Just a quick update on a sunny ( finally ) Sunday. Kate was 4 weeks old last Wednesday and aside from Will’s “crazy eyes,” he has adjusted quite normally - playing Will Vader ( see video below ), cuddling with his mom and baby sister, and generally playing a lot. Kate is also settling into a routine; that is, she sleeps and eats and gets very upset if we don’t tend to her needs in a timely fashion. Unfortunately for us, she decides what a “timely” fashion is and it never seems to match our definition. Oh well… I should have expected as much as the force is strong in Will and Kate…
Easter 2009 has come and gone, along with multiple marshmallow yellow peeps and assorted jellybeans - most of which were keenly negotiated by a overly-sugared-up 4 year old! Kate had Jessica up at 4am, closely followed by Will at 5am, whose first words were “has the Easter Bunny been here?” Needless to say, Kate was the only one who went back to sleep on Easter morning. Our actual Easter morning itinerary went something like this:
Jess up at 4am, Will up at 5am, baskets and eggs found by 7:15am, first batch of gummy bugs created by 7:45am, Jess back in bed by 8am, Will and Bill watching Star Wars Episode VI by 8:30. HAPPY EASTER!
Last night was Kate’s 1 week “birthday” and so far things are going as well as can be expected. Will has taken to his baby sister better than we could have imagined, insists on accompanying her to all doctor appointments ( and is a bit disappointed when she doesn’t get shots - he apparently is fascinated by this ), and tells her that “everything will be okay - big brother is here.” It’s quite cute, in a teary-eyed parent kinda way.
I also got a chance to put together some video clips from the hospital stay, which you can see in the embedded video. Hope you enjoy!
Two days have quickly passed since we brought Kate home ( though the nights… well… not so quickly ). When Jess and I pulled into the driveway, we were greeted by two Welcome Home signs created by Will and his Grandma… Will was very proud of his handiwork.
While we haven’t quite settled into a routine, things have gone as smoothly as we could have hoped for. Kate seems to be a bit confused between her days and her nights and Will is just taking it all stride. Last night he wandered into Kate’s bedroom as she was crying to check how things were going… of course, it was about 2am, but he didn’t seem to mind.
I did manage to snap a couple of pictures while both Will and Kate were napping today and I could just stare at them for hours. Negative connotations notwithstanding, I feel like the Grinch’s heart that grew 3 sizes… you don’t know how or if it is even possible to love someone as much and then it just happens… pretty amazing. Now if we can just get those days and nights figured out, my heart may grow another 3 sizes…
Almost exactly 24 hours ago at the moment I am typing this post, the newest member of our little family entered the world: Catheryn Ann Unger. Kate was born weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces and is 21 inches long.
Jess and I were originally scheduled to be at the hospital at 7am for induction, but they called at 5:20am to tell us we were postponed until 11am. That gave both of us a chance to get a little more sleep and relax a little before the big day ahead. We arrived at the hospital at 11 and they began administering Pitocin around noon ( after some issues inserting an IV for Jess - let’s just say that she is apparently quite valvey?!). 2pm rolled around, Jess was only about 5cm dialated and 80% effaced, so they broke her water. Then began the long afternoon and evening of waiting. Epidural came around 6ish and at 8pm she was still only 5cm dilated. I was just banking on a long night ahead when Jess mentioned feeling like she really had to push ( this was around 8:30pm ). Nurse Angel checked and sure enough, Jess was 8-9cm dilated and Angel could feel the baby’s head. The doctor was paged, lights were turned on, the bed was rearranged, I may have peed a little, and the next thing I know Dr. Madion is telling Jess to push at the next contraction - by this time is about 8:55pm. 7 minutes and 3 big pushes later, Kate popped out and immediately began crying. And crying. And crying. Though our little darling is barely a day old, we have already determined 2 things: dirty diapers REALLY annoy her AND she holds a grudge. Last night, she held a grudge for about an hour or two just to let us know she was less than pleased to be in a cold, bright room. Since then, she holds grudges for about 5 minutes to let us know we didn’t properly warm our hands before touching her or the wipes are too cold.
Jess and Kate will be released tomorrow morning and I hope to post a handful of video and lots more pictures! Here is the first video, though it is raw and unedited:
It has been quite a while since my last post and quite a bit has happened since then. Will and I “remodeled” a closet for Jessica ( I use that term very loosely here ), we put a fresh coat of paint in the baby’s room, and completely repainted and spruced up Will’s room ( pictures on that to be forthcoming ). Will also got in some solid superhero time and generally provided good entertainment on otherwise snowy days.
The month was also spent preparing for the arrival of babySister. She was due to appear last Sunday ( 3/29 ), but has apparently decided to take her sweet time. So… Jessica and I are going to the hospital at 7am tomorrow morning to be induced ( Jess, not me ). It is definitely a different feeling this time around - having been through it once before, the feeling of the unknown is absent, though it is replaced with a little worry about Will and how he will process everything. But that is part of being a parent - making sure all the bases are covered and faking it if they aren’t!
I will update again in the next day or two, hopefully with some new and exciting pictures and movie clips!
Yes, we are still up to our ears in snow and yes, we are still finding ways to entertain ourselves. While Will is sticking with his self-proven formula of “underwear-only makes a happy day,” we have also inserted our own variations ( not that Will’s underwear-only idea is bad, it’s just that I get cold really easy ). So… we ventured outside today and built a snow cave the likes of which I have not built in years. Mostly because we haven’t had enough snow to build a cave comfortable enough for me to sit in, but saying that up front doesn’t have the same zing that “the likes of which I have not build in years.” Literary effect, people. It’s all about the writing. And the underwear…..
With the holidays behind us, snow all around us, and another 10 weeks before Will’s baby sister arrives, we have basically been holed up finding ways to entertain ourselves. Aside from a very brief sojourn as Star Wars characters with his buddy Harper, Will has given his new roller skates a test run ( in his underwear ), made banana muffins with Jess ( in his underwear ), and dabbled in a little shaving cream art ( in his underwear ). So not surprisingly, Will has basically just been hanging out in his undies while Jess and I try to keep up with him. Almost as if to prove a point, he is sitting next to me playing PBS Kids as I type this…. and yes, he’s in his underwear. So although the temperatures have been extremely cold lately and the snow even deeper, it has not daunted Will’s sense of adventure…. attacking each new day with a sense of excitement… all in his underwear. I think we can all take a little bit from that….
I spent this morning putting together our new 2009 calendar and making my annual “Year in Pictures” slideshow, which is always a treat for me to look back over the events of the past 12 months - remembering the wonderful times we had and incredulous over the speed with which they passed. Luckily, the pictures help to keep the warm memories in the forefront and stoke excitement over the new ones to come this year! Happy New Year!
It is the Sunday evening after Christmas and I still can’t believe Christmas has come and gone already. Will is in the other room watching the original Batman movie from 1966 ( which I watched as a kid ) and Jess is ironing… snow is still falling outside… and aside from 2 work days this coming week, we have another nice break ahead of us to continue enjoying lots of great family time… which is one of the reasons I can’t believe the holidays are cruising by so fast - it is such a wonderful time to relax and enjoy each other.
We spent Christmas Eve over at Jess’ parents then returned home in time for books and leaving cookies, milk, and carrots out for Santa… then it was off to bed. In the morning, we awoke to find that Santa had visited overnight and left Will ( among other things ) the Playmobil Hospital he has wanted for the better part of 2008. We also have it on good authority that it took Santa’s elves ( or more specifically, one lucky elf ) 3 hours to assemble the hospital, having dealt with 32 pages of assembly instructions and well over a couple of hundred pieces…. which also roughly explains the picture of me about 5 hours later. Speaking of 5 hours later, did I mention that Will was up by 5:20am? We spent the rest of the day playing, getting ready for Christmas dinner, playing, eating, and playing some more.
As a side note, Santa gave both Will and myself Nerf N-Strike Dart Blasters and I have to say that I haven’t enjoyed a toy as much as these badboys in a long time! I would highly recommend them for that inner swat-team member in you!
