10:47 & 8:11

Before you laud me too much with praise about my productivity, please take note that I do not blog much about my non-productive days. Those entries would sound more like this: "Didn't shower until 10:47 this morning. Got back in bed with Clara and we stared at each other for an hour or so. Made dinner. Went to bed at 7, but read until I couldn't keep my eyes open around 9:30."
This morning my showering time was 8:11. I was off to a pretty productive start. Clara and I went to school to say Hi to the kids and the teachers. It was her first trip there and the kids were very excited. I had to say "back up" several times. When we got home my productivity was waylayed first by Clara not wanting to have her usual long afternoon nap, and then by discovering
that I had let the dog stay out while I was gone. Usually this isn't a very big deal, but today he chewed up several legos and got all kinds of sick all over the family room. I'm thoroughly grossed out and will spare you the gory details. Suffice it to say that the most romantic Valentine's day gift I could think of this afternoon was a gift certificate for a professional carpet cleaning.
On to happier news. Yesterday, in honor of her three week anniversary of life, Clara shed her bellybutton nub.
Now when you change her diaper, her belly smiles at you.

Showers

I've noticed something about myself. If I get up and shower by 8AM I have a much more productive day than if, say, I don't. It also helps when Henry is playing somewhere else for the day. Not that I don't love to spend the day with the little guy...it's just that I get distracted by all the playing.
Today I showered at about 7:52. Here's what I've accomplished so far:
-Took Clara to Starbucks...which doesn't sound super productive until I tell you that I wrote about half a dozen thank you notes, made a new cleaning schedule for myself and thought about what I needed at the grocery while I drank my mocha.
-Went to Whole Foods. Clara's first trip there out of the womb, and we successfully skirted the temptations of the baby products and toys isle.
-Got most of the groceries put away.
-Put dinner together (was going to be a crock pot dinner, but I think I need a larger crock pot). Bonus: dinner used apples, sweet potatoes and sauerkraut that were in the house needing to be used up.
-Two loads of laundry.
-Watered plants and threw out dead flowers.

Okay, so there are still several things on my list- including writing to the pediatrician's office to get records transferred (Pete- don't let me forget!), vacuuming and further bedroom cleaning (bedroom is the cleaning task for Mondays- as per my new plan). But even if I don't get those things done I'll still feel pretty accomplished for the day.
Now, here are some photos:
Clara and I got all dressed up for a baby shower on Friday. We didn't want her to steal the spotlight from the parents-to-be that the shower was for, but a girl's gotta look good. And she did.
This is not a great picture, but it illustrates two important events from the party: 1) I can't go anywhere without leaking breast milk, even with the new super duper breast pads that Carrie bought me. Oy. Embarrassment for a good cause. 2) My first time playing Wii! I was pretty good at bowling, not so much at tennis. Matt (pictured) was very patient with me.
This is a picture that Pete seems to have taken yesterday morning out our back door. I just found it on the camera when I uploaded the photos. Pretty!
And here's Clara in a case of tummy-time turns to tired-time. I also like to call this picture "Camouflage Clara".

Cold Weather!

This one's for Marni:Henry and I broke out the play-doh yesterday. I made this little guy- then asked Henry if I should put something on his shirt. Henry said yes- an R! I put the R on and then asked Henry what the R was for. "Rob!" he said. So there you go, Rob. Looking good.
He didn't want me to take a picture of what he was doing. His play-doh focus yesterday was on the brown- mostly making and grilling burgers.
Here's an awkward shot of Clara getting some good vitamin D therapy while we played.
And here she is earlier today, in a very spiffy ensemble.
New footy outfit from Grammie, old polyester sweater from my (and probably Rob's and Will's) babyhood and her raspberry toque from Aunt Joyce.

Clara-Live!

Here's a little bit of live Clara footage.
Note to Sofia: this is pretty much the most excitement we get out of Henry's baby sister.
Sorry about my creepy whispering....

13 Days Old

Clara has had a few adventures lately. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Kathie came to visit at the beginning of last week. We went to a one-week appointment, and then her first real outing (the pediatrician's office doesn't count) was to the library last Wednesday. Henry's first outing was also to the library. I think it's the perfect way to start a kid out. Later that day she had her first trip to Grandma and Bampa's house for dinner with Pete's Uncle Steve and Aunt Pat who were in town. Then we spent a few more days indoors hiding out from the cold cold cold. Today Grammie, Henry, Clara and I took a trip to the mall so that Henry could get some exercise.
But here's what you really want: new photos of Clara!

Clara in her new hat from Aunt Sandy. Pete thinks she looks like Mushmouth.

The sweet little matching shoes that Aunt Sandy also made.

I know I shouldn't let them sleep on the bed together, but I had previously been in the middle of this Mommy sandwich and they were just too cute to pass up.

Sleepy.

Open eyes.

Open eyes.

Sister and brother.

Henry Shaves

A little bit of Henry joy...

One Week Ago Today...

A week ago last night Pete said to me "let's go into labor tonight". I said "ideally, I'd like to get a good night's sleep, go into labor around 5 in the morning and have the baby during the day". 5:15 the next morning my contractions started. A little after 6:00 Henry was lying in bed with me and I sent him in to tell his Papa that he might be staying home that day. I got up and ate a little breakfast. At 7:00 we called the midwife. She said to check back in in a couple hours. I showered, made sure I had everything in my bag, and kept going into poses kind of like this:
At 8AM I asked Pete to call the midwife back, my contractions were feeling pretty serious and I was fighting getting sick with each one. She told us to come on in. Pete packed up the car, Mom included a few key items, I tried to get my boots on and gave Henry big hugs and kisses. We left the house at 8:40. It was rush hour and raining hard. Two factors we hadn't considered. I was having contractions so intense that anyone glancing over from another car wouldn't have any doubts about what was going on in our car. Somewhere on Willow road I became very thankful that Mom had packed the last couple things into the car...a large yogurt container (with a lid) and a wet washcloth. I lost all of my breakfast.
We pulled up to the front entrance of Evanston Northwestern a little after 9AM. We had forgotten that you could pull right up to the Women's Hospital entrance, which would have saved me the long hallway trip in the wheelchair. I was pushed by a very friendly security guy who wouldn't stop talking about his own four kids. When he pushed me up to the labor and delivery desk he shouted "ladies- we're havin' a baby!" I felt badly that I wasn't able to thank him.
They put us in a room and asked me to put the gown on and left us alone. We were able to get my boots and pants off, but by then I was feeling different- I told Pete to go get someone. He shouted into the hallway "I think we're having a baby in here?!?" and a nurse came in. At that point they checked me and I was dilated to 5 1/2 cm. The midwife wasn't there yet. The contractions were so hard and fast that I told Pete I thought I wanted to do an epidural. I hardly had the energy to put into feeling guilty about it. They started trying to put an IV in me (unsuccessfully) and I kept trying to cope with the contractions for about 10 minutes. At this point I was unable to open my eyes anymore, but I heard the midwife come in. "Kathy- I think I want the epidural!" I said. She said okay, and then checked me only to find out I was at 10 cm. She said "Betsy- we're going to start pushing. This baby's coming in about 15 minutes." There was much noise and fuss (on my part) and I guess my elbow kept bumping the controls on the bed- causing the t.v. to turn on and off and the foot of the bed to raise and lower. Pete was very good about wiping my sweaty face with a cold washcloth and otherwise being supportive. He estimates that I pushed about seven times. At 10:00 AM on the dot, my baby was born. Pete shouted "it's a girl!" as she was placed on my chest. and we both gazed at Clara with tears and wonder. And now she's a whole week old!

Henry answers Sofia

This video ends abruptly because I cut it off at the point where Henry became obnoxious.
Maybe I should have left it, as a good representation of Henry right now....mostly sweet with periods of highly obnoxious.

Jiggity Jig

Today was our first full day home with Clara. It was only fitting that the handyman had to be here to share the day with us. I won't go into that...
When we drove up yesterday (in the rain) Henry was standing at the door, looking out. Of course it made me cry a bit as we waved happily to each other. Just a couple days earlier I was waving to him (in the rain) as we drove away for the hospital. That first wave was filled with much more trepidation, and the smile on my face was forced and in between contractions.
Here is the sign Henry made for the door to welcome us home.
Grandma and Bampa had also been by to leave a welcome. Henry told me about how the teddy bear balloon is for Clara and the Winnie-thur-Pooh balloon is for him.
After settling in a bit, Pete set up the car seat in the new "snap-n-go" stroller and Henry took Clara for a test drive.
Here she is this morning. She's just starting to give us more alert time.
Here's Henry holding her this afternoon. His standard line, after holding her for a few moments, is "she doesn't smell so good". And then he passes her back to us. I suspect he's been taking big brother classes from his uncles.
Here's the sweet-smelling girl after her first bath at home tonight. You may notice the big ugly bruise on my forearm. That's where they tried in vain (in vein?) to get an IV in me at the hospital. Little did we know we were already way past the point of no return. And here's Clara, three days old, wearing a flannel nighty that I believe my Grandma Honora made for me. It's not going to fit her much longer.
Blog post to come: Henry's answer to Sofia's questions in the comments.

More Clara

Here's Clara with her eyes open. I'm not sure what she's thinking about, but it's clearly something deep.
Last night, before leaving the hospital, we were served a "celebration dinner" for "patient and guest". There was a special menu, Pete and I each had the filet mignon (cooked perfectly!) with mashed potatoes, asparagus, rolls and salads. They also brought dessert and we had some sparkling wine that we had brought with us. Clara, who had slept all day, chose dinner time to nurse. So I ate most of my meal one-handed.
She's pretty cute in red. Her Bampa thought she looked like a cardinal.
She didn't want to open her eyes for the pediatrician this morning, but she does like to look at her papa!
And here she is, all dressed up to leave the hospital. I could only resist this outfit the first time I saw it. When I went back and found it on sale I had to get it.
We are now home- with a warm greeting from Henry- who was standing in the doorway watching out as we drove up. Later I'll post pictures of the balloons and sign he made for us. He already took Clara on a tour of the house- showed her 'his' crib (in his bedroom) and 'her' crib (the pack-and-play in the living room). Now she's napping in the other room. I'm going to take a nap pretty soon too....

It's a Girl!

Announcing the arrival of Clara Jean! Born on January 8th at 10AM on the nose.

Here are a few images - of which there will be many more to come as soon as we return home and the REAL author of this blog is back in action.


She's been doing a lot of the above activity, but is also nursing like a champ and occasionally opens her sweet eyes for a glimpse of the world around her.

Her big brother is still a little wary at times of this new family addition...


But he warmed up nicely once he got to actually hold her.

Betsy was the true champion behind the whole affair, however. I'll spare the details, but things started at 5:15AM, we arrived at the hospital at a little after 9AM, and she was here by 10. You do the math.

Here we see dad beaming with pride.

And finally, to close it out, a rare glimpse at Clara's beautiful eyes.

She had her hearing test last night (as all babies do here), and she perked right up and looked around as soon as it started. She knows her Dad loves audio.

More to come. XO.

Jumpy Hubby

It's best not to shout "Come quick!" at Pete right now, he's a little bit jumpy. But that doesn't stop my mother when she thinks I look funny. It's hard enough for me to get my clothes off and my pajamas on, but then I walk out of my room and Mom giggles and shouts "Pete, come quick! Bring the camera!" I love that.
So- for the update: no baby out yet. There have been some "indications" upon which I will not elaborate. Each night I go to bed thinking that maybe we'll have to grab our bags before morning, but then I wake up and feel "normal" and I'm just still here waiting. I have to admit I'm getting a little tired of answering the question "how do you feel?" I'm sorry. I just don't have any new sort of answer for that. I feel fine. I feel pregnant. I feel tired and a bit grouchy. I feel big. I feel like I can't tie my own shoes.
Somehow this morning I woke up with ankles again. I'm not sure why they decided to make an appearance today. I'll take it as a good sign- I'll pretty much appropriate anything as a good sign at this point.
One of the nice parts of this delayed baby situation is that I'm spending some pleasant, restful time with Pete, Mom and Henry. I don't feel very guilty about letting Mom do the cooking and cleaning. Last night we had a yummy chicken dinner and some interesting things came out about my own babyhood.
For example: apparently one of the last times Mom ever went bowling was when she was pregnant with me. While trying to roll the ball she lost her balance and fell over. I'll let you write your own conclusion to that story.
There was also some story about two Mormons coming to the door while Mom had me in the high chair on Court street. She told them she didn't have time to talk to them because she was feeding the baby and trying to do laundry. They apparently offered to help out, so she claims she let them come in and sit with me while she hung the laundry out. She offered them coffee, which they declined, of course. She also thinks she may have ended up buying a Book of Mormon. I find lots to be skeptical about with this story. It seems much more likely to have happened to Rob.
Henry is still singing Hark The Herald Angels Sing at the top of his lungs every chance he gets. My favorite lyrics are "peace on earth and mercy wild" and "hear the jolly horse will say- glory to the newborn king".
Once again-I'm signing off with the hopes that the next post will have to be done by Pete...

Toaster Pastries

The poptart snack hour really does seem like the best time to blog. I wake up around 3:00, 4:00 or 5:00 and just can't lie down anymore without a headache. Baby is pushing on some veins somewhere no matter how I turn. So I get out of bed, fix a poptart snack with a big glass of water, find my computer and settle in somewhere. My current favorite spot is at the dining room table. It reminds me of when I was pregnant with Henry. I would sit at the end of the dining room table in our condo and write emails to a girl who was in our Bradley class. She was usually up at the same time. At that time I think I was snacking on milk and Whole Foods cereal bars. The pop tarts are much better. Now I get up and play my Scrabbulous moves online with whomever I have a game going at the moment. Anyone know what I can spell with a Q, two H's and 3 E's? Oh. I have an S too. I wish I could find an open C. I think Mom's awake too. I saw the light on under her door. I imagine this doesn't feel like chatty time for her either though, so I won't go see what she's up to. Here's another picture that reminds me of those times....and sort of inspires me to keep my eyes on the prize. Henry was six days old and Amber and Ellen came to visit. They're such good friends! This was his first real excursion into the world. You can see that I was still fully clad in sweat clothes, but it looks like my face had already started to loose some puffiness- that's a good sign! It was also either really warm out for November (I do see that none of us had coats) or I just had no idea how to dress a baby. I'm already missing the excellent heat we had in that condo. Henry and I were always comfortable in short sleeves that first winter and I didn't have to worry about him at bedtime.
Anyway- I guess this post is mostly just reminiscences for my own enjoyment. Things to think about while I await child number two...

5:16 AM

I'm up, eating some pop-tarts (they're organic, remember? No trans-fats. It's okay!) and having some random thoughts on this current state of mine. Pete just updated my photo gallery with pictures he had backed up. Looking through those has brought out a range of emotions.
First of all, the update. Still pregnant. Three days past the due date now. I have an appointment today (a full twelve hours from now) and I imagine we'll have to start planning for an induction. I'm still hopeful it won't go that way.
Sometimes I feel like this:
But lots of times I feel like this:

These photos were not staged. This is me being caught coming out of the bathroom. The look on my face is not "I'm so sleepy" it's " Good God! Why are you taking my picture right now? I'm sick of this!" The first shot is actually the second photo taken, where I'm staying "Okay, I can smile and pretend to be all pleasant and crap."

I'm big. My belly is big enough for a small boy to hide behind- and this was taken over a month ago! I like to call this photo: " 'Member? I used to be skinny. Ellen had a sunburn and damn, I loved my dress!"
This one I call: " Oh yeah, I can do this. Even if the baby is big and I have to be induced."
And this one reminds me that I'm not the only one who has been waiting a long time and preparing for the new arrival.
So, I'm pretty much feeling ready. Any time this baby wants to present itself. I've tried spicy food and other things I don't need to go into detail about here. My toenails are painted and I got my hair cut. We've been cleaning and organizing and the baby might as well just learn that that's a job that's never done. My bag is packed, baby's bag is packed (with baby's own new outfit to come home in) Pete's bag is packed and even has extra camera batteries. Mom thinks perhaps we're too prepared and baby wants to catch us off guard. I think today I may have to go stride with the mall walkers.
I keep running into students from my class and parents of former students...."you're still pregnant?" Yep.
Sometimes I sleep great. Other times not so much. Tonight I was wiped out, in bed by 8:00 and still couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep for more than what felt like 27 minutes at a time.
That red sweater and the blue sweater that you see above are my basic pregnancy uniform. Those, my jeans with the humungo waist that comes up above my navel, and my slip-on Halflinger clogs if I have to leave the house. The Danskos? Forget about it. They haven't fit my feet for a month.

Here's a non-pregnancy related story (though, now that I think of it- maybe Baby is just waiting for the caucuses to be over). Last night at dinner there was, of course, much caucus talk around our table. Henry was mostly quiet, or talking about other things. When he got up from the table, however, he suddenly said "Now I'm going to show you how Barack Obama dances!" and he started busting a move. I'm just guessing, based on what I know about most political candidates, that Henry's got better moves than Obama. It goes without saying that it was a hilarious moment. He's never mentioned Barack Obama before- maybe months ago when we would say "can you say Barack Obama?" But this was completely unprompted.

So....once again....here's hoping that the next time you hear from me it will be with some baby news!