home from the hospital

yes, it's true.  we just got home.  but, thankfully, i am still "pre" instead of "post" partum. 

these pesky contractions.

today they decided to start.  and they still haven't decided to stop.  

you'll be happy to know (as i was) that some of my "contractions" are not contractions at all. rather, they are simply "irritable uterus".  hmmm.  if they keep on like this, i know someone else who is going to be quite irritable. 

also, the nurse was quite complimentary about how well hydrated i am.  i told her the 120 oz. story.  she was impressed.  at least i think that was the expression on her face.  however, in hind sight, it might have been more of a "this chick is loco" kind of look.  

here's the thing:  the rule of thumb has been that if i have four or more contractions per hour...for a two hour time span...i need to go to the hospital.  today, we discovered that this rule really doesn't work for me.  because, clearly, i have had WAY more than four contractions per hour...for WAY more than two hours.  

so, they've given me a new directive.  which, of course, requires a follow-up with my OB within the next week.  it also requires rest, hydration, and warm bathes.  and "today" is supposed to be my new "baseline".  so, basically, if i have more frequent, or more painful, contractions than today...that's when i go to the hospital.

two really nice things about this hospital experience...quality time with hubs AND not being charged a co-pay!  woo hoo!

i'll get by with a little help from my friends

i have a really hard time asking for help.  actually, i think it's more that i have a really hard time admitting that i need help.  in either case, when i do make myself vulnerable enough to acknowledge my need and request a hand...

it makes me feel a whole lot better when i'm not met with a begrudging, resentful attitude.  

sigh. 

the storybook farm

during the month of september, denver's children's museum is partnering with the urban farm.  they've created a really fun exhibit that changes each and every day.  so far, we've gotten to meet sheep, cows, rabbits, goats, horses, turkeys, chickens, and even a llama!  

the big wooly sheep have been the most fun...and the most friendly. 

harrison has enjoyed working in the garden, riding the tractor, feeding the animals, and listening to some fun stories about the farm. 

we feel so blessed to live in a place that offers inexpensive and creative opportunities to play with our child!

things to remember...

some of the best memories cannot be captured by anything other than my mind.  for example....

harrison is a "dancing machine".  jer and i LOVE watching him "get down".  his moves resemble something similar to bill cosby's (as seen during the opening theme song of the cosby show).

he is now saying a few words:  daddy, hi, yeah (as in "yes"), and night (as in "night, night")

he does not like it when mommy & daddy look at, touch, or talk to mommy's belly.  harrison is insistent on pulling my shirt over my belly so that it does not show.  (a few weeks ago he was quite obsessed with my belly button.  specifically, he loved sticking his finger in it.  i'm sort of happy that phase has passed.)

he does not like it when mommy has to go potty.  i mean, God forbid if i actually closed the bathroom door and got a little privacy.  that would just be unheard of.  but if i let harrison in the bathroom with me, he still gets a bit whiny, tries to pull up my shorts (while i'm sitting on the potty!), and pulls the toilet paper off the roll so that i can get done quicker.  

he has absolutely no issues when daddy has to go potty.  the child is an anomaly. 

animal noises:  dog panting, cow mooing, and (best of all) an elephant "noise", which is (silently) made by waving his right arm up and down like a trunk.  he also makes an airplane/car noise - trying to mimic our vroom-vroom's.

last night, jer and i watched as harrison played with his books and his backpack.  we talked about how, someday, we will watch him pull big textbooks out of his bag so that he can start his homework.  time simply goes by too quickly.  just one reason why it's so great to take time to cherish the things that are happening right now.

casa bonita

we went to casa bonita on friday night.  although it is a white family tradition that dates back to grammy's & papa's college days, it was my first time to visit this beloved restaurant.  harrison loved it.  he ate two bites of dinner and, then, proceeded to clear his tray (yes, he is a very well-mannered boy), pull off his bib, and stand up.  there was no doubt that he was ready to EXPLORE.  

jer and his parents took turns walking him around while i rested my weary feet. it was a lovely night.  

snacktime

we always have a little snack/tv time after harrison wakes up from his nap.  our favorite show is, of course, baby einstein.  our favorite snack: goldfish and annie's organic bunnies.  i love this time of day because i always get lots of snuggles and cuddles from my boy!  

by the way, harrison's green "chair" is called a cooshee.  it's a booster seat that has built in suction cups, so it sticks to the chair when he's sitting at the table.  currently, he uses it more like a step stool to make getting up onto the couch just a bit easier.  smart boy.

finishing the basement

we've hired an awesome construction company to remodel our basement.  crazy the coincidences of life (if you actually believe in coincidence)...

when jared (the general contractor) first showed up at our house, he was wearing big white plastic sunglasses, had punk-rock hair, tattoos all over both arms, piercings in both ears and two in his lip...the way he looked, basically, screamed, "i love rock-n-roll".  

hmmm.  i'm familiar with guys like you.  i'm, actually, comfortable with guys like you. 

we headed down to the basement so i could show him the space.  he noticed my HUGE framed p.o.d. poster.  when i say huge, i'm talking at least 7-feet tall by 3-feet wide.  it's hard not to notice.  if memory serves, it is one of only two in the united states...brought back from a european tour by p.o.d.'s tour manager, danny.  i believe the other one is somewhere in the ottley household.

anyway, jared commented on the poster.  he said he loves p.o.d. and, then, proceeded to tell me that he is in a Christian punk band...and, better yet, he LOVES another band that sometimes toured with p.o.d. - blindside!  

small world.  i love p.o.d. and blindside, too!  : ) 

so, conversation easily turned toward Christian topics.  turned out, jared leads worship at his church and his business partner (also named jared) is the youth pastor.  construction is what they do to pay the bills.  

all this, coupled with the fact that they interacted so well with harrison...

who kept finding random objects to give to them.  

an old digital camera?  oh, thank you, harrison.  

a broom?  you shouldn't have.  

a crayon?  that's so nice!

they also let harrison play with their tape measures.  big time fun!

...led me to hire them.  and, of course, they are really good at remodels, too. 

since the project began, it has been fun getting to know each of them better.  i hope that we will continue to be friends long after our basement is done.  

making brownies

for a mom who is pretty darn strict about what my child eats, i'd say allowing harrison to make brownies...and lick the spoon!!...is like throwing caution to the wind.

what freedom!

next i'll be letting him play outside without a coat.  or ride the shopping cart without wiping his hands afterward.  or drink juice that hasn't been watered down.  or allow him to climb, and

jump, and run without gasping in fear.

clearly, i have reached a new level of motherhood.

i have a bladder of steel

always have.  and, hopefully, always will.  : ) 

my mom tells stories of how she used to worry about me because when i was a little girl i would wake up and go to school...without ever having gone potty.  i vividly remember times when i would get home from school and go to the bathroom for the first time that day. 

and i am a "refuse to stop for potty breaks during road trips" kind of girl.  12 hours in a car? no problem.

i truly believe that having a strong bladder is my special super-hero power. 

someone should write a comic book about that. 

BUT, yesterday i reached my bladder limit.  

due to some pesky contractions, i drank at least 120 ounces of water in a 6 hour time span.  not even a bladder of steel can withstand that kind of pressure.

the contractions started around 1:00 pm and were five minutes apart for the better part of two hours.  then, they slowed to every 15 minutes...and then to an hour apart.  jeremy had our bag packed and we fully expected to spend the night being monitored at the hospital.  thankfully, it never came to that.  

i'm certain it was all the water (coupled with lying on my left side) that helped calm my uterus. it does seem to be a bit of an oxymoron, however, that doctors tell you to get LOTS of rest while drinking LOTS of water.  do they not realize that all the water negates all the rest?  

when a pregnant lady has to heave her body off the couch every 5 minutes, and walk to the bathroom...well, i mean, that's the equivalent of EXERCISE!  

i feared that i would be "exercising" all night long.  but, it wasn't so.  i woke up this morning, after a peaceful, uninterrupted night's sleep...and, as i went potty, i held a silent vigil in honor of my bladder.  

oh, thank you, bladder of steel.  you've never done me wrong.  

parent's day out

        

last monday, harrison had his first day of "school".  we have enrolled him in a parent's day out program one day a week, from 9:00 to 1:00.  he was so excited to be there, ran into the room, and immediately started playing with the toys.  i kept telling him that "mommy was going to go bye-bye", which did not seem to phase him.  that is, until i actually walked toward the door.

he cried.  and i drove away wondering if i had done the right thing. but, upon picking him up, it turns out that he did GREAT.  another mom even complimented how well (and how quickly) he calmed down after i left.  he played well, interacted with the teachers and kids well, and he ate all his lunch.  so, it was a good morning. 

i picked him up at 12:15...knowing that he would need a nap before 1:00.  and, of course, mother knows best.  he was asleep before we got home.  i got him out of his car seat, wiped his face and hands, changed his diaper, and put him down in his crib...and he never woke up!  

the boy loves to play outside

harrison knows that shoes and a hat are required before going outside.  apparently, he thinks clothing is optional.

night, night...sleep tight

there is nothing better than a freshly bathed boy.  the smell of johnson's baby shampoo in still-damp hair is dreamy.  i love kissing harrison goodnight and knowing that i will giggle in the morning when i see his wild "bed head" hair.

my dear friend, robin, always says that a good bedtime ritual should consist of the three b's - bath, book, and bed.  how right she is. harrison thrives on the "three b plan".

tonight, as i was reading, harrison climbed up onto jer's lap.  he wanted to be held and rocked. eventually, as all the books had been read...and all the songs had been sung, harrison was STILL happily rocking with daddy. 

it was such a rarity on a couple of levels.  first, for the most part, harrison won't sit still long enough to be held.  and, second, daddy doesn't get cuddles from harrison very often because, well, he's daddy. generally, when jer tries to give him "lovies", harrison pushes away. which breaks jer's heart.

so i sat in the dimly lit room, watching them rock.  jeremy was SO content.  harrison was SO content.  i was SO content.  it seems so simple, yet it was such a special moment.  one that i soaked in.  i didn't want to do anything that would interrupt their father/son bonding.  so i just quietly observed...with a smile on my face.

i thought about how that little room held everything i cherish most in this world.  and about how i am so richly blessed.  and about how much harrison has grown in such a short period of time.  and about how a new baby boy will soon become a part of our bedtime traditions.  

and about how the smell of johnson's baby shampoo will always trigger my memory to recall this special moment.