Stinky's big day

Stinky was due on St. Patrick's Day, 3 weeks away and still barely a blip on my radar constantly on my "Am I really going to be a mommy of three?" mind. 

In all my "barefoot and pregnant" glory, 36 weeks huge.

 I went to bed, thinking about all the things I hadn't gotten done that day, and all the things I had to do tomorrow.  Tomorrow came and I went about my (very hectic) day...First Steps (early intervention) transition meeting for Bugsy, 8 hours of work teaching 3 and 4 year olds, a quick lunchtime shopping trip to buy hats and socks for the baby, a quick dash home to make a mac-n-cheese dinner for the kids, and as promised, a "Getting ready for Kindergarten" program for Little Lou, all the while secretly having contractions every 4-5 minutes.

I'd known since early morning (probably 9 or so) that I was in the early stages of labor.  It was hip cramping, I can't walk right now, labor.  I didn't tell anyone, just kept my smile one.  I knew if I told, they'd make me go to the hospital, and I was just plain too busy.  That's how I am, folks.  These things should happen when they're supposed to, or I just might not have time!

At 8pm, when I finally took myself to the hospital, I was exhausted, nervous, and 6 cm dilated.  A friend met me at the hospital to take my kids until my mom could get there, and my husband was there a few minutes later.  My blood pressure was up, so my doctor, conveniently the doctor on call, decided to keep me overnight.

I crashed, hard, and when I woke up the doctor woke me up the next morning, I was...6 cm dilated.  Labor had paused overnight.  She debated sending me home, but a major snowstorm had started overnight and, once I am in hard labor, my labors tend to be speedy.  She didn't want me giving birth on the road, so she kept me and observed me.  

Around noon, my doctor broke my water, and I began having a few contractions again.  Around 2:30, I still wasn't in "hard labor," just sporadic contractions, and was 7 cm dilated.  The doctor ordered pitocin.  At 3:50, I was still 7 cm dilated, and pitocin was started.  At 3:11, Stinky made his appearance.  Did you see that?  20 minutes earlier, I was 7 cm.  I'm telling you, my labors are fast and furious.  I DO NOT recommend labors like that!  I'll spare you the details, but it's not pretty.

Stinky was born, one day shy of 3 weeks early, on a Friday afternoon.  

He was 7 pounds, the smallest of my babies by far.  (Little Lou was 8 lbs 1 oz, Bugsy was 8 lbs 14 oz!)  He was the earliest baby, and the only one that decided for himself when he'd make his debut.  Bugsy and Little Lou were waiting in the waiting room with Nana and Poppy to meet their new little brother, and were super excited to push the "new baby" button to play Brahms Lullaby and let the hospital know a new baby had been born.

They were so tiny!

And just like that, we became a family of five!

 

People, they grow fast!  Today, Stinky is wild.  He's full of never-ending energy from sun-up until well after sun-down.  He's a lover, constantly telling all of us, "Lu-you too!"  He's a climber who I am constantly removing from the kitchen table.  He literally dives head first of the the furniture.  He's the first to start a wrestling match with his siblings, and the last to stop.  He loves his dog.  He won't touch a vegetable to save his life...unless you consider chocolate a vegetable, then he'd eat them all day long.  He loves to sing and wants me to "spell dat, mommy" all the time.  He's trying to hard to potty train.  He loves trains and dogs and babies.  He's canine as often as he's human right now!

I'm in that swinging denial stage, folks, where I zip back and forth between, "Wow, guys!  Stinky is two!" and "Wow, guys...Stinky is two."  But he's two.  He's VERY two, and he's ALL boy.  I love that little monster more than I can ever say!

Happy Birthday, Stinky!  Mommy loves you!

I wish I had a better picture for you, but this little guy doesn't stand still long enough!

House Rules

Last week I was fed up.  It was Little Lou's birthday, and everything about the entire day was a disaster.  From the minute she got up, Little Lou was in meltdown mode.  Bugs was irritable because he was just a week post-op, and Stinky didn't get a nap.  Mommy and Daddy spent much of the day dictating punishment after punishment, and we didn't get to do a single "fun" thing.  What a way to spend a birthday, huh?

I fell into bed, exhausted, several hours later than I probably should have gone to bed.  My hubby tried to tell me good night, and I burst into tears over the type of parents we've become and what I don't like about the way the family runs.  When I was done, he fell asleep.  I did not.  I laid awake for nearly an hour before I got myself out of bed, sat myself down at the kitchen table, and gave myself a time out.  You know, an "old-school" time out where you have to write sentences.  My sentences were about what I am doing wrong and what I intend to do to fix the problems.  Three pages, college ruled, single-spaced, of monologue about my disastrous parenting skills spilled forth. 

One of my biggest decisions involved TV time.  Unfortunately, the television has been overused (by everyone) at my house for quite some time.  Not just TV time, either--screen time in general.  My kids didn't play with their toys because they didn't have to.  I didn't get everything I needed to done because I didn't "have time" by the time I finished my computer "work."  My hubby and I didn't have a spare moment to spend together in the evenings because there was so much "to do" on the computer/TV/ipad/wii/ipod...  Hence, a new rule was born.  It's a mommy-mandated rule, but I've (mostly) stuck to it.  The rule, now, is that the television can come on after lunch, for the length of one movie.  This is silent rest time.  No talking.  That's the length of our entire screen time.  If you want to play on the computer, the wii, the gameboy, etc, you have to do it during that time (myself included).  Right now, for instance, we're "watching" Bolt.  They're watching, I'm here with you all.  We're all...adjusting.

Now, about those rules!  We have a lot of rules at our house.  I'm sure you do too.  I think sometimes it's hard to keep all the rules straight.  There are house rules and car rules and playground rules.  There are dinner table rules, which aren't always the same as the lunch table rules.  It's rules rules rules around here, with no real rhyme or reason, sometimes.  I decided we needed some rules.  Clearly defined rules.  Rules we all agree on.  So, Thursday evening, as we were making dinner, we talked about rules.  We sat as a family and made rules.  Mommy and daddy definitely took advantage of "veto power."  Mommy and daddy added a few rules of our own.  So here it is--the final list:

Walking Feet in the House

Only Food Goes in your Mouth

No tantrums

No yelling

No whining

Brush your teeth every day

Listen to Mommy and Daddy--the FIRST time

Clean underwear every day

Exercise every day

Hands and feet to youreself

Clean your room every day

Once the rules were written and posted, we all signed a paper, which was also posted on the wall.  The rules are right there, in plain view, for all of us to see.  Are there other incidental rules?  Yes.  We couldn't list everything...things like "couches are for sitting" are kind of a given anymore.  But we listed the 11 rules we could all agree on.  Since the kids helped create the list, it should be easier for them to follow them, right??

Just in case, though, we've come up with an incentive plan.  Today I painted our names onto 6 jars...one for each family member and one that says, "Everyone."  Hubby's bringing home 5 rolls of quarters.  Each of us will start with a full roll of quarters in our jar.  (Everyone but Stinky, who will start with half a roll.  The other half of his roll will go in the "everyone" jar.)  IF (when) one of us breaks a rule, we'll take a quarter out of our own jar and put it into the jar of the person we've "wronged."  For instance, say Little Lou yells at Bugsy...She will take a quarter from her own jar and put it into his jar.  If, in turn, Bugs hits Little Lou, he'll give her a quarter.  IF we break a rule that doesn't effect another person--say, for instance, I forget to exercise one day, hurting myself but no one else--that person would take a quarter out of his own jar and put it in the "everyone" jar.  The "everyone" jar will then be used for EXTRA incentive!  For example, if Little Lou helps set the table, she might earn an extra quarter!  At the end of the month (one month from whenever we officially get started), each of us gets to keep whatever money is in our own jar!  I'm excited about this, and going to try to convince the hubby to pool our funds to save toward that new TV he really wants!

I hope that all made sense.  It makes sense in my mind, anyway!

What do you do as incentive to keep behavior in check in your family?  Do you have posted "rules?"  Do the grown-ups have to follow the "house rules" at your house, or just the kids?

Daddy's special day!

Today is my husband's birthday.  Happy birthday!  (I just found out he reads my blog sometimes, so I had to send him a shout-out!)  We were "wasting" some time this morning before we got moving, and I suggested to the kids (who don't understand that they're supposed to let parents sleep in on birthdays) that maybe they should make cards for daddy.  Here's Little Lou's card:

We laughed out loud when we read it.  She told us the best thing about birthdays is the cake!

Later, we went to Chick Fil A for lunch.  CFA is a big deal, because we have to drive 30 minutes to get to the nearest one.  (PLEASE bring one closer!)  We were sitting there eating our chicken...okay, our ice cream...and Little Lou said, "I'm so glad you have a birthday today, Daddy!  You get to be special!"  She went on to tell us that we're really only special on birthdays and holidays.

I've been thinking about that since we left the restaurant.  I want my family, all the way from Daddy down to Stinky, to know they're special EVERY day.  I'm afraid we haven't done the greatest job of celebrating each other each day, and I want to change that.  I want Daddy and Little Lou and Bugsy and Stinky...and even Harrison, the black lab...to know that I value and treasure them each and every minute of each and every day.  I'm trying, and will keep trying!  Thank you, Little Lou, for the reminder!

Do you have any special ways you show your family members you value them; that they're special EVERY day not just on birthdays?  Share them here!  I might try to adopt some of them!