Remembering Today

Little Helper Boy

More science (or one-baby wrecking crew!)

I couldn't believe these two were working together!

Uh-oh, look who's coming!

Head 'em off at the pass!

He's ba-ack!

Wait, not yet! We're not done.

Not so fast, little guy!

Should we let him? He's worked so hard to get here!

Success! :-)

Big red

We have decided to call the baby "Big Red". He is definitely a red head. And he is definitely a big guy! So, now we have fun introducing our two reds, Clare who is eight, as Little Red, and Thomas who is almost seven months as Big Red. As someone pointed out, it won't be too long before he is bigger than she is!

Big Red is not cooperating with my perfect plan for babies. He has been sitting alone for about two weeks. I long for this age! You put them down on a blanket with lots of toys and they can't go anywhere! They just play happily for at least 15 minutes at a time. A mother's dream! But not this guy. No, he is already on his knees, rocking back and forth and reaching for things! He can't get himself back to sitting so he needs help about every 30 seconds!

The children have been commanded to not encourage crawling. I have very disobedient children! I keep catching Little Red about three feet away from the baby, with arms outstretched, encouraging him to try to get to her. Cute, yes. But can't we wait awhile?!

Oh, and for the record. Big Red got his first tooth almost two weeks ago, at 6 1/2 months. Bottom right. Second tooth is now in as of two days ago. Bottom left. So, when he asks in five years, I will refer him to this blog! Also for the record, he is 22 pounds and really tall. (Okay, I haven't measured him lately, but he is a LONG baby!)

My only complaint is his habit of waking up with the sun. Not an admirable virtue in this house, especially in a child who enjoys nursing throughout the night.

But he is a doll! Oh, how we love our little big guy! I just can't stop thanking God for him!

Six months old

Our little guy is six months already! In so many ways, I was looking forward to this day, when he would be a little more independent and need me less. But now I can't believe how fast the time is flying!

And since I am a baby book failure, I will try to record his accomplishments here so when he asks, I can tell him to go read my blog! :-)

So, he just started rolling around  a week or two ago. He won't stay on his mat now. I am sure he will be traveling across the room soon like Charlie used to do. That means more vigilant and more frequent vacuuming.

He is almost sitting on his own. Truth be told, this little guy gets held 99% of his life, so he doesn't get much chance to practice such skills. But he is a chubby guy so that helps give him balance.

I was sure he would cut teeth really early, again like Charlie, because he has been teething and drooling for two months. I can definitely feel the bumps in the gums now, but it could still be a while.

He loves his siblings and I think I have more hands-free time with him than any other baby, except maybe Regina who was content wherever I put her. Timmy puts him to sleep for his naps after I nurse him. It is a good deal for Timmy because he gets to play X-Box some of the time the baby sleeps.

He won't lie down anymore to be changed or bathed. He is always trying to sit up. He's going to have great abs. Maybe I should try it!

His hair is growing in and is more assuredly red! He and Clare will be quite a pair.

He is a giggly little guy and loves to be kissed. He doesn't spit up quite as much anymore so he and I both make it through most days without having to change clothes!

What more can I say? He is a doll and we thank God for his life!

 

 

A Merry addition to our family!

He's here! Actually, he has been here almost two full weeks now. It is unbelievable how the time is flying by. We noticed today that he is growing into the too big nose he was born with. :-)

Dominic Thomas was born Thursday, January 20 at 10:49 pm. He made a quick and somewhat dramatic entrance into the world. I had some contractions on and off throughout the day. At 2:30, I sent Court an email telling him to leave work then and not risk getting stuck in rush hour traffic. I wasn't sure anything was going on, but wanted to be safe.

Court's drive home was very stressful because the pickup truck was making an awful noise and he didn't think it would make it home. He did finally make it and we decided we should take his car in to the shop while we still could before the baby came and I couldn't drive. I was worried because we were expecting ice or snow that night and had no vehicle that could handle our driveway or even our street in bad weather.

After we dropped off the car, during which time I had several sporadic contractions, we went home and I took a bath to see if I could just relax a little. Court helped a friend who came to get some firewood and the kids ate dinner. Then we all settled down to watch My Man Godfrey (the old one). This was around 7:30pm. I watched for a little while and then starting having strong, but still really irregular contractions. Probably around 8pm, I had a whopper of a contraction and the kids were all looking a little worried, so I told Court it was time. I didn't want to do this at home. We called the doctor and left around 8:30, just in time to make it to Tropical Smoothie Cafe for wraps and smoothies before they closed.

It was about 9:30 by the time they put me in a triage room at the hospital. The contractions were strong but had spaced out more. The nurse checked me, I was only at 5cm, and put me on the monitors for a while. I was frustrated having thought that those contractions should have progressed me further along. They switched nurses and moved me to a labor-delivery room. It was maybe 10:15 by then. That is when the labor kicked in! I was quickly overwhelmed and was still thinking that I had progressed very far, so I was a little panicked!

I asked for (okay, maybe demanded) the epidural which I didn't want and always ask for right at the end. But I wasn't really understanding that I was at the end and neither was the nurse. Court tried to tell her but they never listen to him. The nurse never checked me or called the doctor, she just ordered the epidural. So, instead of checking me and realizing that it was time to push, they sat me up and told me to hold still for the epidural. They did manage to get it done, but my water broke and I was contracting and then pushing before they were done. I laid back just in time for little Dominic to be born, caught by his daddy! The nurses apparently were still scrambling around, so Court stepped in.

The doctor showed up about five or ten minutes after the birth. He said he only lived two blocks away and had been waiting for an update.

Dominic was on the small side for one of our babies at 8lbs even, especially after my last little guy weighed 9lbs, 10oz. He was absolutely perfect though. He took to nursing right away and was very alert.

The kids came to see him the next day. We hadn't decided on a name so we all sat around throwing out ideas. I was set on Thomas as his middle name because Thomas means twin. I always wanted a reminder of our little Pippin who is not here with us today. The naming discussion was a little crazy and Court and I finally agreed to decide later without so much help.

This sweet baby has been held and loved almost non-stop since we brough him home. The kids wait for their turns and will each hold him for hours at a time. We love it when it is Teresa's turn because it keeps her out of trouble. She does such a great job with him!

We are so incredibly happy and grateful for this blessing to our family.

Past due

Merry apparently is very happy where he is. He is rolling and kicking and staying tucked safely inside. Yesterday, my due date, has come and gone. God has a plan and I am trusting in His timing. I can chose to be anxious and impatient, or I can chose to trust and be patient. I chose patience.

In the meantime, I am taking the advice of a wise friend. I am feeling every kick, every movement. I am rubbing my belly and talking to my little guy. I am trying to etch this feeling of life inside of me on my memory. God alone knows if these are my last days of pregnancy. This may or may not be the last time I am blessed with the gift of new life. It is a strange thought that this could be "it".

Many friends who are a few steps ahead of me are experiencing the new phase of life where the babies aren't coming. Though they plead and they pray, time passes and the possibility seems more remote. I watch as they struggle gracefully, if not always joyfully, with this new reality, wondering how I will feel when my time comes. There may still be time for more babies for us, which seems intimidating to me now, but I know enough not to take anything for granted.

So, I am asking God to bless these last days, hours, moments with His grace, that I may live them well and fully aware of the awesome gift and responsibility I have been given.

Things I should be blogging....

I am so, so woefully behind with blogging. No real excuses, other than the eternally optimistic idea that I will blog when I have some quiet time to think and put my thoughts together. So, here I am, months of life unrecorded. Birthdays, holidays, visits, and cute little moments. Like when Katherine hugs Augustine and says "Katherine hugs Augustine", and then he hugs her back and says "Augustine hugs Katherine". Too cute!

I think I will try to work backwards, while trying to keep up with the present. Baby boy is due is four days. I had really hoped to go earlier than this. Maybe tomorrow, for his daddy's birthday. I am definitely wanting to hold him and name him, and not be pregnant anymore!

We are slowly packing up all things Christmas. The tree still looks healthy, so it stays. I love the peace of a lit tree in the quiet of the evening. I had really envisioned bringing home a baby during the Christmas season. There is a beauty about sitting nursing a newborn in the dark with only a lit tree providing light.

Baby "Merry" doesn't have a name yet. I am hoping to be inspired when we meet him. His middle name will be Thomas, which means twin, to remind us of his twin brother. It is still a source of sadness that we won't be bringing home two babies. God's plan is always perfect, though. So, we take comfort in that knowledge.

I have been busy refreshing my stash of cloth diapers, and sorting baby boy clothes, and window shopping for fun new things things like a new wrap for wear the baby in and new clothes to nurse in. It's amazing the things you realize you still need after eight babies!

Hopefully, I will spend this waiting time catching up with some more posts and some pictures. Augustine is so big and so funny, I would hate to forget a thing! So, stay tuned.

 

Too short a time

Just over four weeks ago, I found out that I was carrying twins. After a moment's disbelief, I cried tears of joy over this incredible blessing. I really never thought it would happen to us. I texted Court, asking him if he liked the names Huck and Tom, or Mary and Martha, or maybe Lochlain and Anna. Without missing a beat, he shot back Starsky and Hutch. I wondered if he had understood my hints. I called him and he said he missed the "and" between each set of names at first, but then figured it out. He was excited too. He said it would be a "challenge". When you have had eight babies, something a little different is fun!

We told the kids and they were even more excited. The name game began. For the time being, we settled on Merry and Pippin, some of our favorite hobbits. We checked out every book on twins from the library. We even got a dvd of multiples in the womb to watch. I was chatting with moms of twins and learning everything I could.

Then three days ago, all the planning and excitement came to a heartbreaking end. I went in for a check-up and was eager to see Merry and Pippin on the ultrasound again, to see their little hearts beating. Merry had grown much bigger and the little heartbeat was strong. But my Pippin was gone. His sac was so small and there was just a little dot, not a strong healthy baby like Merry.

Incredible sadness swept over me. My first thought was of the other kids. How could I tell them? I cried and prayed the whole way home. I hoped to avoid the discussion until Court got home, but Elizabeth asked with excitement if I had the sonogram and did I have pictures. I had to explain that God had taken Pippin. That he probably wasn't strong enough, but now he was our own saint in Heaven. I emphasized that this world is not our goal only a stopping place. Now that Pippin had gotten to Heaven to wait for us, we need to work even harder to make sure we get there to meet him. Elizabeth asked me if Pippin had Original Sin on his soul and I explained the we rely on God's mercy for unborn babies, and that God knows our desire for Baptism for all of our children.

They cried, they questioned, Timmy asked for a second opinion thinking the doctor could have made a mistake. Tears came and went through the day.

Too short a time. Nine short weeks, if that, my little Pippin grew inside me. Four short weeks did I have to love him and pray for him and nurture him as best I could. I now grieve my loss while rejoicing that my little one is with our Blessed Mother. I must now turn my attention to our Merry and cherish each day I have with him (or her), realizing just how fragile life is.

Thy will be done.

The Little Uncle

 

 

This little guy takes his responsibility very seriously. He barely moved a muscle while holding Ella for at least ten minutes, except to put her pacifier back in her mouth. He wouldn't let us take her. Just look at that pleased expression on his face!

I Saw God Today