Baby Bliss

He's here.  He's perfect.

Born this morning just before 9 am, weighing 9 lbs 6 oz and measuring 21 inches long.

He's very healthy and there were no complications with the C-section.  And despite DH's coworker's concern that there was a second "ninja baby" that was hiding from the ultrasound tech during the pregnancy, indeed there was only one.

Bean, Nix, and Gax met him, love him, and can't wait to fight with him over toy ownership and who got the largest cookie for dessert.

I haven't come up with a blog nickname for him yet -- taking suggestions!  But as with the other boys, I'll give you a quick peak at his real name.



Thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts -- they must have worked!

Almost there....

Just checking in one last time before this little baby boy arrives earth-side on Friday!  We are now a mere 5 days away from his delivery (or fewer, if he prefers an earlier birth date), and I am... dare I say... getting excited?  Excited to meet this new person, excited to introduce him to his brothers, excited to have a squishy little newborn one last time to hug and kiss and breathe in. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, my mouth is watering thinking about his chunky little num-able legs!  Or maybe it's just the fact that we're about a half-hour late on dinner right now.  Don't keep a pregnant woman waiting on her meal.  For real, dude.

Not everything is done from my big to-do list, but it is what it is, I guess.  We are now simply trying to keep the hampers empty and the fridge full, as Grandma and Grandpa will be staying at our house with the boys while DH and I are in the hospital for as many days as I can convince the insurance company that I need a quiet, private room with cable TV, wireless Internet, and a nurse responding to my every need.  And some things from the list we are just having to hire out -- I'm taking about you, power-washing and staining the fence.

Bean is very excited to meet the baby, he continues to ask adorable questions like "Does the baby pee in mommy's tummy?" and "Is the baby wearing clothes?"  When I told him the baby was not wearing clothes, Bean nodded knowingly and said, "So he's wearing jammies."  I explained again that actually, there was nothing in mommy's tummy with the baby, not even jammies.  To which he laughed and asked incredulously, "So he's just running around naked in there?"  While Bean is eager for his new brother to join the family, we can tell there is a little uncertainty and apprehension that naturally comes along with that.  He wants to spend lots of time close to me and is even more adamant that I be the one to give him a bath, read him books at night, etc.  I hope the transition isn't too difficult for him.

At only 25 months old, the twins are limited in their understanding of what's about to happen.  But interestingly, even though they use far fewer words than Bean did at 25 months old when the twins were born, they seem to have more interest in and a better understanding of the situation.  They will point to a baby in a book or on TV or at the store, and then point to my tummy, saying the baby's name.  They will point to infant items in the house, like the bouncy seat, and say the baby's name to designate that those are his things.  We had a friend-of-a-friend visit recently with her 7-week-old baby to get some tutoring on her new ring sling, and all three of my boys were so gentle and sweet with the little one.  It will be interesting to see how it goes around here.

So that's about it, just counting down the days and trying to enjoy the last few moments that I will ever be pregnant in my life.  At this point, that can be a challenge.

I'm still not sure I believe it.  Me, four kids.  Four little boys.

But believe it or not, here it comes.

A few last pictures...

Gax sports a Beco doll carrier when babywearing (or rather, bear-bywearing).

Nix prefers a wrap when wearing his Froggy Frog.

The "nesting" bug has really hit all of us.

Gax has mastered everything about the toilet except its actual purpose.

I thought it sounded too quiet in the playroom...

Gax's new massage chair.  He likes to turn on the vibrate function and chill.

Nothing goes better with rockin' music than a sippy cup of juice.

DH took this picture while I was in the bathroom.  It's nice to be loved.

Cue complete and total panic

52 weeks pregnant

Have you ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail?  Sorry, dumb question, of course you have.  You know that part where the castle guards are watching someone run towards them?  Every time they cut to the guy, he's running at the same long distance away.  And then impossibly soon, he's right on top of them, wielding his sword?

That kind of sums up this pregnancy.  The birth was always MONTHS away, nothing to worry about, plenty of time.  And now?

Two weeks from this Friday.  AT THE MOST.

Gulp.

Impossibly soon.  And wielding a sword.  I don't mean literally, of course.  Unless you count... never mind.

I'm trying to remember how I felt two-and-a-half weeks before the twins were born.  It was exactly the time I was getting off bedrest, so there was that sense of relief that my babies were likely pretty healthy by that point, plus the grieving that I wouldn't have any excuse or opportunity to spend an entire day watching Teen Mom marathons on MTV.  What I remember freaking out about most was that 1) Bean would have a hard time adjusting to his brothers and 2) I wouldn't be able to bond with Nix and Gax because there were two of them and only one of me.  Turns out the former was a justified and realized fear, and the latter not so much.  But this time around, I am (perhaps naively) comfortable that our kids will do relatively well with a new brother, and that bonding won't really be an issue.  Instead, I am in absolute panic about two other things.  Namely: 1) There is no way my complete-these-tasks-before-baby-comes-or-you-are-totally-screwed list will be finished in time, and more importantly 2) CRAP, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO MEMORY OF WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A NEWBORN!

The few things I remember:  Feed baby constantly.  Change diaper frequently.  Give a bath every couple of days.  Dress in adorable tiny clothes.  Strap in car seat for travel.  Allow baby to sleep often, even though the favor will not be returned.

I'm hoping that will do me.

I had my 36-week check-up with my OB this morning.  Everything is looking good, blood pressure, heartbeat, etc.  I am 1.5-2 cm dilated, which freaks me out a bit, but she told me that's normal for women who have given birth previously.  Plus I did walk around for at least two weeks at 4 cm dilated with the twins.  The doc manipulated my tummy and felt the sweet little pork chop for a minute and said, "I'd guess he's about 6 pounds now, and he'll probably be around 8 pounds at birth."  I tried to smile pleasantly and nod, but she must have heard the SNORT! that occurred reflexively in the back of my brain.  She knows that Bean was 9 lbs 14 oz and the twins were 8 lbs and 6 lbs 6 oz, respectively.  I figure the chance of this single child weighing around 8 pounds (if he comes as scheduled, and not early) is approximately the same as the chance that Colin Firth will come to the hospital to congratulate me on the birth, wearing his Mr. Darcy costume and that "I am trying to hide my emotions but I am madly in love with you" expression that he always flashed at Elizabeth Bennett.

Anyway, the OB continued on to ask me what I thought his size would be.  She said that mothers' estimates of birth weight were shown to be more accurate than estimates from ultrasounds and doctors.  I did express doubt that my uterus had suddenly changed its MO and was this time carrying a reasonable amount of baby -- but I'm curious about your guess too, so I included a poll on the right side of this blog, under the "About Me" blurb.  Stop by and cast your vote!

And in the meantime, if someone feels like reorganizing storage boxes in our garage, please let me know.

Two (times two)

Earlier this month, Nix and Gax turned two years old.  Yes, TWO.  On one hand, it seems like forever ago that we welcomed them into the world.  That's probably because I hardly got more than an hour's sleep at a time for the first year of their lives, and that whole period is a hazy gray mist in my memory.  In fact, I don't feel entirely certain that they ever were newborns, but the pictorial evidence is compelling.

Being a twin mommy is an adventure.  That's putting it mildly.  Having one tiny and completely helpless human being rely on you for everything 24/7 is a challenge enough, and two of them arriving at the same time (give or take two minutes) can be overwhelming to say the least.  I don't think anyone can prepare you for what it will be like, the highs and the lows.  But watching the two of them together, sharing each stage of life, it's incredibly special and unique.  Not to mention so ridiculously adorable I could often eat them right up.

Nix is as sweet as sugar with a sly little smile that makes you want to hand over the M&Ms that he's asking to eat for breakfast.  He is giggly and playful and cautious and snuggly.  He is fascinated with trucks and plays with them for hours every day.  When we hear a loud one drive by, he exclaims, "GUCK!" and then will sign "more" and start crying after it passes.  Nix is a fabulous sleeper, he'll go 12 hours at night (only waking if he can't find the bink that's inevitably 2 inches from his mouth) and then take a solid two hour nap.  His current favorite foods are oranges and eggs, but ask me tomorrow and it will be something new.  He's kinda picky at mealtime, but not overly so.  Nix's favorite television shows are Little Einsteins and Super Why!, those having replaced the beloved old Sesame Street.  (He also would never admit it, but he does enjoy the Wiggles when Gax requests them.)  Nix adores being outside, climbing the ladder on our playset or being pushed on the swing or chasing bubbles around the yard. He was a quiet guy for a long time, but in the past few weeks, his language has picked up quite a bit.  Hopefully he'll be able to use words to communicate soon (instead of just label objects), which should cut down on the roughly 4 hours a day that I spend trying to guess what either one of the twins is wanting.  Interestingly, though, Nix only seems to learn words that Gax says first.  Nix's stats at his pediatrician check-up were 28.4 pounds in weight and 34.2 inches in height.

Gax is two going on 20.  He does not want to be held back by the fact that he weighs less than 30 pounds and can't yet speak in sentences.  Whether you are doing laundry, preparing dinner, assembling storage shelves, or walking the dog, he wants to be right in on the action.  Which at this point means he's often throwing a tantrum when you won't let him chop onions, but one day it'll be great to have such a self-sufficient child.  As long as he doesn't accidentally burn the house down first.  He is observant, fearless, energetic, and serious -- although he can also be quite goofy when he wants to be.  He lives by the motto, "I'll sleep when I'm dead, mom."  Gax knows exactly what he wants, and God help you if you stand in his way.  He will pick out his own clothes AND tell me what Nix should wear as well.  He is very vocal, and like his twin brother, it's starting to be actual words instead of just uninterrupted screeching.  He is also a semi-picky eater like Nix, but it's most often the opposite foods.  If he sees Nix eat something, he's not at all interested in it, until you try to give his leftovers away.  Then it's "MINE!"  He loves yogurt and Pop Tarts best.  I mean, not that I let my two-year-old eat Pop Tarts for breakfast.  What kind of mother do you think I am?  (Yeah, okay, I am totally that mother.)  Gax doesn't have a similar passion to Nix's love of playing with trucks, he's more of a roamer, following us around the house and insisting that he helps with whatever we are doing.  He's not interested in the toy vacuum -- he will drag the gigantic one out of the closet and try to figure out how to circumvent the plug covers.  So far no one has been electrocuted.  Gax's stats at his pediatrician check-up were 27.8 pounds in weight and 33.8 inches in height.

To celebrate their birthday, we invited their preschool friends to join us at My Gym, which has play equipment for little kids.  (In other words, I am far too lazy to host a party at my house and will continue my personal mission of hiring out as much of the work as possible.)  Here are some pictures from their big day, and a couple from Easter.