The Old Lady Stink Eye

Is it a rule of Relief Societies everywhere that the old ladies think they know everything about child rearing and that they give young mothers (yes I still count myself as a young mother) like me the stink eye? Apparently, I am the worst mother in the world for taking Claire to church today. Every older woman who saw me said some version of the following and not in a nice tone, "What are you doing here......with your baby?" or "Oh, Jessica is here....with her baby!" Claire will be 2 weeks old tomorrow and frankly I wanted to get out of the house and go to church....is that a crime? Today there was one older woman who had been staring at me all through gospel doctrine. She was literally turning around in her seat to shoot crusties in my direction. I was trying not to take it personally and assumed she had to be looking at the people behind me since I don't even know her name but it became clear in Relief Society that she meant every crusty for me. The Relief Society President was talking about the swine flu and how it is going around and that they had information about it on the table. Well, crusty lady raised her hand and said that her daughter had just had a baby and that a cousin had come to visit her who had been exposed to the swine flu and then she turns around in her chair and says to me with the rudest look on her face and says, "so it's out there." Yeah, I'm aware of that, but I've got to live my life and I have two other children that I'm trying to get acclimated and making friends. So sue me! Claire started crying a little after that and I used it as a good excuse to leave Relief Society and go cry in the bathroom. I still have raging hormones and to be honest I'm a little lonely and still adjusting to being here. If you live in my old ward it was a real Anona Piercy moment....I guess there is one in every ward.

Bunny Ears - Tied Shoes at Last

Gage tied his shoes for the first time last night just when I thought I was going to be tying Gage's shoes on his wedding day if he didn't start to assert himself and try to do it himself. He is so proud of himself and so am I. Gage is easily frustrated when learning new things, particularly physical things, because those don't come nearly as easy as cognitive things do. I'm getting worried about this problem and how it will bode for kindergarten. It is really a hard decision for me to make because he is so smart and I think we will kill each other if I keep him home one more year but then some parts of his development seem delayed to me. Anyway, I guess I have a few more months to decide and for now I'm just happy that the bunny made it through the hole and that Gage can tie his shoes!

Pulling Up Nails With My Nose

Let me take you back 12 years, oh my has it been that long, to when I was a senior in High School. Didn't I have great hair? Great eyebrows too. I think my wax lady has been a little heavy with the wax lately. Anyway, I was 17 in this picture and thought I knew everything of course. Including what kind of mom I was going to be and it was at this tender age of 17 that I declared the following, "I will never, repeat never, drive a mini-van. I don't care if they are convenient they are so uncool!" Fast forward 12 years. Tim and I got our mini-van on Friday night and I never thought I would be so freakin excited to see a mini-van. It is convenient and possibly uncool but I don't care! Both doors open at the touch of button. I have heated leather seats and a 6 CD changer. I have a DVD system so the kids were actually quiet for a car trip and Tim and I could talk to each other. Which is another thing I said I would never have. A TV in the car. But that is where the nails come in. My whole life my mom has used this weirdo saying that goes, "Don't lay down nails you have to pull up with your nose." I've never in all my life know what the crap that means but I think I finally understand that with my mini-van sitting in the garage it is time I got down and tried to pull up those nails that have been there for 12 years with my nose. All I can do is apologize to the girl in the photo that I've allowed myself to become so uncool and that I have grey hair and 3 kids.

Claire is Here!

Claire Bailey Wright was born on June 15th at 5:36 in the evening. I was due on June 25th and as much as I dislike being induced I was so so thankful to be this time. I can't believe that at 10 days early she was still one once shy of 8 pounds. I swear my kids take steroids or something. There is more pain when you go on your own but it takes more time when you are induced and since I'm not a patient person the waiting really kills me. I delivered at Salt Lake Regional and seriously this has to be the best hospital in existence. I had the world's nicest nurses who pampered me from the very beginning and my delivery nurse came back the next day with a burp cloth she had made and a thank you note! If anyone should be thanking anyone it is me thanking her! Anyway, they started the pitocin at about 9am and the pain was really manageable so I didn't get my epidural until about 1pm when Dr J broke my water. My epidural was really screwy and for half the time only half my body was numb. This really freaked me out because the side that wasn't numb was the side that my pelvis hurts the worst. They finally got me numb from my about my belly button down so I could still feel the contractions in my upper belly and that was also very weird. I was upset at the time but I'm just thankful that one important part was numb and I didn't have to feel the burning ring of fire! I only had to push for about 4 contractions which is an all time record for me.

I love the feeling right after a baby is born. It's like nothing else in the world exists except the little sweet person making all the noise. Claire was a noisy little one who thought being born was a horrible experience that the whole hospital needed to hear about. I swear her cry is so much cuter that the boys' was. Can you tell that she already has me and her dad wrapped around her finger? Tim reprimanded me for not taking pictures of her from the time he left the hospital at 9pm to the time he came back the next day around noon because, "She is so much cuter today than she was yesterday!"


Gage and Luke have been so excited for her to be born and according to the Grandma's it is all Gage talked about the day she was born. The boys came to the hospital after she was born and they have been quite taken with her. Gage can't help but exclaim each time he sees her, "She is just so cute!" Poor Luke keeps calling her a "him" and I can't get him to change so for now it is, "Him sleeping." and "Him cute!" Although I have to be really careful with Luke because he has also said, "I want to bite that baby." and "I want to kill the baby." That one really shocked me because I've never heard him use the word kill and it's not like we use that word around the house. So far he has just patted her though.

She has been such a sweet baby so far. I could just stare at her forever. I think she is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I think since we don't plan to have more that I'm really just absorbed with enjoying everything about her....even the late nights. I know it won't last forever even though I wish it would.

My recovery so far has been a little more shaky than it was with the boys. Yesterday was the first day that I could walk around with out getting dizzy and getting the shakes. My pelvis is really painful and it is worse when I lie down so sleep is not real great at this point. But it wouldn't be anyway I guess. I hate to complain though because she is totally worth it.

Sharing a Room

With only three bedrooms upstairs it has become necessary for the boys to share a room to make room for the baby. I think even if we had four bedrooms on one floor I would still have them share. I think that sharing a room is so beneficial for kids. I have really good memories of sharing with my sisters and I think it teaches cooperation and brings kids closer together. I think their mission companions may thank me later! As great as I think it is I still have put off, as long as possible, this merging of Luke and Gage. Gage is a wonderful sleeper who rarely gets off the bed and pretty much just falls asleep no matter what time I put him to bed. Luke is more temper mental. He has been known to lie in his crib for hours and talk and sing and laugh before he finally falls asleep at eleven. It has never been a problem though because I'm the kind of mom that once I put you to bed you don't see my face again until morning unless your arm is falling off (hopefully you know what I mean). I was worried that Luke would prevent Gage from sleeping and that his general naughtiness would rub off on Gage.

My original plan was to get bunk beds and have Luke in a big boy bed before the babe came. This week I decided that Luke is not ready for a big boy bed and that I shouldn't kick him out of the crib just because there was a new body that needed it. If I'm totally honest I'm not ready for him to be in a big boy bed either because I know the chances of him staying in said bed are very small. So on Monday I had Tim undo the crib, which incidentally he had just put up for the move, and put it up in Gage's room. Thankfully the room is plenty big. The boys were so excited that they were wild and running around. Once we had wrestled them into their PJ's, attempted to read some scriptures that no one heard over the constant giggling, and Gage had offered a prayer that was more laughing than anything else it was time for bed.

The excitement was palpable in the air as we said our I love you's and shut the door. The giggling and laughing and the "Gagey jump jump" were all we heard for two hours. Oh, that and the loud thud when Gage hit his head on the wall. So apparently the crib and bed turned into trampolines and they had the time of their lives and it started all over again at 7:30 the next morning. Needless to say Luke was exhausted the next day but wouldn't nap because he wanted "Gagey lay down too!" So last night Luke was asleep in 4.5 seconds and Gage not too long after. Luke napped today thankfully. Hearing them giggling and talking to each other was really one of the sweetest sounds I think I have ever heard and each time Tim and I would look at each other and giggle right along with them. I flatter myself that it was a good call to leave Luke in the crib because they can giggle and laugh as long as I don't have to see them and put them back into bed.

Nesting

My nesting abilities have really be limited with the move. Though today I did get all the stuff I had for the baby out and took inventory and the nursery is as set up as it is going to get before Monday. It is just a functional nursery at this point because decorating is beyond me right now. I feel pretty ready. The only grey area is the feeding issue. Why does nursing, even before I have the baby, make me feel anxious and hot all over? I can't bring myself to pull out the pump and sanitize it and I can't bring myself to go spend a small fortune on formula and bottle nipples. I guess I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Great....No Wonderful...No Fantasitc News

I had a doctor's appointment today and he is inducing me on June 15th!!! I was so happy I could have cried. I was so excited but now I can't help but freak out a little about all the things we still need to do before the 15th. Ahhhhhh.

House Pics

A few of you have been asking me to post pics of our new place so here they are. I'm not a very good photographer and we desperately need a new camera but these will give you a good idea of what we've got going on. The house is a split entry which is the only thing I don't love but what do you do? It is 3 beds and two baths upstairs and downstairs has a playroom, den (could be a 4th bedroom), laundry, and another bathroom.

Here is the front in all it's glory. There are a lot of flower beds that need weeding and I'm already overwhelmed.

I was trying to get a pic of all the flower beds and ended up with one...I told you I can't take a picture to save my life. A lot of the plants are perennials which is good but there are just so many beds.

This is the front room at the top of the entry. It was hard to get a good angle. Note red wall and purple chair it is truly offensive!

This is the front room as seen from the dining room.

This is my new love.....our refrigerator! If you are in the market for a fridge I highly recommend this style. The rest of the kitchen is ugly so I didn't take a picture. Great potential though.

I love that we can all get around the table with room to spare. Behind the table is where you go out on the deck.

In this picture the bedrooms are to my back. Note closet on the left. My vacuum fits in it. I know you aren't as thrilled as me but when you've had your vacuum in your kitchen for four years it's the small things that get you going.

This is the guest bathroom and the only one that I've "decorated".

This is Tim's man cave but will also be my craft room when I get my sewing desk from my mom's and scrapbook organizer.

This bathroom completes Tim's man cave because it is a mere three steps from his computer and has a shower that has a huge bench in it....I'm sure you can guess why he is so excited about this feature.

Don't Eat That Yogurt

I've had a stomach bug for the last couple of days. Yuck. And I haven't been grocery shopping so it is for this reason that I was eating a go-gurt this morning. Which by the way is the lowest life form of food but the kids like 'em. I was eating the last one and Luke said he wanted some so I offered him some.

Gage - "Luke don't eat that! You'll get Mom's germs and then you'll have a baby in your tummy too!"

I knew I never should have accepted that yogurt Tim offered me 9 months ago.