Lots of pics

Miles stands guard over his baby sister:

Please! No More Pictures! I Vant To Be Alone!

Oh never mind, go ahead and take some more


Aunt Jean and Uncle Dave came over to visit

Yup! She still knows how to hold a baby...

More awwww

more about breasts

Since breasts are such a hot topic around here right now, remember this one? You take a Land O Lakes Butter box and cut out a little rectangle on the indian maiden:

Then you carefully fold the box in thirds so her knees appear in the window:

Yep, instant hit with males everywhere.

P.S. Rich taught me this...

All quiet on the home front

Didn't post yesterday because everybody was just relaxing. Sara's milk has come in with a vengeance. If the thought of human breasts doing their natural function upsets you, you might not want to come visit for a few days. Breasts are the over-riding focus of the two female members of the family.

Helen's first game

Helen has invented her first game. We're not sure what it is called, but she plays it like this:

1) pretend you have filled your diaper

2) when your chosen target is halfway through changing said diaper, unload!

3) for bonus points, see how many diapers you can make them go through before they can dress you back up.

She got Daddy and Mommy twice, and 2 nurses at the hospital. Her record is 3 diapers and a blanket.

And we thought girl diapers were easier!

hanging out on the floor time

lullybyes

And this was the wild party when we got home:

Everybody repeat after me, "There's no place like home... There's no place like home..."

Today WAS the day!

We are home! Nurses bowed down to Sara for her lack of whinyness. ("Are you SURE you don't want pain meds?") -They must get a kickback for the drugs they push. The 90 year old volunteer showed up to push Sara out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Halfway to the exit Sara offered to switch places with the wheezing volunteer. Into the car we loaded everything, and off we went.

Waiting to go:


Trying out the car seat:

We need a BIGGER car: (two-thirds of this is from the hospital).



Our going-away photo. How many new mothers have all the nurses line up for hugs before they leave?

Today is (might be) the day

Depending on how the Doctor checkup goes this morning, Momma and baby might be coming home this afternoon! The hospital has ordered up the ceremonial "last meal", so that means the nurses are pretty confident in Sara's progress.

That's good, 'cause the boys are getting tired of the bachelor life. It's not all fun and games. Staying up late eating yogurt and watching Magic Schoolbus over and over and over again just isn't as much fun as it was in college. If Daddy ever sees Arnold he's gonna whack him upside the head and tell him to grow a pair*.





*If you've ever seen Magic Schoolbus, you know what I mean. If not, spare yourself. Why does every kids show have to have a whiny brat?

Awwwwww.....

Blowing in a man's ear works on 5 year old boys, too

things we saw today

Now THIS is a big brother

This is a big video file (20 meg orig), dialups beware

Edit: The pretty version didn't work. Here is the raw video. Just ignore the narrator.



You know, I don't remember MY older brothers acting like this! I don't remember MY older brothers protecting me. I remember MY older brother (guy) chasing me in circles until I ran into the TV set and got this divot in my forehead. I remember MY older brother (dave) whacking me in the back so hard I couldn't breathe and started choking*. I remember MY older brother (rich) ... um... Well, OK, I don't remember Rich torturing me too much.



*okay, so I stuffed a tennis ball down his saxophone while he was playing it. He didn't have to hit me, did he? Even though it was the 6th time in 5 minutes I stuffed it down. That's just brutality, that is.

Please feel sorry for Miles

Miles knew it was coming. But hey, he's only 5 years old. Knowing it's coming and really experiencing it are two different things.

Yesterday he was so excited about visiting Uncle Dave and Aunt Jean that he didn't really notice Mom was missing (until 4 am). But today, after 7 hours of non-stop Mom cuddles, he had to leave her behind at the hospital. Halfway across the parking lot the tears started.

So we talked all the way home, and everything was OK. Not great, but OK. Daddy was upset because the @!$#%@$% road was closed and the $%@$%@ car was out of gas and the @!$%@# debit card STILL isn't working, but it was all OK. And then the other shoe dropped: Sara had ordered a print of a digital photo from an online store. It was the whole family from her family reunion last summer. We eagerly ripped open the envelope... and...

They cut off the edge of the photo. The edge containing Miles. Yup. Only half of Daddy shows, and only Miles' left ear shows. Miles cried out, "I feel like I'm not part of the family!"

Update: 45 minutes and a good dinner make a big difference. And a dose of chocolate dessert for eating all his dinner (hey, he is his mother's child). Righteous indignation had replaced fears of isolation. "Daddy!", he says, "You make them re-print this!"

Joe and Laurel come to visit

Our good friends Joe and Laurel came down from the wilds of Ojai to visit. They are under a lot of pressure to produce one of these on their own.

To add to the pressure, Don't They Look Natural?

How to have fun with a Records Clerk

Sara is feeling so much better she devised a new game. It's called, "Screw With the Records Clerk".

It's a simple game:

1) Record clerk comes up to room to fill out paperwork for birth certificate, social security card, etc. Give clerk all pre-decided information.

2) Wait 2 hours.

3) When clerk comes back with completed paperwork ready to sign, turn to husband and say, "What about naming her Helena instead?"

Non-Stop Sara

You just can't slow Sara down. Yesterday she felt terrible, couldn't even keep an ice chip down. Today, the moment she was released from bed, it was "up and at 'em". Her goal for today was one lap around the floor. She has already done 6, including a drill-sergeant lap where she dragged the next-door C-section lady along. "C'mon, you had your kid 2 hours before me, let's move it!"

Every day nurse has dropped in the room while she was walking and asked, "Did she have that baby yesterday, or last week?"

We are progressing nicely...

Miles returns

Mom and baby had a great, sleep-filled night. Today they are setting new records. Miles spent last night with Uncle Dave and Aunt Jean. After school he got to come back:



Between playing at the Uncle's house and a busy morning at school, he was a bit tired. So he decided to take a nap:
An hour later:

gratuitous baby pics

big brother came to visit

WELCOME HELEN!

Helen Irene is here!

Born at 8:51 this morning, she weighs in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, 21 1/2 inches long, a full head of hair, and the requisite number of fingers and toes.

She is already explaining to everyone how upset she is with the change in living conditions.

launch is on hold

Hold Liftoff

T minus 10, 9, 8, Hold the Sequence! Houston, we have a delay.

We're all prepped, IV a pumpin, monitors a blinkin, and about to be wheeled into the operating room. But wait! The lady in the room next door gets to go first.

Not to complain, though. She's been in labor all night long, and now they have to do an emergency c-section. We'll skip that, thanks.

Countdown on hold now. Expected launch is now 0830 local.

Donors, be happy

Well, we did it! They said it couldn't be done (they were wrong). They said we were crazy for trying (they were right). But we did it anyway.

Sara Tom and Miles rode 5 miles today to raise funds for the American Diabetes Association. Between the two of us we had over $500 in donations (thanks to you guys), we made up half of the entire Ventura County Fire team donations.

Despite 90+ degree temps and a chain that decided to lock the wheel up during our last big climb, we made it with no problems.

So thanks again to all who donated, we'll hit you up again next year!

36 hours and counting

T minus 36 and counting. No action on the home front yet. Did have to go to the hospital today for some bloodwork, but everything checked out just fine. Tomorrow morning is the last bike ride and then off to the hospital.

Here's how Sara spent last weekend:

5 days to go.......

There is only 5 days to go until D-Day and everyone is getting really anxious.
Miles and Daddy had a long discussion tonight about how they were going to protect little sister from the grizzly bears. Miles has recently developed a fascination in bears. I guess we are letting him watch too much National Geographic.
Sara has been feeling quite uncomfortable the last couple of days. The baby had decided Mommy's bladder must be a soccer ball. The bath tub is looking like a good sleeping place for the next few nights.
Stay tuned for further adventures to D-Day.

MY WATER BROKE!!!

Well, not really. But we sure made some people think so today.

Some background: During each firefighter academy, the instructors stage a large multi-casualty incident. This comes after the trainees have learned their EMS and auto-dismembering skills. We get the trainees all comfy in their classroom with a reeeaaallly boring video while we set it up. Then we bust in the room and send them out. We have multiple cars with volunteer victims inside. Our nurse does an outstanding job moulaging the volunteers. (One this year even had an eyeball popped out) We try to set a few cars on fire around the edges just for fun.

This time was no different. Tom acted as overall safety for the drill. Our friend Jodie was the dispatcher, our friend Janet was a hysterically-screaming patient. Much fun was had by all. Usually Miles participates, but this year he wanted to stay in school. Sara had to go to a doctor appointment right when the drill started.

So the cars were set on fire, the screaming started, and in came the trainees. Ambulances waited patiently for their victims, a helicopter circled overhead, and the press snapped pictures. Just when the situation seemed under control, when they had a good count of the victims and the fires damped down, the unthinkable happened.

The trainees hadn't blocked the road completely with their engines. Suddenly a jeep came barreling into the middle of the scene. It skidded to a stop with the horn blaring. As the trainees rushed over, a panicked voice screamed out of the jeep, "I'M HAVING A BABY, DAM#$#IT!!! GET OVER HERE!"

Yes, Sara did get to participate in the drill. She had quietly dumped a bottle of water in her lap (to simulate the water breaking) and then raced into the scene. It threw a complete monkey wrench into the trainee's operation.

One little oops: Tom forgot to brief one of the instructors about this surprise event, and he happened to be the first instructor to reach the vehicle. Talk about your classic "deer in the headlights look"!

Pics to come later. Until then, enjoy some artwork that Miles recently did in school:

Goodbye cruel world...

Hello new world,

Well, we thought baby #1 caused huge changes in our life. He did, but Baby #2 is no different. Daddy did own two rooms in the house: his "study" (game room) and his "work room" (garage). Well, 'Study' now equals 'nursery', so lots of stuff has to go. Bookshelves must be reduced. Fire Sale! Everything Must Go!

And so some of it did. In a fit of cleaning frenzy, Tom attacked his room. No crevice was left unchecked. Large bins were set up labeled, "Dave's Books! Don't You Dare Throw Away!". And so the great pruning began.



Our book load was cut in half. Almost in thirds. Many, many, wonderful books went to the local library, and then on to the second-hand book shop (where some of them had started from).

So now just the comfort favorites are left. Almost too few to read. But that's OK. Who are we kidding? There Ain't gonna be any time to read soon, anyway!

Tick.....Tick.....Tick.....

Have you missed us? WEERRREee BAAAaaaaccckkk!

But this time it is different! Yes! Better!! Bigger!! Larger Than Before!!! Even MORE Exclamation Points!!!! WOW!

Okay,so it's not that great. But it is new.

The last 2 blogs have been about journeys. Journeys across distance. Traveling across the country. This blog is also about a journey, but not across a distance. Across a lifetime.

The 4th member of our family is about to appear. He/She has been building and growing for the last 9 months. Originally a minor footnote in our life, it has now grown to a major bookmark. She/he will soon start writing her own chapter.

Why are we saying "She/He" or "He/She"? Because we don't know. Here is the consensus so far:

A family member who has had great success plotting events by the actions of distant stars is convinced the child is a girl, based on the moon being in the left armpit of somebody-or-other.

A friend of the family who is also the director of an ultrasound clinic and performed a detailed ultrasound says she is, "85% sure" it is a girl.

So, we are pretty darn sure it is a girl, using all methods of prognostication.

Stay tuned. 8 days and counting.

Tick.....Tick.....Tick.....

Have you missed us? WEERRREee BAAAaaaaccckkk!

But this time it is different! Yes! Better!! Bigger!! Larger Than Before!!! Even MORE Exclamation Points!!!! WOW!

Okay,so it's not that great. But it is new.

The last 2 blogs have been about journeys. Journeys across distance. Traveling across the country. This blog is also about a journey, but not across a distance. Across a lifetime.

The 4th member of our family is about to appear. He/She has been building and growing for the last 9 months. Originally a minor footnote in our life, it has now grown to a major bookmark. She/he will soon start writing her own chapter.

Why are we saying "She/He" or "He/She"? Because we don't know. Here is the consensus so far:

A family member who has had great success plotting events by the actions of distant stars is convinced the child is a girl, based on the moon being in the left armpit of somebody-or-other.

A friend of the family who is also the director of an ultrasound clinic and performed a detailed ultrasound says she is, "85% sure" it is a girl.

So, we are pretty darn sure it is a girl, using all methods of prognostication.

Stay tuned. 8 days and counting.