Seven

How is it that our baby boy is SEVEN?

Seven years ago today you gave me one of the biggest surprise of my life. The surprises only kept coming with you, and they've only gotten better.

Oh, my Leo. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. As well as the ability to aggravate me to the ends of the Earth. It's the perfect mix really. I certainly can't say you don't make life more interesting. And you make me laugh every single day.

This year your language really exploded. You're now quite the conversationalist, with little phrases like "I'll be right back" and "I got it it!" and "I'm OK!" (said after crashing down somewhere which you often do, man you are tough--for you to cry means it really hurt!). Come to think of it, you are more apt to cry when your feelings are hurt than when you're injured.

"I don't know" is another favorite, which you say with a sheepish grin when you full well know the answer but decide you don't want to share.

You read. It's so wonderful! Also? Inconvenient. There is no more lying to you about what shows are on TV (you can read the listings on the menu screen) and you totally knew when Grandma and Grandpa's birthday package arrived and it was addressed to you. Darn it!

You still love scrambled eggs and grapes. They are really all you need to survive though you humor me with the occasional carrot stick. Oh and cupcakes. Don't get me started (or you!) started on those. But just the tops. You are all about the frosting.

You love to dress up and make people laugh and I'm pretty certain you have a future in the theater. "Sophisticated sense of humor" is still one of the favorite comments you received from a teacher on one of your report cards.

Whatever you decide to do in life, I'm so glad I get to be along for the ride.

Sister Love

My sister Norah and Lucy

Look! Two posts in one day! As Ellie would say, can you even believe it?

My sister Norah was here visiting from Oregon (by way of Korea) last week. I planned on writing about her time with us but was waiting to get the disc of photos she'd taken to help illustrate the post (to make up for my door photo. Ahem.) Also, for some strange reason, I can't blog much lately (and my posts are often stingy...hmm I wonder why?).

In short, we had a great visit. Aunt Norah has a way with the big kiddos (and the littles). We hadn't seen her since her wedding two years ago so the kids had grown up quite a bit. It was so wonderful having them get to know her. She taught them charades, showed undaunting patience in the face of some moments of fierce sibling rivalry and indulged Ellie in plenty of princess talk. She and I stayed up late to watch the season premiere of Breaking Bad and also shared our love of a good (well earned--i.e. took all four kids to the park on a 90+ degree day) glass of wine come 5 o'clock, many a day.

Oh and maybe best of all? Her visit allowed me a pedicure (much needed as the babies came early and I never did do that spa day that was on my pre-delivery to do list). Saint Norah walked up and down a busy, suburban New Jersey avenue, soothing the fussing babies (I'm looking at you, Harry) while I read gossip magazines and sipped a coffee Coolata and just stared at a wall while "Sangria" (really just a fancy term for hot pink) was applied. Ahhhhhh.

There's more to say, but now I don't have to write about our visit because Aunt Norah did a much better than I ever could. The pictures aren't bad either (not that I'm biased of the subjects or anything).

Shhhh. And Look! A Door!

Quite possibly the most boring picture that has ever graced this blog but also perhaps one of the most exciting (to me anyway).

Lucy is napping in HER OWN ROOM.

See that picture? Yes, it's a wall, folks. A wall! With a door! Which makes it a room. That used to be our dining room. It's now a nursery.

The babies will stay in our room for the forseeable future. I'm not ready to cut the cord quite yet and it makes sense to keep them nearby for now, but the fact that I can put them in this room and close the door whenever I want? This is huge. I just had no idea Leo and Ellie would find the babies so fascinating, particularly when they are asleep in their little bouncy chairs or the swing. They just love to wake those babies.

Back to The Room. The, gulp, nursery! I've been shopping. At least, virtually (babies are great at saving you money, or at least keeping you from spending it, since every time I walk into store one of them starts howling). But oh yeah, the internet (although they interrupt that kind of shopping too). We spent next to nothing on baby supplies, either scoring items on Craigs List or getting hand-me-downs from very generous friends. So I figure a few cutie decorations are justified.

This is just adorable. And I love this rug. I'm tempted to go for white since the dog won't be allowed in here and there won't be any eating but still, is white crazy for a babies' room?

Not to get ahead of myself, but this little napping feat, not in a bouncy chair? (OK, full disclosure, Harry is in the swing but he started out awake so that counts for something!) gives me such hope. Dare I say we might someday be on some sort of schedule?

But, the plight of being kid #3 and #4? is that in exactly thirty-three minutes I have to put sleeping babies in the car to go pick Ellie up from school. The babies have been sleeping for less than thirty. Nooo! Well there's always the afternoon nap at least.

Oops. The battery on Harry's swing died so he's up. Lucy is still snoozing though. I can't leave her here, can I?

KIDDING.

Sedated ABR: Check

A little loopy on the pre-op sedative. Can you tell?

The sedated ABR last week was a success. While they were in there, no evidence of fluid was found, so one tube was removed (geez they're tiny--they gave it to us in a specimen cup)--the other had already fallen out. Leo's hearing is nearly normal except for some loss at low level frequencies. That's a relief.

It's the first procedure of Leo's I've not been present for. That made me feel strange and a little sad.

Now, if we'd just mustered the courage to ask the anesthesiologist to cut Leo's hair while he was under.

Lazy, Hazy Baby Days of Summer

A common site around here. The pink pillow. Me=passionate breast feeder who looks forward to the day I can burn that pink pillow! Nursing two, while unquestionably worthwhile, is a whole different ballgame. The view from here has changed just slightly.

Both babies are asleep! Leo and Ellie are at school/camp! Quick! Blog!

Let's see.

Where do I even begin? Eyeroll: how many of my posts lately have gone this way?

I MISS you. But these darn kids, I tell you!

I'm working at lowering my standards. It's going OK though others might disagree.

Afternoons are by far the hardest, when the big kids are home and hot and sometimes bored and needing snacks and and and. We're all doing the best we can, it's all we can do.

Not much to say about sleep really. At seven weeks things are better but certainly we have a long way to go.

Harry continues to have horrific spit-up issues. If he's not sleeping or eating, odds are he's crying.

Oh sure he looks mellow here. Don't be fooled. Also who wants to see a picture of a crying baby?

He has tiny windows of placidity but overall, he's one uncomfortable guy. My heart breaks for him. Yesterday I eliminated dairy from my diet to see if that helps. Word is it will take between 24 hours and a week to tell a difference. And being one to not do anything halfway we ALSO started him on Pepcid which was pointed out to me as being silly (to do both, i.e. how will we know which one is doing the trick if in fact his condition improves?).

We were all shocked by how calm he was during a recent bath.

And this is more like it. Perturbed. Poor guy! (But don't you love what the bath does for his hair?)

Anyway, dairy free me. The things we do for love. Sigh. All I know is, half in half in my coffee, I miss you already.

And Lucy's awake. So this is cut short.

I'll just say this. Someday we'll look back on this and laugh and cry and maybe roll our eyes a little. This will be That Summer. I'm quite sure of it. Yup, the summer our kid-load doubled. The summer we added two little cuties. Lost our minds a little, but certainly expanded our hearts.

But as you can see, when things are good, they are very, very good.

Four

Happy Birthday Ellie!

You narrate your world. Nearly everything is a discussion. Often a debate.
You love princesses, fairies, your family, "wet" (fresh) strawberries, "dried" (dehydrated) strawberries, macaroni and cheese, painting, books (especially princess themed), swimming, ballet class and fancy dresses. When asked who you wanted to invite to your birthday party, you rattled off the names of three girls in your class at school and then added "one boy." Leo.

You have a stunning memory. Don't promise anything to Ellie (strawberry ice cream after dinner, for example) unless you plan on keeping that bargain. You are kind, stubborn, affectionate and love a good backrub, especially before bed.

This has been a pretty big year for you Ellie. You learned to write your name, read many of your letters and numbers and oh yeah, you became a big sister. Times two.

I can't wait to see what other adventures Four brings for you, my dear Ellie-Belle.

Flashback Friday

The babies are just over a month old. It's hard to believe how much has happened in a month, how much life has changed. Yes, yes, cue the cliches.

May 24, 2011. Seven days pre-baby. Look at those arm veins. Yeesh, the swelling! My whole right side went puff.

On June 1, I went to a routine OB appointment. My blood pressure was a little high, but it was also about 200 degrees outside and the humidity was about 110 percent. I had a high a risk appointment scheduled for the the afternoon so my OB told me to have my pressure rechecked then.

I had about two hours to kill before my next doctor's appointment. So I did what any hugely pregnant woman would do on a hot summer day. I went to Target. I limped around the aisles, my sciatica screaming. I tried my best to relish my fleeting days of freedom (both Leo and Ellie were in school). I took myself out to lunch at Baja Fresh (doesn't everyone want to visit the salsa bar right before delivery?). But little did I know this would be my last supper.

Three hours later at my high risk appointment, my blood pressure was 190 over something equally bad. After the pressure check, the nurse told me to go back to the waiting room and the doctor would see me in a few minutes. Two minutes later that same nurse leaned over and quietly asked me when I had last eaten. That's when I knew. It was Babies Day.

An hour later, this was me. Waiting for Erin to get to the hospital. Man it was hot. Can you tell? That little room they had me in was a furnace. Or maybe I was the furnace, gestating two humans on a 90+ day. It was all so surreal. Even when you are due to give birth any day I don't think you wake up in the morning believing you will actually, you know, give birth. Sidenote: I can't believe I am posting this picture. I guess it's for posterity or something, but I think I can kiss any political career goodbye.

I made Erin take this one on the way to the delivery room.

And just like that:


Harry aka Hair Bear.

Little Lucy aka Peanut

Well, it wasn't quite "just like that." But it didn't take long.

I just love this picture. Look how happy Erin looks. Even her eyes are smiling. Babies! Two of them!

How?

How do moms of newborns have time to blog? Am I missing something?

Harry is crying. I need to go pick him up.

Just wanted to say hi.

Hi.

Speaking of Harry, he didn't get the memo. That he's a twin. Not an only child. Oh he's fine, as long as he's on your chest or nursing. Kind of hard to do this constantly, when there are three others.

The constant crying/needs/demands of twins, I admit, makes me feel like a crummy mom. As a mother, your instinct is to comfort. With two, sometimes you can't. You only have so many hands.

But when he looks up at you with those little old man/old soul eyes, you have to smile. Everything is going to be fine.

I know that I need to lower my standards. "Fold Laundry" needs to be all that I accomplish. Also keeping all four children alive and fed and safe is a big one. If that is the case at the end of the day I should feel good, right?

Lowering my standards would make my life so much easier. It's hard for me though. I'm a doer. And a worrier. Are the kids having fun? Are they bored? Do they resent the babies? Are the babies crying too much? Eating enough? Stimulated? (Are one-month olds supposed to be stimulated? I'm awful about tummy time, that much I know). Gah. I know, SHUT UP. Enjoy this time.

In other news, we have a new soundtrack around here.

The big kids love "Harry's Song." And of course, Ellie is a fan of Lucy's (it is, after all, her favorite band).

The other night we had a little impromptu dance party during dinner with our new songs and our new babies and things felt, for a moment, kind of normal.