Saturday, October 25, 2008
NaNoWriMo
Several years ago, I learned about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The idea is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I thought it sounded like an awesome idea, but wasn't feeling up to the challenge that year. I bookmarked the page, thinking I would come back to it another year when I was feeling more prepared. You know, like in 20 years or so, when the kids are all grown and I have nothing better to do. Instead, I have decided to sign up and give it a shot this year. You know, since I have nothing better to do - what with the three kids under 4 years old, including a newborn, and the husband who is in school and work full time. So yeah, writing a novel should be a breeze. So now that you all know, you can yell at me if I start slacking. :o) Just keep an eye on that little calendar to the right. Green days are days I meet the minimum word count, and red days are the ones I don't. And if you're wondering, no - none of you can ever read my novel. Its not that I don't love each and every one of you, just that I hate when people read my writing (and yes, I do see the irony in that statement which I wrote and you are all now reading.)
Halloween begins
This weekend we kicked off our Halloween celebrations. (Not that Taye hasn't been wearing his costume for weeks already.) Friday afternoon we went to the farm stand in town to pick out our pumpkins. Today Daddy and the boys carved them while Mya and I watched. The boys mostly liked to open the tops and say, "Eeeew!"
In the end, Taye decided he didn't want to cut his pumpkin, but here are Luis and Darius'
In the end, Taye decided he didn't want to cut his pumpkin, but here are Luis and Darius'
Later this afternoon, Luis and the boys went out to rake the leaves. Surprisingly, the entire neighborhood ended up playing in our yard. (That was sarcasm, by the way.)
The pile of leaves was not the only attraction. Our scarecrow was also a huge hit. 
It wasn't long before Luis was tackled, which seems to happen to him a lot. 
The community center in town was having a Halloween party tonight, so the kids got dressed up to go. Darius' bunny ears lasted all of five seconds, but they were a cute five seconds. 
Mya was a chili pepper, which the boys asked if they could eat: 
At the party the boys each decorated a cookie. The end. 
The pile of leaves was not the only attraction. Our scarecrow was also a huge hit.
It wasn't long before Luis was tackled, which seems to happen to him a lot.
The community center in town was having a Halloween party tonight, so the kids got dressed up to go. Darius' bunny ears lasted all of five seconds, but they were a cute five seconds.
Mya was a chili pepper, which the boys asked if they could eat:
At the party the boys each decorated a cookie. The end.
This was Mya's opinion of the party:
I must agree. It was LAME...if it weren't for the fact that we had Kathy, George, and Keyeanna to talk to, I think we would have stayed for all of five minutes. Instead we lasted about 20. Oh well, at least we know now.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Apple Picking
Fridays are the only day that Luis doesn't have classes. This week we decided to spend the morning with him at Red Apple Farm, going apple picking. Taye wanted to know if Emma and Nana were coming too, but sadly it was just us this year. We started out at the little store where we bought our ridiculously huge bag for apples, some cider donuts, and a couple pieces of candy. Then we started the walk out to the orchards. On the way we stopped to play on the little red tractor (not to be confused with the big red tractor, see the end of the post.)
We had a long walk out before we were able to actually find any apples to pick, but eventually we did find some good trees. In the meantime it was a beautiful day, and the walk was nice. Once we did find the trees, the boys were very interested in eating apples, but not so much in actually picking any. They left that work to us, by which I mostly mean Luis.
This was Darius' idea of apple picking - mmm!
Taye, as usual, was happy to explore on his own. 
As we were walking back, we almost stepped on a beautiful butterfly that was just sitting on the grass. Daddy the animal whisperer, was of course able to pick it up to show the boys.
And to play on the previously mentioned, big red tractor.
We had a long walk out before we were able to actually find any apples to pick, but eventually we did find some good trees. In the meantime it was a beautiful day, and the walk was nice. Once we did find the trees, the boys were very interested in eating apples, but not so much in actually picking any. They left that work to us, by which I mostly mean Luis.
This was Darius' idea of apple picking - mmm!
Taye, as usual, was happy to explore on his own.
When we were done picking, they did want to help carry the bag - don't call them slackers!
As we were walking back, we almost stepped on a beautiful butterfly that was just sitting on the grass. Daddy the animal whisperer, was of course able to pick it up to show the boys.
By the time we got back to the car, Mya was hungry. She and I got cozy in the new van and she ate while the boys went with Daddy to feed the other animals.
And to play on the previously mentioned, big red tractor.
It was nice to get out together. And now we have apples. Lots and lots of apples. Too bad I don't really like apples! I am sensing a lot of applesauce-making in my future, and maybe if we're lucky, a pie or apple crisp.
Mya's Birth Story
I wrote this up tonight, and thought I would post it for those who might be interested. If you don't want to hear about the *details* of her birth, then I suggest jumping to the next post :o)
On Saturday the 4th, we had plans to go to the zoo. Taye and Darius had been asking to see monkeys, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the zoos were closed for the season, so we decided to go. Around 10am we were still at home, and I started having contractions. I had been having some contractions for about a week at this point, so almost thought nothing of them, but I still had a feeling that these may be the ‘real deal.’ Mostly because the other contractions I had been having didn’t start until the evening, and this was morning. I didn’t mention them to anyone at first, they were irregular and spaced out a lot, so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning yet. I reconsidered going to the zoo as it was in Springfield, which is about a 90 minute drive. It wasn’t that I thought I could end up having her on the side of the road or anything, as both of the boys’ labors progressed slowly, but more that I didn’t want to have to endure a long ride home if the contractions got much more intense. In my memory, there is nothing worse than hitting a bump in the road in the middle of a good contraction! Ultimately I decided that we should go, I didn’t want to disappoint the boys, and I knew if the baby did come that we would not be able to make the trip for a while. I also figured walking around the zoo would be a better way to pass the day than staying home and focusing on contractions all day, and maybe it would even help move things along. So I threw a towel in the car in case my water broke, and off we went. It was about noon, and as we were leaving I finally told Luis about the contractions.
We spent a nice few hours at the zoo. It was small, but perfect for the boys, and they had an awesome playground outside the gate which was a hit as well. The contractions got a little more intense as the day went on, but still weren’t too bad. Luis drove home, and I timed the contractions for the first time that day. They were pretty consistently 6-8 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds. I decided to call Rebecca, one of my midwives, and give her the heads up. We chatted for a while, and agreed that I would call with an update after I put the boys to bed, or sooner if something more happened. We came home and ate the chicken cacciatore that I had (thankfully) made the night before, then played for a while before I put the boys to bed. I called Rebecca back around 9pm and let her know that the contractions were a little closer together (more like 5-7, instead of 6-8 minutes apart) but otherwise there was no change. She suggested I take a warm bath, do some positioning exercises to try and move the baby, and then go to bed and get as much rest as I could. Again we agreed to keep in touch and see how the night went.
After I hung up with her, I called Tia, who had a VBAC homebirth last year. We talked for quite a while about my labor, and her birth experience, and how excited we both were. When we hung up, I took a shower, did my exercises, and went to bed. I tried to sleep, but it was hard. The contractions didn’t help, and my mind was racing. I think I did doze a little off and on, but it was not much. The contractions were definitely getting more intense, and as I was lying in bed waiting another one out, I suddenly felt the strangest pop and a warm gush - my water broke. I bolted to the bathroom with the phone and called Rebecca. It was about midnight. We talked about the contractions and how I was feeling. She called Megan, and they decided to head over to my house. I went back into my room and waited. Luis was sleeping, and I didn’t wake him until just before I expected Megan and Rebecca to arrive. Then I woke him up and let him know what was going on, and we headed downstairs.
They arrived around 1:30am, and we were all excited. They checked my temperature and blood pressure, and checked Mya’s heart rate and position. Everything was looking good, and we all spent some time chatting. Around 2:30am they suggested that I lie on the bed on my knees and chest, to try to get the baby positioned a little better. I ended up dozing like that for about an hour in between contractions. Every once in a while, Megan or Rebecca would come and check Mya’s heart rate and then leave me to rest. Around 3:30am, we all decided to try to sleep as much as we could. Luis and I snuggled up on the little bed, and poor Megan and Rebecca were stuck sharing the couch. We spent the rest of the night like that. I did not get a lot of sleep, between the contractions and listening for the boys to wake up. We had the baby monitor in the kitchen, and every little noise woke me, thinking they were waking up. To make that more fun, the hamster who lives in their room was apparently partying all night - I don’t know what she was doing, but she made more noise than I have ever heard!
The boys did finally wake up just before 7am, and Luis went up to them. He brought them into our bedroom and put the TV on for them for a while. By that time we were all awake, and I decided to time my contractions again. I was frustrated to see that although they had become much more intense and uncomfortable, they were still about 7 minutes apart! I was afraid that meant it was still going to be a long time, and began to wonder in one tiny part of my mind whether I could do it. I mentioned my frustration to Megan and Rebecca, and they reassured me that I was making progress, and everything would be fine. Around 8am, Rebecca checked me, and found that I was fully effaced and dilated 5-6cm. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved at that, or disappointed. It just seemed so… in the middle. By that time the boys were downstairs and done with breakfast. I became very tired not long after, and went back to bed. I think I actually slept better (between contractions, of course) than I had all night long. The contractions were really strong at that point, I kept shivering in the middle of them, and had to grab onto something through the worst of it. When I decided to get up around 9:30am, Luis told me that he wanted to call my mom to come get the boys. He wanted to help me, but couldn’t if he had to also keep the boys busy. I had hoped the boys would be there for the birth, but as soon as he suggested calling my mom, it seemed like a good idea and I agreed. She told us she was on her way, and would be at the house in about an hour.
By the time she came, I was walking around the house. Every time I had a contraction, I had to stop walking . I found the best way to get through them was to grab my lower belly, where the pain was most intense, and stand swaying with my eyes closed. They were still about 7 minutes apart. My mom and the boys left around 10:45am, and I continued my walking around the house. Within a few minutes I started having some closer contractions. It was very strange, I would have 2-3 contractions one on top of another, and then have a space of several minutes before the next one. This continued for the rest of my labor. In between contractions we were all talking, and at some point I sat in the living room. I sat through several intense contractions, and afterwards felt the need to lie down again. I was reluctant to do that, as the contractions definitely hurt more when I was lying down, but I found myself falling asleep in the chair between contractions, and finally decided to give in to the urge. Luis came into the room with me and sat beside my bed. I grabbed on to him for dear life with every contraction, and then actually slept between them. We hadn’t been in there for more that 15 minutes when I suddenly had the craziest feeling. During one contraction I suddenly felt a strong spasm-like feeling in my abdomen. I believe I was pushing without meaning to, it was a little freaky. I asked Luis to go tell Megan and Rebecca that I thought I needed to push. They came in and I talked to Rebecca. She told me that it might feel strange, and I may want to take a couple of contractions to get used to the feeling and start to work with it. She suggested that when I feel ready, I should move into a more upright position. Just then I had another strange spasm-like contraction. It was such a strong feeling, that as soon as I could move I told them I needed to stand up - now!
I stood next to the bed, and no sooner was I up, than I felt another contraction. Without thinking I squatted down and pushed. It hurt, but felt good at the same time. The contraction stopped and I stopped pushing very briefly before another one came on. That second one hurt, and I may have yelled a few profanities while I was pushing. :o) Everyone was so excited, and encouraging me as I went. I was grabbing onto Luis, and he was yelling “you’re doing it!” which was a great anchor and encouragement to me. At that point, I felt like Mya was almost out, but was almost afraid to ask, since it had only been minutes. But when I caught my breath after the second contraction, I asked, and they all told me ‘yes!’ she was right there. I had another contraction, and squatted down again, I could feel her coming and then there she was! She just slid right out - three pushes in four minutes, you can’t ask for an easier delivery! It was 12:32pm. I could not believe it, and just looked at her for a minute before picking her up. Her umbilical cord was very short, so I couldn’t really hold her close, but I held her the best I could. Megan and Rebecca bustled around getting the birth stool for me to sit on, wrapping Mya in blankets, and checking her out. After a while the placenta was delivered, and Luis cut the cord. They prepared the bed for me, and Mya and I climbed in to snuggle and nurse (and nurse, and nurse!) Luis called my mom, and she didn’t believe him at first - it had been less than 2 hours since they left! She was close to home, and arrived with the boys about 15 minutes later. T hey were so excited to see her, and Taye asked to hold her right away. It was an amazing experience, one I will never forget and I am so glad that I made the decision to have her at home.
On Saturday the 4th, we had plans to go to the zoo. Taye and Darius had been asking to see monkeys, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the zoos were closed for the season, so we decided to go. Around 10am we were still at home, and I started having contractions. I had been having some contractions for about a week at this point, so almost thought nothing of them, but I still had a feeling that these may be the ‘real deal.’ Mostly because the other contractions I had been having didn’t start until the evening, and this was morning. I didn’t mention them to anyone at first, they were irregular and spaced out a lot, so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning yet. I reconsidered going to the zoo as it was in Springfield, which is about a 90 minute drive. It wasn’t that I thought I could end up having her on the side of the road or anything, as both of the boys’ labors progressed slowly, but more that I didn’t want to have to endure a long ride home if the contractions got much more intense. In my memory, there is nothing worse than hitting a bump in the road in the middle of a good contraction! Ultimately I decided that we should go, I didn’t want to disappoint the boys, and I knew if the baby did come that we would not be able to make the trip for a while. I also figured walking around the zoo would be a better way to pass the day than staying home and focusing on contractions all day, and maybe it would even help move things along. So I threw a towel in the car in case my water broke, and off we went. It was about noon, and as we were leaving I finally told Luis about the contractions.
We spent a nice few hours at the zoo. It was small, but perfect for the boys, and they had an awesome playground outside the gate which was a hit as well. The contractions got a little more intense as the day went on, but still weren’t too bad. Luis drove home, and I timed the contractions for the first time that day. They were pretty consistently 6-8 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds. I decided to call Rebecca, one of my midwives, and give her the heads up. We chatted for a while, and agreed that I would call with an update after I put the boys to bed, or sooner if something more happened. We came home and ate the chicken cacciatore that I had (thankfully) made the night before, then played for a while before I put the boys to bed. I called Rebecca back around 9pm and let her know that the contractions were a little closer together (more like 5-7, instead of 6-8 minutes apart) but otherwise there was no change. She suggested I take a warm bath, do some positioning exercises to try and move the baby, and then go to bed and get as much rest as I could. Again we agreed to keep in touch and see how the night went.
After I hung up with her, I called Tia, who had a VBAC homebirth last year. We talked for quite a while about my labor, and her birth experience, and how excited we both were. When we hung up, I took a shower, did my exercises, and went to bed. I tried to sleep, but it was hard. The contractions didn’t help, and my mind was racing. I think I did doze a little off and on, but it was not much. The contractions were definitely getting more intense, and as I was lying in bed waiting another one out, I suddenly felt the strangest pop and a warm gush - my water broke. I bolted to the bathroom with the phone and called Rebecca. It was about midnight. We talked about the contractions and how I was feeling. She called Megan, and they decided to head over to my house. I went back into my room and waited. Luis was sleeping, and I didn’t wake him until just before I expected Megan and Rebecca to arrive. Then I woke him up and let him know what was going on, and we headed downstairs.
They arrived around 1:30am, and we were all excited. They checked my temperature and blood pressure, and checked Mya’s heart rate and position. Everything was looking good, and we all spent some time chatting. Around 2:30am they suggested that I lie on the bed on my knees and chest, to try to get the baby positioned a little better. I ended up dozing like that for about an hour in between contractions. Every once in a while, Megan or Rebecca would come and check Mya’s heart rate and then leave me to rest. Around 3:30am, we all decided to try to sleep as much as we could. Luis and I snuggled up on the little bed, and poor Megan and Rebecca were stuck sharing the couch. We spent the rest of the night like that. I did not get a lot of sleep, between the contractions and listening for the boys to wake up. We had the baby monitor in the kitchen, and every little noise woke me, thinking they were waking up. To make that more fun, the hamster who lives in their room was apparently partying all night - I don’t know what she was doing, but she made more noise than I have ever heard!
The boys did finally wake up just before 7am, and Luis went up to them. He brought them into our bedroom and put the TV on for them for a while. By that time we were all awake, and I decided to time my contractions again. I was frustrated to see that although they had become much more intense and uncomfortable, they were still about 7 minutes apart! I was afraid that meant it was still going to be a long time, and began to wonder in one tiny part of my mind whether I could do it. I mentioned my frustration to Megan and Rebecca, and they reassured me that I was making progress, and everything would be fine. Around 8am, Rebecca checked me, and found that I was fully effaced and dilated 5-6cm. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved at that, or disappointed. It just seemed so… in the middle. By that time the boys were downstairs and done with breakfast. I became very tired not long after, and went back to bed. I think I actually slept better (between contractions, of course) than I had all night long. The contractions were really strong at that point, I kept shivering in the middle of them, and had to grab onto something through the worst of it. When I decided to get up around 9:30am, Luis told me that he wanted to call my mom to come get the boys. He wanted to help me, but couldn’t if he had to also keep the boys busy. I had hoped the boys would be there for the birth, but as soon as he suggested calling my mom, it seemed like a good idea and I agreed. She told us she was on her way, and would be at the house in about an hour.
By the time she came, I was walking around the house. Every time I had a contraction, I had to stop walking . I found the best way to get through them was to grab my lower belly, where the pain was most intense, and stand swaying with my eyes closed. They were still about 7 minutes apart. My mom and the boys left around 10:45am, and I continued my walking around the house. Within a few minutes I started having some closer contractions. It was very strange, I would have 2-3 contractions one on top of another, and then have a space of several minutes before the next one. This continued for the rest of my labor. In between contractions we were all talking, and at some point I sat in the living room. I sat through several intense contractions, and afterwards felt the need to lie down again. I was reluctant to do that, as the contractions definitely hurt more when I was lying down, but I found myself falling asleep in the chair between contractions, and finally decided to give in to the urge. Luis came into the room with me and sat beside my bed. I grabbed on to him for dear life with every contraction, and then actually slept between them. We hadn’t been in there for more that 15 minutes when I suddenly had the craziest feeling. During one contraction I suddenly felt a strong spasm-like feeling in my abdomen. I believe I was pushing without meaning to, it was a little freaky. I asked Luis to go tell Megan and Rebecca that I thought I needed to push. They came in and I talked to Rebecca. She told me that it might feel strange, and I may want to take a couple of contractions to get used to the feeling and start to work with it. She suggested that when I feel ready, I should move into a more upright position. Just then I had another strange spasm-like contraction. It was such a strong feeling, that as soon as I could move I told them I needed to stand up - now!
I stood next to the bed, and no sooner was I up, than I felt another contraction. Without thinking I squatted down and pushed. It hurt, but felt good at the same time. The contraction stopped and I stopped pushing very briefly before another one came on. That second one hurt, and I may have yelled a few profanities while I was pushing. :o) Everyone was so excited, and encouraging me as I went. I was grabbing onto Luis, and he was yelling “you’re doing it!” which was a great anchor and encouragement to me. At that point, I felt like Mya was almost out, but was almost afraid to ask, since it had only been minutes. But when I caught my breath after the second contraction, I asked, and they all told me ‘yes!’ she was right there. I had another contraction, and squatted down again, I could feel her coming and then there she was! She just slid right out - three pushes in four minutes, you can’t ask for an easier delivery! It was 12:32pm. I could not believe it, and just looked at her for a minute before picking her up. Her umbilical cord was very short, so I couldn’t really hold her close, but I held her the best I could. Megan and Rebecca bustled around getting the birth stool for me to sit on, wrapping Mya in blankets, and checking her out. After a while the placenta was delivered, and Luis cut the cord. They prepared the bed for me, and Mya and I climbed in to snuggle and nurse (and nurse, and nurse!) Luis called my mom, and she didn’t believe him at first - it had been less than 2 hours since they left! She was close to home, and arrived with the boys about 15 minutes later. T hey were so excited to see her, and Taye asked to hold her right away. It was an amazing experience, one I will never forget and I am so glad that I made the decision to have her at home.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Who Needs TV?
Our TV decided that the day Mya was born would be a good time to die. Of course. So we brought it somewhere to (hopefully) be fixed, and in the meantime there is a gaping open space in the entertainment center. Which has proven to be much more fun that the TV was anyway (so there!)
Usually when they're playing in there, the boys pretend to be Abe Lincoln and George Washington (and why not?) My favorite quote was this:
Taye: Hi my friend, Abe Lincoln!
Darius: No! I am not your friend Abe Lincoln, I am just Abe Lincoln, and you are my best friend George Washington!
Usually when they're playing in there, the boys pretend to be Abe Lincoln and George Washington (and why not?) My favorite quote was this:
Taye: Hi my friend, Abe Lincoln!
Darius: No! I am not your friend Abe Lincoln, I am just Abe Lincoln, and you are my best friend George Washington!
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