And Then I Dreamed About Apples

Last year, my domestic mentor and one of my best friends invited me to make and can applesauce at her house. It was such an intimidating process and took all day, with the two of us manually slicing each apple with a corer/slicer and juggling childcare duties. Mikayla would have been eight or nine months old, and I honestly have no idea what she did the whole time (but I guarantee she wasn't sleeping. The memories I have of listening to Mikayla cry and wail upstairs in the pack n play at Laurie's house...).

This year, Laurie and I are each heavier one baby boy, and it didn't seem feasible for us to sauce together again. But as I watched my apple sauce supply dwindle (as it did quickly the day the shelf fell), I began to wonder what I would feed my children, or use to bribe my little boy to eat his chicken. There seemed no other option but to undertake a saucing and canning day of my own.

My dear sister in law Becca summed it up well when she commented recently, "When you take on a project, you go all out!" Yes, yes I do. A la my first knitting project, a blanket that I enlarged from the pattern because if I was going to knit a blanket, it was going to be the biggest, most coziest blanket ever. Five panels of the blanket are sitting knitted in my attic, waiting for me to finish the border. It has been at least three years. (Optimistically, I am thinking that since I am not pregnant this winter, I might finally get to finishing it!)

In true form, then, when I decided to sauce, I knew it would be enough applesauce for the year. A bushel of apples, I said, and then impulsively sprang for an extra half-bushel at the farm stand. I didn't count them until later, as I processed them in batches of 24. If I had, I might not have loaded them all into my trunk quite as eagerly.

I bought a canner and some extra jars. With the new jars and another package of lids, I was set up for 24 jars total to can, plus extra jars and plastic lids if I had more sauce to contain. The jars went through the dishwasher the night before, and I googled the Ball canning website for tips on making and canning applesauce. I was so ready.

The festivities began at 8:30 a.m. on the dot. The kids and I had breakfasted and I had set up a few stations around the kitchen and dining room. Knowing this would be just me and the apples, I prepared myself for a relatively inefficient day. With Laurie, we processed all the apples and got them into several big pots to cook. We sauced a gigantic bowl, and then canned more then 30 quarts in shifts, keeping the canner hot the whole time. On my own, however, and without the gigantic bowls and pots we had used together, I had to move about 36 apples through the whole process at a time to make room for prepping, saucing, and canning the next batch. Why 36? Initially, because that's about how many would fit into my sink to wash at one time. Scientific, I know.

So at 8:30, I loaded my first apple onto my Pampered Chef corer/peeler/slicer. Or tried to. One unanswered phone call to my mother and a YouTube search later, I learned how to work the darn thing. Wouldn't you know, it is actually pretty slick! Turns out one of my apple varieties was just a little too soft to work properly on the corer, so I had to slice many of those by hand. But overall, that little gadget made my day move twice as fast. A gigantic thank-you to my sweet mom, who thoughtfully gave it to me about a year ago. I have been waiting all year to put it to good use, and it did not disappoint! A thank-you as well to my dad for sharing his expertise in maximizing stability and efficiency (he is the designated corer/slicer when my mom sauces).

See what a pretty ribbon of peel it gives you? I wish there were some crafty purpose for long ribbons of red and gold apple peel, but I doubt it would stand up to the rigors of hot glue.

Next, the apples went into my stock pot. My 36 apples didn't quite fit into my pot, so I texted my next-door neighbor Laura to see if she had one I could borrow. She is such a gem - she messaged me back to say she was washing hers out and would bring it over in a few minutes! What a blessing, without which I would surely still be saucing today. I used one of the more helpful aspects of my OCD to ensure that each pot of apples had the same blend of apple varieties to give me maximum consistency in my final product. (A dozen of each type in the big pot, half dozen of each in the smaller pot. All of it into the big pot for saucing once they had cooked down. Bam.)

Turns out I don't have a photo of my saucing station, probably because there lots of splattering and very little waiting going on, so no opportunity to grab my phone to snap a shot. I used the Cuisinart stick blender (should they pay me for the advertising plug?) that Joel's mom gave me to sauce the whole big pot at once. It gave me such a lovely, smooth sauce, even with the little bits of peel that made it in with my apples. So much easier than putting all my apples through a saucer or blender!

Next came the jar prep. Out of the dishwasher, swirled with hot water to warm them up, and filled with apple sauce. A hot canning lid out of a saucepan for each jar, secured with a canning ring and into the canner rack. I quickly discovered the challenge of getting that huge canning pot to reach, and maintain, a rolling boil on my cooktop stove. Just when it sounded like it was getting there, the burner would turn back off the way electric burners do. Argh! I finally moved the pot so that it was on both the front and back burners. It wasted some heat because neither burner was fully covered, but at least one of them was on all the time as they flipped off and on. It still took a sweet forever, but I got that thing to boil!

The final product. The lids all sealed within about three minutes of coming out of the canner, every time. I felt like such a rock star hearing all those little pops. Channeling my inner Mennonite diva, that's me. Per my count, I processed about 180 apples and ended up with 24 quarts of applesauce on the nose. And the last jars came out of the canner at 8:30 p.m. almost on the dot - an even twelve hours, including a two-hour break to rally the troops for dinner. I don't remember the last time I felt so exhausted! I helped myself to a cold malt beverage and handful of Ibuprofen, because my lower back swapped out for a hundred red-hot pokers after being on my feet for the first six hours. Channeling my inner 70-year-old Mennonite diva, apparently.

Highlights of the day include Isaac motoring around the entire first floor on his belly while I worked, more ground than he's ever covered before, and Mikayla's initial response to fresh homemade applesauce. At one point, Isaac located the garbage can lid on the dining room floor. It is one of those swinging lids, and he delighted himself for a solid eight minutes flapping it mercilessly against the wall. I came out to see what the ruckus was, and didn't he just beam up at me with that toothless grin, and those eyelashes! Look mom, I've got a skill!

And for lunch, I offered Mikayla what I thought surely would be a huge treat: applesauce, which she had "helped" to make (hey, she rolled a few apples around on the floor), fresh from the pot! I kid you not, she took one look at the bowl and said, "No! Away!" I even offered to put it into a  *pink* bowl, to which she agreed at first, but then continued to turn up her nose. Granted, she is accustomed to taking her applesauce cold rather than piping lukewarm, but seriously?! Can you picture the look on my face and the chagrin in my heart as my daughter refused the applesauce of which I was about to process 24 quarts? Oh good, Mikayla can snub my hard work every day for the next year!

She did eventually have some for dinner, but only because it came from the general direction of the refrigerator. That girl certainly knows her own mind!

In the end, the applesaucing was kind of like childbirth for me. Tons of work with more payoff than pain, and I'm glad it only comes round once a year!

**This project made possible by the expert tutelage of one Laurie T., the generous pot-lending of Laura H., the thoughtful gift-giving of two wonderful mothers, and the unfailing distraction of the Wonder Pets. Truly a collaborative effort.  Soli deo gloria!

My Virtual Memory Bank

Things I want to remember from right now:

Mikayla gives the best kisses and hugs upon demand. If you want her to actually hug you instead of just snuggling her head into your shoulder, you have to ask for a "hug with arms".

Whenever Mikayla really enjoys someone or something, the only appropriate response is to hug and kiss them. If the someone or something is too big, not physically present, or intangible, she clasps her hands to her chest and turns side to side as though giving an invisible hug, while saying "Ooooooh". Most notably, she kisses her pizza.

Mikayla gets excited to wear her little brown imitation-Ugg boots. She calls them "boops" and goes around excitedly looking for them, saying "Boops! Boops! Boops!"

She loves her catechism questions and her cousin Khloe. She has invented a word that is a hybrid of "glory" and "Khloe" so we can never quite be sure whether she is becoming more passionate about her seedling faith, or wants to watch her cousin's Facebook video again.

Our current favorite words: "Gokey gokey" [okey dokey]; "boops" [boots; see above]; "chooch" [church]; "ahmat" [headband]; "woa dadda!"; "mink!" [pink];

Mikayla sings the ABC song. Well, sort of. She says "A-B's, A-B's, A-B's....ME!!"

She can do her alphabet puzzle in under two minutes, and regularly reads capital letters off of food boxes, shirts, books, etc.

Mikayla loves to find Waldo!

There's more, but this will suffice. Just a quick snapshot of our little girl. Praising God for her presence with us :).

Tinkle Tweets

Yesterday, we brought home a toddler bed and put it together. It is sitting in Mikayla's room, waiting for the night when we will move her mattress and trust her not to tear her room apart the first time she sleeps without the restraint of crib bars.

The other day, I also brought home a second potty for her, so that we have one downstairs where we are most of the day, and one upstairs that is easier to get to before and after sleeps. (The second one was free; it's not that I parted with any actual commodity in order to have more potties for my 21-month-old daughter than her father and I enjoyed in our first six years of marriage.)

We talk to Mikayla every now and then about being a "big girl". We told her that the new bed is for when she is a "big girl", and that she will sleep there someday. I sometimes tell her during diaper changes that when she is a "big girl", she will put her "business" into the potty instead of her diaper.

I think she is taking all these pep talks to heart.

Today, she woke up from her nap with a bone-dry diaper. The first thing she said to me when I walked into her room was, "Potty?" I wasn't sure if this was because her new potty 1) faces the window and 2) plays music when she flushes and unrolls fake toilet paper (seriously I would live on that thing if I were a toddler), or if she truly needed to use it. Since we are indeed entering the very non-aggressive toilet training months, I humored her.

Didn't that big girl sit on her potty and promptly tinkle.

And didn't I have to offer her a spoonful of honey as a "tweet" afterward because we are plumb out of candy and desserts and stickers and anything else fun/appealing/fitting to the occasion. She refused it, of course, so thankfully daddy arrived home from grocery shopping right that minute with an impulse package of peanut butter Oreos. Mikayla and I "shared" one so that she still has a prayer of falling asleep at bedtime tonight. But she was so delighted that she got a tweet for going potty. I have no idea how she made it through her nap without getting wet, but I am not opposed. It has been a few weeks since her last interest in using the potty on command, so I am quite happy about the intrigue of the new musical throne.

Speaking of how advanced my daughter is, she is sitting on the floor with "The Great Waldo Escape" eagerly perusing the pages for "Wah-doh!" She can usually find him if I narrow the search down to a one-inch radius by pointing with my finger....sheer brilliance I tell you...

I'm so grateful for these children of ours, on loan from the Most High. Each little milestone becomes an opportunity for absolute joy as we watch them learn about and slowly master the world around them. It really is an amazing place when we see it through their eyes. I believe that little ones are one way that God encourages wonder and gratitude in the hearts of His own children. Just try feeling ungrateful as a little girl squeals in laughter. Glory to Him for these gifts, of which we are so unworthy.

Isaac's 6 Month Update

Ok first, and possibly more importantly, why did Blogger change? For some reason I can't log in to my blog FROM my blog view anymore. I used to be able to click my own bookmark, then click once more to write a new post, sign in, change the layout, etc. Obviously Blogger thinks I have nothing better to do than click three times and type a password and maybe even update my bookmark toolbar. Blogger is wrong.

What? You're here because you want to know what's up with the sweetest, most handsome little six-month-old guy in the world? I can help you with that.

Pediatrician appointments have become just SO much fun, now that Isaac can roll off of the table and Mikayla can turn the lights off and open the door. We take crackers, and pray that Isaac's exam will take less than seven minutes, which is approximately how long a container of crackers will hold my daughter's attention. Don't worry, she'll go back to it after she explores all the drawers and licks the doctor's special tools.

Today, Isaac weighed in at 15 lb 8 oz, which is only a half ounce more than he weighed at his last vaccination visit a month ago. Wha' happened? Turns out my plan of nursing five times daily, and following two of those feedings with some cereal or a fruit or veggie is SUBPAR. He needs to eat every two hours, alternating nursing with real food so that he is hungrier for the spoon. Because I have nothing better to do with my day than pipe food into my son and hope he naps during the twenty minutes when he's not swallowing or pooping.

Sorry, I am easily upset by suggested changes to my routine. Apparently.

As I was saying: Isaac weighed 15 lb 8 oz, placing him at the 29th percentile. He was 26 inches long, about average (I don't know how they think wrestling his heel to a random number on the measuring tape constitutes an accurate length measurement but hey I'm not a nurse). His head is average too, about forty something (42?) centimeters. I used to remember way more details of Mikayla's visits, so my fuzzy memory now must indicate exhaustion or that she is my favorite child. Or that I am busy rescuing the doctor's flashy scope-light thing from her clutches the whole time. I did have an allergic reaction to narcotic medication over the past few days, though, so maybe that is part of it too?

Isaac does SO many things, and has fun with it all. He rolls quickly and easily in any direction, often to angle for a better view of his big sister.  He holds his head and shoulders way up off the floor, and you can tell he wants to crawl but usually just succeeds at pushing himself backward. I guess he gets better traction with his hands than with his toes, just yet. He practically stands up in his exersaucer, just relying on the balance it gives him, but his legs are strong! Mikayla often busily shows him all the toys on his exersaucer, concerned that he may have forgotten since yesterday, pausing only to give him the occasional hearty thump on the back (playing gives you the burps, obv).

And this little boy has the absolute sweetest smile you ever saw! He opens his mouth in this gigantic grin, and between the dimples and the eye lashes you could just pour him over your pancakes in the morning. Sometimes he flashes his smile for his momma or dadda, but the greatest megawattage is reserved for Mikayla. Oh my heavens. He thinks she is really something! I have heard lots of mommas talk about how their babies adore their older siblings, but seeing it firsthand just blows me away. And Mikayla feels just the same way about him - he is the one person in this world who is always guaranteed a giant-pucker kiss from her. She hugs him, she kisses him, and she burps him, all the while explaining to you just what she is doing. She helps with his diapers, except she still thinks that they belong over his face. At least he is starting to really get a kick out of the big reveal, when she yanks the diaper away and says "Peek!" (or "boo!" depending on the day).

Isaac is such a big boy. He now has his own sippy cup that he is just learning to drink water from, and he sits in his "'eat" (seat, a.k.a. high chair) to "eat", according to Mikayla. He enjoys avocados, bananas, and cereal, and we are about to ramp up his food intake per the doctor's orders. I expect that peas, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes will make an appearance soon. And red meat, which remains a strongly encouraged first food, and which I still think is weird. We'll see how it goes. When Isaac eats, Mikayla requires an empty bowl and spoon so that she can show Isaac how it's done, either by demonstrating fake practice-bites or jamming the empty spoon into his mouth. We are still working on the whole "gentle" concept, and I think we're struggling against some selective attention on that one.

We hope to get some pictures up soon with Isaac's bear, so you can all see how he's growing. I bet he'll be wrestling it and rolling all over the place, so do your best to spot him amidst the blur of action. Anything I missed in this here update? Anything you've been wondering? Let me know!

Happiness in a Can

Some moms use Skittles and M&M's. Here on the Pearce homestead, we apparently potty train using the promise of White Tea & Lily. Maybe next we'll reward eating all her dinner with getting to load the dishwasher.

This afternoon, the kids and I were hanging out in the playroom (this is where we go when momma needs to get some work done on the laptop). Suddenly Mikayla reappeared from the blue bathroom with a can of air freshener, with all the curiosity and excitement of a puppy who got into the shoe closet. Since I am all about sharing fascinating new experiences with my kids (especially ones that cost nothing and require only enough energy to push a button with my finger), I sprayed it a few times for her learning enjoyment.

Mikayla was delighted! She kept asking for "more! more!" Well, our playroom can only take so much aerosolized fragrance before the spray-garden starts to gag the baby. Since air freshener usually comes after potty time (logical, right?), I told Mikayla that she could spray more air freshener after she put something in the potty. It's been awhile since her first potty success, so I figured this would buy some time and at least allow the air to clear a bit.

Wrong, momma....challenge accepted!

My little girl marched right into the bathroom and declared, "Potty! Off!" as she tugged at her shorts. She sat her little bottom on her potty and asked to read a book. We had all of two pages of "Red Fish, Blue Fish" under our belts when I noticed something wet on her legs. Investigating further, I discovered that she must have used the potty nigh immediately after sitting down.

She totally just peed on command.

This corner of our house smells like a lily garden next to a perfume counter, but I think it's pretty cool that Mikayla decided to go, and then she went! Plus, at least for the time being, I get to avoid all the "food as reward?!" angst that goes along with using sweets. (Other people have that, right?)

For myself, I am thankful for this reminder to look at the little things through the eyes of a child. A can that sprays a new smell into the air? How cool is that?! Definitely something to giggle and clap about, if it means delighting with my little girl.

SDG!

Magic Erasers: Yes, They Are

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are a fine example of marketing at its shining best. Gleaming, in fact. Not at all dissimilar to the walls I spent two hours scrubbing today with this product. My spirit is soaring, my heart is rejoicing, at the transformation!  

Never mind the fact that I won't be able to move tomorrow morning after the gymnastics involved in scrubbing the walls and baseboards up and down our stairs. It was totally worth skipping lunch and a shower in order to suck the marrow out of naptime for this project. The C and D in OCD stand for Carpe Diem, right?

So you want to see before and after photos, I just know it. To those who share in the OCD: brace yourselves, this will not help your condition. In fact, the following photos may induce compulsive purchase of cleaning products including, but not limited to, bulk packages of Magic Erasers. The following took four Extra Power Magic Erasers, and I will need the other two of my first half-dozen to finish the upstairs hallway. The lighting isn't great; you can see the worst marks, but not the smudges that were over most of the lower walls.

Top of the stairs at the landing: 

Bottom of stairs going up from the landing: 

Corner hallway going to our room:  

Outside our bedroom door: 

Pro tip: If these don't impress you, then you might need to clean your computer screen. Watch for marks that don't move as you scroll up and down; those are filth on your screen, not on my walls. Not that I learned the hard way while uploading these. 

Next project: All the other walls, door and window  frames, doors, and baseboards in the house. I'm guessing the previous residents had a child about two and a half feet tall and perhaps a pet or two. Which I am not judging at all, because I can see this being a regular part of spring (or fall, really) cleaning when Mikayla and Isaac are big enough to play outside all summer!

It's Pot-tay Tiiiime

I've discovered this condition in which perfectly rational people experience transient dementia states, triggered by typically unremarkable bodily functions. I know this because three hours ago, I squealed in absolute delight as my 19 month old daughter delivered poopoo into the potty instead of her diaper. I repeatedly sang the syllables "pee pee" and "poo poo" as we jumped around, and then we jointly made a mess of a white chip chocolate coconut cookie to celebrate.

Had you told me two years ago that I would have this reaction to my child's first potty experience, I would have kindly recommended a Seroquel for those delusions. I'm sure I would have expected some kind of consistent reward system involving skittles or, preferably, whole-grain crackers, to instill a deep love of pottying in my children. And the hearty congratulatory hug and "atta girl!"

But the monkey shenanigans? And reducing myself to monosyllabic nonsense?

I smack my forehead. But it was worth it to see the joy in her little face as she realized she was doing it and her momma was so proud of her! We giggled as we re-dressed her and shared our cookie. Throughout the morning she said, "potty!" with a big smile and pointed in the general direction of the blue bathroom. Yes, darling, behold your new throne!

I'd be lying if I said my joy was purely due to parental pride, though. In my mind, I am already celebrating the end of one child in diapers. As I wiped her hiney, I tried to remember which bin has room to put away her cloth diapers. I made a mental note to pull out the little training undies I have somewhere. Because going potty one time is practically the same as bladder and bowel mastery, no?

In the mind of this momma, who changes roughly 13 diapers daily (huh....it feels like a lot more...), cutting that figure in half can't come soon enough. And the hope of that day is plenty reason to celebrate like a dingbat.

The Chunky Monkey Eats! (So does her little brother)

Technically, Isaac's first cereal meal was last week when we were on vacation with Joel's family. It was very exciting, and he did fantastically with the spoon and ate a few tablespoons of rice cereal. Everybody clapped, tears were shed, etc. etc. However, because I don't have any photographic evidence of that precious event, we recreated his first meal today. And by "we", I mean Mikayla and me. She was ALL about showing Isaac his high chair, putting his bib on him, and then "helping" him with his spoon.

It was all well and good until I discovered raisins in the rice cereal.  I guess we can't blame a helpful big sister for wanting to share her favorite foods with her baby brother. But I did start to look more carefully at the spoon before popping it into Isaac's mouth!

This was such a neat little time for all of us, so I grabbed my phone and caught a few pictures. A video is forthcoming, as soon as I upload it. Incidentally, I bought myself a few minutes to write this post by allowing Mikayla to watch the video repeatedly on my phone. I'm even letting her hold the phone. Momma magic!

  So excited to eat with her little brother!

 As Mikayla would say, Isaac is ready to "eat!" because he's wearing his "beeb!"

"Bowl, Ikey, more!"

Isaac was just amazingly chill through the whole experience. He is already showing good progress in slurping food off of his spoon and swallowing it easily, even a slightly thicker puree. He didn't cry or show much of any emotion, even when Mikayla poked his empty spoon repeatedly into his mouth.  He did, however, giggle at her as she did tricks with her sippy cup and crackers. It was something of a guessing game to determine when he was finished. No spitting up, and he had a great nap after breakfast this morning, so I think he enjoys having a fuller belly!

Now off to rescue my phone from toddler hands, and to put Isaac down for an afternoon nap where he will no doubt spend the first twenty minutes doing acrobatics in his crib. What a roller! And he is SO close to sitting up - he is fairly stable, but slumps forward.

Thinking back to last summer, I can't help but think...isn't this about when I was announcing another pregnancy? Six month old baby, just starting to sit and eat...what are we waiting for? My goodness. I don't think I even realized at the time just how crazy that was.  But our cup is so full with these precious little ones who so obviously LOVE each other! Speaking of whom...gotta run!

It Was Worse Than You're Imagining

So on Saturday, Joel and I woke to the sound of a gigantic crash and breaking glass. Think, massive clap of thunder meets recycle truck within 100 yards of our house. We checked around the house, looked out all our windows, but could find no explanation for the cacophony. We figured somebody must have been doing some early morning dumpster filling out behind their house, or something, and went back to bed, mystified.

Today, I opened our basement door to find all of my canned (in glass jars) applesauce, peaches, and beets on the floor, sprawled down the basement stairs, surrounded by broken glass. Oh, and mold growing over half of the mess.

Duhhhhh, so THAT's that we heard! I bet a light bulb actually appeared over my head as the thought clicked. I've never felt so bright.

And then I closed the door and immediately began the process of repressing the knowledge of what was waiting there to be cleaned up. That kind of undertaking is not to be initiated without full husband backup, and after munchkin bedtime because who wants to spend three hours saying, "No, Mikayla, no touch! Go find your [headband, cup, phone, purse, ball, puzzle....]" while obviously the three feet behind the basement door is way more interesting than all the toys and WonderPets episodes in the world.

In God's providence, we purchased a shop vac shortly after we moved into our home about a month ago. Joel spent a solid three hours of quality time with his man machine, while I washed the remaining unbroken jars and the inside of the basement door. To our landlord, if you're reading this (and have recovered from your heart palpitations sufficiently to be reading this far), please know that the basement stairs and door have not been this clean in at least 50 years. There is nothing, neither mold nor fungus nor insect, that could have survived the scrub-down we gave those suckers.

While it was not at the top of my "Ways to Spend Wednesday Evening" list, this cleaning job was gross and backbreaking enough for us to want full credit. And everyone knows it's not official til you blog about it or post it on Facebook. So there you go. You'll have to take my word for it, though, because we did not, for some crazy reason, choose to capture the moment with Instagram.

Glamour Shots

Today, the kids and I are just hanging out, hoping to get through this fussy Friday without too much grief (I hear on Facebook it is going around today; apparently the Lord is up for some serious momma-sanctifying!). But there have been some really fun moments in the midst of *someone* insisting on crackers for breakfast, and *someone* not taking a morning nap because he stealth-pooped right after I put him down.

For instance, here is Isaac, giving his momma some sugar (ok, I was balancing a baby and snapping a photo, I seem to have missed the actual moment of the actual smile; but he's still hecka cute!).

And guess who decided to do her own hair today? I have been waiting for the day when she would leave hair accessories in, but this isn't quite what I had envisioned.

 

Maybe this will be her prom look someday, along with the dress I'm going to make for her.

And Then Pigs Flew

This morning, in celebration of sleeping ALL the way until 5:45 a.m., I went for a run. To be more precise, I went for a walk/jog/run, as it used to be called in high school gym class when we spent the entire period ambulating around the track at whatever pace felt right. At that time, we took very seriously the recommendation to never elevate our heart rates to the point where we could not comfortably hold a conversation.

But about this morning. I felt positively energized at 6 a.m. when I put Isaac back down for his "chill time" (I'm never actually sure if he goes back to sleep, but he doesn't seem to mind spending another hour or so hanging out in his crib). I had exactly an hour before Joel would leave for work. So I donned running apparel, including my new/used New Balance sneaks, and headed out the door. Joel was so impressed that he opened his eyes and uttered three words before I left.

Leaving the house, I started at a brisk walk to warm up. But I just couldn't hold back, and broke into a steady run.

It was the best thirty seconds of my workout.

Then I came to my senses and walked the rest of the way to the park entrance. Mind you, it takes less than a minute to drive from our home to the parking lot. Hey, it was a start. I explored our local park as I alternated walking and running for the next twenty or so minutes. And I confess, I kept it relatively low-key because I can't exactly afford to spend the rest of the day icing my shin splints and wondering when THOSE muscles appeared in my body for the sole purpose of making my life more painful.

In sum, I got some exercise, got my heart rate up, and I didn't even feel like I wanted to die. That, for me, is a successful beginning. Usually I way overdo it the first time and spend the next week recovering and recalling why I don't DO that sort of thing. However. Two pregnancies in rapid succession say that I had better START doing that sort of thing, so I felt it best to set myself up for workout longevity.

That said, if you are ever in the Reamstown area early in the morning, keep a sharp eye and have your cell phone or oxygen tank handy just, you know, in case you spot a walk/jog/runner in need of assistance.

Mikayla Outside

Today, it was not hotter than the devil's hiney outside. Mikayla and I celebrated by playing outside, and we even let Isaac watch for a little while. We laid out a blanket for sitting and blowing bubbles; it mostly worked, though I added too much baking powder to the recipe, and I blame that mistake for our bubbles being slightly subpar. But Mikayla was fascinated by the shiny, poppable balls and even more so by the container of bubble solution right next to her. We splashed and played and didn't care at all that we soaked the blanket and ourselves. What's a summer day for, if not to get all wet while you play? I captured a few videos of Mikayla checking out her new backyard. Previewing them on my computer, it sounds like I am using some kind of electronic voice-masking device. Or maybe narration is provided by the robot lady who lives in James Bond's car and talks to him. I have such a great phone!

Mikayla learns about bubbles. She stirs, she tastes, she styles her hair...

oh, and she attempts to blow a few, as well.

 

Mikayla chases a ball, and blows on a moth as it flutters by. We blow pillow feathers in the air inside, and I'm guessing she thought the moth was a feather. I love watching her make connections like that! Also at the very end, instead of blowing a kiss, she comes over to my phone and kisses the display.

More fun with the ball and bubbles. Try not to be too amazed by my fancy camera work...

view with caution if you are prone to motion sickness.

It's Not Tweeting, It's...Something Else

I just want to write about the every-day stuff that fills up my heart. Lengthy, well-organized blog posts are not my current genre. It's all about capturing the moments that make the whirlwind of motherhood so rewarding. (Is it this mindset that catapulted Twitter to such success? Shoot. I hate accidentally supporting cultural trends that I claim to disdain.)

This Mikayla Moment already made it onto Facebook, but here it is again so that I can keep it neatly tagged and labeled and find it again someday (though Facebook Timeline is just so user-friendly, it almost feels redundant....right?). (Was that seriously my second social networking reference in one blog post?)

The other day, I was nursing Isaac - precious, handsome, dimple-grinned Isaac - while Mikayla and I watched an episode of Veggie Tales. Suddenly I felt something warm and wet on my shin. I looked down, and she was licking my leg up and down, eyes still glued to the TV screen. Up and down. Up and down. A short left to right for variety. She looked at me once real quick, tongue still hanging out, and then back to my leg. What a goofball!

Also, I gave her one of my old small purses when we moved. She carries it around, hanging by the strap from the crook of her elbow, and I swear that girl struts when she carries her big-girl purse. And she knows what it's called, too. Her vocabulary is starting to explode....I'm sure that her language growth is about to become asymptotic.

That means "approaching infinity but never actually reaching it".  And you thought I'd never use calculus in real life...I didn't even have to google that.

Purse, trash, pets (short for Wonderpets), more, cheese ("ch!"), cracker, car, bath, diaper, night night, off (invaluable when she wants to remove a shoe or sweatshirt or unbuckle a strap or...) and of course momma, dadda, ikey, papa.

Isaac LOVES her. She shows him her toys and he just grins away with those fat, dimpled cheeks. What a lucky little brother, and what a blessed big sister!

Why I Don't Blog

Things I have done today, since waking up at 5:30 to nurse Isaac:

• Shower (possibly the most noteworthy item on this list).
• Watched a new refrigerator being delivered (no wait, THIS is the most noteworthy thing on the list!).
• Shopped for postpartum professional wardrobe, because I have been pregnant for the last two summers. Found six tops and two pairs of adorable shoes (ok, so there are a lot of important things that have happened today...).
• Organized and finished unpacking entire wardrobe.
• Made bed (added actual bed coverings and throw pillows).
• Helped Joel clear insulation away from shower light, so that it stays on for longer than five minutes without overheating.
• Load #1 of laundry for the day.
  
  Still to do:
• Hang light-blocking curtains in Mikayla's room.
• Help Joel build our guest bed.
• Make guest bed.
• Loads #2 and 3 for the day.
• Make and consume a delicious dinner that involves actual perishable food from a refrigerator that works.
• Bathe children (this should be higher on the list, considering how [not] often it happens!).

For right now, sitting and updating the blog makes for a nice breather. But listing out all the things that need to be done around here (and this is pretty representative of the past few weeks, with two kiddos and the big move) makes me feel better about such sparse blog posts of late. I hope, once we are more settled, to add some pictures of the new digs and of the kiddos enjoying their new space.

Mikayla just woke up...time for a diaper change, and then those curtains! Which I'm sure will be a breeze with a one-and-a-half-year-old helping, right?

So blessed...

Learning to Sit and to Share

Today was Isaac's second attempt with the bumbo seat, and he did beautifully! And putting Isaac in the bumbo seat means a combination of two of Mikayla's favorite things to play with (she can still somehow fit into the bumbo seat; it is quite humorous watching her wiggle free afterward! She also enjoys carrying it around, clumsily).

Since I aspire to be more like my sister in most ways, I realized this was a golden photo op and grabbed my camera. Well, my phone anyway. I will work my way up to taking professional-grade portraits with a fancy digital camera one day. Maybe.

Here are the shots I came up with before the moment passed and Mikayla decided that crackers were MUCH more important than playing with her brother:

"Show Ikey your bug...put it in his lap."

 

"Wipe Ikey's mouth, please."

They are just too precious together! And Mikayla is quite the mother hen. She fetches diapers ("bipas!") even when he doesn't need them, and puts them over his head or pushes them at his hiney. And she is eager to show him how to play with all of her toys.

The troops are getting restless. I guess this momma's blog break is just about over! Thanks for stopping by!

Isaac's 2-month (sort of) update

I guess I'm a little late on Isaac's two month update, seeing as how he was 11 weeks on Thursday. Oops! My tardiness makes it all the more important to capture some of his milestones, so that someday I can rely on my blog to recall when he had all his "firsts". Especially because we don't have a baby book for him yet (thus begins the second child getting the shaft, right?).

Isaac is amazing. At his 2-month appointment (which occurred around 9 weeks of age), he weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces. When we went back for shots a few days later, he was 13 lbs 11 1/2 oz. He's a grower! And thankfully, within a few days after that, his allergies seem to have miraculously cleared up. I don't know if it was our efforts to cat-proof his (our) bedroom, or coincidence, but we are just grateful that he is breathing more easily these days. The cats are now actually gone, having been re-homed this week, so we may never know if it was them for sure.

The anchor of Isaac's day is bedtime, which is in the neighborhood of 8:30/9:00 but has been inching earlier in the past week. He sleeps until at least 3:30 or 4:00, but had a couple of nights last weekend when he slept from 9pm until 5 or 6am! He then sleeps a few more hours, hangs out awake for a bit, and often sleeps the whole morning away after another meal. I'm so grateful for this pattern because mornings are Mikayla's neediest times, with wake-up, breakfast, getting dressed, etc. Often, she will go down for a nap around 11:30 just as he is waking up. Then he goes back down for a nap around 12:30 and I get some quiet time all to myself!

Afternoons vary, with a nap somewhere at some point. He is getting good at falling asleep in his pack 'n play bassinet for both naps and bedtime. If we missed the "golden window" of drowsiness, he sometimes cries it out, but that generally takes no more than 20 minutes. Everyone warned me that because Mikayla was such a good sleeper, our second would be the opposite. So far, though, both kiddos seem to share their parents' love of sleep!

(The above is a generalization, more "guidelines" than rules, but it feels like we at least have a pattern, most days.)

The highlight of my days lately, as with Mikayla, are the first wake-up moments with Isaac. After his first breakfast of the morning, he unlatches with a HUGE grin and would laugh out loud if he knew how. The smiles that little guy turns out are just amazing! (First smile: within a few days of his baptism, probably April 23 or 24.) I wish I had more time to snuggle him, as I used to with Mikayla, but....well, Mikayla has to get up, too! So he hangs out in his swing while I get his sister up and breakfasted. Then it's back to sleep for a nap almost as soon as she's finished with breakfast.

Did I mention he's SUCH an easy baby?

That's if we're on our home turf; days when we head out for errands or events are much more challenging because we don't all get to sleep and eat exactly when and where we like. Isaac, like his sister before him, is fantastic at sleeping in his bed but is getting a bit hit-or-miss at sleeping in his car seat. The BEST times are when EVERYONE is tired and we are all in the car, say, driving home from New Jersey, and we are ALL screaming at the top of our lungs. Yes, those times are quite thrilling. Momma and Dadda do our best to sing hymn after psalm after spiritual song to get the kiddos to quiet down, and when all else fails, we willfully dissociate and pretend it isn't happening. There is so much you can do in a moving four-door...oh, for the days when we will have a minivan and Momma can pop back to help the kiddos out!

Isaac eats about five times a day, starting with his early morning breakfast around 4 or 5 or whatever. Then another quick nibble around 8, then his (hopefully) long morning nap. Lunch, an early dinner, and then an epic feeding before bed that sometimes begins an hour before sleepy time. It varies some, but that is the typical pattern. And he is not nearly the spitter-upper that his sister was! Once in a blue moon (seriously perhaps once or twice a week) he spits massively, seemingly due to a renegade air bubble in his tummy. Otherwise we are talking perhaps a tiny dribble if he has overeaten. And the dude can BURP. He will give his Dadda a run for his money when he is old enough for the manly contests.

When we put Isaac down for tummy time, he can easily push up with his arms and hold his head way up high to look around. He sat in his bumbo seat this week for the first time and did well for 5-10 minutes until his neck meat got tired, and he went all slumpy on me. Not bad for a first attempt, though!

You'd think I would have a fresh photo for Isaac's update post, but nope. Not on the ball. Did you miss the part about second children getting the shaft? It's just those pesky firstborns demanding all their parents' time and energy...particularly when they are only 14 months older. Phew!

So we are generally all sleeping and smiles over here, on the Isaac front anyway. God is so good, and our children are precious gifts from His hand. May He strengthen us for this daunting task of rearing and disciplining, nurturing and encouraging these little souls toward their heavenly Father.

SDG!

Independence Days

Mikayla is blowing my mind lately, and I have to share.

• On Friday, she grabbed her spoon from me at breakfast and started eating her oatmeal by herself. This is not the first time she has reached for the spoon, but it is the first time she has not placed her oatmeal directly in her hair or sent it flying through the air.
  
  Side note: how long does it take for a baby to "declare" handedness? Mikayla has always self-fed with both hands, but more often with her left. She is using both hands equally frequently to feed herself with the spoon, and seems equally coordinated with both so far (she gets the food smoothly into her mouth with both). Do I have an ambidextrous genius child, or will she eventually decide which hand she prefers?
  
   
• Today, while eating her PB&J for lunch, she looked me in the eye and held her nose with her right thumb and forefinger. I have never seen her hold her nose, and neither Joel nor I have taught her this. She gave me this mischievous smile for a few seconds before opening her sandwich-filled mouth and gasping for air. I'm not sure whether she knew ahead of time that this trick would deprive her of oxygen. Now, I can ask her to "hold your nose!" and she will do it again. Yes, I'm amazed by this because it is possibly the first spontaneous trick that nobody has taught her, and she found it as hilarious as I did.
  
• Also today, we went erranding with our sweet neighbor, Fran. Fran is at home by herself during the day while her teen (special-needs) grandsons are in school, and lately she has dropped by a few times to visit. Today we coordinated a visit to the local thrift store together, so that she could help me carry and corral little ones and actually accomplish my few shopping goals. Typically, Mikayla rides in the shopping cart or, when she is in a really sunny (not) mood, I have to carry her AND push the cart. Today, Mikayla pulled the go-limp-in-momma's-arms-and-slide-down-her-body move that signaled her desire to walk like a big girl. This has so far happened only at home, possibly a couple of times at church. But she walked like a CHAMP at the store, browsing the display cases of jewelry (the plexiglass windows between her and the merchandise were a little baffling at first) and doing laps around the front display aisles. She even attempted to push the cart. And walked through the big doors, along the sidewalk, and out to the car. She only became a tiny bit afraid when she saw the gigantic forklift that the employees use to move big bins of donations around, but hey, that's a little intimidating even to an experienced biped like myself.
  
• Mikayla used to be afraid of both our gravel driveway and the grass. On Saturday she held a few blades of grass in her hand. Today, she walked all over the driveway, around the car, and gave handfuls stones to Fran before they came inside and showed off Mikayla's dirty palms. I saw her grimy hands and thought, she's officially a kid now!
  
• She is learning new words almost daily. The cutest is "buh-puh" (purple) and "byyyyeeeee!" every time she hears one of us say goodbye on the phone. Also "doop doop doop" with accompanying hand motion, which is apparently what the ceiling fan "says".
  
• I am happy to report that she seems to understand the question, "Do you want a spanking?" This has, for the most part, turned our diaper-change experiences around considerably, for the better. And I have only had to follow through once - the mere mention of that dreaded smack on chubby toddler-thigh inspires golden obedience. So far. But stay tuned on that one, folks, because I do believe she is her momma's daughter.
  
• She takes her big-sister role very seriously. She brings Isaac his blanket (and puts it over his face). She shows him all her toys (mostly by bopping him in the head with them, but she REALLY wants to give them to him!). She gives lots of hugs and kisses and rocks whatever he is sitting in. And she doesn't let me get lazy...today I strapped him into his carseat, but left the handle back in the reclining position. Mikayla pulled the hood/shade thing up over Isaac's head, and tugged on the handle, looking at me with eyes that obviously said, "But momma, he's not ALL ready to go yet!" I'm amazed at the things she picks up on, like burping her baby doll, putting a burp cloth over the doll as a blanket, and obviously making sure Isaac's carseat is in the locked, upright position so that we can leave the house.

 And those, dear reader, are the ways my sweet little girl has been venturing forth on her own two feet lately, and taking my personal world, at least, by storm. There's a new reason to feel at once proud and humbled every day!

SDG!

CIO: Part Deux (Isaac's Turn!)

These last seven weeks have been such a blur, I haven't had a chance to think about blogging, let alone come up with an interesting topic! Next week I will try to do a two-month update for sweet Isaac, so that you all know what he's up to. For now, though, I just want to jot a few things that might be worth remembering.

Joel and I have been discussing when to let Isaac cry it out. Sometimes during the day I simply don't have the opportunity to go help him out, so he cries to sleep out of sheer necessity. Amazing how a 15 month old can gobble up all your time! But this has definitely been more the exception than the rule, and frankly we are hoping he can become a little lower maintenance. I harbor no expectation that this will suddenly lead us to become well-rested people, since he is still waking a couple of times at night to eat (none of those amazing 5-6 hour stretches that Mikayla was doing at this age...yet...possibly because the poor kid has spent the last few weeks snotting around. The lack of oxygen probably wakes him if hunger doesn't.).

So I decided to peruse back over the blog to see when Mikayla first CIO. Turns out, she was almost exactly two months old. And Isaac will be two months old this Thursday. And this coincides with Dr. Marc Weissbluth's recommendation in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby, a book that preserved our sanity the first time around with Mikayla. We are such intuitive parents, aren't we, knowing just when to start letting our children CIO? Or...two months is when we've reached our wits end on trying to get our child to sleep. Intuitive, or exhausted, take your pick.

Just now we decided to test the theory. Isaac went down in his playard at 6:25 and started to cry. But I KNEW he was tired, dry, and not hungry. Perfect recipe for a little CIO attempt, no? We set our mental timers to five minutes, because you can let your child cry for five minutes and still definitely be a good parent. At five minutes he was pretty unhappy with us, but we looked at each other and let the clock inch by to seven minutes...the wails were coming and going at this point. At ten minutes I decided to go rub his back, offer the Nuk, etc. Still pretty ticked, so I picked him up for a minute to soothe him. His eyes immediately started to drowse closed, so I dropped that kid like a (fragile) hot potato so that he could reap the full benefit of falling asleep on his own. Generous momma that I am.

Here we are at 6:55 and that little bug has been silent for at least ten minutes, meaning it took all of twenty for him to successfully CIO with a minor assist in the middle. It kind of feels like that moment when...no wait, actually there is nothing quite like the feeling of a SLEEPING INFANT.

Plus, Mikayla just went night-night, so we are enjoying one silent house at the moment. Joel and I are whispering to each other just to make sure we don't break it. Notable quotable from Joel: "Our house hasn't been this quiet in seven weeks."

We are strongly considering letting Isaac CIO at bedtime tonight, but it would mean probably sleeping him in his playard downstairs, so he doesn't wake his sister. But perhaps, if it takes less than twenty minutes, we could tolerate having him in our room.

On that note, gotta run. Our neighbor's dog just started barking, loudly, and Mikayla's monitor just flipped on, meaning she's awake. Keep an eye on the news tonight; if you hear my name, you'll know this didn't end well. No, seriously.

SDG!

Isaac's Birth Story: Part 2

(Part 1 is here if you need to start at the beginning)

It was a gorgeous morning. The sun was just risen, the sky clear as we drove. Joel asked me how fast I wanted him to drive. I responded with something like, don’t be dangerous, but get there. We made great highway time – Joel said he averaged about 85 mph – except when we got stuck behind a car poking along in the passing lane. I may have uttered an expletive at one point, but Joel said he was willing to overlook it because, you know, labor. I held onto the handle above my car door to help steady me as we drove, and managed to send a text or two. I think I texted my sister something like, “This is the baby text! We’re on our way to the birth center!” Joel initiated a family phone tree by calling our sister in law, Becca, to let her know it was all going down.

As with the last time we made this drive in labor, my contractions spaced out a bit on the ride but didn’t stop. Notably, if anyone is familiar with the intersection at “the ladder store” in Ephrata, I had a particularly hard contraction just as Joel took that right-hand turn onto 322 none too gently. Yowsa! Overall though, the spacing of contractions meant I could really enjoy the beauty of the morning and contemplate, to some degree, the fact that we would be meeting our son that day. I continued to manage contractions with relative ease. The relaxation was just coming so naturally to me that morning!

We arrived at the birth center at 8:05 a.m. and were welcomed by Jen, the same midwife who delivered Mikayla. She had the birth tub set up and partially filled with water. A quick check revealed that I was already 7-8 centimeters dilated and fully effaced (!!). I took a bathroom break, undressed, and hopped (well…figuratively) into the birth tub to labor. At this point, labor really….all but stopped. Jen assured me that this was normal when transitioning to a new location, and that I was definitely in labor, and it would pick up again soon. We hung out and talked, joked, relaxed for about half an hour with me in the tub. I may have had a contraction or two during that time, but it was really low-key and enjoyable at that point. I remember Jen telling the nurse that we would be needing her almost for sure within the next three hours, and I remembered being surprised and SO happy that she thought it would go that quickly!

Around 8:30, things began to pick up. With each contraction, Joel rubbed my shoulders and back, and poured warm water from the tub over my belly with a pitcher. He also began to breathe with me through each contraction. At times, I used a focal point of one of the plugs in the inflatable birth tub, and at other times I closed my eyes to concentrate. Different from my first labor, I also tried to keep my arms and hands totally relaxed. With Mikayla, I squeezed Joel’s hands through the really intense contractions. This time around, keeping my arms relaxed was really difficult but I think paid off in helping to manage the pain more successfully and allowing the contractions to pass more peacefully. I know it sounds weird, but it continued to be a peaceful labor even as contractions ramped way up and even double-peaked several times.

Jen captured the (external) serenity of Joel helping me through a contraction.

Joel says it was probably around 9:00 a.m. that I first said I might be ready to push soon. He also says his internal reaction, which he did not voice, was “Already?!? Shouldn’t we wait?” I wasn’t having a true urge, but could tell the baby was getting low, and the intensity from the contractions was getting super low as well. With the next few contractions, it didn’t feel as low or intense, so I waited, but my midwife gave me her blessing to push when I felt like it. At this point, my water had not broken, in case you were wondering.

Now, with Mikayla, I believe I delayed pushing significantly because I wasn’t sure when it was time to try. I think my labor with her could have been at least an hour or two shorter, and that much of what I considered to be “transition” was in fact me resisting my body’s urge to push. So I was determined to be very tuned into my body this time, and not to resist when I felt that same feeling.

But I was willing to be patient. I started to push once or twice with contractions and felt that it wasn’t right just yet, that my body wasn’t quite working with me. So I relaxed and waited to have the feeling again. It was just after 9:30 that I really started to feel that it was time – those low, incredibly intense contractions that felt like the baby was ready to come out. I was also feeling like I couldn’t take much more intensity, so that let me know that I must be just about there!

At this point, I told Jen again that I was really feeling like I should push. She checked me and said there was just a small edge of my cervix in the way, but that she would help while I pushed to let the baby’s head pass through. She also asked if I’d like her to break my water. I agreed to the amniotomy, to relieve some pressure and help the pushing to go perhaps a bit more easily and quickly. She broke my water and reported that it was clear, no meconium, and so I was free to have this baby in the tub! I had to deliver Mikayla out of the water due to meconium staining, so I was excited to try this time in the water. (Read: Praise the Lord, I wouldn’t have to throw a leg over the side of the birth tub to get out in the middle of pushing.)

Water broken and with Jen helping, I pushed hard through the next several contractions. Jen was so encouraging, telling me that I was pushing perfectly, and having me shift slightly to improve the angle for the baby. He must have appreciated that, because then he came fast! It was incredibly intense for me, feeling him descend, and feeling as though I must continue to push to get this baby out or I would, I don’t know, die or something. He crowned within a few minutes, and I only allowed him to hang out long enough for me to take a deep breath and push again.

At 9:47, after five hours of labor and just eleven minutes of pushing, Isaac Victor Pearce was born in the warm water of the birth tub, and was in my arms within moments. It took some wrangling, but Jen helped deliver his broad shoulders while I pushed one more time. While Joel wasn’t able to catch him, he said he loved being behind me while Isaac was born. He was able to see Isaac wiggle in my belly just before he emerged, and witnessed the magic moment of Isaac’s head and shoulders appearing in the water below me. I was overwhelmed with emotion as Jen placed Isaac in my arms. He was quiet and peaceful, eyes closed as he moved and tested his new-found freedom. I held him close to my chest and whispered (cried? proclaimed?), “My baby boy, my sweet boy. I’m so glad you’re here!”

The most marked part of the experience for me was sweet relief at having Isaac delivered. I’m sure this was because of the sheer speed and intensity of labor and birth, but getting him out of me and into the water felt so. good. And then I marveled that it was over already! The feeling of relief continued as the midwife and Joel helped me out of the tub and onto the bed to deliver the placenta. Joel got a sweet picture of the placenta for a good friend who had expressed curiosity (yes, really). He also cut the cord, and proudly named his son.

The post-delivery process continued smoothly, and Jen reported that I had sustained no tearing or injury despite the velocity of the birth. (Another perk of laboring in the water, I’m sure!) Isaac settled in to nurse, and Jen took some first family photos. She also captured some great shots during labor, and immediately after delivery. I’m not sure how; she must have actually been in two places at once, as far as I can figure. But we are so thankful for her and our nurse, Bev, for helping us to have a second fantastic birth-center experience. We were heading out by 1:30 p.m., planning to stop by our pediatrician’s office for a quick check on the way home (long story, but everything is completely fine with Isaac).

God is so good to us. We are thankful that Isaac arrived safely, and feel so blessed at how smoothly and quickly the labor process went. Soli deo Gloria!

Isaac's Birth Story: Part 1

This is the first of two posts on Isaac's birth story. These posts are a retelling of the labor and delivery process, in all the detail that we would like to remember. I hope you enjoy reading about this wonderful experience. Be aware that, while it is not graphic, it does include details of the birthing process. Please feel free to comment, and to share the story with others if you find it encouraging. We are so grateful that Isaac arrived safely and without incident, and give glory to God alone for the events that you will read about below!

******************

I was awakened at 4:33 in the morning by the first contraction. While it was more intense than the hundreds of Braxton-Hicks I had been experiencing over the past week or so, I wasn’t completely convinced that it was the real thing. I breathed and relaxed and refrained from getting too excited. One contraction does not a labor make, particularly when the due date is still two weeks away. At 4:43, another contraction rushed over my body – still not sharp or painful enough to be truly persuasive, but certainly enough to make me take notice. I continued to relax and make myself as comfortable as possible in bed, and decided it wasn’t worth waking Joel just yet.

The next hour and a half consisted of contractions every 10-15 minutes, perhaps skipping one here and there, alternating with me telling myself, “Nah, probably not labor…if I have one more contraction, THEN I’ll wake Joel up.” They became closer together and more regular as the time progressed, so that they were really every ten minutes toward the end of that time. While I was intently focused on evaluating what was going on with my body, it was a very peaceful time of experiencing and relaxing through contractions, resting as much as possible in the quiet as the sun began to peek through the windows.

Joel’s alarm was set to go off at 6:00 a.m. At 5:45, I told myself that if I had one more contraction, then I was going to wake him up, no seriously this time because it just might be labor. So I relaxed through a contraction and slipped my hand into his, squeezing it gently. He squeezed back, and I softly told him that I had been having contractions for about an hour and a half. He didn’t exactly bolt out of bed, but to his credit, he did at least wake up and converse with me. (It helped that it was pretty much his normal wake-up time at that point.) I told him that we should probably think about whether he ought to go in to work on time, late, or at all, and whether we should start to rally the troops (midwife, Mikayla’s on-call babysitter, etc.).  Consensus was that he would hop in the shower so he’d be ready for whatever contingency.  I also encouraged Joel to potty immediately if he needed to, before my next contraction hit.

At this point, things I did differently, having learned from the first time around with Mikayla: 1) Wake Joel up when odds are best that it will work, rather than at 1 a.m. when he will likely struggle to comprehend what is going on. Baby helped tremendously by initiating labor early in the morning. 2) Ask Joel if he needs to use the bathroom BETWEEN contractions rather than competing for the toilet in the midst of a very painful moment.

Things Joel did differently, having learned from the first time around: 1) Respond appropriately and supportively to wife’s statement that she may be in labor. 2) Potty quickly and allow wife to resume post laboring on toilet.

Joel hopped in the shower at 6:00 a.m. By 6:10 when he was hopping out, there was no doubt that I was in serious labor. Contractions were becoming deeper and more painful, with less than ten minutes between. We texted our on-call babysitters around 6:30, “Stand by, this might be it!” and called the midwife. We agreed to meet at the birth center at 7:45, to give our babysitters time to arrive. Then, our poor babysitters let us know that they needed to jump-start their car, and that one of them had jury duty (from which he was subsequently released, thankfully!). But they were going to be en route ASAP! We called our back-up babysitter who agreed to come right away so that we could get on the road.

All this was still more ideal than making arrangements at 3:00 a.m. to drive on unplowed roads through a blizzard to the birth center, a la Mikayla’s birth story, but still.

Joel gathered miscellaneous last-minute items for the birth bag, brought some clothes for me, and helped me get my socks on (for some reason this is a job that sticks out in my memory from our first labor too – him putting my socks on my feet between contractions). Things were getting intense for me as I remained on the toilet, but overall it was still a pretty peaceful labor with successful relaxation through each rush. I knew Joel was taking care of details, and my confidence in him allowed me to focus on what I was doing without becoming tense or stressed.

Both our babysitter and back-up babysitter arrived at the same time, so our back-up turned around and went back home (thanks for trying!). I will never forget the sight of Rachel rushing in the back door as I stood in the mudroom having contractions over a chair. She had one daughter under each arm, and as Joel and I began to tell her where the instruction sheet was, etc., she said, “Just go! I’ll figure everything out!” What a friend. Thank you! My mind was at ease as Joel helped me to the car.

Next: Part 2

Welcome, Isaac Victor!

Welcome, Isaac Victor Pearce!

Born at 9:47 a.m. on Thursday, March 8. 

Measuring 8 lb 3 oz, 20 inches long.

At the birth center, just about ready to go home!

Signs That I Am 38+ Weeks Pregnant

• I begin every phone call with "I'm not in labor,"...
• And the person on the other end expresses disappointment.
• I disregard the importance of anything I can't see past my belly.
• I consider anything on the calendar past this weekend to be optional at best.
• Three hours of sleep at a stretch leaves me feeling quite refreshed and rejuvenated...relatively speaking.
• My one-year-old daughter already responds appropriately to requests such as "Put it away," and "Pick it up, give to momma."
• A successful day includes nobody going hungry or soiled...for very long.
• Labor would be preferable to the effort and pain involved in rolling over in bed.

There are other things I'm forgetting, I'm sure, but these are some that come to mind at the moment.

In other news, our neighbors are apparently moving out, and the banging noises during naptime and after bedtime doesn't make me cranky at all.

It's Too Much Effort to Think of a Title

So Joel and I both thought it might have been going down last night. I had two solid hours of contractions, coming every 10 minutes toward the end. They varied in intensity though...some I had to relax and breathe through, while others seemed pretty quick and minor. I have an entire Word document dedicated to recording the time and intensity of each contraction.

It was exciting enough that I spent most of the time putting together a couple of brief clinical reports so that just in case this was it, my clients wouldn't be stuck without their information because upcoming court dates do not just hang out waiting for your therapist to come back from maternity leave. Joel was all excited too; I just know he was pushing through that fantasy baseball draft as an act of sacrifice while his wife was false-laboring away on the couch next to him.

And this after an afternoon at work that made me question my sanity in deciding to work almost right up until the due date. First, upon my arrival at the office yesterday, I had to retrieve an old client file from the office basement. And I am not talking about let's hop on the elevator or even let's carefully descend holding onto the railing. I am talking about a house built in 1870 for short people with apparently impeccable balance, because there is nary a railing to be found anywhere. Not even on the stairs going up to my second-floor office, which, yes, I also had to climb after making it up out of the basement. 219 West Main Street is my Everest.

At this point, I just factor in five minutes for deep breathing and a bathroom break every time I go up those suckers. I told our billing manager yesterday that if I had to go up and down one more time, it would be her taking me to the birth center. My clients are pretty understanding, and really, it's therapeutic to get into the habit of, you know, centering yourself as soon as you get to where you're going. It's not totally selfish that as soon as I fall (gracefully) into my office chair, I propose that we "take a moment to recover from coming up the stairs, shall we?".

I made it through a whopping four hours of work, and it really wasn't soooo bad. I could count on two hands and a few toes the number of times I stopped listening to my clients because I was noting the time and subtly deep breathing through an intense Braxton-Hicks. Which, I am pretty sure they are still Braxton-Hicks. They don't hurt, per se, but I can't always walk or talk through them.

In summation, yesterday it was as though moving more than two muscles simultaneously would result in a wave of contractions. Which apparently did not constitute "the real thing" because I am sitting here blogging about it instead of treasuring my first moments with our son.

Speaking of sitting here on my rear, Mikayla is a champ. I have never seen such a content one-year-old (not that I had hung out with very many until I became a mom). When I comment on what she's doing, she looks up at me as though realizing for the first time that "oh, you're still here?". I choose to interpret this as a sign of secure attachment and advanced emotional development, rather than proof of my neglectful tendencies over the past few months. I mean, when the garbage truck pulled up this morning, she still leapt into my arms for reassurance. Securely attached, thank you very much. I can provide references if you'd like to read further. You believe me, right?

Thanks for joining me, this has been my 38-week pity party. Tune in next time for more on the whiny, tantrum phase we seem to be entering...and maybe I'll write about Mikayla, too.

(p.s. don't be fooled, pregnancy is one of the most blessed experiences of my life. All the discomfort is more than worth the promise of a new little soul to nurture and love!)

SDG :)