Holiday Anticipation and Enjoyment

I think I enjoy the anticipation just as much as the unveiling as far as Christmas festivities go. This year Skye commiserated with me to listen to as much holiday music as possible without driving Gary bonkers. (I'm not sure we succeeded.) Skye dutifully put up an ornament on the advent calendar that my mother made many years ago, dressed up as Santa, and helped wrap presents. (She was an expert in tape.) There were stockings, paper snowflakes, Grandmother's kisses, Grandpa's deer, Mama-made dress-ups, and of course "our Christmas baby." Happy Christmas and Merry Solstice!

Fairytown

The imagination of a three year old. . .

We see a lot of playdough creations around here, but this is one of my favorites - a magical fairy town.

Lately I've been getting daily tugs on my shirt that Skye has something to whisper in my ear. That's when I find out just who we're going to pretend we are that day.

"Mama, today I'm pretending to be Santa, and you're Mrs. Claus, and Dada is an elf."

"Mama, today I'm pretending to be Pooh, and you're Rabbit, and Dada is Piglet, and kitty is Roo."

Who will we be tomorrow?

Let the dressing -up begin!

This week it was dot stickers on the hat, tinsel-tickling, and a pink paper plume hat. Oh Quinny, you are in for a fun life with us . . .

Spit -up, smiles, and sleepiness

I can't believe it's been nearly 8 weeks since Quinny was born. So much has happened that I find myself feeling overwhelmed with the thought of writing about it. I'll never catch up. But I've got to start somewhere.

The first week or so where filled with a few challenges. Quinn was jaundice so we had to put him under a light box for a few days at our house. This was a challenge because he had also lost too much weight and was not getting enough milk. (UGH - this was all too familiar.) I did not want to mess around with this milk supply issue again, so I did everything the lactation consultants and nurses suggested. I pumped like a mad woman. (This really does make you feel like a cow, by the way.) But thanks to Granny Shean, I had a super-duper nice breastpump on hand and was ready for business. I also took the plunge and went on some medication called Reglan, that helps boost lactating women's milk supply. Sign me up, thank you. It also has a side effect of fatigue. Ahem, who isn't incredibly fatigued anyway, with a newborn. "So what's 12 days of extra fatigue?", I said. I also was advised to take a couple herbs, Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I had taken Fenugreek with Skye, but had not remembered that it makes you smell like maple syrup, not in a good way, either. So, I was sleepy and stinky for the first 6 weeks or so. Now, I'm just sleepy. . . okay, I'm still stinky, but now it's from all the spit-up on my clothes, in my hair, and on my baby that I'm always holding. I'm happy to say we got the feeding thing all straightened out much quicker this time. I was just telling Gary that I'm so glad I used that medication because I feel like it cleaned out my pipes, so to speak, and got things flowing.

Which brings us to the next phase of Quinn's life - spitting up. This child could win a spitting up contest hands-down. This is a whole new thing for me because Skye never spit up. We've tried all the burping techniques we can think of, but he still gets wet. However, he is a "happy spitter" and doesn't really seem to mind it. So, we go through lots of bibs, clothes, and shampoo. After the work we went through to get to this point, I just smile when he spits up, because I know he's getting plenty of milk.

Okay, enough of the milk, already.

My recovery has been just fine. We even all went for a walk at Black Acre Nature Preserve, a week after Quinn was born - something I didn't think I'd ever do so soon after the birth. My belly is another story, however, as I fear it will be quite a while before I loose that extra 20 pounds of ice cream I packed on. It was fun putting it on, though.

Quinn has been a very amiable little guy right off the bat. He makes sweeter-than-life coos that would melt even the hardest of hearts. He has been sleeping well for a newborn, which is greatly appreciated by Mama and Dada. He does the quivering chin that reminds you of just how tiny and vulnerable he is still. I love that he's still curly, arching his back into a "C" to stretch and then curling back into the lump on my chest that feels so warm. Oooh it feels so good to have a curly baby snuggled up on you in the winter. And then there is the smiling. I think he had his first smile early - about 4 weeks or so. And it is the cutest Elvis, lip-up-on-one-side smile you've ever seen. His eyes light up when you talk to him and that mouth opens up, and we're all in love with him. Absolutely in love with that beautiful baby boy.

I'm bleary-eyed, cranky, stinky, sticky, and chubby, but in love with our baby.

Ballerina

Skye is a born dancer, from day one. She dances in the living room on and off throughout the day, gazing at her reflection in the television glass. While I think her innate style is more modern interpretive dance, we've signed her up for a ballet/tap dance class. We spent an entire morning suiting her up for the class - the leotard, ballet slippers, and tap shoes, and now we have fun making ballerina hairdos every week. I remember fondly my parents watching me do a jazz dance routine to "The Baby Elephant Walk" at my local Girls Club, and scrounging through the big shoe bin each week looking for a pair of matching tap shoes for tap class. I'm sure Skye will remember these days fondly as well.

Giving Thanks

We've got so much to be thankful for this year, namely the arrival of Quinn River. We thoroughly enjoyed showing off the little skupper at both my and Gary's parents' houses this year for Thanksgiving.

It was great to see Quinn's great-grandmother hold him and wonder what his life would hold. Skye had big fun at my parent's new home in Brown County watching the visiting deer, riding Grandpa's tractor (a riding lawnmower), and playing with cousins Luke and Kelton.

Granny Shean bestowed Quinn's long-anticipated baby quilt to him during the holiday, and it's been a warm feeling for me to snuggle him up in it each night since. Skye and fellow 3-year old cousin Maci are quickly becoming close friends and run off to play dolls together.

Time seems to be rolling on in a dream right now. I'm trying so hard to be fully in the present, because I know that too soon, these days will be long ago and I will ache for them. I'm still full enough of prego hormones that I'm crying happy tears at all the sweet moments of LOVE that I witness every day.

Quinn's Birth Story - The Long and Unedited Version

I'm back, a zombie from night feedings, but back all the same. In case anyone's interested, and for Quinn's sake, I thought I'd give you my long version of the little guy's birth.

I'd been having contractions on and off for a couple of weeks, but nothing was really imminent. I had a giant "To Do" list, and the last thing on that list was to make sure to vote. I knew I wouldn't be up for voting so soon after birth, so I voted early to make sure to get my two cents in for the big O'. (Yep, I am an Obama Mama!) It was a rainy, rainy day, reminding us of Washington. As I waddled out of the downtown poll site with Skye, we spent several minutes stomping in rain puddles. As I watched my daughter play in the water, I pondered the world that the babe in my belly might be born into. I was so relieved at having cast my vote and, since I had now completed the last thing on my list, I felt a strong sense of readiness for the birth. I also felt ... contractions.

We all decided that we just wanted our baby out that night, so we just decided to make it so. I felt like my contractions might be getting a little more intense than they had been in the last couple of weeks, and hoped that I might be in very early labor. I made butternut squash soup, my favorite, for dinner. After dinner, we all rubbed oil on my belly like a genie lamp and told Baby that it was time to come out. After Skye went to bed, Gary and I enjoyed a relaxing evening with our first fire in the fireplace at this apartment. I went to bed early (just in case) and at 2 am, I awoke with another contraction, at the end of which my water broke. I woke Gary up and told him "we are having this baby tonight!"

The contractions started in strong after that, and we soon realized that I was progressing much faster than I had with Skye. I spent the next hour at home in the shower leaning over the birth ball. Gary called our doula and my parents and told them to come over as soon as they could. We had the doula stay at the house with the sleeping Skye until the grandparents arrived. As soon as the doula arrived, we left for the hospital. Gary wisely decided not to tell me that he discovered the gas tank was empty and that he was only holding his breath, hoping that we could make it over the Ohio River to Indiana to the hospital. (We laughed about this later.) I think I was in transition in the back of the car on the way to the hospital - not ideal, but that's the way it went.

When we finally got to the hospital, the nurses managed to get an IV in my arm despite my frustration. They casually checked my progress and them frantically told me "oh my goodness, you're complete, please don't push until the doctor gets here." I was so surprised and relieved to hear that I was already at this stage! I told the nurses that I was confident that they could catch the baby themselves, to which they answered, "yes, but we'll get in trouble." There was no time for my midwife or OB/Gyn to get there, so their backup doctor whom we had met with once before, Dr. Boerner, attended the birth. When he arrived, he said, "I'm supposed to be Jesse or Dr. Cohen," which solicited much laughter. At that point, I didn't care who he was, I was glad he was there so that I could start pushing. The IV had come out (okay maybe I took it out) and the nurses tried to insert another one. I was having none of that, and Dr. Boerner told them to leave me alone - YAY. The doctor struck the perfect mix of helping me but letting me use my intuition, and he gently talked me through the pushing. I was able to stay calm and, in the words of my Oly buddy Grace, "just get the baby out."

Three hours after my water broke, Quinn River Shean slipped into the world and onto my chest. It was a beautiful, sweet, and peaceful birth.

Our doula arrived at this point and smiled to see Quinn on my chest. After I birthed the placenta, the loss of heat from it and the baby left me incredibly cold, shivering uncontrollably, almost as if going into shock. This was quite scary for Gary and I, but eventually the staff raised my body temperature, and I recovered.

After our home-birth with Skye, Gary and I were relieved to be able to have a completely natural birth in the hospital. Dr. Boerner seemed genuinely proud to be a part of a natural birth, and Gary commented that he thought the doctor's coffee was still warm.

Women do this every day all around the world, but it still is absolutely magical and awe-inspiring to witness and be a part of the strength, power, and intensity of birth. I was so proud of myself to have done this most amazing of things once again - bringing a little human being into the world.

Welcome, welcome little one
Come to play with earth and sun!

Trick or Treat

Skye and I spent Halloween trick-or-treating in Frankfort with old friends. Okay, new friends for Skye and some old friends of her dad. Jen remained at home taking care of our wee pumpkin.

Our big bug was a turtle this year, but to be truthful I've never seen a turtle move so fast! She sprinted from house to house filling her candy bag and stopping only for a few moment to proclaim "look at all the candy!". I think this is the first year Skye really grasped the concept of trick-or-treat and mass candy collecting.

Our littlest one was a frog this year but really couldn't leave the lilly pad that is his mom's boppy. Quinn is adjusting to life outside the womb, although I'm not sure about his parents. He had a bout of jaundice this week but appears to be doing well otherwise. I should probably get some sleep now...

Our Beautiful Boy

Weighing in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. our new baby boy is here and he is just wonderful! I couldn't be more proud of him and his incredibly brave and strong momma.

I had awoken at 2:00 am to reports of broken waters. It was immediately obvious that this was no false alarm and Jen progressed through active labor quickly. After timing an hour's worth of steady labor we realized she was going to have this baby very soon. Since this labor was progressing so rapidly our doula beat the grandparents to our home, so Faith served as babysitter as we left for the hospital. Once there, we discovered our primary OBGYN and backup midwife were unavailable. Jen did not care and she was ready to get that baby out with, or without, a doctor. This, of course, alarmed the nurses who pleaded with her to wait. Thankfully, Dr. Boerner arrived with a cool hand that calmed the nerves of both nurses and wife. Jen was so brave and strong -she really made it look easy! Quinn was born at 5:01 am -just an hour and a half after our arrival at the hospital. Everyone was just great! Thank you for this Beautiful boy.

Still Waiting . . .

No baby yet. Skye and I are still fighting off the last congestion and cough of this darn cold.

We've been passing the time anxiously. Last weekend, Skye participated in a bib siblings class at Clark Memorial Hospital, where we'll be delivering the baby. It was fun to see her practice changing diapers and swaddle her doll. She's super excited as well all are and she continues to sing to and kiss the belly and tell her bro' that she loves him.

One thing that has helped nurse us back to health has been the three, yes three, pumpkin pies that Gourmet Gary has made this last couple of weeks. They've been absolutely from scratch, pumpkins that is, and his crust is amazing. Just one more reason why I love this fella!

We also decorated the belly cast with flower paper decoupage. It looks terrific now.

I have to keep reminding myself that Little One was only due a couple of days ago, on Monday. It seems like we've been waiting forever, but he's really right on time.

Hold everything

My hopes for a full moon birth for last night were squashed this weekend when Skye and I got sick. Bummer. I could feel the little one was gearing up, but I had to put the kibosh on the birth plans and tell him to "hold everything, we're not quite ready for you." Fortunately, he is cooperating. I do not want to have a cold when I'm giving birth or have me or anyone in our family sick afterward. (I got sick immediately after Skye's birth for about a month - not fun).

So, Skye-bug and I are holed up in the house drawing, resting, drinking tea, reading, and eating up Gary's yummy chicken-noodle soups (he can't quite keep up with our appetites for it). We'll just have to wait until next week when hopefully everyone will be healthy and can welcome him with all our strength and kisses. Thanks for waiting, Little Guy.

The Belly

This weekend, some friends hosted a mother blessing to wish me well for the birth and pamper me a little. (More on that later.) It was a day all about the belly. They did some henna belly art, which I added to as well. This natural, temporary tattoo of sorts, will be a good focal point or distraction for me during labor and serve to remind me of the support of my friends and family, mothers who've given birth before me, and the gentle flow of nature. I know this will be a beautiful birth!










After the blessingway, Mom and my sister, Julie, came back to the house to join Gary and Skye to do a bellycast. We decorated it later. Of course, we had to drag out Skye's belly cast for her to compare.

We're all getting really excited around here. I'm hoping that Little One arrives for the full Moon of the Falling Leaves, next Tuesday, the 14th. Skye was born on a full moon, and that has been such a nice story to talk to her about. She actually believes that she was waiting on the moon before she came to us. Maybe she was.

Pumpkins!

Going to the pumpkin patch has always been one of my very favorite fall traditions since I was a kid. The trips in Washington never quite lived up to my childhood experiences going to the farms in Indiana though. But this year, we were able to go to a real farm across the river in Indiana and take a real wagon ride to a real pumpkin patch on yet another REALLY beautiful blue-sky, sunny, fall day. Oh, it felt great.

We sat down in the middle of the pumpkin patch and each ate our own caramel apples - Skye's first one. She really got into it, as you can see, and did what every self-respective pre-schooler should do - licked off most of the caramel before eating the apple, while managing to get it all over herself and her clothes.

Gary joked that it looked like I was trying to sneak out a pumpkin under my shirt. Maybe not that, but I think our little pumpkin is sure to be ready for picking soon enough.

Creative Outlets

Another thing that I've been doing is letting myself be creative - like making lots of these baby blocks. These will be little one's blocks, but I've enjoyed making some for friends that are preggers as well. I'm addicted to sewing them because it is meditative and calming for me, and I can take my little project bag anywhere. I got the pattern/idea out of the book, The Creative Family, that I inhaled as soon as I got it from the library. I'm an avid fan of the Soulemama blog, where the author writes daily entries about life, family, and creativity. I get such inspiration from this mama and her ideas.

I also recently took a day off from being mama (thanks to a generous Papa taking Skye overnight to Granny's house) and finished up a wedding scrapbook for us. Yes, seven years later, but, at least it got done. Ahh, it feels so good to get things like that off my radar. There are so many projects like that that I'd like to do before our babe arrives, but I'm trying not to obsess about them. They are only therapeutic if I let them be a fun outlet. We'll see if I get Skye's scrapbook done (okay, started) . . .

Self-Care Preparations

We're in the zone now. Only 2 1/2 weeks until my due date - Oct. 20. We've been doing all sorts of preparations for the little one - locating the carseat, setting up the dresser, packing hospital bags (this was a new one for us after our home-birth), gathering all the cloth diaper pieces, etc.

But this time around, I'm also really getting ready to take care of myself. When I gave birth to Skye, I was so unprepared for the post-partum chaos and long healing process. So this time around, I am really getting it together to take care of myself. Skye and I made a huge batch of post-partum sitz bath tea bags - including some for some friends. I finally found the great herb store in town that I knew must exist in order for me to be sane - Nature's Magic. It reminded me of Radiance back in Olympia and I felt a piece of my soul take a deep relaxing breath when I actually walked in. So, Gary and I've loaded up on the healing herbs, internal and external, to help mama to a speedy recovery. I'm stocking food in our tiny freezer as best I can, and really trying to take it easy.

I think we're ready for our little guy to come into the world now, at least physically ready. We just have to wrap our heads around having a newborn again.

Autumn Equinox

We celebrated the fall equinox on our weekly hike to Cherokee Park with our playgroup. We gathered nature treasures along the way and made a little sculpture (okay a pile) with them, sang a few songs, voiced gratitude for something, and played a game of duck-duck-goose. We also said goodbye to summer with one last yummy strawberry snack and welcomed fall with apple slices.

Fall has always been my favorite season, but this year especially, I've been so looking forward to it. I think it's likely the nesting that I'm feeling getting ready for our little one's arrival, but also the hankering for crafting that I seem to find time to do more of in the cooler months. I'm looking forward to pumpkins, butternut squash soup, Thanksgiving with family, and the smell of dry leaves.

Welcome Fall!

Apples

We finally got to the apple orchard to pick (too many) apples. Skye definitely picks apples the way she used to pick blueberries in Washington - eating all the way. She was double-fisting them, with a full mouth, and still grabbing for more. Something about the way little ones just jump into something with all the joy of it, makes you realize that being practical is not all it's cracked up to be. So the mamas soon followed suit and we all just ate as we picked.



We made apple crisp, apple sauce, and apple butter so far, and we've still got a huge bag full left. I think we'll just keep making more crockpot butter and sauce for the freezer. I'm too scared to try to can food, but someday I'll learn. Regardless what we make, that amazing smell of cooking apples is making our house feel like we're living in a cup of autumn soup.

Banana Blue and Banjo, Too

Gary's banjo has now become a very familiar sound in our household as he's been practicing very hard every day. Skye loves to join in on her ukulele as they sing bluegrass tunes together.

Last week, her request was to sing a song about "Banana Blue," which was followed by an improvisational and very entertaining tale by the two musicians. After that, it was "Banana Blue goes to the ocean" followed by "Banana Blue comes home to her mama." All these were started by Bug saying "one-and-a-two-and-a-three" just like a pro'.

There is only one thing cuter than all this. That one thing is Skye sitting on her Dad's lap strumming the banjo as he plays the cords, both singing the same song. (Pictures coming soon, I promise.)

Sick Day

Skye-bug got the old change-of-season cold a couple of days ago, so we've been laying low at the house trying to use our imagination and reading LOTS of books.

She's been passing the time the best she can, and as you can see, the dress-up box has gotten some extra action. Anyway, this red shawl and (backwards) hat were made by my Grandmother Serra for me when I was a tot. Today they are a fireman costume (yes, I've tried to get this changed to firefighter, ahem, but no dice) in a cardboard firetruck with a balloon firehose. Who needs toys when you've got a box?

Last Days of Summer

Last weekend, we met some friends across the river at a bluegrass festival. We all had a a great time exploring the whimsical sculpture gardens and grounds at the Hidden Hills Nursery. She did take a break from exploring and dancing to take in a song or two on a bench.

It has been a welcome break for our family to truly relax the last couple of weeks, taking a break from earnest house-hunting. Our evenings have been filled with me reading and crafting to the beautiful sounds of Gary learning banjo. The calm and quiet is welcome, as we prepare mentally for the business of the upcoming birth.

Bliss

At least one day of every weekend, either Mama or Dadda gets up at the crack of 7 with Skye and sneaks her off to Panera Bread so that the other parent can sleep in. It's a special weekend ritual to which we all look forward. This week it was Mama's turn to lead our usual weekend adventure. Our breakfast sandwiches and one-on-one talk were followed by a very slow walk back home, including plenty of time for picking flowers, plucking willow leaves for Dadda, playing with sticks, playing in the trees, and petting dogs. Later in the weekend, after a missed nap, Dad was graced with a sleeping cuddle-bug who just plain ran out of steam late in the afternoon, followed by a snuggle with Miss Kitty.

Moments like this are more fleeting as Bug gets older. Gary and I acknowledge them each day with glances and smiles to each other to silently agree that we are recording them in our minds for some future day when she's too big to crawl into our laps, sit on our shoulders, cuddle in bed, or hold hands. Each one of those moments is one of pure bliss and we'll remember them always.

The Gift

After 2 years of thinking, and about a year of planning, I finally finished a very special gift for Skye. It started out to commemorate her birth and the amazing experience that it was for all of us, then it became a catharsis as we weaned, and then as time passed on, her third birthday became the goal. So it is all those wrapped up in one. Of course, coming from me, it is full of symbolism. The copper full moon that glowed on her birth night looms in the background, the tree represents both her growth in my womb rooted in the placenta, but also our hopes and dreams for her sprouting from the love of her family. The yellow background at the outer edge is the shirt Gary was wearing during her birth and represents his steadfast love and light. The stones and love tokens were gifted to me from my sweet Sparkle Sistas circle for my mother blessingway, and each has a special meaning. The copper is a gift from my grandmother and represents the rock of family that I know will always be present in her life. And on and on. . .

I am thrilled to finally finish it and gift it to my sweet one as we prepare for our relationship to change forever, with the birth of another sibling. I have grown and changed in the last 3 years as much as she has, and she has taught me so much about myself, patience, stretching, joy, observance, and fun. I feel I am a much better person having known her - isn't that all you can ask for in a friend? Here's to my little teacher. Namaste Skye Olivia.

I'm three!

The birthday girl turned three this week, and we started the day with a new play kitchen set. Skye had lots of questions about how it got into our house. After a breakfast of chocolate-chip pancakes and strawberries (breakfast of champions), we had a little party with her playgroup buddies at our local park. The kids all donned animal masks for playground time and swinging. We played our first game of duck, duck, goose, and then played bubbles. The picnic lunch was a three-year-old gourmet meal of pasta, watermelon, and chocolate cake. Fun was had by all, and Skye said her favorite part of the day was her friends.
Happy birthday sweet sunshine!

The Fair

Skye's Birthday weekend with Grammy and "Grandpa Jim" Serra meant a trip to the Kentucky state fair. After looking at the farm animals, and petting the bunnies, we headed for the midway. Skye and Dad went on the Funslide, twice, and Mama got her annual summer fair elephant ear. It's just not summer until I've had my fried and sugared bread.

Meanwhile

The belly at 30 weeks ...
(Photo by Skye Olivia)


The belly grows and grows,
and moves around (A LOT),
and no, I'm not having twins,
and yes, I have most of my third trimester to go,
and yes, ice cream is my friend.
YIKES!!

Banjo Birthday!

It was a banner birthday for Gary this year. The day before the big day, we took a bluegrass cruise on the Belle of Louisville with Gary's brother Geoff. We enjoyed the breeze on the covered deck and Skye loved dancing to the band's music down below. On Gary's birthday, Skye insisted we all wear party hats from her dress-up box for the ice-cream cake party. The big gift this year from Gary's parents, Skye, and I was a new banjo and hopefully new hobby. It came as a reminder for us not to get a house with too much work involved, because we Gary want to have time to learn this new instrument. Happy Birthday sweet Kentucky boy. I love ya!

Summer

Ahh, summer bliss.

This summer, we've been really into ice cream cones, long night walks, listening to and looking at cicadas (dead and alive), watching for rabbits, lemonade popsicles, swimming at the pool, sprinklers, and walking at the creek. We're not too crazy about all the mosquitos, but we're dealing. We're glad to have a real summer to dry us out to the bone, after so many years of Washington rain.

I laid in bed the other night to the sound of cicadas and crickets. It was so familiar from my childhood, yet haunting because I hadn't really experienced it for so long. So much of this year has been like that - experiencing something that was once familiar, for the first time. Isn't life funny?