Four babies

Any guesses? I think we played this one back when L was new...

Adding by request: individual pics, going clockwise from upper left

1.2.

3.

4.

Other random comments

Trying to make up for my non-blogging...

Good news: we seem to have eliminated some kind of trigger from L's diet that has cleared up his skin and solved most of his night-time sleep problems! We have gone night-shade free and are also avoiding straight cow's milk. He still gets goat milk for his nap and to go to bed...but the last time we ran out of goat milk and gave him cow milk, he woke multiple times at night and was rashy again the next day...however, we were seeing that with potatoes and tomatoes as well, so for now it's all out of his diet. We don't seem to have issues with yogurt or cheese though.

Baby OP is now 12 weeks old, and as of one week ago weighed 13 pounds, measured 24 inches long and has a petite 15.5 inch head.


My sister is in Thailand doing her training for the ICRC; she returns to India on Saturday to begin her new job as an interpreter in Kashmir.

My parents and sister were all here visiting at the end of April! We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday, and I was spoiled by having my parents drive the girls to school each morning, and pick them up each afternoon...heaven!

Pics from the visit:





Multi-tasking auntie: Indian-food chef and baby-wearer!

My first post-OPB birth

April 29, in the evening, I attended a birth...and in my slacker haze, I never posted it! This mama lives very close by us, so I had arranged to attend as the assistant's assistant basically. I wanted the ability to go nurse OP if need be, and the experience to see how it would work out.

Around 7 p.m. I headed over to their house; S (midwife) was already there, and N (assistant) was just moments behind me. Mom labored in her room with the help of a doula and her supportive husband. We checked in occasionally, but pretty much stayed out in the living room. Close to 11, mom started pushing on the birth stool, and out came a perfect little boy. He did make a grand entrance by virtue of coming at 42 weeks on the dot! Congratulations to the whole family :)

As for my crew, OP did just fine without me - he was sleeping when I left and did wake up, but took milk from daddy no problem...the only bad part was he didn't go back to sleep! I returned home around 2 a.m. to a very tired husband who had to get up two hours later for work...

For the record, he has since stayed home with daddy and gone back to sleep just fine, so we're hoping for the near future it won't be a big issue...(lots of births coming up soon!)

L's new doll

L's birthday doll arrived today...I thought my little boy could use his own doll, since he often plays with the sisters'. He loves giving them rides in the sling, mei tai, and stroller...so now he can care for his own. Oh, bonus: he's a European doll - so he is even truly anatomically correct *wink*

Hmm...what is it?

Ooh, look!


Happy


And hugs...

And if anybody needs one for their own kids, my mom ordered it from here. There are a few styles - this guy is "Titus."

Two!

Saturday was L's second birthday. No big celebrations...cupcake dessert Saturday just for the candles, and family brunch on Sunday.


Aunt B brought over two baby goats on Sunday (not to keep!). The kids enjoyed feeding them:





Big C loves carrying her baby brother just like mama:


And L had a blast helping daddy start the side patio transformation (think Mexican courtyard...we hope):



I am one of those slacker bloggers who has been sucked into Facebook...I will try to make more effort to keep my blog updated - sorry!

All I want for Christmas...

Easter

The Easter Bunny was good to the kids this year...they got drawing materials, chocolate, nail polish, hair clips, egg dye, and more chocolate! L was particularly excited about the candy; even Baby OP got a basket...complete with pacifiers (yes, we use them...only every other kid!) and new nail clippers :)

Speaking of OP, his Easter (1-day shy of) 7 week weigh-in was 10 lb 13 oz! No wonder we've had to size up in all his outfits :(

A few pictures...excuse the underwear-only-clad kiddo...

Nice boots, eh?

Busy with the chocolate!


Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Happy Birthday Clara!

My first baby turned seven today!





Born 4.9.02 in Anchorage, Alaska at the Bearing in Mind Birth Center at 10:29 p.m. She weighed 7 lb and was 19.5 inches long.

Today she's a reading machine, a mama's helper, a faux-second grader who is compassionate and sensitive...she amazes us every day.

Where does the time go?

Oliver was a month old on Monday...he continues to be a sweet baby who loves cuddles and milk...smart guy. He weighs more than nine pounds already (about 2.5 lb weight gain in 4 weeks), and has outgrown many of his newborn clothes.

Not much new around here - poor Dan is up more at night with L than I am with the baby; girls were on Spring Break last week - we just hung out a lot; L has become Mr. Destructo. He enjoys throwing things in the pool through the fence, dumping his water table over, and flipping the kids' table and chairs outside on their tops. While it's rather annoying, he keeps himself entertained quite well!

Lots of pictures for your entertainment (I believe if you click on the slideshow you can just get to the album instead):



The boys yesterday (and a drawing by Clara...):



And a bunch more...I made the sleepsack, so I was trying to model it; also made the whale pants so I tried to get all four kids at once. Yeah, just as hard as it sounds! LOL

Just a little funny...

Pictures

Oliver Patrick, 16 days

17 days, in the insta-sleeper...aka wrap



Mom and the boys, after our morning walk around the neighborhood (have I ever mentioned that I *love* Arizona weather??



OP in the cradle hand-made by Grandpa CJ seven years (and four kids) ago...

The birth of Oliver Patrick

Oliver’s birth was not at all what I expected. His siblings had arrived, in birth order, at 39 weeks 4 days, 40 weeks, and 41 weeks gestation. I was fully prepared to welcome our fourth baby sometime after that omnipresent and somewhat annoying 40-week “due date” of March 5, 2009. I also expected a very short, very intense labor, as again in birth order, I had labored for 7 hours, 2 hours, and a mere 45 minutes with the older siblings.

Well I really should have known better. Birth is not predictable.

On Sunday, February 22, at 38 weeks and 3 days gestation, I awoke from a nap and was somewhat disturbed to discover wetness in my pants. I rolled my eyes and wondered why on earth I had developed incontinence so late in a fourth pregnancy – not a problem I’d ever encountered before! So I used the facilities, changed my underpants, and immediately felt a trickle. Since I had *just* peed, I was really confused at this point…yes, I live in a state of denial. I think I changed my underwear three or four times before deciding that no, I was not incontinent, and yes, my water had indeed started to leak. However, (remember that state of denial?) I was convinced that because I was leaking so early and just lightly, it must be a forewater leak, which would obviously reseal itself and the baby would come in a few more weeks. I did have enough thought to send a text message to my midwife-photographer that read, “It appears I have sprung a small leak.” She immediately called me back and asked if I didn’t think that warranted a phone call…I told her not really, since nothing was happening, and after all with Liam it had been 40 hours from first leak to first contraction!

By the time we headed to bed around 10 or so, my “Braxton Hicks” contractions had developed a certain edge to them. I still wouldn’t call them contractions, but the intensity had picked up just a notch. By midnight, I was instant messaging with my sister in India that it looked like we were going to have a February baby, and to expect news in the next couple of days. Between midnight and 4:00 in the morning, I dozed between very short, hardly annoying contractions that woke me up, but lasted about 15 seconds. I left Dan sleeping next to me, and despite waking up every 3-10 minutes, breathing slowly and rubbing my belly, it didn’t really occur to me YET that I was in labor. I did think to get up at some point and have a yogurt and a banana…and I continued drinking my red raspberry leaf tea. Somehow I felt well rested and energized through the night. When Dan’s alarm went off around 4:00 I told him what had been going on, confirmed he would not be leaving for work, and then promptly started feeling much more intense contractions. I needed Dan to hold on to, but was a little confused and frustrated when again, the contraction would last only 15-20 seconds. We got the bed ready with extra sheets and chux, I nibbled some more food, took a shower, and then decided I wanted to fill the tub…but the hot water didn’t survive both, so I sent Dan to start boiling water to heat my bath.

Just before 5:00, based on my vocalizations and actions, Dan called Stephanie (midwife/photographer) to come over (we promised to give her more than 15 minutes’ warning for this birth!). When she arrived around 5:10, I was sprawled out in the tub, and slightly embarrassed that she had been called so early. I was afraid we had hours left to go, and I’m not one to want additional people around while birthing! My contractions continued to be fairly regular, but very short…

Around 6:00 I suddenly had that good old “undeniable urge” to push, and Stephanie woke the girls up to come watch the baby being born.

I began pushing, and compulsively checking the progress of the baby’s decent. I was really upset when after a few pushes I wasn’t feeling any change – in fact I looked up at Stephanie and told her, “multips aren’t supposed to have to work this hard to push!” I thought it was really unfair that I had to do so much work this time!

Dan was behind me applying pressure to my sacrum, I was pushing with all my might and still checking baby’s progress…considering I only pushed for about 15 minutes, I know my timeline is a little skewed, but it seemed like ages went by went suddenly I felt real progress, and baby’s head went from a smooth round ball (amniotic sac still over unmolded head) still lodged up the birth canal a ways to that oddly comforting, mushy, soft hair, molded head, almost-emerging feel. At this point I told Dan “if the baby comes that way, don’t tell me what it is.” What I meant was, if I stayed on my hands and knees (as I had done the previous two births) don’t announce the gender of the baby to me!

However, as the head began to crown, I sat up on my knees and supported the crowning myself. As the head emerged, I felt the baby’s face…and hand…then pushed the body out. I immediately lifted the baby up and in shock announced, “It’s a boy!” I sat back against Dan, and Clara jumped in the tub with us…Evelyn remained on the side. Oliver was born at 6:14, just over two hours after what I consider real labor began, maybe 6 hours from when I realized I was really going to have a February baby!

I didn’t stay in the tub very long – I wanted to get to bed – so with assistance, I worked my way over and lay down with the baby. Liam woke up about 10 minutes later, and Dan brought him in to meet his baby brother. It was a good 45 minutes later that the cord stopped pulsing and the placenta emerged. Of note with the placenta was the presentation – the maternal side actually came first (known as Duncan presentation). The more normal presentation is for the fetal side to come first (Schulz), but we surmised that my very low-lying placenta must have detached every so slightly at the moment of birth (you see a gush of blood and a few clots in the birth pictures), and then thanks to its position, come out in the more unusual manner.

At some point while we were lying in bed, and I was complaining about my extremely sore and aching sacrum, Stephanie commented to me suggestively that I had not flipped the baby over when he was born. It took me a second to put the pieces all together, but suddenly I realized that Oliver had been posterior! So my little guy emerged occiput posterior with a nuchal hand…which helps explain the very short contractions, the extra sacral pain, the “longer” labor, and the extra work I had while pushing!

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As for pictures...here are a few...if you'd like to see the rest, just send me an email. I am happy to share, but I think this is enough nakedness for a semi-public blog!

40 minutes before birth:

14 minutes before birth:

13 minutes before birth (if you remember pics from Liam's birth, the girls drew me pictures then, too):

Crowning...

The head is out (sadly obscured behind the gush of blood):

The moment I lifted him out of the water:

A minute later...


In bed snuggling...

Clara cut the cord:


The "official" weigh-in!

13 days

Master Oliver is 13 days old today...and I realized I haven't posted any new pictures! So here you go...(as always, if your screen chops the pictures, just click on them to see the whole thing)












I just weighed him, and he's up to 7lb 2oz from 6lb 10oz at birth :)