Cute Things Rudy has said Lately

When Julia was fussing, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered,  "Don't worry-Big Brother's here.

When Julia was fussing at dinner time, he said, "Maybe she's feeling disappointed."
"Why do you think she's disappointed?" I ask.
"Because she can't eat people food yet!" He says emphatically.

After I had just read him the parable of the good Samaritan, he asks, "What did the man who feel under the leaves say?"
He'd misunderstood the line that said something like "a certain man fell among theives."
It took me a bit to figure out what man under the leaves he was talking about, but we eventually got it sorted out. :)

When I told Rudy he should put socks on because I was worried his bare feet would get cold, he replied, "I have lion feet today, not bear feet. Lion feet never get cold!"

Happy Birthday Rudy!

Dear Rudy,
We had a kind of low key birthday party for you this year. Just you, Julia, Daddy and me, along with the colds you and Julia had. You didn't mind, though. For you the day was a great day, a perfect day. Because there were balloons and party blowers and birthday cake. I love that about you. You find joy and satisfaction in simple things. You make the world around you an exciting place to be.
You make my world a beautiful place, too.
Thank you for showing me how to be brave and fight ogres, even if my knees are buckling in fear. Thanks for teaching me all about what dragons like to eat, and how exactly they eat it. Thanks for telling me exciting stories about brave little mice and greedy goblins and little boys named Rudy who save the day.
Thank you for being flexible about play time and meal time and everything else as I get a handle on being Julia's mom as well as yours. Thanks for finding a spot on my lap as I nurse so I can get my Rudy snuggle time in too. Thanks for whispering to me that you love me as I close your bedroom door at night.
I love you. I'm proud of you. I hope you have a great year being three!
Love,
Mommy

Six Weeks

We're six weeks into being a family of four.
Julia is getting a tiny bit of control over her body. She's figuring out smiles, can use her hands to shield her nose from being suctioned out, has also learned how to take evasive action with her neck so as to further protect her poor nose (she's had a cold for a week and a half), and is beginning to grab things consciously (even if she has to wait until they just happen to settle into her hands).

 Rudy is growing up in warp speed. He started dressing himself this week. (He's never been interested in that before.) So far, he's mastered shoes and pants. Shirts are still a bit of a challenge. ;) He's full of wise little moments and silly one liners. He's very interested in learning letters and their sounds. Literacy, here we come! Rudy's picking up on all sorts of baby care skills. He knows if a baby is fussing, you should pick her up and walk with her or rock in place. He's offered to do so a few times. So sweet! He's experimenting with insults. His repertoire so far- "I won't talk to you/Don't talk to me, I won't play with you, I won't love you anymore." Kind of more like threats, but I think he means them as insults. We're working on using nice words, and on reassuring Rudy that no matter what insult he flings, he'll always be loved. :)

 Jason is one final away from completing yet another semester of school. Only two more to go, and we're done! He's a rockin' daddy of two. Not afraid to take the kids on a walk to the park by himself, a willing partner in Julia's somewhat high maintenance night care, an understanding Daddy to a three year old who just needs to be loud and rough and crazy for a while, and a loving husband to a somewhat exhausted and frazzled wife who sometimes asks him to fetch her 10 different things before remembering that he's as exhausted and frazzled as she is.

 I'm finally getting the hang of being mommy to two. I can finally parent both kids at the same time without almost having an aneurysm or sending myself on a giant guilt trip that one child or the other has to wait to get a need met. Sometimes I still take mini guilt trips, but it's getting better. I'm down to serving cold cereal only once a day...still reaching for the once a week pattern we were at before, but hey, it's progress. I'm reawakening my core muscles, and trying to be patient as they groggily respond to my workouts. I'm trying not to think about ever doing pregnancy/infant care again. It makes this stage easier to handle if I tell myself I just have to get through one week at a time, and never have to look back. Maybe there are more kids in our future, but for now, I'm just not going to think about it. :)

Julia's been struggling with some reflux issues that have made her care a little more high maintenance than I remember Rudy's being. We've finally got her on some meds, so here's hoping the fussing will diminish and I can see some more of those smiles she's been working on.

Sigh. What a ride. What a wild and crazy ride. We're all hanging on, though, ready for what ever loop-de-loops, sharp turns, or stomach dropping plunges lay ahead. We can handle it, 'cause we're holding on to each other, and now the Splendiferous Drummonds are one person stronger. Welcome to the family, Juila. We're glad you're here!

All these awesome pics come courtesy of my rockin' sister in law, Keala Jarvis. Check out more of her work and get her contact info here. :)

A Few Pictures from our Postpartum Haze

Julia and Opa

Rudy's really getting pretty good with holding Julia. He's a loving brother, and getting more loving with each day. Today he started making little comments like "Hello Miss Juila!" and "Look at her cute little bum!" It's so nice to see him doting on her. I'm still bracing myself for him to get sick of her, but so far, so good. :)

On Friday, we absolutely HAD to get outside. Both Rudy and I needed some vigorous exercise, and some time to goof off together, like we did when Julia was still in my belly.  I strapped Julia onto my chest, where she slept contentedly while we built a giant leaf pile and played all sorts of games with it.

Rudy's favorite was a simple DESTROY THE LEAF PILE game. He'd run at it, plop himself into the middle of it, and then make havoc of all those unsuspecting peaceful little leaves. Then I'd chase him with fist fulls of leaves all over the park.

It was good for him. He's had so many "be gentle" prompts lately, that I'm sure it was a relief to just be as wild as wild can be.

All three of us left in good spirits, though Julia may as well have been napping at home for all the notice she took of our rumpus. She's so easy to please. So long as there's food, warmth, and a loving touch, she's content. :)

Note to Self:

 

don't try to bake less than two weeks postpartum. It just doesn't work.

Julia's First Trip to the Park

Don't worry-she did NOT ride to the park on Rudy's lap. I used the wrap a friend of mine passed down, and loved it! Thanks so much Amy!

Rudy, my Mom, Julia, and I took a stroll to our favorite park on her first full day home from the hospital. I was dying to get some fresh air, and to introduce Julia to the great outdoors. It was a beautiful day, and so fun to see Julia right at home sleeping in the grass with the autumn leaves rustling around her and the birds chirping above her.  And it was good to give Rudy some running around rowdy time. ;)

Julia's Arrival

Julia Elizabeth Drummond

Born November 3, 2010, 6:57 am

6 pounds 15 ounces

19 inches long

It was Tuesday, November 2nd, a full 14 days away from my due date, when I had the irrepressible urge to get to Target and buy all those last minute things on my list of "Before Julia Arrives" purchases. Hand sanitizer, new hand soap for the kitchen and bathroom, baby Tylenol.

Throughout the day, I'd had a few random surges (Hypnobirthing vocab for contractions) which seemed alot more down to business than the 'practice surges', or Braxton Hicks, that had been keeping me company for the last couple of months. I hadn't thought too much about them, but by 9 pm, when they were getting more regular, like every 15 minutes or so, I was definitely thinking about them. 

Try as I may to convince myself that this was just a practice run, the surges keep coming, more and more regularly, and more and more strongly. My Hypnobirthing training worked beautifully, and I was able to keep calm and relaxed as my body worked it's way toward birthing.
I didn't sleep, like my Hypnobirthing instructor had counseled us to do if labor began at night. Really, how can you expect a person to sleep when she feels the workings of such a big event as birthing her baby beginning? It's like asking a 6 year old to sleep in on Christmas morning! Instead, I found myself scrubbing the tub, because Heaven knows I was NOT going to have a filthy tub when the baby came home. (Never mind about the state of the kitchen. For some reason, the tub was the target of my final deep cleaning frenzy.)

By 2 am, I was pretty well convinced that we'd be heading to the hospital that night, so I woke Jason and called my mom to drive down from Midway to stay with Rudy. At about 4:00, my surges were strong enough that I felt comfortable going to the hospital.  I was still able to stay relatively comfortable through the surges by practicing my relaxation techniques and squatting down when they came. 

We checked into the hospital about 4:30, and were stuffed in an oversized closet of a 'room' for observation to be sure I was actually in labor. After about an hour, they agreed that I was going to have my baby, and let us settle into an actual birthing room. By then, my surges were getting stronger and a bit harder to manage with simple breathing and visualization. I hopped into a nice hot bath for about a half hour before the surges changed to serious birthing surges. Jason helped me move from the tub to the bed, which we put into the full sitting up position. I leaned on the inclined part of the bed in a sort of modified all fours position, which was really great to labor in for me. Things went pretty quickly from there. I remember my doctor stopping in to ask me how I felt about having my water broken if things stalled. I told him as politely as I could that I was sure that would not be necessary. A half hour later, my baby was in my arms as he hurried into the room to 'catch' her.
Jason, Julia and I enjoyed family bonding time for several hours before her stats were taken. It was a beautiful time for us.

All in all, I'm really happy with how our birthing experience went. I was hoping to be this miracle momma who  somehow birthed her baby with all the quiet composure of a birthing animal, but that was not to be. I did a bit of yelling as Julia made her way down the birth path, calling out to her, "Come, baby, come!" I know I was probably the joke of the hospital staff that day, but oh well, it's what helped me stay focused on the fact that all that pressure was bringing me my baby, and that I'd be seeing her any minute, which is what helped me stay in the right frame of mind to be able to work with Julia and Jason without fear.
One thing I loved about my second time around in Hypnobirthing was the increased connection I felt with Julia as we birthed together. I really felt like we were working together, and I was more tuned in to her position and her progression to and through the birth path. I also loved the fast recovery I enjoyed. After a good breakfast, I felt really amazing. All those endorphins from the birth kept me in my ultimate comfort zone for hours and hours after my birth-it was like I'd been sitting in a hot tub. We're so happy to welcome Miss Julia into our home, and so thankful to have enjoyed a smooth and gentle birthing experience.

A Beautiful Fall Day

I cherish the moments when the pure joy of motherhood surrounds me, and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. These are the times all the mundane 'homemaking' tasks of keeping a family running culminate into a rich, beautiful awareness that family is the greatest gift I've ever been given.

Check List

Hospital bag packed?-check
Rudy care arranged for and backed up?-check
Nursing and bottle feeding supplies stocked?-check
Clothing for the first 6 months of life washed and organized?-check
Paper diapers for both kids stocked and ready to go?-check
New crib set up? -check
Car seat installed and safety checked?-check
HypnoBirthing techniques reviewed?-check
Baby room beautified?-check, check, check!

Now, I feel about as ready as I'll ever be. Now, maybe I can sleep instead of sitting up at night fretting about if I'll be putting my little girl down to sleep in a thrown together mess of furniture, blank walls, and bare windows. Was I this neurotic when Rudy was almost here? Probably.