Date Nights

Mark and I got to have TWO dates in one weekend!

Date 1: Friday night was Mark's company Christmas party at the bowling lanes. We were planning on taking Mr. Mister since it was close by and since Ohio passed the smoking ban that makes places like that a little more bearable for us and for babies. But, we ended up getting a spontaneous offer to babysit from my sister and her fiance who happened to be in Fairfield that night. Mr. Mister was already in bed, so it was easy for them and we got to enjoy a couple games of bowling and some fun socializing with his coworkers.

Date 2: On Saturday night, Grandma came over to babysit while we went to the Over The Rhine concert downtown. This was our third year going and we are thankful that this year's concert was a little less eventful than last year's. It was after this same concert last year that I took the pregnancy test that revealed my future as a mom. If you've never heard the story, I was slightly (or very) shocked and spent a while crying and lamenting over the fact that I was too young and not ready to be pregnant. I didn't know then that it was my little Marquitos.

So anyway, we had a fun time at the concert and even snuck in a 20 minute dinner beforehand at Lemon Grass, a Thai restaurant I've been craving for months. It was great for Mark and I to have some time together, but I do admit that in the middle of the concert I leaned over and whispered to him that I missed our little Mr. Mister.

All Smiles

Sorry for the brief blogging hiatus. I always think of things I want to blog about and then forget to sit down and do it. Here a couple new highlights and stories.....

1. Mr. Mister got over his first cold and returned to his old smiling self. It was good to have my happy baby back. It really is amazing how happy he is all the time and how much he smiles. He's the cutest thing in the world. (I'm sure I'm the only mom who thinks that about her baby)

2. The other night, Mark and I watched videos of him when he was first born. He was so teensy tiny and could barely open his eyes. He's just growing up so fast.

3. He can now lift his head and chest up pretty far when he's on his tummy. I think he was supposed to be able to do this a while ago (according to the books) but he hates tummy time and cries every time I make him do it, so he didn't get much practice. I was really excited when he finally did it and almost cried.

4. Saturday night, he slept from 8:30pm until 7:00am! That was the night grandma was babysitting...she's welcome to put him to bed anytime she wants if that's what it takes to get him to sleep through the night!

5. Sunday morning, when were getting ready to leave for church, I was changing Mr. Mister's diaper. He peed without the diaper on and it shot straight up and landed right on his face! It was pretty gross but funny. Then after I covered it, he kept going and made a puddle that he proceeded to kick his feet in. Then he spit up all over. So we gave him a bath and made it only a half hour late to church, which is pretty typical for us these days!

Here's a picture of him ready for the winter cold....

Pampered

Yesterday, I got my hair cut for the first time in a year and I went to a REAL salon (most of my previous hair cuts have either been at Great Clips when they have a sale or in Mexico when I could get it cut for free by the women who came on teams to cut hair). It was my post-baby treat from Mark and it was definitely a treat. He stayed home with Mr. Mister while I escaped for an hour.

I always get intimidated going into those nice salons because I'm not real into my hair and of course all the girls working there have cute and perfectly taken care of hair. And I know the inevitable question will be asked: "So what products do you use in your hair?" I remember when I went to a real salon for the first time in college and the woman asked me that and I didn't know what to say. Shampoo? Conditioner? Do those count?

The other thing I don't so much look foward to about getting my hair cut is maintaing conversation with the person cutting my hair. It always feels awkward if it's silent and I know the questions they ask in order to make conversation are probably the same ones they have asked all of their clients that day. As I answered Ashley's questions about my Christmas plans, Christmas shopping, my son and nephews, etc. I couldn't help but wonder if she was really listening. Oh well, I wasn't there to make a new best friend and really, she was nice and we had a relatively nice conversation.

When she asked what my son's name was, I told her Mr. Mister and then explained to her how my husband's name is Mark and we wanted to keep his name but that since we worked in Mexico for a while we went with the Spanish version of Mark. She asked what we did in Mexico so I got to explain a little about our work in the garbage dumps, which was cool. Then she said what so many people say when I tell them about working in Mexico, which makes me laugh every time: "Well I've never been to Mexico City, but when I was in Cancun for spring break....."

I hope this doesn't make it sound like it was a bad experience. It wasn't. It was wonderful. This salon offered a choice of two "experiences" to go along with the haircut. I chose the 5 minute chair massage and the shampoo with a hot towel wrap. Sitting there with a hot towel around my head in a dim room with classical music playing even for just 5 minutes was a fabulous escape. Then came my haircut. I kept it long, but got an inch of split ends cut off, and some long layers added. (See picture below. I made Mark take this picture because I knew it would never look like this again as long as it was up to me to do it!)

Ashley said that my hair didn't look that bad for not having it cut in a year but she did suggest that I come back every 10 weeks. That's definitely pushing it, but I do hope to go again before another year passes.

In the end, I felt so light and refreshed. And the best part was that I had a coupon for 50% off so it didn't even cost a fortune!

More Firsts

Every week it seems like Mr. Mister is doing something new! I figure this will keep happening for a while. Here are some of his new firsts...

1. He splashed in the bathtub! He held onto the side of the little plastic tub with his right hand (Mr. Mister really likes feeling secure) and splashed in the water with his left hand. It was so cute.

2. He banged on the table. Same motion has the splashing...I think he just likes to move his hand now.

3. He is grabbing for objects now. Including the knife that was sitting on the table while he was sitting on daddy's lap at dinner (lesson one in baby proofing the house!). Don't worry grandmas and grandpas, we didn't let him have the knife.

4. This is a not so fun first...his first cold. It started last Friday and he still is a little congested. Our always happy baby is a little fussy now...we're not used to fussiness! But don't worry, we're combating the cold with all possible weapons - the humidifier, Vick's Baby Rub, saline nose drops, the nasal aspirator, the inclined mattress, and lots and lots of love.

The Great White Hunter

If you are not a hunter (which is the majority of those of you reading this), you may not be aware that Monday was the first day of buck season. I wouldn't have known that prior to marrying into a western Pennsylvania family, but this is a big deal for many people. Schools in western PA are actually closed every year on the Monday after Thanksgiving so that everyone can spend the day in the woods, camped out in a tree stand, waiting for a buck to cross their path.

Our little guy is starting early. He got his first buck at 3 months.

Most people gut the deer and have it processed before eating it.

Mr. Mister just went right for it.

Painful...

I went to the dentist last week to have some cavities filled. I take very good care of my teeth, so I'm blaming these on being pregnant (for a variety of reasons) and on not going to the dentist in 2 years, since our dental insurance ended when I stopped teaching.

When I dropped Mr. Mister off at my sister's before my appointment, I mentioned to her how I was nervous for the shot of Novocaine in my gums. She laughed and reminded me that I just went through CHILD BIRTH. Oh, yeah. Pain is all relative now. But, getting cavities filled is no walk in the park...it's not exactly comfortable and enjoyable. So I had to laugh when I went to check out and pay after my appointment and the nice woman at the desk prefaced the total cost by saing, "Now this is the painful part." You know it's bad when the cost is more painful than getting the cavities filled!!

Lesson learned. Some things, such as routine dental care without dental insurance, are worth paying for even when they seem too expensive at the time. It costs a lot more to fix things later.

What??!!

In the past few years I've come to appreciate being aware of what's going on in the world. Reading the newspaper is a morning routine...even if it is just the Hamilton Journal. I don't always know the details of every situation going on in the world, but I do like to have a general knowledge of current events.

So I was reading the paper last Thursday and came across an article titled "Bishops: Follow church in vote." The subtitle said: "Without making endorsements, they say Catholics must heed church teachings or risk salvation." RISK SALVATION?? This intrigued me and I kept reading.

Basically, at the recent US Conference of Catholic Bishops, they decided to urge Catholic voters to follow church teaching when deciding who to vote for in the 2008 presidential election. They did not endorse specific policies or candidates, but wanted to make sure their members are voting to promote common good. Fair enough.

However, here's what fired me up. Direct quote: "Political choices faced by citizens have an impact on general peace and prosperity and also may affect the individual's salvation." WHAT??!! Our salvation is at risk depending on who we vote for??!! Even if that were true, the Bishops didn't suggest who they wanted people to vote for to ensure their salvation, so I hope everyone makes a good guess.

Does anyone else find this appalling? I don't get fired up too often, but this did me in. If the leaders of the church are teaching that salvation can be earned and lost based on who we vote for, what are the millions of people following those leaders believing?? I want to make it clear that I am in no way speaking out against the Catholic church. I am only taking a stance against this specific teaching. The Bible is very clear that our salvation is not based on what we do, but purely on the grace of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross, His resurrection, and our choice to be in a relationship with Him. I can understand how people (wrongly) view salvation as works based. Our society is so centered around earning everything that it can be very difficult to grasp the concept that we cannot and do not have to earn our way to heaven. But the idea that our salvation is able to be swayed by who we vote for not only flies in the face of the truth of grace, but it flat out sounds ridiculous.

I feel like someone needs to speak out against this, even if it's only me on my blog. God's grace is too beautiful to allow it to be ignored and replaced by such an idea. His love for us does not depend on who we vote for and the opportunity to live eternally with Him cannot be influenced by our political stance. Don't get me wrong...grace is not cheap. Our salvation cost Jesus everything. But grace is free. No strings attached. Just the offer to follow Him and to experience a life beyond rules and beyond religion....a life of hope and promise...abundant life here on earth and for eternity to come.

Something About the Outfit

If you're tired of hearing about poopy baby stories, don't read this one. But that's life with a baby, so that's what I write about!

So remember the cute "Going to Grandma's" outfit that Mr. Mister pooped in on the way to Pittsburgh? Well, yesterday I decided he won't get the most use out of that outfit if he only wears it when we go to one of his Grandma's houses so I put it on him just because it's cute. There must be something about that outfit because he had the mother of all poopy blowouts yesterday. It was way worse than the last one he had in that outfit...he literally had poop smeared all up his back. I carefully undressed him, trying to prevent spreading it as much as possible. Of course, he wasn't even phased by all of this so he's just smiling away. When I finally got him undressed, he proceeded to pee straight up in the air. It was pretty funny...it just added to the whole ordeal. This mess definitely warranted a bath, which is not easy to do by myself, but it was worth it. I don't know what it is about the Going to Grandma's outfit, but that might be the last time he wears it!

My Boys

Mr. Mister and daddy at the race last weekend.
Aren't they cute?!

My First Race

One of the last races I ran last year before I got pregnant was the Matthew 25 Ministries Fighting Hunger 5K. I thought it would be appropriate, then, to make that my first post baby race. And since my sister is now employed part time with Matthew 25, she was running it and we make great running partners. A few other friends from church were also running it, so I figured it would be fun just to be there with everyone.

So I've been "training" for the last couple weeks, which mostly consisted of running on the treadmill while Mr. Mister was napping and an occasional outdoor run on the weekends when Mark was home to watch him. According to the treadmill, I was running at the fastest a 10 minute mile, but sometimes slower than that. But my goal wasn't to win the race, it was just to have fun running with my sister and to get back into a little competition.

The race was this past Saturday. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the weather didn't feel as cold as the 30 something degrees that it was. Karen and I had a great time running and chatted the whole way. We hardly looked at our watches and really just enjoyed the run together. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked when we crossed the finish line at 27:45...an 8:57 mile! The Flying Pig marathon may not be next on the horizon, but it was definitely encouraging and makes me excited to keep running.

The best part was that my husband and my son were at the finish line, cheering me on.

Discoveries

This picture shows one of Mr. Mister's new discoveries...his thumb. He sucks his thumb now, but only as a way of putting himself to sleep. The cutest part is that he is just figuring out how to curl the rest of his fingers out of the way. What you see in the picture above is actually some improvement...the rest of his fingers are only on his nose, not covering his eyes!

Another new discovery is his voice. He started cooing a few weeks ago, but more recently he has discovered his LOUD voice! In the mornings when he wakes up, he's the most alert. While he lays on the changing table, he talks to me, but these are no soft coos anymore...he has realized he can change the volume of his voice and he loves to try it out!

His other discovery is the handsome baby in the mirror. When I hold him in front of the mirror, he looks at himself and then gets a big smile on his face. He stares at himself and smiles for as long as I'll hold him there. He knows he's cute :)

2 Month Check Up

Today was Mr. Mister's 2 month check up (even though he's 2 1/2 months). He is still in the 97th percentile for his weight...15 lbs 4 oz....and the 75th percentile for his length...23 5/8 inches. So he's obviously eating and growing well! Everything else is healthy also and developing right on schedule. He even showed off his smiles and cooing to the doctor.

The hard part was that he had to get 4 shots...two in each leg :( I had to remind myself that they are vaccinations so they're good for him. But it is so hard to see him in pain. His face got all red again like last time and he cried so hard...and that was just after the first shot. Thankfully, the nurse did them quickly so I could scoop him up and hold him. The cutest thing is that by the time I was at the desk checking out, Mr. Mister was smiling again. He's amazing. Such a good baby.

In other good news, my body is finally almost pain free after 11 weeks of dealing with the after effects of the delivery. I'm probably 99% percent pain free...it is such a relief. Now if I can just do something about this post-partum belly.........

Trick Or Treat

I've been waiting for months to dress Mr. Mister up for Halloween in this cute dog costume we got from my mom back when I first found out I was pregnant. It's not really a Halloween costume...it's supposed to be a warm winter outfit, but it sure beats the expensive costumes they sell at Babies R Us for a baby that doesn't even know what it's wearing.

Anyway, I was excited when Wednesday finally rolled around. I figured that taking Mr. Mister trick-or-treating may be taking advantage of his cuteness in order to get candy for ourselves. So, I thought we would just take him to a couple neighbors that we know and share the joy of seeing a baby in a dog costume. But, as I have discovered in the past 10 weeks of motherhood, some things (okay, most things) just don't go as planned.

Trick-or-treating went from 6:00 - 8:00. Mr. Mister fell asleep promptly at 6:00. And was still asleep at 7:30. Mark and I debated if it was worth it to wake him up to put the costume on. I felt bad doing it mostly because it was more for our entertainment than for Mr. Mister's enjoyment. But we couldn't resist. He surprisingly stayed asleep throughout the whole dressing ordeal. We took him next door to Dottie's house...we knew she would love seeing him dressed up. She did and Mr.Mister even opened his eyes for about 5 seconds before falling back to sleep. Mark and I talked to Dottie for a couple minutes, got a Reese Cup from her bowl of candy, and decided that was enough for the night and went back home.

So that was our exciting Halloween night. It didn't help that we had NO trick-or-treaters come to our door! On one hand, I was surprised because when I was younger, I would have loved to trick-or-treat in a place like this where the houses are so close together. On the other hand, it makes sense, considering the fact that half the front porch lights in our row of houses were turned off. And anyway, we knew no one would come to our door because last year we only had one trick-or-treater...a mom and dad with their infant daughter dressed up...taking advantage of her cuteness to get candy for themselves :)

Road Trip

This weekend we tackled our first road trip with a baby. Mark's parents hadn't seen Mr. Mister since he was 2 weeks old, so we decided to make the trip to Pittsburgh for the weekend. The plan was for Mr. Mister and me to pick Mark up at work on Friday afternoon and leave from there. I was pretty proud of myself for packing our stuff, packing the car, and leaving in enough time to run some errands before arriving at Mark's work early enough to feed Mr. Mister before we hit the road.

I knew it was all going too well though...the way everything fit into the car (suitcases, the pack-n-play, the bouncer, the play mat and several other baby accessories), my early departure from home, the productivity of my errands, the beautiful weather for driving...it was all too good to be true....something difficult had to happen eventually. And it did.

I wanted Mr. Mister to wear his outfit that says, "Going to Grandma's" on it. I knew Mark's mom would love to see him arrive in it. But I also knew that a poopy blow out was inevitable so I waited all day to put it on him until right before we got in the car to leave. I pulled into the parking lot of Mark's office, found a somewhat remote parking spot, and proceeded to feed Mr. Mister while I talked on the phone to a friend. As I had him sitting up to burp, I heard the oh so familiar sound of a rumble in the diaper. Then I smelled it. And when I can smell it I know that it's not confined to just the diaper anymore. Sure enough, I picked him up and saw that the runny poop had leaked from the side of his diaper, down his leg, out the bottom of his pants and onto my nursing pillow! His pant leg was soaked in it and in my efforts to get out of the car as quickly as possible, it spread to the seat and my clothes.

Needless to say, the "Going to Grandma's" outfit was ruined. I set up shop to change him on the grass. I wonder what someone would have thought as they walked by the chaos...the car doors still open, his clothes thrown in the grass, dirty wipes in a pile, the contents of the diaper bag strewn everywhere, and a crying baby. It was quite the scene, I'm sure.

I finally got him changed but left everything thrown around the grass because I was still trying to console my crying son. As I stood holding him, watching the door for Mark to come out and come to my rescue, Mr. Mister spit up down the front of me. Icing on the cake.

Thankfully, the rest of our trip was pretty uneventful, besides driving through pouring rain from Columbus to Pittsburgh. But Mr. Mister slept peacefully in the backseat and we only had to stop once to feed him (this time the feeding was much less dramatic). We made it to Grandma and Grandpa's and enjoyed a very fun weekend with them and Mark's sister and her family. Mr. Mister did great being passed around (at least 12 different people held him throughout the weekend) and smiled at everyone who held him. I wonder why he won't let me put him down today!

Wedding #2 and the Pumpkin Patch

Mr. Mister is one social baby. He went to his second wedding this weekend. I was a bridesmaid in this one, so daddy was in charge. Mr. Mister came dressed in a collared shirt and khakis. The shirt was supposed to have a tie that goes with it, but the tie was too small to fit around his neck (all those chins get in the way!). He looked very handsome. Of course, he got hungry right in the middle of the ceremony, and as Mark fed him a bottle, his gulps were loud enough to be heard by the people in the next row...evidence of the extreme hunger that comes when two whole hours pass between feedings. He did great at the reception, posing for a few pictures before changing into his sleeper to sleep the night away with loud dancing music in the background.

One adventure for me from that night was nursing him in my bridesmaid dress in the bathroom at the reception hall. I snuck out during dinner, accompanied by my good friend Melanie. What a friend to sit in a bathroom and keep me company while I fed him. There was a Sweet 16 party going on at the same reception hall so while I was feeding him, 16 year old girls were coming in and out (dressed, by the way, in very short dresses that I can't believe parents let them leave the house in). I wonder what they thought as I told them that this is what they have to look forward to someday. Maybe it offered some sort of birth control for them.

The other big event of last weekend was Mr. Mister's first trip to the pumpkin patch. Mark and I have made a trip to Iron's Fruit Farm in Lebanon every fall since we've been married...it's definitely a highlight of our year. So we excitedly dressed Mr. Mister in a great pumpkin patch outfit...overalls, warm boots, and a pumpkin hat to top it all of. That was in the morning before church. By the time we were ready to go to the pumpkin patch later, it was 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky to offer shade from the hot sun. So we stripped him down to his onesie and endured the crowds and the line for the hayride in order to get him a tiny pumpkin out of the field. Something about it being hot and crowded at the pumpkin patch takes away from this nostalgic fall experience. Oh well, we had good intentions.

Conversations

Mr. Mister and I have regluar conversations these days. It's the cutest thing...he coos, then I respond with a coo or a short phrase, then he coos back...his little voice is so cute and I can't believe he'll actually be saying words some day. He is smiling all the time now. It melts my heart every time.

A Trip Down Memory Lane (Rt. 27)

27 North goes straight into Oxford. I still vividly remember riding with my parents on that road in a packed mini van, ready to move in to Miami University as a freshman in college. I've driven that road a million times since then. Leading YL at Fairfield throughout college provided hundreds of opportunities to take in the scenes of beautiful 27. I had some of my best thinking times during drives to and from Oxford.

Last week I drove it again, as I headed up to O-town to meet with some girls who asked me to lead a bible study with them. As I made my way through the rural parts of smalltown Millville, the sun was setting over the farm land and I couldn't help but become a little nostalgic. I let my mind drift into a sea of memories.

I entered Oxford and turned left onto Chestnut Avenue. I had to laugh when I saw a girl jogging immediately upon my entrance. And when I saw a second girl jogging a block later, it confirmed that not much had changed. I drove past many familiar houses and buildings, as well as some new construction. After a few more blocks, I turned right onto S. College Avenue, my old stomping grounds. The girls I was going to hang out with live across the street from the house I lived in my junior and senior year...the beloved 807 S. College Ave...The Roost as we called it (because everyone in Oxford names their houses). And that brought back another slew of memories.


It's crazy to think about how much time has passed since I lived there. Other people have come and gone in that house and sadly it's no longer called The Roost. I almost wanted to knock on the door and ask to see it, but I prefer to remember it as was. I think boys lived there after us, so I'm sure it's not as cute anymore.

I laughed when I remembered that we had one computer hooked up to the internet, which the four of us shared. We even had a landline with an answering machine and we took messages for each other because we didn't have cell phones. I'm sure every house in Oxford now has wireless internet and I assume very few have a house phone. Time flies and things change. But one thing was the same.....good old Don, the old man who lived next door with two other old men and who would wake us up with his hacking cough as he smoked out on the porch at random hours of the night...he was sitting on his porch as I walked out to my car at the end of the night. I wonder what Don thinks about as he sits on his porch day after day, watching Oxford change....people coming and going, living in the bubble that Oxford can so easily be. I have to admit, I sometimes miss that bubble. Riding my bike everywhere, friends within walking distance and time to hang out with them, local coffee shops and bakeries, the tree lined streets in the fall...it's funny how we only remember the good things, isn't it?

As I drove out of Oxford that night, down 27 back to Fairfield, I felt like I was driving back into the real world where time keeps ticking and life keeps changing. I was excited to get home to my husband and son....excited for life where I am now.

I'm a Runner Again...Kind Of.

On Sunday I reached a new milestone in my postpartum recovery process....my first run since January! Well, it was really a run/walk....or maybe a jog/walk. Anyway, I've been wanting to run for a while now but was putting it off for three reasons:

1. I was waiting to be cleared by my doctor...didn't want any additional tearing going on.

2. I dreaded the painful-getting-back-into-running phase where it seems like your body has never done this before.

3. I didn't want anyone to see me in this attempt... I figured it wouldn't exactly look natural.

So early Sunday morning it was, when people are either already at church or sleeping in (and when it was only 75 degrees instead of 90 like it would be later). I left Mr. Mister with daddy and hit the road. I decided to walk when it was hilly and run when it was flat. No need to overdo it on the first day. I should have chosen a more hilly route. I ended up running...uh, let's be honest -jogging....for 20 minutes which was a lot more than I thought I would. I tried not to think about the short distance I covered in that time...I knew I was a long way from my Thanksgiving Day race pace last year. And when 20 minutes of jogging felt like a great workout, I wondered how the heck I ever ran 4 hours and 27 minutes just about a year and a half ago. But I'm not at all discouraged...I know full well that a lot has happened in the last year and that I can't compare pre-pregnancy Michelle to post-partum Michelle.

I have to be honest, even though I am very excited to run again, I will miss my morning walks. They're definitely more relaxing and they take so much less time because you don't have to do things like stretch before and shower after. Although I probably still won't shower after...showers are much harder to come by these days. A luxury, not a necessity.

6 Week Checkups

Mr. Mister and I both had our 6 week checkups last week. Mine was pretty uneventful, which is good. The doctor says everything is healed and my continued soreness is to be expected with the degree of the episiotomy I had. So I guess it will be a couple weeks before I am without pain again....that will definitely be a relief.

Mr. Mister's checkup went very well, minus the shot he had to get at the end...more on that in a minute. He weighed in at 12 pounds, 3 ounces....that's a gain of 4 1/2 pounds in 6 weeks and puts him in the 97th percentile for his weight. His head measures in the 95th percentile and his length in the 75th. The doctor said, "You have a big boy." My sister, whose 6 month old son has consistently measured in the upper ranges for weight so is used to hearing about having a big boy, argues that the doctor should have said, "You have a healthy, breastfed boy." That's better. I mean, it's not like I'm feeding him Cheetos and pizza as he sits on the couch playing video games.

Anyway, Mr. Mister is healthy and checked out well, even showing off some smiles and cute cooing noises for the doctor. Then the nurse came in with the needle. He was already getting fussy, understandably tired of laying on the examining table in just his diaper. Then she stuck him with a nice dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. His face turned bright red, his mouth opened wide to scream but for a couple seconds, nothing came out...he was so tense he couldn't even cry. And then he let it rip. The nurse put a cute purple band-aid on his leg and let me hold him. I cried as I held him...I hated seeing him so scared and upset. I tried to comfort him by telling him he got a cool band-aid out of the whole thing, but he wasn't soothed. He cried until we got in the car and started driving (the fail-proof way to put him to sleep). And this is just the beginning....more vaccinations, then it's scraped knees, mean kids at school, a broken heart....okay let's not get too carried away. He is only 7 weeks old.

Great Grandma & Thoughts on Life

This past weekend Mr. Mister got to meet his Great Grandma Sirotak, my mom's mom. It was special for Mr. Mister to meet her because she is my only living grandparent. He and I met my mom at my grandma's assisted living home for their fall festival. We walked around outside on the beautiful sunny day, me pushing Mr. Mister in the stroller, my mom pushing her mom in the wheel chair. Ahh, the circle of life.

It was fun to have four generations there together. And even though my grandma has dementia and didn't really understand who Mr. Mister was, she got a big smile on her face as she talked to him. When we went inside to her unit, the other residents were gathered for lunch. It was pretty quiet and gloomy feeling as they sat, barely talking, waiting to be served their food. When we brought the baby in the room, however, all of a sudden there was joy. Their faces lit up when they saw him...he transformed the room....the joy of youth and new life brought them a sense of life as well.

Interesting how life works. It can be so hard to visit my grandma there because of the condition each of the residents is in. And I sometimes think, "Is this all we have to look forward to?" Then I am reminded that yes, here on earth, there is no security in youth and life...life is frail and brief. But this life is not all there is...we have hope beyond the deterioration of our bodies....hope in eternity, a life to come that will not end, will not deteriorate, will not disappoint. And that is our real destination.

A Trip to Winton Woods with a Baby

On Saturday we decided to spend the beautiful afternoon at Winton Woods. We packed the car with all kinds of fun things...the stroller for a walk around the lake, the Baby Bjorn for a possible walk in the woods, the basketball, the volleyball, the tennis rackets, the frisbee, water bottles, the diaper bag, and of course, the baby. We drove to the park in much anticipation for our fun family day. I pushed Mr. Mister in the stroller as I took a walk around the lake while Mark relaxed by the boathouse. Then it was time for Marcos to eat and he was fussy, so we got back in the car and drove home. As we unpacked the trunk full of all of our fun things, we laughed at what high ambitions we had....oh well, another day maybe we'll be able to do two fun activities at the park.

Part 3

Officially a Mom: Part 3
I had a dream about packing the diaper bag...deciding how many diapers and bottles to bring.

Officially a Mom

Officially A Mom: Part 1
Tuesday night we were getting ready to meet my family for dinner. I was feeding Mr. Mister right before we left when all of a sudden I felt a little wet on my shirt. His diaper had leaked and soaked through onto me. Five minutes later, when I was burping him, he spit up all over my pants. After briefly considering changing my clothes, I realized that I would most likely end up with spit up on the next shirt and pair of pants, so why ruin two outfits? So I wore them both to dinner. And I wore the shirt again the next day. Officially a mom.

Officially A Mom: Part 2
Today I was changing Mr. Mister's diaper. Because of the tendency of baby boys to pee straight up in the air without a diaper on, I always cover "it" when I'm changing him. I had too much confidence in the no-pee streak we've been on and removed the covering wipe too soon. Sure enough, he started peeing and with nothing in reach to cover it, I automatically put my hand there to stop the pee from shooting up over everything. I sat there while he finished relieving himself on my hand and thought, yep, officially a mom.

Expectations

Being a mom is not so much what I expected. Expectations are interesting. I talked to a friend recently about how nothing is ever exactly what we expect it to be like...college, marriage, new jobs, working in Mexico, moving halfway around the world, etc. Being a mom can be added to that list. It's not that all these things are different in a bad way...they just are different because our expectations can never be comprehensive enough to include all aspects of reality. Most of reality can only be learned by doing, no matter how much other people tell you in advance.

So I had this expectation that motherhood would be bliss because I've always longed to be a mom...I have felt like it was what I was created for. So how could it not be the perfect fit right from the beginning? But somehow it wasn't bliss from the beginning (I'm not sure what could be bliss on this little sleep!). The first couple weeks I felt guilty because I didn't love being a mom. I mean, I loved Mr. Mister but being a mom didn't bring a feeling of "arriving" like I thought it would. And it took me a little while to realize that that's okay. And that if I search for a feeling of arriving this side of eternity, I will never be fulfilled.

Today Mr. Mister is 4 weeks old. And today I loved being a mom.

A Smile!

Today we had a big milestone...Mr. Mister's first smile as a response. I mean, there have been smiles before but mainly due to either passing gas or having a dream. But today he was laying on his back looking up at me while I made silly faces at him. He looked at me for a minute then smiled in response to my goofy looks. I was so excited but just to make sure it was for real, I tried it again. I got a second smile. It made my day.

What a Weekend

This was a big weekend for us with a lot of firsts for Mr. Mister. We were very social and did normal people things (as opposed to staying in our house while the world goes on like we've been doing since Mr. Mister was born).

Friday night was Mr. Mister's first football game. Sycamore vs. Fairfield...my alma mater vs. our now hometown team. In my 6 years of leading YL at Fairfield, I attended plenty of their football games so it was a little strange being at a high school game without being there to hang out with high school students. Anyway, it was the first day of colder temperatures so Mr. Mister was all bundled up and snuggled in close to Mark in the Baby Bjorn carrier, looking adorable as always. We met Grandma and Grandpa there and Grandma sacrificially held Mr. Mister for most of the game. It was a great night for football and we were so proud of ourselves for getting there by half time. We're still learning how to leave the house with everything we need in less than an hour. (Side note...this game made me feel a little old. The quarterback for Sycamore is a neighbor I used to babysit. And when Mark and I walked over to the Fairfield side, I didn't know anyone. I've officially cycled through all of the students who were in HS when I led YL there. Oh and I had a baby with me...that's enough in itself to make me feel old!).

Saturday night was Mr. Mister's first wedding. We responded "yes" to this wedding when I was still pregnant. "We'll just bring the baby with us," we decided. Last week when I finally made it to the grocery store with Mr. Mister, I thought to myself, "The grocery store was an accomplishment...how are we going to make it to a wedding?" We had to be on time...no arriving at halftime here. But we made it with 5 minutes to spare. We got an aisle seat in the back just in case, but Mr. Mister (all bathed and looking quite dapper in his Ralph Lauren polo outfit, borrowed from Caedmon) stayed asleep the whole time. He slept through the reception too, even though it was outside on a pretty chilly evening. Once again, Grandma willingly watched him the whole time at the reception so that Mark and I could socialize...and once again, I felt somewhat back to normal!

So after all of these outings, our plans to make it to church today for the first time in 3 weeks halfway fell through. Mark went. I stayed home...exhausted from so much activity. He took Mr. Mister to Grandma's (are you sensing a pattern here?) so that I could have a little quiet time at home. It was really nice. But I missed both my boys and was glad for them to come home.

So there is our eventful weekend. Mr. Mister did great. I felt normal. Mark carried Mr. Mister around like a very proud father. It was a good weekend all around.

Jasmine

It's a sad time in the Oppito household. Our faithful dog Jasmine has passed away. A little over a week ago my mom and dad had to take her to urgent care, where they ended up putting her to sleep. Everyone who knew Jasmine loved her. She was a part of our family for over 14 years and every day she was at the bottom of the steps in the morning or at the door when we came home. On Sunday, I went to their house for the first time since she died. It's not the same without Jasmine there.

I wish Mr. Mister could have met her. But when I think about the fact that we got her when I was in 6th grade, I never could have imagined that she would live long enough to meet my child! She almost made it...Mr. Mister was already born, we just hadn't made it over to see her. I'll be sure to show him pictures and tell stories...we definitely have lots of stories.

I never understood how people could be so upset after losing a pet. But I realize now that a pet like Jasmine quickly becomes part of the family. I never could have imagined that 14 years ago. Hers was a life well lived. We'll miss her.

Mr. Mister

August 22

7lbs 11 oz 20.5 in.


We are so excited to welcome our little guy into the world. He is a beautiful gift and blessing to us and we are amazed at how quickly we have fallen in love with him.

I've been wanting to post all week to announce his arrival, but the week after giving birth isn't very conducive to much activity besides sleeping, feeding, and changing diapers (and not necessarily in that order). So I apologize that I wrote a million posts about waiting and then didn't announce his arrival until now!

So far, I can say that delivering him was the hardest and most worthwhile thing I've ever done. If you're one of the lucky ones who have thus far escaped hearing the details of it all, I'll spare you. But I am encouraged by my mom's insight that God gives women short term memory when it comes to giving birth. Needless to say, number 2 won't be right around the corner. For now, we're enjoying getting to know our new addition. He keeps us laughing with his facial expressions and cute noises and already we can't imagine life without him.

Resigned to Patience

Well, Baby Tiderman is definitely in no rush to enter the world. I went to the doctor again this morning and I'm still only dilated 1cm. The doctor reminded me that I could still go into labor tonight....or it could be another week. She said that they'll only let me go 1 week after my due date before they induce me. I think I can handle one more week.

The freeing part of all of this is knowing there is nothing I can do about it. Everyone has their suggestions for natural ways to get the labor going, including the two most recent suggestions - eating Dewey's Pizza or eating cheesecake. I'm not sure I believe that either of those will help my labor, but both sound good to me :)

So...I have resigned to being patient, with full confidence that the Lord is in control and that this little one will come when he/she is ready to come. In our fast paced world where we get what we want when we want, it is actually refreshing to wait. How many things do we really wait for without needing to work for it in the process? And I was thinking last night about how kids these days are rushed into so many things...the school curriculum is more intense at earlier grades, they start sports so young, and so many grow up too fast in general. The last thing I want is to start pressuring my baby to hurry up before it's even born!!

With all of this considered, I've decided to not wish away these days in anxiousness but to enjoy them and allow Baby T to enjoy his/her warm and safe place a little longer before entering this crazy world.

Daily Updates

My mother-in-law called today to see how I'm feeling and suggested that I put a recording on my voicemail with the daily update for everyone who calls to check in. I considered it....I can tell people that I'm still pregnant, still feeling slightly uncomfortable, receiving plenty of jabs in the side as the baby has run out of room to comfortably move around, ready for the baby to come out, but over all feeling fine. But that would take away from the fun of talking to all the great people who call. My brother from Colorado called to make sure he didn't get passed over on the phone chain when I had the baby. My friend Katie from NY emailed to see if I'm a mom yet. Linds from Louisiana called to check in, Marisa emailed from half way around the world to see about any new baby news, my dad called from a business trip in Atlanta...So clearly the baby is not lacking in anxious people waiting for his/her arrival. I just don't think he/she is aware of how many people are eagerly anticipating the grand entrance. So we'll be kept waiting until he/she is ready.... and by the way, another reason I'm ready for the baby to come is so that I can call him/her him or her without the slash in between.

Support

I have been overwhelmed when I realize the amount of support Mark and I have in our lives. Our families, of course, have been amazing throughout the whole pregnancy and I know they will continue to be the main support in our lives and in the life of our little one. Then there are my two best friends (since 6th and 7th grade) who want me to call them when I go into labor no matter what time it is so that they can be at the hospital when I deliver. And our YL team in Fairfield who continue to be some of our greatest friends...they're organizing meals for us and have continually offered to come over to watch the baby whenever I need a nap. And there are dozens of people who have called and emailed just to check in to see how I'm feeling and if there is any baby news. We are so blessed.

Sleeping In...the Last Hurrah

No new baby news yet, although myself and everyone around me is ready and waiting. I'm getting seriously anxious now. I have trouble falling asleep at night because I keep thinking about the baby...I'm just so excited for him or her to come. (I also have trouble staying asleep at night because of bathroom trips and hip pain). I did enjoy sleeping in until 11:00 this morning, which is way out of character for me. As Mark and I woke up around that time, I realized that this would be the last time for a while (and by a while I mean decades) that I would be able to so lazily waste a Saturday morning.

Change...

I had a minor breakdown last night. I was overwhelmed with feelings of nervousness and anxiety about not being ready to have a baby and enter the wonderful world of motherhood. Maybe I should have considered this 9 months ago because at this point, the change is coming whether or not I feel ready. And when have I ever felt ready for a change? I cried when I had to leave high school to go to college, I cried when I graduated college and had to start teaching, I cried when I left teaching to go on staff at OSI and I cried when I left OSI to be a full time mom. And of course at this point I'm thankful for each change and can't imagine life without each of those seasons. So taking into account my track record for change, I am not too concerned by my breakdown last night....I am fairly confident that I'll make it through this change and will actually love my new life as a mom.

A Little Progress!

Today my doctor informed me that I am dilated 1 cm! She also told me that I could be dilated 1 cm for 1 day, 2 days, or 2 weeks. So I'm excited, but not getting my hopes up. At least it's more progress than I had last week. I'm sure all of you who have had babies before are chuckling at my excitement over 1 cm. I realize there's a long way to go still, but this makes it a little more real.

Three weeks ago, I was ready for this baby to come. All the battery operated baby toys were put together, I felt equipped with all the knowledge I needed from my childbirth/child care classes, and I knew this baby could come any day. But the baby didn't come and I have recently found myself forgetting the reality of the impending arrival. After all the excitement and no news, I settled back into my normal routine of life, somewhat believing that it wasn't really going to happen. So the 1cm announcement is a big deal for me...bringing me back to reality that I will have a baby soon....could be tonight, tomorrow, or in two weeks, which would make it right on time.

Still Waiting and My Top Fives

Still waiting. I went to the doctor today and there's still no progress. So this baby may just come right on time. My mom and I decided as we looked at the calendar that Friday, August 17 would be a good day for Baby T to arrive, but I don't think I have too much choice in the matter. It would just be nice if he/she didn't come while I'm at weddings in Columbus the two weekends in a row before my due date or while Mark is working in Louisville Aug 8 and 9. Thankfully I have friends and family on standby should Mark not be here when I need to go to the hospital.

As I wait for my little bundle of joy, I thought it would be fun to reflect on my pregnancy and look ahead to non-pregnancy (which is hard to remember right now) with two top five lists. So here they are:

Top five things I'll miss when I'm no longer pregnant...
5. Parking in the "Expectant Mothers Only" parking at Babies R Us and Biggs (which, by the way, I think that every store should have. And even more needed are close parking spots for mothers with young children).

4. Using the excuse "I'm pregnant!" in many circumstances...the occasional craving, the need to sleep a little longer, not carrying anything heavy, justifying my need for a foot massage from my husband, etc. etc. etc.

3. Sleeping with Snoogle, my wonderful body pillow that has saved me from many aches and pains as I've tried to sleep only on my sides for the past several months. (Although Mark will probably be thankful to have more room after Snoogle is gone...he appropriately nicknamed Snoogle "the anaconda").

2. Pants with elastic waists...I love maternity clothes! There's never the dreaded feeling of your jeans being too tight. They just keep expanding!

1. Feeling the baby move around inside me. This is definitely the most incredible part of being pregnant.

Top five things I will NOT miss when I'm no longer pregnant...
5. The difficulty of getting out of bed, breathing, getting up from a chair, bending over, etc. etc. etc.

4. Sleeping on my sides...I am so excited to sleep on my back and stomach again.

3. Dietary restrictions...mmm, feta cheese, turkey sandwiches, and a good glass of wine.

2. Physical restrictions...I've enjoyed my daily walks, but I'm ready to run again. I need a good sweaty workout.

1. Trips to the bathroom every 5 minutes...I'll be glad to have my normal bladder back (which may only increase the trips to every 30 minutes, but I'll take it!)

discomfort and baby things

For most of my pregnancy, people have told me how small I seem for how far along I am (not that I'm complaining...I'd much rather hear that than how huge I am). And really, I have felt great the entire time (minus the four days of being sick in Mexico, which I don't think was pregnancy related). But alas, this time must come for every pregnant woman...the home stretch that everyone told me would come....the final month where you're ready for the baby to be here and not inside anymore. Mostly, I'm just excited to see and hold my baby and to know if it's a girl or boy! But today I had the first thought that I may be ready to not be pregnant anymore, which is a big deal for me because I have loved being pregnant. But the belly feels bigger (which is good) and it seems to be in the way. I need to lean back when I sit, I can't really get out of bed very easily or bend over, breathing has become more difficult, and the heartburn is pretty painful (until I pop a couple Tums). Overall, I'll take these minor discomforts, considering I've had 36 weeks of joyful pregnancy before this.

Most of my family and friends are on the edge of their seats, waiting for the phone call that I'm heading to Good Sam Hospital. I am also on the edge of my seat. All of the baby things are assembled and ready to go. Now we just need a little one to use them all!

Assembling all these battery operated, vibrating and music playing things for our baby does make me think of Maribel, my friend who lives in the Neza garbage dump outside of Mexico City. She's raising 3 kids without a crib, a pack n play, a bouncer, a changing table, and enough onsies for weeks. And believe it or not, without all this stuff, her kids are still healthy and happy. I'm not thinking of selling it all and moving to Neza, but it just makes me think. And believe me, I am incredibly thankful for all of these gifts and the people who so generously gave them to us because we could no way have bought all of it ourselves. And they will be a huge blessing to our baby as well. It just makes me reconsider the word "needs"...it gives perspective. And it makes me wonder if it is possible to live simply and raise my kids living simply while living in such a society of abundance.

On the Soapbox

Today I spent a while organizing the nursery, not to be confused with decorating or painting. If you haven't heard me on my soapbox about the nursery, here's a summary: I'm rebelling against the need to have the cutest nursery ever. I think having a crib in the room makes it cute enough. So I don't have blankets that match light switches that match lampshades that match cute patterns handpainted on the wall. Nope, it's just as neutral as the rest of my house. Here's the disclaimer...in no way am I against the idea of other people creating a cute nursery. I love seeing people's different ideas for their babies' rooms. I just know that it's not my passion and if I were to paint the room yellow with ducks on the wall I would only be doing it to keep up with the Jones and not because I really wanted to put hours into creating this little wonderland.

From the beginning of my pregnancy, people wanted to know two things: 1. Are you finding out what you're having? (we're not) and 2. What are you doing with the nursery? I felt pressured to think of something cute, even though I had no desire to do it. So finally I came to the conclusion that it is okay if I don't paint the walls and have a "theme"... it's just not who I am. So there you have my soapbox. Therefore, the hours I spent washing clothes, taking toys out of the boxes, and putting things in drawers and on shelves was simply organizing. And I think my nursery looks pretty cute.

The Countdown

My google homepage has a countdown feature. Assuming this baby comes exactly on August 20th at noon, I have 45 days and 2 hours left. The crazy part about waiting is that I'm fairly certain that it won't be August 20 at noon, so my attempts to be totally prepared may fail when it comes early or when it's September and I'm still waiting...evidence that control over my schedule has already begun to shift from me to this tiny person inside of me.