Life and such

My first blog post from my new iPad. I'm kind of addicted to it! And so is somebody else we know as you can see from the picture if I can get it to work.

I'm kind of addicted to Scrabble. Do I dare mention out loud that DH and I played it for our Friday night date night last week. Did I say that out loud?!

We've got spring fevers at our house this week - literally. All of th kids have had fevers, coughs, chills, etc, at some point in the last week. Miss M threw up in Nursery (she has previously had no symptoms of anything) while I was at home from church with fevered Mr. A and Baby S. Aren't we awesome parents?!

In another classic parenting moment, poor DH was taking a look into Miss M's mouth because she was complaining that it hurt her when all of a sudden she threw up again. Let's just say that everybody has had more than their fair share of showers and baths this week!

And tonight Mr. A asked me if I was going to his school friend, Connor's, mom's birthday party. I told him that I didn't know about it because I don't know her. He couldn't understand why because he said, "But, Mom, it's a MOM party! Just for moms!!". He just didn't realize that just being a mom didn't automatically qualify me for this party!

It was 85 and sunny yesterday and 55 and raining today. And we wonder why anyone is sick?!

And, for this week's entertainment...

Here is a part of the email I received from Mr. A's teacher late last week. 

"In addition, he has demonstrated an interest in play that involves guns. For example, he has been making guns from Legos and using them as such in his play with other children. In addition, A has been using his fingers to simulate guns during Circle Time (when he was struggling to stay focused). As you can understand, we discourage play that involves guns and we would appreciate your encouraging A to play in a less aggressive way."

And here is what I wish I could have said (only after asking my friends and family if this was normal):

"Dear Teacher,

He's a boy.  And he's 5. 

Thanks for your concern and let's hope that his protection instincts serve him well for many years to come.  I'm pretty sure he was shooting the bad guys.  At least, that's what he does at home for his little sister. 

Cheers!

W"

Here's what I really did say: I'm sorry about the guns and we have encouraged him to be the "protector" of his classmates in other ways.

Just keepin' it real, folks.  That's all for now.  Love you, A-bug!

(ps - the sneaky little dude came and took my iPad off of the nightstand after we had put him to bed (and DH and I were downstairs catching up) to play Angry Birds - his teacher should be happy that it uses a slingshot instead.  never. a. dull. moment.).  

This Week

• I'm ready for Spring (go away, snow showers that are threatening tonight)
• My kids got a new baby cousin...a girl, finally, for my sister, Alexis!
• We re-arranged the furniture in our room - a fresh look never hurts
• Baby S cannot be stopped.  She is one mean rollin' machine
• Miss M cannot be stopped either.  She dances around the dinner table until she is finally motivated to finish to get her dessert.  
• Miss M has a new favorite past time - taking her little chair and pulling it right up to the buffet with the mirror on top.  She stands on the chair that gets her to the perfect height where she can watch herself in the mirror - she is such a girl.  She brushes her hair there, sings herself songs there, dances there, you name it.
• Mr. A participated in a rite of passage - he got to watch the "original" Star Wars with his dad - just like his dad did when he was 5.  I'm not sure who was more excited.  
• I have much to be grateful for. 

Babies

I'm in that phase of life right now where I feel like I am constantly in some kind of "baby" mode.  Baby feeding, diapering, napping, rolling, scooting, growing, gummy smiling, drooling, spitting, noise-making, cooing, laughing, singing, reading, changing, grabbing, gnawing, sitting, drinking, playing, observing, etc, etc.

Because of that baby mode, I do a lot of thinking about what comes next for that baby.  How do I best help her to grow, learn, feel challenged, discover passions, explore the world, speak kindly, treat others with respect, be independent, yet still rely on me?  All sorts of questions.  And, then I realize that I shouldn't worry so much about all of that because moments like this one (the one above) are fleeting and should be lived in now.

Love you, Baby S.  Thanks for making us all smile so big and so bright.

Followers

Miss M has a steady stream of little male admirers that like to "dote" on her in Nursery class each Sunday.  Most often we hear about each one on the way home. "Mom!  Henry Smith push me in my Nursery class." or   "Mom!  Freddie hit me in my Nursery class!" or "Mom!  Ben take my fruit snack in my Nursery class!"  She's learning about the crazy things boys do to get the girls' attention at a very early age.

This past Sunday, apparently, she'd had enough.  Freddie had decided that he was going to follow Miss M around the whole class.  His mom is the Nursery leader and she reported that Miss M had some conditions for the follower:

"Miss Amy, dat's ok por preddy to pollow me, but I not kiss him."  (Miss M says p's for her f's)

That's my girl.  Way to play hard to get, Miss M (seen here on the far right)!

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