We are finishing up our Ames leg of our vacation today. Yesterday, we loaded up the van early in the morning and drove to Ellsworth, where Travis introduced the girls to Ragbrai!! The route went from there to Story City, which is about 6 miles. Clara and I drove to Story City, where we met up with the bus and the rest of Team Petting Zoo. It was already sweltering by 10:30 AM, so I'm glad the girls weren't in the burley any longer than they were. They stopped for chocolate milk along the route, and thoroughly enjoyed that.
Then we picked up lunch at Battles BBQ in Ames, and took it to my grandparents to eat. Audrey and Clara (and Travis!) all napped there, while I got a nice chance to chat with Mommo and play with Emily. Then we went to visit some friends of mine in Gilbert, whose daughter was born two days before Clara. Sure was fun to catch up with them! Then we came back to Ames, to Jenny's house, and ate take-out Chinese food. Emily had been waiting all day to play with Megan and have a sleepover night. They set up tents in Jenny's enormous basement, and had a wonderful time.
This morning, we went to the Berry Patch in Nevada and picked blueberries. Thankfully, it's a little cooler today (finally!) due to a super-awesome thunderstorm that came through last night. Audrey ate every single berry that she picked, blueberry and raspberry! Emily picked about 30 blueberries in her bucket, and was very proud of herself. Then we ate West Street Deli for lunch, and are now back at Jenny's house for naptimes. Once those are over, we'll go back up to Story City to ride on the carousel, and Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan will meet us there. The way Emily is talking, this will be a highlight of the vacation, even topping the camping sleepover night.
We're really enjoying these activities, but I'm keeping the posting brief, just to get it all written down. We'll see if I get a chance to add in any more specific anecdotes later. But I'm taking pictures, too, so that will help jog my memory!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, Tuesday...
Yesterday was our trip to Winterset. We drove down in the morning after breakfast, and it really is a beautiful drive through Madison County. The only covered bridge we saw was in the city park, and it's in such an illogical place that I'm thinking it must have been moved there. Why would anyone need a bridge there?? Anyway, we drove up to Clark tower, and the girls agreed that it did look like a castle and they excitedly put on their princess outfits, and ran up to the tower. Clara was a good sport and was awake during activities and asleep in the car. Then we finished up the crazy drive back to the main area of the park, and played on some playground equipment and ran through the English maze (hedges!). That's about the time that it started getting hot, so we headed back to Des Moines, and ate at Tasty Tacos on our way home. Throughout the trip, the girls were very observant, but didn't seem to be too impressed. I was shrugging it off as a semi-failure, except they described it in very different, dramatic terms when Kerri stopped by last night. They got to be princesses in a castle! Wow! And play on a new playground!! Delayed feedback, I guess.
We tried to make ice cream yesterday afternoon, like this, but it didn't turn out. I double-bagged both mixtures, because the only massive amount of salt that I had was driveway salt, which has added chemicals in it. I wanted to keep that away from the ice cream, but I think the ice cream has to be in contact with the ice on the other side of the bag, so it didn't set up. It was still delicious, but definitely liquid and not solid. It says it will set up in about 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes of shaking, I gave up to the whines of how it was taking too long and just let them eat it the way it was. Audrey managed to spill hers all over the kitchen, which was the final straw for me after being whined at throughout what was supposed to be a fun activity. They spent much of the rest of the afternoon outside in the water, or on the 100° porch, stripped down to almost nothing. They really played nicely together for a very long time yesterday, which is pretty impressive, I think.
This morning, we went to Big Creek to go to the beach, but apparently nobody else in Des Moines thinks that a high of 100° is the perfect day to go. But we did! We were there by 9:30 or so, and it was already really hot out on the beach. It took some convincing, but Travis got the girls down by the water, playing in the sand and making sand castles with their buckets and shovels. The water was pretty stinky and full of algae, so no swimming, but they did play on the playground equipment for quite a while. Throughout this, Clara was in my arms, wanting to nurse because she was thirsty and uncomfortable, and nursing fixes everything if you're 8 weeks old. The nice thing about nobody being around - carefree breastfeeding! I thought it seemed a bit post-apocalyptic, with the empty playground and enormous parking lot (we got one of only two shady spots! woot!), but Travis said it was just good planning on our part. Emily seemed to concerned that there were no other kids around, but honestly, our kids are more likely to have fun if there aren't other kids around that they have to size up or be intimidated by.
And now we're home, chilling for the afternoon. We might make some more homemade ice cream this afternoon, but in an ice cream machine this time! Tomorrow, we're headed to Ames, I think, for a social day.
We tried to make ice cream yesterday afternoon, like this, but it didn't turn out. I double-bagged both mixtures, because the only massive amount of salt that I had was driveway salt, which has added chemicals in it. I wanted to keep that away from the ice cream, but I think the ice cream has to be in contact with the ice on the other side of the bag, so it didn't set up. It was still delicious, but definitely liquid and not solid. It says it will set up in about 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes of shaking, I gave up to the whines of how it was taking too long and just let them eat it the way it was. Audrey managed to spill hers all over the kitchen, which was the final straw for me after being whined at throughout what was supposed to be a fun activity. They spent much of the rest of the afternoon outside in the water, or on the 100° porch, stripped down to almost nothing. They really played nicely together for a very long time yesterday, which is pretty impressive, I think.
This morning, we went to Big Creek to go to the beach, but apparently nobody else in Des Moines thinks that a high of 100° is the perfect day to go. But we did! We were there by 9:30 or so, and it was already really hot out on the beach. It took some convincing, but Travis got the girls down by the water, playing in the sand and making sand castles with their buckets and shovels. The water was pretty stinky and full of algae, so no swimming, but they did play on the playground equipment for quite a while. Throughout this, Clara was in my arms, wanting to nurse because she was thirsty and uncomfortable, and nursing fixes everything if you're 8 weeks old. The nice thing about nobody being around - carefree breastfeeding! I thought it seemed a bit post-apocalyptic, with the empty playground and enormous parking lot (we got one of only two shady spots! woot!), but Travis said it was just good planning on our part. Emily seemed to concerned that there were no other kids around, but honestly, our kids are more likely to have fun if there aren't other kids around that they have to size up or be intimidated by.
And now we're home, chilling for the afternoon. We might make some more homemade ice cream this afternoon, but in an ice cream machine this time! Tomorrow, we're headed to Ames, I think, for a social day.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Stay-cation
I usually hate combined words, or made-up words, like "friend" as a verb, or "orientate," "architected," or worst of all, "guesstimate." But this week, we are in fact staycationing, so I guess I'll have to go with it. We have big plans, and I'll try to post each day, more as a record of our awesome time together as a family than out of a need to really update anybody. :)
We kicked off our family time together by having a nice lazy day at home. I got groceries, to prepare for some of the things we'll do this week, and then Travis and I went out to dinner (with Clara) while the girls ate mac'n'cheese with Dan and Kerri and Milo. Everybody had a fabulous time!
This morning, the girls went with Trav on a bike ride, in the burley, and I'm headed out with Clara to meet them at the restaurant where we'll have brunch together with friends. The plan for later today is to build a balance beam, and paint it. We'll see how that goes!
Hooray, summer!
We kicked off our family time together by having a nice lazy day at home. I got groceries, to prepare for some of the things we'll do this week, and then Travis and I went out to dinner (with Clara) while the girls ate mac'n'cheese with Dan and Kerri and Milo. Everybody had a fabulous time!
This morning, the girls went with Trav on a bike ride, in the burley, and I'm headed out with Clara to meet them at the restaurant where we'll have brunch together with friends. The plan for later today is to build a balance beam, and paint it. We'll see how that goes!
Hooray, summer!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Long post
There is so much that's happened in the past month that it'll be hard to make this post make any sense at all. I think this is the longest I have ever gone without a blog update. It has been absolutely crazy, but I'm sure you know why! There are more reasons than just Clara, though. My sister's divorce hearing was last week, and I took Clara with me to go support her in the process. It was really weird, crazy, and stressful, and therefore, exhausting. But it's done, and Jenny was awarded primary custody, so it should be uphill from here. It was kind of interesting how nice it was that Clara was with me, because nothing makes a person feel better than snuggling with a baby, right? When you're nervous, a hug is the best thing, but you can't really just hug another adult. So Jenny was holding Clara, rocking and bouncing, before things got started at the courthouse each day, and it really was helpful, I could tell. It was funny that for all the support I wanted to provide, it was probably Clara who did the most good. :)
Also this past week, Travis also had to travel for work, an opportunity he couldn't pass up. The meeting was in South Africa, so he left Tuesday for Johannesburg and came back Saturday. Between his jetlag and my exhaustion from the stress of the trial and caring for 3 kids on my own, we were pretty worthless yesterday. But today is better, since Trav slept 10+ hours and I slept the same 8 hours as Clara. Next week, Trav is in Miami for most of the week, so I'm taking the girls to my parents' for a few days. The week of Ragbrai, though, he is taking vacation! He originally planned to bike a few days, but when the South Africa trip came up, he figured it made more sense to just keep the vacation week but do things as a family, just around Des Moines, instead. I can't wait!
Travis didn't get to see much of anything while he was there, because it was so work-intensive, but he did bring back a vuvuzela and a couple baby stuffed animals for the kids (giraffe for Emily, elephant for Audrey, and a lion for Clara). The girls most enjoyed the vuvuzela, though. Travis would give it a loud honk and they'd jump and giggle and run around the house.
So the most fun thing: Clara has started talking! Jenny was playing a video for E and A, and I started singing the song for Clara, since we were having the nicest little conversation at the time. The coolest part was the next day when I sang the same song for her, and she totally recognized it!! Her eyes lit up and she started talking (singing?) along with me. She even let out a really nice little squeal that she surprised herself with. :) I think we've got a chatty one on our hands. And her smile is so much more frequent and genuine now. It looks great on her - what a beauty! She's always been really bright-eyed and expressive, but now it seems like she's really getting her own personality along with her expressions. I feel bad that she's got baby acne, but it shouldn't be much longer before that goes away.
Clara is a fantastic sleeper. She likes to be awake for a while after she's done her main 6-8 hour stretch at night, which is a little bit annoying but even if I don't get the opportunity to go back to sleep after that, I've generally still gotten an uninterrupted night, even if it is short. And she's never up for more than an hour during the night, so I don't have those disastrous 1AM to 4AM nights. It makes such a huge difference in how I can function!
Clara is also very strong! She's been doing great with tummy time, lifting her head and looking back and forth. She likes to hold her own head up if carried vertically - no snuggling into your chest unless she's already half-asleep. We've gone for a couple of walks with her in the baby carrier, and she is super unhappy if she's facing in, but she loves facing out! She has started using her legs when she's mad, she'll straighten them out and flex her little muscles, which is so cute because her legs are so small!! It also makes me feel like it's all right for her to be a little upset once in a while, cuz she gets some more exercise that way. Other than that, she's really a chilled out baby.
One of the biggest things to report is that our nanny started! It's been 3 weeks and the girls really like her. She's taken them fun places, she's really gotten to know them. There have been a few things I've had to get used to, like someone else cooking in my kitchen, and being second in command when she's here during the day, but the latter will go away once I'm gone at work while she's here. For now, I am enjoying that Travis will leave the door unlocked when he leaves, and she comes on in before I'm even up, some days. It's music to my ears when she walks in and greets my girls and immediately asks them if they'd like breakfast. I can snooze a few more minutes, or get nice relaxed shower. Luxury, I tell ya. I really think it's worth the money to make my life easier for now. I don't like to shop, I don't spend much money on actual "stuff", but spending money to improve an experience is totally worth it, I think.
There are a few especially funny (or notable) things that the girls have done lately, but I'll just get this posted and add another entry later this week. Maybe I'll have time in Rockford to write.
Also this past week, Travis also had to travel for work, an opportunity he couldn't pass up. The meeting was in South Africa, so he left Tuesday for Johannesburg and came back Saturday. Between his jetlag and my exhaustion from the stress of the trial and caring for 3 kids on my own, we were pretty worthless yesterday. But today is better, since Trav slept 10+ hours and I slept the same 8 hours as Clara. Next week, Trav is in Miami for most of the week, so I'm taking the girls to my parents' for a few days. The week of Ragbrai, though, he is taking vacation! He originally planned to bike a few days, but when the South Africa trip came up, he figured it made more sense to just keep the vacation week but do things as a family, just around Des Moines, instead. I can't wait!
Travis didn't get to see much of anything while he was there, because it was so work-intensive, but he did bring back a vuvuzela and a couple baby stuffed animals for the kids (giraffe for Emily, elephant for Audrey, and a lion for Clara). The girls most enjoyed the vuvuzela, though. Travis would give it a loud honk and they'd jump and giggle and run around the house.
So the most fun thing: Clara has started talking! Jenny was playing a video for E and A, and I started singing the song for Clara, since we were having the nicest little conversation at the time. The coolest part was the next day when I sang the same song for her, and she totally recognized it!! Her eyes lit up and she started talking (singing?) along with me. She even let out a really nice little squeal that she surprised herself with. :) I think we've got a chatty one on our hands. And her smile is so much more frequent and genuine now. It looks great on her - what a beauty! She's always been really bright-eyed and expressive, but now it seems like she's really getting her own personality along with her expressions. I feel bad that she's got baby acne, but it shouldn't be much longer before that goes away.
Clara is a fantastic sleeper. She likes to be awake for a while after she's done her main 6-8 hour stretch at night, which is a little bit annoying but even if I don't get the opportunity to go back to sleep after that, I've generally still gotten an uninterrupted night, even if it is short. And she's never up for more than an hour during the night, so I don't have those disastrous 1AM to 4AM nights. It makes such a huge difference in how I can function!
Clara is also very strong! She's been doing great with tummy time, lifting her head and looking back and forth. She likes to hold her own head up if carried vertically - no snuggling into your chest unless she's already half-asleep. We've gone for a couple of walks with her in the baby carrier, and she is super unhappy if she's facing in, but she loves facing out! She has started using her legs when she's mad, she'll straighten them out and flex her little muscles, which is so cute because her legs are so small!! It also makes me feel like it's all right for her to be a little upset once in a while, cuz she gets some more exercise that way. Other than that, she's really a chilled out baby.
One of the biggest things to report is that our nanny started! It's been 3 weeks and the girls really like her. She's taken them fun places, she's really gotten to know them. There have been a few things I've had to get used to, like someone else cooking in my kitchen, and being second in command when she's here during the day, but the latter will go away once I'm gone at work while she's here. For now, I am enjoying that Travis will leave the door unlocked when he leaves, and she comes on in before I'm even up, some days. It's music to my ears when she walks in and greets my girls and immediately asks them if they'd like breakfast. I can snooze a few more minutes, or get nice relaxed shower. Luxury, I tell ya. I really think it's worth the money to make my life easier for now. I don't like to shop, I don't spend much money on actual "stuff", but spending money to improve an experience is totally worth it, I think.
There are a few especially funny (or notable) things that the girls have done lately, but I'll just get this posted and add another entry later this week. Maybe I'll have time in Rockford to write.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Almost smiling
I think Clara is trying to smile! It is so tremendously cute. Especially in the mornings, she'll have the most pleasant look on her face, and really try to smile! It looks great on her - can't wait to see its full glory.
Today was a wonderful summer day. The girls went to Ms. Teri's for the last time this morning, and they were not at all confused or concerned by it. Ms. Teri was very reassuring and gave them big hugs, lots of love, and then got all teary as we walked out the door together. It was hard to leave, but I'm really sure that I'm doing the right thing. She truly does love my kids, though, so I hope I didn't burn any bridges.
It's interesting to think about what is different between each pregnancy, each child. This time, whenever I nurse Clara, I get the most horrendous, overwhelming feeling. It happens about 30 seconds before my milk lets down, so sometimes that's as we sit down to nurse, and sometimes it's just after a passing thought of my baby, or just a totally random moment. But I have this feeling of dread, anxiety, and guilt, all at once, almost to the point where my stomach is upset and I kind of want to throw up. It would be one thing if it was just a feeling, but it lasts long enough to manifest itself into actual thoughts, like, feeling guilty about not spending enough time with Audrey, feeling anxious about whether I made the right daycare decision, or dreading going back to work. And that's just the tip of the iceberg - I have lots to feel guilty or anxious about, I guess! It's weird, because I'll get wrapped up in this feeling, and then consciously tell myself that I'm only thinking that because I'm letting down, and I've got enough time to finish whatever I was doing (brushing my teeth, fixing a sandwich, carrying a child) in order to clutch myself for the letdown. It's ridiculous, and mentally tough work! I can see how new mothers can get postpartum depression, if their hormones or chemistry is dictating these thoughts into their heads all the time, instead of just 30-second intervals throughout the day. I don't remember it being this vivid with either Emily or Audrey; I think I would've described it then as suspenseful, like the top of a rollercoaster kind of feeling. Anyway, I'm tired of it, and would like my brain back!!!
Clara continues to be a good sleeper. She generally is only awake once per night, eats well, and goes back to sleep after a change. I could not be more thankful!! It's funny that right now I feel like I can continue this schedule, no problem, but as soon as I get more sleep I won't be able to go back to this, once teething or sicknesses keep her up at night.
We're going to start the cloth diapers tomorrow. I've got them all folded and ready, and I think they'll fit her okay. I have a feeling that she'll go through her allotment of 7 diapers each day really quickly, and we'll use a fair amount of disposables still, but that's fine with me, since I planned on using disposables at night anyway. I've gotta say I'm actually excited about it, so we'll see how long it takes before I decide that they're a pain - and get tired of the stink! She's starting to blow out the size 1's, so hopefully these will be a little more secure.
Clara had her 2-week checkup this week, although she turned 3 weeks old today! She was 10 lbs, 2 oz, and had grown more than an inch in length!! She's of the chart for head size and height, but hovering near the top for weight. She charmed everybody with how alert and beautiful she is, and did a great job tolerating all the poking and manhandling. Emily chatted on and on, telling the nurse and doctor all about Clara, while Audrey saw an opportunity to get into trouble. Guess those birth-order roles are getting more and more solidified!
I should write more about what Emily and Audrey are up to these days, but I'm tired, and this seems like an adequate posting so I'll quit. G'night!
Today was a wonderful summer day. The girls went to Ms. Teri's for the last time this morning, and they were not at all confused or concerned by it. Ms. Teri was very reassuring and gave them big hugs, lots of love, and then got all teary as we walked out the door together. It was hard to leave, but I'm really sure that I'm doing the right thing. She truly does love my kids, though, so I hope I didn't burn any bridges.
It's interesting to think about what is different between each pregnancy, each child. This time, whenever I nurse Clara, I get the most horrendous, overwhelming feeling. It happens about 30 seconds before my milk lets down, so sometimes that's as we sit down to nurse, and sometimes it's just after a passing thought of my baby, or just a totally random moment. But I have this feeling of dread, anxiety, and guilt, all at once, almost to the point where my stomach is upset and I kind of want to throw up. It would be one thing if it was just a feeling, but it lasts long enough to manifest itself into actual thoughts, like, feeling guilty about not spending enough time with Audrey, feeling anxious about whether I made the right daycare decision, or dreading going back to work. And that's just the tip of the iceberg - I have lots to feel guilty or anxious about, I guess! It's weird, because I'll get wrapped up in this feeling, and then consciously tell myself that I'm only thinking that because I'm letting down, and I've got enough time to finish whatever I was doing (brushing my teeth, fixing a sandwich, carrying a child) in order to clutch myself for the letdown. It's ridiculous, and mentally tough work! I can see how new mothers can get postpartum depression, if their hormones or chemistry is dictating these thoughts into their heads all the time, instead of just 30-second intervals throughout the day. I don't remember it being this vivid with either Emily or Audrey; I think I would've described it then as suspenseful, like the top of a rollercoaster kind of feeling. Anyway, I'm tired of it, and would like my brain back!!!
Clara continues to be a good sleeper. She generally is only awake once per night, eats well, and goes back to sleep after a change. I could not be more thankful!! It's funny that right now I feel like I can continue this schedule, no problem, but as soon as I get more sleep I won't be able to go back to this, once teething or sicknesses keep her up at night.
We're going to start the cloth diapers tomorrow. I've got them all folded and ready, and I think they'll fit her okay. I have a feeling that she'll go through her allotment of 7 diapers each day really quickly, and we'll use a fair amount of disposables still, but that's fine with me, since I planned on using disposables at night anyway. I've gotta say I'm actually excited about it, so we'll see how long it takes before I decide that they're a pain - and get tired of the stink! She's starting to blow out the size 1's, so hopefully these will be a little more secure.
Clara had her 2-week checkup this week, although she turned 3 weeks old today! She was 10 lbs, 2 oz, and had grown more than an inch in length!! She's of the chart for head size and height, but hovering near the top for weight. She charmed everybody with how alert and beautiful she is, and did a great job tolerating all the poking and manhandling. Emily chatted on and on, telling the nurse and doctor all about Clara, while Audrey saw an opportunity to get into trouble. Guess those birth-order roles are getting more and more solidified!
I should write more about what Emily and Audrey are up to these days, but I'm tired, and this seems like an adequate posting so I'll quit. G'night!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Raving about my little one
So, it's been a busy week. :)
Little Clara is an excellent sleeper. She's been regularly doing 3-4 hour sleep stretches at night, and once slept for SIX straight hours! She eats quickly and goes right back to sleep, so I'm generally only up with her for less than 30 minutes each time, and I'm really feeling good as a result. I've had a lot of help over the past week and been able to physically take it easy for long enough that I'm thinking I can start doing things like going for short walks, or doing more physical activities around the house. For now, I'm just enjoying being able to curl up on the couch with a gigantic awkward belly in my way. I've lost 25 lbs in 10 days - also a good feeling. :) I can now climb a flight of stairs without getting winded!! I'm started to get regulated with Clara's appetite, too, so the soreness in my boobs is going away now, too. Such a relief!
But enough about me. Clara had a checkup on Tuesday, where she was only 1 oz shy of her birthweight, so that's awesome. She also passed a bilirubin check, since the doc thought she might be a bit on the jaundiced side, but I think she was coming out of that. She was pretty yellow on Sunday but by Tuesday she had pinked up again, and the check confirmed that. She's definitely like her sisters - nearly every diaper is poopy, and she puts on some serious displays of capability on that end. I think it's funny that my mom is so impressed by her output, but her other grandma thinks nothing of it - totally normal for a Sullivan, I guess!!
One morning, she woke up and looked at me with a Travis expression on her face, much to my surprise since to that point she had looked like sleeping baby Kristin. But the shape of her face, around her eyes, is definitely Travis's. She is such a pretty baby!! I swear she's trying to smile at us. It's not like she has a broad range of expressions yet, but she does have different looks when she's staring intently and thinking hard versus enjoying wiggling and hearing her sisters talk. She has such a pleasant expression then that it seems like a smile! Her little legs are long and skinny and floppy, and she really swings her arms around a lot when she's talking with her sisters.
Emily asks all the time if she can hold her, and if I set her up in the blue chair with the boppy, she does a great job and both girls really enjoy it. Audrey calls her Baby, because I think she knows when she tries to say Clara it comes out more like Carla, and if it's not right, she avoids it. :) But she's just as affectionate towards her sister... and opportunistic when it comes to us being distracted by the baby. Check out our family picture site for the mascara incident as just one example of how she is taking advantage of our diverted attention. She's a little stinker!
The big activity for this weekend is that we are writing a contract to hire a nanny! We interviewed a girl, Amanda, on Thursday who seems to be a great fit for our family. I'm really excited, and will have her here for 8 weeks before I go back to work. I know that seems a little crazy, but I have already put together a list of things I want to be working on while she has primary care of the kids. It's the kind of stuff you always think you'll do on maternity leave but of course you don't. Well, I stand a better chance this way, at least! I'm also hoping to use it to get 1-on-1 time with Emily and with Audrey, for maybe a special outing here nad there. It'll be so much easier when I do go back to work, because Clara will be in her own home with a familiar person, and being home on leave when Amand starts will make it easier for each of us to figure out how the other operates. The hardest part about this will be telling our current sitter, because she really is truly crazy about our kids. She knew we were looking, so it's not a surprise to her, but I still feel bad because the things that prompted us to go this route aren't things she can really fix. It's like breaking up with her "It's not you, it's me"-style.
Time to track down Audrey for a snooze. I suggested a nap to her yesterday at about this time, and she found her blanket and wandered off. About 10 minutes later I asked if anyone knew where she was - she was in bed!! My mom pulled down the shade in her room for her and kissed her forehead, and that was it. If only it was that easy at bedtime. :)
Little Clara is an excellent sleeper. She's been regularly doing 3-4 hour sleep stretches at night, and once slept for SIX straight hours! She eats quickly and goes right back to sleep, so I'm generally only up with her for less than 30 minutes each time, and I'm really feeling good as a result. I've had a lot of help over the past week and been able to physically take it easy for long enough that I'm thinking I can start doing things like going for short walks, or doing more physical activities around the house. For now, I'm just enjoying being able to curl up on the couch with a gigantic awkward belly in my way. I've lost 25 lbs in 10 days - also a good feeling. :) I can now climb a flight of stairs without getting winded!! I'm started to get regulated with Clara's appetite, too, so the soreness in my boobs is going away now, too. Such a relief!
But enough about me. Clara had a checkup on Tuesday, where she was only 1 oz shy of her birthweight, so that's awesome. She also passed a bilirubin check, since the doc thought she might be a bit on the jaundiced side, but I think she was coming out of that. She was pretty yellow on Sunday but by Tuesday she had pinked up again, and the check confirmed that. She's definitely like her sisters - nearly every diaper is poopy, and she puts on some serious displays of capability on that end. I think it's funny that my mom is so impressed by her output, but her other grandma thinks nothing of it - totally normal for a Sullivan, I guess!!
One morning, she woke up and looked at me with a Travis expression on her face, much to my surprise since to that point she had looked like sleeping baby Kristin. But the shape of her face, around her eyes, is definitely Travis's. She is such a pretty baby!! I swear she's trying to smile at us. It's not like she has a broad range of expressions yet, but she does have different looks when she's staring intently and thinking hard versus enjoying wiggling and hearing her sisters talk. She has such a pleasant expression then that it seems like a smile! Her little legs are long and skinny and floppy, and she really swings her arms around a lot when she's talking with her sisters.
Emily asks all the time if she can hold her, and if I set her up in the blue chair with the boppy, she does a great job and both girls really enjoy it. Audrey calls her Baby, because I think she knows when she tries to say Clara it comes out more like Carla, and if it's not right, she avoids it. :) But she's just as affectionate towards her sister... and opportunistic when it comes to us being distracted by the baby. Check out our family picture site for the mascara incident as just one example of how she is taking advantage of our diverted attention. She's a little stinker!
The big activity for this weekend is that we are writing a contract to hire a nanny! We interviewed a girl, Amanda, on Thursday who seems to be a great fit for our family. I'm really excited, and will have her here for 8 weeks before I go back to work. I know that seems a little crazy, but I have already put together a list of things I want to be working on while she has primary care of the kids. It's the kind of stuff you always think you'll do on maternity leave but of course you don't. Well, I stand a better chance this way, at least! I'm also hoping to use it to get 1-on-1 time with Emily and with Audrey, for maybe a special outing here nad there. It'll be so much easier when I do go back to work, because Clara will be in her own home with a familiar person, and being home on leave when Amand starts will make it easier for each of us to figure out how the other operates. The hardest part about this will be telling our current sitter, because she really is truly crazy about our kids. She knew we were looking, so it's not a surprise to her, but I still feel bad because the things that prompted us to go this route aren't things she can really fix. It's like breaking up with her "It's not you, it's me"-style.
Time to track down Audrey for a snooze. I suggested a nap to her yesterday at about this time, and she found her blanket and wandered off. About 10 minutes later I asked if anyone knew where she was - she was in bed!! My mom pulled down the shade in her room for her and kissed her forehead, and that was it. If only it was that easy at bedtime. :)
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Clara Nicole Sullivan
She's here! She's here! She's here!!!
I have about 20 minutes so I'll type as fast as I can to document the story of Clara's birth.
Travis and I left the girls with Nancy and drove downtown to Methodist for an 8AM induction appointment. Things got started at about 9 AM with a pitocin drip, which was super fun. I had had contractions since about 5 AM, but only enough to keep me awake and not enough to do any good at all. They broke my water at about 10:30, but that caused baby's heart rate to drop and she freaked out a little, too. The nurse checked me, suspecting a prolapsed cord, but fortunately that wasn't the case! Phew! That really scared me, because I did NOT want a C-Section, nor the drama of a prolapsed cord!! But it meant that they turned the pitocin off, and had to start over again at the lowest dose, so we spent the morning just waiting, and socializing with the nurses. Finally, the contractions got frequent and regular enough that they called the anaesthesiologist, which I thought should have been done a lot sooner because I kept saying I had nothing to prove, the sooner the better. It was pretty agonizing by the time he got there. The pitocin gave me the shakes, and I was freezing cold and shaking on the edge of the bed, clinging to a nurse, writhing in pain... it was horrible. But then after the anaesthetic took effect, it was amazing. I told Travis that it was kind of like the feeling you get when you've been struggling to stay afloat in freezing cold water, and finally you get out of the water, dry off, and catch your breath, and your toes finally get warm again and then you relax. It was that good of a feeling, only better because the pain beforehand was a LOT worse than swimming in freezing cold water!!
So, after that was all taken care of, I took a nap. :) I slept for about half an hour, then the nurses had to check something and rolled me over. Once I did that, I could totally tell that I was ready to have the baby. About half an hour and two key contractions later, she was born!! She was very, very purple, but beautiful and round right away, not at all red and wrinkley. I got to hold her for a few minutes, and then Trav was with her at the warming table, where she didn't scream much at all. He said a few of the nurses were impressed when her head circumference was announced - such a proud dad! And then they weighed her, and sure enough, she beat her sisters for size.
Since then, it's been a crazy mess of people coming to see her, coming to help me, coming to watch the girls... and now it's quiet while Travis takes the girls to the park in the Burley behind his bike, and Clara sleeps. Clara and I had some quiet time together in the hospital, which was really nice, but I think the massive amount of pitocin, and some other factors including a horribly uncomfortable hospital bed, made it hard for me to relax and sleep so I didn't really any solid rest until I slept in my own bed last night. Clara had a great night last night - only up twice, each time just a quick change, eat, back to sleep - so I'm hoping she's got another one of those for me tonight. She's napped a lot today, but also had two or three good hour-long awake times, so I'm hopeful. I'm still pretty sore, but feeling a little better each day. I'm impressed with just how atrophied I am!!
And, might I mention, Clara is just BEAUTIFUL. Her eyes are so deep and alert, and her face is just a perfect shape, and so soft!! She seems really mellow so far, although writing that probably means that I just jinxed it. :) After all the visitors she's seen, she follows the sound of my voice whenever I reappear, and Travis's and the girls' voices, too. My parents have been marveling at how much she looks like my baby pictures, but I'm sure she's Travis's kid: She's already had her first blowout diaper! She's spent all day today eating and pooping, so we're moving up out of newborn size to size 1 already. Her stash of cloth diapers is ready and waiting, but it'll be a few weeks before we venture to that. She also has the same relaxed, long legs that Emily had as a newborn, which I credit her Sullivan side for, also.
The girls are just infatuated with her, and very loving. They have obviously been stressed by all of this, and I'm seeing some behaviors from both of them that are unusual for them, but really not much and nothing that's at all concerning. Travis and I tried out some of our favorite girl names by having Emily and Audrey say them out loud for us, and to hear them say "Clara" really sealed the deal for us. My favorite moment of this whole experience so far -- Travis was holding Clara, with Emily and Audrey on his lap, too, and he asked them if they would like to sing Happy Birthday to Clara because it was, in fact, her birth day. They did, together, and it was possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life. And Clara stared back at them both, VERY intently. I can't even describe the feeling... It was a moment I want to hold in my heart forever.
We are so lucky, so happy, and so very overwhelmed by everything. My heart is full!
I have about 20 minutes so I'll type as fast as I can to document the story of Clara's birth.
Travis and I left the girls with Nancy and drove downtown to Methodist for an 8AM induction appointment. Things got started at about 9 AM with a pitocin drip, which was super fun. I had had contractions since about 5 AM, but only enough to keep me awake and not enough to do any good at all. They broke my water at about 10:30, but that caused baby's heart rate to drop and she freaked out a little, too. The nurse checked me, suspecting a prolapsed cord, but fortunately that wasn't the case! Phew! That really scared me, because I did NOT want a C-Section, nor the drama of a prolapsed cord!! But it meant that they turned the pitocin off, and had to start over again at the lowest dose, so we spent the morning just waiting, and socializing with the nurses. Finally, the contractions got frequent and regular enough that they called the anaesthesiologist, which I thought should have been done a lot sooner because I kept saying I had nothing to prove, the sooner the better. It was pretty agonizing by the time he got there. The pitocin gave me the shakes, and I was freezing cold and shaking on the edge of the bed, clinging to a nurse, writhing in pain... it was horrible. But then after the anaesthetic took effect, it was amazing. I told Travis that it was kind of like the feeling you get when you've been struggling to stay afloat in freezing cold water, and finally you get out of the water, dry off, and catch your breath, and your toes finally get warm again and then you relax. It was that good of a feeling, only better because the pain beforehand was a LOT worse than swimming in freezing cold water!!
So, after that was all taken care of, I took a nap. :) I slept for about half an hour, then the nurses had to check something and rolled me over. Once I did that, I could totally tell that I was ready to have the baby. About half an hour and two key contractions later, she was born!! She was very, very purple, but beautiful and round right away, not at all red and wrinkley. I got to hold her for a few minutes, and then Trav was with her at the warming table, where she didn't scream much at all. He said a few of the nurses were impressed when her head circumference was announced - such a proud dad! And then they weighed her, and sure enough, she beat her sisters for size.
Since then, it's been a crazy mess of people coming to see her, coming to help me, coming to watch the girls... and now it's quiet while Travis takes the girls to the park in the Burley behind his bike, and Clara sleeps. Clara and I had some quiet time together in the hospital, which was really nice, but I think the massive amount of pitocin, and some other factors including a horribly uncomfortable hospital bed, made it hard for me to relax and sleep so I didn't really any solid rest until I slept in my own bed last night. Clara had a great night last night - only up twice, each time just a quick change, eat, back to sleep - so I'm hoping she's got another one of those for me tonight. She's napped a lot today, but also had two or three good hour-long awake times, so I'm hopeful. I'm still pretty sore, but feeling a little better each day. I'm impressed with just how atrophied I am!!
And, might I mention, Clara is just BEAUTIFUL. Her eyes are so deep and alert, and her face is just a perfect shape, and so soft!! She seems really mellow so far, although writing that probably means that I just jinxed it. :) After all the visitors she's seen, she follows the sound of my voice whenever I reappear, and Travis's and the girls' voices, too. My parents have been marveling at how much she looks like my baby pictures, but I'm sure she's Travis's kid: She's already had her first blowout diaper! She's spent all day today eating and pooping, so we're moving up out of newborn size to size 1 already. Her stash of cloth diapers is ready and waiting, but it'll be a few weeks before we venture to that. She also has the same relaxed, long legs that Emily had as a newborn, which I credit her Sullivan side for, also.
The girls are just infatuated with her, and very loving. They have obviously been stressed by all of this, and I'm seeing some behaviors from both of them that are unusual for them, but really not much and nothing that's at all concerning. Travis and I tried out some of our favorite girl names by having Emily and Audrey say them out loud for us, and to hear them say "Clara" really sealed the deal for us. My favorite moment of this whole experience so far -- Travis was holding Clara, with Emily and Audrey on his lap, too, and he asked them if they would like to sing Happy Birthday to Clara because it was, in fact, her birth day. They did, together, and it was possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life. And Clara stared back at them both, VERY intently. I can't even describe the feeling... It was a moment I want to hold in my heart forever.
We are so lucky, so happy, and so very overwhelmed by everything. My heart is full!
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