Watch This Mommy!

I feel like it has been a long time since I wrote something about the boys. Right now we are still wading the waters of having a new sister in the house that keeps taking mommy's attention away. Eric and I have both been treated to several episodes of "watch this!" from Zane and Andrew that include jumping, dancing, acting like an animal and other general silliness. I try to give them my full attention when they do it too because I know they are just trying to adjust to sharing me and Eric again. Andrew is getting pretty excited to start up his swimming lessons again. Zane just has to wait until he is 3 and then he gets to do them too. Hopefully we will have a smooth transition to swimming lessons again. It has been a few months since the last session but Andrew and I have discussed a sticker chart and he is excited to get one going. Eric will be going back to work next week too so hopefully I won't go too crazy with him gone. Who knows he may be overwhelmed by all three of us (me, Andrew and Zane) saying "watch this!" when he comes home!

A Lucy Update

Eric took Lucy in to the doctor's office today to get her weight checked and the second blood draw for her PKU done. I stayed home with a fever of 103, feeling horrible! I think that I got the cold that Zane had last week and let me tell you, I am still not feeling super well. Lucy's weight check went fine. She is a big 9 pounds 5 ounces now and doing well.

Crystal and Lucy

Crystal and Lucy finally had a chance to meet today! Crystal got back from her trip to Hawaii and landed right in the middle of finals week. To say that she has been stressed out would be a great understatement! Today was the first chance that she has had to relax and sit and hold Lucy. I thought that you should all be witness to the event as well. I think she feels Lucy is really small but awfully snuggly!

Lucy is doing really well. She even slept in her crib last night for two 5 hour stretches of time. I don't think that either Andrew or Zane did that until they were closer to a month old. Not that I am complaining! I am loving the sleep. I even left Eric and the kids at home last night and went to the opera with Penny to go see Pagliacci (awesome, awesome opera by the way, definitely one to see if you have ANY urge to try opera) and Lucy did great! I guess she slept from when I left until 9 and then Eric gave her a bottle which kept her happy until I got home at 10:30. Hooray for having a life of my own and a hubby that is willing to watch a 1 week old!

Playstation Fun

Reece gave the boys his old Playstation2 (and lots of non-violent games) at Christmas and this is the first chance Eric and Andrew have had to play it. The funny thing is that Andrew is almost as good at it as Eric. The boys were doing a time trial for a car racing game and Andrew passed before Eric did, and Eric had been trying to pass for a few times before he let Andrew have a turn! Apparently video games are not our strong suit (I am truly terrible at them) and Eric hasn't really played since Mario Brothers.

Lucy was very content to sit and sleep through the whole thing! This is also her favorite place to sleep, she will sleep for us 3-4 hours at a time in the car seat but only dozes in her crib. I will take the hassle of getting her used to her crib later. Sleep is more important!

Lucy's First Checkup

We took Lucy into the doctor for her first checkup today and she passed with flying colors. Her weight is pretty much holding steady at 8 pounds and 15.5 ounces. Her hospital checkout weight was 8-14 or 8-15, I can't remember which one. We have to go back in next week for another weight check and get her PKU test finished. Andrew was all kinds of concerned that she was going to need a shot but we managed to ease his mind about that one and told him that she wouldn't need those for a few more weeks. The only thing that was off a bit was that her little belly button is slightly herniated. The doctor wasn't concerned though and told us not to worry about it and that nothing needed to be done to fix it. It should fix itself on it's own time schedule.

Lucy Meets Her Brothers

After 9 long months of waiting it was finally time for Andrew and Zane to meet their new baby sister. Andrew has been driving me completely insane since the beginning of January because he knew January was the month his "new baby" was coming and he just had a hard time understanding why I couldn't give him a date for her to be born.

The morning of the 17th we called our house right after Lucy made her appearance to let Grandma Alice know that she had another little granddaughter. The boys were still asleep so we let Alice tell them about Lucy when they woke up. Andrew woke up, took one look at his grandma and asked "What are you doing here?" when he heard that he had a new baby sister he promptly burst into tears because he thought that he was not going to have a sleepover at grandma and grandpa's house as promised. When he found out that the sleepover was still on he got down to being excited about a new sister.

Andrew came racing into the room really excited to see Lucy. He wanted to hold her right away and had a whole lot of fun kissing her and snuggling her.

Zane, on the other hand, was a totally different story. I think the concept of a new baby sister was a bit abstract for his 2 year old mind to wrap around and he did not want to even look at her. I think he was happy to see me but he wanted NOTHING to do with Lucy at first. He actually took one look at the little pink blanket and sat on the floor, stuck his thumb in him mouth and would not budge. I took this picture of him but he was not happy with me for taking it.

After Zane sat and watched Andrew holding Lucy for a while he finally warmed up and agreed to hold her. It only lasted for 20 seconds or so but we figured we were making progress. Zane can say Lucy and baby sister and he calls her cute all the time so I think we are making good strides. He was not too excited about me nursing her this morning but we worked around that and I think that in time all will be just fine.

Finally, finally we made it home (checkout took FOREVER!!!) and picked up our boys from grandma and grandpa's. Andrew was once again dying to hold Lucy as soon as we walked in the door. Somehow I think that this little one will not be lacking for attention anytime soon!

Some of you may be wondering where Crystal was in all this drama. Well, Lucy had really poor timing because Crystal had to leave for a trip to Hawaii Thursday morning at 6:40. So she managed to miss ever getting to see her at the hospital! I am sure that she will be super excited to see her once she gets back Tuesday night and then there will be yet another person for Lucy to get spoiled by!

Lucy Fern's Story

It all started 40 weeks ago.... Ok so maybe that part of the story doesn't need to be told but the story of Lucy Fern's birth is a must! As you all know I have been miserably pregnant for at least two weeks and on the 16th I had a doctor's appointment. She informed me that I was 5 cm dilated and 70% effaced (way too far to be sent home in my opinion) and that she had no idea why I was not in labor yet. Unfortunately the hospital is pretty picky about induction prior to 41 weeks but she gave me instructions to come in on Friday the 18th and be induced (or at least call and see if they had room for me). Eric and I went home discouraged but with an end date in mind of the 18th so I had some confidence that I could do this! Well, it turned out that we didn't need to wait until Friday because my labor started around 7:30 pm while I was at my church group having some soup. Eric and I calmly went home and got the kids in bed because I didn't want to disappoint them if I got sent home from the hospital. By the time the kids were down it was 8:30 and my contractions were about 4-6 minutes apart and lasting about 2 minutes each. Strong enough in my opinion but I didn't want to go to the hospital and then get sent home so I called the triage at the Pavilion and they said come on in.

Eric insisted on taking one last picture of me prego before the baby was born so here it is, taken in our garage with me having contractions all over the place. (I was not super thrilled with him if you can't tell)

Off we went to the hospital putting a call into Penny and my mom on the way to let them know that we thought this was it. Once we got to triage a very nice nurse named Mary Ann checked me out and said that she thought I was probably 5 and a half but she could make me a 6 if I needed to be and once I told her I was group B strep positive that cemented it. I was a 6 and in for the long haul. (Thank you God!) Did all the necessary yuck in triage and finally got a room. Once settled in we hooked me up with the epidual (which was wonderful even though I do have a huge bruise on my back) and got ready to wait it out. Since I have that strep thing they will not break my water, it either had to do it on it's own or wait until 4 hours had passed so we can get all the anti-biotics in so everyone can be safe.

My water was finally broke at 2:15 and then we just had to wait for my body to take over and do the rest. Right around 4:00 I started feeling super sick (a good sign during labor) and found out I was almost 10. Doctor came in and had me trial push at 4:23 and at 4:30 Miss Lucy Fern was born. I have a really cool picture of her coming out that my mom took, it is even tasteful but I still thought possibly too graphic for this blog.

Miss Lucy Fern was 9 pounds 2 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Wonderfully big and healthy!

Right as Lucy came out the doctor said "Here she is!" but I still had to ask "Is it really a girl?" Hey, the kid was stubborn what can I say!

Eric holding his little princess. He is really cute with her but he is still trying to figure out what to call her since "buddy" just doesn't sound right. I think he has settled on "sweetie" but we will have to see how that turns out, who knows this little girl might just be a "buddy" just like her brothers!

I will post tomorrow about the boys' reactions. They were typical of their personalities but still cute.

She's finally here!!!

Little Miss Lucy Fern Werner arrived this morning at 04:30. She was 20 1/2 inches long and weighed 9lbs. 2oz. We cannot decide whether Sam's body was holding on to her until she reached the 9 lb. mark or if Lucy is just stubborn and did not want to come out until it was her due date. Either way, this beautiful girl is here. The delivery went smooth (like we knew it would because her mother is a champ.). Both mother and baby are doing fine and we should be home tomorrow afternoon. We thank everyone for their prayers and support.

ps. Pic tures are to come because this anti-a.v. geek could barely figure out how to post this let alone download digital pictures.

The Make It Show

Andrew is really into all things science right now. Not so much the experiments but he adores the Discovery Channel. Right now on Eric's days off they sit and watch the Make it Show (aka "How It's Made") and Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. For some reason he finds it all fascinating and exciting just like Eric does. I, on the other hand, would rather stick a fork in my foot than sit and watch all this stuff. Even if "How It's Made" is like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood for adults! Anyway, last night Andrew watched Dirty Jobs and they were noodling for catfish (relatively low on the gross out meter) but then they showed them cleaning and gutting it and I almost threw up. Of course we were watching it right before dinner too which is never the right time to watch that show. Did it seem to disgust my guy? Nope, he just looked at me like I was a wimp and someone to be pittied! Oh well, I am not going to fight him on liking the science stuff. Eric is just going to be in charge of all gross experiments because that is not my strong suit at all!

Andrew's buddy- Mike Rowe!

My Predictions

No, no baby yet but here are my predictions on the upcoming kid:

Birthdate: 1/17/08

Weight: 10 lb 5 oz (I have a theory that my body is cooking this kid until they are at least 9 pounds)

Height: 22 inches (you should see how far this baby pushes out on my tummy, it is creepy!)

Keep checking back. One of these days there will be good news!

Hope

There may be hope for me yet. (As you can well tell, I am still without new baby!) However, I did have a few monster contractions last night that left me sweaty and feeling quite sick. Believe it or not that is my general state of existence until I get the wonderful epidural at the hospital. I almost smacked Eric though. I tried to call him at 3:40 just to make sure that he was on his way home and he didn't answer the phone. I guess he didn't hear it ringing in his bag but he was already on his way home so it all worked out in the end anyway. Just not very reassuring that I will be able to get a hold of him if I need to. He apologized but hopefully that will not happen again. Or when I really need him to hear it. Keep me in mind for lucky #13!

Smarter than we seem?

I was checking out my pastors blog and he had this cool link to determine what my blog readability was. Higher than I expected but since I have been talking about effacement and dilation lately maybe the thing was unfairly biased. Anyway, I just thought this was fun!

The Latest Info

OK, well we had our appointment today and the verdict is this. 3 and 1/2 cm dilated. Same effacement but babies head is at -1 now. Doctor stretched my membranes and did a good job of it (according to her). Apparently the hospital doesn't allow inductions until 39 weeks which I will be tomorrow. But she said that she would love to catch for me if my body is agreeable and I go into labor and have baby before like 6 am. So, that is the scoop. Oh, she also told me I can take stuff to help me sleep if I want so now I am just trying to decide which delightful aid I want to use. Hopefully baby will come in the next few days though. I had Zane the day after I got stretched last time so hopefully we will have a repeat performance! I showed Eric how to post so you should get news ASAP when the baby comes!

Maybe this week!

Well a new week has begun and still no baby. I think that I am getting myself all worked up to deliver because I delivered Zane at 39 weeks and that is technically Thursday the 10th this time. I am just tired of being pregnant although I did sleep last night which is almost a miracle. My boys are excited and Andrew wakes up every morning and asks me if I think that new baby wants to come today. I usually tell him that I don't know but I certainly hope that they do! This weekend we made "Big Brother" t-shirts for the boys to wear to the hospital. I was going to buy some but they are just too darn expensive for Andrew's size. Apparently once you get over 5T you must not want to wear a special shirt anymore. (Not the case for Andrew) I can only imagine the shrieking fit he would have had if Zane got a new shirt and he didn't. I think that the biggest difference this time is that I have no problem with the thought of going into labor. I know that it is going to be painful (bring on the epidural!!!) but I am totally ok with it and have hope with every contraction. Always before I got to this point and was on the fence about whether delivery was going to be better than still being pregnant. This time I am sure that going through delivery will be much, much, much better than continuing pregnancy. And the timing is good now since Eric is done with his take home police car. He has officially given me permission to have the baby anytime I want. Like I was holding off just for him.

So Excited

Well the time has finally come. We are in January and I know for a fact! that this baby will be coming this month. Unfortunately, so does Andrew and he is having a really hard time with the fact that we don't know exactly what day "New Baby" (man, I will be glad when we have a name for this kid!) is going to come. I hate to make a whole bunch of preparations with packing bags and stuff but it needs to be done and I know as soon as labor starts I will not feel up to it. So, I am planning on packing the kids bag today and getting mine as ready as I can. Andrew knows we are doing this project and now he is sure the kid is coming today. When I told him I didn't think that she was he burst into tears. sigh.... Sometimes it is really hard to be four. What is even worse is that I totally understand his point of view. I also have a burning need to know exactly what is going to happen on what day. I find great comfort in it and feel all out of sorts when I have no plan. I guess my little man is like me in that way. So, wish us luck in the next few days because I have a feeling that Andrew is going to be all hyped up until this baby comes. Now Zane, he could care less. He talks a little bit about the baby but mostly in reference to my belly. Who knows how he is going to react when there really is a baby sitting in front of him. At least the concept of time isn't an issue yet. For him it will just happen when it happens and that is ok for him. Very like his dad that way. Eric is so easy going about timeline stuff when it is unknown that it drives me crazy! However, the reverse is true when the timeline is known. Then he morphs into this whole other person (aka Anal Andy) who is a stickler for the minute by minute schedule. How these two people co-exist in the same man is beyond me. Any advice for distraction for my boy would help! Also, is any of you have a guess for birth date or weight (BE NICE!!!) I would love to hear it!

FYI- I changed some settings on my comment posting so now anyone should be able to post a comment. I didn't realize until yesterday that only blogger users could so now that should be fixed. Give it a shot! It is kinda fun!

New Baby 411

Here is the latest info about "New Baby." I went to the doctor's this morning and got checked out. I am currently 3 cm dilated, still 60% effaced, still -2 station but everything is getting soft down below which is a really good sign. She said that she would see me next week so I think that she doesn't have much hope that this kid is coming earlier than next Wednesday. Doctor Anholm is the on call doctor on January 6th and the 9th, which happens to be my next appointment as well, so I am really hoping that if I haven't had this kid by next Wednesday before my appointment that she will offer to induce me that day so she can deliver the baby. That would be really nice but I wouldn't argue if baby decided to come naturally on the 6th either. Just once it would be nice to have my own doctor catch my kid rather than a stranger. Although by the time I get to the pushing stage any person walking by would do. Anyway, maybe I am living in a dream world but that is the way that I am seeing things right now. At least I got some sleep last night so I am not an emotional basket case over not having this baby right now. It is amazing what a little sleep with do to even out the emotional insanity! We will keep you posted on baby news as it develops. I think I might have to show Eric how to use blogger so that he can post the info when I am in the hospital. I know all your inquiring minds want to know! :)

No, Not the New Year Baby

Sigh, I had great daydreams and hopes that maybe we could possibly have the New Year baby. It was not to be and I guess that I am ok with that. I just know that I have an appointment tomorrow and I am hoping for good news. The boys slept through all the new year fireworks as always. I, however, was exhausted but intelligently decided to sit on the floor and work on a puzzle for 3 hours last night. My hips let me know that was a very poor choice all night long and I didn't really sleep. Fortunately (?) Eric didn't get home until 7 this morning so I was getting up when he crawled into bed. Otherwise we would have fought over the covers and bed space of which I was most assuredly taking up more than my fair share. I was going to have Penny come and visit last night but she has a super yucky cold and didn't want to leave her house which was fine with me since I do not need to add a cold to my list of complaints right now. Crystal was the only one to have fun last night. I haven't talked to her about last night but I know she was playing DDR (dance, dance revolution) with some friends and I told her to come home whenever. (How often is it new years? And I trusted the people that she was going to be hanging out with) I think she rolled through the door about 3 so she should be super groggy and sleepy today.


As always we will be going to Alice and Gene's for food and football (yes in that order!) which is always fun. Hope that all your New Year's were great!