Avocado Blessings

Lately, we find ourselves a bit of a mixed bag. Christmas lights in 65-degree weather. Christmas lights on before Thanksgiving (the four-year-old, and four-year-old in the rest of us, can't help herself). Contemplating carving pumpkins the week of Thanksgiving (we never managed to work in that family pumpkin carving night before Halloween this year). And, avocados in late fall. Yes, it's not really the time for avocados. But we've been hoarding a little avocado at our house. Actually, I've been told he or she may be closer to the size of a turnip now, but we tend to grow our babies small (and we discovered in California that Nate likes avocados) so we have our minds set on avocados. And spring, when this little turnip will be joining us. (Right now, some of you are remembering all those days I missed writing posts in the last few months and things are becoming a little more clear - see, I did have an excuse).

We have been spending the last several months with one foot planted firmly in the present and the season, scents, tastes, and joys around us and one foot stepping forward, dreaming of spring and our family to come. But both feet are wearing shoes of gratitude, for the blessings of today and those of tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I'll be back in a couple days.

A Little Color in the Freezer

Lately, our culinary ventures have taken a new turn - in the food processor. With the help of Lisa Barnes' Cooking for Baby, I've been making Nate's baby food. A couple recipes in and I wish I would have done this the first time for Audrey. I love having one more use for the zucchini from the garden.

And, there's something so much more fun about having brightly colored "ice cubes" in our freezer instead of jars double-stacked in the pantry. (Pictured above: zucchini, sweet potato, and applesauce cubes - the applesauce was a homemade gift - Thanks, Elizabeth! Up next: cauliflower).

Distraction

I meant to log on here yesterday and do a little post about what to expect for the next Fiction Thursday. But I got a bit distracted. The day passed me by. Hmm. What excuse can I give?

Yep. That'll work. Better luck next week. (Well, I do plan on getting a Week in Review posted sometime this weekend. I can't stare at baby toes all weekend. Can I?)

How We're Doing

Audrey spent the days prior to Nathan's birth safely tucked away at my parents' house, so we (thinking he'd come a few days early like his sister) would be able to head the opposite direction to the hospital at a moment's notice. Nathan is clearly not his sister. He has his own clock, and a few days early was not on his agenda. So Audrey waited (wondering why we hadn't come to pick her up yet), we waited, and Nathan waited, until we found ourselves at the doctor's office on his due date performing a stress test to make sure everything was coming along just fine.

As we sat for the stress test (during which I had 5-6 contractions, of which I felt one), we found out about the holiday birthing schedule (if delivering on the 22nd or 23rd, proceed to Hospital A to be delivered by Doctor C; if the 24th or 26th, proceed to Hospital B to be delivered by Doctor D; and if we hit lucky 25, the hospital and doctor would change depending on the time of day). Meanwhile, Audrey was busy putting a pair of pajamas on a doll. The doll properly dressed for a nap, she informed my mother, "Her belly hurts. That baby has been in there too long." Apparently, we were all on the same page. Wishing to avoid a holiday game of musical doctors/hospitals, and taking into account that mild contractions had already started, we decided to book a room at the hospital and have a baby.

The plan was to break my water at the hospital and induce using pitocin. I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm a bit of a chicken. I could put a brave face on it and tell you that the thought of chemically inducing a baby gives me pause. What it actually does is make me tear up in the car and wish I were the type of person who thinks to carry Kleenex. Epidurals scare me even more. Aside from my trust issues involving complete strangers, enormous needles, and their proximity to my spine, I have a sensitivity to anesthesia. And while an epidural and anesthesia are not the same thing, I have a funny feeling that the two of us might not mix.

My feelings must have leaked out through my face. My doctor broke my water at seven, but said she'd wait a couple hours to see how I progressed before starting pitocin. Nathan did the rest. Apparently, once he decides to make an appearance, the boy makes an appearance. So in just over three hours, before pitocin or an epidural could be administered, before my doctor could get back to the hospital to deliver him, and almost before the nurse could say, "You have to get your wife back to the bed," he was here. I love this boy.

And now we're home, recovering nicely (which seems to happen pretty quickly with such a short labor). As for Audrey, aside from some initial disagreements concerning his name - apparently, she informed the guests at a Christmas party that we were naming him Wilbur and later carried on a fairly heated argument (on her side) about it with her aunt - she's handling the big sister role with gusto. Every once in a while we have to stop her from trying to do too much - from squeezing too tight. But the excess of love she has for him, well, it's what you hope for any sibling. The top picture may say it best. I turned from hanging up my coat to find him branded a "special person." Yes, I think we're going to do just fine.

~As for Wilbur, we finally convinced Audrey to call her brother Nathan (or "Naphin," as she pronounces it) after telling her she could name a doll she received for Christmas Wilbur. As for what she called the second doll she received? Charlotte, of course.

He's Here!

Introducing:

Nathan Tyler

6 lbs. 7oz; 21 inches long

Born at 10:12 pm (or 22:12 military time)

on December 22, 2009

We've had quite the blessed Christmas week, and there is much to tell. But I've been a bit distracted between Christmas gatherings, the generosity of family and friends, hugging Audrey who looks and acts as if she skipped an age in the week I've been without her, and learning everything I can about this new little man and sudden constant at my side. And, while I've been attempting to write this post since we arrived home from the hospital on Christmas Eve, the moments keep shifting focus to something else. It's the season. It's the three-year-old who makes Christmas mean something entirely new as an adult. It's the adoption of yet another role. Mostly, it's the new set of ten perfect fingers and toes that I can't stop admiring.

So I will quickly write this:

I hope that each of you has felt as blessed this Christmas as we have. I hope that each of you has felt the swell of love that a family generous with their time, their talents, and their gifts bring. I hope you spent time with those old and dear to your life and also time with someone new to remind you that the heart always makes room for more. I hope Christmas brought you everything it is meant to.

And now if you'll excuse me, I have ten perfect toes and ten perfect fingers to go admire. Times two. I'll be back in a couple days.

Preparation Week 2: The Soaker Stash

You could say we've shifted into baby mode. Not that the whole weekend was baby-related, there was plenty of Christmas, family fun, and football to go around, but the subtle (and sometimes, not so subtle) aches in my back and the daily movement of the candy cane marker on Audrey's 24 Days til Christmas Calendar are constant reminders that this baby's arrival is just around the corner. So, I spent a couple pockets of time this weekend creating a soaker stash.

We used disposable diapers with Audrey. She ended up being in diapers for longer than I expected she would be. And, well, I'm tired of buying diapers. I'm tired of the late day drives to the store solely for diapers after realizing we've just run out. I've over the diaper trash. I'm ready to get tired of something new. After we had Audrey, a couple friends began using cloth diapers. They became big advocates. They've given a little advice. I've decided to take the plunge. Jason is a bit nervous. I can't blame him. He thinks it's only a matter of time before I grow tired of washing diapers. He's got a point.

But, there is something so sweet about the little soaker stash above that gives me hope that this whole cloth diaper thing will feel just as cozy. I've ordered a small pile of Chinese prefold diapers from Toasty Baby that should arrive on my doorstep today. They are your basic run-of-the-mill, no bells or whistles, need to be secured with safety pins or snappis (also arriving on my doorstep today) cloth diapers. (I also have a couple all-in-one diapers - read: more bells and whistles, look like disposable diapers -arriving, with hopes that those helping out with our little guy who are a bit cloth-shy will feel a little more comfortable taking a turn with those). The Chinese prefolds require a cover to go over them as an extra layer of protection. Hence, the wool soakers. I found a free soaker pattern here. The pattern uses an old wool sweater (I grabbed one from Goodwill and gave it a thorough cleaning) to make the soaker. My sweater (a medium women's) was big enough to make 3, with a sleeve and part of the sweater's body leftover, which means I paid around $1.33 per diaper cover. Add $1.50 for the prefold, and $2.83 doesn't sound bad for a diaper you use again and again. Let's just hope the laundry part isn't too bad, either. In the meantime, I can't help but smile each time I imagine our little boy with a sweater on his bum. Really, what says snuggly winter baby more than that?

Sneak Preview

As much as I try to stay in the moment so as not to waste this gift of time with Audrey, especially since our days of unlimited one-on-one time are numbered, I can't help but find my mind (and hands) wandering forward as I make to-do lists of pre-baby projects. This weekend, over kitchen-table conversation with Jason and a high school friend, one such project got crossed off my list. It's the Sweetheart Pullover from Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas' Knitting for Baby, made from Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool in Nature's Brown.


It's meant to be the major (or possibly, only) handmade gift tucked under the Christmas tree for our newest sweetheart after he arrives. As I rub my hands over the nubby wool, I can't help but wonder if I've finally managed to knit a garment too small. I am reminded of Jason pulling up in front of a store on our way home from the hospital so I could run in to buy preemie clothes, Audrey (at full term) being smaller than we had even imagined. But the bigger surprise was how someone so tiny and new could grow to color my every perception.


It will be months before I know if this new sweater will fit. But today, it serves as a little reminder of the one on his way, who will add his own hues to my perception. And, how lucky I am to have his big sister, who upon finding the sweater this morning yelled, "Good job, Mom! Good job making it, Mom. I'm going to hold it so it doesn't get dirty." Just gotta love almost-three-year-olds. Now to get started on her sweater...

Shoes to Fill

Those of you who know me, or have passed me on the street, know that we're anticipating a little arrival this winter - one that will change our family and our lives in ways that we can't even imagine yet. We are trying to prepare in the only ways we know how: painting this little one's future room; stockpiling and reorganizing baby supplies, and talking to Audrey about what it means to be a sibling (and, of course, I've brought out the knitting needles).



But having become a mother once, I now know that what we need to prepare for most is to be surprised. The physical changes hit first: feeling the weight of a baby in my arms as opposed to kicking me from the inside; the unexpected back pain when I changed from an upright well-postured adult to one incessantly bending over a child; the zombie-like days of sleep deprivation (and the wonder and relief of catching second winds that kept us coping) that I believed would happen (I had heard the horror stories) - but hey, there's reading about Rome and there's actually being in Rome.



But it's the non-physical changes, the ones that have shown themselves gradually, that have stuck with me and altered me the most. We were only a few months into parenthood when I began to feel as if Audrey had always been a part of our family. Dynamic things come wrapped in very small bundles, and this vibrant one was going to leave a mark. And she has. I could not have imagined the courage, strength, and full-blown love (not to mention comedic relief) that comes in a three-foot blond with dirt under her nails and hummus slathered in her hair. But here she is, surprising me daily.



So I busy myself, making tiny shoes that will be too big for this new baby, and wondering just who this little one will grow to be. I don't know how he will change us, enrich us, or teach us. The only thing I know for certain is: he will.




~ The shoes were made using Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Nature's Brown. I used the Beginner Booties pattern in Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas' Knitting for Baby (A new book! What?! I know friends, it's a new day).