Halloween Parade

 A mainstay of elementary school, the Halloween parade. I remember when I went to Elton Hills for Kindergarten that my teacher dressed up as a mouse and a big gorilla kidnapped her and took her to the roof of our building during our parade. A bit scary for little kids, I bet that wouldn't happen today!

But on to the fun for Steven and Lyla. Lyla and her friend Royal were both Ariel from The Little Mermaid. It was pretty cute. Steven was Superman. Look at his moves trying to block his classmate from getting to the candy first.

Both of their classes had a party to go along with the parade. It was a study in contrast. I visited both rooms and had very different observations in both. Lyla's had a ton of parents, candy and wrappers flying all over the room and just plain chaos at one point. In Steven's room the children were sitting around the circle, each with one treat and I think someone was reading a book. Quite a difference between a 30 year and 5 year Montessori teacher.

After the parade, we went trick-or-treating around the Brookside shops. Highlight for me was going to the Price Chopper grocery where they handed out apples and that was the treat that Steven picked to eat on our pit stop!

Her Family in the Fourth Stage

Look at how tiny she drew baby Asa!

After she drew this picture I did a google search of children's development by drawing. From what I read, there are very distinct stages that children pass through as they become more skilled at holding a writing utensil and as their brain communicates with their hand. 

First stage = scribbling (we've got that down pat)

Second stage = appearance of round shapes (this is why Montessori starts with cursive)

Third stage = identification of objects in their scribbles and round shapes

Fourth stage = Faces and people appear, and as one website said "Hilariously for us as parents, pictures of people nearly always start without any body at all – so the arms and legs spring straight out of the head."

Fifth stage = Pictures sit on a baseline with identifiable objects

Sixth stage = Perspective and scale, this is when drawing becomes "hard" because it needs to look "right"

It appears that Lyla is in the fourth stage - mostly reported to happen around age 4. Woo hoo, she's advanced for her age! She can draw alien people. 

I do have to say though that this is one of my favorite drawings ever made by her and I almost (well, maybe I did) cried when Tommy used it to write a grocery list. It was near the recycle paper so it wasn't his fault but it was a little crushing for me.

Boo at the Zoo

This year Grandma and Papa were able to join us for Boo at the Zoo. Unfortunately we didn't see the zoo photo club and couldn't get our annual picture, bummer.

Our afternoon at the zoo covered a lot of ground but we didn't spend much time with the zoo animals. We did feed the deer, watch the elephants paint and admire the kangaroos. But the best part was trick or treating and amassing large amounts of candy. Since we went late on Sunday, they were passing out handfuls of treats. It was obnoxious!

Another fun time at one of our favorite places to visit as a family!

Family Movie Night

Asa's already got family movie night down. He's laying down relaxing with his brother and sister like he's been doing it forever. It is amazing how much he just fits with our family. 

And it is amazing how much Steven and Lyla just know this is how our family is now. They don't complain that diapers and breastfeeding take time away from them or that he cries too loud (when he cries, that is). For the first week or two, any night time crying would wake Lyla and she'd come to check on him. But now she knows we are taking care of him (she still visits us every now and then but we expect that from her). Our family of five really suits us!

Watching the game

It seems as though Asa has taken after his sister. I guess the World Series wasn't interesting enough this year for our little man to get too excited about!

Carving with Grandma Pam

While Grandma Pm was in town we carved our pumpkins that the kids picked out at the Pumpkin Patch the weekend before. We bought a pattern kit and Lyla picked a bat and Steven picked a skeleton face. But first, the kids had to clean out their pumpkins. Steven was none too happy to accomplish that task, but Lyla dove right in (but then got a little bored and wandered off, thank goodness for Grandma Pam's ability to finish any and every task that is started!). 

While the pumpkins were being carved, Asa hung out in the kiddy tent. Look at that belly, you'd think he ate all of the Halloween candy already!

Finished! Thanks to Grandma Pam!

Asa at One Week

Asa at one week ...

He makes some really great baby sounds, especially when he is sleeping which feels like all of the time (please let that continue). Coo coo coo.

He absolutely hates getting his diaper changed. This is about the only time that he really cries. He absolutely loves diaper leaking on his daddy, mommy has been leak free so far!

He always gives us warning of an impending cry by making an awful crunched up face and eye squeeze.

He is a sleepy feeder, every time he eats he falls asleep. Sometimes he cries before he eats, but that is just because we haven't gotten the hang of it yet. And his milk drunk facial expressions are perfect. He smiles, raises his eyebrows and makes a little O shape with his pursed lips, totally sweet.

He is getting smothered in kisses, hugs and general touching from his big brother and big sister. He doesn't seem to be as annoyed by this as his mom and dad. 

He still gets the hiccups like he did inside my belly. They are so strong his whole body jumps when he has them.

He is a thinker, at least he strikes the thinker pose all the time when he is sleeping. Our midwife told us his fist was up by his chin when he was born

Swoosh

He wanted to wear his swoosh clothes but it was too cold. Thank goodness we aren't fashionistas because he got his way. 

On the day you were born... Part 1

It actually all started the week before you were born. 

My last day at work was my due date, September 28, 2012. I had told everyone my due date was October 1 because I didn't want September to get stuck in their heads and if you came late annoy me with timing questions. I was sure that you were going to be born that weekend because I was free and clear with no obligations distracting my mind from my baby. 

Well, you had other plans. The weekend came and went.

I was desperate to try anything to get you to come - I ate pineapple, eggplant, spicy food. I got stuck with needles by an acupuncturist on Tuesday. I went on long walks, including taking your older brother and sister on a marathon walk to school on International Walk to School Day on Wednesday (poor kids just were dragging). You were going to come on your own schedule no matter what I wanted to happen.

Thursday was our last scheduled prenatal appointment, one day shy of 41 weeks. Everything checked out fine, I was feeling good and you obviously were happy to remain where you were. We scheduled a biophysical profile and non-stress test (NST) for the next day just to make sure everything was good.

On Friday I went to the ultrasound appointment by myself. Daddy was trying to get his project at work wrapped up and finalized because we were determined that you were going to be born over the weekend. You scored 8 out 8, predicted weight at 9lbs 5oz and water level was in the high teens. Then I was back at the birth center for the NST where daddy met me to keep me company. Your heartbeat was low during the entire test but consistent and I was having regular but easy contractions - what a great sign! After the test, Whitney (one of the midwives) checked me and I was 3-4 cm. 

Since nothing was really happening, we decided to go to Korma Sutra for lunch. We love the man that runs the show there. He is always passing out extra samples and little cubes of ice cream. He's a riot. He asked when the baby was coming and I said - well, maybe today. His eyes got big and he proceeded to make a dollar bill wish for you, baby boy!

During lunch I was feeling a little funny, contractions seemed to be coming more often and I was a little woozy at one point. We decided to take my car to the Culinary Center where Maria works, so her or Ana could pick it up and get Steven and Lyla, if necessary. We then headed back to the birth center where everything fizzled out. False Alarm.

Whitney tried to convince us that I should take some castor oil. I was very apprehensive after reading about it on the internet the night before. She told me to take a small dose just to see what would happen. Off to CVS we went and I downed a small dose with Mango Lassi as a chaser!

Tommy went to get Steven and Lyla and I just hung out at home. Lideana had heard that my cousin Jen got a pedicure before Emerson was born so she convinced me to go with her to get one. At about 6:00pm Friday we went to Oak Nails and I got bright green toes and a great calf massage! Little did we know that was the trick, I wish we'd gone earlier in the week!

Steven and Lyla wearing the flip flops from Oak Nails

On the day you were born ... Part 2

We got done with our toes around 7:30 but I left my water bottle at the salon so even though were about four blocks from home we had to turn around to go retrieve it. Water has been my constant throughout pregnancy. I get sooooo thirsty but I have no complaints because staying hydrated is good for me and the baby.

Once I got home, we put the kids to bed and I picked up a few things before heading in to bed. I was feeling some contractions but nothing to exciting. However, once I laid down in bed the excitement began.

A few weeks earlier I had downloaded a contractions app to my phone. I had it on their just for fun, not really thinking that I would ever use it. But once I laid down, almost to the minute of my body hitting the bed, my contractions started. I had my phone with me so I opened the app and three contractions later I started to get up to tell Tommy they were 2 minutes apart and Pop! there went my "bag of waters." (kind of an inside joke between me and Tommy, really, why is it plural?)

Now that labor was officially on, we called in the babysitter's club. Ana was at the American Royal, as was Maria but since she was already on her way out she headed directly to our house. Since I wasn't sure I could wait we also called Lideana and had her head back to our house. Maria arrived first, then Lideana. Grandma and Papa Clark, who had started the drive earlier in the day only to turn back home, were in the car for the second time that day. Once the girls had arrived, I was ready to go. I asked Tommy to grab towel and we were out the door. Funniest thing was that during all of this Tommy had decided that he needed to change the sheets on our bed (since my water broke and all). Like that couldn't have waited 24 hours.

I definitely got the ride to the birth center I always imagined having. Every time a contraction came I felt like a river of water was coming out (TMI, sorry). I was worried that we wouldn't get there fast enough but Tommy did a great job driving and we arrived with time to spare. It was a pretty cold night and my pants were soaked, I remember wanting to get them off so badly and to just throw them away.

The midwife, Kellie, and our nurse met us at the door and took us to our delivery room (with me dripping the entire way there, I am glad this didn't happen during the day when they had other appointments going on). Asa was born at the New Birth Company, a free-standing birth center - it was an awesome experience. Once we arrived and got off those nasty pants, I sat on the birth ball and just moaned my way through the contractions. Kellie watched from the side and Doris our nurse used the doppler to check his heart beat a couple of times. 

Around midnight, Kellie told me that my moans changed to a different sound and that she thought we were close. She went to get Doris and by the time they were back, I was on the bed and ready to push. I remember trying to get on the bed and just being terribly uncomfortable. That might have been when I told them "I can't" and every one tried to reassure me that I could do it. I really meant to say, "it doesn't feel right, I have to wait" but those were too many words to get out at that moment. I breathed through it and two pushes later Asa was here!

He came so quickly that I don't remember much of his actual birth, other than being overwhelmed with happiness. I had to get a shot of pitocin and some other meds because I was bleeding - at one point the look on Kellie's face did scare me a little but the bleeding stopped soon after the meds kicked in. 

They don't do many of the usual hospital things at the birth center but they did weigh and measure him. He was 8lbs 13oz that night (but later on we found out that was wrong). He never got a bath or taken away for tests, he just snuggled in with me for the rest of the night. Tommy laid next to me and sawed logs while I struggled to sleep. I just couldn't sleep knowing that my precious little baby was here, I had waited too long to see him. And that awesome chocolate birthday cake was right there next to me wanting to be nibbled on!

I was so anxious to get back home that we got, I showered (that was nice) and packed up around 9:00am. When we got home we were greeted by balloons and streamers and some really cute signs that the kids made with Ana, Grandma and Papa. 

Once the kids got to meet Asa, they were off to a birthday party with Grandma and Papa and we got to spend a few quiet moments at home with him. It was so nice to be back in our bed, at our house so soon. 

Asa Arthur, welcome to the world!

Coming Home Revisited

Steven 2007

Lyla 2009

Asa 2012

Practicing baby care

Steven is at the age where he wants to help with everything we do. It is a blessing and a curse. He is such a good helper when it is something he can help with but gets so pouty when he isn't quite big enough to help with the task. Baby diapering might be a bit beyond his capabilities right now but he wanted to learn so we got out the baby doll and had a lesson. 

I am using cloth diapers, many types and the one below is probably one of the more complicated kinds. But he wanted to know what the little device was that holds the diaper together. It's a snappi and it makes using flats inside a diaper cover really easy. I am not sure Steven thought it was really easy, though!

By the way, that is my cabbage patch doll, Libby, from 30 years ago. She is still going strong!