As Time Flies...

Love in Review, the Fifth Anniversary Edition:

The Crush

The Dating

The Wedding

The Newlyweds

The Expectant Parents

The Parents

The Expectant Parents - The Sequel

The Expectant Parents - Edition III

The Big Move

Five Years Later...and counting.


Happy Fifth Anniversary, David. God is good.

First Week in Review

Happy First Week Gus Gus! It has been a wonderful week - he is just such an easy, easy newborn. So far. I realize that as soon as you say that a newborn is one thing or is another thing that is the universal signal for them to change. As soon as you identify a pattern (for instance, he seems to cluster feed around 10 am, 5 pm and 10 pm) you can be assured that on the morrow the pattern will have morphed into something unrecognizable. But as far as we can tell, he is easy. In fact, I really wish that he were a little (just a little) more demanding because then I could have an excuse to pay more attention to him. As it is the other two are significantly more trouble so I can't just sit around gazing at him the way I should be able to.

Notables:

When I had a little, mini postpartum emotionality that involved some tears Moses came in and saw me.
M: Are you crying gecause you're sad?
Me: I'm OK buddy, just a little bit sad. But a hug from you would make me happy.
M: Mommy, I want to tell you something. I love you gecause you are pretty.

Moses is sitting on the couch "holding" Gus and I overhear him singing Rock-a-bye Baby. Life can't get any sweeter.

Lest you think that Moses is all sweetness, I'll include this little episode from earlier today. Lily and Moses are playing with some play tools and she starts sobbing, obviously there was some sort of Moses-inflicted injury. His reaction, "Uh...Sorry Lily, for biting you in the chest."

Lily spends all her time climbing in and out of the baby's carseat, bouncy seat and swing. That and tickling him while making clucking noises and trying to gouge out his eyes while saying, "iiiieeeessss".

In case you are wondering, I am not ready to be alone with these three yet. We've given it a couple test-runs but the basic fact-of-the-matter is that a person with these three children CAN'T sit down if they are all awake. The person who is left alone with them will be standing for hours regardless of a minimalist approach to life and a strict reading of the phrase "take it easy". There's no way to "take it easy" and be alone with them. So, luckily, David can cut corners at work for the rest of the week and rescue me. Also, my brother is coming to visit us from college this weekend, yea! OK, I can't really think anymore...here are some pictures instead. They are in chronological order so you can see his vast growth. Also, my mother wants credit for most of the pictures...so - here it is mom!

So teeny...so tiny...so perfect.

This could be an advertisement for my new BabyHawk carrier. Thank you Maria!!!

My view from the BabyHawk...

Nice Helmet, Grandma!

Gus Gus is ONE WEEK OLD!!! Yea!!!!!!!!

Rock-a-bye baby...Awww....

Two of the three best-lookin men in my life.

The Whole Story...

For those of you who want more details I am trying to sort through pictures and details and put together a coherant Tale of Gus Gus. Here goes...
After a night of very little sleep we left for the hospital at 6:45 in hopes of getting there early enough for a "new room". Alas, we were not successful. BUT the Labor Fates did have mercy when it came to nurses. We initially had Judy who was a wonderful Grandmotherly-type woman and put me at ease.
I was apparently already in early labor and having some regular contractions so they put the gel in to kick it into higher gear and into higher gear did we go! Fast and furious. They told me that there would be a surge and that it would die-off after about a half-hour, I wasn't convinced about the dying-off part of the equation so we ordered the pain meds right away and they came right away. The rest of the story is much less painful as a result, for me, for everyone else in the room and probably for you too.
David and I took it easy, read Peralandra, did cross-word puzzles and tried to wrap our heads around this whole parenting THREE children thing. My mom came and shortly afterward things began to move more quickly. The doc decided to rupture my membranes and went to find the nurse to do so but while he was gone they decided to erupt on their own. In reality it was a very small eruption but still clear what had happened. This was at about 1:15. I immediately tried to get into my happy place because I knew that delivery was immanent now and this being my first epidural I thought it better to expect the worse and be prepared for the Ring Of Fire then to move glibly along and be surprised that having a baby causes pain. In the end the pain was very endurable and Gus was born at 1:35 after I pushed 1 and a half pushes. When the doc checked to see if I was fully dilated Gus' head was crowning. So the head was the one push and the shoulders were the half push.
David got to joyfully announce the sex (there was no second guessing himself this time, it was obvious), they put Gus straight on my chest where I got to ask about 15 times in one minute if anyone else was worried that he was so little and so blue and then he peed all over me. I think he was marking his territory.
Everyone keeps telling me that 8.2 is not that small of a baby but having a kid who's face doesn't ooze to one side because they are so fat is just throwing me off.
He immediately proved his nursing prowess in spite of the fact that he had swollen and bruised lips because apparently he was pushed down so fast once my water broke. His lips took several hours to recover from the shock and the bruising looked like a gotee for a day or two.
After his arrival David and my mom called and called while Gus and I ate and ate. In the evening the Trammas and FK Marsh brought the kids down to the hosital for the first meeting. Moses was quite shy initially (shocker!) and took a little while to reassure him that mommy was still mommy, even in a hospital. Lily saw the baby and immediately cooed and ooed and didn't get weirded out until she saw my helploc - then she lost it and needed her daddy. The next days visit went much better. Moses speaks about Gus in a very, very high and sqeaky voice - "he's the cutest baby that I've never seen!"
After the kids visit in the morning David spent the afternoon at the mechanics because of course the van wouldn't start...but I don't really want to relive that part of the story so I'll just say that it's over and fixed and it wasn't terribly expensive.
We FINALLY got to leave at exactly 48 hours, to the minute, after Gus emerged. We made it home in one piece in spite of the drive over the mountain with me lying flat on my back to mitigate the spinal headache that is making writing this post a very slow process. We had birthday cake and singing and kissing and hugging in spades and life has basically been great since being home. Gus did decide that he wanted to party from 10 pm - 5 am last night but we are all hoping that the arrival of The Milk today will help that party be the ONLY party of its sort. Today we're just trying to wait out the spinal headache, shower, write a post and deal with The Milk. Ambitious enough for me!
It is wonderful to be home, healthy, happy and together.
Sorry it's not a more entertaining post, it really was a very entertaining event, if you can call labor and birth entertaining.

Gus Gus Arrives!!!

No, I haven't been in labor this WHOLE time...but I was lead astray in my belief that there was internet access at the hospital so I didn't arrange for anyone to update the blog...so sorry!
But, in brief...
We put the gel in at 8:15 am and Gus was born at 1:35 pm on Wednesday, September 10. He was a perfect 8 lbs 2 oz and 20 3/4 inches long.
That is the brief. More details and pictures to come after dinner. Oh, he's very cute, as my be imagined.

Baby Soon

OK! So, we have blast off scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. I'm 2 cm. and 70% effaced and my doc will give me some prostaglandin gel to get me started but he thinks that it will be easy and quick (isn't that just like a man?) - no Pitocin neccessary. Actually, I have a feeling that I'll go into labor all on my own tonight sometime, things are just feeling labor-y. If they don't then I'm just fine with the gel solution. Soooooo....
Lovelett III coming soon to a blog, email or facebook page near you!
I decided today that the doctor should provide a handicap tag for every 8 and 9 month pregnant woman. It's just fair - I'm definitely handicapped.
Also, it would be very nice if the police could provide a pink and blue flashing light that you could pop on the top of a car, like an undercover cop, when you go into labor. That way everyone would see it and say, "oh-there goes one of those labor lights, better get out of the way."
Those are my new ideas for the day. It's been very productive.
I am just over the moon excited to meet this little person. It's been such a strange pregnancy, with SO much happening that I've hardly had time to realize that there is an actual PERSON coming along here. But I'm finally at the point where the faceless anonymity of this baby has been going on long enough. It's time to meet! Can't wait to share the news...

Open Letter to the Labor Fates

Dear Labor Fates,
I have a few requests in preparation for this grand event that will soon be upon us. The first is that you will decide to begin your work on Monday night or Tuesday morning. This would ensure that my mother will be here to participate. Monday would be better so that the baby will be born on the Birth of Mary. Plus, I'd rather not be induced.
Also, I would prefer that my water break in Triage. Not in the car on the 40 minute ride to the hospital. Also, other things that may leave the body during early labor are best reserved for some other time then the car ride (don't think too hard about this part). Very important to me is that Hurricane Hanna does not adversely effect the ride - given the flash flood warnings in effect I would prefer you to avoid her.
Moving on from the car-ride...
A non-negotiable item on the agenda is that I want to get there with enough time for some pain medication. I'm pretty sure this time around that I want it. If I don't want it then I want ample time IN THE HOSPITAL to decide. If you can arrange a room on the "new wing" for me while you're at it, I'd appreciate it. You know how easily effected I am by my surroundings - even though it's all the same equipment and stuff you know that the prettier wallpaper will make me happy. Also, David would appreciate the built-in bed.
Finally, please make sure that Dr. Smith is on-call or is somehow able to be there and that my nurse is nice and not a hick without teeth and with tatoos.
As to the sex of the baby, I don't think that really falls under your job description so we'll just leave that alone for now.
Sincerely,
Mother of Lovelett III

Guess who's coming to town...

Just a very quick baby-update. I am due Saturday, (as in 3 days) and if I haven't had the baby by Wednesday then I will be induced. The doctor doesn't think anything is immanent and I concur. I did have a leg cramp in the middle of the night last night that made me think the baby had lost it's way and was trying to push his head out my calf but, as my stomach is still large enough to be hazardous to those in my path I think that it was just a cramp :(.



Just a couple people who think that they are going to come to the hospital with me, in the bag.

Age-defying lotion

Lily is in some ways a girly-girl. She sits with me at my vanity every morning to get her hair done while covering her cheeks and lips and tongue with chapstick. But today she took it upon herself to do her morning glamming-up by coming out of the bathroom carrying the Desitin, having spread it all over her lips for lipstick and her eyes for eye-liner/shadow. Every time I kiss her I can taste the butt cream. Yummy.
Upon further consideration I think that Desitin is probably a very effective age-defying cream, a little stinky perhaps, but I always smell like Desitin anyway. I'm not quite ready to give it a try personally but Lily is certainly driving me to gray hair and wrinkles before my time so perhaps in the near future.

Gum - not a toy.

M: Mommy. My gum is gone.
Mommy: WHERE is it gone to?
M: In a dark place.
Mommy: WHAT dark place? This is very important.
M: You can't see it - it's in a dark place with lots of other things.

Oi. I am too big to be crawling around in dark places with lots of other things. I guess we'll find it next time we move.