Cellulitis

Yup. Baby Marcus has already had his first cellulitis infection and his first round of antibiotics at the ripe old age of 26 days old.

I took his sock off on Wednesday morning and noticed that his big toe was red and obviously inflamed from what appeared to be an ingrown toenail (however, let me be clear, I HAVE NOT cut his nails, so not my fault! Or anyone's for that matter). So I debated calling the doctor, called Chris for a consult and decided to call the doc. They made an appt for MONDAY at 130 which was tremendously dissatsifying....so, LONG story short, I ended up calling again later when I noticed that his toe was getting visibly worse and made an appt for that evening.

And I'm glad I did. The doctor mentioned the oh-so-frightening MRSA infection that NO mother ever wants to hear uttered in her child's presence...but he has responded very well to the two antibiotics he's on.

First illness down...innumerable illnesses to come.

Baby sweetness

Shaving

The new obsession in our house: Shaving Cream

(oh, and ignore the color of the bath water--Zach
got a fizzy bath egg for Easter and it turned the
water a creepy orange color - but it smelled good!)

A thousand heartbreaks

Nothing prepared me for the fact that having children opens a person up to a thousand heartbreaks, as well as a thousand joys...but the heartbreaks seem to be so much more lasting (or is it just painful?) than the joys.

Having a challenging child like Zachary, I think the heartbreaks are ten-fold. His temper, the tantrums, his intense disappointment and sadness, these things all hurt me more than I could ever have imagined. And hurt so much because I don't know how to help him with them.

Is there any sound more painful than the sobbing of one's child?

Zachary

So sweet.

The many faces of Marcus

What a funny little boy

Tummy time on Daddy

And a preview of what Marcus will look like in 97 years.

SO funny

This totally made me laugh out loud.
I love Pearls Before Swine.

18 Days Old

M

Z

So serious

Who's who?

Aren't they both handsome?

Just cuz

No idea

Him: "Do all babies sleep this much?"

Me: "I don't know...my frame of reference is the same as yours."

Him: "Maybe we should ask Don and Barb?"

Me (pulling out the American Academy of Pediatricians Caring for your Baby to Age 5 reference guide): "Hmmmm....says here that newborns sleep most of the time. And that as long as he is alert when awake and eats well, he must be normal. Hmm."

A new era...

Sigh.
I suppose it was inevitable. I have boys. And boys,
for some completely unknown to me reason, are drawn
to guns. And anything that can be made into a gun.
Take that fact, and add my son's tremendous
negotiating skills (coupled with that irresistible face)
and a trip to the Dollar Store ends up ushering in a
new era in our household.
Zach has a gun.
I bought it for him.
What in the world do we do now?

Milk

Z: "Do I have breastmilk?" (holding pump flange up to his belly button)

Me: "No, honey."

Z: (pause) "Do I have soy milk?"

Me: "No, honey."

Z: (pause) "Do I have cow milk?"

Me: "No, honey."

Z goes off to ponder other imponderables.

Sugar Boy

Yes, that is my son eating brown sugar off the floor.
Do I really need to say anything else?

He's real

He fusses like any other baby (in case there were
any misperceptions out there) but is still
very cute when mad.

Peaceful

Growing Pains

So, our family is adjusting, for the most part, to our new family member...but as with any adjustment, change is not always painless.

A few of the pains:

• Zach asking when Marcus is going home (and not seeming very satisfied with the answer that Marcus IS home)
  
• Zach acting out more and more vigorously (those of you who have traveled this road before, tell me it DOES get better...?) with more and more time outs, more door slamming, more yelling...
• Zach told me last week that he was going to "cry a little" when he went to bed--he was feeling sad about Marcus being here (this broke my heart into a million pieces and I still cannot talk/write about it without tearing up)
• Me feeling like we're sending Zach away each day when he goes to Grams' and really struggling with the way that feels
• Post-partum issues seem to be in full swing for me...the tears are coming a little too freely these days but I've got a call in to my counselor
  
• Chris struggling with balancing two kids--and the stress that comes with it. Interestingly enough, up to the point that the hormones/emotions kicked in for me, the transition of one to two kids was WAY easier than the transition of zero to one...now I'm struggling more and Chris is doing much better.
  

I know we will get thru this relatively unscathed...after all, families have been doing it for millenia...but in the meantime, we'll take any words of wisdom or positive thoughts you may have to offer.

Brothers

3.23.08

Bubble sweetness

Some pics of Zach from Easter...what a joy to be a child!

Pics of Marcus

Looooong overdue, I know. :)

Isn't he CUTE?!

Still cute, even when he's mad

In NICU, March 15, 2008
(that's his IV)

Catching rays under the billi lights

He's here!

Introducing Marcus Samuel...the latest and greatest member of our family!

Born 3.14.08 at 8:10 AM, 7 pounds 9 ounces, 20 inches long. He's amazingly perfect.

And Zachary couldn't be a prouder big brother.

Well...this is it

I'm headed to bed soon for the last nite I will ever be pregnant in this lifetime.

In approximately 10 hours, our family will have increased in size by 25%. Life as we currently know it will be irreversibly changed. This is big stuff.

No wonder I'm a bit of an emotional wreck. I can still blame it on pregnancy hormones tho...

Wish us luck--we'll update as soon as we're able.

Zachary hath spoken...

And the name of the baby shall be:

Puzzle if it's a boy

or

Nuzzle if it's a girl.

Fooky D'winture

Zach's latest favorite game.

Spooky Adventure. Involves a dark house, little panther eye lights, Daddy, Octopus and the "cat rope." And sometimes the "crawlface" (crawlspace).

Don't ask.

Some of my latest creations

So, whaddya think?

What's this baby going to be? Boy? Girl?

Any guesses as to length and or weight?

No prizes to the winner, aside from the pride that comes from knowing you called it.

Completely hilarious

This cracks me up.

Showers, Tantrums and Contractions, OH MY!

I'm done. Ready to meet this baby.

Ready to be done with the contractions that are making the pressure on my bladder just THAT much more uncomfortable...the dumb thing is, I can't tell if they are just very strong Braxton Hicks contractions, or the "real" thing. Doesn't really matter, I suppose....they're SO irregular and far apart that I don't think they mean a thing. Other than discomfort.

Zach on the other hand...I'm not so sure he's ready for the baby to come...he is angry a lot, striking out at me and belly especially. So yesterday I asked him if he was nervous about the baby coming and he said yes. I'm hoping that he will be able to get most of these anxious/aggressive feelings out before baby arrives, but I suppose time will tell. I know it's going to be a hard transition for my boy who doesn't seem to transition very well.

Today my marvelous co-workers had a shower for me after school....lovely cake, punch, decorations, gifts....the whole 9 yards. I feel so blessed to work with such a terrific group of people...

Baby gift

We've yet to receive it, but I just have to post a little brag about the baby sweater my friend Kate has knit for this little one.... I saw the sweater on her blog yesterday and I can't WAIT to see it in person.

Now I know there's a reason I can't knit....cuz I have Kate. :)

Thank you friend. xoxoxoox

Fun at Kathryn Albertson Park

Last weekend we decided to take advantage of a
lovely day to walk in the
park and watch some birds...
we also ended up with a cattail for good measure!

Two weeks

and counting till the newest E family member arrives...

Had a doctor appt today, and the baby is NOWHERE near being engaged in my pelvis, so in a conservative estimate, labor is about 6 months off. Good thing we have a scheduled c-section on the books already. Either something about my pelvis repels my spawn or my body just LOVES hauling this extra load around....but I'm the only part of this picture who seems ready to see things change.

The blood pressure is still good - again, to my dismay - since I planned on starting my leave March 13 with the idea that I would most likely end up on bed rest again (statistically, that was supposed to happen) somewhat earlier than that. No dice. Ah well...

The insomnia is unbelievable at this point...if this baby only sleeps as much as Zach ever did (which was virtually none at times), I'll be way ahead of where I am now. I'm ready to have the baby just for the opportunity to nap during the day--when I feel like I could actually sleep.

Although I'm still somewhat anxious about this baby and becoming a parent again (I REALLY thought this would all be resolved by this point of the pregnancy), I'm getting a little excited to meet this little bug and see who he/she is...and hopefully be pleasantly surprised about parenting this time around.

Cold Sore

Who knew that three and a half year olds got cold sores???

Not me, but Zach sure as heck woke up with one on Tuesday. Breaks my heart, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him much, now that he's a few days into it...and it seems like it's on the way to healing rather quickly, so that's good.

Now I can hope that this is the only outbreak he ever has to suffer. ~fingers crossed~

21 Days

Well, since today is essentially over, make that 20 days till baby's arrival. Three weeks from now, the little one will be here in our arms, for better or worse. It can't come soon enough.

• The heartburn is all but killing me--to the point of waking me up to vomit in the nite sometimes. The plantar fasciitis I've developed in my left foot is excruciating to put it mildly.
• My clothes no longer fit. At all.
• The nurse at my ob-gyn even commented today on how magnificent I've gotten (that was not her word, but I prefer to think that's what she meant).
• The insomnia is ridiculous. I sleep pretty well (usually) from 10 or 11 pm until 130 or 200 am...then it's hit or miss for the next several hours. Usually miss.
• Chris has taken to sleeping in baby's room on the daybed due to my excessive moaning/strangled breathing during those brief interludes when I actually do sleep, so our king sized bed is pretty lonely at nite...tho that will change soon enough, I suppose.
• I can barely get my socks on in the morning, and forget about trimming toenails or shaving my legs...thank heaven I've been wearing slip on Birkenstocks, or I'd be in flipflops (if I had any).
• I think some nesting has set in, but my girth is so cumbersome, there isn't much action I can take on it, aside from fantasizing about all that I'd do if I were able to move more comfortably.

• On the plus side, my blood pressure is under control and not a concern.
• The baby moves a lot, tho is obviously growing because I don't feel the flips as much as I was feeling them (and this is ok with me as it would literally curl my toes when it happened).
• I'm very anxious to meet this little one and find out who he/she is (hopefully he/she is the complacent baby I've dreamed of for the past 9 months--I refuse to entertain other options).

Zach seems to be adjusting to the idea pretty well...tho I did ask him yesterday if he was ready to become a big brother and he replied that no, he'd rather stay a boy (I love how three year old minds work).

The anxiety about having another c-section has started to creep in...we had a hospital tour last nite, and when we saw the operating room where I had my last c-section, it creeped me out. To put it mildly. I realize logically that going with a scheduled section and a spinal block, I won't feel the surgery this time, but that doesn't ease my anxiety any. The claustrophobia I felt with that drape hanging at my chin...ugh. Everything about it is worrisome to me...including the recovery. Of course, I don't have ANY desire to attempt regular labor at all, so unless I plan to stay pregnant for the rest of my life (GOD FORBID), it's got to come out somehow. Hopefully we're taking the path of least resistance.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

"My hair is bwoken...where's the hairdryer?"

Zach's reply after I told him this morning that I needed to "fix my hair."



COMPLETELY cracked me up.

Budding Ornithologist

Zachary loves birds. Really. Could be he got it from Grams, who is an ardent birder. Could be he loves them because he loves all things that fly. But he really loves birds.

So much so, we bought him a couple bird books of his own: this one (his favorite) and this one (my favorite). What is completely amazing to me is the way he is able to identify so many birds...he knows some of the different calls now, and can recognize many birds by sight. It's incredible.

Grams took him on his first birdwatching outing last week, and said he was a champ. Then we went to Bald Eagle Day sponsored by the Audubon Society on Saturday and saw several birds up close and personal (bald eagle, golden eagle, some falcons, some hawks)--he loved it. He made his own bird feeder and even got to pet a bird (some cross between a peregrine falcon and something else). It was a very fun day.

A boy and his bike

Note the wood blocks to extend the pedals...
they still weren't QUITE enough for him to be able to reach....

So, if you can't pedal it, why not crash it into a nearby snowbank?

What a silly boy.

Trip down memory lane

1.22.05

(Just to help me wash the bad taste from that last post out of my mouth)

17 times???

Pregnancy, while a wondrous miracle, is also unbelievably uncomfortable. Especially when one reaches 32 weeks and is easily the size of the Queen Mary (the ship, not the woman). There's the excruciating (and that's putting it mildly at times) hip pain, the back aches, the constant trips to the bathroom (oh, and the leaky bladder), the insomnia, the heartburn, the sheer exhaustion from hefting this ridiculous girth around...

And all I can think of is: SOME INSANE WOMAN HAS WILLINGLY GONE THRU THIS SEVENTEEN TIMES.

I don't get it.

Yes, children are a blessing (mostly).

And babies are cute (mostly).

And pregnancy is fun (for about a minute and a half).

But honestly, SEVENTEEN times? And I haven't even touched on the joys of DELIVERY. Maybe it's because she's younger than I. But I think it's something more deep-seated.

Like she's totally freakin nuts.

Magical

What is it about watching your child sleep that is so magical...so calming...so amazing?

It could be the best high blood pressure remedy around...tho it does make my heart feel like it could burst.

Fun with Daddy

We have this chair in our living room that Zach
seems to think turns Daddy into a jungle gym every time
he sits in it. Zach is compelled to climb all
over Daddy, repeatedly, until one of them
collapses from exhaustion.
The latest "hard trick" that Zach is most interested
in is trying balance on Daddy's head.
Don't know where he got that idea.....