloween, and a bit too early this morning,  so I’m crossing my fingers that they too, need a day just to putter around the house.

Also, I wanted to post some pics from Halloween of the munchkins this morning, in case I go into labor ....cause who knows when I will have energy to tackle what after that....

So, here is Jesse last night around 6 pm.  He is saying, "BAWK" at this point, and running around like a mad man.  VERY excited.  Janna was just very pleased to be dressed up and heading out the door any minute.  

The kids were hard to PIN down for a photo op.  This is the best Aunt Katie could snap!

Cooper and Katie waving good-bye ready to hand out candy for the night

THe kids NOT so impressed about having to be picked up and entertain another family photo.

Freedom!  Running around collecting candy.  For the first half of the night, Jesse kept asking after each house, "Do we get to go to ANOTHER one, AGAIN?!"  To which we would reply, yes- that we were going to lots.  And he would burst into a chanting RUN, " Fun! Fun! Fun! Halloween is FUN!"

 Janna was just sort of curious about the whole thing.  But about half way through she understood the drill, and marched right up to the houses with Jesse.  She helped him knock on the door, and THRUST her bucket into the faces of people who would bend down and coo over them. People gave them A LOT of candy.  I think this is the golden age for trick-or-treating. Adorable, old enough to eat the candy, young enough to appreciate each and every piece.  Jesse very enthusiastically said trick or treat and thank you at each house.  If anyone said HAPPY HALLOWEEN, he would reply, " Oh! Happy Halloween to you tooo!" And people who asked any sort of question to him, got a full earfull of a response back.  It was entertaining.  Janna liked to hold her bucket out for a long time after having candy dispensed into it, and got several double loads of treats.  

I was surprised with how many more people in our court were doing Halloween this year.  We also had SEVERAL people dressed to the nines handing out candy.  There was this one REALLY freaky Alien type costume on a HUGE man who answered the door.  He was totally silent, but bent down and gently deposited the candy into the kids bags. Jesse stood there with wide eyes not moving- just frozen to the spot.  Janna turned around and walked off the step calmly- but quickly.  After he closed the door, Jesse said, " Wow.  He was a nice monster, eh mom?  He had BIG BIG eyes"  We only had the kids out for about 30 minutes, and Jesse did okay being told trick or treating was over with the promise of getting to pick and eat 3 candies when he got in!  Here he is happy to take a picture with his angry pumpkin. 

Inside, sorting through the loot.  Of all the great treats and new things, Jesse went for the familiar and picked 3 suckers for his treats.  I convinced him to trade in a sucker for a pack of little oreo cookies.  Expand his candy repetoire!

Janna also begged for a boring old sucker, but also grabbed a crinkly bag.  Here she is discovering chips.  Not too sure about them.

Anyways, it was a great night!  Jesse asked me this morning, " mom-what comes next? Snow time? "  I told him that probably his new baby sister would come first.  "But I want snow first or Halloween again" was his response.  He he!  Anyways, I should go and can the tv and move onto something else with the kids.  Thanks for reading! I'm out.