Oh, Christmas Tree

Well, if you haven't been over, the place looks much fuller than it did last time you saw pictures. We have furniture and stuff!

However, we still only have one chair for the big table.


But we have more than one couch. We actually have more couches than we need. One has become the place for cool cats to hang out. We still have cool stained-glass windows and a nifty light. We've yet to have a fire in the fireplace this year, but it's in the works.


We also have a Christmas tree! The same fake, from-Lowe's, bought-on-Black-Friday, tree that Gracie climbed last year (we got smart and bought another kitty-zapper this time so she can't perch in the tree and break things). Here, a bird's-eye view of the unfurling process.


Liam and bink supervise from the swing.


It's up. The star is on top (mostly because it's easier to do it that way than climb something and fight with it for ten minutes). That's about it. Between Clarion and global logistics we haven't gotten any further. Paco the Christmas Parrot is still resting in his box and the Yuletide Cactus is wrapped up, too. Maybe this week. I bought more egg nog just in case!


And, no, it's not that crooked anymore. We straightened it out after this picture was taken!

Thank You..Thank You Very Much!

A great big round of applause for Team Grammy this week. Between my mom and Sue, I actually got some homework done. They now believe me when I say that Liam stays awake all day.

Since the term (and the whole program) ends Sunday and I need to get a B to get these bad boys paid for we called in the troops. Hooray!

It's hard to hold a baby and type...

The Adventures of Teeny Little Super Guy and Super Dad!

Liam had his first bath...and everyone survived. Even dad! He didn't care much for it, but he's cleaner now. He had a rough day yesterday, but he got over that hump. He's apparently eating pretty well (who'd have thought you could get so excited about poop...).

Super Dad, aka Ryan, is now a pro at changing diapers, squeezing vaseline, arranging pillows, keeping sleepy babies awake while they breastfeed, and dressing squirmy babies.

He's also really good at fixing meals (since mommy's a little sore and stuck upstairs for the most part), hauling water, doing laundry, running the dishwasher, and running to the baby store (later today!).

Even more important, he's really good at keeping mommy from having a crazy breakdown while she fights the evil forces of sore breasts and sleep deprivation. Yay, Super Dad!

November 11th

On this day...

The Fourth Lateran Council, the signing of the Mayflower Compact, the start of Sherman's "March to the Sea," Washington becomes a state, World War I ends, the famous US Route 66 is established, the newest Las Vegas casino opens...and, most importantly, Liam is born!

The saga (of course it was...haven't you been paying attention so far?) began on Monday with the phone call to find out when the c-section was actually scheduled. All of my paperwork says "call if you haven't heard from us by 4." So I called the number on the paper. They don't have that schedule, but they can transfer me to the people who should.

Okay.

They transfer me. I explain again. They don't do that either...but, they can transfer me to the people who do.

Uh-huh.

They transfer me. I explain again. Well, they have that information, but they're not the ones who are supposed to let me know what time it is. "We really need to find out who's supposed to be calling the c-sections." Yeah, I'd say that would be a step in the right direction.

So, I'm scheduled for 8:45...need to be there at 6. Really, 6? Jeez. I'm glad I called. I was told be there at 7:30 for a 9:30.

So, we get up reallllly early and go to the hospital where the nice lady at the nurses' station tells me I'm not scheduled until 10. I'm pretty sure that I was really mean to her, but I was working on not bursting into tears right there in the hallway, so she'll have to get over it.

So we wait. This picture is from after I got over my nervous breakdown about letting people cut me open who can't even tell me what time to be at the hospital (for those of you who missed it...I still have my tonsils, have never had so much as a stitch...the last time I was admitted to a hospital was probably when I was being hatched...so I'm not really keen on the whole thing).


So we keep waiting. The two scheduled ahead of me are running a little behind. Pretty normal. They get me all set up...gown, IV, catheter (third time's a charm) and we head over to the recovery room for one last sonogram to make sure baby is still going the wrong direction. That would be pretty crappy...to go through all of this and have them say "Whoops! He turned around!"

We start the paperwork and then we learn there's someone on the way in an ambulance. We get bumped and head back to the room.

That one takes awhile due to some extra complications and in the meantime another emergency c-section, twins this time, bumps us again. Only I could end up scheduled on the day they have two emergency c-sections.

After they clear out, the lovely Mindy rushes us over to the OR. No, really rushes. Doesn't bother grabbing a wheelchair or anything. We're going to beat the other person who is waiting. Because I've been waiting longer...much longer. It's been 8 hours now.

I get all ready to go in the bright, cold, scary room with lots of sharp things and three very nice ladies. Two nurses and the anesthesiologist are getting everything ready for me. Another nurse comes in to get things ready for Liam while they look for the doctors.

Oh, yeah. We're still missing doctors. That might be important.

Obviously, they were found in time. Both of them and Amanda the PA. I can't feel anything. In fact, the spinal was so high that my hands are numb and I think I'm having trouble breathing, but they're not worried because my oxygen levels are great.

Mostly, what I remember is Ryan's grip on my tingly hand, seeing the vague reflection of blood in the big light over me, and then a very tiny, very slimy baby. We officially have a baby 31 minutes later at 2:31.

Ryan and Liam went to the nursery while they closed me up. I recovered in one of the labor rooms (it was a busy day for babies at Saint Vincent's) with Ryan (who left Liam with the nice nursery ladies and a large crowd of fans) and my mom and the grab-the-bull-by-the-horns Mindy.

Luckily, we got done in time for the Sitter side to see the little guy before heading off to California for another very important day...Uncle Sean's wedding!

Liam weighs in at 6 pounds 7 ounces. I think a lot of it is those huge feet


All swaddled up and no place to go. Have to wait for mommy!



Here we are! I'm still pretty high...there was a little bit of morphine in that spinal (note to self...no more morphine ever! The itching was soooo much worse than the pain. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! A big thanks to Bethany!).



We start right away trying to put some meat on this little guy's bones. He's a natural. Then he snuggles with mommy for awhile.



I'm sure that I'm biased, but I swear he keeps getting cuter.



It could be because he looks like daddy. Especially when he's asleep. Here, Super Dad gets some sleep. Since I couldn't do anything the first night, Ryan got a crash course in diapers, swaddling, pee fountains, and sheer exhaustion. He did great!



Grammy helps out the next day while Ryan goes home to shower up, get some food not prepared by a hospital, and sleep in a real bed for an hour or so. Thanks, Grammy!



We made it! We look pretty tired (especially Liam). Probably because we are.



We're still figuring it all out, but we got through the first night at home without any major disasters (just sad, noisy kitties who haven't seen me in days). We have been reminded about what happens to those not prepared for the pee fountain and have discussed polar bears at 3 a.m. while daddy tried to get some sleep. We're going to take a little bath later and do the basket of laundry we've already accumulated. We don't have enough clothes small enough, so we have to get it done!

No problem!

Where's Mine?

We finally got batteries for the bouncy seat. I put it together while Ryan was in California. It helps so much to have an advanced degree in engineering and a solid understanding of snaps.

Here Paddington, our crash test bear, tries out the bouncy. He loves it. Heck, I love it. I want one. It vibrates and makes ocean noises. Jeez! Mostly I love the soft little sheepy! He's my favorite.


Thanks, Aunt Katy (and Uncle Sean!...although if you're like your brother...and every other man I know...you had no idea what you got and had to ask Katy!)

Cribbage

This weekend we put together the world' s "easiest crib to assemble." It actually might have been. I think it took more tools to open the box and get the pieces out than it did to put it together. We wouldn't have needed any tools at all if we'd put the drop-side in the right place the first time around.


Ryan tries out the side rail. I think it'll hold.


Blueberry is going to hang out in our bedroom for a while, at least. Hopefully, it will make those late-night feedings a little bit easier. So, we set the crib up opposite our bed. We'll see how that goes.



I saved some money by not buying one of the cutesy, frou-frou bedding sets...although that one at Babies R Expensive with the lion was pretty cute. I figure I can make a quilt. Not to mention the fact that quilts and such shouldn't be in the crib for the first year or so to help prevent SIDS...no cute lion is worth that.

I did buy a couple of fitted sheets...one with stars, one with stripes, one with cars and trucks. I bought a crib bumper that matches the colors of the sheets and has a striped side and a starry side. I also bought a waterproof sheet, and now that I know it fits well I will be buying another.



Hooray, crib!

Blueberry Waves Hello

Hi, everybody!

Grandmas Gone Wild!

Note: This post is from a while ago...I just didn't have pictures. I still don't have enough...things are stacked everywhere upstairs...makes it hard to take pictures.

My mother has been, for many years now, strong in the conviction that I needn't have any children on her account. She was perfectly happy to have "grandcats."

She has changed her tune. She went crazy in the baby store. Really crazy.



(I promise I will get a picture of Ryan toting this around...it's pretty hot!)

She's not alone, either.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not complaining. We got a lot of great stuff and we definitely appreciate it.

Of course, (great!) Grandma Sitter outdid herself...as usual. If you witnessed Ryan's dowry...it was a comparable haul to that.

Sue, too (with some help from Karen on the wheels!)! Here Paddington reads his new book in the safety and comfort of the a stroller that needs only one more thing...a sound system...to be completely decked out. Not to mention enough clothes to last through at least a couple of rough days of multiple wardrobe changes.



My mom is the funny one, though. She barely made it in the door to the baby store before she went totally crazy. Not only that, but she has since bought a diaper bag, some snap t-shirts and another outfit (she tried to say that Amber bought that one, but I don't know if I believe it!).


Oh, and diapers that have a little cut-out for the cord! How did we ever survive?

Breastfeeding Class

We attended our first St. V's baby class last night. It was the breastfeeding class, or as Ryan referred to it in the car, "boobies and babies."

It was ok...except for the chairs...could you do something about that, Grandpa(I know, not if we keep calling you "grandpa")?

I guess teaching this stuff and looking up everything on the planet has some advantages. I felt like I knew an awful lot of the stuff...even the answers to some of the questions other people asked.

Maybe I'll be ok. I can hold an ugly fake baby in a great cross cradle and football hold.

I did realize that the first of the really long two-day extravaganza that we go to in October starts on the weekend that Ryan goes to California, so he'll miss the fun of that 4-hour day. I'll have to take good notes.

How Many Petticoats Does Your Baby Need?

One of the gifts I received at the baby shower this past weekend (more on that later) was a book called Expectant Motherhood by Nicholson J. Eastman. Apparently, my mom found it at a garage sale and thought I might find it amusing. First published in August of 1940, the second edition was printed in 1947. Huge changes in the field of obstetrics occurred during this time.

Here's some of the little gems of wisdom from Expectant Motherhood:

From page v of the preface, "Childbearing...is the supreme physical function of womanhood." That's a good start. It's nice to know that I have a purpose.

Page 15 describes how to determine pregnancy by the incredible scientific process of injecting urine into a rabbit or mouse...although the rabbit test operated on the same principal as the modern pregnancy test, it's still kinda gross...poor bunny.

Page 15 also list another of the "laboratory tests" available to the woman who thinks she may be with child, X-ray diagnosis (no, I am not making this up)..."The skeleton of the growing baby is usually demonstrable in X-ray pictures of the mother's abdomen from the beginning of the fifth month and when thus seen is, of course (of course!) absolute proof of pregnancy."

Or, you could wait until "the fifth month when the baby's heart sounds become audible." We've come a long way, baby! I saw the heart beat at 10 weeks.

I've come to the conclusion that my favorite phrase in this entire book is "date of confinement," as though a laboring woman is something akin to a violent mental patient that must be locked up for her sake and the sake of others. Interesting. Maybe not far from the truth in some cases.

The section on "Diet and Hygiene in Pregnancy" has a great bit about syphilis if anyone's interested in catching up.

I also like the section about the seven food groups. That's right, seven. The most important of which might be the "Butter and Fortified Margarine" group.

"Tea and coffee may be drunk as usual." Wrong. More than 200 mg a day has been linked to a number of different problems.

"Small amounts of alcohol, let us say a cocktail now and then or a glass of wine, are harmless..." Well, it's good to know that nobody can make up their mind about this one.

Page 68, in regard to clothing..." The most important consideration in regard to the expectant mother's wardrobe is that it should be attractive." Yeah, that's right...attractive. But wait there's more..."This may sound like a superficial observation (you don't say!), but it is profoundly true...More important than knowing the dangers of...high heels is the knowledge that you are well-groomed, because only then will you really enjoy entertaining your friends and meeting your husband's friends, and in turn, visiting their homes." That's definitely my priority, entertaining large crowds of guests. My goals are all screwed up, eh?

"Throughout pregnancy, long "soaks" in a very hot bath are to be avoided since they are more likely to cause fatigue than comfort..." Well, half right.

Parental warning! "Under no circumstances is sexual intercourse permissible during the last six weeks of pregnancy. This is one rule which is extremely important and absolute." Yeah, it'd be a real shame if you got more pregnant. Good luck with that.

Even better..."While most obstetrical authorities, then, disapprove of excessive smoking in pregnancy (twenty-five or more cigarettes daily), there is no reason for believing that a woman who smokes moderately, let us say ten cigarettes or less a day, need change her custom at this time." And on top of that, "by no means try to give them up in pregnancy. There is no surer way of...converting a placid, sweet-tempered girl into an intolerable shrew." Hmmm. Maybe that''s my problem. "With negligible effort...(a) smoker can usually be content with a package a day or somewhat less, and if you can arrange this there is no great cause for concern." Just cut back to a pack a day and you'll be fine.

Step 6 in how to gain the proper amount of weight advises the following easy step which "may well be taken with Step 5, namely, to substitute saccharin for sugar, not only in coffee or tea, but for cereals and fruit."

And last but not least...In case you've ever wondered the proper number of petticoats is 2, the fabric depending on the season, of course.