Back Into The Sling Of Things

From February Blog

This pic was taken on the first day Jack and I were left home alone. The sling was really mandatory at 1 week old! Of course, I really didn't do much while Henry & the big kids were gone but I was able to unload and re-load the dishwasher!

Now, at 2 weeks old, the sling isn't as mandatory at home but it's been 100% necessary when have gotten out a couple of times. Today was Captain's pediatric checkup (weighs 8lbs 8oz!! Go Manna Milk! LOL) and then we went to the chiropractor. He got his first adjustment (yay!) and I got a MUCH-needed realignment. My body was feeling a little wonky (one leg felt longer than the other) but now I'm feeling great! And what a GORGEOUS day for us to be getting out!

The other kids were adjusted as well and now we're hanging out at my Mom's in between goings. We'll be taking Ray to Home-Ec in just a bit.

But after all this going today, I am looking forward to several days in a row at home. In fact, I'm HOPING that my days at home will allow us to get my van in the shop (after months of attempting this) for a new front-fender paint job. It is very difficult to find a 2 or 3 day stretch when I don't need my van. The best days for it (the week of Captain's birth) were not cooperating weather-wise (too cold) so we couldn't get it done, then. Really hoping it will work out for this week.

I know this is a rather boring and non-specific and somewhat erratic entry but I feel so FREE sitting here at a computer desk without a baby in my arms and I just can't make myself quit typing! :) Don't get me wrong...I really do love nuzzling with my baby all day but I definitely have missed my email & blogging time!

One last thing - I started attending a women's Bible study in the neighborhood on Monday nights. There I met another nursing Mom who is SO sweet and who was actually the spark that even got me KNOWING there was a Bible study in the neighbhorhood! It turns out that she knew of me through Jen's blog and somehow through all of the friends-of-friends thing, she got the CORRECT impression that I might be someone who would like to attend the study. She told the hostess that she thought I might be interested and then got in touch with me about it! It turns out that I was so desperately wanting a close-to-home small group study that I had already been calling area churches to see if they offered evening classes! This is absolutely better than going to any of the churches I called because I can WALK to the study, I can take my nursling, and I am getting to know NEIGHBORS! And they're all so cool!

So, THANK YOU TO Jen, Chris, and "J" for getting me connected!!

Happy Birthday To Me

33 years of blessings have lead to this amazing place in my life. I couldn't ask for anything more!

From February Blog

Thank you, God!

Ray's Version

I am asking the kids to write about Captain's birth day for the blog. Here's Ray's version:

From February Blog

It was around 7:30 A.M. when I heard something moving around in the bunk-bed below me. I looked down and I saw my cousin’s curly hair and I asked my Aunt Farnsworth, “What are you doing here?” And she said that today was the day that Captain will be born, but sadly, he wasn’t born in the morning. Actually, it was nine hours later until we heard a wonderful cry from a little baby boy. We spent most of the time in the living room while Mom was doing exercises on her birth ball. She went on a walk while everyone else, including the midwife, were trying to see the 3-D pictures in the MAGIC EYE book. Every one was saying to themselves, “Oh, when will Captain be born?!” We also tried to waste time by thinking about the color of his eyes and hair. We had a photographer come over and take pictures of Mom and everyone else helping her and getting ready for the baby. When Momma started groaning a couple of hours later, I was thinking, “What if she doesn’t have Captain in the next hour or so. Hopefully it isn’t going to be tomorrow!” But thankfully, it wasn’t. He-Man did very well in my opinion during all of the noise. A couple of times I had to remind him, “Everything is okay.” He-Man sat in my lap most of the time. And when Captain was finally born, I bet he forgot the whole yelling thing that Mom did. Captain will be one week old tomorrow, and he has already smiled his first smile. Indie and I are big helpers to Mom by watching him when she takes her shower or when she brushes her teeth. We also help pick out the clothes that he would be wearing that day. I am glad that Captain is another member of our family, because the more kids, the better!

Funny Pic

Farnsworth just emailed this to me. Isn't it funny?

From February Blog

Babymooning

No, that doesn't mean anyone is showing their backside :) It's actually just the Mommy/baby equivalent to the honeymooning phase of a married couple.

Captain and I are being lazy in bed and are spending as many moments as possible touching each other. I miss the sweet boy whenever someone else is holding him. I just love spending long stretches of time staring into his sweet face. I love being the one that makes him happy. I love that my face is the first he sees whenever he wakes in the morning. I love that my face brought a smile to his today!

Henry and the big kids have been so awesome about letting us sleep in yesterday and today. They would close the door and just let us nest in the bed together. Sure they come in and share some bonding time with us on a pretty regular basis, and that's very important, too but there's just nothing like this one-on-one time Captain and I are having.

It goes all too quickly. I am trying to soak up every precious moment that I can.

From February Blog

Today - Our Little Valentine

Can't type much w/ 1 hand so I will reply to everyone later.

From February Blog

He's HEEEEEEEEERRE!

Captain was born yesterday afternoon, February 13, at 4:27pm. Contractions woke me up at 5:00 AM but were kinda off and on all day. In fact, at 2:30 PM, Henry and I were out walking the dog for a little while trying to get things REALLY going. I think I had 3 contractions on the walk but felt a little defeated wishing things would hurry up. At 3:15ish, I had a MEGA-contraction. And from that point on, they didn't stop. I'm SOOOO glad he's here (and labor is done! WHEW! Those fast ones are doozies!)

Ain't he darling?

He weighed 7lbs, 14oz, our smallest by far! (Ray was 9lbs 1oz, Indie was 8lbs 10oz, Rocky was 9lbs 8oz, He-Man was 9lbs 7oz!) He was 20 1/4 inches long. He's nursing great and hardly makes a peep! I'm doing great, too and am just so thankful for the blessings God bestows on our family.

Y'all will have more pictures than you care to see in the near future but here's a few from yesterday.

From February Blog

From February Blog

From February Blog

Nothing To See Here

No. No baby. No labor. No signs of labor. Just waiting.

Sigh.

It is amazing how illogical I can be when I am on the receiving end of the waiting game. It always made perfect sense for me to encourage Moms who were still a week away from their due date when I was a doula but there's something about the readiness to see your OWN child that makes all the waiting seem excrutiating.

We went to the mall today to take a walk. It was decided to be a stupid idea and didn't last an entire corridor. WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE! It was unbelievable. No more Saturday mall trips for me. I'll stick to my morning/early afternoon weekday trips from now on. Where do these people come from??

And not that anyone cares or has even noticed, but I'm enjoying my thick, luxurious hair. You might have heard the old wives' tale that your hair grows thicker during pregnancy but that's not exactly what happens. In actuality, a shift in hormones just stops you from SHEDDING. This hair-retention is an illusion of growing thicker hair. And it only started happening for me about a month or so ago. Normally, I shed BIG time. Wads of hair in the shower after a wash, wads of hair in the brush after a groom, wads of hair on the counter after a blow-dry, wads of hair on my clothes from the course of the day... And all of that has STOPPED! I love it! And in the last couple of days I've enjoyed the feeling of the thick hair. It reminds me of my youth :) Ah....the days when a ponytail holder struggled to hold up my mane...I can almost feel those big marbles snapping their rubberbands and injuring my fingernails... Even though my hair isn't THAT thick, I do like the way it feels on my shoulders and back.

I dread the idea of the mega-shed that will occur in a few months. It will be miserable.

Pray for labor after 3:00 Sunday afternoon. That's when Henry will be singing at my great-uncle's funeral and THEN we will be ready for this baby to make his appearance.

I've never been past my due date before so the probability of us having a baby this week is pretty good! Isn't that exciting? :)

If You Are Pregnant And Don't Have A Chiro...

Shame on you!

Today's chiro visit focused on getting baby in good position, instead of focusing on my own spine, although the two go hand-in-hand. After a few little adjustments I feel amazingly better! My right cheek (sciatic nerve) is no longer a pain issue and my belly button is poking out again! I think little Captain is in a much better position now than even after my earlier morning exercises. I feel goooooood!

We'll continue working on positioning until birth but I have to tell you pregos... Get yourself a chiro to take care of you! You'll thank me later!

Lord, No More Please...

No, I'm not complaining about the number of children I have or even the number of days I have left in this pregnancy. Instead, I'm begging God to let me done with Walmart for a long while. I'm hoping that I have everything I need to get us through meals from now until Captain's arrival. Anything else (toilet paper, toothpaste etc.) can be picked up by Henry or someone else. And hopefully, I can wiggle my way out of doing the first post-Captain shopping trip with Henry being off work for a little while.

We're still in waiting mode. Less than two weeks left, though! It's so hard to believe! But I am ready. I have pretty much done everything that just HAD to be done. There are a couple of issues still on the horizon (a dinner date with friends and "shopping night" for workers of the consignment sale -- we shop early without the crowds and before things get picked over...) but I'm mostly where I can have the baby without worrying too much about other responsibilities.

A fear of a posterior-positioned baby was put to ease a little bit today. After a position check by my lovely caregiver, it was confirmed that he's not truly posterior (facing my belly button instead of my back.) His backbone is slightly farther to the left (from my vantage point) of my belly button than "perfect" but it's certainly nothing to be fretting over. We were still able to hear his heartbeat through his back without a problem. True posterior babes are hard to find a heartbeat because their backs are so far away from Mom's belly.

So we worked on a couple of exercises to influence an even better position and it seemed to have already helped. I also scheduled an extra chiropractor appointment for this afternoon to continue with what we're working on. We want him to be JUST RIGHT for that time when he decides he's not moving any more -- except to come out. (Indie was a posterior labor and birth and they are NOT fun!)

I'm working on quarterly reports (due soon) for homeschooling stuff and I'm getting some gifts documented so I can get started on Thank You notes. Y'all, I have some of THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WHOLE WORLD! Cloth diapers and PLUS...goodness...who could ask for more?? LOL! OH, and my sister gave us a Captain Jack Sparrow keychain and my best friend S gave him an incredible blue baseball t-shirt that says "Carribbean Pirates" on the front and "Sparrow" with the number "1" on the back!! I couldn't believe she found it! We also got a diaper bag and a baby book, two things I needed that I only remembered recently! And then I have the dear friends and family who believe so sweetly that Captain should have at least SOME clothes that aren't hand-me-downs nd they totally set him up for being a sharp-dressed-man!

Did y'all know this past weekend was a full moon? I'm SO glad I didn't! I'd have been thinking about it entirely too much and probably wouldn't have gotten anything accomplished :)

Belly Shot - Almost 38 Weeks

From February Blog

Post-AI Post

Well, I must say that I am pleased with the way Alabama was presented. And I love that the first gal was from Auburn :)

I think those judges had more fun here than anywhere else they've been. Good ol' Southern Hospitality paid off! And I think the "thank you" bit was awesome!

Yes, I know that there were probably more golden tickets given for non-Bama folks than Bama folks but it's cool to know that if any of them actually succeed in this competition that there will always be a connection to our great state.

I REALLY liked the Jack Black Osborne dude by the way. He was great!

One More Thing...

Before I forget...

For anyone interested in watching the "Bama Loves Bob" crew sit in the audience during The Price Is Right, set your DVRs, Tivos, VCRs, whatever, for THIS THURSDAY morning, February 1st. Check your local listings for times :)

Dedicated

I sure felt like a Mom dedicated to her unborn child today while I was out hoofing it around the block in way-too-cold weather. I'm such a whimp in these freezing temps! My ears were killing me and my lips were numbed to a point of not speaking clearly. But since walking is SO important for optimal fetal positioning, I toughed it out. (But not without complaining a little!)

My out-of-the-womb children didn't seem to mind it at all, though. They stayed outside on the trampoline, even if only for a short while, after our walk. Crazy youth! The dog was no dummy, however. She followed at my heels, all the way into the coziness of the house.

********

Speaking of "dedicated," I know many of y'all out there are just as into American Idol as we are. I haven't said anything about it here yet but with them airing the Birmingham version tonight, I thought I should give at least a little shout-out about it. I'm very confused, though...all ads for tonight's episode lead us to believe that Birmingham was an audition stop just like all others around the U.S. whereas I was lead to believe by local media that B'ham was a last-minute add-on stop and that Ryan Seacrest was the only one of the celebrities in attendance the day of the auditions. But commercials certainly imply that Randy, Paula, and Simon are watching auditions in Idolville, AL. I'm wondering if maybe the BIG auditions (where footage is shot on the massive crowds outside the civic center) are used to whittle down the contestants to only those that are worthy of airing. Maybe the Big 3 Judges are then called in later?? Or maybe they were here in Bama all along and our local media coverage goofed or was lied to?

Anyone understand the process?? JD, do you know more about how this works? I'd really like to know from someone because I'm confused.

Here's to hoping that Alabama isn't too embarrassed after tonight's episode.

(Wondering, too if I'll see anyone I know...)

Can't Have A Baby Yet

Too much going on. I wish you could see the email my Mom sent me tonight. LOADED with too much stuff that's happening right now. Whew.

Thankfully, I don't think birth is happening any time too soon. But I'm not stupid. I know it can happen any ol' time. Not up to me.

My friend Suzanne had a baby this morning, by the way! CONGRATULATIONS! So happy for her and the family!

*****

Walking is such a good thing. These past few PRETTY days called me out for a nice, much-needed, walk. I really don't have a lot of get-up-and-go on dreary (and definitely not COLD) days so it has been really easy to let my big belly make excuses for me. But the nice days (especially Friday & Saturday) beckoned me out for a stroll. And those walks did a world of good. I know they helped little Captain get positioned in a much more comfortable way because I have been feeling really good today.

I'm interested in watching my shape, though because my belly button isn't poking out any more and the previously tight spot in the low-mid-section of my tum has gotten flabby, implying that there isn't a baby part there any more. I wonder if his little head is working his way into my pelvis?? I don't feel a discomfort with that idea yet but I definitely look a little different.

I need to take at least one more belly shot soon.....writing that down.

The girls laughed and laughed tonight while feeling their brother kick around in my tummy. He was showing off pretty good for them and they would just squeal with delight over being able to feel his little feet push against their hands.

Can't wait to see you, Captain!

Couldn't Find The Right Onomatopoeia

(It was very difficult for me to find the correct spelling for this word because if you google misspelled versions, other people out there in the world wide web have misspelled it the same way. Thankfully I remembered correctly enough to finally find the right way.)

I was trying to title this entry with a great little word to describe the way I have been feeling the last couple of days. "Ugh" and "oy" came to mind but they just didn't quite encompass the emotion of my poor bod.

It seems to have happened overnight. I believe I have gained 100 pounds, all in my belly, and have swallowed some sort of giant stone that thrusts my belly button out into a whacky misshapen hump that pulls so tightly at my sides that I feel as if I might burst. God's plan to prepare a woman for labor works quite well when He allows a completely lovely pregnancy to be attacked in such a way in the end. Last week I would have said, "Hmm, I'm in no hurry to have this baby. I feel good and still have some things to get done around the house before he gets here so there's definitely no need to rush." NOW I am fiercely trying to obey my nesting instinct and get this home ready for a new baby because I am READY for labor to commence. And JUST LIKE THAT ("snap") God's plan falls into place. How else could we be willing to deal with the work that labor entails if we weren't driven to a point of "ugh" and "oy" during the preceding weeks?

This is all familiar, though. I just can't believe it's here already.

I missed church last night because of this lump & pain. Captain is getting a little peeved at the tight quarters or something and is choosing to stretch out his complaints in a very attention-grabbing way. His largeness is causing moments of pain along the lower back pelvis region. If I was a first time Mom, I might fear these to be contractions but I am quite certain they are not. They don't feel like contractions and don't last for sufficient periods of time. They are just doses of reality that the time is nearing.

In addition to the low back stuff, I also get this really uncomfortable sensation on the front side where fists and elbows make their mark. It's no fun. And the every-30-minute-middle-of-the-night-bathroom-calls? DOUBLE-UGH!

Thankfully, the pains subside when I lie down to rest. And they don't last forever when I'm upright...just in phases. It's very positional and when Boy Baby is in the right position, I am fine. He even gets in a few naps and allows me a normal day. But when he gets restless in the afternoon and evenings..."ugh" and "oy..."

A trip to the chiropractor this afternoon held off the discomfort until a little later in the day.

And because I need to get to bed, I won't be making many efforts to smooth out the transitions in subject-changes.

The reason we ended up going to the chiro today instead of my regular Wednesday is because He-Man put his fingers in the automatic sliding door of the van. Three fingers were smashed. He seemed fine after the initial yowl but I wanted an x-ray anyway. THANK YOU LORD for an x-ray machine at the chiro. MUCH faster service and with less germs than your conventional pediatrician or doc-in-a-box office.

No breaks! YAY! I was pretty confident that would be the result but I feel better knowing for sure.

Warning - another change of subject, but at least I'm following somewhat of a segue...

Fingers :)

The girls have started back to piano lessons. OK, Indie has started BACK (took lessons last year) and Ray has just STARTED (took guitar lessons last year instead of piano.) We have found an AWESOME teacher in our neck of the woods and they have been going to her house the past few weeks. I'm VERY proud of their progression. Talented little boogers, I tell ya!

Eyes burning, back aching. Must sleep.

More later!

A Movie Quote I Can Relate To

"My back hurts, my leg hurts...I'm only 4" (weeks away!)

Anyone care to name that movie??

One Of The Most Bizarre Versions Of "Sweet Home Alabama" I've Ever Seen

This makes me smile :)
By the Leningrad Cowboys

There's Nothing To Disclose But...

I just wanted to warn y'all who are super-curious about impending labor/birth, that this forum will NOT be a full-disclosure blog about all physical occurrences I am experiencing. It's tempting at times but I have learned that it is MUCH better to keep such changes to oneself so as not to have a phone ringing off the hook with everyone or ANYone thinking that "experience A + B = labor."

So, before I get to that point, I just wanted to make it clear that even though I am almost officially into "nesting mode" and that even though it's almost impossible for me to even think about anything EXCEPT this growing belly and its passenger, I will be working very hard to protect myself from too many questions from others.

Can I get an "amen, sistuh" from others that understand!?

With all of that said, however, I probably won't be able to keep myself from talking at least a little bit about how these last weeks are going. For example, I am at that stage of experiencing, at least once a day, the "my belt is too tight" feeling. You know the one where you wish you could unbutton your pants or let your belt out a notch or two.....but there are no clothing articles or accessories causing the discomfort. It's just that little boy of ours squirming and pressing and making me feel mighty tight in the midsection.

I will also say that the frequency of trips to the bathroom are getting annoying. I've always prided myself (rightly or wrongly) in having a steel bladder and it's very frustrating to need to visit la toilette as often as is necessary these days.

And when I say I'm nesting, that basically means that I'm ready to do nothing but stay home and get it straightened up. It is a huge mess and I'm ready to just BE HERE. I still have a small number of to-dos that will prevent me from becoming a hermit but whenever possible, I WILL be at home. And sometimes when I am home, my feet will be up. And always when my feet are up, I will be thankful!

Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!