Peter (the late) Augustine

We would like to, finally, announce the arrival of Peter Augustine.

01/22/10

9:47 PM

19.5 inches

7 lbs 11 oz

It was a joyous day! Thank you for all of your prayers during our pregnancy!

Love,

a+e+c+p

waiting is the hardest part

Apologies for the time between posts...there's no really good excuse except we've not had too much news in these parts. I wish I could tell you that we've been all wrapped up in our new little bundle of boy...but here we are no babe in our arms yet. Am I a tad depressed about the situation...perhaps depressed is too strong, disappointed is better...so yes, a tad disappointed right about now. Here's why:

Not that I believed it was all pinpoint accuracy, but they give you a due date when you find out you're pregnant. I've actually been given two due dates...at a 7-week ultrasound they told me January 10th and then at the subsequent ultrasounds they all said January 6th. So I'm either 9 days overdue or 5 days overdue depending on who you want to go by. Either way, I have spent nearly 10 months with this "finish line" floating like a little carrot in my mind. Not that I expected Peter to arrive punctually on the day...but I guess I expected SOMETHING to happen. A twinge, a sign, one of the (rather icky descriptive) signs...water breaking, mucus plug, bloody show, contractions. We really should come up with different set of names for these because, ew. Anyway, nothing happened. Both days came and went as if it were just any other day. Talk about anti-climactic. 10 months people...that's a long time.

We also missed shared birthdays (grandpa is 1/3, cousin Jacob is 1/15) and cool birthdates (01/01/10, 01/10/10, 01/11/10). And, okay, that was a little disappointing too.

Now here we are on the 15th. I've tried a lot of things...taken a lot of long walks...eaten spicy food...watched suspenseful action movies...drank a lot of raspberry leaf tea...had two acupuncture sessions...and other tricks and tips that people have suggested. We're closing in on the day when my midwife will send me away with a 4oz bottle of caster oil to chug with results following anywhere from 2-12 hours...and there's the membrane separation (another all-too-descriptively named procedure), additional ultrasounds and probably some other things that we haven't needed to broach as yet.

The prayer that I have, and that I would ask you to join me in, is that Peter would decide to come between now and the 20th. The 20th is the 2-week past due point for the January 6th due date and the day which will make me pretty nervous. I've been looking forward to being able to deliver in the warm, inviting environment of our awesome birth center, under the loving care of our beloved midwives. When we pass the 20th there is only a short window of opportunity before I would be considered too far overdue and therefore no longer low risk...that means my care would be transferred to an OB that I don't know and I will be stuck in a sterile and cold hospital (yes, I know they are far homier than in the past, but they are no birth center) with the real possibility of the "cascade of interventions" leading to the much dreaded c-section. I've never had a surgery in my life...I really would rather not have our birth experience be my introduction.

Anyway, I would appreciate all of the prayers that we are able to get. Thank you, in advance, for adding to the storming of heaven. If you like, it would be nice to ask Sts. Peter, Augustine, Francis Xavier Cabrini, Margaret, Michael and our own little Mary Grace for their intercession.

God bless each of you.

xoxo

cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C"

Today has been spent hanging with Cababy as usual and trying to fit in some Christmas cookie baking. Tomorrow morning I have a cookie exchange with some lovely ladies. Whoever came up with cookie exchanges was brilliant. What's better than making one kind of cookie and going home with a whole melange of cookie goodness?! It's a really good thing.

This year I opted for an easy recipe (actually 2 recipes because the cookies are pretty small) that makes a LOT of cookies. Not lazy...just efficient. Oh, and citrus has sounded very good lately and I love how the kitchen smells when any citrus is being prepared.

Margarita Cookies. I'll tell you how they turn out, I substituted Triple Sec for the Tequila because we just didn't have any in the house.

"Key" Lime Meltaways. "Key" because I didn't actually go look for Key limes. I was at our market and they had limes bagged up (5 per bag) for $1 per bag!! I'm sure they'll still be very limey. A couple of years ago my friend Martha brought these to our exchange and I fell in love instantly. I hope some of them actually make it to tomorrow. :)

Can I ask how anyone managed to zest citrus before these babies came on the scene? I love, love, love mine...even though I only zest citrus 3 or 4 times each year (I'd love to use it more often...like for lemon curd and lemon or lime bars...but then I wouldn't be able to fit through the doors in our house). It is worth whatever it cost (I think it was around $9) and the little bit of drawer space that it takes up. Also, for those two recipes (that I doubled) I zested about 10 limes and 1 orange in a flash...so there you go.

Can't wait to actually bake and taste them!!

thoughts on a Friday

Random things in my head this morning.

Question: Could my feel get any more swollen and hobbit-like?

Answer: Probably. Then I'll be reduced to wearing slippers to the store (always classy) instead of any of my already uncomfortably tight shoes.

Confession: I am terrible at remembering to take off eye makeup at night. That, of course, leads to looking more like Alice Cooper than anyone really should.

Revelation: Is there anything more intriguing, beautiful, tasty and puckery (I think due to tannins) than a persimmon? My favorite has always been the Hachiya...but you see the Fuyu more often. I think it must be due to the simple fact that it's fun to say (and type) Fuyu.

person #1: "Hey, see this persimmon? It's Fuyu"

person #2: "For me?"

person #1: "Um, no."

Aaaand that's Friday folks. Still haven't gotten around to getting pictures off of the camera. Maybe before the new year?

Catch up from November!

**big, long post warning**

It's ridiculous how fast the weeks go by lately. I'm sure I've said it to more than one of you out there (hahahaha, as if there are more than one or two of you reading this! And, ps, you're my most favorite bffs.) since becoming a stay-at-home mommy the days go by rather slowly, but the weeks just fly by! I don't understand the complexities behind why we experience time the way that we do...I'll leave that to smarter, more interested people. But it is fairly intriguing, don't you think?

(insert much loud clattering noise as I get my thought train back on the right tracks)

Right, so I am playing a little catch up on pictures and updates on Cababy.

Here are just a few of the things Cababy can now do:

1. Crawl - still might not be the conventional technique but she has no trouble getting around and it's not just by rolling anymore.
2. Sit - not only is she no longer throwing her head back in wild abandon trusting that either someone or a pillow will be there to catch her, but she can also now go from crawling on tummy to a sitting position all by herself. This has made for some interesting bedtimes. Sometimes she just chooses to sit up in her crib for a while...maybe just because she can.
3. Kiss! - when you ask her for a kiss she'll lean in, sometimes with mouth wide open, sometimes with lips together...always an exciting surprise for the other person. We've also been working on blowing kisses. She's less consistent with this, but occasionally she gets on a roll and that's all we do for 10 minutes or so...just blow kisses back and forth. Can you think of a better way to spend time?
4. Make funny noises - okay, she's always made funny noises, but these are usually mimicking (mocking?) us. She'll move her tongue between her lips while making the "ah" sound...hard one to explain, but do it and you'll know what I'm talking about...it's pretty funny.
5. Fake sneeze - this is one of her favorite anticipation games. We play a lot while doing diaper changes. Ah-ah-ah-ah-aaaaaah.........achoo + tickles = hilarity. And then she makes her own version of the "achoo" to let me know that she's ready for another round.
6. Courtesy laugh - that's right. the fake laugh has arrived and I must say it illicites many real laughs from ED and me. It's just so fake. She likes to pull it out when everyone else is laughing at something or when someone has a particularly loud or interesting laugh.
7. Eat - we are firmly on the "solid" food bandwagon. Everything from fruits and vegetables to turkey purees and kamut puffs. Still working on the chewing action...it's a challenge with only two teeth. We're not quite at pieces of food yet (very strong gag reflex), except for the kamut, but I think she might be ready in time for Christmas. We'll see.

Here are a couple of videos from this fall (sorry about my awesome camera skills):

In baby Peter news...well, there's not too much going on. He's getting bigger (me too) and so are his movements (i.e. my belly can now reenact scenes from the Alien movies). This week I'll be 38 weeks...this moves us into "the window"...which is a slightly scary place to be. Essentially, it's that window of time where Peter could come at any moment. Yeah, this was sorta news to me. So, we're scrambling around trying to complete projects, order car seat and double stroller, etc. Oh, and we (read "I") totally procrastinated signing up for childbirth classes...so they were all full through February. Thankfully, we know a wonderful lady through church who used to teach the Lamaze method and, though she's "retired," agreed to take us through an abbreviated (because of the procrastination) course. So, that's going well. We just need to keep making time to practice, practice, practice. I have to keep reminding myself that this will likely be my primary pain management...so I want to be REALLY good at it. :)

By-the-way, where is my nesting instinct?! I could really use the kick-in-the-pants motivation. It's getting a little tiring being this big (and believe me, I'm now super-sized Mandy) and keeping up with Cababy and all of the house stuff. Sometimes Eric has to step in on the weekend just to make sure there'll be work clothes for Monday. I've been finding I need to nap during at least one of Cababy's naps. And, surprise, nothing gets done while I'm napping...even though I've talked to Mel about it, he's not on board with chores.

I have pictures, time is just proving to be a rare commodity so they'll be along sometime soon. For now this will have to tide you over. :)

so thankful (I honestly, started writing this on thanksgiving...honest)

Even though we are now, unforgivably (?) past thanksgiving, this post is as true now as it was then.

Our family has so many things to give thanks to God for.

• For the gift and grace of our Catholic faith and the fact that my husband and I share a common faith. For the awesome power of the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.
• For our wonderful marriage and my awesome husband. And God's awesome plan in which He created us so perfectly for each other and put us where we needed to be to meet and fall in love.
• For our babies. From 0 to 2 babies in one year is quite a blessing, indeed. What a testament to the loving and merciful God.
• For our family. From the east coast to the frozen north, we are thankful to have these people as our family. Even though we are scattered around, we love each and every one of you and wish we could see you so much more frequently.
• For our friends. We have such a wonderful, strong community that supports us and loves us. We would not be the family we are today without these special people.
• For this great country, of which we are so lucky to be citizens. For all of the men and women who serve in our armed forces and help to guarantee our safety and security at the risk of their own.
• For our little house. That God has given us the means to stay safe and warm and dry.
• For my husband's job during these tough times. That he has found a place where he enjoys the work and the people and that he is able to support our family in its needs and wants.
• For our pets, especially our pooch, Mel. They all (even the chickens) give of themselves wholly and ask so very little in return. We couldn't ask for a better buddy and companion than Melvin.

I pray that each of you is able to give thanks today and that our loving Father would pour his blessings down upon you all, especially those who find themselves in need. Please say a prayer or two today for all of those people who don't have a warm place or a delicious meal or loving family and friends.

frenemies...the sad confession of a lapsed dog lover

Poor Melvin. The dog gets no respect. His world was completely turned upside-down 9 months ago when we came home with a tiny, wiggly, crying person who has demanded all of our time, attention and love ever since.

Gone are the days of going to work every day with E. Gone are the twice daily walks around SODO. Gone are the trips in the car just because. Gone are the weekend outings to dog parks and for trail runs. Gone are the days of being the only (furry) kid in the house.

Melvin is now the proverbial step-child (the stereotypical one...I don't think I know any step children that fall into that mold, but for the sake of my little post, I'm using it). Oh, and he's getting old. He turned 13 this year. His hearing seems to be going. That or he's just plain tired of listening to me. It may be that Cababy's high-pitched serenades helped in the process. He's out of shape too...the product of few walks and less runs. Truth is, his age has really started showing in the past 9 months. Maybe dogs are like people and going to work for Mel was the equivalent of the elderly doing crossword puzzles to stay mentally agile. Maybe not.

Since E changed jobs Mel is no longer welcome in the workplace and he likely wouldn't tolerate the bus ride anyway. Now his days are spent at home with an oft' crabby SAHM. His outings are relegated to being let out in the backyard (which is very large and rompable...but Mel likes company when he romps). Oh, and once he's outside...he's outside for a few hours. Letting him in right now means drying him off thoroughly and sometimes it means a bath if he's that muddy. Since the bending and squatting and straining aren't really that comfortable for me at this point I put it off as long as possible. By the time I let him in it's usually because he's scratching at the backdoor and I'm deathly afraid he's going to wake Cababy from one of her few (and much needed) good naps. So, I'm not the kindest lady when I do let him in. Then I make him stay on the rug by the door until he's a bit dryer...of course he doesn't always hear or listen and sometimes he's downright obviously disobeying. He's learning to hate that rug.

He's also not really welcome in the car when I run errands. In the past, it was fairly normal for us to take him along when we were going to be out for a while. Now, not so much. Since he doesn't ride into work daily he's forgotten how to ride quietly in the car. These days we don't get more than a couple of blocks from the house before he starts whining and shaking and drooling. I'd keep bringing him along to help him get past it, but he eliminates any and all chances that Cababy will take a nap in the car if we have a bit of a drive. So, I've just stopped bringing him along.

Then there's the walks. I try to get out on nice, rain-free days for a 30-40 minute walk. It's good for me and Peter and it's a good and welcome distraction for Cababy. I was taking Mel along...until the day we passed another dog and he pulled so quickly and so hard that he almost took me down with him and I ended up with blisters on my hand from the leash. Oh, and he doesn't know how to walk when there's a stroller in the mix...forgets that he can't walk in front of it so it clips his paws, makes the stroller stop short, I run into the handle and Cababy wonders what the heck is going on. After that he keeps about 3 feet away from the stroller...almost in traffic...until he forgets again.

Dog parks and trail runs just aren't being scheduled. That is one thing that would be changeable...for E on the weekends anyway. With the yuck-o weather and the teensy amount of daylight that we have it's more difficult. And then there's the huge list of "stuff" to get done before we are a family of 4...not very much time left there.

So, that's the sad reality for poor Melvin right now. After years of being top dog he toppled overnight to the bottom of the dog pile. Even sadder still, he may be number 2 now but soon he'll slide further down to number 3. I keep trying to prepare him for the inevitable but I don't think he hears me. Either that or he's still ignoring me.

Anyone who's met Mel knows what an exceptional dog he is. He's really the perfect dog. Rescued from the pound at 8 years old, friendly, loyal, great with babies and kids, willing to do almost anything you ask, mellow, not a barker or a licker...pretty perfect. He's still my buddy, but it's hard. Our relationship has been strained for a while now. I'm probably more of the frenemy than he is in this scenario...and judging by the length of this post, I'm definitely the one with the guilty conscience.