Walking

Skyler is slightly obsessed with Thad.  I love it.

Ella is also obsessed with Thad.  I love that, too.

Just not when she wants to "share" a heavy toy with him and ends up bonking his head.

Meh.  Skyler survived Lily so I have high hopes for Thad.

The obsession continues...

Oh, and I posted this picture because this is a better example of what Thad looks like.  Why can babies never look accurate in photos?  When he was first born I thought, oh he looks just like Skyler and Ella, but now I don't see that at all.  Now he sort of looks like Lily with his coloring and facial features, but mostly he is his own person.  This picture shows off his nose pretty well.  He inherited Lily's nose and I am still giddy about it.  I love Lily's nose more than anyone else's in the whole world.  Now there are two of them.  I love it.

Yes, I realize I'm weird.

 This kept Ella and Skyler busy for almost a whole hour.  I'd say that's a success except I found out that Ella had been snacking on ripped paper the whole time... extra fiber, anyone?

On the 25th, I realized that I didn't have many (if any) pictures of Ella crawling.  For the life of me I couldn't get a single non-blurry picture of her so this will have to do.  Little did I know that she was going to be walking later that day for the first time.  So technically Ella started walking a few hours before she turned 14 months old.  That makes 3/3 Macbeths walking at 13 months.  And hooray for everyone that she waited until we were out of the hospital!  My one wish come true!

We're so proud of her!

 

And please don't judge the temporary makeshift baby gate at the bottom of the stairs...

The System

 

 

In case you're wondering (you're not, by the way, because you're smart) having four kids ages 5 and younger is a little crazy.  Just a little.  We came home from the hospital early because we didn't feel like spending a ton of money for a bed and room service.  (I'll put that money towards a trip to Europe.  Or bills.  Yeah, probably just bills...)  So we've already had a few days to adjust to our new life.

Ben and I have a system.  It works for us and helps us survive the adjustment of adding another Little into the family.  Picture Haymitch from The Hunger Games in your mind.  Now picture the times when he tells Katniss and Peeta to "stay alive."  Yes.  This is our system. 

But really, our system has nothing to do with an arena.  Our system is basically just switching off jobs (bottle feeding, homework with Lily, getting food made) until all the kids are in bed and then we sit down to breathe.  It's actually pretty awesome despite the craziness of it all.  I really do love it.

At night we have a much more specific system.  I'm on baby duty until 4 AM.  Anything after that is Ben's job while I sleep in a little later than usual. This is what we did with Ella, too.  But this year it's a little different.

What we didn't realize was that with our usual system Ben would be on his own with four kids while having to get Lily ready for school and out the door by 8:30.  This morning I woke up early and was able to help.  That's when I realized just how crazy Ben had it.  Thad needed a bottle and a new diaper, Ella was throwing some kind of fit, Skyler was asking where his breakfast was, Lily was worried about whether she had everything ready for school, and Ben was making Lily's lunch that I forgot to make last night.  And then on top of it all I remembered that today was picture day.  So I took care of Thad and did Lily's hair so that she'd look cute.  Kudos to Ben for trying to do her hair yesterday when he has never actually done it before. 

In other words, this morning was chaos.  But Ben never mentioned how crazy the morning was compared to the rest of the day.  He just took care of everything while I caught up on sleep, somehow oblivious to the obvious. 

I can never quite be thankful enough for my blessings.  I was blessed with such a supportive husband who helps me with everything.  Yes, sometimes he snickers when I can't open a bottled water by myself, but so be it.  I am so thankful that I've been able to have four kids so early in life.  Not everyone has children come to their family so easily.  I'm thankful that Ben has a job that is so perfect for our family.  I'm just thankful for everything.  I wouldn't trade this craziness for the world. 

Thad's Birth

WARNING:  Long post.  But what did you expect?

 



 

This whole having-a-baby process has been the most different experience of the four.  On my due date, one of my OB's told me that I'd be induced the next day (Friday) but that Rex Hospital would call me that morning between 5 and 7 AM for the appointment time, depending on when they'd be least busy.  What neither of us knew, was that apparently every pregnant woman in the area decided to go into labor right then and for the next couple of days.  Not knowing this, Ben and I picked up Lily from school a little early so we could drop off all the kids at my parents' house and then Ben and I went back home to finish up last minute things like packing a hospital bag. 

 

We went to sleep, but not really.  Our house has almost no cell phone reception and so we were worried we'd miss the call.  No call came between 5 and 7.  My OB had said that if they were incredibly busy they'd call me by noon.  No call.  So I called my OB.  They told me to wait by the phone all day.  It could be any time.  So Ben and I stayed home.  With nothing to do.  And we started going crazy.  Ben couldn't handle it so he started working from home and I tried to get some sleep since I hadn't in the past 2 nights.  By 3:30 we were so discouraged we decided to go to my parents' house to be with the kids.  We felt better instantly.  We finally got a call at 8:30 PM.  The Rex nurse told me about how every single one of their rooms was full and that they should be able to get me induced at 12 or 1 AM.  AM????  I'd never heard of a middle of the night induction but I was so excited.  She said she'd call me closer to then to tell me the exact time to come in.  So Ben and I decided to stay at my parents' house until it was time to go in. When I hadn't gotten a phone call by 1:30 (and couldn't sleep -- again) I called her.  "It won't be until at least 5 or 6 AM."  And so on and so on and so on through all of Saturday.  FINALLY at 7:30 PM I got a call from my OB, Dr. Breazeale, saying to come in in an hour.  I have never been more excited to get somewhere in my entire life except for maybe the temple when we got married.

 

I got hooked up to Pitocin almost immediately.  And this was my first time where the nurse was not messing around with the drugs.  She started it high and bumped it up constantly.  Since I've had regular contractions since 22 weeks, the contractions I had didn't really faze me.  After a few hours on Pitocin, my nurse suggested I get checked again and have my water broken.  I hadn't dilated in all that time!  I was still a 3!  WHAT?  So Dr. Breazeale broke my water and immediately, huge contractions started coming.  The anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural and had to do it three times.  (My back still likes to remind me of this.)  Even after the three attempts, it still only really made my right side numb.  Oh well.

 

So I figured since it was past 3:30 AM at this point it would be a good idea to get some sleep since I hadn't in the last few nights.  I was only 3 cm dilated and who knows how long this was going to take?  So Ben and I passed out.  But I couldn't really sleep because, for some reason, I could still feel every contraction.  So I had my nurse come in at 4:30 AM to check me.  I was at a 7 even though I was a 3 just an hour before.  And since this is my 4th delivery, I knew how my body works and we had already told our nurse that at this point, it was a matter of minutes.  So the nurse immediately started getting everything ready and that's when I realized we had forgotten our camera in the car.  I told Ben to run and I meant it.  Because even though we were right next to the parking lot, I was ready to push before he got back, but luckily it took a whopping 4 pushes so Ben and Dr. Breazeale both made it in time for Thad's birth -- and not ear first like he was trying.  He was born at 4:41 AM and weighed 8lb 1oz and was 21" long. We took one look at him and instantly could see "Macbeth" written all over him.  He's definitely one of ours!

 

 

 

We're solely bottle feeding him because of my previous nursing struggles.  It has been a complete game changer for me.  I can't believe how much easier it has been to recover since we can let nurses help out while we actually sleep a full night.  It has also been fun to actually be able to tell how much he drinks.  On his first day the nurses were saying, "Expect him to drink about 12 mL per feeding."  So of course he would drink over 20.  And today he's doing over 40.  He's definitely one of us.  :)

 He has the least hair of any of our kids by far.  And yet he's completely adorable.

Don't let Skyler's face fool you.  He was the most excited of the three to have Thad coming to this family.  Meet your new roomie, Bud!

Ella wanted to touch him a lot.

And then she gave him a hard binky kiss on the forehead and then smacked his head a few times out of excitement.  Oh how this takes me back to when Lily met Skyler...

I was really impatient at the end of this pregnancy.  Each pregnancy has been more physically demanding than the last and it was really taking a toll on me.  Several times I had to have priesthood blessings and would pray to go into labor.  Now I am beyond thankful that I never went into labor naturally.  If I would have known that I would have delivered him an hour after my water had broken, I know without a doubt that I wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time to deliver him -- not after making sure the kids were taken care of and a 30 minute drive to the hospital. 

Ben and I feel beyond blessed to have Thad in our family.  He has a very calm and sweet personality.  I can't wait to get to know him better.  For now, Ben and I are soaking up one word: complete.

40 Weeks

I just wanted to post a couple of pictures before this blog becomes a little Thad exhibition for a while.

 

Skyler helping Daddy with work.  Such a tough day in the office...

 

I put Ella's hair in a ponytail for the first time this week and with her natural curls it looks like a ballerina bun!  Let's just say that when Ella looks like this and has her ponytail bounce with every crawling step, she gets smothered in kisses all day long.  Not that that's different from the usual routine, but still.

 

40 weeks.  Today is my due date (and it is the first time I have ever made it to my due date).  And even though I haven't made any progress in the last week, Thad will be coming tomorrow.  I may have eaten a celebratory brownie when my Doctor suggested I be induced in the morning.  He basically said, "You're dilated to a 3.  You've already had 3 kids and so you're going to move fast once labor starts, plus you have quick inductions anyway.  You have gestational diabetes.  Your insurance (where my deductible has long since been met) is being renewed at the end of the month.  Let's just get this baby out.  When's good for you?"  I was shocked and said "Tomorrow" before I realized what I had said and then I was like, "Today!  Today!"  Well today was booked up at the hospital, plus I wasn't being realistic about things.  I wasn't thinking of my parents who will be taking care of my kids over the weekend or of Ben's work.  So tomorrow will be better now that we have a little advanced notice. 

 

Watch out world.  We've got another little Macbeth coming your way.

This Week

 

 

Things that have happened this week

• I decided that at 39 weeks pregnant it would be a good idea to lie in the dirt in my back yard and snap pictures of the kids.  Because that makes complete sense, right?
• I discovered that Ella, much like her big sister at that age, cannot handle the feeling of sitting in grass and will try to keep her legs lifted up in the air until I pick her up.
• The leaves have started changing color and falling.  I'm worried that since we had such a cool summer that Autumn is going to come early and that Ben's parents will miss it when they're in town next month.
• I discovered nits in Ella's hair.  Ugh.  And it wasn't until Saturday night that I figured out what they were.  So Ben was gone all day Sunday with meetings and church while I kept all 3 kids home.  What are the odds that the person who got lice first was our little 1 year-old who doesn't socialize at all?  We couldn't find anything on Lily or Skyler thank goodness but we still treated all 3 for lice.  But we have been cleaning everything so that it's completely eradicated from our house before Thad gets here, because if he's anything like the other three, he's going to have lots of hair.  Can you imagine a newborn with lice?  Major groan.
• I had to call Ben to come home from church 20 minutes early because of some more hardcore contractions.  After a few hours of timing them, we figured that it was -- as usual -- false labor.  Ben and I have joked that since I have had regular contractions since 22 weeks that we can basically say that if I deliver Thad on his due date (Thursday) I will have experienced over 3000 hours of labor.  Not that I'm counting or anything. 
• I got a note from Lily's teacher saying that she is doing really well in Kindergarten.  Also, Lily has a BFF who is completely adorable.
• As of Friday, my OB says I'm definitely progressing in the labor department, but if nothing happens on its own I will be induced on the 26th.  As much as I actually love inductions, I would love to go into labor earlier than that.  Today (or right now) would be ideal.  

Pregnancy -- It's not me. It's you.

Dear Pregnancy,

We've been down a long road together.  Our relationship hasn't been so awesome.  But it has been a necessary evil, like getting shots or paying bills or choosing chocolate-vanilla swirl frozen yogurt at Costco because the chocolate handle is broken.

We keep breaking up and then somehow we get back together.  I can't believe I've given three whole years of my life to you.  Three years full of morning sickness, heart issues, pinched nerves, and exhaustion.  You're like that friend that sucks everything out of you and gives nothing back in return.

Wait.  There is one thing I do appreciate: the cravings.  Each pregnancy taught me to love something new!  Lily: fish.  Skyler: extremely spicy food.  Ella: I can't remember but it was definitely something.  Thad: maple syrup.  Yes.  M-a-p-l-e  s-y-r-u-p.  I didn't like it before.  The cravings have been awesome.  And I'll even give you a high five for making this pregnancy a little more manageable in the cravings department.  According to Ben, he didn't have to run out to get me any kind of food I was craving until last weekend.  What?  No wonder I've gained almost no weight.

And the hormones.  What was that all about?  Most of the time you acted as if I had zero change of personality -- that my pregnancy didn't even faze me.  But then I'd be watching a commercial about anything and all of a sudden ***BAM!*** waterworks.  I didn't know that LEGO's had that effect on me.  Or like that one night a couple of weeks ago when I didn't realize my shirt was riding up my stomach halfway because I couldn't see it, and ended up bawling my eyes out for 15 minutes when Ben pointed it out.  What was that all about?  Do you know how much you have scared that man?  Sometimes he doesn't know whether he should laugh or just give me a hug.  He's had it rough, too, you know.  He's had to walk a thin wire with his reactions in my pregnancies.  Just one comment could mean the difference between sleeping in bed with me and me saying that he has to sleep on the couch -- except not really. 

Anyway, I know a lot of women genuinely love you.  Maybe you should go spend some more time with them.  The only reason I still have you around is because Thad insists on it and I can't exactly say no to him.  So here we are, stuck.  It's just that I've noticed that as soon as we break up, things get so much better.  I have a baby, I can sleep on my stomach, I don't misread normal words as food names... it's not me.  It's you.   But just to give you fair warning, sometime in the next couple of weeks, we will be saying our final goodbyes.  This time it's for real.  In the ever so mature words of Taylor Swift, "We are never ever ever ever getting back together.  Like Ever."

Love,
Heather

Behind the Back Fence

We have an amazing place behind our fence.

It belongs to the magical kingdom of Wake County.

(But for all I care, it belongs to us)

 

One day I hope that my kids discover it.

But I'll be patient until they're tall enough to open our gate by themselves.

 

 

 

 

There is a creek and a hill that turns into a waterfall during big rainstorms.

 

There is leaf rustling waiting to be heard.

 

There are trees waiting to be climbed.

 

 There are hide-and-seeks waiting to be played.

 

And there are deer tracks in the sand to follow.

 

 

If the kids don't surprise me with a caught frog in the next few years I'll be really disappointed.



Honesty and Helping

 

My one and only prayer at this point is that Ella won't walk by herself for the first time when I'm in the hospital having Thad.  Because that's what Lily did and Ben and I were so bummed that we missed it. 

 

 

 

Lily adores Kindergarten.  She loves the bus.  She loves her amazing teachers.  She loves being able to eat lunch with friends.  I think she basically finds everything to be magical right now.  And she's not the only one learning right now.  Ben and I have learned a lot about Lily in this new beginning.  She is a lot more ready than I gave her credit for.  I think my favorite surprise came yesterday when I picked her up from the bus stop and one of the first things she said was, "I wasn't able to finish my lunch, Mom."  She sounded so ashamed when all I was thinking was, "Are you hungry?"  I unloaded her lunch box to see how much she was able to eat and she had about a tablespoon of blueberries left is all -- AND her homemade m&m cookie that we made just for her.  She wouldn't eat her cookie until she had finished all of her lunch.  What an honest little sweetie pie.

 

 

 

One day Ben and I were talking about how we needed the kids' help doing something.  The night before in scripture study we had learned about service so Lily got really excited.  She said, "Helping is the best!  Because when you help you get money or tickets, and then you get to go see Jesus!"  Uhhh...