Monday, October 30, 2006
This morning Noah proudly announced to Mark that Caleb had learned four new words--Murder, Denver, Okay and "I Don't Know." Mark suggested that Caleb probably didn't say "murder" to which Noah replied, "No Daddy, he said 'mudda.'"
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Sunday, October 29, 2006
What in the world have we done to ourselves?
The twins are great sleepers. . . during the day that is. But as soon as we turn out the lights and try to go to sleep, they immediately start to fuss. I know it's just a matter of time and they'll be sleeping through the night like the rest of our kids but this all night long fussy stuff is going to be the death of me, and Mark. The first night they fussed until 3:00am. The second night they fussed until 5:00am and last night they fussed off and on through the entire night, not to mention Caleb was up with a belly ache and Mark ended up sleeping on the floor next to his crib for awhile. And I've dealt with worse, when Noah and Denver were babies, and I know it's only for a small moment, but none of that makes it any easier.
And then my breasts are swollen to the size of bowling balls and the twins are still new at latching on which makes the first minute of nursing pretty painful. And last night I was sitting in bed with a baby on each gigantic breast and they were gulping in unison like if either of them stopped the other would drown and I looked at Mark, who was just staring at the freakiness of it all and I was so embarassed. And Mark (sweet man that he is) just smiled and said, "I think it's a beautiful thing and I'm just glad we didn't have triplets." And all I could do was laugh, which probably hurts more than anything else right now because my belly is all in stitches (or rather staples). But then I look at how sweet and tiny they are and how desperately they need me and as terrible as it all might seem, it's also very sweet and wonderful and delicious!
Jericho is on the left and Justus is on the right.
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Friday, October 27, 2006
For those who have been wondering, we've named the twins. We picked their names not too long after we learned we were having twins but toyed with several other names, including a few girlie ones, until we knew for sure what we had. Baby A (who was Baby B in utero and pushed his way to first in line) is Jericho Pearson Henrichsen. I suggested Jericho Pearson to Mark, half joking, half trying to be original and Mark immediately fell in love with the name. He reminded me of his Uncle Gerry Pearson who had recently passed away and liked the thought of naming one of our boys after him. Then, at Reunion we learned from Aunt Sharon that Gerry had been lovingly called Jericho by his mother and Co-co by his sister. After that discovery, we knew one of the twins would definitely be Jericho. And yesterday, after we discussed names one last time, we settled on Baby B's name--Justus William Henrichsen. We toyed with Joshua (which the three oldest boys really wanted so they could sing "Joshua fit the battle with Jericho"), Jacob, Jordan and Jonah but finally decided on Justus meaning "righteous." So, together the twins' names will remind us that the righteous will be led to the promised land someday. And the middle names--now we have at least one name from each of our family roots: Denver Marcus is Copen, Jericho Pearson is obviously Pearson, William comes from the Stout side, and Allen (Caleb's middle name) is Henrichsen.
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
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Twin boys!
Stats:
Baby A
Born: 9:23 AM
Weight: 6 lbs
Length: 18.75 inches
Baby B
Born: 9:24 AM
Weight: 6 lbs, 1 oz
Length: 18.50 inches
Mother and babies are tired, but are doing well.
We don't know if they are identical, and we don't know who they look like, except for each other, and possibly Caleb. We are still finalizing our name choices, so stay tuned for updates.
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Today is my last day being pregnant and I thought it would be fun to write down what exactly I spent my last day doing and a few other random facts. So. . .
 Today was a very crisp, cool day. I think we made 53 degrees, if that. As a result, the first thing I did, after getting the boys ready for school, was to pull out the winter jackets. Hunter, Noah and Caleb have coats that will work, but Denver outgrew his. So, after I put some laundry away and Kathy and I played a round of Mario Party with Denver, we headed out to Kohls in the hopes of finding Denver a winter coat. Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder and I'm not exactly going to have time anytime soon to go coat shopping. We lucked out and found the boys' winter jackets on sale and got Denver a great winter coat. Then I ran to the grocery store for some fresh fruit, first to stock up for Mark and Kathy and second, cause I had this crazy hankering for some watermelon. . . and grapes. . . and strawberries. . . . I've heard the worst thing about having a c-section is the gas and I decided (in the hopes of not clogging myself up) I'd avoid all dairy and rich foods today. Guess fresh fruit sounded good and safe. We shall see.
 We arrived home two minutes before the boys returned home from school and Stevie showed up to play with them. I made Denver some lunch quick, finished a game of Five Crowns with Hunter and Stevie, and gave Kathy a haircut. Then Kathy, Caleb and I joined the kids outside to play in the leaves and check on the chickens, who desperately needed some food. The kids needed a snack when we got in and I needed a shower, which Caleb insisted on joining in on. He's sick with a cold and has been slightly clingy today. It kills my back (and my legs and my hips) carrying him around the house all day, but he wouldn't have things any other way. So we got ourselves cleaned up and Kathy took the traditional "belly pictures" for posterity. Then the boys needed a shower, Hunter needed to do his homework and dinner needed prepared. We ate dinner and the boys are in bed and I only have a million things to do before tomorrow. But instead, I'm blogging.
Things I Won't Miss About Being Pregnant
1--Not being able to sleep
2--Not being able to roll myself over in bed
3--Not being able to get myself out of bed to go to the bathroom, before I start to wet my pants
4--Constantly wetting my pants in tiny gushes all day long
5--Hearing all sorts of obscene noises under my rib cage and other various places that I shouldn't be hearing such noises
6--My swollen left leg
7--Not being able to bend over
8--My maternity clothes
9--Waddling
10--My back ache
11--Heartburn every night at 2:00am
12--The inability to hold a conversation without huffing and puffing
13--The Non-Stress Tests, ultrasounds and doctor's appointments
14--Driving the car with my belly smashed into the steering wheel
15--The terrible popping sensation (or massive kick in my bladder) every time I go to the bathroom
16--Bending over and farting and "hershey squirting" in my pants from the pressure
17--The unbearable achiness and pain I feel every morning when it's time to wake up
18--Not being able to put my clothes on myself (Hunter helped me with my pants today)
19--Not being able to shave my legs
20--Not being able to put lotion on my feet or wear normal shoes
21--The ache in my knees
22-Weighing 200 pounds
23--Peeing in cups
 Aren't You Excited?
I've had a lot of people ask me if I'm not excited about tomorrow. Sure I am. Who wouldn't be? We're having twins and we get to see them for the first time in just a few hours and we don't know what Baby B is and if they're identical or not and I don't have to be pregnant anymore and of course, there are a million things to be excited about. And I am excited. But excitement is one of many emotions I'm feeling right now and I can't say that its the most prevalent one. I'm afraid. I've never had a c-section before and I've heard all sorts of scary stories about them. I'm afraid of the work load I face with six very young children and all of their needs. I'm nervous about how I'm going to nurse these two babies and the guilt I might feel if I can't do it and I end up putting them on the forbidden formula! I'm nervous about letting Mark down if we don't have a girl. And I'm nervous about what I'll do if we do have a girl. I'm stressed about getting everything packed and ready to go. I'm stressed about all the people who want to come visit me in the hospital and what I'm going to do if I don't want any visitors or if a bunch of visitors show up when I'm sitting there topless trying to nurse two babies. I'm worried about the kids and the next four days when I'm in the hospital--will they do their homework and who will pack their lunches and what if Mark and Hunter fight the whole time and what if Caleb comes down with an ear infection? Who will notice that he's not acting like himself and get him to the doctor? And will Mark be able to find all the things he needs to take care of the kids? And are the kids going to have a good Halloween, despite the new additions to our family? And is the house going to fall apart while I'm gone and if so, who will clean it up? I'm grumpy, I'm tired, I'm happy. I'm relieved that I didn't go into labor early and that the twins are good and healthy and ready to be delivered. But I guess, like my sister Melanie says, "Tomorrow feels like Christmas." And my eyelids are heavy and my eyes are burning and I am sleepy, but I'm not sure if I'll get to sleep cause I am pretty darn excited. Its almost over and just beginning all at the same time.
Final Stats
1--My belly measures 47 inches around
2--My left thigh is swollen 2 inches bigger than my right
3--My left ankle is swollen 1/2 inch bigger than my right
4--I currently weigh 198 pounds
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Sunday, October 22, 2006
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Friday, October 20, 2006
 Yesterday, while I was trying to have my so-called nap, I woke up at one point to the sound of running water and Denver saying something about Noah making ice cubes. Around here, the boys aren't allowed to play in the water unless they are being supervised, so of course, that jerked me right out of my REM cycle and I went to investigate. Noah had happily finished the last few pieces of Dentyne Ice and after getting bored of trying to teach Denver how to blow bubbles (and me telling them to stop it after Denver's wad of gum flew on the floor for the fiftieth time) he decided the empty packaging would make a great ice cube tray. Since I was up and the boys had begun fighting over I can't remember what, I suggested Noah bring his "ice cube tray" into the kitchen and we'd make some ice cubes. He wanted little pieces of fruit cut up into each cube and then water added. Slacker mom that I am, I suggested we just add fruit juice and skip the whole fresh fruit thing. He agreed. So we poured some juice into the empty gum wrapper and froze it. Much to Noah's (and Denver's and Caleb's) delight, the mini ice cube tray worked and turned out some of the cutest little ice cubes I've ever done seen. And Noah declared the day not a bummer after all.
Today Noah went to school on his own for the first time. Hunter wasn't barfing anymore but my barf rule is "no one goes anywhere until 24 hours from the last barf" which techinically put him at the end of school today. So, while he stayed home, Noah marched off to school alone. Upon his return he proudly announced to both Mark and I that we were going to be shocked about what he got today and instructed us to look in his back pack. Then, before either of us could look into his back pack he pulled out a bag and said, "I got a $5 award for a drawing I did today and they let me go to the book fair and I got this book and this eraser!" Of course, neither of us were shocked that Noah got picked for his artwork, because Noah is just a fabulous artist, but we were surprised at the unexpected award. Congratulations Noah!
 I took this picture of Caleb on Monday. In just a matter of days, he's no longer the baby of the family. Makes you want to cry, doesn't it? Me too. I've been super emotional lately and I think knowing that Caleb is going to grow up so fast has something to do with it. I can't seem to cuddle him enough and even though I know he's not going to remember any of this, I am and the anguish of seeing my baby grow so fast will last in my memory forever. I still cry over videos of Noah when he was a baby--it was all such a blur with Mark losing his job and Christmas and finding out we were having another baby and Mark leaving for his new job and me selling the house and packing up the house--somehow Noah's babyhood got lost in it all. And I hate that I can't remember him very small. I don't want it to be the same for Caleb. Anyway, I just saw him laying there and I thought, how precious that little man is and had to take a picture.
I had a NST today as well as a doctor's visit. The doctor said if this was a single pregnancy I would be measuring at 48 weeks--I'm only 37 weeks. That's a little disturbing but that's exactly how I feel. Huge! He saw my swollen foot and expressed some concern about preclampsia, even though my blood pressure is normal. He said he'd arrange for some blood work to be done during my NST and save me a trip. Then I asked him about Kathy being there for the c-section and he said he hadn't quite figured that out yet. I left to make my 2-week post-op appointment and the doctor came out and said, "All set." I said, "For the blood work?" And he said, "No, for Kathy to be in the OR with you." Great, I thought, she'll be so excited. So I headed off to my NST and when I got there I mentioned to MaryAnn that the doctor wanted some blood work done for preclampsia and she said, "I just talked to Dr. S but he didn't mention you." Hmmmm. . . I thought. I may die of preclampsia, but at least Kathy will get to be there for the delivery of the twins. At least we know one of us is loved. MaryAnn said the babies are doing amazingly well and we even got to see Baby A sucking his thumb. Baby B is determined to be deliverd first and has literally kicked Baby A all the way over into my right hip. It's very comfortable, to say the least. Only one more NST and this will all be over.
 Probably because of the nearness of the twins delivery, I decided today to do a little Christmas baking and stocking up. So I finished cutting out some gingerbread I made a week ago and whipped up a double batch of sugar cookies--some for Halloween and some for Christmas. Then Denver and I made some more pumpkin cookies together. Anyway, after the mixing was done, he and Caleb sat on the counter taking turns licking the beater and I couldn't resist another picture. The cookies aren't so great, but hopefully the memories will be. I also had the chance to snuggle Hunter to sleep today, which is something that RARELY happens around here anymore, especially in my condition. But he had complete meltdown at one point and after sending him to bed and listening to him vent for about 10 minutes I wandered upstairs with some Tylenol and snuggled in with him for a few minutes and I'm glad I did, even if it hurt. Who knows when I'll get to do that again? I'm afraid pretty soon snuggling with Mom won't be so cool anymore and that will be a very sad day indeed.
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
I had the most wonderful realization today. This is my last day going solo for awhile. Mark will be home tomorrow and through the weekend. And then, Kak-Kak is coming on Monday. She'll be here until the first of November. And then Mom and Dad are coming. That doesn't mean things are going to get any easier--since we'll be increasing the size of our family by "four feet" in just a matter of days, as well as our work load. But, there's something nice about knowing I won't be alone through it all. The end is so totally in sight!
Of course, today, Hunter came down with a stomach bug and spent the entire morning and a good part of the afternoon barfing and crying and hollering for me to bring more popsicles and coke. And around 2:00pm when I'd finally had enough and started to doze off, the other three boys decided to be their noisiest. Noah decided he just had to practice piano. Denver needed to practice his ninja moves off the couch. And Caleb discovered he can open and slam shut the entertainment center door, which he proceeded to do for an entire 20 minutes straight. So much for resting. But I suppose it was all made bearable by the mere fact that today is the last day I'll be doing this all on my own for awhile and I am very happy about that. Very. Happy.
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
We have a basement full of toys--legos, blocks, K'Nex. Upstairs under the bunk beds we have Brio trains, more legos, Bionicles, Transformers. They have marble mazes, games, puzzles, and books. They have their Daddy's entire G.I. Joe collection at their fingertips. And what do they play with? Pencil erasers and pencil grips with an assorted pencil here and there. I'm not sure I'll ever understand but the important thing is, they are keeping themselves busy without the television or the nintendo and they're playing nice. So I suppose I'll stop complaining now and enjoy the peace and quiet.
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Friday, October 13, 2006
 I had my millionth Non-Stress Test today and my almost millionth ultrasound. The twins are doing well and getting big. Baby A is breech right now and weighing in at 5 pounds 10 ounces. Baby B is head down and only a little smaller, 5 pounds 1 ounce. That means I'm hefting almost 11 pounds of baby or more than 2 five pound bags of sugar (and that doesn't include the placenta and all the fluid they're swimming happily around in.) Doctor C. gave me permission to go into labor at anytime and both MaryAnn and Doctor C. said I had several contractions during their tests. Of course I didn't feel any of them, which isn't a good sign. On the other hand, I think I'v started losing my mucous plug, which for those of you who don't know what that is and what that means, it means I'm getting really close to delivering. I was hoping to go today--how cool would it be to have twins on Friday the 13th? But no such luck. I'd settle for this weekend even though I know it would absolutely devastate Kathy who would miss participating in the c-section. Of course, who knows what's going on with my body and when these babies are really going to abandon ship. . . I mean, uterus? If it were a normal pregnancy I'd go at least to my due date and probably a day or two over. So. . . we shall see. At the latest, these babies will be delivered sometime on the morning of October 25th--just a wee 12 days from now.
 This is what my left foot looks like at the end of the day. It is probably more disturbing to me than my old stretch marks that have begun bulging on the underside of my belly. It literally looks like a balloon with five little piggies sticking out at the end and if I could I would pop it with a pin. I try and put my feet up but then my back hurts. My back is fine as long as I'm standing but then my feet suffer. Sleeping is more difficult than anything and morning is oh, so harsh. Once I'm up and moving I'm fine, but I really hate it when the alarm clock goes off and every little move I make towards getting out of bed causes my muscles to scream in agony. I no longer have a belly button. It's beyond the "popped up" phase and now is practically invisible in pictures. I wish I could say the same for my stretch marks. I'm down to three pairs of pants that fit and have started digging into Mark's shirts. The sad thing is, even Mark's shirts are tight across my belly, which currently measures 46 inches around. I've abandoned going to church, although I may attend next week for the Primary Program, if I can find a tent big enough to cover myself. But all in all, I feel good and consider myself blessed because I'm still driving myself to the hospital and I'm not on bed rest and there's really nothing slowing me down and nothing I can't do. . . except run and maybe jump and do the monkey bars with Noah and fit into a size four, oh and show Denver how to do a cartwheel. But those things will come back to me someday, except for maybe the size four part--but at this point, even a size fourteen looks good to me.
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Thursday, October 12, 2006
 As soon as I found out we were having twins I decided I'd better get to work on making two more "crazy crawl quilts." That was several months ago. Last night I finally finished up the last one and feel very proud of myself for managing to make every single one of my kids a quilt, even if they're not nearly as nice as the quilts Lady or Grandma Henrichsen makes or as crafty as some of the things Miss Taffy has made.
Anyway, during General Conference weekend I was busy tying one of the quilts--not necessarily because I wanted to be on the floor, hunched over my ginormous belly tying a quilt, but because my sewing machine decided to go on the fritz and do a bad job of finishing up the last part of that particular quilt. So, in order to hold it all together I had to tie it. While I was working on the quilt, Hunter said he wanted ties on his quilt and an edge like the one I had done on Caleb's and the twins' quilts. With that suggestion I asked Hunter if he knew why I made Crazy Crawl Quilts for each of the kids and he said he didn't. So I told him. Ever since then I've been determined to finish the last two quilts and write down the story behind them, just so someday, when they all grow up and wonder why I made such ugly quilts for each of them, they'll know. So, with that, I present the last two quilts, which are finally complete and the tale behind them.
 You see, when Hunter was just a few months old we owned these plaid green and pink and cream colored couches. The pattern on them must have been fascinating to Hunter because he was always staring at it and cooing at it. Anyway, one day when Hunter was getting close to crawling I thought, "Hey! I wonder if I made a quilt with lots of contrasting patterns and designs on it and made it really long, if Hunter would like to crawl and play on it." I guess I thought the patterns would stimulate his little brain and give him a jump on being real smart. So, one day Hunter and I visited Wal-Mart's craft section. And I started holding bolts of material in front of his little carseat, to see what kind of reaction I'd get. Some material he'd just stare at like it was no big deal. And other bolts he'd coo and "a-goo" at, just like he did to the couch at home. Those bolts went into my cart. I bought nine different patterns that Hunter seemed to love and took them home, where I sewed all the strips together and formed them into the most simple, pathetic quilt you've ever seen. But when I laid it out on the floor, Hunter seemed to love it and that was all that mattered to me. It was the perfect length for blanket rides and Mark started rolling him up in the quilt till Hunter was a little worm baby and tickled him under his chin till he was laughing so hard he started turning red. Then Mark would set him down and unroll him, again sending Hunter into a fit of laughter. The game soon became known as "Little Bug" and Hunter would voluntarily lay himself down at one end and wait to be rolled up like a pig in a blanket. The blanket went everywhere Hunter went and pretty soon it was his special ble-ble. When we found out Noah was coming, instead of forcing Hunter to share his special ble-ble I decided I'd just make another, since it's such a simple thing to make. So I did. And another for Denver. And another for Caleb. And two more for the twins. All of them have some patterns that are exactly the same. And all of them have things about them that are unique. And in a way they're sort of symbolic of each of my children--the way they are all tied together by things they share and yet they are each unique and individual and so special to me in their own sweet ways. And so maybe they aren't the most gorgeous quilts, but they are special to my children and each of them know that I made them special for them because I love them and that's what makes them so nice to wrap up in at the end of the day. And now I'm thinking, since I love to torture myself with more projects, I might make Hunter a new one for his baptism, complete with ties and the edge that he wants. A family in our ward always gives their kids a new comforter on their baptism day and use it as a reminder that the Holy Ghost is also a comforter and a very special gift from Heavenly Father. I think it would be a nice gift, especially if I could finagle a way to get family members to each design a square for the quilt. Hmmmmm. . . guess I have some planning to do.
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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
 Yesterday was cRaZy! Of course, Mark is gone again and that never makes things easy. The day started with my alarm going off at 6:30am. That's early for us. . . I guess we're lazy that way. Anyway, I was laying there listening to the radio when WEBE108 said they were giving away four tickets to Disney on Ice if you could tell them what a couple of kids in their twenties had just sold to Google. Well, for those of you who don't know me very well, I spend a lot of time watching Nick Jr, Noggin, PBS Kids and Disney. And I spend a lot of time listening to Laurie Berkner and Barney. And I rarely have time to read a book, newspaper or magazine. So, when I know the answer to a trivia question like the one they were asking, it's a really big deal. And as fat and sore and achy as I was feeling, laying there all lazy in my bed, I knew I had to get up and try and win those tickets. So I did. I hopped up so fast Mark would have been proud had he been there. And I snatched the phone and dialed and dialed and dialed and waited and waited and waited and then. . . someone else won the tickets. I don't even know how I knew the answer, which by the way is You Tube, but I did and I was so excited, because for once in a really long time I felt smart and educated and I so totally wanted to win those tickets. But I suppose our unlucky streak hasn't quite left us yet and it wasn't meant to be. So I dragged myself out of bed the rest of the way and got myself dressed for the day.
I got Hunter and Noah dressed and fed and off to school. Then I got Denver and Caleb dressed, fed and loaded into the car and we were off. We managed to arrive almost on time for my 9:15am doctor's appointment, which thankfully was pretty brief. Then, I loaded up the kids again and headed over to the Lopiano's where Johnette was waiting to take my kids for the morning. Denver and Caleb went with her happily, which is always a relief, and I ran out the door for my NST. I ended up sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes which put me in a serious time crunch since Hunter and Noah had early dismissal and I had less than an hour to finish the test, walk all the way back to the Suburban (which I parked several blocks away because I'm afraid of parking it in the parking garage), drive all the way back home and run up to the school to get the boys. Anyway, MaryAnn apologized and promised she'd get me out of there by 12:30. So she hooked me up to the monitors and ended up holding Baby A's monitor on herself because he (and yes, it's definitely a "he") was so active he kept dropping off the monitor. MaryAnn said something about him being a "wild child" and then when she did the ultrasound she managed to get a shot of him waving at us both. Looks like we'll be having another rascal baby.
 Anyway, I shot out of that hospital. . . okay, I waddled very slowly out of the hospital and up the hill to the Suburban and sped off to get the kids at school. Once I'd gathered them up, I ran home for a sandwhich and flipped on the sprinkler so our newly reseeded lawn (and all of Mark's hard work) wouldn't be for naught. Then I loaded up Hunter and Noah and headed back to the Lopiano's to collect the other two boys. They all jumped on the Lopiano's trampoline for a few minutes while Johnette and I chatted and then we headed off for Benedict's and their infamous Hay Maze. The boys could hardly wait. I think they played in the hay for two hours and even when I insisted they come pick their pumpkin, they still weren't finished. Hunter is technically too tall for the hay maze nowadays, but that didn't stop him and several other "big boys" from having a blast in there. Denver had hay in his underwear, Caleb managed to eat several handfuls, Noah's shoes were full of the stuff and Hunter was dumping pocketfuls of hay all over the place as we left. The stroller is full of hay, the car is full of hay and even when we got home I was vacuuming up piles of the stuff. Ugh!
  
 We left with three small pumpkins (two are for homemade pumpkin pie which is so totally fun to make) and one is for Hunter's pumpkin house he is insisting on creating, which requires a big round flat pumpkin and a second, small pumpkin for the second story. I ran into the store for some chicken feed and wood shavings and then we headed out for Dairy Queen. It was dinner time and I really had no energy left for cooking and cleaning, so we picked up some hot dogs and ice cream and headed home. The boys were filthy (which is a major understatement) so of course, I had to throw them all in the shower and bath and get them scrubbed down, which is no easy task when you are as huge as I am. I got them in their pajamas, Hunter got his homework done, bedtime stories and then. . . the chickens started screeching like something was eating them alive. So I ran downstairs to check things out. . . nothing. So I returned to finish the books and Noah said, "When you were on your way downstairs I saw what it was." "Oh really," I said. "What did it look like?" "Well," said Noah, "It had four legs, two eyes and a nose." Hmmmmm. . . .
I managed to finish tucking the kids in bed and then practically fell in bed myself. But I had a terrible time sleeping without Mark to rub the knots out of my back and also because I freak myself out without my man around to protect me. And despite the fact that I had checked on the chickens and checked Hunter's blood and I was curled up with my giant Mag-Lite and steak knife and several telephones and the remote control, I couldn't get comfortable and I couldn't sleep. And I heard what sounded like a helicopter circling the house ALL NIGHT LONG and a racoon screaming in our backyard and Denver came in crying because he was too hot so I turned the A/C on high and he curled up next to me, which is not good when your pregnent and already immensley uncomfortable, and I woke up every half an hour the ENTIRE NIGHT and felt like it was never going to end. And then, when I finally fell asleep hard, I was rudely awakened by what I thought was Hunter having a seizure. So I jumped out of bed (despite my achiness and the pains in my back) only to find out my alarm had been turned down (from trying to win tickets to Disney on Ice) and I had overslept and it wasn't Hunter having a seizure but the boys fighting and I had all of twenty minutes to get them out the door. But they made it on time and looks like today will be a much slower day. . . I hope.
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Monday, October 09, 2006
When I was pregnant with Hunter, I think I remember Diana joking about how maybe instead of a boy baby or a girl baby we might end up having a monkey baby. And until just a month or so ago, I was pretty sure we hadn't had any monkey babies. But after just two days of Kindergarten, Noah figured out how to do *this. And now I'm wondering if maybe Noah is part monkey, part boy after all. Either way, he sure is proud of the fact that he's the first one of our children to accomplish such a feat and has quite a few callouses to prove it.
*I think sometimes it's hard to tell I've got a link on my blogs. So, if you haven't figured it out yet, if you click on the word "this" you actually get to see what it is that Noah is able to do.
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Saturday, October 07, 2006
  
A few days ago I gave you a haircut. You didn't really need it, and honestly I sort of wish I hadn't done it, but family tradition around here usually involves a haircut right around the time you turn one. And you did have some hair that was getting pretty long and I just thought I'd fancy you up a bit. But the thing is, my heart is aching really bad because you are growing up. And you are growing up really fast. And I can hardly believe that in the past twelve months you've gone from
this to  this.
And it just seems wrong that a baby should grow up so fast. I suppose you didn't stay little enough, long enough for me. And you can do so many things. And in just a few weeks you'll be a big brother. And I'm not sure it's fair, that such a small lad should be a big brother so soon. And that haircut, even if it is not a big deal, seems like a huge deal to me, like maybe I robbed you of your babyhood with those clippers and scissors. And it seems like overnight you're a big boy now. And I wish, even if it was just for a few minutes, that I could turn back time and have you little again so I could smell your sweet breath and nuzzle your warm neck and hold those precious tiny hands in mine once more.
But then, I'd miss you dumping the entire contents of my baking utensil drawer on the floor in one giant crash or yanking the bottom drawer of the loaded dishwasher onto the floor. Or the sweet way you point up at the sky everytime you hear an airplane or a firetruck or a car go by. And I'd miss the way you wake up every morning and hand me your silkie and say "this" like you don't want me to forget it and then you stand up and do a victory dance, like at last I've come to save you from the bondage of your crib. And I'd miss the way you sign "more, more, more" when you enter the kitchen looking for food--like a few Saturdays ago when it was getting to be quite late in the morning and we hadn't fed you breakfast yet. We asked, "Who wants breakfast?" And you raised your hand and signed "more more more" and then pointed to the kitchen. How many one year olds can communicate so well? And I'd miss the way you hold the phone behind your head and walk around the house chatting with "grandma" in your sweet baby babble. And I'd miss seeing all the new stunts you can do--like this. You are so brave and fearless and everything you see and do is so magical and new and exciting. And how could I live without seeing you fold your tiny arms at prayer time and then halfway through the prayer, throw them wide open the way you do when we say "ta-da" and laugh and giggle at yourself and anyone else that might be peeking at you during the prayer. And if you were little again, I would miss seeing you parade around the house dragging your silkie behind you, thumb in your mouth. And who would throw away all of our remote controls and gamecube paddles and kitchen utensils and then pull out all the garbage and chew on it?
  
So, I guess as hard as it is to see you grow up at such a fast pace and know that in just a few weeks you're going to grow even more, it's more wonderful to see you turn into the little person you were meant to become. And the truth is, no matter how fast you grow or how big you get, you will always be my little boy and I will always love you. Here's to the past year and all its wonder and to many more years just as wonderful. Happy Birthday little man!
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Today I am exhausted. I'm not sure what's changed all of the sudden, but I feel like a walking zombie. I can barely keep my eyes open and I have no energy. I'm not sick and I didn't have a bad night. I'm just so tired. I hope this is just for today cause I really hate feeling like this and my kids aren't very patient with the fact that I'm just sitting around like a great big lump on a log. I have so many things I'm still hoping to do before these babies come. And, my netflix movies haven't arrived yet. And I'm so sleepy. . . so sleepy. . . .zzzzzzzzzz.
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