Pumpkin Shirts!

On Monday, the kids and I decided to get a bit crafty and have some fun. I had found this tye-die project in a magazine that I get called Family Fun, so we gave it a try. (I would post a link, but there isn't one on their website.) It was really quite easy and we had a lot of fun making it happen. You can follow our process below. (And yes, that's Owen smiling--it's all he does for a smile anymore.)

Guess I'm a Soccer Mom & Wife!

Ryanna's first ever soccer game was yesterday afternoon. Don't ask me why they scheduled a game for 2 in the afternoon since it was 96 degrees. And, don't ask me why they would assign any team to wear black jerseys in the Arizona heat.

Being that I'm the parent that stays home, it has been left to me to buy all of the necessary gear for this soccer endeavor and being that I never played soccer, I was a bit clueless. It involves such things as shin guards, really, really long socks, a size 3 ball and soccer cleats. I guess it also involves some athletic shorts, but I didn't get around to buying those before the baby came and I haven't felt much like shopping for that stuff with three kids. That should explain Ryanna's stretch pants ensemble. Though I think her dad was embarrassed by it, I thought it made it quite easy to spot her in the pack and trust me, there is always a pack when this age plays.

I didn't know what to expect for this game. Ryanna has not been that interested in sports period. I signed her up for soccer for her to have the experience. She's only been to two practices (should've been three, but I forgot in the madness of watching BYU get demolished by TCU on Thursday). Not to mention that Ryanna is pretty mild mannered by nature and sports really require a bit of a pushy and competitive edge.

Well, to my delight, she was awesome!! She was really good at getting to the ball and kicking it in the right direction. This sounds funny, but at this level that is quite a big deal. One boy showed up for the last quarter, got on the field, got possession of the ball and tore down the field and scored in about 10 seconds. Too bad he scored against his own team! Most of the other kids took breaks from the action, but Ryanna played the entire game without being pulled. She loved it. She was disappointed that she didn't score a goal, but I was totally impressed with her efforts.

I also had to laugh when the coach decided to name the team at halftime. Are you ready for this? Her suggestion and the team pick--The Black Panthers! Boy oh boy. Is she going to be attending practices or rallies after this? And to top off the funniness, the boy that was the very best player on the other team was named Cain. Cain--who does that to their child--an atheist?

Owen would've played too if we would've let him. During halftime he took his own soccer ball out to one of the goals and practiced shooting. It was pretty cute.

Eli slept through the entire event--big surprise. He has to sleep because it takes a lot of effort to stay awake all night.

After Ryanna's game, we went to Derek's indoor soccer game (they won). I guess I'm the only one in the family that doesn't play besides Eli and he can't even hold his own head up yet. Oh well, someone needs to be the driver and biggest fan.

Express Yourself!

So, I'll admit to being a bit harsh on women who "gave up" on nursing their children. Both of my children nursed for over a year and were great nursers from the very beginning. I'm beginning to think that some of their nursing talent may have come from the fact that neither one was born until 41 weeks. Then again, my children are geniuses, so you'll have to decide for yourself.

Along comes this baby who is so incredibly beautiful AND did I mention he has a dimple? Yes people, when we die scientists are going to ask for a sample of our genes to determine how my husband and I--both dimple-less--have created three consecutive offspring with beautiful dimples. I digress, but dimples are dang cute.

Like I was writing, Eli is cute, but the boy was tongue tied. His tongue is tiny anyway and his frenulum (that piece of skin that ties your tongue to the bottom of your mouth) attached all the way to the very front of his tongue. Luckily, the doctor clipped it. Snip, snap and we thought he'd be on to nursing glory.

It hasn't been nearly so simple. For whatever reason, it could be that he was born early, it could be that his jaw has a bit of an under bite, it could be something else I haven't figured out, but this boy has really struggled to nurse. I'm not talking about having him latch on and then fall asleep after a minute or two. I'm talking about how it can take me thirty minutes of coaxing, begging and encouraging to get him to latch on. And, that's only for one side. In other words, I can spend an hour to get him to nurse for 15 minutes. We both end up a little cranky about the whole thing.

What I'm saying is that once again I'm being given the opportunity to learn to be a little bit less judgmental. I have thought about quitting and just going to formula. Not just for myself, but for Eli's own level of comfort and relief. However, I do love the snugly closeness of nursing and when he latches on, it's such a sense of relief and accomplishment for both of us (even if some of the positions I have to contort myself to will probably put me in a chiropractor's office). Not to mention all of the wonderful health benefits associated with nursing.

So, I'm not going to quit, but it's certainly an uphill battle. We'll have one absolutely terrible nursing session where I'm ready to pull my hair out and the next time it only takes a few minutes and he's latched on and ready to eat. Be patient with us--we're both learning new skills here.

Eli

Here is Eli!

He was born on the evening of October 7 after four pushes.

He is a tiny guy weighing in at only 6 pounds 9 ounces.

Both Owen and Ryanna are super thrilled to have him home and want to hold and kiss on him all the time. Owen comforts Eli when he cries by chanting, "It's okay baby. It's okay." Ryanna is already planning the birth of the next baby which she assures me is a sister.

Eli was tongue tied at birth, but we had that cut yesterday and are happy to report his nursing has greatly improved.

He has a tiny cry that several nurses mentioned sounded like a recorded cry that you would hear from a doll.

He loves to sleep most of the day away and remind us how cute he is in the wee hours of the night.

All in all--we're all in love.

Last Minute Thoughts...

I realize you are probably sick to death of my details about this pregnancy, so I apologize, but it seems to be consuming my thoughts lately--go figure. These various ideas have been running through my head over and over:
It seems extremely surreal that by this time tomorrow I should have a newborn baby boy--that my husband I created--to hold and admire.
I worry now about how I'm going to do everything that seemed so easy to do with two kids. That nursing thing takes up a lot of time in the beginning if I remember correctly.
I'm loving the name Eli more and more everytime I hear it. I don't know how anyone can wait till the last minute to pick a name because I have to really feel it. I don't know how else to explain it. I don't want "buyer's remorse" with a name.
I worry most about how Owen is going to deal with this. Ryanna is well aware of what's going on, but I don't know that Owen gets it. When I tell him there's a baby in my tummy, he lifts up his own shirt, points to his belly and says, "baby in my tummy."
There are, of course, those last minute-you have no control over it, but you still think about it-thoughts--"What if the baby isn't okay?" etc. I don't worry about myself, just the baby.
I worry that I didn't give Owen enough time to be "the baby." I think it'll be great that he'll have a sibling close to his age. I hope he always feels that way.
My mom and I went shopping for some last minute stuff today and it was really hard to avoid the pull of the cute, little newborn outfits, so we didn't try very hard to resist. My mom seriously spoils me and my kids when she visits. We love every second of it.
Well, next time I post, there will be plenty of pictures for you to view this baby in all his glory. I have less than 11 hours till I report to the hospital...

It's 3 am, but I Won't be Lonely

So, the doctor gave me a date and time to come in and deliver the baby. If you read the title at all, you've figured out the time. No, I'm not joking. I hope all of you get a good night's sleep for me & Derek that night.
So, hopefully, we'll be welcoming Eli sometime during the afternoon of October 7.
Exciting!!!!