waves

Heather sent me a Kaycee :-). Thanks Heather. Thanks Kaycee.   I'm working on this whole feeding thing. Its getting better and honestly only the latch on hurts, and only temporarily. Hoping to get past it soon!

Silas update: 10 days old   We are beginning to see the jaundice really start fading. His eyes are still really yellow though. I know he's getting past it because all of a sudden he is not so sleepy! Our sweet little sleep giver who was sleeping for 3-4 hours at a time now only cat naps. What does he do the rest of the time? Refer to my last post.  He is awfully cute though. We like him. I'm pretty sure I'll keep him :-).

I want to post his birth story, but havent had time to write it all down. I will soon though:-).

On the moving front: pray for us. We cant get out of our lease. We cant get a house where we are moving to until we get out of our lease here. We cant register Ayden until we get a new lease. We had found a house and were excited about it. Lucas took Balin on a six hour road trip to check it out, and then we find all this out. So pray for us. Because we are quickly losing our minds.

Haiti, and learning not to murmur

I'm at that point of having a newborn where one of two things happen. You start to get really settled and excited and back to normal, or you lose your mind and start wondering what was I thinking? I'm often at that second turn. I love being a mama to a baby. So sweet. So tiny. So perfect. So in love. BUT theres this whole issue of feeding him. The easy route and the one I most desire is to drive to wally world and buy the big blue can of formula, bring it home, mix into a bottle, hand it to my husband, hand a beautiful baby bundle to my husband and GO TO SLEEP. But. I wont. I will instead every two to three hours gather my sleeping or not sleeping beautiful baby bundle, and procede to do the most the painful thing ever in my life.... placetender body parts in the mouth of a raging beast. Seriously. We call him gator. I've been complaining and whining. And then I read this post by Heather. She is doing Good Work right now. She and her family have given up their lives in the states for at least a full school year in Haiti. Heather gets to work with a womens ministry there and this is what she posted today about a (very)young mother and her tiny new baby. Read it. I'm right there. The crying, the cursing, the fear of the latch. I found myself longing for a Heather. Not specifically Heather but someone like her. I could go to the Drs office and see a lactation consultant, but I want a Heather. Someone personal to come beside me and cry and laugh with me as I force my body to do what it most certainly was designed to do, but most certainly FEARS. Then my close to jealous heart was hit and suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude. I have everything. An over over over abundance of anything and everything. I am so grateful that Haiti has a Heather. I don't even really know Heather. We joined their church and then I got pregnant and got to know only a handful of people on a very intimate level due to being sick and hiding the past 9 months. BUT I know that God has huge things planned for the entire Hendrick family and the lives they are touching. So now I have another baby and mama to pray for. A woman with obstacles in her life I can only imagine. I don't know what God would have me do to help women like Adema. I'm pretty sure it starts by my ceasing to feel sorry for myself. Even when I have to feed gator at 2 and 4 and 6. Even when I would rather go through an entire delivery again than face another latch on. I can wear my lovely nipple shields and use another tube of lanolin... and maybe use that time for something a little more constructive than moping about how miserable I am. I can pray for babies. and mamas. who have so little and are so very brave. I can pray for the people who have the courage to help them. And I can be grateful. Grateful that God refuses to let me wallow in my sin. That he confronts me in my arrogance. That he has given me the ability to nurse my baby. And that far far away, on an island, a young girl was blessed by a Heather :-).

Introducing

Baby Sprout

September 16th, 2010
8 lbs 11.5 oz
21 inches long

Kolache

We spent a couple of hours at a Kolache festival this morning. YUM. We love kolaches. In fact, as we were heading out the door and telling the kids where we were going Mudbug was very confused (and angry) when we did not turn towards our usual restaurant.  But with just a short drive we found ourselves in one of the adorable towns that make up central Texas and were on our way to the sugary, buttery goodness that is a kolache.  There were also vendors. Hundreds of vendors. I love festivals like this for the opportunity to talk to artisans and find out why they make what they make. I can't wait to share with you about our favorite vendor today, but as we bought a gift for my parents from him that will have to wait until they open it. The second goal, other than obtaining dessert for breakfast was trying to walk this baby out. I'm having lots of contractions tonight, so maybe it did something! In the meantime I thought I would share some of the comments I received today. As a 38+ weeker I'm used to comments and few bother me, but I found these kinda funny:
"You look like youre about to pop!" - this is a standard oh-you-are-preggo-I should-say-something comment. But really. As long as I've been alive I've never heard of a pregnant woman popping. I hope I never do.
" That must be a big baby" -enough said, bring me another kolache.
"when are you due?" -repeated more than a handful of times. I should have a worn a shirt that said "yes, my water very well might break on your feet."
and my favorite, from the aforementioned favorite vendor, a man
(to Lucas) "Keep her close to the car" and (to me) "drink water and take deeeeeep breaths!"

38/or "the waiting game"

Today marks 38 weeks. At 39 I can be induced. Yee-haw. Actually I have an induction "scheduled" for the 20th. Meaning that on the 20th I will go in first thing and have a baby or not go in if too many women go into labor on their own. I'm also on the waiting list for a spot on the 16th. (The Dr wont be there the 17th or that would have been THE day. Baby is low and from my waddle I can tell he is only gettting lower. He barely moves these days and when he does... oh golly I better be sitting down. Ouch.
 If you are my friend on facebook then you've seen me be really whiny lately. I admit. I'm not good at waiting. I guess one could easily say patience is definitly one of my sin struggles. I want to know NOW. I want to make plans NOW. I want it happening NOW. (Remember my three month courtship and nine month engagement... would have been faster if I wasnt dead set on a New Years wedding!) Now wanting to avoid waiting does not in any way mean I'm a good planner. Nope. Actually I struggle with the opposite. I'm quite impulsive. All of this to say that waiting for a baby is no fun. I'm tired of poking his toes and would much rather kiss them.  I'm ready. His room is ready. His brothers are as ready as they will get, and as of this weekend my house is clean. So come on baby boy. Lets meet you!

In another realm of life, we are waiting to see what happens with Mr. Simply's job. We've been under difficult work conditions for almost a year now. He travels soooo much, although for the past two months that has been slowing down significantly. There are so many other factors but basically it comes down to wanting to work for a stronger company with better standards. He started pursuing jobs back in early spring and a couple of weeks ago had a strong interview. We got a call last night that the manager is interested! We are negotiating salary so that we dont go backwards, as we took a pay cut to move here in the first place. (well sorta, we were laid off so actually it was a giant raise.) If they can agree to that and get him approved with upper management we are in! And will be moving with a very young infant. And loosing insurance for a month. Blah. But theoretically we will be able to move Eagle to a better school (although we like his teacher this year) and have Daddy home more often. Plus we would be within a short 20-30 minute drive of the beach. So again... we wait. And I get to practice being patient, prayerfully seeking peace and trusting that God's got this. I'll go mop again. That Im in control of.

Countdown

Pregnancy Update: Tomorrow we are officially at 37 weeks! Full term :-). I've been having ridiculous braxton hicks/ irritable uterus contraction for about a month now. They hurt. And make it hard to walk. Or eat. Or function much at all. My Dr has set the date around September 20th. We will most likely do an induction so we can be sure to get my epidural in time. There is a tiny chance we could do that on the 16th. As of right now we are only 1 cm dilated, but the baby has dropped some. I knew this because of the sharp stabbing pains I'm having. :-).  To make myself feel better I've been finishing my shopping list.

Here are a few items I remembered at the last minute that I am so glad I've learned about along the way.
*swaddle blankets :  Big ones, not receiving blankets (although those are handy too). BIG swaddle blankets like Aden and Anais or Swaddle designs. A BIG swaddle blanket makes life so much easier. (you can swaddle with regular receiving blankets but baby will outgrow them fast.) Targit now sells A & A for less than 30$ for four of them. GOOD DEAL. A friend recently said on her blog that no one had mentioned swaddling to her before her baby was born. I was sad for her. Like really really sad. Learn to swaddle. Teddy bears make good practice dummies :-). You could always enlist the help of a friend with a serger and make your own! I recommend at least two.
*Baby gowns: even if having a boy they make night time so much easier! You dont have to undo buttons or snaps to get at the millions of diapers newborns produce. Look for long ones so they don't "ride up." I bought one from Janie and Jack on clearance for 11.99 :-). I drool over it and its organic cottony softness. These are not the same as sleep sacks. Sleep sacks are intended for warmth, not quick access when you are delirious from caring for a newborn. I recommend three. One to wear, one to be in the wash and one ready to go.
*Ipod app for keeping track of feedings. Genius. I swear this stupid piece of technology that I resisted for so long has changed my human experience. No more having to write down on slips of paper when you nursed and what side. Just tap your phone. I got one called Baby Scheduler. Its free.
*Cetaphil: My sister introduced me to this when I had Eagle. Made for sensitive skin, it is a cleanser/skin conditioner that requires NO WATER. You can use it on baby until they are ready for a tub bath and it keeps their skin soft and sweet and clean. With no cold washcloths required. I buy the store brand because it is a little pricey.
*Nursing tank top: Targit again has come through. They have lots of options and price comparatively to Motherhood.... but ACCEPT returns. With a receipt of course. I plan on taking mine, my comfy pajama bottoms and a zip up hoodie for my post partum regalia.

*Coming home outfit: this was only last minute for me because I've gone back and forth on what I wanted to do. Eagle and Mudbug wore the same cardigan and pants to come home in. I wanted something different for Sprout, but was not finding anything. Have you been to Gymboree lately? BIG giant awesome sales. Plus they have expanded their newborn lines. Today we went in and found this outfit.

Again, I drool.

It perfectly matches a sweet hat and booty set my sister's mother in law made for us. I can not wait to bring him home in it!

And with that I am done spending money:-). For now anyway. Now where is my ice pad?