Thursday, August 26 entry He's beautiful, yes?
What an amazing thing it's been to have two children. Not nearly as insane as I thought it would be; of course, I've had Keith around, I'm not working right now, and Ari is sleeping continuously because of some mild jaundice. It's bound to cave in around me sometime, but for now, all is well.
We took Ari to the pediatrician today. He hasn't pooped since we brought him home, which makes him sleepy and not hungry, which makes him jaundiced. We got some medicine to make him have a bowel movement, we had his bilirubins tested, and we had an ultrasound and CT scan done. He has a pretty big bump on his head from delivery that is holding blood, and blood pools add to jaundice. Turns out that everything is really okay; his bilirubins were not dangerously high, but we're getting him rechecked on Saturday. His head scan was normal, no bleeding in the brain. Also, he had an ultrasound of his butt dimple; I don't know the technical name for it, but when the spine forms in utero, and closes up at the bottom, his left a little dimple in his butt/back. It is closed up, doesn't lead anywhere, but the doctor thought it might be open to his spine. Thankfully, it's just fine. So all of that transpired today. We also rented a hospital-grade pump, because being jaundiced makes him sleepy and he won't eat, and I need to keep pumping until his appetite increases. Eating is really going quite well, compared to Owen. Ari is down to 8 pounds, 10 ounces, but come on, that's still a big healthy baby.
Owen is still doing really well. He wants to hold Ari constantly, which can be hard since Owen is, well, not even two, but he loves him. He gets on the couch and says, "I hold my hands out!" and he does, and that means to put the baby in his arms. He kisses him and pokes each of his parts and names them. The funniest is the belly button and umbilical cord. Owen calls it "Ari's pee-pee" and he is worried that it is blue. We explained to him that it's just his belly button, but it definitely worries Owen.
Sleeping at night has been a breeze so far. He eats for almost an hour, sleeps for three or four hours, and wakes up again to eat around 1AM. Then he sleeps another three or four hours and we're up for the day. Not so bad, really. We'll see if he changes his schedule once the jaundice clears up. I hope not! This is great for me. I can definitely live on 6 or 7 hours of sleep. He is sleeping with us in our bed, but really it's by my own choice this time, where as with Owen, it was the only place he'd sleep. Ari sleeps in his little sleep positioner, with it's own sides on it, so he's kind of in his own little bed, but I'm right there beside him. I love snuggling down with him at night. I can't believe how much more relaxed Keith and I both are this time around. And yet, still so in love and in awe of this new family member. I sometimes catch Keith in the bedroom just staring at Ari, or telling him how cute he is and how much he loves him. I am so lucky to have Keith. He is the best daddy to my boys, and I couldn't do this without him.
So for now, all is calm in our household. I'm tired and a little sore, but happy and optimistic. I have the three best boys ever. Wednesday, August 25 entry Ari Kyle Foster was born Sunday, August 22, 2004 at 10:30PM. He weighed 9 pounds, 3.4 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. APGAR scores were 8 and 9. He is perfect and healthy and huge. He looks just like Owen. Big brother is doing well, and very happy with his new baby. More to follow shortly. Friday, August 20 entry We've just come from our ultrasound. The good news is, the baby looks great. He's turned just right, his head is very, very low, and he's healthy. The scary news is, he's estimated around 9 pounds. And I've got another week before the doctor will induce. So we're talking about the possibility of a 10-pound baby here! The ultrasound technician said her estimation is give or take a pound either way, but that he was definitely big. 9 pounds is 2 entire pounds bigger than Owen! And that was hard enough! I'm not sure what route the doctor will want to take with this new information. I guess I won't know anything further until my check-up on Tuesday! Unless I magically and spontaneously go into labor before then (yeah right). Thursday, August 19 entry Last night we took Owen to the county fair. Oh my word, we had so much fun. I didn't even enjoy the fair this much when I was a kid myself! Amazing how much more interesting it makes things when you are introducing your child to something new. Anyway, you can find a million pictures here. Seriously, there are a ton of them. We looked at all the animals, and Owen had close encounters with cows, a pig, sheep, rabbits, turkeys, and chickens. He loved the chickens. They had an incubator set up, with eggs hatching, and also little baby chicks only 24 hours old. Keith showed the eggs to Owen, and explained to him how the baby chicken came out of the egg. Owen loved this. An older man came over to view the exhibit while we were there, and Owen told him, "Hey guy! What happens egg? Chick come out!" When he didn't get a response, he kept saying, "Hey guy!" He put his little finger in the air and was explaining the process, but the man just didn't care to listen. Anyway, he's talked about the chicken and egg ever since. I wondered if it would affect breakfast in any way, but he ate his eggs this morning with no trouble at all, so no worries. After we saw the animals, we watched the All American Diving team. It was three guys in Speedos doing dives off a tiny board. I wasn't really impressed, but Owen thought it was cool. After a few dives, they brought out this clown guy to do some acting with the divers, and they started doing their little show, and Owen shouted, "Guys! Jump in the water!" I had to agree, the diving was mediocre but their acting was totally lame. Since they wouldn't jump, we moved on. Owen pulled three ducks out of the water to win a plastic snake, which was great. We weren't sure if he'd agree to ride the kiddy rides himself, but we bought tickets to ride the carousel once. I took him on it, and when the ride was over, he cried and cried. We bought him a few more tickets, convinced he would never sit in the little car all by himself and ride, but not only did he sit by himself and ride, he loved it. Like, crazy loved it. He cried after that ride, too. So we gave in and bought tickets for two more rides. He rode a construction truck and then he rode the carousel again with Keith. We ate onion rings, a foot-long corndog, had sweet tea and some cotton candy (Owen didn't like the cotton candy), and watched the fireworks ("That goes BOOM!"). We got home around 1030PM, and when I tucked Owen in, I heard him over his baby monitor saying, "Sheeps say BAAAA. BAAAA!" So much fun. The state fair is in September, so provided the baby is old enough to get out in the fresh air, we may take him to that one, too. He certainly had the most fun I can remember him having any time lately. I loved it.
Today we ran errands, getting the car inspected to renew the tags, Wal-Mart, library, miscellaneous. He was very good. He told me on the way home, "I tooted!" This is nothing new; he always announces it anytime he toots, even if we're in public. But today he followed it up with "...big, just like Daddy!" Now that was funny. My two boys, just alike they are. Tuesday, August 17 entry We bought Owen new tennis shoes today. Keith needed new work shoes, since they've changed his uniform, and we went ahead and got Owen some shoes, too. He's been wearing one pair of sandals all summer, that we got at Babies'R'Us for $5. He's outgrown them now. He told me the other day, "My big finger is coming out of my sandal." And he was definitely right, except for the finger part. His big toes hang over the edge of the sandals. So we bought new tennis shoes, size 8 (up from his current size 6!), navy blue with big fat Velcro straps. They are wide chunky tennis shoes, like skater shoes. Very hip. He loves them. He wore them all around the house today, and said, "I love my new shoes! I'm jumping bigger!" We had only a minor tussle with a Nemo light-up shoe. I am vowing to be the last mother in the world to purchase light-up shoes. Unless he really begs, and then of course, he gets whatever he wants. I need to take a picture of his new cool shoes. They are super.
Keith's off tomorrow, so we're taking Owen to the fair. We wanted to take him early in the morning, or midday, at least, but it doesn't open until 5PM. I've never heard of such a thing. But he'll still love it. He is taking his $5 that his Nanny sent him (his "monies"), and I'm sure he will find lots of rides and games to entertain him. There will also be the typical livestock, which he'll love, and all the lights and music. So, providing I can walk around for any length of time, we're looking forward to that.
It's only 830PM, but I'm thinking I need to get into bed. Owen's been asleep an hour already. Last night was the worst night ever, possibly. He wouldn't go to sleep until around 11PM, when I finally brought him into our bed. He slept until around 3AM, then woke up in a funk until 6AM. He slept 3 more hours, but was up for the day at 9AM. Around 6AM I gave up on our bed, since the boys were taking up the entire queen, and went and slept on the bottom bunk in Owen's room. Those two, between both of their snoring and sleep-talking, it's like a freaking menagerie in there. And I don't function well on 3 hours of sleep, which is about what I got. So it's been a long and tiring day. I'm thinking a quick shower and a little reading, and then I'm falling asleep!
And for those of you who are keeping track, we've moved our ultrasound appointment to Friday morning in lieu of Thursday morning, so we'll know then how big the baby is. Monday, August 16 entry Another weekend has passed, and I am more pregnant than ever. Owen arrived 9 days early, and I am now only 8 days away from EDD, so it is official. I am more pregnant than I have ever been before! I feel okay, though. I just wish I had some inclination as to when I can expect to meet this little one. I fulfilled my urine collection duties this weekend, and had a follow-up with the doctor this morning. No protein found in today's specimen, still need to run tests on the weekend collection. He didn't check me for progress, since he just checked on Friday, but we did set up an ultrasound for this Thursday, just to check the size of the baby. He feels enormous, which could be because he is way bigger than Owen, but most likely is just because he's turned differently than Owen was, so he feels bigger to me. We'll find out on Thursday what size to expect. We get to take a video tape this time and tape the ultrasound, so that'll be a great thing to keep. My next appointment will be on my actual due date, at which time the doctor says he will discuss "intervention." Not sure what to expect by that, but I hope it means getting the baby out!
I have a new Owen story that will be funny to the Pentecostal/Charismatic people who read. Last night Owen and I were dancing in the kitchen to an upbeat church song, and he tripped and fell backwards flat on his back. I said, "Look Dad, he's out! BAM! He fell out!" He was only wearing a diaper, so we decided we needed to cover him with a cloth, just like in church. I laid a dishtowel over him, and he thought this was the greatest thing ever. He requested a cup of milk and laid in the floor under the towel until he finished his milk. It took me back to my church camp days, I tell you. I wish I had taken a picture of him laying there under that dishtowel.
We had such nice weather this weekend, in the low 70's. It's starting to get hot again today. I'm going to take Owen up to the hospital to play in the water sometime this week. They have three huge fountains that spray up right out of the ground, and benches all around. I think he'll love the fountains. I've seen lots of little kids playing up there, and I don't have to worry about his ears going under water. Speaking of his ears, he has a follow up appointment next week with his ear doctor to check on his tubes. I wonder if he'll need a new set in? I hope not. Friday, August 13 entry You know what part of parenting I really dislike? Being the bad guy. Every day this week my child has thrown a fit when I pick him up at the sitter's.
He doesn't want to leave, and when I arrive, he goes into a funk and cries and stalls and won't mind me at all. Today I drew the line and punished him, right there in front of everyone, and his little heart broke and he cried a little bit, and then he minded every word I said. But what's fair about that? I'm his mother! Why would he rather stay at the sitter's than come home with me? I already know the answer to that, of course. We leave the sitter's at 345PM, and he comes straight home to a nap at 4PM, so he always knows that's coming. Also, she has a cool outside play area and a playroom with toys like you couldn't believe, and Barney plays non-stop, and his two little girlfriends are there, and he gets strawberry flavored water instead of regular water. He only goes for about 2 hours a day, sometimes a little longer, and he doesn't go every day now that I'm home full-time. So he's probably missing his freedom and his playtime. All of these things make him want to stay just a little longer, and that's normal, but it still kind of bothers me when he tells me he doesn't want to leave, and I have to ask him over and over to please mind, and then it turns into a huge deal, and it seems like he's all mad at me. It doesn't hardly seem fair to me, but what 1 year old cares about fair?
38 weeks, 3 days pregnant, and no change. My OB checked me today, and not only am I not dilated at all, he said my cervix is "not favorable" for delivery. My urine came back testing positive for sugar, protein, white blood cells, pink eye, black plague, strep throat, PMS, pretty much anything you can have in your urine was in there. So I was sent home with a big orange juice jug for the dreaded 24-hour urine collection, and I have to see the doctor again early Monday morning. Keith loves this little experiment, as the jug gets to sit in our fridge right next to the actual orange juice. Also, it has my name and weight written glaringly down one side, which a girl never likes, especially a girl who could line up with the Titans linebackers and her stats would fit right in. The doctor said if the urine is positive for protein over the weekend test, we may have to induce early next week, which he doesn't want to do, but one can never be too careful, he tells me. So yet another shut down. The baby is winning this one. Thursday, August 12 entry I'm trying to update more consistently so that people don't think I've gone into labor. But it will have to be short, because really, I'm not doing too much these days.
Keith was off yesterday, so we spent the day together as a family, trying to do some things that would be fun for Owen. He won't have much time left as an only child, so I'm trying to spend lots of time with him doing special things, making memories. We went with Keith to the college while he wrapped some things up, and then we went to lunch at Applebee's. After that we went to Chuck E. Cheese's and Owen spent 12 tokens on games that included balls, especially basketballs. He and Keith crawled through the tubes and nets on the ceiling, and he ran around having fun in general. We walked around the mall next, and came home to a late family nap (he napped until 630PM!). He said he had a fun day, so that's good. I worry about him adjusting to his new brother. He is still a baby himself, really, not even 2 yet. He still wants to be held and needs constant attending. He even needs to be rocked every now and then, when he wakes up and can't get back to sleep. He's still my little baby boy. I'm nervous about the big change that's fixing to interrupt his life in a major way. I hope he does well. It stresses me out and makes me cry to think about it.
That's all for now. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and I'm praying for some progress. Will update then. Tuesday, August 10 entry Today is officially 38 complete weeks of pregnancy. 9.5 months pregnant. Two weeks to go. I can do two more weeks, if I have to. If I have to.
We are on a weird schedule this week, because Keith is working so much. He's working 6AM to approximately 9PM, although today he'll be working even later than that. He's teching an industrial sewing machine convention, which he claims is as mundane and torturous as it sounds. But his check will be nice and fat this week, and since I'll be out an extra 6 weeks without pay, I'll take the overtime.
Keith being gone so much throws Owen into a funk, where he constantly asks, "Where's my daddy at?" and doesn't believe me when I tell him Daddy is working. He bangs on our bedroom door and says, "Dad's sleeping in there!" and I tell him he's not in there, and show him the empty bed. He looks around various places until he's convinced that Daddy is indeed gone. It's hard on Keith, too; those two are peas in a pod, I tell you. Keith comes home late at night and gets Owen up out of the crib, just wanting to hold him and talk to him. It'll be over on Friday, but it's definitely weird.
Owen and I went to MTSU this morning and dropped off Keith's shot records, and then we got him signed up for all his fall classes. He's taking 15 hours, plus working full time. Not to mention the almost-2 year old and newborn at home. I think we're going to be one exhausted family in a few short months. But if he doesn't take a full load of classes, it throws off our 2-year plan, and we cannot mess around with The Plan. Honestly, if we had foreseen the upcoming 2 years of college for Keith, we probably would have waited to have another baby, but hey, throw your hat over the fence, you know? There's no turning back now, so bring on the baby.
Yesterday Owen and I made homemade Banana-Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe discovered at Sherry's). They are so good. Owen was a very good helper. He sifted the ingredients, dumped everything in, and stirred. He also stuck his finger in the batter more than one time, which seems to be something that he inherited from his father. We wrapped up one warm cookie for each child, including Owen, and took them to the sitter's. He only gets one cookie, so he had to wait until we got to the sitter's to eat it. He carried the little tupperware up to her door, and she opened the door and said, "Hi Owen!" He held up the tupperware and said, "Open it." Then he went and sat down at the snack table. He wasn't playing around; he wanted that cookie pronto. He loves to cook, that's for sure. He likes to sit on the counter while I make dinner, and watch everything going on. He points out everything that is hot, or might be hot in the future. He names all the foods I use, or asks me what it is if he's not sure. He called onions 'apples' for a long time, and I couldn't convince him otherwise, until I let him take a taste of the 'apple' - he knows the difference now.
Today has been slow. After returning from the college this morning, Owen had a snack of cheese and crackers, and then we both took a nap. Then we had lunch (meatloaf, which he loves), and then off to the sitter's. I am waiting for FedEx to deliver a weedeater today. Keith ordered a new one off of Ebay. Strangely enough, we've never owned a weedeater. So he's excited about his new purchase. I will be picking Owen up in about 45 minutes, and I think we're going to stop by the library on the way home. They have all kinds of cool puzzles and toys there, plus a step that he likes to jump off of. Got to make the evening interesting somehow, since Keith won't be home!
And finally, another funny story about Owen's memories. Ever since Betsy and Alex visited, he throws in little memories of Alex every now and then. "Where's Alex at? Alex helped cut the tree, I remember! Alex play basketball!" He doesn't talk about Betsy as much. But he informed me yesterday that Alex has his own chair in our dining room. Daddy's chair is at the end of the table, under the window. This has always been Daddy's chair. But now, the other end seat, by the living room, is Alex's chair. And no one sits in it! He says, "No Mommy, no Mommy, no Mommy! That's Alex's chair!" So good news, Alex, you're officially adopted into the fold. Friday, August 06 entry Happy Anniversary! Five years, three states, two kids, one exciting future. I feel so blessed.
We went out yesterday for our anniversary. We ate sushi and saw Napoleon Dynamite, which I found hilarious and clever. We had a really good time. After that, we picked up Owen and he and I both took a 2-hour nap. Can't ask for better than that.
I had my 37-week OB appointment today. No change whatsoever. No dilation, no cervical change. Nada. I absolutely couldn't believe it, because I've had contractions off and on over the past week, and I was just sure that I'd be dilated at least a little bit. Talk about disappointed. I guess it works out for the best, though, because Owen said he didn't want to meet the baby either today or tomorrow. At least he knows how to speak his mind.
We went to Sam's today to stock up our new chest freezer (thank you, parents), so that when the baby comes, we won't starve. Six pound jar of peanut butter, anyone? Owen wasn't a huge fan of Sam's; luckily there were food vendors on every aisle giving out samples. They love to give samples to Owen. He just blinks his blue eyes at them and they're opening new bags of cookies or giving him double samples. We bought loads of food and we are now thoroughly stocked. And that was our fun for the entire day.
I will end with a few pictures of Owen's new toy. If you've visited with Owen recently, you will know that he is absolutely in love with tunnels right now. So I made him a roadway with tunnels (toilet paper rolls) and water and grass to drive his little cars on. I've seen these on floor mats, but none with tunnels, and well, he really wanted tunnels.
Wednesday, August 04 entry I've completely wasted my 2-hour break today by playing around on the computer and generally lazing around uselessly. I'm off to get Owen in about a half an hour, so I need to squeeze in cleaning the bathroom, living room, kitchen, and two loads of laundry by then. And yet, I choose to sit here and type for just a little longer.
Tomorrow Keith and I are going out to celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary. The official day isn't until Friday, but I have a doctor's appointment that morning, and it is possible that Keith will have to work on Friday, so tomorrow it is. We will do the typical meal and movie, as I am not feeling very adventurous right now, and obviously cannot travel. But I am excited to spend time with him and to see a movie, which we haven't done in many moons.
I got a haircut yesterday, and can I just say that if we ever move away from here, my hairdresser is the one thing that I will truly and sadly miss. She is so wonderful. I've never had a bad cut from her. She did a great cut yesterday, and I am very pleased, especially since I probably won't be seeing her again for 6 or 8 weeks. She even volunteered to come to my house and do my eyebrows, if I couldn't leave the house and they really got out of control. What a gal.
Yesterday while I picked up Owen, Daddy arrived home early and started to mow the lawn. This provided unending joy to Owen when we pulled into the driveway, and not only was Daddy home early, but he was "pushing" (Owen's version of mowing)! Owen and I played in the hose and in his swimming pool until Keith finished mowing, at which time he joined us in the swimming pool. It is amazing how dry my face and hair stay in the pool, until Keith gets in. Then Owen goes all boy on me, and starts wrestling and splashing and attacking in general, all of which is encouraged and reciprocated by his daddy. I get it, Dad is way cooler than me. Many times Owen will ask me to do something, and then he'll stop and say, "No, Mommy's belly is too big." So Daddy gets to do all the cool stuff now. Owen is such a little monkey when it comes to Dad. He repeats everything he says and does. Luckily, his dad is a super good role model.
No signs of labor today, none yesterday, probably none tomorrow. I am achy and tired, but no real complaints. I feel blessed to be full-term, and since I'm a little terrified of two babies at once, I'm able to hold out a little longer on this one than with Owen. Definitely some big changes coming our way. Especially Owen, my poor baby. Monday, August 02 entry Anyone else sick of being pregnant? Just me? Alright then. 37 weeks officially tomorrow, and trust me, I'm counting. Seriously, I can make it another three weeks if I have to, but I'd rather not. I'm thinking Thursday would be good for me. Let's plan for Thursday.
Owen is back at the sitter's today, for just a couple of hours. She was on vacation all week last week, so he stayed home and played with Meme and Poppy. But he was definitely missing her. He asked about her this weekend, and this morning he demanded to go over there "right now!" I hadn't planned to take him until around 130PM, but at 1130AM when I asked what he wanted for lunch, he said he wanted to eat lunch at Leanna's! And in no uncertain terms. So I called her and she said yes, please bring him over since she was missing him. In the car on the way over, he was explicating all the cool things he was going to do at Leanna's - "I do play dough! Paint! Artwork! Play in water! Jumps!" Apparently I'm not doing enough fun and exciting things here at home. But I'm glad for the break (even though I feel terrible saying that), and I know he's ecstatic. I'm going to clean the bathrooms, take a real shower (maybe even shave my legs!), and then go pick him up. And then his daddy will be home from work since he's on days this week, and nothing makes Owen happier than all three of us home together. So a good day for Owen, and for me.
Keith said that his office phone rang at 930PM last night at work, and he thought for sure it was me telling him it was time for the baby. It was one of his co-workers, but it made him nervous! I hadn't really thought about him anticipating the news, but it surely must weigh on him, too, not knowing when I'm going to call or how long he's going to have to get home to me. It was funny to hear him talk about it. Unfortunately, it was not me and I am not in labor.
But I promise I'll let you know when I am!
