You Know When You're Sleep Deprived When...

One of the biggest challenges of having a newborn is lack of sleep.  Now that Samuel is 6 weeks old and sleeping a little better, I can see the more humorous side of sleep deprivation.

You know when you are sleep deprived when:

1) You walk into a room and wonder what in the world you went there for, and the only thing you can remember is that you have already done the same thing 3 times that day.

2) You nearly burn the house down by turning on the wrong burner...more than once in a given day.

3) You fall asleep in mid sentence while praying.

4) You move to an uncomfortable chair under a bright light and still fall asleep in mid sentence while praying.

5) You decide to stand up to avoid falling asleep while praying, and still fall asleep while standing.

6) When your newborn is crying and you are wondering why until you realize that it is 8am and you haven't changed his diaper since 10pm the evening before (please don't turn me into child services - it only happened once!)

7) You fall asleep while waiting for a cavity to be filled.

8) You try to put a size newborn diaper on your two year old.

Welcome Samuel Joseph

On October 2nd we welcomed the newest member of our family, Samuel Joseph.  He weighed 6lbs 14oz and was 19.5".  What a blessing!  God answered so many prayers...he is healthy, full term (to the date!), and the birth was pretty much textbook.

Bringing home a full term baby is very different than a preemie.  There are no cords, monitors, or oxygen tubes to trip over.  We don't have to interrogate people to find out if they have been around any sick people in order for them to visit.  We are pretty relaxed about most things instead of being jumpy about everything.  He only has one doctor versus a team of specialists that come with a zillion appointments.  On the flip side, he came home with us the day after he was born and not on a schedule.  We didn't have a chance to get to know him and how he works before coming home.  He has a normal cry which can get pretty loud, versus a tiny kitten cry.  When all things are weighed out though, we have decided that we prefer to do full term babies over preemies.  :)

We survived the first couple weeks and are now trying to figure out what to do with a toddler and a newborn.  It is most definitely a full time job!  Benjamin is not sure what to think of this little invader.  He isn't hugely interested in him at this point, but he isn't so sure about sharing attention.  All in all he is doing very good and eager to help.

Stop the Prayers!

I'm not sure if I have ever asked people to stop praying, but if you are still praying that baby stays inside longer, feel free to stop and reverse your prayer! :)

I have less than 2 weeks to go to hit my 40 weeks.  I keep having to remind myself that I prayed for this!  My hands are swollen and numb, making the simplest tasks a little harder like buttoning shirts, opening basically anything, and writing.  It feels like I have dipped my hands in a thick wax.  My feet and legs are swollen too.  I noticed this morning that the swelling has moved up to my knees, but at least it isn't uncomfortable like with my hands.  I try to stop myself from complaining too much, because the sleepless nights, swelling, and just plain awkwardness of the end of the 3rd trimester is a small price to pay for a healthy full term baby.  Now if he would just hurry up...

The Best Prescription Ever!

Around 1:00am on Friday morning I woke up with a horrible headache.  My head was pounding and I felt a bit nauseous.  I took Tylenol, despite longingly looking at the bottle of Advil sitting next to it.  Tylenol has never worked well for me on real pain.  It felt like I had a bad hangover.  A couple hours later I was able to finally fall asleep again, comforted by the thought that I had a doctor's appointment later that morning.

Later that same morning I woke up with a mild headache and still had some mild nausea.  The nurse's first thought was preeclampsia, but my blood pressure was low as normal 85/60, and I didn't exhibit any other symptoms.  My doctor said he didn't have an answer for me and agreed that Tylenol doesn't work very well.  His prescription: caffeine.  He recommended drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day when I needed it.  Apparently the caffeine dilates the blood vessels which relieves headaches and that is why Excedrin contains it.  I always thought that when you had a headache, drank coffee, and it went away it meant you were addicted to it.  Apparently not.  Regardless, I can honestly say that this is the best prescription that I have ever been given.  I wonder if I could put a Starbuck's latte on my flex-spending card?  :)

Hello September!

Our busy summer is coming to a close with many exciting things ahead.  Our garage has good progress and hopefully by the end of next week will have siding and electricity.  Doors come after that and once they are up we get to move Benjamin's roommate (the upright freezer) out to begin to make room for little brother.  Brian is exhausted as he has been the primary builder of the garage, but also excited as this is something he as wanted since he moved in almost 6 years ago after we were married.  We call it a garage, but in reality it will be Brian's shop.

Little brother is due in just over 4 weeks!  As of yesterday they estimate his weight to be 5lbs and 13oz by ultrasound.  That is right at 50% and where they want him to be.  Everything looks great and the doctors are very pleased with how this pregnancy is going.  Now if only the swelling in my feet would go down and my hands stop going numb...but I really don't have rights to complain as God has taken care of me and baby every step of the way.

We went to the ear specialist today for a followup on Benjamin's ears.  Another blessing, Benjamin's ears have improved and therefore tubes are not necessary at this time.  He still has some negative pressure and his right ear is not quite in the "normal" hearing range, therefore we are going to continue using his nasal spray until next spring to get him through the cold season to help prevent ear infections.

Benjamin has really started to say words or at least attempt them.  He is still delayed for his age, but making notable progress every week.  His understanding is very good (that doesn't mean he always obeys...typical 2 year old) and he has started repeating words often.  One thing that I don't think he understands is that a baby is going to join the family.  He can point at a baby he sees and say baby, but sometimes I ask him where the baby is and he pulls up his shirt.  Apparently baby and belly are synonymous in his mind. :)

Dish Help

Picking Beans

Serious Reader

Canning Season

It's August, which means it's canning time.  I have found that this is an almost-lost art that I think is coming back around.  I grew up in a home where mom canned everything from peaches to cherries to beans to relish to pickles.  We always had a big garden and when my parents built their house 28 years ago, they even planned a special room in the basement to store all of mom's canned goods.  We called it the fruit room.  I remember being sent down and told to "pick a fruit" for that evening's meal.  How amazing to have a whole grocery aisle in your home!

Now that I have my own home and garden I have enjoyed harvesting from it and preserving food for the winter.  There is something wonderful about planting seeds, caring for them as they grow, and harvesting with your own hands.  This year is the first year I have been blessed to stay home and it makes canning and preserving that much more fun.  It is also something that I know how to do to help provide for my family, which feels good.

Earlier this month I picked raspberries and froze pulp for freezer jam (sooo much better than store bought!) and last week I picked blueberries to freeze since our family loves them with oatmeal.  Earlier this week I made pesto out of our basil to freeze (there is nothing better in the middle of winter than a good pesto pasta).  Today I picked my third crop of green beans and canned them.  My hope is to can carrots, beets, peaches, and applesauce before the season is over.

31 weeks!

...and the countdown begins.  Am I really 6 weeks beyond were Benjamin was born?  Today I had another appointment and everything looks great again.  What a blessing...seriously.  I remember saying early on in my pregnancy how cool it would be to make it to 32 weeks and it looks like I am going to do it.  Who knows, maybe I will go past due!  Bring it on!  The ultrasound tech got a great shot of my sweet little guy.  I think he looks like his brother, but we will have to wait to really find out.  He weighs 3lbs 11oz, well over double the size Benjamin was at birth.  Thank you, Jesus...