Pinchers Up...and Down

This is how we roll around here on Sunday afternoons. In case you are wondering...I don't feel guilty about this being possibly the last day we have 80 degree weather for the next 6 months and we are all inside...it feels good to just let them relax and not have to do anything or feel guilty. Really.

One Month Old (kind of)

Sept. 25th marks the one month anniversary of my baby boy! He has grown so much in just one month, it is truly amazing. I had to snap this picture of him sleeping since when he is awake we are usually nursing, changing a diaper or I am busy running around the house while he is enjoying his alone time (no guilty feelings here...yeah, right!) Anyway I am thinking how quickly Nov. 3rd is going to come and how I am not quite ready to give up all the time I get to spend with him.
In one month:
-we have had many visitors: family and friends are always welcome to give and get hugs!
-my baby boy has smiled at me so many times and I can't wait for him to smile at me for "reals"
-I totally love the way he looks at me while he is nursing...those eyes! How am I ever going to capture them on my camera?
-he sleeps at the most 3 hours at a time, mostly just 2...we are clearly sleep deprived!
-we have changed more poopy diapers than I ever care to remember (can't think about the landfill, can't think about the landfill....)
-love how he loves his mobile above his changing table and now watches the little animals go around
-love how his big brother's voice calms him down
-love how he looks in every cute outfit we put him in
-love how he is more awake and aware of the world around him...at the same time saddened by his departure from newborn into infant stage
-love how my mom and sister stop by or call everyday to get their z fix
-love how big brother holds him, loves him and helps out so much!

I could go on, but this blog would be a novel! Here we go into month 2...what is next?

Only Eyebrows...with a bit of spitup

Today's post is something of a realization. While talking with my friend Heather I realized that I am in daily need of talking to more than one adult. Since one adult is usually my husband, I am fairly OK...for the most part. Let me explain. There are many parts of my brain, heart and soul that need to be nourished daily. (Like many of us, correct?) Well, the part that is motherly and wifely is getting nourished beyond belief lately. And that is a great, wonderful thing. I love it and cherish it. The other part of me, the career minded part, misses the interaction with fellow colleagues and some intellectual conversation. (Not that I don't have that with my husband and friends on the phone) But I miss the conversations about school stuff with teachers about teachers, students and (EVEN...gasp!) curriculum. So what do I do? I take on a project that is school related (during my maternity) leave. This is not so hard...or so I think. The part where I do everything at home, talk to teachers from my school (who also happen to be on maternity leave) and research on the Internet is not so hard. The hard part? Going to another elementary school in my district and taking up a meeting with a teacher WITH MY FOUR WEEK OLD BABY! What the hell was I thinking? First of all, said baby decides to scream his little head off half way to the building, in the building and all the way into the meeting place EVEN THOUGH I had clearly fed him, changed him, brought the pacifier and was carrying him in his favorite front pack! (former sitter of older son CJ was also at said meeting and took small, screaming infant of mine for a short walk, calmed him down and held him for my 20 min meeting...I am more than thankful) So, this meeting went...well, let's just say I am not at my 100% yet and thank goodness I had written down questions prior to the meeting...like 2 and 3 days before. I lost my train of thought more than once mid conversation, I repeated myself more than I care to remember and I felt like a total idiot blubbering my way through and feeling like a wet sack of potatoes. To top it all off? I left the meeting, infant happy in pack, got to my truck and forgot my whole folder of notes and information the teacher had given me! I had to pack myself and infant all the way back inside the school and get my folder and again look and feel like an idiot for forgetting all the information. When will all this end? Apparently not today, because I just looked in the mirror and thank goodness I never left the house today because after my shower and getting dressed I put on my eyebrows but no other makeup...no eyeshadow, liner or mascara...ONLY my pencil thin eyebrows! And you guessed it...a nice stain of spit up on my left shoulder. Will I be ready for work on Nov. 3rd? Hmmmm, good question. Please inform me if you see something horribly wrong with my face, outfit, child or all of the above. I promise to not take offense.

What Have We Been Doing?

Well...let's see...I will start with the oldest:
Carlos has been working two jobs that make up one full time job. When he is not working he is catching up on his sleep, doing fun stuff with CJ, holding Zac on his chest, changing and/or burping Zac, doing house stuff...basically being a great dad, husband and partner!
CJ has been settling into 3rd grade and will start soccer practice tonight! Wow! He has been doing a great job with Zac and just the other day carried him to his changing table and changed his diaper all my himself! I am amazed (over and over) about their bond.
I have been trying to take a shower everyday, do a load of laundry everyday and get some small project done everyday...between nursing, changing diapers and getting in a nap myself those three prior items on my agenda seem very huge!
Zac has been sleeping anywhere from 1-4 hours at time with no schedule, pooping (a lot), smiling very infrequently, eyes open but not too much in focus most of the time, wearing cute outfits and basically the joy of our life everyday! Oh and he "climbs" into bed with CJ every morning to wake him up with a huge kiss! Too cute! I love my boys!
The days are just packed and often none of the above gets done, but it is all worth it as I realize at the end of the day that my hair is dirty (just one day), there is dinner on the table (or in the frig ready to be made very quickly) and all I have done is hold my baby all day, nap with him and just enjoy his new-born-ness! Side note: he is out of newborn diapers and into 1's...I am a little sadden by this!

A Bath, A BOB and A Baby

This past week there has been some fairly large milestones for Zac, well for all of us. First of all, he had his first bath...actually it was in the bathroom sink and highly supervised by big brother. Zac loved the water, not a peep or pee or poop for that matter. He did a great job and smelled oh-so-good afterwards. Gotta love that baby shampoo smell!

Next we had our first voyage out in the BOB stroller. If you have not seen or heard of a BOB stroller then go to REI and click on Kids then strollers. (Sorry, but I am not technically savvy enough to make the link for you.) Auntie Anna and I walked with Zac in the stroller and big brother riding along on his bike! We all loved that we were outside...me especially! Two weeks post-partum and I am feeling great! It was a short walk and not too strenuous mind you. But here are some pictures to mark the special occasion.

Finally we had a quick visit to baby Gracie's house. The funny thing is that whatever baby Gracie was doing...Zac had to follow in her footsteps. She ate, Zac got hungry and had to eat...she pooped, Zac had to too...and she had to get down to her onsie...well, so did he! Notice the legs! They were too cute together! Lifelong friends!

The Winelands Came for a Visit

...and here are some great pictures of Zac! If he could talk, this is what we thought he would be saying...

Pix #1: "Tell me more...what else did they say? Come on dish the dirt."

Pix #2: "You don't say!"

Pix #3: "Really? I can't believe it!"

CJ and Zac

In just the last two weeks CJ has met his baby brother for the first time, slept through some crying (from Zac and mom), been a fabulous help around the house and completed his first week of 3rd grade! CJ is such a great kid and I could not be more proud. He loves 3rd grade and even spoke in Spanish with the teacher the first week of school! I asked him what he liked about 3rd grade and he told me, "everything mom". He did tell me that is was a little different knowing that I was not in the building teaching, but he got used to it. I love that he is such a sweet and caring brother, smart and curious 8 year old and such a big helper to our family. Here is to many more weeks, months and years of these two boys loving on each other!

First Trip to Mimi's and a Harvest

So we took our first trip out of the house to my mom's house, Mimi's. Zac loved seeing his grandma's house, sitting in the sun and watching his auntie, dad and big brother pick veggies from the garden. Yummy! Check out the tomato that CJ is holding...it is a Tom-Cat!

My Boys...part II

Here is Zac with his eyes wide open and hanging with his dad and big brother!

My Boys!

While in the hospital Zac and I were napping...Carlos and CJ came back from running some errands and CJ had to hop right in bed with us. Everyone told me that CJ was going to be and look so big next to his little brother...these pictures prove it! Plus, I totally love these pictures...my boys are so cuddly! I am truly blessed!

Family and Friends with Zac

I love all of these pictures with family and friends with our baby Zac. And of course, our first family of four photo! The pictures of CJ and Zac is now what you can expect when you visit our home, CJ holding Zac and just hanging out. He is the best big brother!

Zac!

Here are some pictures of my baby boy! I do love him so much! In fact, he has been sleeping for the past hour in my arms and I just put him in his co-sleeper so I could eat, blog and do stuff...I really just want to go pick him up and continue to hold him!

The pictures are of:

-my mom (Mimi) holding him just under an hour old!

-CJ holding him, he HAD to be the 3rd to hold him! I love the smile on his face.

-Melissa...who has been through this whole pg with me...at work and play!

-my nephew Cole, showing Zac how to pose with glasses!

-my niece Taylor, who is more than excited to babysit at a moment's notice!

The Week that Was...

(...unusually long post)

So, this is my official blog about the whole labor and delivery, my beautiful baby Zac, my wonderful husband, fantastic family and dear friends that help to shape up the last week that was...It was a week that can only, truly be defined and painted clearly in my own mind. The following words and descriptors will not do it justice, but it will help me remember as more days pass and give you all a little glimpse into the amazing experience of...well, life, family and friends that have and will continue to surround my dear baby boy.

The last time I blogged (minus the anniversary blog) I had just returned from the dr/midwife with news that the 3 cm scenario could go on for a few more days or weeks. I was very discouraged and not feeling hopeful that I would see my baby boy anytime soon. So, I went to my friend Scott's new classroom at Newby and helped him move tables, chairs, bookshelves and basically arrange his room. I felt for sure that all that moving would help "move" things along for me as well. (Little did I know)

Friday morning I was in the courtroom with my brother (long story, not blogging about it) and then that evening we ended up over at Cassandra's house, BBQ and games and fun chatting, gossiping and laughing. I sat on the floor for a few hours, very uncomfortable and hoping (hoping) from some more chance that the end would be near. (Little did I know)

Saturday was spent cleaning and doing things around the house: Carlos put in a new front door, CJ helped and I did this and that around the house. Saturday night we ended up at the Ryan's for dinner and played cards. Nothing too crazy.

Sunday was a bit different. I woke up, ate breakfast then took a long shower...complete with giving myself a facial. Needless to say, I was exhausted and needed a 2 hour nap that afternoon. Later, walking around Lowe's shopping for a new screen door I again was tired and cranky. (Little did I know) I decided to make some chicken enchiladas invite my mom and sister over and hang out...my brother and his kids came by for a visit too. The house was full, we ate dinner, watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and everyone was gone by 9:30PM. (I kicked them out early...I was really tired and getting really cranky) I should have known. CJ came in and snuggled with me in bed to watch the last of the closing ceremonies and we both fell asleep. That was the last 4+ hours of uninterrupted sleep I will have in a very long time.

At 2:39 I woke Carlos up to tell him I had had a contraction...I labored at home for about 2 hours. My mom came to stay with CJ. We left for the hospital at 4:30. They didn't admit me right at first, but my water broke at 5:00 AM, so then they admitted me and my sister showed up around 5:30. I had some good labor going until about 7:30ish then it took a turn for, "this really hurts" and lots of breathing hard and concentrating. By 8:37 I was ready for pushing and after 6 min (not a typo, yes only 6 min) of pushing little Zac was born at 8:43 AM. Within min of him being born, my mom and son were in the room and within a few hours after his birth about 15 people had come by or were in the room visiting...and I wouldn't have had it any other way! The love, support, words of welcome and overall LOVE from all the people who came to visit those first hours and later days will stay with me for a lifetime! I felt (and still feel) truly blessed to have been surrounded by so much love. We did finally get some sleep late that night, but the naps the next few days are what carried me through until we got home Wed afternoon around 2:00. We have had blissful, bonding and relaxing time this week. We have not left the house in a week. We have had a few quiet visitors over the days. We have sat on the front porch in the sunshine. We have had sleepless nights. We have had some great family time. CJ is a great big brother. Carlos is wonderful and has seriously not complained at all. (He has changed many a diaper and had minimal sleep.)

Here are some things that I will always remember about this week (in no particular order):
-my sister's cold hands on my wrist and arm the whole time during labor
-Carlos' words on encouragement and constant love
-my mid-wife's words of encouragement and telling me that "yes, I can do this" and "you will never have to be at 8 cm again"
-the nurse, in a very frantic voice saying "heart rate is at 60, we need to get this baby out now"
-Heather taking great pictures and showing them to me after Zac was born (in reverse order) and us laughing then me getting a big queasy...too soon to see the pictures!
-Zac's little face as I held him for the first time
-seeing the placenta and his unusually short umbilical cord and thinking back to all that we had been through these past 9.5 months...genetic counseling, amniocentesis, ultrasounds and yet here is what kept him alive and he is great and real and wonderful!
-walking ever so slowly down the hall from labor/delivery room to our post-room
-loving every min in the hospital (nurses were wonderful, eating sherbet at 10 PM, always having my water refilled with a smile and being with my baby boy with no household chores to do or worry about!)
-CJ announcing that when he is 16 Zac will be 8 years old and he can drive him to school...(not going to comment, too scary)
-loving all the visitors, calls and texts full of love and even more love for my baby boy
-realizing that my baby boy is a week old and crying my eyes out
-realizing (as I am rubbing my tummy) that he was just in there and now he is not and I will not be pregnant again and crying my eyes out
-realizing that my baby is wonderful, sweet and lovable and how much in love with him I am...and of course crying my eyes out!
-our first outing to my mom's, looking at baby pictures of me and seeing how much this baby boy of mine looks like me...and loving it!

This week has been truly amazing. I would not trade it for anything or change one single moment...my family has been wonderful. My mom has called everyday to check on me and/or stopped by to see her baby grandson. She has held him and loved him... My sister is very much in love with the little guy too...she has to see him, hold him and love him daily as well. I am not sure what she is going to do when she has to be away from him for a whole day! My brother and his kids have welcomed him with loving hugs and kisses and they think he is pretty cute. (I have to agree) CJ is the perfect big brother and is already carrying Zac around and feeling more and more confident everyday. And...Carlos. (I am tearing up right now...sniff, sniff) He has been perfect, a rock, a fabulous father, perfect husband and tireless partner in our home.

There you go...the week that was...well, perfect. If you made it all the way through this post, thank you. If not, well, maybe this one was more for me. Call it therapy. Call it closure. Call in a release to what is to come. Either way, thank you. And thank you to Zachary...I love you with all my heart.