Getting Used to Normal

So much for posting anything in a 'day or two'. At first I was procrastinating because I hadn't chosen a blog name for our youngest - who will be henceforth called the Butler (there's a story to it, but I'll get to that). Then it seemed we were catapulted into normal life.

Anyway, here's a rundown of the last 8 days.

Sunday the other kids spent with Grandpa and Grandma C. and went to meeting like any other Sunday. Except for when Sir went and got them for a quick visit to meet their little brother before returning them in time for naps. They came back later when Grandpa and Grandma C. came to visit that evening before the hospital visiting hours were over.

I didn't get any pictures of the initial reactions, I don't think I could have really, it was hard enough to watch three little peoples' faces at the same time without worrying about getting a 'good picture'. Dolly walked in all bubbly with excitement - she knew what she was going to find and couldn't wait. I think she remembered seeing Emma for the first time. PC came in, all eagerness and almost in a state of amazement at the wonder of actually seeing this 'baby' he'd been asking for for so long.

And Emma - well, I wondered what her reaction would be and it was priceless. She came in, curious - probably more because the other two kids were so excited than any other reason. Sir lifted her up beside my bed where I was holding the Butler, and the look of shock/reality/irreversibility of this new thing in her life that flooded her little face was incredible. It was like it finally sunk in that this 'baby' we'd been talking about for so long was another person that was going to be part of her life - forever. In a few seconds, she recovered her composure, and was all excited like everyone else seemed to be.

We had enough time for each of the kids to hold Butler (I did get pictures of that) and then Sir had to whisk them back to meeting so they'd be able to take their naps.

Dolly's turn


Proud PC



Little Miss Emma

By the time we got checked out of the hospital Monday, it was just after noon. Grandpa and Grandma C. were keeping the older three until after their naps, so it was just three of us for the afternoon. I was still on an adrenaline high and kept tidying up bits and pieces of the house. I think I finally unwound enough to take a nap, but it wasn't very long in the end. Grandma C. brought supper when they dropped the kids off - one of my favorite meals actually, so it made the first evening at home pretty simple.

Tuesday was the really slow/lazy day that first week. Sir was home from work and Grandma C. and Uncle A came over for the morning to help out. They brought supper with them so I got spoiled by no cooking again. I took a nap, and sorted through the baby clothes. Being able to put the baby girl clothes away and narrowing the boy stuff down to the sizes we'd be using for the next while really made a difference in the functionality of the living room. Wednesday I did laundry and bathed kids like usual and we took Butler to meeting for the first time that night. After that, the week whipped into a blur.

Holding Butler at home

Thursday Sir went back to work, and PC had a speech appointment in the morning which I'd totally forgotten about until Sir checked his calendar Wednesday night. Thankfully Grandma C. had planned to come over and was able to stay with the rest of the kids while PC and I went to his appointment. She brought supper again and had lunch all ready to eat when PC and I got home. That afternoon Sunflower dropped by with a casserole supper and some DVDs that her kids had outgrown. The casserole made a great lunch on Sunday and the DVDs have been quite a luxury when it comes to keeping the older kids happy while I'm busy with Butler. Friday, Sir worked from home since I had scheduled flu shots for him and the older kids for that morning. Then we had enough time to come home and have lunch before I dropped Dolly, PC and Emma off at Lily's house and headed back to the hospital with Butler for his well-baby check-up. He had gained an ounce from his going home weight, so the doctor was happy. When I picked up the kids after naps that afternoon, Lily sent supper home with me!

Saturday, I took Emma in for her 2yr pictures (a month and a half late). She was finally facially intact on a Saturday. I've had to cancel picture appointments twice since her birthday due to how she manages to crash into something and end up with a bruised or otherwise marked face. Of course we'd been home from her appointment all of 30 minutes when she ran into the doorway of her room with the whole side of her face, so I was glad we'd finally gotten the pictures done already. Aunt Knittery came by with supper that afternoon, and brought a paint set that the kids completely fell in love with - they've spent hours playing with it and we haven't even had it for a week yet!

The little-ests

Sunday we were still adjusting to getting four kids ready to go somewhere and into the car with enough time to get anywhere on time. That has been the biggest difference I've noticed between 3 and 4 kids so far, but we're slowing getting the feel of it.

By Monday (yesterday), I was a walking wreck due to lack of sleep. Butler does not like to eat and get it over with like the rest of my kids did. Or at least, so far he hasn't seen the necessity of it. He likes to take an hour or more to have a meal taking a few cat naps throughout. It makes for a really long night between 11 and 4 when he mixes that in with 'awake time', tummy aches from gas and sharp-edged bubbles that refuse to be burped out. One of these days we'll work out a functioning system, but until then, my sanity seems to depend on how well the older kids take their afternoon nap thus giving me a chance to sleep as well. HisLady brought supper over for me that evening, and when Sir got home from work, I got to leave the older three kids with him and join the ladies at Lily's house for a 'Ladies' Spa Night'. It was so much fun and SO relaxing to be anywhere without hearing "Mom-my,...". Definitely a treat!

So, that basically concludes our first week with the Butler - I've been spoiled rotten and haven't had to cook a supper for quite a while now. I'm sure it'll be quite the shock to actually have to do something one of these days, but it has been nice. In fact, our kids have taken to asking at each meal, "Mommy, did you make this food? or did you just warm it up?" Once they've discovered where it came from they'll finish with, "Thank you for making/warming up this food!". It's really cute to see them resolve to thank the cook the next time they see her, but I have a feeling they usually forget in favour of playing with their friends!

The story of the Butler:
When I met Sir ten years ago, it was when he was traveling places with Chasm. His friends called him Sir - evidently it'd been his nickname for years already. Anyway, Sir and Chasm each had an imaginary 'servant' - I think the guys claimed Winston and James to be butlers - possibly chauffeurs, although from the way they talked to and about these servants, they seemed more like the personal servant that a nobleman of old often had. Winston was Sir's servant and over the years he'd drifted into the dusty archives of memory where Sir and I all but forgot about him entirely. Then we picked out a boy's name for our baby, had our second son, and named him. Two days later... it dawned on us that we had our very own Butler. And that solved the blog name search for our newest little one. He will be referred to here as the Butler, or probably in most cases just 'Butler'.
The end.

He's Here!

Of course, now I feel like writing up a storm, but that might take longer and result in an even later post. So, here's a quick update for any still wondering. I am working on another post with lots of pictures between feedings and naps though that might not appear for a day or two depending on how things start adjusting at home.

After almost 3 hours of labour, we welcomed our youngest - a 22¼ inch long, 9lb, 8oz little boy on Sunday November 8th at 6:18am. I woke up around 3:30 Sunday morning, and figured that we might actually be finally going into 'real' labour by 4ish. We got to the hospital at 5am, and just over an hour later we got to meet our youngest son!

And now we're at home where we'll be figuring out how things function with four kids. The adventures of life!

Another Week Passed

Baby Dearest,

I thought you might be interested in an update on things out here in the real world. After all this time, and rushing about lately, I believe everything is finally ready for you to come!

When you arrive you will have a lovely name of your very own. Daddy and Mama spent many many hours looking for just the right one, but we found it and we can't wait to introduce you to everyone with it. The hospital bags and the overnight things for your siblings are all packed. Thanksgiving has come and gone, so you won't have to share your birthday with one of the funnest family holidays we have.

Mama has even gotten things on the to-do list done that have been waiting for months and months. The pantry is neat and tidy, I did a whole pile of mending the other day and your siblings helped me put the garden away for winter today, so the yard even looks nice. I should vacuum the house again, but raking the leaves on the patio this afternoon made me wish later that I'd skipped that job, and now I'm procrastinating a little when it comes to the vacuum.

Daddy keeps predicting that you'll come any day, and I'm beginning to wish he was right - you're getting awfully big you know, and I would love to lie down on my tummy again one of these days. Besides, you're probably close to 9½ lbs now and even Emma was barely bigger than that!

Well, tomorrow is meeting which means I should get some sleep soon. Wouldn't you like to meet everyone at meeting? They too, are all eagerly waiting to finally see you. So Little One, you are allowed to come now - the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Thank you for being such a compliant baby and waiting 'till the middle of the month like I instructed earlier. Your big brother asks for you every single morning - he already loves you so much. I can't wait to see his face when he finally gets to hold you!

Daddy, Dolly, PC and Emma send their love and like me, they can barely wait to meet you. Daddy even found a verse just for you, so I'll included it here as well!

"Come; for all things are now ready."
Luke 14:17

Lots of love,
~ Mama

Just in case you're wondering...

Junior has not arrived.

Despite Sir's daily predictions of a delivery 'before the week is out', we have not had to make any quick trips to the hospital. I have had a few Braxton Hicks contractions here and there, but they're random and usually it takes me a while to realize that's what just happened.

Sir tells me I'm just in denial... and maybe I am, but there's still more than enough that I need to get done right now that makes sooner labour rather impractical. And I like practicality. (Baby... I hope you heard that!)

Besides, the 'official' due date isn't until November 8th... and the 'revised' one which is probably more accurate anyway, isn't until October 27th. And October 27th is still almost two weeks away. (Again, Baby.... were you listening?!)

I am making a little progress in the getting ready department though. We have a girls name chosen... now just to finalize one for a boy. I have found, washed and mostly packed some baby clothes for the hospital. I have lists of things to pack for everyone else although I've only gotten to packing a few things from the list for me so far.

And that's about all for now. So I will be going - I need to be rounding up my gang so we can leave for meeting in a few minutes anyway.

Victory

Sometimes its the little battles that make parenting so trying or rewarding. Well, I guess to be more accurate - usually its the little battles that make parenting so trying or rewarding.

Today was a victory for me. Yes, a small one, but a victory nevertheless. Emma ate her lunch. Yesterday she didn't want her baked potato, sliced ham or green beans that we all had at lunch time. She stalled, and found creative ways to make things 'disappear', she fussed and protested and did not eat her lunch. Even when PC and Dolly were getting ice cream or cake for dessert, she would not swallow her pride and start swallowing her lunch.

So, she had it for supper last night while the rest of us had soup and hot bread. Emma fussed and wailed and pushed her plate away over and over, but would not eat more than the two or three bites I finally fed her. And after over an hour, I took her food away again and she went to bed.

This morning I forgot about the plate in the fridge and gave all the kids a cookie as we rushed out to the car to take Sir to the skytrain station, but I remembered as I was serving up their waffles for breakfast when we got back and exchanged Emma's waffle for her twice rejected former meal. Which she again refused to eat. Yes, she suffered her way through another couple bites, but would not just eat her food preferring rather to fuss and complain and generally resent this new cruel treatment from her mama. She waited for me to get busy doing something else and then abandoned her plate at the table still unfinished.

While the rest of us had cheese sandwiches this afternoon, Emma was faced with her yesterday's lunch again. She had to have been getting hungry, and it was agony for her to watch the rest of us eat one of her favorite foods. So, after much fussing and complaining and weeping and wailing, she tucked in her lip and ate her lunch. Just like that. Then she had a cheese sandwich like the rest of us.

I was so glad she finally ate. If I gave in, I knew the problem would only get worse. Emma is by far our most strong willed child (so far), and though she may be the most challenging to train, I have a feeling that being successful with her will be the most rewarding. As the children's hymn tells us, "Each victory will help you some other to win;" we must keep in mind the theme of that very hymn, "Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through!"

Calendar Space

Dear Jumbo,
The doctor says you're a big strong healthy baby - 7lbs already! She also says that the middle to end of October is more probable for your arrival than the early November date we already have.

This is fine, but since I am the Mama, let me set down some rules: My calendar is booked until the 13th. You are allowed to come anytime after that though. Besides, if you come before that, you might not get a name... and Mama won't have time to get a hospital bag packed (this is important because all the baby clothes are stowed away out in the shed). Life will be much more comfortable for all of us if you give me time to get ready for you.

Dolly, PC and Emma are all looking forward to meeting you, as are Daddy and I, and we'd all like to see you before the month is over! Just be patient, grow slowly for a week or two, and don't kick me too much.

Love Always,
~ Mama