Arthur's Halloween Costume

We don't say that...

Nothing like a well timed "Mommy. We don't say sh-t" to remind oneself to watch one's words after dropping items all over the floor in the kitchen.

Robin and Maggie's Well Baby Visits

Both are doing great.

Maggie's 1 month well baby visit on 9/5:

Height: 22" (Arthur 21 1/2 inches, Robin 19 3/4 inches)
Weight: 8 lbs 3 oz (Arthur 8 lbs 10 oz, Robin 5 lbs 4 oz)
Head Cir: 14 1/4" (Arthur 15", Robin 13 3/4")

She's very alert and she's gaining well. She does have a funky chest bone that sticks out that was x-rayed and is fine. It should right itself in time. She's having an ultrasound on her hips on Tuesday (our Ped's office does that routine for all breech babies) just to be sure they weren't impacted by all that time sitting right side up in the womb. She's had a couple of projectile vomiting spells but not nearly like her brothers. At this point maybe twice a week, which really is just at the level of something to watch. My theory is that she might have a tad bit of the pyloric thickening but it's at the level that she'll grow out of it and it's already working itself out. No vaccines. She skipped the Hep B at birth (we'll discuss at two months) and none were standard for this visit anyway.

Robin's 15 month well baby visit on 9/10:

Height: 30 1/4 inches (Arthur 28 3/4")
Weight: 16 lbs 4 oz (Arthur 21 lbs 11 oz)
Head cir: 18" (Arthur 18 3/4")

Robin has always been below the charts for both height and weight and while the head measurement and the height are still along his regular curve, his weight has dropped off of it. So the pediatrician worked out an action plan with us to get him to gain a little weight this month to just make sure his body processes calories correctly (which I'm sure it does, he's just petite). It includes his regular higher-fat diet that we give him, nursing him at his discretion (2-3 times a day at this point), and adding some caloric protein powder to his whole milk at meals (basically, it's Carnation Instant Breakfast).

If the next month shows a gain, we can stop pushing him with the Carnation since it will have proved that he does process the calories properly. If he doesn't gain well, they'll do a simple blood test to rule out any metabolic problems (which we really are not at all worried about). Either way, once any other problems are ruled out, there will be less pressure and he'll be free to just be his petite little self. Inside my own fluffy exterior is a very small physical frame. Genetically passed down from my side of the family are just some petite people. My mother is small, as are her siblings. My grandfather wasn't a big man. I think Robin just inherited that and his genetics combined with his small start just mean that he's probably not going to be built like a quarterback any time soon. And we're fine with that. Besides, we think Maggie is going to be our chunker...ha ha ha

We're splitting the MMR vaccine based on our earlier concerns. Available today was the measles shot. It's diploid cell free and it's the one our pediatrician felt best to do first of the three. We skipped the chicken pox with the blessing of the office. Next month he'll get the mumps shot. He's so small that we like doing them individually anyway instead of a massive dose of several shots. It gives his body a chance to recuperate properly and with his egg sensitivities, it's best we really watch some of the vaccines anyway.

More updates next month on the well baby stuff.

PS....Carnation Instant Breakfast tastes nowhere near as good as those frothy commercials would lead you to believe. Blech....

Robin and Maggie

The sickies in the house...

Robin, especially had a rough night.

End of August Pictures

Having a girl is going to be dangerous to the budget...

Isn't this the most "rock on" dress ever? After each of our kids have been born, I've taken the liberty of buying them a welcome-baby special Zutano outfit from a particular kid's boutique in Provincetown that I'd never be able to afford on a regular basis. Maggie's special find was this extra awesome rock and roll dress that should fit her in January or so.

O.k. so 24 bucks isn't exactly the end of the world. But it's amazing how they can suck you in with the "cuter in miniature" lure.

Owie

Floor babies

Happy Anniversary to Us! (8 years)

...celebrated by a pancake breakfast at IHOP.

Robin walking and Maggie smiling (with a hint of a laugh)

They all have the same nose...

Maggie: 3 weeks old



Robin: 4 weeks old



Arthur: 4 weeks old

"Props" to Robin from Parents Magazine...

According to the September issue of "Parents" magazine, Robin has a pretty cool name! In it's article "Best Baby Names 2009" (pg 155), he's listed right under Superheroes Boys. Right along with Charles Xavier, Angel, Logan, Bruce, Kalel, Peter, Clark, Anakin (oddly enough Joanne actually suggested this one), Hero, and Robin.

(The girl's superheroes are Elektra, Storm, Rogue, Domino, Buffy, Mystique, Jean Grey, Phoenix, Angela, and Shera)

I can't tell you who hardly any of the superheroes (either gender) are from, however, it's pretty cool that Robin made the "cool" list somewhere.

I'm swooning!

Something Really Cute...

"Going home" photos of all three kids. Maggie on the top (discharged at 6 lbs 12 oz (she gained!)), Robin in the middle (discharged at 4 lbs 10 oz), and Arthur on the bottom (discharged at 6 lbs 2 oz). Cute to see how they fit differently in the same seat!

Day 1 Home with New Photos

We're settling in and getting used to being back home. Mornings are going to be interesting for a while, but we'll get used to that. We're getting back to the routines we're keeping and making some minor adjustments to others. There are things I've forgotten since Robin was born and I keep asking myself "How did I do this when Robin was a newborn?" We'll figure it out!

The visit to our regular pediatrician went very well. She looks very good, she's gained another half ounce since yesterday and her reflexes are all perfect. Her jaundice was prescribed breastmilk and a window, and the pediatrician was satisfied enough with the visit to call it the 1 week well baby visit. We'll go back in a month.

Sorry for the funky photo with Robin. It's been hard to get a photo of him with Maggie since he's very curious and wants to touch her. He doesn't understand the no touch rule since he's still so young himself. I'm sure we'll have the opportunity for a photo with all of them soon, but for now, I just didn't want to leave him out of the photo op.

Rough couple of days but everything is fine now...

We are home and adjusting. Still trying to "come down" from everything but I know that some rest at home and some good meals in us and some time all together as a family will get everything back to normal.

The short story (well, not really :) ) After the round of unnecessary tests based on one weird blood count when even the NICU doctor said "she isn't sick", one of the NICU nurses made an error and flushed Maggie's IV with heparin. They are no longer allowed to use heparin in the NICU (probably in the aftermath of the Dennis Quaid situation). So while they told us that the amount wasn't high, they also told us they must keep her for extra days to make sure their mess up didn't cause her any harm.

They also wanted her on a bili isolette even though her numbers were in the "treatable at home" range and we were already told that their blood types were the same (Jaundice is rarely a concern when there is no blood type imbalance...). Even our pediatrician said "please let them go, I'll treat them at home" in regards to the jaundice (before we knew about the heparin mistake)

During these extra tests they told us she had some bleeding in her brain. The type of bleeding they thought it was was mild and benign and they've seen it in many babies. Most babies go home not even knowing they have it and it requires no treatment. For 6 hours, they reiterated what the bleeding was. The scans were sent to Boston to be read by the biggest expert in the world on infant brain radiology and the message sent back was "it's nothing". We were absolutely overjoyed.

Although they originally told us we MUST stay for another round of tests just in case the heparin did harm, we had a very compassionate NICU doctor say last night "enough, no more tests...just let this poor family go home". This whole scenario is a perfect example of how one intervention leads to more interventions, and sometimes lead to mistakes...and more interventions.

Don't get me wrong, we are 100% accepting of the c-section intervention. A perceived cord prolapse is a pretty big deal and a c-section really was the best way to handle that safely. It would have been worse if it truly had been a prolapse. A footling breech presentation happening so fast like that...we are all just fine with the c-section. The unnecessary tests and treatments after, leading up to these errors were what was really difficult to get through...not the c-section. That's why c-sections exist (contrary to the popular belief of many a Hollywood mama not wanted to de-beautify her girly parts..ha ha ha)

But they realized that things were getting ridiculous, and acknowledged that and they turned around and did the right thing. We had a few different administrators in and out (damage control) They stopped all tests and sent us home. And she is here and healthy and beautiful. She always was healthy and beautiful and everyone knew that. But this is what treating the "numbers" alone sometimes leads.

We're very glad it is over. And I know a good night at home will do us all good.

Thank you for all of the wonderful messages, thoughts, prayers, and good wishes. We've had a very happy outcome to all of us. We got the good news that it was all over at 8PM last night...so maybe 8/08/08 really was a lucky day for us after all.

Margaret Anne

Margaret Anne was born on Tuesday morning at 6:36 AM. She weighed 6lbs 8oz and was 20 inches long.

Joanne had been laboring nicely at the birth center and we were getting settled in and ready for our waterbirth when the midwife discovered that the baby wasn't presenting properly. She at first thought that there was a cord prolapse.

We were transferred across the parking lot to the hospital and after a very fast turn of events, Maggie was determined to be presented as a footling breech. (In this case, her entire leg was out of the uterus so that her foot was outside of Joanne's body and nothing else). This is not entirely undeliverable vaginally but it's very risky, and most midwives and ob/gyns have never delivered one. Ours had never even seen one before. Not something you want to try out in the heat of the moment. :)

The baby had some funky bloodwork and is spending two days in the NICU for antibiotics. The nurses and doctors anticipate that her blood culture will come back fine and that she will be ready to come back to the regular maternity unit later tonight. Things are looking good for our family going home tomorrow.

Big brothers Arthur and Robin are doing well and have been able to visit. They've been spending time with their Grandparents and their Aunts and Uncles and everyone has been wonderful and so helpful during our unexpected change of events. We're so thankful.

We will update you soon!

A diversion...

Where's Waldo?....I mean, Arthur.

My beautiful, non-violent son......

We went to the county fair on Tuesday and I decided to splurge on a face painting for him. It's not usually something I would do but we had just arrived and I knew we'd be at the fair for a while. Arthur ran to the choice board and started shouting off all of the selections "Mum! Look! Spider man!" "Mum! Look! A baseball! A Tiger! A Dog!"

He patiently waited his turn and climbed up on the chair. One of the many bubbly college girls asked him what he would like.

He exclaimed proudly, "A butterfly!"

I love my boy. He makes me so happy sometimes with his innocence that I could cry. He's his own person and I totally love that.

C is for...well, you know

Robin and an Oreo...........................o.k. you caught us it's an Organic Newmans-O. Same difference, less corn syrup. ;)

37 Weeks. Full Term.

The baby can come any time from this point on. The birth center does births from 37 weeks because it is now considered "full term". The baby can be born and will not be premature at this point. She is fully developed and can do everything she needs to do outside of the womb. It's a very comforting thought should Joanne go into labor soon.

Robin was born in 5 days from this point. It's weird to think that! Joanne went a week early with Arthur, and second babies tend to go a little sooner. But who knows? It's one of those things where you can't really lay out the cards and say "this will be the day"

36 Weeks

Arthur racing Kaity with a Mary Poppins chaser...

One step at a time..

I don't have any photos. But Robin took a few unassisted steps today. It's amazing what the bribery of a miniature cracker will do.

When you hit the "snooze" button.....

Robin's 1 Year Check-up

Height: 28 1.4 inches (1/4 taller than Arthur was at 1 year)
Weight: 14 lbs 14 oz (5 lbs less than Arthur was at 1 year)
Head: 17 1/2 inches (1 inch smaller than Arthur at 1 year, Arthur still has a big head)

Development: He's been moving for 5 months now so it's no surprise that he really knows how to get around. He's crusing and walking while holding onto things. No independent steps yet but he has let go a couple of times. He's much more interactive with his toys now, he definitely "plays with a mission in mind".

Language: We think he may have a word for cat..and maybe a word for Arthur. He does say "mumumumumumum" and we're not sure if that's intentional or not. He's more of a mover than a talker. Arthur was the opposite.

Growth: As much as his size is still tiny, he is growing. His bone structure is small and I think he's just destined to be little for a while. My grandfather wasn't a large man by any stretch and my mother and her family are all fairly petite as well. I think those are the genes passed down for him. He's on his own curve so they definitely aren't concerned at all. He's doing just fine.

Food: Robin is still nursing and will be for quite some time. With the full blessing of his doctor's as well. No liquid cow's milk yet...it wasn't even recommended for him today (athough yogurts etc. are fine). He's happy to nurse and I'm happy to nurse him. And his mommy's milk has far more fat and calories than cow's milk and he really needs that. We also think he may have some tummy issues with too much dairy and possibly eggs...so we're trying to watch those things very carefully.

He eats and eats and eats. But since he's such a mover, he's really just sustaining his growth. He's not really "bulking" up. But that's fine for him. He eats a huge bowl of old-fashioned "boil on the stovetop" oats every morning mixed with some fruit or applesauce. He really chows. Then after his nap he'll nurse (or have some yogurt if I'm working) and have a snack. Then usually another afternoon snack. And then dinner. The boy loves chicken. He's eaten an entire breast by himself. He really hasn't met a diced up, chopped up food he doesn't like. And like Arthur, he's going to be an olive lover as well. Then he nurses before bed. He's definitely pumped up on the calories, but we're still sticking to a healthy diet with lots of brain building fats from really good sources.

Vaccines: I had faxed over some information to our pediatric group about a month ago with some presentations of ethical alternatives to the standard MMR. I found out today that they carry both of the versions already so we can have them if we want. Our pediatrician wants to delay the start of those until Robin is 15 months anyway so we'll probably get one then, and then move to the second, and then the last. We're definitively skipping the chicken pox (varicella) vaccine and when I told the NP she was supportive saying "You know, we all had the chicken pox when we were kids...."

I'm thankful for the cautious presentation of the MMR, for breaking it up, and for being able to use versions of the vaccine that were not created with cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue. I'm really happy that I was persistant and that we had one of the pediatricians who also was concerned about the issue. It's weirdly conservative of me. I'm such a liberal otherwise.

Speaking of: While we were waiting we observed a pamphlet on the desk in the exam room "Discussing sex with teenagers".....presented by "Focus on the Family". Yeah, the section on "What if my child is gay?" first emphasised that parents should "treat is as any other issue they dissaprove of" and be cautious because most of these encounters are "coerced". eye yie yie! We'll be skipping that brochure, thank you very much! ha ha ha

(Joanne thinks it's mandated by the current administration...she thinks they must be required to have it on hand...blah)

Anyway...

Back to Robin: He's great, he's growing, and he's a healthy boy!

The Truth is Out There

My third year in college I worked with a stellar group of individuals and later, most turned out to be very dear friends of mine. I don't really get to see them much at all, but they are dear to my heart. One of my biggest memories of working with them was the way that the X-Files permeated much of our discussions, gatherings, humor...

This was when the X-Files was all the rage, and was pre-rerun. Back when episodes were new and shiny. Several members of said group of friends were obsessed, never missing a show. And honestly, I didn't get it. I'd watch one from time to time and scratch my head, and wonder why everyone thought it was the best show ever.

Fast forward about 11 years....

Being strapped for ideas for Christmas, and being in the middle of our multi-year stretch when we didn't have broadcast or cable television I decided to buy Joanne a boxed set of a TV show that she liked. I tried to think of what would interest her. She loved Dallas, but I selfishly decided that it would be pure torture for me to have to sit through "Who shot J.R." again. Wasn't going to happen. Crank Yankers? I think that was probably a phase...

I knew she liked the X-Files, and while it kind of bored me in college I decided it to be the lesser of the evils and I went ahead and picked up season one.

It started to be a nice little thing for us to do around the time Arthur was born. We'd get him to settle down for bed, and we'd watch a show together. Some days we were just too tired for a whole movie and sans commercials, one x-files on DVD is about 40 minutes. It was just the right time.

Who knew that I'd finally see the light? And I got hooked. I finally understood the Barenaked Ladies' "Watching x-files with no lights on/we're dans la maison/I hope the smoking man's in this one" and why it was so clever. I started noticing when they recycled extras (Audrey Pauley), and started contemplating whether said killed off characters were really dead. (Both Spenders...nope! Lone Gunman, sadly yes.... Krycek, wasn't he killed of and resurrected several times?)

6 years too late clever...but clever none-the-less.

I thought season 3 was really well done. Season 5 was unmemorable. Season 7 was really creative and interesting. Season 8 was a tough adjustment and then Season 9 had me really really ticked off. What's up with the Terminator guy? They killed off the Lone Gunman?! Scully gave up her baby?! What the heck?!

And tonight it's done. Over. Finis. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the ending. (Yes, I know...I'm 6 years too late and I don't really deserve to critique..ha ha ha). But it's weird that it's over now. I kind of want to know what happens.

Oh yeah....there's a movie coming out! I guess I didn't have such bad timing after all.

Happy 1st Birthday sweet baby boy!

Arthur's first pond swim

I had an employee appreciation event today sponsored by my work at a local recreation area with a pond. It was a warm day and it was a good one for swimming, cooking out, and playing in the park. Arthur's never swam in a pond before, mainly because I didn't know we had a good public one relatively nearby. He's been in pools, and never in water that wasn't over his head. So this was nice for him to actually be able to walk in and walk out and stand back up after "swimming".

(O.k. in the video it looks like he had a struggle after jumping in, but I swear it's just because I cut it off in a weird place. A nano-second later he stood back up)

Robin's first dip in the pool

Aside from the gob of sunscreen that got caked in his hair, he seemed to enjoy himself for his quick first dip.

Just so long as he's not "drunkly"...

We stopped for some soft serve on our way home from the park and on the way Arthur had mentioned several times how thirsty he was. So we arrive at the ice cream place:

Him: "Mummy, I need my water. I'm drinkly"

Me: "You're drinkly?"

Him: "Yeah. I'm drinkly. I need my water"

Not sure where he got "drinkly" from. I confirmed that he was also "thirsty". Either way, it didn't seem to impact his ice cream eating abilities.