Friday Sunshine

Sunshine. Pure sunshine.

Planes

Milo has been in love with the movie Cars for a while now. And while I find it to be by far the most tolerable children's movie, we've needed a change. Let's just be honest. We watched it a lot while I was newly pregnant with Lucy and puking non-stop, so now I feel nauseated by association every time it comes on...

All this to say, we took Milo to his very first movie at the theater on Sunday, and we chose Planes since it's along the same lines. We met Chad and Tree at the theater, and even Lucy came (and slept through the entire thing - what a good girl). Milo loved the whole experience, sat through the entire movie like a big boy, and ate popcorn to his heart's content. Oh, and by the way, the movie was adorable. Don't listen to the critics (most of them are crazy), and take your kids to see it.

Yes, that's me breastfeeding Lucy in the background. Don't judge. It was dark.

A Little Birth Story

 

Want to hear a birth story? I've been meaning to tell it for a while, and I finally got around to it today...

My contractions started around 1 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. They were really pretty chill for a long time, and I was able to just relax and breathe through them. I was feeling pretty excited about the whole process since I was just letting it happen naturally (last time I took meds to "ripen my cervix" - ew). And once my cervix was ripe last time, I went from no contractions to non-stop awful contractions and then Milo just kind of tore out with his big round head... But I digress...

My mom came over around 6 a.m. to stay with Milo, but I wasn't ready to go to the hospital. So we just hung out and chatted, walked around the neighborhood, etc. I think we headed to the hospital around 10 a.m. when my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. By the time we were all checked in and everything, they checked me and I was at a 3. The doctor broke my water, and I went to a 5 within an hour. Contractions were still completely manageable, and I was thinking the whole thing was going to be comfortable and delightful.

And then I got stuck at a 6. For literally 4 hours. The weird thing was that my contractions kind of leveled out, and I ended up napping for a while (which was great, considering I hadn't slept at all the night before). Nate said he was watching them on the monitor and they would peak and then immediately come back down. It was weird and awesome... Until I was still at a 6 four hours later and the contractions started really picking up. And Lucy was staying put (although, funny thing, I could always tell when a contraction was coming because Lucy would start moving around and throwing elbows and whatnot like she was really irritated). After hours, I was finally at a 7, but I didn't think I was going to make it. My nurse was amazing, though. She kept telling me that I was the most calm person she had ever seen, and that if anyone could do it without drugs it was I. I felt so encouraged all the time. Until the last time she checked and I was still at a 7.

I seriously started praying, "Well, Lord. I might die before I have this baby. I do not think I can do this anymore. PLEASE help me." And that's when I felt like I had been pushed out of the bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. Now, up until this point, I hadn't been able to get up and around because my contractions weren't breaking at all. I literally couldn't make myself get up. Well, by the time I crossed the few feet to the bathroom (with poor Nate trying to untangle me from all the monitors and cords and whatnot), I told Nate, "Well, I either have to poo or I have to push. I don't know which one!" (Not sure if I told you, but because I had an epidural for about 20 minutes of bliss with Milo, I never knew what it felt like to "have the urge to push." I remember the doctor asked me, "Do you feel the urge to push?" and I said, "Well I don't know. Should I?" To which he replied, "Turn that epidural off!")

Well, bless Nate's heart, we went to a new level in our marriage, because when I told him I had to poo or push he said, "Okay, I'll check!" lol. He poked his head back there as I sat on the toilet, and told me, "It's not poop. GET BACK IN THAT BED!" He hustled me on over, ran to get the nurse, and the two of them came back. Sure enough, I had gone from stuck at a 7 to a 10 in the 30 seconds it took me to get out of bed and to the bathroom. It was time!

Then they had to call the doctor... And I had to wait for him to get up there... And boy did I feel the urge to push, and the nurses kept saying, "Absolutely NOT. Do not push! Pant through it!" EXCUSE ME???? As soon as my doctor walked in the room I was ready, and Lucy came with just 2 pushes (and actually, she probably would have come out with just 1, but the doctor made me stop so he could reposition her). And then I literally said, like a big fat trucker, "Ohhhhhh, that felt so good!" So embarrassing, but I'm just reporting the facts here.

So, beautiful Lucy Jane was born at 5:35 p.m. that Saturday, looking so much like Milo, and I prayed, "Please, dear Lord, let me never have to do that again." But I survived! And here are a few of her newborn photos to prove it.





Oh, this girl loves her Daddy.

Milo and Lucy already love each other. He looks out for her, and she turns her head whenever she hears his voice.

The happy family of four

Story Time

We're going to need to get another Boppy pillow... When we have story time, Milo lines the pillows up. One for himself, one for Lucy, and then there's a sad little empty spot in the middle. Normally Milo fills it with one of the couch pillows for me. Here's a little taste of what it looks like when the three of us have story time. Except that I had to take the picture. And I have to read the story. Some people have to do all the work. But I'm sure you get the idea.

In other news, look at these two cuties cuddling. It reminds me of when Milo was little and couldn't get enough of sitting with Nate in his cuddly robe.

And my funny child Milo has been telling me amazing things like, "Mommy, I a penguin and I waddle in the snow," and "My poo-poo smells like chicken." If only I had a cameraman at my disposal to follow Milo everywhere he went. I'm telling you, we'd be making the big bucks.

Talking to Yahweh

If you know anything about Nathan and me, you know that our lives are centered around what we believe and our relationships with God. I've been trying to teach this to Milo as well, so we've started talking to Yahweh all the time.

At naptime, we tell him about our day - what we've done, what's made us happy or sad...

When Milo talks about our broken dining room chairs, we ask Yahweh for new ones.

When someone hurts themself, we pray for Yahweh to heal them. I think Milo's getting the message.

We had to turn Milo's bed back toward the wall so he can't get out. After countless naptimes and bedtimes where he would get out over and over again, it was too much. He would play, turn the light on, hide behind the chair... And Nate and I would get more and more frustrated every time. It really hurt his feelings when I finally turned it, though, especially because it all went down with him in the bed during an especially frustrating naptime (his being in the bed added dramatic effect). This was weeks ago, but apparently yesterday it really got to him. As we sat down to pray at naptime, he mentioned it...

"Yahweh, please help Mommy turn my bed back around. I got out of bed, I turn the light on, I was naughty and Mommy turn it around. Please help her turn it back around now."

Good to know he pays attention, right?

Tidbits

Overheard at my house:
Milo - "Hey Daddy. Let's go outside and squirt ours neighbors."
Nate - "No, sir. That is a bad idea from Mommy. It's inappropriate, and I'd better not catch you doing it."

And the Milo quote of the day?
"Mommy, sometimes babies not get patience."

My two kids

One of Milo's favorite things to do? Hold his baby sister... He climbs up into the recliner, holds his arms out, and asks me, "Pweese I hold baby Woosie?" There's no saying no to it.