Bleary-eyed but grateful

I feel like Thanksgiving of 2012 will go down in my mind as the one spent in a fog. With a 3-week-old baby, post-pregnancy hormones raging and five children under the age of 6 at my parents house for a week, it was fun but... a little chaotic. After several days of wrangling children my sister and I realized we'd barely had any time to sit and visit with each other. I guess our current stage of life has put the days of slipping off for some sister shopping and lunches out on hold for a little while. Most of our meetings were in the middle of the night when we were both up feeding our babies. Good thing we love these little guys to pieces.

Blake and Connor -- cousins just 9 months apart.

Derek, Lydia, Connor and I actually celebrated the holiday twice. Once on actual Thanksgiving with Derek's family in Pine Valley. Delicious food. Great company. Cozy cabin atmosphere. We really appreciated the invite from his aunt and uncle to join with everyone for turkey dinner.

Then on Friday the Grady clan celebrated Thanksgiving. Once again the food was amazing, and the company was great. 

Lydia had a blast playing with her cousins. She and Dylan, the one closest to her in age, were the best of buds, then crying/fighting enemies, then best buddies again.

My mom was amazing. She'd planned all these little activities for the kids. Making homemade donuts, craft projects, picnics at the park, putting up Christmas lights, making turkey cookies, shoe shopping and more. It exhausted me to watch it all go down. Perhaps I'll have my mother's amazing stamina one day. But probably not while I have a newborn :) 

Lydia loves the monkey bars.

Lydia loved following Kate around. She wants to do everything Kate does.

Yum! Dinner in Pine Valley.

This how Connor spent the Thanksgiving meal in Pine Valley...

... and the meal in Cedar City.

It's so fun to have kid's table

Look closely. With Connor in the background this is as close to a family photo as we have from the holiday.

Fast and slow

The first few weeks of a baby's life (at least in my experience) seem to go way too fast and a little too slow at the same time. Slow in the sense that I want to be feeling back to normal and able to handle the challenges presented by a new phase of life, but too fast because I know I'll never get these sweet, early days of Connor's life back again.
Consequently, I'm trying to soak up everything I can, even amid the emotions that come with lack of sleep and all the hormones.

Unwelcome "tanning bed"

Regular blood work checks to see if Connor's bili levels were holding stable have been our only outing. Unfortunately, on Nov. 7 the doctor called and his levels had spiked dangerously high. They immediately sent lights to our house and he spent the next two and a half days in his little tanning bed.
I realize as problems go, this is relatively routine and not nearly as awful as some things could be. However, it was traumatic enough for me. Poor little guy just wanted to look around and explore his new world. Instead we had to keep the mask on and only take him out to feed him.
Luckily, he is better now and we're making up for lost time with lots of cuddling.

Under the lights from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9

This is the sweet face I get to see propped up on my shoulder when he is all worn out from feeding. I wish I could put moments like this in a bottle and save them forever.

One week old!

We celebrated Connor's 1 week birthday with a party -- thrown by Lydia intermittently throughout the day. She was so excited that it was his birthday. She kept singing "Happy Birthday" to him all day.

The day also happened to be Great-Grandma Grady's 91st birthday, so we really did have a party for her. Happy birthday Grandma!

Lydia is often reminding us that we now have four people in our family. Every time she counts us all she uses her pinky finger to count Connor because he is the littlest. She is really loving her little brother.

My Grandma Grady is amazing. 91 and still going strong. Happy birthday Grandma!

Introducing...

Connor Grady Larson

Born Nov. 2, 2012

6:37 p.m.

9 lbs 10 ounces

21 1/2 inches long

We are SO thrilled to have this little guy in our family!

 

I know everyone's first reaction is to gasp in awe at his large size (a reaction that is growing somewhat annoying with time) but he seems small enough and perfect to me. So far we are settling in well here at home. The usual soreness and fatigue that accompany such a monumental event are definitely still in play here at our house, but we are getting the hang of things.  

Lydia has been so sweet with her baby brother and it is a joy to watch Derek just swoop into the role of fatherhood of two. 

We are so thankful to our families and friends who have been so kind and helpful the last several days. We consider ourselves extremely blessed.

 

I can't get enough of this guy!

There will be plenty more to come.

Halloween sneak preview

I figured I better get these pictures up on the blog just in case Baby Larson makes an appearance soon and I get swept up in new baby pictures and forget all about our Halloween costumes this year.

They're pretty fantastic costumes, so I don't want them to be overlooked.

I mean when else am I going to be so pregnant at Halloween -- enough to justify being a "bun in the oven"?

And when I'm then oven, how could we have Derek be anything but the baker?

I don't want to brag, but this baker and this oven, 

turned out a pretty cute little cupcake...

We sported our family theme costumes at our friends' Halloween party this year. They do such an amazing job, offering a great kid party complete with a bounce house, pinata, face painting and tons of food. We were so glad we were able to attend!

I just realized it would have been better if I'd gotten a good profile oven shot since I was very careful to make the door fit perfectly around my full-grown belly -- such that it is literally bursting out the oven door. I'll try to get a better picture on actual Halloween.

Needles and ice cream

There is nothing much worse at our house than a trip to the doctor with Lydia. It's a harrowing experience for all three of us -- and it always takes all three of us to manage.

But when it comes time for the annual trip to Lydia's allergist, that's when things get really ugly.

To be fair, the allergist itself is a breeze. It's the subsequent blood draw that is beyond terrible. I loathe having my own blood drawn, no matter how routine. Watching my 3-year-old endure it is almost more than I can bear.

Picture me, with a terrified, shrieking Lydia on my lap; her legs trapped between mine. Derek is on one side holding her arm and much of her body and on the other side are two phlebotomists holding her other arm, trying to stick a needle in her vein.

It's awful.

As we left this time she had this look of pure confusion and sadness on her face as she said: "That hurt really bad!"

My poor girl.

Somehow, a dinner of french fries and ice cream at Arctic Circle almost made her forget it all.

Sporting the blood draw Band Aid

Thank goodness for ice cream

All is nearly forgotten

Thank goodness children are forgiving and resilient.

Say what?

Here I am at 38 weeks. 

Yes, this is really how I look -- no photo enhancements have been made. I realize I'm carrying this baby differently than I did with Lydia because even though I've gained a little less weight this time, I look (and feel) bigger. Still, I don't think that merits the kinds of comments people feel compelled to send my way. 

In all sincerity, I'm not offended by the ridiculous things people say -- I can see that most pregnant women's shapes defy the laws of science -- I'm just surprised by what I hear.

For humor sake I thought I'd include a few of them here. If you have heard anything of the sort, please share it in the comments. I'd love a good laugh at someone else's expense :)

Some of my favorites: 

* Looks like he's going to be a football player.

* How are you feeling?! (this only counts when it is said with a very specific look in their eyes that says: 'wow! you look miserable')

* You haven't had the baby yet!?

And my favorite: 

* It looks like you're going to have a whole litter!

Feel free to share yours below.

Fall Fun

I don't want to toot my own horn, but when I look at how insanely hugely pregnant I am right now, I'm a little bit impressed by how many fun things we've been doing lately. Most of the time I feel pretty good, which is extremely fortunate. And even when I don't feel so great, I can't help myself -- I want to celebrate this time of year with all the things I enjoy.
I'm not sure why there are no pictures of Derek in this batch since he was present at all these events. Sorry babe!

Taste of Dixie
This annual festival featured free rides on the carousel, so of course we had to be there!
Plus the bounce houses, blow up toys, great food and beautiful weather. A wonderful Saturday.

Three parties

We hosted three different parties in a matter of a few days. One as sort of a house warming -- and an excuse to celebrate National Popcorn Month (a little-known part of October). It was so fun to have a few of our friends over to our new house.

My Mom turned 60 this year! Happy birthday!!! We had a dinner party for her with my brother and his wife, my parents and my Grandma Grady. It was so fun sitting around visiting with my family in our new place. Somehow it really made it feel more like home.

We also had Derek's parents and his Grandma over for a separate dinner party, but sadly, I didn't photograph it. 

Sidewalk chalk

A favorite activity of Lydia's lately. I love her creativity but sometimes I don't love when it involves me getting down on the driveway in my current state. See, when I'm outside you never know who is seeing the absolutely graceful act of me getting up off the ground right now. It's a sight to behold, I'm sure.  

Halloween cookies

Is there anything as tasty this time of year as a sugar cookie piled with frosting and candy corns? I don't think so. Lydia had a fun time getting creative with the candy. I'm sure the people we shared the cookies with were thrilled with her inventive creations. 

Favorite {and not so favorite} things

One of my favorite things is listening to or watching Lydia and Derek play together.
Often on Saturday or Sunday mornings Lydia will romp around in our bed with Daddy, playing various tickling and pretend sleeping games.
The other morning I emerged from the shower to find the two of them hiding under the covers, waiting to scare Mommy. Lydia could barely control her giggles.





Something I do not enjoy, however, is a trip to the dentist and like mother like daughter, Lydia is also not a fan.
To put it mildly.
A recent trip to the dentist felt like a roller coaster as we went from bad to great to terrible all while waiting an hour-plus to see the actual dentist.

All morning I'd been prepping her, telling her that Mommy would be with her the whole time and she could sit on my lap if she really needed to.
These are things that were allowed during our visit 6 months ago, so I felt confident in making such promises.
Then we arrived and they dropped the bombshell. She would have to have x-rays done and I, in my pregnant state, could not be in the room.
Great.
We spent the time waiting by playing with these awesome stuffed dinosaur puppets that have giant teeth. Over-sized toothbrushes are provided so kids can brush the dinosaurs' teeth, giving them a faint sense of control in a world that even many adults find utterly beyond their control.
Lydia was not a happy camper, to say the least, until this adorable 6-year-old girl came over to tell her not to worry about the exam. They talked about it all for a while, which was really cute. Lydia seemed to buy into this girl's words of comfort more than she had my own.
Finally it was our turn for the initial cleaning and, to my utter surprise, Lydia did fantastic! She laid right down, put on the headphones and watched some little Barbie princess movie while the hygienist brushed, flossed and fluoridated her teeth.
I was so proud!





 

Then more waiting. The novelty wore off. By the time the dentist was ready for the x-rays I had to literally uncoil her arms from around me and thrust her screaming, trembling body into the arms of the dentist and his two assistants as I quickly exited the room and watched with tears in my eyes through a window as they took the x-rays.
It was terrible. For her and for me.
The gift of a balloon and a new book as we exited the dentist office did little to ease her suffering. A trip to Wendy's for a Frosty helped a little more, but neither erased from her memory the promise I had made to stay with her the entire time.
"Mommy," she said accusingly on two different occasions later that day, "You said you would hold me!"

Perhaps it is this kind of guilt trip that inspires mothers to use guilt on their children in their later years.

Pink: It's the new blue

I finally tucked myself away in the baby's room last night to get things organized. We're staring the due date in the face -- 4 weeks away -- so now seems like the optimal time to prepare.
Who knew such an innocuous task would end with me in tears and Derek running to the store to buy more OxyClean.

The culprit:

Don't let the innocence of this inanimate object fool you, there is a power in this red sheet that defies the laws of science.

After removing the tags from literally every 0-3 month outfit and receiving blanket I have managed to accumulate, I gathered up the brand new bedding and the aforementioned clothing/blankets and threw them in the washing machine with Dreft as any careful mother would.

I don't like to blame too many things on pregnancy brain, but I have no reasonable explanation as to why I would put all the clothing and bedding in the same load. It was late. I was tired. I haven't had more than 2 consecutive hours of sleep in months (thanks bladder) and the bright colors of most of my baby's clothes honestly didn't seem like a bad pairing with the blue and red sheets.

You can imagine where this is going now.

I removed the wash with some anticipation -- the idea of making the bed and folding the clothes is actually appealing to me at this stage. Horrified, I started to cry when I saw what remained of my baby boy's adorable new clothes.

Fortunately some of the brighter colored clothes (not pictured here) were salvageable. These are the items that had the worst case of the pinks.

Seriously, it's not like I've never done laundry before. I am fully aware of the need for sorting clothes into like colors. I have no explanation for the oversight. 

Derek was at a meeting at work, so I called my mom, crying. Again, let's go ahead and blame my over reaction on pregnancy too.
She suggested what I had already thought of: soak it in OxyClean. A quick Google search yielded similar results, so Derek hopped on his white horse -- fortunately that had not been near the red sheet or it too would have been tarnished and pink -- and ran to Wal-Mart for some more OxyClean.

An overnight soak in OxyClean and three soak cycles in my washing machine has not even touched the problem so I have decided to throw in the proverbial towel -- which is also pink.

Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a more even and permanent dye job if I had planned it. The once adorable blue and white striped set of tiny pajamas look like I purchased them to be pink and blue striped. The polka dot blanket looks almost identical to one we have from when Lydia was an infant.

If I wanted pink clothes for my little boy, I have an unending supply of Lydia's old clothes in the garage. However, I am trying to laugh about the situation. It really is kind of funny... in a really frustrating way.