The Faker-Waker-Upper

How many times have you heard a parent say "My child is perfect..when they are asleep!" I can honestly say our child is perfect when AWAKE. She is a very sweet, easygoing baby.

However-- when she sleeping is a different matter entirely. She is the noisiest sleeper I've ever met. She is only 4 weeks old and talks in her sleep, very loudly too, I might add. I will hear her stirring and chattering, lean over to pick her up out of the bassinette, and...she's sound asleep. She must be one of those vivid dreamers, but what can she be possibly dreaming about? Milk? Walks to Starbucks? Clean diapers? She does this to me several times a night, and it is certainly adding to my sleep woes.

I'm still a new enough mom that I'm on hyper-alert with every little sound she makes, and not willing to put her in her own room yet. Slowly, I'm beginning to hear the difference between her 'sleeping' sounds and the 'Mom, I'm REALLY awake now - feed me' sounds. I still wake up, but am able to go back to sleep once I determine she's still sleeping.

Annika and I went for a little walk the other day in our new BabyTrekker (much more comfy than the Baby Bjorn!) the morning after it rained. It finally felt like fall! Wet, puddles, and leaves on the ground. She likes our little walks, and so far is getting to know our local Starbucks really well. I'm corrupting her behind Victor's back.

Sorry, no pictures today -- having some camera issues that will be solved shortly. Victor is off today and we're catching up on some chores we've put off over the last few weeks. Avoiding the malls!!!! May hit the bookstore later.

Has anyone read the 'Twilight' vampire books? Are they worth the read? Let me know...

The sweetest days

First, I really miss a full night's sleep, but I wouldn't trade these days for the world. Those quiet 3 AM hours after she has been fed, changed, is drowsy and Annika just simply wants to be held and snuggle. Who needs sleep? These are truly the sweetest of times. I'm in no hurry to hurry through these days. I'm learning, for probably the first time in my life, to savor and live in this moment. No planning ahead to the next event, no schedules to keep. Just. Enjoying. Now.

We've been venturing out on small trips. It's been strange trying to coordinate not only me but another person for something as simple as grocery shopping. I put Annika in charge of the list Wednesday, but she fell asleep and I almost forgot to buy stamps. Silly girl.

We took our first walk in the 'hood also this week. We went to Starbucks, and then Chipotle. We saw an adorable 4 month old little boy at one bus stop we passed. On the way home, we passed another bus stop with a bunch of nice kids with special needs. They were all interested in looking at the baby, and commented on how pretty she is. A good day was had by all!

Here are some pictures from this last week:

Aunt Carolyn was here!!!!

Carolyn is the best sister in the world. She gave up a week away from her own family to help us out. Victor had to work graveyard last week during a turnaround, and having Carolyn here saved my sanity. She took a couple late shifts herself, which allowed me to get six fill hours of sleep a couple nights in a row. I laugh in the face of sleep!!! Until I cry when I don't get enough...lol.
You know how there are certain phrases for an action, like a football 'Hail Mary', or a submarine 'Crazy Ivan'? Well, now we can add an 'Aunt Carolyn' to the lexicon. So, here is Carolyn, the seasoned mommy professional. She got nailed during diaper changes twice! 1st time was a simple little stream. However, the second was epic. Almost Homeric. Carolyn had just removed the diaper, and said 'I bet you're not done yet' when KA-POW! The sound effect was amazing, but not nearly as astounding as the visual. All over her hand, up her shirt, nailed her shorts, the couch pillow. Explosive. I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. So far, she has 'Aunt Carolyned' Victor, but I've been spared, for now.

Really, though. She loves being Annika's favorite Aunt Carolyn. What a joy to have her here during this time. Thanks, AGAIN! to Scout and A-rob for loaning us their mommy!

A house divided!

My poor, sweet, baby girl. Victor went to that other school, the Huskies rivals, and I went to the UW. The Huskies lost the (cr)Apple Cup yesterday. So, she must suffer all sorts of indignities today as evidenced below:

Please, Mommy, do I have to????

I'm still cute in these scrappy rags!!!!

Ah, I'll just sleep it off. Mommy will change me when I wake up.

Until next week!

Made it to two weeks!

These pretty tulips were waiting for us when we came home from the hospital. They were sent by my niece and nephew, Scout and A-Rob.

Wow! What a whirlwind of amazing craziness. Annika has been here two weeks now, and I am amazed everyday how much more in love with her I am every time I look at her. She is really, and I mean - really- a great baby. Doesn't fuss, likes to just hang with us when she's awake, goes to sleep on her own pretty well, and loves to cuddle. Who could ask for anything more? We are having some semi-annoying breastfeeding issues which we are resolving, thanks to some good advice from some dear mommy friends who are also very encouraging.

Victor and I are in the blissful state of new parent discombobulation. Routine? What routine?? Sleep? HUH? Both of us almost put diaper oinment on our toothbrushes (that would have been bad) and I have since moved the desitin to another part of the bathroom. Our first night at home was eventful around 3:30 in the morning. She was fed, changed, and warm -- and screaming! We didn't know what to do. I was panicking, afraid I was waking up the neighbors, and quickly moved her out to the living room. I started vigorously rocking her, and patting her back and then heard One. Tiny. Little. Sound. "Urp". She stopped crying immediately. One tiny bubble rocked our world. Now I'm much wiser...lol.

I'm learning the art of sleeping on demand when she sleeps. My dear sister Carolyn stayed up late last night to take the 1 AM feeding for me, which gave me 7 hours of sleep. She is such a lifesaver! My mom was down for almost 2 weeks starting the day before Annika was born. It was so nice to have her here for that time. She is, of course, smitten with her newest granddaughter. Carolyn is here this week and I want to thank Scout and A-Rob for loaning me their mommy. It's perfect timing, as Victor is back on a graveyard shift this week - the last for a really long time.

Here are some pictures from the last week.

Sleeping off a milk coma this morning.

In her ducky robe from great Grandma K, waiting for her first 'real' (non-sponge) bath. All she's missing is some OJ and the morning paper, right?

Cuddling with grandma A.And then there is George the Jealous, just as I called it. He's been needy and clingy since we brought the baby home, as well as leaving nasty grams on the bathroom rugs. He's since knocked that off, thankfully.
And then there is Osa, who has to be in the middle of everything I do with the baby. When I'm feeding her, she has to get right up next to us and snuggle in too. And then she 'mows' and complains when I try to move her. At least she's not jealous.

Welcome Annika Joy

Please join Victor and me in welcoming Annika Joy to the world and our family. She made her grand entrance on her due date, 10/28 at 6:40 AM. She was 8lbs, 4 oz, and 20.5 inches long. What an amazing thing to hold such a new little person in my arms!
Labor was very long (2.5 days) but despite intense pain and contractions 2-3 minutes apart, I was sent home Sunday night due to not being dilated enough. Finally, they let me in Monday night and the epidural kicked in around 11 PM. Sheer bliss.
Would you guess I hadn't slept in three days here? Isn't she cute!?!

The birth center was awesome, however...the 'recovery' wing was a nightmare. Shared rooms, broken air conditioner. I requested to go home immediately. And they said no. However, I did get my way the following morning after doctors cleared us to leave. For a place that didn't want to let me in, they were sure upset I was leaving before the appointed time. I just wanted to get my baby home where I knew it would be quiet, and we could care for her without hourly interference. Not to mention I wasn't able to sleep in the hospital (only got about 3 hours!) given all the interruptions due to a shared room. They were really frustrated I wanted to leave -- like I was a kook or something, but the conditions were substandard. Oh well....we're home now, with a perfectly healthy baby!Grandma holding Annika. My mom flew down on Monday and she has been such a blessing! She'll be here through most of next week. My sister is coming down the end of next week for a visit too.
She's already a daddy's girl. She turns her head to his voice when he speaks. Annika is a very snuggly little girl and loves to cuddle.

Here she is again with her favorite daddy!


Her first trip to a Peruvian resturant for lunch. OK - before anyone yells at me for taking a 2 day old out, you're right. She did great, but I realized we need to spend time at home. There will be plenty of time for adventures later. Also, I think the childbirth adrenaline wore off sometime during lunch and I hit the wall. Time to go home and rest for a week or so.

Sleepy girl!

Preggy pics and false alarms

So here I am in all my pregnant glory. Somehow, George made it into the picture without either of us realizing he had snuck up to the bookcase. What a ham. Not such a flattering picture, but there you have it for everyone who has been demanding one :-)

Yesterday may have been the most frustrating and emotional days of this 9 month adventure so far. After tracking 18 hours of consistent and progressive contractions, we went in to the hospital only to be sent home after 3 hours. There was nothing to show for it at all - minimal effacement, ZERO dialation. A bit disappointing, to be sure. They could see the contractions on the monitor, but they just aren't up to snuff yet.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at home resting (we both crashed!) and had a quiet evening at home. The contractions have subsided to about 3 an hour, and Annika is a crazy active baby. She is moving all the time. Cannot. Wait. To. Meet. Her.

Today - just waiting. Cleaning, keeping up on the laundry, making to-do lists. It is flippin' off the map hot today (96!) and too hot to go walking around the neighborhood. When Victor gets home from work, we hope to get to the mall (hurray air-conditioning!) and get some walking in. The contractions pick up when I'm walking around, so hopefully that will get things moving. I'm also not so emotional for some reason. We're chalking yesterday up as a dry run, and now know the drill when we get to the hospital (i.e. - cash ONLY for parking!!!).

Also, I'm excited for my mom to come down after the baby is born. It will be great to have her help and company, and I know she's excited to meet the newest grandbaby. She's a really popular grandma! My sister is planning to come down after Victor goes back to work for a few days. I'm so thrilled to see both of them.

The Cats

The cats have been acting very strange the last few weeks. Well, stranger than they normally are. They are very clingy and it seems that one of them (or sometimes two) have to be ON me - my lap, my legs, or plopped on my feet. This really doesn't fly in this heat, though. I'm sure they know 'something' is up. Here is a picture of Osa snuggling against my belly and George hanging out behind me.

We predict the Osa will be the most involved cat - she will be the one to express an opinion about my mothering skills and let me know when I'm not doing something right. George - the mama's boy, we think will be very jealous. Victor plans to give him extra attention the first few weeks. Fuego -- she's so aloof to begin with that I don't think she'll care as long as she gets her daily rub down from me.

We've set up 'Cat H20' spray bottles strategically around the house to begin letting them know there are places they don't belong, such as the bassinette (huge temptation right now - they've all three been liberally sprayed). I can see the appeal for the cats - all the cosy flannel and fleece bedding and blankets just call out to them.

Anyway -- probably the last post until we get home with Annika. If you want to make some birthday predictions - go for it! Victor keeps teasing about November 2 (his mom's b-day) and I threaten him with some form of harm....lol. Sooner than later, please please please!!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Today's post brought to you by the letter 'H'

Hormones, heat, heartburn, hemorrhoids (yes, TMI), and heat rash pretty much occupy my time right now. I'm in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, and looking forward to meeting our beautiful baby, Annika Joy.

I haven't been updating as there doesn't seem much to update lately. My time is spent trying to stay cool - not that it's been scorching hot for normal people, but with my baby belly, I overheat really easily and it makes me pretty miserable. So, I've been hanging out in the air conditioning as much as possible, try to cook in large batches only 1 or 2 days a week, and stay hydrated. But I am uncomfortably HOT pretty much all the flippin' time.

I did sneak into Seattle for a long weekend earlier in the month to enjoy some cooler weather. It was nice to wear sweats to bed, and use a blanket again. LOL.

Speaking of sleeping, I would have added 'insomnia' to the list above but it doesn't start with the letter 'h'. Most of July/August was miserable with trying to sleep - there was simply no comfortable position. Naturally a tummy sleeper, that option was slowly 'growing' impossible, for obvious reasons. Back is out. And I could only last on one side or the other for so long -- and then the vicious leg cramps started. No kidding - whatever side I was laying on, that corresponding leg would cramp within an hour. Calf, arch, toes -- and trying to jump out of bed while 7 months preggers to work it out -- very comedic.

After about 2 weeks straight of hardly any restful sleep, and some online research, we broke down and invested in a very comfy La-Z-Boy recliner for me to sleep in. I haven't slept this well in years. I sleep all night, only waking for 'nature' breaks. No leg cramps. I sleep through Victor's alarm, and only wake up when he kisses me goodbye in the morning. Who would have thought???? I love my chair. I may not go back to the bed...ha ha.

Other than that, it has been a picture perfect pregnancy. Perfect blood pressure, only have gained 13 pounds, despite being what the doctor calls my 'advanced maternal age'. Whatever....

I'm making a prediction. I fear that once I have the baby and the extra heat generating critter is out on her own, I am going to be freezing cold all the time. My poor husband. He has to deal with all this, as well as my bizarre crying at sappy cat food commercials, or crying over anything (DANG you hormones!). He loves me, so I'm sure he can handle another month of this....

So, if you think I've spent an entire post listing my ailments and boo-hoo complaints -- it's not really that bad. I know in 4 or so weeks, I will be holding a tiny miracle in my arms and it will be more than worth it.

I am grateful, hopeful, and excited for this new chapter in our lives.

I'm promising to post frequently once Annika gets here-- those will be more interesting than reading about my silly problems!

Take care - oh, and keep us in your prayers. As new parents, we are understandably a bit freaked out and just want to have wisdom, you know?

3 pounds! And 11 weeks left!

I'm now 29 weeks along, with 11 to go. Baby Annika (pronounced like 'Monica' without the 'm' for those who wondered) is now 3 lbs, and doing amazing acrobats in my belly. I can feel her kick/punch on both sides at the same time. I cannot wait to meet her! I hope she has my sister's tempermant, however my mom has cursed this poor baby with the wish that I get a daughter just. Like. Me. My husband claims that is totally unfair, as he was a good, respectful child growing up...lol. Poor Victor.

Hmm...11 weeks ago I was on a trip to visit family and friends in Seattle/Chicago. It seemed like it just happened, the time has flown so quickly. So 11 weeks isn't really that long of a time to go when I put it into perspective!

I've slowly come to the realization (slow learner, sometimes) that the best way to meet new people down here is to..go out and meet new people. No one is going to come and randomly knock on my door and ask if I want to come out and play (although that did happen in Lynden with my super cool neighbor Melissa, who I miss). So, I have struck out of the condo-cave and here is what has happened!

• I dropped into a ministry in north Long Beach that serves women with crisis pregnancies. They have free counseling, a maternity home, post-maternity low income housing for mom's and their babies, as well as a thrift store, and basic life-skills training for these women on the fringe of our culture. I start helping them this week! I've always supported Pro-life ministries with my $$$, and now it's time to get into the trenches and start helping in practical ways. I am very excited, as I've wanted to do this for a very, very long time!
• I went to a S.C. Lewis Society meeting on Saturday. I'm a huge Lewis fan, not only for his fiction but his practical and love-imbued apologetics as well. It was humbling and stimulating to be the dumbest person in the room! :-) Met some new people there that are all in the area, and it's wonderful to find Christian intellectuals who are all in academia. It was certainly a stimulating day!
• I've been in email contact with a local M.O.P.S. coordinator, who invited me to her church yesterday. It was a really great service! The worship was awesome, and I think Victor will even feel comfortable there too. I'm meeting some ladies for coffee tonight as well from this group.
  
• I was at the grocery store yesterday enjoying the air-conditioning and, well, shopping too! I recognized a couple from the marathon childbirth class we went to last week. There wasn't much social time during the class, so no one really connected. However, I stopped her and we stood and yapped for about 20 minutes. We traded phone #'s, and she's inviting me to her baby shower next month. We're also going to hang out later in the week for a movie or coffee. Her name is Elizabeth, and this is her 2nd child (also due in October!) and her oldest is 17. Her husband also seems really sweet.

I'm starting to not feel so isolated down here, which is good timing now that I'm not allowed to fly.

I'm also thankful to the Lord for answering my prayers and bringing women and potential friends into my life when I need them. I know I have love and support with all my family and friends at home (and Chicago!!!!), but it's not the same when you can't BE with them, you know?

Anyway, this is turning into a long post. Sorry, no pictures as V has the camera at work. Oh, can you please pray for him too? He's working non-stop during the refinery turn-around and won't have any days off until September. And then a 2nd turnaround in Sept, and a month-long one in October, in time for the baby. Talk about timing! Please pray for his energy level, and that he gets time to rest during this crazy season of our lives!