when we took gretchen for her very first appt the week after she was born, and kris read over the hospital reports and actually witnessed one of the the choking-gagging episodes, she diagnosed gretchen with reflux. she rx prevacid, instructed us to have gretchen sleep at an incline and ordered an apnea monitor. talk about the ultimate baby monitor. yea! our little goose would be safe and we would be alerted should anything happen. and boo! our little goose would be sleeping in a bed by herself. (one of my favorite things about new babies is getting to snuggle their warm bodies while they sleep, to feel their soft breaths on my skin.) the thought of our not even 8lbs babe in a bed, all alone was pushed from my mind at the thought of something possibly happening to her. that isn't to say i didn't cry the first night she slept with the monitor. (it was also the night i found out my little cousin levi had died, so i was suuuper emotional anyway.)
the first night i was home alone with all the kids, when mor drove up to the airport to get my mom, the monitor alarmed for a low heart rate. i snatched that baby right out of her bassinet like it was on fire and didn't put her down until after mor and my mom got home. i'd take any number of false alarms for a single legit one.
the monitor alarmed a few more times in the intervening weeks, because it got unplugged or gretchen had wiggled enough to move the sensors.
and then monday, 29 dec happened.
it was just after 2a, we'd all been sleeping well. gretchen had been up to nurse at least once after we put her to bed around 10p. and then the alarm sounded. i rolled over and saw it wasn't the sensor light that was on; it was the lung light. she wasn't breathing. i pushed the button to turn off the alarm and put my hand on her chest, shook her and said her name over and over. finally, FINALLY! after what seemed like forever, she startled and i heard a deep, shaky intake of breath. i sat on the side of the bed for a while, in the stillness, watching her belly go up and down, up and down, listening to her soft sighs, scared to fall asleep again.
the next morning, mor asked if the alarm had gone off in the night. how oblivious men can be! i cried when i told him what had happened. i cried pretty much throughout the day, whenever there was a quiet moment. i tried to not let there be too many, and it helped a ton that e and matty and the kids surprised us by showing up at our door mid-afternoon.
i'm writing all this on the night before gretchen's 4mo appt. dr later will most likely have us discontinue the monitor. and i'm terrified again. i've learned to sleep because of the trust i have in that monitor. i've been scouring the internet, searching for something to replace it. until we have something, i don't think i'll be getting much sleep. but, i'd give up a hundred thousand hours of sleep to keep getting to hear those soft sighs.
15 February 2015
a name and a blessing
mor and i went a couple rounds about when we should bless gretchen. he thought we should just do it during our regular sacrament time, 9a; i thought we should do it after all the wards had met, 4p or later. after discussing this with several other parties, i liked what kelly had to say best : a baby's blessing day should be peaceful and easy, for everyone. waking up and having 5 people ready to go and out the door before 2 of those people are even usually awake would not make for a peaceful or easy day. we got it sorted out with the bishop to bless gretchen the sunday before thanksgiving, 23 nov, at 4:30p. that gave me all morning to get some treats made (pumpkin chocolate chip bars and chocolate chip cookies), for everyone to shower, for jones to nap...peaceful and easy.
gretchen wore my blessing dress, bonnet and booties, and i don't think i've ever seen anything more beautiful.
for the record...
mor, gpa mike, david hawley, bart jolley, gary, ben and dave wall, chad duford, adam miner, nate sorensen, bishop berneau were all in the circle.
for the record...
me, mor, finners, jones, gpa mike and gma gloria, georgette, emily and thomas rowley (david had church mtgs, sarah was in missouri with cousins), david and leslie, bart, gary and ellie, amy and sam (shad had to work and kelton had home teaching), ben and brit (eli, blake and griffin), dave and lucy (addie, gavin, hudson and brixton), chad, kam, ruthie and andrew schiess (steve had to work), adam and erin (milo, logan and reagan), nate and bethie, lisha, edmund and anna wood (richard was deployed in romania), bishop berneau were all in attendance.
for the record, gretchen was blessed to...
...be a peacemaker and example to her brothers
...be patient
...be a teacher to those around her
...develop a strong testimony
...learn the gospel
...fulfill all of her commitments
...know who she is
...grow up to be a confident woman
a baby blessing is always such a special, spiritual time. these sweet, innocent babies get to hear from the heavenly father they so very recently left what wonderful things their faithful lives will bring to them and their families and friends. i am always extremely grateful for the priesthood and, more specifically, that mor is a worthy priesthood holder, able to bestow these gifts upon our children.
gretchen wore my blessing dress, bonnet and booties, and i don't think i've ever seen anything more beautiful.
for the record...
mor, gpa mike, david hawley, bart jolley, gary, ben and dave wall, chad duford, adam miner, nate sorensen, bishop berneau were all in the circle.
for the record...
me, mor, finners, jones, gpa mike and gma gloria, georgette, emily and thomas rowley (david had church mtgs, sarah was in missouri with cousins), david and leslie, bart, gary and ellie, amy and sam (shad had to work and kelton had home teaching), ben and brit (eli, blake and griffin), dave and lucy (addie, gavin, hudson and brixton), chad, kam, ruthie and andrew schiess (steve had to work), adam and erin (milo, logan and reagan), nate and bethie, lisha, edmund and anna wood (richard was deployed in romania), bishop berneau were all in attendance.
for the record, gretchen was blessed to...
...be a peacemaker and example to her brothers
...be patient
...be a teacher to those around her
...develop a strong testimony
...learn the gospel
...fulfill all of her commitments
...know who she is
...grow up to be a confident woman
a baby blessing is always such a special, spiritual time. these sweet, innocent babies get to hear from the heavenly father they so very recently left what wonderful things their faithful lives will bring to them and their families and friends. i am always extremely grateful for the priesthood and, more specifically, that mor is a worthy priesthood holder, able to bestow these gifts upon our children.
the aftermath
preface : after 4mo & 11days, the details are getting a bit hazy. i remember the big stuff, but the little things have started to fade (like when exactly the ped came to examine gretchen or when exactly e came back on friday...?). should there be another hawley baby (mor's shaking his head "NO!" to this! haha!), i'll make sure to get everything down much quicker. the little things are a lot of times the sweetest things.
it was pretty cool after gretchen was born because instead of whisking her off to the nursery to bathe her and all that jazz, the nurse kept her in the room with us so we got to be a part of everything. i even got to choose what kind of little bow to put in all of her hair. red and white polkadots, a la minnie mouse. adorable. the nurse was excited to put the bow in all of g's curls. (i wish there was a statistic detailing babies born with hair vs babies born without hair. i know our babies have all had pretty fantastic hair, but it seems like it must be such a rarity based on how many people comment on it.) moving on...g took to nursing like a champ, which was awesome and a relief. however, she also took a shine to spitting up. not normal spitting up either, but weird gagging without breathing spitting up. to say it was unsettling would be a major understatement. i was terrified and would practically slap her back and jiggle her to help her get everything out and start breathing again. mor and i were super tired (apparently waiting around to have a baby will do that to you), so we had the nurse take gretchen to the nursery for a few hours. when they brought her back to us, we were told she had continued to choke and gag and stop breathing and that there had been a little blood in her spit ups. all of us were able to get some sleep that first night, and i felt really good but made sure to stay on top of my pain meds so i would keep feeling really good.
the next morning, e brought the boys to see us. jones climbed right up onto the bed with me and asked to hold the baby; finn kept his distance, just like he did when jonah was born. it was pretty great to have my sister there with my brand new baby. i remember loving on coop literally right after he was born, and now it was my turn to share my little piece of heaven with my sister. (poor ains had to stay in the waiting room. sorry, p!) after they left, i showered. kal was just coming in the door when i was getting out. it was so good to see her and have her love on gretchen. e came back with lunch for mor and "relieved" him of his sit-around-at-the-hospital duty. he took jones home to nap and to get finners from school. brit came to visit. she said something that i kind of loved, that gretchen was familiar to her, that she felt like she knew her already. that brit's a good lady. mor came back sometime later, and his aunt carol, diane and emi stopped by. carol loved getting to send gloria a picture of her with gretchen! ha! we should them a side-by-side of day-old finn (a picture on my phone) and day-old gretchen. at first, they thought it was the same baby, that's how much finn and gretchen looked alike.
*gretchen kept up with the reflux-y stuff all day and night. saturday morning, dr young came to check on us. he came right in and sat down like we were old friends and he was just coming for a chat. he couldn't get over gretchen's hair and cheeks but he esp liked her chubby shoulders. (i really like dr young, btw.) he said i'd most likely be discharged home as soon as the baby was cleared by the pediatrician. when the ped came, he took her to the nursery to check her out. during, she started to do her choking-gags, and it got so bad they recommended we let them basically pump her stomach. not, though. stay with me. same idea, different method. they would flush saline into her stomach to have her throw up it and anything else that was in her stomach. she threw up quite a bit of phlegm and old blood, which was a concern. while g was off having this done, i was packing and getting ready to go home. i was standing up and felt a clot pass. it was such a strange sensation, like i was giving birth again. i got to the bathroom before expelling it and was able to actually catch it in some tissue. it filled the palm of my hand and (as if you aren't already grossed-0ut and gagging enough already) looked very similar to how a brain looks. (gah. i'm sorry.) it was definitely NOT just a clot. the nurse was disturbed by it and had to call dr young to inform him and see what he wanted to do, if anything. it seemed like we were going to be at the hospital forever! but, i was so very grateful all of this was happening while we were there instead of at home without the nurses' and drs' help and expertise. we finally got the all clear with instructions for me to take it extra EXTRA easy and for gretchen to be seen first thing the next week.
we were expecting e, ains and the boys to be there when we got home, but it was pretty nice that we were able to settle in a bit before they got back. ains was excited to finally get to hold the baby, as was jonah. all he wanted to do the first few days after we got home was hold the baby, smooch the baby, check on the baby. any nervousness i had about how he would be around gretchen had been unfounded; he loved her immediately and intensely, and he still does. finn warmed up to her too, and even asked to hold her a few times. e had bought a few things for the house and moved the furniture around a little; she is our mother's daughter! they left sunday, early afternoon. it was so great to have them here, to take care of our hooligan boys** and sniff our sweet new baby girl.
*somewhere in all of this mixed-up timeline, mor gave me and grechen each a blessing. he's a wonderful husband and father and priesthood holder. i really couldn't have handled all of this without him.
**e said she only had 1 rough spot with finn; jonah had been a complete love for the 2 1/2 days we were in the hospital. i think he was extra soft because he and i had never been apart, and it was a new, maybe even scary experience. she told us that ben, who is not a fan of "babies" in the least, was smitten with jones. he snuggled right up to ben and would put his head on his shoulder and was more than content just hanging out with him. tender mercies for my little jones.
it was pretty cool after gretchen was born because instead of whisking her off to the nursery to bathe her and all that jazz, the nurse kept her in the room with us so we got to be a part of everything. i even got to choose what kind of little bow to put in all of her hair. red and white polkadots, a la minnie mouse. adorable. the nurse was excited to put the bow in all of g's curls. (i wish there was a statistic detailing babies born with hair vs babies born without hair. i know our babies have all had pretty fantastic hair, but it seems like it must be such a rarity based on how many people comment on it.) moving on...g took to nursing like a champ, which was awesome and a relief. however, she also took a shine to spitting up. not normal spitting up either, but weird gagging without breathing spitting up. to say it was unsettling would be a major understatement. i was terrified and would practically slap her back and jiggle her to help her get everything out and start breathing again. mor and i were super tired (apparently waiting around to have a baby will do that to you), so we had the nurse take gretchen to the nursery for a few hours. when they brought her back to us, we were told she had continued to choke and gag and stop breathing and that there had been a little blood in her spit ups. all of us were able to get some sleep that first night, and i felt really good but made sure to stay on top of my pain meds so i would keep feeling really good.
the next morning, e brought the boys to see us. jones climbed right up onto the bed with me and asked to hold the baby; finn kept his distance, just like he did when jonah was born. it was pretty great to have my sister there with my brand new baby. i remember loving on coop literally right after he was born, and now it was my turn to share my little piece of heaven with my sister. (poor ains had to stay in the waiting room. sorry, p!) after they left, i showered. kal was just coming in the door when i was getting out. it was so good to see her and have her love on gretchen. e came back with lunch for mor and "relieved" him of his sit-around-at-the-hospital duty. he took jones home to nap and to get finners from school. brit came to visit. she said something that i kind of loved, that gretchen was familiar to her, that she felt like she knew her already. that brit's a good lady. mor came back sometime later, and his aunt carol, diane and emi stopped by. carol loved getting to send gloria a picture of her with gretchen! ha! we should them a side-by-side of day-old finn (a picture on my phone) and day-old gretchen. at first, they thought it was the same baby, that's how much finn and gretchen looked alike.
*gretchen kept up with the reflux-y stuff all day and night. saturday morning, dr young came to check on us. he came right in and sat down like we were old friends and he was just coming for a chat. he couldn't get over gretchen's hair and cheeks but he esp liked her chubby shoulders. (i really like dr young, btw.) he said i'd most likely be discharged home as soon as the baby was cleared by the pediatrician. when the ped came, he took her to the nursery to check her out. during, she started to do her choking-gags, and it got so bad they recommended we let them basically pump her stomach. not, though. stay with me. same idea, different method. they would flush saline into her stomach to have her throw up it and anything else that was in her stomach. she threw up quite a bit of phlegm and old blood, which was a concern. while g was off having this done, i was packing and getting ready to go home. i was standing up and felt a clot pass. it was such a strange sensation, like i was giving birth again. i got to the bathroom before expelling it and was able to actually catch it in some tissue. it filled the palm of my hand and (as if you aren't already grossed-0ut and gagging enough already) looked very similar to how a brain looks. (gah. i'm sorry.) it was definitely NOT just a clot. the nurse was disturbed by it and had to call dr young to inform him and see what he wanted to do, if anything. it seemed like we were going to be at the hospital forever! but, i was so very grateful all of this was happening while we were there instead of at home without the nurses' and drs' help and expertise. we finally got the all clear with instructions for me to take it extra EXTRA easy and for gretchen to be seen first thing the next week.
we were expecting e, ains and the boys to be there when we got home, but it was pretty nice that we were able to settle in a bit before they got back. ains was excited to finally get to hold the baby, as was jonah. all he wanted to do the first few days after we got home was hold the baby, smooch the baby, check on the baby. any nervousness i had about how he would be around gretchen had been unfounded; he loved her immediately and intensely, and he still does. finn warmed up to her too, and even asked to hold her a few times. e had bought a few things for the house and moved the furniture around a little; she is our mother's daughter! they left sunday, early afternoon. it was so great to have them here, to take care of our hooligan boys** and sniff our sweet new baby girl.
*somewhere in all of this mixed-up timeline, mor gave me and grechen each a blessing. he's a wonderful husband and father and priesthood holder. i really couldn't have handled all of this without him.
**e said she only had 1 rough spot with finn; jonah had been a complete love for the 2 1/2 days we were in the hospital. i think he was extra soft because he and i had never been apart, and it was a new, maybe even scary experience. she told us that ben, who is not a fan of "babies" in the least, was smitten with jones. he snuggled right up to ben and would put his head on his shoulder and was more than content just hanging out with him. tender mercies for my little jones.
06 November 2014
gretchen augusta
welp...it's been a full 5wks today since gretchen was born. almost unbelievable. i should probably document the details before i forget entirely; this having-3-kids thing takes a toll on memory. not to mention energy and sanity. aaanyhoo...
i got a call wednesday night, 1 oct, from the hospital telling me to call the next morning at 5:45a to see when i should come in for my induction. erica and ains got to our house around 8p, which means finn didn't go to bed until about, mmm, after 11p. we should write a parenting book, i know. it was such a load lifted to have erica here to keep the boys for us. i felt like i could finally have this baby without having to worry about them. moving on.
thursday morning, bright and waaay too early, i called the hospital. and was told to call back in an hour. it would have been awesome if i could have gone back to sleep, but that wasn't happening, so i just rolled around in bed until i called back. and was told the charge nurse was busy and she'd call in about 30min. except that she didn't. so i called yet again. and was told it would be about another 30min or so before i could check in; they'd call me. somewhere in all this, i got out of bed and showered as quietly as possible since everyone else was sound asleep. mor finally woke up, and just as he got in the shower, the hospital called saying they were ready for me. mor got dressed, we smooched the boys, and off we went.
there was a room waiting for us when we got to timp. and a sweet hospital gown. yyyes! i had barely been in the super comfy bed any time at all when mor started complaining that he was starving. i sent him off to get some food for him and flavored ice for me. right before mor got back, i started feeling really hot and was sweating. a lot. mor walked in, and i told him i felt like i was going to be sick. (something similar happened when i was in labor with both boys, but it was after i was given my iv and the pitocin. and i did, in fact, get physically sick. this was different though.) he called the nurse, who came in just as i was about to pass out, while laying in a hospital bed. my blood pressure was dangerously low, which is saying something because it was fairly low my whole pregnancy. i'm not sure exactly what happened next, even though i was awake and conscious for all of it, but 3 or 4 other nurses came into my room, including the charge nurse. they all looked equal parts worried and confused. there was no reason my bp dropped like it did. one of the nurses put an oxygen mask on me, and that did seem to help. another nurse turned down the thermostat to 65. the whole time, i kept thinking "don't close your eyes. whatever you do, do not close your eyes." i'm not sure why that was on repeat in my head, but it completely terrified me. i even told mor once the ordeal was over that i had been really scared something was going to happen to me and the baby, that we weren't going to make it. like i said, terrifying. (my nurse said she had never seen anything like it in her 11yrs of nursing. i still don't know what caused it.)
as soon as i was feeling better, my nurse wanted to get my iv set and fluids started. to keep another long-ish story short : i told my nurse before she started looking for a vein that she should just look at the one in the crook of my arm. oh, they don't like to place an iv there, she told me. so, she poked me twice before calling in another nurse, who poked me twice. and where do you think she eventually placed my iv? that's right, in the crook of my arm. thanks for that.
i got pitocin around 10:45/11a and tried to rest. nothing exciting happened until i asked for an epidural a few hours later. my nurse said the anesthesiologist was scheduled for a surgery around 2p and she wasn't sure when he'd been finished. even though i wasn't feeling too much pain, i asked that he come in before his surgery. (i wasn't looking to be any sort of hero, kids. there's enough pain and discomfort that comes AFTER labor and childbirth, athankyou.) he put on a mask as soon as he came into the room, saying he'd had a sore throat for the last couple days. (super! will you make sure to cough on me too, sir?) then, he lifted my bed until my feet were dangling about a foot and a half off the floor. he told me i could hold mor's hand but not lean on him at all, something i'd been allowed to do the previous two times. my neck got really sore really fast. and theeen...it took 3x to get the epidural placed. holy shieze, you guys. the first time, it sent like a shock down into my bumcheek. not supposed to happen. the second time, the medicine came back out, pushing the needle out. the third and final time, he had to actually move up a vertebral space. but, it worked, so whatever. when he was packing up his gear, he told me i should get checked for scoliosis because he's sure that's why it didn't work the first 2x. riiight. i'll look into that. as soon as my bumcheek stops vibrating from your subpar performance.
a little while later, dr young popped in to check my progress and break my water. i was only dilated to a 3. (i think.) everything looked good though, and i was feeling pretty good too. back to resting and chomping on ice. nice.
e brought the boys over around 5p. i had been hopeful that we'd be able to introduce them to their little sister. i don't think finn liked seeing me all hooked up to things and in a funny hospital bed and clothes. jonah couldn't have cared less. he putzed around the room and did his own thing. the nurse came in to check me just as the 3 of them were leaving at 5:45p. it was shift change at 6p, and she wanted to give the next nurse an accurate progress report. i was at a 5. she said this was usually when things sped up, once you were a 5. sure, i thought. likely story. i asked her what i could do to hurry it along, and she said to not keep my legs together. done. i mean, i felt like we'd been there all day and that i'd made no real progress, so let's get a move on. the new nurse came in just after 6p to introduce herself and get set up on the computer. she walked out the door and not even 2min later, i told mor things felt funny. i didn't feel like i needed to push or anything, but something was definitely happening. the nurse came back into the room and checked me. let me go call your dr, she said. you're ready to have this baby. keep your legs together now. say WHAT?! it had been barely 15min ago when i was at a 5, and now it's time to start pushing?! yikes! dr young got there at maybe 6:10p, i had 3 or 4 good pushes, and the baby was born at 6:21p. easy peasy, lemon squeezy. mor stayed by the baby while they cleaned her off under the lights at the bassinet. when he walked over to me, i asked what she looked like, and he said "she's a gretchen." i had the exact same thought as soon as i saw her. she wasn't a meg or a caroline; she was a gretchen. our gretchen. and she was beautiful.
tbc with all the aftermath
i got a call wednesday night, 1 oct, from the hospital telling me to call the next morning at 5:45a to see when i should come in for my induction. erica and ains got to our house around 8p, which means finn didn't go to bed until about, mmm, after 11p. we should write a parenting book, i know. it was such a load lifted to have erica here to keep the boys for us. i felt like i could finally have this baby without having to worry about them. moving on.
thursday morning, bright and waaay too early, i called the hospital. and was told to call back in an hour. it would have been awesome if i could have gone back to sleep, but that wasn't happening, so i just rolled around in bed until i called back. and was told the charge nurse was busy and she'd call in about 30min. except that she didn't. so i called yet again. and was told it would be about another 30min or so before i could check in; they'd call me. somewhere in all this, i got out of bed and showered as quietly as possible since everyone else was sound asleep. mor finally woke up, and just as he got in the shower, the hospital called saying they were ready for me. mor got dressed, we smooched the boys, and off we went.
there was a room waiting for us when we got to timp. and a sweet hospital gown. yyyes! i had barely been in the super comfy bed any time at all when mor started complaining that he was starving. i sent him off to get some food for him and flavored ice for me. right before mor got back, i started feeling really hot and was sweating. a lot. mor walked in, and i told him i felt like i was going to be sick. (something similar happened when i was in labor with both boys, but it was after i was given my iv and the pitocin. and i did, in fact, get physically sick. this was different though.) he called the nurse, who came in just as i was about to pass out, while laying in a hospital bed. my blood pressure was dangerously low, which is saying something because it was fairly low my whole pregnancy. i'm not sure exactly what happened next, even though i was awake and conscious for all of it, but 3 or 4 other nurses came into my room, including the charge nurse. they all looked equal parts worried and confused. there was no reason my bp dropped like it did. one of the nurses put an oxygen mask on me, and that did seem to help. another nurse turned down the thermostat to 65. the whole time, i kept thinking "don't close your eyes. whatever you do, do not close your eyes." i'm not sure why that was on repeat in my head, but it completely terrified me. i even told mor once the ordeal was over that i had been really scared something was going to happen to me and the baby, that we weren't going to make it. like i said, terrifying. (my nurse said she had never seen anything like it in her 11yrs of nursing. i still don't know what caused it.)
as soon as i was feeling better, my nurse wanted to get my iv set and fluids started. to keep another long-ish story short : i told my nurse before she started looking for a vein that she should just look at the one in the crook of my arm. oh, they don't like to place an iv there, she told me. so, she poked me twice before calling in another nurse, who poked me twice. and where do you think she eventually placed my iv? that's right, in the crook of my arm. thanks for that.
i got pitocin around 10:45/11a and tried to rest. nothing exciting happened until i asked for an epidural a few hours later. my nurse said the anesthesiologist was scheduled for a surgery around 2p and she wasn't sure when he'd been finished. even though i wasn't feeling too much pain, i asked that he come in before his surgery. (i wasn't looking to be any sort of hero, kids. there's enough pain and discomfort that comes AFTER labor and childbirth, athankyou.) he put on a mask as soon as he came into the room, saying he'd had a sore throat for the last couple days. (super! will you make sure to cough on me too, sir?) then, he lifted my bed until my feet were dangling about a foot and a half off the floor. he told me i could hold mor's hand but not lean on him at all, something i'd been allowed to do the previous two times. my neck got really sore really fast. and theeen...it took 3x to get the epidural placed. holy shieze, you guys. the first time, it sent like a shock down into my bumcheek. not supposed to happen. the second time, the medicine came back out, pushing the needle out. the third and final time, he had to actually move up a vertebral space. but, it worked, so whatever. when he was packing up his gear, he told me i should get checked for scoliosis because he's sure that's why it didn't work the first 2x. riiight. i'll look into that. as soon as my bumcheek stops vibrating from your subpar performance.
a little while later, dr young popped in to check my progress and break my water. i was only dilated to a 3. (i think.) everything looked good though, and i was feeling pretty good too. back to resting and chomping on ice. nice.
e brought the boys over around 5p. i had been hopeful that we'd be able to introduce them to their little sister. i don't think finn liked seeing me all hooked up to things and in a funny hospital bed and clothes. jonah couldn't have cared less. he putzed around the room and did his own thing. the nurse came in to check me just as the 3 of them were leaving at 5:45p. it was shift change at 6p, and she wanted to give the next nurse an accurate progress report. i was at a 5. she said this was usually when things sped up, once you were a 5. sure, i thought. likely story. i asked her what i could do to hurry it along, and she said to not keep my legs together.
tbc with all the aftermath
12 November 2013
ding ding ding!
having done nothing close to blogging in about...hmm...???, i figured i'd put pen to paper and let you know about the hawley goings-on lately, starting with jonah faronah.
jones...
...is 10mo old! craziness.
...is sprouting teethers #7 & 8. he started teething about 4 months ago and hasn't stopped. it's been miserable at night. and he chews on ev.er.y.thing he can get in his mouth, including but not limited to arms, legs, fingers, toes and noses, his own and everyone else's. michael strahan would be proud of the diastema jones is sporting. we won't be needing to floss his front teeth, like, ever. (finn didn't even start teething until about 9mo, give or take.)
...crawls everywhere. and he's fast. he also stands up and walks around the furniture. he's been doing this for a little over a month. he's been crawling since he was just over 6mo. (finn didn't even start crawling until 9mo+.)
...has the heaviest hands in the world. when he crawls, it's more like he's hitting the ground as hard as he can. when he swings his arms in excitement, look out! if he makes contact with your face, you could end up with a black eye. no joke. mor says he has "ham hands." i refer to them as "the grandma connie bear paws."
...reserves his smiles but waves at anyone and everyone.
...gives double high 5s. we're working on one at a time.
...wears 12-18mo clothing. and weighs about 20lbs.
...LOVES bathtime. and showertime. he doesn't care as long as their is water and the tub involved.
...plays a mean game of peek-a-boo. it is, by far, one of the cutest things i've ever seen.
...will eat anything you put in front of him. i don't know that there is anything he won't eat. we've let him try whatever we eat, which i regrettably didn't do with finn. he digs sitting in his high chair at the table with us while we eat and nibbling on anything. i just bought a couple of the mesh baby feeders (in hopes they would help his poor mouth feel better), and he really likes them. esp when they're filled with strawberries and bananas.
...still doesn't sleep through the night. i'm chalking it up to a few things : he sleeps in our room, and it's easier to get him than it is to listen to him when he starts crying; he's been teething for what feels like forever; i have been awful at getting him on a sleeping schedule.
...is incredibly sweet and happy and easy-going. he gives great snuggles and will let anyone hold him. until he sees me, that is.
...has started giving smooches. open-mouth, of course.
finners...
...is 4 1/2yr old! more craziness.
...thinks peppa pig is the greatest show in the world. when he sings the songs from it, he employs a very convincing british accent.
...can sing or recite anything after he's heard it once. he learned his part for the primary program in 5min. ("the living prophet leads the church under the directions of jesus christ.")
...loves playing baseball in the backyard. he was an adorable baseball player for halloween. he even convinced us he needed a real metal bat to complete his ensemble.
...still loves hot wheels and matchbox cars, trains and monster trucks. he has recently started wanting legos, which i am more than happy to buy for him since i love them too!
...gets himself dressed in the morning and after bathtime. some of the outfits he puts together are too awesome for words, but i always let him wear what he chooses. unless he tries to wear basketball shorts to church; then i draw the line.
...is still, and i'm afraid will always be, a horribly picky eater. chicken nuggets, carrots, apples, pretzels, cheese, yogurt, and chocolate milk are his go-to foods. along with all the really unhealthy things like chips, candy and icees.
...is an awesome big brother...most of the time. every once in a while, he'll push jonah or close his bedroom door in jones' face, but for the most part, he takes his job as "big brother" quite seriously.
mor and i...
...are drinking too much caffeine in order to stay awake after being kept awake all night. thanks, jones.
...have dreams of taking a real vacation someday. someday.
...are almost done christmas shopping already! oh wait, that's just me. i'm sure mor will wait until probably christmas eve to buy anything.
...think finn is one of the funniest, most frustrating children ever made by humans.
...think jonah is one of the most adorable, sweetest babies in the entire history of the world.
maybe in a month or two, i'll be up to posting some pictures. i said maybe. don't get up your hopes.
jones...
...is 10mo old! craziness.
...is sprouting teethers #7 & 8. he started teething about 4 months ago and hasn't stopped. it's been miserable at night. and he chews on ev.er.y.thing he can get in his mouth, including but not limited to arms, legs, fingers, toes and noses, his own and everyone else's. michael strahan would be proud of the diastema jones is sporting. we won't be needing to floss his front teeth, like, ever. (finn didn't even start teething until about 9mo, give or take.)
...crawls everywhere. and he's fast. he also stands up and walks around the furniture. he's been doing this for a little over a month. he's been crawling since he was just over 6mo. (finn didn't even start crawling until 9mo+.)
...has the heaviest hands in the world. when he crawls, it's more like he's hitting the ground as hard as he can. when he swings his arms in excitement, look out! if he makes contact with your face, you could end up with a black eye. no joke. mor says he has "ham hands." i refer to them as "the grandma connie bear paws."
...reserves his smiles but waves at anyone and everyone.
...gives double high 5s. we're working on one at a time.
...wears 12-18mo clothing. and weighs about 20lbs.
...LOVES bathtime. and showertime. he doesn't care as long as their is water and the tub involved.
...plays a mean game of peek-a-boo. it is, by far, one of the cutest things i've ever seen.
...will eat anything you put in front of him. i don't know that there is anything he won't eat. we've let him try whatever we eat, which i regrettably didn't do with finn. he digs sitting in his high chair at the table with us while we eat and nibbling on anything. i just bought a couple of the mesh baby feeders (in hopes they would help his poor mouth feel better), and he really likes them. esp when they're filled with strawberries and bananas.
...still doesn't sleep through the night. i'm chalking it up to a few things : he sleeps in our room, and it's easier to get him than it is to listen to him when he starts crying; he's been teething for what feels like forever; i have been awful at getting him on a sleeping schedule.
...is incredibly sweet and happy and easy-going. he gives great snuggles and will let anyone hold him. until he sees me, that is.
...has started giving smooches. open-mouth, of course.
finners...
...is 4 1/2yr old! more craziness.
...thinks peppa pig is the greatest show in the world. when he sings the songs from it, he employs a very convincing british accent.
...can sing or recite anything after he's heard it once. he learned his part for the primary program in 5min. ("the living prophet leads the church under the directions of jesus christ.")
...loves playing baseball in the backyard. he was an adorable baseball player for halloween. he even convinced us he needed a real metal bat to complete his ensemble.
...still loves hot wheels and matchbox cars, trains and monster trucks. he has recently started wanting legos, which i am more than happy to buy for him since i love them too!
...gets himself dressed in the morning and after bathtime. some of the outfits he puts together are too awesome for words, but i always let him wear what he chooses. unless he tries to wear basketball shorts to church; then i draw the line.
...is still, and i'm afraid will always be, a horribly picky eater. chicken nuggets, carrots, apples, pretzels, cheese, yogurt, and chocolate milk are his go-to foods. along with all the really unhealthy things like chips, candy and icees.
...is an awesome big brother...most of the time. every once in a while, he'll push jonah or close his bedroom door in jones' face, but for the most part, he takes his job as "big brother" quite seriously.
mor and i...
...are drinking too much caffeine in order to stay awake after being kept awake all night. thanks, jones.
...have dreams of taking a real vacation someday.
...are almost done christmas shopping already! oh wait, that's just me. i'm sure mor will wait until probably christmas eve to buy anything.
...think finn is one of the funniest, most frustrating children ever made by humans.
...think jonah is one of the most adorable, sweetest babies in the entire history of the world.
maybe in a month or two, i'll be up to posting some pictures. i said maybe. don't get up your hopes.
01 August 2013
dear ains
yesterday, we were going to a bookstore to pick up a cookbook for your mom. as we pulled into the parking space, finn noticed a suburban was parked in the next space over. the door of the suburban opened and a skinny, tan girl with her blonde hair in a headband hopped out. she was wearing soccer duds, just like you. she got onto the sidewalk and started skipping away. finn could not get out of our car fast enough and ran after her yelling "ains! ainswe! hey, ains!" when the girl didn't turn around, it took him a minute to realize it wasn't you. and when he did, he was devastated. he got big tears in his eyes and asked why you had to go back to washington; he wanted you stay here forever.
he loves you, p. he misses you like crazy. i cannot tell you how many times since you went home he has asked for me to call aunt erica and see if you can come over to play and stay the night. while he loves your brothers and aunt may's kids, you hold a special place in his heart. and i'm pretty sure you always will.
he loves you, p. he misses you like crazy. i cannot tell you how many times since you went home he has asked for me to call aunt erica and see if you can come over to play and stay the night. while he loves your brothers and aunt may's kids, you hold a special place in his heart. and i'm pretty sure you always will.
17 June 2013
jonah's blessing pictures
hmm...except only the first 3 pictures are from the actual day he was blessed. the others are from this week when i decided i wanted pictures of joners in his blessing outfit before he completely outgrew it. (bear with me at my attempts to catch-up this blog.)
and then i dressed up my not-so-little jones farones in his blessing outfit AGAIN so that i would have proof of how adorable he looked when he was blessed. (the sweet blanket is from one of the greatest aunties in the world; oh how i miss my aunt marguerite! she made this before i was even married for my babies who were merely dreams.)
and perhaps my new favorite picture of all time ever...
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| they may have been the only two from the myers side, but they were more than enough |
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| with gma glo and gpa mike |
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| no blessing day is complete without 1) a wardrobe change and 2) a crying baby |
more california adventures
see what i did with the title? cleverness at its finest, peeps!
we did do a bit more while in california. obviously, no trip would ever be considered a success without pony and train rides...
...or a day at manhattan beach...
...or the friday night car show at bob's big boy...
we also made a quick trip (because finn was being the grumpiest kid alive) to the sciencenter with grandpa to see the space shuttle, endeavour...
...celebrated our finners' 4th birthday...
...and had outdoor races with dad...
not pictured : multiple trips to porto's, lunch at roscoe's (i really could eat there every. single. day), finn and dad's fun at the la live steamers mini train ride, mom and dad's quick jaunt on the scooter...i think i'm forgetting something...ah well.
we did do a bit more while in california. obviously, no trip would ever be considered a success without pony and train rides...
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| this is one of my favorite things about finners; he always holds his hands behind his back when waiting for something |
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| checking out the train before riding it with grandpa |
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| aunt claire was THE best beach buddy! |
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| jonah slept most of the time, surprise! |
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| the entire time he rode on the boogie board (while mor pulled him), he shouted "boogity boogity boogity!" because he is nothing if not hilarious! |
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| of course he wanted his picture taken with the purple car |
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| and of course he talked his way into this hot rod (at every car show, finn has managed to sweet talk his way into at least one car; the kid's got moxie, i tell ya!) |
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| one of 6 or 8 engines on the shuttle |
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| finn's favorite gift : a monster truck tote case with wolverine, time flys, king krunch and the ninja turtle monster trucks! note to self : don't let morgan be in charge of pictures (remember the christmas morning debacle from 2011?) |
15 June 2013
once upon a time, and way back when
my two favorite photogs moved away last year within a couple months of each other. thanks for that, sarah and lucy. you big jerks. jk, jk. sooo, when lucy came into town (in april) and offered to take a few shots of the boys, you bet i jumped on it! like always, she didn't disappoint and got some great pictures. don't'cha think?
15 May 2013
1 4yr old & 1 4mo old
does that title look confusing enough for you? seriously. i should work on that. meh...or not.
also, this is going to be a looong post so i can remember every possible detail of finn's golden birthday. pictures are at the bottom if you just want to scroll down. won't hurt my feelings. much.
finn's 4yr interview went as follows (and his answers are verbatim)...
what's your favorite
*color : purple (although now he will say dark blue)
*food : cheese cut in half and chocolate milk
*toys : monster trucks and hot wheels cars like police vehicles
*super heroes : hulk and iceman
*movie : the blue cars 2
*show : scooby doo
*book : super hero stories
*song : mother, tell me a story
*thing to do : play
what do you want to be when you grow up : police man
best friends : ruthie and tate
back in january, mor and i decided we wanted to take finners to disneyland for his birthday. we figured he'd be tall enough to ride the rides and old enough to actually enjoy everything. it was a smashing success! we were lucky that claire's friend who worked for disneyland got us his employee discount. we were even luckier that rachelle was able to join us (and finally! meet jonah farone). we didn't tell finn where we were going that day we went, 2 may. (we figured if we went on his birthday, which was a saturday, it would be WAY too crowded. good choice.) mor made a little video of us telling him we were taking him to disneyland once we were in the car (read : jefe's escalade), but his reaction left a lot to be desired. i'm not sure he really understood WHAT disneyland was, aside from the IDEA of it. once we got there and into carsland, he was ecstatic! we got the park hopper tickets, which i highly suggest to everyone (unless you only have girls who are interested in the princesses; then straight disney is the way to go). it was so nice to be able to walk back and forth between disney and ca adventure. as soon as we got there, rachelle ran off to get the radiator springs racers fast pass tickets, and mor and i took the boys to check out carsland. i seriously felt like i was in the movie, walking down the main drag. it. was. amazeballs! we wandered through until we got to the racers ride at the back. the sign out front said it was ONLY an hour wait. we'd been warned by matty and erica that the wait is always at least 2hrs, so mor grabbed finners and jumped in line. jonah and i hung out until rachelle met up with us. then, the 3 of us meandered through ca adventure. we walked over by the huge ferris wheel and pier and through the rest of ca adventure before settling in at the cozy cone with a swirled cone of our own. i fed jonah and we shared one delicious ice cream treat. (it WAS as good as you said, matty!) once mor and finners were done with the ride, we decided to grab a bite to eat. we ate at the restaurant next to soarin' over ca, so rachelle told me and mor to take finn on the ride and she would keep jonah. there was hardly any wait at all, maybe 15-20min. it was really fun! we were on the front row, which put us in the highest part of the ride. finners did great! he was a little nervous as we got buckled in, but once the video/simulation started, he thought it was awesome. mor and i liked how they added the scents in the breeze; the smell of oranges over the groves and grapes through the vineyards, even the ocean close to the beach. it was super cool. after that, we mosied over to disney, where we got the requisite picture taken in front of the flowers. we rode these rides in disney: peter pan, autotopia, pirates of the caribbean and the jungle cruise. after peter pan, which was delayed twice while we were in line, we found a place for me to nurse in some ac (it was 92°+) and grab a snack. listen up, the fountain cokes at disney and ca adv were like liquid gold. with it being so hot, i downed my fair share of the stuff (along with LOTS of ice cold water). moving on... while mor and rachelle took finners on autotopia (which has supposed to have a 5min wait that ended up being 1hr, grr), i hung out in the shade with jonah. i started feeling quite light-headed, so as soon as they were back, we went in search of the hugest, most delicious corn dog i've ever eaten. the grease was dripping down my hand, you guys. if that's doesn't spell "deliciousness," i don't know what does. right around the corner from where were sitting was one of the baby centers. i got to nurse jonah in air conditioning! again! it was heavenly! and all the "nannies" were dressed like mary poppins. i told may i wanted so badly to take a picture with one of them because i thought it was so neat and clever. we ended up back over at ca adv to use our rs racers fast passes, but as we walked up, we were told the ride was closed. our fast passes would still be honored and we could wait in line, but no one knew when it would be working again or how long we would have to wait in line. rachelle and i took our chances, grabbed finners and hopped in line. it was pretty cool because when we got to the front of the line, we were given a special ticket that would let me, mor AND finn ride again, using the fast pass line! (we didn't use it because, once schiz, finn and i were off, the ride closed again. boo.) that ride was by far my favorite! i'm not sure why i didn't think there would be an actual race part of the ride, esp with the word racers in the ride's name, but i didn't. frank the combine scared finn a bit, and afterward he kept talking about how he didn't like the "blood" in the ride. (there were running red lights on frank's combine that he thought was dripping blood. poor kid.) besides that, he loved it. we also rode a little ride in the bug's life section; none of thought it was that great. esp me. i mistakenly forgot i should never ride backward if i don't want to have my lunch twice. berf. back over at d-land, we rode some of the other rides i mentioned before and then waited to take the train around the park. schiz stopped off to get a dole whip (sooo good!) and met us at the depot. i'm not certain, but it is possible finn liked the train more than any other ride. and all it does is take you around the park! it was a great way to end finn's 4th birthday disney extravaganza.
if i had it (and the money) to do over, we would have gone for 2 days : 1 at d-land, 1 at ca adv. i feel like we only saw a small part of all that was there. that said, it makes me excited to take the boys again!
also, jonah was a champ! he spent only about an hour in the stroller and the rest of the time being held. (we forgot the baby bjorn in our car, of course. but, finn rode in the stroller and didn't complain or have any tantrums at all! the stars and heavens aligned, and it was a perfect day.) he ate, he slept, he took in his surroundings, he barely cried. he's such an easy-going baby.
now onto jones...
he is such a love. he smiles and giggles. he babbles. he rolls over but only when we aren't looking. he is a pro at tummy time, even if it doesn't last very long. he holds up his head with the best of em. he eats well and sleeps...okay. after our trip to ca, he wants absolutely nothing to do with his carseat. (can't blame him there!) he doesn't mind loud noises. he still wakes up several times at night to nurse but goes right back to sleep. he loves watching finn and thinks finn is pretty darn great. he has the stinkiest toots; they could seriously put down a grown elephant. we have to warn people or apologize quite often because they are so terrible. his tummy doesn't handle juice or milk or pesto tilapia. (that was one hell of a night, man, i tell you what. no sleep for jonah or mom.) i often hear finn singing jonah's nicknames to the tune of the day, whatever that might be. those nicknames include : jonah farona, jones farones, farona jones, nonie jones, joanie bones, joanies and any combination thereof. he only lasts halfway through any shopping trip if he's in his carseat before he wants taken out and held. he is...the perfect baby.
finn's 4yr old stats :
height - 39.75" and 38th %ile
weight - 39.02lbs and 76th %ile
jonah's 4mo old stats :
height - 26.4" and 85th %ile
weight - 15.96lbs and 50th %ile
head - 17" and 82nd %ile
and then there were pictures! not great pictures but pictures nonetheless.
(we did take more pictures, but i cannot get them to rotate or crop, so i'm giving up.)
also, this is going to be a looong post so i can remember every possible detail of finn's golden birthday. pictures are at the bottom if you just want to scroll down. won't hurt my feelings. much.
finn's 4yr interview went as follows (and his answers are verbatim)...
what's your favorite
*color : purple (although now he will say dark blue)
*food : cheese cut in half and chocolate milk
*toys : monster trucks and hot wheels cars like police vehicles
*super heroes : hulk and iceman
*movie : the blue cars 2
*show : scooby doo
*book : super hero stories
*song : mother, tell me a story
*thing to do : play
what do you want to be when you grow up : police man
best friends : ruthie and tate
back in january, mor and i decided we wanted to take finners to disneyland for his birthday. we figured he'd be tall enough to ride the rides and old enough to actually enjoy everything. it was a smashing success! we were lucky that claire's friend who worked for disneyland got us his employee discount. we were even luckier that rachelle was able to join us (and finally! meet jonah farone). we didn't tell finn where we were going that day we went, 2 may. (we figured if we went on his birthday, which was a saturday, it would be WAY too crowded. good choice.) mor made a little video of us telling him we were taking him to disneyland once we were in the car (
if i had it (and the money) to do over, we would have gone for 2 days : 1 at d-land, 1 at ca adv. i feel like we only saw a small part of all that was there. that said, it makes me excited to take the boys again!
also, jonah was a champ! he spent only about an hour in the stroller and the rest of the time being held. (we forgot the baby bjorn in our car, of course. but, finn rode in the stroller and didn't complain or have any tantrums at all! the stars and heavens aligned, and it was a perfect day.) he ate, he slept, he took in his surroundings, he barely cried. he's such an easy-going baby.
now onto jones...
he is such a love. he smiles and giggles. he babbles. he rolls over but only when we aren't looking. he is a pro at tummy time, even if it doesn't last very long. he holds up his head with the best of em. he eats well and sleeps...okay. after our trip to ca, he wants absolutely nothing to do with his carseat. (can't blame him there!) he doesn't mind loud noises. he still wakes up several times at night to nurse but goes right back to sleep. he loves watching finn and thinks finn is pretty darn great. he has the stinkiest toots; they could seriously put down a grown elephant. we have to warn people or apologize quite often because they are so terrible. his tummy doesn't handle juice or milk or pesto tilapia. (that was one hell of a night, man, i tell you what. no sleep for jonah or mom.) i often hear finn singing jonah's nicknames to the tune of the day, whatever that might be. those nicknames include : jonah farona, jones farones, farona jones, nonie jones, joanie bones, joanies and any combination thereof. he only lasts halfway through any shopping trip if he's in his carseat before he wants taken out and held. he is...the perfect baby.
finn's 4yr old stats :
height - 39.75" and 38th %ile
weight - 39.02lbs and 76th %ile
jonah's 4mo old stats :
height - 26.4" and 85th %ile
weight - 15.96lbs and 50th %ile
head - 17" and 82nd %ile
and then there were pictures! not great pictures but pictures nonetheless.
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| poor jones could be mistaken for mj's kid, blanket, in most of the pictures! |
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| oh wait! here's one of him without the blankie! and in the stroller! |
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| mater! we met lightning too, but that picture was, um, horrible. |
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| you bet i wore leggings and tenny runners. what. |
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| do NOT zoom in on this. don't do it. |
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| waiting for peter pan |
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| taking a load off and resting on mom's foot in line for peter pan |
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| driving bumper cars in bug's life |
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| ignore my sweaty, sunburned face and focus on that beast of a corndog! |
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| at the bottom of tarzan's trees; believe or not, this is the best shot out of 5 |
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| waiting for the train |
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| have i ever told you how much i love this girl?! |
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| carland. at night. with the neon. awesome! |
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| one of flo's pumps |
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