The iBoy's First Year

So, today is this:

Otherwise known as "the fastest year of my life" because it feels like it went by in about the time it took me to make this collage:

Which is to say, a few seconds.

This boy. What can I tell you about him?

He's sweet natured and even tempered and hilarious. He loves his mama, his daddy, his sisters, his fans (family & friends alike. He has quite the following), his kitty, bath time, and his food - my word does this boy love his food (and yes, he's still nursing around the clock too).

He explores and investigates. He crawls and climbs (no walking unassisted yet). He eats anything he can get his hands on, even though he still only has two teeth.

He enjoys music and listening to stories (even more if he can chew on the pages) and going for a ride in the wagon and standing at the windows to watch what's going on outside.

He isn't a big fan of picture time:

So we get a lot of pictures like this:

He may be made of "snips and snails and puppy dog tails" but he's also made of slobbery kisses, belly laughs, a wry grin, a healthy dose of curiosity, a smidge of stubborness and a coating of perfect.

I think we'll keep him.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy. Let's slow down for the next 12 months, OK?

Finer Things Friday - Togetherness

Lately during our bedtime prayers with the girls (which is a Finer Thing in its own right) we've been asking them to tell us one thing they're thankful for. (Ack! Ending a sentence with a preposition - someone will revoke my Grammar Snob card. Oh, well. I also plan to use a lot of sentence fragments in this post. In for a penny, in for a pound.)

The answers to this have been varied and pretty much what you would expect (our family, a house, clothes, all my toys) Then last night Tigger (the picture above is Tigger earlier this year) looked around their bedroom. Their tiny bedroom.

The bedroom with bunk beds, a toddler bed and a pack n play all crammed together in as artful a way possible. The room that is one of the main reasons we're hoping to sell our house next year.

"I'm thankful that we all get to sleep together!" She said. Her sisters {well, the ones who talk already. Miss Lili said nothing but she was smiling} all agreed. Despite the cramped quarters, despite the occasional disagreement ("She put her toe on my bed", anyone?), despite the struggle to keep a room which four girls, their clothes and their toys share even remotely tidy: they enjoy their time together.

Which is definitely a Finer Thing in my book.
This post is linked to Finer Things Friday at The Finer Things in Life.

Finer Things Friday - These Two

Sure, they keep me hopping.

And yes, they fuss and fight sometimes {a lot of the time}.

And if one, or Heaven help me, both of them get quiet I know I really need to find out what exactly is going on.

Because they're best buds, partners in crime, two peas in a pod, and more fun than a barrel of monkeys. A cousin to play with is definitely one of the finer things in life, wouldn't you say?

Finer Things Friday - Family Resemblance

For Tigger's birthday this week I shared this picture of her on facebook:

Lots of people left her birthday messages, which I shared with her. Among the messages were the following comments.

One person, an old friend from our Tennessee days, said:
"Very cute, looks like her dad."

Another old friend from our growing up in Tennessee days said:
"She looks so much like you, Karen."

I love it. I love that two different people can look at the same little girl and see a parent reflected in her, because I think they're both right. (Another thing I love about this is that these comments were not from relatives trying to "claim" Tigger. These were disinterested parties who had never met Tigger in person nor seen Philip or me in at least seven years.)

One of the best things about parenting more than one child is getting to see some of the different ways their daddy's and my DNA combines to make {beautiful} children.

Philip made this picture comparison when Miss Lili came along:  so similar, so obviously related and yet so individual and perfect.

Family resemblance - it's a Finer Thing.

Swimming, S'Mores, and Super Days

source

Our labor day was the coldest in recent memory. I saw many of my facebook friends exulting in the cooler temperatures.

We weren't. We were supposed to go swimming in an outdoor pool.

Some of us were disappointed. A few were intrepid polar bear types and went swimming any way.

And, behold the power of fire: in the end, no one complained about missing out on the pool. Grandpa supplied the {contained} fire and Aunt Princess supplied the makings of s'mores. The merits of perfectly toasted vs. charred were discussed.

Long naps were taken {Sweet Pea, Fen, Lili and probably a few grown-ups}. Medicines for the first fall colds were given out. More indoor games were played than outdoor.

And, despite not looking much like Labor Days past, it was a great day. Now we're back to school in earnest and I'm wondering if we're really going to have to break out the winter gear so quickly. The girls are already asking to put their heavy blankets back on their beds. I'm reminding myself that Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I don't think I've quite convinced myself, not yet.

But I'll get there. Any season that provides an excuse to eat all the graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows you want is fine by me.

Did your Labor Day follow your plans?

My Friday Morning

source

It's not noon yet but Miss Lili has already been to the doctor this morning. (ominous music here)

And the verdict is...non specified eye trouble - not necessarily what we all know as Pink Eye (ominous music ends). For which she now has an eye salve. (11 month old baby with a mind of her own + prescription eye salve = lots of fun for Mom and Dad)

In other news, she weighs 16 pounds now, according to the doctor's scale. This is good because we're supposed to be working on her weight gain. I now have a secret weapon in this fight: rice pudding. The girl ate every last bit of rice pudding I offered her and some I didn't last night!)

In further news, I think I like the doctor she saw today more than our regular doctor. The doctor she (and Philip because I did not actually go to this visit. I stayed home with Sweet Pea and Fen) saw this morning is the same one who treated her poor little toes (remember the hair tourniquet?) and he's great. He gives us his contact numbers and tells us to call him if we need him which I do not think our regular pediatrician (much as I like her) has ever done. Dr. M's theory is that if he gives us his numbers we will not need to use them, whereas, if he doesn't, we will.

That's how I think and, consequently, I like this guy.

Now, back to regularly scheduled Friday programming. (You know, after a non-scheduled doctor's appointment and $16.62 worth of baby torture eye salve we're all ready for business as usual.)

Life With Fen - Toy Edition

Approximately several hundred dollars worth of Brio train tracks, bridges, and whatnot but he's not interested. He is driving his train through a paper towel roll over and over again.

Grandparents take note: paper tubes and cardboard boxes for this boy for Christmas.

Friday Morning Moments with Fen

Today, at a celebratory lunch, Fen had decided to order french fries. He excitedly ordered these for himself (I asked the waitress to include some chicken tenders with his order). The waitress moved on to the next person in our (rather large) party.

The little emperor must not have seen the need of this (other people need lunch, too?!) because he piped up:

"Hey, go make my fries!"

Let's just say patience is a character trait we're still working on around here.

I am happy to report that some things are starting to rub off on the lad. As he watched his cousins begin their Taekwondo lesson this morning he said (much perturbed), "Hey, we didn't pray yet!"

That's our boy.

(picture credit: I took this one earlier this summer. You can tell because later the boy's mama took him and got almost all his hair cut off for the warm weather.)

A Request

I have a scheduled series of posts ready to start today. They are lighthearted in tone, seeing as they were written several days ago.

Only this morning, I don't feel lighthearted.

A beloved family member passed away yesterday evening. Please pray for Philip and our family as you think of us, even when you see more cheerful posts on this blog.

...The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

Frugal Fridays - Sea World Edition

A day spent at Sea World (we went to the San Diego park) is worth some money. Of course, how much money is a personal question. Here's how we (defined as my husband, me, our four children, & my adult sister) kept costs down:

1. Discount tickets. My wonderful brother-in-law is serving in the U.S. Air Force. (Currently deployed - if you think about him, pray, OK?). Because of his service, Lulu got into the park for...wait for it...free! Well, park admission was free (the way I understand it is that they each get one ticket per year. She couldn't go back next week and get another free ticket). The cost to her for her husband serving and being separated from her - we don't have a way to calculate that. Anyway, she was free and she was able to get us discounted tickets on base. Discounted to the tune of $20 off each ticket. If you don't know someone living on a military base, don't despair. There are usually coupons or online discounts you could search out. (Our motel in San Diego offered us some)

2. Food and souvenirs: you're going to have to eat. The park doesn't allow coolers and, to get your money's worth, you're going to want to be there from the time the park opens until closing time. What to eat? We ate breakfast at our motel that morning (late, because Sea World doesn't open until 10 AM). The story about how we chose our motel - Philip insisted that breakfast must be included which...well, never mind. It was a late night and we were all tired. It's funny now but then it was kind of annoying.

Anyway, fortified by that breakfast we were able to resist all the snack type foods at the park until later that afternoon. Then, instead of buying something with a ridiculous mark-up (cotton candy, anyone?) we went to one of the park's sit-down restaurants and ordered real food. Sure, it's more expensive than cooking at home. And it's slightly more expensive than fast food. But not by much. And when you ordered a kid's meal you also got these:

The three oldest girls each got a kid's meal (and it was plenty of food) and these plastic dishes. We cleaned off the dishes after they ate and stowed them away in the diaper bag. Instant souvenirs! They were happy because they had something to take home that had "Shamu" on it and we were happy because everyone had been fed real food for a decent price.

Two of our girls chose to spend some of their own money on another item at the "Under $10" gift shop at the end of the day. We chose to do this at the end for two reasons: 1. so they could think about whether they actually wanted to pay their own money for something and 2. so we didn't have to carry things around all day. (Lili in the moby wrap and a diaper bag were enough!)

Sure, the most frugal option would be to never go anywhere, I understand that. But even out on vacation, there's no reason to spend money with reckless abandon - you can vacation frugally. A vacation budget (no debt!) and a plan of action will help you get home without breaking the bank.

Tigger is already asking when we can go to Sea World in Orlando (to see the manatees, don't you know). With a little saving and a lot of planning, we can probably do that before she's a teenager. {wink}

Got any Frugal Friday tips to share? Check out Life as Mom and link up yours.

Dear Lili - 6 Months

Dear Lili,

It doesn't seem possible, but you are 6 months old today. Half a year. I think - after experience with your big sisters - that I've learned to enjoy the days and savor each baby moment with you, but it doesn't stop the time from flying by.

I didn't write you last month because it was Sweet Pea's birthday. Sometimes having sisters means having to share: toys, Daddy, Mommy and even space on Mommy's blog. That's life. However, you're still small enough to demand that everything else come to halt if necessary.

You can roll over with ease now. You try to roll where you want to go, though you usually have a parent or sibling scooping you up and returning you to where you are supposed to be (usually your play mat). You sit in the high chair now, watching us do school work, or cook lunch, or eat.

You are pretty much always happy, unless you need a nap. And then we put in your bed, cover you with your favorite blanket, and you go to sleep. Sometimes you just want some quiet time in your bed with your blanket and then you start squealing for us to come rescue you. Either way, it works. I think your favorite time is bath-time. We put you in the big tub with Tigger and Sweet Pea and you have a blast.

You don't sleep through the night yet, although you sleep in your own little bed most of the time. You still nurse exclusively. And I am perfectly OK with those things. You're also a pretty determined "Mama's Girl". The people at church who want to hold you have to send me away because, if I am in your sight, you will not consent to be held by others. I'm OK with that too. (Hey, after 3 Daddy's girls, it's nice to get one who is Mom's Biggest Fan!)

You can hold your toys, put down a toy you don't want and pick up one that you prefer. You take out your "Boppy" (pacifier) and put it back in. Unless you throw it (often), in which case you enjoy watching us pick it up for you.

In short, you are absolutely perfect. Polly said the other day, "What did we do without Lili?!" I can't imagine.

Let's try to slow down the next 6 months, OK? These six have gone by way too quickly.

Love,
Mama

In Which Prince Charming and Tigger are Sick

Prince Charming, who never gets sick is...wait for it...sick today. Actually, without getting into the gory details, he was sick all night too. A fact my sleep deprived brain failed to register immediately. At some point in the night I managed to ask, "Are you OK?" Only to hear, "No."

Needless to say, I didn't ask for more detail at o'dark-middle-of-the-night-thirty but he regaled me (or not) with the details this morning. Good thing he had nothing planned for today.

Tigger also had a nighttime incident. Which none of us knew about until well into this morning. So, anyone have some great carpet stain removal tips for me? (All together now: Yuck!)

Tigger discovered one fact about homeschooling while sick: Mom will set you up in the living room, make you comfy, and then set up a TV tray and your math paper. Younger sisters can be relied upon to bring sharpened pencils or crayons as necessary.

Yes, I am that mother. She seems quite perked up, although enjoying staying in her cozy flannel pajamas far too much to declare herself all the way better. Anyhow, December is way too busy of a month to lose school days due to a tummy bug.

Unless I get the bug too, of course.

Finer Things Friday - Pumpkin Patch!

Despite our horrible, no good, very bad morning (see this post) our family managed to salvage part of the day by visiting a local farm.

This included a hayride,

choosing pumpkins in a pumpkin patch,

being silly with aforesaid pumpkins,

playing in a huge bin of corn kernels (more fun than a sandbox, according to my girls)

though some of us slept the whole time.

And don't forget the tricycle races.

And giving a little sister a ride.

We did the corn maze in record time thanks to Prince Charming's hastily sketched map. He doesn't have a very good sense of direction in real life (um, don't tell him I said that) but in a corn maze, he's golden.

Not to mention all the farm animals, the little farmer game and picking out the funniest looking gourds to bring home.

An afternoon spent together at the farm? Definitely a Finer Thing.

Always

We hold them in our arms for a short time. (And, on occasion, in a well-beloved Moby wrap.) We sing, shush, whisper and just enjoy the closeness.

We walk alongside them, talking, listening, admonishing, encouraging, or just in silence. Enjoying the closeness.

But holding or walking, or even apart, they are always our babies.

And nothing can change that.

Long Tale of a Tooth

Do you know that nightmare, the one where you turn your back for one second and something terrible happens to one of your children? I can't be the only one who's had that dream. Well, it actually happened here Saturday morning.

Just as a review, this is what Polly looked like Friday afternoon:

Saturday morning I left Polly in charge of the baby while I went downstairs to switch the laundry. As I moved the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer I heard a "thump" and then a blood curdling scream followed by crying and "Get mom now!".

This is not good, I thought. I figured Lili had rolled off the bed or something and everyone was upset about it. I came upstairs to find Polly spitting out blood. She told me she had tripped in my bedroom with the baby and knocked her own front tooth out. I frantically checked the baby over (her sleeper was covered in blood, which all turned out to be Polly's). Tigger was crying, Lili was crying, Sweet Pea was oblivious but getting in the way and while I tried to look in Polly's mouth I started feeling faint. Have I mentioned that I do not do well with blood? Understatement.

I called Prince Charming to come home. I called my mom. My mom got here first (Thank goodness they only live up the hill! I have no idea what we would have done without her.)

We searched and searched and searched for that tooth. Prince Charming got home and started searching. Pastor Dad joined the search. In between searching we took turns checking over Lili and Polly. Polly laid down in her bed with a cold washcloth on her forehead.

There was much crying and desperate calls to dentists. Side note: never try to get hold of a dentist on Saturday. They all go fishing together, or something. Prince Charming did talk to the Pediatric Dentist at our local (highly respected) Children's Hospital.

The tooth was nowhere to be found. Pastor Dad took the girls to get some lunch. I took a shower and tried to settle myself. All I could think was my sweet little girl would never have all her permanent teeth, that she was facing months, if not years of painful dental procedures and...well, you can imagine the rest. We were all trying to be cheerful (but honest) around the kids but my own thoughts were not so optimistic.

We decided to keep our original plans for the day, which were to take the girls to a farm / pumpkin patch, since without the tooth there was no rush to do anything. This cheered everyone up and took Polly's mind off what had happened.

As we drove home, Polly fell asleep. By the time we got home she was waking up, upset and crying. She couldn't eat anything. At this point her mouth had cleared up for Prince Charming to get a good look. It looked like part of the tooth was still in her mouth (we thought the tooth had shattered because we did find one tiny piece of it). We decided that he would take Polly to Children's Hospital and have her checked out.

My mom came down again to help me get the little girls in bed and so that I wouldn't be alone. And then we waited. And waited.

And waited. No calls from Prince Charming (very bad cell reception inside the hospital). He finally called late that night. The story: Polly's tooth had actually been shoved up inside her gum. It was still in her mouth (although chipped). They were going to put her under in order to pull the tooth down, stitch up her mouth (she had damaged the bone, no surprise there) and brace her top teeth together. They told him she would need a root canal in a few weeks to deal with all the nerve damage. They also told him - Praise the Lord! - that her prospects were very good for keeping the tooth.

So here's what Polly looks like today:

Please pray that the tooth and bone would heal as they're supposed to and that there won't be any complications such as infection. Polly is a trooper and the hospital staff were very taken with her ("She's so cute!" being just one statement often repeated to Prince Charming during their very long wait & treatment) She can't eat much, only soft foods, but she's actually enjoying being allowed to eat exactly what she wants, since she's a bit of a picky eater. Her foods of choice right now: eggs in any form (especially scrambled or fried), cottage cheese, and banana (sliced up very small).

We're counting our blessings - she still has her tooth, Lili wasn't hurt, and we have one of the best hospitals for children in the country.

And yes, from now on I intend to wrap my children in bubble wrap even if they're just walking around the house. Just kidding, I think.

Mom as Doctor

Did you know becoming a mother is almost as good as a medical degree? Don't believe me?

Well, I ask you, can a doctor simply kiss a hurt spot and "make it all better?" I can. And I do, almost every day (I have four children now. Someone is constantly in need of my make it better services.)

Another way this works is mad diagnostic skills. For instance, just this morning Polly came into my room.

"I itch all over," she told me, close to tears. (Side note: she had been working on a Latin lesson at the kitchen table for about 30 minutes.)

Time for Mom to diagnose what could have caused such terrible discomfort.

"Maybe put Latin away for awhile and work on something else," I suggested.

Problem solved. No need for creams, sprays, or even a closer look at her beautiful skin.

"You were right, Mom!" She called, much happier, from the kitchen a few minutes later.

Schoolwork may cause massive itchiness. Who knew?

Doctor Mom, of course.

There Were Never Such Devoted...

Sisters, of course!

Lili is the first child I've had since my sister had her little boy (The Ever Adorable Fen). Something about being able to share this experience with Princess (She knows what I'm talking about! She's been through this too! She understands!) really felt amazing.

And then there's Lulu, who traveled all the way from Far Points West, braving red-eye flights and spooky airport tunnels (ask her), just to spend a weekend with us. (OK, it was for our mom's birthday too) Lulu is an Aunt Extraordinaire (Seriously. She and her husband have twelve nieces and nephews. Twelve!) and All Around Fabulous Person.

Lili was thrilled to make her acquaintance, as I'm sure you can tell by the above photo. Lili found Aunt Lulu's arms to be the almost perfect napping place, thereby giving Mama's arms a rest (and giving Aunt Lulu's muscles a work out).

Sisters are definitely a Finer Thing in my life!

All Mine

There's something about having four children that brings out the nosy (not to say rude) in people. I had my first "are they all hers" experience when Lili was only a week old. Ironically, it was at a family reunion.

Granted, these must have been distant relatives. As we walked to our (gasp) mini-van, preparing to make the trek back home, another relative was walking to his car. I was carrying the baby and the three older girls walked behind me, all in a row like Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings. "Are they all hers?" This relative asked his wife. She shushed him soI didn't hear the rest of the conversation.

Yes, they are all mine - Praise the Lord! Lili is only three weeks old and already we can't imagine life without her.

The next comment is a little more common but the different tones in which it is asked affect whether it is considered Rude or not. This question, of course, is, "Are you going to have any more?"

My stock answer for this is, "Not right now". I'm only 21 days postpartum. It's not the right time, not to mention Physically Impossible, for us to be having another child just yet.

Now this question could get sticky pretty quickly. How much does this person need to know about my views on birth control? General answer: not much. Should this person care whether I have more children or not? Probably not. Should I care what this person thinks? Again, probably not.

Do you know how I can tell whether someone is a true friend (whether related to me or not)?

They treat the arrival of the (gasp) fourth baby girl with as much joy and excitement as they did Baby Girl #1.

I've never quite understood treating a baby like something that is routine. Babies are not routine, they are miracles. Yes, I have a definite opinion on how many children I think might be ideal for our family and no, I'm not exactly sure what God has in store for us in the future. That's OK.

Meanwhile, they are all mine and I couldn't do without a single one.

10 Tips for Life With a Newborn

1. Limit your to-do list. Sitting and holding your baby is a perfectly reasonable thing to be doing.

2. Get up and move. Sure, I said limit your to-do list. But trust me, you feel a lot better if you get the occasional shower, put on clean clothes, wash your face, brush your teeth and so on. Then get out into the sunshine (if there is some) or at least your local Target. (You'll need to buy diapers anyway, so you might as well make an event of it.)

3. Plan on a slight feeding "learning curve" if you're breastfeeding. Some babies take a little longer to figure it out than others. Some are such eager eaters they're willing to suck on whatever patch of skin brushes their mouths, whether it's the right part or not. Plan to try breastfeeding for at least a month. In my experience, it gets a lot easier after the first week. And by a month you'll be a pro. Oh, and get some of this:

You won't need it for long but when you do, it's nice to have.

4. Plan for interrupted sleep. In other words, manage your expectations. If you're not expecting eight hours of sleep it doesn't seem so bad when you don't get them. Babies need to eat frequently and most pediatricians don't want breastfed babies to go longer than 4-5 hours at a stretch. Our Lili usually eats every 2-3 hours but at night she sleeps from midnight to 4. That four hours is some good sleeping!

5. Accept offers of help. This was a tough one for me, at least until we hit #4. I've been pretty good at managing but I knew when we came home with Lili that I needed help, primarily with the older girls so they weren't being neglected or left out. And anyway, even if you can "handle it all", it's nice to let others feel needed, right?

6. Don't forget your husband. You're not going to be having any hot dates right now. You probably both look and feel so exhausted that you wouldn't be able to stay awake on one anyway. But sitting and talking, watching a movie together (on DVD. That pause function will be necessary), or playing a game together can let both of you know that the other person is still a priority even though the new little one is rather high maintenance, at least temporarily.

7. Don't forget the older siblings. Talk about "our baby" and "our family." Praise their "helping" efforts. Look at their baby pictures and compare to the new baby. Read a story together. Have them read to the baby, hold the baby, sing to the baby, etc. The baby is resilient enough to withstand kisses, hugs and even awkward holding by older siblings. (Of course you never leave Baby unattended with a toddler or irresponsible older sibling.)

8. Remember that babies cry. Again, you have to manage your expectations. Babies cry, it's a fact of life. Once you've ruled out the usual suspects (Hungry? Wet? Over-tired? Just needs Mom?) don't feel like a failure if she's still crying. It happens. It will stop. (P.S. Have you tried swaddling? It was a joke in my family when my nephew was born, "Stop crying or Aunt Karen will swaddle you!" And I did. And he stopped.)

9. Enjoy these days - they go by so quickly.

10. Enjoy these days - they go by so quickly. Yes, I know I already said that. But it's true. My oldest, whom I was just holding, rocking, changing, and all of that good stuff, is now almost nine years old. I blinked and that happened. Another blink and she'll be getting married or going off to college or both. The time, it flies. So enjoy these days.

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda.

One Week Later (Birth Story #4!)

(Picture taken last Sunday)

This Thursday is slightly different from last week, although there are similarities (lack of sleep being one).

Last Wednesday morning I woke up about 5 AM and timed contractions. They were about 8 minutes apart. "Baby is coming today!" I thought. Such naivete, such optimism! I even woke Prince Charming up a bit later. As the day went on we thought the contractions would get closed together or stronger (side note: the ones I was having were already what I would call strong) or something to indicate that it was time to call in the grandparents and head to the hospital.

No such thing happened - instead they tapered off to once every so often, annoying enough to interfere with my day but not enough to cause a call to the doctor. We went on a family walk in the afternoon, trying to spur on some action. I still ended up going with the family to church that evening. Granted, I was really uncomfortable and sat in one of the nursery rocking chairs the entire time, but the contractions were still not close enough together to worry about.

Flash forward to 2 AM that night (the next day? Whatever.) I'd had about 2 hours of restless sleep. But that was all I was going to get, apparently. Now these strong contractions were coming every 10 minutes or less, rather erratically but still, consistently. I woke Prince Charming up about an hour and a half later when they were so strong I couldn't even time them myself (kept forgetting to fool with the stop watch). I couldn't distract myself from them, the rice sock wasn't cutting it any more. I pretty much laid on the bed until one hit and then I would stand up, lean my head against the wall and sort of, I don't know, rock through it. It's hard to explain. One thing was for sure: this was the real deal.

We called the doctor around 4 (I think it was around 4, I wasn't exactly watching the clock) and then we called my mom, and then we took off for the hospital (once Gram was safely installed with the girls).

Here's part of the story I don't think I've mentioned to anyone so far: I had eaten some jello around 2:30 but other than that the only thing I'd had was a huge bottle of Gatorade. On the drive to the hospital it occurred to me that I wouldn't be allowed to have anything other than ice chips, Popsicles, or hard candy at the hospital. And I didn't have any hard candy with me. The thought of going through hours of labor with that Gatorade taste in my mouth was intolerable so I instructed Prince Charming to stop at a convenience store. (A specific chain well known around here, primarily for their ice cream). Well, very few places are open at O'dark-thirty in the morning.

So we stopped at three different stores before we found an open one. Prince Charming ran in to buy me some mints and I sat in the car suffering through a contraction. (I seriously thought about opening the door and leaning against the car, but um, the neighborhood we were in was not, shall we say, the best so I stayed put in the car) Mints procured, we proceeded to the hospital.

It was just after 5 AM when we got there. As I started the triage procedures Prince Charming had to go move the car because the valet parking hadn't been open (5 AM, remember) but the nurses were afraid we might be towed once it opened. Whatever. The only part of this that is relevant is that Prince Charming had to wait in the waiting room while they got me settled in a triage room. He had just joined me when the doctor came to check me and - are you ready for this? - I was declared 9 cm dilated.

Nine?! As in, almost done nine? Yep.

I have never seen those nurses move so quickly. They rushed to get me iv'd up and into a regular L&D room. (As Pastor Dad says, "The paper work must be a nightmare if someone has the baby in triage")

At this point it was looking like Baby Girl #4 would be here any minute. But alas, it was not to be. First of all, she was still "high". And second, she was "Sunny Side Up" (O.P. position. And for those of you wondering, I did NOT have back labor with her, which people often blame on this type position)

She finally came at 10:31 AM. She never did turn around, but it didn't take much pushing once the time came. The nurse said that if Baby had been in the right position labor would have been much shorter (and it would have only taken "half a push").

Anyway, that's the short version. I think I'm still processing most of that morning since everything seemed to happen so quickly.

And today we took Miss Lili to her doctor and she's already surpassed her birth weight - yes, the child likes her food - and everything else looks great. She's a dream baby, really. All except for that little mix up last night. (Awake for nearly 3 hours in the middle of the night and pretty sure she ought to be nursing that entire time.)

So, Happy One Week Birthday to my Little One. You're every bit as perfect as I knew you would be.