First Bath

Ruby had her first bath last night. Of course the kids wanted to get in there with her, so we had them put on bathing suits while we filled up the big tub. Ruby's little bath 'bed' fit in between them, which meant she was not short on smothering. Ruby tolerated the water really well, even doing her very concentrated observing 'look-around' as soon as she entered the water. As excited as the kids were to play in the water with her, Eli and Maddux really did a good job of keeping calm and not splashing too much water on her.

Chunky Monkey!

Well, I can't quite call her that, but Ruby DID gain a whole lotta weight in the last 5 days! 10oz, to be exact, which works out to 2oz per day...the pediatrician's office joined me in a celebratory 'YES!' when we set her on the scale today. That puts her at 6 1/2lbs, and, per the Nurse Practitioner/Lactation Consultant, I can relax a little now! It's been a long two and a half weeks of making every single feeding count (which means I'm feeding her almost 12 hours of every 24...yikes!), but it's all worth it because she's less of a 'peanut' and more of 'peanut butter' now. (To keep things in perspective, she is still SMALLER than Maddux was at birth, and she was small too!)

Released!

If you've been following the saga of Eli's feet for the last year-ish, we have been working to fight off a relapse. Over the summer last year we saw some lack of dorsiflexion (i.e. his heels weren't always touching the ground when he walked) and followed up with the Orthopaedist twice and then ended up in PT with a strong possibility of recasting. Despite the therapist's desire to cast, we fought through with diligent home PT, weekly visits to her, night boots (similar to plantar faciitis treatment splints), chiropractic visits and managed to get a great response from his feet. At the beginning of the summer, we went back to our Ortho and he sided with us (non-casts) given the progress Eli was making, and after all of Eli's hard work, the therapist officially 'released' us today! She asked that we come back in 6-months to check in and make sure we are still seeing progress, but she commented that Eli has made more progress and gotten more flexibility in the shortest amount of time of all of the patients she's treated with feet like his. Woohoo!! Definitely a day of celebration!

Peanut Vs. Peanut Butter

This girl is giving me a run for my money already. Eli was born at a respectable weight and gained from there. Maddux was born small and had to go for one weight check, but they basically laughed at me when I went in the day after I left the hospital because she jumped up immediately to the 75%. Ruby, on the other hand, is determined to be a peanut.

She's eating great - she requires coaxing to eat some times, but in general, she does really well. And her diaper output (if you're a parent, you get it) is indicative that she is getting plenty at each feeding. Her weight, however, will not budge. She was born at 5lb 15oz. She was down to 5lb 10oz the day we left the hospital (very normal). Her first weight check found her still at her hospital exit weight, and her second weight check only found her up to 5lb 12oz.

I've been checked out by two lactation consultants a total of three times and they agree that everything is going fine, except for the scale. Tomorrow we go for yet another weight check and hopefully my little peanut has chunked up to more of a buttery stature.

Adjustment

So when you bring a new family member into the mix, adjustments are necessary and expected. Ruby's impact is very different than we anticipated however. Eli is adjusting well...VERY well. He is very, very protective of her, and he is amazingly loving towards her. In fact, he can't seem to go more than a few minutes without asking about her: Is Ruby eating ok? How did Ruby sleep? Does she need a clean diaper? It's really really cool to watch. Also, she seems to have had a calming affect on him. Since she's been home, he's not had any of outbursts we've come to expect from him, even when he's obviously frustrated.

Maddux, on the other hand, has demonstrated a heightened sense of 'crazy'. More impulsive, more 'bull in a china shop', more active. She loves her sister so much, but sometimes it's a little too rough and jumpy. And while she's getting some one-on-one with Grandma and some with Mommy and Daddy, she's definitely acting out a bit. It's less on days when I really plan out a chunk of time to pour into her, so that helps.

Both kids absolutely adore Ruby. They constantly ask to hold her and I can't put her down in a seat or on the play mat without them immediately swarming around her to smoother kisses and hugs. Life is good.

Big Brother

Wow. Eli is amazing. He keeps saying, "She's so cute!" "She smells so good." "She's so precious." anytime he interacts with Ruby. And he is beyond gentle and loving with her...I have yet to worry when he's holding her or leaning down to kiss her head. It's like he was born to be a big brother...which he already was, but this time is so different. He is a huge help with diapers and everything else.....he never refuses help I ask for, and he often volunteers to help. On an Eli-only note, he has been incredibly 'in control' since her arrival. Things have obviously been different, a little more stressed at times, probably a little more frustrating for the older kids. But Eli has yet to lose it, in the way he does, and he has definitely been tired/overwhelmed/etc. Long story short: he's had circumstances that would normally send him over the edge and he's stayed remarkably calm. Amazing.

More Maddux Funnies

With Grandma Cathie in town, the kids are 'treated' to more surprises than usual. One of those surprises was a stop at Target to pick out a toy while we were in the hospital. Maddux chose a Barbie Doll (oh, the horror) that came with a little dog. When she opened the dog, after we returned home, she was inspecting her new toys. I was nursing Ruby across the room, so she asked Grandma for help.

"The dog's name is written on the bottom...what does it say, Grandma?" My mom checked it out but the print was too small for her to read. She told Maddux that if she could spell it out loud, Grandma could tell her its name.

Maddux reads out, "C-H-I-N-A."

Grandma and I laugh out loud and then tell her it says "China". Maddux loves that and immediately starts calling the dog 'China', unfazed by the two of us cracking up.

Meeting Ruby

Eli and Maddux were so anxious to meet Ruby yesterday.....they missed her by minutes last night and were chomping at the bit to see her this morning. Even though they got to peek at her through the nursery glass before they left yesterday, it wasn't enough, understandably. This morning they showed up while she was still back with the doctors, but less than an hour of waiting later, in came Ruby and changed their lives forever. They were in awe and both so lovestruck. We let each of them hold her on the couch and they could not wipe the grin off of their faces. Eli said no less than a dozen times, "She's so CUTE!" and Maddux said "Awww" many times as well. These two are totally smitten and Ruby is one lucky little sister!

Ruby

Wow....what a crazy 24 hours! Last night I was admitted to the hospital and given Cervadil at 6PM. It did nothing in the way of contractions, but they wanted to 'prep' my body for 12 hours before they formally induced me. At 8AM, the midwife broke my water and contractions started, about every 3 minutes, but still very manageable. (Sidenote: my midwife was AMAZING and let my preferences override the 'order' for pitocin...she let me try it naturally first and in the end we didn't need the dreaded "P".)

At my appointment yesterday, I was 2cm, and at 8AM this morning I was 3-4cm. Once she broke my water I started doing laps around the hospital, walking, lunging (ish), squatting....you name it. I had to stay hooked up to antibiotics at noon for about an hour....I used that time to rest between contractions because I was worn out from the day's activities already. They were coming stronger, but slowing down between because I chose to lie down and rest a little. I was determined to keep things moving, partly because the awesome midwife and delivery nurse working with me were scheduled to leave at 3PM. We brought the contractions on again strong with some movement and at 1PM they were very intense and close together. That's when the real insane workout began. I was sweating, eyes closed the whole time, and things never really let up. Around 2-2:15PM, I was about out of energy and the midwife offered to check my progress, even though I was already feeling the urge to push, to confirm that it was time. Sure enough, I was at a 9 - go time. Many painful pushes later, Ruby came out and was bigger than we expected.

Baby girl weighed 5lb 15oz (they estimated 5lb 10oz), and was 18 1/4" long. She nursed almost right away - what a champ! We got to keep her with us for about an hour before they took her to the other side of the room to do a little more cleaning and measuring. That lasted about another 30 minutes and then it was time to take her to the nursery for more thorough everything. Unfortunately, Grandma Cathie and the kids missed her by about five minutes. She remained with the nurses for several hours, so the 'big' introduction will have to wait until tomorrow.

All mothers know this, but what an amazing experience and journey....nine months leading up to one of the most intensely emotional introductions possible. She's perfect and amazing and even though she's only been here a few hours, I feel like she's been part of our family forever.

Baby number three - another 'quick' labor, no pain meds, tremendous joy....

Here We Go Again

So I had my 35 week Midwife appointment two weeks ago. My belly was measuring small, so they did a quick ultrasound. Baby girl was fine and weighing 5lb 5oz, but they scheduled another ultrasound for two weeks later (today), to monitor her growth. This morning my belly was still measuring small and the ultrasound showed that she had only gained about 5oz. Sooooo they want me to come in tonight to be induced! This is very reminiscent of what happened when I was pregnant with Maddux, as I had to be induced for being 'small' then too. Grandma Cathie is flying in and will be here at midnight; Aunt Megan came over to stay with Eli and Maddux. Hold on, folks!!!

Bucket List

Just as we did last year, the first thing we did when school let out was make our Summer Bucket List. The kids loved it last summer, even though we barely made it through half of the list. This year we had many repeats and a few unfinished items from last year, along with some new ones (i.e. "Have Baby").

So far, in just over a week's time, we've checked off four items. Two of those got checked off today: 'Breakfast at West Egg' and 'Biking at the River'. The kids love the breakfast spot on the west side of town, so after swim team this morning, we drove over for brunch. Since it was the same time Lehr usually gets lunch, he even joined us - the kids LOVED that.

I already had the bikes packed in the car, so on the way home, we stopped at the river and rode about two miles. (I did not ride; I walked.) Eli and Maddux were awesome. Usually when we visit the 5K-ish loop, I let them ride ahead and check back with me from time to time as I run. This time, there would be no running, and given how close we are to my due date (and the heat!) I asked them to check back more frequently since I may have to turn back to the car at any time. They were awesome. They stuck together, got along, and checked back so often that I never went more than two minutes without seeing them or talking to them. Bucket List is getting shorter...

Swim Team

We LOVE Swim Team in our house. This is Eli's third year and Maddux's second, though this is the girl's first year really competing (last year she just got to practice with the team). We started practices the last two weeks of school, after school, and have since moved to mornings. Both kids love the pool, love the coaches, love their team (their friends) and love to swim. Last night was our third meet and both are doing very well again this year.

Eli is swimming in an older age group this year and that means he swims in 5 or 6 events each meet, as opposed to the 2 or 3 he swam in the past. He has really come to love the 100 Individual Medley, which is the one event he actually talked about in a dreading way all year. His butterfly, while not the fastest, has become an area where he seems to be growing quickly; it's really cool to see him find his niche out there. And he and his 3 other 7-8 year old boy teammates are becoming a great little close-knit group.

Maddux is doing really well also. Even though she will still be in the 6U group next summer too, she's already swimming at the top of her team in freestyle and backstroke. One of her friends on the team is definitely faster most of the time, but Maddux is right on her heels and they are leading the 6U girls, for sure. As far as social interactions go, it should come as no surprise that Maddux is getting along very well with her 6U team and the coaches (high school and college age), of course.

Swim Meet nights are very late, as Eli has to compete in one of the very last events, but so far we are loving them. Eli even sought out one of Maddux's events at our first official meet so he could cheer her on. When she came from behind in a relay to get her team ahead (and eventually finish first), he was crazy excited for her: "Maddux, you just BLEW by the other girl!" Of course, Maddux cheers Eli on too, when she's not too busy socializing, that is. We're already halfway through the season...it goes so quick!