May Bits

• I have a new addiction: Baby Tobin in cute cloth diapers.

Tobin loves them too, as you can see.

Here: Econobum one size cover, Indian unbleached cotton prefold inside.

It took me a while to figure out my cloth diapering style.

I figured out I'm a cover and prefold kinda gal.

I love Flip diaper covers.  I just got this Econobum cover in the mail today

and so far, so good.  They are super economical too.  (Thus, the name)

I think my favorite combo is going to be the Econobum prefold 

with a Flip cover.
I know you're all dying to know so I'll keep you posted.

Thirsties covers are a thumbs down for me.

Leakage.

(FYI: Cottonbabies is having an awesome sale on Flip covers right now!)

• These girls have great fun with each other lately.  When they're not hitting each other.  

Sibling relationships both delight and boggle me.  I was an only child most of my life and I love to see friendship developing between my kids - different from any other relationship in life.  It also boggles me as I figure out how to manage their disputes, concerns, etc.   I am completely inexperienced.

• My garden is growing so nicely.  I love the spring and the green that it brings.  A mix of sunny days and rainy days.  Just right for me.  

   

 

• I chuckled last week as I realized the things we congratulate each other for around here. 

For example:

Xochi from the bathtub: Mamaaaaa!!!  I have to go potty!
Me: Poo poos?
Xochi: Uh huh.
Me: Good job not going poo poos in the bathtub!
Xochi: Thanks Mama!

or

Xochi with the blocks: What color is this, Papa?
Justin: Red
Xochi: What color is this one, Papa?
Justin: Blue
Xochi: Good job, Papa!  You know your colors!

or

Me after seeing Steele pick his nose: Good job, Steele.  I saw you pick your nose and not eat it.
Steele: Thanks.  I was actually just scratching it.
Me in my brain: Yah right.

Things I'm Learning

An unfinished list.

1. Wash, wash, wash clothes.  Don't stop lest the mountain get out of control.

2. Wash.  Then put away.  Immediately.  Or it will never get put away.

3.  Re-stock diapers, wipes and burpcloths before you go to bed.

4. Don't buy or store too many clothes.  (See #1)  Or anything, for that matter.  (Except maybe food)  Adhere to this principle before there are 6 people living in your house. 

5. Clean the kitchen after every meal.

6. Do a quick pick-up of toys, books, etc. before every sleep time.

7. Enforce this rule: Play with one thing, then put it away.

8. Prep and plan meals ahead of time whenever possible.

9. Sleep when you can.

10. Eat when you can, as much as you can.  Because you never know when you can again.

11. Keep the baby swing.  Even if you've had 3 children who didn't use it.

12. Run the dishwasher every night even if it's not completely full.  Because getting behind stinks and then you won't be able to accomplish #5.

13. Get yourself ready first.

14. Purge!!  Purge everything in your house as often as you can.

Xochi learning how to put away dishes

Justin and I were married for 5 years before we had kids.  We'd go garage sale-ing.  I'd buy things "in case" and for "someday" if they were a good deal and I thought I could refinish, paint, etc.  I'd let laundry pile up for a couple of weeks and it wasn't uncommon for me to go several days (a week!) without cleaning the kitchen or doing dishes.  I'd keep clothes and shoes for years and sometimes I'd get around to wearing them again.  It wasn't that bad when it was just the two of us.  Even when we just had Steele and probably even after we had Adia, I'd think about whatever food I was craving that day and then quickly run to the store for the dinner ingredients.  But for some reason, probably hormones (I blame everything on hormones), the moment I got home from the hospital and there were now SIX people in my family, all I wanted to do was purge everything out of my house.  Keep the bare minimum and throw everything else out.  Organize closets.  Rearrange the house to function more practically.  Stock meals up in the freezer.  Clean!  But of course, I couldn't.  I was, after all, recovering from pushing for 3 hours (yes, I know I have not written my birth story yet) and a c-section.  All I could do was sit around and try to not feel swallowed up by the chaos. 

Adia learning how to shush Tobin to sleep

But now?  Now, things are getting better.  I'm healing.  Tobin's schedule is more predictable.  I'm not feeling quite so hormonal.  So in the last week I have cleaned/sorted/organized: my clothes, Justin's armoire, Steele's clothes, Adia's clothes, Xochi's clothes, two hallway closets, one bathroom closet, one kitchen drawer, the kids' bedroom closet and bins and bins of baby clothes.  I also hung a clothing rod in a hall closet for Justin's dress shirts, made room for Tobin's crib in our bed room, sorted through our storage for garage sale items and actually HAD a garage sale.  (ok, Justin mostly did that) And finally, switched out Tobin's newborn clothes for his 3 month clothes.  *sniff*  (How does that happen so fast??)  Ahhhhhh..... much better.

It was a lot of work.  My days are filled with a lot of work.  But, I cannot tell you how many times over the course of my life that I have prayed for diligence and repented of my laziness.  These days there is no time for laziness.  If I sit for a moment too long things quickly get out of control.  God has answered my prayers.  And it's good.  I'm learning.  

Steele learning.. uhhh...how to take a bazillion pictures

of his legos and random family portraits. 

 

 

An e-mail to Amy

Here are a few things that are frustrating me today.

Don't lay your baby on his tummy to sleep or they might get SIDS and die.  They get a flat head if you lay them on their back too much so be sure and carry them around as much as possible. Don't carry them around all the time or they won't be able to go to sleep apart from you.  Don't put them in a baby carrier if the carrier is hurting your incision.  Be sure and give them as much tummy time as possible.  Do not leave them unattended during tummy time.  Do not leave your toddler, preschooler, school aged child unattended at any time.  Don't take your eyes off of them. But don't take your eyes off your 8 week old in case he suffocates himself in the not-too-loose sheets on his crib mattress that doesn't have any toys or blankets on it.  Co-sleeping makes your infant feel secure and prevents SIDS and a flat head.  Letting your baby learn how to self-soothe and put themselves to sleep in their own bed makes them feel secure.  Don't give your baby a full feeding in the middle of the night... just a snack and then put them back to sleep.  Be sure and empty your breast fully so you don't get mastitis.  Don't turn on the lights during the middle of the night feeding so you don't wake your baby up.  Be sure you can SEE that your baby is latched on properly so that you don't have cracked or sore nipples.  (even in the middle of the night) Vaccines can cause autism.  There is a pertussis epidemic in Washington so be sure and vaccinate.  Your body and hormones go through a myriad of changes after giving birth - this is completely normal.  Sad, irritable feelings after giving birth are abnormal and are considered post-partum depression and need to be addressed.

And let's not forget:

Use positive, encouraging words with your toddler/preschooler so that they don't have feelings of jealousy toward your newborn.  DO NOT let your toddler/preschooler put anything over baby's head, give them anything they could choke on or squish their cheeks together as hard as possible.  (this last one is purely hypothetical, of course)  Give your children fun, entertaining activities to keep them occupied while you are nursing.  Don't let your child watch t.v. - it will rot their brain.
   
Ohhhh... and this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Not altogether surprising, Tobin has some reflux so I'm going to go off dairy and see if that helps.  This is probably why he is crying a little more than normal and having a hard time being on his back to sleep.  I don't eat that much so it shouldn't be that hard - except for in the coffee that I shouldn't be drinking anyways.  But really, if I didn't have the coffee my children might be totally unattended...

P.S.  (and I totally forgot to tell Amy this...)  Thanks to my naturopath's clarification, I now know that the correct pronunciation for my new baby carrier is "My Tie."  Because heck, it certainly wouldn't be "May Tie" like I just read in the user manual. 

Good thing I have strawberry rhubarb crisp to cheer me  up (without the ice cream tonight):

Easter

While being a firefighter's wife has a lot of perks, (like Justin being off for 3 weeks after Tobin was born) it also has it's share of challenges. Example A: the garbage disposal never breaks and the kids never start vomiting until Justin leaves for his 24 hour shift.

One of these challenges is that I also have to spend a number of holidays and Lord's days without him. I don't generally mind since we are blessed to have him home so many other days of the year but it is teaching me to be more creative in my planning and preparation. Like, just what do I do with my 6, 5 and 2 year old if my 6 week old needs to eat or starts crying in the middle of the service? Leave them alone in the pew? File them all out of the sanctuary with me? Fortunately, my parents and brother and sister attend church with us and on mornings when Justin is gone the kids are happily managed by their aunt and uncle or grammy and groompa if I need to step out.

So today was Easter and it was one of those days. It was busy and a little chaotic at times but we had a wonderful, worshipful day. Even if I did come up with the fabulous (crazy) idea to stay up until 2 a.m. and sew Adia a navy and white dress so all the kids would match. I mean, Tobin was going to wake up and need to eat anyway so why not stay up and sew? Seemed like a totally rational thought process at the time...

After celebrating Resurrection day with a service and brunch with our church family, we went to my aunt's house for all of our traditional Polish food and an egg hunt. As I went back and looked at these pictures, I was so thankful I thought to hand my sister, Abbey the camera. I was inside nursing Tobin and missed the whole egg hunt. Looks like everyone had a great time!

So sad Tobin didn't get in any of the pics.
He was either sleeping or eating.
He matched too though!

Steele and Uncle Gabe

Steele and Mimi

Xochi and Great Aunt Terri

Little Adia Foo Foo
Adia's dress:
Summer Vacation Dress
Pattern from Dana at Made

Still Pictures

The days are rushing by.. such is life with a newborn. Life with young children, really.

They flash by in a series of still scenes that I wish I could capture in my mind forever. Sometimes I miss them if I'm too busy or feeling too harried.. or not paying attention to them. Little voices, little looks, funny little sentences. And in too short a time, those moments are past.

Here are a few moments I want to capture this week.

Steele, coming in from outside yesterday: Those girls did something to my ear!
Justin: What girls?
Steele: The chickens!

Justin walked into the schoolroom yesterday and found Xochi planking.
Hilarious.

Some little friends came to visit and see Tobin last week. One of the boys (age 5) said to Justin: I'm not used to the smell in your house.
Justin: What smell? Bacon?

We laughed and laughed.

We're going to hire a personal hair stylist for Tobin.


I looked outside yesterday and saw this scene.
Xochi helping Justin work on the edger wearing her princess dress
and black rubber boots. Love.

Introducing..

Tobin Baker Jobes

Born: February 25, 2012 4:52 a.m
Weight: 8 lbs 13 oz
Length: 21 3/4 inches

Tobin: meaning "God is Good"
(and this little guy is a testimony of that truth!)
Baker: After our favorite place, of course!

I apologize that I have not posted sooner. I felt especially bad after sweet Wilma commented asking if we were all ok. I cannot express to you how much your concern meant to me, Wilma! As things seem to go with a newborn and little ones, the hours roll into days and the days roll into weeks before you know it. As Justin and the big kids tromped off in the rain to church this morning, I decided to rest at home for one more week and determined to write this blog post. I promise, a full birth story will come - for now, I'll share that I'm recovering from a c-section so the first week, especially, is kind of a narcotics-induced blur. But we are all recuperating quite well and are loving this little guy even more than we could have imagined. Nursing is going great. We seem to be easily settling into a nursing and sleeping schedule. Big brother and sisters are enamored with their newest teammate. And so many unexpected blessings... God is truly good and He knows what is best for us! The timing of Tobin's arrival could not have been more perfect for everyone.

WIPs

Puerperium and Baby boy Jobes

A wee baby sweater
for the wee boy to come home in.

Pattern: Puerperium Cardigan
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport
Colorway: 859
Needles: Hiya Hiya 5" Interchangeable
US 6

Adjusting

For almost two weeks now, our family has been adjusting. Adjusting our thinking, our emotions, our "plan", our activities. This adjusting came after we found out on January 2nd that my placenta had adjusted itself. Adjusted itself far away from and out of the way of my cervix.

I haven't shared this news publicly before now because, quite honestly, I have felt very emotional about it and wasn't certain I was prepared to deal with peoples' varied responses. To be even more honest, I'm still not certain I'm prepared to deal with them. I did realize though, that I would have to say something because February 10th (my scheduled c-section date) would come and go and we would have no baby boy. I figured people might wonder. Just a little bit.

I suppose I should back up a bit for some of you. On December 18 I went in for my regular appointment and ultrasound. At that appointment my doctor looked at me and said, "So you know this thing's not moving right? (meaning my placenta) Are you ok with that? Are you ok with a c-section?" I told him I was - and I really was - so we went ahead and scheduled it for February 10. I felt a certain amount of peace about it, especially because until this point, my pregnancy has been filled with so many complications and uncertainties. Finally, something concrete to look forward to and rest in. I felt comfortable with my doctor. I was grateful for the technology that was very certainly saving my life. (Before c-sections were available, 99% of women would die from complete previa.) And even though there were some possible hurdles with delivering a little early I didn't feel they were insurmountable hurdles.

So imagine my disbelief when, just a few weeks later on January 2, the ultrasound tech looked at me with shock on her face and said, "I'm sorry but I'm totally tripping out right now. Your placenta is completely out of the way of your cervix. I have never seen this happen before." All I could do was laugh a nervous laugh and shake my head. I've had a lot of people say to me nonchalantly over the course of my pregnancy, "Oh.. I had previa too. It moved out of the way and I was fine. It usually does." I would just smile politely and nod or just not comment back on facebook because the truth is, not all previas are the same. Complete previa is way different than partial or marginal previa. After 30 or so weeks, complete previa doesn't correct. Unless, of course, you are me and have a c-section scheduled and your ultrasound tech says to you, "This is like a miracle" and all you feel like doing is crying.

So here I am. I am slowing readjusting my thinking and my emotions. Don't get me wrong, I can very logically see why this is great news. My pregnancy hormones and emotions have not been as compliant as my logic though. The benefits (possible natural childbirth, more developed baby, less chance of complications, less recovery time, prenatal yoga, exercise, the MOUNTAIN, etc.) are starting to outshine the hard parts (being pregnant longer - my due date is March 3, being uncertain about the delivery and the doctor, possible natural childbirth - yes, this is on both the pros and cons list). But it's been hard. For the first week I cried a little bit almost every day. Like I said, I also didn't feel ready for peoples' excited reactions when I was still trying to process it all. I think just about every woman who has been pregnant can understand at least a little bit of what I've been feeling - but not always. Especially women who have really enjoyed pregnancy. I am so thankful for my husband who held me and said, "I know you. I understand you. You just stick close to me. You don't have to tell anyone yet." And little by little I have felt better and the shock has worn off. I think I was also a little worried that people would expect me to jump up and into all my normal activities again when the truth is, I still feel pretty miserable most of the time. I am very happy to report though, that the extra activity I have been allowed has helped how I feel. I don't feel so tight or sore and being able to get outside and walk (as much as I can in my third trimester) has done wonders for my outlook.

This is getting long so I should probably stop here. Before I end I want to say that above EVERYTHING, I trust the Lord. With every aspect of my life. The fact that my human brain and hormones are fickle does not change the fact that He is sovereign. Everybody else was surprised at this news. He was not. He knew what He was doing the whole time. I may never see the full picture - I may never know why He wanted me with an OB and not with a midwife at the birth center. And that's ok. I am so thankful to know that our family is not outside of His constant care, direction and oversight. While it may have been challenging, He has been very clear in His direction to us over the last 33 weeks and beyond. So when I have uncomfortably restless nights like I did last night, when I begin to wonder about all the details and how everything will go I preach to myself: I trust you, Lord. I trust you because you are worthy of trust. You are my peace.

Things I Don't Want to Forget

Winter 2012 Edition

Finding pictures of Steele's lego creations on my camera

How Steele thinks my spicy pico de gallo is the best ever

Cheesy grins on Xochi's first ski day of the season

Had to come back and edit..
how could I have forgotten Xochi's self-cut bangs??

This picture my husband took of the french toast he secretly ran
and got me just because I was craving it.
Even though he thinks gluten is evil.
(So do I except, apparently, during pregnancy..)

Happy kids on the first snow day of the season.




My ready-for-church-33-weeks-pregnant-self.
Even if I do have chipmunk cheeks.
Evidently, the only things that expand on me during pregnancy
are my ankles, my belly and my cheeks.
My thighs have mysteriously shrunken - no joke.


Xochi with her little two and half year old voice,
chubby body and pink princess jammies
watching chickens out the window.