Another "How Did This Happen?" Moment

Today I registered Mr. A for Kindergarten.  Kindergarten!!!  Hard to believe my first baby will be off into the big bad schooling world come this Fall. 

It feels like my first real "wings" moment as a mom.  I'll continue to give him roots and now I get to start giving him some wings too.  All sorts of great changes coming for Mr. A and for all of us.  Fly!  Fly!!

How to Keep the Commandments

While in church last week Mr. A listened to someone at church talking about how to keep the commandments.  He immediately turned to me with all the confidence in the world and said,

"Mom, I know how we can keep the commandments."

"Oh good!" I whispered.  "How?"

"You take them and you hide them under the pillows and you don't tell anybody where they are and that's how you keep them!"

Brilliant, I tell you.  And, we now have our next topic for our Family Night lesson.

Hoping...and Wishing...and Dreaming...and Deserving

Like some of you, I have a dear, dear friend, and her awesome husband who would love love love to be parents.  And they will be pretty darn amazing ones, if I do say so.  So, if you know anyone who may be wanting to find some fan-tas-tic parents for their baby, please send them Holly & Kumen's profile.  And, did I mention they're awesome??!

Click here for their profile and information

Aren't they cute?!  Good luck, you two!

Baby S is Born

I realized the other day that I have not recorded Baby S's birth story.  It's nothing too outrageously fantastic, but I like it just the same.

I was originally due on 08/09/10.  How cool of a birthday would that have been?  But, then I went to the 12-week ultrasound and was told that it looked more like 08/01/10  (I had NO idea for the dr's on possible conception date - don't ask).  I have delivered my other 2 kids 6 and 5 days early, respectively, so I had to wonder with this one.

Fast forward to Saturday, July 24th.  DH had been gone on a week-long trip and was due home that evening.  He called me around 3 pm, though, and said he didn't think he would make it home because there was weather in some city that would prevent him from making it back to Chicago in time to catch the last flight to Philly.  At 3 pm that was no big deal.

At 2-ish I had gone with my friend, Sarah, to her parents' home about an hour away to swim with the kids, have pizza, and drink root beer and eat ice cream.  It was hot and we thought it would be fun.  And it was!  My 2 kids could not stop jumping off the diving board.  I had to be there to catch Miss M so I spent a lot of time treading water.  At about 4-ish, I started feeling a few contractions (I had had some the night before, but drank a bottle of water and laid on my side and they went away) again.  Didn't think much of it.  Until another one came a few minutes later.  And then another.  And another.  I finally grabbed Sarah's phone and started timing them.  9 minutes.  8 minutes.  8 minutes, 30 seconds.  Hmm.  I was sensing a bit of a pattern.  They were pretty uncomfortable, but I could still talk through them.

At 5 I called DH -
Me: "Where are you?"
DH: "Leaving Dallas on my way to Atlanta, why?"
Me: "I'm having contractions that are about 9 minutes apart and I'm not sure that it's anything, but if it IS something, I would hate for you to miss it.  Can you fly home from Atlanta?"
DH: "Yep.  I'll be there."

By 7 we were on the road back to home.  I got home, put the kids to bed, drank a big bottle of water and laid down on my left side willing my contractions to go away.

By 11 DH was calling me again.  He had missed the last flight out of Atlanta to Philly (it was full and he couldn't get a seat on it).  He told me the earliest he could get there in the morning was 9 AM, by the time he got to the hospital, it would be 10-ish.  Alright. I'll cross my fingers.

11:30 - DH calls again - "Can you get me a rental car in Allentown?  I can get in there tonight."

You bet.  Rental car booked and he's on his way.  Allentown's an hour away, and he gets home at 2:30 AM.  I'm awake because I only slept from 1:30-2:15.  Contractions were 5 to 6 minutes apart at this point and I was not comfortable.  By 4:30 AM I was in the shower and getting ready to call the dr. But first I blow dried my hair.  Priorities.

5:10 - I call the dr and leave a message with the answering service.  Go downstairs to eat breakfast.
6:00 - Come back upstairs and sit on the exercise ball waiting for the call back.
7:00 - Still nothing, but the contractions have gone back to being closer to 7-8 minutes apart, but they're harder.
7:30 - Call the dr again and tell the answering service (it's Sunday, remember) that I did not get a call back the first time I called.
7:35 - Dr. calls me back.  "So sorry - they told me you were 29 weeks, not 39 weeks."  Still.  She leaves it up to me.  I can come in or I can wait a little bit more.  I tell her I'll get my kids off to church, go walk some curbs, and then come in.  Sounds like a plan.
9:00 - Kids leave and DH and I start walking the curbs in 90+ degree heat
9:30 - Contractions are now 2-3 minutes apart.
9:45 - We leave for the hospital.
10:10 - Check-in to the maternity unit
10:45 - I'm at a 4 and they're keeping me (really??? only a 4??? after all that laboring ALL.NIGHT.LONG????)
11:00 - I tell the nurse that I'd like to have this baby with no epidural
11:30 - They break my water.
11:45 - These are very painful contractions
12:10 - My DH has no blood left in his wrist because I've squeezed it all out.  MERCY!!!  The thunder and lightning of a quick summer thunderstorm have begun.  I feel the same way. 
12:20 - My epidural comes - I'm at a 7 - so much for that resolve!
12:45 - It finally kicks in 100% and I snooze for a bit
2:10 - Nurse comes to check on me.  "Oh wow!!  You're ready to have a baby!"
2:30 - The Dr. comes in and gets situated.
2:33 - Start pushing
2:36 - I get to pull sweet, screaming Baby S on to my chest and be the first to cuddle her and cry and be so thrilled that all went well, that my DH made it in time, and that we all get to sleep that night.

The end. :)  But, really, only the beginning.  Love you, Baby S.

Merry Christmas from the Seamons Clan

Home for Christmas

We had an unusual first in our 10 1/2 yrs of marriage this year - we stayed home for the holidays.  All of them.  Hard to believe, but we have never once been in our home for Christmas.  We have always been able to celebrate with family, but this year we had decided to stay close to home when DH tore his Achilles, and it ended up being absolutely delightful! 

A few things we enjoyed:

• A visit from Nancy, Clint, and "Baby DAbid" as Miss M likes to call him for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• A visit from Santa Claus - he got a bit carried away, we think, but I've heard he's apt to do that
• A visit from the cold/cough fairies - they enjoyed time with Miss M and Baby S and now the rest of us are hoping they stay far far away
• A yummy Christmas dinner with fun family and close friends - 28 people at ONE dining room table!  Go Sarah!
• A trip to the Crayola Factory and Canal Museum
• A New Year's Eve celebration with super great friends playing Reverse Charades (I'll never talk about the Ten Commandments again without thinking of Rob's flubbing of it) and Dance Central on the Kinect, and eating eating eating!
• Miss M's renewed passion to say all of the prayers - which she starts by saying "Dear Harry Potter" - because that's how she says "Heavenly Father."  I smile every time.
• Our "live" Christmas Eve nativity - complete with a great Joseph (Mr. A), a large Baby Jesus (Baby S), a heavenly angel (Baby David), and a standing Mary (Miss M) because, just as she entered "Bethlehem" and was instructed to sit down, "Got poop" - all caught on video camera.
• Miss M's explanations for why she does something - "Pa-cuz" instead of because.
• Taking Mr. A to black-light mini-golf and the arcade (thanks, Groupon) as entertainment one afternoon
• Making homemade cinnamon rolls 
• After-Christmas decoration bargain hunting/shopping
• Watching the Rose Parade on tv and eating our donuts (even if we couldn't be there in person)
• Spending time together as a family

In 2011 we have much to look forward to - a healed Achilles tendon, a newborn becoming a toddler, my first "baby" becoming a Kindergartner, Miss M starting preschool, many fun memories to be made, visits with family, my baby brother's wedding, and figuring out what life as we know it should really be!  It'll be a great one. 

Goodbye, 2010.  You brought us our sweet Baby S, our Mr. A's tubes in his ears, a wonderful 10 yr anniversary trip to Hawaii, a fantastic 2 weeks at the beautiful S. Carolina coast, 2 crutches, a cast, some reminders that we're not as young as we think we are, and developed patience and growth.  Thanks a bunch!

A Neglectful State of Mind

I really do love me some good Christmas spirit.  I love cookie exchanges and burning pine candles.  I love flurries of snow and well wishers at the store.  I even love the Salvation Army bell ringer standing outside my Acme who helped me teach my two oldest kids the spirit of giving the other day.  I love Christmas programs at Church, constant Christmas music playing in my car, at my house, in the stores.  It is all a joy to me.

This year, however, I find myself feeling like I'm constantly forgetting something - or someone.  I'm so worried that I will be wrapping presents at 8 pm on Christmas Eve and realize that I missed someone or something.  I make lists and run through everything 100 times in my mind, but still!!  Maybe it all has something to do with the craziness that we claim as ours right now. 

DH's achilles tendon is now firmly sewn back together and fortunately was not re-torn in a small tumble in the bathroom last week (to get Windex, no less).  Only a few stitches popped a few days early!  It is solidly in a plain blue cast that comes up to just below his knee and has his "little piggies" sticking out.  He has assured me the dr told him he could put weight on it around the house, but when he goes out he needs to use crutches.  I'm not so sure the dr knew how very little he leaves the house.  :)  I worry, but I try not to nag.  Easier said than done as my DH would tell you.  He probably wishes I would "neglect" him more!  I offered to take him to Target or Costco where he could ride around in the motorized wheelchairs and complete all of his Christmas shopping (my stocking, in particular).  He declined the offer and has been exercising his "Prime" shipping on Amazon.com.  The UPS man shows up at our house at LEAST once a day.  He's got to start wondering. 

I hope my children aren't feeling neglected with all of the pulls and demands on my time.  I'm sure having a lot of fun with them.  Belle, our resident elf, is doing her fair share of watching and reporting and has certainly helped me out a bit.  The kids like to break the eggs and stir the sugar into my recipes.  They absolutely love watching their hot cocoa brew in our Cocoa Latte machine.  And, they particularly enjoy a nice excuse to eat 10 marshmallows at 8 am!  Mr. A has no qualms about sitting on any Santa's lap and telling him exactly what he wants.  Miss M on the other hand, gets close enough to give a "Hi 5" and calls it good.  I feel really blessed to be their mom and need to remind myself of that more often. 

Their innocence kills me.  Mr. A prays every night that Baby Jesus will have a good birthday on Christmas and asks me what many words mean (i.e. dawdling, when I told him to stop dawdling and brush his teeth!).  I never know is he's Mr. A or "Skywalker" and he is a MASTER hider and seeker.  He even likes to play it after he's been let out of his church class and before we can make it to the car.  Ask me how much I like that.  He asks anyone and everyone to play with him.  Miss M is his favorite one because she'll ALWAYS be the counter and he can go hide anywhere. 

Miss M counting for hide and seek: "ONE!  TWO!  FOURTEEN!  EIGHT!  ELEBEN!  TWELBE! TWENTY!"  Her v's come out sounding like b's and it's adorable.  Her new favorite: "OH MY GOSH!  OH MY GOSH!"  She will eat everything in sight (or not in sight currently, but that she has memorized is there once the pantry door opens) and does not miss a meal - for anything.  She loves to tell us how she's been wronged by Mr. A and loves her binkies at bed time.  I was hoping when I took her to the dentist last week that he would chide me for giving them to her for so long and make me promise to get rid of them.  He didn't.  He just said "she's ok for now."  And she loves them so.  And she sleeps until almost 8 every morning and takes her 2 hr nap every afternoon and goes to bed between 7 and 7:15 every night.  Do I really have to mess with a good thing?!  I need to.  But I haven't.  I blame the dentist. 

And, my best for last tonight - my oh so sweet Baby S.  That girl is a dream.  She has been sleeping through the night for months.  If she wakes up before 7 it's a rarity and we pop a binkie in and back to sleep she goes for at least another hour.  And, when she's awake she is so happy.  She is so quiet that many don't even know she's there!  While her lungs have certainly developed as of late (she knows the decibel levels she needs to meet in order to compete with her siblings), it is only when she has pooped, not eaten, or is ready to go to sleep.  The rolls on her arms and legs are to. die. for.  I really wish she could take more of mine and add to hers.  She is content to hang in her pajamas all day and rolls with our punches.  I love love love her. 

And, so, tonight, I'll try not to keep myself up with all of the things I've forgotten to do.  I'm going to focus on the positive.  I got my Christmas cards out.  I got almost all of my packages sent.  I paid the bills.  I swept the floor and wiped the counters.  I did some laundry.  I changed diapers and fed hungry tummies and wiped unhappy tears.  Little victories. 

'Tis the Season

• I have a lot of pictures I'd like to post.  I will do that soon.
• November was a whirlwind and it is over today.  Really??
• With a delightful Thanksgiving behind us (thank you, Veales!) and our first-ever-in-10-years Christmas at home ahead of us, there has been much conversation about a few things:
• Belle, our new Elf (thank you, Elf on the Shelf).  She is watching and going to tell Santa if you are naughty or nice...and Mr. A and Miss M have bought into her 100%.  I love it.  
• Mom, how does Belle the Elf get to Santa and back?
• Mom, how come Belle the Elf doesn't take a nap?
• Mom, if Belle says I'm being nice, will Santa bring me more presents?
• Mom, does Belle fly to Santa's workshop?
• How come Belle doesn't talk?
• While discussing the real reason for the season during Family Home Evening last night, Mr. A came up with some stumpers:
• How old is Jesus going to be?
• When are we having His party?
• What kind of cake does He like?
• Why didn't Jesus have a bed to sleep in when he was a baby?
• Where was his family when He was born?
• Who else came to visit Him?  Animals?  Why were they allowed inside the hotel (how we described the "inn")?
• Miss M has somehow acquired a Southern accent
• "I do it all by ma by ma self" (with a long drawl on self)
• Baby S has got a smile that stretches from one side of the US to the other.  Boy is it contagious!
• She is also my 3rd baby to L-O-V-E the jumper.  And, might I add that I love it too?
• She went to see the dr. yesterday for her 4 month visit
• 13 lbs, 9 oz
• 23 1/2 inches (which basically means she's 26 inches)
• 40th percentile for head circumference (that's all I remember)
• Doing great in every way
• She loves to "talk" to all those who will listen.  Is there anything better?
• Her giggle could get the Queen of England to laugh out loud.  Really.  It's adorable.
• Have I mentioned yet that my DH played in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day and tore his Achilles?  In his words, at least he went out on top - scored 2 touchdowns.  That's all that matters, right?
• We'll know more tomorrow, but recovery time expected to be 2 months approximately before he'll work again (since he uses his feet when he flies).  Be jealous.  Be so so jealous.  

That's all I have to ramble about and use bullets for (did I mention that I love bullet points?) for now.  Merry Christmas music season!!!

Grateful

For so many many things.  But at the late hour that has become all too common as of late, I will but capture only a few:

• My Miss M's wish to me on Sat. night: "Mommy, I fly on the airplane and go get Mr. Moon and then jump on him and bring him back down.  That be so silly?" She loves Mr. Moon. 
• Miss M's not so shocking confession on the way home from church: "I like sugar in my mouth." 
• My sweet babies - all 3 of them, but only 1 of them who doesn't (and cannot) protest to my calling her my baby.  The other 2 are convinced that they are not babies anymore.  If only they knew that they will forever be those babies in my mind.  
• My body - it's lagging along and is trying oh so hard to get back to the way it was, but it still lets me get killer workout classes and runs in without too much prodding.
• My almost 4 month old true baby.  She tried rolling over the other day and I confess to maybe gently nudging her back.  Isn't it ironic?  With my first he couldn't roll fast enough.  Hooray!  He hit a milestone!  With my second, I wanted to see how she compared with my first and how the gender differences came in to play.  And, now, with my 3rd, I just want to hit freeze.  Yes, you may continue to sleep through the night, and yes, you may laugh until we are all laughing with you because it's so stinkin' cute to listen to a baby's giggle, but no, you may not roll over, no, you may not grow larger rolls on your thighs, no, you may not try to sit up all by yourself, and no, you may not be so big that you can sit in the jumper all by yourself and be happy there.  Just stay this little.  
• The villagers that help us raise our kids and influence us all for good.  I'm becoming more keenly aware of just how important those influences are on the sponge-like mind of a 4 year old who says to me, daily, "Mom, what does that mean?" when referring to the words, "mean," "obnoxious," and others.
• The Pilgrims and the Indians who took a day to put their differences aside and enjoy a meal together that became a most outstanding tradition.  
• As Mr. A said tonight, "MOM!!  Thanksgiving is in 3 days!!!  Can you believe that?!"

Not So Slim Pickin's

One of the highlights of Fall in the East are the vibrant colors and the delicious fruits of the trees.  We always love to find ourselves amongst the odoriferous apple trees in the height of Fall.  DH's parents came to town to help us celebrate Baby S and we got to spend an afternoon wandering the rows and rows and rows and rows of every apple imaginable!  We got our tractor/hayride in, and we collected an official bushel of delicious apples that allowed me to make an award-winning apple pie! 

Can you say Superman?

I just realized that I don't have any with Nana and Papa!!  Mom, will you send yours STAT?!